We are off to a great start at this year’s Fresh Oil New Wine Conference! God is moving, and I am looking forward to the great things He is going to do in the lives of His people this week.
Here are a couple of clips from yesterday’s meetings. Find out more at abbashouse.com
It is pretty apparent that we live in a world of extremes…Over the past few years, we have witnessed some pretty extreme weather.
We have seen the rise of extreme violence and terror — unlike I have witnessed in my lifetime — because of groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda.
On a daily (hourly) basis this year, we are exposed to the extreme rhetoric of political candidates, vying for the highest office in the land.
We see it all… extreme poverty, extreme hatred, extreme division…
Wouldn’t it be nice to get some extremely good news? Wouldn’t it be great to learn how, in spite of all of the bad news society throws at us, to walk in EXTREME FAVOR?
This year at our Fresh Oil New Wine Conference, we are going to learn how to walk in EXTREME FAVOR! I invite you to register now, and join me as I welcome my friends Perry Stone, Rabbi Curt Landry, Tommy Bates, Randy Caldwell, Ronnie Phillips, Jr., Dwain Miller and a few more. There will be a Women’s Luncheon on March 9 with Susanne Cox. So much to look forward to! I hope you will join us, and find the EXTREME FAVOR you need to live a Kingdom Life!
Pastor Ron
Recently at our church, our young people performed the great musical The Sound of Music. It is the classic story of the von Trapp family’s escape from Nazism in Austria after Germany usurped Austria into the German empire in 1938 — an event known as the Anschluss.
One of the by-products of doing this timeless musical was the opportunity to teach our children a little bit of history about World War II and the Nazi regime…
The National Socialist German Worker’s Party (ie: the Nazi Party) rose to power following Germany’s defeat in World War I. The Nazis played upon the discontent of the people in attacking big business and capitalism, and used class-warfare as a tool to further its popularity by establishing a culture of entitlement and ideological superiority. Racism was also a key element in the spread of this toxic ideology, and resulted in the Holocaust… the death of six million Jews.
For the first time in our nation’s history, we not only have candidates who are promoting socialist beliefs, but have an openly socialist candidate running for the highest office in the land.
Have we become so short-sighted that we won’t heed the hard-fought lessons we have learned in the last 80 years? Has our education system become such a cesspool of ideologues and history revisionists that our children are being brainwashed into believing that socialism is the answer to all of the problems that ail us as a nation? Oh sure… socialism has its appeal — after all, who doesn’t like FREE STUFF???
The problem is that nothing — N O T H I N G — is free. Even “free” stuff is costing someone, somewhere.
Take education for example. One of the mantras we are hearing is for “free education/free college”. Well, if college becomes free, one would have to assume that all of those things it takes to keep the doors open — lights, heat, electricity, etc. — are all going to be free as well.
And how about those salaries? If we are going to offer free college, would it not be reasonable to assume that all of the college faculties will be doing their jobs gratis? That means janitors, security, administration, and yes… professors. So, all of these (mostly highly) trained and educated people are going to put in their 40+ hours per week with no paycheck to show for it? Sure, there are those states where some college is being offered for “free” (TN being one that offers 2 years of community college for “free”). However, “free” is still not free… it ultimately comes at the expense of the taxpayer.
The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other peoples’ money.
~ Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
The Bible has a lot to say about work and a good work ethic. From Genesis to the writings of the apostles, hard work is considered admirable and Godly. Looks at what Solomon had to say in Proverbs…
All hard work brings a profit,
but mere talk leads only to poverty.
~ Proverbs 14:23-24Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.
He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son,
but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.
~ Proverbs 10:4-5
The Apostle Paul was pretty direct in his instructions to the Thessalonians…
While we were with you, we gave you the order: “Whoever doesn’t want to work shouldn’t be allowed to eat.” We hear that some people in your group refuse to work. They are doing nothing except being busy in the lives of others. Our instruction to them is to stop bothering others, to start working and earn their own food. It is by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ that we are urging them to do this.
