There is an old story of Spanish origin upon which Hans Christian Anderson based his tale of "The Emperor's New Clothes." The story is about a considerably vain emperor who cared only about wearing the finest and most beautiful clothing. It happened that two weavers came along who knew of the emperor's obsessive preoccupation with clothing and promised to create for him a suit of clothing unlike any other that would be made from a fabric that was invisible.
The weavers told the emperor that only those who were unfit for their station would be unable to the see the fabulous fabric. The egocentric emperor believed the words of the weavers, and after a time they presented the emperor with his new suit of clothes. The emperor adorned his new clothes, and he was highly pleased with their exquisite workmanship. The weavers assured the emperor that the only ones who could not see his new clothes were "hopelessly stupid."
The emperor presented himself to his court in his new clothes and all of them praised the emperor for the regal splendor of his new clothes. The emperor then decided to present himself before his subjects in his new clothes, and as he passed by them there was a collective gasp as they too flattered the emperor by pretending to see what obviously was not there- a suit of clothing.
A voice arose from the bewildered and shocked onlookers that shouted out the unspeakable : " But he isn't wearing anything at all!" The voice that disclosed the reality of the emperor's real status was that of a child. The child was unencumbered by the consensus of denial. The child was untutored in the society of pretense, and so he spoke a dangerous truth. The child did not yet understand the unspoken consensus of the status quo. His psyche had not yet been fully socialized in polite blindness and dubious fiction. He did not yet have full membership in the culture of the "People Of the Lie."
The child's reality calculus was indeed naive. He was not yet educated beyond his intelligence, he could see things that others dare not see. So now in our day, and in our time a modern day emperor who was clothed in a suit of political power, and who believed that no one would dare to reveal the unspeakable has found that a lone voice arose to brave the storm of mockery and criticism to speak the unspeakable.
In a Southern California city, an "emperor" of sorts has been found wanting by the electorate because it seems that he routinely practiced sexual harassment of females within his periphery. A woman came forth who believed that "Further Silence Is Impossible" and made the painfully ironic disclosure that the emperor wasn't "...wearing anything at all" and created a groundswell and outrage, and support for the victimized.
The mantel of political invincibility was a mirage, and now it seems that one can indeed fight city hall when city hall threatens to destabilize the body politic. For too long women have had to suffer in silence, and keep the unspeakable acts of harassment and abuse hidden. For too long girls, and women had to wrestle with buried rage within because of those who exercised power over their lives. Sexual exploitation is always about the abuse of power as Poling has told us.
I have known and counseled women who have gone to other counselors about sexual harassment only to be victimized further by said counselors. These women have had their lives further shattered by those who are suppose to be bastions of safety and trust. Little wonder why their healing seems to get stuck in the muck. The women victimized by the emperor will never forget, but they will find wholeness through the love and support of family, and friends.
Politics is the exercise of power over others. Sexual harassment is the exercise of power over others too. The weavers had told the emperor that his 'new' clothes could not be seen by those who were unfit or hopelessly stupid. The emperor wanted to believe the weavers so that he could continue to play with the sexual betrayal of women. The invisible was all too visible to women who had been exploited and came forth to tell their stories. (Very interesting facts are often revealed in depositions). Facts that will never be known to the public.
What has happened in this southern California city needs to become a white hot social topic. We need serious dialogue about sexual harassment within the public sector. MPV Seminars is devoted to instructing both businesses and city governments about sexual harassment. If your company is in need of our services please contact MVP Seminars for topic specific information.
For more about Dr. Rich and his teaching ministry, please follow this blog and visit his website.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Thursday, August 22, 2013
The "Goliath" David Did Not Defeat
"In the spring, at the time when kings go out to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army... But David remained in Jerusalem. One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her... Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (She had purified herself from her uncleanness.) The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, "I am pregnant." II Samuel 11:1-5
This is an old story that has been told a countless number of times, and I am retelling it too. This story is told so often because it involves a harrowing scandal in the life of a prominent man of God. This story is about a situation that began with a seemingly benign decision on David's part. Instead of going off to war with his very capable army David decided to remain at home in his palace.
It was a seemingly harmless decision at the time that it was made, but the results would be anything but benign and harmless. David started on a path to a destructive action that began with a "neglect of duty." He should have gone off with his army. It was a 'should a' situation that would have a decisive impact upon David's life from here on out. He has come to a turning point in his life and does not yet know it.
One evening while walking around on the roof of his house he saw an amazing woman taking a bath. David was taken aback by her beauty. Indeed, while David's army was out defeating the enemy, the king was being defeated by the beauty of Bathsheba. Temptation is the hardest when it is within the parameters of one's particular weakness. Sexual temptation is very difficult to handle, and yielding to temptation has caused disaster to many lives. Businesses have been ruined, counseling practices have been sued, homes have been shaken to the foundation, careers have been cut off because of sexual impropriety.
David found Bathsheba wonderfully irresistible, but there was an intrinsic problem to this particular situation because Bathsheba was married. Not only was she married, she was married to one of David's bravest and most loyal soldiers. David must now use his power as head of state to cover over his sin. We must note that the decision to sin is sin-ful because we have planned a behavioral action that will harm God, others, and oneself.
David has stepped outside of God's will and into his own will. He has initiated an action that will have him do things that otherwise he would never do. He will use cunning and subterfuge to cover his actions. He will instigate a plan to hide his sin that God will not allow him to hide. David will find himself using his power as king to manipulate a desired outcome for an action that cannot have a different outcome.
All actions whether positive or negative will have a predetermined end. History is filled with stories of those who have tried to hide behind lies. As Dr. Martin Luther King said:" Truth crushed to earth will rise again." Such prophetic words may not be believed by those who hide behind the the prestige of power and riches but, alas all men are mortal.
David's illusion of hidden success about his sin will be shattered by the news of Bathsheba's pregnancy. Sinful actions create realities that greet us with an insistent and persistent hammering at the door of our earnest denial.
