What Did Jesus Do?
...come to Him, a living stone...
1Peter 2.4
Several months ago I lent a hand in building a retaining wall at a Boy Scout camp. Don't worry, the work was supervised by people who knew what they were doing, I was just a beast of burden. As the wall was being constructed I noted that, unlike other walls I have helped to build, these blocks needed no mortar to hold them together. When cut and shaped just right, rocks will rest securely, interlocked and solid. It takes know-how to build without mortar. Though I know it is popular to credit Jesus with being a carpenter, I believe he might have been a stonemason, because when Jesus built His Church, well, He rocked!
The Lord certainly knew about how important the right foundation is. When you build to last, you start with rock (Matthew 7.24-27). So it is hardly surprising that Christ chose Peter (From the Greek Petra, “rock”) to be the foundation stone upon which His Church would be constructed. With the right foundation your structure can stand up to rains and floods and winds and not fall. But even the mightiest-walled fortress will fall if it is built on sand. When Jesus began to build His Church, He rocked.
Of course, the right foundation is just the first step. If you want your structure to be solid and squared you need just the right block to begin your walls. This starting block is so important it has a name—the cornerstone. The proper cornerstone assures that the walls will be plumb and straight. Jesus didn't identify himself as a joist or a stud, but as the cornerstone (Matthew 21.42). Christ's church was built on rock, and began with the Lord himself the cornerstone. Jesus may have been a carpenter, but I tell you, there has never been a stonemason like Him. The Lord died on a cross of wood, but He lives in His Church made of stone.
It takes more than the right foundation and a perfect cornerstone if you are going to build something that will endure through the ages. Amazingly, this is where we come in. While Peter is the rock upon whom Christ chose to build, and Jesus himself is the Cornerstone, it turns out that we are the building blocks! More precisely, the Bible calls us “living stones” that are being built up into a “spiritual house”--the Church. (1Peter 2.5) Jesus rocked!
If you look closely, you will notice that there is no mortar holding the Church together. Rather, the Holy Spirit, who is the one who makes the stones come to life by faith in Jesus, is the power within the Church that holds everything together. If you have ever seen or experienced a church coming apart, and sadly many of us have, I believe an inspection would reveal a decided absence of the Holy Spirit in the “stones.” What stones need to do to remain alive is come daily to Him, the Living Stone who was “rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious,” (1 Peter 2.4), otherwise the Holy Spirit will not long remain, and things will start to come apart. If your congregation is showing signs of the “stones” slipping and falling away, it is a sign of dying, and it is time to call upon the Spirit to start rocking to bring the Life back into stones. That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministrie.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
Jesus Buried Treasure
What Did Jesus Do?
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field...
Matthew 13.44
Indiana Jones was always hunting for “fortune and glory.” Intrepid explorers sailed West to find the riches of the East. Pirates and others killed in order to get their hands on maps where, against all odds, X did mark the spot where chests full of doubloons were waiting to be dug up. Today, speculators are investing in hopes of making a “killing” in the market. There are not many people who aren't at least a little bit tempted by wealth, and willing to search and take considerable risks to find it. Would you believe that immeasurable riches await those who discover that Jesus buried treasure? I'm not at all suggesting that one's bank account will swell, that you will soon own 2-3 homes, or even that you'll have a luxurious and idle retirement. But for those who are willing to surrender all the world offers in exchange for what Christ promises, well, there are riches indeed.
Galilean fishermen gave up everything to follow Jesus, and they received the kingdom. Tax collectors walked away from their profitable, albeit dishonest, lifestyles, and an imperishable inheritance was set aside for them. A leader of a synagogue traded all for the treasure of believing in Jesus and received his darling little girl back from the dead. A Roman Centurion discovered the riches of bowing before the Lord and was given back his beloved servant who had been near death. A thief about to die on a cross forsook his wicked ways to seek forgiveness from Jesus, and that very day entered paradise. Hunting for treasure? Pursuing wealth? Wanting riches? Believe me, you need what Jesus alone can give.
Now, you may challenge the suggestion that Jesus hid or buried anything, but ask yourself, did the apostles receive all Jesus had to offer right away, or was there much about Him and the kingdom that took some digging, some persistence, some perseverance in faith, to uncover? For that matter, were not and are not the treasures of the kingdom hidden from those who “hear but never understand” and “see but never perceive” (Matthew 13.14)? I would suggest that the parables of Jesus are in fact hidden treasures, uncovered for believers by the action of the Holy Spirit.
The Gospel is certainly a treasure to receive here and now, but it is also something of a treasure map that leads those who follow it for a lifetime to the greatest riches of all, eternal life and the glory unending joy of worshiping God forever. Those who seek after the treasures of this world discover that they all rust and fade away. Imperishable riches are to be found by following the Lord, who said, “I am the way...” (John 14.6). That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field...
Matthew 13.44
Indiana Jones was always hunting for “fortune and glory.” Intrepid explorers sailed West to find the riches of the East. Pirates and others killed in order to get their hands on maps where, against all odds, X did mark the spot where chests full of doubloons were waiting to be dug up. Today, speculators are investing in hopes of making a “killing” in the market. There are not many people who aren't at least a little bit tempted by wealth, and willing to search and take considerable risks to find it. Would you believe that immeasurable riches await those who discover that Jesus buried treasure? I'm not at all suggesting that one's bank account will swell, that you will soon own 2-3 homes, or even that you'll have a luxurious and idle retirement. But for those who are willing to surrender all the world offers in exchange for what Christ promises, well, there are riches indeed.
