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Life Must Be Found

Posted by Alan Smith on June 28, 2023 at 5:46am

Thoughts and Perceptions:

Life Must Be Found

By: Alan Smith

 

  • Romans 1:16-17: This Good News tells us that God makes us ready for heaven-makes us right in God's sight-when we put our faith and trust in Christ to save us. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scripture says it, "The man who finds life will find it through trusting God." (TLB)

What a perception, don’t you think?  How can you be alive and still need to find life?  Could there be more to life than just living?  Here is another one of the secrets of the Kingdom of God.  The man or woman who “finds life” must have a desire for “real life”.  I am not talking about the pleasures of life or self gratification; no, not at all.  To find “more life” means to discover and perform physically, mentally, and spiritually what God has placed inside of you to be and to do.  You know, that part of you that has never been truly expressed.  It is your “inner being” crying out to create something.  You can feel it from deep within you.  Perhaps you have managed to shut down this voice crying from within your soul.  This creative voice which God has put down in the depths of your soul is His voice calling you to come and create with Him.  He is not calling you to recreate what others have already created.  No, He is calling you to come and create with Him.  He is not asking you to sacrifice life and die.  No, He is calling you to start “living more life”.  Before we move on in this thought, ask yourself these two questions.  Are you trying to find “more life” through competitive games with people?  Or are you seeking “more life” by being a creative thinker under the influence of the Kingdom of God?  You must put your “faith and trust in Christ” that His sacrifice was and is the only sacrifice that is needed to save mankind from destructive thinking.  You must stop dying and start living.  You are not the “sacrifice” for man; only Christ could perform this task.  God does not want you to sacrifice yourself for others.  This sacrifice has already been made.  He truly wants you to start living.  Let’s look at this thought more closely.

 

  • 1 Corinthians 15:37: When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. (NIV)

In this scripture you can see that Christ was the “seed” which had to be sown into the earth and die.  You are to be the fruit of Him being sown and you are to live!  As this fruit, He wants you to “find life”, “live life” and then “give life” to others.  So how can you “give life” away unless you are “finding life” through trusting God and the finished work of Christ, the sacrifice for the world?  God wants you to live life fully, with much joy and abundance.  It is then that you can give out of this substance of the Kingdom of God.  You know you have received this revelation of living life fully when you desire for everyone to have this same experience.  You must always remember that God wants all of His creation to discover the true reason for existing.

 

Is your experience of “finding life” one that you could recommend to others, or are you living a life of competitiveness with people, instead of creativeness with God?  A competitive life will take away and give it unto itself; but a creative life will bless others and in turn be blessed itself.  When you are “finding life” and giving it away, all will be blessed.  No one has to lose to be blessed when God gives away “more life”.  You must stop these thoughts of competition for what has already been created and trust God for new creativity and life in you.  When you gain “more life” from a selfish motive, it is never satisfactory or permanent.  This competitive motive will be conquered tomorrow by another and all that was gained will be lost.  To “find more life” you must “give more life”.  It is in the “giving” that you “find”.  You do not have to take advantage of anyone to gain more life.  On the contrary, you must bless others in order to receive blessing.

 

You are to create and give away.  In doing this you must understand that this creative supply has no end.  In fact, you are to create with God and not compete with Satan.  Once you enter into competitive thinking with the enemy, you have entered into his game.  This will shut down all creativity in your life.  Once you fall into competitive thinking, all creative thinking will stop.  It is imperative that you rise above this low thinking which comes from the competitive nature of Satan, and have a higher standard of thinking which comes from the creative nature of the Kingdom of God.  Satan has been defeated.  Why do you act like this is not true?  All he can do is seduce you into competing with him and others in all of your thoughts.  You then enter into a war that has already been won; and the victory of Christ has no affect for you are fighting just the same.

 

When you battle the enemy, you are always taking inventory of your visible supply: a very selfish way of thinking.  When you think creatively, you are always looking unto the limitless supply of your God: a very unselfish way of thinking.  When you start “finding more life” from God, it is because you trust that His ways are true, and in turn, more life is produced in you to give away.  Remember, there is an endless supply of creativity.  This “more life” can have many different forms and values.  It can be more joy, more patience, more love, more laughter, more giving: a higher way of thinking.  It can even be a better attitude or more money with which you can bless others.  When you truly find “more life” in God, all of your creative thinking will bless yourself as well as others.  You will be able to give more to every man than you take from him.  In other words, when you work for someone, you will give more of your labor and attention to him than that for which he is paying you.  This in return will bless you beyond measure.  When you deal with others, you must ask yourself, “Is this going to bless him more than it will me”?  If the answer is “yes”, then this is creative thinking.  Creative thinking will add “more life” to your living.  When you arise to this heavenly thinking, you have left the competitive realm and moved into the creative realm.  It is here that you will find “more life”.  When you give every man more than you take, you are then adding “more life” upon the face of the earth.

