Christian Fellowship
“That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving...” Psalm 26:7
Vol. 17, No. 11 November 2008
By the time most people read this we will have elected a new president for the United States of America. Some people will be angry, some will be relieved. But what we have to remember is that God is doing something that is beyond the elections. He is now judging us and no man can save this nation. Jesus Christ is the only Savior of the world and until we completely surrender to Him we will still surrender to the government.
We are now seeing the beginning of the demise of great America. How will you stand up under the great changes that are rapidly going to take place? We are in a contest between good and evil. Although we know the outcome, the price will be horrendous for most. No matter who rules, we are commanded to pray for our leaders. The problem that captivates our minds about who wins comes from the false media reports of our day. It blinds our eyes to truth and causes us to be angry when our person doesn’t win. Let me tell you something that might set you free. Voting is of the world. So the outcome isn’t the way we think it should be. The Kingdom of God is ruled as a Theocracy. What God says goes. So we need to surrender our ideas of what we think should happen and the way it should be. I know this relinquishment is hard. But until we do, we will continue to be moved by our democracy that is now crumbling before our very eyes.
God deems this necessary in order to get our eyes back on Him and allowing Him to rule us. Up till now democracy has been related to the Kingdom of God. It absolutely is not. Democracy using elections is from the bottom up. The Kingdom of God is from the top down. They are total opposites.
This election should show us something spiritually. What is it? That this nation is not a Christian nation! Democracy will not work, so it is being destroyed to bring forth the Kingdom of God.
We are going to see more government takeovers until the United Nations rules and then the Antichrist will rise up in his limited power which will bring the end.
What will we do? Always do the will of God through the process. Obey God in every detail of your life and the Lord will win in everything that you do and are. PTL!
In Christ,
Pr. Steve
The Truth about Thanksgiving
For Christians, Thanksgiving means more than just turkey and football. Most of us have a vague notion that this holiday began when the Pilgrims invited their Indian neighbors to dinner to thank God for His provisions. But there really is much more to the story.
The Atlantic crossing which began in the fall of 1620 had been an extremely difficult journey for the Pilgrims. For two months, 102 people were wedged into what was called the ‘tween decks — the cargo space of the boat, which had only about five-and - a - half feet of headroom. No one was allowed above deck because of the terrible storms. This was no pleasure trip, but only one person died during the voyage.
The Pilgrims had comforted themselves by singing the Psalms, but this “noise” irritated one of the ship’s paid crewmembers. He told the Pilgrims he was looking forward to throwing some of their corpses overboard after they succumbed to the illnesses that were routine on such voyages. But as it turned out, this crewmember himself was the only person on the voyage to become sick and die. God providentially protected His people. A little-known fact about the Mayflower is that this ship normally carried a cargo of wine; and the wine spillage from previous voyages had soaked the beams, acting as a disinfectant to prevent the spread of disease.
During one terrible storm, the main beam of the mast cracked. Death was certain if this beam could not be repaired. At that moment, the whole Pilgrim adventure could very easily have ended on the bottom of the Atlantic. But, providentially, one of the Pilgrims had brought along a large iron screw for a printing press. That screw was used to repair the beam, saving the ship and all on board.
After sixty-six days at sea, land was sighted off what is now Cape Cod, Massachusetts. But that was not where the Pilgrims wanted to be. They had intended to establish their new colony in the northern parts of Virginia (which then extended to the Hudson River in modern-day New York), but two factors interrupted their plans. The winds had blown them off course, but they also learned that some other Englishmen on board who wanted to settle in the same northern part of Virginia had bribed the crew to land the Mayflower somewhere else.
Once again God was in charge and the Pilgrims were right where God wanted them to be. Had they actually landed near the Hudson River, they would have most certainly been attacked by hostile Indians. Instead, there were no Indians on Cape Cod when the Pilgrims made landfall there.
Many years before, some local Indians had captured a Frenchman on a fishing expedition in that region. Just as he was about to be killed, the Frenchman told the Indians that God would be angry with them, would destroy them all, and would replace them with another nation. The Indians boastfully told him that his God could never kill them. However, when the Pilgrims landed in that same region, the land had already been cleared and the fields had already been cultivated, but those Indians who had prepared the land had nearly all died of the plague a year or two earlier.
