AGAPE WINS!

 

As the campaign to legitimize what God condemns has won battle after battle, we who stand for Biblical Virtue have been shocked to read the boasts of those who oppose our Lord’s definition of marriage: “One man, one woman, for life.”  On the internet and in the streets of America they have celebrated proclaiming, “LOVE WINS!”

There are no symbols or truths that are off limits to those intent on perverting the Divine order. 

Rainbows, the symbol of God’s promise to never destroy the world again with a flood, have been hijacked by godless men who have neither fear nor love of God. 

In a few weeks we’ll sing, “Don we now our gay apparel, fa la la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la.”  What the composer intended to mean “happy, joyful, fun” now has come to stand for a sin that that brings no happiness, produces no joy, and finally is no fun.  The meanings of words have been changed so that they no longer mean what they once meant. 

And as if symbols and words were not enough, now these blind leaders of the blind have twisted our understanding of virtue itself.  Lies are repeated so often that they are thought to be the Truth.  

We used to think that courage was daring to do what ought to be done at great personal risk, now we think that  the courageous awards should go to those who are daring to do what should never be done—redefining deviancy down.  It’s not courage for a man to put on a dress and present himself as a woman on the cover of a fashion magazine.  That’s cowardice--unwilling to face the truth about himself and his God-given identity.  God calls it, “an abomination.”

SHOULD THE RAINBOW TO BE REMOVED FROM OUR LITERATURE BECAUSE OF ITS NEW ASSOCIATION?

SHALL WE STOP SINGING A FAVORITE CAROL BECAUSE OF THIS RECENT RE-DEFINITION OF TERMS?

MUST WE ACCEPT THIS “BRAVE NEW ‘VIRTUE FREE’” WORLD?

NO, NO, AND NO!

BUT WHAT ABOUT THIS “LOVE WIN’S” BOAST?  It's not only the mantra of those who oppose God's definition of marriage, it's the title of a book by Rob Bell who announces that there is no hell and that everyone will end up in heaven.

THE ANSWER DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU MEAN BY LOVE.

If you mean EROS WINS--that physical desire wins, then the answer is No!

If you mean PHILEO WINS—that brotherly concern wins, then the answer must also be No!

But if you mean AGAPE WINS—that divine love, the highest form of love as exampled in Christ and experienced by the Spirit filled children of God, then we proclaim without fear, YES! AGAPE WINS!

THE BEAUTY OF AGAPE LOVE:

AGAPE LOVE IS SACRIFICIAL 

John 15:13 - Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

1 John 4:10 - Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins.

AGAPE LOVE IS OBEDIENT  (TO THE LETTER AND THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW OF GOD)
John 14:15 - If ye love me, keep my commandments

AGAPE LOVE IS 1^ST CORINTHIANS 13 LOVE:

Charity suffereth long, and is kind  AGAPE LOVE IS PATIENT AND KIND

Charity envieth not, vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.   AGAPE LOVE IS NOT JEALOUS OR BOASTFUL OR PROUD.

Doth not behave itself unseemly,  AGAPE LOVE IS NOT RUDE.

Seeketh not her own, IT DOES NOT DEMAND IT’S OWN WAY

Is not easily provoked, IT IS NOT IRRITABLE

Thinketh no evil; AGAPE LOVE KEEPS NO RECORD OF BEING WRONGED

Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth, DOES NOT REJOICE IN INJUSTICE BUT HOPES THE TRUTH WINS OUT

Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things  AGAPE LOVE NEVER GIVES UP, NEVER LOSES FAITH, IS ALWAYS HOPEFUL, AND ENDURES THROUGH EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE.

YES! YES! AGAPE WINS!

THIS IS THE WAY!  THIS IS THE TRUTH!  THIS IS THE LIFE

I HEAR JESUS ANSWERING THE INQUIRING PHARISEE?  WHAT’S THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT?  (MARK 12:29-34)

²⁹ And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: ³⁰ And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

³¹ And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. ³² And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:

³³ And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. ³⁴ And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

YES! YES! AGAPE WINS!

