Jesus Only – Powderville

There is a sign along a state highway that reads: 

“Powderville, Montana – Population 1:  
Mayor, Joe Hodge – Sheriff, Joe Hodge – Fire Chief, Joe Hodge.”
Drive carefully, the life you save may be — Joe Hodge.”  

So, in our world Jesus should be everything to us.

The essential thing “in heaven and earth is … that there should be long obedience in the same direction; there thereby results, and always has resulted in the long run, something which has made life worth living.” -Nietzsche

That “something” is really someone, and that someone is everything to us: Jesus Christ.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 ESV

Hope

The Greek word translated “hope” literally means “a triumphant rejoicing confidence,” or “a happy certainty.” In Christ we have the happy certainty that God is at work in our tribulation.

The old Saxon word for hope combined two word meanings: “desire plus expectation.”  To hope is to have desire plus expectation.

The surest way to keep hope alive is found in the most commonly used word in the world. It is used in many languages. It is the Hebrew word “amen.” It is the word for “belief.” By concluding our prayers with it, we are affirming, “Lord, I believe.” Therein is hope.

The ancient word “amen” was used to signify a covenant commitment in which you agree with God. 

To be most effective this hope must be Christo-centric. Timothy expresses this in four all-inclusive words: “Christ Jesus our hope….” (I Timothy 1:1).

Piety Among the Masses

We can learn a thing one of two ways. One, intellectually and the other experientially. We can learn from the conduct of others intellectually by studying what they did and the result thereof. Or, we can engage in their conduct hoping for a better result. For a culture to change and a new culture emerge an old one has to die. Most often it decays from within or is killed.

For generations Israel was basically a stable culture. Then a leader emerged who changed it dramatically. Historian Flavius Josephus gave this description of the change: 

“Herod went still farther departing from the native customs, and through foreign practices he gradually corrupted the ancient way of life, which had hitherto been inviolable. As a result of this we suffered considerable harm at a later time as well, because those things were neglected which had formerly induced piety in the masses.”

Herod used “foreign practices” that “corrupted” formerly “inviolable” practices and the people “suffered” at a “later time.”

He used the tactic of providing for his base what they wanted by taxing the wealthy. What he provided was entertainment. He started the athletic contests in Caesarea to rival the Olympic and Corinthian games. To accomplish this he built large stadiums in Jerusalem and the new city he developed and named for Caesar called Caesarea Maritima (Caesarea by the Sea).

It took a while for the people to realize as Josephus wrote, “… it seemed a further impiety to change their established ways for foreign practices.”

Oops! Too late. Capitulation to Herod’s Roman mentality compromised the customs as well as the conscience of the country.

Neglect and abandonment of virtuous foundational practices on which the culture was built resulted in deferred suffering.

Deferred payment is on what modern America has been built. A pay later mentality only postpones the result. It is the principle now being employed to garner support of a part of society at the expense of the future.

Replacing the free enterprise with socialism, a good work ethic with an entitlement mentality, abandoning known standards for a belief there are no absolutes, and giving preference to a foreign religion while restricting the foundational faith of the country will inevitably result in deferred suffering.

Let the games begin!

Current leaders prefer not to use the word “war” as related to our present conflict. It is a word that needs to be used regarding our current “cultural war.” To lose this war would mean losing our birthright of freedom and with it our blessed way of life paid for by the blood of our predecessors and current courageous countrymen and women.

We must not like ancient Israel neglect those things “which had formerly induced piety in the masses.”

Fake News

There is a defensive ploy often used when seeking to discredit an opponent in a verbal conflict. It is simply this: accuse the opponents of doing what you are doing in such a way as to focus attention on them doing it so people won’t notice you are doing it.

For example, accuse a person of hate speech in such a way people won’t notice you are employing hate speech. Often the person accusing an individual of hate speech has more hate than the accused. One accusing another of bigotry is at times an even bigger bigot. By focusing attention on another they escape being identified as a bigot.

In the entertainment field of magic this is called misdirection. In magic the audience is encouraged to look in one direction while something is happening in another. Magic consists of creating an image by misdirection of the senses. If the senses are misdirected by a lie, it creates what communications experts call a meme. A meme is an idea that spreads like a virus from person to person. Facebook is notorious for memes.

