Audio Version
Aretha
Franklin & Michael McDonald - Everchanging Times
Not long ago I began studying the Bible in a way that would allow me to
view the world as it is, without opinions and prejudices or influences of the culture I
live in, in relation to what I felt deep inside was the way "the world should
be", and then comparing that to God's word in the Bible and the teachings of Christ,
all without justification and rationalization, but simply, "this is the way it
is".
The people who planted it in my head a few years back to say whatever I actually believed
gave me one of the greatest freedoms ever granted me, not because I felt empowered to
opinionate about things, but because it caused me to really dig down deep and think about
what I actually believe in, as a person, as a servant of God, as a person in a community,
in a nation and in the world.
I'm also now aware that those same people had put me in a key position I didn't know
existed, expounding on things in ways that related to and reflected the adaptations I had
made to my opinions about things that greatly affected my judgment.
A good example of this is the death penalty. I live in a culture that says the death
penalty is okay, in a nation under God, a God who says thou shalt not kill.
It's easy for me to see why I would adapt my opinion to go along with a
""majority rules" system and justice system when the law says the death
penalty is just. I've always been uneasy with the idea of the death penalty, not because
of commandments, but because it just didn't seem like the right thing to do under the
Golden Rule, and there seemed to be such a problem with absolute proof of guilt that could
justify such a final solution.
I've come to realize lately, how many things that the government and Psyops people, let
alone programming on TV, try to affect our psyches the same way about a great number of
things. Like, porn on free or cable TV, alcohol, pharmaceutical drugs, to train us to
accept the ways that the profiteers use to get us to spend money on things we don't need
or are immoral, or at least, not displaying "family values" of any kind. The
courts used to refer to it as "socially redeeming value".
One of the biggest areas people have tried to affect me, however, is in the area of
spirituality. Either by setting me up with people speaking to me of religion who will
offend me in some way, using certain ministers on TV to impress me and then demonstrate
their utter apostasy, a variety of things and ways to make me not want to associate with
people of faith.
To the extent that I've even written in my weblog that sometimes I think about being a
Christian who rejects the religion of Christianity...
I need to make something really clear.
Just as I talk and write of the difference between citizens and their governments, I
believe the same differences exist when speaking of the leadership of churches and their
congregations. The churches, the theologians, work more in the realm of delivering
messages based on certain beliefs, beliefs maybe not discerned by the congregations, but
important to the leaders. And, the leaders are burdened, to a degree, with the running of
a church like a business, like a corporation.
No criticism is intended when I say that.
In a society such as ours, where money and power and fame are fleeting and often
determined by the politicians and kingmakers in power, and compromises are made in the
name of survival of the corporation, and where capitalism forces those in the
"markets" to adapt to economic conditions instead of economics that serve
citizens, it's easy to get caught up in believing that service to God means adapting to
the ways of the current world order in order to survive.
Nor does financial prowess or numbers of members in a church proof of anything to God, or
impressive to God, that you are faithfully doing His work. An apostate could advance much
more easily than a faithful servant observing the ways of God.
So, please understand, I believe it is my job, a responsibility of mine, to develop a
perspective about churches, especially Christian Churches, and express what I see, not to
be critical, but to provide those truly seeking to relate to all people through their
ministry, and not just preach to the choir.
It is important for ministers to know how they are viewed by people who
are not in the habit or impressed enough with Christianity, the religion, that they would
be motivated to attend a church. But wouldn't it be great if those people found out the
the people attending churches believed a lot more of the same things as the supposed
apparent non-Christians?
See, I think in a perfect way of God's plan for me to report to Him how I see things based
on my life experiences... I'm one of those people who considers themselves a Christian,
not feeling welcome in churches because church people at church seem to display a kind of
superiority and judgmentalism based upon a sort of seniority system and hierarchy... and I
don't really like systems that make people feel more or less important because they don't
have a title or aren't the pastor or something.
You could say it's a fear of rejection, but I believe it's more of a
distaste for the politics involved in corporate organization that are required - the
tactics - that I really don't want to be involved with.
So, in a funny way, here I am, Christ, telling Christian ministers, that I don't feel
welcome in church. I suppose it would be worth discussing what welcome really means some
time.
Neil
Young - Greatest Hits - 11 - Heart Of Gold
At the same time, I can also tell you that many of the
"examples" presented to me as to what Christianity, the religion, is like to be
involved in, is not an accurate representation.
I'm saying, I don't actually know what is accurate, except that in work
experiences, those people who appear to me to be the guileless, truly Christian types,
were the ones I enjoyed working with most, and with whom I also felt closer to in terms of
integrity and ways of operating and being with people.
I wanted to say these things, some of which I've said before in a different context,
because the influences working against me, truly of the anti-Christ, would want me to be
overly critical and to cause you to not listen, thinking all I was doing was complaining
and criticizing, and not offering anything to benefit those who sincerely want to serve
God.
