DESPERATION: "My Greatest Need"

Here are the notes from the message at New Life Community Church, Sunday, August 10, 2014.  If you desire to listen to this message, you may do so by going to our website at www.newlifesite.com.  God bless!

Desperation, Part 2                                                   Sunday, August 10, 2014

“My Greatest Need”

²⁸ “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.  ²⁹ Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.  ³⁰ I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke.  ³¹ The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.    Joel 2:28-31 (NIV)

And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.  Joel 2:32 (NIV)

“Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

21 Days of Prayer and Fasting

The commandment to get in touch with the Holy Spirit.

¹⁶ making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. ¹⁸ And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, ²⁰ giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,  Ephesians 5:16-20 (ESV)

And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”  Luke 24:49 (ESV)

The Holy Spirit is a PERSON.

⁷ Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. ⁸ And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: John 16:7-8 (ESV)

The Holy Spirit WORKS.

⁶ Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. ⁷ Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”  Zechariah 4:6-7 (ESV)

Inward motivation.

To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.  Colossians 1:29 (NIV)

But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace.  I Corinthians 15:10 (NLT)

The Holy Spirit EMPOWERS.

how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.  Acts 10:38 (NIV)

Are Pastors Deliberately Keeping Their Flocks in the Dark?

On Thursday of this week, an article was published by pastor and radio talk show host Chuck Baldwin.  Citing research by George Barna, he alleges that 90% of pastors are deliberately misleading their flocks -- "keeping them in the dark."

Chuck Baldwin

Barna, speaking on American Family Radio, tells us that he has just completed a two-year research project gauging the political, cultural, and societal convictions of "theologically conservative pastors."  To summarize, he states,

‘What we're finding is that when we ask them (the pastors) about all the key issues of the day, [90 percent of them are] telling us, Yes, the Bible speaks to every one of these issues. Then we ask them: Well, are you teaching your people what the Bible says about those issues?--and the numbers drop...to less than 10 percent of pastors who say they will speak to it.’

Chuck Baldwin then comments, 

Did you get that? Ninety-percent of America’s pastors say they KNOW that the Bible speaks to all of these issues, but they are deliberately determined to NOT teach these Biblical principles. That is an amazing admission!

I have several observations.

THE ISSUES

I agree with the percentages Barna and Baldwin assert concerning evangelical pastors' silence on controversial issues.  But I disagree with the reasons for the silence.  It is not always a determined resistance to bring God's truth, but rather a combination of fear and a sense of inadequacy to deal with complex issues.  There is also the concern about the priorities of ministry.

George Barna does not tell us his list of "key issues."  But it's not hard to come up with a host of cultural, political, and societal battlelines.  Here is the beginning of my list:

1.  Gender issues and gender identity.
2.  Marital failure and divorce.
3.  Homosexuality and the LGBT agenda
4.  Immigration
5.  Racism
6.  Destructive economic policies and practices
7.  Child abuse
8.  Sex trafficking and slavery
9.  Pornography
10.  Addiction
11.  Religious freedom
12.  Scientific over-reach.
13.  Global warming
....

FEAR

In many cases, pastors know they need to address these things, but it can seem a "no-win" situation. They are usually preaching to the "already converted" when speaking to their own congregations.  The people they want most to affect are outside the walls.  While I do not personally agree with this sentiment, pastors can feel there is no upside to delving into controversy.

I came across an unusual illustration of this point.  Brian McLaren is perhaps the top leader of the emergent church movement.  Some call this the "apostate church movement."  It is my firm opinion these once devoted Christians have in essence left the faith.

Brian McLaren

On July 21 of this year, McLaren tells in his blog how he moved from being an "evangelical pastor" refusing to deal with the LGBT agenda to one that fully endorses it.  He lists a 5-step process he underwent.

1.  Disengagement.  Wishing the issue would go away.
2.  Fear.  If I don't speak out in support of gay rights, I will lose 4% of my congregation.
3.  Fear.  If I DO speak out in support of gay rights, I will lose 40% of my congregation.
4.  Hesitation.  If I take a stand, I will be misunderstood.
5.  Oh well.  My cover is blown.  Everybody now knows I support the gay agenda.

