Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young: "Ohio"

This song documents the four fatalities at Kent State University on May 4th, 1970. Accounts differ regarding what cause the National Guard to fire into the crowd of protesters. Even so, it was a sad and shocking day for America.

Listen to the song here:

I'm glad Jesus made no secret that we followers would suffer persecution. As he warned his disciples in Matthew 10:17 and 18 (Bible in Basic English), "But be on the watch against men: for they will give you up to the Sanhedrins, and in their Synagogues they will give you blows; And you will come before rulers and kings because of me, for a witness to them and to the Gentiles."

Christ also warned that some deluded people will figure they're helping the Lord by persecuting followers of the Way. John 16:2 (BBE) reads, "They will put you out of the Synagogues: yes, the time is coming when whoever puts you to death will have the belief that he is doing God's pleasure."

This is nothing new. Right from the start, the haters of the righteous murdered the believers in God. We read in 1 John 3:12 (BBE) that we are, "Not being of the Evil One like Cain, who put his brother to death. And why did he put him to death? Because his works were evil and his brother's works were good. Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world has no love for you."

Even Old Testament saints suffered. As Hebrews 11:37 and 38 (BBE) states, "They were stoned, they were cut up with knives, they were tested, they were put to death with the sword, they went about in sheepskins and in goatskins; being poor and in pain and cruelly attacked, Wandering in waste places and in mountains and in holes in the rocks; for whom the world was not good enough."

If Christ hasn't arrived by Thursday, I hope to post about the folly of trying to catch the wind.

DC Talk: "Jesus Freak"

This song reminds me of myself during my junior high and high school days. I used to hand out tracts to the kids and I wore my Christian badges proudly. And when I had an opportunity, I defended Christ in class

Listen to this loud and proud song about our Lord here:

The worst persecution I suffered for the Master was mild compared to the suffering of God's apostles. Hebrews 11:36-38 (Bible in Basic English) reads, "And others were tested by being laughed at or by blows, and even with chains and prisons: They were stoned, they were cut up with knives, they were tested, they were put to death with the sword, they went about in sheepskins and in goatskins; being poor and in pain and cruelly attacked, Wandering in waste places and in mountains and in holes in the rocks; for whom the world was not good enough."

I'm glad Jesus made no secret of persecution to come when we follow him. He warned in John 16:2 (BBE), "They will put you out of the Synagogues: yes, the time is coming when whoever puts you to death will have the belief that he is doing God's pleasure."

I believe that when persecution comes to us, the Holy Spirit will strengthen us to go through it. Revelation 12:10 (BBE) reads, "And a great voice in heaven came to my ears, saying, 'Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ: because he who says evil against our brothers before our God day and night is forced down.' And they overcame him through the blood of the Lamb and the word of their witness; and loving not their lives they freely gave themselves up to death."

And lest anybody thinks God won't avenge those who would rather die than abandon Christ, Revelation 6:9-11 (BBE) shows his concern for his martyrs. "And when the fifth stamp was undone, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been put to death for the word of God, and for the witness which they kept. And they gave a great cry, saying, 'How long will it be, O Ruler, holy and true, before you take your place as judge and give punishment for our blood to those on the earth?' And there was given to every one a white robe, and they were ordered to take their rest for a little time, till the number was complete of the other servants, their brothers, who would be put to death, even as they had been."

No matter what happens, we must keep in mind John 12:25 (BBE). "He who is in love with life will have it taken from him; and he who has no care for his life in this world will keep it for ever and ever."

If Christ hasn't returned by Thursday, I plan on posting about pride and a great song by Deep Purple.

Saturday Song, The Beacon Street Union, "South End incident"

This is another song I discovered while shopping at a used record store. I'd never heard of this band but I took a chance on buying the disk. As things turned out, I loved the psychedelic sound and the compelling story of this song. Listen to it here:

I'm sure that any of us would be afraid if we witnessed a murder and we weren't sure if the killers saw us watching them. And though it's easier said than done, we do have one we can turn to in any crisis.

Saint Peter, no stranger to life-threatening situations, wrote in 1 Peter 5:6 and 7 (BBE), "For this cause make yourselves low under the strong hand of God, so that when the time comes you may be lifted up; Putting all your troubles on him, for he takes care of you."

