It's Not Easy Feeling Green

There is a problem in the church.... relevant and contemporary, it is like a pond.

Life's waters can be turbulent, cold one minute, hot and  bubbly the next, feeling will be up and down, and sometimes in the turmoil of things, you might even feel like you need something to depend on.  Truth is, you need God.  He is dependable, trustworthy and true, solid as a rock.  Truth is, you need God always.  This is because everything but God, (who is the same yesterday today and forever,) is constantly changing, unstable. God is a very present help in time of need.

 It is in turbulent times that people seek a refuge, a shelter from the storm, something they can hold on to and trust in... and they find it, not in themselves, but in the Lord and in his promises.  But with clone-like churches being all about loud music, large crowds and pleasing humanity....(see the video at the  link featured above)  churches are being turned into ponds... only suitable for... those little green amphibious creatures that like lukewarm water.... frogs. 

Ideally, people go to church to learn more about Gods promises and his Word.   Ideally, they are likened unto sheep that know their shepherd cares for them, feeds them, waters them.... gets rid of the nasty parasitic bugs.  Their shepherd would tell them about following Jesus, the Good Shepherd of us all, and lo, though the sheep may walk through the valley of the shadow of death... they fear no evil... for Jesus, the Good Shepherd goes before them, and is always with them. 

Church pastors teach the word, preach the word and feed the sheep.  They tend the flock with loving care and  compassion. Well, that is what they are supposed to do.... and supposed to be  doing, but sometimes, (and you do not always notice this,) sometimes pastors,  instead of being shepherds of God's precious sheep, think themselves to be big shots.  Some become masters at telling sheep what to do and not do and instead of implementing stability, they are always implementing "change."  Sometimes these big shot ranchers look at all the helpless, "stupid" sheep and see nothing but "GREEN."  

It's weird for the sheep.  One minute they are out to pasture and the next.... 
PRESTO CHANGO!

The grass is soggy... not as tasty as it used to be.  The living water of God's word gets murky.  Instead of chapter and verse, they listen tp someone else  own life's experiences, over and over and over....  and the voice elaborates at length about things you never thought you'd hear in a holy place called "church." Pews become chairs, pulpits become stages, teachers turn into DVD machines, and Bibles turn into workbooks.  Even the pastor gets morphed into something else.  They call him the "leader" and everyone reads his published books instead of God's Word.

Sometimes to keep the sheep afloat as they speak to the audience, the leader will give a verse or two from the scriptures, usually from a newly created rendition of the Bible that has been printed solely for-profit's sake.  Quoting from books like this encourages Christians to remain in the pond longer while those with itchy ears visit the local Christian "supply" store to buy the writings of many books..  Other-times, the Bible is ousted completely and  no longer the center of wisdom at church .. the pastor/leader is.... and before long what used to be known as church has all the amenities of a wonderful green pond.  

 Pizza, coffee. and even beer is consumed in mass quantities as people gather together and call it "church;" but they are not gathered together to hear the preaching of God's word.  They are their for what they eat.  They are there for friends and fun and food.  They are there because they like the loud music and feel like they belong. 

 "Sheep are stupid" you'll hear the leaders teach and say.  
    (They falsely think that stupidity is why the Good Shepherd likened His people to sheep.)  
 The next thing you know, the "stupid" sheep... shrink into frogs.  It's a sea of vivid green... like an Emerald City in the land of OZ.  If you know anything at all in the pond you had better be looking green.  Dress right, talk right, act right..... be green.  Give green, spend green, get green....love the frogs.

There are no question and answer sessions.  Leaders are leaders, though some presfer to be known as ranchers.... and your job is to follow the rancher's commands.  You'll need to need to find something to contribute to it all, tithe and work in support of your pond like a good little green froggie should do.  You are also to invite other people to come hear your leaders croak and check out the good food, bookstore and great entertainment that is happening in your neck of the woods.

Before long, if you are a sheep you are up to your knees in murk, amazed and aghast at how strange it all feels to swim, or even tread water... instead of leap and hop..  Then you notice something happening.... over and over... people you know and love, one by one.... mysteriously disappear.  

Change.

" Where did he go?" "  What happened to her?"  "Have you seen, you know who? " And things go on as usual... changing... as if it is no big deal.

