Dog Poop Brownies

 

There was a time long ago when America, and the Christian Church, had high moral standards. We seldom lived up to those standards, but at least we knew right from wrong.

The war for the minds and hearts of people has been going on since that Garden of Eden incident. Fast forward to the 20th century when the word "damn" was uttered by Clark Gable in the movie Gone With The Wind. In 1939 people were shocked at such language, and pastors condemned the movie. But, the movie was received with great joy by the masses, and remains even today as a "classic".

While surfing the 'net the other day, I came upon a copy of a story that illustrates why only a little bad language, a little sex scenes, a little violence, a little "fib" is so harmful. So I decided to share it with you, and maybe it will encourage you to teach your children (and yourself) not to ingest "dog poop brownies" from main stream media, TV, movies, song lyrics, books, social media, false Biblical doctrines, and government propaganda.

The Story of Dog Poop Brownies

One day a particular father was listening to his children make their case for permission to watch a PG-13 that all their friends were going to see. It featured their favorite actor. Some of their friends from church were going to see it. It was rated PG-13 just because of the suggestion of sex, but they never really showed anything. The language was pretty good, and the Lord's name was only spoken in vain 3 times in the whole movie! The special effects were fantastic, and the plot was action-packed. There was some violence, but just the normal stuff, and it wasn't that bad. The father listened to all this but still his answer was "No". The children were not very happy.

Later in the evening, this same father came into the room where his children were watching TV with a plate of homemade brownies. The children perked up and eyed the dark, chocolatey squares with smiles. That is until their father explained that he had taken their favorite brownie recipe and added a new ingredient - dog poop. He had only added a tiny bit, and the rest of the ingredients were top quality. He had taken great care to measure carefully and bake at just the right temperature to ensure they would be moist and chewy, just the way they liked them. As the children recoiled in disgust, the father acted surprised. He assured them that they probably wouldn't notice the dog poop at all. There was only one little bit in that big bowl of ingredients. He was sure they would taste just fine and not really harm them. Still, the children turned up their noses and refused to even touch the dog poop brownies!

The father then explained that the movie they wanted to see was just like the dog poop brownies. Satan tries to enter our minds and our homes by deceiving us into thinking that just a little bit of evil doesn't matter. Just as with the brownies, only a little dog poop made the difference between something great and something totally unacceptable.

From that point on, whenever those children asked to do or see something that was unacceptable, the father merely asked if they would like some dog poop brownies, and they didn't ask anymore.

Good Advice Then - Good Advice Now

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. ~ Romans 12:2

 

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Punishment or Purpose?

 

Do you worship (serve) a god of Punishment, or the God of Purpose?

If you had the power to save every human being who ever lived, would you do it? What about unrepentant evil people like mass murderers, dictators who killed millions in war, mafia bosses, abortionists, rapists. child abusers, people who don't belong to the "right" church, or never said the "sinner's prayer"? And what about all the people who lived and died before Christ, or never heard of Jesus Christ? Just their tough luck... hmm?

If you answered "NO" you would not save any of those people because they deserve to be punished in an "ever-burning hell", then you are no better, or maybe worse, than they are. Matthew 7:2 - For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 

 

In Jesus's day Churchanity was teaching that our Heavenly Father is a vengeful god. “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, (organized religion) hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, (get rich from tithes, offerings, and make merchandise of the gospel) and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte (a person who has converted from one opinion, religion, or party to another), and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. (with false doctrines and traditions of men) ~Matthew 23:13-15

 

Read the words of Jesus Christ in Matthew 5. Pay close attention. Would Jesus ask His followers to do something that He was unwilling to do?

 

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same^? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect (complete in correct knowledge), just as your Father in heaven is perfect. ~ Matthew 5: 43-48

As Christ-Followers, it is not our place to condemn or judge other people. We are allowed to condemn sin but not the sinner... God is the righteous judge. It's a 24/7 job minding our own business. As it is written: Philippians 2:12 - Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

 

What about the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:22?... "But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.'' Doesn't that prove hell is a fiery place? Let's examine the two Greek words, gehenna and hades, that the translators chose to call "hell fire or simply "hell."

 

“Hellfire” and "Damnation" has been basic teachings in Chrurchanity for many centuries. It is understandable why The Encyclopedia Americana (1956, Vol. XIV, p. 81) said: “Much confusion and misunderstanding has been caused through the early translators of the Bible persistently rendering the Hebrew Sheol and the Greek Hades and Gehenna by the word hell.

Gehenna. Twelve of the NT occurrences of the word “hell” in the KJV are a translation of the Greek word, Gehenna. Those twelve places are Matt. 5:22, Matt. 5:29, Matt. 5:30, Matt. 10:28, Matt. 18:9, Matt. 23:15, Matt. 23:33, Mark 9:45, Mark 9:45, Mark 9:47, Luke 12:5, and James 3:6. 

