RELIGION & EDUCATION

                                          
                                                  RELIGION & EDUCATION

    Religion and education are two words and subjects that must go together. If you are not grounded in one of these, you will never 
measure up to Christ's standards and God's requirements. You  don't have to possess advanced degrees in any subject, but you must have at least common sense knowledge. Along with these two requirements, you must have a thirst for truth and enough determination to follow through to success. If you're an "easy out" person, it's  not likely Christ will have a room for you in that mansion He's making in heaven. (John 14:2)

    Education begins at birth, although we don't usually recognize the infant training stage as actual education. Normal children can begin learning at a very early age if there is parental guidance. Otherwise, young children have to wait for our educational system programs to kick in. This is true for religious learning as well as traditional subjects such as reading and math. When we read  Matt. 7:7-8, or Luke 11:9-10, Christ is dealing with adults AND telling us to carefully answer children's questions. Young children always ask "why" when you tell them something new. This is the time to begin their education about everything within your realm of understanding. Christ is not limiting His instructions to adults. When you seek (knock), you are not limited to religious questions. Christ's instructions cover social and financial matters. He tells us about taxes and The Way to live. 

    The early church was simply known as The Way, and followers were identified as Christians because of Christ's leadership. The denominations began soon, with local leaders (teachers) being associated with a particular group. The Apostle Paul ran into this problem of denominational leadership, when a local teacher would expand his teaching of The Way to include rules or practices not taught by Christ. This was Satan's method of subverting simple truth into a maze of man orchestrated regulations. Christ taught us what we need to know about religion. God changed the direction from Mosiac Law, plus man's civil laws, to grace through the
sacrifice of His Son. God gave us a personal example to follow.

    We do not see formal educational topics in Christ's teaching because He brought the Word first to the Jews. Israel was known throughout the world as being highly educated in science, history, math and other subjects. When alien powers brought Israel under subjugation, you will note the Jewish professional captives were carefully cultivated into the captor's society. Daniel 1:1-5 tells us how nations who defeated Israel prized the educational training of the Jews. There virtually was no such thing as a dumb Jew.  The Jews were humans, and had difficulty trying to overcome the same temptations that cause us to sin.

    Christ knew the Old Testament and all the Jewish civil laws. The 
people already had scholars in traditional fields, and it was not
necessary for Him to teach math or history. He came to teach us The Way to heaven through grace and resurrection to eternal life through His sacrifice. He completed the entire educational program. The Way is our instruction how to live our personal lives. Education of secular subjects is how we are to be stewards of God's creation. A religious education will not enable us to learn how to make use of all the things He created for us.That's why we need to study science, history, geography, climate and other subjects. The nations that captured Israel were wise enough to recognize the value of education. We should, too.

    Satan has a virtual strangle hold on education world wide, and
unfortunately that is a serious problem in the United States. Because
of the speed of our lifestyle and the predominance of electronic  devices, basic traditional education is declining. If you don't believe this, try hiring people to perform simple basic jobs. Worse yet, our politicians and  many religious spokespersons are calling for the elimination of the education department. They apparently can't see the problems of uneducated masses all over the world. Many of these nations are controlled by religious leaders, which should serve as a warning to us. While lack of religious education is harmful, lack of traditional education will require Christ's return.

    The most difficult hurdle facing Christians is ignorance. It's ignorance not only of traditional subjects, but ignorance of Christ's teaching and directions. American Christians (both real and imagined) don't spend the time and effort to actually learn truth. No matter how intelligent or experienced you may be, there is no substitute for  studying the subject, may it be the Christian faith, science or reading comprehension. The latter subject is part of the English language, now being replaced by texting symbols rather than words. Satan has split The Way into denominations, and is splitting denominations by opinions in congregations rather than the four gospels.

