Evangelicals...THIS WORLD IS NOT OUR HOME!!!

(Note: This article was saved as a draft for a long time, before the inauguration of President Donald Trump.  One thing I do agree with evangelicals on is this:  Trump is our President, and per Romans 13, we are to respect him and the office, for Donald Trump, as President of the United States, is ordained of God (Romans 13:1).)

Now, the key verse for this article:

Heb 13:14  For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. 

Listening to the latest Real Time with Bill Maher podcast just ticked me off.  No, not because of anything Bill Maher said.  (I'm well aware Mr. Maher is an atheist)  It was because of what was revealed by author Tim Alberta.  Mr. Alberta is the author of the book "The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory", where he talks about the evangelical movement, and why they are still voting for Trump.

On the show, Mr. Alberta said that while evangelicals are aware of how un-Christian Trump is, Trump is the guy that will preserve and maintain their way of life in this country.  Here are some quotes:

"There is a persecution complex..."

"The country is slipping away from them...they longer recognize the Christian America of their youth..."
[Evangelicals say] "Donald Trump is an imperfect vessel for God's perfect will..."

 Mr. Alberta also cites a man from the Bible named Cyrus, whom evangelicals are using as a comparison to Trump, saying that Trump will restore America like Cyrus restored Israel.  Here's an excerpt from Ezra 1 talking about Cyrus:

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem. And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem. Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem. And all they that were about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, beside all that was willingly offered. Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods; Even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah. And this is the number of them: thirty chargers of gold, a thousand chargers of silver, nine and twenty knives, Thirty basons of gold, silver basons of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand. All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up with them of the captivity that were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem.

(Ezr 1:1-11)

Looking at all of this, it sounds as if Evangelicals are focusing on the worldly matters, things of the earth, instead of spiritual, which reminds me of this verse:

Col 3:2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 

This is something I highly doubt Evangelicals are doing.  When they use Trump to try to preserve their way of life in this country, they're focused on worldly things.  Are they also loving the world?  The Bible also says:

1Jn 2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 

THOSE WHO LOVE THE WORLD GO TO HELL!!!!!

Evangelicals...be warned.  Your attachment to this world is damning you.  Focus on Christ, the Word of God (John 1:1, 1:14, etc.), and NOT preserving your place in the world.

Now, this is not to say that you should do nothing in this world.  We must still advertise Christ to the world, in part, through our good works:

Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

(Mat 5:13-16)

We must resist the culture of this world by simply acting righteously.

On Quiz Bowl and Idleness

2Ti 2:4  No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. 

Here are some things I need to confess.  I'm not perfect. (I John 1:8-10)  I get distracted by worldly things.  This was even more so when I was younger (perhaps I wasn't even saved back then).

Here's what happened:  For the past 11 months, I have been without a night custodian.  In December 2023, I had to withdraw my participation in the high school's quiz bowl tournament as a moderator, because I had to work overtime as a custodian.  As of yesterday, I now have a night custodian (he's more of a floater, going to at least three schools to help, but hey, it helps).  So, I am able to participate in this year's quiz bowl tournament, and signed up. 

Yet...I have thought about that above verse (of which I have discussed before) pertaining to such an "extra-curricular" activity such as quiz bowl.  Was I sinning by participating in secular activities?  

Honestly, I don't know.  Quiz bowl is no sin in and of itself; how can the promotion of truth be sinful?  I've been wrestling with my participation all day today, and so far, I came to the present conclusion that my participation is better than the alternative: doing nothing (highly discouraged, if not sinful, in Proverbs 19:15:

Pro 19:15  Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger. 

).  [Wait, seriously?  Am I lazy for not doing quiz bowl?  No, I'm lazy if I do nothing after work, chores aren't nothing.]

As of now, I'm writing this blog post.  Yet, on most days, I do jack squat when it comes to productivity.  I once said to myself, "I need to relax in order to get ready for the next day."  This is why I don't do any web development during the week, it racks the brain too much.  But other things?  Perhaps that's for another blog post. (That's probably a good idea, a critique of the 40 hour work week. (See Matthew 20:6,9 and the "eleventh hour".))

