The book of Revelation opens with John announcing that the things God has shown him will “shortly take place” (1:1 NASB).  Reading this, some people get confused right from the start.  “If John was writing in A.D. 95, and the events he described were meant to happen soon, what relevance does this book have to us?”

But John was not saying that these things would necessarily happen in his lifetime or any time soon.  The word translated shortly actually mean “quickly” in the original Greek.  It can also mean, “when started, it will happen suddenly, within a brief space of time.”  John was saying, “Once these things begin to happen, they will happen quickly.”  In other words, when the prophecies begin to be fulfilled, they will proceed on an irrevocable, inexorable, unstoppable course, and we will feel as though we are riding a roller coaster that has gone out of control.

I believe we are about to enter that time, and it is going to be terrifying.  What is even more frightening to me is that many Christians will be caught off guard, having been lulled into complacency, assuming that everything is going to get better.  Yet the apostle Paul warned:

“But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.  For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.  For when they say “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them as labor pains upon a pregnant woman.  And they shall not escape.  (1 Thess. 5:1-3 NKJV).

One of the most intriguing visions John records is the account of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Rev. 6:1-8).  These horsemen are not Kentucky Derby winners.  In fact, there is nothing sporting about these animals and their riders.  They represent terrifying events.  We’ll discuss these four horsemen in later blogs, but for now, please understand that they have begun to ride already and it’s time NOW to prepare!  Get your heart right with God – and then listen to His warnings via His Word.

God Love You, He Really Does!

Jim

Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord God, when I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but [a famine] for hearing the words of the Lord. And [the people] shall wander from sea to sea and from the north even to the east; they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord [inquiring for and requiring it as one requires food], but shall not find it.—Amos 8:11-12, AMP

“These are the words of the Prophet Amos that can be directly related to the American Church today”, said Bob Jones, a well-known modern-day prophet. “The Church has been dominated by a spirit of stupor because of their continual disobedience to God.”

We are living in the Revelation years.  We, as Christians, need to be able to weed through what we are hearing in the secular world and be able to understand things with our spiritual ears.  We are not going to get the truth from secular sources.  We are going to get the truth from the Word of God. 

Bob Jones goes on to say “This famine in the land is a blanket of deafness preventing the Body of Christ from hearing the Word. In this fast-paced world the Word is made available by many forms of communication by internet, T.V., books, CDs and DVDs to name a few. There is no lack. The problem is in the hearing of the word as if the word is falling on deaf ears and bringing confusion into the understanding of the spoken Word. It’s just like the serpent did in the Garden when he spoke to Eve twisting the original Word of God.”

Romans 11:8 AMP “As it is written, God gave them a spirit (an attitude) of stupor, eyes that should not see and ears that should not hear, [that has continued] down to this very day.”

So many times, I’ve turned on the television to get the news and what I heard was more “babble” coming from the newscasters, especially in regards to political things.  We don’t get the REAL news today.  Except for crime reports and natural disasters, most all of what we hear is designed to condition us one way or another in political matters.  We can’t rely on the majority of the news stations to tell us the truth – the truth being unbiased and fair reporting of facts.

I have received so many thoughts from our partners that go along this line:  “We don’t get the REAL news – and we appreciate you telling us the truth!”

It’s time to align yourselves with people who understand the times!

People are praying for money, pleasure, prosperity and listening to anything that tickles their ears.  It’s time we stop following teachers who tickle people’s ears.  It’s time to listen to Bible teachers who will tell you the truth.  It’s time to understand what you hear and to prepare for the soon-coming of Jesus!

Early 90’s….

A lady in our church owned the shoeshine company at the Phoenix airport.  She often hired church members, especially women.  It was a smart business idea because it was unusual; I haven’t seen that anywhere else.  I worked as a team with another lady. Continue reading →

All of us need others who can look objectively at what we are saying or doing in the body of Christ, people who love us enough to tell us the truth, even if the truth hurts for a season.  At the same time, we need people who can encourage us to do what God has called us to do, without kowtowing, flattering, or telling us simply what we want to hear.  Honest encouragement must become a keystone in the last-days church of Jesus Christ. 

