By Jim Mettenbrink
While on trial before Governor Pilate, Jesus acknowledged that He had a kingdom, but not of this world, i.e., of this material realm (John 18:36). Earlier, He told His disciple, Peter, that He would give him the keys to His kingdom (Matthew 16:19). Peter did that on the Jewish feast day, Pentecost, 10 days after Jesus ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9-11; 2:38-47). He told the people to repent and be baptized for the remission of their sins.
By Jim Mettenbrink
Shortly before being crucified, Judea’s Roman governor Pontius Pilate asked Jesus, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus: “It is as you say” (Luke 23:1-3). Jesus had no army, administration, no territory, no palace – nothing “kingly” at all. He had nothing of this world (Luke 9:58).
In the same trial, Jesus told Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here” (John 18:36). And six weeks later Jesus disappeared (Acts 1:9-11). No doubt His kingdom is not of this world! In Pilate’s eyes, Jesus just said He is the King of a nonexistent kingdom. Such might seem insane but…It is certainly radical!
By Jim Mettenbrink
The Kingdom of Heaven (32 times) is a major focus found only in the gospel according to Matthew. John the baptizer and Jesus said it would come into existence soon (Mat 3:2; 4:17; 10:7). Jesus emphasized this Kingdom in His well known Sermon on the Mount (8 times; Mat 5-7) and also mentioned in the beatitudes (Mat 5:3, 10). He referred to it as a mystery (Mat 13:11). In chapter 13, He presented six “Kingdom of Heaven parables (known as the kingdom parables) revealing unusual characteristics of this kingdom. In the declaration to His disciples, Jesus revealed that the kingdom was His, that it would come during their generation, and that it was synonymous with His church (Mat 16:16-19). He also told Peter that He would give him the keys to His kingdom. In other words, Peter would open the kingdom of heaven to everyone. When did that happen? When was Jesus’ church-kingdom opened to mankind?
By Jim Mettenbrink
In our review of the erosion, yea the destruction, of the biblical foundation of our nation, we acknowledge that our society has become unstable, beginning with the family structure. King David, the Psalmist queried, “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Ps 11:3). The quick answer is rebuild the foundation as it was. And implicitly, the righteous folks have the heart to rise to do it. David continued, “The Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven” (11:4). Another Psalmist revealed more about God’s throne – “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne” (Ps 89:114). In order to be in harmony with God and thereby have His blessing, it is logical, we too would want to mold ourselves to His standard of righteousness and justice. That begins with each of us. Our history reveals that cultural stability of the nation resulted from being in conformance to God’s order.
By Jim Mettenbrink
We have reviewed the radical change over the past 100 years, especially the last 50, degrading from a God-fearing nation to one whose religion is Secular Humanism, that declares each person as his own god, making and changing his own rules as he desires. That such exists marks the decline of the nation and eventually consigned to the dust bin of history. Sadly most folks today do not realize that what they surmise is normal, is the work of Satan. The question is “Will people become tired of drowning in such spiritual misery and return to God and His way ONLY?”
By David Phillips
Sometimes the term, “fresh start” implies that a total mess has been made and a project or task must be started all over again, from the beginning. But we sometimes use the phrase to indicate a wholesome point of beginning for improvements, without necessarily indicating that a complete disaster has occurred.
It is totally proper to use this expression in the context of looking at a new year with the intention of putting better efforts into the right things, in order to produce better and more complete results that we have in the past. Most of us would have to admit that some of our greatest shortcomings involve simply not following through with the right things.
By Jim Mettenbrink
Last week we scratched the hem of the impact of the religion of Secular Humanism on Christendom, that surfaced nearly 50 years ago. Over 30% of the adults admit they are atheist, agnostic or simply do not care about the standard of ethics and morality in the Bible. Far more are those who say they believe in God but in reality disregard His standard. In other words, they are functional atheists, being true to their Humanist hearts – they do whatever and whenever they desire. Even God’s standard of a stable society has been scuttled. Lifelong, heterosexual monogamous marriage, the corner stone of society as God defines it, is now treated as bilge.
By Jim Mettenbrink
Last week, in our review of the religion of Secular Humanism in the USA, we concluded by asking, “What has been the impact on Christendom?”
That the opportune venue to indoctrinate an unwitting society with Humanism was the public school system. It began with John Dewey’s program in the 1930s at Columbia University to condition teachers.
By the 1970s, the impact was evident even in theological schools. At about the same time (1975) when the Lavista NE High School implemented a mandatory Values Clarification course for seniors, the impact of Theological Modernism rose in the Concordia Lutheran seminary ( LCMS), the most conservative of Lutheran churches. The seed of Seminex was sown in a 1973 conference that charged professors of denying “sola scriptura,” i.e., doctrine must come from only scripture (Bible). Some of the admitted doctrines were that Jesus was not necessarily born of a virgin. Adultery is not necessarily wrong. What was the origin of the professors’ foundation that they could deny the absoluteness of the Bible? And the students who accepted the changes were already primed to make up their own minds. Implicitly, the rejection of the Bible as absolute and rejected the Sovereignty of God and thereby the inspiration of the scriptures. Seminex as an independent movement lasted until 1987 but it merged with a few other synods to form the ELCA.
By Jim Mettenbrink
This series was prompted by Israel’s King David’s divinely recorded question, “If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3), and recognizing how our nation has declined from a God-fearing nation to one drowning in depravity. For over 100 years Secular Humanism has progressively become the American de facto religion.
By Jim Mettenbrink
Continuing the review of the destruction of the USA’s foundation: Our nation’s history and the preponderance of written and oral religious debates (1800-1950) among the various biblical faiths reflect the reverence the populous had for God and the Bible as His direct instruction to mankind. The century-long slide into unbelief came about by the influence of theological liberalism and the acceptance of Secular Humanism, declaring each person as his own god and pragmatic rule maker. Rules that can be changed on one’s own whim.