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NEWS lately has shown peace within the United States going up in flames. The scene was of demonstrations flaring in the State of California. Within the scene, a public square held an automobile engulfed in flames. Smoke billowed. A man carrying a flag rode around the flaming carcass on a motorcycle. The flag was not one of the United States, but was the flag of another nation. The irony is, the flag likely represents the nation from which many had escaped. But note! The scene was religious in nature. The man encircled the flames of Destruction, a burning god which has ravaged civilizations since the earliest days of human governance. Thus, as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ, I say to those who belong, this destruction is NOT a work the Holy Spirit! The biblical book of Acts describes the work of the Spirit. If you have a bible, you’ll see that the Pentecost story in the “Acts of the Apostles”, consists of marvelous, magical happenings that were as well difficult to explain. But those were good works! As you read, the Word speaks of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit reached out empowering mystical tongues of fire that touched each disciple there. The men’s faces lit up like the candles on a cake. Their voices spoke grace. However, that fire, that holy fire, a special fire… was not like a birthday candle. That fire does not destroy that which is good and would not be blown out. From that moment in time, the Christian church was established and did not disappear. That gathered group, speaking one salvation story though they spoke as individuals… were pressed by the Holy Spirit to tell the good news of Jesus in many different languages. Afterward, the disciples fervently witnessed to others in foreign languages about what they knew… what they’d seen... the empty tomb of Jesus. They talked in that Upper Room about what they felt in the depths of their hearts about the faith they’d received. For most of them, the telling would eventually cost them dearly. They would give their lives, even unto death… while witnessing in faith. |
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Black Regiment - Allegany - June 2025 Editorial |
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You see, on Pentecost, within the power of a holy fire… the Christian Church began. The New Testament writings started to form as they attempted to explain the unexplainable, the never-ending love of God poured out. Eventually the Creeds of the Church became concise examples of this effort. By the fourth Century, the Nicene Creed focused the founding faith of the Church. You see, after more than three centuries of confusion, heresies and persecutions had passed, it was felt necessary to clearly state the faith of the Church to citizens of the Roman Empire and beyond. In this way, blame for such horrors as the fires that had destroyed much of Rome during the reign of Nero... were quenched. Notwithstanding, one of the most difficult to explain was the fiery role of the Holy Spirit. What was that heated power which came to the apostles... to cause them to witness even beneath the threat of death? There were many different opinions. It seems we Christians don’t always agree. Some said that the Spirit came just from God the Father, others said just the Son, and still others said it was both. Sadly, there were some followers who said Jesus was not God’s Son,, and there was no such person |
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Church and Political Violence |