Narrow Cramped Road ... Part 2

©Lightwritingmatters 2015

READER ALERT: This is a very long article. 

How does a Christian make it through the straight gate and down the narrow and cramped road to eternity?

With this post we will take a secular and spiritual look at the question ‘how does a Christian navigate the trek from belief to eternity’?  This post is both opinion and scripture. It is a look at how Christians, living in the U.S., should be much freer to establish their various churches and exercise their religion, unabridged. With no doubt, please understand, this is an opinion blog space to discuss GOD as seen and understood through the eyes, heart, mind, soul and spirit of a Christian’s faith as it is based on the ONE who came to earth to establish in person, the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE. “6 Jesus saith to him, `I am the way, and the truth, and the life, no one doth come unto the Father, if not through me;” [John 14:6] YLT

It is based on the gospel and GOD’s love for us! “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” [John 3:16] KJV

“Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” [ 1 John 4:15-16] KJV

Life from birth to eternity

Picture, if you will, your path in life. Doesn’t matter at what age you look at your life the pratfalls are all the same just more age related as we mature through infancy, toddlerhood, elementary schooling, middle schooling, high school, college/vocational education, work place, family, church, social activities, neighborhood and community living, the same challenges exist in all our life from beginning to end. The challenges are like huge boulders, deep holes, long stretches of deep water, treks through desert like harsh environments and the beauty of a well-designed and maintained gardens. But, it is a huge maze with all these and more as obstacles within the maze making it all the more difficult to emerge from the exit to eternity. We must remember to choose the right entry [Jesus], to continue to use our guide [Holy Spirit], to consult the map [Bible], while meditating on the solutions to the many foibles along the way and remain on the right path [narrow and cramped] into eternity. It is a mixed bag of hard at times but other times --- beautiful and exhilarating.

And now we begin our history lesson for Christian living in the U.S.

Difficulties confront persons choosing to live a Christian principle based life in the world where grotesque visuals and verbiage is offensive; where hatred and violence are prevalent; where religious intolerance is the norm for many Christians. Their sense of ‘traditional family’, their business practices, the choices some make for their children’s education, their view on the sanctity of life and its beginnings from conception, their desire to observe certain holidays with impunity, the political views they may hold, or those who desire to have none, their sense of gratitude for the place they live and the desire to do their part to protect it, but most importantly the tenets of their faith and the promise to be able to exercise it unabridged are now under attack both subtly and confrontationally.

This is not new nor will it fade from our reality. History is bloated with intolerance of Christianity from the day Jesus was baptized until today. Persecution chased early Christians from their homes, their communities and their places of worship. It came from within their own faith based communities, from the government authorities, from those who tried to co-op Christian beliefs into a blend of philosophically appealing mock religions like animism, agnosticism, even iconoclasm. The latter is often done by different sects or denominations of Christian practitioners. [The Co-op is not limited to those listed]

The stress of life and the many responsibilities of life creates a time management issue and many see their ‘faith’ or ‘spirituality’ as the bottom of their list when they must manage their time.

As stated, the Christian today is being pressured into accepting societal norms in speech and actions to avoid penalties. If they own a business and a conflict arises because of their Christian conscience they often lose their investment, their business, their privacy and their FREEDOM, prohibited from practicing their religion unabridged. It is a constitutional right to be able to practice your religion unabridged. The idea that a Christian’s business is not an extension of their faith is ludicrous. Penalizing them for free exercise of their faith is unconstitutional. While they fight their case all the way to the Supreme Court to set a precedent however, we need to remember ‘if they persecuted Christ they will persecute HIS followers’.

What is a Christian to do if we prayerfully realize use of certain acceptable phrases or implementation of certain acceptable social norms may not offend most segments of society but would offend CHRIST or even our Christian forefathers, who do we choose to offend? It is most complicated in practice but not a complicated decision. It is how we maintain our footfall on the narrow and cramped path. Through prayer, study and practice the weary and exhaustive trek will be worth it. Sometimes made lighter with clarity of vision.

