Yellow Vests Movement

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Source: https://www.geopolitica.ru/sites/default/files/styles/wide_16_9/public/yellow-vests-3854259_960_720.jpg?itok=-GpWiMkU

The yellow vests movement, also referred to as the yellow jacket movement, is a protest movement that started online in May 2018 and has led to demonstrations that began in France and has spread to the southern part of Belgium. The yellow vest was chosen as a symbol because all motorists have been required by French law to have high-visibility vests in their cars and trucks as safety measures should they have to exit their vehicles on the roadside. The reflective vests are widely available and inexpensive and are being used from Europe all the way to Iraq as different groups are attempting to bring attention to their causes.

So why did all of this begin? According to various news outlets, President Emmanuel Macron of France, was attempting to raise fuel taxes to be applied for a carbon tax. He obviously is an extreme environmentalist that believes that man is causing all sorts of problems because of the carbon emissions, etc. This would increase the cost of living to astronomical levels and people just would not be able to survive on their current wages. So what does Macron decide to do? He decides now to increase the minimum wage which means that he will still be able to get more money through taxes to continue his wayward ideas concerning globalism and the increase in living costs will continue to increase as prices are always passed on to the consumers. Moreover, Macron wants to increase traffic enforcement cameras and repeal the wealth tax from 2017. Of course, Macron is part of the cronyism, the elitists, that is pushing for globalization and he is known as a neoliberal. Ultimately, these neoliberals are wanted to enact socialism to the nth degree!

Protests are appearing everywhere. The world seems as if it is upside down, sideways, or every which way. No one seems to be understanding what is going on with their governments. So many different stories of each government is coming to light and the neoliberals are being exposed over and over again. And yet, the world is going to pot (and in some cases this is true!).

How then should we look at what is happening around the world? Should we as Christians be concerned? Well, I would say that we ought to be concerned for our fellow-man. We need to be mindful of those around us and we need to show compassion to them as Jesus Christ would show them compassion. People are hurting all over the place and these are cries for their hurt that is being inflicted upon them by their governments. Protests are happening because people are having a harder and harder time living and surviving under the massive weight of globalization laws and the influx of Islamization of their countries. It is literally happening everywhere even in the United States.

Secondly, I believe that we need to help people to see that God is truly sovereign over all that is happening. Scripture is being fulfilled as we are heading into the last days. I know many people believe that those days will never come, after all, it has been over 2,000 years since Jesus Christ left and said that He would return. But rest assured, every promise that He ever made He has kept. This helps me to rest in the belief that the promises yet to be fulfilled shall be fulfilled when He sees fit to fulfill them. He works according to His appointment book, not ours.

Finally, even though it seems like everything is topsy-turvy in this world right now, it comes as no surprise to God. He knows all things without limitation and in perfection. This means that He is fully aware of the protests, He is fully aware of the elitists, He is fully aware of those seeking to harm others, and He is fully aware of the judgment to come! The Bible says that it is appointed once for man to die and then the judgment (Hebrews 9:27). This means that not only will those who cause pain for others face the judgment of God, but all will. It also means that we must turn to the Lord for salvation so we do not face the judgment that He has for those who are against Him and His people.

So, as the yellow vest movement continues around the world, rest assured that God is still in control. It could be much worse than what it is. He is fully aware of what is going on today and what is going to happen in the future. He loves you and me and He is seeking to save those who are lost. Turn to Him today and He will save you.

The Cross of Christ

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Source: http://folcc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/cross-671379_960_720.jpg

It is a symbol that we see all over the place. People wear it as if it is something beautiful, and it is when it is made out of gold, silver, or platinum. But the symbol itself is something that reminds us–or should remind us–that it is most likely cruelest way to put someone to death. It is the Cross.

Romans perfected what the Persians started. They began to place people on crosses as a form of corporal punishment. It begins with nailing the person’s hands (wrists) and feet to the cross then they pick up the cross and plop it down into a hole. There the person who is hanging on the cross begins to suffocate from the weight of himself. His lungs fill up with fluid and eventually the person dies an agonizing death. Much of the time, the person on the cross was beaten prior to being hung on the cross so they were already weakened to the point of exhaustion.

In Jesus’ case, He went to the cross willingly. He did this for the whole world because God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). Jesus went to the point of death so that we might have life. He traded His crown of glory for a crown of shame. And what was that shame? It is my sin…it is your sin…it is the sin of the whole world. He died so that we might live.

And praise God that the story doesn’t end with such a cruel picture of a cross, but rather, it begins when Jesus Christ is resurrected from the dead! Through His resurrection we have eternal life. Through His resurrection we have abundant life. Through is resurrection, we have now a passage from this life to the next knowing that we shall see Him for who He is in all of His glory and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Psalm 23:6).

