Materialism and Rest. Thoughts.

I've been reading but not really participating in great detail on the lengthy thread over at Banned by HWA on an estate fight going on over a late minister's estate.

I'm not going to get into it here. I'm not one to cast judgement, because I was not there, I don't know the details, it's all hearsay to me. But from the little I do know about what I am seeing, can I just say that I'm disgusted by the whole thing? Well, I am. Materialism is here today, and is gone tomorrow. And yet, what is consuming the attention of two supposed religious entities at this point? Materialism. Back and forth. He said, she said. Over what? Over property. Over money. Disputes. It's sad to watch this mess.

During the course of one or the other discussions over there at Banned, a subject came up regarding the Rest that Christians enter into. I'll just copy how the conversation started.

The original poster was a "c f ben yochanan":

yeah, afraid ur right: once they see the ancient writings of the Word of God fulfilled, particularly Luke 13:25 Spoken by Jesus, whom, ironically, the writers of this blog like to accuse the cogers of rejecting, then they will understand that they will simply not be entering into His Rest, and will go the way of every doubter and scoffer in the bible that has preceded them...

woe unto them, there will be wailing and weeping at missed opportunity to merely stay the course of the simplicity that is in Christ and receive Praise from the Son of David, son of judah...

c f ben yochanan  

Here, CF clearly states that the "writers of this blog", obviously including myself, "will simply not be entering into His Rest" - and then, in judgement, blasts them as doubters and scoffers, who will be weeping and wailing because of rejecting "the simplicity that is in Christ".

Pretty crazy stuff right there.

This commentator seems to know for a fact the spiritual condition and salvation status of each of the writers at the Banned Site. More than this, he has already judged that "they will simply not be entering into His Rest". In other words, he has judged me as a non-Christian. Pretty bold stuff, there, isn't it? Quite a convincing, judgemental statement, isn't it? I know for an absolute fact that such a judgement is absolutely incorrect - categorically incorrect. I know this because Jesus Himself saved my life, and Jesus Himself has guided and led my path. I know this because I acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior. This, and for a thousand other reasons I'm not going to get into here. Suffice it to say, YES, Jesus is Lord, YES, I obey and serve Him to the best of my abilities. NO, I am not perfect. But for someone to come on a blog, to a complete stranger, and state to them the judgement they have cast? Only believable in a religion such as Armstrongism.

Anyway, I digress. I responded in this manner;

Christians have already entered into His Rest. The opportunity is not missed. It's here. Christians do not have to wait for a future event to experience Christ. Sorry to say it, your words and predictions are empty and without authority. Jesus is alive and well within His people. 

I thought it was short, and to the point. I did not feel the need to go on and on about it. Armstrong followers have their minds closed, shut, locked and sealed. I don't want to waste my time or get my anxiety all up in an knot over this. It's not worth it for my health, it's not worth it - well, simply, period.  But then, I get THIS response from an anonymous commentator:

"Christians have already entered into His Rest."


you can't be serious, have you looked around you lately? have you not noticed the condition of the world???

the only rest Christians have right now is the Sabbath each week (Heb.4)

What?  Really? You have GOT to be kidding ME.

What were the words of Jesus? What did Jesus say? Any Christian should know the phrase and scripture by heart. Jesus said, "Come to ME, all you who are weary and heavy [burdened], and I will give YOU REST." And this writer really comes on and says that the only rest Christians have right now is the Sabbath each week? Really? Seriously?

Have I not noticed the condition of the world? Sure I have! I responded in this manner;

Did I say I was talking about the world? Did I say every liar, stealer, assaulter, and abuser is a Christian? Did I say that those who are on the "will not inherit the Kingdom" list are Christians? Did I allude to anything about that? What then is your definition of a Christian?

a Christian is one who has the Holy Spirit, Christ in them, and is known by the fruits they exhibit. The fruits they exhibit are directly correlated with Christ's Rest.

The rest is not physical. The rest is spiritual. It's emotional. It's relationship. All those with the Spirit of God, Christ in You, are inheritors of the Promise. They are confident in their future because they have been sealed by the Spirit. What you are doing is confusing Christianity as a corporate, which it isn't. Christianity is personal. It is a relationship. Those who have Christ exhibit Christ and exhibit through their fruits the evidence of His Rest.

Why is this so hard for Armstrong followers to understand?

