I drive the Light Rail in Denver. For the past 6 months, I have driven the same run on Monday mornings. At one of the stations, a blind caucasian lady waits to board since, usually, passengers barge down the stairwell and out of the doors without paying any attention to her pressence. Most are either chatting to each other or busy on their cell phones and they literally bump into her without even noticing.
Recently, something different occured. A middle-eastern young man walked down the stairs and saw her. He could be Muslim, Hindu, Christian, or none of these. Because of ISIS, many people are currently astir. This man saw the lady and turned around behind her. He gently touched her arm to guide her towards the steps. It didn't look like he said anything and his hoodie hid his facial expressions. Nonetheless, it was a purely natural response.
Many times, when hearing the Good Samaritan story, the general thought process promotes that we should be the Good Samaritan; however, Jesus was saying something far deeper in Luke 10. It's not all about helping others out but more to avoid judging a book by its cover.
Currently, the big debate is "secure the borders" versus "bring in the refugees". "Terrorism" has the world held in confusion. Due to fear, many are all about securing the borders and some are for kicking all Muslims out.
God made the entire world; so, nobody really owns land. "The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me." Leviticus 25:23 The "King of the Jews" didn't call for His disciples to secure the borders. If He had, everybody outside of the True Israel would be predestined to damnation. "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men." (Titus 2:11)
In Sunday School, many teachers taught about loving our enemies. When I was young, I found this fascinating. My dilemma occurred during High School, seeing how interracial marriage was such a problem, some of my Mexican friends were treated with disrespect, and somehow, anybody who supported "The State of Israel" was an enemy to Muslims. To me, what I witnessed was hypocrisy.
This is what many of today's youth see. That is why democracy looks so appealling. The government decides it should intervene and say, "everybody is equal." Christians should be the ones taking care of refugees. If all who plan to attend the Super Bowl refunded their tickets and spent that kind of money on the homeless, we would not need tax dollars for that cause. Instead, some states are, finally, saying, "we will take care of them."
The Israelites begged for a king. God continually told them that a king would take everything from them but "Nevertheless, the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles." (1 Samuel 8:19-20) God, then, had Samuel search out a king but He made a key promise in verse 18, "Ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day." When the Revolutionary War took place, God made it clear to His people that He would not intervene. The whole idea of the Commonwealth was not God's design. "The people," tired of monarchs, took it in their own hands to form a government.
The word "Republican" consists of three parts; 1.) Res (matter) 2.) public (people) 3.) an (pertaining to): Pertaining to the matter of the people. "Democrat" consists of two parts: 1.) Demo (People) 2.) crat (rule): Rule of the people. In essence, these two supposed foes have the same titles and the same interests; they just go about it in different ways. "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" (Amos3:3) Republicans are more militant and hold to the law of the land created by the "people," and Democrats are more "freestyle". The two parties need each other to accomplish the grand task of establishing the doctrine of democracy, not only in America, but, all over the world. The two wings make up the dominion of the eagle.
The Bush years needed reason to go over to the Middle East and what better than a terror attack? America was in a panic, and off the troops went; however, the troops aimed for Iraq rather than Afghanistan. Bush had his reasons, but Obama started establishing a new government of democracy in Iraq once he took office.
ISIS paints a threat to all the world, yet, an even bigger crisis is emerging: global warming. Though the North preached abolition, during the slave trade, it had just as much to do with the trade as the South. America, the eagle, needed the topic of slavery to fight the Civil War and unify. Every step closer to complete control and order requires some degree of chaos to convince the mass of people to unify and follow. "E Pluribus Unum" - of many one. "Novus Ordo Seclorum" - New Order of the Ages. Unity looks good but when a "people-ruled" government takes matters of love and truth into its own hands, we sacrifice our natural free will by submitting and obeying a government rather than the One and True God. Once the power of democracy is set in stone, equality trumps truth.
Most believers know that one day the world will end. No matter who becomes President, Satan will still find a way to complete his plan of establishing the One World Government. Our greatest duty as Christians is to not be deceived. We are called to pray in secret, fast in secret, and give in secret so that what we do is never about lifting up our own self-esteem by merit but about magnifying the Only One who deserves the glory and praise.
Those who live by the sword, die by the sword. Peter made it clear that we silence foolishness with the way we live. If we, then, live in Truth and Light, shadows cannot stand. If we hold so tightly to Truth that we dare not let anybody who looks different or thinks different into our community, we have lost the meaning of the Great Commission. We are to show them God's definition of love, not the government's interpretation. How much more rewarding is it to go and give to the needy than send a tax-deductible donation to a charity? Giving isn't just material. Jesus gives Living Water and The Bread of Life.
It is often said that in order to make a friend, we have to be a friend. This is not entirely true. Jesus was a friend to all, and look what happened? "And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country." (Luke 4:24) We are not called to measure ourselves by an "x amount" of friends or followers. We are in a Spiritual war that runs far deeper than any physical war that we can see at face value whether it be political or religious, or by any other means. Let us not fight for land but fight for Truth with the only Armor that God ever prescribed in Ephesians 6. Love does not exist without truth and truth does not exist without love. "For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?" (Matthew 5:46)
Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
- Matthew 18:21-22
