There just might be a centralized Way, Truth, and Life after all. But the path to it is Decentralized.
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“Crucify him, crucify him!”
—The Passion of Our Lord Jesus ChristTry speaking Truth to (centralized) power – or even just popular narrative – and they might come for your head too… Ever feel like you’ve been “crucified” in the court of public opinion? Mocked for not thinking their way, or living life as they want you to? Are you passionate enough to take the (decentralized)…
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“Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.”
—John 12:20-33It’s great to pursue your passion – you know, the whole “if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life” thing. But if all you’re doing is “loving life”, it may be worth remembering – you’re guaranteed to lose it all, eventually. Nothing truly good (and certainly nothing truly eternal)…
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“No longer will they have need to teach their friends and relatives how to know the Lord. All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the Lord.”
—Jeremiah 31:31-34Sounds like a case for decentralization? You don’t need anyone else to “teach” you the way – especially when those “teachers” are just trying to preserve their own power & status by claiming a monopoly on truth. You only need to look to Him to learn the Way and the Truth. And His wisdom is…
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“I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts;
I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
—Jeremiah 31:31-34Deep down, you already know the Way. Do you really need a “central authority” here on earth to remind you? Worry less about electing a president. Worry more about electing to do the right thing. In everything you do.
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He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables, and to those who sold doves he said, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace”
—John 2:13-25Maybe if the coins were honest money, backed by His values (instead of a corrupt “central authority” that can print or mint at will) Jesus wouldn’t have appeared so upset? A marketplace of the greatest value is the one that trades on His values. Trade accordingly (and careful which temple you worship at…)
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“Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
—1 Corinthians 1:22-25Look at the world around you. The signs are everywhere, and any reasonably wise & thinking person can sense that something is very wrong. But if the Truth is inconvenient for the “central authorities” here on earth, they will try their best to keep you from seeing or hearing it. Seek wisely.
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“You shall not have other gods besides me. You shall not carve idols for yourselves… you shall not bow down before them or worship them.”
—Exodus 20:1-17We literally have shows called “American Idol”. And everybody wants to be the next one. Singers, actors, athletes, models, musicians, entertainers, or even just your garden-variety Instagram influencer. Politicians and business leaders. Famous investors and VCs too. Everyone’s looking for someone or something to worship and bow down to. Because clearly they must have the…
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He said to him, “See that you tell no one anything…”
“The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter. He spread the report abroad so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly.”
—Mark 1:40-45Would you have respected Jesus’ privacy? Think long and hard before your next social media post. Unless you’re only in it for the publicity.
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“whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God”
“just as I try to please everyone in every way, not seeking my own benefit but that of the many”
—1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1For whose benefit are you doing what you do? Including your people-pleasing? Are you trying to gain favor with others? Friends? Family members? Co-workers? Are you trying to gain favor with the “central authorities”? Because they said so? Or are you trying to gain favor with Him? Hint: There’s only one that really matters, and…
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“He shall cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’
—Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46In Jesus’ time, he was a leper. In the 2020s, he might have been branded a “wrong-thinker”, an “anti-vaxxer”, a “climate-denier”, a “racist”, maybe even a Christian, or maybe just not a huge & vocal enough supporter of the “current thing”… (after all, silence is violence, they say) In Jesus’ time, he would be kicked…
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