COLLEGIATE DAY OF PRAYER: THIS THURSDAY

This Thursday February 28 is the Annual Collegiate Day of Prayer across America. Many of us have signed up to pray for more than one college. As men and women of prayer, we encourage every praying Christian to take this challenge up to really pray hard for our young people in college.

  

If there ever was a time to pray for our kids in college and high school it is now. Everything ungodly and unwholesome is aligned against them. From indoctrination into the denying the existence of Creator God through Evolution, to deny the Commands of God for specific roles and functions of the human body in holiness, sexuality, daily and contented living, our next generation are being confused on purpose, while being taught that there is no such thing as absolute truth or one true God.

ADOPT A CAMPUS TO PRAY FOR 

Facts:

• 70% of college age kids who grew up in church, and/or Christian homes lose their faith in college (Campus Renewal 2017)
• 47% of young people/millennials and college kids, think that sharing their faith is wrong! (Barna February 2019)
• Only 33% of so-called “evangelical” young people (high school and college)  believe Jesus is the only way to Heaven! (Christian Post 2013)

What to pray for on the Collegiate Day of Prayer:

• The salvation of the souls of these young people in our college. The majority are oblivious to the facts of the brevity of life or heaven and a literal hell, which will be overpopulated if they ignore the facts.
• That campus ministries be allowed to flourish, even in some of the Midwest and friendly western states which still believed in the US Constitution of freedom of Assembly and Religious Liberty.
• That churches around our campuses will invest time and effort and outreach to college age young people as is done in North West Arkansas.  Cross Church, formerly First Baptist Church of Springdale, invested in a campus pastor – Brian Mills – who has devoted his  home and his life to the current and next generations of college kids, not just from America but from ALL nations, at the University of Arkansas. Pray for more men like Pastor Mills.
• Pray for mentors to step up and reach out to these young people - men and women, mentoring young men and young women respectively.
• Pray for a renewed love of the Savior by those who grew up in church but walked away, as well as those who are yet to encounter Christ.
• Pray for the Word of God - the Bible - to be distributed into the hands of every college student in America, and that they will read, comprehend and find comfort and salvation in God's Word

THE COLLEGIATE DAY OF PRAYER STARTED IN 1823, WHEN COLLEGES LIKE YALE, BROWN AND OTHER AMERICAN COLLEGES WHICH WERE CHRISTIAN AT THE TIME, SET ASIDE THE LAST THURSDAY IN FEBRUARY AS A DAY OF PRAYER FOR ALL COLLEGES IN THE NEW AMERICAN COUNTRY. IT HAS CONTINUED SINCE THEN.

ZACHARIAS' SONG: JOHN THE BAPTIST IS BORN, PART 2

REPENTANCE: THE WAY OF THE FORERUNNER!

Continuing on a sidebar in the Christmas story which is not as well known as the birth of Jesus, we key in today on this stunning incident. What lessons we can learn from this entire event surrounding the father of John the Baptist, Zacharias? 

If you have read and reread the entire chapter of Luke 1 (here), the picture given of Zacharias is that of a solid man of God, faithful and accepting of what God had given to him in life. His wife, Elizabeth, was barren, descended from the priestly line of Aaron (Moses' brother) and also content with her lot in life. 

Then God's Angel Gabriel showed up. God showed up. When God shows up - things happened. When God shows up big time, as He did here, and we don't believe what He says, there could be a small price to pay! The higher our standing with God, the higher the cost of disobedience, unbelief or the smallest doubt. The Lord disciplines those whom He loves...and some of us, He must love a lot! 

So the first and major thing we need to glean from the passage is:- when God literally sends His heavenly messenger, and He comes with a DIRECT WORD - BELIEVE and OBEY.

This is amazing account of God's Mercy, Grace, Love and Outreach to reconcile mankind to Him in 13 short verses! So much Truth inhabit these verses, that it is incumbent on us to just camp there a while.

Then let's look at the following portions of Zacharias' song (from Luke 1:68-79)

68  “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel,

For He has visited and redeemed His people,

69   And has raised up a horn of salvation for us

In the house of His servant David,

70   As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets,

Who have been since the world began,

71  That we should be saved from our enemies

And from the hand of all who hate us,

72   To perform the mercy promised to our fathers

And to remember His holy covenant,

73  The oath which He swore to our father Abraham:

74  To grant us that we,

Being delivered from the hand of our enemies,

Might serve Him without fear,

75  In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.

76  “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest;

For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,

77  To give knowledge of salvation to His people

By the remission of their sins,

78  Through the tender mercy of our God,

With which the Dayspring from on high has visited[a] us;

79  To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,

To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Verse 68: God's plan to save ALL mankind, began when He called an Iraqi named Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldeans to cross over from his homeland by the Euphrates River and begin the plan. Abraham became the first Hebrew, which means "crossed over", and thus, the first Jew. The plan to rescue mankind from the curse of Adam's sin had begun.