Hitler is said to have commented, “If you tell a big enough lie, and tell it frequently enough it will be believed.” Whether he said it or not, it is the truth.

Both national political parties have master “magicians” working to divert attention from what they are doing. If one party is floating a discrediting lie on the other they accuse the other of lying.

Minnesota Senator Ilhan Omar is a classic example of a use of misdirection. In her criticism of America’s support of Israel she claims legislators who support Israel have in effect dual citizenship. This misdirects persons’ attention from Omar’s radical support of Islamic countries. By accusing others of dual citizenship she herself has an even more radical dualism.

The classic act of mass misdirection relates to the Allies’ invasion of Europe at Normandy. It was know that if Hitler moved his massive force from Calais to Normandy the invasion would fail. To keep his forces at Calais a fake army was built up across the English Channel near Dover, England consisting of fake jeeps, tanks, and trucks built from cloth and plywood. Inflatable rubber vehicles were also deployed. Every night troops would pick up the vehicles and move them to a different location complete with fake tire tracks. Even a fake navy was developed. German forces were misdirected to Calais to prevent the invasion which occurred at Normandy. Misdirection ruled the day.

Today Europe and much of the world is experiencing misdirection regarding conditions in America. The people of other nations develop their opinion of American politics and economics by watching CNN. All the insight regarding America most people in other countries gets comes from that one source. The CNN depiction of America is not without bias. Therefore, the world’s concept of America is tendentious.

Seasoned politicians before being interviewed often make a list of their talking points and no matter the topic of the question by the person doing the interview, they misdirect it and make their point. In doing this tactfully they misdirect the attention from a question they don’t want to answer to a topic they want to advance. Notice this in TV interviews.

Not all misdirection is a lie, but all lies are a misdirection.

Jews And Discrimination

Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar is the first Somali-American to serve in Congress. She has been outspokenly critical of Jews and Israel. Congress was prompted to pass a watered down resolution condemning hate speech, thus avoiding passing a resolution opposing her comments.

Her comments come at a time when hate crimes are on the rise in America. Jews are more often victims of hate crimes than any segment of the population. Hate crimes against Jews rose by more than a third last year comprising 58 percent of all religious-based crimes. Jews are victims of more hate crimes than Muslims, who represented 16 percent of religious-based hate crimes. More Jews are victims of hate crimes than are persons of African descent.

There are six million Jews in America. They are classified as Jews based on their ethnicity, not their religion or sympathy with Israel. Half of them are unaffiliated, meaning their Jewishness is unimportant to them. That helps understand why in national elections they often do not vote for the presidential candidate most friendly to Israel. There is perhaps a larger per cent of support for President Trump in the Jewish community in Israel than in the Jewish community in America.

In America the Christian community is basically supportive of Israel. For those who do not understand the basis of such support the following is offered to help comprehend why. The support is biblically based.

Three times in Scripture it is said God gave the land of promise to the Jews (Genesis 26:3; 28:13; 32:28). It is called “the apple of His eye” (Zechariah 2: 8).

God’s promise to Abram is recorded in Genesis 12:3, “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

The Jewish community affords several background blessings for the Christian community: the Scripture, the prophets, the patriarchs, the twelve apostles, Mary, Joseph, and Jesus.

Christians in general accept the instruction of Psalm 122: 6, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.”

There are things about Israel regarding which I do not approve, but if we wait for perfection before praying for a person or about a thing we are
remiss.

Israel is the only republic with elected officials in that region of the world, our most supportive of any country in the middle-east. There is a popular t-shirt in tourist shops in Israel showing an F-16 fighter with the caption, “America don’t worry, Israel is behind you.” They are a very close ally of America.

Republicans have expressed hope Omar and her ilk will inspire support for President Trump. Several national Jewish leaders have indicated Omar’s comments won’t move the needle toward President Trump in spite of all he has done to aid and favor Israel.

There is a biblical example of those being blessed who bless Israel. Jesus went to the house of Cornelius in Capernaum, a Gentile, to heal his servant. The logic Jewish elders used to persuade Jesus to go is recorded in Luke 7:5 “he loves our nation and has built us a synagogue.”

God’s response to Cornelius is noted as, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God.” (Acts 10: 4)

Cornelius blessed the Jews and God blessed Cornelius.

There is no perfection among nations, but if erring I want to err in compliance with, “I will bless those who bless you” Israel.