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Devotions
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SUNDAY - FEBRUARY 5TH, 2012
TODAY IS THE LORD'S DAY! LET'S REMEMBER TO KEEP IT HOLY - LET'S BE LIKE JESUS AND FIND OURSELVES IN GOD'S HOUSE WORSHIPPING, PRAISING AND THANKING HIM FOR ALL OUR BLESSINGS. WE DON'T GO TO CHURCH TO BE SAVED AND THEN QUIT, BUT WE GO TO CHURCH BECAUSE WE ARE SAVED. ATTENDING CHURCH EACH WEEK, WITH OTHER BELIEVERS IS ESSENTIAL IN FULFILLING OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD, AND OUR CHRISTIAN COMMITMENT. OUR PASTOR HAS A SAYING THAT IF YOU'RE IN GOD'S HOUSE ON SUNDAY, THEN YOU ARE EXACTLY WHERE YOU OUGHT TO BE. ARE YOU GOING TO BE "EXACTLY" WHERE YOU OUGHT TO BE? THOSE WHO DO NOT ATTEND CHURCH REGULARLY, RUN THE RISK OF FAILING IN THEIR CHRISTIAN WALK. HERE'S THE QUESTION; CAN YOU MAINTAIN YOUR CHRISTIANITY AND DEVELOP A SPIRITUAL FULFILLMENT BY NOT ATTENDING CHURCH WITH OTHER BELIEVERS? IT'S A FACT, WE CANNOT DO THAT ALONE. . . WE NEED EACH OTHER. SEE YOU IN CHURCH!
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LAST WEEK'S DEVOTIONS
MONDAY - JANUARY
30TH -
FOR ALL OF YOU FACE BOOK FANS, THIS DEVOTION IS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOU. THE EXPERTS WHO TRACK THE EVER-CHANGING VOCABULARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE CHOOSE THE WORD, "UNFRIEND" AS THE NEW OXFORD AMERICAN DICTIONARY WORD OF THE YEAR IN 2010. THEY DEFINED IT AS A VERB WITH A MEANING OF THIS: "TO REMOVE SOMEONE AS A FRIEND ON A SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE, SUCH AS FACEBOOK." ON A SOCIAL NETWORK SITE, FRIENDS ALLOW EACH OTHER TO ACCESS THEIR PERSONAL INFORMATION, PHOTOS, LIKES AND INTERESTS, THAT ARE THERE ON THOSE FACE BOOK OR OTHER SOCIAL NETWORK SITES. THEY MAY NEVER MEET FACE TO FACE OR EVEN EXCHANGE A GREETING ONLINE. SO IN OUR WORLD OF CYBER ACQUAINTANCES, WE ARE BEGINNING TO REALIZE THAT HAVING A TRUE FRIEND, MEANS MORE NOW, THAN EVER BEFORE. WHEN JESUS CALLED HIS DISCIPLES "FRIENDS" HE SPOKE OF A UNIQUE RELATIONSHIP INVOLVING MUTUAL COMMITMENT. HE WAS ONLY HOURS AWAY FROM LAYING DOWN HIS LIFE AND HE ASK THEM TO SHOW THEIR FRIENDSHIP BY KEEPING HIS COMMANDMENTS. BUT, MOST ASTONISHING WAS THE STATEMENT THAT JESUS MADE RECORDED IN JOHN 15:15 - NO LONGER DO I CALL YOU SERVANTS, FOR A SERVANT DOES NOT KNOW WHAT HIS MASTER IS DOING; BUT I HAVE CALLED YOU FRIENDS, FOR ALL THINGS THAT I HEARD FROM MY FATHER, I HAVE MADE KNOWN TO YOU. IN A GENUINE FRIENDSHIP, ONE'S FAITHFULNESS CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO OTHER'S IN TIMES OF DISCOURAGEMENT OR FEAR. THAT IS WHAT JESUS IS TO US - OUR ALWAYS FAITHFUL, FOREVER FRIEND. THE DEAREST FRIEND ON EARTH IS BUT A MERE SHADOW COMPARED TO JESUS! HAVE A GOOD DAY!
TUESDAY - JANUARY 31ST -
THE STORY IS TOLD OF A YOUNG PREACHER NAMED AUGUSTUS TOPLADY, WHO WAS TAKING A WALK THROUGH THE ENGLISH COUNTRYSIDE WHEN A SUDDEN STORM SWEPT ACROSS THE LANDSCAPE. TOPLADY SPOTTED A WIDE ROCK FORMATION WITH AN OPENING, LIKE A CLEFT, WHERE HE SOUGHT SHELTER UNTIL THE STORM PASSED. AS HE SAT OUT THE DELUGE OF RAIN AND LIGHTENING AND THUNDER, HE CONTEMPLATED THE CONNECTION BETWEEN HIS SHELTER AND GOD'S HELP IN LIFE'S STORMS. HE HAD NO PAPER TO WRITE ON BUT FOUND A PLAYING CARD ON THE FLOOR OF THE CAVE-LIKE STRUCTURE AND BEGAN TO WRITE THE WORDS TO ONE OF THE MOST BELOVED HYMNS OF ALL TIME - "ROCK OF AGES." WRITTEN ON THAT STORMY DAY IN 1775, THIS HYMN HAS BEEN A SOURCE OF STRENGTH FOR CHRISTIANS EVER SINCE.
ROCK OF AGES, CLEFT FOR ME - LET ME HIDE MYSELF IN THEE - LET THE WATER AND THE BLOOD - FROM THY WOUNDED SIDE WHICH FLOWED - BE OF SIN THE DOUBLE CURE - SAVE FROM WRATH AND MAKE ME PURE.
THINK OF YOUR STRUGGLES - DO YOU NEED A PLACE OF REFUGE? DO YOU NEED A PLACE TO HIDE? DO YOU NEED SHELTER FROM LIFE'S ASSAULTS? DO YOU NEED ASSURANCE THAT YOU'VE BEEN FORGIVEN? DON'T STAND OUT IN LIFE'S STORMS ALONE - SEEK GOD'S SHELTER - ASK HIM TO PROTECT YOU - GET CLOSE TO THAT ROCK OF AGES - IT'S LIFE'S SAFEST SPOT. HAVE A GOOD DAY!
WEDNESDAY- FEBRUARY 1ST -
"HUMP DAY" HAS ARRIVED - AND HOW'S YOUR ATTITUDE? IT SEEMS THAT BY WEDNESDAY THOSE WORKING ON A JOB, OR GOING TO SCHOOL, HAVE HAD JUST ABOUT ENOUGH OF THE WEEK AND READY FOR THE WEEKEND WAY TOO EARLY. HOWEVER, SOME HAVE THE IDEA THAT "TOMORROW" IS PAY DAY AND THAT COULD BE A GOOD THING TO WORK TO, AND SOME HAVE THE ATTITUDE THAT ON THURSDAY, "TOMORROW IS FRIDAY." OUR ATTITUDE OF JUST THANKING THE LORD FOR ANOTHER DAY, AND TREATING PEOPLE WITH LOVE AND COMPASSION, SHOULD BE OUR WAKING ATTITUDE EVERY DAY. SOME PEOPLE - BY WEDNESDAY - HAVE A "CUT-THROAT" ATTITUDE. DID YOU KNOW THAT PEOPLE WHO STUDY SHARKS TELL US THAT THEY ARE MOST LIKELY TO ATTACK WHEN THEY SENSE BLOOD IN THE WATER. THE BLOOD ACTS AS A TRIGGER TO THEIR FEEDING MECHANISM AND THEY ATTACK - OFTEN IN A GROUP, CREATING A DEADLY FEEDING FRENZY. BLOOD IN THE WATER MARKS THE VULNERABILITY OF THE TARGET. SADLY, THIS IS SOMETIMES HOW PEOPLE RESPOND TO THOSE HURTING, INSTEAD OF BEING A FRIEND, WHO CARES, LOVES AND SHOWS COMPASSION TO THEM. DURING THIS TIME, IT CAN BECOME A DANGEROUS ENVIRONMENT, WHERE PREDATORS ARE LOOKING FOR "BLOOD IN THE WATER" OF SOMEONE'S FAULTS, FAILINGS, HURTS, OR HANGUPS. INSTEAD OF KICKING PEOPLE WHEN THEY ARE DOWN, WE SHOULD BE OFFERING ENCOURAGEMENT JUST LIKE JESUS DID TO THOSE WHO WERE FALLEN. INSTEAD OF HAVING A BAD ATTITUDE TODAY, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU SEE "BLOOD IN THE WATER" SEEK TO HAVE A GOOD ATTITUDE AND SHOW LOVE, MERCY AND KINDNESS. THE DAY MAY COME WHEN WE WILL WANT SOMEONE TO SHOW MERCY TO US. WE CAN STOP SHOWING MERCY TO OTHERS, WHEN CHRIST STOPS SHOWING MERCY TO US. HAVE A GOOD DAY!
THURSDAY - FEBRUARY 2ND -
IF YOU HAVE NOT HEARD ABOUT THE CHINESE LUNAR NEW YEAR, THEN YOU MUST NOT HAVE A TELEVISION, COMPUTER OR READ THE NEWSPAPERS. JANUARY 23, 2012 BEGAN THE CHINESE NEW YEAR, WHICH WILL CONTINUE FOR ABOUT TWO WEEKS. THIS HAPPENS TO BE THE YEAR OF THE DRAGON. SEVERAL DAYS BEFORE THEIR NEW YEAR CELEBRATION, MANY CHINESE FAMILIES GIVE THEIR HOMES A THOROUGH CLEANING. THEY PRACTICE THIS TRADITION BECAUSE IT IS BELIEVED THE CLEANING SWEEPS AWAY THE BAD LUCK OF THE PRECEDING YEAR AND MAKES THEIR HOMES READY FOR GOOD LUCK FOR THE NEW YEAR. WHEN THE APOSTLE PAUL WROTE TO THE BELIEVERS AT CORINTH, HE ASK THEM TO GIVE THEIR LIVES A THOROUGH CLEANSING - NOT FOR GOOD LUCK THOUGH, BUT TO PLEASE GOD. HE TOLD THEM TO PURGE OUT THE OLD LEAVEN. PAUL ALSO USED THE FEASTS OF THE UNLEAVENED BREAD AND THE PASSOVER AS A BACK-DROP FOR THIS STATEMENT. THE CORINTHIANS WERE TO SCOUR THEIR HEARTS AND REMOVE THE LEAVEN OF SEXUAL IMMORALITY, MALICE, WICKEDNESS, AND IDOLATRY FROM THEIR LIVES AND THEIR ASSEMBLY. THE HOLINESS OF GOD DEMANDS A HEART THAT'S PURE WITHIN. LET US PURGE OUT THE SIN IN OUR LIVES AND CELEBRATE THE HOLINESS THAT ONLY GOD CAN BRING. HAVE A GREAT DAY!
