How Did We Get Here?

 

---Bill Petite

 

If I were an English Language professor and on day one, I asked students to write 500 words about themselves, I would expect a lot of pronouns such as I, me, myself and so forth. But if I received a paper with a student describing themselves (my pronoun use) with pronouns such as them or they instead of me or I, the paper would receive a failing grade for the misuse of proper pronouns. Here’s an example of what I’m saying: “Them (I am) is attending this class in pursuit of them (my) degree in Journalism.” What has happened to the English language? When a young person, or even an older person for that matter, refers to themselves with these improper pronouns, it simply abuses the English language. But according to them, they don’t really care because they have decided to become either gender neutral or a member of the opposite sexual orientation.

Now, before anyone thinks I am attacking these people for their desire to be of a gender of their choice, allow me to say this. These are people, human beings, created by God in the same way as anyone else in this world. And, Jesus died for them as He did for anyone else around here. They need to hear about Jesus in a way they can understand and I’m not referring to some Tic Tok heretical preacher quoting from the gospel of Thomas (there is no such gospel writing included in the canon of scripture). What I’m referring to is the way they butcher the English language with their use of pronouns. I have read articles defending these people and I had to concentrate a little harder to make sense of what the writer was saying in reference to them (no pronoun pun intended).

I know what someone is thinking right now, “Well, many people in this country butcher the English language like those in the southern states with their long southern drawl.” That’s right, they do. I stopped at a place in Tennessee while traveling a few years ago. I could only understand about half of what a woman was saying to me. And some of them sound like they are just running all their words together and it’s up to you to figure out the word scramble. But even when you do understand them, they are using proper pronouns and putting sentences together that make sense.

Some professors have lost their jobs over refusing to use the pronoun the student demands they use. There are some places in this country where it is considered hate speech if a person refuses to use the desired pronoun when speaking to one of these people. Can you imagine that where you live? You refer to a female who desires to be a male and wants to be called by a male pronoun and you are charged with a hate crime. Or, you refuse to call a person them, they or some other requested pronoun because you speak the language correctly and you are charged with a hate crime.

Recently, a college professor was fired for not using the pronoun requested by the student. He was a Christian and told the school it violated his Christian ethics, not to mention the proper use of the language. He sued the school for wrongful termination and won. The school was ordered to pay him a large sum of money for their extremely woke act and give him his job back. I don’t know if he returned to the school or not.

Where has all this nonsense come from? How did we get here in this crazy time of gender transition and claiming one of many, many so called gender identities? Hey, I’m older but it hasn’t been that long ago since I was in school. There were two gender identities, male and female. I was raised by Christian parents who taught me not to be a racist, not to talk to elders with disrespect and not to be a troublemaker anywhere. At school, we had a dress code and to be honest, no, we didn’t like the dress code. Nobody brought their guns to school to shoot up the place. So, what happened? Some say it is because prayer was removed from school but I think it is something else. I just briefly explained how I was raised; both of my parents worked but still raised us to be good citizens of this country and model students in school. Did we act up and carry on with our friends? Of course, we did and I was in my share of trouble but I knew who and what I was and never claimed to be a girl or some other gender.

 So, I believe everything starts in the home and is the responsibility of the parents/parent. I was a child of the counter revolution of the 1960s. Hippies, pot, LSD and Woodstock. It is my opinion that it was in this era of time in which that generation changed and every following generation continued to change and move away from center. With center being the normal happy family and no radical activities, wide use of drugs and youth being led to believe their parents were bad for them. They needed to break away and run off to San Francisco with some flowers in their hair. I had some friends who did that and some others who found their way to Woodstock.

By the time I was 18, both of my parents were deceased and I didn’t have many choices in life to choose from. I decided I was draft bait and enlisted in the Marines. It was only two years and then I could get on with my life. But while I was serving in Vietnam, some of my friends from school were either running to Canada or to Woodstock. I was the freak with the super short hair and clean cut look. I quickly discovered who my real friends were. I noticed that many of the people I went to school with were wasting away in drugs, booze and other immoral lifestyles. I wasn’t a Christian back then but I was raised to stay away from that type of living and on top of that, the Marines had instilled in me the proper way to conduct myself as a person.

So, I believe it was that era of time which began to change the culture in this country. It has been a slow and steady process over time but here we are where people want to be called them and they and when they write it out, it destroys the English language.