Despite this provision of safety from the Indians, the Pilgrims barely survived their first winter on the Cape. Only four families escaped without burying at least one family member. But God was still faithful. In the spring of 1621, He sent Squanto to them, an Indian who could speak their own language and who offered to teach them how to survive in this strange, new land.
Squanto was one of the few Indians from that area who had not died of the plague. He had been captured as a young man and taken to England as a slave. During that time he mastered the English language; and then had been freed and returned to his native territory shortly before the Pilgrims arrived. Probably the most important thing Squanto taught the Pilgrims was how to plant the Indians’ winter staple crop — corn.
The Pilgrims thanked God for this wonderful helper, but they also shared with Squanto the most valuable treasure they had brought with them from England — the Gospel. Squanto died within a year or two after coming to the aid of the Pilgrims, but before his death he acknowledged his need for their God.
Other Indians whom Squanto had introduced to the Pilgrims were also impressed with their God. During the summer of 1621, when it appeared the year’s corn harvest would not survive a severe drought, the Pilgrims called for a day of fasting and prayer. By the end of the day, it was raining. The rain saved the corn, which miraculously sprang back to life. One of the Indians who observed this miracle remarked that their God must be a very great God because when the Indians pow-wowed for rain, it always rained so hard that the corn stalks were broken down. But they noticed that the Pilgrims’ God had sent a very gentle rain that did not damage the corn harvest.
It was that same miraculous corn harvest that provided the grain for the Pilgrims’ first Thanksgiving meal with their Indian friends and helpers. Today, many of our public school children are taught that we celebrate Thanksgiving because the Pilgrims were thanking their Indian neighbors for helping them; but the evidence of history shows that on that first Thanksgiving Day the thanks of both Pilgrims and Indians went to God for His great goodness toward them all. But the story does not end there.
Even though the Pilgrims hosted the first Thanksgiving dinner in America, the holiday itself actually has its origins almost 170 years later, after the Revolutionary War had been won and our American Constitution had been adopted. In 1789, Congress approved the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution. Congress then “recommended a day of public thanksgiving and prayer” to thank God for blessing America. President Washington declared November 26,1789, as the first national day of prayer and thanksgiving to the Lord. Another 75 years later, after the Civil War ended, President Abraham Lincoln established the last Thursday in November as a day to acknowledge “the gracious gifts of the Most High God” bestowed upon America. Every president did the same until 1941 when Congress officially made Thanksgiving a national holiday.
Now that you know the true story, this Thanksgiving make sure that your children learn it too. Let us all join with generations of Americans before us in giving thanks to God for blessing our country.
[Ref: Attorney David C. Gibbs, Jr.]
Psa 136:1-26 “O give thanks unto the LORD; for [he is] good: for his mercy [endureth] for ever. (2) O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy [endureth] for ever. (3) O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy [endureth] for ever. (4) To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy [endureth] for ever. (5) To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy [endureth] for ever. (6) To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy [endureth] for ever. (7) To him that made great lights: for his mercy [endureth] for ever: (8) The sun to rule by day: for his mercy [endureth] for ever: (9) The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy [endureth] for ever. (10) To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn: for his mercy [endureth] for ever: (11) And brought out Israel from among them: for his mercy [endureth] for ever: (12) With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm: for his mercy [endureth] for ever. (13) To him which divided the Red sea into parts: for his mercy [endureth] for ever: (14) And made Israel to pass through the midst of it: for his mercy [endureth] for ever: (15) But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea: for his mercy [endureth] for ever. (16) To him which led his people through the wilderness: for his mercy [endureth] for ever. (17) To him which smote great kings: for his mercy [endureth] for ever: (18) And slew famous kings: for his mercy [endureth] for ever: (19) Sihon king of the Amorites: for his mercy [endureth] for ever: (20) And Og the king of Bashan: for his mercy [endureth] for ever: (21) And gave their land for an heritage: for his mercy [endureth] for ever: (22) [Even] an heritage unto Israel his servant: for his mercy [endureth] for ever. (23) Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy [endureth] for ever: (24) And hath redeemed us from our enemies: for his mercy [endureth] for ever. (25) Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy [endureth] for ever. (26) O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy [endureth] for ever.”
