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Intercession For The Church In The High Priestly Prayer Of Jesus Christ By Iain Campbell

Original sermon here.

Follow The Three Step Salvation Plan Today!

New Testament Prayer: Acts 4:24-30

This appears to be a prayer for evangelism that perseveres and succeeds despite and in the face of persecution and adversity, both political and religious. Note that the prayer specifically asks that signs and wonders be done by God for the sake of evangelizing the lost. This prayer also centers around the truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and how the coming, works and resurrection of Jesus Christ fulfilled Old Testament prophecies.

And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.

The results of this prayer are below, verses 31-34.

And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.

This would appear to be an empowering of the Holy Spirit – a filling of the Holy Spirit if you will (consider the empowerings or fillings of the Holy Spirit in the book of Judges that were not the indwelling Holy Spirit, but rather the empowering of the Holy Spirit that equips someone to serve God and perform His work) – that gave the believers the ability to share the gospel. The Holy Spirit gave them boldness to speak the gospel, and the words of the gospel message that were to be shared. It appears that the focal point of the true gospel message is the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Another result of this prayer is that the believers began to behave as a corporate community. As a result, individualism – of which materialism and the desire to acquire, possess and retain worldly things – disappeared.

Let us consider this prayer, pray it in private and in gathered fellowship, and in the Name of Jesus Christ may this prayer have the same purpose and effect for us as it did for the believers in scripture! For we know that the word of God is true, and that it is the power of salvation for all who believe.

To Whom Should We NOT Pray?

His list is excellent. Pay attention to #2 on his list, which would in my opinion exclude iconography.

While you are at it, read the following as well:

To whom should we pray?

Who should pray?

Want To Be A Great Man Of God? Try Being Weak Meek And Humble!

So many people want to be great men and mighty men of God. It is not necessarily always due to vainglory, but rather out of a sincere desire to serve God, emulate the heroes of the faith, to meet the needs of the church, to help the poor, needy, widows, and oppressed, and to fulfil the mandates of scripture. So many people want to say “Here I am, Lord, send me!” One of those sent by God was Moses, and about him was said that he was the most meek man on the face of the earth (Numbers 12:3). When Moses stepped outside of that meekness and tried to be great in his own strength, what happened? He slew an Egyptian. When Moses stepped outside of that meekness and tried to be great in his own strength again, what happened? He smote the rock and was forbidden entry into Israel as punishment. It was only in his meekness that he was a fit vessel for God to use.

This is the spiritual principle spoken of in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

When we are weak, God is strong. Rather than focusing on our weakness and pitying ourselves for it, we should be joyful and glorify God because our conditions are ripe for the opportunity for God to work great things through us. How does God use our weakness to do great things? Primarily through prayer, but ultimately however God chooses. God is sovereign. The issue is not how God uses us in our weakness, but rather that we must become weak so that God’s strength will be manifested. If we do things in our strength, we get the credit from a fallen humanity that can only see the natural and is inherently inclined to follow and respond to human strength and power. (This is why people will follow the anti-Christ, and have followed his foreshadowers throughout history.) But if things get accomplished in our weakness, miraculous amazing unexplainable things, then it can only point to God as the author and finisher of these things, and it is God who is glorified. Thus, a person must seek to become weak, meek and humble so that God will use this person as a conduit to accomplish His will on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus Christ did say “blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5

It is fitting, for Jesus Christ Himself is the greatest example and fulfillment of this teaching. First see Hebrews 2:9-10.

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Next see Philippians 2:5-12.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

Jesus Christ, being the sinless perfect God of the universe worthy to receive only honor and praise lowered Himself to the limitations of humanity to receive rejection and scorn, take on the sins of humanity, and suffer death on a cross. In Jesus Christ’s condescension, His state of humiliation, His weakness, God used Him as Savior, the greatest of roles.

However, the result of Jesus Christ’s being used in this manner? He was glorified by God the Father! Jesus Christ became meek, lowly and humble and the result was His being glorified (John 17:5). As a result of His becoming meek and humble, all power was given to Him by God the Father, and every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord. Praise be to Jesus Christ, who is worthy to be praised! Worship the Lord, Savior and King Jesus Christ, whose rule and kingdom shall never end!

