Chapter 8 Be a blessing today and tell others about Jesus.
(effective 7-12-2010)
The Tempest in the Day of the Whirlwind.
Revival is an Abiding Faith
Are You Sanctified, Separated, and Serving?
Gift of knowledge, Life of the holy, Fire of zeal.
Revival: Plant It In Your Mind!! Purpose It In Your Heart!!!
Are you sanctified, separated, and serving?
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. “Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD's anger.” (Zephaniah 2:3)
God’s Pattern For Our Christian Lives May Be Thought of Simply As:
Come to Jesus. “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give your rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” (See Matthew 11:28-30.)
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Follow Jesus. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck (“snatch”) them out of My hand.” (See John 10:27,28.)
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Abide in Jesus. “Abide in Me.” (See John 15:4.)
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD.
Send a revival O Christ, My Lord.
Let it go over land and sea.
Send it according to Thy dear Word,
And let it begin in me.
(a Christian hymn)
“In War: Resolution. In Defeat: Defiance. In Victory: Magnanimity. In Peace: Good Will.” (Winston Churchill)
“Then conquer we must, for our cause it is just, and this be our motto: In God we trust.” (Francis Scott Key)
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. “I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.” (Hbakkuk 3:2)
We have not journeyed all this way across the centuries, across the oceans, across the mountains, across the prairies, because we are made of sugar candy. (Winston Churchill)
The Revivalist’s Life.
Grace with truth
Rules with relationships
Soul winning with compassion
Holiness with helpfulness
Leadership with servanthood
Doctrine with discipleship.
There is a difference between Saving Faith and Abiding Faith. The former is the faith that leads to salvation: the latter is the product of growth and maturity consummated in fruit.
Abide In Me, and I In You.
A. “As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me.” (John 15:4)
B. Abiding in Christ is a life-transforming experience. The Christian must decide voluntarily to abide in Christ. This means desiring Christ, following Christ, trusting and loving Christ, obeying Christ, and seeking to honor Christ. Something happens to a person who abides in Christ: he becomes Christ-like in character, he becomes fruitful in in Christian service, he becomes certain as to duty and as to what he believes about God and man.
C. Communion with Christ will set a person aflame with zeal for service in the name of Christ.
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(from Points of Emphasis)
“He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me, ye can do nothing.” (See John 15:5.)
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. Someone has defined “Abiding Faith” as: “giving of one’s self to be ruled, taught, and led by Almighty God, through the Lord Jesus, and under the power of God the Holy Spirit.”
“Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” (John 12:24) Fruitfulness can be seen only upon the death of self.
“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.” (Proverbs 11:30)
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. “From me (in me) is the fruit found. Who is wise and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? For the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.” (Hosea 14:8)
In the most essential way, abiding faith is the strong bond of fellowship between the believer and the Lord.
Abiding in Christ: the Results.
A. We are to walk as Christ walked.
“So to walk, even as He walked.” (1 John 2:6)
B. We are to love the brethren (our fellow Christians).
“He that loveth his brother abideth in the light.” (1 John 2:10)
C. We will not be ashamed at Christ’s coming.
“And not be ashamed before Him at His coming.” (1 John 2:28)
D. We strive not to sin.
“Whoever abideth in Him, sinneth not.” (1 John 3:6)
F. We have the witness of the Holy Spirit.
“We know He abideth in us by the Spirit.” (1 John 3:24)
G. We possess the Father and the Son.
“He that abideth … hath both the Father and the Son.”(2 John 9)
H. We see our prayers answered.
“If ye abide in Me … ye shall ask what ye will…” (John 15:7)
I. We will bear fruit.
“He that abideth … bringeth forth much fruit.” (John 15:5)
“Blessed is everyone that feareth the Lord, that walketh in His ways. Happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.” (Psalm 128:1,2)
Advance the Gospel !!
Revival Is At Hand !!! Wake the Church and Tell the People !!
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. “The burden of the Lord -- when that is upon us, then it is that we know the burden of prayer. O brethren, this light, easy, tearless, hop-skip-and-jump method in the matchless work of turning men to God is not the New Testament way. If the unsaved are turned to Almighty God in any blessed fashion, then the people of God know about it, and there is a cry unto Him: the deepest cry of their hearts is heard, that lost sinners may be saved. God’s people always cry like that if any mighty movement of His Spirit and saving grace is felt among the people… Neighbor have you any burden for souls today? (George W. Truett)
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:31)
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. Then, What Do We Mean By the Holy Spirit and Revival? We mean a great turning to Christ on the part of Christians. We mean the separation of the Christian from the world and the dedication of the Christian to the holy business of serving Christ… The fullness of the Spirit cannot be accomplished unless there is emptiness of self and willingness of Him to take over and fill us.
