MEMORY DAY

                                                  MEMORY DAY

    No, I didn't mistakenly write Memory instead of Memorial when I referred to the special day set aside to honor the formerly named Decoration Day. Having observed many years when this holiday was Decoration Day, I have experienced a vast difference in the feelings associated with the two names. Both names refer to memories of the past, but they are two different pasts. Perhaps this is because I'm older and have experienced a "longer" past than most Americans. 

    Although many Americans observe the holiday as a time to relax, have family get togethers and enjoy recreational activities, others do reflect on the family heritage, sacrifice of total strangers, and the role of God in our lives. World War II probably had the most effect on changing the attitude of many people. With World War I, there weren't that many people involved, and the majority of those observing the day were remembering departed family members rather than military people. 

    Decoration Day was remembered not only for past relatives, but also for the beauty of nature that was protected and enhanced by the efforts of Americans to indeed make "America the Beautiful." If you can recall the words of that song, think a bit about how our nation has changed since the "big" war. If you are a true follower of Jesus Christ, you have to be sad to realize what has been  allowed to happen in this nation. If I can write clearly enough in this message, you may understand how the feeling of this special day has changed. Beauty of nature and the warm memories of departed loved ones transformed a potential sad day into one of
brightness and hope. For Christians who actually follow Christ's teaching in the four gospels, it's a different feeling.

    You might be amazed to know that many professing Christians don't know the names or contents of the four gospels. Many of these same people also don't know the provisions of the United States Constitution. You'd never know that from listening to the empty heads who clutter our television, radio and news media. Unfortunately the Christian church (the church is not a building, but the believers are the church) has been mostly content to allow this perspective to flourish. That is because they choose to ignore Christ's warning explained by the Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy.

    I'm perhaps more drawn to these instructions because they were given me upon my initial ordination as a Christian minister. Memorial Day has become a day of sadness rather than the bright image of America the Beautiful because there is a sense of loss associated with perceived needless death and suffering. This may not be true for many Americans today, but the number of those falling into that category is rising every day. This is not a political statement, but a wake up call for  Christians to actually study the four gospels and your obligation in accepting Christ as your Savior.

    Don't fall for the contentious Conservative or Liberal hogwash of political and church leaders. And, yes, church leaders are  permitting terrible anti-Christian teaching because they don't want to rock the boat of job security. Religious leaders have been leading people astray since God granted Israel their wish to have a human king. Look at the difficulty Christ faced. Religious leaders were not satisfied until Christ was killed. Rome didn't kill him. The Roman judge wanted to free him, but the church leaders wouldn't have it. There are good ministers and pastors today, but the ones who are unknowingly helping Satan's workers are actually killing the Christian movement. 

    I base these messages on scripture, so let's go to 1 Tim., chapter 6. This starts out telling bond servants to work diligently for all  masters, especially believing masters. This does not condone slavery, as you may think. A bond servant is a person who owes a debt to someone. This principle exists today in several forms. At one time we had Amish neighbors, and some of them farmed out young boys for the summer to neighboring farms. The parents received any payment for the boy's work if there indeed was a payment. If you are locked in with a contract, you are a bond servant to the holder of that contract. It's quite simple for an authoritarian government to make a bond servant a slave. The men who wrote and passed our Declaration of Independence and Constitution didn't have the  intestinal fortitude (guts) to enforce emancipation until over 75
years and a civil war brought it about. These were brave men, but they also didn't give women the vote, and neither did the following generation.

    We'll go on to Timothy's instruction, but first you should understand
that men do not give up unjust entitlements because Christ said to do it. As always, money vies with the symbols of the cross and the fish. I'm going to begin the study of Timothy chapter 6 with the 10th verse, because that one thing has brought the United States to the breaking point. "For the love of money is a route of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith  in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. When a Christian says he/she doesn't want to share his/her hard-earned money with anyone, that statement completely violates everything Christ taught. That statement proves the person won't follow anything Christ says, and, in fact, challenges personal salvation.

    You see (maybe) the sharing first mentioned in Acts 2:44-45 is being construed to mean total socialism, not Christianity. Christ did not say the words of Acts 2. These verses were written by the Apostle Luke, and were an explanation of sharing by a group with a mission to establish the church. Everybody threw money or material in the pot to finance and sustain the start up. The very people who are misleading church people in the misunderstanding of these verses are the apostate preachers and wealthy businessmen. Try and find any teaching of Christ who taught pure socialism. He taught the words placed in the Declaration of Independence and the  Preamble to our Constitution. 

