CHRISTIAN OBLIGATION

                                        CHRISTIAN OBLIGATION

    There are many good, honest people in America, and they include all races and religions. Christians do not have a monopoly on Godly things. Unfortunately, the fact is that Christians don't seem or act as though they know the directions given by their leader. Christ told us to "Follow Me." To follow Him, we need to learn and practice His  teaching in the gospels---Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Readers may be tired of my repeating this directive over and over. This is the same tried and true method we use to teach and train people from infancy through adulthood. The method is tried and true, but people develop personal interests that sometimes take them far away from being Christ-like. Being a Christian is more than a claim of belief or life style. It's long past the time to examine what's happened to the claim, "I have the Christian faith!"

    When you examine their Christian faith, you sometimes see their reason for the claim is based simply on their desires, backed by their

misunderstanding or ignorance of scripture. When I point out their claim is not scriptural, they usually reply that it is and it's in the bible. I can and do give the scripture to show them wrong, but they insist their claim is valid because "it's in the bible." They are never able to find the proof of their claim, but they never admit they are wrong. There are certain things and passages in scripture that are open to interpretation, but nothing Christ taught can be used in any way  except as He taught. That puts the entire foundation of Christianity in just the four books of gospel. The Old Testament and Epistles are important, but provide mostly an introduction and correctional material for Christians. 

    Although Christians are told over and over they are living under  grace, and not the Law, they frequently go back to the Law or go to one of the Epistles for a rule to seemingly make their denomination more Godly than others. Of course, this separates the believers and negates the idea of brothers and sisters. The egos of humans must die if the person is to be Christ-like. Unfortunately, all these rules taken from the Old Testament or Epistles may or may not be part of your Christian direction. Christ did not discard the Law given to Moses and Israel. He did not discard the Old Testament. He frequently quoted scripture. In Matt. 22:37-40, He gave Christians their marching orders, no more, no less. "Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as yourself. On THESE TWO COMMANDMENTS hang all the law and the prophets."

    Pretty simple, isn't it? Why do professing Christians bring all the other subjects into discussion and disagreement? Usually it's because the person has DECIDED he/she has the correct idea, and everyone else must agree. Ignorance abounds, and usually the individual's mind is set in stone. Look back at Matt. 22:37, where Christ separates your devotion into three parts: heart, soul and mind. These people with a set in stone attitude ignore the fact they are following their carnal mind, not the teaching of the Holy Spirit. Controlling the carnal mind is the soft spot Satan uses to destroy your salvation. When he encourages you to continue your misguided interpretation of  scripture, you are off the Christian path, the only Way to join Christ in eternity. Be certain you understand scripture before you start lecturing others.

    When someone talks to me about a subject, and quickly establishes the fact he/she is of the Christian faith, I immediately see a red flag waving. Usually it's a controversial subject, and I expect the person will not change his/her MIND because facts don't support the person's conclusion. You see that word MIND, because controlling the carnal mind can only happen when the Holy Spirit is present to help you. When you mention their subject was not mentioned by Christ in His teaching, the only answer is, "It's in the bible." They try to criss cross various verses such as "thou shalt not kill," to support their carnal interpretation. Christ never taught to hurt or kill. However, God knew the nature of man, and had an ARMY. He still has that army, and Christ will lead it back to earth at the culmination of tribulation.

    You see, you have to be careful in putting together various scriptures.

Joshua 5:13-15 and chapter 6 introduce God's commander in chief of God's army. God's army will come to earth with Christ as the leader, as

we learn in Revelation. Humans were used to establish order on earth, but it isn't working. Angels will accompany Christ. A denomination that doesn't support humans to serve as soldiers claims they won't kill other humans because that would be killing brothers and sisters. Israel

established  the land given them by God through military action. The enemy were not brothers and sisters in religion or anything else. How

can Christ's army be compatible with this interpretation? It seems to be a modern interpretation of the "conscientious objector."

    We see several denominations claiming the Sabbath must be observed on Saturday, while others claim it must be on Sunday. The

truth, according to Christ, is found in Mark 2:27. "The Sabbath was made

for man; and not man for the Sabbath." Verses 25 and 26 tell how David

was permitted to violate the law. Reading on after verse 27, you see healing may take place at any time on any day. The original purpose

of the Saturday Sabbath was to insure man would take one day of rest so he could worship God. How could a real Christian miss this simple instruction? The error is common with church elders and officials.

    I come now to probably the worst teaching in the gospels, and a favorite of Satan. It is found in Acts 10:9-48. We need to understand why Simon Peter had the vision concerning foods in Acts 10:9-16. This is one Christian principle that people seriously refuse to consider, and it's the most important direction from God except the path to salvation. Peter was told in the vision that all food created by God was clean,  which cancelled the Jewish law. Peter was told that nothing created by God was Common. Folks, this was God's direction that opened the door for Gentiles (non Jews) to join Israel, and to receive Christ as Savior, the Holy Spirit, and eternal life. Read all the above verses. If you are not a Jew, you only have the opportunity to be a Christian through God's direction in these verses. You were considered Common before, but now you are eligible to receive eternal life. The foods you eat have nothing to do with being one of Christ's own. You may consider it  to be more healthy, but it has nothing to do with salvation or your spiritual eligibility. Read the bible, and understand Acts 10:9-48. By now, I suspect this information about food has me trapped because the quoted passages are not from Christ and the four gospels.