Verse 69: Zacharias the Priest has just prophesied the Messiah - Jesus - before Gabriel has even appeared to Mary!

Verses 70-73: He said that THIS Messiah would fulfill the promise made to and THROUGH the Prophets for the Arrival of He Who saves (the literal meaning of the Name Jesus). It is He Who will rescue many from the enemy and those who despise God's people. 

Then Zacharias speaks about who his son, John, will be and what the true mission of the forerunner is going to be.

Verses 76-79: John the Baptist will become the last "Old Testament" Prophet as he is coming to prepare the way ....with Repentance! This is John's strength and what our take away should be. 

The Way of the forerunner is Repentance. This is the doctrine we should be teaching, preaching and practicing. As Forerunners ourselves, in the tradition of the son of Zacharias, let us then prepare the Message of the Good News of the Arrival of the Savior - not just at Christmas time - but at ALL times. Repentance is the way to Kingdom Living, as John the Baptist, so powerfully started during his ministry on earth.

(Photo Credit Here)

THIRTY ONE DAYS OF BIBLE TRUTHS - DAY 17 (J.J.S.E)

BIBLE VERSE: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” ( Jesus speaks in Acts 1:8)

TRUTH: J.J.S.E. - JERUSALEM, JUDEA, SAMARIA, END OF THE EARTH.
This is not an exercise in geography from the Lord and Master Himself, Jesus Christ. This is the final command from the Savior as He gets ready to ascend into Heaven, not just to the assembled disciples and followers left gaping up at the amazing sight of the Ascension, but to us for all generations, until He returns. Most Christians in recent decades in the west would rather write a check to some missionary cause or the church than "step out of the boat" and even tell their most trusted neighbor, co-worker or friend about Jesus or how to find true peace, hope and joy that last. We hide our Faith.  

Jesus is calling us to something really simple here. Check this:
"JERUSALEM" - anywhere immediately outside your door: neighbors; the store; office; down the street; the homeless mission; your unsaved family member.
"JUDEA" - your own community (through working with like-minded witnessing Christians); village; town; city or state.
"SAMARIA" - your own country- construction missions to less fortunate states (due to natural disaster or poverty) or your own province or island in Caribbean or Central America where local churches do not have the resources to even fix a leaky roof. But tell the Truth about Jesus and forgiveness with the good works.
"END OF THE EARTH" - overseas missions. This is becoming more and more critical; dangerous and even expensive. Persecution is up, support is down. But the Fruit of Evangelism under that persecution is amazing. Recent stats reveal that almost 84% of the entire world has heard the gospel and/or has a bible in their language! This is bringing us closer to the Return of Christ! Be one of those J.J.S.E Christians!

(Image Credit Here)

AMERICA - THE BIGGEST MISSION FIELD IN THE WORLD

MAJOR US CITIES REMAIN UNCHURCHED- NEW BARNA SURVEY

San Francisco - Farthest away from God

If you wondered why Christians in the west and especially in the so-called most Christian nation in the world - the United States, could care less about the persecution of Christian in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, look no further than the proof provided by George Barna. The great Christian researcher just released his survey of the least churched cities in America and while there is no surprise there, the sheer size of the populations of these cities, give lie to the historic title of the greatest Christian nation in history. In fact, what this survey proves, is the United States is the largest, wealthiest and ungodliest mission field in the world. (The largest Christian nation is actually the underground church in China which has over 300 millions Christians!)

That is the bad news. The good news is the Christian remnant in America, which hovers around 30 million, has stayed true to the Word of God, Biblical principles, the Sovereignty of God in the affairs of men and the "true Truth". That number- 25 to 30 million - seems like a lot but in a country of over 316 million people, is actually theologically correct when the qualifying views of these believers are boiled down to the nitty gritty. 

A real Christian has the following beliefs as his/her core and never wavers from it: the Sovereignty of God; the Inerrancy of Scripture from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22; the birth, life, death, Resurrection and Return of Christ; His Virgin Birth; the Diety of Christ; The Holy Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit);  the Total Depravity of man; the Perseverance of the Saints and Lordship of Jesus Christ as the only narrow way to Heaven. Anything else is an anathema. Good works and all that are a natural flow of the authority and calling of the believer and true child of God. Because God has told us to never neglect the fellowship of the saints, and the meeting of the assembly, church is important. It's secondary functions - the Parachurch - is supremely important as well as most of the outreach work, missions and discipleship ministries are done through the Parachurch organizations. (This will be discussed in Part 2 of this article).

