The Treasure Hunt

WHY?

Sunday September 18, 2016 9:42 pm

Is it possible that you have some truth in your life... yet, depending on what season you are asked to give an answer to someone's why(???) it's possible that you could give a different answer each time: YET... every answer you give is still correct!

(And "no," this is not a lead-in to a joke about the pathological liar Hillary, neither the waffling Trump.)

I'll give you an example about what I am meaning in my opening paragraph... although this blog has nothing to do with a long ago decision to stop eating meat, I'll use that decision as my example. Ask me why I stopped eating meat and I might say (and have actually said) "It's healthier."

Another person asked me and I said, "I love animals."

I have been asked and have said, "I've hurt enough people and other things so I guess I decided not to hurt what I don't have to hurt."

I have said all of the above and many other answers I have given to different people through the years who have asked why I stopped eating meat. Keep in mind all of my answers were different, yet all were also true.

(This is not kin to a crazy HRC saying she had to duck gunfire exiting a plane only to have someone produce video footage of kids meeting her with gifts in a peaceful environment, that was a bald-faced lie from a demented individual.)

Now to my point for this blog. Ask me why I left the ministry and why I HAVE STAYED AWAY and you might get a hundred different answers and reasons... yet, every one will have a nugget of truth within them.

For this blog I will give a partial reason for the "stay away" part of the above statement. I don't pretend and neither do I believe I know everything... about anything! However, I do know and understand a little bit about a few things. One of the little bit about the few things I know has to do with the Bible.

Example: you could find a thousand men of goodwill who believes a thousand different things about God. Yet, we know that things that are different are not the same, right? If that is true, and it is, and if we are speaking about some absolute truth about God then in the above scenario we have only two options, right?

Option 1: all 1,000 men who each have a different thought on this ONE absolute truth about God are all wrong!

Option 2: Only 1 of the 1,000 men are correct!

We know it can only be those two options because there is only one absolute truth and each truth given by the thousand men of goodwill are each different from the other. Therefore, all are wrong, or only one is correct. But, make no mistake... at best only one is right.

Since the above statements are correct, I long ago decided to base what I know and believe about God I would understand and accept from His Word. I use only the KJV and no other versions. Because of that understanding, then in my life I have only been a member of a local church that preaches only from that Book.

Now, one of my reasons for staying away: Preachers, supposedly fundamental and conservative and too numerous to mention who "claim" to believe the KJV is the Word of God... therefore not to be added to or changed... have constantly added and changed whatever verses that teach against their heresies as it relates to modern day church practices.

Apparently they would rather keep their false practices in effect even if it means having to say nonsense like, "Well, in the original Greek..." they say things like that when the KJV teaches against their heresies and they run to a language they can not speak, nor read, or understand... and these "originals" that no longer exist! Yet, these men are fundamental Bible believers! Yeah right, and I'm Superman. (Oops, I was supposed to keep my identity secret, so please don't tell anyone who I really am.)

Case in point: I had a brief interaction with a man after he taught a message on tithing and he used Old Testament verbiage and tried to make it apply to the New Testament church.

Before I go further I want to say that I believe in New Testament church giving, and even sacrificial giving that goes beyond the Old Testament Law giving of 10%. However, to try and pretend that anyone can find 10% giving of MONEY in either Testament is at best naive, and at worst disingenuous!

I simply said to him that the tithe the Old Testament Law required was not money, rather it was food grown from the ground or animals that were raised. I then said, "Isn't that true?"

I'll give you his response and then you (the reader) will have to decide which camp he is in, the naive or the disingenuous? He is either a person (naive) who simply parrots what other men have said and he has done no real in-depth study on his own. Or, he is disingenuous and knows what the Bible teaches but for personal gain or some misguided attempt to play God had decided to keep what he knows to be true from those in attendance at the places he preaches.

He started to quote a verse found in Deuteronomy 14 and I finished the verse before he could. The reason I'm sure he ran to that one was it is the only one modern preachers run to as they try and overcome the fallacy of calling New Testament giving... (tithing) the same and just a continuation of the Old Testament practice.

In the chapter he was referencing God is calling His people to a particular spot to worship before Him. And He wants them to bring their tithes and worship before Him at that place.

Because the Old Testament tithe was animals and (or) food and the place He called them to might be far away He said they could sell their animals and food and carry the money with them to that place. But here is what is so great about those verses. With money in hand they COULD NOT pay their tithes with it: rather they had to use that money and had to purchase food and animals and with those things, they TITHED!!!

That chapter is also wonderful as it shoots down another fallacy sometimes taught by these men when they say the tithe was animals and crops because money was non-existent, and those people lived by bartering. (I'll make boots for you and you weave a scarf for me and we will trade, etc.) But notice, they sold their animals for MONEY, which was easier to transport over a long distance and then after they arrived they bought animals and other foods and drink and TITHED on those thing!

Both Testaments are replete with what the tithe was and was not! It is not and never has been 10% of income. Even with Abraham, the first one ever mentioned as giving a tithe it was spoils from the king of Sodom.

Anyway, that is just one of the many reasons for staying away... I would love to know a church that follows only what the Bible teaches and completely discards EVERY SINGLE tradition of man and church practices that are clearly against the Bible.

Here is a homework assignment for any readers to do some of their own research. If a tithe was still in effect in the New Testament... why is there no record of any money being given to the church (as it relates to a tithe) for the first 700-800 years AFTER the birth of Christ!

