We Must Reclaim the Church Before We Can Even Begin to Reclaim the Culture (Brannon Howse)

We Must Reclaim the Church
Before We Can Even Begin to Reclaim the Culture

By Brannon Howse  

My friend and Worldview Weekend speaker Ken Ham has written an excellent book with Britt Beemer and Todd Hillard entitled, Already Gone: Why your kids will quit church and what you can do to stop it. Ham worked with a professional pollster to survey those who went to church every week or nearly every week and they deliberately polled conservative congregations, not liberal ones.  Let me share some highlights from their book that confirm that the church needs to be reclaimed before we even attempt to reclaim the culture.

  • A mass exodus is underway. Most youth of today will not be coming to church tomorrow. Nationwide polls and denominational reports are showing that the next generation is calling it quits on the traditional church. And it’s not just happening on the nominal fringe; it’s happening at the core of the faith.
  • Only 11 percent of those who have left the Church did so during the college years. Almost 90 percent of them were lost in middle school and high school. By the time they got to college they were already gone! About 40 percent are leaving the Church during elementary and middle school years!
  • If you look around in your church today, two-thirds of those who are sitting among us have already left in their hearts; it will only take a couple years before their bodies are absent as well.
  • The numbers indicate that Sunday school actually didn’t do anything to help them develop a Christian worldview…The brutal conclusion is that, on the whole, the Sunday school programs of today are statistical failures.
  • Part of the concern is that the mere existence of youth ministry and Sunday school allows parents to shrug off their responsibility as the primary teachers, mentors, and pastors to their family.[1]

The answer to this crisis is Biblical worldview and apologetics training. The church in America has had billions of dollars at their disposal in modern times, with which to fulfill the Great Commission-making disciples of Jesus Christ. Training and equipping adults and students in apologetics and a Biblical worldview is how this is accomplished. Yet, with all their billions of dollars, the modern-church has largely failed. Untold billions have been spent on buildings and entertainment. This news report details that one church denomination has over 7 billion in their annuity fund. I mention this just to back up my claim that the modern church has had billions and billions at its disposal by which to aggressively teach a comprehensive Biblical worldview yet surveys reveal that only 1% of adults have a Biblical worldview, only 51% of our pastors have a Biblical worldview and our teens are leaving the church in huge numbers because of lack of Biblical worldview training.   

Yes, there are some churches in America that are being led by Godly pastors that are doing a great job and for them I am thankful. But this little group is just that. We have a few churches sponsor our conference each year but for the majority of our conferences we are simply renting their building. We have even had several churches tell us they would be very happy for us to rent their building for $7,000 to $10,000.

In fact, over the past few years we have found ourselves increasingly renting hotel ballrooms. We have numerous churches each year tell us that they do not let outside groups use their building. Thus, we have rented hotel ballrooms while “evangelical” churches sit empty down the street. Even after we explain to these churches that we are attempting to hold a free Biblical worldview conference in their town and we are willing to defer custodial fees and any other expenses we are still told no.

Many of the churches we talk to do not even understand what it is we are trying to accomplish. They are not familiar with the meaning of worldview or apologetics training.

Some of the churches understand perfectly what we are attempting to accomplish but they tell us we would not be welcome to rent their facility because their once evangelical church now embraces postmodernism, mysticism, rejects the exclusivity of Jesus Christ, the inerrancy of Scripture and most of the essential Christian doctrines.

Even among our truly evangelical, Bible-believing churches, how many churches teach the Biblical worldview for law, science, economics, history, family, social issues, and education? At church do adults or students learn about the lie of global warming, radical environmentalism, socialism, evolution, postmodernism, situational ethics, political correctness, population control, the myth of the separation of church and state, the Biblical worldview for marriage, the Biblical role of men and women and the lie of feminism? Every one of these issues can and must be addressed from the Bible and when we do so, we are not being political, we are making disciples that think and live like Christians.

Because the church is not answering the real-world questions of our students and the public school system is, Christian youth increasingly believe that at church we deal with “spiritual” issue but at school we talk about “real life” issues. The truth is, all issues are spiritual; every issue can be examined in light of Biblical principles but not if the church is only teaching Bible stories instead of Biblical principles contained in those Bible stories.

I founded Worldview Weekend in 1993 and all our conferences had an admission fee until three years ago. Because the church in America has largely neglected worldview and apologetic training and because the only hope for America is Biblical Christians that will oppose the evil that is washing over our nation, Worldview Weekend has been holding free Worldview Weekend Rallies for the past three years.

The window of freedom is closing on America and soon I, and our other speakers, could be prosecuted for the Biblical truth we are teaching. Hate-crime laws would do just this.

Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. As our religious liberties are lost so will our liberty.  Just this week, national news outlets reported that government officials would like to fine broadcasters up to $250 million dollars for programming that does not meet the government’s approval. A principle and athletic director in Florida are going on trial for praying with adults over a booster club luncheon. If these men are found guilty they could be incarcerated. This is happening in America.

Worldview Weekend is training, equipping, and encouraging individuals of all ages that will be just like these men.  Our nation needs Christians that will stand up and speak out with the truth of a Biblical worldview even in the face of persecution and prosecution.

By the end of 2009, we will have held almost 50, free Worldview Weekend Rallies just in 2009 alone. These free rallies are on a Friday night, Saturday night, or Sunday night, and they are attended by elementary students, middle-school students, high-school students, college students, adults, and senior adults. You can see our entire fall schedule at www.worldviewweekendrally.com

At the end of 2009, we will have trained around 50,000 adults and students in person. This does not include our online training institute, DVDs, our free magazines, our free websites and our free radio program. Please click here to read the testimonials of students and adults that have been impacted by our free Worldview Weekend Rally.

