There Are Murderers Among Us!

By John Stallings


Tens of millions of murders are attributed to Soviet Dictator Joseph Stalin, and Germany's Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler.The United States since Roe versus Wade, not globally,--but the U.S alone has murdered wholesale- 55 million little boys and girls.

We have as a nation, blown by two of the world's most bloodthirsty dictators in our killing of the innocent unborn.

There are murderers among us.

Recently I heard a Christian economist explaining how America got into the financial trouble we’re now in.

Toward the end of his rather lengthy presentation, he said something that I wasn’t expecting to hear. I was shocked. He said, - “ABORTION is at the root of all our problems. America could come out of this current dilemma in a few years but the one thing that would stop us from getting the American dream back would be soon there won’t be enough people alive to have a robust work force. We’ve killed them all.”

This man wasn’t on an “anti-abortion kick,” as a matter of fact he only mentioned abortion in passing. His field of expertise is economics.

He said something else that almost floored me; -“our only hope is the Latin-Americans & other ethnic groups who are still having lots of children.”

I might add Muslims to that list, because they’ve always had large families. For every person who’s retired today & drawing Social Security, there are several working people, forced to pay the bill, though they themselves will never collect Social Security. The government has been up front about the fact that S.S in all likelihood won’t be there for anyone who’s presently under fifty-five. Why? Not enough people in the work force to support it. If you don’t believe in the Biblical principle of sowing & reaping, then you could say the Karma Wagon is about to back up on our face.

Can you see how America has fallen for a big lie from hell- that we needed to stop having children? The motive in most cases has been selfishness and obviously it resulted in a lack of new Americans being born. What follows naturally then is the promotion of abortion as essentially a method of birth control to bring zero population growth into fruition. The thought Satan has in mind is the destruction of America’s future.

AMERICA’S GREATEST SIN IS ABORTION!!

God’s words are simple…I have set before you life & death, blessings & curses…..CHOOSE LIFE!-Duet.30:20

This message isn’t intended to go back into anyone’s past and condemn them. The reason I deal with this issue is because I honestly believe that we need to keep in mind exactly what Abortion is. If you’ve had an abortion, just remember we’ve all made serious mistakes in our past. It would be my prayer that anyone who’s been involved with an Abortion would simply ask God for forgiveness and purpose by His grace never to do it again.

I spoke in a church a while back & made the remark - “An election is coming & I’d like to tell you how to vote!” That got their attention. The good folk grew so pale you’d have thought five double-hump Camels had just walked into the room. I almost considered not making my next statement for fear that some of the weaker saints would have strokes. I was certain I’d wounded if not killed one of their sacred cows by mentioning politics from the pulpit but I forged on; “First of all VOTE! Then I added- “VOTE CHRISTIANITY! No man ever has nor ever will get my vote who believes in abortion.” What happened next really stunned me. The congregation en masse gave those statements a thundering ovation.

I later learned that the church leadership never mentioned pressing issues nor gave the people any inkling of how to vote. To me it’s simple; vote your convictions. Yes, how you vote is between you & God & God is never going to tell you to vote to kill babies.

Who in the world could be offended at us when we say we’re going to vote Christianity to the best of our ability? We can’t always know everything there is to know about a candidate, unless they have a voting record, & sometimes people will change. But as much as is possible, we as Christians should vote our Christian principles.

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S STATEMENT ABOUT ABORTION

 President Obama, who has complained that "a women shouldn't be punished with a baby," needs to understand that babies aren't a punishment, but are " a heritage of the Lord, the fruit of the womb, a reward."
Ps. 127:3

When speaking of abortion, I’ve heard people say;

“There isn’t enough food to feed multitudes of new people! All those babies will someday starve.” That’s not only a lie, it’s a ridiculous lie!! There’s plenty of food & we can grow more if we need it. Let me qualify that statement. Having a food surplus isn’t really a big deal; that is if the government will get out of the way & let farmers do what they do best.

If we say it’s O.K to snuff out the lives of young Americans because we “can’t afford,” or choose not to feed them, maybe we should remember what we call people who put economics above morality; among other things we call them prostitutes, thieves and drug dealers.

At present one of the most fertile areas of farm land in California has had vital water supplies shut down leaving farmers with little or no work because the Liberals in Washington are afraid of doing harm to a small fish. The last time this happened I believe it was a snail-darter & or a frog or Spotted Owl. May God help us!! Some folk have a good heart but their head is screwed on wrong.

I’ve heard people say—

“We’re running out of room on the planet.” That’s the silliest lie yet. Have you driven around the U.S lately? Have you ever driven through Texas? In some parts of Texas there’s so much space if you get a good pair of glasses you can see next week’s train coming today.

Have you been to Australia, or New Zealand? I haven’t but they tell me these places are sparsely populated. I went to China in 1981 & as I remember there were lots of open spaces there. Have you done any flying lately in the U.S or oversees? In some places the cities are crowded but mostly what you see as you look out the window is open space. Yes there probably are unlivable areas but certainly there’s still plenty of room on this earth.

Al Gore’s movie about Climate Change is another ridiculous lie. I believe we should be good stewards of the beautiful planet God has given us but the Polar Bears are doing fine & will continue to as long as we respect them as God’s creatures. In reality, the biggest source of pollution in many ways is the earth itself. In the middle of our oceans oil can be seen seeping up from the bottom where it’s leaking out. There are places on the planet where you can walk along & see ponds of oil just lying on the top-soil. You can’t walk the countryside without getting oil on your shoes.

Again this doesn’t mean we should squander our natural resources. Common sense tells us fossil fuels will probably run out someday but not someday soon. If & when that happens we can start building engines that can run on water, air, cooking oil, animal dung & a myriad of other substances. You will no doubt remember that the bomb Timothy McVeigh used to flatten the Alfred P. Murrah Federal building in Oklahoma City was made partially of cow dung. Who’d have thunk it?

