Should a Christian Go to the Beach?

Random Thought of Conviction 

My original thoughts and intentions about this blog was that I was going to write short posts. I know I have mentioned that before. But the writer in me (I have always loved writing, since my youth, and my oldest daughter has the same trait) always seem to want to write a long post. But today it occurred to me that I need to begin a trend in my blog of just writing random thoughts of conviction without having to tie it in to a broader topic or make it very elaborate. So here is my first real attempt at it. Here we go.

I mentioned in a previous blog post the Duggars and their "personal conviction" nonsense. But if you have read my writings, you will understand that Christian principles are universal in most cases. They may manifest themselves a little bit differently here and there, but the general principles stand. I even read today on a humanist blog/website, the blogger calling out the Duggars for being hypocrites because they say they do not judge others and that it is just their conviction, etc. Now, I absolutely disagree with just about everything this humanist wrote, but it is telling that the world does not buy into the Duggars' PC double-speak. Just as you cannot PC double-speak your way out of being called a racist, you cannot do so to avoid the criticisms of the ungodly; you might as well stand up for the whole truth without compromise and stop being ashamed of Jesus Christ and his words (Mark 8:38).

Holding back my urge to go into great detail (I might go into more detail in the future, perhaps), I will just say that there is not really a way that a true Christian can go to the typical public beach, or on the typical cruise, and not be totally grieved and want to leave the place. It is unbelievable the things that Christians will do to compromise obedience to the word of God. No, the Bible does not say "Thou shalt not go to the beach". But it contains various commands and principles such as:

"I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me." -- Psalm 101:3  (This also can apply to television and movies)

And...

"Flee fornication..." -- 1Corinthians 6:18 (Yes, run away from the vile filth of whorish people who are at the beach)

Christians in America are entirely inconsistent with what they believe/practice. This is because they do not live by the word of God, but by what makes them feel comfortable; that and they do not want to be an outcast in the church and/or society. They do not want to be legalistic or a Pharisee.

When I think about all the lame arguments defending a Christian's right to go to the beach, I think of the same rhetoric that the ungodly use, such as in the article I referenced above:

"The Duggars are denying their children their only opportunity to see real bodies"

The Christian argument is similar to that, but typically you will hear them argue about how if you shield them from seeing/hearing certain things, then they will grow up later and indulge in them because they were so deprived. This is ridiculous. And the hypocrites that promote such ideas are entirely inconsistent. Let me explain.

Everyone has standards. And everyone has a line that they draw. There are always places (unless the person has entirely seared his conscience) where that person will not go, or things that person will not do; and they have their reasons why. The Christian who criticizes his brother because he will not go to the beach, and because he teaches against those Christians who do go to the beach; that same criticizer will refrain from going to a strip club, a porn theatre and so on. Both Christians are isolating either themselves or their children; but both Christians do not have the same standard. That is the only difference. So to judge a Christian who holds up a higher standard for the reason that such a Christian is being restrictive to either himself or his family is hypocritical. The only grounds of argument he can legitimately have against the Christian who has a higher standard, is that perhaps the Christian with the higher standard is restricting something that is good, wholesome, or needed (or all of the above), which is what the humanist author attempt to prove.

But one cannot demonstrate from the scriptures that going to a place where people are (for all practical purposes) naked is wholesome or good; nay, quite the opposite! I know that those of you who justify going to the beach have 1001 reasons why you think it is "not harmful" but you have to be totally dishonest with the scriptures and what you know is right, to do so. Decades ago it would never have been acceptable to have even half of the nakedness that is shown today. And for good reason. Repent, child of God! It is unthinkable that I should even have to write such a post! This is how far we have fallen.

You might be thinking there are exceptions. Maybe.... maybe in a very slim circumstance. But not hardly. And remember, everyone thinks they are the exception. That is the number one rule of American Christians.

This post did not turn out as short as I hoped it would be, but it was a good start.

Meditate on this scripture, my brethren:

"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." -- Ephesians 5:11


Swiss Kinist

Little Decisions Based on Biblical Principles (Introduction Post)

As I mentioned in my About Page, since Jesus Christ is Lord of all, it follows that every area of our life, yea, every detail of our life, must bring glory to Jesus Christ. God willing, I hope to run a series of blog posts regarding the topics of purchasing, spending, doing business, and time stewardship (all based on Biblical principles). I do not know how long the posts will be but I believe it will run about three posts, not including this introduction.

"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." -- 1Corinthians 10:31

"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." -- Colossians 3:17

I am not going to delve into context arguments regarding these passages. I do understand the context of 1Corinthians 10, however, the general principle of verse 31 should be unquestionable as a doctrine for all Christians: Every single thing you do ought to be done in order to bring glory to Jesus Christ. This means that we have to think. This means it will require effort. Unfortunately, American Christians do not like to either think, nor work hard.

