Apocalyptic Paradigm

I ran across an expression that has intrigued me- apocalyptic paradigm.  To fully understand this expression we must look at the definition of each word.

The word paradigm comes from the Greek paradeigma: evidence, example, pattern, model, archetype. In popular understanding, paradigm often simply means a collection of ideas, a cluster of theories, models or actions representing a guiding idea, or a conceptual framework.

The word apocalypse is a Greek word meaning un-covering, i.e., a lifting of the veil or revelation.  Today it is used in reference to any prophetic revelation of an End Time teaching or end of the world scenario.

Evangelical Christians have become so seduced by the apocalyptic message that they no longer remember the message of Jesus Christ—to make disciples.  In fact, the whole message of the end times, destruction, chaos, global war and the destruction of mankind in general has been misinterpreted as the end of the world with the Rapture of all Christians.

The whole apocalyptic message has Christian believing that the wars against those who are anti-Christ and evil are in effect Holy Wars.  We are at war, but it is a spiritual war brought about by our conversion to Jesus Christ as our personal Savior.  Jesus foretold this when he said,

“Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three. Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law." Luke 12:51-53

The very nature of serving Christ causes divisions and conflict.  The wars and conflicts we have been caught up in are not about righteousness, or even religion, it is a battle for the heart and soul of every Christian.  Christians are caught up in the cycle of blood sacrifice—kill the evil unbeliever, death and destruction to the enemies of Christianity--after all justice must prevail and evil destroyed .  Christians need to return to the message of the gospel—salvation.  We need to wake up and warn the sinner of the judgment that is coming.  I am afraid that too many in the church have succumbed to the lie of the apocalyptic paradigm of the Early Church—wait for the End to come?

The New Testament writers who gave an apocalyptic message viewed their days as the worst of times — filled with suffering and pain for God's people. The message of all apocalyptic writing included a promise that God would intervene in human history, destroy evil and bring the troubles of his people to an end. This hope centered on the swift return of Christ Jesus, who would usher in the end of the age and bring in his kingdom. The end was near, and God was going to judge the world and reward his faithful and suffering people. The message gave the hope of “just any day now.”

What I find interesting is that the apocalyptic paradigm of the past has given rise to Christian Zionism.  There are Evangelical Christians who think they can help bring about the Apocalypse by forcing the hand of God to fulfill prophecy.

 It is impossible to hurry the timetable of God.  If you read the New Testament it is impossible to miss the message that the early Christians were waiting for the end of the world and the return of Jesus.  They were not expecting to be around very long and did not need to have answers to the world’s problems.  If the LORD was going to “soon return” there’s not much point in any kind of evangelism because the world was on its way to total destruction.  What is the result of this type of thinking—an ineffective church.    The early Christians were so involved in waiting for the great “caught away” that they were in a state of indecisions because they were on their way out of this world. They had gathered on the mountain tops waiting for the LORD to return. There are many Christians today who have adopted this type of thinking.  The Rapture could happen at any moment so why worry about what is happening in the world. The apocalyptic paradigm did not speculate about the end-time as coming in some far-off future time. The apocalyptic paradigm of the Early Church was interested in the here and now. Jesus was coming very soon to take away the burdens of His people and save them from the coming destruction—just like the Christians of today.  

This early version of the apocalyptic paradigm lasted to the end of the first century of the Christian era.  There were those who thought that Jesus would return before the death of John the Beloved but when John died it was difficult to keep this message alive.  However, the theology and the language remained and Christians have abandoned the message of salvation for the apocalyptic paradigm of the past-- the imminent return of Christ.

The foundation of the apocalyptic paradigm crumbles when Christians begin to question the past teachings.  How many “theologians” have made fortunes on predictions of the ending of the world, the Rapture of the elect, the first resurrection and the coming Anti-Christ?  The whole evangelical church is seeking answers but they do not want to think for themselves.  They do not want to take the time to research what is true.  They prefer to have someone tell them what is true rather than question the theology.  This mentality has opened the door to false teachings that go unquestioned.  There are so many “experts” on the End Times and the Rapture. Most of these “experts” have been wrong many times, yet no one questions their false teachings.

