Jesus 4 President?

With our national election just over a week away, most of us have already decided who we are going to vote for in the 2012 Presidential Election. The lines have been drawn in the proverbial sand as the two national political party platforms have been debated, revised, and promoted. This upcoming election will determine which of the two platforms will be advanced as law over the course of the next four years. A short glance at the two party's platforms would indicated even to the most casual observer that each party has a "vision" for the future of America, radically different from the other party's platform. For example, one party recognizes an unborn baby's life in the womb as sacred and in need of protection while the other party recognizes a woman's right to terminate a baby's life in the womb as a "personal choice" that only the mother should make. One party holds to the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman while the other party redefines marriage and what or who constitutes "marriage." As one examines the platforms of these two parties, it becomes clearly evident that they are diametrically opposed to each other on almost EVERY point!  

For those people who have not made up their minds about whom they are going to vote for at this late junction of the game, I have to wonder what criteria they use to make their decision. Do these people have moral compasses that regulate their sense of right and wrong or do they substitute subjective feelings for objective truth or some community standard in making these very important decisions? Do they consult the Bible for direction for their votes or do they use their "feelings" to cast their votes? It is this group of undecided voters that both parties try to pander to and influence by appealing to a wide host of interests that might tip their votes in the party's favor.

Recently, I noticed political signs in homeowner's yards or in front of area churches, promoting Jesus for President. To be honest with you, I didn't even know he was interested in running for President or much less that he was on the ballot. I thought he was already King of kings and Lord of lords and rules over all the earth from his throne on high. Silly me! You could imagine my embarrassment that as a pastor I did not even know that he wanted to be President of the United States! I figured that I must get to the bottom of this very important issue because I didn't know where my head was at concerning Jesus running for President.

My first place of inquiry concerning "Jesus for President" was on the Internet and was an organization that was recruiting "Christian voters" to vote neither for President Obama nor for Governor Romney. Their suggestion was that neither candidate was worthy of a vote and that Christians should just write in the name "Jesus" as a sign of protest against both political parties and their candidates.The site claimed that it had almost 1.5 million Christian people who were pledging to follow their instructions. It is amazing that so many "Christians" apparently would accept and be willing to follow such nonsense. It was a telltale sign to me that the American church is in dire spiritual shape. These people must know that no man is perfect and that a wasted vote is a vote for the implantation of an anti-Christian worldview and law system with horrendous national consequences. Granted both candidates are not Christian, but policies and laws that they will try to enact are either Biblical or humanistic. One party's platform is much more Biblical than the other party's platform.

The second site I examined concerning Jesus for President was a group advocating that Christians start living like Jesus and give away the majority of their money and property, renounce all violence and corporate profits, and pledge to live like hermits or monks so that the rest of the world will see our true Christ-like spiritual nature. This in turn will "really" inspire the rest of the world to seek and accept Jesus so that they could continue to be in the same miserable living conditions that all of us believers would be in. I couldn't help think that the rest of the world is already poor and miserable, but that hasn't brought them to Christ. Just maybe they are looking for the real Savior who can raise them and their culture out of material and spiritual poverty that they find themselves already submerged in!

Upon reading the rest of the reasons this website advanced for their cause, it was abundantly clear to me that this group was some front group for those "social justice" and "liberal gospel" types! -- Can't we just all get along together and work for universal harmony?

With two strikes already against me, I was feeling like Miguel Cabrera in the batter's box with two strikes and no balls - what would the next pitch be?

 

Finally, the third site I visited was using Jesus 4 President as a slick and clever church recruiting and marketing ploy. The site featured a video with three pastors questioning what would Jesus do if he were President of the United States. None of the pastors on the video indicated who people should vote for or the candidate positions on the different platforms. Instead they took a neutral position and left it to the individual to make up their own minds as to whom they should vote for. The pastors wanted to examine what Jesus would be like if he were the President and how he would run the country. I don't know if they would actually teach participants at the service about the incredibly important issues facing the country today, how those issues impact our nation and culture, and how each candidate intends to address those issues if elected, but I guess speculating about what Jesus might do is more important than getting direction from Him as to what we should do. It always strikes me as troublesome that men who claim to be pastors and radically in love with Jesus cannot bring themselves to take a public and Biblical stand against political parties who continually undermine or reinterpret every Christian doctrine and practice to advance their particular political agenda.

Please note the following excerpt taken from one of the websites. The main page Jesus4president.com states, "Politics have their place. The Bible actually says that when good men and women lead a nation, that nation will prosper. So we’re not saying, ‘Don’t Vote.’ Vote! We want you to vote and we’re not trying to tell you which way you should vote.  We’re just saying that we need something better than a President."

