Item 16 Sign of the Times? by Pastor Roger I know I have used these passages on a number of occasions, But as I read about some of the ridiculous things that are taking place in our country I can’t help but refer back to them because they are so true about our culture. I Timothy 4:1-2 1Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron… II Timothy 3:1-5 1This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. These 2 passages give us a good description of what the last days before Jesus comes back for his church are going to be like. Jesus said in Mt. 24:37-38 37But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark… What were the days of Noah like? Gen. 6:5 5And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. In other words they were influenced by seducing Spirits and doctrines of devils. Their conscience had been seared. They were lovers of their own selves… (Refer to II Timothy 3:1-5) I wonder; are the days we live in similar to the days of Noah? It seems to me the only way anybody could buy into some of the rhetoric that is being propagated these days is to give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. Many, even in the church are giving in to hypocritical lies. The lie of separation of church and state; the lie that homosexuality and almost any sexually deviant behavior is acceptable; the lie that marriage is a secondary option to cohabitation; the lie that Islam is a religion of peace and Jehovah and Allah are the same God. Somehow we think God has gone soft and will wink at all these things. Just have fun, whatever that means for the moment. Have ‘fun’ at the expense of your family; have ‘fun’ at the expense of your faith; have ‘fun’ at the expense of your culture.
‘Fun’?! We have overflowing prisons. That’s healthy and ‘fun’ isn’t it? How about all the children you are reading about that have been sexually assaulted. We’re having a blast aren’t we?! Did I mention depression and suicide among our youth? WHEEEEEE!!!! What a joy ride! Turns out being lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
Do I sound cynical and maybe a little angry? Shouldn’t we be?
A Macy's employee in San Antonio, Texas, was fired after telling a cross-dresser he could not use the women's dressing room to try on apparel. The employee had pointed out to management the consequences of a policy that affirms the lesbian, "gay," bisexual, transgender (LGBT) lifestyle. "She says that mothers of young daughters come up to her periodically and ask her to keep the men from going into the women's fitting rooms."
The Pentagon has decided that military chaplains will be allowed to perform same-sex unions on military installations despite the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act.
Last weekend, Home Depot set up a booth at the Atlanta Gay Pride festival and entered a float in the parade.Alongside Home Depot's float were marchers and other floats celebrating sadomasochism and bondage. For example, one group of marchers had large dog collars strapped around their necks and were being led by leather-clad "owners" holding chain leashes and whips. (I know for a fact that men expose themselves to children at these events and the police are told to do nothing.)
A young man was thrown out of his high school class and maligned by his teacher, (even made fun of on the Ellen DeGeneres show), after answering a question his teacher asked him. “What do you think of Homosexuality?” “As a catholic I don’t think it is good and moral behavior.” [Not an exact quote but you get the idea.]
It is reported that marriage is at an all time low. More people are ‘cohabitating’ rather than getting married because of finances, convenience, fear of a lasting commitment and many other lame excuses.
Lowes is being targeted by a U.S. senator for pulling their add from a reality show about the happy, friendly Muslim lifestyle. (I don’t have the space to tell you about the threat and danger Islam poses to the USA and the world. Does reject Jesus and confess Allah or lose your head sound happy? “There is no god but Allah, and Mohammad is his messenger” is the confession they demand. Allah orders his people to fight until ‘there is no one left on the earth that doesn’t worship Allah’.)
This is just the proverbial tip of the iceberg! I could go on and on, occupy Wall Street; the Emergent church; planned parenthood; John Freshwater; dare I say Barak Hussein Obama, the most pro abortion, pro homosexual agenda, pro socialist president we have ever had. (If you’re ok with that it is your American privilege.) Seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; hypocritical lies; seared conscience; lovers of themselves; lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God…
None of this is rocket science. You don’t get intimate with animals; our nation’s history screams Jesus; same sex marriage is unnatural no matter how you slice it; men, no matter what their perversion, don’t belong in the ladies changing room; Christianity offers grace and we won’t slit your throat if you disagree or don’t accept it. It makes your head feel like it is going to explode doesn’t it?
We, (the church), have been convinced we should be tolerant and quiet. At what cost? Do we remain silent and tolerant at the cost of our freedom; at the cost of our children’s future; at the cost of our nation’s heritage; at the cost of our faith in the one true God, creator of the universe who left his eternal throne in heaven to come to this earth as a mortal man and be permanently scarred so I could have a right relationship with him and an eternal reward in heaven? What price are we willing to pay?
We as Christians are called to be loving, joyful, peaceful, longsuffering, gentle, good, faithful, Meek, and temperate. (Galatians 5:22-23) However we are not called to be liked or passive, silent and tolerant of every godless deviant behavior that comes down the road.
Jesus condemned sin and offered the sinner an alternative life. Was his message met with rave reviews? They crucified him! Jesus said we would suffer with him in this world. Suffering comes when we stand for truth at any cost. “The world hates you because it first hated me.” Are we silent because we love the praises of man more than the blessing of God?
I believe I am having to write an article about this stuff because the church bought into political correctness and hid in the sanctuary. If anybody needs to come out of the closet it is the church. Let me close with this mandate from Jesus: Then said Jesus unto his disciples, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” This is the only hope we have for any good change.
