Sunday, December 30, 2012

SUNDAY SCHOOL LOST OUR CHILDREN...

.....BUT GOD HIMSELF REVEALS TRUTH!
How did we lose our kids - good 'church' kids - to the world when we are the best at playing church. When we have the best electronics and entertainment gadgetry to keep the youth in pews. When we have e-bibles; paraphrased bibles; backpack bibles; water-proof bibles; metal-cased bibles; study bibles; men's bibles; womens' bibles; Pentecostal bibles; bible on dvd; audio bibles, YouVersion Bibles; Gideon Bibles....and TONS OF DUSTY BIBLES ON SHELVES IN AMERICAN HOMES....because nobody is ready them!!!!!! Nobody, that is, except the ONLY 9% of American Adults who have the only view that counts with God - A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW! It is even worse with our teens/college aged young people. Only 1% of them  read/know/live what the Word of God says!

Back in 2009, Ken Ham wrote the Christian book shocker of the Decade when "ALREADY GONE" hit the book stands. It was an indictment against EVERY adult Christian - leader and parent - who have ever pastored, been a church elder/deacon, or taught in a church in any capacity. I remember buying several copies and handing the book out to Fellowship of Christian Athlete and youth leadership to make them aware of what was happening around us. If you have not read this book, I recommend it again.  This book will depress and sadden you...and if it doesn't, we need a heart check to see if people are really walking in the Light of the Lord!!! For decades, we have been losing our children to the world -RIGHT IN OUR CHURCHES...AND UNDER OUR NOSES....while we pat ourselves on the back. We started losing them  from 8 years and up through youth group, and it began- believe it or not - with Bible stories! 


READ GENESIS 2 FOR LOCATION OF GARDEN OF EDEN
How can simple, true and beautiful Bible stories cause us to lose our children to the world through first the public school and then the college systems? There are several reasons. But what you and I, as mature members of the family of God, should focus on fixing is the sadly broken method of telling a very wise child about the wonderful deeds and wonders of the Amazing God of Heaven! We are not going to get these kids...and young adults, who are more tech-savvy than we are...who know more garbage and evolution than we do....and who can tell us about the mechanics of alternative, deviant sexual behavior which they learned in school...we are not going to make disciples of these youngsters by just telling them a disobedient prophet named Jonah got swallowed up by a big fish and lived under a large leaf, when 100,000 got saved after he (Jonah) preached!


These same youngsters will think we're deluded and old fashioned. They will sit it out with us until they get their drivers' licences and beater cars and can drive themselves to some yoga class, meditate like buddha, drink lattes and then become good little pagans....i.e. lost pagans, too boot! I have been thinking about this as the Word of God has been stunning and amazing me over and over this past month of December 2012! God has continued to give me revelation after revelation. Even while watching an older movie called "The Nativity Story", which is a mainstream accurate Hollywood production, it hit me. We would not know a thing about any of this...and all live and die like fools, if the God of heaven did not look down and send His Son down to live in Nazareth after revealing Him to dirty poor sheep herders and Zoroastrian Persian priests who studied the prophet Daniel!

DANIEL'S TOMB IN SUSA, IRAN!
Why can't we show our young people - from 8-18, that Scripture explains Scripture?
Why can't we shepherd them through richness of the Old Testament Prophets whose writings are more important today than ever?
Why can't we serve up the Full Counsel of God, in Chronological context to our young minds to flesh out the Plan of God for mankind and the not-so-hidden secrets of God, which are right under our noses in those dusty bibles?

Why? Because we have a bunch of lazy, unimaginative and passionless church leaders who are more interested in keeping numbers and their church building turf under their control, than the control of the Holy Spirit is why! Young people see that and want no part of it.

Here are some examples as we wrap up this essay. I know for a fact God exists. I know Jesus is real and the Holy Spirit lives in me and testifies to all three of the Trinity. I know the Word of God - the Bible - is fully alive and sometimes wants to leap out of my hands. 

1. So when God said the following in JEREMIAH 15:1 "Then the LORD said to me, “Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my heart would not turn toward this people. Send them out of my sight, and let them go!" 
I know Moses and Samuel and the Works they wrote (Moses with the Torah; and the Books of Samuel, in part) are real. Why? Because God said so! He has just told the great (and my favorite prophet of all my other favorite prophets) Jeremiah, that Moses and Samuel are still alive, were once walking on the earth and did pray for their people to be spared. We know that from the ancient Scriptures!

2. Even more exciting is this verse from EZEKIEL 14:14 (ALL FROM ESV): "And the word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, when a land sins against me by acting faithlessly, and I stretch out my hand against it and break its supply of bread and send famine upon it, and cut off from it man and beast, even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness, declares the Lord GOD"
ESTHER & MORDECAI'S TOMB!
This is even more exciting! God has just confirmed the existence in history of Noah! All the evolutionary thinking from the secularists and humanistic science about the Great Flood, has been put to the lie here! Then God mentioned a highly favored man - Daniel, who is still buried in the islamic republic of Iran. The great prophet is buried in a huge mausoleum, maintained as a sacred site in Susa, Iran! Susa is one of the very oldest cities in the known world! It is over 3100 years old too!! Job is both an amazing story in the History of Mankind, but he is also believed to be only the very SECOND book of the Bible! There are no tombs for Noah and Job as there are in Persia (Iran) for Esther and Mordecai (see photos here).