So without further ado, and knowing the foundational truth of what a true Christian and authentic church-goes SHOULD be, here are the least churched cities of the United States of America:

THE FULLARTICLE ON UNCHURCHED CITIES CAN BE READ HERE AT THE BARNA WEBSITE:

LEAST UNCHURCHED CITIES IN THE U.S.:
1. San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, Ca.  (61% unchurched)
2. Burlington/Plattsbuirgh, Vermont (55%)
3. Boston, Ma/Manchester N.H. (53%)
4. Portland/Auburn, Maine (52%)
5. Chico/Redding, Ca. (52%)
6. Las Vegas, Nevada (51%)
7. Seattle and Tacoma, Wa. (50%)
8. Albany and upstate New York (50%)
9. Phoenix, Prescott, Arizona (49%)
10. New York City (48%)
11. West Palm Beach etc, Florida (48%)
12. Tuscon/Sierra Vista, Arizona
13.  Portland, Oregon

14.  Los Angeles, Ca.

15.  Philadelphia, Pa.

16.  Hartford/New Haven, Connecticut

17.  Flint, Michigan

18.  Denver, Colorado

19.  Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto

20.  Providence, Rhode Island

Baltimore is ranked number 67 with only 1/3 of this population listed as unchurched. Judging from the riots and spiritual condition of that city, it's absolutely obvious church attendance does not equal transformation.

Go to www.barna.org for more on this and other relevant (to Christianity) surveys.

"THE I AM STATEMENTS OF JESUS CHRIST" - PART 2

The book of John has Seven of the Great "I AM" statements of King Jesus, the Lord of the Universe - your Lord and my Lord and Savior. In Part 2 of this PLUMBLINE program, we look at the rest of the story. The great author/commentator Warren Wiersbe had a great exposition of the I AM statements of Christ and I exhort you to read them here, along with watching this program:

SEVEN "I AM" STATEMENTS FROM THE BOOK OF JOHN
1. The Bread Of Life
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. (John 6:35)

2. The Light Of The World
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

3. The Gate
I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. (John 10:9)

4. The Good Shepherd
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)

5. The Resurrection And The Life
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 11:25-26)

6. The Way, The Truth, And The Life
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

7. The Vine
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

"THE I AM STATEMENTS OF JESUS CHRIST" - PART 1

The Lord Jesus, in His Ministry on earth, said many things while alive as a man. While His Biblical Name - YHWH ( Yahweh) - literally means "I AM WHO I AM", His "I AM" statements are both stunning, educational, instructive and inspiring. Here is the first of two parts of "THE I AM STATEMENTS" of Jesus Christ, from the PLUMBLINE Television show, now seen worldwide on ROKU, on the BARAK TV network. 

SEVEN THINGS GOD HATES- #6: A FALSE WITNESS

THE PILTDOWN MAN

These six things the Lord hates,

Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: 

A proud look,

A lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,

A heart that devises wicked plans,

Feet that are swift in running to evil, 

A false witness who speaks lies,

And one who sows discord among brethren

Proverbs 6:18-19 

Can God be any clearer? He put the following in the 9th Commandment in Exodus 20:16 "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor", then He emphasizes that Law in the list of Seven Things He hates! 

Why is this? Well, because God is Truth, period. It is written "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life". It is also written "the Father is looking for worshippers....who will worship in SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH"! Then twice in three chapters, the Lord Jesus mentioned the Spirit of God - Holy Spirit - and called Him "the Spirit of Truth" - John 14:17 and John 16:13.

There is a distinction AND a difference - GOD IS TRUTH, the devil is a lie, the father of lies and the personification of the false witness. He is a deceiver, a conniver, a swindler, a conman, a dupe, a wolf in sheep's clothing and his future wardrobe will be flaming hot.

The debate over something called Evolution has been going on since former seminary student Charles Darwin concocted the theory, in his 1859 book "Origin of the Species". Darwin's close friend, Lady Hope, tried to cover for him at his death by spreading an unlikely story that he was converted on his death bed to Jesus Christ, but his family denied he recanted and believed God. That being said, what Darwin did through his false thesis was unleash a Pandora's box of evil which typified the descent of man into degradation, during the 20th Century.

The abortionist Margaret Sanger (founder of the misnamed Planned Parenthood); Adolph Hitler and even the Columbine (Colorado) killers of the 1990's were all believer's in Darwin's theory of natural selection, evolution and all that comes with any of this! Another false theory and witness to the Truth of Creation is not just the Big Bang (where you and I and everything around us came out nothing and then - voila - we were all something!), but the Piltdown man!

The Piltdown Man is one of the longest run false testimonies ever about the origins of man. The Word clearly states that it was God Who made man in His own image. In the same way, a man named Charles Dawson created his own false mechanism. The fraud which last for more than 40 years - the longest running "scientific" falsehood in history - began when Dawson said he was "given" the remains of a "being" found in the quarry at Pilton, Sussex County in India. These remains of the secular "being" confirmed to some that here indeed was the "missing link".