In San Francisco in the late 1960s, Haight and Ashbury Streets became the center of that radical generational shift in our culture. It was flower power and free love. And, free love has led to an extreme counter sexual preference in this country. All that free love and anything goes sexually has led to San Francisco being one of the most Gay populated cities in the country. But our God doesn’t miss anything. Right in the middle of the Haight/Ashbury counterculture movement, He started a revival which would spread down the west coast, across the country, into Central America and Canada as well as England and parts of Europe. It lasted from the late 60s and all through the 70s and even into the early 80s in some places. It was originally fueled by some of the same Hippies which had been to Haight/Ashbury and other Hippies swarmed to hotspots and turned Christianity on its head in this country. God used parts of this counterculture movement to drive His revival. Was it openly accepted by all churches? No. Some, if not most local churches rejected these people and this Christian movement because they couldn’t see past their man made rules and doctrines. Can God do this again? Sure, if its His will. Is the condition of this country ripe for another revival like that? It certainly is and we should be praying for it every day.

As Christians, we shouldn’t be hating people who are confused or lost in this culture today. Just because they want to be recognized as a member of the opposite sex doesn’t mean they are a lost cause. They need to be told about Jesus. It doesn’t matter if they are Gay, Transgender or any other type of person who doesn’t know Jesus. They need to know; consider some of the people Jesus ate with and spent time with and the way He was treated for that. It was the religious leaders of His time who were critical of Him. He was criticized for eating with tax collectors and prostitutes. But as He said, He was here to heal the sick and not those who thought they were healthy (paraphrase).

The Apostle Paul started a Christian church in Corinth. It was considered one of the most immoral cities in the geographical area. Temple prostitutes, homosexual activity and sexual worship in their temple. There were other sinful practices but did that stop Paul from telling them about Jesus? No. He spent 18 months there teaching them about Jesus. It was an extremely vile place but he preached to them every day. The point I am making is in our current world and culture, there are many extremely immoral people but that should never stop us from telling them about Jesus. Who He is, what he has done for us and He is waiting with arms wide open to forgive them and accept them. So, the next time you see one of these people, don’t judge them but instead realize they are lost and need to know the truth. And, if God opens a door to talk to them, tell them about Jesus but don’t beat them up verbally or judge them for their sin, judging is Jesus’ job.

 

Who Are You?

 

(The following is an excerpt from my book, Narrow is the Gate. It is taken from the 10th and final chapter of the book.)

Who Are You?

 

 ^“Whether you want to be or not, you’re an example of a believer to those people around you. Being a Christian is a glorious thrill! It is also a fantastic responsibility. People are watching me to find out what a Christian looks like, and what he is.”-Chuck Smith

 

Recently, I watched a Christian based movie in which one man asked another the question, “Who are you?” At the time, I thought that was such a profound question to ask anyone. Both men were Christians but the man who answered the question listed all his roles in life and his occupation and finally he said he was a Christian. My first thought was the man should have said that first; then the other man asked him why he listed that last and the movie continued on.

How many people, in real life and not in a movie, would have answered the same way. Aren’t we, at times, quick to list our worldly accomplishments and achievements before we even think to mention we are a Christian? Shouldn’t that be the first thing out of our mouths when we are asked, “Who are you?” I might give my name and then the fact that I am a Christian. There have been times I have responded to an inquiry with a Christian oriented type response and then was asked why I answered that way. I tell the person I am a Christian and then explain, as a Christian, why I answered the way I did. This also opens the door for an opportunity to witness to the person and tell him/her about Jesus.

 So, if the question is asked of you, how will you respond? Will you tell the person you are a Christian? Or will you give your name and achievements in life? If I were interviewing an individual for employment, this would be a great question to ask. But I’m sure I would get there resume verbally. It’s a great question to find out who a person is and what is important in their life. Most people would say, “Tell me about yourself.” But, “Who are you?” is more to the point and much more blunt.

 As Chuck Smith says in the quote at the beginning of this chapter, we, as Christians are all examples. For those around us daily who know we are Christians, they are definitely watching. I remember when I got saved on the job; it was the craziest place I had ever worked. The people were a rowdy bunch and there was alcohol and drugs used daily. It was, as I have often referred to it, the devil’s playground. My first book, A Rose in The Desert[1], tells the story of just how crazy and evil this place was and how the Lord came into that place and began to change hearts and save people.

