Is there anybody in there?
Just nod if you can hear me.
Is there anyone at home?"
As I look around this board the Berean Oasis and especially within Solitary Thoughts (JADs Musings) I notice a large number of hits on different threads, but very few new comments on the posts. I know some of you may just click on a thread to see if there is anything of interest and then move on, but I am going to beseech you, please leave a comment. This board has been suffering from a lack of participation for far too long and if you take the time to explore other topics posted on this board you may find that there is something you wish to comment on. I personally, truly miss the interaction of thought and iron sharpening iron. Join, interact, post new topics of discussion … please do something I am straining to hear from you.
"Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying."
I am not the owner of this board, but I have been blessed by being allowed to post my thoughts in a blog here. The scripture tells us to encourage one another daily, to exhort, build up, and to bear one another's burdens. I would love to hear your insights, thoughts, struggles, and joys. I don't read lips very well and I tend to have background deafness so if you don't speak up your lips move, but I can't hear what you're saying.
Was it just me or did Tuesday seem like a rather cold and dark day across the land? Did the media appear as if they were gloating like spoiled children who just got their way? But what is truly troubling is the way so many people, intelligent people who should know better seem to be deluded, in a trance like spell of some sort of idol worship; it is as if they have become comfortably numb. So many people seem oblivious to this deception and become very defensive and protective if even a hint of tarnish is suggested. These are people who are very peaceful and loving in other areas of their lives who become somewhat violent in their attempts of justification. Is it just me or is darkness upon the face of the land?
I realize I may get into trouble for writing this with claims of being judgmental or even maybe racist, but all I am doing is sharing my observations looking back over recent troubling events that were not all that surprising, but were a misrepresentation of the true church of Christ. This really is not a political post, though upon reading the first few following paragraphs one may believe that is the direction I am pursuing. But I will be using the political stage only to emphasize a point.
I do not consider my self to be racist. I believe there is only one race, the human race. Yes I realize there are people with different skin pigmentation then my own - some darker, some lighter, but we are all human beings. Throughout life I have had friends of different skin color, different ethnicity, and different religious views from all over the world. While in college I even shared a dorm room with a black man and he with me, a white man - the color of our skin wasn't an issue because we were brothers in Christ. The scriptures tell us in 1 Samuel that while man may look at the outward appearance of a person God looks at the heart. As true followers of Christ Jesus who have the Holy Spirit living within us we are to do the same.
So with that said, I have no problem that Barack Obama is a man with skin darker then my own whom the media calls the first African-American / black man to be elected President. The accomplishment is definitely noteworthy considering America's history and sometime prejudice stereotyping of those of darker skin color. So it is not because of his skin color that it bothers me that he has now been sworn in as President. What I take issue with is his political ideology, but more so how God's Word was ignored by so many supposedly professing Christians when they elected to vote for this man.
As a Christian I know that Romans tells us to respect the authority that is placed over us. I know that the events that have taken and are taking place in the world today have not come as a surprise to God. I know that God is fully aware and knows what the future holds. I know that God has allowed these events to take place not for any one man's glorification, but because God has a plan for mankind and these events are just stepping stones towards its fulfillment. And though we are to be respectful and obey the authority that is placed over us, the higher authority is God's authority and His authority trumps and authority of man. Obey mans law unless it conflicts with God's law then in such a case follow God's law.
Simple enough instruction for the believer in Christ Jesus, yet I am very perplexed, troubled by the countless number of people who call themselves, claim to be followers of Christ, yet endorsed a man who openly supports the killing of innocent life. God's Word makes it perfectly clear the sixth of the Ten Commandments says, 'Thou shall not murder.' I know: 1) there are people who just simply call themselves Christians because that's what they were told; 2) there are the true followers of Christ Jesus - born again, Spirit filled, and believing in the inerrancy of scripture; and 3) then there are those who fall somewhere in between the two; yet all three groupings would be labeled as "Christians." This is a general classification without identifying the various Protestant denominations, Catholics, sects and cults which all like to classify themselves "Christian."