THE APPLICATION OF AGAPE LOVE

DOES “AGAPE WIN” WHEN PEOPLE DON’T COME FROM MY NATIONAL HERITAGE? FROM MY POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE? FROM MY DENOMINATION? OR FROM MY THEOLOGICAL ALLEGIANCE?

DOES “AGAPE WIN” WHEN SINNERS ACT EXCEEDINGLY SINFUL?

DOES “AGAPE WIN” WHEN PEOPLE DISAGREE WITH ME?

DOES “AGAPE WIN” WHEN I AM THREATENED AND PERSECUTED?

DOES “AGAPE WIN” WHEN THERE ARE MISUNDERSTANDINGS—THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND, OR MAYBE I DON’T UNDERSTAND?

DOES “AGAPE WIN” WHEN GOD DISAGREES WITH ME—LOVE YOUR ENEMIES, DO GOOD TO THEM WHO DESPITEFULLY USE YOU, FORGIVE SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN DAILY.

DOES “AGAPE WIN” WHEN I’M REPROVED—DO NOT LOVE THE WORLD--DENY THE LUST OF THE FLESH, THE LUST OF THE EYE, AND THE PRIDE OF LIFE?  (Choosing what to wear?)

DOES “AGAPE WIN” WHEN I AM SENT TO LABOR UNREWARDED.

So send I you to labour unrewarded
To serve unpaid, unloved, unsought, unknown
To bear rebuke, ot suffer scorn and scoffing
So send I you to toil for Me alone

So send I you to bind the bruised and broken
Over wandering souls to work, to weep, to wake
To bear the burdens of a world a-weary
So send I you to suffer for My sake

So send I you to loneliness and longing
With hart a-hungering for tthe loved and known
Forsaking kin and kindred, friend and dear one
So send I you to know My love alone

So send I you to leave your life's ambition
To die to dear desire, self-will resign
To labor long, and love where men revile you
So send I you to lose your life in Mine

So send I you to hearts made hard by hatred
To eyes made blind because they will not see
To spend, though it be blood to spend and spare not
So send I you to taste of Calvary

DOES “AGAPE WIN” WHEN MY BROTHER OR SISTER FALLS, AGAIN, INTO SIN?

DOES “AGAPE WIN” WHEN THE CHURCH—THE CALLED OUT—GATHER TOGETHER.  Jesus urged his disciples

JOHN 13 ³⁴ A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  ³⁵ By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

WHY DOESN’T AGAPE WIN IN ME?

YES AGAPE WINS.

BUT UNTIL THE HOLY GHOST CLEANSES OUR PRIDEFUL, CARNAL HEARTS, WE CANNOT TESTIFY THAT AGAPE WINS WITHIN OUR HEARTS.

Holy Ghost, with power divine,
Cleanse this guilty heart of mine;
Long has sin, without control,
Held dominion o’er my soul.

Holy Ghost, with joy divine,
Cheer this saddened heart of mine;
Bid my many woes depart,
Heal my wounded, bleeding heart.

Holy Spirit, all divine,
Dwell within this heart of mine;
Cast down every idol throne,
Reign supreme, and reign alone.

HOPE - A DARING FAITH IN THE FUTURE

Over the month and half we have been preaching on DARING FAITH! We began by looking at the examples of DARING FAITH in the book of Daniel.

Last Sunday we began to think about what DARING FAITH will look like in our times. The Apostle Paul’s instruction to the Philippian Church was our text, "...Stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; And in nothing terrified by your adversaries." Philippians 1:27,28.

DARING FAITH has a unique identity. DARING FAITH stands out, stands together, and stands boldly at all costs. We observed that CHRISTIANS are notably different, distinctly Scriptural and Spiritual in our lifestyle and attitudes. Ours is DARING FAITH!

We think differently from the world. We act differently from the world. We talk differently from the world. We present ourselves differently. (For example we are comfortable in and love to accent our God-given gender, we are modest in our appearance, and we are gracious in our spirit). We spend differently from the world. We love differently from the world. Our hopes are different from the world. Oh what a difference! A glorious difference.