    In our recent travels, we met with congregational representatives from three Christian denominations. They represented church members from Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland and New York. All were very concerned about the direction Christianity  is taking in our nation. Social issues not covered by Christ's teaching are replacing His words in scripture. These issues actually require opinions because they are not even mentioned in Christ's teaching. Christians should stick with the directives given by Christ. They are the foundation of the Christian faith. The words of no other human should be preached as belonging to Christ. That includes other inspired writers of both testaments. We are not followers of Jesus Christ and Associates. The Apostle Paul faced a difficult problem in most of the new churches because of different cultures and traditional practices. However, his most serious problem was the rapid influx of teachers who weren't trained in The Way, and deviated from Christ's teaching. Their detour into other parts of scripture and issues, such as we have today, threatened to derail the newly planted churches.

    The evidence of this problem is clearly pointed out in the first three
chapters of Revelation where John wrote the status of these churches.
Consider the relative short time these churches had existed, and how
far from The Way they had drifted. This short lesson in history should
wake you up to the importance of history, both in the church and the
world. Education is the opposite of ignorance. Ignorance is the lack of
truth and information. John 14:6 tells us, "I am The Way, the truth, and 
the life." Careful and slow reading of scripture will enable you to grasp
the full meaning of Christ's teaching. He was able to put everything you
need to know about living a Christian life in just four books. The 
remainder of the bible is important information, but it is not instruction
from Christ. He referred to it to make a point, but Christian basic  
teaching is in the four gospels. If you can't follow the commandments
(all 11) Christ stressed, why look for more and hold up any other issue?
In just four books, Christ repeated the issues you need to follow. We
learn by repetition.

    The church people I spoke to expressed dismay at their church
experience. All were well versed in the Word, and described the method
Satan is using to subvert ignorant Christians. As one explained, the issue of abortion took front and center in his church, splitting the congregation in half. Christ never addressed abortion, so no one could properly establish a determination. You see, even those of us who try to teach scripture are unaware of finding answers such as this. That is, we may be unaware until we conduct careful research not included in most religious colleges and seminaries. Denominations are more  concerned in teaching their particular way of Christianity which they consider the best or only way. 

    We do not understand the difference between murder and killing, and
have to come to accept ridiculous explanations for the taking of a life.
Christians (mostly) see nothing wrong with sending citizens in our armed forces to kill. I'm a veteran, and I understand what soldiers must do. The Old Testament teaches us why. Probably the best way to  understand why is given us in the Book of Samuel. Unfortunately, that tells us what happens, but doesn't list how we are duped. Things haven't changed.

    The church that split over abortion became two groups of Christians
who did not find the answer to their differences. This introduced a sin
that is hidden so well by Satan. Christ did not force anyone to do  anything. Everyone has a choice, and will suffer the consequences
according to God's judgment. That church did not practice brotherhood,
as we are directed in Matt. 23:8, "But you, do not be called Rabbi, for 
One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren." When we act
as interpreters (teachers), and separate believers, we are not brethren.
Matt. 12:25 warns us, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought
to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not 
stand." 

    The church that split over abortion became two warring factions,
exactly as Satan hoped. One of these two factions then disagreed on
the issue of the Viet Nam war. This was a complex issue not easily
settled by consulting what Jesus said. Again there was a split. Now
there was a former whole church reduced to one fourth. Satan was
in his cups. Christians make it so easy for Satan to move the faith to
desolation. Politicians and many church leaders are taking advantage
of their ability to fire up Christian support for issues they push with
their opinions. A discussion is no longer possible, and neither Christ's
teaching nor science is used as the basis for discussion. The result
will be as Christ warned---desolation.

