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4th of july, america, bicentennial, celebration, tall ships

Tall Ships Bicentennial memory, 1976

Posted on July 4, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

I’ve been reminiscing this morning about the 4th of July in 1976. It was our nation’s 200th anniversary, and I lived in Rhode Island then. I was 15 1/2 and massively excited about the Tall Ships.

My grandparents had bought a beach house in 1938. The thing to do back then was buy a seasonal cottage by the bay or ocean, and the family goes to the cottage all summer while the men commuted to work. The state’s nickname is The Ocean State because of so much ocean coastline everywhere.

So in 1938 my grandparents bought a cottage on a small hill overlooking Narragansett Bay, which led to the Atlantic Ocean. It was unfortunate/fortunate…the 1938 hurricane wiped out RI as far inland as Providence, and destroyed huge swathes of coastline and many hundreds died. It wrecked the cottage pretty bad. It was unfortunate that they had the beach house only a few months before the state’s worst hurricane hit, but fortunate because they could rebuild it to their liking. Over the years they added on and enlarged it, slowly.

The Bay was great. It was a giant playground for us kids and cousins. Back in the 60s and 70s kids did stuff and we didn’t die, lol. Every kid had a ramshackle boat of some kind or another. My dad used to tell us when he was a kid they’d come to the beach house for the summer and he’d find a boat with holes in it abandoned on some mudflat, and he and the cousins would fix it, and they scraped up a motor from somewhere and fix that, and then they’d go out onto the Bay and get quahogs and fish for bass. (Quahogs are a clam you dig out of the mud flats at low tide, but way out far and low tide only).

In my day we had a new Boston Whaler to go around in. Can you imagine sending your ten and twelve year old kids out onto the bay in a boat for the afternoon and say ‘come back for dinner,’ LOL! But that’s what we did, mess around in boats, and mess around in the water and jump off the dock all day until our hands were pruny and our lips were blue.

On the 4th of July it was great because you could see all the towns’ fireworks from across the bay. Us kids would be running up and down the beach in the dark holding sparklers and whooping with joy as kids do. We were barefoot of course and I remember stepping on a sparkler that had just gone out and someone had thrown to the sand. It really hurt and the shock of the fiery pain was too much for old sensitive me, so forever after that I was not such a huge fan of sparklers. But I do think they are pretty.

The grownups had all sorts of amazing and highly dangerous fireworks. Before they were banned by the US government in 1966, they set off cherry bombs, and there were bottle rockets and lots of other things they spent hundreds of dollars on to have a blast creating their own fireworks show. Then we’d watch everybody else’s show.

In 1976, for the first time in history all the Tall Ships from around the world were going to gather at Newport RI. It was a huge, huge event. We’d eagerly read the paper every day for months before the time, watching to see which new Tall Ship was responding to the invitation. The list was growing longer and longer. Tall Ships from Russia, Argentina, England, all over, were going to sail up Narragansett Bay from Newport in a parade. The Newport Bridge was lined with people, thousands upon thousands lined the shorelines, and the Forts on all the islands dotting the bay. We piled in boat, and got into the mix of the thousands of boats crowding the bay to see this historical event.

Part of the event was a tall ships race from Bermuda to Newport. Wow, that must have been something to be in Bermuda’s Hamilton Harbor and hear the cannon and see them unfurl sail and take off across the bounding main!

There is something so elegant and majestic about a Tall Ship under full sail. The Secretary of the Navy came to RI for the ceremonies, and after the ships parade they docked at Newport and you could tour them. Prince Harold of Norway came over on one of them and also attended the ceremonies. It was so much fun. Eighteen tall ships from 14 nations came to RI for the 1976 4th of July. The boats were actually heading to NYC for the actual 4th where there would be a massive fireworks celebration and another parade up the Hudson River.

From Newport RI Archives. See the men on the spars?!

source

This is a picture of Operation Sail Bicentennial 1976 in NYC from the South’s Grit Magazine! The ship is the Coast Guard Tall Ship USS Eagle. What a great ship!

source

Here is a write up,

“Operation Sail 1976 provided a centerpiece for the U.S. Bicentennial celebration. The event took five years to plan, featured more tall ships … including the Soviet Union’s czarina of the sea, the Kruzenshtern, which Frank Braynard had won over against all political odds on a trip to Moscow. … They proceeded “in company” to New York, where they were met by a vast spectator fleet. In partnership with the Navy, Operation Sail 1976 also resurrected the tradition of holding an International Naval Review, which brought together a peacetime armada of 50 warships under as many flags. From the deck of the USS Forrestal, President Gerald Ford reviewed the parade of sail, complete with a 21-gun salute. In Frank Braynard’s estimation, it was “the biggest assemblage of ships since the Battle of Navarino in 1827.”

That was a day you just never forget, the elegance of the ships and the pride in our nation and the celebrations all over. It felt great to be a part of it and just to be alive and young in America.

So cut to 1994 or so. My husband and I were living aboard our 37 foot yacht and had sailed far up the James River in VA and anchored at a kid of watery cul de sac. Not many cruising sailboats went up this far, it was a long way up and a long way back. But the high green hills and the peace were what we sought, and even better was knowing the William and Mary College was a short distance away and adjoining that, a park. It would be quiet and far from the cruising hubbub that sometime got to us as we cruised south to the Bahamas with a fleet of other like-minded live-aboard cruisers. It was the equivalent of taking a turn onto a dirt road as you drove south on the highway from GA to FL.

We got settled, anchoring the boat and buttoning up the sails etc. We were thinking about what to make for dinner when we heard a ‘whoosh’ and turned to look at the river entrance. It was a tall ship! The HMS Rose (right) was making a slicing sound in the river and the whoosh was the wind in their sails. Our boat was the only boat in the river and immediately the Rose aimed for us. They lowered the US flag and put up the Jolly Roger, lol, a bunch of sailors being trained were now having a bit of marine fun. They circled around us under full, billowing sail. It was thrilling to see a tall ship this close, just 50 feet away. As they tacked around us and sailed a bit further away, they let off the cannon! A boom and a puff of smoke and cheers from the sailors broke the stillness of the quiet waters and woke the sleeping geese along the shore.