The writer to the Hebrews penned, "Faith is the substance of things hoped for." The Christian’s faith rests on our unshakeable confidence that what we hope for will actually happen. See the stark difference between the "hope" of the world, and the hope of the Christian? The world’s hope based on uncertainty. "I hope we win the game." "I hope I can get the job." "I hope I go to heaven."

The blessed hope of the Christian is not grounded in uncertainty. It is grounded in the promises of God Himself!

We believe God.

We believe God’s Word.

We believe God cares and understands and is working.

We believe God makes a way.

We believe God’s Son is Risen and is coming again.

We believe God has prepared a place for those who love Him.

See the nexus of faith and hope. In fact, I’m agreeing with the preacher who said, "Hope is faith in the future." Faith is believing God today. Hope is believing God is already in tomorrow and He will not fail then, anymore than He will fail now. He cannot fail!

In days of tremendous spiritual confusion, moral disintegration, and personal hardship, may God help us to build our hopes on things eternal! John says, "Every man that has this hope, purifies himself!" Let’s do that. And take great confort and courage in our blessed hope!

RECHABITE OR REPROBATE?

 

Jerusalem was on the brink.  Idolatry and immorality had rendered them impotent.  From the beginning their strength was not in prowess or power. 

 

Moses knew it.  "The eternal God is thy refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms, and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee..." Deuteronomy 33:27. 

 

David knew it. "The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my savior..."  2 Samuel 22:2. 

 

The Prophets knew it.  They were forever writing of "The God of our Salvation," the "God who is our strength," and the "God of Jacob who is our help and hope."

 

But as always happens, when people who know God do not glorify Him as God, they become vain in their imaginations and their foolish hearts are darkened.  If the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, ignoring the Lord is the beginning of ignorance.  When the true God is rejected, the truth of God is obscured.

 

Six hundred years before Christ, God maneuvered Nebuchadnezzar's army into positions around the Holy City.  The Prophets warned the Kings of Jerusalem against forming alliances with Egypt against Babylon.  But the Kings refused to listen.  Now Babylon's best would school the not so holy City in the art of siege and conquest.

 

Inside the city walls of Jerusalem, the situation was increasingly desperate.  The shelves of the bakeries were empty.  Even water was in short supply.

 

In a last ditch effort to convince the backslidden city to repent of their sin, Jeremiah called to the Temple a large number of Rechabites. 

 

Rechabites were the descendants of Rechab the Kenite.  Moses married Zipporah, who's father Jethro was a Kenite.  As Moses led God's people through the Sinai desert, the Kenites who were from Rechab's family allied themselves with Israel. They accompanied God's people into Canaan.

 

The Bible tells us that Jahonadab the Rechabite insisted that his children never drink wine, never live in houses, and never plant vineyards or fields.  They were God- fearing people who zealously opposed idolatry and faithfully honored their father's will.

 

Now threatened by the Babylonian Army these Rechabites took refuge inside the city walls of Jerusalem.

 

When the Rechabites walked into the Temple, Jeremiah set before them large kegs of wine and empty cups.  "Drink up!" the prophet insisted!

 

The Rechabites refused.  “No,” they said, “we don’t drink wine, because our ancestor Jehonadab^[a] son of Recab gave us this command: ‘You and your descendants must never drink wine. ⁷ And do not build houses or plant crops or vineyards, but always live in tents. If you follow these commands, you will live long, good lives in the land.’ ⁸ So we have obeyed him in all these things. We have never had a drink of wine to this day, nor have our wives, our sons, or our daughters. ⁹ We haven’t built houses or owned vineyards or farms or planted crops. ¹⁰ We have lived in tents and have fully obeyed all the commands of Jehonadab, our ancestor. (Jeremiah 35:6-10).

 

And how many years had it been since their ancestor Johonadab had bound his family to these commitments?  Were these commitments made months or a few years earlier?  Hardly! 

Here before Jeremiah in the Temple at Jerusalem were men who were 250 years distant from their great great great great great great great grandfather Johonadab!  And still they remained faithful to their vow.

Jeremiah challenged the besieged leaders in Jerusalem, "Why can't you be as steadfast and obedient as these Rechabites?"