In every other area of our lives when something no longer works or has failed time and time again we discard it.  We move on to something that works—except in the church.  We cannot forsake the worn out paradigms of the past. Man will never force the hand of God to change His timeline for judgment on this world.  So it is time to get with the duty of the Christian to preach, proclaim, testify and witness to the changing power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Our message is not apocalyptic our message is salvation. Is Christ coming back?  Yes!  When? Don’t know.  Is there an apocalyptic message for the church? Yes.  In the Revelation of Jesus, John writes in chapter 3,

 “ I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.   Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:   I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.   As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.”

This church is the last of the churches and the spiritual condition is sickening.  The problem is we are wretched, miserable, spiritually blind and no longer clothed in righteousness. The message to the Church today is stand up and be counted- gold tried in the fire, be zealous and repent.  There is nowhere in this scripture, or any other scripture where we are command to try to bring about the fulfillment of prophecy by forcing God to bring about the end of the world.  Christians have been called to preach the gospel and support justice and mercy and to walk in humility before the LORD.  There is no room for Christians to attempt to bring about the end.  We should be spending our time focused on repenting and getting our house in order and evangelizing the lost rather than on the secular state of Israel.  Furthermore, why would Christian pray for the Rapture which will result in the destruction of Jerusalem?  Have they forgotten the death sentence they are passing on Jerusalem?

Why is it that Christians are trying to establish Temple worship when the superiority of Jesus Christ is far above the ritual Laws of Sacrifice?  Christian Zionist are supporting a system that denies the work of salvation through Jesus Christ and are going back to the shadows of the Law that only pointed to Jesus Christ.  To support a system of worship of Old Testament sacrifices is to deny the power of Jesus Christ and what his death afforded us as the supreme sacrifice for our salvation.  This is bordering on blasphemy.

It matters not that the Anti-Christ is coming, or that Russia, Iran and Syria will attack Israel.  It matters not that the Mark of the Beast may be just around the corner or that there is an economic collapse of the world’s monetary system.  It matters not that there are global wars everywhere.  It matters not that there are natural disasters on the rise or that the polar caps are melting and stars falling from the heavens.  What matters is-- are we ready and are we the witness that we have been called to be?   Will all these things happen?  Yes!  However, it is not our calling to hurry them along. 

I can see a parallel of what took place in the Early Church where there were those who had their faith destroyed when Christ did not return when they thought he should?   In his message to the Church at Ephesus Jesus said, "I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance." These Christians were activists. They a group of Christians who took their faith seriously put it to work were caught up in the return of the LORD.  Even though they witnessed, labored and ministered to human needs of others and were busy people they came up lacking. Their doctrine was orthodox and they were commended for this:

"I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles, but are not, and have found them false." 

Paul warned them that times were going to get rough,

"I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears." (Acts 20:29-31 NIV)

Paul understood the problem that would confront this church and in the end they failed to do what they were commissioned to do.  Jesus said, 

"You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary."

They had persisted in their teaching and their work despite much discouragement and hardship. They were not quitters.  If the story could end here it would have a great ending but hear what the LORD said,  

"Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate." (Revelation 2:4-6 RSV)

Now we can see that this is a church in serious trouble. Despite all the commendable things, there is something seriously wrong--"You have abandoned your first love." This is serious Jesus says, "If you do not correct it, I will remove your lampstand." The removal of the lampstand means the church would lose its ability to shed the light of truth. The light from this church would stop shining. They would become a church with no influence or impact spiritually upon the community around. They would be busy doing religious, but entirely irrelevant, things. They would still be working, still orthodox, but inconsequential, with no light, no impact.