HAMADAN, IRAN- TOME OF ESTHER & MORDECAI!
3. Not only did God the Father talk about some of HIS Favorite saints here, but God the Son did it too!!! Yes indeed, He did and it was right here: "When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. (Luke 11:29-30 ESV)!
Again, this is amazing! Jesus Himself is using His Knowledge (which comes from the word out, by lunch or soon after!"

I can do on and on, but we see the issue here - God Himself is quoting His own Work! Well then, THAT GOD, is the GOD I want, need, desire to follow and already do follow for the rest of my life.  If only we could share this fire and zeal for His House to consume us to the point where we have to teach the young ones coming up behind us....if only....we can reverse the trend which Ken Ham found in "Already Gone"!

Friday, December 28, 2012

ONE STONE AT A TIME


Read John 1:43-50 here

Excitement fills the air. Philip can hardly contain himself. Joy oozes from his face. His search for the Messiah is over. He desires to shout from the mountains... The long awaited Messiah is come! Please see for yourself the Son of God is HERE! 

CARLA MCDOUGAL
AUTHOR OF MY PRAYER CHAIR
Tears flow. Heart pounds. Philip rushes to find his friends. In the distance he sees someone resting under a fig tree. Philip dashes as quick as possible. Urgency causes his heart to beat even faster. Approaching the scene, he realizes it is Nathanael taking a midday nap. Shalom, Nathanael. Wake up! We found the Messiah, the Son of God, in Nazareth! There is not a second to waste. Come see for yourself!  

Waking from his slumber, Nathanael raises his head. In a moments notice he finds himself following Philip. Thoughts arise like, There is no way this is the Messiah. He is to come from Bethlehem, not Nazareth. This little obscure village? No way! 

Knowing Nathaneal's heart, Jesus greets him with a smile. Nathanael is caught off guard. Without thinking he says, "How do you know me?" Jesus' answer confirms it all, "I saw you under the fig tree." Nathanael immediately falls at Jesus' feet. Tears pour. Praises spew  like a springtime flood. This is Him whom our forefathers spoke of in the Torah. He stands before me! The Son of God! 

Encouragement fills Jesus' heart. His team is building One Stone at a Time. His love for His disciples grows ever so strong. Excitement is in the air. He thanks His Father for the men who will journey with Him. Sweet tears emerge.   
___________________________________________________

Imagine this moment. The birth of a new relationship. The scene could have looked totally different if Nathanael acted on his first thoughts, Nazareth is too small a town for the Messiah, the King of Kings, to come from. This has got to be a joke. Wow, he would have missed the blessing of walking side-by-side with Jesus on this earth!

What about you? Do you allow first impressions to dictate your life? Seek Him and you will find Him. Don't miss the journey God has planned for you with Jesus. As you engage in conversations with the Lord make sure to listen. He knows you inside and out. Bow at His feet and proclaim, You are the Son of God! 


Monday, December 24, 2012

THE CHRISTMAS STAR & PANIC IN JERUSALEM!

Sometime ago I wrote a post headlined "THEY IGNORED HIM...." which is based on what the Bible says about a very minute detail of the Maji (or wise men) from the East's encounter with King Herod. Please recall with me, the stunning fact that the high priests of Israel and their flunkies actually KNEW WHERE the Messiah was going to be born "Bethlehem" but then they just haphazardly just confirmed it to Herod! Not just that, but using their head knowledge of the Scriptures, they told the facts...but forgot they represented God! Then they went back to their private business playing "church". I explained in that post how "They Ignored Him" then and why nothing has changed now! 

These priests were as responsible for Herod committing atrocities against every two year old boy, by giving him the exact location of the Blessed Event! They even went back to their routines as the foreign born Magi came to the Jews own backyard, told these same religious goofballs of their own Messiah's Star!!!!

THE CHRISTMAS STAR
Now here is the kicker! The Jewish high priests, scribes, pharisees and teachers of the Law...KNEW THE LAW! They KNEW that NUMBERS 24:17 PREDICTED "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth" The Hebrew word for STAR here is "KOKAB"...which is the same word in Matthew 2:2 which the Persian Magi said to Herod and the Jerusalem religious leaders "here is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him."


This verse is the fulfillment of the Numbers 24:17 prophesy! Yet I found something even more outrageous than the post from last week on. Let's read again this following portion of Matthew 2:3 ESV "When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him"

Now, check this AGAIN! God said in Matthew 2:3b "ALL JERUSALEM WITH HIM (Herod)"! It is even WORSE in the original language, my friends! The word ALL in the Greek is "pasa" which means "every piece, all, every part of etc etc"...so that included men like Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimethea, Gamaliel and Saul (later Apostle Paul). All of these church leaders were in cohoots with the corrupt evil killer Herod, to maintain not just their puny little power but their hold on the souls of their misled people!

Here are the same people, who claimed they were looking for their Messiah but hoping he would bring political and economic benefit to them - sort of like modern political leaders - but when mysterious men from the East, whom these same religious geniuses knew were speaking the Truth, appeared with the confirmation of the Numbers 24:17 star....these same so-called "Messiah-seeking" religious leaders...and "all of Jerusalem" - WERE TROUBLED????!! Troubled?!