    You are correct in that identification, but let's see if Christ EVER  gave us CLEAR directions about food. Turn to Matt. 15:11. "Not what  goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man." If you paid attention to Christ's activities in the gospels, you would see Christ accepted invitations from people to eat with them. He took criticism for this because some of the hosts and guests were not considered acceptable by strict Jews. He gave us the supporting scripture for Peter's vision about commonness. Do you think God created anything inferior? The food issue effectively accomplishes two goals for Satan. It takes believers' minds off the real Christian issues, and separates people by food choice. What people eat may be their healthy choice, but it has nothing whatsoever to do with Christianity. Don't be a divider.

    If you don't study scripture, it is quite easy to be led down the road to errant teaching and the trap of passing on misinformation, which, of course, is a sin. I have only mentioned three examples of wrong teaching. When you accept these errors, you are following your carnal mind. All is not lost, however. The only unpardonable sin is failure to accept the power of the Holy Spirit. This is essential for Christians. I ponder how unsaved people can act so much like a Christian is supposed to behave. I know individuals who have not accepted Christ's offer of salvation, but follow His teaching. They are the  exhibit of GOODNESS all of us should be. They tell me they believe that being an honest and compassionate person is their goal. They do a wonderful job of illustrating this. 

    Perhaps some people fail to match the acceptance of salvation with the obligation or responsibility of the agreement. There's more to actually being a Christian than "having faith." Go to James 4:14-26. You need to read this collection of verses to fully understand what Christian faith really is. You can claim faith in anything, but if that faith is real, it will be evident through works. Your control of your carnal mind will enable you to show compassion and do good things for others. You will learn what true sacrifice is. Your works must meet the standard of Christ's teaching. We go back to the four gospels again. Don't be all talk. Let your good works do the talking. Many professing Christians are not meeting their obligation. Perhaps that's why some good people haven't accepted Christ's offer.

Rev. Walbear

MOTHER'S DAY

                                                                   MOTHER'S DAY

    Where have all the flowers gone? Why are there just empty chairs? Today is Mother's Day, a special day for families to gather together and

show their respect and appreciation for their mother. Oh! I see! There, in that house, a large group of people gathered at a table straining with the burden of a feast. But, in this house, there's just a woman sitting alone, gazing out the window. Now I see a family in that up- scale restaurant digging into turkey dinners. There's a lot of laughter and joy. Wait! I hear crying! There's a young woman and her daughter in a bare bones apartment. They're eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The little girl is trying to comfort her mother. "Why are you crying, mommy? Do you hurt?" she asks.

    "No, darling," she answers wiping her eyes. "I'm crying tears of joy because I have you with me," the young mothers responds. "It's a big, cold world out there, and we're blessed to be together." The two of them

are the only family members. The mother's only close relative still living

is an older brother she hasn't seen in several years. The little girl's father

left them alone so long ago she doesn't remember him. This Mother's Day

is especially bleak because the neighbor who baby sat moved away, and

there is no one to baby sit while mother works. Of course that's not a

problem because mother lost her minimum wage job just in time for her

special day.

   

    The scene shifts, and we see a dozen people laughing and eating a

sumptuous combination of food around a large table. The elderly woman

buzzing around the table is obviously enjoying her role as the matriarch

of the family, making certain everyone will be stuffed. She has been at work for hours preparing this feast, and won't realize how tired she is until everyone is finished eating. It is a labor of love. Her husband,  children and grand children are the source of contentment and the joy of family.

    Nearby in a church basement, an older lady sits at one of several tables with other people being served a Mother's Day dinner. These  people aren't accompanied by anyone because they don't have family and live alone. They can only remember when family used to be there. As in real life, these brief sketches of the holiday dinner illustrate the wide disparity mothers face. Women in many countries may experience hardships and discrimination. But, in America, things are different, right? If you believe this, you are either a bigot or have your head buried in the sand.

    If America is a Christian nation, people should be following the very clear directions given us by Jesus Christ. Do you watch television, read

newspapers, or listen to the radio? Male political leaders at all levels make women a target for disrespect and slander. What's even more deplorable, many church pastors not only fail to correct this shameful

diatribe; they accept this verbal abuse without commenting about it from the pulpit. That, friends, is a cardinal sin of omission. When you agree with sin, you are sinning. Way too many pastors go way back to Genesis to claim men ONLY may be leaders. It's in the bible, and right there in the very first book. That is the foundation for the Jewish and Christian churches. A bit later in the bible we come to the experience of Moses when God, Himself, gave Moses the Law. Every Christian must understand what the word LAW means. The Jewish people were Chosen to serve as God's priests. They accepted the mission and lived under that Law.

    These Chosen people, like all humans, have the seed of sin, and fell away from God's direction over the span of several generations. It seemed

mankind could not keep God's commandments, and repeatedly had to go through a correctional period. God created mankind with a free will, and mankind can't stay clean. That seed of evil keeps winning, and things get worse and worse. God gave us a perfect correctional example when He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to give us precise and clear directions. Christ ushered in the period of GRACE, because mankind could not keep from breaking the Law. 