David could run from his sin, but he could not hide. He would have to face his sinful actions no matter how long delayed. David's best thinking in this situation was deeply flawed because his premise was flawed. He had been wounded by his behavior and so had others. Manipulation was futile and exhausting because he was fighting the intrinsic personal teleology of the universe. He was fighting with God.
We want our interpretation of our behavior to either be seen for all to see or hidden. David wanted to hide from his sin. The giant Goliath had morphed in David's life. This form of the 'giant' was not to be easily conquered. This time David had fallen by an act of the will. David's attempt to conceal his sin is very sinister and clever. His attempt to cover his sin will involve self-deception, conspiracy with Bathsheba to deceive Uriah, Uriah's murder, the death of the child conceived through the affair, the impact of this situation with his faith, and countless others involved in this heinous lie.
From a human viewpoint David's plan to hide his sin could have worked, but God saw that it did not happen. God does not allow us to profit from sinful actions. God's providential action brought into the open area of history what David had done. What would you do if God allowed your most private sin to be exposed before the world?
David would pay for the sin with another's wife in ways that were beyond his imagination, and yet he is still God's man. David was and is a great man of God, but he was also a child of God who was responsible for his actions. Just as God holds us accountable for our sinful actions.
Beware of counseling that seeks to minimize the power and presence of sinful actions. Or counseling that seeks to ignore or discount sin as old fashioned or not relevant. Death is old fashioned and yet people still die even if they disagree with this one indisputable ontological fact.
Ignoring the reality of sin does not make it disappear. It does create unreality within the heart of the person so disposed. The fiction of unreality is lethal and fosters havoc within the soul. There is no escaping oneself though many have tried it. For nearly a year David hid from his sin. However, during that fateful year David and others within his periphery suffered too.
The "Goliath" that David did not defeat was sexual lust. This is a "Goliath " for many, many persons in many professions including ministry. David is not alone in this compelling temptation. Watch out for the "Goliath" within the heart that can overthrow without mercy. Many are suffering today because they have compromised themselves through blatant and destructive sexual misconduct.
Our culture is suffering from sexual corruption and scandal. Our culture is disintegrating through sexual behavior that has removed the sacred I-Thou from relational encounter to the abyss of I-It moral disintegration. There is only one way to handle sinful actions and that is to confess them to God.
Confession means to agree with God that one has sinned and in need of His forgiveness. There is no other way to get free. Creative diversion or stubborn rebellion will not work either. Confession heals the split within created by sin. Confession opens the door of the darkness of sin to be exposed to the light of rest in Iesous.
Do you need to go before God today and confess your sinful actions and receive His restorative and redeeming Grace? Amen
For more information about Dr. Rich and his teaching ministry, please follow this blog and visit his website.
This is an old story that has been told a countless number of times, and I am retelling it too. This story is told so often because it involves a harrowing scandal in the life of a prominent man of God. This story is about a situation that began with a seemingly benign decision on David's part. Instead of going off to war with his very capable army David decided to remain at home in his palace.
It was a seemingly harmless decision at the time that it was made, but the results would be anything but benign and harmless. David started on a path to a destructive action that began with a "neglect of duty." He should have gone off with his army. It was a 'should a' situation that would have a decisive impact upon David's life from here on out. He has come to a turning point in his life and does not yet know it.
One evening while walking around on the roof of his house he saw an amazing woman taking a bath. David was taken aback by her beauty. Indeed, while David's army was out defeating the enemy, the king was being defeated by the beauty of Bathsheba. Temptation is the hardest when it is within the parameters of one's particular weakness. Sexual temptation is very difficult to handle, and yielding to temptation has caused disaster to many lives. Businesses have been ruined, counseling practices have been sued, homes have been shaken to the foundation, careers have been cut off because of sexual impropriety.
David found Bathsheba wonderfully irresistible, but there was an intrinsic problem to this particular situation because Bathsheba was married. Not only was she married, she was married to one of David's bravest and most loyal soldiers. David must now use his power as head of state to cover over his sin. We must note that the decision to sin is sin-ful because we have planned a behavioral action that will harm God, others, and oneself.
David has stepped outside of God's will and into his own will. He has initiated an action that will have him do things that otherwise he would never do. He will use cunning and subterfuge to cover his actions. He will instigate a plan to hide his sin that God will not allow him to hide. David will find himself using his power as king to manipulate a desired outcome for an action that cannot have a different outcome.
All actions whether positive or negative will have a predetermined end. History is filled with stories of those who have tried to hide behind lies. As Dr. Martin Luther King said:" Truth crushed to earth will rise again." Such prophetic words may not be believed by those who hide behind the the prestige of power and riches but, alas all men are mortal.
David's illusion of hidden success about his sin will be shattered by the news of Bathsheba's pregnancy. Sinful actions create realities that greet us with an insistent and persistent hammering at the door of our earnest denial.
David could run from his sin, but he could not hide. He would have to face his sinful actions no matter how long delayed. David's best thinking in this situation was deeply flawed because his premise was flawed. He had been wounded by his behavior and so had others. Manipulation was futile and exhausting because he was fighting the intrinsic personal teleology of the universe. He was fighting with God.
We want our interpretation of our behavior to either be seen for all to see or hidden. David wanted to hide from his sin. The giant Goliath had morphed in David's life. This form of the 'giant' was not to be easily conquered. This time David had fallen by an act of the will. David's attempt to conceal his sin is very sinister and clever. His attempt to cover his sin will involve self-deception, conspiracy with Bathsheba to deceive Uriah, Uriah's murder, the death of the child conceived through the affair, the impact of this situation with his faith, and countless others involved in this heinous lie.
From a human viewpoint David's plan to hide his sin could have worked, but God saw that it did not happen. God does not allow us to profit from sinful actions. God's providential action brought into the open area of history what David had done. What would you do if God allowed your most private sin to be exposed before the world?
David would pay for the sin with another's wife in ways that were beyond his imagination, and yet he is still God's man. David was and is a great man of God, but he was also a child of God who was responsible for his actions. Just as God holds us accountable for our sinful actions.
