Ark of the Covenant to be Revealed to the World!

Please take a few minutes to read the articles in the links below. If these plans are true, and I have no reason to doubt them, then this will be the biggest religious event in recent history, possibly since the resurrection of Christ! A church in Ethiopia has, for 3,000 years, claimed to have the Ark of the Covenant, which contains the original Ten Commandments, in a secure location (details in the articles). It has been secured by a guardian constantly since its arrival there. The guardians, over 30 have had the task, live their entire lives inside the confines of a fenced area containing the small building where the Ark is kept. When a guardian dies, a new one is appointed. The patriarch, a religious official of the Orthodox Church in Ethiopia, has announced plans to unveil this treasure to the world.

Rendition of the Ark of the Covenant

 
http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=102119
http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=102200

For more on Bob Cornuke, the biblical investigator, international explorer and best-selling author who was one of the first to publically discover the whereabouts of the Ark, please visit: http://www.baseinstitute.org/ 

Detention Camps in the US?

I found the article below recently on WorldNetDaily. It may come as a shock to many, but I have heard of this many times in the past couple years. There has been a lot of “conspiracy theory” surrounding the possibility of the US government secretly putting up detention camps in the US. With the swift construction available today, it would be a breeze to convert large buildings into inescapable prisons. Imagine for a moment a horrific tragedy of some kind. Maybe a nuke goes off, a reactor explodes, our country is taken over by hostiles (remember, they said Hitler couldn’t either), maybe a meteorite hits or an earthquake so large that the world is shaken as volcanoes make their way up into major cities everywhere. Whatever the disaster, we are under martial law. Suddenly, that new super Wal-Mart is a prison. Those tall stone brick walls with no windows and only a few, easily guardable doors could become your new home. Think about the construction.

I had a video on one of my blogs that was mysteriously erased. It showed a train station, supposedly abandoned, with a US military train car in the lot. New updated air-conditioning systems, turnstiles, gates blocking any other way in, a barb-wired fence with the spikes facing inwards, to keep anyone on the inside and markers along the fence not suitable for cars or trains, but spaced for people to line up. There were also new radio tower antennas, markers on the wires for helicopters and wind socks. While the people who found this were filming, a black helicopter flew above. Somehow, the clip was erased. I have seen others, though. Some have old stores or warehouses that are being updated and fenced in by the government. A few show wide trenches that are dug to make the fence unreachable. Whatever the intentions of these buildings, it cannot be difficult to imagine the worst.

News tidbits fly by so quickly nowadays that we hardly have the time to piece them together. For example, the president, whoever it may be, has the authority to declare an emergency. He has the power, in an emergency, to institute martial law. He may also, with the press of a button, have control of the internet, television, and radio. Power grids can be controlled and shut off at will. And now, a bill introduced to create detention camps in the US. Assuming this bill passes, the camps would already be in place. As if this isn’t scary enough, the president is also the one to use his discretion to determine what constitutes as an emergency.

I assume that some horrendous disaster will spark the use of such laws, but in reality it could be anything including the will of some dictator. Hitler did it, but eventually failed. Now, the hostile take-over types have finally learned to do it slowly. They realize that if they take years to desensitize people, they stand a better chance of half the world accepting the ideas they introduce. Less resistance in the long run. Read this article that follows, and keep your eyes open in the long term media. Watch as you are introduced to more and more “immoral” acceptance laws under the pretense of tolerance and approval.

Bill creates detention camps in U.S. for ‘emergencies’
Sweeping, undefined purpose raises worries about military police state

