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Viewpoint: February 20, 2013 Bringing God’s point of view to meet man’s point of needs.
In the 1920 licentious, lascivious living led to new law of prohibition to correct the problem and only resulted in increased lawlessness (Bible definition of sin) and culminated in increased Mafia controlled corruption in many areas of society. The Government's New Deal took over the churches responsibility to care for one another and the outlet to love their neighbors and as a result the love ...grew cold. In the 1940's, Judge Hugo Black decided that the state needs to be separated from the church and illegally allowed to become the law of the land. In the 1960's, one person was instrumental in removing prayer from our public schools and generation of youth was lost to lust, drugs, and selfishness. The nation had lost the church as its moral compass and conscience and the government was free to do and decide what is good and evil. Not only was the moral compass lost but the foundational pillars and moorings were removed as all references to God and our godly heritage were rewritten out of our American text books. Our society became simply secular and humanistic with either man being god or there is not god the belief of the land. The government can only offer more laws to correct all that ails our life; but, it is truly the One True God that has the answer to all we need. All of our needs can only be met according to His riches and glory in Jesus Christ. What the world needs now is the love of Jesus that can be shed abroad in our hearts that is given by the Holy Spirit. May the body of Christ arise and shine in the midst of this gross darkness and the light of His glory cover the whole earth.
Viewpoint:
Many in the body of Christ are saddened and deeply grieved over the sinful depravity of our communities; but, are we desperate to the point of tears and moved to day and night intercession? Many are putting their hope in government to change the situation by passing more laws when our only true hope is in Jesus Christ to bring change to hearts and lives. Repentance will always precede revival and earnest, fervent, constant prayer will be the catalyst to release the power of the Holy Spirit to deliver and save.
If we look at the pattern of the nation of Israel in scripture we can see how whenever they blatantly defied God's laws they suffered economic, cultural and physical collapse of the nation. Where once they enjoyed the blessings of God, now misery and despair dwell in the land.
We who know Christ have the authority to cry out in desperate intercession for a wave of repentance and ask for a healing revival of our communities and nation.
Viewpoint
: January 30, 2013 This is about bringing God’s point of view to meet man’s point of need.
What does God mean by us becoming victorious, overcomers, more than conquerors? What does He promise to those who are victorious? Read what God says to the churches and to those who have ears to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying.
Revelation 2:7 To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.
Revelation 2:11 Those who are victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.
Revelation 2:17 To those who are victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give each of them a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.
Revelation 2:26 To those who are victorious and do my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations.
Revelation 3:5 Those who are victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out their names from the book of life, but will acknowledge their names before my Father and his angels.
Revelation 3:12 Those who are victorious I will make pillars in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.
Revelation 3:21 To those who are victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.
To those who walk and live in victory will receive a reward or crown. Here are 5 crowns described in the Bible.
I Corinthians 9:25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
2 Timothy 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
1 Thessalonians 2:19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?
James 1:12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
I Peter 5:4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
So may we all continue to run this race of life being faithful unto the end to persevere and hear the Holy Spirit so that we too will be among those victorious and receive our crowns of rewards in heaven.
Viewpoint: January 29, 2013
This is about bringing God’s point of view to meet man’s point of need.
As the Day of the Lord draws near there are warnings to us to not be deceived, to stay alert, to watch and pray lest we turn away from the faith and betray and hate one another. What is God’s viewpoint to meet our needs in these days?
I believe God spoke to all the church in the letters to the churches in Revelations that is good for us to consider in these days.
To the church in Ephesus (and to all of us today) He says we have forsaken our first love and have fallen from trusting in Him. He also says to repent and do the things you did at first. Our need is to return to our first love, our love of Jesus. Return to our courtship type of love experience with Jesus when everything seems so new, fun, and exciting.
To return to our first love will see us through the tested days of our love and carry us in the difficult trial persecuted periods to enable us to remain faithful and persevere to the end.
Having an ear to hear the Holy Spirit continually speaking the assuring words of the love of Jesus to us will cause us to be victorious overcomers.
Viewpoint: December 3, 2012
This is about bringing God’s point of view to meet man’s point of need.
We are a country in crisis in a number of ways. Much talk about the fiscal cliff we are about to crash over if our political leaders do not make a decision. More dangerous and damaging are the morale crisis, the moral crisis and the crisis many of us do not even realize exists. That is the crisis of the mocking and denial of God’s Sovereignty.
We know there will be a falling away or the apostasy before the last day or the Day of the Son of Man coming. I believe these warnings against our denying the Son comes first.
