"Beyond the Pale"

 "But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name." (John 20:31 KJV)

  "The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. As the Scriptures say, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent." So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the worlds brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it's all nonsense." (1 Corinthians 1:18-23 NLT)

 If you take the time to look this phrase up, "Beyond the Pale," you will at first picture it as if it was a phrase that shows being outside the bounds of morality or good behavior. However, depending on the region, time, or ethnicity, it takes on a whole different meaning. 

 Having said that, even in the light of the current meaning, 'outside the bounds of morality or good behavior,' it would appear that being a Christian in the modern world is offensive and wrong to a large portion of the world's population! Even some that believe in God, if you place Jesus in the certain context as God, they too will be offended and mark you as wicked. 

 Yesterday I had some J.W.s come to my door, who wanted to talk about the terrible things happening here on earth, and how God was going to rid earth of all of the evil. I was nice enough, shook their hands, and told them that Jesus was coming soon to take His church off of this evil world, and that they haven't seen anything yet. 

 Having been there, I could feel the hatred boiling up inside of them. But I sent them away with a, "God Bless You," and said a silent prayer for God to draw them to the real truth. It is useless to argue with them, which is why they come in sets of two; if you get one alone, you might be able to prove who Jesus is by walking them through Scripture; but then, they will go to their Elder, and he will twist up everything you showed them, hardening their heart even more. 

 I know this is so, as I had tried for decades to get my sister to see the truth; but she believed the truth was in the 'Scripture Studies,' because reading the Bible by itself will put you in darkness. This kind of hold is spiritual, not just intellectual. If it was all about the plain truth, then the Bible makes the case for the Real Jesus! 

 Anywho, I don't want to overstep, as I know that I have some secret J.W. followers, whom I love and pray for every day! Besides, this is meant to be about something else, something that will most likely also include them, as a believer in God, the Creator of heaven and earth. 

 Thursday I was at a Continuing Education Class, and the last speaker was really a piece of work. I have shared the words of Dr. Lewis before, but this speaker went far beyond the pale of logic! She put up a slide that showed the history of the world, relating the process and evolution of Termites. What Dr. Lewis did, she did ten times greater! Her presentation had the history running off the page, as if they still haven't gotten to the end yet, of where life began; even though she was showing that Termites came to be about 800 billion years ago! 

 I was squirming in my seat, almost ready to raise my hand, saying, "I object!" But when I looked around the room, it appeared that most of the people present were swallowing it up, in amazement. Glass-eyed and filled with new knowledge; it would have been a shame to disrupt the party. 

 This is the new world we must live in, but we do not need to belong to it or accept what is taught! By that, we will be considered Beyond the Pale, an offense to all that is right and worldly...

"For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control." (Philippians 3:18-21 NLT)