Paladin Preacher Podcast

*Audio issue resolved. If you tried listening to the episode previously, please try again as the audio has been restored. Thank you! Stephen, (died 36 CE, Jerusalem), the first Christian martyr, whose apology before the Sanhedrin (Acts of the Apostles 7) points to a distinct strand of belief in early Christianity. His defense of his faith before the rabbinic court enraged his Jewish audience, and he was taken out of the city and stoned to death. His final words, a prayer of forgiveness for his attackers (Acts of the Apostles 7:60), echo those of Jesus on the cross (Luke 23:34). Even though Christian persecution has gone less is our faces and more digital in this new age in most modernized countries, Christian persecution is still spreading widely across the globe as more and more people are converting to Christianity. The West African nation – Africa’s most populous and divided roughly evenly between Christians and Muslims – has been plagued for years by rising sectarian tensions and the Islamist terror group Boko Haram, which most recently was blamed for a massacre of scores of farmers in Borno State. Nigeria joins Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan on the US Department of State’s Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) list, which names and shames governments which have “engaged in or tolerated ‘systematic, ongoing, [and] egregious violations of religious freedom.’” Those nine nations were also on the 2018 and 2019 CPC lists. “Today, the United States, a nation founded by those fleeing religious persecution … once again took action to defend those who simply want to exercise this essential freedom,” stated Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. “… And yet our work is far from complete.” Report by Christianity Today. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/paladinpreacher/message

In our relationship with the Holy Spirit, how would we rate the strength and presence of the Holy Spirit in our life on a scale 0-7? 7 being you are walking arm in arm with Jesus everyday, you're in the word daily, you are praying and talking to God throughout the day, and there is a total and complete friendship with the Holy Spirit. Now, first let me say, I know Jesus would never do what I'm about to hypothetical propose this but let's say hypothetically, Jesus came to you one day as your friend and said, "You know Sally, you haven't been tithing or giving money to the needy. You are aren't really around much for me anymore, your always busy with work and social media, and it just seems like you don't want to have time for me anymore. I think I'm just ready to move on for now." Could you imagine if Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords actually broke up with you because you were never there for him. Can you even comprehend how devastated you would be? actually, I think the better question should be asked, would we even notice he wasn't there? We often tell ourselves yeah I'm saved but I don't really need to make time for him, for prayer, or reading my bible. As long as i love my neighbor and love God, I'm good to go. When you ranked your relationship with the Holy Spirit how do you think your doing now? Going back to the hypothetical, because again this would never happen, but it makes for an interesting thought...what if your relationship you thought was a 5 is really a 0? Are you really walking with the holy spirit or are you already passed the breakup stage because you didn't even notice he was gone? Now back to reality, no more hypothetical, I promise, today anyway. The Holy Spirit never leaves us after we become "acceptors" of Jesus Christ and the Spirit enters our temple but the feeling of his presence can come and go. We may already be feeling like the Spirit of God has left us. It may feel like that for a time but it is up to us to ask for forgiveness so we can continue the relationship and mend our wounded friend, the Holy Spirit. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/paladinpreacher/message

[OPENING PRAYER] Sovereign Lord, you created the heavens and the earth and everything in it. Have mercy on us for you are perfect and we are sinners. Your grace and mercy is unending. Holy Spirit we beg your presence in this place. Allow us the gift of clarity; that we may hear your words today and not our own. Continue to guide us along the path you have laid out before us. Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. The King of Glory, The Lord of Heavens’ Armies, Yahweh. Amen. [INTRO] God strategically chose David born not of favor nor status but a place of low stature and insignificance. Manual labor instead of paid labor. Somebody toughened from their personal experience in the early years of life instead of a one who might have had their commencement into life slightly less challenging, with the slightly more favorable jobs, and a lesser amount of physical labor. Not a silver spoon but a modest wooden cup... A couple of items specifically worth touching on here in verse 11 and verse 12: Verse 11 having to do with being a shepherd and verse 12 has to do with his youth. I think we have some misconceptions about what shepherding is like, especially back at this time. Given our current American culture has gravitated towards automation and industrialization, below is an excerpt about a modern-day shepherd in a third-world country so we have a little glimpse into what a shepherd does in a day. As you read be mindful of a young boy doing all these things by himself thousands of years ago... ...I do want to emphasize, David was not first, second, third, or fourth in line. Coming in dead last in an ancient culture which looked only at the first and second-born a primary indicator through which we see evidence that God will use a “nobody” and make him or her a “somebody” for His divine purpose. Emphasizing this point further we go back to scripture, 1 Timothy 4:12 (KJV), “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/paladinpreacher/message

God strategically chose somebody who wasn’t born in a place of favor but a place of low stature. Manual labor instead of outsourceable labor. Somebody who was tough from their personal experience in the early years of life instead of a brother who had it much easier, with the best jobs, and the least amount of physical challenges. Not a silver spoon but a modest wooden cup. In verse 13 of I Samuel 17, it says the three eldest and most favored by rank went with the King’s men to fight and David returned to his flock. It also says “but David went and returned from Saul” in verse 15, emphasizing the word returned, which is plausible, David and his brothers had already made the journey from their home in Bethlehem to Saul’s location and subsequently returned home. Based on contemporary estimates, the location on the map from Eshtaol (the location of where they believe the battle between the Israelites and Philistines take place) and Bethlehem is approximately 33.3km to 44.4 km (20.69 mi to 27.58 mi) depending on which modern road taken; however, David walked or rode an animal however the latter is less likely. Additionally, the most direct route is over the mountain ridge pass between the two locations. Not a simple feat. This is also, presumably, the same route David took when bringing supplies to his brothers who were on the front lines of the battle (Langfur, 2019). If David wasn’t already a seasoned traveler and incredible endurance athlete from his years of shepherding it is unlikely many men, if any, could endure this type of traveling and daily activity. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/paladinpreacher/message

Why don’t more of we, Christians, annotate our Bibles like we would read works by Steinbeck, Dickinson, Hemingway, or Shakespeare? Sitting in high school and university English class was clearly about engaging literary text in a way involving research, creative thinking, and striving to understand deeper meanings of the words in the context of the time period and culture.

The medical industry’s eureka moment was when they realized the very food, they were serving patients and physicians in hospitals was the very same food placing patients in the hospital in the first place. “U.S. health organizations are calling for hospitals to offer plant-based food options. Two major medical groups in the U.S. are calling on hospitals to end the irony and support patient health with healthy food.The American Medical Association House of Delegates — a group which represents more than 200,000 physicians — issued a policy statement on June 14th at its annual meeting calling on U.S. hospitals to make some changes to hospital food for patients, staff, and visitors: Increase healthful, plant-based meal options, eliminate processed meat from menus, and provide and promote healthful beverages, including getting rid of sugary drinks and sodas.The American College of Cardiology also recently released new guidelines urging hospitals to improve patient menus by adding healthy plant-based options and removing processed meats. The guidelines recommend that “at least one plant-based main dish” should be offered and promoted at every meal. And that processed meats — bacon, sausage, ham, hot dogs, and deli meats — shouldn’t be offered at hospitals at all. They also call for a variety of vegetables and fruits to be served in all hospital cafeterias and on-site restaurants” (Oberst, 2017).We are seeing new healthy food movements sprout out of hospitals around the country. For instance, Dr. Michael Klaper, M.D of Midland Health in Midland, Texas has begun spearheading a new program with the philosophy, “Food Is Medicine.” They have implemented a “new, lifestyle medicine program for their employees incorporating the CHIP model (Complete Health Improvement Program) … The philosophy, "Food Is Medicine" is one Midland Memorial Hospital strongly believes in. As you can tell from the videos…, adopting a plant-based diet has had such a powerful impact on our employees and we believe our community should also have the tools to be successful (Midland Health, 2016).” This medical group has believed so heavily in this program that 2018 will be the third annual Food Is Medicine seminar. They also provide the visitor with all the resources they need to adopt a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle.Additional medical groups of note are adopting a similar strategy include UCLA Medical Center is using organic food. At its cafe, St. Louis Children’s Hospital is offering low-fat, plant-based meals made with no animal products or oils and crafted in small batches by a local company. The University of Vermont Medical Center says it aims to have the most sustainable health care food service in the country. Patients and visitors can enjoy nutritionally dense, minimally processed foods, including a variety of locally produced ingredients. They allow patients to order food when they want it, rather than delivering trays with the same meals at the same time. And the cafeteria serves fresh, organic ingredients and multiple vegetarian options. Another positive development at hospitals are either gardens or farmers’ markets. For example, Stony Brook University Hospital, in Stony Brook, N.Y., has a 2,242-square-foot organic rooftop garden that supplies vegetables and herbs for patient meals. Several Kaiser Permanente Medical Centers in California are teaching their staff about plant-powered eating to pass along information to their patients (Oberst, 2017).According to a 2015 study published in the journal Preventive Medicine Reports, hospital gardens created for staff, patients, and the community could lower rates of obesity in communities they serve and reduce public health disparities by providing members of the community’s greater access to fresh, healthy, plant-based foods. “Regional distribution of gardens was relatively even, with the greatest number located in the Midwest. The South, a region with favorable growing seasons and the highest levels of obesity and preventable chronic disease in the US (May et al., 2013) had the second-highest quantity of healthcare-based gardens. As part of comprehensive approaches to address chronic disease, it is possible that multiple healthcare institutions may benefit from establishing community gardens” (George, Rovniak, Kraschnewski, Hanson, & Sciamanna, 2015).The Healthier Hospitals program is a call-to-action for an entire industry. It is an invitation for health care organizations across the country to join the shift to a more sustainable business model, and a challenge for them to address the health and environmental impacts of their sector. By creating a collaborative setting that engages all stakeholder groups and gives each individual player the tools they need to succeed, HH has created a platform to help health care organizations affect widespread, meaningful change — and measure their impact. Through the collaboration of world-renowned industry experts, HH has developed and is proud to feature a suite of tools intended to make the fulfillment of this mission as easy as possible (Healthier Hospitals, 2012).More and more of the medical community are coming to the realization about what their patients are eating in the hospital is completely counter to providing the patient with the optimal nutrition to prevent the illnesses they are being treated for. Shilpa Ravella, MD, an assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University, states in her blog post “the science linking a poor diet to illnesses like heart disease and cancer is robust. This past October, the World Health Organization released a report placing processed meat in the highest-risk category for carcinogens and declaring red meat “probably carcinogenic.” Meanwhile, the latest dietary guidelines from the U.S. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion emphasized the health value of plant foods” (Ravella, 2016)“As medical researchers discover more about the foods that keep our bodies well, many hospitals continue to serve foods that promote disease. Last year, the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), a nonprofit group composed of 12,000 doctors, issued a damning report about the healthfulness of hospital food in the U.S. Of the 208 hospitals surveyed, 20 percent housed fast-food restaurants like McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A, and Wendy’s on their campuses. And in a study led by Lenard Lesser, a family medicine physician at the University of California, San Francisco, and an advisor on hospital food environments for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 98 out of 233 university-affiliated teaching hospitals (around 42 percent) had at least one fast-food franchise on campus. Lesser’s findings were similar to another report published in JAMA in 2002, which found that six of the top 16 hospitals in the U.S. housed fast-food establishments” (Ravella, 2016)The medical community is a great litmus test for looking at our own health and diet in the Christian community. How often do we carry the very food items in our church café or snack stands the medical community to turning away from? If a secular industry can embrace the idea of whole-food, plant-based meals why is it so hard for us as Christians to do the same? As a result, we need to take a hard look at the way churches are feeding their congregations and their communities. Going a step farther, before preparing and serving meals to the military, to orphans, widows, the downtrodden, or the homeless, we should be evaluating whether or not we are serving healthy food to enrich their bodies.Therefore, as Christians, we are called to hold one another accountable in all aspects of the Christian life. Being in the community as a Christian is not limited to carrying heavy physical or emotional burdens on Sundays or in our small-group bible studies twice a month. If we are starting off our gatherings from a place of weakness by what we consume how can we expect to be attentive and functioning in a way gratifying God and helps us connect with our community at a deeper level. We have forgotten our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who dwells within us, which has been sent by God. We have to remember this body we are given is not our own, but it was a lent to us by God to carry out the work he has in store for us. We are the stewards of the body and the temple of the Holy Spirit but the current way we look approach caring for our bodies, as Christian men are broken.In the beginning, when God created food for us to eat, he provided all of the trees, fruits, and herbs pleasing to the eye and good for food. We need not want for more because it was already there for us. As sin began to enter the world and death came into existence, eating meat from animals was by choice without God. With God providing all of our food needs, there is no necessity for meat. Unfortunately, our culture has adopted the idea to primarily rely on meat for protein and nutrients. We’ve fallen into a diet and health routine because it’s how we’ve been told to do it all our lives and we have been given the tools to recognize how it can be changed for the better. As Christians we have to re-define consumption to include food consumption along with other forms, guarding our whole body against all forms of attacks from Satan whether they be physical, emotional, auditory, visual, and spiritual. How many small battles can we take back at the dinner table for ourselves, our families, our friends, and our communities?As a Watchman for God’s kingdom, we cannot disregard the knowledge of protecting our temple fortresses. Satan wants to tear down the walls of the temple even if it means one individual at a time. We see this struggle even from a secular perspective as the trend of obesity has been steadily increasing in both children and adults despite many public health efforts for improvement. We still find ourselves wrestling with most health issues that are preventable. If our individual health is diluting the Body of Christ’s health, how much more is Satan attacking our lives and our spiritual well-being? The Body of Christ is only as healthy as the unhealthiest part of the body, then the individuals making up the Body of Christ collectively need to be healthier. Dealing with our overall health is less about ourselves and more about how we are helping others get and stay healthy. We make decisions every day affecting multiple facets of our life, through which, we dictate how we will carry out our responsibility to the Holy Spirit; as well as, the Body of Christ. We need to radically change the way we, as Christians, view diet and health in our church and community culture.Even though we have read the verses saying things are safe and acceptable to eat. We know this was in regard to the Laws of Moses not as something healthy or as something we must rely upon. Therefore, with modern science and technology, we can deduce what healthy is for our bodies, even though, it is permissive or clean to eat all things under God’s Law.Fasting gives us the opportunity to realize what we think we desire is to be closer to Jesus. Our desire to be fulfilled comes from the Lord and not from the things bringing us satiation. Fasting removes food as the basis for reliance on God but it also encompasses other areas of our life when we can experience a fast, whether it be physical things, material items, hobbies, security, sex, alcohol, drugs. Fasting is used in times of sadness and fear to prevent us from turning inward. Instead, we turn outward to God for guidance and strength. The war of attrition is won through the hearts and minds of the warriors. We either stay connected to the source which gives us the strength, or we fall down. As Christian we join God in our place of fasting; in order to, wait on the Lord and let Him reveal his great plan to us.We are seeing new healthy food movements sprout out of the secular hospitals around the country adopting a plant-based diet to positively impact their employees and providing the surrounding community with the tools to be successful. As a church, we should be enacted strategies and tactics to follow their example by adding nutrition and food health to the current outreach efforts. As we see the medical industry as a whole calling this movement into action, how much more wonderful would it be to see Christians following suit. More and more of the medical community realize what patients eat has a direct correlation to the overall health of the hospital and its community. The Church shouldn’t just be praying for those who fall ill or the misfortune of a bad diagnosis. We should actively seek better ways to feed our church and community. As Christian we need to be proactive, instead of remaining reactive. As Christ-centered communities, we need to take a hard look at where we are now and the trajectory we are on as a whole. As Abraham Lincoln once said, “If we could first know where we are and whither, we are going, we can better judge what to do, and how to do it.”Finally, we must ask ourselves as Christian, are we enriching the Body of Christ or are we losing battles one meal at a time?

