By John Stallings
Dear Sir/madam,
If our nation survives, this time in history will be remembered as the time when the Constitution was trashed, the founding father’s principles were trodden underfoot, precious freedoms for which blood was spilt were arbitrarily destroyed, politicians in Washington arrogantly made up the rules as they went along & governed against the will of the people.
It will be remembered as a time when the law was circumvented by our national leaders deigning to insert themselves as the law, slowly dismantling our Democratic way of life.
Mr. Obama, you seem to be not only someone who isn’t convinced of American exceptional ism, but someone who resents the very country who elected him. While we wage righteous wars to liberate people of other countries you & your party are passing laws to curtail the freedoms in our country.
You have traveled the world bowing to our enemies & snubbing our friends. You caved to Russia by signing a nuclear agreement that could have been written by Putin himself.
I never thought I’d see the day when I’d hear America’s president begrudgingly say “America is a Superpower whether we like it or not, & because of this we run the risk of being drawn into some dangerous global situation.”
I didn’t realize when we sent our best & brightest to spill their blood on distant soil to beat back oppression & feed starving millions that we were “being drawn into some situation.” I thought we did it because that’s who we are.
Personally, I like the idea of my country being a dominate superpower, especially when I consider the alternative. I don’t even understand a mentality that has to question whether or not we like America being powerful.
I’ve been disturbed by your traveling the world apologizing for this great nation. If this country is so abysmal, why are there no lines streaming out of the U.S of A. I’m sure you’ve noticed they’re lined up trying to get in. Isn’t it interesting; they’re coming from the countries you think we ought to emulate & coming to the country you’re doing your best to “Fundamentally transform?”
The United States has gladly assumed enormous burdens of manpower & treasure to defend & provide a shield for the free world against hostile regimes & takeovers. Just in recent weeks we’ve led the way in supplying manpower & materials to rebuild nations that have been torn apart by natural disasters.
Our hardworking farmers have shouldered the task of feeding the world with our vast supply of grain. We have the greatest cities, national parks, system of super-highways, health care & research facilities, educational establishments, the greatest vacation spots, the greatest corporations & proportionally the largest middle-class of any nation in history. Why don’t you ever talk about these things?
I never thought I’d see the day when honest dissenters would be called racists. On the whole, Americans aren’t racist. If this was a nation of racists, there couldn’t be a black president.
Mr. Obama, in the dead of night, you have forced through a health care program that will not work, [thus far none of your programs is working] increased our national deficit & put yourself at loggerheads with the policies of Israel, a tiny nation trying to survive. I might add- a nation that has always been America’s friend.
No president in my memory has ever divided the country as quickly & pervasively as you have. What’s more, you don’t seem to care. What’s even worse, you seem to have no regard for, nor will to hear the voices of the people who elected you to office.
Speaking of division, you will no doubt remember the ancient story of Solomon & the two women both claiming to be the mother of the same baby. Wise Solomon declared there is only one solution: the baby must be split in two, each woman receiving half of the child. The liar screamed “divide it.” Solomon instantly gives the baby to the real mother realizing that the true mother’s instincts were to protect her baby while the liar revealed that she didn’t truly love the child.
This- to me has always been a perfect metaphor that applied in a marriage, family, church or a nation i.e.—the individual with counterfeit affection never seems to mind standing by & watching unity & cohesion destroyed.
I never thought I’d see a president lead us to abandon our plans for continued space exploration & further explain that a system we paid billions for would fade into oblivion. From now on we’ll hitchhike into space with the Chinese or the Russians & very soon the space-stations flying above our heads will be controlled by someone other than Americans. Not a good scenario.
I never thought I’d hear Scientists clap their approval when their president tells them—“Forget the moon, let’s go to an Asteroid.” Maybe they’d also like to forget that soon there’ll be an outpost on the moon or some other planet but it won’t belong to Americans. I understand that these scientists would like to keep their jobs & not join the growing millions of unemployed, many of whom have given up even looking for work.
I never thought I’d see the day when so many promises would be broken, so many lies would be told, congress would deliberate behind closed doors, bribe its membership, & marginalize those who couldn’t be co-opted or bribed.
I never thought I’d see the congress of The United States act so arrogantly, saying - “we’re not worried about the Constitution,” or “there are no rules here, we’re making it up as we go along,” & calling our Founding Fathers a bunch of “old rich white men.”
I never thought I’d see the day when the President, the Speaker of the House, & other leaders would so shamelessly destroy the trust the people have always given them & be affected by it about as much a gnat landing on their sleeve.
I never thought I’d see a president & congress take an oath to uphold the law, & then turn around & in one fell swoop strike death-blows to the many accomplishments of Statesmen & Patriots over a span of more than two-hundred years. I wonder; are America’s leaders out to destroy Western Civilization?
I never thought I’d see the day when we no longer felt our leaders worked for us but rather, -now, we work for them, & elected officials would place their personal preferences above the welfare of the nation.
I never thought I’d see such naked abuse of power; when congress wouldn’t act in our best interest but conversely, treat us like juveniles -saying –“when you see what we’re ‘getting you,’ you’ll like it.” Really?
I never thought I’d see the day when our congress would, irregardless of public outcries, like a drunken deaf-mute, waltz happily off the cliff of fiscal irresponsibility.
