THE JESUS PEOPLE AND THE THIRD GREAT AWAKENING

They came rocking and rolling into the end of the sixties and changed the personality of Church and nation – as Great Awakenings do.  They had encounters as intimate as they were dynamic with the Living Jesus in places like the beaches of California – and Oregon.  They met Him in the deserts and in the state and national parks.  They praised Him in high schools and lakeshores around Bakersfield, and in the coffee houses of Hollywood and San Diego – and Boston and Chicago. 

 

They launched the short-term missions movement and the faith-based recovery movement.  They broke the gifts of the Holy Spirit out of the church basement and contemporary worship movement into the sanctuary and top-40 Radio.  They planted the Messianic Movement in Israel – and around the world – along with the Calvary Chapel and Vineyard denominations and a mainstream Christian music and media industry.  The artistic types among them include bestselling authors, producers and screenwriters like Bodie Thoene, James Scott Bell, Michael Phillips, and David McFadzean – names that may or may not be familiar to readers but who shaped much of our current book and film culture – the parts of which we can be proud – because they created high quality family friendly television – like the Home Improvement series – and a slew of books from legal thrillers that pray to historical fiction that honors Israel to a re-discovery of old masters like George McDonald.  They sparked every revival of the past half century from Toronto, Ontario; to Redding, California.  And they remain the most hidden and ignored phenomenon of the past three hundred years.  They are the Jesus People.

 

            Like the people of Great Awakenings before them they did not fit into the church box.  God took leaders like Lonnie Frisbee and Richard Twiss where he found them – the former high on LSD in the desert and the latter on heroin on a beach in Maui – He brought them down and introduced Himself to them the way He approached Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus Road.  He did not make them conventional Christians after that; He made them explosive servants of His Kingdom, filling them with His Holy Spirit and the gifts that so often accompany the Spirit – healings, prophecies, miracles and such.

 

            God also took more conventional leaders like Chuck Smith, James Dobson and Jack Hayford – and leaders somewhere in between – like John Wimber and Todd Hunter – and used them to structure and pastor the movement past its beginnings in an upper room the size of the US western coastal states.  These leaders struggled with each other and with the tension that always exists when God does a brand new thing on the one hand and declares His word that the new creation has a shape consistent with what He has done before.  They redeemed the vision of the peaceable Kingdom the hippies thought came from the Age of Aquarius and the Jesus People discovered came from the authentic God.  They waited in the wings when the anarchical good intentions of the hippies collapsed with the deaths – from overdose and exposure at Woodstock and from violence at the Altamont Speedway in late 1969.  They proclaimed and acted as though the Word of God were indeed living and true – in the midst of our rioting and unraveling world – if we would have Him.

 

            The impact of the Jesus People is still felt in our culture – from the arts to the amazing numbers of young people who engage in service projects both domestically and abroad.  But it is just as true – as Ed Underwood points out in his excellent book, Reborn to Be Wild, that we of the movement all too often allowed ourselves to be housebroken.  Add to that the unremitting drumbeat that the Boomers were nothing but a bunch of self-indulgent yuppies who abandoned their children and their social responsibilities and it is easy to see why the Awakening God gave us Boomers is so largely forgotten and ignored.

 

            Reality is God never repeats His movements into the world anymore than He repeats the design of a snowflake.  Yet every snowflake looks enough like every other snowflake to be recognizable as what it is.  The Boomers have a calling – to pass the baton to the next generation while we are paving the straight highway in the desert for our God – see Mark 1:1-4 in the Bible – so they can walk it while we are still building it.  But if we would recognize and appreciate the Great Awakening that is coming in our time we – all of us – must recognize and appreciate the one that came to the Jesus People. 

 

James A. Wilson is the author of Living As Ambassadors of Relationships and The Holy Spirit and the End Times – available at local bookstores or by e-mailing him at

praynorthstate@charter.net

WILL THE CHURCH FORGET?

Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments... If you by any means forget the Lord your God... I testify...that you shall surely perish. As the nations which the Lord destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the Lord... (Deut 8:11-20 NKJV)

Dear Praying Friends,

The late Dr. D. James Kennedy (1930-2007) founding pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, FL, served as senior pastor for 47 years. He produced several worldwide ministries that have profoundly impacted the church and America. His daily radio and weekly TV programs live on through Truth in Action Ministries. On Memorial Day Sunday, 1997, Kennedy preached, "Will the Church Forget?"

