For the love of God; have we forgotten Him?

When Alexander Solzhenitsyn was a young boy, he would often hear form the elders in his community why Russia had fallen to the Bolsheviks, and Soviet Communism had taken over.
"We had forgotten God" was the comment he heard over and over.

Today, in the United States whe have a huge division.  The coastal states against the central states seem to be the dividing lines.  On the coasts, we have nearly godless societies where roughly 10% of the population goes to a church regularly, and less than 20% in some instances believe in God.  These people believe that man can solve all their problems and we just need to work as one big collective society for the betterment of all.  Just like Solzhenitsyn's Soviet Russia believed.  And if you are against these people once they are in power, they will declare you to be an enemy of the state (aka racist, homophobic, intolerant, etc.) and you need to be re-educated, or executed.  OK, so they havn't gone as far as the re-education/ execution yet; but something tells me it will come to this.

The heartland of America is more resistant to this trend, but they too are falling away.  As their Ten Commandment monuments are being removed; by order of the activist judges who are rewriting definitions of laws; people are not reading them anymore and taking them to heart.  Thus, they fall away as well.  The end result will be the end of the United States, ushering in a global, communist  government... just what the globalist elites want.  Then, the prophecies found in the book of Revelation will begin.

Those of us who still read God's word are not surprised when they read that the falling away must take place before Jesus comes (2Thessalonians 2:3).  And when you piece together the signs that Jesus described in Matthew 24, we know that the end is near.  We may not know the day or the hour; but we do know the season, which is rapidly approaching.

So, what should we do?

As a Christian, we should lovingly preach the gospel.  Sure, point out the Ten Commandments, and how you me, everybody on planet earth is guilty of breaking them.  Include yourself, so they don't take it personally.  Discuss how these "sins", these violations of these commandments makes us deserving of the death we all will face.  Then discuss the grace and mercy of God, who sent us His only Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to pay the price for all of our sins, past present and future.  This free gift is for anyone and everyone, because God doesn't want anyone to perish, but for all to have eternal life with Him.   All we have to do is accept this free gift with gratitude.

Know this as well:  most people will reject this gift.  They would rather live their life, their way.  God gave us free will, so we must respect their choice, but not without explaining the consequences of their choice.  We are not to judge them; yet we are to warn them.  Explain to them they have that choice, but if you want to live your life your way, apart from God, God will allow that.  And when eternity comes, that place separated from God is commonly known as Hell.  Now God and I don't want that to happen to you.  That's why I am here to encourage you to repent; to change.  You have until the moment you die to change your mind; be it 50 years or 50 seconds from now.  "Are you sure  you really want to live your life, your way?"

Do this all with an attitude and tone of love.

Why this may be my last post

Ok, so it probably won't be my last post, since no one knows the day or the hour when Jesus will come in the clouds and take His followers out of "the trial that is to come" (Revelation 3:10).

But, since we don't know the day or the hour, I cannot tell you or anyone when the last post will be, or what it will be on.  This rapture may be 25 years from now, or 25 seconds from now.  But we do know the season of His coming.

Matthew 24 is the key to this.  This is Jesus' Olivet Discourse; where He gives His Disciples a description of the events that will be taking place at the time of His coming.

6) And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

7) For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  And there will be famines, plagues and earthquakes in various places.

8) All these are the beginning of sorrows.

While many will point out this is part of the Tribulation, and they may be right, I believe the descriptions in Matthew 24 refer to his "meeting us in the clouds" to "catch us up" or rapture His followers home as described in I Corinthians 15:52, or I Thessalonians 4:16-17.

Should this rapture take place anytime soon, I'm ready.  But are you?

I can only speculate that should this rapture I am faithfully insisting will happen does happen, someone may just stumble upon this post.  The rest of this post is for them.

The Bible says you will have a very difficult time from here until they day Jesus returns.  And it will get harder and harder, stranger and stranger each and every day.  Half of the world's population will die.  Half of all life on earth will die off, land and sea.  When will it end?  Roughly 30 days short of seven years from the time a great peace treaty is signed between a new global leader and the nation of Israel.  That is when Jesus is to return, ready to do battle with those against him.  Again, we don't now when it will start, but we will one day know when it will end.

You do not want to be against Jesus.  You want to be against this global leader, who is the anti Christ. 

The AntiChrist will kill you for going against Him, but choosing death instead of following this man is possibly the best way you can be saved from the wrath of God at this point.  It may offer you a way out of the pain and misery that will come with His wrath.  Jesus said "dont fear the one who can take your body, fear the one who can take both body and soul" (Matthew 10:28)

This period of tribulation will last at least seven years until Jesus returns and restores order.  You can count of seven years from the day this AntiChrist signs a treaty with the nation Israel.

Find a bible.  Read the last book, Revelation.  Then, assuming there are cross reference notes in that bible (many bibles have them; some don't) read any place the notes in that bible refer you to.  Then, read the entire bible; from the mindset that everything in that Bible is true; and that the Bible; in spite of it's documentation of many vile, vicious acts caused by one man upon another; is really a love story from God, from the very beginning to the end. A love story that transcends all time and space.    You may not see it that way right now, but if you look at the Bible with that thought in mind, and look past the violence caused when mankind treats one another poorly, and when civilizations rebel against God; you will see a God who has compassion on all who turn their backs on their own way and in so doing, turn their hearts toward God.  

You see, God does love you.  He really does.  He doesn't want you to perish; but instead, He wants you to live forever with Him.  He wants you to love Him.  The trouble is, he can't make you love Him. That is your choice.  And most of the human race is choosing to love anything and everything except God.  I pray you will not be in the majority.