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“He (the Holy Spirit) shall testify of Me.“ (Jesus’ words at John 15:26) If God the Holy Spirit is not visibly magnifying the name of the Lord Jesus Christ from the beginning to the end of the revival (and even after), then the revival is bunk.
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(Lee Roberson)
Called to Be Holy.
The most active church in which I have ever sat wreaked with spiritual death.
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“This call to a holy life is based on the fact that God Himself is holy. Because God is holy, He requires that we be holy. Many Christians have what we call a “cultural holiness.” They adapt to the character and behavior pattern of Christians around them. As the Christian culture around them is more or less holy, so these Christians are more or less holy.
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REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. But God has not called us to be like those around us. He has called us to be like Himself. Holiness is nothing less than conformity to the character of God.”
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(Jerry Bridges)
‘No one on earth has the opportunity today to shape the minds of men like a preacher can.” (Ray Barber) [Of course that can go both ways, good and bad.]
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. “Remember me, O Lord, with the favour that Thou bearest unto Thy people: O visit me with Thy salvation; that I may see the good of Thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of Thy nation, that I may glory with Thine inheritance. We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.” (Psalm 106:5)
A true Christian is neither ashamed of the Gospel nor a shame to the Gospel.
How Beautiful the Feet.
"How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!" (Romans 10:14-15)
“God has done so many sweet, good, and beautiful things for us.” (Dr. Shelton Smith)
In John 15:1-5, in the Lord’s short discourse on “the vine and the branches,” so close is the union, that the branches (the believer) have no life outside of the (true)Vine, which is Jesus.
The Four Alls of the Great Commission.
All power is given unto Me. (Matthew 28:18)
All nations go ye and disciple. (Matthew 28:19)
All my commandments teach them to observe. (Matthew 28:20)
All the days till the end of the world I am with you. (Matthew 28:20)
Preach the Bible loud and long !! (Acts 2:14)
Jesus, I am resting, in the joy of what Thou art...
O how great Thy lovingkindness, vaster, broader than the sea....
Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus, I behold Thee as Thou art....
Ever lift Thy face upon me, as I work and wait for Thee.
(from an old hymn)
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. “To birth a revival there must be pointed preaching. It is not until “Sponge-Bob Square Pants” gets out of the pulpit and John the Baptist gets in the pulpit that we will feel the rain of revival.” (Baptist Bread)
The Unstoppable Negatives.
The liberal, modernist, and apostate church leaders work under the principle of making everyone happy in our age of complete positivism. With religion and its wide acceptance and inculcation of worldly manners and appetites, universal happiness is a more probable reality (or so it believes) for the churches than perhaps most other endeavors of life.
But, there is one group, a viable “negative” force, that they (the religious leaders) know that they can never placate and that’s the faithful fundamentalist Bible-believing Christian. They can’t even face the fundamentalists eye to eye anymore and they expend great energy working around him using deception and propaganda, mixing in a few cruelties to heighten the suspense. It is imperative for their own survival that they discredit the fundamentalist believer at every turn.
In 2,000 years, the fundamentalist voice has not been strong in numbers, but it has never been silenced. And this breed of modernists isn’t going to shut its mouth either.
“They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.” (Hosea 5:10)
“The fear of life is the favorite disease of the 20th century.” (William Lyon Phelps American educator and journalist 1865-1943)
The Church is Greatly Outclassed
I think one of the saddest aspects of this whole discussion is that many innocent congregation members have been sold a bill of goods that their compassion and caring ARE what distinguish them from the world. How quickly their understanding of that would change when they learn the truth that the world is vastly superior to the churches in the quality, quantity, and motive for charitable +work.
The churches just do not have a lock on compassion by any stretch of the imagination, and all too often end up patting themselves on their own backs more than lifting up the name of Jesus Christ. The tragedy is heightened when we see good churches hook up to the world in the common effort of convenient and visible good works.
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. The mission of the church is to create a spirit of unrest in the hearts of the people and so disgust them with sin that they will forsake their iniquities. (Billy Sunday.) [The disgust ought to begin in the heart of the preacher, as far as I’m concerned; but I think most of the modern preaching weasels will shift the blame as they are immune to confession and forthrightness.]
Just For Starters, Every Day in America……..
.. 1,000 unwed teenage girls become mothers
.. 1,106 teenage girls get abortions
.. 4,219 teenagers contract sexually transmitted diseases
.. 500 adolescents begin using drugs
.. 1,000 adolescents begin drinking alcohol
.. 135,000 kids bring guns or other weapons to school
.. 3,610 teens are assaulted; 80 are raped
.. 2,200 teens drop out of high school
.. 6 teens commit suicide
The Biblical Perception of Our Day/Condition.
