Forward!

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One of the great challenges in the Body of Christ is whether obedience or liberty will rule in the manifestation of our discipleship. And when rules are discussed, they are usually done so under the framework of doctrine. For the record, doctrine is more about why we do what we do more so than how we do what we do, or what we do, itself.

Doctrine was never meant to be rule bearing or burdensome (Galatians 4:1-5). But it has become so. It has become the heavy-handed taskmaster of discipleship. Today, I pray, we will break that bondage forever.

Hebrews 6:1-3 (ESV) 1 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits.

This passage of Scripture is foundational because it is the gateway to deeper understanding. It urges us to grow beyond what gets us into the Kingdom to how we take the Kingdom into the world to influence and reshape it.

The author of Hebrews is communicating to the reader that we should not get stuck in Kingdom Kindergarten. We need to be in a mode of continuous growth so that we can become teachers.

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, the preacher is not the only one to give instruction. We are all ministers of the Gospel and, at some level, we should be teaching others. That’s discipleship 101!

Check this out:

Hebrews 5:12-14 (ESV) 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

If we remain in the spiritual nursery, we never become mature or strong enough to go out and preach the Gospel. And, if we don’t preach the Gospel, we fail in the Great Commission.

The Big Idea of discipleship is that we take on the nature and character of Jesus and impact the world with it. There are scientists that suggest that when man travels to Mars, that we implement a plan of “terraforming.” In this process, we take advantage of the fact that Mars’ atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide, we can plant trees and vegetation that breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen, thus making the atmosphere suitable for human life. Likewise we plant seeds of God’s unconditional Love and Grace to breathe in sin, law, and religion and breathe out love, peace, and liberty!

Now, don’t get me wrong. Doctrine is important — but must be kept in its proper perspective. Doctrine is the explanation of why we do what we do, not a stepwise approach to doing it. When doctrine is viewed as instructional instead of explanatory, it tends toward legalism and works. Improper understanding of doctrine keeps saints on the treadmill of religion.

The author of Hebrews speaks of things near salvation and greater than it:

Hebrews 6:9 (AMPC) 9 Even though we speak this way, yet in your case, beloved, we are now firmly convinced of better things that are near to salvation and accompany it.

So what are the better things that are near salvation and accompany it?

Love. Love is greater than salvation. Love illustrates the goodness of God, which leads men to repentance. Love is the Chief Fruit of the Spirit. Love is greater than faith or hope. Love never fails. Love is is the identifying characteristic of the disciple of Christ to the world.

Grace.

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One of the great challenges in the Body of Christ is whether obedience or liberty will rule in the manifestation of our discipleship. And when rules are discussed, they are usually done so under the framework of doctrine. For the record, doctrine is more about why we do what we do more so than how we do what we do, or what we do, itself.

Doctrine was never meant to be rule bearing or burdensome (Galatians 4:1-5). But it has become so. It has become the heavy-handed taskmaster of discipleship. Today, I pray, we will break that bondage forever.

Hebrews 6:1-3 (ESV) 1 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits.

This passage of Scripture is foundational because it is the gateway to deeper understanding. It urges us to grow beyond what gets us into the Kingdom to how we take the Kingdom into the world to influence and reshape it.

The author of Hebrews is communicating to the reader that we should not get stuck in Kingdom Kindergarten. We need to be in a mode of continuous growth so that we can become teachers.

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, the preacher is not the only one to give instruction. We are all ministers of the Gospel and, at some level, we should be teaching others. That’s discipleship 101!

Check this out:

Hebrews 5:12-14 (ESV) 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

If we remain in the spiritual nursery, we never become mature or strong enough to go out and preach the Gospel. And, if we don’t preach the Gospel, we fail in the Great Commission.

The Big Idea of discipleship is that we take on the nature and character of Jesus and impact the world with it. There are scientists that suggest that when man travels to Mars, that we implement a plan of “terraforming.” In this process, we take advantage of the fact that Mars’ atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide, we can plant trees and vegetation that breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen, thus making the atmosphere suitable for human life. Likewise we plant seeds of God’s unconditional Love and Grace to breathe in sin, law, and religion and breathe out love, peace, and liberty!