 

So ask yourself, will you let your “light shine” in a dark place?  Sure, there is darkness all around, but “real life” which comes from God’s secret Kingdom will quench any darkness when it enters the room.  The powers of this dark world are always whispering to you depression, guilt, anger, despair, lack, or pride.  They will try to convince you that others have taken all you were to have in this life; that there is nothing left for you.  Let me tell you the truth: this is a lie!  How can others take what has not been created yet?  This is a new day waiting to be created.  I encourage you to trust God, for He is waiting to create this day with you.  It cannot be stolen, for it is waiting to be created.  Again I say “Trust God” and His Kingdom, for His Kingdom is not of this world.  It is waiting to be experienced by the expression of “more life”.  Come near to God and trust Him for His arms are open, just waiting for you to speak to Him.  He will then open your spirit and say “Come”.  Remember, His arms are always open and they are the gates of the Kingdom of Heaven.  Run unto Him and “find more life”.

 

Blessings,

Alan

 

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1988 Cuban Revival - Do It Again!

Posted by Alan Smith on June 1, 2023 at 6:31am

1988 Cuban Revival

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Introduction
This revival has not been documented in a way that will answer an outsider’s many questions. Though many details are not accessible, we have chosen to write this story from the scarce information available to us at this time.

Torture and Imprisonment – Prior to the Revival
Beginning in the late 1950s, when the communists gained control of Cuba, they began torturing and killing pastors. Many pastors, if they had the money, fled the country, or they dropped out of the ministry. The ones remaining were not the flamboyant and powerful leaders of mega-churches. They were the ordinary and common pastors that lived among and loved their people.

The Cuban Church for the next 30-40 years suffered tremendous persecution and oppression. Even so, the persecution served to purge the Church of the lukewarm, leaving behind the anointed dedicated believers willing to risk everything for Christ.

Extraordinary Prayer
This is a comment from a Cuban, as to why revival came to their island nation:

It has come because we have paid the price. We have suffered for the Gospel; and we have prayed for many, many years.

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What Happened
The revival began in a small church in Madruga, Cuba, in 1988. An evangelist had come to conduct services for four days, and the pastor of the church said that because the presence of the Lord was so powerful, that

People would begin to weep when they entered the church.

Many miracles occurred, and after four days the evangelist left, leaving the pastor wondering how to keep the current move of God moving forward.

At the next service, some people brought a man who had been paralyzed all his life to receive prayer for healing. The people, who had recently been witnessing miracles through the recently departed evangelist, gathered around to see what the pastor would do. Instead of praying for the man, the pastor preached. At the end of his message, he knelt beside the man and said,

Just as Peter did, I command you to rise up and walk!

The man jumped to his feet and began running around the church. The crowd was overwhelmed. People began bringing hundreds of sick people to the church for prayer. The crowds became so uncontrollable that the army assisted in managing the crowds.

The only way the ministry needs could be met was to conduct services 24 hours per day, with up to 400 in each service—40 minutes for each service. One church service was held inside the church, and one was conducted simultaneously on the flat roof of the church.

The pastor and other leaders became so tired that the young people were called upon to preach as well. The lines leading to the church were four blocks long. The many miracles kept the crowds coming. The revival at this particular church lasted two months before the government shut it down.

There were more than 60 other churches that experienced a similar move of the Spirit, and that revival atmosphere lasted for several years.

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Opposite End of the Island
The evangelist who conducted the four day service in Madruga had traveled to the city of Santiago, where, with two other pastors in that area, he began to hold services. And as before, the miracles began.

As people heard about the many healings, they came by the thousands. After five days the police busted into the church in the middle of a meeting, dragging the people out as they beat them. They smashed the piano and pews and put the leaders in jail.

Water Baptism

Results of the Revival
► The spirit of atheism was given a severe beating.

►The revival was experienced by Pentecostals, Baptists, independent evangelical churches, and some Methodist and Nazarene churches.

► One Assemblies of God church had around 100,000 visitors in six months, many coming on buses. One weekend they had 8,000 visitors.

► Healing miracles became common.

► In one evangelical church over 15,000 people accepted Christ in three months.

► A Baptist pastor reported signs and wonders occurring continuously with many former atheists and communists being saved. So many were converted that more than 2,400 house churches had to be established.


House Church, with some seated and standing outside.

► In central Cuba, a miraculous healing took place at a 150-seat church at the beginning of a nine-day crusade. The impact of that miracle was so great that 5,000 tried to pack themselves into that building. During those nine days, 1,200 people became Christians, and there were further healings. The two pastors were eventually put in prison, but the revival continued to spread throughout Cuba.

► Though open evangelism was outlawed, children, teens, and adults continued to witness boldly in parks, beaches, and other public places, regardless of the risk. One pastor commented that there was a “holy and glorious restlessness” among the believers.

► The once defensive mood and attitude of the church turned offensive, making the believers united behind a common vision: “Cuba para Cristo” – Cuba for Christ!

► In 1990 an Assemblies of God pastor, whose congregation never exceeded 100 people meeting once a week, suddenly found himself conducting 12 services per day for 7,000 people. They started lining up at 2 am and even broke down doors just to get into the prayer meetings.

