Teaching Sunday school is something I am very passionate about.
Along with the current study, I also have to plan ahead for the next study and be able to move forward with it when the time comes.
One thing I have always been able to rely on is God’s guidance in the preparation of these one hour sessions which seem to go by so very quickly. I can also rely on His direction for us in future studies.
That is certainly the case with our current study which is very nearly complete.
Some months ago, I managed to get some time off around Christmas and decided to begin reading The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan.
When my holiday arrived, I read the first chapter before going to bed and it had a very profound impact on me.
Over the course of the next two days, I devoured the rest of the book.
I remember telling friends and family afterward how "blown away" I was by the book.
I also knew that upon completion of our current study, I would ask my class would to join Christian (Bunyan’s main character) on his pilgrimage through this classic.
I procured enough copies of the book for the entire class and informed them of the pending study.
Along with continued work on our current study, I read Bunyan’s classic three more times taking detailed notes, anticipating questions I might be asked and drawing on scripture to reinforce the spiritual truths that Bunyan sought to teach in his allegory.
When the time arrived, we began our study.
One of the things that delighted me was seeing my students have the same reaction to the book that I had the first time I read it.
Also very personally rewarding were the number of times students told me, "Thank you for bringing this book to us."
Now, that journey nears its end.
Along with the joy, we also experienced some personal sadness along the way.
One of my students, Rudy, went to be with the Lord.
Rudy was much more than a student.
I counted him as both a blessing and a good friend.
I feel that way about every student.
We are a cohesive and closely knit group.
There is an old saying that says that life imitates art and, at times, there is more than a fair amount of truth in that.
In The Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian acquired a traveling companion from his home town. This character’s name was Faithful.
They journeyed together intending to arrive at the Celestial City, or heaven, at the same time.
One day, as they neared the town of Vanity, they encountered an old friend and mentor, a wonderful man by the name of Evangelist.
Along with the happy reunion, Evangelist gave them words of caution.
"But be faithful unto death, and Christ will give you a crown of life. If one of you shall die there, although his death will be cruel and his pain great, yet he will be more fortunate than the other, because he will arrive in the Celestial City much sooner, and he will escape the trials the other must endure in the rest of the way."
This came to pass.
When Christian and Faithful arrived in Vanity, they refused to buy any of the worldly goods that the townspeople had for sale. This coupled with their speech and demeanor soon created quite an uproar. They were arrested and put on trial.
At the trial, Faithful gave a remarkable testimony. Nevertheless, he was found guilty in the town’s eyes and executed.
Christian then saw a golden chariot with fiery steeds whisk Faithful away to the Celestial City. He also thought he heard a trumpet sound from the Celestial City when the chariot arrived.
Christian then continued on his pilgrimage. A pilgrimage in which he encountered and overcame numerous obstacles before reaching the Celestial City himself.
My friend and student faced a trial of a different sort.
The trial he faced was a fatal illness.
Yet even in this sort of trial, he gave his own powerful testimony to those who lovingly took such good care of him.
At his funeral service, our pastor said that Rudy’s physical therapist told him, "Thank you for sharing Rudy with us." He added that these words assured him that Rudy was exactly where God wanted him to be.
Just like Faithful, Rudy has now arrived at the Celestial City ahead of the rest of us.
Just like Christian, we who remain behind must faithfully continue in our pilgrimage knowing that we will face and overcome many tribulations along the way.
Yet, we remain confident that God will see us through each and every one of them.
He will use these to build us up and refine us until we too reach the Celestial City just like our now departed friend.
Sometimes life really does imitate art.
This is not surprising when you consider that God is in complete and total control.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, June 21, 2013.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, June 28, 2013.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Third Person, Perfect
On Saturday, our church hosted a party for the neighborhood.
Saturday was also the day before Pentecost Sunday.
I arrived at the party a bit early and several members of my church family were already there.
I greeted everyone and joined a group of my friends.
Our discussion turned to Pentecost Sunday.
A friend shared an observation that churches, generally speaking, have their largest attendance on Christmas and Easter.
He added that Pentecost Sunday is also an important day in the church calendar, but attendance is not as large when compared to attendance on Christmas and Easter.
Of course, the next logical question to ask is, "Why?"
"Why?" is one of those questions whose answers are typically subjective.
They are often based on people’s observations.
That said, I offered my response, but before I share it, let’s take a look at the other two days first.
