Archive for » July, 2009 «

Terminator

Friday, July 31st, 2009 | Author:

I’m back.  After being gone for 85% of the days of July, I expect to be home for most of August.  So, I will try my best to answer emails and catch up.  If you didn’t get a response to something you were really concerned about, send your inquiry again, please.  I may not catch everything that happened in the last 30 days.

I have also sent the emails to connect everyone who wanted to be connected.  Groups in TX, AZ, CT, FL and other places are now in touch with each other.  127 of 550 people asked to be part of in-touch relationship.  That’s not many, and a little disconcerting, but it is a good beginning.  If you are a reader and disciple and you missed getting connected (you didn’t get a group email), then you might consider really joining in.   To do that, you will need to send me your NAME, EMAIL and ZIP CODE (city and state will also be very helpful).

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Taking Orders

Friday, July 31st, 2009 | Author:

“for indeed, I am a man under authority” Luke 7:8

Under Authority – Are you under authority? Most believers would quickly assert that they are. After all, they serve the Lord. But perhaps we are a bit too quick to answer this question, principally because it is not a matter of attitude. It is a matter of obedience. As Jesus exclaimed about this Roman centurion, great faith is found in receiving the word of a superior and carrying out the orders. There is no authority until there is compliance.

The Greek text uses the words hypo exousian tassomenos, literally, “begin set under authority.” The verb, tasso, is about ordered arrangement. In this case, it means that this centurion was himself under the authority of another. He knew his place, his responsibility and his assignment. This is the first thing required of believers. We must know our place. We are slaves (voluntarily) to the King. He reigns over us. We must know our responsibility. We are to do what He asks, whenever and wherever the order comes. We must know our assignment. We are living sacrifices to the glory of the Father. Our behavior must reflect our spiritual DNA. Our actions must exhibit His character. When we were rescued from self-tyranny, we were set in place in the hierarchy of God’s government.

“Under authority.” Hypo exousia. We were put into an ordered command relationship. In that position, we have been granted permission to do something. Furthermore, we have been given the power to carry out that mission. We have been entrusted with a sacred task. Unlike many of our career experiences, we have been granted both the ability and the responsibility to carry out the assignment. But notice that we are not the authority. All authority belongs to God. He grants us permission to use His authority to accomplish His purposes. We don’t generate the orders or the power to complete them. We just carry them out.

And what are those orders? Simple – just do what He says. God gives us position, power and permission to do what He says. Just as He gave Adam the command and the ability to carry it out, so He gives us His instructions and the ability to carry them out. “This commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach” (Deut. 30:11). The Hebrew word for “difficult” (pala’) implies that the commandments can be comprehended and executed. God does not ask more than we can do.

Great! We have it settled. God tells me what to do, permits me to do it and provides me the ability and power to accomplish it. So, then why do I have so much trouble following God’s instructions?  Why do I fail? Why do I fight? Why am I too often disobedient? The answer is that I do not place myself under authority. I sin because I want to be in charge. I don’t really want to follow orders. I want to issue orders. That’s the bottom line of yetzer ha’ra (the evil inclination). I just don’t want to have someone else tell me what to do. In the Bible, this is called rebellion. It is not just sin. It is the attitude of sin. And it leads straight to this: “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?” “I never knew you.”

The Hebrew concept of revelation is confrontational. God doesn’t come to me as the nice, old grandfatherly forgiver. He comes to me as the Holy King. He demands an ordered existence and assigns my place in that order. He expects me to act accordingly. He desires me to give up my rebellion and return to His comfort, protection and mercy – and subsequently live under His authority. But the yetzer ha’ra doesn’t let go easily. I will have to fight to stay under. There will be days when I want to give up, give in and take over. The flesh dies hard! But die it must. I cannot serve two masters. Neither can you.

Topical Index: authority, order, command, yetzer ha’ra, pala’, exousia, tasso, Luke 7:8

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More Than I Am

Thursday, July 30th, 2009 | Author:

“Then if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed.” John 8:36

Free – Freedom is an important word in a man’s vocabulary. We have talked about it a lot. We recognized that the Greek idea of freedom is centered in the relationship between the individual and the State. For the Greeks, freedom is the capacity to choose my own actions with the minimum restraint necessary to maintain civil order. While I can’t do anything I want to since that would lead to anarchy, I should be constrained only by what is absolutely essential and nothing more. Freedom in Greek thought is self-will. To be free is to have liberty to determine my own destiny.

