Setting a Watch; Day and Night

Seventeen years ago we wrote a song to speak to teenagers about the world they would have to face by the time they were adults. The closing chorus went like this:

WILL WE CONFORM TO THE SYSTEM?
AND BE LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE
BE A ZOMBIE INDIVIDUAL
LIKE THE ONES WHO NEVER REALLY CARED

WILL YOU CHOOSE THE RIGHT TO END A LIFE?
EXCHANGE YOUR SEXUALITY
LET SOMEONE ELSE DECIDE YOUR PATH
LET SATAN JUST RUN OVER ME?

….I DON'T THINK SO!

We realize that many people will focus on only certain parts of this song. Activist groups will call us homophobic, fear mongering pastors. The liberal media will go forth with the popular political tactic of editing our videos and presenting quick 12-second sound-bytes taken totally out of the context of a 45 minute message.

We know the game and we are very familiar with this tactic. We don't care about their sound-byte, reputation-smearing tactics. There are just too many families in crisis in our city. There are too many hurting people for us to care about that anymore.

Through the years we have been challenged to minister to people who were gay, straight, had gotten an abortion, who paid for an abortion, discovered they were HIV positive, or had some other STD (sexually transmitted disease). Some had children outside of marriage and many were broken, abused, addicted or unstable. We have never had a stone to throw at anyone.

By this we refer to the story of the woman who was caught in an adulterous affair. The religious leaders demanded her death by stoning. Jesus Christ, however, challenged them by saying, "He who is without sin, cast the first stone."

Let's be clear about what is happening today. When we speak about the many issues addressed in that song, we’re not casting stones. You see, casting a stone was not merely throwing out a protest or a disagreement with a choice or a lifestyle. Casting a stone was done to execute people; to kill people. That's what it really means to cast a stone. It means to attempt to execute somebody.

Today, we officially declare to the popular media and to those who believe everything that they produce, that disagreeing with someone, challenging someone and protesting against someone is not the same thing as casting stones at someone.

When we challenge the viewpoints to which we disagree, and more importantly, that disagree with the Bible, we are not attempting to execute anyone. We’re not trying to kill anyone. We have the right to disagree. We have the right to voice our disagreement. We have the right to base our disagreement on the Bible.

Please understand that the same Bible that addresses these issues also dictates our responses to people. We are supposed to be like the Father in heaven who loves everyone and provides sunshine and rain to everyone. We love the people even though we disagree with them.

So why bring up these issues at all? We bring them up so that our families can recognize the fact that these controversial issues have wreaked havoc within our family relationships. Even though many of our opponents in society tell us to mind our own business and quit trying to force religion on them, here is our push-back statement.

We’re not fighting to force our beliefs on them. We’re fighting because THEY have forced THEIR beliefs upon US and our children. And THEIR beliefs have affected the very foundation of OUR households.

Nehemiah wrote: Now it happened, when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry, and all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion. Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night. (Nehemiah 4: 7-9)

We’re going to take the next few weeks and show you who your enemies have been.  Sanballat, Tobia, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the Ashdodites represent very strong spiritual forces who are our true enemies.

Your true enemies are not the people that we see fighting against family values. They are not the people that we see fighting for gay marriage. They are not the people we see fighting for the right to kill babies by building more abortion clinics in poor and African American communities. They are not even the people that we see stripping us of our rights as citizens. No, our enemies are old, ancient demonic forces that have risen again to oppose the will and purpose of God.

We’re calling upon heads of households to take up your positions. We’re setting a watch against the enemy day and night.

Last Sunday, we recited the following prayer at the end of our gathering. Please take this prayer. Make copies and keep it with you. Look at it. Read it. Pray these words over your family every time you think about them. Join us in setting up this prayer watch for families:

Recognizing that my fight is not against flesh and blood, political parties, activist groups or social movements, I stand here in the gap for my family.

With the spiritual weapons of prayer, praise, worship and the Word of God,    
I declare that I am not afraid of my spiritual enemies.

I remember the Lord, Great and Awesome, as I fight for my brothers and sisters, my sons and daughters, my spouse and my household.