A few years ago, I was one of the speakers at a large prophecy conference.  When I got up to speak, I couldn’t get the message together!  Instead of bringing a message that hit the mark, I meandered back and forth, totally missing the target.

After the session that day, the ministers gathered together to evaluate what had been spoken.  It was a precious time of prayer and encouragement.  But that’s not all.

The other ministers firmly rebuked me for not sharing the message God had given me.  “You blew it, Jim,” one man said kindly but emphatically.  “You missed the message.  God gave you the message, but you didn’t present it.  You never got the point across.”  The other ministers agreed that I had not been effective that day.  They didn’t make me feel like a heel, but they were not about to sit by idly, pretending that I had been a blessing when I had not been.

Did I enjoy that corrective rebuke?  Absolutely not.  Did I need it, learn from it, and grow from it?  Count on it.

God wants us to be stirring each other up in a local community of believers with whom we interact daily, week by week.  He wants us to encourage and to be encouraged by spiritual brothers and sisters with whom we live out our Christian experience.

Notice again in Hebrews 10:25 how seriously God takes this matter.  Scripture says that we are to stir one another up to good works, “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

In other words, as we see the Day of the Lord approaching, the signs of Christ’s coming all around us, we desperately need each other if we are to mature as believers.

In the days ahead, many will need the church for food; some will need the body for shelter, transportation, child care, and basic human services.  All of us will need each other for spiritual encouragement to keep going, to keep trusting and believing.  In these “getting ready days,” we must take seriously the scriptural mandate that we encourage one another.  If ever we needed the church, we need it now!

Have you ever considered the full evidence of being a “born –again” Christian? So many believe that we can say a little prayer and be baptized and that’s it! Do you know that part of the evidence of being truly born-again is that you love your brothers and sisters in Christ? If you say you are born-again and yet you hate this group or that, or you just can’t bring yourself to forgive sister so-and-so for what she did back in ’84 – it is definitely time to read your Bible! Here’s what it says:

1 John 3:14 If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead.
Before Paul was born-again, he had no mercy for Christians. He brought them bound to the authorities to be judged by the law. He stood and witnessed Steven being stoned and he had no mercy! Before Paul’s heart was changed, his attitude was “I’m going to report you”, “I’m going to punish you”, and “I’m going to take you before the courts!” No grace. No mercy.

After Paul’s conversion, his humbled heart shared with the other Christians that he did what he didn’t want to do, and didn’t do what he should. He also called himself the “least of all saints”. His heart was changed. He now loved what God loved – and first and foremost, that is the other brothers and sisters in Christ. He knew too, that love covers and doesn’t accuse!

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Knowing how much God loved the world – enough to give His ONLY begotten Son that they could have life everlasting – if we know God, we will love who He loves!

How committed are you to God, to His church, to the people sitting around you in your local congregation? If everyone treated the church the way you do, would the church be a caring, comforting, safe place, or would it be an indifferent, unconcerned, dangerous environment? If everyone was investing in the Christian community what you are investing, would it be a place where spiritual maturity is promoted, spiritual safety is procured, and spiritually motivated care is provided?

If everyone treated the church and functioned in the body with the same commitment level that you do, would it be prospering?

Some may say, “Well, I’ve given up on the church.” Have you?

God hasn’t.

And we shouldn’t either!

When I awoke this morning, I heard in my spirit “Now is the time!”

Matthew 24:44 “So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

The headlines are screaming the signs of the times in Biblical prophecy – are we listening? Now is the time, Church, to listen with spiritual ears and to see with spiritual eyes and to understand our times.

Every day in the news we hear about more and more things happening in this world that are straight out of the Bible! We can read about wars and rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes, etc. and it seems our senses are dulled into believing it doesn’t have any special significance. Wake up Church!

Are we so accustomed to hearing about these things that we have begun to be dull of hearing? Do we have spiritual eyes and ears?