FRIDAY - FEBRUARY
3RD -
DURING THE CELEBRATION OF THE CHINESE NEW YEAR, IT IS CUSTOMARY TO USE CERTAIN WORDS IN PRINT AND CONVERSATION. ONE WORD IS OFTEN USED BY ITSELF. IT IS THE WORD "FULL" MEANING "ABUNDANCE." IT IS USED TO WISH SOMEONE MATERIAL PROSPERITY FOR THE YEAR AHEAD. MOSES TOLD THE ISRAELITES ABOUT THE PROSPERITY OF THE LAND OF CANAAN BEFORE THEY ENTERED THE LAND. THEY WOULD HAVE EVERYTHING THEY NEEDED AND MORE. BUT. . .HE WARNED THEM OF THE DANGER OF FORGETTING THAT GOD - THE ONE WHO HAD BROUGHT THEM OUT OF EGYPT AND PROTECTED THEM ALONG THE WAY - HAD GIVEN THEM THAT ABUNDANCE. IN DEUTERONOMY 8:18 MOSES COMMANDED THEM," YOU SHALL REMEMBER THE LORD YOUR GOD, FOR IT IS HE, WHO GIVES YOU POWER TO GET WEALTH." WE MUST ALSO DO THE SAME. EVERYTHING WE HAVE IS BECAUSE GOD HAS ALLOWED IT. WE TOO, MAY BE TEMPTED TO FORGET THAT IT'S THE LORD WHO HAS BLESSED US AND HAS MET OUR NEEDS. OUR LIVES WILL BE FULL, ABUNDANT AND SATISFYING ONLY WHEN WE ARE CONNECTED TO GOD. HAVE A GREAT DAY!
SATURDAY - FEBRUARY
4TH -
OUR CHURCH HAS BEEN NOMINATED AND VOTED ON TO ASSIST OUR UPPER CUMBERLAND
ASSOCIATION WITH THE SUNDAY SCHOOL DEPARTMENT. SO. . . AS BEING HEAD
OF THAT DEPARTMENT, OUR CHURCH WILL PROMOTE SUNDAY SCHOOL TO THE FULLEST,
NOT ONLY IN OUR CHURCH, BUT IN
ALL THE CHURCHES THAT ARE IN OUR ASSOCIATION. AS WE CONTINUE TO SEE A
DECLINE IN SUNDAY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE, WE MUST REALIZE JUST HOW IMPORTANT
SUNDAY SCHOOL REALLY IS TO OUR CHRISTIAN WALK OF LIFE. THERE ARE MANY
REASONS WHY EACH PERSON THAT ATTENDS CHURCH, SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN A SUNDAY
SCHOOL CLASS, AND NOT JUST THE WORSHIP SERVICE ONLY. HERE ARE A
FEW REASONS WHY THAT YOU, IF YOU AREN'T ALREADY, NEED TO BE ATTENDING SUNDAY
SCHOOL.
1. SUNDAY SCHOOL FULFILLS A VITAL FUNCTION IN HELPING THE CHURCH REACH ITS MISSION.
2. SUNDAY SCHOOL MOBILIZES THE CHURCH FOR EVANGELISM.
3. A MISSION IS BEST ACCOMPLISHED IN THE CONTEXT OF SMALL GROUPS - HENCE: SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASSES.
4. SUNDAY SCHOOL GIVES CHILDREN A SMALL GROUP EXPERIENCE.
5. SUNDAY SCHOOL EQUIPS THE SAINTS TO DO THE WORK OF A MINISTRY.
6. MOST IMPORTANTLY, SUNDAY SCHOOL DEVELOPS LEADERSHIP FOR THE CHURCH. SUNDAY SCHOOL IS WHERE YOU LEARN FROM A BIBLICAL LESSON ALL ABOUT GOD'S WORD AND WHAT IT SAYS TO EACH ONE OF US.
SO YOU SEE HOW IMPORTANT SUNDAY SCHOOL IS FOR YOU? YOU MAY ASK, "WHAT BENEFIT IS SUNDAY SCHOOL FOR ME?" HERE'S THE WAY YOU CAN FIND OUT - JOIN US FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL THIS SUNDAY, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS TO TRY IT. THEN YOU MAKE THE DECISION!
SUPPOSE JESUS CHRIST HAD NOT RISEN FROM THE DEAD. WHERE WOULD THAT LEAVE US? WHAT ASSURANCE WOULD WE HAVE ABOUT ANYTHING IN LIFE? OUR CONFIDENCE? OUR THOUGHTS ABOUT DEATH? OUR HOPES? OR EVEN ABOUT EXISTENCE AFTER THIS LIFE - HOW WOULD IT ALL BE AFFECTED?
OF COURSE, IF YOU HAVE NEVER RECEIVED JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR PERSONAL SAVIOR, HIS RESURRECTION WOULD SEEM RATHER MEANINGLESS, AS FAR AS YOU'RE CONCERNED. AND GOD KNEW THAT JESUS' RESURRECTION WOULD RAISE MANY QUESTIONS. HOWEVER, THE ONLY QUESTION THAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT IS: DO YOU BELIEVE HE HAS RISEN?
THIS MEANS THAT IF THE RESURRECTION HAD NOT OCCURRED, OUR FAITH WOULD BE EMPTY AND WITHOUT FOUNDATION. WE SHOULD BE THANKFUL, BECAUSE AS BELIEVERS, OUR HOPE EXTENDS BEYOND THIS LIFE, BECAUSE JESUS HAS TRULY RISEN FROM THE DEAD. THE TOMB IS EMPTY. MOST IMPORTANTLY, JESUS HIMSELF TOLD OF HIS RESURRECTION. EVERYTHING HE PROMISED OR PREDICTED HAS COME TO PASS JUST AS HE SAID IT WOULD. THE FACT THEN, THAT JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD GIVES US THE ABSOLUTE, UNQUESTIONABLE FOUNDATION FOR EVERYTHING ELSE WE BELIEVE. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS, THAT WE HAVE THE CONFIDENCE THAT OUR GOD IS ALIVE. JESUS WAS NOT SIMPLY SOME PREACHER OR TEACHER, BUT HE CLAIMED TO BE THE MESSIAH, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD. IN FACT, THAT WAS ONE OF THE REASONS HE CAME - TO REVEAL THE HEAVENLY FATHER, SO WE COULD UNDERSTAND WHAT HE IS LIKE. YOU MIGHT WONDER, IF CHRIST IS ALIVE, THEN WHAT IS HE DOING? HE IS SEATED AT THE FATHER'S RIGHT HAND, INTERCEDING ON OUR BEHALF. HE IS A LIVING GOD WHO CARES, LOVES, PROTECTS, AND HEARS OUR PRAYERS. HE IS A FORGIVING LORD, WHO IS CONTINUALLY ADVOCATING ON OUR BEHALF, AND WHAT'S MORE IS, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS PREPARING A PLACE FOR EACH AND EVERYONE OF US WHO BELIEVES IN HIM . HE IS A RISEN SAVIOR WHO ALSO PROMISED HIS DISCIPLES, THOUGH HE WAS GOING AWAY, HE WOULD NOT LEAVE THEM LIKE ORPHANS, BUT JESUS ASSURED THEM HE WOULD SEND THE HOLY SPIRIT TO TEACH AND GUIDE EACH OF HIS FOLLOWERS UNTIL HE RETURNED. TODAY EVERY SINGLE BELIEVER IS INDWELT WITH THE SPRIT OF GOD, STARTING THE MOMENT HE OR SHE RECEIVES JESUS CHRIST AS THEIR SAVIOR. ANOTHER GREAT PROMISE OF THE SCRIPTURES IS THE MOST BELOVED VERSE OF THE BIBLE - JOHN 3:16 - "FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH, BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE." THAT MEANS FOREVER. IRREVOCABLE 100% SURE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS THE RISEN SAVIOR. BECAUSE HE LIVES AND ROSE FROM THE DEAD, WE KNOW THAT HE WILL RAISE US, TOO, SO THAT WE CAN LIVE WITH HIM FOREVER. THAT IS WHY WE SING, "HALLELUJAH, CHRIST AROSE!" HE IS OUR RISEN SAVIOR!
THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST
NO ONE KNOWS WHEN THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST WILL HAPPEN. IT IS PLAGUED BY MANY FALSE TEACHINGS. MANY PREDICTION BOOKS HAVE BEEN WRITTEN SAYING THE EXACT DAY WHEN JESUS' RETURN WILL BE. A MOVIE RECENTLY RELEASED, DECLARED THAT THE YEAR 2012 WILL BE WHEN JESUS WILL RETURN AND THE WORLD WILL END. THESE BOOKS AND MOVIES HAVE MISLED A LOT OF PEOPLE, BUT ONE THING IS CERTAIN; NO ONE KNOWS THE DAY NOR THE HOUR THAT HE WILL COME AGAIN. ONLY GOD, THE FATHER, KNOWS WHEN THE SECOND COMING OF HIS SON, JESUS WILL HAPPEN. JESUS TOLD HIS DISCIPLES, "NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT THAT DAY OR HOUR, NOT EVEN THE ANGELS IN HEAVEN, NOR THE SON, BUT ONLY THE FATHER (MATTHEW 24:36, 40, 42). THIS IS WHY WE SHOULD KEEP WATCH. WE CAN EITHER STAY IDLE AND SIMPLY WAIT FOR JESUS' RETURN OR WE CAN BE PREPARED AND READY. THIS IS DONE BY KNOWING WHAT THE BIBLE REVEALS ABOUT UPCOMING EVENTS AND COMPARING THEM TO WHAT WE SEE IS HAPPENING TODAY AND TOMORROW, NOT ONLY IN THE UNITED STATES, BUT ALL AROUND THE WORLD. THERE ARE OVER 100 BIBLE PASSAGES THAT DISCUSS THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST. HIS FIRST COMING WAS IMPORTANT, BUT FAR MORE IMPORTANT IS HIS SECOND COMING; WHY? LET'S LOOK AT THE WORD S..E..C..O..N..D.. S-SUDDEN - ONLY THE FATHER IN HEAVEN KNOWS THE VERY SECOND AND CORRECT TIME THAT HIS SECOND COMING WILL TAKE PLACE. IT WILL BE SUDDENLY. . . QUICKLY - JUST AS A LIGHTENING FLASH ACROSS THE SKY, OR THE TWINKLING OF AN EYE....IT WILL BE SUDDEN. E-ESSENTIAL - THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST WILL BE ONE OF THE MAIN PILLARS OF CHRISTIAN FAITH. JESUS WILL COME AGAIN AS KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS, IN ALL HIS GLORY FOR THE FINAL JUDGMENT. C-CHRIST'S FINAL JUDGMENT - AS THE BIBLE SAYS, JESUS WILL BE THE FINAL JUDGE OF THE WORLD. O-OBVIOUS - IT'S OBVIOUS THAT THERE ARE BILLIONS OF PEOPLE LIVING ON THIS EARTH. AND ONLY GOD KNOWS THE TRUE CHRISTIANS. THOSE WHO LIVE BY A SET OF IDEALS THAT THINK THEY CAN ENTER HEAVEN BY THEIR GOOD DEEDS WILL OBVIOUSLY NOT. THE BIBLE PLAINLY EXPLAINS THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND LIFE ETERNAL IS ONLY BY ACCEPTING JESUS AS LORD AND SAVIOR. N-NO ONE KNOWS - NO ONE KNOWS THE EXACT TIME AND DAY THAT THE LORD WILL RETURN. GOD IS OUTSIDE OF TIME. TIME REALLY DON'T MATTER TO HIM. WE SHOULD NOT BE DECEIVED IN THINKING OR BELIEVING THAT ANYONE OTHER THAN GOD HIMSELF KNOWS THE VERY HOUR OF JESUS' RETURN. D-DOUBTERS BEWARE - AS THE TIME DRAWS EVER SO CLOSE TO HIS SECOND APPEARING, THERE WILL BE INCREASING AND WIDESPREAD DOUBT ABOUT WHETHER JESUS WAS EVEN REAL. PEOPLE WILL START WONDERING IF GOD REALLY EXISTS. DON'T GIVE IN TO DOUBT, REMAIN TRUE AND FAITHFUL AND GREAT WILL BE YOUR REWARD. THIS IS ONLY A GUESS, BUT HIS IMMENSE LOVE FOR US ALL IS MAKING HIM PUT IT OFF FOR YET ANOTHER DAY, BUT WHAT ABOUT TOMORROW? WILL IT BE THEN? ARE YOU READY? AS EACH DAY CLOSES AND WE'RE STILL WAITING FOR HIS RETURN YET ANOTHER DAY, HE IS GIVING US PRECIOUS TIME TO MAKE SURE WE'RE READY? PLEASE. . . BE READY AND WAITING!
