Thanksgiving Day: Remembering the Covenant

Posted on November 23, 2011 by

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The picture above is a reenactment of the first landing at Cape Henry by the English settlers who later established the Jamestown colony. At the Cape that they first came ashore and offered thanksgiving to God for their safe passage. Here they also made a covenant with God and dedicated this new land for purpose of spreading the Gospel. God spoke to us there several years ago that He wanted to renew His covenant with America. That has been our prayer and mission ever since.

We began this blog with the story of Cape Henry and the special covenant made there. This Thanksgiving Day we reflect upon that covenant. We are reminded of all the blessings which God has bestowed upon us because of the covenant. America was meant to be a missionary nation as was Israel. The question that remains is this: Will we follow through on the covenant commitment which our early settlers made with God? Our forefathers understood the covenant and operated under its authority and provisions.

Let us remember this day to give God the thanks and praise for all He has done for us and our nation. May our prayers be that we will return to Him, our first love, and the calling He has place upon us. That calling is still to reach the lost with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, by Word and example.

Thank you for joining us in prayer this day for our nation and its people. May God bless you and your family with His joy and peace. May He keep you safe in your travels and may each family member and friend be under His divine health and protection.

“The LORD bless you and keep you;

The LORD make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;

The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.”’ (Numbers 6:24-26)

Posted in America, bless, blessings, covenant, missionary nation, thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Day | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Newspeak

Posted on November 14, 2011 by

Newspeak is a fictional language in George Orwell‘s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. The words doublespeak, doublethink, and thoughtcrimes were coined by Orwell. He was writing about a deliberately impoverished language which the state used to reduce the thinking capacity, and thus the choices, of its people. A “thoughtcrime” would be an act of thinking outside the box which the state had constructed.

A modern understanding of this newspeak might be political correctness. Surely, we see much of that today in our politics and media. Nonetheless, today’s newspeak goes far beyond political correctness and is far more sinister. It even invades our churches. Yet it did not come in overnight. It has been continually seeping in over an extended period of time. Let us examine it, shall we?

In a parent teacher conference a certain mother did not like the way I grade her daughters report card. She said that I had not made a positive confession over her daughter and, thus, was handicapping her spiritually. I tried to explain to her that the word “confession” meat telling the truth. She was not interested in that. She was only interested in improving the grade of her daughter without her daughter having to make any more effort. God alone would make the effort if we said the right incantation. In other words – we should use witchcraft.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.  (1 John 1:8-10)

Christians will sometime say: “I am believing for” whatever they might want. Does our believing make God believe the same thing for us? God is not bound by our thoughts.

 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.  (Isaiah 55:9)

You ask and don’t receive because you ask wrongly, so that you may spend it on your desires for pleasure.  (James 4:3)

True confession is agreeing with God. True belief is acting on our agreement with Him. Believing is keeping covenant with God. A little sarcasm from James might be in order:

You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!  (James 2:19)

What about the word “election.” In a democracy we like to believe that we have free elections. Free elections should mean free choices. Nevertheless, election for many Christians does not mean free choice. In may very well mean the opposite for them. The theology is that God has chosen certain people for salvation. He has elected them they are called His elect. He has predestined certain people to be saved from damnation. If so, then logically He has also predestined other people for damnation. How diabolical is that?

Is this thinking scriptural? He might be construed to be that way if we read God’s Word the way Satan wants us to read it. We know that Satan quoted scripture to Jesus in the wilderness to tempt Him. Of course, he took the scripture out of context. He twisted the scripture as he twists everything else.

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”  (Matthew 4:5-7)

What does the word election mean in the context of scripture? We may start by what it does not mean. It does not mean that God’s mercy is arbitrary:

For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.  (Romans 11:32)

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.  (2 Peter 3:9)

The biblical interpretation of God’s election is that the children of Israel were chosen or elected by God as He promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. Israel was chosen to by a nation of priests and to be a missionary nation in accordance with God’s purpose. They were chosen as instruments for the purpose of saving the whole world, not for excluding other peoples and nations.

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.  (1 Peter 2:9-10)

“And now the LORD says,
Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,
To bring Jacob back to Him,
So that Israel is gathered to Him
(For I shall be glorious in the eyes of the LORD,
And My God shall be My strength),
Indeed He says,
‘ It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob,
And to restore the preserved ones of Israel;
I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles,
That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’”  (Isaiah 49:5-6)

Let us remove this newspeak from the Church. It is nothing more than Satan’s lies.

Deliver us Lord from the way of sin and death. Give us discernment so that we might not judge amiss. Let the words of our mouth ad the meditations of our hearts be always acceptable unto you, for you alone are our rock and our redeemer. Amen.

