Parenting and Persecution - Part Two

Have you forgiven me yet?  If so, you might want to hold off on your extended graces for todays' post may bring back your grimacing faces!  I have made peace with that though, for I love you and I love the Word of God and the Living Word is quite clear on many issues.

And once upon a time that Word became flesh and He dwelt among us and in that dwelling He endured much suffering.  Dwelling and suffering are intimately tied in the Word and we are intimately tied to the Word through both this dwelling and suffering.  He dwelt among us and He suffered for us and He knows the feel of chains biting flesh and the agony of scourged back and body wracked with hunger pangs.  He knows pierced side and thorns thrust into flesh, He knows time ticking tormentingly too slow as crumpled body waits to breathe last breath.  He knows of suffering and He remembers those suffering and He commands His body, His bride to remember them as well.

Hebrews 13:3 ~ Remember the prisoners as if chained with them - those who are mistreated - since you yourselves are in the body also.  NKJV

Remember those who are in prison as if you were their fellow prisoner, and those who are ill-treated, since you also are liable to bodily sufferings.  Amplified

"Remember the prisoners as if chained with them . . . " ~ Here is the truth of this Scripture, if you were chained to another and confined to a cell, how often would you "forget" that brother or sister you were chained to?  Imagine it, chains biting into flesh and links of metal binding one piece of broken flesh to another.  How often would these two not think of each other?  One movement causes a simultaneous, almost exact movement in the other.  Can they possibly forget one another?  A mirror of their suffering chained to their hands and feet.  These chained comrades eat together, sleep together, cry together, suffer together, laugh and worship together, pray and intercede together.  They are one.  One body.  They will not forget the other.

This is what Scripture, God is telling us, commanding us to do for our persecuted brothers and sisters.

We are one body, or at least that was the idea.

Has this been the Western free church's response?  NO.

We are too busy with our building campaigns to build another building we do not need or forming a committee to determine what to serve ourselves at our own personal church coffee shop!  Yea!  Excuse me - I have to go throw up in my mouth!

We do not remember them as if chained to them!  We barely even talk about them or pray for them or give to them or cry for them or write to them or lobby for them or visit them.

Bottom line ~ we do not care for them because it is not happening to me or mine.  "So, thank you Jesus I am an American Christian and this is not my problem!"  Or maybe it is not our body.

Let me ask you this - if your left hand is severely burned and covered in the 3rd degree burns, how does your right hand respond?  Will your right hand send a quick text to a friend to notify them?  Will it google - left hand burns to find the latest statistics on burns?  Maybe it will meet up with a few friends for a cup of coffee where it may or may not casually comment on its severely burned and agonizing left hand?  It sounds ridiculous right?!  But, it is exactly what we do, if we even notice the burned left hand at all.  If I described this scenario to a doctor he would likely reply, "Impossible, one body can not ignore pain in itself.  It must be a separate body.  Two hands of one body cannot ignore screaming agony in the other."

Here in lies a profound and potentially life altering question ~ are we/you in the body of Christ?  If so, we/you should be springing into action for your mutilated left hand.

And it is a certainty, the left hand has shown its true faith, its allegiance to Christ has born them unto death and persecution and imprisonment and it has declared the name of Jesus valiantly.  It is us that is in question.

Whether we are in the body of Christ and have some how managed to ignore our scalded left hand or we are not in the body of Christ at all; either way, some things need to change.

Much of the Western free church is not actually in the body of Christ.  They are in church but not in the body of Christ, there is an enormous difference between much of the American church and true fellowship with Christ.  Yes, I just said that and I deeply believe it.  Many will face a shocking eternity if the Western church does not quickly re-remember what Jesus as Savior AND Lord truly means.

The Amplified text offers the word "liable" ~ we are liable to bodily suffering.

Liable ~ responsible by law; legally answerable

In the spirit realm we are legally responsible to this bodily suffering.  In a similar manner as Christ bore our sin and shame on the cross, the persecuted church endures much suffering for the sake of the cross.  And God has clearly told us our response - remember them as if chained with them.  He did not ask us our opinion - "Do you feel like serving Me in this manner?  Does this suit your skill set and desires?"  No, He did not ask us, He simply tells us what His children's proper response should be (God clearly demonstrates superb parenting, He does not beg, plead or cajole - He tells that which is right and expected.)

From a human perspective the Western free church may not be held liable for our persecuted brothers and sisters but from God's perspective we are liable to those in chains, to those persecuted.  Spiritually we are legally answerable for them.  How we answer this command is deeply important to the Son and Father for once upon a time the Word became Flesh and He dwelt among us and He suffered deeply for us.  

If you are in the body of Christ what are you going to do about your left hand that is crying in agony?

