November, 2013
Greetings,
On the heels of writing and sharing, 'When Evil Comes in Like a Flood' which addressed the rise of evil in our nation, and the response needed by the church, this word comes forth. It will be revealed in eternity of how many times God warned us, gave us wake up calls, for what was coming, but we missed the warning signals. I believe our nation, and paitcularly the church is at this cross road right now. God has sent alarming signs to show us the path we are on and what is coming. And unless a proper response is done by the church, we will go down in the history books as, 'having eyes to see, but could not see; having ears to hear, but could not hear'. Brethren I beseech you take notice of these words and let us respond now, while there is still time, before the 'night cometh when no man can work'.
Luke 11:42, "But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone."
Hebrews 2:1, "Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip."
1. What is the problem? It seems necessary to once again list, and make mention of what is all this alarm that I am sounding off about. It has been building for some time, with crisises, events and troubles always happening and being reported across our nation in the news headlines and reported in our communities and churches. But for some reason, it is apparent that all this building up is now at a crisis point of eruption. Evil has been happening this month alone locally and nationallly, that seems to me to be unparalled to anything that I can remember or have seen documented. When evil flares up like this, something is happening and the church should be discerning enough to find out the answers.
--murder-suicides are rising at an alarming risks; Reports are showing all over the country, grisly happenings that demonstrates the restraints of evil are happening. Most of these murder-suicides is generally adults in relationships of family or acquaintances. But this month there has been a spike in babies and children being pulled in to this evil. Failed attempts have kept the numbers down, but the rise in its activity should provoke us to see and discern something is happening.
--drugs and alcohol affects have been active for decades across our land; but in recent weeks death and destruction have been reported due directly to these two vices of hell; It never is alarming, it seems to the church, until it hits in our backyard. The affects of this upon our young people and families is alarmingly rising. The question for the church is, how far are we willing to let the enemy occupy our land and loved ones?
--legalislation of sin in our land is one of the building planks for hell; Supreme Court ruling, state legislations of same sex marriage; US congressional pushing ENDA, which leads one step to outlawing any voice against sin in our land; legalizing of the very things that are killing us as abortion, prescription drugs and state laws allowing drug use; All these are examples of our nation which was built upon, 'One nation under God' to becoming 'One nation destroyed by God'. Each passage of legislation, judicial, or executive decisions against God's Word and ways are an affront to Him and provokes Him to wrath to consume us.
There are of course, more issues specifically targeting our Christianity and way of life. These mentioned are only a few of the deatils that have surfaced to reveal, convince and make us aware that evil is forwarding its progression at a rapid rate that has not been seen for quite some time. Our history of advancing evil:
--Prohibition was ruled upon in 1933; it was almost another 30 yrs. before another step was taken by our nation that would take us away from God;
--Supreme court ruling on removal of Bible reading from public school (1963) by one contrary, lost woman made the nation begin an onslaught of evil to offend and provoke God; then in the next 10 yrs. the next step was taken;
--Abortion was ruled in 1973 as legal; allowing for the sancity of life to be lessened and undervalued; creating a huge flow of innocent blood upon this nation which will be required upon this generation and those to come;
--Same sex marriage was all but ruled 'ok' by the Supremem Court this past July, 2013 that is allowing for the rise in abominations to have God consume us and remove us from the earth;
These events are major decisions over 80 yrs, that has all but taken us from God's mercy and protection to God's anger and destruction. The signs of this destruction are on the horizon and left unattended will lead us to its ultimate conclusion of annhilation. And the verses mentioned earlier are warning that things left unattended by God's people, the church will hasten evil bringing us to the end. But a proper response by the church may find the Lord's favor, forgiveness and faithfulness to glorfiy His Name in our midst.
2. Secondly,what has the church been doing while this evil has been advancing? Or what should she have been doing?
There are several issues at my heart that sounds off here. The earlier verses warn us, 'take heed to the things which we have heard and don't let them slip'. And, 'you shouldn't have let the more important things undone.' It was preached and declared by Leonard Ravenhill throughout the 1960's and '70's and then picked up by Henry Blackaby in the 1990's into the new century that the state of the church has revealed it to probably be 'one of the most Biblically ignorant generations of all time'. I know other saints may have said it, but these are the ones that I heard it. Meaning that we have had more opporuntity to read, memorize, share, and fully appreciate the Word of God than most other nations and generations. However, due to our lack of 'taking heed' we have let it slip. Rather than making it a priority we have left it undone to other vain priorities and objects.
Our most offensive weapon, according to Ephesians 6, is our sword, which is the Word of God, has been reduced from a 3 ft. two edged sword to a 3 inch pocket knife dull on both sides. All because of unfaithfulness to 'study to show ourselves approved unto God'. Men gave their lives for the furtherance of the Bible to be printed, shared and proclaimed. Many North Koreans were just last week executed for owning, possessing a bible.
And even though prayer and Bible reading as spiritual discplines seems to have risen in most recent time; still the church as a whole are desperately ignorant of the value of these two needful weapons of our warfare. Satan has lulled us to sleep, caused us to be busy about less important things, and we have missed the time in prayer and the Word that would have kept us sharp, Spirit filled and ready for use as 'a vessel unto honor' by our Master. The recent rise of interest and awareness is helpful and needful but a more urgent plea must be sounded. War is on our threshold and souls are being ushered out into eternity without Christ. There is no more alarming sound than eternity.
Our schedules, plans, activites must all be priortized to the sitaution that is even now upon us. If this current trend is not met with an assualt of prayer, fasting, tears and declaration of God's promsies from God's Word I fear what 6 months may look like, what a year will look like. Evil is multiplying while we are adding.
'We should not have left the other things undone' - while we have been busy about our activites, we should never have left the things of God undone. We lived for self, for money, for matieralism, for plans, programs and have spent whole lives for self instead of the Savior. The old song tells us the truth, 'Wasted years O how foolish'; for we can never reclaim that which has been lost. The time should have been spent on prayer, Bible and intimacy with God. The things of which can neve be replaced or restored. This has created a void in us, as the church, that has been filled with earthly, carnal things rather than spiritual, eternal things. AW Tozer, Vance Havner and Leonard Ravenhill are respected and admired as 'men of God' among us. They are those 'very men of God' due that they kept the main thing the main thing - prayer, Bible and alone with God. We have heard these truths and know them to be right. Then 'take heed to the things which you have heard and don't let them slip'.
What leaving these things 'undone' has caused us? A recognition in our hearts that we have filled this void with pride, humanism, entertainment, advancement, comfort, and has caused us shame before our Lord. This is a great need of confession, repentance and restoration among us to to do the 'things of God' for His glory.
Until,
Dan Biser
rdbiser@live.com
Began:
Nov. 21, 2013
edited:
Nov. 22
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