My Father’s Open Arms

Posted by & filed under Carols Blog.

Talking to my Father God this morning and thanking for Him for His open arms anytime I want to come to Him, I thought about earthly fathers with their children, and how important it is for a child to always feel free and confident to run into his/her daddy’s lap and arms for the affection and attention they need from their daddy, or mommy too. A child truly needs to feel this, and not feel rejected or put off. Little children can be annoying or in the way of our personal what-evers, but oh how so very important it is to allow our children the right to feel accepted at any time, and affectionally favored.

 

I thought how very sad it is for a child NOT to feel free and confident, and why that is. What would make a child afraid of their daddy, or not sure of their daddy’s love? A man that has never known the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ, certainly. Maybe a man who never had an affectionate dad, but rather an abusive dad. Maybe a man who simply never had a dad at home, just a mother to raise him.

 

I didn’t have a loving dad at home. He was a marine and wasn’t home much. When he did come home, and most the time drunk – he was mean to our mom. (I was the oldest of three daughters.) I didn’t like him at all. He enjoyed tormenting my younger sister because she was a frail fearful child. Hum, I wonder why. I was always glad when he left.

 

My mother told me how I stood up to him one time when I was about 8 years old. He had come home drunk trying to pick a fight with her in the hallway. I got out of bed and got between them and then looking up at him I said, “YOU LEAVE MY MOMMY ALONE!”

 

Like I said, I didn’t like that man, but when I met Jesus at the age of 22, I began to reach out to my dad who lived on the opposite side of the country from me and my hubby. In my heart I felt a forgiveness for him, and it’s because I knew the Lord’s forgiveness for all MY sins. I began to write letters to my dad telling him about my life, my husband and children and my love for the Lord. He told me one time when we were on the phone, “Carol, I want to hear about you and your family but not any of that Jesus bullshit.” I responded, “Well then dad, you don’t want to know me – because Jesus IS my life.” Then I hung up.

 

I continued to write him letters, not omitting my testimonies of the Lord of my life. Years later my dad’s second wife called me to tell me that he had passed. (He was in his fifties.) My dad was born on Halloween (October 31st) and he died on April Fool’s Day (April 1st ). Oh, he was an atheist too. God knows he had every chance to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, if just from me alone, and to believe. Who knows, maybe he did, even though I never heard if he did. Heaven will reveal so many things!

 

In America today we see all the horrible results of grown children (adults) who never had a loving strong father to raise them in the right way. I am so very thankful that MY heavenly Father reached out to me to draw me to Himself and show me His Beloved Son who died in my place to forgive my sins, and then to present His Holy Word to me (the Bible) so I could KNOW HIM, Who was, and Who is and Who is to come; Who is everything He says He is – to His children, and even to all His enemies.

 

I am His daughter and He is my Daddy forever! Every morning I freely and confidently run into His lap to just sit and talk to Him about everything; to ask Him for things for myself, for my husband and children, and for others I love; I ask Him to use me in any way He wants, asking Him to forgive my resistance at times. I can freely express my anger and rage to my Father God – towards our wicked and foolish leaders in this nation, and to ask Him to work in their hearts and turn them around. I ask Him to give my own children the way and the will to grow up in their most holy faith in Him, and for each of their marriages and families to be secure in Him, being pillars in society. I ask Him for my unknown brothers and sisters in other parts of the world undergoing severe persecution of their faith in His Son to have the strength to endure it – to the end.

 

There are so many things we can ask our Father God, in Jesus’ Name, and talk to Him about so openly, as we each live our own ‘unique’ lives. Every one of His children is His favorite. What a future we all have to look forward to with our Great Redeemer and precious perfect Father God, as the true sons and daughters of the Most High God!

 

“Jesus came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God.” John 1:11-13

Terror to Triumph – Part 3

Posted by & filed under Franks Blog.