Of course, Yeshua isn’t thinking (or speaking) Greek. The Hebrew concept of freedom is centered in a relationship with God. As such, it is focused on God’s design, intention and will – not my desires or expectations. To experience freedom is to experience the safety of belonging to the Lord as the object of His concern. In other words, freedom means to be owned by Him. To be free is to be submitted to His purposes for me. In this sense, the only free man is the slave for he is the only person who can take no care for his own life. Care is the master’s responsibility. The slave’s only obligation is to do the will of the master. Therefore, the Hebrew idea of freedom is exactly the opposite of the Greek view since the Greek view is built around the idea that I take charge of myself.  In the Hebrew view, I am the object of God’s concern.  In the Greek view, I am the object of my own concern.

Heschel offers another insight into the Hebrew view of freedom which is especially important for those who are surrounded by the Greek idea of self-willed liberty. Heschel notices that freedom in the Bible is set in relation to sin. Yeshua reflects this insight in His statement about serving either God or mammon. No man can have two masters, but every man has one. No man is “free” of all masters for the biblical view is that I am already held captive by my own self-serving willfulness even if I am “free” of external restraints. The noble savage is still a slave to himself. Since this is the case for all men, the only way Yeshua can truly set us free is if He has the capacity to allow us to surpass ourselves. In other words, we must be able to transcend the “tyranny of the self-centered ego.” No man is free until he is no longer held captive by his own desires.

But here’s the rub. No man is able to free himself from his own desires because his desire to free himself simply tightens the chains that hold him. He is self-defeated. To be free, a man must be released from himself by another. Thus, Yeshua says, “If the Son sets you free,” not “if you find freedom in the Son.” There is a crucial difference here. Yeshua does not give you the means by which you free yourself. That is not possible. You cannot free yourself for you are a prisoner of your own desires. Yeshua must act to free you from yourself. And in this sense, true freedom comes when, through His grace, you surpass yourself. To be free, you must be more than you are.

Sounds great, right? Sounds a little theoretical too. So, what does this mean for me today? It implies that freedom is not a state of being. It is an event in life. I experience freedom when I discover that Yeshua enables me to be more than myself. In other words, I am free in the action of putting aside myself and expressing righteousness toward another. Freedom is not about me! It is about loving my neighbor. It is about going beyond the tyranny of myself and acting benevolently toward another at cost to myself. In other words, from the biblical perspective, freedom is what I experience when I express agape love. I am free in the event, the action, of surpassing myself for another. Freedom is ultimately relational. It can only be found in giving myself up for the sake of someone else.

That’s why God is free! And that’s why, when the Son sets you free, you can really be free.

Topical Index: freedom, tyranny, Greek view, eleutheros, self, John 8:36

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The Great Hunter

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009 | Author:

And YHWH called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”  Genesis 3:9

Where – God is looking for you.  That fact is fundamental to human being.  God considers you an object of His concern.  He is seeking you out.  If this were not the case, you would be nothing more than the random accumulation of molecules, an accident of evolutionary progress.  If God were not the Great Hunter searching for Man, none of us would mean anything at all.  Without God’s concern for you, the only real solution to your accidental existence in the universe is suicide.

This question, so routinely overlooked in our sweep past the details, is THE question of our existence.  “Where are you?” God asks each of us.  It is the first question of existence.  You will remember that the Hebrew word here is ‘ayyeh; not a word about location but a word about relationship.  God is not asking our geographical position.  He is asking each of us why we are not alongside Him where we belong.  He is asking why we are not acting as He intended us to act in perfect harmony with our created design and in syncopation with His rhythm for the cosmos.  We were supposed to be partners in the grand scheme of glorifying Him in His creation.  Why aren’t we right beside Him?

“To the Biblical mind man is not only a creature who is constantly in search of himself but also a creature God is constantly in search of.  Man is a creature in search of meaning because there is a meaning in search of him, because there is God’s beseeching question, ‘Where art thou?’”[1]  Abraham Heschel’s penetrating insight throws new light on this seemingly innocuous question.  Now you and I must answer God.  Where are we?

What would life be like if God were not in search of us?  Would anything really matter?  Qohelet (The Teacher), author of Ecclesiastes,  describes the reality of life without God’s question.  All is emptiness, emptiness.  What difference does it make if I succeed or fail, if I am rich or poor, a genius or a dunce.  Death swallows everything.  I cease to be and memory of my being passes into the darkness of time.  I return to the dust.  Better I was never born than to live knowing that my life means nothing at all in the great abyss.

But if God searches for me, everything changes.  If I am the object of divine concern, if God truly expects me to be a partner with Him in His grand scheme, then my being matters.  It is not for naught.  I matter because I matter to God.  Now I can seek my own meaning because His meaning finds me.

Unless you have answered the question, you have no idea where you are.  The answer must be directed to God for He is the one asking.  The answer is:

“Hineni.”  “Here I am, Lord.  What would you have me do?”

Topical Index:  where, the question, human being, Genesis 3:9, hineni, ‘ayyeh

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[1] Abraham Heschel, Between God and Man, pp. 238-239.