I see remarkable parallels to the plight of the American Church today.  We too are surrounded by forces intent on destroying us.  We too are led by leaders who will not stand against "spiritual wickedness in high places."  Too many of us have succumbed to the Spirit of the Age so that our holy distinctives have been lost.

The Rechabites knew who they were and what they stood for.  They had settled the question of identity.

Oh that God would raise up some Christians with the spirit and courage of the Rechabites.

+Christians who are "Bible Thumping" Fundamentalists convinced that God's Word is absolutely true.

+Christians who are Christ followers, not crowd pleasers.

+Christians who are Holy Spirit driven, not slaves to sensuality.

+Christians who are "called out" and "separated" not worldly minded crowd pleasers.

 

+Christians who refuse to be mocked by wine or deceived by strong drink!

 

+Christians who thank God for their God-given identity and present themselves as they are--wearing gender specific and modest apparel. 

Finally the Word of the Lord for the people of Jerusalem comes to Jeremiah, "I have spoken, but they have not heard! I have called, but they have not answered."  Swiftly and certainly God's judgment fell, and the once holy city was reduced to rubble.

But there is a remarkable footnote.  To the Rechabites, Jeremiah prophesies, "You have obeyed your ancestor Jehonadab in every respect, following all his instructions, therefore the Lord of Heaven's Armies declares, you will always have descendants who serve me!"

Our choice is clear.  Will we be Rechabites or Reprobates? Saved or Lost?

MY ASSENT TO THE DISSENT - EXCERPTS FROM THE SUPREME COURT RULING ON HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAGE

“There is no retreat, but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged, their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston!”   

PATRICK HENRY – “GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH!”  March 1775

READ THESE DISSENTS TO THE U S SUPREME COURT RULING THAT MANDATES HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAGE IN ALL 50 OF THESE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN ROBERTS

“One immediate question invited by the majority’s position is whether States may retain the definition of marriage as a union of two people.  …Although the majority randomly inserts the adjective “two” in various places, it offers no reason at all why the two-person element in the core definition of marriage may be preserved, while the man-woman element may not.  Indeed from the standpoint of history and tradition, a leap from opposite-sex marriage to same-sex marriage is much greater than one from a two-person union to plural unions, which have deep roots in some cultures around the world.  If the majority is willing to take the big leap, it is hard to see how it can say no to the shorter one.

…As petitioners put it, “Times can blind.” …But to blind yourself to history is both prideful and unwise.  “the past is never dead.  It’s not even past.” W. Faulkner, Requiem for a Nun.

…Unfortunately people of faith can take no comfort in the treatment they receive from the majority today.

…It’s one thing for the majority to conclude that the constitution protects a right to same-sex marriage; it is something else to portray everyone who does not share the majority’s “better informed understanding” as bigoted.

JUSTICE ANTONIN SCALIA

…It is of overwhelming importance, however, who it is that rules me.  Today’s decree says that my Ruler, and the Ruler of 320 million Americans coast-to-coast is a majority of the nine lawyers on the Supreme Court.  ..This practice of Constitutional revision by an unelected committee of nine, always accompanied as it is today by extravagant praise of liberty, robs the People of the most important liberty they asserted in the Declaration of Independence and won in the Revolution of 1776: the freedom to govern themselves.

…These Justices [the majority of the Court] know that limiting marriage to one man and one woman is contrary to reason; they know that an institution as old as government itself, and accepted by every nation in history until 15 years ago, cannot possibly be supported by anything but ignorance or bigotry.  And they are willing to say that any citizen who does not agree with that, who adheres to what was, until 15 years ago, the unanimous judgment of all generations and all societies stands against the Constitution.

JUSTICE CLARENCE THOMAS

…Numerous amici—(Friend of the Court Filings for the information of the Justices) …have cautioned the Court that its decision here will “have unavoidable and wide-ranging implications for religious liberty.”…It appears all but inevitable that the two will come into conflict, particularly as individuals and churches are confronted with demands to participate in and endorse civil marriages between same-sex couples.