The question I would ask today is, "Will the Church forget what you and a great many thousands of others fought for, and what some gave the last full measure of devotion to defend? Will the Church forget the principles upon which this nation was founded--principles of liberty, and not license; of godliness and piety and morality. This is what this nation was built upon. Will those things be forgotten? Alas, dear friends, I'm afraid that not only will the Church forget them, but to a large degree the Church has already forgotten them.

Don Wildmon, a gentleman who has done an amazing job with the American Family Association, wrote about a decade ago something I think is even more true today. He said this:

Today, 4,000 innocent precious lives of unborn babies were snuffed out... And 300,000 pulpits are silent... The networks make a mockery of Christians, the Christian faith and Christian values with nearly every show they air. Greed, materialism, violence, sexual immorality are standard fare. Program after program, movie after movie contains anti-Christian episodes and plots. News articles condescendingly refer to the "fundamentalists, right-wing Christians." Those who speak out for the sacredness of life are branded as extremists. And 300,000 pulpits are silent.

Teenage suicide is the highest it has ever be en [it's higher now than a decade ago]... Christian morality cannot be taught in schools, but atheistic immorality can... And 300,000 pulpits are silent.

Rape has increased 700 percent in the last fifty years, and that takes into consideration the population growth . . . And 300,000 pulpits are silent.

Rock music fills the airwaves and our children's minds with music which legitimizes rape, murder, forced sex, sadomasochism, adultery, satanic worship, etc. And 300,000 pulpits are silent.

A majority of states now have lotteries [gambling has been legalized, no longer a crime]. And 300,000 pulpits are silent.

What important matters are being dealt with in our churches? The church bulletin says there will be a meeting to plan the church-wide supper. We are raising money for a new floor cover in the kitchen. (The old one doesn't match the new stove and refrigerator--we must deal with important things first. The sermon subject last Sunday was "How To Have a Positive Attitude." And best of all--we are organizing a softball team...

Recently, at a convention attended by people from all over the United States, the speaker asked this question: "Do your pastors speak out on the great issues of our day?" Though there were hundreds of people from churches all over the country of various denominations, not one that I saw raised his hand. "Are you satisfied about the way your pastors are addressing the great issues of our time?" Not one hand went up!

I would like to turn from this congregation to do something I have never done before. I would like to speak directly to the ministers who are watching me right now, and say to you, Brethren. Gentlemen, God needs men who will speak out on the issues of the day... We are literally seeing the end of Western Civilization... We are involved in a great conflict for the soul of this nation, for the soul of the world--and many are spectators on the side. Ah, dear one, Christ wants you to be a soldier for Him. Pray that God will fill you with intensity to do whatever you can, to become involved, to get out of the bleachers and onto the playing field and become a participant in the greatest struggle in the history of the world--a struggle for goodness, a struggle for godliness, a struggle of Christ against Satan. That is the battle we are in...

• "Father, we pray that you will have mercy upon us. O God, I pray that you will take this congregation and fill them with your Spirit, fill them with a passionate intensity for the kingdom of Jesus Christ, for the winning of souls and the up-building of this nation and this world according to your teachings. O God, deliver us from our craven silence. Make us soldiers of Christ. Deliver us from being lukewarm, lest Thou spewest us out of Thy mouth. I pray it in Thy name, O Christ. Amen."

I Know Who You Are

 

Remember that creepy 1997 film…I Know What You Did Last Summer? The whole movie was premised on the spine chilling idea that there was a malevolent force fully aware of your secret, private moves. Such is the stuff horror movies are made of.

But...what if there was a flip side to this?  An all-knowing, all-loving, Sovereign force that watched our every move with interest.  A Comforter, Friend, close Brother who always wants our ultimate good…I doubt I could sell this idea to Hollywood. The plot is too improbable for them.

 

Do you know God? If you are a Christian you might be tempted to just quickly answer: Of course! Do you REALLY know God? Uh…what are you getting at?

In an intimate relationship, there is really nothing more satisfying then when someone “gets us”. Our best friends and spouses “understand us” right? If the relationship is to be successful, then this is almost a pre-requisite. The same is true of God. In order to be in a successful relationship with Him…we need to “get Him”…truly KNOW WHO HE IS and what He desires.

