A message for 2013

Well this is it. 2012 is ending and I found an article from Franklin Graham that says pretty much what I wanted to say, so I give you this article via a wonderfuly God gifted messenger.  There are some real points to think about.
Franklin: "Amid the "most wonderful season of all" comes the tragic news of a deranged young man entering an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., killing 27, including 20 children. Tragically, Christmas for these families will likely be the darkest of many dark hours to come.  The days when parents could send their children off to school with confidence that they would be cared for and protected seem long gone.
Just this summer we watched a senseless shooting spree in a Colorado movie theatre take the lives of 12 people and injure another 59. The national premiere of "The Dark Knight Rises" had Americans clamoring for tickets, to be entertained by violent behavior.  When tragedies like these occur, why do we respond with such shock and awe?  Psychiatrist Keith Ablow said, "This kind of shock registers with people-because it seems like the unthinkable keeps moving into the sphere of our reality."
The "unthinkable" first surfaced in mankind thousands of years ago when Cain killed his brother Abel out of mere jealousy and rivalry. God had warned Cain, "Sin is crouching at your door, "but Cain ignored God's word and committed murder.  God punished Cain for taking innocent life but the violent shedding of blood has continued for centuries. Why?
The Bible answers this question with certainty, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). In fact, the Bible gives clear testimony to just how evil the human race became.  "The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  And the Lord "was grieved in His heart"(Gen. 6:5-6).
Where do we go from here? We might start by looking at what we watch and listen to.  For example, South Korean rapper sensation, Psy, who has gained worldwide acclaim by singing that Americans should be killed "slowly and painfully," including, daughters, mothers, daughters-in-law and fathers" was featured last weekend at "Christmas in Washington," a charity concert attended by President Obama.  Parents and children are feeding on entertainment that portrays violence whether through lewd television programs, violent movies, offensive music, vulgar video games and anything goes internet gaming sites.
Society craves violence as long as it comes in the form of entertainment. Our outlook changes when we become its victims. This is precisely why God did not stand by unconcerned.  His love for mankind is so overwhelmingly powerful that His wrath against evil is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and the unrighteousness of men (Romans 1:18). The Bible says that people suppress the truth through unrighteous behavior that begins in the mind.
During this Christmas season (P.Baer added, the year 2013), we should turn our minds and hearts from wickedness and remember what God has done for the world He loves.  He sent His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Christmas Child to point us to the way of truth. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting Life"(John 3:16). His innocent blood was shed to cover our sinful hearts, and to those who will seek Him, He offers His abiding peace. He is the peace that surpasses all understanding.
The same God who gave the world His greatest gift, will also comfort the hearts of the grieving - in Newtown, Conn., or anywhere else - for He understands grief.  He became a curse for us so that His promise would be fulfilled through faith in Him (Galatians 3:13).  This is the shocking awe, that God would send so great a message in the form of a child.  Indeed, this is the message of Christmas.(added P. Baer...for 2013).

Mighty Years

As the 2012 year comes to a close it is dreadfully obvious that the world and people in general are regrettably closer to wicked anarchy than ever before.

As many of us watch the world moral structures collapsing right in front of our eyes, it is apparent that there will be no cessation anytime soon.  There are very few voices crying out against a sinful over-indulgent population and the voice of Christ is purposely censored.........but that is the world, isn’t it?  Christ’s strong influence has never overwhelmed the world.

Then there’s the world of the church, which should be glorious, but in that world, we see Christians in bondage, unable, unaware or not wanting to get free; we see materialistic Christians with no regrets about their wants and selfish pleasures. False teachers are rampant in the church. We see little lambs (new believers) leaving their sins from years past, only to turn around and go back to them as though it is now ok to indulge in vulgarity, visual nudity, sensual pleasures, and worldly activities...and some actually try justifying it.
There is not so much a misunderstanding about salvation in the church as there is a badly represented teaching about sanctification, holiness, grace, virtue and Christian living.

I can hardly express my sincerest concerns for the church right now.  My thoughts at their highest pinnacle of oration fall so short of my heart’s deepest troublings and despairs for my flock, my country and my God and Savior whom this world ignores at great peril and the church disobeys with terrible consistency. 