Matthew 24 provides a picture of this present age (the Church Age) with a focus on the end of the age. In verses 4-14, nine signs of the end are given.
(A) false christs, v. 5;
(B) wars and rumors of wars, v. 6;
(C) famines, v. 7;
(D) pestilences, v.7;
(E) earthquakes, v. 7;
(F) martyrs, vs. 9-1;
(G) false prophets, v. 11;
(H) abounding iniquity and cooling ardor for Christ, v. 12;
(I) the Gospel of the kingdom to be preached in all the world, v. 14.
(From Major Bible Themes, Chafer and Walvoord)
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. Change the Landscape.
“We face a hostile ideology global in scope, atheistic in character, ruthless in purpose, and insidious in method.” (Dwight D Eisenhower, speaking of communism, but we can as Christians should see a much larger picture.)
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. Revival is Needed.
A. Why turn from Christ to become barren, worthless, miserable? Why not abide in Christ and become fruitful, radiant, immovably steadfast, and eternally secure. Only Christ makes a person’s life what it can be, should be, and must be. Where there is no revival, we no longer see the Lord at work; we see ourselves at work.
B. Saving America must begin in the pulpits of America. We need a return to the basics. (Ray Barber)
C. So then, who needs to be revived? Not the lost; they need to be saved. Children of God who were once alive need to be revived. Revival must begin in the heart of the believer.
“Take root downward, bear fruit upward.” (2 Kings 19:30)
Revive Our Nation, O Lord. “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)
Revive Our People, O Lord. “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (See 1 Peter 5:6-8)
Revive Me, O Lord. “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to *do justly, and to **love mercy, and to **walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:8)
*let the Word of God rule your judgments
**always have a repentant and forgiving heart, a heart full of the compassions of Christ
***live your life in the reflection and leading of Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
“Lord, let me never to stand in the light that rightfully belongs to Jesus alone. May Your Gentle Spirit lead me in His light -- Thy Word is my lamp. In the midst of the years, Lord, revive us mightily.” In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Returning Such a Great Act of Kindness.
It was said that a man “feels God,” and then fell and hit his head while worshipping. Now he is suing. Is the defendant the church, the hardwood floors, the pastor (who delivered the message), or God Himself? In my view, he should sue his own heart for its deceitfulness in lying to him.
A Blessing Behind the Back.
A. In Matthew chapter 6, verses 1, 5, 7, 16, 24, and in many other places in Scripture, Jesus warned the Pharisees that what they did in public was to receive glory unto themselves, a selfish motive that ignored their calling to lead the people into a proper relationship with God. They themselves did not have that relationship and they lead others in the same evil thinking and selfish, wicked conduct -- and the operative word is always “hypocrisy.”
B. Many of the works of kindness toward others are really nothing more than works of kindness toward ourselves, that we will be seen and admired by men who are content to do little else but to watch you work your loving magic.
C. Yet, the Scriptures in effect call upon us to bless others behind their back for a change, thereby circumcising away the hypocrisy of ostentation. Go to the Lord and ask Him to move in a person’s life in a great way, in salvation, in uplift, in bringing victory. Ask for Him to work in your own heart that you can work tirelessly toward winning people to Christ, thereby choosing the eternal over the temporal. Love your enemies and pray for them as well.
D. While the world is coming out of their closets, you go forthwith into your own and shut the door behind you.
E. In the meantime, quit seeking the applause of men and seek the attention of the Savior. Do what you can to fill Heaven and empty Hell. And get rid of that trophy case, burn it to a cinder and the trophies with it. This is about Christ and I’m tired of hearing about you all the time.
Put me on record, I’m for kindness.
“For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right.” (Amos 5:12) During this economic turmoil (so-called), the lottery is setting records for participation. Many charities are scaling back services for lack of money. Vice always does well in all economies, charity rarely does well in any economy.
Put me on record, I’m against “kindness or else.”
(1) Some people show acts of kindness and stand around as if they want a receipt (or a picture taken).
(2) They have sown wheat but shall reap thorns. (Jeremiah 12:13)
(3) Charitableness is not compassion.
(4) Human compassion is fleeting, true compassion is the believer’s vicarious emulation of the sufferings of Christ.
