Blog Posts

Household prayer: providence and the work of our hands

Brothers, I’m praying our children will see God’s hand, His work and His power, in history. And I pray they will see their part in His story. Bless the work of our hands, Lord, to educate and instruct our children in the knowledge of God!

“Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.

Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!”

Psalm‬ ‭90:16-17‬ ‭ESV‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.90.16-17.ESV

“For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!”

‭Psalm‬ ‭95:3-6‬ ‭ESV‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.95.3-6.ESV

End Times, Rapture, so what?

“The last days are here… let our lot be genuine life in Jesus Christ. Do not let anything catch your eye besides Him.”

Ignatius
Bishop of Antioch, appointed by Peter, companion of John, arrested by the Roman government and thrown to wild beasts in the Colosseum

If you find yourself obsessing over the news and sermons on the end times, maybe it’s time to ask yourself, “so what?“

So what if it is the end times?

What does that mean to me and my faith? So what should I be thinking? So what should I be doing?

So…

1. Do not be led astray!
When the disciples asked Jesus when the tribulation would happen, the very first thing he says is, “See that no one leads you astray.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭24:3-4‬ ‭ESV‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/59/mat.24.4.ESV

How do you keep from being led astray? Read, study, and know God’s word!

The rest are the same in these times or the end time…

  1. Love God
    “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” 
    The Shema, Deuteronomy 6:4-7
  2. Live for God
    No longer walk as unbelievers do. Eph. 4:17
    Put off your unbelieving way of life. Eph. 4:22
    Be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Eph. 4:23
    Do not be deceived by the sons of disobedience. Eph. 5:6
  3. Love your neighbor
    “‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.'” 
    Greatest commandment, Matthew 22:36-40
  4. Love to the end
    “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” 
    Matthew 24:13
  5. Proclaim the good news!
    “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”
    Matthew 24:14

    “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'” 
    The Great Commission, Matthew 28:18-20

The clear sign the end is near: The Abomination of Desolation

An “image” of the antichrist. someone (a person) that seems to accomplish signs and wonders. He will require that he be worshiped, and anyone that doesn’t will be put to death. He will set himself up in the temple in Jerusalem.

Matthew 24:15-21, Revelation 13:15

Paul calls him “the man of lawlessness.” Simply a man with seemingly great powers given by Satan.

Do not be alarmed, do not be deceived!

“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.”

Matthew‬ ‭24:6‬ ‭ESV‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/59/mat.24.6.ESV

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction

2 Thessalonians 2:3-9

Household Prayer: image bearers on earth

This week I just want to share the prayer I shared at the foundations/essentials parents meeting.

https://bible.com/bible/59/mat.6.10.ESV

“And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”” Matthew 22:20-21 ESV

“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:26-27 ESV

“but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”” Matthew 19:14 ESV

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10 ESV

Heavenly Father, thank you that we are yours, that we have your likeness and image upon us. Thank you that our children bear your image, your inscription.

And thank you Lord that if we place our faith and trust in your Son we are forgiven and sealed with the Holy Spirit. 

Holy Spirit lead us in your truth. Help us with our faith and obedience as we seek to do your will here on earth as it is in heaven.

Heavenly Father bless our community, help us live in obedience and display love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self-control. 

Help us as we instruct and educate our children to know you, and help us equip our children to make you known in this world. Thank you, Lord, that our children belong to you.

For your glory God because you first loved us. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray – Amen

“Some things – educating the young, caring for the old or ill – might be just too precious to leave to the care of impersonal institutions. Other things might be just too risky to fully outsource – things like food security and sources of income are moving closer to home…

exercising dominion, as in the dominion the first household was given, and as Tom Bombadil, in The Lord of the Rings, lives it out in Middle Earth. Now, I know what you’re thinking – domination is bad. But the word dominion shares a common root with the Latin word for home, domus, from which we get the word domesticity. Tom Bombadil’s dominion is not over other people but over his own home domain.”

“Households Are Back” By C. R. Wiley https://www.plough.com/en/topics/life/work/households-are-back

Household Prayer: hopefully optimistic!

Hopefully optimistic!

Brothers, I pray for an attitude that is hopefully optimistic. I pray we can be hopefully optimistic as we are doing the hard work of building Godly households and raising the next generation in the instruction and admonition of the Lord. No matter what the spiritual condition of the culture around us, we are praying and working in faith and obedience to bring God’s will to earth as it is in heaven. Carrying out our ambassador and witness responsibilities. Not because we have to, but because we get to thanks to the mercy and grace of our savior!

“Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Matthew 6:9-13 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/mat.6.9-13.ESV
“The more we make reading the Bible a part of our daily routine, the more we desire and appreciate it:”
buff.ly/3zP2tCR
“Daniel obeyed God’s laws, not the pagan laws. And through Daniel’s love, faith, and obedience to God, he thrived in an ungodly land.”

“Those who stand steadfastly on the historic principles of the Christian faith will eventually be called extremists by the ones blown about by the winds of cultural change”

https://founders.org/2021/07/22/pleasing-christ-in-uncertain-days/

“… if the Bible calls it a sin, it’s a sin. Don’t try to nuance the Bible into oblivion. Open the Book and let it speak! Be so fanatical that you take this Book for what it says and how it says it. Be a Bible man or Bible woman. It’s okay to be a weird young earther. Moses was. Paul was. Jesus is. I’m content siding with them. If it’s the “simple-minded” who’re willing to believe what the Bible says, count me among them. I’ll make my home with the pig farmers over the professors. Count me among the cultural exiles rather than the capitulating elites…

The foulest sinner in your town or in your home or God forbid, on your deacon board, is no match for the power of God in the gospel. Preach the gospel to the self-righteous, the down and out, the poor, the rich, the affluent, and the illiterate. And trust that it is the power of God for salvation for all who believe. No breathing sinner is beyond the reach of God. So, be a gospel radical…

2 Corinthians 5:10 reminds us that we won’t stand before earthly kings or presidents or networks one day. No. It will be the King of kings Himself. The Lord Jesus Christ. Will we be found faithful? Will we be found loyal? …

Your aim is to please Christ. Your goal, your desire, your ambition is to please the King for the glory of His Name. Carry that motto to the guillotine.”

Pleasing Christ in Uncertain Days https://founders.org/2021/07/22/pleasing-christ-in-uncertain-days/

“Righteousness means a person wants what is right according to the Word of God:”
buff.ly/2TJuFaS
“The Bible tells us, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16). A righteous person is a person who is in right standing with God. A righteous person has a personal relationship with Jesus as his or her Savior. A righteous person seeks to obey God and yield to the direction of the Holy Spirit. Righteousness means a person wants what is right according to the Word of God—he or she wants to see God’s Truth and God’s will established on this earth.”

Household Prayer: fruit of the spirit

Hey brothers, hoping and praying you are well. It’s been tough getting the school discipline fired back up. I admittedly didn’t exhibit the fruit of the spirit well this week, so I’m praying for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Praying to keep the focus on knowing God and making Him known in the instruction of our children, equipping them to hold firm in the faith as they become His ambassadors and witness in the world. I pray for each of you as well. For His glory!

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Galatians 5:22-23 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/gal.5.22-23.ESV

“By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”

John 15:8 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.15.8.ESV
https://www.ltw.org/read/my-devotional/2021/08/give-god-credit

Tyranny, Politics, and the Pre-Political

Are you fundamentally political? follow that to its conclusion, if you, body and soul, are political, then you are a creature of the state. Are you? What would God say?

“Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.”

Matthew‬ ‭22:17-22‬ ‭ESV‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/59/mat.22.17-18.ESV

Is Politics Everything?

The Theology Pugcast had an excellent episode recently, asking the question “Is Politics Everything?“

Tyranny always makes everything political. That’s how a tyrant can take control of all aspects of life. Sex? Political. Gender? Political. Labor? Political. Health care? Yep, political. Vaccinations? You know it, political! Oh, here is a good one, children? Political. The state wants to control it all!

“the Left pushes its ideology ever deeper into the personal realm, leaving fewer and fewer areas of daily life uncontested. This, warned Arendt, is a sign that a society is ripening for totalitarianism, because that is what totalitarianism essentially is: the politicization of everything.”— Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents by Rod Dreher
https://a.co/0gFsTIo

In this episode, and I highly recommend it… all the way through, there are some truth bombs at the end. They coin the term “pre-political.”

We are, our gender, marriage, children, all of it, we are pre-political.

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1:1‬ ‭ESV‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/59/gen.1.1.ESV

God created us, not the state or politics.

“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.””
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1:26‬ ‭ESV‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/59/gen.1.26.ESV

God made humans before the state and politics.

God made humans in His image. This has huge implications that should not be overlooked.

Money, in Matthew 22 a denarius (Matt. 22:21), has the states “likeness.” Therefore, we pay our taxes to the state. Our money is political (not to be confused with labor!).

But our children and we ourselves have God’s “likeness” (Gen. 1:26), therefore we belong to God. We are pre-political.

“Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.””

