Will Jesus Find You, Too?

The Right Way: His Righteousness

This is an excellent article that, in my view, truly explains our role in this country and world - both politically and socially. Without true disciples, all of our efforts to be the light and the salt will eventually fade into darkness.

By James Robison

We have many reasons to be concerned about the national challenges we face, and they go far beyond the economy. We are reaping the consequences of what has been sown in personal and collective lives. Necessary changes will be made by changed people who are led by wisdom from above and purpose-inspired living—God’s purpose. Do not blame a person who has been elected, a party, the media, or any highly-visible person of influence for our problems. And do not be tricked to looking to a politician or party for hope. The Lord is our hope, and the revelation of Christ in the fullness of His life—love, joy, and peace expressed through us—will lead to purposeful, principled choices. We must learn from the past but look to the future while trusting God for wisdom, guidance, protection, and provision. We do not live in fear when trusting the Lord to deliver us personally and nationally from evil and its adverse effects. The following outline of truths, shared by a friend who addressed Leadership Summit attendees this summer, emphasizes the power of Christ’s righteousness and how we can become the “city set on a hill that cannot be hid”:
“When the righteous become great, the people rejoice.”
It is the task of Christ’s people to produce righteous people spread throughout the population of the earth: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matt. 28:19-20)
Righteous people must be made. They must be taught and trained after they are born again.
Righteous people are people who routinely act in the character and power of Jesus Christ, because of transformation of all dimensions of their personality—heart, soul, mind, strength and social relations. (Mark 12:29-31)
They do not work by human force, but by divine influence working all around them through who they are, what they do, and what they say. (John 7:38; Acts 1:8) They are bearers of the kingdom of God to their surroundings. (Luke 10:9-11)

1. “If My people, over whom My name is called, humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2 Chron. 7:14)

“Humbling themselves” is not a day but a way. It is not an episode but a life. It is a matter of an identifiable group of people living in dependence upon God, constantly calling out to and listening to Him, making it a point to live in His manifest presence, and doing what they know to be right and good before God. These are the “righteous.” They are the ones who build their house upon the Rock. (Matt. 7:24-25) They “hear and do.”

2. This life must be taught and learned. Today our standard is professing “Christians” who are not disciples (students, apprentices) of Jesus. Many of our congregations and groups are not centers for the production of righteous people who live their lives in the Kingdom of God. That is not what those groups are about. The essential message many present is about escaping punishment from sin, not about escaping sin. The “good news” presented is that Jesus took your punishment, and if you will trust that, you will not be punished. This has nothing essentially to do with the kind of person you should become. (“Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven”—bumper sticker theology.)

3. Is forgiveness good news? Indeed it is, and guilt must be dealt with. But Jesus lives and brings good news about life, not primarily about death and hereafter. The New Testament gospel is about life now in the Kingdom of God. That is what he preached and practiced. (Matt. 4:17, 23) That is what the “birth from above” (John 3) is about. That is what Paul preached and taught. (Acts 20:25 & 28:23-31, Rom. 14:17) Those who are Christ’s have been “delivered [by God] from the domain of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of His beloved Son.” (Col. 1:13) This life is for now and eternity.

What is the kingdom of God? It is God in action, God “reigning.” It is where what God wants done is done—the range of God’s effective will. The “good news” is that Jesus, the Door and the Way, has opened this domain to all who trust Him—not just trust something He did or said. And trusting Him naturally leads to becoming his apprentice in kingdom living.

As Jesus’ apprentice I am learning from Him how to lead my life in the Kingdom of God as He would lead my life if He was me. The outcome is that “those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” (Rom. 5:17) Hence, the picture of the righteous life in Christ is given. (Col. 3:1-17) Take a moment to just imagine what this kind of life would mean for our public life today and for our “church life.”