So they not only sold out the exact location to Herod from Micah 5:2 gave him the intel to do whatever he wanted, once he (Herod) presumably let the Magi unknowingly do his dirty work. Remember this is the same Herod who killed his own two sons because he didn't want them to lose his throne to them as his successors! Why would men, who called themselves Levite priests and followers of Moses and the Law, so evilly disparage and plot against the Messiah like this? Again I say, the blood of those two year old boys whom Herod had slaughtered are as much on the dirty hands of these priests - from Gamaliel to Caiaphas, as it is on Herod's.

The reason why this is so important is we see the same thing today in modern Western Christianity.  We see the same thing when preachers would rather keep their status quo than rock the gates of hell by rugged evangelism and prophetic preaching about the Wrath that is getting set to fall on America and the world. 
They are afraid to preach against evil as in the case of the school shootings in Connecticut.
They are afraid to call for national repentance and prayer while watching end times storms hit the north east, knowing it will continue to happen.
They are afraid to call sin for what it is - sin. 
They are afraid to hold themselves and thus, national and communities leaders accountable for their actions against God and His Word.
They are afraid to step on toes of wealthy tithers by preaching the prophets and proper eschatology.
They are afraid to stand up for the persecuted church worldwide, and some are like even like the church in Germany which sang louder as the trains with Holocaust victims went screaming by.
In fact, the modern western church is just plain afraid and is a lukewarm pile of spittle in the Savior's mouth (Revelation 3:16). This is the same Savior and Messiah, Whom that same bunch, who loved this world and Herod sold out more than 2000 years ago! Nothing has changed...or as King Solomon said "there is nothing new under the sun"!

SO, is this a message of Hope for Christmas Eve? Well, YES! It is a message of Hope! What the Birth of the Savior in Bethlehem did over 2000 years ago was enable each one of us to be be a minister unto the Lord until Messiah Himself returns to set up His Kingdom in the same Jerusalem, which Herod thought belonged to him! Those of us who love His Appearing and Love the True accounts of Star of Bethlehem and the Nativity of our Lord and Savior are now called "....A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9)!

This is second greatest Gift of Christmas and the Birth of Jesus!
The greatest Gift of Christmas is Jesus - He Who saves His people - YOU AND I - from our sins!!!!
The result of this Gift? The result is True Salvation and Eternity in Heaven with the King, Whose Star appears in prophesy in Numbers 24:17 and in reality over Bethlehem in Judea....Whose Star, men from across dark, dangerous deserts over 1200 miles away saw and followed....Whose Star of Wonder, Star of Night we celebrate this Christmas Eve night! Amen.

Saturday, December 22, 2012

LESSONS LEARNED IN A SNOWY DITCH

OKAY...MY FORD DOESN'T EXACTLY LOOK LIKE THIS BUT.....(lol)
I learned a couple lessons from being stuck at the bottom of a seven foot ditch, nose down in the snow. It happened while driving home two nights ago, in a blinding blizzard, with the road disappearing all of a sudden in the white-out. After getting over the initial shock, and wondering (while not blaming anyone for not stopping) when I was going to get out of this mess, I came to terms with a few things.

First, I wish to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for not just pulling me out of the ditch (via the tow truck guys) but for sending Law Enforcement guys from the County Sheriff's department to check on me regularly. He woke me up the morning after, with Psalm 27 (SEE BELOW) in my heart and wish to surrender it and pray it back to Him right now:


Secondly, however, I think the most important thing I could share with anyone, who has gone through similar circumstances with either vehicles or illness or even sudden trauma with a family member/loved one is this - never lose sight of the source of your Strength! It is easy to freak out in the midst of a catastrophic event. But when God gives you His peace, He never takes it away! I am not trying to prolong this event as many have experienced a lot worse in their lives. But I have to share what God gave me there!


What is so amazingly beautiful is His Presence! While staring out at a blinding blizzard and the nose of my unharmed Ford Taurus face down in a snow bank (seven feet down from the road), Holy Spirit kept leading me back to the book of Jonah! I did not fully understand why....since I did NOT think I was sinning like Jonah and disobeying God! Then the next day (Friday December 21...or as the Mayan calendar calls it- "the end of the world"), I read the Prayer of Jonah and found out what God wanted to remind me of and learn WHILE PRAISING HIM - EVEN IN THE STORM! Here is the portion of Scripture which He used to guide me. I got quite a few lessons and directions for ministry out of this from Jonah 2:

Those who pay regard to vain idols
forsake their hope of steadfast love.
But I with the voice of thanksgiving
will sacrifice to you;
what I have vowed I will pay.
Salvation belongs to the LORD!”  (Jonah 2:8-9 ESV)

FROM verse 8, I am to preach even more fervently against idolatry, paganism and false doctrines in today's Laodecian  so-called evangelical church! I am to teach of the coming judgment and wrath for all unbelievers and those who reject the Son of God!
FROM verse 9, I am to praise Him...constantly! I am to praise and trust and obey even when I am in a ditch or on the mountaintop singing with the angels! Recalling the famous song by Casting Crowns "Praise You in The Storm"..you and I should lift our hands in praise - at ALL TIMES
FROM verse 9 again, I am to promise both to fulfill and then perform to His expectation, the fulfillment of those vows and promises I made before Him, ever since I began making them! 
FROM verse 9 again, I am to proclaim HIS WAY HIS SALVATION HIS TRUTH always (which I am already doing, but I know, this was His way of comforting me while I waited for the tow trucks to rescue me out of that predicament!).  

