Most people will see these images and will think nothing more than "oh, I guess the air quality is going to be bad for a couple of days, no big deal, things will be back to normal soon" but those who have God given discernment know this is something that is much more spiritual, a clear sign of what many of us have been warning of for years now but mostly, our cries go unheard. The Earth is experiencing what the Bible calls the "Birth Pains" and these disasters, man made or not, are obviously increasing in intensity and frequency. And yes, much of what is going on is man made but God allows it as a form of judgement on this wicked world. To those with eyes to see and ears to hear, God is shaking the world and giving humanity warning signs of the coming Tribulation. He warns us so we can get right with with Him and enter into His protection before all Hell breaks loose. So, please get right with God and put your faith in Jesus before it is too late because none of us are promised tomorrow and the end times are not just going to simply go away. And If you think what's happening now is bad, you have no idea of the horrific things that are about to come upon this Earth. “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:” — Isaiah 55:6 ❤️‍🔥

"There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee."- Deuteronomy 18:10-12 King James Bible "Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices."- 2 Corinthians 2:11 King James Bible "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."- Ephesians 6:11-13 King James Bible "Neither give place to the devil."- Ephesians 4:27 King James Bible "There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee."- Deuteronomy 18:10-12 King James Bible

“Is creation a first-tier issue?” Let’s consider the following. Does the Bible state you have to believe the following to be saved? • Jesus walked on water. • Jesus fed thousands as a miracle. • Jesus healed the blind, deaf, and mute. • The Israelites’ shoes and clothes didn’t wear out in the desert. • Jonah was in a fish for three days. • Jesus was born of a virgin. The list could go on and on. The answer to each question is “no”—the Bible doesn’t say a person has to believe those accounts to be saved. So does that mean the list doesn’t matter then? Of course not, as these accounts are plainly taught in Scripture when you take the text as written. Is it important to believe in the list? To reject them is to undermine biblical authority. It ultimately opens the door to reject anything in Scripture. So where do you draw the line between what’s vital (first tier) and what is not? Well, consider this verse: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). Taking the Bible naturally, as written, according to the literature and its context, is of great importance. Biblical authority is indeed a first-order (first-tier) issue. What would be a litmus test to determine if someone is undermining biblical authority? Well, one way is to see if the person is working from the actual words of the text (exegesis) or if the person is taking ideas outside of Scripture and bringing them into the text and interpreting the words (eisegesis). I’ve said so many times that it’s true that in the church, people have different views of eschatology, modes of baptism, speaking in tongues, the Sabbath day, etc. But all these issues involve people arguing primarily from Scripture to justify their positions, not basing their ideas on influences outside Scripture. However, when it comes to Genesis, all the different views within the church, such as day-age theory, framework hypothesis, theistic evolution, local flood, and so on, have one thing in common. Every one of these positions involves taking man’s belief from outside the Bible, regarding millions of years (based on the religion of naturalism), and trying to fit old ages into Scripture. Many of these views involve adding biological evolution and astronomical evolution into Scripture. This approach uses eisegesis, not exegesis, and it undermines biblical authority. So creation is a first-tier issue because it’s a biblical authority issue, and biblical authority is a first tier issue!

THE FIRST SECOND IN HELL: WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYS WILL HAPPEN WHEN A SOUL ARRIVES There is a moment every human being will face. A moment no one can postpone, negotiate, or escape. It comes quietly. One final breath. One final heartbeat. And then your soul steps into eternity. Most people imagine that moment as peaceful or automatic. But Scripture gives a far more sobering warning. The instant a soul enters hell, there is awareness. There is recognition. There is movement. You do not drift into eternity half conscious. You arrive fully awake. And the first shock is not fire. It is separation. The most terrifying reality of hell is the sudden awareness that the presence of God is gone. The peace you took for granted. The mercy you delayed. The grace you resisted. All of it withdrawn. Not because God refused you. But because you refused Him. Hell is the fulfillment of a lifetime of saying no to God. In that instant, every distraction that once numbed you is stripped away. No phone. No pride. No applause. No excuses. Just truth. Clear and undeniable. And Scripture warns that hell is not empty or unaware. It is a realm prepared for rebellion. Nothing there is confused about why a soul has arrived. The sins you defended. The repentance you postponed. The voice of God you ignored. All of it follows you into eternity. The torment begins not merely as physical suffering, but as crushing clarity. Regret becomes sharp. Memory becomes relentless. You remember the sermons you dismissed. The conviction you silenced. The moments you felt God drawing you and chose comfort instead. In hell, there is no distraction from truth. Then comes the weight of permanence. Jesus warned that the door will be shut. Not temporarily. Not slightly. Shut. And when a soul realizes this will never end, that eternity is fixed, the agony deepens. Not simply because of what is present, but because of what is absent. The presence of God. Hell’s greatest torment is separation from the One who loved you, pursued you, warned you, and made a way for you. But hear this clearly. You are not there. You are still breathing. You are still choosing. You are still standing in the only place where eternity can change. Scripture does not warn about hell to entertain fear. It warns because mercy is still available. The Bible says today is the day of salvation. Not someday. Not when life slows down. Today. The greatest danger is not open rebellion. It is delay. Planning to repent later. Assuming there will always be another chance. Many intended to turn to God. Many assumed they had time. Many were wrong. Right now, you have what every soul in hell would give anything to have. Another opportunity. Whatever sin you are excusing, surrender it. Whatever bitterness you are holding, release it. Whatever compromise you are defending, repent of it. You were not created for destruction. You were created for God. Eternity will begin. The only question is where. And the same Scripture that warns about hell also promises this: the moment you truly turn to Christ, heaven moves toward you with mercy. Do not drift into eternity carelessly. Do not gamble your soul on tomorrow. Choose life. Choose repentance. Choose salvation while the door is still open. Teaching Summary Eternity is not symbolic. It is certain. Hell is not a metaphor. It is a warning. Separation from God is the deepest torment. Delay is the enemy of salvation. Today is the only moment you are guaranteed. If this message stirred your heart, do not ignore it. Share it with someone who needs truth. Save it and read it again. Let it remind you what truly matters. You still have time. Use it wisely. #repost

When Matthew records the moment Jesus died he lists three immediate supernatural responses. The earth shook. The rocks split. The tombs broke open. And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. Most people picture a curtain. Something like a heavy theatre drape or a decorative room divider. Something that — while significant — a person could physically tear if they grabbed it with enough force and desperation. That picture is completely wrong. And understanding what the veil actually was changes everything about what happened when it tore. The temple veil — the parochet — was the barrier that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. The outer courts of the temple were accessible to any Jewish person. The inner courts were accessible to priests. The Holy Place was accessible only to specific priests performing specific functions. But the Holy of Holies — the innermost chamber, the room where the presence of God dwelt above the Ark of the Covenant — was accessible to exactly one person on exactly one day of the year. The High Priest. On Yom Kippur. That was it. One man. One day. Everyone else — every ordinary Israelite, every common priest, every scribe and Pharisee and teacher of the law — was permanently and absolutely excluded from the presence of God by that veil. And the veil itself was built to communicate that exclusion powerfully and unmistakeably. Jewish historical sources — including the writings of Josephus — describe the temple veil in detail. It was not a curtain. It was approximately 60 feet tall. As tall as a six-storey building. It was woven from blue, purple and scarlet yarn — colours that in the ancient world represented heaven, royalty and blood. It was four inches thick. Not four inches of loose fabric — four inches of densely woven material so strong that the Talmud records it required 300 priests to handle it during temple operations. This was a wall. A woven wall between humanity and the presence of God. And when Jesus died — at 3pm on Good Friday — it tore. Not from the bottom up — which would suggest a human being grabbed the lower edge and pulled. From the top down. Starting at a point 60 feet above the ground that no human hand could reach. Tearing downward completely. In two pieces. The direction of the tear is the testimony. God tore it. From His side. From the top. Downward. Opening the way that had been closed since Eden. Removing the barrier that had stood between humanity and His presence since the day sin entered the world. The High Priest went into the Holy of Holies once a year with blood that could never truly remove sin. Jesus entered heaven itself with His own blood — once — and the veil that kept everyone else out was destroyed at the moment of His death. You are not kept at a distance from God anymore. The 60-foot woven wall is gone. The barrier is down. The way is open. The presence that was accessible to one man one day a year is now accessible to every person, every moment, every day, through the name of Jesus. The veil didn't just tear. It was demolished. By God. From the top down. The moment the price was paid. Share this with your church family this Good Friday. This is what His death actually opened. 🙏✝️ #Easter #TheVeil #HolyOfHolies #BibleFacts #HiddenBibleFacts #EasterTruth #GoodFriday #JesusChrist #ChristianFaith #HolyWeek #Easter2026 #ResurrectionSunday #BiblicalHistory #BibleStudy #EasterFacts #TempleVeil #FaithFacts #CrossOfChrist #AccessToGod #FaithAndHistory