I was listening to a program on "Christian" radio the other day, called Chris Fabry Live. It is a secular type of Christian program; what I mean by that is, the lowest common denominator wins. He is one of those guys who thinks that we should never judge and he tries to appeal to the widest audience possible, instead of challenging people to change and to take up the cross. Why does he do this? Why, because he would lose listeners (and therefore money, or even his job) if he did it any other way. But I listen to him on my drive home from work because I want to hear what mainstream Christianity is talking about; plus it gives me teaching material for my children in devotions:

Children, this is how the typical Christian thinks. But this is what the Bible actually says we should think like and do.

Well, I admit, sometimes Fabry does say things that are consistent with the Bible and perhaps he is more of a Christian than I give him credit for; so a caller called in (the subject for the show was about Christians and their movie/entertainment choices), and basically said, "Just tell me what to watch and what not to watch so I can buy/rent what you say". Fabry, uncharacteristic of him, sort of rebuked her for being lazy and not wanting to think and use her knowledge of scriptural application to discern these things for herself. It was pretty funny coming from him because he always finds something nice to say about/to everyone.

Anyhow, all that to say, when it comes to what we eat, what we buy, what activities we participate in, and in general, just flat out how we spend our money; these things, Christians do not meditate on; they do not meditate on how to apply the word of God to these areas of life. They consider them unimportant or unspiritual. Or they are too lazy.

Most Christians do not really care what decisions they take. They are of the world, therefore speak (and think) of the things of the world, and are influenced in their thinking by the world (1John 4:5,6). And I am referring here to those who call themselves Christians, not those who genuinely are disciples of Jesus Christ.

Among those who are disciples of Christ (genuinely); these are the Christians who tend to ignore the areas of Christian life which I mentioned above. They are keen regarding things like honesty, kindness, doing general good deeds, having their daily Bible reading/prayer time, etc. This would include Anabaptists, who, although take much thought (as they should) in their attire, attitude, and all manners of holiness (including separation from the world), often do not consider what they are purchasing, eating, and drinking.

And then among some (such as Kinists) they are very keen regarding doctrine and discerning the enemy. They can see through the lies of the mainstream media, the so-called Church, and so on.

But all of these Christians, whether genuine or not, they all have one thing in common; they ignore the practical areas of life that involve the little things. But little things add up to big results, especially when the LORD God of heaven and earth is involved. Many times it is indeed the little things that count the most, just as it was in the situation of Achan the son of Carmi (Joshua 7).


Digging Deeper than the Surface

Just as mentioned in a previous blog post, there is a difference between living the Christian life with the goal of not sinning a great sin, and living the Christian life to do what most pleases God at all times. The problem with the typical Christian is that he can only think and reason spiritual things on the surface level. He does not think deeply about long term consequences of small choices he makes. Because on the surface, his choice only makes a minimal, or hardly noticeable impact. We will get into the details of how this all works when we start talking about purchase decisions and health decisions, and so on. But let's look at an illustration of long term vs. short term thinking in a different area of life (that we will not be talking about in this series):

A Christian man is discouraged because he thinks that his life is almost entirely useless. He thinks this because he is not the Pastor of a church, or any kind of leader of any sort. He works a job that does not make a huge impact on the community, and has no major area of direct influence.

I am going to use a worldly analogy here of football, even though I hate professional sports. If we were to use the football analogy, think of the offensive linemen on a football team. An offensive lineman, he is not the quarterback. He does not get to throw the ball to a receiver to make a play and score points. He is not the receiver, who catches the ball and scores. He is not the running back who runs the ball to gain yards or score. He does not make an inception of a pass, or make a big tackle at the goal line to stop a score. He does not block a kick or even kick a field goal or extra point. He does none of these things. He is basically ignored and receives no credit. But the offensive line is likely the key to winning and losing. The running back cannot run through a hole if there is none created by the lineman. The quarterback cannot throw the touchdown pass nor the receiver catch it, if there is no time to throw, created by the linemen. The linemen sort of have a hidden influence or indirect influence.

There are Christians in the kingdom of God who are sort of like linemen. As Paul states in his letter to the Corinthians, "I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase" (1Corinthians 3:6). What if you did not preach the words that caused a man to repent, but you encouraged the man who preached to the man who repented? The man who preached would not even have had the confidence to preach if not for your small encouragement. I say small, because it looks small at first, but it is really not that small in the grand scheme of things.

Perhaps God has chosen you to be a hidden vessel who does not receive much praise or adoration in this life. But consider Paul's allegory of the human body in 1Corinthians 12. Those members which seem unimportant are really actually very important.

I say these things to get you to realize that your little decisions in life make a big different. You have to look deeper than the surface. You have to realize there is a reason why we are to do all things for the glory of God. All things, big or small. Everything. You have no idea how big an impact your decisions and actions can make; even if you never see the results until eternity, when God rewards you with the knowledge of how he used you in so many vital ways.

