Culture’s Economy vs. Christ’s Economy
Gratia Christi, quod Sum, quod Vivo, quoque Laboro facit.
The grace of Christ makes what I am, what I live, what I do
Culture’s Economy vs. Christ’s Economy
The current culture envisions our national economy as a zero sum game. The belief is promoted that we have a limited amount of financial resources and no more. There are many more people who have few financial resources, while there are few people who have many more financial resources.
Many believe the reason that some have more is that the many have few. Thus they conceive that those who have more owe a debt to those that have few. They conclude that the wealthy owe it to the poor to “share the wealth”.
It is human nature to keep what you have. Those who have more want to keep it. It is also human nature to want more than you have. Thus those who have less in a zero sum economy want to take some of the financial resources from those who have more. They say, “after all, it is only fair!”
Equality and Redistribution
To the progressives in our culture, “equality” means essentially what Marx and Lenin espoused, redistribute from those that have the ability to produce to those who have the need to consume. What the two Communist leaders overlooked is human nature. Without an adequate reward for one’s labor, i.e. what a person considers will be adequate, he or she will have no incentive to produce. On the other hand human nature is such that basic necessities granted without working for them remove the incentive to produce and encourage indolence.
Many famous people achieved what they had through hard work. They recognized the individual’s obligation to work hard and produce. Here are some of their thoughts:
Horace – Life grants nothing to us mortals without hard work.
Benjamin Franklin – It is the working man who is the happy man. It is the idle man who is the miserable man.
Albert Schweitzer – A man can only do what he can do. But if he does that each day he can sleep at night and do it again the next day.
Anne Frank – Laziness may appear attractive, but work gives satisfaction.
Henri-Frédéric Amiel– Work while you have the light. You are responsible for the talent that has been entrusted to you.
Sam Ewing – Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.
Martin Luther King, Jr. – All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.
Charity and Pride
In previous generations culture expected a man would do honest work to provide for his family. It was shameful for any family to be, “on the dole”. i.e. receiving a handout from the government. The family pulled together to do whatever work they could to contribute to their family needs.
When this was not enough they reluctantly accepted the “dole”. Out of their pride to provide for themselves they took the stance that this was only temporary. They continually worked hard, bending every effort to regain their independence from government handouts, to regain their self-respect. There was little or no thought of requiring the “haves” to fork over a “fair share.”
Welfare Culture
Contrast that to today’s culture. We have in the last 50 years done away with the stigma of being “on the dole”, of being unable to provide for yourself and your family. In fact we have done three things that keep people on welfare:
- We have raised the bar so high for people to escape welfare that it is very difficult and nearly impossible for them to provide for themselves.
- We have re-construed welfare (the dole) to become a right, instead of a gift. All segments of our society advocate and encourage people in difficult circumstances to stop struggling and apply for Federal and State and County and City “assistance”. “That’s what it is there for, so use it!”
- These governments provide so many welfare offerings (food stamps, rent subsidies, medical care, aid to dependent children, etc.) that by gaming the system one can live quite comfortably without doing any real work. People are no longer responsible to provide for themselves and their families.
Generations on Welfare
The pernicious result is that we have numbers of families that have been on welfare and not working productively for four generations. They not only find it extremely hard to find a job they have little or no work ethic to keep any job they get. These victims of “the System” have been lulled by a culture of indolence to consider work a penalty. They live in a state of ennui. They are bored with nothing to do. Tragically, their only productive engagement is to find creative ways (too often destructive ways) to fill in the hours of the day.
In Christ’s economy, Scripture expects a man to earn his bread by the sweat of his brow[1]. Even the New Testament affirms that if a man will not work for his food, do not feed him.[2]
God is Generous and Merciful
God is a generous and a merciful God. He recognized that there are some people who, through understandable reasons, cannot escape poverty. His provisions began with the practice of gleaning. Farmers were instructed not to reap he corners of their fields; any grain that fell to the ground was to be left there. Olive orchards and vineyards were treated the same. Gleaning the leavings was the provision for the poor[3]. Even they were expected to work for their food. They had to go out to gather and then process the grains, olives and grapes to provide for themselves.