So what do I have to do to prepare for being a moderator of a quiz bowl tournament?  Not a whole lot:  Just look over the questions, and make notes on pronunciations, changes in current events (this happened in 2021 when Olaf Shulz took over for Angela Merkel as Chancellor of Germany), the acceptability of certain answers (Octavius vs. Octavian, accepting "Bryant" for "Vanessa Bryant"), etc.  Honestly, it doesn't take that long.

Even the event itself doesn't take that long.  As Sima Guang Hater, a critic of Kansas quiz bowl on hsquizbowl.org has said:

"KS quizbowl consists of 16 questions per round, which are one line long and sorted by category. And 3 of them are math calculation. This has the advantage of allowing tournaments to happen in the 3 hours between the end of school and dinnertime, but is otherwise quite terrible."

Now, does this mean that if something of greater importance comes up, that I'll abandon the quiz bowl event?  Of course.  But until then, I have pretty much committed to it, and barring that something of greater importance, it would be unbecoming of me to abandon it (Numbers 30:2, Romans 12:17).  Correct me if I'm wrong please. (Proverbs 6:23)

Hater, Sima Guang. What’s the Matter with Kansas?, 26 June 2011, hsquizbowl.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=11697.

Luce Sheds Light On My Beam

 “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.” (Matthew 7:1-5, KJV)

There is a new anime character, and it's coming from the Catholics.  Her name is Luce, which is Italian for "light".  Immediately I thought, "idol" (Exodus 20:4, Leviticus 26:1, Deuteronomy 4:16, 23, 25, etc.).

Then I realized my own struggles with other worldly characters, especially during Planet Comicon:

"Yet, my fervor at beholding the Winged Knight [Batman] stirred within me a disquiet:  Had I begun to elevate my soul unto these follies [a reference to Psalm 24:4]?" --The Ninth Cloud, Chapter 2, Verse 46

After any of my own hypocrisies are dealt with, then I can keep a 10 foot pole distance (see I Corinthians 10:14) from Luce.

Will I Backslide From Financial Discipline?

And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying, Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee. For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the LORD; and how much more after my death? Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record against them. For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.

(Deu 31:24-29)

When I paid off my worldly debts on July 2, 2021, and for several months after, the only thing I could think of that was appropriate to do was to celebrate.  Yet, in the back of my mind, I knew that one day, I will get used to this new freedom, and possibly take it for granted.  Time and time again, whenever I had a big financial decision to make, I have tried to remind myself of all that I fought for, in order to stay out of debt.  

Still, I can feel the joy of being a free man slipping away quickly.  I've even started to consider options for another vehicle should my current one, the 2016 Ford Fiesta, breaks down to the point where it's rational to just finance another vehicle.  This is sinful anxiety (Matthew 6:34), and I need to repent of it.  On this, and other events which would greatly test my faith, I had to repeat the chorus of the song "One Day At A Time" by Christy Lane to myself:

One day at a time, sweet Jesus
That's all I'm asking from You
Lord, give me the strength to do everyday what I have to do

Yesterday's gone, sweet Jesus
And tomorrow may never be mine
Lord, help me today, show me the way, one day at a time

Ms. Lane speaks the very essence of Matthew 6:34:

Mat 6:34  Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. 

There is a secular quote, which is also true in this circumstance.  It is disputed as to who first spoke it, but it goes like this:

Eternal diligence is the price of liberty.

To this I say, "Amen".

Here is a Scripture which speaks to me:

1Pe 2:16  As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. 

This is the war I am waging in my heart.  Perhaps it is a good fight (I Timothy 6:12, Jude 1:3).  May God help me in this.

Lane, Christy.  One Day At A Time.  May 1974.

What Are "The Affairs Of This Life"?

2 Timothy 2:4 (KJV)

4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. 

This is another one of those Scripture verses I have been wrestling with for quite some time, and this teaching has come up again while I was at work.

A few days ago, I did a foolish thing.  I applied to many game shows.  My excuse was that I wanted another adventure, with the added possible benefit of winning enough in prize money to cover the trip (which in game show terms isn't much, probably around $1,200).

Today, I received an email from one of the casting companies behind a show, encouraging me to apply when the contestant application was online (prior to this, all it had was an e-mail, casting told me that they were doing maintenance on the site).

I wrestled with the idea of trying out.  You see, the show was to be a spin-off of the show "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?"  This was really tempting since I am a school custodian, seemingly a perfect fit!  