God provides, my friends! He wants us to remember and reaffirm WHY He has saved us...why He has saved us forever (so we will never lose our salvation)...WHAT He has saved us from...and why He expects us to live for, with and IN Him, while fulfilling the Great Commission!
Amen!

Psalm 27
New King James Version (NKJV)

An Exuberant Declaration of Faith 

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
When the wicked came against me
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.
One thing I have desired of the Lord,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord,
And to inquire in His temple.
For in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

MERRY'S CHRISTMAS - BEST BOOK THIS SEASON!

Not only is "MERRY'S CHRISTMAS" the most recommended book (eBook and Paperback) of this wonderful Christmas season, but it is a fun, warm and delightful book for the whole family. I recommend this for your eReader immediately, if possible! It is a fast read and worth your time to slow down, and remember the real joy of the season (second only to Christ).

The tale is adapted from an original screenplay by super talented professional movie producer/writer Susan Rohrer. Ms Rohrer has written other books in recent years, two of which are based on her solid Christian faith. One of those books is called "The Holy Spirit - Amazing Power for Everyday People" and the other is for single young women - "Is God saying He's the one?" Susan is an Emmy award winning producer; humanitarian and an author of this really inspiring novel.


The story revolves around Merry Hopper, a single (oft lonely) waitress who is immediately lovable to the reader. She is hired as a part - time family consultant by a wealthier widower whose children appear to have lost their joy and characteristics as young children....until they met Merry! The story takes a sharp turn when Merry discovers she is in love with her boss - Daniel...who is promised to another - Catherine (daughter of the bank president/owner)! Things quickly come to a head when Catherine, who is accustomed getting just about anything she wanted, soon discovered that she has competition! She confronts Merry who not only graciously steps aside from the pursuit of her own personal happiness, but actually assists her "arch-enemy" Catherine in the latter's remake of her persona as the "perfectly humble and gracious Christmas party host"! You should read the rest of the book to find out how it ends - on Christmas Day, no less!
AUTHOR SUSAN ROHRER

This book is written with a very humorous yet personally engaging flair and should be Hallmark Christmas movie of the week! I give it five stars and encourage you to read it this coming weekend, the final weekend before Christmas, as you wind down your shopping and caroling! Look out for more warm, personable books by Susan Rohrer in the months and years to come!


THEY IGNORED HIM!! LET'S NOT DO THE SAME!

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS IN THE CITY OF JERUSALEM!
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’” (Matthew 2:1-6 ESV)

The above passage is familiar to all who know the full Christmas story! As we look at this amazing event - the Birth of the Savior (and He was actually born closer to the Feast of Tabernacles around September 30 rather than December 25), we are discovering different nuggets and jewels from the Kingdom of God! 

We found out that the Shepherds were the First Pastors (READ THAT STORY BY CLICKING HERE).  That would be the Shepherds of Bethlehem who watched their flocks by night.
We found out that the prophesy of the PLACE of His birth (which is quoted above) was specifically spoken of by the Old Testament prophet Micah, many hundreds of years ago! In fact that same prophesy is quoted above in Matthew 2 (in red)!

But what I wish us to take a look at is the following verse which has been troubling me for three days now: ".....When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”....(Matthew 2:3-6 ESV)

To be more specific, let us look at this part here "....the chief priests and scribes of the people....told him (Herod)....for so it was written by the prophet"!!! 

These priests - scribes and pharisees - KNEW THE MESSIAH WAS GOING TO BE BORN IN BETHELEM.
These priests - scribes and pharisees - KNEW THE ENTIRE SCRIPTURES (BECAUSE THEY STUDIED BOTH THE HEBREW SCROLLS AND THE SEPTUAGINT) SPOKE OF THE COMING MESSIAH, YESHUA THE KING, ALL THROUGH THE HAFTARAH OR THE BOOKS OF THE PROPHETS.
These priests - scribes and pharisees - KNEW THE WORD OF GOD, BECAUSE THEY LONGED FOR THE MESSIAH TO RESCUE THEM FROM ROME.
These priests - scribes and pharisees - KNEW ALL OF THIS.....AND DID NOTHING WHEN THE LORD SENT THE MEN FROM THE EAST TO INQUIRE!

THEY DID NOTHING!! NOTHING!! This is the church today! God could send the wisest prophets, missionaries, prayer warriors...and more. He could, would and does send warning after warning after warning to us to take heed, repent and get things right with Him as a country and personally. He even takes His Hands off and lets certain catastrophic events happen - yet we do NOTHING...ABSOLUTELY NOTHING....just like this religious people who could rattle off the written word....then go back to their comfortable surroundings! They went back to sleep....we are sleeping today! We are no different than those people!


You know the old story about the flood and the man who waited at the top of the house for God to rescue him, from the waters rising all around him. You remember that a boat came...and the man refused help. He said "I'm waiting for God to rescue me!" Then a helicopter dropped a ladder down and the man refused to go up into the safety of the chopper. He said "I'm waiting for God to rescue'" Well, the man drowned and stood before God where he complained to God "where were you while I was waiting on the roof and the flood was rising all around me. Why didn't You rescue me, God"
Finally God had enough and said "I sent you a boat and a helicopter and you refused them!!!"