I’ve heard people say—

 “if we said anything about abortion in our church people would leave.” That’s o.k. There are other places they could go where they won't take a stand on anything.

I’ve heard people say—“churches should stick to preaching the gospel.” Well, the gospel is based on truth & sometimes we must expose the sins that make the gospel necessary.

I’ve heard people ask--- “if we preach this, won’t we offend people?” Maybe; but we need to hear the bad news or we’ll never appreciate the good news.

I’ve heard people say—“If we preach against the sins of our day we just might lose our tax exempt status.” Well then we could do what the vast majority of churches do around the world that never had a tax exemption in the first place.

We’ve slaughtered over 50 million Americans through abortion. How many great musicians, scientists, ministers, architects, economists, inventors etc. were in that great multitude? The sad thing is, we’ve killed our answers & thereby we may just have killed our future.

SHOULD WE BE SINGLE ISSUE VOTERS?

Most of us approach various candidates by saying, -What are his/her qualifications for office? I’m not at all sure that’s the best way to do it. What about asking,--What, if anything disqualifies this person from holding office? Is there any issue he/she stands for that is so wrongheaded that I wouldn’t vote for them no matter what else he does or doesn’t believe?

What if a candidate were to say, -“I’m running on a platform that supports bribery as a matter of public policy?” Would we say that man is disqualified for office no matter what else he might believe? What if a candidate said rape isn’t so bad & we should repeal the rape laws? Would you vote for that man? What if a candidate says he is a racist & says that black people should be denied the right to vote & he believes slavery should be legal in America? Would you vote for that man? Would it matter if he added that he was pro-life? I don’t think so, do you?

What if a woman was to marry a man & the day before the marriage he told her he believes adultery is O.K & while he does love her he intends to cheat on her? Wouldn’t you agree that if a man told his sweetheart that it would be a deal-breaker no matter what other good qualities he brings to the table?

Here’s a question; what do you feel disqualifies a man from holding public office? I believe a man who stands up & says he’ll do everything in his power to promote abortion here in America & in other parts of the world disqualifies himself from any position of public office. It’s the same as the endorsement of racism, fraud, or bribery, except that abortion, or child-killing is more serious than those.

There are laws against intentionally maiming dogs & cats. Thank God!! And there are laws that protect a wide range of endangered species. But what about the unborn? Jesus said…

….whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better that a millstone were hanged about his neck and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.—Matt.18:6

These are solemn words telling us that those who deliberately hurt little children will someday face the Lord.

THE STRONGEST STATEMENT ON GOD’S PRENATAL CARE IN ALL THE BIBLE.

Psalm 139:13-14 says;- For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee for I am fearfully & wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works & that my soul knoweth right well.

How much does God know about the unborn baby growing in the womb? Everything! Like a skillful weaver God takes the tiny hands & legs & joins them together. He forms the heart & then sets it beating. He watches out for the little thumb to make sure it finds the mouth.

Who makes babies? God does!

What else but satanic can we call a law the kills an eight week fetus? An eight-week old fetus has a beating heart, an EKG, brain waves, thumb-sucking, pain sensitivity, finger grasping, & genetic humanity. But under our present laws an unborn baby isn’t a human person with rights under the 14th Amendment which says that “no state shall deprive any person of life without due process of law.” Why then is it that it’s illegal to maim, or mutilate an animal [who would want to?] but the sensitive unborn baby has no rights at all?

Isn’t it strange that there are quotas on porpoises & whales but it’s always open season on unborn babies? If you destroy the egg of a bald eagle you can be fined $5000: if you destroy an unborn baby you’ll make about $350. Do you think that our ghettos or crime ridden streets are the most dangerous places in America? Think again. A baby in its mother’s womb has a one in three chance of making it out alive. Isn’t it a little schizophrenic that today in America a 14 year old girl may not buy cigarettes or alcohol or attend an x-rated movie; in some places she can’t even get her ears pierced without her mother’s permission? But she can have an abortion. Again doesn’t this sound like “an evil plan,” a satanic plot to you?

WHAT IS IT?

If you were sitting at your computer and one of your kids came up behind you and said, “Hey, mom/dad, can I kill this? The first question you’d ask without looking up would be, “what is it?” If it’s a roach or some other ugly bug you’d immediately say, “Yes, please kill that thing immediately. You can’t kill it quickly enough.” If it’s the four year old kid from next door of course your answers going to be entirely different. [I hope]

When the question of either drowning an unborn baby in salt water in the womb or vacuuming it almost out of its mother’s womb and than slitting the throat, our question must be-“What is it you’re killing?” The only truthful answer to that question is, “It’s a living breathing baby stamped with God’s image.

This may surprise you but I actually agree with Marlo Thomas & Barbara Streisand on an important issue. During the last election they said-“One candidate should be elected because of his position on abortion & one defeated for the same reason.” They were right of course but they weren’t thinking exactly as I was. They had the candidates backward.

DONALD TRUMP

I was heartened  when I  read how Donald Trump  had a change of heart and become pro-life. He said in a recent interview...

"One of the reasons I changed — one of the primary reasons — a friend’s wife was pregnant, and he didn't really want the baby. He was crying as he was telling me the story. She ends up having the baby, and the baby is the apple of his eye. It’s the greatest thing that’s ever happened to him. And here’s a baby that wasn't going to be allowed to live.  I heard this, and many other stories, and I am now pro-life.”

Brody asked, “So those stories did change you, they came around and changed you?”

Trump responded, “Yeah, they changed my view, absolutely.”

I WONDER-DO WOMEN KNOW THESE THINGS? DO THEY KNOW WHAT THEY’RE DOING IN AN ABORTION?

I’m not wondering if they lack intelligence. I just wonder if they close their eyes to the truth like some do with tobacco, gluttony, drunkenness, or other dangerous substances. They’re not going to expose themselves to in-depth information on the subject.