In Matthew 23 Jesus states the TITHE is of the Law... and according to Galatians chapter three a person trying to keep a portion of the Law must KEEP THE ENTIRE LAW, else they are cursed.

Also in that same chapter he tells these Pharisees that what they have been TITHING, anise and cummin, (not money, right) is good. Those are spices and acceptable because God blessed the ground and is getting back 10% of what He ultimately provided in the first place. It's the same reason he accepted animals as sacrifice because He gave them life in the first place.

Remember, I am all about freewill offerings being given and that can take any form, cash, food, etc. But please, Preachers... stop lying to your flocks and telling them a 10% tithe from the Old Testament was money and is still in effect: because neither one is true!

posted by Robin Johnson @ 9:43 PM

CAN'T SLEEP

Wednesday September 14, 2016 4:46 am

One day should be pretty much like the next, right? I mean, we celebrate birthdays and state, "We are another year older." In reality though (at that time) aren't we really just... another day older?

I suppose it is just something innate in all of us that causes us to want to hold up one day as being more important than another. So, we mark and number our days and make some of extreme importance while others are relegated to just another day status. (You know, SSDD... same stuff, different day.)

Probably anybody in any corner of the world could tell you why September 11 is more notable than September 12. But does anyone know why September 14 is more important than September 13... if it is? And if it is important to someone, why? After all, it's just another day.

I guess my point (if I have one) is why mark days at all? I mean, I know why I do it... I'm crazy. However, why do you (the reader of this blog) do it? Is it ingrained in our psyche at birth to number and mark days so we are continually reminded of the brevity of life? (I mean, three score and ten is not exactly a long time to live.)

If it is hard-wired into us then it would be impossible to stop counting days and making one day of great importance while another day is thought of as typical or an average day. But, if days thought of as important are really marketing ploys... then possibly we could break away from that.

Christmas celebrated on December 25th might be a good place to start. The Bible does not give us a date that Christ was born but it does give us clues. And from those clues we can glean He certainly was not born in December. Remember, shepherds were keeping watch over their flocks in the field. That is not a winter season activity by shepherds. In addition, remember Peter was warming his hands in the fire because it was cold... this during the time he was denying he even knew Christ.

So, obviously we have the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ being celebrated and remembered not only on wrong dates but in wrong seasons. So, why do we do it? I think I know why.

In order though to explain I'll have to make up a story of what probably happened. Please try and keep up: Long, long ago in a land far, far away (this is the same beginning lines I have used for decades to tell, first my children and now my grandchildren made up stories) there lived an average man in an average town during an average time in history. But he longed to not be average, his name was Chester Macy. I know, neither his first nor his last name lends itself to him being of Jewish lineage. However, it is early morning, it is my story and 'Chester' is what came to mind... and Macy as his last name is imperative to my story: so, Chester Macy it is.

One day Chester saw a beautiful flower growing and he decided to pick it and take to his mother and present it as a gift. His mother was surprised to receive this small gift for two reasons. First, she had never before been given a gift as every day was the same as before... you know SSDD. And, keep in mind this woman (not unlike her son) was an average woman in an average town living during an average time in history. However, this woman, Betsy (I know... I have an affinity in wanting to name everyone) also had a non-Jewish name, keep in mind though this is my story and I'll name my characters whatever I want! Okay, back to the story.

The second reason Besty was surprised was that as she gazed out her window she saw hundreds of wild-flowers growing and they all looked exactly like the one Chester had given her. Why then did this one seem special?

Chester wasn't a dullard and he saw the sparkle in his mother's eye and he realized he might be on to something. He told his mother *Betsy, in case you forgot already, that it was a special day... Mother's Day!

Betsy had never heard of such a thing... a day Mother's would be celebrated, just because they were a mother. Mephibosheth, Chester's dad (someone in this story needed a Jewish name... how else would anyone believe my true tale) was not very happy. I mean, setting aside a day for a woman to be celebrated? It seemed to him it was just an excuse to be lazy! Until wily young Chester gave his dad a pair of socks his mother had knitted and he told him it was Father's Day! Now, now, Mephibosheth understood... he could get on board with these special days! (As an aside, if I refer to Chester's dad again and I don't think I will... I'm going to Just call him Mr. M because typing Mephibosheth takes too long to type. That is why I have typed these 60 plus words was to explain why I won't keep typing Mephibosheth over and over again... it simply takes too long and I am all about being succinct.)

Chester soon learned to take ordinary flowers that grew everywhere and people could pick them for free... but he could bundle them, make up another day to celebrate and he could sell them! This average boy became a genius in the community as he started the first florist shop that ever existed... Chester's. In addition to flowers he started selling socks his mother knitted... he called this business, Chester's,

One day Mr. M came by Chester's knitted sock store and told his son he had meant to go and buy some of Chester's wild-flowers (he could have picked on his own for free) but he had become confused because both stores were named, Chester's. His dad suggested Chester name his sock store after his last name and call it Macy's. I know, you probably think you know what happened next, right?

Well Chester thought about what his dad said but in the end he rejected it and decided to call his sock store... Walmart. Walter was a beloved uncle of Chester's who had died and Chester wanted to honour him. Besides, Chester's-mart didn't have the same ring to it. Now, you know the rest of the story ~ The End.

So, the next time you are tempted to commemorate one day above another, keep in mind somewhere in the long ago past there is a Chester and it's just a marketing ploy!

posted by Robin Johnson @ 4:39 AM