The parallel to how the First Church and Last Church got into a mess and became ineffective is amazing.  The loss of the joy in the Christian life has been replaced with busyness and routine. You have heard it all already. The church service loses its impact it is mechanical, routine, dull and drab. That is a sign you are beginning to lose your first love. You have lost your ability to love others. One of the great revelations of the Scripture is that the reason we love others is because we have first been loved ourselves. When we lose that consciousness of the wonder of Jesus' love we also lose our awareness of others and find our love for them fading. It is difficult to love. We become critical, censorious, complaining. We begin to choose our friends more closely and only associate with those we like. We lose the compassion that reached out to everyone at first.  We lose a healthy perspective of ourselves. We become more and more important in our thinking. Instead of what the Lord wants and what will please him we begin to think of what we want and what will please us. Gradually, we become sensitive and touchy, unable to bear criticism. This begins to make divisions and often schisms in the Body of Believers. Individuals in the church are no longer interested in evangelism. They are no longer concerned about those around them without Christ, but are focused on themselves, their own comfort, and their own pleasure. Self-centeredness sets in.  We become blinded to our spiritual condition and fail to see our nakedness and lack of righteousness and holiness.  We are no longer excited about the joy of salvation we have become lukewarm in our calling to be a witness.   We have lost our candlestick and are no longer effective in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  This is the Church today.

The new apocalyptic paradigm for this generation is that God has lifted the veil and given us the revelation that our ideas, theories, actions and our whole conceptual framework is flawed and that we must repent and turn back to God.  When the Church reaches spiritual maturity and becomes righteous and holy then will Christ return for His own-- it is our duty to be ready.

America Stay Out of Syria

The prophet Jeremiah saw the future destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, after he had warned the people to mend their ways they continued down the road of destruction.  After the death of Josiah the people reverted to idolatry and spiritual depravity and the loss of their moral standard.  Very few enjoyed the message of Jeremiah and his warning that the direction the country was going would result in judgment of God.   The end result-judgment came and Jeremiah was right.

The message today is one that many do not want to hear but it is important that it be given.  I am not a prophet but understand how Jeremiah felt when everyone thought he was the enemy.   I know there are those who don't want to see these posts or hear any facts, but putting your head in the sand doesn't help anything but the subjugation of America to Muslim Brotherhood, jihadists, terrorists and the global elitist who are manipulating all parties involved in the conflicts around the world. Progressive don't want this information shared because it keeps them successful in bullying and manipulating Americans, but the truth has a way of getting out.  I have chosen to share the information to try and educate my friends about the progressives and neocons and their threat to American freedom.  It is not a Republican or Democrat agenda that we should be concerned about it is the survival of freedom as we know it today.  There are those in both political parties who have sold their power and influence to those who would destroy this country.

The American people have allowed our government to shape public opinion with its false morality of protecting the innocent from a morally corrupt leader or providing humanitarian aid to an oppressed people or fighting terror as excuse to become involved in that country’s problems.    Americans bought into the WMD argument to go into Iraq.  We justified the war in Afghanistan by going after Osama.  We justify the drone attacks on the Pakistani people by killing al-Qaida leaders.  In every case we killed vast numbers of people.   In Iraq over 600,000 have been killed, some have this number exceeding one million.  In 2012 the number of Iraqi children under 18 who had lost one or both parents was between 800,000 and one million.   

The Christians in Iraq were one of the oldest surviving communities in the world.  They totaled about 1,500,000 in 2003.  By 2010 people were stopped on the street and asked for identity cards if they had Christian names they were shot on the spot. Christians were legitimate targets.  This was happening while the United States military was occupying Iraq.  Persecution was so terrible that half of the Christian population fled to Syria.  I find it odd that Christians would go to a country we are now ready to bomb because Assad is so wicked.  What do they know we do not?

How did American involvement make it better for the people in Iraq?  We destroyed their homes, hospitals, schools and infrastructure, in the end the very people we were fighting in Afghanistan are now taking over Iraq.  We destroyed a nation on the pretense of bringing democracy to the oppressed people of Iraq.  In reality they were better off under Saddam Hussein.  

Under the democratically-elected government that now oversees the war-torn nation, branches of the Muslim Brotherhood are free to operate.  This is a by-product of the war; there is a decline in tolerance for other religions.  This is not only in Iraq but other countries where the US government has been involved in bringing democracy.  Al Qaeda has been strategically targeting Iraqi Christians - even issuing a warning to all Christians to leave the country.

 

Only one Catholic Church remains in Afghanistan, and it must be heavily protected. In Egypt and Libya, where demonstrators overthrew dictators in recent years, Christians have come under heavy persecution.  It is clear that where the US government has been involved with terrorist organizations mainly the Muslim Brotherhood and the result of this unholy alliance- Christians are dying.

