I’ll Tell You What…

Second Peter 2 is an interesting chapter. Here we see examples of man’s sinful nature and God’s judgment against those who continue to willfully stand against God. To some Peter’s words are harsh and are made a stumbling block by those who choose not to investigate what is trying to be conveyed to the reader: righteousness. What exactly is righteousness and why is it important in our lives?

According to Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, righteousness is defined in these ways:

1. The quality or state of being righteous; holiness; purity; uprightness; rectitude.
   
   Note: Righteousness, as used in Scripture and theology, in which it chiefly occurs, is nearly equivalent to holiness, comprehending holy principles and affections of heart, and conformity of life to the divine law.
2. A righteous act, or righteous quality.
3. The act or conduct of one who is righteous.
4. The state of being right with God; justification; the work of Christ, which is the ground of justification.
   In the same dictionary, righteous is defined as “Doing, or according with, that which is right; yielding to all their due; just; equitable; especially, free from wrong, guilt, or sin; holy; as, a righteous man or act; a righteous retribution.”

Peter uses Noah and Lot as examples of righteous men who were not stained by sin even though they dwelt in the pit of sin. The sin was so great that God so no other way to deal with the sinful people than to destroy them. That seems a bit drastic to me but who am I to question God’s judgment? I can only study why God judged and punished them in that way and that will lead me to a better understanding of God’s nature. God was just and right in His actions; He was righteous. And so were Noah and Lot because they chose to obey God even though the pleasures of life were an ever-present temptation. I’m sure it was a choice they had to make every day of their lives.

So, righteousness not only involves the knowledge of right standing before God but also doing what is right before God. In other words, the doing is an extension of the knowledge: words made actions. That sounds like integrity: Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code1. That doesn’t mean that you should only do what is right when people are looking, it means you should be and act the same in every situation in which you find yourself be it on travel or just by yourself. It’s choosing not to watch that adult movie in that hotel room; it’s choosing not to surf to that web site you know is wrong; it’s not loosing your temper and cursing the tool or object when things aren’t going your way; it’s choosing to keep your eyes above the belt. It’s many things but it all boils down to reminding one’s self that doing what is right in the eyes of God is what matters most in spite of how frustrating or pleasurable something may seem. The reward of the world is temporal but the reward of God is eternal.

————————————————————–


1 The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, 2000, Houghton Mifflin Company

Exactly what is Memorial Day? According to USMemorialDay.org, “Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service.” As far as it’s birthplace, that’s up in the air. In May, 1966, President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, NY, the official birthplace but there just isn’t enough evidence pointing to any one location. The observance was officially declared on May 5, 1868, by General John A. Logan. Here is a link to General Order No. 11.

From Concerned Woman for America’s Culture and Family Institute:

Scriptures reveal Jesus’ clear intention for human sexuality….

“Jesus Never Said Anything About Homosexuality, Did He?” 5/6/2004

By Linda Harvey

CWA Editor’s note: Homosexual activists who promote same-sex “marriage” often argue that Christianity is confused on this issue because “Jesus never said anything about homosexuality.” A proper understanding of Who Jesus is and what He requires is essential for answering this misconception.

Consider these facts:

1. Jesus also never said anything directly about rape, incest or domestic violence. Are those things okay, too?
   
2. Many teachings and deeds of Christ are not included in the Gospel accounts, as John writes in John 21:25.
   
3. Christ did say that God created people “in the beginning” as male and female, and that marriage is the union of one man and one woman joined together as “one flesh” (Matthew 19:4-6 and Mark 10:6-9). Nothing is said about any other type of union.
   
4. When He discussed sexual morality, Christ had a very high standard, clearly affirming long-standing Jewish law. He told the woman caught in adultery to “Go and sin no more” (John 8:11). He warned people not only that the act of adultery was wrong, but even adulterous thoughts (Matthew 5:28). And he confronted the woman at the well (John 4:18) by pointing out to her that he knew she was living with a man who was not her husband. If he had intended to change this longtime understanding of God’s requirements for human sexuality, He would have said so.
   
5. Christ used the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah as an example of God’s wrath (Matthew 10:15, Mark 6:11, Luke 10:12 and Luke 17:29). Throughout the Old Testament, prophets clearly described these cities as being notorious for the practice of homosexuality (Genesis 18:20, Genesis 19:4-5, Isaiah 3:9, Jeremiah 23:14, Ezekiel 16:46-59). Jesus certainly knew that this was how the comparison would be understood.
   