For four decades - lies after lies after lies abounded in the scientific/academic community.  All kinds of study and illogical reasoning were imputed to this so called Piltdown Man. That is, until the quiet investigation of this led to a big exposure in 1953 in TIME magazine. The Piltdown man was the Hoax of the Century! For four decades, the world's academic community thought their "missing link" of the bridge between apes and humans had been found. IT TURNED OUT TO BE NOTHING MORE THAN A WELL CRAFTED, DECEPTIVELY FILED AND STAINED PARTS OF A FULL DEVELOPED 600 year old HUMAN SKULL AND A JAWBONE OF AN ORANGUTAN!!! It was carefully crafted to deceive....to be a false witness to the lie of evolution, against the Truth of Creation.

This was NOT a harmless hoax. This fraud/false witness was used by Clarence Darrow in court as evidence of the "Missing Link" in the Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925. It was used by racists and others to further segregate the races with their concocted theories.  It was used by secularists to dispute the Bible. IT WAS A BLATANT FRAUD. 

The Truth found in Scripture speaks to this deception and the multitude of others, in these last days:

Listen to the word of the LORD, O sons of Israel, for the LORD has a case against the inhabitants of the land, because there is no faithfulness or kindness or knowledge of God in the land. There is swearing, deception, murder, stealing and adultery. They employ violence, so that bloodshed follows bloodshed (Hosea 4:1-2).

You destroy those who speak falsehood; the Lord abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit (Psalm 5:6).

A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who tells lies will perish (Prov. 19:9).

But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death (Revelation 21:8).

God WILL not let sin go unpunished, whether it is the "Piltdown Man" or not. The damage caused the lie of the Piltdown "man" is unimaginable, as this damage is ongoing now for over 100 years. This too is an abomination unto the Lord....as much as any politician lie or someone preaching heresy.

LIBERAL GRINCHES?

AMERICAN LEFTISTS vs OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD!

Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child (SPOCC) – the largest Christmas gift-giving project in the world – has been brightening lives of children in third world countries since it was founded in 1993, with with over 100 million shoe boxes full of gifts and joy . SPOCC Founder William Franklin Graham III (or just plain Franklin) is reporting that Operation Christmas Child is now on track to deliver almost 10 million shoe boxes to disadvantaged kids this Christmas season around the world! This is an effort which cannot be matched by anyone, anywhere...and follows a trend of Christians doing what we do best - love others in Jesus' Name.

These wonderful gifts are packed by churches and some schools, as well as private schools around America by mostly ordinary families and their children, with a lot of love and care going into each box. Yet there are people whose dark soul of the night are not just criticizing Franklin Graham (son of the great Billy) for who he is, but by extension, they are grossly insulting the kindness and good hearts of America’s Christian families who supply the majority of these boxes.  (Businesses, Scout Troops and other smaller outfits fill out a good percentage of boxes as well.)

So what are in these boxes that has the irreligious left, pagan grinches and just plain heartless people so upset? Well, I can tell you, first –hand, that these boxes are chock full of toothpaste; toothbrushes; mild soap; wash cloth; combs; socks; safe toys or age appropriate games (no cards etc); school supplies  (pencils; crayons etc); t-shirts; picture books and even a personal note to either a boy or girl, if you wish. Dolls; stuffed animals; harmonicas and jump ropes are allowed. NO toy guns, NO toy knives and nothing dangerous are allowed. No  liquid or food stuffs are included. No medicines or any violation of local cultural norms are packed in ANY of these boxes. Wow! I have never seen such subversive materials go out to children of the world! Yet, these liberal people who are champions at squealing for other people’s  money, while spending absolutely none of their own for somebody else, would deprive a poor child in over 100 countries something they would buy their own kids!

In the past few years, Operation Christmas Child has been kicked out of the Air Force Academy and a number of public schools, for two reasons – they are a pure 100% Christian group and secondly, their leader is Franklin Graham. Who is Franklin, apart from the son of America’s greatest preacher Billy? Franklin Graham never fails to stand up for Jesus Christ – the Name above all names – and the superiority of the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven. That’s why they hate him – Christ! It has nothing to do with the fact that he is a conservative.  For almost 2000 years, the unredeemed has hated Jesus Christ  and will continue to until He returns and puts a stop to this world system. 

It matters not to the critics that Samaritan’sPurse are among the first responders whenever there is a catastrophe like Hurricane Sandy; or a Typhoon in Philippines or the Earthquake in Haiti. It matters not to the critics that Samaritan’s Purse will not only go and minister to all these westernized “Christian” countries with medicine, food and comfort.

But Samaritan’s Purse gives freely and responds immediately to tragedies in Islamic and other countries as well.

