SEA OF GALILEE
As I write this it is the day after Thanksgiving. Yesterday families and friends gathered together to eat a meal and to share fellowship. On the same day, however, on the other side of the oceans, in old Bombay, there was injury and death at the hands of terrorists whose aim was to inconvenience, disrupt and destroy the lives of others. Those terrorist espouse a cause they truly believe in and hurting and killing and dying is simply a way of life to them in the name of their religion.
The pleas of the victims, whether little innocent children or adults , are ignored and go unnoticed as they work their evil in the lives of their victims. No consideration is given to the possible good hearts, honesty, integrity or benevolent nature or loving motivations of their victims. The terrorists consider themselves religiously correct in their harsh dealings of their fellowman and whoever does not line up with them is wrong and worthy of hurt.
Isn't it saddening that they have their counterparts in the religious world at large today. These zealous religious activists have no qualms about destroying and discomfiting the lives of others and they do it all in the name of religion. It unfortunately happens every day among "civilized" and "church" going people who have attached themselves in some fashion to the name of the One and only true God, Jesus Christ the Righteous.
It is quite a paradox that in His name they work dastardly deeds in such despicable ways. Terrorists defend themselves in their maltreatment of others and find justification in their acts from the philosophical bases of their beliefs. The difference between the two types of terrorists is that one is based in a system of hate and despite and the other has no basis. They both have saviours. One is consistent with the life-style and belief system of its saviour. The other is inconsistent with the life-style and belief system of its Saviour. For the Saviour they supposedly follow is a peaceful, nonviolent, compassionate, merciful Saviour who has told His followers to put up their swords, and would not endorse the maltreatment of "...one of the least of these..."
I suppose there are many motives in writings and many reasons to write. I hope my motive is and always will be to discern and know truth. If truth is irrelevant to our lives and we behave simply on the basis of our feelings and prejudices then my writing has no purpose. If truth really does matter and really does set me free from my sins then I should know it and follow it. And I should strive for truth and true freedom in Him.
What is the truth about transparency and should the transparent suffer at the hands of religious terrorists?
To this point we have looked at tranparency from several viewpoints. We have learned that Christians should be free to be transparent with God and one another. James said "Confess your trespasses to one another..."(James 5:16) John said "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."(I John 1:9) Jesus told the story of the Pharisee and the publican. "...the tax collector...would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven...saying, God, be merciful to me a sinner..." "And Jesus said, '...this man went down to his house justified..'"(Luke 18:13-14) God's reaction to transparency of His children should be the same reaction of His children to His other children. "And be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you."(Ephesians 4:32)
Experience, sometimes very hard experience, proves that the above attitude is not always prevalent among God's children. There are some who do not emulate the reaction of Christ to the transparency of His people.
Recently, I have gone through the Greek alphabet and studied some of the possible negative reactions some have toward others. And I was amazed at the numbers of Greek words that by definition describe just how negative one can be toward another. The detailed and explicit description of possible negative thoughts and actions toward others is evidence of just how much truth wants to display how wrong negative reactions toward others are.
Jesus summed up the positive way we are supposed to interface the lives of others. His blessed life was a depiction of the very truth He taught His disciples about their relations with others. He said.."...thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself..."(Matthew 22:39) And His chosen man to the Gentiles described the nature of that love in I Corinthians 13. "Church" terrorists should read what Jesus and Paul said, digest it, and live it. No doubt the positive would negate the negative. But so often that is not the case, despite what Jesus taught. And that is to the detriment of the imperfect transparent Christian who is willing to tell the truth.
There was a time when I thought that to speak of positive Christian relationships was to weaken doctrine and ecclesiology because to do so one had to give up a certain amount of doctrine and church orthodoxy. I have changed my mind. True doctrine and ecclesiology strengthen and enhance relationships.
And where terrorism exists in a church true doctrine and ecclesiology is not present.
Therefore, it is a sad note that so many use doctrine and ecclesiology as an excuse and smoke screen to discourage relationships with transparent Christians. There is no support anywhere in the Bible for cutting off relationships with a transparent brother. As a matter of fact if Jesus' dealings with the Pharisees of His day were seriously considered one would discover that He shamed the Pharisees for exactly that kind of behavior.
