A Story of Two Sons

A Story of Two Sons

Also called the “The Parable of the Prodigal Son” or “The Parable of the Lost Boy”, Luke 15:11-32 NKJV.

I’ve heard many teachings on the prodigal son, his repentance, and his father’s love and acceptance of his return. Their comparison to us the sinner and GOD the Father, I’ve also heard a few on the older brother’s reaction to the return of his brother. The following is my understanding of this parable.

“Then He said, ‘A certain man had two sons, and the younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.” So he divided to them his livelihood.” This shows that both sons were of an age that if they wanted they could go out on their own and the younger son wanted to. Now the father was under no obligation to support his younger son if he left the family home and business, but he had to know that if he gave the younger son his inheritance he would leave home. Jesus’ introduction tells us two things; the family business was doing well and the younger son did not want to work when he could be living the “good life”. He might not have been lazy but he did not care about the family business and did not want to work it, he doesn’t seem to be influenced by friends because he left home and community. “And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.” We are not told how long that took.

We understand prodigal living as self indulgent or wasteful living, filled with sinful behavior.  Whatever he was doing he wasted his possessions and was soon broke. Then followed his second real life test, the one that would prove if he was his father’s son or a reprobate son. He had failed his first real life test by wanting and wasting his inheritance without earning it by supporting his family and working the family business. “But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land and he began to be in want. Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.”

“But when he came to himself,…” we do not know how long that took, days ,weeks, months, but at some point good reasoning returned. “…he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!’” This is the critical point in this young man’s life, he could go home and expect his father to take him in and provide for him and he had no reason to think his father wouldn’t. Or, he could go home in humility and repentance which those who know this parable know he did. So he failed his first life test but passed the second. “’I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’ And he arose and came to his father.”

I do not remember hearing this section taught this way but I believe the important part is his recognition of the fact that he had sinned against GOD! He did not sin against his father because his father had freely given him the inheritance, how he used it was now his business. The man’s sin was against GOD because he did not live his life and steward his possessions as he knew GOD expected him to.  Remember this is a Jewish parable therefore the Jews hearing it would understand this point. As Christians we should also understand this critical point. I have heard many teaching of this parable relating the father of the sons to Father GOD, while the father reflects the love and desire of our Heavenly Father I do not believe Jesus was making that inference.  The young man’s father is just that, remember the first commandment with a promise is Exodus 20:12, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your GOD is giving you.” Also remember Jesus chastised the religious leaders for perverting it; study Mark 7:9-13 and Matthew 15:1-9. While the son owed honor to his father he did not have to go and repent to his father, but he did want to show his father that he had learned and was repentant before GOD. Part of his repentance to GOD was to show humility and to start earning his way. He knew his father would not be harsh since he knew how he treated his servants and that it would be easier than if he stayed the course where he was, so he made his decision to return home to family.

The other reason I do not believe that the father in the parable represents our Heavenly Father is that our Heavenly Father will never give us our inheritance at the beginning. When we first become a Christian we receive many things, salvation is a complete package of healing, deliverance, sanctification, righteousness, sonship; we are made a new creation, the temple of Holy Spirit, a member of the Body of Christ, but He does not give us our inheritance, He does not sent us in His calling for us, we sets us in His Church where we will learn and grow into the fullness of Christ He has called us to; study Ephesians 4:11-16. Another misunderstanding in the Church is what our inheritance is, it is not anything in this world! We do not receive our inheritance until we leave this world and enter into His Heavenly Eternal Kingdom, this earth and everything in and of it are temporary and will be destroyed. We cannot have or enter into our Heavenly eternal inheritance until we pass from this physical, mortal life.

“But when he was still a great way off his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against Heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’” Wow! I have heard many testimonies of salvation that reflect this type of experience. But, that is not everybody’s experience, my wife had that type of salvation experience but many including myself did not have that kind of salvation experience. What is common in our salvation experiences is that we can all look back over our life and see where GOD was at work in our life and how He pursued us and allowed us to get to the same place that the young son got to, so that we could see our desperate situation and that we had sinned against GOD and that only He could save us and give us a life worth living if we repented and yielded our will to His.