Yet, part of me felt that this was wrong.  Now, in and of itself, appearing on a television program and winning prizes is not wrong (I won a sizeable prize at a trade show last summer).  But honestly, why are you doing it?  Game shows have the egregious appearance of greed (indeed, that was the very name of one such program!), and can easily fit this verse in Scripture:

1 Timothy 6:10 (KJV)

10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Even game shows themselves admit to this.  On the very first episode of Jeopardy in 1984, in the category THE BIBLE, the clue read "According to I Timothy, it is the root of all evil."  The contestant correctly responded, "What is the love of money?" to which Alex Trebek concurred with Greg Hopkins on the emphasis of "the LOVE of money".

But, back to Fifth Grader:  There were other obstacles in the way, which in retrospect, I made excuses in my mind for:  Despite me being the only custodian in the building, I still had personal days, which are specifically used for personal business "which can be most properly conducted during school hours", says the district handbook.  Also, despite me looking very unprofessional by going on some fun thing, Fifth Grader might make the school district look good!  (Such a foolish excuse was similarly portrayed in the film Quiz Show, when the producers convinced Charles Van Doren (and Herbert Stempel) that participating in the quiz show fix would be good for the cause of education.)

One thing I haven't yet done:  Prayed.  I made a quick prayer in the office, and an amazing thing happened:  I felt a sense of calm and relief!  I interpreted this as God showing me the outcome of deciding not to participate in this program.  Again, this was my interpretation, but it was consistent with other times I have been involved in life's affairs.  Once they were over, I was similarly relieved.

Later that evening, out of curiosity, I went back to 2 Timothy 2:4.  I looked at the Commentary section of e-Sword which contained the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.  The TSK is simply a resource where you can find linked verses that speak of the same topics.  So I followed the TSK of that verse, under the word "entangleth".  Here are the Scripture texts that were listed (I'm using the ESV here for clarity):

2 Timothy 4:10 (ESV)

10 For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.'

Luke 8:14 (ESV)

14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.

1 Corinthians 9:25-26 (ESV)

25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.

26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.

1 Timothy 6:9-12 (ESV)

9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.

10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.

12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

2 Peter 2:20 (ESV)

20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.

With all this, it has become crystal clear.  Typically, Christians have no business going on game shows, or being involved with any kind of worldly affairs (that are not mandated by Christ that is, good works, letting our light shine in the world, etc. are always mandated).   Worldliness chokes the Word of God, which leads to unfruitfulness, which leads to Hell.

Now, the title of this piece is called "What Are "The Affairs Of This Life"?" As in, how are such affairs defined?  

Honestly, I don't know.  In my personal experience, any worldly enterprise that requires a long-term investment of time, energy, and resources is certainly an affair of this life.  Say I wanted to start a fantasy football league.  Why would I want to do this?  Does this advance the kingdom of God?  Or is this just for me?  In my opinion, such pursuits, if they are for yourself, are a waste of time that I would have to answer for on the Day of Judgment.  Correct me if I'm wrong.

Let's see, another example...worldly business ventures, perhaps?  One example I can recall:  There is this movie company called Legion M where fans can invest money in exchange for shares in their company.  The company, lauded by luminaries such as William Shatner, seeks to give fans more power and control over the studio.  Again, what does all this have to do with following Christ?

I guess the key word here is "entangleth".  Indeed the Greek word for the KJV phrase "entangleth himself with" is literally defined as "entwine".  So, to watch television would not be an entwining.  Attending a folk dance would not be an entwining.  These are one and done events, not requiring further investment.

(Some may say, what about getting married?  I Corinthians 7 covers that concept well.  It is no sin, but can be distracting in your walk with Christ.)

All this fits with the concept of not being attached to the world.  In fact, I Corinthians 7:29-31 says it well:

1 Corinthians 7:29-31 (ESV)

29 This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none,

30 and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods,

31 and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.

The World Is Still Tempting.

 I've mentioned this verse time and time again: "Do not love the world or the things in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."  It's so seared into my brain that I didn't even bother to get the exact KJV or ESV wording.  It's in I John (let me look it up again...I John 2:15.