    NOW, GET THIS STRAIGHT, CHRISTIANS! If you are a Christian, you no

longer are under the Law. You serve under the Grace of God which  consists of Christ's directions in Matt. 22:34-40, and the full four books of the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. That does not mean the Old Testament is discarded; it does not mean the Epistles are of no value. Everything in the bible is profitable, we are told. Christ tells us in John 14:6, "Jesus saith unto him,'I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.'" There are no exceptions. We cannot change God's Word. Since to really be of Christian FAITH, we MUST follow His directions.  In Matt. 22: 34-40, He tells us the most important requirement to be one of His own is to honor and serve the Lord and to love your neighbor. He didn't say to love only your white neighbor or your Christian neighbor.

    Christ's regard and treatment of women is another clear direction that

indicts men. He forgave believing women who had committed adultery.

Jewish leaders wanted to kill them. The adulterous men didn't face judgment. They conveniently forgot the role of women in not only preserving their faith such as Rahab who saved the lives of Israel's spies, but also was in Christ's lineage. They had no regard for Mary, the mother of Christ, nor Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. Even the disciples did not give women proper respect until church planting began. It's always been all about men. It was church leaders and men who put Christ on the Cross. The disciples were no where to be found when He went to the Cross. The women were there, and they were prepared to take care of His body after He died. His death led to the disciples becoming real men serving God. The women already had FAITH, and were serving Him.

    But what about the directive in Genesis that place Adam as the leader,

and Eve as the helpmate? Fast forward to Jesus. A woman was chosen by

God to be the mother of His Son. No human man was good enough to be the sire. Christ's disciples gave Christians the guidelines on the rightful place of women in society. Christian men seem to choose to use Ephesians  22:22-24 as the total rule for a relationship. If you continue to read verses 25-31, you will see that it is necessary to spend more words to direct men in how to treat their wives. Verse 32 speaks of a great mystery about the bonding of people with Christ in the church. Man is to be the leader in the human relationship only if he can fulfill the qualifications in the preceding verses. If he cannot, the woman may demonstrate the role required of a leader. There were strong women leaders, even in Israel's history. Check it out in the Old Testament.

    Men not only claim a pass directly to leadership, they try to lead as  though they are a king. Many then act just as God described in 1 Samuel.

Some American leaders, including the church, are using their positions to pass and/or support laws to control many facets of a woman's life. They go to the length of proposing criminal punishment or death. These people

claim to be Christians, and church leaders say NOTHING to correct this stream of slander and physical threat of violence. It's "Happy Mother's Day" to their wives, but for the remainder of women, it's let's control all the worthless sluts and whores. They claim the only thing women have to offer is that they're female.

    Guess what, you fake Christian men, a woman was God's choice to be the mother of His Son. He could choose any human man, but all fell short.

There are sinners among both men and women, but women have not used

men in such a demeaning and hurtful manner. If you make a list of the worst world leaders of all time, you will have a list of men of all colors and nationalities. So, go on American men, give your wife flowers and treat her to a great dinner out, she deserves it and lots more. But, the best Mother's Day gift you could give her is fair and loving treatment of all the

women in America and the world.  Women, take heart, real Christian men

may yet take up arms to give you the respect you deserve. Don't hold your breath, because they are busy enjoying their bully pulpit. There are those of us who see the light, and we wish you a Happy Mother's Day.

Rev. Walbear

GLOBAL REVELATION

                                     GLOBAL REVELATION

    We are living in a world that looks at everything in a global perspective, that includes finance, manufacturing, economy, and religion. Christians are caught up not in spiritual interests, but in material interests. How can I say that when Christians from America are sending missionaries all over the world? Is that not what Christ directed us to do? It is, but the problem

is with the Christian church itself at home.  The church is the people in the congregations and especially in the leaders. They are not following Christ's teaching in the four gospels, and have fallen into the same Satanic trap as other religions. They have departed from the spiritual world and fully adopted the material world.

     The foundation for this message is found specifically in the Book of Matthew. We refuse to understand His last words to us, because we want to jump into the water of life without testing the depth of the water. Confused? Check out Christ's last words before ascending to Heaven. Matt. 28: 19 and 20, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." What is it that Christians don't understand? We are sending missionaries to all

nations, even those opposed to us religiously and politically. That is correct. Those people receiving salvation are being baptized. That is correct. It is misunderstanding the word TEACHING that is the problem of the Christian church goers and leaders. 

    Teaching requires certain skills. It is one of the gifts God can bestow on a believer. Christian spokespeople in America have abandoned the word teaching and replaced it with the secular and global meaning of FORCING. We must understand Revelation prepares us for everything global. There will be only one way to live, and that will include every aspect of human life. Satan and his puppet will rule after committed Christians have been removed from the physical earth. The word RAPTURE does not appear in scripture, but the same meaning is derived from other words and phrases. Teachers do not force people to learn, they encourage them to learn in several ways. They serve as an example of what and how a mature person should be and act. They present the truth

and method to learn. They provide accurate information as the basis for learning. Students of all ages have the choice to succeed or fail. 