Why you shouldn't look for God in "The Shack"

There is probably not one of us who has either seen the movie The Shack, or read the book, or at the very least, knows of someone who has, and thought The Shack was the best movie or book they have ever read.  Now, while I can believe such a book or film can be entertaining, and insightful; even plant seeds of faith in a non-believer; we have to be able to discern what is truth, and what is fiction.  The Shack is fiction, and dangerous fiction in that while it feels good on the surface, it has some false premises that can damage or even destroy ones relationship with Christ.  Below are just a couple of key points:

• In "The Shack", God the Father Himself comes to the shack...as a woman?  God has always referred to himself as masculine (sorry, ladies; but please stay, with me for a bit longer!) and never in the flesh.  That was Jesus's job, to be God in the flesh.  Jesus walked and talked with us on earth.  God the Father on earth could not be directly viewed by sinful man without dying (Exodus 33:20; Isaiah 6).   What The Shack does is recreate god in man's image; or, in other words, promote idolatry.

• What? No Hell?  The Shack implies through an underlying theme that all of mankind and even Satan and his fallen angels can and will be reconciled to God, enter Heaven, thus eliminate the need for Hell and the Lake of Fire.  Very appealing, but not very biblically Sound.  (Revelation 20:10-15)  Satan will not be let back into the heavenly realm, so he can try to overthrow God again.  Those who choose to reject God and his offer of love will not be forced to repent and be thrown into Heaven, as The Shack suggests.  That's not love, love respects freedom of choice.  (Ladies, you know that guy you had no interest in who kept pursuing you?  Would that be love if he forced you to love him??  God is not just a God of love, but a God of justice as well.

While The Shack can be treated as good, secular fiction, with a lot of biblical truths; one must be careful in regard to the half truths and falsehoods that are laced throughout the book and film.  This story paints a universal message, that all religions lead to God; while Jesus said He is the way, the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him. (John 14:6)  So while all religions do lead to God, most lead to a God, sitting on a throne of judgment, seperating himself from those who chose not to have any relationship with Him while they were on earth.  The only place for an eternal human being to go who does not want fellowship with God is the lake of fire; the second death, that truly lasts for eternity.

Christianity is not a religion where you need to appease a god; it's about God's love for us, that He (Christ) died for us (Romans 5:8).  God has done all that needs to be done to reconcile the relationship between mankind and Himself, that will we have left to do is say, "Thank you, Lord Jesus", and spend time with Him; in prayer, in reading His word, the Bible, and sharing this good news with others.

Why does God allow suffering, injustice and oppression on Earth?

In having a conversation with an atheist some time ago, he cited all the reasons why he and others like him refuse to believe in any kind of a deity.  Most of them claim science will eventually be able to prove the universe was not created but evolved, but one of their "evidences" comes from the notion that God cannot be all that powerful; or if He is, he must not be all that good of a god since there are so many injustices in the world, so many diseases, so much oppression, pain, suffering and misery taking place.  A good god should not permit such things to happen.

Those of us in Christ know that God actually permits such evil to exist on the earth.  When Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they chose not just to rebel from God, they chose to learn what good and evil truly are.  As a result, we live in a beautiful world that also has earthquakes, tornados, plagues, and a host of maladies the make life difficult at times.  God from the beginning cursed the ground for our sake (Genesis 3:17, NKJV). So we can enjoy the appearance and the fragrance of a rose, while getting pricked by its thorns.  Good and evil.

Albert Einstein described evil as a lack of good.  Just as cold is actually an absence of heat, and darkness is an absence of light.  And if every good thing comes from our creator God, then the absence of God is in effect, pure evil.  The realm of Lucifer, aka Satan.

We as humans get to choose whether or not to do good or evil; to ourselves as well as to one another.  The Bible gives us lessons on how to do good, as well as examples of doing evil.  It also gives consequences; good and bad, for doing either good or evil respectively.  And we get to choose whether or not we follow God's good rules; or our own rules, which by God's standards, are truly evil.

This is what Heaven and Hell are all about.  Heaven is eternity with God; Hell, on the other hand, is eternity separated from God.  And everyone gets to choose where they spend eternity.  In this day and age, that choice is based on one's faith that Jesus Christ is their Lord and King; and because of that, we seek a complete, perfect relationship with Him.  (Prior to Christ, or for those who die without ever hearing this good news, those with the heart that seeks God will find him, and His eternal Salvation (Romans 1:20).)  I believe God's grace will give such a person a place in heaven.  But God will not send anyone to Hell; the individual chooses Hell because he or she wants to avoid having a relationship with God.

How do I know this?  Seriously, I'm not anyone's judge, jury and executioner.  I'm just a messenger; and as such, I may get the message wrong.  Yet, when asked the question, "If there became scientific evidence that removed any and all doubt that God is real, and that Jesus is real; would you become a Christian?", most atheists would either refuse to answer the question or flat out say, "No".  The honest ones who say no would state they like their lifestyle just as it is, and refuse to answer to any higher power.  Others would insist on debating the point further.

The bottom line is, God cannot make any of us love him.  As much as He loves His creation, we as individuals get to choose to love Him back.  And Heaven and Hell are the places we go; based on who we choose to love.

Keeping the Faith, Regardless of Your Politics

So, we have a new president. Not a politician, not a military general, but a wealthy, private citizen.  The kind of person our founding fathers in many ways wanted to have in government.  That private citizen who takes a few years out of his or her career to help guide and manage the affairs of this nation.  Not someone who makes a career out of managing said affairs.

Scary, isn't it?  Donald Trump is no politician.  You know where your views stand with him, be they for or against your .  And he doesn't play political correctness, either.  He'll take that political sacred cow and turn it into a pork chop every chance he gets; so all of us can be assured of being rubbed the wrong way more than once over the next four years.

He's going to tear down many idols we have developed in America.  Idols in the form of bureaucracies that appear to help but only hinder and enslave us.  Idols that create the illusion Governments are our hope and salvation, in place of Jesus.  And when this happens, those who are dependent on the government will have to rely on themselves, their families, and most important, their faith to carry them through.  This kind of strength has proven to help significantly reduce and eliminate many of the addictions so many people of the modern world are struggling with.  So by removing the safety net/ hammock so many depend on - a scary thought, no doubt - many of these formerly dependent people will find their way and become independent.

