Friday, September 30, 2011

THINK ON THESE THINGS - FRIDAY

Iranian Pastor Youcef in his prison cell.

"Repent means to return. What should I return to? To the blasphemy that I had before my faith in Christ?"....Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani (Iran).

When one member of the Body of Christ is hurt - the entire body hurts. As committed Christians worldwide cry out for Mercy for our brother, Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, we get a living example of what it means to be a REAL disciple of Jesus!.

Continuing on in Hebrews 11, verses 14-16 underline what we spoke about in yesterday's THINK, when the WORD was "SEPARATION"! Separation from what? Separation from the world systems of their man-made religions, rituals and traditions.  Here are the verses:

Hebrews 11:14-16 NKJV:14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country.Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

Evangelical Christians in this country are engaged as never before as they see a Christ follower who is living verse 16 above! Youcef is not only not ashamed of the gospel in a dark and evil place, but has picked up his Cross! In fact, the entire passage above speaks to this very issue.



If there was ever a distinction between the religions of hate in this world and the Quiet Confidence we find in those of us committed to Christ,  it is this drama playing out in an iranian courtroom this week.


All across the oppressive islamic world, more and more actual reports are coming into our people about increasing instances of Visions of Christ! Entire villages are seeing the huge Man in White and without hearing some preacher preach the Gospel, they are getting saved by these powerful encounters with "ISA al-MASIH" (or Jesus Messiah)!!!!
CHRISTINE DARG 

In short, these poor villages are having the same encounters with the Living Christ which Saul, later the Apostle Paul, had on the Road to Damascus!  As a result of these massive conversions, (some documented by our sister in Yeshua - CHRISTINE DARG in her book "The Jesus Visions -Signs and Wonders in the Muslim World"), persecution and vile assaults on believers are increasing in intensity.


All we can do from this vantage point, is continue to pray for victory for these persecuted saints. A good places to start will be the upcoming International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church on November 13. 


Today's word - COMMITMENT - is reflective of the theme of Hebrews 11 and our Faith. Like Pastor Youcef and many with his story around the cruel world, we must be grounded FIRMLY in Christ and the only way we can have this Firm Foundation, is to be completely and just fully Committed and Sold out to Jesus! Are you ready??!!!
Let's Roll!



Thursday, September 29, 2011

THINK ON THESE THINGS - THURSDAY


JESUS KNOCKS DOWN THE GATES OF DEATH FOR HIS SAINTS

WORD FOR TODAY: SEPARATION!

Faith is well….taking things on “Faith”. There used to be a time when the U.S. Dollar represented the “full faith and credit” of these United States of America. We all know what happened to the latter – the credit of the United States is lower than a crawling reptile’s stomach! The full faith part still exists. In fact, some people seem to have more faith in the concept of this great country, than they have faith in the God Who created us!

Our next verse in the Hebrews 11 Series is 13 "These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth….Hebrews 11:13 ESV

Every Old Testament saint died without seeing the Great Hope and Glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Adam knew the Creator Jesus, Who walked in the “cool of the Garden” and talked with Adam daily. But he lost that fellowship after sinning with Eve and the serpent in Genesis 3. Still, the Lord provided for and blessed his family. What about the others?

The following well known saints died without seeing the Promise of Christ, yet they believed: Enoch; Noah; Joshua; Samuel, King David; Jeremiah; Daniel; Hosea and Abraham. These are the well known faithful ones, but there were many, many whom God calls His Remnant throughout the almost 4000 years before Christ, who never sold out to the world, sin and Satan!

They are like you and I!!

They are the ones who went about their lives; raised their families and had a Fear of Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel. We hardly ever see the awe and respect and fear for Holy God we read and know about from Tradition or of long ago Biblical Worship services. 

But while the modern church does not conduct according to the high standards of Old Testament believers, in our own lives and families, we do not have to participate. 

So for today - the word is SEPARATION. Yes, separate yourself from the Culture and the Filth, even if we have to live and work next door to or IN it! 

