The Living Word of God Gathers Us to Him :: By Lynda Janzen

Published on: by RR10 Category:General Articles

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

Growing up in the Catholic Church, we were not encouraged to read the Bible by and for ourselves.  We were also not encouraged to think of our Saviour as our personal Redeemer.  He was the Son of God, and what Jesus did on the cross could only be understood in terms of the ritual mass, which, technically, crucifies Him over and over and over again.  My own experience of finally reading the Bible by myself, having direct access to God’s Word, is the basis for this article.

God’s Word says that His only begotten Son, the Christ, came to earth, in love, to shed His precious blood – once – and for all persons, everywhere, and for all time – to cover the sin of the world.  When we believe this, and call upon the Name of the LORD, in the Name of Jesus, and repent of our sin, every transgression against the LORD Most High is atoned for.

Hebrews 9:12 “He did not enter by means of the blood goats and calves [Hebrew sacrifice], but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.”

Also, according to the psalmist, even the guilt of our sin is forgiven.  “Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not cover up my iniquity.  I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.  And You forgave the guilt of my sin’” (Psalm 32:5).

So, if we are cleansed, once and for all, from sin by accepting Jesus’ sacrifice, why do we continue to read the Bible?  Answer: The acceptance of our free gift of Salvation is only the first step of the journey home to our Sovereign God and eternal life with Him.

The Living Word of God is not only a guide to living in and for Christ, it is also a real help in times of trouble, a true solace for the broken-hearted, a source of joy and peace, and a guide to being the loving, productive human being God created you to be.  Let me just say here, “I am sorry I didn’t discover all this about God’s Word sooner in life.”

Hebrews 4:12 tells us God’s Word is living and powerful.  The living Word?  Every time we read through the Bible, we discover something not noticed before, and it is usually something that has a significant message for our own life or the life of someone we love.  Just one example of this:  In 2017, I was told by doctors that I probably had Pancreatic cancer.  Of course, I went to the LORD’s Word for comfort and for advice as to how to proceed.  Deep inside, I felt pretty sure it was NOT cancer.  The LORD seemingly concurred, leading me to Psalm 30, verse 5:

“Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”

It was a short, memorable verse, and I lived in it for weeks.  After two CT scans, two MRI’s, and enough bloodwork to fill a bath, it turned out I do have a 4-inch-long tumor in the pancreas, and it will likely be with me until I die.  But it is not cancerous, as the passage of time well indicates.  It has been eight years now.  The prognosis for untreated pancreatic cancer is 6 months to a year.

Now, am I advising you to not listen to medical advice?  In the words of Apostle Paul, “BY NO MEANS!”  Have the tests, but do trust in the Word of God for comfort and guidance.  Most of all, take the advice of Jesus and ‘DO NOT FEAR.’

Throughout the ordeal of 2017, there was never a moment of fear.  At that time, I was 70 years old — the Biblical 3-score and 10.  Knowing and studying the words of Jesus allowed me to celebrate that whatever He had in store for me was going to be amazing.  If He was choosing to take me home, how could I not find joy in that?  If He chose to have me stay here, that meant, to me, that my work was not yet done.  More rejoicing!

Knowing we have eternal life in the LORD can provide freedom from fear and anxiety, and we who follow Jesus Christ need to keep this in mind.  Keeping our minds firmly entrenched in His Word is the best way to achieve peace of mind, peace of soul, and even peace in our bodies.

Then, when our time does come to an end, we can embrace the inevitable last journey with a peace and joy that gives glory to our God.

Over the years, I have watched many people in the throes of death.  Even if I didn’t know the people, I could tell which ones were Christian.  They were the ones comforting those around them who were grieving.  They were the ones giving thanks to the LORD in the midst of their pain.   Their families were sad to watch the process but quietly rejoiced at their passing, knowing their loved one was firmly ensconced in the arms of The One Who loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son to atone for its sin.

In these last days of uncertainty, fear-mongering, and almost-universal deceit, pick up a Bible and immerse yourself daily in God’s Word.  It is salve for your soul, peace for your mind, and comfort in the midst of the pain of living in a dying world.

One other word – John 1:1-5, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.  In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”  Yes!   Jesus Christ is the Word of God.  Wonderful, isn’t it?

Love, grace, and peace to every reader, and all Glory to God!

MARANATHA

…When a Blessed Nation Turns Its Back on God? :: By Dr. David R. Reagan

Published on: by RR10 Category:David Reagan, General Articles

Anarchy and Apostasy: What Happens When a Blessed Nation Turns Its Back on God?