Galilean fishermen gave up everything to follow Jesus, and they received the kingdom. Tax collectors walked away from their profitable, albeit dishonest, lifestyles, and an imperishable inheritance was set aside for them. A leader of a synagogue traded all for the treasure of believing in Jesus and received his darling little girl back from the dead. A Roman Centurion discovered the riches of bowing before the Lord and was given back his beloved servant who had been near death. A thief about to die on a cross forsook his wicked ways to seek forgiveness from Jesus, and that very day entered paradise. Hunting for treasure? Pursuing wealth? Wanting riches? Believe me, you need what Jesus alone can give.
Now, you may challenge the suggestion that Jesus hid or buried anything, but ask yourself, did the apostles receive all Jesus had to offer right away, or was there much about Him and the kingdom that took some digging, some persistence, some perseverance in faith, to uncover? For that matter, were not and are not the treasures of the kingdom hidden from those who “hear but never understand” and “see but never perceive” (Matthew 13.14)? I would suggest that the parables of Jesus are in fact hidden treasures, uncovered for believers by the action of the Holy Spirit.
The Gospel is certainly a treasure to receive here and now, but it is also something of a treasure map that leads those who follow it for a lifetime to the greatest riches of all, eternal life and the glory unending joy of worshiping God forever. Those who seek after the treasures of this world discover that they all rust and fade away. Imperishable riches are to be found by following the Lord, who said, “I am the way...” (John 14.6). That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Jesus Harvested
What Did Jesus Do?
“Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.”
John 4.35
It's fine to sow, if nothing is sown noting can be reaped. But even if good seed and good soil combine to yield thirty, sixty, a hundredfold, the fruit will rot on the plant if it is not harvested. When you look at a field and see its lush green is turning to white, well, you better get busy, because the crop is drying out and will soon die right there in the field if you don't harvest it. Having established that Jesus was a sower (See WDJD 8/24), we need to know that He finished the job. Jesus sowed, yes, but also, Jesus harvested.
It would be, I believe, a mistake for us to too quickly jump to the conclusion that all whom Jesus healed were saved. Sure, the blind celebrated their sight, the deaf were excited that they could hear, and the lame leaped about and danced on legs miraculously strengthened. But think about the time ten lepers were healed. How many actually returned to acknowledge and thank the Lord? One. (See Luke 17.11-19) While I believe it is pretty safe to say that that particular Samaritan was saved, I am not sure we can automatically come to the same conclusion about the other nine. But, surely, Jesus harvested that Samaritan for the kingdom of God.
And there were definitely others. There was Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector from Jericho with the bad reputation. His entire household was harvested for the kingdom of God the day Jesus declared that He needed to stay at the home of Zacchaeus,
“Today salvation has come to this house...”
Luke 19.9
Even when He was dying on the cross, the Lord continued to labor, harvesting souls for the kingdom of God. Remember the two thieves? One mocked and taunted the Lord (Luke 23.39), and his fate is uncertain, though the Lord had already pleaded for all who that day acted in complete ignorance of the truth (Luke 23.34). But Christ's harvesting of the other thief is certain,
“Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
Luke 23.43
On the cross Christ was completing His work, but the harvesting would continue. But is sowing and harvesting all there is to salvation and the building up of the kingdom? It would be nice to think that all it takes is the planting of the seed of the Word and the immediate response of a brief prayer, but then where is the maturing and the ripening, where is the fruit? In between the sowing and the harvesting is there no work, and hard work at that, that must be done? Is there no growth that must take place?
Jesus most certainly sowed. And, thanks be to God, we can be sure that Jesus also harvested. But between the sowing and the harvesting the Lord continued to work out in the field, so to speak, cultivating and watering, continually feeding the faith of His disciples, that they would grow strong and healthy and, in time, produce a great harvest for the kingdom. Being sowers is important, and Jesus wants us to sow every day. And the Lord would have us be ready for harvesting as well when it is time. But Christ also needs us to be working for the kingdom in between the sowing and the harvesting, helping the field to ripen, for it is to be a great harvest. Sow. Work. Harvest. That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
“Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.”
John 4.35
It's fine to sow, if nothing is sown noting can be reaped. But even if good seed and good soil combine to yield thirty, sixty, a hundredfold, the fruit will rot on the plant if it is not harvested. When you look at a field and see its lush green is turning to white, well, you better get busy, because the crop is drying out and will soon die right there in the field if you don't harvest it. Having established that Jesus was a sower (See WDJD 8/24), we need to know that He finished the job. Jesus sowed, yes, but also, Jesus harvested.
It would be, I believe, a mistake for us to too quickly jump to the conclusion that all whom Jesus healed were saved. Sure, the blind celebrated their sight, the deaf were excited that they could hear, and the lame leaped about and danced on legs miraculously strengthened. But think about the time ten lepers were healed. How many actually returned to acknowledge and thank the Lord? One. (See Luke 17.11-19) While I believe it is pretty safe to say that that particular Samaritan was saved, I am not sure we can automatically come to the same conclusion about the other nine. But, surely, Jesus harvested that Samaritan for the kingdom of God.
