GOD-DAMNED HYPOCRITES - PART 10
PROPHESY
When
the term prophesy is used people often think of those claiming psychic powers
or the likes of Moses, Elijah, Samuel, Nathan, Nehemiah and others, but rarely
do they consider what the word means. Anybody who preaches the scriptures is a
prophet, although their intentions and interpretations determine whether they
serve the Lord or are false prophets. There are also people blessed with the
gift of prediction, another form of prophesy, and various other gifts (Romans
12: 1-8).
Some
people believe that those thrashing around and babbling incoherent nonsense are
also blessed because they speak in tongues, but this gift is defined as
speaking another language (Acts 2: 4) and is of no use unless it can be
understood (1 Corinthians 14: 1-40). Prophesy, then, is not limited to those
who have been ordained by an administration of a Church - which can be
corrupted to promote and enable the desires of only those who preach the same
false teachings - but a gift that should be dedicated to God providing it
preaches His uncorrupted instructions.
Some
people have gifts in communication through writing, challenging others to
consider things they may not normally think about, teaching empathy by a means
through which hardship may be shared, rebuking hypocritical behaviour, exposing
falsehoods that are normally concealed by silencing and defaming their victims.
Others have the gift of prediction. It is highly unlikely that this will be the
result of some psychic, precognitive sense, but rather their ability to simply
observe and make a calculated guess as to potential outcomes. Those people also
tend to be gifted in intuition and noticing things others don’t, like
attitudes, personalities, strengths and flaws in human nature. They have an
innate ability to compile these things in their mind and then use logic and
statistics to determine what is most likely to occur, may be apt at puzzles, or
solve mysteries in books and television shows within the first few chapters or
first five minutes.
These
people also tend to have limited social skills and are, as a result, often
blunt or honest, earning the resentment of others because they warn of things those
others don’t want to hear. A smart person will make use of such gifted people,
heeding their insight for the betterment of themselves and a Church, but where
the Church is under the sway of a corrupt Ministry, these gifts present a
threat that must be neutralised by slander and defamation. Always consider why
an accusation may be made, especially if the person that is targeted has shown
no signs of behaving as alleged, and speak to them to ensure you have both
sides of the incident in question. Consider carefully what you hear (Mark 4:
21-5).
My
gifts, as you may have noticed, include the ability to write and share ideas,
as well as observation and intuition, both used to encourage people to think
rather than embrace ignorance, bigotry and hypocrisy. My childhood was, well,
let’s just say it was particularly unpleasant. The ability to observe and
predict events and the actions of individuals became paramount, a means of
survival. Needless to say, my social skills suffered under the conditions that
were inflicted upon me, but the influence of my grandparents resulted in my
nature being somewhat stubborn in regards to moral and ethical concepts, an
overwhelming faith in the potential for a better humanity (as a concept rather
than in regards to individuals), and a deep seated hatred toward hypocrites and
bullies. I have been told that we must love our enemies and so on and so forth,
but try living the life of someone like me and you discover how difficult that
is.
On
occasion I have felt that, perhaps, some outside influence guided my gifts, but
logic dictates these were simply coincidences. There have been several
incidents that really tested my faith in logic, and raised the hairs on the
back of my neck. The ultimate fate of my grandfather was one that played out
over two decades. An impending storm and decision not to camp out another. A
day on the beach and decision to walk on the rocks that prevented being hit by
a freak wave a third. The fate of my siblings and wife’s sister were some of
the hardest to bear, forced to watch on and suffer their hate as my warnings
went unheeded.
But
there are some that have always stuck with me. The moment I met the girl who
would become my wife. As soon as I met her, I knew one day we would be married,
despite the fact that we did not like one another for several weeks. The second
was the birth of our first child. Three years before she arrived, I knew she
was coming. My wife and I had been trying to conceive for years, and then, one
day, I just knew when our child would arrive, down to the very week, that she
would be a girl, and what her name would be. Just over two years later, my wife
fell pregnant. Our daughter arrived two weeks early, as predicted.
Although
the certainty of their arrival did not come with such advanced warning, again I
was forewarned of the arrival of our next children, that both would be girls.
Again, their arrivals were accurate down to the week. But those were happy,
joyous events, preceded by a strange sense of calm. I cannot explain them. It
is the sense of death that unnerves me. A friend’s father had gone to see a
doctor after feeling ill. When they told me I said “he has cancer and will die
within three months.” The truth is, I don’t know why I said it. The next week
we learned he had cancer. Three months later he died.
Before
we were married, my wife and I went to watch a friend play soccer. His
girlfriend and father spoke to us after the game. I remarked later that his
father unsettled me, that he had dead eyes. His father took his own life three
weeks later. I never said anything about it to anybody else at the time. I
often wonder if that may have changed anything. But I never mentioned it to our
friend. People don’t like warnings. They prefer, more often than not, to attack
the messenger, and ignore the warning.