How do we justify the way we eat today based on biblical references? I’d like to take a moment and address a few of those verses and dive deeper into the original text and determine what the original texts were referring to and how the new translations of the bible have caused some confusion; as well as, has become the basis as to why most people say we should allow people to eat what they want as long as they are following God’s word.First of all, I think it is important to know when the bible is saying we “should do” something, as opposed to when it says it is “acceptable” to do something. Christians take this as a scapegoat to say God says to do something when in fact it had to do with the old testament laws for cleanliness.20 For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offense. - Romans 14:20 (KJV)20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. - Romans 14:20 (NIV)The original Hebrew text of Romans 14:20, arguably all of Chapter 14, refers to the Jewish tradition of not being able to eat animals declared unclean by God through the Laws of Moses. Now God is saying through the Apostle Paul, not to divide his church on this teaching; to unify the church because God has made everything “clean,” (New International Version) from the Greek, “Kathara [καθαρά],” translated to “acceptable” (New Living Translation). Romans 14 is not referring to it as being healthy or good for our body to consume these things. Therefore, with modern science and technology, we can deduce what healthy is for our bodies, even though, it is permissive or clean to eat all things under the law during the time of Paul and the Romans, written in late 55 - early 56 A.D. or late 56 - early 57 A.D.Furthermore, we see another reference to this same scenario in Acts when Peter has a vision and it is initially unclear what it means but as the story unfolds it is made clear; which is counter to the initial assumption the reader has at the onset of the vision:11 He saw the sky open, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners. 12 In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds. 13 Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.” 14 “No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean.[a]” 15 But the voice spoke again: “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.” 16 The same vision was repeated three times. Then the sheet was suddenly pulled up to heaven. (Acts 10:11-16 NLT)The meaning of the vision explained by the Holy Spirit:17 Peter was very perplexed. What could the vision mean? Just then the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s house. Standing outside the gate, 18 they asked if a man named Simon Peter was staying there. 19 Meanwhile, as Peter was puzzling over the vision, the Holy Spirit said to him, “Three men have come looking for you. 20 Get up, go downstairs, and go with them without hesitation. Don’t worry, for I have sent them.” 21 So Peter went down and said, “I’m the man you are looking for. Why have you come?” 22 They said, “We were sent by Cornelius, a Roman officer. He is a devout and God-fearing man, well respected by all the Jews. A holy angel instructed him to summon you to his house so that he can hear your message.” (Acts 10:17-22 NLT)There is a high likelihood Peter knew and remembered the story of the Rechabites who refused to drink the wine Jeremiah offered them according to the instructions of the Lord and how the Lord used this as a testimony against the men of Judah in Jeremiah 35:1-19. The Rechabites didn’t give in to temptation and neither does Peter. In the same way, Peter’s vision isn’t meant to be taken literally. God wasn’t cleansing unclean animals and making them clean but referring to the Gentiles as the “reptiles” on the clean white sheet. The same Gentiles whom God would deliver at the door looking for Peter in just a few moments. This has nothing to do with the literal meaning of killing and eating all the animals of the world.There have been many commentaries regarding this vision through the centuries and I will be researching the different perspectives. For the sake of brevity, I’ve included an excerpt from the 1857 commentary, Commentary of the Old and New Testaments, by Rev. Joseph Benson, regarding Acts 10:11-14, Peter’s vision, for an additional perspective.“Acts 10:11-14. And saw heaven opened — While he lay in a trance, the heaven appeared to be opened above him, to signify the opening of a mystery that had been hiding. And a certain vessel — Or utensil; (for the word σκευος, here used, extends to all sorts of instruments, and every part of household furniture, of which see on Acts 9:15;) descending unto him as it had been a great sheet — Οθονην μεγαλην, a great linen cloth, or wrapper, an emblem of the gospel, extending to all nations of men; knit — Δεδεμενον, tied; at the four corners — Not all in one knot, but each fastened, as it was, up to heaven; and let down to earth — To receive from all parts of the world those that were willing to be admitted into it. Wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts — The net of the gospel was to enclose persons of all countries, nations, and languages, without any distinction of Greek or Jew, or any disadvantage attaching to barbarian or Scythian, Colossians 3:11. And there came a voice, Rise, Peter, kill and eat — Of what thou seest, without any exception, or putting any difference between clean and unclean; the Lord thus showing him that he might now converse with Jews and Gentiles indifferently and preach unto the latter, as well as unto the former, the word of life; and, at the same time intimating, that the Jewish Christians were, by the gospel, absolved from the ceremonial law, in which the distinction between clean and unclean meats made so considerable a part. But Peter said, Not so, Lord — I would rather continue fasting a great while longer, than satisfy my hunger on such terms; for I see only unclean animals here; and I have never —From my childhood to this hour, defiled my conscience by eating anything common or unclean — Hitherto I have kept my integrity in this matter, and am determined still to keep it. Peter’s words speak his resolution still to adhere to God’s law, though he has a counter command by a voice from heaven; for he knew not, at first, but the words, kill and eat, might be a command of trial, whether he would abide by the sure word, the written law; and if so, his answer, Not so, Lord, had been very proper. Temptations to eat forbidden fruit must not be parleyed with, but peremptorily rejected. Reader, if God by his grace has preserved us from gross sin unto this day, we should use that as an argument with ourselves to continue to abstain from all appearance of evil” (Benson, 1857).Something else to consider; another reference to a clean white sheet we can draw a similarity to is when Jesus was killed on the cross:20 “It was after they hung him on the cross that four Roman soldiers sought to divide the quality clothes Christ wore. Though they almost certainly were not aware of it, they were fulfilling the prophecy found in Psalm 22:18 where David wrote they would part his clothes and cast something to see who won which piece. (the Roman soldiers) took His garments and made four parts, a part for each soldier, and the coat also. But the coat was seamless . . . For this reason, they said to one another, 'Let us not tear it . . . ' They divided My garments among them, and they cast lots for My vesture (John 19:23 - 24) When the soldiers wanted to divide Jesus' coat or tunic, they saw it was not a patchwork of pieces sewn together. Rather, it had no seams, a quality garment that took some time to make. It was the same quality of clothing, woven from top to bottom in one piece, worn by the high priest in Jerusalem's temple. The first-century Jewish historian Josephus stated in his book "Antiquities (History) of the Jews" that the temple's high priest had to wear a vestment colored blue. This clothing was not made by pieces of cloth sewn together, or even two large pieces. It was one long vestment that was parted along with the breast and back” (Whiston & Josephus, 1890).The vision given to Peter was in fact, a reflection of Jesus dying on the cross, saving the sins of every human being on earth, and the fulfillment of the Roman soldiers dividing his seamless and perfect cloak into the four pieces. In this similar way, God was going to use Peter to unite his people and save them.The importance of fasting is paramount. We may be doing well when we are well-fed, but we won’t know the true power of the Holy Spirit working within you until we remove the dependence on food and rely on God to fulfill our needs. There are over 40 verses in the Bible talking about fasting, yet in my experience at church, why have so very few focused on the importance of fasting?Before Jesus left this earth, He told his disciples the importance of fasting. We can read about this in Matthew 9:15, “Jesus replied, "Do wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.” As Dr. Tony Evans puts it in his article The Importance of Fasting, Fasting is the spiritual link between us and Christ while He is not here on earth with us. “We feed the body by eating, but we feed the soul by not eating. Fasting makes the soul a higher priority than the body” (Evans).It gives us the opportunity to realize what we think we desire is to be closer to Jesus. Our desire to be fulfilled comes from him and not from the things bringing us satiation at the moment.Fasting removes food as the basis for reliance on God but it also encompasses other areas of our life when we can experience a fast, whether it be physical things, material items, hobbies, security, sex, alcohol, drugs. It all depends on us and where we are with God. How is God calling us to rely on him during our fast from something? What in your life has been slowly taking over our thoughts and free moments? Lusting after material things is something many of us struggle with, including me. Social media constantly beckons me to see what’s new, what others have, what I need to do with what I have, should I upgrade my gear, or should I buy more of what I already have.When writing this section, I chose to fast so I could more clearly understand the words God had for me and so I could connect with him again in a way I hadn’t in a while. It reminds me of others who relied on fasting to help them re-center their lives in the bible. In Acts 13 and 14 we see the Holy Spirit coming to the people during their time of fasting; in order to, bring forth those whom Jesus has called for his work. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (Acts 13:2). “Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust” (Acts 14:23).Fasting is used in a time of sadness and fear to prevent us from turning inward, we can turn outward to God for guidance. How often we turn to ourselves and become trapped in our own minds of possible bad scenarios or asking why this tragedy occurred. Satan uses these opportunities to tempt us. Satan says, “You don’t deserve this, why would God let this happen to you?” but through fasting and intimate connection with God, God says “Look what I’m going to do for my kingdom through you.” We see this connection with Moses when the Lord gives him the ten commandments, “Moses was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments” (Exodus 34:28). All of the Israelites were fearful of the mountain. Satan used this opportunity to instill fear, doubt, and mistrust in people’s minds. Instead of fasting and growing closer to God they turned inward and succumb to the anxiety of questions: Had Moses abandoned them in the desert? Would he be coming back? We left everything so how would we survive out here? Is this really the God who delivered us from Egypt? Is God even here with us now?How frequently do we have this same sort of fear, the sadness of loss, or anxiety and instead of fasting to grow closer we get caught in Satan’s pitfalls? The war of attrition is won through the hearts and minds of the warriors. We either stay connected to the source which gives us the strength to carry on or we begin to fall off, think of how life would be so much easier if we just gave up or went back to the way things were. The warrior who has the resolve to stay in the fight will not be caught in the pitfalls of the devil. This resolve does not come from our strength within; it comes from God alone. As Christian we are called to join God in our place of fasting; in order to, wait on the Lord and let Him reveal his great plan to us.