Pastor Loran Livingston is not an obscure voice. He is the longtime pastor of Central Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he has served for more than four decades. That makes his recent remarks all the more significant. When a pastor of his experience and influence declares that America has never been, is not now, and never can be a Christian nation, his words carry weight. They also merit careful examination. Pastor Livingston recently argued that America cannot rightly be called a Christian nation because of its many sins. He cited the killing and displacement of Native Americans, the evil of slavery, the carnage of the Civil War, the slaughter of the unborn, gender confusion, the mutilation of children, and the promotion of same-sex unions. Much of what he condemned deserves condemnation. No Christian should defend the mistreatment of Native Americans, slavery, abortion, sexual confusion, or the redefinition of marriage. These are not minor matters. They are serious national sins. But Pastor Livingston’s conclusion does not follow from his evidence. Livingston acknowledged that godly people came to these shores seeking religious freedom, that great Bible preachers thundered from American pulpits, and that some who helped build this country were godly. “But,” he concluded, “it has never been a Christian nation — and never will be.” That may sound bold. It may even sound prophetic. Nevertheless, it seeks to answer an argument many serious Christians are not making. When thoughtful Christians speak of America as a Christian nation, they do not mean the United States is the Church. They do not mean every American is saved, every Founder was orthodox, every law was righteous, every war was just, or every public act was pleasing to God. Only individuals can be redeemed by the blood of Christ. America is not the Kingdom of God. However, that is not the full question. The real question is whether America’s founding principles, moral assumptions, legal traditions, understanding of liberty, and concept of human rights were significantly shaped by Christianity. On that point, the historical record is extensive. The Declaration of Independence appeals to “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God,” asserts that men are “endowed by their Creator” with certain unalienable rights, appeals to “the Supreme Judge of the world,” and closes with “a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence.” Those words do not make the Declaration a church confession. But they do show that America’s founding was neither secularist nor atheistic nor religiously neutral. Rights were not treated as gifts from the government but as gifts from God. Government was not the source of moral authority. It was answerable to a higher authority. This understanding is not a recent invention of conservative Christians. In 1892, the United States Supreme Court recognized this historical reality in Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States. After reviewing numerous public acknowledgments of God and Christianity in American life, the Court concluded that these declarations contributed “to the mass of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation.” That statement meant then what many Christians still mean today: America’s laws, customs, institutions, and moral assumptions were profoundly formed by Christianity. Pastor Livingston points to America’s sins as though they erase her Christian inheritance. They do not. They only reveal how often the nation has betrayed it. A nation may possess great religious light and still rebel against it. Israel worshiped idols, oppressed the poor, shed innocent blood, and rejected the prophets. Yet Scripture still recognized Israel’s religious identity while condemning Israel’s sins. Nor should we speak only of America’s sins while ignoring the immeasurable good this nation has done because it has adhered to Christian principles. Under the influence of those principles, America has helped advance human dignity, moral accountability, ordered liberty, charitable service, education, hospitals, orphan care, prison reform, abolitionist efforts, civil rights appeals, and countless ministries to the poor, the addicted, the hungry, the sick, and the forgotten. America has often failed to live up to her own ideals, but when she has lived nearest to the Christian truths that gave those ideals moral substance, she has been a blessing not only to her own citizens but also to the world. In their book 'What If the Bible Had Never Been Written?', the late Dr. D. James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe observed that claiming America is, or ever was, a “Christian nation” has become “fighting words.” They noted the irony that in a country so profoundly molded by Christians, believers now find themselves on the defensive. The secularist who attacks Christianity in America, they wrote, is like “a petty ingrate standing atop a large pyramid constructed by the sweat and blood of Christians, hurling stones at their descendants.” That is a powerful image. But it is even more grievous when one of our own Christian brethren repeats an argument that, however unintentionally, does similar harm. Pastor Livingston surely does not intend to aid secularism. Still, his argument undermines the sacrifices of countless faithful Christians who labor to reconnect America with her religious moorings. Those moorings are part of why preachers like Livingston and all of us have the liberty to stand in a pulpit, open the Scriptures, and proclaim the Gospel without fear of government reprisal. Those moorings are also what secular forces in our day are working tirelessly to erase. That is why Pastor Livingstone’s argument is troubling. It tells Christians, in effect, that there is nothing to return to — that America was never meaningfully shaped by Christianity, never possessed a Christian moral foundation, and can never legitimately be described as Christian in any historical or cultural sense. That is simply not true. No serious Christian claims America is a redeemed nation or that citizenship is the same as salvation. The debate is not whether America has always obeyed God. She has not. The debate is not whether America’s history contains grievous sins. It does. The debate is whether America’s founding ideals were rooted in a moral order derived from the Christian understanding of God, man, law, liberty, and justice. They were. The very sins Pastor Livingston names can only be rightly judged by a standard higher than the shifting opinions of men. Why is slavery wrong? Why is abortion evil? Why is the mutilation of children wicked? Why is marriage not whatever the culture says it is? Why should the poor, the veteran, the unborn, the stranger, and the weak be treated with dignity? Why should civil government protect the innocent, punish wrongdoing, and recognize moral limits at all? The answer is clear: because there is a just God in heaven, because man is made in His image, because His law is righteous, and because no government has the authority to redefine what God has established. Granted, America is not saved by patriotic sentiment. America needs the Gospel. Americans need to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, nations remain accountable to God and will be judged by Him. A nation can expect to prosper when it honors righteousness and be ruined when it celebrates evil. The Scriptures say, “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). That verse does not say righteousness exalts only the Church. It says righteousness exalts a nation. Any nation. And sin is a reproach to any people. Therefore, Christians should not become discouraged and give up the effort to call America back to truth. In recent years, after many years of political advocacy by Christians, old ground has been retaken. There is still much work to be done. It is a serious error to argue that America has no Christian heritage simply because she has often sinned against it. America’s sins prove that she desperately needs to return to the same Christian truths that provided her with her highest ideals — the very truths she has so often betrayed. See Related Article by Rev. Mark Creech: Navigating Faith and Civic Responsibility: Pastor Loran Livingston’s Controversial Sermon https://www.renewamerica.com/columns/creech/240506 If you found this article helpful or meaningful, please share it with others. You can read this article, as well as many others by Rev. Mark Creech at RevMarkCreech.org

Thank you for the invite to your group. Can we also post some of our own favorites?

A member of the church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the pastor decided to visit him. It was a chilly evening. The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his pastor's visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited. The pastor made himself at home but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs. After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched all this in quiet contemplation. As the one lone ember's flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and dead. Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting.The pastor glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave. He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow, once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it. As the pastor reached the door to leave, his host said with a tear running down his cheek, 'Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the firey sermon. I will be back in church next Sunday.' We live in a world today, which tries to say too much with too little. Consequently, few listen. Sometimes the best sermons are the ones left unspoken.

A young 17-year-old boy was shopping in St. Cloud, MN, at a sports store, called Shields. The cashier was a Muslim lady who was wearing another headscarf. The 17-year-old was wearing a necklace with a cross on it. She told him he would have to put his cross under his shirt because it offended her. He told her he would not do that. Then he told her that he thought she should take her headscarf off. She then called for the manager. The manager came out and told the 17-year-old to just put his cross under his shirt and everything would be fine. The boy again refused to do so and at that point he left the items he had intended to purchase and walked out. Several customers who had been in line behind him had heard the conversation and also left their carts full of items and walked out of the store!! KUDOS TO THE 17-YEAR-OLD!!! We all know we are in some very changing times, and given the same circumstances, I pray we would all have the courage this young lad had. We spent a few minutes talking about the challenge we are facing for our first amendment right of religious freedom. (I have to wonder what's next? Are 'they' going to try to ban the jewelry store owners from selling any jewelry with a cross on it?? WILL YOU HESITATE TO PASS THIS ON?? OR BE READY TO DEFEND YOUR RELIGIOUS RIGHTS!!! GOD BLESS YOU, AND GOD BLESS AMERICA!!! Copy and paste!!

