Friday, February 25, 2011

Believing The Promises of God


No matter what difficult times we face, as long as you are a son or daughter of the One True Living God, He has you in the very Palm of His Hands!

So let not your hearts be troubled! He Who made you will sustain you, fight for you, and go ahead for you! Why? Because He sent His One and Only Son - Jesus - to die for you!

Thursday, February 24, 2011

FROM EGYPT TO THE GARDEN OF EDEN??!!

Egypt is a land rich in the history of the Lion of Judah. It was Jesus Christ in the Pillar of fire and the Cloud Who led the Moses and the Israelites out of that country. When Herod sought to slay every baby under the age of two in Bethlehem, an Angel of the Lord appeared unto Joseph and told him to take Mary and the baby Jesus down to Egypt until it was safe to come back.

Skip forward to the 21st Century, almost 2000 years later and the same land of Egypt is in turmoil.  The "revolution" there put end times prophesy into overdrive. However, this is just a latest instalment of the unfolding story! In the land of the Garden of Eden - Iraq (or ancient Assyria/Babylon) Creation is groaning as well. (By the way, Genesis 2: 10-14 identifies where the Garden of Eden was! There was never a mystery!!!)

The ill-fated Iraq War after from 2003 to the present time has led to more chaos and the displacement of the Christian minority descendants of the ancient Semitic Assyrians. Since US troops invaded and took over Baghdad, the million plus Iraqi Christians who had lived there since the time of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, were run out of their ancient homes and/or killed or persecuted by the hundreds, by their fanatical half brothers from the tribe of Ishmael/islam.

Site of The Garden of Eden!
Now is the time for the people of God here in America and around the globe, to step up intercession for this "powder keg" in the Middle East. It is easy to sit here and write down Scriptures, prophesies and revelation from God what it all means. It may SEEM like another to live daily in a world where the price of gas, food, water etc are skyrocketing and opportunities for worldly advancement and even living well, in the natural, seem limited. 

But let not your hearts be troubled. A coming day gives us all hope, my friends!! Here is what Isaiah said in 19:23 "
In that day Egypt and Assyria will be connected by a highway. The Egyptians and Assyrians will move freely between their lands, and they will both worship God."!!!

This is amazing! You know what this means! Ancient Assyria is by the Upper Tigris River in Iraq. Read the passage from Genesis 2 again, (see above) where God reveals where the Garden of Eden was!! In the coming Kingdom of Heaven (where Christ will rule the Earth from Jerusalem), the storied land of Egypt will have real live worshippers travelling from there to A RESTORED GARDEN OF EDEN UP BY THE TIGRIS AND EUPHRATES RIVER ( and we can see from Google maps where those are)!!!

The Tigris River in ancient Assyria!
How about that!!! I am NOT making this up! This is the relevant revelation/interpretation of Scripture interpreting and explaining Scripture! This kind of discernment comes when Holy Spirit opens your eyes fully to what God is doing and how to "interpret the sign of the times"!!! This is what Jesus spoke about in Luke 12:56 .

So when we see reports and secret testimony like this from Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt two weeks ago, it is a precursor of God moving in the earthly realms, preparing for the kingdom of His Dear Son!! 

"After years and years of prayer by the Christians in Egypt for their country, at last we are starting to see an answer to our prayers! On the 6th of February, the 13th day of the protests, the Egyptian people decided to name that day the “Day of the Martyrs” to pray and remember those who lost their lives (around 300 people) since the beginning of the protests / revolution that started on the 25th of January. First, the Muslims prayed, with the Christians forming a human belt around them to protect them, then the Christians were given a chance to speak on the platform in front of hundreds of thousands of Muslims. One of our elders, some worship leaders, and the youth pastor from the church in Cairo went to Tahrir Square (the central square in Cairo where all the masses of people were gathered), and went on stage proclaiming the name of Jesus and worshipping the Lord in public. This is the first time Christ has ever been proclaimed in public in Egypt, and hundreds of thousands of Muslims were listening responsive to the message of peace that was delivered in the Name of Jesus.”
(Source: Protected, 15/02/11).

So keep a watchful eye on the Times. Do not lose heart but stay in the Word, read it with a heart for not just Application but Discernment. The latter can only happen through Faithfulness to the Lord Jesus, the True Word - Logos and Rhema - of Abba Father!

