Saturday, October 31, 2015

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH TODAY

Many who have been on the front-lines with brothers and sisters in Christ who are the victims of the vilest forms of persecution worldwide, tell us that they all have the very SAME request: "Please Pray for Us!" This simple request is stunning, when you consider it comes from people who are not just being persecuted for just being the peace-loving Christians they are, but have their cities and homes destroyed, their churches burned and in too many cases now - lose their actual lives.

The period from last year's International Day of Prayer (November 1, 2014) to now, one year later, marks incredible devastation to the Body of Christ worldwide and increasingly here in the United States of America. 
-  Just this past week, Bremerton High School (Washington State) Football Coach Joe Kennedy was suspended from his job for praying with his team....while three teachers in the same school invited members of the local Satanist temple to come to the game! (ABC News).
-  In an eerie similarity to Columbine back in the 1990's, a vile shooter singled out Christians at an Oregon's Roseburg Community College and then killed nine of them on October 2, 2015 (Washington Post).
-  Then there is Kimberly Davis, the Kentucky County clerk and first Christian openly imprisoned in America for her Christian beliefs about Biblical Marriage. (Breakpoint formerly with the Late Chuck Colson).
CLICK TO READ HOW PRAYERS
HELP SYRIAN CHRISTIANS!
These are just a few examples of a worsening trend in the USA, but nothing tops what is happening to millions of Christians whose family lines go back further than the islamic religion which represents most of the current configuration of the Middle East. This is a hard Truth for the average "open minded" westerner to grasp who cannot grasp the enormity of this form of religious persecution. In order to help us understand, the following article will assist tremendously:
HERE ARE THE TOP 30 COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD WHERE PERSECUTION IS THE MOST HORRID (PER CAPITA. STATS: COURTESY OPEN DOORS):
Adopt one of these countries or more than one, and pray for ALL Christians who live there, attempted to live there and are still evangelizing entire villages and regions, before being found.  Click on the "pdf" listed for that country: 
CLICK HERE FOR MORE PRAYER RESOURCES FOR THIS YEAR'S EVENT & BEYOND. Also, these are just starting points.  The key is persistent prayer.

To assist in this, here are just five Prayer Points, courtesy Campus Crusade (now called "Cru") with the Bible verses, which I have linked, to go with them. Let's get to it:
Please pray persecuted believers would know the hope God gives (Ephesians 1:18).
Pray the Holy Spirit would strengthen them (Ephesians 3:16).
Please pray persecuted believers would know how much God loves them (Ephesians 3:17)
Pray they would know how to share the gospel (Ephesians 6:19).
Please pray persecuted believers would fearlessly tell others about Jesus (Ephesians 6:20).

Thursday, October 29, 2015

PRAYERS OF THE BIBLE SERIES: THE BOOK OF JOB, Prayer #4

Job is starting to progress in his prayers, or in a sense - his one-way conversation with the Lord and ask some questions which many alive, throughout the ages, either thought of asking or asked. Here is a major timeless question which has burdened the soul of men and women forever who often wonder about the meaning of life: "If a man dies, shall he live again?" (Job 14:14a).

JOB 14:13-17
13  “Oh, that You would hide me in the grave,
That You would conceal me until Your wrath is past,
That You would appoint me a set time, and remember me!
14  If a man dies, shall he live again?
All the days of my hard service I will wait,
Till my change comes.

15  You shall call, and I will answer You;
You shall desire the work of Your hands.
16  For now You number my steps,
But do not watch over my sin.
17  My transgression is sealed up in a bag,
And You cover my iniquity.
Even with the previous ramblings, brought on by excruciating physical pain, Job has a great question and reveals a certain Truth that should comfort the Christian. When a Christian dies, he/she is concealed in rest in the grave (i.e. with the Lord) until God's wrath is past and we go on to our reward. (See Verse 13)
One thing to keep in mind when we come to God's answer to His Prayer in Job Chapter 38 is this - Job gets exactly what he asks for! In verse 15 here, Job prays "You shall call, and I will answer You". When the LORD- Yahweh (Jesus) answered Job in the whirlwind in Job 38, Yahweh says "brace yourself like a man- I WILL QUESTION YOU, AND YOU WILL ANSWER ME!" (Job 38:3). The moral of this prayer is - BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU PRAY FOR, because you may not be able to handle the answer!

