November 8th is approaching quickly - what to do - what to do!? That is the scenario that most of us face as we watch the time when we will step into a voting booth and express our right and responsibility to be patriots. The problem we also face is how to be both a patriot in the United States and also be a Christian in our conscience. To be perfectly honest with you - I am also in the throes of such a decision. I continue to pray about it - read to become better informed - and maybe - just maybe fret about it a little more than I should (Told you I was going to be honest). First of all, I need to be candid. I will not under any circumstances vote for the Democrat Party or their standard bearer Hillary Clinton. The Bible teaches us that the life in the womb does have rights. It may not have rights in the eyes of the Democrat party or in the eyes of their presidential candidate - but God’s authority is infinitely higher than theirs - and He says that the precious baby in the womb is His masterpiece. God forbid that I would do anything to strengthen the hands of those who add innocent blood through abortion to the massive amount we’ve already spilt advancing erotic freedom without responsibility. I also cannot vote for this agenda because I am not in agreement with giving the LGBT community a carte blanche to rewrite the first amendment to the Constitution so that religious freedom is stamped out via the revisionist decisions made by the Supreme Court. There are a host of other reasons that would take too long to list here, but suffice it to say that until the agenda in the Democrat party changes - I will be casting no votes for any of their candidates. Now to the much harder part of the coming election. Can I vote for a man like Donald Trump - who if he said and acted toward my wife or daughters in the manner in which he has - I wouldn’t want him to be in charge of anything - other than his own reformation of character? If I can do this - what would I be sacrificing as a believer and as someone who holds to a biblical definition of character? (all the time knowing that I don’t even measure up in some areas myself - thank God for His grace and gift of righteousness through Jesus Christ!) That is where I am having such a difficult time - even today. These are matters that I will have to continue to wrestle with for a few more weeks. Eventually I will go into a booth and vote my conscience - and hopefully support someone who will lead our country, albeit haltingly, in a somewhat better direction that it is currently being led. Each time I consider that - I am no more excited than I was before. If you began reading this hoping I would come up with some magic formula to make this easier - I’m sorry that you will be disappointed. God has begun taking me in another direction - even as I continue in the quandary over how to cast a vote that will in some way honor Him. It has always been a comfort to me to remember God’s sovereignty in this world. That sovereignty can both change the direction of a nation toward righteousness - or allow a nation that turns from Him to descend into ruin. Both are seen clearly in Scripture - especially when it refers to His people. God began putting the question into my heart, “What are we going to be doing on November 9th?” If Trump is elected, and that is a big “if” will all our problems be solved? I am so glad to see so many prayer meetings and special times of prayer being called. It is an encouraging thing to watch God’s people pray. But can I ask if we will be praying after the election? Will we have the same passion to pray - when maybe, and it is a big “maybe” Hillary Clinton may be elected president of the United States? Are our hopes so set on electing one candidate over the other that we are blind to the spiritually desolate condition of the church in the United States of America? Are we so set on protecting our Constitutional rights that we are deaf to God’s call for bus to lay down all our rights for the sake of His gospel and His kingdom? Will we be so depressed that Christians were so divided over - and let’s be honest about this - such a divisive candidate that we don’t see our need to come together over a greater need of loving one another and living to glorify God and advance His gospel - no matter what form or perversion of our government that will exists after this election? Will the upward call of God in Christ Jesus be enough to motivate us to pray as passionately after the election as the political call to win an election over the ungodly agenda of the Democrat party? I hope and pray the answer to such questions is that we will pursue God with greater passion - knowing that no government has ever been able to extinguish the glorious light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The early church and the persecuted church have shown us that regardless of those who reign in the realms of men - God still reigns over the hearts of His people. They had no political standing and yet turned the world upside down. They advanced the gospel through their willingness to lay down the lives for Jesus Christ. They advanced the work of God with no favor in the courts - no favor with the emperor - and often with