To Fund or Not To Fund

First my thoughts and prayers go out to all those who have been affected by this Zika virus both here in the US and across the globe.

On June 28th just before their summer recess the Republicans wanted to pass a bill that would give the EPA $1.1 Billion to research the Zika virus and attempt to develop a vaccine to try to have that available before the virus would come to our shores and affect US citizens who haven’t traveled or had sex with a traveler to the affected countries in Central America. When the bill came up for a vote which needed 60 to advance, failed 52-48 according to CNN. The reason for this bill not passing was because of what Democrats called a “poison pill.” What is that poison pill? The bill has a measure in it that would keep some of the $1.1 billion from going to Planned Parenthood. So in their logic a bill that would help keep people alive and prevent babies from being born with microcephaly where the infants head is smaller than those whose mothers who have not tested positive for Zika.

Then around July 19th according to NBC News “the Florida Department of Health announced that it is conducting an investigation into a possible non-travel related case of Zika virus in Miami-Dade County," as a result the “CDC has provided Florida more than $2 million in Zika-specific funding and about $27 million in emergency preparedness funding that can be used toward Zika response efforts." As a result of the Democrats not passing the bill to give the proper funding in order to fight this disease now we have cases that have come to our shores.

Strangely after these initial cases suddenly the Democrates come to the realization that Zika could potentially be an issue that needs to be addressed. On July 31st according to the Guardian Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid has called “for Congress to end its recess and immediately approve emergency funds for combating the Zika virus in America, after Florida reported its first cases of mosquito-borne infections on the mainland, and funding for mosquito nets for pregnant women started running low.”

It seems weird that now democrats would be concerned about helping fight against the Zika virus now that there are cases in the US. When before they didn’t want to pass this bill because it didn’t provide funding to planned parenthood. I guess for those in the Democratic party in the Senate they would find it easier to murder the babies rather than to prevent them from having birth defects caused by this virus. My hope is that the Democrats will vote for this bill to help it pass so those who are effected by the Zika and especially the babies can get a vaccine developed for the mothers so their babies don’t have to suffer the effects of this virus. The Republicans must not budge on this bill and give the Democrats funding to planned parenthood because giving money to that organization has nothing to do with this bill.

                

Preach the word not the culture.

2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness”

Throughout the evangelical world this verse is quoted, but rarely do they practice this verse. It has become common for a pastor to use gimmicks in order to bring people into the church and appeal to them to possibly make them comfortable enough to tell them about Jesus. There are several examples of pastor’s zip lining into the sanctuary, one turning the sanctuary into a war zone to teach on the temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4, another using his smart phone to prophesy over a couple, and many other shenanigans to try to bring people into their church. This is one of the tools that Satan uses to confuse “Christians” into thinking that they are witnessing a work of God when in reality these gimmicks are from the pits of hell. If someone is a true preacher of the Lord Jesus Christ their mindset should be “For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,” (1 Cor. 1 22-23). When we preach the scriptures to the non-believer it is a stumbling block to those who do not believe in the truth and as Paul says in 2 Cor. 4:3 “if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing” he tells us the reason why people think the gospel is vial it is because their eyes have been blinded to the truth. If a pastor preaches using gimmicks instead of focusing on the biblical scripture and doctrines which are clearly taught they are not men or women of God. Not only because the scriptures clearly forbid women from being preachers, but those who seek to reach people by using a means outside of the inerrant and infallible word of God they are wolves in sheep’s clothing. A false teaching won’t come out admitting that they are a false teacher even “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” (2 Cor. 11:14) I implore any man who calls himself a preacher of the word of God to not be coy with the scriptures, but rather we take the charge of the apostle Paul to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:1-5

I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

Don’t fall into the traps of the world by making church for believers and non-believers. The church must be willing to teach the word of God not to fill our pews with shallow CEO (Christmas, Easter only) people, but with theology saturated Christians who desire to grow in their knowledge and love of Jesus, seeking to live each day for his glory.