We laughed in joy and just like that, the ship swapped the Jolly Roger for the US Flag again and sailed out of the cul de sac and back down the James River. We felt honored to have been given this treat. If we hadn’t seen it ourselves we would not have believed it. It all happened so fast!

The collegiality of the sailors on the ocean is universal, irrespective of nationality or type of ship or anything. It hits us hard when a ship sinks and even worse a stalwart old workhorse is lost to us. In Hurricane Sandy last October, the replica of the HMS Bounty sank off NC. This Bounty was the very same used in the 1960 s film Mutiny on the Bounty and the same ship what was used in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

Still from coast guard helicopter video

This was a shocking photo to many people-and a sad one. Not only the majestic ship of the sea is gone but two people lost their lives, including the captain- who was never found. The crew says he said he’d go down with the ship. The Coast Guard concluded that he did. He had snatched a photo of his wife from his captain’s desk first and clung to that as he went down. He died with honor. Captain, I salute you.

For us mariners, when a ship goes down it’s like losing one of our own.

Growing up in Rhode Island we were on the water constantly, it was part of us. The wind, the tides, the fog, the lighthouses, the buoys…all part of our language. Boston’s harbor, Narragansett Bay in RI, Nantucket’s whalers, Gloucester’s fishermen, Plymouth’s Mayflower which we would go see on school field trips. The sea is in my blood. I’ve lived aboard my own boat, sailing almost 12,000 nautical miles. I’ve been on ferries, skiffs, cruise ships, ice breakers, barges and schooners, and my knees instinctively know how to bend and blend with the waves and the motion of the boat.

I have been through mighty storms and anchored in quiet waters. I’ve seen the rainbow over the harbor and the moon rising above the phosphorescent waters. I have lived this verse from Psalms, and it made me see the greatness of my Lord and the smallness of myself, a human not worth even His notice as an unsaved sailor, but later saved by His grace. Looking back I see how tremendous is the earth and the seas and all their secrets. He brought us safely to our desired havens of safe ports again and again, and later, as a soul lost in the sea of sin, He brought me out of the miry ocean to the haven of His bosom, justified and righteous, dry and warm, forever.

“They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep. For he commands, and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit’s end. Then they cry to the LORD in their trouble, and he brings them out of their distresses. He makes the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he brings them to their desired haven.” ~Psalm 107:23-30

Rainbow over Marsh Harbour, Abacos, Bahamas

focus on the family, genuine faith

Focus on the Family, Bono, & who is a Christian? Part 2

Posted on July 3, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

This series of posts will look at one issue divided into three parts:

1. Focus on the Family’s increasing apostasy
2. Whether Bono is a Christian
3. Lack of discernment in Christians today/ not everyone who claims Jesus is a Christian

Part 1: looked at Focus on the Family. In that part, I’d mentioned that the Christian organization Focus on the Family (FOTF) interviewed the Irish rock singer Bono this week, and was impressed with Bono’s Christian walk. Interviewer and FOTF President Jim Daly had written an opinion-editorial response to the show which was published in the Washington Post and also on FOTF blog.

I’d also mentioned that previously FOTF had displayed less than discerning attitudes when hosting occultist Roman Catholic Anne Rice on their show and refusing to call Roman Catholic apostate. They had also partnered with Catholic Mystic Roma Downey and New Age husband Mark Burnett to oversee the theology and then promote the History Channel miniseries The Bible. All these comments with links and bible verses can be seen at part 1.

Part 2: Is Bono a Christian?

The title of Mr Daly’s op-ed piece about Bono is called ““Why Orthodox Christians Should Appreciate An Unorthodox Bono“. This is not to be taken lightly. A mature male elder of my faith is telling me, a fellow Christian, to pay attention to the faith and works of a certain person. Therefore I do two things: I pay attention, and I test all things by comparing what this recommended person says, against the word of God.

The test came up short. Bono is not a Christian.

But what if I had not tested against the word of God? And, why is a mature elder of the faith not exhibiting more discernment? That is the problem.

Let’s go to the beginning. Bono is a multi-million dollar rock star who says he is a Christian, and has for many years been involved in good causes, particularly ending poverty and bringing awareness to preventable diseases such as AIDS and malaria. The current campaign that Bono and his associates are involved in is an organization Bono started called ONE and it aims to end extreme poverty, especially in Africa, in this generation.Here is the link to the interview between FOTF and singer Bono.

U2’s Bono Discusses Faith, Helping Others With Focus on the Family’s Jim Daly
“Bono told Daly that he has chosen to put so much time and energy into the ONE Campaign because to him, “love is to realize the potential of others.”

I’m sorry, but love is not to realize potential, because the only potential we have is to do evil. As unsaved sinners all that we do is filthy rags in the sight of God. (Isaiah 64:6). Augustine said, “Good works, as they are called, in sinners, are nothing but splendid sins.” Spurgeon said, “good works come from a real conversion, brought about by the Spirit of God. Until our conversion, there is not the shadow of goodness about us. In the eye of the world we may be reputable and respectable, but in the eye of God we are nothing of the sort.” (source)

Even saved sinners must do righteous works in the Spirit and not of our own motivations. The works of saved will be tested at the Bema seat. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10). So even as saved people, we have potential to do works that are in the flesh! As a Christian, Bono should know about our potential. It is utter depravity. (Genesis 6:5, Jeremiah 17:9).

Love is telling people the truth about sin and the salvation from wrath for those sins through Jesus.

The article continues, “In an op-ed for The Washington Post following his broadcasted interview with Bono, Daly wrote that although many Christians may find the musician unorthodox, he believes Bono truly lives his Christian values through his love for others. Bono “chooses to go out and serve alongside other people consumed by the desire to help others” instead of “easily [enjoying] the spoils of his fame and fortune,” Daly wrote.”

I’m thrilled that someone who by sweat of his brow and long years of work has amassed a fortune and is willing to use it to advance causes in philanthropy. But that cannot be confused with saving faith. But I am reminded of the rich young ruler, found in Matthew 16:19-23 and explained here.

Daly is impressed with Bono’s use of a verse from Luke which Bono says is the foundation of why he does what he does, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19).”