great persecution from others within their society. Yet God prevailed. The one thing God is graciously allowing me to begin to see is that when it comes to His gospel and His plan and purpose - neither Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton will prevail over it. God is sovereign - and His eternal purpose WILL PREVAIL. I hope you will forgive me for quoting such a long section of Scripture as I close this article - and engage in a little exegesis as well - but here we go. Paul wrote something we need to grasp - prior to a call for prayer. We might need to see it again - in light of our current circumstances. To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; 10 so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. Paul makes it clear that our purpose is to “preach the unfathomable riches of Christ” which is the riches made available to us in His gospel. This glorious message has been being presented to our world since it began. It truly began to mean something to us at the Fall - when our sin meant separation from God - and the prospect of eternal punishment for such a foolish rebellion. This message is called the “manifold wisdom of God” which is supposed to be being made known to all “through the church.” This plan and purpose - that the gospel be proclaimed through the church is in accordance with God’s eternal purpose. LET ME PUT THIS IN ALL CAPS - NOT BECAUSE I’M MAD - BUT BECAUSE IT IS IMPORTANT. GOD’S ETERNAL PURPOSE IS THAT THE CHURCH LIVE AND PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE WORLD. According to Paul it is through the relationship we have with Christ Jesus our Lord - that we have boldness and a confident access to God - so that we might carry out this purpose! 13 Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory. Paul also states. in one small sentence, the reality of his life as he lives to accomplish God’s eternal purpose of preaching the gospel to the world. He is facing tribulations - troubles - trials - hardships - beatings - all because he chooses to embrace God’s eternal purpose. He tells them, “not to lose heart” at the tribulations he is facing. Instead he says that those tribulation are for your glory! What?! Yes - it is our glory to see that living for and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ will involve tribulations. In fact Jesus Himself told us that we would be treated just like He was if we embraced true discipleship. So where does this lead us? Paul had to preach the gospel in a hostile environment - without political support - facing persecution and difficulty. Yet he spoke of boldness and confidence in the midst of it. HOW!? 14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. 20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, 21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. - Ephesians 3:8-21 Paul knew the true battle was not for a political win over society - but over the manifestation of Christ dwelling in the hearts of His people. He knew the true battle was that we all would be rooted and grounded in love for God and one another. He knew the true battle would be to know the breadth, length, height, and depth of the love for Christ. This is a love for the Father. This is a love for one another. This is a love for the lost. It is even a love for those who hate us, persecute us, and speak evil falsely of us on account of our embrace of Jesus as Lord. And this battle was so that we might be filled up to all the fullness of God Himself - as His Holy Spirit works in and through us to preach the gospel, speaking the truth in love. Paul also promised that this battle was going to be won on our knees as we trusted in the one who as able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or imagine - according to the power with which God will work in us and through us. This battle was to see God glorified in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever! Dearest precious saints of God - on November 9th our calling will be the same as it was prior to the election. It will be to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. It will be to love one another as Christ has loved us. It will be to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth for the glory of God. It will be to see the glory of God shine ever brighter THROUGH His church! So - regardless of whether Trump or Clinton become president - our purpose remains an eternal one. And just as Paul has indicated through the Spirit in Ephesians - HOW MUCH MORE DOES THAT CAUSE CALL US TO PASSIONATE PRAYER! Oh pray, dear saints - pray prior to this election. But please, I beg you, please don’t think all is lost if it does not turn out as you hope and pray. Regardless of who is our president - our Lord still reigns supreme! So, therefore, let us be bold, be loving, be prayerful, and always be abounding with hope that our work in the Lord is NOT in vain! And may that work always be to take the gospel of Jesus Christ everywhere for the glory of God!