The impact of the US going into Syria will no doubt create an economic burden on the American taxpayer.  The additional cost of war will increase the debt, raise the price of oil and put Americans in greater danger around the world.  That is not to count the number of lives lost, families destroyed, and number of children made orphans by our actions.  How can we justify a war against a nation that has done nothing to us?  How can we bomb a country that has not declared war on us?  This is a conflict between Syria and the Muslim Brotherhood not Syria and the United States.  If we remove Assad from power, just as we did Saddam Husssein, who will replace him?  The Muslim Brotherhood has tried for years to remove Assad and has failed; will the United Stated be the bully arm of the Brotherhood to do what they could not do? 

Just as Christians in Iraq fled to Syria because of the al Qaeda jihadist, Syrian Christians are again fleeing their homes.  Christians in Syria have not been spared from the violence; in fact they have been targeted by the rebels.  Syria has become a dangerous place for Christians who have been given the ultimatum to leave; this threat is echoed daily by the mosques.  Christians have expressed concerns over who will take over the country once Assad is removed from office.  When the Muslim Brotherhood takes over Syria Christians will again be murdered in the streets and driven from their homes.  Who will speak for them?

Here is a letter from a Syrian Mother sent to http://thecommonsenseshow.com/2013/08/31/a-message-to-america-from-a-syrian-mother/ she makes her case why we should stay out of Syria.

“I am Syrian and a mother since about 2 years, this proxy war installed by the USA and her western, Turkish and Arab lackeys, is devastating my homeland and killing my people. I have lost several friends. Your mercenaries shot at me and I got wounded. Some days ago, my daughter, aged 15, said, it was better we’d die now rather than suffering the rest of our lifetime as she expects this war won’t end. What shall I say to her, at the eve of a huge war to come? That life can be nice, in case the greedy US-Imperialism would allow you to live? Can you really imagine how life is for a 15 years old teenager seeing bodies in the streets and destruction and displaced people and hearing the shells of the terrorists exploding and the cries of the wounded and the noise of grenades and shooting all day, 24/7????? …with all due respect, in all your words I do not see any concern about the lives of Syrian women, children and men which are threatened and taken away here by your mercenaries of al-Qaeda. Don’t we count? Are we worthless? And, please, Sir! do not name Assad that negatively, recognizing that even your CIA had to admit (and reported it) that he has the utter loyalty of about 70 percent of the Syrian people – how much support can Obama gain in the USA? So are we Syrians dumb to follow a ‘dictator’?   No – we are united with our families, friends, our sons and husbands serving in our army to DEFEND our homeland.  Every US-American would do the same if the USA was attacked. And we stand with our president as we realized he does his duty to defend his people. You do not need to be a fan of someone in order to be fair. Apart from that, I am optimistic that we Syrians already have won the war against you – by all evidence of high moral, dignity and the persistent will to defend our nation. We Syrians show the world that resistance against the Evil can work and in any case will help you to preserve your dignity. Apart from that, I am optimistic that we Syrians already have won the war against you – by all evidence of high moral, dignity and the persistent will to defend our nation. We Syrians show the world that resistance against the Evil can work and in any case will help you to preserve your dignity. So, by telling you all this, I just want you to know that Syria is defending not only her homeland and her families but all the values that make her. If we Syrians loose our values, our history, our civilization, we were dead. You can kill us all but you will never see us kneeling in front of you.  Regards from a Syrian female, mother, patriot (temporarily staying in Europe)

The Next War--Syria

It is understandable the frustration that Walid Muallem, the Syrian foreign minister has with the United States.  In fact the American people have the same frustrations.  The American people were deceived by accusations that Iraq had WMS and entered into a war that had no lasting results other than to remove Saddam from power.   There has been no evidence to date that WMD were in Iraq.   

As to the use of chemical weapons used by Syria there is a double standard.  In declassified documents, it was known in 1983 that Iraq was using chemical weapons against Iran and the US government chose to do nothing.  In fact it was the US that was supplying both Iran and Iraq with chemical weapons.  When Saddam used chemical weapons against the Kurds the US first announced that this attack was by the Iranians.