DOES THE BIBLE SAY THAT GOD WILL BLESS THOSE WHO BLESS ISRAEL? Tucker Carlson has made something of a hobby out of mocking the idea that God blesses those who bless Israel and curses those who curse her. When Senator Ted Cruz could not cite the verse on the spot, Carlson declared victory in what became a viral moment for him. But winning a theological debate on a technicality against a non-theologian is not the same as being right. Let us look at what the Bible actually teaches — and then let the history books add their own testimony. THE FOUNDATIONAL PROMISE The foundational passage is Genesis 12:1–3. God speaks to Abraham and declares, "I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." Tucker’s counter-argument is essentially: fine, that was a promise to Abraham personally, and Abraham is dead, so case closed, or maybe, that was a promise to the future church! But this reading does violence to the entire arc of Scripture. A DYNASTY PROMISE, NOT A ONE-MAN DEAL Any serious Old Testament scholar understands that the Abrahamic covenant was not a one-man arrangement — it was a dynasty promise. The covenant God made with Abraham and later reaffirmed with Isaac and Jacob is of transcendent significance, containing promises that were explicitly everlasting — even through “a thousand generations” (Psalm 105:8–11). The Lord reaffirmed through oath His commitment to bless Abraham and his seed — understood as the corporate physical progeny (meaning his actual physical descendants) — and the covenant came through Isaac and Jacob as well.[1] The Scripture makes this extension of the covenant unmistakable. When God appears to Isaac in Genesis 26:3–4, He says: "Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed." The same covenant. The same nations. Now addressed to the next physical generation. Then God reaffirms it again to Jacob at Bethel in Genesis 28:13–14: "I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed." Abraham, Isaac, Jacob — three generations, one unbroken covenant. Psalm 105:8–11 seals the case: “He REMEMBERS his covenant FOVEVER, the word that he commanded, for A THOUSAND GENERATIONS, the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac, which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an EVERLESTING COVENANT, saying, ‘To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance.’” This is not a personal promise to one man. It is a covenant made to Abraham, renewed to Isaac, confirmed to Jacob, and declared everlasting to the nation of Israel. BALAAM AND THE BLESSING OF THE NATIONS Most strikingly, in Numbers 24, a pagan diviner named Balaam is hired by the Moabite king Balak specifically to curse Israel. But what came out of Balaam’s mouth instead of a curse was this: “Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you”— spoken over the twelve physical tribes of Jacob wandering in the wilderness.[2] Commentators note that Balaam’s blessing formula deliberately echoes the original words of Genesis 12:3 and Isaac’s blessing of Jacob — confirming the assurance of divine favor to the righteous and their seed forever.[3] By Numbers 24, Abraham has been dead for centuries. But the blessing-and-cursing principle is applied without hesitation to the living nation of his descendants. Tucker's argument — that the modern nation of Israel (which DNA proves are the descendants of the Israelites) has no connection to the biblical promises — cannot survive contact with the text. NOTE: I do not believe that the modern nation of Israel is guiltless or should not be held accountable like any other nation. Wherever there is injustice, it should be called out. But that also means in Russia, which attacked Ukraine without cause, any Iran, where 50,000 citizens have been murdered for protesting. It seems that people like Tucker are fixated on Israel's sins while making excuses for the Islamic world. What the Bible teaches is that believers should contend for Israel's salvation in order to provoke her to jealousy (Romans 11:11). That doesn't mean unquestioned support and no accountability. THE CHURCH IN GENESIS 12 Before we turn to history, a reasonable question must be answered: what about the Church? If the Abrahamic covenant extends to Israel as a nation, where do Gentile believers fit in? The answer is not complicated — it is actually hiding in plain sight in Genesis 12 itself. God makes two distinct promises to Abraham in those opening verses. First, He says He will make Abraham into a great nation — that is, Israel, the physical descendants through Isaac and Jacob. But then God says something broader: "in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." Those are two different things. One is a nation. The other is the multitude of nations. The promise is not either/or — it is both/and. Israel is the vehicle through which the universal blessing travels. This is why God changes Abram’s name to Abraham in Genesis 17 to indicate that he will be the father of a multitude of nations. And we know exactly what that blessing is. Paul makes it explicit in Galatians 3:8, where he quotes Genesis 12:3 and says that God was preaching the gospel in advance to Abraham — that through his seed, meaning, ultimately, the Messiah Jesus, all nations would be blessed with salvation. So the Church is not in competition with Israel in Genesis 12. The Church is the fulfillment of the second half of the promise. Gentiles who believe in Jesus are the "all the families of the earth" God was already talking about when He first spoke to Abraham. That does not cancel the covenant with the nation of Israel — it completes the picture. NOW, LET THE HISTORY SPEAK In 1917, the British government issued the Balfour Declaration, expressing its support for the establishment of a Jewish national home in Palestine — an act many believe represented divine favor at work, and which historians describe as among the last great acts of the British Empire.[4] Britain was then the world’s dominant superpower, controlling roughly a quarter of the earth’s landmass. It was said that “the sun never sets on the British Empire” because it had lands all over the globe. For several decades, under leaders with strong evangelical sensibilities, Britain had championed Jewish restoration to their ancient homeland. Then Britain turned. In May 1939, the British government issued the White Paper, heavily favoring Arab demands: it limited Jewish immigration to 75,000 over five years, ended Jewish land purchases, and effectively declared that Britain had fulfilled its obligations to the Jewish people — closing the Holy Land’s doors even as Jews were fleeing Nazi persecution across Europe.[5] It was a breathtaking betrayal, and it came precisely when the Jewish people needed refuge most. The timeline of what followed is striking. In 1940, the British Empire still contained a quarter of the world’s population and a fifth of its landmass. Yet within the following two decades, more than twenty British territories gained independence, and by 1980, only a handful remained under British control.[6] The sun, so to speak, began setting on the empire almost immediately after Britain slammed the door on the Jewish people. Meanwhile, the United States stepped into the void. America had long been shaped by a deep biblical heritage and a Puritan identification with Israel’s story. America championed the founding of the modern State of Israel in 1948 — Harry Truman, himself a student of Scripture, recognized Israel eleven minutes after independence was declared at 9 AM EST on May 14. In the decades that followed, the United States became the undisputed dominant world power in every category: economic, military, cultural, and technological. For nearly a century now, no nation on earth has come close. ANECDOTE OR EVIDENCE? The cynic will note that empires rise and fall for many reasons — wars, economics, nationalism. That is true, and no honest theologian claims the blessing-and-cursing principle operates as a simple vending machine. But the trajectory is undeniable. The nation that championed Jewish restoration rose to global preeminence. The nation that betrayed the Jewish people and locked them out of their homeland as the Holocaust unfolded lost its empire within a generation. That is not merely anecdote. That is a pattern consistent with what the Scripture promises — a promise that did not die with Abraham, but was passed to his seed, renewed through Isaac and Jacob, reaffirmed through a pagan prophet named Balaam, and written across the history of nations ever since.  Tucker Carlson is free to dismiss that pattern. But dismissing it does not make it disappear.

"Things have reached a painful pass when those who are called to office on purpose to proclaim the gospel are allowed to use their position to sow doubts about it, and sap and undermine all belief in it. Such conduct is meanness itself, and it is wonderful that the churches tolerate it. Only Satan himself could have put it into a man’s heart to become a salaried preacher of the gospel in order to deny its fundamental truths. He who does this is Judas Redivivus, Iscariot the second. God save us from all complicity with such." -Charles Haddon Spurgeon Spurgeon is condemning ministers who claim to be Christian pastors while actively denying the essential doctrines of Christianity from the pulpit. The historical context here is important. Spurgeon was battling what became known as the Downgrade Controversy in the late 1800s. Many ministers and theologians were embracing higher criticism, skepticism about miracles, questioning biblical authority, and reinterpreting core Christian doctrines. These men remained in Christian churches and seminaries while undermining the very faith they were supposed to defend. Using their platform to make people doubt Scripture, like termites eating away at a foundation, they were gradually weakening peoples confidence in biblical Christianity. Spurgeon thought they should openly leave the ministry rather than stay in a Christian pulpit while attacking Christian doctrine. "Redivivus" means "revived" or "living again." Spurgeon compares such ministers to Judas Iscariot. Just as Judas appeared to be a disciple while betraying Christ, these ministers appear to be servants of Christ while undermining Christ's truth. Spurgeon's warning is not merely a relic of church history. These "Judas Redivivus" are alive and well today. We see this especially among deconstructionists who, rather than simply admitting they no longer believe, often retain positions of influence while publicly dismantling the very faith they once professed. Using their platforms, as was before, to cast doubt upon Scripture, the person and work of Christ, and the fundamental truths of Christianity, they continue the same pattern Spurgeon confronted in his own day. The faces and terminology may have changed, but the danger remains the same: undermining the faith from within while claiming to speak with authority about it. True Christians are not called to host persistent doctrinal sabotage, but to guard the truth in love, rebuke error with clarity, and reject what corrupts it from within. Scripture does not treat this lightly. “Reject a factious man after a first and second warning” Titus 3:10, and again, “watch out for those who cause divisions… and avoid them” Romans 16:17. When such a pattern persists, it is not to be excused as harmless disagreement but recognized as destructive to the faith once delivered to the saints.

If I call God “God” I speak truthfully. If I call God “Lord” I speak submissively. If I call God “King” I speak servilely. But if I dare to call God “my Father,” I speak with a brassy audacity, chutzpah, that is shockingly familiar and intimate. So it seems anyway. You dare to call the Master of the Universe “Father”? You dare to call the One who controls heaven and hell “Father”? You call the Omnipotent one “Father”? Who do you think you are? It is difficult to imagine a more audacious act than to stand before the Creator of the world and to name him “Father.” And mean it. And not only to mean it, but to act and speak as a child acts and speaks before a loving and doting Dad. It’s shocking. It’s exhilarating. And it’s beautiful beyond words. But here’s a secret: it’s not really chutzpah. It’s not some brassy boldness that we work ourselves into, nor it is gained by swallowing a bottle of liquid spiritual courage, as it were. To call God “Father” is simply to live in the space which Jesus created. To move from residing far from God as his enemy; or on the other side of town from him as a stranger; or down the street as an acquaintance; or in an adjoining house as a servant; and to move into our own bedroom as a child in his family. To wake up in the morning and see our Father sipping a cup of coffee and saying, “Good morning, my child,” as we respond, “Good morning, Father.” You see, when we live in this house, when we move into the room built by Jesus, we inhabit the home not merely of a Master or Lord or King, but the one who’s given us his name and made us his own, now and forever. “Our Father”: two of the most amazing words ever uttered.

