WEEKLY E-MAIL #33
                     POSTMODERNISM AND CULTURE
                        WORLDVIEW AND THE GOSPEL

1 Cor 15:4-8 "that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born."

Another aspect of the gospel that we need to consider is the verses above.  He was buried and He rose and was seen by a number of witnesses.  This is good news. God had told us that we should let everything be established by two or more witnesses. Deut 19:15 "A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses." Here we have over five hundred at one time.

However, how does this build a Biblical worldview?  In one of my e-mails I had mentioned what Francis Schaeffer called the 'mannishness of man.'  He said this:  "This draws attention to the fact that humans are different from all other things in the world.  Several things bring this out.  1). Creativity; 2). People fear death.  3). We are able to choose and we are able to verbalize.  People are able to remember the past and make plans for the future.'

For a worldview to be a real worldview it must answer this question about man, what Schaeffer called the "mannishness of man". With the Gospel being the core of a Biblical worldview we see how this question is answered.

When I think of what Christ has done for me (for man) it makes me realize that I, or man, am different from all other creatures. I can think, verbalize, create, love, fear, feel and express emotion, etc. One of the things that Francis Schaeffer brings out is that man fears death.

There seems to be within the heart of man a sense for the eternal. Even in our postmodern culture we see this coming out with man trying to remain young. Look at the medicines being propagated that will reduce aging, exercises that we do to remain healthy. Pseudo spiritual mantras are being voiced, etc. All of this because of the sense of the eternal in the heart of man placed there by God.

Man knows that he is different, but why?  The gospel tells us that man is unique, made in the image of God. Man has a longing for eternal life, but why? Because God has placed eternity in his heart. Man fears death. But the gospel gives us hope. Jesus rose from the dead. To collaborate this truth He was seen after the resurrection by over five hundred brethren at one time.

So what does the gospel tell me?
1. God made the world and He is in control.
2. Man is made in the image of God.  He is different from other creatures.
3. Man has sinned and fallen out of fellowship with God his Maker.
4. Jesus died for my sin so I might be forgiven and brought back into fellowship.
5. He rose from the dead and so will I.

Another question that comes is: why do I know that this is true? The answer lies in Scripture. Twice in 1 Corinthians 15 it says: "according to the Scriptures".

These are the core beliefs in creating a Biblical worldview.  How important it is to be grounded in these truths!

                        WEEKLY E-MAIL #34
                   POSTMODERNISM AND CULTURE
                         THE GOSPEL Conclusion


In thinking about the Gospel and seeing that it is the core of the Biblical worldview that we need to develop we see who God is and who is man.  We have already seen that man is made in the image of God and that is why He is different.

However, the Gospel also brings out the existence of God. There is a God who rules and oversees the affairs of man. He has not wound the world up and let it spin on, but God steps into the realm or affairs of man and intervenes. This is what Jesus did 2000 years ago when He came to this world as a man and revealed to us who God really is.

To have a Biblical worldview we must believe that God is and that He is concerned about this world that we live in. This to me is what the Gospel brings out. God is concerned about us and became like us, dwelt among us and we could behold Him.

What does the Gospel show me about God and about man?

1. It shows me that there is Ultimate Truth. We do not live in a vacuum morally, but there is a standard.
2. The Gospel shows me that man has fallen short of that standard.
3. It also shows me that God is a God of hope. Although my situation is hopeless there is way.
4. The Gospel also reveals to me that there is real evil in the world for God to take such an action.
5. The Gospel also shows me that there is a real future. The resurrection of the Lord brings this home to us. Because He lives we will live. It takes the sting out of death.

When I begin to think about all of this then certain questions comes to my mind that need to be answered. If Christ is God and He died for me then how should I live?

This makes me want to turn my life completely over to Him and say, 'not my will but yours be done'. It will not only begin to affect the way I think, but also the way I act.  My actions will be more God centered.

It will also help me to think through some of the major issues that we are faced with today. At this writing 'gay marriage' has become legal in Massachusetts.  How do I think or interpret this?  Some people say that this will not hurt me personally so why should I be upset. Is it true?

Being grounded in this Christian worldview will help me sort through the new technology that is coming our way daily.  It seems that we are moving into areas that the Lord would not have us to go.

What about the 'arts and recreation' as well as 'science and faith'? What about the environment? What about the vocations that we choose?

These are all questions that need to be asked and answered and having the right Biblical worldview helps us in answering these questions.

                             WEEKLY E-MAIL #35
                      POSTMODERNISM AND CULTURE
                                     TECHNOLOGY

Having a Biblical worldview gives us the mental framework to think through a number of things that we are faced with as we go into the 21st century.

Today we live in a world where knowledge is doubling very rapidly and new advances in technology is pushing us to the edge where 'no man has gone before' and it is raising many moral questions that need to be answered.

Hung Ching Liu of Cornell University's Center for Reproductive Medicine and Infertility has created an artificial womb by taking cells from the lining of a natural womb and growing them on a biodegradable "scaffold" shaped like a woman's uterus. The cells grow into tissue, while the biodegradable scaffold dissolves.

Yoshinori Kuwabara at Juniendo University in Tokyo said that we will be capable of sustaining a child for nine months and this will become reality "in a few years."

So now we can have artificial insemination and artificial wombs and in the process cut out the middleman as well as the woman.

What does this lead to?  Recently, "Lisa and Jack Nash announced that their new baby, aptly named Adam, had been conceived solely to
be a donor of cells for his older sister. Adam was, in the words of columnist Ellen Goodman, "conceived . . .not just to be a son, but a medical treatment." Through it all human life is being devalued."

It is very likely that kids will become more of a commodity and we will be able to put in our order for what we want. Do we want blue eyes? Brown? What build or what talents and gifts and of course more important than anything else what gender?

What affect will this have on family, marriage and eventually our civilization? Whatever happened to the nuclear family of husband, wife and children that were born to them?

A big debate that is raging at the moment is stem cell research. Many people say how can this be bad when it might really help some people to overcome some of the crippling diseases that we have today. The answer comes back to the fact that stem cell research requires the destruction of living human beings.

One of the key elements in the Biblical worldview is the importance of human life, the dignity of human life.  All life is precious in the sight of God and to interrupt that life at any time of development is wrong.

This brings in the debate: is the human embryo a tiny human being or just a cluster of cells? What happens when we leave the cluster of cells alone? They develop into a baby. When we leave the baby alone he/she develops into a child and when we leave the child alone he/she develops into a teen-ager and when we leave the teen-ager alone he/she develops into an adult. Stop anyone of the periods of growth and you stop the growth of a human being. It would seem that if it is wrong to murder a person as an adult at the end of his life or last stage that it would also be wrong to murder the person at the beginning of his life or at his beginning stage.

Technology is making rapid progress and there is a great need to have people who have Biblical worldview to help wade through the morass of moral uncertainties that are the result.

                              WEEKLY E-MAIL #37
                       POSTMODERNISM AND CULTURE
                                   ENVIRONMENT

Another important area where a Biblical worldview comes in is in regard to the environment. How should a Christian think about this important subject?  For our liberal friends the environment has become a religion. They have tried looking for utopia and could not find it, now they are now trying to create the perfect world.

Remember what I said in earlier e-mail letters that there are only two types of faith: a Biblical faith and non-Biblical faith. With a Biblical faith we have salvation by grace through faith, it honors God and is supported by Scripture. With the non-Biblical faith we have salvation by works, it honors man and it is governed by opinions.

When I go back to Scripture I see in Genesis 1:28 that God put man in charge here on earth.  We read: "God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

However, from what we see today man has not done a very good job in protecting the environment. He has plundered it, polluted its waters and air. The reason for this is what we call the FALL of man. Man fell and brought the damage that we see today.  When I read about the cultural mandate that God gave us in Genesis 1:28 I see that God is concerned about every aspect of man. It touches everything - health, physical hygiene, agriculture, education, politics, etc. every aspect of man and his living down here on planet earth.

After the fall of man we see another stream running through Scripture called a redemptive mandate. Since man fell and plundered what God gave, God is now working to bring to Himself a people that will do what He wants.  He is still concerned about the cultural mandate that He gave at the very beginning. So in the Old Testament we see the Lord calling out for Himself a people - the children of Israel to do His will.

In the New Testament we have a new stream in Scripture called the Great Commission. Now we are to take the Gospel to every nook and cranny in the world. Again we have a called out people to do this called the church. The church (look at my some of my previous e-mails where I write about what is the church) is to be involved in every aspect that man is faced with today.

One of the main problems with man today is that the church has vacated the responsibility that the Lord gave to others. We see the result of this in laws, legislation being passed that makes no sense at all. We, God's people, have vacated our responsibility and we need to start taking it back.

I look at some of our great universities today. They were started by godly men concerned about education; you go to some of the third world countries today and your best hospitals were started by missionaries who came in to bring the Gospel. Look at some of the great relief work taking place today and often you will find the church heavily involved.

One of the great needs in Afghanistan today is for qualified teachers who can teach the children of the expatriates working in the country. However, in the school that is being formed half of the students are Afghan children.  These children could well be some of the future leaders of tomorrow in this spiritually barren country. What an opportunity the Lord has given us.

This is a big topic and cannot be covered in one e-mail, but it is an issue that God's people with a Biblical worldview are going to have to step up to and make God's point of view known as well as acted upon.
In closing I like what Chuck Colson said: "This is why Christians must never limit themselves to evangelism alone or to the "feel good" church. We must not stand by while our culture is hijacked by alien philosophies hostile to the created order. Look at the issues before us: gay "marriage"-an oxymoron which will undermine the family; the creation of life in man's image, that is, cloning; abortion; and terrorism driven by religious extremists, to name just a few."

                                  WEEKLY E-MAIL #38
                           POSTMODERNISM AND CULTURE
                                         VOCATION

In the local fellowship we attend my wife and I are getting more involved with the young adults.  I have a real desire to see them be all that the Lord wants.  The reason for this involvement is that so many seem aimless in what they should be doing, the career that they should choose, their direction in life. Life is too precious to waste. We do not have much time.

However, this is where a Biblical worldview comes in. Having a Biblical worldview helps us sort out the direction that the Lord would have us to pursue. Knowing the real condition of man, what the Gospel is all about, the command from the Lord and the spiritual gifts the Lord gives we should know that our pursuit for vocation should be in line with all of this.

It is like the prophet Isaiah in chapter 6 when he saw the Lord (Biblical worldview). Immediately several things became very clear to him. What were they? First, he recognized God's Sovereignty, that He is over all and He is on the throne. Secondly, he recognized God's glory; thirdly His holiness, fourthly his own(Isaiah's) sinfulness and the people around him, Fifthly God's forgiveness and lastly when the Lord said 'whom shall I send' immediately Isaiah said: "here am I, send me".

Two thousand years ago Jesus said GO. He was talking to His disciples and the same word is for us today.  What does this mean? Does it mean that we all go to a foreign land? Not necessarily, but what it does mean that we will choose a vocation that will bring in the thoughts of above.  For some it will mean going to a foreign land, learn a new language and culture and plant a church that can then evangelize their own people.

For some it will mean becoming teachers, doctors, builders, journalists, mechanics, pastors, Bible teachers, missionaries, etc. It will mean asking the question: how can I, with the spiritual gift the Lord has given, be used in the most productive way to help fulfill the cultural mandate the Lord has given us? When we answer that question and begin to move in the direction the Lord shows us, we will find a great satisfaction and real enjoyment in what we do. How sad it is to see so many of God's people involved in things that bring no satisfaction and when it comes to Monday morning they hate getting back to the old grind.

Before I was saved I thought that I wanted to be an engineer and began to pursue that goal.  However, the Lord had other plans that went along with the gift given to me and that was to preach. After a three year battle with the Lord at the age of 21 I surrendered my life to the Lord and He sent me out to preach.

Now after 44 years being involved in preaching and when I came back to my own culture and faced with my peers about retirement I thought for a time that perhaps I made mistake. You see I had done nothing about retirement, I thought.

When I brought it to the Lord He showed me that retirement (worldly sense, not the Biblical worldview sense) was when you could stop doing what you did not like to do and start doing what you wanted. What happened to me was that when I surrendered to the Lord and let Him direct my life and my vocation I am already doing what I want and will keep on doing until the Lord calls me home. So in one sense I am already retired.  O, yes, I might have to change certain things, slow down a bit, but still pursuing the same thing that I have been for the last 44 years.

A Biblical worldview makes us realize that we only have one life and only so much time and it goes fast. And so we want to choose wisely.

                           WEEKLY E-MAIL #46
                        ENGAGING OUR CULTURE
                            CHARACTER Part 4

INTEGRITY: SAFEGUARD AGAINST DISASTER

The story is told about the farmer who left his prized cow with a friend so he could go on a trip. The cow died while the farmer was gone, and he was distraught to learn the sad news upon his return. "I was going to sell the cow," he said. "I desperately need the money." Then he decided, "I will still sell the cow - by lottery." He sold 300 tickets at $2 each, and presented the dead cow to the winner of the lottery. When the winner complained that he had no use for a dead cow, the farmer apologized and returned the $2 for his ticket - and retained the remaining $598!

Isn't this what is happening in the business world. When I think of all of the scams, get rich schemes that are out there, the stock market and a whole host of other things. Almost once a week I get a letter from someone in West Africa. In the letter they talk about a tragedy that has happened. They have been left a lot of money, but they need someone on the outside - preferably in the West - who can help them get the money out. However, one finds that before that can take place the people asking for the help will need hundreds or even thousands of dollars 'to complete the transaction'. What is frustrating with this is that many write with good-sounding Christian vocabulary.  WHERE IS INTEGRITY?

Often in all of this we see greed, pride, lust, lack of accountability, deceitfulness and a denial of ethical standards. This is a result of the postmodern world where truth has been cast aside or claiming that truth does not exist. However, it all boils down to a lack of integrity.

''Of all the properties which belong to honorable men, not one is so highly prized as that of character.'' --Henry Clay. A measure of a good leader is not necessarily what he accomplishes, but the reality of his character. This is what will shine in any culture that we have, especially here in the West.  But this is also true in other parts of the world. Man's nature is the same and unless the Lord changes the heart the course of man's nature will always be downwards.

But there is something else about character that we need to consider. Proverbs 10:9  says: "He who walks with integrity walks securely,
But he who perverts his ways will become known."  Men and women of integrity do not need to fear the truth, they are secure, like Proverbs says.

Again we find in Proverbs great thoughts of wisdom.  "The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity" (Proverbs 11:3). How often men and women not acting with integrity have found themselves devastated. Eventually the truth comes out.

We see what is happening in country after country where integrity is not being exemplified. The whole economic as well as political devastation of a country has come about because of lacking this quality character called integrity. "By justice a king gives country stability, but one who is greedy for bribes tears it down" (Proverbs 29:4).

This is where the church comes in. We must come back to the Bible and its teaching, especially in this area. This will be one of the great ways of making an impact in our cultures.

                               WEEKLY E-MAIL #47
                            ENGAGING OUR CULTURE
                           CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT-   
                                   FAITHFULNESS

"Watch where Jesus went. The one dominant note in His life was to do His Father's will. His is not the way of wisdom or of success, but the way of faithfulness." Oswald Sanders

In Western culture we have embraced moral relativism and abandoned traditional values.  Instead of loyalty, morality, accountability and sacrifice we have independence, personal happiness, tolerance, comfort, instant gratification and the right to make one's own choices.  All centers around the individual.

Churches seem right in line with those evolving values.  In a survey taken of 65 different common values, we are the same.  Moses saw the danger of being like the world when it came to the children of Israel moving from Egypt to the Promised Land. Ex. 33:16 'How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?"'

Moses recognized that if an impact was going to be made on the nations around him then the people of God had to be different. This is also true with the church today. If we are going to make an impact in the world or our society then we need to be different. Character is where it will be seen.

Character development in God's people is of utmost importance in engaging our culture today. However, when we talk about character there are a number of things that we need to look at. Faithfulness is one such thing.  One of the great lacks in today's postmodern culture is a lack of faithfulness.

Faithfulness is one of the main characteristics of God. Faithfulness is demonstrated in the Bible as reliable, dependable and trustworthy.  This is what we see with the Lord and this what we need to see developed in us as God's people.

2Tim.2:2 tells us: " And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others." In a negative sense this means that if a person is not faithful we should not commit ourselves to him. The context here is referring to Apostles teaching the Gospel. But the principle is the same whether it is business or in anything we do.

We are told that if we are not faithful in small things that we will not be faithful in the big things. Luke 16:10 "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much." It is the little things that show what a person really is like.

A faithful man is a man of conviction. Heb. 10:23 "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."

The only way that we can be this way is to be men and women of conviction.  Conviction is something that is the very fiber of our being. It is something that we are. I believe it is something that comes from being obedient to the Lord.

A faithful man is a truthful man. Prov. 14:5 "A faithful witness will not
lie: but a false witness will utter lies." A faithful man will not lie.
This could be a good test for faithfulness. Do we lie? Do we exaggerate? Do we tell the truth in such a way that people believe the opposite?

What do we do? How do we become men and women of faithfulness? Start where you are. Have you been given a trust? Be faithful to it. Remember it is the little things of life that count.

                              WEEKLY E-MAIL #48
                           ENGAGING OUR CULTURE
                CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT-COMMITMENT

When I look at the evangelical scene today I see a great lack of
commitment. When I look at the lack of laborers out on the field
especially the difficult areas of the world in the Muslim, Hindu and Chinese world I believe it comes back to a lack of commitment.

Where are God's people who will go to these hard areas of the world and stick it out? We find very few who even respond to the call or the
challenge. Out of those who do respond we see a great number who drop out after a short time. Those who make it to the field often after the first term do not go back again. Why? I believe there are a number of reasons, but a big reason is a lack of commitment.

Commitment is important. Webster dictionary defines commitment: to bring together, join, entrust, to give in trust or in charge, consign for safe keeping. I commit my life to Christ Jesus. I join my life to His. I give my life to Him.

The same is true of marriage. Why are marriages falling apart? I know
that we often hear of incompatibility, mental cruelty, etc. All of these
things are often camouflage for the real culprit that tears a marriage
apart a lack of commitment.

When we commit our lives to the Lord we are committed to His will. Jesus said "if you continue in my word then you are my disciples". The word 'continue' brings out the idea of commitment. Joh. 8:31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples."

There are three words that I want to look at over the next few chapters that help define this word 'commitment'. These words are: determination, responsibility and loyalty.

However, we need to think through some of the reasons why we break our commitment.

1). It wasn't quite what I felt it would be.

This is one excuse that I hear quite often with people who break a
commitment. Perhaps we didn't count the cost. Luke 9:57 "As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go."
Luke 9:58 Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.""

When Jesus laid down the terms of discipleship we do not hear from these 'would be followers' again.

When I was the director of Doulos (Operation Mobilization's second ship) we would have the people who came to join us to sign what we called a 'commitment form'.

Before they signed the form we would go through with them what the ship life was like and what we expected from them and what they would be doing.  We wanted to make sure that they understood what they were getting themselves involved with.

We then wanted them to sign the form because we knew that after the novelty wore off they would be looking for excuses to get out of their commitment.  Part of the training for the young people who come with us is to teach them the importance of commitment, and finishing what they started was important in teaching this lesson.

2). We don't have a mind to suffer. 1Pe. 4:1 "Therefore, since Christ
suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin."

This is part of our armor and is as essential to us as the armor we read
about in Ephesians 6. Because we do not have that mind-set or mentality we see that the enemy gets in and hits us just where we do not want to suffer. Consequently we see what we can do to break our commitment.

A young lady joined one of our ships for two years. She had been very
active in her church and had a responsible job. When she was on the ship she had to spend time washing dishes.

Every night when she was in her room she was complaining about her dish-pan hands. Complaining about how she did not join the ship to be a dish washer, etc.

One night while she was complaining to the Lord about her hands, how red they looked, etc. and thinking how she might be able to get out of her commitment the Lord spoke to her and said: "look at my hands"..

That was a turning point in her life. She realized how the Lord had
suffered for her. She armed herself with the right mentality and stuck it out. She became one of our line-up team members that have the
responsibility of going ahead of the ship and lining up the program. It is a job that carries much responsibility. It is a job for people with
commitment.

3). Wrong ideas of what it means to follow Christ.

We seem to think that following Christ there will be no problems. We do not understand how the Lord builds in us character. It is not that we do not have problems because we do. As a matter of fact we probably have more problems (because Satan is against us), but we have a solution to our problems. This is what makes the difference.

There is a tendency to think that by following Christ if things are rough
and don't seem to work them out that this cannot be of God. It is this type of thinking that leads into many erroneous ideas about
discipleship.

In a society that is committed to only oneself a demonstration of what commitment really is will have a powerful impact. Remember that in a postmodern society where 'words' do not mean anything real live examples will stand out and speak volumes.

I am praying that in the church (the Body of Christ) God will give us men and women of commitment.

                                 WEEKLY E-MAIL #49
                              ENGAGING OUR CULTURE
                             CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
                                      RESPONSIBILITY

"I alone am responsible for the wrong I do". Oswald J. Smith

It is hard to live in this world without having responsibility. While
young we have the responsibility to go to school. We get married, we have responsibility. We get a job we have responsibility. We give our lives to Christ we have a responsibility. When God blesses us spiritually or materially or both we have a responsibility with what He has given to us.  In all of these things that I am talking about there is commitment whether it is to school, marriage, job, talents, etc. In that commitment there is responsibility.

Today we live in a society where no-one wants to take responsibility for their actions or choices. It is always someone or something else that is the problem and the blame is attached to it. This was true in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve when they sinned against the Word of God. Adam said: "it was Eve" and Eve said: "it was Satan".

This is one of the outcomes of a postmodern worldview where there are no absolutes.  The criminal is not guilty because society is to blame. Children act the way they do because of their lack of a father and mother.  It is true there are elements of truth on all of this, but when we reach the age of accountability we also become accountable for the choices that we make.

In 1. Samuel we see that King Saul had a responsibility.  He was to defeat the Amalekites and wipe them out completely. Instead we see that Saul failed to do it keeping the best of the cattle as well as keeping the king of the Amalekites alive.  When the prophet Samuel came to Saul we see that the consequence of his choices and actions is that the kingdom is lost to him and given to someone else.

In this incident we see several things coming out that need to be mentioned.  First we see Saul not taking the responsibility of his failed action by blaming others. For example: For not killing all of the cattle Saul said: 1 Sam 15:21 "But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal."

It sounds good and noble - sacrifice to the Lord, but this is not what the Lord wanted and Samuel reminded Saul of this. God wanted obedience not sacrifice.  The same thing was with the king of the Amalekites who was kept alive.  Bringing the defeated King back bound in chains would have been 'a feather in the cap' of king Saul. It would have made him look great.

In reading through this incident in Holy Scripture we see several things coming out that might show why we do not act responsibly.

1. This responsibility is to be carried out in obedience to God. Saul was disobedient.  We see from verse 23 that disobedience is rejecting the Word of God.
2. Fear of people sometimes is a reason why we do not carry out our responsibilities. Vs.24 Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned. I violated the LORD'S command and your instructions. I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them".
3. We also see that selfishness is another reason why we do not carry out our responsibility. 1Sam. 15:9 "But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs--everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed."  Like I said above, bringing back King Agag alive would make Saul look great.  We read that they kept the best for the sacrificial feast. How often our own desires and tastes dictate to us and we are prone to listen to them.  Self is our greatest enemy. Self will do anything if only it can remain alive. We see why Christ said that if you want to follow Him you will have to deny yourself.
4. Pride is another hindrance in why we do not carry out our responsibility.  1Sam. 15:8 "He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword."  Why did Saul keep Agag, the king of the Amalekites alive? He would become a royal servant. This was a practice in those days, the reigning King would bring back the conquered king and make him a servant. It added to the prestige of the conquering king.

                              WEEKLY E-MAIL #50
                           ENGAGING OUR CULTURE
                              CHARACTER - LOYALTY

"Loyalty to God and to God's children is the supreme test in the life of a saint. We are never free from disloyalty unless we are actually loyal".  Oswald Chambers

We all have read the account of Esther and Mordecai in the Book of Esther. Esther 2:21 During the time Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's officers who guarded the doorway, became angry and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.

But Mordecai found out about the plot and told Queen Esther, who in turn reported it to the king, giving credit to Mordecai.
And when the report was investigated and found to be true, the two officials were hanged on a gallows. All this was recorded in the book of the annals in the presence of the king.

God used Mordecai's past loyalty to save his people. It so happened that one night the King could not sleep and he wanted something to read. So he had the records brought into him and he discovered what Mordecai had done.  He also discovered that nothing had been done for him in the sense of a reward.

The King found Haman and asked him what should be done for the man that he, the King, would like to honor. Haman, so puffed up with his own pride thought: Esther 6:6 "Who is there that the king would rather honor than me?"

So Haman said in Esther 6:7 "For the man the king delights to honor, have them bring a royal robe the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crest placed on its head. Then let the robe and horse be entrusted to one of the king's most noble princes. Let them robe the man the king delights to honor, and lead him on the horse through the city streets, proclaiming before him, 'This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!'"

Esther 6:10 "Go at once," the king commanded Haman. "Get the robe and the horse and do just as you have suggested for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king's gate. Do not neglect anything you have recommended."

How true Scripture is that pride goes before a fall. How the mighty have fallen! How humiliating this must have been to Haman. Everybody knew that Haman disliked Mordecai because Mordecai would not pay him homage. Now here is Haman leading Mordecai through the city, on the King's horse, with the King's robe saying: 'This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!'"

Just as Mordecai and Esther engaged the culture of their time and made an impact so can we.   There are several things that we see in their lives that will need to be seen in ours as well if we want to engage our culture.

1. Mordecai was loyal to the Word of God. It would have been easy at different times to have rebelled against the King, especially when he found out about the plot to have him assassinated.  Jeremiah had written and told the Jews in exile how they should live. He followed the Word of the Lord that came through the prophet.
2. He was loyal to leadership.  We read in the Word of God that we are to be subject to the powers or authorities that are. When tempted to go against our own conscience and the Word of God then the Word is very clear: we are to obey God.
However, the Jews had been told to submit to these kings for their own well-being. I believe this is the reason Mordecai revealed the assassination plot against the King. Mordecai believed that God was Sovereign and could bring about His plans even with such a cruel tyrant as Ahasueras.
3. We also see the loyalty of Mordecai and Esther coming out in their loyalty to their fellow Jews. Are we loyal to one another?
If we are committed to God then we are going to be committed to one another in the Body of Christ or to the people of God. If we are loyal to God it will be seen in our loyalty to one another.

What is the result of a loyal man? Look at Mordecai. Esther 10:3 "Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes, pre-eminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews." Mordecai was a loyal man, a committed man.  Men, like Mordecai and women like Esther make an impact in their society.

I wanted to send this e-mail to you from Chuck Colson. It illustrates what I have been saying about affecting our culture.  Read and be blessed.

And the Wall Came Down

The Berlin Wall and the Fall of Communism

Anyone over the age of forty grew up with the Berlin Wall, which the Soviets built almost overnight in 1961. It was the visible embodiment of what Churchill called "The Iron Curtain," which descended over Eastern Europe in the wake of World War II. Many of us thought the wall was there to stay. Yet, in 1989—fifteen years ago last week—the wall came tumbling down. East Germans were finally free, and the world rejoiced with them.

There was talk last week about the wall and freedom, but most observers failed to give due credit to the role Christianity played in bringing down communist governments across Eastern Europe.

For instance, in Romania, Laszlo Tokes, the pastor of a Reformed church in Timisoara , boldly preached the truth and exposed the lies of the Ceausescu regime. Alarmed, communist leaders decided in 1989 to send Tokes into exile. But when police arrived to hustle the pastor away, they were stopped by Christians who had gathered around the church to protect him. Two days later, police finally broke through the crowd and dragged Tokes away. Outraged, the people began demonstrating against the communist government. Troops fired on them, but their brave example inspired the entire country. Within days, Romanians had risen up—and the bloody dictator Ceausescu was gone.

A dynamic young pastor helped lead Poland to freedom. Father Jerzy Popieluszko delivered the dynamic messages that stirred Poles to overthrow their communist oppressors. His monthly masses, dedicated to the victims of communist persecution, attracted tens of thousands. Father Jerzy never preached revenge or revolution; he preached the power of good to overcome evil. In 1984, he was kidnapped by the secret police. In churches across Poland, people gathered to pray. Steelworkers demanded his release, threatening a national strike.

Then the blow fell: Father Jerzy's body was found floating in the Vistula River. He had been brutally tortured. Yet the gentle pastor had taught his people well: After his funeral, hundreds of thousands of Poles marched through the streets of Warsaw carrying banners that read, "We forgive." They were assaulting evil with good, and under the impact, the communist regime soon crumbled.

In Czechoslovakia , my friend Father Vaclav Maly proclaimed the truth against communist lies before half a million demonstrators. Pastors also helped lead East Germans to freedom. Johannes Richter, pastor of St. Thomas Church in Leipzig , put it this way: "We didn't encourage disobedience [to the government]. What we did was encourage obedience to God." Mass demonstrations erupted all over East Germany. Soon thereafter, the Berlin Wall was destroyed.

Today Christians often despair over culture war battles that we fear we are losing—like abortion, gay "marriage," and stem-cell research. Some Christian leaders tell us to give up, stay in the churches, and focus on evangelism. But the brave example of East European Christians reminds us that we should never give up on the culture—no matter how ugly the battles become.

As we live as His body on earth, God will use us for His purposes, and walls will fall down. If there were ever a time for the Church to be the Church in the public square, it is now.

                               WEEKLY LETTER #1
                      MINISTRY OF THE 21ST CENTURY
                                INTRODUCTION Part 1

Several years ago I wrote a book RESTORATION OF A BIBLICAL MINISTRY in Spanish and MINISTRY OF THE 21ST CENTURY in Portuguese.  I wrote the book mainly for the church in Latin America.

The last few years Missioligist have been talking about the 10/40 window. This is part of the world that is situated between ten degrees and 40 degrees latitude. In that section there are over two billion people who need to be reached with the Gospel, many of them in some of the world religions like Islam and Hinduism. The Western end of the 10/40 window there is the Mediterranean Sea that includes North Africa and Southern Europe or "Latin" Europe.

Over the 44 years of ministry questions have come into my mind regarding the ministry. Questions that have arisen from what I read in the Word of God and what I actually see taking place in many countries of the world.

I have been thinking and praying about what my weekly e-mails for 2005 should concentrate upon. This past year the subject has been our postmodern culture that we have in the West that has been exported to other parts of the world.

This year 2005 what I would like to do is concentrate on some of these questions that have arisen in my mind and to express them in these weekly e-mails. I have several reasons for this:

1. The changes that are sweeping all over the world. It is absolutely amazing to see the changes that have come in Eastern Europe and former USSR. The open doors that we have in Central Asia, the phenomenal growth of the church in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

2. The situation in the United States today. There is a definite swing today towards a more conservative view. There is a stir among God's people in the USA. With all the evil that has been taking place it seems that many of God's people are saying enough is enough.

3. It is not only God's people but many others who are also saying there must be a change. They realize we cannot go on like we are. Something must give. They are looking for answers.

4. The continent of Europe is the only continent where the church is not growing. This is where the church comes in. Our governments, sociologists, political scientists are all looking for solutions, answers. Already we see them doing things that will result in only more confusion. The government says we need gun control, medical coverage for every person. They say we need more prisons to lock the criminals away for life. We are told that crime is costing us over 600 billion dollars a year (this is only in the United States. You can figure out what it must be costing in your own country). Sociologist are saying we need a better welfare program, raise the standard of living and you will raise the individual. "The Wall Street journal reported in May 1993 that welfare spending went up from $53 billion in 1970 to $172 billion in 1991."

"To date we have spent in excess of $2.3 trillion on welfare. It seems that all we have done with this massive hand out is to convince the underclass that society is responsible for its problems." Educators say the solution is better education. Raise the standard of education, so they say, and you will raise the individual. So we are educating our children in the issues of today, but when they graduate many cannot read or write. All of these have been tried before and they never work. Why? Because they do not know what the basic problem really is and even if they did they would not have the solution. How many government officials, sociologists or educators have understood or shared that the problem is sin, the selfishness of man.

This is where the church comes in. We know that there is an underlying cause at the root of all the maladies affecting our society. We also know the answer. The prophet Jeremiah looking at the ills in his society cried out in Jeremiah 8: 22 "Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there?"

In the weeks that follow we will be looking at some of these issues to see if there is a balm or a physician that can cure the ills of society. Stay tuned.

                             WEEKLY E-MAIL #3
                   MINISTRY OF THE 21ST CENTURY
                    COMPETITION OR COMPLETION Part 1

John 17:23 "I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."

When I was living abroad on one of the OM ships I would occasionally make trips back to the States.  Coming back to my home country brought within me excitement, but at the same time trepidation.

It was hard for me at first to understand why I felt trepidation about being back in the States.  It wasn't because I was back in my country. It was not being with my family, but for some reason the trepidation seemed to be connected to the evangelical scene that I knew I would be engaged in.

Now as I look back I can recognize what was causing this anxiety within when I thought of the evangelical scene here in the States. I was finally able to identify what it was that was causing this sense of discouragement every time I came back to the States for a few months. It could be summed up in one word: competition.

I was sensing the tremendous competition among God's people in the different denominations, mission societies, etc. for people and finance. There were times when I sensed this and wanted to flee to a place where there were no or very few Christians.

In the early eighties the Lord was speaking to my wife and I about leaving the ship Doulos where we had been for seven years to make our base on land and be more involved with the Latin field. Praying about the place to be God was speaking to us about coming back to the States. This was not easy for me with this feeling of futility because of this tremendous competition taking place here in the States.

However being back in the States for the last few years have made me realize some of the different dimensions of this spiritual warfare we are in. Here in the West I was facing something new that I did not to the same degree experience in India or some of the other countries I had been working in over the past twenty years.

Somehow it was easy in India to realize the power of darkness at work. There it seemed to not only be real, but very recognizable, but when I came back to the 'sophisticated west' it was present here also but not so noticeable. I think this is one of the reasons why it was so hard for me to identify this feeling of frustration that I had every time I came back to the States.

This is when I began to ask the question regarding my own ministry: is it competition or completion?  Satan could offer Jesus the Kingdoms of this world during the time of Jesus temptation. Satan had divided the human race into little kingdoms and he kept them there through the balance of acceptance and rejection.  Thinking more about this it seems that this is what Satan is trying to do with the Body of Christ by locking us up into our little kingdoms that we call denominations.

The next few e-mails will be talking more about this.

Frank Dietz

                                  WEEKLY E-MAIL #4
                        MINISTRY OF THE 21ST CENTURY
                     COMPETITION OR COMPLETION Part 2

Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:12 "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

Somehow this verse is understandable in India and the Muslim world, where the power of darkness is very real, but here in the West these demonic beings seemed to hide behind our sophistication.

Paul goes on to warn us in II Cor.2:11 that we should not be ignorant of the devil's devices... Could it be that here in the church have been invaded by a 'spirit' of competition? Listen to the talk when we get together with other believers. Listen to how we compare churches, missions, offerings, or out-reach. See how one member will compare their church with another church in terms of size, budget, out-reach. What is in back of all of this? I believe it's a spirit of competition.

This competition is not only here in the West.  One of the problems we face in other parts of the world is the same. We have exported this to other parts of the world. We produce what we are (Luke 6:40). I could tell that the British had been India as well as the Dutch in Indonesia.

The West is a very competitive place. We see this in our individualism; how we make heroes out of self-made men as well as others in our sports. Through this a spirit of competition has come in and which has also invaded our churches.

Missiologists tell us that the first wave of missions started with William Carey and was spear-headed mainly by the Europeans. The second wave came about with Hudson Taylor and was spear-headed mainly by the North Americans. One of the things that has definitely been exported by the West into the third world has been the spirit of competition. If it is true that this third and perhaps the final wave of missions will be spear-headed by the two-thirds world, then how we need to make sure that we get rid of, exorcise this demon of competition.

Jesus praying for His disciples prayed for their oneness that they might complete one another. Why? So that the world might know. It would seem that in the universal church today we have the resources - the laborers and finance - to get the job done. The problem is that the spirit of competition has come into the church and we don't see the need to complete one another. Although we don't say it but each church, mission agency seem to think that they are the sole owners of the great Commission.. Consequently we do not get the job done.

In spiritual warfare not only must we have on the full armor of God and use our weapons, but we must identify what we are fighting against. The best way to fight is to manifest the opposite spirit. If we have the spirit of competition then what we need is the spirit of completion or co-operation.

We need to be asking ourselves the question: how can I complete my brother so that together we can accomplish something for the glory of the Lord?


Frank Dietz

Dear Friends,

Along with this weekly e-mail I wanted to bring something to your attention. These weekly e-mails are taken from my book: MINISTRY OF THE 21^ST CENTURY. In this book each chapter is a question about our ministry and then proceeding to bring Biblical overview to the question. This means that each chapter will break down into a number of weekly e-mails, not be complete in itself. The reason I mention this is that some of you have written to me wondering why I did not include certain things, they will come out in a later e-mail.  I praise the Lord for the response, because it shows me that you are reading the letters. This is always a blessing for those who do any writing.

Every blessing,

Frank Dietz

                              WEEKLY E-MAIL #5
                     MINISTRY OF THE 21ST CENTURY
                 COMPETITION OR COMPLETION Part 3 of 7

A good illustration of completion is found in that old film Ben Hur.  Ben Hur's servant while he was in prison lost the use of his legs. In prison he met and became friends with a man who had lost his tongue. At the end we see the man with no tongue carrying in Ben Hur's servant who had no legs. Ben Hur's servant says: "I lost my legs and my friend here lost his tongue, but the two of us together make a considerable man." This is the spirit that I am talking about. This is the spirit that must invade the body of Christ.  Together we make a considerable force. Satan knows this and he will try everything that he possibly can to keep God's people in competition instead of completing one another.

Along with these thoughts there are several things we should keep in mind.

1. Authority. Before sending His disciples out Jesus said: "all authority is given to me--go". With that authority we are to go into all nations. We are going to need authority If we are going to penetrate some of these dark areas of the world where evil forces are holding sway. That authority is given to the Body of Christ, and if the Body is divided it seems that the authority is dissipated. It is like the battery of a car leaking power until there is no power left, there is no "go". Could this be one of the reasons why the Church is not moving today? There is no power. Consequently there is no "go".

Jesus tells us in Mat.18:18 "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." I think it is interesting that this statement or promise is put between the principle of reconciliation and perpetual forgiveness when it comes to our brother or sister in Christ. Is the Holy Spirit trying to tell us something? Could it be that if we do not have the right relationship one with another (which also includes completing one another) that we do not have any authority either?

Could this be the reason the church today seems to have very little authority against the onslaught of evil that we have in our society today. We seem to have plenty of activity in our churches, many well thought out  programs; many seminars we can take about different aspects of the church and her life. But where is the power? We have the noise, the rattle, but where is the revival??

2. We need to see that this is what the enemy wants. He wants division. He doesn't want the body of Christ to see their dependence on one another. He knows "united we stand, but divided we fall". How are we going to ever reach the one billion Muslim people, 600 million Hindus, 300 million Buddhists, and the 250 Confucianist?

To do the task will take the whole body of Christ. I am not talking about denominations getting together. I am not suggesting we have an ecumenical movement where different segments of so-called Christianity come together to unite. That to me would be another tangent of the enemy.

However when it comes to born again believers, the ones who make up the body of Christ that is a different story. We need to see our oneness not just in our own denomination or even nationality, but beyond. Not only must we see our oneness but also to be asking how can we complete one another to get the task done.

This must start with the leadership. We must set the pace; we must give the direction. It should start in our own local fellowship. We often read about the mega-churches. However we must realize that most of the churches we have in the World are not mega-churches, but small struggling churches. How can we come together to complete one another; to combine our resources. We must realize that we only have so much time, energy, resource available. How can we make the most of it?

This is brings me to the question that is the title of these e-mails. We need to seriously ask ourselves if our ministry is one of completion or competition? Have we fallen for the devil's lie that we can do His work on our own?


Frank Dietz

                         WEEKLY E-MAIL #6
               MINISTRY OF THE 21ST CENTURY
            COMPETITION OR COMPLETION Part 4 of 6

In our last e-mail we saw two things that we need to consider concerning our ministry.  Continuing on with this thought l would like to bring out several other issues.

3. This brings me to the third thing that we need to consider. Is our work for the Lord an ego trip? So often we can be building our own empire instead of the kingdom of God. Personal ambition and empire building are hindering the spread of the gospel.  Those of us in spiritual leadership must continuously be checking our motives.

What are some of the first things we think of in the ministry of the Lord? A new building? Bigger budget? Better programs? How to get more people? Or do we find ourselves thinking about what the Lord wants? Do we realize that this is His church and He is the Lord? Or do we find ourselves thinking about the bigger picture seeing the Body of Christ and her ongoing mission and of how we are a part of that body.

This is why the church of Antioch speaks to me. What do we find the leadership doing? They are ministering to the Lord, waiting upon Him, worshipping Him. In the midst of this waiting and worshipping the Holy Spirit speaks and the results is that out of this little church the Gospel begins to go to the ends of the earth.

It would seem logical that if we want to see the extension of God's kingdom instead of building our own kingdom that we would be doing what the church of Antioch did: waiting upon God. Instead it seems that man has pushed God aside and has taken over. We have board meetings, our planning sessions, committees. We have tried to elbow our way into the Trinity to make it a foursome. We have tried to take over the task of the Holy Spirit.

4. John 17:22 Jesus said in His prayer: "I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one." The glory referred to here is the nature and acts of God in self-manifestation, but in particular in the Person of Christ. His glory is also His grace and power. We see His glory when He turned water into wine; we see His glory when He raised Lazarus from the dead. John 2:11; John 11:40-44.

This glory, Jesus said: "I give to you", referring to His disciples. It is interesting that what man wants and strives after God gives us in Christ Jesus. Man wants glory and a name. How often we have seen someone who has deceased a piece of property named after himself in order to perpetuate his name.

What do we find man doing after the flood in Genesis 11:4? "Come let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that will reach to the heavens, so that we make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth." This is what man wants.

Yet we read in the next chapter of Genesis that God chose Abraham, who became the father of faith, and God said: "I will make your name great." God will give us a name and here in the Lord's prayer of John 17 Jesus gives His glory to us.  We seek Him and He will rewards us. We put Him first and all of these things will be added unto us.

                          WEEKLY E-MAIL #7
               MINISTRY OF THE 21ST CENTURY
            COMPETITION OR COMPLETION Part 5 of 6

One of the reasons for so much competition is that man is looking for glory as well as a name. Christ did not seek His own glory, but the glory that came from the Father. We are told that a man who speaks from himself seeks his own glory. I Cor.1:29 we are told that no flesh can glory( or boast) in His presence. Vs.31 Our glory (or boast) must be in the Lord.

We are to bring glory to the Father. How do we do that? John 15:8 "This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." I believe we bring much glory to the Lord when we accomplish what He has given us to do.

His last command was Acts 1:8.  To accomplish this task we need completion and not competition. Psalm 133:1 "How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity." This, I believe, is what the Lord thinks about completion.

It is very important for us to identify some of the causes of competition that exist among us in order that we might see them and deal with them. These are real hindrances for us in the Body of Christ, not only for our mission, but for our growth. What are they?

1. Jealously is a major cause. We can so easily become jealous of another brother, regarding his ministry, gifts, etc. When I first went to India I was talking to a brother about a powerful ministry of another brother in Calcutta. This brother's comment was: "if I had his money I too could have the same ministry." Instead of rejoicing over how the Lord was using this brother there was the comparison and the jealousy.

2. Lack of security in ourselves. A few years ago I was one of the speakers in an Operation World conference in Bangalore, India. It was a wonderful time and the Lord was moving in our midst. In one of the question and answer sessions that we had one of the pastors asked a very penetrating question. "Do you speakers feel jealous when someone preaches, teaches, or administrates better then you do?"

It was a very open, frank question. One of the Indian speakers answered the question and said this: "In the early days of my ministry when I saw or heard someone bringing a better message than myself I did feel threatened by it. But over the years I have come to realize what the Lord has given me and what I am able to do. I have accepted it and rejoice in it so that when I hear some one bringing a better message I rejoice." Romans 9:21

Part of the competition that we have in our evangelical churches stems from our lack of understanding of who God is. God accepts us for who we are not for what we do. We work because we have been accepted, not to be accepted. Works that stem out of the latter is what the Bible calls dead works.

3. Pride is also another great cause of competition. This is what drives our sports. This is the way the coach motivates the players, playing upon their pride to be the best, to be number one. This is also what we have in back of the tremendous competition in business.

We can expect this in the world, but when it is carried over into the church something is wrong, drastically wrong. Whenever there is comparing there is pride. Why do we keep tabs on how many people were in church on Sunday or Sunday School? Why do we have in some of our denominations a record of what 'number' our church is in regards to the mission budget? (This is the number among the churches as far as giving to missions is concerned. Are we first or fifth etc.)

How come we do not hear more about how one church gave up something in order to help complete another church to make them more effective? I know that there are some, but they are the exception not the rule. This would apply to missions as well, especially out on the field.

                                WEEKLY E-MAIL #9
                       MINISTRY OF THE 21ST CENTURY
                     RELINQUISHING OR RESISTING Part 1

2Cor.10:13-18 "13 .We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us, a field that reaches even to you. We are not going to far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you with the Gospel of Christ. Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others. Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to boast about work already done in another man's territory. But,'let him who boasts boast in the Lord.'  For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends."