AN EARTHLY KINGDOM IS COMING, AND THE KING'S NAME IS JESUS. THE BIBLE DOES NOT MERELY HINT AT THIS COMING EVENT; IT IS A MAJOR THEME. A LARGE PORTION OF THE SCRIPTURES ARE DEVOTED TO THE SUBJECT OF THE MILLENNIAL AGE. THE MILLENNIAL AGE FULLY REALIZES GOD'S PURPOSE ON THE EARTH. IT IS REFERRED TO IN SCRIPTURE AS "A TIME OF REFRESHING" OR A "TIME OF RESTORATION." THE ENGLISH WORD "MILLENNIUM" IS MADE UP OF TWO LATIN WORDS; MILLE - WHICH MEANS THOUSAND, AND ANNUM - WHICH MEANS A YEAR. BACK AT THE TURN OF THE YEAR 2000, THE WORD MILLENNIUM BECAME VERY POPULAR. CHICAGO PLANNED AND PLANTED ITS MILLENNIUM PARK - LONDON BUILT ITS MILLENNIUM BRIDGE - AND WE COULD GO ON AND ON. THERE'S ALL KINDS OF LISTINGS FOR MILLENNIUM - BROKERS - APARTMENTS - BANKS - CONSULTANTS - AND SO FORTH. OF COURSE THE BEST CONSULTANTS WOULD BE THE OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETS. ACCORDING TO THEIR FORECAST, THE BIBLICAL MILLENNIUM HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH A CALENDAR CHANGE. IT WILL BEGIN IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE RETURN OF CHRIST. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH, WHEN ALL CHRISTIANS ARE TAKEN TO HEAVEN TO BE WITH JESUS, THERE WILL BE A SEVEN YEAR PERIOD OF TRIBULATION - A TIME THAT THE OLD TESTAMENT REFERS TO AS, "A TIME OF TROUBLE." THE TRIBULATION PERIOD WILL CONCLUDE WITH THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON. JESUS CHRIST WILL RETURN FROM HEAVEN WITH HIS SAINTS AND ANGELS AND HE WILL DEFEAT THE ANTICHRIST AND HIS ARMIES. THE ANTICHRIST AND THE FALSE PROPHET WILL BE CAST ALIVE IN THE LAKE OF FIRE, AND THEIR FOLLOWERS WILL BE KILLED. SATAN WILL BE INCARCERATED IN THE BOTTOMLESS PIT FOR A THOUSAND YEARS. THEN THE OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS AND THE TRIBULATION SAINTS WILL BE RESURRECTED AND THEY, JOINED BY THE SAINTS OF THE CHURCH WHO LIVED BEFORE AND AT THE TIME OF THE RAPTURE - WILL REIGN WITH CHRIST FOR A THOUSAND YEARS. FOR TEN CENTURIES, JESUS CHRIST WILL RULE WITH ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY OVER THE ENTIRE WORLD. WITH ALL THE IMPORTANCE ATTACHED TO THE MILLENNIUM, SOME ARE SURPRISED TO DISCOVER THAT THE WORD DOES NOT APPEAR ONCE IN THE ENTIRE BIBLE. BUT THEN AGAIN, NEITHER DOES THE WORD TRINITY. BOTH OF THESE WORDS HAVE BEEN CHOSEN TO DESCRIBE AND DEFINE SOLID BIBLICAL TRUTHS. THE WORD MILLENNIUM MEANS EXACTLY THE SAME THING AS THE BIBLICAL PHRASE, "ONE THOUSAND YEARS," BUT IT, TOO, PROVIDES A MORE EFFICIENT WAY TO COMMUNICATE QUICKLY. SIX TIMES IN THE FIRST SEVEN VERSES OF REVELATION 20, THE PHRASE, "A THOUSAND YEARS" IS USED TO DESCRIBE SOME ASPECT OF CHRIST'S KINGDOM. WE ARE TOLD THAT SATAN WILL BE BOUND FOR A THOUSAND YEARS, AND THAT HE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DECEIVE THE NATIONS DURING THAT ENTIRE PERIOD OF TIME. THE MARTYRED SAINTS OF THE TRIBULATION WILL REIGN WITH CHRIST IN HIS KINGDOM FOR A THOUSAND YEARS. AT THE END OF THE THOUSAND YEARS, SATAN WILL BE RELEASED FROM HIS PRISON TO ATTEMPT ONE LAST BATTLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL (REV. 20:7-10).
AFTER ALL THESE CENTURIES, THE CLOCK IS STILL TICKING AND TIME IS STILL DAY AND NIGHT. WEEKS, MONTHS AND YEARS, CONTINUE TO PASS, BUT ONE DAY, THE WORLD WILL CHANGE FOREVER. IT WILL HAPPEN IN A FLASH OF A MOMENT. AN UNEARTHLY TRUMPET WILL SOUND AROUND THE GLOBE. A POLARIZING MAGNETISM WILL SNATCH SOME PEOPLE SKYWARD, WHILE PUSHING OTHERS BACK. REPORTS OF PARA-NORMAL PHENOMENA WILL COME FROM GRAVEYARDS AND MORTUARIES AROUND THE WORLD. FUNERALS WILL BE INTERRUPTED IN MID-EULOGY, AND BURIALS WILL BECOME INSTANT RESURRECTIONS. A BILLION PEOPLE WILL VANISH FROM FACTORIES, HOMES, SCHOOLS, AND OFFICES. PILOTS WILL DISAPPEAR FROM AIRLINERS, AND CHILDREN WILL SEEMINGLY EVAPORATE FROM THEIR BLANKETS AND BEDS. THOSE THAT ARE LEFT BEHIND WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER WHERE THEY WERE AND WHAT THEY WERE DOING WHEN THE NEWS BROKE. GLOBAL PANDEMONIUM WILL HAPPEN. THE WORLD WILL BE TRANSFIXED BY TELEVISION AND RADIO, HORRIFIED BY THE UNEXPLAINED ABNORMALITIES COMING FROM EVERY QUADRANT OF THE GLOBE. MISSING PEOPLE, EMPTY GRAVES, SCRAMBLED JETS, MARTIAL LAW, BLOWN CIRCUITS, DISRUPTED COMMUNICATIONS. OMINOUS SOUNDS COMING FROM GLOBAL CENTERS OF POWER AS SINISTER FORCES SEIZE CONTROL OF WORLD GOVERNMENTS. THE SUDDEN RETURN OF CHRIST AND THE UNLEASHING OF THE CONTENTS OF THE BOOK OF REVELATIONS SHOULD PROPEL ANY OF US TO EITHER GET CLOSER TO GOD, OR ACCEPT JESUS CHRIST AS OUR SAVIOR IMMEDIATELY.
DO YOU KNOW ANYONE WHO WASN'T SOMEHOW AFFECTED BY THE FINANCIAL CRISIS THAT RECENTLY HIT OUR WORLD? IT HAS FORCED MANY PEOPLE TO BET THEIR LIVES ON FINANCIAL SECURITY - FINANCIAL SALVATION AT ANY COST. WHEN THE LOVE OF MONEY PROPELS A SOCIETY TO SELL ITS FREEDOM FOR FINANCIAL SECURITY, IT ALSO INCREASES THE POTENTIAL FOR CONFRONTATION BETWEEN FAITH AND THE FORCES OF EVIL. EVERY MOTHER KNOWS ABOUT BIRTHS - THEY ARE VERY UNPREDICTABLE, AND EACH ONE IS DIFFERENT. THERE IS ONE OF A KIND THAT WILL COME IN DUE TIME, AND ITS TIMING WILL BE UNPREDICTABLE ALSO: THE BIRTH OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD ON EARTH. JESUS CHRIST IS COMING BACK TO EARTH TO ESTABLISH HIS KINGDOM TO RULE AND REIGN AS KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS FOR ONE THOUSAND YEARS. EVEN THOUGH WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHEN THE SPECIFIC EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE BIRTH OF THE KINGDOM WILL TAKE PLACE - EVENTS LIKE THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH - THE SEVEN YEARS OF TRIBULATION - WE WILL EXPERIENCE THE BIRTH PAINS, THOUGH, THAT WILL TELL US THE TIME IS DRAWING NEAR. THE WORLD BEGAN EXPERIENCING DISCOMFORT IN A SERIOUS WAY IN 2008 - ECONOMIC BIRTH PAINS CAUSING PAIN AND SUFFERING AROUND THE WORLD. BAD FINANCIAL POLICIES CAME TO A HEAD IN THE FALL OF 2008 AND CAUSED A COLLAPSE OF CONFIDENCE IN THE WORLD'S ECONOMIC STRUCTURE. HARDSHIPS FOR MAN AND WOMEN ALIKE, WITH LOSS OF JOBS AND INCOME, SAVINGS ALMOST GONE, HOME FORECLOSURES, AND THE REVELATION THAT FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND AUTHORITIES, SUCH AS BANKS, INVESTMENT AND INSURANCE COMPANIES, DON'T ALWAYS OPERATE WITH THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE PUBLIC IN MIND. BUT THERE IS ANOTHER DIMENSION OF THE CRISIS THAT WE'LL DISCOVER. THE STEPS TAKEN BY GOVERNMENTS AROUND THE WORLD TO PUT A HEDGE AROUND THE GROWING FINANCIAL CHAOS, HAVE NEW FORMS OF CONSOLIDATION AND CONTROL THAT WILL HAVE REPERCUSSIONS. GOVERNMENTS NOW HAVE INFLATED THEIR MONEY SUPPLIES BY PRINTING MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF CURRENCY - PAPER MONEY WITH NO BACKING - IN ORDER TO RESCUE FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND STIMULATE (STIMULUS CHECKS) THE ECONOMY. THEY HAVE INCURRED BILLIONS, IN SOME CASES, TRILLIONS, OF DOLLARS OF DEBT, WHICH STAND NO CHANCE OF BEING REPAID. ALL OF THIS GOVERNMENT ACTIVITY WAS SET IN MOTION, EITHER BECAUSE OF, OR TO COMPENSATE THE ECONOMIC UPHEAVAL BEGINNING IN 2008. IT HAS RESULTED IN A "NEW WORLD ORDER" OR A "NEW ECONOMIC ORDER" THAT PUTS SOME KIND OF GOVERNMENT BODY IN CHARGE OF SOLVING THE PROBLEMS FACED BY THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY. AND, BECAUSE EVERYTHING - FOOD, CLOTHING, SHELTER AND JOBS IS THE FUNCTION OF FINANCES, A COMBINATION OF THIS "NEW WORLD ECONOMIC ORDER" IS DESTINED TO EMERGE. AS FAR BACK AS THE PROPHET DANIEL, SCRIPTURE HAS FORETOLD THE RISE OF AN END-TIME GOVERNMENT LED BY THE MOST DESPOTIC DICTATOR IN HISTORY. THIS LEADER WILL BE SATAN'S C.E.O. EMPOWERED BY THE DEVIL TO MOVE PEOPLE'S EYES AWAY FROM CHRIST AND TOWARD HIMSELF, THE ANTI-CHRIST. BECAUSE OF HIS POWER THIS LEADER WILL CONTROL WHO CAN BUY AND WHO CAN SELL IN THE WORLD. THE PEOPLE WHO ARE HUNGRY, WILL SWEAR THEIR ALLEGIANCE TO SATAN RATHER THAN STARVE. THIS ECONOMIC CRISIS HAS BEEN CREATED TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS FORETOLD IN THE PAST, WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW, AND HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE. MOST OF ALL, IT HAS BEEN PREPARED FOR YOU TO PUT YOUR HOPE AND TRUST IN GOD - THE ONE WHO KNOWS THE BEGINNING AND THE END - THE ONE WHO IS SURPRISED AT NOTHING - AND THE ONE WHO WILL DELIVER YOU THROUGH THE ECONOMIC STORMS OF OUR DAY.