Please, encourage one another through this.  The country is so divided, half wanting to become more socialistic, the other half wanting to embrace micro-capitalism, the kind of biblical capitalism that encourages every one to enjoy the fruit of their labor, instead of the rich oligarchs who do earn their wealth on their hirelings, often in disproportionate fashion.

Two thousand years ago, another politically incorrect man walked the earth.  Ane while his speech and demeanor was calmer, more gentile, more loving, he did have his moments when he railed on the establishment of His day.  Now, Donald Trump is not Jesus Christ...if anything...he is more like the antichrist.  Then again, anyone who has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God is more like the antichrist, perhaps that is why Jesus said he "would deceive even the elect, if that were possible".

Overall, if God is the one in control (He is!), and he is the one who exhalts those whom He exhalts, and humbles those who He chooses to humble, then He is truly in control, even right now.  So enjoy the roller coaster ride, keep your eyes on the prize of Christ, and occupy until He comes.  And may the One who is able to keep you from the various trials of this life comfort, direct and make your crooked path straight during this challenging season.

Happy New Years resolutions!

My wish for everyone who reads these words to have a wonderful, prosperous 2017.  May all the riches you have increase, and your troubles decrease.  May your faith in Christ's imminent return be boldened, and may you be consoled through the bad times that God is in control, He has big plans for you, and His will will be done.

Of course, with a new year, come our new year's resolutions.  You know, things like eating healthier, exercising more and losing weight, those seem to be the big ones.  Maybe you want to work on being a better employee, a better parent, or a better spouse.  The point is, we make these resolutions, and for whatever reason, all too often we fail within the first few weeks, and we give up.

Give up?  Why???  Is it because the challenge we place upon ourselves is too great, or so daring, that when life gets in the way just a little bit we throw in the towel and quit?  What does this say about any of us who take on a new challenge, pledge or yes; even a resolution; that as soon as we fail in perfection we simply give up!

Most of us reading this are forgiven sinners.  So if we are forgiven in our sins through Christ, why quit in our endeavors to improve our lives, our health and our relationship with others?  Do we give up in our (albeit futile) efforts to refrain from sin all because of one sin?  Of course not!

Several years ago, after a binge session of sinning, I came back to Christ and begged for forgiveness. I knew I had sinned a horrible sin; repeatedly, and while I knew in my mind I was forgiven, my heart continued to wrestle with this.   Until I heard the Holy Spirit speak to me, "Stop it!  Get up, dust yourself off, and get back in the fight!  You are much to valuable to be feeling sorry for yourself and wallowing in pity!!!"

Since then, one of my continuous resolutions is to continue to press on towards the goal.  Sure, I stumble and fall, but I get right back up and keep on going.  And THAT resolution should be the FIRST resolution you take on! This way, when life gets in the way, and you fail at your other resolutions, you have another one in place to get you back on track!

So, get back up, dust yourself off, and get back onto your resolution.  Don't quit, keep pressing onward, upward and forward.  Your life, your health and your relationships are much too important to those around you to give up; including God and Christ!

Oh yea, and one more resolution we should always have?  That is to put Christ first!  It too, gives this whole resolution thing the staying power it needs!

The Persecution of Christianity in America

Christian persecution in America is becoming a greater and greater issue.  Now, for followers in Christ living in Africa, the Middle East, or China, they have to be thinking “Persecution?  You call this persecution??  Americans have no idea what persecution is!!!”

Fortunately for us in the United States, they would be correct by a huge margin.  In America, we don’t imprison Christians simply because they preach the gospel on our streets (though some have been cited or even arrested for street preaching in some cities), nor set on fire entire towns of Christians nor crucify Christians because they won't submit to Islam.  Persecution of this magnitude does not happen, and I believe it’s mainly because of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, founded by a mostly Christian body almost 230 years ago, makes such actions illegal.  Even the state and local governments cannot “prohibit the free exercise of any religion”

The problem has been, for over 50 years, Christianity has been under attack, and the Christian body in the US has been strangely silent.  Christians have been told so many times that “this world is not our home”, Christians have not only stopped voting, we have stopped participating in the government process.  As a result, us Christians, in the name of tolerance, are allowing ourselves to be overrun in society by anti God, atheistic principles that want nothing to do with God or Christ, and want to silence any believer in Christ by any means possible, including accusing them of being “intolerant”. Go figure.

To date, Christian organizations wanting to achieve non profit status are being delayed or even denied such status by the IRS.  Liberal, anti Christian organizations get rapid approval.  Conservative, Christian individuals starting such groups are being investigated, harassed and intimidated into withdrawing their applications for non profit status by these government agencies.  But that is about to end.

There is a “new Sheriff” in Washington DC.  Put in place by many people in America who are fed up with the status quo being shoved down our throats by a few elitists, Donald Trump may be a man, put in place by God, to lead us out of our mediocrity and encourage us to put God first in the way we live, work and govern ourselves.  (I say this with caution: he may also be just another bully and tyrant; only time will tell)

As Christians in the United States, we need to stand up to these “bullies”.  We need to proclaim to all that the United States of America was in fact founded by Christians, to be a Christian nation, showing no prejudice against any religion including islam and atheism.  The challenge is, that followers of these other religions need to know and understand this; that if they want to live in the freest society on earth, they need to live within these Judeo - Christian rules, and assimilate into this culture.  This has not been happening over the last 50 years, all in the names of tolerance, equality, multiculturalism and for the benefit of the global community.  Anything short of this will result in a one world, global communistic dictatorship.  A dictatorship the rest of the world seems to desire.

Have faith, God is in control.

How can a supporter of Hillary Clinton consider themselves to be Christian?  This is a question many of my conservative friends ask repeatedly.  After all, she is pro-abortion; including abortion up to the moment before birth.  She cannot be trusted for anything, and everything she has tried to do in her political and professional life has pretty much failed.

While I agree with these sentiments, I have liberal, Christian friends that ask me how, as a Christian, could I even vote for a selfish, greedy, racist, phobic, womanizing, schmuck like Donald Trump?