In this passage of Scripture I see a principle that Paul operated on that we are missing to a great degree in our ministry today. It is the ministry of relinquishment of turning the ministry over to others who have been discipled and trained for the task.

So often we have kept the ministry in the hands of the 'professionals'. This is what we pay them for anyway, isn't it? However we do need what Elton Trueblood said was another reformation, where we get the work of God back into the hands of God's people and those who have the ministry out-lined in Ephesians 4:11-13 to equip the saints for that task.

In this passage we see two things about Paul's ministry that we in the ministry should think about as well. First of all God had assigned a field to Paul and secondly he would not go beyond his limits. What does this mean? Paul was to be the Apostle to the Gentiles. Acts 9:15. We also see Paul mentioning this calling in Romans 1:5 "Through Him and for His name sake we received grace and apostleship to call people from among the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith." Another aspect about Paul's ministry is that he would not build on another man's foundation. This is not pride on the part of Paul, but rather recognizing what the Lord wanted. This is why in his calling to the Gentiles he was always striving to preach the Gospel in the regions beyond. The field Paul had was the gentiles.

Secondly Paul said in verse 15 of our text that he would 'not go beyond our limits". Paul's limits were to be an Apostle to the Gentiles and not build on another man's foundation, but preach the gospel in the regions beyond. The only way Paul could do that is have a relinquishing ministry. We will see this later on.

Look at the ministry today. If we were to take the average evangelical church what do we have? We have a paid pastor, or if the church is rather large a paid staff, and they do the work of the ministry. They become the performers while the rest of the Body of Christ sit and watch. Needless to say the ministry of Christ never gets done because first we have the professionals and secondly the ministry is larger than just church activities. What about the work place? Like someone said:"the meeting place (church) is the learning place for the market place" (work place).

How important it is for us in the ministry to know our limits. Could it be that one of the reasons we have so much burn-out among God's people is that they have gone beyond the limits that God has set? The average pastor has several "hats" that he must wear. He must prepare three messages a week and deliver them; he must be on call at any time of day or night; he must be involved in visitation; he must be involved with counseling and administration. We could go on, but you get the point. My question is: is this Biblical? I don't believe so.

Might the Lord open our eyes to this ministry of relinquishment! What does it mean? And how do we put it into practice? We will be looking at this in the next few e-mails.

                              WEEKLY E-MAIL #10
                    MINISTRY OF THE 21ST CENTURY
                  RELINQUISHING OR RESISTING Part 2

I read in I Timothy 5:17 "The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching." Paul, when he planted a church and relinquished the ministry did so to elders and not one elder. Acts 14:23. Elders are to handle the affairs of the church and one of those affairs is to preach and teach. It would seem to imply in this passage of I Timothy 5: 18 that these elders could be paid in order that they and their families might survive. The point here is that there are elders (plural) not one elder (singular). We must always be careful in giving too much attention to man. But even with these elders directing the affairs of the church the goal is to equip the people of God to do the work of God. Most of the ministry is done or should be done in the work place where most of God's people spend most of their time.

The ministry that the Lord had was a relinquishing ministry. Think about what He did in the last three years of His life. He chose twelve men to be with Him. Luke 6:13, Mark 3:14. He discipled, trained and gave them the ministry. He relinquished to these twelve Galileans, unlearned men the task of world evangelism. One turned out to be a traitor, and the others at a time of great trial for the Lord forsook Him. What a risk! That will be so with a relinquishing ministry. Mistakes will be made; failures will come. This is often one of the reasons why in many cases we do not turn the ministry over. If the pastor does all of the ministry he becomes good at it. This will intimidate others thinking that they cannot do it and so they remain quiet in the pews and the church becomes more irrelevant all the time.

Relinquishment involves delegation and delegation always involves risk. When God makes His appeal through us He takes an awful risk. Yet God took that risk. Because God lives in us what happens to us happens to Him. We see how in the Old Testament God supplied food for the Israelites and how Jesus in the New Testament fed the four and five thousand. We might ask why doesn't God do that today? The answer is that God does, but in the New Testament and today He usually does it indirectly through His body, for example when Paul led the relief effort for the saints in Jerusalem. The church is Christ's body: therefore if the church did it, God did it.

What we have today is that Christ is the Head of an imperfect body. When my mother was in her eighties her mind was sharp, but the body was falling apart. So many things that her mind thought of that she wanted to do, but the body was unable. I have often wondered what would be worse: to have a healthy mind, but weak body or to have a healthy body but weak mind. How horrible it would be to have a mind full of ideas, plans, etc. begging for fulfillment, but a body that cannot respond. This is the picture of the church. We have a perfect head, but the body seems to suffer from cerebral palsy. The head is sending clear signals to the body that seems unable to respond in a co-ordinated fashion and so the Body of Christ jerks along in spasmodic fits in the work of the Lord.

C.S Lewis said: "He seems to do nothing of Himself which He can possibly delegate to His creatures. He commands us to do slowly and blunderingly what He could do perfectly and in the twinkling of an eye."

In the work of the Lord so often we see man building his own empire. We also see that the bigger the empire becomes the less effective it is. Why? Man when he builds a work becomes very good at what he does. He becomes so efficient that he winds up making most of the decisions himself and nobody else. Consequently everything must go through him. The problem then becomes a problem of what I call a bottleneck. Decisions cannot be made because the only one to make them is too busy or tied up. Consequently the work is held up. What we need is a relinquishing ministry. We must train, disciple and turn over the ministry.

                                     WEEKLY E-MAIL
                              LEGALIZED EUTHANASIA

I wanted to put down some thoughts regarding the Terri Schiavo case that has so dominated the news over the past few weeks here in the USA. This is a relatively young lady who has been brain damaged and for the last 15 years and have lived, not in a vegetative state, but with a feeding tube.

According to some doctors she would be able to eat by herself if she was allowed to go through the therapy necessary for this.

I realize that there are strong emotions on both sides of the argument and one must come to this with clear thoughts.

First, I think it is imperative that we ask ourselves the question: what kind of a society do we want to be? One of life or death? This is what it is coming down to. Ever since Roe vs. Wade we have moved into a society of death. Life of the old, infirm, disabled and unborn has been looked upon and the question being asked is: is her/his life worthy of life? If not then they need to die. William Federer is right when he says: "Their physical death is preceded only by our moral death!"

Someone said: "The Biblical basis for this 'sanctity of life' position draws from the understanding of human life as gift expressed in Acts 17:25, the understanding of man created in the image of God found in Genesis 1:26-27, and the understanding of covenant in Genesis 9:5-6 and Exodus 20:13. The duty to respect human life appears in Genesis 9:5; 4:8-10, 15, and our responsibility for the life of fellow humans is taught in Genesis 4:9 and Deuteronomy 21:1-9.

In the face of Christian teachings on sanctity of life, it is hard not to see this trend towards legitimizing euthanasia or mercy killing as a strong sign that we are indeed living in a post-Christian world."

Isn't this the case with Terri Schiavo? If a living will has been made and it clearly states that she wants to die and not remain on support system then the wish ought to be carried out. But it is a different story especially when it is unclear what the person really wants when no written will has been left, and that person is "helped" to die.

In this case of Terri we are told that her husband has the authority. However, someone brought out a principle that is worth mentioning: "Supporters of Michael Schiavo's effort to end his wife's life have asked how conservatives, who claim to believe in the sanctity of marriage, can fail to respect his husbandly authority. The most obvious answer is that a man's authority as a husband does not supersede his wife's rights as a human being." Also another aspect in this case is that the parents of Terri are willing to take care of her.

It would seem that this case should be looked at with all of the different facts that are out there and that a lawyer should be appointed for Terri. The same rights that we give any criminal are being denied this lady who has done nothing. "In cases like this one, where there are serious questions and substantial doubts, our society, our laws, and our courts should have a presumption in favor of life."

There is something morally wrong with what is being done and it needs to be brought to the light where it can be seen and dealt with. Doctors are divided over whether she feels any pain. Many doctors think not, but they are not sure and since Terri cannot communicate what she thinks or feels, so we do not really know.

Doctors have moved today a long way from the Hippocratic Oath that governed the medical practice for thousands of years. The Hippocratic School took a different position from mercy killing - one decidedly in the minority, but one that eventually, in the Christian West, won the day. The Hippocratics opposed both euthanasia and abortion. Their oath states, "I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor make a suggestion to this effect."

It seems that we are taking the issue of death and life out of God's hands and into our own. God is the author of life and He is the One that must be allowed to make that decision, not man. The Catholic document Evangelium Vitae (1995)," that "God alone has sovereignty over life and death." Such acts of killing, whether "merciful" or not, unacceptably dispose of God's gift of life - over which we are not masters but only stewards. "

This of course brings in many other things. What about the death penalty on criminals? God answers that, I believe, in His Word. There are certain crimes where a man can be put to death. This is allowed by God. However, even in that there are parameters that must operate in that decision. They must have a lawyer, evidence must be there beyond a doubt, etc.

This is what is amazing about this situation with Terri Schiavo. She has no lawyer, no evidence has been given of what she might want, except from her husband who is already living with another woman and would benefit from her death. Yet, the courts have decided she must die. Who is next?

Where is the church in the midst of all of this? Why are we not speaking out? Is it that we really do not know what should be done and what the answer is? The Pope has rightly said that we live in a culture of death. Chris Armstrong said: "The modern push for euthanasia is a push against a two-millenniums-old Christian tradition."

In a debate that was taking place one of the (liberal) members of congress made a statement at the last minute (that went unnoticed by most) about the cost involved in keeping Terri alive in her "vegetative state" (what he thought anyway).

In this culture of death this is what it really comes down to. Is it economical for that person (whoever that might be) to be kept alive? Is she/he benefiting society? Or is she/he costing society? It comes down to economics.

Since Roe vs. Wade millions of unborn children have been slaughtered and we have lost the significance of life. It is something that the Lord has given us and we cannot take it for granted.

When we lose the significance of life what is next? Who is next? Isn't this something that led to the death camps in Hitler's Germany in the 30s and early 40's? The millions slaughtered by Stalin in Russia? One third of the population in Cambodia wiped out by Pol Pot? Life is cheap.

Could this be the reason we find young people on killing sprees today? Life is cheap. It is not worth much. We, as a society, will reap what we sow. In this culture of death is this what we want?

Frank Dietz

                       WEEKLY E-MAIL #11
               MINISTRY OF THE 21ST CENTURY
             RELINQUISHING OR RESISTING Part 3

Thinking through this ministry of relinquishment there are several things that we need to look at.

1. 2Cor. 3:4-6 our competence in the ministry must be with the Lord. The idea that comes out here is that He has made us fit or competent for the ministry. He has promised us success within the sphere He has given us, with needed energy within that calling. I believe that when we move beyond the limits the Lord has given then we are beginning to move in the energy of the flesh and the results will always be disastrous. This is why Paul said in 2.Cor.10:15 "Neither do we go beyond our limits". Paul knew what his limits were; what his calling was. He stuck to that by learning to relinquish everything else. This would seem to be the case with the Apostles in Acts 6:1-7. A problem had arrived in the early church that seemed to be an administrative problem. What did the Apostles do? People came to them for a solution, but the apostles relinquished that ministry in order that they might stick to the calling that God gave within the limits that God had assigned. "We will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the Word." Acts 6:4.

We have pastors or elders who are wearing too many hats including the hat of preaching and teaching. Because of all of these other hats they are wearing the needed time, prayer and attention cannot be given to the ministry of the Word. Needless to say the Body of Christ is hurting because of it. We need to know our limits and stick to the parameters that God has given.

In reviewing some of these Biblical principles with a few brothers here in the West, one made the comment that he wondered if this will work in our culture today? This showed me how far we have moved from the Biblical norm in our churches as well as being influenced by the strong pull of tradition. It was hard for this brother to grasp anything different than what he had always been exposed to, even if it was Biblical.

2. We will need to build in the lives that God gives us. Parkinson sixth law states: "If we convince people they need help you soon convince them they cannot help others."

To build up the people for the ministry will take prayer and discipleship. Jesus chose twelve men that could be with Him. Mark 3:15. When Jesus had finished the task the Father had given Him He went on to a ministry of intercession at the Father's side, but the ministry He turned over to the Apostles and us. Romans 8:34

3. Our ministry will be enlarged through relinquishment. Paul stated to the church at Corinth that as their faith grows his area of activity will also greatly expand.

I have had people to tell me that they are afraid to turn the ministry over because then they themselves will not have anything to do. I helped develop Latin  America for OM.  After a period of time I turned the ministry over to others. I relinquished the ministry and as a result the faith of those that I have relinquished the ministry to began to expand and so does my own ministry.

For example the work of Brazil was turned over to the Brazilians. The faith of these brothers is expanding and because of it I find that my own ministry is also expanding. This is true also in other countries of Latin America where we have offices.

                               WEEKLY E-MAIL  #12
                        MINISTRY OF THE 21ST CENTURY
                     RELINQUISHING OR RESISTING Part 4

In Acts 13 we see the church at Antioch having a relinquishing ministry. The Holy Spirit told them that they should release Saul and Barnabas for the work that He has called them to. They did and as a result the church of Antioch took part in the ministry of Paul and Barnabas. Antioch became their home base. After a missionary trip they would come back to Antioch, gather the disciples and share with them what the Lord had done. Acts 14:27,28.

We see how Paul's ministry expanded from the appointment of elders. Acts 14:23. Paul could say in Romans 15:23 "but now that there is no more room for me in these regions, ...." In the space of about ten years Paul had planted churches in the Eastern Mediterranean area and could say he was ready to go on, in this instance to Spain. Paul could do that because of a relinquishing ministry.

Acts 15:36-41 we have the famous sharp disagreement between Paul and Barnabas and they went their separate ways. Paul took Silas and Barnabas took John Mark. I believe we also have here a relinquishing ministry. Two things come out .
1). The same word translated 'sharp' in the NIV is
translated 'spur' in Hebrews 10:24 "Lets us consider how we can spur one another on toward love and good deeds." If we look at human nature Barnabas, more of a phlegmatic, would have a tendency to take a back seat to the choleric Paul and consequently the potential of Barnabas would not be realized.

We see that Barnabas took his nephew with him. Later on Paul wrote: "Send me John Mark because he is profitable for the ministry". I don't believe that all of the sharp disagreements we have in the church where people have split off and new ministries have been formed are necessarily the work of Satan.. It could very well be God working in some situations to bring about a relinquishing ministry.

Acts 16:1 We see a relinquishing ministry when Paul took Timothy and trained him for the work of the ministry. In 2 Tim. 2:2 he told Timothy "Entrust to reliable men who will be also qualified to teach others."

In Acts 18 we see Paul demonstrating in Corinth the relinquishing principle that he mentioned in 2Cor.10. "When he came to Corinth he met a Jew Aquila and his wife Priscilla. He stayed with them because they were all tent-makers. Paul stayed for a year and a half teaching them (the people of Corinth as well as Aquila and Priscilla) the Word of God."

Later Paul had to leave, but he took Aquila and Priscilla with him. They came to Ephesus where Paul saw an open door and unbelievable need. Paul was not able to stay when requested by the Ephesians, but he could leave Aquila and Priscilla. Vs.18,19.

While Aquila and Priscilla were in Ephesus Apollos came through on a preaching tour of the Synagogues. It says that "He was a learned man, with thorough knowledge of the Scriptures." However we read that he only knew upto John the Baptist. He did not know the way of the Lord. However Aquila and Priscilla took him aside and expounded the Word of God more fully to him. They took what they had learned from Paul and passed it on. The result of this is found in verse 28 "For he (Apollos) vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from Scripture that Jesus was the Christ." What a
relinquishing ministry!!

Every decision we make will have consequences. If we do not have a relinquishing ministry there will be some dire consequences for the church and I believe that this is what we are seeing today.

First we will create pew sitters or just Sunday Christians and nothing more. How often I hear the cry from pastors: 'I cannot get my people to do anything. " Yet this is the way we have trained them.

Secondly we will see the spiritual gifts that have been given to the different members of the Body of Christ being used for the world instead of for the extension of God's kingdom. To me this is most sad. Impression without expression= depression.

When God gives a spiritual gift He makes an impression upon us. If the people don't have the opportunity to express this gift in God's work then they will find other out-lets.

Thirdly the open doors we have today will never be entered until the work is turned over to the people of God. The paid professionals will never be able to do it. Going back to Elton Trueblood's statement is so true that we need a second reformation to put the work of God back into the hands of the people of God.

Secondly, Christ got a hold of Paul and gave him a calling. His particular calling was to be an Apostle to the Gentiles. Romans 1:1,5; Acts 9:15.

If we want to have focus in our lives we also see the necessity of some of the other principles in this book. For example the principle of relinquishment. Many things will come that will be an off-shoot of our focus. The tendency will be to get involved with all of these things until we are fragmented. The need is for relinquishment, being able to turn the ministry over to others so that you can keep to your focus. Paul could not relinquish his calling to the gentiles.

Phil.3:17 Paul says: "Join with others in following my example..." We have the same thing as Paul. First, God is wanting to conform us into the image of His Son and secondly, we have a calling, to be saints, but we are also called to be his witnesses.

                                      WEEKLY E-MAIL #14
                              MINISTRY OF THE 21ST CENTURY
                            FOCUS OR FRAGMENTATION Part 2

In Mark 13 Jesus is sharing with His disciples some of the signs of the end times. He is coming to the end of His discourse and warns us to be ready. In verse 34 He says: "It's like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task (the one thing), and tells the one at the door to keep watch."

I believe, that this is the secret to success, "this one thing I do". What is that one thing the Lord has assigned for me? What is God's plan for my life? This, I believe, is what we must find out and then give ourselves to it.

Before we go any further with this line of thought let us look at Christ.

Mark 1:35-39. In this passage of Scripture we see Christ getting up early in the morning to meet with His Heavenly Father. His disciples were looking for Him and when they found Him in the solitary place they exclaimed: "everyone is looking for you." The answer that Christ gave, I think, is very significant. Vs..38 "Let us go somewhere else-to the nearby villages- so that I can preach there also. That is why I have come.." Here is a clear focus. Christ knew what He was there for and he would not get off track.

Jesus told the Canaanite woman in Mat.15:24 "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." At first glance this seems like a very hard answer. It does not seem like the Jesus we know. However let me add that focus is what we see with Christ. We need to recognize that Jesus came into this world with a body that had been prepared for Him. When He was here on earth in a body like ours He also had the restrictions like we do being limited to time and space. Therefore it makes focus so much more important. We cannot do everything since we do not have unlimited time, energy, or the resources available to us.

Jesus came to the Children of Israel because from the Children of Israel He would eventually be able to touch the world. But in order to do that He had to focus on one thing.

Mat.10: 5,6 "These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel." Again we are seeing the same thing - focus. It doesn't mean that Christ is not concerned about the Gentiles, because He is. We see this coming out later on.
Mat.10:18 Jesus tells His disciples that they will be witnesses to the Gentiles. Mat.12:17-21 tells us how He will eventually proclaim to all the people. Mat.24:14 states to all the nations. Mat.28:18-20 gives us the Great Commission the Mandate to go into every part of the world.
Revelation 7:9 gives us a view of the future and what do we find? From every tribe, family, peoples, nations and language in the world we find people worshipping the Lord.

This is the goal that Jesus has in mind, but He had to focus to reach it while here on the earth and not allow Satan to get Him off on tangents. As a matter of fact I believe the temptations that Christ had in the wilderness were to get Him away from His focus. I believe, that ultimately the temptations that come our way are meant to side-track us from our focus or for some not to know what our focus should be. I cannot think of a greater tragedy in the life of a child of God than not have any focus, to go through life fragmented.

                                 WEEKLY E-MAIL #15
                         MINISTRY OF THE 21ST CENTURY
                      FOCUS OR FRAGMENTATION #Part 3

To find focus in our lives there are certain things to keep in mind. For example we are called to be saints, to be set apart for holy use. We are to be the light of the world, consequently we need to let our light shine.

Also we read in Scripture that the theme is missions. This is what we see in Luke 24:44-47. These two themes that run parallel in Scripture are about (1) Christ, His coming, death , burial, resurrection and (2) that this message should be preached in all the world as a witness.
This is to be done by the Body of Christ, not just by the few who are looked upon as the professionals.

For example there is a brother, we will call him Joe, who is a contractor. The Lord began to work in his life and he wanted to see how the Lord could use him to reach out to a world that is lost. He had a burden for the Muslim world. He thought that by being in business he could be used in the area of finance, helping to supply the resources necessary to reach these one billion people with the Gospel of Christ.

However his business failed and although the Lord used him for a short time in this area of finance it looked impossible for him to continue on. He had to go out and get a job and the Lord in a very unique way led him to
get a job as a project manager in another contracting company that is owned by a Pakistani Muslim.

The Lord blessed him like He did with Joseph in the Old Testament. Joe became the executive vice-president second in authority only to the owner. The owner is wanted to take him to Pakistan to meet other relatives and is wanting to adopt him into the family. Joe is very outspoken about his God and recognizes that the Lord  has put him into a very unique place. By his life and wanting to give God the credit for everything speaks to these Muslims.

What do we learn from this regarding focus in the life of the lay person?

1. Joe is a builder. This is an ability that God has given him. He is not called to preach or teach, but he can build and he wants to focus on this ability and become a good builder for God.

2. Joe through his ability can be a witness for the Lord, first by the product that he turns out and his integrity in doing it. Secondly by giving God the honor. These Muslims from Pakistan know that Joe is a Christian and Joe credits his wisdom to the Lord above. Joe is able to reach people, like these Muslims from Pakistan, that I cannot reach. I never will have contact directly with these people, only through Joe. Thirdly Joe, is still able to be "Serving As Senders".

3. Joe recognizes that his focus must be on his life, that his life and his talk must be in harmony, also that his work matters to God. This is where the Lord has placed him. This realization brings tremendous focus to Joe's life. His life and work now have a purpose. The mundane things that come into his life now take on a different perspective. His life has significance. He realizes afresh that he doesn't have to be a pastor, missionary, etc. to be used of God. When he goes to work in the morning and is fighting the traffic and deals with all of the other mundane things that come from the work world that this is all part of the spiritual warfare he is faced with. But most important of all, I believe, is that Joe is beginning to see that there is no separation between the secular and the spiritual. It all matters to God. Joe is beginning to see what the church is all about. It is not just being 'in church' on Sunday, but that he is part of the church and when he goes to work on Monday morning he is engaged in spiritual warfare, and by being in the place where the Lord wants him, he is fulfilling the Great Commission that Christ gave to the church.

Also Joe is finding the importance of prayer, praise and daily getting into the Word of God in order to be all that the Lord wants him to be.

4. I would like to add, Joe has found his 'one thing'. Now that he is learning to focus on that his life will take on a whole new dimension. He will begin to learn what Christ meant when He said in John 10:10 "..... I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." Nothing gives us a more full rich life then to know that our life has significance. This is what Christ does. Christ give us significance.

                                WEEKLY E-MAIL #16
                        MINISTRY OF THE 21ST CENTURY
                       FOCUS OR FRAGMENTATION Part 4

One aspect of focus comes out in Paul's admonition in I Cor.7. Three times he says we should remain in the state that we were called. Vs. 17,20,24. When John the Baptist started preaching different ones came under conviction and they asked him what they should do. John's answer to the tax collectors was not to take any more tax than necessary; for the soldiers not to take advantage of their authority, but the significant thing was that they remained in the same situation.

John, like Paul did not say to move out of the situation that they were in, but they were to let their light shine where they were. However we do see the Lord calling some, not all, but some out of the different vocations. He called Matthew from being a tax collector; Peter, James and John from fishing, etc.

Like Paul himself the Lord has called some to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastor teacher, etc.. However the majority are to remain in the situation that they were in when called.

A key question that we need to ask and answer is: how do I get focus into my life? I would like to offer several things that we can do.

1. It is important first of all for us to recognize the need for focus in our lives. We might have a very busy schedule and much activity and many things that we are doing. However let us ask do we have focus? The definition that Webster gives for focus is: "A point at which rays of light, heat, or the like, meet after being reflected or refracted; a point from which diverging rays appear to proceed, or a point at which converging rays would meet if they could be prolonged in the same direction."

Let our activity be the different rays of light or heat and ask ourselves the question: do they converge? Do they come to a point? Is all of our activity moving towards a common goal, or do they all seem to be running parallel? It is possible that the different activities do come to a point, but we fail to recognize the goal.

Take for example the local fellowship. We have many different types of people with spiritual gifts that can be used of the Lord. These people, if they are walking with the Lord will be motivated by the Lord to be involved with different things. At first the local fellowship will seem fragmented with all of the different activity taking place and perhaps it is, but only because the spiritual leadership has not focused the activity or not brought the activity to a point towards that common goal. What is our common goal?

It seems to be two-fold. 1). To move towards holiness
2) to be witnesses for Christ in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the world. Most, if not all, of the activity in our local fellowships could be focused on these two things mentioned above. If we cannot focus the activity to the essential goal then perhaps we need to see about getting rid of that activity.

2. We need prayer. David knew the importance of prayer being still and knowing just who God is. We desperately need these times of reflection, of quieting ourselves to hear God speaking. There are many voices out there calling us to be involved. There is no end to what we could be doing, and many of them are good things, but they are not God's best. Since we have only so much time, energy, resources we need to concentrate on God's best. And He has a plan for each one of us.

3. We need prayer to maintain our focus. This is what Jesus is doing in Mark 1:35-38. When all were seeking Jesus asking Him to come back to the village where remarkable things were being done, what did He say? "let us go somewhere else........that is why I have come..." Through prayer He was able to maintain that focus.

4. We need obedience. When we wait upon the Lord He shows us what He wants. We then need to do what He tells us..

Along with this we need to be satisfied with God's plans for us as well as with the gifts He has given. I say this because often we are not satisfied and content with what the Lord has given us. We have the tendency to think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence; to think that someone else's ministry is more important than mine. We have a tendency to covet another man's gift or ministry.

In conclusion just as the magnifying glass focuses the rays of the sun on one spot and releases tremendous amounts of energy on the point of concentration so the Holy Spirit can do with the Body of Christ. When we are led by the Holy Spirit He focuses the energy of the Son through us and tremendous things can be accomplished. We see this in the history of the Church down through the ages.

Might God bring the church, the Body of Christ, back to the focus He has for us.

                      WEEKLY E-MAIL #17
                MINISTRY OF THE 21ST CENTURY
                  SACRIFICE OR SACRILEGE Part 1

II Cor.6:3-10 " We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of
God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we
live on; beaten and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything."

They arrived in the small Indian village by the bus loads all dressed, men in their black dhoties and the ladies in their saries. They had come to worship Ayeppo, one of the myriad of gods of the Hindu religion. After circling the temple in the middle of the village until they were in a demonized trance they would make the long journey to the top of a mountain where they would sacrifice things that cost, like gold, silver, family heirlooms or food. The idea of it all was to sacrifice for their god something that they treasured.

Five of us were there to share with them the gospel. They took our literature, but when we stood up to preach and mentioned the Name of Jesus they would shout us down. They came to us and said: "You have guts. There
are only five of you but there are five hundred thousand of us".

That night a real battle of fear raged in my heart. I had also learned that the previous year some communist had been there handing out their literature, and they were caught and burned to death. Needless to say that did
not encourage me toward staying and trying to get the gospel out to these needy people.

The Bible says that the heavens declare the glory of God. It is often through the visible universe we realize how great God is. This is what Isaiah was trying to communicate to the people of God who had for many
years been living captive in Babylon. What a blessing chapter forty of Isaiah has been for many believers down through the ages.

That night under the stars I could understand more why Jesus when He prayed in John 17 just before the cross 'looked toward heaven and prayed.' Seeing what God has done and who He really is brought me to realize that my problem was very small compared with the greatness of God. A decision was made to go back into the village the following morning and continue our witness. The result was that a Muslim as well a Hindu made a decision for
the Lord.

However this experience brought me to ask a question about my ministry. Is it sacrifice or sacrilege?

Sacrifice means: the surrender or destruction of something prized for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim.
For example: I surrender my rights, ambitions, etc. for something that is higher, the glory of God and for the extension of His kingdom.

Sacrilege means: The stealing of anything consecrated to the service of God. We need to have a real look at our ministry and ask: is it sacrifice or is it sacrilege? Are we stealing from the Lord things that have been dedicated or sacrificed to Him? Our bodies? Our time? Our possessions? We see examples of this in Scripture. Aachan when he took the Babylonian garment in Jericho when everything had been devoted to the Lord. The two
sons of Eli who would always took the choice of the meat before it was dedicated to the Lord. They committed sacrilege.

In the next few e-mails we will be looking at this question about our ministry.

                               WEEKLY E-MAIL #18
                     MINISTRY OF THE 21ST CENTURY
                     SACRIFICE OR SACRILEGE Part 2

When we read and think of Eli's two sons taking the best of the meat or Achaan who took the Babylonian garment we often say: "But this is not me. I would never do anything like that".

Yet so often we forget that we are not our own, we have been bought with a price, by the precious blood of Christ. We are to surrender our bodies as a living sacrifice. What we have belongs to the Lord and we are to be stewards of it and yet so often we use it for our own benefit and pleasure.

This was the complaint that Malachi had with the people of God. Mal.1:8 "..When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong". Look at what
they were doing. They were offering sacrifices to the Lord, but they sacrificed only what they did not need or could not use. The best they kept for themselves.

Or we promise to God, but at the last minute we hold it back. Again this is what the people were doing in Malachi's day. Mal.1:14 "Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then
sacrifices a blemished animal". We also see from this same book that we rob God through withholding our tithes and offerings. Mal.3:8.

What is sacrilege? The stealing of anything consecrated to the service of God. When I look at the ministry today I realize that a lot of our ministry is sacrilege. The people in our churches belong to God, but how often we keep them rather than let them go. The church at Antioch let go (sacrificed) Saul and Barnabas. I am sure it was a real sacrifice for the church to give up two of their best men, but they did. I am sure it was a real sacrifice for the church of Macedonian to give 'beyond their ability'. But they did.

We think that by sacrificing we lose or we will not benefit but this is far from the truth. The church of Antioch participated in the missionary out-reaches of Saul and Barnabas. The Macedonian churches became a real
testimony, not only to the Corinthian churches, but through Holy Writ to many of us. Jesus summed it up when He said that if we try to save our life we will lose it, but he who loses his life for the gospel sake will find
it. Mat.16:25.

Let us ask a question: in my own personal life and in the life of my church is it sacrifice or sacrilege? And if it is sacrifice, what have I really given up? What has it cost me? In time? Material possessions? A lot of what I am
talking about centers around attitude. How do I look at what I have? Yes, I enjoy it, but when the Lord touches something and tells me to sacrifice it how ready am I for that act of obedience? Do I find a real battle taking place within me that eventually helps me rationalize why I should not do it, consequently committing sacrilege, keeping or stealing what really belongs to God. We say God owns everything, but when he touches something
to be surrendered that we hold dear how difficult it is for us to give it up.

Out in the evangelical world, I find another demonic attitude of deception. It goes something like this: we are God's children, the children of the King. Nothing is too great for the King's children, nothing but the best! Like all heresy we have elements of truth. We are God's children if we have been born again and it is true that God wants the best for us. What we forget is that God's ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts or ways.
Isaiah 55:8,9. What we think might be the best for us God does not necessarily think so. Often we think in terms of the material and transient but not the spiritual and eternal whereas God knows our material needs, but He sees them in the light of the spiritual and eternal.

However we do find that God is also concerned about the material aspects of our life. We see this with the Lord's Sermon on the Mount in Mat.6:25-34 where he talks about the natural causes for worry: our food, our shelter,
our health and our future, but He goes right to the heart of the matter and shows us the reason for anxieties is spiritual - "O! you of little faith.."

                          WEEKLY E-MAIL #19
                 MINISTRY OF THE 21ST CENTURY
                 SACRIFICE OR SACRILEGE Part 3

I believe that the lack of sacrifice in the evangelical church today stems from this problem that plagued the early disciples-little faith. God is constantly working to purify our faith. Our faith is more precious to the Lord than pure gold. I Peter 1:7. Our tendency is to hang on to material things thinking they supply our needs not realizing that it is the Lord who gives, and supplies.

Francis Schaefer regarding the ministry said: "Is it not amazing though we know the power of the Holy Spirit can he ours we still 'ape' the world's wisdom, trusts it forms of publicity, its noise, imitate its ways of manipulating men. If we try to influence the world by using its methods, we are doing the Lord's work simply in the flesh. If we put activity, even good activity at the center rather than trusting God then there might be the power of the work; but we will lack the power of God. The key question is this: As we work for God in this fallen world, what are we trusting? To trust in particular methods is to copy the world, and to remove ourselves from the tremendous promise that we have something different, the power of the Holy Spirit rather than simply the power of human techniques."

This is why 2.Cor.6:3-10 speaks so much to me. Paul was not following human techniques. He was not trusting in the world's wisdom or publicity. Paul followed hard after the Lord. Christ lived a life of sacrifice; Paul followed Christ and bids us to follow him. Look at the ministry from Paul's perspective. How different from what we have today!

There are several things to see before we look in more detail at this catalog of things he mentions in our text.

First, Paul took care that the ministry in no way would be
discredited. Though Paul had freedom he was still very restricted by what he could and could not do simply because he did not want to put a stumbling block in any one's path. What could have been right for Paul could have been a stumbling block for someone else.

Secondly, Paul was a servant a bond-slave of Christ. We tend to think that in the ministry we have rights. Remember when I talk about the ministry I am not referring to the paid professionals, but to every believer in Christ. We, every believer in Christ, are the ones who have the ministry. We are to be servants. This is what Paul is saying here in IICor.6:4. Servant-hood calls for sacrifice.

Thirdly, Paul also brings out the importance of being an example when it comes to the ministry. Christ is our great example, the One we are to emulate and follow. However people are to see Christ in us and we too like Paul should be able to say: 'follow my example as I follow the example of the Lord'. I Cor.11:1.

                              WEEKLY E-MAIL #21
                      MINISTRY OF THE 21ST CENTURY
                       SACRIFICE OR SACRILEGE Part 5

III. In verse 5b Paul mentions some of the things that come out from the ministry itself.

'In hard work' the word (kopos) that Paul uses brings out the idea of working for Christ to the point of exhaustion. It brings out the idea of toil, trouble, weariness and pain.

'In sleepless nights' Paul brings out the sacrifice in the ministry. The idea coming out here is the idea of watching. A guard who is posted on the watchtower does not give himself any sleep so that he can watch out for the enemy. Jesus in giving to His disciples parables about the Kingdom of Heaven said in the parable about the weeds: Mat.13:25 "But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away." How often the enemy has come in and done damage because the church has been sleeping. Paul  spent  these nights - and moments of peril that he was in - preaching, in prayer, counseling. 

Outside the Archive building in Washington DC. stands a statue with these words inscribed at the base: "Price for freedom is eternal vigilance."

In hunger Paul was probably referring to voluntary fastings, but also perhaps times when there was no food. I have been working in villages in India and had to go hungry simply because there was no food. There was no such thing as a MacDonald to go to.

IV. In verse 6 Paul brings out what we are or should be.

'In purity' the word used brings out the idea of cleanness, blamelessness, sincerity, transparency. This is probably what Paul had in mind when he wrote to Timothy that he should look for men 'above reproach' when it comes to the ministry. I Tim. 3:2.

'In understanding' Paul brings out here knowledge, of knowing what we should be doing, of sanctified common sense. So many do not know what their goals are. It was said about the 'sons of Issachar' in I Chron.12:32 "Who understood the times and knew what Israel should do.."

'In patience' Paul brings out something very important with the ministry because it is dealing with people. How we need patience with people; courtesy under criticism. How we need to realize that patience is giving God time to finish what He has started, especially when it relates to people.

'In kindness' Paul brings out the idea of goodness and gentleness, something that puts others at ease.

'In the Holy Spirit' we need to realize that all would be impossible without the Holy Spirit. Paul said be 'filled with the Holy Spirit'. So much work is done in the flesh using human techniques rather than the power of God.

'In sincere love' Paul is talking about something that is real. This is where we need spiritual reality. This is not a hypocritical love where we have the feign, play acting love. This is the type of love that gives and forgives.

V. In verse 7 We see something of what we are to do..

'In truthful speech' the idea is the declaration of the truth, never any exaggerating or twisting of the truth. Never telling the truth to someone in such a way that they believe the opposite. People will recognize that your yes is yes and your no is no.

In the power of God reminds me of what Paul says in II Cor.4:7 that we have this 'treasure in jars of clay'. How we need to be constantly reminded thatthe ministry is God's. We are jars of clay to be used by the Holy Spirit.
Even among the jars of clay we have some that are for noble purposes and others for common use, Romans 9:21.

In 'the weapons that God has given us' we see that in our right hand we have the offensive weapon the 'sword of the Spirit'. In our left hand we have our defensive weapon our shield of faith. How we need to be praising the Lord for the Word of God that He has given us and for faith that makes it real to us.

In our next e-mail we will come to the conclusion of this question: is our ministry sacrifice or sacrilege?

                             WEEKLY E-MAIL #22
                     MINISTRY OF THE 21ST CENTURY
                     SACRIFICE OR SACRILEGE Part 6

In conclusion of looking at the ministry and 2 Cor.6:3-10 we have the following.

VI. Vs.8-10 We have the paradoxes of the ministry.

In glory and dishonor as someone said 'sometimes we are flattered and sometimes we are flattened'.

In bad report and good report we see that there will be times when men will speak evil of you for the 'Son of Man sake'.

In being genuine, yet regarded as an impostor this should not surprise us because they said that Christ was a deceiver.

In being known, and yet regarded as unknown Paul brings out the paradox of being ignored and yet recognized. Paul was recognized where it really counts - in hell. When the seven sons of Sceva tried to cast out demons in the name of Jesus and Paul what did the demons answer? Acts 19:15 "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" In the ministry this is where we need to be recognized; this is where it really counts.

I think of the godly woman who prayed Operation Mobilization into existence of how very few people here on earth know her, but how she is well known in hell because of her prayers.

'In dying, and yet we live on' I think of the testimony of Paul when he was stoned. They thought he was dead and yet he was alive. At the same time he said we die daily.

In 'beaten and yet not killed' we have the discipline of suffering.

In 'sorrowful, yet always rejoicing' Paul brings out a paradox of holy sorrow and holy joy. In the Garden of Gethsemane going to the cross, a time
of great sorrow, Jesus prayed for His disciples: "That they may have the full measure of my joy."

In 'being poor yet making many rich' we see this with Christ in II Cor.8:9 "For you know the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich. yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might
become rich." We see with Peter and John going to the temple to pray and finding the crippled beggar wanting some money saying: "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ stand up and walk."

One Bishop bragging said: "The church cannot say today they have no silver or gold because they have plenty." Someone replied: "But the church also cannot say to the lame 'stand up and walk'". We have traded the power of God for material things.

In 'having nothing and yet possessing all things' what a glorious paradox this is. Paul tells us that we are co-heirs with Christ. Romans 8:16,17. Paul tells us in Ephesians that we have received the Holy Spirit as a down payment to insure us of our inheritance. Eph.1:13. Dr. Barnhouse said it was a like a lawyer coming to the door and announcing that our uncle just died and left us everything, but it would be several years before we would receive the inheritance. However we could have a down payment. We ask how much the down payment is. The lawyer says ten million dollars. I am sure if that was the case with us that we would be wondering if the down payment is ten million dollars what is the inheritance like? If the Holy Spirit is the down payment what must be our inheritance? No wonder Paul said in I.Cor.2:9 "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind conceived what God has prepared for those who love him."

Is our ministry sacrifice or sacrilege?  Is it the type of
ministry that will reach the world with the Gospel of Christ, the ministry that will make an impact?

                                 WEEKLY E-MAIL #23
                         MINISTRY OF THE 21ST CENTURY
                   RECONCILIATION OR ALIENATION Part 1

II Cor.5: 18-21 "All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself
through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation, We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: be reconciled to God.  God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

My wife and I arrived in Khartoum, Sudan with our two week old daughter Amy, who had been born in England. A few hours after our landing in Khartoum, the Yom Kippur War broke out in the Middle East. We had just made it through before the airports in the Middle East were closed. We had come to rejoin Operation Mobilization's first ship the M/V Logos after the birth of our first daughter.

It was with a sense of relief that our ship Logos was able to come into the port of Port Sudan. Several tons of literature was unloaded and shipped by train to the capitol, Khartoum for a huge book exhibition. Thousands of Muslims attended the exhibition and many would walk away with the Word of God. Also a very extensive program would be held for the few pastors and Christians in that city. Out of this visit came a young  Sudanese man who would become the first country leader for Operation Mobilization in the Sudan and eventually the leader of all of our work in the Middle East and North Africa.

One of the high-lights of our program in these different countries is to invite a high ranking official to come and open the book exhibition to the public. We would put on a little program and share the Gospel with this dignitary and those who would come with him.

For the official opening of our book exhibition in Khartoum in the Sudan we were able to get the second highest man in the government, the Minister of Education, who later on became the President of the country. When he came and saw all of the different nationalities that we have working with us he was very touched and he said this: "you are like a small United Nations, except you have unity."

These men in the government know the chaos in the world and they are looking for answers. They know that something is wrong, and that something should be done. But the solution(s) that they come up with are wrong because the premise is wrong. They do not recognize that we have tension (in the world) and with one another simply because man's relationship with his Maker is non-existent.

This is why the passage of Scripture quoted above is so powerful: God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. It is said that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us so that we could behold. We want people to listen but they want to look. What do they see? When we take the text that we have quoted from II Cor.5:18-21 'He gave us the ministry of reconciliation' and put flesh to it, it is very powerful. People, like the Minister of Education of the Sudan, recognized: there is something unique about Christ.

This Minister of Education made this statement about us being a small United Nations except that we have unity. The Muslims, and the Sudan is a Muslim country, are some of the most difficult people to reach with the Gospel. Yet we see the chaos and disunity that is happening today in these Muslims countries. They are beginning to recognize that something is wrong with their own religion when they have Muslims killing Muslims.

This is why the greatest hindrance to world evangelism and revival is disunity among God's people. I am not talking about denominations getting together. I am referring to the Body of Christ that transcends denominations, and nationalism. We need to recognize the oneness in Christ and to maintain it.

We will be looking at our ministry in the next few e-mails and asking ourselves the question: IS OUR MINISTRY RECONCILIATION OR ALIENATION?

                                  WEEKLY E-MAIL #24
                          MINISTRY OF THE 21ST CENTURY
                     RECONCILIATION OR ALIENATION Part 2

The Kurdish people are the largest peoples group in the world
(perhaps twenty five million strong) that has no country. This
is one of the problems in the Middle East. These people are
found in Iraq, Turkey, Iran and parts of the old Soviet Union.
They have their own language, dress, customs, etc, but they
have no country. They are wanting to carve out for themselves
a country that they might have their own borders to maintain
their own identity.

This is the way it is with the people of God. You can find them in most countries of the world. They have their own identity, language, etc, but they have no boundaries, they have no country here on earth. Hebrews 11:13-14 describes the people of God: "All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted  they were strangers and aliens on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own."

We are told that we should not be ignorant of the Devil's devices. He knows that ours is a ministry of reconciliation, reconciling sinful man to a Holy God through Jesus Christ our Lord. He knows that if he can bring disunity into the Body of Christ it will greatly distract from the message .How can we talk about being reconciled to God when we cannot even be reconciled to one another as believers in Christ.

The goal in any relationship, whether in marriage or our relationship with one another as brothers and sisters in Christ is not for us to think alike, but to think together. The goal in a relationship is unity, not uniformity. We need the difference of opinions and the sense of reconciliation when there are differences.

How can we maintain that balance described in the previous paragraph? Over the years I have thought and prayed much about this. My wife and I lived for ten years on Operation Mobilizations two ships Logos and Doulos. Seven of those ten years were on the M/V Doulos with 325 other people coming from 45-50 different nations representing almost all of the major denominations. The last four of those seven years on the Doulos I was the director.

As I look back in retrospect I am amazed at the unity the Lord did give us. There are some principles that have come out of this that need to be in operation if we are going to maintain the unity that we already have in Christ. What are they?

1. Reconciliation: In reading Scripture God is constantly wanting us to be moving towards one another. Mat. 5:23, 24 says that if you know your brother has something against you, go to your brother quickly and get it right. We are to do this before anything else. Yet how often have we gone to prayer or to read the Word and we have not been right with one another.

Mat.18:15-17 states that if we see our brother sin we should go to him, not to someone else, but to him. If we would only do this 90% of the broken relationships would be healed. Very seldom would we have to do what is said in the remaining verses in Matthew 18:15-17

In Matthew 7:1-5 Jesus states that we are to go with the right attitude. We are going as one sinner saved by grace to another sinner saved by grace. Jesus says we should make sure that the log is out of our own eye before we can take the speck out of our brothers eye. By Jesus using the analogy of the eye He is showing us that this is very delicate. The most sensitive part of the human body is the eye and when you move near an eye you move ahead with extreme caution.

A young lady came to me in South India some years ago sharing how the Lord seemed so distant from her. She was maintaining her quiet time, prayer and reading the Word of God, but not getting any new insights from the Lord. It soon became apparent that this young lady was not right with another member of the team. It was a simple matter of going, as the Bible tells us to do, and getting reconciled. She did and the break-through to the Lord was very evident.

In our next e-mails we will see more of these principles that we
need to keep in mind.

                              WEEKLY E-MAIL #25
                     MINISTRY OF THE 21ST CENTURY
               RECONCILIATION OR ALIENATION Part 3

Carrying on from last week following are some other important principles when it comes to the ministry and whether it is a ministry of reconciliation:

2. Walking in the light. I John 1:5-7. This is another principle that is of utmost importance in maintaining relationships. We are told in verse 7 that "if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another." What does it mean to walk in the light as He walks in the light? To answer that question fully would require a book.