Posted by WorldNetDaily: February 01, 2009; By Jerome R. Corsi

 Rep. Alcee L. Hastings, D-Fla., has introduced to the House of Representatives a new bill, H.R. 645, calling for the secretary of homeland security to establish no fewer than six national emergency centers for corralling civilians on military installations. The proposed bill, which has received little mainstream media attention, appears designed to create the type of detention center that those concerned about use of the military in domestic affairs fear could be used as concentration camps for political dissidents, such as occurred in Nazi Germany. The bill also appears to expand the president’s emergency power, much as the executive order signed by President Bush on May 9, 2007, that, as WND reported, gave the president the authority to declare an emergency and take over the direction of all federal, state, local, territorial and tribal governments without even consulting Congress. As WND also reported, DHS has awarded a $385 million contract to Houston-based KBR, Halliburton’s former engineering and construction subsidiary, to build temporary detention centers on an “as-needed” basis in national emergency situations. According to the text of the proposed bill, the purpose of the National Emergency Centers is “to provide temporary housing, medical, and humanitarian assistance to individuals and families dislocated due to an emergency or major disaster.” Three additional purposes are specified in the text of the proposed legislation: • To provide centralized locations for the purposes of training and ensuring the coordination of federal, state and local first responders; • To provide centralized locations to improve the coordination of preparedness, response and recovery efforts of government, private, not-for-profit entities and faith-based organizations; • To meet other appropriate needs, as defined by the secretary of homeland security. The broad specifications of the bill’s language, however, contribute to concern that the “national emergency” purpose could be utilized by the secretary of homeland security to include any kind of situation the government wants to contain or otherwise control. Rep. Hastings created controversy during the 2008 presidential campaign with his provocative comments concerning Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. “If Sarah Palin isn’t enough of a reason for you to get over whatever your problem is with Barack Obama, then you damn well had better pay attention,” Hastings said, as reported by ABC News. “Anybody toting guns and stripping moose don’t care too much about what they do with Jews and blacks. So, you just think this through.” H.R. 645, which seeks to allocate $360 million for developing the emergency centers, has been referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and to the Committee on Armed Services.

Holocaust Museum Shooter Hates Christianity, Follows Hitler

 

by: Justin Lessard

Recently, America and the world were shocked by a brutal shooting at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.  Seemingly, only moments after the attack which left a security guard dead, the media began to label the shooter, suspect James von Brunn, as a “right-wing extremist” and terrorist. Suddenly the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) brought to attention the hand that was sent to every law enforcement agency in the country, before it’s recall was demanded. In the document, DHS warned law enforcement officials to be on the lookout for potential terrorists which include pro-lifers, returning war veterans, anyone who supports traditional marriage as between one man and one woman, and anyone who believes in Bible prophecy. That document available here: http://wnd.com/images/dhs-rightwing-extremism.pdf  DHS has since agreed to rewrite some of the offensive and prejudice language in the letter, but as of this point, I have seen no such thing. In fact, they are referencing the retracted copies, stating that such motives prompted the shooting in question, as well as the recent assassination of abortionist George Tiller and several other isolated acts of violence throughout the nation.

What is less than ironic, and quite predictable is that the U.S. Government has once again jumped the gun and spoken without evidence. It took very little journalistic research for conservative media to determine that von Brunn is not a “right-winger”, but in fact is quite the opposite. He is not a Bible believer, stating quite clearly and publically that he finds it to be a “hoax.” Von Brunn is also a follower of Darwinism and the teachings of Adolf Hitler, citing those as his reason for his anti-Semitism. Typical of our current presidential administration, they are fast to blame the right side conservatives, painting a picture of violence where there is none, and blaming violence by their own left wingers on the other side. The following article from World Net Daily explores this further.

To visit WND, click here: http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=100882

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Darwin-loving museum shooter hates Bible, Christians
Suspect in death of security guard defies easy stereotyping

Posted: June 11, 2009; 11:45 pm Eastern

By Bob Unruh
James von Brunn, the man who allegedly shot and killed a guard at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., was a Darwin-lover who hated the Bible and Christians, and defies media efforts to classify him as a stereotypical “right-winger,” according to reports.

The Moonbattery blog revealed von Brunn advocated the socialist policies espoused by Adolf Hitler and used Darwinian theory to support his anti-Semitism.

And in statements that later were stripped from an anti-religion website, he wrote, “The Big Lie technique, employed by Paul to create the CHRISTIAN RELIGION, also was used to create the HOLOCAUST RELIGION … CHRISTIANITY AND THE HOLOCAUST are HOAXES.”

The blog had an answer to how to classify von Brunn, who remains hospitalized after being shot while attacking and shooting a guard at the museum: “If it barks like a moonbat, it’s a moonbat.”

