Eternal Social Battles: Poverty, Wealth, and Mindsets

Eternal Social Battles: Poverty, Wealth, and Mindsets     by Kelly Durant

Mark 14: (1-8) 7. For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.

2. There was a time in the past our Church/Corps we had a drummer bio that was 10 years old! He was very amazing on the drums! His family was quite poor and he taught himself, do you know how? Ever since he was about 3 years old, he would get out every pot in the kitchen, turning them upside down and practicing on them like a drum set daily! Now that’s determination! People like that go far in life!

For the people that want to progress in life, usually their income level is not a limitation! What limits success is not usually resources but the mindset and vision (or a lack of it) of the individual! There are many millionaires and stars that have risen out of poverty; poverty sometimes is often an excellent motivator as it causes the person to try much harder than others who think they will always be able to live comfortably. People with few resources, or a disability, know they have the disadvantage so they work extra hard and usually they succeed and gain wealth.

But to the contrary, how many rich kids from rich families go through Orlando, FL hoping they can get fame and be famous like Britney Spears (who self-destructed) and a few others? It is usually only one out of dozens of thousands that make it big so what causes so many to fail? It is because with money they have always gotten everything easy, and if it doesn’t come easy, then their spoiled nature over rides their ambitions and desires and they just give up! To appreciate wealth or talent gained by hard work, you must first have to fight for it! (However in the case of gaining fame from the Orlando crowd, your parents have to pay to be in their “big Club”, and those are very evil manipulative slave drivers!)

3.  Today we are looking at the extremes, between in the haves and have nots. Jesus replies rather abruptly that, “Ye have the poor with you always” when some of the disciples protested over the expensive perfume being applied to His body. The sinner woman who poured it on him washed his feet with tears as well, do you recall?  

Why did some of the disciples protest? The mindset was that Jesus should not be entitled to a luxury since he was one of them (of the people); the view was that only the corrupted priests and Romans indulged in riches. But looking at the whole picture, Jesus never had luxury. He and his disciples always stayed in the homes of other people while preaching and ministering. The mentality of the disciples was that it would be a sin to not give as much as possible to the poor! They felt a social responsibly and concern to feed and take care of the poor. This is a compassionate mindset, but Jesus can make the exception to the rule if He wants to!

Take note that this acceptance of the perfume was the only luxury Jesus ever accepted and it was to prepare him for his death and burial! This action was to allow a poor sinner woman to make things right and give all she owned to Him as well. So, is anything wrong with accepting one nice gift before dying? Nothing! When the disciples heard Him say the word ‘burial’, they should have questioned, burial? Yours? What? Explain this please! But instead, they, like most of us as humans are, were more focused on the material aspects of the matter rather than the spiritual. 

4. Today sadly, many religious leaders and governing officials think that wealthy gifts to them should be the rule rather than the exception! I’ve seen a few disturbing sermons on TV where the preacher says, ‘God is touching someone here to lay $50,000 on the altar right now!’ What!? A sad truth is my mother even had a friend that gave a televangelist preacher all her savings! So, this selfish mindset is opposite of that of the disciples, the disciples wanted to give all the income to the poor as customary. Materially focused people, are heartless! They collect all the millions of the country for their selves, while the millions of people under them are in survival mode! God’s judgment soon will reverse this picture though, as the poor and humble will inherit the earth! 

Is it God who speaks to some shameless proud person preaching a distorted gospel so that he could keep getting richer? No! We need to expose this evil! James 4: Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Please, everyone expose these ever increasing false prophets and false churches or those not Christian will think we agree with these types of beliefs, deceptions and exploitations! 

And we must keep up with the outcry over the evils in our governing bodies as well. What an injustice it is that evil people involved in scandals, like those of the IRS and NSA who targeted, harassed, and persecuted opponents, most of them conservative and Christian, for political and financial gain do not get punishment after gaining their wealth, but rather these same employees keep getting mega millions in bonuses! Just keep claiming Psalm 37 over all the injustices in the world! Fraud and theft is always out of control without correction!

5.  Basically, some people are like stars emitting energy, life, and light to all while other people are like black holes, sucking in and destroying light, life, and everything in their path! The phrase, “For ye have the poor with you always”, can be taken in 2 ways, to imply we always do have the responsibility to take care of them that they are always going to be present, or to the contrary as others have suggested that since the poor will always be around, we don’t need to worry about them, just let them be while we enjoy our wealth! The compassionate context still remains considering the context of all the Bible.

