King Asa (2 Chronicles 15) did many good things that pleased the Lord. He cleansed the temple by tearing down altars and statues to other gods and even kicked his grandmother out of the palace (She was the Queen Mother) because she had Asherah poles that she worshiped.
When he went to war the first time he consulted with God through a prophet and God gave him a great victory. Later he decided to go to war but failed to consult with God. He asked another king to help him and proposed his own plan. God didn’t necessarily punish Asa for not consulting with Him, He just let him reap what he had sown. God said Asa would now be at war for the rest of his reign as king. Asa left God out of his plans so God decided not to be involved in helping him in any more wars and now he would have plenty of wars to think about it. Likewise if we choose to leave God out of our plans he will be quite obliging to let us continue on the path we started, without Him. That is what is much of what is happening to America today.
Why is revival so lacking amongst our great American churches? I believe because years ago God moved through America in various revivals movements and a number of the traditional dominations and churches shunned and rejected them because the movements didn’t fit their idea of how God was supposed to behave. Many churches have been taught and still firmly believe that when the bible was completed then there was no more need for apostles, miracles, healings and all the supernatural stuff. They believe that miracles, signs and wonders ended with the original apostles. The consequence of this is when the charismatic movement came in the 1970’s with signs and wonders they rejected it. When God moved through America with the worship revival in the late 1980’s they again rejected it and a number of years passed before they decided it was actually a work of God. Then when God moved in the early 1990’s in Melbourne and Pensacola, Florida, Toronto Canada and other places it was outright rejected even by some churches that had embraced earlier moves of God. These rejections of the different powerful moves of God have accumulated and the results are being reaped by America today. We are suffering the consequences of our own decisions. The many churches and denominations have chosen not to follow God when He revealed Himself to us because He didn’t follow their denominational beliefs. They chose to leave out the parts of God that didn’t suit them so He has let them go their own way.
We can sing “God bless America” all day long but look around at reality people. The churches are not growing. The percentage of Christians in America is down by 10%. Our government is run by an ungodly group of people who wish to eliminate all remembrance of Christianity. Our schools have been nearly purged of moral and spiritual teachings. Our economy is tanking, and the Gulf coast is having a disaster of epic proportions. A disaster that could destroy much of the aquatic life in the gulf and all the jobs that goes with it. And if we don’t get control and solve the debt crisis we will cease to be a nation, period. Our unfunded liabilities, social security, Medicare, etc is nearly 100 trillion dollars. That means every family in America is in debt through the government for one hundred and twenty thousand dollars each this year. That is one hundred twenty thousand dollars you and your children owe right now. Is your government adequately taking care of this problem?
Like Asa we have failed to depend on God. Like Asa we have failed to consult God and let Him fight our battles. Like Asa we have turned to men, influential preacher, politicians, etc. to solve our problems. Our Churches have failed. Our denominations have failed. Our leaders have failed. We have looked at moves of God and said that is not how we want do things. Now there is only one answer: each of our churches must humble themselves, pray and totally sell out to God. Don’t look to the past for the ways and means to do things. Don’t look to old traditions. Look to God with a new attitude and say to Him ‘whatever and however you want to do it God we will believe and follow you’. There will be a new revival soon. Will you continue to reject God and do your own plan, operate in the past and accept the status quo or will you embrace everything the new revival brings? Will I shed my old ways like sackcloth and old wineskins? Will I receive the new wind of the Holy Spirit, wear a new robe of repentance and drink from the new wine that the Holy Spirit pours out? Will I? Will you?
Nubby
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
A revealing of the book of Revelations (Revival Part II)
If you read the book of Revelations in the bible at one place John says "the second angel sounded and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood: and the third part of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died." (Rev 8:8-9)
The aerial images of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill the globules of oil have the look of dried blood, a brownish red color. Could this have been the picture of what John was describing, a huge oil spill that covers a third of all the oceans of the world? As I write the Gulf oil spill is over 52 [revised from 40] days old and it is still gushing. It will be August before the relief wells are finished and a permanent fix is in place. All other methods to stop the leak have failed so far. If the leak continues for another sixty or eighty days it will affect the entire Gulf and the Atlantic Ocean. In other words the whole planet will be affected physically, economically and politically. This could be an ‘end of the world’ type catastrophic event. Was this the event John saw or one like it?
Many of the images that John described in Revelations can now be explained as descriptions of today’s modern weapons and technologies. The whole world getting to watch the death of the three prophets of God would only be realized after CNN broadcast images of the First Gulf War into every country of the world. Now it is a common thing to see world wide events develop live on our TV screens.
The stage is fully set for the beginning of the Tribulation and the return of Christ. There is nothing left to be done except have a great end time revival to win people to Christ and experience His return. Things will get much worst. The world as we once knew it may be passing away before our very eyes. The only thing we can do is to turn to God and trust in His word that we will be delivered through what ever event we will encounter.