An encouraging bit of information is that there are actually fewer abortions since the sonogram became available, probably because the future mom can see the little person growing inside her. From the moment of conception a baby has as individual identity. The baby has its own set of genes & chromosomes. At 19 days after conception the eyes begin to develop. At 24 days the heart begins beating. At 30 days the unborn baby is an inch long yet he has a brain, eyes, ears, mouth, kidneys, & liver. At 35 days his fingers have formed & at 40 days brain waves can be detected & recorded. In the tenth week after conception the baby squints, swallows & hiccups & has fingerprints that will stay with him for the rest of his life.

By the fourth month his ears are functioning, he begins to suck his thumb & he can hear his mother’s voice for the first time. By the seventh month he can see & hear & taste & touch. He recognizes his mother’s voice when he hears it. By the ninth month the baby weights between six & nine pounds & his heart pumps 300 gallons of blood per day. He is now capable of life outside the womb if only he gets the chance.

The last few verses of Romans the first chapter mirror our times, especially the sins we embraced as a people when we turned away from God. The Greek word astorgos translated in the KJV as “without natural affection,” & in some translations with the word “heartless.” It was used in the first century for parents who abandoned their children by exposing them to the elements. Such cruelty isn’t natural. To treat your own children with such callous unconcern reveals that you are without natural affection. Seen in that light abortion isn’t just another sin, it’s the mark of a depraved & godless society.

ABORTION IS WRONG BECAUSE IT’S WRONG TO KILL BABIES

Abortion is as simple yet profound as that, & I know of no other conclusion that’s consistent with the Christian faith. I made up my mind where I stood on the abortion issue a long time ago but I can’t nor would I compel your conscience. You have to make up your own mind.

I have always been & will continue to be a thorn in the devils side on this subject. There are many who are ambivalent about abortion because they don’t want to be “crusaders.” They say things like “I’m against abortion but I don’t want to impose my views on others.”

Let’s use that logic in other areas of moral values. How would you respond to someone who said;

“I’m against slavery but I don’t think we should go overboard & make it illegal?” Or;

“I’m against slavery but I’m not offended if you still own a few slaves. After all I’m not going to be a radical on the subject."-Or;

“I’m against slavery but other issues are much more important.”

If a person said that & then added, “Oh, by the way, I’m pro-life,” would that matter? No it wouldn’t & shouldn’t. Support for slavery is an absolute disqualifying issue for any leader, it doesn’t matter how good his other positions might be. Don’t you agree? I feel the same way about abortion & as I said, I will not nor have I ever voted for anyone who believes it permissible to kill the unborn.

I got an email some time ago from a lady who’d read one of my earlier blogs. [I’ve checked back & don’t really know what she read that convicted her.] This lady was distraught because she’d had an abortion & wondered if God had turned His back on her. I assured her He hadn’t & ministered to her the best I could. If you’ve had an abortion at any time in your life, all you can do is ask God’s forgiveness & determine never to have another one. Try under God to put it behind you & move on. Don’t give yourself a life-sentence because God gets no glory from that. Just like any other sin “He is faithful & just to forgive us.” It’s always Satan who drags up our past. He won’t point out anything new we might need to pray about because that would be helping us. But make no mistake,

ABORTION WAS HATCHED IN THE HALLS OF HELL!

We live fairly close to an abortion clinic & almost every day when we pass we see people outside on the sidewalk with signs engaged in peaceful demonstrations. Once in a while we see a large refrigerated truck backing up to the building; as a matter of fact the truck is so large it usually blocks traffic for some time.

Knowing some things I know, that I won’t drag your mind into, I always get a queasy feeling because in my heart I know the cargo that truck has backed up to load on. This whole business is the work of Satan & those who profit from it. The people who traffic in this awful enterprise will someday face God in judgment.

It isn’t my intention in this message to drill down particularly deeply into the abortion issue; I’ll save that for another time. But IMO it would be worth our time to study the Nazi Germany example in the light of the “Slippery Slope” they found themselves on when a great people were slowly coerced into believing the over six million Jews they butchered were less than fully human.

Especially despicable in my view are politicians who use words such as “Freedom” & “choice” & are doing it for crass political gain. A verse comes to mind that seems appropriate here;

The thief comes to steal kill & destroy: I have come that they might have life & have it to the full. John 10:10.

One more verse; the one we started with,

…..Chose life!

God commands us to choose life. This is a command for individuals, families, churches, cities, states & nations.


Blessings,


John

God And Crooked Politicians

By John Stallings


People who want power always seem to outnumber the people who’re able to use the power wisely when they get it.

This is probably because power has a way of taking control of a person’s life. It can then be rightly said that the power now has the person rather than the person having the power. This seems to especially be true when the power is inherited but not merited.

We see people like this frequently, especially around the halls of power, like Wall Street & Washington D.C. I discussed abuse of power in a recent blog using King David as the “poster boy” for power run amuck. The man we’ll look at in this piece is a lesser light but his actions are almost beyond belief.

It’s also true that in the case of many, the thirst for power isn’t satisfied when people get power, it only becomes more intense.

ABIMELECH

In Judges 9:22-57 we meet a man to whom the aforementioned words aptly apply. His name is Abimelech, the son of Gideon, the great warrior & judge of Israel. Abimelech’s position placed him in the environment of power & it wasn’t long before power had him.

Abimelech’s story is a vivid illustration of how power wrongly attained & used ruthlessly ends with predictably disastrous result. Gideon’s death provided an opportunity for his son to seize power. This man took over Israel for three years & he was a classic example of someone didn’t have power, power had him. His lust for power caused him to wipe out not only his 70 brothers but whole cities, killing his own people when they wouldn’t submit to him.