Jesus continued on and said, “And whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always”. Jesus made it clear the poor are a part of the mission. He fed the 5,000 with fish and bread, and He never collected any wealth nor owned a home and He had no place to lay his head except in the homes of strangers.

Never accept the lie that Jesus was wealthy and this justifies any of us becoming uncompassionate as evil human nature aspires. Here is a good verse to live by, Proverbs 30: 8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: 9 Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.

6. Ecclesiastes 10:20 Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter. We have to be thankful in the end for those that have riches and can provide work for thousands in the cities. 

I am not sure how many of you have worked in a factory like I have but the divide between the workers and the upper management is usually quite drastic. Many people curse those who have a higher position of authority and more income. The person in management went to college and rightly deserves a higher position and more income with more administrative knowledge but many people don’t see it that way.

The nature of fallen man full of envy, jealousy, and pride causes him to believe he is better than others and knows what to do. So many people do not know their limitations and they do some terrible things to others quite often. In a steel factory where I worked one time I recall people mumbling insults about the bosses and being rude to them, purposely messing things up for them when they could.

7. Today we live in a confusing world concerning who is responsible for who. Jesus did require that the rich ruler must practice compassion. Luke 18:22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. 

It is the responsibility of Christians to care for the poor and to do all things with love for them. Consider Proverbs 28:27 He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse. 

8. In the last century we are experiencing grave hypocrisies and practices when it comes to caring for the poor. Satan desires to usurp the role of the merciful compassionate Christians in caring for others. Communism does not share the wealth but rather shares poverty and only the high officials get to own the luxury, and they got it by the point of a gun barrel. It is the anti-thesis of compassion! 

Satan, through murderous ruthless dictators wants to show he cares for the poor by implementing his copied-from–the-Bible ideologies. The disciples first had it right. He is an imitator, and all he seeks is to rob, destroy, and kill. Acts 2:44-45

44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. 

Recall also Jesus words in Mat 25:35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 25:36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. 25:37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 25:38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?

8. Sharing the wealth on earth is Jesus’ idea and He deserves the glory for being the savoir of the poor and he will save the rich as well if they repent. We conclude that all governments throughout all history have a terrible record for providing for the poor and doing what they say they will. They collect the wealth keep most all of it and then make everyone else stand in long lines for bread!

The rich will always exist until Jesus returns, and we should never envy the headaches they have! Proverbs 17:1 Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife.

Only Jesus had the right solution, to share all things in love as He and His disciples did. What did Jesus tell his disciples, those that had shared their personal wealth for the cause of preaching the gospel?  Matthew 19:29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. 

Be generous to help those in need! Don’t envy the rich either! Only desire this: Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Jesus Taught Us How to Think. Do you think as He does?

Jesus Taught Us How to Think. Do you think as He does?                                    Kelly Durant

 

Mark 4:2 And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine

 

2. In a group training we had to prepare leaders a few years back we had the privilege of having a person who had a degree in management techniques. Her name is Pat Forrero and she had a lot of experience with the Detroit factories, having been a liaison between the workers and the management. In one class she wrote a statement, something like this that a person at the workplace might say, “I killed my boss and put his body in the refrigerator!” 

 

She asked the group, “What will you answer your friend?” Many said, Yeah, I’d like to kill him too!”, Some said, “Yeah, he deserves to die for the way he treats us!” And actually no one took the sentence serious at face value that it was time to call the cops! She made a point, that many times we do not make our brains process the seriousness and gravity of what people express. We must process, analyze, and react to what is being said.

 

Why am I bringing this up? Because very few people process in depth what they are thinking. Often our minds are simple and we don’t want to compare one thing to another because it takes brain work. But to just go with the flow, like a cork on the water, will always put you the place of the ignorant who usually end up in danger or being taken advantage of.

 

3. Most of us are familiar with these verses, but can you pinpoint a moment in time when you made the switch from thinking one way to thinking in the new way? Romans 12 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

 

So, what does a renewed mind look like? It would be one that has absorbed all of Jesus words in the gospels and applies those precepts, parables, and wisdom as a filter to discern and perceive all current things happening in our world.