THE FALL OF THE AMERICAN ECONOMY
PEOPLE ARE HUNGRY TO KNOW WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS. AND IT'S NOT ONLY THE CHRISTIANS, BUT NON-CHRISTIANS ALIKE ARE INTERESTED IN WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT. LET'S FACE IT, THERE ARE MORE NON-CHRISTIANS THAT ARE WONDERING ABOUT THE "END TIMES" THAN MOST CHRISTIANS. IT IS A FACT, THAT WHETHER THEY ARE SAVED OR NOT, STILL WONDER, HOW WILL THE WORLD END? WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD? WHAT HAPPENS AFTER DEATH? IS ARMAGEDDON REAL OR NOT? AND PROBABLY A THOUSAND OTHER QUESTIONS. AFTER THE 9/11 ATTACKS, PEOPLE HAVE INCREASINGLY FELT THAT ALL IS NOT RIGHT WITH THE WORLD. MANY BELIEVE THAT WE ARE LIVING ON BORROWED TIME. IT MAY NOT BE BORROWED, BUT ONE THING IS SURE, IT IS SHORTENED. THE SENSE OF UNEASE IS NOT A DECEPTION, BUT EVERYONE HAS A RIGHT TO FEEL UNEASY ABOUT THE CONDITION OF OUR WORLD AND ESPECIALLY OUR NATION. WE ARE DEFINITELY ON A COLLISION COURSE WITH THE EVENTS OF GOD'S PROPHETIC CALENDAR. THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME TO INTRODUCE PEOPLE TO GOD'S PLAN OF THE AGES AND TO REVEAL THE THREAD OF REDEMPTION BY WHICH IT IS ALL TIED TOGETHER. NOW IS THE TIME TO TALK TO PEOPLE ABOUT "END TIMES." BECAUSE A DAY IS COMING THAT IT WILL BE TOO LATE. THIS WILL HELP YOU - HERE IS AN OUTLINE OF THE MAJOR PROPHETIC EVENTS AND PEOPLE YET TO RISE ON THE WORLD'S HORIZON:
1. THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH: THE MOMENT WHEN JESUS CHRIST APPEARS IN THE CLOUDS AND GATHERS TO HIMSELF ALL OF HIS FOLLOWERS WHO ARE ALIVE AND THOSE WHO HAVE ALREADY DIED. THE PURPOSE OF THE RAPTURE IS TO SAVE CHRISTIANS FROM THE COMING SEVEN YEARS OF JUDGMENT THAT WILL COME UPON THE EARTH. (REV. 3:10) WHILE IT WILL BE POSSIBLE FOR A NON-CHRISTIAN TO BECOME A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST DURING THE 7-YEAR TRIBULATION - RECEIVING CHRIST NOW MEANS YOU WILL BE WITH HIM IN HEAVEN AND WILL MISS AND ESCAPE THE JUDGMENT OF THE TRIBULATION.
2. THE GREAT TRIBULATION: A 7-YEAR PERIOD PROPHESIED BY THE PROPHETS DANIEL AND JEREMIAH DURING WHICH ISRAEL WILL BE JUDGED AT THE HAND OF THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD. JUDGMENT WILL ALSO FALL UPON THOSE IN THE WORLD LEFT BEHIND THAT HAVE REJECTED CHRIST. (JER. 30:7 - DAN. 9:27) JUST AS GOD HAS PROVIDED A WAY FOR RIGHTEOUS NOAH, GOD HAS PROVIDED A WAY FOR THE RIGHTEOUS IN CHRIST TO ESCAPE THE TRIBULATION THROUGH HIM (MATT. 24:36-43).
3. THE ANTICHRIST: A COMING WORLD LEADER, INSPIRED BY SATAN, WHO WILL UNITE THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD IN OPPOSITION TO GOD DURING THE YEARS OF TRIBULATION. HOWEVER, THIS SAME SATAN WHO WILL DECEIVE MANY THROUGH THE ANTICHRIST IN THE TRIBULATION WORKS TO DECEIVE MANY TODAY. BELIEVERS IN CHRIST ARE PROTECTED FROM THE POWER OF SATAN THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT LIVES WITHIN EACH BELIEVER.
4. THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON: THE FINAL BATTLE OF THE GREAT TRIBULATION IN WHICH CHRIST RETURNS WITH HIS HEAVENLY ARMIES TO DEFEAT THE FORCES OF THE ANTICHRIST ON THE PLAINS OF MEGIDDO IN NORTHERN ISRAEL. ISRAEL IS SAVED BY THE APPEARANCE OF CHRIST. THE GOOD NEWS IS THE BAD GUYS OF THIS WORLD DO NOT WIN! GOD'S PLAN CALLS FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF HIS ENEMIES AND THE SALVATION OF THOSE WHO TURN TO HIM DURING THE TRIBULATION (REV. 19:11-12).
5. THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT: THIS FOLLOWS THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON. THEN ALL THOSE WHICH HAVE OPPOSED CHRIST ARE JUDGED. ALL HUMAN BEINGS THROUGHOUT ALL OF TIME AND OF ALL THE AGES WHO ARE NOT FOUND IN GOD'S BOOK OF LIFE, ARE JUDGED AND USHERED INTO A GODLESS ETERNITY. KNOWING CHRIST AS YOUR PERSONAL SAVIOR MEANS THAT YOU HAVE YOUR NAME WRITTEN IN THE LAMB'S BOOK OF LIFE FOREVER.
6. THE MILLENNIUM: THE THOUSAND YEAR REIGN OF CHRIST OVER THE EARTH DURING WHICH HE WILL RULE WITH PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS AND JUSTICE. SATAN WILL BE BOUND DURING THIS TIME SO AS NOT TO INTERFERE WITH THE RULE OF THE KING OF KINGS, AND WILL BE JUDGED AT THE END OF THE MILLENNIUM. THE COMPLETION OF THE MILLENNIUM IS THE BEGINNING OF ETERNITY DURING WHICH ALL WHO HAVE BEEN SAVED BY CHRIST WILL LIVE WITH HIM FOREVER. DURING THE MILLENNIUM, THOSE WHO BELONG TO CHRIST WILL REIGN AND SERVE WITH HIM DURING THIS TIME.
WE NEED TO BE READY FOR THE COMING OF JESUS CHRIST, IT COULD BE VERY SOON!
THE NEW WORLD ORDER-GOD'S ANSWER TO WORLD PEACE
THIS NEW AGE IS BOMBARDED WITH ALL KINDS OF IDEAS OF WORLD PEACE, HOWEVER, IF ANYONE COULD UNDERSTAND THE "COUNTER-SPIN OF HISTORY" THEY CLAIM WILL END THE WORLD BY 2012, IS A LITTLE HARD FOR MOST PLAIN FOLKS TO GRASP. IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT "HISTORY IS BIOGRAPHY" AND THAT CERTAINLY IS TRUE, BUT HISTORY IS ALSO "WAROGRAPHY." PEACE HAS BEEN A RARE AND ILLUSIVE COMMODITY IN MANKIND'S EXPERIENCE. THE ONLY REAL PEACE WAS RECORDED IN GENESIS CHAPTERS 1-3. IT IS CLEAR THAT THE WORLD WAS CREATED IN PEACE. THE MOST PEACEFUL REPRESENTATION OF PERFECT PEACE EVER IMAGINED, WAS THE PEACE WE READ ABOUT IN GENESIS ABOUT THE GARDEN OF EDEN. THE GARDEN ITSELF WAS FILLED WITH FRUIT-BEARING TREES, PLANTS, RIVERS, ANIMALS THAT ADAM NAMES EVEN HAD PERFECT PEACE AMONG THEMSELVES. MOST OF ALL, GOD HIMSELF, WALKED AND TALKED WITH ADAM AND EVE IN THE GARDEN. SUCH PEACE WAS SHORT LIVED. BECAUSE OF ADAM AND EVE'S SIN, THEY WERE BANISHED FROM THE GARDEN. IF WE FEEL BROKENHEARTED OVER WARS, BLOODSHED, AND STRIFE, IN OUR WORLD, JUST THINK HOW GOD MUST FEEL. WORLD PEACE WAS HIS DESIGN - AND IT REMAINS HIS DESIRE. BUT PEACE ON EARTH IS COMING; THE PROPHETS SAID THAT NATIONS WILL BEAT THEIR SWORDS INTO PLOWSHARES AND THEIR SPEARS INTO PRUNING HOOKS; NATION SHALL NOT LIFT UP SWORD AGAINST NATION; NEITHER SHALL THEY LEARN WAR NO MORE (MICAH 4:3). PEACE WILL FLOW INTO THE WORLD FOR A THOUSAND YEARS, DURING WHICH TIME THE VERY SATAN THAT PRESENTED SIN AS AN OPTION IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN, WILL BE LOCKED IN CHAINS, UNABLE TO STIR UP STRIFE OR EVIL OF ANY KIND. EVEN THE ANIMALS WILL ONCE AGAIN LIVE IN HARMONY WITH THEMSELVES AND MANKIND. BECAUSE SATAN IS IN CHAINS, SIN WILL BE KEPT IN CHECK. NATIONS WILL BE UNITED, STREAMING TO JERUSALEM TO PAY HOMAGE TO THE KING OF KINGS. THE PEACE OF THE WORLD WILL EVEN BE REFLECTED IN TIME SPANS OF LIFE - SOMEONE 100 YEARS OLD WILL BE AS MERE CHILDREN. THE ABSENCE OF PEACE HAS BEEN BROUGHT CLOSE TO HOME FOR ALL OF US SINCE 9/11. HOWEVER, WE DO NOT LOOK TO GOVERNMENTS TO BRING PEACE IN OUR WORLD, AND WE ARE NOT KEPT FROM PERSONAL PEACE BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF PEACE UNIVERSALLY. SEVEN HUNDRED YEARS BEFORE HIS BIRTH, ISAIAH SAID THE MESSIAH THAT WAS BORN WAS THE PRINCE OF PEACE, IN HIS DAY, AND SAYS IT TO US TODAY. JESUS TOLD HIS DISCIPLES, IN HIS DAY, IN JOHN 16:33 IN ME YOU MAY HAVE PEACE, IN THE WORLD, YOU WILL HAVE TRIBULATION; BUT BE OF GOOD CHEER. I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD.
