PONDER THIS

                                                 PONDER THIS

    Most Christians don't ponder enough. Do you spend any time thinking about the scripture you just read? How about the sermon you may have just heard? Why don't we know more details about Christ's crucifixion? There's a larger lesson than scripture reveals to us. The larger lesson is second in importance only to Christ's offer of salvation. If you're really serious about your commitment to Christ, don't you believe you need to know more about the reasons why? Most pastors realize most Christians aren't up to drinking "holy" water  (word of life), so they don't risk the possibility of congregations getting bored or falling asleep. It is also easier to go with the flow.

     You need to know the larger lesson I mentioned above, because it is the key to your life. The lesson is the edge of the three sided coin I've talked about. It's about the full truth of the opposition to The Way (Christ's teaching), the backroom dealing, the breaking of Jewish Law, His trial, and the example the entire scene presents itself if we only seek to know. We are admonished in Matt. 7:7, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; KNOCK, and it will be opened to you." In John 14:2 Christ tells us, "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." When you accepted Christ's offer, you entered the front entrance to His mansion. The holy Spirit was there to guide you to your room. If you stop your scriptural journey there, you will have to sleep in the vestibule.

    There are some questions you may not have considered. Let's get to thinking about lesser issues before going on to the big ones. Did you consider why it took Moses so long on Mount Sinai when God gave him the commandments? God could simply speak the writing on the stones. His Word was mightier than any chisel. Have you ever pondered about the "pillar of cloud" in Ex. 33:9, or the halo you see pictured over the heads of saintly people in bible drawings? Christ still talks to people on special occasions as He did to Paul on the road to Damascus. Halos and the gifts still exist, but they are reserved for Christians or non Christians who have the capability to surrender their egos to the Lord.

    The experience Paul had happened with other people present, yet they did not see or hear the exchange between Christ and Paul. When God or Christ chooses to speak to anyone, it is a private conversation. The gifts are another story, because Satan has the power to bestow certain gifts on his workers and priests. In Ex, 7:11-12, we see the Pharaoh's priests threw down their rods, the rods became serpents. Aaron's rod had become a serpent, and his rod swallowed the priests' rods. The spiritual world's battles make the secular world look pretty primitive. Do any of our leaders (political or church) have spiritual gifts, and, if so, are they from God or Satan?

    So far we haven't approached the big picture of the crucifixion, and the "quiet" events that took place. Where there's a major change in an issue, remember American history and events such as Tammany  Hall. That action was political, but so is the church world political. Another thing never to forget is that God is always in full control of everything on earth. He may permit the Devil to do certain evil things, but God still has control. God anoints or places leaders. We may think we elect our leaders (political or church), but God actually is in full charge. We cannot change His plan. What we can do is change our life style after accepting the offer of salvation.

    To pursue "special effects" a bit further, the experience of seeing
a halo is rare because we just don't immerse ourselves in being a real
Christian. If we did, the words coming out of our leaders' mouths would
offend us and we wouldn't support them. As a young Christian, I didn't
understand what the biblical halos meant. Turn to Ex. 34:29-35, and 
you will see the origin of the halo. The brightness of Moses's face was
portrayed by the white halo. This denotes an unusual presence of the
Lord. It also denotes purity. You may be interested to know that other
colors can reflect such things as an ailing body part. Very few people
receive this gift--yes, it is a gift, but the Christian world has never really
accepted this beyond the shekinah (the brightness of Moses's skin. 
This brightness represents the glory and unseen presence of God. The
study of this phenomenon is known as theophany, if  you'd like to find
out more about it.

    I have been privileged to witness this shekinah light twice, and both
times it was on a woman. I was too young to know what it was when I
saw the first shekinah, but I recognized it for what it is the second time.
The spiritual world consists of much we lightly read about in scripture,
but don't pursue any further. God was not fantasizing when He gave us
warnings and directions in scripture. We are not much as soldiers for
Christ if our dedication is a short time of bible reading or attending a
church service.

    But, I still haven't gotten to the big picture of what went on before
the trial and crucifixion. What we need to remember is that there were
several plots and careful planning by Christ's opponents. His serious
opponent was not Rome, and there were many players both for Him
and against Him. Although the people of that time didn't realize it, the
fate of the world and God's planning were being exposed. God created
the earth and mankind, giving people the choice of how to live. That
got off track almost as fast as the speed of light. There may be 
something to be learned here about appearances. Satan was created
as a beautiful creature, yet Eve was snared by a sweet talking serpent.
The evil men usually have a "snake in the grass" do the dirty work. Part
of the guile of evil is presenting oneself as good, while directing another
person to do the dirty work. That's where we get the term "fall guy."
The agent of the Devil takes the "fall." Adam didn't do research; he just
accepted Eve's explanation. She didn't do research, either. Ponder
that when you jump at a solution or hear a sweet talker. You can follow
God's leading or the snake's leading.

    We still haven't reached the examination of Christ's trial and the
events and conspiracy that brought it about OR the very strange and
unusual actual crucifixion. To understand these unreported issues,
it is necessary to consult the Jewish guidelines. The crucifixion is
reported in the gospels, and there isn't anything wrong with the material.
It's just that there are details of interest not included. It is difficult
enough to read the main facts of His sacrifice. We don't have to know 
more about this vital event, but we can learn an important lesson about
the method Satan uses to cause real Christians trouble. He has his people
working overtime at present because he can almost taste what he thinks
is victory. Look at conditions all over the world, and especially in America.

    The events leading up to Christ's trial and the working of both the
Jewish and Roman justice systems had to be synchronized to accomplish
Christ's death. God permitted this to happen because He knew the Devil
would outsmart himself. Christ's trial featured a Grand Jury in the person
of Israel's Sanhedrin. We get our grand juries from this background. When
you are selected for a grand jury, you receive appropriate information
about your purpose and the history of grand juries. The grand jury action
in Christ's trial was part of Satan's plan. We can expect grand juries in
America to be susceptible to the same mistakes. The criminal justice
system in America is seriously broken. My personal experience on a
grand jury in New York has given me confidence in this region. I can't
say the same for other parts of the state where evidence has been 
shredded or ignored. Some other states use a modified version of the
original grand jury, and I have no confidence in their effort to streamline
justice for the sake of convenience and money. Put together the jury
and major players in Christ's trial, and you have a plot for a major hit
movie. But to do it, you need to understand the circumstances of both
Israel and Rome at that time.

    While you ponder what I have written about, I'm going to take a break
to do a little pondering myself. It's not easy to put the pieces of history
together when you cross cultures and the path of Satan. For the rest of
this story, you'll have to wait until next time.

Rev. Walbear


    

HELL IN EDEN

                                                HELL IN EDEN

    Hi there, good friend. I've been asked to release my report on the after effects from the little situation that occurred in the Garden of Eden. You know, the fiasco where Satan conned Eve into stealing fruit from the forbidden tree. I can't disclose my name, because I'm an undercover operator of the Angel Ethic Council.

    I was patrolling the area of the Garden of Eden that fateful day when
Satan showed up disguised as a serpent. He knew Eve was naive, and
saw his chance to--what else?--raise hell. Eve was near the Tree of Life,
and Satan struck up a conversation with her. She didn't realize a serpent was talking to her because he strongly suggested the fruit of that tree was out of the world. He wasn't lying, either. However, Eve was absolutely enthralled to think of something new and exciting, and
sort of reacted like a shopper at a big sale. With his encouragement,
she picked the fruit and took a big bite. It was even better than the
serpent described. She was really excited.


Just then, Adam showed up. The serpent beat a hasty retreat. His job
was done.

    Adam saw that Eve was very excited, and he asked her what was going on. She said she had just tasted the best flavor ever. Adam asked  her what she was eating. She replied, fruit from the tree. Adam yelled, we aren't supposed to eat that fruit. Why did you do that? Eve said the
serpent told her it was good. He also said it was God's private stock,
and He wanted it all for Himself. Try it, Eve said. It's the greatest. Adam
saw that Eve wasn't dead, so he took a bite. It appeared they had gotten
away with disobedience.

    Eve's look of excitement changed abruptly to one of confusion. Are you
feeling okay? she asked Adam. He said yes. Why do you ask? She said I
never noticed you look different than me. Adam nodded in agreement,
and said, you're right. You do look different. We better get something to 
cover our differences before God notices.