That verse in context is Jesus reading the Messianic prophecy from Isaiah, and it refers to Himself. It is Messiah’s four-fold mission, not ours. Jesus isn’t even talking about the economically poor in that passage, but the spiritually poor. The oppressed are the sinners, captured in sin, not the politically oppressed. The blind means Jesus will be a light to the nations to open blind eyes. Yet Bono says,

“If you’re not actively embracing this theology – “in little or large ways, you’re simply not catching the vision of how Jesus wants us to engage our world.”

How Jesus wants us to engage the world is through Matthew 28:16-20,

“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

That is the theology we are told to cling to.

Here are more specifics on what Bono believes. Bono said in an interview with his unbelieving friend Michka Assayas:

“It’s a mind-blowing concept that the God who created the universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people, but the thing that keeps me on my knees is the difference between Grace and Karma. You see, at the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics; in physical laws every action is met by an equal or an opposite one. It’s clear to me that Karma is at the very heart of the universe. I’m absolutely sure of it. And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that “as you reap, so you will sow” stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I’ve done a lot of stupid stuff.”

It sounds Christian, and it almost is. I understand that Bono is referring to the law of what you reap, you will sow (Galatians 6:7; 2 Corinthians 9:6). Sowing and reaping is a law of the spiritual world, but it is not karma. It confuses people to use a Buddhist & Hindu term for the sowing and reaping. If Bono wanted to discuss sowing and reaping, he should have used the bible verse and explained it.

Equating this law to all religions is unwise. Other religions have nothing to commend themselves to God. Other religions in the bible are spoken of by God as false, gangrenous, pagan, adultery, spiritual prostitution, and a whore. (Ezekiel 16:28, Revelation 19:22 Timothy 2:17, Lamentations 1:10, Hosea 4:12 Ezekiel 43:9). Christians strive to be different and peculiar, not to spread Christianese laws like butter over other religions’ philosophies to blend them together. The Christian religion is distinct from and different than all other religions.

Jesus is the center of the Universe. (Colossians 1:16-17). Not karma.

“Interviewer: “I was wondering if you said all of that to the Pope the day you met him.”

“Bono: Let’s not get too *** the Holy Roman Church here. The Church has its problems, but the older I get, the more comfort I find there. The physical experience of being in a crowd of largely humble people, heads bowed, murmuring prayers, stories told in stained-glass windows.”

“Assayas: So you won’t be critical.”

“Bono: No, I can be critical, especially on the topic of contraception. But when I meet someone like Sister Benedicta and see her work with AIDS orphans in Addis Ababa, or Sister Ann doing the same in Malawi, or Father Jack Fenukan and his group Concern all over Africa, when I meet priests and nuns tending to the sick and the poor and giving up much easier lives to do so, I surrender a little easier.”

Bono equates Catholic good works with salvation. This is incorrect. Catholicism adheres to a works-doctrine of salvation. Seeing others’ works is not the basis upon which we should surrender our lives to Jesus. Belief and faith in Him is the reason we surrender.

Bono describes himself as a “half-Catholic”, and in visiting the Pope (in 2002) he said “I was very glad to be in his presence”, and “I felt he has very sincere beliefs. And even if they’re not popular, at least they’re sincere.”

At one of his concerts, Bono called out the name of the Pope , – “John Paul” to the crowd and described him as “an Italian who knew the right person to get into heaven.”

“Bono said in his NAACP award acceptance speech, “God is with the poor and God is with us if we are with them…we can be the generation that ends extreme poverty.” He founded ONE, and advocacy organization to end extreme poverty, and says ONE is “proud to work alongside incredible allies in the faith community – NGOs like World Vision, Catholic Relief Services, American Jewish World Service and Bread for the World; churches like Willow Creek, and leaders like Rick and Kay Warren and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.”

All those that Bono mentioned are not in the faith community because they are not Christian. A Christian with discernment should see that.

What is confusing about Bono is that he claims Jesus as Savior and then mixes familiar Christian-ese language into his statement of faith. Like this: In his book-length conversation with friend and unbeliever Michka Assayas, Bono said, “I wish to begin again on a daily basis. To be born again every day is something that I try to do. And I’m deadly serious about that.”

I can’t “try” to be born again. Being born again is a one-time event which the Savior performs after the Spirit drew the person to the Father. (John 3:3-7). It is also known as justification, where God declares a certain sinner righteous, and sees them as so through the imputed righteousness of Jesus. (Romans 5:1). It has nothing to do with my efforts. After the one time justification enacted by Jesus (born again) we spend our lives in Holy Spirit empowered sanctification, seeking it fervently. (1 Peter 1:15; Hebrews 12:14). Perhaps this is what Bono meant. But we cannot be born again more than once.

Bono freely talks about Jesus’s death on the cross was to atone for His sins and that without that atonement Bono would reap an obvious death, and that he believes Jesus is the Son of God. He quotes the bible, then says “But the one thing we can all agree — all faiths, all ideologies — is that God is with the vulnerable and poor” and then he quotes the Quran.

Bono is not a Christian.

God is God on one faith. All other ‘gods’ are false.But that is not what Bono believes.

Vertigo Tour, U2/Bono, Source

Bono/U2’s Vertigo Tour was built on the theme of CoExist, the people in the ‘three Abrahamic faiths’, that is. Kevin Hutchinson wrote in 2005, “The stringing together of three religious icons to spell out the word “coexist” has been a crucial part of the Vertigo Tour since its opening night. …The sign is a crucial element of one of the most emotional and memorable portions of the Vertigo show: U2 concludes the heart-wrenching “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own,” and with the show’s mood growing increasingly intense, a white headband appears on Bono’s forehead for the opening chords of “Love and Peace or Else.” The headband bears the handwritten message “COEXIST” with the Muslim crescent symbol representing the “C;” the Jewish Star of David, the “X;” and the Christian cross, the “T.” As the next few songs progress, Bono kneels down, wrists crossed above his head, conjuring images of a hostage, now blindfolded with the CoeXisT band covering his eyes. In the European shows, the CoeXisT sign dominates the giant screen behind the band. And in the midst of “Sunday Bloody Sunday” (which, according to Bono, doesn’t just belong to Ireland anymore) Bono points to each religious icon and declares:

“Jesus, Jew, Muhammad, it’s true…All sons of Abraham. Father Abraham, speak to your sons. Tell them, No more!”

