Special Ops.

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Today was devoted to the testimonies of those who have just returned from our summer camp in Indiana, Mission: Truth. There were several outstanding testimonies. The testimonies this year were more profound spiritually than has been true in time past. It is evident our young people are grasping what is being taught at Mount Zion.

(7/8/2007) It is inspiring to hear young people, down to the age of eleven or twelve, speak so knowledgeably concerning repentance. They have been taught by Dianne McIntosh that we must repent whenever we realize we have said or done something that is part of the sinful nature. These kids mean business with the Lord!

Stan, our Assistant Pastor, was told by the Lord to speak about putting off the old man and putting on the new man. Stan thought to himself, The kids are not going to go with this!

But God kept insisting. Sure enough, there was confirmation that this is what the Lord wanted at the 2007 camp. Sometimes we sell young people short, thinking they must have only fun, fun, fun, when actually they are able to understand the idea of putting off the old man and putting on the new man.

It is a good thing the young people are moving in this direction. It appears evident that the United States of America is going to be a quite different place in a few years. We are grid locking because, without a considered opinion by the mass of citizens, we are changing from a melting pot philosophy to a multicultural concept. The politicians, who appear to desire only that they remain in public office, regardless of the welfare of the country, regardless of what is right and what is wrong, are hoping that various races of people will vote as a bloc. They then can concentrate their efforts on finding favour with that bloc—not that they particularly care about that race but because they want high political office.

So the old American idealistic dream of a republican government is giving way to cynicism. An unthinking (in terms of God or the future) pragmatism is carrying the field. Given such hypocrisy and wickedness, the only possible result is weakness and chaos on every hand.

Therefore, if our young people are going to survive spiritually and help other people, they are going to need more than ice cream socials and "fun times." They need to get hold of Jesus with all their might.

Stan spoke about putting off the old man and putting on the new. Stan reminded us also that we are given a package, our first personality. Then given a gift, whatever God sends us in the way of talents and directions. Then we display what we have done with our package and our gifts. We will go through eternity looking on the outside what we are on the inside. A sobering thought!

Lloyd, our Youth Pastor, was in a military mode at camp and yesterday at church. Lloyd has had Ranger training and was an officer in the army. He knows his stuff. He had everyone in the church yelling "HOOAH!," which means, I agree with and am going to act on what you are saying.

Lloyd had a good thought. He drew an analogy between Special Ops (Seals, Delta Force, etc.) and the Lord’s firstfruits, His remnant.

We may not like to think of an elite group within the Christian Church, but there is.

There are the Nazarites of the Old Testament. There is the "firstfruits" of the Book of Revelation.

It is true of Special Ops that their training is much, much more gruelling than is true of the average soldier or sailor. The Seals have their "Hell Week," which weeds out all but the most determined.

This is more true of God’s firstfruits, His Nazarites, than we realize.

If we hope to be among the Lord’s remnant, than we better be ready for some hard discipline and suffering, just as is true of the elite groups of the military.

Today we can see at a glance the sloppiness and casualness of Christian people. If they do not have the latest electronic gadget they think they have entered the Great Tribulation.

The truth is, we American Christians are spoiled rotten! And we hope to be raptured up to be with those believers who were led into the arenas of Rome with their children; with the Prophets, like Isaiah, who, according to tradition was sawn in half?

If we are wise, we of today are preparing our young people for a different America than we are experiencing right now. We are encouraging them to spend some time each day praying, reading their Bible, and—especially—listening to what Jesus has to say to them.

After listening to our young people yesterday, I realize that children and young people indeed can learn to listen to Jesus and obey Him. It is we adults who are in love with ourselves and living out our fantasies through our children, who are consenting to the ways of our culture. We are selling the kids short!

Let us at once take hold and begin to lift the standard. We have to be the model. If we smoke and drink, our children are going to smoke and drink. If we gossip about people, our young people are going to gossip. If we treat our local church as a social club, then our young people are going to be fixated on boy-girl relationships (or worse!)—which is exactly what Satan desires.

I do not know how much time we have left. The Spirit is saying that many Americans will be killed in the future and that America is going to lose its place as the leader of the world. That’s fine, if it stops the abortions and the spread of sexual perversion.

But remember—your boy and girl and my boy and girl are going to have to survive spiritually in the midst of moral and physical chaos.

And—they are going to react just as you and I are reacting today.

You can hear the morning sermon at morning. http://www.wor.org/audio/audio.htm

You can hear the evening sermon at evening. http://www.wor.org/audio/audio.htm

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