The Heavenly Odyssey an wonderfully inspiring look at Heaven after the rapture.
Don't let the mud slinging from the left stick on you!
Warning...Political correctness NOT spoken here!
Please pray for our troops individually and if you know anyone in the armed forces in harms way you are invited to add them to the prayer list at www.prayerwatch.us
"Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you." Hebrews 13:17(NIV)
"Behold I set before you blessings and curses, life and death, choose life" Det 30:19
Our Cultural Mandate:
The Lord tells us to exercise Godly dominion over the all areas of life, without exception. As Christians, we are to be salt and light in a dark and broken world. Godly change is not a handout; it is earned. Just look to our early American revolutionaries, and warriors for Christ like William Wilberforce, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. If we want to steer our nation in the way Christ would have it to go, we must heed the Biblical call to bring His Truth to bear on every aspect of our world, especially our government!
Also see: www.reclaimamerica.org & www.faithandvalues.us.
EVIL IS HERE!
so...
Hear:Wisdom
Speak:Truth
See: The Light
"LETS SHOW HIM!"
PUT UP A NATIVITY SCENE IN YOUR YARD FOR CHRISTMAS in 2005 !!
URGENT...THIS IS FOR ALL OF US WHO CALL OURSELVES CHRISTIANS!...URGENT
The time has come to stand up for Jesus.
Jesus said if you are ashamed of me I will be ashamed of you.
The attack on Christian symbols and activities is being waged from the anti-God, run amuck politicaly correct left, harder now than typical. It's all over the news and other media how other religions can have there symbols displayed for the Christmas season but NOT the Manger or Nativity scene, in fact not any mention of Christ in Christmas at all, indeed, they want to do away with even the word "Christmas" (Christ's mass) and call it "winter holiday"!
Macy's now forbids their employees to say Merry Christmas to it's customers for fear that may offend somebody...now you will here "happy holidays" if you would shop there.
The city of Denver won't let a local church have a float in the Christmas parade because they want to sing Christmas carols.
Target (a French outfit) has forbidden the Salvation Army to ring their bells in front of it's stores this year because that organization represents the love of Christ. Walmart, so far, has invited them in front of their stores.
In many places the "Christmas" tree was even taken down because it offended somebody.
In Texas, a teacher discontinued all Christmas celebrations in her classroom and substituted the celebration of Kwanzaa, during which first graders were taught to worship their ancestors.
In Pennsylvania, a principal told a public high school teacher that he could not include religious music in the annual Christmas concert. When the teacher protested, he nearly lost his job.
In Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Bible club students were told they could not distribute candy canes to classmates because the candy package included an explanation of the religious origins of the candy cane.
In Illinois, a fourth grader who enjoyed hearing her public school teacher read a book about the origins of Hanukkah was told that the teacher would not read a book about the origins of Christmas.
In Texas, a first grader was informed he could not mention Jesus during a class discussion on the origins of Christmas.
In Tennessee, teachers were told they could not include any religious material in a general holiday decorating theme in their classrooms.
It's simply amazing that many of our nation's public schools, which once wholly embraced biblical ideals, now have policies that prevent the most elementary allusion to God.
Most of this harrassment on Christ is due to the scare tactics coming from the ACLU.
This is absolutely the lowest slap at Christ in the history of this nation founded on Godly principals and ideals.
Christ's Ambassadors are fed up and so should we all be!! It's not "Christian" to allow our Faith to be trampled on and our Lord and Savior rediculed... and just stand by!.
Christ's Ambassadors is proposing that we, and I mean Christian business owners, Christian families and Churches, all bombard our nation with nativity scenes in our church yards, private lawns, and places of business. Every Christmas from now until Jesus comes back! Amen.
Additionally, that on Easter, we should do the same thing with a resurrection scene. Please let us know if you have some good ideas that are affordable to all who would help promote our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on both His birthday and Resurrection day.
So far, they can't tell us to take God off our own lawn or private business.
I'm sure they'll try that next!
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Water us with your Word Lord
THE... MUST SEE MOVIE OF OUR LIFETIME!