Let me illustrate with this memory:

Years ago, my husband and I visited Hawaii as often as we could book a flight/motel package and get there. On one trip, we took our bags to the airport and checked them in and stashed our carry on in lockers. We took the city bus to a spot that would allow us to go for a hike to kill time until our flight left. The map said there was a lake up on a path and so we decided to go for the walk. We climbed up through bamboo forests to the path. Arriving at the path, there was a sign pointing us in the direction we wanted to go. The path from that point was as wide as a one lane road, grassy, except for the path worn by animals and hikers. The path was uphill, then leveled out, narrowing as we walked. We continued to look ahead to see if we could see the lake but there was no evidence of one. We walked for a long time. The path continued to narrow. The only sign was the one at the trailhead. We began to question whether the map and sign were correct. We finally came to a canyon. It held a breathtaking view of the community below --- known as Manoa --- and on the horizon the gorgeous blues of the Pacific and sky meeting. The path had narrowed down to no wider than would allow one foot in front of the other. You had to walk sort of sideways to avoid falling down the face of the cliff to continue. The promise that we would see a better path ahead was nonexistent. While we had arrived at a beautiful, paradise like place, it was not what we set out to see nor where we wanted to end up. Due to time and wisdom we decided to retrace our steps back to the trailhead and return to the airport. As we began our trek back we realized after a length of time we may be lost.  Nothing looked familiar. We assumed we missed the sign at the trailhead. We paused for a moment to admit we may be lost and how to resolve the problem when the path gave way and we sled down a muddy cliff through the bamboo forest and came to the end of our downhill slide at the very entrance to the trail where we began. We laughed so hard at the Romancing-the-Stone-moment, our utterly muddy persons and the fact that wherever we were up on the trail we were where we wanted to be now!

The point of the story: The broad path leading off to destruction, starts out looking promising, instructive with information signs along the way. It may be enticing and easy but it winds up taking you nowhere. Finding your way back may land you where you started. But, will you choose another ‘the’ path? The narrow and cramped one? Or, will you be lost and in peril with no way out.

We must make our choice of a pathway that is well lit by GOD’s LIGHT [Jesus] and GOD’s Word [Bible]. [Psa 119:105] It has a door that is straight but leads to a narrow and cramped path/road.

As Christians, we enter the Way through the TRUTH that leads to Life. Jesus is the TRUTH. He is no false god, no myth, no story conjured from ancient minds. He is the Way. HE is not some ethereal or nebulous place one strives to experience. HE is LIFE. HIS presence in our lives transfers us from death to life --- then through life to life eternal. So long as we keep our faith firmly rooted in our Savior with daily prayer and contemplation then the path, while narrow and cramped, will lead us to eternal life. Be not concerned. As we grow weary, remember the narrow and cramped path does have a ‘few’ on it so we provide a mutual assistance to one another encouraging one another to love and fine works.

Living in the U.S.

Our experience on the path as Christians is very different from one nation to another. Many nations do not recognize a freedom to worship as we wish. Many have state religions you ae required and expected to adhere to and others nations have cultural religions you are basically born into and while leaving is not punishable like a state religion would be, the departure from the cultural expectations can bring ostracizing from family and community.

Some four plus centuries ago it was from a harsh state religious environment labeled as ‘Christian’ that people took extreme measures to escape. They took their families, what goods they could bring with them and their life savings to pay for portage for themselves and their goods to board a ship and traverse a huge body of water for a long period of time. Their travel would take them from the place they knew and a culture they were familiar with to a brand-new land where everything was different. The people of the land were a very different culture and religion. The landscape was different. The food sources and water sources were different. It was primitive with the earliest travelers arriving to no infrastructure, as they knew infrastructure, at all. They left with everything and arrived to nothing that was familiar.

Over 3 centuries they built, they moved about, they developed their own local cultures and they practiced their Christian faith – denominationally different in some cases,  with much more freedom. By the mid-18^th century it was clear some sort of ‘government’ was a practical idea. A war had been fought for independence from the ruling authority the initial travelers sought to escape. The established 13 colonies, that included pretty much the entire coastal area of the Atlantic Ocean [minus Maine and Florida] each having its own ruling authority found wisdom in federalizing the whole of the 13 colonies. Over time a body of documents was affirmed and the course of the future was set with the adoption of the documentation which started with our Declaration of Independence! This would be the first country where Christianity would be the prominent religion but not a state mandated religion. In fact, the new established government set the citizens of the country free to establish their own religion and the exercise and practice of their religion unabridged!