Good point...and it makes you wonder.

Most of us who voted in this election voted for one reason; they distrusted the other candidate more than the one they chose.  Some surveys reported as many as 90% of the voters were motivated by fear; fear of the opponent winning.  But it appears the reasons most Christians supported Donald Trump came from his support of Israel, the potential for eliminating taxpayer funded abortion, securing our borders (like every other nation has on earth), and tax reductions for all Americans who pay income taxes.  Most of all; however, the concept of potentially overthrowing the overgrown, corrupt politics as usual was very appealing.  Time will tell if we replaced a tyranical despotic government with a despotical, tyranical one.

But keep this in mind: in 587 BC, a corrupt, pagan King Nebuchadnezzar breached the walls of Jerusalem and destroyed the city - God's sacred city.  God permitted it and said it would happen throughHis prophet Jeremiah.  The oint is, God used an even more pagan society than the nation of Judah at that time to overthrow Judah.  And if God can use Nebuchadnezzar for His good, to humble and preserve His remnant, then he can even use a Donald Trump to humble us and get our hearts right before God.  (Keep in mind, Nebuchadnezzar humbled himself before God as well; as he himself wrote in Daniel 4. It appears Trump may be humbling himself to God as well; time again will tell on this.)

So, for my liberal and conservative friends, God is the one in control; not some human we voted for.  He raises up nations and leaders, and brings them down.  As long as we focus on the reality that none of us are citizens of this world...we are citizens of a kingdom not yet seen, but promised...we as individuals will be be strong enough to prevail even when the country goes in a direction we don't want it to.

Have faith, my friends.

Thank you, Jesus.

Thank God it’s Thanksgiving!

I would personally like to thank my friends for being my friends, my wife for being my wife, and God for the abundant blessings I have received throughout my life.  I have a wonderful house with rental income, good employment, everything I need and many of the things I want as well.

It wasn’t always that way.  I used to have a bad attitude about everything.  The result was few friends (or none, If I had nothing), lousy employment if any employment at all, and a small apartment in run down neighborhoods or even living out of my car from time to time.

What turned it around?  My desire to change.  With that, I was able to accept the help from a few key people to become a fairly successful person.  These friends I value the most to this day.

These friends I am most thankful for; including my wife, who has been the biggest positive influence in my life  overall.

With these blessings, I have also been blessed with the biggest blessing of all; learning to care about others.  It’s still a long, uphill battle, but if I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me, and since empathy is a Christlike characteristic, it is something worth pursuing, and its success is inevitable.  Again, I am thankful for important friends who encourage me.

That said, there are many angry people in this country right now, hurting people, frustrated people, because, politically speaking they did not get what we want.  At the very least they should be singing that Rolling Stones song.  “You can’t always get what you want, but sometimes, you might find, you get what you need.”  At the most they should be humbling themselves before an almighty God, asking why He allowed this to happen to them.  Unfortunately, most of them have chosen to reject God, and all God is doing is respecting their choice, and staying away from them.  And if good only comes from God, they will not receive any blessings.  They have nothing to be thankful for as a result.  Been there, done that.

First I had to put my faith and trust in Christ.  After that, God tore me down to my foundation, and then put key helpers in my path to help Him rebuild me.  This rebuilt person is the person people see now, not the angry, bitter, frustrated man I used to be; but a kinder, more gentile, confident, person who still has a long, long way to go to be the humble servant I want to be.

So, like any and all of us who profess Christ crucified, God is not done with us.  And regardless of the path God has us on, may it strengthen you, build you up, and be used to give glory and honor to God.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your wonderful gift of eternal life.

Elections last for only a few years...

But who we choose to follow in spirit lasts for eternity.

For Etenity, we have another election to take place.  This election only affects the individual as to how they vote; not all of society.  You can choose to follow God, in Christ, or NOT to follow God.  That's it; up or down; yes or no.  A yes vote means you get to spend eternity with Jesus, and No vote (or abstention from voting) means you get to spend eternity apart from God. (That would be in the place prepared for Satan and his angels).

What has made the United States of America the shining light on a hill for the world?  Not because we are perfectly good (heavens, we do a lot more wrong than good at times!) but because we for the most part, Americans feared God and tried to to what was right.  We have been the most generous, the most tolerant, the biggest defender of freedom against tyranny, and have had the greatest inventors in the 19th and 20th centuries. And when compared to most nations, we have done more good around the world than all other nations combined.

Yet over the last 50 years, we have removed God from our public presence.  And we have become less good.  We have become less prosperous.  We are less generous. We have become more ruthless, and what was once considered evil, is now considered right, and vice versa.

Today, less than half of Americans consider themselves Christian.  I imagine there are much fewer than that who have a relationship with Christ.

So, In America, we voted for a Capitalist.  A contrarian to politics as usual.  Socially liberal, with a huge passion for business.  And this election is good for only four years.  (Got that Clinton supporters?  Only four years.  If Barak Obama's opponents can endure eight years, you can endure four. ;-).   However, the choice each and every one of us makes in the eternal election lasts us for...well...eternity.  If four years of fear from being a political opponent to Donald Trump is bad,  how much worse will eternity be in opposition to God?

Cast that eternal vote for God, in Jesus Christ, today!  This may be your last chance to vote!

Forgive this repentant, lazy, foolish servant...

I was reminded today of something.  The parable of the rich and and his talents describes a rich man who gave each of his servants a sum of money (a talent is roughly 30 kilos of gold, worth about 2.5 million US dollars). The good servants double the rich man’s investment, the lazy one did nothing with his money.  The rich man on his return congratulated the good servants and punished the lazy one.We all have talents

All of us in Christ have talent, on loan, from God.  The question is, what do we do with our talent?  For example; my wife’s gift is in art, and hospitality,  She can put out an wonderfully decorated spread for Thanksgiving, Christmas, barbecues, birthdays and tea parties; which she does with a passion several days a year.  So, she does her part.  What is your talent that God has invested in you, that you are sharing…or burying?

