They say that writers never run out of material, for
everyoneŐs life has enough experiences to fill more volumes than there is time
or space to write. So this week I would like to share with you a couple of
episodes that I noticed last week and draw some conclusions from these
occurrences.
Now I have had a lot to say about the plastic nature of
our religion over some weeks now, but I want you to rest assured that it is not
only prevalent in Evangelical Christianity, but also other religions. I had the
opportunity to eat lunch in a Chinese restaurant in one of our suburban cities.
As you entered the facility you were met with a charming little portly Buddha,
with his hands stretched upward, holding up something invisible I assume, but
do not care to know. Well all around this chubby idol were at first glance,
what looked to be incense sticks burning bright red. As you got closer however,
you could see that it really was not flaming incense at all but tiny neon bulbs,
giving off a red glow. Now it
would seem to me if you believed in some power manifested in this image, or
even in the once living but now dead Buddha, how would he ever be happy with a
religious observance that only fakes true worship.
The lot of man really is that of religious celebration
even though many will not admit it. We create an image to worship and call it
our god, or we can worship the one true God in the ways that seem good to us.
All of it is nothing more than just some tiny neon bulbs on the end of some
fake incense. The Bible says that ŇGod is Spirit, and those who worship Him
must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:24) We all have no problem with
the spirit part, for just as with Buddha, life entirely in the spirit ceases to
have any objective standard, except perhaps death or annihilation. But when combined with the truth of
God, tangibly written by His Spirit in the Bible, we have the real seeds of all
wisdom, knowledge, and life.
In the pages of the Bible we see in the history of the
Old Testament either the reliance upon the written law, or the spirit of man
creating his own religious observance, both pleasing in the eyes of the
worshiper. ŇThis is my sacrifice to the God of heaven, may my sacrifice be
acceptable in your eyes, oh God.Ó This of course is really not much different
than the words of institution in the Roman Catholic mass, or spirit life in
much of Protestant Evangelicalism but that is a trail we shall not wander this
week. Only in the Old Testament prophets of that era do you see that union of
Spirit and Truth, as they prophesied forward toward the coming Messiah and the
Godly restoration of Israel through Him.
To us, and for some two thousand years after Messiah, we
have truth revealed in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Orthodox Protestant
theology has taught that restoration from death to life, even eternal life, is
acceptable to God only through grace, by faith in Jesus Christ. Not the many
roads of religious practice and sacrifice. We are justified by His righteousness,
and even though we shall sometimes burn incense of our own creation, or even
light little neon bulbs to His glory, it is that blood sacrifice that is not
only the power that forgives my sins, but washes them away, forever. It gives
me not only hope of eternal life, but also the Holy Spirit, that allows me to
have hope no matter the current circumstances. Now that is a gospel of good
news!
Last week I also had the opportunity to hear the
testimony of a beautiful young Albanian woman whose American name is Katy. She
is in this country studying to become a nurse, to go back to her country and
work with the orphans there. After she finished with telling of all the
wonderful and miraculous things God had done in her life, her family, and among
the orphans with which she had worked, for some years, she reached back into
the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk for some wisdom of unity of GodŐs Spirit of
Truth. As she quoted these words
she mentioned that they were the source of strength that allowed her to continue
during the days of the war in which the iron curtain fell and her country
fought for sovereignty.
Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls--
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
The Lord God is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer's feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills.
To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.
Habakkuk 3:17-19
Habakkuk wrote this as a song. Out of all the choruses
that I have heard based on scripture I have never heard one based upon these
eternal words, but through the
internet we have a hymn by Ernest
Lee Thompson, circa 1905, @
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/t/h/o/thofigtr.htm This is not our song of this Christian era, which is much
more your simple bless me with stuff, or religious warm fuzzies, Lord
renditions. These words speak to the eternal nature of life that comes to the
children of God. It is the word of God that brings life. Buddha, or dead
religious exercise has nothing to speak of importance, except in the vanity of
manŐs pursuits, especially his religious pursuits. So shall we then boast in
our religious experience, not so, unless we first boast of the cross of Christ,
that brings our dead bones to life.
Well, I left Friday for Eastern Washington with a letter
of intent to purchase the Little Dalles Guest Community. I received a call
Monday afternoon that looks like the current owner is generally acceptable to
the terms. By Wednesday I should have those faxed to me. So this week I will
begin to seek funding under the Washington State Housing Finance Commission
tax-exempt bond program. This is an underwriting by a Washington State
qualified sophisticated investor, which basically means a bank, other
institution, or individual that can afford to loose the money should things not
work out. I personally would rather not place this with a worldly institution,
but as of this writing I know of no other possibility. Other options may be
available, including seeking grants from philanthropic organizations, which
once funded, would allow for all those payments to be directed to missions, but
it could take a lot longer to receive those grants. The house and property are
now vacant, which means I could move in once a mutual means of getting from
here to there are secured. My finances are really now in tough shape so if God
should provide some working capital until permanent funding is secured, I would
be definitely less stressed. Please intercede for all aspects of this endeavor.
In that area is one evangelical Christian person whom I
have known since high school and I wanted to see if he could provide me with
some insight. As I drove to his place of business, I suppose I was more than a
little surprised when he was standing outside unloading some cans of paint from
his vehicle. We were only able to talk briefly, at is business and after
services at his church which he invited me to Sunday morning. But through those
conversations (and others) I believe that this area is the Bible belt of the
State of Washington.
I did also have the opportunity to spend some time in
Rossland B.C., the closest Canadian town to the facility. After scouting around
and talking with the Chamber of Commerce, there are just four religious
facilities I came across in a town of over 3000, a Roman Catholic and a
national Canadian denomination churches, Kingdom Hall (Jehovah Witnesses), and
a Prayer Mountain Ministries, of some roots. I didnŐt have time to venture into
Trail, with over 15,000 persons, but driving through on my last trip, I did not
see any church buildings rising over the landscape. In Northport (on the USA side of the border) with a
population of a little over 300 there is an Assembly of God, Presbyterian,
Roman Catholic, and a Mormon ward, with an independent Pentecostal fellowship a
few miles down the road. During my
talk with a Rossland real estate agent, he said that the prices in Canada are
about half what American property values now are, which may also hold favorably
for starting a church also. Two significant things I did notice on this trip
that I did not see last time, were the diverse opportunities for people to come
to the area and recreate, and the large amount of young people just hanging in
the down town. Perhaps, as in Russia, the youth are the key to a Christian
awakening. Please intercede for these opportunities!
A weekly ezine of Biblically based Restoration,
Enterprise Symbiosis & Venture Philanthropy