There are three major categories I want to cover in this series:

1) Purchases Based on Biblical Principles

2) Spending Wisely and Doing Business With Christian Principles

3) Time Stewardship

All of these topics have to do with the subject of stewardship. Our whole lives are issues of stewardship. And speaking of stewardship, my wife has been reading me portions of a book called To Whom Much is Given by G. Ernest Thomas, which I am beginning to be convinced that it is probably the most needed and greatest Christian book ever written. It is funny because it is virtually unknown. It is written by a man who is probably not even alive anymore, written in 1956 I believe. We found it at a Mennonite thrift shop a couple of months ago. I could not find much information at all about the author or the book. But I will be quoting from the book in this series of blog posts, because the material in it is so good.

May the Lord Jesus Christ use what is written for his glory, and direct the content that goes into the series of posts to come. Amen.


Swiss Kinist

Christian Charity vs Cultural Marxism

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."  -- 1 Corinthians 13:1-7

Conservative Christians in America in the 21st century are not really Christian in practice at all. Not in much anyway. They are Social Marxists that dress up their doctrine in cute Bible verses of political correctness. There are varying degrees of this false Christianity, but the general spirit of all groups in this category are the same. All groups love the praise of men more than the praise of God (John 12:43).

These false Christians do not exercise true charity; it just takes certain scenarios to bring out the truth of who they really are. It is easy for these Christians to "bear all things" or "hope all things" to not be easily provoked, to suffer long, etc. as long as their brethren are jumping through all the hoops of Christian Political Correctness. But once you step outside that box, their true character comes out; they do not love their brethren at all. They lash out with all the hatred and venom they can muster up. They give you no chance to explain yourself, and do not give you the benefit of the doubt. It turns out that what was considered "Christian Charity" when they appeared to show love, was simply an exercise in the world's religion of Cultural Marxism.

Here are a few rants that I have regarding this topic:

1) Christians are willing to tolerate just about any behavior imaginable. They will bear with those who are drunkards, with those who have various addiction problems, have sexual sin problems, etc. But if you are perceived as being racist, then all the rules of love and patience evaporate. Do they ever come to you and say, "Hey brother, can I discuss your beliefs with you? I am concerned". No. There is just immediate condemnation.

2) Why do these same Christians not apply that same standard to their Christian forefathers, who all thought on the same terms as Christian Nationalists and Kinists do today? One might argue that we "ought to know better" or that our forefathers were just blinded by the spirit of their age, who "happened to be racist".

3) But let's talk about the spirit of these two ages. Which period of American history was more Christian? Pre 1950s or Post 1950s? I am not going to get into a lot of detail here, but meditate on that for a little bit.

4) Why is it that the same people that promoted the feminist women's movement (which is clearly anti-Christ), the Sodomite movement, and the civil rights/equality/race mixing movement... why it is that all three of these things have been and are currently promoted by radical left-wing Marxists of the past and present? And then ask yourself, why are Christians so quick to join these Marxists and treat so-called racism with the same vehement hatred as radical Marxists, Haters of God do?

5) Ask yourself why no Christian group ever entertained the thought of being so full of zeal to "combat racism"until Marxists had a long established reputation for doing so. Who is the church following anyways? It certainly is not Jesus Christ and the Bible. If you are honest, you will have to come to terms that the only reason that the church is coming so hard against "being racist" is because the world considers it a great and horrific sin.

Here are the two categories of Christians that fall into the spirit of the world in their thinking:

1) The first category is the more progressive bunch. They follow the spirit of the world consistently, unlike their conservative counterparts. If the world is teaching someone is really, really bad, then they make sure they find a few Bible verses to back up the world's doctrine. They want to make sure that Christianity is acceptable and well-favored in the eyes of the world. They are unwilling to follow Jesus to the death in any way, shape, or form.

2) The second category is the more conservative bunch. They follow the spirit of the world at an arm's length distance. They do not want to be accused of compromising the word of God, but they also do not want to be utterly hated by everyone. They too, are unwilling to follow Jesus to the death. They are willing to follow Jesus so long as the temperature does not get too uncomfortable (they are willing to be a little bit uncomfortable and break a sweat, but unwilling to die). But the more corrupt the world goes, the further along the path of apostasy they will travel. As long as they appear to be defending the word of God (because they are not as bad as the progressive group, mentioned above), they are happy.

An Appeal to Your Conscience (If you have one)

Does it at all strike you as uncharitable, lacking in maturity, or illogical that a Christian brother of yours, who writes on the subjects of charity, modesty, humility, servanthood, complete devotion to Christ above all else, etc... does it seem wrong at all that you dismiss all the writings on these kinds of topics, because the writings are coming from someone who you perceive as racist? You can dismiss all that is written about genuine Christian living based on your biased perception of who you think I am or what you think I believe? I have never seen such hasty judgments according to appearance (John 7:24) in my life. Yet I am told I am the judgmental one?

