Think About It With Pastor Rich

The Last Flight Of Lynyrd Skynyrd

2011-10-27T15:35:00.000-04:00

On October 20th in 1977 a tragic report came across the air waves. The plane of the very popular rock group Lynyrd Skynyrd had gone down in a swamp in Mississippi. Three of the band members had been killed in the crash including the lead singer Ronnie Van Zant. Skynyrd was rocketing to success with songs like Sweet Home Alabama and Freebird. For almost anyone who grew up in the 70's these songs were a part of their soul. I still have to smile when when I hear that guitar riff from Sweet Home start up. Please don't think me too heathen when I tell you it's my ring tone today, and it does make me smile every time my phone rings. "It picks me up when I'm
feeling blue, how about you." Sorry I just had to do that.

There are varying reports about why the plane crashed. It was an old plane built in 1948 and it was having mechanical problems for a while before the crash occurred. On the flight before the crash it was reported that a 6 foot flame shot out the back of one of the engines. The band knew the plane had problems and had voted that they would use it only one more time.

That last flight was supposed to take about three hours. They departed from Greenville South Carolina at about 4 pm eastern standard time bound for Baton Rouge Louisiana for a concert that night at the Louisiana State University. At 6:42 PM the pilots radioed they were low on fuel. They should have had 5 hours worth of fuel but because of the problems with one of the engine the fuel was used up much quicker than should have been. A few minutes later the pilots radioed they were out of fuel. 60 seconds later they had crashed in a Mississippi swamp. The plane was torn apart, and three of the band members were dead.

A very interesting addition to this story is a report that came from one of the back up singers, a woman named Jo Jo Billingsly. She had been a back up singer with Skynyrd for many years and was supposed to be on that plane but the night before she had a dream. She saw the plane crash. God had warned her and she made phone call after phone call warning the band to not get on that plane. But in the end they decided to fly her one more time. As Ronnie Van Zant boarded the plane he said, "well, if its your time to go, its your time to go".

Jo Jo eventually went on to start a ministry and spoke to thousands of churches about the goodness of God and the power of the gospel. A few years ago she went to be with Jesus after a long battle with illness.

What speaks to me about this story is how different God is from what I imagine. It would be easy for any of us to write Skynyrd off as getting what they deserved. After all they were rockers that lived a rocker lifestyle. Even some of the articles and videos I have seen of Jo Jo didn't give me the impression that she was a great Christian who was making all the right choices. But there is something in this story that touches me and gives me hope that God still loved Skynyrd. Not that he loved their life style and He probably didn't tap His toe to Sweet Home Alabama, but He knew them when the were boys. He watched them grow up in a southern church environment where Jesus and Budweiser were often mixed. He was there speaking to them after concerts as they lay their heads on their pillows, and He was there as that plane was heading for the ground. Who are we to say what happened in that last 60 seconds of their lives. I like to think that God is so gracious that real salvation could take place in those moments. I like to think that God is that big, that powerful, that relentless, that He in a moment of time could apply the saving power of the blood of Christ.

Who knows, maybe someday when we all get to heaven The boys in the band will be playing Sweet Home with revised lyrics. Until then my ring tone still make me smile and I'll believe that the last flight of Lynyrd Skynyrd may have landed in heaven.

The Beauty of Free Will

2011-09-08T13:20:00.000-04:00

The Calvinist says:

God chooses only some to go to heaven.

God chooses others to go the hell.

Man is totally depraved and has no choice but to sin

Those that God has chosen for hell will never be called or drawn to God by the Holy Spirit, and this is not a result of their rejection of the mercy of God, but God's choice to not save them

Even though God chooses not to call or save them, and they have no choice but to sin, He will still hold them eternally accountable and punish them in the lake of fire.

Therefore the ones whom God chooses for hell are doomed. The cross of Christ has no hope for them at all. The atonement is limited only to save those who God have chosen for salvation. Parents with 6 children will have to come to grips with the possibility that only some of their children may be in heaven. They will be faced with the thought that some of these they have loved and nurtured all these years are not chosen by God and therefore are destined to suffer agony in the lake of fire for all eternity. No amount of prayer, Bible teaching, or character training is ever going to change that.

WOW! How awful. This would be like a parent telling a 6 mo old baby to complete an algebra problem or they will beat him. That baby has no ability to do the math problem. For a parent to punish a child for what he has no ability to do would cause us all to call for jail time for those parents.

The Bible teaches that man is lost in sin and that only through the power of the Holy Spirit can he know of God, come to God, and serve God. But the scriptures also teaches that the mercy of God has been extended to all men. The all damning sin that leaves man with no hope is to reject the work of Christ on the cross. God makes a way to escape the penalty of sin - AND EXTENDS THE INVITATION TO ALL!

I'm so thankful that the Biblical picture of God is not the God of Calvinism. Too often we see wording such as ,the whole world, or all men, or once for all, when God talks about His plan of redemption through Jesus shed blood.