    There is a large group of methods Satan uses to disrupt Christianity,
and chances are that you may have been innocently duped through
one or more of them. Folks, you have to investigate all claims, especially
if the claim is based on a "Christian principle." We all have differing
levels of possible educational attainment, and, like the gifts of the Spirit,
God expects us to confirm our acceptance of Christ's offer. To do this,
we must pursue Christ's teaching through His word, not opinion, and
through education of the arts and letters. This includes science, not just theories, which themselves are opinions. White men used alcohol to "fire up" American Indians. Now they're using hatred and opinions from the soap box or religious platform. This is not only destroying Christianity, but our nation. History repeats itself because carnal man does such a good job of permitting selfishness to morph into self righteousness. Isaiah 64:6 sums it up. "But we are all like an  unclean thing, and all our  righteousness are like filthy rags;"

Rev. Walbear   

DUPED 3

                                                 DUPED THREE

    Are you having a good walk with Jesus? Does He talk with you as the hymn suggests? I've had a number of people--some of faith, and some not--disappointingly tell me they'd like to hear from or talk to God. But, they were unsuccessful. At least they knew they weren't on a line with God. Matt. 7:7 tells us that if we seek, we  will find. Our problem is we are complacent if the issue does not immediately impact our lives. For example, a person gets really serious about praying and/or studying when they are seriously ill or injured. Otherwise, it's usually a more casual approach. Just going to church or a bible study doesn't give you an automatic connection. That experience only gets you the operator, not the person with whom you wish to converse. Complacency opens the
door for you to be unknowingly duped. Eventually the issue that has been cleverly hidden by Satan becomes an actual war as Satan presses an anticipated advantage.

    The lesson for us in the Old Testament is not just the discovery of the true God, but how lack of diligent worship and following the wrong leaders always leads to destruction. In the New Testament, we are given The Way to prevent disaster. It is our propensity to be too easily satisfied that puts us in jeopardy. Leaders in the church and in the carnal world deceive us as they pursue Satan's goals of lust for power and money. We may think we are good Christians, but each of us has personal desires that get in the way of preventing us from becoming Christ like. If we are diligent in following God and obeying Christ, we will realize mistakes. Christ told us how to  complete our call to converse with God. It's in scripture, verse by verse. Yes, that's in the bible, but it's also verse by verse, which "outs" all those pretenders who can't support their false issues with anything Christ taught.

    Many of you probably don't know about a popular tv program a while back. It was a police subject starring Sergeant Friday, who was Jack Webb in real life. The program was Dragnet, and Friday always told people, "The facts, ma'am, just the facts." My problem, and maybe yours, is we settle for issues or solutions that seem to be okay without learning all the facts. If we are complacent in an issue such as eternal life, how much more do we miss because we settle for a solution that really isn't a solution? We fall prey to politicians, preachers and media people who know very well how to carry out Satan's teaching. Make no mistake--Satan has some of the best public relation workers in the universe. The people who follow Satan's directions are richly rewarded here on earth. In the afterlife, not so much. 

    The directions to be able to hear God, and perhaps engage Him
in conversation, are scriptural. This process has to be true, because 
it is given us in Christ's own words. After you receive these verses of
directions, we'll go to the record (not a story, the actual record) of how
 we've been duped. We begin by going to Matt. 22. I refer to this
chapter often because it is so vital. Verse 37 makes it clear that our
commitment to God and Christ is total love with heart, body and soul.
That means there is no room for Satan to be present in us. However, God also knows we have the seed of sin, so Satan will continue to keep looking for our "soft spot." This is an ongoing and continuing war. It's difficult to stay strong. Christ knew we would always be tempted by at least one issue, and this is worse for men than women. It is the desire to "be somebody," to be superior to others in some way so we can have "pride;" you know, better in sports, smarter,  better looking, richer--even belonging to a better denomination of Christianity, or branch of Christianity, or other faith. People of other faiths can and do often worship the same God we do. They just haven't accepted Christ's offer of eternal life. Except for that, they can live an otherwise Godly life just as you can. This, of course, excludes people who only worship man originated principles.

    The second part of our directions is in verse 39, "You shall love your
neighbor as yourself." Americans who say they are Christians are not
only disobeying this clear directive, they are copying terrorist methods
of separation leading to murder. Self defense excuses a soldier from
murder when in action to defend his country, but is being used by some
people who are simply trigger happy. No one is duped by laws that
permit a threatened person to stand his ground. That's only common
sense. We need to go to the third part of our directions to be able to
make that personal connection to God. This step, like the Trinity, must
be followed. Otherwise, the best you can do is get a busy signal. God
does not waste time with people who can't learn to dial correctly.

