The Decline of Bob Evans and Regarding Chain Restaurants

We typically avoid chain restaurants because we would rather give our business to local business owners. We particularly hate corporations in that not only do they pay their workers a lousy wage, while the big executives at the top rake in all the money; but they also have a habit of trying to squash the competition, and to do whatever it takes to make money.

Whenever the goal of a business is primarily to make money, rather than to glorify God and serve people, there is no incentive for that business to operate on Biblical principles or to do the right thing. Making money should be the by-product of living in obedience to God.

"The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it." -- Proverbs 10:22

Anyhow, in receiving a better paying job in the current company I work for, and in my desire to build stronger relationships with both my wife and children, I am taking up the weekly date. One week me and my wife, the next week either myself or my wife with one of the children.

Last week I took my wife to Bob Evans, because, we couldn't figure out a good local place on the fly, and we hadn't been there for several years, and wanted to see if they were anything like they used to be. Unfortunately they were not. I did tell my 12 year old daughter I would take her there once to experience their Wildfire Chicken Salad once. We used to buy the Wildfire sauce and make the salad ourselves on a regular basis (before we started trying to make our own version of the sauce, which we could never get to taste the same-- but we dealt with it).

Here are the comments I wrote to Bob Evans after the two visits we recently had:


These comments are not regarding the restaurant itself, but concerning your franchise as a whole. We visited Bob Evans in Cuyahoga Falls recently, but also just today, the one in Stow, OH. What I thought was an individual restaurant problem is actually just an overall franchise problem.

The quality of your food and service, and the type of employees you hire, has gone way down hill. The last time we visited Bob Evans things were not this way (a few years ago).

Furthermore, we discovered you no longer sell your wildfire sauce. One worker whom I asked about it said at first that they problem just ran out of it, because "they go through it like crazy" with people buying it so much. Then she asked her manager about it, and he said you discontinued it because "we don't sell enough of it", LOL. It sounds more like that you didn't want people actually making the salad and other signature dishes at home with the sauce, instead of coming to the restaurant to buy it.

Bob Evans franchise is committing a slow suicide. It used to be more like Cracker Barrel, but now it is more like Denny's. It's like a sit down fast food restaurant.

I guess I shouldn't expect much more from a corporation. But in a way it is still disappointing. This just reinforces in my mind that we need to try to stick to the small, local restaurants. That and, do other kinds of activities for dates, which we plan to do.

Do you have a regularly scheduled date with your wife and children? Focus on the Family has something I ran into recently called Date Night Challenge. Though their ministry is extremely compromised, they do have some great ideas from time to time, and this one is no exception. And they are dead right in their belief of how important it is.


Swiss Kinist

Being a Godly Christian Friend Only in Tragedies

Random Thought of Conviction 

Off the cuff posts are beginning to be the only posts that I write. I love when the LORD illuminates an idea to my mind, or my wife's mind, and it can be quickly put down into a blog post. This post was not written immediately after the fact; it came to us last night. But I believe it is fresh enough on my mind to elaborate on right now.

Think of this scenario. It happens all the time. There is an individual or a family (for the sake of the article, we will give the generic name to this individual or family, "Unloved Christian"), and they have a few acquaintances (I am using that word for a very specific purpose). They do not have a friend, though they refer to their acquaintances as "friends" because that is the common lingo.

Unloved Christian does not have much interaction with his 'friends". His friends are not much interested in getting to know him intimately. They just don't have time to get together often. There is not daily encouragement; we Americans have too busy of lives to follow Hebrews 3:13.

Friends Are There For You in Time of Need

One day, a tragedy strikes. Unloved Christian finds he has a disease. Or maybe his house caught on fire and he lost everything. Or maybe an immediate family member dies. Whatever the scenario, it is a terrible one. All of a sudden, those "friends" who were too busy to get involved in Unloved Christian's life, they all come rushing in like a flood to help. They send gifts, they send cards, they send food, they call and offer encouragement. They are there for you like a real friend, any time of the day or night.