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House church, some listening through windows.

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Steve Bannons Interviews Jim Caviezel - Episode 2742: The Sound Of Freedom

Posted by Alan Smith on May 18, 2023 at 7:40pm
 

Sound of Freedom

Based on the gripping true story of a man’s mission to rescue children from the darkest corners of the world. This action-packed drama shines a light on the harrowing reality of sex trafficking and the valiant efforts of those who work tirelessly to combat it.

A must-see. Steve Bannons Interviews Jim Caviezel - Episode 2742: The Sound Of Freedom

After rescuing a boy from ruthless child traffickers, a federal agent learns the boy's sister is still captive and decides to embark on a dangerous mission to save her. With time running out, he quits his job and journeys deep into the Colombian jungle, putting his life on the line to free her from a fate worse than death.

A must-see. Steve Bannons Interviews Jim Caviezel - Episode 2742: The Sound Of Freedom

 
Where can I see the movie?
https://www.angel.com/watch/sound-of-freedom
 
2:22
Sound of Freedom [Official Trailer]
YouTube · Sound of Freedom Movie · Jul 30, 2020
 
 
3:44
Sound of Freedom | Theatrical Trailer for July 4 | Angel Studios
YouTube · Angel Studios · 7 days ago
 
 
4:05
Angel Studios to Release the True Story of 'Sound of Freedom ...
YouTube · CBN News · Apr 14, 2023
 
 
Release date: July 4, 2023 (USA)
Director: Alejandro Gómez Monteverde
Distributed by: 20th Century Home Entertainment
Music by: Javier Navarrete
Produced by: Eduardo Verastegui
Production company: Santa Fe Films
 
 

 
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Russell & RFK Jr | FAUCI, CIA Secrets & Running For President

Posted by Alan Smith on May 13, 2023 at 7:52pm

Russell’s big conversation this week is with a presidential candidate in 2024, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Together, they delve into some of the most controversial topics of our time, including the assassination of JFK, the true nature of the pandemic, and the war in Ukraine. Whether you're a political junkie or simply interested in learning more about the issues shaping our world, this conversation is a must-listen! 

Pay special attention to what JFK Jr says starting around the 7:30 min mark. He talks about his faith and how he is able to speak out on these issues even in light of his father's and uncle's assassination.  Very interesting podcast to say the least.  Alan

Watch the full conversation over on LOCALS > https://rumble.com/v2nermq-russell-and-rfk-jr-fauci-cia-secrets-and-running-for-president-128-stay-fre.html

 

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Statement from Asbury President Dr. Kevin Brown

Posted by Alan Smith on February 23, 2023 at 5:49pm

Statement from Asbury President Dr. Kevin Brown

Tuesday, February 21, 10:20 p.m.

What is Happening?

On February 8, 2023, Asbury University’s regularly scheduled chapel service never ended. What we have experienced since that Wednesday morning has been a current of immeasurable goodness flooding our community and quickly moving into other regions of the world. Words fail any effort to communicate the abundance of experiences and stories that will leave us forever changed.

Thursday, February 23, will mark the end of this historic multi-week gathering at Asbury University and Asbury Theological Seminary with the National Collegiate Day of Prayer broadcast hosted on our campus.

I find it fitting that what started with college students on our campus is ending with college students joined in prayer and worship across the country.

“Stopping” Revival?

I have been asked if Asbury is “stopping” this outpouring of God’s Spirit and the stirring of human hearts. I have responded by pointing out that we cannot stop something we did not start. This was never planned. Over the last few weeks, we have been honored to steward and host services and the guests who have traveled far and wide to attend them. The trajectory of renewal meetings is always outward—and that is beginning to occur. We continue to hear inspiring stories of hungry hearts setting aside daily routines and seeking Christ at schools, churches, and communities in the US and abroad.

The effort by committed men and women on our campus to redirect energy, forsake other obligations, work tirelessly around the clock, and provide single-minded labor to accommodate our students and incoming visitors has been the high point in my career. In fact, it may be the most extraordinary act of collective Godliness and hospitable goodwill I have ever witnessed in my life. I am forever grateful. I am forever changed.

What’s Next?

Regardless of how we choose to describe what we have seen and experienced over the last several weeks (revival, renewal, awakening, outpouring)—this movement is not finished. Other colleges and churches are experiencing similar services. Rather, we are encouraging the continued movement of God through other people, places, and ministries. The first step in all the renewing work of God is prayer, which we want to encourage with this brief resource, “Sowing for a Great Awakening,” available below on this page.

At Asbury University, we are excited to think carefully about how we process and steward this experience with our students. We want to capture their voices. We want to walk with them in continual discipleship. We want to commission them to be “salt and light” to serve the world and glorify God.

Schedule Change

Updated Tuesday, February 21, 11 a.m.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, February 21-22, the Outpouring services in Hughes Auditorium are reserved for participants 16-25 years old. However, a public live stream remains available during these services. If necessary, there will be a live simulcast for the general public in Estes Chapel at Asbury Theological Seminary during these service times. There will be no morning or afternoon services.