(Image of this Historic biblical map courtesy Google Images)
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Sunday, February 20, 2011

Tim & Deb Shultz speaking at BMIC Couples Banquet


The Jesus-powered duo of Tim and Debbie Shultz were an absolute blessing to the largest fellowship we ever had at all of our previous seven Business Men in Christ (BMIC) date night dinners! Well known in the northern part of Springfield as the founders, directors and spiritual leaders of the LIFETIME PREGNANCY HELP CENTER, Deb and Tim spoke so much love, and hope and encouragement to our wives and us, as husbands that we left more united as spouses than when we came in.

Their full message can be seen above. If you were unable to make the dinner with your wife or special lady or your fiancee, please watch this….and remember this, no matter who old or young we are, no matter what stage of Life we are in…or season…or station…never let the Dream die and never let Christ be anything else but NUMBER ONE in your heart!

On a personal note, I think their testimony represents not just the Power of the Redemption of the Cross of Christ, but the Purpose of God and the oh-so-exciting Possibilities of God as He reaches down to use those whom He saves, who are faithful and obedient and who love Him unconditionally as He loves us! I can testify to certain guest(s) who were so affected by this message that it changed their demeanor and direction afterwards! God's Word will never return void and neither will His Faithful Servants!
(bernie)

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Friday, February 11, 2011

STAINED GLASS MASQUERADE!



