An Audience of One

        Since The Radio Bible Class publishes Our Daily Bread, one would expect that spiritual bakery to daily, declare some evangelical Christian theme, which is indeed true of today's title. "An Audience of One" suggests a solid, Biblical theme that we should expect to periodically hear from the pulpit, but its possible familiarity must never dull our hearing or sate our appetite for its always timely message.
        The author, Philip Yancey, kindly suggested reading Matthew 6:1-6,

 

to complement today's devotional, so I dutifully clicked on the link. My eyes embraced the Scripture passage at first glance as a familiar excerpt from Jesus' sermon on the mount. Of course, verse one elicited a sub-verbal "amen," as it always does. For years I've accepted and believed those words as part of Jesus' teaching that cut across the religious establishment's grain. So I charged into verses two and following with every expectation of more "same-ol'-same-ol'."
        What I found, however, was anything but mundane. What I found was a sword-thrust, fresh from God's hand to my religious-establishment heart.
        I tithe and give, not because it's a valid principle of Christian living, and certainly not because I expect God to return the favor a hundred-fold. I tithe and give because I love to, and because those funds aren't mine anyway—or that's what I always thought. Though these Bible verses had become as familiar and comfortable as old shoes, when I put them on this time it felt as if God had, without my knowledge, installed some radical orthotics. And they pinched!
        "Lord, those words fit just fine as they were. I've been walking in them for years, so why fix what ain't broke?"
        But they were "broke," at least, as I had always worn them. How many years had I read those words and applied them directly to the rich, elitist religious establishment of Jesus' time? And YEAH! They had it coming … in spades! This time as I approached those words, Jesus held up His mirror-finished, double-edged sword and blinded me with His Truth … blinded me to my self-delusion so I could see my motives as He did.
        Yes, Lord! Guilty as charged. All this time I've been giving during the Offertory—that is, when I thought I could afford it—and feeling good about it. And why did I feel good about it, especially when my giving has been inconsistent at best? Because people could see me put something into the offering basket.
        Why, it's plain as day now. I've been using that Offertory ritual to boost my own ego. I would have given anyway, but I chose that time when the Offertory music was playing, just like "the hypocrites do in the synagogues and the streets, so they may be praised by others!" And during prayer meetings, when I utter a few holy words of profound wisdom aloud, I'm just like the hypocrites, who stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others.
        The truth is, the Offertory, is for giving myself, as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is my spiritual worship. And if that's my motive for dropping a check into the basket, then I can praise God for so convicting me.
        Now, I am NOT saying everyone should give at some other time than the Offertory segment of the worship service. And I am NOT saying everyone should sit like a wart during prayer meetings, for fear of appearing to grandstand. I am saying we must not do anything for appearance's sake—or avoid doing them for the same reason. We must only fear God—not what others think—and trust Him to illuminate our motives to us.

Uncivil Religious Warfare

        It usually starts like this: "I did nothing to provoke such a blatant snubbing! She's not going to get away with treating people that way … she needs to be taught a lesson." Okay, it may not materialize in such lucid terms, but that's often the attitude behind the declaration of uncivil war among church members.
        So let the games begin! The first shots fired are subtle, indirect warning shots, "Are you well, dahling? You seem to have lost weight, haven't you. This calls for a new wardrobe, I should say." (translation: "That dress looks baggy on you.")
        The target reels at the sudden realization that she's just been fired upon, so reflex action ignites a return volley, "Why, thank you for that observation. You're so fortunate to not have to worry about clothes bagging on you." (translation: "Better skinny than fat.")
        If looks could kill, the war would be over before it really starts. But they don't kill, at least not directly. So the exchange of "broad sides" escalates into offhand comments behind enemy backs. And of course those comments find their way back to their subject, more or less—mostly less—accurately, deepening the rift between the brethren.
        The original combatants begin confiding in friends, who become outraged, taking up the offense as their own. Each friend feels it is their Christian responsibility to lift up every last minute detail in "prayer" through a somewhat abridged prayer-chain. Factions form around both horribly mistreated brethren, and with volunteer armies enlisted, people's names are excluded from key social and church functions' invitation lists. After all, we can't have that sort of people poisoning the atmosphere at the dessert social/fund raiser. It simply wouldn't be Christian. "Why, I heard ...." And on it goes.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.(Ephesians 4:29-32 NIV)