A Prayer for Cleansing Psalm 51 (KJV) 1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. 5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive [1] me. 6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. 9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right [2] spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. 13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. 14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, [3] O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. 15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. 16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. 18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem. 19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar. The Warrior and Anti-warrior Being a man is power under control We have the capacity for destruction, but the discipline to produce grace. It’s easy to get angry at someone; it’s far more difficult to have grace Psalm 2:1 KJV - 2 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? Ephesians 4:30-32 ESV - “30 And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” James 1:19-21 ESV - “19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” We can’t act like everybody else because we aren’t like everybody else. We hold ourselves to a higher standard. Questions: What is the cause of anger in men? What do you learn about anger in these passages? What are the consequences of a man quick to anger? What steps can we take to prevent our anger and practice discipline? What is Palaeus Ministry What’s in a Name? Paladin The word paladin is derived from the original Latin word palatinus, meaning “servant,” “government official.” They were often referred to in literary cycles as “The Twelve Peers,” the foremost knights within Charlemagne’s court. We see this written in the literary works such as the Matter of France and the Chansons De Geste. From a further historical perspective, it was a term used to recognize a high-level official of royal courts in Europe; as well as, dating back to ancient Rome or having local authority that elsewhere belongs to a sovereign We, as Christ-followers, have local authority on earth, given to us by our Father in heaven, because of His namesake. In medieval European legend, the paladins were twelve knights and loyal followers of Charlemagne, the king of the Franks, and the founder of the Holy Roman Empire. The name paladin; from a word meaning “a person attached to the court”, implies the knights may have resided at the royal palace. The paladins appear primarily in a series of legends surrounding Charlemagne, his adventures, and the history of the Frankish kingdom. Many were said to play important roles in The Knights Templar and the Crusades. Perhaps the most famous paladin was Roland, the nephew of Charlemagne. Palaiós Originally, the name of this group was going to be “Paladin Defense Ministry” but something about this didn’t feel right. It felt like we were attempting to call it something with a cool name but without a deeply embedded meaning. Asking God to reveal what this ministry should be called we waited patiently for Him to answer. One morning during a commute to work, the word “palaeus” came to mind. It sounded like a made-up word of no meaning or importance; however, this was the name we were given so the name it would be called. Much to our surprise, there was a hit on palayus (spelled phonetically) as the Greek word “palaioß” transliterated as, palaiós (pal-ah-yos') through the NAS New Testament Greek lexicon on biblestudytools.com. It is a Greek word meaning: old, ancient No longer new, worn by use, the worse for wear, old. This word is actually found in the Greek scripture text 19 times, four times throughout the Old Testament and fifteen times in the New Testament: Matthew (3), Mark (2), Luke (3), Romans (1), I Corinthians (2), II Corinthians (1), Ephesians (1), Colossians (1), I John (1) (Smith T. a., 1999). This name seemed suitable because the foundation of this ministry requires unpacking biblical persons, how their history and life story prepared them for God’s ultimate purpose. Debunking the misinformation today that God simply showed up and worked a miracle with no connection to the individuals past experiences seems mislead. The reality is, people’s lives were formed and shaped leading up the moment when God chose to use them and work through them. God has his plan and he forms you as the clay through your life. All of your life experiences were masterfully catered to you by God to form you for the future of the Kingdom. This name seemed suitable because the foundation of this ministry requires unpacking biblical persons, how their history and life story prepared them for God’s ultimate purpose. Debunking the misinformation today that God simply showed up and worked a miracle with no connection to the individuals past experiences seems mislead. The reality is, people’s lives were formed and shaped leading up the moment when God chose to use them and work through them. God has his plan and he forms you as the clay through your life. All of your life experiences were masterfully catered to you by God to form you for the future of the Kingdom. Two Different Types of Understanding - Job 12 “2 With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding. 13 With him is wisdom and strength, He [the Lord] hath counsel and understanding.” – Job 12:12-13 As a paladin, we are the bridges between the ancient world and the modern world helping people cross the chasm between knowing and understanding. Two different types of understanding in the Bible: Oblepo – written in the Greek Bible is translated as a simple observance of facts Horaho - written in the Greek Bible is the seeing, believing, and understanding what the facts actually mean, to see in full comprehension When John sees the empty tomb for the first time, it is written as a simple observance of facts that the tomb was actually empty. In Johns account in the Greek text he uses the word oblepo when he sees it’s emptiness. Also, when Peter goes into the tomb and see the burial linens and no body, he also uses oblepo in his observance (John 20:2-10) John and Peter’s interaction with the empty tomb in their opportunity to examine the empty tomb and the burial clothes, the word used to describe John’s and Peter’s understanding goes from oblepo to horaho, seeing in full comprehension which is the biblical precursor to having wisdom through the power of the Holy Spirit. Where this becomes important and why we are developing this training program is that most people stop at the oblepo version of understanding because their relationship with the Holy Spirit isn’t as strong. The Church today does a great job giving people the facts; covering a good foundation of scripture, relatable stories and metaphors, but where it often struggles is in the equipping of the congregation to develop a stronger relationship with the Holy Spirit and help congregants make the transition from oblepo to horaho understanding, so they can truly grasp what the word of good truly means. That is what we are attempting to accomplish through this training program. Taking individuals from knowing the facts to knowing what the fact means and strengthening their relationship with the Holy Spirit in their lives.

The Harsh Reality of Becoming a Christian They Didn’t teach In Sunday SchoolWhen we became a Christian we were misled to believe everything was going to be easy because God‘s in control. He’s got it covered. You’re going to be fine. Now don’t misquote me, God is ultimately in control of everything but until the second coming and God takes us all up to heaven where our lives are renewed, guess who else has power here?Satan became the prince of this world when he was cast out of heaven and he plummeted to earth with his demonic army of followers and will be the ruler of this domain for a time.There are many benefits of going to church and witnessing the Holy Spirit working in incredible ways, meeting people at the perfect time to bring them to Christ by confess their brokenness and longing for Jesus to enter their hearts as their personal savior. All of this is a victory for God’s KingdomWhat upsets me is the lack of equipping that comes afterwards you say, “I believe.”Churches will typically have a connection service that you opt into to learn more information. It’s a lot like most of us who graduated college and didn’t have a clear direction or job offer right out of school. You’ve received your “I Believe Diploma” but now what do you do?We waste time whether or not to get involved with something we may not feel called to or nothing really equates powerfully enough to the fire that has been lit in your heart when you decide to seek out God.The other option is to spend money on bible study programs being ran through the church but then you feel like your being sold on something that takes advantage of your situation to profit someone else.For those of you who have kids and had a birth in the hospital, remember when you had your baby(s) and they’ve clean them up, nurses came in to do the foot prints and give them their shots… you finally get your child placed back in your arms and what seems like only minutes after you receive your child for the first time… then they walk in.The “Newborn Photography” package salespeople. Lord, bless them.You can barely think straight and now you have to decide whether you want (2) 8x10 Portraits, (4) 4x6s and (8) wallet photos or do I want (1) 9x12 Landscape, (3) 8x10s…Becoming a Christian at Church feels a lot like this sometimes. I think it’s time we start moving away from getting butts in seats for our programs and spend more time equipping people for the reality of what lies ahead.People need to know the truth and not told that if they want to learn more they have to continue jumping over hurdles. I don’t believe Jesus talks laid out this type of introductory structure in the Bible so I don’t understand why contemporary churches have adopted this model over the years.Reality of a BelieversWhether you consider yourself more mature in your faith or a new believer, before you became a Christian who’s team are you on? Satan’s team. Do you understand what happens when you change sides in the midst of the battle?Does he sit around and say, “Well shoot, sorry fellas, looks like we lost another one to the good guys. I guess there is plenty more where that came from.” NO! You know what he says?! You’re a f***ing traitor! You sellout! I could’ve given you everything and anything you could’ve imagined in this world!Matthew 4:8-11“Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” 10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” 11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.”You chose your God over all these incredible things so I am going to make it my life‘s mission to ruin you and I’m not going to stop I just you; I’m going to find everything that you love and everything that you care about and everyone that you hold close and I’m going to go after them!I’m going to find weakness you have an I’m going to exploit them, make you feel shame, I’m going to isolate you from everything. Nobody would every forgive you for what you’ve done! How could God possibly forgive you when He finds out what you’ve done.I’m going to attack them I’m going to make your life a living hell until you come back to me. You think this is over but we’re just getting started I’ll see you soon.Set Yourself up for successMatthew 10:16“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”Now throughout this course in this classroom and with these team member sitting next to you, we’re going to look at a wide variety of historical references, scripture, scripture commentaries, biblically based texts. The concepts and principles applied then can also be applied now and what is to come.The reason we do this is because we can safely identify evil and darkness through the stories of others. At times we will go to some dark places and we’re going to see how Satan works – how Satan maneuvers in these dark times in history. The reason we study this is because we have to understand that the enemy will stop at nothing to remove you from God‘s kingdom. And if he can’t have you he’ll take as many as he possibly can and he may not get you today he may not get you tomorrow but you know what it’s a war of attrition.Satan has been given a full-stop deadline of when Jesus comes again to throw anything at everything at us to break us. The only way to combat this is to stuy the tactics of the enemy and put our complete trust and faith in Jesus Christ. We believe with every part of our being that Jesus is the Lord of Heaven‘s armies. You will learn how to protect yourself and put up your defenses. You’ll begin developing an understanding of your strong points and your weak points because chances are Satan is going to attack he is going to seek out your weak points. “In boxing, they say it's the punch you don't see coming that knocks you out. In the wider world, the reality we ignore or deny is the one that weakens our most impassioned efforts toward improvement.” - Katherine Dunn, an American NovelistThe same can be said for our faith and walk with God in the fight against the darkness. Thankfully, we know how the story plays out in the end because God already gave us the end to the story. Until that day comes, though, it’s going to get bad -- it’s going to get real bad, and my fear is that the church has done a poor job equipping their congregations in preparation for what’s to come.

Ultimately, we’ve come to a point when we have lived at the limit of a good enough life in a broken society.We feel like I have reached the edge of the “minimum” life. People are searching for something more in every possible idea, belief, self-help book, television show, and celebrity spokespersons but we know only God can take us to the next stage in our lives.Jesus Triumphal Entry – Matthew 21When Jesus entered the city on Sunday, Palm Sunday, he was greeted by cheering crowds proclaiming Him king much to the dismay of the religious leaders, Pontius Pilot, and the 10th Roman Legion, who had taken up residence in the Antonia Fortress to control the enormous crowds that swelled the city during Passover. A time where the normal population of Jerusalem grew from 100,000 to over a million people in a matter of days. Jewish unrest was rampant during the time of Jesus with numerous radical rebellions and uprising occurring all throughout Palestine. The northern territory of Galilee, Jesus’s home, was a fountain of radical thought and revolutionary movements during this time, around 32 A.D. Jesus entering the city, on Passover, with a million frustrated Jews, and the crowds loudly proclaiming him King was more than volatileThe Jewish leaders would have been shocked and outraged at Jesus’s behavior at the temple, chasing out the money changers and the Romans were on high alert because of the events surrounding Jesus in the city.The Delegation Confronts Jesus – Matthew 21 and 22The Parable of the Wedding Feast – Matthew 22:1-14“And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, 3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ 5 But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”The warning in these two parables is if we do not continue to cultivate Christians in the correct way based on biblical truths, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from us and given to someone else. This is regardless of how big our church may be, how many members we have, how famous we are on tv, how many books we sell, or speaking engagements we book.We are all equal in the eyes of God and the Holy Spirit and we can just as easily grieve the Holy Spirit in ways potentially detrimental to our relationship with Christ, which we will go into more detail in later discussions.Just because we stand and say, “I believe” during a church service doesn’t insure we will inherit the Kingdom of God. It is so much more in the relationship, the way we live out our lives for Christ and being present in the Holy Spirit than it is just to say a couple words and join a bible study.Why is this important as we come to the next stage in life in partnership with the Holy Spirit? We’ve discussed “where” we are. Before we discuss “how” to get there, I believe it’s important we talk about “why” first. Why Now?Revelation 7:9 (ESV)A Great Multitude from Every Nation: “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,”There are 85 verses in the Bible stating Jesus will not return again until the Word of God has reach:a) All the peoplesb) The whole worldc) Every tribe and language and people and nationd) Every kneee) Every tongueWhat is a people group?“An ethno-linguistic group with a common self-identity that is shared by the various members. For strategic purposes it is the largest group within which the Gospel can spread without encountering barriers of understanding or acceptance.”11,757 people groups (7.6 billion people)How many are unreached?7.088 unreached people groups (4.5 billion people)“A people group is considered unreached (UPG) when there is no indigenous community of believing Christians able to engage this people group with church planting. Technically speaking, the percentage of evangelical Christians in this people group is less than 2 percent.”How many are unreached unengaged?3,159 unengaged unreached people groups (238 million people)“Unreached people groups are unengaged (UUPG) when there is no church planting strategy, consistent with evangelical faith and practice, under way. Gathering believers and planting churches are the keys to establishing an effective and multiplying presence among these people groups.”Table 71 – YWAM Group. 25 ministries bringing the gospel to the remaining tongues and people group of the World. Reaching every Unengaged Unreached People Group (UUPG). The goal is to establish a strong and viable church within each of the UPGs, so that the number of UPGs is reduced to zero. By 2020, Onestory.org, will be initiating such work in more than 5,500 UPGs (unreached people groups) by the year 2020. By 2025, all of the plans to reach the UUPG’s will be submitted by the teams we saw in the video. By 2026, all of the plans will be approved and will begin implementation. Again, we ask, why now?Because the minimum requirements for the second coming will have been met, completing the prophecy that before Christ will come again every tongue and people group will have heard the word of God.Now, let me be clear, I am not prophesying that I know when and where the second coming will take place. “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” – Matthew 24:36. What I am saying is boxes will all be checked, and the stage will be set for the second coming. God could choose not to come for another 500 years but the urgency remains the same.Matthew 25:14-3019 “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money.” We cannot know when but we know we have to be prepared to give an account. We can’t waste anytime in performing our duties now for when God comes again. The time is now. The urgency is now.Urgency and Immediacy just Like When John wrote the Book of Revelations“However, if we were to canvass the prophetic utterances of the Hebrew Bible and the phenomenon of prophecy within the New Testament and early Christian worship, we might instead arrive at the conclusion that, while prophecy could include a predictive element, it was primarily a declaration of God’s action in the present. In these cases, prophecy served as an announcement of God’s evaluation of the present actions of God’s people, diagnosing problems and calling for realignment with God’s values.” – https://blog.logos.com/2016/08/3-mistakes-people-make-reading-revelation/We will never know for certain if the book of Revelations actually comes true unless we are around for the events to occur or we are in heaven. What we can know for certain was the expressed urgency of the writing that mirrored the cultural context of where John was and the events that happened, precluding him to write the text with the assistance of the Holy Spirit.The sense of immediacy with which John writes made it sound like the events would occur within the current generation of peoples. However, when it did not occur because the prophecy of Revelations 7:9, which we previously discussed, had not come to pass, the Christians of the day made written copies of the manuscripts; in order to, disseminate them throughout the nations. This brings up a concept which we will talk more about in later sessions having to do with the two forms of God’s will we see in the Bible relating to The Hidden will of God and the Revealed Will of God.How do we get to the next stage in life in partnership with the Holy Spirit? Now that we’ve discussed the current cultural climate and why it’s important that we begin now, we can now discuss the how and introduce the ministry in our discussion on what we need to do.“There is the right way and then there is everything else which is inferior. Everything can be backed up and documented. You cannot do something that is new.” – Dave Berke,Dave is a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer, fighter pilot, ground combat leader. He was an F/A-18 pilot deployed twice from the USS John C Stennis in support of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. He spent three years as an Instructor Pilot at TOPGUN where he served as the Training Officer, the senior staff pilot responsible for conduct of the TOPGUN course.We are at a pivotal moment in our world history where nearly every possible idea or iteration of an idea has already been developed or created. The same can be said about God’s word. The bible in its latest canon, is the living word of God and it is infallible. Therefore, every possible way of sharing God’s word has been conceived and performed. All of the moments in its rich history tie beautifully into the dynamics of our human history.History is commonly referred to as, God’s Story because after all, we were all created by God and I believe that all wisdom and understanding comes from Him, therefore it is His Story to us so that we may learn everything we need to know to be better men and better followers for His Kingdom.What do we have to believe?1. We believe God is the King above all kings2. We believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God3. We believe in the Holy Spirit, its power and its presence in us4. We believe in Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross5. We believe in the resurrection and that Jesus conquered death6. We believe in the Holy Spirits calling for us7. We believe He is coming back againWhat we have to avoid:We are always competing for money and market share. Enough! We aren’t competing and we are not separate. We are all part of one body of Christ. I would prefer not to use secular media as a quote for a scripture-based training program, however, in this case I found it quite fitting: “Winter is coming. We stand together or we all die” – Tyrion Lannister, Game of ThronesThe objective is to take back territory from the darkness not to squabble and fight amongst ourselves for donor bases. The sooner we all wake up to that the more equipped to tackle the real enemy we will be.We cannot be naïve to the enemy’s tacticsThree Questions:1. How do we improve the Kingdom?2. How do we improve the lives of others?3. How do we improve our own lives?When we can search for answer to these three foundational questions, we then begin to understand what is truly at stake.

