Balancing Offense and Defense in Spiritual Battle

By:  Dale Weckbacher

2 Corinthians 6:7

We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense.

(NLT)

I have previously written about the spiritual battle we as Christians find ourselves in and the need to use the spiritual weaponry God has provided for us (Ephesians 6:10-20).  Each of the implements of the armor of God represents something we as believers possess that empower us for victory in spiritual warfare.  2 Corinthians 6:7 provides instruction on utilizing these weapons for both attack (offense) and defense.  Let us now take a moment to look at the entire armor of God and how each of the weapons helps us balance offense in defense in spiritual warfare.

1)      The sword and shield (Ephesians 6:16) – Typically a Roman soldier would hold his sword in his right hand and a shield in his left.  The shield would typically be used to deflect the arrows of the enemy shot at him from a distance, most likely from the walls of the city they were attacking.  The sword was what the soldier would use in close hand-to-hand combat.  Today we observe Christianity under attack in the media, social media, through the court system, and even by politicians.  What these attacks have in common is that they are a blanket attack coming at us from a distance.  The root purpose of these attacks stem from the enemy (Satan) knowing he was totally defeated by Jesus at the cross (1 Corinthians 15:54-57) seeking to take as many people with him to hell.  This constant barrage of attacks against our faith could cause us to lose our faith but with the shield of faith in our left hand, we have all we need to deflect these attacks not because our faith is so strong but because our faith is backed up by God and the other implements of the armor.

2)      Belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness (Ephesians 6:14) – Today we have the completed canon of Scripture available to us.  While some contend this canon of scripture is the work of men and not something we should consider the Word of God, (1) evidence exists validating the Bible’s validity.  This evidence consists of internal evidence with scripture saying thirty-eight hundred times either “God said” or “Thus says the Lord.”  (2)  While this internal evidence is compelling, it is the text itself touting its validity.  We therefore must turn to the external evidence to see if it supports these internal statements.  Among this external evidence we discover.

a.       Amazing continuity – While the Bible is a compilation of many works spanning 1600 years, it has a message of continuity about who God is that makes it read like a single book. (2)

b.       Revelation of God’s love for humanity (2)  – Unlike many religious writings, the Bible does not reveal a God detached from humanity hurling judgment upon humanity.  Instead it reveals a loving God who even when his creation disobeyed him, promised a savior to bring redemption (Genesis 3:15).

c.       Reveals God’s cure for sin (2) – From Genesis 3:15 the Bible unveils God’s plan of redemption with the revelation of God’s law, the formation of the nation of Israel from which Messiah would be born, the Gospels telling of the ministry of Messiah on earth, the book of Acts recording early church history, the epistles providing instructions to the church, and the Book of Revelation revealing what will occur when the Lord returns the second time to establish His Kingdom on earth. 

d.       Consistency of ethics and morals (2) – Even though the Bible spans 1600 years and is written by 40 authors, its morality and ethics is consistent unlike the current divisiveness of our culture today. 

e.       Fulfillment of prophecy (2) – God’s plans are not secret and he always reveals them at the right time.  The Bible represents a progression of God’s revelation through his prophets and servants (Amos 3:7).  The test of these revelations is in if they are fulfilled (Deuteronomy 29:29).  The Bible has an amazing record of fulfilled prophecies concerning Messiah, the future kingdom on earth (much of which is yet to be fulfilled), and the restoration of Israel which occurred in 1948.   

f.        Reveals minute details of God that go beyond our human comprehension (2) – Not only does the Bible speak of events on earth but it pulls back the curtain revealing the God of heaven.  While this revelation goes beyond our human comprehension, prophets like Isaiah and John tried to reveal these things through the written word (Isaiah6, Revelation 4). 

3)      Gospel shoes and salvation helmet (Ephesians6:15,17) – A soldier must advance to engage the enemy offensively and not just stay in one place in a posture of defense.  For this reason, a soldier must wear some form of foot protection.  In spiritual warfare, this protection is the message of the Gospel which the soldier takes with Him wherever he goes.  The defensive nature of this implement of armor is that the soldier can advance in battle with the knowledge his position in the army is secure and that his general, God himself, will never leave him or her defenseless.  The helmet of salvation is there to guard against any doubts of the security of our salvation that the enemy may attempt to plant in the soldier’s head.  Satan uses our past as a weapon attempting to bring doubt into our thinking causing us to doubt our forgiveness of past sins by reminding us of them.  The helmet of salvation reminds us that Jesus finished work on the cross has forgiven all of our sins.

4)      The sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17) – Fully protected with the defensive implements of armor, the spiritual warrior can now advance using his or her sword, the Word of God, to defeat the enemy.  Therefore, we who choose to engage in spiritual warfare against Satan must become proficient in our knowledge of God’s Word (2 Timothy 2:15).  Spiritual warriors must regularly sit at the feet of their Lord like Mary and not become obsessed with the duties of their work like Martha (Luke 10:38-42). 

Jesus said it well when he pointed out that the harvest is ripe but the harvesters are few (Matthew 9:37).  Our world desperately needs Jesus and there is a shortage of those willing to enter the fray of spiritual battle.  However, let us not enter the battle without first putting on the armor of God and properly learning to balance the defensive and offensive use of its implements. 

