Doug Tweed

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)

“We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” (1 John 5:19)

On Monday, the Fourth of July, we celebrated the 240th anniversary of the official beginning of the American Revolution. We call this Independence Day, but we did not achieve independence from the oppressions of the British crown on July 4. We declared our independence and initiated a revolution that would ultimately win that independence. Without a revolution defined by forceful commitment, courage, unity and sacrifice, our “land of the free” would not exist.
Today we are desperately in need of another revolution so this nation can be liberated from grave oppressions that are leading us all into destruction. As in 1776, our oppressors are rulers, but they are not men or women. They are neither the political establishment nor those seeking to become the new political establishment.
The “crowns” that are the true source of our oppression today are rulers of darkness under the lordship of Satan, the evil one.
Our candidate options in this election year are the worst I have ever seen, but even if they were better, they would be insufficient. Our solutions cannot be political because our root problems are not political. They are spiritual and moral – the result of a culture that has become more and more subjugated to these rulers of darkness. Our political situation is a symptom of this subjugation, not the cause. We need a revolution.
Our revolution is for the nation, but it must begin in the Church. As Christians, we are the only people who have the power to defeat this enemy. (Matthew 16:18-19) Yet, tragically, much of the Church has come under the same subjugations experienced by non-believers. It is time for the Body of Christ to break free so we can lead others to freedom! (Romans 8:19-21)
First, it is time to revolt against the rule of “mammon” – the love of wealth. (Matthew 6:24; 1 Timothy 6:10) Materialism has become the defining characteristic of our country. This leads to greed and covetousness, which motivate both those who have but always want more, and those who don’t have and want without effort what others have obtained.
Because we cannot wait to have things when we can afford them, we are also immersed in government and consumer debt we have no feasible way of repaying. All of this is causing ever-increasing socio-economic tension that will someday erupt into violence.
Second, it is time to revolt against the powers of “religiosity”, that is, religious practices that are devoid of a loving personal relationship with God.
Paul called this having a “form of godliness but denying its power”. (2 Timothy 3:5 NKJ) Many people today are satisfied with professing faith, attending services and performing liturgical practices without seeking to draw near to God or serve Him in any meaningful way.
Religiosity was also the sin of the scribes and Pharisees confronted by Jesus. (Matthew 23:13-39) Yet some denominational and congregational leaders continue to control, contain or appease their people rather than empowering the personal relationship and divine calling each Christian is to have with the Lord.

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)

James 4:8 is my life motto.  God promises if I draw near to Him, He will draw near to me.  What excites me most is that He repeats the invitation over and over!

First God invites me:  “Draw near to Me, Doug.”  When I draw near, God draws near just as He said He would.  And then He repeats the invitation so that I can draw still nearer.  When I do, He draws still nearer, and repeats the invitation again – nearer and nearer until I am in the fullness of His loving embrace.

The crucial question, of course, is. “How do we do our part?”  God clearly knows how to draw near to us, but how do we draw near to Him?

First, we must want to draw near.  Most professing Christians in our nation do not appear to have this as a priority in their lives.  Either they have not been taught this is an achievable goal, or they are afraid of the changes (and loss of control) that could result if they leave “religion” and enter into an intimate relationship with the Lord.

To all of us, God says, “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)

Second, we must recognize increasing intimacy with God is a lifelong process.  It is the progressive answer to what Jesus prayed: that we would become one with Him just like He is one with the Father. (John 17:20-23)

Scripture gives us guidance on steps we can take throughout our life to draw nearer.  Just as two examples, study the progression of the Beatitudes taught by Jesus. (Matthew 5:1-12)  Then study the steps to maturity of faith and fruitfulness described by the apostle Peter in his last letter. (2 Peter 1:1-11)

Third, we can on a daily basis seek to draw nearer to God in prayer.  My primary goal in this article is to offer an eight-step process for your prayer times that can help you draw near to God.

Step #1 is “Remembrance & Thanksgiving”.  As we remember all the Lord has already done for us, our hearts are filled with gratitude.  We enter His gates with thanksgiving. (Psalm 100:4)

Step #2 is “Praise & Honor”.  Our remembrance of all the wonderful things God has done will point us toward His immeasurable love, goodness, faithfulness, wisdom, power and majesty.  God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is so worthy of our praise and honor.  Through that praise, we enter His courts.

Step #3 is “Reverence & Humility”.  As we praise God, our increased awareness of His holiness and vastness will trigger an awe and reverence for Him.  This is the “fear of the Lord” as experienced by those who know God loves them unconditionally.  It was a crucial ingredient in the early Church that is tragically missing in much of the Church today. (Acts 2:43, 9:31)

The companion to reverence is humility – our awareness before God of how small, imperfect and dependent upon Him we are.  Only the humble can draw near to God. (Luke 18:11-14)

Step #4 is “Repentance & Forgiveness”.  As we humble ourselves before the Lord, our awareness of our continuing shortcomings leads to a desire to be forgiven and a desire to change.  This is not a time of condemnation because it happens in the atmosphere of God’s amazing grace.  We are forgiven, and while we remain a work in progress, we know we are God’s work in progress.