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I recently received a question from a precious believer who read a “Prophecy/News Update” article. Because this question was so great, I want to put out my answer for all to read. The question was, “Can our actions change God’s plan in relation to this end time prophecy?” The prophecy referred to was the one in Revelation 6 about the fourth horseman of the apocalypse who will come – and his coming will be attended with horrific plagues that will be partly responsible for 25% of the population being killed (the other three are war, famine, and wild beast attacks). First let me deal with this question in regard to anyone being able to change God’s sovereign plan. When it comes to God’s ultimate sovereignty, no one can change this. He knows the time frame in which He is going to do things. But, having said that, it might be wise to see just what God says about what he sovereignly is going to do. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. Ephesians 1:8-12 (NASB) Two important things are said here about God’s ultimate sovereignty. The first is that God is working toward the, “. . . summing up of all things in Christ.” This means that ultimately we know that God will one day sum up everything in Jesus Christ. This tells us that we too should be seeking to honor, glorify, praise, and exalt Jesus – because one day it will be ALL ABOUT HIM. The second phrase used here is speaks of “God’s purpose” – the end of which is that those who hope in Christ are to be to the praise of God’s glory. This statement has huge implications, because Paul makes it in the context of the work of the gospel in the hearts and minds of men and women on this earth. God’s ultimate work is that the gospel of Jesus Christ should be the means by which men and women are saved, transformed, sanctified from sinners into those who live for the glory of God. Seeing this happen brings glory to God for His grace and mercy given through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thus ultimately – God sovereignly is working through the gospel – He is doing so to manifest His own grace – which should cause men to praise God for the glory of His grace. What does this mean for us? It means – if you believe in the sovereignty of God (which matters little – because He is sovereign if you believe He is or not), you should manifest it by both living it out in your life – and by proclaiming it to others. Ultimately – all the universe will be focused on God’s glory seen through His grace – and that grace is ONLY available through Jesus Christ, His crucifixion and resurrection. To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. Ephesians 3:8-12 (NASB) This passage actually speaks of God’s “eternal purpose” within it. That purpose was carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord. What is this purpose? It is known as those called by God make known the unfathomable riches of Christ. Once again, the eternal purpose of God is to have the gospel of Jesus Christ preached – this time so that even the “rulers and authorities in the heavenly places” can have the gospel made known to them. These are the angels – both the holy and the unholy ones – and even they need to hear about Jesus Christ and His gospel. Let me wrap this up for you in a few sentences. God’s ultimate purpose, as revealed in His Word, is that the all people praise God for the glory of His grace in the gospel. We are to be to the praise of the glory of that gospel grace. Look at the songs at the end of the age in Revelation – they praise God for His marvelous salvation. Believe me when I say that eternity is going to be an everlasting praise and worship service for God. It will be a time when we will sing, and sing, and sing, and shout . . . and then sing some more about God’s astounding grace in Jesus Christ! Now, back to the question that was asked. Can we change God’s plan and purpose in what happens in Revelation? The answer to that I believe is no, we cannot change it. What happens in Revelation is biblical prophecy and cannot be altered. But remember, at least in how we teach God’s Word here, that involves a 7-year Great Tribulation period. I teach that this happens after the church is snatched away in an event called, “the rapture.” Over and over again this time period is mentioned in Revelation. The things that happen in it, I believe, cannot be reversed. But also remember that we, the church, are still here and have not been raptured yet. That means that we are not currently in the Great Tribulation. We may have regular tribulation because we love Jesus, preach the gospel, and endeavor to live holy lives according to God’s Word. But the tribulation mentioned in Revelation 6 and later, that is reserved until after the rapture of the church. Let me try to give you a conclusion on all this. Can we change the events in the Great Tribulation described for us in the book of Revelation? No, we cannot do that. But, since we are not in the Great Tribulation yet, those events are not happening. We may see the gathering storm on the horizon, which may indicate that we are not far from these events beginning, but we are not “IN” the Great Tribulation. (Note: When I write in the Prophecy/News section of our webpage, I write about things which may be leading up to this time period – but I never intend to say that we are currently “IN” the Great Tribulation) Since we are NOT in the Great