I’m burying my talent.  I have some pretty good speaking skills (when prepared) and I can write on the fly with reckless abandon, yet I am not putting these talents to work.  When was the last time I posted anything here…FOUR YEARS AGO?  When was the last time I encouraged anyone here?  Wasting my talent.  I’ve been that lazy, foolish servant.

What if no one reads what I write? Then I write for myself, to encourage myself.  But I must offer up my talent, no matter how few read it.  It only takes one person to be encouraged, to make my efforts worthwhile.  And it doesn’t matter if I know about it.  Getting “likes”, or “shares” may reward me with an inflated ego, and some personal satisfaction, but they don’t give God the glory.

So, forgive me for ignoring this page.  At least once a week, I will write and share my some encouraging words; here, and on other groups and pages.  May you enjoy and be encouraged by these words.

Rapture Ready

Thinking Outside of the Chessboard

When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."   Luke 21:28

Friends of mine, strong Christians as they are, are watching the news and current events taking place around the world and are getting very depressed.  Wars and threats of war are in the headlines daily.  Riots rebellions and economic collapse throughout Europe, which has the potential of collapsing the entire global economy, has the concern of almost everyone.  Islam, with its Sh’ria Law, is coming to cities here in the US; first in small communities, but is now expanding to entire suburbs such as Ann Arbor, Michigan.  New diseases and older plagues are coming to life, threatening our food supply if not our very lives.   And the global hate for Israel grows daily as Israel asserts its need to defend itself.  Just like Jesus said, in Matthew 24.

Then, there are also all the conspiracy theories.  Theories discussed 30 or 40 years ago about the corrupt banking and political system.  Initially dismissed as foolishness concepts from kooks, they are proving to be more accurate than any of us could have imagined.  This brings to credibility newer conspiracy theories; such as 9/ 11 and President Obama’s birth certificate, giving them more attention than they deserve.

Conspiracies have existed since the beginning of this nation...and earlier.  International bankers were said to have funded America’s Revolution from 1775 to 1781.  Lincoln was accused of being assassinated by these bankers.  Woodrow Wilson was elected President via political manipulation because he offered to give these bankers a way into our system by permitting the creation of the Federal Reserve.  FDR allowed the Japanese to attack Pearl Harbor to get us into WWII without being the instigator.  And the Kennedy assassinations have perhaps hundreds of rabbit trails to go down. Conspiracies go on and on. 

I bring this up because one can easily spend the rest of their life getting all worked up over all of this.  After all, we hate the thought of being manipulated like some pawn on a chessboard, and we should.  But this time in history, I think the more healthy approach to all of this is ask yourself, “So what?”

There is only one conspiracy theory that should have you worked up over.  The scandal around the arrest, framing of charges, execution and resurrection of Jesus Christ almost 2000 years ago.  The Jews wanted him dead because claimed to be God, thereby upsetting their existing leadership and order of things.  They trumped up the charges tried Him at night, could not procure the witnesses and still found Him guilty.  The Romans wanted him dead because he claimed to be a king, and therefore, was a threat to the empire.  Finally, Satan wanted him dead because he saw that as victory for him …until Christ rose from the dead…that is.  This is the “conspiracy” we should be focusing on.

It is this death, burial and resurrection that we as Christians place our hope and trust.  Not in governments who form bureaucracies that burden us, politicians who lie every time their lips move, conspirators who manipulate us, or bankers who create new ways to bankrupt anything and everything as if the whole world was one big game of Monopoly.  Face it, every one of these institutions are run by…people!  Selfish, arrogant, greedy people!  Like you and me!  Also known as, sinners!

This November, Americans have a choice to make at the ballot box.  The fate of this once great nation is in the hands of the people.  Or is it?


We get to choose between a Mormon or a Muslim.  If you are a Christian, with conservative traditional values, this should be very unsettling.  But it goes beyond the religion of these two.  It goes to the heart of the political base of this country. To the base of either political party who loses, as well as wins.  You see, if one party wins, the losing party will encourage riots in the streets of our major cities.  If the other wins, whole states will attempt to secede from the union, subversively encouraged by the losing political party.  Either way, the US military will be called in to smash any such rebellion, and when our military refuses to fire on its own citizens, foreign military troops could be called in to do the dirty deed. This should end the democratic republic, the end of America, the end of any hope of liberty in the world.  Either way, the conspirators. the manipulators get what they want.  Our lives are on the white side of a global chessboard, and black mates in two moves.  The conspirators who we have denied have won the game.  Or have they?

The good news is, God operates outside this chessboard.   He sees all these conspiracies for that they are:  mere foolishness.  The world we live in appears to be everything there is; however, if we live on the universal equivalent of a 64 square chessboard and God lives outside of that board, how much more are we missing?  All too often we as humans want to hang on to whatever we have; our little square on that board, but if we are truly to live outside of this world and live for Christ, we need to get ready to move to something much bigger and better!  We need to get “rapture ready” to move outside of the chessboard; or to think outside of the box; or the chessboard.  So how do we get rapture ready?

·         Let it go, emotionally speaking.  Let it all go.  Wealth, finances, homes and land, jobs and lifestyles.  Emotionally, let them all go.  Emotionally start to detach yourself form all this.  Put Jesus Christ first!  Those of us blessed with so much will have much to lose on earth, and this may be difficult; while those like myself who have already lost it all should find this easier to accomplish.  We all know we can’t take it with us.  We should know we don’t want to take it with us.  I’m not saying we need to liquidate everything and give it away; for while we may be leaving in 20 minutes, it could still be 20 years.  What I am saying is the stuff of life on earth should be placed on a very low priority in our lives.  Come to think of it, it should have been that way all along.

 

·        Encourage one another.  Emotionally increase your relationships with one another.  Love one another.  Share the Gospel.  These disasters we have seen and will continue see more frequently serve as a warning to all.  While this may not be their last chance to accept Jesus, this will be their best opportunity ever.  These judgments will only get worse and more intense.  And while there will be tribulation saints after the rapture that will be required to give up their lives for the gospel, but there is a way out of such trials as well; and that way out is to accept Jesus now.

