For communities to be restored, the family must first be restored to God's design and purpose. But for families to be restored, certain things must come first.
First, men and women must be restored, recreated in the image and likeness of God. There is a commonly held view we are all in the image and likeness of God. False! When mankind rejected God's authority; disobeyed God; rebelled against God, and submitted themselves to the rule, the authority and pow=r of Satan, they lost that image in which they were created. They lost the glory of God in which they were created. When they looked at themselves, they were so ashamed and terrified at what they had become, that they tried to cover themselves with fig leaves, and ran from the presence of God.
There is also another fallacy that, if a man and a woman are living together, they are husband and wife. False! God made a man and a woman in His image and likeness to be the foundation of the family. God united together a nam and a woman who were in His image an likeness. It must remain so. So, there needs to be a restoration of marriage to God's original plan and purpose. For a man and a woman to be husband and wife, they must both be in the image and likeness of God. The image and likeness of God must first be restored in them. This comes about by a relationship with Jesus Christ. "If any man (or woman) be in Christ, he is a new creature." He is a new creation. "Old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new."
Another serious misconception and deception is that "God said, be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth." The point these people are making is,
God said it, we are just doing what God commandewd." Wrong! God said these words to a man and a woman who were in His image and His likeness. It is that kind of man and that kind of woman He wants to bring forth and bring up children. They were to bring for and bring up others after their kind. They were not only to bring forth, but also to bring up children in the image and likeness of God just as they were. They were to bring up children of the kingdom of God. This is parenting of the highest sense.
Finally, for the family to be restored after God's pattern and design, God Himself must choose and unite together the man and the woman in His image and likeness whom he wants to join together. It is He who made the man. It is He who made the woman. It is He who brought the woman to the man. It is He who joined them together to make one flesh. It is God at work all along. It must be so today.
The command that God gave to the man and the woman that they sould not eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of Good and evil, applies to every area, and every department of our lives. In every aspect of our life, without exception, we must be obedient to God. That is the rock, the foundation on which the family is built.
So, before communities and nations can be transformed, the family must be restored. This requires that first, men and women must become a new creation in Christ Jesus. It means that there must be a restoration of human sexuality, and sexual conduct to what is pleasing and acceptable to God. God Himself must choose and appoint the man and the woman to be joined together. Therefore men and women must seek God and hear from God about who shall be their partners. There must be obedience to God all along. Parenting must be nothing less than men and women bringing up their children as children of the kingdom of God, in His image and likeness.
So what have we seen so far? For Nations to be transformed, there Must be a New Man. It must begin with the men. Then through the ongoing, consistent witness of the New Man, A New Womanhood Must emerge. The Ne wman must lift up women, not pull them down. New men and new women whom God appoints for each other,are unirted by God in mareriage. Then they bring forth and bring up children as children of the kingdom of God, in His image and likeness. These are all very serious challenges. That is why it must be God at work all the time, and obedience to God all the time. It is this kind of family that is going to change the community and the nation.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Woman, Helper for Man!
What did God mean whe He siad, "It is not good that the man to be alone. I will make him a helper suitable for him."? God is about to create the basic human community, the family. This requires two persons. The man has already been created. The other must now be created. That 'other' must be suitable for the man. As a sort of interim, God created the animals and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. Adam gave names to all the animals God brought to him. Notice how the interim ends. "But for Adam, there was not found a helper for him." Lesson number 1, A helper suitable for man cannot be found among the animals.
So God put the man to sleep; removed one of his ribs; closed up the area from which He took the rib, and with the rib, He made a woman, and brought the woman to the man. Lesson 2, From God's point of view, only a woman can be a suitable helper for man. He did not make another man to be a suitable helper for Adam.
Adam greeted the woman with great joy. "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman for she was taken out of man." Lesson number 3, Fullness of joy for man is found only in the union of a man and a woman suitable for him. This is crucial. We may say that the fundamental cause for many divorces lies in the fact that the woman is not suitable for the man, and therefore, the man is not suitable for the woman.
Now many men and women living together, and many 'christians' also, hold the view that if a man and a woman are living together, they are husband and wife. Let's look at Genesis again. God created a man. God placed him in a garden. God said it is not good for the man to be alone. God said, I will make him a helper suitable for him. God put the man to sleep. God took a rib from the man and made a woman. God brought the woman to the man. The man accepted all that God had done. It is God at work all the time. Now you two are living together. Where does God come in to your relationship? Lesson number 4, if God is not in it from beginning to end, it is not marriage in His sight, so you are not husband and wife in God's sight.
