Why God Is Punishing America, Mainliners,...

Kopp Disclosure
(John 3:19-21)

@#$%



@#$%

I had just come off three mountaintop experiences: (1) Partnering with sister churches to bring relief to Joplin, Missouri after the devastating tornado of 5/27/11 and experiencing Tony's observation of years ago: "Churches getting their hands dirty for Jesus don't have enough time to ___ and moan about small stuff!"; (2) Playing in a "unified" Special Olympics golf tournament with Billy and observing so-called "challenged" sisters/brothers exemplifying the love of Jesus so much better than the "normal" ones who are best at hating each other in a Christian kinda way; and (3) Riding with Rainmakers MC and half a million other brothers to South Dakota and noticing how a motorcycle can do for bikers what Jesus cannot seem to do for too many pewsitters/pulpiteers: grace, peace, and love.

I'll get back to that.

When I was committing adultery, I thought it was great.

I never thought it was right; realizing I was insulting God's holiness as I was injuring my wife and children by redirecting affections due them alone.

Of course, that's the thing about most sins.

Bad things are only tempting when they taste good.

I'll get back to that.

I came crashing back to the real "world" in the church when I got back from SD; immediately attacked for signage that tried to balance our identity as a family of faith in an increasingly troubled denomination.

The signs: "First Presbyterian Church" and "Our Family of Faith...Why Not Make It Yours?"

Candidly, the latter sign covered up a memorial FPC sign donated by someone who left the church about a year before I arrived because of, uh, uh, uh, the typical irregular, irascible, and irreconcilable, uh, uh, uh,...stuff.

So we had two signs left - the old brick one with FPC in very old English letters on it and the invitational banner that covered up the redundant FPC one.

Summarily, folks who liked one over the other began to, uh, well, uh, you know...

Naturally rather than spiritually which often happens even among folks with some knowledge of Jesus, I, uh, caught, uh, it.

Getting back to my mountaintop experiences, I've learned to really savor them; because posers in pewsitters/pulpiteers' clothing can really bring ya down.

Getting back to enjoying adultery while never thinking it was right, I realized it's impossible to keep the second half of the big ten if you don't keep the first half; especially the first few.

Look it up.

Exodus 20:1ff.

There it is.

That's why God is punishing America, mainline denominations, marriages, families, and churches like...

Idolatry.

When anyone or anything becomes more important than loving Jesus by loving like Jesus, causing contentions and angers and wedges and divisions and segregations and divorces and the like, it's symptomatic of idolatry.

Now read 2 Chronicles 7:14 and 1 John 1:4-10.

That's the cure.

Locally, as a confessional/repentant approach to the idolatry in our family of faith at FPC which may apply to the idolatry in your, uh, whatever, Kathie, webmaster of www.koppdisclosure.com and co-producer of KD on www.bnnsradio.com, came up with a very practical expression of getting it/Him: "If we really want the right sign, take down all of them and put up just one: Jesus' House!"

Selah.

@#$%



@#$%

Blessings and Love!