1. Barron, Alexander J. Why the Bible Is Not the Word of God. www.huffingtonpost.com. [Online] The Huffington Post, July 2, 2016. [Cited: July 9, 2017.] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alexander-j-barron/why-the-bible-is-not-the-_b_7717552.html.

2. Bible.org. 4. The Bible: The Written Word of God. https://bible.org. [Online] Bible.org. [Cited: July 9, 2017.] https://bible.org/seriespage/4-bible-written-word-god.

Truth: God’s Vaccine for Foolish Opinions.

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Proverbs 18:2

Fools have no interest in understanding;
    they only want to air their own opinions.

(NLT)

In the United States, free speech is a right protected by the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution.  (1)  The benefit of living in a society where freedom of speech is protected is that ideas can be openly presented and debated.  However, just because an idea can be openly expressed does not guarantee its adoption by society.  On other words, we have the guarantee of free speech but not the guarantee our ideas will become adopted. 

The main issue our society faces today is that of the absence of a way to discern truth from fiction.  Our media and academic institutions are dominated by a postmodernist philosophy teaching that truth is whatever one believes it to be.  (2) (3) (4)  This is why we are seeing society beginning to consider as normal beliefs that were considered foolish for hundreds and even thousands of years.  Examples of these foolish beliefs are,

1)      In the interest of a woman’s right to choose, it is legal for her to murder her unborn child.  Any society devoid of a sanctity for life can quickly turn into a barbaric society.  It can also lead to society valuing certain lives over others.  While Rome was a vibrant empire lasting for thousands of years, it also had a barbaric and evil side.  Romans kept slaves, were entertained by bloody games in circuses, were led by insane and cruel emperors that could order senators to commit suicide, and persecuted religions not in line with its religious views.  (5)  In 20^th century we have witnessed the brutality of leaders like Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, and Pol Pot.  (6)  While those of us living in civilized societies find the actions of such tyrants abhorrent, it is no less abhorrent than the brutal murder of innocent lives in the womb.  While the number of abortions is declining, (7) the fact that many still believe the murder of an innocent life that has no say in the matter in the interest of protecting a woman’s right to choose demonstrates a disregard of the value of the life of one person over another.  While the right to choose is protected in countries like the United States, that right to choose, except for rape, existed for a woman prior to becoming pregnant.  Abortion on demand is not about a right to choose but about covering up a bad decision resulting in an unwanted pregnancy. 

2)      Marriage is not between a man and a woman.  Genesis 1:27 reminds us that God created man in his own image and created them to be male and female.  The reason for this gender distinction was not because God is sexist but for the procreation of the race.  Why else would God have ordered Noah to bring a male and female of each species, including himself, into the ark if the purpose was not to repopulate the earth after the flood (Genesis 6:19).  The belief and practice of traditional marriage between a man and a woman has served societies well for thousands of years and allowed humanity to thrive with the current world population being estimated at 7.3 billion and projected to reach 11.2 billion by 2100.  (8)  God detests the gay lifestyle and was one of the principle reasons he destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:5).  God has instructed us that marriage is between a man and a woman and humanity has thrived under this belief for thousands of years.  Let us not now pervert this with the foolish belief that a marriage can be anything else.

3)      God creates some to have the physical characteristics of one gender while mentally believing they are another gender.  After six days of creation, Genesis 1:31 tells us that God looked over all that he had made and determined it was good.  Since God does not change (James 1:17), he still views his creation as good.  The problem in the world is not that God errored in his creation but that humanity in the person of Adam and Eve introduced sin to humanity through their disobedience.  Thankfully, through Jesus Christ we can experience restoration back to the position humanity enjoyed in the Garden because God still loves his creation and considers it worthy of the sacrifice of his Only Son.  For one to consider the gender God created them with physically to be wrong is a slap in the face of God our creator and in my opinion a foolish opinion. 

We must vaccinate ourselves from foolish opinions by discerning what we hear with the Word of God.  This does not mean we will stop being inundated with foolish opinions but allows us to discern truth from foolishness and prevent ourselves from adopting these beliefs and continue serving our Lord in Spirit and in Truth while speaking out against these perversions of God’s truths.  When Jesus stood before Pilate, Pilate asked Jesus what truth was (John 18:38) as the one who correctly professed to be the way, truth, and life (John 14:6) was standing right in front of him.  Truth is found in Jesus Christ and the Word of God contained in the Bible. 

Unlike Pilate who stood in the physical presence of God in the person of Jesus, we have the completed Bible, the Word of Truth available to us and have no excuse if we begin to fall for foolish opinions.  I therefore encourage everyone reading this to inoculate themselves against foolish opinions by vaccinating themselves with regular doses of the Word of God. 

1. constitutionus.com. The Constitution of the United States. constitutionus.com. [Online] [Cited: January 21, 2017.] http://constitutionus.com/.

2. Dulgnan, Brian. Postmodernism Philosophy. www.britannica.com. [Online] Encyclopedia Britannica, October 31, 2014. [Cited: March 31, 2017.] https://www.britannica.com/topic/postmodernism-philosophy.

3. Sanbonmatsu, John. POSTMODERNISM AND THE CORRUPTION OF ACADEMIC INTELLIGENTSIA. socialistregister.com. [Online] Socialist Register. [Cited: March 31, 2017.] http://socialistregister.com/index.php/srv/article/viewFile/5851/2747.