 

How can one do this, you may ask? Fortunately, God comes with a “handbook” or a study manual. If we take the time to study His Word, we can get to intimately know Him. Too often we have a shallow relationship, with Him not unlike a teenage crush. As long as He is making us feel good, sending us gifts and following us around like a puppy…everything’s good. When the relationship develops into something more than surface level…we take a few steps back like: WHOA God…Down Boy.

 

Take a moment to meditate on WHO God really is. Here is a list of all the compound Biblical names of God in the Bible:

 Jehovah-Ezer: The Lord our Helper

Jehovah-Jireh: The Lord our Provider

Jehovah-Mekeddeshem: The Lord Who Sanctifies

Jehovah-Nissi: The Lord our Banner Who goes before us

Jehovah-Rapha: The Lord our Healer

Jehovah-Seba’ot: The God of the Heavenly Army Hosts

Jehovah-Shalom: The Lord our Peace

But these two really sum it up:

Jehovah-Roi: The Lord our Shepherd, The God Who SEES ALL

Jehovah-Shammah: The Lord is There, Omniscient, Omnipresent, All- surrounding

Then there is the Ultimate Name. When Moses asks Him for a Name from the burning bush He simply answers: “I Am Who I Am.” In another translated version it more purely says: “I Exist.” Whew…that sends pleasant chills down my spine. He is the quintessential Essence of Life. When you get a complete revelation on just WHO it is that runs the Universe…you can fully grasp this stunning conundrum:

What is man that you are mindful of him?

~Hebrews 2:6

So, the next time you drop to your knees…try starting out with a major dose of gratitude. It is an amazing privilege to speak to Him. Next add the acknowledgement of just Who it is you are talking to.

 

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with Praise.

~Psalm 100:4

 

So…what are WE in America doing this summer? We, the United States of America, are getting ready to vote on the redefinition of marriage in our Supreme Court. God help us…this is truly the Abomination that Causes Desolation. The ultimate affront to God: Man/Man and Woman/Woman intimate relationships being “sanctioned” by our highest legal authority as holy. We will officially begin to worship ourselves.

I know what I will be doing this Summer…

I’ll be on my knees.

And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.

~2 Thessalonians 2:11

The people never give up their liberties, but under some delusion.

~Edmund Burke (statesman, author, orator, political theorist and philosopher who supported the cause of the American Revolution)

YOUR WORTH IS BEYOND WHAT YOU KNOW

 

Photo by Orin Zebest

 

 

My husband and I flip through channels and land on a reality show about a pawn shop. We’re intrigued when a woman hands over a fistful of jewels. “My grandmother left them to me,” she explains. The owners of the store begin to debate. One instantly declares they’re worthless–only glass. Another isn’t so quick to dismiss them. “Let’s call in an expert,” he says, “We’ll let him decide.”

In the next scene the expert stands over the microscope. He leans in and quickly pushes aside several of the gems. Then he pauses and beckons to the owner who wanted the evaluation. “Take a look at this,” he says. When the owner pulls back from the microscope he declares, “We’re going to change this woman’s life.”

Because that’s what happens when the worth of what you have to offer is recognized. It turns out that, yes, several of the jewels were simply glass rocks. But one was a large ruby. Until someone in authority declared the value that ruby seemed like all the rest. Now it would never be seen the same way again.

You are walking through life holding gems in your hand. They’re your strengths, gifts, and all that God has placed within you. The world will try to dismiss them. “Nothing special.” “Won’t amount to anything.” “Not good enough.” But hopefully your heart pauses and says, “Wait a minute. Let’s call in someone who can truly evaluate the worth.” That’s when Jesus comes enters the picture. He leans over your life and declares, “Priceless!”

And it’s not just one of the jewels. All the pieces of who you are have value.

Imagine if the owners of the pawn shop told the woman of their discovery and she said, “I’m sorry. I don’t believe you. All my life everyone I’ve met has treated this like glass. I just can’t accept that it’s a ruby. Just throw it in the trash with the others.” We’d probably jump up off the couch and holler at the TV, “Believe it! Believe it!”