We are also God’s children.  Step #5, “Childlikeness & Intimacy”, is where we truly draw near.

My friends, the key to abiding intimacy with God is “childlikeness”.  Maturity in the eyes of the world is less dependence on your parents, and the development within yourself of more of what you need to succeed.  But maturity as a child of God means ever increasing adoration of, trust in and dependence on our heavenly Father and our eldest brother, Jesus, the Savior King.

Childlikeness brings not only trust and dependence, but delight in life, expectation, and eagerness to learn and do.  The Kingdom of God belongs to the childlike. (Matthew 19:14)  The things of the Kingdom are revealed to the childlike. (Luke 10:21)  Those who humble themselves with childlikeness will be called greatest in the Kingdom. (Matthew 18:2-4)

When God’s children come with childlike hearts to spend time with their Father, the Father rushes to embrace and bless them. (Luke 15:20)

Step #6 is “Experiencing & Receiving”.  You will wonderfully know God’s presence.  What you receive will vary in every prayer time depending upon what God knows you need – comfort, assurance, direction, revelation, healing or other blessing.

Step #7 is “Responding & Releasing”: doing what the Lord directs us to do with what we have received.  This will often lead to a time of intercessory prayer or other acts of ministry to others.

Step #8 returns us to where we began: “Thanksgiving & Honor” to the One from whom all good things come.

Each step in this prayer pattern prepares us for the next, so I urge you to take your time and not skip steps.

I would love to hear back from some of you after you practice these eight steps toward our Father.  They have never failed to draw me near to Him, and there is no place I would rather be.

God bless you, and God bless our community.

^“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17)

When we think of living in peace and joy with God, most Christians think of life in heaven and, ultimately, life in a new heaven and new earth.  There will be no more tears – no more death, sorrow, or pain. (Revelation 21:4)  God will dwell with us and the glory of God will be our unceasing light. (Revelation 21:3, 23-25)  It will be Paradise, wonderful beyond our imagination! (Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 12:3; Revelation 2:7)

What far too many of us fail to understand is our opportunity to live in peace and joy with God today.  Romans 14:17 is the key to several scriptures that offer this opportunity, and my goal in this column is to discuss how we can use this key to “enter in”.

First, we must remember that Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and He offers us His peace: the peace that surpasses understanding, while we still live in this broken world. (Isaiah 9:6; John 14:27; Philippians 4:7)  Once we learn how to fully receive this great gift, we can go through the challenges of this life with an untroubled heart and an inner sense of well-being and safety.

Second, we must remember that Jesus wants to fill us with His joy while we still live on this earth. (John 15:11)  The Gospel is “good news of great joy”, the joy of our salvation.  (Luke 2:10; Habakkuk 3:18)  We are invited to rejoice always, even when we are being persecuted for trusting Jesus, because the Lord will use both good times and difficult times for our benefit. (Philippians 4:4; Luke 6:22-23)

Once we learn how to fully receive this great gift of joy, the enemy’s attacks of depression, negativity, and unhappiness will have no way to penetrate.  We will feel in our hearts like the blessed people we are. (Ephesians 1:3; Matthew 5:3-12)

How then do we receive these amazing gifts of peace and joy?  Romans 14:17 tells us to focus on three things.

Focus on the fact that you are already part of the kingdom of God because you have put your trust in Jesus and submitted to His Lordship. (Revelation 1:5-6)  You are entitled by His grace to what His kingdom offers.

Focus on the Holy Spirit, who lives inside every born-again Christian.  God will dwell “with” us in the new heaven and earth, but God dwells “in” us right now!  He who is in us is greater than all of our enemies and all of our problems. (1 John 4:4; Romans 8:31-38)  God is able right at this moment to do far more than you could ask or imagine through His power at work within you. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

Finally, focus on righteousness.  But don’t focus on your righteousness.  Focus on the kingdom of God and His righteousness, as Jesus instructed in His Sermon on the Mount. (Matthew 6:33)

My friends, if I focus on my righteousness as the key to having peace and joy, I am in trouble.  I continue to fall short every day.  Times of righteousness in my thoughts, feelings and behavior may allow me to have some times of peace and joy, just like times of good circumstances in my life.  Most people can be fairly happy and content when everything is going well.

But things in this broken world don’t always go well, and I don’t always do right.  If I rely on my righteousness or my circumstances, then the best I can hope for is a life where I sometimes have peace and joy and at other times live in worry and stress.  That is not the kingdom.  That is not God’s will for our lives. (John 10:10)

In order to focus on God’s righteousness, ask yourself these questions.

