Reason for The Crusades explained

[Matthias]

“I am sending you like lambs into a pack of wolves.“

(Matthew 10:16, CEV)

The lamb of God sending his lambs, his followers, into a pack of wolves.

Harmless as doves.

What happened to the Lamb of God when he was sent into a pack of wolves?

What happened to the lambs of God, the apostles, when they were sent into a pack of wolves?

What happened to the lambs of God, who weren’t apostles, when they were sent into a pack of wolves?

What happened to the pack of wolves?

 

[Matthias]

Will you be as wise as a serpent and as harmless as a dove on the next crusade?, Crusader recruiter. Why do I ask? Because you were neither of those in the crusades of the past.

 

[Matthias]

“You are not following Jesus if you aren’t armed, ready to kill.”

This isn’t and never has been a requirement for being a follower of Jesus.

It has serious spiritual implications that, for whatever reason, the one teaching it isn’t telling you about.

“For many veterans who have been forced to make the decision to kill in war, the memory of what has happened may last far longer than the milliseconds it took to fire their rifle or launch their missile. As veterans they carry the shame and guilt of what they have done for the rest of their lives.”

(Murray Davis, “The Killer Veteran - The Spiritual Implications for Veterans who Kill in War”)

The Killer Veteran – The Spiritual Implications for Veterans who Kill in War | Journal of Veterans Studies

journal-veterans-studies.org

I urge you to read the article, published in the Journal of Veterans Studies

“Every time I give last rights to a World War II Vet, I assume it’s going to be my last time doing so.

When I was a young priest, it was much more common but onviously these men are few in number.

Particularly for men who fought in the Pacific campaign, a lot comes to the forefront as death approaches.

Sometimes, they see the Japanese in the room with them sometimes they don’t.

But they all remember the things they had to do. They all remember the things they saw.

They spent years of their young lives in hell, and then came home and went back to work, raising families, going to church and tucking the horror into the deepest part of their heart.

As they approach death, the pain of it all explodes into their consciousness; it will not be denied anymore. …

War is a horror that we are all too willing to engage in. The effects of it stay with the men and women who fought …

Pray for those who fought for us. Pray for those who saw and did unspeakable things because we made them do it.

Pray for all combat veterans who are dying today.”

(Fr. Joseph Krupp)

Jesus wants his followers to spend their lives in hell?

Jesus wants his followers to tuck horror into the deepest part of their heart?

What’s the alternative?

The life taught and lived by Jesus and the apostles.

Put away the sword. Pray for those who haven’t.

 

[Matthias]

Except …

There is no except. Jesus and the apostles weren’t “armed, ready to kill.”

The choice: Follow them or follow the crusaders.

 

[Matthias]

When does the opportunity to present the gospel to unbelievers occur? When the unbeliever, the enemy, is in the presence of the follower of Jesus.

The crusader kills the enemy. The follower of Jesus blesses the enemy.

Romans 5:10

 

[Matthias]

I’ve mentioned returning often to watch the video in post #1. I doubt that many others participating in this thread have. Go back to the video with me. This time, don’t watch it.

What is the title of the video?

“Muslims have MELTDOWN After Learning These Historical Facts l Crusades”

What was the Christian speaker’s goal? Did he want his Muslim listeners to have “MELTDOWN”? Is he pleased that they did? What did he accomplish?

“MELTDOWN”

That’s the word in the title that was emphasized. That’s the word I’ve been thinking about this morning .

Did the (hoped for?) meltdown soften the hearts or harden the hearts of the Muslims? Did it make them more receptive or less receptive to seeing, hearing, understanding the word / seed of the gospel?

The Christian speaker caused a “MELTDOWN” and some - including the speaker himself, apparently - see that as a reason to celebrate.

He “struck” the Muslim again and again with selected facts about the Crusades, and with selected facts about Islamic history. He was armed to the teeth with facts. The facts were on his side.

Victory? A pyrrhic victory. That’s reason to mourn, not reason to rejoice.

The Christian speaker didn’t present the gospel of peace to the Muslim.

“The time to strike is when the opportunity presents itself.”

The Christian speaker didn’t “strike” the Muslim with the sword [of the spirit] when the opportunity presented itself. He should have. This was a missed opportunity to save a soul.

***

”Father McKenzie, wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave, no one was saved.”