Acts 2:14 “Then Peter stood up with the 11, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: ‘Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.’” Jesus had died, was buried and rose again on the third day and later ascended back into heaven. Before He left, He told His disciples to wait in the upper room until the Holy Spirit came upon them in power. (Acts 1)

 

After this we see Peter standing up, raising his voice and addressing the crowd that had gathered to hear the message that God had for them. We read in Acts 2:41 that “those who accepted his message were baptized, and about 3000 were added to their number that day.” The kingdom of God is beginning to spread. Jews that had come from all over the world and were part of the 3000 that were baptized, went back to their own countries and began to spread the kingdom of God in their own communities, language and culture. It started small, from a little village in Palestine and began to spread throughout the Roman world. Two things stand out in my mind. First, what was the situation like in the days of these early disciples with the extension of the kingdom of God? And secondly, what were these men/women like who were so greatly used of God to spread the good news of the gospel of the kingdom throughout the Roman world? It is these two things that I would like to look at in the next few weeklies. I trust that it will be an encouragement to you as it has been to me.

 

Rome, “the mother of all nations,” had conquered the world at that time. They ruled with an iron fist. In conquering the world, they had numerous slaves and prisoners that often were sacrificed in the arena for the enjoyment of the spectators. Rome, like other empires, committed the five deadly sins.

 

One deadly sin was tyranny and the worship of leaders. Caesar, and those who followed were ‘gods’ to the people and they would not tolerate the people worshipping any other gods but them. In the time of Christ, Augustus had died and his successor Tiberius came on the scene. Tiberius was not Augustus’ first choice as heir, so his position was insecure. He and the Senate did not get along and so Tiberius looked for help elsewhere and turned to a man by the name of Sejanus. He launched a widespread purge, arresting and executing many rivals. Just when Sejanus seemed to be unstoppable, Tiberius told the Senate that Sejanus was condemned. Sejanus was arrested and executed.

 

Later came Caligula, who at first did well, but his behavior became strange. He seduced the wives of his guests and murdered people at random. Soon he was dead, murdered by his closest advisors. He then was followed by his uncle, Claudius who had been disfigured by illness when he was a child. Often he was the butt of jokes, but to everyone’s surprise he worked hard and did well. It was during this period that other changes in the empire were taking place as well. In Egypt, there were attacks on the Jews. In Judea, Jesus was challenging the religious and political establishment. At this time, the local furor barely touched Rome but the kingdom of God that was beginning to spread would one day engulf the entire empire. Claudius’ wife, Messalina, was quite promiscuous and Claudius had her murdered. Claudius remarried with his niece, Agrippina. She wasted no time in removing her rivals and convinced Claudius to make her son, Nero, his heir. Once this was done she removed the final obstacle, Claudius himself, by poisoning his food and then announcing Nero as emperor. We of course know the outcome of what Nero did in blaming the Christians for the burning of Rome, a fire that he had undoubtedly set himself. In his early days Nero was guided very much by his mother.

 

It reminds me of the kings of Israel that when they are mentioned it is always with their mother as well.  How true the saying is: “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.” We often think that the time we live in is hard and difficult and that spreading the gospel of the kingdom is difficult, but when we look through history, we see that the kingdom of God is unstoppable. Yes, we might have many difficulties and obstacles, but when we look at history we see that there were others who have gone before us in even more difficult times.

Called by Jesus for One Reason

Posted by & filed under Carols Blog.

We each can come to Jesus Christ for many reasons. But, we’re called by Jesus for only one reason.

 

“For He had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch Him.” (Mark 3:10)

 

“Jesus called to Himself those He wanted, and they came to Him, to be with Him, that He might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.” Mark 3:13-14

 

Our sins are forgiven, and He will heal us when ‘by faith’ we ask Him to, but to join Him in HIS work and under HIS yoke, is a commitment we make that will require sacrifice after sacrifice to remain with Him to the end of this life. God calls our commitment and sacrifices, going “from glory to glory.” For Jesus has told us what it will require things of us to faithfully walk with Him to the end; that if we love family or friends more than we love Him – we cannot be His disciple; that if we love the world more than His Kingdom – we cannot be His disciple; that if we love even our own self more than we love Him – we cannot be His disciple. And I will add one more: If we love the church more than we love Him – we cannot be His disciple.

