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God's Sovereignty, Sanctity of Life, and Capital Punishment

God's Sovereignty, Sanctity of Life, and Capital Punishment
Genesis 9
"God blessed Noah and his sons: He said, "Prosper! Reproduce! Fill the Earth! Every living creature—birds, animals, fish—will fall under your spell and be afraid of you. You're responsible for them. All living creatures are yours for food; just as I gave you the plants, now I give you everything else. Except for meat with its lifeblood still in it—don't eat that.
"But your own lifeblood I will avenge; I will avenge it against both animals and other humans.

Whoever sheds human blood,
by humans let his blood be shed,
Because God made humans in his image
reflecting God's very nature.
You're here to bear fruit, reproduce,
lavish life on the Earth, live bountifully!"

Then God spoke to Noah and his sons: "I'm setting up my covenant with you including your children who will come after you, along with everything alive around you—birds, farm animals, wild animals—that came out of the ship with you. I'm setting up my covenant with you that never again will everything living be destroyed by floodwaters; no, never again will a flood destroy the Earth." God continued, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and everything living around you and everyone living after you. I'm putting my rainbow in the clouds, a sign of the covenant between me and the Earth. From now on, when I form a cloud over the Earth and the rainbow appears in the cloud, I'll remember my covenant between me and you and everything living, that never again will floodwaters destroy all life. When the rainbow appears in the cloud, I'll see it and remember the eternal covenant between God and everything living, every last living creature on Earth." And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I've set up between me and everything living on the Earth." The sons of Noah who came out of the ship were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan. These are the three sons of Noah; from these three the whole Earth was populated. Noah, a farmer, was the first to plant a vineyard. He drank from its wine, got drunk and passed out, naked in his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked and told his two brothers who were outside the tent. Shem and Japheth took a cloak, held it between them from their shoulders, walked backward and covered their father's nakedness, keeping their faces turned away so they did not see their father's exposed body. When Noah woke up with his hangover, he learned what his youngest son had done. He said,

Cursed be Canaan! A slave of slaves,
a slave to his brothers!
Blessed be God, the God of Shem,
but Canaan shall be his slave.
God prosper Japheth,
living spaciously in the tents of Shem.
But Canaan shall be his slave.

Noah lived another 350 years following the flood. He lived a total of 950 years. And he died."


If one were to choose the portion of the Word of God that is most deeply woven in the fabric of our lives, the government of our nation and the nations of the world, one would have to choose the portion that comes before us in today's study. We are not now entering into a study of the redemptive purposes of God, but on of the most important sections dealing with history of men and nations, and then we will talk about how it relates to us today.

The water of the flood had receded and Noah with his family stands before the God who has sheltered them and brought them through. God now speaks to them and gives them and those who will proceed from them direction. He now establishes His Covenant with them and with every living creature. (vs 9.10) We are introduced to great truths as this pivotal chapter opens.

1.) GOD IS SOVEREIGN IN HIS WORLD
There is a Divine Truth here that we need to reflect on, and that is, God is sovereign in His world and it come from His Divine Right. The world is His possession. Let's read and reflect on the following passages:

Exodus 19:5 "Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine,"

Deuteronomy 10:14 "To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it."

1 Chronicles 29:11 "Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.

With ownership there is sovereignty. When we speak of God's sovereignty we are speaking of the supremacy of God, the Kingship of God and the Godhood of God. He is the possessor of heaven and earth, and He rules in His possession. Let us now read and reflect of these following passages:

Psalm 103:19 "The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.

Psalm 104

Daniel 4:17-19 "Carefully guard yourselves so that you don't turn corrupt and make a form, carving a figure that looks male or female, or looks like a prowling animal or a flying bird or a slithering snake or a fish in a stream. And also carefully guard yourselves so that you don't look up into the skies and see the sun and moon and stars, all the constellations of the skies, and be seduced into worshiping and serving them. God set them out for everybody's benefit, everywhere."

Daniel 4:35 "I was given my mind back and I blessed the High God, thanking and glorifying God, who lives forever:
"His sovereign rule lasts and lasts,
his kingdom never declines and falls.
Life on this earth doesn't add up to much,
but God's heavenly army keeps everything going.
No one can interrupt his work,
no one can call his rule into question.

We live and move and have our being in one who is sovereign in all His ways and has become our Father because we have received His Son as our Saviour:

John 3:16 "This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life."

John 3:36 "That is why whoever accepts and trusts the Son gets in on everything, life complete and forever! And that is also why the person who avoids and distrusts the Son is in the dark and doesn't see life. All he experiences of God is darkness, and an angry darkness at that."

John 1:12 "But whoever did want him, who believed he was who he claimed and would do what he said, He made to be their true selves, their child-of-God selves.

2.) GOD IN SOVEREIGNTY HAS ESTABLISHED GOVERNMENT:
Genesis 9:2,6 "He said, "Prosper! Reproduce! Fill the Earth! Every living creature—birds, animals, fish—will fall under your spell and be afraid of you...Whoever sheds human blood, by humans let his blood be shed, Because God made humans in his image reflecting God's very nature."

The authority to rule is now place in the hand of men. The theologian Barnhouse said in his book on Genesis states that this was the beginning of human government. Morris, in his excellent study of Genesis affirms that the word "require" is a judicial term. When Paul writes to the Romans on the theme of government, he declares the "powers that be are ordained of God." Government has been established by God for the blessing of mankind.

3.) GOD DECLARES THE SACREDNESS OF HUMAN LIFE:
Genesis 9:4 "You're responsible for them. All living creatures are yours for food; just as I gave you the plants, now I give you everything else. Except for meat with its lifeblood still in it—don't eat that."

I remember some time ago, when I was a library assistant, seeing a series of books on THE HUMAN BODY, edited by U.S. News and World Reports. The set was incredible with remarkable graphical content in word and picture. It would en-capture and distract me from my job. The volume on the blood was intriguing. The title, THE BLOOD - THE RIVER OF LIFE. Listen to these words as recently ran across them again, "Ultimately blood unites not only the ages, but emotion and experience too. It is an unending river of life." BLOOD IS LIFE...LIFE IS SACRED!
If there is one truth that has been diminished in our modern day it is the sacredness of human life. The loss of this truth has brought in the flood of evils that plague us today:
Alcohol is the great destroyer of life. As a nation, millions upon millions are spent on this life-destroying poison. Because the blood, the life, is not sacred, we have drug abuse, a monstrous evil that destroys mind and body and soul. Why had ABORTION become the problem that it has? Because there is NO REVERENCE FOR LIFE. If life is sacred, it is wrong to destroy it. The greatest deterrent to abortion is to teach THE SACREDNESS OF LIFE. Finally, with the rising tide of violence, and world-wide violence, has come about because we no longer judge life as a sacred commodity.

4.) GOD IN HIS CONCERN FOR MAN ESTABLISHED CAPITAL PUNISHMENT:
Genesis 9:6 "Whoever sheds human blood, by humans let his blood be shed, Because God made humans in his image reflecting God's very nature."

Remember that these directives were given to MAN IN GENERAL FOR ALL TIME. God established the rule for capital punishment. The man who is guilty of killing will be killed. It is essential for us to realize that this word given for capital punishment is given because of MAN'S UNIQUE PERSONALITY. He was made "in the image of God." When a person is killed, the image of God is marred. Man is a tripartite being, different from all of God's creation, explains the sacredness of life.
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God Casts His Vote

God Casts His Vote

Today, January 19th, 2010, our nation will observe the great state of Massachusetts as the citizens of that state will go to the polls to cast their vote in a special Senatorial election to see who will fill the vacant Senate seat that was held for over 40 years by Edward Kennedy. Regardless of the outcome of that day, on thing is certain, whoever is chosen, they will enter the office in turbulent times.

Likewise, a year ago tomorrow, the 44th President of the United States was inaugurated. What a historic election it was, our first Black President. A Harvard Professor, and considered the most educated and smartest man to ever hold the job. Have you ever sat down and read a brief summary of the lives of the 43 men who have led our nation from that eventful day of April 30, 1789? At that time the population of our country was 3,929,214. In his address Washington said, "The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government are justly considered, perhaps as deeply, as finally, staked on the experiment trusted to the hands of the American people." What a wise observation he made when he affirmed, "It is impossible to govern the world without God."

If we could call the roll of presidents who have served in the highest office of our land, if they could march before us, we would discover young and old, men who had great opportunities for education and those who were denied. What a contrast between our first president who had only six years of school, and Woodrow Wilson, who was President of Princeton University.

The weeks immediately before us have seen an intensifying of the election drama that has culminated on today that has been set aside for this momentous event. Whatever the results are, we can be assured by a survey of our history, that life will go on much the same in the next 6 years as it has in the past. Someone has said, "A platform is something you get in on."

It will save us frustration today to realize that the Word of God has something to say about government and God's concern over this aspect of our lives.

1.) GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED BY GOD:
It would be well for us to spend time with Genesis 9:1-6:
"Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. "But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man. "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man."
Luther said, "We must take careful note of this passage in which God establishes government." Other commentators who take this position are Calvin, Keil and Delitzsch, Leupold and McClain. The covenant made with Noah was with the entire human race for perpetual generations.

2.) GOVERNMENT WAS FIRST PLACED IN THE HANDS OF ISRAEL:
God chose Israel and gave her a position at the head of the nations:
"The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt."
Having chosen Israel, He place her at the crossroads of the world:
"When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided all mankind, he set up boundaries for the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel."
Israel was given instruction by God as to world conquest:
"When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. He shall say: "Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory." The officers shall say to the army: "Has anyone built a new house and not dedicated it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else may dedicate it. Has anyone planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else enjoy it. Has anyone become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else marry her." Then the officers shall add, "Is any man afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his brothers will not become disheartened too." When the officers have finished speaking to the army, they shall appoint commanders over it. When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you. If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city. When the LORD your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it. As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves. And you may use the plunder the LORD your God gives you from your enemies. This is how you are to treat all the cities that are at a distance from you and do not belong to the nations nearby. However, in the cities of the nations the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you. Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin against the LORD your God. When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it to capture it, do not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can eat their fruit. Do not cut them down. Are the trees of the field people, that you should besiege them? However, you may cut down trees that you know are not fruit trees and use them to build siege works until the city at war with you falls."

3.) GOVERNMENT WAS TAKEN FROM ISRAEL AND TRANSFERRED TO GENTILES:
Take time to study these remarkable passages: 2 Kings 17; 2 Kings 21:12-15; 2 Chronicles 36:15-21. Israel relinquished her position as the head of the nations because she was morally unfit to rule. The Gentile nations were given responsibility and hold it until this present hour. When Gentile nations prove themselves unfit, their dominion will be taken away.

4.) GOVERNMENT IN MAN'S HANDS IS RULED OVER BY A SOVEREIGN GOD:
A.) Principles Declared: Proverbs 8:15,16; 16:10; 16:33; 19:21; 21:1
B.) Principles illustrated: Daniel 2:37; 4:17; 5:23
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When Life Tumbles In...then What?

b>When Life Tumbles In...then What?"</b>

<b>Jeremiah 12:5</b> ""If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?"