Beggars were a fact of life and all people were expected to give something to them. Jesus teaching on alms-giving assumed the people would give alms, so he did not teach such giving.[4] He did counsel sacrificial giving out of love.[5] Because God loves those who are generous without coercion He blesses their giving. He rewards them both materially[6] and spiritually[7].
One further provision for the poor is offensive to our culture. When a person or a family just could not make it, they sold themselves into slavery. This was not perpetual slavery, but for a time not to exceed six years[8]. Jewish slaves were not mistreated. In the Sabbath Year, masters released all Jewish slaves, unless they chose to permanently remain a slave.
All of this provision for the needy was voluntary. the only compulsion was the restriction to prevent the land owner from gleaning his own fields.
God’s Bounty
We see that God’s provision is not a zero sum game. His economy is not closed. For all who labor, their labors produce what they need. Further, for the generous, God repaid by His blessings.
The grasping, whether they are rich or poor lose in the long run. The generous whether rich or poor gain in both the short and the long run.
God’s bounty is ever flowing, because He is not limited to the resources of this earth. Those who engage in His economy never need worry that there will not be enough. Those who trust in His economy find the counter-intuitive to be God’s common practice.
In Christ’s economy work produces not only livelihood, but dignity. In Christ’s economy indolence reduces the man to something less than worthy.
Maranatha! tb
[1] Genesis 3:19 [2] 2 Thessalonians 3:10-11 [3] Deuteronomy 24:19-21 [4] Matthew 6:1-4 [5] Luke 12:33 [6] Luke 6:38 [7] Ibid. footnote 5 [8] Exodus 21:2
Culture of Government vs. Culture of Christ
Gratia Christi, quod Sum, quod Vivo, quoque Laboro facit.
The grace of Christ makes what I am, what I live, what I do
Culture of Government vs. Culture of Christ
Ruth read a recent Facebook post about a SWAT Team raid on the Garden of Eden. Neighborhood complaints of code enforcement and allegations of growing cannabis brought on the City of Arlington, Texas Swat Team raid. Note: no violence was reported. There was no indication that of child abuse, and no threat of the residents fleeing or disposing of evidence. The raid was surreptitious and without provocation. Helmeted, goggled, bullet-proof vested, combat booted and automatic weapon toting troopers descended and handcuffed everyone except a two week-old baby.
They found no marijuana, so there was no criminal offense. Yet they destroyed a sweet potato patch and confiscated okra, tomatillo, native grass and sunflower plants in their 10-hour terrorizing of the residents.
Marriage in the Culture vs. Marriage in Christ
Gratia Christi, quod Sum, quod Vivo, quoque Laboro facit.
“The grace of Christ makes what I am, what I live, what I do”
Love in the 60’s
Ruth and I began dating and because we liked one another, we became “steadies”. We fell in love in 1960, and began looking toward marriage as the consummation of our relationship. In those days, the vast majority of couples who dated seriously married. Couples just did not move in together! It meant social ostracism to do so. Pre-marital sex was rare. It was done furtively and kept a secret. We have come a long way, baby!
Love Generation
In the ‘70’s, couples began to question marriage. “It’s just a bit of paper. We love each other! We don’t need a piece of paper.” The arguments for marriage sounded pretty thin to the lusty youth of the after ‘60’s “Love Generation”, and the “Question Authority” crowd. The incidence of marriage has declined over the decades, while “living together” has skyrocketed.
It is certainly a lot easier to move out then to get a divorce. This of course has the consequence of at precipitous drop in commitment. Attendant is the increase of childless couples.
Family formation has taken a back seat to romance. As long as they both shall love, they stay together. Birth control (actually birth prevention techniques) has led to a significant reduction in the nation’s indigenous population. The self-centeredness and irresponsibility of the general population has increased. With no commitment to a marital partner and no responsibility to raise children life is pretty sweet. Right? Actually, the lack of permanent relationships creates a lonely population and some pretty depressing elder years.