 

You might say that to love the church is to love Him, and this is true, or to love Him is to love His church, which is also true. But I have found, not only in my own early years of Christianity as well as with most church-goers that the ‘organized church’ with its denominational traditions, social programs and various requirements for belonging – can actually take the place of Jesus in our life; so that we ‘walk with the church’ instead of ‘walking with Jesus.’

 

We can be more eager to regularly meet with and willing to serve ‘church leaders’ instead of meeting each morning with the Lord our God (in His Word and in prayer) to know Him better, and how HE wants us to serve Him each day. Jesus Christ is the HEAD of His Body, of which we each are a part of. No ‘part’ of His Body is who or what we worship and serve. Yes, we are told by the Lord to serve one another in love; to serve our family at home, our neighbors, our fellow believers, but in the way the LORD has told us to in His Word.

 

The “organized church” is the result of each of His disciples meeting with Him alone each morning to fellowship with Him, before we do anything else that day, and then coming together praise Him in testimonies and song, and to pray together, as we serve Him as “His body.”

 

If the leaders of a church are not teaching the congregation the true foundation of Christianity, holding them accountable first and foremost to a personal intimate day after day relationship with our Lord Jesus (in His Word and humble prayer) – then those leaders are building their own kingdoms, not Christ’s. Beware! If the leaders ‘themselves’ are not in fellowship with the Lord, then how or why would they teach or hold anyone accountable for what they neglect themselves? This is what made Jesus Christ so angry about the religious leaders of His day, calling them wolves, hypocrites and white-washed walls who were keeping the people from entering God’s Kingdom.

 

The apostle Paul speaks so perfectly about the fellowship of Christ’s Body: “I pray that out of Christ’s glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to HIM be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever!” Ephesians 3:15-21

One Person at a Time

Posted by & filed under Mikes Blog.

What will it take for the people of America to return to their Creator and turn their attention to the Holy One?

 

When His children stand up and trust the Lord fully; that’s when. When they are enlightened by the Word of truth daily; walking in that light; obedient to what they read in God’s Word. When they commit everything they have and do – to Him. When they learn to be still in His presence, and wait patiently for Him to speak and to act. When they are not worried about evil people or about their wicked schemes because their confidence and hope is in the Lord and they know that He is aware and in control of all that is going on around them.

 

Now is time for His children to stand up and to be seen and heard in what the Lord instructs us to say and do. Though we stumble with our imperfections, we will not fall, for He holds His children by His hand. Remember that the Lord loves justice, and He will never abandon us.

 

Therefore, put your hope in the Lord, and travel steadily along His path for your life, and the power of the Lord will be with you. When people see the evidence of God’s favor and blessing in your life, people around you will turn to the Lord.

 

How do you change a country? One person at a time!

Terror to Triumph – Part 2

Posted by & filed under Franks Blog.

Matthew 13:31, 32 “He told them another parable: The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed a man took planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air, come and perch in its branches.”

 

Who would have believed that a small seed planted in an obscure village in Palestine 2000 years ago would emanate power that would begin to shake the world. Yet, that is exactly what has happened and is happening today when we look at the kingdom of heaven that is spreading.

 

A goal in these weekly letters is to trace this kingdom as it spreads from village to village, town to town, city to city, nation to nation from culture to culture until, like yeast, it permeates the whole world. We are now at the 21st century and I believe we have before us tremendous open doors to see great things accomplished for the glory of God.

 

Every generation seems to think that with all the problems that they face, evil spreading more quickly, natural disasters, etc. that it’s the end. As we go through history in these past 2000 years we will see that the kingdom of God was continually faced with formidable obstacles that it overcame. The kingdom of God is still moving on.

 

The battle of the ages is constantly raging behind the scenes of history. The scent of death is always in the air, but there are special times when the conflict is so hot that it polarizes the world with the obvious contrast for all to see. It is in these times that the church has excelled and God has been glorified.

 

God repeats the cultural mandate of Genesis 1:28 after the flood of Noah in Genesis 9 as well as in Psalm 8. We saw in the weekly letters from last year that the Old Testament laid the foundation for a man to be redeemed and brought back to the place where God’s mandate of Genesis 1: 28 could be carried out.