I never thought I’d see the day when a group of grown men & women would forget that “Robin Hood’s goals didn’t justify Robin Hood’s actions” & good intentions can’t provide cover for criminal activity.
Mr. Obama, I never thought I’d see the day when the press, who obviously are so jaded & debauched that they have turned the truth into a lie, would forget that their Constitutional duty is to be a clearing house for the truth. Our national press whose job it is to keep watch over our government, whether it is led by Democrats or Republicans, today is firmly ensconced in your hip pocket.
I never thought I’d see the president, congress & the press actually believe they’d “pulled the wool” over the electorate’s eyes on health care, saying concern for the uninsured caused them to engage in unbelievable corruption, based on lust for power & control.
When you mock the tea-party movement, & equate their skepticism of your administration with a tendency toward violence, you are reminiscent of a hospital patient strolling down the hall with no idea his gown is open, giving a whole new meaning to “the ICU unit.” Treating a large segment of the population with disdain as you do makes it obvious to us that you’re trying to camouflage your fear with sarcasm.
Speaking of the tea parties, I noted that when asked what you thought of the tax day tea parties, you said you were "unaware of them." My question would be, were you "unaware" of them in the same sense that you were "unaware" of the sermons preached in the church you & your family attended for twenty years? Were you unaware in the same sense that you were unaware that your own aunt was living in this country illegally? Were you unaware in the same sense you were unaware your own brother was living on pennies a day in Kenya? Were you unaware in the same sense that you were unaware of the fact that a man you nominated for Secretary of Commerce was under investigation in a bribery scandal? Were you unaware in the same sense that you were unaware the man you nominated for Secretary of Health & Human Services was a tax cheat? Were you unaware in the same sense that you were unaware that the man you nominated to be Secretary of the Treasury was a tax cheat? Were you unaware in the same sense that you were unaware that the men you nominated for U.S Trade Representative & Chief Performance Officer were also tax cheats? Were you unaware in the same sense that you were unaware that the man you nominated to be #2 at the Environmental protection Agency was under investigation for mismanaging $25 million in EPA grants?
With all due respect sir, it seems to me there are people in comas who're more aware of what's going on than you are.
I for one am not a hater & I don’t believe the people who form the resistance to your agenda are either. We just believe that your health care program is more about creating more government dependency than it is about health. We do have a strong conviction that the temporary inhabitants of high office should comply with the Constitution, honor God-given unalienable rights, & respect our hard-earned private property. Frankly, it does seem to me that the left hates America when they’re not running it.
You are oblivious to the people who’re watching you, like a man who is jabbering away unaware of the glob of mayonnaise clinging to the corner of his mouth while the rest of us keep motioning for him to wipe it off -to no avail.
I never thought I’d see the day so many principles would be sacrificed on the alter of one issue [health care] & so many Americans would go to the streets because they had no where else to go, feeling they were now at the mercy of tyrants.
I never thought I’d see the day in America when we could no longer express our disapproval with words like Disappointment & Disillusionment. Now we find ourselves using words like, Shocked, Disgusted, Terrified, Outraged & Infuriated.
HOWEVER MR. OBAMA, I'D LIKE TO THANK YOU
You have awakened a sleeping giant. You’ve done a favor for the conservative’s that no one else could do. You’ve galvanized us & filled us with an awesome resolve & in your heart I think you know what that portends for you in November. Bill Clinton assured you if you got your version of health care passed your popularity would skyrocket. Just the opposite happened. If it’s humanly possible, your health care bill will be repealed & de-funded in coming months & years.
You were unwise to allow blind ambition to cause you to want too much too soon, but in your over-reach, your “fig leaves” drooped, showing us who you really are.
I also thank you for reminding us of something we temporarily forgot;
Laws mean nothing if they can’t or won’t be enforced. We also forgot that in electing a president we give him the power to destroy us if he so chooses. Is that what you really are attempting to do?
Know this; we’ll never trust you again & it’s a good guess that we’ll never trust national leadership again, at least not for a very long time.
America made a dreadful mistake in electing you. We were gullible. We should have educated ourselves much more than we did about the leaders who would impact our lives in such profound ways. The clarion call- “Wake up America” hasn’t been used over & over for decades for no reason.
It doesn’t do us any good to stick our heads in the sand at this point, because-at least for now - you own the beach.
But we’ll turn this situation around. We’ll turn it around with work, fervent prayer & at the ballot box in November. The sheep that stood still while they were being shorn won’t stand so silently when you start skinning them, & you will.
I have many regrets as I write this letter. Although few would listen to me, I did write several articles before you were elected, pointing out that we didn’t even know who you were. I’m sure I was preaching to the choir. I regret I couldn’t do more, but I’m not a political operative & don’t do this for a living.
I never thought in my worst nightmares that I’d end up feeling like I feel at this moment, -but here I am.
Just remember this truism ; “Once bitten, twice shy!”
We will not forget. As far as the election of this coming November is concerned, we’re there.
May God save our great Republic! I believe He will.
Regards,
John A. Stallings
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
There Will Be Blood!
By John Stallings
A group of mountain climbers were climbing in the Swiss Alps. The lead climber lost his footing & fell, dragging the next two climbers after him.
The other climbers braced themselves for the jolt. As the three went over the cliff the rope pulled tight & suddenly broke in half. The others watched in horror as their three fellow climbers fell four thousand feet to their death on the glacier below.