When we came to Christ we were taken out of darkness into the light. I Peter 2:9. Wherever Christ went while here on earth He brought light. The light exposed the darkness, the wrongs, the injustices. Light will always manifests things for what they really are.

When Jesus, who is light, came into the presence of the Pharisees, they were seen for what they really were: religious hypocrites. No wonder they wanted to kill Him. When Jesus came into the presence of the publicans and prostitutes the light revealed what they were and many came to Him with tears of confession and accepted Him. When He came into their presence, it wasn't what Jesus was saying but who He was, the light of the world that caused this conviction and change.

Our walk should be characterized by what we read in Ephesians 5:9: "For the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth." If our walk is characterized by that which is good, that which is right, and that which is true, and we maintain a balance between these three, we will find that we have fellowship with one another.

3. Fellowship in depth. Again we have another principle that is so lacking in the church today. The way our churches are set up about the only thing we have fellowship with is the back of the head of someone sitting in front of us in the pews. Yet we read that one of the cornerstones of the early church was fellowship. Acts 2:42. Fellowship is right there with the Apostles doctrine or teaching, breaking of bread and prayer.

A great hindrance to fellowship is the mask that we all wear. The devil has got us to think that if people really knew what we were like they would reject us. Because acceptance is such a need in our lives we will do almost anything to be accepted. Consequently we put on a mask thinking people will accept us, not realizing that the mask actually hinders real acceptance.

We all are carrying heavy burdens but the Lord says that we should carry one another's burdens. Gal.6:2. But how can we do that if we do not share what the burden is. This again brings in the idea of fellowship in depth, getting beyond the shallowness or superficiality that we have into what we are really faced with in our lives.

Some years ago my wife and I were leading a team in Spain. On the team we had a young lady by the name of Sally (that is not her real name). Sally had a very rough background stemming from neglect and having suffered molestation  as a child. She felt not only rejected, but very unloved.

While on the team, Sally was very bubbly, enthusiastic. One would never think from the outward appearance that she had any feeling of rejection. One day the mail arrived. This was always a very important time and the team members looked forward to receiving letters. Sally, like the rest were waiting for their names to be called out indicating that they had received letters. The brother who had been handing out the letters went through them all. There was no letter for Sally.

Sally acted as if it did not really matter. As a matter of fact she tried to pretend that she was glad she did not receive anything because then she did not have to write any letters. When everybody was reading their letters, Sally silently slipped out and went down to the river where she cried and cried. My wife knowing something of what was taking place went down to her, where Sally opened up, dropped the mask and poured out her feelings of being unloved, rejected, etc.

The next day the team gathered together and was learning to open up with one another, learning to have more of a fellowship in depth, and to really share where we were at, not what we were pretending to be, but what we actually were. Sally, after a little encouragement did share her feelings of rejection, being unloved. This was a real breakthrough for Sally. Not only did she unburden herself, but by becoming real for others she became real for herself. It also gave the team the opportunity to come back and to love her and accept her. She saw what a liar Satan really was in getting her to pretend.

When we left the time of fellowship that morning she shared that when she walked in she had a heavy burden and it was weighing her down. She said: ""Now I only have one twelfth of that burden." At first we did not know what she meant until we realized that there were twelve of us on that team. We each had one twelfth of that burden. When we learn to fellowship at a deeper level we find that our burdens are lighter.

Next week we will look at some more principles regarding the type of ministry that we need in the 21st century.

4. We need to recognize anger. Anger is an emotion that is felt and a motivating force that drives us to some kind of action. Anger in and of itself is not sin. Eph.4:26; Ps.7:11; God is angry. John 2:17; Mark 3:5 Jesus got angry.

Mansell Pattison said: "Anger (in contrast to rage) however, is a very necessary and useful reaction. Anger is appropriate as a communication of feeling in reaction to another's person's behaviour."

Our emotional make-up is from God. When used properly, emotions that God made us capable of are constructive. However, if we fail to express our emotions in harmony with Biblical limitations and guidelines they become destructive.

Firstly anger is sin when it is hasty. Proverbs 14:17; 16:32.
Secondly when it is without real cause. Mat.5:22.KJV states being angry without a cause. Thirdly anger is sin when it becomes long-lasting. Eccl.7:9; Eph.4:26. 'Anger resides in the bosom of a fool'.

Anger shows itself in different forms. The type of anger that is easily recognizable is the one that we see the most often. This person is like a bomb that explodes. At least he gets everything out, but he most usually kills relationships around him.

Another type of anger is imploding, holding it in. Often an angry person who holds it in physically and emotionally harms his own body. Also it is hard to develop relationships because that person is not honest. This person seems nice on the outside when he or she is with you, but often talks behind your back. This anger shows when this person is with others and not around you.

The third type of anger is more subtle. This is where others get the
blame. Perhaps we do not even recognize this as anger that is wrong. Proverbs 29:22. It is always somebody else's fault. This is the anger that stirs up dissension among the brethren and brings disunity.

If we are going to maintain the unity in the Body of Christ we will
have to recognize anger and the damage it can do. What an
injunction we have from the Word of God in Ephesians 4:26
"In your anger do not sin: do not let the sun go down while you
are still angry.."

5. In maintaining relationships we need to watch out for escapism.
Have you ever noticed that when we come up against something
that is unpleasant we try to avoid it? If we have something
unpleasant in our churches we can go to another church, or in
our jobs or whatever it might be. Now there are times when it
might be appropriate for us to move or change churches, etc.
But so often we become the 'great escape artists'. We try to escape
from the very thing that God is wanting to use to work in our lives.
The result is shallowness in our spiritual lives as well as relationships.

There are probably several reasons for this desire to escape. One of the main reasons is guilt. At the core of most problems there are feelings of guilt and sin. We begin to set up emotional barriers against facing facts and people. We become restless and start looking for ways to escape. The truth of our guilt needs to be expressed. This is where fellowship in depth comes in.

Secondly we are afraid of rejection. We have already talked about this, but we are always afraid that we will be rejected and so we pretend. This pretending is another way of escape.

Third reason of why man tries to escape is the unwillingness to face
reality. If the basic needs of man, to love and be loved, a sense of
self-worth, are not met you will find that person slipping more and
more into unreality, this unreality becomes another way of escape.

There are many ways we can try to escape, but the purpose of these e-mails is not to go deep into ways of escape, but to bring out that this is one of the problems that we are faced with in maintaining and building relationships and having a ministry of reconciliation.

                        WEEKLY E-MAIL #27
                MINISTRY OF THE 21ST CENTURY
            RECONCILIATION OR ALIENATION Part 5

Continuing on with the ministry and whether it is reconciliation or alienation there are still some other principles to keep in mind.

6. Another very important principle is to learn how to resolve conflicts. When I was the director of our second ship the Doulos I noticed that the inability to resolve conflicts is a real problem.

A conflict is a clash between two wills. Whenever you have two people, you have two wills and the possibility of a clash. There is nothing wrong with a conflict. It is normal and could promote growth. Through a conflict we can come into a deeper understanding of what others are going through. Also we can come into a deeper realization of the grace of God as well as can develop a more meaningful dialogue with one another. For this to take place the conflict must be worked out. And problems do arise when the conflict is not worked out.

Satan is looking for the advantage and when he sees an unresolved conflict this is where he can do damage. We can learn a lot about Satan by looking at his names in Scripture. A name tells us something about the character of the person. In Revelation 12:9,10 he is known as the deceiver and the accuser.

When Satan sees a conflict first of all he deceives us into
not going to that person we have the conflict with. He tries, and often successfully, to get us thinking that if we go to that person that he or she will not understand, or it will increase the problem. Often Satan tries to convince us that we should 'be spiritual and just pray about it'.

Once he has convinced us not to go then he comes along as the accuser and begins to whisper in our ear about the other person. We will have the tendency to look at that person through colored glasses and no matter what they do we will be interpret it wrongly. This drives a bigger wedge between us. Eventually we do not have a conflict, but a problem. A problem is an unresolved conflict.

7. Love. The Bible says that love covers a multitude of sins. Often this lack of love is the crux of the problem in trying to maintain a right relationship. We are to love one another just as Christ loved us. How did He love us? Before we look at four ways that Christ loved us let me say here that this 'agape' that is mentioned in the Bible is not the wishy washy emotional love advertised on TV and in our movies, but it has a lot to do with our will, our obedience. 'If you love me obey me...' John 14:15.

These four things that I have mentioned deal with will. As an act of my will I put these things into operation, not because I feel like it because the chances are I will never feel like it. This love has nothing to do with my emotions. If emotions are there and they are good emotions praise the Lord, but as an act of my will this is what I will do. When you think of Agape love in the Bible, think about these four things:

1. Aware. When we love someone we are aware of them. There is a spiritual sensitivity. Christ was aware of us. Look at Christ in the Gospels. He was aware of people, their needs, the fact that they were like sheep without a
shepherd. When we love, we too will be more sensitive to people.

2. Accept. We need to accept people as they are. This is what Jesus did. He accepted me just as I am. He did not tell me that I had to get my act together first, clean myself up, but just like I was He accepted me. Isn't this one of the problems that we have today? We accept people after we have tried to make them over into our own image. But not so with Jesus. We want to change not so that we might be accepted more, but because we have been accepted.

3. Give. John 3:16 'for God so loved the world that He gave....' This is the heart of God; this is the heart of love. Love will always give. Lust is the opposite of love, it will take and will always want more. But lastly..

4. Forgive. Love will always forgive. There is so much teaching in the Scripture about forgiveness. When they were hanging Christ on the cross what was He saying? "Father, forgive them for they know not what they are
doing.."

So much of our Christian life centers around our feelings. This is especially true when it comes to forgiveness. In Luke 17:1-10 Jesus tells His disciples that if a brother sins against us seven times in a day and asks for forgiveness we are to forgive.

That must have been hard for them to swallow. The next thing they said was: "Increase our faith", but Jesus went on to say that the way to increase faith is through obedience. God gives faith to the obedient heart. However, the parable to illustrate His point, I believe,  touches the issue of feelings. Feelings keep us from being obedient.

If these principles are working in our lives and fellowship, what a powerful testimony this will be to a world that is filled with selfishness, violence, hate, etc. What a ministry the Lord has given us in the ministry of
reconciliation!

One final thought. In the Beatitudes Mat.5:9 we read: "Blessed are the peace makers for they shall be called the sons of God." The idea here is of maturity - sons, not children. Peace makers are mature people. Our problem is that in our churches we have too many children and not enough sons.

                          WEEKLY E-MAIL #29
                MINISTRY OF THE 21ST CENTURY
               DECLARATION OR DECPETION Part 2

Here in the West we see the spirit of deception as well. It might not be as obvious as in places like the Middle East and India, but never-the-less it still is equally deadly. Often our deception seems to hide behind our material possessions. We have been deceived into thinking that happiness lies in the things that we possess, having material security, in pursuit of pleasure and in our personal autonomy. But looking around we see the outcome of all of this in our broken homes, broken marriages, suicide among our young people, abortions and the tremendous problem of drugs. All of this can be summed up in one word: DECEPTION.

The problem that I see is that this spirit of deception that is in the world, and in our culture, penetrates the church also. Paul warns us in I Timothy 4:1 "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and following deceiving spirits and things taught by demons."

The religious people accused the Lord in Luke 11:14-26 of casting out demons by the Prince of Demons. In arguing His case He asked them how could Satan stand if his house is divided against itself? But what He said next, I believe is a very profound statement. Verse 19 "Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then they will be your judge." Jesus later on states in verse 23 "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters."

What is Jesus saying here? First he was saying that the followers of the Pharisees, this could be either their disciples or their children, were casting out demons. Jesus did not deny that they were not being cast out by these followers. Secondly if they were being cast out who was doing it? Jesus stated emphatically if you are not with me then you are against me.

Thirdly Jesus also mentioned of how when a demon leaves it tries to find a place to abide, but when it cannot it comes back to the original dwelling place and finding it swept clean will bring seven other demons with him so that person's last state is worse than at the first. If we take all that is being said here the following seems to be the logical answer.

When Jesus asked the question to the Pharisees by whom did their followers drive out the demons, the answer would seem to be Beelzebub, the one that the Pharisees accused Jesus of using to cast them out. But wouldn't you say that if Satan casts out Satan he would be divided against himself and he wouldn't be able to stand? True, unless the strategy was to give a little territory in order to gain even more.

What I mean is this. To have a demon leave would bring real relief to the possessed person. It probably would not make much difference to the relieved person how the demon left as long as he left. But what is happening is that this person is being set-up for a greater bondage.
Eventually that person's state is far worse than what it was at the beginning.

I have seen this many times in different countries of the world. It is not unusual for people who are involved with spiritism in Brazil to invoke some spirit to help them and often they got what they wanted. I have also seen that when they have come to Christ they lost what this false spirit had given them. However, these people who have come to Christ often need extra counseling and deliverance to be completely free.

Jesus said you either gather or you scatter. There is no middle ground. A person who is delivered by something other than the Gospel, basically has no need for the Gospel. Eventually that person will be worse off. What also happens is that these other things (things other than the Gospel) fail to bring deliverance so that when the real thing (the Gospel) comes along they don't try it, thinking that it is just like the rest. Again that person is
worse off.

This is where the real deception comes in here in the West. We have many other voices that seem to have 'the answer'. They tell us to try this or that, to take this seminar, to go to this conference, etc. I am not saying these seminars are all bad because some of them will be helpful, but if they are not based on the Gospel than they will be wasted effort, and eventually lead us into a bigger bondage. We must keep in mind that Satan often comes as an angel of light.

                             WEEKLY E-MAIL #30
                     MINISTRY OF THE 21ST CENTURY
                  DECLARATION OR DECEPTION Part 3

Part of the real deception here in the West is to get our thoughts away from the simplicity of the Gospel, that somehow deliverance can only come through Christ plus something else. When it is Christ plus something else soon it is only something else and Christ has been left on the side-lines.

Soon billions of dollars are spent on medicine, (such as tranquilizers), counseling, specialized seminars in trying to find deliverance from the demon of alcohol, drugs, loneliness and a whole host of other things that plague mankind. Soon we are doing what Paul said would take place in the last days, following teachings "taught by demons". What ever happened to the apostles' teaching which is one of the cornerstones of the church?
Acts 2:42.

In I Timothy 4:16 Paul told Timothy:" Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers." What Paul is saying to Timothy is very important for us today. The two areas we need to guard against deception are our life and our talk.

Looking at these two things we see they need to go together. Often there is a dichotomy. This is what Jesus said about the Pharisees. Mat.23:3 "So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach." Does this sound familiar?

How different from the Apostle Paul who said: "Therefore I urge you to imitate me" I Cor.4:16. Paul was not perfect nor is he preaching sinless perfection, but his heart and life were moving in the right direction.

The degree of deception that has entered our lives and the need for it to be dealt with is probably in direct proportion in which we cannot say to our children, and our brothers and sisters in Christ: "Imitate me".

What are some of the areas of deception that have come into the church of the Living God?

The first area that I see in the church is what I call play-acting. When it comes to the things of God this is probably the best word that describes what is actually taking place - play acting.

Jesus denounced these play - actors in His day by calling them hypocrites. As a matter of fact this is what a hypocrite was, he was a play actor, acting out the role of what a religious person should be like or what they thought a religious person should be like.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus denounced these deceived people, these play-actors in three areas. First in their giving. It was a giving designed to receive honor by men. Often it was done with a noise to make sure that everybody knew about it. Maybe we don't have the same noisy way today, but most usually we find some way for people to find out what has been given and by whom. Usually it is a plaque with our names inscribed, or it is written up in the bulletin.

Secondly, Jesus denounced these deceived people in the area of their praying. Again it was play-acting, done to be noticed by men. The prayers that are said in front of men are most usually long and drawn out, but where are these same people when it comes to really interceding for this world and its lost condition. Where are these people when it comes to special seasons of prayer, nights of prayer? Where are these people when it comes to their own secluded place, their prayer closet, seeking the face of God for direction, wisdom? Waiting upon God until He shows the direction that they should go? Often this does not happen because they are play-acting when it comes to the things of God. We are deceived.

Thirdly, Jesus said they were play-acting when it came to fasting. Again they made sure everybody knew what they were doing, they did it in order to be seen by men. Pretending to be something we are not is where deception comes in. It brings in the idea of manipulation by deceit.

Next week we will see more ways of deception.

                         WEEKLY E-MAIL #31
                  MINISTRY OF THE 21ST CENTURY
                DECLARATION OR DECEPTION Part 4

In our text II Cor.4:2 Paul said: "We have renounced secret and shameful ways.." What was he referring to? If we go back to II Cor.3:13 Paul says: "We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away." What was Paul saying here?

Remember Moses how when he came down from the Mount where he met with God and we read that his face shone and the children of Israel were afraid to come near. There was a real awe and wonder over Moses because of that shining face. Exodus 34:29-35. It probably made what he said to have more authority and he would have less problems with those he was leading.

We read, however in II Cor. 3:13, that Moses would put a veil on his face to keep the Israelites from seeing the glory fade. With the veil on his face the Israelites would think that the glory was still there although in reality it was fading. This was deception and Paul later on says "we do not use deception.".

Yet are we any different? How often we pretend to one another, to our children. We come to church all dressed up and outwardly we look real good, but yet inside we can be full of hypocrisy and wickedness. Mat.23:27,28.

Another area of where we have real deception is regarding the church. What is the church? What do we mean when we say I am going to church on Sunday morning? This is a contradiction of terms. This is also where the deception has come in.

When we say we are going to church we mean we are going to a building at a particular time, where we will have some singing, perhaps a testimony, announcements and if it is an evangelical church a message from the Word of God that might or might not be relevant to what I am faced with in the real world.

OH! I should not forget the most important thing about going to church which is the offering or collection. We, of course, are admonished to give at least a tenth of what we earn, but most usually it is just a  token that we put in the plate when it passes by or we drop in the box on the way out. We call this weekly exercise going to church!!!! How deceived we have been....

The church is not something we go to, it is what we are. If we have been born again by the Holy Spirit then we are part of the church, which is the body of Christ, house of God, habitat of the Holy Spirit. Now granted we as the Body of Christ need to come together to meet, fellowship, encourage one another, breaking of bread and prayer and also for teaching. But if we are born again we are the church. This to me is where the real deception has come in. We have forgotten who we are. Because we have forgotten who we are we have forgotten what we are here for. Consequently we have much activity, but little real movement.

A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to speak to four or five hundred pastors and their wives. On the way to the hotel where the meetings were to be held I was silently praying and asking God to give me an illustration of what the church was like today. Just as I prayed that prayer we went over a river and I looked out the window of the car at the flowing river beneath me and I had my illustration.

I noticed two things. First along the banks of the river little eddies were forming. As I looked I noticed how they went around and around and in the process they picked up the dirt, the filth, the refuse that came into the river. Secondly out in the middle the river was flowing and the water was pure, and clean and the river seemed to be moving towards a destination, not like the little eddies that had plenty of motion but they were not going any place.

I thought that this is the picture of the churches today. We are like the little eddies. We have plenty of activity in our lives. Everyday there is something taking place in the local congregation, meetings to go to, seminars, potluck dinners, the occasional missionary meeting, etc. However we seem to be like the little eddies along the banks of the river with plenty of motion, but just going around in circles. The next thing we know is that our lives are becoming cluttered with dirt, filth, sin. How we need to be out in mid-stream where the current is flowing. How we need to be involved with the purpose of God.

Dear brother and sisters in Christ,

Instead of sending out my regular e-mail letter on the Ministry of the 21st Century I thought I would send a report about the catastrophe and cataclysmic damage Katrina left in New Orleans and all along the Gulf States. Since many of my weekly e-mail letters go to people outside of the States it is good to be able to inform them of what happened.

Right now an entire city, New Orleans, is being abandoned. This is the worst catastrophe within a century here in the States. The terrorist act of bringing down the Twin Towers 9 11 was horrific, but New York continued to operate. In New Orleans the lights have gone out. The 11th hour a burst of relatively dry air succeeded in taking a touch out of the sails of Katrina. It was downgraded to a category 3, but still had winds over 100 miles per hour.

Stratford reports states: "The storm passed directly over the Mississippi River's mouth, raising the prospect that the main channel has shifted. Such a development would delay the reopening of the river until the channel could be resurveyed and likely dredged. Depending on the silting, that could take a few hours -- or a few weeks. Add in damage to critical energy infrastructure and initial damage estimates, before a single assessor has put foot on soggy Louisianan ground, are at a floor of $30 billion."

At the time of this writing we still do not know about the death toll. It has been estimated by the mayor of New Orleans to be in the hundreds if not thousands. The mayor made the statement that this is our Tsunami.

Port area in this part of the States is one of the biggest not only here in the States, but in the world. A good part of the oil for the USA is brought in through this port which is basically shut down. This, of course, will affect the economy of this country and eventually the world.

How do we, who are Christians, look at this from God's viewpoint? Yes, we could say that this is God's judgment upon a very sinful city - a city given over to gambling, sex and witchcraft, but at the same time shouldn't we be praying like Abraham did when he prayed over Sodom and Gomorah that if ten righteous could be found that it would be spared?

Last night in a prayer meeting I gave out several requests that I sensed the Lord would have us to pray for. Let me give these to you so that you might join us in prayer.

1. Pray that through this catastrophe people would come into redemptive contact with His people. A quick perusal of Scripture shows us that God is constantly moving people and nations to bring them into contact with His people that they might hear about the Good News. Acts 17:26,27.

2. Pray for mercy. Hab.3:2 'in wrath remember mercy.'

3. Pray for the Bush administration as well as local government officials that they might in an orderly manner expedite the total evacuation of the city. Anarchy can break loose in the city with the breakdown of law and order.

4. Pray for God's protection upon the nation from any terrorist acts.

5. Pray also that, we, Christians, God's people, might humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. 2 Chron 7:14 'if my people, who are called by my Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

6. Pray that we, as God's people, might hear what the Spirit is saying. I personally believe that God is speaking and that we need to have listening ears.

We want to thank you in advance for your prayers.

Every blessing,

Frank Dietz

                                  WEEKLY E-MAIL #32
                         MINISTRY OF THE 21ST CENTURY
                LETTER OF THE LAW OR SPIRIT OF LIFE Part 1 of 5

II Cor. 3:1-6 "Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tables of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant-not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."

Continuing on with the thought of the Ministry of the 21st Century a question that has come to mind is: OUR MINISTRY: IS IT THE LETTER OF THE LAW OR THE SPIRIT OF LIFE?

We had stopped in this little village called Huriyur in Mysore State of India to get a bite of lunch. Some of the fifteen Indian brothers handed out tracts presenting the Gospel has they walked towards the restaurant.

While we were eating our rice and dahl, a crowd began to gather in the restaurant. At first I thought they were curious about my wife, blond hair and blue eyes are a phenomenon in India and I at first thought they were wanting to see this rarity. We had only been married about two months, and in some ways we were still on our honey-moon.

Almost at once the atmosphere in that restaurant changed. Looking back in retrospect the place had become invaded by demonic spirits brought in by fanatical Hindus. A very real sense of animosity was prevalent. We decided to leave as soon as possible since we were on our way further North to a place called Gulbarga, which is in the same state, where we were going to have evangelistic meetings. We paid the bill and went outside to find several hundred Hindus surrounding the five ton truck letting the air out of our tires. It was obvious what they were trying to do. Since we had almost four tons of Christian literature with us they wanted to demobilize and burn the vehicle.

I was greatly concerned about my wife. We had recently been married and I didn't want to lose her just yet. I was able to get her into the cab of the truck and the driver, an Englishman who was the only other Westerner with us got into the driver's seat and we were able to get the truck to the outskirts of the village. Often when we have a riot like this we try to get the vehicle with the literature out of harms way. Most usually getting to the edge of the village or town is enough. In this case the Hindus decided to chase us with another vehicle. They started out with a truck chasing us but when they found out that it was hard to pass us they switched to an ambassador car. They chased us for approximately thirty miles, putting up four different road-blocks to stop us. The last road block was the most dangerous. They had got in front of us by the car and came to a village where they had convinced the village people that we had kidnapped some Hindu children, and of course when they saw some of our Indian brothers in the vehicle this is what it would look like to them.

At the entrance to the village they had taken three bullock carts, the kind with the long 'tongue', and had staggered them across the road so that when we approached the village we would have to slow down in order to go around. They had the village people lined up on both sides of the road with rocks in their hands waiting for us. By that time most of the windows in our vehicle were broken from previous rocks. To be quite honest it looked to me like the end of the road. I did not know how we were going to make it through. Not only were the side windows gone, but our back tires were very bad. One of the duel tires in the rear was sewn together by thread. I thought at any time they might blow with the weight that we had and the speed we were going.

We made it through that gauntlet, but not without being hit by rocks. The next day we would feel it, but the adrenaline was coursing through our veins and seemed to make us somewhat oblivious to pain. However about half of a mile on the other side of the village this bad left back tire exploded. After looking at it we decided that rather than trying to fix it at that particular moment (we still had one tire on that side) we would drive on to the next big city, Bellary. We had seen the car that had been chasing us leave the village, but for some inexplicable reason it stopped. We found out later that they had run out of gas.

Just as we pulled into the city limits of Bellary the remaining tire that had been carrying all of the weight on the left side finally collapsed. Here we were in the city of Bellary with a broken down vehicle, cut up by broken glass and shaken emotionally and with part of our team left behind in Huriyur...

Stay tuned and I will tell the you the rest of the story in our next e-mail.

                                  WEEKLY E-MAIL #33
                        MINISTRY OF THE 21ST CENTURY
            LETTER OF THE LAW OR SPIRIT OF LIFE     
                                part 2 of 5
Carrying on from last week regarding the riot that we had in India.

We made contact with the little Methodist church that was in the city. Since we did not have transportation we could not go on to Gulbarga, we decided to have evangelistic meetings in Bellary. We were able to use a field owned by a high cast Hindu in the center of the city. We set up some tube lights and put up loud speakers and started preaching. It is very easy in India to gather a crowd.

We did not know at the time that a nominal Christian was trying to stop our meetings by hiring a Muslim Black  magician to hinder us. The first night when the Indian evangelist we were working with was giving the invitation this magician would go crazy, making all types of noises, etc. to hinder the invitation. The second night the same thing happened. I was sitting on the little plat-form that we had for the speakers and when the magician again started to interrupt the invitation, I jumped off the platform and with an Indian brother who could speak his language. We told him that we were doing God's work and if he continued to interrupt the Lord's work then he could expect God's judgment. Then we left.

The next day about three o'clock in the afternoon a strong wind began to blow. It was very unusual in its ferocity. It tore down trees, interrupted the power system, and it took this Black magicians tent and completely demolished it. There was nothing left of it. The next morning when we walked by on our way to a place where we could eat breakfast this man was cowering in the corner where his tent used to be shaking with a real fear. He came to one of the Indian brothers and asked the question: "who is your God"? God was working. In that week one hundred people made a decision for the Lord.

The story doesn't end there. Hundreds of miles away in the Northern part of India one of the main leaders of our work had met two Canadians who were driving around India in their Land-Rover. They were touring India with plans to drive back to Great Britain where they would sell the vehicle and fly back to Canada. However while they were in India cholera broke out in Pakistan and so Iran closed the border not allowing them to drive back to England. The OM leader met them and bought their vehicle for two air-plane tickets back to Canada.

He wondered what to do with the vehicle  and so he decided to send it down to me. At the time he did not know what we had just gone through and that we were immobilized due to the lack of transportation. 

In the midst of the moving of God in the hearts of many in the city of Bellary one morning we woke up to find two brothers driving this new vehicle into the compound where we were staying. Needless to say our hearts were filled with praise to see the timing of God and His miraculous intervention as well as provision.

This experience showed me how unpredictable the ministry can be. One minute we were fleeing for our lives and the next we see a real moving of God in our midst. In Luke 10:17 we read: "The seventy-two returned with joy and said, Lord even the demons submit to us in your Name." However we in read in Matthew 17:16: " I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him."

Jesus describing the moving of the Holy Spirit to Nicodemus said this: "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." John 3:8. The wind is unpredictable but it manifests itself in many ways. Sometimes it comes in hurricane force tearing up everything in its path, but at other times it can be a soft gentle breeze caressing the cheek.

The Spirit filled ministry will be unpredictable. It will not be something that man can figure out. It is a Philip leaving a fruitful ministry in Samaria to meet one man on the road to Gaza. It's a Paul being stopped by the Spirit from a fruitful ministry in Asia Minor and being sent to Macedonia. It's a William Carey going against the status quo of his day and leaving for India to start the Modern Missionary Movement. It's a Hudson Taylor adopting the Chinese dress including the pig-tail and going into the interior. This consequently started the China Inland Mission that led to many other missions to begin to reach into the interiors of the different countries and continents of the world.

However, a question that we need to be asking ourselves  is this: Is our ministry of the letter of the law or the Spirit of life?

                              WEEKLY E-MAIL #34
                      MINISTRY OF THE 21ST CENTURY
               LETTER OF THE LAW OR THE SPIRIT OF LIFE   
                                       Part 3 of 5
In a Spirit filled ministry there will be the unpredictable, the unexpected, and the unexplainable simply because God is God and His thoughts and ways are higher than our thoughts and ways.

I would venture to say from the study of Scripture and looking at different modern movements of God that if our ministry can be logically explained then I would question whether or not it is a ministry of the Spirit. One of the main distinctions of whether a ministry is that of the letter or of the Spirit is whether it has the element of the unexplainable, the unpredictable and has that sense of mystery about it. When anyone looks at the ministry he must admit it has the finger of God.

It will be seen like Paul said: "written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tables of stone, but on tablets of the human heart." Paul is saying this about the Corinthians themselves, but also when he wrote to the church at Thessalonica: " the Gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction."

If we do not have the Spirit of Life upon our ministry then how does it differ from any other ministry that we have in the world today? Isn't this what Moses meant in Exodus 33 where he was talking to the Lord after the Children of Israel sinned with the golden calf and he said: vs.16 "How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?"

Look around at the ministry, brothers and sisters, what do we have? Do we have a ministry of the letter that  brings death or do we have a ministry of the Spirit that brings life? Do we have a ministry that distinguishes us from all the other ministries around, because God is there??

So often we see the ministry today and what it is built on. If we look at the qualifications of today's pastor, preacher, missionary, etc. it would be a formidable list of degrees. We have doctor so an so today!! How different with the Apostle Paul. He doesn't mention his qualifications except to say that they are dung. Phil.3:8 "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things, I consider them rubbish that I might gain Christ."

Paul says his qualifications are what they see referring to the Corinthians themselves. It isn't ink or letters (degrees), but flesh and blood. It is a work of the Holy Spirit.

We all need to be evaluating our own ministry to make sure that it is on the mark, that we are having the right ministry. And so how do we know? We will look at this more next weekly e-mail.

                            WEEKLY E-MAIL #35
                      MINISTRY OF THE 21ST CENTURY
                  LETTER OF THE LAW OR SPIRIT OF LIFE
                                       Part 4 of 5

We need to be evaluating our ministry to make sure that it is on the mark, that we are having the right ministry. How do we know?

1. What is our emphasis? What is taking our time? What do we find ourselves talking about in those free moments? Is it on buildings? Material things? Or is it on flesh and blood, people?

2. If the Lord was to remove the Holy Spirit would it make a difference? In our living? In our ministry? We need to be honest here. Do we really need the Spirit? I think of Francis Schaeffer's quote: "Is it not amazing though we know the power of the Holy Spirit can be ours we still 'ape' the world's wisdom, trust it forms of publicity, its noise, imitate its ways of manipulating men. If we try to influence the world by using its methods, we are doing the Lord's work simply in the flesh. If we put activity, even good activity at the center rather than trusting God then there might be the power of the work; but we will lack the power of God. The key question is this: As we work for God in this fallen world, what are we trusting? To trust in particular methods is to copy the world, and to remove ourselves from the tremendous promise that we have something different, the power of the Holy Spirit rather than simply the power of human techniques."

We have homiletics on how to preach and prepare a message. Do we really need the Spirit's anointing? We have seminars to deal with just about anything that might upset our tranquility. Do we really need the Spirit? We have many things out in the world to fill the void in our life or to at least deaden it. Do we really need the Spirit?

3. Are we working with one eye on the Judgment Seat of Christ? II Cor.5:10 "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done in the body, whether good or bad." That is why Paul said in verse 9 his goal is to please Him.

4. The way we please the Lord is to obey Him. This brings me to the next point and that is: what place does missions have in our church? Has it been relegated off to the corner somewhere to be resurrected once a year? Or is it the main heart beat of our ministry? Christ died for our sins (the Gospel) and the communication of that Gospel to the ends of the earth as a witness are the two themes running throughout the Word of God. Luke 24:44-47. Are these themes running in our lives, in our fellowship?

5. Do we spend time in blowing our own trumpet, or commending ourselves, or can it be seen by the people that have been touched by our lives? This is what Paul was saying in this text. I do not have to commend myself said Paul you (the Corinthians) are the result of my ministry.

6. When we have a ministry of the Spirit it will be characterized by grace and freedom. II Cor. 3:17 " Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." It is said about the Lord in John 1:14 "The word became flesh and made His dwelling among us, we have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father full of freedom? The letter kills our spontaneity, our joy and our creativity. A ministry of the letter of the law will try to bring everybody into conformity, look alike, dress alike, act alike and talk alike.

                                   WEEKLY LETTER #37

                      MINISTRY OF THE 21^ST CENTURY
           MOVEMENT OF GOD OR MONUMENT OF MAN Part 1 of 6

II Cor.13:5 "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you- unless of course, you fail the test?"

Judges 2:7 "The people served the Lord though out the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel."

Gal. 1:6 "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel."

I made my way up the steps leading to the bridge of the M/V Doulos. The time was four in the afternoon. I enjoyed these times when I would come to the bridge having fellowship with the Captain, looking out over the deep blue sea as we made our way across the Atlantic on our way to the Canary Islands.

We had just left Brazil and South America where we had a very tumultuous year of ministry. Looking back over our time in Latin America I was thrilled by all that the Lord was doing, but not quite sure just what the future was going to hold. However, I was looking forward to our two week voyage across the Atlantic. Often on these long sea voyages we are able to get caught up on things that are impossible when we are in port and in the midst of a busy program. One of the things I looked forward to was my daily ritual of going to the bridge for fellowship and gazing out over the blue expanse of the ocean.

Being on the bridge and looking out surrounded by water gives a sense of being suspended in time and space.   Looking ahead gives a feeling that you are not moving. There are no identifiable land-marks to gauge your movement, there is only water. It is not until you go to the aft (or back part) of the ship and see the wake the ship is making that you realize that the ship is going forward.

I thought that this is very much like the ministry. We look forward, but when there are so many demands upon you, it seems that very little progress is being made. Very easily a sense of frustration comes in and one wonders if it is worth it all. However, at times like these it is important to look back and remember what the Lord has done.

I can understand why the prophets were constantly telling God's people to "remember". In remembering we look back and see the "wake" of our passage and realize the distance we have come. It is so important in the Christian life to have seasons of contemplation, being still before the Lord, having a time of remembrance.

At four o'clock without fail the navigational officer would go out on the wing of the bridge with his little instrument called the sextant. By getting a fix on the sun he would then come back to the chart room in the back of the bridge and on a map of the area where we were he would make a few calculations, and plot the course for the ship. He would then come to the bridge and set a new course. Sometimes it would be only a half a degree. What he was doing was making a course correction, but if he did not do it daily over a two week period the ship could be way off course.

The sea looked perfectly calm especially when we came around the equator in an area known as the 'doldrums'. (The reason it is called the doldrums is because it is perfectly calm. Sailors before the advent of the steam engine hated to go through the doldrums because they had to rely on the breeze which seldom blew in that area. Consequently they would sit there for weeks at a time. Often they would lower a row boat and with ropes attached to the ship try towing it out of the doldrums) I realized that unseen by me there were other forces at work taking the ship off course. Underneath the ship was a current that was making it necessary for this daily correction. It wasn't much but enough to take the ship off course if not corrected.

Again I thought this is so much like the ministry. Every day there are evil forces at work to get us off course. Evidently the writer of the Hebrews knew something about this because in Heb.2:1 he mentions this: "We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away." To drift all we have to do is 'nothing'. But to keep from drifting that is a different matter. It takes a lot of work, discipline, etc., but more important a daily course correction. Just as the navigational officer goes out and looks at the sun and then checks his readings on the map so we to look unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith, Hebrews 12:2, and check our direction with the Word of God, the map we have to help chart us through this life. In so doing we need to correct what is wrong.

                                 WEEKLY LETTER #42

                        MINISTRY OF THE 21^ST CENTURY
              MOVEMENT OF GOD OR MONUMENT OF MAN Part 6 of 6

Faith is the second Biblical principle that is important when we consider a movement of God. Hebrews tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God. There are two elements that make faith - obedience and sacrifice. The man who believes will obey. When the apostles requested Jesus to increase their faith, in essence He told them to obey. Luke 17:3-10. God gives faith to the obedient heart.

Sacrifice will always follow obedience. If we look at the men and women in the hall of faith in Hebrews 11 we see these two elements coming out. Noah obeyed and when he built the ark there was sacrifice. Abraham obeyed and left his country, there was obedience and sacrifice. Moses obeyed and we see the sacrifice as he gave up the treasures of Egypt.  If we look at the sacrifices in view of eternity, they are not really sacrifices because we gain so much more. What we give up will perish anyway and we gain that which will never perish. However in a movement of God there is the principle of faith.

3. Prayer is another principle in a movement of God. Faith shows our dependence upon God, but prayer gives us the avenue to God. Prayer is a real public indicator of our need of God. When there is little prayer it shows little need for God. Most of what is being done can be done by man. When man is in control, God is not necessary. Of course we would never say that but by our action or lack of action, as far as prayer is concerned, this is what we communicate.

Look at any movement of God. It starts out with tremendous emphasis on prayer, but the better organized it becomes the less we depend upon prayer. The pull of the flesh is always down; it is always away from God and the things of God. The flesh will always move towards human techniques instead of the power of God.

In closing this e-mail I would like to say that a movement of God will always be swimming upstream. In so doing it will be going against many things that will try to get it to change direction or course. A monument of man is drifting; it is going along with the current. When it comes to the pull of the flesh it is always easier to drift than to go against the current.

                                          WEEKLY LETTER #45

                          MINISTRY OF THE 21^ST CENTURY
                                    CONCLUSION part 3


In America we have a group known as "Concerned Women for America". They are mainly house-wives who know the Lord, but believe that through their prayers and involvement in the local, state and federal government evil can be arrested or at least slowed down. But where are also the godly lawyers, politicians, and judges. Since God's people have pulled out of these areas we have allowed ungodly men to make laws as well as interpret them. Today we are seeing the results of this.

The whole abortion issue is becoming very flammable. Again we see the tactics of the enemy to destroy. Since 1973 in America alone over forty million babies have been aborted. It is estimated that 90% of these aborted babies were terminated because they were unwanted; they were inconvenient. It seems that we in America have lost a whole generation.

I left the United States in 1963, the year the Supreme Court banned the Bible from the class rooms of our schools, and did not come back to live here until 1985. Since the early sixties there has been a real decline in the moral climate of our country. Before the Bible and the Ten Commandments were banned from the schools sin was sin. Now with the young people it is a mistake and probably in the days ahead sin will be looked upon as an inconvenience. There is now no moral foundation.

What I am saying is this: we have lost a generation of young people. First by taking away from our children a moral foundation and letting them float in the sea of relativism and secondly by abortion. We have lost a generation of tremendous potential. How many potential laborers for the Lord have been aborted? God only knows but one thing is certain: this lost generation will have a dramatic impact upon this nation in the days ahead.

What I see in America I also see in other countries as well.

Fulfilling the command the Lord has given will take fighting on many fronts. We need godly lawyers, judges, politicians, doctors and engineers. We need godly construction men like Joe mentioned in the chapter "Focus or Fragmentation". We need godly men and women in the work place who will act like salt to hinder the spread of decay in our society.

We must understand that the task given to us by the Lord Himself is to be a witness and make disciples. Our task is not to bring in a new world order, a new society where righteousness reigns, but to make disciples of all nations. When He comes Christ will bring in the new world order, the new society. We are to be the salt that holds evil at bay so that the task of making disciples in all of the world can be accomplished. Satan's forces are arranged in all facets of our society to oppose what the Lord wants. We will have to fight on many fronts.

 Dear Friends,

I have started a blog (www.xanga.com/frndietz) about the EMERGING CHURCH. I believe that this is the next revolution that is taking place. The reason for the blog is for us to come together to think, pray and comment about some of the things jotted down in the blog. Through a dialogue like this we can come to a greater understanding of what the Lord is doing. Since this e-mail letter goes out to people on most of the continents of the world we can get a variety of comments. Take a look and comment.

Every blessing,

Frank Dietz

                                   WEEKLY LETTER #46

                          MINISTRY OF THE 21^ST CENTURY
                                        CONCLUSION Part 4

Fulfilling the command the Lord has given will take fighting on many fronts. We need godly lawyers, judges, politicians, doctors and engineers. We need godly construction men like Joe mentioned in the chapter "Focus or Fragmentation". We need godly men and women in the work place who will act like salt to hinder the spread of decay in our society.

We must understand that the task given to us by the Lord Himself is to be a witness and make disciples. Our task is not to bring in a new world order, a new society where righteousness reigns, but to make disciples of all nations. When He comes, Christ will bring in the new world order, the new society. We are to be the salt that holds evil at bay so that the task of making disciples in all of the world can be accomplished. Satan's forces are arranged in all facets of our society to oppose what the Lord wants. We will have to fight on many fronts.

The question comes: on what front do I fight? That is for the Great Commander to decide. However, I would like to lay down a few principles that could help us to decide and see more clearly what the Lord is doing.

1. Pursue godliness. This is the advice Paul gave Timothy. II Timothy 2:22. Before we get involved, let this be the goal in your life. A godly life will speak volumes. The great need of the hour is for men and women who are filled with the Spirit. This is not a once and for all experience, but a daily, even hourly discipline to be 'filled with the Spirit". This is the only thing that will stand against the onslaughts of evil.

In this pursuit of godliness there is a real need for forgiveness and repentance, for humbling ourselves before God. We have the promise of 2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, who are called by my Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways. Then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." This starts with us as individuals.

2. Proverbs 3:5,6 states that the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. There is no such thing as some chance, or accidents when it comes to a child of God. I believe things happen for a reason and when we are pursuing godliness we are in a better situation to be able to see clearly what the Lord is doing and wanting us to do with our lives. James 1:5 says that if we lack wisdom we can ask.

An example of this is a lady who is a pastor's wife as well as a mother. In one week several things happened regarding her children at school that began to ring alarm bells in her mind. She saw some of the new age teaching coming in through the new curriculum at the school. Through these different incidents that took place she saw the battle that God wanted her to be involved in.

We need to be more sensitive to some of these circumstances coming our way. It might be that the Lord is directing and showing us where we should get involved. This is one of the reasons the Lord tells us we should be watchful.

3. Another very important principle that goes along with this is the light God sheds upon a situation. When I was the director of the M/V Doulos a situation arose that required discipline with one of the members of the ship. I approached this brother, but he denied his involvement. There was nothing I could do so I dropped the case.

However, some weeks later in another country new light was shed upon that particular situation involving that brother. Again I took the light that the Lord gave and again approached the brother. This time he admitted his guilt and through confession, repentance, and forgiveness was restored.

I have seen that when God wants us to go in a certain direction He will give us light. Sometimes we might have to be still until we have more light, but when He sheds light we must move and keep moving as long as He is shedding light. Isaiah 2:5 says: "Come, O house of Israel, let us walk in the light of the Lord."I John 1:7 "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another."

This is what happened to Paul in Troas. He had no light in which to walk regarding Macedonia. God will shed light upon certain situations and when He does, start moving or walking in that light. When no more light is shed, stop. You might find that He will bring more light
taking you in the same direction or changing your course completely. The key is walking in the light that He gives.

Sometimes the Lord might be bringing certain things to light, but at other times an impression upon your heart it might be what we need to follow up on.

My wife and I went to Europe for ministry and on the plane on the way back she told me how she had a desire to get involved with the Russian community in our home town. Many Russian Christians had emigrated to the United States.

When she got back home she got on the telephone and make contact with different organizations working with the Russians. She did not know, but she was following up the conviction that she had. This led to her meeting a Russian pastor who spoke only Russian and Finnish, Finnish being my wife's language. Through this contact and walking in the light that the Lord had shed a real ministry broke out for our little fellowship in helping these brothers and sisters from Russia. Weekly

                               WEEKLY LETTER #47

                       MINISTRY OF THE 21^ST CENTURY
                                 CONCLUSION part 5

We must keep in mind that the objective of the church is to make disciples of all nations. We need to allow the Great Commander to show us where He wants us to be involved; what front He wants us to fight on in order to accomplish the goal that He has given us.

To a great degree the leadership of the church should be like generals in the army, seeing what the objective is and under the direction of the Supreme Commander fulfilling the Divine objective. This will mean training the soldiers, or discipling and equipping them for the task and most important of helping each one of the soldiers to never lose sight of what the overall goal is. This will be very important especially when we get involved fighting on our own front.

4. Another important principle is found in I Cor.7 where Paul is speaking to the Corinthians about marriage and the different principles that govern this holy institution. In I Corinthians 7: 17,20,24 Paul talks about remaining in the state he was in when called. Preaching at the Jordan River, John the Baptist had people from all walks of life coming to him.  John called them to repent when they asked what they should do. He then went on and told the tax collector not collect any more than he should, the soldier to do that which was right, etc. He didn't tell them to quit what they were doing, but to continue on in the state that they were called, but also to do that which is right.

