14. May 2009 by PawBill.

I was reading again One Nation Under God by Gibbs and Newcombe and rediscovered one of the key events in the founding of the United States as a Christian nation; that event is called the Great Awakening.  Does America need another Great Awakening?

America’s Christians need a Great Awakening or to phrase it differently, an “old time religion revival.”  Unless there is a revival of the soul and spirit in the Christian churches across this Nation, America will soon be lost to become a pagan society. It may already be too late!

Have you ever been to a church revival?  It has been a long time for me.  I’m not even sure they still have them.  Too bad our churches have become so sophisticated.  Small Baptist churches or other denominations may still have revivals but large churches wouldn’t have time with their busy schedules.

But, just what is a church revival? It is a once a year or sometimes twice a year community soul winning drive; they usually span one week.  A visiting preacher or evangelist would preach a fiery sermon every evening. There would be visitations, old time hymns, re-dedications and people, some even church members, finding Jesus Christ and his saving grace.

I can still remember the bowed heads, the evangelist asking for a show of hands, the lost walking the aisle to meet the pastor and the song leader being led to “sing one more chorus” to give one more opportunity for that last soul who needed salvation.  But, we’ve become too sophisticated.  It takes too much time.  Let’s not embarrass anyone.  Lost souls can talk with a decision counselor before they make a decision to accept Jesus or join the church. And so it goes.

I miss the old time church hymns.  They tore at your heart and stirred your emotions.  Who could resist, “Just as I Am?”  It saddens me to know that so many may never experience the saving grace of revival.  What about you?

Although I attend a Southern Baptist Church, I don’t recall a revival of both soul and spirit in recent years.  Our churches and religions have failed to stand as a beacon of hope and light.  Our political leaders are devious scoundrels unable and unwilling to promote decency and integrity supporting only bad legislation and wasteful spending.  Watered down sermons delivered by unbelieving ministers and complacency of parishioners have allowed the ungodly to promote their agenda of political correctness.

Being ungodly in and of itself is not the problem.  Many good people, both Christian and non-Christian,  are trying to do good things, i.e., giving of their time to charities, following most of the Ten Commandments and etc., but they are still ungodly in the Biblical sense in that they condone by either their actions or in-actions the following: Adultery; Sexually explicit movies and television; Vulgarity of speech in any setting; Drug and alcohol acceptance; Disrespect for parents, laws and institutions; Distortions of news and history by televisions commentators; Homosexuality and same sex marriage; Abortion; Teenage promiscuity; Lowering of school standards; Parents who want to be their children’s friend but not their parents; Gang and criminal violence; Pornography, and on and on. 

It is long past time for America’s true Christians to ask their God’s forgiveness for their silence in allowing the ungodly and immoral to erode the very foundations upon which America was established.   America needs a revival and a return to the God of the Bible who raised us up as a Nation.

Will you join in this effort before it is really too late?

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8. May 2009 by PawBill.

January 20, 2009 was a historic day for the United States of America with the inauguration of Barack Obama as the forty-forth president and as the first African American president.  It was joyous for many Americans, and I include myself in that group.  For others it was not.

As I reflect on the events and activities of the inauguration, I am left with feelings of sadness for what lies ahead for America. Not because of the election of President Obama but because of the impending threats from terrorists who seek our destruction, the financial instability that will ultimately result in the loss of freedoms we have so long enjoyed, and America’s people placing their hope for the future in idolatry instead of God.

But first, let me comment on racism. There are still, unfortunately, pockets of racism (not necessarily black and white racism) in the United States and also throughout the world. I would expect some residual racism from a minority, but not all, of older generations who were perhaps raised in an environment of hate and bigotry. However, I still encounter a surprising number of comments from younger people who outwardly espouse a disdain for racism but “off camera” express racist opinions through jokes, innuendos and just plain bigotry or hatred of others.

I did not vote for presidential candidate Barack Obama.  Not because he was African American but because I did not support the Democratic Platform that was supportive of taxpayer funding of abortions, appointment of activist judges who seek to change our constitution and legislate law, gay marriages and other equally politically correct agenda items the likes of which I perceive as “appeasement carrots” thrown to pacify the vast uneducated masses who they, the Democratic Party leadership, want to control and quite candidly will eventually control.