He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter and former rain to the earth. from Hosea 6
The 10 Commandments are being hunted down by the likes of the ACLU and liberal federal judges order them to be removed from public view. All the while, child pornorphory is defended by these same liberal judges.
Does this sound right to you?
What can we do?
Mind Siege is a wake-up call for Christians to fight the tide of popular beliefs and win the battle for your mind.Two basic sources of reasoning determine the thoughts, ideas, beliefs, values, aims, morals, lifestyles, and activities of mankind - the wisdom of man and the wisdom of God. According to Tim LaHaye and David Noebel, life is mainly about the battle for your mind: whether you will live by man's wisdom, from the likes of Marx, Darwin, Freud, and Nietzche, or God's wisdom and those who gave it, such as Moses, the prophets, Christ and the apostles. Your choice will affect the way you live now and ultimately where you will spend eternity. buy it at www.Barnes & Noble.com
You have a CHOICE!
or/One thing Leads to another
PRAISE REPORTS
This prayer is one which came to me via a wonderful friend. This one says it all.
Dear Heavenly Father,
We join in heart, mind and soul before You during this time of great need. We bow in humble obedience, seeking Your grace and Your mercy upon our nation and all who dwell here. Abba Father, first we pray that You touch and hold those families who are still waiting, hoping and praying for a family member to be found alive in the rubble. Please help them to keep their eyes on You and hold them close, so close, to Your heart, as You comfort them. Cause them to feel Your presence like they have never felt it before!! May they turn to You in their grief!!!
We pray for those who are still trapped right now beneath the rubble. Father God, we ask that You show Yourself brightly in the dark days of people's lives! Please give the rescue workers supernatural wisdom and endurance to find and rescue those who are still alive. Please keep these people alive... to Your glory!!!
We pray for our President. Father, please fill him with Your courage and wisdom, give him the boldness to speak clearly and acknowledge the True and Living God, the God of the universe, in the midst of this tragedy!! You have allowed George Bush to be the one in office during this unspeakable act of violence against our country...please now, give him ALL the strength and wisdom he will need to stand fast, not only as our President, but as a godly leader, trusting in His Heavenly Father!!!
We pray that You grant to ALL of our military leaders YOUR desires. May Your will become as their own! We pray for our U.S. Representatives, our U.S. Senators, and the President's Cabinet. Dear Lord, please bring many of these into Your family, show them Your hand, show them YOU are in power!
Also in deepest prayer, we ask for Your intervention on any future attacks that may be planned... may they be revealed and thwarted before any more lives are lost. Please protect us. Father, we ask that those responsible for these acts of ultimate terror on innocent people be brought to justice. Convict any accomplices of their sin and have them act in repentance by coming forward with information that will eliminate all terrorism in the future. We pray that we, the people, can remove the anger from our hearts and pray for the salvation of these terrorists.
We cry out from humble hearts to You... Forgive us our sins, heal our Land... We are a country that has turned our backs on You... PLEASE help us to turn that around!!! We know with You, ALL things are possible, so this would be also!!!!
We lift our beloved country, the United States of America, to You Father God. Please awaken this country from it's
spiritual slumber! Cause us to be bold in our witness and to seek Your mercy and forgiveness. May we walk the narrow road, with You, our Lord and Saviour!! We pray these things in Your Name, Jesus, who one day every knew shall bow and every tongue confess that you are the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
In Jesus name..Amen
______________________________________________________________________
Mind Siege is a wake-up call for Christians to fight the tide of popular beliefs and win the battle for your mind.Two basic sources of reasoning determine the thoughts, ideas, beliefs, values, aims, morals, lifestyles, and activities of mankind - the wisdom of man and the wisdom of God. According to Tim LaHaye and David Noebel, life is mainly about the battle for your mind: whether you will live by man's wisdom, from the likes of Marx, Darwin, Freud, and Nietzche, or God's wisdom and those who gave it, such as Moses, the prophets, Christ and the apostles. Your choice will affect the way you live now and ultimately where you will spend eternity. buy it at www.nelsondirect.com
It's very subtle, but it is eating away at our schools, society, our country and the world. It's MO is Secular Humanism. It is a cancer that is utilized by a few to engulf us all.