Next, in verses 16 and 17, Job lays out for us a confession of the three progressive ways which mankind has gone against God:
Sin
Transgression
Iniquity
Of these three, Iniquity is the worse and unless one pulls back from the cliff, it is the worse of the three which can lead to eternal separation from God. Sin is missing the mark and even Christians sin - daily sometimes, in both little and even big ways. Transgression is what King David did when he not only purposed in his heart to steal one of his Mighty Men's (Uriah the Hittite's) wife, but ignored his duties and broke the commandment against adultery. Iniquity is when he went even further, had Uriah killed and covered this transgression up for two years, putting himself completely out of the Will of God. If he had not confessed and repented (as recorded in Psalm 51), it was all over and he would have been just like the late lost King Saul. 

In short, when you and I wonder as Job did in verse 14"if a man dies, shall he live again", the answer can be found in how we pray and respond to the teaching found in verse 17 as regards the various forms of sin. A person can only live again if his/her sin/transgression/iniquity has been covered by the Lord and that can only happen through the Blood of Christ and the Atonement He made for us on the Cross of Calvary. Confession and repentance - these are the lessons of this prayer from Job, of which he was completely unaware he was doing at this point in the wonderful Book of Job!

Thursday, October 22, 2015

THREE GREAT MEN- NOAH, DANIEL, JOB...AND AN EVEN GREATER GOD

While studying some of the major prayers in the Book of Job, the Lord brought to mind a statement He made in the Book of the great prophet Ezekiel where three of the Giants of our Judeo-Christian Faith not only stand out but are mentioned to another giant, by the Almighty Himself! This is the only time in Scripture where Holy God Himself, Creator of the Universe, called out three different huge heroes of the Bible from three distinctly transformative periods in time!

Look at what Father God says in Ezekiel 14:14 “even though these three men, Noah, Daniel and Job were in its midst, by their own righteousness they could only deliver themselves".

What would be the common thread linking these three amazing “Old Testament” saints and why would God mention them to another one of His chosen prophets- Ezekiel? We have no clue! Ha! Who can know the Mind of God and do not even try or we would get the same stunning lecture in the whirlwind that Job got from Chapters 38-42! BUT God did mention them and He never wastes His Words! His Words are true, to be relied upon and there is a reason for everything. So very quickly, let’s see just who these men were and what they did!

Noah – God had enough of all the evil which man had committed and chose one man, Noah, as His prophet to preach for decades (some say 120 years) while he built the most famous sailing vessel in human history- Noah’s Ark, in order to save his family and reboot mankind.   He was the grandson of the great Methuselah.  Bible names actually meant something and God was the one who inspired these names. The name “Methuselah” means “his death shall bring judgment”! This is exactly what happened when Methuselah died at the ripe old age of 969 years! Noah had preached for 120 years. His entire line, from Enoch (who walked with God and was raptured out alive) to Enoch’s son Methuselah and great grandson – Noah – all walked with God….and they were an extremely distinct minority. God had already determined in His Mind to destroy the earth and only rescue Noah (Genesis 6:7) and also regretted making mankind (Genesis 6:6). The Great Flood came and only Noah and his immediate family were saved from destruction – eternal destruction, by God.


Daniel – Daniel is the most amazing of all the major prophets, even more so than the great Isaiah or even Jeremiah! All three men were frontline warriors for the Almighty and Isaiah is the only one of these three to be brought directly into the Throne Room of God – literally – where he was cleansed and sent back on mission. But Daniel had a special anointing on his life. Brought over to Babylon when the Lord sent Nebuchadnezzar to punish Jerusalem, Daniel served many kings and rulers there and prophesied not just current events leading through the death of the pagan king Belshazzar, but the events leading up to the End of Time we are in at present! He prophesied, like Noah, the corruption of man and the approaching Judgment. As in Noah’s time, most today are not heeding the call or understanding the times ….and I am talking about Christians! The favor of God was so overwhelming and powerfully evident in Daniel’s life – from the Lion’s Den to wonderful treatment by the conquering Cyrus – that he should be an example for us, in how to NOT compromise in today’s pagan world. Like Noah, Daniel refused to participate in the evil of his time and so should we. The famed “Daniel Fast” came from Daniel himself who refused to eat the king’s corrupt meat sacrificed to idols, honored the real God and ate vegetables. No wonder the Head Angel from Heaven, Gabriel told him in Daniel 10:12 “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words”!