Item 15 Don’t Have Time? by Paul Mark Miller, Freedom Hills Ministries
Recently I’ve become aware of a phrase commonly thrown around among most people, including myself, that is a lie. This lie destroys marriage relationships, parent – child relationships and also relationships with God. It consists of four simple words and is a very common part of our everyday conversation. I’ve heard it used to get people “off the hook” in all kinds of situations. Wondering what it is? It’s a phrase, “I don’t have time!” How often have we used that phrase in the last week? I hear things like, “I’d like to spend more time with my family, but I don’t have time. I’m too busy.” Incidentally, the last half of that statement is true. Most of us are too busy, but what about the first half?Have you ever heard someone say, “I just cut off my arm, but I don’t have time to go to the hospital or to bandage it.?” Did that person have a busy day planned, schedules to meet, things to get done? Probably. So, why did they do to the hospital? Because it was important to them. In fact, it became a priority.Time is a gift that God has given to each one of us to use however we choose. He has given everyone the same amount of time in a day – 24 hours, 1,440 minutes, or 86,400 seconds.Did you know that we do what is most important to us? “But”, we say, “I really want to spend more time with my family, however, I have to work. I have to provide. I have to sleep, etc.” Notice, we have time to do all the things that are a priority to us. I’m not saying those things aren’t important, but are they always the most important things? I wonder what would happen if we would be honest and start changing, “I don’t have time” to “I have too many other things that are more important to me.” It sounds a little different when we say, “I know I should spend more time with God, but I have too many other things that are more important to me.” Or how about, “I’d like to go fishing or play ball with my son, but I have too many other things that are more important to me.” Do you get the picture?I’ve heard many stories in my office of little boys and girls whose parents “didn’t have time”. “I knew that loved me, but they were always busy.”In Jesus’ parable of the talents, the King gave each one a “gift”. They were responsible to be stewards of the gifts. When He returned, He called each one of them to give an account of how they used the gifts. Will we be called to give an account of how we used the gift of time? Every minute, every second, every day? What will be the most important then? One thing I’m sure we won say – God, I wanted to, but I really didn’t have time.”
Think about it!
Item 15 A Mandate From Heaven by Pastor Roger
Melodee and I went to a poverty simulation put on by United Way. They set up chairs to separate families into a community. We got to pick out a name and an age from some name tags they had on a table. You could be a 16 year old girl or a single mother. They grouped you into families with real life situations. Melodee and I chose to be in our 50s, (if you can imagine that.) I was a 52 year old man on disability social security. Melodee was my 50 year old wife. She had to work a $9.50 an hour job to support us. Our two grand children lived with us because our son was nowhere to be found.
The object was to pay our bills, keep food on the table, get the necessary meds for our grandson, take the kids to school and pick them up etc. You know, normal every day stuff. Stuff we all have to deal with only on a very limited income with limited resources. Fifteen minutes was equal to one week. You had to survive for a month without getting arrested or losing your house or going bankrupt. The thing is you started out already behind the proverbial 8 ball.
At first it felt like a game. They even said don’t make a game out of this. It only took a few minutes to begin to realize the frustration and sometimes the humiliation you can endure when things haven’t gone too well for you financially and other wise. It only felt like a game for about 3 minutes. We weren’t able to buy food the first week. I was arrested for not picking up my grand kids after school. We came home to find we had been robbed. By the end of the month we barely had enough to make our mortgage payment. Melodee actually tried to get me to steal some money someone had dropped! A police officer was kind enough to give us some money. Social services made promises they didn’t keep. ARRRRRRRG!!! We had it better than most. Some ended up homeless, children in juvy, most just eked by.
It was a real eye opening experience. Someone reading this is thinking, “Welcome to my real world.” This is life for some people. You learn to survive.
I am not rich by any stretch of the imagination. We have been unemployed and on food stamps for a short time. We know what it feels like to wonder how you are going to pay the gas bill or the rent. However I thank God that those times were short lived. This is a life style for probably more people than a lot of us know.
Poverty is a reality for a lot of families. Some of it is self inflicted, some of it is learned. (Generational poverty is poverty that is learned and passed down from generation to generation.) Some are there because life has dealt them some tough blows. Maybe a divorce or a disease; maybe an accident or a sick or wayward child has put someone in dire straits; maybe they lost a job and because of age or skill level or the economy they can’t find a job. There are a whole host of reasons for poverty.
It is easy for us to stand back and pass judgment on the poor and blame them for their circumstances and say they just need to take responsibility and it’s not my job to bail them out. The fact of the matter is the church was called to take care of the poor.
The bible has a lot to say about the poor. Most of it is positive. Proverbs alone talks about the poor in 13 chapters. Prov.14:31 He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy. Prov.17:5 He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker; He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
In Mark 12 Jesus speaks very highly of the poor woman who gave all she had to the temple. (Read it for yourself.) Jesus himself, our creator, became poor for us so that no matter what our circumstance is here we can be rich. II Cor.8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.
James rebukes those that put the rich on a pedestal and disregard the poor. James 2:2-6 Jesus tells us in Revelation we can think we are rich because we possess a lot of stuff and live in comfort yet be poor. Rev.3:17
Here’s the thing. We are to take care of the poor. Gal.2:10 They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do. People may be poor because of bad decisions or bad circumstances; I guess if we are going to error it is better to error on the side of grace. I know caution and wisdom have to be used but I wonder if sometimes we don’t replace those with judgment.
The bottom line isn’t how many possessions we can accumulate or how big of a bank account we can build up; (He with the most toys still dies), the bottom line is our integrity before God. If I am rich do I glorify God in it? If I am poor do I honor God with what little I have here? Am I (are we) laying up treasures in heaven where moth and rust can’t corrupt and thieves can’t break into and steal? Or are we laying treasures up on earth that will decay and vanish? Jesus said that where our treasure is, that’s where our heart will be. Matt.6:19-21
The poverty simulation was a real eye opener for us. Now the challenge is what do we do with it? How can we as a church better serve our community, especially those that struggle from day to day just to keep their heads above water? Any ideas?
There was a question on the survey our church took recently that keeps nagging at me. If Grace Community Church ceased to exist would the community miss us? I want the answer to that question to be YES. Think about it. What can we offer our community? We have a mandate from heaven to care for the poor. James 2:14-17 14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
Item 14 Can Anybody Hear Me?! by Pastor Roger Tickle
Psa. 49:10 “Be still and know that I am God.” At the beginning of this passage the psalmist says: God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not
fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
Sounds like a lot of noise doesn’t it? The psalmist says in all the noise, learn to be quiet and understand. “I am God.”
Our ability to concentrate for any length of time seems to be subpar. This isn’t criticism, it is just reality.