So it is understandable when US leaders claim that Syrian government forces had used chemical weapons.  The US has pushed an agenda that is not approved by a large percentage of the American public, although it is interesting that the liberal progressives that protested against the Bush Administration have been silenced during the wars of Obama.  It will be too late for the Syrian people when it will later be proven it was the rebels using chemical weapons.  The US will have bombed away all evidence of their involvement. It could be that the US government wants to bomb Syria to hide the fact that the chemical weapons were produced and sold by the US government.

The rush to war has been the American way.  To wait for the UN to produce evidence justifying their claim that the Syrian regime was responsible is not part of the American and British agenda.  Even with leaders in both Parliament and Congress asking that they vote on approval of a Syrian strike-- these voices are being ignored.   Many Americas are war weary and feel the issues here at home are more important than what is happening in the Middle East.  Faced with high unemployment, a healthcare debacle, scandals, and the uncertainty of the future, Americans do not want involvement with Syria.  Americans are wondering why we are spending billions of dollars in Egypt, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Pakistan when our infrastructure is falling apart, our schools are in decline and our cities are going bankrupt.    

When it comes to the American government flouting international law, get in line with the American people, the Obama administration has been trampling the US Constitution since his election, why should international law be any different? We are still waiting on Benghazi, Fast and Furious, IRS, NSA, and the DOJ investigations where Constitutional Law has been broken.   Many Americans feel this administration has overstepped its authority many times without consequences. Who will hold the US and UK accountable for war on Syria?  No one!  Russian and China may talk a big talk but will they back it up?  

Americans have been indoctrinated to the new language of justifying war. Daily the media bombards the air wave with phrases like “could aid terrorism”, “threat to national security”, “defend democracy”, “war on terror”, “capitalism, liberty and democracy are under attack,” “the constant threat of terror”, and the one that prepares us for war-“the red line has been crossed.”  The language of war just prepares us for another war and it looks like Syria is the next stop.

So Mr. Walid Muallem, I understand your frustration with the US government.  I understand how difficult it is to fight against the American media, the neocons, the progressives and the apathy of those who just don’t care.  America government and media has judged your country guilty and there is nothing you can do, judgment is about to reign down on you.

When Truth is Inconvenient and Offending

The prophets were some of the greatest men who ever lived.  Many were persecuted, and some were killed.  They were men of God who were raised up by God to deliver His message at a crucial time in history.  By the politically correct standards of today, the message of the prophets would be considered hate speech.  However, the apostle Peter said of the Old Testament prophets: “For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). The prophets were men who were chosen by God. The Holy Spirit inspired them. They served as God’s messengers to His people in their day. They also were allowed to foretell things which would happen in the future.  They were men who told the truth. 

There are many within and without the church who consider the truth as hate speech.  The message of the Old Testament prophets experienced the hatred of those who did not want the truth.  It was not the intent of the prophets to hurt the people only to get them to turn from their evil ways.  Telling the truth and warning those in danger is not hate but rather love. When the truth is spoken, it is for the protection of the hearer not to their destruction.  There is no place within the scriptures that command us to give our allegiance to a criminal government.  We are to uphold the message of Truth regardless of who is in power. 

At present, the Body of Christ stands at a crossroad.  In our present society, there has been a major shift in the worldview and Christianity.  We are living in an era where the world is turned upside down.  For over 1500 years Christian truth has been taken for granted.  Today, however, Christians can no longer depend on the present culture to back up the teachings of Christianity.  After centuries of a privileged status Christians have become “Christ-less” in their actions.   

This move towards a more “loving” direction has weakened the message of salvation.  When Christians are afraid to confront evil because it might offend the evil-doer, then the message of salvation is no longer a life changing message.  In looking at the life of Christ, he spoke the truth about the scribes and Pharisees when he called them hypocrites, children of the devil and the blind leaders of the blind.  This language was given in love as a warning of what would happen if they did not turn from their wicked ways.   

