WEDNESDAY'S WORD - SACROSANCT - Sadell Bradley 9/9/2020

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD

SACROSANCT

Sadell Bradley

09/9/2020

 

"Once we understand that all human values are the results of fictions and myths, we don't consider them sacrosanct. We are then able to question many beliefs that are believed to be irrefutable. We then move from the darkness of ignorance to the light of wisdom. " - Awdhesh Singh - Indian Ethics Professor

WAREHOUSE T-SHIRT FUN-RAISER

Even our grands are excited about our new T-Shirts! in partnership with Home State Threads. For every T-Shirt sold, $10 will go to the Warehouse for Missions. Click here to purchase one of the many styles available. Our goal is to sell 500 T-Shirts to raise $5,000 for AV/Sound renovations in the lower level of our church, and to assist parents of CPS students. Thank you for your continued prayers and support!

The word SACROSANCT means that a principle, place, or routine is regarded as too important or valuable to be interfered with; it is immune from criticism or violation. The Latin roots are sacro 'by a sacred rite' and sanctus 'holy.' People hold all kinds of things sacrosanct from their phones, morning coffee, or exercise routines... to higher ideals in the US like the freedom of religion or speech, or the right to protest or bear arms. Here, what is held sacrosanct is individualized and often reveals our biases. People cited family, friendships, all of Shakespeare's writings, Social Security, military veterans, the free market economy, individual liberties, and off-the-record interview comments as being sacrosanct. Others refuted these arguments. We can touch the military, they rebutted. Social Security is not off-limits. Professor Awdesh Singh, in his quote above, makes the case that what we hold sacrosanct is subjective - based on or influenced by our personal feelings, tastes, and opinions. Some focus on the value of life inside the womb, others the worth of life outside of it. Each seems to value life, but cannot agree that life is sacrosanct from the womb to the tomb. Who really gets to decide what is sacred and holy?

GOD IS HOLY. We used to sing, "Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at His holy hill; for the LORD our God, His name is Holy." (Psalm 99:9) When God is named it reveals His identity, character, and reputation. After Hannah's prayer for a son was answered, she said, "No one is holy like the LORD, for there is none beside You, nor is there any rock like our God." (2 Sam 2:2) Only Jehovah is able to command his people both in the Old and New Testaments to, "Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God." (Lev. 20:7) "But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." (1 Pet. 1:15-16) Our God is both the definition and the determiner of what and who is holy and should be set apart. Despite what the world thinks, Christ followers know we don't get to decide that. The Scriptures inform us that our bodies are God's temple. (1 Cor. 3:17) We belong to Him and are to live pure, set apart, and sacred lifestyles. (1 Cor. 6:19-20) God's commands tell us what is sacrosanct.

FACT CHECK

In political debates, after a candidate speaks, researchers immediately do a fact check to tell us whether or not what's been said is true. Wouldn't it be great if Christ followers fact checked all these various opinions with the Word? Paul preached to the Jews at Berea. The Bible says, "Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." The Bereans searched the Word of God to discover and apply the perspective of God's Kingdom - the only perspective that is sacrosanct. Shouldn't we?

WEDNESDAY'S WORD- PRINCIPALITIES - Sadell Bradley - 09/02/2020

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD

PRINCIPALITIES

Sadell Bradley

09/2/2020

"Thrones, dominations, principalities know now with a terrible certainty that mere force of arms has no power which compares with that living word of the crucified Nazarene, that bears with it Eternal Life, and directs the duty of a world of men whom he can lead, but who bend no knee to power. " - Edward Everett Hale - American Clergyman

WAREHOUSE T-SHIRT FUN-RAISER

We're excited about our new T-Shirts! and our partnership with Home State Threads. For every T-Shirt sold, $10 will go to the Warehouse for Missions. Click here to purchase one of the many styles available. Our goal is to sell 500 T-Shirts to raise $5,000 for AV/Sound renovations in the lower level of our church, and to assist parents of CPS students. Thank you for your continued prayers and support! - Sherman & Sadell