Wikipedia notes, “He brought his Christian views into harmony with other faiths by noting that Christian, Jewish, and Muslim writings all call for the care of the widow, orphan, and stranger.”

And Mr Jim Daly of Focus on the Family is promoting Bono as a Christian? Where is the discernment?

The thing that mixes people up in the case of Bono is that most folks acknowledge God but live lives devoid of fruit. Those are easy to tell are not Christian. (Matthew 7:16). Some people mention sin. A very few talk about Jesus. So when they do mention Jesus people get all excited, thinking that this must mean the person is a believer! Jesus is so marginalized in culture by now and excluded from church so often (Revelation 3:20) that when someone says they believe in Him, their discernment goes out the window and they cling to their statement as if it is a mantra or an abracadabra magic word and they are welcomed with open arms.

Bono’s ONE organization believes in social justice for the poor, and later on down the page on their website, likens social justice with equality. This is socialistic wealth redistribution, and communism at its root, and it shows a flawed attitude toward Jesus. The poor will always be among us, He said. (“Mark 14:7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me.”)

Worse, Bono’s ONE organization admits that ONE is not about charity. It’s not charity, it’s justice, their website says. Jesus said to be charitable but focus on Him, as stated in Mark. He said to be charitable and leave the justice to Him.

Source

Social justice for the poor makes a flawed secular assumption. It assumes the poor got that way because the wealthy oppressed them. Not so in every case. Our energies are to share the gospel so that when this vapor of a poor life is over, they will enjoy an eternal inheritance.

Did you know that the ONE organization only sent one percent of its total donations to intended destinations? (also reported here). Imagine if the amount donated to ONE in 2010 (£9.6m/$8M) went to support missions!!! Gideons!!!! Bible translation efforts for unreached peoples!!!

Can a man who claims to be half-Catholic, lauds the pope, substitutes Karma for Jesus as the heart of the universe, quotes the Koran, says that all religions are a faith community, wants to eradicate extreme poverty in this lifetime by redistributing wealth in a carnal act of self-proclaimed justice, and builds his life on a misunderstood piece of scripture, be a Christian? No.

How can this be so?

Many, many believe by mental assent, not heart-repentance and faith in the invisible God. Their works stem from an intellectual acceptance of and agreement with some scriptures.

Jesus said that many who do works in His name are not believers. Matthew 7:22 says, “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’”

“You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” (James 2:19).

The blending of Christianese into people’s faith statements is increasingly difficult to parse. It did throw me for a loop to read in an interview that Bono believes Jesus died for his sins…but then I read that he believes Jesus’s sacrificial act broke the karma on his life and we share the same root of faith as Muslims. It will only get harder from here on out, as the one world religion blends itself into a amorphous ball of clay that hides the corrupt center.

The lesson for us … will be discussed in part 3.

coup, egypt

UPDATED: Morsi OUT. Military coup looming in Egypt, NOW

Posted on July 3, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Update- Morsi OUT.

Gehad El-Haddad, @gelhaddad, is “media spokesman for Muslim Brotherhood & Senior Adviser to Freedom & Justice Party | Exec Director at Nahda Project | Media Entrepreneur | [Opinions are personal]”

He tweeted this a bit earlier today:

UK Telegraph posted 3 minutes ago:
“Egypt heads for further bloody clashes as President Mohamed Morsi refuses to step down and the army vows to die in “final hours”

“17.46 The military has yet to issue its much-anticipated statement on what it thinks should happen next in Egypt, but President Morsi’s national security advisor has already made it pretty clear what he thinks is going on behind the scenes.

“For the sake of Egypt and for historical accuracy, let’s call what is happening by its real name: Military coup,” said Essam al-Haddad in comments posted on Facebook. “As I write these lines I am fully aware that these may be the last lines I get to post on this page.”

USA Today posted a few minutes ago-

Marines poised for mission in Egypt
“A contingent of the Marines’ new fast reaction force for rescue missions in Africa has been moved to Sigonella, Italy, for possible action in Egypt. “This is certainly one of the possibilities of the (task force),” Marine Capt. Eric Flanagan, a spokesman based at the Pentagon, said in an email. “The unit is always on standby with a short tether.” With Egypt teetering on anarchy, the 500-member Marine unit could be called on to swoop in and help secure the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.”

God says of Egypt: in Isaiah 19, He has plans for them!

1An oracle concerning Egypt.

Behold, the Lord is riding on a swift cloud
and comes to Egypt;
and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence,
and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.
2 And I will stir up Egyptians against Egyptians,
and they will fight, each against another
and each against his neighbor,
city against city, kingdom against kingdom;
3 and the spirit of the Egyptians within them will be emptied out,
and I will confounda their counsel;
and they will inquire of the idols and the sorcerers,
and the mediums and the necromancers;
4 and I will give over the Egyptians
into the hand of a hard master,
and a fierce king will rule over them,
declares the Lord God of hosts.

5 And the waters of the sea will be dried up,
and the river will be dry and parched,
6 and its canals will become foul,
and the branches of Egypt’s Nile will diminish and dry up,
reeds and rushes will rot away.
7 There will be bare places by the Nile,
on the brink of the Nile,
and all that is sown by the Nile will be parched,
will be driven away, and will be no more.
8 The fishermen will mourn and lament,
all who cast a hook in the Nile;
and they will languish
who spread nets on the water.
9 The workers in combed flax will be in despair,
and the weavers of white cotton.
10 Those who are the pillars of the land will be crushed,
and all who work for pay will be grieved.

11 The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish;
the wisest counselors of Pharaoh give stupid counsel.
How can you say to Pharaoh,
“I am a son of the wise,
a son of ancient kings”?
12 Where then are your wise men?
Let them tell you
that they might know what the Lord of hosts has purposed against Egypt.
13 The princes of Zoan have become fools,
and the princes of Memphis are deluded;
those who are the cornerstones of her tribes
have made Egypt stagger.
14 The Lord has mingled within her a spirit of confusion,
and they will make Egypt stagger in all its deeds,
as a drunken man staggers in his vomit.
15 And there will be nothing for Egypt
that head or tail, palm branch or reed, may do.
Egypt, Assyria, Israel Blessed

16In that day the Egyptians will be like women, and tremble with fear before the hand that the Lord of hosts shakes over them. 17And the land of Judah will become a terror to the Egyptians. Everyone to whom it is mentioned will fear because of the purpose that the Lord of hosts has purposed against them.