        If there is an ungodly behavior that much of Christendom passively accepts, unwholesome talk would certainly not be it—unless, that is, we were to drink deeply enough of God's word that we might understand His definition of the term. Is reading Ephesians 4:29-32 without grasping its message possible? Anyone who has spent much time around "church," would have to admit that it is.
        What may have originated as a thoughtless gaffe soon escalates to open warfare, with allies enlisted on both sides in a systematic campaign of attacks on the other's personhood. And all with airtight self-justification. Outright carnal behavior becomes a holy war as deadly in a way as an Islamic jihad.
        How can anyone who claims to follow the Biblical Christ justify such un-Christian behavior as bitterness, rage and anger? And that's just the short list of wrong attitudes.
        One might wonder how professed Christians manage to justify such character assassination. Perhaps if we isolate each clause of the above quoted passage from its neighbors, we can warp God's word enough to rationalize the message into oblivion. Wouldn't we be in the best of religious company by so doing?
        Today, ungodly people—whether religious or irreligious—can broadcast unwholesome conversation through e-mail, instant messaging and chat far more quickly than their infernal progenitors did by mouth or conventional mail. Though such uncivil war begins with righteous indignation, volleys of "justifiable" anger, bitterness and rage soon follow. While today's brethren may still consider bitterness, rage, brawling and slander to be bad things, we miss the fact that such aggressive behavior quickly follows the more passive sin of unwholesome conversation. Jesus didn't mince words when He said, For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person." (Mar 7:21-23 ESV)
        Some will defend their spite with such excuses as, "evil things" aren't even in the same hemisphere as the "unwholesome talk" Paul refers to in Ephesians 4:29. But if a heart and mind hungry for godliness examines both passages, they will see that the offenses are disturbingly similar. They're not only in the same hemisphere, but cohabiters in the same household.
        War between brethren, whether civil or uncivil, is sin. And while Jesus pronounced judgment on the world's sin through His death, burial and resurrection, the church's sins of presumption on His grace remain to be judged.

Who Is Wise?

        The worst thing a preacher can do—the quickest way to get fired—is to "preach at" individual congregants' wrongdoing, especially those of the more tenured saints. On the other hand, Jesus' brother James—Ya'aqov in Hebrew—stood out from his brethren by living an entirely sanctified, righteous life. His community revered him as "James the Just." And other sources call him, in Hebrew, "Ya'aqov the Sadiq," or James the Brother. We can tell by the contents of James' letter that he didn't mind crossing the "saints" who had become smug and judgmental due to their position within the church, as the following excerpt attests.

¹³Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

¹⁴But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.

¹⁵Such 'wisdom' does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.

¹⁶For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

¹⁷But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

¹⁸Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.(James 3:13-17 NIV)

        Wisdom and understanding are noble pursuits. Most of us will readily admit we possess far too little of those characteristics. And the ones who won't admit those shortcomings? Well, we just relegate them to the loony bin with all the other self-deluded wackos.
        There has to be some way of discerning the higher qualities in those we encounter, other than taking their word for it. The first direct product of wisdom that James mentions is a life of good works done in humility. Of course, discerning the works of those we don't know well can be a dicey proposition. And even those we think we know well can be clever enough to carry on an Academy Award Winning performance, both of good works and of humility. So there must be other ways of discerning genuine, heavenly wisdom.
        In verses 14 and 15, Ya'aqov the Lord's brother gives us the other side of the "Wisdom Equation." The "wisdom" that is not from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish, is often as hard to discern as the Gold Standard of true wisdom. Perhaps we can call it "fool's gold."
        Many who succeed in this world demonstrate that same worldly wisdom, and are proud of the bitter envy, and selfish ambition they harbor in their hearts. Others, depending upon their audience, flat-out deny the envy and ambition that fills their hearts. Oddly enough, we find blatantly religious folks in both camps. If one were to suggest to them that such worldly wisdom is carnal, unspiritual, or of the Devil, there'd be "hell to pay."
        Human affairs have always produced certain … ah … "fruit," such as vs. 16 enumerates: Such fruit looks and tastes a lot like disorder and every evil practice. The secular world's remedy of choice for this bitter fruit is regulation and control. We all know how well that works. Back in 1887, Lord Acton summed it up rather succinctly: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men."
        The corollary to Lord Acton's Law would be, "Laws are made to be successfully exploited by powerful men." Of course, we all know that "powerful" and "rich" are synonymous.
        One caveat is in order here: History has witnessed many wealthy people who refused to succumb to Lord Acton's Law, or, once corrupted, repented openly and liberally of their corruption. They were the philanthropists, the agents of righteous and social change, and even a few ministers who underwrote effective humanitarian and gospel works. Nowhere does the Bible say wealth is inherently sinful. But love, or even more often envy, of wealth has brought down many.
        But Ya'aqov the sadiq isn't finished with us yet. Verse 17 lists other characteristics that, if practiced successfully, guarantee the practitioner will conspicuously lack worldly power. Such things as purity, love of true inner peace, deference to others' needs, submissiveness, mercy, good fruit-bearing, impartiality and sincerity, virtually assure those who possess them of running at cross purposes with the world system.
        And the apostle's parting statement in chapter three sounds rather like a religious platitude. But listen carefully to the words and what they mean: Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