Tribulation, do everything you can to help others – especially in regard to the Ebola virus outbreak (or any other situation for that matter). Regarding God’s eternal purposes that cannot be revoked - I also have a comment for us. If you will note, God’s eternal purpose is that His great salvation through Jesus Christ be seen in His redeemed, so that we would be a cause of others (and even we ourselves, since we should praise Him for the grace He gave us in salvation) giving glory to Him for His grace in Jesus. How can we do this? We do it two ways. First we do it by working out our salvation in fear and trembling – living godly, holy lives as we wait for His coming – or our own going to Him when we die and leave this world. Second, we do it by proclaiming the gospel to the world around us – seeking to see them repent and believe in Jesus Christ for their salvation. Now – you want to know what is truly awesome! We can do these two things ANY TIME IN HISTORY without worrying about something in God’s sovereignty hindering us. He desires for these things to happen – and the only thing that could hinder them from coming to pass in our individual lives – disobedience. The ONLY thing keeping us from fulfilling that eternal purpose is us making a choice to live for something else – us making a choice to NOT proclaim the gospel boldly and lovingly to the lost – us choosing to live for this present world that is passing away rather than living for the world that is to come, and that is coming even now. As I said to the person who asked this question . . . there is never a time when loving the Lord, loving your brothers and sisters in Christ, reading and studying His Word, praying and seeking God’s face, living as a servant to others in Jesus’ name, and witnessing with a loving, bold heart is not going to benefit us. Regardless of what any prophecy says – these things will bring blessing into our lives – and believe it or not – very often into the lives of those around us! Live for Jesus daily! Love God with all your heart daily! Give your life away as you love others for God’s glory and the gospel daily! These things are NEVER-MISS in the sight of God in any generation! Prophecy News Update – March 6, 2014 The Fall of the United States, prologue Well . . . many of you who come here frequently may have noticed that I’ve not posted on this blog in a long time. That is not without purpose. Maybe a better way to express this is that it is more out of fear of what I would be writing than any purpose of God. Let me explain. Ever since the late 1980’s I’ve known in my heart that it would only be a matter of time until our country would fall. I am not sure that this was as much from some kind of prophetic foreknowledge as much as it was from being student of history. (By the way, before I write anything else know that I do not desire nor delight in this. I have always been a patriot, and love my country very much. My heart aches when I think of what we were given and where we've taken it over my lifetime. My hope is that very soon I can also say that my knees ache from prayer offered for the restoration of the church in this nation.) The three things that I knew would bring our country to its knees – or to destruction – was first the rejection of God and absolute truth that was an integral part of the agenda of multiculturalism. Second was the sexual revolution that took place in the 1960’s that had its foundation laid by the previous generation’s hypocrisy. That revolution, that many thought was relegated to the 1960’s has actually never stopped. It has had an ongoing incrementalism that has gained speed over the years to the point of overthrowing how we view sexuality, marriage, and family. We’ve moved from revolution to a fundamental transformation of our society. The third and final sphere of this fall is how our form of government has also been incrementally changing as well. That too has sped up over the years. We are now watching the government of our nation fundamentally changed as our founding documents are being openly ignored by our leaders. We are quickly becoming a nation of decrees rather than a nation of laws. I need to admit that for the past year or so I’ve watched this happen with gathering intensity and speed. My response has followed two directions – despair and disobedience. The despair has been because I have been slowly coming to the conclusion that this may be irreversible. It seems no matter what is done – the march toward destruction seems to be undeterred by both our people and our leaders. That led to the disobedience. I reached a point where I threw up my hands and said, “Oh well, what can I do?” It has only been as I’ve watched where this led me spiritually over the course of a year that I’ve seen it as a foolish thing to have done. The end of 2013 and the start of 2014 was a time of intense soul-searching. During that time I saw that hopelessness and despair only lead to abandoning the fact that God is sovereign over all time. That error – ignoring His ultimate sovereignty not just over history, but over MY history – led to a general carelessness spiritually. I thank Him that He did not abandon me, but has convicted me greatly of my sin – and has called me to back to Himself. That also means a call back to viewing history through the clear lens of His ultimate sovereignty as well as through His ultimate purpose. That purpose is clearly delineated for us in Scripture. With the Scriptures as my compass, therefore, it is my intent to once again begin looking at what is happening and possibly going to happen in the near future. Over the next several posts/articles it is my intent to share why I believe the fall of the United States is very near. I am aware that such a statement is highly inflammatory to many but I neither make it lightly, nor do I do so without Scriptural precedent. Please understand that these are not going to be politically motivated articles. Politics has long been a Trojan horse to the Christian community. We’ve been duped by political strategists who have promised change and action – but have delivered very little of either. In being so duped, the church has spent very little of her precious capital on spiritual renewal and revival. She has not turned to God in repentance and cries for His restoration. Repentance and prayer have been the things God has used to return His people to Himself – and yet these have been jettisoned and considered outdated for our days. The old paths are still there – abandoned – but still there. God’s intent, saints, is not to save our nation, but to call a people to Himself through the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Two passages of Scripture will probably dominate these posts, so you might want to familiarize yourself with them. The first is Matthew 5:13 and the second is Romans 1:17-29. If you want to do any other advance reading, you can take a trip through the major and minor prophets as well. The passages in Matthew and Romans will explain our particular national predicament – or – how did we get here? The perusal of the prophets will give you information as to what God says to a nation in spiritual, moral, and therefore national decline. Please understand that my intent in writing these articles is not to place myself anywhere except among all of us. The “us” to which I refer is the church as Jesus and Scripture define and describe it. My need of what I write about is just as intense as anyone who reads this. Our ONLY HOPE is repentance and return to God. A revival in God’s church would be awesome – but know that it might not be a guarantee that our nation will be restored. God promises that if we repent and return we will get Him. We are not guaranteed that the good ole’ United States we once knew will be restored. But then again, if that is what we have in the forefront of our minds, could it be that a national idolatry might be part of the problem as well? Is not God Himself the prize which we seek? Is not a revived church, no matter what the eventual trajectory of our nation, what is in the best interests of all? Is not a return to gospel saltiness in our culture what will glorify God more than anything else? Nations have risen up and they have fallen since the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Daniel might remind us that as he watched – a stone cut without hands hit a statue that represented the greatest nations and cultures that would arise in history. They all crumbled, but that stone grew into a great mountain and dominated the scene for all eternity. That stone is Jesus Christ, before Whom all nations shall one day bow. Our place in history will NOT be ultimately related to the United States, but to Him. It would be wise for us to remember that – now and into the future – which may seem uncertain now – but if I read Scripture right – should not be if we hold fast to the Living Stone. Just recently I've finished reading through the prophets in the Old Testament. I do this at least once a year as I read through the Bible. This year, however, their voice is reverberating in my mind and heart as I look at our nation and what God is currently doing. Let me share with you what I saw this year - and how it relates to our nation, our coming election, and the difficulties and disasters which I believe are in our future. Please also let me share why God, in His sovereign providence, is allowing them.
First, I need to comment on the state of the church leading up to this coming election. As the saints of God we are to get our marching orders from heaven. Those directives come to us through the Scriptures. I fear that too many in the conservative wing of the evangelical think that their marching orders are coming from the RNC or the Tea Party. There is an errant notion that by electing Governor Romney as president and a Republican majority in the House and Senate - our problems will be on the way to being solved in this nation. Even though I believe in voting in elections and seeking for political action toward things like abortion, homosexual marriage, racism, and matters of justice and righteousness - I do not see the United States government (even if it is the hands of conservatives) doing a whole lot to advance righteousness in America. They may use such things as election issues - but I've been burned to many times over 32 years of voting by their actual ruling looking little like their stump