"On the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land. Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants."(Leviticus 25:9-10)
During the past year, as a fifty-year-old American, I have gained new understandings of slavery and freedom. In the eighth year of demanding ministry in Brooklyn, I had wearily prayed for God to give me new insights and experiences of liberty during my jubilee. He has answered in amazing ways, often through trials yet always through unexpected blessings.
I hope you too will be blessed as you read along!
My husband and I are Bible-believing servants of Messiah Jesus, working among 300,000 Russian Jews and other Russian-speakers who immigrated to Brooklyn since the late 1980s. This blog consists of personal reflections. Although I refer to the specific ministry at times, I am writing as a private individual and not in my official capacity with the ministry organization.
My next post begins to detail some lessons in freedom. In the meantime, check out my testimony on the ministry website www.rclc.us to see how a philosophy major political professional from the Pacific Northwest ended up serving Jesus among Soviet immigrants in Brooklyn, New York.
2 comments:
Semper Fidelis!
Consider:
The missing element in every human 'solution'
is an accurate definition of the creature.
The way we define 'human' determines our view of self,
others, relationships, institutions, life, and future. Many
problems in human experience are the result of false
and inaccurate definitions of humankind premised
in man-made religions and humanistic philosophies.
Human knowledge is a fraction of the whole universe.
The balance is a vast void of human ignorance. Human
reason cannot fully function in such a void; thus, the
intellect can rise no higher than the criteria by which it
perceives and measures values.
Humanism makes man his own standard of measure.
However, as with all measuring systems, a standard
must be greater than the value measured. Based on
preponderant ignorance and an egocentric carnal
nature, humanism demotes reason to the simpleton
task of excuse-making in behalf of the rule of appe-
tites, desires, feelings, emotions, and glands.
Because man, hobbled in an ego-centric predicament,
cannot invent criteria greater than himself, the humanist
lacks a predictive capability. Without instinct or trans-
cendent criteria, humanism cannot evaluate options with
foresight and vision for progression and survival. Lack-
ing foresight, man is blind to potential consequence and
is unwittingly committed to mediocrity, collectivism,
averages, and regression - and worse. Humanism is an
unworthy worship.
The void of human ignorance can easily be filled with
a functional faith while not-so-patiently awaiting the
foot-dragging growth of human knowledge and behav-
ior. Faith, initiated by the Creator and revealed and
validated in His Word, the Bible, brings a transcend-
ent standard to man the choice-maker. Other philo-
sophies and religions are man-made, humanism, and
thereby lack what only the Bible has:
1.Transcendent Criteria and
2.Fulfilled Prophetic Validation.
The vision of faith in God and His Word is survival
equipment for today and the future. Only the Creator,
who made us in His own image, is qualified to define
us accurately.
Human is earth's Choicemaker. Psalm 25:12 He is by
nature and nature's God a creature of Choice - and of
Criteria. Psalm 119:30,173 His unique and definitive
characteristic is, and of Right ought to be, the natural
foundation of his environments, institutions, and re-
spectful relations to his fellow-man. Thus, he is orien-
ted to a Freedom whose roots are in the Order of the
universe. selah
That human institution which is structured on the principle, "...all
men are endowed by their Creator with ...Liberty...," is a system
with its roots in the natural Order of the universe. The opponents
of such a system are necessarily engaged in a losing contest
with nature and nature's God. Biblical principles are still today
the foundation under Western Civilization and the American
way of life. To the advent of a new season we commend the
present generation and the "multitudes in the valley of decision."
Let us proclaim it. Behold!
The Season of Generation-Choicemaker Joel 3:14 KJV
semper fidelis
Jim Baxter
a follower of The Lion of Judah
+ + +
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