What Does God Expect in These Times?
I
believe that God has given me the charge to prepare, as much as is possible,
the part of God’s people that has been given to me, Open Doors to Christ, to be
strong witnesses for Christ in these last days.
I strongly believe that we are at the edge of the last days.
Before
we get into the money, let me give you some editorial facts.
We
are currently up to our ears in programs that will probably get us in debt over
our heads much more than we are now. When
the politicians speak of “Reformation” they are really speaking of “America’s
business transformation.”
We
have so many elected officials, staff members and multiple levels of
bureaucracy that feed off of the people, feed off of us. We are the producers. They do not produce anything. But they seem to feel that we are there to
support them, instead of the other way around, which is the way the founders
wanted things to be.
Every
politician has an agenda. If you see a
politician that wants to raise taxes, they do it for job security. If they give voters something for nothing,
which takes more taxes, they believe their jobs are secure. If you see a politician that wants to cut
taxes, know that they believe cutting taxes will cause more prosperity and
bring in more money. They believe they
will be re-elected so they will have job security.
Now,
let me admit to you, I have been a politician.
I spent two terms as a Judge in a small county of the Panhandle of Texas. When you run for office, and have to be
re-elected every four years, you are a politician.
I
was, also, the member of the Texas Association of Counties from the Texas JP’s
and Constable’s Association. It was my
job to talk to state legislative representatives about legislation that would affect
the offices I represented. I learned a
lot. I learned that some reps would say
something like, “I need a new pair of boots (or new suit). It would cost about $600. I certainly hope I can introduce your
legislation.” The message
was clear to us. I was, also, told that some
reps would introduce a bill then ask their friend to kill the bill for them. They could then say, “I tried, but Rep
so-and-so killed the bill.”
If
you believe that reps from different parties are enemies, you do not know
anything about professional wrestling. When
I was a police officer, we had professional wrestling at the Bull Barn every
Saturday night. We were assigned to
protect the wrestlers from the crowds. We
sat with them in the dressing rooms before and after the matches. We walked them to and from the ring, and
waited until all of them left the area. I
saw bitter enemies fight, curse and threaten each other, then drive back to
Amarillo in the same vehicle. I saw them
laugh, joke and make plans for family get-together’s in the dressing rooms,
then hate each other in the ring.
I
learned, later, that politicians are the same actors as wrestlers. If you think there is really any difference
in parties or offices, you are badly mistaken.
Now you can find a very few statesmen that really to want to do the
right thing, and represent the people of their district and America. However, they are really very few and far
between.
I
had a good friend, Bill, who went to Congress.
Within one term, he had become a politician and would no longer talk to
us. He, later, got involved in an scandal
and was a one-term (two year) flash in the pan.
I
had another good friend, another Bill, who was a Sheriff’s Deputy. We elected him to the County Commission. It took him six weeks to become a politician.
The
point is, if you think the politicians are your friends. . . if you think the
government really cares about you. . . Body of Christ, you are mistaken.
The only
time they care about you is when they need your vote. Any other time, they only care about getting
re-elected. I have been a politician and
have known and worked with many politicians. I am talking from experience, not hearsay.
I
ran into politics, even in the church. I
know of a pastor that was judged unworthy because he believed the Bible and his
supervisor believed that all religions would go to Heaven. I know another pastor that was graded down in
his seminary because he did not agree with the Jesus Seminar movement that
believes Jesus was just a man and did not do any miracles. He had to change denominations to continue
preaching.
Body
of Christ, these people are not your friends.
God is your friend, not politicians.
Jesus is your friend, not liberal or conservative leadership. The Body of Christ has to begin looking to
the Lord for their help and sustenance. If
you are counting on the world giving you job security, you might as well stand
with someone whose name was J-O-B, Job. He
learned the hard way that you can be on top today, and lose it all tomorrow. The world told him it was his fault. However, Job waited on God. Job had no friend but God. Even his wife told him he should, ”curse God
and die.” But God, after His timing,
gave Job back everything he had lost, and more.