4. “The blessing of Abraham” (Gal. 3:14, Gen. 28:4) is not just the forgiveness of sins, but whole life lived within the action or kingdom of God. Abimelech (Abraham’s nervous neighbor) said, “God is with you in all that you do.” That is “the blessing of Abraham” spoken of by Paul in Galatians 3. Not just forgiveness of sins by faith, but life covered by the Spirit in the Kingdom of God. Not just miracles. Not just prosperity. These are dimensions of the whole life that Abraham lived “with God.” The “With God Life” is the life of the righteous person.

5. Once again: Where do righteous people come from? From gatherings of disciples in God’s presence, undergoing transformation of every dimension of their being so that they routinely and easily do the things that Jesus commanded.

The people thus formed are, of course, already in “the public square.” That is where they live—“Oaks of righteousness.” (Is. 61:3) There they stand in the character and power of Christ doing what is right and good in every domain, private and public.

To see this happen, we have only to preach the good news that Jesus Himself preached, in the manner He preached it, and make disciples (not “Christians” in name only), and teach them in such a way that they do what Jesus told us to do—not legalistically, but because of who they have become in their companionship with Jesus. These lives make a kingdom impact on our culture.

6. This will be a battle, for it lies at a great distance from what is now accepted practice among Christians, and the forces of evil are arrayed against it at many levels of worldly organization. But the first battle, and the one most important to win, is within the church itself…in our own personal lives.

When we become in Christ what you just read, His light will reveal clearly what we are to turn from and what we must turn toward personally and nationally in order that we can continually be a blessing to our neighbors, our nation, and the nations of the world.

Erasing Hell by Francis Chan

Should We Preach with Authority?

-by Shane Idleman.

A few years back, I listened in astonishment as postmodern leaders
talked about replacing "preaching" with "having a conversation." At
first, I thought that maybe they were confusing individual conversations
with how we should speak to the masses, but I was wrong. They
felt that we should stop "preaching" from the pulpit, and start being
more passive and less confrontational. Never mind the fact that
Jesus said, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities
also, because for this purpose I have been sent" (Luke 4:43). But
according to many postmoderns, it's time to replace... preaching
with conversing.

Don't get me wrong... I'm not questioning cosmetic issues such as
styles of worship, ambiance, lighting, and mood. I'm challenging
the dangerous practice of removing foundational principles - Spirit-
empowered preaching is foundational.

I'm also not suggesting that we never converse with people; quite
the contrary... We must be slow to speak and quick to listen, but
when we are called to preach, a whole new dynamic takes place.
the Spirit of God speaks, convicts, draws, heals, breaks, restores,
wounds, and rebuilds. In the book, Spirit Empowered Preaching,
the author said, "It must be understood that the preacher does not
share, he declares. Preaching is not a little talk. It is not a fireside
chat. To substitute sharing and discussion for preaching is to risk
the integrity of the gospel itself."

"What does this have to do with me; I'm not a pastor, or a preacher,"
you might ask. It has a great deal to do with any Christian regard-
less of his or her calling. Let me explain. There is a very troubling
trend in the evangelical church, as a whole. Foundational doctrines
such as the cross, sin, judgment, and repentance were declared
openly in the early hours of church history, as well as in American
history-when revivals and awakenings spread across our landscape.

Today, these foundational truths are often neglected, watered-down,
or avoided altogether in the hope of "not offending," "securing an
audience," or being "user-friendly." Judgment is never mentioned;
repentance is never sought; and sin is often excused. This leaves
people confused and deceived because they believe in a cross-less
Christianity that bears no resemblance to Jesus' sobering call to
repentance. Even though you may not be a Christian leader, we all
are called to share God's Word with others-especially the difficult
truths. Then we are also able to offer hope.

"To convince the world of the truth of Christianity, it must first be
convinced of sin. It is only sin that renders Christ intelligible"
(-Andrew Murray; 1794-1866). In other words, the crucifixion only
makes sense in light of the consequences of sin. "Christ Jesus
came into the world to save sinners" (I Timothy 1:15), yet, we're
not suppose to mention sin, repentance, or judgment?