Let’s unpack this somewhat obscure Bible story that can give us answers regarding what we can expect from God when powerful/crooked people become driven by blind ambition. The burden of this article is to track the unseen hand of God, bringing about the fulfillment of His plans & purposes. God is sovereign & the story before us is an excellent illustration of how, after we’ve done our duty, we can put things in His hands & leave the battle to Him.

PRECISION

I love precision & not because I’m precise in everything I do. I get great pleasure watching people do their tasks with skill & accuracy. Another way to say it would be- I love excellence. I admire a person who can make a beautiful cabinet, write a computer program or set up a network. My hat is off to mechanics, cooks, carpenters, or even plumbers who do their work wasting little time & material & making it all look so easy.

The ancient book of Judges is almost a forgotten book but the story of Abimelech could be ripped from today’s headlines. In it we see the precision with which God goes about His work. There are many obstacles & difficulties in the story but God works through all different kinds of people, with few of them being godly or wise. He will work in this story with people who strongly oppose Him, but His goal is to preserve His people & fulfill His covenant promises all the while bringing punishment down on the heads of those who’ve played a part in the slaughter of 70 sons of Jerub-Baal [Gideon.]

The action must be carried out in such a way as to destroy the guilty & yet secure the safety of the innocent. God’s skill & efficiency are always consistent with His character & is a wonder to behold.

Gideon had many wives & 70 sons. You’ll remember that Gideon at one time had taken 300 men & defeated the Midianite forces. After this great victory the people had wanted to proclaim Gideon king of Israel but he refused, saying neither he nor one of his sons would be king.

This story takes place in a troubled time in the history of Israel. The great leaders like Moses & Joshua were dead & the kingdom hadn’t as yet been established. We read in the book itself that there was no king in Israel & every man did what was right in his own eyes.

Abimelech was born to Gideon by his concubine but he didn’t inherit the “humble gene” his father had. He wanted to rule as king. Abimelech went to Shechem where he appealed to his relatives for support. He asked them to use their influence with the city leaders to appoint him as king, reasoning that it was better to have one king than 70, especially one well connected in Shechem. Also they would get preferential treatment from him rather than a more legitimate son of Gideon whose loyalties would lie more with the people of Ophrah where they lived.

You’ll remember that the city of Shechem had a great & historical past. It was an important city in central Canaan. When God called Abram to the land of Canaan, Shechem was the first place he came & built an alter to the Lord.

The people of Shechem had a precious spiritual heritage to live up to & a lot to lose by swearing allegiance to Abimelech. They had represented spiritual light & with this decision they deliberately chose to place themselves in shadow.

BLOODSHED

As the plot begins to thicken, it gets much bloodier because if the people decide on Abimelech, the 70 other brothers had to be eliminated. The leaders of Shechem gave Abimelech 70 pieces of silver from their “church treasury.” He then hired some mercenaries who could assist him in rounding up & murdering all his brothers save one—Jotham, who had the presence of mind to hide from the murderers & stay alive. Abimelech wanted no rivals. After the bloodbath, the people of Shechem inaugurated Abimelech as their king.

GOD’S JUDGMENT

When Jotham learned that Abimelech had been appointed as king, he stood on Mount Gerizim [he couldn’t go into town] & called the people of this city to account by telling them a parable & then interpreting its meaning & application. In essence he told them that God would bring judgment on them & Abimelech for the evil they’d committed in the killing of Gideon’s 70 sons.

Next we see how God will work providentially through wicked men to bring about His judgment.

THE MIX OF CROOKED PLAYERS IN THIS STORY ISN’T ALL THAT DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE SEE IN OUR DAY.

Special interest groups abound in this drama. Abimelech’s mother’s relatives are a special interest group. They have much to gain by the “election” of Abimelech.

Lobbying. Abimelech’s relatives will use every trick at their disposal to bring about what they want to see even though it benefits them at the expense of others.

Money. The money is necessary to achieve the death of Abimelech’s brothers. Abimelech didn’t want his fingerprints on this caper. Isn’t it interesting how little has changed through the centuries? In our day money is a common commodity used in getting what people want & it’s raised from people who believe their contribution will benefit them in the final outcome.

Political hatchet-men. These folk are willing to get their hands dirty & do any low-down deed that will destroy the competition. [Sounding familiar?] The trail may be winding & it may be smokey but if you follow the money these people are rewarded in one way or another for their faithful service. Crooks don’t change much do they?

The people. Then there’s the general population -who are so interested in their own personal benefits from government that they will look the other way when evils are committed by those seeking to gain power over them. We’ve all heard the truism that a society is circling the drain when the people learn they can vote themselves money out of the general treasury.

Again, some things never change!

GOD WILL JUDGE ABIMELECH IN HIS OWN WAY-IN HIS OWN TIME

Now we see how the destruction of Abimelech is orchestrated through a divine sequence of events. After Abimelech had ruled Israel for three years God sent a spirit to stir-up hostility between Abimelech & the leaders of Shechem. A spirit of disloyalty came into the hearts of the leaders of Shechem for Abimelech.

It’s dangerous to oppose God. The Bible declares that vengeance is God’s & He will repay. The verse makes it clear that it’s a fearful thing for flagrant wrong-doers to fall into the hands of God.
God of course does things according to His time-table & not ours but He will take care of business. This act of judgment against Abimelech & Shechem is the fastest one in the whole book of Judges. God’s judgment came quickly here, only taking three years.

As the leaders of Shechem turn on Abimelech after they’d committed murder for him we see the principle; “There’s no honor among crooks.” If a person is low enough to collaborate with you & me to do something dishonest [God forbid,] at some point down the line they won’t think twice in selling us out. This also applies to people who gossip. If you’re sitting in a gossip session with someone & the sharp knives are out, just keep in mind that the person or person’s you’re talking to will give you the same treatment when you no longer amuse them or fill their needs. They’ll give you up in a heartbeat. Why are we so slow to learn that?

