I stood at the edge of the embankment, surveying the debris. The sun glistened on a few items, jaggedly sticking up out of the pile of garbage. I was looking at a landfill – a junkyard, my life. I shut my eyes tightly refusing to look at my own reality.   I felt a  hand, warm and tender resting on my shoulder. Encouraging me to open my eyes and survey the mess laid out before me. My heart thumped steadily against my chest. I wanted to turn and look at whose hand that rested so securely on my shoulder. But I instinctively knew, as a baby in the womb knows the beating of their mothers heart, I knew my Father was with me – revealing all.

How quickly our hearts and minds become landfills – storing up useless, carnal thoughts and desires of this world. My home is not in this world – so how then, have I accumulated so much and why do I hold fast to the things this world has to offer.

Like most, I make choices that breathe life, and choices that extinguish life. Choices driven by the Holy Spirit are life giving, choices driven by my carnal nature are life robbing. Regardless, all have consequences.

Scripture tells us that we, as believers in Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus Christ, must not look to this world for life. Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.

I have no case for an argument. He has written His law on my heart. I look to Him for all I do. It is where I get my nourishment, sustenance to live in a world that is not my home. God showed me today, that I have allowed my life – heart and thoughts, to accumulate so much garbage. As I stood on that embankment, searching for something of value – God in His mercy and compassion showed me that even though the garbage seemly engulfed me, the sun continued to shine on those pieces of me that belong to Him and which He still takes delight in.

One of the greatest life giving statements to me found in scripture is what the apostle Paul wrote, 2 Corinthians 12:10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. I too, take delight in my weakness, my carnal sinful nature. Because it is a stark reminder, that without Jesus, I am nothing. Only through Him do I have life and purpose. I pray, as I continue my journey that God will continue to guide me and sustain me – I am confident He will!

This article is in response to a series produced by ProfMTH of Youtube called Brief Bible Blunders… In his first episode entitled ‘Where are you going?’ – Profmth uses verses from John chapters 13-16 in an effort to make Jesus look like an idiot. Let’s review the passages he used in his video…

John 13:33 Jesus says – Where I am going, you cannot come.
John 13:36 Peter asks – Lord, where are you going?
John 14:5 Thomas asks – Lord – we do not know where you are going. How do we know the way?
John 16:5 Jesus says – Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’

Now then, ProfMTH has painted quite a comedic conversation between Jesus and His apostles… in the video he adds a lot of witty dialogue and flashy little graphics… no one can fault ProfMTH on his production values – but its obvious that he has learned that a well polished presentation can do a lot to gloss over a poorly presented argument… ProfMTH’s obvious goal was to take a stab at Christ and the Bible but there is a reason the professor had to jump around 3 chapters in order to get to his punch line… and thats because it isn’t very funny when you realize what is being said in context… lets take a look…

John 13:33-38 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?”  Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.” Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!

Here – Jesus indirectly answers Peter without giving specific details, though He assures Peter that he will follow Jesus to this place later… Peter protests – only to learn of how he will deny Christ three times before the rooster crows… obviously – the answer is a little deeper than a simple black and white answer…

As the conversation continues, in John 14:5-6 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Again – Jesus answers the question a little more deeply by explaining that He is the Way! The way to what? The place He is going? What place is that? The place where the Father resides!

John 16: 5″Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’

Oh – how clever was the professor here? Not clever enough… in fact – if you want to get down to brass knuckles – one has to wonder if the Professor teaches his classes in such a dishonest fashion. First – lets look at John 16:5-6 and verse 16, I am jumping around a bit myself for the sake of time – but I implore you to read John chapters 13-16 for the complete context of this situation…

“Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”

Jesus wasn’t suggesting the Apostles hadn’t asked Him previously about where He was going… in fact – in verse 6, Jesus acknowledged that because of the answers He had given them already that they were filled with grief… but is that it? Did the Apostles ever get what Jesus was saying to them? Check out John 16:17-22

Some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.

Jesus finishes explaining to the Apostles – answering questions they dared not bring to Him directly… In verse  25 He says “Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. ”

As was the case with the parables Jesus told – He would often share truth in a way that only those who were His could understand… as the time of His crucifixion grew closer – He began speaking more clearly – why?