~ 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12
Yet in spite of these warnings, I hear candidates running on a platform that constantly blames the ills of the poor on the rich, and stirs up not just class warfare, but ties it to racial division as well. The idea that penalizing someone who has worked hard in order to subsidize the lazy completely takes away from the incentive to work hard and do well. Why would I want to work hard to be a success if someone is just going to take away my hard-earned income and give it to someone who has not worked for it? It is absurd to believe that when you rob from the rich it is going to somehow benefit the poor in the long term.
The further we run as a society from the teachings and statutes of the Bible, the further and faster we run toward our own destruction. Although seeming to tolerate Christianity initially, the Nazis moved rapidly to quell the voice of the Christian church, while at the same time forming an unholy alliance with Islam. Martin Bormann, Hitler’s personal secretary, once admitted, “National Socialism and Christianity are irreconcilable“. We are seeing the dark specters of this type of ideology taking hold in our nation, with Christians being put on trial for their beliefs and convictions, while Islam is given a pass and a warm embrace by those in the corridors of power.
In the end, however, it’s quite simple: One cannot forsake the teachings and statutes of the One who established human civilization without severe consequences.
“God has been very good to us. One of the reasons God has been
good to us is that we have done him honor. ~ Justice Antonin Scalia
Although we are a nation founded upon Christian principles, secularists in our society have been trying desperately to take America to the point that we are decidedly “post-Christian”. With the passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia last weekend, the political stakes for the soul of our nation have been raised to a perilous level. The wrong person being appointed to the Court would send us into an abyss of unconstitutional decisions and legislation from which we might never recover. For as Justice Scalia observed…
“That’s the argument of flexibility and it goes something like this: ‘The Constitution is over 200 years old and societies change. It has to change with society, like a living organism, or it will become brittle and break.’
But you would have to be an idiot to believe that.
The Constitution is not a living organism, it is a legal document. It says something and doesn’t say other things… As long as judges tinker with the Constitution to ‘do what the people want,’ instead of what the document actually commands, politicians who pick and confirm new federal judges will naturally want only those who agree with them politically.”
We need a transformation in our country. What is happening societally and politically right now should be driving us to our knees in prayer. The consequences of going further down the rabbit-hole of unGodliness, secularization, and socialism should drive every person who loves this country, and what it stands for, to the ballot box. We have come so far from the horrors of the socialism and subsequent fascism of Nazi Germany, as well as the fear of “The Evil Empire” of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) and the Cold War. I lived through it. I remember the rhetoric and threats. I remember climbing under our school desks during air-raid drills. I remember the nuclear saber-rattling. I remember the images that the words “nuclear holocaust” invoked.
I want more for my children and grandchildren.
You should too.
Last night, millions of Americans watched as the Denver Broncos marched to a very well-deserved victory over the Carolina Panthers. Both teams were the champs of their conferences, and had great seasons. However, in the end, only one team can stand at the podium and accept the Vince Lombardi trophy. Congratulations to the Denver Broncos for being the Super Bowl 50 Champions!
Being that we are at the end of another football season, I thought I would share with you a quote by the late, great Tom Landry, former coach of the Dallas Cowboys…
I don’t believe in team motivation. I believe in getting a team prepared so it knows it will have the necessary confidence when it steps on a field and be prepared to play a good game.
Mr. Landry knew what success looked like. As the coach of the Cowboys for 29 years (an NFL record), he led them to the Super Bowl 5 times, winning the Vince Lombardi trophy twice. With a reputation for being calm and in control, he knew that the secret of success was not hyping his team on the day of the game, but preparing them ahead of time through consistent practice and discipline… preparation that would carry them to success on the field.