When
the news of the nursing home fire broke, a reporter spoke to one of the staff
helping rescue patients. The staff member was Roger Dean. He seemed off. I said
to my wife at the time, “there’s the guy that started the fire”. Not long
after, he was arrested, and eventually found guilty and convicted for starting
the fire that killed so many people. Many years ago I met a guy who claimed to
be psychic, that he could see auras around people. He said I didn’t have one. I
laughed. It amused me. Given my own experience, it may sound odd, but I don’t
believe there is such a thing as a psychic.
But
still people accuse me of being psychic simply because I pay attention and can
read people, predict the most likely outcome based on how they behave and the
events of which I am aware. And many people hate me for my candour and
unwillingness to be manipulated and aide them in their own dishonesty. They
insist that I must do and say what they want because love is unconditional. The
love of God is not unconditional, regardless of what people claim. He certainly
does not love those who mock him unless they repent, and given the penalty
imposed upon such creatures, hatred seems an appropriate word.
If
we were to do as the hypocrites demand and love, forgive and enable them
instead of rebuking them, and avoiding their company if they continue to behave
badly, we would be as corrupt as they. As for prophecy, it doesn’t take a
genius to predict the fate of those who disobey the instructions of the Lord,
only the ability to pay attention to individuals and their behaviours, and read
the Holy Bible regarding matters that involve sin and the associated penalty
(Matthew 5: 1-12, 7: 24-27, 23: 1-39, & 24: 36-51, Mark 11: 12-18, Luke 12:
49-53 & 13: 1-9, Romans 16: 17-20, 1 Corinthians 15: 33-34, 2 Corinthians
11: 1-15, Galatians 6: 1-10, 2 Thessalonians 3: 6-15, 2 Timothy 3: 1-9 & 4:
1-5).
THE
ROLE OF CONFESSION
It
has been said that confession is good for the soul. Most people assume this
refers to the individual. Well it may, but perhaps it could also refer to the
collective soul of a community. This is something that the Catholic Church has
made a real mess of and which the Presbyterian Church has done away with
altogether; it is something that explains a great deal of what has gone wrong
in those cults. And yes, I am aware that the term cult has sinister undertones,
but if you knew what I know then you would understand why I applied that word.
In the last chapter of the Book of James there is a section that deals with the importance of confession (James 5:16) when conversing with God. What most people fail to realise is that it is also speaking about how these two issues are important for the health of the Church. Catholicism has long used guilt and humiliation to manipulate and control its congregation, treating confession as something so shameful that it must be kept secret through an idiotic notion of sanctity despite the continued harm such secrecy causes and ongoing sin this enables. This vile practice has allowed a variety of predators to infiltrate and act with impunity inside an institution that, in theory, opposes the sins of those creatures.
In the last chapter of the Book of James there is a section that deals with the importance of confession (James 5:16) when conversing with God. What most people fail to realise is that it is also speaking about how these two issues are important for the health of the Church. Catholicism has long used guilt and humiliation to manipulate and control its congregation, treating confession as something so shameful that it must be kept secret through an idiotic notion of sanctity despite the continued harm such secrecy causes and ongoing sin this enables. This vile practice has allowed a variety of predators to infiltrate and act with impunity inside an institution that, in theory, opposes the sins of those creatures.
Confession
is not just about the faults and failures of individuals but also an
opportunity for Christians to voice their concerns about things they have
witnessed or overheard. It is an opportunity for the leadership of the Church
to be made aware of issues that affect the health of individuals in need, and their
church as a whole. Unfortunately, the community is taught that speaking about
others is gossip and, therefore, wrong, something that should be discouraged.
Concealing the sins of others is a sin in itself, especially if it allows harm
and injustice to continue or even escalate.
The
child abuse within the Catholic Church is a perfect example. Those with
knowledge of what had been occurring kept quiet or even went out of their way
to silence victims. The Sanctity of Confession is a tool of evil when it is
used to protect predators and silence victims of such vile injustices, and any
true Christian would ask what Christ would do. The answers are right there in
the Holy Bible and Christ Himself has answered this with many very clear
comments (Mark 4: 21-25, Mark 9: 42-50, Matthew 5: 27-30, Matthew 7: 7-12, 1
Corinthians 15: 33-34, Ephesians 6: 4).