As we will be explaining in detail at our Worldview Weekend Rallies this fall, the worldview war in America is connected to four major forces; occultism/pagan spirituality, the apostate church, corrupt government/corporate officials and the educational establishment. All four of these groups are aggressively working at the national and international level to accomplish their ultimate goal of global governance as predicted by many New Age writers like Alice Bailey. The Bible predicts this will occur and at this year’s rallies we will look at how God would have us to respond to what is happening at break-neck speed.

Our focus must be on preserving our families and preparing them for what is to come. Our focus must be on evangelism and Biblical discipleship and preparing those that can lead the remnant. Our current schedule has us going to 22 cities in ten weeks to host the free, Worldview Weekend Rally. Each rally is free but you must register online and print out a ticket so we do not over-fill the building. This would have happen in a few cities but because we had a count, we were able to move the conference to a larger auditorium.

Here is just a sample of some of the topics we will cover at our rallies this fall:

How This Happened to America, Where We Are Going and The Biblical Response; Biblical Prophecies Being Fulfilled That Reveal the Supernatural Nature of God’s Word; How This Can Be The Greatest Hour For the American Church; How to Prepare Committed Christians For What is Coming; The Worldviews and People Destroying America From the Grave and How Every Teen and Adult Must Respond To Be Protected; Refuting Evolution; What Happened to the Dinosaurs; The Impact of Evolution on America; Political Correctness is Cultural Marxism;  What the Bible Has to Say About The Coming One-World Religion, One-World Economy and Global Governance. How to Contend for the Faith in the 21st Century; Why Oprah’s Pagan Spirituality is Doubling in America Every Eighteen Months and a Christian Response; Why Worldview Training Matters and Students Want it and much more.

 
For us to keep our fall schedule as is, I need your help.

1.)  If you see we are coming to a city near you will you please got to this website and order a quantity of our free magazines to distribute in your area? We really need your help in getting out the word that we are coming to town. Please get them to your local churches, Christian schools, home-school groups, Bible studies and others that will help distribute them. –Thank you. If we see people are not registering for a rally then we will know that that city is not interested in having the free Worldview Weekend Rally as a resource in their community and we will be forced to cancel the event. This has only happen three times in our 16 year history but it will happen again if a community does not want the rally.

2.)  We need you to pray that the Lord bless us with a great attendance of youth and adults. Please pray for our travel in safety, our health and that we will see lives impacted and changed to His honor and glory. Please let us know you are praying for us with an e-mail info@worldviewweekend.com or by offering feedback to this article at the bottom of the page. We would like to know we have thousands of you praying for this fall’s conferences.

3.)  We need your financial support. Will you help us equip thousands of adults and students with the ability to contend for the faith as we are commanded to do in the book of Jude? We must raise the funds to cover the several thousand dollars that each of these events will cost. Please partner with us in this vital and life-changing work. You can make a tax-deductible contribution by clicking here. If you prefer to send a check please send to:

Worldview Weekend Foundation
1016 W. Poplar Ave #106-228
Collierville, TN 38017

Thank you in advance for your help and prayers.

Sincerely,
Brannon Howse 

 

[1] Ken Ham & Britt Beemer with Todd Hillard, Already Gone: Why your kids will quit church and what you can do to stop it (Master Books, Green Forest, AR., 2009) p. 22, 33, 41,
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By Brannon Howse

Email: Brannon@worldviewweekend.com

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An Atheist Defends Intelligent Design (Sean McDowell)

An Atheist Defends Intelligent Design

Sean McDowell

 

One of the most stereotypes of intelligent design (ID) is that it is an evangelical Christian movement intent upon forcing religion into the classroom. The release of Seeking God in Science: An Atheist Defends Intelligent Design (Bradley Monton, Broadview Press, 2009) officially puts this claim to rest. Defenders of ID do include evangelical Christians, but also Muslims, Hindus, agnostics, and now even atheists! University of Colorado philosophy professor Bradley Monton is ultimately not persuaded by the arguments of ID (which is why he’s an atheist), but he says that they do have some force, and they make him less certain of his atheism.

 

For those of you who have followed the ID movement, this should come as quite the surprise. Yes, an atheist actually defends the integrity and merits of ID! Monton argues that criticisms of ID-whether from atheists or theistic evolutionists-are largely unfounded, misplaced, and erroneous. Monton doesn’t so much defend the truth of ID, but he believes it is a reasonable, (somewhat) persuasive, and legitimate scientific project.

 

The best part of the book (from my perspective) is that Monton sees right through much of the rhetorical tactics commonly used by ID opponents. For example, critics frequently conflate ID with creationism so as to make it an easier target to defeat. Monton rightly observes that some ID arguments are not related to creationism at all and that such comparisons are “sloppy” (31).  Critics also love to claim that ID makes no predictions and is not testable. According to Monton: “I would say that intelligent design proponents are making a prediction: they are claiming that, if one looks, one will find evidence that there is a designer” (72).

 

Monton also criticizes Judge Jones’ ruling against ID in Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District (2005). Darwinists have continued to herald this ruling as an overwhelming defeat for ID. However, says Monton, Judge Jones’ arguments were “fundamentally flawed.” In his attempt to discredit ID, Jones argued that it is not a legitimate science because (among other reasons) it postulates supernatural creation.

 

Surprisingly, Monton argues that postulating supernatural causation is actually compatible with science! He gives a fictional example of a pulsar that pulses out Morse code. The message claims to be God, and can answer any questions that scientists formulate in their heads. If such a thing happened, shouldn’t the “God” theory be a legitimate option? This is a highly unlikely scenario, but it shows that at least (in principle) science can explore supernatural causes, despite the ruling by Judge Jones.

