kissing Jesus while betraying him
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Refusing Persecution

If we refuse to be manipulated, abused, persecuted and taken advantage of..

Because we can see it coming, and are skilled at exposing and avoiding and escaping all the schemes of evil men.

Being able to see the schemes does not necessarily mean we have Gods permission or power to avoid or escape them.

“And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.””
‭‭Mark‬ ‭8:32-33‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Peter knew there was an evil scheme awaiting Jesus, and was trying to help Jesus to avoid it. Jesus responded to him “get behind me Satan”. It was God’s plan for Jesus to walk into a trap of suffering and death. Peter assumed, because it seemed terrible and evil, that must be it was not a thing God wanted

If we are constantly activists against evil schemes, some of which succeed (temporarily). Then we may, at times, find ourselves refusing to follow Jesus Christ. We may even find ourselves fighting and undermining what Jesus is doing in the earth. We may get swept up in a battle he simply is not fighting. Using our limited ability to see the big picture and logic we may find ourselves taking a side that seems good but is not necessarily his side.

He may intentionally lead us into trouble, he just may have that for us for a time. That may be in our cup to bear. And if He is our Lord that should be ok with us.

Following his path for us just might result in humiliation, injustice, and peril. If he wants us to take all that, it’s our job to not whine and to accept it. Like a good soldier, and like a loyal bond-slave.

So don’t spend your days as an activist an antagonist of Satan and his helpers. Instead spend your days as an obsessed activist of Jesus Christ and come what may, take it all as his will for you.

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Big Church…Small Minded

When I committed to posting blog articles daily last month I did not think that a month in I’d want to post two per day. I’ve noticed that activity in anything I set out to create almost always stimulates further activity.

It’s the same way with inactivity.

So Imagine how much more of the work of Jesus Christ would happen if Christians were active. And were not stuck in the tradition of sitting idle and watching others “let their light shine” professionally on Sunday mornings!!

•How many more church meetings would be scheduled?

•How many more kids would start shining Jesus to their generation?

•How many more theologians would be writing books and sharing videos and podcasts?

•How many more Christians would even exist …if the church was active?, were trained to be active, trained and expected to bring a teaching or a song or an encouragement, or their extra finances to share with one another at every meeting? Then allowed and encouraged to share one by one?

I’d rather have a million small (30 member) churches that don’t have a building than a thousand big ones (500+ members) that do.

That is 30 times more Christians potentially who are active as opposed to 1/30th of that who let their clergy do the majority of the “work” and the sharing. The difference is incalculable, it would be like we were living on another planet.

Jesus people, bringing the kingdom of heaven down to earth.

Big-money church mentality is small-minded!

What Jesus started was much bigger and better, exponential means multiplication upon multiplication. Your pastor may be able to win 500 and handle 1000 if he is talented enough… but what happens when he moves away? Or retires or just quits? Likely collapse and dispersal of the body because it all rests on him.

It is not scale-able.

It serves a tiny, talented, clergy, and those ambitious enough to become clergy. It does not serve Jesus Christ well and not the masses of people he is after.

My prayer is that we (all Christians) together go back to following him and his plan for how and when to gather.

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Socialism, Satan & Jesus

The concept of Socialism (using the state to pool resources and to create financial equality) could work. But only if we were to completely remove the state from the equation. The state represents human government, which is irredeemable. This realization was the foundation of the US government. They concluded, at best we can separate powers and keep the people free to violently defend themselves (by bearing arms).

I think the root cause for this fact is that the concept of the state is inseparable from the influence and control of Satan. And Satan is inseparable from stealing, killing, and destroying. So for now, we should consider all forms human government as synonymous with stealing, killing, and destroying. Socialism is usually strongly resisted so it requires dictatorships to try to implement…things go down hill fast from there. Think of the formally prosperous Venezuela as the most recent of many examples. It won’t always be that way but for now it is.

The best way to work around this is to separate powers within a state. And to separate finances from the state into the hands of the people (capitalism). To concentrate money in the state is to tear down society.

This disturbing fact is true everywhere human government dominates on earth. The only place this is not the case is where Jesus Christ personally dominates a people. Not Christian leaders but Jesus personally.

Jesus Christ is the only alternative to the state, or human government. Wherever he is Lord, natural, voluntary love-based “socialism” happens.

Where he is dominant in people, there is genuine and lasting equality, generosity, sharing with one another and with the poor, out of love, equality, racial blindness, gender equality. “In Christ there is neither rich, nor poor, slave nor free, male nor female, all are one in him.”

Where he is not in charge, there is unfair hierarchy, there is inequality (financial, racial, social). If unchecked, there is tyranny from government, and there is the rich dominating and taking from the poor.

So the next time you hear people say we need more socialism or capitalism. Think no we need more a Jesus Christ, we need more Jesus people, much more! Then become one yourself, he deserves it.

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