Again, the good news about Christ can only be appreciated with
the bad news as the backdrop. There are times when the saints
must be fed, and there are times when the sinners must be
warned (-C.H. Spurgeon). Preaching, witnessing, teaching, and
so on must be done with God-given authority to truly be effective.
When we fail to proclaim God's Word faithfully, we run the risk of
"encouraging sin" and "perverting the words of the living God."
(cf. Jeremiah 23).

Has America Found a King?

By James Robison

This past week when I read the following statement in the gospel of John, I was stunned – even though I had read it before. How could God’s chosen people of faith make such a statement concerning any false god?

“So they cried out, ‘Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests [the top religious leaders] answered, ‘We have no king but Caesar.’”

What a tragic confession coming from the leaders of the very people through whom God said He wanted to “bless the nations of the earth.”
With God’s gift of free choice given to each person, people too often choose wrong. God created human beings in His own image, and in the Garden of Eden instructed them to be the caretakers of the bountiful land. Adam and Eve quickly confirmed that all of us wander from the shadow, the shelter of our heavenly Father and the watch care of the Shepherd. Deceived by the serpent, Adam and Eve believed they would actually be wiser and have more knowledge if they disobeyed God and followed the deceiver’s advice. Rebellion set in! Cain killed Abel, and evil prevailed to the point that only the ark of God’s safety built by Noah could preserve life as we know it. Jesus today is that trustworthy ark of safety and security.
The Old Testament journey reveals the results of jealous brothers casting their younger brother Joseph into the pit. He ends up a servant to Pharaoh, demonstrating how God can use what others intended for evil for good. This Old Testament type of Christ counseled Pharaoh and told him how to survive the coming famine. Even the brothers that betrayed him became the recipients of Pharaoh following the counsel that comes only from above. God used Joseph to advise the ruler, avoiding total devastation. But ultimately God’s own chosen people, Israel, sold themselves into Egyptian bondage by foolishly trusting a source other than God (Pharaoh) and they were trapped as slaves.
Even in our day when government is presented or perceived as provident – the provider, the hope – the people will become its slaves. Paul reminds the New Testament believers in 1 Corinthians 10 the things that happened to Israel serve “as an example to us” and that we must “flee from idolatry.” Our trust must be in God. His wisdom is necessary for sound leadership and decisions.
When the plight and pain of Israel became so intense from Egyptian bondage, they cried out for a deliverer. God raised up Moses who led them out, parted the Red Sea, and headed for the Promised Land that God said flowed with abundant blessings and prosperity. After leaving Egypt, witnessing miracles, following the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night, they rebelled against God. Out of fear, many wanted to return to Egypt and in unbelief they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. Ultimately the only ones who entered into the blessings of the Promised Land were those who believed God and trusted Him for every victory.
Sadly, once they entered the land and received from God all He promised, they again turned away and began to worship idols and desired to become like godless nations. The people asked Gideon or his sons to become their king. Gideon declared, “No, the Lord is your King!” Later they complained to Samuel saying, “We want a king!” When God relented and allowed a human king, He told them how he was to lead. The people rejected God’s ideas and said, “We want a king like the nations of the world.” They got them, and suffered greatly for it. The major and minor prophets continually called them to return to God, trust Him and stop seeking the shadow of Pharaoh or Egypt, along with anything mere men could offer. The story of oppression continued throughout the Old Testament and Jews were subjects of the Roman Empire when the high priests made the awful confession found in John 19:15. Many in present day America desire to be like other nations – God, forbid it, please!
Consider briefly America’s birth. Under the weight of God’s Kingdom influence, our nation was founded by people who wanted to be free. They didn’t want the horrible monarchy and tyrant kings that had crushed free men and families for centuries. Thomas Payne, rumored to be an atheist, helped inspire the revolution that led to the birth of our nation, signing the Declaration of Independence and ultimately the Constitution. Any sound thinker who seriously considers unshakable truth can recognize it! Payne described the powers that prevailed in Europe as “interested men, who are not to be trusted; weak men who cannot see; prejudiced men who will not see; and a certain set of moderate men who think better of the European world than it deserves; and this last class by an ill-judged deliberation will be the cause of more calamities to this continent than all the other three.”
Payne knew that governments established by mere men without truth and a sound foundation are doomed to fail. He said to those who asked, “Who is king of America? I will tell you friend, He reigns above and doth not make havoc of mankind like the royal brute of Britain! Yet that we may not appear to be defective even in earthly honors, let a day be solemnly set apart for proclaiming the charter. Let it be brought forth and placed on the divine law, the Word of God; let a crown be placed thereon by which the world may know that so far as we approve of the monarchy that in America the law is king. For as in absolute governments the king is law, so in free countries, the law ought to be king and there ought to be no other.”