…Religious liberty is about freedom of action in matters of religion generally, and the scope of that liberty is directly correlated to the civil restraints placed upon religious practice…The majority’s decision [carries with it]…potentially ruinous consequences for religious liberty.

…Today’s decision …distorts the principles on which this Nation was founded.  Its decision will have inestimable consequences for our Constitution and our society.

FCC ONWARD! AN URGENT APPEAL

June 30, 2015

 

Dear Friends of Faith,

Greetings in the name of our Righteous, Risen, and Reigning Savior--Jesus the Christ!     

     
As the blitzkrieg against Christian Civilization continues to mount, I'm identifying more and more with the Apostle Paul who said, "      

 

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed;      

we are perplexed, but not in despair;

Persecuted, but not forsaken;

cast down, but not destroyed.  2 Corinthians 4:8,9     

     

I have written a post at "ONWARD!" regarding what I now expect after the Supreme Court's endorsement of homosexual marriage.  You can click the link to see that. http://pastorrickjones.blogspot.com/2015/06/now-what-do-i-expect.html

After praying and reading the Scriptures, here's our plan:     

   

1. PRAY!  We will have the doors open before every service--Sunday Morning 10:30am, Sunday Evening 6:00pm, and Wednesday Evening 6:30pm for God's people to gather to pray.  We will gladly pray for physical needs, but the burden of this prayer will be for a Great Awakening in America and a revival in the Church.  We will pray that God's people will grow deeper in their faith, higher in their love, and wider in their obedience.         

2. LOVE!  It is not coincidental that the Gospel of John tells of a Savior who was full of "grace and truth."  Notice the God-inspired primacy of "grace!"  That's first! We must show grace and love to every lost soul. The "god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."  If our Gospel is hid, the Apostle reminds us, "It is hid to them who are lost!"  2 Corinthians 4:3ff. 

       

Our Lord taught us and showed us how to love the vilest of sinners. His Word tells us that "love suffers long and is kind..." and as Christians we are determined to sacrificially love even those who are at odds with us.

     

3. SPEAK!  We must utilize every means possible to "speak the truth in love."  We are ready for a defense of the Gospel.  We are determined to faithfully warn this generation, "Flee the wrath that is to come."  We will preach in the Church and on the Streets.  We will teach in the classroom and in the homes.  We will utilize media as God's enables us, to proclaim the truth as it is in Christ Jesus.  We will not shut up, give up, or let up!   

     

4. RALLY!  When people come together to show support for a cause it's called a "Rally!"  That's exactly what we must do.  When the doors of the Church open for services--It's Rally-Time!  When your car is in the parking lot the world drives by and takes note--those are the true believers!  When you're worshipping the LORD inside the Church, your Christian brothers and sisters are encouraged to stay true to the Cause. As we set aside the busy-ness of daily life to focus on eternal life our faith is increased and our cause is advanced. 

One of my mother's heroines was veteran missionary Louise Robinson Chapman (Africa 1920-1940).  Sister Chapman was marvelous speaker and a devoted servant of the Lord.  She told of a young pastor in east Africa who was martyred for his faith.  Found among his papers was this handwritten testimony:     

     

"I am a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. 

The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line.  The decision has been made.     

   

I'm a disciple of His and I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

    

My past is redeemed.  My present makes sense.  My future is secure. I'm done and finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.

    

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity.  I don't have to be right, or first, or tops, or recognized, or praised, or rewarded.  I live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by Holy Spirit power.

     

My face is set.  My gait is fast.  My goal is heaven.  My road may be narrow, my way rough, my companions few, but my guide is reliable and my mission is clear.

     

I will not be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed.

     

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice or hesitate in the presence of the adversary.  I will not negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

     

I won't give up, shut up, or let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ. 

 

I am a disciple of Jesus.  I must give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes.  And when He does come for His own, He'll have no problems recognizing me.  My colors will be clear!

 

AMEN! AMEN! AND AMEN!