18In that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord of hosts. One of these will be called the City of Destruction.b

19In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the Lord at its border. 20It will be a sign and a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry to the Lord because of oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and deliver them. 21And the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day and worship with sacrifice and offering, and they will make vows to the Lord and perform them. 22And the Lord will strike Egypt, striking and healing, and they will return to the Lord, and he will listen to their pleas for mercy and heal them.

23In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians.

24In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, 25whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.”

encouragement

Mid-day encouragement: Refreshing drops

Posted on July 3, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

He is good to refresh us with His heavenly drops, He is merciful to be mindful of what we need as we live on His earth.

abortion, demonstrate, hail, pro-life, satan

I am not making this up…pro-abortion activists chant "Hail Satan!"

Posted on July 3, 2013 by elizabethprata

“Pro-choice protesters shouted, “Hail Satan!” as an attempt to drown out pro-lifers’ rendition of “Amazing Grace.” ” Read more from The Washington Times

This is a good blog post:

“Ever found yourself looking for a way to initiate a conversation about God, but not sure exactly how to start? The Best Question to Ask When Starting a Conversation About God”

Crisis in Arab world gives Israel strategic breathing room, says Amos Harel.

The Middle East Is on Fire: An Unsettling Wrap-Up of the Death, Destruction and Chaos From Around the Globe

The global fiscal has not gone away, Portugal may re-ignite Europe crisis
“Having won praise for taking tough measures to restore the financial health of the eurozone state, Portugal’s government has been rocked this week by the resignation of two ministers who quit because of waning public support for its program of austerity. … anxious investors sold stocks and bonds heavily Wednesday on fears that the government may collapse.”

Belgium’s king may abdicate. All Belgium awaits his speech

Church Curmudgeon said, “”Hymnals make you look down during worship.” said guy who spends 70% of the time staring at his phone during the service.” @ChrchCurmudgeon

arrest, street preaching, tony miano

(Updated with links) Wimbledon Outreach: Day 12, Tony Miano describes his arrest for preaching about Jesus and against sin

Posted on July 3, 2013 by elizabethprata

Links to Mr Miano’s street sermon, the police encounter/arrest, and the draft transcript of the interrogation are in the comment section below.

“It was surreal. I was interrogated for my faith in Jesus Christ.”

“If you are released, would you preach against homosexuality again? I said ‘Yes.’ “

“The Lord did some amazing things…”

“Today we are heading back down to the same place where I was arrested, I’ll preach on the passage where it speaks on forfeiting one’s soul … England has forfeited its soul … and the church is doing very little about it…”

“Britain is about to make a legislative decision on same sex marriage …”

Please listen. Then praise the Lord for doing a work in this situation. Please pray to encourage the believers who witness in the lost and dying country of Britain.

contend for the faith, hostility, oppression, persecution

Arizona student told to remove her cross necklace, how should Christians respond to hatred and hostility?

Posted on July 3, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

In April 2010 I’d reported that in the UK, opposition to outward displays of Christianity were increasing. I’d used the example of a nurse in the UK who was told she could not wear her cross necklace, but that Muslims could wear jewelry in hospital. The denial for the cross was that it was a safety hazard in that distraught patients might grab the jewelry and use it to choke the nurse. This particular nurse had been wearing it for 30 years without incident, she told a tribunal, but she still lost her plea to keep wearing it.

The issue turns into Christian oppression and hatred when the double standard presents itself immediately after. The following news excerpt also occurred in April of 2010 and it also occurred in the UK.

Muslim staff escape NHS hygiene rule
“Female staff who follow the Islamic faith will be allowed to cover their arms to preserve their modesty despite earlier guidance that all staff should be “bare below the elbow”. The Department of Health has also relaxed rules prohibiting jewellery so that Sikh members of staff can wear bangles linked with their faith, providing they are pushed up the arm while the medic treats a patient.”

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

photo credit: Sam and Ian via photopin cc

The double standard had many shaking their heads, wondering at the obvious bias against Christianity. Many felt that such a thing could never happen in the US.

However, many preachers and Christian leaders have been saying for a number of years that oppression and then outright persecution will occur in the US. America is no different than any other place that is ruled by satan, for he is the god of this world. (2 Corinthians 4:4). And this world hates Jesus and therefore it will hate Christians. (John 15:18, Matthew 10:22). There is no such thing as political protection from satanic hatred and there is no place that will be favored location untouched by the enemies of Jesus.

Witness the following:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sonoma State University Forces Student To Remove Cross Necklace.
“A California college student has filed a religious accommodation request after her university told her to remove a cross necklace out of fear that it may offend incoming students at the school.

“According to The Blaze, Audrey Jarvis, 19, works on the Associated Students Productions crew at her school, Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, California. She was working at a student orientation event when one of her supervisors pulled her aside and asked her to remove the necklace. According to Jarvis’ lawyer, the supervisor told her “that she could not wear her cross necklace because it might offend others, it might make incoming students feel unwelcome, or it might cause incoming students to feel that ASP was not an organization they should join.”

“Understandably, Jarvis was troubled by what her supervisor said. She kept the cross on and continued working. When she came across her supervisor for a second time, she was asked to either hide the necklace under her shirt or remove it. Jarvis was so troubled by what she was being asked that she left work for the day.”

photo credit: JuditK via photopin cc

“I was offended because I believe as a Christian woman it is my prerogative to display my faith any way I like so long as it is not harming anyone else,” she said. “I was very hurt and felt as if the university’s mission statement – which includes tolerance and inclusivity to all – was violated.” As noted by Fox News, her lawyer, Hiram Sasser of the Liberty Institute, says the university was in clear violation of California law by asking her to remove the necklace. California law says that “state employees may wear crosses while they are performing their duties as long as the wearing does not interfere with the employees’ duties or harm the employer’s business interests.”