(5) “As Jesus gazed on Israel’s multitudes, harassed and helpless, He saw them as sheep without a shepherd. His great heart of compassion went out to them. Oh, that we might know more of that yearning for the spiritual welfare of the lost and dying. Let’s pray constantly … Let me view with pity the wandering sheep, and love them for love of Him.” (William MacDonald)
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"And whoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it.... So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple." (Luke 14:27-28, 33)
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“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.” (Peter 4:12-14)
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“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” (Romans 8:28-29)
Compassion Worth Extending.
Perhaps we can find a nobler lesson in the small country preacher who would shout from the door of the little church as the folks began to wind their way to their homes, “Live like you’ve been forgiven!”
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Compassion is a character, not an end result.
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You can scream “Be compassionate!” from the pulpit a hundred times a day until the end of the world and not a single sin will be repented of because of it. It is God that reveals sin, it is Christ that makes us to loathe sin, it is His Word that restrains sin, it is the Holy Spirit that convicts men of sin, and it is the testimony of the believer that rebukes sin. Until you make these the priorities of your message, of your ministries, and of your people, you are as the deadened sound of tin and make far more noise than good sense. (See John 16:8-9.)
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In cruel reality, compassion is ephemeral while the Word of God liveth and abideth forever, and the winning of souls is of eternal (not ephemeral) value. I don’t remember ever being broken hearted in connection with any event in which someone was won to Jesus Christ. The joy seems to last forever, even if the convert seems to fizzle sometime down the road as they move on, even under fire at me. Heartaches have come from people walking off, sometimes in sorely vengeful fashion, after I’d given them from a loving heart practically all that I could give them.
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REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. I’ve learned not to place much hope in my kindness, but to love my fellow man in whatever way I can materially and emotionally, but most importantly spiritually We ought never to be overly grateful that we have dominion over the demons, but that our names are written in Heaven. How much more so, if those we’ve led to Christ are written in Heaven? I doubt that our kindnesses will even be mentioned for the most part, but the rewards for obeying our Savior are without comparison anywhere.
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. “Get in the habit of having such a relationship to God that you do good without knowing you do it … Much of our modern “philanthropy” is based on the motive of giving to the poor because they deserve it, or because we are distressed at seeing them poor. Jesus never taught charity from those motives. He said, “Give to him who asks you, not because he deserves it, but because I tell you.” (Oswald Chambers)
Every honest man secretly welcomes a press agent.
An honest man is one who is always one step behind opportunity.
He that would steal an egg would steal an ox.
The Ascendant Evil God
"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil," warned Old Testament prophet Isaiah (5:20).
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'Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good," wrote the apostle Paul. (Romans 12:9)
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Yet Biblical views of good and evil are fast disappearing from the American consciousness. They seem too intolerant and divisive in today's permissive, postmodern culture.
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In contrast, the "evil" God warns us to shun is promoted everywhere: in books, movies, music, schools, ads, churches.... Since it fits the universal cravings of human nature, its collective acceptance brings an illusion of unity. Our leaders have been promoting it, for it sets the stage for mass manipulation.
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The main strategy behind this transformation has been the dialectic process: group dialogue led by a trained facilitator toward an ever-evolving consensus. The result is a "dumbed-down" population of what Pravda called "sheeple" -- blinded masses following false shepherds.
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Our nation, once famous for its faith, freedom, wisdom and initiative, has learned to:
,,,trust feelings instead of facts
,,,opinions and impression instead of truth and certainty
,,,human cravings rather than God's authority
,,,group consensus rather than God's Word
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REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. Rejecting the Shepherd, we lost our way. America hardly noticed the unseen forces that misled her. But it's not surprising, for "we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness...." (Ephesians 6:12)
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(Off the internet, Kjos Ministries)
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. “We glorify God by doing His will and it is His will that we spread His name and His message of His salvation. Jesus said He glorified the Father by finishing the work that the Father gave Him to do. “I have glorified Thee on the earth: I have finished the work that Thou gavest Me to do.” (Ernest Reisinger)
“I think sometimes we will be covered with shame when we meet the Lord Jesus and think how blind and ignorant we were when He brought people around us to pray for, or gave us opportunity of warning, and instead of praying we tried to find out what was wrong. We have no business to try and find out what is wrong; our business is to pray, so that when the awakening Jesus Christ will be the first they meet.” (Oswald Chambers)
Revival is a Matter of Separation, Confession, and Commitment.
Read and Study: Ezra 9:1-10:14.
10:1 Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore.
10:5 Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they should do according to this word. And they sware.
10:6 Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water: for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried away.
10:7 And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem;
10:8 And that whosoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be forfeited, and himself separated from the congregation of those that had been carried away.
10:9 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month; and all the people sat in the street of the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and for the great rain.
10:10 And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel.
10:11 Now therefore make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives.
10:12 Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do.
