The Ugly Who?

The Ugly American Christian

This is not a defense of Islam, nor am I a student of Islam. I am a Christian believer and student of the Bible. This is rather a respectful, hopefully graceful plea to my Christian co-believers to think twice or even thrice before venturing onto the slippery, downward slopes of openly denigrating other peoples' religions and faiths. Please give ear to my heart.

In my world travels, I have encountered many of the so-called ‘ugly Americans’ traveling overseas. You know well the profile – in the public sphere, they are boisterous, ignorant and disrespectful of local cultures, attracting undue attention to self, loose with money, critical, showing too much flesh, etc. Ask yourself, “What summary image of Americans does such behavior project to our international audiences who are both here at home and around the world?”

Now consider translating the broad strokes of this idea, this concept to the ugly Christian – in the public sphere, boisterous and critical about other religions and faiths, unduly waving the flag of religious superiority over other religions and faiths, triggering people’s natural defensive mechanisms, disrespecting/bad-talking and avoiding people of other religions and faiths, spreading perceptively venomous information about other religions and faiths in the name of doing Christian due-diligence, etc. Now ask yourself:

• What summary image of Christians does such project to all our non-Christian audiences at home and around the world?

• What benefit or damage might such behavior have on our Great Commission to make disciples of all?

• Since our thoughts, words and actions are indeed seeds that will bear fruit, whether good, bad or ugly, what likely fruit will such behavior produce?

Perhaps the very best way to appeal to the minds of those who are doubtful about or who staunchly reject the verity of the Bible’s message of Truth (non-believers) is simply to live out its guidance and share with graceful words if/as The Spirit of God gracefully creates opportunities to do so, rather than spend our spiritual, mental and physical energies denigrating the faiths of non-Christians. Denigrating people’s beliefs neither wins them to Christ, nor does it allow any seeds of The Gospel to remain in the ground of their hearts, as they may naturally become defensive, as you do or would do when your beliefs are denigrated.

Similarly, sharing with co-believers disrespectful, denigrating information on other people’s religions and faiths will be ineffectual in prompting the Christian hearers/readers to stay on the quite narrow path of Christian values. Rather, it may prompt them to stray significantly from that path, and mistakenly do so in the name of Christian due diligence. What values do I speak of? Here are a few:

     --Let your speech be always with grace [including written/typed words in social media], seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man. (Colossians 4:6)

     --If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. (Romans 12:18)

     --Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. (Philippians 4:5)

     --Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men… for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1, 3-4)

     --For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men…Let no one despise you. (Titus 2:11, 15)

     -- …speak evil of no one… be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. (Titus 3:2-3)

     --If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue [i.e., his words, spoken and written] but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. (James 1:26)

I do not recall Christ attacking the beliefs of non-Jews. Rather, He saved His harshest criticisms for the so-called diligent keepers of their (mal-aligned) faith – the equivalent of the ugly Jews. Interestingly, the Bible condemns pagan and idol worship, but does not directly address the many ancient Eastern religions. Though by doctrine it does not agree with eastern religions, it clearly does not condemn them. Rather, it points to Truth. Pointing to Truth apparently is much more effectual than condemning that which is not Truth. Undoubtedly, this is a worthy lesson to learn and apply, especially in our fast-paced social media exchanges that become permanent records, read by many the world over, and accessible for eons to come!

Most Christians are unaware that the Koran speaks much more of Jesus (whom it calls Messiah and apostle) than of Mohammed; cites Jesus as The Word; and notes God created all things by The Word. With this in mind, ponder the following points on the two most virulent criticisms between the Christian and Islamic faiths:

1. One of the strongest criticisms of Christianity by Islam is regarding the triune nature of God (the Trinity), which Islam rejects. Christians criticize Islam for rejecting this Biblical assertion, yet we rarely, if ever, hear Christians criticizing Judaism, which also staunchly rejects the Bible’s assertion of a triune God. Could this be a case of discriminatory criticism?

2. Christians criticize Islam for being a religion that promotes death of infidels (non-believers). However, we conveniently forget and side-step the following facts:

a. Judaism, which is a type of seed of the Christian faith, introduced to the world the first recorded notion of a type of genocide and driving out of infidels living across the vast territory called Canaan Land – the land God promised to the seed of Abraham (which, by the way, does not mean all Jews ever born of Abraham through Isaac!). The message to Israel was essentially ‘destroy/drive out the inhabitants of the land, or become corrupted by their ways and eventually be destroyed/driven out of the land yourselves!’ (See Deuteronomy 4:25 – 28) The young nation of Israel refused to carry-out fully God’s genocidal/drive-out orders, and God revealed the people left alive in, or not driven out of the land would be a thorn in Israel’s side, drawing them away from God into idol worship. (Numbers 33:55) This is exactly what happened. Failure to commit His ordained genocide/drive-out instructions God called sin, and Israel reaped, and is still reaping the fruits of its sin. 

b. The New Testament includes 7 citations (regarded the Biblically perfect number) of the phrase, “There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth”. In the context of this article, recognize this is God’s message, delivered through Christ and iterated across the pages of The Bible, that infidels (Christ rejecters) must and will die the eternal second death. However, rather than instructing Christian believers to kill infidels, He lovingly and gracefully instructs us to LOVE and extend GRACE to non-believers, patiently taking advantage of opportunities He creates in our lives to live out our faith before them, and if necessary, to use words seasoned with grace and salt.