What is wrong with this picture, you ask? Nothing. Not a thing. Actually, this is exactly the way a Christian community should respond. So why am I critical of it? Because the friendship extended to Unloved Christian is only and solely when tragedy strikes. When the crisis has passed, these "friends" slowly disappear back into the woodwork to live their own lives. When Unloved Christian needed a daily encourager, there was no one there. When he needed a true friend to lift his spirits, and worship and fellowship with him on a consistent basis, everyone was too busy.

The situation I describe here is why I refer to such relationships as being "acquaintances". It is not much different than a business relationship. The guys you see at work but not away from work are not friends. You just see them Monday through Friday while you work. The same goes with the folks you go to church with. Only you see them on Sunday and Wednesday at the most. Or maybe once every 2 months you go have supper at their house or vice versa. That is not friendship. That is not community.


Doug Tanner: Friends

The Root Problem

I have come to a conclusion in my mind that this is done on purpose. I do not think it is maliciously planned when I say that. But on the subconscious level, people just do not consider daily fellowship a priority. The book of Acts describes the early church in this manner:

"And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." -- Acts 2:46,47

If we really took the scriptures serious, and wanted to obey Hebrews 13:3, we would find a way to stay connected... connected on a consistent basis. And we would build true friendships, the way they used to be in the old days. I know that we all don't live close to one another and have the physical communities we used to have (and I realize that is what we truly need). But we have so much technology where we can at least overcome this to a certain degree.

Those of us who attended either public or private school can attest to the fact that we all had a childhood best friend. Do you remember how close you were to your best friend when you were in your school days? Why is that so difficult to come by today? It shouldn't be. The only difference is, families should have that kind of closeness with other families.

A true friendship will be demonstrated in a way that either side can say anything to one another bluntly, and the other party will not get offended and break off contact with you. This is what our family longs for; but it seems not many are willing to go this route and sacrifice for the sake of others, and ultimately for the sake of Christ. The Church of Jesus Christ is in a very sad state, indeed. Let us do what we can to reverse this trend, and thereby glorify Christ on a daily basis. Your Christian brothers and sisters need you a lot more than you realize, on a daily basis. And they need  you in "regular" times more than they need you in times of tragedy.

Swiss Kinist

Issue Oriented Christianity

There are multiple root plagues that have destroyed and continue to destroy the work of the Holy Spirit in America. I have spoken about a few on this blog already. Today I am going to address a doctrine of devils that appears to know no bounds; whether "conservative" or "liberal", professing Christians and genuine Christians alike have fallen into this destructive trap.

The plague can be summed up and communicated best by giving sample phrases you will hear Christians of all persuasions speak. It goes something like this:

"I don't get wrapped up in all these issues. I just love Jesus."

or

"I don't want to be known for all the things I do or don't do-- I just want to be known as someone who loves Jesus."

or

"I don't want to follow a bunch of rules. I want to know God"


While such statements sound holy and pious, and commendable, what is behind these sayings is different altogether. How these practically play out does not produce the fruit of the Spirit, but rather the works of the flesh. So you hear these type of statements from two camps:

1) Christians who are already living to please the flesh and are not denying self-- whether they are genuinely converted or not.

2) Sincere and devoted Christians who are honestly deceived by the Christian doctrinal culture in America.

I personally know people in both categories. The sad thing is, in my observation, that even among good, home schooling Christian families that hold solid views of patriarchy, modesty, and separation from the world... these families are losing their children due to this Satanic scheme.

I first heard the term "Issue Oriented Christianity" from a false prophet from India named Zac Poonen (he is a preacher of lawlessness). He was influential to the small local fellowship my family attended in the early 2000s and came to visit America to preach in conferences. He still is welcomed in certain Anabaptist circles, however, some churches have recognized his message of "don't judge" is destructive to the holiness of the church and have recanted on allowing him to speak at their churches.

