Walking Like Enoch

The other day when I was making my long drive into work, I was listening to a radio program called “Thru the Word with Dr. J Vernon McGee”.  He was going through Hebrews 11 and came to the part about Enoch.  He then referenced the story of Enoch as told in Genesis 5:21-24.  Verses 23 and 24 say, “Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God.  Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.”

Dr. McGee then told a story he had heard a little girl tell summing up Enoch’s life.  This little girl was explaining to her mother what she had learned about Enoch in her Sunday school class.  She said that a man named Enoch lived a long time ago.  One day God said to Enoch, “I would like to take a walk with you everyday.”  Enoch agreed, and so they walked with each other each and every day.  One day God came to Enoch and said, “I would like to take you on a very long walk today.”  So Enoch grabbed his coat and his lunch and they set out.  They had been walking for a long time when Enoch noticed that it was getting late out.  He told the Lord, “it’s getting quite late; we had better start heading back.”  And God replied, “You’re a lot closer to my house than you are to yours.  You should just come to my house and stay.”  So Enoch went to God’s house to stay.

I really liked this illustration because it got me to thinking.  How great would it be to walk so closely with God, and for so long that you are closer to His house than your own?  Then he just says, “How about you come stay at my house instead of returning to your own?”

You see, too often we set out on a short little trip in our walk with God and then we return to our house.  We probably walk with him everyday for a few weeks, months, or even years, but then we miss a day or two. 

That reminds me of a story I had written about years ago.  Jesus had come to a man’s house and said I would like to come in and meet with you every morning, and the man agreed.  They met every morning in the man’s front room and talked and drank coffee together every morning for several months.  One day the man came in and said, “Jesus, I’m really sorry but I’ve got a really important project at work.  Is it ok if I take a rain check for our meeting today?”  Jesus says, “Of course.  I will be here tomorrow waiting to sit and talk with you.”  The man then walks out and goes to work.

The next morning the man comes and says the project is still on going and that he needed to skip out on their meeting again.  He promises that once the project is over, he will meet with Jesus again.  Jesus graciously agrees and tells him he will meet him whenever he is ready. 

The next morning he apologizes to Jesus as he rushes by the front room and out the door.  This goes on for several weeks until he starts rushing by without even glancing in the room.  This goes on for quite a while, and then one day as he is rushing by he notices someone is sitting in his front room.  He goes back in to find Jesus sitting right there.  He asks Jesus, “What are you doing in here by yourself?”  He replies, “I told you I would meet you here everyday.”  The man then asks him how long he has been coming in there and how often.  “I am waiting here all day every day.  I look forward to the day that you can meet with me.  I understand you are busy, but I am still right here and I always will be.”

How many times have we done that?  I know I have done that more times than I would like to admit.  What if we walked with Jesus every single day, and at the end of the day, all we did was stop and rest for the night before picking right back up the next morning?  One day we realize that we have been walking with Jesus for a long time, and we say to him, “Gosh, Jesus, we have been walking for a long time and it is getting late.  I should head back to see if I need to take care of anything.”  All he says is, “You are so far from home, and so close to my house.  How about you just come on to my house and stay?  I’ll take care of the rest.”  In Luke chapter 9, one person that is going to follow Jesus says he wants to return home to say goodbye to his family and Jesus said to him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”  If we have come so far with Jesus and then want to return to our old life, friends, or family for any nostalgic reason, we have wasted the trip. 

We should all strive to get to the point in our walk that everything else will seem insignificant.  That is, certainly, where I want to be.  I want to walk for so long and so far with Jesus that I lose track of all time, and I don’t even recognize where I am.  The only thing I am aware of is the fact that I am in a new place with Jesus. 

I really am tired of these ‘out-and-back’ trips that I find myself taking.  How about you?  What kind of walks are you taking with Jesus?  Are you walking around the block and going back home?  Are you walking to the end of the street and coming home?  Or maybe you are just walking to the end of the driveway and back. 