*“And they began to be merry. Now his older son was in the field and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come and because he is safe and sound your father has killed the fatted calf.’ But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.” Our Heavenly Father has never pleaded with any of us to rejoice that a lost brother has come home! The father started a party for his returning son and did not send a servant to the field to tell and invite the older brother? Sorry not Heavenly Father like. “So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I have never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’” The older son obviously has self-righteous issues. He judges his brother without any evidence or talking to him at all. Yet he is also feeling the rejection of his father who seems to favor his younger brother. There are many in the Church who are jealous of others who resent them and speak against them. It is a misunderstanding of GOD and how His Kingdom works on earth and in heaven. I have been both the prodigal son and the jealous son, neither is good and GOD does not want us to be either. Our Heavenly Father loves us all the same, the price Jesus paid for everyone of us is the same. GOD has gifted us all differently and called us to different ministries and purposes but He does not love us differently. Our mortal and eternal rewards are not based on what we do but how yielded and obedient we are.

Remember this parable was being told to those who knew the Law and the covenant GOD made with Abraham, they understood that the father does not represent GOD, but that all three represent them. In the two previous parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin Jesus ended them with these statements, “…there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents…”, “there is joy in the presence of the angels of GOD over one sinner who repents.”, study Luke 15:1-10, but He does not say that at the end of this parable. “And he said to him, ‘Son you are always with me and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’” All three people have weaknesses found in us, believers, but not in GOD! Yes, we should rejoice every time a sinner repents and is saved, yes we should rejoice every time a back slidden believer repents and is restored. But when we have a personal, intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father we cannot be jealous of other believers, we can only rejoice in what GOD is doing in their life.

*As I was writing this section I stopped to talk with my wife Charlene, as I was explaining what I felt the LORD was telling me this morning as I read this parable she told me we had watched a TV minister talking about this parable and saying the same things I was saying a couple of nights before. She does not remember who and I do not remember it at all, I may have fallen asleep as we sometimes watch Christian TV as we are in bed. But I know that over the last several months I have thought about the common teachings around this parable and felt they were lacking in what Christ was saying. We were reminded of our personal experiences 20 years ago and brought to a place of repentance to GOD and forgiveness of others. That is the point of reading, studying, and meditating on the scriptures, so our Heavenly Father can bring repentance, forgiveness, and healing to us.

The Tamid

The Mystery of the Tamid*

It was mid-afternoon. He took me into a chamber in the middle of which was a large golden stone model of the Temple of Jerusalem. We were viewing it from what would have been the Temple’s eastern side, the side closest to the altar of sacrifice.

“’Now this is what you shall offer on the altar,’” said the teacher. He was reciting a passage of scripture. “’Two lambs of the first year, day by day continually. One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight.’ This,” he said, “was the law of the Tamid. Tamid was the name given to the sacrifices that were to be offered every day in the Temple. So each day, the offerings would begin with the sacrifice of the morning lamb and finish with the sacrifice of the evening lamb. All the other sacrifices would come in between the two.”

“Was there a specific ritual to the offering of the Tamid?”

“The morning lamb would be offered up at the third hour of the day. With its death, the Temple trumpets would sound and the Temple gates would be opened. Then at about the ninth hour, the evening sacrifice would be slain and offered on the altar, at which time the sacrifices would be finished.”

“So the morning lamb was offered up at the third hour. What time is that?”

“Nine o clock,” said the teacher. “And when was Messiah crucified? The same hour, nine in the morning. So as the morning lamb was slain on the altar, the Lamb of GOD was lifted up on the altar of the cross, and the trumpets sounded to announce the sacrifice, and the Temple gates were opened.”

“And the evening lamb,” I said, “at the ninth hour, what time was that?”

“Three in the afternoon,” he said.

“Isn’t that when Messiah died on the cross?”