Let's go back to Gen. 1:28. God said, "Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth. Now masny people having children out of marriage, not even living together say, that on the basis of these words they have the freedom to make children as they please. They are simply carrying out the command, 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth.' Well, let us ask the question, Who said these words, to whom? God spoke. God gave the command. He gave the command to a man and a woman in His image and likenes, because that is the way it is in the kingdom of God. God commands men and women in His image and in His likerness to bring forth children. Are you in the image and likeness of God? Are you born again? Are you a new creation in Christ Jesus? Lesson number 5, If you are a new man and a new woman in Christ jesus, and if you are suitable for each other, God's commandment is for you. If you are not, the commandment is not for you. You cannot use it as giving you the right to have children.
God made the woman to be a helper for the man. What does that mean? Complete misunderstanding of this has led to many women being no more than housekeepers. Let us look at the word helper in the original Hebrew. The word translated 'help' has more than one meaning. First it means to 'aid.' If the man is working at a particular task, the woman can be a 'help' to him. This should not be confined to domestic work. In fact it can mean any task in which the man may be involved, even professional work. This seems to call for a bit of communication and consultation here.
Second, the word means 'to succoor.' The man can be under great strain, or pressure. The tasks may be burdensome and bring frustration, and anxiety. Sometimes a man may feel like quitting. The woman comes along side of him as a source of strength. She helps him bear the burden. She helps to relieve him of the pain. She bears the burden with him. She comforts him. She inspires patience and perseverance. She brings to the situation considerations which help him to see things in a new way. She is a tower of strength to him. What would he do without her?
Third, the word means 'to throw the arms around.' This has more than one meaning. 'To throw the arms around someone' is an expression of desire for intimacy, or a desire to meet one's need for intimacy. Every one of us has that need for intimacy. If that need is not met, then we feel alone in the world. Another way of putting it is 'the need for love.' To throw the arma around someone is a way of saying 'I love you.' When that need for intimacy and love is not satisfied, the result is tragedy.
'To throw the arms around someone' can also mean to protect that one. You see danger coming and you throw your arms around him to protect him. Let's take this a little further. The man is in danger. There is one out there who wants to destroy him. That one will seek all means by which to attack the man. The woman is there to help the man; to protect him against the enemy that is seeking to destroy him. The woman then engages herself in prayer, in intercession, and in spiritual warfare on her husband's behalf. I suppose by now you begin to see that this matter of being a helper is no small thing. And this is no small task or calling given to women.
To put it briefly, the woman's calling is to help the man to be all that God wants him to be, and to help him to do all that God want him to do. The woman is in one way like a prop for the man. Take away the prop and the tree falls. If the woman fails, the man falls. Now you understand why the serpant came to the woman. Take away the helper, the man falls. Do you see then how awesome is the task of women?
Woman then, is no inferior being. It takes an abundance of wisdom, knowledge, strength, and knowledge of God and His ways for woman to fulfill her calling.
To Get the Book "Women in the Transformation of the Nations" Go To:
http://www.i-proclaimbookstore.com/wointrofna.html
So God put the man to sleep; removed one of his ribs; closed up the area from which He took the rib, and with the rib, He made a woman, and brought the woman to the man. Lesson 2, From God's point of view, only a woman can be a suitable helper for man. He did not make another man to be a suitable helper for Adam.
Adam greeted the woman with great joy. "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman for she was taken out of man." Lesson number 3, Fullness of joy for man is found only in the union of a man and a woman suitable for him. This is crucial. We may say that the fundamental cause for many divorces lies in the fact that the woman is not suitable for the man, and therefore, the man is not suitable for the woman.
Now many men and women living together, and many 'christians' also, hold the view that if a man and a woman are living together, they are husband and wife. Let's look at Genesis again. God created a man. God placed him in a garden. God said it is not good for the man to be alone. God said, I will make him a helper suitable for him. God put the man to sleep. God took a rib from the man and made a woman. God brought the woman to the man. The man accepted all that God had done. It is God at work all the time. Now you two are living together. Where does God come in to your relationship? Lesson number 4, if God is not in it from beginning to end, it is not marriage in His sight, so you are not husband and wife in God's sight.