Joh 1:7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

2Pe 3:9 ¶ The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Tit 2:11 ¶ For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

1Ti 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

The beauty of the Gospel is intimately connected to the concept of free will. The offer of mercy is extended to everyone. The Holy Spirit brings light to all.

Joh 8:12 ¶ Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Those that freely choose to follow the light, God gives more. He does not want robots who have no choice but to obey because it is in their programing. This doesn't bring glory to God except to say He is stronger and more powerful that all of His creation and can make them do anything He wants. For a time a parent can do the same. He can control everything in his child's life. But the blessing of parenthood is not the control of a child. The blessing is when they look into your eyes and say I love you daddy and they order their life is a way that says I don't want to disappoint my daddy. Not just because you told them to or made them, or threatened them if they didn't, but because they want to. The blessing is when they choose to snuggle up close to you. They do this because they have come to know who you are and they love being close to you.

When God put Adam and Eve in the garden and said don't eat of this one tree He gave them an opportunity to choose to love and obey God. What God was looking for then and now is not robots who are programed to love Him, but those who if given an opportunity will choose to respond to God's great act of love through the cross and freely look God in the eye and say I love you daddy and I want to please you. That is the beauty of free will.

The Great Pretender

2011-07-19T12:54:00.000-04:00

God blessed Solomon more that anyone who ever has been or ever will be. He blessed him with not only wisdom, but also with honor, power, abilities in organization and leadership that were almost limitless. 1 Kings records that $1,187,200,000 of gold came into his kingdom on an annually basis, if we figure at today's per once rate.

Solomon built and organized Israel into a nation that could take your breath away. He created 500 golden shields to be carried by his elite body guards. By toady's standards those shields were worth a total of $136,640,000. That is a lot of money to spend on shields that only had decorative value. They would not stand up in battle. But even that fact says something about Solomon - He was not trusting in the shields of his bodyguards. His trust was in God. It is true that later in his life he would turn from God, but at this point God had blessed him and Solomon had completely humbled himself before Yahweh.

Picture Solomon on the horizon with his 500 body guards carrying 500 golden shields. The site would be spectacular as the sun blazes in reflection off the gold. I believe God intended a message to be seen in those shields. He was saying, My presence is with this nation, my provision is with this nation, and my protection is with this nation.

Years later when Solomon's son Rehoboam was on the throne the King of Egypt attacked because Rehoboam and the nation of Israel had once again gone after false foreign gods in worship. The king of Egypt took everything, including the golden shields. Rehoboam decided to make new shields in place of the stolen ones. But he doesn't use gold, they no longer have gold. He uses bronze instead.

There is a powerful message in his choice of bronze for his bodyguard's shields. Bronze is shinny like gold but it is not God. Rehoboam was pretending - acting like nothing had changed. The truth was that everything had change. They no longer had the presence, provision, or the protection that the gold shields represented.

Even though both metals are shinny, there is a huge difference between gold and bronze.

There is a difference in value. One large gold shield is today valued at $448,000. One large bronze shield's value would be $80. The provision was gone.

The weight was different. Gold weighs twice the weight of bronze. Every time a guard picked up one of those bronze shields he knew things were different. The guards didn't march with the same energy in their step because they knew things were not the same. They knew they were just pretending.

Maintenance was different. The gold shields needed almost no human maintenance. The bronze shields needed constant rubbing to keep the tarnish off and the shine on.

Coin collectors have a little trick to tell the difference between a gold coin and a bronze coin. Rub the coin between your finger until it gets warm and then smell your fingers. With gold there is no odor because the metal is pure, with bronze there is a stink.

Rehoboam's bronze shields were covered with human stink. Their was a constant need for the work and effort of man to keep the shine, rather than gold that just remains shinny because it is pure.

Bronze, brass, and even copper are metals that look like gold but are just pretending. Rehoboam was pretending that the presence, provision, and protection that were there under his father Solomon were still upon his kingdom.

Much of the church is pretending to walk in gold, but in reality they have created bronze shields and try not to notice the human stink of constant man centered polishing. We have exchanged the gold for the bronze when we call a good feeling at church the presence of God instead of seeking Him for a visitation that will forever change us.

We have exchange gold for bronze when we are satisfied with a provision that does not include a realization of all the promises of God including His promise to heal broken bodies. Why have we created doctrines that explain why God doesn't do what His book says He will do? Is it because we are satisfied with a bronze shine and are afraid of the devotion and humility required to produce gold?

We've exchanged gold for bronze in the area of protection. Many Christians live in fear of the enemy and life in general. Josephus and Historian from the first century says this of king Rehoboam, “ instead of warlike expeditions he reigned in great quietness”. This describes many Christians who carry bronze shields. I don't want any trouble is their life's motto. They do little and risk nothing because they are not sure God is there to catch them.