So death to infidels is not unique to Islam. Perhaps many, if not most religions and faiths have similar assertions. Keep in mind, the kingdom of satan can do nothing original, but can only corrupt and twist all original things and concepts from God. Thus, the Kingdom of God set the righteous standards from which all unrighteous things derive, including (the eternal second) death to infidels (Christ-rejecters). 

My Prayer~

Perched in pews and on walls of social media, so smugly,

From which it’s tempting at other religions and faiths to sneer,

Ignoring Your example, rather choosing them all to smear,

Lord, help us resist temptations to become ‘Christians-ugly’.

To show love to each other, and live at peace with outsiders,

Your Great Commission is for us to make disciples of all.

But this we can’t do, if about their beliefs we ball and squall,

Leaving Your Great Commission, to become The Great Dividers.

What’s Really Going On (…Inside)

In all of the messiness and craziness of life, we struggle to ‘make sense of it all’. Despite our best efforts, that ole lingering question, “Why?!”, lingers still as we are hard-pressed to comprehend the twists and turns, the jerks, sudden stops and takeoffs of this life.

In my own stumbling and ponderings on this topic, I consistently return to my belief, which on the surface, seems not to be evident, namely, that all life is orderly or better yet, ‘highly ordered’. It is as clear that this is not evident as it is apparent that, from our perspective, there is no orderly pattern to the universe. The problem with that view is one of ‘perspective’. With the proper perspective, we could clearly perceive the pattern, the order, the ‘method to the apparent madness’, so to speak.

There is indeed a method to the madness of life on planet Earth! We live within a highly ordered complex of existence governed by a God of Good, who Himself, is as extremely purposeful (strategic) as He is good and graceful. He is Sovereign over all. Moreover, He has given us important clues to His systematic creation, structure, organization, and operation of the complexities in which we exist. However, to understand His clues requires a major ‘perspective shift’ on our behalf, putting on what He refers to as ‘the Mind of Messiah’ (Christ).

One of my favorite meditative imaginations is purposefully shifting my perspective on problems that confront me - from looking at them within my heavily laden, tired, aging earth suit (my bod’), to looking at them across the right shoulder of Jesus, enthroned as God in Heaven. (Hebrews 1:8). From this angle, I have a totally different insight and understanding of the problems in the BIGGEST view possible!

Now imagine the insights and understandings that would emerge from a similar perspective shift about life on Earth. Well, this is not only possible, but also critical to surviving, even thriving in all the mess down here! In fact, God expects it of us. When we make this shift, here is what we will clearly see.

God, by His Spirit, through the administration of holy angels, is ‘in the Earth’. What’s He doing; what’s His game plan, you ask? He is ‘exercising loving-kindness (i.e., Grace and Mercy), judgment (justice), and righteousness’ (what He calls right). (Note this specific order outlined in Jeremiah 9:24) Carefully fine-tuning your dial on these God-frequencies will reveal this is how He elects to exercise His Sovereignty on Earth. Thus, from the God-perspective, literally everything (bar nothing) in the earth must fit in one or more of these three exceptionally broad categories. Mind you, this is NOT an invitation for you and me to go around trying to label and neatly fit all happenings in to one of these three categories. We can’t. It is, rather, a clarion call to recognize God’s self-declared modus operandi. With this key, we can begin to unlock our storehouses of TRUST and FAITH that there is indeed an apparent method to the madness and messiness of life.

Another important key, noted often in this blog, is God’s preference to apply the ‘seed-time-harvest’ principle to every facet of life, apparently including to exercising His above-noted modus operandi. This reveals Earth realm is a gigantic planting and testing field (as noted in many other posts), uniquely designed to reveal and bear fruit from DNA-bearing seed - physical and spiritual. The principle categories of seed governing life on Earth are God's Words, and our thoughts, words, and intention/motivation-laden actions. Our personal ‘seed factory’ is our heart - our spirit. The energy that operates our factory is .….our motives.

