Learning How To Follow The Command Of Submission

Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man

for the Lords sake: whether it be to the king,

as supreme; or to governors, as unto them 

that are sent by Him for the punishment of

evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.

For so is the will of God, that with well doing

ye may put to silence the ignorance of

 foolish men: as free, and not using your liberty

for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the

servants of God.  Honor all men.  Love the

brotherhood.  Fear God.  Honor the king.

I Peter 2: 13 -- 17

     To submit means to be in subjection and this is exactly what the Greek word means in literal translation.  Submission has come to have a negative connotation and people do not want to be under submission for they would rather be autonomous and control their own lives.  This is what is being taught by television through talk shows with supposed psychiatrist and doctors, etc., and is promoted to the media whether it be television, movies, or any other way to teach that man must control their own destiny.  To a point they are correct.  There are times when we are not to submit.  We are to be inclined or to be ready to submit without resistance and to be humbly obedient.  We are to submit or be submissive and humbly obedient to Jesus Christ.  We are to have a conduct or an attitude of submission.  We are to have an agreement between other parties to abide by the decision.  We are to give over and to yield power or authority to another.  Oh!  How we hate this idea!  Yet, we are being told that we are to be in submission.  The Greek for this word to be under submission is plural and it is imperative, in other words it is a command to start doing what you are not going and it is speaking to you and me for it is imperative and an aorist, and it is plural for it is for all of us who claim to be Christian. in other words it is your responsibility to be in submission.

     Does submission mean that we are to just turn the other cheek and allow another to do what ever they so desire to us?  No!  If you will remember that when the 70 men went out as Jesus commanded they took with them swords.  They did not take those sorts just a cut their meat or to slice butter.  They took those swords to protect themselves.  To use force to protect oneself is not wrong if it is done for the right reason.  Furthermore as Christians we are to be in submissive to every ordinance of Jesus Christ.  Do you understand that we do not have a choice in this matter?  Oh, yes you can ignore this command but if you do you're going against the command of your savior Jesus Christ.  Read Romans Chapter 13 and you will find that Paul speaks about this very same thing.

     I hear often Christians complaining about the government, about abortion, about homosexuality, and now the transgender effort so that anyone can use a bathroom whether it be man or woman and whether or not they be man or woman.  It is compliant, compliant, compliant, compliant with little if any action to correct the problem.  It is as though nothing is being done but for the majority of people who go to church and call themselves Christians be will not do anything that will ruffle their feathers or cause them any kind of effort or discomfort.  In fact, as Christians we have the power in our voting, and in our choosing to whom to vote for if we choose to do so and that choosing has the power to cause those things that are simple: i.e., abortion, homosexuality in all of its forms and uses, even to choose men who will make decisions according to the will of God and not by their own suppositions. Our responsibility, for the Lord's sake is to be in subjection to the King, in our case here in the United States it is to the president and to the governors of the states in which we reside in other men and women who are governing city, states, and the country.

     As Christians taking our responsibility to ensure that the justice of God is that which is ruining our nation according to men who follow the will of God then this will bring praise to those who are doing well things.  Government was set up by God to control those who are evil doers and not to control those who are not evil doers, why control people who are not evil doers for a day are not causing a problem.  When we take charge of our responsibility to uphold the justice of God we are putting to silence the ignorance of those foolish men and women who are making decisions, laws, and bringing onto our nation if not the world as a whole sinfulness.  As three men and women we are to put this silence those people.  We must remember that we are to not use our liberty in some malicious manner for we are servants of God.

     Honor God, honor all men, love the brotherhood, honor the king. 

When a country is rebellious,

     it has many rulers, but

a man of understanding and

     knowledge maintains order.

A ruler who oppresses the poor

     is like a driving rain that

leaves no crops.  Those who forsake

     the law praise the wicked, but

those who keep the law resists them.

     Evil man do not understand justice,

but those who seek the LORD

     understand it fully.

