Thanksgiving: A Christian Perspective...

Thanksgiving

(Heb. tôdâ; Gk. eucharistia). A duty of which gratitude is the grace. This obligation of godliness is acknowledged by the universal sentiment of mankind; but as a Christian grace it has some blessed peculiarities. It is gratitude for all the benefits of divine Providence, especially for the general and personal gifts of redemption. The very term most in use shows this; it is charis, which is the grace of God in Christ, operating in the soul of the believer as a principle and going back to Him in gratitude: "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" (2 Cor. 9:15). The ethical gratitude of Christianity connects every good gift and every perfect gift with the gift of Christ. Moreover, it is a thanksgiving that in the Christian economy, and in it alone, redounds to God for all things: in everything give thanks. This characteristic flows from the former. The rejoicing that we have in the Lord, and the everlasting consolation we possess in Him, makes every possible variety of divine dispensation a token for good. The Christian privilege is to find reason for gratitude in all things: "for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thes. 5:18).

- Dr. Hal Adams
Senior Pastor

The Homosexual Agenda and the Divine Nature

As I have made my contributions to the RWC blog, I have been attempting to tackle issues that may be political hot potatoes, but issues that are necessary for the church to confront. As our society moves towards normalizing gay marriage, we must understand the spiritual implications of such a move. I believe that many in the church are bothered by homosexuality because someone else told them it is a sin or they simply find such a lifestyle “unpleasant” to think about. However, in the study of scripture, we can find that the problem with homosexuality is that it is an attempt to replace the divine nature of God with the carnal nature of man. It is the penultimate form of rebellion against God. Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made so that they are without excuse.” This scripture, speaking of unrighteous and ungodly people, continues in verse 27 to say that those who engage in homosexual behavior will be handed over to a depraved mind. Verse 20 gives us more insight. Homosexuality is the rejection of God’s invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature. How do I know this? Romans 1:25 “For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the creator, who is blessed forever, Amen.” Homosexuality is not just an “unpleasantry.” It is a rejection of the divine, in favor of that which has been created.

Romans continues to say in verses 26-27 “For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.” If you know someone who lives the homosexual lifestyle, pray for them. It is a deadly trap that is hard to escape, impossible without Christ.

But what is the ultimate reason for marriage to be between a man and a woman? How does Biblical marriage embrace the divine? Paul gives us the answer. Ephesians 5:31-32 “For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.” A godly marriage is not simply about the man and the wife. It is not about our happiness or only the love we have for one another. It is about the divine. Marriage is to primarily be an example of how Christ loves the church and church loves Christ. Homosexuality is a perversion in the physical that is a statement on the spiritual. Homosexual is a physical statement that the marriage of Christ and His church is perverse. This should never be. Christ sacrificed Himself for all of mankind and that is truly divine.

-Pastor Jason Greene

Crossing My Jordan!

Have you ever been in a place were you knew that one decision would change the course of your entire life? One change would redirect your entire way you viewed yourself and others. Imagine for a second that you were with Joshua before crossing the Jordon. Behind you was the Exodus from Egypt, a place of slavery and struggle. Before you was the mighty river Jordon. Knowing that by crossing this river you would be placing yourself into the fight to claim the Promise Land. It was one thing to be brought out of Egypt; but it was another thing altogether to cross over the Jordan and thus become committed, without possibility of retreat, to the struggle against the powers of Canaan. The same is our struggle when we realize that the path we are on as Christians is not taking us closer to God. I like what J. Sidlow Baxter said, “.. that intense crisis of the soul in which we are forced to the supreme choice whether here shall be an utter once-for-all abandon of ourselves to the will of God, so that henceforth God is absolutely first in the soul’s love and life, or whether we shall take what seems to be the easier way, that is, of continuing in the Christian life, but with a reservation in our love to God. It is one thing to take Christ as Saviour from the guilt of our sin. It is another thing to make Him absolute Master of our will and life.”

Our struggle is the thought of letting go and moving forward. Leaving everything and everybody behind that is hindering the progression forward. There should be no turning back. It becomes a war of will. Will we allow our flesh and unrenewed mind to hold us back from receiving the fullness of God? Are we going to accept God's will with reckless abandon or are were going to be content with the simple relationship found just at the cross of Christ (The Exodus from Egypt)? There is so much more to be obtained in the true knowledge of Christ as Lord (Canaan). The key to receiving all that God has promised, our Promise Land, is to cross the Jordan that is between the Salvation relationship and the true servant relationship of Christ.