People were watching the few of us who were Christians. As more people were saved, more people were watching. The people who were watching were watching at a distance, at first. They were waiting for us to slip up; they were waiting for us to curse and swear as we lost our tempers or were frustrated by something on the job. But those times were far apart and few. I was saved for a week when I realized I had not uttered a curse or swear word since I was saved. The Lord knew we were being scrutinized and under a close watchful eye.

Eventually, some of the guys began to ask questions about our new found ‘religion’ and why we didn’t participate in their evil and nasty games anymore. We had those opportunities to explain to them what Jesus had done in our lives and how He had changed us. They could see the changes but they didn’t believe they would last. They were sure we would be back to our old selves soon.

They didn’t believe any of it; they didn’t believe Jesus was God or that He could change anyone. It took time but they soon began to see we weren’t going to return to our old evil ways and this new life we were living was the real thing. Some of these guys were eventually saved and others continued on in their sinful lifestyles.

The main point is someone will be or is watching you. You might not be aware of it but someone is watching. There are different reasons for them to watch; like I said earlier, either they are waiting for you to slip up and call you a hypocrite or they are sincerely interested in what you have. But never forget it would be a good opportunity to tell them about Jesus if and when they approach you. I remember one man making a statement to me about not drinking alcohol anymore because I got ‘religion.’

I simply explained that it wasn’t religion I had but it was a relationship with Jesus. He accepted that and then moved on. He was a guy who lived to give people a hard time; he enjoyed picking on people about anything. He was the type of guy you didn’t want to see first thing in the morning and if you did, you didn’t even look at him. But he didn’t give me any flack at all when I explained my relationship with Jesus. The Holy Spirit will have an affect on anyone at any time. This man, who was course and a heckler, was soft spoken and cordial during this conversation.

 Who are you? The answer is, “I am a Christian.” And that answer is a compacted answer which contains a lot of information which needs to be unpacked and revealed to those who don’t know the Lord. Just to say, I am a Christian, does not tell the individual asking the question all the information included in the answer. The next question might be, “And, what is a Christian and what does it mean?” This is the point in time when you begin to explain what a Christian is and what is required to become a Christian. Why are you referred to as a Christian? What does a Christian do and why is it important to be a Christian? The questions could continue to flow depending on the conversation but it should be made clear why we are Christians and how we became Christians and why it is important in this life.

 In the other chapters in this book, we discussed topics which are, for the most part, not aligned with the word of God or do not glorify God. Cultural Christianity consists of people who think they’re saved because of certain worldly attributes but are not. Because of the worldly agenda and traditions they follow, they truly believe they are going to heaven. Abortion is not sanctioned or approved of by the word of God. It is what it is and that is murder. You can slap any kind of nice sounding name or label to it, such as, women’s health or women’s reproductive rights, but it is still the killing of unborn babies. This does not please God.

Gay marriage and the Gay lifestyle are not alright with God, as many in that movement will say. Politicians and activists will misquote scripture and twist it to say what they want it to say but it is not what God says. You can tell the cop who stops you for speeding that you misinterpreted the speed limit sign but you are still getting a ticket.

People across the country are involved in the social gospel.

They are working hard to provide for those who have been affected by homelessness or hunger but if they are not saved, all the good works in a lifetime won’t get them into heaven. The person who is saved and does this work for Jesus and not a worldly agenda will spend eternity in heaven. And, not for the work they did but because they knew Jesus as their savior.

 These topics and others which I have written about in this book are all issues and agendas and lifestyles which will keep people out of heaven and eternal life with Jesus. This is why we must tell them about Jesus and the salvation He provided for us on the cross. Many of them believe they have it; they believe they don’t need to be a radical Christian like us because the church they attend tells them they don’t. They truly believe they are good to go and God will accept them for who they are but without Jesus, they are lost and will be cast out. Those words from Jesus which will be so terrifying to hear, “Away from me I never knew you.” (MT 7:23 paraphrase) How many people in these movements or beliefs will hear those terrifying words? If they don’t know Jesus as their savior, all of them. Or, better to say it this way; all who don’t know Jesus will be cast out.

You can’t kill babies and think it’s alright because then you die and hear those words from the Lord. They have to know this before they pass into eternity without Jesus. Any person in any lifestyle who rejects Jesus, will face an eternity of suffering and torment. They need to understand how important it is to know Him and accept Him as savior.