Now, don’t get me wrong. Doctrine is important — but must be kept in its proper perspective. Doctrine is the explanation of why we do what we do, not a stepwise approach to doing it. When doctrine is viewed as instructional instead of explanatory, it tends toward legalism and works. Improper understanding of doctrine keeps saints on the treadmill of religion.

The author of Hebrews speaks of things near salvation and greater than it:

Hebrews 6:9 (AMPC) 9 Even though we speak this way, yet in your case, beloved, we are now firmly convinced of better things that are near to salvation and accompany it.

So what are the better things that are near salvation and accompany it?

Love. Love is greater than salvation. Love illustrates the goodness of God, which leads men to repentance. Love is the Chief Fruit of the Spirit. Love is greater than faith or hope. Love never fails. Love is is the identifying characteristic of the disciple of Christ to the world.

Grace.

One of the greatest questions posed by any believer is, “God, do you hear me?” Likewise, one of the things that keeps the unsaved away from God is the belief that He doesn’t hear us — or at least He doesn’t respond.

I’d like to deal with this question from the perspective of both the saved and the unsaved.

(Spoiler alert: God not only HEARS you but He ANSWERS you!)

John 11:41-42 (ESV) 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.”

One of the things we discover from searching the Gospels is that Jesus was a man of prayer. He spent a great deal of time in prayer. Now, this is interesting because He is God in the flesh (Romans 8:3). He also said that He and the Father are one (John 10:30).

This means that He had the mind of God. He knew God’s thoughts. And, in the core text, Jesus thanks the Father for always hearing Him! If this is true, why pray? But where this gets really deep is right here:

John 5:19 (ESV) 19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.

Wait a minute — if Jesus had this amazing prayer life but He only did what He saw the father do, Whom, then, does the Father pray to.

Before we continue, we need to stop and stand the traditional prayer paradigm on its ear. Prayer is not a religious exercise, it is conversation. It is how our heavenly Father communicates with us. We speak and He listens. God operates faster than the speed of thought — nothing escapes Him!

Psalms 139:1-4 (ESV) 1 O LORD, you have searched me and known me! 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. 3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before a word is on my tongue,

behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.

Prayer is not a tool by which we bombard God with petitions until He responds. True prayer is a dialogue, not a monologue! When we jabber away at God without giving him a chance to reply, well, there’s a deep theological term for that…

It’s called being rude! And rudeness is un-Christlike! So stop it. Just like music is just noise without the rests between the notes, prayer requires silence on our part so that we hear from God.

Now that we’ve level-set on what prayer is, let’s get back to the original question — whom does God speak to?

He speaks to His triune Self!

Genesis 1:26 (ESV) 26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

He speaks to Angels:

Psalms 91:11 (ESV) 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

And He speaks to people:

Matthew 17:5 (ESV) 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

So, when Jesus prayed, He was simply doing what He saw the Father do! Because relationships require communication!

We see now that God definitely speaks, but does He listen. He heard Abraham, Moses, and David and responded to them. He definitely heard Jesus and responded to Him.

Which brings me to another question: where are you positionally? If you are in Christ, you are a joint-heir with Jesus (Romans 8:17).

One of the greatest questions posed by any believer is, “God, do you hear me?” Likewise, one of the things that keeps the unsaved away from God is the belief that He doesn’t hear us — or at least He doesn’t respond.

I’d like to deal with this question from the perspective of both the saved and the unsaved.

(Spoiler alert: God not only HEARS you but He ANSWERS you!)

John 11:41-42 (ESV) 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.”

One of the things we discover from searching the Gospels is that Jesus was a man of prayer. He spent a great deal of time in prayer. Now, this is interesting because He is God in the flesh (Romans 8:3). He also said that He and the Father are one (John 10:30).

This means that He had the mind of God. He knew God’s thoughts. And, in the core text, Jesus thanks the Father for always hearing Him! If this is true, why pray? But where this gets really deep is right here:

John 5:19 (ESV) 19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.

Wait a minute — if Jesus had this amazing prayer life but He only did what He saw the father do, Whom, then, does the Father pray to.