When I talk about the concept of "having a life", I mean "embracing the world as if you're a member of it."  That is, being so rooted in this world that the world would easily consider you a citizen.  In fact, Jesus says in John 15:19a:

"If ye were of the world, the world would love his own:"

As a kid, and even as a young adult, I've always felt like I've been on the inside looking out, wanting to join my high school peers in whatever adventures in the world they're going on.  Of course, now that I'm in my mid to late 30s, I realize that those peers have since settled down, so I didn't see the point in chasing their company (these days, there's little need, I work with two members of my college graduating class every day!).  In fact, the two co-workers themselves have settled down with families of their own, so they wouldn't exactly invite me to a beer, they're too busy themselves!

So, who's "inviting me to a beer" now?  Who is tempting me to embrace the world and live a little?  Someone who doesn't exist in real life, yet, if I met the actress who played her, the two could seem identical.  

There's this version of Star Trek that interested me, it's called "Lower Decks".  It features inexperienced Ensigns of a common starship.  I think I myself was on the bottom rung of the career ladder when Lower Decks premiered, I have since moved up to a position comparable to lower management, or in the Star Trek world, at the very least, a Lieutenant.

The main character is a former senior officer named Beckett Mariner, played by Tawny Newsome.  Mariner is regularly a troublemaker who deliberately tries to remain an Ensign, uninterested in advancing in her career in Starfleet.  She is joined by Ensign Brad Boimler, played by Jack Quaid.  He's the guy that plays by the rules, and strives to one day be a starship captain.  He is a fan of Starfleet legends such as William Riker and Beverly Crusher.

The first time I watched the program, I immediately compared myself to Boimler and any "cool" worldly person to Mariner.  In fact, every single person who has told me, "Come on, live a little!" acts just like Mariner.  She...is the one who would invite me to a beer.  (I can say that because during a high school class reunion, there was one person who in fact invited me to the bar, I'm guessing for a beer.)

My carnal self would definitely want to let loose, and she would be my guide.  In fact, near the end of the first episode, Mariner called Boimler her "cha'dich", which is a Klingon term used to mean "friend/disciple".  Boimler would learn from Mariner in her unorthodox ways of life.

Scripture warns against running around with such people:

Proverbs 1:10-19 (KJV)

10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.

11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:

12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:

13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:

14 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:

15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:

16 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.

17 Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.

18 And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.

19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

So yeah, it's not wise to be enticed by someone like Mariner.  OK, what about Tawny Newsome herself?  What's she like?

Let's see, she's 4 years older than me (just like Mariner)...OK, while Mariner reminds me of the troublemaker trying to get me into trouble, Tawny Newsome the actress reminds me of Trek clergy.  According to an article by ScreenRant, Mrs. Newsome has an "impressive knowledge of Star Trek", and she is a writer for a new upcoming Star Trek series.  I call her "clergy" because I have given another Star Trek actor a religious title: Wil Wheaton, whom I call the "high priest of geekery".  The podcast The Happiness Lab called him a "geekvangelist", preaching a gospel of loving a niche of the world with reckless abandon, with the example of the fans of Benedict Cumberbatch being called "cumberb****es.".  It is my opinion that Mrs. Newsome would preach a similar gospel, making Trek disciples of all nations.  Why?  I've heard her on other podcasts recommend starting episodes to get into Trek, just as I recommend starting in the book of Matthew to learn about Christ.

OK, so isn't the solution simple?  Just cut yourself off from Trek entirely? (like in Matthew 10:29)  Or at least Lower Decks?  Just writing that makes me think that's a good idea.  Perhaps the less reinforcement of Trek knowledge, the better.  I still have knowledge of Trek, I just don't want it to consume me.

What?  Is Star Trek evil?  In and of itself, I don't know.  Now, I'm not talking about their misguided vision of humanity (see 2 Timothy 3:1-5 to show what humanity will really be like), but rather the fact that it's of the world.  There is much "lust of the eyes", "lust of the flesh", and "pride of life" in Star Trek.

A Study Of Worldliness - Part Two (I John 4:5)

 The key verse I want to pick apart on this study of worldliness is I John 4:5:

1Jn 4:5  They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. 