Just three years earlier Abimelech had joined forces to exterminate & eliminate his brothers & bring about his rise to power over Shechem. Now these same folk were at each others throats. The leaders who once helped Abimelech become king by slaughtering his brothers, now sought to undermine his authority & be rid of him. It makes you wonder why they didn’t try to have him killed. Surely there was still enough money in the temple treasury to accomplish this.

We should keep in mind that the destruction of Abimelech & the leaders of Shechem is God’s doing. Divine retribution imposed for the treachery in slaughtering 70 sons of Gideon. This didn’t happen by chance.

The leaders of Shechem had an idea. They’d hire bandits to hide in the hills & rob people passing by. Word of this would reach Abimelech & he’d be prompted to retaliate. After all, he was king & it was his job to provide police protection for his citizens as well as those passing through. And by the way, if Abimelech passed by this area, these bandits could kill him & Shechem would be rid of its king.

GOD HAD A BETTER PLAN

Remember Jotham’s earlier prophecy or curse? Not only must Abimelech die, the leaders of Shechem must die as well. God had a better plan. As hoped, word of the bandits & their ambushes reached Abimelech & he hit the ceiling over it. The text doesn’t exactly explain it but we can be sure he wasn’t happy about what was happening in his kingdom. While it wasn’t yet time for God’s judgment to fall on Abimelech & Shechem, these bandits certainly stirred things up. Something was going to happen & soon.

A NEW GUNSLINGER HITS TOWN-HIS NAME IS….GAAL!

Gaal & his brothers come to town. Can we say- “High Noon”? This is really just an old western plot wouldn’t you say? The leaders of Shechem transferred their loyalties to Gaal. They went out into the fields, harvested grapes, drank, got loaded, celebrated & cursed Abimelech. The bar is now open.

Gaal, the son of Ebed cursed Abimelech & said “Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?” I can almost see Gaal in the town bar, after having bent his elbow a few times & gotten a little belligerent saying, “Abimelech, get your army together & come out for battle.”

NOW THE STORY GETS REALLY INTERESTING

Now a little more pepper is sprinkled in the Gumbo. Earlier it was Abimelech who’d reasoned that he was the best candidate for king because he had “roots” in Shechem. But something else comes to light here; in spite of the fact of all the promises Abimelech made, he hadn’t been all that loyal. His headquarters or capitol seems to be in Arumah & not Sheckem. Gaal uses the same argument as Abimelech but he reminds the people of Shechem that their roots go back to Hamor, Shechem’s founding father. It’s clear to me that Abimelech can’t trace his roots back to Hamor. Why should the people submit to a relative newcomer like Abimelech when the “old guard” is standing right in front of them?

ENTER ZEBUL

Gaal has beaten Abimelech at his own game. If one wants to make a claim to the throne based on one’s heritage, Gaal has the most impressive resume’. Every politician has his henchmen & Abimelech has Zebul. Zebul has friends in low places. He was having a few drinks at the Oasis bar when he heard what Gaal is up to. He’s not a happy camper now. Zebul sends word to Abimelech about all Gaal is saying & doing & recommending that he attack Shechem soon, - at morning light. Abimelech decides to take Zebul’s advice & his attack will be swift.

Abimelech surrounds the city & prepares to attack. Gaal hears about the coming invasion & makes his way to the city gate to lead the attack against Abimelech. Abimelech starts to prevail over Gaal & inflicts many casualties on him. Gaal proves to be a coward & turns & runs inside the city gates with Abimelech in hot pursuit.

GOD WORKS IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS

It seems that Gaal & his men were able to keep Abimelech from gaining entrance to the city so he finally gave up & returned to his headquarters in Arumah. It appeared that Abimelech had given up. But in reality he was getting ready for another run on Shechem. Humiliated by defeat, Gaal “got outta Dodge.” Even though Gaal wasn’t exactly a prize, God seems not to want him to stay around for the judgment that was to fall on the city the next day. Gaal now sees Shechem in his rearview mirror.

When the Sun came up the next day, Gaal & his relatives had saturated Shechem with their absence, having been run off by Zebul. And Abimelech was nowhere to be seen. Everything seemed normal as people went about their lives. Unbeknownst to them divine judgment was going to fall suddenly & unexpectedly. Abimelech’s wrath wasn’t as yet satisfied so his objective was to attack the city, kill all the people & turn the town into a gravel-plain. Which he did!

In one way Abimelech is like his father Gideon in that he seemed to be determined to get revenge on his enemies. He found out that the city leaders had run to the temple, a place representing their God [false god.] These men had gotten into a high tower of the temple making it hard for Abimelech to get to them.

The leaders of Shechem, the ones Jotham had pronounced judgment on -huddled in their temple. So what does Abimelech do? He sets fire to the temple & either the smoke or the fire did its job. Abimelech had destroyed the leaders of Shechem.

There was a small city near Shechem called Thebez & evidently it had resisted Abimelech in some way & his nose was out of joint with its people. Crooked politicians always have an “enemies list.”

Now that Abimelech was nearby, it seemed like a good idea to settle things with this little town. Can we say-“Gunsmoke?” Thebez had a fortified tower in the center of the city. When Abimelech approached, the townspeople crowded into the tower for refuge. Abimelech had just had success in setting fire to the temple in Shechem so he thought it a good idea to do the same here.

One of the women who ran into the tower brought a millstone with her. It made good sense for her to do this because if Abimelech laid siege to the tower, they could take that heavy stone & grind some grain & make flour. With the idea of a siege in mind, the townspeople would put bags of grain & containers of water in the top of the tower so if they were forced into it they could survive until their enemy gave up & went home. This millstone could have weighed over twenty pounds.

In his arrogance Abimelech drew a little too close to the walls of the tower so that he was within reach of a projectile from above. When this woman looked down & saw Abimelech, it was a no-brainer for her to drop the stone, or a piece of it on his head crushing his skull. How ironic was it that this big bad man was mortally wounded by a woman?