FOR MILLIONS OF PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD, THE FUTURE SEEMS UNCERTAIN AND THREATENING. BUT FOR SOME THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT AS THEY LOOK FORWARD TO THE PROMISES OF GOD. WARS, AND RUMORS OF WAR, EARTHQUAKES - FALSE RELIGIONS, NUCLEAR TERRORISM, WORLDWIDE PERSECUTION, THE JEWS IN ISRAEL, THE MIDDLE EAST IN CONFLICT - FOR GOD'S CHILDREN, THOSE THINGS SIGNAL ONE THING: THE RETURN OF CHRIST! AS WE WONDER ABOUT THE LORD'S RETURN, THINK OF ITS SUDDENNESS: REV. 22:7 - BEHOLD I COME QUICKLY. THINK OF THE SADNESS OF MISSING HIM. THINK OF THE HORROR OF BEING LEFT BEHIND WHEN HE COMES. THINK OF THE ANGUISH OF BEING UNPREPARED FOR HIS TRUMPET CALL. WHEN WE STUDY BIBLE PROPHECY, IT OUGHT TO MOTIVATE US TO CLAIM HIS PARDON AND LIVE IN THE EXPECTATION OF HIS GLORIOUS RETURN. AS WE SEE SIGNS OF THE TIME, ARE YOU READY FOR CHRIST TO COME? WHAT IF IT WERE TODAY? THE GREATEST SERMON EVER PREACHED ON THE SECOND COMING WAS IN MATTHEW, CHAPTERS 24 AND 25. JESUS TOLD A SERIES OF STORIES ILLUSTRATING THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING READY AND PREPARED. JESUS IS COMING BACK, ANY MINUTE, ANY DAY, ANY MONTH OR YEAR. THE BIBLE SAYS THAT TIME IS SHORT AND WE MUST WORK FOR THE NIGHT IS COMING. OUR WORLD IS IN A STATE OF DEPRESSION, AND ANTI-DEPRESSION PHARMACEUTICALS ARE BEING SWALLOWED BY THE TRUCK LOADS. JESUS TOLD HIS TROUBLED DISCIPLES THE LAST NIGHT HE WAS WITH THEM; LET NOT YOUR HEARTS BE TROUBLED. . . . I WILL COME AGAIN AND RECEIVE YOU UNTO MYSELF. WHEN YOU SIT DOWN IN THE AFTERNOONS TO WATCH THE AFTERNOON NEWS, FOR ONLY ONE HOUR, YOU WILL SEE, RIOTS, WAR, POLITICS, PROBLEMS, BUDGET DEFICITS, OIL PRICES, SERIAL KILLERS, NUCLEAR THREATS, AND NATURAL DISASTERS. SO, HOW DO YOU FEEL AFTER WATCHING ONLY ONE HOUR OF THAT? TURN OFF THE TELEVISION AND GET YOUR BIBLE, STUDY I AND II THESSALONIANS, TWO LITTLE BOOKS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, WITH MUCH TO SAY ABOUT THE LORD'S RETURN. THEN, LET'S DO THIS, THINK ABOUT THOSE EIGHT LITTLE CHAPTERS FOR AN HOUR, NOW, HOW DO YOU FEEL? YOU SHOULD HAVE JOY IN YOUR HEART AS YOU ANTICIPATE ANEW HIS RETURN. THE STUDY OF THE SIGNS OF THE END TIMES ISN'T JUST FOR "PROPHECY FREAKS" OR "SECOND COMING SCHOLARS" OR "END TIMES FANATICS." IT IS FOR EVERY SINGLE CHRISTIAN WHO LOVES HIS APPEARING. IT'S COMPELLING AND WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE. WE CAN FOR SURE DO THIS, CONSIDER IT THE BEST SELF-IMPROVEMENT COURSE WE'LL EVER TAKE.
WHEN WILL THERE BE PEACE ON EARTH?
SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2001, APPEARS TO BE THE WAKE-UP CALL FOR MANY AMERICANS WHO WERE LIVING IN PEACE AND PROSPERITY, OR SO THEY THOUGHT. THE VERY THOUGHT OF WAR IN AMERICA IS A STUNNING THOUGHT TO MANY. PRESIDENT BUSH URGED AMERICAN TO "GET BACK TO LIFE AS USUAL" AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. BUT IT HASN'T BEEN AS EASY AS IT SEEMS. THE WAR IN IRAQ STARTED IN MARCH OF 2003; NOW YEARS LATER, AMERICANS ARE STILL DYING IN COMBAT THERE AN IN AFGHANISTAN. FOR AMERICANS, WAR "HAS BEEN" LIFE AS USUAL IN THE PAST FEW YEARS. EVEN THOUGH THE UNITED NATIONS HAS BEEN TRYING SINCE 1945 TO CONVINCE NATIONS TO LIVE IN PEACE, IT HASN'T HAPPENED YET. HERE'S YOUR HISTORY LESSON FOR THE DAY; BEGINNING IN 2300 B.C. - THERE HAVE BEEN NEARLY 750 MAJOR WARS BETWEEN NATIONS THAT ARE RECORDED IN HISTORY. AND NOT JUST WARS, BUT ALSO WHAT TIME THERE WASN'T WAR, THERE WERE MAJOR CONFLICTS BETWEEN NATIONS. THAT'S NOT ALL, RIGHT NOW BETWEEN NATIONS THERE ARE AT LEAST 25 WARS THAT ARE ON-GOING. WARS BETWEEN UGANDA, SOMALIA, CHECHNYA (RUSSIA) COLUMBIA, AND ON AND ON, ESPECIALLY THE MANY VARIOUS ISRAELI CONFLICTS WITH THE PALESTINIANS. DON'T LOOK NOW, BUT THINGS ARE GOING TO GET WORSE BEFORE THEY GET BETTER. JESUS SAID THAT PRIOR TO HIS EARTH'S RETURN, THERE WOULD BE WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS. THE REVELATION OF JOHN TELLS OF A GREAT FINAL WAR YET TO COME UPON THE EARTH CALLED THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON. TO FACE THE REALITY OF OUR WORLD WE MUST FACE THE FACT THAT WAR IS A WAY OF LIFE ON PLANET EARTH. BUT FOR CHRISTIANS, THERE IS ANOTHER, BETTER TRUTH - THE FLIP SIDE TO THAT CONFLICT COIN IS THIS: HIS NAME IS JESUS CHRIST, PRINCE OF PEACE. JESUS CHRIST WANTS TO BE EVERYBODY'S PRINCE OF PEACE. HE WANTS TO HEAL THE WOUNDS AND FILL UP THE VOIDS IN YOUR LIFE. HE WANTS TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION: WILL THERE EVER BE PEACE ON EARTH? THE PROPHET ISAIAH SAID IT THE BEST IN CHAPTER 9, VERSE 6: FOR UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN, UNTO US A SON IS GIVEN, AND THE GOVERNMENT SHALL BE UPON HIS SHOULDERS, AND HIS NAME SHALL BE CALLED, WONDERFUL, COUNSELOR, MIGHTY GOD, EVERLASTING FATHER, PRINCE OF PEACE. JESUS' DISCIPLES WERE ASKING THE VERY SAME THING. HE GAVE THEM THIS ANSWER FOUND IN ACTS 1:7 - IT IS NOT FOR YOU TO KNOW THE TIMES OR SEASONS WHICH THE FATHER HAS PUT IN HIS OWN AUTHORITY. IT MIGHT NOT BE OURS TO KNOW THE TIMES OR SEASONS WHEN THERE WILL BE PEACE ON EARTH, BUT WE CAN KNOW SOMETHING OF THE REASONS. ONE REASON MAY BE THAT GOD USES WARS, THE EXAMPLE OF THE FAILURE OF MANKIND TO ACHIEVE PEACE ON HIS OWN. WHEN THE WORLD IS ON THE VERGE OF DESTROYING ITSELF, THEN THE PRINCE OF PEACE WILL APPEAR AND INSTITUTE A THOUSAND YEARS OF PEACE ON EARTH. HE TRIED TO TELL THOSE AT HIS FIRST COMING THAT HE WAS THE PRINCE OF PEACE, BUT AT HIS SECOND COMING IT WILL BE OBVIOUS TO ALL THAT HE IS THE PRINCE OF PEACE. FOR THOSE OF US WHO HAVE ALREADY ACCEPTED THE PRINCE OF PEACE, WE DON'T HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE MILLENNIUM TO EXPERIENCE HIS PEACE. BY OUR PRAYERS AND SUPPLICATIONS, WE CAN EXPERIENCE HIS PEACE TODAY, RIGHT NOW! YOUR PERSONAL WORLD CAN BE AT PEACE REGARDLESS OF THE CONFLICTS THAT SURROUND YOU. MAKE SURE YOUR HEART IS ONE THAT MAKES ROOM FOR HIM AND HIS PEACE.
LOCATION IS EVERYTHING - CHOOSE YOUR ETERNAL HOME!