On Christmas and Easter, we celebrate the birth and resurrection of Jesus, respectively.
I once heard a minister refer to these days as the "annual Christian pilgrimages" simply because church attendance is higher then.
Pentecost Sunday, however, celebrates the Holy Spirit.
I personally believe that He is the least understood Person of the Trinity.
Generally speaking, when you ask people about God, the first Person of the Trinity, they can usually tell you about several of His attributes,
Similarly, when you ask them, about Jesus, the second Person of the Trinity, they can usually tell you about a few of His attributes as well.
Ask them about the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, and the results are noticeably different.
A majority of the time they can tell you very little in comparison.
So, who is the Holy Spirit and what is Pentecost?
On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles and other followers (Acts 2) and some remarkable things happened.
There came a sound from heaven like a violent wind that filled the entire house.
Next tongues spread out like a fire that came to rest upon each one of them.
Then each was filled with the Holy Spirit and they began to speak in different human languages.
This was the beginning of the Church.
Devout men from every nation were nearby.
They came and were amazed because each heard them speak in his language.
Even then, just as today, there were many who misunderstood the Holy Spirit and what He did among the believers.
Acts 2:7-8 (NET) - Completely baffled, they said, "Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that each of us hears them in our own native language?"
Today, many still are unfamiliar with the attributes of the Holy Spirit.
What are some of His attributes?
The Holy Spirit helps us to recognize both our sinful nature and our need for salvation.
The Holy Spirit then leads us to Jesus for that salvation.
The Holy Spirit helps us accept Jesus as our savior.
The Holy Spirit then assures us of our salvation and transforms our lives.
The Holy Spirit helps us lead fruitful lives and also helps us witness to others.
The Holy Spirit helps us comprehend the truth and also provides us with a combination of comfort and strength.
These are but some of the ways that the Holy Spirit influences our lives.
The Holy Spirit, like the Father and the Son, cannot be completely understood by human minds.
We should, however, be receptive and responsive to His leading.
This will not only enrich our lives, it will help us to enrich the lives of others.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, June 7, 2013.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, June 14, 2013.
Schedule subject to change.
Saturday was also the day before Pentecost Sunday.
I arrived at the party a bit early and several members of my church family were already there.
I greeted everyone and joined a group of my friends.
Our discussion turned to Pentecost Sunday.
A friend shared an observation that churches, generally speaking, have their largest attendance on Christmas and Easter.
He added that Pentecost Sunday is also an important day in the church calendar, but attendance is not as large when compared to attendance on Christmas and Easter.
Of course, the next logical question to ask is, "Why?"
"Why?" is one of those questions whose answers are typically subjective.
They are often based on people’s observations.
That said, I offered my response, but before I share it, let’s take a look at the other two days first.
On Christmas and Easter, we celebrate the birth and resurrection of Jesus, respectively.
I once heard a minister refer to these days as the "annual Christian pilgrimages" simply because church attendance is higher then.
Pentecost Sunday, however, celebrates the Holy Spirit.
I personally believe that He is the least understood Person of the Trinity.
Generally speaking, when you ask people about God, the first Person of the Trinity, they can usually tell you about several of His attributes,
Similarly, when you ask them, about Jesus, the second Person of the Trinity, they can usually tell you about a few of His attributes as well.
Ask them about the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, and the results are noticeably different.
A majority of the time they can tell you very little in comparison.
So, who is the Holy Spirit and what is Pentecost?
On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles and other followers (Acts 2) and some remarkable things happened.
There came a sound from heaven like a violent wind that filled the entire house.
Next tongues spread out like a fire that came to rest upon each one of them.
Then each was filled with the Holy Spirit and they began to speak in different human languages.
This was the beginning of the Church.
Devout men from every nation were nearby.
They came and were amazed because each heard them speak in his language.
Even then, just as today, there were many who misunderstood the Holy Spirit and what He did among the believers.
Acts 2:7-8 (NET) - Completely baffled, they said, "Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that each of us hears them in our own native language?"
Today, many still are unfamiliar with the attributes of the Holy Spirit.
What are some of His attributes?
The Holy Spirit helps us to recognize both our sinful nature and our need for salvation.
The Holy Spirit then leads us to Jesus for that salvation.
The Holy Spirit helps us accept Jesus as our savior.
The Holy Spirit then assures us of our salvation and transforms our lives.