And that’s what I’m hollering to your heart today, “Believe it! Believe it!” Pretty please with sugar on top dare to accept that what Jesus says about you is genuine–that you a treasure, of great worth, a woman with infinite value. No matter what anyone says. No matter what you’ve done. No matter how you feel.

It’s true.

On the show the woman stands wide-eyed for a moment and then reacts with emotion fitting to such a find: JOY. Her life has changed because her perspective is different.

It can be that way for us too.

Are you wondering about your worth today?

Then ask the One who loves you to show you what’s real.

WHERE DID ALL THESE "GAY" PEOPLE COME FROM?

Where did all of these "gay" people come from? Is it me or is there suddenly a large number of gay people everywhere you look? Did they all come out of the "closet" at once? Were they always there? What is going on here? it seems that this has become very popular and stylish of late.

Homosexuality was always with us, going back to ancient times. Is this a behavior a choice... a preference, as it were, or is this inclination something that people are "born with?" In other words, are people homosexuals by choice or against their own will? Tough question, especially today with the current mindset.

I know that today it is politically incorrect and downright rude to say that homosexuality is an aberration of choice or a sexual dysfunction, especially if one if coming from a religious point of view. That would be way too judgmental. After, all why should we impose our views (or God's views, as we understand them) on others? Don't people have a right to do with their own bodies whatever they like, including take drugs, commit adultery, commit incest, marry their sister or their aunt, as long as everyone is of age (whatever we decide that is) and consents? That would seem to be the prevailing view. Sexuality is a choice, right? And one should have freedom of choice when it comes to these "private" things. Right?

Homosexuality used to be viewed as psychosis and until the 1970s was listed in the psychiatric manual as a treatable psychiatric disorder. What has happened since then? Well, for one thing, the government does not want the added and expensive burden of having to pay for counseling to gay people in an attempt try to re-orient themselves sexually so that they can become straight. There are so many other things to deal with that are life threatening and so why waste valuable health care resources on such things as one's sexual preferences? This expensive treatment would be required if homosexuality remained listed as as disorder since that is the criteria by which the government operates. "If it is in the manual than we have to treat it because that is what we do. We treat stuff in the manual."

OK, so criticizing homosexuality from a religious point of view is out of the question based on what we just stated. My values are not yours and so you are free to reject them in a world where God is not believed to exist or religion is rendered so subjective that it is only personal and private such it should not be shared in public. From a medical point of view it is out of the question, too, since it is technically (we are told) no longer considered a disorder. One wonders what technological changes and breakthroughs in medical science have caused that amendment to the manual. It seems that we knew about this issue for a very long time. Oh, it is politically and economically motivated, you say? So many "gays" are now out there that protest being called aberrant that we should just change the norm because they vote! I get it. But consider why this is being done. There is no medical or psychological reason to change the diagnosis, only cultural reasons born out by the fact that people simply want to hear it explained differently. This is considered enlightenment. After all, who doesn't know and love someone who is "gay." It would be so terrible to make them feel sad about what they like to do. They would object.

If one does not believe in a God as the creator of the Universe and an objective static morality what is then left? Evolution! Yes, that is the supreme force of nature that seems to posses magical powers to create all things by natural selection and random mutations. This impersonal force has no value system of "right" and "wrong;" it just does whatever is best for the "survival of the fittest." That would explain the evolution of morality, at least. Morality evolves so that people can reach consensus as to what behaviors we like (and accept) and what we don't. Do to its popularity, currently, homosexuality is "in" and making judgments about what other people do is "out." We the people have voted it this way! True "scientific" Evolution, on the other hand, makes no value judgments but simply promotes the hard realities about what causes the species to survive and thrive. In the case of mankind, Evolution will do whatever is best to ensure the survival and continuation of the species. Don't want God? Evolution is your "fall back position" because it allows all of the creative power of God yet it allows you to make whatever choices you want without fear of answering to anybody. There is no church, no group of bearded elders to look askance at your lifestyle, no God to have to face in the final judgement. Whew! Glad we don't have to deal with that anymore. No more of that "invented" fiction meant to control people by those who, well, like to control people. Who doesn't want to sign on to that? It would be great on some level if it were true. Mankind is adept at such mental machinations and so God is just deemed to be a construct that we can all agree was invented so others can set limits on our behavior. But it could also be the other way around and true that we invented atheism (no God) to make us feel better about what we want to do and will likely do anyway. After all, it is not much fun to live indiscriminately if we really believe someone is watching us and making value judgments about what we do, it it? That would be a strong motive to un-invent God and justify a lifestyle. It just depends on how you view it. Motivation is a factor here.