And there were definitely others. There was Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector from Jericho with the bad reputation. His entire household was harvested for the kingdom of God the day Jesus declared that He needed to stay at the home of Zacchaeus,
“Today salvation has come to this house...”
Luke 19.9
Even when He was dying on the cross, the Lord continued to labor, harvesting souls for the kingdom of God. Remember the two thieves? One mocked and taunted the Lord (Luke 23.39), and his fate is uncertain, though the Lord had already pleaded for all who that day acted in complete ignorance of the truth (Luke 23.34). But Christ's harvesting of the other thief is certain,
“Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
Luke 23.43
On the cross Christ was completing His work, but the harvesting would continue. But is sowing and harvesting all there is to salvation and the building up of the kingdom? It would be nice to think that all it takes is the planting of the seed of the Word and the immediate response of a brief prayer, but then where is the maturing and the ripening, where is the fruit? In between the sowing and the harvesting is there no work, and hard work at that, that must be done? Is there no growth that must take place?
Jesus most certainly sowed. And, thanks be to God, we can be sure that Jesus also harvested. But between the sowing and the harvesting the Lord continued to work out in the field, so to speak, cultivating and watering, continually feeding the faith of His disciples, that they would grow strong and healthy and, in time, produce a great harvest for the kingdom. Being sowers is important, and Jesus wants us to sow every day. And the Lord would have us be ready for harvesting as well when it is time. But Christ also needs us to be working for the kingdom in between the sowing and the harvesting, helping the field to ripen, for it is to be a great harvest. Sow. Work. Harvest. That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Jesus Sowed
What Did Jesus Do?
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea...
And he told them many things in parables...
Matthew 13.1,3
Everyone knows Jesus was a carpenter. Or was He? I don't recall ever reading anything in the Bible about anything that Jesus built, do you? Joseph was a carpenter, and most of us make the assumption that Jesus learned the trade at Joseph's side and then went into the family business. But I'm not so sure. In fact, rather than a carpenter, I believe Jesus might have been a farmer. The Lord sure knew a lot about agriculture. And, even more, He was always sowing.
Take that time recorded in Matthew 13, when Jesus who had merely gone out to sit beside the sea, and ended up having to climb into a boat because of the crowd that gathered around Him on the beach. Matthew 13.3 says the Lord spoke to them in parables, but what Jesus was really doing was sowing. Oh, the people, even His disciples, didn't understand what was happening, but Jesus was sowing while He told a parable about a sower.
You see, Jesus didn't tell parables for amusement, though they were entertaining stories in their own way. The purpose of the parables was the building up of the kingdom of God through the sowing of the Word in the hearts of those who heard them. Every parable was a seed Jesus himself scattered on the soil of hearts. And, just as in the parable itself, those “seeds” landed on some hearts that were hard and barren, and some landed on hearts that were kind of shallow, other “seed” landed on hearts that were very open and receptive but unfortunately burdened with many worldly distractions and cares, and still other “seed” landed on hearts that were very fertile indeed.
Of course, even the best seed in the best soil needs some care and attention if it is going to grow and produce abundantly. For instance, there was Simon Peter. Peter responded quickly enough to the Word, but it took more than hearing a few parables to produce the apostle who would stand up on Pentecost and preach one powerful message. Jesus sowed the Word in Peter. And then, like a good farmer, He tended to the growth of Peter's faith, and the development of Peter's understanding throughout their time together. Like a farmer, Jesus had confidence in the seed He was sowing, and faith in the soil He sowed in, and ultimately the Lord entrusted the fullness of the harvest that would be His Church to Peter. Oddly, the harvest would spring from a “rock.” (See Matthew 16.13-20)
Now, a sower knows that much of the seed that is scattered will never yield anything for harvesting. But sowers also know the incredible potential of good seed in good soil—yields of thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold! On that memorable Pentecost Peter would exceed the expectations of the parable and produce, not a mere hundredfold, but three thousand souls! (Acts 2.41) Even if you are not willing to concede that Jesus was a farmer, you have to admit, He sure did know how and where to sow.
While it is widely accepted that Jesus recruited fishermen to make them fishers of men (Matthew 4.18-22), it might be just as accurate to say that the Lord was a farmer who was looking for sowers. The kingdom of God is a great harvest in need of workers (Matthew 9.37), but before there can be any harvesting there has to be a great deal of sowing. That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea...
And he told them many things in parables...
Matthew 13.1,3
Everyone knows Jesus was a carpenter. Or was He? I don't recall ever reading anything in the Bible about anything that Jesus built, do you? Joseph was a carpenter, and most of us make the assumption that Jesus learned the trade at Joseph's side and then went into the family business. But I'm not so sure. In fact, rather than a carpenter, I believe Jesus might have been a farmer. The Lord sure knew a lot about agriculture. And, even more, He was always sowing.
Take that time recorded in Matthew 13, when Jesus who had merely gone out to sit beside the sea, and ended up having to climb into a boat because of the crowd that gathered around Him on the beach. Matthew 13.3 says the Lord spoke to them in parables, but what Jesus was really doing was sowing. Oh, the people, even His disciples, didn't understand what was happening, but Jesus was sowing while He told a parable about a sower.