Lack of Commitment
Not to forget marriage, the same lack of commitment and irresponsibility has infected marital couples and families. That lack of commitment has increased the divorce rate over the last half century from about 20% to over 50% today. Some think they are clever to change the wedding vows from “so long as we both shall live” (a lifetime commitment) to “so long as we both shall ‘LOVE’ ” (admitting that each is planning to bail out when things get tough).
Since the “honeymoon” may last a half dozen years, the family including children has likely grown from two to four or five. Divorce not only breaks the relationship between the man and the woman, but it also damages the children. They lose the important values stemming from integrity in family relationships. The breaking of the relationship erodes trust. How can one trust the faithfulness of others when someone intimately related in marriage breaks his or her vows and walks out? How can I trust myself in a relationship if I have not been able to stick it out in a previous relationship? The answer to both questions is that trust is the victim on both sides of a broken commitment.
Marriage Back in the News
Recently marriage has re-surged in popularity only because homosexuals want to cover their nakedness with the sham of marriage. They think if they codify in law the acknowledgement of their relationship, that will make them more acceptable to society. Probably that is less true than they expect. The people who accept their relationship will do so regardless of governmental sanction. The people who do not accept their relationship will not accept it regardless of governmental sanction.
This brief treatise perhaps gives an idea of the confusion and brokenness that cultural view of marriage brings. Now we turn to Christ’s view of marriage.
God’s Plan for Marriage
In the beginning God created man and woman. He did not create man and a variation of man. Throughout the animal world, the Almighty created two sexes. Both are necessary for procreation of life. That is only natural. He created the two sexes very similar, but also very different. Among mankind (which is what concerns us here), men and women are complementary. It was His plan from the beginning to bring man and woman into an exclusive life-long relationship.
“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24)
This “one flesh” concept means that they become joined in a mutual, committed, interrelationship that is life-long. Only those who have lived in marriage under Christ for many decades can truly understand the “one flesh” concept. It is in fact the most healthy, blessed relationship among humans.
Healthy Families
Life-long commitment is the foundation of healthy families. As children are raised they begin to understand the differences and the needs of men and women by constantly living with mom and dad. They see them together working out hard times and enjoying bountiful times. The children grow up in security. They know that when mom or dad leaves she or he will always come back. The trust between the woman and man allows the failures of each to be met with understanding and forgiveness. Children see that breaches do not mean destruction of the relationship. Growing this environment, allows the children to develop a strong commitment to loyalty and honor (both sadly lacking in today’s culture).
When two people who love Jesus marry, they participate in a ceremony involving three persons. The couple makes vows in the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They vow to love, honor and obey; to be faithful to one another; and to support one another in plenty and adversity. Since their vows are sanctioned by God, breaking them is an affront to God’s majesty. So when times get tough their vows before God lead each spouse to appeal to Him for the strength to honor them. When they pass through troubled waters they are stronger and even more blended into one flesh than before.
While statistics show the extremely positive results of a Christ-blessed marriage and children raised under it, they cannot come close to measuring the real bounty in the lives of each member of those families.
Christ in Marriage
If you are living together unmarried, ask Jesus into your relationship and commit to a marriage under His blessing.
If you are married but have not entered into it under Jesus’ blessing, find a believing Pastor and consecrate your selves and your marriage to Jesus and receive His blessings.
If you are married and have consecrated your selves and your marriage to Jesus, but are experiencing troubled waters, reach out for the hand of Christ and trust Him to lead you through.
If you are homosexuals and seeking acknowledgment of your relationship under the banner of marriage, recognize that God will not sanction your relationship. Turn away from your “identity” and turn to Jesus. He will transform your life and give you fulfillment in the sex He created you.
In all these cases, please pray with me this prayer:
Lord Jesus, I acknowledge you as the Lord of my life. You created me with unique characteristics. You gave me the capability to love. Let my first and foremost love be to You. Give me the will to be fully obedient to your will. Grant me the grace to fully submit to You.