    Too late. God was strolling in the garden. Adam and Eve tried to hide
behind some bushes. Of course God knows and sees all, so there was no
way they could fool Him. He asked why they were trying to hide. They said  they wanted to cover themselves. God was very disappointed when He told them He knew they disobeyed and ate fruit from the tree. Now I have  to punish you and you surely will die. He said Eve would suffer pangs of childbirth and always be battling the serpent, who would forever crawl on his belly. Adam would be of corruptible seed, and would now be the leader of the woman. The woman was foolish and did not question the
word of a stranger or discuss things with Adam. Adam accepted Eve's
explanation and suggestion without giving the matter due consideration.
Adam would get the chance to redeem his folly through testing of his
leadership of the woman and family. They would be forever banned
from the garden.

    Adam was sad to leave the garden, but looked forward with anticipation to being an outright leader instead of a partner with a helpmate. Eve accepted her sentence, now realizing her mistake. She now had a master.

   Now we fast forward several years and find that the couple has discovered the fine points of their body differences. It was so much fun and felt so good, until Eve gave birth to a couple of boys. The boys were not much alike, and the couple had difficulty raising them. Cain was headstrong, while Abel was very obedient. One day Cain, in a fit of rage, killed Abel. God showed up and accosted Adam and Eve. God told them He was very disappointed with them again. You have not trained your boys properly, and now one has committed murder. Adam, you have shirked responsibility, and no longer are worthy to be the leader, God declared. Henceforth, leadership shall be shared according to the abilities of each of you. 

    God gave humans the ability to make choices, and many of them simply
accepted this freedom by deciding issues and situations in the easiest
way and to their specific advantage. Instead of studying or doing appropriate research, they went along with empty-headed loud mouths. They took the easy path, and paid no heed to Christ's warning in Matt. 7:13-14. "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

    There are many types of people in Christianity, in other faiths, and with
no faith or religion. Christians must be followers of Christ and heed His
teaching, or they are frauds. This is serious, friends, because God will
lower the boom on frauds. Those that purpose to teach His Word are
held to a higher standard. God is not mocked. Satan will take care of you
if God rejects you.

    Returning to Adam and Eve, we see that virtually all faiths have accepted God's placement of man as the head of a woman and family. This works out really well for men. They don't have to prove any capability for leadership. In fact, all they have to do is to be born.  Yet, without woman, they can't be born. To a person with the ability to actually think, it doesn't seem remotely reasonable that your birth sex should make you a master. This was/is man's way of establishing inherited kingdoms. We see how that has worked out. It's astonishing for a pastor to learn from men in congregations and other pastors that women don't belong in leadership positions. Both the Old and New Testaments tell about women in leadership positions. It seems men are terrified they may have to become followers and stop discriminating against the mothers of society. 

     Go to Genesis, and note how Adam quickly shifted blame for eating fruit of the tree of life to Eve. Gen 3:12, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the  tree, and I ate." Worse yet, Adam was actually including God as partly to blame for giving Adam a woman. Now I think of our politicians and pastors, and wonder why they give men a free ride in leadership. It's not women who send our men and women off to war.  Women aren't even supposed to have physical and mental control of their own bodies. Why aren't men held accountable for abortions? The fetus is half theirs, so why aren't they accountable? In fact, if they are supposed to be the head (master) of the family, how is it they simply walk away from the family they created, frequently without spending a penny to support this abandoned family? Am I supposed to believe a JUST and
compassionate God wanted women to always take the blame, as Adam
was quick to do with Eve? Why wasn't man enough to "man up" and simply confess to God, "I did eat fruit of the tree?" God already knew what
happened. Nobody fools God.

    Scripture tells us the world will go down, and the people I see identified
as the culprits are almost exclusively men, including Satan. Adam started
the blame game, and our "good ole boys" and now some next generation
offspring think they can finish what their forefathers failed to do. Women
did get the vote, and slaves were emancipated. But now these fearful
leaders are trying to return us to those discriminating days of yesteryear.
And, fear they should, because God is just and compassionate, and He
will take steps to prevent the final suffering and horror leaders will impose to try and achieve their goal. What is their goal? The same as Satan's, total control and the riches of the world as Satan tempted Jesus.

    Friends, don't be misled by false promises and proclamations based only on theory and hot air. Read Matt. 4:4, "It is written, Man shall not live by  bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God". Note that bread has two meanings here. One is actual food, and the other is slang for money. Now please go to Matt. 4:8-10. "Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and he said to Him, 'All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me'. Then Jesus said to him, 'Away with you Satan! For it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve."'