Solomon's Gold shields were an indicator of where he had placed his faith. A gold shield will not stand up in battle. Gold is soft and will not defend well. Solomon wasn't depending on those shields for his defence - he was dependant on the protection of God.

Rehoboam on the other hand had different thoughts. Bronze would hold up in battle. He didn't see his bronze shields as a symbol of God's protection. No he knew that was gone - so he had to protect himself. Human protection. Human shine.

Solomon's shields of gold came through his humility before God and asking for God's wisdom and help to lead the nation of Israel. Through humility the presence, provision, and protection of God came.

Rehoboam's shields of bronze came through pride, sin, and rejection of God. The presence, provision, and protection of God were removed and replaced with a cheap imitation.

Has the church allowed the devil to steal from us and then convince us that all is OK? Where is the presence that takes your breathe away? Where is the provision that fulfills all of what has been promised in holy scripture? Where is the protection of God that causes Christians to be the most confident people on earth because they are trusting in the God of the universe to watch over them not man - made substitutes?

Our shields are shinny - but are they gold?

Is God Doing A New Thing?

2011-07-11T20:51:00.000-04:00

Human nature is sometimes obsessed with the newest, latest, greatest stuff that comes on the market. Cell phones, tvs, computer software - we've just got to have the latest version or we don't feel complete.

While lust for new material possessions can be hurtful, even worse is when Christians follow the latest fads in Christianity and claim that this supposed new thing that God is doing makes the rest of the Christians around them out of the loop and a little less spiritual.

My Christian walk has spanned 30 years. In that time I have seen many things come and go. I have sat under the ministries of everyone from David Wilkerson to Rodney Howard Brown. I remember the laughing revival that featured spontaneous laughing that would break out in the sanctuary during the teaching of God's word. Still going strong today is the money folks who mange to connect every message they preach with asking people to consider giving $1,000 so that God will erase all their debt. I actually head someone say the other day that if a person has gotten into credit card debt they can use the same card that got them into trouble to get out of debt trouble by charging their ministry gifts using Visa. This is not only ridiculous, but crosses the line into evil manipulation.

Included on my list of Christian fads and abuses is the practice of offering personal prophecy to people who are looking for guidance. There are some groups who give a few weeks training and poof, you're a prophet who is qualified to give not just advice, but to speak for God in a way that gives the naive seeker the impression that they are hearing directly from heaven in the words of the manufactured prophet. The danger of this practice is not only that people are receiving information that can lead them in the wrong direction and possibly cause harm - but also to create a dependance for prophetic readings that look very similar to fortune telling with a Christian spin.

While there are times where the gifts of the Holy Spirit move through people to bring an anointed prophetic message from God, we must never put our trust in these utterances apart from our own study and seeking of the Holy Spirit.

It is appealing to our human laziness to go to a prophecy room, give a little offering and fifteen minutes later you are walking out with a “word from God”. No fuss, no hassle, no seeking, no studying God's word. In these places you will often hear supposed prophetic words that include the verbage, “God is doing a new thing”. Is God doing a new thing? As I said, humans love new, fresh, contemporary stuff.

While I am aware of a couple of Biblical verses that use this terminology, they in no way teach us that God has changed His ways, methods, message, or focus. From an Old Testament perspective the new thing that God has done is He has delievered us from the law of sin and death by the shed blood of Jesus.

Today, the new thing that God would like Christians to understand is that the old thing still works. When a man or women humbles themselves before God in prayer and study of His word seeking God's face for guidance and truth He meets them there. We live in a quick fix, drive through society - this mindset has infiltrated the church and has in my opinion caused Christians to seek others voices. This is a very effective weapon of the devil because it ensure that these seekers who are always looking for a “word” through other voices will never hear the true word. If they are every challenged they simply claim that the one who refuses to take their path is just spiritual ignorant and unwilling to jump into the new wave of God's moving on the earth.

We live in a day where finding a quite place before God with your Bible and believing that God still speaks to every child of the King is new to some, but in God's eyes it is an old thing that still works and has never changed.

The Abomination in the Jewish Temple

2011-04-06T15:10:00.001-04:00

I believe that it is significant that Daniel, Jesus, and Paul all talked about the Abomination of Desolation. These passages hold keys to understanding the timing of the rapture of the church.

Da 9:25 "Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. 26 After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him." (NIV)

Mt 24:15 "So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel-- let the reader understand-- 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now-- and never to be equaled again.

Mr 13:12 "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 13 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 "When you see 'the abomination that causes desolation' standing where it does not belong-- let the reader understand-- then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out. 16 Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 17 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 18 Pray that this will not take place in winter, 19 because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now-- and never to be equaled again. 20 If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them.

2Th 2:1 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. 3 Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

In Daniel 9:27 we see Daniel telling us about a coming world leader who will make a covenant with Israel for 7 years and then break it half way through. Most Bible commentators believe this person is the anti-christ.

Daniel also says this person will:

Da 7:25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time.

Jesus refers to the abomination of desolation in Matthew 24:15 and Mark 13:14 as an important event of timing that will mark the beginning of something terrible.

