Jack Pelham

He ventured to mention some doctrines he wanted me to believe. So, naturally, I raised some questions and objections to what he was saying. But confidently, he promised he would bring me a book that spells it all out in good order.

The churches are packed with millions and millions of members who should not be there, according to Jesus. They are not the sort to repent of their sins, and should have been confronted about it and put out a long time ago, yet they are given quarter, and with flagrant disregard for Jesus’ instructions:

¹⁵ “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. ¹⁶ But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ ¹⁷ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

Matthew 18:15-17. NIV.

Society A has been engineered and maximized by its leaders to reap as much profit as possible (for themselves) from the citizens.

Society B is engineered and maximized by its leaders to promote the maturation of its individuals in virtue and in just dealings.

If this is all
That goes on here
I might suppose it were
By some sad mistake
That I had come either
To the wrong where
Or the wrong when.

But it seems as yet
I’ve still got the right why.

Let me be blunt: I submit that the following passage in Jesus’ teaching is widely disobeyed in the churches―and probably by your church, too. Read the following passage carefully, and then ask yourself whether this is your regular habit whenever someone sins against you, or it is is rather something you do only occasionally.

¹⁵ “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. ¹⁶ But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. ¹⁷ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

Jesus. Matthew 18:15-17. ESV.

Let us notice these four successive steps here, prescribed by Jesus in the hope that the first step alone will suffice:

It will surprise him to learn that among the things
Of which he robustly disapproves in this world,
Are some of the righteous things of God.

He didn’t realize it,
But as much of his doctrine
Had come from his own culture
Of psychological coping
As from the Bible.

And he would never realize
How much he had twisted it
Simply to make himself feel safer.

America has partied herself to death.
And I don’t mean with drugs and alcohol,
But with donkeys and elephants, mostly,
And all the pundits and labels that go with it.

It rarely happens,
But I do meet some
From time to time
Who can put a finger
Accurately on the lion’s share
Of what ails this country.
But not one in ten of those
Seem to have any real idea of
What it will take to
Make things right.

It seems they are so readily lost
When in the business of
Calculating so grand a total.

He does not know how to make a point,
But only how to hint at one,
After which he may tell himself,
If he pleases,
That those who don’t get it
Just don’t get it.