Wall Street had its worst day today since the 2008 financial crisis that put the United States into a financial calamity that we are still in today! We are in the days that the book of Revelation told us would come before the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no way the Antichrist can take control without a time of crisis so bad that millions of people will sign up with him just to get food to eat. READ MORE
The Impact of Tim Tebowâs Life
Most of you know who Tim Tebow is â the quarterback for the Denver Broncos who formerly played for the Florida Gators and was the first college sophomore ever to win the Heisman Trophy. Tim is a great football player, but he is an even greater Christian. When playing for the Florida Gators, he would etch scripture into the eye paint commonly worn by football players.
In the 2009 BCS Championship Game, he wore John 3:16 on his eye paint, and as a result, 92 million people searched “John 3:16” on Google during or shortly after the game. Now I donât know about you, but I canât think of a single way to reach that many people with the Gospel at one time. Tim is an evangelist, and a football player after that!
But the main story of Tim Tebowâs life does not begin or end with football. Today, Tim is involved with ministry, family and football, in that order.
You see, Tim is really a walking miracle. Timâs mother, Pam, was encouraged to abort Tim before he was born.
Here is Pamâs story as told in a circulated email:
Pam knows about the pain of considering abortion. More than 21 years ago, she and her husband, Bob, were serving as missionaries to the Philippines and praying for a fifth child. Pam contracted amoebic dysentery, an infection of the intestine caused by a parasite found in a contaminated food or drink. She entered into a coma and was treated with strong antibiotics before they discovered she was pregnant. Doctors urged her to abort the baby for her own safety and told her that the medicines had caused irreversible damage to her baby.
She refused the abortion and cited her Christian faith as the reason for her hope that her son would be born without the devastating disabilities physicians predicted. The doctors “didn’t think of it as a life, they thought of it as a mass of fetal tissue,” Pam said. While pregnant, Pam nearly lost their baby four times but refused to consider abortion. She recalled making a pledge to God with her husband, “If you will give us a son, we’ll name him ‘Timothy,’ and we’ll make him a preacher.â Pam ultimately spent the last two months of her pregnancy in bed and, eventually, gave birth to a healthy baby boy August 14, 1987.
Pam’s youngest son is indeed a preacher. He preaches in prisons, makes hospital visits, and serves with his father’s ministry in the Philippines. He also plays football. Pam’s son is Tim Tebow. The University of Florida ‘s star quarterback, became the first sophomore in history to win college football’s highest award, theâ¨Heisman Trophy.
When you really stop to think about what Tim Tebowâs life has accomplished in a very short time, itâs unthinkable that he would have been aborted if his parents had not relied on their faith. In one day, 92 million people heard the Gospel of Christ through Timâs evangelism. God only knows how many lives will be touched through his continued ministry.
Tim Tebowâs life stands in stark contrast to the evils of abortion. How many Timâs have we aborted in this country? How many young lives have been sacrificed from fear or lack of faith? To try and comprehend the impact of the loss of 55 million Tims is beyond my ability to bear.
But I know one thing. Abortion is not the answer â faith in God is the answer.
In the days we are living in, it is becoming increasingly important to have the right response to the challenges that are sure to present themselves. Fear and the other emotions can cause us to sin against God instead of responding as He would direct us. It’s more important than ever before to know the Word of God and be able to discern His will.
While we do all we can to help save babies at Loriâs House, keep us in your prayers and remember that through one life like Tim Tebow, God can accomplish mighty things. Each baby we save has the potential to reach millions for Christ!
The Dream of a Young Evangelist
We recently celebrated my 50 year Anniversary in Ministry and what a celebration it was! There were many people from years gone by that surprised and delighted me on the show! It seems nearly impossible that itâs been that long, yet I can remember some things as if they were yesterday. As a young Evangelist, I would hold revivals from Tuesday through Sunday night and then travel on Monday to the next location.
Quite often, after preaching and being in the anointing at church, I would turn on late-night TV to unwind. There was very little to watch at that hour except Johnny Carson. I remember listening to everything they would talk about; most of it gossip, politics or entertainment news of some variety. It didnât take long for me to be completely annoyed by all of the frivolous things that passed for late-night talk show content. I remember thinking âwhy doesnât someone talk about Jesus?â
It was this small, yet profound inspiration that led me to break new ground in a revolutionary Christian talk show – so that Christians could have an alternative to the worldâs âbabbleâ and more people could participate in talking about Jesus! I began on âThe 700 Clubâ and eventually moved into pioneering âThe PTL Television Network.â PTL inspired the birth of countless other Christian talk shows.
