Tag Archives: Gifts of the Spirit

January 27, 2016 · 7:06 pm

“Are We There Yet?” (Part 16)

“My best guess is that the Tribulation will begin in October 2017, during Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles),” said Chancey last night at our Hebraic Roots meeting. “This means the first seal will be opened, Israel will be deceived, and then sign a seven-year peace pact with the Antichrist. Sacrifices will begin at once in Jerusalem.”

Chauncey was just a teenager in 1978 when the Holy Spirit revealed to him the Church’s Pre-tribulation teachings were wrong. He has spent the last thirty-eight years studying end-time events and teaching his revelations to whomever would listen.

Let’s say Chauncey’s guess is correct and that he is also correct about the Church’s Pre-tribulation teachings being wrong, what does this mean for us?

It means that in 22 months the time clock for the Great Tribulation will begin for us believers. We will struggle and agonize through seven long years of tough times until eventually we are caught up in the air with Christ in the first Resurrection, which should happen on Yom Kippur, October 12, 2024.

Doesn’t the possibility of this happening just blow your mind?

It does mine.

Okay, do I believe Chauncey’s guess is correct about October 2017?

To be honest, it doesn’t matter to me because I will get up tomorrow morning and seek the Lord. He holds every second of my life in His hands. If he isn’t worried about the Tribulation, why should I?

But I do plan on emphasizing the Feasts in 2016 and studying the book of Revelation until I understand it better than I do now.

What about you?

(Continued in Part 17…if you’re interested in this Hebraic Roots series, all of it to date can be seen here.)

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January 26, 2016 · 5:26 pm

Tuesday’s Prayers for Prisoners (1/26/2016)

Don Bosco Slum in Manila markpedder.wordpress.co

Don Bosco Slum in Manila
markpedder.wordpress.co

General Douglas MacArthur did something that is almost lost in history.  He knew Japan had been devastated and the people now saw that their emperor was not a god.  He was only a man.  A man who had been defeated.  What would replace emperor worship in the Japanese people?  MacArthur sent word back to the churches of America.

“Send missionaries,” he said, “and Bibles.”

Over the following five years, some 5000 missionaries from all different kinds of churches went to Japan. The land was flooded with millions of Bibles.  Looks like 5000 missionaries would be plenty.  However, in a land of 71 million, the number of missionaries would be a microscopic .0000704 percent, or only 1 missionary for every 14,200 people.  From 1945 to 1950 the Japanese people showed some interest in Christianity, but once their economy was rebuilt, and they began experiencing prosperity, it seemed they no longer saw a need.  A door of opportunity was briefly opened, but then neglected and ignored by people on both sides of the Pacific Ocean. (A Moment in History with Dr. Jeff Sanders)

Today, Japan has the third largest economy in the world, but even so, Evangelical Christianity totals less than 1% of the nation’s 128,000,000 people. The biggest problems are that the spiritual powers and principalities have not been challenged by the power of Jesus Christ, the One called Faithful and True, who in righteousness judges and makes war.

My prayer today:

Lord, raise up Davids in Japan who will run toward spiritual battles using the Word of the Lord as a sword to slay spiritual Goliaths and to set millions of prisoners free in Japan. (Based loosely on 1 Samuel 17:48)

Join with me on Tuesdays to fast and pray for prisoners in Asia, according to Hebrews 13:3.

 Why Asia?

1. 4.4 billion people live in Asia.

2.. 85.4% of world’s unevangelized people live in Asia. (Unevangelized means they may have heard the gospel but have no understanding on how to respond.)

3. The world’s three largest non-Christian religions – Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhists – are based in Asia.

4. Of the 37 countries of the world that are less than 10% Christian, 32 are in Asia. Of the 14 countries, that are less than 2% Christian, 12 are in Asia.

5. 600 million people live in abject poverty in the slums of Asia.

6. 85-90% of unreached people live in Asia. (Unreached means that they have never heard the name of Jesus.) (Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation)

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January 21, 2016 · 11:43 am

Thursday’s Prayers for America (1/21/2016)

My prayer for America today:

 “O Lord, You are great and awesome! You always fulfill Your covenant and keep Your promises of unfailing love to those who love You and obey Your commands. But Temecula, Southern California, and America have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against You and scorned Your commands and regulations. We have refused to listen to Your servants the prophets, who spoke on Your authority to our President and leaders and to all the people of Temecula, Southern California, and America.