• How much does God love you right at this moment?  How long will that love last?  Can anything separate you from this love?
• How forgiving is God?  How many of your sins have been paid for by the cross and forgiven?
• How good is God?  How good are His intentions for you right at this moment?  How long will He continue to have those good intentions toward you?
• How capable is God?  How wise, knowing and powerful?  How able to accomplish whatever He purposes to do?  Do you have any enemies or problems that can defeat Him?
• How near is God?  Will He ever leave you or take His eyes off of you?
• How trustworthy is God?

Romans 15:13 tells us God will fill us with peace and joy as we believe in Him.  In other words, peace and joy are the fruit of the Holy Spirit we receive by trusting in God and His righteousness. (Galatians 5:22-23).  If we trust Him at all times, then we can at all times have peace and joy in His presence. (Psalm 62:8)

I may only see dimly and know in part while I walk this earth. (1 Corinthians 13:12)  But even when seen dimly and known in part, God’s kingdom and righteousness are awesome! Darkness is increasing in our nation and in the world, but God’s light will not be overcome. (Isaiah 60:1-3)  Live in peace and joy with God!

God bless you, and God bless our community.

“And behold, a lawyer stood up to put [Jesus] to the test, saying, ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? How do you read it?’ And he answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.’ And He said to him, ‘You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.’
But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’ (Luke 10:25-29)

Like many of you, I have been preoccupied lately with our nation’s presidential primaries. For me, they have “primarily” been a reflection of what is wrong with our nation rather than a source of hope for our future.

Christie and I have wrestled with which candidate we can support and even how we should pray. Then, during a recent snow day, we watched a 1941 black & white movie called “Meet John Doe”.
The movie was produced and directed by Frank Capra, who also directed the Christmas classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life”. The setting is America shortly before we entered World War II, and two themes are interwoven.

The first theme portrays how those with financial and political power will use the media to manipulate the public for their own agendas. Sound familiar?

The second theme concerns how the every-day citizen can break free from being a pawn in these power struggles and find a life filled with more community, hope and joy.
Gary Cooper plays a homeless man hired by a newspaper to be “John Doe” and give speeches to the public that are actually written by one of their reporters. The messages encourage the public (the other “John Doe’s”) to see they are neither helpless nor hopeless because they can care for one another. “Be a better neighbor”. “Treat each other every day like we treat each other at Christmas.”

These simple messages ignite a wonderful movement. John Doe clubs are formed all across the nation. As people connect, they help each other. Lives and communities are transformed.
For the rest of the plot, see this great movie. The summaries on the Internet do not do it justice. What I have described here is sufficient, however, to explain what the Lord spoke into my heart as I watched.

“Be a better neighbor” and “Treat each other like we do at Christmas” really mean we are to love our neighbor. All Christians know this is part of the Great Commandment: love God with all you are, and love your neighbor as yourself. What too many Christians in America are failing to do is correctly answer the question, “Who is my neighbor?”

Jesus identified our neighbor in Luke 10 through the parable of the Good Samaritan. The rifts between his Jewish audience and Samaritans provided a perfect example to make His point. How many examples do you think the Lord could make use of in our nation today?

Then, just in case we choose to somehow limit the lesson of the Good Samaritan, Jesus adds the lessons of love in his Sermon on the Mount. (Matthew 5:43-48) Don’t just love people who agree with you or are nice to you. Love the people who are opposed to you. Pray for them. Show them hospitality. Don’t treat them the way they treat you. Treat them the way you want to be treated. (Matthew 7:12)

As a Christian gladly submitted to the authority of the Bible, I believe abortion and homosexual marriage are contrary to God’s will. And I believe Islam’s insistence that God has no Son is a horrible lie deceiving millions of people.

I also believe in fiscal responsibility, national security, the proper interpretation of our Constitution, and enforcement of the law.
On the other hand, politically speaking, I hate the residual impact of our nation’s history of racism, particularly in how it has trapped the urban black poor, and feel we should spend the time and money necessary to correct those wrongs. I hate pollution even if it doesn’t cause climate change. And I know illegal Mexican immigrants would never flock to our country if there weren’t American employers eager to put them to work.

How then am I to feel toward and treat the many people out there who oppose my values and beliefs? My Lord says I am to love them. I am to value their lives, have care and compassion for them, and treat them with respect.

This does not mean I set aside my beliefs or fail to share them. I am also not asked to ignore the steps necessary within these bounds of love to provide security for my family, community or nation.
God has made it clear to me, however, that if I don’t get love right, I won’t get anything right. (I Corinthians 13:1-3)

My proposal to all Christians is that in this election year, and for every year thereafter, we become active members in God’s version of a John Doe club: the “Love Your Neighbor” Club.
And when we are looking for our best candidates for President, look for those whose words and lives of service reflect that they are active members as well.