Let us be strangers and exiles like those whom we read about in Hebrews 11:13!
Amen!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

WHY THE JEWISH FEASTS ARE IMPORTANT TO CHRISTIANS


WHY JESUS REINSTATES THE UPCOMING FEAST OF TABERNACLES FOR 1000 YEARS!

As the current Jewish people celebrate the New Year (Rosh Hashanah),  it is important to examine why this and other feast days are important to us gentile Christians who have been grafted into the Family of our Great God!

Modern Christianity tends to look, with disdain...or completely ignore, these Feast Days, which, as I mentioned this morning, were instituted by the Lord Jesus Himself.

So briefly, here is what they mean:
THE FIRST COMING OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
In the Spring, we have Three Major Feast Days....and NOTE their connections:

1. PESACH (or PASSOVER) - Christ was crucified on that Day!
2. OMER (or FirstFruits) - The Resurrection of Christ!
3. SHAVUOT( or WEEKS) - The Baptism of the Holy Spirit of Pentecost

Any questions?!

THE SECOND COMING OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST:
In the Fall (now), we have these three (3) Major Feast Days...and note not only their direction relationships but the flow from one to the next:

1. Yom Teruah (or TRUMPETS) -  Announcing the Coming Tribulation!
2. YOM KIPPUR (or DAY OF ATONEMENT) - The Second Coming!
3. SUCCOTH (or FEAST OF THE TABERNACLES) - The Millennial Kingdom!

Let's take a brief look at a couple things. Trumpets are mentioned in the Tribulation as Judgment on the evil of this present world begins. It is predicted in Revelation 11:15 (NLT) Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: “The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,       and he will reign forever and ever.”

The main Feast we, as Christians, should be excited about is the Feast of the Tabernacles! This is specifically mentioned in the Bible as being re-instituted by King Jesus in His 1000 year reign from His Throne in Jerusalem! Now get this - some people are going to rebel against Him, while He is there and refuse to go up to Jerusalem to worship at this time!  It will not go well for them.

This Feast will celebrate the Restoration and the Fulfillment of the Covenants from Abraham to the New Covenant of Christ in the New Testament.

BIBLICAL PROPHESIES CONFIRM THIS:


Zechariah 8:3 says “And now the Lord says: I am returning to Mount Zion, and I will live in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City; the mountain of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will be called the Holy Mountain....

Zechariah 8: 19 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: The traditional fasts and times of mourning you have kept in early summer, midsummer, autumn, and winter[a] are now ended. They will become festivals of joy and celebration for the people of Judah. So love truth and peace. 20 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: People from nations and cities around the world will travel to Jerusalem. 21 The people of one city will say to the people of another, ‘Come with us to Jerusalem to ask the Lord to bless us. Let’s worship the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. I’m determined to go.’22 Many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord of Heaven’s Armies and to ask for his blessing.
(All Scriptures are from the New Living Translation courtesy BibleGateway.com)
Here is the passage which prophesies Rebellion among those nations who are still being born while Christ reigns for 1000 years. This is absolutely sobering and is from Zechariah 14:16-19 - "
In the end, the enemies of Jerusalem who survive the plague will go up to Jerusalem each year to worship the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. 17 Any nation in the world that refuses to come to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, will have no rain. 18 If the people of Egypt refuse to attend the festival, the Lord will punish them with the same plague that he sends on the other nations who refuse to go. 19 Egypt and the other nations will all be punished if they don’t go to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.


TABERNACLES...FOR HIS GLORY!


But the main reason for Celebrating this amazing Feast (also called "Booths"; "Shelters" or "Succoth") is to rejoice in the Glory of God! Anyone who has seen videotape of a current Tabernacles celebration knows it is just plain old fun and rejoicing in Jesus!

Haggai 2: 6 “For this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: In just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth, the oceans and the dry land.7 I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will be brought to this Temple. I will fill this place with glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 9 The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!”