Firstly, let's go back a few verses:

v. 1: This one is about false prophets.  We're told to test the spirits.  OK.

v. 2: "Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:"  There was a gentleman once who kept rambling on about "Jesus Christ and the Holy Father".  I remembered this verse, so in order to test the gentleman, I asked whether he believed in the "incarnation", another word for Jesus coming in the flesh, because I thought that if I said the verse word for word, he might catch on to that.  Was I right or wrong in this testing method?  I don't know.  Anyway, he said he doesn't believe in "incarnation", so didn't know what to make of that.

v. 3: on the antichrist: Maybe I should have asked "Do you believe Jesus has come to us as a human being?"  Now, if anyone says no to that, Scripture says that such a spirit is Antichrist.

v. 4: overcoming the antichrist..."greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world."  "he that is in you", I believe that's the Holy Spirit, God at least.  "he that is in the world", I believe that's Satan.

OK, on to v. 5:

"They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world": Worldliness is their language.  I've off and on caught myself using worldly terminology to describe things, that is, the terminology of nerd culture, perhaps in a carnal sense, wanting to "be like the cool kids".  And yes, I heard that from a song:

"I wish that I could be like the cool kids
'cause all the cool kids, they seem to fit in"

"and the world heareth them": OK, now it popped in my head what the key word behind my study of this Bible verse is: REFERENCES.  What I mean by "references" is this:  You ever watch a TV show or movie and catch a bunch of the references?  For example, Star Trek.  In one of the episodes of the "Picard" series, the crew goes to this sort of space museum (I think), and there is this creature, newly with teeth.  It growls at one particular crew member, and the crew member is mutually distraught at the creature.  This is in reference to the tumultuous relationship between the creature and the particular species of the crew member, a relationship that has stayed the same since the original series in the 1960s.

Now, some might say, "Come on, just say who they are!", and to that I say, "No."  I'm trying not to be friendly with the world.

Back to the references, let me give you an example of a failed attempt at pleasing the world:  When Hillary Clinton ran for President in 2016, she said something like the following in order to please the crowd:

"I don't know about Pokemon Go...but I think they ought to have Pokemon Go To The Polls!"

Mrs. Clinton was trying to please the world in this instance.

Those who are of the world speak the world's language.  For another example, I know of a school student who is a fan of a certain book franchise.  Let's say the time is 9:45AM.  I could say it's 9:45AM.  Or I could make a reference to said franchise.  If I said the latter, I would be appeasing the student by speaking the world's language, especially since the said franchise celebrates the second sin in Galatians 5:20.

Now, speaking the world's language, and living with the following attitude:

1Co 9:20  And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;

are two different things.  The later is basically, not being a jerk, or, as they say, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do".  The former is, in my opinion, mere appeasement, such as to appeal to fans of something that sounds like a bearded molder of clay.  (And no, my obfuscation of pop culture references is not in and of itself an intentional reference to the obfuscation of the name of the chief nemesis of the said book franchise.)

Again, why don't I just say it?  It's not as if I'm hiding my knowledge of such things, it's obvious I have this knowledge!  It's partially for the sake of those who have no idea what I'm talking about.  The less you know about worldly things, the better.

The world is very enticing.  The sights.  The sounds.  I John 2:16 says it well:

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 

Plus, the world is HARMFUL to your fruitfulness in Christ:

Mar 4:19  And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. 

Worldly people (even among those claiming Christ) who bear no fruit go to Hell (also see Matthew 3:10 and Matthew 13:22), as well as those who never hear the Word (Matthew 13:19, Mark 4:15), and whose who hear the Word, yet fall away in time of persecution (Matthew 13:21, Mark 4:17).

Keep unspotted from the world! (James 1:27)  Bear much fruit! (John 15:8)

A Study of Worldliness - Part One (Philippians 3:19)

This is more of a post to jot down notes about a certain topic.  I generally write down my thoughts as they come up.  This topic is about worldliness, something Christians must avoid in their Christian life.  Believe me, based on these verses, God doesn't take too kindly to worldliness!

The starting point is the following:

Php 3:19  Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) 

 Let's see, going back a few verses for context...

This is part of a passage about striving towards the goal, which is the "prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (v. 14).

v. 16: Let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing...OK, live our lives in the pursuit of Christ, got it.

v. 17: "Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample."  Just as we are to mark brothers that follow unbiblically (Romans 16:17, 2 Thessalonians 3:14, so are we to mark those who are following Christ, to show others as an example.

v. 18: "even weeping": Paul is that grieved that some people live their lives against Christ, and for themselves.