And as Jesus Christ is our trailblazer and role model, just as Jesus Christ was used to accomplish great things for God the Father in His weakness, so should Christians become weak and meek so that Jesus Christ can use us to accomplish great things for Him. So, Christian, seek to excel in humility and achieve in weakness, and flee any doctrine or teacher that instructs you otherwise!

Please Remember our Brethren in N. Korea

From PJ Miller.
The underground Christian body in North Korea has launched a prayer campaign for evangelization in the country in response to the government’s recent missile testing and threat to attack its southern counterpart, South Korea.

Church leaders in the country say the situation is extremely unstable inside and urge North Korean Christians to become more united during this difficult time, according to Open Doors sources.

Not only is the country supposedly restarting its nuclear weapons program and threatening war against its neighbor, but North Korean authorities have reportedly intensified tactics to expose underground church members.

“Christians in North Korea are suffering terribly for their faith,” said Open Doors USA president/CEO Carl Moeller. “Of the estimated 200,000 in political prison camps, an estimated 40,000 to 60,000 are Christians.”

He added, “Now with the firing of several missiles and the on-going war footing, the scrutiny of believers has increased.”

“We thank God there are so many people who are praying for our country,” said a pastor inside North Korea to Open Doors. “Your prayers strengthen the Christians in North Korea.”

Read full article below:

CPost: N. Korean Christians Pray amid Gov’t Military Aggression

My Questions On Many Contemporary Practices Of Spiritual Warfare And Deliverance

When I first began this site – as well as its now defunct predecessor – it was primarily one devoted to spiritual warfare and deliverance based on what I had learned from reading works by such people as Frank Hammond, John Eckhart, and to a lesser degree Rebecca Brown, Frank Peretti and Derek Prince. (Now where this field is considered to be dominated by Pentecostals and charismatics, please know that Frank Hammond, considered to be one of the most influential teachers in this area, had a Baptist background, having been trained at Baylor University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.)

Now when doing research – inasmuch as web searches can be considered research! – for teachings and material to include, quite naturally I would encounter many statements by Christians opposed to spiritual warfare and deliverance ministries and ignored them, chalking it up to faithlessness and false doctrines. However, one of them did capture my attention. It did not dismiss the possibility of Christians conducting legitimate deliverance ministries out of hand, which forced me to pay attention to it.

However, this article stated that the methods  to cast out demons popularized by Hammond and fellow travelers not New Testament doctrine and did not conform to the example by which Jesus Christ and Paul cast out demons. Instead, the “Pigs In The Parlor” and “He Came To Set The Captives Free” spiritual deliverance techniques far more closely resembled accounts of how rabbis used to cast out demons as recorded in the Talmud and other rabbinical writings. This document further stated that there was a line of Messianic prophecies among the rabbis that when the Messiah came, He would not have to rely on the laborious techniques of the old covenant rabbis, but instead would be able to cast out demons with power and authority, the spoken command. See, for example, Luke 4:33-37. Also note that Paul’s example of casting out a demon was much more after the manner of Jesus Christ in Acts 16:18. And the clincher, as far as I was concerned, was the assertion that the Frank Hammond method was also very similar to Roman Catholic exorcisms! (How ironic that J.P. Moreland, upset over a friend of his having to leave a prominent evangelical post upon this friend of his converting to Roman Catholicism, stated that evangelical Christians should abandon sola scriptura, calling it “Bible idolatry“, and suggested that among other things Roman Catholic traditions on exorcisms was an area where evangelicals should learn from Catholics!)

Now having rejected all of the other arguments against contemporary spiritual warfare and deliverance ministries, this one – that it did  not conform to the example of scripture and that it was an imitation of practices of intertestamental Judaism and of Roman Catholicism – I did not have an adequate answer for. So, I decided that while I would leave the existing spiritual warfare material on the site – reasoning that they are, at the very least, better than nothing and certainly preferable to the modern evangelical trend of relying more and more on psychology and psychotherapy, fields that were largely invented by New Agers, occultists, atheists, and sexual perverts (do a little research, it’s true!) – while refraining from adding new ones until I came across more Bible based doctrines of conducting spiritual warfare and deliverance.