4. Saugstad, Andreas. Postmodernism and the Media. bolesblogs.com. [Online] November 20, 2000. [Cited: March 31, 2017.] https://bolesblogs.com/2000/11/20/postmodernism-the-media/.

5. Roman Empire.net. The Evils of Rome. www.roman-empire.net. [Online] Roman Empire.net. [Cited: July 8, 2017.] http://www.roman-empire.net/children/evils.html.

6. Elena Holodny, and Amanda Macias. The 25 most ruthless leaders of all time. www.businessinsider.com. [Online] Business Insider, October 7, 2015. [Cited: July 8, 2017.] http://www.businessinsider.com/most-ruthless-leaders-of-all-time-2015-10.

7. abort73.com. U.S. Abortion Statistics. abort73.com. [Online] Abort73.com. [Cited: July 8, 2017.] http://abort73.com/abortion_facts/us_abortion_statistics/.

8. The United Nations. World population projected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050. www.un.org. [Online] The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, July 29, 2015. [Cited: July 8, 2017.] http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/news/population/2015-report.html.

The High Price of Liberty

By:  Dale Weckbacher

2 Corinthians 5:21

 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

(ESV)

The United States has two official federal holidays that remind us of the high price of liberty.  One of these days is Veterans Day annually celebrated on the 11^th of November coinciding with the anniversary of the signing of the armistice ending World War I.  Its purpose is to honor and thank all military personnel that have served the United States in all wars. 

Thankfully, not everyone who serves does so by sacrificing their life, but those individuals that have served do so at the expense of sacrificing a portion of their life while serving to preserve the liberties of their fellow citizens.  The time they devote to service of country is time they could have invested in getting an education, advancing their career, or starting a business.  While many veterans do accomplish these things after serving, and why we reward them by offering some assistance in these endeavors, they cannot recover the time lost that could have been invested in these endeavors.  I therefore, want to take this opportunity to thank all our veterans for their service and sacrifice.

The United States also celebrates Memorial Day on the last Monday of May.  While Veterans day honors all veterans, Memorial Day gives special honor to those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice of their lives in service to their country.  Unfortunately, throughout the relatively brief history of the United States, thousands have made this sacrifice for their fellow citizens to preserve their liberties.  It is because of the selfless sacrifice of these individuals, especially those offering their lives, that someone like myself can have the liberty to express myself through this medium.  I therefore want to extend a heartfelt thanks to the surviving family members of those that have made the ultimate sacrifice for my liberties. 

In addition to Memorial Day and Veterans Day, we as Christians also celebrate two more holidays in the United States, Christmas, and Easter.  John 3:16 reminds us that God loved humanity so much that he gave His Only Son to us.  While the penalty for the sin that separates humanity from God is death (Romans 6:23), by giving His son to us, God has provided a path for the salvation of humanity that does not require our death but the simple act of believing that Jesus’ undeserved death on the cross, since Jesus knew no sin (2 Corinthians 5:21), satisfies the death sentence for sin.  Christmas is a day when we honor the birth of our savior and Easter is a day of celebration of the resurrection of Christ after his death, a demonstration of Jesus’ victory over the ultimate enemy, death. 

While we should honor both our veterans and our Lord everyday of our lives, the setting apart of these special days allows us to take a pause from our hectic lives and reflect on the high price of our national liberties and the liberty we experience with God through the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. 

The current political and cultural divide in the United States and other parts of our world stems from how one defines liberty.  Those coming from a liberal progressive socialist philosophy view liberty as those things granted to an individual through government action.  These individuals view the rights granted in the Bill of Rights in the U.S. constitution (1) as a list of things granted to them by their government.  These individuals feel threatened when someone is elected to office threatening to curtail something like free health care, free education, or any other government granted entitlement through the cutting of taxes or repeals of legislation granting them some government entitlement.  It is this belief in what constitutes liberty that is behind much of the Trump bashing we now see in our culture. 

Those coming from a conservative, free market philosophy view liberty as God given rights granted to everyone by God their creator and view the role of government as a limited one of defending these rights.  These individuals view the Bill of Rights as a list of limits placed upon government preventing it from removing the liberties of individuals.  These individuals feel threatened when someone is elected to office vowing larger government promising to further intrude in their lives. 

When we read the Declaration of Independence, (2) we soon discover that its authors favored a smaller less intrusive government and after fighting a long war to gain independence from England, formed a Republic whose powers were limited by the U.S. Constitution.  (1)  The reason for their adoption of this philosophy was because they had suffered under the tyranny of oppression by big government and had no desire to return to it.  Unfortunately, 241 plus years later, we are beginning to see the United States becoming a tyrannical government despite the protections offered by its Constitution. 

The voters in the United States for the most part do not want to return to a tyranny and is why they voted for Donald Trump in 2016.  One of the main issues in the 2016 election was the repeal of Obamacare representing governments intervention in individual’s health care.  The recent developments in the U.K. surrounding the case of 10-month old Charlie Gard demonstrates what can occur when government is in control of health care decisions because they pay for them.  (3)  Former Vice-Presidential candidate and Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin was criticized for her mention of death panels during the debate over passage of Obamacare (4) but the recent developments in the UK are proof that more government involvement in health care decisions can result in government deciding who lives and dies.