"the enemies of the cross of Christ": A cross is an instrument of literal pain.  We are told to carry our crosses (Luke 14:27, among other places).  I've heard that it means to be ready to die at any moment, but that's not what you do if you literally carry a cross.  However, and correct me (Proverbs 6:23) if I'm wrong, but it does mean that suffering is to be expected every day as part of a believer's life. 

To be an enemy of the cross of Christ could be that they are opposed to a life of suffering, which a believer must endure as part of the path to the Kingdom of God (Acts 14:22).

Now, to v: 19:

"Whose end is destruction": Those who live for themselves go to Hell.

"whose God is their belly": A secular example is the comedian Gabriel Iglesias.  This is what Mr. Iglesias had to say about "living life" vs. "living to 100":

"I get people that'll pull me aside and go,  'Gabriel, you're a very funny guy, you're very talented, don't you think, perhaps, you're living a little excess in life?'
And I'm like, 'Well, I love to eat.'
'Well, don't you want to live to be a hundred?'
'Well, not if I can't eat tacos, and as many as I want.'"

Gabriel Iglesias has a god.  It's his belly.

Here's another example of people whose gods are bellies.  I came across a segment called "New Rules" from the TV show "Real Time With Bill Maher" in which Mr. Maher said:

"And finally, new rule: Everybody should be allowed to let themselves go a couple of times a year.  Like now, the dog days of summer, school's out, rule's out, it's hot, vacation time; no one should have to diet on vacation.  And...the holidays.  That's the other 'OK, I'll let myself go' time of year.  And who can blame us?  It's the end of the year, structured around feast days.  No one should feel bad about opening up the pants after Thanksgiving dinner, that thing where you undo the top button and try to hold together with just the belt.  That's all fine.  But not all year round."

In this segment, Mr. Maher rebukes the phenomenon of "fat acceptance", where gluttony is not just mainstream, it's celebrated. (similar to Romans 1:32).  

Yet, I want to focus on the first part of his segment:  Being allowed to gorge yourself at certain times.  This is too similar to Ecclesiastes 10:17:

Ecc_10:17  Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

I may be wrong, but I'm guessing that to eat merely for pleasure is, at the very least, frowned upon in Scripture.  What I'm more confident about, its that anyone who always eats just for pleasure likely has their bellies for a god.

"whose glory is in their shame": Not sure what that means.  Remember what I said about the KJV being a little confusing at times?  Let's try the ESV: "they glory in their shame": That's a little better.  Hmm...there is a saying that goes "Have you no shame?"  That's those people.  They're not ashamed of the shameful things they're doing.  

"who mind earthly things": In my opinion, the ESV makes it a little clearer:  "with minds set on earthly things"

Hmm...trying to think of an example of someone having their minds set on earthly things.  Well, looking forward to a new TV show, or to attend Comicon (that's not a typo), etc.

So, if we as believers are not to set our minds on earthly things, what are we to set our minds on?

Col 3:2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

And how are we to do that?

Php_4:8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Good stuff.  Oh, here's one idea! (and readers, all this is for you too)  Think about what good works you can do while you're on this earth:

Heb 10:24  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

I have other things to talk about regarding worldliness in the coming days.  One that just popped in my head just now (I worked on this blog post over a couple days), is concerning I John 4:5:

1Jn_4:5  They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

How you speak in this world is an indicator of where your allegiances lie.  (similar to Matthew 12:34 and Luke 6:45)

Until then, keep the faith!

On Romans 2:21-24, Hypocrisy, and The Brass Ring

Copy/pastes of Scripture are from the KJV via E-Sword.

 

Something came to mind today, so this will probably be a little bit of rambling.  Here is the passage in question:

 

Rom 2:21  Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?
Rom 2:22  Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?
Rom 2:23  Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?
Rom 2:24  For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written. 

 

What this passage means is, don't be a hypocrite.  I too need to heed this (perhaps this came to mind today).  I sometimes have the desires every day to preach to the people, telling people to repent of their sins and turn to Christ, exposing false Christianity, a Christianity that often uses the slick guise of the Truth.