So if we make a big deal about certain areas of holiness, in order to obey the word of God, we are "issue oriented" and Pharisees, Judgmental, and "Accusers of the Brethren" (according to Poonen). Because after all, the only thing that matters is love, right?

We used to attend a home church a few years ago, and most of the families held this corrupt philosophy. Everything was going okay until their children started getting married and starting families. Then their worldview began to bear corrupt fruit.

One home schooled son in particular, of a family in the church, (the father of this family was the leader of the house church, though he emphatically rejected the doctrine of authority and leadership); this eldest son of his father has now entirely rejected God's patriarchal structure for the family and society. And his young family has also adopted the world's philosophy regarding birth control and family size.

This is not uncommon either; this son and also a brother of his, raised in the same home and philosophy, emphatically state that "home schooling is not for everyone" and that it might be okay to send your children to Marxist Indoctrination Centers (otherwise known as Public Schools).

Why do these children, although their parents held to firm convictions on these very issues... why do their children adopt the exact opposite worldview as their parents? Why? It is because of this doctrine of devils that "issues don't matter" and "don't judge anyone". I have seen it far too many times to deny the obvious connection between this worldview and the fruit that comes from it. We can only imagine what this younger generation's children will turn out like. But it is not difficult to predict.


 How does Jesus define, Biblically, the evidence that we know God, and love him?


John 14:

²¹He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
²² Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
²³ Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
²⁴ He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.

 Is "not being known for issues" Biblical? Certainly not. In fact, Covenant Israel was to be known for her obedience to "issues". I know this is a long passage, but read it very carefully and you will see. May the LORD open your eyes:

And what else does the scripture teach on this subject?

Deuteronomy 4

⁴But ye that did cleave unto the Lord your God are alive every one of you this day.
⁵ Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it.
⁶ Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.
⁷ For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for?
⁸ And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?
⁹ Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons;

 I want to point out, your honor, that this is the exact opposite of what "Bible Believing" Christians of today are teaching. This passage clearly states that God's people would be known for their obedience to God's commandments; implied is that they would, on an outward basis, look, talk, and behave differently than the heathen around them; in every way, shape and form. Christians of today want to deny this and say that Christians should be known only for their "love" as they promote a definition of love that is defined by the world and not by God in scripture. But the only kind of true love is the love that keeps God's commandments. Astonishingly even those who claim to have a high view of the law and follow Rushdoony, falter in this area.

Yes, my friends, outward obedience is important. Depart from the counsel of the wicked (Psalm 1) and embrace the type of faith in Christ that your fathers possessed. A faith that was not afraid to address specific issues of their day in a very specific manner. To do contrary is not only to go against church history, but against the Holy Scriptures, and God himself.

Swiss Kinist

Christ Must Have Preeminence in ALL THINGS/Christ Must be the Root Cause of All Advocacy

^"And [Christ] is before all things, and by him all things consist.

And [Christ] is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence."  -- Colossian 1:17,18

I performed an interesting search on biblegateway.com, with the term, "all things Christ". At the time I did not realize that Colossians 1:17,18 did not contain the actual word, "Christ", but I did find many great and rich passages of scripture. These scriptures and the practical application that follows from them continues to baffle and confuse professing Christians of our day. And it is confusing to them because of that key word; professing.

"They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate." -- Titus 1:16

In general, there should be no clash between white advocacy and Christ. No more clash than there should be between home school advocacy and Christ. Or home birth advocacy and Christ. This is because, to the true Christian, those things can and should be done for the glory of Jesus Christ. Why do I home school and advocate for it? So that Christ may be glorified further. It does not glorify Christ to have our people send their children to be taught Marxism and anti-Christ doctrines. Why should we advocate to preserve our race, culture, and heritage? Because Christ created the races so they might seek him:

"And [God] hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;

That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:" -- Acts 17:26,27

And doubly so because Christ was glorified in Western culture and society. Our unique, God-breathed culture brought glory to Christ. It is worth preserving only because of Christ, however.

