Now I know that this all is important and in the current state of our country’s debt no doubt we need to be smart and make wise decisions, however I am not one to be a huge political activist.  I hold true to some core values in my political beliefs and if a candidate is outside of those there is nothing that can be said or done to gain my vote.  I know this is a limited viewpoint, none the less it is mine.

But this is radically different with my beliefs on scripture and on the what, when, why”s”, and etc. that God has put before us.  I am very passionate and very much one that would sit and discuss my beliefs and am always looking for an intelligent dissection of scripture that might be a revelation from God.   But how far would we really go?  How far does our lip service of surrender to Jesus really go?

If you are a steady follower of this blog then you know that one of my passions is “The Church”.  What our task is, what we should look like, how we should act, etc.  so when I saw this quote this past Sunday in Church I had to research and read more about the author.  I thought the expression was very profound so I want to take a second to share it with you and then share a little bit about the author with you (I will also give you a link so that you can do a little more research your self.)

So here is the quote:

“Church is defined as those who are persecuted and martyrdom for the Gospel’s sake”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Now that you have seen the quote let me share a few brief details with you about his life and then give you the link to read more. He was born in Breslau Germany in 1906.  He came to America in the 1930′s to do a post graduate study in pursuit of his doctorate.  He went to seminary and became a key speaker for the German people to not fall into a worship of Hitler and to remain true to their faith.  Two days after Hitler was put into power Dietrich went on the radio to denounce Hitler and warn his fellow Germans against this tyranny.   He was later imprisoned and eventually executed.  But Here is what is profound!  This is what was said about him by one of the employees of the concentration camp that he was being imprisoned at.

The camp doctor who witnessed the execution wrote: “I saw Pastor Bonhoeffer … kneeling on the floor praying fervently to God. I was most deeply moved by the way this lovable man prayed, so devout and so certain that God heard his prayer. At the place of execution, he again said a short prayer and then climbed the few steps to the gallows, brave and composed. His death ensued after a few seconds. In the almost fifty years that I worked as a doctor, I have hardly ever seen a man die so entirely submissive to the will of God.”

Will we go that far?  Will we follow Christ all the way through the gallows (whether that is figuratively or physically) with the quiet heart of submission.  If you have been a Christian very long and if you have ever taken any role of leadership you understand the struggles and joys that go along with serving.  And there will (if it has not already) come a time when you will have to look your faith in the face and say “God, how far do you expect me to go?’  and His response will be “I asked my own Son to go to the Cross, now how about you just …?”

The point being this, when the time of persecution, trial, or assassination comes (and it will come) will you fight and kick and scream or will you go as Pastor Bonhoeffer did fervently and submissively in prayer?  Thus, allowing God to have complete control and the ability to mold and chisel in your life where He sees fit.

REAL EASY TO TYPE…real hard to live through!

God Bless~
Pastor Tyler

And this is how that suffering happens— if we love someone, but do not love God, we demand total perfection and righteousness from that person, and when we do not get it we become cruel and vindictive; yet we are demanding of a human being something which he or she cannot possibly give. There is only one Being who can completely satisfy to the absolute depth of the hurting human heart, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord is so obviously uncompromising with regard to every human relationship because He knows that every relationship that is not based on faithfulness to Himself will end in disaster. Our Lord trusted no one, and never placed His faith in people, yet He was never suspicious or bitter. Our Lord’s confidence in God, and in what God’s grace could do for anyone, was so perfect that He never despaired, never giving up hope for any person. If our trust is placed in human beings, we will end up despairing of everyone.

We as a society put way to much faith in ourselves and other people.  We need to take the time to get to know God and allow Him to live our life through us.  This is the only way that in our spirit and in our hearts we will truly be satisfied and content with ourselves, our life, and our circumstances. 

God Bless ~ Pastor Tyler