                Proverbs 28: 2 -- 5

As a Christian be involved

Richard L. Crumb

Learning To Live What We Are: Strangers And :Pilgrims

Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers

and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts,

which war against the soul; having your

conversation honest among the Gentiles:

that, whereas they speak against you

as evildoers, they may by your good works,

 which they shall behold, glorify God

in the day of visitation.

I Peter 2: 11 -- 12

     A question: Do you see yourself as a stranger and as a pilgrim? An old song entitled: "This World Is Not My Home," and it further states that we are just passing through for our treasures are laid up somewhere in the blue.  Is this how you see yourself?  If not, why not?  You may not have been displaced from their homes, country, and had active persecution, but you are involved in a war.  This war is not for your possessions, it is for your soul.  One of the major ways that we fight this war is to abstain from fleshly desires, that which we would call lust. Are you seeking to gather all the toys, implements, bigger and better homes, the latest and greatest new car or pick up?  Are you going into debt to achieve what you desire?  Are you looking for more money, or fame or fortune that the world would see you as someone special?  If so, your faith, your understanding of who you are is askew.  There is a problem because you are not actually fighting this war you're joining the enemy.

     Question: What about your conversation, your language, is it vulgar, is it filled with things other than speaking about the Lord Jesus Christ and the Gospel?  It is not that we could not talk about other things but we must be in control of our conversation that it is an honest conversation so that you or I will not come into condemnation by a non-Christian, at least over our conversation.  If your conversation is more like the conversation of this world the Gentiles, that is the non-Christians, will know that you are not actually acting like Christian.  They see you, that is the non-Christians, as a hypocrite.  They believe they have an honest reason to war against you for as a hypocrite you are seen as an evil doer and name may not be far from wrong.  Does the world see you as a person who lives your faith and that faith is seen in your works?  I don't mean just teaching Sunday school, going to church, going to various functions, I mean do they see you mowing your lawn keeping your house clean caring for your children and wife properly and that you are not in debt so that you are unable to keep a good report.  How will they glorify God if they cannot see God in you?  They can't!  When Jesus Christ comes for his church, his day of visitation, will they be able to glorify Jesus Christ?

     God uses the means to accomplish His will.  You are the means to bring the Gospel to the world.  There are many and various avenues by which this Gospel can be supported into the world but it will not be spread unless a person is intentionally taking the Gospel to their world.  Notice the word intentional; that means you are taking time to plan and then to do and not just simply speak about what others are doing, rather exercise your faith and you will not have to speak about it for others to see it.

     We speak about the love of God in His mercy and we want it, but, are we giving back truelove to God?  You see when we love we give Whether it be our wives or our children, loving care for our cars by washing and waxing it because in some way we love that vehicle.  If we are willing it to do loving godly things upon this earth and are we willing to give love to God who loves us unconditionally and has shown that fact by coming to earth as the Son of God so that we, you, others, can be saved. 

     Our blessings are so great for we are blessed to have eternal life and that life began when we put our faith, trust, belief, and have converted to the Lord Jesus Christ. a great joy is yours and mine when we follow the commands and do the will of God.  It is there for us to grab hold of still the question is will we actually reach out to obtain it.  It is up to us?

In that day, declares the LORD Almighty,

     I will break the yoke off their necks

and will tear off their bonds; no longer

     Will foreigners in slave them.

                       Jeremiah 30: 8

Reach out and do the will of God

Richard L. Crumb

Learning To Live As A Chosen Generation And A Royal Priesthood

Unto you therefore which believe

 He is precious: but unto them which

disobedient to, the stone which the builders

disallowed, the same is made that head

of the corner, and a stone of stumbling 

and a rock of offense, even to them

which stumble at the word, being

disobedient: whereunto also they were

appointed.  But ye are a chosen generation,

a royal priesthood, as holy nation,

a peculiar people; that ye should show

forth the praises Him who hath called

you out of darkness into His marvelous

light: which in times past were not

a people, but are now the people of God:

which had not obtained mercy, but now

have obtained mercy.

