Author: RKM

Christian Blogger and Writer from the North.

The Mysterious Good News

Posted on by RKM in Ephesians

Imagine during a time of war that you decided to broadcast to the whole world your plan to invade your enemy. You include the exact date and time of the campaign and the details on how you will approach the raid. Nothing short of a catastrophe would occur and a lot of your people could die. You’d learn quite quickly that some secrets are necessary for the greater good. While at times holding a secret is necessary, some revelations however are exciting, and we await eagerly to learn about the disclosure of something that’s concealed. As an example, when an announcement is made that has some significant information will be published, we get our popcorn out and await eagerly its divulging. When we talk about a mystery, there are cases when we’re talking about full disclosure of something that we had no information about. But a mystery can also be defined as a revelation of something we possess some information about, but not in its full form. We’ve received hints or bits of information, but we’ve not seen the full picture. Now, try to imagine something that has been kept under wraps for thousands of years, not something that we had no idea about, but something that we only saw a part of the picture. Envision each year receiving a new photo where it becomes clearer and suddenly, at the right time, we see it in its final form. This is the real deal, this is the full picture, all the details have been shared and it’s absolutely glorious. In our study of Ephesians, we now enter the blessing of the revelation of the great mystery of His will.

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The Utopia of Spiritual Redemption

Posted on by RKM in Ephesians

The wisemen of our internet world continue to preach their brand of freedom and tolerance all the while attempting to enslave you to these ideologies and intolerances. These nice activists are perfectly willing to force you to comply to their demands of accepting everyone and everything or else you shouldn’t be allowed in their enlightened society. Governments and corporations have bowed the knee to these woke philosophers all in the name of tokenism and he who controls the money, rules the world. Their goal is to bring diversity, inclusion and equity to all and how they plan on doing this is to tear down societal institutions in hopes that they can build better ones. They are peddling a mirage and think we’re gullible enough to believe that their utopia will be less oppressive than the last. They themselves are fooled in believing that they’re rebuilt utopia won’t repress those they see as different or deemed less than them. You know, like those religious folk.  What we must not miss, is that while our society has done atrocious things towards those they deemed as inferior, these self-enlightened activists will do something far worst. Before you drink the proverbial cool aid of our modern-day sages, consider that we are already seeing the results of their solutions and we’ve seen nothing but death, fire, perversion, and chaos. When they don’t get their way, they bring suffering, violence, and death. The solution is not in the destruction of western civilization, not in wokey racism, not in a rainbow flag sticker on my car but in redemption and forgiveness. For the Christian, this is the ultimate solution. Before moving on to fix our societal wrongs, we need to receive redemption and forgiveness in Christ, and grant to others the same.  

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Elections & Destinies

Posted on by RKM in Ephesians

Every four years or so, we have the pleasure of seeing an election campaign here in Canada. This is a time where candidates from various parties participate in a political crusade where they spend months flicking their credentials at us in a lengthy brag-a-thon. There are waves of signs along the roads and lots of not-so-well thought out slogans to draw your attention. These contenders for the crown attempt to show us how competent they are and there is little holding them back in immersing you with all the wonderful accomplishments. That, of course, and sharing through nasty tv adds how their opponents are going to burn down the country. At some point, they’re forced to give a plan as to how they will run the government and how they view the future of the country, province or small town they are hoping to manage.  In recent elections, especially on the federal front, there has been little concrete planning except to spend a lot of money on programs. What is shocking is that they peddle plans that demonstrate little to no fiscal responsibility, comparing our hard earned tax dollars to a personal credit card to fund all their activistic endeavours. Their pitch focuses largely upon what they will give to the people in return for their vote. In the olden days, this was considered the equivalent of buying votes and was frowned upon but in our enlightened generation, well, this is now perfectly acceptable. But now try to imagine an election where YOU are the candidate. What would you say to the public about your achievements and competencies? What pitch would you make to convince them to commit to voting for you? How would you view the destiny of the constituents and government that you potentially could be appointed to manage? How would you view your own future in this role? Now, while you think about this, let us consider God’s election and His view of our destinies in terms of the divine revelation.