- It is the time to flee

- It will signal the start of a time that is so terrible that Jesus says it will be unequaled by any other time in world history.

In 2 Thessalonians an event is described that seems very similar to what Daniel and Jesus talked about. A person called the man of lawlessness is to appear. He will go into the temple and " exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.'

This would appear to be the same event that Daniel and Jesus talked about. Commentators agree that this man of sin is the antichrist and he is seen going into the temple to declare himself God. Daniel says he breaks the covenant with the Jews and stops the sacrifices in the temple. A logical conclusion is that the reason he stops the sacrifice is that he is changing worship to focus on him rather than Jehovah. Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15, and 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 seems to fit together beautifully.

If Paul is writing in 2 Thessalonians about this event Daniel and Jesus called the abomination of desolation then we find here some very important timing elements. Paul's was writing to the Thessalonians because they were concerned that the "gathering together" with Christ had already occurred or was about to happen. Paul writes to comfort them and to say that there were certain things that must happen first before the gathering will occur..

He says these things will happen first:

1. The man of lawlessness will be revealed

2. He will go into the rebuilt temple (rebuilt from our perspective, during Paul's time it still stood) and declare himself to be God.

3. A great falling away of believers will happen. NIV says rebellion, but this is a poor translation because the Greek word used here is "apostasia" and means a defection from truth, not a rising against truth. I believe this is a reference to a persecution of Christians that the antichrist will start that will cause some to turn away from Christianity because the cost is too high. Jesus spoke of this in Matthew 24:10,12

So these things will be seen before the rapture, gathering together, takes place. According to Daniel this will be half way through the 7 year period known as the tribulation period. According to Jesus just after this event of the revelation of the antichrist as the abomination of desolation a time of distress will come that will be unequaled by anything that has ever happened in world history.

So why were the words "abomination of desolation used to describe what the antichrist does in the temple?

One way to see this is that something will happen that is an abomination that will result in a condition of desolation - this is how Daniel uses the words. The Hebrew word "shiqquwts" translated as abomination is defined in Hebrew as: disgusting, filthy; especially idolatrous, detestable.

The Hebrew word "shamem" translated desolate is defined as: to stun (or intransitively, grow numb), i.e. devastate or (figuratively) stupefy --make amazed, be astonied, (be an) astonish(-ment), (be, bring into, unto, lay, lie, make) desolate(-ion, places), be destitute, destroy (self), (lay, lie, make) waste, wonder.

In Greek the word "bdelusso" translated in English Abomination is: a detestation, i.e. (specially) idolatry, to stink.

The Greek word "eremosis" translated in English desolation is: to lay waste (literally or figuratively):--(bring to, make) desolate, come to nought.

The meaning here is that something will happen that will be spiritually disgusting and make what was holy to be desecrated and profaned and no longer a place of worship but instead a place of disgust.

What could make the temple into this sort of place? The antichrist changing it into a place for his worship rather than God's. He starts with a declaration that he is God. He stops the worship of Jehovah and probably sets up some kind of an idol or idolatrous system that promotes him as God or in some way divine, or even poses as the true Messiah. The result of this is a pollution of the temple making it no longer a fit place to worship God.

Another thought is that Revelation chap 13 says that an image of the antichrist is going to be created that will have special abilities. It will be able to speak and cause all who do not worship the image of the beast/antichrist to be killed. The next verse refers to the infamous mark of the beast.

Since this is an obvious idolatrous image either statue of some other kind of physical representation of the antichrist it makes sense to speculate that this image will probably be set up in the temple, thus truly making it a event of idolatrous abomination in God's eyes. The whole place would become a place of filthy desolation unfit for true worship of the only true God of the universe.

Therefore the implications to the timing of the rapture are obvious. The antichrist will make a covenant with the Jews for a 7 year period. Half way through that he will go into the temple claim to be God and stop the Jewish sacrificial worship of God. An image/idol will be created and placed in the temple and all who will not worship it will be killed. After the antichrist is killed and resurrected people will buy into everything he has claimed and he will start an aggressive persecution against all who worshiped the God he replaced. Many will choose to "apostasia" leave the truth during this time.

According to Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, Christians will see these things and some time after this abomination of desolation occurs the church will be raptured.

This is different from much of the accepted doctrine of the timing of the rapture that is out there today. While I would prefer that the rapture happen before the tribulation starts I do not see the scripture supporting this. The word of God always has to have the last word no matter what preconceived ideas we have or whatever doctrine we have been taught in the past.

The Rapture of the Church - When?

2011-03-31T00:26:00.000-04:00

The Bible says that there is coming a day when Jesus will come to gather His church from the four corners of the earth and call from the ground the bodies of those who have died in faith. The question that begs to be answered is when will this happen?