·         Pray continuously.  Talk to God throughout the day.  Discuss your concerns, vent your frustrations, and express your anger if you must with God.  God is a big God; he can take it.  And that still, small voice of peace and reassurance will chase away all your fears and concerns for this world.  Read His word daily for more reassurance and peace.  At work, at play, with friends or in private, keep our Lord in our thoughts frequently throughout the day.

These are scary times.  We should consider ourselves so blessed, because one else has ever seen anything like what we have seen and are about to see.  Yet Jesus told us there would be days like these, and we are not to fear, but rejoice, for our day of redemption is near!  It’s time to get ready to move off the chessboard.  It’s time to be rapture ready. 

Preparing the soul/ soil (Jesus Calls All - 81)

The parable of the sewer (Mark 4) metaphorically describes the spreading of God’s word to the masses. Some of the word falls on deaf ears (the path); some is heard but not taken seriously (the rocky ground); and some is heard, taken seriously yet is placed on the back burner due to “concerns of this world” (amongst thorns). Finally, there is the word, heard, received, and responded to (prepared soil). This is the word that makes more “words”. This is the word that touches the heart, wakes the spirit within, and produces a harvest for the Lord.



Unlike the farmer, who plants most of his seed on good, prepared soil, most of God’s word falls on unprepared souls (soil). As a result, most of this gospel seed is wasted. Only a small percent of God’s word falls on the prepared ear, desiring the hope we all have. Perhaps, the soul should be prepared first, like the soil is.

What does it take to prepare the soul for God’s word? Like soil, each soul has different needs. Is the soul physically hungry? Feed it. Have they been hurt by another person who was or claimed to be a Christian, thus having a hard heart towards Christ? Show mercy and compassion to soften their heart. Have they been told that science disproves religion, so they think it is foolishness? There is evidence to the contrary, show them evidence. Do they have a twisted form of religion, compliments of a cult, so they refuse to believe Jesus offers a free gift to everyone who simply believes in Him? Study the bible with them (but beware of their traps, so you don’t join them!).

But most of all, share with them that which is most frightening to you: yourself. Your testimony of being broken and restored; the benefits and blessings you have received on this earth for following Jesus; the difficulties and challenges you still face daily, now made easier by placing your faith and trust in God, rather than yourself alone or a government created by other fallible humans. This requires exposing vulnerable parts of your life and past you normally would not want others to know.


These things all take time and for the most part, some kind of relationship must be established.  Unless, that person is ready to hear.  This is the person you will lead to Christ, today!  But wait a minute!  Who talked to them about Christ before you?  Who in the name of Jesus showed some compassion or work for them before you came along?  Who pointed out that the heavens declare the works of God and explained to them the necessity for there to be a creator of this universe?  Who prepared and planted the soil before you came along?  Who watered it?  Who pulled the weeds?  No doubt, the others who witnessed to this soul before you.


Sometimes we are blessed to see the efforts we put into a relationship with someone seeking the Lord. But more often, we are only preparing the heart for the word to be sewn or to water and care for it. While there is nothing better than to be part of the harvest for Christ; remember, without the preparer and sewer, there would be no harvest.


So share the gospel to all you meet. Believers and non believers.  You may be preparing soil, sewing seeds, watering or weeding; and never see the harvest of this soul until the day of His Glorious Appearing. Then again, you may get to harvest, or encourage another Christian to share Christ with others too!

Have the Seal Judgments Begun? (Jesus Calls All - 80)

Over the past year and change, we have witnessed a series of violent, warlike events in the Middle East. Staring with Tunisia, and followed by Egypt and Libya, now in Syria and who knows; maybe Iraq, Afghanistan and even Iran; and perhaps all the way into Southeast Asia and Indonesia. And it appears more and more the Muslim Brotherhood is in the middle of it all.

Revelation 6:1,2 Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, "Come and see." And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

Do you see the pattern? Could the Muslim Brotherhood (or a new Islamic Caliphate) be this white horse conquering nations? They seem to have been given leadership in Egypt and Libya so far, and who knows what kind of strings they are pulling behind the scenes elsewhere.

The next question one has to ask is: (especially if you are like me, a believer in the pre tribulation rapture) “Why are we still here?” The pre tribulation theory is, since the church is nowhere mentioned after Revelation 3, that the Church is no longer on earth; therefore, caught up.  Is that theory wrong?

Maybe the theory is wrong. Maybe it’s not. Time will tell. If the theory is wrong, be assured, God is not wrong. We need to be patient and look at where we may have misunderstood prophecy. Remember, the Jews misunderstood the role of their Messiah. And prophecy is not given to us to predict future events as much as it is to show us our God in action. If we use bible prophecy to predict the future we will be wrong more often than right. Let the events happen, then see how it fits the prophecy. That’s what (I think) I’m doing here.

Also, the church may not have been mentioned after Revelation 3 because, like the entire Western Hemisphere, it too is irrelevant, in regard to the judgments that are to come. We could still be here on earth as late as the 7th trumpet is sounded. (Revelation 11:15; I Corinthians 15:52) Remember, the Anti-Christ has yet to be revealed up to this time. It’s my opinion the church will be caught up prior to much of this, but I see no hard, scriptural evidence to support it.

But enough gloom and doom for the moment. The pre tribulation rapture theory could still be true. At Rosh Hosanna, (for 2012, this would fall on the evening of September 16) trumpets are blown. The last trumpet we hear could be that of the Shofar on that day, or the year following, or any other festival in the future that has the trumpets blowing.

Regardless of when we are caught up to meet the Lord in the air, one thing is certain: we will meet the Lord in the air! We may lose our lives here on earth first; in which case, we will be raised up first! (1 Thessalonians 4:16) So, whether we are caught up before the nasty stuff hits the fan, or just before the worst of the worst comes down on mankind, be assured God is in control, He will not leave us or forsake us, and He will protect us from all spiritual harm. That’s the life that really matters! Life to our Lord is very precious indeed, but our earthly death is irrelevant to Him, and it should be to us as well.