The Holy Spirit helps us lead fruitful lives and also helps us witness to others.
The Holy Spirit helps us comprehend the truth and also provides us with a combination of comfort and strength.
These are but some of the ways that the Holy Spirit influences our lives.
The Holy Spirit, like the Father and the Son, cannot be completely understood by human minds.
We should, however, be receptive and responsive to His leading.
This will not only enrich our lives, it will help us to enrich the lives of others.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, June 7, 2013.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, June 14, 2013.
Schedule subject to change.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Green with Envy
Matthew 6:19 (NET) - Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.
Exodus 20:17 (NET) - You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Scripture warns us about both worldliness and covetousness.
In reflecting on these conditions I realized that both the world and desire of another’s possessions often go hand in hand.
The world begins to influence us very early in life. It makes us desire the things others have which we do not.
I asked myself when did worldliness and covetousness first enter my life and the answer came both quickly and easily.
It happened when I started the first grade and involved, of all things, crayons!
Yes, even something as seemingly benign and innocent looking as a box of crayons can be used by the world in a negative way on young minds.
Before I started first grade, my mother took me to the store to get the supplies I would need according to the local school system.
One of the items on the list they provided was a box of eight crayons.
One day, shortly after school began, the teacher asked us to get out our crayons as she passed out a worksheet we were supposed to color.
As we got out our crayons, I quickly realized that not everyone was limited to eight crayons.
Many had sixteen, some had twenty four, a few had forty eight and two actually had sixty four.
Notice that I still remember that exactly two had sixty four crayons.
How I envied those two when I compared their boxes of sixty four to my paltry box of eight.
In the world of adults, this would be comparable to someone living in a modest home envying someone of their mansion.
For weeks, I remember pleading with my parents to get me a box of sixty four crayons but to no avail.
Eventually, they gave in and bought me a box of twenty four.
In our little world, that of first graders, it was the number of crayons one had that determined our social standing.
As a Christian adult and In hindsight, this was a silly thing. To a small child’s mind, it seemed like one of the most important things of all.
Yet, that is exactly the kind of hold the world can have on us throughout our lives.
If we permit it.
Without Jesus, the only thing that really changes is the price of our toys.
Jesus overcomes the grip the world has on our lives.
By the way, there is an additional lesson I have learned from all of this.
Back then, when a child with few crayons, like me, would ask to borrow a particular color from someone who had more the response was usually the same.
"My father (or mother) told me not to let anybody use them."
We are each blessed by our Heavenly Father in many ways.
Our Heavenly Father expects us to share our blessings with others and not keep them for ourselves.
He even gave us the greatest example of all when He shared His Only Son with us in order that we be saved.
We may have outgrown crayons, but we dare not let material wealth in the adult world have the same kind of hold.
Everyone needs to grow up sometime.
We do that when we mature as believers.
1 Corinthians 13:11 (NET) - When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. But when I became an adult, I set aside childish ways.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, May 17, 2013.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, May 24, 2013.
Schedule subject to change.
Exodus 20:17 (NET) - You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Scripture warns us about both worldliness and covetousness.
In reflecting on these conditions I realized that both the world and desire of another’s possessions often go hand in hand.
The world begins to influence us very early in life. It makes us desire the things others have which we do not.
I asked myself when did worldliness and covetousness first enter my life and the answer came both quickly and easily.
It happened when I started the first grade and involved, of all things, crayons!
Yes, even something as seemingly benign and innocent looking as a box of crayons can be used by the world in a negative way on young minds.
Before I started first grade, my mother took me to the store to get the supplies I would need according to the local school system.
One of the items on the list they provided was a box of eight crayons.
One day, shortly after school began, the teacher asked us to get out our crayons as she passed out a worksheet we were supposed to color.
As we got out our crayons, I quickly realized that not everyone was limited to eight crayons.
Many had sixteen, some had twenty four, a few had forty eight and two actually had sixty four.
Notice that I still remember that exactly two had sixty four crayons.
How I envied those two when I compared their boxes of sixty four to my paltry box of eight.
In the world of adults, this would be comparable to someone living in a modest home envying someone of their mansion.
For weeks, I remember pleading with my parents to get me a box of sixty four crayons but to no avail.
Eventually, they gave in and bought me a box of twenty four.
In our little world, that of first graders, it was the number of crayons one had that determined our social standing.
