| Whatsoever
Things Are True
by Dan Coburn Pastor, Emmanuel Baptist Church pastordan@mtida.net Once there was an Amish man who had a milk cow; a Jersey (that'll mean something to any who ever milked cows by hand). Every time the bucket was near full, the cow would kick either him or the bucket. Seldom ever did he make it back to the house with a bucket of milk, and if he did, he brought some blood with him. In an effort to remedy this, our hero tried everything from drugs (for the cow) to special stanchions. Nothing worked. After two years of milking madness, the farmer took the cow by the ears, squared his shoulders making full and forceful eye contact, and began: "Now Milkcow! Though knowest it is against my religion to smote thee, nor is it even lawful for me to raise mine hand in anger against thee. But knowest this Milkcow!! I will sell thee to a Baptist!!!". Let's turn the Spiritual Switch: Many well meaning Christians think it is against God to take a stand politically or morally. Others believe it's an imperative that we get/be involved. One might cite Scripture about not returning evil for evil while another - "unless the Lord had been my help, I had almost dwelt in silence". Many don't want to even hear about it. I have some very strong convictions on all things political, which for me are simply Moral issues running amuck. Still, God has not called me to espouse these from the pulpit. I may kick the horse as I pass by, but the Gospel is what has changed lives for two millennia, and is my job one. That said, here a couple of facts. 1), There are millions like me. 2) We are afraid. Not of what may happen to us, but of what we may be compelled to do. We, by virtue of our way of life, have been unintentionally preparing for whatever is next for generations. We have skills which we don't talk about due to their terrible consequences. Please don't take this as a threat or a brag. This is just the way it is. It is widely accepted that absent the influence of the Danbury Baptists (1802 Connecticut) we would not have the "anti-establishment" clause in the Constitution. Also, there were the Black Hats of the Civil War. Furthermore, I am surrounded by good, God fearing non-Baptists who are my brothers, and are of like mind. Let's turn another Switch: However this all shakes out, what should be our mindset? In Joel 2, God talks about the end, and begins like this: "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand:" He goes on to describe it as a day of darkness and of gloominess. There will be no joy involved, but it must take place. I am still praying for a Revival which is God's will - 2nd Peter 3:9, but absent that, I am afraid, but not for me. |
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