    There is one vital difference between failure in secular subjects and religion. That is eternal life. God began the trek to eternal life through the choice of Israel to be priests and take His message to all mankind. Satan's use of time and quick rewards was a resounding success. In the short span of four generations, he managed to turn a devoted people into greedy, self serving, and ungrateful sinners. This turnover has continued to this day, and the United States is the current example. We are in the final stage of bringing the world into a global entity. How? By trying to force everyone to be Christians. Why is this so bad? Forcing religion on anyone is wrong, but it is the chain of events that follows that gives Satan victory on earth for a time.

    Forced acceptance of Christianity can only come about by secular means---man made laws. Christians don't know enough about the Old

Testament to understand that the people of Israel were not forced by man made laws to be priests. They agreed by free choice. Later, when they had fallen away and their scriptures were set away, they repented after hearing the original word of God read to them in Ezra and  Nehemiah. You are born a Jew by nationality, not faith. Anyone can become a Jew by faith. Anyone of any nationality can become a Christian. You must make the formal commitment, and it must come from the heart.

    We are witnessing the United States in transition from a real Christ believing people to the secular control of man made laws. Our spokespeople have set the wheels in motion to force people to accept and follow Christian leadership. Except, folks, it is exactly the same kind of leadership as that of their most vocal enemy, Islam, the hated Muslims. Christians decry the strict Muslim religious laws and their ruthless enforcement. Meanwhile, in state after state, Christians are passing laws to force people to follow their teaching. Unfortunately, their teaching has little to do with Christ's directions. In almost every decision, there is an attempt to separate people, using nationality, color, religion or any possible means. 

    For the present, this is the beginning of global humanistic control.

Christians will only be successful in hindering Christ's real message and oppressing people into a forced choice. This is a no win situation, because the vast majority of the world is controlled by other religions, and they continue to outpace Christianity. This headlong thrust by Christians in America will bring the nation into a pact of many religions serving a one person leader---Satan. The process of world control is a movement by a dictator to overwhelm uneducated people. The many previous attempts by dictators have fallen short of the goal because the leader didn't  understand how to include the factor of religion.

    Satan now knows people can't be forced to love anything or anyone. He is not only evil, but very intelligent. He knows the way to success is to work from within. He has been doing this since the beginning of Christian church planting. It was so evident to the disciples and early Christians that it is a major subject in several of the epistles. You must remember these letters were written to newly planted churches to correct teaching mistakes and existing evil culture practices. One example was the direction for women to have head covers (hats). If you don't know the reason for this instruction, you should seek the answer, because this practice is not a core requirement of the faith.

    If you understand the reason for the epistles, you should also know the disciples were aware that the apostate came into the newly established churches almost immediately. Satan loses no time in putting his forces at work. There are many warnings for us, such as 2nd John, 9 through 11. Be aware that God expects you to be  responsible for all your actions. In secular law, if you are privy to and a part of an illegal deed, you are guilty after the fact just as though you were part of the violation during the act. If you had prior knowledge of the act, and did nothing to prevent it, you are also guilty under secular law. You can expect the same consideration

from God concerning your Christian responsibilities.

    Many of the Christian church leaders and politicians are the present day Pharisees and Scribes. If you readily accept their explanations of Christianity without checking their statements with the words of Christ in the four gospels, you may forfeit your future. Read this passage from 2nd John, 9-11. "Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that bideth him God  speed is partaker of his evil deeds."  

     Satan's workers will use half truths and misinformation to lead you astray. You can blame no one else. If you are careful about your diet and food, consider the importance of spiritual food. You don't have to worry about anything in scripture, because it is all for your benefit---eternally. When a church teacher, pastor or politician tells you something, ask for scriptural proof or check it out. Christ offers you eternity. No man can offer anything that good. A beer commercial claims you only go around once. God wants your presence for eternity. He is faithful.  Are you?

Rev. Walbear

    

PASSOVER

                                             PASSOVER  

   
   

    The observance of Passover by Jewish people (Israel) is the equivalent of Christian's Easter activities. Why should Christians understand the relationship between the two holidays? This relationship illustrates how man can arbitrarily decide to set dates, rules and regulations. It also describes our inability to learn and accept truth. The subject of Jesus Christ has been with us for about 2775 years, yet only a minute number of people have become Christians. Jewish people who follow the strict teaching of the religion continue to ignore the prediction given us in

Isaiah 7:14, "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign:  Behold, the virgin will conceive  and bear a Son, and shall call His name Emmanuel." Verse 15 tells us how He will be different from other men. "Curds and Honey He shall eat, that He may know how to refuse the evil and choose the good."

    When Israel was taken into slavery by Egypt, the Pharaoh  refused to let them leave to worship God, and God performed the miracle of Passover. The Jews put the blood of sacrifice over the doorway, and when God sent the Death Angel, all those in the household (including livestock) were spared. Otherwise, all first born of Egyptians or unbelievers, were struck dead. It was the separation of God's people. Over time, future generations lost interest in this miracle which brought truth and freedom.

Just a few books later in the Old Testament we see the people wanted to drop God and the priests from leadership, and replace this heavenly connection with a man king. You should read about this in I Samuel. God told the people what kind of evil leadership they would receive. 

    Because the humanistic part of man fell away from God's teaching, there had to be a second event to provide freedom from the slavery of humanistic thinking that controls the world. Isaiah was the prophet that issued the future step to return believers to freedom and safety. Jesus died on the cross for us, being blameless and free of sin. He brought eternal life if we can make a sincere acceptance of his free gift. That is a simple enough path: just follow His instructions. It's difficult to find a modern day disciple to follow His last directive: teach all nations (Matt.