In 1999, I wrote a book titled Living for Christ in the End Times. It was published in the year 2000. The subtitle I gave the book was “Coping with Anarchy and Apostasy.” To my chagrin, the publisher refused to use the subtitle. There was not anything I could do about that because in the book publishing world, publishers have absolute control over cover designs and titles. (In 2015, when we published the second edition, I jerked the book from the publisher and gave the book the subtitle I had desired.)

When I asked the publisher why my subtitle had been refused, I was told that it was “too radical.” When I asked why, I was told that apostasy in the church was not all that bad and that our society was nowhere near anarchy.

My response was that the subtitle was a prophetic one based on our nation’s rejection of its Judeo-Christian foundation. I had not been given any special revelation by God. My prediction was simply based on what the Scriptures say will happen to a blessed nation that turns its back on God.

Romans Chapter 1

Specifically, Romans 1 says that when a nation starts rebelling against God, He will lower His hedge of protection around the nation and allow sin to multiply. The first manifestation will be a sexual revolution. God will give the nation over in “the lust of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them” (Romans 1:24). Our nation experienced this phenomenon in the decade of the 1960s with the Hippie Revolution and its emphasis on “free love.”

Romans 1 next says that if the nation refuses to repent, God will lower the hedge of protection further, and the result will be a plague of homosexuality. God will give the nation over to “degrading passions,” for the women will “exchange the natural function for that which is unnatural” — and the men will do the same (Romans 1:25-26). Beginning in the 1970s, our nation started experiencing an outbreak of homosexuality and its demand for same-sex marriage and the endorsement of transgenderism.

The final step in God turning our nation over completely to its sins of rebellion occurred when He lowered the hedge a third time, resulting in the nation being turned over to “depraved minds” (Romans 1:28). That is where we are today.

America’s Current Situation

Currently, we are a nation in full-scale revolt against our Creator, who has been the source of all our national blessings. I am reminded of what Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said when he was asked what happened to Russia that led to 70 years of Communist dictatorship. His response was short and to the point: “We forgot God.”

Our nation is now experiencing both gross apostasy and extreme violence. The Judeo-Christian foundation that held us together for 200 years has evaporated. In 1955, 91% of Americans claimed to be Christians. Today, that number has fallen to 61% — and many, if not most of these, are Cultural Christians only.

Our nation has been fighting a “cold war” for the past 50 years, as pagans have rejected our Judeo-Christian heritage and have increasingly targeted Christians and Jews for persecution.

I suggest that the assassination of Charlie Kirk will one day be viewed as the point at which our cultural “cold war” morphed into an all-out civil war. Increasingly, I believe we are going to find ourselves drowning in both apostasy and anarchy.

Apostasy and Anarchy

Our churches are wallowing in apostasy as they endorse homosexuals as pastors, elders, and deacons. They are also accepting and performing same-sex marriages. Some are even conducting drag queen services. The Catholic Church has returned to preaching “works salvation.” Protestants are no better, as they are now teaching that there are many roads to God. The latest “State of Theology” poll by Ligonier Ministries revealed that 47% of Evangelicals believe God accepts the worship of all religions and that 53% assert that most people are inherently good. The same poll also revealed that 49% of American adults view Jesus as a great teacher but not God.

On the anarchy scene, the evening news on television every evening is packed with scenes of violent radical groups attacking police officers simply because they are trying to enforce the law. Others are raising money to support murderers, like the one who shot the CEO of United Health and the young man who killed Charlie Kirk. Public opinion polls are showing that increasing numbers are saying that they approve political assassinations. The situation is so bad that the President is in the process of deploying military troops in our major cities. I truly believe the values of our nation have become so perverted that if a person were to kill President Trump, the assassin would be hailed as a national hero.

It appears that God has turned our nation over to what theologians called “abandonment wrath.” This happens when God steps back, removes his protection over a nation, and allows it to destroy itself.

The Future

Our nation is facing a cloud of gloom and doom, but there is a silver lining. Jesus said that in the end times, right before His return, the world will become as evil as it was in the days of Noah (Matthew 24:37-39). If you will take a look at the Bible’s description of those days in Genesis 6, you will see that they were characterized by two things: immorality and violence. We have arrived.

And that means Jesus is about to break from the heavens. It’s the reason Adrian Rogers used to preach, “The world is growing gloriously dark.” It is also why Jan Markell often says, “The world is not falling to pieces. Rather, the pieces are all falling into place.”

The cry of my heart is summed up in the words of the prophet Isaiah recorded in chapter 64: “Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at Your presence — as fire kindles the brushwood, as fire causes water to boil — to make Your name known to Your adversaries, That the nations may tremble at Your presence!”