Many have died to preserve the liberties of the United States throughout its history.  Each of these men and women swore to uphold the Constitution of the United States which is based upon the philosophy of the Declaration of Independence believing in the God given right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  Let us not dishonor these individuals by voting for greater government intervention that could evolve into government deciding who has the right to live. 

1. constitutionus.com. The Constitution of the United States. constitutionus.com. [Online] [Cited: January 21, 2017.] http://constitutionus.com/.

2. ushistory.org. The Declaration of Independence. www.ushistory.org. [Online] [Cited: October 30, 2016.] http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/.

3. Walsh, Matt. Courts in Europe have sentenced a baby to death. This is socialized medicine. www.theblaze.com. [Online] The Blaze, June 28, 2017. [Cited: July 8, 2017.] http://www.theblaze.com/contributions/matt-walsh-courts-in-europe-have-sentenced-a-baby-to-death-this-is-socialized-medicine/.

4. Cosman, Ben. 'Death Panels' Will Be Sarah Palin's Greatest Legacy. www.theatlantic.com. [Online] The Atlantic, May 30, 2014. [Cited: July 8, 2017.] https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/05/death-panels-will-be-sarah-palins-greatest-legacy/371888/.

Becoming a First Responder for God

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Matthew 6:33

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

(ESV)

I am thankful for first responders and pray for their protection.  These are a special breed of individuals that run into danger when most of us are doing everything we can to run from it.  I am sure those reading this who have had any type of emergency in their lives will share my thankfulness and pray for these special individuals as well.  My challenge to those reading this is to ask what their first response is when facing some challenge in life for it is this first response that tells us what we treasure in our hearts. 

First responders must go through rigorous training to perform their duties.  This training is designed to make their unnatural response to a dangerous situation one of facing it head on instead of running from it.  Likewise, we as followers of Christ must learn to make seeking God our first response when facing the challenges of life instead of our fleshly natural response of worry and panic.  To accomplish this we must,

1)      Seek God first (Matthew 6:33) – Most of us that profess Jesus as our savior are quick to declare we will seek God when facing a challenge in life but when we find ourselves in the middle of some calamity, our natural response is one of panic and worry.  The context of Matthew 6:33 is Jesus’ sermon on the mount.  The full context contained in Matthew 6:25-34 is Jesus reminding us not to be anxious or to worry about what is occurring in our lives.  While this is easier said than done, Jesus does provide a visual picture allowing those listening to him to have something to fall back on when worry overtakes our thoughts.  If you are now overcome with worry, I encourage you to pause and picture the little sparrows finding food in the fields that their creator has provided for them.  Imagine the beauty of the wildflowers clothed in what their creator has provided.  God sent His Only Son to die for our sins demonstrating His great love for us.  Therefore, why should I worry because my God will supply all that I need (Philippians 4:19).

2)      Trust God Fully (1 Peter 5:6-7) – Once we seek God to provide for our needs and present our needs to Him, do not take them back.  We would not think twice about taking back a gift we give to someone so why would we take back something we have given to God for to do so only demonstrates a total lack of trust in God.  After seeking God, we must take the next step and totally trust God to meet that need just as he meets the needs of the sparrows in the field and clothes the flowers.  This once again is easy to say and since there is usually a waiting period between the time we seek God and make our petition to him and the receipt of our answer, we must demonstrate total trust in God by not taking back what we have given him but wait for it is in the waiting that we are strengthened (Isaiah 40:31).  When we take back the petition we have presented to God, we are seeking something other than God and demonstrating a lack of seeking God first and resorting to trusting something else (i.e. our own abilities or some worldly provision) and not God.

3)      Share what God has done – Prior to His ascension to be with His Father, Jesus told his followers that they would receive power to be His witnesses when the Holy Spirit came upon them.  While actively sharing the Gospel with the lost is part of being a witness, our greatest witness is in how we live our lives.  When we live lives seeking God first and learn to fully trust Him, we open the door for God to work miracles in our lives.  Those that do not know Christ also have needs in their lives and without God in their lives are seeking answers to their needs elsewhere.  Whatever they are seeking as an answer to their needs will ultimately disappoint them.  Therefore, it is imperative for us that know Christ to seek Him to meet our needs, trust Him fully, and thus show what Jesus can do.  While some may still reject what they see Jesus doing in our lives, we are planting seeds and must trust the Holy Spirit to water and nourish these seeds.

Being a first responder for Christ involves seeking, trusting, and sharing (STS).  A world in chaos needs first responders for Christ to come to its aide.  Just as emergency first responders fearlessly enter danger, our world needs first responders for Christ that fearlessly engage using STS, demonstrating how the answer to whatever anyone needs is found in Jesus Christ. 

I encourage everyone reading this to become a first responder for Christ by learning to seek God, Trust Him to meet their needs, and actively sharing what Jesus has done in our lives under the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.  Will you join me in this endeavor?

Tethered to the Trinity

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Matthew 6:21

 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

(ESV)

We all worship something.  While most of us do not engage in pagan worship as did the occupants of the Promised Land before the Israelites came to the land (Exodus 34:11-17), we do have idols of worship in our modern society.  For anyone to enjoy a close and vibrant relationship with God it is imperative that one make God the object of their worship and discard any idols of worship that may be present in their lives. 