Before long, there was an abundance of Christian programming and those who knew Jesus could now rejoice because they had an alternative  to the worldâs ‘babble’. Now thatâs what I had been inspired to do  as a young Evangelist! To see and hear so many people talking about Jesus on television was the height of my lifeâs dream â not only for the Christians, but for those who were to become Christians by hearing the Gospel!
Today, the dream lives on. The times we are living in have brought many people to Christian television seeking answers for this prophetic age just before Jesus returns again. Even the unbelievers are looking for hope. While a large part of the world still fiddles away their time in the mindless, meaningless pursuit of trivial things, there is a beacon of light being broadcast through the darkness. The Gospel is still being preached, the lost are still finding their way to Jesus, and the dreams of a once-young Evangelist are still coming true.
On Being a Bondservant of Christ (Pt. 10)
Part Ten
Jesus Made Himself of No Reputation
Compared to God, mere men have no reputation at all. They are just men, and no matter how great the achievement or how lofty the accomplishment, they are still just men. Yet they strive to be considered âgreatâ and they often are driven to accomplish mighty feats of building or business or intellectual supremacy or, quite often, acts of charity. Why? Often, itâs to be known and admired by others.
Jesus addresses this pride in men with the following scriptures:
Matthew 6:1 âTake care not to do your good works before men, to be seen by them; or you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.â
Matthew 6:5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
Matthew 6:16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
Matthew 23:5 “Everything they do is done for men to seeâŚ
Acts 3:12 When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?
Consider how Jesusâ actions and behaviors contrast with the religious crowd:
- Jesus did many miracles yet he said âdonât tell anyoneâ
- He washed the feet of his disciples
- He ate and drank with tax collectorsÂ
- He received the woman with a checkered past and an alabaster
- Welcomed little children
- He was fully God â yet He humbled Himself to be shamed, beaten, and spit upon (Isaiah 53)
- Shameful and degrading thing to be crucified
- Worse than a common criminal
Jesus spoke of the hypocrites that prayed so that they would be seen. “For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their rewardâ (Matt 6:5).
You can substitute anything else besides pray, whether itâs their good works, giving, spiritual gifts or preaching. âThey love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagoguesâ (Matthew 23:6). They lived to be noticed and seen as more important than others. Speaking of the Pharisees in John 12:43 âfor they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.â
We always need to be careful of the traps of being sought after and put on a pedestal. Once pride sets in it becomes harder to return to walking in humility and letting God use you as He once may have.
A real servant is busy doing Godâs work whether he is noticed or unnoticed. He doesnât care if anyone watches him. His reward will be later.
This same mind (attitude) that Jesus had we are to have for one another- âBe of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinionâ (Rom 12:16). Jesus ate with the sinners, the less fortunate, and the needy. He enjoyed their company compared to the rich and important people. He purposely did not eat with the kings or leaders unless they had an open heart to listen.
Jesus made servanthood an absolute requirement for leadership. To be a servant one must let go of their own significance and be willing to serve others at their own expense. In Matthew 20:26-28: âwhoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slaveâjust as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.â This was the example He gave us in the apostles and others in the Church. It was the example we need to live by.
Being a bondservant of Christ is a station in life that is proven through our service to His Church. When we love as Christ loved, we will see the unredeemed through His compassionate eyes and we will love them as He did. Jesus said “if you love me, feed my sheep.”
Serving Christ is much more than the “form” – it’s love in action and a heart attitude of humility that makes us want to be like Him – a bondservant of Christ.
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 1
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 2
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 3
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 4
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 5
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 6
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 7
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 8
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 9
Famine in the Revelation Days
Famine is spoken of in the Bible as an increasing and accelerating sign that Jesus is coming soon. We can certainly see it in our news headlines, particularly recent headlines, with the food crisis in North African countries that produced a very poignant plea from the President of Somalia for immediate help. But, there is another famine that is even more deadly coming soon. It’s the famine of the Word of God, which feeds the soul.Â
The third horseman is riding. âWhen He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, âCome and see.â So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. Â And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, âA quart of wheat for a denarius . . . and do not harm the oil and the wine.â (6:5â6 NKJV) The rider of the black horse carries with him famine and economic collapse, signified by the weighing scales and the exorbitant prices for food.â
Imagine, if you can, how famine might affect our own nation. Your worst nightmare could soon be a reality. Intensifying the effects of famine brought on by the galloping of the black horse will also be economic chaos and inflationary prices, which is what is indicated by the phrase âa quart of wheat for a denariusâ (Rev. 6:6 NASB). In biblical times, a denarius was equal to a dayâs wages. The implication is that we could spend a dayâs wages for a loaf of bread.