Posted in 1984, deception, doublespeak, doublethink, election, George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four, political correctness, predestination, thoughtcrime | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A New Reformation

Posted on November 2, 2011 by

Blow the trumpet in Zion,
declare a holy fast,
call a sacred assembly.
Gather the people,
consecrate the assembly;
bring together the elders,
gather the children,
those nursing at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber.

Let the priests, who minister before the LORD,
weep between the portico and the altar.
Let them say, “Spare your people, LORD.
Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn,
a byword among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?” (Joel 2:15-17)

Why is there a need for reformation in the Church today? The leadership has strayed from the way and followed their own devices. God is restoring His Church and He will not stop until His work is finished. One question remains: Will the leadership listen and repent?

Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. ( Jeremiah 3:14-15)

How has the leadership gone wrong? Many of today’s churches emphasize prosperity as a well of selling their particular brand of the Gospel. Jesus promised believers an abundant life in the Kingdom of God which means righteousness, peace, and joy. Churches have emphasized a kingdom of financial prosperity. Jesus cautioned against this kingdom in His sermon on the mount:

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.  (Matthew 6:24)

Many churches today emphasize signs and wonders. Leaders will go to any length to produce them because they think the signs and wonders are proof that God is with them. Jesus cautioned against this kingdom as well:

For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.  (Matthew 24:24)

Then there are the overly cautious church leaders and self-proclaimed experts who proclaim that the days of healings and miracles are over. This flies in the face of the New Testament teachings and the clear evidence we see everyday when we open our eyes.

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.  (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

See New Reformation.

Posted in American Church, apostolic, awakening, church denomination, prophecy, Reformation, revival, the Church | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Today’s News Media

Posted on November 1, 2011 by

You who practice deceit,
your tongue plots destruction;
it is like a sharpened razor.
You love evil rather than good,
falsehood rather than speaking the truth.
You love every harmful word,
you deceitful tongue!  (Psalm 52:2-4)

Edmund Burke said there were Three Estates in Parliament; but, in the Reporters’ Gallery yonder, there sat a Fourth Estate more important far than they all. In a democracy the free press is essential to the maintenance of a sound government. In a government of the people, by the people, and for the people the people need to be kept informed.

My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.  (Hosea 4:6)

Woe to the news media in this nation. You are against the people and thus the hand of God is against you. You will pay the price and you will not escape.

“Cursed is anyone who leads the blind astray on the road.” Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”  (Deuteronomy 27:18)

This message will not be heeded by the media because the news media will not take correction.

Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.  (Proverbs 10:17)

This message is for the American people.

I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.  (1 John 2:26-27)

Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. (1 John 3:7-8)

Seek the truth. Do not fall for purposeful falsehood, political correctness, or misleading distortions. Spiritual discernment is needed. This discernment must come from God. It does not spring forth natively from our minds. Jesus said:

“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  (John 8:31-32)

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Ezra’s Prayer – Followup

Posted on October 6, 2011 by

The Greek word transliterated “metanoia” means “a change of mind.” It suggests going in a different direction than before. This gets at the true meaning of the word “repentance.” Repentance means more than feeling for one’s actions. Rather, it is an action word. The act of repentance must be observed by an outward change in direction. John the Baptist proclaimed: Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.  (Matthew 3:8)

Intercessory prayer is the opening of the door. It is the key that leads to true revival. We must walk through that door in order to complete the revival. God will do His part but He is counting on us to do ours.

What happened in the case of Ezra? He had found that the Israelites who were rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem had intermarried with pagans which was against God’s Law. In our last post we spoke of the pattern of Ezra’s intercessory prayer. His ministry did not stop with the prayer:

While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a large crowd of Israelites—men, women and children—gathered around him. They too wept bitterly. Then Shekaniah son of Jehiel, one of the descendants of Elam, said to Ezra, “We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the peoples around us. But in spite of this, there is still hope for Israel. Now let us make a covenant before our God to send away all these women and their children, in accordance with the counsel of my lord and of those who fear the commands of our God. Let it be done according to the Law. Rise up; this matter is in your hands. We will support you, so take courage and do it.”  (Ezra 10:1-4)

A great awakening is taking place now within the American people. This is the result of God’s revelations. He is exposing the lies and bringing the people back to their spiritual roots. Nevertheless, a great obstacle stands in the way of true revival. It is the leadership of this country- in the government, in education, and even in our churches. When Ezra examined the list of those Israelites who had intermarried he found that a large percentage of them were priests and levites. These were the leaders who were supposed to be looking out for the well-being of the nation.