Integrating these two pivotal keys suggests the following about what God is doing in the earth: 

1. Loving-kindness/Grace-Mercy: This is God’s FIRST ORDER of business with us humans. We have a general understanding of Grace and Mercy. Sovereign Grace allows all seed (good, bad and ugly) to be planted, bear its public fruit, and be harvested toward achieving its purpose. Grace allows you, personally, to sin and to reap the harvest of your sin seeds, as much as it allows you plant good seeds (thoughts, words, actions) and to reap the harvest thereof. God is not mocked. What ever a man sows/plants, that he shall reap/harvest. (Galatians 6:7) That is unless His Mercy intervenes. Mercy enables us to reap un-deserved blessings, even when we have sinned. We typically do not think of Grace and Mercy as allowing wickedness and evil to 'get by', but this is the other side of the two-sided coin called ‘allowing time to repent’. As parents, we are taught bad behavior of our children should be corrected quickly -- nipped in the bud, so as to not encourage or prolong it. God’s ways are apparently not our ways in this regard!

The Grace/Mercy element of God’s tripartite modus operandi is likely the longest, time-wise. For example, consider how patient He was before finally judging the sinful ways of the Amorites/Canaanites. A clue in Genesis 15:16 suggests it was much longer than 400 years (i.e., time of Amorites’ sinful ways before this conversation between God and Abraham + the ensuing 430 years before Israel was sent as God’s instrument of judgment). Why so long?? God gave Abraham a clear reason in second part of this verse! (check it out) 

During the time of Grace and Mercy, God reveals He is testing mankind and allowing us to receive the fruits of our doings. (Jeremiah 17:10 and many other similar verses)

NB: It is instructive to study The Bible to perceive the nature and long/short-term objectives of God’s tests! It is also instructive to study to understand what Grace/Mercy extended to evildoers means for those who are righteous in God’s sight, and who tolerate and bear the presence and effects of wickedness as God extends Grace/Mercy. This is likely a part of what Paul refers to as 'persecution' in 2 Timothy 3:12.

2. Judgment/Justice: This is God’s SECOND ORDER of business with us humans. As the Ultimate Judge Potentate of all, once His period of Grace (whether to a person, family, tribe, community, society or nation) has elapsed without their repentance, He passes judgment. In doing so, He removes His protective hand, and allows destroying angels (holy and evil, alike) to have access to the offender(s). Their modus operandi, which He ordains, is summarized in Ezekiel 9 and Ezekiel 14:12-21, and is demonstrated throughout the Old Testament and The Book of Revelation. A perceptive, strategic study (by you who are wise) of these sections, and of the news in our world today will reveal this modus operandi has essentially remained unchanged! To the wise, CAVEAT!

We have a general understanding of justice and its judgments. As Sovereign, God has appointed Jesus to be the final arbiter or judge of all things in Heaven and across the universe. He is exercising many judgments daily -- we read about them in the daily news and often wonder what took so long; and He reserves His ultimate judgment following the last day on Earth as we know it – the Great White Throne Judgment outlined in Revelation 20:11. Fear not, He has a brand new Earth planned for every human who will have ever been created.

The Judgment element of God’s tripartite modus operandi is likely the shortest, time-wise. This is highly indicative of His overwhelming Grace.

3. Righteousness: This is God’s THIRD ORDER of business with us humans. Understanding righteousness is admittedly quite a challenge for us humans so hell bent on sinfulness. Righteousness may well be the scale on which God weighs and judges our motives -- the spiritual energy that produces the seed we plant, and from which we reap life’s harvests, i.e., ‘the issues of life’. (Proverbs 4:23) During relatively short, intense periods of justice and judgment, God sets the stage for righteousness to flourish. How? 

Justice’s judgments often brunt or end the sinful careers or even the lives of those directly implicated. It also produces a rudely awakened remnant -- less innocent bystanders and onlookers who witness, up-close and personally, the judgments meted out on the worst offenders. Such experiences trigger this remnant to reflect deeply, and remember for quite a long time (hopefully the rest of their lives!) the wages of sinful ways. Thus, they are led/prompted to straighten up and fly right (righteousness), as we might say. They, in turn, become the foci of God’s subsequent testing of mankind, to see how they will do in light of their experiences, to know how they may teach their offspring, be better examples to on-lookers, and to ensure they receive the fruits of their doings, whether good or evil. Unfortunately, history and human nature reveal succeeding generations fail to learn key lessons from predecessor or even their current generations! Thus, the cycle of God’s modus operandi continues, and will conclude as is eloquently outlines in the final two chapters of The Book of Revelation.

In sum:

#1 Grace, sometimes with Mercy, is always protracted, with a generous supply of warnings

#2 Judgment always follows Grace, and ensures Justice, alas

#3 As intended, Judgment always intends to produce a Righteousness remnant who demonstrates varying levels and durations of right-living. As this remnant is watched and tested, the cycle repeats itself.