Job – What an tremendously inspired work of historical literature the Book of Job is! The man, whose story is told here, remains not only a pivotal starting point in Biblical history but is an example of many things which all Christians need to take note of.  He is both an example of strong faith in God and how not to debate God with inaccurate information! Still here is the strong love and favor our Father in Heaven had for Job. Read Job 1:8 as the Lord commands all His angels (including the rebel Satan) to give a report of their actions/whereabouts “Then the LORD said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, and one who fears God and shuns evil?’” We know what happened next: God allowed Satan to do a huge number on Job to test him. Job lost everything and then the huge discourses and prayers in the majority of the book of Job until the end when God Himself calls Job to account – face to Face in a whirlwind and proceeds to explain creation. Job was then blessed even more than he was before the trials.

There is a common thread between the three men – they were all chosen by God for specific purposes which they faithfully executed. Noah, Daniel and Job appeared at different times in human history and Noah and Job being closer to each other than Daniel was. All three giants and heroes of the one and only true Faith, were tested and tried almost to the extreme.  Noah was laughed at and persecuted for over century as he preached the coming Judgment (the Flood). Daniel was put upon by those who hated him in the Babylon hierarchy and ended up in a Lion’s Den with ferocious lions. Job lost all his children to violent deaths. He was besot by horrible sores and painful body issues for a very long period of time. All of these actions were perpetrated by the evil one, Satan.

All three men persevered throughout their trials of Faith in Action and accomplished their plans. While all three – Noah, Daniel and Job had the massive favor of God on their amazing lives….as good as they were, God is saying this about them – THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS “GROUP SALVATION” (as some liberal, unbelieving politicians and theologians believe)! It is a warning to the church today and to families specifically, who call themselves Christian. To put it bluntly, God has no grandchildren! Noah, Daniel and Job were made righteous before God (saved as Old Testament saints) because of their OWN full faith and obedience to Him.  But their status before Him is theirs alone, as is ours.  The Lord created individuals and entire groups of people, unfortunately including people close to each of us, will be lost on the Day of Judgment because they did not personally respond to the Gospel and make a commitment of Faith in God, through Christ. There is coming a day when God Himself will do to this world what He says here to Ezekiel, and only those who have repented and have Jesus as Lord and Master of their lives will be saved and separated from the crowd….just like Noah, Daniel and Job.

God to Ezekiel (14:13-14) and thus the world today: “Son of man, when a land (country) sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My Hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it and cut off man and beast from it. Even if three man, Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness” says the LORD God.
Translation – the rain falls equally on everybody, but only His people will be ultimately rescued and saved.
Action Point  - make sure that YOU and yours are one of His (God’s), because Judgment is coming to the world, God will not put up with this for much longer. 

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

PRAYERS OF THE BIBLE SERIES: THE BOOK OF JOB, Prayer #3

As tedious (after the first chapter) as it may seem to the average person, the Book of Job is one of the most important pieces of factual literature ever produced in the entire history of mankind. Chronologically,  as previously mentioned,  it is the first book ever written and the Hands and Spirit of God are all over it.  As we continue visiting some of the outstanding prayers of this outstanding man, whom God Himself mentioned as one of His three top saints in another Scripture (Ezekiel 14:14 “even though these three men, Noah, Daniel and Job were in its midst, by their own righteousness they could only deliver themselves….”), 

Job 10:
“My soul loathes my life;
I will give free course to my complaint,
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
2 I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn me;
Show me why You contend with me.
3 Does it seem good to You that You should oppress,
That You should despise the work of Your hands,
And smile on the counsel of the wicked?
4 Do You have eyes of flesh?
Or do You see as man sees?

5 Are Your days like the days of a mortal man?
Are Your years like the days of a mighty man,
6 That You should seek for my iniquity
And search out my sin,
7 Although You know that I am not wicked,
And there is no one who can deliver from Your hand?
8 ‘Your hands have made me and fashioned me,
An intricate unity;
Yet You would destroy me.
9 Remember, I pray, that You have made me like clay.
And will You turn me into dust again?