 

A mature, holy, loving, compassionate, new creature in Christ will reveal that they have the same character and reactions as Jesus had. For example, Jesus highlighted that the ones who were supposed to know God (the Jewish class in his day) were not always the ones that were obedient, compassionate, & caring. The Good Samaritan brings this out as the hero was a Samaritan, a group of people hated by the Jews, but obviously not by God because he was deemed to be a lifesaving hero. 

 

4. There are ways in Jesus’ reactions we must consider, and these reaction reveals His mindset. He had compassion on sinners, tax collectors, and prostitutes because they had contrite hearts recognizing their sins, being sorry for them. If someone is repentant and sorry, we can see why God’s grace appears to bring them forgiveness, reconciliation, and healing.

 

It seems like Jesus had love for everyone, for the children, for women, for the outcasts. But who did Jesus have disdain for? For the scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites! The false leaders, being blind and leading others to be blind is something highly offensive! Hypocrites are leading others to hell!

 

Jesus became furious with them as they had transformed the worship of God into a Satanic traditional ritual with no heart and soul killing anyone’s interest in wanting to know the true loving Father. It angered Jesus and it should anger us too!

 

5. Another time that Jesus was so upset he because violent, as that was the only way to stop what was happening, was when he went to the temple and they had turned it into a market for exploiting money out of those who came to worship God. 

 

He overturned the money changers, that shows He was at war with the exploitive, false system of religiosity. Matthew 21:12 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”

 

Jesus, having the nature of God as presented in the Old Testament, was loving, always doing miracles to alleviate suffering, but for those inflicting suffering (and in the name of God!) His only expression was wrath. Keep that in mind.

 

6. Do the majority of those in society think like Jesus does? In the past, when the nation was more Christian, and 90% went to church it can be statistically proven we had fewer crimes, more sanity, and healthier communities. It is sad that the world’s systems are so anti-Christ, and being taught values that are diametrically opposed to God’s values.

 

I suggest you might research what we call the ‘dumbing down’ of the education system in America is all about. On purpose the text books highlight certain issues, while ignoring major ones that have much more relevance. Shockingly, we have discovered that since the 1940s, the education system has been more about indoctrination than the education of reading, writing, and arithmetic. 

 

Our children are taught evolution as fact (it cannot have facts with no evidence), and that some people are permitted to be exalted more than others. In the name of equality, certain minorities have privileges, and bullying, not doing schoolwork, and promoting political agendas put certain weak-minded folks in a protected class of their own. No wonder kids hate school, it is an oppressive system of hypocrisy. 

 

7. The only way we can survive not having our minds explode over all the hypocrisy in society is to have a solid foundation in the Word of Jesus Christ. Isaiah 26:3 You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.    Psalm 119:165

Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble.

 

Jesus gave us this: John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

 

To have the mind of Christ do what you know to do and that is to ask “What would Jesus do?” Do you have the doubt on something, search it in scripture. Do a Bible study! It is not hard to find the will of God on decisions, thinking, and solutions, the Holy Scriptures have all the answers in them. 

When Will You Ever Be Happy? Is Criticism Necessary?

When Will You Ever Be Happy?             By Kelly Durant    4-29-12

Matthew 11:18-20

18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.”

 Once a man and his son were walking to the market with their donkey.  A countryman noticed that the donkey was walking alongside them and laughed, “You fools, what is a donkey for but to ride upon?!”

So, the man decided to put his son on the donkey and they went on their way. A little while later they passed a group of men. One of them said, "See that lazy youngster, he lets his father walk while he rides."

The man then ordered the boy to get off, and got on himself. But they hadn't gone far when they passed two women. One of them said to the other, "Shame on that lazy lout to let his poor little son trudge along."

The man didn't know what to do at first. He thought and thought and finally decided to put his son up in front of him on the donkey.

Soon they reached the town. There too the passers-by began to jeer and point at them. The man stopped and asked them what they were scoffing at. The people said, "Aren't you ashamed of yourself for overloading that poor donkey?"

The man and the boy got off. They had to think of what to do all over again. At last they had an idea. They took a long pole and tied the donkey's feet to it. Then they raised the pole to their shoulders and carried the donkey upside down. 

They went along amid the laughter of all who met them till they came to the market bridge. The donkey accidentally got one of his feet loose and kicking out, caused the boy to drop his end of the pole. In the struggle that followed, the poor donkey, with his forelegs tied together, fell over the bridge and drowned.