But there is another kind of famine spoken of in the Bible that will be prevalent in the Last Days that is even more destructive. How can it be more destructive than the famine that kills the body, you may ask. Because the famine I am speaking of can kill not only the body which is temporal but can also kill the soul, which is eternal. The other famine I’m speaking of  is a famine of the Word of God.
In the Times we are living in, there is an acceleration of events in the world which are quickly taking away our right to our very expressions of our faith as Christians. These campaigns and events are quickly bringing about an atmosphere of antagonistic persecution of our very right to practice our Christianity. We are being told not to mention the name of Jesus in any speech or prayer or other public setting. Our lawmakers are quickly bowing to the powerful antichrist spirits that are busy influencing the masses to call evil good and good, evil.Â
“‘Behold, the days are coming,â says the Lord God , âThat I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.â (Amos 8:11)
God’s work of proclaiming His Words through His ministers, as well as through the mass media, may one day be prohibited, perhaps through persecution, governmental regulations or a combination of these and other factors.
Thereâs a reason why the scriptures exhort us to âhide the Word in your heartâ and to âeat the Wordâ. One day there will be a famine of those Words that we take for granted now, and we may have only what we have hidden deep down inside to sustain us through tough times.Â
Letâs be sure we have the Word of God deep down inside us, where we can carry it with us always and where it can feed our souls in times of famine.
On Being a Bondservant of Christ (Pt. 9)
Part Nine
Jesus Made Himself of No Reputation
Jesus didnât flaunt who he was, nor did he deny who he was⌠which is why they killed him. A mere man claiming to be GOD? Thatâs what they thought, and that was blasphemy punishable by death! But the fact of the matter was that they (the religious crowd) didnât recognize him for who he was, nor did they accept him because they were not of God, but rather of their father, the devil!
And it was the religious crowd that bristled and was disgusted when Jesus did things they were way too proud and far too hard-hearted to do. One such time was when Jesus was eating with one from this religious crowd and a woman came to the house where Jesus was and began to weep. As she wept, she washed his feet with her tears and then she poured expensive perfume on them. The religious man who invited him thought in his heart, if Jesus were truly who he said he was, he wouldnât even let this woman touch him because she was so sinful.
But Jesus knew his thoughts, and confronted him with them:Â Â âThen he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, âDo you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgivenâfor she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.â Luke 7:44-47
Let me tell you that today there are many religious people and even whole churches that would behave exactly like this man did.  Have you ever heard anyone in a church say something like âoh, theyâre not our caliber of people!â Believe me, I have. But even when the religious crowdâs pride is not so glaringly obvious, they will sometimes despise and reject a person whose reputation preceded them, even after they have repented!
As Jesus said to this religious man âhe who has been forgiven little loves little.â
Jesus is coming for a Church that loves much! He is coming for a Church that knows Him as their Savior! Jesus will not reject, refuse or deny the sinner who is contrite and humble. But as for that religious crowdâŚ. Theyâre going to wish they didnât have a reputation to try to protect!
Philippians 2:7,8 âBut made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.â
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 1
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 2
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 3
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 4
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 5
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 6
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 7
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 8
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 10
Treasures in Heaven
Most of us want our lives to count for something. When you are a Child of God, your life on this earth takes on a greater cause than just accomplishing something in the natural. A Child of God is not satisfied with accomplishments â a Child of God wants to store up treasures in Heaven where moths and rust cannot corrupt them.
 âDo not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. âBut store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21
We recently dedicated our Prayer Center here at Morningside to Evelyn Campbell, aka âGodâs Girlâ who passed from this life into the arms of Jesus in 2010. Evelyn was and is an inspiration to me and an example that all of us can follow. Evelynâs legacy was that she loved Jesus and believed in people â and lavishly poured out encouragement on everyone with whom she came in contact. She was a pastorâs wife and she was my friend.