Beware of counseling that seeks to minimize the power and presence of sinful actions. Or counseling that seeks to ignore or discount sin as old fashioned or not relevant. Death is old fashioned and yet people still die even if they disagree with this one indisputable ontological fact.
Ignoring the reality of sin does not make it disappear. It does create unreality within the heart of the person so disposed. The fiction of unreality is lethal and fosters havoc within the soul. There is no escaping oneself though many have tried it. For nearly a year David hid from his sin. However, during that fateful year David and others within his periphery suffered too.
The "Goliath" that David did not defeat was sexual lust. This is a "Goliath " for many, many persons in many professions including ministry. David is not alone in this compelling temptation. Watch out for the "Goliath" within the heart that can overthrow without mercy. Many are suffering today because they have compromised themselves through blatant and destructive sexual misconduct.
Our culture is suffering from sexual corruption and scandal. Our culture is disintegrating through sexual behavior that has removed the sacred I-Thou from relational encounter to the abyss of I-It moral disintegration. There is only one way to handle sinful actions and that is to confess them to God.
Confession means to agree with God that one has sinned and in need of His forgiveness. There is no other way to get free. Creative diversion or stubborn rebellion will not work either. Confession heals the split within created by sin. Confession opens the door of the darkness of sin to be exposed to the light of rest in Iesous.
Do you need to go before God today and confess your sinful actions and receive His restorative and redeeming Grace? Amen
For more information about Dr. Rich and his teaching ministry, please follow this blog and visit his website.
Monday, August 19, 2013
When God's People "Caught A Case"
"Hear the Word of the LORD, you Israelites, because the LORD has a charge ( Heb. rib, legal suit) to bring against you who live in the land. There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgement of God in the land. There is only cursing, lying, and murder, stealing and adultery, they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. Because of this the land mourns, and all who live in it waste away, the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the fish of the sea." Hosea 4:1-3
Hosea's prophet ministry flourished during the reign of Jeroboam II, and his ministry was very difficult for many reasons. He had been called by Yahweh to live an extraordinary life by marrying a woman who would not be faithful to him exclusively as her husband. His wife Gomer wanted to pursue other lovers instead of having a monogamous relationship with her husband.
In the Genesis document when God built the wife of the Adam from a genetic tissue sample that he took from him the wo-man (the man with the womb) was to be a "helper" for him. In the Hebrew the word "helper" means 'one who surrounds the heart.' The wife of the man was suppose to be his exclusive relational other. There is no relationship comparable to the 'one flesh' of marital unity.
The biblical materials state that Yahweh married the nation of Israel. Israel became his wife with intrinsic exclusiveness. The marital bond is always compromised by infidelity. The balance within the marital relationship is severely tested by the intrusion of sexual malpractice with someone other than one's spouse. The paramour is illegitimate because the sexual coupling destroys the spiritual unity of the marital partners. God's marital model is for both sexual intimacy and the propagation of the human family.
In Hosea's home this was erased by the behavior of his wife. She compromised her marriage with horrendous infidelity and her husband would not leave her. Hosea's marriage to Gomer was symbolic of God's spoiled marriage with the nation of Israel. This was a very painful situation for both God and Hosea.
A broken heart is not easy to heal. The emotions are intense and raw. There is the hurt of betrayal and the search for what went wrong that culminated in the cheating event. Even the best marriages have problems and it is important not to exacerbate marriage problems with cheating, and infidelity.
God was hurt by the infidelity of Israel. God wanted to know how he was found wanting that his beloved wife Israel should go astray and seek out 'lovers' instead of wanting a relationship of intimacy with her own husband.
God, therefore, filed a case of infidelity against his wife. He brought formal charges against her because of her very public and shameful infidelity. God was hurt. He had to file charges because of the blatant and shameless behavior of the straying spouse. She had become brazen, insensitive, and insolent in her behavior. She had come to believe that her lovers had provided her needs. It was not her lovers that provided her need but, Yahweh, the forsaken husband.
God's anger at his wife's shameful behavior would not be assuaged by shoddy and insincere appeals of forgiveness. The brazen behavior would not be abandoned by the wayward wife. Both God and Hosea had to come to terms with living with the unspeakable. Hosea's home was a house divided. God's relationship with Israel was a house divided. God would not give up on his spouse and neither would Hosea through the power of God. God supported Hosea when he had the legal right to leave the relationship.
God supports us when we go astray too. When we are wayward God does not give up on us. Are you, beloved, in need of God's restorative care? Have you been seduced away from your true and rightful husband for 'lover'? Are you ready to come back to a real relationship with God? What manner of love is this that God has given us through the Iesous?
You and I "Caught A Case" because of our sins, and the Iesous took up the case against us. All of the evidence against us was eye witness accounts by God. All compelling and all very damaging. We had no defense on our side that amounted to anything substantive. The Iesous took our case and erased it all on the Cross. He saved us from our case. You need Him today. Take your case to the Iesous. Amen.
For more information about Dr. Rich and his teaching ministry, please follow this blog and visit his website.
Hosea's prophet ministry flourished during the reign of Jeroboam II, and his ministry was very difficult for many reasons. He had been called by Yahweh to live an extraordinary life by marrying a woman who would not be faithful to him exclusively as her husband. His wife Gomer wanted to pursue other lovers instead of having a monogamous relationship with her husband.
In the Genesis document when God built the wife of the Adam from a genetic tissue sample that he took from him the wo-man (the man with the womb) was to be a "helper" for him. In the Hebrew the word "helper" means 'one who surrounds the heart.' The wife of the man was suppose to be his exclusive relational other. There is no relationship comparable to the 'one flesh' of marital unity.
The biblical materials state that Yahweh married the nation of Israel. Israel became his wife with intrinsic exclusiveness. The marital bond is always compromised by infidelity. The balance within the marital relationship is severely tested by the intrusion of sexual malpractice with someone other than one's spouse. The paramour is illegitimate because the sexual coupling destroys the spiritual unity of the marital partners. God's marital model is for both sexual intimacy and the propagation of the human family.