 

[Matthias]

At the 5:07 mark in the video, the Christian speaker says this - “Ladies and gentlemen. Now notice. The Muslim that asked the question didn’t even bother to listen to the answer.”

The speaker is right. The Muslim’s work was done. He quite clearly wasn’t interested in the answer.

Who was the speaker’s audience? It was a mixed crowd; Muslims and non-Muslims.

The speaker retained some portion of his non-Islamic audience; the speaker lost his Islamic audience.

The speaker continues -

”Because that’s how they do it. They’re not interested in what you’ve got to say. All that they want to do is try to make a polemical point ... Because they don’t like the truth ...”

The Christian speaker made no attempt to present the gospel of peace to the Muslim because of his perception. I think it becomes clear that the speaker’s goal was not to soften the heart of the Muslim to make it receptive to the gospel but, rather, to attack Islam.

That’s the crusader mentality.

 

[Wrangler]

I'm just so grateful to the Crusaders and the millions of Christians over the centuries who acted to keep Christianity viable and alive for our generation to be blessed.

 

[Matthias]

I'm just so grateful to the Crusaders and the millions of Christians over the centuries who acted to keep Christianity viable and alive for our generation to be blessed.

They didn’t act to keep Christianity viable. As for our generation, it‘s suffering from the curse of war.

Christianity is viable in the face of persecution because of the teaching and practice of Jesus and the apostles lived over the centuries by followers who acted toward their enemies the way that Jesus and the apostles did.

I remind you again that Paul said, “We do not use the weapons of the world.”

Blessed are they who see, hear, believe, understand and obey the gospel of peace.

 

[Matthias]

Returning to the Christian speaker in the video contained in post #1 -

“Because they [Muslims] don’t like the truth.”

All Muslims? The speaker appears to present the same attitude that was expressed to me several times in this thread. That attitude is patently false. Muslims have been, are being, and will be, successfully evangelized.

Generally speaking, what do people with that attitude want to do? Exhibit A. The Crusades. “Kill them all. Men, women, children, even their animals. Not one of them likes the truth.”

“The coming of the evil man is the work of Satan. He will come in great power with signs that are not true, and wonderful things. And by his bad tricks he will fool people who are lost. They will not love the true message which would have saved them. That is why God lets them be fooled so that they will believe what is not true.”

(2 Thessalonians 2:9-11, WE)

Paul - the same Paul who said, “We do not use the weapons of the world” - is speaking in this passage about the coming antiChrist. The spirit of antiChrist - the spirit of the devil - has long been active in the world.

What are people who are saved supposed to do with people who are lost?

““Kill them!,“ shout the crusaders. “Do to them what they do to us.”

“We counsel violence.” - @Wrangler, speaking on behalf of his cohorts.

”Save them,” shout the followers of Jesus. “Do to them what we we have them do to us.”

I counsel peace. (And so do other followers of Jesus.)

 

[Wrangler]

To summarize the pacifist approach to beheading.

 

[Matthias]

To summarize the pacifist approach to beheading.

As you and my unbiased readers are aware, that doesn’t summarize my approach to beheading.

I suggested earlier that you read about the martyrs. You rejected the suggestion. That’s an option. I don’t have a gun pointing at your head.

***

”Beheadings are nothing new, and according to Revelation 20:4, beheadings will continue and increase until Jesus comes again. The martyrs of the end times’ tribulation will be beheaded because they refuse to take the mark of the beast or deny Jesus as Lord. We see this type of martyrdom already occurring around the world with the proliferation of evil religious zeal that sets itself against the truth. As it was in Bible times, beheading is often used as a means to terrorize potential enemies and silence opposition. But the truth will not be silenced (Luke 19:40). We must remember that, even when our enemies flaunt their evil and brandish the heads of martyrs, Jesus told us not to fear, for He has ‘overcome the world’ (John 16:33).”

Are there beheadings recorded in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Are there beheadings recorded in the Bible? How many people does the Bible record being beheaded?

www.gotquestions.org

Remembering John the Baptist this evening, and all of the followers of Jesus - named and unnamed - who suffered for the faith; remaining obedient to the teaching and example of Jesus, the apostles, the early followers of Jesus, the followers of Jesus down through the centuries to our day, and followers of Jesus in the future who will.

 

[Matthias]

Did the Muslims behead their enemies? Yes.

Did the crusaders behead their enemies? Yes.

Have Christians historically beheaded Christians? Yes.

Did Jesus and the apostles behead their enemies? No.