6. Christ was God incarnate (in the flesh) here on earth. He was the long-expected Messiah, which was revealed in Matthew 16:13-20, Matthew 17:5-9, Mark 8:27-30, Luke 4:16-30, Luke 9:18-21, John 4:25-26, John 8:57-59 and elsewhere. As one with God, He was present from the beginning (John 1:1-13; Colossians 1:15-17; Ephesians 3:9 and elsewhere). So, Jesus was part of the Godhead as the laws were handed down through Moses to Israel and eventually to the whole world. This Old Testament law clearly prohibited homosexuality (Genesis 19, Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13; Deuteronomy 23:17 and elsewhere). The apostles understood this also, as shown by Paul’s writing in Romans 1:24-27, Peter’s in 2 Peter 2:4-22, and John’s in Revelation 22:15.

So the apostles, who were taught by Christ, clearly understood that homosexuality was a sin as it has always been. When people say, “Jesus said nothing about homosexuality,” they reveal that they really haven’t understood Scripture, or Who Christ is. Maybe some of these points can help them toward a clearer understanding.

Linda Harvey is president of Columbus, Ohio-based Mission:America, an organization dedicated to restoring traditional values and exposing the homosexual agenda in the schools.

Protecting Children from Peer-to-Peer Pornography

Those seeking to corrupt our children never quit. They have now have a way to get around computer filters, and put hard-core obscenity on your child’s computer. It’s called peer-to-peer file sharing, or P2P for short. Penny Nance, president of the Kids First Coalition and a board member of CWA recently testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on the dangers of peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing.

She also testified in support of HR 2885, sponsored by Congressman Joe Pitts (R-Pennsylvania), titled “Protecting Children from Peer-to-Peer Pornography Act.”

In this interview, Penny describes this new phenomenon and gives parents ways to protect their children online.

Homosexual Protesters Demand Marriage Licenses in Chicago. [audio link]

The day same-sex “marriages” became legal in Massachusetts, homosexual couples demanded marriage licenses at the Cook County Court House in Illinois. Chanting slogans like, “Marry us or marry no one,” homosexual protesters closed down the office preventing heterosexual couples from receiving the licenses.

In the midst of all this, CWA’s Illinois state director Kathy Valente held a press conference in support of traditional marriage, is winning the support of black pastors in the Chicago area, and is even witnessing to the protesters.

Policy analyst Martha Kleder shares this report from CWA of Illinois.

Senator Brownback, along with other House and Senate members and advocacy groups held a press conference today to introduce the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act.

The bill will require abortion providers to notify a woman who is seeking abortion 20-weeks after fertilization, of the growing medical evidence that the unborn child in her womb can feel severe and extreme pain during an abortion procedure. If the woman continue with the abortion procedure after being given this information, she would be offered anesthesia for the unborn child in order to lessen –to some degree–the pain that would be experienced by the unborn child.

Click here to listen:
Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS)
Representative Christopher Smith (R-NJ 4th)
Representative Jo Ann Davis (R-VA 1st)/
Representative Joseph Pitts (R-PA 16th)
Senator Jim Talent (R-MO)
Representative Philip Crane (R-IL 8th)
Douglas Johnson, National Right to Life
Tony Perkins, Family Research Council
Barrett Duke, Southern Baptist Convention

CWA’s Senior Policy Director, Wendy Wright, explains why the bill is likely to encounter opposition from those who support the killing of the unborn. Click here to listen.

Your Voice Stopped the Military Abortion Measure in the House! (Listen Here)

CWA would like to thank all of those who contacted their lawmakers and told them to vote “NO” on the amendment to allow federal funding of some abortions at military hospitals. Thanks to you the measure, sponsored in the House by Representative Susan Davis (D-California), was defeated by a vote of 202-220.

More needs to be done however. The Senate version, sponsored by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-California) is still due for a vote. And as CWA policy analyst Martha Kleder reports, several key issues are in the balance with this vote.