In Hosea's home this was erased by the behavior of his wife. She compromised her marriage with horrendous infidelity and her husband would not leave her. Hosea's marriage to Gomer was symbolic of God's spoiled marriage with the nation of Israel. This was a very painful situation for both God and Hosea.
A broken heart is not easy to heal. The emotions are intense and raw. There is the hurt of betrayal and the search for what went wrong that culminated in the cheating event. Even the best marriages have problems and it is important not to exacerbate marriage problems with cheating, and infidelity.
God was hurt by the infidelity of Israel. God wanted to know how he was found wanting that his beloved wife Israel should go astray and seek out 'lovers' instead of wanting a relationship of intimacy with her own husband.
God, therefore, filed a case of infidelity against his wife. He brought formal charges against her because of her very public and shameful infidelity. God was hurt. He had to file charges because of the blatant and shameless behavior of the straying spouse. She had become brazen, insensitive, and insolent in her behavior. She had come to believe that her lovers had provided her needs. It was not her lovers that provided her need but, Yahweh, the forsaken husband.
God's anger at his wife's shameful behavior would not be assuaged by shoddy and insincere appeals of forgiveness. The brazen behavior would not be abandoned by the wayward wife. Both God and Hosea had to come to terms with living with the unspeakable. Hosea's home was a house divided. God's relationship with Israel was a house divided. God would not give up on his spouse and neither would Hosea through the power of God. God supported Hosea when he had the legal right to leave the relationship.
God supports us when we go astray too. When we are wayward God does not give up on us. Are you, beloved, in need of God's restorative care? Have you been seduced away from your true and rightful husband for 'lover'? Are you ready to come back to a real relationship with God? What manner of love is this that God has given us through the Iesous?
You and I "Caught A Case" because of our sins, and the Iesous took up the case against us. All of the evidence against us was eye witness accounts by God. All compelling and all very damaging. We had no defense on our side that amounted to anything substantive. The Iesous took our case and erased it all on the Cross. He saved us from our case. You need Him today. Take your case to the Iesous. Amen.
For more information about Dr. Rich and his teaching ministry, please follow this blog and visit his website.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
"Freedom Of Religion?"
"In the thirty-eight year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned over Israel twenty-two years. Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him. He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. He set up an altar of Baalim the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria." I Kings 16:29-33
A king like Ahab does not just appear on the scene, on the contrary, he is summoned. He is summoned by socio-political forces that have ripened for his malevolent appearance. He is nurtured in secret by powers and influence that defy description. He is the agent of dark powers that harbor dark (nefarious) tidings. He is carefully tutored in the art of dubious designs.
Ahab was the son of Omri a king that proved to be an able devotee of the practice of evil before the eyes of the LORD. Ahab watched the ways of his father until his DNA could replicate his actions and behavior with enviable pedigree. The successor of Omri would not disappoint the legacy of his father. Omri would indeed continue to reign in Israel through his son Ahab. Omri, however, failed to realize that evil is not strength, but the robe of fiendish mediocrity worn by tediously clever men and women.
When Ahab came to power the northern kingdom of Israel suffered the coming of a malignant presence. Ahab "... considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat ... also married Jezebel ... and began to serve Baal and worship him."
The cult of Baal was embedded in the land of Canaan, and the people of Israel fell under its seductively appealing and ominous spell. Under the leadership of Ahab and Jezebel the country was forced into Baal worship.
Baal worship became the state religion, and those who failed to follow the religion of the fascist state could find themselves in great trouble. If the king worshipped Baal so must his subjects. No class of individuals were to be excluded. Forced worship enjoined by the state is not freedom of religion, it is state-sponsored religion that demands collective observation.
The king had the power to impose fiat (creation) laws upon the will of the people. If they did not follow his fiat decrees the king could take their properties or their lives. But the kings of Israel were not suppose to be like other pagan kings. They were suppose to be men of faith, and therefore men of God. That ideal is not in this picture.
Yahweh worship was overthrown in favor of a cultic deity that polluted the body politic of the people.
There is a very powerful message in this passage for us today. Politics itself is a religion, and when wedded to the Jezebel of social fascism the torchlight of freedom begins to flicker and may die. What immeasurable hubris leads an individual to believe that he may by fiat decree, or wipe out, the hard won freedom of others? What is missing in the souls of men who shatter lives in think tank game theories?
We have learned that our freedom of religion teeters on the edge of oblivion in the brave new socialist state. We must look to God for instruction at this time. The foolishness of the 'race myth' must be set aside if we are to prosper in the new kingdom. As a believer in the Ieosus it is time to renounce the state sponsored cult of race. It has only created hate and suspicion. When the Iesous comes will he find faith among us?
There are ominous sink holes appearing all over the surface of the earth. The planet is suffering and convulsing over the blood shed and evil that is taking place. The planet is groaning and sighing over the lies that can no longer be hidden. Lies may 'cover up' a situation, or so it may seem, but the consequences thereof are immediate.
There are no hidden sins. There are people who believe that lying actions can be hidden, but they too know that to bury something alive will reap a dire harvest. However, according to the Graphe (Word) of God the hearts of the sons of men are set to do evil because judgement is not immediate.
Judgement delayed is not judgement thwarted. The internal malignant decay that follows fast upon the heels of those who have practiced evil points to a future reckoning. Of course in an impersonal universe where the things that are emerged from Chance and Necessity one can dismiss the language of judgement.
A careful look into the deeds of persons tell another story. The soul can create havoc within itself and the proliferation of prescription medications to plea bargain peace within lets us know that the world at large is not telling the whole story to the manipulated masses. This was the case in the days of Ahab. The masses are always told carefully constructed stories as positive reinforcements in order to control their collective consciousness.
Please notice that Ahab whose name means 'brother of the father or resembling the father' answered his name, and added more evil to the house of Omri by marrying Jezebel. Jezebel's father Ethbaal was a King and Priest of Baal in Sidon. Ahab joined himself to Jezebel and her father Ethbaal whose name meant 'living with Baal.' The descent of the northern kingdom of Israel into radical darkness was assured by this relationship.