Zephaniah 3: 14 Sing, O daughter of Zion;
      shout aloud, O Israel!
   Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
      O daughter of Jerusalem!
 15 For the Lord will remove his hand of judgment
      and will disperse the armies of your enemy.
   And the Lord himself, the King of Israel,
      will live among you!
   At last your troubles will be over,
      and you will never again fear disaster.
 16 On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be,
      “Cheer up, Zion! Don’t be afraid!
 17 For the Lord your God is living among you.
      He is a mighty savior.
   He will take delight in you with gladness.
      With his love, he will calm all your fears.
      He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

....IN THIS BRIEF PIECE, I GIVE YOU THIS WONDROUS FALL SEASON - AS WE CELEBRATE WITH THE PEOPLE OF GOD - HIS FEASTS!!

....and the Word be came Flesh, and dwelt (Tabernacled) among us....John 1:14a.

(Bernie Lutchman)
Images courtesy Bing Images)



FEAST OF TRUMPETS 2011

(Think on These Things return tomorrow)
NEW YEAR'S EVE 2011 (5772 ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE)
Today is the first day of the Feast of Trumpets. It is New Year's Eve for our Jewish brethren! 

First of all - HAPPY NEW YEAR (Rosh Hashanah) ! It is now the year 5772! While the western world uses the Julian Calendar, the Jewish calendar is closer to correct Biblically.


Many Christians neglect the Jewish Holidays as a lot of pompous American churches from American Baptist to Charismatic and the unbiblical mainlines religious organizations believe in something called "Replacement Theology"  (Click here). This is not only wrong but blasphemous of the Lord Jesus Christ.


It is Christ Himself who instituted the Jewish Feasts and celebrated them Himself! Not just that, but in the Milennial Kingdom, when He reigns from Jerusalem, Trumpets and Tabernacles (Succot) are coming back according to Biblical Prophesy!



This will be explored in tonight's blog. For now, I celebrate the Coming New Year with my brothers in the Jewish Community today, because spiritually this date is closer to the Creation of Man by God, in the Book of Genesis.

Happy New Years' Eve!




Tuesday, September 27, 2011

SEE YOU AT THE POLE - WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 28

THEME FOR 2011- CONVERGE
Today - Wednesday September 28 is the Annual SEE YOU AT THE POLE Day at High Schools across America.


Hundreds of thousands of Christian students will exercise their First Amendment rights to assemble freely and pray around the Flagpole of their schools. Most will meet at 7am this morning. However activities are planned both in schools and church youth groups all day and into Wednesday night.


The theme of this year's SEE YOU AT THE POLE (SYATP) is CONVERGE. SYATP was started in 1990, when a church youth group in Texas met to pray for each other. It caught on like wildfire and one year later, over 1 million youth were praying around flag poles in America. This grew to over 4 million by the year 2000. Many school districts have tried to stop this Christian activity, but even the ACLU does not object to student led prayers outside of the classroom.


The theme verse for 2011 is Matthew 18:20 NASB "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst."


If you are in either a public or private High School, you will find fellow saints around your school flag pole. Converge around it.

THINK ON THESE THINGS - TUESDAY


LIKE THE GRAIN OF SAND......

"The Hourglass of Our Lives"

There was a long running TV soap opera which began like this "Like sand through the hourglass, so are the Days of Our Lives". This has since run its course (coarse?!) but if you think about an hourglass for a few moments, there are parallels to our own mortal lives!


When we are born, the top half of the hourglass is full of sand. This could represent the full potential awaiting us in life. The bottom half of the hourglass of our lives starts off empty or blank. It is a canvas on which we can paint the picture of our short lives. How beautiful this picture is depends completely on us!


The hourglass is well, glass! Therefore it is transparent.


After we stand the hourglass up, the sand starts flowing into the bottom half of it and it starts a rapid movement.


"LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered--how fleeting my life is..."Psalm 39:4 NLT


Our verse today as we move through Hebrews 11 is Verse 12: "Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore".

Abraham was chosen by God to have eternal impact on mankind until the end of time. We are seeing those days now. The Scripture is clear about this and also about how we are to live as those grains of sands on our own beach head.

Therefore, without much more fluff, here are some thoughts today as we think on these things:



Like the grain of sand in the Hourglass,  It is recommended we live transparent lives. The more transparent, the more authentic and real to the world we are.


Like the grains of sand, we can flow through the lives of many and leave an everlasting impact as we settle into the second half of this amazing device.


Like the grains of sand, we should go through the narrow middle. This regulates our flow and keeps it from falling fast and flat-dead to the bottom without definition! This Narrow Middle is Christ. Wide is the gate to destruction, narrow is the Way the Truth and the Life - the Lord Jesus.

Like the grains of sand, sometimes we may get into the picnic basket or may suffer when the bullies of this world kick sand in our face, but  think about how cool it is to feel the sand between your toes as you walk the warm beaches during summer vacation in the past. Think about that...part of the essence of life



An hourglass is a beautiful outline. When God designed us, He had something like this in mind. He made us for transparency and flow and beauty. Sin in the Garden disrupted that plan. But  God sent a man- Abraham to lay the groundwork, and Jesus to complete it.


As we think about Eternity and the billions who are not going to be there, let us purpose to ensure the Days we are given in our lives, are used to gather as many grains of sand, into a beautiful mound, which will be presented to the Lord Jesus, on that great and coming day of our Christ.


In the Name of Jesus the Creator, amen.


Psalm 90:12 (NASB) "So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom."

Monday, September 26, 2011

THINK ON THESE THINGS - MONDAY



WAITING FOR THE PROMISE
(WE RETURN TO HEBREWS 11, VERSE BY VERSE
TODAY'S WORD - BELIEVE


Has someone ever made you a promise which not only sounded to good to be true, but could even be termed totally way out there?  I know how human nature would react - we would say "now way"...but inside, our "willer" would say " YES, WAY....er...please"!!!


For instance, take this one man who lived over 75 years surrounded by generations of not just pagan idol worship, but some of the vilest and sex-oriented debauchery which literally had its roots with Noah's great grandson - King (Ima) Nimrod! This man's dad was one of the richest  in UR, (which is not a Twitter abbreviation for "you are"). Terah reigned in Southern Iraq as one of the richest men there.

But one day, God said to Terah's son- take up you beautiful childless 74 year old wife Sarai and go west, old man, to this new land....BUT I am not going to tell it just....just GO! Over twenty years go by in the hot and harsh deserts of the Cradle of Creation. Then one day, God tells this man "your 99 year old wife is going to have a baby, and you da man - at age 100"!



Faith enabled Abraham to become a father, even though he was old and Sarah had never been able to have children. Abraham trusted that God would keep his promise....Hebrews 11:11 (GWT)


Jesus Himself confirmed it to Abraham - Face to face - when the LORD visited Abraham and Sarah, with two angels, on the way to destroying Sodom and Gomorrah. Sarah laughed in private - an action with did not escape Jesus, who rebuked her. This story is told in Genesis 18: 10-15.


What we should ask ourselves is this - do we laugh at the Promises of God in His Word, or do we believe them... even a little bit?  Little Faith, just like a little knowledge, can be a dangerous thing. Look what happened when Sarah got impatient waiting for the Lord to send a natural heir for Abraham. She gave her young Egyptian servant girl, Haggar, to Abraham to impregnate, and we now have the Middle East crisis led by the sons of Ishmael!


Therefore, the word today is Believe. When the Lord, through His Spirit or the prophetic declaration of others, makes a promise to you, believe it! Then once you believe it, do not try to force His Hand. Just "Be still and know that He is God" (Psalm 46:10). Because if you try to help God out, they could be consequences you never bargained for!


Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.... Psalm 27:14

Sunday, September 25, 2011

THINK ON THESE THINGS - SUNDAY MESSAGE


TWICE AS MANY WOMEN SUFFER ANXIETY THAN MEN!
CONQUER ANXIETY, CONQUER FEAR!



Witnessing Anxiety Attacks close up, with a loved one, is very nerve-racking. It is not only an occasion for all parties involved to panic, but an occasion for self-diagnosis…and if there ever was a time when people are not only wound up tight but completely stressed out – it is now!

I like how the British Broadcasting Service defines Anxiety and then distinguishes it from what Panic and Phobias are. The BBC says “Anxiety is the feeling of fear we all experience when faced with threatening or difficult situations. It helps us to avoid dangerous situations, makes us alert and motivates us to deal with problems”. In my opinion, this may be classified as the “good” kind of anxiety –This is actually more profound in word independence than say, Anticipation.

The good part of anxiety shows up when we eagerly await the birth of an infant, while pacing the hospital floor….or the posting of the Graduation List on the College website, to see if you’re graduating or not!

But there is the bad type of anxiety.  It is the one causing stress, heartburn and sleepless nights to many in our current circumstance.

TYPES OF ANXIETY
There are several types of anxiety and they all are capable of causing serious damage. 

The most common one is Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). This affects almost 7 million American adults according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Twice as many women than men suffer from GAD.

GAD is the product of incessant worry…worry about gas prices…worry about food prices…worry about cost of a college education for little James…worry about getting passed over for promotion for someone younger and less committed…worry about declining health…worry about parents growing old and needing more attention…worry about layoff, the bad economy and even worse politicians!

Then there is the OCD or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder where a person cannot make it through a day without a daily ritual of hand washing; certain kinds of thoughts and actions and anything that reoccurs.

Other types of Anxiety Disorders are Panic Disorders; Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Social Anxiety Disorder (or SAD).

The Panic Disorder is the next common one. Having witnessed a couple, I vouch for the following symptoms – stomach upheaval; nausea; chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath and dizziness.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has become increasingly problematic to U.S. servicemen and women returning from the Combat Zones if Iraq and Afghanistan. The NIMH gives the official definition a disorder developed due to “exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. Traumatic events that may trigger PTSD include violent personal assaults, natural or human-caused disasters, accidents, or military combat”. 

Our dear soldiers are under so much stress these days with long tours of duty in an unending war on Terrorism and broken families back at the base that the incidences of suicides and divorce have skyrocketed. Drug abuse has also increased.

Finally Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is a sort of fear of having to perform – public speaking or singing – to the point of developing into a phobia!

ARE THERE CURES?
Medication
All of these five disorders have to be diagnosed and treated individually and with a different approach, in the natural realm.  America and the western world have attempted to limit the resulting behavior of these disorders by prescribing medication.

t one point in the past years, Prozac was the most purchased drug in America! Xanax and other anti-depressants abound. Beta-blockers are serious heart condition drugs (like Inderal). Yet some doctors administer this to those suffering with SAD, who may have a problem with public speaking for their job or something similar!
                                                Psychotherapy
Even the above drugs can never treat an Anxiety Disorder. There is no treatment for this but something called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is increasingly used to attempt to combat Anxiety.

Some surface success can be had by hours or up to 12 weeks of CBT with patients from any of the five anxiety disorders. This can range from Group Therapy for social phobias to intensive counseling facing up to flashbacks from the combat zone.
The problem with every single man-made cure here: from medication to psychotherapy; is this – they all address the wrong symptom!

LACK OF FAITH?
Every single Anxiety disorder comes from an uneasy soul….a spirit which does not live in rest or which does not abide in the Lord. For us believers, it will be those who are not walking in the Light of Christ!

It is my contention that Worry and Fear stems from a lack of Faith…even if the person says they believe and trust in the Lord.