For the typical white advocate, he has no such motive. His motive to preserve his people and culture are for the glory and/or pleasure of man. He does not start with Christ, he starts with man. And thus, a humanist in heart, he separates white advocacy from Christ. That is why he is able to work together in unison with Christ-haters for, what is his true god- his race.

The first commandment is what Colossians 1:17,18 is all about. Christ is to be the sole motivation for every thought, deed, action, etc. If he is not, then we are in sin. Every thought is to be held captive to Christ (2Corinthians 10:5). And if every thought, how much more every action, especially the high impact decisions we make!

This is pre-school Christianity, but the natural man cannot understand the things of the spirit of God (1Corinthians 2:14). Being a child of the devil, he must separate his "religion" from his "activism". Because his activism has its root in humanism, not in Christ.

The only cause a Christian has is the cause of glorifying Christ. All other causes are sub-causes based on the preeminent cause of Christ's exaltation. Whether it be white advocacy, home schooling, or home birth, if any of these causes clash with the cause of Christ being exalted, then Christ must win out. Our affections and love must be on Christ above all things, or else we are guilty of idolatry.

This is probably the key reason in summary, why Christianity and the White Advocacy Movement do not mix. True Christianity has it's chief end to glorify God. The white advocate, whether he claims to be Christian or not, makes his race preeminent in all things. That is why he is so appalled at the Christian White Advocate (who is actually a genuine Christian) for putting anything above his people. His god does not want the competition. You would dare put a non-white Christian brother ahead of one of your own people? Why!!! That is treason! This type of reaction is a revelation of who the true god of the "Christian" white advocate is.  

As I have been teaching through Rushdoony's Institutes of Biblical Law, I recall a particular form of reasoning/interpretation regarding the 1st commandment. Rushdoony made the point that treason was essentially rebelling against the god and/or law order of a society. The death penalty is the punishment for acts of treason; a complete cutting off from society. Thus the link between the god of a society and treason.

I have been banished, called an "enemy" and "anti-white", essentially being notified that I committed an act of treason. The cause for this condemnation is because I committed treason against the god of the white nationalist; his god is the white race. If you put Christ above the white race in the white nationalist community, you are ousted for your treason. The unity and fellowship is not simply based on race, through Christ, but rather, based on race alone, Christ being made optional.

Hear the talk in the white nationalist community and you will hear people talking about how they can't let something non-essential like religion, get in the way of their unity as whites. Can someone explain to me how any Christian can take part in such blasphemy? Can anyone still deny that the white version of humanism is not the true god of such a system of beliefs?

It makes sense that Orthodox Christians, who are already idolaters of images (done in the name of Christ, falsely) would carry over further idolatry to their race. The true shame however, is that folks who claim Christ alone, and Bible alone, would fall into this kind of trap. If we spend more time, and have sweeter fellowship with Christ-haters (and have more in common with them) than we do with fellow Christians, then this is a key indicator that such a person does not know Christ. Why would someone who does not know Christ want to enjoy the fellowship of others who love Christ intimately?

Let's revisit 2Corinthians 6:14-18

"Wherefore, come out from among them and be ye separate.... and...."


And what, you might ask?

"And I will receive you.

 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."

What does this imply? It implies that those who are unequally yoked with unbelievers will not be received by God, nor will they be his sons and daughters. Plain and simple. May Christ open the eyes of his true elect, and have mercy upon those who are caught in the trap of lies promoted by false brethren.
 
Swiss Kinist

Christ is Simply a Means to and End In the General Christian Pro-White Movement

So, I recently got caught up in a comments section type of "debate" if you want to call it that. I have, since I abandoned Facebook several years ago, sought to avoid online debates. They usually are never profitable, and I have better things to do with my time; like raising a family for the glory of God. Which, by the way, almost all pro-white advocates are absolutely NOT doing, or at best, are doing a very poor job at.

