~~Alexander Hamilton to John Laurens, August 15, 1782
Today I would like to share some media presentations that I have found over the course of time, that have encouraged me and challenged me. But beware; this is not your peppy "positive and encouraging promise Scripture for the day." Sometimes, truth is not always comfortable; truth challenges us to face the uncomfortable squarely, and to deal with it. Sometimes truth pricks our consciences, or opens our eyes to an uncomfortable reality around us. When confronted with truth, we see evil for what it really is, and the world seems more evil than it did before. However, if we accept the truth, and yield to God's Spirit, we have a peace inside -- the peace of being fully and finally reconciled to God, and being able to confidently show others the way.
I would like to share a video with you, of a sermon preached by Keith Daniel, an evangelist and missionary from South Africa. He preached this sermon in the United States, and it is entitled, "A Warning to America." The two major themes in his sermon (which expounds upon Ephesians 6:10-17) are prayer and holiness.
Keith Daniel is one of several preachers who are staying faithful to the Gospel that is preached in the New Testament, and they are not ashamed to preach repentance and holiness from their podiums, worldwide. Many have been ostracized for taking a bold stand against the heresies of modern American "evangelization."
Paul Washer, American-born missionary, is a case in point. The following video shows perhaps his most famous sermon, preached at the Southern Baptist Youth Convention in 2002, which was "so biblical, he was never invited back."
I have said before, and say again now, that the responsibility for the downward spiral America has taken ultimately rests on the shoulders of the Christian Church, that is, those who name the name of Christ. And while this has been acknowledged by many in the "culture war," it is important to specify (and I don't think it has been sufficiently emphasized) that our fault has more to do with our lack of repentance from sin (and this "adulterous and evil generation, ") than it has to do with our lack of voting, petitioning, and so on. It takes virtue to sustain a free form of government, and Christians, as "salt and light," are to be the examples and promoters of virtue in society. But instead we have adapted to the ungodly culture around us, making us just like the world, and ineffective.
Many have said, and many will say, that Paul Washer is preaching "legalism" -- salvation by works. Those who listen to his sermons and come to this conclusion do not understand the Gospel, or the logic of the New Testament. We are saved by faith in Christ, yes, but that faith is to cause a progressive following of repentance from sin and good works. Without working out faith, faith is dead (James 2).
But for people (like myself) who tend to slide to the extreme of forcing works to gain repentance (when it should be the other way around) here is another excellent snipit from Paul Washer, explaining the "happy medium."
Paul Washer is also one of the founders of the HeartCry Missionary Society, an outstanding missionary organization that sends missionaries in several countries all around the world. Here, Paul discusses his group. It is an excellent video. Whether you are a missionary or not, I encourage you to watch it.
If I may, I would also like to add the testimony of the conversion of his wife, Charo Washer, on audio. It is more than just a nice story; listening to it may expose many of the deceit the devil uses to get even youth raised in Christian homes to think they are saved, when they are not.
I hope that these presentations have inspired, encouraged, and challenged you to serve God in sincerity of heart, and to stand up for the truth in this modern perverse generation.
"When confronted with truth, we see evil for what it really is, and the world seems more evil than it did before. However, if we accept the truth, and yield to God's Spirit, we have a peace inside -- the peace of being fully and finally reconciled to God, and being able to confidently show others the way."
Preach it, Herky! Wait until you see the sermon I'm doing for sometime in September on submission. Could it be that God is telling us the same thing? What a concept!
I haven't been able to watch the videos yet, because your post eats up the memory on my VERY old computer. We have a new one ordered, though, so I'll be back soon.
BTW, just how many blogs do you have? I wouldn't want to miss any. :)
Hello, ma'am! I'm glad you got the opportunity to drop by. I'm so sorry that the post is a hog ... maybe I should have followed my second idea and made separate posts for each video, or something! Well, I hope you get your new computer installed without any trouble! :)
And yes, I think that God is trying to speak to Christians in this land. The Holy Spirit is moving, and one of the most convincing signs of that, is when people from all over the world, who have neither heard or seen each other before, start preaching the same scriptural message of repentance to America. The similarities are striking. Why? Because there is only one real preacher: the Holy Spirit.
And how many blogs do I have? Too many! But because you asked (hee hee), I'll give you the links here:
The Foundation Forum, Meet the Founding Fathers, and Herculean Reflections, you have already seen.
The other two that I run currently are:
Alexander Hamilton Patriot (http://ahpatriot.blogspot.com)
Over a period of about 4 years, I studied Alexander Hamilton's faith, life, and writings. My adventure learning about the principles of the Founding, the story of the Founding, and the faith of the Founders, really got going when I studied him. His writings on history, government, and human nature, are worth a read. Right now, the blog is exploring his Christian faith. The modern American Church could learn a lot from that, and I do hope to write a book on the subject.
The Founders' Bookshelf (http://foundersbookshelf.blogspot.com)
This is my "primary resource" treasure trove, that is still expanding. Instead of shelling out the big bucks to buy the musty volumes of their works, they can be read and searched online, and this blog is the reference point. I am still adding links to it, since I keep making new discoveries. If you have any questions about where to find things, feel free to ask. I've been through so much of the material that I could probably give you a few tips.