Once the others were safely back they examined the broken rope. They discovered that there was no red strand running through it. The special type of rope they used had an identifying red strand. It had special strength to withstand the extreme tension they had experienced in their accident that day. The current rope, though, was a cheap imitation. It was a weak substitute. It cost three men their lives.
Most of us remember hearing in Sunday School about a red strand that runs through the Bible. That red strand is a strand of blood. If that red strand is left out what is left is weakened to the endangerment of the souls of men. It loses its power to save.
Sadly, blood is such a repulsive thought to many that they’ve sought to remove its mention from Christian songbooks. However, when speaking of Christ’s passion, bible writers use the word “blood” three times as often as “death.” Jesus could have died in many different ways without shedding His blood, but there is a special significance in that precious blood being shed.
We live in a sad hour. Many of the main-line denominations are proclaiming a mere social gospel. As for me, the blood is the bed rock of my faith & I’ll cling to this blood & its power to save & keep. Apart from the blood of Christ we’re all doomed to spend eternity in a devil’s hell. Others may call it unnecessary but I’ll just stick with the blood of Jesus. Robert Lowery got it right when he penned,--“Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”
THE MODERN DAY CHURCH IS LOSING BLOOD
Songs like “Nothing but the blood,” “There is a fountain filled with blood,” “Are you washed in the blood,” & “There is power in the blood” are still sung in some places but fewer & fewer & there aren’t that many newer songs or praise choruses focused on the blood. The Cross, yes; redemption, yes; but the Blood, not so much. We’re eager to speak of life but hesitant to speak of blood. I’m told that even among Catholics, centered as they are on the Eucharist, they are more apt to speak of “the Cup” than “the Blood.” Could it be true that with our churches designed to look like malls, with information booths, coffee shops & book stores with everything bright & shiny, we wittingly or unwittingly are trying to remove the sting of offense from an “arcane bloody gospel?” Are we trying to distance ourselves from what has been called a “slaughterhouse religion?”
THIS MIGHT DISTURB YOU
Vampires are hot stuff right now. These creatures leer from the covers of books, magazines, T.V & movie screens. Vampires lust after their prey wherever they can be found. Following up on the Twilight movies, Stephenie Meyer’s wildly popular vampire-romance series, hundreds of vampire publications have been published in the last three years. These vampire stories borrow greatly from Christian theology, because of the idea of achieving immortality through blood.
Like it or not, & most of us will not, these modern parodies mimic Christianity because of the ingesting of blood. This is what we do symbolically at the communion table. Of course the drawing of a parallel between the vampires who live on blood & the atoning nature of Christ’s blood is a cheap counterfeit of the true salvation offered through the blood of Jesus.
In a medical setting blood is considered to be a hazard. Steps are taken to cover clothes, eyes & hands from contact with the patient’s blood. Rescue workers are constantly trained to take precautions to avoid contact with the blood. HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C can be transmitted through accidental contact with an infected person’s blood.
There is one man’s blood however that is sought after by those who recognize its importance. Although man’s blood can kill, Christ’s blood can heal. Those who wash in it become free & forgiven. It’s strong enough to wash the clogged, putrid, infected & malignant puss of sin from your heart, soul & mind. It can wash away all of our tears, broken hearts & broken souls. Christ’s blood opens the windows of your heart & lets the sunshine in.
BLOOD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
From outside the gates of Eden in Genesis 4, to inside the gates of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21, the Bible is filled with the importance of blood in regards to salvation.
We first hear of blood with the animal sacrifices Abel made unto God. Later, Noah offered sacrifices to God. Abraham was tested by God when he was commanded to offer Isaac as a sacrifice.
It’s interesting to me that if a person picks up a Bible & reads from the first page, in 22 chapters they come to the story of God’s command to Abraham to sacrifice his son & God subsequently stopping him & allowing a ram to be sacrificed instead.
One might think that God would tuck this story further back in His Word, after a person had a chance to read more “uplifting” things. People might be turned off reading a story like this before they have an opportunity to read more about the wondrous love & grace of God. People might misunderstand & say something like, “well, this Christianity certainly is a gruesome business.” It’s possible that a person might not read any further after reading this story, in spite of the fact that God didn’t require Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.
The point being; God didn’t think a blood sacrifice was somehow “off the reservation.” God takes the shedding of blood seriously. He doesn’t seem to concern Himself in the least with someone finding the subject distasteful. This fact should & certainly does tell us something very important.
The story is told of a large religious service that was being conducted at the Golden Gate Exposition in San Francisco. The Christians in attendance became aware that the minister delivering the main address wasn’t thoroughly Christian. He was a great speaker but it was evident he was directing his eloquence against the power of the blood of Christ. When the old “wind-jammer” finally finished, you could have heard a marshmallow fall on a carpet.
Everyone knew something would have to be said, but no one knew what to say. Finally a, timid elderly lady stood up in the audience & began to softly sing the great hymn written by William Cowper as a rebuttal to the modernist minister. A hush fell over the place as the folk assembled there heard the faint but familiar words;
“There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins, and sinners plunged beneath that blood lose all their guilty stains.” Before the lady could complete the second verse, approximately a hundred people rose to join her. By the time she reached the third verse nearly a thousand Christians all over the audience were singing that wonderful song of faith. Then these words were sung by the joyous crowd, -Dear dying Lamb thy precious blood shall never lose its power, till all the ransomed church of God be saved to sin no more.