The governing documents of this nation recognize that all are created equal; that they have the right to several freedoms, including religion. In fact, the section of the first amendment regarding religion specifies this: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;…” Have you asked yourself why this was the premiere freedom of the first amendment? With freedom of speech, of the press, of the people to assemble peaceably or to petition the government for redress of grievances to follow?

While I do not presume to know the intent in all the many discussions as the Constitution evolved, nor in minds of those who debated it, nor the hearts of the men who held opinion; I do know that most fled Europe and came to America to escape the oppression of a state religion.

Upon arrival and settling it was their goal to FREELY worship as they deemed right personally. By securing the right to freedom of religion via the Constitution no royal rule nor sense of superiority or entitlement would supersede the citizen of the colonies -- as was the case for centuries in Europe. They were now free to pursue their narrow and cramped path with more ease.

The First Amendment begins with the words above. To freely establish your religion and freely exercise it you must be free to speak your mind/heart/spirit in the practice/exercise of your religion. The Press was used to promote various Christian religions. Please remember, the ‘Press’ today and the ‘Press’ of their day are very different things. The Press in their day was used to debate ideas, to promote ideas and religion, to bring news to and about the community and from afar and to organize certain activities of a community, group or cause. Freedom to assemble peaceably would allow the different religious groups to hold their services and other ‘church’ related activities without fear of reprisal or disruption from those who disagreed/or, from the Government. And the right to petition the government for redress of grievances provided the ability for any church or church member to appeal the decision to penalize someone’s religious practice by seizure of their property or imprisonment based on their faith. All of these freedoms secured for the new colonialist what they did not have in their former countries.

  

Back to the beginning:

It is no surprise that as they contemplated the ‘more perfect union’ their Christian faith would bear influence on the way their legal system would work. The Ten Commandments served as the foundation of acceptable human behavior. It made sense therefore to establish laws that would secure those behaviors could be practiced or consequential censure would be legally imposed. No matter the diversity in belief systems, Christian or otherwise, Christianity was the traditional and generally accepted practice of the citizenry of the 13 colonies. From that time to the beginning of the 20^th century it was understood traditional Christian standards were the standards most people ‘religious or not’ upheld as to their character. They knew it was wrong to murder, to steal, to bear false witness [lie], commit adultery. They understood they should worship GOD and not blaspheme GOD. They should honor their father and mother.

From the early 20^th century however a new attitude was born.

1.      Question authority!

2.     Suggestions of no GOD

3.     Begin a course where ruling elite would remove ‘the peon’s’ right to free worship and independent citizenship – reverting back to an oppressive governing style the earliest settlers sacrificed much to escape.

4.    Enact laws ‘abridging’ free exercise thereof

5.     Disavowal that all are created equal ß this one is implicit in the tone and direction of the many protests, marches and rallies. For instance, recently ‘feminism 2.0’ has become the latest group set apart and above others. In fact, women who were deemed unworthy of the feminism cause were denied participation in the activities. Additionally, men have been so demeaned and emasculated they made societal eunuchs. Feminism initially began to call attention to demeaning behavior and attitudes from a then male dominated society. Yet, today feminism 2.0 is every bit as demeaning as those they condemned. So, they have become NO BETTER while foisting their behaviors on all of society. Frankly there is nothing remotely reminiscent of Christian living associated with the ones who have been documented behaving in such depraved ways.

The goal of the alleged PROGRESSIVE elitist society has succeeded by eventually relegating Christianity to a subordinate place in a cultural revolution where sin was introduced as the established new religion. The convoluted faux religion of progressivism seems to be the only one allowed to exist without prohibition in its exercise thereof unabridged.

Thanks to those whose practice of Christian faith/principles at the beginning of the nation back a few centuries ago, the framework for everyone/anyone to make their ‘free will’ choice in the course of their life has evolved into a very different reality. Today, Christian standards have become passé in the minds of many but  they are nonetheless held out as society’s ‘standards’ albeit for most to rail against! But prophetically it is all the more fulfilling to see the words written so inspiringly two millennia ago now true.

Review:

Here are just a few of the prophetic human characteristics listed in the Bible at 2 Timothy 3:1-5. Whether you are a Christian or not, most of these are an assault on culture not only Christianity. For this exercise, we will look at ways these are true.

