spiphywarfare

Category: Faith

  • To Wheat or not to Wheat

    This article was originally published on November 26, 2013.

    There is plenty of disparaging information available about grains in general and wheat specifically. Some of the best arguments against grains one can find are from Mark Sisson. Of course, these are usually calls for complete cessation of grain consumption. It certainly seems that an all-out war against grain is going on. Much of the information is compelling and well-researched.

    I find it hard to beat that drum loudly here when “a land of wheat, barley” is part of the description of The Promised Land. Proverbs 11:26 promises blessings on the one who sells grain. Reconciling my personal results with these and many other references is something I felt the need to do.

    There are some who feel that wheat is bad for you not because it is a grain but because of what we’ve done to it. Wheat itself has been bred and modified to bring farmers the most money possible through high yields, and for properties that appeal to bakers. It’s never been modified for nutrition. Then there is the processing of the wheat into flour. It is ground, separated, bleached, enriched, and maybe recombined to make “whole wheat” in some cases. This is a far cry from the when the disciples picked some heads of wheat, rubbed them in their hands, and ate them.

    I’ve therefore taken it upon myself to test this. I purchased some organic wheat and used the Vitamix to grind it into flour. It only takes about a minute per cup to get fairly fine flour. I started to consume a bit of this. Last week I had a little Irish Brown Bread made from this freshly ground wheat. Then one morning I had biscuits and gravy. The taste was fine in both bread and biscuits though the fluffiness found in highly processed wheat was lacking. I plan to change little else and see what happens with my health.

    I will carry this experiment on through the holidays and put the results out after the new year.

  • Drowning in Sin – We Should not Forget

    The wife and I were sitting on the patio yesterday. She let out a slight exclamatory sound and then informed me there was a bird in our pool. I went over an look at this poor guy flapping like crazy to keep his head above water. 

    I got the net and scooped him out. I didn’t know if he was going to make it. He looked like a baby bird. Most of his skin was showing. He was weakened, visibly shivering, and mostly limp once he was out of the pool. In short, he looked pathetic.

    I just laid the net on some ground cover and left him there. As my wife and I continued our discussion, I would look over occasionally and comment about how he was still shivering and hadn’t moved.

    I went and picked him up again. I moved him to on top of a cloth shade we have hanging near the patio to keep out the summer sun. He was directly exposed to the sun and a little breeze. He shivered a while longer. He finally stopped shivering and I gave him a caterpillar to keep him company. 

    Shortly after I noticed the caterpillar was gone and he had moved a bit. Next thing I know he’s sitting on the roof tweeting away and looking fluffy, dry, and healthy. A moment later he flew away.

    I sat and wondered how often we do that spiritually. We get caught in sin and we’re literally on our way to dying in it. No amount of our own effort can free us. Struggling only makes us more tired and pathetic. God, with no obligation to, comes, frees us, puts us where we can be safe, and gives us what we need to be healthy again.

    How often does that happen? We feel like we finally got our life back in order and we fly off, never again to think of the great danger we were in. Forgetting, until next time, the God who rescued us.

  • “Big Bang” Racism. Wut?

    I spend between seven and eight hours commuting each week. Over the past few years I’ve subscribed to twelve podcasts and several YouTube channels to make this time useful (I only listen to the YouTube videos). Several of these podcasts/channels I only open once in a while and scroll through to see if they have any interesting content headlines. Others get listened to when they put out a new one. Only twice have I found content so good that I go back and start listening to older content.

    That’s how I cam to be listening to an episode of the Just Thinking Podcast titled “Big Bang” Racism from December 2017 on the drive to work this morning. Once again, Darrell and Virgil drop truth bombs with pinpoint accuracy. As usual, those bombs are dropped from Scripture.

    If you haven’t listened to them before, do it. What you will find is a couple of believers who, once they start getting into the subject, start driving points home like an M240 driving lead downrange and, also like it, they are smoking hot before they’re finished.

    Two of those points in this podcast hit me. One was regarding social justice and the gospel. As I said, they always turn to scripture. Now, too many times I hear “woke” preachers talking about “Jesus saves and all that BUT… if you want the full gospel you have to ________ (insert current favored social justice issue).” I’ve read Romans 1:16 many times but never has it been pointed out so clearly that God’s Word tells us exactly what the gospel is for: “…it is the power of God for salvation.” There are no bullet points or list of other things it is for. It is for salvation.

    This episode also drives home some truth about how we need to see the church. This was done in taking something I’ve been looking at all my life and making me realize I’ve not really been truly seeing it. Or maybe just reminding me of something I’ve grown so used to that I’ve forgotten.

    I told you there were two things in this podcast that really struck me. I told you about one. The other one is about an event recorded in the Bible that many of us have read, but maybe, like above, we’ve not really seen all of it. You’ll have to listen to find out though.