For the Jewish people, an important festival related to blood. While they were slaves in Egypt, the death angel was going to pass over the land. They were to take a lamb without blemish & slaughter it & some of the blood was to be placed on the doorposts & the lintel of their houses.
The blood shall be a sign for you, upon the houses where you are; & when I see the blood, I will pass over you & no plague shall fall upon you to destroy you. [Ex. 12:13]
Just as the Jews were slaves in Egypt, you & I were slaves to sin. But that was before the blood of Christ was shed for us on Calvary. In the Law of Moses, the Jews were given numerous regulations that involved the use of blood.
Listen to Leviticus 17:11—For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it for you upon the alter to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement, by reason of the life.
BLOOD IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
Jesus was riding high in the popularity polls of Israel until the day He pulled out His “cannibal sermon.” In John 6:50-60, Jesus began to talk about his broken body & His blood. He told the people that unless they ate His flesh & drank His blood they had no life in them. Slowly the crowds started to dwindle away. They didn’t grasp the concept; neither did the disciples grasp the concept. To be frank, they weren’t anywhere near the concept yet. It must have been a sobering moment when Jesus looked at His twelve disciples & said,-will you also go away?
At the institution of the Lord’s Supper, Jesus explained it further; -This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.-Mt. 26:28
Paul said, -Whom God has set forth to be a propitiation, through faith in His blood…Roman 3:25
The apostle Peter reminded Christians,-You know that you were ransomed….with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without spot or blemish. 1 Pet. 1:18-19
In Revelation a scene in heaven is observed where no one is found worthy to open a scroll. Then we read;
And they sang a new song saying, thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals…for thou wast slain & hast redeemed us to God by thy blood…Rev. 5:9.
Not Abel’s blood that cried out from the ground,
Not that blood.
Not the blood of bulls & goats,
Not that blood.
Not the millions of gallons of blood that was shed over many hundreds of years, that had no power to cleanse,
Not that blood.
Not the blood of murder & mayhem,
Not that blood.
Not the 50,000 deaths of the American Revolutionary War,
Not that blood.
Not the 646,000 causalities of the Civil War,
Not that blood.
Not the multitude of casualties of WW1 and of WW11,
Not that blood.
Not the 211,000 American soldiers who died in Vietnam,
Not that blood.
Not the multiple thousands of casualties of the war in two Iraq wars,
Not that blood.
Not the blood of millions of martyred Christians throughout the centuries,
Not that blood.
The blood of Christ alone. One man. One cross. One blood.
The apostle John explains that the shed blood of Jesus is the cleansing agent in the life of the Christian throughout our lives. He writes;
If we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.-1 Jn.1:7
If I’m reading that right, if you & I aren’t having fellowship with those of like precious faith, it must follow that we’re not walking in the light.
1. THE BLOOD OF CHRIST’S BACK PROVIDES HEALING.
When He walked the earth it was mandatory that Jesus heal people because it had been prophesied that He’d be a healer.
One of God’s first promises to Israel in the Old Testament was---I am the Lord your God who heals you. He called Himself Jehovah-Rapha, meaning-God our healer. Jesus, being God’s son, did exactly what His father did.
Isaiah said, speaking of Christ -Surely He took up our infirmities & carried our sorrows…but He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him and by His wounds we were healed.-Ish. 53:4
Throughout the Old testament God showed Himself as a merciful healer.
Pilate’s lacerating whip on Jesus’ back provides us with divine healing. I might add right here; when ObamaCare finally kicks in & America sees what it really is, we’re all going to have to go back to divine healing. Thankfully, Doctor Jesus is still making house calls.
2. THE BLOOD PROVIDES FOR US A SOUND MIND.
A crown of thorns was placed on Christ’s head & a Roman soldier probably took a spear & struck it, causing the thorns to stick deep into His brow. One writer has said the long spike-like thorns could have easily stuck down through His eyelids making prison bars for Him to look through on His way to Calvary.
Christ’s mind never entertained one vile affection. For thirty-three years He walked in a body subject to the same temptations as were are yet Satan never succeeded in polluting His mind. This means you & I can silence the accuser’s mental attacks by declaring victory through the blood that spilled from Christ’s crown of thorns.
The reason our minds endure constant assault is because life’s battles are fought there. It’s Satan’s preeminent area of attack. He attacks when we’re awake & when we’re asleep. He attacks with tormenting thoughts, bizarre dreams, fearful flashbacks & attacks our conscious & subconscious mind.
Friend, here’s how we can counter every Satanic attack. Rebuke him with the blood of Christ. When you plead the blood against old Satan, you remind him that he ripped into Christ’s body with a whip, nails, thorns, & a spear, drawing that Holy Blood. When you do that, he’s hearing you recount the worst mistake he ever made. You can be sure Satan won’t linger & let you pummel him by pleading the Blood.
1 Corinthians 2:16 says we can claim “The mind of Christ.” Paul told Timothy—God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power, love & a sound mind. [2T1 1:7]
Hebrews 9:14 says, How much more then will the Blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death so that we may serve the living God.