On Thursday, February 23, we welcome the previously-scheduled National Collegiate Day of Prayer to campus. See below for Thursday’s schedule; live stream will be available at this link: collegiatedayofprayer.org/live.

Beginning Friday, February 24, no further public Outpouring services will be held on Asbury’s campus. Regularly scheduled chapel services are live streamed on Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays at 10 a.m. EST during the semester.

Asbury University is humbled by how God is working. Please continue to pray, worship, and share the Gospel in your communities around the world.

▾ Watch video statement from Dr. Kevin J. Brown on Sunday, February 19

Video statement from Dr. Brown pertaining to this week's schedule:

 

Live Stream

Watch National Collegiate Day of Prayer Live Stream

Click here to view live stream archive.

Discipleship Resources

As we move forward in discipling our students, this page will be updated with resources to support prayer, worship, and discipleship.

“Sowing for a Great Awakening”

Schedule

(Updated Tuesday, February 21, 11 a.m.)

Note: We recognize the need to adjust this plan at any time. Our intention is that any adjustment, should it be necessary, would be in our students’ favor. All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time.

Thursday, February 23 (National Collegiate Day of Prayer)

Only high schoolers and young adults 16–25 will be allowed in Hughes Auditorium from 8–10 p.m. EST. A live stream will be available here: collegiatedayofprayer.org/live

There will be no public Outpouring services on Asbury’s campus on Thursday and following.

All Day Hughes Auditorium closed. No morning or afternoon services.
6:30 p.m. Hughes Auditorium opens for college-age and high school students (16–25)
8–10 p.m. National Collegiate Day of Prayer (college and high school only)—live stream available at this link: collegiatedayofprayer.org/live
Midnight Hughes Auditorium closed

Beginning Friday, February 24

As part of Asbury’s intention of encouraging and commissioning others to “go out” and share what they have experienced, we encourage guests to utilize other facilities for worship and gathering.

Outpouring Information

Since February 8, 2023, Asbury University students along with faculty, staff, administrators, local community members, and visitors from out-of-town have been gathering in Hughes Auditorium for a time of spiritual renewal. The Lord is at work as radical compassion, confession, change and transformation are taking place.

Guidelines

  • Seating is limited in Hughes Auditorium, and there is a wait time to be seated. Be prepared to stand outside, potentially for a significant amount of time.
  • We ask that you do not livestream or broadcast anything from indoors, out of respect for others and what God is doing here.
  • The only guest bags allowed in Hughes Auditorium will be diaper bags, medical bags, or clutch wallet. All bags will be searched.
  • No flash photography inside Hughes Auditorium.

Statement from Asbury University President, Dr. Kevin J. Brown

At the completion of a regularly scheduled chapel service on February 8, 2023, at Asbury University, students lingered to pray, worship, and share. They have not stopped and, moreover, have been joined far and wide by hungry men and women across the world who desire to seek the Lord in this space. Since the first day, there have been countless expressions and demonstrations of radical humility, compassion, confession, consecration, and surrender unto the Lord. We are witnessing the Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

We continue to seek to discern the right balance between orderliness for our university students, faculty, and staff and our campus visitors—and creating space for individuals to have a life-transforming, Christ-centered encounter.

We are also tremendously thankful for the men and women who have worked so hard and diligently to create space for this special move of God. Hosting such a significant moment comes with a cost—and the goodwill and humility of our community has been inspiring. Finally, we cannot fully express the profound gratitude we have for stewarding this outpouring in the life of our school and beyond. Ultimately, we pray that our efforts in these days point to our Savior.

— Kevin J. Brown, Ph.D.
President, Asbury University

The Abide Prayer Hub—For Young Adults

College-age students, there is a space reserved for you to take a deep breath and relax. A team will be available throughout the day/night for prayer, reflection, deeper conversation, inter-collegiate connection, and processing for any young adult. Snacks and coffee are available for you.

The location is the Luce Auditorium in the Shaw CLC Building at the center of campus. Ushers can direct you. The space closes at 1 a.m.

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Bringing Devil Horns to the Grammys

Posted by Alan Smith on February 10, 2023 at 8:01am

 

February 9, 2023 THE BEAU SHOWViews  4.7K
 
 Bringing Devil Horns to the Grammys
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THE BEAU SHOW

BEAU DAVIDSON

The 2023 Grammys, called “music’s biggest night,” turned out to be more fiendish than musical, with an overt celebration of Satanism, gender and orientation fluidity, and a Big Pharma extravaganza.

How can we say that the Grammys are positive and uplifting when we see such overt idol and devil worship? Madonna was not chosen by accident to introduce the song “Unholy.” She is a rebel saluting rebels, and her salute is a wholesale encouragement of personal enlightenment through rebellion.

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Don Potter joins Smith and Rowland Show this Sunday @ 5 pm.

Posted by Alan Smith on January 28, 2023 at 11:10am

Don Potter joins

Smith and Rowland Show this Sunday, 1/29, @ 5 pm.