    Our final step is found in all four gospels, although the explanation
in John chapter 13 requires you to carefully interpret the entire
warning. The final step in John is verse 34 as Jesus instructs them,
"And now a new commandment I give to you, that you love one 
another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another." This
may seem to be a stutter, because He repeats Himself. On this 
occasion, He is stressing the new commandment because He wants
these special people, His disciples, to understand they must serve
as the Lord's example to mankind. They will replace Him as God's
teacher, and they must be worthy. If we are Christians, we must follow
His instructions. THEY ARE THE REASON FOR HIS APPEARING AND
PROMISE OF ETERNAL LIFE. He taught the 10 plus one commandments,
nothing else. Can you truthfully say you have not and do not break any
of these? If you can't keep these 11, why would you add any issues
He didn't even mention? 

    The instruction in John about the added commandment is also
given in the other three gospels. Check Matt. 22: 39 and 40; Mark
12: 28-31, and Luke 10:25 to 28. Don't stop with verse 28, but continue
through verse 37, and you will see what you are expected to do. Now,
we review your directions and what is necessary to actually 
communicate with God: obey the commandments and have an open
mind. The major problem now becomes the mind. If you complete the
obeying part, Satan will immediately---quick as a flash---try to get into
your mind. See John 13: 18 through 30. The piece of bread is the
symbol of sin. All traces of leavened bread must be removed from a
Jewish home before any Jewish holiday. All the disciples, of course,
were Jews, but didn't recognize Christ's explanation. Notice how
Jesus says in John 13:27, "What you do, do quickly." IMMEDIATELY,
Satan entered Judas. That's what happens when we're overconfident 
about our walk.

    Too often we dream up an excuse to disobey, and the most frequent
and common one is disobedience to the Ninth Commandment. We don't
realize we are guilty of false witness when we repeat unfounded gossip
or express an opinion not based on fact. The worst fall out from this
sin is created by passing the cause of our action off to something you
may claim Christ taught. You are doing Christ's work, you exclaim with
great satisfaction. This sin may be washed away with Christ's shed blood,
but if you don't repent, you are in trouble. The Apostle Paul warned us
about repeating the same sin over and over. You may cancel me out for
this bit of preaching, but I have to follow the Holy Spirit and tell it like
Christ told it. If you are demonstrating against abortion, gays, same sex
marriage or other life styles or faiths, you are not following Jesus Christ.
If you hate Muslims, you are hating millions of people innocent of doing
harm. Muslim extremists are no different than Christian extremists who
are ostracizing people of other color, faith or life styles, except these
sinners are only calling for killing and already accepting some killing.
This is happening in our mislabeled "Christian nation."

    This message may seem totally negative, but consider it is scriptural
and not opinion. It contains The Way to walk and talk with God.  We have
God's blessing to defend ourselves and to preach HIS WORD. We do not 
have His blessing to force others of any color, faith or life style to pass
discriminatory laws or rules. If you want to demonstrate or speak out
about issues, make certain you begin your presentation with the actual
verses of scripture from Christ. He instructed us to study both the Old
and New Testaments, but only told us to preach His Word as we go out
to fulfill the Great Commission. We may accept the advice given us in
other parts of both testaments, but this information is either corrective
or helpful for new Christians or cultural differences, or advice from other
inspired writers. We are not directed to preach Solomon's advice in
Proverbs because it is only wise advice. He was not a perfect man---only
Christ was perfection. Consider Solomon's life, where he had hundreds
of wives, concubines and horses, all in disobedience to Christ and God.