Now in the previous prayer (Click here) Job had just finished saying he wished he had someone to "stand in the gap" for him before the Lord (a "mediator"). You and I know we are the most blessed people ever, as Jesus Christ is our High Priest and Intercessor before His Own Father, on our behalf. Job did not have that privilege....so off he goes on a rant which comes close to insulting God....and which the Father responds to in Job 38-39, demanding a reply from Job.

Actually everything which Job lists above points to the human incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ! Job prays to the Lord:  
- "Do You have eyes of flesh or see as a man sees?" (Verse 4)
- "Are Your days like the days of a mortal man?"(Verse 5a)

This is prophetic before he launches into the self-pitying pathetic discourse, asking God to just take his life and get it over with! We do close to the same thing, in essence, because most of the time we are as unaware of the specific plans and purposes of God for the particular trial we experience, as Job was.

Job then goes further and reveals the depth of his knowledge of not just WHO God is but He has done for him (Job). Later on we will see that knowing all these facts about God, and staying faithful to Him to the letter of the Law, is not as complete as a close personal knowledge (YADA) of Him! Job thinks that only God may be able to do this to him, but he obviously does not know that it was the devil - Satan - who was allowed to do some horrid damage to Job (see Job chapter 1).

Here in verses 12-15 (Chapter 10) Job says:
12 You have granted me life and favor,
And Your care has preserved my spirit.
13 ‘And these things You have hidden in Your heart;
I know that this was with You:
14 If I sin, then You mark me,
And will not acquit me of my iniquity.
15 If I am wicked, woe to me;
Even if I am righteous, I cannot lift up my head.
I am full of disgrace;
See my misery!

Before we get real harsh and self-righteous on old Job here, let's look in the mirror and ask if we had ever done the same and if it all came down to this, would we - even knowing Jesus as Lord and Master - do the same thing?! Sure, some of us may breathe deeply and not complain, but frankly, this is a minority view! At the same time, we can still pray as Paul did when he was in so much pain and affliction at the thorn in his flesh that he asked the Lord to take it away three times. It does appear though that Paul was in this said minority. He mentioned his personal pain only three times, and when God answered "My Grace is sufficient for thee", Paul is recorded as never mentioning it again! In fact, he did his best work under conditions no human could endure.

Moving on to our final portion of this prayer from Chapter 10, Job wraps up this portion of his long-running one way "conversation" (prayer) with God thus:
Chapter 10:18-20....
18 ‘Why then have You brought me out of the womb?
Oh, that I had perished and no eye had seen me!
19 I would have been as though I had not been.
I would have been carried from the womb to the grave.
20 Are not my days few?
Cease! Leave me alone, that I may take a little comfort.

This is a harsh wind-up. If we had not known better, we would think Job was a non-believer and just challenging the Lord to just end it right now because he (Job) has no idea why he was born in the first place! He seeks comfort with a proposed departure from this life, in the quiet darkness of the grave as he sees it. 

So how does all of this navel-gazing apply to us in our own Christian walk? There are a lot of wounded walking in our midst. and not just our Wounded Warriors from the recent wars. There are folks with battle scars from families, churches, friends, jobs, neighbors and just about every where. Some of these battle scars are even self-inflicted. The level of hopelessness is reaching critical mass. Young people see no future for them. Their elders have sold their birth right for a bowl of soup and a seat with the temporarily powerful. Their parents are void of any true scriptural guidance and nothing is in order.

We see legalized potheads clouding over the skies of Colorado and yet football coaches are ordered to not pray with the kids to whom this same coach is the only true male role model they have. The rich, powerful and those in charge mandate ungodly and demonic instructions for the young and helpless to become indoctrinated into, guaranteeing they will wish they had not done so, when they stand before Job's creator. It is an unholy mess and many are saying (or praying) like Job in verse 20...."CEASE! LEAVE ME ALONE, that I may take a little comfort"!