As a Christian adult and In hindsight, this was a silly thing. To a small child’s mind, it seemed like one of the most important things of all.
Yet, that is exactly the kind of hold the world can have on us throughout our lives.
If we permit it.
Without Jesus, the only thing that really changes is the price of our toys.
Jesus overcomes the grip the world has on our lives.
By the way, there is an additional lesson I have learned from all of this.
Back then, when a child with few crayons, like me, would ask to borrow a particular color from someone who had more the response was usually the same.
"My father (or mother) told me not to let anybody use them."
We are each blessed by our Heavenly Father in many ways.
Our Heavenly Father expects us to share our blessings with others and not keep them for ourselves.
He even gave us the greatest example of all when He shared His Only Son with us in order that we be saved.
We may have outgrown crayons, but we dare not let material wealth in the adult world have the same kind of hold.
Everyone needs to grow up sometime.
We do that when we mature as believers.
1 Corinthians 13:11 (NET) - When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. But when I became an adult, I set aside childish ways.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, May 17, 2013.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, May 24, 2013.
Schedule subject to change.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
In the Midst of Tragedy
Recently, two tragic events occurred within days of each other.
The first happened near the finish line of the Boston Marathon when two bombs detonated within moments of each other.
The second happened in the Texas community of West when a fertilizer plant exploded.
The first occurred in a major metropolitan area; the second in a small town.
In both, lives were lost.
In both, many were severely injured.
The first was a deliberate act by two individuals who subscribed to an ideology based on hate.
The second was a terrible accident.
In the days that followed I planned to use this devotional to address a specific question that was on the minds of many.
During that time, I also read some things that caused me a tremendous amount of personal anguish and distress.
After much reflection and prayer, I decided to address both beginning with the one that caused me pain.
Shortly after the bombings in Boston I read in the news of a church in America that believed this event was a direct punishment from God.
A short time later I learned that members of this church felt the same way about the tragedy in the town of West.
I refuse to name that church (or the issue that drives them) as I have concluded they seem to enjoy such publicity.
This church not only drew an erroneous conclusion, they compounded their error by planning to engage in protests at the funerals of the fallen.
It was my personal opinion that their position was flawed, their language was profane and their viewpoint could have been considered just as extreme as those of the bombers themselves.
Adding to my sadness were some of the comments news readers posted in response.
One reader stated that this was why he did not go to church.
Another said that this was why he did not believe in God.
As Christians, our mission is to be a beacon drawing others to Christ rather than a force that drives them away.
While there were numerous passages of scripture I could have cited in response, I opted instead to summarize my viewpoint in a comment of my own that I posted in several forums.
I share that comment with you now.
"The God I worship would have none to perish, in fact. He sent His only Son to save sinners. Even sinners like me. That same Son teaches me to love my neighbor, especially when my neighbor refuses to love me in return. Events like this are not a punishment from a vengeful God, rather, they are a symptom of a fallen world. Scripture must be accepted and understood as a whole. You cannot simply carve it apart and accept the parts you agree with and discard the rest."
This brings me to the initial question that I thought many struggled with in the aftermath of these unfortunate events.
Where exactly was God during these tragedies?
We are taught as children that God is everywhere.
He really is.
When the bombs went off in Boston. God was in the first responders who ran toward the explosions rather than away from them.
God was in the three policemen who stood in front of the fallen runner to shield him from another potential blast.
God was in strangers who assisted those they did not know as they applied makeshift tourniquets to torn limbs.
When the fertilizer plant exploded in the town of West, God was in the dispatcher who stayed calm and did her job even though her friends who were already fighting the fire had likely perished in the blast.
God was in the students who were taking a class in becoming emergency medical technicians as they ran in to assist the injured.
God was in the throngs of people from surrounding communities who came in to help. Many were turned away because too many wanted to help.
God was in the people who collected and delivered relief supplies. So many items were donated that this became a problem in and of itself.
These are but a few examples of God’s involvement.
God was also involved much earlier.
God was also with an eight year old boy when he wrote the words "Stop hurting people" well before he was killed in the blast in Boston.
We live in a fallen world.
As a result, bad things happen.
God does not punish us with these events, neither does he abandon us when they occur.
God Is in control even when the world seems chaotic to us.
God has a plan and He is in complete control.
His plan is not one of punishment.