Are you like the guy that has allowed your personal and work life take up so much time that you are neglecting your daily meeting and chat with Jesus?  Ask God to forgive you for your spiritual ADD.  I know I certainly suffer from it, do you?  Ask God to help you walk him, and that he will convict you in your spirit when you miss.  Maybe one day we can be like Enoch and not taste death, because we have come so far with God that he just takes us on home with him. 

Have a great day, week, month, and year.  Let’s spend some time walking and talking with Jesus.  He’s right there waiting on us.

Stolen Valor and Status Symbols

If you have spent any amount of time online in the last year or two, you have most likely heard about “Stolen Valor”.  You may have read an article, seen a YouTube video, or a Facebook post about a person impersonating a member of the armed forces and walking around in public.  They are dressed up in authentic looking military uniforms.  They have been spotted in shopping malls, amusement parks, the street, and the airport.  They look and sound legit to the average person, but the one exposing them is not fooled.

The majority of the time, the person that is calling them out and recording them is a current member or retired member of the branch they are pretending to be a part of.  It starts off with the person asking the imposter some general questions, “How long have you been in?”  “Where are you stationed?” and other questions like that.  Then they start getting more specific, asking about their platoon, their regiment, their ‘MOS’, (I won’t pretend to know all about this stuff because I never had the honor to serve) and this is where the wannabe’s story starts to unravel.  The actual military person then pounces and makes them look like a fool.  It is usually a breach in protocol that any active duty or reservist would know and follow while in uniform.  It could be something like a contradictory patch or medallion that blows their cover.  Or it could be they prove that they do not know what they are talking about outside of some well researched and well rehearsed lines.

Most of these people are looking for recognition of some kind.  They want to get the admiration and respect that our military members rightly deserve.  They want the glory without the sacrifice.  Some of these people are looking to gain special privileges by dressing this way.  Perhaps they can get a discount on a cup of coffee or meal, like a recent fake soldier did in an airport.  Some are looking to score free merchandise, food, or other items.  This is where their lie gets them in trouble.  It is actually a crime according to the ‘Stolen Valor Act of 2013’ to present yourself as a medal recipient or military officer with the intent to obtain free or discounted goods or services, or other monetary benefits. 

Despite the fact that the federal government has passed a law that makes this pitiful practice illegal, and the fact that just about every person in America has a camera phone glued to their hand at all times, these people continue to take this chance.  Maybe they got away with it for a long time prior to the prevalence of cell phones and Twitter accounts.  Or maybe with the surge in popularity of military members thanks to high profile events like the assassination of Osama Bin Laden, and movies like ‘Act of Valor’, ‘Lone Survivor’, and the recent release of ‘American Sniper’ makes them want to be apart of something they never could do on their own.  Whatever the case may be, it is foolish and risky.

Wannabe combat veteran is not the only type of impersonation that goes on in America, and it is certainly not my main point of writing this.  I came across a person the other day at a fast food restaurant that really got me thinking about this whole thing.  While the kid behind the counter (I say kid, he was probably in his early 20s) was getting my order ready, I noticed he was wearing an ‘I Am Second’ bracelet.  If you don’t know what that is, it’s a black rubber bracelet with white letters that say ‘I Am Second’.  It is a product from the website of the same name.  They produce short films of celebrities and average Joes giving their testimony about how Jesus rescued them from their life of sin and that they are now living ‘second’ to Jesus. 

It really is a neat website, and I admire their program.  They have resources for small groups and give you the information on how to start an “I am Second” small group.  Since I am a fan of the program, I asked him if he was a part of a ‘Second’ small group.  He got the most confused look on his face for a couple of seconds before he realized what I was talking about.  He said that he just got the bracelet for Christmas and didn’t really know much about it.  He had just seen a lot of people wearing them and liked it.  I was just about to dig a little deeper and ask him if he knew what it meant to be second, but the restaurant had gone from nobody at 2:30 in the afternoon, to line almost out the door.  I got my food and left.  As I drove away, I was upset with myself for not talking to him about Jesus and what living second to him means, but I was also a little confused about why someone would want to wear something that gave the impression that they were a Christian if they really weren’t.  You certainly don’t gain a lot of respect and monetary benefits by wearing a rubber bracelet, or even a cross. 

