The Tongue (and the Fingers) - How God's People Are Steered Off-Course

I'm grieving in my spirit today....I feel SO sad.

It started last night while I was watching the news....they had another wild-eyed woman on TV talking about "Second Amendment remedies".  Which apparently involve the use of guns against Democrats who have won elections over any of their favored Tea-Party/Republican candidates!  She literally said that if she did not like the results of the election, she would head for the hills to round up like-minded people to start a revolution!

There have been a number of people shouting this type of rhetoric lately; the really scary thing about this is that many of them claim to know Jesus Christ!

Then this morning a Facebook post got to me.  I don't log into FB that often, but I like to check on my friends and relatives from time to time, so I did log in today.

On Facebook I stumbled across a discussion amongst a group of Christians about our right to bear firearms.  There was a quote, purported to be from George Washington, which had sparked the debate, and the only disagreement between these brothers and sisters in Christ was whether or not Washington had truly said this.  Someone was insisting that it had been debunked, that it was not a true saying by GW.  But EVERY SINGLE ONE of them agreed that they needed their guns, to ensure that their rights would never be violated by the government!

Here is the bogus quotation:

Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the American people's liberty teeth and keystone under independence. The church, the plow, the prairie wagon, and citizen's firearms are indelibly related. From the hour the Pilgrims landed, to the present day, events, occurrences, and tendencies prove that to insure peace, security and happiness, the rifle and the pistol are equally indispensable. Every corner of this land knows firearms, and more than 99 99/100 percent of them by their silence indicate they are in safe and sane hands. The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference; they deserve a place with all that's good. When firearms, go all goes; we need them every hour. 

 --- Falsely attributed to George Washington, address to the second session of the first U.S. Congress.


OK, TIME OUT PEOPLE!

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE????


Well, for ONE thing, if we are Christians, it means that we are supposed to be "Christ-like", right?

So FORGET what George Washington may or may not have said.....what does JESUS say about the government, and resistance or fighting for your rights or "Second Amendment remedies" or whatever??

Luke 6:29  If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. (NIV)

Romans 13:1 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. (NIV)

SO WHERE EXACTLY DOES JESUS SAY, "LOCK AND LOAD!"???

I hate to break this to all of the so-called Christian Right out there, the Tea-Partiers and Republicans who HATE the current administration, but Romans 13:1 is talking about, among many others, Barack Obama and his White House, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid!!

(Yes, I admit that this scripture was very hard for me to swallow during the Presidency of George W. Bush.  But I tried to accept it.  It's still a tough one to deal with whenever I see John Boehner on TV.)

But what can we conclude from these scriptures?  Can ANY of you read those verses and then conclude that Jesus truly advocates "Second Amendment remedies"??

Incredibly, this very UN-Christian meme, this truly evil idea (that is, using Second Amendment remedies to ensure our rights) has spread like wildfire, like an evil weed, just like the kudzu vine has spread over the South and choked the native vegetation.  This idea has spread throughout the Christian community in America via the Internet, and few Christians are apparently aware of just how evil it is.

They should know better, of course, but...they read it on the Internet...and it even came from a "Christian" person (they think)!  Therefore this idea, that of using violence to make things come out their way, even against a majority vote, must be OK!  Right??

And of course it appeals very much to the flesh, doesn't it?  We all love the idea of getting our way!

But here is what the Bible has to say about such ideas, these fleshly ideas that are extremely anti-Christian, these ideas that spread like wildfire.  The word "tongue" is used here, but you can probably substitute "fingers" for tongue in many places in this passage, since typing words on the Internet is the primary means of communication for many people these days:

From James Chapter 3 (NIV):

⁵ Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. ⁶ The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 

⁷ All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, ⁸ but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 

⁹ With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. ¹⁰ Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. ¹¹ Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? ¹² My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

   

¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. ¹⁵ Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. ¹⁶ For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 

¹⁷ But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. ¹⁸ Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. 

If any of you "Second Amendment remedy" people out there are reading this, and you know Jesus, it's not to late to turn back to Him!  Don't let yourself be led astray by this scheme of the enemy!  We all know who our TRUE enemy is!  And he loves to deceive us...don't let him fool you this way any longer!

I am praying hard for our country....for all of us, Republican, Democrat, and Independent.  Repent of your anger and your hatred, and pray with me, please.