According to the promise in Isaiah 54:17,” No weapon that is formed against us will prosper; And every tongue that accuses us in judgment, we will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And our vindication is from the Lord.”

So Father God, I receive Your grace, favor, protection and wisdom.  And I thank You for giving Your angels charge over me and my family, to keep us in all of our ways.

Amen

Postured to Fight, Positioned to Build

Last year ended with heartbreaking tragedy and loss. Families were hit with such severity that it is still difficult to grasp what thousands, if not millions of people are going through as we entered 2013.

We tend to forget about them because our lives may not have been so devastated or we are going through our own problems and losses. Thousands and thousands are still trying to recover from the various natural disasters that struck our country last year. They did not celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas or the New Year in their own homes. They were in shelters, still living in a hotel, or bunking in with family members. Others, like the people in Newtown, CT, could not celebrate at all. It was just too painful.

We have spent the last seven years laying a foundation upon which we could begin to rebuild, restore and renew our hearts and homes. As we celebrated the start of a new year, our hearts have been stirred with a fresh determination to preach and teach the Word of God like never before.

With so many families struggling to rebuild in the aftermath of literal and spiritual hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, wildfires and droughts, we have sensed a new release from God to take the ministry to the next level.

In 2013 our posture and demeanor will change from teacher/ instructor, to strategist and warriors. That's because, we are now moving out into hostile territory that the enemy of our souls has held for many years.

Last year we laid the groundwork for us to take up our positions in the gaps of the protective walls that are supposed to guard our households. We're going to become a lot more intentional about what we do in 2013.

A lot of people are already talking about dreams coming true and many things breaking through for their families, but many of them are not going to see anything change in their lives. In fact things will get worse. Why? Because they aren't willing to fight for it. In 2013, I strongly believe that we're going to have to fight.

The Word that God gave us for Urban Life is that in 2013, we're going to have to fight for it. Things are not going to just fall in place. Doors are not just going to open. Money is not just going to fall out of the sky. If there's going to be any breakthrough in our households, we're going to have to fight for that breakthrough.

In Nehemiah 4, God's people were being threatened because they were rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah rallied the people to protect the gaps in the walls while those who continued with the construction, worked with a weapon in one hand and construction tools in the other. They were postured to fight and positioned to build.

I believe that 2012 was just the beginning of sorrows for America and the Church was not exempt from those sorrows. Many people have a very passive approach to the spiritual battle that is now upon us. That's because they don't understand that what we observe in the natural world, is the result of what has happened in the spiritual realm.

 Therefore, 2013 will be about getting geared up for and engaging in the spiritual battle as well as continuing in the work to restore our families.

It's time to FIGHT for our families. There is no way we're going to sit down and just watch demonic strongholds overwhelm us. It's been happening for so many years that many of us are convinced that there's nothing that we can do about it.

If you've ever watched the Lord of the Rings trilogy, you have some idea what I’m talking about today. However, for us, this is not a mythological story. This is our real-life conflict. Will we put on the spiritual amour and prepare to fight? Will we pick up the tools and begin to rebuild?

If we want to see the promised victory, then let's get prepared because THE BATTLE'S ON!

Fight for Your Family

This is our last blog for what has been a bitter-sweet year. Some of us have lost people who are very dear to us. Some of us have come very close to losing loved ones, but they pulled through their serious physical challenges.

On a global scale, we have watched thousands die in earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters. We have been shocked and horrified by random shootings from Aurora, CO to Newtown, CT and various places in between.

On the other hand, we have had some awesome moments. The highlight of our year was attending our youngest son’s college graduation. It is impossible to mention everything that happened this year, but we can summarize it by saying we did experience our church’s theme for 2012 which was: Knowing Our God: His Presence, His Power, His Purpose. We can never know what a year is going to bring. We can only follow the Lord as He guides us by His Word and His wisdom.

As we conclude 2012, the Lord is already speaking to us about the theme for the Urban life family in 2013. The new theme is based upon the strategy that was implemented by God’s people in Nehemiah 4. While they were rebuilding the walls and restoring the gates, they were faced with opposition.

 Nehemiah 4: 7-9 reads, Now it happened, when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry, and all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion. Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night.

Nehemiah 4: 13-14 reads, Therefore I positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall, at the openings; and I set the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.