28:19-20). Too many of our church and political leaders are finding issues Christ didn't teach, and ignoring the clear teaching in the four gospels. These are the anti-Christ dupes leading the church to a partnership in the woes of revelation.

    The Passover Seder observance by Christians is a historical reenactment of the story of Christ's mission on earth. It enables Christians to understand God's plan of salvation and to believe in His power through the work of the Holy Spirit, as well as the difference between right and wrong. The Passover and Easter should occur at the same approximate time on the calendar, but Christian church leaders have set their own dates just as they have corrupted His teaching. Satan has all kinds of goodies to offer us to ignore God and follow his curvy path.

    The difference between the original Passover and our observance today is only the location then and the location today. God sent Israel to a land of milk and honey. It was highly desirable, and we should remember two things. The people weren't able to simply  walk into the land and receive it as a gift. They had to rely on faith in God to take the land, and they had to fight to claim what God set aside for them. Our location set aside for us today is the spiritual realm of eternity. To occupy this realm, we are expected to have faith in God through Jesus. Israel kept falling away, and

many people today who claim to be Christians are falling away. It's not difficult to see who they are, because they are opposing Christ's teaching. They are pursuing their personal agendas that separate people with hate and greed.

    Little has changed in the tradition of the Seder over the years, but something has been added. First, there is the traditional search to find leaven. This is represented by yeast in dough, and must be eliminated before proceeding. The leaven represents mankind's tendency to sin, passed from generation to generation. For this occasion, we use matzoh rather than bread. The new addition is the presentation of the matzoh of hope. This is for those who do not have the freedom of worship, and who can't be with us. 

    A woman begins the ceremony by lighting the festival candles. Women were considered more righteous than men in that  generation, and men haven't improved since then. The opening prayer is from NUMBERS, 6:24-26. We now move to the First Cup, the Kiddush. This is the cup of sanctification and blessing. With this cup, the night is set aside as different from all other nights. We pray, "Blessed art thou, o lord our God, ruler of the universe, who chose us from all peoples and exalted us among

all nations, by making us holy with His commandments."

    The matzoh is bread without yeast to make it rise. When Israel left Egypt, they had no time to wait for the bread to rise. It is a symbol recognizing the speed God may use to accomplish any purpose He may have. Matzoh has another meaning we will  observe a bit later.  Another symbol is the roasted lamb bone, which represents the slain lamb of sacrifice whose blood was sprinkled over the doorpost. The green vegetable represents the hyssop branches used to apply blood to the doorpost. The roasted egg is the symbol of life as well as the baptism of Israel in the Red Sea as they fled to freedom. We now see three pieces

of matzoh representing the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They are wrapped in linen, and we remove the middle one, representing Christ. You see this piece of matzoh resembles Christ's experience on earth. It bears the stripes He suffered, and is pierced as He was. It has no leaven, signifying He was free of sin. Symbolism continues as we see that He was born in Bethlehem, which means House of Bread in Hebrew; He was raised in Nazareth, which in Hebrew means The Branch; was baked in fire, symbol of God's Judgment. He was buried in white linen as the seed of God, and

was resurrected as the first fruit, and came back to earth to give us final directions. He said He was the bread of life, and told us to partake freely. The Jews were actually observing communion without realizing it. We are privileged to be part of communion, but sadly, many who think they are Christians do not follow His teaching in the four gospels. We will share pieces of matzoh in communion with the Cup of Redemption, the third Cup.

    We have already answered why tonight we eat only unleavened bread. Another question concerns why we eat bitter herbs. The bitterness represents the oppression Israel suffered under the Egyptian rule. We do not dip our herbs on other nights, but tonight we dip twice. Jesus identified His betrayer by saying it would be he who dipped after Him. A fourth question asks why the feast is eaten while reclining, the customary manner by wealthy and ruling people. God is freeing Israel, and the people can now eat in leisure.

    The story of how Israel became slaves in Egypt is an excellent example of how Satan's evil can be turned into something good for people of faith. Scripture tells us Joseph's brothers were jealous of him, and sold him into slavery to a passing caravan, and eventually to the Egyptians. Because of Joseph's faith, he was patient and survived the rigors of false accusations and rose on the strength of that faith to be what we would call the prime minister. He predicted the upcoming famine, and became the administrator of food, only second in command of Egypt. When the predicted famine came, Joseph's family journeyed to Egypt to buy food. Joseph was reunited with his family, and the Pharaoh provided that Joseph's people and flocks could settle in Egypt. They were not slaves, but accepted as free people. God replaced the evil act with His merciful

act of physical salvation.

    As the continuing pattern of humanistic man proves over and over,

generations change, and faith is lost as people begin to value material things more than spiritual things. Israel was blessed in its new land, and the people increased as did their flocks and  material possessions. A new Pharaoh became Egypt's ruler, and he feared Israel's people would be a threat to his leadership and the dominance of Egypt's own people. The eventual result was lowering the Israel people to the status of slaves. This is interesting, because we then had slaves who also had slaves. There were two levels of slavery. 

