A Word Atheists Shouldn't Use

A Word Atheists Shouldn't Use

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!" 29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." 34

Mary was a virgin. When the angel spoke to her he said that she was to rejoice because she was highly favored by God. He used the words "the Lord is with you," and then she was called "blessed." There is no greater blessing than for God to be with you. Have you ever said "goodbye" to someone. No doubt you have. In doing so, you have hoped that God’s presence would be with them. The word "goodbye" is old English, and comes from four words "God be with you," and God certainly was with this young virgin because He had chosen her to give birth to the Savior.

This was a fulfillment of the famous prophecy given by Isaiah 800 years earlier in which he said "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:4). Skeptics have said that the Hebrew word for "virgin" simply means "a young maiden." However, a young maiden conceiving would not be a "sign" from God. Millions of young maidens conceive every day, but it is truly a miraculous "sign" if a virgin conceives.

There is much confusion among many unbelievers as to the identity of Jesus. They know that He was called "the Son of God," but they don’t know that Jesus of Nazareth was Almighty God, the Creator of the universe, manifested in human form. This is the clear teaching of Holy Scripture: "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory" (1 Timothy 3:16).

The predictable atheist will then ask if Jesus then prayed to Himself in the garden of Gethsemane. The answer is "No, He didn't." When God, the upholder of the universe, became a man, He didn't cease to be Almighty God. When He filled the human body, that human body was limited to time and space, but He was still the omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent Creator. This is a little much for the average human brain to be able to understand, but then again, so is the marvel of the human brain.

All these things be fulfilled… Part I ~ Sean Osborne

All these things be fulfilled… Part I

21 September 2009: So said the Lord Jesus Christ in His Olivet Discourse as recorded in Matthew 24:34 (in the Greek language): “Amen lego hymin, houtos genea ou me parerchomai an heos pas tauta ginomai.” An English transliteration of what our Lord said was, “Truly I say to you, this generation shall not pass whatsoever until each and all [of] these things be fulfilled.”

This was the final qualification and timing element to all of the signs which Christ told His disciples when the signs would occur indicating His coming again at the full end of the age. The key phrases stand out in this sentence are this generation … each and all these things be fulfilled.

The absolute truth of this statement, aside from the fact that it was uttered by our Lord God incarnate, is reinforced in the prophetic truth of what our Lord had said just moments before to the Scribes and the Pharisees. In Matthew 23:1-35 Jesus lays out in detail how all of the offenses committed over many years and the innocent blood spilled from the murder of Abel to their murder of Zacharias will come upon them in the following explicit way: “Truly I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation.”

The generation of which Jesus spoke was living in the period from 66 and 136 AD when the Jews' three wars against the Roman Empire occurred, and with each war came more disaster, Diaspora and death upon the Jews, exactly as Jesus had foretold. The first Jewish-Roman war was also known as the Great Revolt which began in 66 AD, saw siege of Jerusalem and the destruction of the city and the sanctuary at the hands of three Roman legions as prophesied by Daniel and culminated in the fall of Masada in 73 AD. The second Roman Jewish war was also known as the Kitos war and occurred throughout the Roman Empire between 115-117 AD. The third and final war is known as the Bar Kokhba Revolt from circa 132 to 136 AD. The sum total of years between 66 and 136 AD, consistent with Jesus declaration of “this generation,” was precisely 70 years in duration.

Psalm 90:10a defines for us the maximum duration of a generation:

“The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years…”

A generation is 70 years nominally, or 80 if there is strength.

Jesus also spoke in the Olivet Discourse about how one of the key signs would be the reemergence of the state of Israel, and for which He used the metaphor of a blossoming fig tree. In a recent poll by Lamb and Lion Ministries’ Christ in Prophecy Journal, the re-emergence of the State of Israel is the overwhelming factor (nearly 70% of respondents) identified as the “most important modern prophetic development.” Indeed, this is without question the truth of the matter.