It's been over 30 years now, but I remember it just like yesterday. I had been practicing my basketball skills on the backyard court that my father and I had built. My dream had been to play professional basketball. I was 15 and the season had ended a month prior but I was getting ready for summer camps. My father walked to the back and called me up to the house. He said he needed to see about something. I was only half way done with my practice before I jogged over to the University to play some pickup games. I ran up to the house and found my father leaning in the kitchen next to the sink waiting for me. He starred in my eyes for what seemed eternity before he spoke. I could see it was serious as he seemed to be holding back tears. My imagination was running wild. Did something happen to a family member or what? He took a step towards me and rested his arms on each side of my shoulders. He said he had something devastating to tell me, and it was that he just found out that he was dying of Lou Gehrig's Disease, and it was moving fast. He said not only would he not see me graduate from high school, but it would be unlikely that he would make it to the 1st of next year. He drew me close to him and hugged me as I sobbed and cried uncontrollably. In a matter of a couple of sentences, life came tumbling in.

Sometimes our lives seem to float along somewhat effortlessly and then something comes along that jars us from our complacency and reminds us of just how painful life can be. Such was the case of a minister of the Church of Scotland by the name of Dr. Arthur John Gossip, who was the minister of the Beechgrove Church in Aberdeen, Scotland. In 1927 Gossip preached one of the most famous sermons in the history of the Church of Scotland. Entitled “When Life Tumbles In, What Then?” the sermon was preached shortly after the sudden death of his wife. Reading the sermon, even after all these years, one is stuck by the great amount of pathos, reflection, and faith that went into this sermon.
I.
The text that Gossip chose for this sermon was the passage from Jeremiah that we have just read. In many ways Jeremiah stands as the greatest prophet of the Old Testament. He was certainly a “man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” Often, when we speak of prophets, we speak of individuals who predicted the future, and certainly prophets did that. But the fundamental role of the prophet was a messenger. The prophet was one who had stood in the presence of God and delivered the message of God with the famous formula: “Thus says the Lord.” For Jeremiah the message God had given him brought him great pain and sadness. It was his burden to speak to the people of Judah the word of judgment that God had given him. The people had broken the covenant that God had made with them at Sinai. Therefore they were to be punished. The context of this punishment was a series of events that took place around 586 B.C. The Babylonian Army, led by King Nebuchadnezzar, attacked the city of Jerusalem, burned down the holy Temple and laid the city to ruins. The Babylonians also took the King of Judah and many of the leaders of the people into exile to Babylon. Late in his life Jeremiah was taken to Egypt against his will. He left behind a series of great poems and oracles unmatched by any prophetic writing in the Old Testament. Characteristic of Jeremiah’s prophecy was a series of laments in which the prophet railed against God over what he found around him. The passage from which I just read takes the form of a legal case in which the prophet brings a charge against the almighty. He laments the fact that
the guilty and treacherous thrive while the innocent often suffer. The answer that God gives to him is hardly what one would expect. Instead of comfort, he receives reproof. God replies to Jeremiah by saying that if Jeremiah cannot compete with foot runners, how does he expect to do in a race against horses, and if in a safe land he falls down,
how does he expect to fare in the jungle of the Jordan? (Jeremiah 12:5-6) Most of us understand this. When some difficulty besets us, we run quickly into the presence of God, angry and filled with resentment. But then in a better moment, we check ourselves, remembering that what we have experienced is not much different from what others
have felt as well. It is then that the words of Jeremiah break through to us. If we have caught our breath when splashing through the shallow waters of some summer stream, how will we do when the river Jordan breaks its banks and suddenly we are caught in a swelling of water that is filled with angry waves. Suppose, like Job, we were to receive the dreadful tidings of disaster that signaled the loss of children and wealth as well. Would we be able to say with Job, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord.” Or, if like the prophet Ezekiel, we were to hear from God without any warning this bleak word: “Son of man, behold I take away the desire of your eyes with a stroke; yet neither shall you weep, nor let the tears run down.” “So,” says the prophet, “I preached to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died.”

II.
One thing is certain. We do not understand these experiences when life suddenly tumbles in and suddenly we are facing some great loss, some vicious disease, or some dreaded circumstance in our lives. The prophet Isaiah warns us that “God’s ways are not our ways and his thoughts not our thoughts.” We may not be able to understand some of these events of life, but surely this is not a time to move away from our faith but to move toward it. Dr. Gossip put it like this: “You people in the sunshine may believe the faith, but those of us who are living in the shadows must believe
it . We have nothing else.” It was Christ who said, “I will not leave you comfortless” and certainly those are words
that we cleave to. For certainly the Christian hope is well expressed in the notion that God does not abandon us in moments of great loss. In the National Gallery in London there is a painting that depicts Christ hanging on the cross in a dense darkness. At first that is all that one can see. But gradually there is another form, God’s form; and other hands supporting Christ, God’s hands, and another face, God’s face, even more full of agony than Christ’s face. The presence, the sufficiency, the sympathy of God, these things grow very real and very sure and very wonderful.

III.
Then, too in the face of death we affirm our belief about immortality. Most contemporary theologians are very reluctant to speak about eternal life, but as Austin Farrer once observed, the Christian faith does not make much sense without this belief. The Apostle Paul understood this very clearly. In writing to the church at Corinth he observed, “If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (I Corinthians 15:19) Eternal life is described in detail in the New Testament. Hence the Christian believer has to speak by hope and by faith and not by sight. And yet there are some things that we can say. Eternal life promises us that there are some things in this life that are not fulfilled, and without some sense of life beyond death, there are many things that simply don’t make sense.
Karl Menninger, a noted psychiatrist who spent his life dealing with mentally ill people, once was asked if he believed in eternal life or whether he simply believed that the notion of eternal life was nothing more than a wish for “pie in the sky.” Menninger replied by saying that if it is nothing more than “pie in the sky” then there are a lot of people who are not going to get any pie. Human life is often very difficult and there are many people who do not share the joys that most of us take for granted.

IV.
There is something else about these times in which life tumbles in on us, taking away our breath and leaving us cold and shattered. They are opportunities for faith to be strengthened and for a spirit of compassion to be born within us. A friend of mine, Dr. Howard Edington, was for many years the minister of the First Presbyterian Church in Orlando, Florida. One night he experienced something that changed his life forever. On a stormy December night he and his wife were asleep in their home when the phone rang at 3:00 a.m. When Dr. Edington answered the phone, the voice on the other end said, “There are Orlando policemen at your door, please let them in.” Out of the rain and into their
kitchen stepped a police officer and the police chaplain, delivering the worse news that any parent can receive: “There has been a terrible automobile accident and your son did not survive.” In a sermon Howard Edington preached the Sunday after the death of his twenty-two year old son, he said this to the congregation that had gathered: “Dear Friends,” he said, “I have been to the bottom. I have been to where life hurts the most and cuts the deepest and hits the hardest. Therefore, listen to me when I tell you that faith in Jesus Christ is not some sideline pursuit, some pleasant diversion, some enjoyable hobby in your life. It is not something you give yourself to when it is convenient or when it helps you along your career track or when you want to appear respectable. It is not just a part of your life. You have to see it as the center of your life, the foundation of your whole existence. Nothing else in your life really matters, nothing else in your life will last. When the police chaplain says, ‘Your son did not survive,’ I can tell you that you find out right then that the only thing you have left is faith.” There is something else. When life tumbles in, we are often given a new set of eyes by which we see more clearly the hurt of others. Granted, it is a price none of us would ever want to pay. But it is a fact. Most of us are not naturally profound. We have to be forced down. Robert Browning Hamilton’s poem puts it like this:
“I walked mile with Pleasure,
She chattered all way;
But left me none the wiser
For all she had to say.
I walked a mile with Sorrow
And ne’er a word said she;
But oh, the things I learned from her
When Sorrow walked with me.”

Yes, these things do come. For years and years you and I go our sunny way and live our happy lives, and the rumors of these terrors are blown to us very faintly as from a world so distant that it seems to have nothing to do with us. And then, to us too, it happens. Then, suddenly, we find ourselves not in some sunny stream beside a mountain but in the midst of the swelling Jordan River with the cold of it taking our breath away and the waves sweeping away our footing, and life comes tumbling in. So, what then? Arthur John Gossip concludes his sermon with these words. He says, “I do not think you need to be afraid of life. Our hearts are very frail and there are places where the road is very steep and very lonely. But we have a wonderful God. And, as Paul puts it, ‘What can separate us from his love? Not death,’ he says immediately, pushing that aside at once as the most obvious of all impossibilities.” No, not death. For standing in the roaring of the Jordan, cold to the heart with its dreadful chill, and very conscious of the terror of its rushing, I too, like Hopeful (In Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress), can call back to you who one day in your turn will have to cross it, “Be of good cheer, for I feel the bottom, and it is sound.” Amen.
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Thy Kingdom Come

<b>Thy Kingdom Come</b>

     Frequently, folk that I meet as I visit hospitals, homes, work, and the casual walk of life, speak of the blessings they enjoy as they share in the singing of great hymns. One of the men who has enriched the life of the Church was Issac Watts. A man of great learning gave to us over 600 hymns. One of the most stirring speaks of the hope that we share as we reflect on a day whose coming is certain. There is a day when "the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ." Jesus shall reign:

     There is a universal longing in the human heart for such a day. It's been implanted into our DNA by our creator. Just as we have a longing to know our creator. It is not seen, or measured, yet every culture believes in a deity giving us proof that this longing is not merely an idea born out of the thoughts of man. Why does man possess this hope, this longing? No question - it was given him by His Creator, the living God and was underscored when the Lord Jesus gave to His people a sample prayer with the request, "thy Kingdom come." Think of it. This has been the prayer of the faithful through the ages. It is the silent groan of creation; it has been the prayer of the Church of Jesus Christ; it is for this Israel waits for the coming of their Messiah.

     It is important that we understand that there is at this present moment a Universal Kingdom. Copy this in your Bible. Dr. James Orr, great scholar said, "There is therefore recognized in Scripture a natural and universal kingdom or dominion of God, embracing all objects, persons, and events, all doings of individuals and nations, all operations and changes of nature and history, absolutely and without exception.
    
     1.) This Kingdom exists without interruption, thought, time (Psalm 145:13).
     2.) This Kingdom includes all that exists in space or time (1 Chronicles 29:12).
     3.) This universal Kingdom always exists efficaciously regardless of its subjects (Daniel 4:35)

     This is not the Kingdom that we pray for when we cry out,  Thy Kingdom come." We do not ask for that to come which is already in existence. When we pray "Thy Kingdom come" we are asking that the Kingdom of Messiah may come (Mark 11:20; Luke 23:42). Let us now turn our attention to these truths.

     1.)<b> THE KINGDOM DESIGNATIONS:</b>
         A.) Matthew 19:28 - The time of regeneration - a  new order on earth
         B.) Acts 3:19 - "Times of refreshing will come."
         C.) Acts 3:21 - "Times of the restoration of all things"
         D.) Ephesians 1:10 - The dispensation of the fullness of time
         E.) Philippians 1:6 - The Day of Christ if designated as the period of Christ's coming and His reign.
              The Day of the Lord refers to another day in which judgment is dispensed.

     2.)<b> THE KINGDOM COMES:</b> (Revelation 20:4-6)
         The Kingdom will be ushered in with these events involved:
         A.) Satan will be bound for a thousand years.
         B.) During this period the nations will not be deceived by his satanic powers. They are at the
              present time.
        C.) Thrones, positions of authority will be occupied by Christians
        D.) These shall reigns as priests and kings on the earth
        E.) This is the Millenial Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
        F.) It is for this Kingdom we pray when we say, "THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH
             AS IT IS IN HEAVEN." J.D. Jones said, "This will come, God has pledged Himself."