Then I thought a little more and realized that “Christian memorabilia” is a very popular fashion accessory.  There are celebrities and people that wear crosses and other religious symbols when they are not practicing Christians.  The biggest one that comes to my mind is Katy Perry.  I have seen her wear a cross on several occasions in interviews and performances.  Despite being the daughter of an evangelical pastor, she has said that she is no longer a Christian, and does not believe in Heaven or Hell.  So why wear the symbol that is almost exclusively Christian if you do not believe in it?  If that cross represents the instrument that God used to help save mankind from eternal punishment in Hell, and was where Jesus was offered up as the once and for all sacrifice so we could go to Heaven, why wear it if it means absolutely nothing to you?  To be fair, I have also heard her say that she prays before every show, but it is a prayer to no god in particular.  So I am only assuming that the cross means absolutely nothing to her, but if she doesn’t believe in Heaven or Hell, I don’t think it represents the same to her as it does to most Christians. 

Katy Perry is just one of many celebrities I have seen wear Christian jewelry as a fashion accessory.  But I have seen countless people on the street wear something that refers to Jesus or God that does not appear to let that which it represents affect them.  Please do not think I am being judgmental in saying this, I am just saying that their life does not appear to be producing ‘fruit’ like the Bible talks about. 

In John chapter 15, Jesus is talking and He talks about how he is the true vine.  He says that he is the vine and we are the branches.  In verses 4 and 5 he says, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.  Yes, I am the vine you are the branches.  Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.  For apart from me you can do nothing.”  In verse 8, he goes on to say, “When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples.  This brings great glory to my Father.”

In Matthew 7:20, Jesus says “Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.”

Seeing this contradiction is what I am most concerned about.  I am not concerned with the people that choose to wear crosses and ‘Jesus fish’ as a fashion symbol and are open and honest with the fact that they do not believe.  (I am truly concerned for these people, because I do not want any person to suffer eternal punishment due to a refusal to believe.  I am just not talking about them in this post.)  I am concerned about the people that wear the uniform and can talk the game (much like the fake servicemen above), but are not taking up their cross daily (Luke 14:27) and fighting the good fight of faith (1 Tim. 6:12 & 2 Tim. 4:7).

These are like the Pharisees that Jesus rebuked in Matthew 23:27-28, “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees.  Hypocrites!  For you are like whitewashed tombs-beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity.  Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

How horrible would it be to have Jesus call you out like that?  To have Jesus Christ, himself, compare you to a tomb, a whitewashed tomb at that would be devastating.  Especially if I had been trying to come across to everyone around me as a good little Christian boy by the clothes and jewelry I wore and the empty words I spoke.  This makes me think of the church at Laodicea that Jesus is talking to in Revelation chapter 3.  He says, “I know all the things you do, that are neither hot nor cold.  I wish that you were one or the other!  But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!”

I don’t know about you, but I really do not want to be puked out of Jesus’ mouth!  The people that flat out say they do not believe, but only like the bling of the diamond studded cross around their neck, are cold.  They are honest and direct.  There is no trying to guess where they fall on this spectrum.  The people that are just as clean and pure on the inside as they are on the outside are also easy to figure out – they are the hot ones that Jesus refers to in Revelation.  It’s the others that are, probably, the bigger population.  These are the ones that are trying to fool those around them, and even themselves.  Despite their dress and their words, their actions and lifestyle betray them.  John’s first letter says in chapter 1 verses 8-10, ‘If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.  But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all wickedness.  If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.’  This slap to God’s face leads to him spitting us out onto the ground. 

So let me ask you, where are you in all of this?  Are you the one that is truly on fire for God and wear your faith on your sleeve?  Do your words, actions, and thoughts honor God?  Are you the hot one that Jesus was talking about? 

Are you the non-believer that just wants to accessorize your wardrobe with an occasional cross?