1 John 2:18-19 (TNIV) 18 Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
We can define all antichrists in that they lie, deceive, and resist Christ, His Word and His church. Jesus said, “If you are not for Me you are against Me.”
James 1:22 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
What are some other indicators of the last days or the time of the Son of Man? Read what Jesus said to the Pharisees when they asked Him when the Kingdom of God would come?
Luke 17:26-30 (MSG) 26-27 “The time of the Son of Man will be just like the time of Noah—everyone carrying on as usual, having a good time right up to the day Noah boarded the ship. They suspected nothing until the flood hit and swept everything away.
What was happening in the time of Noah? Genesis 6 tells us the tragic human condition.
Genesis 6:5 (MSG) 5-7 God saw that human evil was out of control. People thought evil, imagined evil—evil, evil, evil from morning to night. God was sorry that he had made the human race in the first place; it broke his heart. God said, “I’ll get rid of my ruined creation, make a clean sweep: people, animals, snakes and bugs, birds—the works. I’m sorry I made them.”
The thoughts of the human heart were only evil all the time. Totally into themselves and living for their own pleasure rather than to please God. Except Noah was different and he found grace in the sight of God.
Luke 176: 28-30 “It was the same in the time of Lot—the people carrying on, having a good time, business as usual right up to the day Lot walked out of Sodom and a firestorm swept down and burned everything to a crisp. That’s how it will be—sudden, total—when the Son of Man is revealed.
What was the spiritual condition in Sodom at the time of Lot? Homosexuality was the prevailing lustful hearts of the majority and accepted way of morality of that community. Lot had to be coerced by the two angels to flee the city before the fiery destruction. Remember that Lot’s wife turned to longingly look back at the world and was turned into a pillar of salt.
So from God’s point of view His gift to us is that of repentance or changing of our minds. Also our call is to flee from evil in our thoughts and desires. Our remedy is to not any longer be enamored by nor molded by the worldly ways.
Our need is to bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
Viewpoint: November 28, 2012
This is about bringing God’s point of view to meet man’s point of need.
We like to read in I Thessalonians 4:13-18 on what has come to be known as the rapture scriptures when we consider the end times. The phrase “caught up” has been called the rapture.
1 Thessalonians 4:17 (NKJV) 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
The question and debate has always been exactly when will this be for us remaining alive until the coming and catching away by Jesus? Will it happen before, during or after the great tribulation? I don’t have the last word on the when but what I do say we are to live ready for the coming of the Lord.
God even says we can hasten the day of His coming in this instruction from II Peter 3:10-14.
2 Peter 3:10-14 (NLT)10 But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment
11 Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, 12 looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. 13 But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.
14 And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.
I believe the key is what verse 18 says. 1 Thessalonians 4:18 (NKJV) 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
Talk of the end times should not bring us into fear but to increased faith that the end is not the end but only the beginning of all eternity. Jesus will be faithful to His word about His returning for us that He spoke to the disciples on the way to the cross.
John 14:3 (NKJV) 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
Our only escape from the penalty of sin and entrance into the new heaven to come is belief in and acceptance of the righteousness free gift offered to us through the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. It is only by His Holy shed blood that are sins are forgiven and removed from us. It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit daily working in us to make us holy even as Jesus is Holy.
Viewpoint: November 19, 2012 This is about bringing God’s point of view to meet man’s point of need.
Let us take a look at another warning to us in these last days and how we can face the spirit of anti-Christ and the spirit of lawlessness. These verses describe the events before the second coming of the Lord.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-5 NLT 2 Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him. 2 Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. 3 Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction.4 He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God. 5 Don’t you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you?
The Holy Spirit has been hovering over the earth since the beginning and continues to this day to work to accomplish the will of the Father. The promise in John 14 is this same Holy Spirit will come to live in us and reveal all truth to us if we ask of Him. This Holy Spirit will come upon us when we ask to be baptized (totally immersed in Him) to empower us to live a life of an Ambassador willing to testify boldly even if it means to be martyred. Our American Ambassador to Libya was recently martyred in service to this country. How much more should we be willing to be true Ambassadors for Christ in the world today?
Ephesians 5:15-21 (PHILLIPS) 15-21 Live life, then, with a due sense of responsibility, not as men who do not know the meaning and purpose of life but as those who do. Make the best use of your time, despite all the difficulties of these days. Don’t be vague but firmly grasp what you know to be the will of God. Don’t get your stimulus from wine (for there is always the danger of excessive drinking), but let the Spirit stimulate your souls. Express your joy in singing among yourselves psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making music in your hearts for the ears of God! Thank God at all times for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And “fit in with” each other, because of your common reverence for Christ.
