Dear Theophilus

Here are a few things Christians should consider before taking a stance on the gun control issue, in my opinion: Does God care if you have a gun if you are responsible? Probably not. Use it responsibly. Keep it locked up. Go hunting and be respectful in your hunts toward creation. Shoot clay pigeons all day (though Jesus might have something to say about how we spend our money here). You should be fine. Does God really care about your rights, constitutional or otherwise? It just seems to me that Jesus has a much bigger agenda, which expects something of his followers. Our job is to extend the Kingdom of God by being, first and foremost, good citizens of *that* Kingdom. "Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.’ Pilate asked him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this I w...

The Mustard Seed Revolution! This section was so awesome, it completely changed the way I think about this parable and the way I expect the world to change, but first, the parable: " He told them another parable: 'The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches. '" Matthew 13:31-32 "What Jesus had in Mind was not a frontal attack on the empires of this world. His revolution is a subtle contagion - one little life, one little hospitality house at a time. Isn't it interesting that Saul of Tarsus went door-to-door (Acts 8:3) trying to tear up the contagion, like it was a weed? But the harder people tried to eradicate it, the faster it spread. When mustard is crushed, its potency is released. As we say, 'In the blood of the martyrs lies the se...

Jesus' unique calling for a unique people! The language mentioned earlier comes a couple pages before. Mentioned earlier are: Kingdom, Gospel, Messiah, Son of God, Ekklesia, Savior, Faith, Lord, Emmanuel, and Worship. All these words had duel meaning in that they were used by the existing, non-Christian States and then Jesus politically and spiritually hijacked them for the Kingdom he was going to build. The numbers are the points I want to highlight. "But it wasn't as if Jesus, in using such language, wanted Rome's power or wanted to gain a foothold in the culture war's of his time. He didn't want to climb Caesar's throne [1]. This political language doesn't harmonize with the contemporary church project of 'reclaiming America for God [2].' Precisely the opposite: Jesus was urging his followers to be the unique, peculiar, and set-apart people that began with Abraham. He didn't pray for the world in order to make the governments more relig...

We will first look at three common wealth passages of Jesus, look at the justified interpretations, then the contextual interpretation with Scriptural and early church quote support. There are three passages that the church argues over when it comes to wealth and accumulation. Many men have justified these passages but I have seen a revelatory connection. The first passage comes from Matthew 6:19-21 & 24: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also... No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." There are generally two interpretations of this passage; sell everything or do not over-value w...

This is by far the most sensitive blog so far. I have words for both sides that neither will like but this is how I see it. Those of you who call yourselves Christ-followers these words are for you. We all know scripture's stance on homosexuality. There are few verses but they are clear. It believes that it is a mal-socialization and the world has told you this was a stupid stance. But what was your response to the world? Was it love or war? Peace or punishment? Sympathy and Empathy or Judgment? Grace or hate? I think we know the answer to this. "Well," you might say, "We can't let them steal our institution." There is more wrong with this statement than I care to argue and this is complex but I will bring Christ words in to it like we always should. "Woe to you, blind guides! You say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' You blind fools! Which is greater: th...

What I have been talking about is called Kingdom Eschatology! This is the belief that basically we don't have to experience the world coming to a harsh and crashing end, that the world doesn't have to go to hell in a hand basket. That we as Christ followers do not have to fear anything, in part because we have power over dreadful things and in part because nothing worth fearing is going to rise up and destroy us (i.e. antichrist). Don't quote me as saying that no bad things will effect us. Christ is very clear, "Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also" (John 15: 20). So why is this a big deal? Many of my brothers and sister in the Lord have been apart of an ideal that is not accurate and is only less than 200 years old (Dispensationalism). It wouldn't be such a big deal to let inaccuracy remain except it causes irrational and unfounded behavior. I see in the Church ...