I am not on Facebook but from what I have understood a few of you re-posted the parenting blog (I am truly honored) but now I challenge you ~ when a post is not about parenting or something that directly impacts our daily lives, will you still repost?  For a topic that touches into the very heart of God, do we dare to start a conversation that many would choose to ignore?

Our left hand is pleading with us to engage in this war against the bride of Christ ~ if you want to do something but are unsure of what to do ~ call me, text me, email me or post a message on this blog and let us unite as He commanded us to do and work together to remember those in chains . . . 

Parenting and Persecution

Hebrews 13:3 ~ Remember the prisoners as if chained with them - those who are mistreated - since you yourselves are in the body also.  NKJV

Remember those who are in prison as if you were their fellow prisoner, and those who are ill-treated, since you also are liable to bodily sufferings.  Amplified

We sat and listened, some with our ears, others with their eyes.  We heard story after story of untold suffering.  Father martyred.  Stabbed 13 times.  Husband martyred.  Orphaned children and starving families.  Beheadings and beatings.  Not beating but beatings, days and months, rolling into years of beatings.  So many martyred.  So many living martyrs yet still.  More martyred in the 20th century then ALL the other centuries combined.

I looked down the line of their young faces, varying levels of sadness were plain to see as they heard of and absorbed these atrocities.

Then I wondered, what will she say?  How will she comfort them and encourage them?  What diligence and perseverance will fill her prayers for them?  What will the Syrian mother do as her children not only hear of atrocities but face these atrocities?  How will she prepare them?  Will she send them to the mall to buy a new outfit?  Or sign them up for yet another activity after school?  Will she ensure they have an outstanding college education to face the persecutors?  Will she buy them I-phone and tell them to text her about their troubles?  Will she ignore the situation altogether and go out for a drink with her friends because she is really in need of a break?  Doubtful.  That is us.

The Syrian mother will intercede without ceasing, she will pour Scripture into them and over them in a steady, continuous flow, she will teach them to proclaim the name of Jesus, to the point of death and beyond.  Many of their young voices we will hear echoing from the grave, naming the only name of our saving grace, Jesus.

I wonder about her and I wonder about us.  Which one of us has it right?  I wonder which will have a higher probability of spending all of eternity with her babies?  I wonder?

But, truth be told, our parenting is just an outflow of our heart, our spirit.  What our children see daily, hourly is a true representation of who we are.  What we do in a pew is often not entirely true to the inner core of me and you.  If you indulge your children, likely, you are indulgent towards yourself.  If you refuse to disciple consistently you will likely find you are undisciplined with yourself.  If you have an explanation and an excuse for every sinful behavior your children manifest then you will certainly excuse away sin in yourself.  We parent our children the way we govern ourselves.  And often, we do not parent them by the standard of the Word of God just as we do not govern ourselves by the Word of God.  Every Biblical command can be viewed in a different "context" therefore determining - "it does not apply to us."  We have reasoning for sin in the same way we reason away our children's sinful behavior.  Let me name a few and see if they sound familiar.

1.  They are tired.
2.  They are out of their element.
3.  I promise they NEVER behave this way at home!
4.  It is a phase.
5.  They are trying to learn to express themselves.
6.  You know how kids are!  (Can someone please explain to me what this means?  Because apparently I do not know how kids are!  Never in my understanding of children were they disrespectful, unkind, selfish and narcissistic.  When did childhood become an excuse for unbearable behavior.  Thank you Dr. Spock for your vast knowledge and expertise and entirely screwing parents up!)
7.  You know how teenagers are!
8.  You know how young adults are!
9.  You know how middle age parents are!
10.  You know how retirees are!

It is ridiculous, they are excuses and they are unbiblical.  NO WHERE in the word of God does it instruct us to "bear with one another, esteeming others above yourself, unless of course you are tired, hungry, out of your comfort zone, or going through a phase."  There are no prerequisites to godly behavior, you do not need to reach the age of 25 before you are expected to follow the word of God.  We excuse sin in our children and in ourselves.  We always have a reason for our own behavior or choices.  Let's name a few of our excuses for not following Jesus the way He called us to.

1.  I will when I finish college, this is time for me to experiment and enjoy life.
2.  I will when I settle down and have a family.
3.  I will when my healthy is better or my finances are more line.
4.  Once my children are grown and gone because I currently can not do anything except manage them due to the first 10 excuses listed above.
5.  That is the pastor's job.
6.  That is the missionaries' job.
7.  Jesus could not actual have meant for us to live that way - He did not mean for the Bible to be taken literally.  (I must say here that we are quite selective in this interpretation - we believe He was entirely literal when He said He would die for our sins so that we may live in heaven for eternity and that all sins can be forgiven but in regards to loving your neighbor as yourself or carry your cross daily, here we begin to change our tune.  We flip flop back and forth to suit our desires.  Interesting.)
8.  I will when I retire and have more free time.
9.  One of my personal favorites - this is just how I am.  (As if the blood of Jesus has no power to change us.)
10.  Next week.  Next month.  Next year.  Next century.