2 Corinthians 10:5 says—We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Christ’s death liberates the mind. Don’t permit Satan to harass you with the Blood-covered, confessed sins of your past. Christ’s Blood has freed you from that bondage.
3. FROM CHRIST’S RIVEN HANDS AND FEET HE PROVIDES VICTORY FOR OUR WORK AND OUR WALK.
There’s an interesting Old Testament passage that deals with the application of blood on the Levite priests. Leviticus 8:23 says that priests were sprinkled with blood “on the lobes of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet.”
This emphasized anointed hearing, anointed working and anointed walking. The blood anoints our work and our walk.
4. THE BLOOD FROM CHRIST’S SIDE PROVIDES FOR CLEANSING OF THE SOUL.
The spear going near Christ’s heart opens up a flow that cleanses from all sin. Leviticus tells us that life bubbles from the circulatory system. It’s impossible to live without blood. Our eternal life depends on Christ’s uncontaminated thoroughly Holy Blood.
A person may know all about the Blood theologically but unless it’s applied to their lives, nothing will happen. I can go to a Doctor & get a prescription, but if I take the medicine home & never open the bottle & ingest the medication, it can’t help me. I could go to the computer & Google the medicine until I knew everything about it but if I never took the medicine I’d get no help from it. You may have heard about Jesus all your life but until you by faith receive Him into your life His redemptive power is of no advantage.
Many years ago in Detroit, Michigan, the famous evangelist Dr. Charles Finney preached on the text-“The blood on Jesus Christ, God’s Son cleanseth us from all sin. 1 John 1:7
After the service a stranger asked Dr. Finney to walk home with him. Advised against it by church officials who knew the man, Dr. Finney went with the man.
Ushering the preacher into the rear of a building, the stranger locked the door & put the key in his pocket. “Don’t be afraid, I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to ask you a few questions. Do you believe what you preached tonight?”
Dr. Finney said, “I most certainly do.”
The man continued, “We’re in the back of a saloon. I’m sole proprietor. Mothers come in here, lay their babies on the counter & beg me not to sell liquor to their husbands. I turn a deaf ear to their cry. We see to it when a man leaves here he’s well under the influence. More than one night a man leaving here has been killed by the train the runs behind the saloon. Dr. Finney, tell me, can God forgive a man like me?”
Finney replied, “I have but one authority, the Word of God which says, “The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
“But that’s not all” added the man. “In another room we run a gambling hall. If a man doesn’t spend all his money on liquor, we bring him back here & with marked cards see to it that he’s fleeced out of his last dollar. We often send men home penniless to a hungry family. Dr. Finney, I’m sole owner. Tell me honestly, can God forgive a man with a heart like that?”
Again Finney replied, “I have but one authority, the Word of God which says, “The blood of Jesus Christ God’s Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
The man spoke again.” That’s not all. Across the street is my home where live my wife & little daughter. Neither one has had a kind word from me for five years. Their bodies bear marks from my brutal attacks. Dr. Finney, do you think God could forgive a man like me?”
Finney’s head lowered. His eyes filled with tears as he said, “My friend, you have painted one of the darkest pictures I’ve ever gazed upon, but I still have one authority which says, “The blood of Jesus Christ God’s Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
The man opened the door, ushered the preacher into the night, then never left that room till daybreak—not before ripping up the decks of cards & pouring the contents of the bottles down the sink. Across the road at home he sat in his living room. His little girl called, “Daddy, Mother said breakfast is ready.” When he answered his little girl kindly she ran back to her mother, “Daddy spoke kind to me. Something is the matter.” The mother followed her little girl to the living room. The man took one on each knee he explained to their amazement that they had a new husband & daddy. He said, “I’m done with that business across the street!
The man later became a member, then later a leader in a leading Detroit church. When asked to tell how his life was changed, he’d reply, “The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
It reaches to the highest mountain.
It flows to the lowest valley.
The blood that gives me strength from day to day,
it will never lose its power.
Andréa Crouch
Blessings,
John
A group of mountain climbers were climbing in the Swiss Alps. The lead climber lost his footing & fell, dragging the next two climbers after him.
The other climbers braced themselves for the jolt. As the three went over the cliff the rope pulled tight & suddenly broke in half. The others watched in horror as their three fellow climbers fell four thousand feet to their death on the glacier below.
Once the others were safely back they examined the broken rope. They discovered that there was no red strand running through it. The special type of rope they used had an identifying red strand. It had special strength to withstand the extreme tension they had experienced in their accident that day. The current rope, though, was a cheap imitation. It was a weak substitute. It cost three men their lives.
Most of us remember hearing in Sunday School about a red strand that runs through the Bible. That red strand is a strand of blood. If that red strand is left out what is left is weakened to the endangerment of the souls of men. It loses its power to save.
Sadly, blood is such a repulsive thought to many that they’ve sought to remove its mention from Christian songbooks. However, when speaking of Christ’s passion, bible writers use the word “blood” three times as often as “death.” Jesus could have died in many different ways without shedding His blood, but there is a special significance in that precious blood being shed.