You see, Jesus didn't tell parables for amusement, though they were entertaining stories in their own way. The purpose of the parables was the building up of the kingdom of God through the sowing of the Word in the hearts of those who heard them. Every parable was a seed Jesus himself scattered on the soil of hearts. And, just as in the parable itself, those “seeds” landed on some hearts that were hard and barren, and some landed on hearts that were kind of shallow, other “seed” landed on hearts that were very open and receptive but unfortunately burdened with many worldly distractions and cares, and still other “seed” landed on hearts that were very fertile indeed.
Of course, even the best seed in the best soil needs some care and attention if it is going to grow and produce abundantly. For instance, there was Simon Peter. Peter responded quickly enough to the Word, but it took more than hearing a few parables to produce the apostle who would stand up on Pentecost and preach one powerful message. Jesus sowed the Word in Peter. And then, like a good farmer, He tended to the growth of Peter's faith, and the development of Peter's understanding throughout their time together. Like a farmer, Jesus had confidence in the seed He was sowing, and faith in the soil He sowed in, and ultimately the Lord entrusted the fullness of the harvest that would be His Church to Peter. Oddly, the harvest would spring from a “rock.” (See Matthew 16.13-20)
Now, a sower knows that much of the seed that is scattered will never yield anything for harvesting. But sowers also know the incredible potential of good seed in good soil—yields of thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold! On that memorable Pentecost Peter would exceed the expectations of the parable and produce, not a mere hundredfold, but three thousand souls! (Acts 2.41) Even if you are not willing to concede that Jesus was a farmer, you have to admit, He sure did know how and where to sow.
While it is widely accepted that Jesus recruited fishermen to make them fishers of men (Matthew 4.18-22), it might be just as accurate to say that the Lord was a farmer who was looking for sowers. The kingdom of God is a great harvest in need of workers (Matthew 9.37), but before there can be any harvesting there has to be a great deal of sowing. That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Jesus Rendered
What Did Jesus Do?
“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's,
and to God the things that are God's.”
Mark 12.17
The struggle to keep the boundaries between church and state has confronted nations long before the drafting of the United States Constitution. Actually, many nations and many leaders through the ages have attempted to usurp divine rights and privileges for themselves. It took the founders of our nation to express eloquently the truth that the divine rights kings had claimed for themselves were in fact intended by the Creator to be endowed to all nations and peoples, and to all men, women, and children.
In His day, Jesus had to deal with a pagan nation which at the time occupied His homeland, which was in fact the one kingdom ever to exist as a theocracy by virtue of God's own choosing. Moreover, the Lord had to deal with the leaders of that theocracy who operated their nation much along the same lines of all the other nations, which is to say they had failed miserably as God's people. So, when the trick question was raised about the lawfulness of paying taxes to a pagan government, Jesus had no trouble rendering pagan coins, with the image of Caesar, a self-proclaimed deity, to Caesar. The truth was, God had no interest in such pagan coins. Israel, and its leaders, should have known better, and all along should have been rendering to God what belonged to God. Trouble was, they, like all the other nations, were rendering to false gods and man that which belonged to God.
As for America today, I'm not completely sure how the Father feels about the coins and currency of this nation, which proclaim trust in him; nor am I certain how the Son would reply to a question about what is lawful to do with that currency and those coins. I am certain that He would still direct us properly render to “Caesar” (the State), that which belongs to it, and to God that which belongs to him.
But it's not a simple thing, figuring out how to render properly in a republic that claims to be “one nation under God,” while doing all it can to give up the one true God for, well, as many or more idols than the Romans themselves had. Christians certainly must avoid making the State/Caesar into a god, and rendering to the State/Caesar, that which belongs to God. Perhaps this is where the Church in America, not unlike the leaders of Israel at the time of Christ, has failed. Our leaders and our people no longer know God well enough to render to him properly, and, as a consequence, there is a whole lot more rendering to Caesar than is proper, and much less rendering to God of what is properly his.
We cannot, as Americans, claim any special divine rights or privileges due us as Americans. The Declaration of Independence did indeed mean “all,” and not just those residing in the thirteen colonies, are created equal. The Father loves all people throughout the world, throughout the ages, and sent his Son as Savior for all, that all who receive Christ as Lord should not die but have eternal life. Yet, as Americans and Christians, we can, we must, acknowledge that our land and our government, our very lives are gifts from God, not to do with as we please, but so to render humbly to the Father that he is glorified, and not this nation, and certainly not we ourselves. In dying on the cross Christ rendered the complete and perfect sacrifice that was due unto God on behalf of Israel, and all peoples. That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's,
and to God the things that are God's.”
Mark 12.17
The struggle to keep the boundaries between church and state has confronted nations long before the drafting of the United States Constitution. Actually, many nations and many leaders through the ages have attempted to usurp divine rights and privileges for themselves. It took the founders of our nation to express eloquently the truth that the divine rights kings had claimed for themselves were in fact intended by the Creator to be endowed to all nations and peoples, and to all men, women, and children.
In His day, Jesus had to deal with a pagan nation which at the time occupied His homeland, which was in fact the one kingdom ever to exist as a theocracy by virtue of God's own choosing. Moreover, the Lord had to deal with the leaders of that theocracy who operated their nation much along the same lines of all the other nations, which is to say they had failed miserably as God's people. So, when the trick question was raised about the lawfulness of paying taxes to a pagan government, Jesus had no trouble rendering pagan coins, with the image of Caesar, a self-proclaimed deity, to Caesar. The truth was, God had no interest in such pagan coins. Israel, and its leaders, should have known better, and all along should have been rendering to God what belonged to God. Trouble was, they, like all the other nations, were rendering to false gods and man that which belonged to God.