His plan is one of hope.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NET) - ‘For I know what I have planned for you,’ says the LORD. ‘I have plans to prosper you, not harm you. I plan to give you a future filled with hope.’
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, May 3, 2013.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, May 10, 2013.
Schedule subject to change.
The first happened near the finish line of the Boston Marathon when two bombs detonated within moments of each other.
The second happened in the Texas community of West when a fertilizer plant exploded.
The first occurred in a major metropolitan area; the second in a small town.
In both, lives were lost.
In both, many were severely injured.
The first was a deliberate act by two individuals who subscribed to an ideology based on hate.
The second was a terrible accident.
In the days that followed I planned to use this devotional to address a specific question that was on the minds of many.
During that time, I also read some things that caused me a tremendous amount of personal anguish and distress.
After much reflection and prayer, I decided to address both beginning with the one that caused me pain.
Shortly after the bombings in Boston I read in the news of a church in America that believed this event was a direct punishment from God.
A short time later I learned that members of this church felt the same way about the tragedy in the town of West.
I refuse to name that church (or the issue that drives them) as I have concluded they seem to enjoy such publicity.
This church not only drew an erroneous conclusion, they compounded their error by planning to engage in protests at the funerals of the fallen.
It was my personal opinion that their position was flawed, their language was profane and their viewpoint could have been considered just as extreme as those of the bombers themselves.
Adding to my sadness were some of the comments news readers posted in response.
One reader stated that this was why he did not go to church.
Another said that this was why he did not believe in God.
As Christians, our mission is to be a beacon drawing others to Christ rather than a force that drives them away.
While there were numerous passages of scripture I could have cited in response, I opted instead to summarize my viewpoint in a comment of my own that I posted in several forums.
I share that comment with you now.
"The God I worship would have none to perish, in fact. He sent His only Son to save sinners. Even sinners like me. That same Son teaches me to love my neighbor, especially when my neighbor refuses to love me in return. Events like this are not a punishment from a vengeful God, rather, they are a symptom of a fallen world. Scripture must be accepted and understood as a whole. You cannot simply carve it apart and accept the parts you agree with and discard the rest."
This brings me to the initial question that I thought many struggled with in the aftermath of these unfortunate events.
Where exactly was God during these tragedies?
We are taught as children that God is everywhere.
He really is.
When the bombs went off in Boston. God was in the first responders who ran toward the explosions rather than away from them.
God was in the three policemen who stood in front of the fallen runner to shield him from another potential blast.
God was in strangers who assisted those they did not know as they applied makeshift tourniquets to torn limbs.
When the fertilizer plant exploded in the town of West, God was in the dispatcher who stayed calm and did her job even though her friends who were already fighting the fire had likely perished in the blast.
God was in the students who were taking a class in becoming emergency medical technicians as they ran in to assist the injured.
God was in the throngs of people from surrounding communities who came in to help. Many were turned away because too many wanted to help.
God was in the people who collected and delivered relief supplies. So many items were donated that this became a problem in and of itself.
These are but a few examples of God’s involvement.
God was also involved much earlier.
God was also with an eight year old boy when he wrote the words "Stop hurting people" well before he was killed in the blast in Boston.
We live in a fallen world.
As a result, bad things happen.
God does not punish us with these events, neither does he abandon us when they occur.
God Is in control even when the world seems chaotic to us.
God has a plan and He is in complete control.
His plan is not one of punishment.
His plan is one of hope.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NET) - ‘For I know what I have planned for you,’ says the LORD. ‘I have plans to prosper you, not harm you. I plan to give you a future filled with hope.’
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, May 3, 2013.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, May 10, 2013.
Schedule subject to change.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Pray...
If attacked because of freedom... you have given me more appreciation.
If attacked to harm the innocent... you have given me more compassion.
If attacked because of faith... you have given me cause to pray.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV) - Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Pray for Boston,
Pray for the world!
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Thursday, April 11, 2013
True to His Faith
I have always been fascinated with history.
For me, history is not merely a collection of dates to be memorized simply for the sake of memorization.
Neither is it merely a study of the circumstances surrounding those dates.
What fascinates me are the individuals who lived during those times and how they chose to respond to those circumstances.
In the roll call of names from history, there are a few individuals that I truly admire.
Individuals who made a difference in the world, or tried to, in spite of the difficulties they faced.
One such individual that I truly admire is a man named Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Bonhoeffer was born in the year 1906.