“The university has apologized for the event. “It was absolutely an inappropriate action for him to make that request of her,” a school spokesperson said. School president Ruben Arminana is trying to reach Jarvis to make an official apology to her.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’d like to note that the original request to remove the piece of jewelry came because it “may offend.” Not that anyone had already been offended. The request was made based on a pre-emptive action founded on fear and an assumption of something that may happen that had not happened yet. The necklace wearing hadn’t even violated any rules. For example, active firefighters do not wear metal jewelry to fight a fire. There are rules about that. (OSHA prohibits any facial hair, head gear, or jewelry that prohibits a respirator to seal tightly and no earrings that extend below the ear.). A request to a firefighter to remove earrings would be legitimate because it is supported by an existing policy for a good reason. It would also be a legitimate request if the University already had some kind of rule in place that no one could wear jewelry. Yet the request was made out of thin air to pre-empt a feeling that hadn’t been expressed yet by someone who didn’t exist.

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10:16).

photo credit: AlicePopkorn via photopin cc

The cross offends, it is never more clear than now. (Galatians 5:11). Charles Spurgeon said,

“The religion of Jesus is the most peaceful, mild, and benevolent religion that was ever propagated. When we compare it with any set of dogmas invented by men, there is not one of them that can stand the least comparison with it for gentleness, mildness, and love. As for the Muslim religion, it is the religion of the vulture; but the religion of Jesus is that of the dove-all is mercy, all is mild; it is, like its Founder, an embodiment of pure benevolence, grace, and truth. … Strange, yet strangely true is it, that the cross of Christ has always been an offense, and that it has provoked the fiercest battles and the severest strifes which men have ever had with their fellowmen.”

You have to ask yourself,

–Did the student do the right thing by refusing to submit to a superior and remove the jewelry?
–Did she do the right thing by being aware of the University’s mission and policy?
–Did she do the right thing by abandoning her commitment to work that day? (Colossians 3:17). Or did her departure from work ultimately bring attention to the situation for the betterment of all?

Our lesson is to be prepared, and not to be surprised when it happens to us. The student who had been asked to remove her cross, defied the request. Is that right action? She knew the university’s mission statement and she knew the request was at odds with it. Is it still reasonable to refuse a request by a superior? Do you know the policies of your workplace, of your town and country?

Here are the questions to mull over. Oppression and hatred IS coming, and is already here. US Military Chaplains were told not to pray in the name of Jesus. This AZ student was told not to wear a cross. Towns and Villages are told not to erect a nativity scene at Christmas. Workplace, civic, and personal restrictions against Christianity are already setting in. John MacArthur said on June 30, 2013 of the pollution into the church, “It will come like a flood … This is going down fast.” The thing to do is to have a response ready beforehand, and along these lines:

If wearing the cross is your outward representation of Christ, then decide which is more representative, the piece of jewelry itself, or the Christian wearer’s behavior in all circumstances? Do you want to wear your cross at all costs, or use it to begin a dialog? Because, more often than not these days, it will spark a conversation.

I believe that the best thing to do is be ready with bible verses. For example, an imaginary conversation could go like this:

“I’m sorry my jewelry offends you. The cross IS an offense as it says in Galatians 5:11. The cross offends because it reminds people that Jesus died for our sins, and we are all sinners it says in Romans 3:23. We will all stand in judgment before Jesus one day, called to account for those sins. Would you like to know more about how to stand before Him as righteous and not as an unjustified sinner?” and so on. You could be saying all this as you remove the jewelry. Slowly.

I don’t have an answer for all scenarios, because I cannot imagine all scenarios. I hope that US chaplains were not surprised by the rule not to pray in the name of Jesus and had made their responses and decisions ahead of time. That is the point: it’s coming and we need to be ready.

So how do we do that?

First, read the bible closely for explicit examples where we are told what to do or by seeing what the Apostles did, we can mirror their actions. Peter and John were told not to street preach. But they continued. However, their preaching in public came at a cost- they were jailed. (Acts 4:19–20, Acts 5:29). Be ready to absorb consequences, and think carefully on what they may be- marginalization at work, a poor work evaluation, job loss, incarceration, violence against you, or death, depending on the circumstance.

If the bible doesn’t speak to an explicit instruction on an issue, look for implicit governance on various issues. If there is nothing implicit or explicit, then pray and prepare your heart to be led by the Spirit and not by the ego if a situation should arise.

It could happen suddenly and unexpectedly. Maybe while you’re gassing up the car the guy at the next pump sees your cross necklace and calls you a name. Maybe you are told you can no longer pray at work before you eat your lunch. Maybe you are told you cannot bring your bible into the doctor’s office to read while you wait. At any time satan could grab a situation and turn it for evil. The key is to be ready with a response that exalts Jesus and glorifies Him and He’ll use it for Good.

Decide on some key verses and memorize them. Prepare your heart so that the adrenaline of the moment will not take over, lest you sin. Prepare your mind for acting in ways that exalt Jesus, not win the point in an argument. Pray for strength and wisdom ahead of time and during the time.

The most important thing is to glorify Jesus with our words and our actions. He said He is sending us out as sheep among wolves, therefore be as shrewd as serpents and harmless as doves. (Matthew 10:16).

What does that mean? Rev. Matt Slick explains in this mini-devotional:

“Mini-devotional – sheep among wolves”
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore be shrewd as serpents, and innocent as doves,” (Matt. 10:16).

“Jesus’ words to his apostles were sobering. The disciples were sent out as sheep among wolves. That is, the Christians who would go forth to preach and teach the word amidst great hostility. Wolves, of course, sought to devour the defenseless sheep and it is this analogy that Jesus uses to illustrate the relationship between the Christian teachers and the ungodly society. But, Jesus does not tell us to blindly walk down a path of destruction and martyrdom. He tells us that we are to be as shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. In other words, the Christian should be very smart when it comes to avoiding danger and spreading the word, even using the laws of the land for his own protection and furthering of the truth. Yet, the Christian is not to harm anyone. The Christian is to be gentle.”