While these idols may not by themselves be inherently evil, they do serve as distractions in our relationship with God and must be removed as the treasure of our life and replaced by living a life of treasuring God.  Some of the Idols that may be present in our lives today include,

1)      Pleasure – Unfortunately, our sex obsessed culture has placed a sexual connotation to pleasure.  This is unfortunate because pleasure is actually any activity bringing us happiness.  Our pleasure may be sports, reading, writing, watching TV, going to movies, or spending time with family or friends.  There is nothing inherently wrong with these pleasures but they must be kept in their proper priority in our lives.  Just as sex is not wrong within the context of marriage, other pleasures are okay unless they begin to take the place of God in our lives for this is when they become an idol and lead to trouble in our lives.

2)      Chemical indulgences – Alcohol is a huge global industry.  In addition, many states in the United States are beginning to legalize the recreational use of Marijuana.  Everyone’s life is full of trouble, something Jesus reminds us of in John 16:33.  However in the last part of that verse Jesus also reminds us that He has overcome the world, something he demonstrated four days later by resurrecting from the grave.  Those indulging in alcohol or drugs to help them forget their troubles are setting up these indulgences as an idol in their lives.  Unfortunately, alcohol and drugs can become addictive and take control of one’s life robbing them of the happiness of a life treasuring God. 

3)      Money or possessions – 1 Timothy 6:10 reminds us that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.  Some have wrongfully interpreted this verse to say that anyone possessing wealth is evil but, like with any passage of scripture, we must view these words in their context.  The book of 1 Timothy is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to a young minister.  It is not a command for Timothy not to possess wealth but a reminder not to let money dominate his life.  In affluent societies like the United States, we can easily become obsessed with career and the accumulation of possessions and place God on the back burner of our lives.  Unfortunately, some churches and religious leaders of our time cater to this obsession with what some call the prosperity gospel taking out of context John 10:10 and Philippians 4:19.  The abundance of life promised by God is a life of close intimacy with Him through Jesus and God promises to meet our needs, not necessarily everything we want.

4)      Career – In the pursuit of more money and possessions, we can also become obsessed with career leaving behind our relationship with God and family.  Once again, career is not inherently evil but we must, with God’s help, learn to live lives balancing career, family, and God.

5)      Government or politics – We live in the information age with 24-hour cable news, talk radio, and constant news alerts coming to our smart phones.  Government also has tremendous influence upon our lives and since it is run by flawed human beings, often disappoints us.  When we become obsessed with mostly negative news and failed political leaders, we can easily become cynical.  Since nobody likes to be around a cynical person, this will begin to affect our relationships with others.  It can even cause us to begin doubting God since he is allowing all this negativity and failure to continue.  Unfortunately, politics is present in everything we do and government is needed to maintain civility in our world.  We therefore must be careful not to allow these things to become idols in our lives.  

6)      Family – Family is essential in our lives and provides the best example on earth of our relationship with God.  The Church is referred to in scripture as the Bride of Christ (Matthew 25:1-12).  Those that accept Jesus as their savior become children of God (John 1:12).  However, this earthly picture is an imperfect picture because it is made up of flawed individuals.  Family can also become an obsession when we place pleasing family members above living a life pleasing to God.  The best thing we can do for our spouses or children is live a life pleasing to God so that the love of God can shine through us and influence their lives.

7)      Church – Except for a few paid staff members, most of our churches are run by volunteers.  These volunteers are the backbone of the church and without them, the church would not be able to do much of what it does.  However, one can become obsessed with serving in the church at the expense of friends, family, and even career.  I believe we should all serve in some capacity within our churches but let us seek God as to where we should serve so as not to allow service to Christ within the church to become an obsession in our lives.  After all, our salvation is not based upon our good works but upon God’s grace. 

Tethering our lives to the Trinity means living a life pleasing to God through acceptance of the gift of salvation provided by the substitutionary death of Jesus on the cross, enabling the Holy Spirit to empower us to understand and live according to the Word of God.  Therefore, join me in ridding our lives of the idols holding us back from living fully for Christ.  A world in turmoil is waiting to see how to live in peace with God and must see us living the life they desire and not lives of obsession to idols that while not inherently bad, can be destructive in our lives. 

What Makes Christianity Unique

By:  Dale Weckbacher

1 Corinthians 13:1

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

(ESV)

One of the greatest deceptions I have observed in the heated rhetoric of our times is the portraying of Christianity as a religion of hatred towards anyone not adopting its beliefs.  This deception has led to the grouping of Christianity with other religions in the world, something even those not fans of Christianity have observed. (1)  The practice of grouping individuals of a certain ethnicity, economic class, race, gender, politics, or religion is not only racist but feeds the divide in our society that has now become violent and must stop.