But you know, there is a better way - we will see next in the prayers of Chapter 19! The lesson here is - as bad is it gets...AND IT IS GETTING WORSE...there is a way..there IS THE WAY - THE TRUTH...and the LIFE, and His Name is Jesus. Do you know Him? He is but a breath and a prayer away!
Amen.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

PRAYERS OF THE BIBLE SERIES: THE BOOK OF JOB, Prayer #2

Have you ever tried debating with God and calling it “praying”? Basically that is what we do when we start questioning Him about why did “thus and such happen to me”….or to someone very close to us. It is very easy for even the best students of the Bible and even long time prayer warriors to temporarily misunderstand the ways and even motives of God while praying about circumstances.


On the surface, in the many long discourses apparently between Job and his friends, it seems like major theological debate society stuff. However, in several instances,  he is clearly speaking to the Lord...as we pick that message up right here:

JOB CHAPTER 9 (25-35)
25 “Now my days are swifter than a runner;
They flee away, they see no good.
26 They pass by like swift ships,
Like an eagle swooping on its prey.
27 If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint,
I will put off my sad face and wear a smile,’
28 I am afraid of all my sufferings;
I know that You will not hold me innocent.

29 If I am condemned,
Why then do I labor in vain?
30 If I wash myself with snow water,
And cleanse my hands with soap,
31 Yet You will plunge me into the pit,
And my own clothes will abhor me.
32 “For He is not a man, as I am,
That I may answer Him,
And that we should go to court together.

33 Nor is there any mediator between us,
Who may lay his hand on us both.
34 Let Him take His rod away from me,
And do not let dread of Him terrify me.
35 Then I would speak and not fear Him,
But it is not so with me.

The first part of this prayer (verses 25-28a) is more like a statement of self-pity before the Lord, but then all of a sudden Job address the Lord directly about what He would do! This is potentially a dangerous thing to pray, unless you and I are walking flawlessly in His Grace and Favor and we are not bent on trying shake our fists in the Holy Face of our Great God in Heaven!

Job was a blessed man that God did hold him innocent just as He will hold you and I innocent if we are forgiven and Jesus is our Lord. But when you read Job chapters 38 and on, you will see that God was not too happy with Job's incorrect assertions about Him!

There is a strange turn in the prayer here in Verses 29-32 where Job is posits the fact that though God may consider him an innocent man, how come he is in all this abhorrent pain, suffering and troubles with horrid sores and sights about him. Briefly put, Job says "why me, Lord, what have I ever done, to deserve even one...or this punishment I've known"....!!

However there is a lesson for us in verses 33-35 and it should affect the way we pray to Almighty God.  First of all, we are more fortunate than Job! Why? Contrary to what Job said in verse 33, we DO HAVE A MEDIATOR!! Christ was not yet alive on earth as a man nor was He risen from the dead to be our Advocate before the Father. But HE IS OUR MEDIATOR RIGHT NOW! Old Testament saints faced the stark reality that it was the Holy and often Fearsome Living God they faced and often thought it hard to please Him. Never mind He kept showing His patience, love and long-suffering through the prophets over and over and over again!!!

So let us learn from Job and replace some words in verse 33 with gratitude to our great God in Heaven that we do have a Mediator and an Intercessor - Christ the Lord - who will lay His Hands of healing and power upon us if we just ask Him.

Secondly, let us learn that because of this Truth of Christ our Savior and Judge before the Father, we really have not much to fear past what evil men can do to us.  The Scripture says "the Lord is on my side, what can man unto me? The Lord taketh my part with those that bless me therefore I shall see my reward against those that hate me". (Psalm 118:6-7). Jesus Christ - GOD - is LITERALLY on our side and as the Word says "oh, death, where is thy sting?!"

So thirdly, as Job realized, at least for this go around of prayer, if he had a mediator, he could speak to God and not fear him. We HAVE a mediator now but do not access Him as we should. Even four plus thousand years ago, a simple man of strong faith, knew his God (and ours) was a personal God and "maybe there is a possibility that I could get close to him"! You and I have the major opportunity to so do right now, in the body, mind and spirit. We ARE close to God! If we are born again, He lives in us via the Holy Spirit and you cannot get any closer to the Father than this very fact!

So let us press on in prayer!

