Sun, Jan 25th - 9:53PM

Be Ready To Go Up When The Trumpet Sounds

The news was stunning. The radio disk-jockey stopped the music as he announced that the regular programing was being interrupted for a special bulletin just coming in across the Associated Press. He read the announcement and could hardly breath. He began, "something mysterious is taking place in communities all around the world."

The broadcaster continued to give out reports of automobile crashes on highways. He reported that hundreds of cars and trucks are littered across the landscape. Rescuers were reporting that there were no passengers in some of the wrecked vehicles. It was indeed a scary moment for the entire world.

But automobile accidents weren’t the only things puzzling the announcer. He began to get word that small planes were falling out of the skies and large passenger planes were also crashing to the earth and killing hundreds or even thousands of people on earth. Workers were reported as missing at the assembly lines across the country.

Then the announcer almost lost his breath while reading some further reports which were burning up the internet and the news wires. Nurses had reported that some surgeons, with surgical instruments in hand, ready to cut into the human body, simply disappeared into thine air. Mothers were frantically running up and down the streets of the world looking for their children.

There was a church holding a special service inside their building and it was reported that many in the building vanished into thine air, dropping hymn books and Bibles as they disappeared. The news spread and in a matter of minutes the major networks had special guests in front of their cameras giving their opinions as to what was taking place. World leaders were calling their state and national boards together to figure out this devastation that had come upon the whole world.

The bewildered radio announcer said, "In a matter of moments, Dr. Sharp Brain, renowned professor at the Seminary of Free Thinkers, will be speaking a word of encouragement to the people of the world and their leaders. Let’s listen in."

"My fellow world citizens, we are indeed undergoing a mysterious attack. We can’t explain it at the moment, but our best theologians and scientist are meeting together at this very moment in emergency meetings to come up with an answer as soon as possible. We will have an answer soon, we hope. But don’t let the fear of a Rapture story scare you. We’ve proven this theological theory as incorrect and foolish on many other occasions. We will be getting in touch soon. Stay strong!"

You might be shouting back at me, "When did this story break? On what station did you hear such a foolish thing? Where was I when all this was taking place?

Well, let me hedge a little at this point. It hasn’t yet! But just because it hasn’t happen yet, doesn’t mean it won’t happen in the future. You see, according to the Bible, a scenario such as described above is going to happen one of these days, and that day could be today!

Paul wrote a couple of letters to Christians which are entitled in the Bible as 1 and 2 Thessalonians. In the first letter he reminds believers to comfort one another with the assured coming of the Lord Jesus (4:13-18). And to the Corinthians he wrote that this "snatching up" of the church, His Bride, would take place quickly. It would happen as quickly as the blinking of an eye (1 Cor. 15:52).

Preachers have been scorned and laughed at through the years for preaching about a one-world government, a one-world currency, about global community, and about trials and tribulations which will require a world-leader to solve. I heard one of the government leaders of our nation interviewed the other night and he was asked about the tough financial times we are presently going through. He said that it seems like we might have to come together as a world community and consider a new form of currency. Today, those foolish preachers, God love of, don’t sound as foolish.

It is in these kinds of times in which we are presently living that the church should be fundamentally sound in Biblical doctrine. Perhaps even today the angel is preparing his trumpet, getting it ready to sound the "come up here" blast! If you aren’t ready to meet Jesus in forgiveness of sin through repentance when that trumpet sounds, then you will be one of those left behind wondering what has happened.

Sun, Jan 18th - 8:47PM

Mon, Jan 12th - 12:15AM

Beware of the Nicolaitans

It is in the book of The Revelation where we meet a dangerous group of individuals. Jesus revealed them as the Nicolaitans. He revealed his hatred for their "deeds" in 2:1 and their "doctrine" in 2:15. Even the name seems like a reference to an odd bunch. Wonder if they, like dinosaurs, became extinct?

It doesn’t seem as though they have disappeared from the scene. Their relatives are all around in today’s society. With that said, perhaps we need to find out just who are these creatures.

You will remember that The Revelation is the unveiling of Jesus Christ by way of His angel to John His servant. The unveiling concerns the future, thus the Revelation is a book of prophesy. My understanding is that He unveiled the church age and then the future tribulation followed by the second coming and eternity with God.

The book was circulated to the seven churches in Asia. To the church at Ephesus, Jesus commended the membership for their rejection of the "deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate"(2:6). Then when writing to Pergamos He warned that they have those in the church who "hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans"(2:15). Thus, they are real dangers in these early churches.

The name Nicolaitan comes from a combination of two words. The first is Nico which means overcome. The second is Laitanes meaning lay people. Put together the idea is of a superior and more intelligent leadership or group in the church which lords over the rank and file.