The problem with Evolution, as far as the gay issue is concerned, though, is that homosexual behavior actually militates against the survival of the human race, not in favor of it. It is counterproductive to the propagation of mankind for the simple and obvious reason that gay people don't reproduce. Two copulating men simply cannot have children. No shock there. Thus, it runs counter to a core tenet of evolutionary theory which is that the organism will find a way to reproduce. Life will find a way. Now, if two men suddenly start having children naturally this will be proven wrong but I really don't think so.

Why then is gay behavior so readily accepted by people who have no religious beliefs and who applaud and accept Evolution as the "god" who creates and superintends all things? That makes no sense. It makes no "scientific" sense. I would really like someone to explain this to me. And, if Evolution is working the way it should by weeding out bad (i.e. non propagating behaviors) why is there such a proliferation of gay people in current times? The numbers are growing and it is no secret that gay people are now everywhere. They even are insisting that they be allowed to marry one another. This is yet another way to seriously discourage reproduction: committed binding homosexual unions with religious overtones! That type of monogamy would literally ensure they never produce kids. Evolution, you are going the wrong way. You need to make a U-turn.

Evolution teaches that there are "random mutations" in a species that occur for a variety of reasons. Could it be that the proliferation of gay people has nothing to do with evolution and people being "born that way" but is simply a function of the number of sexually mutant people out there that have been produced by the proliferation of dysfunctional homes, drug abuse and destructive living environments? Does the rise of sexual promiscuity, generally, and the number of fractured homes and dysfunctional parents contribute to this phenomena? Does sexuality, at its best, have to be modeled by a "normal" two parent (one man and one woman ) household for children to learn healthy sexual behavior? Are the body's natural sexual urges altered by improper programming borne of a bad environment.? Does early age sexual abuse or sexual experimentation skew the future sexuality of the person? These are legitimate questions and solid non politically motivated answers would explain a lot.

Dysfunction was always out there and so was homosexuality but we have not seen it at these levels in centuries, perhaps millennia. Could the breakdown in society have anything to do with this?

We are mostly all wired sexually from birth with essentially the same hardware. The triggers for sexuality, on the other hand, are in the brain somewhere and are more akin to "programming" and "software" rather than the hardware which all of the same sex generally share. Perhaps the software or the programming is askew in the population from the general decline in morals, the overall breakdown of the traditional family and the erosion of the tried and tested two parent family unit. With more stresses on the families these days (moms working, detached fathers not home, people having affairs, negative and salacious entertainment, the readily available pornography on the Internet, early age sexual experimentation and other graphic sexual inputs into our young brains (our "software"), can it possibly be that this is effecting vast numbers of people in weird and negative ways, sexually?

If I am right, the population percentage of homosexuals will continue to rise and the traditional family unit model of one man and one wife committed to each other for life will continue to decline and destruct until we will see all types of weird sexual and family behaviors passing for "normal' because it WILL BE THE NORM and, after all, we cannot dictate to anyone what is best for them or society. Or can we?

Is it wrong or unloving to try to counsel someone out of destructive behavior? Cannot tough love be able to point out another path? Isn't is indeed possible to love someone dearly and yet be grieved at the lifestyle choices they make, whether it be a promiscuous uncle that is married three or four times and has no relationship with his kids or a daughter who decides to marry her female college roommate because it is now chic to do that.

Think about it.

Tracking for Rings of Power by James Wilson

The film, The Hobbit, opens with a band of wandering dwarves and the wizard – really an angelic being – helping them recover the treasure lost when a marauding dragon destroyed their Kingdom under the Mountain and many loved ones in the wreckage.  Gandalf tells them the essential member of their company is the hobbit named Bilbo Baggins.  Mr. Baggins is what we would call an upper middle class fellow who wants to be left alone to enjoy his pipe and prosperity.  He eats six meals a day – as Hobbits do – and dislikes adventures – they make you late for dinner.  (He likes parties and sporting events – but they don’t make you late for dinner.)  Over the story he learns there is a lot more to him than he ever knew, and a lot more that God has for him – even though God as such is never mentioned in the story.  Tolkien’s Christian faith is the obvious underpinning of the story for those who know anything of either.