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The Divine Eulogy

Posted on by RKM in Ephesians

There are few businesses in this world that are as much a sure bet for success than the funeral business. Entering into this time proven profession guarantees a constant flow of transactions with little need for changing your business plan. There is someone somewhere mourning the loss of a loved one and providing comfort during this mourning is the only thing you need to get right. Funerals serve as a time for friends and families to pay their respects to the life and legacy of someone they love. One way that this respect is shown is when mourners verbally express the honour they wish to attribute to the deceased. These words of devotion comes in the form of a eulogy. People offer their praise in having the privilege to have known the deceased individual and often attribute kind words in an encomium for what they have accomplished in life. But while we associate eulogies with funerals, in reality, whenever we give praises to anyone for their accomplishments in their honour, we are giving a eulogy on their behalf. The difference is obviously that they are alive to accept (or reject) the praises sent their way. We see eulogies during award shows in the form of tributes to those who have lived a life worthy of praise. It also manifests itself every year we spend a moment remembering our dead who sacrifices their lives going to battle to defend our country. We hold ceremonies, sing songs, write poems and make films to praise them for their actions during times of trouble and to tell the story of their sacrifice on behalf of their country and those they love.

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A Charter & A Prison Letter

Posted on by RKM in Ephesians

In 1980, Canada and its provinces began procedural meetings to establish its Constitution which had been originally founded in Britain. Their desire was ultimately to establish a Charter of Rights and Freedoms to bring legislative independence and assure Canadians certain fundamental rights. An approval was requested from Britain and in return accepted. Queen Elizabeth II visited our beautiful country and signed the Canada Act on April 17, 1982, in Ottawa. This gave Canada control over its Constitution and guaranteed the rights and freedoms in the Charter as the supreme law of the nation[1]. Now, lets try to imagine if one of us Rogues was able to go back in time and we showed up at the Parliament in our nations capital on that day in 1982 to sign this declaration in the stead of the the Queen and our then Prime Minister. Let’s say we beat the signatories to the punch and signed the Charter of Rights and Freedom. How legitimate would this document be? My assumption is that our signature would mean very little to our left-wing neighbours and quite honestly, we’d probably see protests flaring up in the streets of Ottawa leading to the eventual burning of the Charter. Now, to be fair, they’d be correct in not accepting the authenticity of this signature. The point I’m trying to make is that the ones who signed the charter gave it its legitimacy. The document’s validity is based upon who is backing it up and the weight of their title. Nothing short of a high level bureaucrat, a prime minister or the Queen herself could have authenticated this document for it to be accepted as our national declaration of rights.

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A Dumpster Fire & Prayer

Posted on by RKM in Prayer

The potpourri of nuttiness that we’ve experienced over the last three years has done nothing good for our health and our wallets and frankly I doubt the show is over. It’s just begun! We are entering into a time of revolution, the sort that burns the house down (along with all past memories) and attempts to build its utopia. These activists are rolling us towards a cliff in a dumpster fire at 200 KMH and our Liberal Government has no brakes to stop it. It is fueled by the revolutionaries who spent more time learning how to protest while in school than learning logic or biology. Movements that at one time would have been deemed as a violent mob are now heroes on the streets. An uprising is on the up and up and its primary backers are those to whom you pay your taxes or receive your salaries. These peaceful activists are pushing the culture of death, burning down churches, opening up girl’s bathrooms to men, allowing kids to “transition” but not get a tattoo and ultimately hope that our faith and morality ends up dead or transformed too. For Christians, this has its despairing and it’s unquestionable that many feel helpless at the force that comes from the lunatics who took over the asylum. But this isn’t the first rodeo for Christians. Remember, in the beginning, the apostles felt helpless as they gazed upon their Messiah hanging on a cross only to see the victory afterwards. Never forget that our ancestors were fed to lions, used as candles all for the entertainment of a madman. That never dissuaded them and neither should we be deterred today.

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The Cultural Revolution & The Sons of Issachar: A Recommendation

Posted on by RKM in Recommended

The recommendation section on this website is not one that we use often. We always attempt to write our own materials and point to others who are bringing the fight to the world or who are edifying the saints with something special. We generally prefer using Twitter to share this type of content. With that said, my wife & I had the privilege last evening of watching the below sermon on the cultural revolution and the sons of Issachar by Douglas Wilson. I’ve yet to hear such a timely sermon dealing with our current cultural dilemma with such balanced and solid biblical thinking. I honestly wish that I could put this sermon in the hands of every Canadian Christian and have this shown in every church. Pastor Wilson really brings out the way that we should approach this new revolution and where the church dropped the proverbial ball. Whatever you’re doing today, take a moment to listen.