Contrary to what these frog ranchers let on to,   Christian church and doctrine is not in the process of metamorphic change.  Unbeknownst to then, sheep are gentle and curious. They follow the feeder.... the shepherd, and eat grass; green grass... not bugs that flourish in pond water.  Sheep are not frogs, and God never intended his people to be manhandled by ranchers, by or driven unmercifully by those who declare themselves to be masters of change.

It's not easy feeling green.

Plague of Frogs

God used frogs as a plague in Egypt, (read about it in the book of Exodus, chapter 8. ) The plague was rather grotesque. Can you imagine? Can you imagine frogs, frogs everywhere and everywhere a frog, or rather, frogs?

The plagues came at a time when frogs we being falsely worshiped by the Egyptians as "gods" (and goddesses) in place of the one true and living God. God's people.... stuck in the midst of this were being rescued by God, and to accomplish this, God sent Moses on a mission to have a little chat with Pharaoh.

"And the Lord spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve me. And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs: And the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into thine house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneading troughs: And the frogs shall come up both on thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants."

Pharaoh had been warned.

" And the Lord spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt. And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt. "

But Pharaoh was not the least bit fazed. No... he called his magicians and set them to work.

" And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt."
Weird isn't it that the magicians imitated God?

Can you imagine frogs everywhere? Then to make matters worse, the magicians conjure up even more frogs. Now, why did the magicians do THAT?

Were they showing that they were just like God? As powerful as he?

They would better have shown their power by removing the frogs, but they could not do that. They did not have the power to fix the problem. These men with all their magic arts were helpless;( they had no power to help themselves.) In fact, all they could do was make matter worse. 

The story has a happy ending though, because through it all and in various ways at various times, some people learned to rely on the power and goodness of God  Even Pharaoh realized that God, and only God could solve the problem....


"Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, entreat the Lord, that he may take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the Lord."

Respectfully, Moses agreed to destroy the frogs at Pharaohs request. 

"And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I entreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only?"

He even let Pharaoh name the day and time....

" And he said, To morrow."

"And he said, Be it according to thy word: that thou mayest know that there is none like unto the Lord our God. And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from thy people; they shall remain in the river only. And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh: and Moses cried unto the Lord because of the frogs which he had brought against Pharaoh. And the Lord did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the villages, and out of the fields. And they gathered them together upon heaps: and the land stank."


Then the next day, the frogs all died. Unfortunately, much like the bad religion of Egypt, they stunk up everything. And still Pharaoh's heart was not really into this God thing.  He just wanted what he wanted... to be rid of the frogs.... and he got his way..... after which he did not want to have anything to do with obeying God or letting the people go.

" But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said."

The result of pharaoh's hardened heart was worse than frogs.... it was a plague of lice.  However the magicians were powerless to both cure the lice problem and copy the Lord.

"And the Lord said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt. And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt. And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: so there were lice upon man, and upon beast. Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God"

The magicians pointed to what they called, the "finger of God." 

Interesting term.   In Luke 11, Jesus referred to his casting out of devils as the "finger of God" too.

Luke 11:19-20
"And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you."


And who do YOU say Jesus is?





In some weird way, I kinda like frogs. They are interesting creatures. I have to say though that I like frogs best when they are free-living natural creatures just like God made them to be and found in a river or pond, resting on the pads of lilies.... where they belong, eating the things that bug you.... and me.

In the story Pharaoh lets the people go.... finally, but only after the angel of death passed throughout Egypt.... and only those households with the blood of the Lamb over the doorposts were protected from harm.
                                              L.B.

Frog in the Kettle

Recently, while thinking of frogs and plagues and deception, I began pondering the notion of a frog in a kettle.  You have heard the story haven't you?  I had heard about the frog in the kettle several times in my lifetime, preached from the pulpit of a church no less. The story was to teach the congregation about the dangers of complacency.

The story goes, that if you put a frog, into a pot of hot boiling water, it will leap out right away in order to escape the danger; but if you  put a frog in a pot that is filled with  cool and pleasant water, then he will stay, because frogs love water.  It is where they feel right at home, an if you want to kill that frog, cook him and eat him, all you have to do is then slowly change the temperature of the water.   If you heat it slowly, the frog will not notice incremental changes in temperature, and with this gradual change unnoticed, the frog will stay in the pot and meet his demise.

I have never done an experiment to see if this is true, but someone wrote a book about it and marketed it to the church.   The book is by George Barna.... of the Barna Group,   the Barna Group supposedly, will teach readers of their research about the spiritual health of their cities.

But back to the frog...  are frogs really that stupid?  Do they really not notice the change amd desire to get out?