This year – 2013 - I am dedicating as the ‘Year to Hear the Lord.’

There are many ways to hear God’s voice; one of them is through His Word!  We can also hear Him in our hearts, if we will just listen. Then, we can hear him in the Spirit if we pray attention! (neat play on words, huh?) Other times, we out and out seek Him by prayer & fasting.

This brings me to the point of my blog.  I am extending to you an invitation to join all of us at the "SUB" from January 6^th to the 27^th, as a time to set aside for fasting & prayer. I am asking you, no I’m pleading with you to join me and my entire congregation in seeking God’s will during these consecrated 21 days of fasting and prayer. Twenty-one life-changing, neighborhood-changing, heart-changing, bondage-breaking, stronghold-tearing-down days. Many are already sharing with me their excitement for this fast and what the effects will be in their lives throughout the year.

I believe fasting in January will set the pace for hearing God the rest of the year and allow us to see great things take place individually and within the Body of Christ for days and months and hopefully years after it is over, making 2013 the most powerful of the upcoming ‘Mighty Years’ that we will experience in our lives.’Yes, I did say, ‘Mighty Years!’ because when the people of the world turn to wickedness, the people of God turn to the Lord. When they do this, the Lord blesses those who seek and follow Him.  The scripture says in Romans 5:20 ‘where sin abounded, grace did much more abound’ (KJV)

When we choose to serve God willingly, purposefully and faithfully in the midst of evil and wickedness, the Lord will reward openly. And I certainly see great wickedness out there, how about you? 

We want a fresh wind (fresh vision) blowing through  our lives.. We want to be able to say to God.......  “I want the blessings, Lord, and I’m willing to obey Your Word to see them come to pass.”

No great revival, leader, preacher or evangelist has ever seen great events take place within their ministry without the power of a holy fast.  Let’s join together in solidarity, and fast to hear the will of our Father. On Sunday, January 6^th we will proclaim a churchwide fast and ordain and consecrate that day for such.

God bless you dear one.  I will be using my blog for messages on fasting, to stir powerful points and reflections of the fast during these next twenty-one days to help keep you informed of the events during our fast and then we will see the season of the “Mighty Years’ begin!

Pastor Paul  

Plucking Thistles

Abraham Lincoln once said, "Die when I may, I want it said of me by those who know me best that I have always plucked a thistle and planted a rose when I thought a rose would grow." He said this after a brief visit from Laura Sue Jones on Christmas Day, 1864.  Miss Jones was a 23 year old woman from the South trapped in Washington D.C. since the beginning of the war.  She desired a pass to cross Union lines and travel to Richmond, where she planned to marry a Confederate soldier.
Moved by the emotional plea of this overlooked girl, President Lincoln nodded his head, picked up a pen, and wrote a special travel pass.  Miss Jones was speechless.  Falling to her knees before Lincoln, she grasped his hand in gratitude. He insisted she get up and thank God, not him.  Rising, Miss Jones replied, "Good-bye, Mr. President, and may God bless you. I doubt that I will ever see you again until one day we meet in heaven. Lincoln answered, "That you wish me to get there is, I believe, the best wish you could possibly make for me.  Good-bye Miss Jones."
Mr. Lincoln honored this outcast thistle by re-planting her where she could bloom as a rose.
Pastoring often includes dealing with those who feel overlooked, outcast, and unappreciated.  These may be people such as the elderly, homeless, or challenged in some way.  God chose to honor some very overlooked people one night by sending to shepherds the first birth announcement of his Son. Think of this, when a baby is born, the first to be called are usually the immediate family and the closest friends-not some total strangers.
I am sure the shepherds felt honored and surely asked, "Why us? Who are we? Shouldn't the religious leaders know first?"
Today I am asking you, as you read this to connect with someone disadvantaged.  Ask the Lord to show you in what way you can pluck a thistle and plant a rose. There are so many thistles out there that feel overlooked and dishonored. 
Lord, show us how to honor a thistle we know or meet along the way, and make him or her bloom like a rose.