I Have A Problem

Monday, September 28, 2015

 “They had said. “Come, and let us wipe them out as a nation, That the name of Israel be remembered no more.”   For they have conspired together with one mind; against You they make a covenant” (Psalm 83:4-5).

 Hey Gang: In my eighty-two year -tenure on this earth I have heard mucho messages based on Ezekiel’s prophecy of the dry bones.  I confess in my early years I did not have a clue what the significance of that story was all about.  And then a profound thing happened on May 15, 1948, Israel became a nation AGAIN.  Now, I emphasize “AGAIN”. 

 I also confess that for the next seventeen years I did not pay much attention to Israel and the Middle East.  As a matter of fact,  did not pay much attention to anything that was spiritual.  You might say “I had a form of Godliness but denied the power”.  But one cannot be married to the bride-of-my-youth and her witness without feeling the conviction fires snapping at your heels. 

 I will not bore you with the process that took place in my life and changed my attitude from a powerless believer to a warrior-type person for Christ.    I will share -growth in Christ is not an easy process.  At least it was not easy for me.  My flesh fought it all the way and continues to send its barbs frequently today.

 When God called us from California to open what we thought was to be a foster home for four boys which turned into the miracle that the Eagle Village is today, there was a two- year period that was the most frustrating time in my life.  For two years I was the only ‘unemployed director of a non-existent home for boys with problems.’ This was one of the first of that new bred called the ‘stay at home dad’. (Jean was an elementary Teacher.)

 I thought it was a total waste of time but learned, in the years that followed, I could not have handled the constant pressures of building a program, raising the needed monies, and caring for the growing number of boys that God sent our way.  I found, in those early years, that the scar tissue earned during the two-year hiatus of waiting for God to say “Hey, now is the time, let’s go for it” was the glue that gave me the sustaining power to deal with what was to come.

 During the two years of waiting we had a neighbor; she was actually our landlady.  She was not very big physically, did not come up to my shoulders, but her spiritual height was far higher.  We spent many hours together discussing the many questions that kept surfacing in my mind  as I got more involved with God’s Word.    As I look back over that two-year period that I thought was frustration-ville, I  learned very quickly was a time of preparation and the foundation for what was  to come.

 Well, back to the topic of this epistle “I have a problem”.  In that two years I learned to love prophecy.  That is just the way I am, I want to know where I am, where I am going, and how I am going to get there.    It was during the time that Israel began to fulfill Zechariah’s prophecy found in Zechariah 12:2-3.  It was also during that time that I gained a great respect and love for Israel.

  During that time tI learned, as a believer in Yeshua, I had been grafted into His vine and one day, as a graftee, I would spend eternity with Yeshua and all the saints who have gone before me, for all eternity in the New Jerusalem. 

 Soooo, friends and family, I did it again.  I started out with a clear path of where I was heading -but lost my focus and ended up down a different path.  I will try again and give you the whys and wherefores of Why I Have a Problem in the next Gramps Morning Message.    

 Blessings  Gramps

 P.S.  During the two year hiatus referred to above, we were blessed to be able to  provide mentorship for a wonderful group of young people who wanted to learned about Christ and become effective witnesses for Him.   It was our sincere belief that without a proper foundation we cannot become effective witnesses for Christ; without knowledge of how to lead others to Christ, we are limited in our effectiveness as witnesses.  So, we developed a curriculum that we have taught many times since was published on August 23, 2015 on grampswhatshappeningman.blogspot.com for your review

 

 

Have You Touched Someone Today?

 Wednesday, September 23, 2015

"For Surely I know the plans I have for you, says he Lord...to give you a future with hope" - (Jerimiah 29:11)

 Barna reports that the Church in America is on a rapid road to the archives of history.  That most of the old-line denominations have seen a serious reduction in their enrollments and an even greater deterioration in attendance.  An old-salt pastor recently remarked, if you want to find some real peace and quiet, step into just about any church in town most of the time.    In North America, the majority of churches don't have as many members as they did ten, twenty and fifty years ago.  There is growing skepticism among many that the church is no longer relevant and will soon pass into oblivion. 

But, let me share another study that was recently completed in a Canada where a follow up question was added to the primary question:  “Are you an active part of a church?”.  The question ask, “Are you involved in a church? And if so, what church?  Those who listed no affiliation were referred to as the “nones”. 

But there was a second question added that showed the questioners the “nones” looked more like ‘somes’.  The bottom line discovered by the questioner was Canadians are still hungry, even when they deny it.  In my experience of working with young bucks, who had no contact with the religious world, I agree with that assessment.  Most had an itch they could not scratch and really had no idea what was causing that itch.

Let me take you down a side road for a moment before getting to the main point of what I want to share with you, there is a concerted movement on the part of our President and those he has appointed as the guru’s of our military; they are going to great lengths to remove Christ from the military.  But how many know, they removed God from our schools years ago and every time there is a test He shows up invited.  In times of conflict there are no such things as Godless fox holes or Godless cockpits of fighter aircraft. 

My bride, who is an avid reader and supplies me with many interesting goodies shared the following goodie:   A pastor of one of those small, and getting smaller churches in the Midwest, who never allowed  reality to discourage him.  One day I, his friend, asked him, " Pastor Bill, how do you stay so positive when your membership keeps shrinking?  Aren't you afraid you'll close?”

Bill smiled, “I don't know what you are talking about! "We're not shrinking.  We're growing - up ten percent from last year."  "Can't be, "His friend said, "I've seen your membership numbers.  Down every year for the last ten." 