As for America today, I'm not completely sure how the Father feels about the coins and currency of this nation, which proclaim trust in him; nor am I certain how the Son would reply to a question about what is lawful to do with that currency and those coins. I am certain that He would still direct us properly render to “Caesar” (the State), that which belongs to it, and to God that which belongs to him.
But it's not a simple thing, figuring out how to render properly in a republic that claims to be “one nation under God,” while doing all it can to give up the one true God for, well, as many or more idols than the Romans themselves had. Christians certainly must avoid making the State/Caesar into a god, and rendering to the State/Caesar, that which belongs to God. Perhaps this is where the Church in America, not unlike the leaders of Israel at the time of Christ, has failed. Our leaders and our people no longer know God well enough to render to him properly, and, as a consequence, there is a whole lot more rendering to Caesar than is proper, and much less rendering to God of what is properly his.
We cannot, as Americans, claim any special divine rights or privileges due us as Americans. The Declaration of Independence did indeed mean “all,” and not just those residing in the thirteen colonies, are created equal. The Father loves all people throughout the world, throughout the ages, and sent his Son as Savior for all, that all who receive Christ as Lord should not die but have eternal life. Yet, as Americans and Christians, we can, we must, acknowledge that our land and our government, our very lives are gifts from God, not to do with as we please, but so to render humbly to the Father that he is glorified, and not this nation, and certainly not we ourselves. In dying on the cross Christ rendered the complete and perfect sacrifice that was due unto God on behalf of Israel, and all peoples. That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Monday, August 23, 2010
HIS People
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!
Psalm 33.12
Religion and politics don't mix, even ancient Israel couldn't get it straight. So, when I wrote the other day about whether or not it is time to fight to restore the United States, I may have caused some confusion as to the distinction between faith allegiance and political allegiance. Let me be clear, a Christian's faith is supremely placed in the Lord Jesus Christ; and loyalty to a nation, even the United States, is subordinate to our devotion to the Lord. Nonetheless, I am convinced that Christians are not supposed to be apolitical, much less to sit idly by while this country is dismantled and removed from the map.
Truly, the one and only theocracy God has established is the ancient kingdom of Israel. The LORD chose Jacob as his heritage. They were the people called by his name, the people of Yah (Judah, those who praise Yahweh). Psalm 147 opens with an injunction to “praise the LORD” (Praise Yahweh), declaring “It is good to sing praises to our God” (PS 147.1). The psalm goes on to note that the LORD only declared his word, his statutes and rules to Israel, “He has not dealt thus with any other nation...” (PS 147.19-20). Ancient Israel was unique, even to the point of making the necessary distinction between it and the modern secular state of Israel. God made an everlasting covenant with the ancient Israelites, with the descendants of Abraham, but he has also made a new covenant with those who are Abraham's spiritual descendants, specifically with the followers of Christ (People called by the name that is above all names!), who come from many different nations and peoples, including the Jews (not all Jews, but Messianic, that is, Christian, Jews). Graciously, God has enlarged his heritage so that it now includes all who believe that Jesus is his Son, and who receive Christ as their Savior and Lord.
It so happened that the people who founded this nation did so with a distinctly Christian world view. The keel of our ship of state, if you will, was Christian. Though the framers of the Constitution were careful not to establish a state religion—they understood religion and politics to be two distinct estates—they also accepted that for the idea of this nation to succeed its politics, its government, needed to be informed by faith,
“Our constitution was written for a moral and religious people, it can govern no other.”
John Adams
The point I attempted to make the other day was, if those Americans who are called by the name of Christ, and they are hardly a majority any more, don't humble themselves, pray, and seek God's face, we can hardly expect anything but destruction for our land. This is not to say the United States is, or ever was, or ever will be, a theocracy. But there was a time when it was a godly republic, when faith informed decisions of government. For that matter, there was a time when faith informed the decisions of many families, schools, and businesses in this country, and I believe we were the better for it. We don't need to preach the Gospel at every town meeting, every political debate, every sitting of every legislature on up to Washington. But, everything that we do say in any public forum should be informed, guided by, and reflect the influence of the Gospel in every aspect of our lives. The problem in America isn't our constitution, it's we, the people. And shame on us Christians most of all.
In truth, I don't think we can blame our politicians for the state of the nation. I think the blame rests more with the preachers of this land. So few politicians get to sit under godly preaching anymore. How can we expect them to be godly leaders? For that matter, since so few of the electorate sit under godly preaching, how can we expect them to elect godly statesmen and stateswomen? Worst of all, so few people who sit in pews week after week sit under godly preaching. I believe the problem, and remember I am a preacher, is in America's pulpits. Not all of them, certainly, but in the majority. I think, maybe, that if the folks who stand up to preach on Sunday mornings actually started to heed the words of 2Chronicles 7.14, God might just begin to heal this land. I am afraid there are perniciously wicked ways that a whole lot of us pastors, and a whole lot of our churches, need to turn from. I don't know if anything less than such a turning can ever turn the ship of this State around.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!
