Originally written for my brothers in faith and discipleship Good Friday 2019.
God, I pray you would renew my heart again today. Move me to read scripture and pray with my family. Help me to be their spiritual leader, to teach and equip them for the great commission.
Motivate me to build a Godly household. Prepare us to share our faith. God, help us to be loving and bold in our faith.
God, open our eyes to see. Don’t let us be blinded by the “entertainment” and “pleasures” of this world. Give us a deep desire to know you more and desire your kingdom more than this world.
Forgive me of my daily sins of apathy, grumbling and discontent. Fill me, oh God, with hope and joy.
In Jesus Christ’s name I pray – Amen
Erwin W. Lutzer “The Church in Babylon: Heeding the Call to Be a Light in the Darkness”
“Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” Jeremiah 29:5-7 ESV https://www.bible.com/59/jer.29.5-7.esv
Reports of the spectacular growth of Christianity in Africa are well known. What is less known is how it is happening. Glenn has visited Africa and has reported on the growth of the church in the book he co-wrote with Jerry Trousdale, The Kingdom Unleashed. In today’s show the Pugcasters interview one of the leaders of this phenomenal movement. There were many remarkable things that they learned in the course of the interview–an important one being how Islam is growing in Africa through a combination of biological growth, conversion through marriage, business dealings with strings attached, and the building of mosques.
Identify a “person of peace” … someone from the community to be a bridge into the community
Establish Access Ministries (5 pillars)
Prayer and Fasting
Service with a purpose, fill a need Education/vo-tech, clean water, health facilities, seed banks, government corruption/justice, business/jobs
Every believer is a disciple, and every disciple is a disciple maker. “Who is your disciple?”
Multiplication Church planting, small groups
Partnerships When government programs fail. Involving people in their own development.
Islam vs Christianity
Kingdom building
Family multiplication
Businesses
Building (physical representation of the Church, claiming ground for Jesus)
Spiritual Warfare
Battle in the spiritual realm first by prayer and fasting
Believe! Has the church in America become blind to spiritual things?
Need a supernatural worldview revival in the churches in America!
Fear of What is Coming Out of America
Like the church of Pergamum. (Revelation 2:12-17)
But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality.
A prayer of Hope in times of danger, distress, and terror.
July, 2016
I was feeling great sorrow and distress over the turmoil in our nation and world. It is obvious God has been pulling away as we have been pushing him out. The acts of terror, racial and police violence, and political uncertainty and division.
But, Christ is in me, the hope of glory! (Colossians 1:27)
In my Scripture reading and meditation today:
1. I prayed from the Psalms “I am weary from grief; strengthen me through Your word.” (Psalm 119:28)
2. I was both encouraged and challenged that when God had twice revealed plans for the ultimate destruction of Israel, twice he relented after the intercessory prayer and pleading of the prophet Amos. All is not lost, but we must plead and pray and repent! “‘Lord God, please forgive! How will Jacob survive since he is so small?’ The Lord relented concerning this. ‘It will not happen, He said.” (Amos 7:2-3)
3. I marveled in the hope of glory! “God’s mystery—Christ. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him.” (Colossians 1:2b-3)
So, have hope, do not be deceived and be thankful! (Colossians 1:4,7)
Pray
“O Lord, whose power is infinite and wisdom infallible… let us dwell in Your most secret place under Your shadow, where there is safe protection…
Help us to be entirely dependent on You for support, counsel, and consolation.
Strengthen us by Your Holy Spirit for every purpose of our Christian life.
Remember all the times Jesus healed and even brought the dead to life
I have seen people healed from health afflictions after earnest prayer in our small group
15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
James 5:15-16 (ESV)
But does not always heal
7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations,[a] a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:1-10 (ESV)
To keep Paul from becoming conceited, or trusting in his own ability and righteousness, rather than in God’s grace and power.
So that Paul’s weakness would bear witness to God’s greatness.
We can’t always understand His ways
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” 35 “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
Romans 11:33-36 (ESV)
But we can trust that all things are for our good and His glory
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,[a] for those who are called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28 (ESV)
And even death cannot separate us from His love!
38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Enchantment, chanting, charming, charm, glamour, cosmetics, cosmos, grammar, spell, incantation… what do they all mean, and what do they have in common?
In [this] show Glenn begins with a marvelous series of word studies ranging all the way from “enchantment” to “cosmology”. His point is that our language is full of words that reflect a time when the world was full of meaning and words were spells that drew on those meanings. Undoubtedly, the very fact that we’ve lost the original meanings of words like “spell” and “magic” just reinforces the point that we now live in a disenchanted world.
Or do we? Tom points out in the conversation that what we actually have now is black magic. Our words now bend and twist things as we seek to dominate our world and other people. We’ve lost the “good magic” of Aslan and all we’re left with is the “black magic” of the White Witch.