It's just inconceivable that a Christian would possibly say that the only rest a Christian has is the Sabbath Day. This is exactly the evidence of what I was talking about when I say how Armstrong followers deny what Jesus Christ accomplishes and freely gives to those who seek Him, and receive His Holy Spirit. This is the evidence of why I have often called Armstrongism non-Christian. Because so many of them wholly deny that Jesus Christ gives Christians rest through the Spirit of God within them! And through that Rest, by Christ, one exhibits righteousness. One exhibits peace. One exhibits joy. Patience. Lovingkindness. Gentleness. Mercy. Self Control. And of course, LOVE. These are the fruits of a spiritually rested person. These are the fruits of a Christian. "Come to ME, all you who are weary, and heavy laden, and I will give you REST".

Sure, people can take a day of rest on the Sabbath Day. It certainly doesn't mean they're RESTING. It certainly doesn't eliminate the attitudes and carnality so freely evident even on the Sabbath in so many Armstrong related movements. Just because one is working without pay certainly doesn't mean they're RESTING! God is Spirit, and His worshippers worship in Spirit. It should go without saying that His followers also rest in Spirit.

You can keep the Sabbath. You can keep the Holy Days. You can tithe. You can serve the Church. You can be a pillar in the Church, and still not be in His Rest. This is evidenced by the fruits of a non-spiritually rested person. And we all know in Armstrongism there is an abundance of this out there, carnality and wickedness in all of it's ugly nature, whether it's on the Sabbath or not on the Sabbath. Whether it's on the Job or at the Feast. Keeping a day or a festival does not change the heart and soul anymore than wearing a suit cleans you up if you haven't been able to shower for a long time. You're still dirty. And if Jesus has not changed your heart and your mind, no matter how often you keep a DAY of rest, you still have not entered into HIS Rest.

There are many, many Armstrong believers out there who hold to the belief that because they keep the Sabbath and the Holy Days, that that's the sign they are Christians. Jesus had something different to say. Jesus said:

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ ²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (NIV)

I can just hear Armstrongites say just as easily, "Lord, did we not keep your Sabbath? Did we not keep the Feast of Tabernacles and did we not tithe and follow Herbert Armstrong"? If Jesus was so strong about people who actually prophesied in the name of Jesus, or people who literally drove out demons in the name of Jesus - or even performed many miracles in the name of Jesus - what about those who believe they know Jesus just because of the days they keep or the festivals they keep? What makes them even greater than those who did not know Jesus who were able to use His power and His name? Their hearts were not in the right place. Their fruits were not evident. They were not in his REST. They did not have a relationship with Jesus. Jesus never KNEW them. And he even called those who used his name and his power evildoers - because they did not know the one who was the Source of that power.  

Earlier in the chapter Jesus said: 

 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. ² For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

³ “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴ How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

For those who easily like to judge others who think a little differently then them - especially those who are Christian - this would be certainly some advice that might be worth a little bit of extra thought. 

It is Jesus - Christ in You - the Spirit of God - that gives you rest - as you yield yourself to Him. As you turn from the things that are not of the Spirit - the things of wickedness and sinfulness at heart - like idolatry, greed, covetousness, immorality, abuse, heavy-handedness, sordid gain, and the love of money - things disrespectful to God and to others - things not done out of love but out of power and greed and lust - you enter into that Rest and peace through obedience, and by following the will of the Father - to LOVE God, and to LOVE your neighbor. When you love God, your neighbor, and do right - that's a peace and rest beyond all understanding. And that - in this crazy, selfish world - is a virtuous, and treasured gift to be valued and held dear. 

 

How Religion Became a Business

There really is not anything that infuriates me more than when I turn on the television and I see a televangelist using every sales tactic in the world to convince his followers that God's Blessings are in direct proportion to the amount of money that you give to their church.

There are many fancy names they have for this practice. "Sowing seeds", that's a big one. "Seeds for Harvest" - I've heard that a time or two. Often times, they insert a highly snactimonious prayer - saying IF you sow this seed, God will bless you back five-fold, ten-fold, hundred-fold - or even thousand-fold. Then, they will tell the accounts of everyone who has been blessed back. Of course, there's a disclaimer - there is no promise that this is what will happen to you. Because, of course, it depends on your faith.

Many have bought into this - and have been burnt big time. Others have bought into it and may have seemed to have seen a return (confirmation bias). But the truth is, the Jesus of the scriptures never preached a prosperity message that linked his blessings to money - where you are essentially buying God's protection and buying God's favor. God's blessing is a free gift, without merit, and fully through the gift of God's Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ. You cannot purchase your way to riches, just like you cannot purchase salvation. What God has always looked at is your heart - and how the fruits of the Spirit positively impact the lives of others in and around you, to the glory of God. That is, Christ in You - the hope of Glory.

So where DID this practice originate?

Sadly, one of the pioneer televangelists to conceive and successfully use this practice was the man that founded the cult that I was born and raised in - Herbert Armstrong, and his Worldwide Church of God.