One of the most overlooked moments in the Passion narrative isn’t when Pilate condemned Jesus. It’s when Pilate became afraid. More afraid. And if you understand why, it changes everything. John tells us: “When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid.” John 19:8 Think about that. This is Pontius Pilate. The Roman governor. A man who held life and death in his hands. A man feared by thousands. A man surrounded by soldiers. Yet the governor became afraid of the prisoner. Why? Because he heard something that shook his pagan worldview. The Jewish leaders had said: “He made Himself the Son of God.” And Pilate’s fear increased. Why? Because in the Roman world, the phrase “Son of God” wasn’t merely a religious statement. Caesar himself claimed divine sonship. Roman emperors claimed to be sons of the gods. And throughout Greco-Roman culture, stories circulated of divine beings walking among men. Pilate was likely superstitious. The thought running through his mind was terrifying: “What if this man really is divine?” And think about what Pilate had already witnessed. Jesus wasn’t begging. He wasn’t panicking. He wasn’t cursing. He wasn’t defending Himself like ordinary criminals. He was calm. Silent. Majestic. In control. Pilate had condemned countless men. But this Man was different. And the more Pilate examined Him, the more troubled he became. Then Pilate asks: “Whence art Thou?” John 19:9 Notice what he doesn’t ask. He doesn’t ask: “What have You done?” He asks: “Where are You from?” Pilate wasn’t concerned with geography anymore. He was wrestling with identity. Who is this Man? But Jesus remains silent. And Pilate becomes frustrated. “Do You not know I have authority to release You and authority to crucify You?” Then Jesus responds with words that should shake every ruler, every politician, every pastor, and every person with influence: “You would have no authority over Me at all unless it had been given you from above.” John 19:11 Do you see the picture? Pilate thought he was in control. Jesus reveals who truly was. Pilate thought he sat in judgment. In reality, Pilate stood before his Judge. Pilate thought Jesus’ life was in his hands. But Jesus had already declared: “No one takes My life from Me. I lay it down of My own accord.” John 10:18 This wasn’t Rome defeating Jesus. This wasn’t Pilate overpowering Christ. This was the Lamb willingly walking to slaughter. Pilate wasn’t dealing with a helpless carpenter. He was standing before the King of kings. And here’s the deeper prophetic picture. Pilate represents humanity. Humanity loves authority. Power. Titles. Platforms. Politics. Influence. But all earthly power eventually stands before Jesus. The governor trembled before the prisoner because deep inside he recognized something. He was standing before a Kingdom greater than Rome. And what amazes me is this: Pilate feared Jesus. But many churches today don’t. Pilate, a pagan governor, was more afraid of offending Christ than many believers are. Pilate repeatedly tried to release Him. Yet modern Christianity often tries to reshape Him. Pilate feared His identity. Many churches deny His authority. Pilate recognized there was something supernatural about Him. Many pulpits reduce Him to a life coach. Pilate understood this wasn’t just another man. But many churches have turned Jesus into a motivational speaker whose only job is to make people happy. The Jesus who caused Pilate to tremble is the same Jesus many have reduced to slogans, self-help messages, and breakthrough conferences. But make no mistake. Jesus isn’t merely Savior. He’s Lord. He’s not running for office. He’s already King. He’s not asking for votes. He’s demanding repentance. He’s not trying to fit into culture. He’s calling culture to bow. And one day, every Pilate. Every Caesar. Every president. Every pastor. Every celebrity. Every atheist. Every demon. Every knee will bow. And every tongue will confess. That Jesus Christ is Lord. Pilate feared because he stood before God in flesh. And perhaps the modern church needs to recover something Pilate understood: This Man is unlike any other. He is not to be managed. He is not to be marketed. He is not to be modified. He is the Son of God. And even governors tremble before Him. Shared

I told myself that if I ever found this story again that I would share it, so please read it and let me know what you think! ****************************************A preacher was driving home one night with his wife and two daughters in the car. It was raining and dark and because of the intensity of the rain he could hardly see past his headlights. On the way he had to drive over a huge bridge. There were signs posted all along the bridge that said "DO NOT PICK UP HITCH-HIKERS." There was an institution for the criminally insane near the base of the bridge and sometimes people would escape from it and try to hitch a ride. On this particular night, as he turned his car on to the bridge, he had to drive exceptionally slow because he could hardly see the road. Somewhere near the top of the bridge a man suddenly appeared in the headlights. He was soaked, standing in the middle of the road with his shirt off frantically waving it over his head and screaming . This preacher's wife began to say, "Oh please don't stop, try to drive around him!" But the man was unavoidable and there was nowhere for the car to go to miss him. So he had to stop the car and as soon as he did, the man slapped his hand down on the hood of the car and was screaming at the top of his lungs. The preacher looked over at his wife and said to lock the door after him and not to unlock it until he returned. His family was now crying and pleading with him not to get out of the car. He opened the door and stepped outside...He was immediately soaked from the rain. As he approached the front of the car to grab the man, all of a sudden he could make out what the man was screaming, "THE BRIDGE IS OUT! THE BRIDGE IS OUT! A BUS LOAD OF KIDS JUST WENT OVER!" As these words registered in the pastor's mind, he looked back in the car at his wife and two daughters. He wrapped his arm around the man and wept in gratitude. The preacher stood there with the man for the next half-hour in the middle of the road, waving his jacket above his head screaming."THE BRIDGE IS OUT! THE BRIDGE IS OUT!" For a lost and a dying world, "THE BRIDGE IS OUT!" For a people heading to a Christless Eternity,"THE BRIDGE IS OUT!" where are the men and the women who will stand in the middle of the road and forbid people to perish ? HELL HAS OPENED IT'S MOUTH WIDE AND MANY ARE SPEEDING INTO IT. Where are those who will stand in the gap, on the streets, the highways and the byways to forbid multitudes with the Gospel of JESUS CHRIST from going to such a horrible place ? SPREAD THE GOSPEL Lovely Thoughts For Lovely People Just Like You. Always Remember JESUS Loves You . ..... Share this message with all your friends, both Saved and unsaved THE BRIDGE IS OUT.! Unlike Many social media messages this days, If you choose not to share nothing will happen It just won't hurt to encourage one another to keep spreading the gospel for the harvest is far more than the labourers GOD BLESS YOU !

A prison inmate on death row was asked his last wish before he would be electrocuted in the chair,he asked for a pen and paper, then wrote ; Dear mom, if the the law was fair today you would be here seated next to me waiting to be electrocuted in the electric chair, but since the law is blind, I have been convicted for the crimes we committed together. Mom remember how it started, do you remember when I was 3 years old when I stole my brothers sweets? You didn’t correct me, remember very well when I was five the day I stole my neighbors toys and hid it at home, you said nothing, mum remember when I was 12 when I hid my cousins ball in the garage, when he had come to play with us at home and you said you didn’t see it, yet you did. Do you remember the day I was expelled from school at 15 years? Dad wanted to punish me but you refused and that very day you had a bitter argument with dad because you were defending me. You said I was still young, you said the teachers where wrong to say that I was not attending class. You defended me, you said I was right yet you knew I was wrong. Mum remember very well, you saw me steal our neighbors bicycle when I was 17, but you didn’t report I sold it, but, you were silent mum? You loved me so much, yes, you loved me but you didn’t correct me, instead you spoiled me. That is how it started and it graduated slowly until today when I will be executed for bank robbery and murder. I was very young, I just needed your guidance mom. By the time you will be reading this I will be gone. Yours truly, your loving son. To all parents out there the Bible says, Proverbs 13:24 Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children.Those who love their children care enough to discipline them... love your children don’t forget to discipline them..

I would like to apologize to my fellowes in ministry of the Gospels of Jesus Christ for not having been available during the past week. I recently had an operation that allowed me to in a way take a sabatical. you see, I am a modest man of almost 77 years…and during all those years have never wiyh the exception of a tonsillectomy as a child, had any other surgical procedures; until now! Last week I entered the local Advent Hospital with acute appendicitis, piece of cake I thought…and it was. I was blessed to have a wonderful, talented youn surgeon who prayed with me before going under anesthesia, and the greatest team of Christian nurses any ole country preacher could have asked for. Today, a week after being operated I sit here in my leater Lazy Boy, just praising God for the opportunity to have appendicitis, so that I could personally witness to His “Amazing Grace.”

Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke was the greatest man of God I have ever had the opportunity to be around, travel with, and assist on many occasions. He carried a passion for Jesus, the lost and the Holy Spirit that was unlike anything I have ever seen. He once said: “The less Holy Spirit we have, the more cake and coffee we need to keep the church going.” What a powerful reminder. The Church was never meant to be sustained by programs, entertainment, or human effort alone. It was born through the power of the Holy Spirit, and it will only thrive when we make room for Him to move. We need His presence more than our plans. His power more than our strategies. His voice more than our opinions. May we never become so busy doing church that we forget our desperate need for the Holy Spirit. God bless you.

Fulfilled! When Jesus was crucified, the Roman soldiers followed a brutal but efficient protocol. Crucifixion victims could linger for days, and to hasten death the soldiers would break the legs of those still alive so they could no longer push themselves up to breathe. This is exactly what they did to the two men crucified beside Jesus. But when they came to Jesus, they did something entirely unexpected. They did not break His legs. Scripture tells us plainly why, but the depth of what was happening reaches far beyond the surface. John records the moment with striking precision. “So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs” (John 19:32–33, ESV). On a practical level, the soldiers saw no need to break His legs because His death had already occurred. But John immediately tells us this was not merely a medical observation. It was a fulfillment. “For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: ‘Not one of his bones will be broken’” (John 19:36, ESV). This was not a spontaneous decision by Roman executioners. It was the unfolding of a promise written centuries earlier. God had already spoken about this moment long before Rome existed. The first parallel reaches back to the Passover lamb. In Exodus, God gives Israel detailed instructions for the lamb whose blood would shield them from death. “It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the flesh outside the house, and you shall not break any of its bones” (Exodus 12:46, ESV). The lamb could be slain, roasted, and consumed, but its bones were not to be broken. Jesus dies during Passover. He is called the Lamb of God. And like the true Passover Lamb, not one of His bones is broken. The sign is unmistakable. The final deliverance has arrived. Another parallel appears in the Psalms, written by David long before crucifixion was ever practiced. “He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken” (Psalms 34:20, ESV). In its immediate context, the verse speaks of God’s righteous one being preserved by the Lord. But in Jesus, the righteous One par excellence, the verse reaches its fullest meaning. Preservation here does not mean rescue from death. It means fulfillment through death. God preserves the integrity of the sacrifice even as the life is poured out. Here is a parallel almost no one considers. Broken legs would have meant Jesus died by suffocation like the others. But Jesus does not die because life is taken from Him. He dies because He gives His life. Earlier in the Gospel, Jesus says, “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord” (John 10:18, ESV). By the time the soldiers arrive, His work is already finished. His legs are unbroken because His authority is unbroken. Death did not overtake Him. He surrendered Himself. There is also a covenantal parallel hidden in plain sight. In the Old Testament, broken bones often symbolized judgment, curse, or discipline. Jesus bears the full weight of judgment, yet His bones remain whole. This is a quiet declaration that the curse has been fully absorbed without corrupting the sacrifice. The offering is complete, spotless, and undefiled. Nothing is missing. Nothing is damaged. Even the spear that pierces His side reinforces this truth. John tells us, “One of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water” (John 19:34, ESV). The spear confirms death without violating the bones. Blood and water flow, signaling cleansing and life, not defeat. The sacrifice is proven, not destroyed. The two men beside Jesus had their legs broken because their lives were being taken. Jesus’ legs were not broken because His life had already been given. One death is enforced. The other is offered. One ends in silence. The other ends with “It is finished.” This detail is not incidental. It is gospel precision. God ensures that even in death, Jesus fulfills every shadow, every type, and every promise. The unbroken bones preach a quiet sermon. The Lamb is perfect. The sacrifice is complete. Deliverance has come. Brian Romero

The Department of War Cannot Control Jesus By A Country Pastor Insubordination? Yes. Always. The Department of War has just released its newly consolidated religious classifications for the military. The headlines focus on categories. The debates focus on categories. The arguments focus on categories. Yet the categories are not the real story. The real story is much older than this administration, much older than this country, and much older than the Department of War itself. The real story is that man has always wanted to control religion. Religion has long been one of the most effective tools for creating order within a society. Pharaoh understood it. Kings understood it. Empires understood it. Governments understood it. A common religion can create a common identity, a common moral framework, and a common understanding of authority. Throughout history, rulers discovered that controlling religion was often easier than controlling people one by one. Religion can stabilize a society. It can reinforce authority. It can create loyalty. That is why power has so often been drawn toward religion. The temptation has never been merely to practice faith. The temptation has been to harness faith. The world has always preferred a manageable God. A predictable God. A tribal God. A national God. A God who blesses our side, our assumptions, our politics, and our ambitions. The military’s categorization of religion is simply the latest chapter in a story that has been unfolding for thousands of years. Pharaoh wanted religion he could manage. Rome wanted religion it could manage. Religious authorities wanted religion they could manage. Governments have always preferred a faith that supports the existing order. The names change. The uniforms change. The institutions change. The temptation never changes. Man has always wanted a religion he can control. Jesus keeps refusing to cooperate. When Jesus walked this earth, there was already a powerful government. There was already a military. There was already a religious establishment. There were already people who believed they knew exactly where everyone belonged. Rome had its systems. The religious authorities had theirs. The powerful drew lines, built walls, and established boundaries. Yet Jesus spent much of his ministry crossing those boundaries. He ate with people he was not supposed to eat with. He touched people he was not supposed to touch. He welcomed people others rejected. He crossed lines respectable people carefully protected (Luke 5:29-32; Luke 19:1-10). Everywhere Jesus went, he seemed to create discomfort among those who preferred life neat, organized, predictable, and under control. There was a war going on in Jesus’ day, but Jesus was not fighting Rome’s war. Rome understood force. Rome understood domination. Rome understood how to maintain order. The religious authorities understood influence. The powerful understood control. Yet Jesus was proclaiming a Kingdom built on entirely different values. He taught people to love enemies (Matthew 5:43-48). He taught people to bless those who cursed them (Luke 6:27-28). He taught people to forgive again and again (Matthew 18:21-22). He taught people that the greatest among them should become servants (Mark 10:42-45). In a world built on power, Jesus preached love. In a world built on domination, Jesus preached service. In a world built on winning, Jesus preached sacrifice. That is the tension between man’s way and God’s way that runs throughout Scripture. Man’s way seeks control while God’s way seeks transformation. Man’s way seeks power over people while God’s way seeks love for people. Man’s way seeks domination while God’s way seeks reconciliation. Man’s way builds kingdoms through force. God’s way builds the Kingdom through love. No wonder both religious power and political power eventually agreed that Jesus had become a problem. Jesus was not building their kingdom. Jesus was proclaiming God’s Kingdom (John 18:36). The Bible is a love story. That may sound simple, but it explains why Jesus was so difficult for the powerful to manage. Love does not stay where power tells it to stay. Love crosses borders. Love crosses tribes. Love crosses labels. Love sees people before it sees categories. Love refuses to remain safely inside the systems built to contain it. The powerful could categorize religion. They could categorize people. They could categorize tribes. They could categorize nations. They could never quite categorize love. And they could never quite control the One who embodied it. That is one reason the phrase “Jesus-Christian” continues to resonate with me. Not because the world needs another category. Goodness knows we already have enough of those. In many ways, the word Christian has accumulated two thousand years of political, cultural, denominational, and tribal baggage. People hear the word and often picture a movement, a voting bloc, a denomination, or a culture. Putting Jesus first is simply a reminder of who is supposed to be at the center. The goal is not Christianity as a tribe. The goal is Jesus. The goal is not defending a label. The goal is following the One who said, “Follow me” (Matthew 4:19). There is no question that military service can involve tremendous sacrifice. Men and women have risked and given their lives for this country, and that sacrifice deserves respect. Yet carrying the name Christian has often become comfortable in ways that walking the path of Jesus never was. Following Jesus cost the disciples their comfort, their security, their reputations, and often their lives (Matthew 16:24-25). Following Jesus meant standing against the powers of their day. Following Jesus meant loving enemies. Following Jesus meant welcoming strangers. Following Jesus meant caring for those society pushed aside through the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). Following Jesus meant placing God’s Kingdom above every earthly allegiance. Walking the path Jesus walked has never been risk-free because love threatens systems that depend on fear, division, and power. The question is not whether we belong to the right category. The question is not whether we carry the right label. The question is not whether we belong to the right tribe. The question is whether we are walking where Jesus walked. The goal is not becoming part of one more subgroup. The goal is not winning a culture war. The goal is not defending a category. The goal is Jesus. Not merely worshiping Jesus. Not merely talking about Jesus. Not merely claiming Jesus. Walking the path Jesus walked. The good news is that the invitation remains exactly the same today as it was two thousand years ago. Jesus is still calling people to follow him. Not into a denomination. Not into a category. Not into a political movement. Not into a culture war. Into a life shaped by love of God and love of neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40). Into a life shaped by grace, mercy, compassion, forgiveness, and service. Into a Kingdom that does not operate according to the rules of this world (John 18:36). The Department of War cannot categorize Jesus. Rome could not categorize him. The religious authorities could not categorize him. The empire could not control him. The powerful could not contain him. They all tried. They are still trying. Yet Jesus continues crossing the lines man draws. He continues loving people others reject. He continues challenging systems that place power above people. He continues calling people beyond tribes, labels, and categories into the Kingdom of God. The world will continue drawing lines. Governments will continue creating classifications. Institutions will continue organizing people into boxes. That is what institutions do. Yet Jesus never seemed particularly interested in staying inside the boxes built for him. He kept crossing boundaries. He kept loving the wrong people. He kept challenging the powerful. He kept inviting ordinary people into the Kingdom of God. The invitation remains exactly what it was two thousand years ago: “Follow me” (Matthew 4:19). Not into a category. Not into a tribe. Not into a culture war. Into a life shaped by love of God and love of neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40). The Bible is a love story, and love has always been difficult for the powerful to control. Perhaps that is why they have spent so much time trying.

