Category: Resource Notes

This year why not invite the Holy Spirit to spend Christmas with you.

Christmas is a high point on the Christian calendar. We decorate our homes and feast with our families. Our churches are full of activity, with Christmas programs, Christmas hymns, and sermons about the baby born in Bethlehem. Then on Christmas Eve we have our midnight services and trade presents.

We honor Mary and Joseph, the Wise Men, the Angels and the Shepherds, and Baby Jesus. But what do we do to honor the Holy Spirit who conceived Jesus (Matthew 1:18 and Luke 1:35)?

All too often the Christmas season is a spiritual desert, as the Holy Spirit is ignored. Our services can become mere recitations of tradition, our worship lifeless formality, and our focus shifted to Christmas gifts instead of the Spirit’s gifts. Churches and ministries close their doors for the Holidays, locking out both the Holy Spirit and the needy who desperately need His ministry.

We forget that for some the Christmas season is a time of great need and pain. The poor have material needs beyond toys and turkeys. Family problems and health issues do not go away at Christmas. And many cannot receive the joy of the season because of broken relationships and losses. In fact, the Christmas season, when many take a holiday from the Holy Spirit, is often the time when Satan launches his most devastating attacks.

Instead of ignoring the Holy Spirit, we should be welcoming Him for Christmas. It was He who conceived Jesus, and He who spoke a warning to both Joseph and the Wisemen after the most famous gift giving history. The gifts of the Holy Spirit to us give us more power than that new car you may be looking at and more wisdom than any I-phone. Then there are the fruits of the Holy Spirit, love joy, peace, and the others that make life worth living.

So this year let us invite the Holy Spirit to be with us to share in the peace and joy of Christmas.

“For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” Romans 14:17

In the first year of the Untied States of America under its new Constitution, 230 years ago on November 26, 1789, the New Nation celebrated its first Thanksgiving.

President George Washington’s proclamation, thanking the Lord for His protection and provision, and praying for unity, repentance, and good government, is as relevant today as it was 1789:
Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly implore His protection and favor . . . .
Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the twenty-sixth day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these United States . . . that we then may all unite unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted; for the civil and religious liberty with which we are now blessed. . . .
And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions, to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually, to render our national government a blessing to all the People, by constantly being a government of wise, just and constitutional laws, discretely and faithfully executed and obeyed, to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord, to promote the knowledge and practice for the true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and Us, and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows best.
So let us follow Washington’s admonition to be thankful, united, and prayerful this Thanksgiving.

It was 40 years ago this week, November 19, 1979, that Egyptian president Anwar Sadat made his historic visit Israel to end a generation of war.

Before the birth of Israel in 1948 there was a 2500 year old Jewish community of some 80,000 people living peacefully with Egyptians. Throughout the Arab world there were 850,000 Jews in similarly ancient communities. Then came independence for Israel and the persecution began. Jews were attacked by mobs, robbed, burned out, and forced to flee for their lives. Today only about 4000 Jews remain in the Arab countries.

The Arab countries attacked Israel from the moment of its birth in 1948. In 1967 Egypt, Syria, and Jordan planned to overwhelm Israel with a three front war. When it came it took only six days for Israel to expanded its borders, take Jerusalem and humiliate the Arabs. Egypt in Syria joined forces again in 1973 to mount a surprise attack on Yom Kippur, but after initial success, were humiliated again by Israel. The survival of Israel against the overwhelming numbers of its enemies can only be attributed to the power of God.

During the Yom Kippur war the United States, for the first time, had provided intelligence and material support to Israel. After the war the US negotiated a cease fire and initiated a search for a permanent piece. In 1979 the Egyptians and Israel is signed a historic peace treaty. Egyptian President Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin received the Nobel Peace Prize.

Prior peace treaties had only signaled a pause in the fighting, but this time Egyptian president Sadat took action to show goodwill and the desire for a lasting peace. So on November 19, 1979 he did what no other Arab leader had done. He went to Israel.

Two years later the courageous Sadat was assassinated by the radical Muslim Brotherhood. But peace had taken hold, and even when the Muslim Brotherhood got temporary control of Egypt, the peace was not violated. Egypt has even cooperated with Israel to combat the terrorists in Gaza.

We do not know what the future holds, but for now we can thank God that Israel’s southern border with Egypt is secure thanks to the peace sealed by President Anwar Sadat 40 years ago this week.

Even so, let us continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

There is a reason envy made it in to the Top Ten Commandments.