Things happen to us because we refuse to recognize, read and react to the signs all around us. As America and its church sink further into the morass of its own making, we have only ourselves to blame.
We have ignored the news and whereabouts of the Messiah, when He was and IS always within reach. 

We have ignored and refused the prompting of the Holy Spirit daily in the church and in most, even in their own lives.
We have ignored and refused to bend the knee to the Lord and Savior and instead turned to sinful and morally bankrupt world systems to rescue us from all kinds of stupid cliffs....when we should be more concerned about rescuing as many as possible from the coming judgment!

This Christmas season, let us resolve to NOT be like these priests - scribes and pharisees - who not just knew where the Savior is, and refused to go to Him for ALL America's problems! Let us go to Him NOW and seek forgiveness; hope; compassion and His Eternal Love, Peace and Joy - the true message of Christmas! 

Sunday, December 16, 2012

SHOULD CHRISTIANS STAY SILENT WHEN TRAGEDY HITS

PRAYER VIGIL IN NEWTOWN, CONNECTICUT
Well, the answer to that question is NO! As America faces Judgment (yes JUDGMENT) from God for its mounting sins against Him, more and more events like Hurricanes Katrina (2005), Sandy or Tornadoes that destroyed Joplin Missouri (2011)...or the current horrific massacre like the loss of over 20 children in Newtown, Connecticut are going to draw people's attention to the time-worn question of "HOW CAN GOD LET THIS HAPPEN"?!!!

Whether it is an earthquake in Haiti or a Tsunami in the Far East where hundreds of thousands of lives are lost and millions affected, God always gets the blame - either the blame FOR it, or the blame for ALLOWING it to happen! We can go even farther than that - World War II and the Holocaust where six million of our Jewish brethren were murdered by the Germans and Hitler. Did God cause that? When the great American President Franklin D. Roosevelt REFUSED to allow the SS St Louis to land in the United States 1939 with 937 Jews fleeing Hitler by ship, and they were forced to return to Europe and sure death, did God cause that? NO! FDR did! They even made a movie out of it called the VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED.  We can look at the ill-fated voyage of the SS St Louis some other time. By the way, the Prime Minister of Canada Mackenzie King did the same thing as FDR!

Apart from natural disasters like tsunami, earthquakes, hurricanes and tornadoes, criminal acts like what happened in Newtown are simply acts of Evil. 
It is the same evil of national socialism (Nazism) which caused the Nazi Holocaust.
It is the same evil of communism and Stalin killing 30 million Russians.
It is the same evil of communism and Mao killing 40 millions Chinese, some of it in an effort to wipe out Christianity.
It is the same evil of demonic tinhorn dictators like Castro, Pol Pot, the Ayatollah, Saddam....and on and on....
It is the same evil and political calculation to stay as far away from getting involved by FDR and Canadian PM Mackenzie King (re: the Voyage of the Damned).
It is the same evil at Columbine, Aurora, Waco, Jamestown Guyana...and now Newtown, Connecticut.
It is the same evil of 55 million abortions in America since Roe vs Wade in 1973.

It is THAT evil which entered the world in Genesis 3 and the Fall of Man.


The world refuses to blame Satan and the evil he has wrought on mankind since he ushered in SIN into the world, because the world has walked hand in hand with what the Bible calls 'the god of this world'. Former Pastor and Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee was asked by Fox business anchor Neil Cavuto the usual question which secular media people always  asked "How could God let this happen?" During Hurricane Sandy, people in the media, who do everything to dishonor, disregard and just plain "diss" God from their "exalted" chairs on ABC, NBC etc were asking the same question.

Maybe, as both a pastor and political commentator, Gov. Huckabee's answer was not as fully fleshed out as say Rev. Franklin Graham's or David Wilkerson's would be, but he was on the right track. Huckabee said "It’s an interesting thing. We ask why there’s violence in our schools but we’ve systematically removed God from our schools. Should we be so surprised that schools would become a place of carnage? Because we’ve made it a place where we do not want to talk about eternity, life, what responsibility means, accountability. That we’re not just going to have to be accountable to the police, if they catch us, but we stand one day before a holy God in judgment…  Maybe we ought to let [God] in on the front end and we would not have to call him to show up when it’s all said and done at the back end".


Well, the good former pastor is now catching a lot of flack from it from secularists in the public square, both on the left and the right. Forget what those people think, was Governor Huckabee CORRECT? Yes. Should he have answered it that way? Maybe or maybe not, but he WAS asked a question. What was a man of God supposed to say? This is going to be a debate coming up soon, right before the evil and corrupt American culture tries to enforce laws against Christian speech, but watch for this phrase in the next two years "Freedom of Worship". US government officials at the highest levels are starting to use it both in this country and abroad. It is meant to silence Christ followers from proclaiming God's Truth of Salvation, Hope, Love, Sin, Pain, Death, Evil and the coming Judgment....and to prevent men like Huckabee from saying precisely what he said above. It is okay to preach inside your church, but "just don't take your Jesus" into the marketplace of ideas. 