Herbert Armstrong was one of the first to utilize mass media to reach massive amounts of people to send income to a centralized source. Before Herbert actually did so, however, he studied intensively, through books, papers - and personally hanging out with rich and affluent people  the "secrets" and the skills of money. He took fervent note of every action he needed to do to become successful in the world. He listened to advice that he later would say he carried with him for his whole life. In conjunction with this, he learned how to sell through advertising. He learned every technique, every tool, every trick of the trade to get people to buy his products. He attended advertising merchant meetings - and became extremely good at his trade. That is, until the depression - when there was no product to sell.

Until he found a product to sell.

Challenged by his wife, Loma, to prove her wrong about a controversial belief of Christianity, the day of Worship (Loma became a Sabbatarian), Herbert began to embark on a six-month study to "prove her wrong". But here is where I need to stop and explain something to place this into proper context.

Herbert would claim various times that people would meet him years later and say he didn't act like a pastor. He acted like a businessman - a Chicago Businessman. He echoed this later as well, that he always approached his ministry in the ways of business. This is the key, I believe to seeing his approach to everything that he did. He viewed himself as a businessman throughout. Therefore, it stands to reason that his six-month study of all things "Christianity" was viewed with the filter and the vision, not of Christianity, but of business.  He himself admitted he "threw everything out" that he ever learned about Christianity, and, with a totally clean slate - a different perspective - read scripture. And what a trove he found - if he looks at it all with the eyes of a businessman.

Tithing. There we go - God said it - that can be proved. There's an income source. Oh wait! There's a second tithe for what? Festivals? And offerings! They can give income at the Festival - as offerings! Oh, look - a THIRD Tithe to support widows and orphans too! Well, there's the income!

Oh yes, all business has to be totally unique. Hey, look - the Saturday Sabbath! No one else does that! That would certainly be unique! We've got to differentiate! Wait - look at that command - no graven images. All these other churches have graven images - they've got to be wrong! This will do it! Look at what they are doing - Christmas, Easter - see where I'm going with this?

When you look at the Bible out of context. When you look at the scriptures like a book, read front to back, as a legal code or business structure - an organizational manual - you can certainly see how one who is intent on finding a product to sell could certainly find a treasure trove there. And this is what Herbert did.

And the conditions were absolutely perfect for his success. The world was fearful. It had come out of one war and was entering another one. Weapons had become large, and fearsome. Worldwide annihilation was now possible. For the first time, man was looking at his own mortality. It appeared that one could now literally look down the barrel of time and assume that the "end of the ages" was now looming on the horizon. Technology was mushrooming in ways that never happened before. All the materials were there. And the materials that would have squelched his efforts were NOT there - i.e., information, fact-checking, the internet, resources, and historical documentation. He had the perfect scenario for explosive growth - if he played his cards right.

And played his cards right he did. He was able to utilize the techniques of many other organizations - the Seventh Day Adventists, the Jehovah's Witnesses, even the Mormons, into his business. He morphed in a theory of British Israelism to appeal to his target audience - America and Britain - for high morale and superiority. He recruited people who were masters at persuasion - people like Herman "The Brain" Hoeh, who could turn any text into support for his doctrinal positions. People like Rod Meredith - a master orator. People like Raymond McNair - smooth talkers like Gerald Waterhouse. Even his own brother - a four-part harmony piano player.

And then, there was radio. Now, he had clients. An audience. Turns out, he had everything going for him there, too. He had a deep, resonant, preacher's voice that he learned how to use in sales effectively. And he had a product. That product was a twist on the Gospel - a message that he alone had given directly to him. A message that he, under God and Christ, would - with all those who bought into his doctrine - would literally rule and reign with Christ as kings - transforming this Earth into a Utopia - the true Government of God - ruling with a rod of iron, swiftly and severely punishing anyone who dared to be different - literally "forcing" their subjects into happiness.

This appealed to people.

To "prove" he was right, he used a carrot and stick approach. In three to five years, you'll see it all come to fruition. Problem is, it never did. So people kept giving, waiting, giving, waiting, giving, waiting. The church would grow larger, and greater. More radio stations. Then TV. More people. And larger, and greater.

Herbert would keep the income flowing by his sales skills. More crisis! Emergency! Give! Don't Slack! Crisis! Over, and over, and over again, letter after letter - it's happening now. Look! It's happening! It really is! Right now! See? Just wait. Oh wait. It's not happening. You're not trying enough! Give more! Have more faith! If it's not happening, you're the only one to blame!.....

And all the while that Herbert was blasting out how horrible the finances were - those at the top were doing mighty well. Top executives were driving Jaguars. Wearing expensive coats. Shopping at expensive places. And most of all - expanding their empire with a massive building project that would be completed in 1972 - through a weave of lies and campaigns of fear designed specifically to push enough money through to finance the grand idol of the scheme - the Ambassador Auditorium - composed of the most costly gems and products of the world, to schmooze the richest and most powerful of Hollywood cementing Herbert Armstrong as a status symbol of importance and success.