God's community is meant to be an inclusive, together community. Those who negatively affect their brother cannot practice that. They are more barrier oriented than together oriented. Barriers are convenient to negativism. Some prefer it that way. So fences are built and boxes are made and people are put across the fences and inside the boxes. For some, it is easier to pick out the "good" when this is done. This is an identification process to them. Their take on things is that there are always those who are worse than we are and there are always those who are more hardened sinners than we. So we don't have to deal with them. They are not worthy. And if one is transparent these folks look at that as being an excuse or manufactured humility, or a facade to hide bad behavior. Paul had a word for folks like that. "...wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things." Romans 2:1)
The Scriptures encourage those folks to tear down the fences and let people out of their little boxes. Note the following..."...we should live together with Him..."(I Thessalonians 5:10) "...members should have the same care for one another..."(I Corinthians 12:25) "...the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other."(II Thessalonians 1:3) "...in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself."(Philippians 2:3) "...having compassion one of another love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous."(I Peter 3:8) "be merciful just as your Father also is merciful."(Luke 6:36) "...how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" "Jesus said unto him, 'I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven."(Matthew 18:21-22)
The above admonitions for togetherness are impossible in some circles. For you cannot have that when your attitude is to judge, condemn and refuse your brother's transparency and openness about his imperfections.
Some years ago I was preaching in a church in Texas. A brother came to openly confess his sins and ask for the prayers of the church. Before everyone left the building I heard another brother say "I don't care how many times he confesses, I will never forgive him." And so it goes....
Transparency is not easy, but in God's community of believers it should be honored. I am aware of an individual who served Christ for decades, was responsible for hundreds being brought to Christ, and worked with the underprivileged for over 30 years. I know him well. His transparency was used against him. Problem is he was no dummy. He knew about the forgiveness of the prodigal; the joy of the adulterous woman's freedom from her sins; the release of Peter from his waywardness to become a servant and martyr for Christ; the injustice of righteous Stephen's accusers; the washing away by Christ's blood of the sins of murder and persecution by Paul; the tearful confessions and removal of the sins of David with Bathsheba and against Uriah; and the justification of the transparent publican; and much more. He knew that the only unforgiveable sin was blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
O yes, he was ostracized, shunned, condemned, but His faith was in Christ and not in a handful of religious terrorists. O yes, they attempted to strip him of his honor. They attempted to ruin him spiritually, physically, financially, domestically but God is the Great Provider not them. He will still be working his loving and benevolent ways when they are gone to eternity. Jesus wept because He tried to save Jerusalem and they would not listen. Ironically these religious terrorists suffer sorrow when a sinner does realize his dependenc on the Saviour and makes an effort to go to Him.
Another thing that individual was perceptive enough to understand was the blatant, open, obvious inconsistency of these terrorists. Their inconsistency was so ridiculous that it borders on the hilarious. And to my knowledge their inconsistencies continue to this day. Remember I know this oppressed man and I know his accusers. He was by no means perfect. But of course neither are they. The old saying about skeletons in the closets applies to every one of them. And they know those skeletons are there. But they have cut out the light, slammed the door of the closet shut and locked it, because they are afraid the light will shine through and shine on those old bones. Odd that they would condemn the transparency of that honest man. How inconsistent can you get.
I have no desire to elucidate on the bones in their closets. I could. I won't. Some of the bones are dust by now I am sure. But they are still there. But oh, if they could speak. The brashness! The tendency to judge! The perfection! The greatness! Where would they all go?
Religious persecution comes in big and little packages. History tells us that. How many book burnings have happened. How many Servetuses have there been. People burned at the stake because of their failure to comply. One thing about history, and one thing about this writing and others like it is that they will provide a record for future generations..And history and time and eternity will bring to light the real truth. When all the bones in all the closets have gone the truth will prevail. That is the reason that this man I am talking about here does not despair because of these religious tyrants. Because one day the truth will be known.
