Last night I want to a dinner party with some friends. My phone began buzzing and I looked at the caller ID and it was Rev. Samuel Rodriguez. I excused myself and took his call and he informed me that he could not meet in Texas as planned next week due to a legal matter. (The purpose of our meeting was to discuss how we can merge our Renewal of America endeavors with his NHCLC ministry’s efforts and come together in unity.)
He had to stay in California to finalize the legal agreement that will officially make him the leader of the largest evangelical network in the world with over 400,000 churches and some 250 million Latino Christians. God is moving fast in a mighty way in his young life and reports are just now beginning to come out about the merger and he even made the cover of Time magazine.
He told me that he wanted to reschedule for another time this month and I told him that I would try to find a date that would work for his team and mine. He emphasized how urgent it is that we meet as soon as possible in order to begin unifying all Christians throughout America and the world and begin building a firewall of righteousness in Jesus Christ’s holy name.
Our goal at Renewal is to network together 100 million Christians in America and one billion around the world. Aligning with Brother Sammy’s coalition will be a mighty step in that direction. I’m meeting with televangelist James Robison and a multitude of pastors and leaders of faith based organizations in Dallas Texas next week to discuss a similar strategy.
On the way home from the dinner party I was discussing Sammy’s phone call with my wife and I wondered out loud how it made him feel that almighty God Himself would choose him to lead such a large network. Then I questioned why in the world he would choose me to do what I’m doing. Sammy has a PHD and is an extraordinary evangelist. I’m a “nobody” (with a storied past).
Hmmm . . . All through the Bible God chooses “nobody’s” to do His bidding. So what is up with that? Why does God sometimes choose the most unlikely people to accomplish His work?
Ironically a friend of mine that runs Risk Takers for Christ and writes a daily devotional wrote a piece today about this and it states in part:
Joseph . . . Moses . . . Rahab . . . Samson . . . David . . .
What did these five Old Testament saints have in common? Well, at least two things for starters.
First, they all stumbled and fell – or at least had serious setbacks in their lives – only to rise above those circumstances. As a result, each of them was used by God to accomplish great things.
Joseph saved the Jews from a famine . . . Moses led them out of captivity . . . Rahab saved the lives of the Israelite spies . . . and Samson slew more Philistines in his death than he had in his life. As for David, well, he simply became Israel’s greatest king, a person God called “a man after My own heart.”
Yes, these five imperfect people – one woman and four men – all had deep character flaws. Joseph was conceited . . . Moses was a murderer . . . Rahab was a prostitute . . . and Samson was a womanizer. The list is even longer for David. He was an adulterer, a liar, a murderer and a pretty poor father.
And yet, the Holy Spirit inspired the writer of Hebrews to include all five of them in Chapter 11, known as the “Hall of Faith”. Why do you think that is?
My answer is simple. I think that God sees the faith that resides in a person’s heart and values it above everything else. Yes, even above the times in our lives when we fail to live up to His standards or our potential.
I told my wife that I think God chose me, because He knew that I would not hesitate to do it and go “all in” in the process. So many people that I know aren’t willing to fully commit and for obvious reasons; it isn’t an easy path. I’ve given up my career and am subjecting myself to satanic attack and there is the very real danger of the militant liberal progressive portion of our society attacking me, my business, and my family verbally, legally, and even physically. I’m bulldog stubborn however, and unafraid. I also love God with all of my heart and I’m brokenhearted to see what has happened to America just in my lifetime.
Nehemiah was a cup bearer for the King of Persia. When he heard about the suffering in Jerusalem, he decided to do something about it. His first move was to go to the Lord in prayer. Afterwards God enabled him to oversee a team of workers who miraculously rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem in just 52 days. Listen to the emotion in these passages and you will glean an understanding of the anguish he felt for his people and that I feel for what is happening in America and around the world.
When I heard these words I sat down and wept, and mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven. I said, ‘O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments; let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for your servants the people of Israel, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Both I and my family have sinned. We have offended you deeply, failing to keep the commandments, the statutes, and the ordinances that you commanded your servant Moses. Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, “If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples; but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are under the farthest skies, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place at which I have chosen to establish my name.” They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great power and your strong hand. O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man!’
At the time, I was cupbearer to the king.
How about you? Does what is happening in America bother you? Are you willing to stand up for Christ? Are you willing to personally sacrifice your time and money and take some risks to serve the Lord and be a part of our God’s plan of bringing revival and a Great Awakening to America and the world? Or are you content to go about your daily life with a “business as usual” attitude right up until the time the last vestige of decency is stamped out of this country for good?
Time is running out quickly my friends, so for crying out loud, when God calls – Answer the darn phone!
Matt. 24:38
For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. “For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be . . .
May 7, 2014 – Click here to listen