The people promoting the concept say that the frog in the kettle theory is possible because the body temperature  of the frog,with each gradual change, adapts itself nicely.  They say that people. like frogs are adaptable to change.   

As I said, I had heard the reference to this frog in the kettle many times in church.  The pastor was warning us as a congregation to take heed, be aware... be aware of deception, be aware of spiritual drift.  It creeps in around you without you even knowing it.... and then, it is too late.  His warning of not being like the frog in the proverbial kettle was warning us to be aware.  

 It's a great warning.  Change is always taking place and change is something to be aware of because it is not always a good thing.  Change naturally happens and some change is good.... but there is also some change that is not moving in the right direction for life and well being.  It's important to take heed and discern the changes going on around you.

Like a frog in frog life, when you notice strange things in your surrounding, when the water temperature begins rising, feeling strange and bubbly, when things do not seem like what they are supposed to be, do not be a "Fraidy- frog!" Do not be afraid to take action.  Listen, ask questions, find out what is happening to the temperature around you and if necessary,

                                                                jump! 

                                                                                     It might be time to get out.

Fishermen

I do not care for fishing.  I mean, I like the excitement of catching one on a hook, I like to eat it, but to kill the fish, scale it, clean it....no, I do not really care for that part of the experience.

Thinking about fish... I listened to bible teaching the other day that had some mention of "fishing." It really got me thinking....

If you have read the scriptures, perhaps you will remember that Jesus told those first followers of his, the apostles, that he would make them "fishers" of men.  The man teaching made the point that one should stop, take a moment and think about the fish.

That is what I have been doing of late.... thinking.


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(((Fish.)))   (((Fish.)))   (((Fish.)))   (((Fish.)))   (((Fish.)))   (((Fish.)))
<><  ><>  <><  ><>  <><  ><>  <><  ><>  <><  ><>  <>< <><

There they are swimming in their deep comfortable waters, not wanting to be caught at all.  After all, to be caught, scaled, cleaned and cooked up to feed another creature, would mean the death of the fish.

To the man or woman caught by the net of the gospel of Jesus Christ, gospel also means death of the old creature you once were.  Brought up from the darkness.... into the light.

It's a new life on dry land.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now about being a "fisher of men."

To be a fisherman, you have to be willing to go where the fish are, throw you line in with bait and wait and be very strategic.... even patient,  But there is another kind of fishing.... fishing with a net.

On the ocean, to be a fisherman, you have to be a little more rugged than your average sportsman fishing on a clear day at the lake in a boat.   You must know your coordinates, manage your boat, trust those who are fishing with you, and have the stamina to endure the rough and rolling, often unpredictable sea. Then you cast a net into deep water and painstakingly draw it our again... to see what the net catches, clean it and call it good day of fishing.  It's kinda like this type of fishing to be a fisher of men.

To be a true "fisher of men, one must know the Bible, understand the gospel, and be able to rightly divide the word of truth.  There is a certain camaraderie too that is shares by Christians... pastoral types and laypeople alike, a sense of trust and love that encourages and eases the trials and tribulations encountered in everyday life.   The fisher of men, casts the net of the gospel, preaching the word of God into dark areas of life in this world and when he is done he catches men of all kinds, colors shapes and sizes...... baptizes them in the name of the father the son and the holy spirit.... and calls it good. The gospel, when the gospel is preached, acts as a sort of net.  Those with ears to hear will hear and be drawn in.

Contrary to what some people think and teach,  The disciples.... later apostles... did not catch men by luring them with shiny deceptive delicacies upon a hook.  They used a net.



Amos 4:2.
 The Lord God hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you, that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks.

The Removal of the Dove

From this"

to this:

Then this:

to this:

c.US?

C.S.

Logo designer
http://www.klundthosmer.com/about-us/

Aligning With the Truth

Aligning With the Truth

Thanks you to whoever made this fine example of alignment done with black circles aligning on a gray colored line.  They all look like circles and all the circles appear to engage the line, but one shows the circles aligning with one another in a congruent fashion while the other shows circles taking their place on and around the line, but not in alignment.

Being in alignment means you are in a position of agreement. It means that you are in correct and proper relative position to the others who are like you.  Aligning with the truth means agreeing with it and positioning yourself in it properly.  