Envy springs from the fertile ground of entitlement thinking. Resentment builds as feelings of unfair treatment blossom into anger and turn into hatred. Eventually envy feels justified in breaking the other commandments like lying, theft, and even murder. The monstrous crimes of the French Revolution, Russian Revolution, Mao in China, Hitler in Germany, and many other Communist and Socialist regimes are rooted in envy. So is the poverty they generate.
In America we have, for the most part, escaped from bloodshed sort of envy. Instead we focus on “Soaking the Rich” through financial populism, like Andrew Jackson versus the National Bank, William Jennings Bryan versus the Gold Standard, or Teddy Roosevelt versus Trusts. The most famous “Soak the Rich” episode in our history was the income tax, which, as we well know, actually soaked the middle class along with the rich. It was envy which provided the money to fuel our bloated Government and envy continues to be a favorite tool of Big Government.
During the past several years the Socialists and other lovers of Big Government have returned to the envy deception by campaigning against “income inequality”. Now we see another round of “Soak the Rich” populism, with Big Government promoters promising to make the rich pay for everything from free college tuition to a $50 trillion Medicare for All scheme. This time it is not an income tax but a “Wealth Tax” they are pushing.
According to a Wall Street Journal editorial on November 6, 2019, the Wealth Tax has been tried and abandoned by several European countries because of its cost to the overall economy. Sweden lost many of its most productive citizens, including the founder of Ikea, and repealed its tax in 2007. France lost 70,000 millionaires and the Wealth Tax actually caused a net revenue loss. The Germans abolished their wealth tax and a German think tank concluded that a Wealth Tax lowers long term Gross Domestic Product by 5% and employment by 2%. In other words, a Wealth Tax produces little or no net revenue and can cause substantial losses to the economy.
Another interesting fact about the wealth tax in Europe was the levels where the tax kicked in. In Sweden it was only $200,000, in Spain it is $700,000, in Norway it is $170,000, and it was $1.5 million in France. It should surprise no one that the “Soak the Rich” mentality of envy migrated to soak the middle class.
Then there is the effect on stock values of pensions, retirement plans, 401(k) plans, and other investments held by nearly half of Americans. The downward pressure of stock sales to pay for a Wealth Tax could crash the market and ruin the retirement plans of half of the country.

Counting the double tax on corporate earnings, the tax rate for the rich is about 40%. On top of that, their heirs pay another 40% in estate tax. Maybe they should pay more, or maybe they should pay less.
But if our motive is envy, it will boomerang on our economy and on us. We will “soak ourselves” as we “Soak the Rich”.
So remember the Tenth Commandment and pray that we are spared from the high cost of envy.

The next few days mark the 101st anniversary of the end of the First World War on November 11, 1918 and the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989.

The city of Berlin was the epicenter of the ideological and military wars of the Twentieth Century. Those conflicts were rooted in the Nineteenth Century, when German theologians sold out to secularism, cast doubt on the scriptures, and destroyed the Christian faith of most Germans. The spiritual void was filled by a secular state religion and Darwinist survival of-the-fittest militancy. It is not a coincidence that the Germans brought the ancient Temple of Zeus from Pergamum, “where Satan has his throne” (Rev 2:13) to Berlin in the 19th century. And based on what followed it may truly be said that Satan moved with his throne to Berlin.

The First World War was welcomed by the militant Germans, who expected easy victories. They did manage to defeat the Russians, but at the price of helping to establish an expansionist Communist state. However, the Germans could not sustain the war in Western Europe and they surrendered on November 11, 1918. The Peace Treaty which followed in 1919 left the Germans humiliated and bitter, but they did not give up their militaristic spirit. They hardened their hearts, missing their chance to repent, and Satan remained enthroned in Berlin.

Feeding on that militaristic spirit, Adolph Hitler and his Nazis fashioned a new religion where the Germans would evolve into God-like super humans. Their version of the Godhood Religion, or New Age Religion, swept through Germany and led to the Second World War. Their early success in the war led them to attack the Russian Communists and they even declared war on the United States. All the while they were murdering Jews, Christians, and others who did not fit into their super human evolutionary vision. No one could doubt that Satan ruled through the Nazis in Berlin.

Judgment came to Berlin in 1945 as the Russian army destroyed the city, revenged itself on the population, and took the Temple of Zeus to Moscow. Berlin, and Germany, were divided between the Russians and the Western Powers. Yet, after the war, Berlin became the focal point of Cold War tensions as the Russians tried to force the Western Powers out. West Berlin became an embarrassment to the Russians as it prospered under free enterprise and democracy. Finally, in 1962, they built the infamous Berlin Wall to keep East Berliners from fleeing the Communist police state.

German Christians began to repent for their country and pray for deliverance from the Communist oppression, and in response God sent them a Polish Pope and an American President. Miraculously, the Russian tyranny simply fell apart under its own weight without a shot being fired. The Berlin Wall fell in 1989 as the prayers of the Christians were answered in an unmistakable way.
The two days in Berlin show the horrible consequences of failure to repent and the power of God to move for those who reach out to Him in repentance.