The answer is in verse 33…
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

So lets quickly recap – using the technique of jumping around verses in chapters 13-16 of the Gospel of John- such as the professor did:
Jesus says – Where I am going, you cannot come.
Peter asks – Lord, where are you going?
Jesus replies “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.” Peter asks, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Then Jesus answers, “Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!
Thomas says – Lord – we do not know where you are going. How do we know the way?
Jesus answers, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Jesus later says: Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you. I did not tell you this at first because I was with you. (Jn 16:4)

This so-called Bible Blunder looses that comedic style and insulting quality that ProfMTH shot for in his video when one gets the whole story… And lets be honest – leaving a video out there like that without an explanation of the story in context is truly – deceptive – isn’t it? How many people will walk away from his video thinking – ah ha! I can trust this video because a professor made it – and it shows us Jesus was an idiot? How many?  The answer is too many. For shame ProfMTH – I certainly hope you teach your classes with more integrity than this.

The following is a rough script from a new video I have made:

There seems to be great interest in conspiracy theories. Many Christians are dedicating much of their time trying to discover and expose master plots of evil leaders that threaten our way of life… but I believe as a whole, we have missed one of the biggest conspiracies ever propagated against the Christian faith. After much prayer and deliberation, it has become apparent to me that the Lord is calling me to speak out boldly about this grand deception which has infiltrated the body of Christ. It seems clear to me through my understanding of the New Testament, the history of the original Christians, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit that Satan has convinced us to ignore one of the fundamental teachings of Christ. We have become convinced that we, as followers of Christ, are justified and have a duty to take up arms and kill those we know to be wicked and evil. Yet, we know that no where in the Gospels or the Epistles did Jesus, the Apostles, or their disciples ever act in this manner.

For the first 300 years or so after Christ ascended to heaven, Christians did not kill for any reason. They faced persecution, oppression, and even martyrdom with nothing but prayers for their enemies. Once Christianity was made the state religion of Rome, things stated to change… Suddenly, the church developed a Just War doctrine – and from that point on Christianity has forgotten that Jesus turned us away from the old eye for an eye doctrine… Discussing this with most modern day Christians is difficult at best. Many are soldiers, police men, or just good old fashioned Patriots. If some one hits us – we hit back – twice as hard – and we justify it by claiming we need to defend our lives… but these are the very lives that Jesus told us plainly about in John 12:25 when He said – The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. We are told we have to defend our freedoms – but these very so-called freedoms have made our churches fat and weak and have allowed wickedness to surround our religion from all sides. We need to remember that He who lives by the sword will die by the sword. Many seek to turn this into a metaphor – and I suppose it can be interpreted in such a way – but it is equally true in the literal sense. Violence begets violence. As the early church father’s have shown in their writings – Christians did not kill. Not in defense and not for justice. They could not even bear to watch a killing – even if it was justified by their own judgment! Can you imagine that? Most of us watch movies, or television shows or play video games where killing is common place and celebrated – yet our earliest brothers could not bear to watch men that deserved death be killed.

Think about this problem my friends. Recognize how we have been brainwashed into a doctrine of the world – seduced into the arms of violence for 1600 years… theologians and scholars have formulated great arguments to defend the lie that came to us through the Roman Empire… be honest with yourselves… it is the flesh that seeks to fight and it is our lack of faith that God will dispense His wrath and justice in His time in His way. There is a phrase often heard but rarely listened to – let God be God… when we take it upon ourselves to kill another – regardless of how detestable we believe them to be – we are telling God that we know better than He does. We are assuming the role of judge, jury, and executioner… when in truth Jesus told us that He has sent us out as sheep among wolves – and we are to be as wise as serpents yet harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16).

This isn’t a simple thing to accept. It is hard to believe that we have been deceived for 1,600 years. It is even harder for us to believe that we are simply to allow ourselves to let our wealth and security be exposed to the dangerous world which will surely take it from us. Harder still is it for us to believe that we should allow ourselves or anyone else to suffer and even die – yet this is exactly what the Lord has called us to do.