 

OUR IMMEDIATE NEED

The handwriting is on the wall.  We simply must do all that we can to strengthen our hand in this increasingly hostile environment.  For FCC that will not only include stepping up our soul-winning campaign and ministry, it means that we have to get our financial house in strong order.  To that end we have two goals. 

 

Our immediate goal is to raise a "DARING FAITH OFFERING" of $25,000.  At the beginning of June we explained the need to repair and seal our parking lot ($5000), repair and replace key parts in our HVAC system that must be done soon ($5,000), purchase equipment and fund Live-streaming of the services ($3,000), cover the costs of Bible School & Great Commission Outreach expenses ($2,000), purchase improved lighting ($1000) and meet our $9,000 monthly costs. 

 

To date we have received a total of $6,976.88, including a $1000 Daring Faith Offering pledge and a $100 Daring Faith gift.  We barely had enough to pay our mortgage today. Thank the Lord we made that!  We ended June needing $3800 to cover monthly costs.

 

If you can give a DARING FAITH OFFERING online please go to our webpage and click on the PayPal donate button.  www.FCCStLouis.org   If you can mail an offering to FCC, 2969 N. Lindbergh, St. Ann, MO 63074 we would be so thankful. 

 

Our longer range goal is to retire the $490,000 mortgage that is costing us $2900 a month.  Perhaps some reading this would remember FCC in their estate planning--stocks, bonds, life insurance, farms, cash, or real estate would be such a help. We have a lawyer who can help at no charge to our donors.  I have never been so impressed to pray that our church would be free of any indebtedness.  Thank you for joining us in this prayer.  I know this is huge.  But so is our God!  And DARING FAITH attempts great things for God, and expects great things from God!      

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL BEGINS TUESDAY, JULY 7 at 6:30 pm.  "CAMP COURAGEOUS!" IS COMING TO FCC.  Don't miss this exciting week.  We have classes for pre-school through elementary school ages.  Sorry we are not set up for middle or high school students.

 

GREAT COMMISSION ST LOUIS BEGINS TUESDAY, JULY 7 AT NOON!  It is such a joy to see our great young people on the front lines witnessing and helping with VBS.

 

If you have a moment for a 5 minute "TruthBit," an excerpt from last Sunday Morning's message you can click this link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGX4dgy33H0

We have had a number of people sharing this video across the nation.  The entire message will be up online soon.

 

Then listen to this great hymn, "I KNOW WHOM I HAVE BELIEVED!"  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l54EAF1Unf0

 

BE ASSURED OF OUR GREAT LOVE AND APPRECIATION! 

 

We are so thankful that God has brought us to the Kingdom for such a time as this.  Our times are certainly no surprise to the Sovereign of the universe.  May God help us to PRAY, LOVE, SPEAK, and RALLY together until the KING appears!

 

Onward!         

Pastor Rick Jones
FAITH COMMUNITY CHURCH + A CRUSADERS USA CONGREGATION
2969 N. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Ann, MO 63074   Cell Phone (314) 607-1424; Fax (314) 298-7442
BLOG: www.PastorRickJones.blogspot.com ; WEB: www.FCCStLouis.org

PREACHING SERVICES SUNDAYS 11AM & 6:30 PM

NOW WHAT DO I EXPECT?

Today's Huffington Post Headlined, "American Civilization Is Still Standing, Despite Predictions Of Marriage Equality Opponents." 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/29/marriage-equality-opponents_n_7688154.html?utm_hp_ref=politics

I don't know of any Bible believing Christian who predicted that the day sodomite marriage was sanctioned by the United States Supreme Court our nation would suddenly collapse or suffer cataclysmic disaster.  Not one of the predictions of the so called "marriage equality opponents" have suggested that.

Here's what I expect...

...Armed with this new definition of marriage ("people who love each other")  there will be calls for plural marriages--Thruplets, etc., and a move to sanction marriage with minors.

...Traditional marriage will diminish.  Divorce will remain common.  And living together without the benefit of marriage will be the most popular.  We will continue to divide what God has joined and join what God has divided. 

...Child abuse will continue to plague the nation.  Parents who are more concerned for their own self-fulfillment and pleasure will neglect, ignore, and abuse their offspring.  Deviants will take advantage of children and justify themselves--"It's consensual and loving."