So when I encourage someone to read an article on my blog about Christian humility, or about putting others above yourself, or about loving your brethren... instead of hearing me out, you can dismiss everything I write because I am a racist? That kind of mindset is so entirely inconsistent with what you would do with other Christians with whom you disagree, or even Christians whom you may think are compromising in truth in some areas of doctrine and/or practice.

Of course Christians do not do this consistently. Practically every great man of God (from the past) that Christians quote from, were racist (according to these Christians). Yet these Christians extol the virtues of such men and quote them as authoritative.

Modern Examples of my own


Michael Pearl is a guy that people love to hate, and I have talked about him before. But he hates the doctrine which I believe (Calvinism) with fervent hatred. He has a lot of screwed up doctrine. But when he speaks on the Biblical topic of child training, I listen. Because what he teaches on that subject is not only Biblical, but practical and helpful. If I were to refuse to listen to him on the grounds of his unloving attitude toward Calvinists (which is a sin on his part), then I would be, not only a fool, but a very proud one at that.

There are Christians I know that hold to beliefs that the earth is "millions of years old," believing in an old earth, which is harmful to believe and entirely unbiblical. Do I speak in opposition to their doctrine? Of course I do. Do I dismiss everything they say on other spiritual topics as a result? Do I show them hatred instead of love? Do I shun them instead of receive them as a brother? Of course I do not. Perhaps in my immature Christian days I would have; perhaps in the days when I thought that if you were not a fundamental Baptist, then you probably were not a Christian. But now, no, never would I hold such an attitude of pride. I believe in having true Christian Charity.

The pride I spoke about (in the above paragraph) is exactly what you Kinist-haters are practicing. Even if we are wrong about what we believe, will you not at least give us the benefit of the doubt, that perhaps we are just misinformed on that one subject? Should every word we say be dismissed as if we were denying the Deity of Christ, or the Death and Resurrection of our Lord? Can any of our writings stand on their own merit, especially when this entire blog has very little Kinist promotion on it?

But nay, of course not. The spirit of the world has called for complete and utter hatred of any Christian of our liking. So the Marxist Christian, to keep in step, to avoid the so-called sin of racism himself, must be more fanatical about being opposed to racism than any other thing. Can you think of any thing at all in Christianity that stirs up Christians to action more than this topic? What a sad testimony, especially considering the origins of the anti-racism movement. It shows who these Christians are truly worshiping (and it is not the Lord Jesus).

Did it ever occur to you that us Kinists believe that your persistence to defend Marxism is incredibly detrimental both to our society, and to the name of Jesus Christ? Yet you are still counted as a brother, and listened to on other Biblical subjects by Kinists. And we thank God for you in many ways.

My brethren, consider your ways, and repent. Pray and meditate on these things with a sincere and open heart before the Lord Jesus Christ. May he give you understanding in all things, perfectly. Amen.

Swiss Kinist



The 21st Century American Church Definition of Love or Charity:

Love accepts everyone regardless of their lifestyle or regard for the law of God and of Christ (unless you are guilty of racism).
 
Love never exhorts, rebukes, or speaks against evil (unless you are not a Marxist).
 
Love only speaks positive things (unless you are not bowing to the spirit of this age)
 
Love is tolerant to everyone and everything (Except for those evil, intolerant people)
 
Love does not rejoice in God's word at all costs, but rather, rejoices in political correctness and keeping in line with multiculturalism.

 

True Sons of Abraham

" I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.

They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.

But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham." -- John 8:38-40

www.truesonsofabraham.com

I ran into a good brother through the comments section on Tribal Theocrat a few months ago. Clement Pulaski, author of the website True Sons of Abraham, is a Christian Nationalist who presents a very balanced view of living the Christian life and holding to Nationalist views; in my opinion, much more balanced than Kinists are. You can read his free ebook Weep Over Jerusalem and Clement has also recorded a debut podcast The Philosophies of our Enemies which you can download for free. As of today, you can find all of this on the immediate homepage, but hopefully the links I attached will work for you also.

Clement has had a similar journey to what I have had, and appears to have come to same conclusion as me, in that we cannot join in allegiance with ungodly, Christ-hating, Nationalists. Only the Lord Jesus Christ can give us the victory. And as I have stated before, the ultimate goal is to glorify God through Jesus Christ and do his will, laying down our own goals, desires, and dreams for the sake of the gospel.