This is a great lesson for all of us as 21st-century Christians. To survive, thrive, and make a difference in today’s world, it’s not enough to show up at church on Sunday, go through the motions of a spiritual pep-rally, get an ecclesiastical “shot in the arm”, and think that is all there is to the Christian life. Don’t get me wrong… gathering together with our brothers and sisters in Christ is VERY important, but living an overcoming life in Christ is SO much more. It takes personal time in prayer, time in the Word, and time alone with God in worship and meditation. Paul knew, not just the importance of thoughtful and disciplined preparation, but the consequences of failing to adequately prepare when he said…
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. ~ I Corinthians 9:24-27
As you set about a new week of school, work, and play, now is a great time to get into the practice and habit of time in the Word, prayer, and seeking God’s face. Start today, and watch the difference it makes in your attitude and outlook.
I recently saw this interesting story online.
In 2008, while on an archaeological dig on the Menominee Reservation in Wisconsin, archaeologists unearthed a small pot which they estimated to be approximately 800 years old. Upon opening the ancient artifact, they discovered a bunch of seeds. Several years after the discovery, some students in Winnipeg decided to plant the seeds, and to everyone’s surprise, something grew: A species of squash that had been previously classified as extinct! The species has been named “Gete-okosomin”, which means “big old squash” in the Menominee language. Efforts are now underway to ensure the future survival of this miracle of nature.
Wow! What an amazing discovery. But more than that, what an incredible lesson we can learn from this tiny seed…
Just think… these seeds — long forgotten and thought forever lost — were witness to the times we can only read about and imagine. These small capsules, preserved for centuries underground, hold the key to a life and species thought gone forever. These seeds, held in a simple pot, survived heat, cold, flood, and any other number of natural occurrences to reveal the promise of new birth at this point in history.
We serve the God of life. We serve the Author and Finisher of our Faith. We serve the One who sees the end from the beginning, knows our hearts and minds, and can sympathize with our weakness, pain, and broken dreams.
When we think it is over — finished — He sees the hidden promise; the seed sown in faith, be it financial, time, energy, or other of our resources.
What we see as too old, He sees as aged to perfection — ask Abraham and Sarah.
What we see as not enough, He sees as the right number — ask Gideon.
What we see as insufficient, He sees as abundance — as the little boy with the loaves and fish.
We have all heard the Scriptures regarding “seedtime and harvest”. My friend Jentezen Franklin was once delivering a message at Abba’s House, and he put it a different way. He talked about “seed… t-i-m-e… and harvest”. He explained that when a farmer sows seed, it takes a while for the seed to germinate, sprout, grow, and bear fruit. Some seeds take longer than others. All too often, we want to sow a seed and see an immediate harvest. That is not the way it works in the natural, and oftentimes, not the way it works in the spiritual either. Once we sow, if we attempt to harvest our seed before its “due season”, we will reap little to nothing. Sometimes, we may not see the harvest of our sowing for months, years, or decades. Sometimes, our harvest may come to fruition for someone else. Paul understood this in his letter to the Corinthians…
I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now, he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. ~ I Corinthians 3:6-8
To see an abundant harvest, it takes obedience, patience, persistence, and faith. It takes sowing seed into fertile ground that is going to receive that seed, and allow it to spread its roots and grow. It takes faithfulness as a sower, and faith in the ONE who will give the increase, Whose word will never return void, but will accomplish what He has said.
So have faith.
Sow your seed.
Give it to Him.
Believe.
Trust that your good seed sown in faith — regardless of how old — will bring a harvest and reward that will have meaning, purpose, and fruit, both in this life and the next.
This year at our Fresh Oil New Wine Conference, our theme is EXTREME FAVOR. In the tough times in which we live, with political and social unrest in our world, and terror and uncertainty on every side…
What does it take to have extreme favor in your life?
How can we have extreme favor with God?
Join me March 6-10 as I welcome some very special guests… Perry Stone, Rabbi Curt Landry, Tommy Bates, Randy Caldwell, Ronnie Phillips, Jr., Dwain Miller and more.
We also welcome back Susanne Cox for our Women’s Luncheon on March 9.
It’s time to get off the sidelines and into EXTREME FAVOR!!!