    No matter how intelligent you think you are, you will never be smart
enough to escape being duped. All the bible is inspired, and you can read
over the same collection of  passages many times without recognizing
the entire message. Anyone who thinks a few years of study or seminary
prepares a person for a preaching ministry is in serious error. You could
study scripture for a lifetime of 100 years and still come up short of the
glory of God. It is too easy to be complacent and accept popular opinion
and teaching. Pastors want to keep their jobs. Congregations want to
follow their opinions. To prove how Godly you are, the easiest thing to
do is point out a perceived sin in someone else. Your fellow Christian
and you then have at least a 2-1 majority. Satan knows brute strength--
either physical or mental--has the best chance of winning. He'll assist
you in "nailing" that sinner because it causes division.

    People of no expressed faith or other faiths see the circus some
Christians are perpetrating. They aren't stupid just because they aren't
Christians. Generally, they have come into contact with too many people
who claim to be Christians, or worse yet, they hear and see so many
proclaimed Christian leaders opposing much of Christ's Word. These
non Christians are not so stupid they can't see the real push behind
the Christians. The push is cost, power, separation and a neat but ugly
package labeled ME, ME, ME. Keep preaching what Christ didn't say,
friend, and then realize He will consider your verbal commitment. If it's
not from your heart, He will know it's what came out of your mouth.
Know what scripture says about that? James 3:8, warns, "But no man 
can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison."

Rev. Walbear

DUPED TWO

                                                     DUPED TWO   

    Experience is the toughest teacher, but when you complete the course, you definitely know the subject. Then, as the Apostle Paul wrote in Hebrews 12:1-2, let us understand the subtitle of these verses in scripture, "Race of Faith." When you continue learning as you grow older, you come to realize you have been duped many times by people with agendas. There is a saying, "you grow old too soon, and wise too late." As we grow older, we should realize how much we missed along The Way, as we accepted information from various sources. If we were not impacted negatively, we did not bother to determine whether or not the experience was anything important enough to question. I was reminded of this experience today as I read the news. You may not think this message is about Christianity and Faith, but it is exactly that. Christ only separated
people by believers and non believers. Age, sex, race, education and SIN were not part of His separation. He was God's Man (and Son) and if we call ourselves Christians--we MUST follow His example and directions. He told us to go forth and sin no more, but He knew of our sinful nature, and He paid the price for all our sins--past and future. We rely on God's mercy and the resurrected body of Jesus for eternal life. It is The Way. There is no other.

    Over the 50 plus years of marriage, my wife and I have learned a great deal about the problems in America. Unfortunately, we didn't see how some of these problems would escalate. We both did a huge amount of community service, but never had to deal with the hot  button problems of today. These are the issues politicians and some preachers are using to gain support and money. They freely refer to the bible to support their platforms. And, increasingly, I see more and more people accept and follow their leadership. People do not ask for proof of their biblical claims and do not do research to find the truth. That requires studying scripture, not reading it in an effort to support a claim. When I ask for scriptural proof, I repeatedly get "it's in the bible." It's not in any of Christ's teaching in the gospels. A Christian follows Christ; not Paul, not Solomon, not David, not Joseph, not any other person, past or present. That includes the individuals who have denominations named for them. It's difficult
enough to follow Christ without all the trappings from others who
mistakenly believe they can improve Christ's teaching. Do you think God sent an imperfect Son to represent Him? Previous Godly leaders
contributed much to the church, but they were men or women, not His Son. Only Christ brought the core material for our Christian instruction. It doesn't need fluff.

    Now that I've already irritated some readers, I'll go to my experience
that jolted me this morning and led to this message. This happened
35 years ago, when I was just getting my feet wet with the ministry. My wife and I had purchased a trailer to haul livestock and had to  get our truck outfitted to pull the 5th wheel vehicle. We had the  necessary work performed at the dealership where we purchased the trailer. This was in the Baltimore, Maryland, area, and we waited in the office while the work was done. One of the employees on a  break came into the office and shared some jokes with the clerk, a lady. We were stunned, because all the jokes were very nasty and involved black people. We had never heard this caliber of jokes in  our previous home areas in New York and Pennsylvania. I have trouble remembering jokes, but one of these stayed with me, and my wife recalled it today. You may actually believe the racial and sexual issues being pushed today in both the secular and church worlds are ONLY social issues, but you are wrong. 