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A Megapolis & A Daunting Task

Posted on by RKM in Ephesians

The opportunity was afforded me a few years back to visit the great New York City. Visiting this large metropolis was an awakening experience especially when you’re from a relatively small city in Canada. You get a real sense of awe when gazing your eyes upon the grandeur of the lights, the historic tall buildings, it’s monuments and the sheer volume of people travelling through its streets. New York a center for art, music, and theatre (and sometimes combined) and the best acts around the globe flock there. It has the most exquisite museums and art galleries anywhere in the world. By inference this city didn’t achieve it’s magnificence overnight. It took many years of development and New York has some serious history associated with it. What also comes to mind in pondering this megapolis, is the other side of the beauty. The reality of crime, sex and violence that plagues the city which to my understanding has gotten far more intense since my time there.

One other thing that was noticeable was the diversity of religion. Much like their shopping district, if you wanted to find a religion, it was available. Various religious beliefs were present whether in their edifices or someone in the streets with a placard trying to make a sale by warning about the end of the world. You didn’t have to look far for a religion to fit your needs. With that said, one must wonder how a person attempting to start a church with little financial backing would go about to bring his/her faith to the Big Apple? Imagine the intimidation of walking into a city staring a soup pot of various beliefs and attempting to establish your own. Now, try to picture yourself entering this city and you are preaching a message that goes explicitly against the establishment so much so that not only are you riling up the local temple priests, Rabbis, or imams but now you have the mayor and governor attempting to put shut you down. Why you may ask? Because you’re preaching a message that is completely opposed to theirs and you’re refusing to bow the knee to theirs! Because your message is more than simply an agnostic yoga class. You’re preaching a message that there is only one God in a city where most believe there a multitude, and everyone of them is seen as authentic. You are proclaiming a Messiah who is calling on them to repent from their sins, be it their idols, their sexual perversions, their oppression, and to embrace Him as the only way to be right with this One God. But not only this, you’re telling the government officials that they’re not in charge. You’re establishing the fact that Jesus is Lord over them, and not their Democrat representative. Needless to say, your entrance into the city wouldn’t be welcome and how intimidating would it be for you to be charged with this daunting task.

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To the Mourners at Covenant Presbyterian Church

Posted on by RKM in Announcements

We here at Rogues & Kingdom men would like to extend our condolences and our sorrowful prayers towards Pastor Chad Scruggs who lost his beautiful little girl, the congregation at Covenant Presbyterian Church, the Covenant School and all those who lost loved ones in Monday’s tragic event where three 9-year-old students and three school staff members were murdered by a former student of the school.

The Lord said that the mourners in this age would be blessed for they will be comforted (Matthew 5:4). No one would in those days and in ours would attribute blessing to a mourner. Someone who mourns is someone who has generally suffered loss and not gain, sorrow and not joy. Isaiah prepared the way for this coming enigma. The comfort of the mourner was a sign that the Messiah had come. Those who awaited the coming of the Messiah were expecting that He would bring comfort to the broken hearted in this world especially to His people. We are told in Isaiah 61:1-2 that not only would He bring good news, but that He would bind up the broken hearted (v.1), proclaim liberty and freedom (v.1) and in the context of our verse, that He would comfort those who mourn (v.2). Isaiah continues to declare that the Messiah would:

To grant those who mourn in Zion,
Giving them a garland instead of ashes,
The oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.
So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. (Isaiah 61:3)

Rest assured that our mourning will turn to praise because in it, God will be glorified! As grievers, we will experience that great day of comfort when Jesus will wipe every tear from our eye and all our mourning will turn to rejoicing.

Brothers & Sisters, we mourn with you this day and you are in our prayers!

With Love,

Your brothers in Christ

RKM

No Fury Quite Like It

Posted on by RKM in Church Practices

Christians are a people who live in this world but are not of the world. Well, supposedly they are.  We participate in the societal structure of their community just like everyone else and this contribution takes on the form of holding jobs to support our loved ones. Christians also like to talk about how they’re affiliation with the faith makes them a unique type of professional. As an example, there are Christian barbers, evangelical bakers and plenty of Christian politicians. One that stands out on a personal level is a local used car company in my local community which advertises itself as a Christian business with old fashion values and while I’m sure there are intended ethical differences contrasting it from a secular used card lot, they still sell sub-level cars and service. I know this because I purchased one and have regretted it to this day. They sell awful cars much like the secular lot just down the road. But once they associate the term Christian with the sign, you are advertising your business and your faith as Honest Larry the sleezy Christian car salesmen. They produce services exactly like secular men/women but add the Christians tag to their role to excuse this sub-level amenity. This is especially alarming when a brother sells a brother a lemon.

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