Viewing "truth" as the line and the circles as people, note how the people align and do not. People out-of-alignment position themselves anywhere they want and think that they are doing well, but these would be like the bottom example pictured above.  "in touch" with some aspect of the truth, they believe it does not matter how they line up.  Maybe it does matter.

Think of your spine.  Alignment is good. 

Christian, you want to be certain that you are aligned with the truth of Jesus Christ and his gospel.  Do not just pick and choose what you want to believe.  Read the truth believe it and align yourself with it.

Frog in the Kettle

I kinda like frogs...well I like them when  they are cute.  I like them more when they are contained, or are in the river where they belong, and when they are not overrunning everything as in the plagues of Egypt in the Bible.  They can be annoying I supposed if there were thousands of them croaking and croaking and croaking and croaking, and they are rather slimy, can carry salmonella (and sometimes they are poisonous,) but they do eat bugs like mosquitoes, so I appreciate them.   


And while frogs do not appear regularly my menu,  they are on the menus of many animals, like snakes and birds, and yes, frogs,( some varieties anyhow,) are edible to humans.  They are even sometimes found on the menus of some of the fanciest restaurants. Apparently, frogs they can be a tasty dish. 

Which brings me to the notion of a frog in a kettle.  Have you heard the story?

I goes kinda like this:  If you put a frog, into a pot of hot boiling water, it will leap out right away in order to escape being boiled for dinner. Supposedly, if you  put a frog in a pot that is filled with  cool and pleasant water, then he will be comfortable and stay (because frogs love water.)  It is where they feel right at home.    However, the pot is not for the benefit of the frog, but to the owner of the pot, and as such, once the frog is content, the pot owner can gradually heat the kettle until it starts boiling without the frog even noticing the changes in temperature.  Not being perceptive about his need to get out, he goes along with the changes until finally, the temperature is such that even if the frog wanted to, he'd be too hot to be able to hop out because he's half cooked already and all the time, he didn't even know it.
Ahhhh, the wonders of gradual change.   You never even realize it until it is to late. for the proverbial frog, the eventual boiling water was his demise. 

 It is a commonly told, used to illustrate many concepts.  Someone even wrote a book about it and marketed tit to the church.  George Barna, published this book in 1990.

The idea is behind this little trick to frogs is that it works because a frog's body adjusts its temperature, again and agian, with each gradual change.  It adapts itself nicely.   People. like frogs are adaptable to change, and as with frogs, in a way, this is good, because everything in life is subject to changes.  Without adapting, one might not survive.  On the othr hand, this adaptability is just the thing that can lead one astray or to moved off a normal course, because of implemented gradual change.  Sometimes people are intentionally lead astray by such a method, and the lying and manipulation that comes with it, is downright satanic.

George Barna writes his book for pastors of churches and many pastors everywhere have read his book.  /interestingly, in his book, Barna  cites no biblical references for what he is saying; it is just filled with a lot of research statistics.  I had heard the reference to this frog in the kettle theory and book by George Barna many times in my church, so I know my pastor read it.  George Barna's website refers to the man as the "most quoted person in the church today," and this may just be how it is.

The pastor, to the tune of the frog in the kettle, would warn us as a congregation to take heed, be aware... be aware of deception and how it creeps in around you and then, sometimes, before you even realize it, it is too late.  His point was, don't be like a frog in the proverbial kettle.   However, instead of holding fast to the truths of God and His Word, the pastor himself began to drift to a place of embracing "Change for the purpose of engaging the culture, the things that Barna and and various leadership experts were forecasting.

In retrospect, it seems as if having all this data from Barna (and others) to work with  (the statistics and research, the knowledge of knowing how to use the data and expert advice) made him think himself pretty smart.   Soon he was implementing all sorts of change to help him stay ahead of the game and help meet peoples deepest needs.  Always trying to remain relevant to the changing culture, while being biblical, just like he'd been taught, he moved into new things and let some things simply fall by the wayside.  Soon the old ways were completely gone.... even the old Bible Study methodology.... gone.

Nice sanctuary, big screens, it was cush.

 Things that were usual, ceased or morphed or new things were happening in their place.  We froggies just keep on doing the next thing, picking up the slack and embracing change.  For the most part people just kept on believing the best and trusting God was in control just the same. 

What kind of changes? There was a lot of "technology" implemented; bar-codes were used to keep track of kids, a social media was started, eliminating the participation of those in the church who were of an older generation and not tech savvy, or those who did not own a computer system of their own.  The sound system that had been invested in financially , was replaced with a "greater" and very expensive sound system so that we could hang on the pastor's every word and host cool concerts and events.  