Monday, October 12, 2015

U.S. HISTORY SPECIAL: BEST FUNERAL EULOGY EVER IN AMERICA - GEORGE WASHINGTON'S BY "LIGHT-HORSE HARRY" LEE

General Henry "Light-
Horse Harry" Lee
Following on a lead from a great friend and sister in Christ, who is both a descendant of General Robert E. Lee's brother and their dad - the Great American Revolutionary Hero General Henry "Light-Horse Harry" Lee, I came across this beautiful eulogy "Light-Horse" delivered at the funeral of America's first President  George Washington, which was just poetry in motion!

Now the funeral actually took place on the day after Christmas, December 26, 1799. However when you come across a gem like this, no use waiting for it to get lost in the Christmas rush and madness! Before I quote verbatim from General Lee's Eulogy, I must give some of Light-Horse Harry's creds:
Governor, 9th Governor of Virginia (1791-1794); Lieut. Col. in 1st Cont. Light Dragoons, Maj General Harry "Light Horse" Lee of Revolutionary War fame, 9th Governor of Virginia, Maj. General, Politician and Soldier, Governor of Virginia.

THE LIGHT-HORSE LEE EULOGY OF GENERAL WASHINGTON (edited for brevity). SUCH WORDS WILL NEVER BE HEARD AGAIN EXCEPT FOR THOSE FOR THE GREAT ABRAHAM LINCOLN:
George Washington's Funeral Procession  circa1799 (Pinterest)
The founder of our federate republic—our bulwark in war, our guide in peace, is no more! Oh, that this were but questionable! Hope, the comforter of the wretched, would pour into our agonizing hearts its balmy dew. But, alas! there is no hope for us; our Washington is removed forever! .....Will you go with me to the banks of the Monongahela, to see your youthful Washington supporting, in the dismal hour of Indian victory, the ill-fated Braddock, and saving, by his judgment and by his valor, the remains of a defeated army, pressed by the conquering savage foe? or when, oppressed America nobly resolving to risk her all in defense of her violated rights, he was elevated by the unanimous voice of Congress to the command of her armies? Will you follow him to the high grounds of Boston, where, to an undisciplined, courageous, and virtuous yeomanry, his presence gave the stability of system, and infused the invincibility of love of country? ....

Or will you view him in the precarious fields of Trenton, where deep gloom, unnerving every arm, reigned triumphant through our thinned, worn down, unaided ranks-himself unmoved? Dreadful was the night. It was about this time of winter. The storm raged. The Delaware, rolling furiously with floating ice, forbade the approach of man. Washington, selfcollected, viewed the tremendous scene. His country called. Unappalled by surrounding dangers, he passed to the hostile shore; he fought; he conquered. The morning sun cheered the American world. Our country rose on the event; and her dauntless chief, pursuing his blow, completed in the lawns of Princeton what his vast soul had conceived on the shores of Delaware....

The finger of an over-ruling Providence, pointing at Washington, was neither mistaken or unobserved, when, to realize the vast hopes to which our revolution had given birth, a change of political system became indispensable. How novel, how grand the spectacle! Independent States stretched over an immense territory, and known only by common difficulty, clinging to their union as the rock of their safety; deciding, by frank comparison of their relative condition, to rear on that rock, under the guidance of reason, a common government, through whose commanding protection, liberty and order, with their long train of blessings, should be safe to themselves, and the sure inheritance of their posterity....

Commencing his administration, what heart is not charmed with the recollection of the pure and wise principles announced by himself, as the basis of his political life? He best understood the in-dissoluble union between virtue and happiness, between duty and advantage, between the genuine maxims of an honest and magnanimous policy, and the solid rewards of public prosperity and individual felicity. Watching with an equal and comprehensive eye over this great assemblage of communities and interests, he laid the foundations of our national policy in the unerring, immutable principles of morality, based on religion, exemplifying the pre-eminence of a free government by all the attributes which win the affections of its citizens, or command the respect of the world....

The promulgation of his fixed resolution stopped the anxious wishes of an affection-ate people from adding a third unanimous testimonial of their unabated confidence in the man so long enthroned in their hearts. When before was affection like this exhibited on earth? Turn over the records of ancient Greece ; review the annals of mighty Rome ; examine the volumes of modern Europe - you search in vain. America and her Washington only afford the dignified exemplification. 