Did the earliest followers of Jesus behead their enemies? No.



My counsel -> Follow the teaching and example of Jesus and the apostles.

***

Christians. Stop approving of Christians beheading Christians.

That’s just a beginning. Take that step, clear that hurdle, and we can take on another.

 

[Matthias]

This isn’t difficult. Even a child can understand it.



That is Christian evangelism.



That is not Christian evangelism.

 

[Matthias]

“Beheading” falls under the category of fiery trials.



All followers of Jesus face fiery trials.

Some followers of Jesus have faced, are facing, and will face the fiery trial of being beheaded.

Whether that particular fiery trial or another, follow the teaching and example of Jesus and the apostles.

The way of the crusaders isn’t “the way”.

 

[Matthias]

“Christ modeled the life we are intended to live …”

(Bill Hybels, Just Walk Across the Room, p. 101)

If we believe that statement is true, then the question is this -

Did Messiah live like a crusader?

We have an account of the way Jesus of Nazareth lived preserved for us in the New Testament. We have historical accounts, from Christian and Islamic sources, of how the crusaders lived preserved for us.

After comparing and contrasting the life of Jesus with the lives of the crusaders, do we conclude that the way the crusaders treated their enemies is the same way or not the same way Jesus treated his enemies?

Messiah modeled the life that his followers are intended to live. The crusaders modeled the life that Messiah’s followers are intended to live?

 

[Matthias]

From my X / Twitter “For you” feed today -

“If our children are from heaven and are unique gifts of God (and they are), it behooves us as parents to communicate that to them. …”

(David Jeremiah)

David Jeremiah (@davidjeremiah) on X

If our children are from heaven and are unique gifts of God (and they are), it behooves us as parents to communicate that to them. While we should certainly tell them verbally, here are ten ways we can tell them non-verbally as well; ways to make sure our love for them is caught...

x.com

Amen to that.

Review the lives of the crusaders. Review the life of Jesus.

The crusaders were brutal to their enemies. Their enemies were Muslims, Jews, and Christians.

Was Jesus brutal to his enemies? Who were his enemies?

Do you want your children, unique gifts of God, to live life as Jesus modeled for us? (I do.)

Do you want your grandchildren, also unique gifts of God, to live life as Jesus modeled life for us? (I do.)

Do you want your children, unique gifts of God, to live life as the crusaders modeled life for us? (I don’t.)

Do you want your grandchildren, also unique gifts of God, to live life as the crusaders modeled life for us? (I don’t.)

 

[Matthias]

Followers of Jesus are in process of becoming like Jesus; being prepared to rule the nations with him when he returns. The destiny of the followers of Jesus is service in his government.

Bodily resurrection from the grave

Jesus experienced it. His followers who die before he returns will experience it. (The bodies of his followers who are still alive when he returns will be changed in the twinkling of an eye to match his.)

What kind of bodies will the followers of Jesus have after he returns? Will their enemies be able to wound and kill them?

Wait patiently and obediently for Jesus.

 

[Matthias]

“Your enemy is a gift from God to you.”

(Ray Pritchard, “The Final Step: Blessing Your Enemies: Luke 6:27-36”)

The Final Step: Blessing Your Enemies | Keep Believing Ministries

Loving your enemies is the final step in forgiveness. When Jesus walks with us, we will find the strength to love our enemies and to bless those who curse us.

www.keepbelieving.com

In post #2757, pastor David Jeremiah spoke about our children being unique gifts of God. Here, pastor Ray Pritchard speaks about our enemies being gifts from God to us.

Have you thought of your enemies as gifts from God to you?

Crusaders haven’t. Followers of Jesus should.

The crusaders kill the gift. The followers of Jesus love the gift.

If our children are unique gifts from God, how much more unique gifts from God are our enemies?

Love your children. Love your enemies.

 

[Matthias]

From World War I -



Who are the Hun? Germany and the German people. Christians.

We have Christians saying to Christians -> Hell is too good for you.

What do you think about that?

Can you not see how appalling that is?

Can you not hear how appalling that is?

Let’s back up to the Crusades, but take the “HELL IS TOO GOOD FOR THE HUN” slogan with us.

The crusaders killed Muslims, Jews, and Christians.

Hell is too good for … Muslims?

Hell is too good for … Jews?

Hell is too good for ... Christians?

That’s something which followers of Jesus must stand against.