Ahab was truly living with Baal and the kingdom would suffer terrible days because of his blind and reckless leadership. Baal was a nature deity who was suppose to be lord over the fertility of crops and livestock. He was worshiped through sex acts which were suppose to arouse him to provide fruitful harvests for the coming year. But during the dark days of Ahab and his princess Jezebel Yahweh moved among his people in extraordinary power through his prophets so all knew that Yahweh truly ruled over all including Baal.
Yahweh moved in power in order to show both king and people that He is Lord of all. Even arrogant madmen who presume practical atheism with regard to the true God in order to worship the works of their own hands could not deny this power.
In the Book of Daniel there was a king who believed that he was "king of kings" but his out of control arrogance brought him into a direct confrontation with the real "Kings of Kings" and the real King of Kings took the mind of the arrogant and misguided king. For seven years the great king of Babylon had the mind of an animal and he lived like an animal and ate like an animal. At the end of seven years the arrogance had left him, and he realized that there was only one who is truly and really God. This king could only look up to heaven and the King of All Kings mercifully restored his mind.
God even showed mercy to Ahab when he repented and confessed his sin to God!
We have a great God and he shows mercy to those who forsake sin. Are you ready for real Freedom of Religion? Then start by cleansing the temple of the heart and God will take care of the external things. The spirit of Ahab has infected many today, but that spirit can be overcome by coming to the Iesous and confessing to him your need of His wonderful help. Amen
For more information about Dr. Rich and his teaching ministry please follow this blog and visit his website.
A king like Ahab does not just appear on the scene, on the contrary, he is summoned. He is summoned by socio-political forces that have ripened for his malevolent appearance. He is nurtured in secret by powers and influence that defy description. He is the agent of dark powers that harbor dark (nefarious) tidings. He is carefully tutored in the art of dubious designs.
Ahab was the son of Omri a king that proved to be an able devotee of the practice of evil before the eyes of the LORD. Ahab watched the ways of his father until his DNA could replicate his actions and behavior with enviable pedigree. The successor of Omri would not disappoint the legacy of his father. Omri would indeed continue to reign in Israel through his son Ahab. Omri, however, failed to realize that evil is not strength, but the robe of fiendish mediocrity worn by tediously clever men and women.
When Ahab came to power the northern kingdom of Israel suffered the coming of a malignant presence. Ahab "... considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat ... also married Jezebel ... and began to serve Baal and worship him."
The cult of Baal was embedded in the land of Canaan, and the people of Israel fell under its seductively appealing and ominous spell. Under the leadership of Ahab and Jezebel the country was forced into Baal worship.
Baal worship became the state religion, and those who failed to follow the religion of the fascist state could find themselves in great trouble. If the king worshipped Baal so must his subjects. No class of individuals were to be excluded. Forced worship enjoined by the state is not freedom of religion, it is state-sponsored religion that demands collective observation.
The king had the power to impose fiat (creation) laws upon the will of the people. If they did not follow his fiat decrees the king could take their properties or their lives. But the kings of Israel were not suppose to be like other pagan kings. They were suppose to be men of faith, and therefore men of God. That ideal is not in this picture.
Yahweh worship was overthrown in favor of a cultic deity that polluted the body politic of the people.
There is a very powerful message in this passage for us today. Politics itself is a religion, and when wedded to the Jezebel of social fascism the torchlight of freedom begins to flicker and may die. What immeasurable hubris leads an individual to believe that he may by fiat decree, or wipe out, the hard won freedom of others? What is missing in the souls of men who shatter lives in think tank game theories?
We have learned that our freedom of religion teeters on the edge of oblivion in the brave new socialist state. We must look to God for instruction at this time. The foolishness of the 'race myth' must be set aside if we are to prosper in the new kingdom. As a believer in the Ieosus it is time to renounce the state sponsored cult of race. It has only created hate and suspicion. When the Iesous comes will he find faith among us?
There are ominous sink holes appearing all over the surface of the earth. The planet is suffering and convulsing over the blood shed and evil that is taking place. The planet is groaning and sighing over the lies that can no longer be hidden. Lies may 'cover up' a situation, or so it may seem, but the consequences thereof are immediate.
There are no hidden sins. There are people who believe that lying actions can be hidden, but they too know that to bury something alive will reap a dire harvest. However, according to the Graphe (Word) of God the hearts of the sons of men are set to do evil because judgement is not immediate.
Judgement delayed is not judgement thwarted. The internal malignant decay that follows fast upon the heels of those who have practiced evil points to a future reckoning. Of course in an impersonal universe where the things that are emerged from Chance and Necessity one can dismiss the language of judgement.
A careful look into the deeds of persons tell another story. The soul can create havoc within itself and the proliferation of prescription medications to plea bargain peace within lets us know that the world at large is not telling the whole story to the manipulated masses. This was the case in the days of Ahab. The masses are always told carefully constructed stories as positive reinforcements in order to control their collective consciousness.
Please notice that Ahab whose name means 'brother of the father or resembling the father' answered his name, and added more evil to the house of Omri by marrying Jezebel. Jezebel's father Ethbaal was a King and Priest of Baal in Sidon. Ahab joined himself to Jezebel and her father Ethbaal whose name meant 'living with Baal.' The descent of the northern kingdom of Israel into radical darkness was assured by this relationship.
Ahab was truly living with Baal and the kingdom would suffer terrible days because of his blind and reckless leadership. Baal was a nature deity who was suppose to be lord over the fertility of crops and livestock. He was worshiped through sex acts which were suppose to arouse him to provide fruitful harvests for the coming year. But during the dark days of Ahab and his princess Jezebel Yahweh moved among his people in extraordinary power through his prophets so all knew that Yahweh truly ruled over all including Baal.
Yahweh moved in power in order to show both king and people that He is Lord of all. Even arrogant madmen who presume practical atheism with regard to the true God in order to worship the works of their own hands could not deny this power.