Our Master also encourages us not to worry in Matthew 10:28 (BBE). "And have no fear of those who put to death the body, but are not able to put to death the soul. But have fear of him who has power to give soul and body to destruction in hell."

In the first century, many Christians were murdered by Romans and Pharisees alike. As Jesus warned in John 16:2 (BBE), "They will put you out of the Synagogues: yes, the time is coming when whoever puts you to death will have the belief that he is doing God's pleasure."

And thanks to the Apostle Paul, we have the assurance of stepping from life into the presence of our adored Master when we die. Philippians 1:21 (BBE) reads, "For to me life is Christ and death is profit."

For those who doubt that saints go straight to heaven, We have Saint John's vision in Revelation 6:9-11 (BBE) proving this. "And when the fifth stamp was undone, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been put to death for the word of God, and for the witness which they kept. And they gave a great cry, saying, 'How long will it be, O Ruler, holy and true, before you take your place as judge and give punishment for our blood to those on the earth?' And there was given to every one a white robe, and they were ordered to take their rest for a little time, till the number was complete of the other servants, their brothers, who would be put to death, even as they had been."

How nice that even if death comes, we don't just fade to black or sleep until the resurrection but dwell with Christ.

On Monday, if Christ doesn't return yet, I hope to post about why we must be mad at hell.

Saturday Song; Janis Ian, "At Seventeen"

This is a song which many of us, including myself, can identify with. It's hard not being the cool kid and being part of the "in crowd." Teens put  so much stock in being fashionable and doing what all the popular kids do.

According to Randy Bachman, Janis Ian actually wanted to write "eighteen"but it didn't "sing" well. So she dropped a year from the title and had a hit in 1975. Listen to it here:

To be a Christian is to be ostracized. Jesus warned his disciples of this in Matthew 24:9 (BBE) when he said, "Then they will be cruel to you, and will put you to death: and you will be hated by all nations because of my name."

Likewise, Christ told his disciples in John 16:2 (BBE), "They will put you out of the Synagogues: yes, the time is coming when whoever puts you to death will have the belief that he is doing God's pleasure."

By the way, the synagogue was the centre of the social life of Jewish society. To be disfellowshipped was to be an outcast and cut off from family and friends.

Why then are non Christians so hostile toward us? Christ answered that in John 15:19 (BBE) when he said, "If you were of the world, you would be loved by the world: but because you are not of the world, but I have taken you out of the world, you are hated by the world."

As it happened, the Lord's disciples were hated wherever they preached. Paul, a later convert, was slated for many hardships, as we read in Acts 9:15 and 16 (BBE). "But the Lord said, (to Ananias) 'Go without fear: for he is a special vessel for me, to give to the Gentiles and kings and to the children of Israel the knowledge of my name: For I will make clear to him what troubles he will have to undergo for me.'"

So don't feel abandoned or betrayed by God when people mock or shun you for your faith. They did so to Christ and all who believed in him.

On Monday, if Christ hasn't returned yet, I hope to post about how Christians are transitioning but into something wonderful.

How Did Saints React to Persecution?

As I said on Monday, the first-century believers reacted to persecution differently than the world's people would have. In this way, they proved that God's supernatural power helped them.

We read in the fourth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles that the members of the Sanhedrin told the disciples not to preach that Christ was risen and sent them out. Those disciples told their friends what had happened and then they prayed.

Acts 4:31 (BBE) shows how God answered them. "And when their prayer was ended, the place where they were was violently moved, and they all became full of the Holy Spirit, preaching the word of God without fear."

In the next chapter, the disciples ran afoul of the Sanhedrin again. After some discussion, Sanhedrin members  beat the disciples and sent them away. Acts 5:41 (BBE) says, "So they went away from the Sanhedrin, happy to undergo shame for the Name."

But is there no occasion where Christians can claim our lawful rights? Paul and Silas did that in Acts 16:35-37 (BBE) after being unlawfully imprisoned. "But when it was day, the authorities sent the police, saying, 'Let these men go.' And the keeper said to Paul, 'The authorities have given orders to let you go: come out now, and go in peace.' But Paul said to them, 'They have given us who are Romans a public whipping without judging us, and have put us in prison. Will they now send us out secretly? no, truly, let them come themselves and take us out.'"