First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen, he was second to none in the humble and endearing scenes of private life. Pious, just, humane, temperate, and sincere; uniform, dignified, and commanding, his example was as edifying to all around him as were the effects of that example lasting.To his equals he was condescending, to his inferiors kind, and to the dear object of his affections exemplarily tender. Correct throughout, vice shuddered in his presence, and virtue always felt his fostering hand. The purity of his private character gave effulgence to his public virtues.

His last scene comported with the whole tenor of his life. Although in extreme pain, not a sigh, not a groan escaped him; and with undisturbed serenity he closed his well-spent life. Such was the man America has lost! Such was the man for whom our nation mourns. "Cease, Sons of America, lamenting our separation. Go on, and confirm by your wisdom the fruits of our joint councils, joint efforts, and common dangers. Reverence religion; diffuse knowledge throughout your land; patronize the arts and sciences; let liberty and order be inseparable companions; control party spirit, the bane of free government; observe good faith to, and cultivate peace with all nations; shut up every avenue to foreign influence; contract rather than extend national connection; rely on yourselves only: be American in thought and deed. 

Thus will you give immortality to that union, which was the constant object of my terrestrial labors; thus will you preserve undisturbed to the latest posterity the felicity of a people to me most dear; and thus will you supply (if my happiness is now aught to you) the only vacancy in the round of pure bliss high Heaven bestows."....As General Henry Light-Horse Harry Lee, father of a colossus of all kinds of American history (Robert E. Lee) finished with a flourish!

Sunday, October 11, 2015

NEW!!! PRAYERS OF THE BIBLE SERIES: THE BOOK OF JOB, Prayer #1

The Bible is more than just an amazing historical record of God's redemption plan for all mankind, for all time. It is a living breathing document, occupied by the Spirit of God for the man or woman of God's instruction. It is also a book of Prayer as well as the Book of Life! 

The Bible is also full of the most amazing prayers ever prayed and prayers which should illustrate to us: both how we should pray; when we should pray and sometimes how we should not pray!

Prayer was not just for the saints mentioned in God's Word or for when there is a tragedy or a health emergency but it is the only methodology, given by God, by which we stay connected to the Creator and...to tell you the truth, it is the only way to live an authentic Christian life. To that end, I chose the very first Scriptures ever written (chronologically) - the Book of Job and to briefly look at some of the prayerful offerings of that great man.  Moses wrote the Torah, the Book of Beginnings (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) around 1500 BC but Job was alive before the time of Abraham (2000 BC) and was closer to creation than anyone else mentioned in detailed. In fact, God Himself, through the Power of His Spirit, revealed more details in the Book of Job. The trials and thoughts of Job are of great significance to Christians today because many of us would either go through similar circumstances and still get it wrong about God. Therefore, it is worthwhile to examine the way he prayed what Scripture reveals in relation to it, knowing that Scripture explains inspired- Scripture.

So, here is Prayer #1, gleaned from The Book of Job:
"Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, and said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly." (Job 1:20-22)

There are some really important observations here:
1. Job's ripping off his mantle shows his rank in his society at the time, which was very high and of tremendous wealth and importance. Still, he threw off his earthly rank, shaved his head and humbled himself. Since this was before the Law of the Lord, (over 500 years before it was given to Moses), Job was not violating the Torah but simply showing his inner knowledge of his Creator who gave that high position in society to begin with.  For us, the lesson is to never forget that we are who we are, and where we are because of Whose we are! It is all about God and nothing else. He owns everything, made everything and controls everything and nothing moves without Him.

2. After humbling himself, by the act described in point #1, Job went face down before the Lord and worshiped Him! The lesson for us is this - when we cry out to God in times of huge trouble, do not be surprised if the answer back from Abba is "Seek My Face"! He said so Himself in Psalm 27:7-8 "Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek. In times of personal trauma and trouble - worship your way out of crisis. I have found this to be true.

3. Acknowledge Him. Job realized from when cometh both his help and his trials...and praised God for both "the Lord gave and the Lord taketh away....". Can we bless God and glorify Him in times of sickness, financial disaster and other catastrophes? This is the test!

4. Do not blaspheme God in your trials. Job never sinned in that sense. It is absolutely human to question God and ask "why me"....or "God, how could You let this happen to me (us...or such and such a person)! Who has not done that? However, please be careful even in your questioning of God as it can go over the line as Job did in the long discourses in the middle of the Book of Job. How God answered Job was amazing and a study for another time. The lesson here is question the Lord respectfully and accept His explanation, which most likely will be "wait or My Grace is sufficient for thee"!