John 6:53-66
Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever.” He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”

Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him.” From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

If we are to eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ we must be as He was on this earth. We can clearly see His Way in His life on earth, in the lives of the Apostles, and even in the lives of the early Christians right up till the time of Constantine. No matter how hard we try to change these facts – no matter how many scriptures we twist, no matter how desperately we want to believe otherwise – this is one of the fundamental distinctions of Christianity that we have lost over the centuries. If we deny this then we are refusing His Way! I don’t believe it’s mistake that John 6:66 reads – From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

In the coming days and weeks I will be releasing videos exposing the false interpretations of scripture that people have developed to defend their desire to kill for what they have. I will be sharing the insight that God is giving me on the historical facts that been ignored. I will be answering your questions and responding to your challenges as they come forth – and I will be praying that God will shower us all with patience and understanding. If you are angered by this video, ask yourself why. If I am just a fool who doesn’t know what he is talking about – then why does it prick your heart as it does? The followers of Christ will not follow a stranger… so if what I am saying is not true – then no one of Christ will accept it. Surely you aren’t swayed by fools! Seek the heart of Christ and you’ll come to understand – the greatest conspiracy of all has been perpetrated against the children of Christ – and it has been so complete and thorough that at this moment – you can barely stand to hear it.

This article is for Christians. I pray that you will take a moment to pray to the Lord for patience and understanding before reading this article. In fact, I would rather you not read it at all if you don’t. Recently, I have received criticism on my position concerning war. I have long maintained that Jesus, the Apostles, and the early Christians refused to kill – even choosing to die praying for their enemies instead of taking the lives of their attackers. I have always believed this is the same position that dominated Christianity during the Church’s first 300 years, until Constantine rose to power and made Christianity the official state religion of Rome. While I had some knowledge of the early history of Christians – I never really got as in depth as I have in this last round of studies. What I found was truly surprising to me… I believe that if we ever truly going to understand the Way of Christ we have to undo the knot of information that has become Christian history…

I have already covered why I believe we should not participate in wars and violence in my previous videos, and I will restate the Biblical arguments again in the near future to clarify and answer objections – but in this article – I want to share with you what I have found concerning war and violence through the writings of the early church fathers who wrote before Constantine came on the scene. These are quotes from early Christian leaders demonstrating how they understood Jesus and the Christian way…

Therefore, men of Ephesus, turn yourselves, also knowing this, that kings, rulers, tyrants, boasters, and they that have conquered in wars are stripped of all things when they depart and do suffer pain, lodged in eternal misery.
the Acts of John 2nd Century AD

answering the ridiculous charges that Christians killed and ate other humans – a misunderstanding born from the partaking in the Lord’s Supper… For when they know that we cannot endure even to see a man put to death, though justly; who of them can accuse us of murder or cannibalism? Who does not reckon among the things of greatest interest the contests of gladiators and wild beasts, especially those which are given by you? But we, deeming that to see a man put to death is much the same as killing him, have abjured such spectacles. How, then, when we do not even look on, lest we should contract guilt and pollution, can we put people to death?
—Athenagoras of Athens’ A Plea for the Christians – 2nd Century AD

Above all, Christians are not allowed to correct with violence the delinquencies of sins. For it is not those that abstain from wickedness from compulsion, but those that abstain from choice, that God crowns. It is impossible for a man to be steadily good except by his own choice. For he that is made good by compulsion of another is not good; for he is not what he is by his own choice. For it is the freedom of each one that makes true goodness and reveals real wickedness. Whence through these dispositions God contrived to make His own disposition manifest.—Clement of Alexandria Sermon 55 – 2nd Century AD

“He who holds the sword must cast it away and that if one of the faithful becomes a soldier, he must be rejected by the Church, for he has scorned God.” Clement of Alexandria from the 2nd century writing – Apostolic Tradition
As simple and quiet sisters, peace and love require no arms. For it is not in war, but in peace, that we are trained.
—Clement of Alexandria Chapter 12 of Book 1 – 2nd Century AD

We who formerly used to murder one another now refrain from even making war upon our enemies. —The First Apology of Justin Martyr 2nd Century AD

I do not wish to be a king; I am not anxious to be rich; I decline military command… Die to the world, repudiating the madness that is in it. —Tatian’s Address to the Greeks 2nd Century AD

A military man in authority must not execute men. If  he is ordered, he must not carry it out. Nor must he take military oath. If he refuses, he shall be rejected. If someone is a military governor, or the ruler of a city who wears the purple, he shall cease or he shall be rejected. The catechumen or faithful who wants to become a soldier is to be rejected, for he has despised God.
The Treatise on the Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus chapter 16 verses 9-11 3rd Century AD

But now inquiry is made about this point, whether a believer may turn himself unto military service, and whether the military may be admitted unto the faith, even the rank and file, or each inferior grade… There is no agreement between the divine and the human sacrament, the standard of Christ and the standard of the devil, the camp of light and the camp of darkness. One soul cannot be due to two masters–God and Caesar… But how will a Christian man war, nay, how will he serve even in peace, without a sword, which the Lord has taken away? For albeit soldiers had come unto John, and had received the formula of their rule; albeit, likewise, a centurion had believed; still the Lord afterward, in disarming Peter, disarmed every soldier.
Tertullian – Treatise on Idolatry 19 – 3rd century AD