Matthew‬ ‭22:17, 19-21‬ ‭ESV‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/59/mat.22.21.ESV

Listen to The Theology Pugcast “Is Politics Everything?” here https://subspla.sh/9x2gmqn

“You may have heard feminists say, “The personal is political”—but are they right? Is the relationship between a mother and her child really a political relationship—or is it something else? In today’s show the guys discuss what else relationships like this could be. The term that they use is “pre-political”.”

https://subspla.sh/9x2gmqn

Christians are owned by a higher authority

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

1 Corinthians‬ ‭6:19-20‬ ‭ESV‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/59/1co.6.19-20.ESV

Foundations of the United States of America

The concept of the pre-political nature of man is the foundation of America.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Declaration Of Independence https://a.co/6ICBszd

Therefore, the state is derived from among the people with the purpose of securing our pre-political nature.

“That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,”

Declaration Of Independence https://a.co/figcjIb

What happens when we let what belongs to God become political?

Biden BLM [Bureau of Land Management] nominee called to ‘wage war on overpopulation’

“Manning is quoted:  “The damage is evident and the demise of the [grizzly bear is] imminent, yet we continue our war cries while breeding our weapons“

Yes, she just “referred to a human child as an ‘environmental hazard‘ and called for Americans to have no more than two children”

She claims “‘we must breed fewer consuming humans.’  In other words, save the grizzlies but get rid of as many humans as possible and stop people having children (or I’m sure she would support killing them by abortion).  But God states the opposite.”  – Ken Ham

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.

Genesis 1:28

Education from Worship

If our purpose is to glorify and worship God and enjoy him forever, then education, as with all aspects of life, should be an expression of that worship.

True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth…

John 4:21-24

“What is the chief end [or purpose] of man? Man’s chief end [or purpose] is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” – A Baptist Catechism, question 2

“God is to be worshipped everywhere in spirit and truth – daily in each family and privately by each individual.” – 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, 22:6

“Worship is central to life; therefore, it is central to education for that life… education and learning follow worship and proceed from it… education that does not begin and end in heaven is not true education.” – Wilson, The Case for Classical Christian Education

“Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers, consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels that you may…

tell the next generation that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever.

Psalm 48:12-14
https://www.ltw.org/read/my-devotional/2021/07/christ-is-counter-cultural

South Africa – Lesson on Community Defense – Household Defense

In recent days parts of South Africa have devolved into civil unrest. AlertsUSA sent the following alert, “US Embassy S. Africa issues security alert warning of unrest and violence in Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Johannesburg & Pretoria. Urges low profile.”

“When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he assembled his 318 trained men, born in his household, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.”  

Genesis‬ ‭14:14‬ ‭CSB‬‬

“… when chaos strikes, you’re on your own.”

This is an opportunity to pray for the people of South Africa. It is also time to use what is happening to inform our own defensive strategies.

Matthew Bracken shared a short (6 minute) tribute video. How would we respond to defend our communities? A tribute to those that heeded the call “to protect their communities when the government could not.” Sadly, in the U.S. last year, we would have to say, “when the government would not!”

“South African Heroes. A tribute to the [ARMED] people who defended their communities when no-one else could.” https://youtu.be/ZcBan4u28ZI

“Chaos in South Africa ‘intensifies’ serving as a bold warning for US”
https://youtu.be/iSseQ-A6HvA

Armed South African citizens fire on citizens during chaotic unrest
https://youtu.be/oWbExjZo_eg

Getting the Family on Board with Home Defense

Excellent article here: https://warriorpoetsociety.us/getting-the-family-on-board-with-home-defense/
video here: https://youtu.be/LQdWl8qt8qs
July 16, 2021 by Warrior Poet Society

T.REX Arms Intro Rifle Class

https://www.trex-arms.com/training-rifle-class/

The purpose of this class is to take newer shooters through the majority of tasks with a carbine to create confidence and establish perspective. Marksmanship, recoil-management, reloads, malfunction-clearing, basic shooting positions, and getting started moving with a carbine. The targetry selected provides a baseline of speed and marksmanship on a human-sized silhouette out to 50m.

The Gray Zone Activity Blog: beyond Shoot, Move, and Communicate

This timely blog post discusses the six capabilities the Army began using as a baseline for skills and readiness:

The traditional:
– Shoot: Proficiency in self-defense tactics and tools.
– Move: Physical fitness and mobility will be key to your survival.
– Communicate: Transmitting information
— everything from hand signals to High Frequency — is vital.

The non-traditional:
– Medicate: “Fairly obvious, but one challenge has been figuring out how to Medicate during sustained emergencies without access or availability to hospitals.”
– Sustain: “This is more than beans, bullets, and band-aids. This includes provisions for shelter, fuel, parts, gear, and just about anything else required for ongoing survival.”
– Decontaminate: “As I mentioned above, infectious diseases were responsible for two-thirds of Civil War deaths. Do we have a quarantine plan? Do we have the ability to sustain that quarantine?”
Read here: https://www.grayzoneactivity.com/blog/beyond-shoot-move-and-communicate

Community will be key. Do we have a family, church and community that will be ready to pull together in the event of sustained civil unrest? How can we start getting ready?

