Ephesians 5:5 You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.We have all been in pain over the recent Penn State situation. If you read or hear what is being said the question that keeps coming up is, "Why when they saw this evil or heard about this evil didn't they do something"? Now the punishment is coming for all who saw no evil spoke no evil. They are sucked into the whirlwind they sowed by their silence. Innocents are being punished, yet the guilty are using influence and money to avoid accountability. Those who are partners in this is everyone who takes part in this at any level, players, coaches, college administrators, team boosters, ticket buyers, NCAA, Big 10-12, ESPN, TV Sponsorships. They are partners at one level or another in contributing to this evil. NOW they must step back and clean out the temple of the money changers who caused this. Don't be deceived, the main goal is not the Continuation of College sports, it's the MONEY. The root of this evil as well.6 Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. 7 Don’t participate in the things these people do. 8 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! 9 For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.
10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 12 It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13 But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 14 for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said,
“Awake, O sleeper,
15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. 18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
rise up from the dead,
and Christ will give you light.”
There are consequences for inaction. Ask Joe Paterno. He didn't DO anything, yet he was a part of this and now he is punished...legacy gone. Many of our churches will preach on this Sunday. Not against FOOTBALL..against the monster it has become. There are lessons for the Church, for politics, Even before today's game there was a time of prayer with both teams. I'm sure it was touching, even healing. YET, it's not the right response. If this goes on without all the passive players removed from any level of influence there will be no reformation. Reformation is needed.
Without too much cynicism, the prayer before the game in the shadow of still unrevealed evil is the moral equivalent to a story I heard from Apostle John Eckhardt. He was preaching a conference in Nigeria. He was staying in a nasty hotel. There were prostitutes soliciting right outside his room. They proposed a "business deal". Apostle said, "I'm a preacher of the Gospel of Jesus". They said, Oh, that's OK, we'll come in and pray with you. Of course they weren't allowed.
A guy I was counseling in his troubled marriage used the same logic of "Prayer Makes Sin OK". He had a girlfriend. He was a "Christian". He said his wife and he didn't get along. He told me how compatible and loving his girlfriend was. That she was the kind of Christian he wished his wife was. That before he would "Sleep: with his "Christian" girlfriend they would pray together. Right before they jumped in the sack to commit adultery. That is profound deception.
I'm afraid those who cooked up the prayer moment before and after the Nebraska Penn State game today were equally as deceived. Prayer without repentance and reconciliation is pointless.
This should be a teachable moment for the students from the whole of the Big Ten and particularly at Penn State, Actions have consequences and corruption must be rooted out at once or the whole thing comes down. Large institutions are clumsy at dealing with this kind of thing. Just ask the Catholic Church. I'll bet if they had a do over they would have dealt with the scandals of pedophilia inside the Church much better and with more decisiveness than they did. Now it's football's turn at bat. Let's see if they know what to do.
If I had a son or daughter at Penn State, I would LOVE to see him or her get the message that the Apostle Paul writes about. Have no part...at all in acts of darkness.
It's time for College Football to straighten out. Never mind the Outrageous salaries paid to the coaches (Nick Saban).
When this all happened I had a personal experience that drew directly from this event at Penn State.
On Wednesday I needed to use a large tractor for a task. I don't own the tractor. The landlord does. When I went to use it, it was gone. One of the tenants, a relative of the landlord had sold it. Fenced it basically. This was a $5000 tractor at least, and I'm sure he got less than a thousand. Just like a fence. The man who sold it has a track record of being a bit less than honest. In fact he has a streak. I had seen him sell of small things that he didn't own. I didn't say anything, but I asked. I always got an evasive answer. A lie.
But this situation on Wednesday in the Light of the Penn State Scandal was a turning point. I knew I had to say something. I had to go to the landlord and tell him that a tractor had been stolen from him and sold.
When I confronted the "Thief" he ran. He tried to hide. He made all kinds of excuses. He became defensive. No repentance. I can only hope he will come to repentance.
remember this:
There is a secular iteration the Ephesians 5 passage.
One must not remain silent in the face of obvious Evil and neither should any of us. These are evil times. There are evil people. When you are confronted with EVIL you have a choice. Speak out or become one of the monkey trio - see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.
We are accountable as watchmen and watch-women on the wall to cry out. Even as the son of Zadock did in 2 Samuel 18 when he brought the bad news of the Death of Absalom to King David. We must speak up without being a talebearer. We must confront evil OR allow evil to reign.
If I had a son or daughter at Penn State, I would LOVE to see him or her get the message that the Apostle Paul writes about. Have no part...at all in acts of darkness.
It's time for College Football to straighten out. Never mind the Outrageous salaries paid to the coaches (Nick Saban).
When this all happened I had a personal experience that drew directly from this event at Penn State.
On Wednesday I needed to use a large tractor for a task. I don't own the tractor. The landlord does. When I went to use it, it was gone. One of the tenants, a relative of the landlord had sold it. Fenced it basically. This was a $5000 tractor at least, and I'm sure he got less than a thousand. Just like a fence. The man who sold it has a track record of being a bit less than honest. In fact he has a streak. I had seen him sell of small things that he didn't own. I didn't say anything, but I asked. I always got an evasive answer. A lie.
But this situation on Wednesday in the Light of the Penn State Scandal was a turning point. I knew I had to say something. I had to go to the landlord and tell him that a tractor had been stolen from him and sold.
When I confronted the "Thief" he ran. He tried to hide. He made all kinds of excuses. He became defensive. No repentance. I can only hope he will come to repentance.
remember this:
Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins. James 5:20I was willing to sacrifice any relationship we ever had to do the right thing. I know this will sever what we had. That is the choice of the WORD of God. Take NO PART in works of evil.
There is a secular iteration the Ephesians 5 passage.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." (Edmund Burke)
One must not remain silent in the face of obvious Evil and neither should any of us. These are evil times. There are evil people. When you are confronted with EVIL you have a choice. Speak out or become one of the monkey trio - see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.
We are accountable as watchmen and watch-women on the wall to cry out. Even as the son of Zadock did in 2 Samuel 18 when he brought the bad news of the Death of Absalom to King David. We must speak up without being a talebearer. We must confront evil OR allow evil to reign.
For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, And for Jerusalem's sake I will not keep quiet, Until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, And her salvation like a torch that is burning. Isaiah 62:1
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