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Inclined Plane

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009 | Author:

And the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that all the impulse of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Genesis 6:5

Impulse – So, is there a little devil on one shoulder and a little angel on the other battling for your attention and decision? No, I’m afraid not. All that cartoon fantasy is pagan mythology. The truth is about the yetzer ha’ra, not about diminutive spiritual beings. And it’s not about sinful nature either. It’s about the moral inclined plane that affects all human beings.

Genesis does not teach us that we are sinful at birth. It doesn’t teach us that we have no choice but to sin unless we are redeemed by Christ. It doesn’t teach us that our capacity for good is rendered null and void until we say the sinner’s prayer. What it does teach is that we have to become human by our decisions to harness the power of the will. In other words, we have to resist the yetzer ha’ra, the evil inclination, that has become part of the human society and affects every human decision.

Remember Havvah (Eve)? What happened when she listened to the naked snake instead of the Word of God? She gave expression to her own determination of what is good. She listened to her inner voice instead of submitting to the external words of God voice. When she did that, she allowed the moral equation to be changed. She introduced my evaluation of what is good and what isn’t good. Before she sinned, Havvah knew only what was true according to God’s words and what was not true according to God’s words. But after she allowed her own desire to get in the way, suddenly what God said was filtered by what she wanted. True and false became good and evil, only now it was “good for me” and “bad for me.” This is the essence of the yetzer ha’ra.

Now let’s consider, for just a moment, the teaching of Rabbi Soloveitchik on this matter. It reveals something that has probably been obscured in all our Christian theology about sinful nature. God created Man with the potential for good or evil. The very fact that the Tree is within the preview of Man means that Man must decide the path of his own life. There is a choice to be made. One direction leads toward deeper harmony with God and creation. The other direction leads toward self-will and chaos. But there is a real and legitimate choice here. It is a choice that every person must make. While the weight of evil inclination increases with each succeeding generation and the incline of the plane gets steeper, the choice still remains. Listen to yourself or listen to Him.

In one respect, the yetzer ha’ra is the distinguishing feature of what it means to be human. Animals do not struggle with the choice to listen to God. They just do by God’s inherent instinct what they do. Human beings are the ones who must decide. And that decision propels them either in the direction of animal-like existence or in the direction of becoming more and more human, that is, becoming more submissive to the word of the Creator. In this respect, the yetzer ha’ra is what makes us human. It is not something we can escape (unless we want to be nothing but animals) and it is not something we can deny. It is our destiny as human beings to have the power to say “No” to the one who made us. That power makes us human. And that power can also take away our humanity. To become human is to domesticate the power for God’s purposes.

When God saw that all the thoughts of men had become nothing but decisions for the path of animal behavior, He saw that His creation was no longer human. So, He scrubbed the earth of them. Their sin was crossing the boundary between human and animal, preferring to be animals rather than the human beings God intended them to be. As such, they were an abomination to creation and had to be removed.

We face the same consequences if we determine that animalia is the way to go. We may do whatever comes naturally, but in the end we will have denied who we were created to be. And God will have to clean up the mess.

Today, you don’t have to listen to some fictitious devil or angel. Today you can choose to be human by listening to the Word of the Lord and submitting your way to it. You can domesticate that inner power and give it back to Him. And you will be human one more day.

Topical Index: human, domesticate, yetzer ha’ra, animal, choice, Genesis 6:5

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Plano Inclinado

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009 | Author:

28 de junio Y el SEÑOR vio que era mucha la maldad de los hombres en la tierra, y que toda intención de los pensamientos de su corazón era sólo hacer siempre el mal. Génesis 6:5

Plano Inclinado

Intención – Entonces, ¿hay un diablo pequeño sobre un hombro y un angelito en el otro batallando por mi atención y decisión? No, temo que no. Todas esas fantasías de dibujos animados es mitología pagana. La verdad es sobre yetzer ha´ra, no sobre seres espirituales enanos. Y tampoco es sobre naturaleza pecaminosa. Es sobre el plano moral inclinado que afecta a todos los seres humanos.

Génesis no nos enseña que somos pecadores de nacimiento. No nos enseña que no tenemos opción de no pecar a menos que seamos redimidos por Cristo. No nos enseña que nuestra capacidad de bien se convierte en nula  hasta que decimos la oración del pecador. Lo que si nos enseña es que tenemos que ser humanos por nuestras decisiones de controlar el poder de la voluntad. En otras palabras, tenemos que resistir el yetzer ha´ra, la inclinación maligna que se ha convertido en parte de la sociedad humana y que afecta todas las decisiones humanas.

