I begin my blog entry this week with soberness of mind and much contemplation. I haven't updated in 2 weeks because I haven't had a day off in almost that long. Last Sunday was "Prayer in the Square" and as you can imagine, Times Square Church has been busy over the past month preparing for that monumental occasion.
May the Lord help me as I try to convey to you the details of the past two weeks.
The spiritual atmosphere in this nation has become quite tense as of late, and many are aware of it. There might even be a confrontation taking place. I say things like this with tentativeness because I don't want to be presumptuous about what I believe God is showing me. Such revelation about our times can certainly be corroborated by the rest of the Body of Christ as we seek Him and He reveals His plans and purposes to His servants. What I look for as confirmation is consistency of revelation among the Church at large. When God reveals His plans to different, unassociated members of the Body and that plan is found to be consistent among members, you can be fairly sure that it is God speaking to His people; it is the one Spirit enlightening the one Body. So regarding the things I am about to relate to you, consider how such a plan is consistent among the Body and in all things search the Scriptures to confirm whether these things are true--Acts 17:11.
The day before Prayer in the Square (you can watch Prayer in the Square at http://www.nycprayer.org/media_center_facebook.html) I was bombarded mentally with a rather typical attack from the enemy. Helen and some of her friends in Auburn prayed as I prayed here, and I began to be relieved. But thereafter, Satan tried to put a wedge between Helen and me, which has since been abolished. Helen also has been attacked recently, not only through that, but also with extreme physical ailments. She had surgery to remove a lump this Thursday. The operation went well, but she is now recovering in pain and dealing with additional discomfort from nausea and cramps!
Before I go any further, let me epitomize the intensity of the spiritual atmosphere over the past week: 1) Prayer in the Square was Sunday, September 20th and gathered a following of over 200 churches with around 30,000 people on Times Square. 2) The Islamic 40-day fast of Ramadan is ending this week. This Friday, Sept. 25th, an unprecedented event occurred when some 50,000 Muslims gathered on Capitol Hill for a day of prayer and fasting to close Ramadan (see http://www.islamoncapitolhill.com/). 3) The radiant prayer and fasting ministry, The Call, posted an urgent message on their website this week (see http://www.thecall.com/#Urgent), calling all Christians to a week of concerted prayer with such evangelical leaders as Lou Engle (of The Call), Shirley Dobson (of Focus on the Family and The National Day of Prayer), and Tony Perkins (of the Family Research Council). The week is to end with a day of concerted prayer and fasting for the Church in America and for Muslims to come to Christ. 4) This year, on September 27-28, the Jewish Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, will be observed. This too is a day of fasting and repentance for all Jews. (for more information on Yom Kippur from a Jewish perspective see http://www.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/Jewish_Holidays/Yom_Kippur.shtml).
What we are seeing in the religio-spiritual climate of America just this week is truly a brewing storm of religious fervor and conflicting worldviews. It is cause for the Church to get serious about our faith and about evangelism! Contrary to what atheists would prefer, America is still very much a religious nation. The the most prominent religions in the world--the Big Three Monotheistic religions--are at a crossroads of spiritual confrontation in this nation. It is because of THIS that I believe God has offered us His plans and purposes in and through these things, to act accordingly.
The following is what I believe the Lord is revealing to me:
First and most importantly, God is calling the Church to a renewed, consecrated vigilance in prayer. I believe God is in the process of setting apart a "Zadok priesthood;" a "righteous" remnant (Zadok means "righteous" or "just." For more on Zadok read 2 Samuel chapter 15 and 1 Kings chapters 1-2.) of praying and interceding saints who will be able to stand in the gap on behalf of unbelievers and have favor with people. This remnant will be able to believe and see God's promises fulfilled, for "the just shall live by faith."
Secondly, I believe God has confirmed to me a particular of my calling. Namely, that I (and many others) must be prepared to give an answer to Muslims and people of other worldviews in order to convince them of the verity of the Gospel. I believe that God specifically "told" me that knowledge is increasing, but assurance is decreasing. Our task as apologists (defenders of the faith) in this time is to provide the knowledge of the truth of Jesus Christ and to persuade people of its certainty. We are to reason with people from the Scriptures, just as the apostle Paul did--(Acts 17:2, 17; 18:4; 19:8-9). We are to persuade, convince, correct, and rebuke--2 Timothy 3:17. I have been interested in apologetics for a long time and I have thought that it would be a useful discipline in helping to clear the rubble of doubt so that the Gospel may be presented unhindered to people, but never before has God confirmed to me specifically that I should be equipped to defend the truth against the myriad of conflicting worldviews. It is an answered prayer to know with certainty and specificity to what God is calling me.
And finally, I believe God has shown me in prayer recently that "the fullness of the Gentiles"--Romans 11:25--is coming into the Church, and soon the "blindness in part," that has been on the Jewish people for centuries, will be totally removed (for more, read Romans chapters 9-11 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%209-11&version=NKJV). I pray this means that there will be a great influx of the remaining Gentiles (especially including Muslims) coming to Christ and then there will also be a Jewish revival which the world has never seen, where millions of Jews will come to believe in Yeshua (Jesus) as their Messiah! I get emotional every time I think or pray about this. I believe it is God's heart and God's plan, but His children must be co-workers with Him in this endeavor! What blood will be on our hands if we are just content to do nothing! We can be witnesses of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit whom He has given us for this very purpose!
Jesus said, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come."--Matthew 24:14.
The end will not come until the gospel is preached to ALL nations, Gentile and Jew alike. When the fullness of the Gentiles has come into the Church and the subsequent mass conversion of the Jews to true Judeo-Christianity has occurred, then the Lord Jesus will return to receive His completed bride, and thus all Israel will be saved!
May it be.
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