I hear if a sermon is over 20 minutes long you lose people. We start trailing off into another world. It’s probably true. As a matter of fact as I am writing this article I find myself trailing off into another world of thought. I can’t even pay attention to myself for very long.
I have read about preachers of old who would preach for 2-4 hours, (sometimes every night for weeks!!), and draw huge crowds. They didn’t tell a lot of jokes and have a lot of entertainment to try to keep peoples’ attention. Charles Finney had to cut his preaching down to 2 hours a night when he became ill and was spitting up blood. Jonathan Edwards read his sermons. ‘Sinners in the hands of an angry God’ was 22 pages long. (I know this because I printed it out.) It was one of his most powerful sermons. People heard it and came under deep conviction. There was an ability to hear and listen that seems to be lost on some of us because of all the noise around us.
How often do we sit in the quiet and listen? Our world is so cluttered with noise. We have i-pods, CD’s, cell phones, TV, radio, all available 24-7 no matter where we are. We even have visual noise with face book, text messaging, e-mail and the World Wide Web. No matter where we are or what we are doing we are surrounded by noise.
Here’s a little test for you to see how the noise is affecting you. When you are having a face to face conversation, pay attention to how much you are really hearing. Monitor yourself. Are you listening or are you formulating your response?
Too often while in conversation we are thinking about how we are going to respond while the other person is talking. Our minds have been rewired to take in so much information from so many different sources that it is hard for us to be still and listen. (This isn’t scientific just a personal observation.) Husbands and wives often have difficulty resolving conflict because neither will stop and listen (be still) to hear what the other is really saying.
If we struggle with listening to a warm body standing in front of us then where does that put us when we are confronted with hearing God’s voice? Psa. 49:10 ‘BE STILL and know that I am God.’
‘Be still’ means to relax, be quiet. Find a solitary place, no computer, no phone, no TV, no head phones, just you and your bible and maybe a cup of coffee or tea. ‘Be still and know’ means to know by experience. There is no better place to experience God than in the quiet. With all the noise of the first few versus of Psalm 49, at the end he says ‘be quiet’. ‘Be still and know that I am God’. Elohyim is the Hebrew name translated God. It is plural. I believe it is talking about our triune God. Paul says in Colossians 3:11 ‘but Christ is all, and in all’. He is all encompassing, He is all we need.
Pay attention to your ability to listen. Does it need work? Here are some tips for listening to God and each other.
God:
1) Ask Him to speak to you. He will.
2) Get in a quiet place. No computers, i-pods etc…
3) Have your bible and a note book handy so you can write down what he says.
4) Read your bible as though God is
talking directly to you. When a passage stands out ask; "what do you want me to see here?" I think you will be surprised at what you begin to hear and see.
Each other:
1) Give your full attention on the person who is speaking. Don't look out the window or at what else is going on in the room.
2) Make sure your mind is focused, too. It can be easy to let your mind wander if you think you know what the person is going to say next, but you might be wrong! If you feel your mind wandering, change the position of your body and try to concentrate on the speaker's words.
3) Let the speaker finish before you begin to talk. Speakers appreciate having the chance to say everything they would like to say without being interrupted. (Don’t you?) When you interrupt, it looks like you aren't listening, even if you really are.
4) Let yourself finish listening before you begin to speak! You can't really listen if you are busy thinking about what you want say next.
5) When listening to a sermon or a speech take notes.
6) If you’re not sure you heard right ask questions. “Is this what you said?” “Is this what you meant?"
It takes intentional effort but if you practice you might be surprised at how much you begin to hear that you missed because of the noise. ‘Be still and know that I am God.’ ‘To him who has ears to hear let him hear what the Spirit says…’
Item 13 “That’s what Christians do . . ." By Dr. Donald E. Wildmon, AFA founder
Item 13 “That’s what Christians do . . ." In 1973 the Supreme Court said it was OK to kill unborn babies. Since then, we have killed more than the entire population of Canada. And it it continues. A woman's choice? Half of those who have died in their mothers' wombs have been women. They didn't have a choice. It is called abortion.
Me? I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That’s what Christians do now.
First it was in dingy, dirty theaters. Then, convenience stores, Then, grocery stores. Then on television. Now it is in the homes of millions via the Internet. It is called pornography.
Me? I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That’s what Christians do now.
They call it no-fault. Why should we blame anyone when something so tragic happens. Haven’t they already suffered enough? Half of the marriages in America end this way. The children suffered. The family broke down. It is called divorce.
Me? I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That’s what Christians do now.
At one time it was a perversion. We kept it secret. We secured help and hope for those who practiced it. Now it is praised. We have parades celebrating it, and elected officials give it their blessing. Now it is endowed with special privileges and protected by special laws. Even some Christian leaders and denominations praise it. It is called homosexuality.
Me? I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That’s what Christians do now.
It used to be an embarrassment. A shame. Now a third of all births are to mothers who aren’t married. Two-thirds of all African-American children are born into a home without a father. The state usually pays the tab. That is why we pay our taxes, so that government can take the place of parents. After all, government bureaucrats know much better how to raise children than parents do. It is called illegitimacy.
Me? I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That’s what Christians do now.
At one time it was wrong. But then the state decided to legalize it, promote it and tax it. It has ripped apart families and destroyed lives. But just look at all the money the state has raised. No longer do we have to teach our children to study and work hard. Now we teach them they can get something for nothing. We spend millions encouraging people to join the fun and excitement. Just look at the big sums that people are winning. They will never have to work again! It is called gambling.
Me? I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That’s what Christians do now.
Not long ago, Christians were the good guys. But now any positive image of Christians in movies or on TV is gone. We are now depicted as the bad guys — greedy, narrow-minded hypocrites. The teacher can’t have a Bible on her desk, but can have Playboy. We don’t have Christmas and Easter holidays — just winter and spring break. We can’t pray in school, but can use foul language. It’s called being tolerant.
Me? I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That’s what Christians do now.
Yes, all these things came to pass within 30 years. Where were the Christians? Why, they were in church. All these things are for someone else to deal with. Times have changed. Involvement has been replaced with apathy.