¿Recuerdas Havvah (Eva)? ¿Qué sucedió cuando escuchó a la serpiente desnuda en vez de la Palabra de Dios? Ella le dio expresión a su propia determinación de lo que es bueno. Escuchó su voz interna en vez de someterse a las palabras externas de la voz de Dios. Cuando ella hizo esto, permitió que la ecuación moral cambiase. Ella introdujo mi evaluación de lo que es bueno y lo que no es bueno. Antes de pecar. Havvah solo conocía lo verdadero según las palabras de Dios y lo que no era verdadero según las palabras de Dios. Pero después permitió que su propio deseo interviniese, y súbitamente lo que Dios había dicho fue filtrado por sus deseos. Verdadero y falso se convirtieron en bueno y malo, solo que ahora era “bueno para mí” y “malo para mí.” Esa es la esencia de yetzer ha´ra.

Ahora consideremos, solo por un momento, las enseñanzas del Rabino Soloveitchick sobre este tema. Revela algo que probablemente ha sido oscurecido por nuestra teología cristiana sobre la naturaleza pecaminosa. Dios creó al hombre con el potencial del bien o mal. Solo el hecho que el Árbol permanece dentro de la apreciación del Hombre significa que el Hombre debe decidir el camino de su propia vida. Hay una decisión por tomar. Una dirección lleva a una armonía más profunda con Dios y la creación. La otra dirección lleva hacia la voluntad propia y el caos. Pero el peso de la inclinación malvada aumenta en cada generación sucesiva y la inclinación del plano se profundiza, pero la opción permanece. Escúchate a ti mismo o escúchale a Él.

En un aspecto, el yetzer ha´ra es la característica distintiva de lo que significa ser humano. Los animales no luchan con la decisión de escuchar a Dios. Solo  hacen por instinto divino lo que hacen. Los seres humanos son los que deben decidir. Y esa decisión nos propulsa o en la dirección de la existencia cuasi-animal o en la dirección de ser más y más humanos, eso es, hacernos más sumisos a la palabra del Creador. En este aspecto, el yetzer ha´ra es lo que nos hace humanos. NO es algo que podemos escapar (a menos que no deseemos ser nada más que animales) y no es algo que seamos capaces de negar. Es nuestro destino como seres humanos tener el poder de decir “No” a quién nos creó. Ese poder nos hace humanos. Y ese poder también puede tomar nuestra humanidad. Hacernos humanos es domesticar el poder para propósitos de Dios.

Cuando Dios vio que todos los pensamientos de los hombres se habían convertido en nada más que decisiones por el camino de la conducta animal, El vio que Su creación ya no era humana. Así que restregó la tierra de ellos. Su pecado fue cruzar el límite entre humano y animal, prefiriendo ser animales antes que los seres humanos como fue la intención de Dios que lo fuera. Como tales, eran abominación de la creación y debían ser removidos.

Enfrentamos las mismas consecuencias si decidimos que el camino a seguir es animalia. Podemos hacer lo que nos venga naturalmente, pero al final habremos negado aquello para lo que fuimos creados. Y Dios tendrá que limpiar el desastre.

Hoy, no tienes que escuchar a un diablillo o ángel ficticio. Hoy puedes escoger ser humano al escuchar la Palabra de Dios y someter tu camino a ella. Puedes domesticar tu poder interno y devolvérselo a Él. Y puedes ser humano un dia más.

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Kingdom Economics by John Thorman

Monday, July 27th, 2009 | Author:

I am sure you will appreciate this article written by one of the community.

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Kingdom Economics

The economic systems of this world are at war against the truth of God and His created order, but most Christians don’t realize the enormity of the battle that’s been raging or what the implications are in society.

Unlike the world’s economic systems which begin with the allocation of scarce resources, Kingdom Economics begins with the first commandment “You shall have no other gods before me.” If people believe God and place Him first in their lives, they are acknowledging Him for who He says He is which includes: creator of the universe, author of the instruction manual for successfully living in His creation, and the redeemer of those who disobey His instructions. What follows is the recognition that God is the rightful owner over all creation, the supreme authority, and the judge over all of life and society. Obedience to the first commandment requires that all individual and societal pursuits of progress, prosperity and wealth accumulation be conducted within His prescribed boundaries of righteous living.

The world’s economic systems, at their best, are built without this foundational belief system and therefore they are void of moral authority and absolute truths that are necessary for propitious thinking, decisions and behavior. What necessarily fills this void is a heterogeneous and inauspicious system of beliefs that are based upon the subjective philosophical constructs of each member of society. History has shown repeatedly that no prosperous nation can survive indefinitely under these conditions. They most assuredly deteriorate until they are eventually judged by war, or devastated under the weight of socialism and lawlessness. At their worst; the world’s economic systems deny the existence of God and His laws completely. The rulers of these societies make themselves god and extort their citizens through corruption and force. This philosophy is a prescription for tyranny and abject poverty.