“When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he assembled his 318 trained men, born in his household, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.”

Genesis‬ ‭14:14‬ ‭CSB‬‬ 

AMENDMENT II 

A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

Education is Warfare – Disciple the Nations – SexEd?

Education is warfare

We, Christian families and the Church, are called to disciple all nations, baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them all of God’s commands.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭28:19-20‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/59/mat.28.19-20.esv

Why such a focus on sex in government education? Is education primarily sexual?!?

“New York Times Shocked: Parents Oppose ‘Porn Literacy’ In Schools” https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-york-times-shocked-parents-oppose-porn-literacy-in-schools

We Will Not Be Silenced: Responding Courageously to Our Culture’s Assault on Christianity
by Erwin W. Lutzer

“A reminder that “secular” doesn’t mean neutral. As Jesus said “Whoever is not with me is against me…” (Mathew 12:30). Secular means anti-God. A reminder public school education is not neutral. Everyone has a worldview, a religion, through which they see the world around them. Teachers are not neutral. Curricula are not neutral. Don’t be shocked when a secular curricula does not promote Christian morality. Without God’s absolute Word as the foundation, anything goes. Parents are now seeing “secular” for what it really is.” Ken Ham https://twitter.com/aigkenham/status/1415989585117646848?s=21

Government schools claim to be neutral, but they are not. They are promoting a worldview, a godless religion. “The Christian faith is not a condiment to be used to flavor the neutral substance of secular knowledge. Paul tells us that every thought is to be made captive to Christ (2 For. 10:1-4)… Jesus said we are to disciple the nations, and to the extent that we see anything out of line with His Word, we are to call that into obedience.” (The Case for Classical Christian Education by Doug Wilson)

Is our children’s education grounded on the Truth? Are we making disciples? Or is our faith in Jesus Christ just a condiment squirted on a pagan education?

Household Prayer – 3/30/2021

“For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.””

‭Genesis‬ ‭18:19‬ ‭ESV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/59/gen.18.19.esv

Brothers, today I’m praying for our households. Praying that we would be set apart and dependent on the Lord in community with our church, including our CC community.

The link below is a video reviewing the diary of a young man and his household from the 1800s with a lesson for us as men today. I find it fascinating and inspiring. My personal family vision is to leave a Godly legacy. Working that out over the last 16 years has evolved into the practical theology of building a Godly household. I’ve spent the last 2-3 years considering what a Godly household is from Scripture. Some thoughts on it are to be “set apart” (holy, set apart for God) and “dependent on no one” (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12). To be builders and producers. To be fruitful, fill the earth, and take dominion (Gen. 1:28; Gen. 2:15; Gen. 14:4; Gen. 18:19; Jeremiah 29:4-7; Matt. 28:18-20). I have a long way to go. I hope the video is encouraging to you as well.

Household: (Hebrew: bayit) family, estate, dynasty, armory, clan, strong fortress.

Economy: Latin from the Greek oikonomia, oikos: household, nemein: manage, or household management.

youtu.be/AeJYrkxY74s

Reform the Church and ReEnchant the World with God’s Truth and Grace!

Enchant (latin: encantio): to speak meaning into.

If the church is not reenchanting this fallen world with God’s truth and grace, then it is being disenchanted with the lies of Satan!

“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
– Romans 10:14-15

Prayer, public witness of the church, and proclaiming God’s truth and grace.

Why are we here (in this sin fallen world)? 
To bear witness to God and His truth and grace. 
To make disciples of all nations.
Matthew 28:18-20

Why are we here (on the sidewalk outside an abortion clinic)? 
To bear witness to God and His truth and grace. 
To love the captive soul and to preach the good news!
Romans 10:14-15

What message are we sharing and bearing witness to? 
There is a God that created the heavens and the earth.
We humans are created in His image.
We are sinners, we have rebelled against Him, and justly deserve our due punishment of death and damnation.
But God is merciful and loving. 
Jesus is God the only begotten Son and He took our punishment upon Himself in our place.
Jesus rose from the dead, defeating death and securing the hope of our salvation.
We need only confess our sins, proclaim Jesus is lord and savior, and repent and we will be forgiven our sins and have life ever after!
Romans 3:10-18, 23
1 Corinthians 15:3-8
John 3:16-21
Ephesians 2:1-10

Leviticus 18:21; Matt. 5:17-19; Acts 2:37-41