I think we can all agree that we need something better than the current administration, but the truth of the matter is that it is what it is. We have the opportunity to vote in a man who will lead this country in the near future and this choice does matter - it matters greatly! And if the choice matters greatly, then the "church" should be telling its members which man should receive their vote! There is a tremendous difference between the two men currently running for office and their views on life and how this country should be run. Their views will either impede this nation's decline or accelerate its speedy course to destruction.

If pastors and their churches would rather employ a middle of the road view and don't-make-any-waves philosophy on such crucial matters as taxpayer funding of abortion, the governmental funding of Planned Parenthood, the taxpayer funding of human embryonic stem cell research, enacting a ban on human cloning, giving parents a choice in their children's education, defending the state constitutional amendment preserving natural marriage, the appointment of conservative judges to the bench, the ending of military social engineering, the end of governmental control of healthcare or the protection of religious liberties, then a vote for Mitt Romney is NOT your choice! But let's quit playing silly games when it comes to making such important and life-altering decisions! The church is called to be prophetic in its mission and to declare to the church at large - as well as the world - God's will in all matters.

Man is definitely not saved by or through a particular political party holding office, but our freedoms, liberty, rights, and justice are ALL defined, established, and maintained by these parties and the laws they would impose on the rest of us. Whoever defines, controls, and establishes the law of the land determines the context and limits to these important and very relevant Biblical concepts.

And, Jesus, I suppose some of your church will continue to use your name for foolish and laughable ends. Some will twist the true message of the Gospel for the advancement of harmful spiritual-social-political ends. Others will use your name as a clever marketing tool to build their local church and reputations, but may your true church honor and revere your holy name that is exalted high above all names - including that of President! 


Stay Holy, My Friends!

Pastor Don

The Walking Dead!

This week, the long anticipated return of one of my favorite shows began its fall schedule. The Walking Dead aired amidst wild speculations and arguments as to what this season will ultimately bring to the fans of the show. I don't know what it is with the current fascination with zombies and vampires, but the craze has swept through our culture and shows no sign of slowing down.

Back in the day, movies such as Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and The Last Man on Earth became cult movie classics and brought a new genre of horror to the big screen. These movies pioneered a fascination with "the living dead" and, in my humble opinion, have also been responsible for helping to spawn the counterculture of "Goth"!

For those of you who do not know what a zombie is, a little course in zombieology 101 is in order. A zombie is a person, or sometimes an animal, who has died and - by some weird means - has come back to "life." Depending on the type, zombies can be reanimated by radiation, meteorite dust, voodoo, or - if you belong to the Democratic party - a Joe Biden speech!  When this person comes back to life, he is not alive in the same sense that you or I are alive. You can't reason with zombies or get them to change their minds. You can't take one home as a pet or play with one out in the yard. They are brain dead and have one goal - destroy and eat the "real" living! The whole reason for their existence is summed up in that existential commitment.  
 

Since there is no legitimate way to reason with or convince zombies that what they are trying to do is wrong, excessive means must be taken to destroy these creatures and render society safe from their continual savaging and preying upon the healthy and innocent living. In order for society to get back to "normal living," these demonic creatures must be exterminated and eliminated forever! Those who are zombie experts - like Mark Hogan - know that this can only be accomplished by a bullet or sharp blow to or decapitation of their head. The head is the key to dealing with and destroying these "dead alive." No body shot will render them ineffective or put an end to their miserable and horrifying existence! 

Now, this may come as a shocking surprise to some, but many of our churches are filled with "zombies"! Yes, the walking dead are among us in our churches as well as in our society. These "zombies" appear to be alive, but are really dead with no life of God flowing through their bodies. Their brains are dead and are incapable of thinking God's thoughts or contributing to the "normal living" of church life. They destroy or infect the healthy church through seductive and false teachings or through personal and contaminated contact. Look at what the Apostle John delivers to the church of Sardis in the book of Revelation:

To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.

Or what the Apostle Jude says in his epistle:

These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm--shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted--twice dead.

Jesus himself confronted "zombies" in his earthly ministry and told them:

Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.

In the trailer for the latest The Walking Dead episode, one of the still-alive characters uttered these inspiring words - "We're going out there and taking back what's ours!" They had a city and lives that were torn apart and taken by the appearance of zombies in their town and they finally had enough of it. With determination and commitment to exterminate these creatures, they were willing to place their lives on the line for each other and their families. They also realized that by doing this they were placing themselves in harm's way and possibly laying down their own lives so that others could live free from zombie threats.

In like manner, there are Zombies in the church and world who are making life a living hell for everyone! These zombies are people who are totally unaware of true spiritual matters and try to set the "spiritual" direction for all others. Whether it is Islam, Humanism, or some other "dead" religious or political belief or ideology, these teachings and ideas infect the healthy and quickly destroy their spiritual and natural health. Though these people are alive naturally, they are dead spiritually. And just like the zombies on television or in the movies, they are brain dead concerning the things of God and exist only to feed themselves and destroy those around them. Reasoning with them is fruitless unless they have been "made alive" by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit. Contact with them can infect the "healthy" with their dreaded condition. Notice the stipulations for someone in the Old Testament who had contact with a "dead" person and the effect it had on them and the process they had to go through to get "clean"!
   

Those who touch the dead body of any human being shall be unclean seven days. They shall purify themselves with the water on the third day and on the seventh day, and so be clean; but if they do not purify themselves on the third day and on the seventh day, they will not become clean. All who touch a corpse, the body of a human being who has died, and do not purify themselves, defile the tabernacle of the Lord; such persons shall be cut off from Israel. 

Failure to "cleanse" oneself from contact with a "dead" person resulted in the "clean" person becoming "dead," and they had to be cut off - permanently removed - from the congregation in order to keep "death" from progressing. May we ever be cognoscente of the "walking dead" around us and the deadly disease that they carry and transmit. It is only through having a strong Biblical worldview and trust in God that we can combat these zombies and take back what has been stolen and destroyed by them. By equipping ourselves with the "sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God," we can destroy and overcome all thoughts and speculations that exalt themselves above the name of God and His Holy Word.

Stay Holy, My Friends,




Pastor Don

A Quiver Full!

Psalm 127

Unless the Lord builds the house,

its builders labor in vain.

Unless the Lord watches over the city,

the watchmen stand guard in vain.

In vain you rise early

and stay up late,

toiling for food to eat—

for he grants sleep to those he loves.

Sons are a heritage from the Lord,

children a reward from him.

Like arrows in the hands of a warrior

are sons born in one’s youth.

Blessed is the man

whose quiver is full of them.

They will not be put to shame

when they contend with their enemies in the gate.

Last Sunday, the leadership of Downriver Christian Community Church was proud to announce to the congregation the setting into the office of deacon five men whose lives have exemplified the word "servant." Recognized and ordained for their commitment and devoted service to Jesus as well as to Downriver Christian Community Church were Fred and Esther Ramsey, Ed and Jenny Lindlbauer, Bobby and Michelle Ramirez, Donovan and Cathy Rowe, and Steve and Allison Shank. These men, along with their faithful wives, have served DCCC over the past years with hearts fully devoted to the care, oversight, and service of the DCCC saints and have sacrificed of their time, talents, and tithes to ensure that the local church remains healthy and evangelistic. Having been selected to take upon themselves the administration and oversight of various functions within DCCC, they have displayed through trials and testings those outstanding qualities that are described in 1 Timothy:

Deacons also must be worthy of respect. They must be honest and true. They must not drink too much wine. They must not try to get money by cheating people. They must hold on to the deep truths of the faith. Even their own minds tell them to do that. First they must be tested. Then let them serve as deacons if there is nothing against them. In the same way, their wives must be worthy of respect. They must not say things that harm others. In anything they do, they must not go too far. They must be worthy of trust in everything. A deacon must be faithful to his wife. He must manage his children and family well. Those who have served well earn the full respect of others. They also become more sure of their faith in Christ Jesus.

Haven proven themselves as good stewards over the ministries and people they oversee, these spiritual sons and their wives are definitely a heritage from the Lord and a quiver full of arrows necessary for spiritual combat and kingdom advancement. We consider ourselves blessed and fortunate to have these men and their wives as part of the leadership team at Downriver Christian Community Church and look forward to their important generational impact for the name and the cause of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May God watch over the house you labor to build and the section of the city he has set you over to keep watch of. Be faithful and diligent to your trust. And now- let's get back to work!      

Stay Holy, My Friends!

 

Pastor Don 

Watch! Listen! Learn! Act!

Every once in a blue moon, I find a YouTube video that leaves such an indelible impression on my spirit that I have to share it with the Downriver family via my blog! The following video is from a Bishop named E.W. Jackson from Virginia who takes the modern U.S. "black" church and its leadership and members to task for its undying devotion to the Democratic Party. Bishop Jackson - who will NEVER be confused with or identified along side of the Reverend Jessie Jackson - challenges black Christians in the United States to throw off the shackles of the Democratic Party and to be loosed from their God-hating, family-destroying, homosexual-supporting and slave-imposing social mentality along with a long host of other anti-God policies.

And like a true man of God, he calls a spade a spade and makes no bones about it. Bishop Jackson is a voice crying out in the political and spiritual wilderness calling people back to their right place before God. A place where His word and Son are upheld and honored by holy living and proper doctrine. Let the chips fall where they may because a line has been drawn and a serious challenge has been thrown down.

Stay holy, my brother, and continue to fight the good fight of faith because the tide is turning! Like Moses praying with his hands upheld, the battle is slowly turning and sacred ground is being reclaimed. The enemies of God are in retreat and are being routed by the Most High. Hold your ground and pray on! Now, if only the "white liberal" church would watch, listen, learn, and act, then we could all truly embrace one another and sing with all our heart - free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, we are all free at last! Preach on brother, preach on!

Stay Holy, My Brother!



Pastor Don

Go To Jail, Go Directly To Jail!

I'm sure everyone is familiar with the all-time popular game of Monopoly. Remember how fun it was to "take" everyone's money and buy their properties at pennies on the dollar when they were close to being out of money?  Or how about buying and placing home and hotels on Baltic Avenue or one of the other "worthless" pieces of property you bought when the game began? The good old days of board games and the countless fun hours we spent actually doing something with others...instead of sitting behind a computer all day, texting on our phones, or playing with our iPads or Kindles!

One of the most frustrating things about playing Monopoly was losing turns and money if sent to jail! While others were racing around the board buying property and collecting money, you languished in jail until you threw doubles with the dice on one of your next three turns. There was an exception to the rule with a Get Out of Jail Free card. Do something wrong - don't worry about going directly to jail - you have a get out of jail "card" in hand.

Just recently, I was stunned when I saw a current headline on one of the popular website news pages. The title of the article was "Dozens of Americans Jailed for Praying in front of the White House." I could not believe it. People actually were just praying in front of the White House when they were arrested? At first, I thought it must have been an unruly Muslim mob "praying" for the head of a movie maker who had offended the prophet Mohammad or left-wing "Christians" "praying" and protesting some "righteous" cause like U.S. disarmament or showing their continued support for "pro-choice" lawmakers and judges. Usually these types of "prayer meetings" get out of hand.

 

However, I was surprised and wrong about this prayer meeting. These people just were kneeling, holding signs and praying quietly for the protection of our religious freedom. They were not even threatening anyone or screaming inaudible religious slogans. The hubris, audacity, and self-righteousness of this group in trying to act more respectful and civilized than all the other groups that protest! Who did they think they were by the way? Who would even want to stand up - or kneel in their case - for religious freedom when everybody "knows" it is guaranteed by the first amendment in the Bill of Rights!

These six people peacefully protested the Obama administration’s mandate requiring employers to provide contraceptives, sterilization, and abortion-producing drugs by kneeling in prayer in front of the White House, and they quickly were arrested and whisked away by U.S. Park police, according to World Net Daily. Watch the accompanying video to see the "resistance" and "disturbances" that they engaged in while protesting. I think the accompanying sound was purposely deleted because of the obscene language being used by the protesters. I think I could read the lips of one of the protesters telling a police officer God bless you!

With the advent of the presidential election upon us and the continual imposition of a secular worldview on our culture and children, we must be like the men of Issachar who understood the perilous times they lived in and knew what course of action they should take. Undaunted by what lay in front of them, they trusted God, the rightness of their cause, and the commitment of their brothers to overcome every obstacle that impeded their path toward godly change. Walking by faith and not by sight, we are called to fight the good fight of faith with the strength that God provides and subdue the unrighteous and immoral thinking and behavior that now dominates our country's collective mindset. There is a way that seems right unto man, but the end is destruction. Unless God's people live out what they believe passionately and sincerely - and not cower under threats, fines, imprisonments and even death - we will have forfeited our callings and duty and face a bleak future run by cruel and contemptible men.

Let us not leave to our children a country void of common sense, religious rights or a Godly inheritance, but let us pray unceasingly and fight for God's justice, freedom, and liberty for all. If, however, that horrible time does come - like the game of Monopoly - there will be those who control the all the money, property, and rules while the rest of us languish in jail for crimes against their "just" society. And trust me on this one, when and if that should happen, there will be no get out of jail card in that game!

   

I hear the train a coming
it's rolling round the bend
and I ain't seen the sunshine since I don't know when,
I'm stuck in Folsom prison, and time keeps dragging on
but that train keeps a rolling on down to San Antone

When I was just a baby my mama told me. Son,
always be a good boy, don't ever play with guns.
But I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die
now every time I hear that whistle I hang my head and cry..

I bet there's rich folks eating in a fancy dining car
they're probably drinking coffee and smoking big cigars.
Well I know I had it coming, I know I can't be free
but those people keep a moving
and that's what tortures me...

Well if they'd free me from this prison,
if that railroad train was mine
I bet I'd move it just a little further down the line
far from Folsom Prison-is where I long to stay
and I'd let that lonesome whistle blow my blues away

Stay Holy, My Friends!

Pastor Don