When horrible shootings like Newtown or Virginia Tech happens, and well-known American pastors do not speak up, they leave a vacuum for secularism, pluralism and the growing "inter-faith" movement. You are moving to see more and more of this as the True Hope of Jesus Christ is watered down, as the followers of the god of this world play into the Hands of Biblical Prophesy. When the tragedy of Columbine happened, the good people of Colorado allowed a deeply moving service led by Rev. Franklin Graham where he brought the true comfort and hope of Christ to a grieving nation. However, we have not seen that sort of Gospel-centered message since (in response of national tragedies), except for Franklin's dad, Billy, at Washington DC's National Cathedral a few days after Evil from the Middle East hit us on September 11, 2001. 

So it is up to the people of God - us Christians - to pray for the salvation and comfort of the people of Newtown and especially the families of those who lost their precious young children, who are now in the loving Care of the Savior. It is up to us, the followers of Christ, to keep sharing the Gospel of our Lord and Savior...to keep sharing how folks can be saved from their sins...to keep sharing how to be delivered from evil and temptation and sin...to keep sharing, no matter what the world will say about us. Remember, my friends, the world hated our Lord Jesus, long before they hated us. What makes us think that they will love us now?! So be mindful WHO is watching us - God. He has the power of life and death - both now and in Eternity. He is the One to Whom we are accountable first and foremost. Let us now go and love others to Him. Evil is going to ramp up in these last days. God will get the blame. But the world will be sent to eternal shame.  Let's win many to Glory and Heaven, while there is still time. 

So, should Christians stay silent when evil and tragedy like Newtown hit? No...and a thousand times NO! We speak loudest when we speak directly to our God in prayer and through our love to our fellow man, regardless of what the world says.
Amen

Sunday, December 9, 2012

THE BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE


“Your words have been hard against me, says the LORD. But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping His charge or of walking as in mourning before the LORD of hosts? And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.’”
Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before Him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed His name. “They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him....(Malachi 3:13-18 ESV)

As we continue our End Times look at relevant portions of the Prophets, to whom the Lord has led us,  we return to our brief look at Malachi chapter numbers 3 and 4. This short passage is meant for us who call ourselves Christians, in today's world. There are about 45 messages and books in those six verses above, but, what basic message they carry should sober up a whole bunch of people....deceived people...in these last days!

The first portion in BLUE is actually a charge against the following who are among us today. They are:
- the actual lost, but they are so lost they don't know it. This is the majority of mankind and they will be eternally removed from the Presence of the Holy One.
- those with the spirit of religion. They are deceived, full of lies and have bought the easy preaching of charlatans with nice suits, good teeth and popular TV shows
- they have bought the lies of the bumper stick "CO-EXIST" where everybody, from priest, pastor and president tells them that all roads lead to heaven...that we are only on different sides of the same mountain.

These people don't know God and don't know the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They don't know His Word because they have never been saved, sanctified and called out to a purpose. They have a form of religion but are not transformed into His Image. They are full of dead men's bones. They would not lift a finger to really help somebody find true peace and contentment in Christ because they don't have it themselves. They reside from the highest offices in the land to the lowest country church in Iowa. As the verse said above, "they call the arrogant blessed" and bow down to mortal men as their lord and savior. Yet they spit on the True Lord and Savior - Jesus Christ - just as the pharisees and Romans did when they crucified Him. They own everything in America and the world today. They own all the money, the media, the message...and by getting others to eat the forbidden fruit, they own the masses. They already have the mark of the beast on their souls.

But these people in the Blue printed Scriptures above, who live among us today, forget one thing. The cameras in Heaven have been rolling...and rolling in high quality! He has a Book of Remembrance. Several times we are told about the Books in Heaven, which is another study by itself, but be ye not slack on this - God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man doeth, so shall he reap. Many today have sown the wind - they will reap the whirlwind. We may not see it when they do, but God is true, and the whirlwinds are coming!

Please not several key words in the above passage printed in GOLD

- "those who feared the Lord". WE MUST FEAR HIM...and not just because of Who He is and what He can do to us. We must fear Him because we respect, adore and are in awe of Him. The Bible says "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of Knowledge". Jesus said to not fear men who can kill the body but fear HIM Who has the power to both kill the body and cast you into hell. But if you wish to live past this life, I recommend you do as in Ecclesiastes 12:13. God gives two directives when it all boils down to it...as Solomon himself recognized - "The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man"
- Finally, note what else gets and keeps us in the Lord's Book of Remembrance. He says "Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before Him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed His name. HOW did they "speak with each other"? Well, they were in fellowship, for one thing! There are those who say they don't have to go to a church, meet with others (if they can) and such. But what we see here is that the Righteous both Fear the Lord and Fellowship with each other...and not just that! They TALK about the Lord and all His Righteousness. Note this too: THE LORD PAID ATTENTION!

Friends, this is the TRUE Christian walk. This is what gets a person into Heaven. It is not politics, social justice, social gospel (there is no such thing). It is the fear of the Lord; meeting with His people and talking about Him as you should. That is, in a way He approves. That way? Well, it is called Worship! What did John 4:23 say "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers"! There is a lot more to say about the Books - of Life and Remembrance, but this is what the Lord is calling His people out, as His encouragement to us, as we press on towards the Prize, in these Last Days! 


Thursday, December 6, 2012

WHAT IS THE FUTURE FOR ...... DAMASCUS?!

It is almost as if they are playing it according to the Script! The Script I am talking about is the Bible...and the so-called "OLD" Testament to be precise! News comes out this week that Syria, where the chemical weapons from Saddam Hussain's Iraq were hid, is allegedly preparing to use some of them against their own people. Whether this is true or not, there are some facts which cannot be denied. The main truth is this - one of the oldest cities in history, Damascus - is on the way out.