WHAT IF SOMEONE CAME TO YOU THIS WEEK WITH THE FOLLOWING REAL ESTATE DEAL: "I HAPPEN TO KNOW A LOCATION THAT IS GOING TO BE MORE VALUABLE THAN ANY REAL ESTATE IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD - AND IT'S LOCATION YOU CAN MAKE AN INVESTMENT IN RIGHT NOW. I ALSO KNOW A LOCATION THAT IS GOING TO BE THE LEAST DESIRABLE PLACE TO LIVE, THE WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN. AT THIS DESIRABLE LOCATION, A CITY IS GOING TO BE BUILT THAT IS LIKE NONE THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN. IT WILL BE LARGER AND MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN ANY CITY EVER BUILT, ANCIENT OR MODERN. FREE FOOD, WATER AND HEALTHCARE. NO CRIME, NO POLLUTION - A BRAND NEW CONCEPT OF LIVING. ONCE IT'S FILLED UP WITH RESIDENTS, THERE WILL BE NO MORE APPLICATIONS TAKEN. PEOPLE WILL ACTUALLY BE OUTSIDE THE GATES OF THIS CITY BEGGING TO BE LET IN, WISHING THEY HAD RESERVED SPACE THERE WHEN THEY HAD THE CHANCE. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE PLACE I KNOW ABOUT THAT IS GOING TO GO DOWN IN VALUE WILL BE HORRIBLE - TERRIBLE CLIMATE, FILLED WITH CORRUPTION, A DICTATOR FOR A GOVERNOR, AND ACTUALLY, RIGHT NOW THERE ARE PEOPLE IN THE WORLD THAT ARE INVESTING THERE, BUT THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT I KNOW. BY THE END OF THEIR LIFE, WHEN THEY'VE INVESTED EVERYTHING THEY HAVE IN THIS PLACE, THEY'RE GOING TO REALIZE THAT THEY ARE TOTALLY BANKRUPT. THEY WILL HAVE LOST EVERYTHING THAT THEY EVER THOUGHT WAS VALUABLE. " SO, WHAT DO YOU THINK? IF SOMEONE CAME TO YOU WITH THAT SORT OF REAL ESTATE PROPOSITION, YOU'D HAVE TWO QUESTIONS: WHERE ARE THESE TWO LOCATIONS? HOW DO YOU KNOW ONE IS GOING TO BE A WINNER AND THE OTHER A LOSER? FAIR QUESTIONS. YOU'VE PROBABLY GUESSED IT BY NOW THAT IT WAS NOT REFERRED TO ABOUT TRADITIONAL REAL ESTATE. HOWEVER, IT IS TALKING ABOUT THE ONLY TWO LOCATIONS THAT RESIDENTS OF PLANET EARTH WILL HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN AT THE END OF THIS CURRENT AGE: HEAVEN OR HELL. THE BIBLE MAKES IT CLEAR THAT EVERY HUMAN BEING THAT HAS EVER LIVED WILL ULTIMATELY RESIDE - FOREVER - IN ONE OF THESE TWO PLACES. THINGS ARE NOT THAT COMPLICATED WHEN IT COMES TO THE TWO ETERNAL LOCATIONS THAT GOD HAS ESTABLISHED FOR THE FUTURE OF MANKIND. INSTEAD OF COMPUTERS, REAMS OF PAPER DATA, AND LATE NIGHTS AROUND A CONFERENCE TABLE. . . ALL WE NEED IS ONE BOOK - THE BIBLE. IT TELLS US THE PRIORITY OF CHOOSING HEAVEN OVER HELL. IT COULD BE A HARD DISCUSSION, BUT AN EASY DECISION. WE CAN ALL AGREE ON ONE THING: DISCUSSIONS ABOUT HELL ARE NOT THE EASIEST TO HAVE. HEAVEN? NO PROBLEM! A VAST MAJORITY OF AMERICAN THINK THAT THEY ARE GOING THERE ALREADY. GOD IS VIEWED AS A SANTA CLAUS FIGURE WHO IS MAKING A LIST AND CHECKING IT TWICE, KEEPING TRACK OF WHO'S NAUGHTY OR NICE, AND IN THE END, WILL FLING OPEN THE PEARLY GATES AND WITH A BIG SMILE, LETS EVERYONE IN. THE PROBLEM IS - THAT IS NOT TRUE. IN JESUS' PARABLE OF THE SHEEP (RIGHTEOUS) AND THE GOATS (UNRIGHTEOUS), HE SAID THE RIGHTEOUS WERE DESTINED FOR A "KINGDOM PREPARED FOR YOU FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD." THE UNRIGHTEOUS, HOWEVER, WILL GO INTO THE EVERLASTING FIRE PREPARED FOR THE DEVIL AND HIS ANGELS." HE CONCLUDED BY SAYING THAT THE UNRIGHTEOUS "WILL GO AWAY INTO EVERLASTING PUNISHMENT, BUT THE RIGHTEOUS INTO ETERNAL LIFE." (MATTHEW 25:34,41,46). MANY PEOPLE INVEST THEIR ENTIRE LIFE'S SAVINGS INTO REAL ESTATE, BASED ON THE ADVICE OF A TRUSTED AGENT WHO SUPPOSEDLY KNOWS THE MARKET - AND THAT'S FINE. BUT, IT'S JUST A HOUSE, A PARCEL OF LAND. HOW MUCH MORE IMPORTANT IS THE PLACE WHERE YOU WILL SPEND ETERNITY? AND HOW MUCH MORE TRUSTED SHOULD YOU BE IN THE WORD OF GOD, WHEN IT COMES TO INVESTING YOUR LIFE? WHEN IT COMES TO ETERNITY, LOCATION IS NOT JUST IMPORTANT - IT'S EVERYTHING. HOW IS YOUR LIFE INVESTED IN ETERNITY?
WINSTON CHURCHILL, FRUSTRATED IN THE 1930s WITH THE FAILURE OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT TO DEAL WITH ADOLF HITLER AND THE NAZI THREAT, DECIDED THAT PRIME MINISTER BALDWIN WAS HOPELESSLY UNEQUAL TO THE CHALLENGES OF LEADING ENGLAND. CHURCHILL QUOTED A LITTLE POEM HE HAD LEARNED AS A SCHOOLBOY: WHO IS IN CHARGE OF THIS CLATTERING TRAIN? THE AXLES CREAK AND THE COUPLINGS STRAIN; AND THE PACE IS HOT, AND THE POINTS ARE NEAR, AND SLEEP HAS DEADENED THE DRIVER'S EAR; THE SIGNALS FLASH THROUGH THE NIGHT IN VAIN, FOR DEATH IS IN CHARGE OF THIS CLATTERING TRAIN. WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR WORLD TODAY, WE'RE APT TO ASK THE SAME QUESTION: WHO'S IN CHARGE? WARS RAGING, MORALITY COLLAPSING, INFECTIONS SPREADING, WEAPONS PROLIFERATING., ECONOMIES FALTERING, HEARTS FAILING AT A YOUNG AGE, CHILDREN SUFFERING, FROM ABUSE THAT SOMETIME LEADS TO DEATH, SUICIDE BOMBERS, NUCLEAR THREATS. . . . WHO IS IN CHARGE OF THIS CLATTERING TRAIN? THE BIBLE DECLARES THAT THE LORD IS IN CONTROL. I CHRONICLES 29:11 -"YOURS, O LORD, IS THE GREATNESS, THE POWER, AND THE GLORY, THE VICTORY AND THE MAJESTY; FOR ALL THAT IS IN HEAVEN AND IN THE EARTH IS YOURS; YOURS IS THE KINGDOM, O LORD, AND YOU ARE EXALTED AS HEAD OVER ALL." EVEN THOUGH BIBLE-TAUGHT BELIEVERS KNOW THAT GOD IS SOVEREIGN, SOMETIMES THE MESSAGE DOESN'T GET FROM OUR HEADS TO OUR HEARTS. THIS IS TO CONFIRM THAT GOD IS IN CONTROL. HE IS THE MOST HIGH. HE IS THE LORD OF HEAVEN AND EARTH. HE IS SUBJECT TO NONE. HE IS INFLUENCED BY NONE. HE IS ABSOLUTELY INDEPENDENT, FREE, AND IN CONTROL. NO ONE CAN HINDER HIM, COMPEL HIM, OR STOP HIM. HE DOES WHAT HE PLEASES. WE CALL THAT HIS SOVEREIGNTY. CHRIST IS MORE POWERFUL THAN THE STRONGEST KINGS, THE LARGEST ARMIES, AND THE GREATEST EMPIRES. HE IS ...THE KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. GOD IS SOVEREIGN OVER ALL OF HISTORY. SOMEONE ONCE SAID THAT HISTORY IS HIS-STORY. GOD HAS A PLAN FOR THE NATIONS. THE STORY OF HISTORY IS UNFOLDING OF HIS PLAN AS THE WORLD MOVES TOWARDS IT PRE-ORDAINED END. THIS MEANS WE SHOULDN'T PANIC DURING TIMES OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL UNCERTAINTY. IT'S EASY TO WATCH THE TELEVISION NEWS EVERY NIGHT THEN RETIRE TO BED DEPRESSED AND DISCOURAGED. HOW MUCH BETTER IT WOULD BE TO TURN OFF THE TELEVISION, OPEN THE BIBLE AT BEDTIME AND THEN GO TO SLEEP REASSURED THAT THE LORD IS GREAT, AND THAT HE IS ABOVE ALL GODS, AND WHATEVER HE WILLS, HE DOES, IN HEAVEN AND IN EARTH (PSALMS 135:5-6). GOD DOES NOT ORDAIN EVIL NOR IS HE THE AUTHOR OF SIN. AS THE WARS RAGE, HE IS ABLE TO TURN THE TIDES OF HISTORY TOWARD THEIR APPOINTED ENDS, AND EVEN THOSE EVENTS THAT FRIGHTEN US, THEY DON'T SURPRISE HIM OR CATCH HIM UNAWARE. THERE IS ONE LADY THAT CONSIDERS HER DAILY NEWSPAPER, HER PRAYER GUIDE. SHE PRAYS OVER THE HEADLINES EACH DAY, KNOWING HER PRAYERS CAN INFLUENCE WORLD EVENTS. AS CHRISTIANS, WE SHOULD ALL FEEL THE SAME WAY. ONE OF THE MOST COMFORTING TRUTHS IN THE BIBLE IS THAT THE SOVEREIGN PROVIDENCE OF GOD EXTENDS TO THE DAILY DETAILS OF OUR LIVES. HE ISN'T JUST CONCERNED ABOUT NATIONS, BUT EVEN THE SPARROWS AND THE LILIES OF THE FIELDS, ARE IMPORTANT TO HIM, SO HOW MUCH MORE ARE WE TO HIM. HE IS ABLE TO WORK ALL THINGS TOGETHER FOR OUR GOOD. WE DON'T HAVE A GOD WHO TAKES A VACATION. THERE ARE NO ACCIDENTS WITH GOD. HE NEVER FORGETS. SO, WHEN YOU READ FRIGHTENING NEWSPAPER HEADLINES, WHEN YOU FACE ADVERSITY IN LIFE, AND WHEN DISAPPOINTMENTS SLAP YOU IN THE FACE, WHEN YOUR WORLD SEEMS TO BE COMING APART, AND YOU'RE NOT SURE WHAT'S GOING ON. . . REMEMBER. . .GOD IS SOVEREIGN - HE IS IN CONTROL - HE WORKS ALL THINGS FOR HIS GLORY AND FOR OUR GOOD. WHO'S IN CHARGE OF THIS CLATTERING TRAIN? GOD IS!
