Prayer – Auriesville Tubthumper

To Act or Not: Part 2

Is it appropriate to attempt to be an “Acts Church” today by using the book of Acts as a guide?
Yes and No… let me explain. Certainly the ten points I outlined in the last post will be a great resource to follow and I support the use of them. In fact our churches won’t be too successful without doing those 10 things. So yes, I say we should follow the guide and do our best to carry it out. We need to keep in mind however the differences in culture and their community compared to ours. Without intense study of the culture in Jerusalem at that time in history it would be impossible to understand the vast differences. The response to leadership was different and some things done today were completely forbidden. There was also specific revelation occurring from God and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. The early converts were praying like we can’t even imagine and God was responding. I believe this issue of prayer is one of our problems but that is another subject. The early church was almost completely a made up of Jewish people before it spread to the Gentiles. (Officially in Acts 15) Our community is much more diverse. Things were done much different back then compared to now and the world mindset was different. I remember a guy saying to me, “Ok, that was the church for then but I want to experience our church for now.” We can be an Acts church but must modify for our contemporary times. It would be impossible to do everything exactly as the Apostles did in the early church.
Secondly I think there is more that God wants us to follow and the Bible provides it. I think if we add Ephesians to the Acts Church we have a winner of a blueprint to work from. We must not exclude the teachings of Timothy, Titus and others.
We know that the primary job of the Church is the ‘Great Commission’ of Matthew 28:16-20) which theoretically is a three part process. One is to make disciples, second is to baptize them, and third we must, “teach them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” The Church leaders must see to it that disciples are being made. It is their our principle responsibility.
How are disciples made? They are created through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Everyone does not do the same job in the process. Some disciple, some evangelize, some teach, etc… No need to feel guilt if you can’t do everything well. “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:11-12)
A major part of the blueprint for Church today is Ephesians 4:10-16. The main function of the church leaders is to equip the saints for the work of service. And every Christian is a saint, just call me Saint Frank. Church leaders are to be intimately involved in equipping each and every saint. The body of Christ is built up through the process of equipping. So the purpose of leaders is to equip Christians for ministry and not to replace them. The purpose of equipping members for service is so the body can be built up and the ‘Unity of the Body’ can only be achieved through every Christian ministering and supplying the body. When each individual is functioning properly the body builds itself up in love and unity. It will be self-perpetuating because God guaranteed it. The bottom line is that Churches will grow when we as Christians use our Spiritual Gifts in service to the body of Christ.
We need to be careful because looking at other churches through the ages and how other people are doing things has led to decline in Christianity. Churches that are dying are usually mired in tradition or off the path and unwilling to change. We need to be looking at scripture and reading scripture. We need to also be on our knees in prayer. God’s word has all the answers and it is not only in the book of Acts. Albeit Acts is a great place to be and I don’t want to diminish its importance.
The basic point we must remember is that with a guide or not, the church is built up on disciples that are willing to take up their cross and die for the Lord if need be. (Matthew 16:24)
I think I will close with a thought on this church leadership issue: We will all stand before God some day and answer to Him. Many Church Leaders will stand before God and be asked what they were told to do and if they completed it. Many won’t know what He is talking about and won’t be able to say they obeyed. He will ask if they warned the disciples about their accountability for their instructions in the Word. Not many leaders are reading the Word of God any more. The wrath of God will be visited upon disobedient disciples, and will be visited upon negligent church leaders because it is their responsibility to, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.” (Acts 20:28-30) Church leadership comes with an awesome responsibility. Woe to those who scatter my sheep.
Blessings for your day through Christ,

The Tubthumper

1 Stephen Parker, Church Growth Crisis: The Decline of Christianity in America (Oklahoma City, OK: Forever Family Publications, 2011).

To Act or Not: Should we use the Acts Church as the guide?

A lot of people these days believe the church should be trying to do exactly what the early church did in Acts. This is actually where all the small group craze came from. Much of the church growth movement is keyed on this principle as well. So do I think mimicking the Acts Church is how we should do things? Yes and no… You see, the Bible has a lot of information on what God wants the Church to do. We have Acts but we also have Ephesians, Timothy, Titus and more. Let us look at this closer beginning with some points about Acts.

There is no question , the early church gave a good model. Acts 2:47 says, “Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” Some experts have estimated the church in Jerusalem had over 100,000 members. That is larger than many cities.