The purpose of this posting is to bring to light what makes Christianity unique by not only looking at scripture but also at the numerous positive contributions Christianity has made to our society.  The truth about Christianity is that it,

1)      Is not based upon our own works but on what God has done (Ephesians 2:8-9) – Radical religions are able to coerce their followers to do many things they would never do on their own by using fear and promising a reward in the name of their God for their service.  This is how religions like radical Islam convince followers to commit acts of terrorism, usually resulting in their death, with a promise of some heavenly reward.  In Islam, jihad is physical warfare but as part of our modern deception it is characterized as an internal struggle.  Islam teaches one can fulfill jihad “1) with faith in his heart; 2) by preaching and proselytizing with his tongue; 3) by good deeds with his hands; and 4) by confronting unbelievers or enemies with the sword. In practice, the first three are part of the da'wa (missionary activity) actions that support jihad by the sword.” (2)  The lumping of Christianity in with these beliefs is the creation of a belief that fundamental Christians will resort to violence to win favor with God.  While John 3:16 is a verse many whether Christians or not can recite, when we look at what it says and couple it with John 3:17, we see the true message of Christianity.  To achieve eternal life all one must do is believe and the fact that Jesus did not come to condemn the world but to save it.  Anyone professing to be Christian and condoning violence to advance their religion is not following the Gospel as taught in scripture and following a deceptive belief that they must earn their right standing with God through works, not faith.

2)      Condones love and peace, not hate – Jesus first recorded message in scripture is the famous “Sermon on the Mount.”  At the beginning of His message Jesus presents the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:2-12).  There are nine verses in this passage of scripture that begin with the word blessed, which can also be translated as happy.  (3)  Since none of the things Jesus lists as what will bring his followers happiness is violence against anyone not adhering to the beliefs of Christianity, it is safe to assume Jesus never intended violence as a method of advancing His message, otherwise there would be a beatitude saying blessed are those wielding the sword in my names sake for great will be their reward in heaven.  In addition, when one of his disciples raised a sword to one of the soldiers arresting Jesus, Jesus sharply condemned him and even healed the wounded man (Luke 22:49-51).  Unfortunately, throughout church history there have been those declaring the Gospel absent a spirit of love and tarnished the loving message of the Gospel.  As 1 Corinthians 13:1 reminds us, failure to share the Gospel with a loving heart sounds like a noisy gong or cymbal which only serves to deafen the ears of the listener. 

3)      Has had a positive impact on society – Dinesh D’Souza wrote the following in his book: What’s So Great about Christianity”

Christianity is responsible for the way our society is organized and for the way we currently live. So extensive is the Christian contribution to our laws, our economics, our politics, our arts, our calendar, our holidays, and our moral and cultural priorities that historian J. M. Robers writes in The Triumph of the West, 'We could none of us today be what we are if a handful of Jews nearly two thousand years ago had not believed that they had known a great teacher, seen him crucified, dead, and buried, and then rise again.  (4)

While Islam has its own list of good works it has performed, (5) terrorism by radicals within the religion far outweigh any good and violence has become the legacy of this religion. (6) (7) Perhaps if the teachings of Mohammed spoke of peace and non-violence instead of use of the sword, this would not be so.  (7)

The uniqueness of Christianity lies in the fact that God became one of us, came to earth to live with us, and died in our place, providing reconciliation with him.  My prayer is that we as Christians would live lives of peace knowing our salvation in Christ is secure and seek happiness by living according to what Jesus said in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:2-12).  By doing this we can lift up Christ and draw men and women to seek a relationship with Jesus by accepting his gift of salvation (John 12:32). 

If you feel Jesus drawing you to him now and would like a personal relationship with him, I invite you to pray with me now,

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, was buried, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

May God bless everyone reading this and fill your life with His joy, peace, and happiness. 

1. Markhumphrys.com. Christian Terrorism. markhumphrys.com. [Online] [Cited: July 4, 2017.] http://markhumphrys.com/christian.terrorism.html.

2. Bukay, David. The Religious Foundations of Suicide Bombings. www.meforum.org. [Online] Middle East Forum, Fall 2006. [Cited: July 4, 2017.] http://www.meforum.org/1003/the-religious-foundations-of-suicide-bombings.

3. Biblestudytools.com. Beatitudes. www.biblestudytools.com. [Online] [Cited: July 4, 2017.] http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/beatitudes/.

4. Faith Facts. The Impact of Christianity. www.faithfacts.org. [Online] Faith Facts. [Cited: July 4, 2017.] http://www.faithfacts.org/christ-and-the-culture/the-impact-of-christianity.

5. Hamzat, Abdulrazaq O. ACHIEVEMENTS, IMPACTs AND CONTRIBUTION OF ISLAM TO WORLD CIVILIZATION. www.modernghana.com. [Online] Modern Ghana, August 1, 2013. [Cited: July 4, 2017.] https://www.modernghana.com/news/478976/1/achievements-impacts-and-contribution-of-islam-to-.html.

6. ALI, AYAAN HIRSI. Islam Is a Religion of Violence. foreignpolicy.com. [Online] Foreign Policy, November 9, 2015. [Cited: July 4, 2017.] http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/11/09/islam-is-a-religion-of-violence-ayaan-hirsi-ali-debate-islamic-state/.

7. Sameer, Abdullah. Islam and the legacy of violence. abdullahsameer.com. [Online] Abdullah Sameer, May 24, 2017. [Cited: July 4, 2017.] http://abdullahsameer.com/blog/islam-and-the-legacy-of-violence/.

Trump, the Joshua of our Time?