You are invited to join us live at 216 Sharon School Rd, Statesville, NC 28677, or

you may watch and listen @ Kingdompropheticsociety.org or Kingdom Prophetic Society Facebook

Come and be part of our live audience at the Smith and Rowland Show this Sunday at 5 pm as Alan and Jeff talk with their special guest, Don Potter. 

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Facebook, Rumble, Spotify, Podbean

YouTube, Vimeo, Apple Podcast

Amazon Podcast

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CHRIS REED: PROPHECIES FOR 2023 AND BEYOND!

Posted by Alan Smith on January 6, 2023 at 7:27am

CHRIS REED: PROPHECIES FOR 2023 AND BEYOND!

Posted on January 5, 2023

by Chris Reed

Elijah List Ministries / ElijahStreams TV, 525 2nd Ave SW, Suite 629 Albany, OR 97321 USA Thank you for making the always-free Elijah List Ministries possible! Click here to learn how to partner with us: https://ElijahStreams.com/Donate Prefer to donate by mail? Make your check or money order (US Dollars) payable to "ELIJAH LIST MINISTRIES" and mail it to: Elijah List Ministries / Elijah Streams TV 525 2nd Ave SW Suite 629 Albany, OR 97321 USA Join us this Thursday as Steve Shultz interviews Chris Reed — LIVE RIGHT HERE — on January 5 at 11AM Pacific Time. Chris will be discussing prophetic words for this new year of 2023 and beyond, what’s in store for the current administration, the world and for the Church, and he’ll be praying for our viewers! Please join us this Thursday with Chris Reed!

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I Heard The Bells - Great movie for Christmas day.

Posted by Alan Smith on December 25, 2022 at 9:26am

I Heard The Bells

Great movie for Christmas day.

The inspiring true story behind the beloved Christmas carol and its author, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Known as America's Poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow leads an idyllic life...until the day his world is shattered by tragedy. With a nation divided by Civil War and his family torn apart, Henry puts down his pen, silenced by grief. But it's the sound of Christmas morning that reignites the poet's lost voice as he discovers the resounding hope of rekindled faith.

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Christmas Waiting

Posted by Alan Smith on December 25, 2022 at 9:03am

Christmas Waiting

Jesus Presented in the Temple

Luke 2:21-32 (NIV)

21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”, 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

 

29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,

    you may now dismiss your servant in peace.

30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,

31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:

32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,

    and the glory of your people Israel.”

 

In Luke 2:21-32 we are introduced to a man named Simeon. Luke tells us that Simeon was a righteous and devout man. He was a man who spent his life waiting. Simeon was actually waiting for something substantial. Scripture tells us Simeon was waiting for his promise to come true; the redemption of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

Every day, Simeon went to the Temple in Jerusalem, to wait for the Lord because it was revealed to him that he would not die before seeing the Christ. That was all he knew.

Did he know when he was coming?

The time of year, the day, the hour? No. But what he did know surpassed what he didn’t know. Simeon did know that he would not die before laying his eyes on the Lord’s Messiah. Simeon did know that God was soon going to break the

400 years of silence and would again speak to his people. Simeon did know

that the Lord God is faithful in his promises. Simeon did know that the Lord was

going to redeem his people, because ‘all the promises of God are sure.’

Day after day, month after month, year after year - Simeon waited. He waited

until he was near the very end of his own life - the clock was ticking away. And

one day, in the Lord’s appointed time, Simeon went out into the temple courts,

moved by the Spirit, and there in the arms of a Mary was the

long-awaited Messiah.

Raising his hands in a benediction, Simeon joyfully

announced, “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your

servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have

prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for

glory to your people Israel.”

Simeon’s waiting on the Lord was truly an active waiting. He wasn’t sitting

around, taking it easy. But neither was he running around, trying to do the work

of God on his own.

Did Simeon, in his waiting,

turn to the writings of the prophet Isaiah who said, “But they that wait upon the

Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they

shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”? In that

moment, as Simeon held the Christ child in his arms, he discovered that it was

truly - worth the wait. Allow God to work out the promises he has for you. Wait

on the Lord. This Christmas, take time to wait.

In Simeon’s blessing, traditionally called the Nunc Dimittis, Jesus was called a

light of revelation. Therefore this type service was called a Candlemas.

This Christmas, let us sing together a carol that

speaks of Christ’s light shining in our hearts, reminding us that for those who walk

in darkness, light has come.

 

 Author unknown.

 

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Skillet's John Cooper on why he speaks boldly against far-left ideology despite backlash

Posted by Alan Smith on December 7, 2022 at 7:44am

Skillet's John Cooper on why he speaks boldly against far-left ideology despite backlash

Video of article

By Leah MarieAnn Klett, Assistant Editor Twitter
NASHVILLE — When John Cooper, the frontman and bassist for the Grammy-nominated band Skillet, first emerged on the Christian music scene in the mid-'90s, he was under the impression that everyone in his sphere held the same fundamental Christian beliefs, like the exclusivity of Christ and His death and resurrection, and adhered to a biblical view of sexual ethics and morality. 