The quintessential purposes of The Bible are to reveal to mankind Who God is; what He's up to and what He considers as right-ness; and how we can both achieve and operate in these insights, all to our long-term (eternal) benefit. Since all that God does is righteous, ponder this: It must be righteous for God to extend Grace/Mercy and postpone judgment to allow long periods of time for repentance, and ergo allow evil and wickedness to persist and fester. I’d bet this may not fit your typical definition/understanding of righteous Grace. From God’s perspective, it is right to allow the Earth realm to perform/function according to His design, i.e., to produce in-kind whatever is planted therein, good, bad or ugly. He gives us a BIG clue of this when He says in Jeremiah 17:9-10:

The heart is deceitful above all things,

and desperately wicked; who can know it?

I, The Lord, search the heart, I test the mind,

even to give every man according to his ways,

according to the fruit of his doings.

Earth realm is, therefore, our proving ground, to expose and judge the motivational/spiritual DNA of our thought, word, and action seeds we plant, and from which we reap our harvests, in this life, and throughout eternity, revealing to us and all on-lookers…

What’s really going on (…inside)

Just Because (Poem)

Just because evil is not so quickly punished,

We mis-read this as, "No God, no punishment!"

Realize from earth we could be easily banished.

Correct reading: God gracefully gives time to repent.

Just because some say we evolved from monkeys,

Or from cells in a microbial pool.

Doesn't mean we will all morph into donkeys!

But worse, God says they are all fools.*

Just because some say, "Only this life is all"

Doesn't negate The Bible's truth of the by-'n-by.

Oh, to be that proverbial fly on the wall

On that day they’re looking God right in His eye!

~~~~~

* The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” (Psalm 14:1)

S.E.E.D. (poem)

As a kid, I recall often cracking open various types of seeds and imagining how all that stuff inside could turn into a plant, then a fruit or vegetable, with the help of some dirt, water, and sunshine! Yep, I still enjoy pondering about seeds.

While reflecting on the fact that God does everything (possibly except miracles) based on the ‘seed-time-harvest’ principle, it dawned on me that of this trio, seed is the core of God’s productive engine, and is the part we know least about. We understand time and harvest, but seed?? 

What is seed? Here’s my take, which I hope will be memorable for you, too:

S.E.E.D. --> A package of DNA 

Sent from Eternity to Earth to Die

Seeds are God’s express, highly efficient packages of DNA dispatched to Earth with a not-so-secret two-step mission:

1. Die! 
2. In dying, allow Me to produce in Earth fruit according to your assigned DNA.

So in God’s economy, death of various kinds is the... doorway to fruit production, i.e., being fruitful.

Jesus summarized God’s grand scheme in this manner:

Most assuredly, I say to you,

unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies,

it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.

(John 12:24)

To illustrate this grand scheme, Jesus, Himself, became a seed, was planted by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, later died, and in His death, gave life eternal to us who accept His death as God’s substitutionary payment for our sin. Thus, in us, He is very fruitful.

While we recognize this principal applies to agriculture and procreation of living things, could it also apply to inanimate objects, including ideas, concepts, projects, relationships, careers, programs, etc.? 

Possibly except for the babies we abort, we humans have a strong tendency to fight to keep things alive, thinking that in doing so, we will ensure their fruitfulness. Thus, we struggle, push, shove, connive, manipulate to assure, and then try to extend the life of things, not realizing they may well be S.E.E.D. All seed is destined first to die. In resisting their death, might we be postponing their true mission, which, through their death, could be to usher us into fresh, new fruitful dimensions of L.I.F.E.? 

L.I.F.E. --> Love’s Infusions From Eternity

We humans also have a proclivity to tinker with seeds, altering their DNA. DNA is God’s uniquely-assigned purpose for fruitfulness in the Earth. Its very name (or more accurately, its acronym) seems to reverberate loudly The Creator’s message:

D.N.A. --> Do Not Alter!

But as with literally every other facet of His instructions for peaceful, fruitful, long life on Earth, we set about to do the exact opposite. If it can be altered, in our pride, we will find a way, whether it’s agricultural seeds, animals and fish, or human fetuses, babies and, most recently, even adults.

Afterward...

We wonder why our societies and systems are so out of sync.

We ponder, ‘What’s that stench emanating from our world so strong?’

We wonder about the seeds and roots of calamities in which we sink.

But fail to ponder how we messed up this world that to God belongs.

So when you next confront ‘something’ that just seems to scream:

“Let go! You’re holding me too tightly. Let go, I say!

I have an assignment to fulfill God’s DNA dream!”

Then step back, let ‘er go, and let God rule the day.

That which you’re holding, its life to start or stretch out,

May well be a S.E.E.D. -- Sent from Eternity to Earth to Die,

Die some form of death before new life can sprout.

In faith, let it die; don’t give it ‘another ole college try’.

Ponder the many forms of death that are possible,

Then ask God which death it may really need to die.

He may likely reveal the death that is palpable,

Is very closely tied to your ole foolish pride.