You can register online by clicking here.
For more information, please visit http://www.abbashouse.com/fonw
I hope to see YOU at Fresh Oil New Wine 2016!
It is an unseasonably warm December (even for Tennessee) as I write this blog. Yet in spite of the weather, the Christmas season is in full swing — the music, the lights, the decorations, the frantic shopping, the live nativities and musicals at houses of worship — the usual season build-up until December 25th. Except for the lack of heavy coats, scarves, and winter hats (and yes… snow), everything says “it’s Christmas-time in the city.”
Radical Islamic groups like al-Qaeda, ISIS, and Hamas continue to blaze a path across parts of the Middle East in their quest for a caliphate and a revived Ottoman Empire. These barbarians are wiping out cities, destroying historical artifacts from past civilizations, raping and slaughtering the inhabitants of these regions (many of whom are our Christian brothers and sisters) — all in the name of their false religion.
In recent months, Islamic terrorists have brought their particular brand of jihad to places like Paris, France, San Bernardino, CA, Chattanooga, TN, and others. And while world leaders are calling out this enemy by name, our own “leaders” can’t seem to form the words “Islamic terror”, instead chasing the “windmills” of climate change with a passion that would make Don Quixote proud.
The battle for our culture has been taken to the streets because of racial division, vilification of law enforcement, disrespect for military personnel, marginalization of our Judeo-Christian heritage, and immorality in the name of gender-equality and marriage equality. Places like Ferguson, MO, Baltimore, MD, Washington, D.C., and the United States Supreme Court have become the stages where these tragedies of rebellion and ungodliness have played out.
“Pastor, you paint a bleak picture for Christmas. Are you going somewhere with this???”
Yes, I am… to Cambridge, Massachusetts… Christmas Day, 1863… to the desk of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Following the tragic death of his wife, and the wounding of his son during the American Civil War, Longfellow hit one of the lowest points of his life. It was on Christmas Day, 1863, that he penned the poem, Christmas Bells… his poem from which the song I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day was later born. This Christmas poem also painted a pretty bleak picture, of a nation in conflict and hopelessness…
And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
- “For hate is strong,
- And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”
Yet in spite of the tragic tone in this poem, it concludes on a note of triumph…
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
- The Wrong shall fail,
- The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men.”
We serve a living God. He is not dead. He is not asleep. He is not unconcerned, disconnected, or apathetic about the affairs of men. He is loving and kind. He is holy and just. He is a God of grace, mercy, and righteousness. He is the Christ-child, born in a manger in Bethlehem, heralded by angels, adored by shepherds, worshiped by kings, followed by fishermen, revered by the regulars, and reviled by the religious. He was considered both Rabbi and rebel, was beaten by sinners, nailed to a cross by unbelievers, and raised to life again by the God of the universe.
One day, He will return.
One day, all will be made new.
One day, peace on earth will be a reality.
One day, we will understand the words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, because on that day…
Every eye will see him (Revelation 1:7);
Every knee will bow (Philippians 2:10);
Every tongue will confess (Philippians 2:11)…
One cannot travel through the malls and shopping centers of America during this time of year without coming into contact with it…
The red kettle of the Salvation Army.For over a century, the organization founded by British evangelist William Booth has been “doing the most good” — feeding, clothing, helping the down and out, comforting the hurting, and caring for those lost in the unrelenting busyness and chaos of society.
William Booth famously said…
I consider that the chief dangers which confront the coming century will be religion without the Holy Ghost; Christianity without Christ; forgiveness without repentance; salvation without regeneration; politics without God; and Heaven without Hell.
When we water down the message of the Gospel for a relevant message of “I’m ok… you’re ok”, we cheapen the sacrifice of a Savior Who gave His all so that we could spend eternity with Him. When we dilute the message of grace and mercy found only in Christ, we prove that we have lost our understanding of the true meaning of this season of Christmas. As the prophet Isaiah prophesied hundreds of years before His birth…
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
This Christmas season let us remember that, in order to ever have Peace on Earth, we must give the Prince of Peace His rightful place on the throne of our hearts and lives; not as an ornament that we take down and wear at our convenience, but as the foundation of who we are, permeating every facet of our being.