When you try to please everybody, you won't please anybody. Oh, the Critics!

Some people are never happy with anything in life! Actually, we can conclude by the way some people complain about things that they would not even be happy in heaven!

Imagine someone in heaven trying to rebuke Jesus and his leadership ways.  Do you think God will tolerate opinions, criticisms with carnal reasoning in heaven over his kindness to sinners?  No! So why do some think we should tolerate it here on earth? God will purge out all our sin of discontentment if we will just let Him! Critical dry grumpy people don’t have much of the good fruit of the spirit!

Did you notice how in Jesus’ time some people had such audacity, such disrespect, such rebellion that they would criticize Jesus actions?  The verses show Jesus getting criticism from others for loving inclusively all people, even sinners.

V. 18 They said, “John had a demon”, why since he was holy and good? John the Baptist represented the law and people did not want to have to obey the law in a way that included repenting from being bad. They just wanted to do rituals and hope to buy God’s appeasement. John had the old law, but he was offering something new, a way to make it up with God, a public baptism to symbolize a new start with God and a repentance to obey the law better from then on. 

No one could do all the requirements of the law so John was preaching, “Start over, just declare publicly that you are a sinner, that you can never be perfect and repent by a washing of the spirit (by water)for God’s kingdom is here.  

You would think many people would have been happy right then with a new chance? But John was strict, he required that the people be holy and live the sacrificial holy lifestyle, one of self-control, no drinking of alcohol and partying and having fun, no eating for pleasure either; a total submission to the law in a holy vow of sacrifice.  This was radical conservatism with high demand.

But did his preaching work and get people to live holy lives? It did with some, but it did not make happy the majority. The people wanted an alternative.

Now let’s consider Jesus’ way which was different. Remember Jesus never baptized others with water! He got baptized so that heaven would open so to others it would be revealed that John’s ministry had ended at that point. 

John, the most holy man on earth, but honored and worshipped Jesus as Holy and he declared to worship Him now as He would baptize you with the Holy Spirit! That is our symbol of the Salvation Army flag, the fire baptism of the Holy Spirit!

So contrary to John you would think that Jesus would have become widely accepted and praised after everyone met Him since he was a people person, a socializer, a party-er, and not a hermit in the desert but one who would share the food & drink with any sinner.  His first miracle was making wine from water!

So, Jesus was not demanding a water baptism, nor a strict following of the law. But did he get so popular with the simplicity of a gospel? He just loved people and said to, “repent and sin no more” and “love God and your neighbor as yourself”!

No! Jesus was criticized too! John was harsh and strict and they said he had a demon! Now that is quite a heavy insult for a holy man! Jesus is merciful to bad people and requires no rituals, just a repentance, and no one was happy with that either! They labeled him dirty (and having a demon too) for having dirty friends and a drunk for sharing meals with sinners! For sure they laughed and had fun! 

So, what is God’s lesson? Nothing makes most people happy! Neither the strict condemning types, nor the fun loving love the sinner types! We hear ignorant opinions all the time against good people in the news and within the churches

Unhappy people always want an excuse as to why they are not happy with you and not submit to authority, and this includes God’s ordained authority. People of this complainy nature never admit they are wrong; they always point the finger to the authority to say it is wrong. But they will be surprised in the final judgment!

Think back, in Jesus time it must have been like today, some people must have sincerely repented and never gone back to their old sins and were saved and content. Others who were just following the group, did the baptism just to be in with the crowd. The baptism gave them a warm feeling for a week or more but then went back to being their same old sinful behavior. It was the same then as it is today! With harshness or with mercy some people always remain discontent!

Criticisms always abound in the church.  People may talk, the Captain is too nice, he lets people do whatever they want.  I will admit, it is true, I am a “yes man” but I do say “no” to things obviously wrong. I do say “yes” to include all kinds of people to participate in anything we can offer.  I was a sinner once and know the rejected feeling. I just want all sinners to convert by knowing we love them. 

Let’s give a chance to the new ones, I want to give chances to drunks as William Booth did, and even more chances again with the hope that each person will and grow in their faith in Jesus. But people behind your back will always talk trash. They may be angry at me that I would waste my time with a person they despise. But Jesus rejected only the condemning hypocrites, and never the sinners! 