Or are you the poser that likes to wear religious status symbols and the Christian combat uniform, but does not produce any kind of spiritual fruit in you life?  Are you a whitewashed tomb that looks the part on the outside, but is spiritually dead on the inside?  Are you in danger of being spit out of Jesus’ mouth?

If we could strip away all of the religious status symbols and spiritual rhetoric, would you look any different from everyone else around you?  I urge you to really take a look at your life and evaluate where you are in all of this.  Please do not continue to fool yourself, or attempt to fool others into thinking you are better off than you really are.  You may not like the eternal consequences.  If you are on the outside, and have never really given any of this serious thought; maybe you are an unbeliever but have questions, please do not wait to ask.  Find someone that can give you the information you need.  I am more than happy to help in any way, but if not me, please find someone soon.  We are not guaranteed tomorrow.  A recent acquaintance lost a loved one in an instant.  In an attempt to enjoy a common hobby, this person lost their soul mate.  You really do not know how much time you have.  Take this opportunity to get your questions answered.

Have a great day, week, and New Year.  Thank you for taking the time to read the Thoughts of a Sleepless Man.

Hope

Romans 5:2b - And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.


The other day, as I was reading this verse, a scenario popped in my head. From beginning to end, the entire scene played out just as I read it. I figured I should share it with whoever reads this. Maybe it will be a blessing to someone else. I will reference myself, but picture you in my place.

I saw myself in the middle of a lake or another enormous body of water without a life jacket on. I was splashing around trying to stay afloat. Suddenly a life preserver flies out from the shore. Jesus is the one that threw it. It lands perfectly on me, and he starts to pull me to shore. I might start to think that all is well and good at this point. I might start to get hope from the flotation device, but I am still in the middle of the lake. There could be some kind of man eating fish swimming around out there. There could be a flesh devouring bug or disease in the water. There could be sunken debris, trees, or even fishing nets/lines in the water that I could get caught up in. So my hope doesn’t come from the life preserver.

I might get hope from the rope. The other end of the rope is on the shore, and it is leading me in to it. But I am still in the middle of the lake, so the rope is possibly hundreds of feet long, if not more. There is a lot of time and space between me and the safety of the shore. That means there is more time for one of those things or creatures in the water to get me or trap me. A storm could blow in on the water, and I could get caught up in the middle of it. I doubt Peter had very far to walk when he was on the water going to meet Jesus, but the Bible says he merely saw the wind and began to sink. A distant storm tripped him up, and he almost became fish food. I can’t imagine being in the water in the middle of a storm. Also, when something is being pulled in the water, it always dips beneath the surface. Think about being pulled by a boat when trying to ski, or what your fishing line does when reeling it in. I could dip beneath the surface and take on a lot of water, possibly even drown. Finally, there is the outside chance the rope could break. So my hope doesn’t come from the rope.

I could get my hope from the distant shore. It is solid ground. It is dry. There could possibly be a towel, dry clothes, food, or even little umbrella drinks. All of that sounds great, but there could be a flip side to that as well. There could be disease or famine. There could be a huge fire, or even a war going on. There could be people there meaning to do me harm, or someone could just shove me back out in the water. I know it is doom and gloom kind of stuff, but still a possibility.

That leaves only one option. I can only get my hope from the one that is pulling me in, Jesus. HE is the one that created the universe. HE walked on water. HE turned water into wine. HE healed the sick and raised the dead. HE made a tree wither by simply speaking to it. HE predicted his own arrest, torture, death, and eventual resurrection. HE was dead for three days and came back to life. Heck, he threw a life preserver from shore, and it landed perfectly on me! I can only get my hope from him, from the glory of him.