 

            If The Hobbit is about anything it is about the Biblical concept that God’s strength is perfected in human weakness.  When he is asked why he chose Bilbo for the adventure Gandalf says he does not know.  He says the wizard Saruman – the greatest of the order of the Istari or Wise or Angelic Ones – believes it requires the great powers to stand against evil and keep it at bay.  But Saruman himself will be corrupted and go over to the darkness in the Ring epic – because he trusted in power rather than in weakness submitted to the good.  Gandalf believes it is compassion that keeps darkness at bay.  He speaks of Bilbo as one who exercises everyday compassion, and courage.  He says of Bilbo, “I am afraid and he gives me courage.”  From Gandalf, that’s a mouthful.         

 

            Bilbo does his best to rescue his friends from giant trolls who eat human flesh when the more realistic dwarves throw in the towel – and prevails with a little help from Gandalf.  He steps up to the plate by leaving his own doorway at all, and when he meets the utterly corrupted Gollum in a tunnel beneath a goblin infested mountain because the strong and the wise have already failed.  He finds and stewards the one ring of power.  He will later give it up, though not without an internal struggle.  He sees the head dwarf, Thorin, about to die and stands between him and the goblin about to split him apart – because he can only live with himself if he does. 

 

It is compassion more than courage that says he knows how badly he wants to return to his own home and so determines to help the dwarves recover theirs.  He spares Gollum out of a compassion he does not understand – because it is a gift – and makes possible by that choice the success of the later and greater quest.  And it will be his appreciation of the little things back home that are so much more important to him than possessing riches that enable him to broker peace between warring peoples in an upcoming film through his personal sacrifice.

 

Bilbo seems largely unaware of how closely Tolkien’s God walks with him, but readers and filmgoers have every opportunity to see the story for what it is – a parable for our time and an encouragement for our hearts.  Nothing really happens by chance; Bilbo is moved to center stage by gift and by calling.  So are we.  Our world darkens as thoroughly as Middle Earth – and those bullies who call themselves true believers are more dangerous than mercenaries and robber barons.  There are wars and rumors of wars, men calling evil good and good evil, and followers of King Jesus hated by association with the onrush of glory in the authority gained through submission.  Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God; trust also in me…And I will do whatever you ask in my Name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.”

 

The Hobbit is not about Senator This or President That or General So-n-So, and neither is the Kingdom of God.  It is about raising the dead by being willing to die – to step up to the plate and ask not, “What can I do?” but “What would you do with me?” But that requires repentance – turning about and re-focusing on God in Christ through His own Spirit.  Such weakness offered up brought down the communist empire.  The world doesn’t get that, but we in the Body had better recover it as we approach the celebration of Pentecost.

 

James A. Wilson is the author of Living As Ambassadors of Relationships and The Holy Spirit and the End Times – available at local bookstores or by e-mailing him at

praynorthstate@charter.net

 

              

 

           

It's All About You, Lord

The times they are “a-changin’.” ~Bob Dylan

 

Does anyone remember that mind-numbing Christian fad derived from the “Prayer of Jabez” in the Bible?  This is the scripture verse that sparked the craze:

Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.  And God granted his request"

~1 Chronicles 4:10

Here’s the prosperity cult interpretation of this scripture:  God wants to abundantly bless you with prosperity, fame, influence, success.  He wants to enlarge your “tent pegs”.  Just keep saying the Jabez mantra over and over again and focus on YOU.  YOU, YOU, YOU.  I imagine Christians embracing some Eastern religion---everyone sitting Lotus style rocking back and forth in a rhythmic chanting frenzy. 

One can only cringe at what this must sound like to God Almighty.  It must resonate something like an opera singer warming up his vocal cords before a big show:

We all know Do, Re, Mi, right?  For some reason, they always stop on Mi and repeat:  Mi, Mi, Mi, Mi, Mi…

God must be hearing:  ME, ME, ME, ME, ME…

The Jabez book topped the best-seller list in the year 2000.  The year appears to be prophetic and wholly appropriate.  If there ever was a mantra for the New Milennium it would be:  Yes, It IS All About Me. 