Sadly, I have not encountered such doctrines as of yet, and in the past year or so have focused less on this area and more on “Christianity 101″, things having to do with the basics of the Christian faith and Christian living. Perhaps when I am done with grounding myself in the basics of the faith – matters of which I was very presumptuous and prideful while being wholly ignorant and immature – it will be a good time to investigate the doctrines of casting devils out of people anew.

Still, I have continued to discover more things about the teachings of Frank Hammond in particular that trouble me. First, Hammond takes a vast array of sinful habits and behaviors and attributes them to demons. (I actually had the goal of reproducing Hammond’s “demon groupings” chart on this site and never completed it because it was so large, now I am rather glad that I failed in that undertaking.) But the more that I ponder his teachings in this area, I perceive this as not considering Romans 7. This is not to say that Frank Hammond rejects Romans 7, but I have not seen him incorporate Romans 7 in his doctrines or applications in any careful way. This is very serious, because a study of Romans 7 is vital in discerning whether activity is demonic or simply due to what Romans 7 calls “the body of sin.” Instead, Frank Hammond advocates relying on a Holy Spirit gift for discerning demons. Now how does the Holy Spirit gift for discerning demons operate, and how are we to use it in a church or ministry context? The Bible does not say, so we have to rely on the teachings of Frank Hammond to tell us. Also, where Romans 7 makes it clear that there are some battles with our old natures that Christians are going to have to deal with until we get to heaven, Hammond’s teachings claim that such merely represents failed or incomplete spiritual deliverances, so we have to return to the deliverance ministers to do still more confessions of past sins in counseling sessions and then have still more nested interlocking demon groups buried and hiding deep inside of us, demons and demon groupings that the Holy Spirit gift of discernment failed to identify in previous sessions, out. That does appear to contradict this passage of Romans 7.

“Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?“

Claiming that this passage does not refer to the striving of Christians against the flesh and the need of grace to overcome ignores scriptures that can be used to interpret this scripture such as Galatians 5:24-25 and 1 Peter 2:11. This doctrine makes it appear that Christian living should, save an intermittent battle or three with a demon or temptation, basically be strife and trouble free, and that any Christian who is not experiencing Hammond’s definition of “life more abundantly” is either demonized or still engaged in sin habits that need to be broken, is living under some “generational curse”, has some “demon of inheritance” or that needs to be discerned and broken, and so on.

These doctrines deny the fact that Christian life is supposed to be inherently trying and difficult … one of persecution, chastening and affliction, dying to self daily, carrying the cross or cross-life. It makes me wonder if Hammond or any of the others in his school has ever read Pilgrim’s Progress or anything similar. It also, in a style that anticipated the current Oprahesque style of modern Christianity, which allows a person to reject accountability. Where today a professed Christian who follows the New Agey Dr. Phil psychobabbleanalytical doctrines can simply blame parents, teachers, classmates, spouses, pastors, or any number of emotional or mental problems for their unBiblical behavior, the Hammond school allows a person to simply say “the devil made me do it” and profess a need for spiritual deliverance. Either way, you get to blame someone else rather than yourself, and in this way you deny your need for a Savior and for grace, because you avoid coming to grips with your true nature. Rather than seeing yourself as a wretched sinner badly in need of grace and the work of the cross to impute righteousness to you that you do not deserve and never will, you see yourself as this basically good and decent person against whom there is this grand conspiracy of evil spirits and rotten circumstances to keep the real you, an inherently good and virtuous person, from coming out.  