There is a special calling mentioned in Ephesian 4 that God gives to help equip the saints for the work of the ministry. They are not to do the ministry per se, but to equip the saints. We need to see thousands of people raised up for the mission field and moving into some of these unreached areas to be witnesses for the Lord.

This is why I like and appreciate Operation Mobilization. It gives the opportunity to thousands of young (and not so young) people out on the mission field. Not only does it give the opportunity for exposure, but we also see the Lord using them to accomplish His will. Many of these who have been out on the field on short term exposure and that experience has led to long term mission involvement. Often it is when we are out of our own  environment that God is able to get our attention and show us the front that He is wanting us to fight on.

In closing I come back to what Stephen Neil said almost one hundred years ago. "What of the future"? We have our task cut out for us. The enemy is marshalling his forces. The battle lines are being drawn. Will the church move out like a mighty army? Will the church repent of its apathy, lukewarm ness and its desire to drift. Will they instead come with brokenness asking the Lord to fill them with His Holy Spirit and to use them to fill the gap?

Remember God will win, power is on His side. But will we win?

Dear Friends,

In starting these weekly e-mails for 2006 there are three things on my heart that I have been praying, studying and wanting to write about. First, the need for personal transformation, secondly, reformation in the church and thirdly, what is known as the emerging church. The last part I am putting into a blog where I post a new article each week. You can go there and read as well as comment. It is www.xanga.com/frndietz.

Every blessing for this new year,

Frank Dietz

                             WEEKLY E-MAIL #1
                           REFORMATION: WHAT IT IS

It is very important to realize the times that we are living in. With rapid communication we are seeing things taking place all over the world. These are tumultuous, but exciting, great time to be alive and to be a part of all that the Lord is doing.

God is moving in Latin America, Africa and Asia, but Western Europe it is a different story. Secularism has set in and Christianity seems to be fading from the scene. Some of the same forces at work in Europe are  pervading the United States as well. Because of the influence of the Western culture we find these same ideologies moving into other parts of the world and influencing the church in a negative way.

The need today is for what I call reformation. Reformation is a divine moving of God to bring His people back to the foundational truths that we once had, but have departed from.

In his survey Frank Barna brings out how few believers operate from a Biblical worldview, even among the protestant pastors. It is quite scary when one thinks about it. Malachi (in Mal 2:7) mentions about priests and their role: "For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, and from his mouth men should seek instruction - because he is the messenger of the LORD Almighty."

Malachi goes on to say in Mal 2:8 "But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble."  All one has to do is walk down the streets in our cities or the shopping malls, or turn on TV or the radio and what do we find? Often the name of the Lord is being vilified. Satan seems to still have a stronghold over our societies, culture, etc. Jesus does not seem to be making much of an inroad even in the midst of the mega churches that we have today or on our radio programs, TV shows that present biblical teaching.

What is wrong? Could it be that our actions or what we do is not in tune with what we profess? We profess to be Christians, but out of 65 common values there is no difference between us and the non-believers. We profess to be Christians but our divorce rate is right up there with the unbelievers.

Paul told Timothy: 1 Tim 4:16 "Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers." Interesting that Paul puts life before doctrine. Is there a reason for this? I think so.  Doctrine is important, but before we can get into doctrine we must have the life to begin with. However, the two go together. I need to make sure that my life is in tune with the doctrine that I profess to be following.

For example: I say that I believe in Jesus and I am saved, but does my life back this up? I say that I believe in prayer, but does my life back this up? I say that I am honoring God, but what do I do with my time and my money?

Even Jesus when He came says that 'He came to do and to teach'. Acts 1:1. In other words His life and His teaching went together. What He taught was in harmony with the way He lived.

Reformation is preparing the way for the Lord. It is John the Baptist crying in the wilderness: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.' " Matt 3:3.

                              WEEKLY E-MAIL #2           
                        WHY WE NEED REFORMATION

In our last e-mail we saw something about reformation bringing us back to our foundation in our Christian faith. But the question might be asked: why do we need reformation? In this e-mail I will answer this question by asking other questions.

First set of questions is dealing with our personal lives. Are our lives in tune with what we profess to believe? Take our faith or what we profess to believe. George Barna made waves by citing statistics 'showing just 9% of all born again adults and just 7% of Protestants possess a biblical worldview.'

What is a biblical worldview? It includes a belief in absolute moral truth as defined by scripture, as well as acceptance of six biblical core beliefs: the accuracy of biblical teaching, the sinless nature of Jesus, the literal existence of Satan, the omnipotence and omniscience of God, salvation by grace alone, and the personal responsibility to evangelize. Only 9% of all born again adults and 7% of Protestants believe this, according to researcher Frank Barna.

"The low percentage of Christians who have a biblical worldview is a direct reflection of the fact that half of our primary religious teachers and leaders do not have one," Barna says.

In most of our homes in the West you will find a Bible or two and many will know something of its content, but very few know how to integrate its teaching into a coherent life style and be able to respond to the challenges and opportunities that come our way. Like Frank Barna said: "We're often more concerned with survival amidst chaos than with experiencing truth and significance." However, those that do operate from a Biblical worldview will have widely different views on morality and the choices they make daily.

Reformation will bring us back in our daily lives to a Biblical worldview.

Second set of questions that we need to ask ourselves: our ministry - is it in tune with the Word of God? Before we answer this question let us ask some other questions about the ministry.

1. Our ministry - is it competition or completion? Do we find ourselves competing with other ministries rather than try and see how we can complete them?
2. Our ministry - is it focused or fragmented? We know that the opposite of focus is fragmentation. Do we see our purpose in the light of God's Word and we are focused on that?
3. Our ministry - is it a relinquishing or (what I call) a resisting ministry. So often we (the professionals) hang onto the work and do not know how to relinquish it to those that have been prepared for the task. We see this with Jesus when He gave to His 12 disciples the task when He ascended back to heaven.
4. Our ministry - is it reconciliation or alienation? We see in 2 Cor.5:18 that we have been given the message of reconciliation, but when we see the disunity in the church one wonders what happened to the message.
5. Our ministry - is it the letter of the law or the Spirit of life? Is it rules and regulations or is it laying down biblical principles that we can govern ourselves by?
6. Our ministry - is it movement of God or is it a monument of man? Many movements and even denominations that start out as a movement of God after one or two generations become nothing more than a monument of man.

These are questions that I ask myself when I read the Word of God and then look at the ministry that is taking place today. Reformation will bring us back to biblical ministry.

In our next e-mail we will take up the third question regarding our culture.

Dear Friends,

I am sending this e-mail from Mysore City in Karnataka State, India. It is going out a day earlier because this day I will be leaving for Shimoga, Karnataka and I am not sure about my internet connection there. Also on my blog www.xanga.com/frndietz I have posted some articles as well as photos regarding our time here in India so far. Please go to the site, read and then pray for our time here. It would be good to know who visits the site so please leave a note. Thanks.

Every blessing,

Frank

                           WEEKLY E-MAIL #4

                      REFORMATION IN THE PAST

If we look at church history it would seem that there were two other times when we did have reformation.

From the 1^st century to about 300 AD the church spread throughout the Roman world.  There were many things against the early church – the Roman Empire, pagan gods, superstitions, etc. Yet within 60 years the Gospel and church had been planted throughout the Roman Empire.

The second reformation took place in 1500 AD. Martin Luther discovered an old new truth - justification by faith alone - stepped out and into the pages of history.

Most of what we have in our Western civilization can be traced back to this reformation. In the first reformation the Gospel got into the hands of the people and transformed the Roman Empire.

In the second reformation the Word of God got into the hands of God’s people. It is electrifying to see what happened. Two college professors did a study on who and what made the biggest impact upon the United States. They went through thousands of documents, essays, speeches that had made the biggest impact upon our nation to see who was quoted the most. They discovered three men-John Locke, Mononisque and Blackburn, but what shocked them was to see that the Bible was quoted more than all three. They discovered also that when these three men were quoted it was when they were quoting the Bible.

Studying our history as well as what we have in Western Europe, the Word of God has made an impact in our culture. It is interesting to see that the new EU constitution was recently rejected in France. In that constitution they had left out the Word of God and anything to do with Christianity.

Today we need a reformation that will bring the work of God back into the hands of God’s people. For too long it has been in the hands of the professionals - clergy, priests, paid pastors etc. Now it is time for the work of the Lord to be brought back into the hands of God’s people. We read in 1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

Just as Martin Luther discovered the truth of justification by faith and brought in the second reformation so we need to bring in the truth that every believer is a priest and able to proclaim the “praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

We need a new reformation that frees God’s people from church - or perhaps what I should say from the four walls of what we call church. The real work of God is not done within the four walls of a building, but in the market place. The four walls are to train us for the work ‘out there’.

This reformation will shift us from strategic planning to spiritual guidance, prayer, etc. So much of what we do today is done through worldly marketing ideas, planning, etc. not realizing that God’s work must be done God’s way and that way is through prayer.

One last thing that I would like to share about reformation is to see a shift from pastoral leadership to apostolic leadership. This doesn’t mean that pastoral leadership is not necessary, because it is, but we will begin to see that a part of the Body of Christ has been in a locked down situation of not being recognized. 

However, this is beginning to change and new wine skins are being developed that will engage this world that we live in and bring hope to the millions who have no hope. God is on the move.

                           WEEKLY E-MAIL #4

                      REFORMATION IN THE PAST

If we look at church history it would seem that there were two other times when we did have reformation.

From the 1^st century to about 300 AD the church spread throughout the Roman world.  There were many things against the early church – the Roman Empire, pagan gods, superstitions, etc. Yet within 60 years the Gospel and church had been planted throughout the Roman Empire.

The second reformation took place in 1500 AD. Martin Luther discovered an old new truth - justification by faith alone - stepped out and into the pages of history.

Most of what we have in our Western civilization can be traced back to this reformation. In the first reformation the Gospel got into the hands of the people and transformed the Roman Empire.

In the second reformation the Word of God got into the hands of God’s people. It is electrifying to see what happened. Two college professors did a study on who and what made the biggest impact upon the United States. They went through thousands of documents, essays, speeches that had made the biggest impact upon our nation to see who was quoted the most. They discovered three men-John Locke, Mononisque and Blackburn, but what shocked them was to see that the Bible was quoted more than all three. They discovered also that when these three men were quoted it was when they were quoting the Bible.

Studying our history as well as what we have in Western Europe, the Word of God has made an impact in our culture. It is interesting to see that the new EU constitution was recently rejected in France. In that constitution they had left out the Word of God and anything to do with Christianity.

Today we need a reformation that will bring the work of God back into the hands of God’s people. For too long it has been in the hands of the professionals - clergy, priests, paid pastors etc. Now it is time for the work of the Lord to be brought back into the hands of God’s people. We read in 1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

Just as Martin Luther discovered the truth of justification by faith and brought in the second reformation so we need to bring in the truth that every believer is a priest and able to proclaim the “praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

We need a new reformation that frees God’s people from church - or perhaps what I should say from the four walls of what we call church. The real work of God is not done within the four walls of a building, but in the market place. The four walls are to train us for the work ‘out there’.

This reformation will shift us from strategic planning to spiritual guidance, prayer, etc. So much of what we do today is done through worldly marketing ideas, planning, etc. not realizing that God’s work must be done God’s way and that way is through prayer.

One last thing that I would like to share about reformation is to see a shift from pastoral leadership to apostolic leadership. This doesn’t mean that pastoral leadership is not necessary, because it is, but we will begin to see that a part of the Body of Christ has been in a locked down situation of not being recognized. 

However, this is beginning to change and new wine skins are being developed that will engage this world that we live in and bring hope to the millions who have no hope. God is on the move.

                      REFORMATION IN THE PAST

If we look at church history it would seem that there were two other times when we did have reformation.

From the 1^st century to about 300 AD the church spread throughout the Roman world.  There were many things against the early church – the Roman Empire, pagan gods, superstitions, etc. Yet within 60 years the Gospel and church had been planted throughout the Roman Empire.

The second reformation took place in 1500 AD. Martin Luther discovered an old new truth - justification by faith alone - stepped out and into the pages of history.

Most of what we have in our Western civilization can be traced back to this reformation. In the first reformation the Gospel got into the hands of the people and transformed the Roman Empire.

In the second reformation the Word of God got into the hands of God’s people. It is electrifying to see what happened. Two college professors did a study on who and what made the biggest impact upon the United States. They went through thousands of documents, essays, speeches that had made the biggest impact upon our nation to see who was quoted the most. They discovered three men-John Locke, Mononisque and Blackburn, but what shocked them was to see that the Bible was quoted more than all three. They discovered also that when these three men were quoted it was when they were quoting the Bible.

Studying our history as well as what we have in Western Europe, the Word of God has made an impact in our culture. It is interesting to see that the new EU constitution was recently rejected in France. In that constitution they had left out the Word of God and anything to do with Christianity.

Today we need a reformation that will bring the work of God back into the hands of God’s people. For too long it has been in the hands of the professionals - clergy, priests, paid pastors etc. Now it is time for the work of the Lord to be brought back into the hands of God’s people. We read in 1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

Just as Martin Luther discovered the truth of justification by faith and brought in the second reformation so we need to bring in the truth that every believer is a priest and able to proclaim the “praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

We need a new reformation that frees God’s people from church - or perhaps what I should say from the four walls of what we call church. The real work of God is not done within the four walls of a building, but in the market place. The four walls are to train us for the work ‘out there’.

This reformation will shift us from strategic planning to spiritual guidance, prayer, etc. So much of what we do today is done through worldly marketing ideas, planning, etc. not realizing that God’s work must be done God’s way and that way is through prayer.

One last thing that I would like to share about reformation is to see a shift from pastoral leadership to apostolic leadership. This doesn’t mean that pastoral leadership is not necessary, because it is, but we will begin to see that a part of the Body of Christ has been in a locked down situation of not being recognized. 

However, this is beginning to change and new wine skins are being developed that will engage this world that we live in and bring hope to the millions who have no hope. God is on the move.

                        WEEKLY E-MAIL #5
                   BACKGROUND OF ISAIAH

In these e-mails for 2006 I want to use the Book of Isaiah for my reference and especially Isa.40.

It is said that Isaiah's ministry lasted for about sixty years and supposedly ended by him dying under the terrible reign of Manasseh. Jewish tradition says that he was brutally martyred by being placed in a hollowed trunk of a tree and then 'sawed in two'.

Reading through Isaiah one is impressed with his vivid sense of the majesty of God. We will see this more when we look into Isaiah 40 where he compares God to what we think is so great and then Isaiah says that there is no comparison.

One of the main things that Isaiah is speaking against is the outward forms of religion with no inward reality. Reading through Isaiah one is impressed with qualities like "boldness, patriotism, tenderness, broad sympathy, stormy indignation at hypocrisy, with deep spirituality and a profound sense of the Divine majesty." Isn't this something that we are missing today in our churches and meetings together? Are not these things that should be more in our preaching today?

When Isaiah began his preaching career several things were happening in Israel. The ten tribes (Israel) were nearing destruction by Assyria whose capital was Nineveh.  They were desperate times. Israel joined with Syria under the leadership of Damascus. Judah would not join so Israel and Syria invaded Judah to coerce the king of Judah, Ahaz to join the confederacy. So we find Ahaz making a treaty with the king of Assyria who then marched forth and overthrew Syria and Israel. So Judah then became dependent on Assyria.

Later Hezekiah rebelled against the King of Assyria. Isaiah was always advocating that Judah's dependence should be upon Jehovah and not some earthly monarch. However, the king of Assyria came to lay low Judah and since Egypt failed to respond to help, Judah had to buy off the King of Assyria with gold, etc. and became dependent upon Assyria again.

It was later when Assyrians were coming to attack Judah and Jerusalem that Hezekiah heeded Isaiah's advice and trusted in the Lord to deliver them from this 'present danger' coming upon them in the form of Assyrian army. The result was that God sent His angel and a great disaster fell upon the army which King Sennacherib never recovered. It was after this Judah was freed from the threat of invasion and enjoyed a season of peace.

When we come to Isaiah 40 we see that there is turn in God's approach to His people. They have repented and now are turning back to God and so we read: Isa 40:1-2 "Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.  Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins."

Later we have the words "A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD ; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God." Isa.40:3 The same words that are repeated in Matthew 3:3 "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him,'" referring to John the Baptist prior to the first coming of the Lord.

Reading through Isaiah 40 one sees what reformation will do and what is needed today. My future e-mails will be based on this.

                          WEEKLY E-MAIL #6
                              GOD AND WHO HE IS

One of the problems that we face today is that we have inadequate view of God. Most if not all of our problems can be traced to this lack of knowledge of Who He is.

It is interesting to note that neither the prophets nor the apostles tried to prove the existence of God. Everywhere in the Bible the existence of God is assumed as a fact. Whether man knows this God depends upon his moral state. The problem that we are faced with is not one of not knowing whether there is a God or not, but of not wanting anyone ruling over us. However, history shows us that we will either be ruled by God or we will be ruled by tyrants.

Reformation will bring us back into this right knowledge of Who He is. In Isaiah 40 we see something of the same format being laid down as is in Matthew 3. In Mat. 3 we have John the Baptist, the voice of one crying in the wilderness - reformation - then Jesus (glory of the Lord) is revealed and walks among us.

Isaiah 40 we have the same thing. First we have the voice in the wilderness - reformation - and then we read in verse 5 "And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

One of the first miracles that Jesus did was to take water and turn it into wine. John 2:11 "This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him." What did Jesus do? He took something ordinary (water) and made something extra-ordinary out of it (wine). In so doing He showed us His glory. Isn't this what we find today? He takes us and makes something extra-ordinary out of us by having a plan and purpose for our lives. When we look around we see an abundance of the glory of the Lord in our midst - the miracle of the little baby just born with all of her/his faculties, the sunset and sunrise with all of the different colors changing as the sun gets higher, and even man going about in his daily activities.

However, what we find first of all is the supremacy in His attributes. One of the things that Isaiah is trying to do is build confidence in the hearts and minds of God's children. They have just come through a horrible time and now they need comforting, they need restoring, they need reformation.

So Isaiah starts with God. This is where we all should start. Like I said at the beginning most if not all of our problems stem from a wrong view point of Who God is.

Isaiah is trying to bring home to the Children of Israel how great God is. He does this by taking what we would call great in this world and comparing it to God and showing that there is no comparison at all.

Vs.12 "Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?" 

Take the oceans of this world with all of their power and unending waves that crash upon the beaches of the world. God holds them in the palm of His hand. It is interesting to note that He holds the water in His hands, but He gathers us in His arms vs. 11 "He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young." There is more strength in the arms than in the hands and He has us in His arms.

Another aspect that Isaiah brings out is the 'mind of the Lord'. Who does He consult? Who taught Him? Who is His counselor? Who shows Him the path of understanding. No-one. He is the fount of all wisdom, knowledge and understanding. Prov 2:6 "For the LORD gives wisdom,
and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding."

In verse 15 Isaiah compares God to the great nations of the world. The children of Israel have just come out of Babylon - a great nation, but compared to God: "nations are like a drop in a bucket; vs.17 "Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing." The conclusion that Isaiah comes to is: vs.18 "To whom, then, will you compare God?"

Later in the same chapter Isaiah tries to compare God to the great men - Nebuchadnezzar, Napoleon, Mao Tse Tung, and others even today who hold sway over large numbers of people, but when compared to God they are nothing. He speaks and they cease to exist.

Isaiah in verse 26 tries to compare God to vastness of the heavens. "Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing." Scientists now say that in our galaxy, the Milky Way, there are two hundred billion stars, but in the universe there are two hundred billion galaxies.

We read in Genesis that when Abraham and his nephew Lot departed that Lot lifted up his eyes and he saw Sodom and became a friend of the world. Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the stars and became a friend of God.

Reformation brings us back to the Supremacy of God in this universe.

                               WEEKLY E-MAIL #7
                       SUPREMACY IN REDEMPTION

When we think about God, Who He is and what He has done, we must give some thought to the Supremacy of His redemption. In reading through Isaiah chapters 42-45 one sees the number of times the Lord shares Who He is and how He is The Only One.

One of the first things He brings out in Isaiah 42 is that He will bring justice to the nations. Several times this is mentioned. Isa 42:1 "I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations." Isa 42:3-4 "In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope."

To me an aspect of this redemption is bringing justice to the nations. It is a two-fold act that will achieve this. First, we have the first coming of the Lord where the Gospel is preached whereby people are given a chance to respond. Secondly, we have His second coming whereby "the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power." 1 Cor.15:24

When I think of all of the unjust things being done, one cries out for justice, but there is no justice. However, one of the things that reformation brings around is an awareness of Who God is and that He will not relax until justice is brought forth to the nations. He will not falter or be discouraged till He establishes justice on earth.

Another very important aspect of His Supremacy in redemption is that He is The Only One. There is no-one else. Although our world is filled with many false hopes of redemption there is no-one else. Isa 43:1"Fear not, for I have redeemed you." Verse 11 "I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior."  Verse 13 "No one can deliver out of my hand." Vs. 25 "I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more." Isa 44:22 "I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you." 

It is obvious from these verses here in Isaiah that He and He alone is our redeemer and nothing or no-one else is. This is important because we do see from Isaiah 44 how a man will take a block of wood and use part to make a fire and keep warm, cook his food and what is left over make an idol to worship and say: "Save me; you are my god." Is.44:17.

In our Western culture we might be a little more refined than this man depicted in Isaiah 44, but we still do the same thing. How do we use and look at money, for example. We use some to give us heat in the winter, to cook our food over our stoves and we store it up so that when a rainy day comes or problems come we can say to the money that we have put away: "Save me; you are my god."

Reformation brings us back to Who God is and what He has done. We will begin to see afresh that Christ is the answer. We will again look to Him and no other. Heb. 12:2 "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith."

Recognizing the Supremacy of His redemption will also give us a sense of urgency that this salvation message is the only hope in this world for salvation. It will not come through our major religions, or our governments that we so often hope in, but through the Lord Jesus Christ.  ONLY CHRIST SAVES.

                              WEEKLY E-MAIL #8
                 SUPREMACY OF GOD IN PUNISHMENT

Supremacy of God in punishment might sound like an odd title. This is one thing that we forget about God or at least would like to put on the back burner that God is a God that will punish.

Corinthians 15 tells us that there will be a day when all authority, dominion, power that does not confess Jesus as Lord will be destroyed. Philippians 2 tells us that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.  This is something that will happen.

We all know from numerous passages in both the Old and New Testament that God will punish His people. Isaiah 48:10,17 "See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. "This is what the LORD says - your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go."

We know from Hebrews 12:5,6 that God will discipline us. "And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline,  and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."

When the children of Israel were led out of bondage in Egypt they came to Mount Sinai where they received the TEN COMMANMENTS. God came down on the Mount before all of the people. We read that it was a terrifying experience. Heb 12:18-21 "You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned." The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, "I am trembling with fear."

We see that this standing before God was a tangible, terrifying experience. Why? Because their senses were involved. They could see, smell, touch, hear and even taste. Like Moses said: "The sight was so terrifying I am trembling with fear."

However, in the New Testament this has not been our experience. Our experience with God is not a tangible or terrifying experience. We come to Mount Zion and our senses are not involved. We come by grace and we sense God's forgiveness, love, etc. It is not the same experience that we find with God's people at Mount Sinai.

We need to keep in mind that the same God who met with Moses and the children of Israel at Mount Sinai is the same God that meets with and saves us today. The same God we read about in the Old Testament is the same God that we read about in the New Testament.

He will punish all wrong doing. He is a God of justice. Paul tells us in 2 Thessalonians 1:6 "God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you." And in verse 8 He says: "He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus." Verse 9 goes on to tell us: "They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power."

We might not like to talk about a God who brings punishment, but we need to understand that there is a heaven and hell and there is eternity. Reformation brings us back into the reality of Who God really is. In our day and age we have become very flippant about God. One of the things that Isaiah is bringing out to His people is that He is an awesome God. Several times God asks the question to His people through the prophet Isaiah: 'to whom will you compare me?"

We saw in an earlier e-mail that there is nothing that God can be compared to. He is above and beyond all. We need to come back to the same acknowledgement.

                         WEEKLY E-MAIL #9
                           GLORY OF THE LORD

Is.40:5 "And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

In the Book of Ezekiel chapters 10,11 we see the Glory of the Lord departing from the temple. In the first chapters of Ezekiel we see the sin of His people. God is warning them, but they are refusing to listen. This is most usually the case of His people, not listening to His admonitions or warnings until it is too late.

Because they will not listen we see in chapters 10 and 11 that the Glory of the Lord is beginning to depart from the temple or mercy seat. The glory of the Lord is leaving the place of mercy (mercy seat) and entering into the place of judgment.

However, it is important for us to see that when God moves from a place of mercy to judgment it will always be with a slow, but steady pace. But when He moves from judgment to mercy it will always be instantaneous.  We see this in Ezekiel chapters 10,11 where the Glory of the Lord is departing from the temple and entering into a place of judgment.

What is interesting is to see how He moves. 10:18 We see the glory of the Lord over the threshold. There He waits to see what will God's people do. Will they listen to the prophets, heed the warnings and repent or will He have to take another step towards judgment? They do not repent so He takes another step of leaving the temple and place of mercy. Verse 19 He is now over the east gate and again there is a waiting. What will God's people do?

They do not repent and so we read in chapter 11:23 that the glory of the Lord is now over the Mountain East of it -  mount of Olives. The glory of the Lord has now departed from the temple. God has moved into a place of judgment. We see the judgment that fell on God's people for almost the rest of the book of Ezekiel, which also models the history of the children of Israel up until today.

However, we find that repentance does come in and the Glory of the Lord returns. We read about this in Chapter 43:4 "The glory of the LORD entered the temple through the gate facing east." What is interesting is that there is no stopping over the Mountain or east gate or threshold, but immediately the Glory of the Lord is pervading the temple over the mercy seat.

In the New Testament we see something that is parallel to this. Luke 20:9-15 where we have the parable of the tenants. Here we see the landlord that planted a vineyard and went on a journey. Harvest time he sent his servants to gather fruit, but they were wrongfully treated and cast out, some were killed. Almost in desperation we hear the owner say: 'What shall I do?'  and then goes on to say: 'I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.'  But he is also rejected, cast out and killed.

This ties in with Matthew 23:37-39 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"  Here we see the heart of God - how often I have longed to gather your children together, - as well as the heart of man - but you were not willing.

So we read in Matthew 24:1 "Jesus left the temple." The Glory of the God of Israel had departed from the temple.  Jesus never came back to the temple after this. Where did He go? He went to the Mount East - the Mount of Olives.

                         WEEKLY E-MAIL #11
                              WHO IS MAN Part 1

Isa 40:6 "A voice says, "Cry out." And I said, "What shall I cry?" "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field."

When we think of reformation we need to come back to what the Bible says about man. Here in the West we live in days that were like the days of Nimrod when they were building the Tower of Babel in the land of Shinar (modern day Iraq).

In the days of Nimrod man was supreme, he was god. Man was in rebellion against God. God had told mankind to multiply and fill the earth. Gen. 9:1,7. Instead we read that under the leadership of Nimrod men stayed together and built themselves a Tower that would reach into heaven. Why? That they may make a name for themselves.

Man thinks that he has the answer to all of life's questions. It is incredible to believe that man can think this way. When we look back at the 20th century and the wars that came through Nazism, Fascism and Communism where literally millions of people died, what man can still think he has the answers?

Yet man in the West generally believes that he is god and master of his own soul. He can manage without God, even if all of the evidence proves otherwise.

This type of thinking has pervaded the church as well. We do not voice it, but our actions speak louder than words when we think that we can manage God's work without the Spirit of God. One example of this is in the absence of prayer today in the average church.

A question was raised: whatever happened to the prayer meeting? The answer is coming back loud and clear through our actions that we can manage quite well by ourselves without any help from the divine.

It is imperative that we see ourselves as God sees us and we come back to what God has intended for man.  To me this is what reformation will do. It will bring us back to the biblical view of man.
We will look at this subject in the following e-mails.

                               WEEKLY E-MAIL #13
                                      WHO IS MAN Part 3

Gen.2:17 "but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

In our study of man it is important to understand what is commonly known as the 'Fall' of man. Scripture testifies to this in many places. For example: Romans 5:12-19 "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned."

Through this sin man lost much of his original dignity. He was made to have dominion, to rule and reign. Still to a remarkable degree man still retains much of this dominion. However, sin has weakened his power to dominate nature. We see even today with all that man has he cannot control nature - earthquakes, hurricanes, etc. and we see the havoc they have brought upon man.

We do read that the PERFECT MAN - CHRIST - had full control over nature. We read that He will put everything under His feet, even death and He will reign supreme. We see His miracles, rebuking the storm and many other incidences of His power being displayed.

At the FALL of man we see that every part of man became tainted by sin. Although man is not all together bad still we have total depravity. Man's way is not up, but down. His whole being is corrupted. As someone said: 'his spirit is darkened (Ephesians 4:17,18; I Corinthians 2:14); his soul is debased (Jeremiah 17:9; Ephesians 4:19); his body is diseased and death-ridden (Romans 7:24); his will is weakened (Romans 7); his conscience is blunted (I Timothy 4:2). Sin brought a schism into man's nature, the lower dominating the higher. Man, apart from grace, has "the mind of the flesh" (Romans 8:7, S R.V.) and a heart that is deceitful (Genesis 6:5-12; Romans 1:17-24). He is spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1); under wrath and judgment (John 5:28,29; Psalm 130:3; Romans 2:5-12; Ephesians 2:3; II Thessalonians 1:6-9; Revelation 20:15; 21:8); utterly lost (Luke 19:10); a guilty sinner before God (Psalm 14:2,3; Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:9-23); a child of the devil, and under the control of Satan (Ephesians 2:2)."

Dr. R.A Torrey listed five steps in the Fall of man given in Genesis 3:1-6. Adam was guilty of:

1. Listening to slanders against God.
2. Doubting God's Word and His love.
3. Looking at what God had forbidden.
4. Lusting for what God had prohibited (I John 2:16).
5. Disobeying God's commandment.

What reformation can do is restore. Yet as we will see in future e-mails He does more than just restore. He takes us even beyond where man was before he fell.

                          WEEKLY E-MAIL #15
                                WHO IS MAN Part 5


If paradise has been lost it can be regained. Man can be regenerated. The image that we had can be regained. This is one of the great truths in the Word of God. Instead of the devil's image of pride, malice and envy -  righteousness and goodness of God's image can be recovered. Col.3:10 "and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator."

This image repair can be accomplished only by God. In Hebrews 1:3 it says: "Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person." He Who is the image of God is the only One that can restore the image in us. How did He do this? This is what the cross is all about. This is why reformation is so important. It brings us back to the cross and what it means. In Adam we die, but in Christ we are made alive. 1 Corinthians 15:22.

Truly God does all things well. In the future there will not only be the blessings of the resurrection, eternal life, immortality and being manifested with Christ, but a restoration of the dominion that we lost through sin.

When Christ returns He will exercise all the power over His creation that was lost through sin. Heb 2:6-8 "But there is a place where someone has testified: "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor and put everything under his feet." Ps. 8:4-8.

It is through His grace that those who are 'in Christ' will share in His glorious reign. When God raised us up in Christ we now possess a dominion that even Adam would never have known had he remained innocent all his days.

We will be given a new name. It is interesting to see that what Nimrod and the people of his days wanted was to make a name for themselves. God gives to us a new name through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Genesis 11 they are wanting to make a name for themselves, but in Genesis 12 where Abram is chosen we read 'I will make your name great'.

Later in life we read that God gave to Abram the name Abraham. Gen 17:1,5 "When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations."

Most of the world with the different religions are like Nimrod, leaving God out of the picture and trying to gain their own righteousness, but it is being offered to us by grace through the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Needless to say that reformation brings us back to this truth: IT IS ALL GRACE AND NOTHING OF WORKS.

                       WEEKLY E-MAIL #16
                            WHO IS MAN Part 6

Lastly on this series of 'man' I wanted to send an e-mail that I wrote last year on the Gospel and Postmodernism. Reformation will attack this worldview that we have in the West and bring us back to the simplicity of the Gospel.

                    POSTMODERNISM AND CULTURE
                      WORLDVIEW AND THE GOSPEL

1 Cor 15:4-8 "that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born."

Another aspect of the gospel that we need to consider is the verses above.  He was buried and He rose and was seen by a number of witnesses.  This is good news. God had told us that we should let everything be established by two or more witnesses. Deut 19:15 "A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses." Here we have over five hundred at one time.

However, how does this build a Biblical worldview?  In one of my e-mails I had mentioned what Francis Schaeffer called the 'mannishness of man.'  He said this:  "This draws attention to the fact that humans are different from all other things in the world.

Several things bring this out.  1). Creativity; 2). People fear death.  3). We are able to choose and we are able to verbalize.  People are able to remember the past and make plans for the future.'

For a worldview to be a real worldview it must answer this question about man, what Schaeffer called the "mannishness of man". With the Gospel being the core of a Biblical worldview we see how this question is answered.

When I think of what Christ has done for me (for man) it makes me realize that I, or man, am different from all other creatures. I can think, verbalize, create, love, fear, feel and express emotion, etc. One of the things that Francis Schaeffer brings out is that man fears death.

There seems to be within the heart of man a sense for the eternal. Even in our postmodern culture we see this coming out with man trying to remain young. Look at the medicines being propagated that will reduce aging, exercises that we do to remain healthy. Pseudo spiritual mantras are being voiced, etc. All of this because of the sense of the eternal in the heart of man placed there by God.

Man knows that he is different, but why?  The gospel tells us that man is unique, made in the image of God. Man has a longing for eternal life, but why? Because God has placed eternity in his heart. Man fears death. But the gospel gives us hope. Jesus rose from the dead. To collaborate this truth He was seen after the resurrection by over five hundred brethren at one time.

So what does the gospel tell me?
1. God made the world and He is in control.
2. Man was made in the image of God.  He is different from other creatures.
3. Man has sinned and fallen out of fellowship with God his Maker.
4. Jesus died for my sin so I might be forgiven and brought back into fellowship with God.
5. Jesus rose from the dead and so will I.

Another question that comes is: why do I know that this is true? The answer lies in Scripture. Twice it says in 1. Corinthians 15: "according to the Scriptures".

These are the core beliefs in creating a Biblical worldview.  How important it is to be grounded in these truths!

                       WEEKLY E-MAIL #16
                            WHO IS MAN Part 6

Lastly on this series of 'man' I wanted to send an e-mail that I wrote last year on the Gospel and Postmodernism. Reformation will attack this worldview that we have in the West and bring us back to the simplicity of the Gospel.

                    POSTMODERNISM AND CULTURE
                      WORLDVIEW AND THE GOSPEL

1 Cor 15:4-8 "that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born."

Another aspect of the gospel that we need to consider is the verses above.  He was buried and He rose and was seen by a number of witnesses.  This is good news. God had told us that we should let everything be established by two or more witnesses. Deut 19:15 "A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses." Here we have over five hundred at one time.

However, how does this build a Biblical worldview?  In one of my e-mails I had mentioned what Francis Schaeffer called the 'mannishness of man.'  He said this:  "This draws attention to the fact that humans are different from all other things in the world.

Several things bring this out.  1). Creativity; 2). People fear death.  3). We are able to choose and we are able to verbalize.  People are able to remember the past and make plans for the future.'

For a worldview to be a real worldview it must answer this question about man, what Schaeffer called the "mannishness of man". With the Gospel being the core of a Biblical worldview we see how this question is answered.

When I think of what Christ has done for me (for man) it makes me realize that I, or man, am different from all other creatures. I can think, verbalize, create, love, fear, feel and express emotion, etc. One of the things that Francis Schaeffer brings out is that man fears death.

There seems to be within the heart of man a sense for the eternal. Even in our postmodern culture we see this coming out with man trying to remain young. Look at the medicines being propagated that will reduce aging, exercises that we do to remain healthy. Pseudo spiritual mantras are being voiced, etc. All of this because of the sense of the eternal in the heart of man placed there by God.

Man knows that he is different, but why?  The gospel tells us that man is unique, made in the image of God. Man has a longing for eternal life, but why? Because God has placed eternity in his heart. Man fears death. But the gospel gives us hope. Jesus rose from the dead. To collaborate this truth He was seen after the resurrection by over five hundred brethren at one time.

So what does the gospel tell me?
1. God made the world and He is in control.
2. Man was made in the image of God.  He is different from other creatures.
3. Man has sinned and fallen out of fellowship with God his Maker.
4. Jesus died for my sin so I might be forgiven and brought back into fellowship with God.
5. Jesus rose from the dead and so will I.

Another question that comes is: why do I know that this is true? The answer lies in Scripture. Twice it says in 1. Corinthians 15: "according to the Scriptures".

These are the core beliefs in creating a Biblical worldview.  How important it is to be grounded in these truths!

                               WEEKLY E-MAIL 17
                           THE WORD OF GOD Part 1

Ps 119:105 "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."

Isa 40:8 "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."

When we pray for reformation we are praying for His people to come back to the Word of God. Writing this our Supreme Court has just announced that it is unconstitutional for the TEN COMMANDMENTS to be hung in our court rooms. It is allowed in our State Houses, but not in the courts. How ridiculous this is when the Supreme Court itself has a statue of Moses the Law Giver as well as the ten commandments in different places throughout the highest court in the nation!

The Bible has been banned from our public schools and some are trying to get it banned from any public forum. What these so-called elites are wanting is a secular society - no mention of God and morality. This is why in our postmodern world there is no such thing as truth. It has been banned as well. What is the result? Isaiah tells us: Isa.59:14-15 "So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice."

What is this telling us? That there is no honesty (we see this in our business's today), no truth and no justice. How long can a society function like this? Not long. In our Western world we are going down a path where we will soon reach a place of no return. Reformation is urgently needed. Reformation will bring us back to the Word of God. We, His people, need to begin to see His Word for what it really is, the very Word of God.

A report by the Bible literacy program suggests that young Americans know very little about the Bible. But what is a real stunner is that a fair number of Americans don't see why teenagers should know anything at all about the Bible.

A study was done by a major denomination trying to find out why so many pastors were leaving the pastorate. They came up with four things.

First, because they were treating the pastorate like a profession and not like a calling.

Secondly, immorality was a major reason why they were leaving the pastorate.

Thirdly, there was a desire for material things.

And fourthly (this is the one that blew me away) was what they called Biblical illiteracy . They did not know the Bible although many were seminary graduates and some even doctors of theology! They did not know the Word of God. They had studied books about the Bible and they could give you all the arguments about higher criticism, etc., but they did not know what the Bible contained - they had Biblical illiteracy.

Another survey was done by Frank Barna showed that almost one half of the protestant pastors did not operate from a Biblical worldview. They were ignorant of the Word of God and consequently this was the case of the congregations as well.

Reformation brings us back to the Word of God.

                           WEEKLY E-MAIL #18
                                WORD OF GOD Part 2

Ps 119:11 "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you."

When John the Baptist appeared on the scene to be the forerunner of the Lord he had some choice words to say to the religious leaders of his day. Matt 3:7-10 "But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham."

One of the things that religious leaders were doing was relying upon tradition. Tradition was taking over the Word of God. Later Jesus told them: Matt 15:3  "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?"

Some years ago I was speaking in a church on the subject WHAT IS REAL SPIRITUALITY. After the message a number of people came forward and I sensed that they had come into a real freedom in their spiritual lives. However, I learned later that the pastor was very upset with me. For what, I did not know, but felt that the next day I would go and see what the problem was.

When I spoke to the pastor and mentioned that if I was saying something that was not Biblical that I needed to know so that I might correct it. What he did was push the Bible aside and he said: 'let us not get into that right now'. He said the real problem was that in my preaching I had gone against seventy years of tradition. Ah! That was the real problem: I had gone against tradition!

This made me wonder how much of our work today is based on tradition and not the Word of God. Do you think that this could be major problem in our churches today ?

When I think of most of our denominations today they started with men and women of vision and some of the things that they did were right on for their time, culture, etc. However, today is a different situation, but we carry on many of these things not because we are obligated by the Word of God, but because of tradition. As a matter of fact our traditions have begun to take the place of Scripture.

Why do we do some of the things that we do? Are the traditions Biblical? Do they fit in the culture that we live in today? I was preaching in a church in Europe where the pastor had a real desire to go back to the Word and make sure that what they were doing as a church was really based on Scripture or was it only a tradition.

Later when he wrote to me he told me that there were many blessings and they were praising the Lord for all that He was doing. The only thing that was negative, he said, was that they were kicked out of the denomination that they were in. Interesting! But perhaps that is not so negative after all.

Perhaps the biggest issue facing us in the Western world is the rejection of ultimate truth. People say today that we each make our own truth. What is true for me might not be true for you. Or those who have the power tell us what truth is. (Like the Supreme Court telling us that the Ten Commandments are not constitutional and cannot be hung up in our court rooms throughout the land.)

Reformation brings us back to ultimate truth - the WORD OF GOD.

                            WEEKLY E-MAIL #16
                            WHO IS MAN Part 6

Lastly on this series of 'man' I wanted to send an e-mail that I wrote last year on the Gospel and Postmodernism. Reformation will attack this worldview that we have in the West and bring us back to the simplicity of the Gospel.

                    POSTMODERNISM AND CULTURE
                      WORLDVIEW AND THE GOSPEL

1 Cor 15:4-8 "that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born."

Another aspect of the gospel that we need to consider is the verses above.  He was buried and He rose and was seen by a number of witnesses.  This is good news. God had told us that we should let everything be established by two or more witnesses. Deut 19:15 "A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses." Here we have over five hundred at one time.

However, how does this build a Biblical worldview?  In one of my e-mails I had mentioned what Francis Schaeffer called the 'mannishness of man.'  He said this:  "This draws attention to the fact that humans are different from all other things in the world.

Several things bring this out.  1). Creativity; 2). People fear death.  3). We are able to choose and we are able to verbalize.  People are able to remember the past and make plans for the future.'

For a worldview to be a real worldview it must answer this question about man, what Schaeffer called the "mannishness of man". With the Gospel being the core of a Biblical worldview we see how this question is answered.

When I think of what Christ has done for me (for man) it makes me realize that I, or man, am different from all other creatures. I can think, verbalize, create, love, fear, feel and express emotion, etc. One of the things that Francis Schaeffer brings out is that man fears death.

There seems to be within the heart of man a sense for the eternal. Even in our postmodern culture we see this coming out with man trying to remain young. Look at the medicines being propagated that will reduce aging, exercises that we do to remain healthy. Pseudo spiritual mantras are being voiced, etc. All of this because of the sense of the eternal in the heart of man placed there by God.

Man knows that he is different, but why?  The gospel tells us that man is unique, made in the image of God. Man has a longing for eternal life, but why? Because God has placed eternity in his heart. Man fears death. But the gospel gives us hope. Jesus rose from the dead. To collaborate this truth He was seen after the resurrection by over five hundred brethren at one time.

So what does the gospel tell me?
1. God made the world and He is in control.
2. Man was made in the image of God.  He is different from other creatures.
3. Man has sinned and fallen out of fellowship with God his Maker.
4. Jesus died for my sin so I might be forgiven and brought back into fellowship with God.
5. Jesus rose from the dead and so will I.

Another question that comes is: why do I know that this is true? The answer lies in Scripture. Twice it says in 1. Corinthians 15: "according to the Scriptures".

These are the core beliefs in creating a Biblical worldview.  How important it is to be grounded in these truths!

                               WEEKLY E-MAIL 17
                           THE WORD OF GOD Part 1

Ps 119:105 "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."

Isa 40:8 "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."

When we pray for reformation we are praying for His people to come back to the Word of God. Writing this our Supreme Court has just announced that it is unconstitutional for the TEN COMMANDMENTS to be hung in our court rooms. It is allowed in our State Houses, but not in the courts. How ridiculous this is when the Supreme Court itself has a statue of Moses the Law Giver as well as the ten commandments in different places throughout the highest court in the nation!

The Bible has been banned from our public schools and some are trying to get it banned from any public forum. What these so-called elites are wanting is a secular society - no mention of God and morality. This is why in our postmodern world there is no such thing as truth. It has been banned as well. What is the result? Isaiah tells us: Isa.59:14-15 "So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice."

What is this telling us? That there is no honesty (we see this in our business's today), no truth and no justice. How long can a society function like this? Not long. In our Western world we are going down a path where we will soon reach a place of no return. Reformation is urgently needed. Reformation will bring us back to the Word of God. We, His people, need to begin to see His Word for what it really is, the very Word of God.

A report by the Bible literacy program suggests that young Americans know very little about the Bible. But what is a real stunner is that a fair number of Americans don't see why teenagers should know anything at all about the Bible.

A study was done by a major denomination trying to find out why so many pastors were leaving the pastorate. They came up with four things.

First, because they were treating the pastorate like a profession and not like a calling.

Secondly, immorality was a major reason why they were leaving the pastorate.

Thirdly, there was a desire for material things.

And fourthly (this is the one that blew me away) was what they called Biblical illiteracy . They did not know the Bible although many were seminary graduates and some even doctors of theology! They did not know the Word of God. They had studied books about the Bible and they could give you all the arguments about higher criticism, etc., but they did not know what the Bible contained - they had Biblical illiteracy.

Another survey was done by Frank Barna showed that almost one half of the protestant pastors did not operate from a Biblical worldview. They were ignorant of the Word of God and consequently this was the case of the congregations as well.