 

Gehenna is a physical place in this world—a valley just outside the city of Jerusalem. Here’s the Wikipedia page about it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gehenna. With a history of child sacrifice in that place, it was thought of as a cursed and eventually became the trash pit for the city, which meant it was constantly burning.

Hades. Ten of the NT occurrences of the word “hell” in the KJV are a translation of the Greek word Hades, which is the name of the Greek god of the underworld. Those ten places are: Matt. 11:23, Matt. 16:18, Luke 10:15, Luke 16:23, Acts 2:27, Acts 2:31, Rev. 1:18, Rev. 6:8, Rev. 20:13, Rev. 20:14. It also shows up translated as simply “grave” in 1 Cor. 15:55.

 

The word Hades is more like Sheol than it is like Gehenna. By New Testament times, the ideas of the afterlife include different outcomes for the righteous and the wicked so, unlike Sheol, the New Testament doesn’t think everyone goes to Hades. But Hades doesn’t contain the idea of either fire or torment. The different outcomes implied by the word Hades are that the wicked die while the righteous have eternal life. No fire involved—upon death of the body, the soul dies (read Ezekiel 18:4)

 

The only passage above where fire comes in is Rev. 20:14 where both death (thanatos—the death of the physical body) and hell (hades—the death of the spirit) are cast into a lake of fire—presumably to cleanse the world of all forms of death so that only life remains.

 

So what happens to the "wicked" and/or "unsaved" people? What did Jesus reveal to the Apostle John?  

Revelation 1:1-3 - The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John,  who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.               

• Revelation 2:11
  “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.” ’

  
  
• Revelation 20:6
  Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

  
  
• Revelation 20:14
  Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

  
  
• Revelation 21:8
  But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Death... not alive in an ever burning fire. We only have two choices... eternal life or eternal death.

Many people believe that a threat of "hell" induces sinners to repentance and keeps the "saved" in line. However, let's read what the Bible says: 2 Peter 3:9 - The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

ALL does not leave anyone out of God's will. There are two resurrections. Those "in Christ" are raised first. ~1 Thessalonians 4:16. The second resurrection is for the "unsaved" to learn the truth and come to repentance.

Psalm 136:26 - Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven! For His mercy endures forever.

Romans 9:15

For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.”

To teach and believe that God is either unwilling or unable to save every person is the doctrine of Satan and negates the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Either Christ died for the sins of the WHOLE world or He didn't. ~ Romans 5:6-8

• Matthew 6:15
  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

  
  
• Mark 11:26
  But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

2 Corinthians 5:18

Now all things are of God who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.

Romans 8:1

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

The flesh demands Punishment. The Spirit loves and forgives with Purpose.

 

Does the Bible teach universal salvation? I don't think so, but the Bible does teach that every person will be given the opportunity for repentance and reconciliation. You might as well face the fact - God loves you and there's not a darn thing you can do about it.

 

Read a Letter From Your Father

The purpose of this post is to get people to think about what they believe and why they believe it, not debate who's right or wrong. To learn the revealed truth of God we must know and understand the true meaning of the words God inspired to be written. Use Strong's Concordance to check the original word before it was translated. Do your own research, make up your own mind, rely on the Holy Spirit to guide you.

 

 

The Stranger

 

A few months before I was born, my dad met a stranger who was new to our town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around to welcome me into the world a few months later. As I grew up I never questioned his place in our family. Mom taught me to love the Word of God, and Dad taught me to obey it, but the stranger was our storyteller. He could weave the most fascinating tales.

Adventures, mysteries and comedies were daily conversations. He could hold our whole family spellbound for hours each evening. He was like a friend to the whole family. He took Dad, Bill and me to our first major league baseball game. He was always encouraging us to see the movies, and he even made arrangements to introduce us to several movie stars. The stranger was an incessant talker. Dad didn't seem to mind, but sometimes Mom would quietly get up while the rest of us were enthralled with one of his stories of faraway places, go to her room, read her Bible and pray. I wonder now if she ever prayed that the stranger would leave.

You see, my dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but this stranger never felt an obligation to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our house-not from us, from our friends, or adults. Our longtime visitor, however, used occasional four-letter words that burned my ears and made Dad squirm. To my knowledge the stranger was never confronted. My Dad was a teetotaler who didn't permit alcohol in his home, not even for cooking, but the stranger felt like we needed exposure and enlightened us to other ways of life.

 

He offered us beer and other alcoholic beverages often. He made cigarettes look tasty, cigars manly and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (much too freely) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive and generally embarrassing. I know now that my early concepts of the man/woman relationship were influenced by the stranger. As I look back, I believe it was because of the grace of God that the stranger did not influence us more.

Time after time he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked and never asked to leave. More than thirty years have passed since the stranger moved in with the young family. But if I were to walk into my parents' den today, you would still see him sitting over in a corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures. His name? We always called him by his initials, TV.

Do not be deceived: “Evil communication corrupts moral character.” ~1 Corinthians 15:33 (Blue Letter Bible)

 

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