God’s power with His tee-shirt of Fat Beggars school of Prophets

Who would have ever thought a person would get over a hundred comments from simply wearing one tee-shirt to church?  That’s exactly what happened at Lakewood Presbyterian Church here in Jacksonville, Florida.

The back of the shirt’s logo is:  Jesus was Homeless

And so between the prophet part of the logo and then the connection to the homeless:  many church members expressed statements of encouragement.

Understand if you would that Most Presbyterians anymore are either liberal or moderate in social stances:  I don’t imagine any Presbyterians believe in modern day prophets.  And while I don’t claim to be a prophet, I announced I was a member to a group that was:  mainly that of the FAT BEGGARS SCHOOL OF PROPHETS lead by my friend, Agent X.

As a matter of fact, I’d like to solicit those who would identify with the Fat Beggars school of Prophets and their championing the cause of the Homeless to leave your email address below and your name which would sign you up to our group.  The idea here is to establish connections and information resources with Christians with like ideas and goals in relation to the homeless.

At the very least I would encourage you to obtain a tee-shirt of our group and advertise our cause by wearing it liberally wherever you go to elicit awareness for those who are destitute.

A more direct way of reaching Agent X would be to go directly to his blog:  https://fatbeggars.wordpress.com/

I know my church was receptive to God’s message and I’m sure yours will be as well.  Join in with us in small steps for the homeless.  I look forward to your email addys and comments.  Tommy F. Thompson to be called Agent TFT

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All signs indicate they are CLOSED

Envision if you will the idea that God places a LARGE sign up in Heaven that He is closed for the day. Of course, that idea is completely preposterous.  Too, think about a series of states—closed due to inattention or some other neglectful practice. Once again, no one could ever think of such an occurrence.

As anyone can tell you, the only reason a liquor bar closes is due to law, but otherwise, they’d be up and running 24/7

Now back to GOD.

If it makes absolutely no sense that God is never closed, is never out to lunch, then why are our churches mostly always closed? This makes no sense at all.

A homeless person can approach the church and they’d be closed.  A desperate person seeking comfort would be forced to make an appointment for assistance.

No one expects the Holy Spirit to be off for a day and sense we think this is insane it is equally insane that our church doors are closed to those seeking aid.

God is NEVER closed and Christians should never be closed either for we are HIS image bearer.  To this effect, for a Christian, we are never closed:  Instead our sign should always read OPEN FOR BUSINESS===ALWAYS.

Whatever else you do today, DONT read THIS post

This is not exactly all that it appears to be

Loiter Larry

Okay, okay, okay… I see how you are – you stubborn blog reader.

Okay, in that case, then definitely, absolutely, DO NOT under any circumstance go out on the streets and pray with a homeless person and invite them out to eat after you take them to worship this Sunday.

Let’s see you NOT do that now!

Hmmm?

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The Church Without Walls

Many mainstream churches today are hosted by those with receding or grey hair.  Absent are either teens or young adults who are fresh with a sense of enthusiasm. Of the long term saints, champions of the faith, many are deceased or have moved to a retirement villa away from their home church.

My concept of church goes way beyond any illusion of walls for I see the church not as a building, but as an aggravate, a collective, corporate unity of people. Yet, to further this corporate workforce, I propose the following:

Rationale:  Since the body of church consists of believers who are to primary serve unbelievers, the church should resolve to:

GO TO THE PEOPLE

In years past, people came to the church, but in modern day:  socio-economics divides people in accordance with zoning laws.   To effectively reach people who are normally excluded from church, the church should move to selective strip-malls and store-front shopping centers to EXTEND the church to go directly to the people.

These store fronts would be open 24-7, would serve as day centers, places of comfort for the homeless, would evangelize and seek proselytes to enter into God’s kingdom.

I realize this concept would not be popular for armchair Christians.  However, I argue this is necessary and proper in keeping with God’s commandment to serve the least of these. I also maintain it is necessary in order to expand the church and to preserve mainstream churches:  this methodology is a win-win as it serves the church proper as well as enhances the quality of life for God’s people: the brethren. In effect, this is the true church as any true church is a church without walls.

Will a Man Rob God?

Oh, the thunder of some preachers when they get on a high horse and blare out the warnings of Malachi 3:8-18.

Of course, this is completely taken out of context, but it doesn’t stop them from exhorting and demanding money out of you.

Don’t get me wrong here.  I’m not suggesting we shouldn’t pledge and give offerings to the church for the actual work of the church.  I’m speaking of those, mostly tele-evangelists who more often than not do nothing short of extortion for the purpose of lining their own pockets.

Never mind the fact that Paul outlines how we are to give and we’re to give generously, but out of our hearts and not because of any legalistic requirement.

Yet, these other preachers come up with all kinds of reasons you are to give.  And since we now live in a more sophisticated environment and enjoy a higher education than in the past, many no longer insist on tithes, but now urge one to give ‘seed’ money upon the promise of ten or even one-hundred fold return. This, of course doesn’t nothing but play on our desire of greed.

But robbing God.  Imagine that?  They want you to give THEM the money, but they accuse YOU of robbing God.  What a twist and a scheme of double-talk.

What’s really sad here is that many Christians believe that.  They believe in the old system of tithing and ignore the fact that Malachi was referring to the PREISTS and not the general population.  Naturally, facts don’t deter those seeking your money as they benefit from it.  For most, it is their livelihood and nothing more.