But don’t blame me. I didn’t do anything. I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That’s what Christians do now.
Item 12 Emerging or Absolute, which Jesus do you follow? by Craig Clouston
The right of succession is a powerful thing. Youth and excitement contend that we should not be denied something exciting! But youngsters, left to themselves, will usually break the rules...and sometimes even a body part.
Trying to find a new entrance into our tree house was becoming a challenge. The old way offered no excitement. We had built the structure so well that we'd left no voids large enough to climb through. Young boys become bored quickly...so ignoring our parents warning to "stick to what works," we continued to seek new ways in...right up to the point when one of the neighborhood kids fell, breaking his arm, thus proving that even though the old way wasn't always exciting, it was the only safe way in. Our tree house was dismantled until a time when we could follow instruction and not let our unfulfilled urges exceed our wisdom.
Young boys lack restraint. Proverbs 29:18 says this is not limited to youth; "Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint." (NIV) There is a current move within the Christian Church that seems acceptable yet is dangerous because it is not completely anchored in scripture. It is a doctrine based on making Jesus a seeker-friendly Savior in a post-modern world...a more tolerant jesus that requires nothing of His followers except belief that He exists. To borrow from Oswald Chambers, "This type of experience is not supernatural nor miraculous, it did not cost the passion of God. Today He is being dispatched as the Figurehead of Religion, a mere Example." Emergence is not new, but it is persistent.
One local pastor wrote, "Christianity, therefore, is not saying that Christ is the only way, if it means that it is true and all others are false." Yes, it is! Jesus didn't say, "I am the way to the Father for awhile, but then I will reveal a new and better way later." He says "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father except through me." (Emphasis mine). That's an absolute, no place for compromise!
When we choose to wander from the truth we are in jeopardy. We, as Christians, are called to love all others, speaking truth into the darkness when it presents itself but we must never tolerate a brand of Christianity that denies the deity of our Savior, instead, we are to expose it to the light.
When we get bored it's because we've lost interest in the subject matter. So we recreate the subject matter in a new way that stimulates us and stirs our feelings. Emergence stresses "the worship experience." It's set in a pious atmosphere of low-lighted cathedrals for a deeper spiritual experience, stained glass on the view screen to hearken back to yesterday, icons for drawing you "closer to Christ." It's all about how Jesus makes you feel.
In our feelings-driven society, TV commercials would have us believe that to do what they suggest will bring happiness and fulfillment. The truth they present is their own brand of truth and is meant to sell their product, nothing more. "And they accept all forms of credit!"
The Emerging Church is based in tolerance of all world-view religions holding up a Jesus Who isn't Who He says He is. Their Jesus gives you the freedom to "worship" God as you see fit; whatever gets you to the throne is just fine. They say that it's narrow-minded to believe that Jesus is the only way to God. "Lighten up a little! Don't be so intolerant!"
Salvation was not, and never will be about how you feel about Jesus! It cost God His only Son, He doesn't care how you feel about it. He cares about you having a relationship with his Son. A Son Who gave His life for your sin.
The Emergent philosophy is all about you. Jesus actually says we should deny ourselves and follow Him.
Any form of Christianity that embraces anything outside of Scripture is wrong, no matter how it makes you feel. We can speak the truth in love and pry for revelation without joining them in an effort to get our feeling stirred at the cost of Christ.
So which Jesus do you follow?
Item 11 The Arms Dealer by Craig Clouston Ephesians 6:12: For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere. The two Generals met at the middle of the battlefield to discuss the terms of a peace treaty. Unbeknownst to them, an arms dealer lay hidden in the bushes, rifle at hand, ready to make sure peace did not prevail. As the Generals were about to shake hands the arms dealer took aim at an unsuspecting infantryman and squeezed the trigger. Assuming the other side had fired the shot, the man standing next to him opened fire on the opposition. The battlefield erupted in gunfire, both sides believing the other had violated the cease fire agreement. They had no way of knowing they had been used as pawns in a chess match. Sneaking away under the cover of gunfire and foliage, the arms dealer retreated to safety. The war would last four years and claim the lives of more than ten thousand men and women. During that time the arms dealer sold more than three hundred thousand weapons to both sides, making millions. His plan had worked perfectly: get the soldiers to fight amongst themselves for as long as he could. He couldn’t have cared less about the casualties, or the lives of countless families that were destroyed. All he cared about was making money…any way he could. By means of deception, Satan gets us to fight amongst ourselves, carrying out his schemes of destruction. Instead of waging war against the unseen manipulator, we are lured into fighting an opponent who appears to be our antagonist, never realizing we’ve become tools in the hands of a cunning and vicious enemy, an enemy who wants to sow discord in our families, at our workplace, and especially in the Church. He will manipulate anyone, in any situation, to achieve his goal of chaos and destruction. Paul tells us that by recognizing this ploy as an attack from the enemy, and refusing to take part, we can demolish the devil’s schemes. Next time, before lashing out, look for the ‘arms dealer’, and then take up the Sword of Truth, and engage the real enemy. Try putting the Sword to work. Prov. 15:1 says ‘A soft answer turns away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.’ Paul writes in Eph. 4:32 ‘Be ye kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as Christ for God’s sake has forgiven you.’ Jesus talks about this in Matt. 6:43-48 ‘Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you, and persecute you…’ Paul repeats this in Rom. 12. What would life look like if we engaged the real enemy, looking for the ‘arms dealer,’ using Gods word as our defense? Prayer“Show me when the enemy is scheming against me, Holy Spirit. And help me recognize the ‘arms dealers’ Satan sends my way so I can take appropriate action. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”
Item 10 ACLU: Communisim is the Goal (part 2) by Matt Barber
Now let's break it down. What do you suppose the Framers of the US Constitution -- a document expressly designed to limit the powers of federal government -- intended with the word "Congress"? Did they mean State government? Municipal government? Your local school district? Your third grade teacher?