    These people in Maryland were substantial citizens, owning businesses and with good jobs. They were enjoying the good life, and never had to "lift themselves up by their bootstraps." They were white, and obviously considered non whites to be trash. Here's the joke: A young black boy was misbehaving, and the white person baby sitting him asked what to do to control him The instructions were to wet the boy's lips and stick him to the wall, using the plump lips as a suction cup. They found the joke
 hilarious. I was thankful I wasn't black. My wife, who is of Seneca  Indian heritage, but blonde and fair skinned, was deeply offended.  We both knew how Indians were treated because of the  reservations in New York.

    I don't know if these people were Christians, but I hear nasty racial remarks frequently from church people. With the advent of Martin Luther King Jr., plus the Civil Rights Acts, we thought the racial problem in America would improve. It hasn't. If one incident isn't proof enough, I can give you years of experience, because I actually lived and worked in the deep South. Separate water fountains for whites and blacks; separate eating facilities and restaurants for whites and blacks; separate everything for whites and blacks. Other non whites allover America have been victims of discrimination. We have lots of white trash to go along with black trash, Indian trash, and other racial trash. No race in the  majority has ever treated minorities properly. Some of the radical
religious leaders in the world such as the ISIS Arabs have taken to murder. American radicals have been firing up their engines, and are being encouraged by politicians, church leaders, radio and television people. The print media is no better.

    We go to scripture, the verses I mentioned in opening this message, Hebrews 12:1,2. "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

    Christians and non Christians, if you're swallowing the race baiting stories--most of which are propaganda--you had better do some investigating. Some stories are true, but most are not, and are Satan's way to lead you on the wrong path. Satan's way is broad with enticements, while The Way with Christ is crisp and just. Don't just accept what you hear is "in the bible." Ask them to give you the Book, Chapter and Verse; no additions or subtractions.

    As we approach the End Times, Satan will be working harder than ever to ensnare you. Heed what Christ tells us is the entire basis of Christianity. See Matt. 22:36-40. "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" Remember, we're in the period of grace under Christ, so they are asking about the commandments given Israel when they became the Chosen. Christ's response is your guide to the Christian faith. "You shall  love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

    That is clear and simple. Your neighbor is everybody you meet, 
whether black, white, yellow or red. The neighbor may be lazy or industrious. He may be on welfare. She may be an unwed mother. He may be a released convict. He may be a politician on trial for corruption. Obviously you may practice self defense, but there can be no false testimony, commonly known as lies (and violation of the 9th Commandment--false witness). You do not have the right or power to require anyone to be a Christian or belong to any organization, even a church or denomination. Not a single man's law supersedes Christ's directions. Christ did not deny medical assistance to anyone. Do you think all the people He prayed for who received healing were devout Christians. Most had never yet heard of The Way. Did He tell the thousands who listened to Him teach to go away hungry and not to mooch on free food? Did He refuse to pardon the women who committed adultery? Did He teach you are equipped to judge others? 

    Do you not know both Christ and Isaiah said we are all guilty of sins and self righteous? Both used the term we are as "filthy rags." If you are a real Christian, you'll have control of both your faculties and mouth. You'll take your eyes off your blessings to see how bad most people in the entire world have to live. None of us is expected to change the world. Christ just told us how to change ourselves so we could at least try to make things better. I have a sermon titled Egyptian Syndrome to post in the near future that tells how a person can gauge God's presence. You need to understand how God keeps His eye on your life.

Rev. Walbear

DUPED

                                                                DUPED

    Everyone has probably been duped at one time or the other, but it really hurts when you realize you lacked the personal initiative to prevent your victimization. Christians are a prime example as targets for those employed in Satan's business. Let's just explore this premise a bit. Do you know a major difference between an American citizen and a Christian? A person can be both, but there is a difference. People make the same mistake when they label anyone from Israel as a Jew. Israel is a country, just as America is a country. Jewish is a religion, and non Jewish people also live in Israel. A person born in America is an American, but no one
can be born a Christian. If you aren't born in America, you can become an American by studying the culture and laws of the nation and passing a citizenship test. Many, many Americans born in America would have a difficult time passing this test because they accept America's freedom as their right.