Evelyn was one of the first people to buy a condo here at Morningside. I remember how excited she was to pick out the exact location of her new home so that she could watch all the goings on here on Grace Street from her balcony over the Cinema. She wanted to be a vibrant part of the community. When Evelyn died, she left her entire estate to this ministry â at a time when we desperately needed it! She believed in us and she put the sum of her lifeâs work into keeping us alive.
As we embark on the vision of Loriâs House here at Morningside, we have a âknowingâ that we are on the threshold of something very sacred and near to the heart of God. There is a sense of purpose and unity in the grace it takes to give and sustain innocent life. This grace is uniting more and more of us in the business of keeping people alive in these last days. Itâs bigger than buildings or ministries or television broadcasts. Itâs about souls â the only eternally significant treasure we can invest our lives in and know that we are doing the Lordâs work.
In the dark night of my soul, when I was in prison, the enemy came after the last shred of my will to live when he said âitâs all gone â everything youâve worked for â everything youâve built â your life has counted for nothing â youâre no good.â
Then I began to get pictures of people, some teen-agers, some children, some adults. With the pictures came the encouragement that these were lives that were saved through the various ministries at Heritage USA â most importantly, the home for unwed mothers where babies were born and cared for and their mothers supported and trained in a vocation that could support them. It was a vibrant community that loved and supported each other and protected and loved innocent children. The devil is a liar!
We can see from the signs of the times that Jesus will come soon. He is coming for a Church that has his heart and is lead and motivated by love. They will be about their Fatherâs business â and no business is more perfect than caring for the orphans (James 1:27).
Cindy Jacobs recently prophesied these words from the Lord: âWhere is my justice league? Where are my super heroes that will administer my justice? Morningside is meant to be a model. This is far greater than just Loriâs House. This is a prototype and a movement.â
Now do you see why we need more Evelyns in these last days? We need people who are willing to give all they are and all they have for the work of the Lord. These are the ones who go beyond their own search for significance and understand that the real treasure is in the life to come â eternal life with Jesus. These are the ones who resonate with the call of justice for the innocent. These are the ones who store up treasures that moth and rust cannot corrupt.
Will you be a part of this justice league? The call is going out â the gauntlet is being thrown down. Itâs time to redeem the time. Itâs time to be a part of something bigger than yourself. Itâs time to get behind something that has eternal significance. We need you and God needs you.
Greatness Comes From the Valley
When you think of the greatest inspirations in music, or in a sermon, or in a book, or in a testimony, you rarely think of those inspirations coming from the mountaintop of life, though the mountaintop provides some encouragement. But greatness comes from the valley of a life lived in triumph through the face of trouble and adversity. Greatness comes from the dark night of the soul experiences in the valleys of life. The only thing that can speak to the sorrows of others is the fellowship of their suffering.
BeBe Winans was with me this week on the occasion of celebrating my 50th year in ministry. BeBe is a friend who loves at all times, and a brother born for adversity. (Proverbs 17:17) He is a man that is priceless in his loyalty and his integrity. Though he has spent a great deal of his life on the mountaintop, BeBe knows what it means to struggle in the valley. Through BeBe’s songs, you find his testimony.
On the show BeBe told of a time when he was with the renowned poet, Maya Angelou and she offered this advice: âBeBe, promise me that you will learn to enjoy the struggle.â
Simplistic? Yes, but be very sure that there is more wisdom in those few words than many long, flowing dissertations and even countless books written by those who have not been in the valley and know not its struggles and its triumphs. Itâs in the valley that the Word of God becomes your rhema. Itâs in the valley that you are given the understanding that in your weakness, He is strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
During the show, BeBe sang a song by Donnie McClurkin, âStandâ which he and CeCe have performed many times. A key line in the chorus of this song says “after you’ve done all you can… Stand!” You canât sing this song with the fervor and believability BeBe sings it with â without having been to the valley. If you didnât catch this show on our âlive-streamingâ internet, be sure you watch next week when it airs on regular television programming.
BeBe told me âYou have been an example and a blessing to me and my entire family.â It doesnât get any better than that, except to hear: âWell done, Good and Faithful Servant.â
The Comeback Center
My friend and colleague, Dan Betzer, lovingly calls me the âComeback Kid.â He does this because virtually everyone in the Christian community, save a precious few, had counted me out when I went to prison back in 1989. But God didnât count me out â He counted me in! And Dan was one of the few friends who didnât count me out either â he stood closer than a brother.
