In my last post, I spoke of the responsibility we all have to “face God” and take on the role of a judge in order to make an informed decision regarding the veracity of His testimony, the written word of God. I also acknowledged that facing God is a scary thing (well, not if you don’t believe, of course). It’s so easy to say, yet requires such courage to actually make the decision and commitment to hear God’s word in such an open and objective way. Ideally, that’s exactly the position a judge is to assume when considering any case they preside over. They are to leave any preconceived notions, any prejudices or bias, and any subjectivity aside when hearing testimony and evidence submitted for their decision.
Along with the courage required to accept the responsibility to hear God’s testimony, it also takes courage to face yourself. This too, is no easy task. One thing is for sure, if you go down this road and open yourself to his word, you will come face to face with yourself as God sees you; and I know this for some is a very scary thing to do. As I’m writing this, I’m coming to realize this is what I’m trying to do. I’m hoping to encourage people to overcome their fear of finding out who they really are and in the process, discover the depths of God’s forgiveness offered to the world through the shed blood of his son, our savior, Jesus Christ.
I’m here to tell you that’s what will happen if you read Cows in the Pews and The Atheists Too and if you keep visiting this site. Plain talk intended to prod you into action. Plain talk intended to cause you to get off your laurels and take matters into your own hands. Stop relying on the traditional and widely accepted religious practices to express your Christianity. Start educating yourself with the actual words on the pages of the bible with the end goal of understanding it as God intended. As lofty as that may sound, that’s the purpose of this whole exercise. Before I go much further, consider the following passage:
Romans 10:13-21
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.
But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by [them that are] no people, [and] by a foolish nation I will anger you.
But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me.
But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.
I’ve referenced this passage to call your attention to two things. First, there is obviously a need for preachers. Otherwise how would anyone be able to call on the lord if they haven’t heard of him in the first place. Secondly, notice in verse 18 where the Apostle Paul asks, “Have they not heard?” and answers, “Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.” I think this is where we are today. As was the case at that time, preachers spreading the gospel of Christ such that their sound and their words went across the world, so it is the case today that preachers are preaching the gospel of Christ and some will hear and some will not.
The point is we are coming at this from a different place and time. During Paul’s ministry, the word of God was in the process of being published and relied upon preachers to spread the word. Today, we have the published word of God available in many forms and languages allowing us to read it and understand it as if from God himself. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting we don’t need preachers anymore. I’m not saying that at all. However, we have the added advantage of having direct access to the published word of God meaning we have the added advantage of being able to pursue scriptural knowledge and understanding individually without reliance upon the clergy. The word purity comes to mind in the sense that if we put all our trust in the hands of the “preachers” in our day and time without out our own pursuit, we are simply mooing along like a herd of cows never knowing if what we’re being taught is what God means in the purest sense. Consider this passage:
Act 17:10-12
And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming [thither] went into the synagogue of the Jews.
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.
Notice Paul describes the people he encountered in Berea as “more noble than those in Thessalonica”. And why? Because “they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily”. For what purpose? To see if the things Paul was preaching were true. It’s interesting to realize when you read the rest of Acts 17 that while Paul was in Athens, “he saw the city wholly given to idolatry” and went about preaching the gospel in both the synagogue among the Jews and the market among the Greeks. Notice too, in Acts 17:17 he was disputing, which is to say arguing or conversing with them. In other words, this wasn’t some structured delivery where Paul had some predetermined script and expected these people to just sit there and enjoy the show. Nor was he mincing words, he was telling them exactly what they needed to hear and they were active participants in the exchange.
That’s what I offer in Cows in the Pews and The Atheists Too, it’s a crash course, if you will, in how to do just that; understand God exactly as he intended apart from the doctrines offered by the 33,000 Christian denominations in the world today. Now, I apologize if I’m coming across like all I’m trying to do is sell my book. I admit there’s some of that, but that’s not the only thing I hope to accomplish. Like I said in my January 2, 2017 post, what I’m trying to do is “build a platform that stands apart from many of the forms of religious Christianity that are all seemingly different sides of a multi-sided dice”. And in order to do that, I’ve long since realized the difficulty of persuading people to find the courage to face God, much less themselves in the process.