The popular belief of the day is that the rapture will occur before any of the judgments listed in the book of Revelation. The blessed hope is the blessed ticket out before trouble hits. I really like this idea and I really wish that the scriptures taught it. The problem is that a pre-tribulation rapture cannot be conclusively demonstrated from the Bible.

Every year I do at least one series on the events of the last days. About a year ago I began to see some disturbing things in the scripture. The Bible has lots of information about the rapture, just not a pre-trip rapture.

The following points are a list of some of the reasons I believe the rapture will occur after the tribulation has started.

1. The Book of Revelation was written as a warning to the seven churches in Asia Minor and a prophetic vision for the church of what is to come. Of all the books of the Bible it seems that a pre-trip rapture might appear here - but it doesn't.

2. The Olivet discourse in Matthew 24 is another place you could logically expect that a pre-trip rapture should appear, that is if the Bible teaches a pre-trip rapture - but it doesn't. Not only does Matthew 24 not teach a rapture before the last days events, but it even goes so far as to say,

Mt 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

3. The Apostle Paul writing to the Thessalonians in his first letter tells them about the rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Later he write his 2nd letter to the Thessalonians to answers their fears that the rapture had already happened and they missed it. In this letter he tells them that certain must take place first before the rapture will occur.

2Th 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

He says that the Anti-Christ will go into the temple and declare himself to be divine. So from our perspective the temple must be rebuilt and the Anti-Christ must go into the temple and claim divinity before the rapture will occur. So at the very least the church will still be here when this happens and will see the Anti-Christ revealed.

When you take 2 Thessalonians and compare it to another scripture about the Anti-Christ a sense of timing develops. This other scripture is Daniel 9 :27.

Da 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (KJV)

In this scripture we are told that he stops the sacrifice in the temple, but even more enlightening is the timing. After making a 7-year covenant with Israel, he breaks it right in the middle - 31/2 years. If we see 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 and Daniel 9:27 referring to the same event, and I believe it does, then the things that Paul listed that must take place before the rapture can occur happens at least 31/2 years into the tribulation period. Therefore a pre-trip rapture is impossible. Even Jesus mentions this passage as being connected with the last days in Matthew 24:15-22

Mt 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. KJV

Jesus indicates that all the stuff that has already been listed in Matthew 24 will happen and then really intense tribulation will come that will be set in motion by what He calls the "abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel". This abomination that makes desolate is the Anti-Christ stopping the reestablished Jewish sacrifices and declaring himself to be God in God's temple. That is an abomination that will cause the rebuilt Jewish temple to become desolate. Again the timing is said to be 31/2 years into a 7 year covenant.

So my conclusion is that the rapture will take place sometime after the mid way point of the tribulation.

Now here is something that will really blow your mind. Compare the imagery of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and Revelation 14:14-20. Also take a look at Revelation 7:9-17. The description is so clear that it can not be dismissed. White robes, a multitude from all nations, palm branches? When does this take place? At the 6th seal. The significance of this is that the Bible clearly says that the church will not go through the wrath of God and the undiluted wrath of God is unleashed as the 7th seal is opened because in it the trumpets, then bowls are released. The Bible says of these coming trumpet and bowl judgments:

Re 6:13 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? (KJV)

Re 8:13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound! (KJV)

Re 15:1 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. KJV

Re 15:7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. KJV

Re 16:1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. KJV

Re 16:19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. KJV

Re 19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. (KJV)

The church will not be on earth, thank God, for the wrath of the trumpet and bowl judgments of Revelation, but we will walk by faith through the first 6 breakings of the seals on the scroll. By choosing to ignore our preconceived ideas about the timing of the rapture and by just letting the scriptures speak fro itself we can see that the pre-trip rapture, as nice as it sounds, just can not be supported through scripture.

While this may seem like a depressing topic to some, I say it is just the opposite because seeing these things come to pass simply means the return of Jesus is very near.

Lu 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. KJV

Gifts of the Holy Spirit - Foundational Principle

2011-02-21T01:42:00.000-05:00

In 1Corinthians 12 Paul writes to a church that has been founded in the "sin city" of the first century. There were lots of problems in the Corinthian church. One of the problems was a lack of understanding about Spiritual gifts. The Corinthians coming out of their pagan backgrounds didn't understand that the gifts of the Holy Spirit were not to be exercised in a fleshly, self centered way. The origional purpose of the gifts was to bless the entire church, not to impress others with a dramatic show. Paul didn't say stop pursuing Spiritual gifts - he was saying you are going about it in the wrong way.

The gifts are supposed to strengthen the church, helping it to become whole and well and fully functioning as a body so that it can fulfill the mission God has given it. But all too often we turn the things of God that were supposed to be blessings into something ugly and fleshly. In many churches people become the focus as they pursue Spiritual status in the church by fleshly displays.