Von Brunn’s diatribe on religion, according to the website, included:

“The New Testament was written in Greek. Paul – who believed the World was flat, that Joshua made the sun stand still, and Jehovah spoke from a burning bush – wrote one-third of it, perhaps more. The events described in the 24 Books are often contradictory, fail the time-line, defy both archaeology’s and nature’s immutable laws, and are suicidal if practiced. Nevertheless, the shamans bought it, taught it, and the illiterate public was coerced, brainwashed, threatened, tortured, murdered, and enthralled. … The Gospels profess that only Christians may enter Yahweh’s Kingdom of Heaven. To qualify, among other demands, Christians must LOVE THEIR ENEMIES (Jews); give away their personal belongings; eschew knowledge; judge not, despise nature, abandon earthly pleasures, acknowledge that all YHWH’s children are equal; and above all else worship YHWH, the jealous, wrathful, vengeful, unforgiving, genocidal, anthropomorphic tribal god (Jesus’ father) created by Hebrews in their image and likeness. Omnipotent, omniscient YHWH promises Hebrews that they alone shall inherit the earth, that it is commendable to steal from Gentiles, better yet — kill them. Whereas Gentiles, if they fail to worship YHWH, are transported straight to Hell. And it is written, ‘A little child shall lead them.’ These dangerous, imbecilic, concepts, tenets, and teachings, often treasonous, DESTROYED the Roman Empire and drenched the soil of Europe with Aryan blood for almost 2000 years!”

According to writer Kathy Shaidle at Examiner.com, von Brunn left a trail of “unhinged” writings.

“The anti-Semitism of von Brunn is the first thing one notices when visiting these bizarre websites. However, like those of most ‘white supremacists,’ many of von Brunn’s political views track ‘Left’ rather than ‘Right.’ Clearly, a re-evaluation of these obsolete definitions is long overdue,” she wrote.

Von Brunn, for example, hated both President George H.W. Bush as well as George W. Bush, and the writer confirmed his posting “reveals a hatred of, say, big corporations that is virtually indistinguishable from that of anti-globalization activists.”

“None of this will surprise readers of Jonah Goldberg’s bestseller ‘Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Change,’ which clearly demonstrates that ‘fascism’ of the kind advocated by the British National Party (BNP) and the likes of James W. von Brunn is just as likely to reflect ‘leftwing’ views as ‘rightwing’ ones,” Shaidle wrote.

She noted anti-Semitism, in fact, is something the “New Left” and the “Far Right” have had in common since the 1980s.

“That this shooting occurred shortly after President Obama’s former mentor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, blamed ‘the Jews’ for his lack of access to his former parishioner is a troubling confluence of events as well,” she wrote.

She wrote that von Brunn clearly was “deeply confused,” but isn’t the “mainstream conservative and/or rightwinger currently being depicted on leftwing blogs and by liberal commentators.”

“In short, von Brunn’s connection with conservative thought and action today – be it talk radio or ‘tea parties’ – is tenuous. Those trying to puff up such ‘connections’ are acting in bad faith, out of blind partisanship – of the sort which is as corrosive to the health of the body politic as von Brunn’s own b[l]atherings,” Shaidle wrote.

On the Examiner forum page, the assessments on von Brunn ran along similar paths:

• The man is a lunatic irrespective of ideology.
• This loon is now responsible for the same number of dead as Teddy Kennedy is!
• The guy is a nut, as was the abortion [doctor] killer, and the Army recruiter killer. There is extremism across the political spectrum. Have you ever heard that stereotyping people can be unhealthy and even dangerous, and something I hope we discourage in this liberal society.

Author Jame Glazov, whose book “United in Hate: The Left’s Romance With Tyranny and Terror,” is a rising star, also has examined the links between the left and tyranny.

Glazov, who is managing editor of Frontpagemag, wrote, “As history shows, leftist beliefs have spawned mass carnage and misery. Put into practice, they have caused the deaths of millions. Until now, it has been extremely difficult for rational people who value personal freedom to understand the motivations of those who live in comfort and yet embrace monstrous dictators, ideologies, and policies that leave only death and destruction in their wake.”

Glazov in his book “presents startling new insights into the toxic beliefs and torturously contorted thought processes of the leftists who lust to destroy the very freedoms that allow them to exist.”

Glazov, a refugee from the Soviet Union, contends there is an unholy alliance between jihadists and people such as Michael Moore, Sean Penn, Ted Turner and Noam Chomsky. At the heart of the mutual admiration, he says, is a willingness to accept massive numbers of deaths to achieve their objectives.

What’s bound to be most infuriating to those Americans and many other westerners mentioned in the book is the way Glazov uses their own words to make the point.