Our founders established this nation as a constitutional republic. The founders understood the danger of a mere majority foolishly changing direction on a whim or a sudden urge. We were to be a people bound by the Constitution. They established a sound foundation upon which free people could build and live. Our founders believed this nation and the freedoms we have can only be maintained by people who are responsible and live under control. This nation will only be secure if we live as a nation under the influence of truth, for it is truth that makes us free. Jesus did say, “render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s,” and Paul said that we are to submit to authority. But neither Jesus nor Paul for one moment endorsed or embraced what the coins forged by Rome stated, claiming Caesar to be divine. No one understood the Divine better than Jesus. He was “God with us.” He is “the Son of God” and ever lives at this moment to “make intercession for us at the right hand of the Father.” He still longs to be our Shepherd. God continually invites us into the shelter and shadow of His presence.
Far too many Americans have made Caesar or some other source their god. They depend on it and look to it as their hope. What a tragic mistake. Perhaps more tragic is the fact that many professing Christians are also looking to the wrong source and too many pulpits are silent in pointing us to God as our source – our certain help and our hope. The Manhattan Declaration which I signed closes affirming that we must “render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, but never render unto Caesar what is God’s.”
Consider again what the High Priests (the big religious leaders) had to say concerning Jesus when Pilate asked, “Shall I crucify your king?” Their answer, “We have no king but Caesar.” They chose to trust a godless empirical government rather than God.
He was asking the very people God had referred to as the family of faith through whom He wanted to bless the nations of the world. These were people He said would be so blessed as a nation they would not have to borrow, but would lend to others. (Not to imply that borrowing was wrong or He never would have told His people they would be blessed to lend.) God teaches those who trust Him that they are not live in bondage to debt or any idolatrous power on this planet.
Many national leaders have led America to borrow even from those who have pledged to overthrow freedom as we know it while denying the existence of God and mocking biblical truth. As Christians, we should be witnesses to all people, while refusing to be owned or controlled by them. We must not trust Caesar or any earthy power as our source. There is but one who is Provident and that’s who our founders referred to as “Divine Providence” and declared our rights as given by “nature’s law” and “nature’s God.”
In our present day, just as when Pilate asked the people and religious leaders if they wanted him to crucify and do away with their King, many seem to be answering as the High Priests did: “We have no king but Caesar,” who represents the god of this world. I must ask, have we allowed our leaders, much of the media, the entertainment community, and greed driven manipulators to determine our king? Will we begin to stamp on our currency “In Gov We Trust” and declare we are looking to “the hill” rather than the “hills whence cometh our help.” Or will believers encourage people to focus on God and His will holding to a foundation and principles that even an atheist and deists recognize as solid ground? May God forgive any priest, preacher, pastor or American who would imply that Caesar is king.
In the face of foolishness and out of control government, I see hope arising! There is the dawning of a new day and the light of God’s glory is coming! I have been in ministry for nearly 50 years and I am witnessing more truly Christ-honoring churches, the greatest expressions of Christian faith and confidence in God with genuine love for their neighbors and those who suffer. I am seeing the strongest desire for true believers to come together in spiritual unity as a mighty army that literally overpowers the influences of deception, division and destruction. I am confident and convinced we are about to see people stand up and become that light that refuses to be covered, will not compromise and will not be conformed to this world.
My heart leaps with joy at the hope God has placed before us if those who know the truth will refuse any message that points to Caesar or any other source as our hope. We must have government of the people resting “on His shoulders”. This suggests that sound thinking, unshakable truth and principles will be carried on the shoulders of godly people, not those who pretend to be righteous, but those who truly “love God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength and love their neighbor as themselves.” The local churches and pastors are the best way to share the necessary transforming truth and encourage sound thinking within our local communities inspiring citizens to accept personal responsibility.
The federal government although necessary for law and order must never be America’s king. Out of control government masquerading as God consumes the productivity and opportunity created by the people. Paul declared truth to the Philippian Christians when he said, “My God shall supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” This is a God grant, not a Gov grant. May each of us respond to the challenge of Joshua in the Old Testament by answering as he did: “Choose you this day whom you will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”. Transformed people who trust God and take a stand as “salt and light” can correct our course.