McLaren moves in the opposite direction of that advocated by Baldwin and Barna, but it is still the same sequence.  Most pastors do not desire to be unfaithful to their call.  They simply wish the thorny "no-win" issues would just go away.

HARD WORK

The second reason pastors fail to communicate about hard issues is because they haven't done the hard work to feel capable of doing so.  I believe that the Bible speaks to every issue facing mankind.  Some of those issues require careful thought, study, and consideration.  The last thing we need is a host of half-educated preachers pontificating about things they do not understand.

For this reason, many church leaders restrict themselves to pure Bible preaching.  We certainly have a scarcity of sound biblical preaching and teaching.  Why shouldn't the pastor stick to his strength and leave the technical stuff to experts?  In reply, we certainly need more of God's Word, but we also need a biblical worldview applied to modern situations.  We need to hear the Bible APPLIED to every issue. whether it be poverty or piety, pornography or politics.

WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT

Baldwin's phraseology is provocative.  It alleges a pre-meditated intent to deceive -- to "keep in the dark."  Do I believe many, if not most, pastors are shy to speak out on controversial issues?  Yes.  But does that constitute intentional deception and negligence?

In truth, most pastors are peace-loving individuals who already have their share of difficulty, challenge, and controversy.  Between warring deacons, whining parishioners, anemic budgets, and a nagging sense of needing more, being asked to fight the demons of a world gone crazy can seem too much.

One of the strengths of the great evangelist Billy Graham was that he stayed ON TASK.  He never wavered from his basic commission from God.  He tells of how he was tempted to become an anti-communist political activist.  Instead he stayed on his message:  Jesus love you, He can forgive you, and give you a new life.

By the nature of our calling, pastors must address more than just the pure Gospel message.  We must bring "the whole counsel of God."  In doing so, there is the continual challenge of keeping balance and proper priorities.

One of the historic strengths of America is the power of the pulpit.  From Jonathan Edwards and the Great Awakening to Martin Luther King, Jr., America has been shaped by her preachers.  So, may God's servants lift up their voices.  It may be the voice of one crying in the wilderness, but if it carries prophetic impact it will shape our land once again.

By overcoming hesitation and fear, then doing the hard work of preparation, there can be a reclaiming of the power of God's Word in our land.  It has happened before.  It can happen again.

9 Things You Should Know About Hamas

Considering the current conflict between Israel and the Hamas, I thought it might be good to take a closer look at this group called Hamas.  Joe Carter, in his TGC blog, gives us 9 important things we need to know about this terrorist group.  Here's the link:

http://thegospelcoalition.org/article/9-things-you-should-know-about-hamas

Pray or Dr. Kent Brantly

The story coming out of Liberia and now Atlanta about Dr. Kent Brantly bears us taking note.  Dr. Brantly is a 33-year-old Christian missionary doctor who is showing us something of what makes Christianity strong – heroic.

This past Sunday in the Daily Beast, writer Michael Daly wrote about Dr. Brantly.  This secular newsman coined WWKD – off the much used WWJD (“What Would Jesus Do?).  Michael Daly says Kent Brantly’s actions in battling the African Ebola epidemic elicit us to ask “What Would Kent Do?”  He is exemplary.

Mr. Daly writes, "Among his fellow devout Christians, 33-year-old Dr. Kent Brantly should be honored as someone who has lived the answer to the question of What Would Jesus Do?  But he is a no less worthy example for those of any faith, or no faith at all.  Even atheists could find a guide to goodness in asking themselves What Would Kent Do? 

Here’s the story in a nutshell.  Dr. Kent Brantly is the real deal.  You can listen to the message he preached at his home church (Southeastern Church of Christ of Indianapolis) this past July.  Here’s the link:

http://www.southeastern.org/files/SE%20Messages/Sermon%207-21-13.mp3

He packed up his wife and two small children because of “the call of God” on his life.  Medicine was the means of showing the love of Jesus.  He signed on with Samaritan’s Purse for a two year stint in the ravaged nation of Liberia. 