     3.) <b>THE KINGDOM CHARACTERISTICS:</b>
              To give attention to all would require our reading all the prophets. There are two highways in
        the Old Testament. One is to the manger, the other to the throne. We give attention to these
        qualities that will mark His reign:
         A.) A time of universal peace (Isaiah 11:2-5)
         B.) A reign of justice (Isaiah 11:9)
         C.) A non-violent society (Isaiah 11:9)
         D.) Earth is at rest - joy (Isaiah 14:7,8)
         E.) Deformed healed  (Isaiah 29:18)
         F.) Sickness gone (Isaiah 33:24; 35:5)
        G.) Curse removed - nature (Isaiah 35)
        H.) Longevity returns (Isaiah 65:20)
        I.) Perfect economic system (Isaiah 65:22-25)

     God Bless you as you meditate on both of these paths and how they affect you. Scientists are just now starting to focus some attention to the spiritual realm, the fourth dimension. That's right right, scientists are going 4-D! Why? Because they can not shake what God has implanted into every human being, and that is to be one with it's Creator. All roads lead back to God. I hope you enjoyed this little study - Chappy
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Can Man know God?

<b>Can Man know God?</b>

     One cold winter afternoon the philosopher Thomas Carlyle was sitting before an open fireplace in his library. The door opened and the new pastor of a local church entered the room. After, Carlyle and the young minister had spoken for a few moments, the minister asked the great philosopher, "What do yo think the people of this parish, which is in my charge, need most?" Carlyle without hesitation replied, "What this parish needs is a man who know God otherwise than by hear-say." There are many who question Carlyle's understanding of God, but one thing is certain, he believed that man's greatest need is to know God.

     Few men in history were better informed than Thomas Binney. When he thought of the great problem of knowing God, he penned these words:

                                                "O how shall man whose native spheres is dark,
                                                      Whose mind is dim,
                                                 Before the ineffable appear,
                                                      and on His naked Spirit bear
                                                 The uncreated beam?"

     There is a passage most remarkable in Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. He has come to their city to set forth truths that were unknown to them. "He came in weakness, and in fear and in much trembling (1 Corinthians 2:3). As we turn our attention to this portion we are confronted with the subject of "wisdom", man's and God's. In the end times it is important for us to evaluate the words of those who claim to don the wisdom of God. Why? Many will be drawn away as "anti-Christ's" (those who talk in Christ's name, but teach different concepts than what Christ taught), should be identified as "Heretics"  ans should be confronted at every turn. The most skillful ones use scripture in a twisting manner just as Satan tried when he tried tried to tempt the Lord Jesus in the wilderness for 40 days.
     1.)<b>THE NATURAL MAN HAS WISDOM:</b>
              Many of you just as I have, no doubt have visited the American Capital City of Washington, DC.
         There you have the opportunity to spend time at the Library of Congress. It seems almost
         impossible, but there are more 100,000,000 items in these 64 acres and more 532 miles of book
         shelves. Included are more than 18,000,000 books and pamphlets. How great is the wisdom of men.
         His display of wisdom in medicine, sciences, architecture, machinery, mathematics, astronomy is
         incredible. Let take a look and note how the Spirit of God designates this wisdom that is ours:
             A.) 1 Corinthians 1:20 - "the wisdom of this world."
             B.) 1 Corinthians 1;21 - "World by wisdom knew not God"
             C.) 1 Corinthians 2:4 -  "enticing words of man's wisdom"
             D.) 1 Corinthians 2:6 - "wisdom of the world"
             E.) 1 Corinthians 2:11 - "things of a man"
             F.) 1 Corinthians 2:13 - "words which man's wisdom teacheth"

     2.) <b>THERE IS A WISDOM FROM GOD:</b>
             A.) 1 Corinthians 2:6 - "wisdom not of this world."
             B.) 1 Corinthians 2:7 - "wisdom of God in a mystery."
             C.) 1 Corinthians 2:7 - "wisdom...ordained to our glory."

     3.) <b>THIS WISDOM FROM GOD IS HIDDEN FROM THE NATURAL MAN:</b>
             When Paul arrived in Corinth he recognized that this wisdom from God is not possessed by the
         natural man, man in his natural state. Reflect now as you consider this declaration concerning the
         inability of the natural man to receive spiritual truth:
          A.) 1 Corinthians 2:8 - "rulers did not possess this wisdom."
          B.) 1 Corinthians 2:9 - "this had never entered the heart of man."
          C.) 1 Corinthians 2:11 - "natural man understands the things of a man because he has a man's spirit.
          D.) 1 Corinthians 2:14 - "natural man receives not the things of the Spirit."
          E.) 1 Corinthians 2:14 - "natural man thinks spiritual truth foolishness"
          F.) 1 Corinthians 2:14 - "natural man cannot receive them"

***Now Note: HERE ARE LIFE-CHANGING WORDS:    "<b><u>BUT GOD</u></b>" 2 Corinthians 2:10***

    4.) <b>THE MAN OF THE SPIRIT, SPIRITUAL MAN CAN UNDERSTAND:</b> (1 Corinthians 2:10-12)
             God has made possible HIS BEING KNOWN BY GIVING TO US HIS SPIRIT. The indwelling Spirit of
        God gives us ability to UNDERSTAND THE THINGS OF GOD. As man understands man because he has
        the spirit of man, he can now, because of these two words, "BUT GOD"  the indwelling of the Spirit
        COMPREHEND, UNDERSTAND GOD. - Chappy
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God is Marching!

<b>God is Marching!</b>

     Over 1900 years ago God in His sovereign plan and purpose, dropped a miracle in history. The Church, was then, and is now, and will continue to be the only work that HE HAS PROMISED TO BUILD.

     History cannot be written without giving consideration to the Church. When Toynbee wrote his ten volumes entitled, "A Study of History", there were three columns of reference in the index to the Church in the march of history. President Theodore Roosevelt, in commenting upon the early days of our nation said, "In the pioneer days of the west, we found it an unfailing rule that after a community had existed for a certain length of time, either a church was built or else the community began to go down hill."

     What marked the movement of God in its beginning? It is well for us to ask this question, and having found what marked the Church at its inception, to be assured that this should mar the Church in this present hour. We need to be constantly reminded that the Church, as an organism, is THE WORK OF GOD.

     When Paul wrote his letter to the believer at Ephesus he bared his heart and cried out, "FOR THIS CAUSE I BOW MY KNEES." (Ephesians 3:14). The Church was on his heart and this drove him to his knees. As you reflect upon the unfolding truths in this magnificent chapter, you are confronted with a truth that rejoices the heart of every Christian. We are instructed in Ephesians 3:9, "...the mystery, which from the beginning of the world has been HID IN GOD." God had the Church tucked away in His heart from the beginning, and at a point of time UNVEILED HER as set forth in the Book of Acts.

     The Church as an organism had her origin in heaven...her headquarters are there while she operates in history. We now turn our attention to what marked her in this present hour.

      1.) <b>AN ORGANISM ROOTED IN POWER:</b> Acts 1:8
            The Book of Acts sets forth the displayal of the energy of God through the operation of the Holy
            Spirit.
            A.) He came on the Day of Pentecost to baptize believers into the one body (Acts2:1; 1  
                  Corinthians 13:12,13)
            B.) Having placed them in the body, the Holy Spirit now <u>fills</u> the individual believers for
                  service. (Acts 4:31; Acts 6:6; Acts 7:55)

     2.) <b>An Organism Rooted in Prayer:</b>
           A.) We are introduced to the subject of prayer in Acts 1:14-24. These events took place before
                 the Church was formed, but the record reveals their dependence on God.
           B.) It is a refreshing experience to take a walk through the Book of Acts and mark references to
                prayer beginning with Acts 2:42; 4:31; 6:4; 10:9; 12:12. These are a few of the references that
                open a window through which we see the importance of open lives with God in the early  
                Church.

     3.) <b>An Organism Rooted in Proclamation:</b>
          We give attention to the pattern of these God-called men.
          A.) Early preaching was with clarity - (Acts 2:14 -36). Note the word <u>freely</u> in verse 29,
               which is the word for <u>clearly.</u>
          B.) Early preaching was the declaration of fulfillment - (Acts13:33).
          C.) Early preaching announced free and full forgiveness of sin - (Acts 13:38)
          D.) Early preaching announced judgment - (Acts 10:43)
          E.) Early preaching brought a message of hope - (Acts 26:8)
          F.) Early preaching affirmed a Coming Kingdom - (Acts 28:23,31)
       This is a sample of preaching for all time. Apostolic preaching centered in the proclamation of God's
       amazing accomplishment.

     4.) <b>An Organism Rooted in Vision:</b>
         A.) Stephen - (Acts 7:55). A vision of sufficiency.
         B.) Saul of Tarsus - (Acts 9:1-16). Declared a vision in vs 12. Vision of the Lordship of Christ - vs 6.
              "Lord, what will thou have me to do?"
         C.) Peter - (Acts 10:1-43). Vision of the magnitude of God's grace. Don't miss Acts 10:43 -
              "Whosoever believeth in Him - FORGIVENESS."

     We need to constantly remind ourselves that the Church as an ORGANISM, is the THE WORK OF GOD! -
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God, The President, and Your Life

                                       <b>God, The President, and Your Life</b>

     When the poet reflected on the care of God over his life he wrote these meaningful lines:

                                                          "Among so many, can He care?
                                                                Can special love be everywhere?
                                                           I asked. My soul bethought of this,
                                                                In just that very place of His,
                                                           Where He hath put and keepth you,
                                                                God has no other work to do."

     The poet saw that the special interest of God was over him and in his heart...he rejoiced!

     In Time Magazine way back in February 4, 1985 there was a remarkable article entitled, "Taming the Liberation Theologians." The author called to our attention the challenge of Liberation Theology. Originally, it was minted in Latin America in the 1960's, Liberation Theology is a controversial religious thought that in less than 4 decades has morphed into our current culture and has gained widespread attention with the election of Barack Obama as the President of the United States of America. What distinguishes Liberation Theology from the main stream of church thinking is its strong emphasis on social change. As time marches on and we as a people try understand the man we elected and the decisions he has made, and is making, it is encumbered upon us to study and understand this Religious Philosophy in order to understand the man, his view on God, how it relates to our lives, and then finally see God's stately steppings on our behalf.

     The Theology of Liberation is a theology in which the salvation or liberation wrought by Christ is examined not only in terms of liberation from individual sin, but also in terms of liberation in other spheres: the aspirations of oppressed peoples and social classes; an understanding of history in which the human being is seen as assuming conscious responsibility for human destiny; and Christ the Saviour liberating the human race from sin, which is the root of all disruption of friendship and of all injustice and oppression. The theology of liberation began (under that name) in the Catholic Church after the Second Vatican Council, and many theologians of liberation are Roman Catholics.

     Theology of Liberation emphasizes the Christian mission to bring justice to the poor and oppressed. Its theologians consider sin to be a root of poverty and oppression. In the mass media, 'Liberation Theology' may refer to any politically-activist Christian thought. It is sometimes regarded as a form of Christian socialism & liberation theologians often use Marxist political theory in seeking to eliminate poverty. Theology of Liberation has had widespread influence in Latin America and in the Society of Jesus, although its influence diminished after liberation theologians using Marxist concepts were admonished by the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.

     Orthodox Catholics who disagree with liberation theology claim that it takes a narrow view of the Bible, or that it mines the Bible to support a political and social ideology. Pope Benedict XVI, for instance, is known as an opponent of certain types of liberation theology, and issued several condemnations of tendencies within it while prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF).