I know I am going to upset some people by what I have to say - especially some of those within the publicly displayed religious grouping society calls the "church." For years within this nationwide body of so called believers who have ignored the true Word of God, and even within true believers in Christ Jesus, I have heard people make passing comments, criticize and some even pray about how we here in America need revival. How we need the people of American to turn back to God; that unless the people turn back to God judgment will come to America. Well let me tell you - true revival starts with the true believers of Christ which make up the true church. The church must repent first. The church must turn back, return to doing the things that God has commanded. Unless the church turns whole heartedly back to following God and His Word revival will not come to America. Revival will not come and judgment waits.
In the Old Testament we have the story of one of God's prophet's - Jonah. We don't know a whole lot about Jonah other than he had an early history of delivering God's Word to various people in and around the Judea / Israel area. However, one day something happened, God told Jonah to delivery His Word to the people in Nineveh and Jonah refused. He even traveled in the opposite direction to avoid confronting those people with God's Word. In the synagogues every Yom Kippur the book of Jonah is read with the exclamation "We are Jonah!" What does that mean and how am I going to tie it to revival and a lesser degree to the endorsement of a certain individual? Well, let me tell you.
Jonah eventually went to Nineveh and the people repented avoiding God's judgment, but before any of that could happen Jonah had to repent, acknowledging that God's commands took priority over his own desires. We are like Jonah in that we refuse to live according to God's instruction - the church here in America - we must repent from our denial of following God's Word and commandments. As a church we must stop running from the world, from the 'unsaved' in America and instead deliver God's message regardless of our own desires to do otherwise. Regardless of our fears about what other people might think and how they may react. When we say 'No' to God we deny Him His Lordship in our lives. The church as a whole must take up and follow God's commands without compromise. Until the church is obedient there will be no revival in America. Revival starts within the church.
I want to address those who have a personal relationship with God the Father through the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Let's keep this simple and for the moment skip the deep theological terminology and explanations. If you have endorsed a man who openly promotes sin then you have denied Jesus His rightful place as Lord in your life and you need to repent. That statement is not based upon my personal political preferences, but directly upon the comparison of the political ideology of our now President and the Word of God in its simplest form.
The sixth of the Ten Commandments says, 'Thou shall not murder.' Voting for any candidate that supports abortion is deliberate rebellion against God's Word. Is God / Jesus the Lord of your life? Is God's Word the final and ultimate authority? You can't have it both ways there is not compromise -voting for any candidate that supports abortion is denial of God.
Listen, people if you don't think it is an important issue then you're not listening to the Word of God … It IS important to God! His Word, the Scriptures, are as applicable and as full of power today as when they were first inspired. God's Word does not change to fit the times, culture or desires of man. God is the same yesterday today and forever. The world in which we live is constantly asking us to become more accepting, accommodating and tolerant. Asking us to compromise God's Word and our faith so that we won't come across as being judgmental and condemning. The world desires to change God to ease its sin saturated conscience.
As true believers in Christ Jesus, guardians of our Lord's Word and teachings, we must never compromise the integrity of the Scriptures in order to build up the number of people involved in our ministries. We must never compromise God's Word by watering it down because of fear about how people will respond or to make it more acceptable to the masses. God is the same yesterday today and forever and He ordained His Words with purpose and clarity transcending time creating a rock of all ages. The Scriptures are the Word of God, the final authority for every area of our lives.
Our country needs to repent, turn back to God. And if not the country individual people … if you now realize how you have denied God through your actions, through your choices, through putting your own desires ahead of God's commands, if you see that the lie of free will has caused you to walk in the will of the fallen one, then know that you have sinned, that you are a sinner and in danger of separation from God. If you have truly seen the error of your way then cry out to God and ask for His forgiveness. Seek after God with all your heart acknowledge Him as Lord of your life and then walk in obedience to His Word that there may be no doubt. Let your life style be the evidence of the Holy Spirit living within you completely surrendered to the will of God.
Or will you remain comfortably numb, oblivious to the nasty spell you've fallen under? It will be as it was in the days of Noah, people going about their normal routines, not heeding the warnings … "it's going to rain". Jesus is the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but through Him. If you deny Him, He will deny you. It is not important that you know who Jesus Christ is, what is important is that He knows you. For it has been appointed for a man to die once and then face judgment.
"Hello?
Is there anybody out there?"