Of course not. They meant exactly what they said: Congress. As in: The United States Congress! It takes someone with a distinctly disingenuous ulterior motive to derive anything else. Now what did they mean by "...shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion?" Well, in a letter to Benjamin Rush, a fellow-signer of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson -- often touted by the left as the great church-state separationst -- answered that question. The First Amendment's Establishment Clause was singularly intended to restrict Congress from affirmatively "establishing," through federal legislation, a national Christian denomination (similar to the Anglican Church of England). Or, as Jefferson put it: "[T]he clause of the Constitution" covering "freedom of religion" was intended to necessarily preclude "an establishment of a particular form of Christianity through the United States." How far removed we are today from the original intent of our Founding Fathers. The ACLU is largely responsible for creating the gulf between the Constitution's original construction and its modern misapplication. The ACLU remains one of America's most powerful secular-socialist political pressure groups. It relentlessly tramples underfoot the First Amendment, which guarantees sweeping and absolute liberty for all Americans -- including government employees -- to freely exercise their faith both publicly and privately without fear of reprisal: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Examples of its constitutional abuses are manifold, but one of the most recent involves an ACLU assault against a group of Christians in Santa Rosa County, FL. Liberty Counsel represents those Christians. An ACLU-crafted Consent Decree has been used as a weapon to threaten school district employees with fines and jail time for merely praying over a meal, and for exercising -- even while away from school -- their sincerely held Christian faith. You read that right. The ACLU is literally seeking to criminalize Christianity. In August of 2009, Liberty Counsel successfully defended staff member Michelle Winkler from contempt charges brought by the ACLU after her husband, who is not even employed by the district, offered a meal prayer at a privately sponsored event in a neighboring county. Liberty Counsel also successfully defended Pace High School Principal Frank Lay and Athletic Director Robert Freeman against criminal contempt charges, after the ACLU sought to have the men thrown in jail for blessing a lunch meal served to about 20 adult booster club members. Under the Consent Decree teachers are considered to be acting in their "official capacity" anytime a student is present, even at private functions off campus.Liberty Counsel describes this unconstitutional decree: Teachers cannot pray, bow their heads, or fold their hands to show agreement with anyone who does pray. Teachers and staff cannot 'Reply' to an email sent by a parent if the parent's email refers to God or Scripture. Teachers either have to delete such references from the original email or reply by initiating a new email. Teachers and staff are also required to stop students from praying in their own private club meetings. During witness testimony, Mrs. Winkler sobbed as she described how she and a coworker, who had recently lost a child, literally had to hide in a closet to pray. Although the case continues, on Monday the ACLU suffered a tremendous setback while freedom took a significant step forward. Federal District Court Judge M. Casey Rodgers granted in part a Preliminary Injunction in favor of Liberty Counsel's twenty-four Christian clients. Judge Rodgers concluded that even though "a preliminary injunction is an extraordinary and drastic remedy," one aspect of the Consent Decree -- its attempt to prohibit school employees from fully participating in private religious events -- is so flawed that it must be immediately halted. The Court thus enjoined the School Board "from enforcing any school policy that restrains in any way an employee's participation in, or speech or conduct during, a private religious service, including baccalaureate" pending a trial on the merits. "Progressives" are nothing if not consistent. As they gain confidence, they invariably rush across that bridge too far. They engage wild-eyed efforts to "fundamentally transform America" to reflect their own secular-socialist self-image. I'm certain that both the bare-knuckle spirit of the American people and Liberty Counsel's enduring 92 percent win record against the ACLU will maintain a durable safeguard - an "impenetrable wall of separation" if you will - between our constitutionally guaranteed liberties and a subversive "progressive" agenda built upon the distinctly un-American creed: "Communism is the goal."
Matt Barber is Director of Cultural Affairs with Liberty Counsel and also serves as Associate Dean with Liberty School of Law.
Item 9 GRATIFYING ME
How many times does an idea take hold in our mind that eventually expands to take a form that is exciting and maybe even altruistic in nature. This idea can expand from a single thought that comes from; observing something that needs changed, or seeing a problem that needs remedied, or maybe even seeing an opportunity to create something, to a sequential and verifiable group of ideas. This group of ideas can even turn into a full fledge solution. How exciting to come up with a solution, especially when it involves helping others. What began with one single idea then progressed to a final conclusion can be so gratifying. How rewarding, how exciting! We see this process of reaching solutions, in the business world, in our personal lives, and to a great extent in our spiritual lives. The need can be very real and may even be urgent, and the pattern of solving the need may be of the heart but… How many times does the focus turn from the need itself to our own elevation? This change can be very subtle. It can even appear to be wise in the venue of solving the problem or need, however the surface wisdom does not diminish the tentacles of a hidden agenda…gratifying ME. Gratifying me, even the statement makes me uncomfortable almost like nails on a chalkboard. I don’t care for selfish people. I believe selfishness to be the opposite of following Christ. Therefore, since I have chosen to follow Christ with my heart, mind, body and soul this can’t apply to me…or can it? Like many others who have accepted Christ, I have focused much of my life on serving others because I genuinely believe this to be God’s will. It is a high calling. It is rewarding. It fulfills what I call my life’s motto and goal which is: To make it to heaven and take as many people with me as possible. This is truly no flippant statement! It is, what I believe, the highest and most important thing in life. I want to make it to heaven and see the One who gave His life for me. I so very much want to see as many people as possible there with me that at times it makes my heart ache and my spirit agonize over the separation some friends, loved ones, and even strangers, have chosen from Christ. But, even with this core belief and a foundational life motto based on Christ, I somehow can still manage to fall into the category of gratifying myself. Knowing, and I truly mean “knowing,” that someone loved you so much They and their Father made a choice to give you life and most importantly to lay down Their life for yours makes the desire of seeing Them someday a deep seeded, never ending desire. It is the reason for a life motto based on that goal. And this goal makes life a bit easier at times because it has simplified difficult decisions. These decisions can be made much quicker and with less worry when you base your decision against the important