     These criticisms, in turn, provoke counter-criticisms that the orthodox are in effect casting the Catholic church as a friend of authoritarian regimes; and that the Vatican is not so much trying to defend pure doctrine as to maintain an established ecclesiastical and political order. This conflict could be compared to some aspects of the Protestant Reformation. Outside Latin America, some of Liberation Theology's most ardent advocates are Protestant thinkers (e.g., Jurgen Moltmann, Frederick Herzog).

<b>Overview</b>

     Liberation Theology posits fighting poverty by suppressing what proponents claim is its source: sin. In so doing, it explores the relationship between Christian theology — especially Roman Catholic theology — and political activism, especially about social justice, poverty, and human rights. The Theology's principal methodological innovation is seeing theology from the perspective of the poor and the oppressed (socially, politically, etc.); per Jon Sobrino, S.J., the poor are a privileged channel of God's grace. According to Phillip Berryman, liberation theology is "an interpretation of Christian faith through the poor's suffering, their struggle and hope, and a critique of society and the Catholic faith and Christianity through the eyes of the poor".

     Liberation theologians base their social action upon the Bible scriptures describing the mission of Jesus Christ, as bringing a sword (social unrest), e.g. Isaiah 61:1, Matthew 10:34, Luke 22:35-38 Matthew 26:51-52 — and not as bringing peace (social order). This Biblical interpretation is a call to action against poverty, and the sin engendering it, and as a call to arms, to effect Jesus Christ's mission of justice in this world. In practice, the Theology includes the Marxist concept of perpetual class struggle, thus emphasizing the person's individual self-actualization as part of God's divine purpose for mankind.

     Besides teaching at (some) Roman Catholic universities and seminaries, liberation theologians often may be found working in Protestant schools, often working directly with the poor. In this context, sacred text interpretation is Christian theological praxis.

     The issue is seriously confused by the problem of terminology. "Liberation theology" is used in a technical sense to describe a particular theology which uses specific Marxist concepts. It is also used, especially by non-specialists and the media, to refer to any approach which sees Christianity as requiring political activism on behalf of the poor. It is in the first sense that the Roman Catholic hierarchy has condemned "liberation theology", rejecting especially the idea that a violent class struggle is fundamental to history, and the reinterpretation of religious phenomena such as the Exodus and the Eucharist as essentially political. The broader sense is not condemned: "The mistake here is not in bringing attention to a political dimension of the readings of Scripture, but in making of this one dimension the principal or exclusive component." The Instruction explicitly endorsed a "preferential option for the poor", stated that no one could be neutral in the face of injustice, and referred to the "crimes" of colonialism and the "scandal" of the arms race. However, media reports tended to assume that the condemnation of "liberation theology" meant a rejection of such attitudes and an endorsement of conservative politics.

     These tensions have probably been worsened by the fact that many liberation theologians regard their concepts of political liberation as the only meaningful ones, and thus see little advance in the official attitudes described.

<b>Principal texts</b>

     The more orthodox tendency in Liberation Theology is exemplified by Rubem Alves, a Brazilian theologian working at Princeton, who wrote Towards a Theology of Liberation (1968).

     The more radical tendency in Liberation Theology is exemplified by the Peruvian Catholic priest, Fr. Gustavo Gutiérrez, O.P. In his 1972 book, A Theology of Liberation, Gutierrez theorized a combination of Marxism and the social-Catholic teachings contributing to a socialist current in the Church that was influenced by the Catholic Worker Movement and the French Christian youth worker organization, "Jeunesse Ouvrière Chrétienne." It was also influenced by Paul Gauthier's "The Poor, Jesus and the Church" (1965).

<b>History</b>

     A major player in the formation of Liberation Theology was CELAM, the Latin American Episcopal Conference. Created in 1955 in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), CELAM pushed the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) toward a more socially oriented stance. However, CELAM never supported liberation theology as such, since liberation theology was frowned upon by the Vatican, with Pope Paul VI trying to slow the movement after the Second Vatican Council.

     During the four years after the Council, CELAM prepared for the 1968 Medellín Conference in Colombia. Cardinal [Alfonso López Trujillo]] was a central figure at the Medellín Conference, and was elected in 1972 as general secretary of CELAM. He represented a more orthodox-catholic form of Liberation Theology which became predominant in CELAM after the 1972 Sucre conference, and in the Roman Curia after the CELAM conference in Puebla in January 1979.

     Despite the orthodox bishops' predominance in CELAM, a more radical form of Liberation Theology remained much supported in South America. Thus, the 1979 Puebla Conference was an opportunity for orthodox bishops to reassert control of the radical elements; but they failed. At the Puebla Conference, the orthodox reorientation was met by strong opposition from the liberal part of the clergy, which supported the concept of a "preferential option for the poor." This concept had been approved at the Medellin conference by Bishop Ricard Durand, president of the Commission about Poverty.

     Pope John Paul II gave the opening speech at the Puebla Conference. The general tone of his remarks was conciliatory. He criticized radical liberation theology, saying, "this conception of Christ, as a political figure, a revolutionary, as the subversive of Nazareth, does not tally with the Church's catechisms"; however, he did speak of "the ever increasing wealth of the rich at the expense of the ever increasing poverty of the poor", and affirmed that the principle of private property "must lead to a more just and equitable distribution of goods . . . and, if the common good demands it, there is no need to hesitate at expropriation, itself, done in the right way"; on balance, the Pope offered neither praise nor condemnation.

     Some liberation theologians, however, including Gutierrez, had been barred from attending the conference. Working from a seminary and with aid from sympathetic, liberal bishops, they partially obstructed the orthodox clergy's efforts to ensure that the Puebla Conference documents satisfied conservative concerns. Within four hours of the Pope's speech, Gutiérrez and the other priests wrote a twenty-page refutation, which was circulated at the conference, and has been claimed to have influenced the final outcome of the conference. According to a socio-political study of liberation theology in Latin America, twenty-five per cent of the final Puebla documents were written by theologians who were not invited to the conference. Cardinal Trujillo said that this affirmation is "an incredible exaggeration" (Ben Zabel 2002:139), nevertheless, he conceded that there was strong pressure from a group of eighty Marxist liberation theologists external to the Bishop's Conference.

<b>Reaction within the Catholic Church</b>

     The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, headed by Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI), strongly opposed certain elements of Liberation Theology, and issued official condemnations of it in 1984 and 1986. After this, Leonardo Boff was suspended and others were censored. However, Cardinal Ratzinger did praise liberation theology in some respects, including its ideal of justice, its rejection of violence, and its stress on "the responsibility which Christians necessarily bear for the poor and oppressed".

     In March 1983, Cardinal Ratzinger made ten observations of Gutiérrez's theology, accusing Gutiérrez of politically interpreting the Bible in supporting temporal messianism, and stating that the predominance of orthopraxis over orthodoxy in his thought proves a Marxist influence. Ratzinger also stated that Gutierrez's conceptions necessarily uphold class conflict in the Roman Catholic Church, which, logically, leads to rejecting hierarchy.

     During the 1980s and the 1990s, Ratzinger continued condemning these elements in Liberation Theology, and prohibited dissident priests from teaching such doctrines in the Catholic Church's name. He excommunicated Tissa Balasuriya, in Sri Lanka, for so doing. Sebastian Kappel, an Indian theologian, was also censored for his book Jesus and Freedom. Under Cardinal Ratzinger's influence, theological formation schools were forbidden from using the Catholic Church's organization and grounds to teach Liberation Theology (in the sense of theology using unacceptable Marxist ideas, not in the broader sense).

     In Managua, Nicaragua, Pope John Paul II criticized (what he labelled) the "popular Church" movement by means of "ecclesial base communities" (CEBs) in effecting class struggle, the replacement of the Catholic dominance hierarchy with a locally-selected system in the magisterium, and the Nicaraguan Catholic clergy's supporting the Sandinista National Liberation Front. The Pope re-stated and insisted upon his authority as Universal Pastor of the Roman Catholic Church in conformity with canon law and catechism.

<b>Liberation theology in practice</b>

     One of the most radical parts of liberation theology was not the writing of highly educated priests and scholars, but the social organization, or re-organization, of church practice through the model of Christian base communities. Liberation theology, despite the doctrinal codification by Gutiérrez, Boff, and others, strove to be a bottom-up movement in practice, with Biblical interpretation and liturgical practice designed by lay practitioners themselves, rather than by the orthodox Church hierarchy. This type of church community resembles the Independent type of Protestantism, which is extremely common in the United States though they are associated with the right more than the left.

     Among others, journalist and writer Penny Lernoux described this aspect of liberation theology in her numerous and committed writings intended to explain the movement's ideas in North America.

     Furthermore, with its emphasis on the "preferential option for the poor," the practice (or, more technically, "praxis" to use a term from Gramsci and Paulo Freire) was as important as the belief, if not more so; the movement was said to emphasize "orthopraxis" over "orthodoxy." Base communities were small gatherings, usually outside of churches, in which the Bible could be discussed, and mass could be said. They were especially active in rural parts of Latin America where parish priests were not always available, as they placed a high value on lay participation. As of May 2007, it was estimated that 80,000 base communities were operating in Brazil alone.

     Joseph Ratzinger, on the other hand, has suggested that the movement is in origin a creation of western intellectuals: "an attempt to test, in a concrete scenario, ideologies that have been invented in the laboratory by European theologians" and in a certain sense itself a form of "cultural imperialism". Ratzinger saw this as a reaction to the demise or near-demise of the "Marxist myth" in the west. He did, however, qualify this as referring especially to the origins of the movement and did not deny that it had popular support.

     Roman Catholic priest and author Andrew Greeley criticized liberation theology in his 2009 fictional book Irish Tweed. In Greeley's book, a Chicago Catholic school is taken over by a principal and priest practicing liberation theology, and its ideas are applied in the school environment, as for instance with basketball team members being chosen on their family's economic status rather than on ability.

<b>Future developments Unbalanced scales.svg</b>

    This article may be inaccurate in or unbalanced towards certain viewpoints. Please improve the article by adding information on neglected viewpoints, or discuss the issue on the talk page.

     There is a notion that Latin American Liberation Theology has had its day, a dream killed off by the “end of history” claims of the champions of capitalism. However, Ivan Petrella, in a recent study, contends this is an ill-conceived notion, and shows that this theology can be reinvented to bring its preferential option for the poor into the real world. The actualization of historical projects is possible by adopting the methods developed by the Brazilian social theorist, Roberto Unger.

     Doing so will entail the rejection of these theologians’ unitary concepts of a despised and rejected capitalism and a canonized and accepted socialism. Petrella argues for a reconstruction of these concepts and those of democracy and property too. He closely analysis the differences in democracy and capitalism as practised across the USA and Europe in support for the reconstruction of these concepts, bringing about far-reaching suggestions for the future of liberation theology.

     At a time of the profound crisis of the world capitalist system, a group of social scientists and theologians in Andreas Mueller, Arno Tausch and Paul M. Zulehner took up anew the issue of liberation theology. Having arisen out of the struggle of the poor Churches in the world's South, its pros and cons dominated the discourse of the Churches throughout much of the 1970s and 1980s.

     Then, dependency theory was considered to be the analytical tool at the basis of liberation theology. But the world economy - since the Fall of the Berlin Wall - has dramatically changed to become a truly globalized capitalist system in the 1990s. Even in their wildest imaginations, social scientists from the dependency theory tradition and theologians alike would not have predicted for example the elementary force of the Asian and the Russian crisis.