As a result of my surrender to You, Give me a holy relationship with the opposite sex. Lead me into a life-long commitment to my spouse. Build into our relationship the mutual respect for the differences between man and woman. Give us hearts to submit to one another as unto the Lord. Give us love for one another that will overcome the hard times, weather the disappointments, and forgive the failures. Give us the openness to confess quickly our offenses against one another. And then as you give us stewardship over children, give is the wisdom to raise them up in the faith, nurture and strengths of Almighty God.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Maranatha! tb
Father’s Day Prayer
Almighty Father
June 15, 2014
Almighty Father, we bow before You to worship and adore You. You have demonstrated all the traits of a wonderful father. You have been our progenitor. Without Your conceiving us we would not exist. You have been our nurturer. Without your care we could not live. You have taught us to love by loving us. You have not allowed us to get away with sin and you have disciplined us. You have rebuked us sternly, but you have never abandoned us. You have never allowed us to stray far from your love.
Oh Merciful Father, when we sin, You let us feel the separation from Your closeness. You call us to repent and upon our repentance You extend Your mercy and grant us full and free forgiveness. Despite our failure to measure up to Your standard, Your Son Jesus Christ our Savior, You never withdraw Your love from us.
Oh, Wonderful Father, You sent Your Only Begotten Son to be our Savior. You loved us with such deep and abiding love that You sacrificed Your majestic Son the Second Person of the Trinity. You sent Him to become the God/man and to die in our place, to suffer the rejection You hold for sin as He became sin for us. Then you sent the Holy Spirit to us to quicken our spirits so that we could say, “Yes!” to Jesus.
Oh Marvelous Father, immediately upon our confession of faith, regardless of our moral condition, You adopted us as Your sons and daughters. You embraced us, drawing into your family. You not only gave us brothers and sisters in Christ, but You made us brothers and sisters to our Savior the magnificent God/Man, Jesus. All of that would have been more than enough, but You also made us joint heirs with Your Only Begotten Son. You have granted us all the power and authority in Christ. You have granted this stupendous legacy in the name of Christ.
Oh Gracious Father, out of Your generosity you have given us the blessed gifts of Your love and forgiveness of our sin and eternal life in Your loving Presence. Further, You have given us Your Holy Spirit to dwell in us. You have given Him to us with the promise that He will never leave us. He will guide us through this fallen world and He will give us wisdom and discernment.
Oh Bountiful Father, all this and more, much, much more is ours because of Your love. We are truly and deeply grateful. We long for that wonderful Day when we will stand before you fully cleansed of sin, completely whole and magnify Your righteousness, Your holiness, and Your love, lifting our voices to shout Hallelujah!
Please spend a few minutes praising God for His Fatherhood!
Gracious God, our earthly fathers differed; sometimes they were good and other times they were not so good. Each of us has a different experience with the man who You chose to be our earthly father. Nevertheless we affirm Your perfect will in our lives and acknowledge that the man that sired us was Your choice. You commanded us to honor him. We do so now before You.
Please pray for your father, speaking his name out loud.
Please pray and name those in our families who are in need of the Father’s care.
Please pray and name those in our congregation who are in need of the Father’s care.
Please pray for our nation and our leaders who are in need of the Father’s care.
To Your glory we offer the Prayer that Jesus taught us, saying:
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever.
Amen.
National Cultural vs. Culture of Christ
Gratia Christi, quod Sum, quod Vivo, quoque Laboro facit.
“The grace of Christ makes what I am, what I live, what I do”
National Cultural vs. Culture of Christ
Posthumous portrait of Christopher Columbus by Sebastiano del Piombo, 1519. There are no known authentic portraits of Columbus
America, as I am fond of saying, is a nation founded in Christ. Columbus, upon discovering the Western Hemisphere, planted a cross and claimed this new-found Continent for Christ. Jamestown was the first English colony in 1607. While the documents founding the colony cite that it is founded in the name of Jesus, in fact it was founded for commercial purposes only. The colonists thought there would be easy pickings. Instead it was hard work and they were not up to the challenge. All but 300 of the first 1,000 colonists died of starvation and disease.