measuring stick of “making it to heaven”. This type of yard stick can use the words “will this bring me closer to heaven or farther away” or “will this encourage another toward heaven or push them away” and many other questions that make the decisions very clear. Essentially it saves me from much worry and sleepless nights and it has simplified some of the most complicated decisions I have made. However, as is true with many good and scripture based solutions flaws can occur when the Holy Spirit inspired solution allows for an element in the solution that should never be there; “my” service. There is a step in seeking an answer to any and all solutions that can never be left out or taken for granted. That step is prayerfully seeking God’s direction. This step must be done each and every time no matter if He has directed a certain way in like circumstances before, He is God and only He knows the specifics of each situation. What may seem apparent and similar in circumstances to us is only surface. We do not and can not see what is under the surface. Even when relying on the words of my life’s motto instead of the real core message I have at times forgot the main ingredient…Christ. In my hast and self reliance I simply skipped this vital step. I made the gravest of human errors and “assumed” I could handle things. What can, and has, taken the place of that step is self-worth that has gone a-rye. It has an underlying assumption that “my service” is of such importance that I somehow know the solution is of God’s will and direction…Wrong! The two do not always go hand in hand. We…I must always ask and rely on His immediate direction. Nothing can be assumed and there is an element that should not enter His solution…Me. It is true; I receive such gratification when I see Christ working in the lives of others and in my life. There is nothing that compares with that level of gratification! However, my gratification should be based on the same thing that saved me and continues to save me: Christ alone. Jeremiah 9:23-24, NIV says it best. “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this; that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord. The following quotes say this in such a wonderfully understandable way. They come from Decision magazine June 2008 issue in an article titled “The End of Me.” John Piper was quoted saying, “How shall this insidious motive of pleasure in being made much of be broken except through bending all my faculties to delight in the pleasure of making much of God!... It is deeper than death to self. You have to go down deeper into the grave of flesh to find the truly freeing stream of miracle water that ravishes you with the taste of God’s glory. Only in that speechless, all-satisfying admiration is the end of self.” A prayerful seeking of the subtraction of self from all conclusions, remedies, and answers to any question is set forth by F.B. Meyer also from “The End of Me” article. “Deliver me, O my Lord and Master, from self-confidence, self-centeredness and self-consciousness. By my confidence, and the center of my activities; and may I always be more conscious of Your Presence than the presence or absence of others.” The Apostle Paul said it like this in Acts 20:24. “I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” And the final conclusion comes in the beauty of this article which is shown next to a gorgeous waterfall. It demonstrates in the words of a poem and then in a visual representation of a waterfall the layers of unwinding that needs to take place before there can be an end to “Gratifying Me.” I wind and weave and elaborate
Through intricate patterns of toil
A string of me’s and my’s and I’s
For someone, someday,
To notice and to praise
Until I find the string impossibly
Tangled, snarled and tied. I unloose the me’s and my’s
Then discover that with
Each unraveled strand of pride
And troubled knot
I begin to see
The forming of a tapestry.For as my spool unwinds
And leaves me unconfined
I at last can see
That peace and love
Are yet to be
If I but come
To the end of me. Author: Billie Lou Cantewell
Trinity, Texas So, with a sense of God renewed and another lesson in giving myself away so that Christ can be expanded I am intrigued to the numerous possibilities that Christ has before Him. He can accomplish much when “I” get out of the way and gratification comes from being given such an honorable place of being used to further the gospel not myself. And, I do look forward to the day when I get to say, “Thank You for loving me, dying for me, and putting an “end to me” so that now You, Lord, are the one and only thing that has the power for “Gratifying Me.” Written on May 29, 2008 after reading “My Father’s Last Opportunity” and “The End of Me” in June 2008 Decision Magazine
Item 8 ACLU: Communisim is the Goal by Matt Barber
Irony is defined as "the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning." The term doublespeak means "evasive, ambiguous language that is intended to deceive or confuse."
There is perhaps no greater example of ironic doublespeak than inclusion of the phrase "civil liberties" within the inapt designation: "American Civil Liberties Union."
Indeed, few leftist organizations in existence today can compete with the ACLU in terms of demonstrated hostility toward what the Declaration of Independence describes as "certain unalienable rights" with which Americans are "endowed by their Creator."
Consider the doublespeak inherent throughout the "progressive" Goliath's flowery self-representation:
The ACLU is our nation's guardian of liberty, working daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.
Now contrast that depiction with ACLU founder Roger Baldwin's candid vision:
I am for socialism, disarmament, and, ultimately, for abolishing the state itself... I seek the social ownership of property, the abolition of the propertied class, and the sole control of those who produce wealth. Communism is the goal.
Ironic, isn't it? So much for "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." By combining straightforward segments from each ACLU rendering we arrive with an accurate portrayal. One that cuts through the doublespeak:
The ACLU is...working daily in courts, legislatures and communities. Communism is the goal.
In 1931, just eleven years after the ACLU's inception, the US Congress convened a Special House Committee to Investigate Communist Activities. On the ACLU it reported:
The American Civil Liberties Union is closely affiliated with the communist movement in the United States, and fully 90 percent of its efforts are on behalf of communists who have come into conflict with the law. It claims to stand for free speech, free press and free assembly, but it is quite apparent that the main function of the ACLU is an attempt to protect the communists.
To be sure, the "main function of the ACLU" is entirely counter-constitutional.
A shared objective between both Communism generally, and the ACLU specifically is the suppression of religious liberty; principally, the free exercise of Christianity .
Karl Marx, high priest of the ACLU's beloved cult of Communism, once said: "The first requisite for the happiness of the people is the abolition of religion."
Even the ACLU's own promotional materials overtly advocate religious discrimination: "The message of the Establishment Clause is that religious activities must be treated differently from other activities to ensure against governmental support for religion."
Utter hokum.
The First Amendment's Establishment Clause -- a mere 10 words -- says nothing of the sort. Its message is abundantly clear, requiring severe distortion to stuff within the ACLU's Marxist parameters. It merely states: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion..." That's it.