    Under the new Pharaoh, Israel could not worship God. Egypt had a religion of many false gods. The birth of Moses, and the miracle of his upbringing in the household of the Pharaoh continues the string of miracles bringing about the departure of Israel from Egypt. When Moses sought approval to let the Israeli people go out to worship, the Pharaoh refused. That brought a series of plagues on Egypt,  each of which resulted in continuing refusals by the Pharaoh. This takes us to the SECOND CUP. This is the cup of plagues and iniquity. Usually, the Passover meal occurs now. We see that is how we come to be here today on Passover. Finally, God said enough was enough, and He gave Israel the PASS to spare them the final plague. The first born of all of Egypt would die as the Death Angel passed over Egypt. By placing the blood of sacrifice on the doorpost, all Israeli families would be spared. As Egypt suffered the loss, Israel was directed to flee with their flocks, material 

possessions and spoil of the Egyptians.

    As we review this series of historical miracles, we see the planning

of God. By realizing the power of faith and the promise of God, we should understand our place as Christians. Christ not only taught the value of faith, he demonstrated it with miracles. The very people who should have supported Him refused to accept Him and were  responsible for His death. When He died on the cross, he provided for the final stage of mankind's journey. His sacrificial blood replaced the blood on the doorposts in Egypt, and the meaning for us is freedom from spiritual death and a place in eternity with God, Christ and the Holy Spirit. The location then was Egypt. The location today is  America and anywhere anyone will accept God's offer through His Son, Jesus Christ.

    We come now to the THIRD CUP, the cup of redemption. This was God's method of saving Israel while the Egyptians refused to permit His worship by the Chosen. It was the sacrifice of blood provided through slaying of an animal. It was the original slaying of a lamb, the symbol used to describe Christ in scripture. We make this connection today with the Old Testament resurrection by examining the burial of the matzoh as we did earlier. When we eat this Bread of  Life, we drink the third cup, fruit of the vine that represents His blood. 

    There is a fourth cup as well as a full place setting for another guest. This remains empty and is called the chair of Elijah. He was the prophet taken directly to heaven in a chariot of fire. Jews expect Elijah to return and keep that chair available for him. Christians keep that chair for Christ's return. We fully believe in the prophecy of Isaiah, and that the Son of God was born of the virgin Mary, that He gave us directions for eternal life, suffered, and died that we may live spiritually in eternity. We close this Seder with the prayer that we shall all meet in the New Jerusalem.

Rev. Walbear

    

CAESAR'S TRIBUTE

                                                             CAESAR'S TRIBUTE

    Let's begin this message with a brief review of regular individual and family activities. We'll assume you have a job (housekeeping  counts) attend church, and lead an average citizen's life. There are many things we take for granted without considering how we receive them. We start with transportation. You may use your own car or truck, take a bus, plane or train. In any case, you will have to use a thoroughfare: road, air space or railroad. The roads and railroads are built and maintained to a large degree by various levels of government. Air space is free, but airports are subsidized by the government. Without taxes, our travel will be severely

limited. The use of tax money for roads goes way back to Rome and their marvelous system. Why talk about taxes and roads in a scriptural message? Because Christians gripe about taxes so much and don't understand the reasons and need for taxes.

     Before going further, you need to refer to Christ's directions to  His disciple, Simon Peter, in Matt. 17:24-27. "When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, 'Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?' He said,Yes." And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him,  saying, "what do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?" Peter said to Him, "From strangers." Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free. Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a 'piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you." This was a tax for the Jewish people levied on them separate from Rome. It was part of the  Jewish system to support their religion. It was, in effect, their

religious government tax. Christians give tithes and offerings  instead of a church tax.

    Now go to Matt. 22:15-21. Here we find the secular government tax. "then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. And they sent to Him their disciples with the  Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do you care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men. Tell us, therefore, what do you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the tax money." So they brought Him a denarius.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?" They said to Him, "Caesar's." And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."

    This tax was for the secular government. This money provided for the roads, the army, the police, the court, and all the other provisions of the secular government. Christ was pointing out that every person benefited from the infrastructure and the protection of the military. It was everybody's civic duty to provide the tax income to carry out this work. Christians should understand that the burden of necessities and compassion rests on every citizen.  Obviously money is wasted and poor decisions are made. There is no perfect solution because we're all sinners and far from perfect. We do need to understand how it is determined and the reasons before griping. Christ taught us the example, but are you paying attention?

    This may be a boring message up to this point, but here is where you need to give taxes and money consideration. If you are a Christian, you probably pay taxes AND support a church or ministry. Virtually no one wants to pay the government, and there even may be resentment about tithing. The government's needs are partially listed above, and you should understand the church's needs. Both the government and church should address the needs of compassion, a form of alms. The government has agencies, while the church has programs. God blesses people through

their actions, tithes and alms. Still bored? An examination of your reasons for giving to the church may trigger your anger.

     In preparing taxes, every effort is made to find all the legal deductions. At least twice a year, pastors, church leaders, and financial experts offer ways to lower income taxes by taking religious contribution deductions. The two times represent one funding drive in December, and the other in April, just before income taxes must be paid. Neither has a Christian connection. The one in December is a way to reduce your government

responsibility, just the same as the one in April. Both benefit the church, and you are permitted to take your donations as a nice deduction, within certain guidelines. There are TWO reasons this is wrong. God blesses people according to the condition of their heart, which means He knows your purpose.