But,
as I said, this kind of corruption is not limited to the Catholic Church alone;
it is prevalent in every element of our community because it has become a
blight in the culture of our society. As a young man my life was extremely
difficult, but not for the usual reasons. The injustices I had suffered left me
very angry and I blamed God for the things relatives and others had done to me
until circumstances led me to realise that it was not God that had done these
things; corrupt people were responsible for their own actions. Still, the fact
that God has done nothing to stop it or deliver justice is a burden that weighs
heavily, and tests my faith. The parable of The Good Samaritan (Luke 10: 26-37)
demonstrates this concept very well. It was human sin that inflicted harm on
the man and both the priest and Levite ignored the opportunity they had to do
as God instructs, testing themselves and failing.
Confession,
then, is an opportunity. It is misused in the Catholic Church, where sin is
concealed and those at fault forgiven even as their sin often continues to
cause harm. This forgiveness is falsely given if there is no true act of
repentance; unless the effects of the sin are corrected and there is a change
in behaviour, the sin continues. The Presbyterian Church does away with
confession altogether. If someone is foolish enough to reveal a problem that
the Ministry and leadership wish concealed, the life of the witness becomes
very, very interesting indeed.
When
interrogated by Laurie Crapper about the rampant premarital sex and promiscuity
that teenage and young adult members of the church were engaging in, I made the
mistake of answering honestly. Although I was not involved, the issue concerned
me because many of those involved were leaders and the behaviour was leading to
gossip that was damaging relationships and corrupting within the church (1
Corinthians 5: 1-13). Instead of rebuking those at fault, the Ministry embarked
upon a campaign of false accusations, slander, defamation and persecution of
scape-goats and those who knew the facts but who wouldn’t remain silent and
enable those at fault. Their reasons
were very simple.
The
Ministry was mostly related by blood and marriages, with the few exceptions
being considered friends or having something to offer the Ministry and ensure
they retained their positions of authority. Young girls were encouraged to seduce
young men who attended with sexual favours by the very leaders who preached
abstinence, and the Ministry was fully aware of the situation. The congregation
was led by adulterers, those who stole wages and money and property from others
through deception, those who bore false witness to defame and silence those who
knew the truth, and those who were envious of others for their gifts, abilities
and popularity.
They
were also guilty of murder, not so much in the physical sense, but through
character assassination, destroying reputations and deceiving others to
ostracise the victims. Those people they had been, and the hopes and dreams,
were sacrificed for the self-centred greed and ambitions of hypocrites. The
Elders were made aware of what was occurring but refused to listen to
witnesses, even refusing to consider the evidence offered, because to do so
would require them to act and that would interfere with their own self-centred
desires. As a result, the corruption was concealed and enabled.
In
effect, there was no deterrent and those at fault were rewarded for the
hypocrisy, the Ministry promoting their relatives into positions of authority,
as well as those that could provide services despite their immoral,
hypocritical behaviour. Instead of doing what the Lord demands of us (Nehemiah
13), the Church Ministry continued with their mockery and cast out those who
had done no wrong, defaming them. I saw young people who should have been
encouraged to lead despite their own lack of confidence driven from the Church
while those whose behaviour was contrary to what they preached and with
ambitions that exceeded the abilities were raised up and given authority over
others.
My
efforts to reveal the problems by confessing my own problems and failures in
order to reveal problems within the Church only resulted in demands that I
should “not apply the Bible” and “get down on your knees in a public place,
confess that you are lying, apologise for the harm you have caused, and declare
your unconditional support” for those acting hypocritically. When I rebuked Swindel
Ratkin for hypocrisy, and that of other Ministers, Elders and leaders, he
insulted me and claimed that I was maligning them, and it reminded me of what
the Pharisees said to Christ (Luke 11:
45). A lack of accountability leads to total corruption when a Church does not
apply the true purpose of confession.
TRUE
REPENTANCE
One
of the most confounding things in the Bible is the notion of repentance. We
know that true repentance will be demonstrated by a change in behaviour, but
what exactly does this mean? If somebody claims to be saved as a Christian but
continues to behave in a contrary manner to what Jesus taught, then we know
that they have not truly repented. But if all sins are equal in the eyes of the
Lord, then only faith in God will allow them to attain salvation. And yet, if a person has faith in God, then
surely they will not sin? Perhaps the answer comes down to intention?
If
a Christian commits a sin intentionally, then they are acting in defiance of
God. So, therefore, if they commit a sin unintentionally, then maybe their
faith is still sound? If this is the case, then true repentance requires an end
to all intentional acts that are made in defiance of what God has instructed.
How then, is it possible for people to claim that they are changed and have
repented when the sins they have committed (deliberately or unintentionally)
may continue to cause suffering upon others?