This discription, below in blue, of their "religion"(although they don't want that label) is copied from the website of Humanist.net.
What is humanism?
Humanism is a philosophy of life inspired by humanity and guided by reason.
1. Humanists think that science and reason provide the best basis for understanding the world around us.
2. Humanists believe that moral values are properly founded on human empathy and scientific understanding
3. Humanists see no convincing evidence for gods, the supernatural, or life after death.
4. Humanists believe we must live this life on the basis that it is the only life we'll have -- that, therefore, we must make the most of it for ourselves, each other, and our world.
Humanist philosophies have arisen separately in many different cultures over many thousands of years. Today, this non-religious approach to life is shared by a significant portion of society. Whether or not they use the term humanism, tens of millions of Americans and hundreds of millions of people around the world agree with the humanist philosophy of living a happy and productive life based on reason and compassion. .
Interruption:
Point 1, 2, 3, & 4. Science (based on the theory of evolution) and reason (our instincts only), not God, therefore no rules, we are all animals so live like them and get the most for yourself.
Consider that others can do as they please also. Be liberal ( free thinker) condone every act and lifestyle because, after all, people are just people so their must be a good reason for all bad or bizarre behavior.
One of the main groups who embrace this way of thinking is the ACLU. These are the ones who have made it their business to see that everywhere the Ten Commandments appear, they potition the courts to get them taken down citing the worn out mis-interpretation of the separation of church and state. And the sad part, fellow Christians, is that they are succeeding!
The Department of Education is under the same belief system. Think about it...They have held to the NO prayer or Creation teaching in schools , but lets teach kids how the gay lifestyle works (literally and graphically). Lets run off the Christian groups but allow any "free thinkers" to hold meetings in our government buildings at will. These are a few of the startling issues we Christians need to face. We need to stand up for the truth...
Secular Humanists have run down our Lord and our lives for much to long!
But don't take our word for it, read the facts for yourself.
Mind Siege is written by Dr. Tim La Haye co-author of the #1 best selling Left Behind series.
Matthew 12: 22-37
The Real Deal
The final Matrix movie was released recently and received a lot of attention. Some feel it functions as a post-modern primer. It's one of those movies that you either get and resonate with or you don't. If you get it, you believe it to be insightful, profound and even revolutionary. If you don't get it, you wonder what the fuss is all about.
Actually, the whole series is allegorical and laced with strong Christian overtones and may actually be a presentation of the gospel. At the very least it leads to a serious examination of the gospel. The main character is a Messiah figure known as the one. It is prophesied that he will come and deliver the people of earth from an unwitting slavery to the machine. In the Matrix reality is not what people think it is. Their brains are hooked up to a giant computer program that fools them into thinking that they are truly alive. Meanwhile, their bodies exist in an endless stream of pods designed to harvest their biochemical energy that feeds the machine.
The Messiah figure works alongside Trinity and Morpheus, which comes from the derivative Morph, which means regeneration. Together, they free people from the illusion of the machine and bring them into reality. The place where all of these people live is called Zion.
The cultural implications for post-moderns are real because they have a natural cynicism towards societal structures as a basis for reality. Institutions such as government, education, religion and business are self-serving and are thus invalid as a basis for true life. Those who buy into their message and live their lives accordingly plug into the machine. They create alternate realities designed to feed their existence at the expense of their constituents. Of course, this is a reciprocal relationship. Those who live this way are blissfully ignorant and selfish as they find significance in their illusions and grow to love them.
- This is what the Matrix is communicating
- This is what Orwell cried as he wrote 1984
- This is what Pink Floyd meant when they said, 'Welcome to machine.'
In other words, Christ is reality and everything else is an illusion because it ultimately disappears. I believe this is the theme of Matthew 12:22-37.
Matthew 12: 22-37
Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. All the people were astonished and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"
But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons."
Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
"Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house.
"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
"Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."
The first insight that we gain from this passage is that Jesus and how we process him is the watershed issue of our lives.