 

Ultimately, says Monton, we shouldn’t get caught up debating whether or not ID is science. The most important question is whether or not the claims are true (73).  Monton recognizes that proclamations against the scientific status of ID are largely meant to suppress debate so the actual truth-claims of ID can be avoided.

 

Professor Monton challenges both atheistic and theistic opponents of ID. For example, he critiques theistic evolutionist Kenneth Miller (author of Only a Theory) who claims that intelligent design closes down scientific investigation. According to Monton: “While theistic scientists could choose to stop investigating the world, and be satisfied with the answer ‘God did it,’ they need not. What theistic scientists can do is investigate questions like: ‘What structure did God choose to give the world?'” (112). Miller’s claim that ID is anti-science “doesn’t hold up.”

 

Surprisingly, Monton agrees that intelligent design offers the best explanation for certain features of the universe. He admits that there are currently no naturalistic explanations for why the universe exists, for the nature of consciousness, and a detailed scenario for the origin of life. Yet rather than believing in design he says: “The truth of the matter is that there’s no explanation at all” (37). To avoid the conclusion that God exists, Monton is forced to accept that certain features of reality simply don’t have an explanation. Rather than offering an alternative explanation, Monton challenges the notion of explanation itself.

 

Much more could be said about Seeking God in Science. It is certainly refreshing to read someone who desires to transcend the culture wars and to communicate his ideas in a respectful and generous tone. Supporters of ID can learn much from his style and substance, even if they ultimately disagree with his conclusions (as I do!). This is a watershed book in the history of ID, and is hopefully a sign of more to come.
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By Sean McDowell

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Woe To Dad (Marilyn Jordan)

Woe to Dad

                                                      by Marilyn Jordan

 

 

If you were wondering who was winning the worldview battle between the feminists and Christians, wonder no longer.

 

A new survey just out from Babytalk magazine found that as far as women are concerned, dads are getting more irrelevant all the time.  It seems that many married moms would rather go it alone when it comes to parenting.  According to the survey, 76% of married women liked the idea of not fighting with a partner about the best way to raise a child.  Not having to work at maintaining a healthy marriage was another crowd pleaser at 69%, while 30% of the respondents thought they’d be happier if they didn’t have to deal with in-laws.

 

As if all this weren’t bad enough, single moms in the survey agreed.  Almost two thirds of the unmarried moms felt it would be harder to be a parent with a man in the house.  Another 55% expressed relief at not having to worry about working on a marriage as well as child rearing.  More than a third (38%) said they were freer to follow their dreams.

 

Obviously Father Doesn’t Know Best and never did.

 

The reporter who covered the story, a single mom herself, added that she liked the fact that no one complains when she leaves her sweaty workout clothes on the floor overnight, insisting that we all work better without someone looking over our shoulder.  How far have we sunk as a culture when the deep, lifelong love and commitment of a married couple as ordained by God can be reduced to the petty selfishness of this kind of thinking. 

 

The feminist agenda has worked hard to make men as irrelevant as possible in the general scheme of a ‘liberated’ woman’s life — except when it comes to paying child support.  The idea of the man as head of the household is seen as sexist.  Under the relentless and critical onslaught of the feminist worldview, men themselves have abdicated their leadership role in the family either by becoming doormats or turning into controlling tyrants often to the point of abuse.

 

The Bible says we will become lovers of self in the end times.  Feminists have convinced too many women that their own pleasure, their own agenda comes first.  This is a big part of the reason why we now have thousands of women every day, along with their boyfriends/significant others, refusing to be held responsible for their sexual choices.  How convenient that the abortion industry is ready and waiting to get rid of any ‘inconvenient’ babies that result from our sex-on-demand culture.  As President Obama so helpfully pointed out, he certainly wouldn’t want either of his daughters ‘punished’ with a baby if they ‘make a mistake’.

 

Everywhere you turn, America is riding roughshod over the biblical worldview.  Everywhere you turn, people are suffering the consequences, most especially the children.  Women may think they’re better off without a husband or father for their child, but the statistics show that kids raised by single moms are at a disadvantage across the boards and that they all too often end up as unwed teen parents, school dropouts, juvenile delinquents, and worse. 

 

The Creator’s plan for the family includes a loving father and mother, not a single mom and certainly not two moms or two dads.  Is it any wonder the ranks of the lost and unfulfilled continue to grow? 
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Miley Cyrus (aka Hannah Montana) and trampy teen idols (Rebecca Hagelin)

Miley Cyrus (aka Hannah Montana) and trampy teen idols

Moms everywhere are aghast at teen idol Miley Cyrus’ recent pole dancing and exaltation of Britney Spears as her hero.

The “Hannah Montana” superstar morphed overnight from a bubbly starlet into just another trashy singer, leaving moms feeling betrayed. Many thought they had finally found a ”  Hollywood type” their daughters could look up to. I visited a friend last year and marveled at the wall-to-wall posters of Hannah Montana that adorned her ten-year-old daughter’s room. Like millions of other little girls, Hannah was her hero. From her clothes, music, and dance moves to her hairstyle, this little girl (and her mom) were really “into” Hannah.

Then came the photo of Miley sprawled across a boy, her bright green bra in clear view. Next, the 15-year-old posed in nothing but a sheet for the cover of Vanity Fair. After a public outcry, the teen and her superstar dad Billy Ray apologized saying they had been tricked by the photographer. Right. The sorrow only came when parents protested en masse. Given that moms are desperate for role models for their daughters, we quickly forgave, only to be let down again this week when Miley pole danced her way as the heir apparent of the cute-girl-gone-trashy super star phenomenon.  Left in her wake? Millions of pre-teen girls who are left thinking they have to be sex objects to “make it” in life.

Face the facts: There is a pattern here and it will not change as long as we don’t recognize that our little girls are being used.