     The Walls have gone, but poverty and social polarization spread to the center countries. After having initially rejected Marxist ideology in many of the liberation theology documents, the Vatican and many other Christian Church institutions moved forward in the 1980s and 1990s to strongly declare their "preferential option for the poor". Now, the authors of this book, among them Samir Amin, one of the founders of the world systems theory approach, take up the issues of this preferential option anew and arrive at an ecumenical vision of the dialogue between theology and world systems theory.

     Donald Bloesch's book entitled "Crumbling Foundations" although out of print from many years now, observed "Liberation Theology believes that the Kingdom of God will be realized through the violence of a political-social revolution." Basically, God is going to rescue, change, deliver the present structure. But there is great uncertainty as to the methods used for the accomplishment.

     Since it's conception with in the Catholic church who has since denounced it, certain facets of American society of laid hold of the ideas and have expanded it among the African-American Community where it has become known as Black Liberation Theology.
   
     Black liberation theology maintains that African Americans must be liberated from multiple forms of bondage — social, political, economic and religious. This formulation views Christian theology as a theology of liberation -- "a rational study of the being of God in the world in light of the existential situation of an oppressed community, relating the forces of liberation to the essence of the gospel, which is Jesus Christ," writes James Hal Cone. Black consciousness and the black experience of oppression orient black liberation theology -- i.e., one of victimization from oppression. This liberation involves empowerment and seeks the right of self-definition, self-affirmation and self-determination.

     Trinity United Church of Christ, Chicago is the church most frequently cited by press accounts, and by Cone as the best example of a church formally founded on the vision of Black liberation of theology. This theology has recently become a matter of national debate as intense condemnation by the U.S. mainstream media of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the most visible exponent of the theology, forced Senator Barack Obama to distance himself from his former pastor.

<b>Development</b>

     Modern American origins of contemporary black liberation theology can be traced to July 31, 1966, when an ad hoc group of 51 black pastors, calling themselves the National Committee of Churchmen (NCNC), bought a full page ad in the New York Times to publish their "Black Power Statement," which proposed a more aggressive approach to combating racism using the Bible for inspiration.

     In the minds of many African-Americans, Christianity was long associated with slavery and segregation. Although Southern Baptists had condemned racism in the past, it was not until June 20, 1995 that the Southern Baptist Convention adopted a formal "Declaration of Repentance". This resolution declared that they "unwaveringly denounce racism, in all its forms, as deplorable sin" and "lament and repudiate historic acts of evil such as slavery from which we continue to reap a bitter harvest." The convention offered an apology to all African-Americans for "condoning and/or perpetuating individual and systemic racism in our lifetime" and repentance for "racism of which we have been guilty, whether consciously or unconsciously. Christianity was long associated with racism. Therefore, there must then be a dialogue regarding the implications of racism in today's society and to what extent historical factors affect the plight of the black community. Cone argues that, "About thirty years ago it was acceptable to lynch a black man by hanging him from a tree; but today whites destroy him by crowding him into a ghetto and letting filth and despair put the final touches on death."

<b>James Cone and Black Liberation Theology
Main article: James Hal Cone</b>

     James Cone first addressed this theology after Malcolm X’s proclamation in the 1950s against Christianity being taught as "a white man’s religion". According to Black religion expert Jonathan Walton:
"James Cone believed that the New Testament revealed Jesus as one who identified with those suffering under oppression, the socially marginalized and the cultural outcasts. And since the socially constructed categories of race in America (i.e., whiteness and blackness) had come to culturally signify dominance (whiteness) and oppression (blackness), from a theological perspective, Cone argued that Jesus reveals himself as black in order to disrupt and dismantle white oppression."

     Black theology deals primarily with the African-American community, to make Christianity real for blacks. It explains Christianity as a matter of liberation here and now, rather than in an afterlife. The goal of black theology is not for special treatment. Instead, "All Black theologians are asking for is for freedom and justice. No more, and no less. In asking for this, the Black theologians, turn to scripture as the sanction for their demand. The Psalmist writes for instance, 'If God is going to see righteousness established in the land, he himself must be particularly active as 'the helper of the fatherless'  to 'deliver the needy when he crieth; and the poor that hath no helper.

<b>On God and Jesus Christ</b>

     Cone based much of his liberationist theology on God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt in the Book of Exodus. He compared the United States to Egypt, predicting that oppressed people will soon be led to a promised land. For Cone, the theme of Yahweh’s concern was for “the lack of social, economic, and political justice for those who are poor and unwanted in society.” Cone also says that the same God is working for the oppressed blacks of the 20th century, and that “God is helping oppressed blacks and has identified with them, God Himself is spoken of as ‘black’.”

     Cone saw Christ from the aspect of oppression and liberation. Cone uses the Gospel of Luke to illustrate this point: “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the good news preached to them.” “‘In Christ,’ Cone argues, ‘God enters human affairs and takes sides with the oppressed. Their suffering becomes his; their despair, divine despair.’” Cone also argues that, "We cannot solve ethical questions of the twentieth century by looking at what Jesus did in the first. Our choices are not the same as his. Being Christians does not mean following 'in his steps.'" [Black Theology and Black Power, Page 139]

     Cone’s view is that Jesus was black, which he felt was a very important view of black people to see. "It's very important because you've got a lot of white images of Christ. In reality, Christ was not white, not European. That's important to the psychic and to the spiritual consciousness of black people who live in a ghetto and in a white society in which their lord and savior looks just like people who victimize them. God is whatever color God needs to be in order to let people know they're not nobodies, they're somebodies."

<b>Stylistic differences in the Black religious community</b>

     Because of the differences in thought between the black and white community, most black religious leaders attempt to make their services more accessible to other African-Americans, who must identify with the faith in order to accept it. Another notable difference is Cone's suggestion as to what must occur if there is not reconciliation among the white community. He states, "Whether the American system is beyond redemption we will have to wait and see. But we can be certain that black patience has run out, and unless white America responds positively to the theory and activity of Black Power, then a bloody, protracted civil war is inevitable." [Black Theology and Black Power, Page 143]

<b>Criticisms</b>

     Anthony Bradley of the Christian Post interprets that the language of "economic parity" and references to "mal-distribution" as nothing more than channeling the views of Karl Marx. He believes James Cone and Cornel West have worked to incorporate Marxist thought into the black church, forming an ethical framework predicated on a system of oppressor class versus a victim much like Marxism.

     Stanley Kurtz of the National Review claims that "A scarcely concealed, Marxist-inspired indictment of American capitalism pervades contemporary 'black-liberation theology'...The black intellectual's goal, says Cone, is to "aid in the destruction of America as he knows it." According to him such destruction requires both black anger and white guilt. He claimed the black-power theologian's goal is to tell the story of American oppression so powerfully and precisely that white men will "tremble, curse, and go mad, because they will be drenched with the filth of their evil."

<b>God's Working on Our Behalf:</b>

     There is a word that is woven through the entire Revelation of God in His Book, the Bible. It is a word that leaps all barriers and with clarity and simplicity sets forth the many-faceted work of the living God in our behalf. It is LIBERATION THEOLOGY IN ITS TRUEST SENSE. It is liberation theology ahead of time. It is highly significant that God introduces His activity in our behalf in both Old and New Testaments by the use of this remarkable word. It is a word that is to set forth the dealing of God with the temporal and the eternal. The word which will, we trust come freighted with blessing into our lives is the word DELIVERANCE. The liberation theologian is all out for this word because it refers to the oppression of peoples in Central America, South Africa, and wherever  there are found the under-privileged and the down trodden. They use the word "liberation" while God in setting forth His purpose for us uses the word "deliverance." We turn our attention to a remarkable portion of the Word of God and see GOD'S STATELY STEPPINGS IN OUR BEHALF:

     1.)  DELIVERANCE IS ROOTED IN GOD'S KNOWLEDGE: (Exodus 2:23-35; Exodus 3:7:8)
           Does God know about the distressing situation in Africa with it's hunger and aides, Central
           America with it's social injustice? ISRAEL WAS IN TROUBLE. THEY ARE HURTING.
          A.) He heard their groaning and He hears ours as well
          B.) He remembered His promises (over 7000 of them)
          C.) He looked up His children
   
      2.) DELIVERANCE IS ON TIME: (Exodus 6:1 "Now you shall see...)
          The "now" looks back over chapter 5 where we are confronted with the events that found their
          way to page one on the Egyptian Express.
          A.) When burdens were increased (Exodus 5:5,8,11)
          B.) When conditions were unbearable (Exodus 5:15,16)
          C.) When all was hopeless - there is God
     
     3.) DELIVERANCE FROM AN HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT: (Exodus 6:6-8)
          A.) Go through this array of verses and mark the "I will's" of God.
          B.) Observe that the environment that had been pleasant through years is suddenly changed. How
               often this happens. Suddenly the Job becomes unbearable and the boss is a monster. What
               happens now? What does God do?
          C.) Note the activity of God. he brings us out (vs 6). He brings us in (vs 8). Don't miss the fact that
               God doesn't drop us part way.

     Many in America wonder if God has lifted his blessings of the nation. Many also wonder about man we elected to be President. As his approval ratings have continued to drop, it appears that he does not care, the end justifies the means. There are others who believe that He is doing everything that is he said he would do, and that is change the face of America. Some have Barack Obama, "The Chosen One" ie America's Messiah. Other have called him a "Naked Marxist" because of his Robin Hood philosophy of taking from the rich and giving to the poor. It is my assertion that he is a religious zealot. One, the like of which we have never seen before. The Theology of Liberation is heresy, while the Theology of Deliverance is biblical. The one thing I do know and this is it: God's Deliverance is rooted in His knowledge; His Deliverance is always on time; and He has proven that Deliverance from a Hostile Environment.  - Chappy
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What's Ahead for The Church: A Study of great prophetic passages No. 3

What's Ahead for The Church:
A Study of great prophetic passages No. 3

Do you have a camera in your home? Do you own one? I am sure you have sometime in this camera-crazed day possessed one. There is no more exciting study in the history of inventions then the camera. A man by the name of Zahn is credited with the beginnings in 1685. However, George Eastman of Rochester, New York, in the year 1888 put on the market a box camera called the "Kodak" containing a roll of paper coated with gelatin bromide emulsion. Think of it. That roll of paper could take 100 exposures. When all the pictures had been taken the camera was returned to the company. The roll was then removed from the camera, developed and printed. The camera, loaded with a fresh roll, was returned to the owner together with the prints.

God is interested in pictures. How much of Divine Revelation is given to us through the wonderful media of words. This is brought forcibly to our attention when we focus our study on the work that God is now doing in the world. We are aware that God's work today is involved in His Church. Paul S. Minear has made available a remarkable book entitled, "Images of the Church in the New Testament." He believes that there are some 96 of them

If we were to give study to each one, without doubt we would believe that the picture of the CHURCH AS THE BRIDE is the most beautiful of all. Study and reflect on 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:22-33; Revelation 19:7,8; Revelation 21:1,2. The study of the Church in history is an exciting, exhaustless theme as evidenced by Schaff's eight volumes and LaTourette's seven.

If we were to take a tour through the Old Testament we would not find the word CHURCH. There God is dealing with nations and a nation. You do not read of the Church at Ur of the Chaldees giving Abraham and Sarah a farewell party. Isaiah did not have his prophetic messages advertised on the church page of the Jerusalem Post. The reason, there was no Church.