There are many important principles to follow for Church government. Here are ten examples:
1) Churches should rely on the Holy Spirit’s power. “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) Church members should have the Lord Jesus controlling their lives. They must let the Holy Spirit take control. Leaning on the Holy Spirit is mostly what is needed.
2) Churches today must nurture a warm fellowship. “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common.” (Acts 2:42-44) With a warm, loving and inviting environment new Christians can be loved and grow in the word.
3) Church members must meet together to study the Bible. “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” (Acts 2:46-47) They used the temple courts and they met house to house. Both types of meetings occurred. So we must meet at church and we must break bread together and study in our homes.
4) Churches must expand the vision of God. He is in Control. “And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is.” (Acts 4:24) We already know the Church will survive and Satan is already defeated. Fear thou not because we have all the resources and strength we need. “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18) Christ will build His church!
5) Churches must harness the power of prayer like they did in Acts. From the beginning there has been a spiritual battle going on. Spiritual battles are fought on our knees. Jesus said, “This house will be a house of prayer.” Our Church is to be a house of prayer. In Acts it says, “they prayed” 48 times. Churches need to pray like they prayed in Acts. Churches need God’s power to make us different from the world. (Acts 1:3-4, 14)
6) Churches should be united, generous, loving, and charitable. Our church should be a giving church. The church in Acts was a giving church. “And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold.” (Acts 4:32-34) We all need to be united and with one mind. Our church should be the place that the needy are cared for. We should learn how to sacrifice for others like the early church did. We should be a powerful testimony to our community. (Acts 2:44-45)
7) Churches must involve everyone in ministry. We find in Acts chapter 6 how this was done. The apostles found men that were specifically shaped and called for ministry. An example is ‘Greek men to minister to Greek widows.’ No one pastor can do everything. God and the Holy Spirit gifts the entire church. The Pastor feeds the flock through preaching and teaching. The rest is up to others. Our churches need to be able to help people discover their Spiritual gifts and then plug them in. The early church sent people out on mission is the community to add to the growth. Don’t allow people to come and just sit on the sidelines. Use the talents and gifts they bring. Not just any people can minister, however, as the position of Deacon is to be filled with men who are currently full of the Holy Spirit. Not one that was filled at one time, but one filled with the Holy Spirit now. Deacons can bless the body and they can bless the Elders by allowing the Elders to devote more time to the Bible and to prayer. Deacons are “hands on” – somewhat a “Buildings and Grounds” people. As they grow they could be appointed to Elder positions. God wants leaders full of the Holy Spirit, wisdom, unity, prayer and to stand in agreement. God raises these people up.
8) Churches need to read the Bible and be devoted to the word. It should be heard from the pulpit, it should be read, it should be memorized and it should be meditated on. The only thing that can change lives in our churches today is the Gospel and the Word of God. We need to be devoted to reading the Bible. (Acts 2:14-40)
9) Churches should love and worship with joy. In the early church they practiced Koinonia. What that means is they would fellowship with one another. They were committed to one another and loved one another. Our church members need to protect, care and help one another unlike the world. We also should celebrate Christ together. Church should be enjoyable and we should express our emotion in Church letting go and worshiping with joy. (Acts 2:42, 46-47)
10) Churches should be reaching out to the community for Jesus Christ. The early church reached people for Christ daily. “And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.” (Acts 2:40-41) Evangelism is commanded and we are told to be a witness throughout the world.

Can it work to try and mimic the Acts Church? In the next post I will give you my opinion and expand on what I think we should doing with our church structure.

To go part 2 just click HERE.

In Christ,

The Tubthumper

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Steve Davis, Spiritual Leadership Examples from the Book of Acts., http://http:www.stevedavis.org/12%20examples%20from%20the%20book%20of%20Acts.html
Rick Warren, How to Have an Acts Church, http://www.christianpost.com/news/how-to-have-an-acts-church-42320/ (accessed May 1, 2014).

Are we a Bunch of Losers, Part 3

The stark reality of it all…

““Millions of American evangelicals are absolutely shocked by not just the presidential election, but by the entire avalanche of results that came in,” R. Albert Mohler, Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, in Louisville, Ky., said in an interview. “It’s not that our message — we think abortion is wrong, we think same-sex marriage is wrong — didn’t get out. It did get out. “It’s that the entire moral landscape has changed,” he said. “An increasingly secularized America understands our positions, and has rejected them.””. From The New York times, November 12, 2012.

