2 Timothy 4:1-5 (The Message)
1 I can't impress this on you too strongly. God is looking over your shoulder. Christ himself is the Judge, with the final say on everyone, living and dead. He is about to break into the open with his rule, 2 so proclaim the Message with intensity; keep on your watch. Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don't ever quit. Just keep it simple. 3 You're going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food--catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. 4 They'll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages. 5 But you--keep your eye on what you're doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God's servant.
This defines a mission statement for today. There are hard messages to be delivered and many many proud preachers are turning their backs on the words in the Bible for todays gospel of (insert your imperative here).
Jesus came and went and came back and went again with a gospel of salvation. What's in your heart matters. What you do is secondary, but your actions generally follow your heart. Your health is a testimony of your belief if you let it be, but that doesn't mean all believers are blessed with good health, but that suffering or not you praise God for your life that he gave you such that it is.
The gospel of wealth is not what Jesus preached.
The gospel of music is not what Jesus preached.
The gospel of good works is not what Jesus preached.
The gospel of long public prayer is not what Jesus preached.
The gospel of heredity is not what Jesus preached. (*)
The gospel of money is not what Jesus preached.
The gospel of universalism is not what Jesus preached.
completely unrelated rant.
Government is for the people here, by the people, of the people. Accepting that we (the people) have to buy the whole banking system, but don't have the right to fire or at least review the contracts of the failed leaders is moot. VERY VERY often you hear of whole divisions being shutdown post buy-out and there is no worry about what was in the contract, because that company doesn't exist anymore. So it is here, these companies are gone. what you have are a bunch of failed leaders scrambling for position in the new order.