So how does one respond when personally attacked for loving the less fortunate as we are commanded by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Well, we pack more shoe boxes! In fact, we help Duck Dynasty’s Uncle Si pack 50,000 more shoe boxes by following these simple instructions and help brighten somebody else’s Christmas. (This post was inspired by criticism of my support for OCC from anonymous people).

CLICK HERE TO GET ABOARD THE LOVE TRAIN TO BLESS THE CHILDREN OF THE WORLD

WHILE YOU'RE AT IT, PRAY FOR THEM TO ACCEPT JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND SAVIOR,THIS IS THE BEST GIFT WE CAN EVER GIVE ANYONE, SHORT OF WITNESSING TO THEM ONE ON ONE ABOUT THE LORD JESUS!

Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Hanukkah and MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ONE AND ALL!

FOUR PRINCIPLES OF SOWING FOR THE HARVEST

Galatians 6:9: "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up".

A wonderful friend of mine for almost 20 years who has been a faithful man of God for over 50 years owns a blessed and productive apple orchard. This apple orchard still supplies thousands of apples to an area business which makes up to 500 gallons of cider daily - pure, cool, refreshing tasty local cider! I don't think there is anything better in this world, except iced water, to sip on a beautiful fall day!

My friend planted those apple trees and nurtured them from the ground up for decades...and he still takes care of them as he did when he was in his thirties. Recently I was given a huge box of a variety lovely apples from his crop (which will become apple sauce by the way), and it got me thinking of reaping and sowing. I also contemplated thea legacy my brother in Christ and fellow warrior is leaving to the next generation.

Those who have built a booming business using his five-decade-old crop as a foundation are now providing employment for local men and women. Their store sells caramel apples, apple sauce, apple butter, apple cider, apple cider donuts and other local produce and meats from other local business. Anything from apples you can think off  - they have it. Even cold yummy apple slushies from $1 up so the smallest kid can afford it. This is the essence of America. So much came from one man who planted an apple tree and opened a small shop for his wife to sell apple cider! The real life example here, has provided the impetus for this teaching from God's word to enable common folks like you and I, to leave a legacy which is just as rich as the soil my friend's apple trees stand on.

The Bible says in Galatians 6:7 ESV Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. This second part of the verse is natural law, logic and plain old common sense. The first part reminds us that what we are seeing in America and the World today is both self deception and the surety of the Justice of God! In the wider societal sense, the political-academic-cultural axis of evil has deceived the majority of the country (and the world) into a certain mindset and lifestyle which is leading the majority to final judgment before God one day....then eternal separation from Him. 

There are many ways to look at the sure Word of God and its real-life implications in both a corporate (or societal) sense and then in a deeply personal sense. We have seen how the mocking and blaspheming of God by politicians, judges and the culture has sown a harvest of hell and damnation to each successive generation. We are responsible for that only in the sense of our voting patterns and how respond to it. What we are most responsible for before God, however, is our personal spiritual conduct in this sowing and reaping process.

There are a few takeaways we have to key in or focus on to grasp the Lord's teaching here, as relayed by Paul. The major points, in brief are:

1. The Sowing comes before the Reaping. 

Everybody sows or puts something into play in life. Many folks, since the existence of humankind, have grown up where either evil has been sown (alcoholism, immorality, unbelief, anger and hate) or love of family and/or God. By the sheer act of living, we sow a part of ourselves. We leave a footprint in our every action. It is completely up to us what kind of footprint we leave behind. Just as an apple seed cannot bear oranges. Function follows Form and therefore, if we sow love, we reap love. 

If we sow gossip, we reap gossip. 

If we sow lies, we reap lies. 

If we sow hate, we reap hate. 

If we sow the wind, we reap the whirlwind. 

So the first thing is - you and I reap only what we sow - that would preach - that's bible! 

2. The Sowing of Bad seed can lead to devastation.

When King David lusted after another man's wife - Bathsheba - killed her husband to cover up his adultery and lied to himself for two years before Nathan confronted him, he set a series of events in motion which still has impact today. Solomon, the once wisest man who ever lived, was the product of that union. His immorality and pagan worship led to God splitting the Kingdom and judgment on the followers of the Law when God let the Romans completely destroy the Temple in Jerusalem in AD 70. 

The seeds to that destruction were sown 1000 years before, when King David crossed the line. The Land of Israel has never recovered for that act, almost 3000 years ago and is now a 70% secular country. The good news for them is that on the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, one third of Israel will be saved from the fires of hell by the Messiah!!! (See Zechariah 13:8 here)

3. The Fruit from the Sowing may not be immediately seen.

We have all heard the stories of grandmothers or parents and prayer warriors praying for the salvation of a loved one, or even a fellow co-worker....and then never living to see this or that person come to a saving knowledge of Christ....in the praying person's lifetime. Then this same person, let's call him "Person A" being prayed for runs into another along the line who waters that evangelistic prayer seed....then this same unsaved person comes to either a dramatic "come-to-Jesus" moment and surrenders to Jesus, repents and gets saved AND THEN gets baptized. This entire procedure has been witnessed by the High Court of Heaven. 