Psalm 33.12
Religion and politics don't mix, even ancient Israel couldn't get it straight. So, when I wrote the other day about whether or not it is time to fight to restore the United States, I may have caused some confusion as to the distinction between faith allegiance and political allegiance. Let me be clear, a Christian's faith is supremely placed in the Lord Jesus Christ; and loyalty to a nation, even the United States, is subordinate to our devotion to the Lord. Nonetheless, I am convinced that Christians are not supposed to be apolitical, much less to sit idly by while this country is dismantled and removed from the map.
Truly, the one and only theocracy God has established is the ancient kingdom of Israel. The LORD chose Jacob as his heritage. They were the people called by his name, the people of Yah (Judah, those who praise Yahweh). Psalm 147 opens with an injunction to “praise the LORD” (Praise Yahweh), declaring “It is good to sing praises to our God” (PS 147.1). The psalm goes on to note that the LORD only declared his word, his statutes and rules to Israel, “He has not dealt thus with any other nation...” (PS 147.19-20). Ancient Israel was unique, even to the point of making the necessary distinction between it and the modern secular state of Israel. God made an everlasting covenant with the ancient Israelites, with the descendants of Abraham, but he has also made a new covenant with those who are Abraham's spiritual descendants, specifically with the followers of Christ (People called by the name that is above all names!), who come from many different nations and peoples, including the Jews (not all Jews, but Messianic, that is, Christian, Jews). Graciously, God has enlarged his heritage so that it now includes all who believe that Jesus is his Son, and who receive Christ as their Savior and Lord.
It so happened that the people who founded this nation did so with a distinctly Christian world view. The keel of our ship of state, if you will, was Christian. Though the framers of the Constitution were careful not to establish a state religion—they understood religion and politics to be two distinct estates—they also accepted that for the idea of this nation to succeed its politics, its government, needed to be informed by faith,
“Our constitution was written for a moral and religious people, it can govern no other.”
John Adams
The point I attempted to make the other day was, if those Americans who are called by the name of Christ, and they are hardly a majority any more, don't humble themselves, pray, and seek God's face, we can hardly expect anything but destruction for our land. This is not to say the United States is, or ever was, or ever will be, a theocracy. But there was a time when it was a godly republic, when faith informed decisions of government. For that matter, there was a time when faith informed the decisions of many families, schools, and businesses in this country, and I believe we were the better for it. We don't need to preach the Gospel at every town meeting, every political debate, every sitting of every legislature on up to Washington. But, everything that we do say in any public forum should be informed, guided by, and reflect the influence of the Gospel in every aspect of our lives. The problem in America isn't our constitution, it's we, the people. And shame on us Christians most of all.
In truth, I don't think we can blame our politicians for the state of the nation. I think the blame rests more with the preachers of this land. So few politicians get to sit under godly preaching anymore. How can we expect them to be godly leaders? For that matter, since so few of the electorate sit under godly preaching, how can we expect them to elect godly statesmen and stateswomen? Worst of all, so few people who sit in pews week after week sit under godly preaching. I believe the problem, and remember I am a preacher, is in America's pulpits. Not all of them, certainly, but in the majority. I think, maybe, that if the folks who stand up to preach on Sunday mornings actually started to heed the words of 2Chronicles 7.14, God might just begin to heal this land. I am afraid there are perniciously wicked ways that a whole lot of us pastors, and a whole lot of our churches, need to turn from. I don't know if anything less than such a turning can ever turn the ship of this State around.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Is It Time?
Is it time to fight to "save" America? Well, frankly, I believe we've already lost most of our heritage: Christian, Constitutional, Economic. The question is, is it time to fight win win back America? And, if not now, when will it be time? This is NOT a condemnation of President Obama, he is who he is. The ones who I'm condemning are those who put him in the White House.
Now, if the fight I am suggesting were to begin, it would mean some VERY hard times for most all of us. But don't you think George Washington's troops and the signers of the Declaration of Independence went through hard times to secure our independence? Don't you think the soldiers who fought in Blue and Gray, and the civilians who lived in Atlanta and Gettysburg and Richmond and Vicksburg went through hard times? Don't you think the doughboys in the trenches in France went through hard times? And the marines on Guadalcanal? Don't you think the servicemen and women in Afghanistan are going through hard times today? Don't you think our children and grandchildren will go through worse times if we don't fight to win back America for them now?
And by "fight" I am not suggesting we all take up arms, though, God forbid, that day may come. Rather, this fight, like the one which achieved our independence in the first place, must begin with vocal patriotism and bold and eloquent statesmanship. The United states was formed because of the weight of moral and political virtues, the "self-evident truths," that were worth fighting for. Arms were the last, sadly necessary, recourse. So, now is not the time to take up arms, but let us again take up the timeless ideals and self-evident truths upon which this nation was established.
I don't know, maybe a mosque at "ground zero" in lower Manhattan is a fitting tribute to the Islamic "heroes" who died that day crashing those planes into the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon. Personally I prefer the monument to another downed plane, a monument in a nondescript field in Pennsylvania, a monument remembering the American heroes who it was time to fight, and die if necessary, to keep 9/11 from being worse than it was.
Enough from me. If you believe it's not time to fight to restore America, click "delete" now. If you are not sure, or if you think the time has come, well, then read on.