In the Book of Daniel there was a king who believed that he was "king of kings" but his out of control arrogance brought him into a direct confrontation with the real "Kings of Kings" and the real King of Kings took the mind of the arrogant and misguided king. For seven years the great king of Babylon had the mind of an animal and he lived like an animal and ate like an animal. At the end of seven years the arrogance had left him, and he realized that there was only one who is truly and really God. This king could only look up to heaven and the King of All Kings mercifully restored his mind.
God even showed mercy to Ahab when he repented and confessed his sin to God!
We have a great God and he shows mercy to those who forsake sin. Are you ready for real Freedom of Religion? Then start by cleansing the temple of the heart and God will take care of the external things. The spirit of Ahab has infected many today, but that spirit can be overcome by coming to the Iesous and confessing to him your need of His wonderful help. Amen
For more information about Dr. Rich and his teaching ministry please follow this blog and visit his website.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Iesou and the Shattered One
"When Ieosus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him more, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones." Mark 5:2-5
Mark presents the Iesous as the Unique One who purposefully sets out to go to the country of the Gadarenes. You might remember from the Old Testament history that the tribe of Gad did not cross over the Jordan River with the other tribes but elected to stay on the other side of the river. That ancient decision not to accompany the other tribes proved very costly to the tribe of Gad in many ways.
Over time degeneracy set in until the Gadarenes themselves became pig farmers This industry or business was illegal for the Jewish people according to the Law of Moses (Torah). Iesosu is therefore stepping into the country of those who have set aside their covenant obligation and the resulting consequences in order to rescue one who has been shattered by life.
Mark states that this man was terrifying and violent, and that as soon as he saw the Iesous he ran to him. The text states that this individual lived among the tombs. The verb 'lived' has the prefixed preposition kata whose root meaning is 'down' and thus adds the idea of permanency to the customary state of the individual. The word relates therefore to the man's settled habitation. The English equivalent to this is the term 'settled down.'
This poor man found himself in a condition that completely captured and held him down. He could not free himself from his condition. He had settled down in his condition. He was completely overthrown by his miserable estate. Alas, he found himself separated from himself. The separation that he was experiencing within himself was outwardly manifested by where he habituated (lived). It was illegal in the Law of Moses to come into contact with a dead body or bodies. So not only was this man split off from himself, but was also legally unclean according to the Law of Moses.
Furthermore, he had been bound by chains and fetters, that he subsequently broke asunder because he possessed unnatural strength. The chains and fetters were an ancient form of a strait jacket that could not hold him. He had escaped from his outward bonds, but he could not escape his inward bonds. For the man to escape his crushing inner bonds would require another type of strength.
Mark further adds that this man was given to shocking screams of despair. This alone would have sent many running away from him. His agonizing and pathetic cries gave strained vocalic expression to his deep distress. Yet the Ieosus went to meet him. This wretched one would also cut himself up, or hack away at his flesh so much so that his entire body was covered with jagged scars and lesions. His 'cutting' or self-mutilation was a memorial to his unspeakable misery. Yet, the Iesous went to meet him.
In the midst of his horrifying self-fragmentation this miserable one ran to the Iesous. What a marvelous scene we have before us. The Iesous (Saving One, the Comforter), had come to meet the radically Comfortless One. The Peace-giver has come to give peace to the one who knows no peace. The Fountain of Hope has come to give hope to the one who knows no hope.
This man did not come to the Iesous after he had cleaned himself up, nor did he wait to come to the Iesous after he had taken a few classes on self-help analysis. This man came to the Iesous as he was.
Psychologists and Christian counselors today must sometimes wait for clients to unmask themselves before the salve of therapeutic insight can be applied to their smarting wounds, and sometimes this process can take years. This one however, was ready for healing.
When he stood before the Iesous a new revelation emerged from his tortured existence. An unearthly voice spoke from his vocal cords that did not plead for healing. The presence of the demonic manifested itself through the man's personality. It is at that point that the ancient world of the Iesous and the post-modern world depart.
The post-modern world does not accept nor believe in the demonic. The post-modern world does not believe that an incorporeal spirit can inhabit, and take control of an individual's personality and orchestrate his behavior patterns.
Surely there was a neuro-chemical or neuro-anatomical problem that would cause such behavior on the part of this man. But his behavior is outside of the realm of differential diagnosis. This man has been imprisoned by a supernatural evil spirit. The Iesous approaches the man, without apology to the post-modern world, for his world-view.
Mark adds: "...no one could tame him." The behavior of the maniac is not explainable in terms of conventional wisdom.
The Iesous stepped into the inner chaos of the miserable one. The Ieosus experienced the restless world of the maniac in the first person. Iesous was there with him. There was no quick reference for Iesous to consult. He is the Great Physician. He is the Wonderful Counselor who knows the depths of human need.
The assessment of God was that the man needed to be relieved of the presence of the demonic. And that is what the Iesous does. He commands the oppressing spirit to leave the man's heart, and it does at his command.
The church has forgotten that the Iesous confronted the worse of human problems with the wisdom and power of God at his disposal. The Iesous always wins. There is no human problem or issue that he does not negotiate perfectly and successfully. He is the complete and irrefutable winner in every bewildering circumstance of life.
He healed the demonized man completely. The man was not given a masking of medication to hide his condition. The man was not scheduled for endless sessions of follow-up counseling. The Iesous restored him completely. The Iesous delivered the man from his inner destruction (apoleia) that created unrelieved misery in his life.
Beloved, do you know someone who is need of being rescued form the edge of life? Do you believe in the effectual effective prayer of the righteous? Then go before God with a clean heart and began to ask for deliverance for the one oppressed by life. The Iesous has come to seek and to save the lost (apoleia).
Apoleia is the Greek word for 'lost.' It means that which is destroyed. God knows how to re-create that which has been ruined by sin and the ravages of the demonic.
For more information about Dr. Rich and his teaching ministry, please follow this blog and visit his website.
Mark states that this man was terrifying and violent, and that as soon as he saw the Iesous he ran to him. The text states that this individual lived among the tombs. The verb 'lived' has the prefixed preposition kata whose root meaning is 'down' and thus adds the idea of permanency to the customary state of the individual. The word relates therefore to the man's settled habitation. The English equivalent to this is the term 'settled down.'