Thursday, October 8, 2015

SPRINGFIELD AREA-WIDE CHRISTMAS BOOK DRIVE STARTS NOW!

Six years ago, some Chatham, Illinois Elementary school teachers launched their own project to get brand new Christmas books into the hands of kids to promote reading, after the annual "Friend in Deed" was unable to continue a book program. It was so successful that it has now become a county wide Christmas Book Drive, in Abraham Lincoln's home region!  In recent years, the Christmas books have been distributed alongside Toys For Tots (United States Marine Corps) at the Prairie Capitol Convention Center and this year, the organizers, led by Jane Byram are hoping to make it the biggest and best ever! Springfield Area Business Men In Christ will be coming alongside Jane and her team and providing as much assistance as possible in order to achieve this goal to surpass the 4150 books distributed in 2014!

The following are some of the details provided by Jane, which will help to explain this wonderful and inspirational drive to get our local children reading again and directing their minds off electronics to the age-old wonder of books! 

From Jane Byram:
The Gift of Reading Holiday Book Drive provides books for disadvantaged children ages birth through 12 years of age.  The books will be given to agencies who provide direct services for children in need.  These include the following:  Mini O'Beirne Crisis Nursery, Sojourn, Fishes and Loaves, the Matthew Project, Grace UMC after school program, MERCY House, Asbury Children's Supper Hour, Boys and Girls Club, Camelot Care, Family Service Center, Contact Ministries, Kumler Outreach, Center for Youth and Family Solutions,  Catholic Charities, Lutheran Child and Family Services, The  Parent Place, and Family Communication Center Compass Program.  

You can help by dropping off new books at this collection site or by making a monetary  donation.  There are drop-off points everywhere, some of them where you see the Marine's Toys for Tots boxex.

Checks may be made payable to Holiday Book Drive and may be placed in the envelope or mailed to Bank and Trust P.O. Box 228 Chatham, IL 62629.

Here are some brief facts about the "Holiday Book Drive" which we hope will inspire the donation in 2015 of 4000 new Christmas & other holiday books:

Started in 2010 as part of the Friend-in-deed program. When FID no longer gave out toys, the Drive folks became an independent organization.
this is the 6th year
Since its inception provided over 10,000 books
•      Every penny donated goes directly for books--no overhead costs
During the month of November books will be collected
Started by retired elementary teachers
Books for ages birth  - age 12 (but all ages welcome).
Monetary donations may be sent to Holiday Book Drive  Bank and Trust Co.  P.O. Box 228  Chatham, IL 62629
Checks made payable to Holiday Books Drive
Various collection sites in Sangamon County--we always need more 
Great way for kids to get involved "Kids helping Kids" 

To donate books to or inquire more about this program, please leave a comment on this article and we will respond immediately. Thank you.

Saturday, October 3, 2015

WITH A HEART of WORSHIP....


Today, Yahweh- I Am Who I Am, is calling us as a people unto Himself.  He is calling us to be a people of worship. The problem is that the noise of this world has clogged the direct pipeline from heaven, which many first maintained free and clear at the point of conversion from a child of darkness into a saint walking in His Marvelous Light. Revelation chapter four tells us in bold colors, what really going on in heaven, not just right now, but at all times since eternity past. True worship in the truly amazing Temple of God is what's happening. It dwarfs the idolatry of celebrity and self which we call "worship" here on planet earth. However, we are not given that glimpse of heaven for anything else but for our edification and anticipation of that glorious time in the Father's actual presence one day soon when we live for eternity in The Kingdom of His Marvelous Light.

So turn aside what this temporary corrupt culture and people deem as important and pray for a redirection of heart, mind, body and soul in true alignment with the Spirit of God Who sealed you way back then, at the hour of your salvation. If today you truly heard His voice, harden not your heart, but return to Him, in the Name of whom there is no comparison, Jesus Christ, amen.
Oh come, let us sing to the Lord!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
For the Lord is the great God,
And the great King above all gods.
In His hand are the deep places of the earth;
The heights of the hills 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.
For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture,
And the sheep of His hand....(PSALM 95:1-7)