Why is America increasingly secularized? Because the ‘The Church’ has failed. We find in the book of Acts how the church should be. How God meant it to be. Let’s take a look at how the church should look to us. I say should.

By reading God’s word in Acts 2:42-47, we can see the first of several assessments of the state of the church. We should first note that the text begins and ends with a statement about the unusual growth of the church. Growth comes from identifying disciples and helping them to discover their spiritual gifts and then equipping and training them to turn their spiritual gifts into ministry that grows ‘The Kingdom’. The church gets built on disciples who are willing to take up their crosses and die for our Lord. (Matt.16:24)

From reading in the book of Acts you can know that in the big picture the Church was meant to be a vibrant, balanced, growing community of disciples of Jesus Christ. Discipleship comes in response to the Gospel and the Gospel Is Love. In Verse 42 of Acts it lists four of the activities to which the church devoted itself and verses 43-47 serve to further define the four activities. We should, therefore, consider each of the four activities along with Luke’s further description of them.

The four activities of the earliest church are introduced to us as the priorities of the church. These are the four things to which these saints devoted themselves. These were not options. These were the fruit of a genuine conversion and of life in Christ. Here they are and they are not meant to be kept as a secret.

The Apostles’ Teaching: We should focus on one aspect of the apostles’ teaching. The Apostles proclamation of the gospel was recognized as authoritative, due to the authentication of God through miraculous works. Please remember that Peter reminded his audience that the teaching of Jesus had been divinely accredited by the Father. The apostles’ teaching has been preserved in the New Testament Scriptures, so that we have their instruction as well as the early church. We can never over-emphasize the importance of sound, biblical teaching. The Word of God is the foundation and starting point for every aspect of the Christian life. I need to point out that it is the unchanged and complete Word of God I am talking about. Not the false teachings that prevail today. At the conclusion of this series I intend on looking at evaluating your church. If you do not attend a church that has a Pastor or minister expounding on the complete and never-changing Word, giving you the bad with the good and everything in between. You need to find a church that does. It is time we fired the imposters.

Fellowship: The term Luke uses for “fellowship” in the text is a much broader term than our English word. Essentially, “fellowship” means “joint participation” or “sharing something in common.” It is thus a kind of partnership. In Philippians 2:1, the term is used of a common sharing in the Holy Spirit. In Philippians 3:10 and 1 Peter 4:13, it is used of sharing in Christ’s sufferings. In Galatians 2:9, it appears to be a sharing together in ministry. The most common expression of “fellowship” in the New Testament is that of sharing financial and material resources. It was giving to one another when there was a need. One can “fellowship” with fellow believers in a number of ways, including the partaking of meals and engaging in prayer. If Acts 2:44-45 is Luke’s further description of what fellowship looked like in the newly-born church in Jerusalem, then his emphasis would fall on the fellowship of sharing one’s material goods with others. By reading in Acts you will find that no member of the church had a need that went unmet. If there was a need it was filled by another member of ‘The Church’. People took care of each other. That was love. It takes intimacy and closeness. Two scary words for today.

The Breaking of Bread: Breaking bread is not always a reference to the observance of Communion. The expression might simply refer to the eating of a meal together. After he said this, Paul took bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all, broke it, and began to eat (Acts 27:35). The sharing of a meal was perhaps the most intimate form of fellowship one could have with fellow believers. In the ancient near-eastern world, when a guest was invited to a meal with his host, it was incumbent on the host to provide protection for the guest. This would partly explain the actions of Lot when the men of Sodom wanted to do harm to his guests (Genesis 19:1-8). The eating of a meal is also used as a description of our fellowship with God.

The Prayers: Luke is telling us that in its very early days the saints in Jerusalem diligently persisted in the observance of the stipulated times of Jewish prayer at the temple. These were newly-saved Jewish believers who were just beginning to grasp the significance of the things they had done as Old Testament Jews, even though they were unbelievers at the time. Throughout the four gospels in the New Testament prayer is emphasized over and over.

This text has been used by many to describe the essential functions of a church. The danger we can run into is that it becomes a “to do” list of activities. If we do all these things, then we feel like we are obedient and in a worse case, we may even be proud that we are biblical. (self-righteous) The test for ‘The Church’ is not just doing the right things. The test is more a matter of having the right attitudes. The success comes from having the right heart and maintaining right relationships. It wasn’t just what the church in Jerusalem did that Luke is trying to convey in his writings. What he wants us to know is how and why they did the things they did. We need to be aware that in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus condemned charity, prayer, and fasting that was done in the wrong spirit, and for the wrong reasons (Matthew 6:1-18).