Many so-called Christians or even the real Children of God – the “ekklesia” (or the Body of Christ) miss out on SO MUCH! In fact WE JUST DON’T KNOW!!
We don’t know the Power of His Might.
We don’t know the Power of His Creation.
We don’t know the Presence of His Power (think about that for a second!)
We don’t know the Possibility of His Promise!
And why don’t we?
 Why are we PEW-OCCUPIED but not wholly SANCTIFIED?
Why is a fat lazy nation BUT NOT a HOLY NATION?
Why do we have the most immaculate neighborhood but don’t act like a ROYAL PRIESTHOOD?
I’ll tell you why – we’ve been seduced by the god of this world and do not even know it!  “What?? How dare you, an untrained and uneducated (I’m a seminary dropout – PRAISE GOD!!) street evangelist says that about our beautiful church buildings and pastors? Don’t you see we have the best carpets comforts, cafeterias and chandeliers?  Can’t you see we are full every Sunday, baptize regularly and have the best youth groups in town?
“Sure they text during the sermon, but that’s the latest evangelism tool!!!”…..
Laodecia Temple Ruins from Bible Times!
First of all, I (Bernie Lutchman) did not say any of this! Read the entire New Testament and then camp of Revelation chapters 2 and 3 to see what the HEAD OF THE CHURCH – the Living Word of God – JESUS says about our churches in America and the west…..and you say “well that was 2000 years ago!!” No! A thousand times NO!  That word from King Jesus was for the church for all time and apart from some weird cults and personality driven churches, almost every modern evangelical church in America lives in Laodicea!
What does this mean? Here is what Jesus Himself said in Revelation 3:17 “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked”.
The first order of business after reading this admonition from Christ is to search our hearts and let the Lord reveal our own shortcomings, so we can go about trying to fix them!!
There are many books and articles which can be written about the state of the modern church, but what I feel a burden for after a prayer meeting last evening, was the state of the modern church HEART!
PROPHETIC PASSAGE!
The passage the Lord laid upon my heart the following passage while in deep prayer over a certain other concern! I showed it to the event host who was amazed as it confirmed something for us. Here is the prophet Haggai from chapter 1: 2-9:
“Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.” Then the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways.You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.
“Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the Lord. You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the Lord of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house.”
This admonition was about the Temple!! The House of the Lord here on Earth! We who are saved…truly saved….are the NEW TEMPLE…the abiding place of the Holy Spirit of God! We fellowship corporately in a man-made structure called the Church, but we ARE the true ekklesia. We are the true church….or we are supposed to be!
In the above passage from Haggai, the Lord is speaking directly to us through His living, breathing Word!
Be a Prayer Missionary !
Take your average medium sized town and city – where the majority of Americans live and work. If the average unsaved individual (most people) were to look at your church building (or as Haggai says “paneled houses”), what would they say about you? Would they say that this particular church and its members care about the poor, sick, needy and lost and they would love to visit during your next community outreach?
OR…would they think we’re a bunch of well-dressed in our suits and khakis every Sunday; drive in our nice cars, leave after 1 hour and 34 mins and never say a word about evangelism, missions, outreach or the lost…until the next Sunday morning’s harmless (and technically correct) sermon?
Unfortunately, it is the latter!  That’s right! We’re a bunch of stuck up elitists sitting around waiting for a non-existent Pre-Trib Rapture!! Yes, I went there – there is no such thing as a pre-Tribulation rapture…a topic for another day!
WE DON’T:
We don’t Pray – unless someone sends out a prayer chain request for a medical or other emergency on the phone or email.
We don’t even TALK about prayer. We don’t have prayer services or solemn assemblies. We even tell people they are “in our thoughts and prayers” which is absolutely meaningless as we’re lying! We don’t pray for them! If we did, we would find a place to begin the Travailing Intercession process by praying with them IMMEDIATELY!
Modern American Megachurch
Next, we don’t Evangelize! We talk about the Great Commission and may even write a check for $20 to Franklin Graham’s Samaritan Purse, but won’t share Christ at work or give someone a book or even act concerned if a coworker has a problem with their son/daughter flunking out of school.  And forget street evangelism! That passing out tracts or being there to talk to someone about Jesus is for those “other guys and gals”.
It is no wonder that most American church leaders NEVER lead a soul to Christ, while having the best study curricula, fancy vacation bible schools and more!
We don’t do Missions. What? “But we write a check for that couple living in Ghana or Cambodia..” What ARE YOU doing? Missions is not something a selected called few do in poor Third World countries. The minute you step out your door, you’re in the biggest mission field ever! Take King Jesus….wherever he stopped, there was His Ministry – the Woman at the Well; the Rich young Ruler; the Roman Centurion etc. 
It is getting so bad that the biggest mission field sign is NOT over the Exit door as we leave on Sunday morning, but the BIGGEST MISSION FIELD sign is over the door leading to the Sanctuary!
This lack of Faithfulness to the Lord Jesus and His Word…even while we have nice harmless worship music and accurate preaching…has produced some horrible fruit….and this will lead to HARSH JUDGMENT on Judgment Day!
Here is what 1 Peter 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begins with us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?" 
This should scare any pastor/elder or deacon…but it does not! Judgment will start with church leadership who see their “good” works will go up in flames and will be grateful they’re even IN heaven!
MODERN CHURCH, SAME OLD BAD FRUIT:
Here is why: First, the rate of Divorce is higher INSIDE the church than the general population! Church members are sleeping around and fornicating and watching pornography like there is no tomorrow!! They think the Grace of God will cover a multitude of their sins!
Second, abortion and premarital sex are just as bad INSIDE the church as in the general population, as a result of this mindless fornication paradigm! My friends who run a ministry dealing with pregnant teens and young adults report that almost ALL their clients come in looking for an abortion and claiming they are Christians and go to such and such church!!!!!! Do you get what this means? Are we getting it now?!
While inward looking church leadership have their heads in the sand, their sheep are in the thicket, ripped apart by the thorns…and the elders can’t see it (or won’t). So you know what happens? Say a teenage girl gets pregnant and is shamed in her own church….they just move to another church more welcoming...because not every church is full of people who are not sinners or make mistakes!
Already Gone by Ken Ham  & Britt Beemer!
Third, according to extensive proof from massive research by Britt Beemer and Ken Ham, we already lost the next generation of youth from Grade 6 and up!! Read the amazing book “ALREADY GONE”! While these kids come to Sunday school with their parents because they have to, we have already lost the battle for their hearts for Christ and the Faith to the world! We have them for one hour per week…the devil’s playground has them the rest of the week!
This is the demographic more likely to believe gay marriage is right; abortion is okay; sex and drugs and rock and roll is fine because Miley Cyrus says she is a Christian and lives that lifestyle.
This is the demographic that will post profiles on Facebook and MySpace saying they are “Jesus –lovers”; since contemporary “Christian” songs which hardly mention Jesus if ever and will more likely than not, post a semi-nude or compromised unchristian photo of themselves on Facebook or Twitter!
Even worse, this is the proven demographic which says, according to both Barna and the Pew Foundation – 57% of these evangelicals think there is another way to heaven than Jesus! Did you hear that?  Our children and youth are coming out of our nice, well-behaved conservative churches thinking only 43% of what we say is right!!  What kind of preachers do we have in America???!!
What kind of church leadership would produce the next generation – 57% of them- who think the 300 millions demonic Hindu gods, or Islam or Zoroaster or that rock by the stream can get them into heaven! Remember – judgment begins in the House of the Lord – the church!
Fourth and final point – all of this spiritual incompetence – both by design and accident – is a result of the lack of proper teaching of the Creator and His Creation.  When we have more and more people believing in evolution and then saying they’re Christians, we have Corruption, period! A person CANNOT BELIEVE IN BOTH CHRIST AND EVOLUTION!! A true believer saved and sanctified by the Holy Ghost, will never attribute God’s creation to some massive blob exploding off a big bang ape crawling out of the sea in ancient Egypt 300 gazillion years ago…but more and more so-called Christians believe that lie from the pit of hell, via Charles Darwin!
The reaction of several church leaders I know in my own travels locally mostly is stunning! Instead of trying to fix the problems, seek Divine Guidance so God gets the Glory or go back to the Basics of the Faith, these pastors and leaders hunker down, grab even more of what they THINK IS THEIR TURF and cut off real men of God in their congregations who are the remnant that fully grasp this evil and urgency of the hour! They cut off and ignore the hurting teens, women and men in our offices, homes and even churches... and the Quiet Desperation of their people and while continuing with their Stained Glass Masquerade!