speeches. Also, I seem to notice in Matthew 28:18-19 that Jesus did not call us to go and make Republicans of all the nations. We are called to God's will in conduct, purpose, principle, and action. That won't fly in any political arena in present day politics. And I am not willing to cede the work of the gospel to those who are offended that the Bible presents truths that show that Muslims, Mormans, Hindus, Buddhists, and anyone else who does not repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are lost and destined for God's judgment. Such things are not up for a vote. As I've read the prophets this year I've been somewhat overwhelmed with the reality that God commands us to repent and return to Him. If we do not repent - if we continue to serve other gods - gods acceptable to our culture and acceptable to our flesh - God will begin bringing difficulties upon His people. The prophets thunder with God's unrelenting call to Himself. They do not apologize that God is sovereign. They do not apologize for His moral standards. They do not apologize that God authoritatively calls men to worship and serve Him only. And they certainly do not want to make adjustments so that the Baal worshippers, the Asherah-adherants, and the worshppers of other false gods can feel more comfortable and be a part of a "big-tent." The prophets say things very offensive to a multi-cultural world - not so much to the culture - but to anything driven by a culture's embrace of false deities. But God is not focused on the "lost" in the prophets. He is focused on His people - those who should know better. He is focused on calling His people to much needed repentance. What happens in a society when its Christians refuse to return and to repent? According to the prophets, God begins to remove first His blessing and later His protection from them and from their nation. If you've ever read the prophets you know that over time this can get very rough. God will allow earthquakes, disasters, and military conquest to overtake His people. Israel and Judah experienced horrific consequences for their love of foreign gods and the lifestyles that came with them. Baal and Asherah embraced a lifestyle of sexual immorality. Marriage was denigrated as first men committed heterosexual immoralities - and eventually moved on to homosexuality as well. Those who think the 1960's ushered in free love, know little about how far Israel and Judah fell in their pursuit of these false deities. The worship of Molech led many to sacrifice their babies in a firey death. Those who see such a thing as disgusting should remember the modern day Molech - Planned Parenthood - who promote the sacrifice of babies for the sake of supposed greater sexual freedom. Actually what they are getting is greater sexual bondage in the guise of immorality without consequences. Then there is the immorality that disguises itself as free trade, or socialism, or communism, or any other "ism" that takes precedent over Scriptural principles of business or government. You see, our culture is not all that different from the days of the prophets. We have just named things with a more sophisticated name - hiding the hideousness of what they truly are. We've also got better at lying about the true nature of things while ignoring Scripture - and occasionally insulting God and the way that He needs to improve His own image by becoming far more "hip" and "culturally-sensitive." The truth is, WE are Israel and Judah in the times of the prophets! WE have our modern day worship of Baal, Asherah, and Molech - along with calls for accepting the gods of Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and a host of cults embraced even by political candidates of our day (oops, did I say that out loud - nope, just wrote it). But the church is different, some may assert! But my question to you is to take a long look at her and answer the question, "Is it?" Do you see a movement of repentance and return in the church today? Do you see scores of people in broken repentance and prayer meetings where they are crying out for revival? Do you see the church expanding its evangelsitic outreach the point of being persecuted by groups whose numbers are being decimated by the number of people being saved? Do you see complaints by wicked businesses Who sell porn and other ungodly products that the church and her efforts in evangelism is hurting their bottom line? God calls us in 2 Chronicles 7:14 to "humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways. Read of the revivals that took place in the 1700-1800's. Read of what took place on a far wider scale in our country. Imagine what they would look like in our day - a revival driven by repentance, brokenness, and prayer. A revival with the aisles filled with repentant church members - and others being radically saved from sin. What then am I trying to say through all this? After reading the prophets . . . honestly - I'm concerned - no - I'm scared. We are about to be ushered into MORE discipline as a nation - and that discipline is meant to wake-up God's people to repentance, prayer, and brokenness. I don't want to say this - but sense the need to do so for the sake of the saints who read this. We