Join me in the next post JUST CLICK HERE and we will have a look at the responsibility of the believer. Is that you? I know it is me.

Until the next time,

‘The Tubthumper’

5 days left to pray for the election.

Day 35, November 1, 2012

Your light shines over all who choose to call You Lord.

I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. (Psalm 34: 1-3)

Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. (Romans 1:25)

Dear heavenly Father, You are the Creator of the universe and we praise Your blessed and holy name! You alone are the provider of all things and with You all things are possible. Lord, if we say nothing, the rocks will cry out Your magnificent name. You are a marvelous God, and Your light shines over all who choose to call You Lord.

Forgive our transgressions, Lord. Forgive us for seeking to serve the created rather than the Creator as Your word says in Romans 1:25. Send a river of conviction throughout our Country and convince each and every heart to seek to be washed in Your forgiving love and return to You in pure and holy worship.

In Genesis 18, we recall Abraham pleaded for fifty righteous souls to be found and then finally for only ten righteous souls among the people to avert total destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

We shudder and plead for the protection of our land from complete ruin because of unrighteous living. Forgive our transgressions, Oh God. Flood our minds and souls with conviction that if we do only one wrong against You, Lord God, we break our relationship with You. Draw us to be washed in the Blood of Jesus as we humble ourselves and pray, seeking Your Face, and turning from our evil ways of all wrong in our lives that You might heal our Land.

Thank You, Oh Holy God, for tending to our voices in one accord today as we intercede on behalf of our Nation. Thank You for restoring us to being “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” Thank You that we will once again be able to call upon You and say, “God Bless America” because we are assured You will do so because America is truly blessing Your Holy Name.

We call upon You on behalf of our Nation, the United States of America. We ask You to have mercy and grace upon her people. We humbly seek that You do not turn Your face away although so many have turned from their roots of our forefather’s founding our Nation upon Your principles. We call upon You, Lord, for Your grace and protection on this election November 6, just 5 days from now. Help us Oh God and heal our land.

It is in the name of Jesus Christ we entrust our Nation, the United States of America, into Your care. AMEN.

Day 19 praying for elections, 21 to go.

Have mercy upon us Lord and hear our prayers.

Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer. (Psalm 4:1)

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Father we praise you almighty God.

Most holy and merciful Father, we confess to You and to one another. We have sinned against You by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart and mind and strength. We have not fully loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not always had in us the mind of Christ. You alone know how often we have grieved you by wasting your gifts, by wandering from your ways. Forgive us, we pray You, most merciful Father. Please free us from our sin. Forgive our nation, Lord and forgive our people. Protect and direct us as we elect a new leader of our nation.

Father, You are so wonderful! Through Jesus Christ we have an open invitation to come to You in prayer. We give thanks for this blessing. We give thanks for all of our blessings, Father. In each day we find joy in all that You give to us. We are a blessed people. Your grace is overwhelming. What a blessed people we are to know and embrace Your unconditional love.

Lord, we humble ourselves and pray and we seek your face. Father, forgive our sin and heal our land. We seek your sovereign blessing on our nation. Draw us back to you Lord and strengthen our nation to serve and honor You. We ask these things through Jesus Christ. AMEN

Day 8 of Prayer for USA Election

A prayer for election 2012 USA

“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:14)

For all Christians the verse above tells us what should constitute our prayer lives: We should pray properly, purposefully and persistently. When all three elements are a part of our prayer lives, they work. We are to align ourselves with God’s will. We are to ask for what we want; we are to be specific. We are to pray persistently. The apostle Paul tells us to pray without ceasing. Every time we pray, God’s mighty power is released and made available to bring victory and breakthrough into even seemingly impossible situations.

Dear heavenly Father,

We love you Lord. You are an awesome and amazing God. You are faithful. You have placed us in the greatest nation in the world. The land of the free! You have blessed us mightily. You are generous beyond anything we can imagine or deserve. We praise you Lord for you are worthy to be praised, you are the King of all Kings, you are above any authority in heaven or on earth, You are creator, redeemer and sustainer.