We live in a sad hour. Many of the main-line denominations are proclaiming a mere social gospel. As for me, the blood is the bed rock of my faith & I’ll cling to this blood & its power to save & keep. Apart from the blood of Christ we’re all doomed to spend eternity in a devil’s hell. Others may call it unnecessary but I’ll just stick with the blood of Jesus. Robert Lowery got it right when he penned,--“Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”
THE MODERN DAY CHURCH IS LOSING BLOOD
Songs like “Nothing but the blood,” “There is a fountain filled with blood,” “Are you washed in the blood,” & “There is power in the blood” are still sung in some places but fewer & fewer & there aren’t that many newer songs or praise choruses focused on the blood. The Cross, yes; redemption, yes; but the Blood, not so much. We’re eager to speak of life but hesitant to speak of blood. I’m told that even among Catholics, centered as they are on the Eucharist, they are more apt to speak of “the Cup” than “the Blood.” Could it be true that with our churches designed to look like malls, with information booths, coffee shops & book stores with everything bright & shiny, we wittingly or unwittingly are trying to remove the sting of offense from an “arcane bloody gospel?” Are we trying to distance ourselves from what has been called a “slaughterhouse religion?”
THIS MIGHT DISTURB YOU
Vampires are hot stuff right now. These creatures leer from the covers of books, magazines, T.V & movie screens. Vampires lust after their prey wherever they can be found. Following up on the Twilight movies, Stephenie Meyer’s wildly popular vampire-romance series, hundreds of vampire publications have been published in the last three years. These vampire stories borrow greatly from Christian theology, because of the idea of achieving immortality through blood.
Like it or not, & most of us will not, these modern parodies mimic Christianity because of the ingesting of blood. This is what we do symbolically at the communion table. Of course the drawing of a parallel between the vampires who live on blood & the atoning nature of Christ’s blood is a cheap counterfeit of the true salvation offered through the blood of Jesus.
In a medical setting blood is considered to be a hazard. Steps are taken to cover clothes, eyes & hands from contact with the patient’s blood. Rescue workers are constantly trained to take precautions to avoid contact with the blood. HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C can be transmitted through accidental contact with an infected person’s blood.
There is one man’s blood however that is sought after by those who recognize its importance. Although man’s blood can kill, Christ’s blood can heal. Those who wash in it become free & forgiven. It’s strong enough to wash the clogged, putrid, infected & malignant puss of sin from your heart, soul & mind. It can wash away all of our tears, broken hearts & broken souls. Christ’s blood opens the windows of your heart & lets the sunshine in.
BLOOD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
From outside the gates of Eden in Genesis 4, to inside the gates of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21, the Bible is filled with the importance of blood in regards to salvation.
We first hear of blood with the animal sacrifices Abel made unto God. Later, Noah offered sacrifices to God. Abraham was tested by God when he was commanded to offer Isaac as a sacrifice.
It’s interesting to me that if a person picks up a Bible & reads from the first page, in 22 chapters they come to the story of God’s command to Abraham to sacrifice his son & God subsequently stopping him & allowing a ram to be sacrificed instead.
One might think that God would tuck this story further back in His Word, after a person had a chance to read more “uplifting” things. People might be turned off reading a story like this before they have an opportunity to read more about the wondrous love & grace of God. People might misunderstand & say something like, “well, this Christianity certainly is a gruesome business.” It’s possible that a person might not read any further after reading this story, in spite of the fact that God didn’t require Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.
The point being; God didn’t think a blood sacrifice was somehow “off the reservation.” God takes the shedding of blood seriously. He doesn’t seem to concern Himself in the least with someone finding the subject distasteful. This fact should & certainly does tell us something very important.
The story is told of a large religious service that was being conducted at the Golden Gate Exposition in San Francisco. The Christians in attendance became aware that the minister delivering the main address wasn’t thoroughly Christian. He was a great speaker but it was evident he was directing his eloquence against the power of the blood of Christ. When the old “wind-jammer” finally finished, you could have heard a marshmallow fall on a carpet.
Everyone knew something would have to be said, but no one knew what to say. Finally a, timid elderly lady stood up in the audience & began to softly sing the great hymn written by William Cowper as a rebuttal to the modernist minister. A hush fell over the place as the folk assembled there heard the faint but familiar words;
“There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins, and sinners plunged beneath that blood lose all their guilty stains.” Before the lady could complete the second verse, approximately a hundred people rose to join her. By the time she reached the third verse nearly a thousand Christians all over the audience were singing that wonderful song of faith. Then these words were sung by the joyous crowd, -Dear dying Lamb thy precious blood shall never lose its power, till all the ransomed church of God be saved to sin no more.
For the Jewish people, an important festival related to blood. While they were slaves in Egypt, the death angel was going to pass over the land. They were to take a lamb without blemish & slaughter it & some of the blood was to be placed on the doorposts & the lintel of their houses.
The blood shall be a sign for you, upon the houses where you are; & when I see the blood, I will pass over you & no plague shall fall upon you to destroy you. [Ex. 12:13]
Just as the Jews were slaves in Egypt, you & I were slaves to sin. But that was before the blood of Christ was shed for us on Calvary. In the Law of Moses, the Jews were given numerous regulations that involved the use of blood.
Listen to Leviticus 17:11—For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it for you upon the alter to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement, by reason of the life.
BLOOD IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
Jesus was riding high in the popularity polls of Israel until the day He pulled out His “cannibal sermon.” In John 6:50-60, Jesus began to talk about his broken body & His blood. He told the people that unless they ate His flesh & drank His blood they had no life in them. Slowly the crowds started to dwindle away. They didn’t grasp the concept; neither did the disciples grasp the concept. To be frank, they weren’t anywhere near the concept yet. It must have been a sobering moment when Jesus looked at His twelve disciples & said,-will you also go away?