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Joshua 1:9

This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

(NLT)

Joshua 1:9 is my go to verse during times of fear of weakness.  I try to imagine myself in the position of Joshua during this time in his life.  Joshua was not a young man at this time and due to his, along with Caleb, presenting a report of faith and not fear upon spying out the Promised Land (Numbers 13:25-33) are the only two individuals from the previous generation that will enter the Promised Land.  Joshua has witnessed his people wandering aimlessly through the wilderness for 40 years due to their lack of faith and now sits at the border of the Promised Land with the calling to lead his people into the land God had promised them. 

There is little doubt that Joshua’s thoughts went back to the many times his people had grumbled at Moses only to witness God’s miraculous intervention.  His thoughts may have gone back to the time they complained about the bitter water at Marah where God made the water good by Moses throwing a piece of wood into the water (Exodus 15:22-25).  Perhaps Joshua remembered the complaining of the people complaining about the lack of food while in the wilderness of Sin only to see God Miraculously provide Manna from heaven, something still occurring during this time in Joshua’s life (Exodus 16,Joshua 5:12).  Perhaps Joshua’s thoughts returned to the time when the Israelites complained to Moses about the lack of water only to see God provide water from a rock (Exodus 17:1-7).

Joshua may have been experiencing great fear, fearing this new generation of Israelites would resort to the constant complaining as their parents did with Moses.  God’s command to be strong and courageous is a reminder to Joshua that in each instance of complaining by the people, God performed a miracle to provide for their needs.  God is reminding Joshua that He is the same God that was with Moses and that no matter how tough things became, He would be right there along-side him.

Human nature has changed little since the time of Moses and Joshua for all we seem to see in the news and our media today is constant complaining.  Liberals cannot accept the fact Donald Trump was elected President of the United States and are trying everything they can think of the obstruct his agenda and throw him out of office.  The difference between our society today and the one of the time of Joshua is that we have the internet and social media, allowing the vicious vitriol of rhetoric to spread quickly like a destructive wildfire. 

Like Joshua, Trump entered the vitriolic political fray, leaving behind the comfortable life of a successful businessman and media personality to lead the nation back to what made it great.  The tremendous success of Donald Trump stands as a blaring example of how one can still succeed in the United States without the help of government.  Perhaps Donald Trump views the United States as an economic promised land where anyone with the fortitude and resolve can succeed by applying themselves. 

Despite memories of the constant complaining of the people of Israel, Joshua heeded the command of the Lord and pressed on leading the people into the Promised Land.  The conquering of the land did not come easy for the land was full of ungodly people (Exodus 34:11-14).  God had commanded Israel to be careful not to make any type of treaty with them because to do so would lead to them abandoning God and adopting their pagan ways (Exodus 34:15).  It could be said that these people represent a swamp that must be drained. 

Upon taking office, it soon became evident that the land of government contains its share of swamp creature that must be drained from the swamp.  The swamp of government is not occupied by a group of ites as the Promised Land was but is occupied by some even more dangerous critters.  Contained in the government swamp we see,

1)      Liberals and progressives – The Declaration of Independence of the United States tells us that our rights are unalienable, “incapable of being repudiated or transferred to another.” (1) and given to us by our creator.  Governments role according to the Declaration of Independence is to protect these irrevocable God given rights.  The constitutional structure of the United States Constitution is an effort to protect the rights of individuals by limiting government to prevent tyrannical government.  Liberals and progressives believe the role of government is that of endowing rights to citizens (i.e. free healthcare, free education, etc.) through big government using a progressive tax system transferring wealth from the wealthy to the poor.  These creatures of the swamp insure an economy stifled with destructive taxes and regulation necessary to fund and enforce their destructive agenda.  Donald Trump must drain this swamp by full repeal of Obamacare and other economically destructive regulations and legislation and reformation of the destructive progressive income tax system.

2)      Political establishment elites – Political establishment elites are empowered through the creation of people dependent upon the government or some government program.  President Trumps promise to make America Great again by empowering ordinary people represents a threat to their agenda because it means fewer dependent people.  The swamp of political elitism or what some refer to as the deep state must be drained.

3)      Administrative bureaucrats – Upon taking office, President Trump began undoing many of the executive orders of his predecessors, most of which were initiated by President Obama.  (2)  Most of these executive orders empower some administrative government agency.  Their repeal means some of these agencies will become unnecessary, causing many of these administrative bureaucratic swamp creatures to die, politically speaking of course, in a drained swamp.  The draining of this swamp will result in smaller less tyrannical government.

Just as Joshua faced the task of ridding the Promised Land of the ites, President Trump faces the task of draining the swamp of government of its iteish swamp creatures.  I encourage my readers to pray for President Trump and our other leaders and encourage them to tell these leaders to pull the plug in the swamp of government before they drown in its murky waters. 

1. vocabulary.com. Unalienable. www.vocabulary.com. [Online] [Cited: July 1, 2017.] https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/unalienable.

2. Harrington, Rebecca. Trump signed 90 executive actions in his first 100 days — here's what each one does. www.businessinsider.com. [Online] Business Insider, May 3, 2017. [Cited: July 1, 2017.] http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-executive-orders-memorandum-proclamations-presidential-action-guide-2017-1/#executive-order-april-29-renegotiating-trade-agreements-1.