Yesterday: Revival or Regression? By A Country Pastor Did yesterday truly feel like revival to you? Did it feel like a great awakening moving across this country from sea to shining sea? Did it feel like hearts suddenly opening wider toward compassion, mercy, humility, justice, sacrifice, truth, and love? Did it feel like America was rediscovering the teachings of Jesus about loving neighbors, welcoming strangers, feeding children, healing divisions, caring for the poor, and setting captives free? Or did it mostly feel like another political production wrapped in religion, flags, cameras, patriotic music, and carefully selected Bible verses? Yesterday, Washington, D.C. hosted what organizers called “Rededicate 250,” tied into the broader Freedom 250 celebration leading toward America’s 250th anniversary. The language surrounding the event was revival. The language was awakening. The language was rededication. The language was healing the land and turning America back toward God. Dr. Robert Jeffress declared, “America needs God. We need God desperately,” and proclaimed that “a nation rededicates itself one heart at a time.” On the surface, those words sound sincere, faithful, even hopeful. America does need God desperately. The deeper question is which god is being lifted up. The God revealed through Jesus brings mercy, humility, compassion, truth, justice, sacrifice, forgiveness, and freedom. The god of nationalism demands loyalty, power, fear, dominance, hierarchy, and enemies. One brings people together. The other divides people into tribes. That sadness hung over much of yesterday. The language of revival was present. The language of healing was present. The language of God was present. Yet so much of the spirit surrounding the event pointed toward power instead of compassion, nationalism instead of humility, and control instead of freedom. Revival cannot be staged into existence by politicians and celebrity preachers standing on platforms beneath giant flags while cameras roll and praise music plays in the background. Revival rises from the hearts of ordinary people. Revival spreads because something authentic catches fire. Revival awakens people toward greater love, deeper compassion, stronger mercy, wider justice, and more humility. Yesterday mostly echoed inside the same political and religious chambers already committed to this movement. Much of America barely even noticed it happened. That alone says something powerful about what this event actually was and what it was not. And I suspect they had to feel disappointment themselves. They likely hoped this would become a defining spiritual moment sweeping across the country. They likely imagined a national awakening where millions suddenly rallied behind this fusion of religion, nationalism, and Trumpism. Instead, most people simply continued on with ordinary life while another carefully branded religious-political gathering unfolded in Washington. Because revival cannot be forced. Revival cannot be manufactured through slogans. Revival cannot be commanded through political power. Revival cannot be created through media strategy. Several years ago, America briefly became captivated by the emotional revival gatherings at Asbury University. Many sincere people gathered there searching for meaning, connection, hope, and God. News crews flooded the campus. Social media exploded with emotional worship videos. Many proclaimed that a new Great Awakening had begun and that America was about to spiritually transform. The sincerity of many people there was real. The longing was real. The hunger for meaning and connection with God was real. Yet emotional moments alone do not transform nations. The years afterward moved America even deeper into fear-based politics, conspiracy culture, white Christian nationalism, attacks on democracy, hostility toward immigrants, book bans, public cruelty, and political idolatry. Emotional religion and true awakening are not the same thing. Man’s way often seeks control through religion. God’s way brings freedom through love. That deeper battle sat underneath everything we witnessed yesterday. President Donald Trump once again leaned heavily into 2 Chronicles 7:14 during the broader “America Reads the Bible” portion of the America 250 celebration: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways.” (2 Chronicles 7:14) Yet the broader passage surrounding those verses speaks directly about humility, corruption, obedience, justice, and nations drifting away from God while continuing to claim divine favor. (2 Chronicles 7:11-22) The irony hung over the entire event. The call to humility came from a movement built around dominance, image, grievance, loyalty, nationalism, and power. The call to repentance came from leaders who rarely speak about greed, corruption, attacks on immigrants, stripping healthcare from vulnerable families, feeding fear for political gain, enriching the powerful while working people struggle harder every year, cutting school meal programs while wrapping themselves in religion, or using Christianity itself to shield political power. One image circulating afterward captured the contradiction perfectly, pointing out that there was no mention of corruption, illegal wars, destruction, healthcare cuts, children losing food assistance, or wealth flowing upward while ordinary families struggle. The words of Scripture remained holy. The use of them often did not. And perhaps one of the strangest parts of the entire gathering was that the central figure behind the movement barely physically appeared at all. President Trump largely participated through prerecorded remarks while the event itself framed him as the leader helping spiritually rededicate America. Even that carried irony. A movement attempting to spiritually awaken a nation centered itself around a man physically distant from the gathering itself while millions of Americans remained emotionally distant from the message being proclaimed. Other political figures including JD Vance, Marco Rubio, and Pete Hegseth physically represented the administration alongside religious-right leaders who have spent years blending Christianity with nationalism and political identity. That alone reveals how deeply this movement revolves around symbolic loyalty and power. Trump himself has increasingly become the center of devotion within this movement even while many insist otherwise. Defending Trump has become, for many inside white Christian nationalism, intertwined with defending God, defending Christianity, and defending America itself. That is spiritually dangerous territory because throughout history, whenever religion fuses itself too tightly to political power, it slowly reshapes God into the image of the ruler instead of allowing God to challenge the ruler. That is how faith slowly becomes propaganda. That is how crosses become political branding. That is how nationalism slowly replaces the Gospel while still using the language of Jesus. One of the clearest moments revealing the deeper theology behind the event came through Marco Rubio, who declared that from the command to preach the Gospel to all nations “came America.” That statement reveals how deeply this movement has fused Christianity with nationalism. Rubio’s words pushed even further than simple patriotism. They tied the story of Jesus directly into the rise of America itself, almost presenting America as the culmination of that divine mission. That is one of the central beliefs underneath white Christian nationalism, the idea that America carries a special purity, a God-ordained status, almost a modern promised land with unique divine authority above other nations. That is a dangerous distortion of the Gospel. It quietly transforms Christianity from a living way of love and grace into a civilizational identity built around dominance, power, control, and cultural conquest. What they often call “preaching the Gospel” begins sounding less like bringing love, freedom, compassion, and dignity to people and more like spreading power, influence, and control under the language of religion. Yet Jesus did not command domination of nations. Jesus called people to love neighbors, welcome strangers, care for the poor, forgive enemies, and bring freedom to the oppressed. The Gospel spreads most powerfully through love freely given, not power imposed. Democracy itself creates the freedom for faith to breathe, for conscience to exist, for people to choose compassion instead of coercion. White Christian nationalism struggles with that freedom because it seeks certainty, hierarchy, cultural control, and political dominance while calling it righteousness. That is the deeper danger underneath this movement. The teachings of Jesus slowly become absorbed into nationalism until the nation itself begins functioning almost like an idol. Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God, not America. Jesus proclaimed mercy, justice, humility, forgiveness, compassion, peacemaking, and freedom. Jesus challenged religious leaders who merged faith with political power. Jesus stood against empire even while empire executed him. “My kingdom is not from this world.” (John 18:36) Yet yesterday repeatedly blurred that line until America itself almost became sacred, the cross merged with the flag, and political identity merged with faith identity. Another speaker warned about violence, moral collapse, and humanity becoming evil like the days before the flood. Franklin Graham spoke about murders, rape, violence, and even video games while describing America as consumed with darkness and an “insatiable appetite for violence.” Yet revival cannot honestly confront violence from below while ignoring violence from above. Revival cannot condemn violence in streets while remaining silent about violence woven into systems, policies, rhetoric, cruelty, dehumanization, fear, nationalism, attacks on immigrants, attacks on vulnerable communities, and leaders who constantly turn neighbors into enemies. Revival cannot heal division while feeding division. Revival cannot restore humanity while teaching people to fear one another. That is man’s way. Man’s way crowns strongmen. Man’s way protects power. Man’s way demands loyalty. Man’s way creates insiders and outsiders. Man’s way wraps fear inside patriotism and calls it holiness. God’s way breaks chains. God’s way lifts the poor. God’s way welcomes strangers. God’s way confronts corruption. God’s way keeps moving the circle wider. And this did not suddenly appear overnight. This has been a slow movement building for more than fifty years. Decades of grievance politics. Decades of racial backlash. Decades of church politicization. Decades of media manipulation. Decades of slowly replacing the Gospel of Jesus with the gospel of power, nationalism, fear, and cultural dominance. More than seventy years ago, Brown v. Board of Education challenged segregation and pushed America toward a deeper awakening about equality, dignity, and justice. That movement toward inclusion and shared humanity frightened many forces already invested in hierarchy and control. What we are witnessing now is part of the long backlash against that broader awakening. Yesterday’s event carried the language of revival while often pointing backward toward exclusion, hierarchy, nationalism, and political religion fused together as one identity. That is why the entire event carried such spiritual heaviness. Woven throughout the gathering were beautiful hymns, sacred Scriptures, emotional prayers, patriotic imagery, and language about healing the land. I recognized much of the world I grew up in through church revivals and tent meetings across the South. I know the emotional pull of revival language. I know the sincere longing many ordinary people carry for meaning, hope, stability, and connection with God. But sincerity alone does not make something holy. Jesus repeatedly warned about public religion masking deeper corruption underneath. Jesus warned about religious leaders who loved public honor while neglecting mercy and justice. Jesus warned about systems that honored God outwardly while drifting far from the heart of God inwardly. (Matthew 23) Yesterday often felt exactly like that warning unfolding in real time. And still, despite all the staging, speeches, branding, cameras, flags, patriotic music, celebrity pastors, and political power gathered together, the great national revival they likely hoped for never truly arrived. Because deep down, people often sense the difference between manipulation and Spirit. People sense the difference between freedom and control. People sense the difference between the way of Jesus and the way of empire. Democracy itself allows freedom of conscience, freedom of belief, and freedom for people of many backgrounds and faiths to live together without government forcing one narrow religious identity upon everyone else. White Christian nationalism struggles with that freedom because nationalism always seeks control of identity, control of belonging, control of history, and eventually control of faith itself. Real revival still remains possible in America, but it will never come through nationalism, political idolatry, or turning Donald Trump into a messianic figure while pretending otherwise. Real revival will come when people rediscover the radical teachings of Jesus about love, humility, mercy, sacrifice, compassion, truth, peacemaking, justice, and freedom. That kind of revival would not crown power. It would heal people. (2 Chronicles 7:11-22; Isaiah 58:6-12; Micah 6:8; Matthew 5-7; Matthew 23; John 18:36; 2 Corinthians 3:17) #Rededicate250 #Freedom250 #America250 #RevivalOrRegression #ACountryPastor #ChristianNationalism #WhiteChristianNationalism #JesusChristian #2Chronicles714 #AmericaReadsTheBible #KingdomOfGod #FaithAndFreedom #AsburyRevival #WakeUpAmerica #ChurchAndState #LoveTrumpsHate #BibleALoveStory #GodIsLove #Matthew23 #John1836 #HealingTheLand #MercyAndJustice #TruthAndGrace #FaithOverFear #TheWayOfJesus #PropheticVoice #FreedomInChrist #BrownvBoard #Micah68 #Isaiah58