The life preserver was my salvation. Salvation is a great thing. It is the one thing that separates us from the water, which was the world. The world is full of things that I may try to get a little hope from, but like the water, it is full of things that are trying to drag me down. It is very easy to get caught up in the things of this world and be lost forever; luckily the life preserver of salvation is there to keep me afloat. But salvation is only the beginning. The rope is my Christian journey. It begins with salvation, but it is long and not always easy. There are still things or creatures in this world trying to trap me and bring me down, but my salvation keeps afloat. The rope can get cut in half. My life could end. Or it can break by own doing. I can do things that separate me from God. I can go drifting back out further in the waters. My salvation is still there, but I am further from the shore. The Bible says my life is like a vapor on the wind, or a drop in the ocean. My Christian life is great, but it’s not the end.

The shore is Heaven. I know there is no death, no disease, or no war in Heaven. I know there is no one there wishing me harm. I know there will be a towel and dry clothes. There will be warmth, food, and maybe even little umbrella drinks waiting for me. I will no longer be in the deadly waters of this world. I will be in paradise. It will be the beauty of Hawaii, the fun of Disney World, and the joy of a family reunion wrapped all into one and multiplied by 10,000. But that is not the prize. Heaven is not the source of my salvation. HE is! Jesus is. If it wasn’t for Him, there would be no life preserver. There would be no rope. Heck, without him, there would be no Hawaii, no Disney World, and no family reunions. There would be no world without His loving creation. He and He alone is the prize, the reward. HE is the source of my hope, joy, and salvation.

I have written in a previous post about something that Ted Dekker wrote in “The Slumber of Christianity”. He says that we as Christians tend to lose focus on what the true prize is at the end of the race. Some churches or believers are satisfied with just getting people saved. That’s like just dropping your child off at the bus stop for a cross country trip. Sometimes we get caught up in doing what “Christians should do”. We have a checklist that we have to get filled out, or we aren’t living right. Some people only care about getting to Heaven. That is it. They’re not necessarily concerned about the trip between the salvation and arriving there. They want their crown, their mansion, and their fancy white robe. The idea of the treasures of Heaven tends to cause us to focus on us. The reason for salvation, our new Christian lives, and heaven is to be with Him. If we don’t get Him, then the rest was for nothing.

Psalms 62:5 says: Find rest, o my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. Jeremiah refers to God as “The Hope of Israel” three different times. There are numerous other verses in the Bible that talk about the Hope that God gives us. Verses 3 thru 5 of Romans 5 say: Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.

We could never really appreciate and love Him without the experience of the waters, the ride in on the rope, and the idea of the shore. HE truly is a prize, and a giver of hope, peace, and joy.



Thanks for reading.

Please R.S.V.P

Hello there. It’s been awhile, AGAIN! I am not very good at this being consistent thing. I have wanted to write for a while, but I am pretty busy with doing absolutely nothing. Of course, I have the wife and kids, and the whole saving lives thing, but other than that I don’t do much. I digress.

Originally, I have been planning on writing about something I was reading the other day in the book of Revelation. Now, I know that I am not an ‘expert’ in end-time prophesy, but something jumped out at me when reading about the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse (Revelation 6). Those of you that know me, or have spent about 30 minutes with me, know that I love to talk about politics and religion. People will say that you’re not supposed to talk about either one of those at work or in general, but like a radio program called “Politics & Religion” says, ‘Politics determine how we live here on Earth, religion determines how we will live for eternity.’ So I tend to talk about these two issues quite a bit, and I get quite passionate about both. So, naturally, I was going to write about what I read. Before you jump the gun, I was not going to write that I think Obama is the ‘Anti-Christ’ that is prophesied about in the Bible. It was about things that are going on in the world and how I think they kind of possibly may come close to resembling some things in the sixth chapter of Revelation, but then I feel God laid something else on my heart.

No, this morning I felt like God spoke to me. This is what He said, “It doesn’t matter.”
That’s right, it doesn’t matter. It does not freaking matter one iota. God does not care about politics. He does not care who is President of the United States. He does not care who really won the election in Iran, or that North Korea may try to blow up Hawaii soon. He just doesn’t care, and don’t think He wants us to care either. Let me explain.

See, I just finished a book called “The Slumber of Christianity”. It was written by Ted Dekker, who is my favorite author. I recommend any of his books. He is mostly a fiction writer, but this is his only non-fiction so far. It is very good. In ‘Slumber’ he talks about how Christianity as a whole and the ‘church’ has fallen into a slumber. He thinks we have lost focus.