Consumption and dependence on meat referenced in the bible are often made in reference to death and disconnection from God.“6 You have killed many people in this city and filled its streets with the dead. 7 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: The bodies you have thrown there are the meat and this city is the pot, but I will drive you out of it.” - Ezekiel 11:6-7.~“3 Tell this rebellious people a parable and say to them: This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Put on the cooking pot; put it on and pour water into it. 4 Put into it the pieces of meat, all the choice pieces — the leg and the shoulder. Fill it with the best of these bones; 5 take the pick of the flock. Pile wood beneath it for the bones; bring it to a boil and cook the bones in it. For this is what the Sovereign Lord says… 10 Cook the meat well, mixing in the spices; and let the bones be charred. 11 Then set the empty pot on the coals till it becomes hot and its copper glows, so that its impurities may be melted, and its deposit burned away. 12 It has frustrated all efforts; its heavy deposit has not been removed, not even by fire. 13 Now your impurity is lewdness. Because I tried to cleanse you, but you would not be cleansed from your impurity, you will not be clean again until my wrath against you has subsided. 14 I the Lord have spoken. The time has come for me to act. I will not hold back; I will not have pity, nor will I relent. You will be judged according to your conduct and your actions declares the Sovereign Lord.” - Ezekiel 24:3-14~4 “You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves. 5 You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments. 6 You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions, but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph. 7 Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile; your feasting and lounging will end.”- Amos 6:4-7If we take a look at this from a different perspective; what we still don’t see in scripture are God’s people or followers referred to as glistening meat that I crave or a cluster of new eggs to eat. However, in Micah 7 listen to what is being said about Israel’s misery.“1 What misery is mine! I am like one who gathers summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster of grapes to eat, none of the early figs that I crave. 2 The faithful have been swept from the land; not one upright person remains.”The upright people of Israel are referred to as a gleaning cluster of fresh grapes or early ripe figs. Why do we consistently see references to fruits, vegetables, and grains in the bible but no references to God’s chosen people as being meat, eggs or fish? Was God intentional when He instructed the vernacular of the bible? Was Jesus intentional about his word usage when using parables to answer questions of the Pharisees?I hope something inside of you is starting to wrestle with the idea of diet and health as it relates to scripture. My goal today isn’t to change your mind completely. My goal is to help open our eyes to the possible fallacy, there is only one way and it’s the only way because it’s how we’ve been told to do it. If you think what I’m asking you to do is extreme, then let’s take a closer look at an even more extreme case of full reliance upon our Heavenly Father for our complete needs through John the Baptist.In Mark 1:4, Jon the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching about baptism of repentance and forgiveness of sins in the wilderness. John was eating whatever God provided him in the wilderness, but it doesn’t say he killed animals for food. Is it probable, John ate plants, insects, and possibly manna as we have seen God provide elsewhere in scripture, especially if John the Baptist was supposedly sent “to prepare the way for Jesus” (Isaiah 40:3; Mal. 3:1; Matt. 3:3)?Exodus 16:31(KJV) - And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.Numbers 11:7 (KJV) - Now the manna resembled coriander seed, and its appearance was like that of gum resin.Deuteronomy 8:3 (KJV) - He humbled you, and in your hunger gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had known, so that you might understand that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LordDeuteronomy 8:16 (KJV) - He fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers had not known, in order to humble you and test you, so that in the end He might cause you to prosper.3) The old way of Christian health thinking leads to sickness, death, and destruction long before we carry out the calling God has for us. How do we define consumption? How is the human body limited to what we can consume? In Sunday school we often talk about what we need to keep our kids and ourselves from consuming with our eyes and ears. This is especially taught to males because we are more easily affected by visual stimuli. According to the 2004 study published in the Emory University Health Sciences Center, “The emotion control center of the brain, the amygdala, shows significantly higher levels of activation in males viewing sexual visual stimuli than females viewing the same images, according to a Center for Behavioral Neuroscience study led by Emory University psychologists Stephan Hamann and Kim Wallen” (Neuroscience, 2004) We’re also taught to keep our ears from consuming songs or language which could affect the way we think, feel, or act.The bible adds an additional layer of consumption in Acts 28:27, “For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.” Here the Lord talks about consuming with our hearts and if we aren’t able to consume with our hearts, we cannot have an understanding or have healing.Again, it talks about this in Deuteronomy 29:4, “But to this day the Lord has not given you the heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear.” Looking closely at what consumption means through scripture we are reminded consumption is anything entering the body and has an effect on the body. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and we are to protect it from all forms of attack, whether they be physical, emotional, auditory, visual, and spiritual. 1 Corinthians 6:12-19 says to glorify God in body and spirit.12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 13 Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them… 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” - 1 Corinthians 6:12-19The church fails to recognize food consumption as a stronghold in Christian life unless it is clinically classified as a “disorder” or the “overconsumption” of something. But why is this, based on what we’ve read thus far?The devil is the master of strategy and he’s campaigning in war siege tactics. He doesn’t need to take us out of the game right away. He knows God has a plan for us but if he can outwit us one meal a day, seven days a week and twice on Saturdays, 52 weeks a year, until we have that doctor’s appointment or that phone call comes – we have cancer, we have an auto-immune disease, the biopsy came back positive for _______ … how many small battles did the devil win at the dinner table before we could realize what has happened, to us, to our children, to our family member or friend? It’s my strong belief God is sending his message to us through new research, new health studies, and data. It seems to me we are caught in a parable story of the religious person on the top of a house during a flood…I Sent You a Rowboat ~A very religious man was once caught in rising floodwaters. He climbed onto the roof of his house and trusted God to rescue him. A neighbor came by in a canoe and said, “The waters will soon be above your house. Hop in and we’ll paddle to safety.”“No thanks” replied the religious man. “I’ve prayed to God and I’m sure he will save me.”A short time later the police came by in a boat. “The waters will soon be above your house. Hop in and we’ll take you to safety.”“No thanks” replied the religious man. “I’ve prayed to God and I’m sure he will save me.”A little time later a rescue services helicopter hovered overhead, let down a rope ladder and said. “The waters will soon be above your house. Climb the ladder and we’ll fly you to safety.”“No thanks” replied the religious man. “I’ve prayed to God and I’m sure he will save me.”All this time the floodwaters continued to rise until soon they reached above the roof and the religious man drowned. When he arrived at heaven, he demanded an audience with God. Ushered into God’s throne room he said, “Lord, why am I here in heaven? I prayed for you to save me, I trusted you to save me from that flood.”“Yes, you did my child” replied the Lord. “And I sent you a canoe, a boat, and a helicopter. But you never got in.”Because all knowledge and wisdom come from the Lord, should we not adhere to new scientific discoveries in health? A Great book recommendation is How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease by Dr. Michael Greger, M.D. and Gene Stone.“The vast majority of premature deaths can be prevented through simple changes in diet and lifestyle.” In How Not to Die, Dr. Michael Greger, the internationally-recognized lecturer, physician, and founder of NutritionFacts.org, examines the fifteen top causes of death in America—heart disease, various cancers, diabetes, Parkinson’s, high blood pressure, and more—and explains how nutritional and lifestyle interventions can sometimes trump prescription pills and other pharmaceutical and surgical approaches, freeing us to live healthier lives.The simple truth is that most doctors are good at treating acute illnesses but bad at preventing chronic disease. The 15 leading causes of death claim the lives of 1.6 million Americans annually. This doesn’t have to be the case. By following Dr. Greger’s advice, all of it backed up by peer-reviewed scientific evidence, you will learn which foods to eat and which lifestyle changes to make to live longer.History of prostate cancer in your family? Put down that glass of milk and add flaxseed to your diet. Have high blood pressure? Hibiscus tea can work better than a leading hypertensive drug-and without the side effects. What about liver disease? Drinking coffee can reduce liver inflammation. Battling breast cancer? Consuming soy is associated with prolonged survival. Worried about heart disease (our #1 killer)? Switch to a whole-food, plant-based diet, which has been repeatedly shown not just to help prevent the disease, but arrest and even reverse it.In addition to showing what to eat to help prevent the top 15 causes of death, How Not to Die includes Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen—a checklist of the foods we should try to consume every day. Full of practical, actionable advice and surprising, cutting-edge nutritional science, these doctor’s orders are just what we need to live longer, healthier lives” (NutritionFacts.org).Are you familiar with the concept of siege warfare? “Siege Warfare was an ancient and medieval military operation involving the surrounding and blockading of a town, castle or fortress by an army in the attempt to capture it. To lay siege or to besiege.” The term derives from the Middle English word 'sege' from the Old French meaning blockade” (Alchin, 2018).Scripture itself offers a vivid scope of true siege warfare and the atrocious effects that ripple through the affected people. Referring to 2 Kings 6, “Syria Besieges Samaria in Famine:”24 And it happened after this that Ben-Hadad king of Syria gathered all his army, and went up and besieged Samaria. 25 And there was a great famine in Samaria; and indeed they besieged it until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and one-fourth of a [a]kab of dove droppings for five shekels of silver.26 Then, as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying, “Help, my lord, O king!”27 And he said, “If the Lord does not help you, where can I find help for you? From the threshing floor or from the winepress?” 28 Then the king said to her, “What is troubling you?”And she answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ 29 So we boiled my son, and ate him. And I said to her on the next day, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him’; but she has hidden her son.”30 Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he tore his clothes; and as he passed by on the wall, the people looked, and there underneath he had sackcloth on his body.Here in these few lines of scripture we see murder, famine, extreme starvation, desperation, isolation, chaos, items being sold on the black market for exorbitant prices, cannibalism, manipulation, deception, murder, death, destruction, deterioration of morality and judgment, survival mentality of the individual over others, bartering system, etc. The list could go on but just in these passages, we can visualize the effects of siege warfare can have on people and its pure effectiveness to deteriorate the target.When you think of a Temple what comes to mind? I think of 1000 BCE - King David Conquers Jerusalem and declares it the city capital of the Jewish Kingdom or in 960 BCE - David's Son, King Solomon, Builds the first Jewish Temple (Jewish Virtual Library, 1999). This isn’t just a fortress, this is a complete and heavily fortified structure to protect the Holy of Holies. The layers of the Temple Mount starting at the innermost portion moving outward included: The Holy of Holies, The Holy Place, The Court, The Upper or Inner Court, The Great Court or Outer Court, The Temple walls, and the elevated Temple Mount walls. Additionally, outside of the Temple Mount walls was the city surrounded by yet another great wall (Dolphin, n.d.).The entire Temple Mount was a walled place where the whole population could run to for safety during an attack. The walls of the temple are 2.4966 miles in length surrounding the Temple Mount. They are an average height of 39.37 feet tall and their average thickness are 8.2 feet thick. Just one of the large cut stones at the base of the walls can weight over 160,000 lbs. That is not just a temple, that is a strong fortress (Biblical Archaeology Society Staff, 2017).If Satan’s ultimate goal is to destroy us, do you think he stops trying to find new ways to attack us? When besieging a town or fortified structure, armies would cut off the town from the surrounding area stripping them of their resources and supplies from the outside world. Satan wants to cut us off from the vital resources God has put on this planet for us. We are constantly under attack by Satan and he is always trying to find a weak spot in our fortification. It is an all-out attack by land, sea, and air and he will stop at nothing to tear down our walls. Why wouldn’t he try to attack our health?As warrior men of God, we can’t be hypocrites who preach faith, walking in Christ, and praying daily but at the first sign of a male gathering we throw out what we know about protecting our temple fortress. We make the choices each day to fill our bodies with wholesome food providing the most nutrients and healing qualities. Satan doesn’t need to win today but he is winning one meal at a time.According to an article published in October of 2017, “America's Obesity Epidemic Reaches Record High” by Felix Gussone, MD, “America's obesity crisis appears more unstoppable than ever. A troubling new report released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that almost 40 percent of American adults and nearly 20 percent of adolescents are obese — the highest rates ever recorded for the U.S. "It's difficult to be optimistic at this point," said Dr. Frank Hu, chair of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. "The trend of obesity has been steadily increasing in both children and adults despite many public health efforts to improve nutrition and physical activity." The continued weight increase in the youngest Americans is especially worrisome for long-term health. One in five adolescents, ages 12–19; one in five kids, ages 6–11, and one in ten preschoolers, ages 2–5 are considered obese, not just overweight” (Felix Gussone, 2017). If our Standard American Diet is killing us and our children through heart disease, diabetes, blood clots, clogged arteries, high blood pressure, cancer, sleep disorders, stroke, and suffocating our organs, then who do you think is really winning the battle?In practical terms, we are supposed to put on the full armor of God, but we can’t put on the armor if we are too big to fit in it. If we are in desperate need for a plus-size in God’s armor, chances are we’re too big to move when you need to. An organization is only as strong or as fast as its slowest, weakest member. If our obesity is affecting our personal health, how much more is Satan affecting our lives and our spiritual health? We’re depressed, we’re out of breath, we can’t move, and we can barely serve.Ephesians 6:11-18 King James Version (KJV)11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;Dealing with our overall health is much more than a personal choice, we are consciously letting Satan affect multiple facets of our lives and it is preventing us from carrying out our responsibility to the Body of Christ, to have a full and joyful life, and to carry out the calling God has for us. If we are too sick to move, how can we have the endurance to finish the race?We need to radically change the way we, as Christians, view diet and health in our church and community culture. When the topic of food and diet is brought up in community with one another. This only comes with helping one another, providing inspiration to others, and holding each other accountable. If anybody has ever been on a sports team, worked for an organization, or sat on the advisory board of a non-profit, we’ve come to realize we can’t have changed as a whole without accountability.