Michael Daly writes, “What Jesus would do is what Brantly did when he agreed to work in an Ebola isolation ward in Liberia despite being admittedly terrified.”

To carry it further, when he found that he had been infected, he also knew his co-worker, Nancy Writebol, was in the same condition.  With only one dose of anti-Ebola serum available, he chose that she rather than himself be treated.

Christian history is filled with stories of faith, sacrifice, and heroism.  St. Tertullian of the 2nd Century declared, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church."  Dr. Rodney Stark, in his book The Rise of Christianity, tells us that when pagans fled the plague-ravaged cities of the 2nd Century, Christians stayed behind to care for the sick.  In so doing, by such acts of self-less love, they won over an empire.

Examples of utter self-less devotion inspire us to pay the price in our day.  Dr. Kent Brantly stands as a testimony to us of the faith that overcomes the world.

Michael Daly concludes his article illustrating to us the power of sacrificial service.  "Brantly becomes the first person actually in America known to have Ebola. He also returns to us as a reminder of how magnificently decent we can be by actually living in accordance to principles we are all supposed to share.   Brantly would dismiss any comparison between him and Christ.  But, even if you do not believe in Jesus, you can ask yourself WWKD?"

Pray today for Dr. Kent Brantly.  And pray that God raise up more like him to touch our world.

DESPERATION: "Desperate Measures"

Here are the notes from the message Sunday at New Life Community Church.  If you desire to listen to this message, you may do so by going to our website at www.newlifesite.com.  God bless!

Desperation, Part 1                                                      Sunday, August 3, 2014

“Desperate Measures”

Just completed series Turning Points:

1. Turning Points for our Nation

2. Turning Points for the Family

3. Turning Points for the Church

4. Turning Points for You

We need an encounter with God the Holy Spirit.  We need a touch from His presence.  We need to be built on God’s Word.  We need to have a burning passion for people.

²⁸ “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.  ²⁹ Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.  ³⁰ I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke.  ³¹ The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.  ³² And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.  Joel 2:28-32 (NIV)

“Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

Hippocrates:  "For extreme diseases, extreme methods of cure, as to restriction, are most suitable."[1].

Erasmus:  "Malo nodo, malus quærendus cuneus"  which means “for a hard knot a hard tool must be sought.”

Lowe’s Commercial

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzwLSVJTCWc

A.    Desperate

1.      Definition:  des·per·ate

adjective

adjective: desperate

                  feeling, showing, or involving a hopeless sense that a situation is so bad as to be impossible to deal with.  "a desperate sadness enveloped Ruth"

synonyms:

despairing, hopeless; More (of an act or attempt) tried in despair or when everything else has failed; having little hope of success.  "drugs used in a desperate attempt to save his life"

synonyms:

last-ditch, last-gasp, eleventh-hour, do-or-die, final; More (of a situation) extremely bad, serious, or dangerous.  "there is a desperate shortage of teachers"

synonyms:

grave, serious, critical, acute, risky, precarious; More (of a person) having a great need or desire for something.  "I am desperate for a cigarette"

synonyms:

in great need of, urgently requiring, in want of; More (of a person or fight) violent or dangerous.  "a desperate criminal"

synonyms:

violent, dangerous, lawless; More

2.    Full Definition of DESPERATE

Ø  1        a :  having lost hope <a desperate spirit crying for relief>

          b :  giving no ground for hope <the outlook was desperate>

Ø  2          a :  moved by despair <victims made desperate by abuse>

o   b :  involving or employing extreme measures in an attempt to escape defeat or frustration <made a desperate leap for the rope>

Ø  3          :  suffering extreme need or anxiety <desperate for money>

Ø  4          :  involving extreme danger or possible disaster <a desperatesituation>

Ø  5          :  of extreme intensity

Ø  6          :  shocking, outrageous

3.      des·per·ate

adjective

1.  reckless or dangerous because of despair or urgency: adesperate killer.