We as the church have started to focus on the here and now. We are focused on making life better for us and those around us now. Many churches are preaching about ‘health and wealth’. They are teaching that Jesus wants us as believers to be healthy and wealthy. They are telling non-believers that when you give your life to Christ, things get better. They may not say that when you become a Christian that you will automatically become this super blessed person and you will basically be moving to Sesame Street, but they are close to saying it. Some will go as far to preach the ‘health and wealth’ or ‘name it, claim it’ ideologies. Again, I am not saying that every single church in the galaxy, every preacher under the sun, and every single Christian has strayed off of the path to salvation, but we are looking at life a little differently.

Like I said before, God does not care about politics. He does not get caught up in the things that we do. He has one thing on His mind, and that is Heaven. What I mean by that is He is only concerned about us living with Him in Heaven for eternity. He does not want us to get our hope from our lives or our world in the now. He wants us to get our hope from Him and our lives everlasting after this world.

Dekker talks in the book about the earliest Christians in the Bible. They talked about the kingdom of God and all of His glory. They got their hope and joy from knowing what was waiting for them on the other side. They still got joy out of the lives that they lived, but because they knew what they were doing was for the prize ahead. Paul was a man who got a glimpse of God’s glory. He walked through life with the end in mind. He suffered more than we can imagine, yet because of the hope that was rooted in heaven he considered it all good. Several of the writers used the comparison of a runner running a race. They said that the runners ran for the prize at the end of the race. It wasn’t about the race, or the road, scenery, crowd, none of that. It was about the prize at the end of the race.

That is what God wants us to worry about. He is planning this party that is going to last forever at His house when it is all said and done. He is putting out billions and billions of invitations for us humans to come to the party. We just have to accept that invitation.

This was supposed to be a short writing, but we all know I tend to ramble. I apologize for that. I just get fired up and like to talk about this stuff. If you get the chance, check out ‘The Slumber of Christianity’ by Ted Dekker. Also, you read Blessed Child by Ted as well. It does a great job of painting a picture of God’s glory. I tend to need a visual of that glory to keep me rooted. Ted’s books do a great job of doing that. I can give a list of books to read if anyone is interested. Here is an invitation for the party God has planned, for those of you that also need something visual. Enjoy. Take care, and I hope to see you there!!!!

You are invited to the party of a lifetime. It is being held at God’s mansion in Heaven. The party will begin right after your life. There will be plenty of the best food that Heaven has to offer. All you can drink from God’s spirit. There will be live music from the ‘Hosts of Heaven’. Dancing, laughing, fellowship, and an all round good time is guaranteed. The cover charge has already been paid. Come as you are. Please R.S.V.P sometime before you die; the sooner the better. There is plenty of room and board available to please bring all of your friends and family as well. You will NOT be disappointed.
To R.S.V.P simply say this: Jesus I want to come to your party. I want you to be the Lord of my life. Please come into my heart and make me whole. Thank you for dying for me and forgiving me. Take control of my mind and draw me close to you. Thank you.
Life may not be easy all the time. Just keep this invitation in mind. See you at the party!!!

I know it’s cheesy, but it’s true. If you prayed that prayer for the first time or to recommit again, Congrats!!!! There is already a party going on just for you accepting the invitation. I would like to know who all has. IF and again I say IF you feel comfortable, please let me know that you have answered the call. I want to celebrate with you and I want to pray for you. That is all. Send me a message or comment on here. I won’t broadcast your name or send you anything, I am just curious. You might want to get yourself a Bible so you can start reading and getting familiar with this new life of yours and the life that waits. Please feel free to comment, complain, ask questions, or ask for prayer requests. I am always looking to talk. Take care and God Bless!!!

Jason

Was Jesus a Socialist?