are about to experience events that will make 9-11 look like a picnic in the park. God tried to wake us up by allowing that disaster to come upon us. We didn't wake up though. Therefore - more is coming. Far worse is coming. Do I know what that will be? No, because I am not a prophet. But I can tell you that things like a devastating earthquake come to mind. Military disasters that involve the destruction of entire armies have happened to God's people. Drought and famine are also options for God. He has soereignly allowed the destruction of entire cities - whch is terrifying in our day of bombs that can do that in a matter of moments. With our current arrogance toward money - a complete financial collapse unlike anything we've ever seen is very possible. All these things and a dozen others are possible - even probable considering our currrent lack of response to God's call to pray and seek His face. I read recently where the Mississippi river is at historic lows. If the drought we are in continues, it is possible to see the Mississippi so low that no boat traffic is allowed. That will cut off over 300 million dollars of commerce a day. That is a monthly total of 9 billion dollars of our economy stifled. The prognosticators said that would throw our natin into depression within 2 months. Kind of sobering isn't it? I can hear the comment, "Why are you writing stuff like this, pastor John?" Do you get some kind of sick thrill scaring people to death? NO! A thousand times NO! That is not my intent. My intent is to help wake up Christians to what is looming in our future. Do you really think God is going to continue to bless our nation as it is currently going? Do you really think that the church is not going to be affected by what happens in our nation? Do you really think that by maintaining a positive confession in the midst of such spiritual squallor that we will be delivered? God is going to continue allowing greater and greater disasters and troubles to come upon us until we repent, drop to our knees, and begin to cry out in desperate prayer for revival in the church and spiritual awakening in our land! This is not going to magically get better - neither is it going to be averted by electing a Morman as president and a group of Tea Party conservatives to the Congress - who have NO INTENT on addressing the moral and spiritual rot of the church and our country. We are currently as blind as Israel and Judah during the times of the prophets. The same situations and the same false prophets of health, wealth, prosperity, and "nothing bad is going to happen to us" exist today. The political leaders (kings in those days) who made a difference made it by leading the nation to repentance and a whole-hearted return to God. Such a leader who would start doing this in our day - would most likely be impeached for such actions. First off I would like to say that I love watching Tim Tebow play football. The reason for this is because of how he plays with all his heart. I love watching a competitor give his all in what he does. There is a blessing that will come to anyone who plays a sport like this – with passion and sportsmanship. I also enjoy watching Tebow represent Jesus Christ as well. I have not seen every interview he has done recently, but in those I have seen I appreciate a quarterback who is humble about his own accomplishments, and who takes the time to give credit to the rest of his team for their hard work and dedicated play. And believe me, I appreciate a young man who gives glory to God for the abilities and opportunities God has given him.
The reason why I am writing about Tebow and the Bronco’s winning streak is because there are too many Christians who think God is behind all this. Some even think God is making the Denver Broncos win games because they have a Christian quarterback who openly voices his faith. I do not know whether God has involved Himself with who wins or loses in the NFL. There is no Scripture passage that tells us whether He does this or not. I just find it a little disconcerting that many are putting so much emphasis on the outcome of a game – and equating it to God’s favor on what appears to be a very godly young man who is the quarterback of that team. Give me a few moments, if you will to voice my thoughts on this. God is sovereign over all things. This is biblical truth. Therefore God is sovereign, even over NFL football games. Some say God is too busy to concern Himself with such things. The God of the Bible is NEVER too busy. He is infinite and eternal – knowing every thought, intent, and action of every human being on the planet. He does this without needing a break – or a vacation so that He can unwind. Having said this, I do want to say as well that God has given His primary attention in Scripture to the praise of His glory as the gospel changes and transforms those whom He saves. Much of what we “make much of” is considered trivial and secondary to God. We place our focus on the final score of the game – while I believe our God places his focus on the character of those who play it. In this regard I LOVE to watch Tim Tebow because he glorifies God by the character he shows while playing football for the Denver Broncos. Does