God is not a socialist or a tyrant! He is the original free-market economist and entrepreneur. In a passionate act of His own free will, God chose to create something of tremendous long term value. He is the developer, architect and builder of the universe and God’s plan is to engage us as His junior partners to expand the family business. God gave mankind instructions on what work had to be done and how to manage His creation. Then, He delegated responsibility, giving Man the authority and the decision making capabilities to wisely steward the earth’s resources in order that we might fill the earth, take dominion over it and deliver a return on God’s initial investment.

The economic wisdom of the ages was not penned by history’s great social scientists; rather it was authored by God and is especially detailed for us in the books of Moses. The Mosaic covenant, given on Mt. Sinai, is where God gave the nation of Israel the instructions and principles for how to create a prosperous free society, the kingdom of God, which is to function under His Kingship. What is interesting to note is that God gave them what was essentially their national constitution well before they entered the Promised Land. They were at Mt. Sinai, which was out in the world, and this implies that these instructions for living are intended for every nation, not just the nation of Israel. Throughout history we’ve seen this demonstrated as successful nations are the ones that have applied the principles from the Mosaic covenant, at least in part, either wittingly or unwittingly. In American society too, the Mosaic covenant was incorporated in the development of our economic and societal prosperity and included these principles: the importance of family and community relationships, accountability, responsibility, division of labor, individual ownership of property, written and recorded property titles, currency backed by gold, voluntary contracts between willing parties, enforcement of lawful contracts, establishment of justice through the Ten Commandments and other societal laws to protect and defend the citizenry and the property rights of owners, prescribed restitution to injured parties, and punishments to violators. In addition, God requires planning and decisions based upon present sacrifice for long range generational success; a principle which He uses Himself.

Post-Modern America has strayed far from many of these eternal principles of success and prosperity, choosing instead to embrace the wisdom of Man and the systems of this world. As we have drifted further and further away from the source of truth, we are experiencing increasing “isms” – socialism, secularism, materialism, individualism, etc. Today our society is far from God’s design of family, community, accountability and responsibility because humanity has pursued independence, freedom and avoids taking personal responsibility for actions. This has been facilitated through increasing technological advances, institutionalization, financial intermediaries, and digital communications, to name a few.

Our federal government has increasingly sought to replace and remove God from society and establish itself as the supreme authority. The result is that both our spiritual and social freedoms are greatly diminished. The government takes more control and authority over our lives in an effort to be the savior and provider for its people, thereby insuring their re-election. With their myopic focus on constituent appeasement and perpetual progress, we will stumble and fall under the weight of unfunded social welfare programs, demographic devastation through legalized abortion, growing federal budget deficits, crippling debt burdens, fiat money, the Federal Reserve’s manipulation of the currency, inflation, and a growing entitlement mentality that breeds continued dependence upon the government.

While quick to deflect their own responsibility and culpability, the federal government criticizes business and the financial markets for our economic predicaments. However, history is clear that the more government interferes with and attempts to manipulate the currency and the economy, the more problems or “unintended consequences” they create.

God wants us to follow His instructions rather than the wisdom of Man because He knows what works, and He knows what is in our best interest and His. We are to apply His truths and economic principles while working diligently with the gifts, talents and resources that He gives us in order to produce results that benefit our families, our community and our society. In fact, as demonstrated in the parable of the talents in the New Testament, God demands a return on His investment in us!

The accelerating spiritual decay in our nation is the root cause of the massive moral decay in our lives, families, businesses, schools, churches, politics and our economies. The entire society is negatively affected when we ignore God’s instructions and embrace the “wisdom” of Man.

By numerous accounts, today’s American society is living like the devil and on the fast track to hell. What is so troubling is that the church is going along for the ride! While the Church and her members are to be salt and light to the surrounding culture, we have instead conformed to the cultures surrounding us. God’s instruction is that we be holy as He is holy. By definition that means we must be different; holiness means to be set apart for God’s purposes. We cannot be set apart to serve God while at the same time conforming to the systems of this world. We are to be in the world, but not of the world; we cannot serve two masters. God’s pattern is this; we are to live our lives according to His instructions, our obedience brings blessings and disobedience brings cursing. God is glorified in the process and those who witness this are then drawn into relationship with the one true God too.

Western evangelical Christianity has over-emphasized the great commission at the expense of adequately teaching and observing God’s covenants. Yet, it is our obedience to God’s instructions for all of life which provides the foundation upon which the great commission is to take place. By over-emphasizing the message of salvation, the church has focused too much of its attention on the future, and on getting off this planet so we can enjoy paradise for eternity! But God’s instructions to mankind are not concentrated on getting to heaven; rather they are the prescriptions for living successfully in His creation right now! The future and ultimate result is spending eternity in heaven with Him, but that’s not the focus today. Obedient living is the focus.