10:13 But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand without, neither is this a work of one day or two: for we are many that have transgressed in this thing.
10:14 Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us.
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Outline.
(Ezra chapters 9, 10)
Need for holiness
Confession
Concern
Separation
Prayer for Holiness
Cleansing from the top down
Israel’s sinful history acknowledged
God’s saving grace appreciated
The Jews present sins confessed
Covenant of Holiness
Covenant proposed
Covenant proclaimed
Covenant performed
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. “I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.” (Revelation 3:18)
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. “We’ve been born again, washed in the blood of Calvary’s Lamb, and have been made ready for Heaven, but some of us need to come back to the fountain to have our feet washed off where we’ve gotten them stained and dirty from something that ought not have been there.” (Dr. Shelton Smith)
“Most people sell their souls and live with a good conscience on the proceeds.” (Logan Smith)
Repent and Abandon
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. The great need of the day is cleansing of the church from the idols of the land. We should not be surprised at the behavior of ministries in our day. We are in the grip of a terrible idolatry that rules much of the church and inspires many [false] prophets. Most faithful Old Testament prophets could not convince God's people they had a problem with false gods. Many prophets ended up serving those false gods in the name of Jehovah! The same is true today. It is time for a great repentance, and abandoning of the idols of our time. We pray that God will give us eyes to see that the most popular idol of our day is Self.
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.” (Isaiah 55;6-8)
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. “Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease. Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations? Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation.” (Psalm 85:5-7)
We bring inconvenience to a world who is always in the hunt for the convenient.
Ezekiel 37. The Dry Bones.
“Then He said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord, God; Behold, oh My people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you out of your graves, and shall put My Spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land; then shall ye know that I the lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord. Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be My people, and I will be their God. … And David My servant shall be king over them; and they shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe My statutes, and do them. … Moreover, I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and I will My sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.” (Ezekiel 37:11-14, 23-24, 26-28)
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REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD.
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Rebuilding the Nation: Revival and Restoration.
(Ezekiel 37, continued) The Bible shows how we can resurrect our nation, our people, our churches, our homes, our children.
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Ezekiel was led of the Holy Spirit.
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God required him to speak to or work with three inanimate objects.
A. Bones
B. The wind.
C. 2 sticks (the two nations, Israel and Judah)
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The bones:
A. Were in an open area (a valley)
B. And were very dry.
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Ezekiel does not presume that God cannot make these bones live.
A. God does not just make a bunch of mixed-up bones dance.
B. He performs an act of re-creation.
C. he assembles an army of resurrected people.
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The dry bones represented Israel’s loss of hope.
A. But God gives them hope, the graves will be opened.
B. Israel will live again.
C. The Spirit will be in them (in the Great Tribulation, Jews will be saved)
D. Verses 14 and 23, Salvation.
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God promises:
A. One nation.
B. One king.
C. One shepherd.
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God reaffirms the covenants.
A. The Abrahamic Covenant of a blessed people (seed).
B. The Davidic Covenant - the throne of David is everlasting.
C. It is a picture of Christ on the throne during the Millennium.
D. They will know that He is the Lord.
(1) Sanctuary: true worship (church).
(2) Israel as the Old Testament nation was not a picture of the church.
(3) Tabernacle: habitation of the Lord (heart).
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. “Create in me a clean heart, O Lord, and renew a right spirit in me.” (Psalm 51:10) Many religious people clearly think this is a Scripture written solely for the other fellow. These ought to be the first words out of the mouth of every good Christian every morning of his Christian life … following “Thank You, Lord.”
“In the waves of His mercy, deep cries out to deep.” (a Christian hymn)
Walk with Unflinching Consistency.
We should learn in life that our enemies do not always come from the ranks of those who do not know the truth, the Bible. More painfully, they come from those who do know the truth and think it (the truth) needs excised of many of the convictions that we hold. This happens when you stand unswerving and unreservedly as a witness against the rejecters of Christ, when you stand for what God loves and against what He hates, while others profess only with their lips.
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They come from well-seeming camps at times, and recruit others in their cruel acts. Many would say they‘re kind and compassionate when really they‘re mean and self-serving. Their strength is in their numbers, not their virtue. (Did not Jesus say, “There is none good but One…”?) They bear a cross for God’s love but rarely for His wrath, for His liberty but rarely for His holiness, for His unity but rarely for His distinctiveness. They are marked by pride and arrogance and are visibly given to their own self-importance. They do not believe that discipleship needs to be sacrificial, separatist, and righteous, but want it to be frivolous, undemanding, innovating, even entertaining, and marked by charity.