Christians could never slay their enemies. For the more that kings, rulers, and peoples have persecuted them everywhere, the more Christians have increased in number and grown in strength. – Origen Contra Celsius Book 7 – 3rd Century AD

We would rather shed our own blood than stain our hands and our conscience with that of another. As a result, an ungrateful world is now enjoying–and for a long period has enjoyed–a benefit from Christ. For by his means, the rage of savage ferocity has been softened and has begun to withhold hostile hands from the blood of a fellow creature. In fact, if all men without exception…would lend an ear for a while to his salutary and peaceful rules,…the whole world would be living in the most peaceful tranquility. The world would have turned the use of steel into more peaceful uses and would unite together in blessed harmony.
—Arnobius Against the Heathen book 1 – 4th century AD

So if we were SO against war and even violence as a faith – what happened to change it?

In short? Constantine happened – and he made Christianity the state religion – realizing that pacifism wouldn’t work with the Roman military – the church – through – Augustine of Hippo – brought the Just War Doctrine into the church – and nothing has been the same since.

There have been those who realized the truth of the matter – but they are rarely heard. —Paulinus of Nola , Francis of Assisi —Menno Simons – Martin Luther King, Jr.

I have to be honest with you all at this point and tell you that since I became a Christian the Holy Spirit has always led me to denounce violence and war… My understanding of the New Covenant has always been that it is a path of self denial – a hard path to walk if we do not die to our sinful natures – but the rewards are immeasurable. The peace within is undeniable. Jesus told us in John 12:25 The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. and that has always made perfect sense to me.

But in today’s world – we imagine that we must fight for justice – as if God has fallen asleep and abandoned the wheel – we must secure our lives in this world – despite what Jesus said – they say that freedom isn’t free – and I agree – and if we are to believe the testimony of these early church fathers whom I have quoted in this video who were disciples of the Apostles and disciples of their disciples – it is costing us our very souls.

I have never one whose been comfortable in condemning anyone to Hell – even with a non-believer I have struggled at times to tell them – hey buddy – your lack of belief and refusal to repent is going to cost you your salvation – and I am not willing to go so far as to say Christians who believe in self-defense and war are going to Hell – but I will say that I believe that Christians who do not turn away from violence and war are as mistaken as a Christian caught in greed, lust, or any of the other sins that keep us from achieving our maturity in Christ.

I am sure this article will bring protest from many – and I ask you to kindly post your comments and your Biblical references against this position keeping in mind that I am treating you with love and respect and I hope you will do the same with me. If I am wrong – I pray you will seek to correct me with the gentleness and patience that I am showing you. My intent here is not to create outrage and upset – but it is to try to start to undo the 1400 years of brainwashing our faith has been under since Constantine. It is my prayer that if I am wrong the Lord will correct me through your responses.

Recently – I have been challenged on my position against Christians fighting in wars. Actually – to say I have been challenged is being polite. I have been slandered. Because of this recent attack – I want to reaffirm my position against war.

Using the Old Testament to Justify War? Isn’t it obvious that New Testament brings in a new era to how men relate with God. We cannot use the Old Testament for forming our doctrine of war. When I see people doing this I cringe, because they don’t seem to realize that when God led the Jews to war – there was a prophet there declaring that God had directed them to war. They seem to ignore that we Christians are not part of the Old Covenant. They look to the Jews to justify war when its clear that Jesus told us no more eye for an eye or tooth for a tooth – and that we are to love and pray for our enemies.

Many want to use Ecclesiastes 3:8 to justify war – stating that there is a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

Jesus called us to LOVE – all the Law hangs on love – the time for war will not come until He returns…

oh yes – I know He told us we weren’t worthy of Him unless we hated our mother and father, but that isn’t justification for war – it is a call to reject the old sinful ways and to follow Him… we are living under the New Covenant – this is a time for love – and as far as wars go – this is a time for us to to be as He was.

