Kneeling In The NFL

 

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NFL Protesters

 

The meeting was private. In attendance were a dozen muscular, well known millionaires. Their focus? How to use their fame and status to make a point. From their perspective, the police in America were out of control, shooting innocent, unarmed black men and boys. What can they do with their combined wealth and influence to solve this tragic problem?

Ideas were tossed back and forth until one of the men said, “I will refuse to stand when they play the National Anthem. This will call attention to this messed up situation in our country.”

At first he was alone as he knelt and bowed his head at the next game. The reaction was immediate and varied. Some called it stupid and irresponsible. Some thought it was a good idea. Then, as is always the case, more men joined in and refused to stand for the National Anthem. Now we have their attention, they thought. Now things will change. Did they? Unfortunately, the incidence of black men and boys dying at the hands of the police did not cease or diminish.

And the refusal to stand? The NFL has now decreed there will be no further kneeling football players during the National Anthem. If they plan to kneel, they must stay in the locker room while the anthem is playing. Then they shall come onto the field.

So what have those millionaire athletes accomplished by thumbing their noses at the American tradition of standing during the National Anthem? Well one consequence is they forced the owners to make the recalcitrant kneelers wait it out in the locker room during the National Anthem. After all, who cares about the anthem recognizing our country and its rich history; The country that has allowed these players to become wealthy and famous from doing what they enjoy doing?

My question to these role models is this: If you are actually concerned about increased violence and shooting deaths of black men and boys by police officers, what might you do about finding a solution? You have fame and wealth, people listen to you and you can afford to support a group or study aimed at discovering a solution. Wouldn’t that be more worthwhile than kneeling during the National Anthem?

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Women Keep Silent

 

“Let women be silent in church”  1 Corinthians 14:34

“Good morning everyone. Now that we’ve prayed to open our meeting, asking God for His guidance and wisdom, let’s see what He will reveal regarding this challenging section of Scripture. This will be the first time we have returned to the verses from the previous week but, judging by the inordinate number of emails, texts and calls I’ve received during the week, we have not finished our discussion. Perhaps I should say, God has not finished teaching us on the subject. Charles, please read the section from 1 Corinthians 14:34-38”

“Women should be silent during the church meetings. They are not to take part in the discussion, for they are subordinate to men as the Scriptures also declare. If they have any questions to ask, let them ask their husbands at home, for it is improper for women to express their opinions in church meetings.

You disagree? And do you think that the knowledge of God’s will begins and ends with you Corinthians? Well, you are mistaken!You who claim to have the gift of prophecy or any other special ability from the Holy Spirit should be the first to realize that what I am saying is a commandment from the Lord himself. But if anyone still disagrees—well, we will leave him in his ignorance.”

“To begin with my friends, we need to set aside our feelings on the issue of the equality of women and women’s rights which have, we can all see, been trampled on throughout history. We are reading the Bible. God’s Holy Word. This is not some guy’s personal peeve written to set women straight once-and-for-all. The apostle Paul wrote these words as he was guided by the Holy Spirit…God himself. That being true, we do not have the freedom to ignore these verses because we are offended in the 21st century.”

Larry closed his eyes and prayed, “Dear Lord, remove our confusion, frustration and hurt feelings as you fill us with Your peace that passes human understanding. Amen. Open your Bibles, tablets, phones or whatever you use to follow along as we read some verses to see just what God has said about this subject.”

1 Corinthians 11:3 ~There is one matter I want to remind you about: that a wife is responsible to her husband, her husband is responsible to Christ, and Christ is responsible to God.

Ephesians 5:19-24 ~Talk with each other much about the Lord, quoting psalms and hymns and singing sacred songs, making music in your hearts to the Lord. Always give thanks for everything to our God and Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Honor Christ by submitting to each other. You wives must submit to your husband’s leadership in the same way you submit to the Lord. For a husband is in charge of his wife in the same way Christ is in charge of his body the Church. (He gave his very life to take care of it and be its Savior!) So you wives must willingly obey your husbands in everything, just as the Church obeys Christ.

Colossians 3:14-19 ~Most of all, let love guide your life, for then the whole church will stay together in perfect harmony. Let the peace of heart that comes from Christ be always present in your hearts and lives, for this is your responsibility and privilege as members of his body. And always be thankful. Remember what Christ taught, and let his words enrich your lives and make you wise; teach them to each other and sing them out in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing to the Lord with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, and come with him into the presence of God the Father to give him your thanks. You wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, for that is what the Lord has planned for you. And you husbands must be loving and kind to your wives and not bitter against them nor harsh.

1 Timothy 2:9-14 ~And the women should be the same way, quiet and sensible in manner and clothing. Christian women should be noticed for being kind and good, not for the way they fix their hair or because of their jewels or fancy clothes. Women should listen and learn quietly and humbly. I never let women teach men or lord it over them. Let them be silent in your church meetings. Why? Because God made Adam first, and afterwards he made Eve. And it was not Adam who was fooled by Satan, but Eve, and sin was the result.

1 Peter 3:1-4 ~Wives, fit in with your husband’s plans; for then, if they refuse to listen when you talk to them about the Lord, they will be won by your respectful, pure behavior. Your godly lives will speak to them better than any words. Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty that depends on jewelry, or beautiful clothes, or hair arrangement. Be beautiful inside, in your hearts, with the lasting charm of a gentle and quiet spirit that is so precious to God.

We must ask ourselves in regard to any issue in our lives, what is our motive? What drives us to have this opinion or take this stand? Is it our love of Christ or our demand for perceived personal rights? Another question to ask is. . .why are these verses in the Bible? Since God breathed His life into the Scriptures, why did He include these verses for all believers to wrestle with? The answer may lie in James chapter one:

James 1:5-8 ~But if any of you lack wisdom, you should pray to God, who will give it to you; because God gives generously and graciously to all. But when you pray, you must believe and not doubt at all. Whoever doubts is like a wave in the sea that is driven and blown about by the wind. If you are like that, unable to make up your mind and undecided in all you do, you must not think that you will receive anything from the Lord.