Today, Christians are more enlightened than Christ.  His message was filled with hate speech, bigotry, and was unloving.  In the world of the political correct un-offending love is the message of the Church today, if it offends it is not a message of love.  Even though Christ gave us the command to love our enemies he did not command us to support their evil ways and condone their actions which are sinful.   Is it not love when we warn someone of the impending doom is coming their way if they continue down a path of evil?  Is it not love when we speak the truth so that decisions can be made that will alter the course of a destructive life?  Is it not love to speak the truth? 

There is hunger in the world for lives which live in the power of Jesus Christ.  There is a hunger for authentic Christianity.  The Old Testament prophets did not hate the people they hated their actions and life –style. 

It is time for the Church to return to the ways of Truth and Life.  It is time to cast aside the ways which have separated us from God and to allow the message of Truth to become once again the life-changing message it has been since the time of Christ. There is a desperate need to change quickly to seek a transformation that results in a total surrender to Christ. 

There was a time when leaders within our government held a higher moral standard than they do today.  Several years ago, the American people would never have believed that the “godless communist” country of Russia would have a higher moral standard than “Christian America.”  Who would have thought the anti-gay legislation of Russian would create tension between Russia and the United States?  Our president addressed this law during a press conference when he said, “Nobody is more offended than me by some of the anti-gay and lesbian legislation that you’ve seen in Russia.”   

What this law does is ban the spreading of "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations" to minors and sets heavy fines for violations.  One Russian lawmaker said, "Traditional sexual relations are relations between a man and a woman, which are a condition for the preservation and development of the multi-ethnic Russian people.”  Is this truth so hateful?

While our American president has fought against Christianity in America, Putin, who has embraced the Russian Orthodox Church as a moral authority and harnessed its influence as a source of political support, has championed socially conservative values.   

Another law that was passed by the “godless communist” in Russia made the insulting of religious feelings a crime punishable by up to three years in prison.  How can this be?  A country that was so opposite from America now has a higher moral standard than the United States.  Is it because they have accepted the truth over being politically correct? 

It is time to dispense with the lies and tell the truth.  We live in a society that lives on lies because no one wants to hear the truth---we accept the lies and deny the truth. 

Americans are the most lied-to people on Earth.  We are so clueless about what is going on in the world, in particular, the evils committed by the United States Government using our taxes and children behind our backs. Our government has been destroying nations for decades. The U.S. government has destroyed the lives of innocent people to further the greed and power of the evil leaders in our Nation.  We have continued to vote back into office those who have committed the same sins the prophets declared would be met with judgment.  The concern of every American should be when will the judgment of God fall upon us?    

The Constitution does not authorize the government to lie to “We The People.” The tenth amendment bars the government from presuming that right. When the government lies, it, therefore, acts unconstitutionally and illegally. A government that lies to the people breaks faith with the people and violates the contract between the government and the people under which the people consent to be governed. A government that lies to the people de-legitimizes itself. A government that lies to the people ceases to be the lawful government of this land.  But what is far worse than a lying government is the Church that supports the lies by remaining silent and allowing evil to spread because we are fearful of offending.   

The Church has lost its first love and has forsaken the Truth.  Some misinformed Christians believe that we are not to be critical of the evil doers.  However, we are given an example by the same Apostle Paul that told us to submit to those who are in leadership.  In his letter to the church at Thessalonica Paul says, “ You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results.  We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God, we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition.  For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you.  On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts.  You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority.” 

Paul states speaking the truth resulted in him being treated outrageously.  He goes on to identify the group who was creating him problems.  “You suffered from your own people the same things those churches suffered from the Jews who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to everyone in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last.”  If Paul were speaking today, he would be accused of hate speech toward the Jews.  Did he hate them?  No.  In fact, Paul said, “Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.” Rom 10:1   He was showing them love by telling them the truth. 

It is time to get back to speaking the truth.  If we want to preach a message of “love” then it must be based on the Truth When we enter into a personal relationship with the living Christ, is but the beginning of a journey. Jesus said that if we obeyed him, "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32). You will find that as God transforms you from within, then your understanding of truth will grow. Character and spiritual understanding are inextricably linked in the Bible. John says, "When we love others, we know that we belong to the truth, and we feel at ease in the presence of God" (1 John 3:19).