This nation is in a crisis, and at a crossroads. Fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, riots, pandemic cross the country. Second Chronicles 7:14, calling for His own people to repent, tells us that God judges a land by the saints that inhabit it. God's call for repentance is to His people, called by His name.
It is said that Nero fiddled while Rome burned. While people suffered, he played music. He was ineffectual and uncaring in the crisis. The persecuted Christians were blamed for the catastrophe at the time, becoming the scapegoats. The word "fiddled" is appropriately used to describe Nero because it not only refers to the playing of an instrument, but it also has the meaning "to defraud, to cheat, to falsify".
Are God's people also "fiddling" like Nero as America is about to burn?
Through His prophet Hosea, God described not only a catastrophic judgment to come upon Israel, but the attitude of God's people just before it would fall:
"Hear the word of the LORD ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood. Therefore, shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish....Therefore thou shalt fall in the day, and the prophet also shall fall with thee in the night, and I will destroy thy mother. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, and thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame. They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity."
Hos. 4:1-8
America has begun to turn away from God. Even the Church has been sucked into seeking political solutions, and spiritual compromise and political correctness. God judges by His people, but the Church is too involved in the opinions of men. Our goal should be to get people saved. This is what Jesus came and died to do, and this is what He instructed us to do in His name.
Even His disciples did not understand the salvation purpose of Jesus. They thought only those in their group could be saved. That is often the feeling of various divisions and denominations within the Church as well. The disciples forbade someone they were not familiar with who was casting out devils in the name of Jesus. Jesus scolded His disciples saying, "...he that is not against us is on our part." (Mk. 9:38-41)
When the Samaritans rejected Jesus because He planned to continue His journey to Jerusalem (there was long standing racial hatred, and contention regarding worship between the Jews and the Samaritans), His disciples asked if they should call down the fire of heaven against the Samaritans as Elijah had done (2 Kings 1:12). This situation had nothing in common with the demonstration of Elijah. Jesus rebuked His disciples saying, "You know not what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them." (Lk. 9:51-56).
We did not die to save men; Jesus died to save men. He spoke about the different people for whom He had also been sent, people of which His disciples knew nothing. Those other seemingly "unsaveable" souls included all of us as well: "I am the good shepherd...and I lay my life down for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." Jn. 10:14-18
The Church must keep in mind that this is our directive from Christ- to preach the gospel to all nations and people. He rejects no one out of hand because of their outward appearances or circumstances. God looks upon the inward man, upon the heart. The flock of Jesus comes out of every nation, tribe, and tongue, and they are all to be given the opportunity to hear the gospel.
In His parable of the wheat and the tares (Mt. 13:24-30), Jesus teaches of a man who sowed good seed in his field, wheat seed, but then found that an enemy had furtively sown worthless tares in his field also. In order not to harm or uproot the valuable wheat, the owner of the field told his workers to let the tares continue to grow together with the wheat until harvest time. Then the tares would be separated out to be thrown into the fire, and the wheat would be gathered into the barn unharmed. There are tares that have been sown into the field of the Lord, but they will be dealt with at harvest time, which is soon coming. The tares are those who are within His Church, but do not teach truth, which is fruitful, but teach and tolerate untruth, which never will bear Godly fruit.
In Matthew 23, Jesus prophesied to the religious leaders who have not taught the people correctly. He called them hypocrites and serpents, fools and blind: "you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in...ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves." v. 13-38
These same religious leaders, while approving themselves and others based upon outward appearances only (v. 27), end up leading not only themselves, but all whom they teach into hell. Ultimately those who have rejected His sheltering salvation will be left desolate (v. 37-38).
Meanwhile, the Church fiddles while America is on its way to hell. What will it take for the people of God to wake up, pray, repent, and to teach the uncompromised Word of God, in order to save a soul, a nation?
James wrote for us to confess our sins one to another, so that we may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. As we cause even one soul to be turned, converted back to the truth, a great miracle occurs:
"...he which coverteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins." James 5:16-20
*The above is based upon the 8/23/20 message to the Church from Dr. Kenneth Stevenson.
To Contact/Submit prayer requests/Support the ministry/Order the book, "NAZAH-White Linen and the Blood of Sprinkling", and to help us get out the message, to contribute to the Book of Remembrance, or Memorial Fund for Sean Stevenson:
Dr. Kenneth Stevenson
P.O. Box 154221
Waco, TX 76705
https://twitter.com/everlastingcov8
http://endtimeschool.com/
P.O. Box 154221
Waco, TX 76705
https://twitter.com/everlastingcov8
http://endtimeschool.com/
everlastingcovenant@ymail.com
To watch/hear Dr. Stevenson's complete message:
https://twitter.com/everlastingcov8
Prayer of Salvation for all who desire to receive Jesus as their Savior: Lord Jesus, I desire to know You, and to know Your salvation. I believe that You died for me, and that You were resurrected for me. Forgive me of my sins. Come into my heart, change me, fill me with Your righteousness. Inscribe my name in the Lamb's book of life. Baptize me in Your Holy Spirit, so that I can learn the truth of Your Word and ways, and be strengthened in my walk all the days of my life. You are the hope of my life, and You are my eternal life. I place my trust in You, Lord, for myself, and my whole household. Use me to do the will of the heavenly Father, Who sent You, in Whose name You came. In Your name, and in thanks and praise I pray, Amen.
https://twitter.com/everlastingcov8
Prayer of Salvation for all who desire to receive Jesus as their Savior: Lord Jesus, I desire to know You, and to know Your salvation. I believe that You died for me, and that You were resurrected for me. Forgive me of my sins. Come into my heart, change me, fill me with Your righteousness. Inscribe my name in the Lamb's book of life. Baptize me in Your Holy Spirit, so that I can learn the truth of Your Word and ways, and be strengthened in my walk all the days of my life. You are the hope of my life, and You are my eternal life. I place my trust in You, Lord, for myself, and my whole household. Use me to do the will of the heavenly Father, Who sent You, in Whose name You came. In Your name, and in thanks and praise I pray, Amen.