It was one thing for a soldier to be mortally wounded on the battle field but it was unacceptable to die after being hit by a stone cast down by a women. To die this way was too humiliating for a military commander like Abimelech so he ordered his armor-bearer to draw his sword & run him through- so his death could be as a result of a manly blow.

The way Abimelech died was appropriate because of the treatment of his brothers. Seeing their leader was dead, the followers of Abimelech gave up the fight & went home leaving the people in the tower unharmed.

So ends a dark chapter in the history of Israel. Once again, God sovereignly directed the course of events so that the wicked were punished, as promised, & the innocent were unharmed.

This story out of Judges & its outcome wasn’t accidental or coincidental but rather it was providentially orchestrated by God keeping his word spoken through Jotham -that the death of Gideon’s sons would be avenged. It’s clear that what Jotham spoke from Mount Gerizim was a prophecy of divine judgment.

Can you see America in this story? America was raised up by God to spread the gospel to the nations. We like Shechem, were & remain the repositories of light. All we need to do to prove that is look at our origins.

Is it possible that like the people of Shechem, we’ve made tragic mistakes hoping for some favor or benefit?

One undeniable truth is evident in this story. We should keep it in mind & anyone who comes against God’s people & His objectives should keep it in mind also.

God will allow His people to be chastened & reap the consequences of their sin, but He will not allow a thug like Abimelech to thwart His redemptive purposes.


I can’t help but think of 2 Peter 2:9;

So you see the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials even while keeping the wicked under punishment until the final Day of Judgment.


Blessings,


John

Don't Even Think About It!

By John Stallings


When I was growing up, there were five things you just didn’t do.

You didn’t drink
You didn’t smoke,
You didn’t cuss,
You didn’t go to the picture show.
You didn’t go “mixed bathing/swimming.”

Maybe you can relate to that.

I came from a long line where the DON’TS were stressed. I came from a line of sincere Christians who emphatically said—“you don’t drink wine or beer, you don’t smoke, or use mouth- baakie, & you don’t go to the high school prom.”

I attended a college with a very, very strict set of rules. Drinking was out of the question. Movies? Don’t even think about it. TV? You couldn't have one in your dorm room. Holding hands on campus? Don’t let anyone see you do it. Our rule book must have gone on for close to twenty pages. Juniors & seniors could date without chaperons.

RULES CAN’T TOUCH THE HEART

Rules didn’t hurt us; as a matter of fact we respected rules. Rules had a way of making you feel safe because you knew where the boundaries were. But rule keeping has one big weakness; it can’t change the heart. Rules are just insufficient.

Some things are beyond debate, & are necessary to salvation. We all know what they are; the virgin birth, the Deity of Christ, salvation by faith, the efficacy of the blood, water baptism etc. However, disunity & disagreement about non-essentials [things not necessary for salvation] have been a significant problem in every era & among God’s people. Squabbling over non-essentials was a problem in the New Testament church. It was a problem among the disciples of Jesus. The Corinthians were divided. The Galatians were “biting & devouring” one another. [5:15]

If two Christians agree on 79 out of 80 points, they will usually focus on the area where they disagree. Often the smaller the point the more likely they are to argue about it. We can disagree on the craziest things. It’s been happening since the beginning & goes all the way back to the days of the New Testament.

Rome was cosmopolitan with all that implies, & so was the church there. There were Jews & Gentiles in the church who had major differences in what they believed to be proper & improper. As you know, when you have people you have diversity & when you have diversity you have clashes. Some of these Romans had been saved fifty years & others less than a year. Some were liberal & others were legalistic. Evidently some of these folk were very scrupulous about food, drink & days.

The “hot button” issues the Romans were looking at wouldn’t be considered hot buttons today. They had more to do with disagreements over dietary issues.

Look at what we have today

Obviously we have a multitude of church denominations. This is fine, probably even healthy. People within these groups disagree about what kind of music is appropriate in church services. Some folk go to the movies, others don’t. We have differences about dress, such as skirts, ties, swimwear, modesty, jewelry, makeup, hair-length & hair styles, women wearing pants, entertainment, movies, plays, TV, dancing, birth control, medicine-including alternative medicine, beverages, schooling, moms working, dating/courtship, luxuries, eating in church fellowship halls, saleable items in the church, Bible translations, etc.

People get at each others throats over what movie rating is acceptable for a Christian. The larger the church the more likely there will be factions & groups. Some want Sunday School & others prefer small group ministry. They reason; why build buildings when we can meet in homes. After all, Jesus is coming soon. But how soon? Will He come before the Tribulation, in the middle of the Tribulation or after the Tribulation? Some Christians think there should be no hand -clapping in church. Some like Purpose Driven Rick Warren & some don’t. Some want to start a Saturday night service. Some people think it’s shameful for a church to borrow money. Others borrow money for everything.

And so it goes. Consequently we have arguments, hurt feelings, church splits, & a host of other problems.

PAUL’S POWERFUL PRINCIPLES

Paul addresses these issues in Romans 14, but Instead of laying down a long list of DO’S & DON’TS, he establishes powerful principles. Paul stresses to these Romans that the key elements they’re missing are tolerance, patience & most of all love. In non-essential areas, believers are free to make their own choices, guided by their conscience & The Holy Spirit. This idea makes some people fearful out of concern that it will be used as a license to sin.

Romans 14 is perhaps the greatest chapter in scripture to guide Christians in a Godly lifestyle. It also explores the whole area of how to handle disagreements among believers. How do we get along when we don’t agree on everything? There’s a wide divergence of opinions on many things among believers today & we all need to have a keen listening ear to what the Spirit is saying to each of us.

Paul lays out 4 principles in this great chapter.

1.THE PRINCIPLE OF LIBERTY

Paul twice enunciates this principle very clearly in Roman 14.