This poor man found himself in a condition that completely captured and held him down. He could not free himself from his condition. He had settled down in his condition. He was completely overthrown by his miserable estate. Alas, he found himself separated from himself. The separation that he was experiencing within himself was outwardly manifested by where he habituated (lived). It was illegal in the Law of Moses to come into contact with a dead body or bodies. So not only was this man split off from himself, but was also legally unclean according to the Law of Moses.
Furthermore, he had been bound by chains and fetters, that he subsequently broke asunder because he possessed unnatural strength. The chains and fetters were an ancient form of a strait jacket that could not hold him. He had escaped from his outward bonds, but he could not escape his inward bonds. For the man to escape his crushing inner bonds would require another type of strength.
Mark further adds that this man was given to shocking screams of despair. This alone would have sent many running away from him. His agonizing and pathetic cries gave strained vocalic expression to his deep distress. Yet the Ieosus went to meet him. This wretched one would also cut himself up, or hack away at his flesh so much so that his entire body was covered with jagged scars and lesions. His 'cutting' or self-mutilation was a memorial to his unspeakable misery. Yet, the Iesous went to meet him.
In the midst of his horrifying self-fragmentation this miserable one ran to the Iesous. What a marvelous scene we have before us. The Iesous (Saving One, the Comforter), had come to meet the radically Comfortless One. The Peace-giver has come to give peace to the one who knows no peace. The Fountain of Hope has come to give hope to the one who knows no hope.
This man did not come to the Iesous after he had cleaned himself up, nor did he wait to come to the Iesous after he had taken a few classes on self-help analysis. This man came to the Iesous as he was.
Psychologists and Christian counselors today must sometimes wait for clients to unmask themselves before the salve of therapeutic insight can be applied to their smarting wounds, and sometimes this process can take years. This one however, was ready for healing.
When he stood before the Iesous a new revelation emerged from his tortured existence. An unearthly voice spoke from his vocal cords that did not plead for healing. The presence of the demonic manifested itself through the man's personality. It is at that point that the ancient world of the Iesous and the post-modern world depart.
The post-modern world does not accept nor believe in the demonic. The post-modern world does not believe that an incorporeal spirit can inhabit, and take control of an individual's personality and orchestrate his behavior patterns.
Surely there was a neuro-chemical or neuro-anatomical problem that would cause such behavior on the part of this man. But his behavior is outside of the realm of differential diagnosis. This man has been imprisoned by a supernatural evil spirit. The Iesous approaches the man, without apology to the post-modern world, for his world-view.
Mark adds: "...no one could tame him." The behavior of the maniac is not explainable in terms of conventional wisdom.
The Iesous stepped into the inner chaos of the miserable one. The Ieosus experienced the restless world of the maniac in the first person. Iesous was there with him. There was no quick reference for Iesous to consult. He is the Great Physician. He is the Wonderful Counselor who knows the depths of human need.
The assessment of God was that the man needed to be relieved of the presence of the demonic. And that is what the Iesous does. He commands the oppressing spirit to leave the man's heart, and it does at his command.
The church has forgotten that the Iesous confronted the worse of human problems with the wisdom and power of God at his disposal. The Iesous always wins. There is no human problem or issue that he does not negotiate perfectly and successfully. He is the complete and irrefutable winner in every bewildering circumstance of life.
He healed the demonized man completely. The man was not given a masking of medication to hide his condition. The man was not scheduled for endless sessions of follow-up counseling. The Iesous restored him completely. The Iesous delivered the man from his inner destruction (apoleia) that created unrelieved misery in his life.
Beloved, do you know someone who is need of being rescued form the edge of life? Do you believe in the effectual effective prayer of the righteous? Then go before God with a clean heart and began to ask for deliverance for the one oppressed by life. The Iesous has come to seek and to save the lost (apoleia).
Apoleia is the Greek word for 'lost.' It means that which is destroyed. God knows how to re-create that which has been ruined by sin and the ravages of the demonic.
For more information about Dr. Rich and his teaching ministry, please follow this blog and visit his website.
Friday, August 2, 2013
PTSD "Post Traumatic Spiritual Disorder" and Sexual Harassment
"For men shall be lovers of themselves...incontinent...lovers of pleasures..." I Tim.3:2-4
When western culture believed in the 'Ghost In The Machine' there was a modicum of hope for humanity as a whole. The belief that there was indeed an animating spirit within the body meant that there was a metaphysical mystery to the being of man. However, with the 'discovering' of behaviorist psychology the 'Ghost In The Machine' was found to be nothing more than the electro-chemical firing of neurons, and nothing more.
Religious writings were relegated to a place of dubious value, and people were given a license to exploit their most craven and forbidden desires. Why? Because there is no post-mortum existence, and therefore no accountability to any supposed deity.
The only 'real' deity is the omni-competent State, and its fiat mores (social values). The actions of persons are evaluated upon the basis of no abiding system of values intrinsic to the universe. The actions of persons are evaluated upon the dialectic of fiat legal opinion. Right actions and wrong actions are based upon a classical worldview that no longer exists. We have entered into the Brave New World of relative values. What is, is right.
The masses, of course must be held in check by the classical standards of 'right and wrong' in order to effectively manipulate their actions, but for the cultural elite this does apply. We are therefore invited to behold the moral decay of culture in a passive manner. "Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent."
The sins of the elite are paraded before us and we accept their corrupt behavior mildly irritating, but normative. The arrogant words and actions of those caught in socially inappropriate and illegal behavior would point the disapproving finger at us, We the People.
The corrupt elite may defend their actions as bedeviled antics that has cause no harm, and no one stands up to scold these malignant persons for their terrible actions. Those who do come forward do so at great risk.
I live in a culture where young girls can be abused by a group of peers and have the attack go viral throughout the internet in real time. I live in a culture where a political leader can be exposed as one who has blatantly sexually harassed female colleagues and defies the call of the electorate to step down and relieve the people of their distressing presence.
I live in a culture where police have freed 150 children from a prostitution ring, and people are not outraged that children are being sold as sex slaves. I live in a culture where 'sexting' is an accepted phenomenon, and seen as normative.
