“Now therefore, O kings, BE WISE; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD WITH FEAR, and rejoice with trembling.” (Ps.2:10,11)
If we don’t properly know ‘the fear of the Lord’ we will, like poor JP Sears, fall wittingly or unwittingly into the ‘snare’ of ‘the fear of man’ (Prov.29:25)
From the yard signs in our neighborhood like the one above you would think Joe Biden has it sown up! But the other morning I had occasion to drive out of the city to collect our quarter cow that will keep us in meat for a few months.
Approaching the Dennison Meat Locker I realized rural Minnesota carries a different message!
So which party are you joining?
Actually I’m not talking politics! I’m talking about the party depicted below, from minute 7.30 – 15.30 in this Come Lord Jesus video……..
I’ve realized that the two sons represent two temperaments. The younger son who strayed was the ‘grace’ guy. Maybe more likely to vote Democrat? The son who stayed was the ‘truth’ guy. Maybe Republican?
Jesus was the perfect expression of ‘grace and truth’ Both are necessary. Grace without truth leads to deadly license and truth without grace leads to deadly legalism. These two poles manifest in Psalm 85 where they ‘kiss’ and result in blessing and fruitfulness in the land.
This was the Psalm read at the opening of the first Continental Congress. John Adams recorded how at that time religious and political differences were set aside as the embryonic government were united against the common enemy – Tyranny.
As the founders dwelt ‘together in unity’ the promise of Psalm 133 was fulfilled. Adams said, “It was enough to melt a heart of stone – as they experienced the ‘blessing‘ of ‘life’ and the beginnings of “liberty and the pursuit of happiness”.
But before Right and Left can be reconciled, Above or Below? must be settled.
In “That Hideous Strength” C.S. Lewis said, “Good is always getting better and bad is always getting worse: the possibilities of even apparent neutrality are always diminishing. The whole thing is sorting itself out all the time, coming to a point, getting sharper and harder.”
Which Wisdom are we being inspired by?
“For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of WISDOM. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.”
In contrast.
The WISDOM from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” (James 3:16.17)
Note the wisdom from above is “impartial”. Paul tells the Corinthians ‘party spirit‘ is an expression of ‘the flesh’ (2 Cor.12:20) and rebukes them as carnal and immature for their partisanship (1 Cor.3). As sons of our Father there can be no ‘partiality’ for “God is no respecter of persons’ or ‘accepter of faces’ (Acts 10:34) He is FOR everyone.
In Acts 23, Paul deftly uses the ‘party spirit’ between the Pharisees and Sadducees to get himself out of a tricky situation. (Note that even though he sided theologically with the ‘resurrection believing’ Pharisees they had simply become a part of the carnal establishment.)
So who gets through the door into Father’s house? All are invited, but you need to come through the one door of ‘wisdom from above’ to gain admission to the ‘party’……Yes! the party is in our apartment back in Boston!
2 Chron. 7:14 ” If my people who are called by my name…..” is often used prescriptively, “If people who call ourselves Christians will do this…..then God will do that.” But could this be more descriptive of how God identifies those with his name/nature, whom he has called?
So what do God’s people look like?
They.….humble themselves (are willing to admit they were wrong and are open to being taught.) and pray, (their greatest desire is that they be aligned with God and his goodness) and seek my face (they pursue truth above all things) and turn from their wicked ways (not only are they willing to change their minds, but eager to then change their behavior too.)
Put more succinctly they are “COURAGEOUSLY OPENMINDED TRUTH SEEKERS AND DOERS.” The opposite might be summarized in the phrase, “Don’t confuse me with the facts my mind is made up.”
The voices I have linked you to over the months are drawn from a wide political, religious and cultural spectrum, from Dolores Cahil to Tim Pool, from Ivor Cummins to Ty and Charlene Bollinger, from Robert F Kennedy Jr to Joseph Mercola, from Larry Elder to Sayer Ji, from Dave Hayes to Jay Bhattacharya. What I have sensed they have in common is Integrity, Humility and they are seeking Facts that add up over time.
To this list I would also add, COURAGE
Stephen Jones in his blog, “Understanding the Conflict Today and it’s Outcome,” describes how the conflict is not between the two political parties
“One thing that the Trump administration has done is to force many hidden objectives to the surface where they can be seen clearly. Both Democrats and Republicans have thus been exposed as agents of the Deep State. Years ago I wrote that these were simply the Whore Party and the War Party. When we got tired of one, the other party would take power and move us accordingly. We had our choice of the worst of both worlds every election cycle.”
The election of Trump was different, because the Republican Party did not support Trump, even though he ran on that ticket. Instead, Trump changed the Republican Party, and in the 2018 election many Republicans who were secretly working for the Deep State were purged. Trump essentially took control over the Republican Party, whereas in the past the presidents were always controlled by the Party, which in turn was an arm of the Deep State.“
Here is the best succinct political summary I have heard. An explanation by an Englishman for my UK friends if Trump wins, as to why he did.
The conflict is indeed spiritual between Good and Evil.
The end is ‘inevitable’
“Toward the final conflict God’s word our command
We move inevitably onwards God’s weapon’s held in our hands.
In Him we shall do more than conquer; before our Lord who can stand.
Man shall glorify his maker, God shall be enjoyed.
And that one called the deceiver, his works shall be destroyed.
For the kingdoms of this world they shall become
The kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ
And he shall reign forever and ever more!” (Born into a Battle v.3)
The other night in bed I was wakened by a train blowing it’s horn. I don’t recall having heard this before! The next night again, just before midnight I was wakened. The following morning Hilary said “I heard the train last night too!’
I recalled another yard sign that had gone up on our block a few months earlier for a Vacation Bible School, friends of ours were running.
Maybe this was the yard sign JP Sears and other ‘truth seekers‘ need to find, for ‘the FEAR of the LORD is the beginning of WISDOM.”
I recalled the old song,
“People get ready, there’s a train comin’
You don’t need no baggage, you just get on board
All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin’
You don’t need no ticket you just thank the Lord”
There’ll be MOUNTAINS of FUN (at Father’s Homecoming Party,)
as Jesus Power Pulls Us Through this ROCKY time.