Relationship

Easter is coming soon. You can tell because the Wal-Mart shelves are crammed with toys and baskets and candy, lots of candy, most of it some pastel shade. You can tell because the church signs are in full marketing mode.

We don't practice easter or christmas or any of those other adapted pagan celebrations.

We haven't for some time.

But some of our extended family just doesn't seem to have grokked our rejection of these unholy days.

This is now leading to a moment of decision: a long-time family friend wants to have an "easter" party for our children. He's a decent guy and no doubt he thinks he is doing something nice and fun for them.

What harm can it be? All our children know what easter is about and why we prefer to observe a Passover celebration and focus on the redemption Christ provided during this time. That being the case, how could a few easter eggs and some candy be bad, right?

Besides, if we decline, it will hurt his feelings, and that would be bad, right?

Wrong.

If we go, we will be teaching our children that it OK to compromise, especially if it brings a little pleasure or it helps to maintain a relationship. We teach them to put sense ahead of knowledge and relationship ahead of God.

This is one of those subtle devices the world employs to move you, however slightly, toward the broad and easy road.

Will it hurt our friend to say we can't go, maybe, but it would be more damaging to not stand firm.

Tribulation

One of the comforts of the rapture mythology is that we will be removed from the earth before the really nasty events take place. If you are a Christian in the United States or most other western nations, that idea might be rational, but if you are a believer in China, Sri Lanka, India, an Islamic nation, or nearly any other country, you might see the rapture doctrine differently.

We in the United States, especially, have no idea what persecution or tribulation is like. Court cases about school prayer or the teaching of intelligent design versus evolution or lesbian teenagers attending the prom are not persecution - nor tribulation. What we have experienced in this country up till now are not unwarranted assaults on an innocent people.

The American Church is experiencing the natural outcome of its participation in the synthetic process of politics and human governance.

By surrendering the independence of separation, accepting 501c3 and other non-profit corporate charters, becoming part of the system and adapting the message to the community, the Church has forsaken the spiritual high ground. The Church is compromised.

The corporate organizational structure is satanic.

The Church, by accepting corporate form, has become double-minded and will not be able to stand against what is about to come down upon it.

I noted in 2007 that the election of 2008 would be won by an unknown, dark horse, candidate and that "faith" would be a theme of the election. Earlier this year I also predicted that the health reform bill would pass and I have also predicted that the democrats would not lose power in the mid-terms.

Now, if you have noted the noise coming out of DC, you will have heard the growing accusations of threats, fears and terrorism being levelled against the opponents to the health reform bill. Some of these events are no doubt true, most of them are lies or false flags, many are the overblown reactions of guilty souls who know they did something wrong.

Regardless of the truth or falsity of the claims, they will be used to institute an assault on the Church because Christianity, in the eyes of the secularists, is synonomous with conservative politics. If, as I expect, the democrats survive the mid-terms, the oppression of Christians will increase exponentially.

That is assuming events are not managed so as to allow this administration to delay or cancel the elections.

I cannot promise that coming out of the corporate churches and separating yourself will save you from the looming persecution and tribulation...but I can promise you that if you don't come out now there will be no escape.

Burdens

When Jesus said, "For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" He was not speaking to us on the nature of Christian labor. Jesus was making a promise to us of deliverance.

It is not God who burdens us with the weights of life; it is the world and the master of its hierarchy, the Adversary, that layer upon us unceasing demands for labor, blood and treasure.

In this world all must be bought with a price calculated to be just beyond the boundaries of your ability.

Every man, whether in the lowliest station or at the heights of power, is left wanting, just short of satisfaction. The poor man is beset by a dearth of means and presented the promise of an apparent escape, if only he will give a little more, do a small thing, give up something dear. The man of power is led along the trail of accomplishment with the seeds of pride and the bread of position.

At the end, all proclaim with Solomon "...vanity of vanities, all is vanity."

Jesus promises us nothing here for the world to admire.

There are no men of renown who belong to God - no titans of industry, no giants of the intellect, no paragons of virtue - those all belong to the world and they already have their reward.

God requires simplicity and He returns understanding. God requires trust and He provides sufficiency. God requires weakness and He infuses strength. God requires obedience and He is faith. God requires surrender and He gives us liberty.

If you are tired, broken, lonely, burdened by the world, the escape is Jesus. Give Him everything and He will give you more.