This same Holy Spirit is restraining the coming of the lawless one so that in his time he may be revealed. But the day is coming when He will no longer do so and we will see the activity of Satan with all power, and signs, and false wonders.
May we all be filled continuously and increasingly with the Holy Spirit. May we be anointed by the Holy Spirit in order to accurately represent Him in the world while discerning the signs and the times. May we make a stand and withstand the many anti-Christs that have gone out into the world to deceive and destroy.
You know the truth—let your life show it!
Viewpoint: November 15, 2012 This is about bringing God’s point of view to meet man’s point of need.
This phrase came to me this week. Religious information without heart transformation will lead to daily life frustrations and just possibly to eternal damnation. I know God has had me to think about the kinds of times in the last days and what verses to consider helping us face the time of the Lord’s coming in faith, peace and totally at rest in the Lord. These verses then came to my mind.
2 Timothy 3:1-7 (TNIV) But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.
We have experienced the attitudes and behaviors listed here for a long time and I want to highlight verse seven. It seems so many are genuinely seeking for truth but never come to the point where they can apply it to their own lives to bring about the necessary transformation required by the Holy Spirit. Consider this verse from Hosea.
Hosea 4:6 (TNIV) 6 my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.
That is a scary thought as a parent isn’t it? My lack of knowledge may impact my children in the days ahead. Teaching of information without proper understanding or instruction of its application to our daily walk will lead us to destruction. Wisdom plus knowledge is applied understanding. I saw a sign the other day that said our government needs a department of common sense.
Proverbs 4:7 (NIV) 7The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
We are in the last of the last days and there are many scoffers and mockes in the world. We are finding new ways of thumbing our nose at God and feel pretty cocky in our mocking and scoffing of His Holy Word. We may placate ourselves by saying where is God? He really has forgotten us and is not coming back anytime soon anyway. Eat, drink and be merry!
2 Peter 3:3-4 (NLT) 3 Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. 4 They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.”
There are many anti-Christ’s gone out into the world and the spirit of lawlessness is being revealed. More about that the next time.
Viewpoint: November 13, 2012
This is about bringing God’s point of view to meet man’s point of need.
Many look at what is happening in the world and are very correct in stating we are in the last of the last days. What is man’s greatest need in these difficult last days?
It can be very interesting and stimulating to read the books of Daniel and Revelation and debate what the signs of the time all mean. Hoping we will be the ones to who will know the date and time. Throughout the years many have predicted they have heard from on-high or have figured it all out and now can determine the time of the Lord’s return.
Unfortunately that goes against what the Jesus says in Acts 1:6-7 6 So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?” 7 He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.
I believe our greatest need is to hear and heed what Jesus says about the last days. Matthew 24:3-5 (NLT)3 Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?” 4 Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, 5 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. Also in verses 22-26 again Jesus warns three more times to not believe the false Christs and false prophets that will come and attempt to mislead us.
God's viewpoint to meet this need is for us to be baptized with the Holy Spirt and embrace the manifestation gifts of the Spirit. The remedy to not being deceived is for the manifest gift of spiritual discernment to be working in our lives.
Deception is rampant and lawlessness on the increase causing many to fall away from the faith as their love grows cold. Christians are turning against one another; biting, devouring and destroying each other.
Let us return to our first love and therefore be empowered to love even our enemies because we know we are first loved by God.
Viewpoint:
This is about bringing God’s point of view to meet man’s point of need.
After the election results there is much concern in the nation. At least that is truly the case, with about half of the nation that voted expecting different results. The other half is probably as much afraid of their future even though their choice is in the White House.
This is what I believe God is saying to us today and His point of view to meet our greatest needs and greatest fears. Do not put your trust in the White House because I have put my trust in My House. My House shall be called a house of prayer. The prayer and fasting time started before the election needs to continue for all nations.
Do not put your hope in government, or any man, nor lean on your own understanding; but, trust in Me with all your heart. Jesus is still your anchor of hope so hang on to Him with all your might. Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might and put on the spiritual armor of the word.
Gideon’s army was reduced to ensure that the victory and glory would not go to him but would be mine. So to today the problems before the world will not be solved by any government or man but only as you look to and call upon My name and restore the honor and glory due onto Me.
So fear not as you see the signs of the times and hear of the wars and rumors of wars for I am with you. I am on your side. I will never leave you nor forsake you. Fear not for I have called you by name and you are mine. You will go through trying terrible times but fear not because I am doing a new thing and it will spring forth suddenly when you are not expecting it to happen. I am the God of the suddenly and I am the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Luke 21:25-28 “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”
Viewpoint:Why did about 80 plus millions of eligible voters not vote in our last presidential election? Why when about 50 plus million of them were registered to vote did they give up this privilege? Have we as a society lost sight of this responsibility that so many have given their lives in order for us to be a part of choosing our governmental leadership?