He came to glorify the Father. When Jesus was arrested He said He didn’t come to lead a rebellion – despite the fact that that was exactly what the Jews wanted the Messiah to do. The Apostles and the early Christians didn’t lead a rebellion either! They did one of two things when faced with the violent persecutions of Rome… the ran – or the died praying for their enemies. This was one of the ways they brought Glory to the Father! They loved to the point of being willing to die – actually praying for those killing them! Can you wrap your minds around that?! Today – after centuries of deception under the guise of a ‘Just War’ doctrine created by the Catholic Church we find that Christians have forgotten how our forefathers endured. Instead of trusting our Father to take up His wrath in His own way in His own time – we claim that God has ordained our actions and do it ourselves… There is absolutely no way we can claim we are glorifying God so long as we have the blood of our enemies on our hands. This truth drives people crazy – but to that all I do is remind them what Jesus said in John 17:14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. -if you get angry by hearing these words – maybe you should take the time to pray and study up on what you believe. Maybe – just maybe – the ‘world’ in you is screaming against the truth of Christ.

Some have argued “Romans 13 says we must obey the State!” but I ask, Since when did the laws of the State take precedence over God’s laws? Acts 5:29 states “We must obey God, rather then men”. If the government conflicts with God’s laws, we are called to follow God over men! Furthermore, Paul says to obey our governments because “The authorities that exist have been established by God” but if we are to follow that reasoning consistently, it means that the government of the other country that we are attacking has also been established by God for His purpose. Romans 13 does not address the issue of war at all. It simply tells us to be good citizens, obeying the laws of our country when they do not go against God’s principles. I’ve also heard one YT claim that the chapter says that the soldier is a minister of God – that isn’t what it says at all…

Some have said “But there will never be peace on Earth until Christ returns! Christ said there will be wars and rumors of wars…”

This is true – but Jesus didn’t tell us to participate in these wars. He was warning us that these were signs of the end…

Now lets look at a few other things that have been presented as proof texts to me…

Luke 22
35 Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Nothing,” they answered.
36 He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.
37 It is written: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors’; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment.”
38 The disciples said, “See, Lord, here are two swords.”"That is enough,” he replied.

What is interesting about this passage is verse 37… verse 36 has Jesus telling them to get swords… verse 37 Jesus says And he was numbered with the transgressors’; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. and in verse 38 – the disciples come up with two swords and Jesus says – thats enough. Ok – lets think about this a second. Jesus is speaking during the Last Supper – so we know that there were several disciples with Him – presumably 11 as it would seem Judas had already left… He tells them they need to get swords – and then tells them that He must be numbered among the transgressors and that it was coming to pass… the disciples say – hey – we got two swords here – and Jesus said – thats enough? Enough for 11 men? Thats odd. Would you send 11 soldiers out to war with two riffles? That doesn’t seem to make any sense at all. So lets ask ourselves WHY Jesus told them to get swords. He doesn’t say its for self defense or for war – but instead He says what is written about Him must be fulfilled. How exactly do the two swords allow Him to be numbered among transgressors? I am not really sure – as elsewhere we are told the criminals on the cross fulfilled that passage… but regardless of what the other Gospels say – it seems clear that Jesus was saying that the disciples and their swords would allow Him to be numbered among the transgressors… and indeed – later on – as Jesus was being arrested Peter struck the ear of one of the guards – committing assault and actually attempting to circumvent the will of God by trying to stop the crucifixion of Christ.

But let us assume that the swords were for more conventional purposes. Lets assume that what people try to make this verse say is true. Lets say the swords were for war or self defense. If this is true – then it is amazing that nowhere else in the New Testament do we see or hear about these swords. Even in extra-Biblical accounts – the Apostles are not recorded using swords. In fact – as I have pointed out several times previously – the early Christians were pacifists! They didn’t use swords either! They ran from persecution or died praying for those killing them! We are so caught up in protecting our lands and our financial interests that we have forgotten the example of Jesus, Stephen, the Apostles, and the early Christians!

Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Could this be anymore clear? Paul, writing to Christians, states our struggle is NOT against flesh and blood… in other words – its not against other physically against other people –

What is our struggle against? against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

How do we fight in this struggle? We can’t fight physically if we are to believe that our struggle is not against flesh and blood – so we fight spiritually… rising above our urge to lash out with a fist – sword – or gun… and defeating wickedness with love…

This is a statement Paul wrote – and its amazing how so many of us are willing to ignore the flesh and blood part of this verse – as if its a meaningless footnote to be dismissed when its inconvenient. As far as I know – this is the only war God has ordained for Christians in the New Covenant… the Spiritual War…