Another Unsolicited Commentary On a sermon
(with a special thanks to -John Henry)

March 9, 1997

     Interesting sermon, frank.  You really
decided to play it safe this time, huh?  No
sermon title, not showing the scripture
selections on the screen.  A lot of reading
the Bible, one of those inarguable topics
("the secret of living in prayer", in itself
a sad commentary on our times, that this
could be considered any kind of secret), a
few oblique remarks about the doctrine of
ascension . . . pretty bland stuff.  Quite
a disappointment coming from John 14.

     Still, the sermon requires a response.
And it's not from me, frank; like you kept
saying today that Jesus kept saying
that His words and His works were not of
Himself but of His Father, these words are
not of me, but of God.  You've convinced me
frank.  When you said (on tv) today something
about "those of us who walk closely with God
know" something or other, it just put me over
the edge.

     God has talked to me, you know.  And
like I told those three-year-olds a few weeks
ago, He just hasn't talked with a lot of
people.  Yes, He talked to me,though I did not 
tell the children, and He told
me you've gotten it all wrong; more than that,
He showed me where you're headed.

     "Depart from me, ye workers of iniquity,"
is close to the King James version of some of
what Jesus warned everybody about, saying that
people who've preached and reached and even
worked miracles in His name would be told on
that great and terrible day that He knew them
not (see Matthew 7:22-23).  Welcome to that club, 
frank.  Doesn't look very exclusive though.  
Which I realize makes it less desirable to the 
conventional, worldly thinkers among us.

      The doctrine of man, with many inventions
appended thereon, you simply must admit is the
name of your game, if you will.  (Yes, this is
what is called hardball; it's life and death;
the fate of nations might be in the balance;
and you can believe I wouldn't be pitching if
I didn't have to.)  The doctrine of ascension
which you said today should be studied is a case in
point. Forty days after He rose from the
grave (I'm not sure where the number came from)
He ascended into heaven we learn in Acts 1:9.

     Of particular importance to the spiritually
discerning will be the following two verses in Acts 1,
where even by today's doctrine two angels
informed the gathering that Jesus would
return just like He left.

     What is the particular importance of this?
I rhetorically ask.  Simply that some similar
being is the cause of Jesus not being named
Immanuel, a simple enough occurrence that might
have caused Him no end of grief.  I mean, that
was contrary to prophecy.  Period.  People refused
to consider Him as the Christ.

     God tells us through me that Jesus might
come back just like He did before, assuming
the form of man and being forced to bear the
slings and arrows of people's ordinary mind
if His birth this time around also is
accompanied by heavenly hosts singing (this
time) to a crew on an oil rig in the Gulf of
Mexico, telling them where to go worship the
godman.  "All who search for iniquity shall
be cut off" was probably a hauntingly-close-
to-His-heart scripture for Jesus, since everywhere 
He went He was assailed by the (admittedly 
understandable) proverbial close looks;
maybe 'evil eye' works better; lots of people had their 
eye on Him you know.  And what about the spectre of the
Holy Ghost which I've raised before (click here).

     Just one more small example of how man
has invented not just God but Jesus as well,
and how these doctrines of man('s ordinary
mind) are so understandably abhorrent to the
Jesus who will return to judge:  You read
today, frank, from the New International Version I
believe the Southern Baptists adopted not too
many years back.  In verse 11 of John 14 you
read something about Jesus saying believe me
that I am in the Father or else believe me for
the "evidence of the miracles themselves". My
King James version says to else believe "for
the very works' sake".

     Because of your use of the Greek language
to further pervert God's word, frank,
(see an earlier sermon after this) I have
started (with the help of friends) a more
serious study of the Greek.  I have learned
that the translators of the King James version
erred when they used the word "miracle"
thirteen times in John, because John used the
Greek for "sign" and "wonder". (Interestingly
the King James doesn't use the word "miracle"
at all in Matthew, once in Luke, and twice in
Mark.  I'm not sure how closely you've studied
my writings, frank, but you'll find references
to Jesus' works.  When the messiah comes
will he do more miracles than what this man
has done, people say in John 7:31. Because
when you get right down to it, Jesus didn't do
miracles every day, or week, or even every
month.  After He attained a certain amount of
fame He even said "no sign" will THEY get but
the sign of Jonah (see Luke 11:29);
He did not many mighty works there BECAUSE OF 
THEIR UNBELIEF (see Matthew 13:58).  It wasn't that
He was angry at the people or anything.  It simply
was that that negative attention, that unbelief,
that ordinary mind of the devil, KEPT Him from
doing miracles.  I'm especially interested in the
miracles, frank, because I myself have been the
channel through which God has performed miracles.
My sister witnessed one; ask and see if I have a 
witness there. But I stand on
Jesus' solid ground, that I don't need anyone to
testify of man, because I too know what is in man.
(See John 2:25.)

     Actually there are only two "miracles" common
to the four gospels: the feeding of the 5,000 which
I've discussed (here), and the walking on the sea; though
you certainly may count me as agreeing that His
resurrection, also common to the four accounts, must
be proclaimed miraculous.

     I would think, frank, that verses twelve and
thirteen in John 14 would give pause to the
discerning reader, but I don't believe you slowed
down a bit.  You're indoctrinated by the doctrines
of man, you're completely fooled by the
rationalizations and inventions of ordinary mind.
This is why you worship God in vain. About verse 12
you said, "The greater things are spiritual things."
(You actually said it, frank, but I'm not sure you're even
fooling yourself anymore; what's the line about not 
sinning when you don't know, but you do know and have
heard and now you sin and my favorite preacher would say 
you're gonna have a lot of blood on your hands.)  Verse
13 you just read, but I want an explanation: Why
is it that all the myriad things that are asked
in Jesus' name by people you would call godly,
why is it that all the myriad things aren't done?
Not in God's perfect will is man's answer.  "What
nonsense!" Lao Tsu said.