But wait! Are we talking only about inconsistency? Perhaps there might be some politics and favoritism here. Of course the Bible says "...God is no respecter of persons..."(Acts 10:34) Favoritism will cause a brain to malfunction and in some cases premature Alzheimer's will result. Some are so forgetful of their sins and the ones closest to them. That brother who bore the wrath of those closet slammers, who was completely transparent, was completly baffled and befuddled at their reactions. One of the so-called leaders got on the internet and broadcast that that transparent brother was "fallen." Yet, absolutely categorically that individual was guilty of the same exact "sin" he assumed the transparent brother was guilty of committing. (duh) And that is a known fact. And the astounding thing is how that individual could possibly be a part of a accusing group who could accuse who could maltreat a brother in a way they were not willing to maltreat him. Another of that group told the transparent brother he was not judging him. Then he had the audacity to say "I am not judging you." And followed that up by saying "You know the Bible as well as I do." That transparent brother knew the Bible did not condemn transparency. And he also knew that the man had just made contradictory statements. And the man proved it by soon getting on the phone and heralding all over the nation his recently acquired information. And of course, the transparent brother wondered why they did not do that about others in their fellowship and in their families and hand that phone to some of those skeletons. Another one of them cried when he heard that brother's transparent story. Then he went out and spread the news that the brother was worldly. How easy it is to transfer all that worldliness to others. Be careful, that skeleton is trying to open that door!
I don't have time or space to write all the things that have happened to that brother because of the tactics of a few. It continues to this day. There is no doubt that transparency suffered here. But ultimately it will win. Because transparency frees you. And this man I have been telling you about is indeed by the Amazing Grace of God free from all that. It is really too bad that uncaring judges have such very short memories of their own imperfections and fall short of a complete understanding of God's perfect will. There is so much there for them. And it is my prayer that they will find it. And they too will be free.
One Biblical concept and principle that addresses our brave and truthful, transparent brother who came to grips with his life and his shortcomings and confessed his wrongs to the chagrin of the "perfect" is repentance. To the religious terrorist repentance is a fuzzy concept with very little meaning apparently. But to God it is the crowning thought of a forgiven man. And it, despite the attitude of the chosen few is for all. "It is not that the Lord is slow in fulfilling His promise, as some suppose, but that He is very patient with you, because it is not His will for any to be lost, but for all to come to repentance." (II Peter 3:9)
There are those who need no repentance it seems. Transparency is to them a weakness. Confession is an opportunity for condemnation. Repentance is impossible. I thank God that all fellowships are not like that. There are fellowships who admit the weaknesses of men. Sin is real. We all commit it. The answer is not dependence on men for the solution to our problems. Jesus loves us and always will. He honors our transparency. He understands our plight. Not only did He know of it, He became sin for us. While we were yet sinners He died for us. He says "Come." Not "Leave."
Wouldn't it be wonderful if all men had the same attitude as heaven with respect to the souls of men? "For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them..."(Luke 9:56) "I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance."(Luke 15:7) "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."(John 10:10)
Jesus is the same, He is no respector
After some weeks of looking for another place to live because we had outgrown our little apartment, Lajuana and I have finally found the place. Above is a picture of it. We purposely looked for something that had a nice size yard but we did not want anything very big. We did not want another apartment. We simply wanted a small, unassuming house that we could be comfortable in. We think this is it. The little apartment was nice and we thanked God for it. But now we are thanking him for more space and a quiet neighborhood. 
The picture above is one taken during our visit to Israel. I think it is probably one of the most important to me. The raised building serves two purposes: It is built over the Apostle Peter's house in the old city of Galilee, Capernaum, and it is used to look down into the various rooms of Peter's house. 
CAJUN SNOW
SNOWING
A Reminder !
Thanks for continuing with me on this most important subject of Transparency. The third point on the subject is since all things will definitely and ultimately be transparent, and since scripture encourages us to be transparent, Christians everywhere should feel free to be transparent with God, and with one another. This transparency should be evident without fear and dread of reprisal and retaliation in every Christian community. The fact that retaliation does occur should not hinder one from transparency, for it is a God-given right and God even expects transparency in the Christian community. The one passage that stands out to me is Eph. 4:32. It says "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." In light of this passage no Christian should feel hesitant to be transparent with another Christian. 