    The study of God's Word is being very shortchanged in America, and it
seems Christians have very little understanding of scripture. I see church
after church seemingly unaware of Christ's directions. The people are
enjoying "church" and ignoring not only the lessons of history, but the
actual words of Christ. Fun and games nor ignorance will fulfill your
commitment to Christ. Don't be one of those who will hear Christ in
Matt. 7:21-23 (23) "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you;
depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness."'

Rev. Walbear

Dumb Cluck

                        THE DUMB CLUCK SOCIETY   

    Sometimes I get carried away with how the Holy Spirit tells me
stories to use in messages, and this is one time I chuckled myself
awake. Strange way to get messages, but it's nice not to always
hear bombs going off or the rattle of machine guns. I would really
rather not write the super serious messages about Christianity
because I am a person of humor. Before undergoing surgery, I was
in top form in the prep area. So much so that the nurses asked if I
could stay awhile to bring some cheer in serious situations. I really
had no choice because my surgery was scheduled and I certainly
didn't want to spend more time there. Now that I have digressed,
on to the information about the Dumb Cluck Society.

    I haven't heard this term much recently, but it used to be an old
stand-by for people describing totally idiotic explanations. It's more
interesting to know how and why the term came about. This is for
real, folks, from someone (me) who experienced the actual term.
No, it wasn't me. It is really a chicken. When I was in the military,
lots of my friends didn't believe some of my agricultural (farm)
stories. I had good grammar and diction which usually didn't
accompany a farmer. That was because of my work in the news
media, but they didn't know that. The real farm boys knew I was
the real deal, however, and frequently went along with some of my
embellished "rural stories" to the chagrin of the city guys. Again
I digress. I'm really writing about genuine, serious Christianity.
Remember, God counted humor among His many talents. After
all, He made you!

    Back on the farm in my early years, I experienced farm life to the
fullest. One of the things that was necessary that I hated was the
slaughtering of animals. I do not make a good Old Testament Jew
because I hate shedding blood. Until later years, I hunted and fished.
Shooting a pheasant was not distasteful, but it was a "clean" kill,
and virtually bloodless. Slaughtering fowls and animals was a vastly
different matter. There is always blood, and in beheading chickens,
there is the dropping of the axe. I don't know how the Muslims who
do the beheading sleep at night. I have now digressed three times,
so scripture has been imitated long enough, I'll explain the dumb
cluck and how the society was formed and then split into two
segments.
    
    In the "old" days, chickens were slaughtered by simply taking an
axe and chopping the head off at the neck. Sometimes there was an
unusual phenomenon when the chickens were killed. They didn't just
die; they actually could come off the chopping block and run around.
If you ever saw a beheaded chicken run around until it finally died,
you would understand the term. Because the headless chicken had
no eyes or ears, it couldn't see or hear anything. So, it just ran around
for a few minutes and then collapsed. There was no thought process
because it had no head, and it was as unsaved people are described
in scripture. Go to Matt. 13:11-15. These verses combine Christ's
teaching and Isaiah's prophecy given more than 750 years BEFORE
Christ. Can there be any doubt about these verses?

    Matt. 13:11-15. "He answered and said to them, 'Because it has been
given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to
them it has not been given. (Verse 12 here is the same as Matt. 25:29.
For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance;
but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.
Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see,
and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the
prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: Hearing you will hear and
shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; For the
hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing,
and their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts
and turn, So that I should heal them."'

    Now, I'm digressing yet a fourth time to ask you to compare the exact
wording of verse 12, "For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he
will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will
be taken from him." Christians, including pastors, explain this verse in
Matt. 25:29 as referring to money. You see this is wrong. Christ was 
talking about gifts of the spirit, and in both instances he meant the
gift or ability to understand. I know I'm pretty much a lone wolf with my
explanation, but Christ's words match Isaiah's perfectly, and Isaiah was
speaking about understanding, not money. A Christian's eyes should be
on the gifts of the Spirit, not money. No apology for this digression.

    Back to the headless chicken. It's very easy to compare the
description of the blind and deaf chicken with a person who lacks
understanding. And that, friends, takes us to the membership
qualifications in the Dumb Cluck Society. When people have a good
thing going, everyone wants to be a leader. The Dumb Cluck Society
is no different. There is constant contention among the members in
both branches, and the best way to describe this activity is to think
of brainless, no clue lies and blathering. I'll describe the two branches,
and you can decide who belongs where. This is not judging, which is
not biblical; it is intelligent consideration of facts and truth. 