The great Mark Twain once said "Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear". Therefore, does it mean that Fear is a lack of courage? Believe it or not, Jesus thought and said so in Mark 4:40 (NASB) "And He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?"

To grasp this fully, let's look at the two original Greek words Jesus used: "AFRAID" (Delios) means to be timid, even cowardly! It is the negative kind of fear...not the positive way we are supposed to "FEAR THE LORD"! Then Jesus said His disciples had no FAITH (Pistis). This is not just faith or Trust but also a lack of confidence!

It recalls when 
Moses sent out a spy party of 12 men to scout the Promised Land - Canaan. Sure enough, they came back with proof of the Faithfulness of God and even called it "A land flowing with milk and honey".....but then 10 of them wimped out about they fear they had of the size of the giants occupying that territory. 

God had promised them that Land. He allowed them safe passage in to get the fruit and take it back as evidence to Moses and Aaron. But they grew timid and lost their trust and confidence in the Promises of God.

Have YOU lost that same total confidence you had in Him?
Have YOU let Human Reasoning replace the Loving Trust and opened shiny-faced trust you had in Him before?
Have YOU allowed Fear, of so many well...fearful things...in today's world...so overtake you, that it ROBS you of the POWER 
Christ 
gave you....to DEFEAT THAT SAME FEAR???!!!

This is the kind of humanistic thinking and surrendering to the flesh which brings on these mind disorders.

FEAR NO EVIL
WORSHIP YOUR WAY OUT OF A CRISIS, IT WORKS
On the surface, modern life appears more like vaulting through the valley of despair than the standing on the Peaks of Possibility! In fact, sometimes it seems that every time we have a "mountain top" experience, where we really connect with God and Christ and our Faith, the very next day - something really stupid happens!

But in this life, it is a given that we spend most our lives down in the valley. Like Moses, the mountain is where we receive Encouragement, Exhortation and the Examples to live by, from God. Also like Moses, we then have to come down from the top of the Mountain of God and live among the people.....and the thing about down here folks is - down here we have hate, greed, poverty, crime, pornography, vile acts, drugs, devastation, destruction and despair!

The laws of God - His Moral Laws - are written on our very consciousness.  We have a spiritual heart which MUST connect with our Creator in order to live the Life He call us to. His Life is laid out for us in a Plan. He said so in Jeremiah 29:11 (MOFFATT) " “For I keep in mind my purpose for you, a purpose of weal (prosperity or happiness), not of woe, to let you have hope for the future…” 

However, we can choose to deviate from this God Ordained Plan and make things harder on ourselves if we so wish! And we do this all the time. It is now time to return to the Blueprint! Sure we can LIVE in the Valley while on earth, because we have no choice. But we do not have to participate in its filth and darkness.

It is now HIGH TIME to realize that while we were once part of the Dominion of Darkness, now we are co-inheritants of the Kingdom of Christ.
Now is the time to realize that the Valley of the Shadow of a disgusting DYING world is just a training ground. 
Now is the time to realize we have nothing to fear but fear itself.
Now is the time to realize - FEAR NO EVIL for He is with  you and I - He promised it! Now - FEAR NO EVIL BECAUSE AS THE NEW LIVING TRANSLATION SAID  - WE LET HIM, HE WILL BE RIGHT BESIDE US...TWO SETS OF FOOTSTEPS...NOW, ISN'T THAT A COMFORTING THOUGHT?!! 

Think of all the phobias and panic attacks we can do away with, if we just trust and obey His Word!

(Images by Google Images)

Saturday, September 24, 2011

THINK ON THESE THINGS - SATURDAY

MORE TEENAGE GIRLS IN DANGER THROUGH BINGE DRINKING THAN BOYS!
Church sound asleep!

Teenage binge drinking is fast becoming a major cause of death for more young girls than boys these days! It is estimated by national authorities that about 3 million under-age teenagers drink alcohol on a regular basis. This is not only illegal but unhealthy! 

