Aboutthechurchbody

topics of interest


Narcissism Born or Made

At this time I think that for the more severe narcissism disorders I side more with nature.  I think that there is a genetic origin for this severe disorder.  I think this because many children have gone through very difficult to even horrific growing up years and yet do not have a narcissism personality disorder.   I also base my thinking of being more nature than nurture because of scriptures in the Bible.  When God commanded the children of  Israel to destroy the nations that they conquered he commanded that every person and animal of these nations be destroyed in the land.  Some people will say “well the babies were innocent, the animals were innocent, God is unjust”.  Or they may say, “well it stands to reason that God did not instruct the Israelites to kill the little children, it just doesn’t make this clear in the account written in the Bible”.

Another Biblical example we have of people being beyond redemption, even new babies apparently, is the account of Noah’s flood.  Of all people living on the earth at that time only Noah and his family were able to be saved by God.  This is mind boggling.  Something had happened to almost every person living at that time to make them un-redeemable to God.  This Biblical fact gives me great concern for the epidemic of narcissism among people that is now being recognized by many professionals in our day.

I had an experience with a narcissist at work a while back.  This experience was shocking.  The narcissist was able to change their face to the look of a skeleton with darkened empty eyes.  I cannot even describe it to you properly.  This ability goes beyond nurture. There is something else behind severe narcissism that I think is completely unknown to many (or perhaps even all) mental health professionals. What I saw this person do was absolutely stunning and unbelievable.  I’m not sure why this co-worker displayed this face to me other than she knew that I knew she was a narcissist and she was extremely angry with me at the time about something I had done a few minutes earlier.  Even during this the Spirit of God was faithful to me to give me a little ‘be prepared for what you will see’ nudge before I raised my eyes toward her and saw this dead vacuous face.  This incident speaks about something going on that is way beyond nurture with a severe narcissist. Even something beyond nature in my opinion.

I do think however that there are narcissistic conditions people have that are not the same thing as what I have related above.  Some professionals say that narcissism likely has a scale of mild to severe conditions.  Perhaps in these situations nurture plays a greater part.  People might say ” what you saw would be extremely rare”.  I’m not sure.  This person would be considered very nice by most people who meet her.  She is considered smart, articulate, pleasant, young, etc, etc.  This is the scary part.  My impression of her was very positive when I met her and spoke to her for the first time.  I thought she was a great person.  It just goes to show how devious it is to try and discover  a severe narcissist unless you spend a fair bit of time with them or around them watching and observing and noticing things that happen.  I’m not sure when I first knew that she was a narcissist.  I think it was accidental, which is how I think most people find out that a person is a narcissist.  I’m thinking that it might have been after I set up a reward system for children in a kindergarten class to encourage them to hang up their coats and hats on their hooks.   It really kills a narcissist to see others getting a reward.

 


Is Kanye West saved?

There is quite a lot of opinion, concern, and questions about Kanye West and his Sunday Service being talked about on social media sites.  Can we doubt that Kanye has been saved by Jesus Christ?  I don’t think so.  What I see so far would be consistent with someone having been ‘born again’ and having experienced the salvation of God.  Some indications of his new birth are his sudden exuberance for God and the things of God.  Most unsaved people have no desire for church, God or the Bible.   He was delivered from an addiction to pornography he says which is not uncommon for someone recently saved to declare..  My ex- husband was delivered of alcoholism within 48 hours after being saved. Kanye is also conscious of his behaviour and has made some changes already in his life toward more righteous and holy living.  He frequently makes a public confession of his faith in Christ and declares  that he is a Christian.  I  would say there is no doubt that he is saved.

I’m not sure what I think about the Sunday Service at this point.  I think it was a good thing at first.  It was unique, often done outdoors in the open air, it wasn’t too preachy, the choir was excellent and inspirational with some of their songs.  Now the Sunday Service seems to have moved indoors and requires money in order to keep going.  An admittance charge is required in order to attend.  To me this changes the Sunday Service to a performance rather than a church service.

Kanye can bring in a large number of people to a Sunday Service.  For example, the Lakewood Church in Houston holds 15,000 people.  Money and influence attracts false prophets and false shepherds.  They will want to be a part of it in order to try and get something for themselves.  Kanye and his Sunday Service has the potential to bring in a lot of money.  In addition to a cover charge merchandise can be sold at venues and also offered for sale online which could include books, music, and other various products.  Kanye’s Sunday Service is being viewed by many online and Christian pastors and leaders are getting great exposure for themselves and their respective churches when they take part in the Sunday Service.

I think we need to keep in mind that there is potential for error and the eventual demise of Kanye’s ministry.  He is a new born Christian and he is not in a position to be able to judge who he’s aligning himself with.  It appears at this point from what I have heard online that he is trying to hear from God and is taking into consideration the advice of those whom he trusts.  We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.  We need to remember that this is not a mature and seasoned ministry and it could be subject to a lot of compromise and mistakes.

 


The First Resurrection

The Bible speaks about the first resurrection and a later resurrection of all peoples, nations, and tongues to come before the Throne of Judgment to receive a recompense for those things that were done in the body while they were alive.  Whether unto righteousness and eternal life or unto death and everlasting destruction, the Bible says.

Traditional church teachings say that the first resurrection takes place in the twinkling of an eye at the sound of the last trumpet sound at the moment that Christ returns to the earth to gather his people to himself.

Some newer teachings are being presented by biblical teachers in our day saying that there are two resurrections, but who is included , and what the purpose is for those who are resurrected at that time varies from traditional thinking.  The first resurrection they say is for the Bride of Christ for the purpose of executing justice and judgment in the earth.    The Bride is a group of believers elect and chosen, prepared by the Spirit of God for this purpose and aim of judgment.  The Bride will then reside in the new Jerusalem, the city of God, that will come down out of heaven to the earth in the time of the creation of the New Heaven and New Earth.

The saved nations of all prior believers will comprise those who will dwell on the new earth in a heavenly state.  There will be no sickness, no crying, no sorrow.  The child will play safely with the viper, the lamb will lie down with the lion.

What’s coming to my mind is a partial or perhaps full body resurrection while a believer is still dwelling on the earth in their physical body.  We do read about Jesus saying that the apostle John would carry on until his return if Jesus desired.  How would the apostle John do this?  His body would have to be changed through the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him.  The apostle John might have ended up with a body similar to that of Jesus  after Jesus rose from the dead.  A body that would not be subject to the usual restrictions of aging, perhaps gravity, physical properties (Jesus walked through a wall), etc.  Jesus went first, the first fruits, then we follow after him.

Some thoughts as we see the world of today deteriorating quickly into perhaps an unrecoverable wickedness and evil at the time of the end.  As we read the Bible let’s look for some evidence in scripture of a Bride in Christ prepared by God to judge wickedness in the earth.