Each person along the course of Person A coming to salvation, sowed into Person A's life. This will then be evident on the Day of the Lord, in God's Courtroom, when the righteous stand before Jesus to be judge for our works. It may only be evident there that Person A we met on a train to New York or at the State Fair in line to buy ice-cream or at the Godmobile, actually remembered what you said 20 years before he gave his life to the Lord! THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN, so look forward to it! Can you imagine the Joy you will have in heaven when Melissa or Joan or Jackson comes up to you and says "it was YOU who led me to a saving Knowledge of Jesus Christ, and I wish to thank you for it"!!! Factor this!

4. Correct missed opportunities to sow, by planting NOW!

Everyone of us have messed up! I don't know how many times I have figuratively kicked myself in the shin for neglecting to tell this or that person an encouraging word from the Lord. How many times have we ALL said "I wish I had said "something or other" and maybe this or that person would have felt better, gone away less confused or even believed the Gospel and would have been saved? How many times? Well, the answer is too many to count.

Is God a hard taskmaster sitting up on the Throne saying "I am going to get him or her, and show them they can't just do this and get away!" Does He do that? No! In His Mighty and Merciful Grace, He gives us one opportunity and another to make it right until we get it right! You and I cannot revisit the past and correct the errors of omission we committed, when we were either too chicken to talk to whomever, about what Jesus has done for us or how theLord Himself transformed us. What we can do, if we are wise, is to learn from our disobedience and folly. We can evaluate the following:

 - the environment in which we missed it. Could it be a place we felt it was not appropriate or even against some degree from the boss not to talk about Jesus at work? If this makes you uncomfortable - immediately ask this person if you can speak to him on your break time away from your place of work, or after work for a cup of coffee or iced tea.

 - the circumstances in which we missed it. Could it be you do not feel qualified to address someone who has just been diagnosed with breast cancer or heart disease and is in a panic? If so, while it may not be the same thing, speak about hope, the expectation of hope and the need to NOT lose courage.  Do not use "religious lingo", just be human and loving in your natural self and watch the Lord use this willingness to even open the eyes of the person you're witnessing to maybe allow them to see you care about them and their emotional well being than they could ever imagine! If it is a serious medical situation, here is the place you may ask, in private, if you can pray for her/him.

 - the words we used or did not use when we missed it. As we all know, we cannot live in the past or walk around saying "if I had only......"! We can become more acquainted with HIS WORDS - through intentional/devotional/relational reading of the Holy Word of Truth - the Bible and then Prayer! Because we know we have missed several opportunities in the past, we now double down and vow not to do it again but to proactively pray for God to send you more divine appointment this day or when He wishes, so you can share what He has done for you! If you do this and everything else He instructs you....if you are filled with the Knowledge of the Holy....if you are ready, willing and able...ALL you have to do now is trust, obey and step out of the way. Then watch Holy Spirit speak directly through you as you mouth His Words! 

J-FEST '13 - THE BEST

JESUSFEST 2013 (ROCK & ROLL HARDEE'S SPRINGFIELD, IL

(more photos to follow)

IN HONOR OF JESUS CHRIST AND BREAST CANCER MONTH (OCTOBER)

Chosen Generation Gospel Band (in part)

One of the major goals I have in bringing these free outdoor Christian concerts to various

Tamara Norville

parts of the city and the county in coming months and years is to bring the joyful news of the Kingdom to areas given up by the church, to worldly systems.  The first one, though too long by a few hours, happened in Auburn, Illinois in October 2011. JesusFest 2 was at the brand new SouthWinds Park (just on the outskirts of town) in October 2012 and the recently concluded JesusFest 3 brought the powerful message of Jesus to the South East Laketown area of Springfield.

IDENTITY from Bloomington, Il.

Future spots being explored are Petersburg, Rochester, Chatham and other parts of this big city of Springfield. The rubber meets the road...on the road. We can expound and pontificate from a pulpit on Sunday morning, feel good about ourselves and there is nothing wrong with any of this. However the Great Commission from the Great Christ was to "GO AND MAKE", not sit and take.

Evangelism and outreach are not just two words which begin with vowels, but the burden of every soul (or should be) who has been called out of the pit by the Great Rescuer - Jesus, when He saved us. This event went so well, that even the regional management of Hardee's was impressed by the size and tone of this outreach, under the most perfect sky of the month!