I live with myself having the fame of loving people and being flexible and being a lover of strange cultures and an accepter of the extreme humble, of the rejected people. This is how Jesus has used me for 36 years now! It is my personality to encourage and love even the sinners who are abusers of my generosity. I am not ignorant, I know when people are using or abuse me. But returning love back, isn’t this what Jesus implied referring to putting coals of fire on a person’s head?

Forgive me for using myself as an example, but I have heard people judge me dozens of times, ‘Oh, he is a soft leader and needs, what we need is someone to come in and put their fist down and put all the people in their place!’ Really?  The mentality of everyone needs to get-it-socked-to-them always backfires. It is God’s fist that will come down on the ones who are the grumpiest making all the noise with their unsolicited opinions! Corrections first should be for the ones unjustifiably critical! Critics speak up to try to impose their influence excusing their bad self! 

Matthew 7:2For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

Well, you may have had “no to everything” leaders in the past and I am certain it was unpleasant, (I know I hate it!) and what if you have to live with that leadership style in the future? I pray you never do have to suffer under the small-minded dictator type. Already in politics, and in our jobs, and in the world, we get enough of the power trippers already. “No” people are impossible wanting all control!! 

The sad reality is in the world most churches I have seen have pastors who are the dictator types controlling everything as a one man show, telling everyone what to do, and often this is to serve their personal needs. This is an injustice of oppression amongst Christians. False start up churches that are not representing Jesus’ love but a legalism of their own device for their own prosperity! Their abuse needs to be denounced and their churches abandoned.

Observe that the critical types, the harsh disciplinarian types usually have few followers of them in Christ.  They usually are avoided and for good reason. After all, who wants friendship, advice, and instruction from someone they know is not loving and merciful? Being overly strict breaks the spirit and even can cause many to stumble in their Christian Walk. People who say “No” to everyone, never listening to councils represent the old way made obsolete by Jesus!

I have served many times in my life under legalistic leaders that say “No” to everything and I can witness they usually have little or no fruit for Christ! What is better, “yes” leaders or “no” leaders? What is needed is the wisdom to know when to apply the yes or the no, but for a leader to be always be difficult and problematic just because a few people need some stronger rules applied is wrong as the majority of people and the sinners deserve mercy and love.

“So wisdom is justified by her children.” (vs 20)  What it amounts to, and always remember this, when people should be under conviction to change their hearts by the leader’s message yet they refuse, they will then excuse their selves and then pass criticism on to the leader! They tear down to build their selves up!

They excuse, “There are others who criticize, the leader is the bad one!”  These unhappy ones did it to John and to Jesus! The ones with demons accused the righteous ones of having demons! How this futile judging and excuses! Confront others: Let’s talk about how bad you are for always being unhappy for a change!

There are some people who all their lives have been seeing everything wrong in everybody else, always harshly criticizing leaders and others. Like criticizing a person on a unicycle that they move back and forth too much to stay up when they have never tried it and if they did, they would fall and hit their head! Critical people make up excuses for their pride, lack of repentance, and change! Notice that critical people over time always criticize all leaders and everyone around them! They are gossiping to you now, then they will gossip about you later!

Whether the leader is like John or Jesus, hard or soft, whether he is demanding the people do things for their selves or he does them for them, it does not matter. The discontent critic will always justify their selves and find fault in the other person and never find faults within their own selves. People with no personal peace with God always bring conflict!

Expose the critics in your homelife amongst your own family as well! The truly holy and loving people who often do the most good are quite often attacked the most and made fun of the most by others as the gullible ones doing favors. The critical ones are really the bad ones though as they accuse the good ones of being stupid, impossible, or evil a demon! It is like Cain and Able, the bad one hates the fact that the other one (brother) is authentically good and they want to pull you down to their level!   

Do you have the conviction to just be happy in Jesus now? Pray to stop the habit of having the unhappy critical attitude. Do something positive, don’t just run your mouth, get involved and help fix it! Show mercy & love as Jesus did over & over!

Will you accept the authority of Jesus leadership style of love and mercy and of doing good to sinners without the criticisms? Many of you here have a true love from God in your hearts and have proof of this love and made many friends, while others who often have sour comments seem to not have many friends. Ask yourself; am I critical of too many things? Am I harsh always wanting to see others punished? Pray and ask God to help you to be merciful as you want mercy, loving as you want love, and submissive to authority as you desire respect as well.