MAKE IT A PRAYER AND GET IT IN YOUR HEART.
-Pr. Steve
Truth
Elisha had more of the Holy Spirit dead than most Christians have of Him, alive.
Put off a sin or a piece of sin every day!
Truth must be spoken, however it is taken.
People will be in hell saying, “I thought there was no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.”
The devil is a better theologian than any of us, but he is still a devil!
People will pay $10-15 for a Christian concert, but they won’t come into the presence of God for free!
. . . My calling as a pastor
Pastor’s Journal 2007
Nov. 1: “I am ready to do a new and surprising thing but I need an obedient people. Forget about the old ways of God. Forget about yourself and worship the God who is and not who you want him to be. It is a time to turn now. Repent!” (God is calling us to this new place.)
Nov. 5: It is not what I have. It is not what I have done. It is not who I know. The only thing that matters is You, Lord. Have Your way. Be who You are and show forth Your Glory to a people who love and long for You.
Nov. 9: When the Word is alive and flowing, Your presence is abundant. Please grant, O Lord, Your people the Living Word.
Nov. 12: “Watch what I will do. These days are not in vain. My Father’s plan is on target. Remain strong in Father as you wait and see this unfold.”
Nov. 13: “All that is taking place is for My Glory to be revealed.”
Nov. 17: No temptation, no matter how it comes, has laid hold of you that is not common to all. You have the resistance that it takes. God is faithful to His Word. He can be trusted not to let you be tempted or tried beyond your ability and strength and power to endure. He always makes a way of escape that you may be capable to bear up patiently.
Nov. 19: “My blessing is at hand!”
Nov. 20: Nothing can rob you of My peace. Nothing can rob you of My joy. Nothing can rob you of My love unless you let go of it and cast it aside. Hold Me close even as I hold you close.”
Nov. 23: “The promise of My fullness will come. My Word will be established. The cry of your heart will be answered. My work is to do the will of our Father. He holds all time in His hands. The time is at hand and it shall be fulfilled.”
Nov. 27: “You are holding me tight and I am carrying you through to safety.”
Lasting Wealth
Pro 6:6-8 (KJV) “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: (7) Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, (8) Provideth her meat in the summer, [and] gathereth her food in the harvest.”
The ant, as well as all the other creatures in our eco-system, was created by God to accomplish His will in the earth by carrying out specific tasks. In the Bible the Lord has referenced the life of the ant to be an example to people who would possibly neglect doing the things that they were created to do. God wants people to provide for their families, and to walk wisely concerning the things necessary for everyday life, but most importantly God wants us to understand that we must also do that which is necessary for our spiritual wealth and health. People who make getting rich and having an abundance of things their life pursuit most often neglect and forsake their spiritual well being. For example: King Tut-ankh-amen loved his riches and possessions so much that he tried to take them with him when he died. The tomb in which he was buried had several rooms that were filled with chariots, fine furniture, curious and artistic painted items, multiple changes of the richest clothing (such as silk, linens, with as many as 50,000 beads on one robe alone), and sandals that were decorated with pure gold and engraved. There was gold everywhere and on everything in that cryptic vault. The single greatest amount of gold found there was used to make the king’s casket, which weighed 1800 pounds, and was valued at more than one million dollars. In the casket, with the corpse, were 143 objects made of gold and precious jewels; and laid upon the king’s face was his own portrait. How deceived by riches this king was to think that he could keep these earthly riches forever, all the while forsaking the salvation of his corrupted soul.
Mat 6:19-21 (KJV) “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: (20) But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: (21) For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
God’s main concern is the condition of our hearts and souls. He has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness, and He has allowed us to partake of His best heavenly treasures forever. Wow! Earthly treasures do not even compare to eternal heavenly treasures!
Deu 11:18-21 (KJV) “Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. (19) And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. (20) And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: (21) That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.”