Either way, it encourages you to hold onto an unBiblically inflated image of yourself and blame other entities – whether human, spiritual or institutional (as Hammond does speak of “prince demons” that control institutions, and claim that Christians should go into directed warfare against them to reclaim these institutions … there goes dominionism gospel of Eusebius and Constantine again!) – for your inability to live up to your own self image, which is an unBiblical delusion to begin with. Legitimate spiritual warfare and deliverance, indeed legitimate Christianity, is concerned with casting off this self – image delusion, which is part and parcel of the old man that needs to be cast off so that we may put on the new man (Colossians 3:10, Ephesians 4:24). These doctrines make it appear that the difficult process of discipleship and Christian growth and maturity, as well as coming to grips with the nature of sin and meaning of grace, are unnecessary and unproductive, as it is far better to simply declare yourself and everyone else to be demonized. 

Most seriously, the Hammond doctrines seem to reject or distort the doctrines of original sin, the effects of the fall. They seem to create a picture where man is basically good, and all he needs to do to recover his inherent goodness and virtue is choose Jesus Christ as his Savior. Having done that, any problems or defects are not due to the exceedingly true and vile cosmic and metaphysical nature of the fall and original sin, but instead an evil spirit that is soiling what should by nature be perfect. At the very least, it in effect claims that the result of Jesus Christ’s work on the cross should have been to make us practically sinless with no need to battle and struggle in this life. Either way, Hammond’s doctrines distort or misunderstand either what the Bible says about original sin or the workings of the grace. Thus, Frank Hammond would claim that Paul was a liar when he stated in scripture that God told Paul that His grace was sufficient for Paul to deal with his thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12:6-9). Instead, Hammond’s doctrine would have us believe that Paul was simply demonized and that confessing his sins and being rid of the root of bitterness due to issues from his childhood that left all these doors open was the solution, nothing about this “for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” doctrine that does not fit into Hammond’s view of victorious abundant Christian living!

Another thing: it is amazing how legalistic and guilt inducing the Hammond method is. It would have you believing that your mind, spiritual makeup, etc. contains this innumerable vortex of labyrinths and doors. The labyrinths are these hidden chambers that can contain a demon or three that must be entered into – with the guide of the Holy Spirit gift of discernment and aided by detailed confessions in counseling sessions – to draw the demons out. The doors are sinful thoughts and actions by which a born again Blood of Jesus Christ washed Holy Spirit indwelt believer can allow a demon or demons in at any time. So, the pruning and chastening process, the battles and temptations with sin, and the need to overcome that the Bible states that all Christians must endure are attributed to some sin (often in the past) that a Christian failed to confess, someone that the Christian failed to forgive, some “spiritual door” that is allowing demons in that needs to be closed, etc.

And this is probably the worst practical part of it. The most powerful weapon that Christians have in overcoming temptation and battling the flesh is prayer. Well, Hammond explicitly tells us not to use it, and does so in the very opening pages of Pigs In The Parlor. Hammond states that spiritual warfare and deliverance is not prayer, that praying for God to help us and to overcome in our lives issues that Hammond alleges is due to demons is at best redundant and possibly ineffective. Hammond counsels us that when we pray for things, it is our asking God to grant us something that we do not have already. But, according to Hammond, as authority over evil spirits is something that we have already through Jesus Christ, why pray regarding these matters? Praying when confronted with these issues is a way of ignoring, rejecting, even DENYING the power and authority that Jesus Christ has given you! So … when dealing with what Hammond asserts is demonic activity – which again is either discerned with the appropriate Holy Spirit gifts, or discerned through other means by those lacking this gift using methods that Hammond provides – BY ALL MEANS DO NOT PRAY! (Unless, that is, a prayer for forgiveness of sin,  a prayer to forgive someone that you are holding a grudge against, a prayer to close a spiritual door that allowed the demon in, etc.) Instead, immediately go into spiritual warfare, start binding, loosing, rebuking, and casting out! (By the way, the actual meaning of “binding and loosing” given in the Matthew 16:19 and  Matthew 18:18 that spiritual deliverance ministers often refer to should be investigated … a great many Bible interpreters state that when looking at the context of the passages in which those verses appear, they refer to doctrines, particularly the authority of apostles to establish doctrines for the church, spiritual warfare and deliverance techniques.) 