So be prepared for an immediate or delayed rapture. For earthly needs, store up cash and marketable commodities; enough for yourself and to share with those caught off guard. Spiritually, be bold in sharing the gospel to all you can, praying continuously. Fear not, even at the risk of losing job, business, lifestyle, or life. This how treasure in heaven gets deposited. Besides, the soul you share Jesus with may be that last one saved before the trumpet sound we are waiting for is blown!

Jesus Calls All - 79

Ephesians 6:11 - Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.




The belt of truth, which holds the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (the only offensive weapon needed); shoes of the gospel of peace; the shield of faith; and the helmet of salvation. (Ephesians 6:11-17).  Leave any of these articles of protection behind and you are exposed to attack, and/ or cannot attack as well.


When we go out into the world; be it the workplace, the sports arenas and/ or shopping malls; when we deal with non believers and even anti Christians, what keeps us from falling? What makes us good witnesses for Christ?


God’s word, the truth; the gospel; and faith in salvation. We may study the bible and be ready for offense, but without the defenses, you will doubt, lose faith and return to your carnal ways.  Then what good are you…to yourself and to Christ?


When one writes blog posts on a (what should be) weekly basis, one can expect to face some adversity. Like I wrote previously, bad things happen to us often to test our strength and our faith. (Apparently, I have failed recently, because this is my first writing in almost seven weeks! D’oh!). I have been in the battle, but I “lost my sword” until today. As a result, I have been pretty worthless as a witness recently. Praise God He does not condemn me; instead, he encourages me to get back in the fight. So here I am.


The general consensus is we don’t have much time left to share the Gospel. Some think this may be our last year before the rapture. I think this “catching up” could be as much as 15 years away; though the thought of hearing a heavenly trumpet blast and getting the heck out of Dodge (or earth) has some immediate appeal. But there is still work to be done on earth for the Kingdom. More souls to come to Jesus.


What are you doing to encourage others to follow Jesus today? Put on God’s armor and arm yourself with His Word, and let’s get in the fight!

Jesus Calls All - 78

Exodus 3:10 Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.


When you are doing one career for 40 years (assuming you consider sheep herding a career, a few cattle ranchers would consider sheep herding a capital offense) it can be a very difficult challenge to transform into a leader of two million plus people overnight.


And Moses fought it tooth and nail, too. He wanted nothing to do with it. Fortunately, God wasn’t going for any of Moses’ excuses, either. God allowed Moses to run off for all these years to get him ready to lead. Managing a herd of sheep is no easy task. They keep wandering off in odd directions (kind of reminds us of some people we know…or…is that why God calls us His sheep? (Very funny, LORD!)


Anyway, every time Moses would make an excuse, God said he had it covered. God showed Moses a few miracles, gave him the eloquent speech he needed; including his brother, Aaron, everything Moses asked for, God provided, and more. God even introduced Himself to Moses by His name; I AM, for the very first time! (Exodus 3:14).


God cut Moses a lot of slack. This was the first time in 430 years that God had revealed Himself to anyone on earth, much less a descendant of Jacob (Israel). Today, He may expect more from us since we have His word, His teachings, and His prophets for reference. Moses had none of that; all he had was a verbal handing down of the history of man, and his forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. No Jesus, no Holy Spirit. But God was patient, as love is, and He provided Moses with everything he needed, and more. Moses is now known as one of the greatest leaders, prophets and judges in Israelite history. He was with Elijah and Jesus in the transfiguration on the Mountain. Wow, what a reward!


So when God gives us a command, don’t complain, don’t make excuses, and definitely don’t fight God. When God wins, you win too. Go do it, and God will make sure you will have His blessing on it and will provide everything you need, and much more!


If you don’t, someone else will; and THEY will get YOUR blessing!

Jesus Calls All - 77

Jesus calls All – 77 Why does God allow pain, suffering, struggling and bad things to happen to even good people?
Genesis 3:18b … "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life.

 There is a benefit to all this misery we experience. Together with the good we receive, we now have this unfair blend of good and evil that we all deal with. Some get more of one and less of another. Education, attitude, faith and sheer luck (aka; the Grace of God) all play a determining factor in how much good, and how much evil each of us will have to deal with.

But the curse God placed on earth is for our sake? For our benefit?? How can we benefit from bad things happening to us?


1) We experience a blend of good and evil (as promised above) on earth; either in the acts of nature or our own selfish motives, and we get to choose: for good, or for evil.

The curse of Genesis 3:18 above promises mankind a blend of good and evil all rolled into one planet. We get majestic mountains with snow, delicious food, oceans that start the rain cycle, rivers and beautiful flowers. We also have floods, earthquakes, and diseases. And thorns on that rosebush we love so well.

In addition, we as humans, who know what is good and what is evil, all too often choose to do that which is evil. We will lie, steal, murder, covet, dishonor our parents and/ or worship the almighty dollar; instead of our creator. Worse, we make excuses and blame others for the consequences that have fallen upon us as a result of the evil things we have chosen to do!



2) It gives us a reason to persevere.



Romans 5:3,4 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Defeating adversity gives us a huge sense of accomplishment and creates a bond with those who faced such tribulations together. Ask any football player, or one who has faced military combat. Even a simple family camping trip (when it rains) often becomes a fond memory in later years.



3) For everyone, it may point to our sin; a rebellion against God.

Proverbs 13:24 He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him promptly.
As a sinful people, when we choose to rebel against God, or even out of ignorance disobey His teaching, bad things will often happen. This can often be revealed to us when we turn to Him in prayer. Repentance and returning to God will either soften this punishment, or you will be led through it, usually coming out of the ordeal emotionally and spiritually stronger than before.




That said, the sin will never be counted against a follower of Jesus Christ. The non believer, who chooses to ignore the teachings of God will find themselves addicted to their sin (Romans 1:24), which will lead them to their doom.


4) For a Christian, it tests our faith.