    God blesses you according to your purpose. Shifting your money from the government to the church means you place the burden of the government agencies on other people. That may even include yourself. If your decision is because you'd rather have the church receive your money than the government, it is wrong. You are  making a personal choice because it is money you have to pay to someone. It is not from the heart. God's blessings are based on your heartfelt giving. It is money given with a grudge. This is not to say it is wrong to list the church as a beneficiary of your estate. Your tithe should also be from your heart. Matt. 6:24 tells

us "No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." God does not give a special blessing for a spite donation. What about taxes?

    Tax levies vary from state to state, but the impact that usually brings gripes is income tax. This is unfortunate, because it is probably the fairest system of all. Other taxes such as the sales tax, place a burden on families because they must buy to sustain all family members. The poorest families frequently have the most children or family members. The most damaging tax is a local tax collected for the school district. This is levied by the local school board---a body elected by local voters. This tax is borne by property owners. In New York State, if you don't pay this tax for three years, the county sells your property at tax sale. Any change in income or hardship doesn't matter. You lose your home and whatever other property you failed to satisfy in  the tax bill. Three strikes 

and you're out. Local people elect the school directors who set a budget and levy taxes. Renters pay no property tax, so schooling their children is a free ride. Owners must set rental rates to try and cover the schooling costs. For property owners, this is a must pay or you could wind up homeless.

    Griping is heavy on federal income tax, and less so on state income taxes. In both cases, the money you owe us determined by your income. No income, no tax. Your tax rate is based solely on your earnings. This is about as fair as it can be. It seems the more a person earns, the less he wants to pay. That's not just a personal problem, but a problem with companies and corporations. There is a gigantic greed problem that includes many Christians. The name of the game is to find loopholes in the tax laws. Unfortunately, only positions of wealth---businessmen, professionals, families with inherited wealth---can afford tax experts to find these excuses. This is not really good, smart business. It is greed. All these people and organizations use and benefit from the infrastructure---roads, police, armed forces, communications, etc. By severely  reducing their tax payments, the burden falls on people with less income and we create a deficit. There's nothing wrong with people or corporations making a profit, but scripture teaches us to have compassion and to share

our blessings.

   The belief that many people---those on welfare, fast food workers, and others on low wage jobs--don't pay taxes is completely false.  Even welfare recipients pay sales taxes. Any worker who receives a paycheck pays appropriate federal withholding taxes. People who have large incomes can afford to pay more taxes, not less. Our tax laws have been corrupted to enable corporations who make huge profits to actually receive refund checks. Wealthy people who have invested inheritance funds in the stock market make large profits because of rigged trading regulations. It's legal, but grossly wrong. Rules, regulations and tax rates are set by Congress (federal) and State Legislatures. These elected officials are mostly quite wealthy, and look out for Number One. 

    Since churches, congregations  and pastors use roads, police and fire protection, armed services protection and other improvements, they should not be tax exempt. Few Christians will agree with this, but Christ pointed out clearly in Matt. 17 and 22 (as quoted above),  that He paid both the synagogue and secular tax. Christians should follow Christ's example, which eliminates possible service to mammon.

Rev. Walbear

FELLOWSHIP

                                                   FELLOWSHIP

    Christians frequently speak of fellowship in the church, but few, including pastors and leaders, actually understand the purpose of Christian fellowship. Fellowship is a collective term for social interaction that gathers like-minded people together to pursue a common interest. It is the thrust of the socialization that merits the main purpose. We go to Hebrews 10:23-25. "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."

    There is another section of scripture in Matt. 18:20, where Christ deals with the gathering together. "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them." Christ was making it clear that the importance of gathering together was for His purpose, understanding His directions. The number of people could be small, such as a single family. The really major ingredient of the people gathered was they needed to be saved,  and applying His word. Some Christians equate a person's standing as a Christian with church attendance. Pastors stress the importance of church attendance for two reasons. If he is truly called to serve Christ, he needs to teach the word, not be a social director. If he is concerned with the money he is making and social popularity, he is not called. I realize I've probably lost some readers now, and I can hear the protests. "We have to make a living, too!" My answer is to agree, but if you're teaching faith as Christ did, you need to rely on God to provide if your congregation can't or doesn't.

    One woman challenged a Christian, saying he couldn't be a real Christian if he didn't attend church. Obviously the woman doesn't know or understand scripture, or she'd be familiar with Matt. 18:20. Many Christians fail to understand the difference between a social organization and a working organization. The church is not just a building with a group of people. The church is a gathering of saved people. Most church buildings house many unsaved people; most of them don't realize they actually are not Christians. They may  follow the traditional manner of the denomination's practice of service, but they are simply members of a social gathering. To put it in simple language, if you go to a garage, you are not a car or truck. You go there to receive professional knowledge and to get your vehicle in operating order. If you go to church, you should be learning God's word so you can actually behave like a Christian.