There are exceptions, of course, but not many that I have come across. Although a did recently meet a family in Tennessee that is pro-white, but they are advocates of Christian Identity doctrine, which I absolutely disagree with. But nevertheless, they are a very godly family. They were a breath of fresh air. They were actually concerned about matters of personal and community holiness and were appalled at the entire "Yeah! I'm drinking beer!!!"-- you know, those type of Christians who have more in common with the world than they do with other Christians.

Here are some links that go along with what I am writing here:

http://truesonsofabraham.com/strikes-back.htm

https://praiseoffolly.wordpress.com/contra-traditional-youth-network-christianity-unhyphenated/

https://shotgunwildatheart.wordpress.com/2015/11/19/poor-shotgun-is-attacked-by-a-cultist/

http://www.tradyouth.org/2015/11/hyphenated-christianity/

Let it be known, first of all, that I do not take anyone's side in this whole thing. I take the side of Christ, and of his word. Typically when I get involved in a debate, I take a clear side, but in this case, I see no way to do that. My guess is that it will be interpreted by some that I am "anti-white" which is what I think one side is falsely accusing the other of. On the other hand, I will get accused of being a "Judaizer" or whatever the opposite of anti-white is in this debate. I don't really care about anything but the truth of Christ.

Guys like Scott Terry and Matt Parrott are extremely valuable and have many great qualities; that I want to say off the bat. But I won't join in with them in condemning Todd Lewis. Neither will I utterly condemn Parrott or Terry (Scott Terry should know that I love him deeply; we know one another beyond the walls of the Internet and he knows I would lay down my life for him), though I think from the little I have heard of Todd Lewis, he is valuable as well.


To sum things up very shortly, because I don't care to get too detailed on this post, the debate is among Christians who are pro-white advocates in some sense. The issue is, should a pro-white Christian join in fellowship with white anti-Christs, to promote "the cause" of the pro-white movement? Myself, and some other contend that 2Corinthians 6:14-18 makes it utterly clear:

"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."

Of course, those who want to join with unbelievers in fellowship contend that they are doing nothing different than what would be, if a meteor were to be close to striking the earth, and everyone joining forces to stop it. Or they make arguments like, "you drive on roads built by unbelievers, so there!" These are extreme and very weak arguments. If that is the type of standard we have, then we might as well not have any standard at all. 

Here I am simply going to share a summary of my thoughts, as I expressed in the comments section of one of the blogs listed above. This will be a combination of two of the comments I made.



The sad fact is, it is the anti-Christ whites who are beginning to exclude the Christians, and not vice versa, as should be (2Corinthians 6:14-18).

I have been around the Kinist movement long enough, and have gotten to know several of them on a personal level well enough, to know that, at least for many of them (I won't put a number or percentage on it), they value fellowship with anti-Christ, pro-white people more than they do Christian anti-Kinists. This is evident in the fact that, with a few that I know, they would rather attend a conference of pro-white pagans than they would a Christ-exalting conference that isn't pro-white.

In addition, they are MUCH more critical of anti-white Christians than they are of anti-Christ alternate righters. It's just way too obvious. This ought to tell you off the bat that they put their “folk” above their “faith”, regardless of what order they use in their slogan.

Pro-white advocacy should be a very real concern in the Church, and put on a top priority. But it should be done apart from haters of Christ. Only when we trust the arm of the flesh do we think we NEED anti-Christs to help our cause.

But I realize all this gets confusing and messy because of Orthodox Christianity's view on what the church should be, and how much Christian authorities should be obeyed. I suppose, those who are pro-white and either Reformed or Orthodox, are simply being consistent with their doctrine. In their view, the church is merely a Sunday social club, instead of a living organism, designed to storm the gates of hell and impact every area of society and every detail of life.

