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Converters & Reformers in what is called the "The Church" (link) The pretentious "big dogs" of "the church" are always trying to "convert" and reform us "Pekingese" humans.... the meek and docile.... you and me.... and they want to dictate to us what we must claim to believe.... if we are to "please" our Almighty Creator. This "tablet" pertains to the aggressive and persisting efforts of some frozen doctrinal groups to convince you and me that our beliefs are wrong -- in God's sight -- and that you and I must therefore abandon our "faith".... and adopt and accept their interpretaion of God's "truth", and God's intention. I say that such an attitude circumvents and restricts Almighty God.... our Creator.... the ONE who decides for Himself which ones of us are acceptable to HIM -- the ONE whose decisions are unrelated to the naggy approval of any human individual.... or any group.... or any "organized" church. A tablet from the on-going INTERNET BOOK, "The Doctor's Terrific Tablets" ( http://www.terrific-tabs.com ) by John N. Todd III, M. D. (link)
This "tablet" corollates closely with: The INTENTION of God -- The Deeds, and Creeds of God's People (link) AND with: Doctrinal Rigidity (Rigid Doctrinism) (link) AND: Circumventing God (link) "Doctored" -- 11/00; 8/01; 9/01; 10/01; 2/02; 3/02; 9/02; 10/02; 11/02; 3/03; 5/03; 10/03; 1/04; 5/04; 8/04; 9/04; 3/05; 2/6/07 CLICK HERE to go to the "FRONT PAGE" of "The Doctor's Terrific Tablets" CLICK HERE for ALPHABETICAL INDEX of this entire WEBSITE CLICK HERE to EMAIL your thoughts to the author 1 Corinthians 3: 4 (NRSV) For when one says, "I belong to Paul," and another, "I belong to Apollos", are you not merely human? 5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? They are servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord ASSIGNED to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered.... but God gave the growth. 7 So neither the one who plants, nor the one who waters is anything -- but ONLY God, who gives the growth. James 4: 12 (NRSV) There is one Lawgiver and Judge, who is able to save and to destroy. So who, then, are you to judge your neighbor? Psalm 119: 73 (NEB) Thy hands moulded me, and made me what I am. Show me how I may learn thy commandments. Ephesians 2: 10 (NRSV): "For we ARE what He has made us, created in Christ Jesus for the good works (link) -- which God prepared beforehand -- to be our way of life." Acts 17: 29 (NRSV) Since we are God's offspring, we ought not to think that the Deity is like gold, or silver, or stone.... an image formed by the art and imagination of mortals. Isaiah 29: 13 (NRSV) The Lord said: Because these people draw near with their mouths, and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me.... and their worship of me is a human commandment, learned by rote. There are many "reformers" and "converters", in this world.... human-beings who repeatedly insist upon attempting to change and re-shape and "convert" other human-beings.... according to the reformers' own restricted notions. Whether we are speaking about "politicians", or "educators", or zealous religionists -- or other "busy-bodies" -- some individuals or "groups" seem always to be attempting to re-mold you and me into a "shape" that they have concluded to be "correct". And, yes, sometimes, even certain denominational "churches" can be included on this list of organized "reformers" and "converters". Just think about it. Consider especially "the church". (See link, What is "The Church".) Many rigidly "organized' religions seem convinced that their own doctrine has a "lock" on spiritual "truth" -- and that anyone who continues to disagree with them, is irretrievably omitted from God's favor. These intensely-fixed doctrinal groups seem to say that acceptance by God is not enough.... but that acceptance (or "salvation") is determined -- not by God alone -- but by God PLUS a certain dogmatic set-of-human-beliefs .... or by God PLUS "membership" in a certain exclusionary "church". Some doctrinal groups seem even to profess a special "claim" on God Himself (as if, like the Israelites (link) asserted in early-Biblical times, God can be circumscribed and encapsulated by restrictive "human" beliefs.... and that God can be toted-around in a box [e.g.; the "arc of the covenant"]). Consider further -- even today -- some denominations seem to have arrogated to themselves a "hold" on the one-and-only "sure-way" to be accepted by our Almighty-Omniscient-Omnipotent Creator -- as if they themselves have divine authority to restrict God to their personal "design"..... and to prevent God's acceptance of anyone who has not signed-up with their "doctrine-of-humans". Isaiah 29: 13 (NIV) The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by MEN. Same (NRSV) 16 You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay? Shall the thing made say of its Maker, "He did not make me"; or the thing formed say of the One who formed it, "He has no understanding"? What do you say? Can we human-beings alter ourselves -- and "re-form" what God has created? Can we creatures change and distort what God has already ordained about each of His creations? Does God await (or seek) human approbation before dictating His own spiritual commandments? Does God spend His time trying to categorize (and separate) the countless doctrinal "decipherings" of us human-creations..... so that He can make-up His mind as to which of our "beliefs" He will accept? How absurd! Job 42: 1 (NIV) Then Job replied to the LORD: 2 "I know that you can do all things. No plan of yours can be thwarted. 