Evangelist Christian Rapper, MB

 So many hearts were touched, we were invited to do an event there monthly. If I had the resources and could, I would do that, just to reach that part of the city which has the biggest strip-club between Chicago and St. Louis - Deja Vu! God alone knows how many people's lives - from marriages to the young women who peddle their flesh there - have been completely destroyed by this so-called "gentleman's club". No real gentleman will be caught dead in a place like that - EVER!

Rachel Ray,
American Cancer Society

Right off the bat, a wonderful saint in the pro-life community and the wife of one of my dearest brothers and a man I fellowship with daily went over to this strip club to pray on the streets surrounding this "establishment". Here is a partial testimony of what happened there, first hand - "I went to pray towards Deja Vu & when we parked in a place to purchase beer across the street a young woman walk out with a beer she had purchased...we witnessed to her & prayed for her about 30 minutes & it was soooo BEAUTIFUL!!!  The young woman walking to her vehicle that seemed so lost & sad left with a HUGE smile on her face & genuine "JOY"!! I love serving God & I'll pretty much go anywhere @ any time...thank you again!”

Monica Hay,
 New Life Church, Auburn

A young man who had trouble with drugs, came up to our ministry table ready to surrender his life to Christ! Christian Rapper MB (Zach Ayappa), and my buddy Bob Kennedy led him to Christ right next to Stevenson Drive! A young lady was so convicted, I heard that she gave up her will to do more drugs right in front of some church people who prayed for her. There were more people affected by the message and the music and the method of loving others to Christ which will have a huge impact for months to come.

BROKEN CHAINS CHURCH &
 TRANSFORMATIVE DRAMA TEAM

One amazing treasure was the Broken Chains Church (Corner of Monroe & Lewis Streets) of Springfield whose brand new Drama Team brought the Gospel of the Kingdom to life so much that it captivated hearts and minds big time. Those are the illustrations that stick with both the redeemed and maybe, soon-to-be redeemed, rather than 45 minute message on a Sunday morning! I wish to thank Pastor Brian Williams for bringing his team out and know we will have a long association with them as we reach this generation with the Truth, as the days of the End draw closer!

A section of our Exhibit Row,before J-FEST began

Thank you to Rachel Ray, the happy warrior from the American Cancer Society, for bringing hope and resources for breast cancer prevention and treatment to the event, and for returning to J-Fest this year.

Thank you also to the following for your heart and your ministry: Don Hunt and the Chosen Generation Gospel Band. Visit the Holy Ground Coffee House on Allen Street for more fine gospel music of all genres twice per month.

Thank you to a delightful couple of beautiful kids from Illinois College- Allan Miggins and Tamara Norville for their joy and excitement.

Thank you to Monica Hay from New Life Church.

Allan Miggins  & Tamara Norville
 from Illinois College, Jacksonville, Illinois

Thank you to IDENTITY who drove all the way from Bloomington, Illinois to bless us with their virtue and fun.

Thank you to the wonderful group ASHLAND from Greenville, Illinois.

Thank you to DJ Mayday and evangelist/Christian hip-hop artist Zach Ayappa (THE MB) for being there and such good sports!

Thank you to Rock and Roll Hardees management for allowing us to use the facilities and to soundman Oakland Morris (Oakie) for doing our sound, event after event.

Thank you to the best production team in the business – brothers Brian Powell and Bob Kennedy and to all who helped us get the word out citywide!

Business Men in Christ will continue to promote and produce these events as God provides and calls us to reach our city with the Good News of Christ, until He comes! Maranatha!

ASHLAND FROM GREENVILLE, ILLINOIS ROCKED THE HOUSE WITH SOME SWEET CHRISTIAN ROCK!

OUTRAGES OF THE WEEK, PART 2

Columbus, Texas High School track team
 disqualified for Christian gesture

Since the LORD died on the Cross, rose again and did away with the Old Covenant (which Israel still lives under) men and women have given their lives by the millions to testify about the Transforming Power of the Truth of Jesus Christ. Even before that, the evil one - Satan, has tried to stop the Truth of God from going forth as he attacked mankind right up front, from Genesis 3.

The two verifiable truths have existed for almost 6000 years of Creation now in direct conflict with each other. We, who are saved...and being sanctified into the Image of His Very Son, know the entire scenario because our worldview is vertical. The learned, the "edumakated", the elite, the media, the politicians, the pagans of the United Nations and others like them are uni-focused. This is so because their view is horizontal, as is their man-made "religions". Our vertical view includes the ability to see the horizontal and discern. Their horizontal view is earth based and not grounded in the Eternal. They can only see their worldview from the lens of their own spiritually lost ignorance. 

Oh, they will be offended that the Redeemed of the Lord, said so! How dare we, the people of "The Book" (The Bible) call the super rich of Academia, Hollywood, Politics, Media and Culture...how dare we call them "spiritually ignorant"? Well, how about "misinformed on purpose"? Therefore, with all of that in mind, let's take a look at the growing list of outrages against Christ and the children of God.