Before we continue, we need to stop and stand the traditional prayer paradigm on its ear. Prayer is not a religious exercise, it is conversation. It is how our heavenly Father communicates with us. We speak and He listens. God operates faster than the speed of thought — nothing escapes Him!

Psalms 139:1-4 (ESV) 1 O LORD, you have searched me and known me! 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. 3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before a word is on my tongue,

behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.

Prayer is not a tool by which we bombard God with petitions until He responds. True prayer is a dialogue, not a monologue! When we jabber away at God without giving him a chance to reply, well, there’s a deep theological term for that…

It’s called being rude! And rudeness is un-Christlike! So stop it. Just like music is just noise without the rests between the notes, prayer requires silence on our part so that we hear from God.

Now that we’ve level-set on what prayer is, let’s get back to the original question — whom does God speak to?

He speaks to His triune Self!

Genesis 1:26 (ESV) 26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

He speaks to Angels:

Psalms 91:11 (ESV) 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

And He speaks to people:

Matthew 17:5 (ESV) 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

So, when Jesus prayed, He was simply doing what He saw the Father do! Because relationships require communication!

We see now that God definitely speaks, but does He listen. He heard Abraham, Moses, and David and responded to them. He definitely heard Jesus and responded to Him.

Which brings me to another question: where are you positionally? If you are in Christ, you are a joint-heir with Jesus (Romans 8:17).

As a student of finance and economics, I used to be enthralled with corporate raiders. People like Carl Ichan and T. Boone Pickens would scour the corporate landscape, looking for companies to devour and extract value from. I would realize later that they were largely vultures, feeding off the carcasses of near-dead companies.

Now, this isn’t the testimony of all corporate raiders — there are some who actually come in and revitalize their targets.

Today, I want to tell the story of two hostile takeovers — one that ended in the corruption of creation and another that ends in redemption from corruption.

I have two passages of Scripture I want to work with:

Luke 19:10 (KJV) For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Galatians 4:5 (KJV) To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

In the beginning, God created an atmosphere for His children and then created them in His image and His likeness. Because they were to look and act like Him, He gave them his Royal Nature — Dominion. The angels beheld this creation and said:

Psalms 8:4-6 (AMPC) 4 What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him? 5 Yet You have made him but a little lower than God [or heavenly beings], and You have crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet:

I humbly submit that the angels were at least a little envious of this lump of clay that God lavishes so much attention and affection upon.

One of these angels was so enraged that he misappropriated the form of a serpent to seduce man into surrendering the franchise of earthly dominion. Now, contrary to popular belief, man did not give up his dominion when he ate the fruit, he gave it up when he failed to act according to his dominion mandate and accept responsibility for his actions and, instead, played the “blame game:”

“The serpent beguiled…”

“This woman you gave me…”

Can you believe that, man actually tried to blame God. In case you’re wondering, this helped set the paradigm for religion — blaming God for things man should have authority over.

But I digress…

This was the first hostile takeover. Man was made to believe that he had surrendered the title deed to authority in the earth to satan. The devil, then crowns himself “god of this world,” and proceeds to wreak havoc for centuries.

But, then, along comes Jesus! Jesus begins His earthly ministry telling people to “Repent and believe the Gospel!” Now, we know full well that repent doesn’t mean “confess your sins” as religion holds but “change your mind.” In other words, here comes some good news that darkness no longer has authority over you so change your mind and turn to and embrace the light!

So Jesus comes and says, “For the son of man is come to seek and to save THAT which was lost.” Notice the pronoun, THAT. It is an impersonal pronoun speaking of an impersonal subject. What is the THAT. The THAT, my friends, is the Royal Authority bestowed upon man but thought to be surrendered in the garden!

Kings are first concerned with the integrity of their Kingdoms. It is only by demonstrating power and authority that they may bless their subjects. Jesus came to show that, through Him, we have been restored to our position of authority in the earth. This is why Jesus chided His disciples for “little faith” on the boat (Mark 4:37-41) and with the boy afflicted by the spirit of seizure (Mark 9:17-29) — because they had the power and authority to fix the situation but, instead, they waited for Jesus!

See, religion tells you to wait for a move of God — but Jesus came to empower the move of man by redeeming Him!