It is my opinion that Barack Obama was God’s choice.  WHAT do you mean, God’s choice?  Yes, God is allowing the United States to have what it wants - a godless society.  At a time when God and the Ten Commandments are being removed from the land, it is ironic that our newly elected president openly expresses a belief in the person of Jesus Christ. He even chose to use Abraham Lincoln’s Bible in his swearing in ceremony.  It is ironic in the sense that many supporters of the now President Obama do not profess the beliefs he voiced. Only God knows his heart and I will pray for our new president and his administration, as there is a Biblical directive to pray for our elected leaders.

The United States was founded upon the Christian faith. Contrary to what you are being told or not being told as the case may be, our country’s historical documents support the fact that our forefathers founded the United States of America to be a Christian nation.  While the majority of twenty-first century Americans are not willing to promote or defend our Christian heritage a minority of Americans are successfully working to have all references to God removed from our books, monies, monuments and teaching institutions.

Fear and anxiety in the United States brought on by the world’s financial crisis, which started in the United States, are tightening their grip on those who place their values in money, greed and lust.  Many, I believe, have or will soon cry out to God for relief.  But will God be listening?  I do not think so. 

The United States is fast becoming a pagan nation.  Watch the evening news, read your paper and magazines, watch your television and movies and you see a pagan society in the making.  Go to a church on Sunday morning and then go to a football game that afternoon.  The people in attendance at either event or both events for that matter share the same values.  That is, people who confess to be Christian give only “lip service” to their faith in Jesus Christ and thus are no different than those who don’t.

The world is changing fast.  Soon, America along with the rest of the world, will be supportive of a one-world government, a one-world currency and a one-world religion led by a charismatic leader the likes of whom has never been known.  This time in history was prophesied in Biblical writings more than two-thousand years ago by inspired men of God that many of you have never read nor even heard about.

There will soon come a time when there will again be peace on earth.  Unfortunately, those who have not confessed Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will not experience this peace.  Famines, pestilences, wars, destruction and death wait their appointed time as foretold by the prophets of old. 

But what shall we do? Is there any hope?  If you accept the Bible as the inspired word of God and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, there is hope for you.  Jesus will give you “peace that surpasses all understanding” and will save you from the trials and tribulations to come. 

If you are of another religious faith then you have placed your hope in a god that I am not familiar with or know.  I am not saying you have no hope.  I am just saying that I don’t know about the customs, practices and gods of other religions.  Your religious faith will have it’s own set of instructions. As an example, people of the Islamic faith have placed their hope in Allah, the god of Muhammad, and the Koran (Qur’an) is their book of instructions.

What hope do you have for the future as prophesied by your religious leader or books?  Your religious belief, not your belief in our elected officials, may or may not determine where you spend eternity.  The choice and decision are yours, chose wisely.

The bottom line is this. The United States of America was founded upon the Christian faith and a republic was established that recognized God as its source of strength and dependence.  Great steps were taken to prevent the newly established government from declaring a one-nation religion.  Our founding fathers wanted freedom of religion, not a mandated State Religion. You could practice any religion or no religion if you so desired.  However, our founding fathers never envisioned that God, their God, would not be recognized as the one true God and future generations would chose to become a pagan society and follow false teachings and other gods.

Journey with me as I write about my God and my faith in his son, Jesus Christ.   It may change your life forever. 

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5. May 2009 by PawBill.

I’ve heard it quoted some 79% of all Americans believe you will go to heaven if you are a “good” person.  Likewise, in the same polling some 68% of Evangelical Protestant Christians believe in multiple ways to heavens even though Jesus did not preach multiple ways.  These polls may be correct. I have not verified the polls myself, but believing that being good enough will get you to heaven is troubling enough no matter what the numbers.  All of this sounds good and maybe it will be true for those who believe in a just and forgiving God. My Bible does not read that way and Jesus certainly did not preach another way.