“It was. So the sacrifice of Messiah began with the offering up of the morning lamb and ended with the offering of the evening lamb. And it all took place during the six hours of the Temple sacrifices, in between the two lambs, from the first sacrifice to the last. The Lamb of GOD,” said the teacher, “is all in all, covering every moment, every need, every sin, every problem, and every answer. He is Tamid.”

“You never told me; what does tamid mean?”

“It means continual, daily, perpetual, always, and forever. And so He will be there for you always…and will be your answer continuously, every day, always, and forever. For Messiah is the Lamb, and not only the Lamb…but your Tamid.”

The Mission: Meditate on the fact that Messiah is your Tamid – the covering for every moment of your life – always, and forever, Live accordingly.

Exodus 29:38-39; Mark 15:25-37; Revelation 7:9-17

The Good Friday Sacrifice Mysteries

*The Book of Mysteries; Day 49; Jonathan Cahn; FrontLine; Charisma Media/Charisma House Goup; 2016

Unity in the New Testament

Unity in the New Testament

This is a study of unity in the New Testament, but it has to be established on unity from the beginning!

“In the beginning, GOD created the heavens and the earth. Then GOD said, ‘Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…” Genesis 1:1 & 26a The name of GOD used in the introduction of GOD is the plural form Elohim. (From my studies I do not see any other name of GOD used until Genesis 14.) So GOD establishes His plurality; Father, Son, Spirit; and the theme of unity. We see throughout the Old Testament that there is no conflict or division in the Godhead. “Behold how good and how pleasant it is for the brethren to dwell together in unity!...For there the LORD  commanded the blessing – life forevermore.” Psalm 133:1 & 3b This is the only time in the Old Testament that the word unity is used. It   is to those who believe in the Living GOD and comes with a commanded blessing from GOD. If we are in unity in His Kingdom on the earth which at that time was Israel, He will bless us!

Now the bridge between the Old Testament and the New Testament, the life of Jesus, the only begotten Son of GOD, who was the full embodiment of the Godhead! (Colossians 2:8-10) What does Jesus say about unity? “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them” John 17:20-26 Jesus does not use the word unity but His teaching on being one is the same. He and the Father are one, and He wants us to be one with Himself so that we will also be one with the Father. Here is the blessing of unity that the love that the Father loved Jesus with will be in us and Jesus will be in us! This is eternal life!

The word unity is only used two time in the New Testament, Ephesians 4:3 & 13, “…endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace…till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of GOD, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” Wow! The first six verses of this chapter are about oneness, the same prayer Jesus prayed over the disciples and the future Church in John 17; “…bearing with one another in love…keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace…one body and one Spirit…one hope of your calling…one LORD, one faith, one baptism…one GOD and one Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” Verses 7 thru 10 speak of Christ’s Lordship, power and authority, verses 11 is about the gifts He gave the Church, and verses 11-16 are the purpose of the gifts and the results He expects to see in the Church. 4:16, “from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”

Paul teaches unity in his teachings on the Church as a body of believers likened to the human body and to a building built on Jesus Christ the chief corner stone and foundation. Peter refers to us as being living stones built on Christ The Living Stone. (Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31; Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 2:18-19; Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Corinthians 3; 1 Peter 2:1-10) Paul has a lot to say about love which also is a sign of unity, but John says it best emphasizing what he heard Jesus teach and pray for the Church. In First John he talks about love and abiding saying if we say we love GOD but hate (do not love) our brothers we are a liar, that is a strong statement. He says we need to abide in Christ, His love needs to abide in us, if it does His Spirit abides in us and we are the children of GOD. “If someone says, ‘I love GOD,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love GOD whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves GOD must love his brother also.” 1 John 4:20-21 Study the whole book of First John and 1 Corinthians 13.