And I am sick and tired of pro-white people using Christ as a means to and end.


May Jesus Christ be glorified and save our people. Amen.

Swiss Kinist

The Consequences of Not Taking Dominion (City Slickers)

 I am ashamed to be a city dweller, although our small little city lot is as much of an agrarian homestead as we can make it. The entire back yard is taken by garden, chickens, rabbits (for meat), strawberries, raspberries, rhubarb, a fire pit, two compost bins, and so on. That's a lot to cram into such a small space. We are thankful our back yard is fenced in.


I know I probably heard this from someone else before, and surely I am not the first person to say this, but it dawned upon me again today while I was watching my 12 year old daughter, today. She went out to give the chickens some leftover scraps we weren't going to eat. As she was doing this task, she took her time and fed the chickens little pieces at a time. I know her well enough, and know myself well enough (and white folks in general) to know what she was doing and thinking.

My daughter was taking a non-sinful pleasure of exercising dominion. She was undoubtedly thinking something along the lines of: "These chickens are under me, and the power of life and death is in my hands, over them". That probably sounds worse than it actually is; maybe I am not wording that correctly. But there is nothing wrong with the feeling of dominion that men have over God's creation.

"And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
 
And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.

Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things."  -- Genesis 9:1-3

After musing on these things a little bit, I realize, like many before me I am sure, that the non-agrarian, city slicker lifestyle (which is anti-Christ-- yes, I did say that) suppresses this God-ordained dominion aspect that all men need. So what happens when children grow up with no outlet for taking dominion over the beasts, fowl, and other creatures? They turn to their only alternative; to take dominion over other men. 

This taking dominion over other men comes in all shades, sorts, and ways. It could be something as simple as wasting their lives on sports, to something more sinister, like killing animals for fun. When they grow up, they find more creative or crafty ways to express dominion over their fellow man. It could be something like joining the military (where they are made out to be heroes for doing villainous acts), or climbing the corporate ladder. There are a million examples of how this can play out, so let your creative mind take over and think of all the evils you see around you, and ask yourself if and how it relates to this subject. It will astound you.

The Christian Agrarian community, based on common religion, culture, and race, is God's way. In general, God's people, as expressed in nations and communities, have always been so. They include among examples, Christian Israel (when they were in obedience to God's law). City dwelling societies are represented by places like Babylon and Rome. 

One of the best visions you can pass down to your children is the Christian Agrarian community. Whatever your situation, do what you can to give your children as many skills as possible, so that when they are grown, they can hit the ground running as much as it is possible.

Hans Gygax

Does God Work Outside The Box Of Scripture?

¹⁵ So he came to the king. And the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall we forbear? And he answered him, Go, and prosper: for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king.
¹⁶ And the king said unto him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the Lord?
¹⁷ And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the Lord said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace.
¹⁸ And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but evil?
¹⁹ And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.
²⁰ And the Lord said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner.
²¹ And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said, I will persuade him.
²² And the Lord said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.
²³ Now therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil concerning thee.  - 1 Kings 22:15-23

The story here in 1Kings 22 is one of my favorite in the Bible, if not my most favorite. Why? Because it shows that God is not the type of God that Americans make him out to be. He goes against the grain, even against what American Christianity thinks of him as. Stories like this, and that of Jehu, who deceived Israel, pretending to be a huge follower of Baal, only to have it later revealed that it was a set up the whole time; he really was just out to slaughter all of those who turned against the LORD to follow a false god.


The point being, Jehu used deception to glorify God and he is commended for it in scripture. American Christianity would shudder at and/or scorn this type of behavior if they were to see if from a Christian today. "That is certainly not like Christ!" they would shout. But is not Christ the same God who consulted and agreed/approved his own ministering spirits to become lying spirits in the mouth of his prophets, so that he could slay someone whom he hated? And is he not the same God who said unto Jehu,

"And the Lord said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart, thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel." -- 2Kings 10:30


So we can see that God doesn't work within the so-called box of scripture in these instances. We assume since God is holy, just, righteous, and cannot lie, that such deceptive acts could never be condoned by him. But the scripture's teaching is so completely obvious in the two mentioned passages. Dispensationlists might attempt to squirm out of these passages by their patented line, "But this is the NEW Testament." But us Reformed know better than that. Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

Is God Actually Sovereign?