When the New Testament opens we hear the Lord Jesus talking to Peter about the work that He is going to carry out and the Church is introduced - Matthew 16:16-18. The term is used after that nearly one hundred times. Are we given any indication as to what is ahead for the Church as she moves in the midst of the nations? I believe we do, so let us give our attention to this theme.

1,) THE CHURCH WILL CONTINUE TO BE BUILT:
A. Our Lord promised this would take place - Matthew 16:16-18
B. The Church is built through the preached Word - Mark 16:15
C. The Jews on the Day of Pentecost beard the Word, believed, and the WORK BEGAN - Acts 10:43
D. The Gentiles heard the Word, believed, were brought into the body, the Bride - Acts 10:43

2.) THE CHURCH WILL FACE OPPORTUNITIES IN THE DAYS AHEAD TO SERVE:
As long as the Church is faithful in ministering the Word of God and demonstrating concern for the lost, we can rest
assured that the word to the Church of Philadelphia will be true - Revelations 3:8

3.) THE CHURCH WILL REACH A TIME OF COMPLETENESS Romans 11:23
This word given to us by the Spirit of God teaches that there is definite fullness of Gentiles - the very number which
God knoweth. God's purpose in this age is to take out of the world a people who bear His name and likeness - Acts
15:14. When this is done an age comes to a close with the Church's rapture.

4.) THE CHURCH WILL BE REWARDED: 1 Corinthians 3:14; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 2 Corinthians 5:10
Think of it. As you touch lives in these privileged days, the most insignificant work is observed by God with the thought of giving you reward - Mark 9:41. As Christ loved the Church, so may we have a growing appreciation for the Church and her ministry throughout the world.
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What's Ahead for Israel: A Study of great prophetic passages No. 2

  <b>What's Ahead for Israel:</b>
                                                            A Study of great prophetic passages No. 2

     We are told that Frederic the Great of Prussia asked his chaplain to prove the authenticity of the Bible in two words, and the chaplain immediately responded, "The Jew", "your Majesty!"

     When poets sought to express their thoughts about this unique people in history, they gave to us truths upon which we need to ponder:
     <b>Lord Byron:</b>"Tribe of the wondering feet and weary breast,
                                       How shall ye fly away and be at rest?
                                  The wild dove hath her nest, the fox his cave,
                                       Mankind their country, Israel but the grave!"

     <b>Longfellow:</b> "Pride and humiliation hand in hand
                                       Walked with them through the world where'er they went:
                                  Trampled and beaten were they as the sand,
                                       And yet unshaken as the continent."

     The problem of the Jew is one of the enigmas of history. Called out from among the nations in Abraham, she finds herself in the midst of the nations. Almost every country on our globe has this virile people in its midst. Because God called Abraham and made this people for Himself, they possess a versatility of gifts, and naturally they come to the front. They are leading politicians, members of parliament, prominent statesmen and diplomats. God fave to them the special figt of making money (Deuteronomy 8:18), so they find themselves as leading financiers and international bankers. They are a remarkable people with great capacity in all fields. Some time go to the library and look through the ten volumes of The International Hebrew Heritage Library. You will be amazed at how much we owe to this unusual gift of God. It is our purpose to survey the movement of Israel in the prophetic Word of God. We will travel together over two distinct but related roads:

     1.) <b>Prophecies Concerning Israel Fulfilled:</b>
          If we were to give attention to all of the predictions, space and time would never permit. However, we can
          survey a few of the important utterances:
          A.) The number of Jewish people, descendants of Abraham - Genesis 15:13
          B.) Their Bondage in Egypt - Genesis 15:13
          C.) Their exodus from Egypt - Genesis 15:14
          D.) Their history in the land that God gave them - Deuteronomy 31:20
          E.) Their being scattered, dispersed throughout the world - Deuteronomy 28:63,64
          F.) Their separation from the nations and were scattered - Numbers 23:9
          G.) Their indestructibility - Deuteronomy 28:65-67

     The description of persecution set forth in these verses has been carried out almost universally. In all the history of mankind, there is no nation which has been the object of such general and relentless persecutions. Since the crucifixion of Christ they have been literally torn from their own beloved country and forced to live in lands where they are not wanted. Edward 1 of England in 1272 drove all Jews from England and for 400 years no English soil was pressed by Jewish feet. During these centuries when Israel had been "tribe of the wandering foot, weary breast", there had been one truth that is still self-evident today, and that has sustained them: "They will be gathered"

2. <b>Prophecies That Await Fulfillment:</b>
     A.) They will be gathered - Isa. 14:1; Jer. 23:7,8
     B.) Israel, ten tribes, Judah two tribes will be reunited - Ezek. 37:22
     C.) There will be a time of great trouble for Israel. All nations will be gathered against her. The nations no longer will
          prevail, for the LORD WILL FIGHT FOR HER - Zech. 14:1-3.
     D.) Israel will recognize their Messiah which will result in a "nation being born in a day" - Isa. 66:8
     E.) The people of Israel will become a blessing to the whole world and Jerusalem will be the world capital - Isa.
          60:1-3; Isa. 2:3; Zech. 8:13,23.
     
     I hope you find this study as interesting as I do, especially here at the beginning of the year. As time marches on towards our Saviors return, it is exciting to use this and other tools as checklists to help us see the Spirit of God moving within our world. Tomorrow will be the third installment of this series which I have entitled, "What's Ahead..." We study the church next. So I hope to see you again. Remember..."Let the Word of God, do the Work of God...in You!" - Chappy
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What's Ahead for the World? A Study of great prophetic passages No. 1

What's Ahead for the World?
A Study of great prophetic passages No. 1

Has anyone ever asked you, "What do you think will happen tomorrow?" The question may be related to weather, athletic events, coming elections or those experiences related to the business of living. In recent years, events that have happen around the world has led many to ask this question in earnest regarding the years to come. We hear of the Mayan calendar ending it's cycle in 2012. Sir Issac Newton decoding the Bible in Mathematical form and coming up with the year of 2060, and others weighing in with their predictions as well. It is natural at the start of each year, the time in which we usually spend time thinking about such events, to see what the Bible says. So over the next week or so, let's study together. I warn you, some parts are "doom and gloom", but we already know what the end of the book says, and Jesus coming again should always cause us excitement and motivation to get as much done for the His Kingdom as we can until that day arrives.
If someone were to ask what you think will happen to the world, what would you say? Most of us might respond in this way, "I suppose it will go pretty much as usual." We anticipate that there will be periods of blessing and also difficult days.
Daniel the prophet gave to us a most amazing prophetic utterance in the book of Daniel when speaking of the Gentiles which we are in. He said they would be excellent and terrible. The years since the first Gentile ruler stepped into authority until this hour have been as history reveals, both excellent and terrible. Full of blessings and also difficult days.
The Book of Revelation deals with the "wind-up". It has to do with the culmination of history. Genesis tells us of Paradise Lost, while the Book of Revelation sets forth the wonders of Paradise Regained.
It is our purpose to spend time surveying those events that relate to the whole world or "all the earth." Since the TV and Internet invaded the privacy of our lives, we are well aware of events that happen on the earth. However, we would look at those that embrace the whole world. There are three words used in the New Testament for world. One is the word which means "an age", another, the word that speaks of "humanity", the other refers to the "inhabited earth." Let us begin our study.

1.) The World Faces an Hour of Trial:
Revelation 3:10 "Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth."

John, directed by the Spirit of God, writes as he sees the age in which we live now closing. There will be a time of trial for the whole world. Incidentally, this is not an isolated note tucked away in this setting. Let's find some others as we build our foundation:

Deut. 2:26-31
Isa. 13:6-13
Isa. 17:4-11
Ezek. 20:33-38
Dan. 9:27
Zech. 14:1-4
Matt. 24:9-31

Look and rejoice, there is a promise. It is made to the Church. The promise is that they will be "kept from the hour of trial". Note how this has been translated by others:
Young - "keep thee from"; Williams - "keep you from"; Rotherham - "keep thee out of"; NIV - "keep you from the hour"
Having looked at the fact that there will come an hour of trial, we find ourselves concerned about these events that will be world-wide.

2.) The Hour of Trial Will Have Identifying Marks:
A careful survey of these chapters set before us the assurance of world wide events. They are mind-boggling.
The Lord Jesus said in Luke 21{11 that there would be "fearful sights."

Revelation 6 - The Seals
Revelation 7 - 144,000 Sealed; The Great Multitude in White Robes
Revelation 8 - 9 - The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer; The Trumpets
Revelation 10 - The Angel and the Little Scroll
Revelation 11 - The Two Witnesses; The Seventh Trumpet
Revelation 12 - The Woman and the Dragon
Revelation 13 - The Beast out of the Sea; The Beast out of the Earth
Revelation 14 - The Lamb and the 144,000; The Three Angels; The Harvest of the Earth
Revelation 15 - Seven Angels with Seven Plagues
Revelation 16 - The Seven Bowls of God's Wrath
Revelation 17 - 18 - The Woman and the Beast

Revelation 6:4 - Our world is restless at the present moment, but can you imagine what will happen when restraint is removed and peace is taken from the earth?
Revelation 11:9 - These two witnesses for God are killed and the whole world has an opportunity to see their dead bodies in Jerusalem. The wonders of TV and the Internet.
Revelation 12:9 - We are now introduced to world-wide deception. Wilbur Smith states that "Satan which deceiveth the whole world" is the most terrible single line in the whole Bible."
Revelation 13:7,8 - There now arises a political power that will take over "all kindreds, tongues, and nations."
Revelation 16:14 - Demon powers now go forth to gather the whole world together for Armageddon.
Revelation 18:23 - Here is a city that has influenced the world. Read the Chapter Note: "THE NATIONS WERE DECEIVED BY HER DRUGS. This is the word "sorcery". THIS IS THE WORLD TOMORROW! BELIEVERS ARE TAKEN OUT OF THE WORLD (Acts 15:14) "Simon[Peter] has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself."
It is my hope and prayer that as we go through these passages, that this part will become clearer for you. Part of what my job as a preacher is, is to make things interesting, but to make things understandable. Please come back tomorrow as we study the Children of Israel and what ahead for them. - Chappy

...tomorrow's continuing study of Great Prophetic Passages; "What's Ahead For Israel"
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December 31, 2009 "Chappy's Corner" Daily Devotionals by : Rev. Stephen J. "Chappy" Fuller Why Should I love and not fear?"

1 John 4:18 (NKJV) "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love."

Our relationship with God is the foundation for our relationship with other people. It also creates a prism by which we view Scripture, which in turn shapes our worldview of the past, present, and future, which in turn prioritizes our lives and propels us forward in time allows each of us to fulfill our purpose here on earth. We first experienced His love for us: then we return that love as reflectors, demonstrating the love of the Father to others of His children.

I love this verse! The best way to study all of the wisdom in this single verse is to break it up, interpret it, find out what it means, and then change our lives to model it. Incidentally, this is how the Word of God does the Work of God in us. To often, we try to make God and Scripture fit our lives, when in actuality, we need to do just the opposite. That is, we need to fit our lives into what God and Scripture tells us to live by.