He was an accomplished theologian, pastor, author, musician and more.
What made Bonhoeffer remarkable to me was how he chose to live his life in response to the rise of Nazism in Germany in the Thirties and Forties.
He was ordained in Berlin in 1931.
In a sermon he wrote in 1932, it was evident that Bonhoeffer was aware that the future would be difficult.
In that sermon he stated that "the blood of martyrs might once again be demanded, but this blood, if we really have the courage and loyalty to shed it, will not be innocent, shining like that of the first witnesses for the faith. On our blood lies heavy guilt, the guilt of the unprofitable servant who is cast into outer darkness."
1933 saw the rise of Nazism in Germany and many Protestant ministers there initially welcomed this turn of events.
By the fall of that year, the Deutsche Christen gained control of many Protestant churches and approved the exclusion of those with Jewish ancestry from the ministry.
Bonhoeffer opposed this movement as he deemed it a surrender of Christian ideals to a political ideology.
In 1934, he became a member of the Universal Christian Council for Life and Work.
In 1935, Bonhoeffer established an "underground" seminary.
This seminary was shut down by the Gestapo in 1937.
In 1938, Bonhoeffer made connections with "conspirators" who politically opposed Hitler.
In 1939, he left Germany for New York City but felt compelled to return that same year and subsequently joined the political resistance.
In 1941, he was forbidden to either print or publish.
That same year, he became part of Jewish rescue action.
About this time, Bonhoeffer joined Abwehr which was at the center of resistance to Hitler.
Hans von Dohnanyi, who married Bonhoeffer‘s sister, was already a part of Abwehr and brought Bonhoeffer in because his contacts would be beneficial for Germany.
There were several plots to kill Hitler in 1943 of which Dohnanyi was aware and it is presumed Bonhoeffer was aware of them as well.
In 1943, Bonhoeffer and his sister were arrested.
Bonhoeffer found himself imprisoned at the age of 37.
In February 1945, Bonhoeffer was transferred to Buchenwald Concentration Camp.
In April 1945, an unsuccessful attempt was made on Hitler’s life.
Hitler ordered all conspirators be found and executed.
This included Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Almost immediately, Bonhoeffer was executed by hanging at the age of 39 even as Allied Forces closed in on Berlin.
Shortly thereafter, Hitler committed suicide in his bunker and Germany surrendered.
One of Bonhoeffer’s quotes that echoes in my mind reads as follows:
"Silence in the face of evil is itself evil; God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act."
This parallels scripture.
Ezekiel 3:19-20 (NIV) - But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself. "Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for his sin. The righteous things he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his blood.
In spite of the difficulties of the times, Bonhoeffer stayed the course and remained true to his faith even at the cost of his own life.
That is why I hold him in such high regard.
One more thing.
There are some who find it disquieting that Bonhoeffer might have been involved in a plot to kill someone.
Even if that someone were as evil as was Hitler.
Bonhoeffer struggled with this himself.
Bonhoeffer wrote the following: "when a man takes guilt upon himself in responsibility, he imputes his guilt to himself and no one else. He answers for it...Before other men he is justified by dire necessity; before himself he is acquitted by his conscience, but before God he hopes only for grace."
I personally do not have a problem with Bonhoeffer’s involvement and offer the following:
Ecclesiastes 3:1-3 (NIV) - There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
It is important to remember that the world was being torn apart by a global conflict in which millions had already died.
Had this attempt or another on Hitler‘s life been successful, lives could have been saved and the time for healing would have started sooner.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, April 19, 2013.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, April 26, 2013.
Schedule subject to change.
For me, history is not merely a collection of dates to be memorized simply for the sake of memorization.
Neither is it merely a study of the circumstances surrounding those dates.
What fascinates me are the individuals who lived during those times and how they chose to respond to those circumstances.
In the roll call of names from history, there are a few individuals that I truly admire.
Individuals who made a difference in the world, or tried to, in spite of the difficulties they faced.
One such individual that I truly admire is a man named Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Bonhoeffer was born in the year 1906.
He was an accomplished theologian, pastor, author, musician and more.
What made Bonhoeffer remarkable to me was how he chose to live his life in response to the rise of Nazism in Germany in the Thirties and Forties.
He was ordained in Berlin in 1931.
In a sermon he wrote in 1932, it was evident that Bonhoeffer was aware that the future would be difficult.