Let's go back to Gen. 1:28. God said, "Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth. Now masny people having children out of marriage, not even living together say, that on the basis of these words they have the freedom to make children as they please. They are simply carrying out the command, 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth.' Well, let us ask the question, Who said these words, to whom? God spoke. God gave the command. He gave the command to a man and a woman in His image and likenes, because that is the way it is in the kingdom of God. God commands men and women in His image and in His likerness to bring forth children. Are you in the image and likeness of God? Are you born again? Are you a new creation in Christ Jesus? Lesson number 5, If you are a new man and a new woman in Christ jesus, and if you are suitable for each other, God's commandment is for you. If you are not, the commandment is not for you. You cannot use it as giving you the right to have children.
God made the woman to be a helper for the man. What does that mean? Complete misunderstanding of this has led to many women being no more than housekeepers. Let us look at the word helper in the original Hebrew. The word translated 'help' has more than one meaning. First it means to 'aid.' If the man is working at a particular task, the woman can be a 'help' to him. This should not be confined to domestic work. In fact it can mean any task in which the man may be involved, even professional work. This seems to call for a bit of communication and consultation here.
Second, the word means 'to succoor.' The man can be under great strain, or pressure. The tasks may be burdensome and bring frustration, and anxiety. Sometimes a man may feel like quitting. The woman comes along side of him as a source of strength. She helps him bear the burden. She helps to relieve him of the pain. She bears the burden with him. She comforts him. She inspires patience and perseverance. She brings to the situation considerations which help him to see things in a new way. She is a tower of strength to him. What would he do without her?
Third, the word means 'to throw the arms around.' This has more than one meaning. 'To throw the arms around someone' is an expression of desire for intimacy, or a desire to meet one's need for intimacy. Every one of us has that need for intimacy. If that need is not met, then we feel alone in the world. Another way of putting it is 'the need for love.' To throw the arma around someone is a way of saying 'I love you.' When that need for intimacy and love is not satisfied, the result is tragedy.
'To throw the arms around someone' can also mean to protect that one. You see danger coming and you throw your arms around him to protect him. Let's take this a little further. The man is in danger. There is one out there who wants to destroy him. That one will seek all means by which to attack the man. The woman is there to help the man; to protect him against the enemy that is seeking to destroy him. The woman then engages herself in prayer, in intercession, and in spiritual warfare on her husband's behalf. I suppose by now you begin to see that this matter of being a helper is no small thing. And this is no small task or calling given to women.
To put it briefly, the woman's calling is to help the man to be all that God wants him to be, and to help him to do all that God want him to do. The woman is in one way like a prop for the man. Take away the prop and the tree falls. If the woman fails, the man falls. Now you understand why the serpant came to the woman. Take away the helper, the man falls. Do you see then how awesome is the task of women?
Woman then, is no inferior being. It takes an abundance of wisdom, knowledge, strength, and knowledge of God and His ways for woman to fulfill her calling.
To Get the Book "Women in the Transformation of the Nations" Go To:
http://www.i-proclaimbookstore.com/wointrofna.html
Men In the Transformation of the Nations
Any Movement for Transforming the Nations Must begin with Men. Many women may dismiss this as nonsense. You may think it is the old chauvinistic position all over again. You may say that nwomen have been emancipated from subservience to men and they do not want to go back to that. Let me assure you, that this author sees the status and role of women as so awesome as to shatter our puny thoughts. So hold on, women. You are in for a huge treat which I hope, will not scare you.
But first, the men. And let no man run away from this. When God set out to establish His kingdom on earth, He first created the heavens and the earth. On the earth He first created the natural environment, and all the resources on which mankind would have to depend. Then God created mankind. In Genesis 1:26-38, God said,"Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them."
This is not inconsistent with what is said in Gen. 2:7,18,21-23. God said, "And the Lord God formed man out of the dust of the Ground... And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone, I will make, I will make him a helper suitable for him... And God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam...and He took one of his ribs...and the rib which the Lord God had taken from man, made He a woman, and brought her unto the man."
The fact that the man was made first does not mean that the man is more important than the woman; or that the woman is inferior to the man. It does mean that they are of equalt status and of equal dignity. It also means that they had equal powers and rights in ruling and having dominion, and subduing the earth. The man ruling over the woman came as a result of their sin. Look at Gen. 3: 16. The man ruling over the woman is part of the curse resulting from their sin. That was not God's original intention. When man and woman are restored in Christ Jesus, God's orginal intention is restored. The new man in Christ is not made to rule over the woman, nor the woman over the man.