 One of our purposes and responsibilities as a Christian is to tell others about Jesus, who He is and what He has done for us. We are not supposed to be saved, put it in cruise control and coast through life. There are too many Christians who walk through their Christian life with blinders on. They don’t tell anyone about Jesus and they don’t really want anyone to know they are a Christian. They have their fire insurance and that’s all they want. They attend church on Sunday and then navigate through the week like a nonbeliever. They are in disguise and the world knows no better.

As a Christian, they are hiding in plain sight. I have met some of these types of Christians. I might have been around them every day or worked in the same area.

I never knew the person was saved until it came up in a conversation I might have had with them. Then, they admitted they were saved and where they went to church. For some of them, I would have never guessed. It wasn’t because of their language or the way they acted, they just never presented themselves as a Christian. They never talked about it, they never joined in on a conversation about the Lord or attended a Bible study at the job site. A Christian at the job site is not required to do any of these things or carry a sign proclaiming to the world they are saved. That’s not what I’m trying to say. But most active Christians will have something to say about their faith when the topic comes up.

The point I’m trying to make is that far too many Christians don’t want the world to know they are saved. There are many reasons why they act like this. They are afraid of the harassment which could come with that or they have not put their full trust in the Lord to give them the boldness to tell the world they follow Jesus and let them know why. There can be many reasons but a common one is fear of what the world will think about them. Maybe they have not had the right type of mentoring or discipleship. Maybe they attend a local church which does not always preach from the Bible but preaches sermons based on worldly topics. It can be any number of things. I always just attempted to engage them in a conversation about the Lord, what He is doing in their life, where the person might attend church or any number of other topics which might encourage the individual to talk about God. It was/is important for them to know they can talk about the Lord, church or any other Christian topic to me.

 Considering all of this and everything I have mentioned in this book, the following scripture sums it up.

 

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

MT 7:13-14

 

We must always keep this in mind for those who proclaim to be Christians but there is no fruit as evidence. There are those who believe all roads lead to heaven, all religions will get them there or those who refuse to believe Jesus is real. And, God is of no eternal importance. The wide gate and the road which leads to it is crowded today. We must tell them the truth about Jesus and how to get through the narrow gate. You never know when the Lord is going to present an opportunity for you to let someone know.

You can help them navigate from the wide road to eternal destruction to the narrow road which leads to life. Be prepared and alert and listen for God to place that call upon your heart. And, just think what that means to be able to help someone to make that change in their life and the road upon which they are traveling. You simply have to deliver the message and God will do the work of changing their life.  Afterall, someone did that for you, right? 

Bill Petite

Narrow is the Gate by Bill Petite is available at Amazon.com.

[1] A Rose in The Desert, Bill Petite, Amazon

Time For a Reality Check

When I stop and consider some of what is happening in the Church today, I think to myself, “It might be time for a reality check.” What I mean by that is this: When we read the Bible and study it and discover who God really is and then see how some in the Church are conducting His business, it doesn’t always add up to what God has instructed us in His word. God gave us His word, the Bible, to show us and instruct us how we should live as a Christian and how we should worship Him. It also gives us instruction on how we should worship Him corporately or as a group.

Now, God doesn’t give step by step instructions on how a church group should conduct a worship service; He doesn't lay out a format or give instructions on how or what we should do within that service. Nowhere in the His word does it tell us we should begin each service with a song or maybe announcements. He does, through the Apostle Paul (1Tim 2), give us some idea of what we should be doing in a worship service or what not to do in those services. The point I’m trying to make is this: God, in the whole counsel of His word, tells us how we should worship Him regardless if it is a church group or an individual. Not every local church will start the service the same way. Some churches use a traditional worship format by singing from a hymnal and some will be more contemporary. Neither is wrong if the motive in the format is to truly worship God and give Him the glory He deserves.

But that’s not always the case in many local churches. As I have said, God has given us 66 books of instruction concerning Him and His requirements for us as Christians. But over the many years, decades and centuries, man has taken it upon himself to make changes to how we should believe and how we should worship. I read this week about a new online type of worship service. Online worship services have been provided by many local churches for years because there have always been what is referred to as shut ins who cannot physically make it to a service in person. When the pandemic hit, local churches were forced to go to strictly online services when churches were forced to close and forbidden to have public meetings. Now, as I said, there is a new technology which some church planters and pastors appear to be interested in called the metachurch. Based on the technology known as the metaverse, these churches are considering, and some have already begun, using this metaverse style of technology for online services. And, some think it will actually replace the megachurch. So, some of you may be asking, “What is a metaverse and what does it mean?” Allow me to quote from Merriam Webster with this definition.