Some may have never grown up in a family that was politically engaged? Some maybe are uneducated in the whole process and therefore are ignorant of the issues and candidates? Some maybe are so discouraged with the condition of affairs and all the negativity that they have just opted to sit on the sidelines and leave it to others? Some are disappointed in the choices of candidates to vote for so vote for no one.
It seems the more you watch the advertisings, the media spins, and the debates the more discouraged we can become. Is our system so broken that it is unfixable? What needs to be done and who will stand up to do what is right to put our Senate and Congress back on track too really work together to solve America’s looming disastrous issues? When will they stop playing politics to try to win elections and start governing as they were elected to do?
Steve Kroft conducted a very tense interview last week on 60 Minutes on CBS. He brought together the two leaders of the U.S. Senate, Democrat Harry Reid and Republican Mitch McConnell, for their first joint interview.
"It was very chilly," Kroft said. "They did not look at each other once during the course of the interview." "They kept saying 'my good friend, Harry' or 'my good friend, Mitch,' but it didn't seem very genuine."
The Senate has become a dysfunctional place, filled with politicians on the extreme Left and Right who can't or won't reach a compromise for the public good, Kroft says. "It's clearly not a fun place, and there are a lot of people that are very unhappy, particularly the new group of congressmen. A number of people have told us that they've come in and said, 'What am I doing here?'"
Where are the credible candidates worthy of our trust and votes? Surely out of 300 million Americans we can find 536 who have integrity, moral values, and the courage to stand up even if need be to their own party and do what is right for the country. It seems we have politicians who seek office as a career choice or for the potential career choices after their term of office. Where are those willing to sacrificially serve for the good of the nation like those who gave their all to sign the Declaration of Independence? Where are those who will serve the nation out of a sense of duty and honor and not for power entitlements while bowing to a party line so far afield no compromises are possible?
We now have a federal government that micromanages the affairs of businesses as well as our individual lives. Instead of a government intent on protecting, strengthening, and unifying the nation we are experiencing insecure borders, a weakening of military, unsafe feelings in our homes, and a dividing along economic, racial, political, moral, and spiritual lines. Our national reputation lacks credibility, our economy has no stability and continues to collapse, our morals are eroding, and our morale is being crippled.
Why do we need to continually consider amendments to our state constitutions trying to protect ourselves against out of control politicians and over reaching judges? Why do we continue to pass laws that allow men to do as they please and further distance ourselves from the favor of God?
We declare what was once immoral and illegal to now be totally legal and acceptable. We are forced to teach these behaviors to our children as normal. We are silenced to speak our voice and forced to be embrace these behaviors or face the wrath of big government who will sensor, ostracize, fine, or imprison us should we express our differing opinion. In some instances simply reading certain portions of our Bible could now be considered hate speech by our government and judges and we can be prosecuted.
Just because many don’t consider what is happening in society to be labeled as sin, does not make it so. Just because many say there is no God or He is not watching or concerned about our behavior does not make it true. We will always reap what we are sowing and there will be a harvest in due season. I believe the time of reaping is at hand. It is a time when the tares and the wheat are gathered in and they will be rightly separated and dealt with accordingly by the Lord.
No matter who is elected into offices it will not change who is the King of King and Lord of Lords. It is my opinion that we should be more concerned about living our lives to be pleasing to the Lord rather than living for our own pleasures.
My prayer is that we might live in this world but not be molded by it. I pray that we can live as sojourners and ambassadors in this temporal world with our focus on eternity. I pray we can live in responsible ways as citizens of another kingdom that is here and is yet to come. That we represent God by being His ambassadors representing him well and making Jesus famous in this temporary world until such a time of the new heaven and new earth comes into being when this earth is destroyed by fire rather than a flood like the first time around.
I conclude with God’s thoughts or opinion on the status of man in the world today.
Psalm 2:4-11 (NLT)
4 But the one who rules in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them. 5 Then in anger he rebukes them, terrifying them with his fierce fury. 6 For the Lord declares, “I have placed my chosen king on the throne in Jerusalem, on my holy mountain.” 7 The king proclaims the Lord’s decree: “The Lord said to me, ‘You are my son. Today I have become your Father. 8 Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the whole earth as your possession. 9 You will break them with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots.’” 10 Now then, you kings, act wisely! Be warned, you rulers of the earth! 11 Serve the Lord with reverent fear, and rejoice with trembling.