Their deeds resulted from their doctrine. Their belief system classified them as false teachers because their beliefs were contrary to the teachings of scripture. They taught that the spirit was good but the flesh was evil. Therefore, according to the Nicolaitans, a person could live it up and do as one pleased because sin in the flesh had no effect upon the spirit. The ears of many leaned in their direction because they believed they could fulfill all the desires of the flesh without fear of injury to the spirit.

The scripture reminds us that God did hate there actions and their teaching. He knew that "a little leaven leavens the whole lump(1 Cor.5:6)

I don’t know whether or not we classify some of the actions by professing Christians as the acts of the Nicolaitans! Their doctrine might not be taught verbatim in a classroom, but the everyday lifestyles of some church members indicates their support for such a teaching.

The Christian life is a much different life from that which describes these heretics. Paul, in his letter to the Romans, speaks of our relationship to God as the act of His grace. Believers have been "justified by faith"(5:1). To be justified is to be declared not guilty. Our sin nature is cleansed and sin will not be held against us. Why? Because of the blood of Jesus.

The cross is where we find the Lord Jesus. Our faith in Him lifts us up from the miry pit of sin. His resurrection from the grave seals our hope of eternal life. It is through Jesus, according to Romans 5:1-5, we have "peace with God", that "we have access by faith in this grace", and whereby "we rejoice in hope of the glory of God".

Paul goes on in these scriptures to remind us that tribulations will produce perseverance, that perseverance produces character, and character produces hope. This is assured hope, not some wishful desiring of something which might or might not come to pass.

The Nicolaitans can bow their knee on Sunday and raise cain and satisfy fleshly lusts on Monday without feeling any guilt. I don’t think they are extinct. I believe they live today. Some of them are in our churches, seeking to Lord over the laity while teaching liberal ideas that don’t match up to the Holy Bible. They are false teachers! Beware!

Sun, Jan 4th - 11:21PM

Spiritual Revival Is Needed To Cleanse The Cancer of Sin

Revival has always been the heartbeat of the local church. She has sought for a repentant church family, for souls to be converted to Jesus Christ, and for communities to be cleaned up by virtue of a revived people.

If most local churches have lost any thing of value, it seems to be this heartbeat for revival. The most revered of all revival scriptures is quoted often. It is found in second Chronicles 7:14.There God spoke to Solomon these profound words: "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

This is the clearest guide to revival recorded in God’s Word. Preachers preach on the text, people believe the text, and Satan fears the text. But simply preaching it and believing it is only half the victory. Real victory comes when the guidebook is followed.

Josiah was the boy king who led in a national revival among the Jewish people. That revival produced outward change but did not change the heart of the people. The sin malignancy remained. For the physically inflicted, doctors do all they can when particular cancers are discovered. Sometimes they consider the disease in remission. But in a matter of days or years, in most cases, the problem reoccurs. The cancer seems defeated only to emerge in another part of the body at a later date.

So it was under Josiah’s revival. The nation of Israel discovered that the malignancy of sin had reemerged and the heart of the nation’s people was characterized as an unrepentant and unchanged population. That’s when God sent His prophet Zephaniah to the nation to warn them of the coming of the Lord.

Zephaniah ministered as a result of the reform under Josiah. He hammered home the message of hope beyond judgement which was coming. He called for a change in the heart, not just in one’s mouth.

In the 2^nd chapter of his book, Zephaniah, he gathered the people together. He cried out, "Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth, Who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the LORD’S anger".

I’ve read and heard a zillion blueprints (well it seems to be that many) by so called trained and intelligent individuals concerning their answers to our nation’s problems. And not one of them has hinted at the idea of a spiritual revival. And you might respond, "that is a subject you can’t talk about publically any longer. We are a diverse nation and we can’t hurt anyone’s feelings.

But spiritual revival is preciously what our nation needs in this darkening hour. We’ve all been told by national leaders that we are in a hole so deep its doubtful we will ever be able to get out. I certainly don’t think, for instance, I’ll ever see our nation debt free. We’ll just print more paper money and keep on propping up our economy with debt until the nations holding our loans demands for them to be repaid.

Although revival speaks to the believer, the spiritually revived has an enormous influence on communities in which people live. Renewed peace and cleansed hearts permeates throughout everything a community undertakes.

Thus, as we move along in this New Year, and then beyond inauguration day, let our prayers be heard in Heaven. Let’s pray for a cleansing in the hearts of repenting individuals. We don’t need protracted meetings just because they are the norm. We need a revival which shall cause individuals to look beyond the outward person and into the heart. You see, until the heart is cleansed, outward reform will never last for long.

God’s formula for revival, given to Solomon back in 2 Chronicles, remains the guide to real revival in 2009. It is His people, humbling themselves before Him, praying and seeking His face while turning from their wicked ways. That is what prompts Him to hear, forgive, and restore. May this be our prayer.