Matt Barber is Director of Cultural Affairs with Liberty Counsel and also serves as Associate Dean with Liberty School of Law.
Item 7 Hope in Heaven by Pastor Roger Tickle
The book of Job has come to my mind a lot lately. When we go through a trial, great or small, Job almost always gets referred to. We look to it for comfort because Job and his wife (who, incidentally only gets a dishonorable mention in the account at the beginning, Job 2:9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. And then in the end she bears 10 more children for Job and her name is never brought up) are burdened with unimaginable grief from every corner of their life. They made it through the pain and heartache, Job suffers through the cruelty and well meaning rudeness of his friends who felt they needed to give an answer when all along Job didn’t need an answer, he and his wife needed a true friend.
They seemed to understand this at first. Job 2:13 says, So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great. You see, they didn’t need to say anything; they just needed to be there. And when Job opened his mouth to release some thoughts and feelings he was having towards his own miserable existence and God, the best thing his ‘friends’ could have done was to just quietly continue to be there. “My heart aches for you Job. I have no idea what you and Mrs. Job must be feeling right now. Somehow God will teach you something and he will get you through it.” This would have been much better than to accuse Job of being a sinful jerk who is reaping what he sowed. Just be there! I gotta be honest with you; a lot of my thoughts toward God were not kind for about a week and a half after our grandbaby Hope died. (In reality Hope didn’t die, she is with Jesus) Actually, it felt like a cruel cosmic joke. God built us up with good reports for 71/2 months only to body slam us with her, to date, unexplainable death. In Job, after he cries and complains and mourns, after his ‘friends’ have offered him their poor excuse for comfort (miserable comforters are ye all! Retorted Job.), God says in Job 38:1-4 Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if you know? Or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb? In a nutshell, ‘I’m God and you’re not!’ For a time that just sounded plain arrogant to me. ‘So you being God have the right to be mean and cruel. You tell me that love is kind but that only applies to me not you!’ As time moves on and the cloud of mourning laced with anger towards God and his church begins to dissipate, it is starting to become a little clearer to me. I have to ask myself if I really believe this stuff I have been preaching and teaching for so many years, or does it just apply to me when all seems well? My son, Seth, went skydiving. Yes, he decided to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. To jump out of a plane moving 90+ mph at 7000 feet goes against all that is natural. God didn’t give us hollow bones and wings like a bird. So you are taking a chance when you jump. Will the chute open? Is it folded properly? Did those guys that trained me tell me the truth? None of these questions can be answered unless you jump out of the plane and pull the chord. Seth did, and found the answer to each of those questions to be yes. It is the same with my faith in an eternal, omnipotent, omnipresent God. I can’t know for sure he is who he claims to be unless my faith is put to the test. So is what I believe about God still true when all is not well? Even more so. The promise that Job recognized is the only sure thing any of us have. Job 19:25-27 For I know that my redeemer lives, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me. That redeemer that Job talks about understands our grief, our sorrow and our pain. (Isa. 52:3) He conquered all that when he arose from the dead and prepared an eternal, glorious home for us. That is what we as Christians should cling to. Hanging on to this sick, diseased, fallen world only breeds heartache, disappointment and frustration. That is why Jesus so wisely tells us in Matt. 6:19-21 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Losing baby Hope hurts to the very core of my being. Watching my children suffer with the loss of their daughter hurts. But I know that my redeemer lives…. We will all face unbearable pain in our life. How will we choose to respond to it Blame God? Let it destroy our faith? Or will we glorify God in it, understanding eternity is real? It’s our choice.
Item 6 We the People (March 2011, Issue 3) by Dan Offineer
The Constitution of the United States of America starts with “We the people”. The Declaration of Independence second paragraph states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. The Founding Fathers of the United States emphasized We. America was set up to be a Republic in which Representatives were elected by We the people (voters). Without participation from We the People, the system of representation does not work well. Many of us, especially Christians are a part of the “Silent Majority”; we wish to live our lives and are busy with our own family. But after a hundred years or so, the “Silent Majority” has been so effective at being silent that America has slowly been hijacked by those who were Not Silent. Our government was slowly infiltrated by forces that were anything but Christians. Our representatives and senators heard basically only from lobbyist and the anti-Christian movement for at least the last one hundred years.James Garfield, our 20th President wrote, “Now more than ever the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption. If it be intelligent, brave, and pure, it is because the people demand these qualities to represent them in the national legislature. If the next centennial does not find us a great nation, it will because those who represent the enterprise, the culture, and the morality of the nation do not aid in controlling the political forces”. James Garfield recognized the forces trying to corrupt this nation in 1877. Matthias Burnett, Pastor of the First Baptist Church in Norwalk in 1803, stated, “Consider well the important trust which God has put into your hands. To God and posterity you are accountable for your rights and your rulers. Let not your children have reason to curse you for giving up those rights. Think not that your interests will be safe in the hands of the weak and ignorant; or faithfully managed by the impious, the dissolute and the immoral. Think not that men who acknowledge not the providence of God nor regard His laws will be uncorrupt in office, firm in defense of the righteous cause against the oppressor, or resolutely oppose the torrent of iniquity. Watch over your liberties and privileges- civil and religious-with a careful eye”.
In November 2010 the public was unhappy with the direction the country was going at the National and State level. Conservative representatives were voted into office in Washington and in Ohio. Thus the political pendulum has swung to the conservative side. Many conservative pro-Christian bills have been introduced at the state and national level. So now we as Christian’s have the greatest opportunity to influence legislation. Become active in the political arena simply by calling or emailing your Washington and Ohio representatives.
