Interesting indeed. I hear that the U.S. has been hacked by China, Congress is unable to get along, and oh yeah, that Internet Explorer (I.E.) is not all that great (or safe) apparently.
Beyond its use and functionality, the one thing I like about Internet Explorer is its abbreviation, "I.E.".
It rolls off the tongue so easily. Oh! There is one other important thing that happened within the last few weeks: Pope resignation. The Catholic church seems somewhat to be a sheep without a shepherd.
And this ladies and gentlemen is where I come in.
(Although, interestingly enough there's a show on the History channel which just began called, "The Bible". They say the Lord works in mysterious ways. Nevermind how I've "had" this ready-to-write for some time. It is Lent #shrugs).
Allow me to present thoughts on the state of the church.
Welcome to: Socially Engineering the Church I.E. Style: (that is) sifted (Part 1)
"I'm the greatest"
-Muhammad Ali
Jesus' disciples got into this conversation of who was the greatest and who would sit the closest to Christ in heaven. Jesus plainly stated that this was not his decision (to make). He also went on to prepare Simon (Peter) for what was to come (his denial of Christ, not once but three times). Also, keep in mind that this is after Simon has been declared the "rock" on which the church is built (ironically or not so much, the first "Pope").
31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. 32 But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”
Jesus knew that Peter's trial and return was to be fulfilled no less than his own death and resurrection. Here Jesus is mentioning that Satan (the evil one / devil) wants to sift Jesus' disciples like wheat. What does it mean to be sifted or simply, what is sifting? Sifting is simply the process of separating wanted material(s) from unwanted material(s); however, in this case what's interesting is that sifting is what is done to wheat prior to it being considered the "good" portion of wheat (i.e. separating the wheat from the chaff). Essentially, the bad parts are separated from the good parts and then you have the wheat that is useful. Why would there need to be further sifting to wheat which is already classified as wheat? [Even in going through this for the purposes of this entry I'm coming to an understanding that I need to dig deeper into this verse myself.] In other words Simon was to be "sifted" again (or at least that's what Satan wants to do).
SN: A question that I won't answer (here)- Did Satan successfully sift Simon?
Remember the mentioning of I.E. earlier? Sometimes you might see people use "i.e." or "e.g." or other abbreviations/short hands in their writings. Id est is Latin for "that is" (i.e.), which is another way of saying, "in other words". It really is..."interesting" that the Pope decided to resign "in time" for writing this entry. Allow me to connect the dots if you're confused so far.
In my line of work the web browser that many people use call "I.E." is considered somewhat of a joke. Social engineering is a form of "deception" that can be used to trick people into doing, acting, behaving a certain way in order to get what you want/need from them. We've already talked about what it means to be sifted. I believe that when it comes to certain issues, topics of discussion, and how we act as Christians, at times you would think we've been socially engineered (conned really) to act this way. It's nothing more than a joke to some people (perhaps those doing the engineering).
"In other words" (i.e. What I'm saying is...), the Church has been (is being) sifted! Now is this true for all of us, maybe, maybe not. Some of the "stuff" I'll mention may or may not be news to you. More than anything I want to mention some things that I've noticed and see if we can get some other thoughts on the matter. The important piece here is to be able to discuss what I'm bringing up and see if it is or isn't a problem. Maybe I'm crazy or maybe, just maybe there's a point to it all.
Quickly, back to i.e. When it comes to our faith there's a ginormous amount of ways to grow deeper in your relationship with God, the community of faith and really learn the Word. We must be wary, however of allowing what we "know" to determine how we see ourselves. In other words, don't ever think you know it all. Concerning faith and learning as I mentioned in another post, there's the "intellectual" and "experiential" aspect (there's that I.E. again). I've been blessed to attend a church that uses what's known as the Wesleyan Quadrilateral (Scripture, Reason, Experience, and Tradition) when it comes to interpretation of scripture. No matter how much I learn, or grow, I do my best to make sure that I don't see myself as some sort of _____, who can answer all and any question about the Bible or its contents.
Now on to the social engineering (sorry it took so long).
Within the Church, since the beginning there has been the spreading of lies. The Bible speaks about false prophets, teachers and apostles. We're also told to be on alert and correct in love those members who don't act accordingly. In the movie First Sunday (starring Ice Cube, Tracy Morgan, Katt Williams, among others) the two main characters LeeJohn and Durell decide to "stick up" a church. When they're asked their names by the church secretary, this is how they respond.
Doris: I'm Doris McPherson,the church secretary
...and this is my son, Timmy.
Timmy, stop all that jumping. Stop, stop.
And you are?
Durell: Leonard.
LeeJohn: Leonard.
Doris: You're both named Leonard?
LeeJohn: Yeah, but we say it differently.
It's a family tradition that both the boy cousins is named Leonard.
Doris: Interesting.
Interesting indeed. This charade goes on for most of the movie until LeeJohn calls Leonard by his real name (Oops!).
Doesn't this sound like some of us in the church? It may sound interesting, confusing, or wrong...perhaps we question it or maybe just let it slide because it came from someone in a position of power. Ya know, "Momma said", "Grandma n'em", I saw on the WORD Network...it could happen anywhere really.