    First, we'll look at the Polled branch of the Dumb Cluck Society. This
branch is by far the largest because it includes most people in the world.
There is a good sized number in the United States, as well, but they have
been placed in this branch by members of the other branch. These are
people who are considered intellectually unable to handle education
or who choose not to be enlightened. There is a great deal of racism
involved in placing people in this branch. These people are just simply
known as "dumb." They do not understand Christianity, at least in the
eyes of the other branch. You could say this is the branch of the
common man. Polled refers to the head and voting.

    Now to the elite branch of the Dumb Cluck Society. This is the location
of the upper crust professing Christian world. There are some highly
educated people in this branch and many who must have bought their
college degrees in the Dollar Stores. The former talk and write a great
deal, which is mildly irritating. The latter don't write much except through
a ghost writer or plagiarizing. They do talk excessively, and frequently in
a very loud voice. These are very irritating and create major problems,
often with no factual foundation and usually reflecting an opinion of how
they believe things should be. 

     How do we separate these people, and how do we assess their
actual Christian commitment. We have what they say and how they
follow Christ's teaching to consider before making a decision to believe
what they tell us, or to recognize their membership in the Dumb Cluck
Society. As always, you can tell a real Christian by their knowledge and
use of scripture. We now have among us those who deny the Old 
Testament has any meaning today. There are those who use single
verses of scripture to make a point or who say all of Christ's words are
no longer valid. Flee from these pretenders before they get your money
and support. A low IQ doesn't mean a person can't be saved, so be
careful about placing them in this branch. You don't have to have a high
IQ or money to be saved. 

    The elite branch poses a problem, especially among the wealthy or
those very highly educated. Some people get so much education they
get confused over man's ability compared to God's. I have a friend who's
an engineer who thinks scientists will develop something superior to
milk. He apparently thinks God gave us an inferior product. He attends
church regularly, is a deacon and teaches Sunday School. He obviously
has a problem understanding God's supreme superiority, but otherwise
accepts the basic foundation of Christianity. Then, there are highly
intelligent people who spend time researching how to prove Christ
wasn't really the Son of God, or He was married and went to Egypt,
or wasn't born of a virgin, or he was not bodily resurrected, or he did
not perform miracles, etc. Finally, we get to those who have wealth, and
believe their great intelligence (NOT) brought them wealth, and God only
endorsed their effort. The answer to every problem is money, and there's
never enough.

    Let's make an intelligence decision on how we determine the sincerity
of a person's commitment to Christ. It only takes a few answers to give
us the salvation standing of a person. It's not opinion, if you count just
these few answers:
Do you believe in the virgin birth of Christ, that the holy Spirit impregnated
the virgin Mary?
Do you believe Christ is the Son of God, sent to earth by the Father to offer
eternal life to anyone who commits?
Do you think Christ was just a man, a special teacher or prophet?
Do you believe in miracles?
Do you believe Christ died on the cross?
Do you believe He gave His spirit willingly to God? (It wasn't taken)
Do you believe He bodily rose from death to later ascend to heaven?
Do you believe angels opened the tomb?
Do you believe the Roman guards allowed the body to be stolen?
Do you know where His body was taken or where it is now?
Do you know why the disciples didn't recognize him right away?
Do you know how doubting Thomas could find the nail wounds if
the body wasn't really Christ's?
That should be enough for a genuine Christian to make a decision.

    I'm closing this message by nominating a Cluck of Time. This person
actually tore pages out of a bible so he could "rewrite" the four gospels.
He wrote his version of scripture, partly because he thought American
Indians were too dumb to learn normally. You know what he thought of
blacks, although he sired children with a black slave. He did not believe
in miracles and removed all from the gospels. He believed Christ was just
a man. He removed the story of the resurrection. These FACTS are all
recorded in many biographies of the man, who was brilliant in many
fields and very wealthy. He was one of the founding fathers of the United
States and wrote the Declaration of Independence. That Declaration
includes his statement that all men are created equal. He owned and
used slaves. Was he a liar? Was he a genuine Christian? Don't believe
me--call up Thomas Jefferson on the internet and look at the many
books by biographers, historians and his own writing. And this is
why, friends, they didn't found a Christian nation.

Rev. Walbear