Reformation brings us back to the Word of God.

                           WEEKLY E-MAIL #18
                                WORD OF GOD Part 2

Ps 119:11 "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you."

When John the Baptist appeared on the scene to be the forerunner of the Lord he had some choice words to say to the religious leaders of his day. Matt 3:7-10 "But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham."

One of the things that religious leaders were doing was relying upon tradition. Tradition was taking over the Word of God. Later Jesus told them: Matt 15:3  "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?"

Some years ago I was speaking in a church on the subject WHAT IS REAL SPIRITUALITY. After the message a number of people came forward and I sensed that they had come into a real freedom in their spiritual lives. However, I learned later that the pastor was very upset with me. For what, I did not know, but felt that the next day I would go and see what the problem was.

When I spoke to the pastor and mentioned that if I was saying something that was not Biblical that I needed to know so that I might correct it. What he did was push the Bible aside and he said: 'let us not get into that right now'. He said the real problem was that in my preaching I had gone against seventy years of tradition. Ah! That was the real problem: I had gone against tradition!

This made me wonder how much of our work today is based on tradition and not the Word of God. Do you think that this could be major problem in our churches today ?

When I think of most of our denominations today they started with men and women of vision and some of the things that they did were right on for their time, culture, etc. However, today is a different situation, but we carry on many of these things not because we are obligated by the Word of God, but because of tradition. As a matter of fact our traditions have begun to take the place of Scripture.

Why do we do some of the things that we do? Are the traditions Biblical? Do they fit in the culture that we live in today? I was preaching in a church in Europe where the pastor had a real desire to go back to the Word and make sure that what they were doing as a church was really based on Scripture or was it only a tradition.

Later when he wrote to me he told me that there were many blessings and they were praising the Lord for all that He was doing. The only thing that was negative, he said, was that they were kicked out of the denomination that they were in. Interesting! But perhaps that is not so negative after all.

Perhaps the biggest issue facing us in the Western world is the rejection of ultimate truth. People say today that we each make our own truth. What is true for me might not be true for you. Or those who have the power tell us what truth is. (Like the Supreme Court telling us that the Ten Commandments are not constitutional and cannot be hung up in our court rooms throughout the land.)

Reformation brings us back to ultimate truth - the WORD OF GOD.

                      WEEKLY E-MAIL #19
                         WORD OF GOD Part 3

Ps 119:98-100 "Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts."

When we look back into Western history and we see the importance of the Word of God we are astounded. However, in many of our schools and homes we are ignorant of the important role that the Word of God has played in our societies and in our lives.

The Bible Literacy Project says: "Scripture begins with God creating the world, but there is something these verses don't tell you: The Bible has itself created worlds. Wherever you stand on the spectrum from devout to atheist, you must acknowledge that the Bible has been a creative force without parallel in history."

If one was to go to the apotheosis of the French Middle Ages - Sainte Chapelle one will see that the walls are made almost entirely of stained glass. Writer Shalom Spiegel said: 'it has been rightly called the most wonderful of pictured Bibles'.

Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch said: 'The King James Bible, has influenced our literature more deeply than any other book--more deeply even than all the writings of Shakespeare--far more deeply.' 

The poet and painter William Blake calls the Old and New Testaments "the Great Codes of Art."

Abraham Lincoln, one of our great Presidents said in his inaugural address: "With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right."

The historian William Wolf said this about Lincoln's address: 'with its "fourteen references to God, four direct quotations from Genesis, Psalms, and Matthew, and other allusions to Scriptural teachings it reads like a supplement to the Bible.'

Lincoln's comment about the Bible: "The best gift God has given to man. But for it we could not know right from wrong."

Isn't this one of the problems that we have today? We do not know right from wrong. We are now calling good evil and evil good.

Ronald Reagan called America "a great shining city on a hill," three-and-a-half centuries after John Winthrop (sailing for Boston in 1630) anticipated a new community that would be "as a City upon a Hill"--invoking the famous verse in Matthew, "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid" (Matt.5:14).

This harks back in turn to the prophets (Isaiah 2:2-3, Micah 4:2) and the book of Proverbs (Prov.4:18).

John Livingstone Lowe called the King James Bible "the noblest monument of English prose" (1936).

George Saintsbury called it "probably the greatest prose work in any language" (1887).

Nearly two millennia earlier, the great Pharisee rabbi Hillel described the ideal life: "loving peace and pursuing peace; loving humanity and bringing it close to the Torah."

A survey was done by two US professors to see who had made the greatest impact upon our nation. They went through thousands of speeches, essays, etc. to find who was quoted the most. To their surprise they discovered that the Bible was the one that was quoted the most. What an impact the Bible made upon our nation in its early developing years!

Some of our founding fathers like Winthrop, Adams, Lincoln, and thousands of other ordinary citizens found a good destiny in the Bible and made it their own. But today the Bible is fast becoming a book that just sits on the book shelf and gathers dust.

Historian G.M. Trevelyan said: 'We aren't discussing a merely "popular" or "influential" book. We are talking revolution.

In 16th and 17th-century Britain, the English Bible was capable of affecting the first thoughts people had on waking, their last thoughts before sleeping, their dreams, and their nightmares. British homes were decorated biblically--with Bible quotations or pictures painted or papered on the walls or printed on cloth wall-hangings. British life grew and flourished on a biblical trellis.

Centuries later, Quiller-Couch wrote of the Bible in Britain that "it is in everything we see, hear, feel, because it is in us, in our blood."

Reformation brings us back to the Word of God. My prayer is that God will give His people a hunger for the Word of God, like Job said: 'I have esteemed your word more than my necessary food.'

                       WEEKLY LETTER #20
                      THE WORD OF GOD Part 4

2 Tim 3:16-17 "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

In every society we have what I call the 'opinion makers'. These are people who use words to make a living - journalists, anchormen/women, lawyers, politicians, educators, etc. Often we find that they create the opinions that we all accept and live by.

Some years ago I was in Denmark and stopped at a little kiosk to buy a English magazine. When the owners saw that I spoke English they started to speak to me. They told me that they had lived in Canada for many years and had just recently moved back to Denmark having been gone for almost 25 years. They told me that they were scared with what they saw taking place, on how people were being brainwashed. They were being told what to buy, where to buy it, what to wear, etc. In other words what they were telling me was that opinions were being formed for them.

I believe that we as God's people and especially those in leadership positions should be opinion makers. We should know the Word of God and make God's opinion known in our society.

Francis Schaeffer said: "The culture is to be constantly judged by the Bible, rather than the Bible being bent to conform to the surrounding culture. The early church did this in regard to the Roman-Greek culture of its day. The Reformation did this in its day in relation to the culture coming at the end of the Middle Ages. And we must never forget that all the great revivalists did this concerning the surrounding culture of their day. And the Christian church did this at every one of its great points of history."

Isn't this a problem that we have in the Western world today that the Bible is looked down upon and is discredited and 'irrelevant' to what we are faced with today. However, it doesn't matter what the unsaved say about the Bible. For those who profess a faith in Christ and believe that the Bible is the Word of God. We need to allow the Word of God to be the one guiding us in this world. This is what happened with the early church as well as the reformation during Luther's day.

Luther's great statement: 'I stand on the Word of God' should be the statement of each one of us who claim to be Christian.

What is happening in our society is that 'all things are relative'. The final value is what makes us as individuals happy, to feel good, etc. Nothing is fixed, there are no standards except what makes the individual happy.

I would like to bring home two things in this regard. First, we have the no-fault divorce laws in most of our states. They are based on the view that there is no right or wrong and consequently what gives them happiness at the moment is the way to go. Even today divorce among God's people is just as high as among the unsaved.

Secondly, the promiscuity that is taking place today, we need to see it in the light of the Word of God. People are asking why promiscuous sex is wrong. I can think of three reasons why.
1. First, is because God says it is wrong. For those of us who profess to follow Christ that should be enough right there.
2. We need to understand how the Lord made us in regards to our relationships with one another and to fulfill that which He made us for. Promiscuity tries to force something into a form which God never made us for and which cannot be fulfilled.
3. Promiscuous sex is wrong because it destroys the picture of what God means by marriage, the committed relationship of a man and woman.

We need reformation to see things set right in our society.

                             WEEKLY E-MAIL #21
                             THE WORD OF GOD Part 5

Ps 119:98-100 'Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.'

We read that when the resurrected Jesus was in the midst of the 11 apostles that 'he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.' Luke 24:45

We will not understand the Scriptures by intellect alone. It will take the illuminating power of the Holy Spirit to open the Scriptures. One man of God rightly said: "The Bible is burglar proof against all unsanctified learning. The Holy Spirit alone holds the key to it". In other words if we are going to understand the Word of God then it is going to be the Holy Spirit teaching us. Augustine said: "I would affirm that the sufficiency of our learning is to discover that our learning is insufficient."

Just as we need the Holy Spirit for the work so do we need Him to fit us for the work. Jesus told His disciples to stay in Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit. It could have been easy for the apostles to think that they had been with Jesus for three years (three years of Bible school) and that they were prepared to go out.

This, I believe, is a mistake that we are making today, thinking that somehow a Biblical education fits us for the work of the ministry. I am not saying that this is not important, but if we do not have the Holy Spirit leading in this then we are doomed to failure.

Often what we call sacred learning is nothing more than secular because so often there is the absence of the anointing and illuminating power as well as dependence upon the Holy Spirit.

What we have found out throughout the history of the church is that studies about God - when there is not a humble dependence upon the Holy Spirit to illuminate -  may only not help, but actually be harmful. We have too many preachers preaching about God, preachers who do not really know the Lord in an intimate way. They know about Him, but they do not know Him.

In Psa 103:7 "He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel" This talks about what I am referring to. There is a difference between knowing the ways of God and seeing His deeds. Moses knew the ways of God and through Moses God could act. The children of Israel saw the deeds. I believe that this brings out the difference between a person who has been fitted by the Holy Spirit for the work and those who have not.

Professor Beck said: "Gentlemen, remember that without the illumination of the Spirit theology is not only a cold stone, it is deadly poison". The Psalmist said: "if the foundation is being destroyed what can the righteous do"? What is our foundation? The Scriptures. Who have been the ones tearing down the Scriptures? Our so-called theological professors!

One of the reasons for this is that they think that they can understand the Scriptures by microscopic exegesis and by philosophical analysis. However, we read in: 1.Co 2:11 'For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no- one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.' This seems to be a truth that we have forgotten today in many of our Bible schools and seminaries. We read that when the two disciples on the Emmaus road were walking with Jesus and Jesus opened Scripture that their hearts burned within them.

Reformation will bring us back to a simple reliance upon the Holy Spirit to understand the Scriptures and to see Scripture become flesh in us.

                             WEEKLY E-MAIL #22
                                 WORD OF GOD Part 6

2 Tim 2:15 'Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.'

Our attitude toward the Scriptures depends upon whether we really believe that the Scriptures are inspired. If not then any system of truth they contain cannot be relied upon.  It is imperative to understand their claims to divine inspiration, infallibility and integrity. (II Timothy 3:16,17).

One of the great truths about the Word of God is its symmetry. The Bible contains 66 books, written by 39 human authors (although we know that the main author is the Holy Spirit moving upon these men as He so chose) over a period of 1500 years. Separate any one of the 66 books and it makes no sense, but together they proclaim a unity, a whole.

We talk about the revealed Word of God. What does that mean? The dictionary definition of the word revelation is: "A revelation is that which is revealed by God to man." The word itself means 'flinging or drawing back the veil', which would indicate the removing of a veil or obstacle that hinders complete vision.

The Bible is not primarily a record of man's thoughts of God, but a record of what God has done and revealed of Himself to man. Its basis is not "Thus and thus man thinks," but "Thus and thus saith Jehovah," or "Thus and thus hath Jehovah done."

We also talk about the inspired Word of God. It is important to grasp what we mean by this often used word. There is a difference between revelation and inspiration.  Revelation is the subject matter of the message. What God imparts to man, but inspiration is the power or method by which man communicates his God-given message to man. We may therefore regard inspiration as a special gift of the Holy Spirit, by which prophets of the Old Testament and the apostles and their companions in the New Testament transmitted the revelation of God as they received it. These two facts are combined by Peter: 'For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.' 2 Peter 1:21

Here the word signifies "breath", thus showing that God is the Author of man's intelligence.  In II Timothy 3:16-"All scripture is given by inspiration of God." The particular word used by Paul means "God-breathed" that is, God Himself or through His Holy Spirit, told the writers of the Bible just the very things to record.

The Bible not only contains but is from beginning to end the Word of God. If any one has reason to doubt the inspiration of the Bible, the certain yet simple test to apply is to yield oneself to its power, strive faithfully to follow its commands, act as it suggests, and as a result, the conviction will irresistibly grow upon the mind seeking proof in this way, that its claim to be inspired of God is not to be questioned, but reverently received, as just and undeniable. After all, it is personal experience that counts, and Our Lord said: "If any man will do . . he shall know" (John 7:17).

Another word that we often use is illumination.  Clarence Larkin observes that "Spiritual illumination is different either from Bible inspiration or revelation." It is the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer, by which he has his "spiritual understanding" opened to understand the Scriptures (John 16:12,15). 12 "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.'

The "natural man" cannot receive the teachings of the "Spirit of God," neither can he know them, "for they are spiritually discerned" (I Corinthians 2:11,14).

"The work, then, of the Holy Spirit in these days is not to impart some new revelation to men, or to inspire them to write or speak as the prophets and apostles of old, but so to illuminate men's minds and open up their understanding of the Scriptures that their heart will burn within them as they compare Scripture with Scripture in having revealed to them God's plan and purpose in the ages, as disclosed in His Holy Word."

Reformation brings us back to the realization that God's Word is just that - GOD'S WORD - and it is reliable "for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2Tim.3:16,17

                             WEEKLY E-MAIL #23
                                THE GOSPEL Part 1 of 7

2 Tim 1:14 "Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you - guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us."

Another aspect of reformation that we need to consider is what we call the GOSPEL. I believe that reformation will bring us back to the real gospel and what the real gospel can do. Paul said in Romans 1:16 'I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.'

Do we, like Paul, believe that this gospel is really dynamite? Do we believe that it can enter into a man's heart and life and change him or her? Or do we believe that something 'else' is needed to bring about the change in a person? Paul said: 2 Cor 5:17 'Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!'

It seems that a new gospel has snuck into the church that is being preached today. A gospel where Jesus does all of the dying; a gospel where there is no sacrifice, no giving up, no dying to the self-life, a gospel where the real Jesus is absent.

I am reminded of the passage of Scripture when Jesus was 12 years of age and he went with his parents to the temple in Jerusalem. After two days on their way back they thought that Jesus was with them, but He wasn't. He was back in the temple doing His Father's business. Luke 2: 41-49 The same way we seem to have a gospel where Jesus is not present.

The gospel that Paul was talking about in 1 & 2 Timothy was a radical gospel. That gospel called a man or woman to come and die. They realized like Paul that this gospel delivered them from their self-life. 2 Cor 5:15 'And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.'

When the gospel came into a man's life he realized several things.
1. That he is not his own; he had been bought with a price. 1 Peter 1:18-19 "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ."
2. That there is a new Lord and Master in his life. Rom 14:9 'For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.' Self who had been king has now been replaced by a new King - King Jesus.
3. That there is a new beginning and direction in his life. 'He is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!'
4. That this gospel was 'free', but it was not cheap. It cost God everything. John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

This gospel went out and changed the course of history in the first century. In the first 60 years the gospel had gone forth throughout the Roman Empire, churches were planted, lives had been changed and new hope had pervaded the world. The world would never be the same.

Five hundred years ago it was this gospel that changed a man by the name of Martin Luther and ushered in the reformation that changed Western Civilization. It is this gospel that we need to come back to in our preaching and living.

                       WEEKLY E-MAIL #24
                    THE GOSPEL Part 2 of 7

2 Tim 1:14 'Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you - guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.'

First and second Timothy - part of what is known as the pastoral epistles or letters - contain much that we who are in the ministry should keep in mind. However, like the rest of the Word of God it is written for our admonition. We should all keep in mind that if we are part of the Body of Christ, have been born again that we all are ministers; we are part of the holy priesthood. 1 Peter 1:5

One of the admonitions of Paul to Timothy, and I believe
to us as well through Holy Writ, is to guard the gospel. Is it possible that the gospel has become watered down because we have not guarded it today as we ought? I think so. Consequently we do not see the gospel as dynamite, like Paul expressed in Romans 1.

The question comes: how do we guard the gospel? Our text tells us with the help of the Holy Spirit that lives in us. But what does this mean in practical terms? I would like to offer several things in this connection.

1. Paul said in 1 Timothy 4:16 'Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.' There is no better way to guard the gospel than to see the gospel being demonstrated in one's life. John 1:14 'The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only.'  When Jesus spoke it was often said that the people were amazed because He spoke with authority. Authority and his life go together. Paul said in 2 Cor. 4:13 'It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak.' What does this mean?

"I believed; therefore I have spoken." Paul knew that what he believed was real because it was working in his life and because of that he spoke. A question that we could ask ourselves is: is the gospel really real in our lives? Has it made a difference? Paul said to the Corinthian church 2 Cor. 13:5 'Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you - unless, of course, you fail the test?' WE GUARD THE GOSPEL WITH OUR LIVES. One of the reasons why the gospel does not make much of an impact is because those who profess to have the gospel do not demonstrate much difference in their lives from those who are ignorant of the gospel.

2. We are to guard the gospel by our suffering. 2 Tim 1:8 'So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.'  I think it is interesting to see that suffering and being ashamed is in the same sentence. Is there a connection? I think so. For many of our brothers and sisters in certain countries there is real suffering for the gospel to the point of death. However, for those of us living in the West the experience might be more the suffering of embarrassment. If we are honest there is a certain amount of shame or embarrassment in sharing the gospel. Paul, I believed faced this when he was writing in 1 Cor.1:23 'but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.'  Here in our sophisticated West we have a tendency to be ashamed of the simple pure gospel. Sharing it will bring suffering of embarrassment that we are not 'wise'. But like Paul says I have come not with the wisdom of man, but with the simplicity of the gospel that can change a man's life.

Reformation will bring us back to the simplicity of the Gospel.

                             WEEKLY E-MAIL #25
                                 THE GOSPEL Part 3 of 7

Matt 24:14 "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all the nations; and then shall the end come."

One of the great signs of His coming to me is the preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom in all the world. However, it is interesting to note that this verse is talking about the gospel of the Kingdom. Reformation will bring us back to the gospel of the Kingdom.

Like I have already written in my previous e-mails many have been duped by cheap salvation, a salvation which excludes the cross and calls us to come and die.  It has been a gospel where Christ has come to save us from our troubles rather than our sins.  Perhaps this is why so few persevere and go on in their Christian life or why there is not much difference today between those in the church and those who are on the outside.

When we come to Christ we find that we are not delivered from troubles, but just the opposite can be happening. Our lives seemed to be filled with troubles. We find that the whole fallen world is against us. Because we do not understand this we find that when difficulties come we have a tendency to fall away.

Being born again is the beginning of a great journey toward the full maturity that God wants. For the church to grow to maturity it must begin with our message. Our message is of hope, but it is also a call to battle. It is a message that the rightful King is coming to take over. To be saved by a vision of the kingdom is an enlistment into army of the coming King.

The preaching of the gospel today is done in such a way that it seems that when someone accepts it is as if they are doing the Lord Jesus a favor. Preaching of the gospel today needs to be done in such a way that the kingdom is seen and when it is seen we will bow the knee begging His acceptance. According to Matthew 24:14 we are to preach the gospel of the Kingdom.

It is interesting to note the pattern in Scriptures. In Genesis we see the Power of God. In Exodus we have not only the Power of God being revealed (bringing the children of Israel out of bondage or slavery), but we see the holiness of God (giving of the Law) and then the Love of God in the Tabernacle (God dwelling with us - the gospel).

This is something that we are missing today in the presentation of the gospel. We bring out the love of God, but not the Power and Holiness of God. Presenting the gospel is like a three legged stool and with any one leg missing it falls down and whoever is sitting on it will also fall.

I think it is also interesting that when Paul speaks to the man without the Bible he starts with the wrath of God. Rom 1:18 "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hinder the truth in unrighteousness." What is Paul doing? He is following the pattern laid out in Scriptures.

Jesus did not come to just be our Savior, but our King. Reformation will bring us back to this truth.

                         WEEKLY E-MAIL #26
             GOSPEL AND THE FAMILY OF GOD Part 4 of 7

Matt 16:18 "I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."

Another thing that reformation will do is clear our thinking on the church. If there is any one subject that needs clear thinking or should I say Biblical thinking it is on the church. We read from our text that it is Jesus who will build the church. How He does it, or course, is another matter. But it is Jesus Who is the architect and the foundational stone.

Our thinking about the church has become so confused because of the terminology that we use today. We talk about the Nazarene churches, the Baptist churches, Pentecostal churches, Presbyterian churches, etc. It would seem that we have many churches today and not just one that is the Body of Christ. We talk about going to church on Sunday morning. I often wonder how can we go to something that we are.

The entry into the church is through the gospel. There is no other way. When Jesus said in John 14:6 "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." He meant just that. In other words the work and sacrifice of Jesus on the cross is what gains us entry into what we call the church.

The church then is a body of people who have had a common experience; they have a common heritage, a common Father. Through the acceptance of the gospel we are brought into the Body of Christ or what we call the church. This has become so confusing today with all of our different words that we use, denominations that have been raised up, etc. we have lost the true significance of what the church is.

There are several different examples that are used to bring out what the Body of Christ is. For example it is known as God's building, a temple, the church, etc., but all of these point to one thing. That this Body is to be God's representative here on earth; to let the world know Who God is and what God has done.

In the Old Testament God chose one man. His name was Abram and God said to him Gen 12:1-3 'The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.'

It is through this one man that a nation came into being called ISRAEL. They were a chosen nation. God gave them laws that put them above all of the other nations. They were to represent God - who He was and what He had done, to all of the other nations who were following false gods, idols, etc.

By being placed on the Eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea (the only piece of real estate tied to three continents without a body of water - Africa, Asia and Europe) they were to be 'centripetal'. This means that the nations were to come to Israel and this is what happened. Any army that marched, trade that took place, etc. had to come through Israel and when they did, like the Queen of Sheba when she came to Solomon and saw, she was 'overwhelmed'. 1 Kings 10:3-5.

We read in 1 Peter 2:4,5 "As you come to him, the living Stone - rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him - you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." We too, in the New Testament, have been chosen (John 15:16) and brought into a Body that is also known as a Holy Nation. Unlike Israel in the OT we do not have any boundaries, we do not belong to any one country, language, ethic background or race. Unlike, Israel that was to be centripetal we are to be centrifugal. We are to go out, scatter and in the process share the great things that the Lord has done for us. Mat.28:19,20

Reformation brings us back to what the church is here for.

                          WEEKLY E-MAIL #27
              THE GOSPEL AND THE CHURCH Part 5 of 7

Acts 13:1 "In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul."

Is the church an organism or an organization? I think most of you who are reading this would say that it is an organism. And you would be right. Organism has life; an organization has no life. An organism has one head, but an organization has many heads.

There is one church, but many fellowships that meet in various places because of geography, but we are still one body, an organism with one head - the Lord Jesus Christ.

We have seen the church as a family, a building, a temple, but now it is time to see the church as an army. We are in a spiritual battle that is being raged and we are involved whether we know it or not. There is no such thing as surrender, retreat or home leave. We are in this battle until the final gong and the Lord Jesus Christ calls us home. The sooner we begin to think this way the better off we will be.

Like in any army we are to be united and connected to the Head for instructions, encouragement and empowerment for the battle. The enemy will try and destroy this line of communication. If the communication lines are broken then it will result in confusion, chaos and ultimate defeat. Isn't this what has been happening?

The last temptation in the wilderness that Satan threw at Christ was to take Him to a high mountain and show Him all of the kingdoms of the world. Matt 4:9 "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." Jesus knew something that Satan did not know. The Kingdom of God was about to invade the kingdoms of this world. After the temptation Jesus returned full of the Holy Spirit and started to preach saying: Matt 4:17 "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near," or at hand.

What are the dynamics here? First, we see that Satan has locked the entire human race into little kingdoms. People are kept in these prisons through acceptance and rejection, something far greater and stronger than bars of steel. One human need that we all have is to be accepted and not rejected. This strategy of satan has been very successful.

The kingdom of heaven has now invaded these kingdoms and is calling for the prisoners to be set free. Isa 61:1 'The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.' We read in Ephesians 1:6 "To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." (KJV) This need for acceptance has been met through Christ who has accepted us.

Satan separated the human race through his kingdoms of the world and he seems to be separating the Body of Christ through denominations. Isn't it interesting that we mention more readily what denomination we are than  the fact that we are a child of God - a Christian?

I believe that real reformation will break down the denominational barriers that are separating God's people and set the Body free. When this happens this world will see a power unleashed that has not been seen since the first generation of Christianity. There are many parallels between the first generation and the last generation (the one that I believe we are in now). We read that the early or first generation of Christians were all of one mind and together. Jesus prayer will be answered: John 17:23 'I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.' When this happens what will be the result? The world will know.

                            WEEKLY E-MAIL #28
             THE GOSPEL AND THE CHURCH Part 6 of 7

1 Tim 3:15 "If I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.'

I had mentioned in one of my earlier e-mails that one of the ways that we guard the gospel is through the way we live. This to me is very important. When I read that among 65 common values there is no difference between those who are in the church and those who are on the outside, I realize that this takes away from the power of the gospel.

When I think of this, two things come to my mind. First, the local fellowship should be autonomously controlled and not centrally control. Baxter said: 'It is a significant fact that although the New Testament gives counsels and directions as to the organizing of local Christian assemblies or "churches" (1 Cor; 1 and 2 Tim; Titus), it nowhere even hints at any central board of administration such as those which have since developed and which exist with such wide powers today.'

This is one of the main problems with denominations today. Often it is more centrally controlled than we might like to admit. If we are honest one of the reasons for this is finance. It is amazing how finance rather than the Holy Spirit moves the work of God. Yes, finances are important, but I think the words of Hudson Taylor, doing "God's work God's way will never lack God's supply", is just as important now as it was in his days when he was penetrating China with the Gospel through the China Inland Mission.

Secondly, our conduct is very important. Titus 2:10 'so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.' Paul was laying out how people within the Body of Christ should conduct themselves. The reason is that our teaching about Christ should be attractive. This is the bottom line. Our lives should be a sweet fragrance wherever we go whether it is in our jobs, professions, schools, or more important our homes.

Didn't Jesus say Matt 5:14-16 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." The first place mentioned is our homes.

Another aspect of reformation will be seen in preaching. Isn't it interesting that when Jesus started His ministry the first thing that He said was 'repent'. When He sent out the 12 and later the 72 he told them to go and preach 'repent'. When I read the letters that John wrote to the churches in Revelation except for two, again the message was 'repent'. Often the preaching that we have today is 'how to'. How to feel better, how to build better relationships, how to build a marriage, etc. I am not against this, but the problem in the world today is a problem of sin and the answer to sin is to repent.

Paul said in Titus 1:3 "and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior."  I thought that this was interesting because it was through preaching that the Word of God came to light. So often the preaching today is to read a Scripture verse and then carry on with our own ideas, philosophy, etc. We need preaching that takes us back to the practicality of the word of God. Preaching that will bring the issues of today under the scope of the word of God. Reformation will bring this about.

                           WEEKLY E-MAIL #29
                 THE GOSPEL AND THE CHURCH Part 7

1 Tim 3:15 "if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.'

While on a speaking tour in Brazil I was asked to speak on the subject" IF THE CHURCH WAS NOT HERE WOULD IT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE? I believe that the pastor who presented that theme was thinking more of his own church than the universal Body of Christ.

However, I think the theme does involve some serious thinking and refection on the local churches and fellowships scattered throughout the world. If I think of the different denominations that we have and if they disappeared I do not think it would make much of a difference.  If we go back several hundred years in church history there were denominations then that we do not have today. They have disappeared, ceased to exist. Did they make a difference in their passing away? Not really.

However, when it comes to what the true church really is, people who have been born again, having the same heritage, same Father and belonging to the same family, this is a different matter. In all of our different churches, fellowships, denominations, etc. within there is the real church. If this church were to disappear it would make a difference and we would see the effect immediately.

In our text we see the importance of the church: 'God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.' The church is the pillar and foundation of the truth. If I look at the situation in the world today a question that comes to my mind is: where is truth? What is truth? Who has the truth? In our western world we live in a sea of relativity. There is no anchor, no foundation and this is one of our greatest problems in Western Europe and the United States.

Today, in our Western society, we have no moral absolutes. People decide their own truth based upon what feels good or those who are in power (judges, etc.) tell us what 'truth' is.

According to our text God has given us one institution to guard the truth - THE CHURCH. Yet in many parts of the world, but especially in Western Europe and to a great extent in the USA, the church has been compromised by our society that we live in, and it has brought us to the moral chaos that we find today. (My weekly e-mails in, 04, were written with this subject in mind).

In writing to Timothy and Titus, Paul gave us what we call the Pastoral letters. I think this trilogy (1. & 2. Timothy and Titus) brings out something very crucial when it comes to whether the church is important.

The message of 1 Timothy for the church is to 'guard the gospel' or truth. Jesus said: 'I am the truth'. John 14:6 My earlier e-mails talk about how we are to guard the gospel.

The message of 2. Timothy is to 'proclaim the gospel'. If we, the church, the guardians of the gospel, do not proclaim the gospel by word and deed then Satan will certainly get his false gospel out there to mankind. Isn't this what has been happening?

The message of Titus is to 'practice the gospel'. What did Francis of Assis say: 'preach the gospel, use words if necessary'. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we could behold. We want the world to listen, but they want to look. What do they see?

Reformation will bring the church back to the place that God intended.

                     WEEKLY E-MAIL #30
               GOD IS IN CONTROL Part 1 of

Ezek 1:1 'In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.'

We live in a day of great anxiety. Luke 21:25-26 I believe Jesus was describing our time when He said: 'On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'

In our e-mails from 6-10 we brought out something about God, but in these next few e-mails we need to see that He is Sovereign and that He is in control. When we look at our governments, universities, places of education, etc. we see that they have no answers to the problems mankind is facing today.

I have said on several occasions that in the 21st century we are faced with three crises. First, the crises of truth . Isaiah said: Isa 59:14-15 'So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.'

Secondly, radical Islam or what is now being called Islamofascism. We are in a world war today whether we know it or not. It is not like WW1 or WWW2, but it is never the less a war that is beginning to affect the whole world. It will become more apparent in the days ahead.

Thirdly, we are faced with what it means to be human. In the days of possible cloning, test tube babies, abortions, euthanasia - this is a question that is becoming very important and one that most of us will face.

My mother died at the age of 93. The last five years of her life she needed 24 hour care because of a stroke that left her somewhat disabled. She could still walk, talk, etc, but she needed 24 hour care. My bigger family (brothers and sisters and inlaws) took care of her. However, we are now living in a society (especially in the West) that is beginning to ask the question: 'is her/his life worthy of life?' And the answer is becoming NO!

In the past year and a half we have had Tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes that have left countless thousands dead and billions of dollars in damage. On top of that we see war on terrorism with no end in sight, (Jesus said in Luke 21:26 'Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world'), riots breaking out in different countries, people asking questions, but getting no answers.

We especially in the West (in our humanistic-post modern society) are beginning to see that man does not have the answer. Everything is beginning to seem out of control.

Reformation brings us back to the God of creation and we see that man is hopeless, BUT God is in control.

In the next few e-mails we want to focus on this.

                            WEEKLY E-MAIL #31
                          GOD IS IN CONTROL Part 2

Isa 40:7-8 "The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."

The children of Israel were going through some hard times. Here they were in exile because of their sin. Times were difficult. They repented, but still there was no change in their outward situation.

It is at this time that Isaiah pens chapter 40 bringing comfort to God's people. Isa 40:1-2 "Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins."

However, their situation was still bleak. Still in captivity, humanly speaking no way out. And when they looked at themselves compared to the might of Great Babylon it seemed indeed hopeless.

One of the things that Isaiah does under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is to show His people His greatness. How does Isaiah do this? By comparing Him to what we think is great and to realize that there is just no comparison.

First we are told that He gathers His lambs in His arms. Vs. 11 'He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart.' But then we read in verse 12 'who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand.' The thought that comes out here to me is that there is more power in His arms than in His hands. Where are we? In His arms!

Secondly Isaiah tells us that the nations are like a drop in the bucket compared to Him and His power. Paul later on tells us in Acts 17 describing the 'unknown God' that the Athenians were worshipping that 'God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands,' (Vs.24)and is the One who made as well as rules over the nations. Acts 17:26 "From one man he made every nation of men that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live."

So Isaiah says in Isa 40:17 'Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing.'  I was speaking in a Bible school in Northern Europe several years ago and during a question and answer session one of the students wanted to know what America was doing in Iraq (this was after the USA invaded Iraq)?

In answering that question I told him that he was asking the wrong question. President Bush is not in control. America is not in control. If I read my Bible right it is God who is still on the throne. The question that we need to be asking ourselves is: what is God doing in Iraq? That is the question that we need to be asking and also answering.

Isaiah is showing the Jewish exiles that God sits enthroned above the earth (vs.22); God brings princes to naught (vs.23); God reduces the rulers of this world to nothing (vs.23) and it is God who created the heavens and the earth (vs.26).

It is God who can give strength to the weary, power to the weak, hope to those who have no hope and the one that can renew our strength so that we can keep on keeping on.

Reformation brings us back to right thoughts about God.

                                 WEEKLY E-MAIL #32
                                 GOD IS IN CONTROL Part 3

Gen 1:1 "In the beginning God……."

Fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, terrorism coming through groups like Hezbollah, Hamas and Al Qaeda creating terror, Iran defying the United Nations in wanting to enrich uranium for a possible nuclear bomb, genocide taking place in Darfur, Sudan, etc. it would seem that this world is out of control.

If one looks at the news media this is the impression that one gets. There seem to be no answers and this world is out of control. It is not until we turn to the Word of God that we see that God is still in control and things are moving according to His timetable and pace.

The very first verse of the Bible tells us that in the beginning there was God and when we read the last chapter of the Word of God (Revelation 22) we see that   God is still here. Apostle Paul, speaking about the end says this in 1 Cor 15:28 "When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all." We start with God and we will end with God. We start with the will of God and we will end with the will of God being done.

So in between these two statements we have God's story, or His plan on how He will bring this about. This is what the Bible is all about. It is more than just a book on morals and moral behavior (although it is certainly that), but it is God's strategy on how He is going to execute His plan to see His will being done here on earth as it is in heaven. And what a story, what a plan it is.

In Gen.3:15 at the very dawn of human history God tells Satan that a child will come into the world born of a woman that will give out his death blow. The battle lines are drawn and an invisible war takes place between God and Satan, good and evil. How will it end? Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:24-28.

In Genesis 12 God chose a man - Abram and said: Gen 12:3 "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." Out of Abraham came Isaac and then Jacob and his twelve sons that made up what we now call Israel. Through Israel the 'Child' of Genesis 3:15 was going to come into the world. Satan did his best  trying to wipe out Israel so that the first coming of Christ could not take place. However, we read in Galatians 4:4 'But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law.' I like that statement: 'right time came'. (New Living Translation). God was not late. When the right time came Jesus Christ came into this world and all the forces of hell could not stop it.

Now, for almost 2000 years the gospel is being preached into all the world. It started in Jerusalem (Acts 2:14) and has now circumnavigated the world and is now coming back to Jerusalem. God's plan is on schedule. Christ is coming back.

We know from Scriptures that when He comes His feet will touch the mount of Olives and, like with His first coming, Satan is doing everything that He possibly can to wipe Israel off the map. But it will be to no avail. God is in charge and His plan is being carried out. What a hope we have in Christ.

                            WEEKLY E-MAIL #34
                         ISSUES WE FACE TODAY Part 2

There is another aspect of Religious Pluralism that we need to consider today in evangelical circles; this is known as inclusivism. They hold to the uniqueness' of Christ, but the pluralistic spirit has invaded their thinking.

They believe that Christ is the way of salvation, but they say that one does not have to have explicit faith in Christ to be saved. In other words a person following another religion can be saved if he is living an ethical life.

A person today who is an inlusivist is one of our former President Jimmy Carter. R. Albert Mohler, Jr. president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky had this to say: "Mr. Carter has also moved toward some form of inclusivism in salvation. In a 1996 interview with The New York Times , he said "I cannot imagine an innocent person being deprived of God's eternal blessing because they don't have a chance to accept Christ." Mr. Carter has been critical of Southern Baptist witnessing efforts to Jews and Mormons and is seemingly open to the idea of salvation through other religions. Once again, he is in direct conflict with the convictions of Southern Baptists."

This type of thinking hinders the mission program of the church. If people can be saved through living an ethical life then why waste money, energy and time to bring the Gospel to people who have not heard about Christ?

How many times have I heard well-meaning Christians say: surely God will make a way for those who have not heard about Christ. Look at the ethical life that they are living. Surely they will not perish. It is true that if a man is truly seeking God he will find God. Jer 29:13 'You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.'

Paul also tells us that no one is seeking Him. Romans 3:11 "there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God."  In this inclusivism in evangelical circles there is the idea as well that we can be saved through works. Ethical living is what they are talking about, being saved through living a good life. Can we?

Again if we go back to what Jesus Himself said the answer is NO. If we can be saved through living a good or an ethical life then why did Jesus have to die on the cross - one of the most cruel deaths invented by man?

So we see that this type of thinking takes away the mission impetus as well as the need for the death of Christ for our sins. We need to come back and see what Scripture has to say about who God is, what is salvation and whether Scripture is the inspired Word of God.

This is what I have been trying to do in these weekly e-mails for this year, looking at what is the Gospel, who God is and how we know that Scripture is the inspired Word of God and relevant for us in the 21st century. We need to be grounded in these truths.

                            WEEKLY E-MAIL #35
                       ISSUES WE FACE TODAY Part 3

Another issue that we need to think through in the 21st century is what we call POSTMODERN RELATIVISM. I spent almost one year writing about postmodernism and so will not spend much time on this here in these weekly e-mails. However there are several things that I need to mention.

To define our terms a relativist is one who would say that what is true for you might not be true for someone else. The idea that comes out from this term POSTMODERN RELATIVISM is basically that there is no such thing as ultimate truth. 

Stephen Cowan writing in the Radix apologetic magazine said: 'To understand postmodernism, one must first understand modernism.
Modernism was a movement characterized by several principles:
1. Naturalism - the idea that all that exists is only the natural, physical world.
2. Humanism - human beings are the highest and most valuable reality.
3. Scientism - the scientific method is the only legitimate source of knowledge.
4. Materialistic Reductionism - everything that exists, including humans, is just a physical entity.
5. Progress - humanity is making progress in solving all of its problems.
6. Evolution - living things have evolved naturally without the need for a creator.
7. Certainty - humans can attain objective certainty in knowledge.
8. Determinism - every event that happens is the result of fixed, natural laws.
9. Individualism - individual persons can objectively discover truth unhindered by the conditions of their own time and culture.
10. Anti-authoritarianism - man is the measure of all things; all authorities must be subjected to scrutiny.

In contrast, postmodernism denies all of the above and substitutes the following:
1. Subjectivity of knowledge - all knowledge claims are conditioned by one's time and culture.
2. Uncertainty of knowledge - nothing can be known with certainty.
3. Anti-Systems - no all-inclusive systems of explanation are possible.
4. The evil of knowledge - objective knowledge-claims have led to evils (e.g., warfare).
5. Rejection of progress - man has not made progress toward solving his problems.
6. Community-based knowledge - knowledge is defined by and for the community, not the individual.
7.  Anti-scientism - the scientific method is not the only or best means of knowledge.

In essence, postmodernists assert that our cultural perspective so colors our interpretation of reality, that no-one can claim to have "the truth" about reality. "The truth," declares lohn Caputo, "is that there is no truth."

                           WEEKLY E-MAIL #36
                        ISSUES WE FACE TODAY

Postmodern relativism is a problem we face in every culture today.
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Every culture creates its own reality. Working in the land of India with the village pastors we see the truth of this statement. This is why Paul wrote in Romans 12:2  about being transformed by the renewing of our minds. One of the things that we need is for God's people to begin operating from a Biblical Worldview. This is the only worldview that works.

Doug Groothuis elaborates: "The idea of truth as objective, we are told, must be abandoned with the demise of modernism. . . . For these postmodern thinkers, the very idea of truth has decayed and disintegrated. . . .Truth is not over and above us, something that can be conveyed across cultures and time. It is inseparable from our cultural conditioning, our psychology, our race and gender. At the end of the day, truth is simply what we, as individuals and as communities, make it to be - and nothing more."

Doesn't this statement remind you of Isaiah's words: Isa 59:14-15 "So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey."

What happens to a society where truth is rejected and the society relapses into a relativistic slide?

Eventually it leads to moral chaos because everyone does what he thinks is right and good for himself. There are no standards. A society cannot function long like this and tyranny comes in to bring in the peace. When we have no ultimate truth then those who have the power will tell us what truth is. How true that we will be ruled either by God or by tyrants and most of the history of the world is the history of tyrants ruling.

In a society where there is no ultimate truth we will find that 'words' have no meaning which also means that anything made out of words will have no meaning - like laws, contracts, vows, etc. A man's word used to be binding, but not any more.

Here in the West we find that Postmodern Relativism is what is behind the political correctness and multiculturalism that we are faced with. If there are no absolutes then everyone's opinions are right. No-one is wrong and they all need to be considered.

This is why we are becoming a society where evil is good and good is evil. Basically the claim is that there is no such thing as evil. This to me is having dire circumstances when we live in a world where there is real evil. What do I mean? I believe that the terrorists that we are fighting are evil. However, in our political correct world for others they are simply freedom fighters.

One of the main roles of the government is to protect our borders and give it's subjects protection, but in a world of political correctness this will become impossible to do. Our governments in the West operating with postmodern relativistic belief will not be able to defend us against evil that is coming. How can they defend us against something (evil) they do not believe in?

This belief system (postmodern relativism) is something that we as God's people are going to have to deal with in the 21st century.  It is important for us to find out what we de believe and why.

                             WEEKLY E-MAIL #37
                                ISSUES WE FACE TODAY


Another issue that we need to think through is what is known as 'OPEN THEISM'. What do we mean by this term? Traditionally we as Christians have believed that God is Sovereign and He is in control of everything that happens. In other words nothing escapes His attention or his power. "Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will." Mat.10:29

We have understood God to be omniscient (all-knowing) not only of the past, but also of the future. We also have believed that God is immutable (unchanging) that He is the Great I AM.

Today this is under attack and this attack does not come from without, but from within - from self-avowed, Bible believing evangelical scholars. This attack is known as Open Theism or Free Will Theism.

Their reasoning goes something like this: if God knows all things, including the future as well as the future actions of human beings then the actions of human beings cannot be free and responsible for their actions. In other words God's foreknowledge of the future determines the future and thereby undermines human freedom.

So the only outcome for the Open Theists in order to preserve human freedom is to say that God does not know the future infallibly. Also because we read some verses where God is repenting, changing His mind, answering prayers then the Open Theists state that God's immutability is false as well.

From the Open Theist's point of view we then have a God that is more responsive and sympathetic to us human beings. However, the critics of this view bring out that it not only limits God's Sovereignty but also His ability to fulfill His promises. It would seem that the God the Open Theists are putting forth is not the God of the Bible and therefore is a false god or idol - made in our likeness.

However seems that this idea is gaining ground in some of our churches, denominations as well as seminaries. This brings us to the question: do we believe that God is omniscient, immutable or are we like the Open Theists trying to bring about a massive re-visioning of God, like John Piper says?

Moving into the 21st century these issues are something that we need to become informed about and be willing to give an answer for the hope that is in us.

                                    WEEKLY E-MAIL #38
                                  ISSUES WE FACE TODAY

It is important for us as evangelical Christians to understand the consequences of Open Theism and what it imposes.

Someone said: 'Ideas have destinations, and one of the consequences of our trying to read the Scriptures without any poetry in our souls will be the eventual destruction of any possibility of ministering to souls. '

Just imagine the hymn writer trying to lift up the downcast - "I know not what the future holds, but I know Who also doesn't know much about it either." In other words if we are worshipping a God, who like us does not really know the future, then how are we to uplift the down trodden. I can face tomorrow. Why? Because I know Him who holds the 'tomorrows' in His hand. Open Theist cannot say this.

Probably one of the main arguments that Open Theists have is dealing with hell. If God knew what man would do then why did He go ahead with His plan knowing that millions of souls would eventually spend eternity in hell? This, to me, is one of the main arguments that Open Theists use to bring out what they call "a more humane God", a God that is more responsive and sympathetic to us human beings. In other words a God that did not know what Humans would do, because to the Open Theist He does not know the future.

There are some terms that we need to come to grips with. Iain D.Campbell said: 'The word "Open" therefore, refers to a view about actions and makes them determine the course of events, then the future cannot be determined by God - it must remain open, unreal and therefore unknowable.' Some see this 'openness' about God has heralding a new reformation. Is it?

Some strong evangelicals are supporting the Open Theism view. For example Gilbert Bilezikian, who is very much involved with Willow Creek where 17,000 people worship each Sunday said this about a book The Openness of God published by IVP in 1994:  "Almost five centuries ago, Christians thrilled at the recovery of the truth of salvation by grace that had been hijacked from them for a millennium of church history. This book throbs today with the same excitement at the rediscovery of a God infinitely greater and freer than the cold abstractions of medievally minded reductionist theologians make him to be".