Zechariah 13:9 I will bring the [one]-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, 'This [is] My people'; And each one will say, 'The LORD [is] my God.' "



Stress testing a physical object, such as a weld or a joint in a water or gas line, assures the connection between two pieces is strong enough to hold, and not break or leak. When difficulties face any of us, the Christian should see this as a test of faith: do we hold onto Jesus and trust Him, or do we try to take control of the situation? The non Christian has no faith, so he must rely on himself and his own determination. The lack of this faith in the Lord causes personal failures that remove all hope for this person…until they turn to God…or face death.


Ultimately, we can choose to follow a loving, caring God, who gave up His Son, Jesus the Christ, on a cross. All we have to do to choose God – to choose what is good and right - is to say, “Thank you Jesus, for your gift”. As a result, earth will be the only hell you will ever experience.

Should you choose to reject this free gift - or not make any choice at all - is the same as choosing evil. You are declaring you want to run your life your way, earning you eternity separated from God, in a place prepared for Satan and his demons. Fire and brimstone may or may not be part of this destination: terror and hate definitely will be.


And Earth will be the only heaven you will ever experience.

Jesus Calls All - 76

Take Jesus to work today (and every day). Watch your blessings increase!

Matthew 5:16 - Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

At my workplace, Christian music is played and bible tracks and sometimes my bible are out for all to see. In almost two years, I nor my employers have never received any complaints, only words of encouragement: from both co workers and clients. I experience the same pro Christ attitude at my bank as well, so I know I’m not the only one out in the world that proclaims God at my worksite.

I’m sure one of these days the complaints will come. I can only hope I will have the courage Peter did, stating “we ought to obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29). I have learned the Lord has my back, so I know my job is safe, until the Lord has other plans for me. Besides, who wants to fire someone who continues to pray blessings upon their employer and their clients? (Oh yea, I forgot. An agent of Satan would!)      :-0
As Christians, we have been too passive in our faith for too long. We need to display our faith, and make it known where that faith is. Let others ask questions. Let your actions answer them. Pray the Holy Spirit gives you the words you need to answer them. Pray that you will be given the courage to stand up for Christ at your work – this was not an overnight decision on my part – this challenge I place before you took me a full year to get up the nerve! Finally, pray for your employers and clients. It is good to bless non believers as well as believers; after all, how else can a non believer turn to God except with the help of someone like us?

Jesus Calls All - 75

Why would God send anyone to hell? Especially if He loves all of us??

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Without a doubt, there is not one of us; be it Christian, Muslim, Jew, Buddhist, Pagan or Atheist; that has not sinned - not broken one of God’s commandments -over the last 24 hours. We may not think it’s not that bad, but remember, God’s standards are much higher than ours.

We may work excessively in pursuit of money. Many have placed money in front of God on our priority list. Or perhaps we place ourselves over God with a selfish pride. How many other pursuits do we have that we have placed a higher priority than God? Have we cursed God? Do we keep a traditional Sabbath; on Saturday? Do we disrespect our parents? Do we murder (or hate others), commit adultery (or simply lust after another) steal, lie or covet? Maybe not all of them today, but all of us do one or more of these things daily. Sometimes multiple times a day! (Exodus 20)
So, we all deserve eternity in Hell. At the very least, we deserve the death we face. And this is where God’s love comes in. He gives us a way out, through His son, Jesus Christ, who was God in the flesh (John 1:14). Christ took your place; your death sentence, when he died on the cross 2000 years ago. As a result, the physical death of your body becomes irrelevant. You have been offered a free gift of eternal life.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Accept this free gift, as you are, and you will be spared from Hell. Better yet, you live with Jesus in paradise, with no pain, suffering, tears, all that bad stuff we experience on earth. Don’t worry about cleaning up your life first – Jesus changes millions of lives each day. Humble yourself and surrender your life to Jesus. Get involved with a church where sinners like you and I meet weekly to give glory to God.

But it’s your choice. You can accept or reject this free gift. You can send yourself to heaven or to hell. You have been offered a free gift, a free pass into absolute paradise. But if you would rather spend eternity apart form God (in hell) God will respect your choice.

You see, it’s not God that will send you to hell. You will send yourself there.

Jesus Calls All - 74

When was the last time you prayed for courage?


1 Samuel 23:3,4  But David's men said to him, "Look, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?"   Then David inquired of the LORD once again. And the LORD answered him and said, "Arise, go down to Keilah. For I will deliver the Philistines into your hand."


On a daily basis, I hear about followers of Christ being persecuted simply for sharing Jesus with others. These reports create the impression that it’s getting more difficult to share the gospel with others without intimidation from others.


Yet at the same time, I have never been encouraged more by others to share my faith. At my workplace, I keep a bible out (inconspicuously) and have Christian music softly playing on the radio. And since I have started this policy, I receive positive feedback several times a week, a couple of inquiries as well, and I have yet to hear one complaint or negative comment!


I have come to the conclusion the following:


1. People of the United States of America and Canada are still primarily Christian. At the very least, they are not strongly anti-Christian. If they are not, they are curious enough to ask.


2. The media (regardless of political persuasion) is overplaying an anti Christian message to the point where we believe it, thus sending us and our faith unnecessarily into a prayer closet. Sure, there are atheist groups out there that will give you some grief, but even they can and will be polite about it. And you can always stop.


3. People want to hear about God. If you publicly display your faith, the curious and the inquisitive will ask you questions, for which you should have a ready reply. Even if the reply is, “I can’t explain it, all I know is when I put Christ first in my life, everything goes all right! I know someone who can answer your questions, though”. You can post these questions in the Christian FB groups will surely get you some answers. (Warning: you may get multiple opinions. Three theologians usually means four opinions.)


Fear not! The Lord will be with you whenever you do the Lord’s work. The Holy Spirit will be with you and guide your words. (Mark 13:11) And Christ said he will be with us always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). One thing I have learned is when you are worried about what others will think about you and your faith in Christ, lift up a simple prayer for courage to the Lord