Much of the church rejects the notion of the gifts of the Holy Spirit because they haven't seen the real thing. As Paul concludes chapter 12 he says that the Corinthians should eagerly seek the gifts but that he wanted to show them the better way to do it. Chapter 13 is the better way. In other words Paul was showing them the right atmosphere in which God intended the gifts to flow and be effective. That atmosphere is something so opposite from what we commonly see. 1 Cor 13 is known as the love chapter and is often read at weddings, but in reality the context of 1Cor 13 is teaching about the proper use of Spiritual gifts.

1Co 13:1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails….

He is giving them a filter in which to measure their experience with the gifts. He is also showing them the only way that the gifts will bless the church and draw people to Christ. In the Spirit is beautiful and draws people to Christ. Trying to manifest gifts in the flesh is ugly and repels people from the church and Christ.

The Emergent Church?

2011-02-17T22:17:00.000-05:00

Past generations that looked at the church and saw that change was needed called for a renewed commitment to God and a return to His word as the foundational truth of the faith.. Today there is a movement that is calling for change in the church, but the change does not include a return to Biblical truth. In fact it is just the opposite - it is a call to reject the Bible or to look at scripture as something that needs a brand new interpretation for a new generation. It is a
reinventing the church.

With all this new reinterpreting and reinventing you would think we would have something never heard of before - something fresh and unique. NO - the Emergent Church has taken New Age Philosophy, Eastern Mysticism, and man centered humanistic beliefs and tacked on Christian terminology calling it a new kind of Christianity.

This new teaching is in fact very old. It has been around a long time and was first revealed in the Garden of Eden when Satan came to Eve to deceive her into thinking that she could be smarter than God. Brian Maclaren and others within the so-called Emergent church are the newest version of Satan's false teachers. The Bible warns us that in the last days people will want their ears tickled above all else.

They seek to replace the sound teaching of the Bible with humanistic philosophy that sounds good to the flesh, but in the end is damming to the soul. They teach that there is no hell, salvation can be found through many means other than Christ, and the Bible is a flawed man made book.

Beware Satan has infiltrated the church and preaches every Sunday from Emergent Church pulpits.

2Th 2:9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, 10 and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie

2Ti 4:3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

Welcome to the Last Days

2011-01-26T16:33:00.002-05:00

If you want to start an interesting conversation anywhere, just start talking about the last days prophecies of the Bible. No matter who is around everybody has an opinion. It might be the timing of the rapture, or prediction that supposedly Nostrodemus made centuries ago.

Many folks who would be the last to call themselves Christians will talk for hours about the timing of the events predicted in the Bible or the prediction that some say the ancient Mayans have made about the end of the world.

I think this interest in world prophetic events stems from the built in knowledge that God placed within every person. Something that says, something big is coming. Some think it will be a comet as in the movie Armageddon; others think that an ice age is coming and that the world will end in ice not fire.

While the world is not short on opinions, there is a book that has got it right every time. The fulfilled prophecies of the Bible ought to make folks want to know what it says about the events that are just before us.

We are going to look into the pages of Holy Scripture and ask those questions. What does the Bible predict will happen next? How will the world end? How can we prepare for the final BIG BANG?

A new Wednesday adult class, Welcome to the Last Days, will start on February 2nd at 6:30 PM at Christ Community Church. This exciting 6-week class will be a part of our new Family Night mid-week services. Also on Wednesday nights taking place at the same time will be, prayer meeting, a 2nd adult class called For Men Only, For Women Only, Youth group, and a full children's program nursery to high school. It is a night for the entire family.

Why I Am Thankful Today

2010-11-25T11:29:00.001-05:00

This is a day of thanksgiving. There is so much I have to be thankful for. The years that are behind me that have taught me what is important in life. I'm in South Bend, the place I grew up, and everywhere I go there are reminders of past pleasures and mistakes. Youth is blinding, but the years have a way of pulling off those blinders and revealing the lack of understanding of those younger years. I'm thankful for this because it is evidence of growth and maturity that God has instilled. I'm not the smartest guy in the room, but I'm thankful that I'm not the same guy I was in those early days.

My family is my greatest earthly treasure. This hometown that I am resting in today, is also a reminder of God's hand in bringing Jennifer to me. We were an unlikely pair. We came from different groups in high school and from very different life perspectives. God literally reached down and chose us for each other. As I think back - we both had very little choice - God just made it happen. I'm thankful for that, because almost 30 years later I see the wisdom of that choice. We have been good for each other. If I were to go back and change anything, it would be me being a better husband in those early years. Other than that - it has been a good life with Jennifer.

She has given me 5 wonderful children who are smart, talented, and just good kids. They are all unique and I get so much joy from watching them grow, mature, and become the God designed individuals that they are. If I left this world today, I would have no regrets.

I'm thankful for my travels to India, Nepal, Philippines, Burma, and other places around the world that have taught me how wonderful a country we live in and has also taught me that all people are basically the same. We all need the love of Jesus - and the love of Jesus changes us all in the same way.