God bless you, and God bless our community

“And God spoke all these words, saying …“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them ….” (Exodus 20:1, 4-5)

The Ten Commandments are the ABC’s of righteousness – the fundamental rules of behavior given by God to His people at a time when they were not yet ready to understand the grace and truth that Jesus would bring. (Exodus 20:1-20; John 1:17)

Commandments #5-10 are concerned with how we treat each other. Commandments #1-3 are concerned with how we treat God. Commandment #4 bridges those two concerns by having us set aside time for both God and rest.

Our focus today is on how we treat God, and most particularly, how we should understand the 2nd Commandment.

Remember that our original sin was the desire to be our own god, deciding for ourselves what is good and evil. (Genesis 3:5-6) The 1st Commandment addresses this problem by assuring us God is God and we are not. It adds that we should also not make anyone or anything else our god.

The 2nd Commandment appears at first glance to be simply an adjunct to the 1st – a prohibition against making and worshipping wooden, stone or metal statues as gods, or as the representation of gods. However, this fails to take into account why mankind would do such a thing. As Isaiah so sharply pointed out, why would man grow a tree, cut it down, burn some of it to warm himself and cook his food, and then carve the rest into a statute and call it god? (Isaiah 44:14-19)

Our pagan ancestors made images and likenesses to worship as gods because they wanted gods that could address their daily needs and explain the many issues of life. There were gods of fertility, gods of war and death, gods of the harvest and the hearth, and many more. These gods might look like animals, or man, or a combination of both, but they always behaved like a more powerful version of man. In other words, and in every case, man was making god in his own image and likeness.

God gave the 2nd Commandment because He knew the instinctive heart of sinful man is, like with every two-year-old, to do what we want to do when we want to do it. If we cannot accomplish this by being our own god, our alternative scheme is to have gods who will be whoever we want them to be. This will justify our existing behavior and desires.

As Christians, we recognize God made us in His image and likeness, not the other way around. (Genesis 1:26-28) The clay does not get to shape the Potter. (Isaiah 29:16) The Father reveals to us who He is because we cannot figure it out on our own. (Isaiah 55:8-9; Matthew 11:27) He has done so through His Spirit-inspired Scriptures and, most completely, through Jesus Christ. (Psalm 119; John 14:9)

Unfortunately, our departure from worshipping statues has not put an end to our violations of the 2nd Commandment. Time and time again over the course of human history, Christians have edited or distorted the revelations of Scripture and the image of Jesus Christ so they could justify ungodly behavior. Men in power made Jesus in their image so they could commingle the Church and the Roman Empire, and declare a divine right to a throne. The Church conducted bloody wars like the Crusades and the Thirty Years War, and pogroms like the Inquisition, all in the name of Jesus.

Closer to home, distortions of Scripture and the image of Jesus were used in the South to justify slavery and the superior position of the white race. Other distorted images of Jesus were used in the North to justify murderous abolitionist raids. When war broke out, most soldiers in both blue and gray prayed in the name of Jesus before they fought and died, and this carried over to the difficult struggles of the Reconstruction Era and the Civil Rights Movement. Some, like Martin Luther King, got it right with a Christ image of love, non-violence and value of all people. Others on both sides did not.

Today in our nation, we face many cultural and political challenges: marriage, abortion, poverty, terrorism, healthcare, racism, sexism, law enforcement, religious freedom, immigration, environmental stewardship, and even constitutional authority. Some of our citizens will be purely secular in their approach to these issues, but there are also many professing Christians on both sides of virtually every aisle. We are supposed to follow Jesus, and He is not double-minded, so why are we? (James 1:8, 4:8)

My friends, we must all be very careful not to make Jesus in our image. On each issue, we must prayerfully study the character and teachings of Jesus as revealed in the whole of Scripture, and determine where He wants us to stand. Christ is not a Democrat or Republican, nor a progressive or libertarian, and He doesn’t ask us to simply pick the lesser of two evils.
Jesus is Lord, and He commands us on every issue to follow Him.

God bless you, and God bless our community.

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities- all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:15-17)

Today is CHRISTmas, the day that CHRISTians around the world celebrate the wondrous birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. Hallelujah!

Most birthdays are celebrated on the anniversary of the day when the birth occurred, but the Bible does not reveal the actual date when the baby Jesus came into this world. I am glad we picked a day to celebrate anyway because it is definitely a birth worth celebrating. And my proposal is that we expand the celebration to include another birth: the first birth of the Son of God that took place long before He was born again and laid in a manger.

All of us who trust the divine integrity of the Bible know that Christ existed before He was born of the virgin named Mary. Philippians 2 reveals how He was in the form of God, but humbled Himself to take on the form of a servant and the likeness of man. John 1 expands upon the Genesis 1 description of creation, revealing that God created everything through the Word, who was with God, and who was God, and who became flesh and lived among us.