"You count members,” Bill said, "but we count touches.  Anytime anyone in our church does something for someone else in the name of Jesus, that's a touch; a card sent, a phone call made, a meal delivered, a donation to the food pantry.  And our goal is to increase touches.  In the five years that we've counted this way, we've grown every year."

Soooo, Getting back to the ‘nones’ who were ‘somes’, let me share a personal opinion based on more than fifty years of experience of coming along side young folks and older folks and all types of folks who have need of someone to “reach out and touch them” I believe that is what Jesus meant when He said “there is no greater love than for someone to be willing to lay down their lives for someone who is hurting”.  He also said “for those who did this for the last of these my brethren I will bless.  (Hillbilly rendition).

You see when you reach out the touch  (in a smile, kind word...) to that person behind the checkout counter at Walmart. It releases a muscle in their face and a smile breaks out and you have planted a wee touch of heaven into their heart.  Do you have a quota of how many touches you will share today?  I have a theory: the discipline of setting a number for it does two things, it focuses your attention of the needs of people you come in contract with and God sends those who have needs across your path for “His touch through you”.

 Blessings, Gramps

 

Do You Feel Like Your Head Is In the Dumpster?

 Wednesday, September 16, 2015

 “And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10) “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Thess. 5:9)  read also Romans 5:9; Ephesians 5:6; Colossians 3:4 and Revelation 3:10).

 Hey Gang: Confession time!  Do not get me wrong, I do enjoy writing the morning messages but there is a very deep down-side to it – it requires doing a lot of research to keep you up to speed in what is happening in the prophetic world and that can be like a trip through the sewers of the world.  I am finding more and more focus on the stories of persecution, - nearly unbelievable stories of persecutions around the world and increased legal persecu-tion ncrease daily in our once land of the free ,and home of the brave.

 In my 82 years of tenure on this earth I have never seen so many, even Christians who are living in a depressed state of mind.  Never have I heard so many comments comparing what has happened and what is happening daily to our country to a funeral, death, despair and hopelessness.  Do you feel that way this morning?  If you do let me make a suggestion: find someone who has their head screwed on right and who inputs the Word of God on a regular basis.  Someone who has read the final chapters of the Bible and knows “We Win”!!!!

 Such a man is Pastor Vic Batista of Calvary Chapel Aventura in Miami who looks at the world from a biblical, prophetic, perspective, and that energizes him with tremendous hope.  He has a total “lock” on the truth of God’s redemptive plan for each and every believer.  He makes no bones about it, we live in very perilous times, but they are also very wonderful times - for we are living in the very midst of the fulfillment of God’s prophetic word that was given to us thousands of years ago.

 He pounds home the point that, being in the Word continuously and in depth, is the key to mental health and prevention of such things as fear and lack of hope.  When we are continually basking in the fulfilled promises, and keep in mind God has never left us dangling on one of His promises, they are fulfilled precisely and exactly as he said they would be fulfilled. Knowing that God keeps His promises radically helps us trust Him better and gives us hope for the future.

 This we can take to the bank!  In the end Jesus is the winner and evil will be defeated and destroyed!! Satan will be out of here and these amazing events are just around the corner. The ‘out of sight news’-God wants the faithful to live forever in His home with Him – the New Jerusalem.  That’s the very reason why mankind was created, so that we can have fellowship with God forever.

 I believe one of the most amazing verses in the Bible is found in Revelation 9:20-21 “The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear not walk; and they did not repent of their murderers not of their sorceries not of their immorality nor of their thefts.” (NASB)

 Soooo my friends, Jesus said:“But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because our redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28).  It is time to look up folks!

 Blessings, 

Gramps

But First the Apostasy Must Come

 

Friday, September 18, 2015

"Let no one deceive you in any way, for it (Day of Wrath) will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction. Who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God" (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).

 

"Know this, first of all, that in the Last Days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming?  For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation" (2 Peter 3:3-4).

 

Hey Gang:  I was checking out the weather when a program ad came on that got my attention advertising, ‘The Highway to Hell'.  It is the story of a tow-trucking firm in Alaska that answers the call when accidents occur on “The Highway to Hell”.   I haven’t a clue why someone would want to drive a semi load of steel up the side of an icy mountain road in a blinding snowstorm but for the almighty buck! It seems we can find someone to do just about anything. 

 

As I watched the program, and I admit I kind of got caught up in the tug of war that was going on between tow-truck operators and vehicles that had found their way off the mountain roads,  I even got a wee bit excited when I saw the tow-truck being pulled ever closer to an embankment by a huge semi that had gone over the side.

 

As I watched the process I thought of Anne Graham Lotz’s challenge to the church to get serious: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.  Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances.  But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-22).

 

So, what is the connection between the ‘Highway to Hell' story and Paul's teaching on what Christian conduct should look like? Is that not a picture of the church today?  Satan seems to be on a roll and one might get the idea that the church has dug its heels in but is slowly being dragged toward the precipice (the world!)

 

The tow-truck tug of War went on for several hours, frustration growing with each failure.   But just as they were ready to throw the towel and await the light of day a savior arrived on the scene, a second huge tow-truck. Within he hour ,they not only had the truck out of the ravine but it was upright.  I found myself rooting with the tow-truck drivers.

Soooo, In our Scriptures we are given clear warning that before the final chapter of man’s governments can begin, there will be a rapid growth in apostasy.  It will be a time when even many of the saints will be led astray.  I believe we are seeing this happen today.  But we need to read on in both of these Scriptures.

 

 

Notice 2 Thessalonians 2:8 “Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming” and In Peter we read “Be on your guard so that you are not led astray.  Grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen” (3:17-18). 

 

Blessings,

Gramps