The mass marketers of Hollywood hype know that today’s youth spend some 200 billion dollars a year of their own money on trinkets, music and all the accessories that go with it. They also know that pre-teen girls are easily manipulated and that more than anything else, want to be popular as they grow into young adults. So, they discover cute, talented young girls, make them superstars by playing on your daughter’s dreams of glitz, and morph the “wholesome” starlets into trampy sex stars as they grow older, hoping to take the dollars of your girls with them. They aren’t just turning the star into a tramp; their goal is to take your daughter too.

The transition happens at lightning speed – after all, there are only four years between the innocence of 12 and the sultriness needed by 16 to keep the big bucks flowing. History repeats itself. You know what happened to teen idol Britney Spears.  America’s little girls and their moms swooned and spent millions on Britney fashions. However, just as the Britney wannabes reached critical mass, the star’s light started to short circuit. Her sexy ways quickly turned into bizarre behavior, drug problems and a raunchy attitude.

Not to worry, High School Musical’s Vanessa Hudgens was there to take her place. But just as Vanessa hit her zenith in the eyes of our little girls, nude photos and other sexual revelations about her captured the headlines. Down came Vanessa and up went the posters of the twinkling, sparkly Miley Cyrus.

Now Miley has made the transition to tramp too. And millions of preteen girls have, once again, been manipulated into believing that being trampy is not only normal, but is the only way to succeed. 

It’s time for moms to wake up and protect our little girls from being used. Find other moms who are sick of the abuse – it only takes a few friends to create your own sub-culture within the madness of the crazy pop culture. Finding allies is one of the most effective ways to fight back and win. My book, “30 Ways in 30 Days to Save Your Family” is designed to help you do just that. Find out more at www.HowToSaveYourFamily.com .

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By Rebecca Hagelin

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Will We Know Each Other In Heaven? (David Reagan)

Will We Know Each Other in Heaven?

David Reagan

By David Reagan

Yes, definitely.

We are told that we will have glorified bodies like the one that Jesus had after His resurrection (Philippians 3:21). Once the disciples got over the shock of His resurrection, they easily recognized Jesus whenever He appeared to them (John 21:1-7). In like manner, the disciples recognized Moses and Elijah when they appeared at the transfiguration of Jesus (Matthew 17:1-5).

We do not become non-entities at death. We retain our individuality and personality. God constantly refers to Himself as “the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” long after their deaths. His fellowship with them is obviously continuing in Heaven (Luke 20:37-38).

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By Dr. David R. Reagan

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Disclaimer: Worldview Weekend, Christian Worldview Network and its columnists do not necessarily endorse or agree with every opinion expressed in every article posted on this site. We do however, encourage a healthy and friendly debate on the issues of our day. Whether you agree or disagree, we encourage you to post your feedback by using the feedback button.

Romans 1.4

And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

Jesus Christ was declared to be the Son of God with power. The Greek word for power in this instance is dunamis. This word means miracle working power, or the power you have when you have greater resources.

Sometimes people say it means dynamite power, because the word dynamite comes from dunamis. Well, firstly it can’t really mean that because no-one knew what dynamite was when Romans was penned and secondly, dynamite is a tiny amount of power compared to the dunamis power of God.

The dunamis power of God raised Jesus from the dead – dynamite destroys and pulls down and brings chaos, but dunamis resurrects, creates, defines and revitalises, and brings life and order and peace and joy.

According to the Scripture, that dunamis power declared Jesus to be the Son of God – the power declared it. Now this is where I think the Greek gets really interesting: the Greek word for declare is horizo, where we get the English word horizon. It means to mark out the boundaries of where something ends.

So, to translate and meditate this verse we find out that the power of God sets the limits of how much we can declare Jesus is the Son of God.

Many Christians are trying to declare that Jesus is the Son of God with no power at all. They don’t see the sick healed, they don’t see lives transformed, they don’t see the power of God released on the earth and they wonder why their message that Jesus is the Son of God is not received.

Listen – when you declare that Jesus is the Son of God with power you set a boundary. You put everything that does not have the dunamis power of God on one side of the boundary and your message that Jesus is the Son of God on the other side of the boundary.

You don’t need to know this teaching and that doctrine to show that you are right about Jesus being the Son of God and the Jehovah’s Witnesses are wrong. It is shown because you can lay hands on the sick and they cannot. There are no healings in their meetings, no miraculous life changes.

I once challenged the Jehovah’s Witnesses to produce someone who actually had had a dramatic deliverance from an addiction through their teachings. I have seen people delivered from heroin in an instant, and if their message was true then surely they must have too?

They went off and eventually brought an ex-addict to my house. He was now a Jehovah’s Witness. He told his testimony: how he was delivered from his drug addiction after being born again in the Pentecostal church but then got disillusioned with the Pentecostals and joined the witnesses. That was the best they could manage – someone who got free by the power of God, got offended and joined them. They are essentially a powerless club for those who have been offended in church – people don’t join them from the world, offended Christians join them. Ask any Jehovah’s Witness their testimony and if they are honest, I reckon 90% of them are offended Christians or offended church goers.

Muslims are the same. When TL Osborn went out to the mission field, he started preaching the Bible. Muslims said we have a book too, our book is as good as yours. TL couldn’t argue with them, though he tried. He went back to the States in defeat, not knowing how to argue or reason with the people that Jesus is Lord. While in the States he saw a miracle ministry for the first time and realized this is the key: if you declare Jesus to be the Son of God with power, then people will believe. Now TL Osborn has possibly seen more salvations through his preaching than anyone who has ever lived!

Some Christians say we don’t need this power any more. Listen: if GOD needed to declare Jesus was the Son of God with power, you need to declare it with power as well.

Always expect signs and wonders when you are declaring to people that Jesus is the Son of God. And you will always have signs and wonders: resurrection power flowing through you into all those you meet. Then people will listen when you tell them that Jesus is the Son of God because your message is backed up with the power of God.