Beware the black magic: “so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes…
Be the good magic: “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,” Ephesians 4:14-15 ESV https://www.bible.com/59/eph.4.14-15.esv
Put away the black magic: “Therefore, having put away falsehood…
Be the good magic: “let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.” Ephesians 4:25 ESV https://www.bible.com/59/eph.4.25.esv
Do not speak black magic: “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths…
Be the good magic: “but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Ephesians 4:29 ESV https://www.bible.com/59/eph.4.29.esv
Avoid the black magic: “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness…
Be children of good magic: “but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” Ephesians 5:6-8 ESV https://www.bible.com/59/eph.5.6-8.esv
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.'”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” John 1:1-18 ESV https://www.bible.com/59/jhn.1.1-18.esv
Martin Luther’s nailing of his ninety-five theses to the church door on October 31, 1517, provoked a debate that culminated finally in what we now call the Protestant Reformation...
Reform: to make changes in order to improve. Reformation: 16th century movement for the reform of the church.
Sola Fide, by faith alone. Sola Scriptura, by Scripture alone. Solus Christus, through Christ alone. Sola Gratia, by grace alone. Soli Deo Gloria, glory to God alone.
Be a light of the Grace and Truth of Jesus Christ in the darkness!
[Jesus] also said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket or under a bed? Isn’t it to be put on a lampstand? For nothing is concealed except to be revealed, and nothing hidden except to come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, he should listen!” (Mark 4:21-29)
Scripture is the source of truth, not traditions of men.
[Jeusus] answered them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written:
These people honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. They worship Me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commands of men. (Mark 7:1-23)
Martin Luther’s nailing of his ninety-five theses to the church door on October 31, 1517, provoked a debate that culminated finally in what we now call the Protestant Reformation…
Today, Luther’s legacy lives on in the creeds and confessions of Protestant bodies worldwide. As we consider his importance this Reformation Day, let us equip ourselves to be knowledgeable proclaimers and defenders of biblical truth. May we be eager to preach the Gospel of God to the world and thereby spark a new reformation of church and culture. (1)
Then Jesus replied to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many. (Matthew 24:4-5)
Now the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared. (1 Timothy 4:1-4)
Do not fear, even the Demons must obey Jesus!
As soon as [Jesus] got out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came out of the tombs and met Him… When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and knelt down before Him. And he cried out with a loud voice, “What do You have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You before God, don’t torment me!” For [Jesus] had told him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!”
“What is your name?” [Jesus] asked him.
“My name is Legion,” he answered Him, “because we are many.” And he kept begging Him not to send them out of the region.
Now a large herd of pigs was there, feeding on the hillside. The demons begged Him, “Send us to the pigs, so we may enter them.” And [Jesus] gave them permission. (Mark 5:1-20)
Martin Luther, Sola Scriptura, The Creation Museum.
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, our Creator. Our rebellion has brought “all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice… envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness” to the world. Romans 1:29-31 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.1.29-31.ESV
Therefore we justly deserve our due punishment of death and damnation, “as it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.’” Romans 3:10-12 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.3.10-12.ESV
But good news! 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.
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.” 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1co.15.3-8.ESV
““Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”” Acts 2:36-38 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/act.2.36-38.ESV
We need only repent and believe it. Repent: turn away from our sins, proclaim Jesus is lord and savior, and we will be forgiven our sins and have life ever after! “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”” Romans 10:9-11 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.10.9-11.ESV
There is hope. Believe in Jesus! ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.3.16.ESV
It doesn’t matter who you’ve been or what you’ve done, God stands with arms wide open, ready to forgive you. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1jn.1.9.ESV
In his book, Fishers of Men, Dr. Sumner Wemp describes what it means to be an ambassador of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings:
God has chosen us (John 15:16)
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
We are to reconcile others to God with His authority (Matthew 28:19-20)
‘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.” ‘
Do not let kindness and truth leave you (Proverbs 3:3-4)
‘ Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.’
In your mercy I pray that compassion and a love for life would overcome Peoria.
I pray in your power, in the mighty name of Jesus, that this abortion facility would close.
I pray for forgiveness and healing for all the women that have killed their children. Save them. Rescue them, Lord.
I pray your church would reach out in mercy and love and compassion.
Forgive us, God, for too often ignoring and remaining silent about this issue. Help us to serve you and to stand for the forgotten, the unwanted, the orphan, and the widow.
I pray that any men, fathers, husbands, or others, that enabled women to kill their children rather than protect mother and child, would be pierced in their hearts with the guilt of their sin and would turn to you for forgiveness and healing.
I pray, Lord Jesus, that any predators that use abortion to hide their crimes, or traffickers that use abortion to keep victims available would be brought to justice.
I pray, Heavenly Father, for an end to abortion in America.
“… [We] bow [our] knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant [us], according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in [our] hearts through faith; that [we], being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that [we] may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:14-21 NKJV https://www.bible.com/114/eph.3.14-21.nkjv)