Swiss Kinist
 

Why I Hate Reformed Christianity

Let me begin by correcting any preconceived notions you might have in your head because of the title. I do have a Reformed understanding of scripture. I believe in the doctrines of grace and many of the other doctrines that the Reformed hold to. It is not the doctrine I have a problem with, it is the type of churches that spring up from those who hold those doctrines, and the type of Christian these type of churches are producing. The fruit is terrible, even as the fruit of the Pharisees was terrible in the days of Jesus, even though they may have had a proper understanding of the scriptures as a whole. Consider the words of Jesus:

"Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,

Saying The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:

All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not." -- Matthew 23:1-3

Understand that my point here is not to compare the actions of the Pharisees with the actions of today's Reformed. I think I have heard enough sermons and read enough documents on the so-called dangers of Pharisee-ism that it makes me want to choke someone. My point is that the Reformed stand in the place of holding the authority of God's word; they teach the correct doctrine, but they do not live a lifestyle or behave practically as one would expect of those who are closest to the truth of God's word.

The Anabaptist has a theological problem because he views the New Testament apart from the Old Testament. He almost practically takes the Old Testament and rips it out of his Bible and throws it in the trash... almost. And because of that he has huge theological issues, such as non-resistance and dispensationalism, and an over-emphasis on foreign missions.

The Reformed has a Theological problem because he ignores what the Anabaptist sees as obvious; there is a fundamental difference between the spirit of the Old and New Covenants. But the Anabaptist takes this way too far, and justifies corrupt notions such as two kingdom theology. The Reformed, he ignores it altogether. As Brother Denny [Kenaston] put it in the Godly Home Series:

In the Old Covenant you gave 10 %
But in the New Covenant you give everything

In the Old Covenant the first born son belonged to the LORD
But in the New Covenant you all of your children belong to the LORD

The Reformed has an Old Covenant mindset. He has a bare minimum type of Christianity. He prefers order and structure more than he does spiritual life (and no, I am not against order and structure!!). He loves to go to church. We are going to God's house! says he. So make sure you dress in your Sunday best [clothing] for God!

Of course, this attitude and mindset is repugnant to the Anabaptist, because he values spiritual life more than he values the order and structure. And he loves to have fellowship with Jesus and give his best every day, not just Sunday. I love these lines from Keith Green in To Obey is Better than Sacrifice:

To obey is better than sacrifice
I want more than Sundays and Wednesday nights
'Cause if you can't come to me everyday
Then don't bother coming at all
To obey is better than sacrifice
I want hearts of fire, not your prayers of ice...

The Reformed is so caught up in correct theology that he will pick apart an excellent sermon, article, family, person, or whatever and condemn it or that person because they are not exactly correct in doctrine; even if causes people to turn from darkness to light! Even if it produces more fruit of godliness than something that is correct doctrinally. This is totally insane. The Reformed is like the establishment who would rather have a birthing mother die in birth than have a midwife save the mother's life by "practicing medicine without a license". We know a certain church elder who hates all Anabaptists and most non-reformed. And even if you produce a godly family that honors Christ with everything they are, if they are Anabaptist, then they did not turn out right and he will never thank God for that family (or learn from them)! Wow! So the Reformed cares more about being right than doing right. This is absolute and utter pride and an abomination to God.


Knowing God or Knowing About God?


The Reformed values knowing about God more than he values knowing God. The Reformed has failed to take to heart and meditate on these types of passages:

"Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth." --1Corinthians 8:1

"And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing." -- 1Corinthians 13:2

The Reformed values Biblical understanding more than he does charity, more than he does humility, more than he does self-denial and cross bearing; yea, more than he does following the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing him, the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings (Philippians 3:10).

Consider the hero of many Reformed Christians, particularly among Kinists;  Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson did not have the mind and attitude of today's Reformed. He lived his life in complete dedication, always looking for ways that he could deny himself and instead glorify the Lord. Here is an excerpt from Stonewall Jackson: The Man, The Soldier, The Legend: 

“After professing his faith in Christ, he set his face against all worldly conformity, giving up dancing, theater-going, and every amusement that had the tendency to lead his heart away from holy things. When a question was raised as to the right or wrong of indulgences which may consider innocent, he would say pleasantly: 'Well I know it is not wrong not to do it, so I am going to be on the safe side.'”

The Reformed looks to the law to see what he is permitted to do, and if not forbidden, he indulges himself, citing scripture to back up his view. The Anabaptist generally looks to see what is the maximum he can do in order to glorify God with all of his life (see But the Bible Does Not Say Woman cannot wear pants). He looks at life as a chance to deny self and take up his cross, and forsake all that he has (Luke 9:23,24, Luke 14:33). This does not mean you become a monk or a nun so please, put that false image out of your head. I am not saying you cannot have any pleasure at all, and you know that.