The Real vs. The Counterfeit

        Sounds so nicely passive, doesn't it. Just try it and see how easy it is. The world cries for peace, but do they really want it? No, the cost of righteousness is far too high.
        The Biblical fruit of the Spirit from Galatians chapter five sounds nice: Love-Joy-Peace-Patience-Kindness-Goodness-Faithfulness-Gentleness-Self-control. Let's all serve it up in HUGE portions. Just go out and pluck that fruit off the Tree of Life 'til the basket overflows.
        But there's one thing we harvesters must remember: The world is full of counterfeit spiritual fruit, and it is quite clever. They are infatuation instead of love, situational joy, aggressive peace-seeking, grudging tolerance instead of patience, altruism rather than kindness, and religious, Sunday-righteousness.
        And the last four are simply convincing performances of superficial goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These counterfeits are convincing enough to fool anyone, so we can't rely on our own discernment to know them. In fact, our attempts at discerning spiritual fruit can easily head us into the sin of judgmentalism. For that reason, Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.(Luke 6:37 NIV)
        So, how can we know the true fruit from the counterfeit fruit? Simple! Care for your own, and let God care for the rest.
        John the baptizer said it right. Speaking to all the religious leaders who came out to the Jordan River to make a show of righteousness, he said, Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.(Matthew 3:8 NIV)

Why I Go To Church

From stuff I've written, you can no doubt tell how fed up I am with the effect that Kool-Aid drinking lemmings, whether Left, Right, Secular or Religious, have on culture. I attend "church" because the Bible warns me not to forsake the assembling of believers. When I go, it's not to socialize or discuss the weather, hunting, politics, or others' personal affairs. When that goes on around me, I concentrate on God, and my own struggles in growing toward Him. I'm afraid some of the folks see me as standoffish, or elitist, not realizing that if they would only fellowship in God's word, I'd be all over it. There is a significant minority of attendees, however, who love God the way I do, and we learn from one another—hopefully—how to get it right. If I had to name the denomination with which I align myself, it would have to be the Tuppence—you know—"Where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I among them." (Matt 18:20)

Wonderful News

Isaiah 28
⁵ In that day(of judgment on Ephriam) the Lord of hosts will be a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people,
⁶ and a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

        Just as there will always be judgment for God's wayward people, there will always be a remnant of His people, crowned by the Lord of Glory, a diadem of beauty. The church has no glory but God, and no beauty but His holiness.
        What of those who would fancify His glory and find beauty other than His? Theirs is a hopeless quest. He does not need or want great cathedrals, and the beauty of fine furnishings and art are to Him, ugliness.

⁹ “To whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message? Those who are weaned from the milk, those taken from the breast?
¹⁰ For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.”

        One can almost hear the prophet saying, "Does God have any volunteers?" If He can find them, they will have grown past the milk of the gospel. They will be teachable and patient, not having to know it all up front, but willing to accept any crumb of knowledge or wisdom that falls to them.

A Gift From Hosea Chapter 10

¹Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit. The more his fruit increased, the more altars he built; as his country improved, he improved his pillars.

        In the Jews' dissolution into two conflicting kingdoms, I see the schism of God's church into denominations and doctrinal camps. Old line denominations fit Israel's description in verse 1 above: Though they became separate entities, they, like Israel, became a luxuriant vine, producing much material gain. But the more prosperous they became, the more they accepted and honored the world's humanistic principles. In essence, they've built more alters to worship their multiple gods of political correctness, along with the lipservice they still offer their namesake, Christ Jesus.

² Their heart is false; now they must bear their guilt. The Lord will break down their altars and destroy their pillars.

        Here is a promise upon which the remnant of God's church is counting. Liberal religionists stand among the ranks of secular progressives and humanists saying, "Why can't we all just get along? We must embrace our diversity and learn from those with whom we have historically disagreed. As all truth is God's Truth, many ways lead to God in His many manifestations."
        Now, doesn't that sound tolerant? The problem with such ecumenical philosophy is Scripture contradicts it. Yes, Jesus preached love and tolerance, but only as a redemptive outreach. Jesus was as hard on his religious contemporaries as he was easy on those struggling under the religious brand of "sinner." Not once did He approve of their sin, but he always affirmed their human value and urged them to repent and believe.