When it comes to economics, business, and personal finance, Christians today are not much different from the society they live in. Compare the church’s current dependence upon the government to solve our economic problems through political means instead of free-market means, our willingness to accept trillion dollar deficits, massive entitlement programs for our aging population that are not funded and are not affordable, and the rampant printing of currency so the government can finance its out-of-control spending at the expense of all consumers. Compare the reputations of Christian business leaders with non-Christians and their track records of honesty, integrity, reliability, accountability, greed, fraud, litigation, embezzlement, and breaking commitments and contracts. Our personal finances look very similar to the world’s too with our high debt levels, low savings rates, bankruptcies, investment choices, materialism and charitable giving.

If you are a business owner, all of this spiritual, moral, and social decay should seriously concern you because the consequences directly affect your ability to operate an efficient, profitable enterprise.

How well can your business contain costs, eliminate waste, innovate, raise capital and deliver long term value to all stake holders if your managers, staff members and trading community are all die-hard socialists? Their decisions and actions will not be in alignment with God’s instructions and your own values. The desired behavior you seek from them and the business requires you need from them in order to be competitive, prosper and create wealth will not be found. It costs businesses real dollars in terms of lost productivity from bad attitudes, poor work habits, and underperforming teams. It also costs money in terms of absenteeism, sick days, accidents, non-compliance fines, lawsuits, employee theft, and employee turn-over. The worldview or philosophies of employees and the community you function in really does affect your business and our entire economy.

As Christians we need to take a serious look at what we believe to be true regarding economics and societal prosperity and compare it to what God actually said. For us, the Mosaic covenant is our starting point and our guide. This covenant was not abolished with the coming of Christ. Rather, it was renewed and illuminated by Christ. Jesus said that he had not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. Yeshua, our Jesus, is the goal of the covenant and He inaugurated it with His death and resurrection. This renewed covenant is with the nation of Israel, and we as believers are grafted in and are part of the nation of Israel, so the covenant applies to us too.

Since we have conformed so much to our society instead of obediently following God’s instructions within the community of His chosen people, our thinking and actions are now far removed from God’s original design. To restore what has been lost, we must begin by educating ourselves with truth and then teach all those within our community of faith and go out from there. Our obedience to God’s instructions are for our own best interest and in these rapidly changing times of judgment and discipline for the sins of our nation. We need to return to God’s standard.

Let’s begin by examining the very controversial issue of debt.

Clearly, it is more desirable to have a positive net worth and positive monthly cash flows than to have a negative net worth or negative monthly cash flows. Truly it is more blessed to give than to receive because the giver has a surplus from which they can actually give something!

When individuals, businesses and governments use debt to finance purchases, they are leveraging their future expected incomes in order to acquire things in the present. Since we don’t know the future, this could be tremendously presumptuous of us and we can easily and very quickly borrow much more than our future can support!

Having debt is not a sin, but our debts could be the result of sin in our lives from covetousness, greed, addictions, or simply not patiently trusting in God as our provider. God judges not only our actions, but also our thoughts and motivations. Therefore, if our debt is a result of sinful motives or disobedience that results in undisciplined behaviors and unwise decisions then we need to repent and change our attitudes and behaviors about money.

God commands us to be lenders to those in need and to not charge interest on loans to those in our community of faith that are poor and need the loans for their basic survival. (For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, “You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in you land” Deuteronomy 15:11). Since this is true, it is not possible for debt to be considered a sin in this case. God would not have us lend money to our brother that would cause them to sin by being in debt to us.

Also, as creditors to the poor among us, we should be willing to forgive these loans if they are unable to pay them when they come due, and we must forgive them at the end of every seven years. (Deuteronomy 15:1-2)

When it comes to capitalizing a business or investing our surplus assets, debt is viewed differently than personal loans to the poor and needy. Debt financing of businesses is the cheapest form of capital when interest rates are low, and it offers the equity owners leverage that can potentially increase their returns on their equity investment. However, as the debt ratios increase, the risk of failure for the venture also increases. So, too much leverage in the capital structure of a business is a bad thing and it must be avoided. This tension between the risks and rewards of leverage should push us to our knees in prayer and cause us to seek the wisdom of multiple counselors to be sure that we are making business decisions that are in alignment with God’s plans and purposes for our businesses. We must be careful to guard against the entrepreneurial tendencies of being overly optimistic and the delusions of perpetual growth and expansion in our businesses when our economy is characterized with boom and bust business cycles.

