Steven Garofalo
Spirituality/Belief • Education • News
THE UNBROKEN CHRISTIAN
September 30, 2024
September 30, 2024

In the famous (true story) movie, "UNBROKEN", Italian immigrant boy, Louis "Louie" Zamperini is always in trouble, but with the help of his older brother, he turns his life around and channels his energy into running track, later qualifying for the 1936 Olympics. When World War II breaks out, Louie enlists in the military. After his plane crashes in the Pacific, he survives an incredible 47 days adrift in a raft which is attacked by sharks and is eventually captured by the Japanese navy. 

He is sent to a POW camp and becomes a favorite target of the cruel prison commander known as "the Bird" by his prisoners for one reason. That reason was that NO MATTER WHAT "THE BIRD" (whose real name was MUTSUHIRO WATANABE) did, Louie remained “UNBROKEN” in his quintessential Italian spirit. 

Louie survived and returned home from the war with a bit of PTSD. As a result, he was very close to divorce when the Lord reached out to his heart and soul and as a result, Louie gave his life to the Lord at a Los Angeles Billy Graham Crusade in 1949. 

What is the TAKE-AWAY? That God's Word calls us to be and remain UNBROKEN in our SPIRIT, even in difficult situations or when persecuted.

Today, I am going to share with you biblically why the world and many of its leaders are corrupt, and how you and I can remain unbroken in our spirit. If we do so, God will use you and me in great ways. Let’s get started!

LET ME EXPLAIN THE CORRUPT WORLD WE LIVE IN
We live in a corrupt, sinful, abusive world. It seems that as we head toward the end of 2024 (when I am writing this article) that persecution is very real; so is our ability to persevere, overcome and remain UNBROKEN.

The corporate and political powers in America and across the world are so corrupt that they have become self-destructive, taking the rest of us with them. I was reading in John 3 this morning and God's Word brought to life the simple truth that explains WHY corruption exists and how we can overcome it. Better put, why do people get corrupt to begin with and why they seem to get more corrupt over time. 

The Apostle John explains it this way: "And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God” (John 3:19-21).

WHAT IS JOHN SAYING?
John is making clear that God sent His Son Jesus Christ into the world as God’s GOOD “Light” into our sinful, evil and corrupt DARK world. As a result, those in charge of this world from a governmental and corporate perspective are often (but not always) where they are at professionally due to their accommodation of sin, evil and a lack of goodness. Sadly, in our fallen world, in order to ascend the political and professional ladder and remain there, this seems to be what is necessary, but not always.  Some leaders choose to do the "RIGHT" thing. As a result, God honors and uses that person for His good and in great ways. I want to note that God also uses evil people in and for His overall plan for this world. This raises the question as to WHY all of us, and many of our leaders, do wrong if they do what they know is wrong.

ALL HUMANS KNOW RIGHT FROM WRONG AND TRUTH FROM LIES
The truth is that all people have God's "Moral Law" in their hearts and in their conscience (Romans 2). Furthermore, all people see God in the natural world. This is called the "Natural Law". Some people choose to EMBRACE God and the TRUTH about what is GOOD and what is RIGHT (according to God) while others reject God's TRUTH. Some people even work to distort the truth and accommodate their own sinful desires. If we are honest with ourselves, all of us do that to some extent from time to time. That doesn’t make it right though. 

WITH MORE THAT IS GIVEN-MORE IS EXPECTED
It’s different for leaders in higher places who go unchecked because they are responsible for leadings others in and towards good or bad. Those in authority and in positions of power and influence will be held accountable by God to a much higher degree than those with less power and influence.

This can even apply to a parent who is a mentor to a child, a president or manager over their employees, and the everyday person who has influence and authority over others in any position. 

When a leader steps out and consistently does what is RIGHT and GOOD according to God's Word, the Moral Law and His Natural Law, people will gravitate toward that leader because they trust him or her.  They trust the leader because they know that they are treated fairly, and because they know that the leader does the “right thing”.

This is how true Christians who live out their faith in public eye rise up into a place of influence and affluence in our corrupt world. While that person may risk losing their leadership role by speaking the truth and doing the right thing, the risk is worth taking. 

Remember, it is God who raises us up as leaders and it is God who can and will allow us to be taken down as leaders if we veer from doing God's right for what is wrong. 

James 4 says: "Be humble before the Lord, and He will make you great" (James 4:10).