-Tim Ratcliff

Love for the Word...

Greetings to you in the lovely name of Jesus Christ our Savior, Redeemer, Healer, Prince of Peace, Lord and Soon and Coming King!

I have been a born-again and Spirit-filled Christian for 37 years. I have been teaching God's Word for 34 years. I love the Word and the God of the Word! Serving God is an honor. Some of my favorite scriptures are these:

Ephesians 2:8,9
"For by Grace are ye saved through Faith and that not of yourselves; it is the Gift of God; not works, lest any man should boast."

Proverbs 3:5,6
"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths."

Jeremiah 17:7
"Blessed is the man that Trusts in the Lord, and whose Hope the Lord is."

Come visit us! You will be welcome!

-Love in Jesus,
Jean Ratcliffe
Adult Sunday School/Wednesday Night Teacher

This Sunday

Just to let everyone know, Pastor Terence Rose will be speaking in the 10:30 am service this Sunday the 22nd. Make plans to be in the service to hear him.

Preparing for the Future...David Wilkerson

For those of us who have be listening to Pastor Hal Adams speak on Sundays in the 10:30 am service this article on preparing for the future does not come as a surprise. Posted on WorldNetDaily.com the article about Wilkerson's blog post rings true. The following is an excerpt from that article.

A nationally known pastor and author who predicts an imminent catastrophe of God's judgment on America is now telling concerned Christians it is time for peace and preparation, not panic.

"This is what I hear the Holy Spirit speaking to my heart concerning my own spiritual response to impending calamity," writes David Wilkerson, author of "The Cross and the Switchblade" and founder of a ministry to troubled New York street kids, on his blog today. "It is simply this: Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord."

As, WND reported, Wilkerson drew attention by publishing on his blog over the weekend a vision for impending fires and riots sweeping through New York City and other cities across the country.

"An earth-shattering calamity is about to happen," he writes. "It is going to be so frightening, we are all going to tremble – even the godliest among us.""It will engulf the whole megaplex, including areas of New Jersey and Connecticut. Major cities all across America will experience riots and blazing fires," he explains. "What we are experiencing now is not a recession, not even a depression. We are under God’s wrath."

After such dire words, Wilkerson was asked how people should respond to his message, and, with today's blog post, the pastor answered.

"I can only answer by sharing what the Holy Spirit is speaking to my own heart and what I am to do," writes Wilkerson. "I shared that I was led in a practical way to lay aside a month’s supply of food — because I have witnessed the panic in the wake of terrorism."

Wilkerson's call to prepare for catastrophic circumstances comes during a time when, as WND reported, the economic crisis has prompted a surge of business in the emergency preparedness industry.

But Wilkerson also sees a spiritual application of his message, calling Christians to exhibit peace and hope in God's salvation in the midst of fearful times.

"My warning is just one voice among many who are saying the same thing," writes Wilkerson. "We may all tremble for a season, but those who truly know God’s Word will be quickly comforted by the Holy Spirit. We will be baptized with a great peace – a supernatural quietness – which will be a tremendous witness to the fearful multitudes."

One of the many Christian leaders with a similar message is Dr. Gary Dull, pastor and founding member of The Faith and Freedom Institute.

"America was founded with a spiritual basis, but there are those who want to make it a purely secular nation," said Dull to an NBC reporter. "Because of the rejection of God and His values, we can expect nothing but His judgment. All one needs to do is to read in history and find out how that when a nation forgot God, God forgot the nation."

A past vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention is hoping believers pay attention to Wilkerson's message.

"I have known David Wilkerson for more than 25 years as well as many of his friends and associates," said Pastor Wiley Drake. "He is a godly man and I believe he is listening to God. I encourage each Christian to read and heed what God is saying through our brother."

Wilkerson is the founding pastor of Times Square Church in New York City, where he launched a ministry to gang members and drug addicts in 1958. He is a highly regarded mentor to other pastors in evangelical circles and travels the world holding conferences for other Christian ministers.

-allison