A PRINCIPALITY is a state ruled by a prince. To the left is a photo of the British principality of Wales, which is ruled by Prince Charles. So a principality is territory, just as a municipality is a city or town that has corporate status and a local governing body. In Scripture, a principality can be both earthly and heavenly. Principalities are part of the celestial or angelic hierarchy that includes cherubim, seraphim, thrones or elders, dominions/dominations or lords, celestial choir virtues, powers and authorities, principalities or rulers, archangels and angels. Each of these have differing roles and responsibilities in God's Kingdom. Principalities or rulers are the angels that guide and protect nations, or groups of people, and institutions such as the Church. There are also Satanic principalities that wield power and there is a continual waging of war over territory not just in earth, but in Heaven. The most notable example of this is in Daniel 10. A messenger angel was attempting to respond to Daniel's prayer, but was withheld for 21 days because the Prince of Persia detained the angel. Michael, the Archangel intervened and the message was delivered, though more fighting would ensue. There is always more going on than what we see.

THE STRUGGLE IS REAL. In Ephesians 6:11-13, the Apostle Paul reminds us that there's a war going on. He admonishes us to put on the whole armor of God, the spiritual battle gear that we will need to take our stand against the strategies and schemes of the devil. The Greek word for devil diabolos means a slanderer or false accuser who unjustly criticizes to hurt or malign, to condemn, and to sever relationships without reason. The devil will make charges that bring down to destroy. He employs craftiness and deceit to have us think we're fighting other people. In verse 12-13 Paul instructs us, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. This is a truth that Christians cannot forget, in a time like this when so much verbal and typed sparring is going on.

JESUS IS KING - AND REIGNING

In Ephesians 1:19-23

Paul prayed that we would comprehend that Jesus Christ is LORD and is ruling and reigning above all of this fray, "I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself." He is far above. He's sitting down. He's not concerned. Be comforted, no matter what you see or hear, that God is still in charge.

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - GASLIGHTING- Sadell Bradley -8/26/2020

WEDNESDAY'S WORD GASLIGHTING Sadell Bradley 08/26/2020 "Gaslighting is the systematic attempt by one person to erode another person's reality by telling them that what they are experiencing isn't so - and, the gradual giving up on the part of the other person." - Dr. Robin Stern - 'The Gaslight Effect' WAREHOUSE T-SHIRT FUN-RAISER We're excited about our new T-Shirts! and our partnership with Home State Threads. For every T-Shirt sold, $10 will go to the Warehouse for Missions. Click here to purchase one of the many styles available. Our goal is to sell 500 T-Shirts to raise $5,000 for AV/Sound renovations in the lower level of our church, and to assist parents of CPS students. Thank you for your continued prayers and support! - Sherman & Sadell GASLIGHTING means to manipulate someone by psychological means into questioning their own sanity. A person or group covertly sows seeds of doubt in a target individual or group making them question their own memory, perception, or judgment. Using denial, misdirection, contradiction, and misinformation - gaslighting attempts to destabilize the victim and delegitimize the victim's beliefs. Instances can range from the denial by an abuser that previous abusive incidents occurred, to belittling the victims emotions and feelings, to the staging of bizarre events by the abuser with the intention of disorienteing the victim The term derives from the 1944 movie Gaslight in which a man manipulates his wife into believing she is going insane by changing small things in her environment and insisting that she is mistaken, remembering things incorrectly or delusional when she points out these changes. The title alludes to how the abusive husband slowly dims the gas lights in the home, pretending nothing has changed, in an effort to make his wife doubt her own perceptions. (Wikipedia) GASLIGHTING IS REAL. The most notorious example of gaslighting in Scripture happened in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3:1-6. God had given clear instructions to Adam which had been relayed to his wife. The crafty serpent manipulated what was said to his advantage. "Did God really say you must not eat fruit from any of the trees in the garden?" Eve responds,“Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. 3“It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’” 4“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. 5“God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” The serpent gets her to question her hearing and recall of the instruction she was given, and the LORD's motive in requiring the boundary in the first place. This manipulation and deception led to The Fall. The enemy made them think they didn't have what they already possessed. Entire groups can experience gaslighting. People tell us systemic racism, economic injustice, and police brutality are just figments of our imagination. Some have tried to convince us that the Holocaust never occurred. Politicians and news outlets make full use of The Illusory Truth Effect, a phenomenon in which a listener comes to believe something primarily because it's been repeated so often. Have you been gaslit? IS GASLIGHTING HAPPENING TO YOU? Someone gaslights you by trying to convince you that: What you saw, you didn't see What you didn't see, you saw What you said, you didn't say What you didn't say, you said What they said, they didn't say What they didn't say, they said What they did, they didn't do What they didn't do, they did What you heard, you didn't hear What you didn't hear, was there for the hearing -Ann Silvers