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REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. I did not commit my life to milquetoast and puffery. I committed it to blood -- the holy, covering, redeeming, precious, atoning blood of Christ. Nothing less will do, not for me, but vastly more importantly, not for God. And He and I are in complete agreement with this, and the enemy can only be loved and pitied.
“Hold the lamp so low no one can miss it, and so high all men will see Jesus.” (Charles Haddon Spurgeon)
Don’t put a pat on your back, put a bone in it!
“There never was found in any age of the world either religion or law that did so highly exalt the public good as the Bible.” (Francis Bacon)
“I have spent seventy years of my life studying the Book to satisfy my heart; it is the Word of God. I bank my life on the statement that I believe this Book to be the solid rock of Holy Scripture. All the wonders of Greek civilization were not as wonderful an the single Book of Psalms.” (W E Gladstone)
The Reason That We Should Study Kingdom Things.
“My people are destroyed for lack of wisdom.” Hosea 4:6.
“The people that doth not understand shall fall.” Hosea 4:4.
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“Many of our people, without knowing it, are Christian heathen, and demand as much missionary effort as the heathen of foreign lands.” (Booker T. Washington)
Walk the Bible Walk
Walk in wisdom. (Colossians 4:5)
Walk circumspectly. (Ephesians 5:15)
Walk in the day (John 11:9)
Walk in integrity. (Proverbs 20:7)
Walk honestly. (Romans 13:130)
Walk worthy of God. (1 Thessalonians 2:12)
Walk in his paths (Isaiah 2:3)
Walk in good works (Ephesians 2:10)
Walk by faith. (2 Corinthians 5:7)
Walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:4)
Walk humbly with God. (Micah 6:8)
Walk uprightly. (Psalm 84:11)
Walk in the light of your fire. (Isaiah 50:11)
Walk in truth. (3 John 4)
Walk in love. (Ephesians 5:2)
Walk in the Spirit. (Galatians 5:16)
Walk in the Light. (1 John 1:7)
Walk in the name of the Lord. (Micah 4:5)
March in the might army of God!
A Christian must walk, stand, and sit wisely.
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. “Those who walk in God’s way will not be popular with the world, and the path may seem difficult at times. But the table that God sets before His faithful followers is pure and undefiled -- it is a “clean place” where those with clear vision can discern between right and wrong and can have genuine fellowship with others who do the same.” (M. H. Reynolds)
When We Listen to God, All of Us, Then Things WILL Change. REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. When God does it again (revives us), we begin to listen to what He says: “I will hear what God the Lord will speak.” [Psalm 85:8] All across this nation some schools couldn’t open this fall if they started listening again to what God had to say. They would have to modify their curriculum and buy new textbooks. Government offices in every state in the union would have to shut down, clean their places out and start all over. The courts and other places would be in an absolute upheaval simply because somebody with authority walked in and said, “Starting now, we are going to listen to what God says.” [Shelton Smith]
We Must Be People of the Book !! Live by the Book !! The Bible is its name !!
A Biblical View of Opportunity
(The best time for something)
Kinds of Opportunity:
1. Rejected. (Matthew 23:37)
2. Spurned. (Luke 14:16-24)
3. Prepared. (Acts 8:35-39)
4. Providential. (1 Corinthians 16:9)
5. Good. (Galatians 6:10)
Loss of Opportunity Can Be Due To:
1. Unbelief. (Numbers 14:40-43)
2. Neglect. (Jeremiah 8:20)
3. Unpreparedness. (Matthew 24:50,51)
4. Blindness. (Luke 19:41,42)
I have learned in life, and I’ve been around the block a number of times, much of the kindness we do today we do more to be kind to ourselves than we do anyone else. I’ve been in a position for years to hear the talk and see the walk, the former being vastly more common than the latter. (See Amos in various places, especially, chapter 8.)
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. My Prayer.
(Author unknown)
1. Lord make me an instrument of your peace.
2. Where there is hatred -- let me sow love,
3. Where there is injury -- pardon,
4. Where there is doubt -- faith,
5. Where there is despair -- hope,
6. Where there is darkness -- light,
7. Where there is sadness -- joy,
8. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek,
9. To be consoled -- as to console,
10. To be understood -- as to understand,
11. To be loved -- as to love.
For --
1. It is in giving -- that we receive,
2. It is in pardoning -- that we are pardoned,
3. It is in dying -- that we are born to eternal life.
Take This Life and Let It Be Consecrated All To Thee.
As you grow in Christ, don’t be surprised to find yourself sinning less and less, submitting more and more, serving more and more, sowing more and more, succoring more and more, separating more and more, sacrificing more and more, socializing less and less, and suffering for Christ more and more.