Our societal philosophy now appears to be:  Whatever YOU think or say or believe is now deemed morally important and relevant---Nothing else.  What we have been slowly adopting in this culture is now exalted and confirmed in the religion of Human Secularism---YOU are the center of the Universe!  Hurray!  This frees you up to live a completely unfettered life making sure every one of your waking moments inures to your personal whims, desires or bent.  No more hypocritical and hateful religious people to contend with—be “FREE”!  Be yourself.  All the commercials reinforce this philosophy in one way or another.  Hollywood certainly promotes this lifestyle and assumption blatantly.  There’s one little, tiny detail that the Religion of Human Secularism leaves out.  While you are out there “being true to yourself” so is everyone else!  That’s a good thing, right?  Umm…Right?

Unfortunately, we are repeating a failing national cycle today in the United States as a “type and shadow” of the Jewish historical nation.  Today, we feed our incessant spiritual hunger with the covenants of human secularism whose one and only commandment is “To thine own self be true”. And yet….even Human Secularists almost perversely understand that we need to replace the 10 commandments with something, amen?     This is just another version of saying “Do What Thou Wilt”.  Do you know where this quote is found?  In the Occultic “Book of the Law” written by Satanist Aleister Crowley.  Welcome to society’s new “bible.”

The American Christian Church has also apparently adopted this self-centered thinking through cultural osmosis. Joel Osteen boasts 65,000 church attending devotees with book titles like:

Your Best Life Now

Every Day a Friday

Become a Better You

There is one overriding theme here…YOU, YOU, YOU! 

If you want to have a real eye opening revelation—take each of these book titles and picture Jesus saying them:

Hey disciples:  Your best life starts now! (10 were martyred and 1 died in exile)

Let’s live like every day is Friday--TGIF!  (As in crucifixion day???)

Judas---you need to become a better you! (Really?)

This current life is like a wisp of smoke in comparison to eternity.  The problem with the Christian Church is that they are HEAVILY invested in their Earthly fame and fortune.  This is why all the lukewarm, vomit-inducing Pop culture Pastors vie with each other for the top of the Best Sellers list. 

I’m sure social media has had something to do with this.  Everyone has the false notion that they are starring in their own reality TV show.  Narcissism is alive and well on FaceBook as hordes of people think others are waiting breathlessly to hear about their latest banal activity.  The American Church is one of the biggest perpetrators of this “Kardashian Christianity”.   

Yet, in the Bible, Jesus only outlines a life of self sacrifice, not thinking too highly of oneself, becoming a servant, picking up His cross, DYING TO SELF.

We now have a President that perfectly mirrors the “It’s all about ME” attitude.  He sells his venom to the mesmerized crowds.  Few even blink an eye.  His philosophy doesn’t shock and outrage the majority of Americans.  We understand him--His shorthand.  He is Us, We are him.  We are always hungry for more, more, more.  Hell is depicted as a bottomless pit that is never satisfied:

Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.

~Proverbs 27:20

This is the logical outgrowth of the Human Secularist movement come to complete fruition.  It has given birth to its “Messiah” and the result is hideous…A cannibalistic society that feeds upon itself.     

“Sure, sure,” you might say.  “You sound like the old cranky Church lady on Saturday Night Live; the same type of person who said Elvis’ hip shaking was lewd in the 1950’s.” 

Please hear me out:  Close your eyes and do a short mental exercise with me.  Imagine your grandparents or simply another American who is no longer alive since the year 2000 or so.  Start explaining to them:  the 9/11 tragedy, the horrors of the Gosnell late-term abortion clinic, the Newtown school shooting, the Cleveland bondage and captivity sex abductions.  Tell them that Christian employers must now aid and abet murder by supplying abortion pills to their employees.  Explain the latest obsession with gender neutrality, marriage redefinition, and mainstream sado-masochism books.  Show them the statistics on rampant child pornography, infant rape and sex trafficking of children—both of which are now serious and growing problems within the U.S.

My grandparents would think they were glimpsing the portals of Hell. 

Perhaps they would be correct.

   

The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.

~Song of Solomon 2:12

THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.

~Thomas Paine