Saturday night at the prayer meeting for the nation, state, towns, I had a vision. Someone mentioned that the US had been a place of refuge for peoples from all over the world. At this I saw a light-up map of the US. Then I heard the voice of God saying, "No longer will America be a place of refuge, it is now under my judgment. People will flee and leave it, no longer will peoples come to it. But there will remain a few cities of refuge in it." I saw the light of the map go out, but a few lights on the map remained.
Not such good times ahead. None of the lights were in the northeast.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Friday, November 4, 2011
Why go to Israel?
Israel is a place every Christian should visit once in their lifetime. Why?-I broke the reasons into past, present and future-
Past-
-to walk in the steps of Jesus is incredible. It will bring the stories of the Bible alive.
-you can go to Capernaum (where Jesus lived), the Sea of Galilee (try walking on water there if you want!), Mt Carmel (where Elijah battled the false prophets), Jerusalem, the city of David- these are real places that still exist.
-there is an unusual sense of God's presence in Israel. I am not into holy places, but you can feel God's presence at the Western Wall so heavily.
Present-
-this will be one of the great spiritual experiences of your life. Believe me, it will be.
-Israel is the center of 3 continents, and a fascinating mix of cultures.
-it is small, the size and population of NJ, and thus easy to get around.
-it will give you a great understanding of the Jewish people and culture.
-God says His eye is always on it. To Him, it is the center of the world.
-you will understand the perpetual political struggles over this land when you visit it, and see how small and pivotal it is.
-it is safe, we will not go to any dangerous places, like Gaza.
Future-
-Israel is where world history ends. You can visit Armageddon, the site of the last battle, and the Mount of Olives, where Jesus will return to earth. This will so enrich your understanding of prophecy.
-you will walk where the Jewish temple was, and will be rebuilt in the future. People there are planning this now.
If there is any way you can get in on this trip, do it. It will be the spiritual experience of a lifetime. We have our interest meeting on November 20 after church.
Past-
-to walk in the steps of Jesus is incredible. It will bring the stories of the Bible alive.
-you can go to Capernaum (where Jesus lived), the Sea of Galilee (try walking on water there if you want!), Mt Carmel (where Elijah battled the false prophets), Jerusalem, the city of David- these are real places that still exist.
-there is an unusual sense of God's presence in Israel. I am not into holy places, but you can feel God's presence at the Western Wall so heavily.
Present-
-this will be one of the great spiritual experiences of your life. Believe me, it will be.
-Israel is the center of 3 continents, and a fascinating mix of cultures.
-it is small, the size and population of NJ, and thus easy to get around.
-it will give you a great understanding of the Jewish people and culture.
-God says His eye is always on it. To Him, it is the center of the world.
-you will understand the perpetual political struggles over this land when you visit it, and see how small and pivotal it is.
-it is safe, we will not go to any dangerous places, like Gaza.
Future-
-Israel is where world history ends. You can visit Armageddon, the site of the last battle, and the Mount of Olives, where Jesus will return to earth. This will so enrich your understanding of prophecy.
-you will walk where the Jewish temple was, and will be rebuilt in the future. People there are planning this now.
If there is any way you can get in on this trip, do it. It will be the spiritual experience of a lifetime. We have our interest meeting on November 20 after church.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Interesting facts about the Reformation
In the course of studying about the Reformation for Sunday's message, I learned many interesting facts. Here are a few.
1. The Reformation was promoted by a new technology, the printing press. Luther's supporters published countless flyers and pamphlets with his writings.
2. Luther's salary was paid in part by income derived from tourists who came to see his employer's extensive collection of relics. Frederick " the Wise" had over 16,000 relics, most of which were fake and incredibly superstitious.
3. Frederick was raised up by God to protect him, without him Luther would have been destroyed by the church and pope early on. Frederick the Wise was just far enough from Rome, strong enough, and smart enough to keep Luther alive.