We were created to have our hearts and souls filled with heavenly treasures that will endure throughout eternity. With these treasures there is no rusting, no corrosion, and they are impenetrable to destruction. To trade those heavenly riches for temporal earthly possessions would be ludicrous. But we are tempted and lured away from God daily by lusts that still remain in our hearts. Therefore we must make up our minds and decide for ourselves which treasures we will gather for the vaults of our hearts. We don’t have to try to do this with just our natural strength because God will help us when we choose Him and forsake the lusts.
Eph 3:16-19 (KJV) “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; (17) That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, (18) May be able to comprehend with all saints what [is] the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; (19) And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.”
Those heavenly riches are not there just to be hoard for personal glory; they are there to be used to bring others into the Kingdom of God, and to show forth His glory in the earth. Be ready therefore to share as others are drawn to your heavenly riches, for feely you have received and freely you should give.
1Pe 3:15 (KJV) “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and [be] ready always to [give] an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”
-Kurt Thurston
Prophetic Word 9/14/08
We had a dry hurricane, many trees and branches fell to the ground, a result of all the wind. Trees landed on roads, houses, cars, even on some people. As I was driving and seeing all of the debris, I was thinking about how things are done first in the natural then the spiritual. I asked the Lord, “Why are all of these trees falling?” I was amazed at all the large trees that had fallen over and even some uprooted. As soon as I asked Him the question, the thought came that all of the dryness we have had from lack of rain probably contributed to many of the larger trees felling. As I observed the large branches that had fallen from my neighbor’s tree into my yard, I realized that if the branches of that tree had been pruned, they would not have fallen. Instead, the tree would have remained healthy and strong.
After seeing all of this, I began to see this natural phenomenon spiritually. If we are not watered by the Word of God, we, too, will become weak and will break off from the root. We will not be able to stand too long without having the word in us. If we do not allow the Lord to prune us, we will also lose branches in areas of our lives. We must allow the Lord to deal with specific areas of our lives and then prune those areas if we want our lives to grow and remain strong and healthy.
It is time to let the Lord prune (cut away) anything that is not of Him and to allow Him to bring the water of His Word into our lives so that we may have the healing, and the fruit that will sustain us and others to come forth. Do not wait for the winds of destruction to come and blow them out of us. The Lord is gentle to cut the areas out, but the wind can be harsh. The healing comes much faster when we allow Him to prune us instead of allowing destruction to take it out.
I felt such urgency in what the Lord was showing me. Let us allow the Lord to deal with these areas in our lives quickly so that we can move forth in victory and take it to others who need this watering before they are too weak to stand against the winds of destruction.
-Crystal
Negative Or Positive
For all the negative things we have to say to ourselves, God has a positive answer for it.
You say: "It's impossible"
God says: All things are possible (Luke 18:27)
—–
You say: "I'm too tired"
God says: I will give you rest (Matt 11:28-20)
—–
You say: "Nobody really loves me"
God says: I love you (John 3:16 & John 13:34)
—–
You say: "I can't go on"
God says: My grace is sufficient (II Cor. 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)
___
You say: "I can't figure things out"
God says: I will direct your steps (Proverbs 3:5-6)
—–
You say: "I can't do it"
God says: You can do all things (Phil 4:13)
—–
You say: "I'm not able"
God says: I am able (II Cor.9:8)
—–
You say: "It's not worth it"
God says: It will be worth it (Romans 8:28)
—–
You say: "I can't forgive myself”
God says: I forgive you (I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)
—–
You say: "I can't manage.”
God says: I will supply all your needs (Phil 4:19)
—–
You say: "I'm afraid"
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear (II Tim. 1:7)
—–
You say: "I'm always worried and frustrated"
God says: Cast all your cares on ME (I Peter 5:7)
—–
You say: "I don't have enough faith"
God says: I've given everyone a measure of faith (Romans 12:3)
—–
You say: "I'm not smart enough"
God says: I give you wisdom (I Cor 1:30)
—–
You say: "I feel all alone"
God says: I will never leave you or forsake you (Heb. 13:5)
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