We have known and believed in the sovereignty of God over all events and peoples, for several years. But the more we get to know Christ, the more we see it true in the practical areas of life; and we are establishing our faith in his total control in our hearts, rather than just as an intellectual head knowledge. It is amazing the peace you can obtain by believing that no single detail of life is outside of God's choosing and control.

But in that sovereignty, over the years, we have seen some wild stuff. Do you believe God can take a sinful situation and turn it into something for his glory? We experienced that in my conversion to Christ, where I ran away from home in rebellion, moved in with a woman, who was herself straying from Christ; but who presented the gospel to me in her sin; in which I was saved and turned into a disciple of Christ. This caused her to turn her life back to Christ, and here we are, married for 14 years, with 8 children being raised for the glory of God. So God used a Christian who was rebelling against him, to convert a sinner to himself. Talk about outside the box!

Do you believe that it can be God's will for a Christian to be openly sinning against him, and still use that Christian for his holy purpose? I do. You don't have to condone the sin itself in order to acknowledge that sometimes God desires and chooses to do things that way. I wouldn't call the two Bible stories I mentioned, an example of this exact thing; because Jehu and the lying spirits were not sinning (although American Christians of today would accuse a Christian who did that very thing today, of sinning).

It is certainly against scripture for a woman to speak in the assembly (1 Corinthians 14:34), but do you believe that God could use this ignorant sin for his glory, to edify his body, and to glorify his name? As much as I hate it, I have to admit, I believe God chooses to do this sometimes. Here the key choice of words "God chooses to do this", come to play.

You might here accuse me of hyper-Calvinism or fatalism, or whatever (I don't believe I am, but even if I could be, I would rather stick with scripture that man-made theology). But I will explain the understanding I am coming around to have; and my view of how God operates in the world:

We like to think that God is not really sovereign. We are presented with a God who is simply real sharp, and quick on his feet, so that any action we take, he can react in order to make it work for his glory. But this kind of view makes man sovereign, not God. God is the one planning, ordering, and carrying out his will:

"[A]ccording to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will."  (Ephesians 1:11)


We are recently witnessing a huge, outside the box, working of God. We see something happening in certain Christians' lives, and God's working through it with someone, whom it appears, he is drawing to Christ. It really is quite amazing to watch. It is confusing, but exciting. We've never seen it on such an extreme level. And if we were to tell the story to just about any Christian listening, the entire situation would be universally condemned as being against the scripture, against the character of Christ, against principle, so on and so forth. They would say these Christians are deceiving themselves.

I wouldn't ever condone what these Christians I see, are doing....

But hearing people share their hearts, learning all the facts behind the situation, and seeing how God is working with people's weaknesses, it is almost undeniable that this is the way God is choosing to work things. Maybe we could say, "Well God is just using what he has to work with".. fine, if you think that I guess. I suppose that part of it isn't really that important anyway. The main thing I take away from all this, is that God loves his elect with a love that is incomprehensible, and that he will continue to love them despite their failures and flaws, and even continue to use them for his glory, without condemnation (even though he does not condone the behaviors).

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." --Romans 8:28

I guess I should really say I am undecided about all this. Maybe I am totally deceived. But the facts before me seem so undeniable. I am aware of the forms of deception that can be used by Satan to keep believers trapped in sin. But in the end, if the believers, through the situation, escape the sin, come out stronger than ever, while God using them to convert others, what can I really say against it? There is one thing I do know, however:

"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:" -- Philippians 1:6

Swiss Kinist