We also know that Christ was already the Son of God before His birth in Bethlehem. Multiple scriptures tell us how the Father sent His Son to us. (Romans 8:3; 1 John 4:9-10) Since God inhabits eternity as the great “I AM”, without beginning or end, this leaves us with the staggering question of when the Father first birthed or “begat” His Son. (Exodus 3:14; Isaiah 57:15)
Orthodox Trinitarian Christianity has concluded from the whole of scripture that both the Father and the Son of God have coexisted in love throughout eternity, and my puny intellect is not about to challenge that.

At the same time, we must recognize that the relationship of father and son is a parent-child relationship, which fundamentally involves some type of birthing, “begetting” or coming forth. The Bible says God sent His “only begotten” Son to us. (John 1:14, 18 and 3:16, 18; 1 John 4:9) And Colossians 1:15, set forth at the outset of this Christmas column, calls Jesus “the firstborn of all creation”. What could that possibly mean?

We tread on very holy ground in discussing these matters, and can at best only know in part. (1 Corinthians 13:9, 12) But I believe Colossians 1 and John 1 combine to provide us a picture of the most glorious birth ever! At some point in the timelessness of eternity, the Eternal Father brought forth the Eternal Son, and through this the Father called all of creation into existence for His beloved Son.

Imagine for a moment the vastness of creation. We live as small people on a seemingly huge planet, but Earth is really just one small planet orbiting a sun that is one star in a galaxy of billions of stars. And our galaxy is just one of billions of galaxies. Yet all of this was created through and for Christ, the only begotten Son. It was a birth of glory, power and magnitude far beyond our comprehension.

Why do I bring such a mind-boggling topic up on Christmas Day? There are two reasons.

First, we can better understand the wonder of Christmas when we remember more clearly who Christ was before Bethlehem. The vastness and power of His first birth provide a vivid contrast to the humble setting where the Son of God was born again in a stable – laid in a little box used to feed livestock by a teenage mother whose people were in bondage. As Mark Lowry so poignantly sings, when Mary kissed her little baby, she kissed the face of God!

Second, we can better understand our own two births as Christians.

Our first birth, our so-called natural birth, is made possible by the first birth of God’s Son. We are part of creation, fearfully and wonderfully knit together by God in our mother’s womb. (Psalm 139:13-14)

This first birth is amazing, but it is also humble like the second birth of Christ. We may have been laid in a bassinette rather than a manger, but we were each a small, vulnerable and mortal infant.
Our second birth is made possible by the second birth of God’s Son. Because He came humbly as the Lamb of God, we can by faith in Him be “born again” – born of the Spirit, born of God! (John 1:12-13 and 3:3-7; 1 Peter 1:23) The Christ through whom all creation was made now lives inside us! (Colossians 1:27) Like the first birth of Christ, our second birth is a birth of glory, power and magnitude beyond what we have comprehended. (1 John 4:4; Ephesians 3:20)

As I treasure and ponder these things in my heart, all I can do is shout, “Glory to God in the highest!” (Luke 2:13-20) Glory to God!

Merry Christmas to you and to all our community!

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.” (Psalm 20:7-8)

“… if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face ….” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

It is time for Christians to recognize that there is no adequate political or military solution to the crisis of radical Muslim terrorism. There is no adequate political or border security solution to the complicated problem of illegal immigrants and refugees.

There are also no adequate political solutions to the fragility of our nation’s financial condition, to include our incredible national debt and the rising tension between the “haves” and “have-nots”; or adequate technological ways we can protect our children from the rising tide of immoral sexual imagery that saturates the media world in which we live; or adequate law enforcement strategies to keep insane acts of violence from occurring in our public places.

There are no adequate human-based solutions to any of these problems for one simple reason. The root of these problems is spiritual.

The true battleground for all these problems is the human heart, and the true foe is not flesh and blood, but spiritual powers of destructive evil. (Mark 7:20-23; Ephesians 6:12) Our 21st century versions of chariots and horses – our bombs and bullets, and our political and financial manipulations – are simply not up to the task. To the contrary, they have consistently made things worse.
As people of God, we know there is an answer to these problems. It is set forth in Psalm 20. Trust in the wisdom, goodness, and power of the Lord our God! And we know from 2 Chronicles 7:14 that trust in God does not simply mean sit and wait for a divine bail-out.

We love and trust the Lord by obeying His commandments. (John 14:21) One of His fundamental commandments is that we pray. (Mark 11:17) Other commandments tell us how we should pray if we want to see the amazing results He has promised.