I'm thankful for my mother and father. As a kid I never had a thought that dinner wouldn't be on the table or wondered if my parents would get a divorce. Every kid has problems with parents as they grow up, but as I look back I see a stability that I did not appreciate then. I knew I would have what I needed. I knew I would have a home. They both worked hard and were able to put the struggles of life 2nd to taking care of me and my brothers and sister. Their love was tangible.

I'm thankful that God has let me be a pastor. I really don't think I could do anything else. I've pastored a few churches that were difficult - I suppose that's because churches are filled with people and people always have the potential to be difficult. The church that I now serve in is a special gift from God. Tons of potential, lots of good people, and a sense of destiny that I have finally found the right place - a place that God has had in His mind all along. He was just waiting for me to be ready to handle the challenges.

Yep, if this was my last day - I could not complain. I really think that I have it all. I know there will be some more challenges along the way, but those will end up blessings too. Of course the greatest sense of thankfulness is the reason that everything I've just written about has value. 30 years ago my eyes were opened to understand who Jesus is and what He did for me. The life of Christ living in me has made all the rest sweeter. My family, experiences, and any accomplishments God has allowed, have their greatest meaning in the shadow of Jesus' love of me. I am so undeserving, which makes me even more thankful.

The Holy Spirit Came to Church

2010-11-22T02:28:00.000-05:00

This morning was something to see. For those that couldn't make it or weren’t in the sanctuary let me describe it. We joined in a time of outstanding worship led by our worship team. We had originally planned to baptize one person that had made a request to be baptized as soon as possible. After the Friday Night City Wide Healing Service we had a total of 6 who desired baptism. So we entered Sunday morning thinking that 6 would follow Christ in baptism.

As we prepared to baptize I began to teach about the statement that baptism makes to the world. I talked about dying with Christ, being buried with Christ, and being raised to new life with Christ. This naturally led to sharing the Gospel and asking people to respond to Jesus' invitation to follow Him - and many did. Then the Spirit of God put in my heart to ask the people who had just responded by an upraised hand to be baptized immediately. Honestly I thought a few might answer this call. To my delight hands started going up all over the sanctuary. Many of them were children wanting to take this step without having planned to - without dry cloths and in front of all those people - pretty amazing. The adults who wanted to be baptized stood there crying. I went to them and asked what God was doing in them. They found it hard to describe - they just said they knew Jesus was telling them to be baptized.

We didn't have enough towels - they had no dry clothes to change into afterwards. For a while it seemed like a mad house as these folks met with our outreach pastor to make sure they understood what they were doing. Just so happens that two ladies from the church had clothes in their cars that they intended for Goodwill, but hadn't got there yet. It was prefect - everybody had dry clothes and towels. 18 baptisms later we were celebrating all that God had done. After the service we had a Thanksgiving meal together. As I looked around the room and talked with people I saw a new fire in the eyes of God's people. They are alive with expectation about what God is going to do next, and so am I.

We Saw the Hand of God

2010-11-22T01:44:00.001-05:00

At Thursday night prayer I felt an unusual sense that something had lifted from me. The intensity was gone and I wondered what that could mean. It wasn't until the next morning that I understood what God was doing. I had carried a burden of prayer and communicating the vision of the City Wide Healing Service to the church and the city, then that burden was lifted. The Holy Spirit was saying thanks I'll take it from here - you step aside. I still had a job to do, but I no longer felt a burden - now I was just supposed to enjoy the ride.

Friday night by 7 PM the sanctuary was completely filled. More than half of the people were not from CCC. They were hurting people that had heard that God cared about every aspect of their lives. It was such a special thing because this meeting was not about any one anointed person - it was about the Body of Christ ministering to hurting people. As I watched people go through each station receiving prayer I could not help but think that this was beautiful. It was the sound of love and healing.

Several people have reported being healed by God - others praised God they were set free from depression, but also a curious thing happened. People were saying that they felt an incredible sense of love. This is what we had been praying for - that God would reveal His love through His church. We look forward to reporting the supernatural work God has done in the next few weeks as it becomes fully known to us.

A few weeks ago I delivered a message to the church about the 3rd chapter of Joshua where God had Joshua get the people ready to cross the Jordan. The priest were to carry the ark and step into the River Jordan, As they did the waters parted and they all walked through on dry ground. That walking through the Jordan was more than just impressive, it was a statement God was making to Israel. He was saying your parents were at this spot before and they did not trust me. They saw giants and were afraid thus making them unable to enter the land that had been promised. But this new generation watching the waters part embraced God's message - I am enough, you're parents didn't believe how about you?

God is showing Christ Community Church that He is enough - and we are embracing that message.

Tonight We See The Hand of God

2010-11-19T12:08:00.001-05:00

For the last ten days we have been fasting and praying. Our desire is to see God display His glory tonight as He heals broken bodies and sets bound people free. We have prayed, sent out hundreds of post cards, church folks have invited friends and neighbors, posters have been posted all over town, and a quarter page ad appeared in the Brazil Times this last Monday declaring to our community and beyond that we believe God is a loving, healing, and delivering God, just as the scriptures promise.