Sampson got close to Delilah who was a picture of the world -- her clippers were a greater enemy to Samson than all the spears of the Philistines combined.
We can’t love the world and God at the same time, and that’s the reason we preach separation. People ought to come out from the world and be saints. Act like a saint, look like a saint, smell like a saint, speak like a saint, live like a saint, die like a saint.
A Fundamentalist Testimony.
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. I belong to Jesus Christ, I’m not my own. I am a servant of the most high God, to please Him, serve Him, and honor Him all the days of my life. Every penny is His, all my life is His, all my time is His, whatever else I have is His, I have no one else to suffer for, no one else but his wonderful Christ, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I am not ashamed of the Gospel, I share it and rejoice. I love what God loves and hate what God hates. There is no greater pleasure in life but to walk in His commandments, to stand on His behalf, to warn of the coming wrath. I do it because it pleases Him, I need no other reason.
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. REVIVAL STILL POSSIBLE!!
Many cite coldness of Christians, modernism and infidelity in many pulpits, the widespread appeal of pleasure, the outrageous wickedness on every hand as evidence that God cannot or will not give great revivals as he once did.
If fainthearted Christians should make a study of the great revivals in Bible times, they would find that these revivals came inmost cases in the midst of the wickedness as great and apostasy and false religions as prevalent as those we face today. It is a most heartening study to observe the great revivals in the Bible and see how, against amazing odds, God used one person or a few to turn a whole nation or a strategic city back to God.
(John R. Rice)
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. We are under serious orders these days.
Many a preacher’s tombstone might well bear as its epitaph the lament over this disobedient prophet, “Alas, my brother!” (1 Kings 13:30) We are not going to see another revival until the ministry recovers its solemn commission and learns to say “no” to Jeroboam and all the prophets of Bethel.
Jeroboam offers his reward, and false prophets offer their hospitality to break down the preacher whose old-fashioned devotion to duty makes him a poor mixer. He makes them uncomfortable by contrast, and they reduce the disparity by clever devices so innocent in appearance that he appears ungracious if he declines their favors. Vance Hanover.
“And whosoever was not found in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:15)
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. Fearless in Their Assault.
“The man who magnifies the Word of God and the blood of Jesus Christ in his preaching is one whom God will hurl like a thunderbolt against the forces of evil.
Why is it that the names of Wesley, Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, Finney, Moody, and multitudes of others stand out as clean-cut as cameo upon the pages of history? I will tell you! They were conspicuous because of their fearlessness in their assaults upon every form of evil and evil doers -- rich, poo4r, black, white, native-born or foreign-born. They hurled the anathemas of God into the ranks of sin, irrespective of who might sit and listen. That kind of man God will honor, no matter who he be.”
(D L Moody)
Trivial Pursuits.
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. There never was a time when the passionate soul-winner’s fire was more needed than today -- Romans 9:1-3; 2 Corinthians 5:14. Burdened weeping sowers of the seed can make a vital difference in the destiny of eternal souls -- Psalms 126:5-6. Individual saints and local New Testament churches need to eliminate their wasteful sideline trivia and concentrate on God’s priority, the salvation of lost hell-bound souls -- 1 Timothy 1:15. (As seen in the Fundamentalist Digest, Don Jasmin the author)
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.” (Amos 8:11-12) I would that I would never see such a day, yet it is falling on the land at the speed of light.
The Keeping Power of God’s Word.
Perfect spiritual vision is available to every believer who is willing to view every thing through the pure light of God’s Word rather than through the wisdom of men. (author unknown)
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What sustained Joseph? He did not lose faith (while in Egypt for so long). The ways of the Egyptian worship never became his ways. What kept him? Think of the keeping power of the Word of God. God’s Word guides us, assures us, sustains us, and encourages us on our journey. (Clarence Sexton, See Genesis 50:21-26, for example)
Holy Bible, Book divine; Precious treasures, thou art mine.
“I’m no longer searching for the truth, I’m searching in the truth.” (Clarence Sexton) [This Book, God’s Holy Word, is the absolute authority for all revival!!]
Formula for Christian Preparation: You in the Bible and the Bible in you.
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD.
Josiah turned .. Heart… Soul… Might…(2 Chronicles 34:31-33)
“And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book. And he caused all that were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand to it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the children of Israel, and made all that were present in Israel to serve, even to serve the LORD their God. And all his days they departed not from following the LORD, the God of their fathers."
Live the way you ought to for God. REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. “Hell is seldom preached nowadays, and that may be one reason we have so much hell here on earth. If you don’t want to hear about Hell, then don’t come around here. I don’t preach Gehenna or Hades; I believe in plain, old-fashioned H-E-L-L.” (Billy Sunday) (Those who scoff at Hell will one day see Hell scoff at them.)