Lord, You are in the right; but as You see, our faces are covered with shame. This is true of all of us, including the people of Temecula, Southern California, and America. O Lord, we and our President, other leaders, and citizens are covered with shame because we have sinned against You. But the Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against Him. We have not obeyed the Lord our God, for we have not followed the instructions He gave us through His servants the prophets. All of Temecula, Southern California, and America have disobeyed Your instruction and turned away, refusing to listen to Your voice.

So now, the solemn curses written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured down on us because of our sins. You have kept Your word and done to us and our leaders exactly as You warned. Every curse written against us in the Law of Moses will soon come true. Yet, we have refused to seek mercy from the Lord our God by turning from our sins and recognizing His truth. Therefore the Lord is bringing on us the disasters He has prepared. The Lord our God is right in doing these things, for we do not obey Him.

O Lord, You brought lasting honor to Your name by bringing revivals and great awakenings of Your Spirit to America in times past. But we have sinned and are full of wickedness. In view of all Your faithful mercies, Lord, please turn Your furious anger away from Temecula, Southern California, and America. All the nations of the world mock us because of our sins.

O our God, hear Your servant’s prayer! Listen as I plead. For Your own sake, smile again on Temecula, Southern California, and America.

O my God, lean down and listen to me. Open Your eyes and see our despair. We make this plea, not because we deserve Your help, but because of Your mercy.

O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! For Your own sake, do not delay, O my God, for Your people who bear Your name. (Based on New Living Translation)

(An excerpt from Common Sense 2016 by Larry Nevenhoven, ©2016, Amazon eBook)

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you today?

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.

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January 20, 2016 · 10:05 am

“Prayer…Oh no! Has it Come Down to That?” (Part 1)

"Stöwer Titanic" by Willy Stöwer.

“Stöwer Titanic” by Willy Stöwer.

The Titanic’s bow was quickly sinking under the waves. Horns blared, wireless messages were sent, and rockets shot in the air. The ship was in desperate trouble.

As Captain E. J. Smith hurried along the main deck, a crowd of passengers yelled, “Captain? Captain?”

“Yes,” Captain Smith replied, stopping to face them.

“How does it look?” asked a gray haired man who stepped to the front of the group.

The captain shook his head. “It looks like we need to pray,” he whispered and turned, heading for the bridge.

“Oh no!” proclaimed another man. “Has it come down to that?”

Have you ever wondered why some believers get their prayers answered and others don’t? Is God partial? Does He have a lottery system whereby prayers are chosen at random to be answered by Him? Too bad if your prayers aren’t chosen, right?

Go to Amazon and type the word “prayer” on the search line for books. You will have 125,566 results to search through.

Or better yet, go to Google and type the same word on its search line. You will have 300,000,000 results.

It seems people have an interest in prayer, but why do so few people receive answers to their prayers?

Over the next few weeks, let’s study what the Bible says about prayer and look at real life experiences. Our goal is to see better results in our prayer lives.

(Continued in Part 2) 

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January 14, 2016 · 12:55 pm

Thursday’s Prayers for America (1/14/2016)

The maturity level of most American believers is so shallow that if one describes 911 or Katrina as possible judgments of the Lord, we become offended and are quick to lash out with our tongues. “How dare you say something like that! Who do you think you are? A prophet? If so, you’re a false one,” we shout in unison.

The tumult continues until the person who has voiced such ridiculous beliefs is cowed back into his little box or his reputation shredded to pieces. This is what happened to Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson when they voiced their beliefs about 911.

What does the Bible state?

Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Does disaster come to a city unless the Lord has done it? (Amos 3:6)

We believers declare the Lord as the sovereign King over America, but when a 911 or a Katrina occurs, we quickly wrestle the divine scepter out of His grasp and place it in the hands of someone else.

But why do we assume the Lord, who is also our Judge, would not chastise America? Didn’t He use enemies and calamities to chastise Israel all throughout the Old Testament? Shouldn’t we expect to be treated the same as God’s chosen people?

Our immaturity resembles that of Jerusalem and Judah when Jeremiah prophesied to them −

Why then has this people slidden back, Jerusalem, in a perpetual backsliding? They hold fast to deceit, they refuse to return. I listened and heard, but they did not speak aright, no man repented of his wickedness, saying, “What have I done?” Everyone turned to his own course, as the horse rushes into battle. Even the stork in the heavens knows her appointed times; and the turtledove, the swift, and the swallow observe the time of their coming. But My people do not know the judgment of the Lord. (Jeremiah 8:5-7 NKJ)

Maybe it’s time for us to grow up before it’s too late.