In contrast, the Pilgrims were chartered as a commercial colony, but they actually came to establish a place to worship Jesus Christ in freedom. They too had a hard time and of the 102 colonists who landed half of them died in the first year. But they worked hard and established a Christian commonwealth. Their heritage to us has been a Christian nation.
GT—Volume 11 Issue 6
Why?
A two year-old child begins to differentiate himself or herself as an independent being. She learns the power of “No!” He begins to exercise his and her will (or won’t) power. Father says, “How would you like to go to the store with me?” That is what his daughter loves to do, because Daddy always buys her something. Still, she must be independent, so she says, “No!” Mother says they are going to get an ice cream cone. Despite the fact it is exactly what he wants, he feels compelled to say, “No!” Two year-olds find that they are individuals and grow out of that phase.
Four year-olds have a different phase. They are discovering the world filled with things they do not know. They learn that they can acquire information by asking questions. The simple one word question, “Why?” is a powerful elicitor of information. Realizing that the world is complex the four year-old strings together “whys” to expand his or her knowledge.
Driving by a country field a four-year old asks, “Why are the cows in that field?”
“Because the farmer lets them eat grass there.”
“Why?”
Because when they eat grass they produce milk.”
“Why?”
Realizing that an endless stream of “whys” is coming, Daddy tries to cut them off with the ultimate answer, “Because God made them that way.”
Court Culture vs. Christ’s Culture
Gratia Christi, quod Sum, quod Vivo, quoque Laboro facit.
“The grace of Christ makes what I am, what I live, what I do”
Court Culture vs. Christ’s Culture
In the last several years, the homosexual lobby has been vociferously advocating for general recognition of homosexual unions as legal marriages. They have not been satisfied with their recognition under the various jurisdictions’ laws protecting “Same-sex Unions”.
The unspoken purpose is to breakdown the morality of our nation by attacking and redefining the basic unit of society. Several decades ago homosexuals stated all they wanted was to change the laws to eliminate the illegality of homosexuality. They got that.
Shepherds Fool Ministries Mission
Mission and Passion
Ted Bradshaw (on right) preaching and teaching in Pakistan with an interpreter.
My passion is to reach the far corners of the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, in different formats to appeal to varied individuals, whereby the hearts of some may be changed.
Because Jesus chose me out of all the billions of people in the world, I want to bring Him glory. He has loved me with an everlasting love and I earnestly want to please and glorify Him.
I understand that I am of minuscule influence on the world’s scale. Nevertheless, I desire to be as true a witness as I can in my corner of God’s vast universe.
See the Need for Jesus
I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have complete boldness, so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:20,21)
Ted Bradshaw visiting Rockland Congregational Church in Rockland, ID, 2010. Ted was the Area Representative for the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference (CCCC).
I see around me friends and family and uncounted numbers of folks who do not have the freedom of joy that I have in Christ. I long for them to experience His intimate fellowship, by first embracing Jesus as Lord, and further by seeking to press into His heart. Paul says, “For me to live is Christ”. It is my goal to introduce that hunger to everyone I can.
Serving People in the Name of Jesus
In pursuit of this goal, serving and learning where the Lord leads me:
- I served as Pastor to three churches
- I traveled to Slovakia, Pakistan, Russia (St. Petersburg), Micronesia (3 times), Philippines, and Bulgaria on short term missions
- I produce a Christian monthly publication, Glad Tidings, that explores a general topic, and looks at it from God’s perspective
- Written a blog, Christ and Culture, exploring an issue from both angles
- Maintain a website, theshepherdsfool.com, to publish Glad Tidings, blog posts, my collection of Biblical teachings, sermons, prayers, and books
Ted Bradshaw teaching new Christian Pastors in the Micronesia, 2006.