PrefaceThere are a number of topics which I hope to share regarding the current climate of health among Christians. These are my own observations and interpretations of scripture regarding these topics of health.My goal in writing is to offer a different perspective for Christians furthering their walk in Christ. I offer my argument for why we should be approaching health in a new way based on my interpretations of scripture, new discoveries in health sciences, and a mutual understanding that Satan’s goal is to destroy God’s creation and sever our relationship with our creator. “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8 NIV).You’re probably wondering how and why somebody would write a paper on such a controversial topic within our culture. It started with a simple question, “Does scripture say anything about diet and health?” I honestly had no clue. This paper began as the accumulation of notes and annotations of bible verses while listening to the bible cover to cover throughout the course of a year and ten months; listening specifically for versus regarding health, diet, meat, food, and nutrition. When I finally finished my read-through, I went back through my notes and something began to percolate from the information gathered. I can’t say exactly how or why this was put on my heart to write this paper other than I felt commissioned by the Holy Spirit. In the same way this seed was planted in me to share, I hope this small seed can be a continual presence which grows to glorify God’s kingdom and ultimately makes a larger impact on the Body of Christ, if it be in His will.Worldly Health vs. Biblical HealthAs Watchmen in Christ, it is our duty to hold one another accountable in all things including diet and exercise; yet it seems the world focuses more on health and fitness than Christian men. Men’s morning bible studies begin with donuts. Men’s afternoon bible studies consist of pizza and soda. Men’s retreats have seemingly endless supplies of comfort food. Men’s monthly breakfast is near all we can eat buffet of mostly unhealthy options. After God said all is acceptable and safe to eat, have we misused God’s gift to us?In the beginning, when God created Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden there was no sin in the world; therefore, the diet God originally intended for us did not include the consumption of animals because death did not exist. I wonder, if we can describe the perfect body, the perfect health, and the perfect food in the Garden of Eden, shouldn’t we strive to model our health and diet off of a perfect model; in the same way we strive to make who we are more like Jesus who was perfect?14 So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,“Cursed are you above all livestockand all wild animals!You will crawl on your bellyand you will eat dustall the days of your life.15 And I will put enmitybetween you and the woman,and between your offspring[a] and hers;he will crush[b] your head,and you will strike his heel.”16 To the woman he said,“I will make your pains in childbearing very severe;with painful labor you will give birth to children.Your desire will be for your husband,and he will rule over you.”17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’“Cursed is the ground because of you;through painful toil you will eat food from itall the days of your life.18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,and you will eat the plants of the field.19 By the sweat of your browyou will eat your fooduntil you return to the ground,since from it you were taken;for dust you areand to dust you will return.”20 Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.22 And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 23 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. – Genesis 3:14-24 NIVWe will discuss the different types of consumption; as well as, when the bible talks about a dependence on meat it is often made in connection to death or disconnection from God. I discuss the importance of upholding our bodily health so may have the strength and fortitude to carry out the challenging calling God has for us. We will look at common arguments used to justify the way we eat within scripture, new ways of looking at the same scripture, and trying to uncover deeper meaning within. In addition, a topic often not shared is the importance of fasting as soldiers in Christ. As Christians we believe God created and creates all things; that nothing is outside of his understanding, thus I share the recent wide-spread changes across the secular medical industry due to their discoveries which have only been possibly because of divine intervention. Furthermore, us as the Body of Christ, need to take a hard look at the discoveries of the scientific community and ask ourselves, should we not also follow in the footsteps of the medical community if we believe all things happen in accordance to His will.It is our duty to put the health of the Body of Christ first. The collective health of the body of Christ is reflective of the individual bodies making the whole. We are placing the Holy Trinity first – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Therefore, the temple of the Holy Spirit outranks our body because our bodies do not belong to us. Our life is not our own. “Lord, I know that people's lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps” (Jeremiah 10:23 NIV). We see this said again in 1 Corinthians 6:19, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”We are the stewards of our body and the temple of the Holy Spirit. I could be wrong, but it seems to me the current way we look at diet and health as Christian men is broken. We live in a broken world and I know it’s not possible to fully live the way God intends us to, but if this was the original plan shouldn’t we try our best to live that way until the day He comes again?1) The diet God originally intended for us was primarily made of plants and it’s biblically based because death only existed after the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. The existence of meat only exists because of death. In Genesis 2: “The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.” I think the New King James version actually says it best in its translation:29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. - Genesis 1:29 (KJV)It is probable to discern God’s voice clearly telling us everything born in the ground from a seed upon the Earth is good to eat and will be the for consumption. Moses does not write about animals being good for consumption.Now this second part where it is repeated slightly different in verse 30 is where I think people get confused. But let us break it down so we can better understand how God is telling us the story.30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. - Genesis 1:30 (KJV)I believe it probable, in the second part of the sentence, God is clearly telling us every green herb was given for food for all animals in the Garden of Eden without discretion to Class, Order, Family, Genus, or Species. Arguably, it sounds like God is telling us He created all things to have life, and all the plants, fruits, and herbs from seeds are the food for every living thing.Something else of note is in Genesis Chapter 2. The author does not say when God made animals, God brought them to Adam to be named which were pleasing to the eye and good for food.9 And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.” – Genesis 2:9 and 20 (KJV)God did not create animals to be eaten in the Garden of Eden. The first verse of the Bible acknowledging death is Genesis 3:21 where God kills the first animal to give Adam and Eve something to cover their naked bodies:Genesis 3:21 (NIV): "The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them."Genesis 3:21 (KJV): "Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them."Jumping to after Adam and Eve leave the Garden of Eden, they give birth to two Son’s Cain and Abel. Cain kills Abel in Genesis chapter 4. This is the second time we see death in the bible and from here on marks the turning point of death’s introduction.In the book of Daniel, we see a man, a deportee from Judah, enslaved by one of the most lavish and wealthy kings of this time period.“5 The king, [Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon], assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service… 8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way… 12 Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food and treat your servants in accordance with what you see. 14 So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.” – Daniel 1:5-14Then in verse 15 it says at the end of the testing period “they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food.” Scripture says immediately after seeing the results of this, the guard took away the royal food and wine and gave them vegetables instead. The first diet case study was performed over 2,000 years ago and no Christian man has ever taught me this in Sunday school, in a church service or at a mends retreat. If God wanted this omitted from the Bible because it was insignificant, He would have. Lucky for us God made sure to leave this story in the bible loud and clear. Even the King and Guards in the most pagan kingdom on the earth took notice and immediately changed out the diet of their men because of a case study lasting ten days. But the story doesn’t stop there.God in his infinite wisdom and clarity points out something so profound it should jump out to us, yet no one has ever taught this lesson either. God timed the next verse perfectly. Verse 17, then after the men changed their diet to vegetables and water and removed the wine and the king’s food, “to these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.”It goes on to say in verse 20, “In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.” The simple yet profound act of removing the food from the king’s table and the wine because he didn’t want to defile himself in any manner. By being in prayerful union with God and by eating this diet, David found favor with the Lord. It wasn’t just the prayerful union, nor the diet alone which made him capable. By being in prayerful union with the Lord, David was able to hear the Holy Spirit and then act upon what he heard. This is the act of faith – listening and taking action. Gideon hearing God’s voice and acting in preparation to remove members of his army because God said he had too many men. Moses hearing the Holy Spirit in the burning bush and then acting upon God’s command to free the Israelites. By choosing to eat a diet consisting of only vegetables and water he became ten times better than the smartest and brightest individuals in the most successful kingdom in the known world. Therefore, to be successful in the calling God has for us, we must be in prayerful union with the Holy Spirit and reflect a diet to service the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Like myself when I began this journey, you may still be skeptical, so please allow me to continue.In Jeremiah 31 God talks about the bounty of the supply overflowing for the people of Israel being gathered in Zion:12 Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all. – Jeremiah 31:12 (KJV)I wonder, if the fall of man hadn’t happened, if the mention of the young of the flock and of the herd would be included? For additional perspective, let’s refer to John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible for this verse 12:“…rich provisions which are made in it for the comfort and refreshment of his people; hence it follows: for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock, and of the herd; not for temporal blessings, which are for the good of the body only; but for spiritual blessings, signified by these, which are for the good of the soul, as the next clause shows: "for wheat"; for the Gospel and the doctrines of it, which are the finest of the wheat; and are as preferable to false doctrines as chaff is to wheat, and are soul nourishing and strengthening; see (Jeremiah 23:28).Moreover, Christ himself is compared to wheat, and was typified by the manna, the corn of heaven, and angels' food; and is the bread of God, and the bread of life; and to be had in the church and ordinances of it; see (John 12:24) ; "and for wine"; the precious truths of the word, which, like the best wine, go down sweetly; the discoveries of the love of God and Christ, which are better than spiced wine; and the blood of Christ, signified by the wine in the Lord's supper, which is drink indeed, (Song of Solomon 7:9) (Song of Solomon 2:2 Song of Solomon 2:4) (John 6:55) ; "and for oil"; the grace of the Spirit, and larger measures of it; which is the golden oil, that through the golden pipes of ordinances is emptied out of the fulness of grace in Christ into the hearts of his people, (Zechariah 4:12) ; "and for the young of the flock, and of the herd"; the best of them, which being slain in sacrifice, typified Christ the Passover lamb, and fatted calf, and which makes the principal part of the Gospel feast, (Matthew 22:4) – John Gill (Gill, 1771)For both of these indications have to do with Christ dying on the cross for our sins; as well as, the fattened calf being sacrificed for the gospel-feast (gospel-supper). What is the Gospel-feast you might ask? It is referred to in Luke 14:16-24, “Then said he to him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:” J. W. Reeve’s, M. A., commentary regarding the gospel-feast concludes the following:o “The excellence of the feast — He [Jesus] sets before you salvation, pardon, peace, eternal life. Are not these things worth having? Are they not necessary to the welfare of your soul? Where can you get them, but in the way, you are called to accept now?”o “The blessedness of partaking of this gospel-feast.”o “The misery of refusing — of never tasting the gospel-supper — never, never! — never knowing pardon of sin — never knowing peace of conscience.” (J. W. Reeve, 1860)Neither of the references to the young of the flock or of the heard would be necessary if Adam and Eve hadn’t sinned. The fall of man was the cause of the need to include these two references forms of sacrifice as atonement. God knows all of our wants and desires, but He knows exactly what we need in order to live freely and in unity with Him. Having an abundance of chickens and ribeye steaks doesn’t seem to be part of the deal. I also wonder if this is reference to an abundance of flocks and herds was for the shepherds, not as a form of food but, an abundance of supplies to live on during this time period. The nomadic lifestyle during the 18th to 6th centuries B.C. relied heavily on livestock to provide ample supply of wool, fur, leather, sinew, bone, and supplies to protect the people from natural conditions.There is; however, reference of eating dairy, honey, and animals in different parts of the bible but as a reminder the eating of animals only occurs because death entered the world:Genesis 18:8 (NIV) - “He [Abraham] then brought some curds and milk and the calf [foreshadowing of the gospel-feast] that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.”Genesis 18:7 (NIV) – “Meanwhile, Abraham ran to the herd, selected a tender, choice calf, and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it.”Deuteronomy 32:14 (NIV) – “with curds from the herd and milk from the flock, with the fat of lambs, with rams from Bashan, and goats, with the choicest grains of wheat. From the juice of the finest grapes you drank the wine [referencing goodness of the Lord in Zion in Jeremiah].”Isaiah 7:15 (NIV) – “By the time he knows enough to reject evil and choose good, He will be eating curds and honey.”Isaiah 7:22 (NIV) – “and from the abundant milk they give, he will eat curds; for all who remain in the land will eat curds and honey.”I believe it is highly probable, eating meat was by choice because sin entered the world. Ultimately, with God providing all the food we needed, there was no need for meat.