From The Committee for Investigation on Persecution of Religion in China:

China: Crackdown on a Million-member House Church - the Leader Kidnapped, Over Fifty Coworkers Arrested, and One Tortured to Death

Flushing, NY, May 14, 2004 Starting on April 17, a harsh crackdown on a house church with several million members started by the Chinese government. Xu Shuangfu, the leader of the church was kidnapped in Ha-er-bin, Heilongjiang Province. Thereafter, more than fifty coworkers were arrested by the police, and one named Gu Xianggao was beaten to death. According to Ms. Liu who was kidnapped together with Xu and escaped later, the kidnappers drove a police car and held guns. After Ms. Liu escaped from the hands of the kidnappers, she fell in the hands of the police of the Provincial Public Security Bureau, and never got back. When Xu’s goddaughter begged the police for help, the answer was “How can we solve the case without the 3-million RMB (Chinese yuan)?” After she realized what happened and managed to leave, the police set up a trap to catch her but failed. Xu’s wife was kicked back and forth between the police departments when she tried to seek help. The situation has become very severe now - the police arrest whoever inquires about this case. The victims’ families are under tight surveillance, making them unable to say anything unless willing to be arrested. According to a police officer, Xu’s church is being treated as the second to Falungong.

Xu Shuangfu is from Linglou Village, Xiaodian Town, Nanzhao County, Henan Province. Having devoted his life to evangelism at the age of 12 in 1957, he has been jailed many times because of his faith, six times for over three-year imprisonment. After several decades of hard work, his church has thrived in almost every province. On April 17, 2004, Xu and several coworkers went to Haerbin to visit the brothers and sisters there. After the assembly, on their way to a sister’s house, a jeep with license plate number 99999 tried to intercept them several times. After they arrived at the sister’s home, Xiao San, the driver left. Some minutes later, they got a phone call from Xiao San saying urgently, “I was stopped by someone!” Then the call ended suddenly. (Till now, nobody knows the whereabouts of Xiao San and his car.) Knowing this, Xu decided to leave ahead of the schedule. At 4:00 in the afternoon, a brother came to give Xu a ride to the airport. He saw Sister Liu and Xu were followed right after they went out of the building, and called them immediately. Then they decided to take the taxi to the airport. But still, they were kidnapped on the way. Fortunately, Sister Liu got a chance escaped at the night. She told her friends what happened: the kidnappers held guns and drove a police car. They stopped them and pulled them into the car and blindfolded them. Then they were taken to Bin County, where Sister Liu escaped. However, on 18th, Sister Liu was taken away by the police from the Provincial Public Security Bureau, and never got back.

In the morning of 19th, Xu’s goddaughter called the kidnappers, and was told to pay three million RMB to get Xu back. She went to Dacheng Police Station for help. However, the police treated her as a criminal, interrogating her until noon. The kidnappers called her and threatened, “Send the money before midnight. Otherwise, we will kill the old man. We are going chop down one of his fingers right now.” She was so frightened that she cried, begging the police to find a way to rescue the hostage. The policeman answered with a smile, “You must prepare the money quickly. How can we solve the case without the money?” She begged the police again and again, and finally, realized that the police did not want to solve the case at all. Then she managed to escape by telling them she would do according to them to contact his family and prepare the money. At the night, the whole police station started to look for her, saying that her godfather was found and asked her to go and confirm. She knew it was a trap and then left Haerbin. After knowing what happened, Xu’s wife tried to seek help from the police also. She contacted both the local police department and Heilongjiang police for many times. But she was kicked back and forth. Until now, no body has taken the case yet.

In the afternoon of 26th, more than fifty Xu’s coworkers in Haerbin were arrested at the same time. Their homes were ransacked and seized entirely. Among the arrested were some preachers: Yin Chuanhui; Fan Yuqin; Jiao Jianmin; Lian Zhifu. A 28-year old brother named Gu Xianggao was beaten to death on 27th.

It is very clear now that this is a carefully planned, large-scale and severe crackdown on this house church by the government. We urge the international society, especially the Christians, to give a helping hand to rescue Brother Xu and his church.

Listed in the following is some contact information in China relevant to this case:

Wang Jun (Xu Shuangfu’s wife)

011-86-13653851307

Linglou Village, Xiaodian Town, Nanzhao County, Henan Province

Gu Yucheng and Zhao Meihua (parents of Gu Xianggao who was beaten to death)

011-86-535-7559652

Dongshige Village, Tuanwang Town, Laiyang City, Shandong Province

Hou Naifeng (Police who knows Gu’s case)

011-86-451-84693293

70 Dongfeng Street, Daoli District, Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province

The Committee for Investigation on Persecution of Religion in China is a nonprofit organization dedicating to revealing to the world the brutal crackdown on house churches by the Chinese government and to helping those persecuted. For more information, please call: 646-361-5039 or email: ciprc1@yahoo.com, or visit our website at www.china21.org.