 

God wants to use the sons and daughters of Abraham to redeem the earth. Galatians 4:4 says, “But when the time had fully come, God sent his son, born of a woman, born under law.” Why did He come? “To redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.”

 

After the temptation of Christ, when the tempter came and offered Jesus the kingdoms of this world and which He refused, Jesus started His preaching ministry with the words: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Or He preached that the kingdom is “at hand.” From the lowly start in an obscure village the kingdom of God began to move out.

 

The foundation for this series is based on three things.

 

1. God is reconciling the world to Himself. This is what the church is here for and we are told in 2 Corinthians 5:18: “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”

 

2. God has clearly revealed to us His plan and His strategy and we need to follow His battle plan or as one great Indian evangelist said, “Get the heavenly plan.”

 

3. His strategy for victory, which consists of several things:

A. His plan is from the bottom up: generational, exponential, and internal to external.

 

B. To see the manifestation of the kingdom of God. To see pagan nations give up their pagan ways and embrace godly principles.

 

1. Transformation of individuals. Internal to external begins with the heart being transformed. We need to build ourselves into the saints of God.

2. Family dynasty; God has chosen to use families. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 7:9) Discipleship begins in the home.

3. Victory is what the church is here for; to overcome pagan ways and be an influence on others in the same way.

4. Civil government. If it gets out of control then it goes beyond its jurisdiction.

5. Common grace. Grace goes from those of us who receive grace from the Lord to those who have not experienced God’s grace.

 

It is with these principles that we have the spread of the kingdom of God throughout the centuries and even now in the 21st century.
 

The Good Fight

Posted by & filed under Carols Blog.

We can no longer assume, as God’s people, that good will continue in our land without a fight. Evil is viciously fighting the good and the true – that has been America’s strength ‘under God.’  The Church has failed America because it’s God’s servants who are to lead and rule (first at home and then out in society); God’s servants, not Satan’s servants.

 

So, those who understand this and refuse to allow evil to permeate every part of society – will have to fight and fight the way God tells us to. First, with our own daily repentance and acknowledging God in all our ways, each of us turning from our own wicked ways and getting right with our Father God in Christ Jesus. (Not referring to sinless perfection, just daily confession and cleansing as needed.) Second, with knowing the God of the Bible, knowing Him by what we learn about Him in both Old and New Testaments, as to what He requires of His own children, and knowing what He says He’ll do for those who obey Him, and knowing how the righteous are to fight wickedness. Thirdly, meeting with the Lord each morning in fellowship with Him as we praise Him and pray about everything, bringing all concerns and petitions before Him in faith believing that He is all that He says He is, and that He will do what He says He’ll do by our faith in Him.

 

Do you know what He’ll do for His children? Do you know what He has said to those servants who obey Him? Do you even know what He requires of His own people in the land? It’s all in His Word (the Holy Bible). It’s not enough to believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross to forgive you of all your sins, just so you can go on living any way you want. Repentance must mature to obedience, godliness and righteousness, for our Father God commands, “Be holy because I am holy.” Before we can succeed – we must surrender. Before we can win – we must worship.

 

We know, from what Jesus and the prophets of the Bible have warned us about the last days before the return of the Lord to reign, that evil will intensify rapidly on the earth, with the last anti-Christ ruling the world from Jerusalem for a very short time. Jesus said that had that time not been cut short – no one could survive it. This “time” is called the Great Tribulation – that comes upon the earth to test the inhabitants of the earth. It will be, as the Lord said, “the worse time the earth has ever seen.” But in knowing this, do we give in to evil at work to rule now in the nation we live in? No. We keep doing what Jesus told us to do – until we are taken home. For He rewards those who earnestly seek after Him and do His will in all generations of time.

 

So how do we fight the good fight? We meet with our God each morning, putting Him first in our heart, our day and our life – as He deserves. We confidently share our testimony of Jesus Christ whenever God gives the opportunity, whether near or far, as the light Jesus said we are. We remain true to our vows in marriage, and to commitments we make, as best we can. We teach and raise our own children at home, the truths of the Bible, in the love and admonition of the Lord. We make right our offenses towards each other – as best we can. We speak up to defend those who cannot defend themselves, acting on their behalf of the innocent. We take leadership positions in the gates of our society as being the salt that Jesus said to be. We publicly speak up for what is good and true, by God’s definition of good and true. We remain in prayer, staying awake at our prayer posts as we watch for the evil advancing in our day, giving warning and to be prepared in practical ways. We meet regularly to fellowship with other believers in Christ, to encourage each other, pray together and to provide for each other – out of love for one another.