We always hear that the "New Testament" is Jesus REVEALED. This is true. What is also true is the "OLD Testament" is the New Testament revealed too! There are MORE and critically precise End Time prophesies in the Old Testament than in the 29 books of the New Testament. What the New part of the Book shows us are the mechanics of these Old Time prophets' messages - from Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel and Zechariah back to even Moses....need I go on??!! Add Malachi to that as we have seen this past week in this blog! The Book of Revelation tells us HOW it is going to go down. The Old Testament Prophets tells us to WHOM, WHEN and how bad it is going to get! Jesus Himself confirmed a lot of this. He even confirmed Daniel's exact prophesy (Daniel 12:11) of the "Abomination that brings Desolation" (Read Matthew 24 in its entirety about the last days...which we are now living in).

So back to Syria where many of us see the prophesies of Isaiah 17 coming into plain view, as the armies of the north (Iran, Russia) are also waiting in the shadows to jump into fulfilling prophesy. Read the following passage from Isaiah 17 and then watch these videos...pray and then judge for yourself. By the way, the "Cities of Aroer" described below in verse 2 are in modern day northeastern Jordan! So this is going to be bigger and wider than we can even imagine, once it starts!
An oracle concerning Damascus.
Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city
and will become a heap of ruins.
The cities of Aroer are deserted;
they will be for flocks,
which will lie down, and none will make them afraid.
The fortress will disappear from Ephraim,
and the kingdom from Damascus;
and the remnant of Syria will be
like the glory of the children of Israel,
declares the LORD of hosts.....(Isaiah 17:1-3 ESV)

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

HOW DO WE ROB GOD?



“For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions.You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 
Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need(Malachi 3:6-10 ESV)

More and more discerning believers are discovering the gems which the Holy Spirit put in plain sight for us to see....right in the open! The problem is not just that hardly any Christians read the Bible anymore (in the industrial west) but even those few who do, skip the Old Testament and therefore are missing Rhema revelation from the Lord! Almost every prophet, before the so-called "silent" 400 years (pre-the Birth of Christ) has a prophesy from the Holy Spirit directly related to these End Times!  As we have already seen, the Book of Malachi is one of those!

So what does today's passage mean, in these terms? In a nutshell, from Verses 6, 7 and 8, we basically see that God's people not just ignored and treated Him as irrelevant, but they did not give their offerings (first fruits) as they were supposed to! This is a mirror image of not just society today, in general, but increasingly the modern American church has made up its own god.  We already know that most people who call themselves Christians do not even tithe 5% of their income, (far less the 10% which the Bible implies) but when they do, they do it grudgingly. 

But you see, in the final analysis, God is not interested in our puny little money. He is not even interested in the massive wealth of unbelievers like Bill Gates or Steven Spielberg. What God cares about is how He is robbed of the Respect, Awe, Fear and Worship which is due! He cares about our lack of obedience, from Adam in the Garden to Alice making breakfast in the kitchen to send little Johnny and Sarah off to grade school in the morning. ALL of us have sinned and fallen short of His Glory...everyone from Pastor, priest and president to the small child.

Right now, in these last days, as America's leaders chose the enemies of Israel, we have become an anathema to Him; a curse if you will.  But He is a loving God. He is a gracious God. He is a compassionate God. He is a merciful God. Even with all the disobedience we have shown Him. Even with all the disrespect, blasphemy and thumbing our noses at Him, He still says to America and the church "Return to Me and I will return to you"! THAT IS THE GOD OF HEAVEN! That is not some made up god who has you doing unbiblical things which the TRUE God of Heaven never asked for, nor did it even cross His Mind This is the God of Heaven and Earth...and the owner of everything (even Gate's billions or Trump's real estate)....that is Who He is.

My friends, do not treat His offer of forgiveness and Grace lightly! It is ONLY for a time. That time is now. See Him while He can be found, because one day soon, it will be too late for you....that Day is coming. It is the fearful Day of the Lord. Return to Him, now. Amen.

Monday, December 3, 2012

PRE-CHRISTMAS SPECIAL DINNER OF THE WEEK!


Roast Chicken with Apple-Bacon Stuffing

Time: 1h 15 min

Difficulty: Easy


Price: Affordable                                   

Serves: Approximately 4 to 6


Ingredients:

1 whole chicken -or substitute-

1 Cornish game hen (per person)

2 green apples
2 bacon slices
1 teaspoon of salt

2 tablespoons of olive oil

You might also want to add (optional) chestnuts, walnuts, and raisins.

Instructions:
  

Remove everything from inside the chicken (no head, neck, wings,  organs, or the paper they come wrapped in) while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees for ten minutes. 

Peel & core the apples, slicing very thin & stuffing into the empty chicken cavity. Brush the chicken with oil, as well as inside the roasting pan prior to placing the stuffed chicken inside. 

Top the chicken with two slices of bacon and sprinkle salt over all. Then bake at 350 degrees for one hour. 


RECIPE COURTESY OUR SISTER BLOG: 
TWINAS LATINAS ONLINE MAGAZINE!