At the institution of the Lord’s Supper, Jesus explained it further; -This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.-Mt. 26:28
Paul said, -Whom God has set forth to be a propitiation, through faith in His blood…Roman 3:25
The apostle Peter reminded Christians,-You know that you were ransomed….with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without spot or blemish. 1 Pet. 1:18-19
In Revelation a scene in heaven is observed where no one is found worthy to open a scroll. Then we read;
And they sang a new song saying, thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals…for thou wast slain & hast redeemed us to God by thy blood…Rev. 5:9.
Not Abel’s blood that cried out from the ground,
Not that blood.
Not the blood of bulls & goats,
Not that blood.
Not the millions of gallons of blood that was shed over many hundreds of years, that had no power to cleanse,
Not that blood.
Not the blood of murder & mayhem,
Not that blood.
Not the 50,000 deaths of the American Revolutionary War,
Not that blood.
Not the 646,000 causalities of the Civil War,
Not that blood.
Not the multitude of casualties of WW1 and of WW11,
Not that blood.
Not the 211,000 American soldiers who died in Vietnam,
Not that blood.
Not the multiple thousands of casualties of the war in two Iraq wars,
Not that blood.
Not the blood of millions of martyred Christians throughout the centuries,
Not that blood.
The blood of Christ alone. One man. One cross. One blood.
The apostle John explains that the shed blood of Jesus is the cleansing agent in the life of the Christian throughout our lives. He writes;
If we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.-1 Jn.1:7
If I’m reading that right, if you & I aren’t having fellowship with those of like precious faith, it must follow that we’re not walking in the light.
1. THE BLOOD OF CHRIST’S BACK PROVIDES HEALING.
When He walked the earth it was mandatory that Jesus heal people because it had been prophesied that He’d be a healer.
One of God’s first promises to Israel in the Old Testament was---I am the Lord your God who heals you. He called Himself Jehovah-Rapha, meaning-God our healer. Jesus, being God’s son, did exactly what His father did.
Isaiah said, speaking of Christ -Surely He took up our infirmities & carried our sorrows…but He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him and by His wounds we were healed.-Ish. 53:4
Throughout the Old testament God showed Himself as a merciful healer.
Pilate’s lacerating whip on Jesus’ back provides us with divine healing. I might add right here; when ObamaCare finally kicks in & America sees what it really is, we’re all going to have to go back to divine healing. Thankfully, Doctor Jesus is still making house calls.
2. THE BLOOD PROVIDES FOR US A SOUND MIND.
A crown of thorns was placed on Christ’s head & a Roman soldier probably took a spear & struck it, causing the thorns to stick deep into His brow. One writer has said the long spike-like thorns could have easily stuck down through His eyelids making prison bars for Him to look through on His way to Calvary.
Christ’s mind never entertained one vile affection. For thirty-three years He walked in a body subject to the same temptations as were are yet Satan never succeeded in polluting His mind. This means you & I can silence the accuser’s mental attacks by declaring victory through the blood that spilled from Christ’s crown of thorns.
The reason our minds endure constant assault is because life’s battles are fought there. It’s Satan’s preeminent area of attack. He attacks when we’re awake & when we’re asleep. He attacks with tormenting thoughts, bizarre dreams, fearful flashbacks & attacks our conscious & subconscious mind.
Friend, here’s how we can counter every Satanic attack. Rebuke him with the blood of Christ. When you plead the blood against old Satan, you remind him that he ripped into Christ’s body with a whip, nails, thorns, & a spear, drawing that Holy Blood. When you do that, he’s hearing you recount the worst mistake he ever made. You can be sure Satan won’t linger & let you pummel him by pleading the Blood.
1 Corinthians 2:16 says we can claim “The mind of Christ.” Paul told Timothy—God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power, love & a sound mind. [2T1 1:7]
Hebrews 9:14 says, How much more then will the Blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death so that we may serve the living God.
2 Corinthians 10:5 says—We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Christ’s death liberates the mind. Don’t permit Satan to harass you with the Blood-covered, confessed sins of your past. Christ’s Blood has freed you from that bondage.
3. FROM CHRIST’S RIVEN HANDS AND FEET HE PROVIDES VICTORY FOR OUR WORK AND OUR WALK.
There’s an interesting Old Testament passage that deals with the application of blood on the Levite priests. Leviticus 8:23 says that priests were sprinkled with blood “on the lobes of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet.”
This emphasized anointed hearing, anointed working and anointed walking. The blood anoints our work and our walk.
4. THE BLOOD FROM CHRIST’S SIDE PROVIDES FOR CLEANSING OF THE SOUL.
The spear going near Christ’s heart opens up a flow that cleanses from all sin. Leviticus tells us that life bubbles from the circulatory system. It’s impossible to live without blood. Our eternal life depends on Christ’s uncontaminated thoroughly Holy Blood.
A person may know all about the Blood theologically but unless it’s applied to their lives, nothing will happen. I can go to a Doctor & get a prescription, but if I take the medicine home & never open the bottle & ingest the medication, it can’t help me. I could go to the computer & Google the medicine until I knew everything about it but if I never took the medicine I’d get no help from it. You may have heard about Jesus all your life but until you by faith receive Him into your life His redemptive power is of no advantage.