In that sermon he stated that "the blood of martyrs might once again be demanded, but this blood, if we really have the courage and loyalty to shed it, will not be innocent, shining like that of the first witnesses for the faith. On our blood lies heavy guilt, the guilt of the unprofitable servant who is cast into outer darkness."
1933 saw the rise of Nazism in Germany and many Protestant ministers there initially welcomed this turn of events.
By the fall of that year, the Deutsche Christen gained control of many Protestant churches and approved the exclusion of those with Jewish ancestry from the ministry.
Bonhoeffer opposed this movement as he deemed it a surrender of Christian ideals to a political ideology.
In 1934, he became a member of the Universal Christian Council for Life and Work.
In 1935, Bonhoeffer established an "underground" seminary.
This seminary was shut down by the Gestapo in 1937.
In 1938, Bonhoeffer made connections with "conspirators" who politically opposed Hitler.
In 1939, he left Germany for New York City but felt compelled to return that same year and subsequently joined the political resistance.
In 1941, he was forbidden to either print or publish.
That same year, he became part of Jewish rescue action.
About this time, Bonhoeffer joined Abwehr which was at the center of resistance to Hitler.
Hans von Dohnanyi, who married Bonhoeffer‘s sister, was already a part of Abwehr and brought Bonhoeffer in because his contacts would be beneficial for Germany.
There were several plots to kill Hitler in 1943 of which Dohnanyi was aware and it is presumed Bonhoeffer was aware of them as well.
In 1943, Bonhoeffer and his sister were arrested.
Bonhoeffer found himself imprisoned at the age of 37.
In February 1945, Bonhoeffer was transferred to Buchenwald Concentration Camp.
In April 1945, an unsuccessful attempt was made on Hitler’s life.
Hitler ordered all conspirators be found and executed.
This included Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Almost immediately, Bonhoeffer was executed by hanging at the age of 39 even as Allied Forces closed in on Berlin.
Shortly thereafter, Hitler committed suicide in his bunker and Germany surrendered.
One of Bonhoeffer’s quotes that echoes in my mind reads as follows:
"Silence in the face of evil is itself evil; God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act."
This parallels scripture.
Ezekiel 3:19-20 (NIV) - But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself. "Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for his sin. The righteous things he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his blood.
In spite of the difficulties of the times, Bonhoeffer stayed the course and remained true to his faith even at the cost of his own life.
That is why I hold him in such high regard.
One more thing.
There are some who find it disquieting that Bonhoeffer might have been involved in a plot to kill someone.
Even if that someone were as evil as was Hitler.
Bonhoeffer struggled with this himself.
Bonhoeffer wrote the following: "when a man takes guilt upon himself in responsibility, he imputes his guilt to himself and no one else. He answers for it...Before other men he is justified by dire necessity; before himself he is acquitted by his conscience, but before God he hopes only for grace."
I personally do not have a problem with Bonhoeffer’s involvement and offer the following:
Ecclesiastes 3:1-3 (NIV) - There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
It is important to remember that the world was being torn apart by a global conflict in which millions had already died.
Had this attempt or another on Hitler‘s life been successful, lives could have been saved and the time for healing would have started sooner.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, April 19, 2013.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, April 26, 2013.
Schedule subject to change.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
At What Risk?
Luke 12:38 (NET) - But the one who did not know his master’s will and did things worthy of punishment will receive a light beating. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required, and from the one who has been entrusted with much, even more will be asked.
Persecution.
Since the earliest days of Christianity, persecution of the church has been a reality.
In many parts of the world, it still is.
Some nations claim religious tolerance and freedom and cite their legality of Christianity as proof.
The real proof of their intolerance is made apparent when converts become second class citizens.
New Christians in these countries often find it extremely difficult to marry or find employment.
So much for tolerance.
In some nations professing one’s faith in Christ can bring a death sentence.
I once watched a smuggled video taken with a phone of the execution of a man who was charged with evangelizing in his village.
The entire village was forced to witness this brave man’s execution by firing squad.
Immediately afterward, an army officer stood up in the back of his jeep and addressed the village through a megaphone.
The officer shouted his warning, "This man was a fool! Don’t be a fool!"
That nation rules with an iron fist.
It uses execution as a means of both eliminating existing Christians and intimidating others in an attempt to deter them from embracing the faith.
In reality, it is the government that is frightened because Christianity transforms lives in ways that it cannot.