Just as in the beginning God created the man first, so in the new creation, first the man is made a new creation, a new man. Then that new man in Christ Jesus turns around and, by the grace of God, and the witness of his new life, he labors for the birth and emergence of a new womanhood. He lifts up women. He cannot degrade, exploit, oppress, abuse, or treat women with violence. Such treatment of women as is common in our time is unthinkable in the new creation. Men lift up women to their full status and dignity, co-equal with him in the purposes of God for mankind.
Look at Adam's response when God brought to him the woman whom He had made. "Adam said, "This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman because she was taken from man." Waw! Adam said, This is fantastic! This is awesome! This deserves a dance. Clearly Adam was filled with a sense of appreciation, wonder and awe at what God had done. She was in the image and likeness of God just as he was. When Adam looked at Eve, he saw himself, fully human as he was. But more, when Adam looked at Eve, he saw God. Eve saw the same when she looked at Adam. Here is one awesome truth to revolutionize our thinking and our attitudes one toward another; male and female toward each other. Tell me, where does domestic violence comes into this.
Ladies and gentlemen! What does all this say for the kinds of boys and girls we bring up in our homes? The leadership of the nations depends on the product of the homes that make up the nations. The strength of the nations in every area of national life depends on the kinds of persons produced by the homes that make up the nations. A strong nation is not one that has the most advanced technology, or the greatest military, but the one that excels in the hightest moral and spiritual values. Look how the nations that pride themsleves as the greatest economies, and the greatest military powers are crumbling today? It has happened before in the history of mankind. What is the root of it all? The answer lies in the quality of men who lead the nations in terms of their politics, their economies,their social, their prevailing moral philosophies, their belief systems etc.
To transform any nation, we must begin with the men. Begin by restoring men to their full dignity and status. There is no greater vision of what men ought to be than that found in the Christian Revelation - man in the image and likeness of God. You will say to me, men today are in the backgtound. They are not taking their place in society, in the church, or in community life. It is the women who are in the forefront. That is precisely the point. Bring the men into a transforming relationship with Jesus Christ. Let them discover the dignity, the status, the power that is theirs in that life changing relationship, and the whole world will change. This is the task of the Church.
The evangelistic work of the Church needs a new focus. Focus on the restoration of men into the image and likeness of God. This is the whole purpose of God's redemptive work in Christ Jesus. In Christ Jesus we do not become gods, we grow into the fullness of the manhood that God intended. So that we see God in one another. So that we have all authority and power to have dominion over all earthly powers; we rule and reign and bring all things into subjection; so that we are priests and kings in the earth. All of us. It Must Begin with the Men.
To Get the book:"Restoration of men: Key to the Transformation of the Nations" Go To
http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?isbn=9780595472956
But first, the men. And let no man run away from this. When God set out to establish His kingdom on earth, He first created the heavens and the earth. On the earth He first created the natural environment, and all the resources on which mankind would have to depend. Then God created mankind. In Genesis 1:26-38, God said,"Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them."
This is not inconsistent with what is said in Gen. 2:7,18,21-23. God said, "And the Lord God formed man out of the dust of the Ground... And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone, I will make, I will make him a helper suitable for him... And God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam...and He took one of his ribs...and the rib which the Lord God had taken from man, made He a woman, and brought her unto the man."
The fact that the man was made first does not mean that the man is more important than the woman; or that the woman is inferior to the man. It does mean that they are of equalt status and of equal dignity. It also means that they had equal powers and rights in ruling and having dominion, and subduing the earth. The man ruling over the woman came as a result of their sin. Look at Gen. 3: 16. The man ruling over the woman is part of the curse resulting from their sin. That was not God's original intention. When man and woman are restored in Christ Jesus, God's orginal intention is restored. The new man in Christ is not made to rule over the woman, nor the woman over the man.
Just as in the beginning God created the man first, so in the new creation, first the man is made a new creation, a new man. Then that new man in Christ Jesus turns around and, by the grace of God, and the witness of his new life, he labors for the birth and emergence of a new womanhood. He lifts up women. He cannot degrade, exploit, oppress, abuse, or treat women with violence. Such treatment of women as is common in our time is unthinkable in the new creation. Men lift up women to their full status and dignity, co-equal with him in the purposes of God for mankind.
