CHAPTER 10
LUKE WARM:
THE CONFESSION
God “….is ... NOT WILLING that any should perish, but that ALL should come to repentance…” (2 Peter 3:9 KJV). However, “…EXCEPT YE REPENT, ye shall all likewise PERISH…” (Luke 13:3 KJV).
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Virtuous couldn’t believe Issachar’s recovery. He was doing great and would be home in a few days. He’d been in rehab for months doing physical, occupational, and speech therapy.
He was doing very well in speech therapy, but he wasn’t talking much outside of his sessions, so the doctor recommended psychiatric care and a social support group.
Every doctor and therapist said Issachar was recovering fine and there was no medical reason for his unusual silence. Issachar smiled, embraced her, answered her questions with as few words as possible, and asked how she and the children were doing, but THAT’S IT!
Something had changed, but she couldn’t figure out what it was. The doctor said there could be personality changes, but he didn’t think Issachar’s lack of conversation had anything to do with his brain trauma or surgery. Something else was bothering Issachar.
Issachar was coming home in early-December and the children would be home a few days later on Christmas break until after the first of the year. It would give him a few days to get settled. She was looking forward to their family reunion.
They were empty-nesters now. Hope was a Junior in college, Faith was a Sophomore, and the twins had just entered their Freshman year. Where had the time gone?
Issachar’s accident was in early May, so he’d missed their 25th anniversary, the boys High School graduation, class of 2017, and his September 15th birthday. Issachar turned 59 years old.
Virtuous had been alone, in the house, for months now. She felt a little sad and a sense of loss over her husband and her children.
Not only did she have to let the last of the children go and live their own lives, but it felt as if she had to let Issachar go too. He was so different. It was an emotional period for her. She had NO ONE, at home to care for. All her constant companions, children and husband, were gone at the same time.
She was worried about the children’s safety and whether they were ready to take care of themselves on their own. She was also worried about Issachar’s recovery and whether he’d ever be the same again.
Virtuous felt a sense of loss, even though the children and her husband would be home again. She had no one to clean up after, no one to cook for, no games, sermons, or recitals to attend, and no arguments to quall.
Years ago, she dreamt of this moment when she and Issachar would be alone again. They could reconnect, travel, do ministry together, rekindle their interest for one another, and empower their marital bond, but that wasn’t happening.
She loved Issachar with her whole heart, but she had ZERO romantic interest in him anymore. He had turned her OFF, in so many ways, for the rest of her life.
She was going to take good care of Issachar, but she was nervous. He would need help with everything, for a while, such as bathing, dressing, grooming, ministry, appointments, and shopping.
Issachar was much stronger, but he would still be in a wheelchair for a while, which meant she be responsible for transporting him in and out of places, to and fro, or up and down. But more importantly, what about his emotional care. This accident had changed him and she wondered would that put an additional strain on their relationship.
Nonetheless, Virtuous did everything she could to understand Issachar’s physical health needs. She learned what all she needed to do to contribute to a positive prognosis. She gathered all the information she could and planned for his homecoming to the very last detail. She wanted his transition to be smooth so he had everything he needed to get better.
A few days later, everything was ready. The house looked nice, clean, warm, and inviting. In spite of it all, she was excited for Issachar to come home.
When she entered his hospital room, his eyes lit up and he reached out his arms to embrace her. All his things were already packed and the aide rolled him out to the curb. He was able to stand, turn around like they’d taught him, and twist himself into the passenger seat. Virtuous opened the truck to put away the wheelchair.
Issachar kissed her on the cheek, thanked her for coming for him, and said he was happy to be coming home. Afterwards they drove in silence. This is the part I’m going to struggle with....Issachar’s silence.
They got home. She got him into the house with no problem and settled Issachar into their bedroom. It was December 3rd. The silence continued and Virtuous decided to put the Christmas tree up before the children came home, which was the weekend before Christmas.
As she sat untangling the Christmas lights Issachar entered the room using his walker. “...We need to talk Virty...” Her heart dropped. OMG, he was going to ask her for a divorce.
“...Okay” She patted the seat next to her.
“...There is something I need to confess to you...”
“...Oh no, you want a divorce don’t you...”
“...OMG, Virty, it’s nothing like that...” She clutched her heart in relief. “What is it Izzy?...”
“...There is something I’ve never told another soul yet. I’m too ashamed...” He paused for the longest moment, but she waited. “... While I was in coma I went to hell ....”
“...Izzy!!!?..”
“...It’s true, Virty. I know what you mean when you say you SAW me...”
“...I didn’t say what I SAW. That doesn’t mean I was right! ...” Issachar held up his hand for her to stop.
“...You said I had no spiritual fruit...”
“...but Izzy you’ve done so much good...”
“...Have I?...”
“...You know you have. You’ve fed the sick, found shelter for the homeless, and visited the sick....”
“... that means nothing...”
“...It meant something to the people you did it for...”
“...but it didn’t mean anything to God. I still went to hell...”
“...It meant something to God too, Izzy. But what you DO, for God, is not what SAVES you...”
“...I know that now, but there is something else I learned while I was in Hell.
“...What?...” He asked her to get the bible. She bought him the Message bible and the King James Version. He read out loud: “...I’ve had it with you! You’re hopeless, you religion scholars, you Pharisees! Frauds! Your lives are roadblocks to God’s kingdom. You refuse to enter, and won’t let anyone else in either. “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You go halfway around the world to make a convert, but once you get him you make him into a replica of yourselves, double-damned...“...” (Matthew 23:13-15 MSG). “...Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?...” (Matthew 23:34 KJV). “...A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump...” (Galatians 5:9 KJV).