(The preface from Common Sense 2016 by Larry Nevenhoven, ©2016, Amazon eBook)

My prayer for today:

Lord, I pray that the Holy Spirit helps our minds to be renewed so that we American believers may discern what is the will of God for our nation. (Based on Romans 12:2)

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you today?

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.

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November 20, 2015 · 11:23 am

If We Just Ignore Gays, They’ll Go Away, Right? (Part 10)

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First of all, if we believers are going to get serious about ministering to the gays in America, we have to get rid of our hatred and dislike for them. The only way we can do that is by being cleansed by the Holy Spirit, but we have to initiate the process.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

Then, we have to ask for Jesus’ perfect love to fill our hearts for gays. His perfect love will drive us to fast and pray for gays and then be willing to be His vessels to them.

This may take some time, but we must get free of our hatreds and be empowered by His love before we move forward.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

The Greek word ethnos is translated into the English word nations in most versions of the Bible. The word nations is one translation, but the Greek word also means a people group or a group of people of the same nature. 

Thus, I believe Jesus has commanded us to go to the gay communities of America and make disciples of them.

The gay communities we go to should include the Castro District of San Francisco, West Hollywood in LA County, San Diego’s Hillcrest Neighborhood, San Jose’s St Leo Neighborhood, and the cities of Oakland, Portland, Seattle, and other West Coast cities.

Will we make mistakes? Yes.

Will we have perfect plans for each city? At best, we may only know one step at a time for each city and have to wait on the Lord to tell us the next step, but to be honest, this is the safest route to victory.

Will there be trouble? Oh my yes! The kingdom of darkness will not open its gates so we can plunder it with the Gospel. We can expect fights, bad publicity, and maybe jail cells awaiting some of us.

The early Salvation Army provides us with examples of how to change cities by invading them with the Gospel.

“We are not sent to minister to a congregation and be content if we keep things going. We are sent to make war and to stop short of nothing but the subjugation of the world to the sway of the Lord Jesus.” (William Booth, founder of Salvation Army)

“Go for souls. Go straight for souls, and go for the worst.” (William Booth, founder of Salvation Army)

(Conclusion…if you’re interested, the full series to date can be seen here.)

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November 19, 2015 · 10:53 am

Thursday’s Prayers for America (11/19/2015)

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The other day, I felt the Holy Spirit said one word to my heart: “Hiroshima.”

Now, because I authored the novel, The Day LA Died, I had a little insight into what I felt the Holy Spirit’s one word really meant. My research for the novel included reading the book, Hiroshima by John Hersey, and studying the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in WWII.

In the months leading up to Hiroshima, America’s bombers dropped millions of tons of bombs on Japan’s major cities. Plus, America dropped millions of leaflets on the same cities explaining the hopelessness of continuing the war. These efforts were designed to destroy the will of the Japanese people.

Yet, Hiroshima never had one bomb fall on it or one leaflet dropped in it. American bombers flew over the city on their way to other targets, but never once targeted the city. The residents wondered why they were spared.  Many believed it was due to their relatives living in Hawaii and California who had petitioned the American government for the city’s relief.

So, when the Enola Gay dropped its atomic bomb on the city at 8:15 a.m., August 6, 1945, the city was taken by surprise and totally unprepared. The results were disastrous for the 350,000 residents.

Almost every American feels like the residents of Hiroshima before the atomic bomb fell. “It may happen in Paris, but it won’t happen to me and my family. Why worry?”

My prayer for today:

Lord, I pray for You to blow the trumpets in America. Call for times of fasting; call the people together for solemn meetings. Let the people stand and weep before You and let them cry, “Spare Your people, O Lord.” (Based on Joel 2:15, 17)

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you today?

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.

 

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November 18, 2015 · 11:10 am

My Two Cents On America’s Immigration Problems

If you want to start a lively discussion among Christians, just mention Middle Eastern immigration on Facebook or wherever believers are assembled. You will instantly have two opposing views: the compassionate ones who want to demonstrate the mercy side of Jesus and the ones who want to close the gates to possible enemies of America.