II Timothy 2:15
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
What I’ve come to understand from a big picture standpoint is, you got two types of people. On the one side, you got your churchgoing Christians, and on the other side, you got your atheists. Now, you might think I’m stating the obvious and that everyone already understands that divide, if you will. And sure, it’s pretty obvious and doesn’t really need to be restated, but here’s why I am restating it:
What churchgoing offers is like kindergarten for Christians. You’re fed these baby size bites of the word of God packaged somehow in line with whatever denominational doctrine the message is derived from. And in the process, you’re taken through this form of worship that is the presumed practice and expression of Christian faith. Indoctrination might be a good word here. In my experience, people become so entrenched in these methods of worship that they can’t or won’t consider anything outside of what they’ve been taught.
If you think about it, that’s just like kindergarten. The kindergarten teacher is in a position that allows her to teach two overarching things. The first thing is that she’s the teacher which is to say she has authority to tell the children what they can and can’t do, what they can and can’t say, when to say or do what she tells them, and lastly that they must sit down and behave while she teaches her lessons. The second thing is that she and the school system have the authority to develop a curriculum and the content of the curriculum for presentation to their captive audience.
Obviously, the difference between a kindergartner and an adult is that a kindergartner needs that structure and form simply because they’re children. But, once you instill this approach to faith and worship, people become comfortable and are conditioned to view it as the norm and I’m sure, as consistent with the will of God. I mean, of course they do; churchgoing in all its forms is so prevalent and predominant in our society that anyone who cares to speak out against it is somehow and obviously an outsider. That’s me. I get that.
And here’s what I’ve learned trying to persuade people so deeply rooted in their religious practices to consider the word of God anew: I’m treated exactly as you would expect me to be treated, as an outsider teaching something contrary to what they’ve been taught. “No need to go much further because this guy is suggesting that there’s something wrong with my understanding of God, faith, religion etc.” That’s the heart of it; that’s the root of the rejection. That’s why my discourse is so easily dismissed. That’s why facing yourself is even scarier than facing God. You might possibly have to face the fact that what you’ve been taught and in turn believe in is somehow off the mark.
Remember I mentioned there are two types of people. The second type is, of course, the atheist and guess what I’ve learned trying to persuade them to hear the word of God? There’s not much difference between them and the typical churchgoer. And why? Because as I said, you might possibly have to face the fact that what you’ve been taught and in turn believe in is somehow off the mark.
There’s my platform. That’s where all this is coming from. I’m one person doing everything I can to try to break through this defense mechanism that is nothing more than carnal pride. On the one side you have supposed Christians so entrenched in their religious organization that they will not allow anyone to suggest there might be something wrong with not only their participation but moreover something wrong with the doctrine being taught. On the other side, you have atheism, which in and of itself is a religion of sorts, teaching their believers that God does not exist. And likewise, these folks will not allow anyone to suggest there is something wrong with their belief system.
Let me wind this down for now. I hope you’re starting to see what you can expect when you visit my site and if you decide to read Cows in The Pews and The Atheists Too. Straight talk… Plain talk about the basis of your faith or belief system, however you like to describe it, in hopes of giving you reason to face God, hear his testimony, and in the process, face yourself in order to make an informed decision based on your own pursuit of understanding the bible as intended rather than a decision based on hearsay.
With that said, here’s a couple of passages that aptly describe the content you can expect from the platform that is the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
John 6:63
It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
I Corinthians 3:1-3
And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, [even] as unto babes in Christ.
I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able [to bear it], neither yet now are ye able.
For ye are yet carnal: for whereas [there is] among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
The first passage is Jesus speaking to the twelve; the second is the apostle Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians. Reflect upon them as they relate to your current understanding of how God sees you and find the courage to face the real you, whether you are the old man, or a babe in Christ…