In its current meaning, metaverse generally refers to the concept of a highly immersive virtual world where people gather to socialize, play, and work. Awareness of this term surged on October 29, 2021, when Facebook rebranded itself “Meta” and released a video in which CEO Mark Zuckerberg says, “I believe the metaverse is the next chapter for the internet.”

 Basically speaking, it allows the user to enter into a different realm of existence, and I use the word existence carefully. It allows a person to sit at home and by putting on the headset, it allows you to see a virtual setting of the church service. You are there, virtually and as an avatar, and from anywhere in the world. That is why it is being claimed as a replacement for the megachurch. The local church is now replaced with a worldwide church in the metaverse, or the metachurch. I’m not a techie so I can’t give all of the technical details but this is an idea of how it works. Of course, there is some expense involved; a head set costs about $300 and it is the device which allows you to see into the metaverse. And yes, the metaverse does provide other avenues of use such as gaming, meetings and other stuff you can probably imagine.

So, I told you all that to ask this: Is this really the same as gathering together in fellowship at a physical location? For me, the answer is no. One person who supports it asked, “If you miss the physical fellowship, why not meet at a restaurant following the service?” My response is, “If you can meet physically for lunch following the service, why can’t you physically attend service?” But my main question is this; is this reality? There is no fellowship with other believers. I mean personal, physical fellowship with other Christians. The Church, or this part of the Church, has followed the ways of the world with this false reality. The tool, the metaverse, provides people with a type of escape from reality and it is happening more and more today. Also, it doesn’t encourage people to get involved in church activities. How can it when there is no physical local church? If everyone is sitting at home doing church this way, there is no need for physical involvement. Now, I’m sure there is a need for this type of service in the same way there is a need for simple online services. But I’m afraid people will find it too accommodating and easy to just sit at home on Sunday morning and for other service times. It’s only my opinion but this is not reality.

I am also aware of a movement in this country which has teamed charismatic Christians with far-right wing (political) conservatives at rallies and parking lot worship meetings. The Christian music is played at political rallies which includes extremely political active Christians with non-Christians. These Christians have twisted scripture to meet their cause and their platform. It paints a false picture of the Church as a political far right movement. Jesus is not about politics; He is about saving souls and not agendas. In my opinion, this is not what Jesus would have His followers waste their time on and is in need of a reality check. What did Paul tell us in Romans 12:1-2?

And so, dear brothers and sisters,  I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.  Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.  Rom 12:1-2  

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world is what Paul tells us here. But what do we see happening in the Church today? The world’s ways have all but overrun the Church with its schemes and gimmicks. Some churches have gone out of their way to use any worldly trick to attract people and basically, they are saying, “Hey, come on in, we aren’t any different than you and the world out there.” I think they need to read these two verses from Romans and get a reality check.

And then, there is also the Enneagram which is being incorporated into more and more churches and their use for it. It is a New Age based false teaching which tells people they were always saved and they just didn’t know until they discover the Enneagram. There’s a bunch of other lies tied to it but talk about a reality check. What about those who were never really saved by belief in Jesus and truly believe they are saved because of this lie? That’s a reality check no one should have to face.

Whatever might be happening in the Church today is nothing new. God is not surprised by anything these churches might be doing to gain attention. It happened in the first century when Paul was traveling through Asia and Greece planting churches. Read his letters to some of these churches. Read the first four chapters of Revelation and what Jesus has to say to those churches.

If you attend one of these churches and you’re satisfied with it and you think I’m being a little to hard or critical about these types of agendas, then maybe you need to get back into the Bible and start reading what God has to say about all of this. If you’re not a Christian and you have made it this far into this post, then I would ask that you don’t judge the Church as whole by the activities and agendas of these worldly influenced churches. Don’t allow them to keep you away from the truth. There will come a time when all of these types of churches and ministries will be forced to have a reality check. God deserves all the glory but He doesn’t need all the phony shenanigans we see in some parts of the Church.

-Bill Petite