Corrie Ten Boom once related this story of thankfulness that happened – of all places – when she was a prisoner in the Ravensbrück concentration camp during World War II. The barracks where they were locked up by the Germans were horribly infested by fleas. They were praying when she heard her sister Betsy say…
“Father, we want to thank you for these fleas.”
Corrie said, “No, no, no! I don’t think God wants us to be thankful for these fleas!”
Betsy said, “The Bible says, ‘in all circumstances give thanks.’” Well, for months their Bible studies had been interrupted and disrupted by their captors, but all of a sudden the German soldiers quit interrupting the Bible study. Subsequently, as a result of the Bible studies, everybody in their barracks was converted to Christ. Eventually, the Germans came and got rid of the fleas.
One day, one of the soldiers they had won to Christ was talking to Corrie, and she asked him, “Why didn’t you interrupt the Bible study?” His response was, “Because we didn’t want to come in where those fleas were.”
The great poet Maya Angelou actually started out as a voice major in college. She went through a lot of stuff. Coming to the United States from England, she had to leave her child for a season, nearly driving her crazy. She was worried nearly to death about everything going on in her life. She went to a friend who was a counselor (and also a pastor), and said, “I think I’m going to die.” He looked at her and said…
“What you need to be is thankful.”
She said, “You’ve got to be kidding. I’m broke. My voice lessons aren’t going well. My child is overseas. What do I have to be thankful for?” He said, “Get a yellow pad and begin to write down what you’re thankful for.” She said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He said, “Why don’t you put down first that you’re able to hear what I’m saying to you when thousands can’t hear. Write it down. Write down that you can see, because there are thousands that can’t see. Write down that you can think clearly, because there are thousands who are struggling with mental illness. Write down that you can use your hand and write it down, because there are thousands who cannot use their hand today. Write down that you can walk in this room, that your feet are working. Then begin to look around and see that you are able to breathe, that you are alive, that you have another day to live, that there are some things that you have to hope for, that there are people who love you. Though your daughter is separated from you, you will see her again, and many have lost their loved ones. Write it down.” Maya Angelou said when that happened, her life was absolutely transformed. When she finished the page, she said laughter, joy and tears were hitting the paper of that yellow pad. If you have ever seen her, you can’t get a frown on her face. There is an attitude of gratitude in her for everything.
The Christophers are the evangelistic arm of the Catholic Church. The priest that founded this group tells the story of performing a funeral for an American G.I. at the end of World War II. During the funeral, he noticed another G.I. standing across the room. He found out that that G.I. had survived because of the death of the one being buried. The man looked rough, shy, and stood off by himself. The priest watched him and finally walked away. When he walked away, he looked from a distance, and the man walked over to the cross, took out a piece of paper, and wrote a note. He folded the note up, stuck it to the cross, and walked away. Later, the curious priest went back to see the note. Here’s what the note said…
“Dear Joe, Thank you for dying for me. I’m alive because of you.”
So…
What are you thankful for today?
Is it the family and friends you are sharing your meal and life with? Is it your home? Your job? Is it the life you live in a free nation? Is it the church in which you worship?
Hopefully, it is all of the above. It is for me.
But it should also be the unpleasant things of life: Those annoying things we don’t understand that God uses to work His supernatural purposes in our lives, and the lives of those around us.
It should be the circumstances in life that test us, refine us, and mold us – not into the person we wish we were – but into the person that God intended us to be.
But most of all, it should be for a Savior who gave His all so that we could live, and upon whose cross we can post our own declaration…
“Dear Jesus. Thank you for dying for me. I’m alive because of you.”
Happy Thanksgiving!
The Heart of Abba - Ron Phillips 