Jesus said that a house divided cannot stand
- He said that he who is not with me is against me
- He said you are either a good tree or a bad tree
- There is no such place as spiritual Switzerland
- There is no neutrality
- There is no walking the fence
- You either support Christ or you don't
- Was it the healings and changed lives
- Was it his message of forgiveness and love
- Was it his gentleness and purity
- Dr. Madalyn O'Hair, a leader in the secular humanist movement, in an address to Memphis State University says the following about the influence of conservative Christians on America.
- "They delayed the intellectual maturation of our nation for over two hundred years, just as they had delayed that of Europe for over a thousand -- always by psychological intimidation, repressive laws, legal harassments, monetary reprisals, and if need be, raw physical force. They fought against education, science, sex education, birth control, medicine, and the amelioration of the condition of humankind. They supported slavery, child labor, exploitative capitalism, onerous punishment schemes, and wars."
- Later she says, "Every person in this room suffers from pernicious, all-permeating disease brought by Judeo-Christianity into your life to remain there. Each and every one of you has, continually, feelings of personal inadequacy. It is bred into you, together with feelings of dependency, self-abnegation, obedience to authority, repentance, and guilt, by this religion, reinforced by this religion, emphasized by this religion."
- These ideas are not unique. They are subtly woven into so much of what comes through in our media and main-stream information sources. Our world today is very accomplished at discrediting Christ.
- Scholars try to undermine his significance.
- Historians try to deny his existence.
- Sociologists blame him for society's ills.
- Psychologists blame him for too much guilt and shame.
- & in many circles his name is only a curse word.
This is a sophisticated way of doing exactly what the Pharisees did, and just like 2000 years ago, they tend to overlook the good that Christ and his church are doing.
- I find it interesting that Christians have more hospitals worldwide than any other group.
- We feed more people than any other group. In fact, Southern Baptists alone provide more meals than does the Red Cross.
- More charity is done in Christ's name than any other.
- Christian values provide a basis for a moral and civil society and the breakdown of those values are directly linked to our current social problems.
- Christianity provides comfort, hope and encouragement for millions upon millions of people as it preaches the message of love for God and others.
- Why don't we ever hear about any of this stuff? The good that Christ and his church does is conveniently ignored, but let one preacher have a moral failure. Let one church discipline their children too harshly. Let one kook do something in the name of God, and they all cry bloody murder. There is a 2000 year old campaign to smear the name of Christ that started with the Pharisees.
- Christ did have a volatile message. I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the father but by me. This leaves no middle ground. You are ultimately for him or against him. He is the solution or he is the problem. How you view him determines how you view reality. He is the watershed of your life. And you, like everyone else must choose which side of the watershed you want to fall. In the Matrix, Morpheus gave Neo a choice between two pills: a red pill or a blue pill. One brought him back into the illusion of the Matrix and the other allowed him to stay in reality. Every time we are confronted with the gospel, we are asked to choose between the red pill or the blue pill: reality or illusion.
- When the Pharisees accused Jesus of being a demon, he shot their argument full of holes. He said in essence, look Satan may be evil, but he's not stupid. He's not going to work against his own interests. He's not going to fight for the other team. That would be like the Atlanta Falcons intentionally scoring points for the Tampa Bay Bucs. I know that's what it looks like, but no team can compete that way.
- Then he says, oh and by the way. Your own sons or people are casting out demons and if you condemn me, what are you saying about yourself. You can't have it both ways.
- Then he says, haven't you been paying attention? I've been plundering Satan's kingdom. Did you see the demoniac I delivered? Did you see the leprosy I cured? Did you see the dead that I raised? You believe they where Satan's trophies. Yet, I took all of them away from him. I took them back.
- A lot of people believe that Christianity itself along with other religions is neutral. You know, whatever works for you is your truth. Whatever helps you make your way in the world. Whatever floats your boat. We often think that spiritual and moral decisions are relative and subjective. Everything is equally true.
- But then if absolute truth does exist (which makes absolute sense), and we ignore it, we are walking a dangerous path.
- When I was in seminary we had this old school, hard line professor named Dr. Patterson. Dr. Patterson was in his eighties and ran a tight ship in the classroom. He told us that he was king in that class and everyone had to abide by his rules. He informed that there were to be no hats, no food, no beverages and that everyone was expected to be prompt and complete assignments on time.