What are some of the Scriptural 'support' for Open Theism?
Genesis 6:6 - "The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart".
Exodus 32:14 - "So the Lord relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people".
1 Samuel 15:35 - "Samuel mourned for Saul, and the Lord regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel".
Jonah 3:10 - "Then God saw their [the people of Nineveh's] works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it".

In these passages of Scripture we find that God was 'sorry', 'regretted', 'relented' or 'changed His mind.' Stephen Charnock, says that these passages which speak of God repenting or changing his mind show that men have changed their relationship to him, not that he has actually changed. "Open Theism" takes such passages literally. Take what is said at face value, they say. If God changed His mind let it mean just that or if He regretted doing something later on, etc.
This debate that is now raging in evangelical circles is important because it touches on the very heart of our faith, because eternal life is to know God (John 17:3). If our ideas about God are wrong, then everything else will be wrong.

                              WEEKLY E-MAIL #39
                             ISSUES WE FACE TODAY

In this debate on 'Open Theism" we need to ask ourselves how this theology stands up in the face of experience. For example I am thinking of 9/11. What an awful terrorist act that was. The Open Theist would say that God did not know any more than I that this would happen and He had to change His plans accordingly. However, in this event He is walking with us through it. What little comfort that brings to my own soul.

But what does classic theism do with this problem? Dr. Ligon Duncan of First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, wrote: "What do we, as Christians, say to all this? How do we process this biblically? Well, the first thing is this - we run to the sovereignty of God. What a kind providence that here at First Presbyterian Church, God has had our hearts meditating, Lord's Day after Lord's Day, in Romans 8 and 9 over these past few months. No passage in all of the Bible could be more important for us to grasp at such a time as this. The truth of His sovereignty rings clearly in moments of crisis like these; and when it is heard, even "when the strife is fierce, the warfare long," our "hearts are brave, again, and arms are strong." Thank God that He is Lord. He sits in heaven and laughs His enemies to scorn. He is the God of Hosts and mighty in battle. Don't ever let anyone tell you that Scripture is irrelevant. We know, now better than ever, from experience even, just how timely it is. Praise God for His sovereignty and Word."
When I think of those who lost loved ones in the bringing down of the Twin Towers I am reminded of Joseph. Joseph did not say to his brothers "You meant it for evil and God decided to use what you have done for good". He said "You meant it for evil, God meant it for good."
I lost a brother and sister in a car accident. Needless to say it was a powerful blow to our family. I remember walking across the yard of our house and hearing someone say to me: 'all things work together for good.' That was all. I did not come to find out until years later that it was part of Romans 8:28. I was not a Christian then, but through that accident I not only became a Christian, but went out to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. We need to keep in mind that His ways and thoughts are not our ways and thoughts.

The Florida Baptist Witness says that Open Theism fails because of certain criteria.
1. First, open theism fails biblically. Look at the verses about being a real prophet. Deut 18:22 "If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him." Or about false gods. Isa 41:23 "tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods." It would seem from this last passage for God to be God He must know what the future holds. If not he is a false god.
2. Secondly open theism fails in discipleship. One of the crucial aspects of discipleship is prayer. Open Theism like Theism in the 18th century says that God hardly intervenes in the affairs of man. So why pray?  Another aspect of discipleship is divine guidance. Why would you want guidance from a 'being' who does not know what the future holds?
3. Thirdly, open theism fails in the solution of evil and suffering. The existence of evil in light of a good, all-powerful God must remain a mystery for Christians. An Open Theist would say that God did'nt know about the rise of Hitler, but then what do they say when God did not stop the atrocities of Hitler? He might not know of his rise, but in the hey day of his power why didn't God stop Hitler's atrocities? Christians throughout history received comfort from the realization that their suffering served an important purpose for their good.
4. Fourth, open theism diminishes Christian hope. Can an "open" God ever be sure of final victory?

We need to be like the Bereans:  "Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." Acts 17:11

                                  WEEKLY E-MAIL #40
                                ISSUES WE FACE TODAY

John 12:21 "They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. "Sir," they said, "we would like to see Jesus."
It seems that every year the newspapers, news magazines, TV, Radio, etc. come up with what is known as the 'SEARCH FOR THE REAL JESUS.' The underlining assumption is that the Jesus of our faith is not the Jesus of history.

Even this year (06) we have Ron Brown's book the Da Vinci Code coming out as one of the all time best sellers with a movie as well. Is the Jesus of our faith the same Jesus that is in history? According to the Da Vinci Code the answer is NO. The book claims that church (mainly the Roman Catholic Church) has been involved in a great cover up and that the real Jesus settled down, married Mary Magdalene and had children.

Now for those of us who have been grounded in the Christian faith in what we believe do not put any credence in what Ron Brown says, but what about the new person in Christ or the one who is seeking out the truth of Christ? This is a different story.

Don't get me wrong there is much in the research that is taking place that is good and adds to the 'faith of our fathers', but we find today in our newspapers, magazines, etc. that the scholars who believe in the Biblical Jesus as portrayed by the four gospels do not get into the main stream news media. Those who are more liberal theologically like John Dominic Crosson and Markus Borg who have published many books about what they call 'the real Jesus' that simply take away His divinity, are quoted by the main stream media.

So when the average person reads about 'the real Jesus' in the newspapers and magazines what idea do they have of Jesus? That Jesus is a wise sage, philosopher, teacher, a good moral person, etc., but not the Son of God, the Second Person in the Trinity and the One who put aside His divinity and became a man and tasted death for all men that through faith in Him they might inherit eternal life.

Jesus once asked His disciples the question: "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" Matt 16:13 What was the answer?  "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." Matt 16:14 It would seem that back in Jesus' day the main stream media were doing the same thing. Jesus is a great guy, prophet, great moral teacher, etc.

However, Jesus asked the 12 men who had been with Him for almost three years. They lived with Jesus, heard Him speak, saw what He did. If you want to get to know someone live with them. This is the best way. The young man who sees his bride to be might think that he knows her or the young woman looking at her knight in shining armor might think she knows him, but when they get married and live together then the truth comes out and they really see.

So if anyone would know Jesus when He was here on earth it would be those 12 men. So when Jesus asked the question: "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Mat.16:15 And what did they answer? Vs.16 "Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus did not deny and say to Peter that he was wrong, but that His Father had revealed this to him.

I would rather have the testimony of these 12 men of who the 'real Jesus' is then so called scholars like Crosson and Borg or what the newspapers, magazines, TV, etc. trot out every year at Easter or Christmas.

                        WEEKLY E-MAIL #41
                               ISSUES WE FACE

There used to be a TV program where the biography of a person would be made known and several people would be interviewed on stage. You were to guess who was the 'real John Doe' that fit the description. At the end the request would be made for  the 'real John Doe' to stand up and most of us were surprised.

Something similar takes place about twice a year through our main stream media about Jesus. "Would the real Jesus please stand up" is what all the ruckus is all about.

Like I said in my last e-mail so called scholars like Crosson and Borg are trying to make the real historical Jesus stand up and of course the one that they paint is the one that is completely different than the Jesus of our faith.

However in my last e-mail I wrote that the 12 men who had been with Jesus for three years testified to who Jesus was: Matt 16:16 "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." The Bible teaches that two or more witness's are necessary to establish a fact.

Not only did these 12 men testify about who Jesus was, but we also see in John's gospel that there are other witnesses as well. We have the testimony of John the Baptist. He was looked upon by the Jewish people as a prophet of God, 'for they all hold that John was a prophet ." Mat.21:26 What did John say? "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" John 1:29 Jesus also said: John 5:36  "I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me." John 5:36

What 'works' is He referring to here? "In general the whole course of his life and ministry - revealing God and His will to us, setting up His kingdom among men, reforming the world, destroying Satan's kingdom, restoring fallen man to his primitive purity and felicity, and shedding abroad in men's hearts the love of God and for one another - all that work of which he said when he died, It is finished. It was all, from first to last, opus Deo dignum - a work worthy of God; all He said and did was holy and heavenly, and a divine purity, power, and grace shone in it, proving abundantly that He was sent of God." (from Matthew Henry's Commentary".

One of the great testimonies is to hear the blind man who was healed by the Lord say: 'One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" John 9:25 His works speak.

We also see from this passage in John 5 that the Father also bears witness about His Son. Matthew Henry's commentary says this: "Because they were not acquainted with such extraordinary revelations of God and His will: You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His shape, or appearance. They showed themselves to be as ignorant of God, though they professed relation to Him, as we are of a man we never either saw or heard. "But why do I talk to you of God's bearing witness of me? He is one you know nothing of, nor have any acquaintance or communion with." Note, ignorance of God is the true reason of men's rejecting the record He has given concerning His Son. A right understanding of natural religion would discover to us such admirable congruities in the Christian religion as would greatly dispose our minds to the entertainment of it. Some give this sense of it: "The Father bore witness of me by a voice, and the descent of a dove, which is such an extraordinary thing that you never saw or heard the like; and yet for my sake there was such a voice and appearance; yea, and you might have heard that voice, you might have seen that appearance, as others did, if you had closely attended the ministry of John, but by slighting it you missed of that testimony."

Isn't this problem with the media who twice a year try to search out the real Jesus. They do not know God and because of that fact they will keep searching for the 'real' Jesus.

One last witness that I would like to marshal forth that will lead us into the next e-mails is our own testimony. Jesus doing a work in our lives that can only testify to one thing and one thing only and that is Jesus that has made the difference.

                         WEEKLY E-MAIL #42
                                  ISSUES WE FACE

Rom 2:20-24 "you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? As it is written: "God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you."

It does not take a rocket scientist to see that there is something drastically wrong in the church today between what we say we believe and what we do. We see this coming out in our daily life styles and choices that we make. 

We read the following statistics from George Barna research (www.barna.org):
1. 41% of professing Christians believe in pluralism
2. 53% reject the belief in ultimate truth
3. 27% have been divorced
4. 23% buy a lottery ticket in a typical week
5. Only 6% define success in relation to spirituality

We see immediately that there is a disconnect between what we say we believe and the way we live. The greatest apologetic for what we say is true is our life.

In the ministry of OM International we have two ships that sail to different parts of the world to bring the Gospel. On board the ships we can have as many as 50 different passport countries. When our first ship Logos sailed to the Sudan in the early days of the ministry, the Minister of Education opened the Book Exhibition. When he looked around and saw the different nationalities and all of us living in harmony he said that we were like a small United Nations, except we had unity.

Often we have had VIPs in these different countries wondering how we can live together. They know it is not the money since no-one gets paid. We tell them that it is Jesus who makes the difference. What can they say? It is pretty hard to argue with a changed life being lived out in the daily grind of every day life.

Chuck Colson of Prison Ministry says: "The church's singular failure in recent decades has been the failure to see Christianity as a life system, or world view, that governs every area of existence. This failure is crippling in many ways.. Most of all, the failure to see Christianity as a comprehensive framework of truth has crippled our efforts to have a redemptive effect on the surrounding culture.  At its most fundamental level, the so-called culture war is a clash of belief systems… Only when we see this can we effectively evangelize a post-Christian culture, bringing God's righteousness to bear in the world around us.'

What did Paul say? Roman 12:2 we are transformed by the renewing of our mind.

                                 WEEKLY E-MAIL #43
                              NEED FOR FORGIVENESS

Matt 6:14 "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

One of the main teachings of our Lord is on forgiveness. I would like to take the rest of these e-mails for 2006 and write about forgiveness. Probably one of the more important aspects of reformation is to see this 'grace' being brought about in our churches.

We read that when the day of Pentecost came and the Holy Spirit fell upon that motley crew gathered together in the upper room afraid of their own shadow that they were 'all together in one place.' Acts 2:1

I think that this little phrase is important because it brings out the thought that they were not only together geographically in one place, but they had the same heart and mind when it came to the things of the Lord. Is this important? Yes! It is and it is something that we need to be working towards within the Body of Christ.

There are many things to offend, but there is only one thing that will bring about reconciliation and that is forgiveness. Learning to forgive is not an act that is based upon feelings, but rather an act that is based upon obedience. What did Jesus say: 'forgive and you will be forgiven." He did not say: 'if you feel like forgiving forgive'. He said: FORGIVE.

I was always intrigued by the parable or story that Jesus told in Luke 17. He told His disciples that if someone sins forgive them up to seven times if he repents and ask for forgiveness.

Evidently that was too much for the disciples and so their next request was: "Increase our faith!" Jesus went on to say that faith the size of a mustard seed could move mountains. But what He did also was to tell them about the servant working all day in the field and that when he came home he was tired, hungry and wanted to eat and rest.

However, he was not able to do that until his master was taken care of first and then he could eat and rest. My question is this: do you think the servant after working all day in the field and then coming home felt like waiting upon the master while he ate, etc? I don't think so. But he did it because that was his duty. It has nothing to do with his feelings, but everything to do with obedience. So it is with forgiveness. It has nothing to do with my feelings, but as an act of my will in doing what I should do.

In later e-mails we will see some reasons why it is important to do what the Lord says. This is the amazing thing about the Word of God. It lays down for us principles so that we might get the most out of our life here on planet earth.

The words of Moses come to me: Deut 32:46-47 "he said to them, "Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you - they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess." 

                           WEEKLY E-MAIL #44
                     NEED FOR FORGIVENESS Part 2

Mark 11:25 "When you stand praying………forgive…"
Reading a book by Wayne Teafatiller called FORGIVENESS KEY TO THE KINGDOM he mentioned that the way we bind and loose is through unforgiveness and forgiveness. He was taking the verse Mat.18:18 "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

This verse is one of the great promises in the Word of God, but we also know from the context that it is a promise, like most promises, based upon conditions. Since it is a verse that comes in between reconciliation and perpetual forgiveness, this promise of binding and loosing is based on right relationships.

The question that comes to mind in reading this verse is: what are we binding and loosing? I, of course, have always looked at this verse in binding the enemy and loosing souls, finances, countries, etc. from the bondage of the enemy.

However, Wayne Teafatiller in his book brings out that what we bind and loose is God's blessing upon us. He brings out that when there is an unforgiving spirit in our heart towards others, we are binding God from working and blessing us the way that He wants. When there is forgiveness then we release the blessing of God.

If we are going to take our stand against the wiles of the enemy then we do need to take our authority that we have in Christ and bind the enemy to see the blessings go forth. But before we can see that we must see the blessings go forth in our own lives first. Forgiveness is what releases the blessings of God in our own lives.

When Jesus in Matthew 18:21:35 gave us the teaching on perpetual forgiveness He was bringing out His unmerited grace that has been poured out upon us. In this story that Jesus gave, here is a man that owed an exorbitant sum of money (10 million dollars), but when he came to the king and asked forgiveness for his debt he was forgiven. That is grace.

But this same forgiven man went out and found someone who owed him a small sum of money ($10) and demanded payment, but when the man asked forgiveness it was not there. When the king heard what this man had done took the unforgiving man and turned him over to the jailers until he could pay.

When we do not forgive we despise the grace of the Lord. The one thing that we need to do His work and to live the way that He wants is for His grace to be poured out upon us. We read that His grace is sufficient. We have all the grace at our fingertips to finish His work. But that grace is appropriated through humility. This humility is seen through forgiveness.

You might say: 'I have been wronged'. That might be true, but when forgiveness is asked for then forgiveness must be forthcoming. Reformation will bring a forgiving spirit back into the Body of Christ.

                           WEEKLY E-MAIL #45
                      NEED FOR FORGIVENESS Part 3

  Matt 6:12 "Forgive us our debts,  as we also have forgiven our debtors."
The Greek word for 'debt' is: ofeileema, that which is owed
a. properly, that which is justly or legally due, a debt Rom 4:4
b. in imitation of the Chaldean chowb or chowbaa' (which denotes both debt and sin),

I think that it is interesting to see that the Greek word for 'debt' used in the Lord's prayer can denote both debt and sin. The key ingredient here is forgiveness. We are to forgive. This is the command of our Lord.

A question does come to my mind that I would like to explore: do prosperity and forgiveness have anything in common? I think they do and it is something that we will look into in this e-mail.

I would like to mention at the very beginning that I am not talking about a prosperity doctrine. There is a "prosperity gospel" and there is a Gospel that produces prosperity. And they are not the same. I am talking about the latter.

Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount that before we offer our gift to the altar that we should make sure that we are right with our fellow brother. If not, leave your gift and make things right. This is done, of course, through forgiveness. If we do not do this then our offering to the Lord cannot be accepted.

If our offering cannot be accepted then the rewards connected to our offering cannot come forth either. Malachi told us that by bringing our tithes and offerings to the Lord would result in even greater blessings from the Lord. But if we have an unforgiving spirit then these offerings cannot be accepted. We have stopped the blessings of the Lord connected to our offering. "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Read Luke 6:27-38.

It is like I said in a previous e-mail. We are the ones that tie the hands of God and we do it through having an unforgiving spirit. How have we tied the hands of the Lord in our families, churches, communities, cities and nations from doing all that He is wanting to do?

There is an awesome responsibility on the shoulders of the church in our societies. How often God has wanted to work and pour out His blessings, but could not because of an unforgiving spirit that the church had been harboring.

We see this with the Israelites in the OT. We read that when they were in the wilderness, 10 times they tempted the Lord. How did they do that? It was through unbelief that came through an unforgiving spirit. God responds to us according to our faith. The opposite of that is true as well. He responds to our unbelief. This is where the Israelites were tempting the Lord. They were tempting Him to respond to their unbelief.

He wanted to show Himself strong on their behalf, but He could not because of their unbelief.  Isn't God wanting to show Himself strong on behalf of the church today? Yes, He is! But what is holding Him back? I believe it is the unforgiving spirit that is within the church today. This spirit needs to be exorcised and this is what reformation will do.

                          WEEKLY E-MAIL #46
                   NEED FOR FOGIVENESS Part 4

James 5:14-16 "Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

Reading these verse brings another question to my mind: is there a correlation between sickness and unforgiveness? I think so. What we face in the world today - problems, wars, etc., I believe is attributable to SIN.

We who have been born again and belong to the family of God, know that the answer to sin is the BLOOD OF CHRIST THAT WAS SHED UPON THE CROSS. To appropriate the Blood of Christ we must confess our sins. Are these not the sins of unforgiveness? Things that we have done against others and we need forgiveness.

Roy Hession wrote a book called CALVARY ROAD. It was a book that came out of the revivals of East Africa. They had a practice in East Africa called 'clearing the air'. What this meant was that they needed times when they brought things to the light - jealousies, envies, anger, slights, etc. that they felt and brought them out into the open (the light), confessed and forgave. The result? Revival that shook many parts of Africa and the world.

A book written by a medical doctor (sorry I have forgotten the author's name) called NONE OF THESE DISEASES said that it is not what we eat that is killing us, but what is eating us. Things in our life that we have not confessed and forgiven.

He went on for example and said that bitterness in the spirit can harden our arteries as fast as cholesterol causing an heart attack. How often we have found people who seem to eat right, exercise, etc., but die young of heart attack. Could it be unforgiving spirit that has not been dealt with? We know that bitterness to the soul is like poison to the body. It will kill.

Paul writing to the Corinthian church said that many have slept (died) because they were coming to the Lord's table with broken relationships, 'divisions among you', Paul said. The answer to these divisions is forgiveness. 1 Cor 11:30 "That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep."

We need to be praying for one another, especially for those who are not well, but let us not forget the admonition of the Lord that we also need to be confessing our sin of unforgiveness.

Dear Friends,

Coming to the end of the weekly e-mails for the year 2006 and coming to the Christmas season I want to take this opportunity to wish all of you a merry Christmas. What does Christmas mean to you? Of course, we think of the Nativity scene-our Savior coming into this world as a little Baby. However, I cannot help, but think, of why He came. To die for the sins of the world. Some of His last words on the cross were: ‘Father forgive them, for they know not what they do’. When I think of Christmas I think of the message of forgiveness.  It is interesting to see that the last weekly for this year is on ‘forgiveness’. Isn’t this the message of Christmas?                      

                                WEEKLY E-MAIL #47
                          NEED FOR FORGIVENESS Part 5

John 17:23 "I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."

To me John 17 is the real Lord's prayer. Here He is on the verge of being crucified and He is pouring out His heart to the Father. What is He praying for? He is praying for His people, His disciples, those that were with Him at the time, but also those of us who would believe through them down through the centuries.

In praying for His disciples what is He praying for? It seems that there are two things. First He is praying for their purity. John 17:17-19 "Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified." He wants us holy as He is holy.

Secondly, He was praying for our unity. John 17:21 "that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me."

When it comes to reaching this world with the Gospel of Christ it will come through the unity of the Body of Christ. This to me is one of the most important things that we need to grasp - there is power in unity. If you look at the Corinthian church it is in these two areas where Satan attacks - their purity and unity. Isn't this true of the church - the Body of Christ-in the 21st century as well?

We need to understand that there is unity in the Body of Christ. What we must do is maintain it. How do we do this? Through forgiveness. My wife and I lived for a total of ten years on the OM International ships - Logos (3 years) and Doulos (7 years). We lived with hundreds of others coming from 40-50 different passport countries representing all of the major denominations. God used the ships and is still using them and the main reason for this is because of unity.

When the Logos was in the Sudan we had the Educational Minister open the book exhibition. When he did he looked around at all of the different nationalities and said: 'you are like a small United Nations, except you have unity'. This made a powerful impact upon this Muslim. You cannot argue with this type of exposure.

In the classic film Ben Hur at the end we see the servant of Ben Hur being carried into his presence by another man. While in prison Ben Hur's servant lost the use of his legs, but while there met and befriended another man who lost his tongue. When the servant came into Ben Hur's  presence he said: 'I lost the use of my legs and he lost the use of his tongue, but together we make a considerable man'.  Isn't this the church today? When we maintain our unity we make a considerable force in the world for good. Might God bring reformation and a forgiving spirit into the church.

                                 WEEKLY LETTER #4

                                      DESPERATION

In my quiet time this morning I was reading Nehemiah where he heard about the situation in Jerusalem with the walls broken down and the gates burned that he sat down and wept. “For some days I mourned, and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.” Neh.1:4

It is interesting to see that the Old Testament men and women identified with the children of Israel and how we in the New Testament must identify with the body of believers (the church) as well.

But the other thing that comes out to me about these OT saints is that there was a deep mourning that emanated from them regarding the spiritual situation of the ‘people of God’. There was a desperation.  One of the things that I learned a long time ago was that it takes a passion to conquer a passion.

Isn’t this something that we are missing today – a passion, a desperation for the things of God, for God Himself? My prayer for myself, my family and my ministry is that God will give us a desperation for Him.  Isn’t this what Jesus meant when His disciples came back with food and offered Him something to eat and He said: John 4:34 "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”

Rhonda Hughey said: “Desperation is the underlying fuel that ignites our hearts for unity, prayer, worship, and repentance.  If we aren’t longing for Jesus our ministry activities will be routine and hollow.  There is certainly no shortage of ideas, plans, methods, books, teachings, programs, and activities in the church; what we are suffering from is a drought of desperation for God!”

Isn’t this a problem that we have today with the church? The walls are broken down and we see all manner of worldly things coming in as we try and do the work of God through the ingenuity of man? We find, like Nehemiah, our gates are burned and the enemy rushes in to destroy and kill? I guess the question that I am asking myself is: where are the Nehemiahs that will sit down and mourn, fast and pray? Where are those who are desperate?

Because the walls are broken down, the gates burned we now see coming in, not only in the church, but in our cities as well moral breakdown of our political as well as church leaders; we see crime and corruption on the increase; we see divorce, breakdown of families and suicide becoming a daily occurrence.

In reading Rabbi Yechiel Weitzman’s book THE ISHMAELITE EXILE he mentions that Israel will be delivered when there is real prayer that they call the ‘moan’. He writes:

“Rabbi Chaim Vital also reveals that persecution at Ishmael's hands will prod the Jewish people to renewed faith in G-d and to prayer. Only then will G-d answer. Our sages teach us that prayer has the power to renew a person's faith. However, they say that only prayer that is called a "moan" has this ability. What is this moan? Rescue from Ishmael requires a special kind of prayer. A "moan" is a cry that bursts forth from the depths of the heart.”

He goes on to say: “There is an added dimension to our sages' choice of the word "moan" rather than "prayer" or "plea". Prayer is a request for something an individual wants but does not have. But a "cry" (which Rashi uses as a synonym for "moan") is a prayer for life itself.”

This is the type of prayer that the Children of Israel prayed when they were in bondage in Egypt. It says that they were moaning under their burdens.

Didn’t Jesus also tell His disciples that this type of demon will not come out without prayer and fasting (desperation). Will our families, communities, societies, cities, countries be delivered before there is a ‘moan’, a cry of desperation?

WEEKLY LETTER #5
POLITICAL CORRECTNESS

2 Cor 10:4-6 "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete."

Anneli and I just arrived back from a ministry trip to India. While praying with a group of prayer intercessors here in the States one prayed against the onerous idea that is coming out regarding Political Correctness. I thought that this is another ideology that is shaping the minds of many and we do not even know it.

What is meant by PC? It is a term that is used to redress injustices in matters of race, gender and sexual orientation. However, in going back and looking at the history of this expression we also see that it was used by the old communist guard to toe the party line.

In the 1990's the meaning of PC was expanded to take on a number of liberal issues - like the environment, feminism and also the use of offensive words that might hurt some group of people, like, for example, calling homosexuality sin.

So we find for the first time in our Western culture that we have to be very careful in the use of our words whether spoken or written or we will be labeled insensitive, racist, homophobic, etc. All of this is stemming out of PC.

Political Correctness was comical that in the past people made jokes about it. However, now we find that it is a deadly serious disease that is affecting our Western culture, a disease that in the 20th century left millions of people dead in Europe and China. It is a deadly disease and it is deadly serious.

Political Correctness goes back to WW 1 and has a real link to Marxism and Freudism that was brought about by a think tank started in 1923 in Germany. This linkage brought about what we now know as the Critical Theory. The thought in back of Critical Theory is to criticize. So what we have in our universities today - radical feminism, the women studies departments, the black study department and gay study departments are branches of Critical Theory. Some of the writings, literature, etc. that promoted this theory was just what the radical students wanted in the 60's. Basically they were being told to do 'your own thing' and 'if it feels good, do it'.

What is the result of this ideology that we call Political Correctness here in the West? We are becoming an ideological state. Here in the West we are becoming countries with official state ideology and backed up by the power of the state. We have people in jail serving a jail sentence for political thoughts. It is not much different than what happened in the former Soviet Union and what is still going on in China today. We, in the West, might have won the cold war militarily, but not ideologically.

PC needs to be exposed for what it really is. Again, where is the church in the midst of all of this? Here is a stronghold that is being built that needs to be pulled down through the use of our weapons - prayer, faith and the Word of God.

We see the environmentalist with their "earth first!", not freedom first. We see the dehumanizing of man who was created in the image and likeness of God. We see that life has become cheap and expendable and so abortions abound, euthanasia is gaining ground in country after country and in some countries genocide being carried out like in Darfur, Sudan.

We need to realize what this ideology is and through prayer, faith and the Word of God see it torn down.

                                             WEEKLY LETTER #6
                                             CRISES OVER TRUTH

John 8:32 "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

One of the main situations that we will be facing in our Western culture is the crisis over truth. This crisis over truth is touching everything that we do, say and think. It is shaping our political scene as well as having an impact on the church.

For example, I was listening to the O'Reilly Factor when Bill O'Reilly debated Whoopi Goldberg (movie star and now talk radio host) about some of the comments made by various movie stars who were participating in an anti-war demonstration in Washington D.C.

A comment that Whoopi made which is so indicative of our postmodern culture was that she made decisions and based her opinion on what her heart was telling her or how she felt. This is so post-modern where ultimate truth is rejected. This is the result that we now see. What does our heart tell us? Truth as well as facts are damned.

When I look at the whole debate within the anti-war movement it seems to be based more on what their hearts are telling them and not the facts or what the  reality is. How can we continue to live like this in a free society? We get this more and more in our news - not the facts, but the feelings.

What is also interesting is that an answer like this seems so sincere and trustworthy, like a lofty goal. If we all are making decisions based upon what our heart is telling us then what a confusion this will bring about! There are over six billion people in the world and if they all are following their heart can we imagine the chaos that will come out of all of the decisions that will be made!

When I look at the opinion makers that we all have in our societies it would seem that these opinions are being made not from facts or reality, but from what their hearts are telling them. So what does this mean? It means that they are shaping world opinion based on feelings, the heart, and not facts. Isn't this what we are seeing today? Yes, I think so.

When there is no ultimate truth then what we feel becomes the truth for us whereby we can make our own decisions, based upon what feels best for us. This is what happened in the 60's with the student rebellion. They went on the assumption of do 'your own thing' and 'if it feels good, do it'.

There are many things that we can do that might feel good, but in the long run will do us harm. Look at some of the things that we eat, drink, etc. They feel good, but the end result might entail much suffering.

Listening to the program described above how often I heard the words: this is what I feel. It is not what I think, or what are the facts, but what I feel. I think of a lady who made the comment that she knew that Jesus was alive, because, she said, I feel Him in my heart. But is this the way that we know that Jesus is alive? I feel Him in my heart. I know that Jesus is alive because this is what the Bible (ultimate truth) says. 1 Cor. 15:4-8

Our feelings are not a good barometer of what is taking place. The Word of God is. Even in the church today we hear the expression: 'I feel'…that this or that is right. We must base our lives on the Word of God. This is a must especially in these days when there is so much deception taking place in the world. Remember that our enemy is out to deceive and that this is what he is trying to do. And I am sad to say he is having success.

We need to be reminded of the words of Solomon: Prov 3:5 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." So much of our leaning on our own understanding is trusting in our feelings-following our heart and not the Word of God.

                                  WEEKLY LETTER #7
                                      WORLDVIEW

Rom.12:1,2 "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will."

Los Angeles Times article made the statement: "Russia has lost the equivalent of a city of 700,000 people every year since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991." My question is: how long can a country survive with that type of loss?

The sad thing is that this is not only happening in Russia, but basically throughout all of Europe. It is estimated that for a country to keep the status quo population wise they need 2.1 children per family. What is it in Europe? Ireland 1.87, Germany and Austria 1.3, Russia and Italy 1.2, Spain 1.1 (this means that Spain is halving every generation). By the year 2050 Italy will have a 22% loss, Bulgaria 36% and Estonia a whopping 52%.

When we look at history we see that the decline and fall of great civilizations follows a familiar pattern-affluence, softness, decadence and extinction. A society that has no children has no future. However, in Europe we do find that people coming from the two-thirds world are having children. Just to give you an idea-Somalia 6.91, Niger 6.83, Afghanistan 6.78 and Yemen 6.75. The immigrants in Europe (mainly from Muslim lands) are, like the figures above, having children and their population is increasing. In other words these are the ones known as 'the replacement people'. They will replace the dying Europeans.

Why is this taking place today in Western civilization? I would like to put in here something our social engineers to not acknowledge and that is a worldview. In our western civilization we have a post-modern, humanistic worldview. A worldview is how we screen everything around us; how we look and interpret things that come our way. This is turn affects our thinking which in turn affects our decisions and then our behavior.

Let us take Russia since we mention it at the beginning. In back of the numbers we have one of the fastest AID epidemics, drug and alcohol use and suicide, coupled with 100,000 more abortions than births last year alone has led to these numbers.  Scripps-Howard columnist Terry Mattingly puts it, "we have suicide, AIDS, substance abuse, rampant abortion, and a loss of hope in the future . . .  in a nation that, in the past century, saw the rise of an atheistic regime that tried to stamp out the practice of faith."

We see that a worldview is important. The way one thinks is important. This to me brings in the church. We are told in Scripture verse at the beginning that we are 'transformed by the renewing of our mind.'  It seems that we get saved, but we keep the old mind instead of seeing it renewed day by day through the Word of God.

We must learn to bring our thinking into the mind of Christ. Paul tells us: 2 Cor 10:5-6 "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete."

George Barna, author and researcher, made waves when he said that only 9% of all born again adults and just 7% of protestants possess a Biblical worldview. Because of these figures it led George Barna to do research on religious leaders to see where they stand in regard to a Biblical worldview. It stands to reason that if the leaders do not have a Biblical worldview then the ones they are teaching will not either.

Based on 601 Senior Pastors nation wide from a wide cross section of Protestant churches George Barna found out that only about half of the pastors operate from a Biblical worldview.  It is hard to teach something you do not have.

Barna suggested that people do not get a biblical worldview simply by regularly attending church. "A biblical worldview must be both taught and caught - that is, it has to be explained and modeled."

All of this suggests two things to me that I want to put down in this weekly.

1. We must see God raise up men and women who will model a Biblical worldview in all that they say and do. We need to get back to what we call the 'must be' of Scripture. 1Tim.3:2-4. An elder 'must be….'
2.  We must teach what a Biblical worldview is; what it consists of and how it relates to everything in life. We must change our thinking.

WEEKLY LETTER #8
HUMANISM

2 Cor 10:5 "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

Another insidious idea that has come into the church in missions, worship and evangelism is the philosophy of humanism. First, we can start by asking ourselves a question: is God an end or a means? This is a question that every Christian must answer.

The definition of humanism can be defined as: the end of all things is the happiness of man. We see this thought running throughout modern liberalism today. What embellished the radical student movement of the 60's (which we are still suffering from today) is that "if it feels good, do it".

When we carry this definition of humanism over to salvation then salvation becomes a way to get the greatest happiness out of life. God then becomes a means and not an end. Yet Bible truth states that the most important end of all things is the glory of God, not the happiness of man.

How did we get to this place? A fundamentalist believes in heaven, hell, death, burial and resurrection of Christ. This is right because this is what the Bible teaches. And we saw that we become a fundamentalist by believing these truths. Finally it came down to where we give intellectual assent to these few statements of doctrine and so salvation became nothing more than mental assent to a formula or scheme. Salvation was for the happiness of man. Humanism had eventually penetrated the basic doctrine of salvation.

The liberal says the end of religion is to make man happy while he is alive. The fundamentalist says the end of religion is to make man happy when he dies. The philosophical statement that comes out here is that the end of all things is the happiness of man and this has been covered over with evangelical wording and Biblical doctrine.

So God reigns in heaven for the happiness of man; Jesus was incarnate for the happiness of man; all the angels exist for the happiness of man. So humanism has taken over and we find that the end of all things is for the happiness of man.

The Newsweek poll alleges that 67% of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69% of the country is unhappy with the performance of the president. In essence 2/3 of the citizenry "just ain't happy and want a change."

I thought that this was rather interesting because supposedly 80% or higher would consider themselves Christian. Yet in this Newsweek poll so many are unhappy. They say it is the direction of the country or the performance of the president, but at the same time we live in a country where we have running water 24/7, electricity 24/7, able to go into any grocery store and buy anything our hearts desire 24/7, 95.4% of the people have a job and yet almost 70% are unhappy. The problem here is not the direction of the country or the performance of the president, but the philosophy of humanism at work: the end of all things is the happiness of man. Christianity is a by-product of happiness not a prime product.

So much of what we do today for the Lord is motivated by humanism and not love like Paul says in 2 Cor 5:14 'For Christ's love compels us…' We are to go for His sake not their sake.

The Moravians were a mighty mission force for the Lord. Their battle cry was 'to win for the Lord the reward for His suffering.' We 'go' and we 'do' because He is worthy. It is not what we are going to get out of God, but what He is going to get out of you.

                                          WEEKLY LETTER #10
                                       DO WE HAVE THE WILL?

John 4:34 "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work."

Last week I ended my e-mail with the question: "Is the church ready for the harvest that is coming?"

Several years ago in Brazil I was being interviewed by a Christian magazine that had a wide audience. They asked me a number of questions about missions, most of which I have forgotten, but one question that they asked I did not forget: what is the greatest hindrance to missions today? Is it Islam?

I knew that Islam was not the greatest hindrance, but what was? I sensed the Lord giving me wisdom in answering that question. He brought my attention to the verse above: My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work." Today we have everything at our disposal to finish the work, but do we have the 'will'? This is the greatest hindrance to missions today, a lack of will.

There are four things that that come to my attention dealing with 'will' that we see with Jesus in this verse. And Jesus is our example to follow. What are these four things?

1. It was impossible for Jesus to do the will of Him who sent Him and to live a selfish life. In other words we cannot do the will of God and live a life for ourselves.

Every generation has had a name given to it. For example we have the baby boomers, baby busters, X generation and Y generation, but this present day generation is called the ME generation. If we are honest with ourselves we see that this is the problem in our families, communities, churches as well as our countries that we have today, a problem of self. What did Jesus do? Phil 2:7 'but made himself nothing..' Self, of course, does not like this, because self wants to be recognized. Gospel of John tells us that the seed must fall into the ground and die. Paul said 'I die daily'. Martin Luther said: 'until a man is nothing, God can do nothing with him.' Isn't this the problem that we have in our ministries today, the problem of self. We try and break into the Trinity and make it a foursome. It doesn't work that way.

2. It was impossible for the Lord to do the will of His Father and have doubts about His Father's will . The Bible tells us that the will of God is perfect, pleasing and good. Rom.12:2. Yet how often we find ourselves not wanting to commit to the Lord because we doubt His will. I know that this was my problem for several years. I did not want to submit to the Lord's will because I was afraid that He might call me to preach. I wanted to do other things. But the Lord knew how He had made me and where I would be fulfilled. How often we say we will do something for the Lord IF He will do such and such a thing. There are no 'ifs' and 'buts' when it comes to do doing the will of God. We too, like the Lord need to see that our food, vitality and strength comes from doing the perfect will that He has for us.

3. It was impossible for the Lord to do His Father's will and fear . Fear is a paralyzing factor in our walk with the Lord. We are afraid to take God at His Word; we are afraid to take risks; we are afraid that the Lord might 'let us down'.

John tells us in 1 John 4:18 "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."

What is it that overcomes fear? Love! Love for God. In that word love I recognize that I have been forgiven of my sins; I recognize that He will give me all things that I need; I recognize that my greatest need has been met, the need to be accepted and I recognize that He is aware of everything that pertains to me.

4. I believe it was impossible for Jesus to do the will of His Father and to lack imagination . Didn't God tell us: Eph 3:20 "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us." In the context of this passage Jesus told His disciples to look and see that the harvest was ripe. Jesus, I believe, saw the people coming from the village to see and hear him after they listened to the testimony of the woman at the well, but when He saw the people He imagined the multitudes that would be saved in the future. Look and see and imagine..

I was reading this morning Isa 13:1 "An oracle concerning Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw." The little phrase "Isaiah saw" spoke to me. Seeing and imagining what the Lord can do go together. I wrote in my journal the things that I see the Lord doing. Of course to do that I had to use my imagination. Didn't the Lord say 'ask of me and I will give you the nations'? We sing it, but do we really believe it? Since God can do more than we can imagine - might He not want to give us more imagination?

                                            WEEKLY LETTER #11
                                               WHAT ABOUT EVIL

Rom 3:9 “What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin.”

A question that is popping up quite regularly in our society is whether there is such a thing as evil. I was watching a news commentator who had on his program two men who were going to define evil. I thought that this would be interesting. However they never got around to defining evil because they did not really believe that evil exists. Exasperated with their definition of evil the news commentator asked: ‘the men who flew the planes into the Twin Towers and killed three thousand people, was that evil?’ Of course, they would not admit that it was evil.

The underlying thought in all of this is that people who say there is no such thing as evil believe that men are born good. However, when we make this statement there are several things that we need to consider.

If we were born good then it is evil on the outside that is wrong. The blame will always be on something or someone else. Isn’t this what we see in our society today? No one takes responsibility for their actions. It is always something or someone that is the cause. Very seldom do we find people taking responsibility for their actions. The men who flew the plane into the Twin Towers were not at fault, but the conditions that they were brought up in or better yet 'the Great Satan' made them do it. This is the reasoning that we find today.

Secondly, if there is no such thing as evil than we will not stress the need for character building. What do we mean by character? We are talking about men and women of integrity, commitment, sacrifice, loyalty. We are talking about men and women whose words mean something. We realize that their yes means yes and their no means no.

Thirdly, we will find that if there is no such thing as evil then God and religion are not even necessary. When I look at the founding of our country I realize that the church played a major role in our development as a country. Pastors were looked upon with great respect and their advice was sought. But today we find that the church and God have been relegated to the side. Therefore Christians are not really essential to major decisions that need to be made today. In our progressive social agenda God is not necessary.

Fourthly, when we say there is no evil and that we are basically good then it stands to reason that the people who disagree with us are bad. When I see the politics of personal destruction shaping our culture I realize that this is what is in back of it all. We see the name calling, looking for the skeletons in the closet of those who oppose us. Why? Because we are good and since they disagree with us, they must be bad so let us find that bad in them.

Not recognizing evil will affect every aspect of our lives - politically, economically, etc. Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister, of Great Britain said in her book STATECRAFT that every politician should be confronted with evil. She was confronted with pure evil when she saw the atrocities or genocide that took place in the former Yugoslavia.

What does all of this mean? There is real evil in this world and if we, the church, do not recognize it then all hell is going to break loose. When I see decisions being made by politicians compromising with evil, decisions that will affect my life and the life of my family, I have a responsibility to speak out and declare the truth.

In this regard I thought of the words of Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower delivering the commencement address to the 1943 graduating class at Sandhurst (British equivalent to our West Point). The gist of his speech:
“Gentlemen, in the middle of a war, you have just graduated as professional officers in the profession of war. A profession, my fellow officers, that is the most archaic, brutal, senseless, destructive, bestial, de-humanizing profession ever invented by man. It should have been abolished long, long ago. But we have a job to do, a dirty, brutal job. There is an evil loose in the world that glorifies war; that would destroy by war all that we hold dear. It must not prevail!”

These words send a chill up my spine and something that we must not forget. There is an evil in this world that is out to destroy all that we hold dear - freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to move. We either live under the rule of the Lord or under the rule of tyranny. The decision is ours. The cost of freedom is eternal vigilance.

                                         WEEKLY LETTER #13
                     GLOBAL WARMING: FACT OR FICTION
2 John v.7 "Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist."

When it comes to the environment I cannot think of anything more volatile than this subject. With all of the 'hot air' blowing regarding this subject it is hard at times to separate fact from fiction, but we must.

When I was thinking about global warming I was reminded of the words of A.W. Tozer when he said that 'truth and error walk the same highway'. How true this is when it comes to 'global warming'. We have truth and error (fact and fiction) walking the same highway.

I have lived long enough to see several catastrophies that should have happened. For example, in the 70's we were talking about a small ice age that was upon us. Did it happen? Another scenario that was being banded about was that by turn of the 21st century millions would die because there would not be enough food. Millions have died because of a lack of food, but it was not because the world was not producing food, but because of political agendas. Darfur in the Sudan is one example.

Right after the war in the early 70's between India and Pakistan that liberated East Pakistan that became a new country called Bangladesh my wife and I were with Operation Mobilization on our first ship called the MV Logos, in Calcutta, India. Food was desperately needed in this new country of Bangladesh. Truck after truck was leaving the Calcutta area carrying wheat to Bangladesh. We offered the service of our small ship. We could have put enough wheat in our holds that would be equivalent to about 50 trucks to transport it for free to Bangladesh. It didn't work out. Why? Because of governmental ineptitude.

One thing that I have noticed over the years is how government takes over more and more of our freedoms. In some countries a dictator rises and takes away our freedom, but in the Western world where democracy reigns it is a little more subtle. We see a certain pattern that emerges.

First, there will be a crises (real or imagined, it makes no difference) that causes a certain degree of fear and panic among the populace. In this so-called crisis facts make no difference one way or the other. The second step is to bring in a solution and some new governmental office is created to meet this disaster - real or imagined it makes no difference - and the consequence is some of our liberties have been taken away.

In my country (you can look at your own countries to see if this is true or not) we have several examples. During President Johnson's time we had a program enacted called the 'Great Society'. The goal was to abolish poverty. At the time that this was initiated the facts showed that poverty was going down, but like I said facts make no difference. The program was enacted, over a trillion dollars (yes, that is a T for trillion - one thousand billion dollars) were spent. What has been the result? Poverty has increased, but government control over more of our lives was realized.

Another crises was teen-age pregnancy. At the time teen-age pregnancy was on its way down - but that makes no difference. Governmental programs were enacted that took away, not only the freedom, but some of the responsibilities of families. In our schools today anything that smacks of Christianity is being thrown out. An aspirin cannot be given at school to one of our children without parent approval, but that same child could be taken to have an abortion without the parents even knowing about it. What is wrong with that picture?

So when I hear Al Gore moving up and down the country in his private jet, staying in one of his four private homes shouting about the catastrophe to come I am a little skeptical. We live in an age of great deception and it is going to get worse before it gets better. We Christians need to be clear in our thinking about this subject.

"Global warming, as we think we know it, doesn't exist," says Dr. Timothy Ball, chairman of the Canada-base Natural Resources Stewardship Project and former climatology professor at the University of Winnipeg, noting that "consensus is not a scientific fact." I thought that this was interesting, 'consensus is not a scientific fact' in the light of the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that seems to have a more political agenda than actually really dealing with global warming.

There is much ado about Al Gore's documentary 'Inconvient Truth' but very little fanfare about Vaclav Kiaus calling global warming "a replacement for communism" … The President of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Klaus told US Congressmen: "As someone who lived under communism for most of my life, I feel obliged to say that the biggest threat to freedom, democracy, the market economy and prosperity at the beginning of the 21st century is not communism or its various softer variants. Communism was replaced by the threat of ambitious environmentalism". Sounds like a political agenda to me.

However, global warming and the environment is not to be taken likely, but we must muddle through the fiction, political agendas to get to the facts. "For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist." 2.John verse 7.