Here in Ohio there are now 3 anti-abortion bills in the House. The best two are:HB 125 – This bill would prohibit the abortion of an unborn child with a detected fetal heartbeat. According to the American Pregnancy Association a heartbeat can usually be detected from 6 ½ to 7 weeks gestation. By 8 or 9 weeks gestation, the developing baby contains everything that is present in a human adult and an ultrasound can detect a strong heartbeat.HB79 prohibits coverage of abortion by any qualified health plan that participates in the health insurance exchange created under Obamacare.Contact our Ohio Representative (District 90)Margaret Ann Rule at 614-466-1431 or email at district90@ohr.state.oh.us Our Ohio Senator (Senate District 19) is Kris Jorden. Call his office at 614-466-8086 or email him at SD19@senate.state.oh.us
In Washington DC there are three anti-abortion bills worth mentioning.HR 361 titled the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act of 2011. This bill in short states: Amends the Public Health Service Act to codify provisions that prohibit the federal government and any state or local government that receives financial assistance from subjecting any health professional, a hospital, a provider sponsored organization, a health maintenance organization, an accountable care organization , a health insurance plan, or any other type of health care facility, organization, or plan to discrimination on the basis that the entity refuses to participate in abortion-related activities. HR 3 titled No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act. A brief summary this bill prohibits the expenditure of funds authorized or appropriated by federal law or funds in any trust to which funds are authorized or appropriated by federal law for any abortion.HR 358 titled Protect Life Act amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Act to prohibit federal funds from being used to cover any part of the costs of any health plan that includes coverage of abortion services.Complete summaries of these Washington anti-abortion bills can be found at www. Thomas.gov
Contact our Congressional Representative Bob Gibbs in Washington at www.gibbs.house.gov , click on Contact Me and then Email Me and fill out the form. The Washington Office phone number is 202-225-6265. We have two Ohio Senators that serve us at of Washington DC., Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown. Contact Senator Rob Portman at www.portman.senate.gov, click on Contact Form or call 2022243353. Senator Sherrod Brown is pro-abortion and votes for every abortion bill there is. The best thing we can do for the Right to Life Movement is to vote him out of office in November 2012.
Item 5 What the H#*! is Wrong With Us?! (March 2011, Issue 3) by Craig Clouston
"S#*! My Dad Says" is one of TV's latest attacks on American morality, insulting our intelligence, taxing our tolerance, and testing to see just ow far the boundaries, and our silence, can be stretched. We even refuse to address the fact that "Stuff" is not a four letter word. Yes, the show’s creators have changed the audio translation for listening ears, but not the show’s name as it appears with suggestive expletives during its airing and in any and all advertisement.
So why hasn’t CBS launched a full-on assault by using the profanity in the cover-title of Justin Halpern’s book, the source from which the show is derived?
Could it be that deep down they know Americans wouldn’t remain silent if they took that last step? Or is it part of the continuing practice of desensitization TV audiences have been subjected to for the past two generations?
I could hope it was the former if not for all the historical evidence to the contrary, that, and the knowledge that evil is patient.
Evil, in this case progressive immorality, has all the time in the world and sees nothing wrong with waiting while each successive generation moves farther and farther from the self-censorship of the fifties and sixties, when morality and conscience refused to allow Hollywood the freedom to do as they please and to hell with what everyone thinks, or what residual effect it has on our children and society as a whole.
Sitcoms have become the ‘Out-of-the-closet’ platform of the Twenty-first century, testing the socially acceptable waters in the deepest parts of the ocean. And why not, no one has offered meaningful resistance. Up until now there has been nothing but token attempts at mounting opposition to the direction Hollywood and the liberal media are steering our nation.
Moral and societal decline happens when good men and women sit idly by hoping someone else will do or say something. When no opposition arises this evil becomes narcissistic, breeding in the vacuum of ambiguity, cloning and crossbreeding deadlier strains of immorality.
With each successive generation the lines are smudged a little more until there are no lines, and we are left with only a murky lens with which to view our sin-filled world.
We are in need of corrective lenses, lenses that humanity cannot produce the prescription for. And here in lies the problem. By refusing to admit to our blurred vision and hardened hearts it’s easier to claim ignorance. You can’t be held accountable for something you know nothing about, right?
We are comfortable letting godless men and women perpetrate their views and values on the world as long as they don’t bring us into the picture. And by this inaction we propagate the evil, quietly turning the channel if we encounter something that stretches the boundaries of impropriety and immorality. It’s still somebody else’s fight.
The truth is, in many cases, we are too busy to enter the battle. We have sold our soul to the demands of time. In a society that invented fast food for the sake of maximizing our time in order to cram even more events into our day, we can no longer answer the question of why we refuse to sit still. Not only can we not sit still, we must be entertained. If you are like most Christians you can’t remember the last time you contended for the presence of God. Mostly because we’ve not listened to wise instruction, or been taught the importance of contending as it relates to our relationship with God, and to the Church as a whole.
In his book ‘Escape to God’ Jim Hohnberger writes, ‘Organized religion may prove to be the greatest substitute for a saving knowledge of God that the world has ever known. A great danger lies in complacency.’ He goes on later in the book to say, ‘Within us lies the ability to choose whatever level of existence we want.
The freedom to choose, the ability to exercise our will, is the greatest gift with which God has endowed the human race. Properly used, the human power of choice, in response to God’s grace, connects us to the God of the universe, and through His power and direction, we will become a blessing to the world. Improperly used, the same power of choice will guide the human into actions that make the whole world shudder.’
So, if we would believe what Jim says, we can become an instrument of blessing and change. Or, we can, by our inaction, allow the encroachment of evil in a world our children and grandchildren will inherit.
As believers and followers of Jesus Christ, we should be engaged in the Word of God, and in the battle. But the choice remains ours: change the channel, or ask God how we can effect change.
Know this ahead of time…there are no easy fixes. Stepping up to the responsibility of godly action requires spending time with God and in His word. That, or pull the veil back over our heart and mind and go back to ‘business as usual.’
2 Timothy 3:16 says, ‘All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.’ God is seeking volunteers to equip.
Item 4 Life's Potholes (February 2011, Issue 2) by Pastor Roger Tickle
On our way to Children’s Hospital we were listening to the radio. Traffic was horrible. We heard on the radio that there were 5 or 6 cars with flat tires because of a huge pothole in the left lane of route 670.