NOTE:

Click here to view the last list of outrages!

Outrage #1 against God, happens as this world hurtles full speed into a collision with the Wrath of Christ at the Second Coming. A high school track team in Texas was disqualified because a runner raised his hands towards heaven at the finish line! 

Outrage #2 against God was discovered last week when word spread that the political civilians of the Pentagon have informed all US Armed Forces personnel they will be court-martialled for "proselytizing"! That means "evangelizing with a purpose"! Proselytizing will be in the eye of the beholder, so that even a US Chaplain who is seen talking to person knowingly not a christian, could be in big trouble! This has led an active commander of the Coast Guard Rear Admiral William D. Lee to say that nobody will tell him he does not have the right to share his faith!

ABORTION PILL NOW SOLD TO 15 YEAR OLD GIRLS!

Outrage #3 against God is the rule by the Food and Drug Administration to mandate the over the counter sale of the abortion pill to 15 year old girls! This unfettered sale to children is an abomination because there are severe health risks to females of any age, and even more so to someone so young. The National Organization for Women wants the sale of these things freely - no age limit! These people and their leaders and friends in high places are proving my point about spiritual ignorances. Here is their future, when they face the Lord on Judgment Day: "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea.(Mark 9:42)

Outrage #4 against God is the state of California now mailing out free condoms to kids as young as 12 years old! Their immorality is beyond imagination! It is not enough for their movie and music industry to corrupt our kids, but should they not repent and make peace with God, Mark 9:42 (above) applies to them too!

WHY AMERICA LOVES DUCK DYNASTY

This week, the A & E Reality Series "DUCK DYNASTY" became the most watched television show in America - on both network AND cable TV! It blew out anything else on NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox and all the other well-known cable nets like USA, TBS etc. The viewership of the Bearded Dudes from Da Bayou of Monroe, Louisiana has been rising steadily since February. This past week, it more than doubled the viewership of the perennial ratings giant - American Idol!

So why is a show about a family of self-confessed "rednecks", who don't shave and live faithfully and happily with their God-given wives; shoot guns and thank Jesus for their food so popular? I will tell you why - this is how the average traditional-minded American lives (or wished that he/she lived)! The Duck Dynasty concept is based on the true lives of the Robertson family, who worked hard, prayed hard and played by the rules. As a result, they did build it! They built a million dollar business based on selling one hand-made custom-made duck call, at a time!

With their hard-earned wealth, this family of rugged married family men, live lives which the average working man and woman can identify with. They face the same routines of middle-class America: teenage daughters dating; what to eat for supper; maybe lose a little weight and going to church on Sunday. They even have a midlife crisis once in a while, but instead of sinning, they join a gym or buy a powerful motorbike, which they can't ride!


The values of the Robertson Family are what the loud minority of liberals have been attempting to destroy in America for decades. These are: Biblical Marriage (Genesis 2:24 - between a man and a woman); the 2nd Amendment (the Robertson's loves them some powerful hunting firearms); Capitalism (everything about this family is free enterprise American) and Family (they're united and love being around each other). But the most scary to the average modern day liberal who drives around with a "CoExist" bumper sticker on their cars, but want everything under the sun to exist except Christians and our Bible, is the Robertsons' Faith! Si; Phil, Willie and Jace are bold, blatant and bounding in praise for the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. They proclaim Him every chance they get. They even talk about Him openly on the show and as their popularity increases and spreads outside the zone of Christians like us, more and more folks are inviting these well-informed and well-spoken men to speak at their events!

Willie Robertson is the keynote speaker for Christian Day at the great former World Series Champion St Louis Cardinals baseball team, in St Louis, Missouri this summer! This has not been announced yet, but he follows Coach Tony Dungy, who a few years ago, had many make a profession of Faith in Christ when he invited them to surrender their lives to Christ. I have worked a Christian Day at the Cardinals (2011) and over 10,000 sometimes stay back after the game to hear the message! Many of my friends in ministry use Willie's evangelism video in youth group and watching the faces of teens, who never knew Willie was a fired up Christian, is priceless! This video enhanced generation can be reached a lot easier if more and more celebrities would testify to the Transforming Power of Jesus Christ like Willie and the Duck Dynasty gang. This sort of thing then opens the door for folks on the ground like us, to then come around these youth and train them in the way they should go - the Way of the Cross!

So, as the guys get ready to start filming Season 4 of the most popular TV show in America, we celebrate the return to traditional values; faith, fun and family. Who needs to watch that perverted pap on the networks when we can DVR or watch the Robertsons on Xfinity or any of the many various ways we can now. They are a joy to behold above this rising cesspool of American culture.