The radio station that had sponsored our pastor ended without announcement.  Internet broadcasting of sermons live disappeared.  Our church got a "new website" (more than once) and in the end, this was merely a disguise for donning a new church name.  The newly built  kitchen at church was not making bread for the economic disaster that might come as was the impetus for the funding, but was open for "by donation" for breakfast on Sundays and dinner midweek, (pizza and salad.) Coffee was cheap and soon became "by donation" too.

People who had previously been simply refer, then before long red to as heads of ministry areas, suddenly were dubbed as "elders" in the church.  A " board of elders" suddenly appeared.  In just a few months the board of elders morphed away.  

One day we had one pastor and the next there were four.  A new board of elders appeared.  Some people we had never seen before in out congregation.

Communion methods changed.  Unleavened crackers and grape juice served open and passed around,  became to a prepackaged and difficult to open wafer and juice cup, picked up by individuals when they came through the door.  This was supposedly help prevent the spread of germs.  The bread in the package looked just like a Catholic Eucharistic communion wafer.   This two was changed.  Communion was served down in front.  individuals came forward and picked up a piece of bread which they then dipped in grape juice and returned with to consume at their seat.   Change after change, keep occurring and all the laypeople just kept adapting like good-little-frogs.  

At one point, a strange book showed up in our book store.  "Justification By Works" the title read; the subtitle: "How works vindicate true faith."

When a frog croaked about it, the pastor didn't blink an eye.  He ignored the frog and sent a message through an assistant saying that the book should be taken   "with a grain of salt." 
It became apparent that drift was more than I even could have imagined.  My pastor had no problem with the title of this book.  He had no qualms about displaying it in the bookstore for people to purchase and read and learn from.   I never, ever, thought to see the day when my church and more-so, my pastor,  that professed Christ alone and taught the scriptures would embrace such a things as "justification by works." 

The last thing I remember as I moved myself from this church was a meeting in which a video lesson was presented to a group I was in,  on "doctrine." The doctrine that was being taught was just plain weird and wrong.  In in days past someone in our church would be quite able to teach a group lesson like this,  but now, apparently, things changed.  No one could do this.  Now we had a video guest, (a "celebrity pastor" who was from another church altogether, a person not in, nor who had ever been a part of our fellowship,) and this man was not only arrogant, but teaching weird things of which no one in the audience, (I speak for me,) could ever question either publicly or privately.

 Things had "changed" for the bad.

Changes are normal and natural, and some changes are to be embraced, however, not every change is a moving in the right direction for life and well-being.   If one notices the water temperature rising, feeling strange and bubbly, if you are thinking that things just are not what they are supposed to be, it is time to stop, look and listen.  Ask questions, expect  biblical answers and loving response.  If possible, make a proper change in the right direction, and  immerse yourself in God's Word.   If you are feeling like a frog in a kettle, as I did,  it may be time to make a jump.

I did.

It took the realization that the ice blended frappuccino coffees after a lovely breakfast complete with a cinnamon roll, was a reason for some to come to church on Sunday morning... not necessarily was it for them to hear the word of God.  It took the realization that  one by one, people who were part of our lovely Christian fellowship and love, would simply "disappear." There was never any explanation.  People would appear and be put into leadership too.  When I came upon an old friend outside of the church setting, I found them wounded, broken, often limping over to another church.  Back at my church, not one dared to talk about it, they just kept sipping their frappuccinos and embracing whatever next change came along. 

The changes that came about were often simply perpetrated, done as if the change was something that was not new or different but that it was something that simply had been done all along.  The wool was thick over everyone's eyes. 

Christians need to learn to stand firm on solid ground, to be rooted and grounded in the Word, to abide in the love of God in Christ and love others.  Instead, the church is being sold the concept that the Church must change.   

If you're feeling like God's Word is scarce in your congregation and are seeing a lot of strange changes,  talk to your pastor about it, maybe he will stand in the crossroads and ask for the ancient paths; (Jeremiah 6:16. ) but then again, maybe not.  He might simply tell you to take it with a grain of salt.

 If you find that you are being trained to "ribbit" like a "good little froggie," expected to jump when you are told to by your "leader"...or find yourself adapting endlessly to changes being implemented without your understanding or consent, it is time to get out of the dangerous water, seek Jesus and ask God to give you green pasture.  

After all Christian, you are not a frog, but a sheep.