As a student of finance and economics, I used to be enthralled with corporate raiders. People like Carl Ichan and T. Boone Pickens would scour the corporate landscape, looking for companies to devour and extract value from. I would realize later that they were largely vultures, feeding off the carcasses of near-dead companies.

Now, this isn’t the testimony of all corporate raiders — there are some who actually come in and revitalize their targets.

Today, I want to tell the story of two hostile takeovers — one that ended in the corruption of creation and another that ends in redemption from corruption.

I have two passages of Scripture I want to work with:

Luke 19:10 (KJV) For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Galatians 4:5 (KJV) To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

In the beginning, God created an atmosphere for His children and then created them in His image and His likeness. Because they were to look and act like Him, He gave them his Royal Nature — Dominion. The angels beheld this creation and said:

Psalms 8:4-6 (AMPC) 4 What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him? 5 Yet You have made him but a little lower than God [or heavenly beings], and You have crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet:

I humbly submit that the angels were at least a little envious of this lump of clay that God lavishes so much attention and affection upon.

One of these angels was so enraged that he misappropriated the form of a serpent to seduce man into surrendering the franchise of earthly dominion. Now, contrary to popular belief, man did not give up his dominion when he ate the fruit, he gave it up when he failed to act according to his dominion mandate and accept responsibility for his actions and, instead, played the “blame game:”

“The serpent beguiled…”

“This woman you gave me…”

Can you believe that, man actually tried to blame God. In case you’re wondering, this helped set the paradigm for religion — blaming God for things man should have authority over.

But I digress…

This was the first hostile takeover. Man was made to believe that he had surrendered the title deed to authority in the earth to satan. The devil, then crowns himself “god of this world,” and proceeds to wreak havoc for centuries.

But, then, along comes Jesus! Jesus begins His earthly ministry telling people to “Repent and believe the Gospel!” Now, we know full well that repent doesn’t mean “confess your sins” as religion holds but “change your mind.” In other words, here comes some good news that darkness no longer has authority over you so change your mind and turn to and embrace the light!

So Jesus comes and says, “For the son of man is come to seek and to save THAT which was lost.” Notice the pronoun, THAT. It is an impersonal pronoun speaking of an impersonal subject. What is the THAT. The THAT, my friends, is the Royal Authority bestowed upon man but thought to be surrendered in the garden!

Kings are first concerned with the integrity of their Kingdoms. It is only by demonstrating power and authority that they may bless their subjects. Jesus came to show that, through Him, we have been restored to our position of authority in the earth. This is why Jesus chided His disciples for “little faith” on the boat (Mark 4:37-41) and with the boy afflicted by the spirit of seizure (Mark 9:17-29) — because they had the power and authority to fix the situation but, instead, they waited for Jesus!

See, religion tells you to wait for a move of God — but Jesus came to empower the move of man by redeeming Him!

One of the things that keeps people from getting to know Jesus or experiencing oneness with Him is the belief that God is, at best, an absentee father or, at worst, a deadbeat dad. The truth of the matter is that God is a Good, Good, Father. His Goodness is eternal and His Goodness isRead More

One of the things that keeps people from getting to know Jesus or experiencing oneness with Him is the belief that God is, at best, an absentee father or, at worst, a deadbeat dad. The truth of the matter is that God is a Good, Good, Father. His Goodness is eternal and His Goodness is the only thing that will lead men to repentance (Romans 2:4).

God Cares. And He Cares deeply for us.

Luke 12:22-32 (ESV) 22 And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 26 If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. 30 For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. 32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

The Bible tells us (Psalms 139:13-14) that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Because we know that God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, we can surmise that terror is not part of the equation. No, the “fearfully” here is “reverently.”

I can see the torches and pitchforks now. Yep. I said, “reverently.”

How can I say that? Because we were created in the image and likeness of God to rule and reign here on earth. Everything in the earth is created to be subject to our authority. Psalms 8:4-6 asks the question, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? 5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings (elohim) and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;

you have put all things under his feet,

Genesis 1:26-28 tells us that we have dominion over all the things in the earth. Romans 8:19 says all of creation is waiting for mankind to take its rightful place in the earth.

God cares so much that when the world was completely upside down, God sent His only Son to die a horrible death for the express purpose of setting things straight.