I Peter 2: 7 -- 10

     People often call themselves "Christian" but seldom do they refer to themselves as "a royal priesthood." By what right do we become "a royal priesthood?"  Just because a person calls himself a "Christian" and attends a church, Bible studies, and other various functions of Christianity does not make a person a "Christian" nor does it make a person "a royal priesthood." A "Christian" is one that has come to believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and follows the commands and precepts of God.  The right to be  "a royal priesthood" is due to the atonement.  A person cannot earn this right for it is a free gift of God for all of his children.  Now, as a priest of God we have responsibility to God.  Are you prepared to be a priest of God?  Are you prepared to leave yourself resolutely alone and to launch out into the priestly work of prayer?  Are you willing to continue to look inside of yourself to see whether or not you are what you ought to be sold that you are not generating a self-centered, morbid type of Christianity, not the robust, simple life of the child of God.  Christianity is not a club, a sorority, and not a place where we get our feelings and our emotions rubbed so that we feel good about being a Christian.  Christianity is simply the simple life of the child of God and Intel we get into that understanding and develop a right relationship to God, then your relationship and your Christianity is hanging onto this truth by the skin of your teeth.  How often do we hear a Christian say what a wonderful victory they have gotten from God.  That may be true that God has given you a victory but there is nothing in that it indicates the miracle of Redemption.  An Authentic Christian is one who launches out in reckless belief that the Redemption is complete.  If you launch yourself out in his recklessness of belief then you are to bother yourself no more, but began to do as what Jesus Christ said we are to do.  This to do list includes praying for a friend who comes to you for help, to pray for other Christians in your congregation and around the world, that is to pray for all men and that the Gospel will reach very ears and that they will respond to the Holy Spirit leading them into faith.  Do you realize that you are only perfect in Jesus Christ?  Do not rely on this plea: "O Lord, I have done my best, please hear me."

     How long will it take for you to free yourself from the morbid habit of thinking about yourself?  We must come to the place where we get sick unto death of ourselves and there is no longer any surprise that anything God can tell us about ourselves.  We do not know the depth of the darkness within us, that morbid and is in meanness and ourselves.  We may not know, but God does know, and there is only one place to get ourselves to be right and that is in Jesus Christ.  When we reach that place, then we pour out of ourselves with all the worth we have in this ministry to clean out our interior and place all of our trust and faith in Jesus Christ.

     Those who do not do this are disobedient and this disobedience is shown in their lives as they shun the word of God. You who are honestly and obediently seeking the truth and are listening to the Holy Spirit as He leads you into the faith will come to know that you have been appointed to do this work outlined by Jesus Christ.  You are a priest, so act as a priest and chilled the praises of Jesus Christ who has called you out of this darkness that you are an and called you into his marvelous light.  You are not just a person of this world.  You are a child of God, a people of God, and you have received His mercy.  So what is holding you back?  It is not God.  It is not Satan.  It is you.  Therefore, only you can repent which means that you turn 180° from the way you are now going to the way that you should be traveling. you are not alone in his effort for you have the Holy Spirit speaking to you through his Word and by means of that quiet voice that speaks to your soul and only you can listen, only you have the power to hear.  Praise God for as a child of God and a priest of God and have received His mercy and have been appointed to spread the gospel have also been appointed to have eternal life.

Return, faithless Israel, declares the LORD,

     I will frown on you no longer come for I am merciful,

declares the LORD, I will not be angry for ever.

     Only acknowledge your guilty -- you have rebelled

against the LORD your God, you have scattered your

     favors to foreign gods under every spreading tree,

and have not obeyed me, declares the LORD.

     Return, faithless people, declares the LORD,

for I am your husband.  I will choose you -- 1 from a town

     and two from a clan -- and bring you to Zion.

                               Jeremiah 3: 12b-- 14

Live as a priest of God

Richard L. Crumb