This I recall, for I was personally practicing it myself for several years. I related in  My Thorn In The Flesh how my mind is frequently assaulted by many manners of evil thoughts. I presumed this to be the work of evil spirits within and without myself, and for years applied the Hammond doctrines. I now realize that these are merely things that I have allowed to enter into my MIND as a result of all of the “entertainment” (movies, TV, music, novels etc.) in my life. Also, for years I refused to do precisely what I needed to about the problem – take it before throne of grace and cast it there in prayer – because these teachings told me not to! After all, praying, according to these doctrines, was weak, defeated Christian living … stuff for babies. (Well, maybe it is according to Matthew 18:3!) If I was to be a bold, strong, powerful spiritual warrior, a world changer on the front lines making a difference for Jesus Christ, I needed to just step out on faith and take dominion and authority over these evil spirits!

And so I did. It reached the point where it was practically automatic. Evil thought enters mind. Say “demon in the Name and by the power and Blood of Jesus Christ I bind and rebuke you and command me to leave and never return.” And so on, so on, so on … if you want to talk about “vain repetitions” then boy I was doing it. Also, so long as I was “binding, rebuking, and casting out” I had no need to humble myself, feel contrition or repentance, and beg God for help. Why? I was a spirit warrior world changer taking dominion, a spiritual He – man!

Now upon trying to discover and build “Christianity 101″ these past months, I decided that just maybe I wasn’t as spiritually strong or powerful as I thought. So, I would leave the taking authority warfare to the stronger brothers and sisters, and I would resort to the milk of the weak babes, which was to PRAY. So, I battled and stopped the very many months – years in fact – of automatic “I rebuke and bind you in the …” conditioning … I really had gotten to the point where I did it on autopilot without thinking! … I would refrain myself from the “self – spiritual warfare and deliverance” and simply began to tell God that I was sorry for having or entertaining those evil thoughts and asked Him to forgive me and to shield me from those thoughts in the future. Now even before I received the response that I detailed in My Thorn In The Flesh, the results were much better … cleansing, strengthening, love, joy and PEACE where the “warfare” left me with guilt and conflict.

Now is this to say that I have never benefitted from spiritual warfare and deliverance? No. That is the main reason why I have not removed the materials from the site … my testimony is my testimony and it stands. However, though my testimony is part of my faith, it is the substance or entirety of my faith. My faith is Biblical, not experiental, and it is based on God, not on what happens to me. Had I never existed, God would still exist and His Word would still be true. So, when the time is right, I pray that God will lead me to doctrines on spiritual warfare and deliverance that are faithful to His Word and thereby honor and glorify Him

Sola Scriptura. Soli Deo Gloria. Solo Christo. Sola Gratia. Sola Fide. Any spiritual warfare and deliverance that does not conform to those is but doctrines of devils! Even so, come Lord Jesus!

Why Has America Lost Its Soul?

MSNBC.com asks Has America become numb to tragedy?. (And this article actually only focuses on gun crimes, so it leaves out things like a brother stabbing his two sisters to death.) Well, I say turn to Matthew 24, the prophecy of the last days of Jesus Christ, and pay attention to verse 12: And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. That means that as the time of the return of Jesus Christ draws nearer, the sinful conditions of the world is going to become so pronounced that people will simply not care about even heinous crimes committed against large numbers of innocent people on a routine basis.

I suppose now would be a good time to run through the usual laundry list of social and cultural ills: economic problems, political and corporate corruption, capricious wars, disrespect of parents and authority, rampant fornication and homosexuality, violence in the media, and abortion. And yes, I am certain that dark powers, evil spirits, are afoot. But the root cause of this is a church in America that no longer stands for the Jesus Christ of the Bible.  

This is not a problem of a lack of values. It is a lack of the gospel being preached, and the gospel being lived by so many of the professed Christians in this country. Refer to the words of Jesus Christ in Matthew 5:13: Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

Now is not the time to point the finger at the other guy. No talking about the problems with this pastor over here or the doctrinal problems of this movement over there. No, this starts with the man in the mirror. Point the finger at yourself. How does YOUR life measure up against the standards of holy living set forth in the Sermon on the Mount, 1 Corinthians 15, the book of Ephesians, and elsewhere in scripture? I am not talking about religious standards or cultural/moral standards, but the actual requirements of scripture.