Here is the scripture that started this diatribe, 1 Corinthians 1:10-31, as I was reading this passage I started thinking about unity and the Cross, the thought I wrote down was, “Out of unity comes the message of the Cross, or unity is the message of the Cross – Salvation for all! Otherwise we are like the Jews of Jesus’ day.” Study Matthew 23

I have been a Christian since Dec. 8, 1974 and I have never seen unity like Jesus and Paul pray and teach about. I have heard songs and teachings about unity and I have seen attempts at localized unity and some small successes. But for the most part the Church is divided and seems to want to stay that way. Catholics and Protestants rarely join together in prayer, fasting, worship, fellowship, and ministry to the lost and needy. Within these two groups are many divisions, expressions, and ministries that do not often work together themselves.

1500 years ago the Church lost the Middle East and Asia because of its sectarian and political divisions. In the 19^th century the Church lost Southeast Asia while it was expanding its political, economic and religious base in those regions, in the 20^th century the Church lost Europe during the two greatest wars the world had ever seen, now the Church is in the process of losing the Americas while we are electronically taking the Gospel to the world. The good news is that the Church is slowly gaining in parts of Africa, South America and Southeast Asia. As the Body of Christ we have failed to fulfill the commission He gave us, the works of which are preach the gospel in all the world, lay hands on the sick and see them recover, cast out demons, and raise the dead. This will result in making disciples of the nations and making His enemies His footstool.

What will it take to bring us, the Church, to repentance and unity? I do not know – GOD did not tell me. I have a thought, what if it is the arrival of the anti-christ and the great tribulation? It is only a thought I am not forming a new doctrine (actually I think this is a very old doctrine). In my 43 years of being a Christian I have been all over the map on the end times, the rapture and tribulation. I have heard many teachings and read a few books on the subject, but mostly I have read the Bible and I have come to no clear conclusion of the timing of the events, I do believe that everything the Prophets, Jesus, and the Apostles have written is true and will happen. I’m not worried about the order or timing of the events because one of the main themes of Jesus and the Apostles teachings is to know the signs of the times and be prepared so as not to be taken by surprise. I am trying to live my life after the motto of the Boy Scouts, “Be prepared!” 

Judging Our Sin Nature

Judging Our Sin Nature

Sin! Such a hated and misunderstood word. Words have power whether for good or bad so when a word is misunderstood or it’s meaning changed it can cause a lot of grief. We mostly use the word sin to refer to actions that offend GOD and man. It has since the 20^th century become a word of hate and attack against those we are judging; even though we are told not to judge others but only ourself. (Matthew 7:1-6; John 7:21-24; Romans 14:9-13) We will be judged for all of our actions, words, and thoughts; but only the action of rejecting GOD’s Gift of Salvation through Jesus Christ will be condemned to eternal punishment. We will wind up in hell no matter how good and righteous we live if we reject Jesus Christ! (Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 20:11-15)

Sin is foremost personal, the law reveals that we are all sinners and therefore subject to GOD’s righteous judgment. But we are shown that GOD had a plan from the beginning to redeem us to Himself. (Romans 3:19-23, 5:12-21; 2 Corinthians 5:21; John 1:29; Ephesians 1:3-14; Hebrews)

In 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 Paul clarifies the issue of sin in the church verses sin in the world. If we were to not have anything to do with sinners then we would have no reason to be on the earth. Jesus told us to be light and salt to the world. He commissioned His Church to go into all the world and preach the gospel, lay hands on the sick and see them recover, cast out demons, raise the dead, tread on serpents, make disciples of the nations and make His enemies His footstool. So we have to be involved with and in the world but not of the world. (John 17:6-26) Paul was teaching that we should not have fellowship with those who say they are believers yet live as sinners. This is the closest we can get to judging others!