Sunday, December 2, 2012

END TIMES FOCUS - JUDGMENT & TO WHOM

The confluence of world, national and religious events are all pointing to the coming fulfillment of several Old Testament prophesies. Of course, we know the Timing is up to the Father Himself, as Jesus said. But it is uncanny that several of America's top bible teachers - from Drs Chuck Missler of Koinonia House to Chuck Swindoll have done or are now doing powerfully intentional series on the Book of Daniel. These two series, from completely different parts and backgrounds of the country, are weaving a piece of fabric which is hard to ignore.

For instance, it is hard to ignore armies and weapon systems lined up in the horrible and anti-semitic Arab countries, supplied by the great godless power from the north - Russia! It is hard to ignore the brutal moslem brotherhood, now firmly implanted as dictators in Egypt. It is hard to ignore their oppression of Coptic Christians there. (It is also hard to ignore how the US government is ignoring the treatment of the Copts and other Christians persecuted and brutalized worldwide. This should lead us to pray more for our people, and put the rest in God's capable Hands.)

While the Lord has led Missler and Swindoll to teach on the Book of Daniel, the soon to arise Babylon and more...The Lord has led me to Malachi 3 and 4, which we are going examine, vis a vis, the coming Judgment!  Scripture explains Scripture and as we saw in the last post on the Sixth Seal, Malachi 3:1-3 is explained by Revelation 6:12-17! Now, I sense the Lord leading me now to put up verse 5, so I will leave Verse 4 of Malachi Chapter number 3 for our discussion of the ungodly doctrine of Replacement Theology!

Malachi 3:5 ESV says “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.

Now, included in the list of people supplied by Revelation 6:15a (...the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free....), the Lord adds those whom our corrupt American Celebrity Culture holds up for honor, while despising the Creator of the Universe, King Jesus. 

Right up front, one thing the world will regret...including those who think everything will "work out in the end" is this - when God says in Malachi 3:5 that He "will be a swift witness" - there will be absolutely no dispute as to the evidence!!!! He has seen everything done, in secret and in public....and as the literal Hebrew word "Ed" indicates into English translation, this "Witness" will be "against literal persons"!!!! Therefore:

Judgment is coming against those who appear in psychic TV commercials and open palm and tarot-card reading shops on our busy city streets. 
Judgment is coming to those who promote, make, sell and view (with no critical eye to its inherent evil), things like Harry Potter, Twilight and its offshoot - "Fifty Shades of..." (what the poobahs of perversion call "mummy porn"). 
Judgment is coming to those who not just lie to entire nations and people about events etc, but those who have the power to correct misinformation, yet make themselves twice as much a child of hell, as those who swear falsely. 
This judgment will be against not just the makers of movies and music, but those in the mainstream media here and in the total communist countries like China, Cuba, Russia etc. The judicial system will not escape. Judges who rule against the Will and Word of God, will discover just Who the REAL Judge of the Earth is....and there is no appeal on the Terrible Day of the Lord!
Judgment will be handed down to those who abuse the poor and exploit them to make cheap consumer goods to sell in stores named after fruit and more. 
Judgment will be handed down to those who manipulate the widow, the fatherless, the lost and hopeless by using them as pawns while keeping them shackled in prisons called ghettos and housing projects, so they can be controlled by monthly handouts, substandard schools and "churches" led by men and women who do not fear God and are using His pulpits for their own personal gain.

The one that both God's saved people and those who will be judged as forever condemned (see the partial list above) should be careful, mindful and very intentional about is the sure Judgment on those "who do not fear me, says the Lord of Hosts" (the end of Malachi 3:5).  The original Hebrew word for fear- "Yare" is very clear...and as an aside, since I believe that Hebrew is the language of Heaven, this is very serious. The literal translation is even scarier than just looking at a weak English translation of the word!

Yare is a charge against those who bow down to false gods (eg...buddhist chants, mantras, as in zen, or yogic/yoga practices or other New Age fads). It is a charge against those who blaspheme God in movies, politics, media, music, the workplace AND the home. 
Yare is a charge against those who do not honor, revere and worship Him...because if, as most of the world, if a person does not, that person has not had their sins forgiven and is not a child of the Kingdom of Heaven! This is simple. God has a charge against us in His Courtroom on Judgment Day, and if Christ is not our Advocate and is standing there saying that we are one of His, the charges will stick. There is no jury. There is only the not-to-be-refuted evidence against people's entire lives. There will be swift judgment!

Is this a welcome and nice image of Christianity? No! If folks want gum drops, roses and lies....all we have to do is turn on Christian TV on Sunday morning and listen to the most popular preachers in the world tell you "God has a plan for you....and here is how you get what is due you...a nice car, bills paid etc etc...." This is reality. That Sunday morning claptrap ain't! Those charlatan preachers with the $100,000 pearly white teeth and $5000 Italian cut suits will be lumped in with the kings, prime ministers, presidents and oppressors of this world, when the Sixth Seal begins. Ignore them! Stick to the Word of God and let us all resolve....as yet another new year is around to corner, let us resolve to dig deeper in the Word and measure our own lives up against it to see if WE measure up to what God demands....and if not, let us repent, seek His pardon and forgiveness and put all our faith in His Son, Jesus. If we do not measure up, let us surrender our lives to Him. If we do not measure up, let us cry out on our faces right now....and seek His cleansing and restoring and then let us walk in His Righteousness, that WE will be able to stand, when the Coming Day of the Lord commences.