Pray for His Kingdom to come on the earth and for protection from the evil one. (Matthew 6:9-13) Pray in His name with faith in His faithfulness: a confidence that when we pray His will, His answer is always “Yes”! (John 14:13-14; Mark 11:22-24; 1 John 5:14-15) Pray together because numbers matter, and pray in agreement because teamwork is essential. (Leviticus 26:7-8; Matthew 18:18-20; Matthew 12:25)

Finally, pray with passion and pray without ceasing. (James 5:16-18; Romans 12:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:17) God cares how much we care. (1 Corinthians 13) And the fire on the altar is never supposed to go out. (Leviticus 6:12) The Lord’s command is to “keep asking” because it is perseverance that brings breakthrough. (Luke 11:5-13, 18:2-8)

“Christ-ians” are the people assigned to this absolutely essential task of unceasing intercessory prayer: all those who belong to the Lord and are called by His name. In order for us to fulfill our collective assignment, we must be connected together in ways that we have not been yet been connected.

You are all invited to become part of the Watchmen Prayer Network of TN/VA, a newly birthed 15-county network of Christians in northeast Tennessee and southwest Virginia who are committed to covering our region in prayer 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 52 weeks per year.

For a comprehensive description of this regional prayer network, please go to watchmenprayernetwork.com, where you can learn in detail about its purpose, prayer focus, methods of operation, and how you can get involved.

In a nutshell, we are inviting Christians to commit to one or more hour-long prayer slots in the week. Each individual or small group will pray at their own home or wherever they choose. When all 168 prayer slots are filled, we will have continuous prayer coverage over our region, which is composed of the 15 counties where the Jesus Video Project was so successfully accomplished in 1999. Then we planted seeds. Now we water.

There are about 725,000 people in this 15-county region. 80% are over 16 years-old and about 75% of those are professing Christians. If all of those professing Christians were to take part, we would have 435,000 prayer warriors praying each week – as many as 2,500 for every hour of the day. Frankly, that is the way it should be, but even if we just get a 10% commitment, we will have as many as 250 believers praying every hour of every day. The impact of such prayer would be phenomenal!

Scripture tells us of the times God’s people prayed and worshipped, and the Lord struck down armies that were besieging them. (2 Chronicles 20:1-30; 2 Kings 19:35) God warned His people in advance of the ambushing strategy of their enemies, and even surrounded and disarmed enemy armies with angelic armies of fire! (2 Kings 6:8-23)

God gave His people godly leaders like Deborah, Gideon and David, and gave wisdom and revelation to ungodly leaders through godly advisors like Joseph, Daniel and Esther. The Lord converted Saul into Paul. And the Lord has not changed! All things are possible for those who trust and obey and pray! (Mark 9:23; John 14:12-14)

I beseech all of you to join this prayer network, and to urge your family and friends by personal contact or social media to join as well. Please be a hearer and doer of this word from the Lord. (Matthew 7:24-27)

God bless you, and God bless our communities.

“In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. (2 Samuel 11:1)

In 1963, our nation’s willpower was challenged by an advertisement for Lay’s potato chips that almost everyone still remembers today. “Betcha can’t eat just one!”
The reason we still remember this slogan is it was so true. That Lay’s potato chip was so light, salty, greasy and wonderfully tasty that none of us would eat just one. It was as if our hand and taste buds had a mind of their own.

Little did we know at the time how the fast food and snack industries would utilize that truth with salt, sugar and cheese to make trillions of dollars while our nation became more and more obese, diabetic and heart-unhealthy. Even less did we suspect how this slogan applies both individually and nationally to something far more dangerous than excessive salt and sugar.
I am talking about sin, and nothing in scripture illustrates my point better than what happened to King David in Numbers 11.

David was a man after God’s own heart. (1 Samuel 13:14) He was an extraordinary song-writer, worshipper, warrior and leader of warriors. David talked with God and sought to always keep his attention on God. (Psalm 16:8) He conquered Jerusalem and brought the Presence of God into that city so it could become God’s city. (2 Samuel 6; Psalm 48) God was so pleased with David that He made a covenant establishing David’s house and throne forever. (2 Samuel 7)

Then, one day in the spring, when kings go to war with their armies, David decided to sit out and let his armies go without him.
It is hard to blame David for wanting to have a spring break. He had spent most of his life in war or the wilderness. But it was the responsibility of kings to lead their armies, and there is no indication in scripture that David sought or received God’s permission to take that time off. So let’s call this Chip #1.
Because David was a warrior king, and all of his friends had gone off to war, he had less to occupy his time. He ends up taking a nap on a couch followed by a stroll on his roof, where he is able to witness a beautiful woman taking a bath.

This woman was one of David’s subjects, entitled to her modesty, and both adultery and coveting another man’s wife were violations of God’s commandments. (Exodus 20:14, 17) David should have looked away, but he didn’t, and he lusted for her. Chip #2.

David found out the woman was Bathsheba, the wife of one of his friends and mighty men, Uriah the Hittite. Now the loyalties of both kingship and friendship applied – another opportunity for David to catch himself. But instead he rationalized that while the cat was away, the mouse could play. In an action that was almost certainly more like exploitation than adulterous romance, he had sex with her, even though she was in the time following her menstrual bleeding when she was most likely to become pregnant. Chip #3.

