Cowardly Submissive Clergy

Cowardly Submissive Clergy

Cowardly submissive clergy are a plague upon their congregation and those who seek to live in the heavenly will of God.

Cowardly Submissive Clergy

Cowardly Submissive Clergy

A Sermon Delivered to
The Compassion Internet Church

18 January 2015

Frank L. Hoffman, Pastor

Scripture References:

1 Samuel 3:1-21
John 1:43-51
1 Corinthians 6:12-20
Revelation 21:6-8

Cowardly submissive clergy are a plague upon their congregation and those who seek to live in the heavenly will of God.

We have discussed with many clergy about the fact that the Bible teaches us to protect the whole of God’s creation and to free it from its present corruption; they usually agree.

But when we include the animals into this discussion, and that we are taught that we are to have compassion for the lives of animals and not treat them as our society does on factory farms, in slaughterhouses, and in laboratories, most begin to avoid responding, or say they have a right to eat animals, or say that their congregation doesn’t want them to talk about such things.

As clergy, we are to lead and teach the people about the moral way that God wants us to live, which includes living in the heavenly will of God here on earth as it is in heaven, where there is no pain, suffering, or death, and emphasizes the fact that we should have compassion for all animals, and not eat them.

Clergy have responded to this by saying that if they taught this way in their churches they would lose their jobs.

What they are really saying is that they are cowardly submissive, for while they know the truth, they refuse to teach it to their congregations.

They love their jobs and the money it brings them more than they love the Lord our God and His teachings.

This is a major problem in the churches.

Note what we are told in Revelation 21:6-8 about such people:

6. And He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.

Those who thirst are those who thirst for the truth of God’s heavenly will so that we can live in it here on earth and share it with others, unlike the cowardly submissive clergy we are talking about.

7. “He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.

Those who overcome the evil ways of this world with all its violence, bloodshed, and death of millions of humans and billions of animals every year will be the ones who inherit these gifts of God.

The cowardly submissive will not, as we are told in the next verse.

8. “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
NASB

We hope that we all understand the seriousness of being cowards or cowardly submissive when it comes to the teachings of Jesus and the heavenly will of God, for they are classified with all the other willful sinners of this world.

We are to be the loving, compassionate, and peacemaking children of God who live and teach others the heavenly will of God.

In 1 Samuel 3:1-21, we are told about the calling of Samuel to be a voice for God in this world.

1. Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD before Eli. And word from the LORD was rare in those days, visions were infrequent.

Today, we also have the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us in the ways God wants us to live.

And, we strongly believe that each and every one of us is called to serve the Lord our God in some capacity.

The problem is that most people don’t seem to want to listen.

2. And it happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now his eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well),

3. and the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD where the ark of God was,

The lamp of God had not yet gone out in Eli’s life even though he was one of the cowardly submissive clergy who was self-indulgent and went along with the evil ways of his sons.

4. that the LORD called Samuel; and he said, “Here I am.”

5. Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, lie down again.” So he went and lay down.

6. And the LORD called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he answered, “I did not call, my son, lie down again.”

7. Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor had the word of the LORD yet been revealed to him.

This is something that Eli should have been teaching Samuel about, for it is obvious that the Lord thought Samuel was old enough to know these things.

8. So the LORD called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli discerned that the LORD was calling the boy.

9. And Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Thy servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

Children are remarkable people; they are like sponges for knowledge and the truth, and are capable of knowing right from wrong, that is, unless they are taught falsely by cowardly submissive clergy and parents.

As an example, we have found that most children want to know the truth about exploited animals on factory farms, and when they find out the truth about where flesh and animal byproducts come from, they are very upset that they have been lied to by their family and others, and say that they don’t want to eat animals anymore.

Once they know the truth, they want to live in the heavenly will of God.

10. Then the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for Thy servant is listening.”

11. And the LORD said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.

12. In that day I will carry out against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end.

Note that the Lord is treating Samuel as a young adult, even though he is still a child.

We also believe that this is an excellent example of the way we should be teaching and dealing with our children.

We are to teach them about Jesus and the things He told us in the Bible, and the heavenly ways of God and what is expected of them.

13. For I have told him that I am about to judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves and he did not rebuke them.

14. And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”

This is the fate of the cowardly submissive clergy, whether it was Eli or the clergy and parents of today.

15. So Samuel lay down until morning. Then he opened the doors of the house of the LORD. But Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli.

To us, it seems obvious that Samuel understood the truth, but was reluctant to tell Eli because he didn’t know how Eli would react.

16. Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.”

17. And he said, “What is the word that He spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. May God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the words that He spoke to you.”

This is further proof that Eli knew the truth, but chose not to live it, for he was cowardly submissive.

18. So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the LORD; let Him do what seems good to Him.”

Eli also knows that he deserves the punishment of the Lord.

19. Thus Samuel grew and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fail.

20. And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the LORD.

21. And the LORD appeared again at Shiloh, because the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD.
NASB

If our clergy stopped being cowardly submissive, and if parents stopped lying to their children about the fate of animals and the heavenly will of God for our lives, and began telling the truth, we would have a lot more loving, compassionate, and peacemaking children today, and the world would be a lot better place.

In John 1:43-51, we are told about Jesus’ selection of apostles.

43. The next day He purposed to go forth into Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.”

Jesus sensed or knew that Philip was not one of the cowardly submissive people we have been talking about. He was different.

44. Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter.

45. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

46. And Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

Nathanael was speaking as most of the people in the area spoke, but Philip knew differently, which is the reason he told Nathanael to come and see for himself.

Like Philip, we can usually tell the difference between truthful people and liars, and see the people who are cowardly submissive and follow the ways of the world, and it doesn’t take very long to discern these things.

47. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!”

Jesus also recognizes that Nathanael isn’t one of the cowardly submissive people.

48. Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

49. Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.”

50. Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these.”

51. And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you shall see the heavens opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
NASB

We believe that this symbolically depicts the angels taking our prayers to heaven and bringing back the answers, as the Holy Spirit does with us.

Let’s conclude today’s discussion by looking at 1 Corinthians 6:12-20.

12. All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.

An example of this is that God reluctantly gave permission to consume flesh and other animal products (because of the hardness of heart of the people), so while it may be lawful, it is not profitable, for our indifference to the suffering of the animals we eat hardens our heart and soul, and we know that it is far healthier to eat a whole plant food diet.

So, we should not be mastered by the animal eating world around us.

13. Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for food; but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord; and the Lord is for the body.

When we use the products of evil, pain, suffering, bloodshed, and death, we are filling ourselves with the ways of the devil, instead of with the Lord.

14. Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power.

That is, if we are the ones who reject the corrupt ways of this world, and fill ourselves with the Holy Spirit, and become true children of God.

15. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? May it never be!

This is what the cowardly submissive are doing to themselves.

16. Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a harlot is one body with her? For He says, “The two will become one flesh.”

To us, this is also saying that when we eat the flesh and byproducts of tortured animals, we become one with their torturers, and not with the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.

17. But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

18. Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.

It is immoral and ungodly to fill ourselves with the pain, suffering and death that is inflicted upon animals.

19. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

20. For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
NASB

This is why we are constantly encouraging people to turn away from the corrupt ways of this world, and become filled with the Holy Spirit as peacemaking children of God and help free this world from the corrupt ways of the cowardly submissive people who promote the evil ways of this world.

Our actions speak louder than words, and we can overcome the evil ways of this world.

We can help bring God’s heavenly will to earth as it is in heaven, and have true peace for humans and animals.

We can!

Amen.

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