Now the American people must respond to the revelations of God. It was not so long ago that we as a people said that it was more important for our leaders to be “competent” than moral. What will we do now? Under the leadership of Ezra the people of Israel repented. They changed their way of thinking. They put away their pagan wives and they returned to their heritage in God. Because they did the work of rebuilding the temple and the nation continued and eventually was completed. What will we do as a people of God?

Posted in America, American Revolution, Ezra, intercession, prayer, repentance, revival, tea party | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ezra’s Prayer – A Pattern for Intercession

Posted on October 2, 2011 by

Ezra was a spiritual leader and intercessory prayer warrior during a critical time in the history of the Jewish people. A remnant of the people had returned home from Babylon. Ezra went to Jerusalem to encourage the rebuilding of the Temple following the exile in Babylon. He found that the people building the Temple had sinned against God by intermarrying with heathens.

Notice how he prayed for the people:

“I am too ashamed and disgraced, my God, to lift up my face to you, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens. From the days of our ancestors until now, our guilt has been great. Because of our sins, we and our kings and our priests have been subjected to the sword and captivity, to pillage and humiliation at the hand of foreign kings, as it is today.

“But now, for a brief moment, the LORD our God has been gracious in leaving us a remnant and giving us a firm place[a] in his sanctuary, and so our God gives light to our eyes and a little relief in our bondage. 9 Though we are slaves, our God has not forsaken us in our bondage. He has shown us kindness in the sight of the kings of Persia: He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, and he has given us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem.

“But now, our God, what can we say after this? For we have forsaken the commands you gave through your servants the prophets when you said: ‘The land you are entering to possess is a land polluted by the corruption of its peoples. By their detestable practices they have filled it with their impurity from one end to the other. Therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them at any time, that you may be strong and eat the good things of the land and leave it to your children as an everlasting inheritance.’

“What has happened to us is a result of our evil deeds and our great guilt, and yet, our God, you have punished us less than our sins deserved and have given us a remnant like this. 14 Shall we then break your commands again and intermarry with the peoples who commit such detestable practices? Would you not be angry enough with us to destroy us, leaving us no remnant or survivor? 15 LORD, the God of Israel, you are righteous! We are left this day as a remnant. Here we are before you in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand in your presence.”  (Ezra 9:6-13)

Notice that Ezra did not judge the people. Rather, he identified with them even though he was not guilty. He humbled himself before God and prayed for the corporate sins of the people. We need intercessors in America to follow his example and immediately pray for our nation.

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The Awakening

Posted on September 16, 2011 by

A great awakening is occurring in America. Such “awakenings” have periodically taken place in America in the past. Christian believers are more likely to call them “revivals.” The First Great Awakening was kindled through great preaching. Leaders of the Awakening such as Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield come to mind. Lasting from 1734 to 1750, this revival greatly influenced the thinking of the time.

The American Revolution actually began even before the shot was fired. John Adams wrote:

“The Revolution was effected before the war commenced. The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people….This radical change in the principles, opinions, sentiments, and affections of the people was the real American Revolution.”  (John Ferling, Setting the World Ablaze: Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and the American Revolution (2002) p. 281)

Before any significant change can take place in a representative democratic republic there first must be a change in the hearts and minds of the people. We are now seeing a change in the thinking of the American people. What force or vision is bringing about this change?

Let us begin by saying what this change agent is not. It is not one of our political parties. Both parties were surprised by the present day tea party and have failed to understand fully what motivates it. We can also rule out the American Church for the most part. This church does not seem to be in touch with either God or the American people. That might be an overstatement but who would want to argue that today’s church is behind any sort of spiritual awakening? They are still preaching the Gospel for personal financial gain. In recent times our nation has exported more debt to the world than the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

God is releasing the Spirit of Truth into our land. The Holy Spirit is speaking directly to the hearts of the people. The American people have been stirred-up. Falsehoods, propaganda, and demagoguery are being exposed. Leaders are tripping over themselves, begging for God’s wrath.

This is the promise God made to Israel through the prophet Jeremiah:

“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah — not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

Could this promise also apply to America? It just may, especially if we are willing to standby Israel in these difficult times. This much we do know, God has not waited for the American Church to catchup. He is acting in His own sovereignty. He is moving swiftly. This does not mean that the Church will not ultimately be effected by God’s movement. Nevertheless, it is doubtful that today’s Church will escape His wrath:

For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?  (1 Peter 4;17)

What remains to be seen is whether or not the remnant believers in American will follow the path that the remnant people of Israel did.

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”  (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Posted in 9/11, America, American Revolution, awakening, founding fathers, Holy Spirit, intercession, Jesus, political correctness, prophecy, revival, tea party, the Church, truth | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment