If a doctrine can be twisted, then be sure, it will be twisted.
I have said for years that if the great Deceiver (the devil) cannot keep you from entering the Kingdom and receiving the emancipating grace and atonement of Jesus Christ, he will resort to strategic plan “b” which is to twist legitimate doctrines and confuse you so you will live far beneath your scripturally endorsed right.
Case in point…
Prosperity.
Christians, as a whole, want to be a cooperative and peaceful people. There are of course, exceptions in any group, but I am convinced that the vast majority of Jesus followers would rather be left alone in peace rather than look for a fight. The reason is because at heart, Christians are commanded to love people and that includes our enemies. So, as a people group, Christians try to find ways to demonstrate that love to a world which is inherently selfish and power-hungry. This perspective should be of no surprise to anyone in or out of the Church.
“Moreover, you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.”
Exodus 18:21
Exodus 18:21 has become a focal point in recent years with regards to choosing our civic leaders. It is the passage where Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, tells Moses how he should rule the people and not get a heart attack (my take). Jethro adds some qualifications that these men should demonstrate. I use the acrostic FACT, to remember these qualifications…
I think it’s time we processed David’s (the Old Testament King and hero) life a tad more contextually and precisely. I have, as of late, listened to several expositions of David’s life and example and it has left me frustrated and frankly, concerned. This processing started recently as my wife and I were getting ready for the day in our bathroom and the conversation started about David being “a man after God’s heart”. My wife, being the biblically astute woman that she is, began to ask me a series of questions concerning that assertion as it was being applied to the entire whole of David’s life. Her questions were rhetorical, as she had read the biblical accounts on many occasions, but she was bouncing some thoughts off of me for another perspective.
The insignia attached to this commentary is the logo for the United Methodist Church. The UMC is a notable, mainline denominational church with a long heritage tracing back to the Oxford “Holy Club” of the 18th century (1729) made famous by John and Charles Wesley along with friend, George Whitefield. They were originally called, “Methodists” as a term (more or less) of derision. These men met for prayer, Bible study, and pious discipline so regularly that their devotion was deemed “methodical”. Hence, the epithet, Methodists. Of course, through the centuries the aspersions evaporated and the title became one of notoriety. It was Wesley who wrote…