And may I say it this way... this is why your Anabaptist brethren do not take any of what you say concerning doctrine, seriously. Seriously folks, why would I listen to someone's philosophy on child training if he has bad results with his own children? And why would I listen to your scriptural philosophy and interpretation if you are living a life of bare minimum obedience? And while you are scoffing at him because he mistakenly (with a sincere heart) does not physically defend his family with force, and because he righteously takes standards of holiness serious, he is at home praying for you.


Disclaimer!!!


Oh, I almost forgot my disclaimer! I forgot that in America it is illegal (well, not quite) to speak about anything in general terms. You must speak about each individual. Whoops! Anyhow, yes, I am not speaking about every single individual Reformed person. I am speaking of Reformed Christianity as a whole, in general.

The Anabaptist is not without issues, as mentioned previously. He would reject just about every Keith Green song, just because it does not line up with a set of principles they ascribe, even though Keith Green turned many away from unrighteousness, and his songs, for the most part, are entirely beautiful and Christ-honoring. His music is not like today's garbage "Christian" music.


Conclusion

Both Reformed and Anabaptist theological problems lead to practical problems that are hindering the church of Jesus Christ; they are hindering the army that should be making Satan tremble. Let us attack the gates of hell with the correct doctrine and the correct lifestyle. I am praying toward the end that one day we will see the strengths of both groups merge together and bring glory to Jesus Christ in this land once again.

Swiss Kinist

To Whom or What is Your First Loyalty?

To whom or what is your first loyalty? That should be an easy question for any serious, genuine Christian. That is, it is easy to answer and to assent to in the mind. But when I ask to whom or what your true loyalty is to, I mean, by the way you live: by what your conversation centers around, by the people  you associate with, by the type of things you read and watch, and so on. What is your heart fixed on daily? What is most important to you? Your actions speak louder than your words.

I will not go into too much detail in this post, though I do want to write extensively on the subject of idolatry one day. This is a very busy season of my life. But I do want to warn both Kinists and anti-Kinists alike of the dangers of putting something of higher value than the value we place upon the Lord Jesus Christ and his kingdom, and his glorification on the earth.

I went into a lot of detail on similar subjects (though not exactly the same) on tribaltheocrat.com (under the name Hans Gygax) about the stumblingblocks Kinists have run into. But I want us to consider this subject again. I myself am revisiting the subject in my mind because I have the tendency to go astray like anyone else.

This post is, in a way, born out of frustration. After reading an article about something the other day, I was reminded about the website reddit.com as a way to get a little bit of exposure for my blog. So I went straight to the "Christian" sub-reddit. I found out soon enough that there were not really any Christians there; well, a few pretending ones. I suppose there could have been a needle somewhere in that haystack, though. I mean, you could not hold a legitimate Biblical belief without being attacked! Anything that went against Cultural Marxism was shouted down with violence. Perhaps the place is taken over by paid Jewish trolls?

So then I moved to the "Real Christian" sub-reddit and posted a less controversial topic, without really any response at all. Then I found a "Reformed" sub-reddit. Right up my alley, right? I post an article that has nothing to do with Kinism and am immediately greeted by the anti-Kinism police force/watchdog group commanders. I am told about how evil Kinism is and the people on the forum tell everyone to not listen to anything I say.

There was no reasoning with any of them there. No graciousness, no charity, no giving your brother the benefit of the doubt. No, not a chance. As a Kinist, I guess I am the equivalent of the worst serial killer in history times a million. These people do not even want to try to understand our position and show any honor or respect. I guess we Kinists have built ourselves quite the reputation, especially in the Reformed community, since most of us [Kinsts] hold to Reformed views of scripture.

On the other side of the coin, I was over at faithandheritage.com reading David Opperman's excellent article refuting Brian Schwertley (It is actually a 5 part series), and I had a not-so-pleasant interaction with who I assumed is a Kinist. I had mentioned how we ought to pray for brother Schwertley, but the other commenter boldly and proudly proclaimed how he would not pray for or bless our brother in Christ. This professing Christian believes that he loves God, yet does not love his brother (1John 4:20). So you can see how both sides have made me their enemy. I rebuked this man for not loving his brother and it was not well received at all. I suspect that most Kinists do not hold me in high regard, though I love them dearly.

Love your enemies

But I would like to share a lesson I learned, as insignificant as it might sound. Despite the hatred showed toward me, God gave me the grace to respond kindly for the most part, and to bless rather than curse. I do not believe I did so perfectly, but in the past I would have responded to them much differently. I thank God through our Lord Jesus Christ for that.

I want us to remember that the most important thing, the essential heart desire that we ought to have, is to see the Lord Jesus Christ glorified on the earth, and to "know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings"(Philippians 3:10). When we are slandered, called names, belittled, and our name cast out as evil, separated from others' company (Luke 6:22), it is easy to just go run over to the anti-Christ White Nationalists for fellowship and support.