We as Christians need to be concerned about the environment, but we also need to make sure that we do not buy into deception that is out there. We need to heed the words of the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY), "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."

WEEKLY LETTER #14
TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCE

Jer 2:19 “Consider then and realize how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the Lord your God and have no awe of me," declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.”

In reading the Scriptures we constantly see where the Lord tells us to stop and ‘consider’, ‘to think’, to use our brains. In this passage through Jeremiah God is telling His people to consider the outcome or consequences of their actions. Their action here is rejecting the Lord - rejecting ultimate Truth for relative truth. Reading Isaiah as well as Jeremiah it would seem that they had the same problem that we have in our Western world today - having given up something that is real (God, the ultimate truth) for something that is not real (idols, relative truth). When we stop to ‘consider’ we see that this is the problem that we have in the West today.

We, here in America, are coming into another election cycle, this time around  starting about 12 months earlier than usual. However, living in this post-modern era we see the same pattern beginning to emerge and we need to be mindful of what is happening. (I should say here that what is happening in America during this election time is basically what is also happening in other countries where free elections are being held). When there is no ‘ultimate truth’ then there is no way to really judge the performance of so called political candidates.

In our postmodern society truth is what people (in this case the political candidate) perceive it is. So watching the political candidate several things begin to stand out. First, we see the candidate begins to reinvent himself to the needs of the moment. You never know who they really are, because they are like a chameleon that changes according to their surroundings. How often you hear of the candidate flip-flopping on important political issues.

Secondly, we see with the candidate that appearance is more important than substance. How we look is more important than what we really are. Character, is not important, but what kind of image do we project? How do people perceive us? Do we look presidential?

Thirdly, we find in our postmodern era where ultimate truth has been rejected that our candidates compartmentalize their lives. We often hear that if they have a good performance in the job, it makes no difference about their private life. Their life is divided into different departments. There is no continuity running throughout their lives. We hold a high standard for those who minister the Word of God (and we should) that their walk and talk should go together, but isn’t this the same for any public official? Their daily life should go along with their job. What makes us think that if a politician is not faithful to wife of his youth, for example, will be faithful to the public that he serves?

Fourthly, we find that the candidates will construct their own morality. When there is no absolute truth to guide us then we create our own truth. This is what happens when we reject God (the ultimate truth) that we construct our own gods. Isn’t this what the people of God were doing in the days of Isaiah and Jeremiah and the other prophets? Since they rejected God they created their own gods (idols) and their own morality.

So here in the West in this postmodern environment we will see several things taking place. First, we will see a lot of ‘spin doctoring’ or a distorting of the truth. We are seeing this more and more with the media. Instead of reporting the news we see certain agendas being played out. It is not necessarily a lie, but truth told in such a way that we believe a lie, or truth is told but not giving the full picture.

Secondly, we will see image manipulation taking place. Since appearance is more important than substance then we will see the manipulating of one’s image. This is why polls are considered so important during the election cycle. because polls reveal how one’s image is coming across.

Thirdly, we will see politics becoming more ruthless. The reason for this is that when there is no absolute truth, then it is power that determines what the truth is. We see the politics of personal destruction.

The ‘spirit of anti-Christ’ has been in the world, but in these last days this spirit is becoming more manifest. Didn’t Jesus tell us that the wheat and tares would grow together and in the last days they would become more manifest? This is what is happening now. Deception is the word to describe what is happening so that even the elect are being deceived. How we need to be watching and praying!

                                         WEEKLY LETTER #15
                             WHAT IN THE WORLD IS HAPPENING?
Some weeks ago I wrote about 'evil' that is pervading the world. Several days back we saw the result of unadulterated evil in our midst in one of our universities when 32 university students and teachers were shot by a deranged South Korean fellow student by the name of Cho Seung Hui.

Even in the midst of all of this barbarism we also saw good when one of the professors, a Jewish survivor of the holocaust, Liviv Librescu, barred the door from the madman coming in to shoot and kill. However, the madman shot through the door instead and the Jewish professor died. This professor must have been about 12 years of age when he stared evil in the face when Nazism was trying to wipe out his race. I am sure that in the face of this young madman he saw again the same evil that he had escaped from over 60 years ago.

Listening to the news pundits, psychologists, psychiatrists, etc. we run the gambit of why something like this happened and what should be done. However, we never (not often anyway) seem to hear that evil is loose and running rampage around the world. It seems that we, especially in the West live in denial. I read an article where Billy Graham's son, Franklin Graham said: 'Satan was behind it.' Of course, for some in our sophisticated world that is a rather simplistic answer.

John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." When we live in a world where there is no truth or we come like Pilate and ask: 'what is truth?' it is important to understand that 'truth' is a Person. Jesus said it Himself: "I am the Truth." The same is true when it comes to evil. Evil is a being that we call Satan. He is the personification of evil. In other words when we think of truth we think of Jesus and when we think of evil we think of Satan.

We are also told in the Word that the reason Jesus appeared was to destroy evil. 1 John 3:8 "He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work." In one of my weekly letters I had mentioned what God is doing about evil. When Jesus comes it will be through His light and the truth that He speaks that evil is destroyed. We know that the devil loves darkness and falsehood. This is where he hides and his deadly work is carried on.

The church has a tremendous responsibility in today's world to be the bastion of truth as well as the beacon of light. The world and especially our young people are looking for answers and direction in their lives. Where do they go? To whom do they turn? Our universities have no real answers to the questions that are plaguing our young people. Instead of Absolute Truth we have moral relativism; instead of light more darkness. Then we wonder why so many of our young people commit suicide and like the South Korean student decide to take 31 others with him.

Yes, there are many problems in our societies here in the West. Along with the many problems we have many so-called answers - more gun control, more education, better systems of monitoring problem kids, etc., but we never seem to get to the underlying cause of all of this malaise, this rot that is rotting our culture, communities, our homes. We have anything goes mentality, where families are not restored, but redefined, alternative life styles that contradict the laws of nature, everybody creates their own morality and then something like Virginia Tech takes place where 32 people are gunned down and we wonder why this is happening.

We live in a 'fallen world' and bad things are going to happen. Through the midst of tragedies like Virginia Tech, hurricane Katrina, earthquakes in Pakistan and Iran and Tsunami that wiped out a quarter of a million people in 12 countries we know that the earth is groaning and waiting for the revelation of the sons of God. Rom 8:19-21 "The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God."

God is moving and working towards His will being done here on earth as it is in heaven and God is using His church, weak as it is, to do great things. It has been written and so it will be done.

                                    WEEKLY LETTER #16
                                      WHERE ARE WE?

Rom 1:21-23 "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles."

I have been reading the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah and have been struck by the similarities that I find in these prophetic books and times that we live in, especially here in the West. Doesn't the Bible tell us in Corinthians that these things (in the OT) are written for our examples? What is an example for? It is for us to learn from them so that we do not make the same mistake and go down the wrong road. Anyone can learn from experience, but it takes a wise man to learn from what is written and the examples of others.

Where are we? Exactly where Romans 1:21, 22 says we are. "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles."

Are we naïve enough to think that if God did not allow His people to escape or get away with the idolatry that they were engaged in that somehow God will over look ours, here in the West? I don't think so. In the OT Israel was the people of God and in the NT it is the church. Judgment must begin at the house of God.

In his research George Barna said that in the 65 common values there is no difference between those in the church and those on the outside. We have as many divorces within the church as we do on the outside the church. There is no difference. We seem to acknowledge that there is God, but we 'deny the power thereof'.

Why is this so? Why is the church so much like the world? For several years I have been studying why this is so and the one thing that I come up with time after time is that the reason we are so like the world is because we think like the world. We have the same worldview as the world. Remember the worldview is the way we screen things daily coming our way. This screening process leads us to make decisions or choices - good or bad - and the consequences of these choices lead us down a certain path.

Francis Shaeffer wrote about the 'loneliness of man'. The West is seeing the death of our culture. What does this mean? Does it mean that people are disappearing? How is it affecting us? What we are seeing today is what Francis Shaeffer talked about. We are seeing the 'death of man'. Personality is gone. Who 'man' is has been torn away. Man today is nothing more than an animal and we see man's inhumanity to man coming out in our society.

So we have the Columbine shooting several years ago or recently Virginia Tech shooting that killed 32 people including Cho the killer. We have the terrorists that blow themselves up and kill innocent people - women and children. We see laws being passed that make no sense whatsoever to any logical thinking person.

The message of Jeremiah must be preached today in our Western world if we are to be any help to our post-Christian era. What did Jeremiah focus on? He focused on a number of faults: the inadequacy of a merely external religion, the general apostasy of the church, a few specific sins, and the tendency to search for meaning and security apart from the God who is there.

Jer 9:2-3 "Oh, that I had in the desert a lodging place for travelers, so that I might leave my people and go away from them; for they are all adulterers, a crowd of unfaithful people. "They make ready their tongue like a bow, to shoot lies; it is not by truth that they triumph in the land. They go from one sin to another; they do not acknowledge me,"declares the Lord."

What was Jeremiah's message? External religion, apostasy, sexual sins, and lying are some of the things that Jeremiah was exposing. He went on to say that they were living only by habit, not because they had a firm, rational, Christian base for their actions. And this is indeed ugly, as Shaeffer brings out.

What did Schaeffer mean by living only by habit and not having a firm, rational, Christian base for their actions? Because we are not operating on a Biblical worldview! Although I have written about this in previous e-mails I will take the next few weekly letters to discuss this more in detail.

WEEKLY LETTER #17
WHAT DO WE BELIEVE? Part 1

Francis Schaeffer said: "we (Christians) are living only by habit, not because we have a firm, rational, Christian base for our actions, and it is indeed ugly."

Schaeffer meant by this that basically our Christian life is just that - a habit. We go to church on Sunday. Why? Habit, because this is what one does if he is a Christian. We might be in a small study group, etc. Why? Again it most usually is a habit. I am not saying that anything is wrong with a good habit, but we do not have a rational base for our actions.

This is the reason why having the right worldview is important. The way we think and screen things that we face daily and make our decisions or choices will in turn affect our whole life for either good or bad. I have just finished reading Chuck Colson's book THE GOOD LIFE. In that book he brings out example after example of people who lived their life with a worldview other than the Judeo/Christian worldview and the results of that way of thinking. What a difference we see when a person is operating from a Biblical worldview.
A Biblical worldview is what produces the GOOD LIFE.

Talking about the 'good life' we are not talking about prosperity, or the abundance of things that we might possess, but about things that are more important when it comes to life. First, we are talking about HOPE. To live a good life people must have hope. Without hope we will soon be in despair. Yet when we look around we see little hope with people and consequently despair has taken over. Only the Christian worldview offers hope.

One of the main things about the Biblical worldview is that it fits reality. It fits in with the way the world is, the way it functions. The Biblical worldview allows us to live in conformity with the physical, natural, moral order - the way the world is supposed to function.

The second thing about the Biblical worldview is human liberty. The Christian worldview holds the bedrock foundation for liberty, because it looks at man as  made in the image of God and having dignity. What kind of worldview would send their young people off to commit suicide and take as many others as possible with them? What kind of worldview would teach young men, like what happened in Turkey a few days ago to tie up three Christian believers (two Turks and one German), torture them and then kill them?

Only the Christian worldview that brings dignity in to man. You cannot have the good life without dignity.

The third thing about a Biblical worldview is it brings happiness. We need to understand happiness the way the ancient Greeks understood it. It means a life well lived, life of virtue, a life rooted in truth. It brings great happiness when we come to our last days and we can look back and realize that we have lived a life that was well lived.

A worldview must answer three main questions.
First, where did we get this universe? How did it come into existence?
Who is man? Why are we different? Why do we love, feel have emotions? Why do we fear death? Why are we different than our dog? Cat? For the Darwinist the answer is time and chance, but for the Christian worldview it is God. 'In the beginning God created….'

The second question that a worldview must answer is: why are we in such a mess with wars, hatred, broken relationships, disease, etc?

Again for the Darwinist this is because man is tied up with do's and don'ts; man has been repressed and so we see what we have in the world today.

For the Christian worldview the reason we are in such a mess is because of sin. Man decided to go his own way and do his own thing and leave God out.

The third question that a worldview must answer is: what is the solution?

For the Darwinist's worldview man must be set free from all of the do's and don'ts in society. Let him be free to explore and run his own life. One of the reasons we had the outbreak of sexual freedom in the 60s and right up to our own day here in the West is because of this worldview. What did it bring? Despair!

For the Christian worldview the answer is the Gospel. Christ died for our sins and through Him we can have a new life, new beginning, etc. No wonder Paul said that the Gospel is the power (dynamite) of God to bring about change.

I just briefly showed you two worldviews that we have here in the West. Let me ask you a question that you might ponder: Which worldview (Darwin or the Biblical worldview) fits reality, the way things are?

                                    WEEKLY LETTER #18
                OUR FAITH: CONVICTION OR PREFERENCE Part 2

In my last weekly letter I asked the question: Which worldview (Darwin's or the Biblical worldview) fits reality, the way things are?

If the Judeo Christian worldview is the right worldview because it fits reality, the way things are, then this worldview must pertain to every aspect of our life. This I think is where we really miss the boat so to speak, because our Christianity has become more of a habit and not a conviction.

In Daniel chapter 3 we see three young men who were thrown into the fiery furnace by the King of Babylon because they would not bow the knee to the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had made. When we see the stand of these three young men we see something of what we are talking about when it comes to having a biblical worldview that affects every aspect of our life, every decision we make, every place we go, everything that pertains to our life. Everything in our life must be based on this biblical worldview.

A biblical worldview affects every aspect of our life and that is what I mean by conviction. This is the reason why I asked the question regarding our faith: is it a conviction or just a preference? A preference is something that I prefer more than something else. For example, I prefer the Bible over the Hindu Vedas, or I prefer the Bible over the Muslim Koran. But that's all it is, just a preference not a conviction, not a biblical worldview that affects every aspect of my life.

In Daniel chapter 3 as we look at these three men, several things come out that show us what a conviction is. The faith of these three young men was not just a preference but it was a conviction, 

We read in verse 15 that these three men stood before king Nebuchadnezzar and he said to them: "now when you hear the sound of the horn and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good." However, they replied in verse 13: "we do not need to defend ourselves for you in this matter if we are thrown in the blazing furnace God is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand. But even if he does not we want you know we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold."

In this statement we see several things that I think are important about a conviction or having a Biblical worldview.

First, we see that a conviction is unchangeable. The King of Babylon was trying to get these three men to change their position but because it was a conviction or a worldview that affects every aspect of their life it was unchangeable. This is the way it will be with us as well when a biblical worldview takes over our thinking, our thought process, which in turn will lead to our way of life

Secondly, we see that they were willing to stand alone. We often will stand if we have other people standing with us. There must have been at least 500 Jews in Babylon at that time but it seems like there are only these three that stand on their conviction. However, this brings out the thought regarding a biblical worldview that operates in our life: we are willing to stand alone if necessary. We don't like to stand alone, but we will stand alone because what we believe is a conviction within us.

Thirdly, we also see in this passage of scripture that this conviction, this belief that these three men had was non-negotiable. You will also see that the King was trying to get them to change, to negotiate, but we see the steadfastness of these men. They knew that what they had was right and it was a conviction within them that they were operating with a biblical worldview.

Fourthly, we also see in this passage something about worldview operating or a conviction that we don't need to be assured of success in order to stand. We see this with these three men. They knew that God could deliver but even if He did not they would not bow the knee to the statue, they would not bow to a false worldview. In this we see what conviction really is and that is we will stand whether we are guaranteed success or not, because what we believe is right, it fits reality.

Question that comes out is how do we really know whether not what we believe is a preference or conviction? I will write more about this in my next weekly letter

                                   WEEKLY LETTER #20
                                  FAITH, MIGHTY FAITH

We have heard the song: 'faith, mighty faith, the promise sees and looks to God alone'. In reading Scripture we see the importance of faith. Peter tells us in first Peter 1:7 our faith is more precious than gold. 1 Peter 1:7 "These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." That little phrase: "These have come so that your faith" is referring to trials that come our way. God uses trials to build our faith.

Often in the Gospels when Jesus was teaching His disciples that whenever He saw an example of faith He would stop and point it out. Luke 7:9 "When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel." Several times Jesus would use the phrase: I tell you the truth, in referring to faith. This to me shows something of the importance that Jesus put on having a strong faith. Matt 17:20 "He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
We also see that Jesus on a number of occasions rebuked His disciples for their little faith. Matt 8:26 "He replied, 'You of little faith, why are you so afraid?' Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm." Isn't this the reason why we are so often fearful. How often fear has crippled us from being able to do all that God wants us to do and to fulfill his will for our life? Why are we fearful? Jesus said because we have little faith. What this means is that our faith is inadequate.

In Hebrews chapter 11:6 we see why faith is so important. God says the man who believes or the man who comes to God must believe that He exists. Heb 11:6 "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." A question that often comes to my mind is: do we really believe that God exists? If so, does it make a difference in our lives?

When Jesus was teaching His disciples and preaching His famous sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 6:30 it shows that the reason we worry is because of little faith. Worry is a problem that we all face and in reality worry is the spiritual problem of little faith. Matt 6:30 "If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" In this section of the sermon on the Mount Jesus is telling His followers that we should not worry.

Another question that that come to our minds is: what is faith made of? In reading through Hebrews chapter 11 and looking at these great examples of faith two things that strike me almost immediately are obedience and sacrifice. For example we look at Noah. He heard from God about what God was going to do and we see that he obeyed what the Lord wanted and in that obedience there was sacrifice. Another example is Abraham who again heard from God and he obeyed by going and in so doing there was sacrifice in the sense that he left his family, his country and went not knowing just where he was going. How many of us would be willing to do that?

It's only later that another word has been added to what I really believe makes up faith, and that is the word 'patience'. For Noah it was 120 years before what the Lord said would happen. For Abraham it was many years before he had his son Isaac, but they patiently waited and trusted in God for His timing.

How is faith built? We already saw in first Peter 1:7 that trials, tribulations, etc. that come our way is what builds faith. God is constantly trying to take us away from our dependence upon that which is not reliable and to be able consistently to rely upon our Heavenly Father who will never let us down. How often we have heard that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. This is so true when it comes to living by faith. The flesh often seems to overpower the spirit. Jesus as well as the apostle Paul said that we are to walk in the Spirit. This is all part of our sanctification and growing in the Lord.

                                WEEKLY LETTER #21

                                  OUR MINDS Part 1

1 Peter: 1:13-14 "Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance."

We live today in very exciting times. I believe that we are living in the days we could see the coming of Christ. We see turmoil around us in nation after nation, we see the gospel spreading like never before.

Several years ago I was at a conference in the Middle East and the one thing that struck me forcefully is how the gospel has now circumnavigated the world. It started in Jerusalem Acts 1:14, and is now coming back to Jerusalem.

It is in this context that this verse in Peter speaks to me. We are to prepare our minds for action. The first question is: what does it mean when the Bible talks about our mind? The Greek word for 'mind' in this context is: 'dianoia'. Several things come out about this word. For example, the mind is the faculty of understanding, feeling, desiring. This word for 'mind' is used in Matt 22:37 "Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' "

In 1 John 5:20 the word for 'mind' is understanding. "We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true - even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life." In Eph 2:3 the word is used for thoughts. "All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath."

In looking at these verses quoted above it would seem to indicate that the mind is the faculty of knowing, understanding, or moral reflection. The mind gives us the ability to think through, to meditate, and to reflect. This is the faculty that we must prepare for action

If it is through our mind that we know, understand or have any moral reflection then we begin to understand the importance of our need to protect our mind. Our mind, it would seem, affects our behavior which in turn affects our emotions.

Our emotions that we have, whether good or bad stem from our behavior. It would seem that one of the things that we need to protect more than anything else is not allowing the enemy to begin to build strongholds in our minds. The stronghold is nothing more than thoughts and ideas that come our way and we begin to build upon them one idea at a time like one brick at a time until a fortress-like stronghold is established in our mind.

Could this be what Paul is referring to in second Corinthians 10: 4, 5 "the weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and we take every thought to make it obedient to Christ"?

One question that comes to my mind is: according to Scriptures what is the difference between the mind and the heart that are so often mentioned? In studying the word for heart in the Word of God several things come out that I think is important. First, it seems that words are created in the heart - 'out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks'. Secondly, it seems that out of a heart comes imagination. Genesis 6:6 "God said the imagination and thoughts of man's heart was evil continually." Heart could also be used for the inner man. 1 Samuel 16:7 says that man looks on the outward and God looks at the heart. It could be said that our inclination and will resides in the heart. Exodus 35:5 "whoever is of a willing heart".. the heart could also be the seat of our emotions. Deuteronomy 6:5 "we are to love the Lord with all of our hearts".

When we look at the mind and the heart and Scripture I wonder if we could say the mind is the conscious part of us but the heart is the subconscious. In one sense our thinking and reasoning comes out of what is already in the heart.

In the 70s there was a air crash on the island of Teneriffe in the Canary Islands. Two jumbo jets collided on the runway and over 500 people died. It was the worst air catastrophe in our history. One man survived in a very supernatural way and he gave his testimony of what happened in his life. He mentioned that in the midst of the crash when there was fire all around his mind became like a computer and Scripture verses were coming to him. It must have been, as he said, verses that he had memorized because he did not have his Bible with him, it was in his suitcase. But one Scripture verse after another came until he came to Isaiah 43: 2 "when you walk through the fire you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." He said that when he came to that verse he began to shout: "I stand on the word, I stand on the word", and in a miraculous way he was delivered.

When he was considering all that had taken place a question came into his mind. He wondered why people around him who were ablaze and were ready to meet their Maker were cursing God. It was hard for him to understand that. Later as he studied the matter further he came to the conclusion that a man in a place of crisis will react in the way that he has programmed himself through life. If he programmed himself in life to curse God then in a crisis he will curse God.

This shows importance of the mind and the heart and how we need to be guarding our hearts with all diligence because "out of a heart come the very issues of life". Proverbs 4: 23.

                              WEEKLY LETTER #22
                               BE PREPARED Part 2

1 Peter 1:13 "Therefore, prepare your minds for action."

We saw in our last weekly letter what the mind represents. What we want to do in this weekly letter is to understand what it means to prepare. I believe that one of the great maladies facing the Western world is a spirit of apathy. This is very prevalent in Europe but we also see it here in the USA. Along with apathy is what Amos calls complacency. We see this spirit affecting every aspect of our society: politics, education, the arts and our faith.

When Peter through the Holy Spirit tells us to prepare our minds, what is he referring to? The word in Greek means to gird oneself. For example, it is used of the long garments worn in the East that a person would gird himself with. It brings out the idea of wrapping himself in one's garment. We see this word being used about Peter: John 21:18 "Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish."(NKJV). Or in Acts12:8 where Peter is in his supernatural escape from prison. "Then the angel said to him, "Gird yourself and tie on your sandals"; and so he did. And he said to him, "Put on your garment and follow me." NKJV

So we see that this word is used metaphorically of 'the loins of the mind'. Luke 12:35 "Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning;" NKJV. The figure is taken from the circumstances of the Israelites as they ate the Passover in readiness for their journey. Ex 12:11 "And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord's passover." KJV The Christian also is to have his mental powers alert in expectation of Christ coming.

When we begin to look at this word "prepare" we see that it is dealing with preparing ourselves for service, for rapidity of movement, and it speaks figuratively of the condition for service on following Christ and also when we study this word we see that it's symbolic of Christ's priesthood where he is girded about the chest with a golden sash and even the angels mentioned in Revelation 15:6. "And out of the temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues, clothed in pure bright linen, and having their chests girded with golden bands." NKJV

In thinking through the word "prepare" with what is already been written above we need to frame our mind towards certain things. First, we need to think in terms of service. Christ said that he came to serve. He also said that 'as the Father sent me so send I you'. We are to prepare for service. Secondly, we need to prepare for instant service. Paul said "I am ready". This is the same attitude or frame of mind that we must have. Often we are not ready. We are not ready spiritually, we are not ready emotionally, and often we are tied down by the things of this world so that we cannot move.

Thirdly, we also need to recognize our calling as priests. It is not just for the chosen few but we all are priest and we are to offer up to God sacrifices. What sacrifices do we offer? The sacrifice of thanksgiving; the sacrifice of praise; the sacrifice of a broken spirit and a contrite heart. These are sacrifices that God will not despise.

Two other things I would like to mention in this weekly letter. Peter also told us in first Peter 4: 1 "therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin." We are to EQUIP our minds to suffer. This is not something that we like, especially here in our Western world but this is part of the armor that God has given us to wage war. Remember we are called to be good soldiers.

Secondly, in the Gospels Jesus is constantly telling us to watch and pray. We need to prepare, or to gird our minds, with this attitude. We need to constantly keep in mind that the "prince of this world" is trying to rob, steal, destroy and kill. He, the enemy of our soul, is out to destroy our families, our communities, our countries.

This is why I believe that the spirit of apathy that has penetrated our nations here in the West is very dangerous. The enemy is not asleep, but very much awake and is doing untold damage in our families, our communities, our churches and if we do not wake up to what is happening we too will be destroyed. LET US PREPARE!

WEEKLY LETTER #24
ANOTHER BABEL

Gen 11:1-7 "Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth." But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. The Lord said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other."

Language is important. Language carries or contains ideas. When people come together and they begin to share, talk ideas come to be built upon and tremendous things can be accomplished for good or evil. We see this with inventions how through language ideas have been built upon ideas that have been written or spoken by others, but the vessel to carry these ideas has been language. It would seem to be that this is what the Lord had in mind when he came down and saw the tower of Babel being built and he said: "if this one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them".

I think it is interesting because the main 'lingua franca' today is English. It seems that we are now getting back to one language. I have been reading a book on the history of the English-speaking peoples from 1900. What this history had to say about the English language I thought was rather interesting. Consider some of the thoughts given below.

"According to a European commission report in 2001, English was being spoken by more than one in three of the 350 million citizens of the European Union, whereas fewer than one in 10 spoke French outside France itself”.

”Nothing has advance what Professor Neil Ferguson has dubbed "Anglobalization" faster than the adoption of English as a second tongue of many countries around the world. Standard English has evolved into what the Cambridge lecturer Freda Johnson has called "the busy, flexible, everyday language, including regional dialects and international idioms, slang, e-mail, Internet -- speak in text -- messaging. Today the English language comprises over a half a million words, more than thrice the number of any other tongue.”

”Today, with 1.5 billion speakers worldwide, it is posed for global hegemony. Europeans who speak English now outnumber those who speak French by three to one. Once the Chinese speak in English -- and already 750 million speak it as their second language -- it will be history's first true world tongue."

Also it was interesting reading that English is becoming the language of wealth as well. For example the book goes on to explain: "English is today both the language of wealth and, just as importantly, the aspiration to wealth. It is not enough that many hundreds of millions who speak English as their first or second language, but the people who do so have on average higher per capita incomes than those who speak the other great world languages. Although there are many more Mandarin speakers than English speakers, they are only worth 448 billion pounds in total. Against that Russian speakers are worth 801 billion pounds, German speakers 1,090 billion pounds, Japanese speakers 1, 277 billion pounds, but English speakers are worth a staggering 4,271 billion -- more than all the rest put together. There will be the possibility of a world conversation, in English."

What does this mean when 'there will be the possibility of a world conversation, in English?' This is where Scripture comes in. First Corinthians 10:6 tells us that "these things occurred as examples to keep us from sitting our hearts on evil things as they did". So when we go back to the Old Testament, we must go back to when humankind gathered together in the plains of Shinar under the leadership of Nimrod when the people spoke a common language. We know that the imagination of men's hearts, unless it is changed by Jesus Christ, is towards evil. It does not mean that man cannot do good things, but it means that basically we are bent towards evil.

With the ability to communicate with one another worldwide through a common language - English as well as 'the computer language' - we can easily move into things that God does not want. At the Tower of Babel God came down in order to stop what man was doing. I would tend to say that we are getting close to that time again when God will come down and put a stop to what man is doing. Are we ready?

                                      WEEKLY LETTER #25
                                  WHERE IS THE CHURCH

John 8:44 " You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

I was reading a book called: the Nazi Conscience. It was a book that dealt with the German conscience to being allowed to kill 6 million Jews. One of the ways that the people in power prepared the population for this was through the use of propaganda. Lies were told, a real brainwashing took place in the German mentality. In thinking through what the Nazis did in Germany I often ask myself the question: where was the church?

How could the church allow something like this to take place? However, when I read about what has been happening here in the West with abortions and especially with the partial-birth abortion I also need to ask: where is the church today? I need to be more personal and ask myself the question: how am I involved in seeing something like this abolished?

Here in the USA we have the killing of unborn babies by injecting poison into their hearts. I'm not sure which is worse, collapsing the head of a viable baby and extracting his brains, or injecting a lethal dose into the baby's body. How could so many in the West have come to this point of utter brutality and callousness? They eventually came to accept it because of powerful propaganda that paved the way.

James Dobson of Focus on the Family said: "Now because of the development of ultrasound technology, those lies are exposed. A new mother can vividly see that she is carrying a precious baby. She can understand for the first time that the "blob of cells" has a heart that beats, and little fingernails on the hands. The child sucks his or her thumb and "swims" and cavorts in the amniotic fluid. Other characteristics of humanness are right there to delight his or her mother. That understanding is slowly turning the tide against legalized abortion."

In a recent poll taken by the Pew Foundation found that 73% of the American people viewed abortions has being morally wrong. Also it stated that 88% of abortion minded women when shown (or one could say meet) their baby through ultrasound technology, and through loving counsel change their minds and carry their babies to term.

It is not only abortions that we can ask the question: where is the church? Where is the church when our young people go to university and are brainwashed with a Darwinist worldview and over throw the faith that they had before they entered the university? When we read statistics that the majority of teenagers who are in the church do not believe that there is such a thing as ultimate truth, we need to ask ourselves the question: where is the church, the guardian of truth?

We are now entering our presidential elections here in the USA. If one follows the speeches given by our presidential hopefuls we find that they cater more to what we really want to hear rather than what they really believe. Once they are in office they will eventually follow and make decisions on what they believe. So we find that our presidential hopefuls are more conscious of appearance than substance. In other words, what we believe is not as important as what we appear to be, thanks to television and those 30 second sound bites.

Where is the church when it comes to the environment? Today there is so much propaganda about the environment that it takes a Herculean effort to separate truth from fact. What is the responsibility of the church? Is the cultural mandate of Genesis 1:28 still in effect?

Where is the church when it comes to reaching the lost with the gospel, the good news? The Bible, God's ultimate truth, tells us that there is only one way to eternal life and that is through Christ. We are told that there's only one name whereby people can be saved and that is Jesus Christ. We are also told that there is only one mediator between God and man and that is Jesus Christ. It is the church's responsibility to see this truth penetrating every part of the world. Where is the church when it comes to reaching the 2 billion people in what has now become the 10/40 window?

When I say all of this I am not pointing the finger at anyone except to me. Why? Because I am part of the church. These are questions, as a member of the universal church, I need to ask myself. Where do I stand when it comes to some of these crucial issues that we are faced with in the world today? The Bible tells us that judgment must first begin at the house of God.

                                                WEEKLY LETTER #30
                                    What to work towards in our churches

Acts 2:42-47 "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

I think we need some clear thinking about the church, what it is, what it should be doing and more importantly to know what is God's desire. I think that we need to work towards several things in our churches and fellowships. There are things that I think are important. We need 'gap fillers' to fill the gaps. We do not want to complain about the gaps, but to be gap fillers in our fellowships.

1. To work towards having a new awareness of our unity. John 17:23. This is true not only of our little fellowship, but the Body in general no matter what denominational tag that we might be wearing. It is important that we work towards this goal. Our goal is completion and not competition. However, this is something that we need to be striving towards within our own body. We need to find out what are the rifts tearing us apart and bringing in disunity.
Traveling around the world I do sense a new awareness of our oneness taking shape in the hearts of many evangelical leader. Jesus said in John 17 that when we are one the world will believe that Jesus was sent into the world.

2. It is important for us to know the power of prayer. It is not by our strength or might that things are going to be done. Neither will it be through our slick advertisement or any of the world's methods, but only through prayer. We need to be more like the church at Antioch where we see the leadership gathering together to worship and praise the Lord. While they were praying the Holy Spirit spoke. This is the way it should be. This is what we need to work towards within our fellowship.

3. We need to know the value of fellowship. This is something that does not come naturally, but what we need to work at. The type of fellowship mentioned in Acts 2 is where we can 'let down our hair' and be honest with one another, share our problems and burdens and pray for one another. We learn to carry one another's burdens. This makes for a healthy fellowship

4. The need for spiritual leadership. God's work must be done in God's way and it must be done through godly people. We must re-insert what Paul told Timothy and Titus in appointing elders - they MUST BE, not "it would be nice if they were'. Leadership is not born, but it is made. This is where training must come in. However, it takes spiritual leaders to produce spiritual leaders. And this is something that we must work at.

5. We need to see followers become true disciples. In this world that we live in this is a must. There is a great need for mentors. Spiritual fathers who can come along side of younger people and help nurture them in the things of the Lord.

6. We must have right priorities. What should the priorities of the church be? We need to read through Paul's epistles and see what Paul had to say about this. One of the things that would be utmost in my mind is what we read with the early church in Acts 2 and 4.

What do we see with the early church?
They were concerned to:
    1. Grow in faith
    2. Enjoy community. 'everything in common
    3. Practice sharing. 'selling their possessions.
Note the consequences.
    4.  There was learning. 'All the believers were one in heart and mind. 4:32   
    5. There was equality.  'no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 4:32
    6.  There was justice. 'From time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sale and put it at the apostles feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.'
My prayer for the church is for reformation that will bring us back to what God intended the church to be. May it be so!

WEEKLY LETTER #31
WHAT IS THE TRUE CHURCH

Pope Benedict XVI said Christian communities outside Catholicism were not full churches. This caused quite a stir in the Christian community regarding the church. What is the church? Or perhaps the best question would be : who is the church?

In response, the president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Dr. Albert Mohler says evangelicals must proclaim, without apology, that any church, which defines itself in terms of the papacy, is not the true church.

When I look at the Methodists, the Nazarenes, the Presbyterians, the Pentecostals, the Assemblies of God, etc.. I am sure that they too would probably claim that they are the true Church. I think it's very important for us to go back to the word of God and to see exactly what the Scriptures say the church is.

First of all the church is not a denomination, it is not a building, and it certainly is not a name. The church, true church, are people who have been called out. One could say that the church is a gathering of people. However, when we say that we must explain what we mean by "gathering of people", because there are many gatherings of people today. For example, the Rotary club has a gathering of people; the Lions Club and many other clubs that meet have a gathering of people. However, we know that this activity of gathering is not the church.

In layman's terms the church is a gathering of people who have certain qualifications. First, they all have been born again. This means that they have invited Christ into their life and they are committed to Him. This gathering of people have a common ancestry, the same Father. So where are these people? In my travels I have seen that these people are found in every major denomination, including the Roman Catholic church. As I said it is not a name, building, or denomination that determines the church but the church are people with the qualifications listed above who have been called out.

Perhaps the best way to describe the church is like a People's group using a missiological term. For example the largest People's group in the world without a country are the Kurds. You will find them in many nations of the world. They have their own language, culture, dress and food. The church is something like this. We are a "people group" with no country, no boundaries, going across cultures, languages, etc. and found in most nations of the world. This is the church, because they have committed themselves to Christ and by the Spirit of God have been brought into what is known as the body of Christ.

I was reading in Leviticus 1:1 "The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting." This is interesting because previously the Lord  had spoken to Moses from the mount, but now it was from the tabernacle. Why is this significant? We know from 1 Cor.15:46 that the natural comes first and then the spiritual: "The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that came the spiritual."

In the New Testament we have the spiritual application of this Old Testament truth - God speaking from the tabernacle. In Eph 2:21 "In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord." In other words we are the temple, tabernacle (the Body of Christ) from out of this tabernacle the Lord speaks today.

A question in my mind is: how much of what the Lord has been speaking to us has been lost because of the divisions among God's people that make up his tabernacle? How often we have cut off part of the Body and consequently missed what the Lord is saying.

The Lord's prayer in John 17 takes on a whole new significance when He prays that we might be one as He and the Father are One. Might this truly be so!

                                    WEEKLY LETTER #32
                                        ARE WE HAPPY

Ephesians 2:1 "as for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins."

According to a survey it seems that very few people in the West are experiencing happiness. The question is why? With the increased prosperity and the rising standard of living one would think that a person would be happy. According to an article by Chuck Colson: "thirty years ago, 36 percent of Americans said that they were "very happy" and another 53 percent called themselves "pretty happy."

In 2006, only 32 percent called themselves "very happy" and 55 percent said they were "pretty happy." Our sense of happiness has barely budged despite increased prosperity and even greater improvements in our standard of living."

Could this be what Paul is writing about in Ephesians 2 when he says that people who are outside of Christ are dead. What is Paul actually saying? I believe that what Paul is trying to get across to the Ephesians as well as to us is that a person without Christ is incomplete. There is that part of him, the spirit, which has the ability to know God is actually dead. This brings about an incompleteness in life.

We have fallen into the trap in thinking that riches, fame, popularity, etc. would fill this gap, this incompleteness that we sense in us, but it does not. We are, like the Bible says, dead in our trespasses and sins. We can go to our self-help seminars and conferences trying to find fulfillment but these will not ultimately meet the need that is in us.

It is also interesting that in some of the two-third World countries where you do not have the prosperity that we have in the West people seem to be happier. This to me is another indication of the disconnect between prosperity and happiness. It also brings out the truth of the Bible that real life - which includes happiness and fulfillment - resides in knowing God.

Didn't Jesus tell us that eternal life is knowing God? If knowing God is the source of real life how much time do we spend in pursuing God? For the average Christian it would seem that very little time is spent pursuing God, or getting to know God.

This doesn't mean that we become monks, separating ourselves from the world, but it does mean, I believe, that we develop a biblical world view. If knowing God is eternal life then to me this means that we bring God into every situation in our life - our professions, our marriages, our family life, our time, our treasures - in other words into every aspect of our life.

It seems that with the increased prosperity here in the West there has been a decrease in spirituality. It is like one famous Indian evangelist said: "you in the West pray for our material poverty, but we in India pray for your spiritual poverty."

2500 years ago the prophet Isaiah said: "why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?" Isaiah 55:2.

Pursuing God, your fellow traveller.

WEEKLY LETTER #33
WHERE IS GOD?

Romans 5: 12 "therefore just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and this way death came to all men, because all sinned."

According to the New York Times some of the best sellers as far as books being written are authored by atheists. According to Chuck Colson there seems to be an insidious attack upon our Christian faith, values and beliefs.

One of the arguments that the atheists use is: "where is God in the midst of all the suffering that we have in the world today?" Often we read headlines stating that thousands died in an earthquake; thousands perished in floods in Bangladesh; hundreds of thousands were killed in a genocide in Africa, etc. and so the atheist comes along and says that if there is a God of love why do we have all the suffering, desolation and despair in the world? How can an all-powerful, loving God allow suffering?

Atheists make what appears to be a "reasonable" complaint: "If God is loving and all-powerful, then why doesn't He use His power to stop the evil, suffering, pain and death?'

Charles Darwin rejected Christianity after the death of his daughter. The billionaire Ted Turner, a famous media mogul, says he lost his faith after his sister died. Former well-known evangelist, the late Charles Templeton, published Farewell to God in 1996 describing his slide into unbelief and his rejection of Christianity.

Templeton stated:
`Why does God's grand design require creatures with teeth designed to crush spines or rend flesh, claws fashioned to seize and tear, venom to paralyze, mouths to suck blood, coils to constrict and smother - even expandable jaws so that prey may be swallowed whole and alive? ... Nature is in Tennyson's vivid phrase, "red [with blood] in tooth and claw," and life is a carnival of blood."
Templeton then concludes: "How could a loving and omnipotent God create such horrors as we have been contemplating?"

We come back to what I have been talking about before and that is our worldview. If we take for example Darwin we see that a worldview has been developed, a worldview that answers the three basic questions that a worldview must answer.

What are these questions?
1.Where did we get this universe, this creation, etc.?
2.Why is the world in such a mess; why is there so much tragedy, despair, suffering, death in the world?
3.What is the solution?

The evolutionist, atheistic answer to these questions is (1) that first of all the creation came about through time and chance. (2) The reason we are in such a mess is because of all the do's and don't that mankind is tied to and (3) the solution is to set man free. In their thinking there is no God and consequently no ultimate truth. As I have mentioned before that it is through our worldview that we screen everything that comes our way and therefore the worldview is the basis on which we make our decisions, our choices. We see the results of this in our societies and cultures especially in the West.

However, when we go back to the Word of God and especially the first few chapters of the book of Genesis we get the right perspective in the real answers to these three questions and through this developed a right worldview in order that we might make the right decisions and choices.

The world, contrary to what the atheists say, was not always bad. We read that God created the world and the universe including man and it was all good.

What happened to make the world like it is today is that the first man sinned, rebelled and decided to go his own way. Death and suffering is a result of sin. Death is not an ally but an enemy. Paul said in first Corinthians 15: 26 "the last enemy to be destroyed is death."

For those of us who operate from a Biblical worldview know that this is not the end of the story. It is not like Carl Sagan said that death and suffering will continue on as it always has been. God is moving towards making all things new. His solution was for His Son to come into the world and take upon Himself the sentence and the result of sin and to die on the cross.

However, He rose again to new life. Those in Christ will rise as well to new life. A new world will be brought into existence where there will be no more death, suffering, pain, tears. Those of us who have this Biblical worldview must allow this way of thinking to permeate every aspect of our life so that we might be a demonstration, an example, to the world around us that in the midst of death and suffering there is hope. This hope is not a man, government, education, etc., but in the living God. Praise God for this.

                                          WEEKLY LETTER #34
                             GOD'S VOICE AND THE CHURCH
Lev 1:1 "The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting."

First God spoke to Moses from the mountain, but in this passage we see that He is speaking to Moses from the Tent of Meeting, the tabernacle. We know  that the natural comes first and then the spiritual "The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual." 1.Cor. 15:46.

I wrote about this before but I would like to reiterate some thoughts regarding these days that we as the church, the body of Christ today are living in. We know that the Tabernacle - built in the wilderness - as well as the Temple - that was later built when the children of Israel had settled in the land - represented a place where God would meet with his people.

We know that according to Eph. 2:19-21 a spiritual house, the Temple is being built in the New Testament. We know that this temple is in the process of being built out a living stones according to 1.Peter 2:5 "you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." We know that this is referring to the body of Christ.

What speaks to me is the fact that God spoke to Moses from the tabernacle. Today God speaks to us through the Body - His New Testament Temple, the church. He has given us apostles, prophets, evangelist, pastors and teachers in order that the body might be built up.

We know that the enemy - Satan has separated this world into little kingdoms. People are kept in these kingdoms through, not bars of steel, but through acceptance and rejection. Every kingdom has their rules, regulations etc. that they live by and through acceptance and rejection people have been kept as prisoners in these kingdoms.

When Jesus started His ministry the first words that He said were "the kingdom of God is at hand." It means that the kingdom of God is now confronting the kingdoms of this world that the prisoners might be set free and move out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light.

What speaks to me is how the enemy has come in and divided the body of Christ. We don't call the divisions that we have in the body of Christ different kingdoms, although in some cases I believe this is what they are, but we call them denominations. Isn't it interesting that looking at the Church today we see how they have been put into their little places or denominations and very seldom is there any real interaction between these different groups. The consequence of this is that we have become divided, weak and powerless.

How often God has been speaking to us through the body, from the Tent of Meeting - or Tabernacle as was in the case of Moses - but because we have been cut off from certain segments of the body, we have not heard what He is saying.

I was answering a question a young man had asked me about what books to read in order to see spiritual growth in his own life. I suggested that he should read books that went beyond his own particular denomination to see what the body of Christ is saying. Yes, there are many errors and we need discernment. However, because we are in our small little denominational divisions, I believe that we are missing some of the main things that God is trying to tell us today.

I come back to the main prayer of Jesus in John 17:23 "I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." This was Jesus' prayer, let it be ours as well.

Weekly Letter #35
Does God's Name Matter ?

I was listening to a debate on TV where a Roman Catholic Bishop said that we Christians should start using the name of Allah, like the Muslims, to address God. When I first heard this I could not really believe I was hearing right.

The person in the debate, another priest, said that God is not concerned about what we call Him or by what name He goes by. In saying this the priest was saying that the real controversy was not whether we call God Allah or not, but : "can't we learn to just get along?"

The more I thought and prayed about this the angrier I was becoming. God does not care what we call Him? How naive could this priest be? If God does not care what we call Him then why did He go through such painstaking care to make His name known throughout the Old Testament?

When Moses approached God and wanted to know His Name what did God say? It doesn't really matter what people call me. No! God revealed Himself to Moses as I AM that I AM. What a revelation this is. "I AM" is not a complete sentence. It needs a direct object and you get that when you ask the question : what? I AM what? We fill it in. I AM your salvation, deliverer, rock, fortress, etc.

Look at how God reveals Himself through HIs Name in the Old Testament. Gen.1:1 He is Jehovah Elohim - the Eternal Creator; He revealed Himself as Jehovah Adonai - the Lord My Sovereign King in Is.66:1; in Judges 11:27 He is known as Jehovah Shaphat - the Lord is Judge. Or we can go on and see Him as Jehovah Nissi - the Lord my Banner in Ps.60:4 or Exodus 15:26 Jehovah Ropheka the Lord my Healer, etc.