Look at Adam's response when God brought to him the woman whom He had made. "Adam said, "This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman because she was taken from man." Waw! Adam said, This is fantastic! This is awesome! This deserves a dance. Clearly Adam was filled with a sense of appreciation, wonder and awe at what God had done. She was in the image and likeness of God just as he was. When Adam looked at Eve, he saw himself, fully human as he was. But more, when Adam looked at Eve, he saw God. Eve saw the same when she looked at Adam. Here is one awesome truth to revolutionize our thinking and our attitudes one toward another; male and female toward each other. Tell me, where does domestic violence comes into this.
Ladies and gentlemen! What does all this say for the kinds of boys and girls we bring up in our homes? The leadership of the nations depends on the product of the homes that make up the nations. The strength of the nations in every area of national life depends on the kinds of persons produced by the homes that make up the nations. A strong nation is not one that has the most advanced technology, or the greatest military, but the one that excels in the hightest moral and spiritual values. Look how the nations that pride themsleves as the greatest economies, and the greatest military powers are crumbling today? It has happened before in the history of mankind. What is the root of it all? The answer lies in the quality of men who lead the nations in terms of their politics, their economies,their social, their prevailing moral philosophies, their belief systems etc.
To transform any nation, we must begin with the men. Begin by restoring men to their full dignity and status. There is no greater vision of what men ought to be than that found in the Christian Revelation - man in the image and likeness of God. You will say to me, men today are in the backgtound. They are not taking their place in society, in the church, or in community life. It is the women who are in the forefront. That is precisely the point. Bring the men into a transforming relationship with Jesus Christ. Let them discover the dignity, the status, the power that is theirs in that life changing relationship, and the whole world will change. This is the task of the Church.
The evangelistic work of the Church needs a new focus. Focus on the restoration of men into the image and likeness of God. This is the whole purpose of God's redemptive work in Christ Jesus. In Christ Jesus we do not become gods, we grow into the fullness of the manhood that God intended. So that we see God in one another. So that we have all authority and power to have dominion over all earthly powers; we rule and reign and bring all things into subjection; so that we are priests and kings in the earth. All of us. It Must Begin with the Men.
To Get the book:"Restoration of men: Key to the Transformation of the Nations" Go To
http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?isbn=9780595472956
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Movement for Transforming the Nations
A Cry for the transformation of the nations into the kingdom of God goes up all over the world. It is a cry for righteousness, justice, and peace. How long will mankind continue to ignore the only true source of righteousness and peace? When will mankind learn that making himself God, and rejecting the authority of the true God only brings misery and diaster? Day by day we continue to see the massive corruption and greed of the few, while multitudes waste away in poverty and want.
What's behind the world wide economic meltdown? What's behind the conflict among nations? What's behind the decades of war, the massacre of millions, the war crimes, the unstable political conditions in many nations? Is it mere human greed and selfishness? Is it a struggle for power and wealth? Is it a case of the strong exploiting the weak for their own selfish interests? Is it driven by an ideology that the world is for some and not for others? Is there a cure? Can the nations of this world become a kingdom of peace, justice, and righteousness? Is a one world government and a one world religion, promoted by agents of the kingdom of darkness, bring us a better world?
This human tragedy seems to be as old as mankind itself. Let us look at the record of human history given in the Bible. Mankind originated with two human beings, Adam and Eve. They were made in the image and likeness of God, so there was no evil or sin in them. They were bearers of the righteousness of God. There was peace on earth. They had a perfect relationship with God. They had direct face to face communication with God. There was perfect harmony between the two. They were one flesh. They had joy in obeying God. This is how God wanted it to be always. Paradise! Heaven on earth!
But someone else comes on staqe, Satan - the enemy of God and of mankind; Satan, called in the Bible the liar, the deceiver, the destroyer, the murderer. He inhabits a serpent, and comes to the woman in the form of a serpent. He can do that, as all satanists know. He specializes in messing up what God does. So with a masterly piece of deception, he gets the woman, and the man to throw off God's authority; to reject God's word; to assert their independence, and sufficiency; to affirm that man is God, and beside man there is no other god. Man is a law unto himself. Mankind threw off the idea that God was the Absolute Authority. Well, that was the recipe for disaster for man, for the family, and for the nation.