I was at the laundromat one day, and I was reading a piece of Scripture aloud.  A man heard this and suggested that I go into the ministry.  I explained to him that I was just reading the Scripture, and not teaching anyone, and that there is a difference between being a "preacher" and being a "pastor".  I said that a preacher proclaims the Truth, and everyone should do that.  A pastor is someone who leads a congregation in their daily lives (I Corinthians 5 gives an example of the authority of a pastor dealing with a sinning congregant).  Now, side note here, anyone who sees this, feel free to correct me through Scripture if I'm wrong on any of this. (Proverbs 6:23)

I then talked about how this life is not our "Best Life Now", condemning Joel Osteen.  The gentleman then explained to me that at the moment, this is our best life now, yet, that wasn't what I was talking about.  At that point, I was a little tongue tied.  I should have remembered the following verse:

Col 3:2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 

Joel Osteen regularly teaches his hearers to set their hearts on earthly things, which is actually the kind of attitude found in the wicked:

Php_3:19  Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)

Earthly things, worldliness, "having a life", are things that I struggle with, because they're so pleasing.  Remember my earlier rant on game shows?  They thrive off of giving away a piece of worldliness in the form of cash and prizes, further preaching the gospel of going after the brass ring.  Now, it's not as blatant as it was in the 1950s in the turn of the century (with Who Wants To Be A Millionaire), but game shows still have a stake in the culture.

That's about it for now.  Keep the faith.

A Rant About Game Shows

 Before I begin, I would like to share with you a poem, which is actually a parody of the 23rd Psalm.  There are a few variations, but nearly all of them are called "The 23rd Channel".  Here's one variation whose author is unknown posted on the Berean Bible Society:

The TV is my shepherd, I shall not want for entertainment.
It maketh me to lie down on the sofa.
It leadeth me away from the Scriptures.
It destroyeth my soul.
It leadeth me in the path of sex and violence for the sponsor’s sake.
Yea, though I walk in the shadow of my Christian responsibilities,
There will be no interruption,
For the TV is with me, its cable and remote, they control me.
It prepareth a commercial before me in the presence of worldliness;
It anointeth my head with humanism,
My coveting runneth over.
Surely laziness and ignorance shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I shall dwell in the house watching TV forever.

So my rant is about a recent TV watching experience that crosses international borders.  Every weeknight for a while, I have been watching Jeopardy after work.  Mom tapes it for me, and I watch; it's a nice 30-minute break until I start afternoon chores.  I don't fawn for the program, it's just there, and I wouldn't miss it if it suddenly got cancelled.  Anyway, one of the "answers" was about the title of an Australian guy named Sir Isaac Isaacs that starts with a "G". 

Hmm...I've seen this before.

Years ago, I came across a YouTube clip of the Australian version of Jeopardy in 1993.  In their final episode of that version of the program hosted by Tony Barber, the Final Jeopardy answer asked about the first Australian-born governor-general.  Anyway, watching today's Jeopardy USA episode, I responded with gleeful smile "Who is governor-general?", then explained to Mom the reason for the glee.  I admit that I've gotten really good at references and connections, probably too well.

As I'm writing this, I also remember the time a Jeopardy answer came up, asking about a king of Iraq.  My first thought was "Feisel!" (It was actually spelled 'Faisal', and I was actually wrong).  I remember the name of an Iraqi king (now, that's KING, not PRESIDENT) when in the 1994 movie Quiz Show, the character Charles Van Doren played by Ralph Fiennes was asked to name the kings of a list of countries.  One of them was Iraq, and Van Doren responded with Faisal.  A commenter of a Jeopardy message board praised my recall.

My recall of Governor-General Isaacs and Iraqi King Faisal bothers me, because it is rooted in a childhood love of game shows, and I admit that!  But as the Scripture saith:

1Jn 2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 

Any love of the world leads to Hell.  Before coming across the Truth, I loved the world in many forms, game shows especially.  (Yes, there was a time when I was too scared to watch Jeopardy, but that was an isolated example; I later grew to love the show).

For the past few years, in the name of repentance, I have been trying to lose my excitement and love towards watching game shows, or any sort of fandom I used to claim, such as Star Trek (their newer shows, and some of their performers, have gotten more visually pleasing, so I must especially be careful)

Even when actively trying not to love the world, I still have an encyclopedic knowledge of game shows, and can likely tell you the names of at least fifty, that's FIVE-O "pricing games" of The Price Is Right, how to play them, what kinds of prizes can be won for each game, and winning strategies.  

Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 

Now, I am not saying that it's a sin to watch game shows, or even television for that matter.  However, heed the following:

1Co 7:31  And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away. 

This spirit I am, with God's help, trying to espouse.