Still, it continues to tighten its grip using a combination of fear and intimidation.
Yet even as its grip tightens, more and more of its citizens turn their lives over to Jesus.
That frightens it even more.
I once read of a young man in another country who, along with his friends, persecuted Christians.
Like Paul, this persecutor had a conversion experience.
This young man’s conversion was made possible because of the witness of one that he persecuted.
He now shares his faith in Jesus with others.
As a result, several unsuccessful attempts have been made to kill him.
In time, he learned that a contract had been taken out on his life.
That contract was paid for by his own father and that price remains on his head.
In spite of the personal risk, he still continues to share Jesus with others.
These are but two examples among several that I thought about this week.
Persecution has been on my mind a great deal because a friend who is a pastor in another country contacted me through a social network requesting my prayers.
That pastor's church is currently experiencing persecution.
Of course, I agreed and continue to pray for them and other persecuted Christians as well.
This forced me to think about my own country.
God has blessed us with the both the freedom and safety to worship,
At the risk of painting with a very broad brush, a less than desirable consequence has arisen among Christians in America.
That consequence is complacency.
As a whole, we seem to have lost some of the drive, some of the desire and some of the sense of urgency in sharing the Good News with others.
Those in regions of persecution risk much, and their flame burns bright by comparison.
This should concern us.
The church at Laodicea received a direct warning.
You can find it in Revelation 3.
As we near Easter and consider what Jesus has done for us, shouldn’t we be more eager to share the Good News with others?
We also need to pray for our Christian brothers and sisters who currently face persecution.
We should also pray for those who persecute them.
After all, their need for Jesus is the greatest.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, April 5, 2013.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, April 12, 2013.
Schedule subject to change.
Persecution.
Since the earliest days of Christianity, persecution of the church has been a reality.
In many parts of the world, it still is.
Some nations claim religious tolerance and freedom and cite their legality of Christianity as proof.
The real proof of their intolerance is made apparent when converts become second class citizens.
New Christians in these countries often find it extremely difficult to marry or find employment.
So much for tolerance.
In some nations professing one’s faith in Christ can bring a death sentence.
I once watched a smuggled video taken with a phone of the execution of a man who was charged with evangelizing in his village.
The entire village was forced to witness this brave man’s execution by firing squad.
Immediately afterward, an army officer stood up in the back of his jeep and addressed the village through a megaphone.
The officer shouted his warning, "This man was a fool! Don’t be a fool!"
That nation rules with an iron fist.
It uses execution as a means of both eliminating existing Christians and intimidating others in an attempt to deter them from embracing the faith.
In reality, it is the government that is frightened because Christianity transforms lives in ways that it cannot.
Still, it continues to tighten its grip using a combination of fear and intimidation.
Yet even as its grip tightens, more and more of its citizens turn their lives over to Jesus.
That frightens it even more.
I once read of a young man in another country who, along with his friends, persecuted Christians.
Like Paul, this persecutor had a conversion experience.
This young man’s conversion was made possible because of the witness of one that he persecuted.
He now shares his faith in Jesus with others.
As a result, several unsuccessful attempts have been made to kill him.
In time, he learned that a contract had been taken out on his life.
That contract was paid for by his own father and that price remains on his head.
In spite of the personal risk, he still continues to share Jesus with others.
These are but two examples among several that I thought about this week.
Persecution has been on my mind a great deal because a friend who is a pastor in another country contacted me through a social network requesting my prayers.
That pastor's church is currently experiencing persecution.
Of course, I agreed and continue to pray for them and other persecuted Christians as well.
This forced me to think about my own country.
God has blessed us with the both the freedom and safety to worship,
At the risk of painting with a very broad brush, a less than desirable consequence has arisen among Christians in America.
That consequence is complacency.
As a whole, we seem to have lost some of the drive, some of the desire and some of the sense of urgency in sharing the Good News with others.
Those in regions of persecution risk much, and their flame burns bright by comparison.
This should concern us.
The church at Laodicea received a direct warning.
You can find it in Revelation 3.
As we near Easter and consider what Jesus has done for us, shouldn’t we be more eager to share the Good News with others?
We also need to pray for our Christian brothers and sisters who currently face persecution.
We should also pray for those who persecute them.
After all, their need for Jesus is the greatest.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, April 5, 2013.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, April 12, 2013.
Schedule subject to change.
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