Only GOD has the right and responsibility to judge us, even our judgment of ourself is only valid if we use His standard of judgment. The acceptance or rejection of Jesus Christ is the only true basis of judgment. Everything else is our works and they will be judged by GOD (the sinner) or Christ (the believer). (John 5:19-30; Revelation 20:11-15; 2 Timothy 4:1, 8; Acts 10:42; 1 Peter 4:1-5)

 The Bible says we are born with a sin nature, this is the nature of rebellion that we get from Adam who rebelled against GOD’s only commandment to not do something; eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. So from the moment of conception we are destined to rebel against GOD and therefore receive His just judgment. But since He made us and knowing that He knew that Adam would commit the first sin He made a plan with Christ and the Holy Spirit that Christ would be born as a human and live a sinless life, then give His life as the eternal sacrifice to take away our sin nature; and that the Holy Spirit would then live in each one of us that receive GOD’s gift of salvation to teach us, to lead us, to comfort us, to gift us, and to use us to glorify Jesus Christ in and through our life. They made this plan before the foundation of the earth was laid. (John 1:10-13, 3:16-21; 1 Corinthians 6:17-20; Ephesians 2:19-22)

So if we are a sinner, one who does not believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of GOD, then we will be judged by GOD and self condemned to the eternal lake of fire.

But when we believe and confess Jesus Christ as LORD and Savior then we will receive His eternal reward. (Romans 6:22-23, 10:8-10; John 14:1-3)

The Bride

Who are the friends of the Bridegroom? Who are the guests invited to the wedding and feast of the Bridegroom? Who is the Bride of the Bridegroom?

John the Baptist referred to himself as a friend of the Bridegroom, John 3:22-36, verses 27 through 29 being the key verses, “John answered and said, ‘A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, “I am not the Christ,” but, “I have been sent before Him.” He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled.’”

I have always heard and believed the parable of the 10 virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) was about believers; like the parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-46). But they are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb, they are not the bride. In Matthew 22:1-14, the parable of the wedding feast, the guests were not the bride. So who are the guests? Those who lived and died before the Cross; they awaited Christ and He preached to them in hell and led them forth into His Kingdom. But, they were not and can never be part of the Body of Christ who is the Bride of the Lamb. They are those invited and who prepared and waited for the arrival of the Bridegroom and for the wedding and feast. All of humanity was invited but not all cared or wanted to attend, only those who believed and waited will attend, the rest will be cast in to utter darkness where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth.

So who is the Bride, most believers have no problem understanding that the Church of Jesus Christ is the Bride of the Lamb. The Bride is all believers since the Cross and resurrection of Christ. There is only one Body of Christ, it is also the Bride of the Lamb, it is also the Church. We are not invited to the wedding as guests we are Christ’s focal point of the wedding, the reason for the wedding. All of humanity since the Cross and resurrection have been called to be part of the Body of Christ, the Bride of the Lamb; but many have rejected that call and will killed in the second death along with those who rejected the invitation to the wedding of the Bridegroom and His Bride (Revelation 20:5-6, 11-15; 21:8).

So in Revelation 21 when it says that the Bride of the Lamb is the New Jerusalem and goes into great detail to describe it; why does it not look like us; the Church, the Body of Christ? I do not know, while I can have the mind that was in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5-8) I cannot have the mind of GOD nor His knowledge of all things while I am still in this flesh. But, I know that someday I will be like Him and know Him (1 John 3:1-3).

Unity and The Church

Why is unity so hard for the Church?

The antichrist has no problem of unity!

There are only three sets of scriptures that believers in Christ need to understand to end our division!

Psalm 133, “Behold how good and how pleasant it is for the brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down to the edge of his garments. It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; for there the LORD commanded the blessing – Life forevermore.” NKJV

John 15:9-17, “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another.” NKJV

John 17:13-26, “But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” NKJV

The LORD revealed to David what true unity was. He who spent many years living separated from his family and in a divided kingdom; as the youngest son and keeper of the sheep, as the anointed but not crowned King, as King whose family and friends disobeyed or rebelled against him; he understood the heart of unity and what it meant.

Jesus who separated Himself from His Father by becoming sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:14-21) and taking our punishment on the cross; tells us that if we love Him we will obey His commandments which are to love one another as The Father loves Him and He loves the Father and They love us, so we should love one another!  Study 1 John 2:3-11; 4:7-21.