This horrible upward trending behavior is playing havoc with our youngsters across the fruited plain! In a few weeks, a scary new report called "Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research" (done by the University of California at San Diego and Stanford U.) will confirm that severe brain damage are done to girls more than boys,  due to binge drinking! Spatial working memory (SWM) is the most affected part. This memory is important as SWM affects simple skills like comprehending directions, driving a car or even playing sports!

The upcoming results by these colleges will show exhaustive research done on both boys and girls who both confessed to drinking alcohol and those who did not. The kids who did not drink had normal brain development in school and are maturing nicely. Those who drank were found by the lead researcher, Dr. Susan Tapert (UC San Diego, who will release the abovementioned report) to have serious defects! 

Other research has found the following in teens who abuse alchohol: weight gain; impaired judgment; dehydration; dulled senses and delayed reaction time to basic life functions. There are more. But if you notice this in any young people around you, please look into it. There may be more to what meets the eye!

Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit..Ephesians 5:18 (NLT)

But not just that - sexual immorality is on the increase with this group due to the numbing effects of alcohol. This would be true at any age, but because a teen has no capacity to discern in a mature way, the freedom  to explore the world through smartphones and the internet has given them unlimited access to potential permanent self destructive sexual stimuli! 

It is amazing the amount of 12 -15 year old girls I see, in the ministry, with birth control patches and babies who should be their siblings. Sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise.  Abortion is too, except it is not talked about and done quietly out of state...with their parents consent! Imagine that

I am looking forward to the abovementioned report to see how the church or church leaders can assist in bringing change to this. But I must say that the defense of alcohol consumption by people who should know better is increasingly shocking. Recently, some  YRR (Young, Reformed and Restless) pastors were called on the carpet by elder christian statesman/preacher Dr. John MacArthur for drinking alcohol in pubs etc, while holding group discussions on the bible! The YRR's saw nothing wrong with doing this!

PASTORS - GUILTY!

While he unfairly attacked some of the preachers by name whom I have since researched, this movement by SOME elements of these influential young preachers is a horrible example to teens who are already under the gun of peer pressure to abuse social networking media; sexual experimentation and worse than all of this - readily available alcohol! Some responsible adults who know these young pastors need to stop them and give them a good talking too.

What we, as responsible Christian parents and leaders, should occupy ourselves with is - A SENSE OF URGENCY! Some of these kids confessed their parents got them the booze! This is a felony and the Law has caught up to some of these stupid people! We also need to teach the children well in our youth groups. Most youth ministry is concerning itself with electronic games; coffee shop experiences and the occasional visit to a homeless mission to help pass out food around Thanksgiving. 

Hardly any are seeing the hurt and destruction right under their noses because they are so wrapped up in their church programs and being yes men to a controlling pastor. They will only find out there is a problem when the teen, who is the 'good daughter' of Mrs. So- and - so..."and I can't believe she did that"....when the signs were right under your nose....!!!!!! When is the body of Christ going to wake up? Probably never. A small few may have good alcohol or abortion recovery support groups - most could care less. 

The Pregnancy counseling centers are receiving and helping teens who are coming out of these same churches where their ignorant pastors care more about the collection plate or controlling the volume of the songs on Sunday morning. Don't ask me how I know this, but I do and it's a crime that the majority of pastors in any given city, REFUSE to help BEFORE problems explode, because, between you and I....and I see this first hand as the leader of a regional outreach ministry with no agenda but Jesus - they just don't care!

Yes, I accuse pastors of not caring. Some of them don't even care of their congregations are truly saved and are under some Discipleship program!  I stand by this and will say it again to their faces, because they are just as guilty if they did not proclaim Truth to these teens and then proceed to do what it took to protect them in our churches. Enough said.

Therefore, please, please pray for our children, please...and show them, while teaching them, the Truth of this verse below. That, they too, can be more than conquerors, in Jesus' Name, amen!

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure...1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT


(Images by Google images)