...Life will be cheap.  Abortion will continue take the lives of millions before they are allowed to breathe.  Researchers and fertility specialists will discard hundreds of thousands of fertilized ovum as unwanted or unfit.  And suicide will be normalized and subsidized as life loses its divine significance.

...American productivity will continue to fall as pleasure and ease are subsidized and work and industry are taxed. The traditional family unit is the undisputed leader in instilling a strong work ethic and responsibility into the character of children.  By taxing the ideal, and subsidizing the less than ideal, we will continue to produce fewer qualified applicants to fulfil the needs of our economy.

...American fascination with entertainment--from gaming to games, from shows to showing off (our latest styles, tats and piercings), from licentiousness to libertine pleasures (think the lust of the eye and the lust of the flesh) will prove corrosive to character.  "If you live after the flesh you will die," the Scriptures warn.

...The day will come when our government will be unable to fund all the programs our crowd-pleasing politicians have committed to finance. Tax revenues will continue to lag far behind expenditures.  Currently we have a national debt of 1,700 billions of dollars. 

...Our military will be weakened as American dollars are spent on hand-outs rather than national defense. Our reliance on technology will make us more vulnerable--think hack attack.  American resolve will be increasingly tested by enemies around the world.

...Furthermore our military will be weakened as Divinity is expelled and Deviancy is enshrined.  Chaplains will be forbidden to preach the Bible, while libertines, homosexuals and transvestites are celebrated in the ranks.

...Our resolve will dissolve as moral strength is mocked and spiritual truth is denied. With no raison d'etre we will cease to be that "city upon a hill" and "land of the free and home of the brave."

...The media will continue to shape the hearts and minds of a clueless population--unable to think rationally.  Emboldened by their amazingly successful 15 year campaign to normalize sodomy, they will continue to undermine and erode any vestige of virtue in the civilization.  What programmers don't think of, advertisers will.  Witness the explosion of sexually explicit commercials on the television and computer screens of this generation.

...The schools--kindergarten through graduate school--will continue to promote tolerance, of everything and everyone except those who truly believe the Bible.  Traditional heroes and values will be tossed out and a "brave new world" devoid of virtue will shape the curriculum and agenda. 

...Liberty will give way to licentiousness.  Os Guiness is right.  Without Faith and Virtue, Freedom will devolve into anarchy.

...A strident self-centeredness will ravage the spirit of cooperation that once was the backbone of our great institutions. Our first loyalty will be to ourselves.  As our thoughtful appreciation of the "greater good" fades our loyalty to great causes will be lost. 

...Moral authority will be ignored, questioned, and violently rejected. The law will be rendered meaningless by judges who have imbibed the spirit of the age. 

...There will be a great falling away from Bible preaching and believing churches. This falling away will lay increasing stress, ( ideological, organizational and financial) on the remnant.  The enemy will do all that he can to discourage, divide, and dishearten us.   

...Bible Christians will continue to be marginalized and finally demonized by a culture that has rejected truth.  This will have implications for Christian employees, Christian students, Christian parents, and serious Christians across the nation.

...FINALLY, I EXPECT THAT THE REMNANT WILL REMAIN FAITHFUL TO CHRIST AND TO HIS CHURCH.  AND I EXPECT THAT THE TRUTH OF CHRIST WILL TRIUMPH.  AND I EXPECT THAT BY THE GRACE OF GOD, THIS SINNER WHO HAS BEEN SANCTIFIED BY THE BLOOD OF THE CONQUERING LAMB, WILL ONE DAY REJOICE IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD IN THAT CITY WHERE THEY NEED NO SUN!

 

RAINBOW WHITE HOUSE

PRESIDENT JOHN QUINCY ADAMS wrote to his wife after his first night in the WHITE HOUSE:

"Before I end my letter, I pray Heaven to bestow the best of Blessings on this House and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise Men ever rule under this roof."




HOPE YOU WILL JOIN IN PRAYING FOR OUR NATION TODAY AT FCC.

2 Chronicles 7:14

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.