Here are two other examples:
There are a lot of Christians who have falsely been told that they can't wear pants. Why? It doesn't make any sense really. Maybe they'll tempt you. Perhaps you'll be thinking more of how "baby's got back" instead of how Jesus will return (come back) some day. All I know is even if someone shows up to the church house in their birthday suit, we all have a responsibility not to lust after the flesh. To blame it on a particular article of clothing or to suggest that there's a reason why you can't wear something is ludicrous. We should be modest and careful with what we wear and what it might suggest, but I'm sure wearing pants won't send you to hell.
SN2: Chuck Norris is afraid to face me in a battle of wits concerning theology.
What else is there...
I have a big issue with TBN and other Christian television stations. Sometimes I will watch, sometimes I won't. I don't do much television anyways. My issue is with some of the people who show up on the networks and are "holy ghost" filled, anointed, and perform great works for God, yet say and do things that seem all so contrary to what's in the Bible. Usually it's something they say or do that is a point of controversy (which I admit is needed at times). Also, notice how TBN is broadcast out of Oklahoma...just think of Oklahoma and you'll know why TBN is at "home", not too far from being "home, home on the range" (i.e. Kansas).
I can remember I went to "campmeeting" once with my grandparents and mother. I was excited because they had a lot of "stuff" setup for people my age to do. What I didn't know was that I was pre-destined to speak in tongues. The 6th graders were called up along with some older students. We were told to place our #handsOnPpl and "don't u dare push them". Isn't it already a little weird with what you're asking us to do? (I thought to myself). I looked at the guy in front of me, and he looked back at me. I prayed for him (no pushing included) and it was over. That I didn't have a problem with, although maybe we should've had oil (?). Here's the kicker, we were told to go home and practice praying in tongues.
You don't practice praying in tongues because it's something to do.
So how did I get started? Simple...the way we were told to, pick a consonant. His example used the letter D. I wasn't feeling creative, "D-d-d-d-d-d". Within the first 2 minutes I was #notFeelingAnyOfThis. Now let me end this portion by saying that people do speak in tongues. I've witnessed it and it is legit; however, it is not something you just do because you want to. That's not "how it works". What's worse is this went down at a respected event that was tied to the name of a minister who was "known the world over". Whether it's directly his fault or not, I can't say.
My only other beef is with the 700 Club (mostly Pat Robertson). But here's a question. Why the "700 Club"? Why not, the 7...or 8? Wouldn't channel 7 (usually a local channel) be a "holy" channel to be on?
Coming to the end here very quickly, so bear with me.
Teaching on the Holy Spirit is very crucial. I had heard about the Holy Spirit, had some interactions but didn't have a full understanding until recently when I had to study on my own to determine what was going on in my spiritual life. I believe that (based on my experience) the church doesn't teach enough (about many things) about the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit (FRUIT) vs. the fruits of the Spirit, etc. For example, we're to worship in "spirit and truth". What does that really mean? Does anyone know?! How about being "under" the Spirit? At that point, who's in charge? When was the last time your congregation did a study on the 5-fold ministry (Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers)? Not many people know what the Holy Spirit is about...I've scratched the surface. In all honesty, the responsibility may be falling more on the sheep than the church leadership because of lack of diligence in their own journey.
I remember one time in undergrad I came home for break and it was apparent that there had been a transforming experience in my life. I was different to say the least. One of my parental figures noted: "You're getting too radical". It would've been a lot better if they had discerned that the Holy Spirit was having its way. At least then I would have been able to come to an understanding of why things were happening as they were, instead of thinking, "This is great!" Although I must confess, I knew what was going on to an extent and maybe that's how it usually is for most folks.
Let's not go into the misinterpretation/understanding of scripture, repeating Bible verses incorrectly (e.g. combining two that have nothing to do with each other), and not verifying what our Pastor tells us. For some folk they go to church on Sunday get their "Word" and wait til the next week. That's exactly why their life is the way it is.
Lastly, the "Sinner's Prayer". It reads something like this:
Lord Jesus, I know that I have sinned against you, and that my sins separate me from you. I am truly sorry, I repent of my sins. I now want to turn away from my sinful past, and turn to you for forgiveness. Please forgive me of my sins, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that you (Jesus Christ), died on a cross for my sins, that you(Jesus)was raised from the dead by God the father on the third day, is now alive, and now hears my prayer. I believe your blood shed on the cross blots out my sins. I invite Jesus to become my Savior and the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You and to convict me when I sin. I pledge to grow in grace and knowledge of you. My greatest purpose in life is to follow your example and do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
-- Reference, Unknown editing source, from GodBlessyou.com [I pulled from wikipedia.org]
The question or issue is...what are the proper steps before one gets to repentance? The one I have here is a more detailed version than what people are usually fed at events. You know, those concerts you go to and at the end they say, "Say this prayer with me...YOU'RE SAVED!" Yea, those events. Fortunately, this particular prayer goes into some length covering various aspects that a person asking for repentance should be aware of. As I mentioned though, in many cases it's watered down to "Tell the Lord you're sorry, and you want a better life with him in it." I've even witnessed video of a Christian artist having folks say a sinner's prayer after they finished performing at some club. I'm not judging the atmosphere or location, but what if someone left there that night thinking they had made the decision and really hand't? Wouldn't that be horrible...or if they never changed anything they did? I don't know, but if you've got a glass full of bubbly in your hand, I can only hope/pray that your prayer was sincere. The good thing is, I'm not the judge.
I know this has been a lot and I'm still trying to figure out the best format to give you a lot of good information in a short amount of time and space. Thanks for hanging in there.
GraceNPeace,
liMitz
Links for Consideration(L4C):