It measures up pretty well? OK, if you say so, fine. That is between you and God, and He will be the judge of that. But that’s you. What about everyone else? When was the last time you told someone else about Jesus Christ? I have to say that if I look at you as a number and judge you based on statistics, chances are it has been quite awhile, because studies show that over 95% of “evangelical Christians” never actually evangelize anybody. Based on Barna, Pew, and the other folks who put out these studies on religious behaviors and attitudes, 9 out of 10 Christians don’t even tell their friends, neighbors, and coworkers about Jesus Christ, let alone go door to door or stand out on street corners handing out tracts.

This is no surprise.  97% of Christians, including evangelicals, don’t even regularly serve in their local congregations. In virtually every church in America, no matter how large or small, the work is done by 3% to 10% of the congregation. The teaching, preaching, worship, administration, edification etc. is done by those few. The rest just show up as if they are going to a movie, baseball game, or super market or something. Now much attention is given to the crisis that the vast majority of children raised in evangelical Christian homes leave those churches never to return once they reach adulthood and leave these homes, but since 90% to 97% of the people in these homes never brings the gospel of Jesus Christ to sinners and never even serves their fellow believers in their local fellowship halls, were the homes that these children are leaving ever Christian to begin with? How can you lose something that you never had? How you leave something behind that you were never actually in to begin with?

Oh, you might take your kids to church every Sunday, buy them the merchandise from the Christian bookstores, send them to the camps and trips, get them the purity rings and have them sign the pledges, but if you aren’t spreading the gospel or serving in your local congregation, what evidence is there that you are really in the faith, and therefore have a Christian home for your child to leave? This isn’t about your culture and values, this is about your standing before a holy righteous God that demands obedience to the plan of salvation and the plan for worship and living that He left recorded in the Bible! When James wrote not once but three times (James 2:17, James 2:20, James 2:26) who do you think that he was talking to? Atheists? Mormons? Muslims? Hindus? Jehovah’s Witnesses? Jews? No … James wasn’t talking to THEM. He was talking to ME.

That’s right. I didn’t say YOU. I said ME. Why? Because as I said earlier, this isn’t about talking about the speck in the other guy’s eye. It is about the log in the eye of the guy looking at YOU in the MIRROR. If 90%, 95%, 97% or what have you depending on the survey do not share the gospel and do not serve in their local churches, why do we expect anything else but a nation filled with perversion, hate and violence? Who do you expect the blame to fall on? Sinners? Come on! How else do you expect them to act? They’re sinners and they are going to sin! The sinners are not the salt of the earth, the ones who have the light of Jesus Christ that is supposed to shine and overcome the darkness. That is the job of Christians! That is the job of ME!

The blame is on Christians. It is the Christians that are supposed to be out there turning the other cheek, helping the poor, taking care of the orphans, showing mercy to prostitutes and adulterous women (well if we care so much about abortion, who do you think is getting them?), befriending tax collectors, visiting the prisoners and all the things that Jesus Christ did and commanded. Those are the sick people that need a doctor, remember? It is Christians that are supposed to go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. It is Christians who are supposed to know better because of Jesus Christ and are supposed to be empowered to do better because of the Holy Spirit and supposed to want to do better because of a burning zeal to glorify God the Father. It is Christians that are supposed to be rising early, staying up late, and getting up in the middle of the night praying, fasting, interceding so that this cloud of evil, violence, and wickedness passes from this land. 

Christians need to get reacquainted with the Apocalypse of John, better known as the Book of Revelation. That book is all about judgment, the wrath of God that falls upon the hard hearted, the stiff – necked, the proud, and the disobedient. And guess what? This judgment doesn’t start with the world, the sinners. No, this judgment starts in the church. So many of us like to read Revelation 1 about the glorious awesome Jesus Christ, skip on over to Revelation 4 and thereafter where it begins to talk about how the wicked rulers, nations, and people of the world are going to be judged, and in the process completely ignore Revelation 2 and 3, as if that isn’t talking about US.