As we remember these two days, let us not harden our hearts if God’s judgment does come, because the Lord sends judgment to bring righteousness (Isaiah 26:9). Let us learn from the German Christians to repent and ask God to deliver us from the consequences of our sin.

“If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” -2 Chronicles 7:14

Once again Halloween is upon us. People are carving their Jack O’ Lanterns, selecting scary costumes, and buying candy for the neighborhood kids. But what, exactly, are they celebrating?

Beneath the mask of Halloween lies a dark secret and an even darker purpose.

To understand the dark secret of Halloween it is necessary to trace its origin back to the ancient Celtic peoples and their priests, the Druids. November 1 marks their high festival Samhain, named after the ancient Babylonian Sun God Samas. However, the real purpose of the celebration is death, as the Druids sacrificed humans on that day and kept the people in fear of the vengeful spirits of the dead. The Jack O‘ Lantern, representing a severed head, and the frightful costumes are echoes of these murderous rituals, the dark secret of Halloween.

When Christianity came to the Celts a decision was made to incorporate their holidays into the Church calendar in order to make the pagans feel more at home in the Church.
However, this attempt to put a Christian mask on a pagan holiday backfired, as the pagan celebration was brought into the Church.

So the dark purpose of Halloween, the celebration of death instead of celebrating Christ the Author of Life, continues to this day.

The good news is that there are plenty of ways to have fun without celebrating the death day of the Druids. Many churches offer Halloween alternatives, allowing children to enjoy the candy and the costumes without being exposed to the Druid spirits. Children can wear costumes of positive role models, like Biblical figures, heroes, Princesses, or cartoon characters instead of the demonic ghosts, witches or zombies. It is also much safer to stay indoors and not be exposed to bad actions or bad candy.

Some Churches even sponsor “Hell Houses” for teens, who can see the consequences of sin displayed before them. It can be an effective evangelical tool.

If you are staying at home, you might consider handing out Christian trinkets or material along with candy. Please don’t forget the candy!

Remember that Christ came so we could have abundant life. So have some fun and share the life this Halloween.

In an October 11 speech at the University of Notre Dame Law School, Attorney General William Barr sent out a wakeup call to a Church facing increasing persecution from Militant Secularism and a society drowning in moral chaos.

Mr. Barr drew an important distinction between the moral world view of Christians and that of Secularists. He described Christian morality as “Micro-Morality.” That is, individuals are responsible for their conduct and suffer the consequences for bad behavior. It is Christian faith which transforms us individually and can solve social problems by transforming the communities we live in.
Secularists, on the other hand, follow what Barr calls “Macro-Morality.” To them, individual conduct is not important. What is important is the “commitment to political causes and collective action to address social problems.” Thus, instead of helping set individuals free from the effects of sin in their lives, the Militant Secularists look for ways the state can make individuals comfortable in their sin.
Barr cited several examples of such policies: “So the reaction to growing illegitimacy is not sexual responsibility, but abortion. The reaction to drug addiction is safe injection sites. The solution to the an break down of the family is for the state to set itself up as an ersatz husband for the single mother and an ersatz father for the children. The call comes for more and more social programs to deal with this wreckage and while we think we’re solving problems, we are underwriting them”

And now the Militant Secularists are following their “Macro-Morality” semi-religion to turn the power of the state against the “Micro-Morality” people whose beliefs contradict theirs. Barr mentions instances of LGBT curriculums being forced on parents in public schools. We are also all aware of the attacks on the Christian bakers who opposed gay marriage. Barr compares these modern attempts to compel Christians to violate their conscience to the Roman emperors who tried to compel Christians to worship them.

Lest you think that these actions are restricted to a small lunatic fringe, there was a recent presidential debate where candidates could not conceal their hostility to Christianity as they promised to force the Church to bow to their Militant Secular Macro Morality. Persecution is at our door.

Sad to say, the Church is often complacent in its own undermining. Barr tells of a church service where a need for more soup kitchens was to be met not with volunteers and church outreach, but with appeals to the government. We are too often guilty of abandoning our call to save sinners and transform communities, standing by while the soulless government tries and fails to make people comfortable in their sin.

Attorney General Barr has issued a dire warning and a wakeup call to the Church.

We have the answer to the suffering of those in bondage to sin. His name is Jesus. But we must come together, reach out, take responsibility for our communities, meet people’s needs, and above all lead people to Him.

So remember God’s prescription for healing the land:

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

It is up to us to repent and bring an end to the moral chaos and darkness which is spreading over the land. Let us turn on the light so darkness will flee.