I got some good news and I got some bad news yesterday. The good news is that my wife went to Mayo clinic, and upon examination the doctor determined that medication alone should control her extremely high blood pressure and aside from her hypertension she does not have additional medical problems. It was an answer to many prayers and we are exceedingly happy. Thanks to everyone for your prayers.
The bad news was that we lost a key supporter to the Renewal effort yesterday. Why? Your guess is as good as mine; I have no idea. He just stated that he would not support it and wanted nothing further to do with it. I will try to find out what happened to change his mind, but it will be a loss.
When we initially founded Honey Lake Church and Worldwide Ministries I found that it was not easy. When we were just getting it off the ground I invited many of my friends to be a part of the original Board of Advisors, and some have remained throughout it all, and others are no longer involved. A very few seemed to get angry about how things were going and not only dropped out, but cut all ties to me personally.
Hmmm . . . I hated to see that happen and still do not understand what got them so discouraged, but we were undaunted and the rest of us trudged onward and we’ve made good progress.
Our goals are to fulfill the Great Commission and attempt to restore Christian values to America by working together with other ministries to change our deteriorating culture. That is the vision that God has given us. He has ordained that we as Christians must unify, communicate, equip, and act in order to accomplish our objectives.
Our motives are pure and nothing is being done out of selfish ambition. To be sure satan does not want us to succeed and he is keen to stop us dead in our tracks. It will require faith and perseverance in order to trudge forward and fulfill His mandate and to be sure he will battle us every step of the way.
America the beautiful is not so beautiful these days. Our children are being given condoms in middle school, homosexuality is being taught as being acceptable beginning in kindergarten, our divorce rate is the highest in the world as are our incarceration and abortion rates, pornography, violence, and other sin is evident everywhere we look.
We as a nation need to return to God. Good intentioned Christians everywhere can differ in the way we work towards getting America back on track, but the Bible is clear that God wants unity in Christians.
Psalm 133:1 – How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!
John 17:23 – I in them and you in Me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent Me and have loved them even as you have loved Me.
Romans 6:5 – If we have been united with Him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.
1 Corinthians 1:10 – I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.
1 Corinthians 12:12-26 – The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
Ephesians 4:1-3 – As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Ephesians 4:2-6 – Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit-just as you were called to one hope when you were called- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Ephesians 4:11-13 – It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Philippians 2:1 – If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
Colossians 3:14 – And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
April 17, 2014 – Click here to listen