Questions will be fired back and forth between the two groups: “What would Jesus do?” “Shouldn’t we care for the least of these among us?” “Aren’t we supposed to love and care for the strangers who come to our land?” “Israel had borders in the Old Testament and defended them from invasion. Shouldn’t we?” “God set the borders for nations. Shouldn’t we observe them?” “What about wisdom and discernment?” And so forth. And so on.

But one question probably will not be asked: “Why has God allowed this to happen to America now?”

Does the Bible offer some clues for us?

“But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you (Deuteronomy 28:15)

The Old Testament deals mainly with nations, specifically Israel, but since the whole Bible is inspired by God, it also can speak to America today, right?

Chapter 28 of Deuteronomy is divided into two parts. Verses 1 to 14 reveal the blessings a nation receives if it obeys the commandments of God. The blessings include: cities being blessed, families being blessed, our wealth being blessed, our enemies being defeated, our goods being blessed, our lands receiving enough rain, crops being blessed, and our nation being blessed so that the other nations realize that God has blessed us.

Verses 15 to 68 reveal the curses a nation receives if it disobeys the commandments of God. Here’s a few to meditate upon:

A people whom you do not know shall eat up the produce of your ground and all your labors, and you will never be anything but oppressed and crushed continually. (Verse 33 NASB)

The foreigners living among you will become stronger and stronger, while you become weaker and weaker (Verse 43 NLT)

Therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything. And he will put a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you. Verse 48 ESV)

The LORD will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, swooping down like the eagle, a nation whose language you do not understand, a hard-faced nation who shall not respect the old or show mercy to the young. (Verses 49-50 ESV)

If I’m correct, it means America has immigration problems because our nation has sinned against the commandments of God. Then, it also means that pointing our fingers at President Obama, Congress, and other government leaders will help very little. And even the election of Donald Trump or Ted Cruz or whoever will do hardly anything to alleviate the immigration issue.

America has sin.

We need to fast and pray until we discover the sins that we have committed against God so we can repent of them.

(My book, New Wind Blowing, is free tomorrow on Amazon as an eBook. It offers insight into some sins I believe America needs to repent of and to do something about right now.)

 

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November 14, 2015 · 3:49 pm

If We Just Ignore Gays, They’ll Go Away, Right? (Part 9)

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The Bible – from Genesis to Revelation – is a heterosexual book. Period.  And where homosexuality is mentioned in God’s Word, it’s referred to as being immoral and sinful. God’s revealed plans for a married couple – a man and a woman – is that they will “be fruitful and multiply…and have dominion over the whole earth.”

So, what is God’s revealed plans for same-sex couples or gays or lesbians?

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality…I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19, 21)

Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:19)

For a person to “not inherit the kingdom of God” or to be known as the “least in the kingdom of heaven” for all of Eternity are horrendous endings for humans, especially believers. I don’t claim to know how this will affect salvations, but what if gay believers end up in the outer reaches of heaven? So that the little bit of light they have may seem like darkness and they end up weeping and gnashing their teeth?

Not a happy thought, right?

Sadly, the same Satan who deceived Eve and caused Adam to rebel in the Garden of Eden is the one who speaks to the minds of gays, saying, “God is a God of love and as long as you’re in love with your partner, there’s no problem. After all, didn’t He create you this way?”

And as soon as a gay sins, Satan stands before God, accusing the gay, saying, “He has broken Your word, according to Leviticus 20:13, and deserves to die.”

How long can we believers ignore how the kingdom of darkness has imprisoned gays in their sins? Some of whom are believers who have been bought with the blood of the Lamb?

What can we do?

(Continued in Part 10…if you’re interested, the full series to date can be seen here.)

 

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November 5, 2015 · 10:33 am

Thursday’s Prayers for America (11/5/2016)

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“Even the smallest stream believes it’s the one which fills the ocean.” (Country Pastor)

In my thirty years of being a Christian, I’ve been a part of the Charismatic Movement, the Word of Faith Movement, Prophetic Movement, God is Love Movement, Home Church Movement, and now the Hebraic Roots Movement. Each of these movements have helped to restore important truths to the Body of Christ.

Even though the jury is still out on the Hebraic Roots Movement, all of the other movements have had the same flaw in their makeups. Each believed it was the complete answer to all of America’s problems, rather than just being a needed piece of God’s restoration process for His church.

This flaw always ends up in a “We’re right and you’re wrong” attitude among the movements’ members, which no matter how you decorate it, is still pride.

My prayer for today:

Lord, I pray that American believers will all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. (Based on Ephesians 4:13)

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you today?

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.

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