Chivington Massacre (Sand Creek Massacre)Setting the Stage* 1849 at the discovery of gold in California* Drove mass settlers across the great plains in search for riches and a better life.* When the US government realized the mass of settlers moving through the great plains and traveling through territory occupied by native American tribes, the government decided it would be in their best interest and the interests of the settlers to cut a deal with the native tribes to ensure that they would limit or prevent harassment of new settlers traveling through and allow safe passage for settlers through high risk lands.* The government held a gathering and Fort Laramie, Wyoming1. To this day, you can visit the historic Fort Laramie. It was an important stop on the Oregon, California and Mormon trails, as well as a staging point for various military excursions and treaty signings.* In 1851 many of the great plains tribal chiefs were convinced by the government to sign a treaty to protect the settlers and allow for safe passage through tribal lands.* The agreement allowed safe passage through the lands with the conditions that the settlers would not stop and attempt to seize tribal lands.* The Problems Begin:1. Although the intention of the treaty signing was good, a vast number or tribes did not sign the treaty and therefore did not agree to such terms and conditions.2. The settlers were driving away migratory animals and buffalo which was a staple for many of the great plains tribes.3. The settlers were disturbing the lands and using up natural resources and contaminating water sources4. They brought new diseases from the East which ended up killing large swaths of native population through contact with settlers5. Gold was discovered in the winter of 1858-1859 in Colorado which lay upon a portion of the tribal lands acknowledged as a no go area for settlers due to the treaty agreement; however, settlers began flooding the area in search for gold, all the while unregulated and therefore breaking the treaty conditions set forth by not settling on tribal lands.6. The lands given to them expanse between modern day most of Eastern Colorado, to Western Kansas, South Eastern Wyoming, and South Western Nebraska* These lands were designated as Cheyenne and Arapaho lands7. Modern cities like Boulder and Denver, Colorado began as mining camps because of the gold that was found in the surrounding area* The root of the problem began as the taking of tribal lands by the increasing amount of settlers in the area, breaching the original treaty the US government insisted upon.1. Thus began a systematic problem of retaliation between settlers and tribal people. They began as small isolated incidents but over time the frequency and aggressive nature of the retaliation started the slow boil which would eventually reach a critical point.2. The US government was aware of this settling of the tribal lands and yet there was no plan prepared to alleviate problems and equip the people on both sides to coexist with one another* In 1861 this new influx of settlers in Colorado put pressure on the government to find a way to extract more tribal lands thus providing more safety for the settlers; as well as, increase their likelihood of finding more natural resources through the settlers who were essentially on the front lines of excavating what the government was not able to do.1. In a sense, there was a unspoken agreement between the settlers and the government for the settlers to act as contracted prospectors. Once the natural resources were discovered it provided incentive for the government to increase the lands acquisitions in those areas.* In 1861, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs which was the government office overseeing the relationship with the Indian tribes1. Was sent to negotiate a revised treaty2. The treaty was signed at Fort Wise in 1861 was a treaty entered into between the United States and six chiefs of the Southern Cheyenne and four of the Southern Arapaho Indian tribes.3. These chiefs were convinced to give up most of their lands that had now been taken over by settlers4. This was over 90% of their lands they were relinquishing and were accepting terms to settle on a reserve in Eastern Colorado.5. Most of them understood that they were signing a treaty for peace but they didn’t know that the condition of peace was to giving up their lands.6. Many of the other tribes who did not sign the treaty were out of their minds that the few tribes had made a blanket agreement with the US government giving up their lands.7. The treaty was never approved by the Council of 44, Traditional Cheyenne society was organized into 10 major bands governed by a council of 44 chiefs and 7 military societies; the Dog Soldiers were the most powerful and aggressive of the military groups. There were also social, dance, medicine, and shamanistic societies; a given society was generally open to either male or female members but not to both.* So as a Cheyenne and Arapaho Nation refused to abide by the terms of the new treaty because of how slanted and sacrificial it was.* The settlers and US government said that because the treaty was signed and completed that the government now had legal ability to take the lands from the tribes and allow settlers to established wherever they pleased.* Now you might be wandering what else was happening during this time between 1859 and 1861:1. James Buchanan (D-Pennsylvania) was the president until March 4th, 18612. Abraham Lincoln (R-Illinois) is elected president March 4th, 1861* January 3 – American Civil War: Delaware votes not to secede from the Union.* January 9 – Mississippi becomes the second state to secede from the Union, preceding the American Civil War.* January 10 – American Civil War: Florida secedes from the Union.* January 11 – American Civil War: Alabama secedes from the Union.* January 12 – American Civil War: Florida state troops demand surrender of Fort Pickens.[1]* January 18 – American Civil War: Georgia secedes from the Union.* January 21 – American Civil War: Jefferson Davis resigns from the United States Senate. Ordinance of Secession is ratified.* January 26 – American Civil War: Louisiana secedes from the Union.* January 29 – Kansas is admitted as the 34th U.S. state (see History of Kansas).* February 1 – American Civil War: Texas secedes from the Union.* February 4 – American Civil War: Delegates from six seceded states meet at the Montgomery Convention in Montgomery, Alabama.* February 8 – American Civil War: The Confederate States of America adopts the Provisional Confederate States Constitution.* February 9 – American Civil War: Jefferson Davis is elected the Provisional President of the Confederate States of America by the Weed Convention at Montgomery, Alabama.* February 11 – American Civil War: The U.S. House unanimously passes a resolution guaranteeing non-interference with slavery in any state.* February 18 – American Civil War: In Montgomery, Alabama, Jefferson Davis is inaugurated as the provisional president of the Confederate States of America.* February 23 – President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrives secretly in Washington, D.C. after an assassination attempt in Baltimore.* February 28 – Colorado Territory is organized.* March 2 – Nevada Territory and Dakota Territory are organized.* March 4* Abraham Lincoln is sworn in as the 16th President of the United States.* American Civil War: The Stars and Bars is adopted as the flag of the Confederate States of America.* March 11 – American Civil War: The Confederate States Constitution is adopted.* All of these things are taking place in the East and what happens, the politicians in Washington, especially James Buchanan, takes advantage of the chaos that is ensuing between the war effort, states leaving the union, slavery, and an assassination on president Lincoln’s life to acquire 90% of the Great Plains territories before he is removed from office.1. And as we read prior both the Colorado, Nevada and Dakota territories are organized into the American territories in the beginning of 1861.2. The right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing before it’s too late and by then what’s done is done.* The tension began increasing in 1863 because not enough provisions were given to the Indian tribes when all the best lands were taken and the settlers were butted up against the tribes.1. The rubbing and the friction began to turn into a slow burn and sparks especially exacerbated by starvation and being taken advantage by new settlers.2. If tribal members were found outside of the reservation boundaries they were freely allowed to be attacked or ransacked thus placing additional fuel to a potential explosion if the friction continued at such a frequent and alarming rte.* In 1864, government contractors contracted to provide beef to the United States military for the civil war effort, claimed that unidentified Indians attacked and stole their cattle.1. The local tribes denied the alleged accusation2. Some historians believe that it’s possible that some of the herders lost the heads of cattle and decided to blame the shortage on the local Indian tribes to be made whole by the government for their carelessness3. This was not an uncommon tactic for settlers or government contractors to claim knowing they had a high likelihood to be made whole or salvage potential losses from occurring throughout the territories.4. The reality is that no one really knows what happened.* What we know:1. We do know that this was the event which triggers the first of two major hostilities against the settlers and Indian tribes living in the territories.2. Some historians point to the skirmish at Freemont’s Orchard as the beginning of the 1864 Indian War in the Colorado Territory. While the incident was foreshadowing things to come, hostilities between Union Soldiers and the Native tribes had in reality been brewing ever since the 1862 Sioux uprising in Minnesota.3. By April 1864, a full scale war was inevitable and many peaceful tribes and settlers would soon pay with their deaths.4. The incident at Fremont’s Orchard in April 12, 1864 remains a subject of controversy, for both the Union Soldiers and tribes involved as to who initiated the fighting.5. Fremont’s orchard was located a few miles north of Denver, Colorado mining camp and South East of Camp Collins in the Colorado Territory.* Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies:1. “The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Vol. XXXIV, Part I.Page 883 Chapter XLVI. SKIRMISH NEAR FREMONT'S ORCHARD, COLO.APRIL 12, 1864. - Skirmish near Fremont's Orchard, Colo.REPORTS.Numbers 1. - Captain George L. Sanborn, First Colorado Cavalry.Numbers 2. - Lieutenant Clark Dunn, First Colorado Cavalry.Numbers 1. Reports of Captain George L. Sanborn, First Colorado Cavalry.CAMP SANBORN, April 12, 1864.SIR: Receiving information from W. D. Ripley, of the Bijou, that the Indians had been taking stock and committing depredations on theranchmen on that creek, I this morning sent Lieutenant Dunn, with 40 men of Companies H and C, to recover the stock, also to takefrom them their fire-arms and bring the depredators to this camp. This evening an expressman arrived from Lieutenant Dunn, whostates that after a hard ride they came up with a party of some 15 or 20 Indians, who, on seeing the soldiers approach, drew up in lineof battle and made all preparations for a fight, but finally sent forward one of their party to shake hands, and at the same time began todrive their stock back into the bluffs. They soon all came up and wished to shake hands. Lieutenant Dunn then demanded the stockand commenced disarming the Indians, when they turned and ran, turning and firing, wounding 4 of Lieutenant Dunn's party, 2mortally and 2 severely. Lieutenant Dunn had previously divided his party, sending a part of them across the country to intercept theIndians, and at the time of the skirmish had with him but 15 men. This much I have learned from the messenger verbally.The skirmish occurred on the north side of the Platte, 3 miles below Fremont's Orchard. The Indians were going north. It will be well totelegraph to Laramie that they may be ready, for this may be the signal of the uprising. Excuse my suggestion; will send anexpressman with further news as soon as we get it.Lieutenant Dunn has just arrived and reports that none of the men were killed; several of the Indians were seen to fall from theirhorses, but being freshly mounted, succeeded in getting them away, as the horses ridden by Lieutenant Dunn's men were tired bytheir long hunt after the Indians, having traveled nearly 80 miles. Lieutenants Dunn and Chase will proceed in the morning on theirtrail. I have sent for Gerry to act as guide, also to McWade to hurry forward our arms. These Indians were armed with a riffle, a Coltrevolver, and bows and arrows each, and were evidently on the war-path, as they did not talk anything but fight. Send down at least8,000 more cartridges for the carbines for this command.Major Downing was here when the information was received and fully concurs in the action taken.I am, sir, in haste, yours, respectfully,GEO. L. SANBORN,Captain, First Colorado Cavalry, Commanding.Colonel JOHN M. CHIVINGTON,Commanding District of Colorado.P. S. - Lieutenant Dunn says they represented themselves (the Indians) to be Cheyennes; they also had carbine pistols.G. L. S.2. Numbers 2. Report of Lieutenant Clark Dunn, First Colorado Cavalry.CAMP SANBORN, Colo. Ten., April 18, 1864.In pursuance of Special Orders, Numbers 9, dated headquarters Camp Sanborn, April 12, 1864, to take from the Indians stockconsisting of horses stolen by them from ranchmen in the vicinity of Camp Sanborn, & c., started at daylight, crossing the Platte,dividing my command, and searching the bluffs on the south side a greater part of the day, till about 3 p. m. I discovered their trailrunning in northwesterly direction toward the Platte River, when, about 4 p. m., on coming out of the sand hills, I discovered the Indianson the north side of the river, evidently intending to steal a herd of horses and mules grazing near Fremont's Orchard, which belongedto the quartermaster at Denver. Though during the day my command had marched about 75 miles over sandy hills, deep ravines, andmost of the time without water, the whole country being an arid waste, I immediately ordered the gallop and soon intercepted themfrom the herd, when, upon approaching them, I discovered a herd of horses, which they detached men to drive into the sand hillstoward the north, and placed themselves in a threatening attitude. When near enough to speak to them, Mr. Ripley, a ranchman, whohad lost all the stock he had, and who had informed us of their depredations, said that they were the Indians, and pointing to the herdsaid there was his stock. Feeling the great responsibility that was resting upon me, and not desiring to bring about an Indian was bybeing the first aggressor, I dismounted, walked forward to meet their chief, and tried to obtain the stock without any resort to violence.After requesting the chief to return the stock, who replied only by a scornPage 885 Chapter XLVI. EXPEDITION UP MATAGORDA BAY, TEX.full laugh, I told him I would be compelled to disarm his party, at the same time reaching forward as if to take the arms from one of theIndians, when they immediately commenced firing. I ordered my men to return the fire, and after a short time they fled, and I pursuedthem about 15 miles, when, finding that my horses would soon be worthless in the pursuit, I started toward Camp Sanborn, which Ireached toward midnight, when, obtaining fresh horses and Mr. Gerry for a guide, whose experience for twenty-five years with theIndians we deemed invaluable, I started again at daylight, following the trail till about noon, when it commenced storming violently,snowing and blowing, till the hills appeared to be wrapped in one volume of dust; still I pursued the trail. Though before the storm ithad become almost obliterated, it now soon became totally so, when, being unable to discover any further indication of their course, bythe advice of my guide I turned toward, about sunset, and reached camp before daylight the next morning.My command with me and engaged in the skirmish with the Indians numbered only 15 men, of whom 4 men were wounded, 2mortally and 2 severely. My men were armed with the Whitney pistol, caliber.36, and sabers. The Indians were about 25 strong whenthe skirmish commenced and were re-enforce by about 20 more. They were all well armed with rifles, navy and dragoon pistols, andthe carbine pistol, carrying an ounce ball, besides their bows and arrows. My men during the engagement behaved with greatcoolness, and evinced a degree of courage deserving more than ordinary credit. If my horses had been fresh, I am confident that thisband would never again have troubled the settlers in this vicinity.I have not yet been able to learn to what tribe these Indians belong, though their lances, shields, bows, and arrows which were leftupon the field are said by those most intimate with the Indians' character to be such as are used by the Cheyennes, though theirpeculiar method of traveling is not at all like them. We omitted to mention that we killed some 8 or 10 of the Indians and woundedabout 12 or 15 more.Very respectfully, your obedient servant,CLARK DUNN,Second Lieutenant, First Colorado Cavalry, Commanding Detach.* The perspective of the Tribal Leaders of the Cheyenne1. A group of Cheyenne warrior tribes, The Dog Soldiers, were on their way to raide their tribal enemy, The Crow Tribe, and on their way they found four stray mules.2. That night a white settler approached the Dog Soldiers camp and said that those were his mules. They Cheyenne said they would return them but that they required a gift for having found them for him.3. The settler refuses to give them a gift and upon not being able to acquire his alleged stolen mules, the settler approached his grievance to the Union soldiers stationed at Camp Collins.4. Dunn demanded that the mules be given back5. Dunn’s biggest mistake was trying to disarm the tribes by taking their rifles, pistols and native weapons away.* This, from the tribes perspective was interpreted as an act of aggression.6. There were rumors and fake reports being circulated by telegraph and print media outlets around the territory and throughout the Americas that these same Dog Soldiers attacked and killed the rancher who alleged had his mules stolen but under investigation there was no evidence to support this allegation.7. These news outlets and rumor spreading was created to stir up excitement and hysteria to eventually gain enough political and popular public opinion to eventually pave the way for the Chivington Massacre.* Enter John Evans1. John Evans, (born March 9, 1814, Waynesville, Ohio, governor of Colorado Territory, 1862–65, founder of Northwestern University(Evanston, Ill.), physician, and railroad promoter.2. A graduate of Lynn Medical College, Cincinnati, Ohio (1838), Evans practiced medicine in Indiana, where he helped establish a state hospital for the insane and served as its first superintendent (Indianapolis, 1845–48). While serving as professor of obstetrics at Rush Medical College, Chicago (from 1848), he and Orrington Lunt founded Northwestern University (1851). He went to the Colorado Territory as its second governor in 1862. In 1864 he founded the Colorado Seminary (Methodist), which later became the University of Denver. The Denver Pacific, South Park, and Denver and New Orleans railways were organized and partly financed by Evans.* Colorado Governor John Evans warns that all peaceful Indians in the region must report to the Sand Creek reservation or risk being attacked, creating the conditions that will lead to the infamous Sand Creek Massacre.* Evans’ offer of sanctuary was at best halfhearted. His primary goal in 1864 was to eliminate all Native American activity in eastern Colorado Territory, an accomplishment he hoped would increase his popularity and eventually win him a U.S. Senate seat. Immediately after ordering the peaceful Indians to the reservation, Evans issued a second proclamation that invited white settlers to indiscriminately “kill and destroy all…hostile Indians.” At the same time, Evans began creating a temporary 100-day militia force to wage war on the Indians. He placed the new regiment under the command of Colonel John Chivington, another ambitious man who hoped to gain high political office by fighting Indians.* The Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapahoe Indians of eastern Colorado were unaware of these duplicitous political maneuverings. Although some bands had violently resisted white settlers in years past, by the autumn of 1864 many Indians were becoming more receptive to Cheyenne Chief Black Kettle’s argument that they must make peace. Black Kettle had recently returned from a visit to Washington, D.C., where President Abraham Lincoln had given him a huge American flag of which Black Kettle was very proud. He had seen the vast numbers of the white people and their powerful machines. The Indians, Black Kettle argued, must make peace or be crushed.1. When word of Governor Evans’ June 24 offer of sanctuary reached the Indians, however, most of the Indians remained distrustful and were unwilling to give up the fight. Only Black Kettle and a few lesser chiefs took Evans up on his offer of amnesty. In truth, Evans and Chivington were reluctant to see hostilities further abate before they had won a glorious victory, but they grudgingly promised Black Kettle his people would be safe if they came to Fort Lyon in eastern Colorado. In November 1864, the Indians reported to the fort as requested. Major Edward Wynkoop, the commanding federal officer, told Black Kettle to settle his band about 40 miles away on Sand Creek, where he promised they would be safe.2. Wynkoop, however, could not control John Chivington. By November, the 100-day enlistment of the soldiers in his Colorado militia was nearly up, and Chivington had seen no action. His political stock was rapidly falling, and he seems to have become almost insane in his desire to kill Indians. “I long to be wading in gore!” he is said to have proclaimed at a dinner party. In this demented state, Chivington apparently concluded that it did not matter whether he killed peaceful or hostile Indians. In his mind, Black Kettle’s village on Sand Creek became a legitimate and easy target.3. At daybreak on November 29, 1864, Chivington led 700 men, many of them drunk, in a savage assault on Black Kettle’s peaceful village. Most of the Cheyenne warriors were away hunting. In the awful hours that followed, Chivington and his men brutally slaughtered 105 women and children and killed 28 men. The soldiers scalped and mutilated the corpses, carrying body parts back to display in Denver as trophies. Amazingly, Black Kettle and a number of other Cheyenne managed to escape.4. In the following months, the nation learned of Chivington’s treachery at Sand Creek, and many Americans reacted with horror and disgust. By then, Chivington and his soldiers had left the military and were beyond reach of a court-martial. Chivington’s political ambitions, however, were ruined, and he spent the rest of his inconsequential life wandering the West. The scandal over Sand Creek also forced Evans to resign and dashed his hopes of holding political office. Evans did, however, go on to a successful and lucrative career building and operating Colorado railroads.So what does all this have to do with the price of tea in China, you might be asking?* Fear and Hysteria lead to life-changing decisions* We are witnessing this similar sort of hysteria and cultural public opinion being shoved down our throats by the mainstream media and radical political parties and politicians.* The push for gun control in America is being fueled by fear, hatred, shootings in public places* And ultimately, it is my view that these same tactics used by individuals like John Evans to strip and exterminate the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes during the Sand Creek Massacre will be the same tactics used to disarm law abiding citizens across the country and ultimately strip Americans of their individual freedoms and freedom of religion.Mark my words:* If the weapons we have now are successfully stripped from us just like they were stripped from the Cheyenne and the Arapaho tribes the next phase of the plan will, in fact be, stripping people of their freedoms of speech and religion for the sake of a more peaceful society with the promise of protection. The very same promise made to these tribes of the Sand Creek Massacre.* And because of Sand Creek we can now be aware of how something within a culture can generate increasing friction among differing people groups, rumors can be spread to increase popular opinion of events, and percolate individuals seeking to better their political aims to the point where they are actively seeking the appropriate opportunity to assimilate their version of a world view to the ret of society and actively engage in stripping the land and rights away from individuals who have come into that people groups crosshairs.* We have reached a point in our American society that has friction at every edge. Whether is be the right to keep and bare arms, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, the right for our viewpoints to be heard, and the right to worship Jesus Christ.* Just by publishing this podcast I’m putting a target on my back by those who have a differing viewpoint.* We have to realize that we are seeing first-hand the effects of fake news, outrage culture, gender and sexual identification and qualification and the right to have a differing viewpoint in social media but if you decide to share that viewpoint openly you are attacked; verbally or sometimes physically and in most cases labeled as a bigot, a racist, homophobic , a conspiracy theorist, or a radical.

