Merry Christmas!!! We gave out 1,536 gifts, one on one, to children to whom just might be their only Christmas present this year. Thank you God for Giving us your Son… For God So Loved the World that He Gave!!
Watch our new promotional youtube video of PureHeart… maybe it will encourage you to come down and be an iWitness! https://youtu.be/Y7WKFRkDgHc
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen
If it isn’t about faith, I need to see the evidence. If it is about faith, I don’t need any further evidence than God’s Word. God and His Word gives me a certainty. God show’s me what’s important and what’s not. If it’s something pertinent, that isn’t in the Bible, please show me the facts. Prove it to me. If this decade 2020’s has taught me anything, it’s to not believe the news, statisticians, reports or politicians. Believe only in God.
John 14:1-7 KJV Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.
The Holy Spirit shows me truth. He also gives me a check in my Spirit if it isn’t the truth, or if it’s a rabbit trail *Maybe I should have saved that one for Easter*. The Holy Spirit is God, He is trustworthy. Scientists, media, statisticians, hospitals, politicians, are all guided by agendas or money, not by the Spirit of God. Friends in real life and on social media are all influenced by those mentioned above. If you don’t have faith to believe someone or in something, don’t push it. If it’s not relevant, helpful or certain, keep it to yourself. Faith comes from God. Trust the Holy Spirit in all things. Showing what’s relevent. He will lead you to all truth.
John 16:4 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
This new thing coming out in the schools, critical theory, reminds me what Christianity has been going through for the past twenty years. Christian ‘counter culture’ people say things like ‘Christmas is pagan’ ‘Jesus wasn’t born on December 25th’ (but when you ask them what date was He actually was born on, they get a blank look on their face and you just hear crickets chirping). They go on saying stuff like ‘Easter is pagan’ or the ‘Pilgrims slaughtered the Indiana after thanksgiving’. Then after they’ve finalized their purge of opinions, theories, half truths, rumors and conjectures, they will say something brilliant and profound like ‘Jesus didn’t look like He is portrayed in the pictures’.
My answer to all of the theories above is, ‘I don’t know and I don’t care!’ If the Holy Spirit doesn’t bring something to my attention, its not my problem. Like the ‘counter culture’ that is this year’s fashion statement (referring to happenings couple hundred years ago, with no living witnesses) Christmas rumors and Easter hearsay are several thousand years old with even less evidence. Some people who tell me I am a pagan because I celebrate Christmas with the kids, have no evidence to support what they preach. (I notice that these type of people actually do very little for the Kingdom of God.) They just love confrontation out of boredom, or for the sake of causing strife, (neither of which are Godly). The same thing with counter culture pushers. I believe the infallible Word of God. If it’s in there, that’s all I need, and the only cause I care to push.
Mothers say, If you can’t say anything good, don’t say anything at all. I’d like to add that the fruits of the Spirit are included in what is defined as good. Usually it’s better to keep your opinions to yourself, if they don’t follow under the guidlines of Galatians 5.
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
I have theories rolling around in my head. I have a theory about what language Moses wrote the original first five books of the Bible in. I have a theory how only one Cornerstone can hold an entire building together. I have theory about a lot of things, but a theory is really just saying ‘I don’t know’.
I see people on a spiritual growth projectory that is amazing. Full of vim and vigor, learning and growing exponentially everyday, UNTIL that 90 year old grouchy deacon that has been saved for 80 years buttonholes him and tells him ‘what’s really the facts’. I’ve seen it many times. If Christmas carols for example make Jesus more real to someone, or pictures of Jesus *IE the Jesus movie, The Chosen, a framed picture over granny’s couch) why ruin it for them with your ‘knowledge’ of the facts.
Don’t yell at people about your opinion about Christmas or Easter if that’s the only time of year to go to church and actual and irresistable need to do an information purge on everyone they see. Don’t give your unsolicited advice, opinions, theories and pet peeves to everyone you know. Most importantly, most of what you think you know has no evidence. No evidence means you don’t know. If you don’t have all the facts, and it’s not in the Bible, why take a stand?
A friend (white, non-Christian) asked me why I am not repenting for slavery (I assume she thought she was sounding spiritual, and because I am white). Except for a African man that I know in Africa, who owns a couple of slaves, I don’t know any slave owners. I have never owned a slave, nor know any slaves except those of my contact in Africa. Other than that, biographies, history books and movies I don’t know anything about that kind of slavery. The stories are tragic and totally horrible. Sometimes the stories make me cry. But there’s nothing I can do about it except learn from our forefather’s past mistakes and not commit the same sin.
What I can do something about, I am doing something about. I help at risk children. I am working frantically 12 hours a day against ‘white slavery’, ‘sex slavery’ or ‘children slavery’ but I don’t think my friend was talking about that kind of slavery because it’s not where the passion’s at right now. It’s not the ‘in’ topic. I do repent for being a part of society that winks at child abuse and the premeditated murder of infants, but slavery in itself? I can’t repent of that because I wasn’t around it then. It breaks my heart to hear stories of oppression and slaughter. Since the time of Moses/Daniel up through holocaust, ISIS, the abandoned and fiendishly betrayed people in AFG, oppression has never stopped. It makes my heart bleed for the African child workers (slaves) in the cobalt mines so we can drive a Prius. But there’s nothing I can do about it, except not buy a Prius. Most of these things are not in my wheel box, all I can do something about is what is happening during my watch, within my reach.
There is evidence of many things I can do something about. Inside the three foot world that I always mention. The Holy Spirit points out to me what to do next. Even in witnessing. If I tried to tell everyone I met about Jesus I would not be received by anyone. The Holy Spirit guides me to the ones He wants me to talk to, and what to talk about. *the Holy Spirit has never led me to talk about theories or radical controversial stuff. The act of rebirth is the most radical thing in the world*. My world is my arm length, and within it, I have more to do than what ten men without God can deal with. I am thankful for the Holy Spirit’s strength. I can handle ‘more or less’ the things that I can do something about. I can’t worry about the sins of the early catholic church, queen Esther starting the Easter Egg hunt, or on what day baby Jesus was actually born on. Even the contentious strife makers can’t come up with the evidence for their claims, why take it to heart?
Until then I will continue to teach pre-schoolers how to make thanksgiving turkeys by tracing their little hands on a piece of paper and coloring it in, play Santa Clause, making easter rabbit shadows with my hands, and, of course, the best primitive church tradition of all times, biting the ears off of hollow chocolate easter bunnies and filling them with ice cold milk.
Choose your battles. Stay out of arguments that really do nothing more that upset people. If it’s not in the Bible don’t worry about it. There’s enough prophecy actually being fulfilled to day to keep us busy until Christ’s return, MARANTHA!
2 Timothy 2:23 But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.
Bottom line, if it isn’t in the Word, don’t defend it. If it isn’t honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report; virtuous, praise worthy, (Phillipians 4:8) don’t dwell on it. Don’t things that aren’t worth it sour your disposition, steal your joy, remove your peace and kill your relationships. Focus only on those things mentioned above and the God of peace will be with you. Those who plan for peace find joy.
Proverbs 12:20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but those who plan peace have joy.
Joe Edwards-Hoff ‘below’ is talking about this topic of what I call ‘counter culture Christianity’ this whole week ,, bottom line, 99% of what people may tell you has no evidence. 10 minutes a day, totally worth it! Part 1 of Christmas Rumor Busters!! watch it!!
https://www.facebook.com/edwardshoff/videos/316103470382668/