I remember specifically doing this years ago, and I know a few (at least) Kinists who have more fellowship with the ungodly, centered around like-mindedness on racial issues, than they do with their brothers in Christ. This ought not so to be. Our family has been blessed, though there are glaring weaknesses, with going to a Reformed Baptist church over the past year plus. We have developed many friendships in Christ, that are growing. Even though these families do not see eye to eye with us on racial issues, there is no comparing the sweetness of bonding with these people compared to the emptiness of the "Alternate Right" crowd. (I would not have thought this not long ago, when I was placing more value on racial issues than on the glory of Jesus.)

And God, in his mercy, has blessed us with a very special friendship to a brother in the church, whom we have found out has Kinist leanings. That is a bonus to us; yet our friendship with this brother and his family is around Christ, and around the things that God loves, and the principles of the word of God. Kinship is a part of that, yes, but we have learned you can also enjoy sweet kinship fellowship with others even if they do not openly acknowledge what we ascribe to as Kinists. Practically all of our close fellowship at church is with families that are of German/Irish heritage as we are. God has instilled in people groups an automatic leaning toward our own people and this is wonderful to see. The German/Irish of the congregation best mesh together in spirit with their own people! Hallelujah!

As a side note, is it not ironic that those who refuse to deny themselves and suffer for the sake of Christ and his word, have no trouble denying their natural, God-given desires to be with their own kin, all so they can score points of political correctness and enjoy the praise of ungodly, Marxist, haters of God?

Anyhow, a little off topic, but I want to mention this. I realize that my blog is the essence of controversial and of that which is bound to be hated. I accept that. My goal from the beginning has been to tell it how I see it, from my viewpoint, with what I believe is scriptural and Christ-honoring. God has blessed me (although sometimes it feels like a curse) with an "I don't care what man thinks" attitude and I typically do not mind going against the grain. I wish to honor Christ alone and I have no loyalty to anyone or any thing; not to any doctrine or belief: nothing above the truth of God's word.

So I will oppose Kinists when they oppose the word of God. And I will oppose the Reformed when they do so. I will oppose the Anabaptist, and the nominal Christian alike. I want to believe the truth and honor Christ.

But understand that I love you true Christians dearly, even if you disagree with my writings, beliefs, and practices. And I will sacrifice myself and lay down my life for you. I will die that you may live. I will lose that you may win. I will suffer that you may be blessed. I have major disagreements on every side, with every kind of Christian there is. And there are not many that believe that the old paths are the right way to go to the extent that I do. Because of this I have enemies at every turn in my life. But if God is for me, who can be against me?

I want to encourage you all, to not let your disagreements cause you to hate your brothers in Christ. I see it happening on both sides of the Kinism vs Alienism debate. And I see it happening in many other groups of Christianity. I am NOT promoting that we embrace those who hate Christ by their actions and words. But when you have wholehearted Christians that love Christ and obey his word, there should be love and fellowship. Let us have conversation in godliness, without strife, envying, and pride. Let us truly honor Christ in how we love one another. 


Some selections from 1John 4 that we should ponder, brethren:


⁷ "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

⁸ He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

¹² No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

¹⁶ And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

²⁰ If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

²¹ And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.


Swiss Kinist

Go and Sit Down in the Lowest Room

"When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him;

And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.

But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.

For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."  -- Luke 14:8-11


One of the best short books I have read is Andrew Murray's book Humility. I first read it a few years ago and it had a tremendous impact on me, but later on I forgot the very principles that were helping me so much. I am not going to go into huge detail and make this a book report, but let me begin with an excellent quote from Murray in his book:

“Humility, the place of entire dependence on God, is the first duty and the highest virtue of the creature, and the root of every virtue. And so pride, or the loss of this humility, is the root of every sin and evil.”  

This is an amazing statement and arguably nothing can be more important for Christians to understand in the generation which we live. I praise God that he brought to my remembrance this book. I had given the book away to someone else years ago, but when I remembered it once again recently, I ordered in online (only $3.00 used, praise God). I will not cover everything he covers (I hope to make this a short post-- hope!) but I do strongly encourage you to get this book and read it, and meditate on it. If not, I hope you will at least take the encouragement that he offers, which is, to study the life of Jesus in light of his humility, and to study his teachings on humility, and the teachings on humility in the scriptures.


Practical Applications-- Sitting down in the lowest room


How can we consider a little practical application of the principle of Luke 14? Taking the lowest room can be applied to every area of your life. It is a principle to live by. It is sort of like the example of Jesus running away from the crowd when they wanted to make him a king by force (John 6:15).

We should continually seek to deflect all honor and praise away from us, onto the Lord Jesus. And when opportunities present themselves (because certainly you will be tempted) for me to be the center of attention, for me to "steal the show", for me to stand out above my peers; when these things happen, we ought to at least proceed with extreme caution. Do I desire to speak the great words that will cause a sinner to repent, or am I more pleased and more blessed, and yea, more inclined to desire to be that hidden prayer warrior that nobody recognizes, and nobody will ever give thanks for?