You can be a great American and not believe in Jesus Christ.  However, you cannot be a true follower of Jesus Christ and believe Jesus is only one way to heaven.  If you read and study the Bible there is only one path to heaven and that path is through Jesus Christ.  Who provides the better answer; Jesus himself or someone else?  If Jesus is quoted as saying he is the only way to heaven how can someone claim there is another way.  The Bible does not present other ways.

Is Jesus a liar?  If Jesus said he was the only path to heaven but there are other paths available you would have to assume that Jesus was a liar and should not be followed. He was a fraud.  Find for yourself the scriptures that tell of other ways to heaven.  There are none.

You can debate the lost tribe in Indonesia or Brazil that may have never heard of Jesus, but I believe God reveals himself to them in a supernatural way that we do not understand, see Romans 1:18-23, NIV Bible.  Not so for the radio and television audiences in today’s world.  The message of Jesus has been preached to all nations so no one can claim they have not heard.

So, just how do you plan on getting to heaven?  Being good or doing good works is not the answer if you truly believe the Bible is the inspired word of God.

Let’s complicate the picture a little more.  Jesus said in John 14:6-7, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well.  From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”  Jesus followed this in John 14:9, “… Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father…”

Do you get it?  Jesus is the only path to heaven and he told you so.  But, you can’t come to Jesus unless God draws you to him.  Jesus says in John 6:44, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him…” and again in John 6:65, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him.”

In John 10:30, Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.”   Do you believe this?  If not, why not is the question I would ask?  Not to be judgmental but only to understand what literature or source you use to support your position. 

You must first believe there is a God (Reference Romans 1:18-23 again if you still do not believe there is a God) for you to be drawn to Jesus. Once you accept there is a God, the Holy Spirit of God will lead you to salvation through the redemptive works of Jesus’ death on the cross and his resurrection.  When you submit to Jesus and ask him to be your savior, you will be saved and become a child of God.  God’s Holy Spirit will come into your life and provide directions for your new life in Christ.  In 1 John 4:4 we read,  “… The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

You must know Jesus in your “heart.”  It is not just “knowing about Jesus.”  It is “knowing Jesus” and following him through the lead of the Holy Spirit that will dwell within you.  The large percentages of people who profess there are multiple ways to heaven know about Jesus but do not truly know Jesus.  Which camp do you fall in?

Continue to ponder on “the way” to heaven while development of this Blog continues in its beginning phase.

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22. April 2009 by PawBill.

I hear discussions about rescuing America from “Big Government” but what about our families.  Can America be rescued before our traditional family values totally collapse, or do we need to rescue our families before we can rescue America?  Are morality, decency, love of country even being taught in the home? Is our present generation so apathetic and frighten they are willing to turn to government for total dependence? Have religious institutions become Politically Correct and worldly, abandoning their love of God to embrace the offerings of a pagan world.

Many Americans have abandoned the God recognized by its founders and placed their  faith and future in the hands of government officials; the majority of who have only their self interest and political careers at heart.  Who will they blame when one day they awake to find themselves in bondage to a government that is too big to care.

We recognize many politicians and business leaders have become corrupt.  But now we see that many of our news organizations are brazenly distorting news events with half truths, innuendo and in some cases, blatant lies. They too are becoming corrupt, but the sad part is that over half our populace does not even know or care.  They just want someone to take care of them; please take from others and give to me is their cry.

Continue to ponder on America’s future while development of this Blog continues in its beginning phase.

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6. April 2009 by Paw.

What is it about Jesus Christ that offends you; his name, his declaration that he was the Son of God and that salvation could come by no other name or his statement, “And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world (John 13:47)? 

 Do you believe he was raised from the dead?  As the world celebrates his resurrection, will you be celebrating?

Continue to ponder on these questions while development of this Blog is in its beginning phase.

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2. April 2009 by Paw.

What is it about there being a heaven or hell with a god or devil who rules over and controls us that is so controversial it leads to divisions, hatred, cruelty, crusades and embitterment among nations, ethnic groups and even families?  Is there one God or are there many gods?  Where do you learn about God or gods? Is there one source of knowledge or are there many sources? 

Ponder on these questions while development of this Blog is in its beginning phase.   

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