From AsiaNews.it: One man was beaten to death and 90 worshippers arrested in the northeastern province of Heilongjian (China) during a crackdown on an underground Protestant church, a US religious rights group says.

Li Shixiong, chairman of the US-based Committee for Investigation on Persecution of Religion in China, said government officials were trying to suppress the Three Grades of Servant church, which authorities saw as being second only to Falun Gong in terms of its threat.

Authorities are said to have declared the church illegal and “evil” as early as 1999. It claims to have several million members.

The committee says the church’s spiritual leader, Xu Shuangfu, has been abducted and is being held by police. Authorities have accused Mr Xu of deifying himself and collecting money from church members.

The group said Mr Xu was abducted by people driving a police jeep as he was making his way to Harbin airport on April 17.

His wife, Wang Jun, reported the kidnapping to police in Heilongjiang on April 21. Another family member was allegedly asked for 3 million yuan when she asked police to investigate Mr Xu’s case.

A spokesman for the Heilongjiang Public Security Bureau denied Mr Xu was being held and claimed to have no knowledge of the case.

The committee said 90 other church members were arrested after Mr Xu’s abduction.

Meanwhile, another church member, Gu Xianggao, 28, died in the custody of Harbin police on April 26.

Officers initially told his family that he had been detained on suspicion of robbery and murder, according to his sister, Gu Xiangyan. But Ms Gu said that when family members travelled to Harbin early this month, they were told he had been arrested for being a member of the church.

I’ve been thinking a lot about taking a vacation but I haven’t figured out how long it should be, what I should do, or even where I should go! So, this month’s poll is asking you how long your vacation usually is. Be honest, too. Please put your actual time spent on vacation and not how much time you wish you could take.

It’s a sad day in this nations history and I’m embarrassed to be a resident of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

“City clerks began handing out marriage-license applications to gay couples just after midnight Sunday, making Massachusetts the first state in the nation to legalize same-sex unions and the United States just one of four countries in the world where homosexuals can legally wed.” (From Yahoo! News/AP)

I recently heard someone say that we, as Christians, should look past the lifestyles people lead and focus on the contributions they have made helping the impoverished and oppressed in the world. It was an interesting statement to make. Especially, when that person has made multiple professions of faith yet still lives as one of the world. First Peter chapter 4 has some words to say about this situation that would benefit us all…

“1 Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same intention (for whoever has suffered in the flesh has finished with sin), 2 so as to live for the rest of your earthly life no longer by human desires but by the will of God. 3 You have already spent enough time in doing what the Gentiles like to do, living in licentiousness, passions, drunkenness, revels, carousing, and lawless idolatry.


4 They are surprised that you no longer join them in the same excesses of dissipation, and so they blaspheme. 5 But they will have to give an accounting to him who stands ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this is the reason the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead, so that, though they had been judged in the flesh as everyone is judged, they might live in the spirit as God does.” (verses 1-6)

As people who believe in the Lord Jesus, how should we be living? Verse 2 makes it very clear that we are to live the rest of our lives according to the will of God and not to our own. We have put all those sinful things behind us and now live as one changed. In fact, our change should have been so complete that even our former friends were surprised when we turn down their offers and choose other things to occupy our time. It is because of this that they say things like, “Are you too good for us now?”

Have you ever had a “friend” tell you that? I have. It was back in high school not long after I fully gave my life over to Christ. I can tell you that I was completely caught off guard and was hurt a little. But it gave me an opportunity to share with him how much my life had changed and that it was all about God. The tables were turned and they saw that I wasn’t any better than they were. The only difference was that I was now forgiven. Do I still sin? Unfortunately, yes. Do I do it intentionally? Sometimes because of my stubborn heart but I regret it immensely after the fact. That’s not a place within which I like to live because it only brings me down and keeps me focused on, well, me and not Jesus. Does living like that keep me in God’s will? Do I even have to answer that one?

So, what is God’s will for our lives? What do you mean you don’t know? Didn’t you get the email? I didn’t either but God’s word reveals much about this topic too. Rick Warren, in The Purpose Driven Life, says that “it’s not about you. The purpose of your life is greater than your own personal fulfillment, your career, or even your happiness. To know why you exist, you must first know the One who created you and the five purposes for which you were created. You were planned for God’s pleasure (worship), formed for God’s family (fellowship), created to become like Christ (discipleship), shaped for serving God, and made for a mission (evangelism).”