We can look at the Elohistics names of God. For example, Jer.10:10 He is known as Elohim Emeth - the True God or Gen.14:19 as El-Elyon the Most High God or El Shaddai - God Almighty in Gen.17:1 or El-Olam - the Everlasting God in Gen.21:33.

We can also look at the Adonistic names of God as well. For example, Adoni El Elohim - the Lord God of gods in Joshua 22:22 or Adoni Elohim - the Lord my God in Deut. 4:5. I could go on and on regarding the Names of God. So the question comes: does it make any difference with God what we call Him?

It is interesting, but never once do I know of a place in the Bible where we call God Allah. The other day while having my quiet time I sensed a need in my life. I had a hard time trying to define or put in words what I actually was sensing within my own spirit. After some time in the Word and prayer I opened my e-mail and read something in an article about how at times we need a new awareness of the nature of God. When I read that phrase I knew that was what I was needing - A NEW AWARENESS OF THE NATURE OF GOD. I asked the Lord what was it that I needed to be aware of and immediately the Name of God came into my mind  - Jehovah-Jireh - THE LORD the Source of MY RESOURCE.

I was reading the following about what is happening in the Evangelical Lutheran Church: “The last few days have been dark ones for traditional Lutherans after the announcement that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is now turning a blind eye to homosexual behavior by its clergy. The ELCA and its 4.8 million members had previously allowed homosexuals to serve as clergy so long as they remained chaste. By a vote of 583-431, the assembly passed a resolution that urges bishops to "refrain from disciplining pastors" who are in "faithful committed same-gender relationships." In other words, it's says okay to sin so long as you're committed to your sin. Unfortunately, this trend toward "inclusion" at the expense of Biblical principles is not unique to ELCA. The Episcopal Church is on the verge of absolute chaos in the fight for absolute Truth. Yet without Christians who stand up and speak out, church policy, which has been in existence for hundreds - if not thousands - of years, will be eroded by powerful waves of political correctness. Jaynan Clark Egland, president of the Word Alone Network of grassroots Lutherans, said, "I don't know... [what's] worse - a church with no biblical standards to govern our ministry or standards we don't intend to enforce. To refrain from discipline in the home is bad parenting, but we're about to do so in [God's House]." The church is the last line of defense in the fight to save this culture. But if God's own people won't fight to preserve His truth, I can assure you - no one else will.”

Perhaps the Name of God comes into play here: Jehovah-Nissi - the Lord My Banner (when it comes to truth), or Jehovah-Gibbor - the Lord is Mighty (Mighty Man of War) in waging war against all falsehood or Jehovah-Tsidkenu - the Lord my Righteousness recognizing that we are made ‘right’ only in Christ.

However, you get my point. The Name of God does make a difference.

                                         WEEKLY LETTER #36
                                              Wisdom from God

James 3:13 -- 18 "who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness."

My pastor this past Sunday was saying some important things about wisdom. Knowledge is knowing God's truth, but wisdom is applying what we know to our daily life and routine. Wisdom is applying God's truth to every situation we face in life. We need to have right thinking to make the right decisions.

We will find that God's way works. How often we hear the unsaved talking about how a Christian is brain washed. However, the unsaved needs to understand that everybody is brainwashed, but a Christian decides Who washes his brain. The question that we need to be asking ourselves is: are you brainwashed or is your brain washed?

In thinking through some of this I was asking myself a question: what issues are we faced within our society where we need God's knowledge and then the wisdom in order to apply that knowledge to those issues? I thought of the sermon Jesus preached in Mat.6:25-34 where He brings out the natural causes for worry. What are they?

1. Shelter

2. Food

3. Health

4. Future

In this passage of Scripture He also brings out the spiritual cause for worry which we also need to look at and apply wisdom to - "O You of little faith." So how do we apply wisdom to these things mentioned above?

First of all we have the knowledge of Who God is and what God can do. How often we have said to ourselves that God is in control and He can take care of us. We have this knowledge, but we do not seem to have the wisdom of being able to take that knowledge and apply it to everyday life. Consequently we find ourselves worrying. Right?

Secondly, I think it is important for us to understand certain things. First, worry is sin. We need to call it that and like all sin we need to confess and put it under the blood. Why is worry sin? Several reasons. Mainly because worry denigrates God and Who He is. For example when I worry I am telling God certain things. First, He doesn't love me; secondly, He doesn't really know what I need and thirdly, He doesn't have the power to meet that need. Consequently worry is sin.

Thirdly, in applying what we know to these things that we worry about we need to start out right with our thinking process. This is what Jesus does in this passage in trying to get us to think properly and He does this by asking questions that He wants us to answer.

For example when it comes to food and shelter (what we wear, place to stay, etc.) what does He ask us? Vs.25 'is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?' What He is saying is: 'if I have given you life, won't I give you what you need to sustain that life (food, etc.)?' The answer is YES. 'Also if I have given you a body won't I give you what you need to sustain that body' (shelter, clothes, etc.)? Again the answer is YES.

Regarding health He says: vs.27 "who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life"? We come to realize that we are in the hands of God. We are not our own. We do not know what tomorrow might bring, but we know Who holds tomorrow. We begin to realize that worrying will not change one thing except be detrimental to our health. We might not be able to add one hour to our life, but through worrying we can take off many hours from our life. Yet Jesus brings home to us the right way to think to overcome this worry over health and to apply wisdom. He tells us to look at the birds of the air and the flowers of the field and to think how much more valuable we are than they.

Future is another area where we need to apply Biblical wisdom. How often we find ourselves worrying about what the future might bring to us and to our families. He tells us two things. First there is nothing we can do about our 'yesterdays' but to keep in mind that our 'today's' will be our 'yesterday' tomorrow. So how we live today will affect our past.

Secondly, we have no promise of tomorrow. All we have is today. Make the most of today. My prayer every morning is a declaration: 'I declare that Your thoughts will be my thoughts and Your ways will be my ways'.

Lastly, we see that the spiritual reason for worry is 'little faith'. It doesn't mean that we do not have faith, but it is insufficient faith. What is the answer? Vs. 33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all of these things will be given to you as well."

We must learn to put first things first and the first thing is the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Might God make us men and women of wisdom!

                                    WEEKLY LETTER #37
                                      THE BUGS WITHIN

Ephesians 6:10 "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power."

Whether we like it or not there is a war with terrorism going on. It is a different type of war, not like WW 1 or WW 2. In these wars the lines were drawn out. You knew who you were fighting and where the enemy was. The war on terrorism is a different type of war. It is more ideological, perhaps than physical, but the none the less as deadly, if not even more so.

Can the West win in this type of war? This is what a lot of pundits are asking, especially now that we are coming into our presidential race here in the States. Many are divided over this question. Some are saying 'yes' whereas a growing number are saying 'no' and, of course, many are undecided.

I am often amused when I see so many commentators coming and offering their advice as if they really knew what to do. Whenever I hear these people on the news I ask myself the question: what are they basing their musings on? When I hear them say we are winning or losing I ask myself the question: what perspective are they coming from? We cannot go back to previous wars and base our speculation on whether we are winning or losing in this war on terrorism? Why? Because we have never fought a war like we are now fighting. This is new ground and I do not think we can learn from previous wars on what to do with this one. Most people in the West do not even believe that we are in a war.

However, there are some assumptions that we can make. With the hardware (weaponry) there is no way terrorism can defeat the West. But when it comes to the software it is a different story. There are some 'bugs within' that can bring down Western civilization as we know it.

When I think of the Islamists (these are the ones who want to live by Sharia law) perhaps they do have more passion than some of the ideologues or totalitarians that we faced in the past - Fascism, Nazism, Communism. Can we in the West fight against this type of passion that we see displayed where there is a great celebration of death rather than life? I am not sure at the moment, because of potential 'bugs' in our software here in the West. What are they? APATHY, SELFISHNESS and COMPLACENCY, these are the bugs within.

When I mention these three words I am not thinking so much of the physical war that is now taking place, but the spiritual battle that is being waged in the heavenlies. We, as God's people, must realize that we do not fight against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers and spiritual wickedness in high places.

When I mention apathy I am referring to God's people who are so caught up in the things of this world that they do not comprehend the spiritual battle taking place. Soon my wife and I will be in Europe for a series of meetings. What is reigning over Europe and the USA is the spirit of apathy. We just don't seem to care what is happening around us.

Along with apathy there is selfishness. We see this coming out in many ways that will be detrimental to the demise of Western Civilization. Here in the West along with our prosperity comes a desire to cater to self and the rest be damned. Strong words, but this seems to be what our actions dictate.

The other bug within is complacency. To a great degree we do not care as long as it does not affect us. Once it does affect me then I begin to care, but then it might be too late. In some ways we are like the frog put into the pot of water and does not realize the water is getting hotter until it is too late. Along with complacency is appeasement.

Several years ago my wife and I visited the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC. I will never forget the poem by Niemöller: "In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist; And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist; And then they came for the Jews, And I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew; And then . . . they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left."

Jesus said: 'My food', said Jesus, 'is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work'.Jhn.4:34. We as God's people must realize that we have a work to do. God is doing great things all over the world. We are seeing many coming to Christ is Africa, Asia and Latin America. It is in Europe and the USA where we need to see the Lord bring about reformation. Might the words of Jesus to His disciples be true of us as well: 'My food', said Jesus, 'is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work'.

Frank Dietz
Minister at Large
Operation Mobilization

                                    WEEKLY LETTER #38

                                      SPIRIT OF APATHY

Eccl. 12:8 "Meaningless, meaningless says the Teacher, everything is meaningless."

Last week I spoke about "bugs within" in the software regarding the moral character of the West. One of the bugs that I had mentioned was what I call the 'spirit of apathy'. If we look 'apathy' up in the dictionary we see that the definition of apathy is 'devoid of feelings or a privation of passion, emotion or excitement'. It also means 'insensibility' or just plain old 'indifference'.

However, when we read the New Testament we see the terms of discipleship. We see that true Christianity is an all out commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing less than unconditional surrender could ever be a fitting response to His sacrifice at Calvary. Yet we find in the church just the opposite.

When we reads the Gospels we see several things coming out.

1. A supreme love for Jesus Christ. Luke 14:26 "if anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple". Self-love is one of the stubbornest hindrances to discipleship..

2. Denial of self. Matthew 16:24 "if anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross." Denial of self is not the same as self denial. Henry Martin said: "Lord, let me have no will of my own, or consider my true happiness as depending in the smallest degree of anything that can befall the outwardly, but as consisting altogether in conformity to thy will."

3. A deliberate choosing of the cross. Matthew 16:24 "if anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross."

4. A life spent in following Christ. Matthew 16:24 "if anyone desires to come after me and let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." To understand what this means, one needs to simply ask himself, "what characterized the life of the Lord Jesus Christ?"

5. A fervent love for all who belong to Christ. John 13:35 "by this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

6. An unswerving continuance in His Word. John 8:31 "if you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed." For real discipleship there must be continuance. It is easy enough to start well, to burst forth in a blaze of glory. But the test of reality is endurance to the end.

7. A forsaking all to follow him. Luke 14:33 "so likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple." This is perhaps the most unpopular of all Christ terms of discipleship, and may well prove to be the most unpopular verse in the Bible.

Did not Jesus say: Matthew 6:19 -- 20 "do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal."

As John Wesley justly said, "to lay up treasure on earth is as plainly forbidden by our Master as adultery and murder." Did not Jesus say in Luke 12:33: "sell what you have and give alms." ? Did He not instruct the rich young ruler, "sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me?" Luke 18:22 if He did not mean exactly what He said, what then did He mean?

Was is it not true of the believers in the early church that they "sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need?" Acts 2:45 and has it not been true of many of God saints down through the years that they literally forsook all to follow Jesus?

My wife and I spend time in India every year working with village pastors. I cannot help but think of the words of Mahatma Gandhi when he spoke to the great Methodist missionary Dr.Stanley Jones and said: "if you can show me a Christian living like Jesus I too will become a Christian."

When we begin to ask these questions we see how the spirit of apathy has to a great degree descended upon the church here in the West. How we need Reformation, because Reformation will bring us back to the simple truths of the Word of God and, I believe, a passion for the things of God.

Amy Carmichael wrote a little tract called "My Brother's Blood Crieth". In that she said: "God forgive us! God arouse us! Shame us out of our callousness! Shame us out of our sin!"

The opposite of the spirit of apathy, to me, is passion. Where in the church today, especially in the West, do we find passion for the things of Christ? Do we have a passion to really know God? Do we have a passion for things above instead for things here on earth? Do we have a passion or a great hunger for the Word of God? Do we have a passion to see the kingdom of God extending here on earth?

Frank Dietz
Minister at Large
Operation Mobilization

                                                 APATHY

                                             By Frank Dietz

Last week I wrote about the 'bugs' within our culture and highlighted one of these bugs - apathy. As I mentioned before that if the opposite spirit of apathy is passion then what we need to see more of in the Christian life is passion. However, it seems that this spirit of apathy has come over our Western culture.

In my last e-mail letter I also mentioned the terms of discipleship and what it means to follow Christ. One of the terms laid down by the Lord is in Luke14:33: "He who does not forsake all that he hath cannot be my disciple." One of the readers of the weekly letter wrote to me (I am glad to see that people are reading these weeklies) and expressed some doubts about whether or not we can really put something like this into practice today.

This person raised very good questions on how do we take Jesus' teaching on forsaking all literally and carry it out in every day situations that we live here in our Western culture: cars we drive, computers we work on, house we live in, clothes we wear, etc.? What about people who help support those on the mission field? If these supporters forsake everything then how can they help? These are all very good questions and they deserve an answer.

I want to use this weekly e-mail to respond to these questions, because, it would seem to me that the reason for apathy in our culture today is the result of not taking Jesus literally in what He says. The common denominator in this thing of apathy versus passion is what I call faith. Do we really believe what God says?

However, we need to let Scripture interpret Scripture. When we meet God in Luke 14:33 we find that God will meet us in Philippians 4:19: "and my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." What's in between these two is faith. Perhaps it is because of "little" faith that we find the spirit of apathy gaining ground in our culture as well as in our individual lives.

Do we really need God, especially here in our Western culture? I think of an Asian brother who came to visit America and upon leaving made the comment that he was amazed at what the American church could do without the Holy Spirit. Does he have a point? Do we really believe God? Do we believe what God has said? I think these are questions that we need to ask ourselves and come to grips with.

How does the spirit of apathy come into our culture and our society? The definition of apathy is: devoid of feelings or a privation of passion, emotion or excitement. It also means insensibility or just plain old indifference.

When we see God meeting our needs, answering our prayers and as we are learning to live more in His presence, doesn't this bring a greater passion within us for the things of God? I think so.

But in our Western culture it would seem that we do not really need God . For example: what happened to the prayer meeting? Could it be that along with the spirit of apathy that has invaded our Western culture (one of the "bugs within our software" in our moral character here in the West) has come a humanistic worldview that we can do things ourselves and that we really do not need God? Even with our governments we see that they want to take care of our every need from the cradle to the grave. Where is God in this?

One of the 'signs' that I see pointing to this spirit of apathy seems to be the following: whenever God calls us to do something we come up with the excuse that we do not have what it takes to accomplish the task. This is always Satan's ploy that whenever God calls His people to do something Satan will be there to show us that we cannot do it because we do not have what it takes to do it.

In John chapter 6, feeding the 5000, Jesus asked Philip the question: "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" We read on that Jesus asked this question only to test Philip because he knew what He would do. In other words Jesus already had a plan. What was Philip's response? "Eight months wages would not be enough bread for each one to have a bite!" In other words Philip was bringing out how they could not feed the multitudes because they did not have what it would take - eight month's wages. Yet Jesus took what was available (which was His plan - five small barley loaves and two small fish) and fed the multitude with 12 baskets left over.

It would seem to me that a spirit of apathy came upon the disciples who were following Jesus. It was seen by the response that they gave when Jesus asked the question: "How shall we feed the multitude?" Where was the excitement and passion that God can do something supernatural? Instead we find the spirit of apathy, an indifference to the situation that says: "We cannot do this because we do not have what it takes." Could this be why Jesus denounced His disciples six times in the gospels by saying: "O! you of little faith?" It would seem that apathy and faith cannot coincide together.

"Lord, help me overcome my unbelief!" Mark 9:24
"Increase our faith!" Luke 17:5

MIGHT THIS BE OUR PRAYER!

Frank Dietz
Operation Mobilization
Minister at large

                                        WEEKLY LETTER #39
                                                 APATHY

Last week I wrote about the 'bugs' within our culture and highlighted one of these bugs - apathy. As I mentioned before that if the opposite spirit of apathy is passion then what we need to see more in the Christian life is passion. However, it seems that this spirit of apathy has come over our Western culture.

In my last e-mail letter I also mentioned the terms of discipleship and what it means to follow Christ. One of the terms laid down by the Lord is in Luke14:33 "he who does not forsake all that he hath cannot be my disciple." One of the readers of the weekly letter wrote to me (I am glad to see that people are reading these weeklies) and expressed some doubts about whether or not we can really put something like this into practice today.

This person raised very good questions on how do we take Jesus' teaching on forsaking all literally and carry it out in every day situations that we live here in our Western culture: cars we drive, computers we work on, house we live in, clothes we wear, etc.? What about people who help support those on the mission field? If these supporters forsake everything then how can they help? These are all very good questions and they deserve an answer.

I want to use this weekly e-mail to respond to these questions, because, it would seem to me that the reason for apathy in our culture today is the result of not taking Jesus literally in what He says. The common denominator in this thing of apathy versus passion is what I call faith. Do we really believe what God says?

However, we need to let Scripture interpret Scripture. When we meet God in Luke 14:33 we find that God will meet us in Philippians 4:19: "and my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." What's in between these two is faith . Perhaps it is because of little faith that we find the spirit of apathy gaining ground in our culture as well as in our individual lives.

Do we really need God, especially here in our Western culture? I think of an Asian brother who came to visit America and upon leaving made the comment that he was amazed at what the American church could do without the Holy Spirit. Does he have a point? Do we really believe God? Do we believe what God has said? I think these are questions that we need to ask ourselves and come to grips with.

How does the spirit of apathy come into our culture and our society? The definition of apathy is: devoid of feelings or a privation of passion, emotion or excitement. It also means insensibility or just plain old indifference.

When we see God meeting our needs, answering our prayers and as we are learning to live more in His presence, doesn't this bring a greater passion within us for the things of God? I think so.

But in our Western culture it would seem that we do not really need God . For example: what happened to the prayer meeting? Could it be that along with the spirit of apathy that has invaded our Western culture (one of the "bugs within in our software" in our moral character here in the West) has come a humanistic worldview that we can do things ourselves and that we really do not need God? Even with our governments we see that they want to take care of our every need from the cradle to the grave. Where is God in this?

One of the 'signs' that I see pointing to this spirit of apathy seems to be the following: whenever God calls us to do something we come up with the excuse that we do not have what it takes to accomplish the task. This is always Satan's ploy that whenever God calls His people to do something Satan will be there to show us that we cannot do it because we do not have what it takes to do it.

In John chapter 6 feeding the 5000 Jesus asked Philip the question: "where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" We read on that Jesus asked this question only to test Philip because he knew what He would do. In other words Jesus already had a plan. What was Philip's response? "Eight months wages would not be enough bread for each one to have a bite!". In other words he was bringing out how they could not feed the multitudes because they did not have what it would take - eight months' wages. Yet Jesus took what was available (which was His plan - five small barley loaves and two small fish) and fed the multitude with 12 baskets left over.

It would seem to me that a spirit of apathy came upon the disciples who were following Jesus. It was seen by the response that they gave when Jesus asked the question: how shall we feed the multitude? Where was the excitement and passion that God can do something supernatural? Instead we find something of a spirit of apathy, an indifference to the situation. "We cannot do this because we do not have what it takes." Could this be why Jesus denounced His disciples six times in the gospels by saying: "O! you of little faith?" It would seem that apathy and faith cannot coincide together.

"Lord, help me overcome my unbelief!" Mk 9:24
"Increase our faith!" Luke 17:5

MIGHT THIS BE OUR PRAYER!

Frank Dietz
Operation Mobilization
Minister at large

                                         WEEKLY LETTER #43
                                          WATCH AND PRAY

Mat. 24:42 "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come."

Coming to the end of our time here in Finland few friends gathered together asking us to share some of our thoughts on our hearts regarding the situation in Finland and in the Western world. The number one thing that stands out is what I call a 'spirit of apathy' (I have written about this in previous e-mails).

I mentioned how there is what we call 'a first generation' and also 'the last generation'.  If you read from Matthew 23:33 through chapter 24 you will see that both of these generations are mentioned.

For example, in Matthew 23 we see that Jesus is now coming to the end of His Ministry, He has been rejected by His own and He is telling that generation that all the blood that was shed from Abel to Zachariah son of Barekiah would come upon this generation. What generation was He talking about? It is what we call 'the first generation' or the generation that saw the first appearing of the Lord.

How long is a generation?  Going through Scripture it seems that a generation is different length at different times.  However, in Psalms 90:10 we see that a generation is about 70 years.  Jewish people divided a generation into two parts, 30 years and then 40 years.  The first 30 years one reaches  maturity and that is why Jesus did not begin to teach until He was 30 years of age and the next 40 years of accountability followed.

It was around 32 A.D. when Jesus spoke these words in Matthew 23 that 'this generation would not pass until all of these things were fulfilled'. We now know from the writings of historians like Josephus that 70 A.D. the Romans came and destroyed the Temple and burned Jerusalem and the Jewish people were scattered throughout the world.  What Jesus had said was true and it came to pass in that first generation.

We read in Matthew 24 that there is another generation that we call 'the last generation': "I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened."  What generation is He talking about here?  I believe that it is the last generation before we have the second coming of Christ.

Of course we need to know the actual time when this generation started.  Verse 32 gives us a clue, I believe, when this last generation started: "then learn this lesson from the fig tree: as soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near." Most Bible scholars believe the fig tree is referring to Israel.  If this is the case then in 1948 Israel became a nation and the fig tree began to blossom.  1967 in a lightening war in the Middle East that is now known as the Six-Day War Israel for the first time in almost 2000 years took control of Jerusalem.  And in 1980 Jerusalem became the capital of Israel.

When I look and see what is happening in Israel, the alignment of nations taking place according to Ezekiel 38 and 39, and the preaching of the Gospel that is now going around the world we must realize that our time is short.

What I was sharing with a few friends last night was that now is the time that we must watch and pray.  It seems that a spirit of apathy has come upon the Western world and even with climatic things happening around us we seem to have a tremendous sense of indifference.

Jesus said: "so you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him."  "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come."

Let us pray against this spirit of apathy and indifference that seems to have engulfed the Western world.

Frank Dietz
OM International

WEEKLY LETTER #45

SHAKING THE NATIONS

WEEKLY LETTER #46

YOU SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH

John 8:32 “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

In America we celebrate on the fourth Thursday of November what we call Thanksgiving day. This for us is a very important day because this is the day that the Pilgrims who came to America for religious freedom gave thanks not to the Indians who helped them (although this is what some of our historians now teach), but to God Almighty for his abundance.

The problem that we face today is really the problem of ‘political correctness’. Revisionist historians are rewriting history and very deliberately taking out anything that has to do with Christianity. Thanksgiving day for us here in America is one such example.

Rush Limbaugh in his book I TOLD YOU SO wrote: “On August 1, 1620, the Mayflower set sail. It carried a total of 102 passengers, including 40 pilgrims led by William Bradford. On the journey, Bradford set up an agreement, a contract, that established just and equal laws for all members of their new community, irrespective of their religious beliefs. Where did the revolutionary ideas expressed in the Mayflower compact come from? From the Bible. The pilgrims were people completely steeped in the lessons of the old and new Testaments. They look to the ancient Israelites for their example. And, because of the biblical precedence set forth in Scripture, they never doubted that their experiment would work.”

He goes on to say that this was not a pleasure cruise but one of great sacrifice. It was a sacrifice for freedom. The pilgrims had made an agreement with merchants back in London that they would put everything into a common store where people than could take out what they needed. Long before Karl Marx socialism was being tried and found wanting.

The early pilgrims soon discovered that it did not work and Bradford took a bold step and he allotted to each person a plot of land that they could cultivate and use what they produced not only to feed themselves but for trade with the Indians and also to payoff any debts that they had back in the old country. It was through this that they found a great abundance and they were offering thanks to an Almighty God. What is interesting is that the historians are leaving out the impact that the Bible made in the thoughts and minds of these pilgrims.

Another inconvenient truth or untruth that is being carried out today is regarding Christianity and Islam that somehow these two religions are equivalent. The critics of Christianity here in the West often go back to the Old Testament and especially the book of Joshua and say there is no difference between what Joshua did in conquering the promised land and what Muslims are doing.

They also equate things like slavery where Paul admonishes in Ephesians the slaves to obey their masters which according to them seems to condone slavery and also what Muslims are doing today. So what's the difference?

Then of course the Crusades come into play when we talk about the Muslim Jihadist they come back and say what about the Crusades? We do not have time to go into all of this in this letter but these are some of the things that we must look and think through and recognize that there is a difference. There is no equivalence between Christianity taught by Jesus and Islam taught by Mohammed and those of us here in the West must see the difference.

In the next few e-mails for this year I would like to take some of the subject one by one and look at them critically and see that there is a difference. Yes, the church has committed atrocities and no one group has a claim on evil, but we do need to see that there is a difference between the teachings of Christ and the teachings of Mohammed.


Frank Dietz
Minister at large
Operation Mobilization

WEEKLY LETTER #47

IS THERE A DIFFERENCE?

Ex 33:16 “ How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?" 

Some years ago the wife of the leader of Operation Mobilization in Spain was walking down the streets of Barcelona. A young Moroccan boy accidentally bumped into her. Instead of apologizing he turned around, looked at her and said: "we are going to take over your country." Where did he hear this and what does it mean?

We see in Europe as well as here in the States how Muslims are demanding their rights and using our laws and our system to obtain what they want. We find that in our "political correctness" people are claiming that there is no difference between Islam and Christianity. Is this true?

We point to the Jihadists and terrorism that is taking place and we say: "Yes, there is a difference". However, we find that they come back and say: "Look at your own Bible and especially the book of Joshua where Joshua was commanded to go into the land of Canaan and to wipe out every man woman and child and even in some places the livestock. Not to leave anything breathing. So what is the difference between Christianity and Islam”?

These are some of the questions that are coming up here in the West that we need to be able to have an answer for. Robert Spencer in his book RELIGION OF PEACE said: “It is a common assumption among many left – liberals in the West that Christian and Muslim extremist, radicals, or fundamentalists are two sides of the same coin.” Rosie O’Donnell put it in September 2006: “radical Christianity is just as threatening as radical Islam in a country like America.”

Pope Benedict XV1 said that "God must act within reason and to spread religion or belief through acts of violence goes against the nature of God or is something unreasonable." This was a speech that he gave in Germany in a place called Regenberg that caused such a ruckus throughout the Islamic world.

Muslim teaching is that God is transcendent. This means that he is not restricted by any of our categories, laws etc. in other words God transcends all these things. We Christians say that there are natural laws and God acts within these laws. In other words God acts rationally not irrationally. This was the brunt of Pope Benedict's speech that set off riots throughout the Islamic world.

Many people in the West, even including government leaders, believe that Islam has been hijacked by extreme Islamic Jihadists and that basically Islam is a peaceful religion. They go on to say that the reason we have the Jihadists today is because of the underprivileged and the poverty and if we can overcome these we will then defeat the Jihadists mentality. What we forget is that this has nothing to do with poverty etc., but it is a war by the Jihadists against 'the infidels' - people who are not Muslims.

'Moral equivalence' is the argument that modern liberalism is making here in the West. Is this right? Is there no difference between Christianity and Islam? Is there no difference between Osama bin Laden and Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell (who is now gone on to be with the Lord)? These are things that we need to look at and arrive at an answer.

I was speaking in a Bible school in Finland and during a question-and-answer session one student asked: "what is America doing in Iraq. It is oil isn't it?" Again it is like what Robert Spencer says in his book RELIGION OF PEACE: " Many Westerners think far worse of their own civilization than they do of Islam. They believe that the war on terror is an American imperialistic power grab for Middle Eastern oil, or that it is motivated by evangelical Christians who want a crusade against the Islamic world.” My answer to that question was, why didn't we stay in Kuwait when we were there, because we would have had all the oil that we needed. No, the war on terror is more, it is a clash of civilizations, ideologies and we need to be prepared.

For those who say that there is no difference between Islam and Christianity, who take 'the moral equivalence' argument I would say this. Why is there - in the Muslim world - no anti-bin Laden - anti-Al Qaeda - or anti-Jihad movement of any significance? Instead we find rioting taking place over Danish cartoons; a speech given by the Pope on why is it impossible to sit down and have a reasonable, rational dialogue? Do we find rioting taking place among what we call the 'Christian West' over any insults to our religion or our beliefs? Do we find Christian leaders giving out death threats to those who have offended our beliefs? The answer is an emphatic "NO".

We shall know the truth and the truth will set us free.

WEEKLY LETTER #48
MORAL EQUIVALENCY:RIGHT OR WRONG?

We all have heard about the English schoolteacher who was incarcerated in the Sudan because she allowed the students to name a teddy bear Mohammad. Who’ll forget the scenes of violent mobs in Khartoum wielding their machetes and shouting “kill her, kill her.”

When it comes to Islam and Christianity, those here in the West who bring out the argument of moral equivalency, I wonder what they say about this incident? How many demonstrations have we seen in the West because of the defamation of Christ or the name of Jesus? Often the only time the name of Christ is used is when it is a ‘swear word’.

Often we hear supporters of moral equivalency saying that "yes the Muslims want to impose sharia law upon their own societies, but, they say, are the Christians any different?" Some would even go as far to say that when the Taliban advocate stoning and beheadings the Christians would do the same if they had the opportunity. The moral equivalency supporters would say that the Jihadist, or the Taliban, and the fundamentalist Christians are two sides of the same coin. How ingenious!

Chris Hedges declared “the Christian right and radical Islamist, although locked in a holy war, increasingly mirror each other. They share the same obsessions. They do not tolerate other forms of belief or disbelief. They are at war with artistic and cultural expression. They seek to silence the media. They call for the subjugation of women. They promote severe sexual repression, and they seek to express themselves through violence.”

As Robert Spencer brings out in his book 'Religion of Peace': As television personality Rosie O’Donnell put it in September 2006: “radical Christianity is just as threatening as radical Islam in a country like America.” To this the British columnist David Thompson – no fundamentalist Christian – replied acidly: “but while red-faced evangelist may say, for instance, that gay people are wicked, damned to Hell fire, etc., I do not know of any internationally renowned Christian leaders who are calling for the imprisonment and killing of gay people. Unlike the supposedly moderate grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who insist that gay men and lesbians should be killed in the worst manner possible. Not condemned, corrected, prayed for, or pitied, or any of the usual nonsense spouted by Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson etc.; but murdered – as brutally as possible.”

The idea that Christianity has as much to apologize for as the Muslim extremists is not true. No matter how hard the supporters of moral equivalency try to bring up the idea that there is no difference, we find that the facts speak and tell a different story. We, as God’s people, need to be able to defend what Christianity is all about and so defeat the arguments of moral equivalency.

In true Christianity we do not show hate, but love. We are to love our Muslim friends. My wife is constantly making contact with the Muslim women in our area and seeing how she can help them cope with the difficulties and problems of living here in the West and not really understanding the language or our laws. We need to reach out to them in love where-ever they are.

We read in Acts 17:2 “as his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead.”

So, we (the church) must be able to explain and reason with our Muslim friends who Christ really is. With the supporters of the moral equivalency here in the West we need to be able to explain and prove that Christianity and Islam are not at all the same.


Frank Dietz
Operation Mobilization
Minister at Large

WEEKLY LETTER #50
THE REAL THREAT

                                               MERRY CHRISTMAS

                                                    By Frank Dietz

Isaiah 9:6 ,7 "for to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and for ever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this."

I have noticed here in my own country that we are hearing "Merry Christmas" more than just happy holidays. What a joyous time this is for us all as we realize what it says in Galatians 4:4 "but when the time had fully come, God sent his son, born of a woman, born under law."

The pastor in of the local church in California that we attend (when we are here) has been speaking about what the situation was like when Christ came into this world. What a barbaric place and time it was when the Son of Man came!

I have been reading through Romans and have been rejoicing in this righteousness that has now come to us through faith in Christ. Like Paul, we too must be ready to preach the gospel, the good news, where-ever the Lord might be leading.

This past year has been a very busy one for my wife and I. It does seem that things are speeding up especially now that we are coming closer to the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This past year I've had meetings in Brazil, my wife and I have been twice in Europe, as well as I was twice in India. Also a special trip had to be taken to the Philippines where interesting things are developing.

I personally want to thank all of you for your prayers for Anneli and me as well as your financial giving to make it all possible. As we come to the end of 2007 I could not help but think of how seven is a number of completion and starting 2008 we are starting out in a whole new adventure.

Just in the first quarter of this new year Anneli and I will be in India, Germany and the Scandinavian countries. I will be making a trip the end of March and the beginning of April to Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. Later on in the year Anneli and I will be back in Europe and there's a possibility of a trip to Nepal. So you can see that things are moving quite fast.

This will be my last weekly letter for this year and will not put out another one until the last week of January 2008. I have enjoyed writing these letters and have received much encouragement from many of you regarding them. However, they do take time and with all the traveling for ministry and all the other things that are entailed with researching and writing these weeklies does take their toll.

It would be good to hear from you regarding these weekly letters. I put my weekly letter onto my blog (www.xanga.com/frndietz) where you can write a comment. I am always interested in knowing what you are thinking, etc.

Some of you have inquired about supporting us financially and at the end of this letter you can send in donations in my name in one of our OM offices listed below.

Anneli and I want to take this opportunity to wish all of you

                                A very, very Merry Christmas.
                                    Jesus is coming soon!

Every blessing,

Frank and Anneli Dietz

WEEKLY LETTER #3

KINGDOM OF GOD Part 3

WEEKLY LETTER #4

KINGDOM OF GOD part 4

WEEKLY LETTER #5

KINGDOM OF HEAVEN Part 5

WEEKLY LETTER #6

KINGDOM OF GOD Part 6

1 John 3:8 “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.”

Gen 3:15 “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

So we see God’s plan to redeem man to take back what Satan stole through guile. I mentioned in my weekly letter #3 where Paul is writing to the Romans, Paul says in chapter one what happens when men of depraved mind are set loose - they are full of ‘deceit’. The word in the Greek meant ‘fish bait’ and it means: to lure, to ensnare, to beguile, and to deceive. This is what Satan did in the Garden with Adam and Eve.

Our text says that the Son of God appeared to destroy the works of the devil. What works are being talked about here? Dake’s annotated Bible mentions:

"Twenty-five works of the devil (1 John 3:8)

1. Sin — rebellion (Gen 3:2 Cor. 11:3)

2. Works of darkness, including moral sedition and sex perversion (Eph 5:11; 6:12; Acts 16:18; Rom 1)

3. Works of wickedness (Col 1:21)

4. Spiritual blindness (2 Cor 4:4)

5. Stealing the Word of God (Matt 13:19)

6. Deceptions and false religions (2 Cor 11:14; 1 Tim 4; Rev 12:9)

7. To kill and destroy (John 10:10)

8. Sowing tares, tempting, and sifting saints (Matt 4:3; 13:25; Luke 22:31)

9. Promoting counterfeit worship and miracles (2 Thess 2:8-12; 1 Cor 10:20)

10. Causing storms (Job 1:18-19; Eph 2:2)

11. Ruling nations (Matt 4:8-9; Dan 10)

12. Executing death (Heb 2:14-15)

13. Accusing the brethren (Rev 12:10)

14. Hindering prayers (Dan 10:12-21)

15. Opposing the gospel (Eph 6:1-18)

16. Supervising demons (John 12:31), fallen angels (Rev 12:7-12), and fallen man (Eph 2:2; 1 John 3:8; John 8:44)

17. Causing sickness and disease (Matt 4:23-24; 9:32-33; 15:22; Acts 10:38)

18. Causing infirmities (Matt 8:17; Luke 13:16; John 10:10; Acts 10:38)

19. Causing lunacy and mania (Matt 4:23-24; 17:14-21; Mark 5:1-18)

20. Urging suicides (Matt 17:15; John 10:10)

21. Agitating lusts (John 8:44; Eph 2:1-3)

22. Lying and false prophecy (1 Kings 22; Matt 24:11,24; 2 Cor 11:13-15)

23. Propagating false doctrines (1 Tim 4; 2 Tim 4; 2 Thess 2; Rev 13)

24. Oppressing men (Acts 10:38)

25. Persecuting Christians and warring on saints (Eph 6:10-18; 1 Peter 5:8-9

Christ came to cancel all of these works of the devil. Sin and rebellion, Satan’s rule over the nations, the reign of death and Satan's continued opposition to the saints will be done away within the Millennium reign, but  we can have complete mastery over the rest of the works of the devil  already in this age.

So if Christ appeared to destroy the works of the devil then we need to be asking ourselves: how we should be working along with the Father in doing this? The first thing is to make sure that the devil does not have any toe hold or a beach head in our own lives. Eph 4:27 “and do not give the devil a foothold.” One of the first things we need to accomplish at this time as well is learning to evangelize by telling people the ‘good news’.

Secondly, there is a need for God’s people to occupy the different ‘gates’ in the city, state or country. Often these ‘gates’, places of authority - where decisions are being made, contracts signed, etc, - are held by the opinion makers. These are people who form the opinions of society. We, God’s people, need to be opinion makers as well. We should know God’s Ultimate Truth and make it known in these gates.

Thirdly, we also need to recognize the ‘structures of sin’ in our cultures or in the process of being built and see these structures dismantled.

So we see that God has created His kingdom and He has put man in charge. However, man sinned and turned the governance over to another (Satan, who now rules and reigns). But God has also initiated a ‘plan’ to take back what Satan stole through guile, and a ‘plan’ to restore man and to cause Satan’s works destroyed.

We will we be looking at this in future e-mails and we will marvel at the GREAT WISDOM of God.

WEEKLY LETTER #7
KINGDOM OF HEAVEN Part 7

Gen 4:8 “Now Cain said to his brother Abel, 'Let's go out to the field.' And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.”

When God gave His plan in Genesis 3:15 that a ‘seed’, child, would come into the world we entered into what Donald Barnhouse calls the ‘invisible war’. Invisible because we cannot see it with our physical eyes, but nevertheless a war that is more deadly than World War 1 or 2.

God made the statement that the seed coming into the world would give out the deadly blow to the serpent of old (Satan) and we saw in our last letter the 25 works of Satan that the seed (Christ) will destroy.

When we read in Genesis chapter 4 that God is blessing Abel, Satan begins to move. Not knowing when and where the seed will come into the world Satan takes no chances and he (Satan) moves upon Cain to kill his brother Abel. Hence we have the first murder.

We see the physical side of a jealous sibling rising up and killing his brother, but we need to be able to discern the ‘real enemy’ behind this act - Satan. As a matter of fact as we go along we will see when God makes a statement about His plan, Satan is there trying to thwart it.

For example, in this same chapter in verse 25 we read:“Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, 'God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.' "

The definition of Seth is substitute. Instead of Abel we now have Seth and we read “at that time men began to call on the name of the Lord.” It would seem that a spiritual renewal took place and God’s purpose and plan continues on.

One of the problems that we have today is the disconnect with history or reality. There is no 'big picture' or 'story' that makes sense of reality. Creation, fall, redemption have been ruled out. 'Reality' is in bits and pieces. Because of this we have no link with the past and consequently no future to look forward to.

Because our society has cut itself off from the Bible - the Word of God - which is Absolute Truth we see that 'truth' is whatever we perceive it to be. We see this being played out in our society today in the realm of politics, economics, education and anything else that man is involved in.

This is why it is important for us to see what God is doing. He made the heavens and the earth and all that is within and He put man in charge. Usurper, Satan, came along and through guile took away what God had given to man.

God is still wanting man to be in charge here on planet earth. That has not changed. But man must be redeemed first and for doing this God is laying out His plan. A child will come into the world to destroy the works of Satan and to restore fallen man.

Man is created in the likeness and image of God and because of that man is highly esteemed by God. In Gen.1:28 God gave man the cultural mandate that has now become the redemption mandate because of the fall of man and we will see in the New Testament how it becomes the Great Commission. We see these three giants steps that the Lord is taking, punctuated by thousands of years, so different from man’s reckoning of time.

God starts out with His rule and He will end with His rule. In following this through we see the big picture. We see that there is a purpose to life. It is all not just an accident and the big questions of life-who we are? Why are we different? What is our purpose? These questions are being answered...

Frank Dietz
Minister at Large
Operation Mobilization

WEEKLY LETTER #8

KINGDOM OF GOD Part 8

Gen 6:1-3 “When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. Then the Lord said, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years.”’

Gen 6:8 “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” Gen 6:9 “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.”

We need to keep in mind that God has appointed man to rule and reign over the earth. But because man fell God is now working out His plan of redemption to bring man back to the place that He first ordained. However, in this unfolding drama we see that Satan took over the rulership and is now trying to hinder God's purpose. What is God's purpose? It is to bring into the world the seed of Genesis 3:15 that will destroy the works of Satan.

In our last e-mail we saw how Satan was able to move upon Cain to kill Abel. However, God raised up a substitute, Seth, and the work of God, the plan of God continued on. Now we see in Genesis 6 another attack of the enemy in trying to pollute the blood-line of man, which in turn would affect the seed of Genesis 3:15.

In looking at Genesis 6 we need to ask several questions. First, who actually are the "sons of God"? Some Bible scholars say from the line of Seth, but is this accurate? It would seem from Genesis 5:3, 6, 9 that Seth did not have a son until 235 years after creation, and his son did not have a son until 325 years after creation. It says in Genesis 6 that these marriages took place when men began to multiply upon the earth and it would seem that Seth did not at that time have sons of marriageable age.

I personally believe that they were the fallen angels of 1.Peter 3:19; 2.Peter 2:4; Jude 6-7. God said: “And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.” Gen 6:12 KJV. It would seem that with the exception of Noah and his family, mankind, all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth before the flood and became a mixture of angels and men, or giants. The only exception was Noah's family who were blameless.

Gen 6:9 “Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.” KJV. It is said of Noah that he was ‘perfect’ in his generations. Hebrew for perfect is: “tamiym” and it means without blemish. It is the word for physical perfection, not moral perfection. It is a word that is used for the sacrificial animals of the Old Testament which had to be up to pure stock and without blemish. This would seem to indicate that Noah and his sons were the only pure Adamites left and because of that purity were brought into the Ark.

One can begin to see Satan's plan trying to pollute the bloodline that would hinder Jesus Christ - the Son of God - coming into the world. There had to be pure blood.

We see in this God’s overruling and the plan of God continuing on. His Kingdom come and His will be done will become a reality.


Frank Dietz
Operation Mobilization
Minister-at-large

WEEKLY LETTER #11

KINGDM OF GOD Part 11

Gen 12:1 “The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.”

As I said in my last letter God divided the world into small families and language groups with the idea of winning them one by one, but to do that He had to choose one. This is what He does in Genesis 12. The first four verses of chapter 12 are some of the most important verses in the Bible.

It is interesting that God said 'go to the land that I will show you'; He did not say to the land that I will give you. That came later. First Abram had to obey. Once he took the steps of faith then the promise came to Abram that he and his posterity will be given the land.

I think it is important to see how the Lord trains the men that He chooses. Like I said before that when men want to get something done they will form a committee, but when the Lord wants to get a job done He looks for a man. Once He finds a man, this man will go through God’s refining fire getting him ready for the task that the Lord has for him.

We see this training taking place with Abram. What did God say to Abram? "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.” However, when Abram leaves he has with him Lot his nephew as well as Terah his father. Later on we see Abram separated from his father Terah through death and from Lot through quarreling.

Abram sets out for Canaan and when he arrives the Lord gives the promise that He will give the land to him and his offspring. Gen 12:7 “The Lord appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.”

God is preparing Abram to be the father of faith. God brings him into the land of Canaan and promises his offspring the land. When Abram arrives, he finds that there is a famine in the land and we read that he sets off for Egypt. Why? Gen 12:10 “Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.” God did not tell Abram to go to Egypt. We find that Abram puts his wife in danger and lives a life of deceit in Egypt.

When Pharaoh finds out about the truth of Abram’s wife (that she is actually his wife and not sister), he treats Abram royally and makes him a rich man.. This is interesting because when Lot is taken prisoner later on by the kings of the East, the king of Sodom tells Abram that he can keep all of the goods, but just return the people. Abram says: “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, 'I made Abram rich.' I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me — to Aner, Eshcol and Mamre. Let them have their share." Gen 14:22-24

The question is: when did Abram raise his hand to God and took an oath not to take anything so people will not be able to say: 'I made Abram rich?’I would tend to think it was after the experience in Egypt. Abram was learning to listen to the Lord and grow in faith in order to be the father of faith.

In going through the life of Abram you see test after test that in the end strengthened Abram’s faith. Of course, the last and most severe test was in Genesis 22 when the Lord asked Abram to sacrifice is son Isaac. In all of this we see a pattern being formed that God brings His people through so that they might be instruments fit for the Master’s use. First, we have the command - go; when there is obedience we have a revelation; then we find that there is a test and when the test is accomplished the Lord gives a greater revelation.

Remember what these e-mails are about. God is going to establish His kingdom here on earth and He will do it through men/women that have been redeemed, tested and have come forth from the refining fire and are now fit for the Master’s use. Abraham is not only the ‘father of faith’, but he is out example that Paul uses later on in Romans.



Frank Dietz
Operation Mobilization
Minister at Large