In the Lord’s prophecy about the reemergence of Israel we have a sign and a starting date with which our Lord defined to the disciples the generation which would witness each and all of the signs He foretold would be fulfilled. The question I have prayerfully pondered and raised up to the Lord is whether our generation is one of 70 years, or if we have strength to last the maximum of 80 years. By sheer reckoning of the actual calendar and the prophetic timeline yet to be fulfilled, we may well be an 80-year generation. This number of years respective to our calendar is arrived at by adding eighty years to 1948 and summing to the year 2028. We now live in the nineteenth year prior to the expiration of this 80-year generation as will now be examined.

Now that Israel has begun the year 5770 and we conclude the year 2009 AD, a look back at the time since the rebirth of Israel is probably in order. There is no doubt that we are in the season of His return, the leaves of the fig tree are in full bloom.

The first twenty years of Israel’s rebirth began in late 1947 with the initial battles of Israel’s War of Independence. In May 1948, Israel was officially reborn into the modern community of the nations of the earth. The conclusion of those twenty years in 1967 saw Israel re-capture by military conquest the whole of Jerusalem. Israel controlled its holiest ground against all odds and the combined military might of many Arab countries for the first time in 1,897 years. So of the maximum possible eighty years, just sixty remain of this generation.

The next forty years were marked by a series of wars and rumors of wars, exactly as this year marks itself with the similar rumors of imminent if not existential war involving the State of Israel and its inner and outer ring of enemies. This forty-year period saw the nearly nuclear Yom Kippur War of 1973, the Lebanon War of 1980, the Osirak Iraq preemptive nuclear strike of 1981, the continual state of Arab-Islamic terrorism, the Intifada of 2000, the Hezbollah War of 2006, and the incessant rocket and mortar attacks from HAMAS in 2008. The final sixty years of eighty years just twenty remained as we entered 2009 AD.

The final 20 years began with the Israel-HAMAS War also known as Operation Cast Lead. This war resolved nothing except to all but guarantee another larger war in the south of Israel. This year also began with an American administration coming into power which clearly does not have the interests or blessing of Israel existent within its agenda. This year began with the election of Israeli conservative Bibi Netanyahu as the Prime Minister, and the spectre of the necessity of a pree-emptive strike against the nuclear weapons ambitions of the theocratic dictatorship of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as the potential for another war against Hezbollah and Syria. The next wars will be wars that almost certainly include the previously unthinkable use of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction.

The call of preaching the Gospel ~ Al Gist

The Compromise of Tolerance

By Al Gist

I surrendered to the call of preaching the Gospel of my LordJesus on the last day of revival services in our home church, July 21, 1985. My "Daddy in the Ministry", Bro. Jamie Coleman, had preached a fiery message that Sunday and God's call was more than I could possibly resist. So, with a truly broken and contrite spirit, I fell at the foot of the cross that morning and cried out, "Okay, Lord. I'll do it!"

We had "dinner on the grounds" after church and after the meal, when almost everyone had left, Bro. Jamie called me and Sandy aside to pray over us and ask God's blessings on our ministry. In an empty sanctuary, in front of the pulpit, he had us kneel as he placed his hands on our heads. Then, with words from deep within his soul, he poured out his heart to God in an agonizing tone as he interceded in our behalf.

I wish I could remember all of what he prayed that day, but I can't. Iremember the sincerity with which he prayed. I remember the solemnity of the moment. I remember the overwhelming presence of God and the feeling of the huge responsibility that I had just accepted. But I can only rememberthe closing words of Bro. Jamie's prayer. And I will never forget those words!

After crying out for God's greatest blessings to be upon our lives and ministry, this "Hellfire and brimstone" preacher said in a thundering voice,

"And Lord, if he ever compromises on Your Word... kill him!"

Needless to say, you don't soon forget a prayer like that!

Bro. Jamie was very serious in what he asked from God that day. As much he loved me, he would have rather had God call me home, than to allow me to compromise on the truth of God's Word in my preaching and teaching, and thereby hinder the Kingdom work. When it comes to our stand on what we KNOW the Bible teaches, there is no room for compromise!