And then there is a blog that I was running, but probably will not keep it current: I Blog for RON PAUL (http://virtueisliberty.blogspot.com)
Earlier in this presidential election, Ron Paul was the only candidate who had the character, honesty, and awareness to make him fit for President. The others didn't come close to his measure. though I don't agree with every last thing he says, I agree with most of it by far. My blog explains. I think he understands the true nature of liberty, and the responsibility of Christians to be agents of virtue, not mainly legislation, to preserve freedom and accountability simultaneously. There is a video on the blog, in which he discussed that aspect. In case it eats up your computer's memory, the meat of his speech is presented below the video.
Well, I've dragged on again! But I hope this answered all your questions!
God bless you and your family.
Warm regards,
Herky
OH! I almost forgot to add ... the first video plays automatically (I wish I knew how to fix that). Maybe that is part of your memory problem?
I can't wait to see the sermon of yours you mentioned. When you put it up on your blog, I will be very happy to link to it on mine. Word needs to get out! There's much more to being a Christian than listening to "Christian pop singers"! We sure can get so distracted, can't we?
Hi Her,
Great posting. I am glad finally you have updated this blog.
I enjoy reading it.
Have great day,
Fida
Hello Fida, and thank you! I am glad I finally updated it, too. I have been busy again, so I have had little time to write.
I am always glad to see you drop by on my blogs. I noticed you have been updating yours. When I can get a moment to read the posts, I promise I will leave you comments.
Until then, God bless you and your family.
Hercules
:) I don't have time at the moment to watch the videos; but I will soon. Thanks so much for taking the time to post them.
Hey, Herky, guess what! My new laptop that was supposed to ship on Sept 4th ... arrived today! I am typing on it right now, which is a major accomplishment. So far, I've got the bluetooth keyboard & mouse working, downloaded firefox, thunderbird, and google earth, and they're all working! I still have to go get open office and then copy files over from the old computer, but I feel like I've just joined the world!
I'll definitely be back in the next couple days to watch your videos.
God bless!
Thanks, Mrs. Mecomber. I hope you get a chance to see the videos soon. When you do see them, I would love to hear your thoughts.
And congratulations akaGaGa on your new computer! I am glad it is working well for you.
Hope to see you both again on the blogosphere. God bless.
Well, Herky, I listened to Paul Washer at the youth convention. The man speaks truth. He speaks truth that complacent American "Christians" need to hear, and I'm going to post the same video.
I've been saying for a long time that what's missing in our churches is the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is missing because people have not repented. They want to "claim God's blessings" but they don't want to do what He says. They aren't serving God, they're serving themselves.
I gave a sermon at my church last fall on this same passage. I'd be interested in your thoughts, if you have the time.
http://akagaga.blogspot.com/2007/10/wise-man-foolish-man.html
P.S. Can you tell this technophobe how to put a link into the comments, like I do in the blog? There's no handy button!
P.P.S. Thanks for posting this. I'll listen to the others when I can take the time.
Hi Jean, I'm glad you got a chance to see the video. I'm encouraged that you decided to post it. You're right; word needs to get out.
I totally agree with you that the Holy Spirit and the message of total repentance has been missing in America churches by and large. I've noticed the same thing. But how encouraged I am that there are still Christians in my own country -- and my own state! -- that have not bowed the knee to Baal. These select few are "in hiding"; you don't hear about them every day -- ordinary people like you and me, and people in our own families and churches. Most likely, the world will never know our names. But if we are accounted worthy by God to be used so that the world knows His name, we are blessed.
As I write this, I am opening the link to you sermon. You sent me another link of yours yesterday, which I bookmarked, and I am going to read that too.
I'll probably send you an email with the information about how to insert code in comments. It's rather simple, but if I post it up here, blogger may not put it up as text.
I hope you get a chance to listen to the other videos. The only one that' nearly as long as the Paul Washer one is the one above it, by Keith Daniel. It's long, but it's worth listening to.
TTYL, and God bless your weekend!
I think the problem in the American church feeds on itself. When someone comes along who speaks the truth, like Paul Washer, no one wants to hear it. So we seek out those who will tell us what we want to hear. Where's AW Tozer when you need him? :)
Another conclusion I've come to is that in each church that names Jesus, there are a handful of real Christians - even those churches with very suspect doctrine. The wheats are growing up along with the tares.
On the other hand, I don't think there is any church that is really submitted to our Lord. On the whole, we are as committed to various doctrinal statements, dubious traditions, and the local culture, as we are to the Bible.
I came to some of this last winter as the Holy Spirit led me on a journey through church history. If you would like to read more, once again ... I did a message on it. :)
http://akagaga.blogspot.com/2008/02/church.html
God bless you with the love and the strength you need to continue the good fight.
P.S. Feel free to send the email whenever. There is no rush, and I do so appreciate all the help you've given me.