Adam and Eve soon experienced the consequences of what they had done - shame, fear, broken fellowship with God; loss of eternal life; serious curses. It was soon to be seen in their family. Cain became jealous of his brother for offering to God an offering which was acceptable to God. His thought was to offer to God what He wanted, not what God wanted. God had no part in what he decided to offer. That was entirely his decision. God had no authority in the matter. Cain envied his brother who prefered to honour and fear God. Cain hated his brother. He murdered brother.
Then came a new phenomenon. God united the man and the woman whom He had made and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth." But women, again flouting God's arrangement, chose to marry demonic creatures called 'sons of God.' What do you expect to be the result when a woman marries a demon? This seemed to have been so widespread that the whole world was affected, just as the whole world is affected by the economic melt down.
Look at the kind of world that resulted from the marriage of women with satanic beings! 'God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth,and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually...The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said to Noah, the end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them...I will destroy them with the earth.' That sounds like our world today. There are women today all over the world, who marry Satan, or Satan marries them. That is probably the most powerful means of corrupting the world. Of course there are men who sell themselves out to Satan also. Children, are dedicated to Satan. So what do you expect? Look at the manifold ways in which the mightiest and the wealthiest nations of the world flout the authority of Almighty God! God laughs at them! Judgement has come upon them.
One more reference. Abraham had two sons. The first, Ishmael, was not the 'son of promise.' It was not God's idea. It was Sarah's and Abraham's idea. For them, God was taking too long to fulfill His promise, so they took matters into their own hands, and Abraham had a son by his Egyptian servant girl. An angel of the Lord appeared to Hagar and told her what kind of man he would be. 'he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand will be against him...' Thirteen years later Abraham had his second son, Isaac, the son of promise through whom God's promise would be fulfilled. What do you expect when we doubt God's word, and when we take it upon ourselves to fulfill God's promise in our own way, and as we think it should be done.
The major conflicts of the world, political, religious, economic, and racial have their origin in the nature of man as a fallen creature. Fallen man, perceiving himself as God or as a god; fallen man, too proud to accept his humanity; fallen man, rejecting all absolute authority in the spiritual and the moral realm; fallen man, driven by greed for money and for power; fallen man, an easy prey of the devil's bait, is himself responsible for the calamities in his individual life, in families, in communities and nations.
However, the devil sought the company of Adam and Eve uninvited. Moreso today, because mankind has lost the authority and power to rule over, to have dominion, and to subdue creation. We know from the Scriptures that Satan makes it his business to stand behind those in positions of authority to influence their decisions and movements. It is not a light matter that Christians are called upon in Scripture, to pray for those in authority. It is a very serious obligation, considering what the powers are that we have to fight against. We know too that Satan has his agents all over the world dedicated to affecting families, parents, children, and churches. We know he has his own churches, his own altars, his thrones and seats of power. He is organized worldwide, and he is organized in the heavens to steal, kill, and destroy.
But God has not finished with His creation. He has not left his creation to be a prey to Satan. His purpose is to establish His kingdom on the earth. That purpose will be fulfilled. No devil can prevent that. The nations of this world will be transformed and become the kingdom of God and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever. So, we are taught to pray, "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
Let us acknowledge that there are many who have no place for God, and the things of God, in their minds. What is said here will not appeal to them. There are those who doubt the reality of God and the possibility of man's relationship with God. There are those who have no room for Satan or the devil in their thinking. There are those who believe in God, but it is just a matter of convenience. Many of them are easy prey for the devil. They should ask Satan's devotees some questions. I believe the devil is glad when people do not believe that he is real.
The nations of this world will be transformed and become the kingdom of God.
What's behind the world wide economic meltdown? What's behind the conflict among nations? What's behind the decades of war, the massacre of millions, the war crimes, the unstable political conditions in many nations? Is it mere human greed and selfishness? Is it a struggle for power and wealth? Is it a case of the strong exploiting the weak for their own selfish interests? Is it driven by an ideology that the world is for some and not for others? Is there a cure? Can the nations of this world become a kingdom of peace, justice, and righteousness? Is a one world government and a one world religion, promoted by agents of the kingdom of darkness, bring us a better world?
This human tragedy seems to be as old as mankind itself. Let us look at the record of human history given in the Bible. Mankind originated with two human beings, Adam and Eve. They were made in the image and likeness of God, so there was no evil or sin in them. They were bearers of the righteousness of God. There was peace on earth. They had a perfect relationship with God. They had direct face to face communication with God. There was perfect harmony between the two. They were one flesh. They had joy in obeying God. This is how God wanted it to be always. Paradise! Heaven on earth!