We confess that we have not bowed before You. We confess we have not acknowledged Your rule in our lives and over our leaders and our nation. We have gone along with the ways of the world and failed to give You glory. Forgive us and raise us from sin, that we may be your faithful people, obeying the commands of our Lord Jesus Christ, who rules the world and the universe.

Father, watch over us this day. Dear Lord, please guide us and strengthen us as we confess our sins to You. Fill us with compassion as we pray for one another and as we pray for the leadership of our great country. Please fill us as we pray for the needs of the world. Please help us to not be judgmental, condemning and prideful. Fill us dear God with your love. Draw us close to you Father; create in us a desire to come to you in prayer every day for Your leadership, love and protection to reign in our lives and throughout our land. We come to you once again and ask for you divine intervention and protection on our national election. Dear God, please heal our land.

Through Jesus Christ we pray, AMEN.

36 Days to the Election, Day 5, Oct. 2

A Prayer for our nation.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29: 11-13)

O, God most high, dear almighty Lord we praise you. How wonderful and marvelous you are. How marvelous your creations, the sun and the moon, the light and the darkness, the wind and the rain and all of life. Praise you Father and thank you for another day.
Father we know you are always thinking of us. It is us, Lord, who fail to think of you. Even when we come to you Lord we often come with just a fleeting half-hearted attempt for immediate help. Forgive us Lord for lacking commitment and not seeking you with all of our heart. Forgive us all for our passiveness. Forgive us for coming to you only in times of desperation, for your word says, “The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much”, (James 5:16). How many times have we as a people, as a nation been fervent? How many times has our nation been desperate for you? How many times have we come to you with all our hearts? Forgive us Lord and “Heal our Land”.
We thank you Lord for protecting us. We thank you for the way you have provided for us. We know O’God that all we have is from your blessings. We thank you for our founding fathers, our pledge of allegiance, our money, our form of government and the belief of our founding fathers. We know, O’God, your desire is for us to be at peace with you in love and to love and be at peace with those around us. Father we pray for the sound of your spirit. We search for you and ask that you open our eyes that we might see. We ask for help to see what is good, honorable and just for our country and for the protection, security, and success of the United States of America.
Father, we ask through your son, that you “Heal Our Land”.
AMEN

37 More Days, Prayer Day 4, October 1st

One Nation under God, with Liberty and Justice for All.

And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Deuteronomy 28: 1-3.

Dear Father,

We come to you today with humble hearts so you will hear our voice. We praise you today and always dear Lord. You are the God almighty and the creator or all. You are the great “I AM”.

Father, Please forgive us as a nation for leaving you out. Forgive us for turning from you. Forgive us for no longer being a nation with the fear of the Lord. Dear Lord we love you and need you for our strength and protection.

Dear Lord we thank you for your grace. In days past Lord we have faced similar tests and you have brought us through. Our nation needs you guidance, Lord.

Dear Lord help our nation to hear your voice and to obey your voice in all we say and do. Help us all dear Father to discern clearly right from wrong. Father we pray that all will work for the good concerning our beloved country of the United States and we would glorify you.

We know your will for us Lord, and know we are held to a higher calling, we pray that our nation and our people will observe your commandments. We pray that we will be a nation under God and we pray that your mighty hand of direction and protection be on our nation as we elect leaders in November.

We ask these things through your son Jesus,

AMEN.

39 More Days, Prayer #2, September 29

39 DAYS TO THE ELECTION

The Lord says to call on Him and He will answer.

“Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” (Jeremiah 33:3)

Dear Lord,

We praise you and adore you on this day. You are the most high! Father, you are in control of all things. You allow or appoint our leaders and we come to you for protection.

Dear Lord, as a nation we have forgotten you. We have forgotten the grace that helped us in days past and allowed us to reach the greatness we have. Please forgive us. We thank you Father for the many, many blessings you have bestowed on our nation. We thank you for the prosperity we take for granted.

Dear Lord, help this nation to hear Your voice. Father, place a hedge of protection around our people and our nation and deliver us from evil. Help us, Lord to seek the path of righteousness.

You have asked us Lord to call on Your name and you have promised to answer when we call. Please guide our nation during this time of need. Fill us with your spirit and presence and guide us Lord. Father we need you. Help us to make the decisions that will honor you.

We call upon your name again today Lord and ask for your grace and blessing on this election.

You are the Glory and the Power forever. In the name of Jesus we call on your Holy name. Amen.

