First Baptist Church Crowley

Proverbs

Wisdom from God;

not just the knowledge

but the ability to apply in our
lives.

11/16/08   How Far We Have Come

      We have a new President
elect, Barak Huessin Mohammed Obama. The spell check on my personal computer underlines 3 of those
names as wrong and need to be corrected.

      I am grateful we
live in a nation that has the freedom to elect the first black person as President.
How far we have come since 1960.

      I am disappointed,
more than that – I am fighting the spirit of anger in the name of Jesus, because
we have chosen someone as the leader of our nation whose views and values on
several foundational Biblical beliefs are so different from mine & what I
believe the Bible teaches. And as time goes by, I may find a whole lot more
than just foundational beliefs where we in opposition.

            How far we
have come since 1960!

      What are we, the church of JC to do in this changed and changing
climate?

Our place is to trust God, be a witness for Jesus, bring
glory to the name of Jesus and pray for our President elect & those he
selects to fill the 7,000 plus jobs and for Congress; Senators &
Representatives.

      If President
elect Obama does what he promised the liberal left, the ACLU & Planned
Parenthood & its supporters & those supported by them, – & I believe
he will – unless God chooses to intervene & change his heart – one of his
first acts will be the FreedomOfChoiceAct – that will – in one fell swoop
overcome many years of battle by conservatives and evangelical < for
the unborn.

      How far will
we go?

      That will
probably be only the beginning of sweeping changes the liberal left will want
him to initiate.

      The most pressing
time for us to pray – Christians in America, born again by our faith in
Jesus who have enjoyed unprecedented freedom and affluence – the most pressing
time for us to pray is now.

     A conservative Christian activist says it’s a sad omen for the Obama
administration and the United States that Barack Obama has been seeking
guidance from the Episcopal Church’s first openly homosexual bishop.                 

      The Times of London
reports that the president-elect sought out New Hampshire homosexual bishop Vicki Gene
Robinson for advice three times during his presidential campaign. Robinson’s
ordination in the Episcopal Church has caused a deep rift within their church.  

       Also, he is
reportedly making way for transgender and cross dressing to be acceptable –
EnploymentNonDiscriminationAct – to be the policy in the Govt. hiring
practices. That will surely overflow into the private sector which includes the
church.

      How far will
we go?

      What that would
mean is – if we FBC were hiring – our morals, even obedience to God’s Word will
not be allowed by the government of the USA to influence our hiring
decisions. Talk about a freedom lost, or worse given up – in one day. The
immorality or sexual preference or perversion of applicants could not interfere
with their getting a job. Many are pushing to make it a civil rights issue.

      So if some male
person came to our church dressed as a female & was looking for employment,
he/she/it would have to receive the same consideration for the job as anyone
else. Or maybe preferential treatment if we see “affirmative action” imposed
like so many in the gay rights movement want.               Same
for one who is openly homosexual.

      And if not hired,
we may have to go to court to justify our decision.

      If a male person
comes to our church cross dressed, and wanted to use the rest room, they will
have every right, enforceable in the courts to use the ladies because they are
dressed in women’s clothing.  Same for a
female person dressed as a male.

      Now fellow
believers, we can no longer stick our head in the sand and pretend – it does
not affect me. We – you & I – all those who truly are God’s children by our
faith in Jesus

       We Must Pray – believing He is and that He is able.

       Heb 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to
God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
NASU

 We Must Pray
– believing He is and that He is able.

      Now, let us be
honest with each other here, if we want the Lord to hear & answer our
prayers, if we want to ask God to change the heart of our President elect, and
those others in Congress & support positions; we may first need to ask Him
to change our own heart. If we want our prayers answered by the holy God of
Heaven we must be forgiven of our sin.

      For our prayers
to be heard we can not have a barrier of sin between us & God. It is in the
name of and thru the blood of Jesus that we have forgiveness of our sin,
justification, called not guilty, righteousness by God’s grace, and also entrance
into the presence of God as we pray.

      Confession and
Forgiveness Pave the Way for Powerful Prayers

 1 John 1:5-10

     James 5:16

      Father, we come
to You in the name of Jesus and ask You HS, convict the true children of God of
our sin & our need to confess so we can be cleansed.

      O our Father, You
are holy and therefore will not tolerate sin. We thank You today for Your
provision to forgive us for our sin through our faith in the payment made by
the sacrifice Your Son, JC. We praise and thank You for Your healing, loving
power that cleanses us when we confess our sins.

      You blessed Your
people Israel,
time & again, leading them down paths of repentance and restoration. Thank
You, Lord, for Your legacy of deliverance.  Today,
we corporately [or at least I hope we do] confess our sins before You – the
sins we have committed as a nation and the sins we have committed individually.
HS remind us of & give us the courage to confess specific sin as you deem
necessary. As we confess, Father, grant release & freedom so our prayers will
be effective and powerful for Christianity in USA, our President-Elect, our
leaders, our nation and ourselves. Cleanse and heal us, O Lord, in Jesus’ name,
amen.

      The Bible is filled with accounts in
history past of God’s people moving so far away from Him that He either gives
them into the hand of an evil ruler or He takes His hand off them and they
succumb on their own to the rule of the ungodly.

      Our
responsibility before God, do you really want to know?,

Our responsibility before God in this time and place is to
be His and to seek to bring glory to Him by our actions.

      Our
responsibility is Phil 2:12-13 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my
presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and
trembling;

      Work out, “to accomplish, to perform
successfully, to do thoroughly.” “carry out to full perfection,” it is yours –
use it; consistent & regular practice, strengthen like in the work out room
or gym, exercise, bring to completion, work out your contract, complete your work.
Work it out – like soreness in muscles, like a disagreement that must be worked
out. It is not – go off in a corner and expect the uncomfortable to go away –
it’s get busy now. Can’t just “jump in bed & cover your head.”

      Fear – a state of severe distress,
aroused by intense concern for impending pain, danger, evil, etc.,

      Trembling – quaking with fear:                    

V 13 for it is
God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.  NASU

      How do we do
that? Our responsibility is to be salt & light! He said so.

      Look up Matt 5:13-16
Disciples in the World