Why is that so hard for most believers, if we understand that we are the body of Christ on the earth (1 Corinthians 12:12-31), that we are His Church (Ephesians 5:22-33), that we are the Bride of Christ (Revelation 19:6-9), why do we allow so many stupid things to divide us and keep us in sin. Because it is sin to hate our brother while saying we love GOD.

I am not saying that we must give up our denominations or designations or all be and look the same. That is not what Paul is saying when he describes us like a human body. We all look different enough from each other and so does each expression of the Body of Christ wherever it is. But all of our bodies are meant to have the same parts and appendages, all of our bodies are meant to function the same, just as the Church is. And all of the Church is to function as one Body locally, regionally, nationally, and worldwide. There is only one Church, one Body and Christ is the Head! Study Ephesians 4:1-16; Colossians 2:18-23.

What?

What?                                   2-7-2017

Last night I was watching the main stream media news and they were again deriding President Trump’s ban on travel from 7 nations to the US and how unfair it was and how bad it was for our economy, yada, yada, yada. They also said how many of the US’ businesses, especially our tech businesses were being negatively affected because so many of their employees are foreign nationals working here in the US. They mentioned that some of their work forces are up to 70% non US born and educated employees.

WHAT? 70% of their US based business employees are not US citizens! This is a poor reflection on two big issues of discussion in our country today and is a major reason so many voters including union members turned away from the career politicians. JOBS AND EDUCATION!

JOBS: Two personal points on business and employment, I have always believed in the right of any company to make a profit, but not at the expense of it employees or the quality of its’ product or service. I have worked for some kind of compensation since I was 12 years old. I have worked mostly in labor positions; I have worked in a couple of different types of retail businesses, food preparation and service, general labor, in a warehouse, and in administrative positions in two different types of manufacturing industries. I was in the US Navy from 1970 to 1974 and the US Navy Reserve from 1986 to 1990. In almost every job I’ve had as an adult I’ve worked with people who were not US citizens or served customers who were not US citizens and I’ve never disliked any of them, I hope they can all say the same about me.

Every person in the world wants to earn the highest salary with the best benefits they can to support the lifestyle they want to live, even me. But, they also want to pay the lowest price possible for the products and services that make their lifestyle possible, even me. This is an impossible situation; the cost of employment directly affects the cost of the product or service. We all have to learn to get less and pay more so that more Americans will be employed at a livable standard. This means that companies and shareholders must also be willing to have a lower profit margin so they can produce a high quality product at an affordable consumer price that yields a reasonable profit.

We all understand that companies purchase foreign made products and send production of products out of the country because of lower labor costs, fewer regulations, fees and lower taxation. Creating lower labor costs is the responsibility of the laborers, the unions, and the employers. Working together a reasonable wage and benefit package can be put together that will benefit both the workers and the employers. This will result in an affordable product or service and generate a reasonable profit for owners and shareholders. The keys words are reasonable and affordable!

Regulations, fees, and taxation are the responsibility of governments; federal, state, county, city, and municipal. Currently every level of our government is costing US jobs by over regulation, unreasonable fees and taxation so that they will have more money for their budget. This does not benefit business or labor, or the economy, because it causes fewer and smaller businesses with fewer wage earning employees who have less money to spend and therefore there are lower sales and business tax revenues for the government. This also results in more families needing government assistance (of which I and my family have needed to partake). This cycle is non-productive and destructive to both the family and the local government. Everybody (individuals and governments) is borrowing but unable to repay, this is one of the reasons that we have such large debts as families and governments.

Safety and quality have to remain a high priority of employers, employees, and governments. But, when regulations and their fees hinder the reasonable profit that all three groups want and need then they need to be changed. We do not need to give up safety or concern for our environment to achieve these results, but no one issue should create unreasonable costs that keep us in our current situation.