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. The Visible Fruit -- Where Is It?
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. [John 15:4]
Personally, I view “Christians” as great a mission field as any other of the great religious systems of the world. There are an awful lot of Christians who by their words and actions do not satisfy the evidence of Biblical salvation. We may not be able to look upon their hearts but we sure can be puzzled by their priorities and lack of interest in the things of Christ. We can also be surprised by their haughtiness and lack of any real reflection of Christian virtue and discipleship.
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. True Soldiers Fight the Enemy
“The closer we get to God, the more the Devil will fight us. The more we try to do for the souls of men, the more men will criticize us, reproach us. If you have red blood in your veins, if you have courage in your heart, if you have stamina in your soul, if you are willing to throw back your hand, to square your shoulders, to stick out your jaw and cry, “Come on, old Devil!” and then fight him to the last ditch, then, brother or sister, you can be called a true soldier of the cross.” (Hyman Appelman)
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. Quit Yourselves Like Men.
Do not shrink the battle; in the hour of conflict quit yourselves like men and fight; in the day when everything is darkest, take the whole armor of God and be not dismayed, for He is with you.
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. “Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me. The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.” (Psalm 138:7-8)
!!! May The Fire Fall !!!
Let the fire of God melt the lead in your feet.
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. Dusted Sandals.
“And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.” (Matthew 10:14)
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What the people in the houses and the cities will not hear is the Gospel, the claims of Christ on their lives, the efficacy of His precious blood, and the inevitably dear cost to them of becoming disciples of our Lord.
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We have a command to remove ourselves from such -- this is many times a growing pain of good Christians, and many cannot endure the pressure of conforming to the hypnotic call of compromise, milquetoast, and universal love and peace. They sound so good, don’t they? Yet the Bible is emphatic that you not be seduced by them.
“The reason many churches have icicles hanging from their ceilings is because they have polar bears in their pulpits.” (Ray Barber)
“Far too much of the world has come to the church, and far too much of the church has gone to the world.” (Jack Hyles)
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. Blind Hearts
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"Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart" (Ephesians 4:18)
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It is a tragedy for a person to have blinded eyes, but infinitely worse to have a blinded heart. No one ever willfully chooses to be sightless, but spiritual blindness is a product of human will.
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After Christ had given sight to the man born blind, the Pharisees still refused to believe, so Jesus said to the: "For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind....If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth" (John 9:59,41).
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Like these ancient intellectuals it often seems that modern intellectuals are incurably blind. They profess to teach science and philosophy of the highest complexity, but their understanding is darkened and their hearts are blinded when it comes to the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. As Paul says: "If our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." (II Corinthians 4:3-4).
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Even very religious people, people who believe in God as Creator, may blind themselves when confronted with the truth that the Creator must also become their Savior. "But their minds were blinded.....even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart" (II Corinthians 3:14-15).
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Nevertheless, Christ came as "the Light," and when anyone will simply in faith "turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away" (2 Corinthians 3:16), and the gospel will shine upon them" (2 Corinthians 4:4).
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(Henry M. Morris)
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. If the church is losing her power,
degenerating into a third-rate amusement bureau, and reducing religion to form and ceremony, ritual and an ethical code, the trouble is not with God? If the preachers preach to wood and varnish instead of folks, the trouble isn’t with God. If the Devil can scare up more church members at a leg show than come to prayer meeting, the trouble isn’t with God. It is with the members of these churches. You can’t blame the Lord for these things. (author unknown)
“O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD. (Jeremiah 22;29) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” (Revelation 2:29)
“Some of you have your resumes ready, waiting for a vacancy in the Trinity.” (Dr James Earls)
REVIVE US AGAIN, O LORD. Titus Says No to the Churches. I honestly cannot see how anyone can read the Book of Titus in the Bible and then agree with the so-called evangelical milieu that today passes itself off as a Christian body, indeed the spokesman for Christianity in our generation. You would have to absolutely disavow the divinely inspired quality of every word of that book of the Bible, to accept the modernist, liberal, apostate, accommodating, seeker-friendly, ecumenical, opinionated, ego-soothing, emotionally driven, academically friendly, worldly living, social reforming, fraternizing, tolerant, pragmatic, and/or theologically compromising “church” of our day. Don’t even think about arguing with me unless you are familiar with that book of the Bible and can articulate a response to this criticism based on what that Book says. If you are really honest, and want to take sides with “that church,” then just say Titus really doesn’t matter after all, in which case, then the Bible really doesn‘t matter.