Many years ago in Detroit, Michigan, the famous evangelist Dr. Charles Finney preached on the text-“The blood on Jesus Christ, God’s Son cleanseth us from all sin. 1 John 1:7
After the service a stranger asked Dr. Finney to walk home with him. Advised against it by church officials who knew the man, Dr. Finney went with the man.
Ushering the preacher into the rear of a building, the stranger locked the door & put the key in his pocket. “Don’t be afraid, I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to ask you a few questions. Do you believe what you preached tonight?”
Dr. Finney said, “I most certainly do.”
The man continued, “We’re in the back of a saloon. I’m sole proprietor. Mothers come in here, lay their babies on the counter & beg me not to sell liquor to their husbands. I turn a deaf ear to their cry. We see to it when a man leaves here he’s well under the influence. More than one night a man leaving here has been killed by the train the runs behind the saloon. Dr. Finney, tell me, can God forgive a man like me?”
Finney replied, “I have but one authority, the Word of God which says, “The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
“But that’s not all” added the man. “In another room we run a gambling hall. If a man doesn’t spend all his money on liquor, we bring him back here & with marked cards see to it that he’s fleeced out of his last dollar. We often send men home penniless to a hungry family. Dr. Finney, I’m sole owner. Tell me honestly, can God forgive a man with a heart like that?”
Again Finney replied, “I have but one authority, the Word of God which says, “The blood of Jesus Christ God’s Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
The man spoke again.” That’s not all. Across the street is my home where live my wife & little daughter. Neither one has had a kind word from me for five years. Their bodies bear marks from my brutal attacks. Dr. Finney, do you think God could forgive a man like me?”
Finney’s head lowered. His eyes filled with tears as he said, “My friend, you have painted one of the darkest pictures I’ve ever gazed upon, but I still have one authority which says, “The blood of Jesus Christ God’s Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
The man opened the door, ushered the preacher into the night, then never left that room till daybreak—not before ripping up the decks of cards & pouring the contents of the bottles down the sink. Across the road at home he sat in his living room. His little girl called, “Daddy, Mother said breakfast is ready.” When he answered his little girl kindly she ran back to her mother, “Daddy spoke kind to me. Something is the matter.” The mother followed her little girl to the living room. The man took one on each knee he explained to their amazement that they had a new husband & daddy. He said, “I’m done with that business across the street!
The man later became a member, then later a leader in a leading Detroit church. When asked to tell how his life was changed, he’d reply, “The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
It reaches to the highest mountain.
It flows to the lowest valley.
The blood that gives me strength from day to day,
it will never lose its power.
Andréa Crouch
Blessings,
John
Friday, April 9, 2010
"THE DROP"
By John Stallings
Last night Juda & I enjoyed a Mexican meal with my eldest daughter Marvelyne, her daughter Madison & hubby Marcus.
As always, Carson, Marcus’ faithful Black Lab service dog was present. Carson doesn’t have a lot to say [I’m kidding] but a lot of love shines through those hazel eyes.
I believe I’ve shared with my readers the story of Marcus being blinded by a drunk driver in a car crash in his home town of Saint Louis, Mo. Marcus was eighteen. He made a valiant comeback & travels the nation as one of the most effective & in demand motivational speakers out there. Marcus, Marvelyne & family now make their home in Orlando.
“The drop” tells the story of Marcus’ accident & subsequent recovery. As part of that recovery he was dropped off miles from his rehabilitation center with only a cane- & found his way home. Marcus did this despite not being allowed to ask directions from anyone & of course Carson wasn’t in the picture yet.
The film only runs seven minutes but is done in a highly professional manner & is well worth watching. One of my twin daughters, songwriter/ recording artist Martha Munizzi, is one of the writer/producers on the film & plans are in the offing at some point to make it into a full length movie with a national release.
At the top of the blog page, a link is provided if you’d be interested in watching “The Drop.”
May you be blessed by Marcus’ story.
Blessings,
John
Last night Juda & I enjoyed a Mexican meal with my eldest daughter Marvelyne, her daughter Madison & hubby Marcus.
As always, Carson, Marcus’ faithful Black Lab service dog was present. Carson doesn’t have a lot to say [I’m kidding] but a lot of love shines through those hazel eyes.
I believe I’ve shared with my readers the story of Marcus being blinded by a drunk driver in a car crash in his home town of Saint Louis, Mo. Marcus was eighteen. He made a valiant comeback & travels the nation as one of the most effective & in demand motivational speakers out there. Marcus, Marvelyne & family now make their home in Orlando.
“The drop” tells the story of Marcus’ accident & subsequent recovery. As part of that recovery he was dropped off miles from his rehabilitation center with only a cane- & found his way home. Marcus did this despite not being allowed to ask directions from anyone & of course Carson wasn’t in the picture yet.
The film only runs seven minutes but is done in a highly professional manner & is well worth watching. One of my twin daughters, songwriter/ recording artist Martha Munizzi, is one of the writer/producers on the film & plans are in the offing at some point to make it into a full length movie with a national release.
At the top of the blog page, a link is provided if you’d be interested in watching “The Drop.”
May you be blessed by Marcus’ story.
Blessings,
John
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