So, when can we claim our rights? Only when the law of the land allows it. Many times in the New Testament, believers suffered punishment without having any legal remedy. We read about that in 1 Peter 3:17 (BBE) which says, "Because if it is God's purpose for you to undergo pain, it is better to do so for well-doing than for evil-doing."

And as we read in Hebrews 11:37 and 38 (BBE), many faithful followers refused to escape persecution in favour of gaining a better reward. "They were stoned, they were cut up with knives, they were tested, they were put to death with the sword, they went about in sheepskins and in goatskins; being poor and in pain and cruelly attacked, Wandering in waste places and in mountains and in holes in the rocks; for whom the world was not good enough."

Because we faithful Christians are attacked, even by those who call themselves faithful to God, I'm writing a book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? As Jesus warned his disciples in John 16:2 (BBE), "They will put you out of the Synagogues: yes, the time is coming when whoever puts you to death will have the belief that he is doing God's pleasure." How sad that earnest folks still end up doing Satan's work.

On Saturday, I hope to publish a post about people's contentious attitudes.

Which Religion is the Peaceful One?

One objection I often hear from atheists is that Christianity promotes war. People claim that most of the wars in the world were started by Christians. But is this really true? And which sort of "Christians" waged war?

This assumption of Christian culpability is based on an erroneous belief that all who call themselves Christians are Christian. The truth is  that genuine followers of Christ obey his commandments. The second-most important one is given by Jesus in John 13:34 (BBE). "I give you a new law: Have love one for another; even as I have had love for you, so are you to have love one for another."

But somebody might ask, "Don't all religions teach that?" It is true that religions teach that one should love their families and friends. But Christianity goes much further by teaching we should love our enemies. As Jesus said in Luke 6:35 (BBE), "But be loving to those who are against you and do them good, and give them your money, not giving up hope, and your reward will be great and you will be the sons of the Most High: for he is kind to evil men, and to those who have hard hearts."

"But what about the crusades?" somebody will ask. Those happened two-hundred years after Islamic warriors invaded Europe. Many Christians were martyred for their faithfulness to Christ. And while many Christians went to help their siblings, others were unconverted glory-seekers. They lacked the love of our Saviour.

We know also that the Inquisition and the wars between Catholics and Protestants were political. In fact, many martyred saints who were called apostates were actually true followers of our Lord. As Jesus aptly put it to his disciples in John 16:2 (BBE), "They will put you out of the Synagogues: yes, the time is coming when whoever puts you to death will have the belief that he is doing God's pleasure."

Christ also gave a parable about a farmer whose field was contaminated with tares. Matthew 13:37 and 38 (BBE) says, "And he made answer and said, 'He who puts the good seed in the earth is the Son of man; And the field is the world; and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom; and the evil seeds are the sons of the Evil One;'"

So we know that our churches are infiltrated with false Christians. They do their best to make us look our worst. I'll write about this in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? Far too many churchgoers aren't born again and therefore they sin out of the sight of real believers.

On Thursday, I'll post about what it means to be born again.

The Sincerity Error

Have you ever met people who chided you for condemning the errors of people's faiths because they're sincere about them? Since when does sincerity make anything right?

The Bible doesn't say either way, yet it appears that Cain was sincere in his offering to God. But, as Genesis 4:5 (KJV) states, "But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell."

We learn from this verse that God expects to receive offerings in the way he prescribes. No matter how sincerely a person does things for the Lord, their efforts won't be accepted by God unless they're done his way.

I'm sure that many first-century Pharisees were sincere believers in their religious rites. But Jesus warned his disciples in John 16:2 (KJV) that, "They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service."

Today, we have zealous Muslims who believe what the Qu'ran says regarding coercing unwilling infidels and killing apostates. Does their sincerity absolve them of the charge of assault or murder?

Furthermore, a zealous Pharisee named Saul thought he was doing God service by persecuting Christians. But in Acts 9:4 (KJV), we read how Jesus himself confronted him about his sincere beliefs. "And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, 'Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?'"

I could provide many more examples but you get the point. I'll also tackle this subject in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? Sincerity doesn't make anything right, as naive believers think. They need reality to mug them in a way that will show how mistaken they are.

In my next post, I'll deal with the notion that people are born basically good. That's as wrong as wrong can be.