God bless all,

“The Tubthumper”

40 Days of Prayer, #1, September 28

40 DAYS TO A VERY IMPORTANT ELECTION

Day 1 of 40 days of prayer for our country.

In a daily devotional from this morning my pastor gave this interesting fact: John Jay, PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS; DIPLOMAT; AUTHOR OF THE FEDERALIST PAPERS; ORIGINAL CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE U. S. SUPREME COURT; GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK, “Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation, to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.”

I pray we can get back this providence and take hold of our duty as a Christian nation.

It is our duty to pray for those who hold elected office in our country. In fact, Scripture commands us to do so.

“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty”, (1 Timothy 2:1-2).

Dear heavenly Father,

We praise you and acknowledge you as the creator of our universe. We acknowledge the blessings you have bestowed on this land we call the United States of America. We confess our sins Lord and ask forgiveness for forgetting you during these times of need. Please forgive us and our nation for failing you. We thank you Father for allowing us to be born in the land of the free. We thank you for all the riches and grace you have provided throughout history. We come to you respectfully and humbly to give thanks for the blessing we receive daily. Lord, please protect our land and keep us free. Dear Lord, please heal our land. Draw us back to you Lord and allow your strength to restore our nation to a place where we serve and honor You. Father we thank you for the great leaders of the past and ask that you give us a leader on November 6 that will follow the calling You have given us. We thank you once again for all our blessings. In God we Trust. Through your son Jesus Christ we pray,

AMEN

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

God bless the USA,

“The Tubthumper”

Intercede for America!

I have gone easy on the number of posts over the last week because beginning this Friday I will be submitting a post every day for 40 days. During these 40 days (if you pray, and I hope you do) we need prayer, fasting and turning to God in obedience. We need to ask for God’s help in the selection of our nation’s leadership. If you don’t understand the fasting thing then please just be obedient to God and pray. I will be doing my own ting and I pray you will be doing yours. Let us all humble ourselves and cry out to the Lord with one united voice. We must repent and seek His face.

As Christians it is our duty to pray for those who hold elected office in our country. In fact, Scripture commands us to do so. In 1 Timothy 2, verses 1 and 2 it says, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”

It is also our privilege and our responsibility to vote. After 40 days of prayer, fasting and obedience to God we need to exercise our right and vote. We are at a crucial national, state and local election frontier. We are at a spiritual crossroad and we need to do all we can to elect people who will lead us with Biblical values and return us to our roots. Be sure to register and vote.

Pray for the future of America. We are seeing economic decline in unprecedented terms. We are seeing corruption, secular humanism and attacks on our religious liberties like never before. If you know how to fast do so for prayer and fasting together brings change through the power of God. If you need help regarding the issue of fasting you can seek this great website for guidance http://40daystosaveamerica.com/ . I am not asking you to fast as that is a personal issue. I am asking for prayer. I am asking for a focused daily and consistent prayer for our country. Will you join me for 40 days to lift our country before the creator?

While you pray please remember the presidential election will likely be determined by 7 states. As intercessors, we are to ask for god to move in a mighty way within these states. Please mention them by name as you pray for our God is organized and specific. Ask for Him to move on Wisconsin, Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Virginia and Nevada. Certainly do not forget the other states, particularly your own for God can make it happen from anywhere he wishes. I am giving you the human statistical probability as we know it and these states are called the “swing states”.

From the very beginning of America God has moved among us mightily because his movements were preceded by prayer. Over the centuries there have been witnessed triumphs over dark days. Throughout history the presence of God has been invited through our intentional and persistent prayer. The possibilities are endless when we pray! God placed an amazing power in our hands when he gave us the power of prayer and a way to reach the Father. When we humbly seek His face by praying he will answer us and will move to accomplish His desire for our land and for us. Please pray for the direction of our nation. Prayerfully seek His face on a daily basis. Intercede for America. Let us believe our prayers are heard and will make a difference. Let us claim the victory!

Ronald Reagan made a speech to America on February 6, 1986 when he said, “To preserve our blessed land we must look to God…It is time to realize that we need God more than He needs us. Let us, young and old, join together, as did the First Continental Congress, in the first step, in humble heartfelt prayer. Let us do so for the love of God and His great goodness, in search of His guidance and the grace of repentance, in seeking His blessings, His peace, and the resting of His kind and holy hands on ourselves, our nation, our friends in the defense of freedom, and all mankind, now and always.