    We go now to Christianity, which only happens when someone accepts Christ's offer of salvation and eternal life at absolutely no material cost. You cannot buy or trade for salvation. Many, if not most, American Christians don't seem to understand that Christianity bears a contract just as American naturalization does. Only, this contract is not written on paper. Signing a pledge or statement promising to be a good person means absolutely nothing in God's registration office. All Christians should know all mankind will continue to sin as long as they are on earth. We're born to sin... check Genesis. John the Baptist told us we need to repent to gain salvation, and Christ came to tell us how to be saved.

    I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Your pledge to Christ in accepting salvation is written in your heart; not on it, in it. There really is no maybe or part way. Perhaps, in the heat of the moment or because of a seemingly impossible need, you write your acceptance on your heart. Like cheap erasable ink, it will wash off. If being a Christian was a slam dunk, everybody would be one. Don't you think being a real Christian could possibly be as difficult as being a real physician or business person? After all, those positions are temporary, while eternal life is...well, forever. So why do so many self righteous people walk around proclaiming their FAITH,  when they are empty Christians?

    If you think you are someone who can claim brotherhood or sisterhood under Christ, you had better carefully read the contract with Christ you signed in blood. You may not realize it, but you did sign it in blood. The term suffering for Christ is totally real, and every Christian should expect some suffering. If you think you are immune because you're such a goody-goody, check out the fate of the apostles and early supporters of The Way. Satan doesn't have to bother with those who have a simple verbal agreement not signed in the heart. He already knows who you are, and he'll encourage you to continue getting away with sins when you think God isn't looking. You do know He sees everything?

    My problem in being duped began before kindergarten, and you 
probably have been duped as well. I believed all the flowery stories about Pilgrims, Indians, missionaries and such. Before I admit falling for unsubstantiated history, you need to review the provisions of your
Christianity contract. These rules of acceptance are real and binding,
just as a mortgage or car purchase contract. And, remember this: if you don't follow contract provisions, you are in danger of losing all the promised benefits. If salvation was written IN your heart, you will not lose it if you seriously repent from your sins. You will retain your relationship with God. Romans 6:1 warns us, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue to sin that grace may abound? (v 2) Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?"

    If that's not clear, look at verse 3. "Or do you not know that as many
of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?"
Christians are united with Christ, not through His life, but through His
death and resurrection. (see verse 4) If your contract with Christ is valid, you can't continue free wheeling in life. Now, read your contract again, and realize it's not for 5 years, 20 years, or 50 years. It is an eternal contract. Christ won't break it, but you may conclude it is okay to bend or break certain provisions. Your terms of agreement are explained in the four gospels; Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. There are cultural and additional guidelines elsewhere in scripture, but the gospels are the terms you MUST fulfill.

    Back to that word DUPED. It is my own fault for believing what I read and considered to be truthful and accurate.  It turns out there is a problem between what is written and following actions. Some Christians believe that mixing politics and religion is wrong; yet they loudly proclaim their political beliefs in the church. The first Christians did that (Acts 4:32). Christians label this verse socialism because they are ignorant. Harsh, yes. Some sects have sold all possessions in error of this verse. These early Christians did not  sell or give away everything. They shared as needed. Think about  early Christians, and how they lodged missionaries and apostles, fed them, and assisted within their means. This was socialism, but not communism or capitalism. The sharing was not done with any expectation of personal gain. To help you understand the meaning of this socialistic act, read Matt. 25:31-46. Real Christians care and act to help others; pretenders are interested in themselves.