- A student named Joe always brought a cup of coffee with to every class. That was perfectly fine with other professors and Joe thought that Dr. Patterson was being unreasonable. Joe decided that he was going to bring his coffee into class anyway. Dr. Patterson quickly pointed out in front of the whole class that Joe was in violation of class policy and informed Joe that further instances would result in a one class grade deduction. Joe brought his coffee to the next class and the next and the next. Everyday Dr. Patterson reminded Joe of his policy and everyday Joe just nodded. At the end of the semester Joe was surprised to discover that he had flunked the course. He did A work and he didn't understand. Dr. Patterson informed Joe that he never understood the reality of the situation.
- A lot of people are going to face eternity like Joe. They are not going to like their destination and will site a myriad of virtues and accomplishments. Christ will then remind them that they repeatedly spurned his truth and in doing so, missed the reality of the situation. Christ is ultimate reality. We do not arbitrarily determine our own rules. His love, grace and forgiveness are real, but if we insist on rejecting him and his offer of salvation, we will find out the hard way that reality is a bummer.
- III. Christ is the watershed of our lives, he is ultimate reality, and he is also the key to eternity. A lot of us already know this and it scares the be-jee-bees out of us. This passage talks about the ultimate or unforgivable sin. Some of us live in fear suspecting that we have committed that sin. William Cowper was an 18th century English poet and hymn writer. He wrote the famous hymn, 'There is a fountain filled with blood, that flows from Emanuel's veins. And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.'
- He also wrote, 'God moves in mysterious ways.'
- God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.
This famous and mighty man of God also lived in abject terror that he had unwittingly committed the unforgivable sin. He could not recall a time that he ever intentionally fell away, but feared that he must have done something to incur God's eternal wrath. This led him towards bouts of severe depression and he tried to take his life on a least two occasions. Shortly before his death he wrote him most famous poem: the castaway. The poem is a forerunner to Robinson Crusoe. It is an allegory about him being hopelessly shipwrecked away from the presence of God. - Cowper is not the only person to ever worry if he has done something to cut himself off from God. I think an understanding of this unpardonable sin issue can not only provide great assurance, but shed great light on the issue at hand: that Christ is reality and ultimately the sum of our lives comes down to our relationship with him.
- The text says that every sin will be forgiven men. I cannot think of a sin that does not fit into that category: lying, cheating, stealing, adultery, murder and even especially heinous sins like rape or child abuse. God's grace is sufficient to cover all of these indiscretions, but one: blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? Well, look at the context.
- Jesus has been has been among them preaching the good news and healing the sick. There is no doubt whatsoever that he is the real deal. They knew deep down that he was at least from God and perhaps even the Messiah. However, the more they saw, the more threatened and jealous they became and the more they hardened their hearts. They rejected the call of the Holy Spirit time and time again. They willingly persisted in their defiance of God's son. Remember, this is why Jesus is so upset. This is the context. If you continuously reject the Holy Spirit leading you to Christ, how can you find forgiveness, because forgiveness is only found through faith in Christ? If the Spirit tries to show you the truth time and time again, and you continuously call him a liar, you are blaspheming the Holy Spirit.
- We see this principle over and over in scripture.
- Why did God punish Egypt? Because Pharaoh hardened his heart and willfully rejected God's plea time and again.
- Why was Israel taken into captivity? Because they rejected the word of the prophets time and again.
- In Revelation, God destroys the world only after mankind continuously spurns him and his overtures.
- Every place in scripture where we find judgment, we also find a repeated defiance of the Spirit of God.
The unpardonable sin is a willful, persistent rejection of God and his grace because you cannot be saved by him whom you deny. You say, but I haven't really denied or blasphemed God. But if you haven't accepted him, you have rejected him all the same.
Conclusion
When your life is over and all is said and done. There will be only one question that matters. Everything else will fade into nothingness. What did you do with Jesus Christ? He is the watershed of your life, he is ultimate reality, he is the key to eternity.
Sermon courtesy of: Senior Pastor Gary Bulley of Lakeland Baptist Church
Sunday December 8, 2003