Glory and freedom,
Benjamin

26 Golden Rules For Writing Well

26 Golden Rules for Writing Well

  1. Don’t abbrev.
  2. Check to see if you any words out.
  3. Be carefully to use adjectives and adverbs correct.
  4. About sentence fragments.
  5. When dangling, don’t use participles.
  6. Don’t use no double negatives.
  7. Each pronoun agrees with their antecedent.
  8. Just between you and I, case is important.
  9. Join clauses good, like a conjunction should.
  10. Don’t use commas, that aren’t necessary.
  11. Its important to use apostrophe’s right.
  12. It’s better not to unnecessarily split an infinitive.
  13. Never leave a transitive verb just lay there without an object.
  14. Only Proper Nouns should be capitalized. also a sentence should begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop
  15. Use hyphens in compound-words, not just in any two-word phrase.
  16. In letters compositions reports and things like that we use commas to keep a string of items apart.
  17. Watch out for irregular verbs that have creeped into our language.
  18. Verbs has to agree with their subjects.
  19. Avoid unnecessary redundancy.
  20. A writer mustn’t shift your point of view.
  21. Don’t write a run-on sentence you’ve got to punctuate it.
  22. A preposition isn’t a good thing to end a sentence with.
  23. Avoid cliches like the plague.
  24. 1 final thing is to never start a sentence with a number.
  25. Always check your work for accuracy and completeness.

[ANON.]

Attitudes and the Covenant (Bob Yandian)

Attitudes and The Covenant

For the past few months we have centered our teachings on the various aspects of the blood covenant. In this issue we will be discussing the role played by an individual’s “attitude” towards a covenant. By attitude I mean, a person’s mental position in regard to the covenant.

We often find that people who are born-again desire to live in the spirit so much that they ignore their minds. However, the Word tells us that our mind is a necessary part of our spiritual life. For example, 1 Corinthians 14:15, says, . . . I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.

To “will to do something” requires using our minds to make a decision. Look at it another way, if a person’s will were not essential in getting born again, witnessing would be easy. All we would have to do is stand on a street corner and read the Word. The Word would go right into a person’s spirit, and he would be born again, whether he wanted to be or not.

We know though that Jesus does not force anything on us and, thus, we are able to choose whether or not we want to accept Him.

It is a biblical principle that everything produces after its own kind. For example, when you were born into this earthly life, your body was born of your parents. However, when you were born-again, you were born of the Spirit, for God is called the Father of Spirits. This means that when you were born of the Spirit, your physical man remained the same, but your inner man changed.

Furthermore, when you were born again, your mind did not change, only your spirit changed. Therefore, you need to reshape your thinking so that your mind can shift from the physical way of life to the spiritual way of life. This is essential since the mind is where battles take place. Satan cannot get into our reborn spirits, but he can neutralize the effectiveness of our spirits by getting our minds on other things. He will attack the mind in an attempt to get it off the covenant God has with us.

Psalm 103, tells us of the many benefits available to those who have a covenant with God, but it is interesting to note that before David lists these benefits, he admonishes himself in verses one and two, Bless the Lord, O my soul: (notice that he did not say, “my spirit”) and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and forget not all his benefits.

We are told to forget not all God’s benefits. The act of remembering involves using the mind, and in this case, the remembering becomes a way of life. It is a lifetime proposition, which requires a commitment on the part of the believer. In fact, just learning of God’s benefits takes time. It is naive to think that you can grab your Bible and after a few days be a spiritual giant.

For instance, when we talk of prosperity and healing, we are not saying to read the Word only until you are healed or until your finances are straightened out and then put it down.

Rather, as you learn of God’s blessings, and walk in them, and realize that they get better every day, you should want to pick up God’s covenant, the Word, and find out what more of the benefits are. Then, you should go on and renew your mind so that you can view things as God does.

There is more than our human viewpoint or attitude toward any given situation in life. There is also God’s viewpoint. We find an example of man’s view and God’s view in Isaiah 55:7-9:

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

God tells us that His thoughts and His ways are higher than man’s. Although we will never get to God’s level concerning some things, verse ten tells us, For as the rain cometh down, . . . God’s thoughts come raining down upon each of us.

The . . . snow from heaven . . . also comes down (vs. 10). Snow falls one flake at a time. Likewise, He doesn’t overwhelm our brains by giving us all His thoughts at one time. Instead, He sends us one exceeding great and precious promise at a time – one by one – so that we can remember them and grow in the knowledge of Him.

As Isaiah 55:10, goes on to say, the rain and the snow, . . . returneth not thither, (heaven) but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater. God does not send His Word to us only to pull it back. Nor does He dangle His thoughts in front of us only to snatch them away. Rather, the purpose of the water is to remain with us and to saturate us.

When we talk about God’s thoughts, we are referring to His Word, and learning God’s Word or His thoughts helps us in the situations we face in our daily lives. As we view these situations, we can approach them with either man’s attitude or God’s. If we speak God’s words over a situation, we will be facing it as God would which is far greater than anything we could do in the natural.

Ephesians 4:17-18, tells us more about man’s viewpoint. Although it may not seem so, these verses are addressed to believers.

This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.

Since it is possible for believers to walk as sinners, Paul is telling them not to walk in the vanity (emptiness) of their minds as unbelievers do.

This same use of the word “mind” is found in Ecclesiastes when Solomon began bringing Gentile gods into his house. When he started to worship them, his mind became corrupted. He turned away from the benefits God had given him and he began speaking contrary to the way God speaks.

Ephesians 4:18, tells of having the understanding darkened. The Greek actually means, the faculty for thinking. In other words, their thinking has been darkened. This same idea is found in 2 Corinthians 4:4: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God should shine unto them.