According to an Aug. 25 WorldNetDaily article by Joel Richardson¹:

"This year, a group of emergent Christians led by one of the United States most influential pastors, Brian McLaren, has announced that it will actually be "observing" the Muslim holy month, along with a Muslim "partner." Ramadan is the month that Muslims thank Allah, their god, for revealing the Quran to Muhammad, their prophet. On McLaren's personal blog, he recently announced his intentions: 'We, as Christians, humbly seek to join Muslims in this observance of Ramadan as a God-honoring expression of peace, fellowship, and neighborliness.'²"

Let's be perfectly clear about something here...

Islam is a false religion that follows an unholy document (the Quran) in its worship of a false god! Allah, the Muslim god, is NOT just another name for the true God of this universe, as some would tell us. And their unholy writ,the Quran, is NOT just another rendering of "the truth" from God that is on equal footing with the Holy Bible! Islam is idolatry... plain and simple!

So why would anyone calling himself a Christian want to join Muslims in this observance of Ramadan, a month that is set aside to celebrate their false prophet's revelation of his false god's instructions to mankind? The answer is found in McLaren's own words. It is being done as an "expression of peace, fellowship, and neighborliness", which he calls "God-honoring". But since when is God honored by condoning, accepting, or participating in idolatry? Certainly, we are to reach out to all people with the love of Jesus. But we do NOT try to reach them by participating in their sinful ways!

When Paul said "I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some." (I Cor. 9:22), he did not imply compromise. But in order to more effectively communicate the Gospel of Jesus, the apostle was careful to be considerate of other's beliefs and traditions. He did not want to offend them and run them away before he could share the Gospel with them.

He said, "unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as [though I also was] under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;" (I Cor. 9:20) But his acting in obedience to the law when he was around Jews who placed such a high importance on observing the law, was not sinful or idolatrous or showing approval of sinful ways. Indeed, if it were possible for us to live in perfect obedience to the law, we would all want to serve God so perfectly.

So, even though Paul knew he had been set free from the "bondage" of the law, he was not deceptive or hypocritical in his approach to those Jews who placed such a high importance on observance of the law. He just tried to be careful and considerate of their ways so that he might have the opportunity to tell them about a more perfect way through faith in Jesus Christ.

The essential part of Paul's actions was his motivation, which was to bring people to salvation in Christ. He was not doing it as simply an "expression of peace, fellowship, and neighborliness" like McLaren. Nor was he participating in sin in order to reach the sinner. But the liberal left in Christendom have a different motivation. They are all about "peace, fellowship, and neighborliness".

Over and over again, the expressed motive of this godless ecumenism is world peace and brotherly love (which sounds very good on the surface). And along with apostates like McLaren, the Roman Catholic Church isleading the way. Pope Benedict XVI, at the World Youth Day in Australia last July, "called on around 50 Christian leaders to fight for unity within the broader faith.

'...My dear friends, I have come to Australia as an ambassador of peace. For this reason I feel blessed to meet you who likewise share this yearning and the desire to help the world attain it.' The pope later met leaders from the Muslim, Jewish and other faiths, telling them religions had a special role in maintaining peace."³

For sure, desiring a peaceful existence (Heb. 12:14) and loving all people (Matt. 5:43-44) are Christian attributes. But in doing so, we are to NEVER compromise on our stand for the truth of God!

Because of His unyielding stand on the truth, our Lord Jesus said, "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword." (Matt 10:34) And He went on to say that because of Him, people would even be at variance with members of their own family!

Love people with the love of Jesus? Yes! But disregard or participate in their sin in an effort to have peace and acceptance from them? Never! We don't even do it to "reach" them! Should we drink with the drunkard to reach him? Are we to gamble at the casino to reach its patrons? Are we to dabble in sexual immorality to be more accepted and at peace with the world? Of course not!

And neither do we legitimize idolatry in order to have peace with the idolaters. The Bible is perfectly clear on this:

"...for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?... Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord..." (2 Cor. 6:14b, 17a)

We are to be sanctified (set apart) from the sinful world. And it is through that holiness in us that the lost are drawn to Jesus.

