The Strange Preacher

Hi folks,

Can you spare 6 minutes?

I thought I would throw an idea out to you to see what people thought of it. To say that recent events have been a tad disconcerting is an understatement. They’ve got me thinking about the future and how vulnerable our Christian family is to the vagaries of fate.

Christ taught us spiritual liberty and spiritual independence. He taught us not to become spiritually reliant on ‘middle men’ and to establish a direct personal relationship with the one Great Source of all, the Almighty Father. In this relationship he promised we would find new life, abundant life, even everlasting life. He has invited us into the achievement of unimaginable joys through the loving worship of God, the freely bestowed loving service of man, and the perfection of our own characters. He gave us the freedom to do God’s will through faith and this freedom no one can take from us, making us free indeed by his divine grace and abundant mercy. His message contained tones of self reliance and an urge to profit from one’s talents for the glory of God and especially not to waste the great talents we’ve been given.

However, as the ages passed, the children of Christendom have been rendered virtually unconscious by endless ‘comforts’. They have, unwittingly, drifted into complacency and allowed themselves to become dependent on external forces, in this instance the forces that shape the economy like Globalisation. However, recent developments have exposed the vulnerabilities of globalisation. These vulnerabilities reveal the huge liabilities of current practices and imply, at some point in the future, very great cost to the communities of the great nations of the earth, not least to the followers of Christ.

Globalisation has provided almost universal access [in the global west at least] to cheap goods from abroad: cheap food, clothes, medicine, cars, technology, and holidays. This affluence carried with it an exorbitant, but hidden, cost to the family and to the social order in general. Now we can very plainly see that if the Lord should “choose” to strike the earth with a plague then our ‘global’ supply chains will be terminally disrupted and the faithful will be cut off from food, medicine, and other essential supplies. A truly intolerable situation.

I think that we have been given an unbelievable blessing that recent events occurred in Spring and not at the start of Winter.

I believe the Fellowship of the Children of God should consider setting up Co-Operatives for the growing and sharing [read that as buying/selling] of food stuff [and possibly textiles]; if for no other reason than to guarantee their own supplies. We have become reliant on forces external to us and thereby have become extremely vulnerable. It is, then, incumbent upon us to restore our own power and to promote a culture of self reliance.

Recently, I’ve been reflecting on the Book of Revelation and how the Children of God are tested through the ‘end times’. I can’t imagine that the children of those days enter these times ‘unprepared’, for it is certain that such will be the severity of the testing of those days that unless they have established their own supply chain then they will vanish from the face of the earth every bit as quickly as the ungodly. Indeed, I was struck by the thought that perhaps one of the reasons the children of God become victims and martyrs in the ‘last days’ is due to the fact that they have made provisions for the testing and thus become targets by the unprepared ‘children of this world’ who might seek to plunder their resources. It has to be admitted, the ‘End Times’ appears to be nothing less than a global siege of truly biblical proportions.

The outlines seem to follow coherently: Disease [global pandemic] followed by calamitous social unrest [also global, as citizens turn upon their governments for their ineptitude, short sightedness, and in consequence of the breakdown of the global economy] followed by famine [which must inevitably follow as global unrest adversely impacts supply chains], and that is just the start of the woes, more and worse is set to come possibly in the form of a cosmic calamity in which interstellar matter lays waste to the planet. To think that we could survive such a testing without working together is insane and to think that this working relationship [with all its tools, resources, and systems] will just magically appear when the time is right is not only delusional it is positively suicidal and guaranteed to work to the very great detriment of the children of God on earth.

Right now we have a chance to do something of lasting value for the Kingdom, for our children and our children’s children. And even if what’s occurring today is just another blip and nothing to be concerned about, at least it can serve as a wake-up call to us all – one that should wake us to the profound vulnerability of our social structure and get us thinking what we might do to weather the storms ahead because, no matter what, the storms are coming.

A Christian Growers Co-operative would not only give the community a fighting chance IF things were to go south but would provide us with fun opportunities to come together as a community. It would also serve as a means of reaching out to and taking care of some of the most vulnerable and needy members of our community but it need not stop there. There really is so much more that could be done but I don’t wish to take up too much of your time. I guess I just want to plant a seed. [Pun intended]

Presently, for one reason or another, our farmers [especially small farmers] are on the back foot and need us now more than ever. What’s more, it is now glaringly obvious that we desperately need them. The sooner we can foster a solid working relationship with them the better for all concerned.

In light of recent events, it seems like it would be wise to establish contracts with Farmers so that they can make a decent living. As a fellowship we can assist in the planting, growing, harvesting and distribution of these supplies; anything that reduces cost to the farmers and ensures our control and access to the goods. The community can negotiate a fair ‘price’ on the goods and use the profits to enhance the welfare of the community.

Today, while reflecting on the Book of Revelation, a fact struck me: that during the END TIMES global opinion is divided [at least if we are to accept the account given in the Book] as regards the ‘starting of the clock’ on these events. It seems that only the Elect are conscious of the fact that the ‘clock’ has started [or at least are prepared for such an eventuality [are so living as though it was true]], while the rest of the world sees only coincidence or that the faithful are merely twisting current events to suit personal narratives. But regardless as to whether or not the spiritual Starting Pistol has been fired, recent events have revealed that we have become complacent with regard to our independence – in that we have become so dependent on a globalised market – that we have become dangerously vulnerable as a community which is anathema to the Lord’s desire that we long endure on the face of the earth.

There is only one brotherhood, the Brotherhood of those that seek to do the Father’s will. We should not allow the shackles of tradition to restrain us in working in concert with our brethren from other traditions to ensure the long term welfare of the brotherhood of the faithful.

This seems a wise move to me. Such activities could do wonders for revitalising the community of believers, create great teaching and service opportunities. It’s not that I think we are [or should be] Dooms Day Preppers but at the same time, dependence upon God without the supporting pillars of wisdom can only end in disaster for us. As Cromwell is alleged to have said: ‘Trust in God but keep your powder dry.’

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