“Notice that the Christian is told to emulate both the serpent and the dove. These two creatures represent the differing functions and callings in which Christians must act as they go about preaching and teaching the word of truth. We are not to sit idly by and let the wolves have their way. Quite the contrary. We oppose them strongly, shrewdly. Yet we must be godly and not sin.” —end—

American Christians are not used to being challenged about their faith. It’s time to get ready for the challenge: and meet it in the most Godly way possible.
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Focus on the Family, Bono, & who is a Christian?

Posted on July 2, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

This series of posts will look at one issue divided into three parts:

1. Focus on the Family’s increasing apostasy
2. Whether Bono is a Christian
3. Lack of discernment in Christians today/ not everyone who claims Jesus is a Christian

Part 1: Focus on the Family

When the History Channel’s miniseries “The Bible” came out in the spring of 2013, many individuals, pastors, and churches recommended the series to their flocks, most notably, the Christian organization Focus on the Family (FOTF). Lots of Christians who should have known better declared the series pretty good, or almost good, or nearly good, or good enough… to eat as holy food.

They were wrong. The Bible miniseries was shown to have omitted foundational portions of the Gospel, twisted scripture, presented Jesus incorrectly, and over-or-under dramatized important passages. It was created by people who have shown they do not know Jesus as savior. This kind of half-hearted, casual approach to presenting the Word of God is not acceptable but is inevitable when written by people who don’t know Jesus. More on that below.

However, let’s begin nearer the beginning. FOTF’s downward slide away from the purity of the cross has been going on for a while. No apostasy is sudden. Their eyebrow-raising involvement with The Bible miniseries and the apostates who created it was not the beginning of and obvious lack of discernment. It just takes a while for its sins to arise from the heart and mind and be noticed externally.

In 2008, controversy arose when FOTF interviewed Mormon Glenn Beck and appeared to be endorsing Mormonism. They later pulled the interview down from their website as the heat rose.

Mr. Dan Gilgoff of God & Country was disappointed in FOTF’s retraction of the Beck interview, saying that the long-standing pattern of interfaith dialog FOTF had evidenced was squandered in this case. He wrote of then-FOTF President James Dobson, “Dobson deserves credit for helping the evangelical movement build political alliances with other faith traditions, including the Mormons, or Church of Latter-day Saints. … Focus could have used the Beck episode as another opportunity for interfaith bridge-building, perhaps by leaving the interview up, even if it meant adding a clarification that the organization doesn’t endorse Mormonism. Another setback for interfaith dialogue, which seems to be all too rare these days.”

If I was an evangelical I would be very worried if I was named as having built political alliances, because that is not our calling.(James 4:4, John 15:19). I would be equally worried about having been identified as engaging in interfaith dialog and being unequally yoked in activities with those who are not of the faith. (2 Corinthians 6:14).

In 2009, FOTF endorsed a book published by Zondervan which promoted the practice of contemplative spirituality. Contemplative spirituality has been amply demonstrated on this and other blogs as a mystical practice originating in the apostate Romans Catholic Church.

In 2008, FOTF hosted Roman Catholic occult writer Anne Rice on the show. Way of Life writer David Cloud wrote at the time, “The spiritually-dangerous nature of Focus on the Family (FOF) was evident in a reply that was given to a Christian who wrote to them about having Anne Rice, the Roman Catholic author of occultic horror novels, on the Focus radio program. In a reply dated December 3, 2008, Timothy Masters wrote the following for Focus on the Family: “It’s worth adding that anti-Catholic sentiments like those you’ve expressed are more than just uncharitable and un-Christlike. They’re also harmful to the richness of your own Christian experience. … To dismiss the Roman Catholic Church wholesale is to obliterate the first fifteen centuries of Christian history.”

Mr Cloud rightly noted of FOTF’s response to the concerned listener, “This statement reflects gross ignorance both of the Bible and of church history. The Bible plainly teaches that it is impossible to be saved apart from the one true gospel of the grace of Christ (Galatians 1:8-9). Since the Roman Catholic Church teaches a false gospel of sacramentalism (e.g., the Council of Trent, which has never been rescinded, cursed those who say that salvation is by God’s grace alone), it is impossible to be saved if one believes what Rome teaches.”

Later, Mrs Rice publicly quit Christianity. Of course, being a Catholic she already showed she was not a Christain, something the FOTF interview should have been clear about. (1 John 2:19).

In 2011, FOTF declared that they had lost their fight against homosexual marriage, blaming the culture as being too overwhelming. FOTF President Jim Daly said at that time, “We’re winning the younger generation on abortion, at least in theory. What about same-sex marriage? We’re losing on that one, especially among the 20- and 30-somethings: 65 to 70 percent of them favor same-sex marriage. I don’t know if that’s going to change with a little more age—demographers would say probably not. We’ve probably lost that. I don’t want to be extremist here, but I think we need to start calculating where we are in the culture.”

The world is a system which satan rules and therefore we must be in it but apart from it, that’s “where we are in the culture.” (John 17:14-15)

Source

Yet the article’s author says “Daly has taken a more conciliatory approach to to traditional hot-button issues than his predecessor at Focus, James Dobson, so perhaps it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise to see him speak so candidly.”

Again, I would be very worried if the ultra-liberal publication Mother Jones was saying if I, someone who declares myself and my organization as evangelical, was being conciliatory on hot-button issues.

In early 2013, the FOTF organization took part in the History Channel miniseries development and promotion of “The Bible” as I mentioned at the start. This raised many eyebrows.

As a matter of fact FOTF was one of the organizations behind the series on the consulting level. They were supposed to be overseers of the theology. The problem was, that oneness pentecostal believer TD Jakes and prosperity/word of faith promoter Joel Osteen, and rabbis and Catholics were also theological overseers. Mr Jakes & Mr Osteen are not known for their solid preaching of the whole counsel of God, and Catholics and rabbis do not subscribe to a saving doctrine of Jesus Christ alone.

Devastatingly, Matt Kaufman of Focus on the Family’s blog wrote that “Part of the reason for the ratings is that viewers have a degree of trust in the people behind the series. Producer Mark Burnett (Survivor) and his wife, Roma Downey (Touched by an Angel), are Christians who consulted with ministry leaders (including Focus on the Family President Jim Daly) during its development. So going in to the series, Christian viewers got strong signals of the producers’ good intentions. That’s not something they normally can expect from Hollywood.”