    There's plenty of blame to go around, and the number of misled
Christians is small in comparison. It remains, however, that our failure to point out the truth is a Christian failing. When we, or our pastors and leaders, fail to research statements and claims from politicians or non Christians, we are guilty of the sin of omission. A Christian MUST tell the truth, not rumors. I accepted the stories about Plymouth Rock and the Pilgrims. I'm going to relate the whole story of immigrant Americans and the Indians who lived here for generations. I can't quote scripture, but I'll base the story on two solid things: full history, and actual heritage and knowledge. I was born in America. I didn't need any other qualification to be a citizen. My wife was born here, too, but her father is the only non immigrant in either of our backgrounds. He was a Seneca (one of the 5 tribes comprising the Iroquois Nation) of the Turtle Clan. He qualified as a citizen because he and his ancestors were the  original settlers of the land. He was an army veteran and successful businessman. I sometimes call my wife a squaw, and sometimes I call her Queen. Her heritage goes back to Chief Cornplanter, head of the Senecas who lived in this area. Her father and grandmother  could give you a living history lesson.

     Just when I think I've dispelled with the bad taste of believing watered down history, something happens to rekindle my disgust. The news story of treatment suffered by a group  of Indian elementary students in South Dakota describes the continuing racist element in our nation that won't go away. Consider how we have treated these native Americans since Plymouth Rock. We brought deadly disease from Europe, bought valuable land for trinkets, took land away from them by force, moved them from one state to another in a forced march, moved them from reservation to reservation when reservation land was deemed too valuable for Indians, and cheated them through corrupt Indian agents. Some of the early missionaries actually used Indian children for forced labor and sex, and brutally controlled the lives of these children. There are Christian organizations working today to try to help these victims who are adults. These children abusers included church funded missionaries. Liquor and guns were supplied to speed the demise of Indian culture. Is it any wonder the Indians were hostile? Don't forget, greedy white men killed off buffalo (bison) on the Great Plains, destroyed the natural vegetation of the
region, and created the dust bowl. We've polluted our air and are now
polluting our aquifers with fracking, after polluting our lakes and rivers. The Indians lived here for thousands of years. We've  accomplished this nightmare in 500 years. Not everything has been bad, but our record reflects the lack of following God's principles. 

    Now to South Dakota, where racism isn't about blacks, but rather
against other non whites...Indians. These children were being  rewarded for school  achievement with a trip to a professional hockey game, accompanied by a teacher and chaperons. Directly above the children was a private box sponsored by Budweiser Beer. The men in the box seats wanted to know where the children came from. The teacher asked the men to leave the children alone, but the men persisted, using racial terms such as "go back to the Rez." The teacher and chaperons 
attempted to get official  help, but none was forthcoming. The men then started pouring beer on the children. The youngest ones--third graders--began to cry. The management did nothing and didn't even call the police.

    When the police were later contacted by the teacher and school, Rapid City sent three officials who claimed they investigated and would charge only one of the men with a less than slap  on the wrist. They added insult to injury when one of the officials holding a microphone asked if anyone wanted to use the "talking stick" to say anything. Most of our ancestors were  immigrants. Obviously some should have gone to the Australian penal colony. Among the  immigrants were some people who brought the principle of racial discrimination. Their offspring are again rearing their ugly heads.

    American Christians are sending missionaries to foreign countries in an effort to spread the faith. Meanwhile churched Christians in America are permitting racists to get away, literally, with murder. Again I say, when you don't follow Christ's instructions from the gospels, you are guilty of the sin of omission. Just because you personally aren't affected by some action doesn't mean God will excuse your "blind eye" attitude. He has all the evidence if your spiritual walk takes you to the White Throne. God is watching you to save you. It's your responsibility to keep from condemnation.

Rev. Walbear

The link to the news story mentioned here is 

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2015/02/09/drunks-dump-beer-native-kids-cops-no-rush-investigate

And a follow up--

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/01/29/1360934/-Native-American-school-children-taunted-with-slurs-sprayed-with-beer-at-South-Dakota-hockey-game#

PS-- on a personal aside, I myself (web mistress) have been to rapid City and the Black Hills and witnessed the treatment of Natives. It is just as bad today as the treatment of blacks in the south prior to segregation. Hate crimes and abuse are common against Natives.