God is Moving: Don’t Get Left Behind!
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Important messages
Something
unusual is happening
When I make my two weekly
radio programs, I always have unbelievers in mind, who might be listening, and
I direct some words to them. However, I have been preoccupied, because I have
done little personal, direct evangelism lately. One day, I went to the Lord in
prayer, asking that He would give me more opportunity to share the gospel. The
next day, I heard the door bell ring and, opening the door, six people and two
TV cameras were before me. Without going into the whole story, I’ll just say
that for two hours I was able to share Christ freely with them in our house. I
didn’t have to look for a way to introduce the subject, because they began to
ask me about Bible texts on the walls and also about the peace that they felt
here. It was an opportunity without precedent for me.
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| Steve & Karyn |
As I told this experience to
our youngest son, Mike, who is co-pastor of a church in Minnesota, he said that
the same thing is happening to him. People come to him with questions and, if
it is necessary to break away, they ask him about when they can continue the
conversation. Mike also said that he has never seen anything like this.
Afterwards, Steve, our son
who is a pilot for a fly-in school district in a remote area of Alaska (no
roads or highways), wrote us: “Been
having some real good talks with people at work. I think a lot of people are
getting sick of the way they are living and are looking for reality.” This
thing seems to be happening everywhere and I think that it might have to do
with a harvest before Christ returns.
Marvin
Steve added a comment,
because I mentioned to him that I had written something about my
brother-in-law: “Will have to look at the posts you have on Marvin. He never
really said much to me but there was something special about him that I always
liked.” He’s not the only one, who has told me that. There was something about Marv…
In the last chapter of Job,
God relates his pleasure that He takes in all that He has created. In Job
38:26, 27, He says that He is concerned to “bring
rain on a land where no man is, on the desert in which there is no man, to
satisfy the waste and desolate land”. There are territories that only God
looks upon, where no human eye observes what is happening…
It's strange
that I never saw it before... but when my brother-in-law, Marvin, died just a
few months ago, I saw so clearly a great purpose for his life. He had this
beautiful, mellow voice and people sometimes insisted forcefully, that he
should sing publicly, but he never would do it. They didn't know that he would
freeze standing in front of people. In Bible school he literally fainted when
he stood to give a book report. Some would say, "Man, you need
deliverance! You can't let yourself be limited like that!" They didn't get
it and, maybe it was a little late, but I finally did get it. Marv would get
out his guitar and sing when he was alone. His voice was given him, just so he
could sing to God... for His glory! Like the woman with the perfume... It
wasn't for the poor; it wasn't so that the whole world would smell better; it
was 100% for Jesus. Marv was given his beautiful voice so the Lord could enjoy
it. By no means was it wasted. Nothing is ever wasted, when it is poured out to
Christ. “Sing praises unto the Lord with
the harp; with the harp and the voice of melody.” (Psalms 98:5)
 |
| Marvin & Phyllis |
I think I’ve
learned most from the common folk, although you could never call Marv a common
automatic transmission mechanic. He was an expert and other mechanics, where he
worked, looked up to him, respected him and came to him, when they ran into
something too complicated for them. All the clients wanted Marv to personally
attend to their repairs. Jesus, you remember, was a village carpenter until He
reached 30 years of age, and those around Him must have learned plenty from the
way He conducted Himself on the job.
Judgment
in the house of God
Not only is
there hunger in the world of unbelievers, but also God is dealing mightily with
believers in these times. Just consider what is happening among some of my
relatives: The wife of one of my nephews is getting a divorce, leaving him
dejected and desperate. Last year a nephew had a serious stroke and not many days ago, my niece, less that 60-years-old, died. Another nephew just
left the hospital after an operation for colon cancer.
Some of you
will remember the airplane accident that Steve had a couple years ago. God
really showed His glory, miraculously answering prayer for one of the
passengers, who was in critical condition. However, the accident left Steve
with insomnia. He has told me that he doesn't miss an hour through the nights,
sleeping fitfully and awaking constantly. Last week he went to Anchorage to see
a doctor, who is now looking for a remedy.
Steve wrote
the following just a couple days ago: “We
Christians are funny people, I think I understand why people are so slow to
turn to Christianity. We say that Jesus is our best friend but spend less time
with Him than our other friends. We say that we love our neighbors but find it
so difficult to share our greatest treasure with them. We say that our life
here is temporal but spend more time worrying and engaging in things on this
earth than we do for the things that are going to last an eternity.”
“I do not say this in a
judgmental way. I just, sad to say, see it so true in my own life and when I
look around I sadly see it in so many circles. Since my plane accident two
years ago God has really been convicting me about these things.May God help us,
we need Him so bad!!”
I think that we are moving
quickly toward the end and, even though God’s discipline hurts, He is preparing
us for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
A message by Francis
Chan
Steve sent a link to a recent
message by Francis Chan and said, “Our family and a few of our friends watched
this video last Sunday and were really blessed and at the same time challenged
by it. If you have the time to watch it I think you will find it time well
spent. May God open our eyes to what is really important in these days and I know
I need it more than most!!” I listened to it and said in my heart, “I hope that I can
grasp this, because I sure want to!” It is about the privilege of taking time
with God in prayer:
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| Mike & Rachel |
This was Mike’s response:
“Steve, Thanks so much for sending that message. I had a guy telling
me about it on Friday night and then you sent it to me on Sunday. I took that
as some confirmation that it was something I needed to hear. I listened to it
by myself before work on Monday morning and then had the whole family listen to
it on Monday night. Good word that must be applied. Thanks! Mike”
Steve answered: “Glad you
enjoyed it. I am thinking we need to come to a New Testament Christianity or
why even bother at all. I have been thinking a lot about in Revelations 3 where
He would rather we were cold or hot. It is crazy we can get so comfortable in
the lukewarm stage but in all reality we would be better off in His eyes if we
were cold and we know that is no good, but He said it is better. Really quite
the thing to ponder for a while. Very sobering!! Take Care, Steve”
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