The Separation Has Already Started Wheat and Tares Are Growing Together… But Not Forever. 🌾 The church does not have a gathering problem. The church has a discernment problem. Jesus warned us clearly in Matthew 13:24–30 that wheat and tares would grow together until the time of separation. He did not say maybe. He did not say if culture gets bad enough. He said it would happen. If you study this from the original language, it gets even more sobering. The Greek word for wheat is sitos meaning true grain, real nourishment, something that produces life. The word used for tares is zizanion. This was not just random weeds. This was likely darnel, a poisonous plant that looks almost identical to wheat in early growth stages. You cannot tell the difference until maturity. Let that sink in. Jesus was not warning about obvious evil. He was warning about counterfeit righteousness that looks real until harvest. This is why many people are shocked when leaders fall. This is why false prophets can preach, sing, cry, and still be false. Because tares grow in the same field. Same soil. Same rain. Same sunlight. But not the same root. Now let’s go Hebrew in principle. The Old Testament concept of separation is tied to the word qadosh (קדוש) meaning set apart, sacred, distinct, different in nature. Holiness was never about appearance. It was always about nature and ownership. God has always separated what is His from what only looks like His. From Egypt. From Baal worship. From false priests. From idol altars. And He is doing it again. This is not about denominations. This is not about preferences. This is about nature vs imitation. Here is where it gets convicting. Tares do not mind church. Tares do not mind worship music. Tares do not mind conferences. Tares only hate truth, repentance, authority of Christ, and holiness that requires death to self. The Bible warns in Micah 3:11 about leaders who teach for money, priests who serve for hire, and prophets who divine for payment while still claiming God is with them. Sound familiar? Jesus also said in Matthew 7:15–20 you will know them by fruit. Not gifting. Not platform. Not followers. Not how accurate a word sounds. Fruit. The Greek word for fruit is karpos, meaning visible evidence of internal life. Not performance. Not charisma. Not talent. Evidence. Here is what many in the church don’t want to face. God is not just exposing sin in the world. He is exposing idols in the church. Idols of platform. Idols of influence. Idols of money. Idols of personality. Idols of emotional manipulation. Idols of prophetic entertainment. And yes, false prophets are being exposed. The Bible says in Jeremiah 23 God is against prophets who speak visions from their own imagination and say “God said” when God did not speak. In Hebrew, false prophet behavior ties to sheqer (שקר) meaning falsehood, deception, manufactured truth. Not mistaken. Manufactured. Here is the reality most people do not want to say out loud. The separation is not coming. The separation is happening. God is not impressed by church attendance if there is no transformation. God is not impressed by gifting if there is no character. God is not impressed by prophecy if there is no repentance. Harvest is not about numbers. Harvest is about ownership. Wheat belongs to the Father. Tares belong to another system. And Jesus said the angels will do the final separation, not social media, not church politics, not public opinion. But before that final separation, God is already exposing. Not to destroy His church. But to purify it. Because Jesus is not coming back for a popular church. He is coming back for a pure bride. And wheat does not have to attack tares. Wheat just has to be wheat. Stay rooted. Stay real. Stay surrendered. Stay holy. Because harvest is closer than most

The story of Jesus walking on water is often preached as a lesson about having more faith. Try harder. Be braver. Step out of the boat. But when you slow down and really look at the story, something deeper begins to appear. This miracle is not primarily about Peter. It is about Jesus. The disciples were alone in the middle of a storm. The wind was violent. The waves were crashing against the boat. These were experienced fishermen, yet Scripture says they were terrified. And here is something important many people miss. They were in that storm because Jesus told them to get into the boat. The storm was not proof God had abandoned them. They were exactly where Jesus sent them. Then in the middle of darkness and fear, Jesus came walking toward them on the water. Think about that. The very thing threatening the disciples was beneath His feet. The storm that felt overwhelming to them was under complete authority to Him. Jesus did not remove the waves before approaching them. He walked on top of them. And maybe that is one of the greatest revelations in the entire story. Jesus is not intimidated by what terrifies you. Fear caused the disciples to misinterpret His presence. They thought He was a ghost. But immediately Jesus spoke. “Take courage. It is I. Do not be afraid.” In the original language, His words echo the divine name of God Himself. “I AM.” The One standing above the storm was not merely a teacher or prophet. It was God in flesh standing on chaos as though it were solid ground. Peter then says something fascinating. “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You.” Peter did not ask for power. He asked for a word. Because real faith is not confidence in ourselves. It is confidence in Jesus. For a moment, Peter walked on water too. But the instant he focused more on the wind than on Christ, fear overwhelmed him and he began to sink. And this is where the heart of the Gospel shines through. Peter cried out, and immediately Jesus grabbed him. Immediately. Jesus did not stand back waiting for Peter to improve. He did not let him sink to teach him a lesson. He rescued him instantly. That is grace. Even when faith trembles, His grip remains steady. And then Scripture says something beautiful. When Jesus stepped into the boat, the storm stopped. Not when Peter tried harder. Not when the disciples became fearless. When Jesus entered the boat. Because peace is not found in mastering storms. Peace is found in the presence of Christ. This story was never meant to make believers obsess over whether they can walk on water. It was meant to reveal the One who can stand above anything threatening them. The finished work of Jesus means believers do not live held together by perfect faith. They live held together by a perfect Savior. Storms still come. Fear still rises. Weakness still happens. But Jesus still walks toward His people in the middle of all of it. And maybe someone reading this needs to remember today: The storm around you does not mean Jesus is absent. The waves may feel strong. The wind may feel relentless. But the One who stands above the storm is already coming near. You are not saved by the strength of your grip on Him. You are saved by the strength of His grip on you.