2.  having an urgent need, desire, etc.: desperate for attention.

3.  leaving little or no hope; very serious or dangerous: a desperateillness.

4.  extremely bad; intolerable or shocking: clothes in desperate taste.

5.  extreme or excessive.

Desperate Measures:

Desperate measures either push you toward God or away from God – toward good or toward bad.

Example: 

TV Show Breaking Bad on the Dangers of Pride

The critically-acclaimed TV show Breaking Bad centers on the story of Walter White, a bored high school chemistry teacher who discovers that he has stage III lung cancer. Desperate to provide for his family, Walter decides to start manufacturing methamphetamine to create a nest egg. Initially, his goal is to make about $750,000; enough to cover the mortgage, college for both his kids and to cover any other major expenses that might arise over the next 20 years.

But as the series moves forward, the drama focuses on Walter's transformation from a frustrated middle-class American male to a drug kingpin and a cold-blooded killer. The central question of Breaking Bad Becomes this: What makes a person "Bad"? As the story develops we get a clear answer: at some point, Walter decided to become bad.

Specifically, Walter succumbs to the sin of pride. Initially, his pride was submerged under a thin veneer of suburban respectability. But as the show progresses, Walter's pride rises to the surface. In one of the show's most stunning scenes, Walter chillingly explains to his wife Skyler why he's the man in charge when it comes to Mexican cartels and the drug trade. He says,

Who are you talking to right now? Who is it you think you see? Do you know how much I make a year? I mean, even if I told you, you wouldn't believe it. Do you know what would happen if I suddenly decided to stop going in to work? A business big enough that it could be listed on the NASDAQ goes belly up. It disappears. It ceases to exist without me. No, you clearly don't know who you're talking to. So let me clue you in. I am not in danger, Skyler. I am the danger. A guy opens his door and gets shot, and you think that of me? No. I am the one who knocks.

Walter is no longer the frustrated, somewhat bumbling and basically good genius of season one. He's changed, and we're encouraged to look at him the way Diane Keaton looks at Al Pacino at the end of The Godfather: "What's happened to you?" It's a mixture of horror, deep regret, and revulsion. It's a disturbing picture of the evils of pride.

Good people under pressure can go good or break bad.

Desperate Measures:

1.     An EYE-OPENING Encounter

“O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!  Psalm 39:4 (ESV)

Andy Stanley:  Everybody ends up somewhere in life.  A few people end up somewhere on purpose.

2.     A LIFE-TRANSFORMING Experience

Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.  Hosea 10:12 (ESV)

3.     A CYCLE-BREAKING Decision

¹³ Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. ¹⁴ For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” ¹⁵ Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, ¹⁶ “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.” ¹⁷ Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.  Esther 4:13-17 (ESV)

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: the Purpose of Prophecy

¹ Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” ² And I looked, and behold, a white horse ...  ³ When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” ⁴ Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; …  ⁵ When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. … ⁷ When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” ⁸ So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, Revelation 6:1-8 (NKJV)

The 6th chapter of the book of Revelation tells about four horsemen.  These four represent the great enemies of mankind, and have been called “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.”  Historically, they have been interpreted as plague, war, famine, and death.  Events of the past few weeks make these prophetic images seem far more than symbolic – they are in the news.

PLAGUE

The outbreak of the Ebola virus in Africa demands our attention.  In case you don't know, Ebola is what is referred to as a hemorrhagic fever.  That means it causes hemorrhaging in its victims.  They literally bleed out as the virus attacks the vascular system.  Death can come rapidly.  It has a 90% death rate for infection!  One day a slight headache; that night fever; then bleeding; sometimes within 24 hours the victim is dead.  

The World Health Organization tells us that the Ebola outbreak in the West African nations of Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia is “out of control.” Time will only tell how far the disease will spread and how many lives will be lost.  This past week, Dr. Kent Brantly was flown out of Africa to Atlanta to be treated at Emory University Hospital under the care of the Centers for Disease Control.  Dr. Brantly is a Christian missionary doctor who had been treating Ebola victims and has now contracted the disease.  He is the first infected individual to arrive in America.  P.S. please pray for Dr. Brantly, for his recovery and for his family.