3 [You (God) asked,] `Who is this that obscures my counsel, without knowledge?' Surely I (Job) spoke of things I did not understand -- things too wonderful for me to know.... 5 My ears had heard of you -- but now my eyes have seen you. Consider (and answer for yourself) the following rhetorical musings: Can you or I "change our stripes", or cause ourselves to become a different "animal" than the one that God intentionally created? Of course not! I may be able to trick myself and my friends into believing that I am something new and different, or that I have "changed", or that I have "converted" myself -- and that I have now become more God-like, and "religious"..... but will my "tricking" deceive anyone other than myself and my human cohorts? Will He who created me be fooled by my chicanery, or deceived by my "religious" facade? Silly question ! Similarly, if I join and attend a "strict" denominational church, does my church-going magically mold me into a God's person -- a "Child-of-God"? NO..... ! If a church-of-humans accepts my claim of "conversion", and if I recite various "correct" creeds, and if I am "baptized"..... or if I donate to the church, and visit the sick, and serve soup in the soup-kitchen twice a week..... have I thus caused myself to become "acceptable" to God? Or..... if I obtain a big, long, white robe; and drape that robe all-about myself -- and if certain churchy humans tell me that I am now "holy"..... or if I convince myself that I have become "righteous"..... have I thus miraculously become something truly different from that which I have been, all along -- underneath the robe? If you and I cover an ordinary brick with gold-plating, does that "cause" the brick to become "valuable" -- through-and-through? (I will admit that we earthly creatures who look at a "gold-brick" from the outside, without really knowing "what's inside", can be "fooled".... but, can the Creator and "Molder" of the "brick" be fooled?) (Is there any human-being, or any group of humans, or any church, or any minister or priest or rabbi..... who can "trick" and deceive God? Can anyone's claim of "spiritual" authenticity and belief and "faith" and "truth" -- be verified and proven..... apart from the "opinion" and decision and knowledge of God Himself?) Consider this, also: a Pekingese dog is cute and functional and joyful, and has splendid God-given attributes of its own -- but, it will never be a Great Dane, no matter how hard the Pekingese tries -- and no matter how much it frets and mourns about not being something "bigger" in this life, and something "different" than the way it was created. Similarly, a Great Dane will never bacome a Pekingese -- and the Great Danes of "the world" will always presume (for themselves) superiority over the Pekingese -- and will always "look-down-on" the Pekingese -- and will try perpetually to "convert" the Pekingese to their way of thinking (or "believing"). (See link: What do you possess that was not given to you?) And.... sad-but-true.... the human "Great Danes" of this world -- the "big dogs" -- may frequently denigrate the Pekingese, for not being like "they" are..... and the human "big-dogs" may otherwise cause much disappointment and grief for the Pekingese (who "see things" differently than the Great Danes). But..... all of this animal-ly insistence by the "big dogs" will never cause the Pekingese to "convert", and to think and "believe" like the "big-dogs" -- or to become anything different than that which the Pekingese was created to be -- even though the "big dogs" continue their self-aggrandizement..... arrogantly claiming themselves to be superior to those creations that are "smaller" and different than they. And, comparably and metaphorically, the same is true for "fruit trees" -- and for us "ordinary" humans. (See link, Fruits, Creeds and Deeds.) A "fruit tree" will always "be" precisely what it was created to be -- and it will always bear the "fruit" that it was designed to bear. You and I may wish that God had made us different than the way we are.... and "the world" may try to "convert" us into another set-of-beliefs which it prefers; and our "leaders", and our "churches", and the "Big Dogs" may attempt to "re-shape" us -- to fulfill their criteria of truth, and "correctness" and function, and "works", and "beliefs". But.... whether they or you or I like it or not -- all of us will continue to be precisely what God ordained for us, and what He has made us to be -- and we can only hope to "produce" more and better of that for which we were "created". Whether we are a Pekingese, or an apple tree, or a thistle -- or just