“Not only do I think it’s possible [a Muslim-leftist alliance] but I think it is vitally necessary and I think it is happening already,” explains leftist British lawmaker George Galloway. “It is possible because the progressive movement around the world and the Muslims have the same enemies. Their enemies are the Zionist occupation, American occupation, British occupation of poor countries, mainly Muslim countries.”

The Cost of Being Christian

 ³“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 ⁴“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

 ⁵“Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

 ⁶“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

 ⁷“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

 ⁸“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

 ⁹“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

 

 ¹⁰“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 ¹¹“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.

 ¹²“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:3-12)

 

“Persecuted.” “…people insult you…” “…evil against you…”

Upon Jesus’ saying this, the outlook of being a follower of Jesus changes greatly. Prior to this, all of the “Blessed are…” verses contain instruction on being humble, merciful, pure in heart, and peacemakers. Then the whammy: You will be hated, pursued, bullied and harassed because of Jesus. You may die for Jesus.

To many, this is a shock to the system. Churches and evangelists often paint the picture of coming to Christ and having a peaceful, wonderful life without worry or fear. Many falsely believe that they will become a Christian and no longer have financial burden, family struggles, relationship issues, or disrespect.

Unfortunately, saying, “I’m a Christian,” is not a magical phrase that makes all needs and problems go away. Jesus never said, “I’ll make your life easy.” In fact, those last verses point to life being anything but easy. Jesus let us know that you may die for His cause, being persecuted for being righteous, by Jesus’ Godly standard. Yet, the reward is heaven. Jesus let us know that they will revile, mistreat and abuse us, and even persecute us because we belong to Jesus. Of course, the ultimate persecutions are torture and even death. And let us not forget the prophesied end-times in which all believers will be hated, sought and killed based entirely on their faith.

This is not to say that there are no benefits to being Christian. First of all, there’s heaven. We also do have immeasurable amounts of mercy upon us, peace that surpasses understanding, Spiritual gifts, such as tongues, prophecy, wisdom, etc. We are allotted blessing upon blessing for both the present life and our eternal life, all according to the Holy Spirit. The rewards always outweigh the concerns of being Christian.

What many do not understand is that being persecuted is not all bad. Surely, it is terrible for the moment. It is horrific to undergo the suffering that some brothers and sisters in Christ endure, even to this day. Yet in the end the reward is amazing. We live eternally in the presence of God; we get to look on the face of Jesus the Christ.

Jesus also said, “Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:25) He will give in return an eternal reward. A blessing that lasts not for a day, but forever. The joy is forever. The peace is unending. The harmony is eternal. The presence of the Almighty, Creator God, the Christ who died in our place, such a presence you will be in ceaselessly. These will never, ever go away. Should you suffer for Christ for your entire life of 70, 80, even 100 years, yet in ten-thousand-million years your joyous reward will have only begun.

Mission- Kenya, August ‘09. (Read this letter.)

Note: For a background on this and the previous mission, visit Kenya Calling.

Dear friends:                                                    

           In 2006 I traveled to Kenya, in eastern Africa. While there, the Lord prompted me to return. I am now planning on leading a return trip to Kenya August 9-26, 2009 as the Lord directs. There is much need in Kenya right now! We will be working mainly in the Maasai village, spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.  

At that time of my previous visit, Kenya was the most peaceful and safe country in eastern Africa. After their presidential elections in Dec. 2007, was sparked tribal and religious genocide throughout the country. Over 1,500 were killed, over 600,000 were displaced, and in some instances, churches were burned to the ground while those seeking refuge hid inside. This lasted close to five months. Yet we know, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)

 As I return this summer, the mission will consist of:

• Preaching in the Maasai villages. We have a translator who will interpret the words into the Maasai language. Many of these people will be hearing the gospel for the first time ever!
• Showing the Jesus film. We will show the film, dubbed in Maa, the language of the Maasai. This film will be instrumental in showing the ministry of Christ, and in leading to the salvation of the lost.
• Clothing outreach. We have a lot of clothes in all sizes, but mostly kids. As children grow, both in the bush and in the slums, they do not have access or income for new clothing. Most children wear very old and tattered clothes. We would like to bless them with new items. We only have to get the clothes to them.
• Construction. The main village in which we will be staying has outgrown the building used for the church. (Praise God!) They would like to build a bigger sanctuary out of stone brick (as opposed to corrugated metal). If enough funds are secured, we will purchase the materials to lay the foundation for this new sanctuary and begin its construction!
• Vacation Bible School (VBS). While the children will be on a break from school, we will conduct a VBS series to teach them about Jesus, the Bible, and Godly characteristics.
• Much more. We will have more opportunities that we don’t even know about yet, but one thing is for sure: We will follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, and do the will of the Lord as He instructs.