The truth is that God raises up leaders for His glory. This entails carrying out His right ways in order to light the path for others to see and follow. While this carries the risk of persecution, the character trait of perseverance will carry us through that persecution. 

I want to leave you with a handful of biblical verses to meditate on. These verses are straight out of God's Word to encourage you as you start each day.

BIBLICAL ENCOURAGEMENT TO PERSEVERE

1) Exodus 9:16 says, "But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth" (Exodus 9:16).

2) In 2 Corinthians 4, Paul makes clear that IF we stand strong on God's Word in Jesus Christ, we will be…"Persecuted, but not forsake; struck down, but not destroyed" (2 Corinthians 4:9).

3) Does the Lord really take us through the trials and persecution in this world and in this life? Psalm 37 tells us this: "Though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand" (Psalm 37:24).

4) Fourth and lastly, the Apostle Paul says, "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed" (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). And that says it all!

IN CONCLUSION
Like the Italian immigrant boy "Louie" Zamperini in the famous real life book and movie, "UNBROKEN", like Louie, we too can channel our energy into serving the Lord according to His will, His timing, and His plan for our lives. We don't have to spend 47 days adrift in a raft or be attacked by sharks, or even be captured by the enemy to do that. We simply need to be willing, able and strong in the Lord. We need to accept and see this life for what it is (which is temporal). If and when we do that, God will begin to use us mightily as an unbroken follower of Jesus Christ. As a result, God will show up in amazing ways and sustain, bless and even lift us up to places we never thought possible. And as a result we will develop the discipline of being "UNBROKEN"! I promise you that God will use you in this broken world as an UNBROKEN Christian if you will just let Him. Take it from Louie!

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When I was in seminary, the question was raised as to if pets or animals in general go to heaven. Our professor, Dr. Norman Geisler said this: “Jesus Christ came to earth and died on the Cross for the human race, not animals.” I was working out at the gym one day when one of the regulars, who had just moved to Charlotte, NC from California told me that one of her beloved dogs died; and would that dog go to heaven. I have her the same answer. But, was that the whole story? That’s what we are going to look at today.

In a peace by Michael Housman, Founder of GotQuestions.Org, Housman wrote that “The BIble does not give any explicit teaching on whether pets or animals in general have souls, or spirits, or whether pets and other animals will be in heaven.

His answer was short but the animals not having souls maybe up for debate.

We can use general biblical principles to develop some clarity on the subject though Housman wrote. The Bible states that both man (Genesis 2:7) and animals (Genesis 1:30; 6:17; 7:15 and 22) have the “BREATH OF LIFE” that is, both man and animals are living beings. Furthermore, the primary difference between human beings and animals is that humanity is made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27), while animals are not.

Being made in the image and likeness of God means that human beings are like God in some ways; they are capable of spirituality; they have a mind, emotion, and “will”; and part of their “being” continues after death.

If pets and other animals do have a “soul” (or spirit or immaterial aspect), it must therefore be of a different and lesser “quality”. This difference possibly means that pets and other animal “souls”  do not continue in existence after death.

Another factor to consider regarding whether pets will be in heaven is that animals are a port of God’s creative process in Genesis. God created the animals and said they were good (Genesis 1:25). Therefore, there is no reason why there could not be pets and animals on the NEW EARTH as described in (Revelation 21:1). 

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Until next time, I’m your host Steven Garofalo, and this is your reason for truth for today.

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AN ETHICAL ECONOMY IS GOOD FOR ALL
By Steven Garofalo, May 2, 2025

WHAT MAKES A GOOD ECONOMY

Government corruption comes to the advantage of a few-but at the expense of many if not all the rest of society. Today, I am going to show you through Ecclesiastes 5:8-9 that vanity and wealth, if not kept accountable, will devour one’s honor and the honor or the nation in whole. Let’s get started.

The Vanity of Wealth and Honor is an interesting subject in light of wealth, corruption, and the human heart. This subject effects many things, including what makes a good economy. 

In the Book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 5, verses eight to nine, Solomon says the following:

Ecclesiastes 5:8-9
“8 If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them. 9 But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.”

COMMENTARY: There are two things king Solomon is saying here within the theme of the vanity of WEALTH and HONOR. Wealth and honor are two different things, as one can have wealth with or without honor or honor with or without wealth. That being said, let’s look at verses 8 and 9 independently to see the simple message God provides us today through Solomon.