People will be lovers of their own selves

We are commanded by the LORD to love our neighbors as ourselves. It was not meant to be a self-centered or selfish love to the exclusion of the neighbor. Using others to promote our own sense of worth or to gain at their expense is mere etching on the surface of how this one is being fulfilled

Proud

The adage ‘pride goes before a fall’ seems to be wholly lost on people today. History is rife with written examples of what happens when someone decides to puff themselves up with pride. Should a Christian take pride in their accomplishments in the many walks of our lives? Definitely, but not as a weapon to beat others with nor as means to make ourselves feel or appear better.

Blasphemers

Vines Expository Dictionary defines this as ‘abusers, speaking evil’ and speech defamatory of the Divine Majesty.

Strong’s Definitions uses ‘impious (against GOD) and ‘railing’

Disobedient to parents

Unthankful

The culture of the world notices the ‘sense of entitlement’ so obviously entrenched here in the U.S.

Unholy

Though there have been historic records enclaves of people practicing  witchcraft the satanic influence has appeared in this time in what is now called ‘dark’ sides to everything from kids exhibiting Goth attire and attitudes to the Dark Web where every unspeakable unholy act is offered. We are caught up on the speech patterns without thinking when we refer to such activities of the ‘occult’ as ‘dark’ and not by their unholy name: satanic!

Without natural affection

What natural affection is used to abort a baby as a means of birth control?

What natural affection is used in the culture that seeks to change the biological gender of a human from a female to male or vice versa?

What is natural affection when the procreative act of sex is exchanged for personal preference in sexual partners? ß Please do not let it slip your notice the use of the word ‘partners’ [plural] which is in itself an abandonment of natural affection for Christians who understand Biblical standards like marriage.

Fierce

Savage is the word used by Vine’s to describe fierce. In this case, the only time this word appears as such is in 2 Tim 3:4.

Do you not shake your head in disbelief at the heinous savagery we see on the News, here and in other countries? Some correctly use ‘barbaric’ to describe the fierceness which daily makes the news.  

Despisers of those that are good

Have we not seen the marches with the signs held high in their prideful display of vulgar and offensive expressions that ‘rail’ against traditional Christian values? The labels that are used to define those who hold tight to their Christian faith such as this: ‘those people who hold on tight to their guns and bibles’? The effort to color everyone with the same broad brush to bring a sense of ‘social justice’ to everyone? Yet, who was and is the true example of ‘social justice’? Is not Jesus? Have your read the beatitudes? [Matt 5]

Have you not read the New Testament?

Why should anyone redefine what is good when good has a supernatural and superlative value demonstrated by the CREATOR of ALL THINGS? Yet, in the U.S. today, anyone speaking in specific terminology that reflects a strong adherence to Christian principles witnesses an immediate response by those who belong to the ‘one size fits all’ social justice voice redirecting the discussion to “their idea” of good which includes division, segregation, name calling, and outright denial of the worth of individuality and independence.

Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of GOD

With the myriad of addictions today need we say more?

Would it be fair to redefine ‘pleasures’? It has been redefined. Wholesome pleasures which used to be the ‘common good’ are now referred to as ‘quaint’ or ‘boring’. The act of taking your family to some beautiful vacation spot is seen as enviable but the pleasure is extended beyond the actual destination to ‘what will you be doing’ while there? Is not the time spent in a lovely place with those you love a true source of pleasure? Exploration as a family of the things the destination has to offer not pleasure enough for the family? Must it include drinking, so called recreational drugs, or adult entertainment to be pleasurable? Since when is ‘family’ in and of itself no longer a source of pleasure?

Do we seek to ‘please’ ourselves more often than we seek to please GOD? Does our sought-after pleasure become more a thing of affection than does GOD?

There are so many prophetic statements thousands of years old that are being fulfilled by the reversal of right and wrong. It is frustrating for many to see the attack upon traditional culture in this country but it should also be exciting to see prophecy become 3 dimensional. Imagine the 1 dimensional word printed on the paper some written so far back in time now a reality as it walks with those souls who have embraced what is a foreign set of values to traditional thinking.

Though the ‘beginnings of the pangs of distress’ have clearly descended on our times we are to remain circumspect: Be alert! Stand Firm! Do NOT FEAR! ENDURE! Our deliverance is getting near. 

 “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” [Luke 21:28] KJV

©Lightwritingmatters 2015

©Lightwritingmatters 2015