In my local political backyard while attending a city council meeting an individual stepped up to the microphone and announced that she had found evidence that certain members of the board of supervisors had used tax-payer money for strip clubs.
We are indeed a culture that is suffering from Post Traumatic Spiritual Disorder. Psychologists are routinely brought upon charges of sexual misconduct with patients. Sex in the Forbidden Zone occurs more often that not.
Barry S. Roberts and Richard A. Mann wrote: "Complaints about sexual harassment have ranged from fostering a hostile work environment to demands for prostitution."
Will this disturbing phenomenon go away? Not likely, it seems that we as a culture have long practiced sexual harassment of the less powerful. Poling found out long ago that sexual abuse is the exploitation of power, and so is sexual harassment. Think about the many revelations about school teachers having sex parties with students. In one case, a student videotaped an orgy with a teacher and put it on line for all to see. The teacher was tried, convicted, and sent to jail, but displayed no remorse. She was merely peeved by the fact that so many were angered over her actions with students who were legally of age to have sex with her!
Again, in my own city a politician was found walking in the streets by police wearing nothing but his underwear and socks. It is alleged that he was not intoxicated, but had alcohol in his system. It is also reported that he had tried to get into a neighbor's (female) window at three o'clock in the morning. He has since checked himself into a substance abuse program. We can continue to multiply examples but the ones given above were to illustrate where we have come as a society.
We need to make a renewed effort to have sexual harassment training not merely for companies of fifty or more employees, but for smaller companies too. Local schools, colleges, and universities need to have sexual harassment training. We will grow as a culture when we choose to face our deepest challenges, and sexual harassment is a major cultural challenge.
Our "Post Traumatic Spiritual Disorder" will not go away until we unite, and stand for the common good as members of a culture who want a healthy nation that respects one another.
MVP Seminars is an industry leader in sexual harassment training. Please contact MVP Seminars for topic specific information. The words "Post Traumatic Spiritual Disorder" were borrowed from another writer.
For more information about Dr. Rich and his teaching ministry, please follow this blog and visit his website.
When western culture believed in the 'Ghost In The Machine' there was a modicum of hope for humanity as a whole. The belief that there was indeed an animating spirit within the body meant that there was a metaphysical mystery to the being of man. However, with the 'discovering' of behaviorist psychology the 'Ghost In The Machine' was found to be nothing more than the electro-chemical firing of neurons, and nothing more.
Religious writings were relegated to a place of dubious value, and people were given a license to exploit their most craven and forbidden desires. Why? Because there is no post-mortum existence, and therefore no accountability to any supposed deity.
The only 'real' deity is the omni-competent State, and its fiat mores (social values). The actions of persons are evaluated upon the basis of no abiding system of values intrinsic to the universe. The actions of persons are evaluated upon the dialectic of fiat legal opinion. Right actions and wrong actions are based upon a classical worldview that no longer exists. We have entered into the Brave New World of relative values. What is, is right.
The masses, of course must be held in check by the classical standards of 'right and wrong' in order to effectively manipulate their actions, but for the cultural elite this does apply. We are therefore invited to behold the moral decay of culture in a passive manner. "Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent."
The sins of the elite are paraded before us and we accept their corrupt behavior mildly irritating, but normative. The arrogant words and actions of those caught in socially inappropriate and illegal behavior would point the disapproving finger at us, We the People.
The corrupt elite may defend their actions as bedeviled antics that has cause no harm, and no one stands up to scold these malignant persons for their terrible actions. Those who do come forward do so at great risk.
I live in a culture where young girls can be abused by a group of peers and have the attack go viral throughout the internet in real time. I live in a culture where a political leader can be exposed as one who has blatantly sexually harassed female colleagues and defies the call of the electorate to step down and relieve the people of their distressing presence.
I live in a culture where police have freed 150 children from a prostitution ring, and people are not outraged that children are being sold as sex slaves. I live in a culture where 'sexting' is an accepted phenomenon, and seen as normative.
In my local political backyard while attending a city council meeting an individual stepped up to the microphone and announced that she had found evidence that certain members of the board of supervisors had used tax-payer money for strip clubs.
We are indeed a culture that is suffering from Post Traumatic Spiritual Disorder. Psychologists are routinely brought upon charges of sexual misconduct with patients. Sex in the Forbidden Zone occurs more often that not.
Barry S. Roberts and Richard A. Mann wrote: "Complaints about sexual harassment have ranged from fostering a hostile work environment to demands for prostitution."
Will this disturbing phenomenon go away? Not likely, it seems that we as a culture have long practiced sexual harassment of the less powerful. Poling found out long ago that sexual abuse is the exploitation of power, and so is sexual harassment. Think about the many revelations about school teachers having sex parties with students. In one case, a student videotaped an orgy with a teacher and put it on line for all to see. The teacher was tried, convicted, and sent to jail, but displayed no remorse. She was merely peeved by the fact that so many were angered over her actions with students who were legally of age to have sex with her!
Again, in my own city a politician was found walking in the streets by police wearing nothing but his underwear and socks. It is alleged that he was not intoxicated, but had alcohol in his system. It is also reported that he had tried to get into a neighbor's (female) window at three o'clock in the morning. He has since checked himself into a substance abuse program. We can continue to multiply examples but the ones given above were to illustrate where we have come as a society.
We need to make a renewed effort to have sexual harassment training not merely for companies of fifty or more employees, but for smaller companies too. Local schools, colleges, and universities need to have sexual harassment training. We will grow as a culture when we choose to face our deepest challenges, and sexual harassment is a major cultural challenge.
Our "Post Traumatic Spiritual Disorder" will not go away until we unite, and stand for the common good as members of a culture who want a healthy nation that respects one another.
MVP Seminars is an industry leader in sexual harassment training. Please contact MVP Seminars for topic specific information. The words "Post Traumatic Spiritual Disorder" were borrowed from another writer.
For more information about Dr. Rich and his teaching ministry, please follow this blog and visit his website.
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