As far as David was concerned, it was all over, but Bathsheba became pregnant, and now David needed a “cover-up” plan. He brought Uriah back from the battlefield hoping he would sleep with his wife and think the baby was his own. Chip #4. When Uriah was too honorable to do that, he got him drunk. Chip #5. When that didn’t work, he ordered his general to create a situation where Uriah would be killed. Chip #6. David then took Bathsheba as his wife and the baby as his legitimate child, and considered the whole situation successfully concluded. Chip #7 – bag empty.
Folks, you can’t eat just one. If a very godly David can go from taking unauthorized time off into voyeurism into lust into adultery into deceit into dishonor into murder, then what do you think will be your next step when you give in to a simple temptation like cheating on your taxes or expense account, flirting with that co-worker, taking a curious glimpse at pornography or sampling that “feel-good” drug. Romans 6-8 reveals that we no longer have to be slaves to sin, but we can still become slaves to sin if we keep making the wrong choices.

America also can’t eat just one. While our nation has never been perfect, we have a godly foundation just like David. However, when we gained political, military and economic superpower status after the end of World War II, it was as if we began to see ourselves as the good king of the world. The pursuit of prosperity and ease led to increasing self-indulgence, which led to the so-called sexual revolution and the inception of the drug culture, which led to the need to insist upon the right to abort unwanted babies, which led along with divorce to a devaluation of life and family.
At the same time, the pursuit of prosperity and power led to more and more greed, increasingly centralized political and economic power, and a growing gap between rich and poor. Covetousness, labelled as “wealth redistribution”, is just around the corner.

King David was confronted by God’s word and repented deeply for everything he had done. (2 Samuel 12; Psalm 51) He still suffered some consequences, but he ended well.
Will you and I do the same? Will America? All I know for sure is that there must be a confrontation with God’s word. There must be repentance. And there must be an understanding that you can’t eat just one.

God bless you, and God bless our community.

“And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, ‘Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe [“Aman”] in the LORD your God, and you will be established [“aman”]; believe [“aman”] His prophets, and you will succeed.’” (2 Chronicles 20:20)

“Truly [“Amen”], I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 18:18)

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

Every Christian I know speaks both Hebrew and Greek, although most of them don’t realize it. They all say, “Amen”.

Hebrew, Greek and English have very different alphabets, but the spoken word, “amen”, in Hebrew became the spoken word, “amen”, in Greek and later became the spoken word, “amen” in English. In other words, the Greeks adopted the Hebrew word, “amen”, as their own word, and then we did likewise. As a result, when we speak “amen” in English, we are also speaking it in Hebrew and Greek. Amen!

“Amen” is a word used frequently in Scripture. The Hebrew and Greek versions of the word appear over 220 times even though they are only translated into English as “amen” about 50 times. The last word in the Bible is “Amen”, and we all know how significant last words can be. (Revelation 22:21)

What makes “amen” extraordinarily important, however, is not how frequently the word is used, but what it means.

The most well-known meaning comes into play when a person says “amen” at the end of a proclamation or a prayer, such as Ephesians 3:21 or Psalm 72:19. Here it means, “Surely it is trustworthy and true”, or “I completely agree to the truth of that”, or “So be it”.

A lesser known but more frequent use of the Greek “amen” is when Jesus says what we translate into English, “Verily” or “Truly”, at the beginning of an important proclamation such as Matthew 18:18. Here it means, “This has been divinely established as trustworthy and true”. The New Testament reports Jesus doing this about 90 times. Every phrase that followed such a “Verily” had blockbuster significance for God’s people.

Finally, the least known use of the Hebrew “amen” comes in the word’s root form, “aman”, which, depending on the context, means “to trust and believe with certainty” or “to confirm, establish or support”. Abraham’s “aman” of God was treated by God as righteousness. (Genesis 15:6; Galatians 3:5-9) Likewise, we are told at 2 Chronicles 20:20 that if we will “aman” God, God will see us like He saw Abraham and establish or “aman” us! If we will “aman” His prophets, that is, His Word both written and truly spoken, then we will succeed.

For me, “amen” is ultimately a belief in my heart and confession from my mouth that I have come into agreement and alignment with a person or proclamation. My amen to Jesus as risen Lord is what brings me salvation. (Romans 10:9) My amen to God’s Word and Holy Spirit opens the door for me to receive all of His promises, for they are all established as “Yes” in Jesus. (2 Corinthians 1:20)

Why is it so important for Christians today to understand “amen”? It is because far too many of us are giving our amen to the wrong people and the wrong proclamations.
Some of us are giving our amen to arrogance and grandstanding. Others are giving their amen to fear, or to the coveting of what others have, or to materialism and greed, or to proclamations that are un-loving, condemning, judgmental and divisive.