Nehemiah 4: 17-18 reads, Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon. Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built.

In 2013, we realize that our enemies are not going to be human beings like Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites. The Bible emphatically declares that we are not battling against human beings.

Ephesians 6:12 reads, 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 in the heavenly places.

But just like the human beings in Nehemiah’s story, our present-day principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this age, and spiritual hosts of wickedness are seeking to attack our families and create confusion.

We must pray to our God and set a watch against the spiritual enemies day and night. Therefore, we are going to position our families at the gaps and openings in the walls of our households. We are going to equip each of you with spiritual weapons to fight the spiritual enemies. We’re also going to give you the tools to continue to rebuild your household.

As we approach the New Year, the Holy Spirit has spoken to us that the gaps in the walls reveal the places in our hearts and homes that were devastated. We have gaps in our relationships, gaps in our marriages, gaps in our finances, gaps in our physical well-being, gaps in our emotional well-being and gaps in our psychological well-being. Some of our families are struggling with addictions, destructive behavioral patterns and even demonic bondage. The openings were created by the onslaught of divorce, depression, division, disease, destruction, disasters, defeats, doubts and even death.

We are going to allow the Lord to carefully and deliberately pace us through the process and practice of fighting for our families. We look forward to the New Year with great anticipation of God completing a powerful work in our hearts and homes.

Can’t stop crying inside

(The Newton, CT Tragedy)

Who would have thought that another date would be burned into our national conscious? Not since 9/11 has an event completely halted our nation. Our president was visibly moved and all of us parents cringed as our hearts melted with the horrible revelations of what had taken place while we were going about our busy little lives.... on 12/14/12........

You can tract back through my blogs and that is the only proof that I have been saying that something terrible is about to happen. I could feel it and I’ve been praying ever since.

When the hurricane devastated New Jersey and New York, I still somehow knew that this was only the beginning. I kept praying and kept calling our church family to pray.

Now we have 27 more reasons to pray. A lot of the joy has been taken out of the upcoming holiday season. Although it will be a little bit more meaningful for those who still have their loved ones around them.

I called a special ‘Processing and Healing’ prayer gathering last Sunday so we could work through this together as a church family. I wanted to give everyone permission to mourn in their own way. Then we gathered all of our broken pieces and worshiped God together.

It was not a spectacular moment, but it was a real one.

For my family, the whole year has been like the last weekend. We lost a dear, dear, spiritual son. My brother had a heart attack. My mother had a mild stroke. My sister had an episode with her heart.

I’m thankful and I’m grateful. At the same time, I’m very somber. I feel there’s more to come if we don’t engage in this spiritual battle and pray.
How many will join with us and pray? How many will wait until it strikes close to home before they pray?

I can’t stop crying inside. My heart is overwhelmed.

Positioned for Victory

If you ever played chess and you were victorious in a match, you will understand what I mean in this blog. There is a moment when you realize you have successfully maneuvered around the board to trap your opponent in a no-win situation. The match is over and it’s only a matter of time before you can declare it.

Right now I’m referring to that moment just before you declare check mate. You have strategically given up pawns and various pieces, baiting your opponent to move their pieces to positions that will benefit you in various moves that you have already played out in your head.

Right now, that’s how it feels regarding my family and our ministry in Harrisburg.

For more than eight long years, God has been moving us, and shifting pieces, sacrificing the plans and strategies that we once held dear, to position us for the right place, with the right people, and the right time to reveal His glory and touch this community in the ways He revealed to us so many years ago.

There is a gleam of delight in the eyes of the Lord because his opponent has moved his pieces in the exact places that HE desired. God allowed His opponent to capture various pieces that seemed like painful losses to us, but the Lord had a greater victory in mind.

God was so many steps ahead of His opponent that this entire match was already won from the first move.

I feel something deep in my spirit right now. Our nation sits at a fiscal cliff. People’s hearts are failing because of fear. Discouraging news roars loudly every day and night on television and in cyber space.

Yet, the Lord is moving us and all of His people into key positions. We will find ourselves in the perfect position for the Lord to declare, “Checkmate!” as He makes His final move.

I’m so glad to be on the winning side.