“[I thought] if we disagreed on stuff, it would be tertiary issues,” he said. “Most certainly, we would agree on the stuff that really matters.”

But around 2012, Cooper said, he began to realize a change in the Christian music world. He saw his peers increasingly drifting into progressive theology in response to cultural issues, reacting out of emotion and a desire for acceptance instead of leaning on Scripture. 

“I just didn't understand what was happening,” he recalled. “I didn't recognize it. And I was like, What is going on?”

Cooper, who is married to bandmate Korey Cooper, said that during this time he consumed countless books covering history, theology, philosophy, social science and critical theory to try to understand how his CCM peers had gotten so immersed in liberal theology. 

“I went, ‘OK, all of this is the same liberal theology that we dealt with 100 years ago, the same sort of anti-Dominionism that Spurgeon fought in the downgrade. It just comes back around and now it's our time to fight it,” he said.

So, he decided to speak up. 

Now a 47-year-old father of two, Cooper is the first to acknowledge he’s considered a bit of a  “firestarter.” He regularly uses his platform to address hot-button issues like sexual ethics, post-modernism, abortion and deconstruction from a biblical — often unpopular, he said — perspective. 

“I didn't realize that's what this is; we are actually at a really important place in Christianity in the faith, I think, a real crossroads about the Gospel that we hand down to our children,” he said. “What is that Gospel going to look like? How is Christianity going to even be defined? What are the tenets of the faith going to be? That's why I started speaking out so boldly about things.”

Cooper’s boldness has come at a cost: He shared that when he was seeking a publisher for his recent book,Awake & Alive to Truth: Finding Truth in the Chaos of a Relativistic World, publishing companies were afraid to touch it.

“My band Skillet, we have 5 million Facebook friends, 3 million YouTube followers, a million followers on Instagram. And I wrote a book that no major Christian publisher would publish,” he said. 

“I've got a huge platform, right? Wouldn't publish it. But not because I was saying stuff that was too crazy; it's because I was saying things that are too orthodox. So the same publishers will publish someone a lot less famous than me, sell less books, make less money and print heresy. At the same time, they won't print a book for me that is just talking about nothing that would be controversial for any lowest common denominator Evangelical … original sin, why Jesus died, why you cannot trust your emotions, the Word of God is the authority of Scripture, the divinity of Scripture … this is not controversial stuff, but it is now.”

The "Standing in the Storm" singer said he believes there’s a shift occurring in Christian music, not just among the artists but those behind the labels and radio stations too. 

“If I said today, we're going to make a lowest common denominator creed that you have to agree with to play Christian music, we'd see 40 percent of the industry gone tomorrow. And if you added in sexual ethics to it, I bet there'd be 30 percent left. My guess is 30 percent of the industry still holds to what we would call traditional biblical sexual ethics. That's my guess,” he stressed. 

Based on his decades in the CCM industry, Cooper said that hymn writer Keith Getty was “one hundred percent accurate” when he told CP that many Christian songs are “written by people who you wouldn't trust to be your kids' Sunday school teachers.”

“Now, just to be clear, there are some amazing people as well, friends of mine that I look up to, that I respect, they are absolutely there without a doubt,” he clarified. 

“But it is very alarming,” Cooper added. “It's alarming that it's happening in the industry, the musicians, it's also alarming to me — I can't believe the things that I read pastors and public people say on public Christian platforms that I used to read and trust. I can't believe the stuff they say, especially after just diving deep into the theology and the social sciences … it’s just humanism, just being bombarded into Christianity. I just can't believe the stuff that they write that's just not in line with historical Christianity, certainly.”

Cooper reflected on the inconsistencies in some of the ideologies permeating the Church under the guise of “justice” and “equality.” The artist, who lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin, cited the backlash he faced after speaking out against the violent protests that erupted following the police shooting of Jacob Blake who was wielding a knife and resisting arrest. In Blake's case, a female had called 911 to report that he was trespassing at the same residence where police had been called weeks earlier which led to Blake being arrested and charged with one felony count of third-degree sexual assault, trespassing and disorderly conduct related to domestic abuse at that residence.

“We had riots, houses three blocks from my house were burned down to the ground,” he recalled. “I was on TV, I was just saying, ‘I can't believe this is America, my kids are here. We don't know what's going to happen.’ I just said, ‘I'm going to have to sit up with my AR and make sure nobody tries to kill my family.’ That, to me, doesn't seem even like a controversial thing. I had friends, Christian friends, who were just like, ‘This is so unChristian.’”

But those same critics, Cooper said, also praised Ukraine for defending their country from Russia: “You have no consistency,” he said. “Why does Ukraine have more sovereignty over their country than I have over my family? This is just a misunderstanding of self-government. This is a misunderstanding of liberty under God's law. … If I don't have a right to protect my family, then Ukraine doesn't have a right to protect Ukraine, right? It's the same type of thing.”

Even some pastors are “going very soft” on the issue of abortion and approaching the subject from a humanistic point of view in an attempt to seem empathetic, the rocker lamented. 