I know & am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself.-v.14. Everything is indeed clean.-v.20

Do you realize how strange this sounds coming from a man like Paul, raised as an Orthodox Jew? From the moment of his birth Paul had been taught the difference between clean & unclean foods. Leviticus 11 contains a long “Do not eat” list & it included all pork products, camel meat, rabbit meat, birds such as ravens, owls & vultures & most shellfish. The Jews were permitted to eat animals with a split hoof that chewed the cud, such as cows. Fish with fins & scales were permitted as were certain insects such as locusts & grasshoppers.

“Kosher” foods or permitted foods have lasted to this day. Truly observant Jews wouldn’t even think of eating pork or serving it to others. But Romans 14 overturns the entire Levitical law with two phrases;

Everything is indeed clean: - & nothing is unclean in itself.

Nothing could have ever been more revolutionary for the converted Jew than learning that the kosher laws no longer applied. Paul was on the horns of a dilemma; should he teach that folk should just keep the old laws out of habit, or change their diet to demonstrate their new freedom in Christ? What should he say to good people who were wrestling with these questions?

Simply stated, the doctrine of Christian liberty says; - “redemption in Christ sets the believer free from trying to please God through a system of rules & regulations.”

Basically it’s just good old common sense; “you are now free to unbuckle your seat belt & move about the cabin. You’re free to eat anything you want, just don’t eat too much. Your standing with God won’t be affected by the food on your plate.”

The doctrine of Christian liberty says; - “Eat what you want---but you are free to follow the kosher laws too, that’s alright.”

Carrying it a step further, you can also- marry or stay single, take a new job or keep the one you have, live wherever you wish, observe a holiday or not, eat meat or go vegan, & attend the church of your choice.

Be advised, you’re now free, truly, absolutely & honestly free. You’re free from the law, free from rule keeping & free to make responsible choices.

Now Paul doesn’t leave us here with no follow-up because if he did it would sound too much like hedonism-“Do whatever blows your hair back.”

The fact that the 10 Commandments were under the law, & we’re free from the law still doesn’t mean that you & I can trample on any of the Commandments & walk away. We still have no right to hate, steal, lust, covet, lie, commit adultery or disobey God.

WE HAVE NO RIGHT TO DO WRONG!

Christian liberty never means we’re free to sin with impunity because sin always brings its own punishment sooner or later.

With all this in mind, let’s now go back & re-state what Christian liberty really is;

In those areas where the Bible does not give a specific command or principle to follow, believers are free to make their own decisions, guided by God’s wisdom & the leading of the Holy Spirit.

In the essentials of the faith, we all must unite, but in the non-essentials we’re totally free to do as we want. In the day-by-day choices of our life in which the Bibles doesn’t speak, we exercise Christian liberty. Next Paul states:

2.THE PRINCIPLE OF CONSCIENCE

Paul states this principle very clearly in two different places in Romans 14.

But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats because the eating is not from faith. For whatever doesn’t proceed from faith is sin.

Sometimes your conscience will tell you “Don’t do that. Don’t touch that. Don’t take that job. Don’t go to that movie. Don’t date that guy or girl.” In those cases the Bible says you should follow your conscience.

Is the conscience always reliable? No, not always because our conscience can become seared or dulled by sin. But when the conscience is informed by the Word of God, guided by the Holy Spirit & submissive to the will of God, we can follow it with confidence. Paul said;

Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. [v.23]. If you & I act against our sanctified conscience we’ve sinned even if the activity in itself is not sinful. We did what we believe to be wrong. That’s what sin is; violating the standard of right behavior.

This is why two people can do the same thing & it be wrong for one & right for the other.

I have a friend who was saved & called to preach out of a Rock-n-Roll background. In one large city where he went to conduct a revival, there was a local T.V show that featured Country & Rock music. Occasionally they invited a visiting Christian singer to be a guest on the program. As you know, a good gospel song is always apropos in a Country format.

For years it was the custom of a pastor friend of mine in that city to have his visiting guests, if they were musical, to appear on this show. This appearance would literally be worth a fortune in free advertisement for the church.

When the pastor told my evangelist friend about the program & that his appearing would help with free advertisement, my friend respectfully declined, explaining to the pastor that being on this show would compromise his convictions. It might also put a temptation in front of him he felt better off avoiding. The pastor explained that every visiting singer who came to town for years had appeared on the show & it was instrumental in boosting attendance in the services. Still the evangelist declined explaining that the others were perfectly right in appearing on this show, but for him, it would constitute a serious violation of his conscience.

Sometimes our Christian liberty or lack of in a certain area will cause us to cross swords with another Christian, & that’s why we need another principle;

3.THE PRINCIPLE OF PEACE

According to Romans 14, when liberty & conscience come into conflict, believers are to follow the path of peace, love & edification.

We believers must exercise special care lest we hurt another with our freedom. Verse 13 speaks of—putting a “stumbling block” or “obstacle” in the path of another person. A stumbling block would be like a book you dropped that might cause someone to stumble & an obstacle would be like pulling a rope across the road to cause someone to fall. Whether by accident or design we may hurt others by thoughtlessly eating or drinking. Listen to verses 15-16;

If your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. So do not let what you regard as good be evil spoken of.

We should never flaunt our liberty at a brother who sees things differently, nor should we entice him to change his standards. If they need to be changed, God can do that.

Paul says further;

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating & drinking but of righteousness & peace & joy in the Holy Ghost. V.17

V.19 sums it up;

Let us pursue what makes for peace & for mutual upbuilding.

Why raise “old Ned” over eating pork or sushi, or putting onions on our cheeseburgers, when our goal should be unity, love & peace. Why become self-appointed inspectors of each others warts & carbuncles?

FIVE BAD THINGS CAN HAPPEN WHEN WE MISUSE OUR FREEDOM.