Good intentions mean nothing. Proper execution is all. Preaching the whole counsel of God in spirit and in truth is what matters. (Acts 20:27, John 4:24, Philippians 3:3)

It also matters that FOTF lent its credible name to a project that blasphemed Jesus, yet many people took their endorsement and watched a program that did more harm than good. That is why it is especially devastating when a formerly credible organization becomes unequally yoked with unbelievers. Downey and Burnett are most certainly not Christians. I can say that with biblical confidence because neither Downey nor Burnett evidenced the fruit of the spirit in their production. I say this also because they adhere to doctrines which do not save, including Catholicism and New Age spirituality. For FOTF to bring them and their false doctrines under the umbrella of our faith is devastating to the faith and shows a massive lack of discernment.

Doing this also muddies the waters on who a Christian IS.

In mid-2013, FOTF did it again. They had already brought in Anne Rice, Roma Downey, and Mark Burnett under the umbrella of our faith, and this week, they brought Irish singer Bono under the umbrella.

Bono is not a Christian, despite what FOTF President Mr Daly asserts. Bono is well-known for his well-intended work on many social activist causes, including HIV awareness and reducing poverty. However, despite naming Jesus as atoning savior, the blend of beliefs that Bono has stated in this week’s interview as well as previous interviews unfortunately demonstrates more confusion than belief.

Obviously impressed with Bono, FOTF President Daly wrote a piece in the Washington Post subsequent to his interview with Bono, titled, “Why Orthodox Christians Should Appreciate An Unorthodox Bono“. Her is how Focus on the Family presented Mr Daly’s piece on their blog, accompanied by this week’s Time Magazine cover: (click for larger)

FOTF has swallowed the blue pill of “social justice” as being the proper expression of Christianity, and lost their discernment of who is a Christian. It is Jesus who saves the world, not a confused Irish rock star.

Next up, looking at why Bono is not a Christian, and why it matters.

Part 2 here
Part 3 here
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mid-day encouragement: The Spirit is FOR us

Posted on July 2, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

The Spirit is FOR us. He makes intercession when we are weak or stumbling. Despite often grieving Him, or spurning Him when we choose to follow the flesh instead of the Spirit, still, when He prays to the Father on our behalf, every word He prays to the Father is for us. ~Emilio Ramos, Drive By Pneumatology

faith

Most people don’t believe

Posted on July 2, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

In reading the book of Luke through, something jumped out at me.

“And all were astonished at the majesty of God. But while they were all marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples,” (Luke 9:43)

Osteen’s Lakewood in Houston,

Over and over Luke recorded the teachings and miracles of Jesus. Crowds were gathering. The whole thing was like a snowball gathering speed as it hurtled down the mountain. At one point, the crowds were so thick, coming right to the edge of the lake, Jesus had to get into a boat and push off just so he could speak. (Mark 4:1). Thousands and thousands were following Him!

Jesus was huge! Everything was going great! The people were responding!

“and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority.” (Luke 4:32)

“And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” (Luke 4:36)

“He said to them, “Where is your faith?” “and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?” (Luke 8:25b)

“Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled.” (Luke 11:14)

As you read the book through, it becomes clear that nothing like this had ever happened in the Land, ever. The people were clamoring for Jesus, following him to see what would happen next.

And that is the problem.

Hillsong

They were responding, but not believing. There is a difference.

Do not mistake crowds and accolades and the words we see repeated over and over in this and the other gospels: astonished, marveled, amazed, for conviction of sin and a readiness to submit to the Spirit to be led into a transformed, submissive life before the Lord and Savior. There is a difference between surface interest and deep conviction. The people were going out to see Jesus to see what He would do, and they left chattering and excited, astonished at the show.

It is the same thing we see when crowds leave a blockbuster film, and the people stream out of the theater, chattering about how marvelous the special effects were, and how amazing was the scene where the thing blew up, and how astonished they were that the movie was so good.

Then they go home and forget about it. Till the next movie comes out.

Jesus was a really cool special effect.

Of all the years He spent in the Land, only 120 gathered in the upper room after His crucifixion. (Acts 1:13). Only 500 Galilean believers saw Him. (1 Corinthians 15:6). That is how few believed. Thousands upon thousands responded. Only 620 believed.

“And when all the believers that are in the southern part in Judea, in Jerusalem area, came to gather to meet together in that upper room after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, you remember there were only 120. The ministry of Jesus in Galilee, the ministry of Jesus in Jerusalem, the largest crowd in Galilee is 500 that came together in His name. And the largest one that came together in His name in the south is 120. It’s virtually unimaginable that the Son of God could come and say what He said and do what He did and demonstrate the kind of character that He did and have 620 people in His two-fold congregation. Staggering…staggering.” (source)

In the beginning of this piece I used a verse from Luke and there was a comma at the end of verse 43, indicating that Jesus was about to say something next. What was it that Jesus said to the disciples as the people were marvelling at His power to perform miracles?

A single Passion participant raises their hand
in worship during Passion Conference 2013. Photo by Casey Northcutt

“Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.” (Luke 9:44)

These same people who marveled, and were astonished and amazed, voted for Barabbas and rejected Jesus. Don’t be fooled by crowds and buzz. Believe a transformed life and fruits of the Spirit.

Jesus is not a spectacle and He is not a show. Jesus is the Holy God of the Universe, and He demands repentance for sins and belief in His resurrected Son. Do not mistake crowds and buzz for belief. As soon as the show was over and the hard work was before them, the crowds left. LOL, how many people ever stay afterwards to fold up the chairs and sweep the auditorium?

“When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?…After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.” (John 6:60, 66).

Just remember, most people don’t believe.

“For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:14)

“Many will seek to enter in, and shall not be able” (Luke 13:24)”

“Strive earnestly to enter in by the narrow gate; for few there be that find it.” (Matthew 7:13, 14).”

If you are feeling giddy that revival seems to be breaking out, just remember, most people don’t believe. If you are despairing because few seem to believe, just remember, none who believe will be snatched out of God’s hand (John 10:29).

“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” (John 6:37).