“I think a lot of pastors, maybe that meant well, going soft on the issue of abortion say, ‘No, no, we're still against abortion. But we have to also be for the rights of the mother.’ That is a code word for saying, ‘We're going to stop caring so much about this issue because the world doesn't look at it like that anymore.’ So now it's an issue of justice … that we make sure that a woman has free and easy access to abortion, and if not, that's another way the patriarchy is oppressing us.”

Cooper posited that Scripture is authoritative and applies to every aspect of life, from education and parenting to COVID-19 mandates. Yet, he said, biblical illiteracy among professing Christians has led many to a place where “we no longer believe that the Scriptures are authoritative.”

“​​Either Christ is Lord of everything, or you're saying there's a sliver of the pie that He's not Lord over, and He doesn't speak to; that's just a neutral territory,” he said. “And we really are seeing bad, bad fruit from thinking that there are a lot of neutral areas.”

Still, Cooper offered the reminder that as society increasingly delves into chaos, more and more people will turn to Scripture, the ultimate authority, for answers. He shared that during Skillet’s latest tour, he’s seen an unprecedented number of young people give their lives to Christ.

“It’s like they’re seeing it now,” he said. “When you live in a world where nothing means anything, there's no male, there's no female, there's no sex. It's like everything's changing every week, they are feeling this incredible anxiety. … I feel so bad for young people; imagine growing up right now as a young person, and being like, ‘Whatever I thought was true today might be untrue tomorrow, and then I might be yelled at for saying it a day too late,’ canceled, taken off social media or whatever the next thing may be. That's going to devolve to a place where all of the sudden, people will finally realize this is not working, and we need a new answer.”

Christians, he stressed, need to get sharper on the Word of God to speak knowledgeably into cultural issues, adding: “I've just found an immense amount of peace in believing the Bible and seeing it play out in culture. You speak to it, and eventually, [people’s] eyes are going to open and they’ll say, ‘Oh, I see that maybe the Bible is real.’ And that's when we need to swing those nets. Swing nets wide.”

Leah M. Klett is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: leah.klett@christianpost.com

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When and How to Welcome the Same-Sex Couple or Trans Person at Your Church

Posted by Alan Smith on December 2, 2022 at 7:11am

Pastors’ Corner: When and How to Welcome the Same-Sex Couple or Trans Person at Your Church

How "God is Love" squares with the standards He Himself sets for His Church

all-are-welcome-national-cathedral.jpgFlickr/Ted Eytan (License CC-by-SA 2.0)

Bad example: So-called "Capital Pride," the National Cathedral in Washington, 2015.

 

By TOM GILSON Published on December 1, 2022

Tom Gilson

 

 

The fight has just ratcheted up again, and here’s a good first clue into how the left is going to fight it. “All are welcome – no exceptions.” An entire denomination paraded that message on church banners and web pages, not long ago. Between the lines it read, “We’re better Christians than all those fake churches that keep gays out.” A gay friend of mine says any church that doesn’t accept gays has unchristian theology: We’ve forgotten that God is love.

Is it true? How do we treat the same-sex couple, the trans person, the Q, whatever “Q” means? Do we welcome everyone? If so, how, and to what extent? If not, how do we square that with the love of God? Maybe your church has thought through all this. If not, be prepared for an explosion. It’s coming. Because it isn’t just some churches saying we should accept gays. It’s practically our whole culture.

I’ll say this much for “gay Christian” theology: They’re right to say it depends on our view of God. If the rest of it were right — if God’s love were the one important thing to know about Him — then their conclusion might be right, too, and we should freely invite homosexuals and homosexuality into our churches. Except it isn’t right. In fact there’s another error in that conclusion, one you might not even have noticed. It’s the word “our,” as in, “our churches.”

Whose Church Is It?

If it’s your church, go right ahead. Feel free to do what you want with it. If on the other hand it’s Jesus’ church, then He’s in charge, and we’d better let Him decide what goes and doesn’t go. I don’t mean it’s wrong to talk about “our church,” any more than it’s wrong for a child to talk about “our family.” Just remember you’re talking about membership, not ownership. It’s Jesus’ church. He is the host, and we are the invited guests — all of us.

So if you invite a person to your church, you’re actually asking him to come along with you as a fellow guest in the Lord’s house. It’s His, so He gets to set the rules, including who He invites and who He welcomes in. Pastors and other leaders need to know and administer His standards on His behalf, as He has delegated them that responsibility. Still, it is His rules that they administer.

Explaining Jesus’ Standards

That relieves some of the pressure, if you ask me. We don’t have to answer for our churches’ standards, as if we made them up ourselves. That’s on God Himself, who answers when He decides to answer. We do need to be able to explain these standards, however. Because people will ask the “why” questions, and God has indeed given an answer. A refreshingly clear one, even.

Here’s the short version: It’s Jesus’ house. Everyone is invited, period. Everyone is welcome — on Jesus’ terms. If anyone tries to come on his own terms instead, why think Jesus should welcome them there?