As Christians, we see prophecy being fulfilled before our eyes.  Plague and epidemic are scattered through the pages of history.  The Black Death of the 14^th Century took as many as 200 million souls.  The influenza pandemic of 1918 killed between 75 and 100 million.   Experts tell us Ebola could be as bad.

The fragility of life always points us toward God.  In a moment’s time, the world as we know it could be radically altered.  Revelation 9:18 says that by these apocalyptic plagues “a third of mankind was killed.”  I am not saying Ebola is the fulfillment of this horrific prophecy.  I am saying that such an epidemic lies ahead in world history. 

What we are witnessing in West Africa reminds us of what’s truly important – our upward relationship with God through Jesus.  In an unsafe world, He is our security and our hope.

WAR

Another horseman is showing himself.  The dual situations of Israel and Ukraine put us on the brink of serious conflict. 

I am by no means an international expert, so my words here are nothing but the observations of a concerned individual.

It seems that the spirit of Adolf Hitler has resurrected in the person of Vladimir Putin.  No longer German, instead it is Russian nationalism and supposed superiority at work.  It seems that President Putin is dead-set on Russian “manifest destiny.”  He wants to re-gather the old Soviet Union and perhaps more.  This was the course of Hitler in the 30’s to restore Germany’s pre-WWI lebensraum (“living space”).  My prayer is that calm and deliberate intervention will prevent Mr. Putin from following through on his grandiose goals.

Alongside the Russian/Ukrainian debacle is the distressing developments between Israel and Hamas – the Gaza conflict.  It is tragic in that civilians are dying.  But the upshot could be massive criticism and isolation of Israel.  AMERICA MUST NOT MOVE AWAY FROM ISRAEL. 

The prophetic implications are huge.  Once again, I do not know if the current conflict will escalate.  I pray it will not.  But, the destiny of Israel lies in the balance.  Echoes of Armageddon may be in the air.

DEATH and FAMINE

Genocide hit new depths during the 20^th century.  It is almost unthinkable.  The most widely known is the 6 million Jews of the Holocaust, but actually there is a bigger story around Hitler’s atrocities.  The 6 million does not include the Gypsies, the Soviets, the Polish, the disabled, the mentally deficient, and others.  Totals reach as high as 17 million. 

Stalin’s Russia of the 1930’s killed upwards of 7 million.  The worst was Mao Ze-Dong’s China from 1949-1969: 50 million!  Add to these the Killing Fields of Pol Pot’s Cambodia – the ethnic cleansing of Kosovo – the list goes on.  The Horseman of Death has gone out into the world.

 The fourth horseman is famine.  There is absolutely no reason why tens of thousands die from malnutrition – whether it be China, Somalia, Ethiopia, or India.  It is an evidence not of crop failure, but of human failure.  The depravity of man – the greed of leaders – has produced frequent images of frail bodies dying of hunger.  One of the worst was the Irish famine of 1849-50.  Underneath this and other such tragedies was politics.

THE PURPOSE OF PROPHECY

The purpose of all these prophetic events is not to frighten us.  Rather it is to confirm us about what is truly important.  While the world rocks on its axis, Christians have the responsibility of reminding the world of the only One who does not shake, does not waver, does not fail. 

The purpose of prophecy is to keep us from being shaken while everything around us falls apart.  As our world hurtles toward its ultimate destruction, we serve a God who prevails, who wins, whose Kingdom is forever.

There is one other Horseman in the Book of Revelation.  We find Him in Chapter 19:11-16.  When He comes riding on His horse, all the pretenders will be dismounted and defeated.  This is the promise of Scripture.  This is the reality underlying human history.  This is what holds us steady while famine, plague, war, and death seem so powerful.  We are riding with a different horseman.  He is called the Word of God.  He is named Jesus.