Episode 003 – Paladin Preacher PodcastIt’s just after supper in your hut. Your mother and father are tending the fire and tidying up as they ask that you go to bed. Tomorrow, father is going to take you out into the fields for the first time as a young boy. It’ll be your first time learning about the tills the ground using hand-tools. He’s going to show you all of the corn crop that was planted from the prior season and it will be your turn to help him plant seeds in preparation for next season harvest.You tell your mother you’re still hungry so she hands you a fresh mango from the basket of fresh fruit she picked from the massive mango tree growing just outside your hut from early today.You sink your teeth deep into the mango. The sweet juice seeps out of your mouth as you pull your mouth back from your bite still lipping the bits of mango fiber stuck between your teeth. “Mango is my favorite,” you say to yourself as you finish eating down to the pit.“Now off to bed,” says mother, “tomorrow is a big day for you.” You hope into bed, place your head down on the pillow still half licking your fingers or the mango juice and picking the strands from between your teeth. As you fall asleep you think about the exciting time you are going to have with Father tomorrow, and you can’t wait to wake up.You awake to the sounds of footsteps in the hut. It sounds like father and mother talking in the next room. You rub the sleep out of your eyes and look out the window – it’s still dark outside. It can’t be morning yet; father usually wakes up early for work, but this seems too early.You begin to hear muffled, distant shouting coming from outside the hut. Father and mother are talking more loudly now and it’s beginning to sound like the whole village is has awoken. You hear more voices outside, and the voices are sounding louder and with more excitement in their voices about something.Your father and mother run into your room and pull you up out of bed. “We have to run,” they say to you. Their here.”There’s not enough time to grab anything from your room as you’re hurried out of the hut by the arms, fathers firm grip around your around your forearm and mother’s in his other hand.As the door to your hut opens, your mind is flooded watching the other huts in your village as people begin to poor out of them and begin running in different directions.The screams and yelling of the people outside are now far surpassing the volume level you are used to hearing even when hearing mother and father most excited. And then unfamiliar sounds begin to happen that you’ve never heard before like snaps, pops, hissing, and thuds all around you. People are beginning to fall over as they run and struggling to keep their step.You realize in your paralyzed stupor that you’ve stopped moving because of the things you are seeing, and nothing is making sense. I grew up with these faces and I have friends lying about the ground still frozen with their gazes fixed on nothing. Your father is pulling on your arms really hard, and yells, COME ON, WE HAVE TO GO NOW!As you, father, and mother make for the tree line, three dark figures step into your path and suddenly something else grabs you by the back of the neck and hard crack to the back of your head makes your eyes cease to see and suddenly you feel nothing.According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR, “At the end of 2018, some 41.3 million people were internally displaced due to armed conflict, generalized violence or human rights violations, according to Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC).”During my recent trip to Nigeria with Integrita’s Men’s Ministry we visited one of these IDP camps for displaced boys due to conflict in and around Jo’s due to cult activity, secret society activity, and in most cases, terrorist activity.This was our opportunity to meet with these boys who had lost everything and there was still no one they could turn to for help either from family or friends. When I say camp, I use that term loosely because even if I were camping up in the Los Angeles recreational areas there would be cleaner living conditions and facilities in which to live. Yet it was a safe haven for these boys who had nothing, who lived together, all suffering the same fate as the other and all sharing a commonality between the story by which brought them to this place.We played soccer with the boys for about an hour or so before they gave us a tour or the facility. I met a little boy named job while we were playing soccer with all of the boys. He kept staring at me while we were in the backfield playing defenders so I decided to say hello, give him a high five, and ask his name.“Job,” he said. It’s not uncommon, especially for new Christian boys and girls, to adopt a new biblical name as their new name. This is because when they are rescued, they are assisted with living and immediate health concerns, then they teach them to read and write in the camps, as well as, teaching them the gospel of Jesus.When studying the bible, the little boys and girls will select which biblical name they like the most and fits within the context of their own lives.I responded back to Job, “Rogers,” I said, pointing at myself. “Rogers?” He replied as he giggled and smiled as if my name wasn't a name you were supposed to have like “toaster” or “lamp.”During our tour of the facility Job wanted to show me where his bunk was. The facility had four large walls and an open courtyard in the center with two medium sized trees in the yard on which there were already boys climbing the branches to see who could reach the highest point first. The boys living quarters lined the outer walls with three or four bunk beds inside. Muddy and dilapidated little boy’s shoes lined the walls of the sleeping areas.He walked me into his room with two other boys right behind him. “This is mine,” he said as he pointed to the top bunk of a tri-bunk bed. “Top bunk!” I said, “very cool. I love the blanket you have. Its very nice”As we continued to walk the facility I felt called to ask him more about his story after asking him about his time there and what sports he loves to play.I asked Job, “What happened? Why are you here?”“I don’t have a mother or a father,” he said.“How come?” I asked.He was quiet for a moment and then he said allowed, “Boko Harahm. Boko Harahm, they cut them. They cut my mother and they cut my father and people in my home. Then they shot them in the head with a gun.”After hearing him say this I immediately dropped to a knee and I didn’t know what to say. My heart and soul was shattered into a million pieces.It wasn’t until later that I heard the full story.Boko Haram that had entered his village in a night raid with guns and machete’s and began systematically eradicating the people in his village.“After its founding in 2002, Boko Haram's increasing radicalization led to the suppression operation by the Nigerian military forces and the summary execution of its leader Mohammed Yusuf in July 2009. Its unexpected resurgence, following a mass prison break in September 2010, was accompanied by increasingly sophisticated attacks, initially against soft targets, but progressing in 2011 to include suicide bombings of police buildings and the United Nations office in Abuja. The government's establishment of a state of emergency at the beginning of 2012, extended in the following year to cover the entire northeast of Nigeria, led to an increase in both security force abuses and militant attacks.”“When Boko Haram first formed, their actions were nonviolent. Their main goal was to "purify Islam in northern Nigeria". Since March 2015, the group has been aligned with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Since the current insurgency started in 2009, Boko Haram has killed tens of thousands and displaced 2.3 million from their homes and was at one time the world's deadliest terror group according to the Global Terrorism Index”2015, Boko Haram's leader Abubakar Shekau pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, rebranding as Islamic State in West Africa. In September 2015, the Director of Information at the Defense Headquarters of Nigeria announced that all Boko Haram camps had been destroyed but attacks from the group continue to this day.”Many news outlets and online sources will say that 2019 has seen further decline in raids by Boko Haram across Nigeria, Chad, and Niger but this was not the case for Job and his family.When Job and his mother and father were attempting to run away, they were captured, and brought back to the center of the village where the other who were captured were being held. The bodies and limbs of those who had already been cut down were remained buried in the mud where they had fallen.Everyone from the village who had been captured were told to get on their knees. A few of the older boys were selected and pulled aside and taken away.Now imagine for a moment you’re a 9-year-old boy witnessing this firsthand. (Expand)Men from Boko Haram step forward with machete’s and walk toward the group. The grown men and women were approached first. And then the hacking began.The sounds of metal whipping through the air as screams ring out.As you close your eyes you hear men step in front of you, your father and mother. Your eyes can’t help but open at the same whipping sounds and screams from your father and mother happen in front of you.As your begin to see the pieces and limbs of your parents begin to fall you real and convulse at the horror when two shots are fired; one after the next, as an exploding crater is formed out the back of your fathers head as he falls, and then your mothers.I didn’t get the chance to learn more about Job’s story. How did he survive? How did he get here? How had he been at this IDP camp for a year coping with this tragedy as a 10-year-old boy?All I knew was the why behind him being here and that he had taken the name “Job” in his suffering.In this Bible story from the book of Job, there is a wealthy man named Job residing in an area called Uz with his extended family and vast flocks. He was considered innocent, “blameless,” and “upright,” constantly mindful to live in a righteous manner (Job 1:1). God takes notice about Job’s virtue to, but Satan contends that Job is only righteous because God has favored him generously. Thus, beginning the trepidation throughout Job’s life as his faith to God is revealed in suffering.I know that the little boy I met in Nigeria had been through a living hell and somehow survived. I may never know how or why but I’m so grateful I had the opportunity to be with him and his friends, to pray with them, and to love on them the way they all wished their fathers still could.The days and weeks following my trip, the story of that little boy left me with so many questions unanswered.Why wasn’t anybody able to protect his family?How come they couldn’t defend themselves?So, we had some conversations with locals who were our guides and drivers to find out why Job’s story was all too common, especially in Northern parts of Nigeria. We were told that the government, due to the safety and security of the people of Nigeria had taken away the people’s means of which to fight back.Citizens of Nigeria are not allowed to possess machine guns, military style rifles, or handguns. Private possession of fully automatic and semi-automatic weapons, or revolvers is prohibited under law according to the Firearms Act and other firearms regulations. Hunting style/bolt action rifles and shotguns are allowed to be possessed if they are granted a Firearm License and pass a background check which considers criminal, mental health, and addiction records. In Nigeria, gun owners must re-apply and re-qualify for their firearm license everyone year otherwise their firearms are re-possessed by the government.I find it very interesting that a government known for its corruption practices in government, military, and law enforcement and a culture in which is fraught with malpractice and a hierarchy of subversion would remove the weapons from its people in the name of safety and public security without offering the ability to provide aid to it’s people. I mean we are talking about a country who has an Airforce which includes about 23 planes in operation.And yet these IDP camps are filled with children who are all running from the same problem.I hope and pray this same posture to defend one’s self and loved ones is not adopted here.