It is US, people in the church, that Jesus Christ tells “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” It is US that Jesus Christ warns “Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.” It is US that Jesus Christ warns “Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.” It is US that Jesus Christ warns “Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.” It is US that Jesus Christ warns “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.“

All those warnings of judgment. All of those calls to repent. Not a single one was directed towards the world. ALL were directed towards the church. You know what else is traditionally regarded as being aimed at the world that is actually towards the church? The famous Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” That is taken to be a classic evangelism verse. Why? Because it is out of context. Jesus Christ wasn’t addressing sinners ignorant of His gospel at any point in Revelation 2 and 3. That entire section is directed towards those who know the gospel and are in the church. The reference to Jesus Christ standing at the door and knocking wanting to enter someone’s heart is not a reference to His wanting to save a sinner. No, it is His commanding a member of the church to meet His requirements of obedience. Jesus Christ references the heart, which indicates love. Jesus Christ wants the Christian church to love Him. And how does one love Jesus Christ? The answer: John 14:15. “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” 

So in the actual meaning, the true context of Revelation 3:20, Jesus Christ IS NOT knocking at the door of the heart of some lost sinner asking to be let in so that He can save Him. No, Jesus Christ is standing at the door of the 90+% of Christians who never share the gospel, the 90+% of Christians who never serve in their local churches, the percentage of Christians who do not heed His instructions in the gospels and Revelation, who do not heed the instructions of Paul, Peter, James, John, the unknown writer of Hebrews etc. in the epistles by obeying His Word. Jesus Christ is talking to the foolish Christians who do not build their houses on the rock because they hear Jesus Christ’s words and do not obey them, Matthew 7:23-27! It is the Christians that obey the commandments of Jesus Christ that Jesus Christ will enter in and have dinner with. It is those Christians who will endure to the end and attend the marriage supper of the Lamb, counted among those considered the bride of Jesus Christ and the body of Jesus Christ, adopted into God’s sonship through Jesus Christ. And it is only obedient Christians that are capable of effectively standing against the wickedness that has gripped America and the world at this present evil hour. 

So, professing Christian, I ask of you right now, take a look at yourself in the mirror. Are you an obedient Christian? Has your salt lost its savor? Is your light hid under a bushel? Is Jesus Christ standing at your door knocking? You are known by the fruit that you bear (Matthew 7:16, Matthew 7:20, Matthew 12:33, Luke 6:44). Christian, now it is judgment time, time for you to test and try yourself as the Bible commands you (2 Corinthians 13:5). Here’s the test: look at yourself in the mirror, and ask yourself: “Where is my fruit, and what kind of fruit is it?”

Was Acts 4:24-31 A Prayer For The Apostolic Period Only Or Is The Prayer Still Valid Now?

I say that this passage is a prayer for now and should be said in this time in the interests of spreading the gospel to lands and people unreached. What is your opinion? Acts 4:24-31: 

And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:

Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?

The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.

For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,

For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.

And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,

By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.

And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

This would be an excellent prayer to repeat on behalf of our brothers and sisters in persecution in Muslim, Hindu, and communist lands!

A Massacre For Christmas

Rev Ian Brown Prayer for Persecuted in India Matthew 2:16-18; Esther 4:14 | Londonderry Free Presbyterian

A Christian Haiku: Jesus Please Help Me

Submitted by a ministry supporter.

Jesus please help me.

I feel as if I am running

out of time

Spreading your message

has made me visible to the 

unkind

I have gone too far now to ask your

rewind

Put me back to where I was

before I got your sign

A prophet you have called 

to go anywhere

Only with the call,

the demonic forces were made

aware

Follow me as I follow Christ is the message I am to ssppread

Even if it means your life

Nothing about it is dread

A Hard Life Lesson On Why Being Thankful To God In All Circumstances Is Required

Please read link below for this heart rending story. It is yet another example of why children should be targeted for evangelism.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 – give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

A Particular Commentary On Matthew 22:14 – For Many Are Called But Few Are Chosen

Please click on link below!

Matthew 22:14 For many are called but few are chosen

It contains a link to this good teaching as well:

Romans 11:5 The Election of Grace