 

This is what I believe is the way I (we) fight against evil and rebellion. So, God help me, a sinner! God have mercy on America’s churches that Your Son has planted here to serve YOU! I believe that You still have plans to use America a little while longer for Your good purpose. In Jesus’ Name!

The Church Failed America

Posted by & filed under Carols Blog.

Thinking this morning about how America got so far away from the truth and love of God, and wondering why pastors don’t also teach about ‘politics’ (America’s Constitution and government failings) from their pulpits, encouraging men to take positions in government – it came to me that the church came to believe the lie about this part of the First Amendment of our Constitution: “separation of church and state.”

 

In America’s early days almost all government leaders were born-again Christians, and the few who were not at least believed in biblical principles and God’s commandments, having a good conscience about good and evil.

 

The American church has always thought it obedient and noble to send their sons to other nations to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and start churches, and it is obedient to do so, but not at the expense of one’s own country falling apart lacking the godly leadership it needs.

 

When our president’s agenda is, “America First,” This really ticks off people who really don’t see what has happened to America. They consider our president to be arrogant and uncaring because they don’t understand the truth, having believed the lies. I believe President Trump means that before we can be a blessing/help to other nations we must first take care of America; restoring what has been ruined and stolen by others. This is called common sense/wisdom. And let me just say that any nation can be free to prosper as a people, to thrive and enjoy the fruits of their own labor – that trusts in God as the God over them; the One True God that is. “The nations belong to the Lord our God.” No nation belongs to its King or Queen, Prime Minister, or President. Leaders of nations are all accountable to God for how they rule, and will be ultimately judged by God in how they ruled over people.

 

My husband talks about why so many men don’t like “going to church,” even though they go probably thinking it is what they should do as a Christian. Churches have become more of what women want; not what men need. Pastors can fail to see that the Gospel is more than leading people to the Cross of Jesus for eternal life, because of what He said here:

 

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

 

When Jesus uses the word “nations,” I believe He is also referring to the ‘governments’ of the nations as well as the ‘people’ living in a nation. Governments are made of people with their own beliefs about God and ideas about governing. As we look out into the world of many nations and the kind of condition each nation is in today – I’d have to say that none are conducting themselves ‘rightly/godly’ so that God is pleased to bless and help them prosper so they can benefit others. That really what a nation is for: to be a blessing in the world, instead of a threat or curse.

 

America’s original governing body was founded on biblical principles for government and God’s Ten Commandments. When men and women failed to worship God with their obedience to Him ‘at home’ with their family, the demise of the Family began. Then God’s men failed to go after and hold seats in government branches (Legislature, Executive and Judicial), the demise of America began. As the family goes – so goes a nation!

 

The ungodly then started to rule, and Christians started believing the lie that “Christianity has no place in government.” The ungodly twisted Jefferson’s statement about “separation of church and state.” Thomas Jefferson wrote,

 

“Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of RELIGION, OR PROHIBITING the FREE EXERCISE thereof,’ thus building a wall of separation between Church & State. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties.”

 

It’s about the government not being allowed to elevate one religion (denomination, cult, etc.) as the nation’s religion to adhere to. So why is our American Constitution/Independence/Bill of Rights rooted in the Bible? Because all “denominations” (or religions according to Jefferson) are God-fearing and biblically rooted. None of the early settlers’ were atheists, nor Satan worshippers, nor of any religion (cult) that denied that Jesus Christ is God’s only Son and that He died on the Cross to save sinners from the wrath of the Creator Father on all evil rebellion towards Him. God led them to this land as they were escaping the king’s religion of Roman Catholicism – and his government dictating rules and regulations for worship.