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - MACHIAVELLIAN - Sadell Bradley 8/19/2020

WEDNESDAY'S WORD

MACHIAVELLIAN

Sadell Bradley

08/19/2020

"Machiavelli did believe that it was better to appear to be good than to be good. If you're good, you're just too vulnerable, but if you appear to be good, you get all the benefits plus you can be sneaky and, when necessary, stab someone in the back."

- David Ignatius

WAREHOUSE T-SHIRT FUN-RAISER

We're excited about our new T-Shirts! and our partnership with Home State Threads. For every T-Shirt sold, $10 will go to the Warehouse for Missions. Click here to purchase one of the many styles available. Our goal is to sell 500 T-Shirts to raise $5,000 for AV/Sound renovations in the lower level of our church, and to assist parents of CPS students. Thank you for your continued prayers and support! - Sherman & Sadell

Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) was an Italian statesman and political philosopher who is often deemed the father of modern political science. His best-known work, 'The Prince,' advises rulers that the acquisition and effective use of power may necessitate unethical methods. Machiavelli considered political battles, not through a lens of morality, but as though they were a board game with established rules. His experience showed him that politics has always been played with deception, treachery and crime. He also notably said that a ruler who is establishing a kingdom or a republic and is criticized for his deeds, including violence, should be excused when the intention and the result are beneficial. As a result, a ruler must be concerned not only with reputation, but also must be willing to act unscrupulously at the right times. To be MACHIAVELLIAN means that one is prepared to use unethical means to gain an advantage. There's sadly a lot of machiavellian behavior going on right now...from all angles and sides...even from the Church, sadly. It's challenging to feel helpless to overcome or even effectively address it.

"ABSOLUTE POWER CORRUPTS ABSOLUTELY" - LORD ACTON Has what we've seen and heard caused us to argue? to check out? Or to run to the presence of God? Are we in our prayer closets declaring the Word? Every day a new situation defies our faith, hope, love and conviction to live as Kingdom citizens. A Vanity Fair article said rich people are exempt from the affects of COVID-19. They can buy their way out of the repercussions, and their wealth is actually growing! Some charter private planes. Others purchase COVID-19 tests for personal parties. Some are even paying up to 2.6 million for citizenship in countries where the pandemic is not as strong. The ONLY hope the disenfranchised have is the intervention of Jesus Christ! The tables are way too far out of our favor. Summer is usually challenging for cities with gun violence. The stress of the cloistering of America and the economic and political crises we face is exacerbating an already bad situation. Just as a reminder...there is NO political party in the US that espouses all of the values of Jesus. Psalm 37 reminds us: Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness...Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm. For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord,They shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more. But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

CHECKERS OR CHESS?

 

A MACHIAVELLIAN person believes they're playing chess when everyone else is playing checkers. That may be true. There's so much we don't know, so it might be easy to fool us, but God sees and knows it all and He has the final say. Instead of political power in all of its forms, I choose Romans 16:9 "...to be wise concerning what is good, and simple concerning evil."