4. Luther may have been motivated to post his theses by Halloween. The church replaced pagan Halloween with All Saints' Day, which was a huge time for people to come and venerate the saints and the collection of relics. Anticipation of this huge crowd may be why Luther posted when he did.
5. Columbus discovered America only 9 years after Luther's birth. Maybe God prepared America at this time for refugees of the religious persecution coming from the backlash against the Reformation.
6. Jan Hus, often called the Morningstar of the Reformation, gave basically the same message as Luther 100 years earlier in Prague. He was burnt at the stake by the church for heresy, but prepared the way for the Reformation. He is considered the national hero of the Czech Republic. His huge statue in the center of Prague (I was there about 4 years ago) brought tears to my eyes.
7. The Reformation only succeeded in countries which were never controlled by the Roman empire. Ex-Roman countries stayed with Catholicism, which was also tied in with a political commitment to Rome.
8. A century after the Reformation and continuing to today, the new Protestant Reformation countries became more prosperous and prominent than the Catholic countries, due to the teachings of the Reformation.
1. The Reformation was promoted by a new technology, the printing press. Luther's supporters published countless flyers and pamphlets with his writings.
2. Luther's salary was paid in part by income derived from tourists who came to see his employer's extensive collection of relics. Frederick " the Wise" had over 16,000 relics, most of which were fake and incredibly superstitious.
3. Frederick was raised up by God to protect him, without him Luther would have been destroyed by the church and pope early on. Frederick the Wise was just far enough from Rome, strong enough, and smart enough to keep Luther alive.
4. Luther may have been motivated to post his theses by Halloween. The church replaced pagan Halloween with All Saints' Day, which was a huge time for people to come and venerate the saints and the collection of relics. Anticipation of this huge crowd may be why Luther posted when he did.
5. Columbus discovered America only 9 years after Luther's birth. Maybe God prepared America at this time for refugees of the religious persecution coming from the backlash against the Reformation.
6. Jan Hus, often called the Morningstar of the Reformation, gave basically the same message as Luther 100 years earlier in Prague. He was burnt at the stake by the church for heresy, but prepared the way for the Reformation. He is considered the national hero of the Czech Republic. His huge statue in the center of Prague (I was there about 4 years ago) brought tears to my eyes.
7. The Reformation only succeeded in countries which were never controlled by the Roman empire. Ex-Roman countries stayed with Catholicism, which was also tied in with a political commitment to Rome.
8. A century after the Reformation and continuing to today, the new Protestant Reformation countries became more prosperous and prominent than the Catholic countries, due to the teachings of the Reformation.
Dream
Friday night I had an odd dream. I saw a very short ugly lady standing in front of me, who was a demon and blocking my way. I tried to rebuke her so I could move on, but could not. After several tries I was able to say the name Jesus, and she moved aside and I was able to move ahead.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Moneyball
This is a really good movie, regardless of whether or not you like baseball (if you like baseball, it is a fantastic movie). It is a true story, my favorite type of movie.
Word to me
The last few weeks God has been speaking to me, as He said to Joshua, "I have given you this city."
I believe this means an unusual turning to God in Marlboro, as well as much of the surrounding area.
Exciting times are ahead!
I believe this means an unusual turning to God in Marlboro, as well as much of the surrounding area.
Exciting times are ahead!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Visit to Joe McCain's church in North Carolina
A few weeks ago I was honored to be the guest speaker at Pastor
Joe McCain's church in Raleigh, NC, for their new building dedication. The rented space is in a strip mall off a main road. The area is booming with lots of building (a shock, there is very little construction in NJ right now). I spoke on "The Power of Dreams" from the life of Joseph (the origin of Joe's name). Several people in the church used to be in MWC (see the Fredericks on the left). Afterward we had a celebratory dinner at a local Chinese buffet, and then watched some football at Joey's apartment. It was a good time of being together, and hopefully giving the church a fresh vision for the future. Pray for God's blessing and growth on the church.
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