 

Jefferson never meant that our government should reject God and the Bible, just not proclaim one denomination (religion) for the whole nation to live under with its rules and regulations for worship. Thus, we have in our Constitution: “Freedom of religion.” Meaning that all ‘peaceful’ religions are free to worship according to their own convictions. Peaceful religions do not threaten the lives of others, as we’ve seen with the worship of Islam, Satanic worship or even the worship of one’s own self (humanism) with the (false) freedom of abortion.

 

Over time America’s Christians have been slowly pushed out of leadership positions in our government, as Christians became more and more worldly/carnal. We see Christ’s rejection of churches in His letters to the angels of churches. Revelation 2 and 3 where He rebukes 5 out of 7 and warns them to repent or lose what they thought they had with Him. He ends each letter with, “Hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.” This day calls for wisdom.

 

The Bible teaches that if a man is unable to rule with godliness over his own home/family – then he is disqualified to rule over the Lord’s church, or a state, or even the nation. So, as we consider the mess America is in right now, let us remember that it is the Lord’s own people who have failed America, because God calls out to His own people living in any nation:

 

“If My people who are called by My Name (Jesus Christ) will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their own wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.” 2 Chronicles 7:14-15

It’s the Heart – Not Guns

Posted by & filed under Mikes Blog.

I am feeling very discouraged about our country, my health, and the future. As I prayed about it the Lord said, “It is your choice.” I cannot change the destruction going on in America, I cannot heal my body, and I do not have any control over the future, but it is my choice in how I receive and accept what takes place.

 

 

How did America come to the condition it’s in? It was not like this when I grew up. So much hate! The attitude seems to be that when there is a disagreement of ideas or politics that many want to stop you from disagreeing with them in any way possible, even if it means, as a politician – taking away your freedoms, or as anyone else – taking your life.

 

 

I listen to the talk about “gun control” going on, and it reminds me of how I look at a problem on all my projects. First, we must identify what the problem really is. So, what is the problem when people kill other people? I relate it to my yard. When I see the weed growing in my lawn, I have three choices. I can just mow the top off and this way it looks like the lawn in the yard – until the top grows again. I haven’t done anything to remove the weed. Or, I can take the stem of the weed down to the bare ground, yet leaving the root underneath. This will require some direct effort on my part, but I still haven’t removed the weed. To remove the weed will require me to be determined to dig out the root. This will require me to keep watch over my yard, not allowing weeds to overtake my lawn.

 

 

Today we have politicians who just want to cut the top off the problem by saying we need gun control; take guns away – period – from citizens who obey the laws. This won’t stop killers who break laws. More laws won’t stop evil. Then there are others who just cut the stem down to the ground – who say this is a mental health problem and so we need figure out how to take these crazy people out of our society, so they aren’t in plain view but rather in mental facilities. The actual solution gets to the root, of the heart. Taking out the weed by the root means I get involved, get on my knees, get my hands around it, making sure it’s all out so that it won’t grow back. The root/heart is a spiritual problem! Politics will not solve this problem, just make it worse.

 

 

How do WE fix the heart condition? WE don’t, God does. God does as WE get involved with Him to reach out to people in the way He wants us to. What does God say the solution is? Should we be listening to these politicians with all their ridiculous ideas and remedies, or listening to the God who created us for a good purpose on the earth?

 

 

The “heart” changes by the renewing of our minds by faith in the truth of what God says in His Word. (Romans 12:1-2) People need the LORD! We don’t need more government, more new ideas, more laws! We all need to surrender ourselves over to God’s love and will. As our mind changes (heals) then our behavior follows.

 

 

We have always had murder, but we did not have this much hate. Until we see what the real solution is to all this hostility and chaos, and teach/speak the truth about it, and then are willing to obey the will of God, we will not solve any inhumanities in society and throughout the world. We can take guns away from law abiding citizens but that won’t stop mass killings. We can provide more mental health organizations and doctors, but that won’t heal the heart. But until we are humble enough and willing to get to the root, we will have this continuing.

 

You must be born-again,  by faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, reborn of His Spirit.

Terror to Triumph – Part 1

Posted by & filed under Franks Blog.

Matthew 4:17 “From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’” Matt 13:31-32 “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.”