I know this is true, for one thing, because of the pages of history. They speak for themselves. Failed prophecy, greed, vanity, ego, the accounts of those who suffered, the fruits of the organization, and where it is (or actually, isn't) right now, to name a few. 

And others caught on to the formula - with a more "mainstream" approach. And so, you see the televangelists of today using, in one form or another, generally the same principles that Herbert helped to pave the way for them to use.

The intention of Christianity was never to become a business. The intention of Christianity is service and love - servant leadership, and servant lifestyle. It's a way of life not of covetousness, or materialism, or gold, and silver. It's a way of life that shows Christ in you through His Spirit - the fruits of which are love, and joy, and long-suffering, and patience, and kindness, and mercy, and self-control - leading others to see a life worth living not in materialism, where rot and decay will always fail, but in virtue - treasures stored in heaven.

I won't watch those televangelists anymore. I've rejected the concepts of Armstrong. I'm learning the methods to de-program myself from his influence. And it's helpful to know the truth of the matter - of when religion became a business. Because, when I see the business of televangelist religion's tall, massive skyscrapers looming ahead on the horizon, filled with the expensive suits and the smooth tongues - and all the guilt and mammon you can handle -  I can guarantee you there's corruption and worldliness to it's core. I'd rather turn right on the little dirt road, find the small house and the shack, and meet the ones who are genuine, and real.

Only there can you hear the wind, the birds, the breeze - and it's quiet enough to hear the small and gentle whisper of the Spirit of God.

Selected Photos from "The Envoy" - Ambassador College

A Split Second of Rejoicing, or Timeless Virtues

This morning, I happened on an episode of the Price Is Right.

The game was simple - 1,2,3 - simply pick the most expensive, and you win. The man was clearly very spiritual, and was consistently pointing upwards and thanking the Lord for being where he was - in a position to win. The prizes were a computer, an internet-fridge (really?), and a really cool motorcycle. The man picked the correct most expensive prize, the motorcycle, and won all three prizes. He shouted at the top of his lungs "Thank you JESUS!!", and proceeded to go to each prize and kiss each prize that he just won.

Please don't get me wrong. I'm really glad in this day in age someone gave Jesus glory on national TV. I also was heartened to see him willing to express what's become a minority viewpoint nationwide, on TV. I admire his love for his Lord. But I'm afraid I disagree with the context of the message he gave. And as I have repeatedly mentioned - in my personal opinion - context is so important.

There were many, nationwide, watching the Price Is Right - who are struggling daily with living. Many do not know where their next meal is coming from, or where the money is going to come from to pay their rent. They've done all they can do within their abilities - they are not being what many would accuse them of without knowledge or empathy. They go to bed at night and rise each morning with a level of insecurity about what one day to the next may bring. They may, or may not, claim a relationship with Jesus Christ. Their struggles are real - life has dealt them some seriously low cards.

While watching this episode, though happy to see this man win big - they see his praise to Jesus for his material blessings. And then, the thoughts start.

I thought about the material nature of the objects he was so passionate about winning.

He won a computer - that in ten years will be sorely outdated.

He won a refrigerator - whose internal computer and gadgets will burn out, need replacing - and will cost more money in the end.

He won a motorcycle - which, he'll have to insure, register, learn to drive - all at his expense.

Plus, he's going to have a five thousand dollar tax bill.

Material things come, and material things go. What is here one minute, is gone the next. What starts out so new and shiny has it's destiny in the dust of the earth. A man gains much in this world, but leaves with nothing - every time.

There are reasons why Jesus said to store up treasures in heaven - where rot won't destroy. Jesus knew the value of important things in life - the things which cannot be measured in monetary value. The things like mercy and patience. The things like self-control and temperance. The priceless attributes of love and joy. The rare jewel of meekness. And the invaluable gift of kindness. All of these things cannot be tarnished by rot, or purchased by mammon. These things go on with you - and become an essence of your spirit. These are the treasures that define a person - not the material pleasures that are here today, and gone tomorrow.

Yes, I am happy the man won what he won. I am happy he gave glory to God for his gifts. I enjoy seeing someone win, as much as anyone else. But the fact remains, that in 100 years - a short time - he'll have moved on from this life, the motorcycle won't work, the fridge will be broken, and the computer will be an ancient relic in some antique shop.

The emphasis of Christianity needs to focus on what cannot be seen - the fruits of the Spirit, which are eternal - then what can be seen, and will fade into dust like all of matter is destined to do.