The time has come to turn to God and reassert our trust in Him for the healing of America… Our country is in need of and ready for a spiritual renewal. Today, we utter no prayer more fervently than the ancient prayer for peace on Earth. The Lord bless and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace…And God bless you all.”

Humanly speaking… we are hopeless. Our only hope is in the mighty hand of God.

Dear Lord, we come to you humbly today and seek your blessing. Help us dear Lord to listen to you and to heed your instruction. Father, we rest in your presence for you are the anchor of our souls. It is You alone dear Lord that we desire and nothing else can take your place. Father we need you, we love you and we praise you. We pray these things through your son Jesus Christ.

Amen

“The Tubthumper”

Heal Our Land, 40 Days To Pray

We have an extremely important election this November that needs our attention. I believe in the power of prayer and if ever our nation needed us to intercede with our creator now is the time. I am asking you to join me in 40 days of focused prayer for our nation and our leaders. I am asking all to pray for the healing of our land. Details below…

“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 heal their land”, (2 Chronicles 7:14) There is an absolutely beautiful and appropriate song we sing at church that was taken from this verse and with the name of the title of this post. I am sharing the words with you here.

Heal Our Land by Robin Brooks and Tom Brooks

Lord heal our land, Father heal our land, Hear our cry, And turn our nation back to You
Lord heal our land, Hear us O Lord and heal our land; Forgive our sin, And heal our broken land.

If my people will humble themselves, Humble themselves and pray,
If they seek My face and humble themselves, And turn from their wicked ways
I will hear from heaven, And forgive their sin, I will hear from heaven, And heal their land.

Lord we bow our knee we humble ourselves, Humble ourselves and pray,
Lord we seek Your face, We humble ourselves, And turn from our wicked ways
Father in Your mercy forgive our sin, Father in Your mercy come heal our land.

The Power of Prayer: Right from the beginning of our nation great things have happened due to God’s almighty power and grace toward us. Our land was sustained and protected through the power of prayer. When the early documents were drafted and signed those great men did it prayerfully. We triumphed over many days of darkness by the power of prayer. Through diligent and intentional prayer we have brought the presence of God amongst us. The possibilities are endless when we involve the power of prayer. With God, all things are possible. You and me, we all have an awesome power given to us by God Almighty. As the verse and song says, “When we humbly seek His face through prayer our Lord will act on our behalf and will work His will for us. When we pray for our leaders and for the direction of our nation we can have God’s power to change the direction our nation moves toward.

Please join me in a daily prayer beginning Friday, September 28 and culminating on election-day, Tuesday, November 6, 2012. This is the most critical election in many years for our nation. Join me as we pray for the United States of America, for our leaders and those to be elected to shape the future of our country. Let us claim the promise within 2 Chronicles 7:14. Let’s come together in humility and call upon His name.

If you are signed up to receive this blog by email tt will come to you automatic. You can sign up at top right of the page. If you have sent a “like” to the blog on facebook it will show up on your facebook feed. A prayer will be posted each day for the 40 day period. Please pray along with me?

Matthew 7: 7-8: Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Matthew 21:22: And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

Mark 11:24: Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

John 14:13-14: And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

Ephesians 6:18: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Philippians 4:6-7: Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Use these awesome Bible Verses and put them into action by being obedient to what they teach!

Prayerfully,

“The Tubthumper”

Call Him Up, Tell Him What You Want

This post is a little different. I want to tell you about a song I like. I would love to have a great singing voice and always be in pitch but God did not bless me with that gift. I do love to listen to others using that talent though.

Woooo… If you want your body healed tell Him what you want, oooh, tell Him, tell Him, tell Him what you want. Prayer is a lot like picking up your cell phone and making a call. Just go ahead. Dial up Jesus and tell Him what you want. He is waiting for your call.

The Zion Harmonizers have been producing heavenly music for more than 55 years and some of them are over 80 years old. They have been thrilling both ecclesiastical and secular audiences with their accapella sounds and their repertoire of timeless gospel music classics over all those years. I told my wife when I die I want them siinging at my funeral. They have been hugely popular and their music seems to grow stronger and stronger with each passing year. I really enjoy listening to them.

They feature a song on their Greatest Hits album that really its home with me. It is called “Jesus on the Main Line”. I think it was done by Ry Cooder and many others and it is labeled as a traditional song. I like it done with that New Orleans gospel flavor that the Harmonizers use.