1. Our behavior may be a stumbling block to another Christian.[13]
2. Our brother may be grieved.[15]
3. Our behavior may cause him to fall away from God.[21]
4. We may destroy his spiritual life altogether. [15]
5. God’s work may be destroyed in his life. [20]

Is our freedom worth demanding our own way even though it may negatively impact others? What will we say to God when He says, “Look at all the people you hurt by your careless lifestyle?” Then there’s;

4.THE PRINCIPLE OF SILENCE

God has given us tremendous freedom hasn’t He? We don’t all have to think alike, dress alike, walk alike, or act alike. There is incredible diversity on such matters as whether to get married or stay single, where to work, the friends we choose, what we eat & drink, the books we read, the music we prefer, the clothes we wear, the places we go & the habits we acquire. Our only limits are imposed by the principles of the Bible. But in so doing, how will we get along with all this diversity? Listen to Paul again;

Hold your convictions & hold your tongue.

You don’t have to broadcast all your habits & preferences for general discussion. Keep them to yourself. If you have a favorite translation of the Bible, don’t try to convince everyone else it’s the superior translation. Keep it to yourself. Do you prefer natural child birth, well & good but keep it to yourself. Do you think a vote for ---------------- would be a sin against God? Do you feel that it doesn’t make sense for a Christian to vote for someone who espouses many non-Christian beliefs? If you think a vote like that can’t be justified, it’s O.K. --It’s O.K as long as you don’t open that suitcase full of nukes at prayer meeting or the next family gathering. Do you think “standing up for what you believe” in an area of non-essentials like that is going to make you look spiritual? Please!!

Keep your convictions between you & God.-v.22

I started preaching as a kid, & believe me I was God’s “gunslinger” in those days. For a few years there I was “Heaven’s hit man.” I sent people to hell right left & center. If I came on a group of kids having too much fun playing marbles, they went to hell. If a lady had on make-up, she was consigned to the hot place below. If you smoked, you not only were going to hell but “you smelled like you’d already been there.”

One day God seriously dealt with me about the fact that Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world but to save it. God began to deal with me like this; -Is it any worse to smoke than to worry all day every day? By His grace I don’t intend to do either of those things. I could be wrong but I would argue that worry kills as many people as do cigarettes. I’ve never smoked in my life but could smoking be any worse than gluttony? Some folk are digging their grave with cigarettes & others are doing it with a knife & fork. Both are destructive to our bodies which are the temple of God. If we’re going to condemn folk for drinking coffee, & call them “coffee fiends” shouldn’t we watch the other caffeinated drinks we consume? God thought enough of our brain to wrap a skull around it. Surely He won’t hold it against us if we use it occasionally.

TALKING TOO MUCH

On the subject of holding our tongue, let me somewhat broaden the issue for a moment or two about talking. If I can speak authoritatively here it’s only because of the many bloopers I’ve made in my life in the area of talking too much. I guess this will sound redundant when I say- “I talk a lot about talking too much.”

When I think back over my life I can trace many of the problems I’ve had to words I spoke too quickly, an opinion I offered that wasn’t asked for, a time when I was trying to impress someone with my “knowledge,” or a judgment uttered impulsively & in haste. To be totally candid, sometimes when I think about some of the unwise things I’ve said I can get one of those “full body shudders.” Then, like the country song suggests, I say to myself, “I know what I was doing, but what was I thinking?”

Have you ever spoken too quickly or rashly or foolishly & then regretted it. I thought so. It happens to all of us when we talk too much. That’s why James said, - “Be slow to speak.” Don’t run off at the mouth. Have you ever noticed how rare it is to get in trouble by listening?

Proverbs 10:19 says;

Don’t talk too much, for it fosters sin. Be sensible and turn off the flow. NLT

There’s no peripheral context for this verse, no study that can alter it’s meaning, nothing that can soften the impact. This verse must be understood exactly as it’s stated. Jesus & His apostles followed this verse when they spoke. They spoke briefly, concisely & directly & you & I should do the same.

Listen to Ecclesiastes 10:12---Words from a wise man’s lips are gracious, but a fool is consumed by his own lips…and the fool multiplies words.—NIV

Do you talk too much? Have you noticed that since your friends got “caller I.D,” most of them are almost never home anymore? Have you noticed that your listener’s eyes are beginning to glaze over & their pupils are fixed & dilated, & you have to physically restrain them to prevent their walking away when you talk? Do you find yourself finishing people’s sentences, hurrying them on so you can make a point, interrupting other people frequently & even talking over them? Can you actually see pain on a person’s face while you’re talking? If so, you might need to loosen up a bit & listen to what others are saying.

LOOKING FOR COMMON DENOMINATORS

A couple was getting a divorce & were going through their home picking out things each would like to keep. They did o.k. until they got up in the attic & opened an old trunk. Both of them lunged for an article in the trunk so fast you’d have thought it was a big bar of solid gold. But they weren’t grasping for gold, the object of their attention was a small pink baby booty. Both these parents wanted the booty because it was a memory of the product of their union, their small daughter. They’d finally found something they could agree on.

When you & I stand before God the only thing that will matter is what we did with His Son Jesus Christ. Did we love Him? Did we serve Him? Did we believe on Him as Lord & Savior & did we follow him to the best of our ability.

Nothing else really matters. Jesus is the central issue-always has been, always will be. Like the couple & the baby booty, let’s look for things that will unite us, not divide us.

It would be nice if all of life were scripted for us, if there were no questionable areas, if there were no weak brothers to accommodate. Such isn’t the case. As we go through this life there will be many situations when we will be called on to make decisions about things that aren’t exactly crystal clear.

What we decide in those moments reveals the truth of the condition of our hearts. When we have come to the place where the Lord Jesus & the needs of others come before our own wishes & desires, we have begun the process of maturing in the Lord.


May God help us all to get there. He will!


Blessings,


John