1.) "There is no fear in love":
2 Timothy 1:7 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power; and of love, and of a sound mind"

There are three kinds of fear: (1) reverent fear, (2) cautionary fear, (3) the fear that comes from Satan. Reverent fear is good, it is fear of the one true God, Our Father. It is reverence for our awesome God. This kind of fear is often mentioned in the Bible in the context of man recognizing the righteousness and power of God, and that man is but a vapor. Cautionary fear is a safety mechanism placed in our lives by God to protect us from the hazards of this world. This kind of fear is good because it preserves our lives for service in Him. All of the great men of the Bible experienced this fear, and acted in respect to its warning; Joseph when he took Mary and Jesus to Egypt to escape Herod; David fled from Saul; Paul when he fled Damascus; and, Jesus when he often left the presence of the scribes and pharisees because His time had not yet come. Fear from Satan is the type of fear which Satan uses in his attempt to take control of our lives. The symptoms of this kind of fear are often panic, lack of sleep, doubting God's promises, palpitation heart, sweating, and they come like a wave that appears for the moment to overwhelm us. He tries to effect this control of our lives by convincing us that his lie of fear is stronger than the power of God's promises; truth is however, the substance of this lie is no more than that of a balloon inflated by a child - 99.9% air, and .1% spit! (Proverbs 3:25) ""Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh"
God does not give to us a spirit of fear, nor does He lie. God cannot lie, it is impossible for Him to lie (Hebrews 6:18) "that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie..." On the other hand, Satan has no truth in him , lying is as (John 8:44) says, "...his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies". So, by the truth stated in the Word of God, we can be certain that the fear that comes from Satan has to be a lie. This kind of fear originates from Satan and therefore is Satan. In (1 John 4:16-17) it says, "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him." and love originates from God and therefore is God.

2.) "but perfect love casts out fear":
Matthew 8:30-32 (NIV) "Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. The demons begged Jesus, "If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs." He said to them, "Go!" So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water."

We have already identified that the spirit of fear is Satan, and likewise love is God. When you take and give fear (Satan) and love (God) personal pronouns, this piece of scriptures tells us exactly how the power of God (love) casts our Satan (fear). "But God casts our fear"! That's pretty deep isn't is it! Now take this concept and apply it to the first commandment back in (Exodus 20:2-3) ""I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. "You shall have no other gods before [a] me." God has set the world up in one way, and one way only...He is on top! He is our hope. When you let "FEAR" rule your life in any amount, you have just broken the first commandment..."though shalt not have any other gods before me". We have identified Satan as fear, therefore, when you fear, you have authorized Satan to take a place before God...
Go back to the section we are studying, "but perfect love casts out fear"...God casts out Satan. Call on the name of the Lord and you will be saved...EVERY TIME! If you suffer from fear, you are suffering from an attack of Satan. Attack him back, don't give him authorization in your life to replace God in your life. The system is not set up for Satan, it is set up for God...who made the system in the first place. If you think about it, Satan is manageable, all he needs is your authorization, without it he can't work because the power of God is stronger than his lie! The power of perfect love greater than fear.

3.) "because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love."
Matthew 25:14-46 (NIV) "Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents[a] of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. "After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.' His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.' "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.' His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. 'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'


There are at least two concepts here that I would like to bring forward: fear immobilizes; and love produces. The servant in this parable was afraid to the point where he could not and did not want to do anything with what he had. In essence, he was chained, bound up, imprisoned by fear (Satan). He was tormented by his fear (Satan). However, the other servants in this parable had allowed love (God) mature them which in turn produced more, and they received what we as Christians hope to receive from our Master when we are called home, "Well done good and faithful servant".

Conclusion:
A father burst into the bathroom one morning to find his three-year-old son playing with a straight razor. Thinking he might startle the boy and cause an accident if he cried out or moved quickly, the father simply reached into his pocket and pulled out a shiny quarter. "Son", he said softly, "if you'll give Dad that razor, I'll give you this brand new quarter." Immediately, the boy surrendered the dangerous tool and reached out for his promised reward. The exchanging and rewarding role of love in the Christian life has been called "the expulsive power of a new affection." Rather than demanding that His children give up their worldly "toys" and desires, our Lord places within us an overwhelming love, making us willing to put Him first. Even fear, so common to many people in this world, must succumb to the power of His love. This section contrasts love with fear. Fear has to do with judgment. Fear shows no confidence about eternity, but love reflects on our union with God through the Saviour.

Christians whose love has matured, need not to fear of the world now or the judgment of the future. As patient foster parents slowly change an abused and frightened orphan into a trusting family member, so the Father's love to us can make us productive and confident members of the household of faith. The substitution Christ made for us - His death instead of ours, His life sacrificed in place of our sin - stands as the timeless and ultimate demonstration of what love must be. Love as a habitual order of life comes to us modeled by the Father and the Son. - Chappy
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December 28, 2009 "Chappy's Corner" Daily Devotionals by : Rev. Stephen J. "Chappy" Fuller: "Why Should I go to Church?"

Hebrews 10:25 "not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."

                                                                      <b>Discipline of Church</b>

Astute observers are becoming increasingly aware that Doctrine of the church has become progressively weakened and in some cases abandoned all together by American Evangelicals. Robert W. Patterson, Associate Director to the Executive Director of the National Association of Evangelicals, wrote about this back in a 1991 article for <i>Christianity Today:</i>

     <i>"When President Dwight D. Eisenhower became a Christian, he made a public profession of faith in Christ, was baptized, and was extended the right hand of fellowship at the National Presbyterian Church in Washington D.C. the second Sunday after his inauguration in 1953. Had the former President expressed interest in Christ a generation later under more consciously evangelical auspices, he might not ever been challenged to identify with the body of Christ through baptism and church membership. A personal relationship with Jesus, he would have been told, is all that really matters"</i>

Without a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, all is lost. But we must not mistakenly reason that one's relationship with Christ minimizes the importance fo His Church. Yet this is precisely what multitudes of evangelicals assume and act out.

                                                                     <b>The Doctrine of the Church</b>

 So many today need to be blasted from their delusions by an understanding of the great Doctrine of the Church. There is no text that will ignite one's soul more than Hebrews 12:22-24, which describes the seven stupendous meetings which the Christian experiences in the Church:
     
     <i>"But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel."</i>

     1.) First, we come to the city of God - "But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem".Mount Zion was the location of the Jebusite stronghold which David captured and made the religious center of his kingdom by bringing to it the golden Ark of God's presence. When Solomon built the Temple and installed the Ark, Zion/Jerusalem became synonymous with the earthly dwelling-place of God. In Christ we have come to it's heavenly counterpart, the spiritual Jerusalem from above. In one sense it is still to come, but at the same time we have already arrived there in spirit. Christians are now citizens of the heavenly city and enjoy its privileges. How much better the relationship between God and His people is under the New Covenant.
     2.) Second, as the church we meet Angels -  "and to innumerable angels in festal gathering". Moses tells us that "myriads of holy ones" attended the giving of the Law (Deuteronomy 33:2), and from Daniel we hear that "Thousands upon thousands attended him {the Ancient of Days - God}; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him" (Daniel 7:10). David said, "The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands" (Psalm 68:17). In the church we come to these dizzying thousands of angels, all of whom are in joyful celebration. They were everywhere - mighty flaming spirits, "ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation." (Hebrews 1:14), passing in and out of our lives, moving around us and over us, just as they did to Jacob of old.
     3.) Third, we come to follow believers - "to the church of the first-born whose names are written in heaven". Jesus was the first-born Par Excellence, Seed Royal, and by virtue of our union with Him, we are first-born. All rights of inheritance go to the firstborn - to us, "co-heirs with Christ" (Romans 8:17). In the Church we do more than come into each others presence - we share membership together.
     4.) Fourth, we come to God - "You have come to God, the judge of all men." We come in awe because He is the Judge - but we do not com in craven dread, because His Son has borne the judgment for us. This is our highest delight - to gather before our God!
     5.) Fifth, we come to the Heavenly Church Triumphant - "to the spirit of righteous men made perfect." Though they are in Heaven, we share a solidarity with those who have gone before. The same spiritual life courses through us as through them. We share the same secrets and joys as Abraham and Moses and David and Paul.
     6.) Sixth, we have come to Jesus - "to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant." It is through Jesus that the promises come to us. He is the source and dispenser of all for which we hope. He is in us, and we are in Him.
     7.) Seventh, we come to forgiveness because of the sprinkled blood - "and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel." Abel's warm blood cried condemnation and judgment from the ground, but Christ's blood shouts that we are forgiven and have peace with God, Hallelujah!
Brothers and Sisters, the Scriptures tell us that in the Church, "you have come" to these seven realities, and if this does not create a wellspring of thanksgiving in each of your hearts and a longing for fellowship in the visible Church, nothing will!

     There are dazzling images of the Church that assault us again and again in the New Testament in an effort to raise our thinking to the proper height. As the Church, actually we are Christ's Body (Ephesians 1:22-23). He is the Head, and as members of His Body we have at the same time a profound unity, diversity, and mutuality. We are a temple (Ephesians 2:19-22). He is the cornerstone, and we are living stones (1 Peter 2:5) - forming a living place of worship. We are the bride (Ephesians 5:25-33. And Christ, our groom, loves us with a holy love which will bring us to the Marriage Feast of the Lamb. We are his sheep, and He is the nurturing shepherd ( John 10:14-16, 25-30). He is the vine, and we are the branches. We are organically in Him, drawing all our sustenance for life from Him (John 15:5).

     What should the truth that we are the Church mean to us? It should fill us with wonder and thanksgiving. We ought to sing, "I am His body, His temple, His bride, His sheep, His branch. I have come to His city - to angels - to brothers and sisters - to God Himself - to the Church glorified - to Jesus - to forgiveness through Christ's blood."
     This doctrine also tell us that the Church will outlive the world. Harry Blamires wrote:

    <i> "The world is like a great express train hurtling towards disaster - perhaps towards total destruction. And in this truly desperate situation certain passengers are running up and down the corridors announcing to each other that the Church is in great danger! The irony of it would be laughable if it were not so searing. Why, most of the Church's members have already got out at stations en route. And we ourselves shall be getting out soon anyway. And if the crash comes and the world is burnt to ashes, then the only thing that will survive the disaster will of course be the Church."</i>

     Personally, the doctrine of the Church ought to tell us that we are part of the grandest institution the universe has ever known, and that we are tragically diminished by non-participation in Christ's Body. Correspondingly, the Church is diminished by those who "preach" against participating as well. You, I and those who "preach" against the church, need church! The Scriptures are most explicit regarding this: "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage on another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:25).

     This straight forward exhortation should be enough in of itself. But still, there are many other powerful reasons for faithful participation in Church, not the least of which is as Cyperian wrote, "We all need a mother" to nurture our growth from babes to maturity. This has certainly been the case for me as it was the womb that kept me until that night when my Pastor, Dr. Howard F. Sugden, preached the Gospel from Luke 19: 16-31. It finally clicked at the tender age of 6 years old, that if I didn't do a thing at that moment, and something happened to cause my death, I would go to Hell and live in eternity being burned in the lake of fire. Knowing that fire hurts, I could not imagine living forever, burning. To much pain for me even just a little burn. So I gave myself to the Lord. This concept was simple for me then to understand, and is simple for me to ask others about now. "Do you know Jesus? If you were to die right here, right now, do know for sure where you would spend eternity? Would you like to know for sure right now? Then let's not waste anymore time. Follow my prayer, and pray it earnestly because your life depends on you doing so!" That's all it takes. But what happens afterward? Does the knowledge of God automatically dwell in them? Can they place the Bible to their heads and receive all truth through osmosis? Of course not! They need instruction, and it needs to systematic. That is where Church comes in. It first proclaims the truth of the Gospel, then it gives us tools to know the Gospel, in an environment (remember Christ is the head of the Church) where the new Christian can learn truth systematically from the ultimate authority...God's Word. In this ministry, I use this saying...that I learned in church by the way..."Letting God's Word do God's work in you!"  Just as raising children in Church gives them a tremendous advantage in life, so to does it with us.