This is the first real post on here. You might be thinking, "What kind of title is that?!" Before you get the stones, pitchforks, and torches, read on. Then if you want to string me up at the end, then you will have to catch me. ;)

Let’s begin:

This is something that has been weighing on my mind for the last couple of years or so. Those who know me pretty well know that I tend to go on these rants about society, government, religion, etc. This post is going to touch on all three, if not more. Bear with me if I start to ramble or sound soap boxy, I don’t mean to. If any of you have any complaints, corrections, or comments, please feel free to let them fly; that is the point of this blog, to air out any concerns, thoughts, and ideas, and then learn from them or grow from them both spiritually and intellectually. So, I hope you enjoy.

Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines socialism:

1: any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods
2 a: a system of society or group living in which there is no private property b: a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state
3: a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done

Under this system, the state (government), takes it upon themselves to take all of the products, goods, and revenue of the nation and divide among the citizens. It’s goal is to take from the industrious and wealthy, (the have’s), and redistribute the wealth among everyone, including the less productive and less wealthy (the have not’s). The idea is to do away with class warfare, and give everyone an opportunity to live, albeit not as richly.

In a nation that has only known this type of government, this can work or looks good on paper anyway. But, let’s consider the United States. This country is essentially made up of 3 classes. The upper class is made up of people who have mastered their trade or skill, invented something that has improved the way we live, or has been just plain lucky. The middle class is made up of people who work long hard hours at their jobs; some of them even work multiple jobs. These people work hard to basically ‘survive’ or ‘get by’. The lower class is made up of people who may not work as much, for whatever reason. There are people who may not be able to work at all due to injury/illness. Then there are the people who choose not to work. There are varying degrees in all three of these classes; these are just some quick broad descriptions.

If the government were to come in and decide that they wanted to come in and ‘redistribute’ the wealth of the people, there would be some pretty unhappy people. There would be some serious class warfare going on; at least an increase of class warfare. We have been a capitalistic nation or a free market for so long, for the government to say that the income your hard work, intelligence, or good fortune has brought you needs to be ‘spread around’ would be a kick in the pants.
Karl Heinrich Marx (May 5, 1818 – March 14, 1883) was a German[1] philosopher, political economist, historian, sociologist, humanist, political theorist and revolutionary credited as the founder of communism. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Marx) He is also credited with coining the phrase “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need” in his 1875 Critique of the Gotha Program. This basically means that every person should give to society from there own earnings depending on their abilities. It also says that each person should be able to take from society according to what they need, regardless of how much they contribute.
Like I said a moment ago, this looks good on paper. This might work in a nation that was founded with this principle up front, but to jump ship from a free market society mid stream and switch over to this, would cause some serious problems.
To quote the words of the great philosopher, Coolio, in one of his works “Fantastic Voyage’, “If you don’t work then you don’t eat…”

Now, let’s look at what the Bible says. I have 2 main scriptures I want to focus on. The first is Acts 4:32-35; this is out of the NIV translation:

32All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.

The second is the story about the wealthy young man that comes to Jesus asking about eternal life. He explains that he has kept all of the commandments that Jesus said one must follow in order to have eternal life. He was feeling pretty good about himself until Jesus dropped the bomb on him. We pick up the story in the 19th chapter of Matthew verses 21 and 22:
21 Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
Right now, someone might be saying, “Aha! See, Jesus is talking about the redistribution of wealth, and the passage out of Acts supports it. Socialism must be biblical!”
I might almost agree, but there are just a few differences. When Jesus is talking to this man he says, “Go…” This word in the Greek is Hupago. It means to depart or go away. This is a verb. It requires an action. Jesus did not tell the man to wait for a tax increase, pay his taxes accordingly, and then the ever so trustworthy government will give to the poor. He told him to ‘hupago’ and sell his possessions, and then give that money to the needy people in the area. Then, he was to follow Jesus, and then he would have eternal life.
It is the same with the early believers in the book of Acts. From time to time they would sell some of their possessions and give that money to the Apostles, and they would give where the needs were. This is close to a state run program, except that the church gave to the needy on behalf of the givers. I can pretty much guarantee 99% of the time the church has a better idea as to what is needed in it’s community as opposed to the government.
See, we as Christians need to do a better job of following Christ. We need to look at the world through His eyes. We need to have the love and compassion that he has.
There is a song by Brandon Heath called “Give Me Your Eyes”. In the chorus he says,
Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
Ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see

See, if we will just stop and look out beyond ourselves, we will see the world. We will see people that are hungry, hurting, and alone. We will see the people who just can’t seem to get by. If we ask God to give his love for these people we might actually ‘Go’ and do something about the problems of the world.