We are the specifically selected men defecting from the enemy, to join the ranks of Heaven’s Armies1 Chronicles 12 – The Warriors join David”“12 These were the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he was banished from the presence of Saul son of Kish (they were among the warriors who helped him in battle; 2 they were armed with bows and were able to shoot arrows or to sling stones right-handed or left-handed; they were relatives of Saul from the tribe of Benjamin): 3 Ahiezer their chief and Joash the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth; Berakah, Jehu the Anathothite, 4 and Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty warrior among the Thirty, who was a leader of the Thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad the Gederathite,[a] 5 Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah and Shephatiah the Haruphite; 6 Elkanah, Ishiah, Azarel, Joezer and Jashobeam the Korahites; 7 and Joelah and Zebadiah the sons of Jeroham from Gedor. 8 Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the wilderness. They were brave warriors, ready for battle and able to handle the shield and spear. Their faces were the faces of lions, and they were as swift as gazelles in the mountains. 9 Ezer was the chief, Obadiah the second in command, Eliab the third, 10 Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth, 11 Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, 12 Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, 13 Jeremiah the tenth and Makbannai the eleventh. 14 These Gadites were army commanders; the least was a match for a hundred, and the greatest for a thousand. 15 It was they who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing all its banks, and they put to flight everyone living in the valleys, to the east and to the west. 16 Other Benjamites and some men from Judah also came to David in his stronghold. 17 David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come to me in peace to help me, I am ready for you to join me. But if you have come to betray me to my enemies when my hands are free from violence, may the God of our ancestors see it and judge you.” 18 Then the Spirit came on Amasai, chief of the Thirty, and he said: “We are yours, David! We are with you, son of Jesse! Success, success to you, and success to those who help you, for your God will help you.” So, David received them and made them leaders of his raiding bands. 19 Some of the tribe of Manasseh defected to David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul. (He and his men did not help the Philistines because, after consultation, their rulers sent him away. They said, “It will cost us our heads if he deserts to his master Saul.”) 20 When David went to Ziklag, these were the men of Manasseh who defected to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu and Zillethai, leaders of units of a thousand in Manasseh. 21 They helped David against raiding bands, for all of them were brave warriors, and they were commanders in his army. 22 Day after day men came to help David, until he had a great army, like the army of God.”God’s Preparation in Our LivesRomans 5:2-4:2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.We will study key individuals in the Bible and how God’s preparation in their lives provided them with the necessary knowledge to be activated at their appointed time for God’s Kingdom.How if we step out of our calling for God and try to go at things on our own, we often fall or lose our anointing in the spirit, as we will discuss in depth in a future session when we talk about Saul and Samuel; as well as, David and bringing the Ark of The Covenant into Jerusalem.We accept that we are stewards of this ministry and carrying out God’s calling in our livesJeremiah 10:23: I know, LORD, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course.An understanding that this ministry is not our, God has bestowed it on us as stewards, and if we deviate from His guidance then all of this can be taken away from us and given to someone else at any moment.Indirect Connection1. Men learn by doing. We rarely connect directly. We tend to size each other up in action and in work. 2. Men determine things while we are in motion. It’s one of God’s gift to us, menThis Sounds Like Right-wing Extremism:Two Extreme Groups of The Bible1. The Zealot During Jesus’ Time - Zealots, were members of a Jewish sect noted in the 1st Century, known for their uncompromising opposition to pagan Rome and the polytheism it professed. The Zealots were an aggressive political party whose concern for the national and religious life of the Jewish people led them to despise even Jews who sought peace and conciliation with the Roman authorities. A census of Galilee ordered by Rome in AD 6 spurred the Zealots to rally the populace to noncompliance on the grounds that agreement was an implicit acknowledgment by Jews of the right of pagans to rule their nation.2. The Sicarii - Extremists among the Zealots turned to terrorism and assassination and became known as Sicarii. (Greek sikarioi, “dagger men”). They frequented public places with hidden daggers to strike down persons friendly to Rome. In the first revolt against Rome (AD 66–70) the Zealots played a leading role, and at Masada in 73 they committed suicide rather than surrender the fortress, but they were still a force to be reckoned with in the first part of the following century. A few scholars see a possible relationship between the Zealots and the Jewish religious community mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls.All Right-wing extremist groups and para-militia groups you read about all end up adopting one philosophy; that not enough is being done, so they take matters into their own hands. When they do this they say, “We know better than God.” “we are above the rule of law and above God’s word and scripture.”Joshua 24:12: “And I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites; it was not by your sword or by your bow.”Romans 12:19: “19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saithe the Lord.”Striving in whatever we do, whatever we say, and however we act, must comply with God’s word and should be tested by God’s word. God’s word becomes a filter by which by which we teach, and we hold God’s word in the highest place and priority. If you ever hear something or feel like what we are doing goes against scripture, we urge you to bring it to our attention so that we can discuss it together and so that we can all grow and become better.How can we make sure that we are teaching sound theology that is solely based on scripture and God’s word? How would you know?The problem with the church today is discerning whether or not the Holt Spirit is present or not. Because even if the Holy Spirit started with the church, only the church would know if the Holy Spirit has gone away but the people would have no idea because the church is still carrying on its good works. Paraphrased from RT Kendall’s Book, Holy Fire.The same can be said of us and our ministry. We hold true to the fact that works alone do not get you into heaven. You can’t buy your way in and you cannot work your way in. The irony of the concentration camps during WWII is most terribly depicted by the sign at Auschwitz that said, “Arbeit macht frei” – “Work Will Set You Free” in German.We do believe that works we do here does store of gifts for us in heaven and we want to be rewarded for what we do here in the name of God’s Kingdom. That is scripturally based.

Sovereign Lord, you created the heavens and the earth and everything in it. Have mercy on us for you are perfect and we are sinners. Your grace and mercy is unending. Holy Spirit we beg your presence in this place. Allow us the gift of clarity; that we may hear your words today and not our own. Continue to guide us along the path you have laid out before us. Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. The King of Glory, The Lord of Heavens’ Armies, Yahweh. Amen. World War II (1939 – 1945) The Blitz (September 1940 – May 1941) Nighttime bombing raids against London and other British cities by Nazi Germany during World War II. The raids followed the failure of the German Luftwaffe to defeat Britain’s Royal Air Force in the Battle of Britain The daylight attack against London on September 7, 1940, marked the opening phase of the German bomber offensive against Britain, which came to be called the Blitz after the German word “blitzkrieg,” meaning “lightning war.” Daylight attacks soon gave way to night raids, which the British found difficult to counter. The British lacked effective antiaircraft artillery and searchlights, as well as night fighters that could find and shoot down an aircraft in darkness. The scale of the attacks rapidly escalated. In that month alone, the German Air Force dropped 5,300 tons of high explosives on the capital in just 24 nights. In their efforts to ‘soften up’ the British population and to destroy morale before the planned invasion, German planes extended their targets to include the major coastal ports and centers of production and supply. The infamous raid of November 14, 1940 on Coventry brought a still worse twist to the campaign. 500 German bombers dropped 500 tons of explosives and nearly 900 incendiary bombs on the city in ten hours of unrelenting bombardment… “I stood on the footway of Hungerford bridge across the Thames watching the lights of London go out. The whole great town was lit up like a fairyland, in a dazzle that reached into the sky, and then one by one, as a switch was pulled, each area went dark, the dazzle becoming a patchwork of lights being snuffed out here and there until a last one remained, and it too went out. What was left us was more than just wartime blackout, it was a fearful portent of what war was to be. We had not thought that we would have to fight in darkness, or that light would be our enemy.” Daily Herald journalist Mea Allan wrote those words in 1939 as she witnessed the introduction of universal blackout. From Thurso to Truro, from Hastings to Holyhead, Britain was plunged into darkness at sunset on 1 September, two days before war was declared. Street lights were switched off at the mains, vehicle headlights were masked to show only a crack of light, and stations were lit by candles. In the months leading up to the declaration of war, women made and hung blackout curtains and blinds, and sealed any gaps round the edges with brown paper. Did the blackout have any beneficial effects? Burglary and mugging increased, and looters took advantage of deep blackout and bombed-out houses. By the end of the first month of war there had been 1,130 road deaths attributed to the blackout, and coroners urged pedestrians to carry a newspaper or a white handkerchief to make them more visible. A coroner in Birmingham told old people to keep off the streets after dark, suggesting routine visits to the pub in the evening had to be relinquished for the war effort, as so many were killed when they stepped from pub into darkened street. Thousands struggled to work Consumer Goods and Public Rail travel, too, was made more difficult by the blackout. In darkened railway goods yards, porters struggled to read labels on freight travelling by train at night, which led to increasing delays for passengers. After the blackout was lifted in 1941, doctors had diagnosed a new condition among factory workers on the home front: blackout anemia. Just as seasonal affective disorder is recognized today as being linked to a lack of natural light in winter, so depression was a recognized consequence of the blackout during the second world war. Ultimately, 43,000 British civilians were killed and another 139,000 were wounded during the Blitz. The blackouts in defense of the German blitzkrieg had little to no effect what-so-ever minimizing or preventing the overall destruction of the bombing raids. Why do I believe events in history, such as these are important? The Church culture today seems to have taken a “blackout” approach to sharing the gospel. Taking extra care and precautions not to shine to bright and reveal our location to the enemy. We’ve allowed our preaching and our reading of the scripture to be watered down; catering to the beginner believer, instead of challenging new believers to increase their knowledge and understanding of the Bible. In our seemingly noble and intelligent effort to defend against the onslaught of raids by Satan, we’ve darkened our hearts and our minds to the thought of Satan, attempting to survive by hiding our light and not shining to bright for the world to see. Holding onto the false hope that if we don’t share our faith too strongly, Satan will just fly over us and maybe even ignore us all together. We’ve adopted a new way of living for Christ that seems, so dim compared to our ancient ancestral Christian men of the Bible We’re only hoping to survive another raid and live another day in fear and ignorance until Jesus comes again. The light shining today often feels like the false light in our world with false teachers and celebrities spewing false gospels of “discovering your individual inner light because all roads eventually lead to a heaven or better place.” “Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it,” Matthew 7:13 (CSB) Lucifer, translated to “morning star, the light-bearer or light-bringer.” Satan “fashions himself into an angel of light,” Corinthians 11:14 We’re losing the light that comes from the Holy Spirit The Holy Fire light, the “divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them,” Acts 2:3. In our inability to recognize the power of the Holy Spirit’s power in our lives and in our churches, we have quenched its light. Little did we comprehend, in our effort to survive in an ever-changing and increasingly evil world, that when we quenched the Holy Spirit’s light in us and in our Churches, we gave territory to the enemy.