Speaking Truth

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32).

Faith never judges god by circumstances. Faith is accepting what god gives us. Our faith should guide us through any circumstance, rather than calling on faith to get us through a circumstance. There is little in life more definitive than death. Although the mortality rate is still 100% we shun death. Every time we pass a cemetery, a funeral home, we realize the inevitability of death. When I was young, the Christian family wanted the Christian family members funeral at the church. The only funerals at the funeral home or graveside were those who were not a church member, who had never made a profession of faith. Now, expensive funerals- cheap families, most Christians have a cheap funeral. The church member, faithful in life to a church, should have their funeral at their church. So it cost more, what better way for a family to spend?

Our world is in a state of confusion. majoring on minor things. A famous nursery rhyme, "Alice in Wonderland", "It makes no difference which road you take if you don't know were you are going." often majoring in minor things, confusion, we are afraid to speak the truth about anything. The world has become politically correct... The pastor as well as the politician. God will surely hold that preacher- pastor accountable, who can stand week after week in front of a congregation, when he knows full well that most of the people to who he is preaching, are just pretending.

One of my pastor friends told me about a recent experience with a death in his church family. One couple in his church had one son, who as a teenager after having been raised in church, took the route of unbelief, settled into a life of drugs, in denial of everything Christian. His family, his parents were unable to reach him in his fall into the bottomless pit of sins... Sin of every type, particularly drugs. In and out of rehabilitation, no one could reach him. And finally, away from home, and the parents who loved him, he died of an overdose. 

His parents asked their pastor if they could have his funeral at the church, they knew that he was well known in the community, not just because he was their son, but he was very popular with many young people. The pastor said, "Only on one condition, that you will allow me to say what needs to be said, and you, his parents, know what that is, that your son is in hell." They agreed. 

Before a full house, after the parents had entered the church, front row, right in front of the casket, the pastor went down and hugged both parents.Then, he said to the congregation, "You will hear something like you have never heard at another funeral. I have discussed this with his parents and they want me to say what I am going to say. You all know, just as I know, that their son never repented... Refused every kindness of this church. Unless, at the last moment of life, god in his mercy chose to save him, he is in hell. Eternally in Hell."

The pastor continued, "I am saying this because, for all you young people who are here, who knew him, knew the life which he had thrown away, knew the sorrow he had brought to his parents, you are heading in the same direction, unless you make a change in your life."

He said he could tell the words had an effect on those young people there. Many having never been inside a church house before. Most did not know how to even dress in respect for a funeral. This writer does not know much about death-bed repentance- salvation. The thief on the cross who repented has always been a mystery to me. Here is a man who was crucified next to our blessed lord. We know nothing about him other than he was a thief. If he had not been a thief, IF he had not been crucified next to Jesus, would he have been saved?

Climbing the rungs of ladder of life, the serious- intelligent person looks around. There are so many things that simply do not make sense. The person-hood of parents raising children who are snatched right from their grasp by Satan. Many church going parents have not realized that children see around the corner... That Sunday school and church are not important unless they see their parents taking the bible seriously. How often do your children see you reading the bible in the home? You fuss about the ten commandments being displayed at the court house, what about the school house? Church house, your house?  You fuss about health costs- Obama Care, do you realize that all corn, the most edible food in America, is GMO produced (Genetically Modified)? The most dangerous biological in nutrition. We fuss about so many people dying of cancer. Do you realize that one third of the population of America have cancer? Heading toward one half of the population of Europe having cancer? Like the poverty level of LBJ's time, 15%, poverty, is now more than 15%. With the Billions given For Haiti earthquake relief, Haiti is now in worse shape than before the earthquake or the earthquake funds. But, many big wheels like Bill Clinton got rich from it. What happens to all the money given to study nutrition, to study cancer. To bring relief to a sick world. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Charity, giving churches as well as "do-gooder" groups, need discipline- oversight in a god soaked way. 

Everything about life is a matter of grace, the grace of god... Gift to the undeserving. "I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me" (Psalm 23). 

We can depend on the chastening- correcting, rod and staff of god to guide us in truth. 

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