Here are the words:

I know Jesus is on that mainline, Tell Him what you want ,Jesus is on that mainline, Tell Him what you want, Jesus is on that mainline, Tell Him what you want, Call Him up and tell Him what you want.

Well, the line ain’t never busy, Tell Him what you want, Wo, that line ain’t never busy, Tell Him what you want. Well, the line ain’t never busy, Tell Him what you want, Keep on calling Him up, And tell Him what you want.

Well, if you want His kingdom, Tell Him what you want, If you want His kingdom, Tell Him what you want, If want His kingdom, Tell Him what you want, Call Him up, call Him up, call Him up, call Him up, You can call Him up and tell Him what you want.

Well, if you’re sick and wanna get well, Tell Him what you want, Well, if you’re sick and you wanna get well, Tell Him what you want, If you’re sick and you wanna get well, Tell Him what you want, Call Him up and tell Him what you want.

And if you’re feeling down and out, Tell Him what you want, And if you’re feeling down and out, Tell Him what you want, And if you’re feeling down and out, Tell Him what you want, Call Him up and tell Him what you want.

I know Jesus is on that mainline, Tell Him what you want, Jesus is on that mainline, Tell Him what you want, Jesus is on that mainline, Tell Him what you want, Call Him up, call Him up, call Him up, call Him up, Call Him up and tell Him what you want.

Go listen to it soon because the writing does not do it justice.

If you are going to dial Him up on the mainline you need the phone numbers. He has a special phone number extension for each need you have. I am including a few good ones here for you to add into your phone book:

Here is your EMERGENCY NUMBERS…

When you are in sorrow, call John 14.

When people fail you, call Psalm 27.

If you want to be fruitful, call John 15.

When you have sinned and know it, call Psalm 51.

When you worry, call Matthew 6: 19-34.

When you are in danger, call Psalm 91.

When God seems far away, call Psalm 139.

When your faith needs stirring, call Hebrews 11.

When you are lonely and fearful, call Psalm 23.

When you grow bitter and critical, call 1 Cor. 13.

For Paul’s secret to happiness, call Col. 3: 12-17.

For an idea of Christianity, call 2 Cor. 5: 15-19

When you feel down and out, call Romans 8: 31.

When you want peace and rest, call Matt. 11: 25-30.

When the world seems bigger than God, call Psalm 90.

When you leave home for work or travel, call Psalm 121.

When your prayers grow narrow and selfish, call Psalm 67.

For a great invention or opportunity, call Isaiah 55.

When you want courage for a task, call Joshua 1.

When you want to know how to get along with others, call Romans 12.

When you think of investment returns, call Mark 10.

If you are depressed, call Psalm 27.

If your pocketbook is empty, call Psalm 37.

If you are losing confidence in people, call 1 Cor. 13.

If people seem unkind, call John 15.

If you are discouraged about your work, call Psalm 126.

If you find the world growing small and yourself great, call Psalm 19.

PLEASE NOTE: ALL EMERGENSY NUMBERS CAN BE DIALED DIRECT. NO OPERATOR NECESSARY. ALL LINES ARE OPEN 24 HOURS A DAY! Feel free to pass the numbers on to your friends. They may need them.

Once you start dialing up the mainline it will likely lead you to find some more numbers on your own.

Find that album by the Zion Harmonizers. “The Best of New Orleans Gospel, Vol. 2”, you will really enjoy it!

You can hear and see a little of the Zion Harmonizers by going to this link. http://vimeo.com/32538140 .

God Bless your day,

“The Tubthumper”

1 Stephen Parker, Church Growth Crisis: The Decline of Christianity in America (Oklahoma City, OK: Forever Family Publications, 2011).

Steve Davis, Spiritual Leadership Examples from the Book of Acts., http://http:www.stevedavis.org/12%20examples%20from%20the%20book%20of%20Acts.html Rick Warren, How to Have an Acts Church, http://www.christianpost.com/news/how-to-have-an-acts-church-42320/ (accessed May 1, 2014).

Steve Davis, Spiritual Leadership Examples from the Book of Acts., http://http:www.stevedavis.org/12%20examples%20from%20the%20book%20of%20Acts.html
Rick Warren, How to Have an Acts Church, http://www.christianpost.com/news/how-to-have-an-acts-church-42320/ (accessed May 1, 2014).