Our parenting is just a symptom of our own spiritual sickness or spiritual health.  We parent with the same expectations or the same excuses we have for ourselves.

However, there will come a day when there are no more excuses, no more reasonings or explanations, there will not be tomorrow or next week or next year ~ we will all face that day before Creator and yes, so will each and everyone of our darling little bundles of joy ~ we would do well to teach our children and teach ourselves of that truth.

I never intended this to be of our parenting or rationales for sin and I fully realize that most quit reading quite awhile ago - most likely when I began the first set of excuses.  So, I will post the other part of this blog another day, maybe you will have forgiven me by then, maybe not, either way the Truth is still the Truth, even when it hurts, and it does hurt, He revealed that to us all on the cross.

Everyone Loves a Good Fry

How does a small fry live obediently and purposefully?  In a cosmic war that rages on for thousands of years ~ as the final battle scenes begin to enter stage left ~ what does a small fry do in obedience to You?  The role is minuscule but is it arbitrary?  Does it serve a purpose?  If small fries have minuscule roles to play is it necessary to play at all?  Or should the small fries gather at the local Starbucks and sip tea and watch cosmic players play out our futures?  What if the cosmic players play in a weakened or delayed state due to their small fries sipping joe rather then slipping words of intercession to the heavenlies?  Is that possible?  Does the small fry have an impact on the whirling wonders of this world?  As we watch headlines we wonder, "What in the world are we to do?"  The globe spins precariously close to implosion and this small fry often asks, "Does the little I do truly matter?"

When I read of Jesus' followers in Iraq or Syria, I feel small and superficial.  Do I really understand this call to carry cross?  Do I grasp what it means to share in the suffering of Christ?  No.  Plain and simple, I do not.  Not in the slightest.  I currently sit and type at our school table, that is housed in a warm and albeit crowded but quite cozy home, that is contained within a military base that is guarded and gated to protect its inhabitants.  I do not know fear of death or violence.  I do not know the sound of my door crashing and splintering to the ground as masked men demand my denial or my death.  My children ride bikes and eat ice-cream and learn scriptures and vocabulary words.  My life is safe.  My life is virtually perfect.  This suffering and sacrifice He speaks of ~ I know precious little.

What is a small fry to do?

Tonight the XO and I were discussing the small fry and his (or her) responsibility to the Biggest of Fry (that may well be entirely irreverent to refer to God as a Fry but I ask you and He to allow for some creative musings) and the conversation turned to my writing.  Many conversations head down that path ~ the black hole path that is my writing.  This is the place where beautiful words and literary masterpieces go to die!  Unfortunately, many conversations wind their tiresome way to my tiresome writing and we typical tire rapidly and switch topics.

Tonight may have been slightly different.  The XO left to say goodnight to all of our small fries and I picked up my Bible (I do have rare moments of genius and they always include the Word and/or the Holy Spirit).

Proverbs 14:23 ~
"In all labor there is profit, but idle talk (chatter) leads only to poverty."

Many here would think of a physical poverty but the true poverty is of a spiritual sort ~ poverty of peace, poverty of purpose, poverty of completion of ideas and revelations.  Our idle chatter leads to poverty and I see that truth lived out in my writing.

However, I also see this truth lived out in our small fry lives.  We idly chatter of the cosmic workings, we discuss the precarious whirling of our world but we do not labor, not the labor of the spiritual sort.  We do not labor in prayer, we do not labor in fasting, we do not labor in giving or going, we do not labor in caring and crying for those caught in the grip of this cosmic war.

ALL LABOR IS PROFIT.

That is the small fries motto - my labor gains profit in the kingdom.

Every hour spent on your knees He sees.  Every forfeited morsel of bread is Spirit led.  It matters and He sees and He cares.

Personally I write.  And it matters.  Personally I pray.  And it matters.  Personally I fast.  And it matters.  Personally I give.  And it matters.  Personally I want to go and when the CO finally says pack your bags, I will.  And it will matter.

I am a small fry and I matter.  You are most likely a small fry, you may not be as small as me but small fry you are as well, and you matter.

You do not matter because you have the potential to be a big fry one day.  You and I matter because we matter to Him.  In this wild and wooly world with cosmic players of the giant kind we matter for He deemed it true at the foundation of time, at the foundation of this wild and wooly world He determined that you and I matter.  We matter to Him. (Ephesians 1:4, 1 Peter 1:20)

And we have a part to play for ALL LABOR IS PROFIT.  So, it is time that the small fries put off idle chatter and set about the labor of the Lord.