So what has happened to Christ Community Church that such a bold and some think dangerous statement would be made to our community? The simply answer is that God has opened our eyes to what has been there all along in His word. People are simply embracing by faith what God has promised long ago, to not only save souls, but also heal broken bodies - and both as a foretaste of what the sacrifice of Christ has purchased for us. The fullness of salvation will be realized when we stand before Jesus, and the redemption of our bodies we only be fully realized when we are resurrected, but until that time Jesus promised us to be active in us - body, soul, and spirit as we seek to walk with Him.

The big question is: Does God still heal bodies today? If we are uncertain of the answer to this question it will be impossible to believe for healing. Let me just list some of the reasons I believe God does still heal today.

1. God does not change

- He revealed Himself as healer in Old Testament, and New Testament Exodus 23:25, Pslam 103:1-5, Matthew 9:35, Mark 6:12

- The Word tells us that God in unchangeable. Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8, James 1:17

- Since God reveals Himself at all times a healer and the word says He does not change, then it is illogical, and Biblically incorrect to say that God has decided to no longer heal sick bodies

2. Healing is included in the atonement of Christ

- This is a big question and I realize some will take exception with this statement, as I once did until God pointed me towards His word that settled the question.

- Isaiah 53 is the atonement chapter where it give us great prophetic detail about the suffering and redemptive work of Jesus.

- Verse number 4 of chapter 53 reads like this:

Isa 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. KJV

NIV render this verse a little different.

Isa 53:4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. NIV

Notice the difference in translation between KJ and NIV. Why did the translators of the NIV change griefs to infirmities? Maybe because every other place in the Old Testament translates this Hebrew word sickness or infirmity rather than grief?

But for even further clarity on this question we can look to the Apostle Matthew who quotes Isaiah 53:4 in the 8 chapter of his gospel. Matthew was a Jew who understood Hebrew well - so his translation of this verse should help greatly as to the meaning.

Mt 8:16 When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: "He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases." NIV

I use the NIV here but the King James also confirms Matthews translation when it uses the words, "infirmities and diseases". Wow, Matthew saw Jesus healing sick bodies and casting out demons as a fulfillment of the atoning work of Jesus. Same words used for what Jesus did with our sin - "He bore" - "He carried". These are substitutionary words used both to describe what He did to sin and to sickness. For more reasons to believe that God is still a healer listen to the message, Faith That Rips The Roof Off.

We look forward to what God is going to do tonight as we come together to trust Him to fulfill His promises.

Elijah and the Unconsumed Altar

2010-11-14T23:55:00.000-05:00

I was thinking about the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal the other day in an early morning prayer meeting. The story caused me to pray that God would reveal Himself in power to our little city of Brazil Indiana. As I thought about this story the Lord began to minister to me. Sometimes He uses the truth of a well known Bible story to teach us something personal. On this particular day He wanted me to think about Elijah's altar. Elijah had built an altar of twelve stones. On those stones he place three things. First wood, then the flesh of the animal sacrifice, then finally the entire was drenched with water.

The Lord wanted me consider the altar as representing the altar in our lives. Our altars should also contain wood and flesh. The wood is the worthless things in our lives. The NT refers to it as wood, hay, and stubble. These are the things that will be consumed in judgment as we stand before Jesus at the end of time - but how much better to have them consumed now. The flesh on our altar is our own fallen nature. That part of us that is dead and stinking. God wants to consume these things as we humble ourselves before Him.

As God revealed this to me I wondered what Elijah's water might represent on my altar - so I asked Him. He said that the water is something that would make the wood and the flesh even harder to consume. The water is my religious self righteousness.

The good news is that God is able to consume it all if we humble ourselves before Him. In the story of Elijah's altar it wasn't until the fire fell and consumed the entire altar that the people said the Lord He is God. The world is listening to all our claims - but they are watching our unconsumed altar. It is hard for them to take us serious when our own lives are heaped with the worthless, the flesh, and the offensive self righteousness that is often displayed and we claim great things. I believe the world is saying to us - "Let the fire fall on your unconsumed altar, and then we'll say, the Lord He is God."

Spirit to Spirit Prayer

2010-11-14T22:31:00.000-05:00

Prayer is often defined as just talking to God as you would another person. This view has the sound of wisdom, but it misses the point of real prayer. I do not believe that God wants His children to simply say words towards a God that is out there somewhere.

The kind of prayer that the Bible teaches is what can be called spirit to Spirit Prayer. The reasoning behind this thought is that God is Spirit and is looking for those who will worship Him in Spirit and truth. We are told to walk in the Spirit and pray in the Spirit. This is only possible as we reach out to God, not with words only, but with our spirit.

This is where real connection with God is made. Jesus death on the cross has made it possible for sinful man to come into direct contact with a holy God - spirit to Spirit.

1Co 2:9 However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" -- 10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.