    The purpose of Christian fellowship is explained well in Hebrews 10:23-25. One of the purposes is to consider one another to stir up love and good works. Praying together is an act of faith, believing in Christ's promise, the rapture and eternal life. Then we come to the word "exhorting" one another. This requires the pastor or the leader where two or three (or four or five) are gathered together to study and interpret scripture. The understanding of just the four gospels is the basis for all Christianity. When you hear the claim by so many prominent politicians and leaders that they have faith, it certainly can't be Christian faith. How can pastors and professing Christians accept these apostate people? We are warned about this in several of the Epistles. People refuse to believe the truth because they have unChristian personal agendas or they don't understand scripture.

    We are told we attend church for the purpose of worship and praise. This is true, but this is not the main purpose. That purpose is to learn the word of God. Christ gave us directions in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. We need to understand His teaching in these four books before we delve into the Old Testament, the Acts, or Apostles. Without knowing the four gospels, it is difficult to understand the reasons for Acts and Epistles. The Old Testament gives us some background and understanding of God's judgement and punishment. Christ will be the eventual judge, but God does step in occasionally to take corrective action.

    It is unfortunate that church leadership is frequently based on the wrong qualifications. Carnal church leaders and congregation members sometimes choose or elect leaders---including pastors, elders, and others, on the basis of secular education or profession. The criteria for leadership should be spiritual knowledge. In one church, the pastor opposed gay people so openly that some gay members left the congregation. Where else will they learn the word of God? Would Christ turn them away? In another church, some members of the congregation turned away a man with a prison  record. Did Christ discriminate against anyone on any basis unless they rejected the word of God? He did not teach violence or any type of force. He taught truth as the Light of the World, and told us the

truth would set us free. Do you research the subjects presented to you, or do you accept an opinion?

    One unbeliever told me he wouldn't vote for a woman because she

would require all men to be clean shaven. Many pastors and church members of some denominations refuse to place women in leadership

positions. This is true even though the woman is well educated and

professional. Women were very instrumental in the Old Testament, and

in helping to found the Christian churches. Many men still refuse to accept women in leadership positions, and are surprised when you show them the scripture recounting their works. There are way too many men who still go back to Adam and Eve, and use a few passages from Genesis, without accepting Ephesians 5:28. "So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself."

    Our churches today are full of people with little knowledge or understanding of scripture. They don't study the bible, and prefer to watch video or rely on the pastor's message. Pastors know their attention span is very short, so there isn't that strong a message. It's give the congregation what they want. Many denominational leaders get hung up in their own rules and procedures. In one denomination, they teach church must be held on the Jewish Sabbath, Saturday. In another, church must be on Sunday. They seem to favor their personal interpretation over scripture. Mark 2:27 tells us in the words of Jesus, "And He said unto them, 'The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath. This clearly points out worship is not designated for a particular day of the week. Christ taught on Saturdays and Sundays. So did the disciples. If a priest or pastor teaches on the wrong day, is he sinning? There is no wrong day, as long as a day of rest and worship is observed in every week. 

    It cannot be stressed strongly enough that the main purpose of church attendance is to learn the word. If the word is known, good works will follow. Good works don't earn salvation, but are the  evidence of salvation.  Christianity today is suffering from self righteousness. These are church members who think they are more Christian than others, saved or unsaved. Many strict church members mistakenly equate salvation with conservatism. They are nowhere near the same. Christ taught compassion as you can see in the parable of the Good Samaritan. This is a lesson on sharing, which was originally taught by the disciples in Acts. Greed has enabled some church leaders and politicians to deliberately mislead church members by incorrectly defining the meaning of socialism. It does not mean everyone shares everything. It does not mean lazy people live the same lifestyle. It means compassion.

    American leaders enacted a noble method of man's government when they adopted our Constitution. That was 240 years ago. Now some leaders want to change it. It took 75 years and a war to provide equality and freedom the document promised. It took 150 years to finally give women the vote, and 200 years to provide part of the civil rights promised in the Constitution. We are now nearing the 250 year mark. That just happens to be the average length of historic national domination by countries or cultures of the world. Our denominational church rules follow a pattern just like the government. When we don't want to follow something we disagree with, we change it. Church people, as well as Gentiles, are working to alter scripture to suit their personal agendas. Political leaders refuse to follow the constitution or want to change it.

     You should know what happens when this takes place. Everything

crumbles and falls apart. When you review the previous paragraph, you

can see Americans have a poor record. Instead of being a Christian nation, we are a bigoted nation. Money controls our government and drives the tepid mega churches. Morality has fallen, and that includes within the church. Many churches have fallen for the get rich schemes

offered by slick con artists. Corporate headquarters are leaving the country. Jobs have been outsourced, manufacturing has gone to foreign

countries, wealthy people are stashing their money in off shore banks or "private" banks. We continue to rape the land, pollute the water, and practice discrimination of race, religion and nationality. In some  instances, we do it in the Name of Christianity.

    This is a pretty bleak picture, but it is reality. We can't continue to rely on misinformation, greed and hatred. The church and saved people have done little to rein in the growing destruction of our society. Lack of scripture knowledge--which is actually history--combined with false witness and greed will take its toll. The nation's idea of fellowship is a

social gathering. Fellowship should be the opportunity to provide  learning and knowledge. You have fellowship in school, lodges, and other organizations. Each has a purpose, and follows guidelines and requires some knowledge. There is always a main purpose. Christians' main purpose is to learn the word. If you know the word, the other purposes will naturally fall into place. There is no shortcut.

Rev. Walbear