Prayer Meeting

This past weekend Paul and I along with our daughter, Kristina, were blessed to be able to attend the 1st Annual Delaware Valley Prayer Gathering held at the Philadelphia Convention Center.  The main speaker was Jim Cymbala, author of Fresh Wind Fresh Fire and senior pastor at Brooklyn Tabernacle.  The Lord has grown this church from a broken down (literally - one pew fell to the ground as a group sat on it!), shabby building with about 18 members in downtown Brooklyn to what it is today - a church that not only serves thousands of people, but one that serves some of the most downtrodden and desperate.  Pastor Cymbala outlines this transformation in his book and rightly gives all the credit to the Lord.  Cymbala's part?  Faith and prayer.  Trust.  Obedience.  

Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. 

                                                                                                Psalm 119:49

This is the scripture Jim Cymbala's talk was based on this past weekend.  We can be assured that God will keep all of His promises.  All.  And Cymbala also spoke of how God does almost nothing unless He speaks about it first.  Why?  To secure glory for Himself lest someone think it was a coincidence.  And to see our faith - He loves us to have faith.  It pleases Him.

Pastor Cymbala did not spend a lot of time speaking.  Part of me wished he did as I really enjoyed his book and wanted to hear more from him.  But he reminded us how important prayer really is - that's right, it IS important.  It connects us with our Father.  It grows our faith.  It empowers us.  When we pray, we must believe.  Believe God is holy and righteous.  Believe He answers our prayers.  Believe in His promises.  And so we quickly went from listening to Cymbala to praying.  It was incredible to be praying with thousands of other Christians.  We prayed for many things but I think the thing that gave me goosebumps was when we prayed for all the churches that were represented there that night.  We prayed that each one would be filled with the Holy Spirit, blessed and used by God to further His Kingdom.  How awesome is that?!?  And the churches represented there will continue to be prayed for by Pastor Cymbala's church.  

If you haven't had the opportunity to read Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, I would highly recommend it.  You can also listen to one of Cymbala's talks from Youtube:

  

The bottom line?  Prayer is so important - not just personal prayer, but corporate prayer.  Our churches don't have enough corporate prayer.  We get together on Sunday mornings, say a few prayers, and think we are a praying bunch.  No, we aren't.  We should be gathering, in great numbers, each week, to petition and praise our heavenly Father.  Not because we "should" but because we love Him and want to spend time with Him.  Are you ready?  Are you committed?  Then what's stopping you?

the gods??

The video below is from Levi's and it is definitely the work of the enemy.  Please pray for all the young people that may see this and believe it - pray that their eyes would be opened to see it as deception.