Now is the time to prepare!

Read again the scriptures and then compare them to the headlines:

Matthew 24:7 “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.”
Matthew 24:29 “Immediately after the distress of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.”

Rev 6:5-6: “I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.”

Now here are the headlines of recent days:

Spectacular Perseid Meteor Shower Due Wednesday

Solar storms to erupt soon. What will be the impact on Earth?

Nasa Warns Of Super Solar Storm 2012

Hurricane Season Promises a Rough Ride, Weather Agency Says

Scientist Says Hundreds May Die as Smog Blankets Moscow

6.9-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Ecuador

Villagers Missing, Injured as Volcano Erupts in Indonesia

DOW drowns in sea of double-dip fears!

Analysis: Stumbling America, Debt-Strapped Europe, Booming China

U.S. jobless claims jump shows labor market ailing

Bank repossessions drive up US foreclosures

Matthew 24:32-34 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened…”.

If you really believe and understand the times, what are you doing to get ready? Be ready – have your heart ready – have your home ready! Don’t be dull – sharpen your spiritual senses!

I am called as a watchman, but sometimes I feel like John the Baptist crying out in the wilderness! I can only pray that somebody somewhere is listening and taking it to heart.

Matthew 24:37-42 “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.”

Troublemakers Need Not Apply

We need to learn to love the things God loves and hate the things He hates. It seems that much of the preaching in churches in the last few years focuses on the love of money! Jesus didn’t have one good thing to say about money. He did have a lot to say about loving one another. In fact, He commanded us to love one another, not money! (John 13:34) “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”

And then the Lord said in John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep my commandments!”

Trouble isn’t always bad. There were a few good troublemakers in the Bible. Paul and Silas made trouble for one slave owner when they cast the demons out of his best performing fortune teller. Elijah made a heap of trouble for Jezebel when he challenged the prophets of Baal.

I need a few good people who can cause some trouble for the devil, not cause trouble in the Church! I need a few good people who know how to put first things first. I need some people who know how to pray. I need some people who know how to sow peace among the brethren, not discord!

When you gossip and backbite and slander each other, you are tearing down what Jesus is building! Stop it! Stop working against each other and learn how to cover each other with love. The Bible says love covers a multitude of sins – not exposes them! 1 Peter 4:8 “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”

Your first mission is SUBmission.

Why don’t we hate what God hates? The more mature we are as Christians, the less likely we are to fight. When the apostle Paul lists “the acts of the sinful nature”, sins such as witchcraft, drunkenness and sexual immorality are overshadowed by sins found often in church: “hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy” (Galatians 5:19-21).

We need a little more fruit! On the other hand, the fruit of the Spirit is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). Fruit takes time to develop, but there are likely to be few conflicts in a church full of people who are loving, patient, kind and gentle.

Humble yourself! If you have offended or sinned against someone, go, confess and ask forgiveness quickly
(Matthew 5:23-26).

Seek reconciliation! If someone has offended you or sinned against you, go, talk to him or her and seek reconciliation (Matthew 18:15). Sometimes the other person is not even aware that he or she has offended.

Be willing to forgive! (Ephesians 4:32, Matthew 6:14-15)

Pray for unity, peace and love in the church! Jesus did. (John 17:20-23)

Be more concerned with looking for your own sin than with looking for the sins of others (Matthew 7:1-5). Examine yourself and your own motives.

Love your enemies (Matthew 5:43-45). Sometimes those in the church feel like enemies. Jesus told us to love our enemies.

Church, it’s time to put first things first. It’s time to love what Jesus loves and hate what He hates. It’s time to get ourselves aligned with the right priorities. Does anyone want to help me? I’m looking for a few good people who want to line up with the Word of God and agree to build the Kingdom of God, not tear it down! I’m looking for some people who will labor in the Word and prayer to destroy the things that are hindering God’s people!

So, please read this ad carefully. It’s not an easy job, but it has eternal rewards!

God loves you! He really does!