 I am writing to you to ask for your help. We cannot do this alone. Between flights, lodging, food, materials for work and donation and immunizations, I am looking at a cost of no less than $6,500. If you can assist us, a tax-exempt donation can be made out to:

South Side Christian Church

c/o Kenya Missions

P.O. Box 20800 

Milwaukee, WI 53220 

 Please write “Kenya Missions” or my name, Justin Lessard, on the memo line. Thank you for any consideration.

‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me… Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ –Matthew 25: 35, 36, 40  “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” –Matthew 28:19

            God bless you and those who serve alongside you.

 

Your brother in Christ Jesus our Lord,

Justin Lessard

Servant of Christ

ferventservant1@hotmail.com

Below is a donations form, and below that are a number of facts and other info on Kenya. Please take the time to read it, and prayerfully consider sending a gift.

 

 

 

 

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - –

 

Please print, cut out & send this along with your contribution. Thank you! (Ok to copy/paste this.)

 

 Thank you for supporting the 2009 Mission trip to KENYA 

 

 

 

I pledge to support _______Justin Lessard_______

 

Supporter name(s) __________________________________________________________

 

_________ with my/our prayers

________ with my/our financial gift of (check one) $50_____ $100_____ $150_____ $300_____ $500_____ $1,000_____ Other_____

       (Checks must be received by: March 31, 2009)

 

Send to:       South Side Christian Church

                     P.O.Box 20800

                        Milwaukee, WI 53220                

Attn.: Justin Lessard/ Kenya Mission

 

 - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - –  I wanted to post the most critical info on Kenya. You may notice that a few of the numbers don’t match (ie. population) I don’t know when each piece gathered the info posted (unless noted), but it varies depending on who’s doing the survey. I also imagine that its hard to get precise numbers because of all the Maasai and all the unaccounted for people in the slums. Either way, you get the main idea.

 

 

 The country 

Full name: The Republic of Kenya

Population: 32.8 million (UN, 2005)

Capital: Nairobi

Area: 582,646 sq km (224,961 sq miles)

Major languages: Swahili, English

Major religion: Christianity

Monetary unit: 1 Kenya shilling = 100 cents

Main exports: Tea, coffee, horticultural products, petroleum products

Gross National Income per capita: US $530 (World Bank, 2006)

Situated on the equator on Africa’s east coast, Kenya has been described as ‘the cradle of humanity’. In the Great Rift Valley paleontologists have discovered some of the earliest evidence of man’s ancestors.

Nationality: noun: Kenyan(s) adjective: Kenyan

Ethnic groups: Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 6%, other African 15%, non-African (Asian, European, and Arab) 1%

Religions: Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, Muslim 10%, indigenous beliefs 10%, other 2%
note: a large majority of Kenyans are Christian, but estimates for the percentage of the population that adheres to Islam or indigenous beliefs vary widely

Languages: English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous languages

Literacy: Definition: age 15 and over can read and write Total population: 85.1% Male: 90.6%
Female: 79.7% (2003 est.)

Independence: 12 December 1963 (from UK)

Unemployment rate: 40%

Source: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/ke.html

 

• 52% of Kenya’s 32 million people live below the poverty line of $1 per day.

• A long-running regional drought has affected the food security of three and half million Kenyans .

• Life expectancy is 45 years.1

• More than one in 10 children die before their fifth birthday.1

• More than 400 in every 100,000 women die in childbirth.1

• Access to better water and sanitation is improving; six in 10 Kenyans have access to water from an improved  source.2

• Following the introduction of free primary education, 86%2 of children are enrolled in primary schools (compared to 62% in 1992). Gender equality in primary schools is now at 98%.

• Transition to secondary education has risen from 27% in 1999 to 30% in 2004, with a 2008 target of 70%.

1 2003 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey.

2 2004 Kenya Bureau of Statistics.