So, the comeback that I have had in ministry for the Lord is so that others can be encouraged when they have had a setback. I tell people every day âif I can make it, anybody can make it.â And, as another close friend, Bishop Ronnie Webb says, âif youâve had a setback, get ready for a comeback!â Jesus will use the weak and the downtrodden! (Hebrews 12:1) Bishop Webb also likes to say âdonât quit right before your breakthrough. Right before your breakthrough, thereâs a breakdown.â No truer words were ever said!
We need encouragers in the Body of Christ. The power of life and death are in the tongue. (Proverbs 18:21) People have the power to speak life to you, or death⌠but God is all about life. The prophetic word of encouragement is always about life; life to your vision, life to your spiritual gifts, and life to your ministry and mission.
We are just getting started here at Morningside as a âComeback Centerâ for people who have been beaten and bruised. You donât get disqualified in Godâs race! You can come back! Thatâs why Jesus died for us!
I remember calling out to God in prison and saying ânever in my life have I ever had a desire to hurt anybody! How could I be here (in prison) for building something to bless people?â The answer was quick: Jesus said, âthey killed me!â
Until we are willing to know Jesus, not just in His resurrection, but in the fellowship of His suffering, we can never minister the resurrection! (Philippians 3:10)
Lori tells of a time when she felt forgotten by God. God sent a prophet to prophesy to her that âGod has not forgotten you!â Do you think He cares about us? Do you think He knows what weâre feeling? Many of you know my signoff phrase âGod loves you, He really does!â But not many know that this phrase came from a time of ministry to a woman who was told she had sinned so bad that she couldnât be saved. The prophetic word that God loved her broke the back of that lie and she was delivered!
YOU have not sinned so badly that God canât forgive you! I didnât â Lori didnât â this precious lady didnât â and YOU didnât either!
God is close to the brokenhearted. You can come back! Come back today â He is calling you and He will not turn you away. He is waiting with open arms for you to come back to Him â and you will not be disqualified by anything in your past.
And when you come back, remember that thereâs a âComeback Centerâ in Blue Eye, Missouri called Morningside that will welcome you home!
Love,
Jim
On Being a Bondservant of Christ (Pt. 7)
Part Seven
“What Reputation?”
1998
âIâve had a dream of marrying a preacher or minister â someone to share my vision, someone whoâs not threatened that I have a ministry of my own but who wants me to partner with him in Godâs work. Over the years that dream has seemed pretty remote at times. Just a few months ago, I finally let God put that dream back in my heart, even though I knew it would take a miracle. Iâm a woman with a very checkered past, and that past is part and parcel of my ministry. But marrying someone like me could ruin a ministerâs reputationâŚâ I stopped, suddenly unsure and embarrassed that I had revealed so much of what lay deep inside my heart.
âNow, isnât it interesting,â Jim said, âthat I donât have a reputation left to ruin. Not a shred of respectability.â
We both burst out laughing.
Excerpt from “More Than I Could Ever Ask” by Lori Bakker
When I first surrendered my life to the Lord, I was petrified that âchurch peopleâ would find out the full extent of my sins, especially the abortions, and then they would want nothing to do with me. But, in order to bring about my full healing and restoration, it wasnât long before the Holy Spirit arranged a full disclosure of what I had done â first, to my own soul â and then quickly to others from whom I was destined to receive ministry. God had already forgiven me, but He wanted to begin a healing process â one which I would eventually minister to others.
At that point in my life, I was unaware of the full extent of the ministry into which the Lord was calling and directing me. In fact, the Masterâs Commission program I had become a part of was fully focused on discipleship â and I had a lot of learning to do to become the vessel that God could use.
It was 10 years in this program that taught me how to be a servant first â that prepared me to stand up under the weight of my calling. You see, what my leaders and mentors knew was that the enemyâs plan was to make me a âshooting starâ by launching a spiritually immature woman into a high-profile ministry too soon â too much, too soon â and consequently, shipwrecking the plan of God.
No, that wasnât going to happen to me and they made sure of it.
My first task in Masterâs Commission was learning what it meant to serve â a concept foreign to much of todayâs âself esteemâ driven teaching. I didnât get to jump on into the pulpit to preach â I got to jump into a bus and drive to the inner-city of Phoenix!
(continued)
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 1
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 2
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 3
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 4
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 5
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 6
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 8
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 9
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 10