Another Gift From Hosea Chapter 10

¹² Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

        This is as valid today as when God preached it through Hosea His prophet. First the instruction to sow righteousness, then the description of its harvest.
        Second, He instructed His people on how to accomplish that: "Break up your fallow ground," which is to accept correction so we might receive His seed of righteousness. "For it is time to seek the Lord" for help in repenting of our old ways, as true repentance is impossible without His Holy Spirit enabling it. Only then, "He may come and rain righteousness upon" us.
        The verse began with His command to "sow for yourselves righteousness," and ended by saying "He may come and rain righteousness upon you." This "sandwiches" God's command with, first, our fallen perspective, and second, God's sanctified perspective. In the end, only His righteousness will germinate, sprout, and grow into a productive vine that bears fruit to glorify Himself.

The Problem of Pride

        Applying chapter six of the book of Amos to today's church might seem a bit of a stretch, but as with most Old Testament passages, an indirect application, carefully and prayerfully done, can be just as valid as if it were addressed directly to us.
        References to Zion, during this period of Hebrew history, mean Jerusalem, and speak of the house of Judah. The mountain of Samaria speaks of the house of Israel. So this applies to all the children of Abraham, and as adopted children of Abraham, today's church must also apply these lessons to itself.

Amos chapter six
¹"Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria, the notable men of the first of the nations, to whom the house of Israel comes!

        This chapter begins by telling us to not rely on our position in God's church for our security. Church membership means nothing in God's sight; he makes no distinction based on membership in human institutions. Responding to a special dream, the apostle Peter said, "Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him." (Acts 10:34-35 ESV) And the apostle Paul wrote the following to the Roman church, For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:12-13 ESV)
        The second half of verse one speaks of Israel's respect for the Jerusalem religious establishment. In view of the constant warring between Judah and Israel, this says quite a lot; beneath all the strife was a fundamental respect for the temple worship and the priests who conducted it.

²Pass over to Calneh, and see, and from there go to Hamath the great; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Or is their territory greater than your territory…,

        The Jews' distinction didn't rest on their human qualities or power. And the church is, in the same way, no better than any other cohesive group of people. We are all human, and subject to the whole gamut of human weaknesses and faults.

³ …O you who put far away the day of disaster and bring near the seat of violence?

        The thought continues with the fault that is common to all, regardless of their race, nation or religion. With few exceptions, humans practice active denial concerning the consequences of our actions, and insist on continuing in our aggressive behavioral patterns. Odd, isn't it, how we pick fights and expect to never loose.

⁴"Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves out on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall…,

        Here, Amos stopped preachin' and commenced to meddlin'. Our reaction to this chastening is, "What the heck is wrong with a few comforts and possessions? I worked hard for my stuff and I should enjoy the fruit of my labors."
        Despite the Puritan ethic that says we're blessed because of our hard work, our blessings are not our due compensation for our work. All blessings come from God, not from our own hands. Often he chooses to pour out his blessings upon us as a reward for our faithfulness, but we must not expect them as our entitlement or demand them as our right.

⁵… who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David invent for themselves instruments of music…,

        Not only are we to not expect rewards, we most certainly must not rejoice in them, as if they were due to some great thing that we accomplished. Such is the pride that goes before the fall(Proverbs 16:18).

⁶… who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!

        Amos goes on to extend God's judgment to those who celebrate their achievements with much wine(signifying revelry) and self-anointing with perfumed oils(signifying the blasphemy of attributing to oneself what God's Holy Spirit has provided).

⁷Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile, and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away."

        Don't get used to the self-congratulatory "high life," because it will most certainly be taken away. Exile signifies separation from ones supportive peer group, whether their church congregation, some social group or family. Such separation wouldn't necessarily be forced on the reveler, but one might withdraw due to shame or incompatible lifestyle. If shame is the separating factor, that is also the first step toward reconciliation—but for vain pride's intervention.

⁸The Lord GOD has sworn by himself, declares the LORD, the God of hosts: "I abhor the pride of Jacob and hate his strongholds, and I will deliver up the city and all that is in it."