We have experienced unprecedented economic growth in our economy until recently. This growth has been greatly facilitated by the expansion of the money supply and access to easy and inexpensive credit. This credit boom has produced a nation of debt addicts. Our economy has become dependent upon debt to survive, and we have confused debt and the accumulation of things with true wealth and prosperity. If your total assets are $1 million dollars and your total liabilities are $2 million dollars, you are not wealthy! If your revenues and cash flows drop so that you can’t afford your monthly payments on the $2 million, you are bankrupt!

Unfortunately, we have ignored the numerous warnings about debt in Scripture, and we have been caught up in the illusion of wealth and prosperity in America that has been created by record high debt levels. As a nation, we are now beginning to pay for these mistakes and I suspect that it will continue to get worse.

Ecclesiastes tells us that there is an appointed time for everything, including a time to tear down, and a time to build up. We are being torn down, and this gives us an opportunity to repent, correct our mistakes and adjust our course of action.

For decades now our financial markets, fund managers and personal advisors have been focused on accumulating and growing assets to fund retirement using equity mutual funds and stocks but they must now shift this emphasis to preserving what’s left of our decimated retirement portfolios and generating income from them as 75 million “boomers” enter retirement. The conventional wisdom is that as you grow older, you assume less and less risk and continue to shift assets out of equities and put them into bonds, which is government or corporate debt. How is this going to affect our markets, stock prices and the net worth of this most influential demographic?

Consider the future financial markets in light of our current economic and financial crisis, the aging Baby Boomer population, the insolvency of social security, the federal budget deficits and the expansionary monetary policy of the Federal Reserve. Since the federal government is already so highly leveraged, fiscally irresponsible, and incapable of meeting its entitlement program commitments to our nations seniors, do you want to invest your money in government treasuries? Traditionally this has been the safest investment, albeit with a low return, but it is not going to be a viable alternative for many seniors going forward who will need more supplemental income then they planned on – much more.

Also, investing your money by financing the debt of our publicly traded corporations given all of the significant problems of corporate governance, greed, fraud, corruption and excessive costs within the financial markets themselves is proving to be much less attractive. The problems in corporate America and the financial marketplace have severely damaged the trust that is essential for them to operate efficiently and effectively.

The financial markets today are characterized more by speculation and short term trading than they are long term disciplined investing and value creation. Our capital cannot continue being poured into a limited number of large corporations that are not adequately accountable to their shareholders, are not producing adequate returns or are unable to provide the required predictable cash flows to support retirees.

Instead, the Christian community must look to invest its surplus assets within the faith community through alternative investment options. Christians must separate themselves from the world’s system and all of the problems and costs associated with our nation’s largest corporations and the financial markets.

As wise stewards of the resources that God has entrusted to us, we need to be actively looking for people we can have a relationship with, and remain involved in our investment decisions by offering accountability, contacts, and our expertise to the business owners and entrepreneurs within the faith community to improve results and increase return on investment.

It’s time to focus once again on the principles of kingdom economics as found in the Mosaic covenant. We need community, relationships and accountability to be successful at increasing the wealth and driving economic prosperity within the Christian community. We need to be intentional about working together in obedience to God’s instructions for all of life so that we can be different and set apart for God. Then we will be salt and light to the world around us.

John C. Thorman works with the owners and executive management teams of small and medium sized companies to solve their problems and improve their results.  As a management and marketing consultant, he is uniquely gifted to grasp the big picture and then execute winning strategies that bring about significant and profitable changes to an organization.

He can be reached at johnthorman@earthlink.net

Category: Articles  | Tags:  | 5 Comments

My Friend John

Monday, July 27th, 2009 | Author:

I asked John to tell all of you a little bit of his story.  This is part of the community that takes care of its own.

John Thorman wrote:

Here’s my recent life’s Story.

In January of 2008, I conducted a business analysis for a firm located in Florida. The president and his partner were impressed with my work, and asked if I would help them implement my recommendations. Instead of a long term consulting relationship, they ended up offering me a full-time position, which I accepted, and it required my wife and me to move from Ohio. We believed that this job offer was an answer to prayer as we had sensed for awhile that we were to move and were looking for God’s direction. Back in Ohio the job and housing markets were bad, and our city had recently been reported as having one of the worst housing markets in the nation.

My wife and I spent a long time in prayer over this decision and we were sure that God wanted us to move to Florida and take this job. But we had a sense that things might not go as smoothly as we hoped. I talked with my wife and asked her, “Do you believe that God wants us to move to Florida and take this job, regardless of the circumstances?” Based on God’s overwhelming confirmation to both of us, we believed God wanted us to go. Then I said, “If I only have this job for 90 days, do you trust God to provide for us?” She said she did. So, our minds were made up. We were going to be obedient and follow God’s direction, take the job and move to Florida. Off we went.