When the gospel is preached to an unbeliever, his mind, not his spirit, is illuminated first. As he begins to understand what is being talked about, his will then opens up and that is the doorway for the light of the glory of the gospel to go down and recreate the man’s spirit and turn it into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The origin of all human thinking is satan. When man was put into the Garden, he had a great mind. He could name all the animals and remember them. Why? Because his spirit was created. There was nothing of satan’s nature in him. But what happened? Satan corrupted Eve’s mind. He got her to think another way – his way – which is different from God’s way. She had God’s mind, but she entertained satan’s thoughts so much that she disobeyed God and caused Adam to disobey, also. Suddenly their minds were blinded to the glorious liberty of God, to the light of the gospel of God, and spiritual darkness entered into them. This same thing is wrong with man- kind today; people’s minds are blinded to the Word. They can’t think God’s viewpoints because they are alienated from God.

However, we as believers have the nature of God in us and we have His exceeding great and precious promises. We have the covenant and benefits of God. He has rained them down on us so that we can receive His blessings. We need to saturate our minds with His Word and change our viewpoints or attitudes about life.

1 Corinthians 2:16 tells us, But we have the mind of Christ. What is the mind of Christ? The Word is. Of all the Bibles we have, none is THE Bible. They all are only copies of THE Bible. The original Bible is THE MIND OF CHRIST. You can burn copies of the book, but you can’t burn THE Book. Many nations have tried to get rid of the Bible, but they can’t do it because they can’t destroy the mind of Christ!

God wants us to think His thoughts and His ways. He wants us to become like Him. Through the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s revelation becomes ours. By praying in the Spirit and meditating on His Word, that revelation will burst forth inside of us and we can begin to understand the way the Lord thinks.

The Word not only tells us how God thinks and gives us the mind of Christ, it helps us to know the difference between man’s thinking and God’s thinking. Some- times we hear two voices that tell us how to handle a given situation and we need to know which is the right voice. The one that is backed by the Word is the voice to which we need to listen.

According to Hebrews 4:12, “the Word” . . . is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. There is no such natural sword on this earth. Men have swords that are sharp, but all they can do is cut through natural material. God has a sword that will actually go down and divide the invisible part of you, soul from spirit, or, man’s view- points from God’s viewpoints.

Psalm 139:23, says, Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts. God wants us to lay our thoughts before Him because as Proverbs 23:7 says, as a man. . . thinketh in his heart, so is he . . . We want our very thought to line up with the Word of God. Outward actions mean nothing to the Lord, it’s the inward thought, the intentions of the heart, that matter. You can fake things before men with your outward actions, but the Bible tells us in I Samuel 16:7b, that while man looks on the outward appearance, God looks on the heart. This is why we want even our thoughts to be right before him.

In the twelfth chapter of Romans, Paul talks about some attitudes. These same attitudes prevail today.

Let’s look at what is meant by a “worldly attitude.” Some think it is how you dress, where you go, whether you go to church or not. However, worldliness is not an outward action; it is an inward attitude. Romans 12:1-2, tell us about this attitude.

I Beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

These verses are speaking to believers, not sinners. Sinners are already con- formed to this world, but when you are born again, it is up to you to not be con- formed to this world. Worldliness is not what you do; it is what you think. You can go to church and praise God and yet still be worldly. Bodily you may not be there but intellectually you “check out” when the message begins. Instead, you plan what you are going to do when church gets over, or what you will do at work tomorrow. However, no one sitting beside you would know you are worldly. They see only your outer man, not your inner thoughts. The irony of this situation is that if you stayed home and made plans for the next day instead of coming to church, we would all say you were worldly.

Col. 3:1-2, tell us, If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. How do we seek those things? Seeking God is not beating on the floor and begging God to do something. Seeking God means meditating on His Word.

We are told in Isaiah 26:3 that God will, . . . keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee. . . The Hebrew gives a double emphasis to the word peace and actually says, “peace peace” to point out that God’s peace is nothing like what man considers to be peace.

Phil. 4:7, repeats this idea, And the peace of God, [not man] which passeth all understanding, [perfect peace cannot be explained by man] shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:8, tells us what to think about in order to stay in perfect peace. Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Stability is another thing we need to consider because people are always looking for it. The “sound mind” referred to in II Timothy 1:7, actually means a stable mind. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. We need stability in our thoughts.

II Thess. 2:2, encourages us, . . . be not soon shaken in mind, . . . The mind is where we can be shaken. The Holy Spirit within us cannot be shaken, but when your mind gets shaken, it makes your spirit ineffective. Then, your spirit can’t control you or bring you the thoughts of God and the actions of God. His ways can’t be your ways and His thoughts can’t be your thoughts because your mind is not stable. But, when your mind is peaceful, you are peaceful, worldliness is gone, and you are meditating on the thoughts of God. Your mind becomes renewed to the works of God and you forget not His benefits.

Now let’s look at love. Deut. 6:5, tells us, And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. The New Testament says to love with all your MIND, and all your strength. This strength is inward. Your strength is manifested as you love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.

First Cor. 13:5, in speaking of charity, or love, says that love thinks no evil. Love starts long before it is an outward experience. It begins as an attitude of the heart.

What happens when you walk in the love of God? When you become stable? When your mind is renewed to the Word of God? You become strong and effective against the devil. Then the Word shows you the difference between the thoughts and intents of your heart, between the world’s viewpoint and God’s viewpoint.

Second Cor. 10:3, tells us that we walk in the flesh. We face fleshly problems; the same problems sinners face. Sinners have problems balancing their checkbooks and so do we. The same marital problems they have, we have. Christians and sinners face job problems. However, we don’t face these problems the way the world does. . . . We do not war after the flesh: (2 Cor. 10:3b). We know that the source of all problems is not fleshly, it is spiritual. We can attack problems at the roots, at the very source of the problem, because we can attack satan.