this mean that God therefore owes Tim Tebow victories due to his faithfulness and desire to honor God? That is something we should probably examine further. When we honor God with our obedience to Him – we are blessed. When we choose to rely on Him and turn to His Word for how we live and the character we choose in every situation – we are blessed. When we walk in our chosen field of endeavor in a way that glorifies God – we are blessed. But to say that such conduct and such choices require God to make us successful and winners in all we do – is inaccurate – and spiritually dangerous. The blessing we receive as we live for God and His glory is . . . that God is glorified. More than anything else this should be our focus. There are times when God is glorified in giving us overt blessings that are plain for all to see. The Lord blessed David with great victories in battle. He blessed Moses by splitting the Red Sea and crushing Pharaoh’s army underneath tons of water as it returned to its natural state. But there were also times when God was glorified by things that didn’t look so good on the outside. Job endured tremendous difficulties both physical and emotional as he endured a time of intense testing and trial for God’s glory. David may have seen great victories – but he was also the recipient of almost 10 years of running for his life while Saul tried to hunt him down and kill him. It is a dangerous thing to think that if we obey and walk in God’s way, we deserve the best – and only the best to happen to us. That thinking is what led Job’s three friends to think that because he was facing physical illness and emotional and spiritual upheavals that it was due to sin in his life. There are times when God is most glorified when we are obedient and blessed – but others when we are obedient and . . . not so blessed. The key is knowing that God deserves our obedience and the glory from it – no matter what our physical, emotional, or spiritual condition. No matter what happens in our lives – God is still good – and still worthy of praise, glory, and honor. What happens WHEN Tim Tebow loses a game? Does that mean he is sinful and no longer worthy of blessing? He must have been a sinner his senior year at Florida because he didn’t win a national championship that year – and on top of that wasn’t awarded the Heisman Trophy. This is where the “blessed if you do” and “sinful if you’re not blessed” kind of theology takes us. And let’s step away from Mr. Tebow and consider others – brothers and sisters in persecuted lands like China, East Timor, and a host of Islamic nations. Is their lack of outward blessing a sign of sin in their midst. Be careful how you answer – for these are some of God’s most choice saints. They endure hardship and persecution with the godliest character that brings much glory to their Father in heaven. Are we in financially blessed America the godliest saints on earth because of our physical blessings? Oh, be careful how you answer again – for many times a nation that has everything it wants – is far more judged than blessed. They may be blessed in physical and financial things – but too often they are full of themselves and filled with the sins that excess brings. They will find that their fall will be hard when God matches their physical state with what they truly are spiritually. We can only judge and examine things by wise, discerning, Scriptural judgment. God is far more interested in what character we manifest in the game – than in the outcome of the final score of the game. God is far more interested in the quality of our devotion and dedication to Him than He is in our prowess in some sport or other field of endeavor. God is far more interested in Tim Tebow’s heart before, during, and well after the game – than He is in his stats during it. And we would do much better to hope that Tim’s witness and walk is worthy of the gospel than whether the Broncos win their division and the Super Bowl. From what I can see and hear (which is very little in the scope of things) Tim Tebow is doing a wonderful job representing Jesus Christ on and off the football field. That is very difficult considering the manner in which this young man is being scrutinized by those cheering for his demise. My concern for him is that God continues to give him both strength and grace as he seeks to glorify God, not only as a quarterback for the Denver Broncos – but much more importantly as a brother in Christ who desires to please God long after he hangs up his cleats. |
What is the Prophecy/News Update?At Calvary Chapel of Jonesboro, we believe that history is moving toward fulfilling God's plans and purposes. In an effort to help us be prepared for His appearing - and also to chronicle news items you just won't see in the national media - this page is devoted to sharing those items and their possible significance to Thank you for visiting our website! Everything on this site is offered for free. If, however, you would like to make a donation to help pay for its continued presence on the internet, you can do that by clicking here. The only thing we ask is that you give first to the local church you attend.
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