God is our friend.
God will
protect His children in the troubles to come.
Bishop O. K. Neal
Part two.
Welcome
back.
In
the last study we talked about politicians and the fact they are not our
friends. Let me tell you why. As Christians, we have a lot of issues, such as the United Nations, abortion,
homosexuality, a super-inflated welfare system.
We, also, have to deal with big government getting bigger and hungrier
all of the time, political correctness watching what you say and do all of the
time, academics teaching a revised history, who despise and curse Israel and
who do not believe in the Bible.
We
can find these academics in most of the institutions of higher learning,
including seminaries and Bible schools. This
causes many apostate preachers that teach false doctrine. Many of these live in huge mansions and make
big bucks. When true preachers preach
the truth, they are judged harshly because of the apostate preachers. We have to deal with their false doctrine all
of the time.
Then
there are sincere Christians that truly believe the Ten Commandments should be
in every courthouse and every schoolroom in the nation. But, they cannot find them in the Bible. Nor can they name all ten of the Ten
Commandments. They have taken on a cause
that is popular, pop culture and conspiracy
theories.
I
know a Christian that believes, and teaches, that the Illuminati, the
Biltbergers, the Council on Foreign Relations and the Zionists are all trying
to take over the world with the help of the American government and wealth of America.
He says any Christian that does not agree with him has bought into the “lies
of the organized denominations” and should be shunned. What he does not say is how the American leadership
is going to help each of the conspirators take over the world at the expense of
the other conspiracies.
A
friend attended a meeting in a legislature regarding sex education. He told me the Christian leaders that stood
to protest the laws were ill equipped and poorly prepared. They could not answer the questions posed to
them by the legislators, nor could they adequately define why they were against
the proposed laws. My friend told me they
should have been embarrassed, but were not.
My
point is we are judged by what the apostates say, as well as those that make
statements which they cannot back up (such as the Ten Commandments) and those
that publish conspiracy theories or prophecy that has no basis in fact.
Body
of Christ, we have got to be careful and insure what we say is Biblically
based, and not from some speech or book written by some of these people that
are not our friends. We have got to be
seen as honest, honorable people and not “kooks.”
We
in America have money. We read about it
in the paper. We know that China, Japan
and others own much of America and most of America’s debt. We know that nations of the world are talking
to each other about refusing to take dollars.
We know that our dollar is going down in value. And, we know that it is going to get worse
instead of better.
Savings
accounts and, even CD’s, are paying less than one percent interest. That will not even keep up with inflation. And the tax base is getting smaller, which
makes the taxes go higher. Most of you
have no idea what percentage of your income goes to taxes. Yes, it is easy to figure how much of your
federal income tax, SS and Medicare payments go to taxes. Many will tell you that the average person
works until May to reach “tax-free” day.
Before “tax-free” day in May,
every penny you make goes to the federal government. However, that does not count state, county,
city, sales, gasoline, “sin” tax, etc., etc., etc. Last year, every penny the average person
made before August 27 went to pay some kind of tax. Folks, that is well over fifty percent . . .
some over sixty percent.
We
have considered that neither party nor any politician cares about anything but
their own “kingdoms” within their own offices.
We say that every party and politician looks at an item and “spins” the
facts to make them look good for their party or self. Body of Christ, God calls this deceitful and
evil. He says He sees no difference in
the parties or politicians. They are all
deceitful and evil.
Body
of Christ, we need to take our place that was given us by Christ. (Matt 25:31-46) The CHURCH is to care for the poor, not the
government. The Church is supposed to
care for the widows and orphans, not the legislators. Righteousness must be found in the followers
of the Righteous Christ. There is no
righteousness in the world.
If
we will do this, then we can, “Look up and lift up your heads, because your
redemption draws near.” Luke 21:28
May
the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob cover you with His mighty wings and protect
you from the trouble to come.
Bishop O.
K. Neal