Things were going very well I thought; I had been working at the company for about 9 weeks when to my complete surprise, I lost my job! There we were in a small town 1,000 miles from home with no contacts. To top it all off, the local economy and unemployment rate was worse than what we had just left. The good news was this. God is our provider, not a company. I told my wife that it was God who moved us here and that it would be God who would provide for us. At one point last fall, with no money left, and all the bills coming due, my wife in a state of panic asked me “How are we going to pay our bills?” I told her, “God will provide some money as soon as He figures we need some.” She looked at me like I had two heads. She didn’t know what to say and so, she said nothing. Within 2 days, God provided an unexpected consulting project with a different company that paid all of our bills.

Both of our efforts at finding jobs over the past 15 months have yielded nothing. But God has faithfully provided for us, often at the very last moment.

It has been almost 15 months since I was released from my full-time position. Neither my wife nor I have been able to find jobs. Until a couple of months ago, we were at peace, believing we were right were God wanted us; totally dependent upon Him for our provision, and seeing him provide for us right at the last minute on more than one occasion, and from unexpected sources. Things are very different now. We believe that the time has come for another change but we don’t have any job prospects.

Our experience in Florida is not something we would have chosen to do on our own. There were just too many warning signs, and I had discussed them all with Skip beforehand. But, it was clearly God’s direction in our lives. We acted in obedience and moved here in faith. While the journey so far has been very difficult financially, God has been faithful to meet our needs where there seemed to be no way!

I am very passionate about applying a biblical worldview to economics, owning and operating businesses, investment and finance. I want to put my passion, skills and experience to work in an executive management position and ultimately as CEO of a privately held company.

So, my fellow community members, we are asking for your help. We want and need to find our next working assignments. Do you own a business that needs an executive or V.P. of Sales & Marketing? Could you use the objective advice of a fresh set of eyes on your business from a gifted management consultant? Do you know someone who does? Can you help us in our time of need and help us find the next source of God’s provision in our lives?

So, now you know.  John also wrote an article for us that you can read here.

Category: Articles, Community Issues & Prayer Requests  | Tags:  | 4 Comments

Real Revival

Monday, July 27th, 2009 | Author:

“This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep.”  For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the law.  Nehemiah 8:9 

Weeping -  “One lesson became perfectly clear:  Any nation that turns away from its founding principles and repudiates the values upon which it was founded is destined for the ash heap of history.”  James Black – When Nations Die. 

Sobering words, indeed.  James Black investigated ten major civilizations spanning thousands of years of human history.  His conclusion:  once a culture abandons its founding principles, it begins a process of self-destruction.  It rots from the inside out, until one day it collapses.  What are the consistent signs of this process?  Loss of respect for authority, deterioration in quality of leadership, collapse of education and values, lack of knowledge of history, moral failure, increased promiscuity, increased taxation, economic despair, loss of cultural uniqueness.  When these actions and attitudes overtake a civilization, it is doomed to destruction.  This was true in ancient Egypt, in Rome, in the empires of Asia and Europe and it is true today.  A generation or two after these factors take over the thinking of the populace, the civilization is finished. 

Nehemiah brought Israel back from captivity.  God dealt very harshly with His people.  In order to rid them of their idolatry, He brought the empire to destruction.  When Nehemiah returned to rebuild Jerusalem, the people knew that they needed to recover a lost heritage.  That heritage was the Law of God.  Without it, Israel was nothing but a once-great empire.  So, when the Law was read once again in the presence of the people, when the principles of the culture were reiterated and understood, when the people embraced God’s way of living, there was great weeping.  Why?  Because the enormous tragedy of the captivity became clear.  Idolatry was behind it all.  They wept because they mourned their sin.

And they wept because God restored them.  Now they understood.  Now they realized that the Holy One of Israel had not abandoned them.  Their great suffering led to revival.   This is a revival that would last because the lesson cost so much.  Never again has Israel worshipped a false God.  But it took total destruction to get the message.

The Hebrew verb bakah means weeping or wailing because of grief, pain, humiliation or joy.  The people are experiencing all of this, but Nehemiah instructs them to not weep.  Yes, your pain is real.  Yes, your joy is real.  But today God is honored because you have come back to Him.  Today is true revival because the foundation of our way of life has been restored.  Today we are once again committed to living as His people.  Nehemiah’s message is for us too.

If our nation is to survive, it will need more, much more, than spiritual revival.  It will need to return to a whole-hearted adoption of the Law of God.  It will need true revival – word and deed in alignment with Him.  Otherwise, it’s over.  It’s just a matter of time.

Topical Index:  revival, law, James Black, nations, weeping, bakah, Nehemiah 8:9

Category: Today's Word  | Tags: , , , , , ,  | 7 Comments

God in the Backyard

Sunday, July 26th, 2009 | Author:

Category: Pictures  | Tags:  | Comments off
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