Books by Ted Bradshaw
I am a published author. Please see my information on Amazon.com.
- Saul—The Traitor, Historical Novel of the Early Life of the Apostle Paul ©2016
- Servant of the Servants of God, a practicum for pastors
- Disclosures: Poetry from a Guarded Heart, poetry
- The Shepherd’s Crook, Novel, work in progress
- The Shepherd’s Staff, Novel, work in progress
- Ted’s Comments, Biblical Devotional Commentary on the books of the Bible, work in progress
Read More About Ted Bradshaw
Advent: Third Sunday
Advent—Love
December 22, 2013
“For thou art a holy people unto Jehovah thy God: Jehovah thy God hath chosen thee to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples that are upon the face of the earth.
Jehovah did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all peoples: but because Jehovah loveth you, and because he would keep the oath which he sware unto your fathers, hath Jehovah brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 7:6-8)
In 1917, Fredrick M. Lehman wrote,
“The love of God is greater far Than tongue or pen can ever tell
It goes beyond the highest star, And reaches to the lowest hell
God’s love so sure shall still endure, All measureless and strong
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race – The saints and angels’ song.”
Because God’s love is infinite and eternal, He has given us the privilege to ask Him to bless the those things we care about. Since we have this honor and responsibility, this morning we will be praying for four things:
- Our Nation
- Our Church and our Pastor
- Others in need
- Ourselves and families
Please pray with me:
“Almighty God our Father, we love you. You have planted love in our hearts and you have nurtured it, so that love has grown in us.
Lord Jesus, there are many things we care deeply about and the love you give us expands to encompass them. Now as we pray hear our hearts and intercede for us before the Father.
Holy Spirit of truth, guide our prayers to express the desires of our Savior’s heart for saving the world.
Lord, you have blessed America far beyond the blessing of any other nation except, Israel. You built into the land vast resources and fruitfulness. You established our nation in freedom. You revealed Yourself to our forefathers and they established in this nation a godly government. Over the two centuries of America’s existence, our generosity has been unprecedented in history.
And yet in these latter days we have lost our first love. Since we are now turning our backs on You, we are in serious danger of losing Your blessing so that America ends up on the dust heap of history. Save us from our foolishness.”
Please pray for God’s intervention and His saving of America:
Prayer
“Thank you, Jesus for blessing us with Grace Fellowship Church. You love us. You called us out and brought us together in this special relationship with You and with one another. We are deeply grateful. Thank you.
We know we are not complete. We want to grow into the Body of Christ that You intend for us to become, so we are open to grow in our relationship with You and grow in numbers.
You have blessed us with an educated Pastor that loves us and is seeking to nurture us to see the purposes You have for us.
We ask that you strengthen his spirit and deepen his love for us, so he will have the resources to minister to Your glory and our benefit.”
Please pray for our church and our pastor:
Prayer
“We live in a fallen world, Father. We see that in the lives of those we care for. They struggle with their situations in the world. They struggle with afflictions in their bodies. The struggle to find employment, they struggle with finances.
Therefore, as You have laid the struggles of our loved ones on our hearts we now turn them over to You, with confidence in Your love to bring them through their struggles and into Your blessings.”
Please pray for the ones you love:
Prayer
“We need more of You Jesus. You love us and we love You. We acknowledge that too often we do not live in Your love. Manifest Your love in our lives to cure all our ills and bring us closer to You. Heal our diseases, Guide our prayers, strengthen our faith, and make us more like You, Lord.”
Please pray for yourselves:
Prayer
Join with me now in offering the prayer that our Lord Jesus taught us, saying…
The Lord’s Prayer
All Together In One Accord
Group Prayer
January 27, 2013
Please offer your thanksgiving prayers for our oneness in Christ
Personal Prayer
Please offer your prayers
Personal Prayer
Please offer your prayers for those in need
Personal Prayer
Please pray for your selves.
Personal Prayer
Finally, our Lord God we offer the Prayer that You taught us, saying
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever.
Amen.