(Photos courtesy Google Images)
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Wednesday, February 9, 2011

THE FINAL GOODBYE - WHAT WILL YOU SAY...


"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" 2 Timothy 4:7 (ESV)

Sometime in the next 50 years, each of us reading this or within the sounds of crunching snow and ice, will stand before the LORD JESUS! Think about how short a time that is!! Even sold-out for Jesus Christians like myself are amazed at this fact! Think about this...50 years ago it was only 1961!! I just returned last weekend from a memorial service for my good brother in Christ  Dan Zanoza who died of cancer at the young age of 57.
     Dan was a blind man, yet he was a tireless pro-life activist in Illinois and the  man responsible for getting the ONNLY NATIVITY SCENE in a state Capitol in the US, into the Illinois State Capitol Dome building in Springfield. Watching brother Dan die was an amazing thing to behold. Of course his wife, Julie, was understandably grieved. But I got to watch a man die not just with grace but going out with his boots on for Jesus!
     I won't forget some of his last words "I will see again and the first person I will see is Jesus!!!" If that doesn't give you Godbumps...well....! 
     I uploaded one of my TV shows from a couple years ago about this topic - "what would your last or my last words be"? Prayerfully and hopefully, they will reflect the precious fruit that never perishes in the Eternal Kingdom....I show the various steps on how to plant, grow and nurture this type of fruit!

By Bernie Lutchman
Revelation 6:11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.
"
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Wednesday, February 2, 2011

PRAISE, PRAYER , POSSIBILITY.........new eBook in the coming weeks!

     Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin got in some media difficulty in the past few months for using firearms imagery to get a political point across. (In her case she urged her supporters to regroup, retreat and reload.) In Kingdom terms however, that is not a bad strategy!
     Jesus said in Matthew 6: 6-7 (NLT) "But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again". 
     The Messiah is urging precisely this - gathering yourself as a worshipping entity and repairing to a Secret Place where only YOU and Abba Father are one - in body, soul and spirit! The recently concluded Business Men In Christ was such an experience. It was primarily led by Five Fold Minister Dennis Nichols, with additional power teachings from Bernie Lutchman (Praying with Power);  Keith Haynes (Godly Character), Dr. Earl Powerll (Godly Relationships) and Dave Fitch  (Exceedingly Grateful).
     Aptly named "BREAK FREE", over 60 of your closest friends - men and teenage young men - broke completely away from the captivity of man-made philosophies of WHO AND WHAT they were and are! Once this was established by Dennis,  the clouds of denominational bureaucracy and bondage, were lifted from their eyes in order to see the REAL JESUS a whole lot better!
     While each teacher had our set verses and topics, no man knew exactly what the other was going to say. But somehow Holy Spirit put a thread in our hearts and mouths which wove a fine garment of Praise, Prayer and Possibility!!  What does this mean?!
     Let's establish some truths immediately - the latest George Barna survey found the following :
The Average Pastor prays 5-10 minutes per day!
The Average Christian (if he or she prays at all) prays one, as in 1 minute per day!
Now chew on this for a second!
Compare this to watching television. Southern Baptist Convention Prayer Evangelist Phil Miglioratti estimates the average person watches the equivalent of 9 years watching TV while only SEVEN MONTHS IN ENTIRE LIFETIME OF 77 YEARS!!  
     How in the world can American Christians expect to know the God of Heaven and Earth, when we spend more over ten times more passively watching the TV set than praying? In fact, how can we even know about this Mighty, Amazing and Powerful God if we can recite the Offensive line for the Chicago Bears, but cannot remember two verses of Psalm 1!
     What the session "PRAYING WITH POWER" began was the simplest yet most vital of Prayer/Praise Exercises  and that is - Learning to Pray The Scriptures. This hands on mini-workshop had such a powerful impact, as witnessed by the 4-5 Testimonies afterwards that I will be expanding it into an e-book within the next couple months!
    The men and boys there immediately went from a cheap American prayer life to being ahead of the curve...not just ahead of their fellow church member or pewsitter but as we see from the Barna survey - a man who prays and digs deep into this awesome type of Worship, is ahead of even most pastors in America!
    This is what the B.M.I.C. Men's retreat set in motion as an EXCLAMATION point to the Transforming, Life-Altering Teaching/Impartation of brother Dennis Nichols! Everyman there came out better than he went in! Glory to His Name! Amen.


by Bernie Lutchman
(Images courtesy GOOGLE Images)
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GUEST BLOGGER: NIKKI HAHN

Dawn in the Naples gulf
Image via Wikipedia
by Nikole Smith Hahn
Orange-gold rays spill over the mountains and onto the road as I drive to work this morning.  The line of mostly SUVs and trucks follow each other.  We’re like a train and someone else is always taking turns being the caboose.  On the radio, the musical group Train sings Marry Me.
For a moment I drift backwards into my past.  Awash in the beautiful morning, I can’t help but recall the day that my husband took me to the coffee shop where we first met.  A small bulge in his shirt pocket made my heart pitter-patter.  I knew what was coming because we had spent the entire evening before trying on rings and skipping and giggling all around the courthouse square asking each other, “Are you sure?  Do you?  Do YOU?” He wanted to do it properly.
After working my second job and barely containing my impatience for that day to end, he took me to the café where we first met.  He took out the small box from his pocket and got down on one knee.  I don’t recall the words.  They were beautiful.  I remember his eyes—earnest, loving, and he shone just as bright as that ring.  I couldn’t believe this man wanted to marry me.  I felt like a much used rag, unwashed and left out in the dirt, but this man loved me.  He loved everything about me, and most importantly, knew every dark corner.  He saw the best in me.  I wasn’t used to that in anyone.  I was never allowed to forget my faults or my past.  You could say in some ways that he rescued me.  He was my white knight.
The truck in front of me is fiddling with their back window.  It’s distracting and I am jarred from the loveliness of that memory into the present.  The sun grows brighter, its rays bouncing across the lake.  I am reminded again that dawn is symbolically a representation of new beginnings.  Tony was my new beginning.  Christ was OUR new beginning.  Second chances abound only if you never lose faith.
How did you and your spouse meet?
What does the words New Beginnings mean to you?

NEW CHRISTIAN MOVIE SOON!! WATCH THIS NEW TRAILER!


My brother in ChristDr. Peter Waldron is the kind of legend you only see in movies…and here comes the movie of his life! A solid man of God/missionary/businessman etc…Pete’s brutal persecution in Africa and more is portrayed in an upcoming movied called “THE ULTIMATE PRICE – The Peter E. Waldron Story”!
Here is the new trailer from this action-packed True Story!!
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