He cares so much that He allows Himself to be the burden bearer of our own cares and concerns:

1 Peter 5:7 (AMPC) 7 Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.

This is a reflection on Psalm 55:22.

The bottom line is, God cares. He cares so much that the very hairs on your head are numbered (Luke 12:7). He cares so much that He knows the very fabric of your being. He cares so much that He sent Himself in flesh to exchange the potential for eternal darkness and death into eternal life and light! He cares so much that He takes up residence in our bodies, calling it His temple! God cares for us so much that He redeemed us to be reconciled with Him, and that He would never leave nor forsake us. God cares so much for us that He would replace a covenant that we couldn’t keep with a Covenant that He, alone would keep!

We are the object of His affection. We are His crowning glory!

In 1980, the new wave rock band, Devo, released their biggest hit, “Whip It.” It was intended as satire against American optimism and became an anthem of counterculturalism. It also had significant appeal in sadomasochistic circles. What’s interesting about the song is that it alludes to the premise that you can whip any problem — person, place, or thing — into the end-state you wish it to be in.

Unfortunately, this mentality has crept into the church.

Today, I want to talk about whips and how they have become a problem for the body of Christ.

John 2:15 And having made a lash (a whip) of cords, He drove them all out of the temple [enclosure]—both the sheep and the oxen—spilling and scattering the brokers’ money and upsetting and tossing around their trays (their stands).

Jesus made a whip. And He “violently” drove sinners out of the temple. This is the narrative that has been shared for this story. And while we see in the two verses that follows this, Jesus was upset because the temple had become a place of merchandise and that it was fulfilling of a prophecy that said zeal for God’s house would consume Him.

I’m going to deal with these two verses in a few minutes but let’s review the nature and character of Jesus. First, Jesus was nonviolent. He told those who heard him that “an eye for an eye” was not the proper approach. He rebuked James and John for wanting to bring fire from heaven. He chided Peter for cutting a man’s ear off. In all the Gospel accounts, we never find Jesus causing or bringing harm to anyone.

So Jesus would have been at odds with Himself to commit a violent act when He, Himself, was against violence.

The rulers of the temple allowed moneychangers (usurious lenders and unscrupulous merchants) to operate in the temple. In other words, legalistic religion permitted this. These were not drunkards, prostitutes, or whoremongers — these were people with religion’s stamp of approval. And they were making merchandise out of the people of God.

This is what got Jesus whipped into a frenzy! Not the temple, itself, but how the temple system was polluting the people. Jesus was showing us that sometimes, we have to chase things out of the temple of God — which is our bodies. Anything that can take advantage of you or others needs to go! Jesus was sweeping the law, the monetary system of the world, and religion out of the temple — in other words, he was giving us an example of renewing our minds!

So, in this context, Jesus used this cord as more of a broom than a whip!

If we continue further into the book of John, we see Pontius Pilate having Jesus scourged before going to the Cross. It’s here where we find what religion really likes. The purpose of the Romans scourging Jesus was to get him to confess to a crime he did not commit and to conform to the detente established between Rome and the legalistic Jewish leaders. Religion likes pain. Religion likes beating people into submission. Religion likes to hear confession.

Grace refuses to hear any confession of wrongdoing and does not accuse anyone. Why? Because God said He’d remember our sins no more (Hebrews 8:12, 10:17)! Grace empowers us to confess our holiness (Hebrews 10:10, 14) and our righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21)! Grace enables us to recognize we are loved by God!

Religion sees Jesus’ whip in the same context as the Roman whip. But Jesus’ whip was to demonstrate the removing of impurities while the Roman whip intended to beat purity into the one human being with no impurities!

The Apostle Paul had a whip issue, too. In Acts 2:24-28, we find Paul arrested and about to be flogged. But Paul had an ace up his sleeve — he reminded his captors and tormentors of his Roman citizenship, which made it illegal for him to be beaten without first being tried and condemned.

In 1980, the new wave rock band, Devo, released their biggest hit, “Whip It.” It was intended as satire against American optimism and became an anthem of counterculturalism. It also had significant appeal in sadomasochistic circles. What’s interesting about the song is that it alludes to the premise that you can whip any problem —Read More