In
1952
President Truman
established one day a year as a
"National Day of Prayer."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In
1988
President Reagan
designated the
First Thursday in May of each year as
the National Day of Prayer.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In June
2007
(then)
Presidential
Candidate Barack Obama
declared that the USA
"Was no longer a
Christian nation."
---------------------------------------------------------------
This year
President Obama
canceled the
21st annual National Day
of Prayer ceremony
at the White
House under the ruse
Of "not wanting to offend anyone"
------------------------------------------------------------------------
BUT... on September 25, 2009
from 4 AM until 7 PM,
a National Day of Prayer
FOR THE MUSLIM RELIGION
was Held on Capitol Hill,
Beside the White House.
There were over 50,000 Muslims
in D.C. that day and,
HE PRAYED WITH THE MUSLIMS!
I guess it Doesn't matter
if "Christians"
Were offended by this event -
We obviously
Don't count as
"anyone" anymore.
The direction this country is headed
should strike fear in the heart of every Christian,
especially knowing that the
Muslim religion believes that if Christians cannot be
converted, they should be annihilated.
This is not a Rumor –
Go to the website
To confirm this info:
( http://www.islamoncapitolhill.com/ )
Pay particular attention to the very bottom of the page:
"OUR TIME HAS COME"
I hope that this information will stir your spirit.
The words of 2 Chronicles 7:14
"If my people, Who are called by my Name,
Will humble themselves And pray,
And seek my face, and Turn from their Wicked ways,
Then will I hear from Heaven
And will forgive their Sin and will heal Their land."
We must pray for Our nation, our communities,
Our families, and especially our children.
They are the ones who are going to suffer the most.
.
If we don't PRAY
May God have Mercy.
IN GOD WE TRUST.
Time For God
Read only if you have
time for God
Let me tell you, make sure you read
all the way to the bottom.
I almost deleted this but I was blessed when I got to the end
God,
when I read this I thought...
I don't have time for this...
And, this is really
inappropriate during work.
Then, I realized that this kind
of thinking is.... Exactly, what
has caused a lot of the problems
in our world today.
We try to keep God in
church on Sunday morning....
Maybe,
Sunday night...
And, the unlikely event
of a midweek
service.
We do like to have Him
around during sickness....
And, of course,
at funerals.
However, we don't have
time, or room, for Him
during work or play...
Because.. That's the part of
our lives we think... We can,
and should, handle
on our own.
May God forgive me
for ever thinking...
That... There is a time
or place where..
HE is not to be
FIRST
in my life.
We should always
have time to remember
all HE has
done for us.
If, You aren't
ashamed to
do this...
Please follow the
directions.
Jesus said, 'If you are
ashamed of me, I will be
ashamed of you
before my Father.'
Not
ashamed?
Pass this on ONLY
IF YOU
MEAN IT!!
Yes, .....
I DO
Love God.
HE is my source of
existence
and Savior.
He keeps me functioning
each and every day.
Without Him, I will be
nothing.
But, with Christ,
HE strengthens me.
(Phil 4:13)
This is the
simplest test.
If You Love God...
And, are not ashamed of
all the marvelous things
HE has done for you...
Send this to ten people
and the person who
sent it to you!
Now do you have the
time to pass it on?
Make sure that you
scroll
through to the end.
Easy vs. Hard
Why is it so hard to tell
the truth but Yet so
easy to tell a lie?
Why are we so sleepy
in church but Right when
the sermon is over we
suddenly wake up?
Why is it so easy to
delete a Godly e-mail,
but yet we forward
all of the nasty ones?
Of all the free gifts
we may receive,
Prayer
is the very best one.....
There are no costs,
but wonderful rewards...
GOD BLESS!
Notes: Isn't it funny how
simple it is for people
to trash God and then
wonder why the
world's going to hell.
Isn't it funny how
someone can say
'I believe in God'
but still follow Satan
(who, by the way,
also 'believes'
in God).
Isn't it funny how you
can send a thousand
jokes through e-mail
and they spread like
wildfire, but when
you start sending
messages regarding
the Lord,
people think twice
about sharing?
Isn't it funny how
when you go to forward
this message, you
will not send it to many
on your address list
because you're not
sure what they believe,
or what they will think
of you for sending
it to them
Isn't it funny how I can
be more worried
about what other
people think of me
than what God
thinks of me..
I pray, for everyone
who sends this to
their entire address
book, they will be blessed
by God
in a way special for them.
And send it back to the
person who sent it,
to let them know that
indeed, it was sent
out to many more.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.com
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Now, if the fight I am suggesting were to begin, it would mean some VERY hard times for most all of us. But don't you think George Washington's troops and the signers of the Declaration of Independence went through hard times to secure our independence? Don't you think the soldiers who fought in Blue and Gray, and the civilians who lived in Atlanta and Gettysburg and Richmond and Vicksburg went through hard times? Don't you think the doughboys in the trenches in France went through hard times? And the marines on Guadalcanal? Don't you think the servicemen and women in Afghanistan are going through hard times today? Don't you think our children and grandchildren will go through worse times if we don't fight to win back America for them now?