By
their actions, those who have committed sins have set a bad example to others,
perhaps even embittering them toward God. This is even more obvious when the
sins are committed by church leaders, turning people away from God when their
role as a Christian is to help show people the way. So if true repentance is
demonstrated by a change in behaviour, then somebody who claims to have truly
repented will not only seek to avoid sin, but also to attempt to right the
wrongs that continue to be inflicted upon others by their previous sins they
have enacted.
If,
for example, a Christian attempts to apply Matthew 18: 15-20 in an effort of
fellowship to help a stray brother or sister, but in return is rebuked for
doing their duty, and then vilified and ostracised to keep the sins a secret,
how is this doing God’s will? As a consequence, not only is the original sinner
lost, but so too are those who assist in keeping the sin a secret and, perhaps,
even the Christian who attempted to do as God instructed and later becomes
embittered. To make matters worse, the church may very well lose a valuable
member and allow those who should be rebuked to be elevated to positions of
leadership.
Repentance,
then, is an important part of faith. The Bible should not be misused to hide
sins (1 Timothy 5: 19-20) and to deceive others and persecuting those who do as
God instructs, as these directions are given to ensure that false testimony
cannot be used against innocents, not to protect the wicked and so inflict
further sin and hardship upon God’s servants. It is the duty of every Christian
to watch over one another and see that they do not fall into temptation,
rebuking them where they are in need, and providing help to ensure that they
can truly repent by changing their behaviour.
Part
of this repentance is to ensure that the results of sins do not continue to
inflict suffering. If the actions of a sin continue to cause harm, how then can
true repentance be attained? Sins repented should not be hidden away when they
involve others, but brought out into the open where they can be dealt with.
Sins hidden away in the shadows cannot be overcome, and only by acknowledging
them can a sinner find a way to change their behaviour. Indeed, sins that are
kept a secret will only fester and grow, denying the Holy Spirit and acting as
a millstone upon those who claim to have repented (Matthew 18: 2-9).
Does
this mean that we must literally maim ourselves to be free of sin? Jesus was
actually referring to the need to remove the temptation for sin from our lives,
by avoiding situations and bad company, but he also spoke using metaphor. Jesus
referred to the church as a single body on more than one occasion, and it is
more than likely that he also meant that the parts of the church that are
causing us to sin should also be removed. There is logic in this.
A
false prophet who refuses to repent should be removed as quickly as possible so
as to avoid bringing disrepute and dishonour upon God, for example. But how do
we know who is committing sins when it is one person’s word against another?
Jesus said that “a prophet has no honour
in his own home” (Matthew 13: 53-58), but did he mean that a prophet does
not speak the truth in his own home? A prophet can do nothing other than speak
the truth and preach, so it becomes obvious that those in his own home will not
listen because their pride and own desires block their ears to what God wants.
Should a matter involve one testimony against another, consider each person’s
actions in relation to the situation and consult the Bible before making any
decisions.
And
in the matter of how long you must seek to show a stray brother or sister his
or her faults that they may repent and return to God, how long should a
Christian maintain these efforts? The sinner is given three opportunities
(Matthew 18: 15-20), but if no other Christian can be found to assist in God’s
instructions on this manner, then must we abandon the effort to show the stray
Christian the error of their ways? Is it better to break the law and do God’s
work, or abandon God’s work to keep the law (Matthew 12: 1-14)?
Jesus
said that we must forgive our brothers if we wish to attain God’s forgiveness
(Matthew 18: 21-35), but also that we should avoid temptation, but how can we
do both? We can forgive someone for their behaviours, but we are not instructed
to keep company with them; to do so would invite temptation through bad
company. Again, Jesus spoke in metaphors, and the fig tree is a good guide in
this instance (Matthew 7: 15-23, 21: 18-22, Luke 6: 43-45 & Luke 13: 1-9)
as it demonstrates that the allotted time for repentance is limited.
In
this matter, Paul (who sinned against God but repented when God rebuked him and
gave him his duty) reinforced the obligations of those who claim to be
Christians throughout all of his writings. The penalty for continuing to serve
human desire when claiming to serve God, or bearing false witness if you will,
was demonstrated with the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5: 1-11). Jesus
himself said that nobody could serve two masters, referring to a clear choice
of obedience to God and that of human desire; the penalty is very clear and no
effort to deceive others will ever deceive the Lord.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4254414/Pauline-Hanson-hits-Australia-Post-Ahmed-Fahour.html
One of the aims of true repentance is as a means
to avoid temptation and sin. If a brother or sister sins against you, then it
is your duty to rebuke them and help them find their way back to God through
true repentance. Should they refuse to repent, or even fall further into sin in
an attempt to discredit you, then you should avoid their company and that of
anybody else who would support these sins. Those who follow them in their
sinful activities, willingly or by allowing themselves to be deceived, are an
influence that should be avoided, even if this means you should abandon an
entire church to their own corruption.
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