If you do not know Jesus Christ, let me know and I can tell you how you can know Him as Lord and Savior. He died according to the Scriptures on a cold, cruel cross. He was buried. However, He was resurrected according to the Scriptures three days later. Believe Him. Know Him. Love Him.

Dealing With People

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Yes…I deal with people. Sometimes I don’t like dealing with people. This is why Staff is so important to have. At times I will let my Staff put up with people so I don’t have to. But there are times that the leader of the organization has to take the bull by the horns and just say and do what is necessary to get things done and finished. It doesn’t matter who the other person is either. They may be wealthy or they may be poor, they may be this color or that color, they may be demanding or they may be congenial, they may be complaining or they may be conniving. Whatever the case is, sometimes as a leader you just have to deal with people and say no to them.

There is a difference in dealing with people and working with people. The difference is that when you deal with people it carries with it a negative connotation. When you work with people it carries a positive connotation. The negative side is that the other person is causing problems, creating issues, or just being a jerk about not getting their own way. The flip side to that is that people are willing to come to your side, see the God-given vision that God has given you, and are willing to work with you to see the vision accomplished. It’s that simple!

Now when someone attempts to create or cause issues in the organization, the leader needs to simply say, “No, I will not allow it to happen that way.” This includes the leadership of churches. Sometimes the Pastor of a church has to say no, even as much as he wants to say yes to accommodate the parishioners. However, he also has to look out for the best interests of the church from the word go! The Pastor has not the benefit of changing something just to change something to meet the needs of an outsider–someone who is not even a member of the church or someone whom they simply do not know.

In my case, I have said yes to many different things over a thirty-four year ministry, but I have also learned how to say no to things that will not benefit the church or the ministry of the church but will rather harm the church. People don’t generally understand this. They expect for me as a Pastor–yay, as a Christian–to simply roll over and do whatever they want me to do. Let me make this perfectly clear: I do not roll over for anyone unless the Lord urges me to do what they want because what they want is what God wants and He reveals that to me. And there are times that people want to do certain things in the church like they do for their business that will not work in the church. Or they want me to do something in the church like what they do for the civic club or social club or horse club or whatever other kind of club of which they are a part. But if these things are not the will of God according to the Scriptures for the church, I certainly am not obligated to take the suggestion and do it.

So why am I writing this today? Well, it’s just something that is on my mind. I know what goes on in the church that I pastor. I know that there are some who would like to see things happen according to their wishes and wills. As the pastor, I cannot let that happen. I am not doing everything that I wish we could do nor am I willing things to happen in my own stead. I have the stark responsibility as the Pastor of this church to do what God has called me to do: nothing more and nothing less! This means that I will not always do what people want me to do. I have to be obedient to the Lord, not to others. I have to honor the Lord and I honor the people by honoring Him.

Now I know that this is a difficult thing for people to understand. How do I know? Because there is dissension in the churches that I have served over the last thirty-four years. I see it, I hear it, and I know who the problem-makers are and who the problem-solvers are. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who these people are. They make themselves known by the fruit that they bear and by the backbiting or the building up that they do. Others are well aware of who the problem-makers and problem-solvers are as well. It’s beyond me that people think that they fly so low under the radar that no one will notice what they do. Let me say this as clearly as I can: People see you, hear you, and know you. They know where you are in problem-making and problem-solving. Do you think people around you just fell off a turnip truck yesterday? May it never be!

At any rate, people also know when there is ignorance and stupidity involved in what we do as people. Ignorance is the state or fact of having a lack of knowledge, education, or awareness. Stupidity is to be slow of mind: obtuse; given to unintelligent decisions or acts: acting in an unintelligent or careless manner; lacking intelligence or reason: brutish. It is evident that these two words are similar, but they are different. Ignorance just means that you don’t know while stupidity means that you do know but are careless. I am not careless nor do I make stupid decisions (for the most part!!!). This means that I take into consideration everything that people suggest to me but that does not mean that just because I take their words into consideration that I believe that the suggestion or what they are saying is something wise. On the contrary, I have to weigh every decision for the church according to the Bible–God’s holy Word and will for us.

So I typed the last paragraph to let people know that I deal with people: these are the ones who I would take as being careless, those who have in their minds their own preferences instead of looking out for the preferences of others, or those who are simply making stupid decisions and suggestions. I would rather people really prayerfully think through what they say to others and how they say it to others. I can put up with ignorance and help others to be educated about things that I am able to teach or know to be true, but I cannot teach or help someone who is stupid.

I know I need to change the way I say and do things as well. I’m not immune not only to being ignorant but also stupid at times. At times people have to deal with me just like have to deal with others. But let’s consider this one thing:

If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men (Romans 12:18).

This is not stupid. It’s just too bad that too many people are ignorant of this verse…and too many are stupid about this verse and still try to do it their own way.