     Understanding that we need the mothering of the Church, we must also understand that we will never benefit fully as we should if we are not apart of it due to a lack of commitment to it's head, Christ. Think for a moment about the Christian, what is it really about? It's about commitment, first above all else to Christ, but also to the church, to family, to marriage, to friendship, to ministry. None of these will blossom or flourish without commitment. Commitment in good times as well as bad times is what makes a marriage grow and brings the greatest fulfillment.

     Even on the most elementary level, you do not have to go to church to be a Christian. Likewise, you do not have to go home to be married either. But in both instances, if you do not, you will have a very poor relationship. Among the growth-inducing benefits of commitment to the Church are:

* Worship - having your soul swept up to God in the unique elevating power of corporate worship.
* Hearing the Word - so that your soul can feed on its proper food, bringing health to your whole being.
* Attendance at the Lord's Table - so that you are refreshed as you thank God for the atoning work of Christ.
* Discipleship - as one is committed to the Church through its ups and downs, an appropriate deepening takes  
  place which the uncommitted heart can never know.
* Vision and mission - as one remains committed, a supernatural vision for life takes hold which results in mission.

<b>The Discipline of Church</b>

    If the grand and great doctrine of the Church tells us anything, it tells us that whoever you are and however busy you may be, the Church must be at the very center of your life, Church hitchhiking is an aberration! And so is mild commitment.

    Honestly, are you a hitchhiker, kind of a "free agent", or a Lone Wolf McQuaid? Are looking for a tentative place on the roster, here for a season, there for another? If so, you will never attain to your full spiritual manhood, nor will your family reach its spiritual maturity. What we need here in Church and in this lost world is for Men and Women to practice the Discipline of Church:

<b>The Discipline of Regular Attendance</b>
     As part of this matter, you need to commit yourself to regularly attend the worship services of your church. Your schedule ought to bow to your commitment. When you travel, you ought to attempt to schedule yourself to be back for church, and if that is impossible, attend elsewhere while you are on the road.

<b>The Discipline of Membership</b>
     If you are not a church member, you  need to covenant before God to find a good church, join it, and commit yourself to supporting her and submitting to her discipline.

<b>The Discipline of Giving</b>
     Your financial support of a local church should take precedence over your parachurch commitments. This should be regular and systematic (10 percent is a good starting - point)

<b>The Discipline of Participation</b>
     Your time, talents, expertise, and creativity must be poured into your church to the glory of God.

<b>The Discipline of Love and Prayer</b>
    Timothy Dwight, heir to the Puritans and the greatest president of Yale University, pennd these beautiful words:

 <i>I love Thy Church, O God!
            her walls before Thee stand.
       Dear as the apple of Thine eye
            And graven on Thy hand
       For her my tears shall fall;
            For her my prayers ascend;
       To her my cares and toils be giv'n
            Till toils and cares shall end.</i>

<b>Food for Thought</b>
     Why is the idea of church so unpopular today? Why aren't more people interested in attending a good Church? Why are certain authors advocating a separation theology about the Church and why is this a heretical(against/contradictory to what God has taught) teaching?
     According to Hebrews 12:22-24, what spiritual treasures are found in the church? Put these in your own words, then thank God for each one of them.
     What does the image of the church as Christ's body suggest to you (Ephesians 1:22,23)? His temple (Ephesians 2:19-22)? His bride (Ephesians 5:25-33)?
     What do our attitudes toward church and toward Christ have to do with each other? If the latter is misguided, will the former do any good? Can you see how this attitude has misguided us as a country?
     Why are you tempted to do what Hebrews 10:25 says not to do? What spiritual blessings might you miss out on by staying away from christian gatherings?
     What strengths and weaknesses as you see in you church. Now write down the ways you personally are contributing to each of these, and also specific ways you can be part of changing the weaknesses.

<b><i>Application/Response</i></b>
     What did God speak to you about most specifically, most powerfully in this chapter? talk to Him about it right now!
    Men and Women of God, we need the Church because the Scriptures say we do, because we need a mother to nurture us, and bcause without commitment to her we will not grow! - Chappy
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October 30, 2009 "Chappy's Corner" by: Rev. Stephen "Chappy" Fuller

Genesis 1:26 "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image"

I just love this verse for so many reasons. This verse has caused so many sermons and bible studies. It is one of the first verses to indicate more than one character or personality of the deity that we know as God. It also talks about how man was made in the images of each character of God. It is this aspect of today's verse that I want us to meditate on today. It's important because it is a beginning of sorts. If you have read this blog for any amount of time, you know that I let God speak through the area of marriage and how we are witnessing the breakdown of the marriage union being manifested in the breakdown of our country. In essence, this blog is about God, Family, Us, and Country in probably that order. One of the most hotly contested debates right now is in the marriage arena, and what defines the marriage union. Ever since God made woman out of Adams rib, marriage has been defined as between a man and a woman. The purpose was procreation. Everything in the terms of biology is geared towards reproduction, we are taught this in our first biology classes. So what does this have to do with today's verse, Chappy? What is the delivery system of God's image to humanity? It the same system that delivered the Savior to us...Adam's seed! Think about it. God delivered our redemption through the seed of Adam. Everything in biology is delivered by...a seed. The Lord Jesus, King of Kings, Lord of Lords...is seed Royal. Everything from intellect, to personality, to looks is delivered by a seed.

So what does that mean when people want same sex marriages? Whether they know it or not, it is an attempt to stop the production of man. If you stop the production of man, you stop the image of God being delivered! To go even deeper, on a spiritual plane, Satan is trying to stop God in as many ways as he possibly can. Satan can't reproduce. He is NOT omnipotent, nor is he omnipresent. He can't be everywhere. He needs the help from his fellow fallen angels that we call Demons...or Dark forces. The more humans that are created, the more each demon has to pay attention to. Eventually, there are too many men, and not enough demons. So Satan is trying to slow it down. He is using lies like the same sex marriage issue, the abortion issue, euthanasia issue, and more in a comprehensive effort to exterminate man, or reduce God's forces for the final battle.

The lie about not having the same rights as heterosexuals is a lie as well. They already have the same rights as you or I do. I can't marry a person of the same sex either. If I hooked up with a guy I can't have their benefits either. I don't have anything they can't have. Everything is equal. How can it be discrimination when we all have the same rights! Answer is: You are wanting in "Special Rights" that aren't afforded to everyone by creating a new class of people and that is "Discrimination".

Incidentally, the Klue Klux Klan started Planned Parenthood to control the number of African Americans born in the inner cities, look it up in there original charter...original intent.

Jessica has the same rights as Elizabeth, and the same rights as Sarah. Again, they want a "Special" designation not an "Equal" designation. They, I submit are discriminating again heterosexuals because of being heterosexual. They wish to punish you and me for living our lives the way God, Science, Nature, and the majority of Society says is right. They want to be rewarded for living contrary to Society Standards, Natural Law, Scientific Law, and the God's Law. I'm sorry, but it isn't logical, it isn't Biblical, and it isn't right. Especially if we are all equals now as human beings.

Think of it this way, whenever we operate outside God's intent, we short circuit the system He put in place. Whether you are "straight" or "Gay" or "Bi"...these are labels that man put together not God. He looks at us as either being male or female...they way He created us. When we chose to be with others of the same sex, He doesn't say it's okay because they are Gay or Bi, He says it isn't okay because I made male for female, and female for male. Why? to populate the earth...original intent. Sex is the vehicle by which that accomplishes it. Therefore, sex with members of the same gender violates the original intent of humanity because it can not produce. Therefore what is Homosexuality? Simply stated, Homosexuality is a sex act between members of the same gender and nothing else.

Wow what a statement!...why do you care what other people are doing with their lives? There is overpopulation in the world anyway. It has been stated, "God loves everyone and so should we, is the main message of the Bible about love?" The two statements contradict each other. God does loves us, each of us because he made us. We were made in His likeness and His image. He has an intent for us, it's called his will. When we live in it, we live in harmony with Him and with those who do also, because we all have a part of his DNA. But when we operate outside of His intent, or His Will, he allows us to do so, but it is with consequence. You have the right to be gay, but clearly that was not His intent for you based on the way He made you, and based on the way He constructed life, and according to what he has said through the 40 men He chose to right down His words. But by doing so, you chose not to live in harmony but in conflict. That is the result of your choice.

Discrimination? Not! We are talking about a "Sex Act". Nice try! All of these other arguments are just smoke screens to cover the truth. It's a sex act between people of the same gender. 3-5% of the population want it legalized when 95-97% of the population don't even participate in the practice at all. It violates basic laws of biology, nature, and religion. It has been accredited with the destruction of innumerable societies. It has been accredited with terrible atrocities against children. The "sex act" is banned for these and many other reasons. Read your history! Get educated! Remember, God's image and likeness lives in you and your seed! - "Chappy"
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I bet you won't see this in the media!!!

 

Religion & Society

The True Source of Power

By Mark Earley
8/2/2006

Legislators Bend the Knee

Note: This commentary was delivered by Prison Fellowship President Mark Earley.

What is the most powerful room in the United States Capitol? Ask some members of Congress and you would probably hear this: Room 219. It’s the room closest to the House Chamber, and its walls have been privy to some of the most pivotal discussions of our history.

Recently, however, Room 219 just got a whole lot more powerful. How so? You see, in Room 219 some of the highest elected officials of our land are bending their knees in weekly prayer gatherings—openly declaring, not their power, but their dependence on the power of God.

It’s not a new idea. Our first president in his inaugural address said, “ . . . it would be peculiarly improper to omit, in this first official act, my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations and whose providential aid can supply every human defect.”

President Washington and our founders agreed on the necessity of prayer. And while today there are prayer breakfasts and even a National Day of Prayer, seldom do legislators gather to spend significant time actually praying. That’s what led Congressman Randy Forbes, representative of the Fourth District of Virginia, to help initiate these gatherings in Room 219.

Congressman Forbes has also established the first Congressional Prayer Caucus to protect and promote prayer. Such an effort is so necessary today, not because our forefathers did not find prayer important, but because it was never before under attack as it is today.

Congressmen Forbes takes seriously that before calling others to prayer that he and other congressional leaders must begin by setting the example.

Forbes says that when others began hearing about what he and the other members were doing in Room 219—praying—the phones began ringing. One man called to say that the men in his church are stopping at 2:19 in the afternoon to pray for our nation. Another church said they had begun gathering in their own Room 219 to pray for the nation. And so Forbes realized the need to call the nation to prayer “not for a day, but continually, without ceasing.”

So twenty-two members of Congress (men and women from both sides of the aisle) joined together to sign A Call to Prayer for America, a document resembling the Declaration of Independence. And like Nehemiah who helped rebuild his nation by rebuilding a wall, congressional leaders are hoping Americans will help raise up a wall of continuous prayer to surround America. People across the country are signing up to be a part of this “Prayer Wall,” taking time blocks of five minutes to stop and pray. If you would like to participate, you can visit www.prayercaucus.org to sign up.

If we want to protect faith in the public square, if we hope to create a culture that will uphold what is good and curb what is not, we must begin by bending the knee, acknowledging that true freedom is found in utter dependence upon our Creator.

Congressman Forbes and the Congressional Prayer Caucus have realized precisely that, and you can find them in Room 219.

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