THE CHRISTIAN COURIER - THE CHURCH'S BUSINESS A CALL TO ACTION -
BILL GATES NAME MIGHT BE FAMILIAR TO YOU FOR ANY OF SEVERAL REASONS. MORE THAN 90% OF THE PERSONAL COMPUTERS IN THE WORLD OPERATE ON SOFTWARE THAT HIS COMPANY, MICROSOFT, HAS PRODUCED. YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD ABOUT HIM BECAUSE HE DROPPED OUT OF HARVARD UNIVERSITY, BUT IS NOW THE WORLD'S WEALTHIEST INDIVIDUAL. OR YOU MIGHT KNOW OF HIM, BECAUSE OF THE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS HIS FOUNDATION HAS COMMITTED TO EDUCATION AND HEALTH INITIATIVES AROUND THE WORLD. HE CONTINUES TO MAKE MICROSOFT'S CORE MISSION THE APPLICATION OF COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY TO DEVELOPING NEEDS AROUND THE WORLD. HE ALSO IS CONTINUING TO CONNECT HIS COMPANY WITH CORE VALUES AND EXPRESS THEM IN AN EVER-CHANGING WORLD. WHILE THE CHURCH IS NOT A BUSINESS, IN THE TRADITIONAL SENSE, IT IS ORGANIZED AND IS THEREFORE AN ORGANIZATION. HOW WOULD YOU ANSWER THIS QUESTION; WHAT IS THE CHURCH'S BUSINESS? IF A MILLION CHRISTIANS WERE ASKED THAT QUESTION, THERE SHOULD BE ONLY ONE UNIFIED ANSWER: IT IS THE BUSINESS OF THE CHURCH TO GO INTO ALL THE WORLD AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL THE NATIONS, BAPTIZING THEM IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT, TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE ALL OF JESUS' TEACHINGS AND COMMANDS UNTIL HE RETURNS. THAT IS THE BUSINESS OF THE CHURCH. THE CHALLENGE IS TO ALWAYS STAY FOCUSED ON THE CENTRAL "BUSINESS" OF THE CHURCH. YOU SEE, IT COULD LEAD TO NUMEROUS SUBMISSIONS, SUCH AS: MISSIONS - EDUCATION - EVANGELISM - WORSHIP - WORLD MISSIONS - SOCIAL MINISTRY AND MUCH MORE. JESUS SPOKE A PARABLE TO HIS DISCIPLES ABOUT HOW HE WANTED THEM TO CARRY ON IN HIS ABSENCE. LUKE 19:11-26 JESUS TELLS OF A STORY ABOUT A MAN WHO LEFT HIS SERVANTS IN CHARGE OF HIS BUSINESS WHILE HE WENT ON A JOURNEY. HE LEFT THEM RESOURCES AND INSTRUCTIONS: THEY WERE TO ACCOMPLISH HIS OBJECTIVES WITH THE RESOURCES HE LEFT. WHEN HE RETURNED, TWO OF THE THREE HAD BEEN FAITHFUL WHILE ONE HAD NOT. THAT ONE RECEIVED THE OWNER'S GREAT DISPLEASURE. WHAT HE HAD GIVEN WAS TAKEN AWAY, SO HE WAS LEFT WITH NOTHING. SO, WITH THAT IN MIND, HOW'S THE CHURCH DOING IN FULFILLING OUR MASTER'S INSTRUCTIONS? "DO BUSINESS UNTIL I RETURN!" WHAT MEASURES SHOULD WE USE TO DETERMINE WHETHER OUR ACTIONS AND ACTIVITIES ARE THOSE THAT WILL RESULT IN THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF THE MASTER'S MAIN MISSION - THE DISCIPLING OF THE NATIONS? THERE ARE 10 ACTIONS AND ACTIVITIES IN WHICH JESUS CHRIST WOULD BE PLEASED TO FIND US ENGAGED WHEN HE RETURNS TO EARTH. THEY ARE THE FULFILLMENT OF HIS TEACHINGS AND COMMANDS, WHICH WOULD ALSO BE THE FULFILLMENT OF THE GREAT COMMISSION. AS YOU READ EACH ONE OF THESE ACTIONS, ASK YOURSELF, "HOW'S BUSINESS?"
1. REFUSE TO NEGLECT THE CHURCH: IF YOU ARE NOT A MEMBER OF OR A CONSISTENT CONTRIBUTOR TO THE LIFE OF A LOCAL CONGREGATION, YOU ARE NOT BUILDING UP THE CHURCH.
2. RESPOND TO LIFE SPIRITUALLY: LIFE IS A SPIRITUAL UNDERTAKING FIRST AND FOREMOST. YOU SHOULD BE RESPONDING TO LIFE WITH THE MIND OF CHRIST REVEALED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT.
3. RELATE TO ONE ANOTHER IN LOVE: JESUS' FOLLOWERS ARE TO BE KNOWN AS PEOPLE OF LOVE. THE APOSTLE PAUL SAID THAT THE GREATEST THING YOU COULD EVER DO IN MINISTRY AND DO IT WITHOUT LOVE, IT IS NOTHING.
4. REFRAIN FROM JUDGING OTHERS: WE CAN ONLY BE JUDGES OF OURSELVES, NOT OTHERS. SETTLE YOUR DIFFERENCES WITH HUMILITY AND LOVE, LEAVING JUDGMENT TO GOD.
5. RECOMMIT YOURSELF TO MINISTRY: MINISTERING FOR CHRIST IS A FULL-TIME CALLING. THAT MEANS THAT IF CHRIST IS ACTIVE IN THE WORLD, THEN EVERY BELIEVER SHOULD BE PLAYING A PART IN HIS MINISTRY.
6. REACH THE LOST: JESUS CAME INTO THIS WORLD TO SEEK AND TO SAVE THOSE WHO ARE LOST AND HE TOLD HIS DISCIPLES THAT HE WAS SENDING THEM INTO THE WORLD TO CONTINUE THAT MISSION. AN ETERNAL DESTINY AWAITS EVERY HUMAN BEING, AND WE ARE TO SAVE ALL WHO WILL BE SAVED.
7. REMAIN STEADFAST: WE ARE NOT CALLED TO AN EASY TASK. JESUS AND HIS DISCIPLES WERE MODELS FOR US OF THE STEADFASTNESS NECESSARY TO INVADE THE ENEMY'S TERRITORY WITH THE GOSPEL MESSAGE.
8. RENOUNCE SIN IN YOUR LIFE: WE CANNOT BE ABOUT FLESHLY BUSINESS AND SPIRITUAL BUSINESS AT THE SAME TIME. IF YOU ARE SERIOUS ABOUT DOING GOD'S BUSINESS, THEN YOU WILL BE SERIOUS ABOUT NOT SINNING.
9. RESTORE THE BEREAVED: WE ARE ENGAGED IN A SPIRITUAL BATTLE. AND AS IN ALL COMBAT, THERE WILL BE CASUALTIES. PART OF OUR MISSION IS TO EXTEND CHRIST'S LOVE AND COMPASSION TO THOSE WHO GRIEVE.
10. REMEMBER THE LORD'S TABLE: INSTEAD OF A REGULAR FACE-TO-FACE MEETING WITH GOD, WE HAVE A SPIRIT-TO-SPIRIT MEETING WITH HIM AS WE GATHER AROUND HIS COMMUNION TABLE. IT IS THERE THAT WE REMIND OURSELVES WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR US AND WHAT HE HAS ASKED US TO DO FOR HIM.
SO. . . HOW'S BUSINESS? LET THIS LIST SERVE AS A CALL TO ACTION - A RECOMMITMENT TO THE MISSION AND PURPOSES OF GOD ON THIS EARTH IN HIS ABSENCE. ONLY THEN WILL WE HEAR HIM SAY, WHEN HE RETURNS, "WELL DONE, GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT, ENTER INTO THE JOY OF YOUR LORD."
WHERE THE ROADS COME TOGETHER - LIVING WITH YOUR ETERNAL DESTINATION IN VIEW
AT THE HEIGHT OF ITS POWER, BEING A CITIZEN OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE WAS LIKE BEING A MINNOW IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN, A STAR IN THE UNIVERSE, OR A GRAIN OF SAND ON THE SEASHORE. IN OTHER WORDS, THE SIZE OF ONE, CREATED THE INSIGNIFICANCE OF THE OTHER. AS YOU CONSIDER THE SIZE OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, IT STRETCHED 2,650 MILES FROM WEST TO EAST AND ABOUT 2,000 MILES FROM SOUTH TO NORTH. IT INCLUDED ALL THE MEDITERRANEAN WORLD, AND COVERED MOST OF ALL OF EUROPE. IT STRETCHED NORTH TO THE NORTH SEA, WEST TO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN, SOUTH SOME 300 MILES DEEP INTO THE NORTHERN PART OF AFRICA, INCLUDED 600 MILES ALONG EITHER SIDE OF THE NILE RIVER AND WEST AS FAR AS MESOPOTAMIA. SO, IT'S EASY TO UNDERSTAND WHY THEY CAME UP WITH THE PHRASE OF "ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME." BECAUSE, LITERALLY THEY DID. THE ROMANS WERE FAMOUS FOR THEIR ROAD BUILDING THROUGHOUT THEIR EMPIRE. THEY ALSO WERE GIFTED IN BUILDERS AND ENGINEERS. SO, WHAT IF ALL ROADS LED TO ROME? THE AVERAGE ROMAN CITIZEN DID NOT SHARE IN THE GRANDEUR OF THE EMPIRE. THEIR LIVES WERE CONSUMED WITH THE MUNDANE, SAME OLD SAME OLD, EVERYDAY ROUTINE. "THE EMPIRE" WAS JUST SOMETHING FAR AWAY TO PAY TAXES TO AND TO OBEY THEIR RULES. NOTHING TO BE INVOLVED IN EMOTIONALLY. SURE, ALL ROADS LED TO ROME, BUT WHAT WOULD BE THE POINT IN INVESTING IN A THREE MONTH TRIP THAT WOULD PUT YOU IN WITH THE TEEMING CROWDS OF THE CAPITAL? TODAY, MANY CHRISTIANS ARE VIEWING THEMSELVES LIKE THE FIRST CENTURY ROMAN CITIZENS - THEIR LIVES REALLY DON'T MAKE A LOT OF DIFFERENCE IN THE GRAND, ETERNAL SCHEME OF THINGS. THINK ABOUT IT: THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST IS UNIVERSAL, FAR BIGGER THAN ANY EARTHLY EMPIRE. IF YOU WANTED TO VISIT THE "CAPITAL" OF THE CHURCH, YOU COULDN'T BECAUSE THERE ISN'T ONE. AND THE PEOPLE, THERE ARE TWO BILLION OF THEM, A THIRD OF THE ENTIRE WORLD, WHO CLAIM TO BE A PART OF CHRISTIANITY. THOSE FACTS MAKE BEING A CITIZEN OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE SEEM LIKE BEING A PART OF A CLOSE-KNIT FAMILY. IT WOULD BE SO EASY TO GET INTO THE "ROMAN" MODE AS A CHRISTIAN BY PAYING YOUR TITHES (ROME: TAXES) OBEYING THE COMMANDMENTS (ROME: RULES) STAY OUT OF TROUBLE (ROME: KEEP TO YOURSELF) AND JUST DON'T "ROCK THE BOAT." BUT. . . WHERE'S THE PASSION? WHERE'S THE EMOTION? WHERE'S THE INVOLVEMENT? WHERE'S THE SIGNIFICANCE IN A CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE LIKE THAT? IT MIGHT NOT HAVE MADE ANY DIFFERENCE TO THE AVERAGE ROMAN CITIZEN IF ALL ROADS LED TO ROME OR NOT, BUT IT SHOULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO A CHRISTIAN IF ALL ROADS LEAD TO HEAVEN. REGARDLESS OF WHO YOU ARE, WHERE YOU ARE OR WHERE YOU'VE BEEN, YOU ARE NOT A "MERE" CITIZEN OF HEAVEN, STUCK OFF IN A CORNER OF THE KINGDOM. UNLIKE ROME, THERE IS NO GEOGRAPHIC CENTER OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. WHERE YOU ARE RIGHT NOW IS THE CAPITAL - WHY? BECAUSE IT'S WHERE KING JESUS IS! PRAISE THE LORD! THE CHANCES OF A ROMAN CITIZEN GETTING TO TALK OR EVEN SEE THE EMPEROR, WERE SLIM TO NONE. HOWEVER, YOU HAVE BEEN INVITED TO BOLDLY GO INTO THE VERY THRONE ROOM OF GOD AND ASK FOR WHATEVER YOU NEED (HEBREW 4:16). EVEN THE LEGIONS OF HEAVEN HAVE BEEN DISPATCHED TO SERVE AND PROTECT YOU, PERSONALLY (HEBREWS 1:14). IN THE SIMPLEST TERMS YOU CAN PUT IT, TO BE A CITIZEN OF HEAVEN, IT MEANS THAT YOU HAVE ALL THE RESOURCES OF HEAVEN AT YOUR DISPOSAL AND. . LISTEN TO THIS. . . IT EXISTS AS IF YOU WERE THE ONLY CITIZEN OF IT. HOWEVER, THERE'S ALWAYS THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN TO EVERYTHING, SAME WITH BEING A CHRISTIAN AND HAVING THESE PRIVILEGES, THERE ARE ALL OF THE RESPONSIBILITIES THAT GO ALONG WITH THAT ALSO. EVERY CHRISTIAN MUST SEE THEIR GIFTS, THEIR CALLINGS, THEIR LOCATIONS, THEIR RESOURCES, AND EVERYTHING THEY ARE OR HAVE AS BEING THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. GOD IS DEPENDING AND COUNTING ON US, AS CHRISTIANS, TO FULFILL WHAT HE HAS GIFTED US TO DO AS IF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN WILL STAND OR FALL ON OUR FAITHFULNESS. WE CAN'T JUST SIT AROUND! CHRISTIANS NEED A PASSION FOR LIFE, A PASSION FOR LOVING THE LORD AND DOING HIS WILL. TOO MANY BELIEVERS ARE JUST "SITTING AROUND" INSTEAD OF GETTING ON THE ROAD THAT LEADS TO HEAVEN. TOO MANY HAVE LOST THE SIGHT OF THE FACT THAT THEIR GIFTS AND CALLINGS FROM GOD ARE CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TO THE MISSIONS OF GOD. DON'T FORGET: GOD SEES YOU AS THE SOLE CITIZEN OF HEAVEN, IN TERMS OF YOUR PRIVILEGES AND RESPONSIBILITIES. THE QUESTIONS IS THIS: ARE WE LIVING OUR LIVES ON EARTH WITH OUR HEAVENLY DESTINATION IN VIEW? WE SHOULD BE! IF YOU ARE READING THIS, IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO START RIGHT NOW.