    To digress just a mite, you may also misunderstand 1 Tim. 2:11 -15 where the Apostle Paul forbids women from teaching or holding
positions of authority in the church. You need to study a little cultural history of that region to understand why Paul put the brakes on women. He used Adam and Eve because it was  convenient and much easier than giving the full explanation which would make the new religion more difficult to teach. You now have two reasons to delete me. Or, you could enlighten yourself by some serious study. Note carefully, that these words
from Apostles are indeed scripture, but brief in the effort to make them more palatable. The hearers were totally unaware of any of Christ's actual teaching. You don't get this free pass.

    Who do you love more, God or you? Do you tithe or give special money offerings purely for God, or for what you assume is God's work or, perhaps hoping to be materially rewarded for your  generosity? If your material gifts are really for God, you will accompany them with serious study of scripture. Just the knowledge of Christ's teaching in the Book of Matthew will give you His rules to live by. They are God's rules, and not man's
rules. Why do so many of you refuse to study God's Word? Is it because you want to do things your way, and you think throwing a tithe to the
church will permit you to skip certain directions from our Savior? 

    This message is about much more than money. It is about your careless manner of accepting almost everything except truth from the people with the loudest voice and the most money. You see how truth and money have a problem living together. When God sees more than He permits, He takes action. I'm giving you an interesting assignment; read 1 Sam. 25:1-38. Here was Nabal, a rich landowner, who refused to provide provisions to David and his men. David's men protected Nabal's flock of sheep. God struck Nabal dead. And, he couldn't take anything with him. Greed is an
ugly destroyer, even of poor people. Think about the wealthy politicians and megachurch leaders that want your support. It's pretty doubtful you'll see them in heaven.

    Timothy 6:3-5 explains what I've written. "If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself."

    Continue in 1 Tim. 6:9 to understand what's happening to our nation. "But those who desire to be rich fall  into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition ."  Our leaders in government and the church are mostly rich. They all suffer from the syndrome a former employer told me: "There's never enough." He was a banker, and he lived by that principle.

    Many professing Christians are emotionally following a few Godly rules as explained by the above named leaders. Not one of these people can show me verses of scripture in the Catholic or Protestant bibles that Jesus Christ even mentioned these subjects, let alone gave specific directions. They sometimes quote verses from other writers such as Solomon, but there is no instruction from Christ on these subjects. The defining problem with all these sinful claims is the FACT they don't know what SIN is. You read that correctly. All sin is evil and wrong, but Christ,
Himself, gave a clear definition of ALL SINS. You will find Christ's very words in Matt. 12:31-32. The ONLY unpardonable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit--denying the power of God. Not one other sin is unforgivable and leads to the damnation of Hell because Christ's shed blood covers all others. If a sinner doesn't repent or try to conquer a sin and repeats it over and over, he/she probably doesn't have the Holy Spirit and may not even be saved.

    What are these sins of damnation preached by those who don't know scripture? I purposely didn't disclose them earlier in the message because I know some (or maybe all) of you will angrily delete the message. Not one of these sins--and I so label them as sins--is unforgivable. They are homosexuality, lesbianism, same sex marriage and certain reasons for abortion. If sin is the reason America is failing, what about false witness (lying), divorce or violation of the other  Commandments. Don't forget, Christ added an Eleventh Commandment. Christ said this commandment was second only to the First Commandment. See Matt. 22:39, "And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"

    How does that fit with your hard-earned money? Do you think all people who need help are black, able bodied, uneducated,  unhealthy, on drugs, liquor or sexually immoral? Are you one of Christ's associate judges to select reasons for disqualifying people who need help? Is it enjoyable to increase the pain and suffering of people who need help through no fault of their own? Are you one of the pastors who will eliminate welfare by teaching these people how to fish? Oh, yes. That stream is polluted. Let's 
find one developers haven't polluted. Oh, yes. Sorry about your
 confinement to a wheelchair or bed. Oh, yes. I know it's tough to find a job when no one wants to hire an 80 year old skilled person who's slowed down. And, I'm sorry about that single mother who wasn't permitted an abortion after she was raped. After all, she can work at minimum wage and hope to find a babysitter she can afford. And that big tax cut? We'll finance that by slashing health care for the bottom feeders and squeezing
welfare until they understand and worship we, the elite.

    If I write accusingly, you should share the work of a ministry that works with the poor. This is a rural area, and we see laws and restrictions applied to the "bottom feeders" as the elite categorize them. You don't realize the difficult time a man has trying to get a job if he is a good worker, but needs more than normal supervision. There's the young mother whose husband simply took off and doesn't pay court ordered child support. There are some slackers, but the number is small. You hard-earned money people have the same problem as the wealthy. You can be middle class and enjoy greed. If you read this much of the message, you probably really are a Christian.  Congratulations, our numbers are shrinking in America.

Rev. Walbear