Many churches are doing the same things they have been doing for the last one hundred years. They are still trying to live in the revivals from the 1800’s or early 1900’s. That will not cut it. The Holy Spirit is a pillar of fire. He comes and stays a while and then he moves on. Not a physical move but a spiritual one. We must go through one revival and move on to the next, not stay in the same place spiritually, not stay where we are and especially not go backwards to live in a past era of revival. Many mainline churches are still living in the past looking to their human roots. Trying to build on the foundations of men who once experienced God in a new way but then God moved on, some men followed the new move and some didn’t. The men who founded many of our churches in the 1800’s are not our foundation, Jesus is. Churches must leave the past behind them and start looking for a new beginning and when it is complete look for another one and then another one, where ever the pillar of fire goes we must follow.
Jesus said we would know when it is the end times. Whether it will be next week, next year or the next decade we are at that place where we must decide to put Jesus first in everything or suffer the consequences of clinging to a dying world that will soon be gone.
Do we cling to our old traditions? Do we cling to our old methods and habit? If our churches are not growing and experiencing the end time revival fire of the Holy Spirit we need to let go of those things and learn to listen and follow the lead of the Holy Spirit.
I was reading in the Old Testament where one of the kings who followed after the Lord went into the Temple and tore down Asherah poles, incense altars and other idols that his father had erected. I was wondering; have we not also built up idols and altars to other gods in our churches, blending the pagan world with the church? Have we not made idols of people, their teachings and methods? Have we not made idols of traditions to the point that our traditions are more important than people? Have we not seen churches rejected by their denomination because (gasp) they didn’t follow tradition. Have we not seen denomination choose to follow the publicly correct rules of men rather than follow God? Are they not desecrating the church of God just as the Temple was desecrated?
It is time to purge the Churches. If we don’t do it ourselves God will do it for us. It is time to get back to the basics of following and worshipping God and God alone. It is time for pure revival, a revival with the energy, fire and power of the Holy Spirit. The church must end in power just like it began, a supernatural one.
Nubby
The aerial images of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill the globules of oil have the look of dried blood, a brownish red color. Could this have been the picture of what John was describing, a huge oil spill that covers a third of all the oceans of the world? As I write the Gulf oil spill is over 52 [revised from 40] days old and it is still gushing. It will be August before the relief wells are finished and a permanent fix is in place. All other methods to stop the leak have failed so far. If the leak continues for another sixty or eighty days it will affect the entire Gulf and the Atlantic Ocean. In other words the whole planet will be affected physically, economically and politically. This could be an ‘end of the world’ type catastrophic event. Was this the event John saw or one like it?
Many of the images that John described in Revelations can now be explained as descriptions of today’s modern weapons and technologies. The whole world getting to watch the death of the three prophets of God would only be realized after CNN broadcast images of the First Gulf War into every country of the world. Now it is a common thing to see world wide events develop live on our TV screens.
The stage is fully set for the beginning of the Tribulation and the return of Christ. There is nothing left to be done except have a great end time revival to win people to Christ and experience His return. Things will get much worst. The world as we once knew it may be passing away before our very eyes. The only thing we can do is to turn to God and trust in His word that we will be delivered through what ever event we will encounter.
Many churches are doing the same things they have been doing for the last one hundred years. They are still trying to live in the revivals from the 1800’s or early 1900’s. That will not cut it. The Holy Spirit is a pillar of fire. He comes and stays a while and then he moves on. Not a physical move but a spiritual one. We must go through one revival and move on to the next, not stay in the same place spiritually, not stay where we are and especially not go backwards to live in a past era of revival. Many mainline churches are still living in the past looking to their human roots. Trying to build on the foundations of men who once experienced God in a new way but then God moved on, some men followed the new move and some didn’t. The men who founded many of our churches in the 1800’s are not our foundation, Jesus is. Churches must leave the past behind them and start looking for a new beginning and when it is complete look for another one and then another one, where ever the pillar of fire goes we must follow.
Jesus said we would know when it is the end times. Whether it will be next week, next year or the next decade we are at that place where we must decide to put Jesus first in everything or suffer the consequences of clinging to a dying world that will soon be gone.
Do we cling to our old traditions? Do we cling to our old methods and habit? If our churches are not growing and experiencing the end time revival fire of the Holy Spirit we need to let go of those things and learn to listen and follow the lead of the Holy Spirit.
I was reading in the Old Testament where one of the kings who followed after the Lord went into the Temple and tore down Asherah poles, incense altars and other idols that his father had erected. I was wondering; have we not also built up idols and altars to other gods in our churches, blending the pagan world with the church? Have we not made idols of people, their teachings and methods? Have we not made idols of traditions to the point that our traditions are more important than people? Have we not seen churches rejected by their denomination because (gasp) they didn’t follow tradition. Have we not seen denomination choose to follow the publicly correct rules of men rather than follow God? Are they not desecrating the church of God just as the Temple was desecrated?
It is time to purge the Churches. If we don’t do it ourselves God will do it for us. It is time to get back to the basics of following and worshipping God and God alone. It is time for pure revival, a revival with the energy, fire and power of the Holy Spirit. The church must end in power just like it began, a supernatural one.
Nubby
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