I suggest that whatever you give, you give willingly and because you desire to advance the cause of Spreading the Gospel and for no other reason.  This includes not expecting some form of special blessing either for all Christians already have favor with God as we are His Children.  In the end, we should give.  And we should give freely and often.  But we should give without worrying if we are robbing God.  The greater worry should be those attempting to take your money and robbing you.

 

 

Moving on up from the barn to jail Agent X Highlights the adventures of Agent V

If you were one of the people of God living in Bethlehem between the years 1 BC and 1 AD, do you think you would notice if God incarnate came to visit your town? What would that look like? A young homeless couple, pregnant under suspicious circumstances, who can’t find lodging for the night when […]

via Church Under The Radar — Fat Beggars School of Prophets

Climb Aboard the Train of Hypocrites {There’s always room for one more}

More or less by definition, a Christian is a hypocrite.  Sorry, but there really is no other way to explain it.  And we are hypocrites because we will NEVER on this earth anyway, be able to do or accomplish what we say we believe.  Thus, when we do one thing and purport another, we are hypocrites.

It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t continue to preach, to teach and instructor others to do what is right even though we often don’t or aren’t able to do it either. What makes this all so very difficult is that the teachings of Jesus are impossible for ANY human to accomplish.  There has only been one person who was able to muster up to perfection and that was Christ alone.  Yet, in spite of the impossibilities, we are to follow and emulate Him in all His ways.

As humans we are flawed.  We are flawed and in turn branded by the trademark of sin.  But the story doesn’t end there.  As Christians we are to overcome sin, and as any Christian knows, this is a daily, step by step process.  The truth is:  we never truly arrive.  We are never there and won’t be until residing in heaven.

And so until that time, we are with our imperfections and duty bound to teach perfection through Jesus. This singles us out as Christians as we promote and teach standards far beyond our ability.  However, teach it we must and too, we enlist the power of the Holy Spirit to assist us for in our struggle for perfection we know that nothing is impossible as such:  for all things are possible with God. To that end, we beseech everyone to join us:  labels of hypocrites and all.

“When you’re dead, that’s one time in your life when you really need cheering up.” Amos ‘n Andy

Popular in this country is the adage He’s not dead.  His memory lives on.  And actually the memory part might be true.

One of the first promises God told Adam and Eve was that if they sinned, they would die.  It might be at the time, they didn’t even know what death was, but yes, eventually they sinned and died.

With the Greek philosophy, we inherited the concept of immortality.  Yet, as much as we also teach this the Bible teaches otherwise.  We all know….for the wages of sin is death…and so on.

However, the only group promised eternal life among the dead are those who have been committed to Jesus.  Otherwise we are rather doomed as Ecclesiastes says, for the Dead knoweth Nothing.

Personally, I don’t want to be in that group.  I want to be on that following that awaits the judgment day with Jesus presiding for as Christians, we believe the sacred promise of Jesus to live with him in His Kingdom forever.

Yet, death is a promise certain for those who reject God.  Death in this sense if final.  Everything then is history:  it is over with, etc.

Yet, other than those who are participants of the rapture will be dead at one time or another.

Thank God we can rest on His promise through His son, Jesus.  Salvation then is seen as a wonderful blessing and not something to assume for all.  Rest assure our efforts to preach the great commission should be stepped up and advanced.  The responsibility for the salvation of the world has been placed on us through Jesus, the son of the Living God.  What a choice:  we have the promise of eternal salvation or the final promise of eternal death.  WE should choose Life with Jesus

Don’t Bother Me Now I’m Painting My Fingernails

Americans are obsessively self-indulgent.  We are indulgent with ourselves to the point where we wish others also to be part of our narcissist behavior. Simply examine some of our actions on Facebook or other social media network.

We have notices as such:

I’m drinking my coffee

Watching my favorite tv program

Eating a sandwich

Sitting in the hot tub with my favorite bubble soap

Painting my fingernails

or any other 1/8 inch nauseating move we make

Oh, such smallness with all our obsessions.  What is wrong about this character pattern is that all the internal arrows are pointed inward rather than outward.

As Christians our attention and devotion should be focused on others, not on US ! It’s not that we don’t matter, but that others matter equally or even more.

Tell me.  How can we be effective Christians if our personality is no deeper than a sauce dish?  How are we to serve our Lord if we are all wrapped up with ourselves?

We see this with also with our preoccupation of victimization and victimhood.  How we love the spotlight on our woes and perceived wrongs.  Again, Jesus instructs us to spearhead our efforts on those who have wanting needs, not on our pitiful selves. It comes down to the fact that we really don’t want to be bothered with other people’s problems as we are too into our own.

In fact, most of our problems are by our own doing and wouldn’t even exist if we were outside our own shells.

The moral here is for Christians to wake up and comply into obedience to the Lord’s commands.  We are to love God and to love others as our self.

Any other roadmap is disobedience and sinful for it is a journey that rewards only the desires of self.

Throw the self indulgence away and dedicate our energies on Jesus who points us to the needs of our neighbor.  In the process of losing our self—we gain the blessing of God and His reward of eternity.

I can’t understand you with you babbling like that: Agent X takes it on anyway.

I ended the last post highlighting some questions our new viewpoint of the story of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11 might raise. I just lobbed out a few that seem rather natural to me. Here again are those questions: What do we do with this view of things? What does it mean to us […]

via A Babeling Bum’s Bible Study (part 3) — Fat Beggars School of Prophets