Many of us are giving our amen to both political half-truths in the world and theological half-truths in our sanctuaries: doctrines based on man’s limited intellect that are directly opposed to Scripture.

What we fail to understand is how we become aligned with what we “amen”, and how we come out of alignment with God when we align with that which is not godly. Romans 1:32 indicates that those who approve of ungodly practices are, in the eyes of God, very much like those who actually perform those ungodly practices. Our criminal laws would use the term, “accomplice” or “aiding and abetting”. The last thing in the world we want to do is aid and abet the enemy. (Ephesians 6:10-20; 2 Corinthians 11:14-15)

Dear friends, I urge us all to give our unqualified AMEN to God. Amen to the Father! Amen to Jesus the only begotten Son! Amen to Holy Spirit! Amen to Scripture, from cover to cover! Amen to all our brothers and sisters who have joined with the great “Amen”! (Revelation 3:14)

As more and more of us on earth amen the God of heaven, we will see more and more of heaven established in the earth. (Revelation 22:17) Can I get an “Amen”?

God bless you, and God bless our community.

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. (1 John 1:8-10)

I have, with the persistent encouragement of my wife Christie, written and self-published a book.

The title is “Moon in the Darkness: 100 Reflections on the Kingdom of God”. Using a poem the Lord gave me in 1994 as a launching pad, I have selected ninety-four of the best articles I’ve written for the Kingsport Times-News, along with five stories and a puppet skit, to explore how Christians can reveal God’s kingdom to the world.

Self-publication is a rigorous process. When the first copy of the finished product arrived, I was excited, and proceeded to read the book even though I has already read all of the material there several times during the selection and editing stages of book preparation. Then the unexpected happened! The book I had written began preaching to me, and the preaching led to conviction. My friends, I talk it better than I walk it.

At first glance, such a confession can be very disturbing. We are all too familiar with people who “talk the talk” but don’t “walk the walk”. They are called hypocrites, and we know how many people have left the Church and even left the faith because of these hypocrites. I can’t bear the thought of being one.

Fortunately, I am not. My problem is not that I fail to “walk the walk”. It is simply that I don’t walk it as well as I could and should walk it. There have been times when my prayer life has been strong, and other times when it is woefully inadequate; times when my focus is on God and others, and other times when it is far too self-centered and self-indulgent; times when I am a patient and compassionate listener, and other times when … well, just ask Christie.

For over twenty years, I have been committed to the Kingdom of God and the war of good against evil. (1 John 3:8; Romans 12:21; Ephesians 6:10-20) Throughout that time, there has also been an ongoing war within me – the Spirit against the flesh. (Galatians 5:17) And while the Spirit wins more often than not, the flesh has not thrown in the towel.

So, what am I to do? Should I temper my “talk”, reducing the demands of discipleship to what I have experienced and achieved? No! Scripture defines the standards of living to which we are called, not my puny efforts. The God of glory calls us to glory. (John 17) Too many people have been setting the bar too low for too long.

Should I stop “talking” until my walk is stumble-free? No! Even near the end of his wonderful ministry, the apostle Paul knew he had not yet “arrived”, but he ministered while he pressed on toward the prize. (Philippians 3:12-15) I am no “Paul”, but my calling also is to minister while I press on, and to urge you to press on as well.

My proposal is that we all join a new “4H Club”.

First, be hungry for God and the things of God. (Matthew 5:6; Psalm 37:4)

Second, be honest with ourselves. Some of us struggle with complacency. (Revelation 3:14-22) Many of us have developed dependencies – habits of television, computer games, food, drink or other activity we rely on as simple pleasures of life, only to find that those simple pleasures receive far more of our time and attention than God receives. (Matthew 6:24)

Third, be humble and realize we may need some help to get rid of these encumbrances and entanglements that are hindering our walk with the Lord. (Hebrews 12:1) Hiding the truth about our struggles serves no one but the enemy. A spiritual mentor, a good pastor or a trustworthy small group can pray with us, encourage us and hold us accountable. (Ephesians 5:21)

Fourth, choose to be holy. (1 Peter 1:14-16) The scriptural meaning of “holy” is to be separated from the world and evil so you are more joined together with God and His goodness. The first step in separation is the choice we make to initiate separation.

Let me share two final thoughts that can help us as we press on. First, we are each a work in progress, but we are His work in progress. (Ephesians 2:10) Our job is just to cooperate, and His grace and love are still there every time we fail.

Last but far from least, remember this. God’s call is to the highest standards, but it always comes as a wonderful invitation and never comes with condemnation. (Romans 8:1)
As to my book, I hope some of you will be interested. Local people can purchase it through our ministry at a small discount. Everyone can visit the website, www.mooninthedarkness.com, where both the book and e-book are available. It is even on Amazon!

God bless you, and God bless our community.