Satan has so sugar-coated and disguised his poison with "peace and brotherly love" that people, even "Christians" are swallowing it in mega-doses. They don't understand their Bible well enough to even know better. As God said through the prophet Hosea, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:" (Hos. 4:6a).

Today, the doctrine of "tolerance" has become the theology of the world, which should come as no surprise to us since... "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils" (1 Tim. 4:1). And it is this devilish doctrine of "tolerance" that is melding all the religions of the world into one giant conglomerate that the False Prophet will eventually place at the feet of Antichrist. Each religion will be allowed to keep its own individual doctrine, but united by and subservient to the overall umbrella of "tolerance and brotherly love"... a one world religion that will eventually worship the Antichrist.

As for this preacher, there is no room for compromising on the truth of God's Word. As Paul said, "Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!" (1 Cor 9:16) lest the closing request of Bro. Jamie's prayer be answered!

Hybels Opens Leadership Summit with 'Rogue Waves'

By Lillian Kwon

Christian Post Reporter

Rogue waves provide the perfect conditions for leadership and greatness to emerge, said Pastor Bill Hybels at the annual Leadership Summit.

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  Thousands attend the Aug. 6-7, 2009 Leadership Summit at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Ill.

Leaders know these conditions produce our deepest learning curves, strongest bonds with team members, and deepest faith testing, the Willow Creek Community Church pastor told thousands on Thursday. Storms draw something out of us that calm seas don't.

Hybels was addressing church, ministry and business leaders from around the world who were attending and tuning in to the 2009 Leadership Summit, hosted by Willow Creek Association. With this year's two-day summit taking place in the midst of an economic storm, Hybels advised attendees about "leading in a new reality."

The slow economy and constant culture shifts have led the renowned megachurch pastor to believe that they won't be experiencing the "old normal" anytime soon.

"I’m not sure that we'll even experience 'The Old Normal' ever again," he said. "We are leading in a new reality."
And in the midst of this new reality, Hybels posed, "Do we still believe the local church is the hope of the world?"
"No matter how long or how deep the downturn goes, we need to challenge our church to be the Church to one another."

Recalling a time when he almost left the ministry, Hybels had written in his journal 20 years ago, "The pace at which I’m doing the work of God is destroying God’s work in me."
He had felt depleted and again he was falling back into that same condition, he said, while recognizing that many other leaders today have also become depleted.

He encouraged leaders to re-invent new strategies that would serve as self-replenishment. That includes reordering their priorities, responsibilities and relationships. During "rogue wave" situations, "the best thing you bring to the table every single day is a filled-up bucket and a heart that's right with God," he stressed.
Let go of the trapeze of the old routine and embrace the new motions and disciplines of the new reality, Hybels added.

Embracing change was also the take-home message from Gary Hamel, founder of Strategos and who was ranked as the No. 1 Business Thinker of 2008 by The Wall Street Journal.

"The pace of change has gone hypercritical" yet churches have turned into weekly convocations for the converted and the content.
The most important question for the church, Hamel said, is "Are you changing? Are you the vanguard or the old guard?"

"You’re either going forward or backward. You're not standing still," he added
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Citing statistics revealing the "de-churching" of America, Hamel noted that the number of Americans claiming no religious affiliation has quadrupled since 1990. In 2005, only 17 percent of Americans attended a religious service Sunday morning. And the "Christian" brand has taken a beating among young people.

Hamel, who attends Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in northern California, asked summit attendees if they should be wringing their hands over the secularization of society, or thanking God that so many people are no longer going through the motions of being religious.

Maybe we should be glad that young people have been taught to distrust dogmatic statements of all kinds, because this will force us to build an appeal on the fruit of the Spirit and not on elegant apologetics, he said.
"Success is a self-correcting strategy," he highlighted.

"We are not going to get fundamentally better at changing lives until we get fundamentally better at changing our churches."