BREAK DOWN
Ecclesiastes 5:8-9

THE ABUSE OF AUTHORITY & WEALTH
 “8 If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them." 

COMMENTARY: Verse 8 clearly illustrates that there is a corruption at every level of government, with higher level oppressors plundering the equally oppressive lower-level magistrates. This perhaps explains the st state of America and the world. With blackmail running. Rampant and the public sector unchecked, they have been robbing the everyday citizen of their hard earned money. As a result, the system became insulated and division between the haves and have nots became more defined. When the high level government officials rob and abuse those below them, someone above that person robs and abuses the higher level person himself.

In America, where we print money out of thin air for the world, in this short period of history, there is little need to plunder those under one authority because there is so much to steal that those in authority can simply pay them off or blackmail them; whichever is most convenient. Either way, Solomon makes abundantly clear that when there is nobody minding the ship, evil perpetuates to the point of overtaking the government in whole. As a result, we end up with a 2024 government, riddles with corruption, immorality, blackmail, lawlessness, and all other things evil due to the lack of God-ness which equates to “goodness”. 

Economically speaking, when this happens to a country, its own economy begins to decline into debt due to their insatiable desire and emotional need for more money and resources. When resources are stripped and money is squandered, the elite few are smart enough to collect those resources and money and we end up with a U.S. Stock Market where only 5% holds up to 80%  of the entire market wealth. 

WHAT IS THE ANSWER?
The answer and solution is to keep to return to the system we created in the first place which is free market capitalism that allows those who desire to work hard, to have a fair chance at success, making money and turning a fair profit. This is called “honor for everyone”.

HONOR FOR EVERYONE
"9 But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.”

CONCLUSION:

Government corruption comes to the advantage of a few-but at the expense of many if not all the rest of society. Vanity and wealth, if not kept accountable, devours one’s honor and the honor or the nation in whole. Solomon (Qohelet) considered goverment to be frustrating becuase it was a necessary evil, something deply flawed but indespsnsible. On the one hand people sould "not be shocked" when they see OPPRESSION and injustice in a governmental province (v.8). After all, bloated government bureaucracy tends to frustrate justice (v.8b). On the other hand, government has it advantages (v.9). Many hold to the belief that this verse continues the negeative assessment of government. Others see this passage better understood more positively since it fits with Qohelet's normal pattern of "on the one hand, on the other.." way of teaching. 

Even a corrupt government is better than anarchy, which devastates a country, it's culture and in Solomon's time, an agrarian economy that would lead to starvation. Keeping to God's ways is the only solution to man's sinful nature; especially in governmental rule. In the end, a king who devotes himself to developing the resources of the land ushers in a systems that brings the opportunity for profit to all, not just the corrupt few.

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SOLA SCRIPTURA
A Protestant & Catholic View Comparison

I grew up Catholic and now go to a Protestant or non-Catholic church in Charlotte, NC. Michael Houdmann, Founder and CEO of GotQuestions.Org writes that a major difference between the two boils down to believing in the Bible alone as God's word verses believing that God's word plus man's input as the divine inspired word of God.

WHAT DO PROTESTANTS BELIEVE?

A major difference is the issue of sufficiency and authority of Scripture. While Protestants believe that the Bible alone is the source of God's special revelation to mankind, it also speaks to everything we need to understand as necessary for our salvation from sin.

Protestants view the Bible as the STANDARD for Christian morality and ethics which governs our behavior. This is called sola scripture and is one of the five Solas in Christianity. (Solas meaning "alone" in Latin. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 makes clear that "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (ESV).

WHAT DO CATHOLICS BELIEVE?

Catholics do not believe in sola scriptura hence do not believe that the Bible alone is sufficient. They see both the Bible and sacred Roman Catholic tradition as equally authoritative and binding on the Christian. While not all Catholics hold to doctrines such as purgatory, praying to the saints, worship or veneration of Mary, etc., the Catholic doctrine hold to them even though they have little or no mention or basis in the Bible. In truth, these doctrines are based on Roman Catholic traditions based on the Catholic Church's insistence that the Bible and tradition are equal in authority. The problem with this is that it undermines the sufficiency, authority, and completeness of the Bible. The view of Scripture is at the root of many, if not all, of the differences between Catholics and Protestants.

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