And by "fight" I am not suggesting we all take up arms, though, God forbid, that day may come. Rather, this fight, like the one which achieved our independence in the first place, must begin with vocal patriotism and bold and eloquent statesmanship. The United states was formed because of the weight of moral and political virtues, the "self-evident truths," that were worth fighting for. Arms were the last, sadly necessary, recourse. So, now is not the time to take up arms, but let us again take up the timeless ideals and self-evident truths upon which this nation was established.
I don't know, maybe a mosque at "ground zero" in lower Manhattan is a fitting tribute to the Islamic "heroes" who died that day crashing those planes into the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon. Personally I prefer the monument to another downed plane, a monument in a nondescript field in Pennsylvania, a monument remembering the American heroes who it was time to fight, and die if necessary, to keep 9/11 from being worse than it was.
Enough from me. If you believe it's not time to fight to restore America, click "delete" now. If you are not sure, or if you think the time has come, well, then read on.
In
1952
President Truman
established one day a year as a
"National Day of Prayer."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In
1988
President Reagan
designated the
First Thursday in May of each year as
the National Day of Prayer.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In June
2007
(then)
Presidential
Candidate Barack Obama
declared that the USA
"Was no longer a
Christian nation."
---------------------------------------------------------------
This year
President Obama
canceled the
21st annual National Day
of Prayer ceremony
at the White
House under the ruse
Of "not wanting to offend anyone"
------------------------------------------------------------------------
BUT... on September 25, 2009
from 4 AM until 7 PM,
a National Day of Prayer
FOR THE MUSLIM RELIGION
was Held on Capitol Hill,
Beside the White House.
There were over 50,000 Muslims
in D.C. that day and,
HE PRAYED WITH THE MUSLIMS!
I guess it Doesn't matter
if "Christians"
Were offended by this event -
We obviously
Don't count as
"anyone" anymore.
The direction this country is headed
should strike fear in the heart of every Christian,
especially knowing that the
Muslim religion believes that if Christians cannot be
converted, they should be annihilated.
This is not a Rumor –
Go to the website
To confirm this info:
( http://www.islamoncapitolhill.com/ )
Pay particular attention to the very bottom of the page:
"OUR TIME HAS COME"
I hope that this information will stir your spirit.
The words of 2 Chronicles 7:14
"If my people, Who are called by my Name,
Will humble themselves And pray,
And seek my face, and Turn from their Wicked ways,
Then will I hear from Heaven
And will forgive their Sin and will heal Their land."
We must pray for Our nation, our communities,
Our families, and especially our children.
They are the ones who are going to suffer the most.
.
If we don't PRAY
May God have Mercy.
IN GOD WE TRUST.
Time For God
Read only if you have
time for God
Let me tell you, make sure you read
all the way to the bottom.
I almost deleted this but I was blessed when I got to the end
God,
when I read this I thought...
I don't have time for this...
And, this is really
inappropriate during work.
Then, I realized that this kind
of thinking is.... Exactly, what
has caused a lot of the problems
in our world today.
We try to keep God in
church on Sunday morning....
Maybe,
Sunday night...
And, the unlikely event
of a midweek
service.
We do like to have Him
around during sickness....
And, of course,
at funerals.
However, we don't have
time, or room, for Him
during work or play...
Because.. That's the part of
our lives we think... We can,
and should, handle
on our own.
May God forgive me
for ever thinking...
That... There is a time
or place where..
HE is not to be
FIRST
in my life.
We should always
have time to remember
all HE has
done for us.
If, You aren't
ashamed to
do this...
Please follow the
directions.
Jesus said, 'If you are
ashamed of me, I will be
ashamed of you
before my Father.'
Not
ashamed?
Pass this on ONLY
IF YOU
MEAN IT!!
Yes, .....
I DO
Love God.
HE is my source of
existence
and Savior.
He keeps me functioning
each and every day.
Without Him, I will be
nothing.
But, with Christ,
HE strengthens me.
(Phil 4:13)
This is the
simplest test.
If You Love God...
And, are not ashamed of
all the marvelous things
HE has done for you...
Send this to ten people
and the person who
sent it to you!
Now do you have the
time to pass it on?
Make sure that you
scroll
through to the end.
Easy vs. Hard
Why is it so hard to tell
the truth but Yet so
easy to tell a lie?
Why are we so sleepy
in church but Right when
the sermon is over we
suddenly wake up?
Why is it so easy to
delete a Godly e-mail,
but yet we forward
all of the nasty ones?
Of all the free gifts
we may receive,
Prayer
is the very best one.....
There are no costs,
but wonderful rewards...
GOD BLESS!
Notes: Isn't it funny how
simple it is for people
to trash God and then
wonder why the
world's going to hell.
Isn't it funny how
someone can say
'I believe in God'
but still follow Satan
(who, by the way,
also 'believes'
in God).
Isn't it funny how you
can send a thousand
jokes through e-mail
and they spread like
wildfire, but when
you start sending
messages regarding
the Lord,
people think twice
about sharing?
Isn't it funny how
when you go to forward
this message, you
will not send it to many
on your address list
because you're not
sure what they believe,
or what they will think
of you for sending
it to them
Isn't it funny how I can
be more worried
about what other
people think of me
than what God
thinks of me..
I pray, for everyone
who sends this to
their entire address
book, they will be blessed
by God
in a way special for them.
And send it back to the
person who sent it,
to let them know that
indeed, it was sent
out to many more.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.com
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
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