     Ask any thing in my name, I will do it.  That's
the promise in John 14, verse 14.  Maybe decades ago
I was led to believe that Jesus had a surname, which
was lost to mankind maybe in the dark ages.  Now I
see that these are the Dark Ages.  And things seem
to be getting darker.  More gray all around.  Verse
15: "If ye love me, keep my commandments."  You
talked a lot about the "mission", frank; and I
think it admirable that you sponsor all these missionaries
and their families in their travels and vocation.  I'm
all for rich organizations sharing the wealth.  But
Jesus sees it as abomination partially because your message
alienates people by trying to force a god who is not
there down their throats.  Oh sure, there are converts,
people desperate to put meaning into their lives. But
maybe it was Marx who called organized religion the
opiate of the masses.  "The priests (and preachers) bear
rule by their means (that's the doctrine of ordinary mind
frank), and the people love to have it so."  I've used
that line before. It's that reference to today from
Jeremiah's awesome fifth chapter, which promises and
swears, not asks, "shall not my soul be avenged on such 
a nation as this?"

     Just believe in your heart and acknowledge with
your mouth that Jesus is Lord and you will be saved.

     That's the truth, sure, but the smallest part of
it.  You've got to really believe, you've got to love
God with all your heart and mind and soul, and when
you do you don't just feel clean and fresh and pure,
you're really a new creature in Christ.  And whatever
happened to the next verse, following ye must be born
again (John 3:7), about not being able to tell where those
born of the spirit are coming from or going?  Don't you
even see that people born of the spirit are really
new creatures in Christ, angels, who aren't the
predictable conformists who comfortably adorn your
cushioned pews every week?  "How can these things
be?" Jesus was asked (verse 9), and answered "Art
thou a master of (God's "chosen people"), and knowest
not these things?"

     Yes, I acknowledge that the spirit is in you,
frank, but the Holy Spirit's tiny spark is in every
sentient being, just like the devil's dark device
of ordinary mind.  Beware of those who can kill your
soul (see Matthew 10:28)?  Look in the mirror frank.

     One more little lesson for this week:
The spirit led me (again) this past week to
I Corinthians 1, where traditional  preachers love
verse 18; look though, to the more important verse
following, where it is written "I will destroy the
wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the
understanding of the prudent."  Jesus addressed this
matter in Matthew 15:9, saying "In vain they do
worship (God), teaching for doctrines the commandments
of men."  This was the message God had for the "religious"
people of Jesus' day, and it's the message He has for
"the body of Christ" to day.  Keep reading in that
first chapter of Corinthians to verse 25 and try to learn
that "the foolishness of God is wiser than men" and in
verse 27 that "God hath chosen the foolish things of the
world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the
weak things of the world to confound the things which
are mighty."  And please don't neglect verse 28, where
we learn that "base" things (in the Greek this "base"
is the opposite of the "noble" of verse 26; vs 28 is the
only time "agenes" [for base people] appears in the Bible; it
doesn't take an intellectual giant to, like you said
to day, "get a hint" that this is an important verse)
and things despised are chosen. 

. . ... . Why? THAT NO FLESH SHOULD GLORY IN HIS
PRESENCE (I Corinthians 1:29).

. . ... . ask me about people considered base, about people who are despised. ask me about the huddled masses, the more than twenty percent of the world's population who daily struggle to put daily bread on their tables while six percent of the world's population revel and wallow in (you said, frank) over fifty percent of what people call wealth, (yeah, you know it, six percent of the population control fifty percent of the wealth; God knows what percentage of the world's wealthy amerikans control) while this church's members live a lifestyle of luxuries obscene in the eyes of Jesus. (was it a trap, or a lie, or a seeking after a sign when you said that about Jesus telling simon peter "I have prayed for you and when you're restored I want you to feed my sheep"? come on frank. how many times do I have to tell you what john 21:15-17 means? let's greek it a little: when Jesus said feed my lambs in those verse it's the only time in the Bible that "bosko" is used with "lambs" instead of "swine". I grew up saying 'slop' instead of 'feed', as in 'slop the hogs'. Slop my sheep. can anyone believe He didn't have some hidden meaning here? Jesus was talking about people, sure, but get off this spiritual nonsense. and what about "lambs" in verse 15? that's the only place in the Bible the word occurs except for revelation, where it occurs twenty-nine times. let's get our thinking caps on, people, and figure out just exactly what Jesus will find pleasing to Himself when [not if] He returns.) ask me why my digressions are so long and complicated. ask me why people said Jesus had hard sayings, why they would ask "who then can be saved?" (see Matthew 19:25, Mark 10:26, and Luke 18:26) ask me what we need to do.

. . ... . ask me about what the christian "mission" should be in a world where 35,000 children die every day of hunger related causes, where 300,000 children die every year because they don't even have clean water to drink, where uncounted millions are considered fortunate to get so much as an egg a week to supplement the subsistent starches that pass for a diet for children all over the world. ask me what Jesus is gonna think about that when He comes back. ask me what I Corinthians 15 is all about, and what I think people would like me to be doing with my time. ask me anything; I do have some answers, and I don't corrupt my good manners with evil communication if you want to talk greek (see I Corinthians 15:33).

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