 

Teaching on the kingdom of God is very important for several reasons. First, we are here to preach the extension of the kingdom of God or as Christ said – the gospel of the kingdom. This takes in the church, but it is more than that as we also want to see our communities, societies and culture changed. Of course, we know that we go from the internal to the external. Before we can see communities, societies and cultures change we need to see individuals changed THROUGH THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL.

 

Secondly, it is important for us to understand where we are today in God’s timetable so that we might know where we should be heading tomorrow. A world renowned hockey player when asked why he was so good said that he does not follow the puck, but he goes where he knows the puck will be. We need to know where God will be so that we can be there in order to carry on what He is doing.

 

Thirdly, it is important to have right theology and the right eschatology. We see the importance of right theology with Daniel. It says in Daniel 1:21 “…and Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.” This means that he remained in that pagan environment at the top echelon of power for over 50 years. The reason Daniel remained is because he had right theology and this comes out in Daniel 2:20-23. He recognized that God is sovereign over all things.

 

I will say at the very beginning that my eschatology is ‘pre-tribulation.’ This means that I believe God’s true people will be raptured out of this world before Daniel’s 70th week. However, there will be many people in the visible Church who will be left behind. During this 3 1/2 years there will be great tribulation for these people and many will come to Christ, but also many will die a martyr’s death. Satan’s fury will be poured out upon them. At the end of that 3 1/2 years they will be resurrected and be part of the first rapture that took place 3 1/2 years previously. Then we go into Daniel’s 70th week where judgment is poured out upon this earth.

 

At the end Christ comes back with the Saints to rule and reign for a thousand years. What we do during the thousand years depends upon our faithfulness in the here and now. This is my eschatology in a nutshell. The reason I mention this is because we need to know where God is going so that we can be there to work along with him.

 

What I also wanted to mention is that we are not here just to see people saved, but to be disciples in order to make an impact in our communities, societies and culture where we can bring out God’s agenda. We live in a world where people are asking questions and they are looking for answers. The church, the body of Christ, is the depository of truth. By being ‘pre-tribulation’ we are not to sit back and wait for God to take us out of this mess, but we are to occupy and bring solutions to this mess that we’re in until the Lord comes and takes us out.

 

We are constantly going from terror to triumph. The kingdom of God started small like a mustard seed and is growing into a gigantic oak. Where are we at this moment in time and what should we be doing is the question we need to be asking ourselves.

True Male Masculinity and Femininity

Posted by & filed under Mikes Blog.

Last week I went to the doctor and while sitting in the waiting room I became disgusted. Across the room was a 15 year old girl laying down across a couple of chairs with her legs up in the air. What disgusted me was how she was immodestly dressed. As I thought about this it came to me that femininity is very hard to find today, just like morality is hard to find any more in both our young girls and young men.

 

What amazes me is that you can put a little girl around a baby and she does what is natural for her: she wants to mother that baby. But we see this natural tendency being taken from little girls, and the same with little boys having their natural tendencies taken when they are not allowed to grow up the way God designed male and female.

 

What happened to true womanhood and true masculinity? Little by little, progressively, male and female have been given unnatural definitions and assignments. We can see this “change” in the television commercials today where men are depicted as idiots and women are depicted as the head of the home with a good head on her shoulders. Or we see manhood depicted as sexual animals drinking with their buddies, and womanhood depicted as sexually revealing in dress and behavior; both so very shameful compared to God’s distinct design of male and female, femininity and masculinity, motherhood and fatherhood.

 

So why and how does the natural become unnatural? When fathers and mothers no longer teach their children what is right and respectable – according to who they are as God designed them in the womb.

 

This morning in my quiet time I read Psalms 101:2-7. A true father will do the following:

1. Leads a life of integrity as a real man in the way God designed
2. Protects and honors his daughters femininity and his sons masculinity
3. Refuses to look at anything that is vile and vulgar
4. Hates evil and comes against anyone who deals wickedly with his children
5. Will not tolerate people who slander others
6. Will choose friends who are truthful and above reproach
7. Will not allow deceivers in their homes

 

If men began to make this the priority in their home and with their family – what result would it have in society?