Issachar said he preached the Gospel, but he spread his OWN brand of religion whether than that of Christ.
He had resorted to the art of persuasion, entertainment, performance, human effort, or any means necessary when trying to join a heathen to the Christian community.
Thus, it was possible that many of the so-called converted heathens were NOT really converted at all...just LIKE him.
Issachar was active in the work of converting the heathen, but he was a BLIND leader. And like they say, he was the blind leading the blind.
His VICES were inadvertently engrafted onto his heathen converts. “...to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves...” (Matthew 23:15 KJV). A proselyte, to him, was, nothing more, than a new, untrustworthy or questionable convert.
Issachar, was a proselyte leader, who, himself, had sought to secure outward conformity whether than inward piety that came through the indwelling Holy Spirit. He pushed for external religion and not for a true change of heart through Jesus Christ.
He had no love or wisdom for the saving of souls, no zeal for salvation through Jesus, and no empowerment of the indwelling to produce spiritual fruit.
Issachar was PROMPTED, throughout his whole “Christian” ministry, by selfishness, vain glory, covetousness, and carnal motives.
He had converted men and women through his “OWN” self-invented Christianity and not the POWER of God through Jesus, his WORD.
Because his righteousness was self-invented piety all he could truly offer others was gross externalism and human morality. He had added these converted heathens into the Christian community making them into self-invented Christians too! What else did he have? He was a so-called Christian without Christ or his indwelling Spirit. “...ye make [them]... twofold more the child of hell than yourselves...” (Matthew 23:15 KJV).
While in the coma, Issachar had gone to hell...had he doubled the chances for his heathen converts to become children of hell too? “...stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king...” (1 Samuel 15:23 KJV).
He had rejected God’s truth and his stubbornness was an iniquity in God’s sight. With ALL his BIGSHOT knowledge he had taught his heathen converts an evil lesson by transferring his self-invented Christianity onto them.
How many of Issachar’s heathen converts had disregarded God’s way too and self-invented their own way to be a Christian....just like he’d done.
He, along with other so-called clergy leaders like himself, had SHIPWRECKED the SPIRITUAL lives of the Christian community by teaching and preaching the Gospel, yet denying the POWER and leaving Christ or the SPIRIT OUT.
God, the Holy Spirit, through Jesus, his POWERFUL word, brings the spiritual fruit, the gifts, the blessings, the multiple goodnesses, the RICHES, his presence, his glory, his indwelling, his salvation to the Church body.
Without God or his indwelling Spirit the so-called church body is NOTHING more than a group of self-invented Christians going through the carnal processes. There is no healing, no souls saved, no spiritual growth, no miracles, no display of spiritual fruit, or anything that demonstrates God, the Holy Spirit, is in the MIDST.
“...A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump...” (Galatians 5:9 KJV). Virtuous heard the regret in her husband’s words. He felt, people like him, had gone into the Christian community and RUINED the whole church.
There was NOTHING wrong with the GOSPEL or “real” Christians, but it was the “little leaven” or those who had withdrawn from the established WAY, which was Jesus (his WORD), that CONTAMINATED the Christian faith!
Though this verse was based on an old proverb where the “leaven” represents a “little evil” one could see its DEADLY effect on a MASS body.
Self-invented Christianity was the LEAVEN and if the Christian community tolerated such iniquity it would certainly impregnate the whole community.
Issachar had ushered into the Christian community ANOTHER WAY to be a CHRISTIAN through one’s OWN self-invention and man had READILY accepted his practices of an outward conformity ONLY.
He was the LEAVEN. His self-invented Christianity had manifested itself in some form through the repetition and practice of outward conformity or external religiosity.
Issachar and those like him were instrumental in SPREADING this self-invented Christianity and it was EVERYWHERE.
The Christian community’s relevance had been reduced by an overload of hypocrisy, being too political and ideological, or being too judgmental, or polarized, or anti-homosexual, or being limited to American nationalism.
Issachar remembered when a young man said he’d decided to leave Christianity because they seemed to push right-wing politics and ideology MORE THAN Jesus Christ. The young man said to him, “...You are no different, Minister Warm I’ve heard you tell people to FOLLOW their Christian principles when it came to politics, but “NOT” Jesus. Had you told THEM to FOLLOW Jesus, people that Christ died for, wouldn’t be so demonized by so-called Christians....” Issachar had ignored him, but the young man had been right.
God’s people are not perfect, and they strive to be Christlike every day. These are not the ones that are troublesome to the Christian community. It is those who are drawn and attracted by the revered kind of outward piety that is developed by the carnal processes of self-invention.
Almost the whole Christian community is currently JUDGED as being merely an outward SHOW of sainthood or true piety. “...A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump...” (Galatians 5:9 KJV).
The DANGER of SPREADING the kind of LEAVEN Issachar had SPREAD through his self-invented Christianity is that it depended upon the sinful nature and not the indwelling Holy Spirit.
The antidote to this PROBLEM of “LEAVEN” is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the genuine acceptance of Salvation, and the indwelling Holy Spirit that empowers true obedience and produces true spiritual fruit “in” and “through” those who are authentically NEW CREATIONS.
Issachar finished. “...it is this kind of widespread moral and spiritual corruption that I’ve helped bring into the Christian community, Virty. It is the SNEAKY, slick, tricky nature of the self-invented Christian, who chooses to live outside of God’s established doctrine. I refused to accept Jesus, who is THE “only” WAY to salvation and righteous living. That makes me nothing more than the CHIEF HERETIC... This is my CONFESSION...”
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