But someone else comes on staqe, Satan - the enemy of God and of mankind; Satan, called in the Bible the liar, the deceiver, the destroyer, the murderer. He inhabits a serpent, and comes to the woman in the form of a serpent. He can do that, as all satanists know. He specializes in messing up what God does. So with a masterly piece of deception, he gets the woman, and the man to throw off God's authority; to reject God's word; to assert their independence, and sufficiency; to affirm that man is God, and beside man there is no other god. Man is a law unto himself. Mankind threw off the idea that God was the Absolute Authority. Well, that was the recipe for disaster for man, for the family, and for the nation.
Adam and Eve soon experienced the consequences of what they had done - shame, fear, broken fellowship with God; loss of eternal life; serious curses. It was soon to be seen in their family. Cain became jealous of his brother for offering to God an offering which was acceptable to God. His thought was to offer to God what He wanted, not what God wanted. God had no part in what he decided to offer. That was entirely his decision. God had no authority in the matter. Cain envied his brother who prefered to honour and fear God. Cain hated his brother. He murdered brother.
Then came a new phenomenon. God united the man and the woman whom He had made and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth." But women, again flouting God's arrangement, chose to marry demonic creatures called 'sons of God.' What do you expect to be the result when a woman marries a demon? This seemed to have been so widespread that the whole world was affected, just as the whole world is affected by the economic melt down.
Look at the kind of world that resulted from the marriage of women with satanic beings! 'God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth,and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually...The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said to Noah, the end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them...I will destroy them with the earth.' That sounds like our world today. There are women today all over the world, who marry Satan, or Satan marries them. That is probably the most powerful means of corrupting the world. Of course there are men who sell themselves out to Satan also. Children, are dedicated to Satan. So what do you expect? Look at the manifold ways in which the mightiest and the wealthiest nations of the world flout the authority of Almighty God! God laughs at them! Judgement has come upon them.
One more reference. Abraham had two sons. The first, Ishmael, was not the 'son of promise.' It was not God's idea. It was Sarah's and Abraham's idea. For them, God was taking too long to fulfill His promise, so they took matters into their own hands, and Abraham had a son by his Egyptian servant girl. An angel of the Lord appeared to Hagar and told her what kind of man he would be. 'he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand will be against him...' Thirteen years later Abraham had his second son, Isaac, the son of promise through whom God's promise would be fulfilled. What do you expect when we doubt God's word, and when we take it upon ourselves to fulfill God's promise in our own way, and as we think it should be done.
The major conflicts of the world, political, religious, economic, and racial have their origin in the nature of man as a fallen creature. Fallen man, perceiving himself as God or as a god; fallen man, too proud to accept his humanity; fallen man, rejecting all absolute authority in the spiritual and the moral realm; fallen man, driven by greed for money and for power; fallen man, an easy prey of the devil's bait, is himself responsible for the calamities in his individual life, in families, in communities and nations.
However, the devil sought the company of Adam and Eve uninvited. Moreso today, because mankind has lost the authority and power to rule over, to have dominion, and to subdue creation. We know from the Scriptures that Satan makes it his business to stand behind those in positions of authority to influence their decisions and movements. It is not a light matter that Christians are called upon in Scripture, to pray for those in authority. It is a very serious obligation, considering what the powers are that we have to fight against. We know too that Satan has his agents all over the world dedicated to affecting families, parents, children, and churches. We know he has his own churches, his own altars, his thrones and seats of power. He is organized worldwide, and he is organized in the heavens to steal, kill, and destroy.
But God has not finished with His creation. He has not left his creation to be a prey to Satan. His purpose is to establish His kingdom on the earth. That purpose will be fulfilled. No devil can prevent that. The nations of this world will be transformed and become the kingdom of God and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever. So, we are taught to pray, "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
Let us acknowledge that there are many who have no place for God, and the things of God, in their minds. What is said here will not appeal to them. There are those who doubt the reality of God and the possibility of man's relationship with God. There are those who have no room for Satan or the devil in their thinking. There are those who believe in God, but it is just a matter of convenience. Many of them are easy prey for the devil. They should ask Satan's devotees some questions. I believe the devil is glad when people do not believe that he is real.
The nations of this world will be transformed and become the kingdom of God.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)