Furthermore, according to 2 Cor. 10:4, . . . the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, [We don’t fight the devil with guns and knives] but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Satan is strong, but we are stronger.

In the book of Joshua we read of how the Israelite army attacked cities and completely destroyed their walls. The walls were a city’s stronghold, and when they came down, the city was defeated. Although we fight spiritual warfare, it is just as real as if we were in a physical war because we are fighting against satan and his strongholds.

Verse five of 2 Corinthians 10, tells us what these strongholds are. One strong- hold we are told to cast down is “imaginations.” The Greek for this is “reasonings.” It is typical for a person who is new to the message of faith to try to rationalize his problems. But, you can’t figure out with your human mind how faith works.

For example, if you have stepped out in faith and are believing God for $1,000, the devil will attempt to get you to try to figure out who is going to give it to you. Maybe you reason that it is going to come in the mailbox, so you go to the mailbox day after day and it’s not there. Then you decide that it will come from one of your friends. So when you see them and they have their money out, you get closer to them. You even begin to “help” God by telling them, “Did you know I am believing God for $1,000?” You may reason that God can- not work unless you tell somebody. We need to cast down the human reasoning because it will become a barrier to our faith. It will become a stronghold that will keep us from operating in faith.

Let’s look at 2 Cor. 10:5 in its entirety, Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

Here we find that we are to cast down “every high thing”, in other words pride. Reasoning and pride are attitudes that will stop the blessings of God because they exalt themselves against the knowledge of God.

Lastly, according to verse five, we are to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Since we are soldiers in a spiritual battle, we can take prisoners of war. Wouldn’t it be good to walk before Jesus and say, “Look at all the POW’s I brought home with me. Here is reasoning, pride, human viewpoint, here is what so and so said to do; but I brought it all into obedience to Your Word Lord. I have broken down the strongholds and I have defeated satan and I tell you what, God, it is just you and I all the way. I don’t care if anybody goes with me Lord, I’m going your way. I am following your Word!”

Copyright 2003 by Bob Yandian Ministries.

The Spirit of Faith Newsletter February 1982

from http://www.wofm.org/newsletters/SoFN0282.html

The Spirit of Faith Newsletter
February 1982

The Spirit of Faith Newsletter - 02/1982

Main Article
“God Wants You to Prosper!”

Yes, God wants you to prosper in all that you do. “…Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.” (Psalms 35: 27) Notice, God takes pleasure in your prosperity, not your poverty! Many have taught that God wants His people poor and downtrodden in this earth; at the mercy of the world’s system all their lives; but folks that just is not the truth; In fact, it is a lie straight from Hell! 3 John 2 says that God wants us to prosper and be in health, even as our mind, will and emotions prosper, or are renewed to the Word. 2 Corinthians 8:9 says that through Jesus’ poverty we were made to be rich. Isaiah 48:17 says that God will teach you how to profit. Indeed, the word in the Hebrew used here is, “lamad“, which means, “goad, teach, give incentive.” God would not teach you how to prosper, give you the incentive to prosper, and then turn around and say, “I really don’t want you to prosper.”

That would be double minded, and God is not double minded about anything! Deuteronomy 8:18 says that it is God that gives us the power to get wealth, that He may establish His Covenant on the earth. This has a double meaning to us. He will establish His Word by prospering us, because He said He would; and He will establish His Word in the earth by giving us the power to get wealth and use that wealth to proclaim His Word to the world! Proverbs 8:21 says, “That I may cause those that love Me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.” Do you love God? Then you should expect an inheritance and full treasures!

If it is so obvious that the Word of God teaches that we should be prospering as Christians, then why have so many taught against it? Well, to fully understand it, you must realize that the “Poverty teaching” that we have been saddled with so long has its root in Eastern religions. These beliefs in such things as “poverty vows”, beating yourself (physically to them, spiritually in this country), and such, were thought up to keep people thinking, “Now, your just an unworthy slob in God’s eyes, you need to suffer that you might be made worthy for Him to even look at.” That’s a bunch of religious hogwash! The Word of God teaches us that as born again Christians we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:17-21) We have been made the righteousness of God through what Jesus did, we didn’t have to earn it. To say that we must be poor, down-and-out, sick in body, and a multitude of other ills to draw close to God and perfect ourselves is to say that what Jesus did on the cross and in His resurrection was simply not enough to put us, in right standing with God! Brethren, that is just not scriptural; it never has been and never will be!

God wants you to prosper, and more than that, He paid an awesome price that we would have our needs met spiritually, mentally, physically and every other way!

God’s Word – The Seed Of His Blessing (By Andrew Wommack)

God’s Word – The Seed Of His Blessing

By Andrew Wommack

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A true revelation of God’s Word is the single most important element of a victorious Christian life.

The Word of God often refers to itself as a seed. There are a total of forty-four verses in the New Testament where the Greek word “sperma” was translated “seed.” This is the same word from which we derive our English word “sperm.”

To conceive and give birth to the miracles you need, you must first plant God’s Word like a seed in your heart. Conception cannot take place without first planting the seed. There has only been one virgin birth, and the birth of you’re miracle won’t be the second.

I constantly meet Christians who pray and believe for God’s intervention in their lives, but remain frustrated with the results. It’s because they are missing the seeds of conception; they just don’t know God’s Word.

In Mark 4, the Lord taught three parables which illustrate that the Word is to the kingdom of God what a natural seed is to a harvest. The first of these parables, the story of the sower, is the key to unlocking all the Word of God (Mark 4:13). If we don’t understand these truths, Jesus said we won’t understand any of His other parables.