"Never do we get too wise, too strong, or too old to need prayer." — Charles Spurgeon There is no version of you that has outgrown prayer. Not the successful you. Not the experienced you. Not the you that has walked with God for forty years and seen Him move in ways that would silence a skeptic. Not even that version. Prayer is not a training wheel for spiritual beginners. It is the oxygen of every soul — young or seasoned, broken or thriving, confused or certain. Your greatest strength does not make prayer optional. It makes it urgent. Because strength without submission becomes pride, and pride has buried better men than you and I. Your deepest weakness does not disqualify you from prayer. It qualifies you. The weak hand that reaches upward finds it gripped by God's hand that never trembles. And your wisest idea — the one you are most convinced about, the one you have thought through from every angle — still needs to pass through the filter of divine scrutiny before it becomes a decision. Many a clever plan has collapsed because a brilliant mind forgot to kneel- Mortal minds refusing to submit to the One who knows the end from the beginning. You are never too experienced to be humbled. You are never too broken to be heard. You are never too far along to need what you needed at the beginning. Pray today. Not because you are weak. But because you are human — and God is not. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." Philippians 4:6 (ESV)

The chapters most Christians skip in the Bible contain the entire gospel hidden in plain sight. Most people have never been told this. Here is what you were never shown. In the book of Exodus, God gives Moses extremely specific instructions for building a tent in the desert called the Tabernacle. Most Christians hit these chapters and quit. The measurements. The materials. The colors of the curtains. The dimensions of the furniture. It reads like an ancient construction manual. Boring. Dense. Irrelevant. Except it is not irrelevant. It is the most important blueprint in the entire Bible. Because when you walk through the Tabernacle from the entrance to the innermost room, you walk through the entire plan of salvation. Step by step. In exact order. Built in the desert fifteen hundred years before Jesus was born. Here is what the Tabernacle actually contains. There is one entrance. Only one. It faces east. There is no back door, no side gate, no alternative way in. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." One entrance. One way in. The first thing you encounter inside is the Bronze Altar. This is where the sacrifice was killed and burned. You cannot go deeper into God's presence without passing the place of sacrifice first. The cross. Next is the Bronze Laver. A massive basin of water where the priests washed themselves before going further. You cannot approach the holy place with the dirt of the world still on you. Baptism. Cleansing. Being washed clean. Then you step inside the covered structure — the Holy Place. And inside you find three pieces of furniture. On the left is the Golden Lampstand. Seven branches burning with oil. The only source of light in the room. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world." On the right is the Table of Showbread. Twelve loaves set before God's presence continually. Jesus said, "I am the bread of life." Straight ahead is the Altar of Incense. Fragrant smoke rising day and night toward heaven. The prayers of the saints ascending to God. And then you reach the Veil. A massive curtain — sixty feet tall, thirty feet wide, four inches thick. It separated the Holy Place from the one room on earth where God's presence physically dwelled. The Holy of Holies. Only one person was allowed to pass through that veil. The High Priest. Once a year. Carrying the blood of a spotless sacrifice. With a rope tied to his ankle in case he died in God's presence and had to be dragged out. And when Jesus died on the cross, that veil tore in two. From top to bottom. Not bottom to top, as if a man had ripped it. Top to bottom. As if God Himself reached down and tore the barrier open. Access to God's presence went from one man, one day a year, to every human being on earth. Permanently. One entrance. Sacrifice. Cleansing. Light. Bread. Prayer. The veil torn open. God's presence made available to all. That is the gospel. Laid out in physical form. In a tent. In a desert. Fifteen hundred years before Bethlehem. And most Christians have skipped right past it because nobody ever told them those "boring" construction chapters are the most detailed preview of the cross in the entire Old Testament. That is the problem I discovered sitting across from a woman in my office last fall. I have been teaching Scripture for 18 years. She had been coming to my church for almost a decade. And that afternoon she sat in the chair across from my desk and told me she was thinking about leaving the faith. Not because of anything dramatic. Because she was exhausted from reading a book she did not understand. "I read Exodus every year," she said. "And every year I hit chapter 25 and I quit. All those measurements. All that furniture. All those curtains. I do not know what any of it means and I do not see why God would put so much of it in His book if it was not important." She was not angry. She was just tired. Tired of feeling stupid every time she opened her Bible. Tired of reading chapters that felt like they were written for someone else. I asked her if anyone had ever shown her what the Tabernacle actually meant. She looked at me like I had asked her something impossible. "Nobody has ever explained any of it to me. I just thought it was filler." I pulled my Bible off the shelf and spent the next hour walking her through it. The entrance. The altar. The laver. The lampstand. The showbread. The incense. The veil. The Holy of Holies. One step at a time. I watched her face change. Not confusion. Not blank staring. Understanding. Pure understanding. By the time we reached the veil tearing from top to bottom she was crying. "I have read this book my whole life and I never saw any of this. I almost left the faith over chapters that contain the entire gospel and nobody ever showed me what they meant." I drove home that night and could not stop thinking about it. How many other people sat in pews every Sunday carrying that same quiet exhaustion. Reading their Bibles alone. Hitting the Tabernacle chapters. Quitting. Blaming themselves. Never being told that the chapters they were skipping were the most important ones in the entire Old Testament. They could not see it. And it was not their fault. Nobody had ever given them the roots. The next morning after my conversation with her, I opened my computer and started writing. Genesis. Everything someone needs to know before reading Genesis. Who wrote it. When. Why. What was happening. The main themes. How it connects to the larger story. Not a sermon. Not a devotional. Just the roots. Then Exodus. Leviticus. Numbers. Every single book of the Bible. Sixty-six pages. One page per book. It took me three months. Three months of putting 18 years of studying into a format any believer could use completely on their own. No pastor required. When I finished, I printed a copy and brought it to her. "Read the page on Exodus first," I told her. "Then open to Exodus 25 and read it again." She called me the next day. "I finally see it. I read the page you wrote and then I read Exodus 25 and I could not stop. I kept going. Through all the measurements. Through all the furniture. I saw every piece pointing to Jesus. I have never read my Bible like this before in my life." I started giving it to other people in my church quietly. One at a time. Every single person said the same thing. "This is the first time I have ever understood what I was reading." Not because I am some brilliant teacher. But because I finally gave them what they actually needed. The roots. And once you have those roots, the Bible you thought you knew becomes something you have never actually encountered before. The Tabernacle is just one moment. There are thousands more waiting in the pages you have already read. Did you know that the Ark of the Covenant contained three objects — the broken tablets, the rejected manna, and the questioned rod — and that the Mercy Seat where blood was sprinkled sat directly on top of all three? That the gospel was physically sealed inside a gold box in the desert? Did you know that the name Barabbas literally means "son of the father" and that the crowd was given a choice between two men with the same title — the innocent Son of the Father and the guilty son of the father — and the guilty one went free? Context changes everything. Every single time. I call it FaithSprout. The 66 Roots Journey. 66 pages. One for every book of the Bible. Each page gives you what you need before you read. Who wrote it. When. Why. What was happening. The key themes. The symbolism. And how it connects to your actual life today. Written in plain language. No seminary terms. No complicated theology. Just the roots that make everything you have already read suddenly land with the full weight God intended. The Bible is not confusing because it is unclear. It is confusing because we are reading it without the foundation that made it clear to the people it was first written for. They walked through that Tabernacle and understood every step. They saw the altar and knew it meant sacrifice. They saw the laver and knew it meant cleansing. They passed through the veil and understood they were entering the presence of God Himself. We read the measurements and skip to the next chapter. This guide gives you that foundation back. If you have ever skipped the Tabernacle chapters because they seemed irrelevant. If you have ever read the Old Testament and sensed there was something underneath the details that you could not quite reach. If you have ever wondered what you would find in God's Word if someone just gave you the roots first. This is what you have been looking for. God did not dictate every measurement, every material, and every color by accident. He never does anything by accident. Do not let a lack of context be the thing that keeps you from understanding the blueprint He built for you in the desert three thousand years ago. Get closer to God by actually understanding His Word. Not just the familiar parts. All of it. The whole story.

My perspective on Lk 9:23 and 1 Cor 15:31. Both of these verses are frequently misinterpreted as a command to believers to 'die to self or die daily' in a spiritual or ascetic sense. Here’s the truth: You took up your cross the day you believed. That was the moment your 'old self' was crucified with Christ—once and for all. When Paul said he 'died daily,' he wasn’t talking about a spiritual checklist; he was talking about facing literal death and persecution for the gospel. We aren’t called to 'die to self or die daily'; we’re called to walk out of the grave and live freely! In all of Paul’s letters to the churches—written after the resurrection—he never instructs believers to 'take up our cross' or 'die to self daily' as a ritual. Jesus is not on the cross anymore, and neither are you. If Christ isn’t dying daily, and you’re IN Him, then you aren’t either! So, stop clocking into the cross daily. Rom 6:11 doesn’t tell us to 're-die' daily. It tells us to reckon (consider) ourselves dead to sin. Jesus didn’t die to burden us with a daily quota of 'dying to self daily'. 'No!' He died so that His vibrant life could flow through us. This is what I would describe: The burnout cure!