SPECIAL AGENTS - THE WORKING CHURCH
EVER SINCE SEPTEMBER 11, 2001, WHEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WAS ATTACKED BY FOREIGN TERRORISTS, WORKING AND WATCHING TO PREVENT FURTHER ATTACKS, HAS BECOME TOP PRIORITY FOR GOVERNMENT INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY AGENCIES. IN FACT, THE COLLECTING OF INFORMATION HAS CREATED A STORM OF PROTESTS FROM CITIZENS WHO HAVE ASK, "HOW MUCH AUTHORITY DOES THE GOVERNMENT POSSESS TO INVESTIGATE PRIVATE CITIZENS?" ESPECIALLY WITH THE AIRPORTS STRICT SEARCH OF A PERSON. WHY IS IT THAT THE GOVERNMENT CAN LISTEN IN ON PHONE CONVERSATIONS AND MONITOR THE VERY PRIVATE ASPECTS OF OUR LIVES. WE ALL THINK - THE MORE EYES SEARCHING THE HORIZON FOR DANGER . .THE BETTER. WHEN WE THINK OF THE AMOUNT OF MONEY AND WORK BEING INVESTED IN WATCHING FOR SOMETHING THAT MAY OR MAY NOT HAPPEN, AS CHRISTIANS WE MIGHT CONSIDER HOW WELL THE CHURCH IS DOING AT WORKING, WAITING AND WATCHING. RESOURCES HAVE TO BE INVESTED WHETHER A TERRORIST ATTACK HAPPENS OR NOT, BUT WITH THE CHURCH, WE KNOW OF SOMETHING THAT IS, WITHOUT A DOUBT, ABSOLUTELY, GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE - SOMETHING WE SHOULD BE WORKING AND WAITING FOR IN ANTICIPATION OF - - AND THAT EVENT, OF COURSE, IS THE RETURN OF THE LORD. THERE ARE MANY SO CALLED CHRISTIANS WHO, EITHER DON'T KNOW, OR ARE APATHETIC ABOUT THE SUBJECT. HOW CAN WE BELIEVE WHAT JESUS SAID ABOUT THE FORGIVENESS OF OUR SINS AND ETERNAL LIFE AND NOT BELIEVE HIM WHEN HE SAID HE WAS GOING TO RETURN TO THIS EARTH? WE NEED TO REFER TO JESUS' TWO PARABLES CONCERNING THE WATCHING AND THE WAITING UNTIL HE COMES. IF SPECIAL AND GOVERNMENT AGENTS CAN WORK AND WATCH FOR THINGS THAT "MIGHT" HAPPEN, THEN HOW MUCH MORE SHOULD WE, AS BELIEVERS, SHOULD BE WATCHING AND WAITING FOR SOMETHING THAT WE KNOW IS GOING TO HAPPEN? THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS GIVES US AN EXAMPLE OF HOW TO WORK UNTIL JESUS RETURNS - REMEMBER WHAT HE SAID, "DO BUSINESS UNTIL I COME." IT'S ABOUT THE BIG PICTURE OF STEWARDSHIP. STEWARDS ARE TO ACCOMPLISH THE MASTER'S WORK IN HIS ABSENCE. SO YOU MIGHT ASK THE QUESTION: "WHAT AM I TO ACCOMPLISH FOR MY MASTER UNTIL HE COMES AGAIN?" HERE ARE FOUR THINGS THAT WILL HELP - 1. PUBLICIZE THE GOSPEL: WITH HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE YOU SHARED THE GOSPEL WITHIN THE LAST 6 MONTHS? THE CHURCH CANNOT PREACH THE GOSPEL - YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL BELIEVER CAN ONLY PREACH THE GOSPEL- 2. PROMOTE THE HEALTH OF THE CHURCH: WHERE ARE YOU SERVING IN YOUR CHURCH? IN WHAT MINISTRIES ARE YOU INVOLVED? INDIVIDUAL CHRISTIANS ARE THE ONES THAT BUILD UP A CHURCH. 3. PRIORITIZE YOUR LIFE: JUST AS THE SERVANTS IN JESUS' PARABLE STOOD BEFORE THEIR MASTER TO GIVE AN ACCOUNT OF THEIR WORK, WE ALL WILL STAND BEFORE JESUS CHRIST ONE DAY TO DO THE SAME THING. THE GOOD AND THE BAD WILL BE SEPARATED FROM THE BEST IN TERMS OF HOW WE CONTRIBUTED TO THE MASTER'S GOALS. SO IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU ADJUSTED THE AFFAIRS OF YOUR LIFE TO BE MORE CHRIST AND KINGDOM CENTERED? 4. PURSUE YOUR WORK WITH HOPE: THE SERVANT IN THE PARABLE WHO DID NO WORK LOST HIS REWARD, HE LIVED IN FEAR, NOT IN HOPE. IF YOU TRULY BELIEVE WHAT JESUS CHRIST SAID AND WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES, YOU WILL LIVE WITH MORE CERTAINTY ABOUT THE RETURN OF JESUS THAN ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE IN YOUR LIFE. FAITH IS BEING SURE AND CERTAIN. SO THAT'S HOW YOU WORK UNTIL JESUS RETURNS, BUT NOW, HOW DO YOU WATCH UNTIL HE RETURNS. WELL, IN THE SECOND PARABLE WE MENTIONED, THE PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINS, THE FIVE WISE VIRGINS WERE READY TO RECEIVE THE BRIDEGROOM WHEN HE APPEARED, WHILE THE FIVE FOOLISH VIRGINS WERE NOT. WHEN THEY WENT TO MAKE PREPARATIONS AND RETURNED, THE DOOR TO THE CELEBRATION HAD BEEN CLOSED. PETER WROTE ABOUT SCOFFERS WHO SAID, "WHERE IS THE PROMISE OF HIS COMING?" AND YES, IT HAS BEEN 2.010 YEARS SINCE HIS PROMISE WAS MADE, AND SINCE WE DO NOT KNOW THE HOUR OF HIS COMING, WE MUST KNOW HOW TO WATCH FOR THAT DAY. THE FIRST THING, IS THAT WE MUST NOT BE DECEIVED. NOT BY ANYTHING. WE MUST LIVE AN "ON-GUARD" LIFE. WE MUST KEEP OUR EYES FOCUSED ON THE ONE TRUE SAVIOR AND RETURNING KING. WE MUST NOT BE TROUBLED BY ANYTHING. THE PEACE OF JESUS CHRIST IS STRONGER THAN ANYTHING IN THIS WORLD THAT WILL EVER THREATEN US. WE MUST NOT BE CONFUSED ABOUT ANYTHING. THERE'S ONLY ONE FOCAL POINT IN LIFE, AND THAT IS JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF. FIX YOUR EYES ON HIM ALONE. WE MUST NOT BE TEMPTED BY ANYTHING. LIKE A CHILD THAT GETS CAUGHT DOING SOMETHING WRONG WHEN HIS PARENTS ARRIVE HOME UNEXPECTEDLY, JESUS WILL RETURN AT AN HOUR WHEN WE LEAST EXPECT IT. AS SPECIAL AGENTS, WE MUST WATCH AND WAIT FOR THE RETURN OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST.
TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR EVERYONE TO ATTEND CHURCH NEXT SUNDAY, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A SPECIAL “NO EXCUSE” SUNDAY. HERE ARE SOME THINGS WE WILL DO TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE.
1. COTS WILL BE PLACED IN THE FOYER FOR THOSE WHO SAY, “SUNDAY IS MY ONLY DAY TO SLEEP IN.”
2.
MURINE WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR THOSE WITH TIRED EYES FROM
WATCHING T.V. TOO LATE ON SATURDAY NIGHT.
3.
WE WILL HAVE STEEL HELMETS FOR THOSE WHO SAY, “THE ROOF
WOULD CAVE IN IF I EVER CAME TO CHURCH.”
4.
STEEL-TOED SHOES WILL BE PROVIDED FOR THOSE WHO DON’T WANT
THEIR TOES STEPPED ON.
5.
BLANKETS WILL BE PROVIDED FOR THOSE WHO THINK THE CHURCH IS
TOO COLD AND FANS FOR THOSE WHO SAY IT IS TOO HOT.
6.
WE WILL HAVE HEARING AIDES FOR THOSE WHO SAY “THE PREACHER
SPEAKS TOO SOFTLY” AND COTTON FOR THOSE WHO SAY HE PREACHES TOO LOUDLY.
7.
FOR THOSE WHO USUALLY GO FISHING ON SUNDAY, INSTEAD OF COMING
TO WORSHIP, THE BAPTISTERY WILL BE STOCKED WITH BASS AND BLUE GILL, (BRING
YOUR OWN POLE).
8.
SUNGLASSES WILL BE IN THE PEWS FOR THOSE WHO SAY THE LIGHTS
ARE TOO BRIGHT AND MINITURE FLASHLIGHTS FOR THOSE WHO SAY THEY CAN’T SEE
TO READ THE HYMNALS
9.
THE AUDITORIUM WILL BE DECORATED WITH BOTH CHRISTMAS
POINSETTAS AND EASTER LILIES FOR THOSE WHO ONLY ATTEND CHURCH TWICE A YEAR.
10.
SCORE CARDS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO LIST THE
HYPOCRITES PRESENT.
11.
THERE
WILL BE T.V. DINNERS AVAILABLE FOR THOSE WHO SAY THEY HAVE TO STAY HOME FROM
CHURCH AND COOK.
12. SOME RELATIVES WILL BE IN ATTENDANCE, FOR THOSE WHO SAY THEY LIKE TO GO VISITING ON SUNDAY.
FINALLY, TIME CLOCKS WILL BE INSTALLED FOR