  • This Year

    Ephesian 5:15 & 16 “Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk – not as unwise people but as wise – making the most of the time, because the days are evil.” (HCSB)

    That reference to making the most is literally “buying back the time” but I like the translation of “redeeming the time.” Sadly, I confess right here, I have done a poor job of redeeming the time. To be honest I’d say I’ve wasted too much of it. Left me do that no more. My primary, though not exclusive, focus for the near future on this blog, and elsewhere, will be on The Church. More on why and what that means in this video:

  • Difficult Teaching from Luke 14:26

    If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

  • Christian Nationalism: Next Talking Point for BigEva?

    What is Christian Nationalism? Good question. One that needs answering as it looks to become the next talking point to used to try to shut down people who want to speak honestly about God, His Word, and His Church. Like Critical Race Theory (CRT), the term has been around for a while. This person, who I do not know, starts out as if they’re going to give it a sound, clarifying definition and then goes on for thirteen tweets to say, “All that to say, the threat of Christian nationalism to the Church & to the gospel is deep.” So the intention was never to define the term, only to use it as a term to vaguely cast aspersions on folks who won’t toe the line and label it, whatever it is, as a threat.

    It appears that Christian Nationalism will be the next catch-phrase used to demean, dismiss, and slander Christians. I don’t know if it is because “racist” and “white supremacist” are getting worn out and need replacing, or if it will become just another politicoreligious word in the arsenal used to shoot accusatory, fiery darts against the saints.

    Beth Moore used it to define a threat to the Gospel (if one accepts she actually knows what the Gospel is). She says “Trumpism,” whatever that is, is the most dangerous and seductive thing she’s ever seen the saints of God face. She then says, “This Christian Nationalism is not of God.” I guess he must not have given her a special word about it.

    Jon Harris is on it, and so is AD Robles (both links go to YouTube videos). These two guys each use their own tactics when dealing with issues and I appreciate them both. If you have the time, watch both of these linked videos discussing this issue.

    I’ll be trying to follow-up on this post with information that defines this but, sadly, I don’t hold my breath for clarity. Why? I asked for a definition of someone else online who wondered about Christian leaders pushing back against Christian Nationalism. I was given this article. It’s an article of over 3,000 words that, in the end, does not give a true definition. That’s one of the tactics I’ve noticed is so often used by unbelievers infiltrating the church. Obfuscate, muddy the water, and never define what the term used to slander believers means. I guess it makes their job easier.

  • Naked Bible Podcast

    If you haven’t heard of Dr. Michael Heiser, or his Naked Bible Podcast, then I’d urge you to correct that. 😁 Dr. Heiser is an expert in ancient languages. I’ve always heard that we need to read the Bible in context, he points out that we need to read it out in proper context which isn’t the context of a 21st Century, Western Christian.

    Not too long ago while reading through Deuteronomy, I was a bit perplexed by why the Israelites were instructed to build an altar out of unhewn stone. I had wondered if maybe it had something to do with using prohibited technology. It didn’t.

    How do I know that? I wrote Dr. Heiser a question, and it was answered in a recent episode of his podcast. I thought it was so considerate of him to give his time to help me understand this passage of the Bible. He has a saying along the lines of, “If something in the Bible is weird, it’s important.”

    If you, like me, routinely commute, I’d encourage that you give this podcast a listen with an open mind. I guarantee you I have not found anything he says yet that violates scripture, but he has sure pointed out that I’ve had the wrong view of some things.

  • On that day…

    I’ve been a little hesitant to post this as I take scripture seriously and approach it with respect. However, this just came out of my mouth the other day while having a conversation, and it keeps coming back to me.

    I personally make a point of not sharing those social media posts that say basically, “If you don’t share this you don’t love Jesus” because I’m not going to be manipulated, and I’m pretty sure that’s not a standard we’ll be held to.

    Right now, politics seems to have divided Christianity. And, I’m not saying that it is without good reason. I can easily say that one party’s platform easily is more in line with my beliefs. But, I’ve seen folks indicate that if you vote for Trump, your vote will lead to eternal destruction for people and nations. Likewise, I’ve seen some state that voting Democrat means you aren’t Christian. That said, I’ve noticed some things that make me wonder if some want to syncretize political platforms with Christianity. Weird.

    Finally, I know memes are a thing of our day. Done right, they get a point across quickly and effectively. Poorly done, they either leave you scratching your head in wonder or mislead people with funny but incorrect information. I’ve had plenty of “religious” memes that leave me thinking the creator needs to work on their theology a bit.

    I pray that as we continue through tumultuous times that, my brothers and sisters in Christ (including myself), we will leave behind that which is past and press on toward that which is ahead and press on to reach the goal and receive that Heavenly prize in Jesus Christ[ref]Philippians 3:14[/ref].

  • The Sin of Achan

    The Sin of Achan

    I’ve been reading through the book of Joshua recently. Normally when I read Old Testament events regarding Israel, I don’t necessarily feel like they have a direct application today. Am I wrong? Maybe.

    I do think they are insightful into God’s character and valuable to understanding our faith. Chapter 7 of Joshua hit me differently. Maybe it’s because of events going on in our country and in the “church” in America. Maybe it’s because so many groups seem to have co-opted the word “church” without really belonging to the body of Christian believers. Whatever the reason, when I read it, as I thought about God’s character and his disposition towards his people, I couldn’t help but think of how that applied today.

    In Joshua 7:1 we find, depending on translation, that the Lord’s anger burned against Israel, that it was kindled against Israel, or that the Lord was furious with Israel. Why? Achan had taken things into the camp that were described as devoted, devoted to destruction, forbidden, or he is described as acting unfaithfully in regards to things under the ban.

    The rest of the chapter deals with the adverse effects of bringing the forbidden into the camp. It deals with searching out the offenders and removing them, in a most permanent way, and restoring God’s people to a right relationship. To be clear, I am not calling for burning anyone and their household in what follows.

    I am wondering if the church, God’s people today, have brought in things that are forbidden. Perhaps strongholds that should be demolished (2 Corinthians 10:4) have instead been looked at with greedy hearts and brought into our camp. Are we accepting banned things into our teachings in the church? I think we are. I implore you, if you’re claiming the name of Christ… READ. YOUR. BIBLE. Don’t just assume that what someone is telling you it says is truth, read it yourself.

    If we have done this thing, we should search it out and repent of it. Jesus is quite clear that he will come against the church in Pergamum with a sword (Revelation 2:16) for holding to teachings they ought not. In Thyatira, the church tolerated “Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess” and those who practiced adultery with her are promised great tribulation (Revelation 2:20-23).

    In his own words, our Lord did not come to bring a worldly peace but a sword (Matthew 10:34). The Rider on the White Horse comes in a robe dipped in blood, making war on the nations, treading out the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God, and rules the nations with an iron scepter (Revelation 19:11-16). It is not hard to imagine that same God having his anger burn against the church when it has gone astray or brought in things that are forbidden and devoted to destruction.

    I pray that all believers would have peace. Not a false peace of being comfortable around everybody and never being offended or offensive. Not a peace with the world, but a peace with The Creator. I pray God’s people will be bold and protect the truth by removing the forbidden, and those bringing it in, from within the church.

  • At a Loss

    I’m at a complete and total loss. The more I go to look into the nasty, devilish teachings of Critical Race Theory (CRT), the more I find it has infiltrated into an institution I’ve long affiliated myself with. The Provost and Sr. VP of Southern Seminary, an institution of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), claims that “faithfulness, and orthodoxy, and truth, and righteousness, and justice” are actually a rotting corpse of white supremacy.

    Now, before I continue, I need to make something clear. If you’re not familiar with Southern Baptist church polity, it follows a congregational form meaning the SBC holds no authority over local congregations. This is important because you can’t conclude that every SBC congregation, or even a majority of them, are embracing what I am talking about. Although if not stopped, in the future the majority will. I surely haven’t seen this at the congregation I attend, or I would have withdrawn my membership there.

    Sadly, many of those sitting in the pews of those congregations are unaware that some of their giving is going to furthering the introduction of CRT into our seminaries. CRT makes a mockery of the work of Jesus on the Cross when it is blended in Christianity. We need salvation through Jesus, and then some more. At its core, it is a theory based on Marxist thought and as such is concerned only about power, and adheres to the idea that “truth has no independent existence.” Could anything be farther from what our Bible teaches?

    That’s how it becomes acceptable to teach future SBC ministers that “faithfulness, and orthodoxy, and truth, and righteousness, and justice” are ideas based on “the rotting corpse of white supremacy.” Do you want to be faithful? Congratulations, you’re practicing white supremacy! Do you want to express orthodoxy in your beliefs? Congratulations, you’re expressing white supremacy? How about the truth? That thing Jesus says will set you free. Do you want to proclaim it? Congratulations, you’re proclaiming white supremacy! And to top it off, your beliefs, truths, faithfulness etc. are a dead, rotting corpse. Don’t just take my words for it, hear him in his own words. The video below will start a few seconds before he lets that doctrine of demons spew out of his mouth.

    If you want to embrace these teachings, fine. Go ahead. Just know you will have to reject Ephesians 2:14-16. You have to reject 2 Corinthians 5:17. You have to reject Ezekiel 18:19-20. You will have to reject truth, faithfulness, and righteousness.

    Alternatively, you could keep all of that, embrace 1 Timothy4:1, and wonder if we’re near the end.