If we sit back and wait for the corrupt government of our nation to do something for the needy of the world on our behalf, we then have to accept the consequences of that decision. By that, I mean, we get stuck with the class warfare that both Capitalism and Socialism create.

Let me unpack this for a moment. With Capitalism you have a free market society. Within this you have the choice to work as much or as little as you want. With this you have the opportunity to make as much money as you can. You then have the option to do what you want with that money. You can either save it for a rainy day or retirement, or you can buy all of the stuff you want. You can do your best to keep up with that pesky Jones family, who seems to have everything. Or you can give to the less fortunate. One bad thing with Capitalism is that it breeds greed. In an attempt to obtain as much as possible, we tend to lose focus on those around us and focus more on ourselves. Society today tells us that you have to drive a certain type of car, wear a certain brand of clothes, live in a certain size of house, or have the latest gadget in order to be successful. Unfortunately, there are people who just get left behind. This can cause resentment on the have not’s behalf towards the have’s, and the have’s can look down on the have not’s because they don’t have what they do. This leads to class warfare.

With socialism the government decides that everyone needs to be equal. They impose taxes and other laws that take from the have’s, and then ‘share the wealth’ with the have not’s. Even if a person does not do their fair share of the work, they still get an equal piece of the proverbial pie. Some of them do not do anything to better society. They certainly are not required to do something on the behalf of the haves. If I can quote the great poet and modern day prophet, Coolio, again, he says, “You can’t help me if you can’t help yourself.” This type of environment causes class warfare for other reasons. The have’s will resent the have not’s for getting a part of something they did not put into. They will also resent them and the government for taking what they had worked so hard to gain. The have not’s will develop a sense of entitlement because the government says they are entitled to everyone else’s prosperity.

We as Christians need to do what the Bible says, and give with a cheerful heart. Jesus told us as believers several times to give to the widows, homeless, less fortunate, and sick and injured. If the church as a whole was more focused on doing what Jesus told us on a daily basis and on a global level, we would not need the government trying to force benevolence on us.

So in closing, I do not believe that Jesus was a socialist by definition. He does want us to pay our taxes and he wants us to help the needy, but he wants us to help out of the abundance of our hearts. This is just something that we all need to think about, especially me.

Relevant Magazine is a very good source to keep up to speed with things that are going on in the world, and organizations that are working to spread the love and message of Christ. They have a new project called Reject Apathy that is a place for people who want to change the world the right way to get involved. It is very new, so new that their website rejectapathy.org is not up and running as of today. You can read about it in Relevant Magazine, or online at relevantmagazine.com. I highly recommend this magazine to anyone who likes to keep up on things related to our culture and God. Hope you have enjoyed this as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Please give me any feedback good, bad, or indifferent. Take care and God bless!!!!
Jason

*It has been brought to my attention that I need to clarify some things that might be a bit confusing. Someone asked me when I was talking about "corrupt goverment", if I was referring to our current administration or a paticular party. They felt that I was broadcasting that I am a Republican or that I hate the Democrats. Neither of these could be more false. I do not consider myself a Republican or Democrat. I personally don't trust either party as they are run today.
I could fill a completely different blog on my political views, but I will spare you today.
Just know that when I talk about corrupt goverment, I am talking about politicians who promise to help the people with our tax dollars then turn around and help the special interest groups. I think both parties are guilty of this. Maybe someday I will elaborate more, but until then, be blessed and look for ways to be a blessing to others. I truly love all of you, and hope to hear from you.
Jason