A small fry prays a powerful prayer for the kingdom of God lives within us all who call on the name of Jesus (Luke 17:21).

When infused and inspired by the Spirit of God all of our racing and laboring is profitable from this moment to all of eternity.

The Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Isaiah 50:4-5 ~
". . . He awakens me morning by morning, He awakens my ears to hear as the learned.  The Lord God has opened my ear; And I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away."

The last three years have opened blind eyes as I live amongst deaf ears.  Blind eyes that had never seen the devastation of deaf ears.  But, now I see.  I see the stagnated souls, the isolated ill, the hollowed hearts that know no language of love.  When ears empty of all God's grace life becomes a lonely place.  A separated soul is a sad sight to behold, void of meaningful moments of a simple, shared love.  Some deaf ears will defy nature and seek language in a different manner.  Some will stay the isolated ill.  Many have little choice, language is situational unattainable; they live isolated and ill-souled through cruel circumstances.

We so often look at the deaf or the disabled with a mournful, sympathetic eye; but, never stop to recognize that physical malady is often a God-given gift to diagnose our own spiritual maladies.

We must stop, open blind eyes and see that deaf ears abound in far more then the physically disabled.

Deaf ears deaden the absolutely healthy to His language of love and His repeated call to repentance.

Many are not deaf, more akin to hard of hearing ~ we hear the language of love and miss the language of repentance.  "What was that you say?  Oh, I heard of Your great love for ME but that latter was a little mumbled and muffled.  Well, certainly I heard enough of Your great love for ME and I certainly agree, we all should love ME!"  And hard of hearing ears hear partial message.

Many choose not to hear, for with God's grace comes Jesus' cross;  a cross we would rather not bare.

And yet I see the starved souls before my own eyes of deaf ears that desperately need language.  When we do not hear, we perish.  With hearing comes communing and abiding and this is relationship.  And for ALL of us relationship with Jesus is the ONLY Savior for soul sick us.

Every Sunday, countless sit and most will hear in an auditory way and yet, will not truly hear.  We hear only that which we want to hear, we accept that which tickles our ears (2 Timothy 4:3), and if that inner warm fuzzy is not included we reject the words and often mock the message.

We are deaf for sin and deaf for selfism.

We live life void of true Life because we are unwilling to hear.  Oh certainly, we sit in Sunday pew as good Americans know to do.
But we steel our ears,
   for we refuse to hear,
His call to death that is our only hope to spiritual health.

I have seen deaf ears lead to sick souls, in the physical.

Now I see it in the spiritual.

And in the physical, deaf ears may cause loneliness for a time.

But, in the spiritual deaf ears will cause loneliness for ALL of time.  A loneliness that knows only despair and that horrid gnashing of teeth (Matthew 23:42, Luke 13:28).   Those deaf ears lead to an eternal death of all that is good or lovely or pure.  The spiritually deaf face eternity dead to God ~ dead to the only Goodness this world has ever known.

Here we are so bloated, saturated on God's words yet we do not know His language.

It is not about all the many words you heard but never heard (James 1:22).  It is not about where you sit on a Sunday or who your family is.  It is not about the way you vote or the time you raised your hand or walked an aisle.  Dead men walk aisles all over our country.

It is only about complete abandon to our relationship with Jesus.  It is about hearing His words, ALL of them.  The ones of grace and the ones of suffering, the ones of comfort and the ones of sacrifice.  For better or for worse.  And on this globe He promised us it would often be worse, very worse.

You do not want to hear that, I know.  Neither do I.  But, Truth is Truth.  And our eternities are depending upon what we do with that Truth ~ surrender and serve or determine to discard.

Jesus, give ears to hear.

Behold

1 John 3:1 ~ "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on s, that we should be called children of God!  Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him."

Behold ~ look and see.  

Look unto that which which we do not know and can hardly perceive.

A manner of loving,

   and soul sick hearts are starving,

So my God came, He came carving.

   Carving a place,

in this manner of loving grace,

   a place where soul sick hearts fall into His loving embrace.

We must behold, look unto this love, this manner of love -

   for it is foreign to us,

with our constant selfish lust.

   Ourselves, is our continual fuss.

Us, is what keeps us from knowing,

   this manner of bestowing.

So, writer reminds,

   this love, within us, no man finds.

To behold ~ is an absolute must,

   to rid us of selfish lust,

to stop the continual me fuss.

   His manner of loving, I must simply trust.

A love of unearthly kind,

   this world desperately needs to find.

Beholding,

   is that which writer knows we need - to be knowing.

For this manner of loving, you and I have not the slightest trace,

   it comes only from beholding His lovely face.