There are many life-changing truths in these parables, but one fact must be understood to get the full benefit of this teaching. The Lord used the comparison of His Word to a law of nature that is unchangeable, not an institution of man.

Here’s what I mean. You can cheat or manipulate nearly all systems that men have created. The legal system can be beaten, letting the guilty go free. Our educational system can be beaten, passing students who haven’t really learned the material. But you can’t change seedtime and harvest.

What if a farmer waited until he saw his neighbors reaping their crops before he sowed for his crop? Regardless of how sincere he was, or the justification for not sowing his seed at the proper time, he would not reap a crop overnight. The law of seedtime and harvest cannot be violated.

This is why our Lord chose to compare the way His Word works to a seed. There is a germination process of the Word of God in your life that takes time and can’t be avoided. In the second parable of

Mark 4, Jesus said in verses 26-29,

“So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.”

The seed is the Word of God (verse 14), and the ground is our hearts (verse 15). Our hearts were created by God to bring forth fruit when His Word is planted in them. Just as a seed has to remain in the ground over time to germinate, so the Word of God has to abide in us.

Jesus said in John 15:7,

“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”

What would happen if you planted a seed in your garden and then dug it up each morning to see if anything was happening? It would die and never produce fruit. You have to have faith that the seed is doing what God created it to do.

Some people put God’s Word in their hearts for a day or two, but if they don’t see fruit almost immediately, they dig up the seed through their words and actions and wonder why it didn’t work. You have to leave it in the ground over time. Then, there are also different stages of growth.

Mark 4:28 says,

“First the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.”

Many people are impatient, wanting to bypass the growth cycle and get the full ear right now. I’ve actually had to tell people that what they were believing God for was not going to happen, not because the vision wasn’t good, but because they were expecting a complete ear of corn immediately.

For example, one of our Charis Bible College students came to me who had never held a job, had been in a mental hospital, and had lived on welfare his whole life. When he heard the teaching on prosperity and vision, he started dreaming big. He had a plan to buy and renovate an old hotel. The total cost would be over four million dollars.

It really was a grand plan. I complimented him for the fact that he was dreaming and told him to keep dreaming big. Then I told him that it might work for someone but it wouldn’t work for him. Why? Because this person had never believed for a dime before. There has to be “first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.”

You may think that’s not so. It’s possible that he could have won the lottery or the Publisher’s Clearing House Sweepstakes. It’s possible, but that wouldn’t have been God. God’s kingdom operates on laws, like the laws that govern the fruit-bearing process of a seed. God will not give you the full ear of corn if you haven’t seen the first blade.

That’s the way God’s kingdom works. And this is precisely the reason most people don’t see God’s best come to pass in their lives. They think that since God loves them, He will just grant their request regardless of whether they put the miracle of the seed to work or not.

Look at what happened after Jesus taught His disciples these principles of the seed.

Mark 4:35 says,

“And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.”

In a sense, Jesus was giving them a test. On the same day that He taught them the principles of God’s Word as a seed, He gave them a seed. He said, “Let us pass over unto the other side.” He didn’t say, “Let us go halfway across and drown.” The disciples had a seed from the lips of the Creator that gave them authority over the creation.

What happened? A two-hour trip turned into a fight for the disciples’ lives. Instead of using the seed the Lord had given them, they did all they knew to do in the natural and then got put out with the Lord.

They said in verse 38,

“Master, carest thou not that we perish?”

This wasn’t a cabin cruiser. Jesus was in an open boat full of water (verse 37) sloshing all around Him. He was well aware of their plight and yet was trying to sleep. They wanted Him to pick up a bucket and bail or row or do something.

How did Jesus respond? Did He apologize and say, “I’m sorry guys. I was really tired”? No!

Instead He said, “Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?” (verse 40).

Jesus was telling them that they should have stilled the storm. If they would have operated in faith instead of fear, that’s exactly what they could have done.

The Lord did His job by giving them the seed of His Word. Their job was to take the seed and make it work. Instead, they doubted Jesus’ love for them and thought He wasn’t pulling His weight. Likewise, we often complain to the Lord, “Don’t You love me? Why aren’t You healing me or prospering me, etc.?”

God has done His part; He has given us the Word. For example, the Lord doesn’t give us money directly. Deuteronomy 8:18 says that the Lord gives us the power to get wealth. The power is in His promises, His Word. As we plant those promises in our hearts, the truth of His Word germinates and prosperity comes.

Healing operates the same way. There are numerous scriptures that get the point across that God’s Word is health to all our flesh. Here’s two:

“For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh” (Prov. 4:22).

“He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions” (Ps. 107:20).

Yes, a person can get healed without planting God’s Word in their heart. It comes through the prayers of others with the gifts of healing (1 Cor. 12:9), but it is not God’s best. We should never be too proud to ask for help, but the proper way to get healed is to take God’s promises of healing and plant them in our hearts until they release their life-giving power into our physical bodies.

This law of seedtime and harvest operates in every area of our lives. If we will plant God’s Word in our hearts, then allow the seed to germinate and the plant to grow to maturity, we will reap the fruit of a harvest. That is God’s best!

I cannot tell you strongly enough how important it is that you know God’s Word and that you plant the seed of His Word in your heart long before you need the fruit of the harvest. It could mean the difference between prosperity and poverty, or even life and death. I believe this is so important that it’s the very first class I teach to new students at CBC every year.

My teaching series A Sure Foundation will help you understand the power and importance of God’s Word in your life. It will help you go beyond the “touchy-feely,” emotion-based thinking that many mistake for faith. It’s not about what you feel; it’s about what has been planted in your heart and come to full fruit. It’s the foundation to receiving the promises of God.

So, make this year your personal Year of the Bible and build a sure foundation in your own life. It will be the best decision you have ever made.