It’s Jesus’ house. Everyone is invited, period. Everyone is welcome — on Jesus’ terms. If anyone tries to come on their terms instead, why should they even think Jesus should welcome them there?

There’s not a thing unusual in that. Suppose you invite someone to your home, but when he shows up his clothes are soaked with grease and oil. You say, “Let’s keep our conversation outdoors, okay?” He answers, “What’s wrong with you? I thought you invited me!” You know what happens next. It’s your home, and you can decide what’s welcome there. And if you can decide that for your house, how much more can the King of all the universe decide what’s welcome in His?

But What About ‘God is Love’?

We still have to know what to do with the truth that God is love, and that He calls us to love others as He loves. Does that mean He accepts everyone? Does it mean we should, too?

It might — if love were the only thing true about God. It isn’t. In fact it takes quite a twisted view of God to talk only of His love, and not His truth and holiness. God is just as committed to truth and righteousness as He is to love — except “committed” is the wrong word for it. He actually is truth and holiness, as much as He is love.

The church that makes “love” their one standard is following a false god. It is literally worshiping an idol.

God Excludes False Teaching

God is love, but He doesn’t love everything. Because He is a God of truth, He hates falsehood. He seriously hates false teaching. His Word is emphatic on this. He wants it excluded from His Church. He demands it be excluded.

I find it helpful to separate the “who” from the “what.” Every person, every “who,” has an open invitation to God’s house. Some “whats” — some teachings — are absolutely excluded, however. Jesus pronounced woe after woe upon Israel’s false teachers (Matthew 23).

Paul says to “avoid” those who bring false doctrines (Romans 16:17-18). He even calls them accursed (Gal. 1:6-9)! He tells Timothy (1 Tim. 1:3-7) to put a stop to false teachings, and he offers no warm compliments about those false teachers. They’re “puffed up with conceit and understand nothing.” They have an “unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels.”

The church that makes “love” their one standard is following a false god. It is literally worshiping an idol.

Paul told Titus to watch out for “empty talkers and deceivers,” to “silence” them, to “rebuke them sharply” (Titus 1:10-16). If that sounds “unchristian” to you, you need to re-think where you get your definition of “Christian.” Was it from the Bible, or some secular source?

Peter is more vehement yet. “Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.” He’s just getting started there: Read all of 2 Peter 2 for the full treatment. John tells us (2 John 7-11) that to welcome a deceiver into your home, or even to greet him, is to “take part in his wicked works.” To “greet” someone meant rather more then than it does now, but the point remains.

This is the word of the God who loves — because He hates falsehood. And because lies do us serious damage.

God Does Not Welcome Unrepentant Sin

God doesn’t think much of unrepentant sin, either (to say the least), but it’s different in this case. You get a sense of longing in the relevant passages, a desire to bring the person back into the fold. Not with any openness to continued sin, though.

We see it in Matthew 18:15-17 where Jesus says, “let them be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector.” He doesn’t mean we should hate them, but that we shouldn’t treat them as if they’re true members of the Body of Christ. There’s grace in that: It does them no good to think they’re in the right place when what they really need is to repent.

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In 1 Corinthians 5:1-5, the unrepentant sinner is (according to the best interpretations of the passage) excluded from fellowship. The reason is “so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.” The point again is to show the person he’s on the wrong path. (It’s also to warn the rest of the church not to follow his lead.)

This is specifically about unrepentant sin. Sinners are welcome, or else none of us would be in God’s church, but consistent, persistent, and especially (though not only) open sin should earn the person an invite out the door. It’s for their good, and for the good of the church.

This is the word of the God who loves — because He also loves holiness. And because sin harms us.

Applying This to the Same-Sex Couple or Trans Person at Your Church

I fellowship weekly with adulterers, gossips, fornicators, liars, hypocrites, and thieves, and I’m a sinner along with the rest of them. We don’t celebrate our sin, though. Rather, we mourn it, reject it, repent of it. We support each other when we fall, but not by saying sin is okay. We keep a guard on our teaching, too.

This should bring clarity to the way we greet the same-sex couple or the trans person at our churches. We can freely welcome anyone who comes to  discover, to learn, to seek to know Jesus. We should urge him to come to Christ in repentance, so that he can be restored just as we are being restored.

But we allow absolutely no place for anyone to teach “gay is okay.” That’s false, and it deserves all the vehement rejection you read about in 2 Peter 2. That includes teaching by example. When a same sex couple holds hands, it’s sending a message that this lifestyle good and right, and we have no  place for that, either.

Maybe this seems harsh. Don’t read too much into that — or too little. There is a standard here to be met. It is in the nature of standards to be rigid and impersonal; anything else would be biased and arbitrary. This topic is only half finished for now, as I still need to speak to the manner in which we treat the person in light of these standards: with love, with care, often with grief. I’ll return to that in a later column.

 

Tom Gilson (@TomGilsonAuthor) is a senior editor with The Stream and the author or editor of six books, including the highly acclaimed Too Good To Be False: How Jesus’ Incomparable Character Reveals His Reality.

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