"...and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." -- Matthew 6:6

What is my reward? As Keith Green puts it in his Christ honoring and spot on lyrics (as always) in "O Lord, You're Beautiful", My reward is giving glory to you [the Lord Jesus]. It is natural to want to receive a pat on the back, or some sort of recognition. We want to feel important, valuable, and needed by others. We want others to know that we really are good Christians. But are we willing to lay these desires on the alter of sacrifice to the God of heaven, willing to be nothing, so that Christ may be all?

Do we have to get the last word in on a discussion (I say discussion because a Christian should not engage in a debate-- a debate is one of the works of the flesh-- Romans 1:29, 2Cor 12:20), so that everyone knows that I am right and he is wrong? Would you rather tell a whole lot of people that you are praying for them (so that they think how loving and kind you are) or would you rather secretly pray for that person and have them be blessed.


A recent example from my life


Recently I was attending a church prayer meeting, and if you know anything about the typical church prayer meeting in the good old USA, you know that almost every prayer request is for some health problem someone is having. I am not against praying for health problems, but really, that is what the prayer list is full of; that and "traveling mercies". And again, I am not against praying for those things. But, really, when is someone going to stand up and say, "Please pray that God's name would be glorified in our land. Please pray that God would be glorified in our church and make us a testimony and a witness to our communities." When is someone going to be grieved in their heart about what they see going on around them? When is someone going to get a vision for God truly working a work in our land, and pray about it, and not let go of the Lord until he moves mightily?

I guess a little background is due before I tell the rest of the story. We have been attending this church consistently (although not every single Sunday) for over a year now. We are not members. We have a few disagreements doctrinally with the church, but we would not have a problem being members if we were asked to be. I have a bigger problem with some of the lifestyle and practical decisions of the members and Pastors than I do the doctrine, but that is a story for another time.

Anyhow, we typically do not attend Wednesday night prayer meetings. So on the rare occasion we are there, I do not feel particularly qualified to lead out in prayer. Combine that with the fact that we are not members and I doubly feel unqualified. In my days of youthful pride, I would have wanted to come in there, and pray for those things that I believe are severely lacking in their prayer meetings; in order to wake the people up, to stir them up, or to show them what real prayer is like.

Can I pray better prayers than they can? Are my prayers of more worth? Maybe, but that is not really the point. The point is that God wants me to humble myself and trust in his providence. He wants me to see his hand working through my private prayers. He wants me to stop trusting in my own wisdom, in my own power, in my own words and persuasion, to change these people for the better. Too many times in the past I have tried to change or even convert people by my own might, and God has made sure that it never happened, at least as far as I can see, to teach me humility; to teach me to rely on his power and his grace alone to convert or change someone. My problem has always been that I have not trusted God enough to believe that he can and will change someone.

So back to the story: Here I sit in the prayer meeting with all these thoughts running through my head and even frustrations at the others (which I do not repent of, because I am grieved legitimately at the lukewarmness that I see around me). The lead Pastor stands and calls for us to pray and he specifically, but discreetly hints that he wants me to pray as he looks in my direction. I know him well enough and know people well enough to know what he was doing. And this combined with a conversation I had with him at the New Year's Eve prayer meeting, I was sure that he was hinting at it.  And I know why he was doing it; despite his flaws, he is a very loving, caring person, and wants to make sure that I know our family is included and accepted and loved. He has a shepherd heart. I bless God for him, and bless him for being that way.

Did I take that opportunity that God seemingly placed in my lap? Certainly I would not be sinning by doing so, but I took that as an opportunity to humble myself and pray secretly. I have an unction that perhaps if I had prayed, I would have developed a proud spirit shortly after.

Would you rather be the one that publicly prayed and is recognized as the source of a blessing, conversion, change, etc? Or would you rather be the one that secretly prayed for the others, and the others were changed, and prayed for those very same things, and received the praise and compliments of the brethren? It is something to ponder. Most of us go out of the way to seek the recognition and praise we believe we deserve. We do not want to be nothing. But....

"Verily, Verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." -- John 12:24

Do we want to bring forth much fruit, or are we content with shallow, same old, same old, Christianity, just going through the motions?

Some things are not necessarily sinful if we choose to do them, but we should not do them anyway because they are not expedient or profitable (1Cor 6:12, 1Cor 10:23). And every situation is not the same. We need to learn discernment from walking with Jesus and knowing the voice of the Holy Ghost. But if you are going to err, then err on the side of denying self, and humbling yourself in every decision. It is a learning process we all need to grow more in. The more we do so, the more likeness of Jesus Christ will be in our lives.


Swiss Kinist