What I'd like to suggest to you is that what I am offering in this is an opportunity for
you to think about what it would take, what would your church need to be like to cause
people like me to want to be involved.
And, don't ever forget, not only would I want to be involved, God says I'm
your leader. Isn't that an interesting paradox? For you and me. :}
If you think that I am being highly critical of Catholics or Baptists or any other
religion, understand that my observations of the churches, the corporations called
churches, is not necessarily reflective of what I believe they provide.
However, I do have issues with the compromises made for them to believe
they are succeeding when they are only succeeding because of the ways they co-opt the
messages of God and the rules He commanded in order to survive or flourish in the paradigm
of the world, instead of setting the standard for what the Kingdom of God would require of
them.
It's an inquiry, it's not an indictment or a conviction. It's about what a good Christian
thinks of when resisting "joining" Christians. It's what keeps people seeing
what separates them instead of what unites them.
And, it's not honest to walk around with blinders on saying, let's just focus on the good
things. We have to resolve "the bad things", or they'll just persist.
Christianity, particularly in the United States, is declining, and has most steadily
declined since the administration of Bill Clinton. There are reasons for all of that. How
could they possibly be good?
Isn't it odd that nearly every moral, spiritual discipline would acknowledge that there is
one source, God, creator of some sort or explanation. Most would acknowledge His son, the
master or savior or messiah, great leader... and yet, Christianity, the religion that is
intended to be representative of the "great master" and God's ways, would be in
decline at this time in the world?
You could say it's been foretold, and then just accept it if you are a fatalist, or you
could understand the information provided and do something about it. Heed the warnings.
Return to God's way, to the teachings of Jesus the Christ, and provide the example that
would be more palatable.
One other factor I want you to be aware of, and understand, these are part of the tricks
and traps laid for me to do things to eventually, supposedly, cause the abandonment in
faith and belief in God in exchange for believing in people and humanistics.. wouldn't it
be wonderful for those who would destroy Christianity, the spiritual discipline, to be
disclaimed by Christ himself? They are deluded.
Of course, that will never happen. But it does provide a greater example of how the
government attempted to manipulate things so that later they could claim I declared the
Kingdom of God and the Universal Church through this web site as a display of my rejection
of Christians and Christianity.
Quite the contrary.
Chaka
Kahn - Have A Little Faith
At the time I believed God called me to declare this church, I didn't
really understand it myself, as bold and rebellious as it could seem, but the fact is, God
said I should claim what is mine, call out the churches and that means and includes
claiming the body of Christ which is not just Christians, but ultimately, all of humanity.
It's not about ownership. It's about providing a world where people can
flourish in liberty. It's about a promise made to those who would choose to understand and
live by the ways of the Creator who, after all, made the world, and knows how it needs to
run to work properly.
But for the moment, to begin this final work of God's for this time, for the deliverance
of His kingdom to you and to us all, He calls on His faithful to unite in His work, not
worrying about the details of our differences no matter how great they are for the moment,
and having faith that God's grace will provide us the answers we need to reconcile any
differences once the corruption of the world is dealt with and confronted head on.
The corruption of the world, the leaders and governments and systems...
the corruption is what must be removed from this world.
This is the battle of good and evil, once and for all, a battle that will
at first seem insurmountable but will quickly be won by critical mass and God's will. It
can not be stopped.
In declaring the Universal Church, I am asking all Christians, all people of moral
discipline, to join me and renew out commitments in service to God under the leadership He
provides through me and asks you to join the Church He provides as source and with
absolute integrity to the ways of God.
In this church, in the body of Christ, every spirit is invited and is already a member.
All that is required is a choice, a sincere choice, and the willingness and desire to
believe in, choose and live in a perfect world.
If at any moment you believe that what I am saying or doing is an expression of my
rejection of you, know that if it appears that way, it is only my frustration and deep
concern for the well-being of all that is at the root of the words I use because of the
taunting of the anti-Christ. It really is, and one day, I trust you'll understand how that
happens to me and you.
Know that I love you, and I want every person to do well. That is God's way. One day, in
God's Kingdom, free of disease and suffering, fear and judgmentalism, you'll understanding
that the goal or vision of a perfect world is not just something to give you hope, but a
promise you can have faith in.
The only thing is, unlike so many times for so long in the past, God is asking you to have
faith in that which you claim belief, and to act in a way that reflects your
acknowledgement that this is the time God required of us to be able to have faith in us to
do the hard work, and He does have faith, and He will have faith.
As He might say, though, don't give up on me, and I won't give up on you.
Like He'd also say, I won't give up on you anyway, and He hopes you won't give up on you,
either.
Timothy
B Schmidt - Timothy B- 045 - Don't Give Up