The Ultimate Attitude Adjustment

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Philippians 2:3-5

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. ⁴ Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

⁵ You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

(NLT)

There is no shortage in our society of selfish, proud, self-thinking individuals only looking out for their own interests at the expense of the interests of others.  This is not something that is limited to the government or even one political party but is something of epidemic proportions in our society.  What our society needs is an ultimate attitude adjustment. 

In contrast to the attitude prevalent in our world today, Philippians 2:6-11 gives us a glimpse of the attitude of Christ.  The attitude of Christ is,

1)      Humility despite being God (Philippians 2:6) – The most miraculous part of the Gospel message is found in John 1:14 which tells us that the Word (i.e. the Word of God) became flesh and dwelt with us in the person of Jesus Christ.  Since John1:1 tells us that the Word was God, it is telling us that Jesus is God.  God in the flesh could have come to us in judgment but instead came to save us (John 3:17).  To accomplish this God had to abandon, in the ultimate demonstration of humility, his divinity and its privileges and take on human form.  

2)      Choosing a humble birth instead of a royal birth (Philippians 2:7) – God could have chosen to have His Son born into any family he chose.  As such God could have seen to it that Jesus was born into a prominent family of political or religious aristocracy but instead chose a humble birth in Bethlehem.  We have recently witnessed the birth of William and Kate’s two children with the expected royal fanfare.  There is no doubt that if the promised Messiah would have been born to a virgin of the aristocracy, He would have had instantaneous popularity and a huge following when beginning his ministry.  Instead God choose to have His Son born to humble parents in a manger and have the birth announced by angels to humble shepherds.  While Jesus did develop a huge following for his time, it was not due to the nobility of his birth but instead came because of the fruits of the miracles he performed and His teaching which came from his Father. 

3)      Obediently died an unjustified criminal’s death for others (Philippians 2:8) – Unlike anyone who has ever been born, Jesus never sinned (2 Corinthians 5:21).  As such, Jesus was not subject to the legal death penalty for sin as is everyone else (Romans 6:23).  Therefore, by voluntarily dying a criminal’s death by crucifixion, Jesus was performing the ultimate act of unselfishness and humility placing the needs of humanity above His own.  Granted, Jesus as God knew there was going to be a miraculous resurrection three days after his death but that came at the cost of great pain.  (1)  Perhaps the realization of the pain Jesus was about to endure led to one last attempt on His part to plead with God the Father for another way to bring salvation to humanity (Matthew 26:39) but upon realization that no other way existed, Jesus humbly surrendered to the will of His Father (Matthew 26:42). 

While Donald Trump is far from a perfect leader or human being, as are we all, one aspect of his attitude seems to have gotten lost in the rhetoric of Russian collusion, (2) obstruction of justice, (3) and calls for impeachment due to mental incapacity.  (4)  This missing aspect is that Donald Trump, a successful businessman and media personality who also is a multi-billionaire could be living the good life in his plush New York City penthouse.  Instead, however, Donald Trump performed an act of selfless humility by daring to run for, and be elected President of the United States.  As such, he has subjected himself to a constant barrage of personal attacks on him and his family.  Donald Trump’s selfless actions demonstrate a love for country, its citizens, and desire to change the dangerous direction the nation is headed in. 

As a reward for his selfless humility, God elevated Jesus to a position of high honor, sitting at the right hand of God the Father (Philippians 2:8, Ephesians 1:20).  This selfless humility has elevated the position of Christ to a level that every knee will bow to his authority and every tongue will declare Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11).  Jesus taught that the servant would be exalted (Matthew 19:30) and not only said it, but demonstrated it by humbly becoming one of us and dying for our sins. 

While we may not totally agree with President Trump’s policies and behaviors, his selfless attitude of surrender of the good life he could be enjoying in exchange for the vitriol of political life demonstrates a love for country.  I encourage everyone to abandon their own selfish agendas and give the President a chance instead of constantly trying to remove him from office or attempting to force him to resign.  I believe Donald Trump’s love for country will cause him to abandon any program, or deal as he likes to refer to them, that would bring irreparable harm to the country. 

The question we must ask ourselves is are we as willing to abandon our own selfish agendas or opinions that may bring irreparable harm to the country and back our President out of love for country? 

1. donaldsona.tripod.com. How Painful is Crucifixion. donaldson.tripod.com. [Online] [Cited: July 1, 2017.] http://donaldsona.tripod.com/index-24.html.

2. Reed, Chris. The Trump-Russia collusion narrative: How it could backfire. www.sandiegouniontribune.com. [Online] The San Diego Union Tribune, March 16, 2017. [Cited: July 1, 2017.] http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/commentary/sd-trump-russia-collusion-narrative-20170315-story.html.

3. Boylan, Dan. Democrats dump collusion but now fixate on obstruction. www.washingtontimes.com. [Online] The Washington Times, June 13, 2017. [Cited: July 1, 2017.] http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/jun/13/trump-russian-collusion-trail-abandoned-by-democra/.

4. Kasperowicz, Pete. Sheila Jackson Lee: 25th Amendment lets us remove 'incompetent' presidents. www.washingtonexaminer.com. [Online] Washington Examiner, June 30, 2017. [Cited: July 1, 2017.] http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/sheila-jackson-lee-25th-amendment-lets-us-remove-incompetent-presidents/article/2627574.