        If the eternal, self-existent Author of the Bible used such a strong word as "abhor"—used only once in the entire Bible—regarding Jacob's pride, and that was under the Old Covenant's shadow of Messiah's complete truths yet to come, what must he think of the pride contaminating today's church? The Authorized version translates it, "I abhor the excellency of Jacob," obviously applying the word "excellency" to the Jews' bloated self-esteem. Pride, arrogance, majesty, pomp, swelling—that pretty much covers the attitudinal sins associated with an exalted view of oneself.
        Once again, in case this didn't penetrate: God used the word translated "abhor" only once in the Bible. Did he use it in regard to murder, or adultery, or lying, or stealing, or homosexuality, or idolatry? No! He applied it only to the sin of pride. Yet, within the institution of religion, that is the one sin that we typically accept, or even encourage.

⁹And if ten men remain in one house, they shall die.

        Continuing the theme of passing away, God doesn't mince words, but spells out pride's severe penalty: total extinction! Obviously, that sentence hasn't been executed as yet; there is still plenty of pride infecting Christendom. But the judgment is coming, and when it does, no one will doubt God's seriousness.

The balance of Chapter six continues the theme of vs. 9, describing in various, unobscure ways, the total obliteration of God's people of they persist in their elitism, their arrogance, their unabashed pride in their religion. For pride in anything or anyone but our eternal, self-existent God is nothing more or less than idolatry.

Believe is not a soft verb

When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You get here?" Jesus answered them and said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal." Therefore they said to Him, "What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent." (John 6:25-29 NASB)

        How can believing be any kind of work? Isn't belief a rather abstract affirmation of some claim, idea or concept? Usually, perhaps, but Jesus had a more concrete meaning here. Referring to Mark 11:22-24, where Jesus spoke of faith in God, after he told them faith, without doubt, could move a mountain into the sea, he spoke of more practical faith-matters, specifically, "all things for which you pray and ask." Then comes the key word "believe," but not "that you will receive them." Jesus said, "that you have received them," stating that God knew the need and granted it before it was voiced.
        That speaks of far more than a passive, abstract affirmation of something. It speaks of stepping on an invisible bridge in full confidence that it is really there—because God clearly and understandably said to do it. Then, knowing that even if it wasn't there, the falling would somehow glorify God.
        People throughout history have done outrageous things because they felt that God had commanded it: cruel, murderous things. Yes, under the Old Covenant, some of those commands were really from God, because the greater work that God wanted accomplished required it. Today, the only "Promised Land" tells us to possess is the life characterized by God's unique holiness and love, without which no one will see Him.

Conformity, The Root of All Movements

Humans are a social being; we associate with like-minded folks for a sense of family, or for personal affirmation. And we achieve both ends by membership in various social and interest groups.
        For many of us, such memberships happen in a haphazard process of random associations and personal affinities. Acquaintances we find attractive, or whose company we enjoy, introduce us to their friends—if we qualify. Acceptance makes us "somebody" in their group, and if their interests don't clash too badly with our convictions, we begin identifying with them and their passions.
        From stuff I've written for this blog, you no doubt realize how fed up I am with the effect that Kool-Aid drinking lemmings, whether Left, Right, Secular or Religious, have on culture. These joiners eagerly swallow the pablum influential people feed them, becoming willing, ideological clones who are ready to die for the cause ... as long as it doesn't interfere with watching their favorite sit-coms. Such group members reserve critical thought for "them," i.e., those who fail to board their bandwagon, becoming intellectually lazy and compliant.
        Tragically—from my perspective anyway—members of Christendom conform to my stereotypical, joiner's snapshot all-too well. We(yes, I include myself) stumble along with our denomination, fellowship, movement, or whatever we like to call our religious group, automatically conforming to group norms and dogma, though we have not the foggiest idea of where many of them came from. "It's what we do," is our mantra. But that's a bum rap for Evangelicals; ours is, "It's Biblical."
        My critique of organized religion places me in an interesting—though not untenable— position. I fall into pop-culture's category of "Evangelical Christian Fundamentalist," because the I believe the Lord said to: share my faith(evangelical), in Christ(Christian), with respect for the Bible's inerrancy(fundamentalist).
        I actually have thought-out reasons for attending "church." The Bible warns me to avoid forsaking the assembling of believers, though to my mind, that doesn't necessarily include trivial socializing that includes, but is not limited to, discussing the weather, hunting, politics, and others' personal affairs. When that useless prattle goes on around me, I concentrate on God, and my own struggles in growing toward Him.
        I'm afraid some of the folks see me as standoffish, or elitist, not realizing that if they would only fellowship in God's word, I'd be all over it. There is a significant minority of attendees, however, who share my priorities, and we learn from one another—hopefully—how to get it right.
        If I had to name the denomination with which I align myself, it would have to be the Church of Tuppence—you know—"Where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I among them." (Matt 18:20)