our individual selves -- we will never cause ourselves to become a different creation, in the eyes of God. God knows us..... He made us. We are (and always shall be) exactly what God created us to be; and we will continue to function and "produce" as God intended, when He created us. Furthermore -- it is also true that those "creations" which some of us humans may choose to label as "bad trees" (the Biblical "thistles and weeds") -- also "do" precisely what they are intended to do. Thistles have their own "worldly" effect -- assigned by their Maker. A "thistle's" God-ordained "design" and function are brought to bear within "the world", and upon the world...... and "thistles and weeds" have their prescribed effects upon God's "good trees"....... for God's own reasons, which you and I may never understand -- in this life. Sometimes, a "thistle" may pretend to "produce" something that seems to be a "good fruit".... and a thistle may even "fool" itself, and some deceivable (gullible) "believers" -- but there is "One Judge and Lawgiver" who always knows the difference between "good trees" and bad trees -- and between Great Danes and Pekingese ! Summary points: Godspeople (God's people) -- like "good trees' (and like Pekingese and Great Danes) -- produce the "effects" (the works, the fruits, the thoughts, the beliefs, the plans, the results) for which they are designed. And, we must remember..... all of God's creations do not produce the same "products", or effects, or works, or "fruits". God's people are created separately and individually (see link God's Individuation)..... and we were never "programmed" to be clones of each other -- like peas-in-a-pod, or like monks in a monastery. When God's creatures "produce" satisfactorily, they are encouraged by "warm and gentle breezes", and by "sunshine" -- and by reinforcing "nourishment", from God. When God's people "fall short" (in the opinion of God..... unrelated to the estimation of any human-being) -- God's people will invariably be "pruned" and "cultivated" and "fertilized", by God; and re-shaped, and disciplined -- or even "transplanted". (Repeating what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3: 5 "What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe.... as the Lord has ASSIGNED to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it; but God made it grow.") Concluding thoughts: Matthew 7: 16 (NRSV) Jesus speaking: You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every GOOD tree bears GOOD fruit; but the BAD tree bears BAD fruit. 18 A GOOD tree CANNOT bear BAD fruit..... nor can a BAD TREE bear GOOD fruit. A "tree" will always bear its own fruit. "Good trees" (God's people) produce "good" fruit, because of the way they are designed. Not every good tree bears "apples". No human, or group of humans, should attempt to force an apple tree to become a "peach tree"...... and an apple tree should never pretend to produce peaches. Great Danes should not attempt to shame or belittle or refute the works and thoughts and beliefs and efforts and effects of the "Pekingese". "Good trees" do not have to "invent" fruit, or busily pretend to bear fruit -- as if to fool either God, or other humans...... or themselves. Pieces of man-made "fruit" (such as "synthetic" works and deeds) do not cause a "tree" to become a "good tree" (that is, man-made "good deeds" do not compel God to declare an individual to be "good", or "righteous"). Making "pretend-apples" does not cause a human to become an "apple tree". Eating (or "forcing down") a lot of apples will not cause you or me to become a "good tree". Concocting "synthetic deeds" does not generate a "Christian" -- or a "God's person" (see link: God's People; who are they?). Note the following very pertinent Biblical quotations. Read these out loud. "Hear" -- while you "see" what God says: Psalm 92: 12 (NRSV) The righteous flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 13 They are planted (by God) in the house of the LORD; and they flourish in the courts of our God. 14 In old age, they still produce fruit. They are always green and full of sap, 15 showing that the LORD is upright. He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. Jeremiah 17: 5 (NIV) This is what the LORD says: "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength; and whose heart turns away from the LORD. 6 He will be like a bush in the wastelands. He will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt-land where no one lives. 7 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD -- whose confidence is in Him. 8 He will be like a TREE planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes. Its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought, and never fails to bear fruit." Thistles do not bear figs. Apple trees do not bear peaches. Pekingese "creations" will never become Great Danes, nor should they try to become Great Danes -- and Pekingese creations should realize and cherish and glory-in the fact that they function and think and believe, in ways that are equally as desirable as Great Danes.... in the eyes of Him who created both of them. 2/6/07 |