EDUCATION: (The preamble section is long so that those who do not know me will have a better understanding of the experiences that formed my views.) I am a product of public education! I did not go to kindergarten because it was a pay per rather than a requirement when I grew up in Texas during the 50s and 60s. For the most part I did not like school. In the first grade I averaged straight Ss, in the third grade I was held back because I was “inattentive”, in the sixth grade I averaged straight As, in the eighth grade I almost failed because I had skipped so many days, in the eleventh grade I was repeating tenth grade English and Biology and I was failing most of my classes including PE. So in April of 1970 I was eighteen and I dropped out of school and joined the Navy. When I was going through the process of withdrawing from school one of the coaches asked me why, the only teacher that did, I told him, “I was tired of the stupid rules.” (In Texas we still had dress and grooming codes). He must have laughed about that for years. About five months later while I was in transit at Great Lakes Naval Base I went and took the High School GED battery of tests, I did not study or prep for them in any manner. In June of 1971, one month after my graduating class had crossed the stage and received their diplomas my Texas High School Equivalency Diploma was issued while my ship was off the coast of North Vietnam, (at that time Texas did not issue GEDs). After I got out of the Navy and moved to California, I have taken random classes at two of the local community (Jr.) colleges.  My wife’s experiences were also not happy, she went to public school from kindergarten on here in southern California, in the ninth grade she had a bad experience, in a Performing Arts class a teacher who had a favored student gave my wife’s grade to her favored student and everyone in the class knew it, all the teacher said to my wife was that she did not deserve the grade even though she had done the work and the other student had not participated in the project at all. In music my wife had a good voice and could sing well but she could not read music. When the teacher gave her an assignment that required her to be able to read music my wife was embarrassed and quit. Neither the teacher nor a counselor reached out to her or asked her why. My wife was dyslexic and considered slow or stupid rather than being worked with. Our son attended public school here in Southern California until his Jr. (11^th) year when we put him in a private Christian school. He then attended a local community college where he was certified in a medical program for a field he just retired from this year. He continued his education through the years and always enjoyed learning. Our daughter went to public school in Florida where she lived with her father, we don’t know anything about her experiences other than she did not like school. Our oldest grandson went to a private Christian school from pre-school through the third grade. He went to public school both here and in the Tahoe area for grades four through eleven. He did not like school and did poorly during those years. As a senior he is enrolled in a charter home school program where he attends class for two hours two days a week. He does most of his school work on the computer at home, (If they had something like that when I was in school I would have been a straight A student like my grandson now is). Our younger grandson has gone to public school both in the Philippines and for the last several years here in southern California, he was not doing well here. He is now in the eighth grade in a public charter school in Texas where he is doing well in school and likes going to school.

So what are my views on public education? For the most part it is failing miserably! The classrooms are too large, the teachers are underpaid and overworked; therefore many children are falling through the cracks because they are not parent or self motivated, or they learn differently than others, or have some learning disability. There is also the problem of under qualified and uncaring teachers, this is certainly more visible with the number of teaches of both sexes being arrested for serious charges like selling drugs to students, sexual relations with students and helping students cheat on exams. The schools spend more time teaching children how to have “safe sex” or when that fails how to get an abortion, rather than teaching them life skills such as preparing for life after school, getting a job, financial skills like paying bills on time and saving for the future. There are things that go beyond academics that should be taught to students. Our colleges and universities spend more time teaching students about social revolution rather than the academics they need to be the 70% of the tech companies’ workforce.

I do not blame foreigners for wanting to come to America because of the opportunities available. I blame our public education system that spends more money on administration and infrastructure rather than lowering costs to students. On teachers unions that protect all teachers and tenure rather than making sure their members are the most qualified and motivated available. I blame school districts that still require students to attend poor performing schools because they live close by rather than allowing students to attend better schools within the district or in neighboring districts, thereby causing the poorer schools to improve.

That is why I and so many others are in favor of charter schools and school vouchers. Parents want real choices when it comes to the education of their children since most families cannot afford private schools. This is the only alternative to continuing poor performance by our children in the modern technological world in which the US competes. Colleges and universities must return to teaching academics and not social change if we want our hi-tech jobs to be filled with American workers.

It’s not choice verses public, it’s the two working together to give our children the best education available and our nation the best possible economic future.