  

The people

Population:	37,953,840 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:	0-14 years: 42.2% (male 8,065,789/female 7,953,077) 15-64 years: 55.2% (male 10,498,468/female 10,434,764) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 457,886/female 543,854) (2008 est.)
Median age:	total: 18.6 years male: 18.5 years female: 18.8 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:	2.758% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:	37.89 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:	10.3 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:	at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female total population: 0.965 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:	total: 56.01 deaths/1,000 live births male: 58.95 deaths/1,000 live births female: 53.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:	total population: 56.64 years male: 56.42 years female: 56.87 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:	4.7 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS – adult prevalence rate:	6.7% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS – people living with HIV/AIDS:	1.2 million (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS – deaths:	150,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:	degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008 )

Reward for Following Jesus

²⁷Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?”

 ²⁸And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

 ²⁹“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much,[NIV- a hundred times as much] and will inherit eternal life.

^{30 “}But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.” (Matthew 19:27-30)

 As a man who follows closely what God speaks to me, I can most definitely appreciate this passage. Being of the character that allows one to step out in faith what one believes he is hearing from God, one comes under scrutiny.

The disciples had good cause to ask this question. They had left their lives to follow a miracle-man, a teacher and a prophet, as far as they knew. They followed Jesus for three years, and had no idea what would eventually come of it. Imagine you are at work, doing your job. Fishermen, tax collectors, Pharisees, and prostitutes. These are just a few of the “careers” Jesus interrupted. What about you- on your next shift? Baristas, nurses, machinists, sales clerks, police, priests, pastors, prostitutes and fishermen. All of these He still calls. What if the next time you are at work a man walks in and performs a miracle, saying no more than, “I am from the Father. Follow me.”? Will you? Maybe He supplies enough food for everyone out of enough for only one, or fills the till to overflowing with dimes. Maybe He has you look at the paperwork and it’s already done, or heals someone right in front of you. Will you follow?

That’s exactly what these people did. Simon-Peter, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him. So I wonder how many are actually willing to do what Jesus calls us to, however simple or complex or impossible it may seem. These twelve men did follow Jesus and at the point of the verses in Matthew above, they wanted to know what they were going to get from it.

Take for example the fishermen. Their entire livelihood is their boat and nets. When Jesus said, “Follow Me,” He promised nothing. He gave no reason, other than the feeling that there was more to this man than just mere flesh. Sure, He had caught a bunch of fish, but it could’ve been coincidence, couldn’t it? Most assuredly not. So Jesus tells them what is in store. They would sit on twelve thrones and have the honor of judging Israel.

This is great for those twelve men, but it’s the next line that caught me. Everyone who leaves his home, family or farm (I take that to mean property) for the sake of Jesus will be rewarded many times over and will receive eternal life. This is nothing to take frivolously. It is a great promise for a life of difficult decisions and much willful loss.

Case in point- I have heard the voice of God. He first told me I was to go to Africa in 2005. Upon His telling me this, I was in disbelief at what I had heard, but there is something about the presence of God that causes you to check your disbelief. God knows what He says, and to whom He says it. So I went that next year, in 2006, having everything fit exactly as He said it would. There, I went out to a great hill overlooking a distant, picturesque valley. I began to pray, thanking God for this “once in a lifetime opportunity to serve.” Suddenly, I was cut short by the immense feeling of heaviness by what I’d just said, particularly the phrase “once in a lifetime.” The same feeling of a Holy presence was there with me. I knew I was before God Almighty once again. He spoke, telling me that I would return. Foolishly, I was in disbelief, until a Maasai man confirmed the statement. He had been nowhere nearby when this conversation with God had taken place. I was immediately humbled, wondering why God hadn’t just struck me down for my disbelief in His perfect Word.

In 2007, I was married. My wife knew full well God’s call on my life. She, too, was informed by God of my trip, and several other things, in a similar way. In the first few months of 2008, there was great bloodshed in Kenya, my destination, following a presidential election in that country. I asked God to confirm the call for me to go there, as many Christian churches were burned and believers killed. God told me to face my fears and to go to Kenya as Ananias went to Saul, a Christian-killer who later became Paul, the writer of the majority of the Bible’s New Testament. (See Acts 9:1-19) Ananias was afraid to face the man known for killing believers. On top of that, God wanted Ananias to go and pray for Saul, which would reveal Ananias as a Christian. In the same way that God assured Ananias, He did for me.

Trouble is, there are a great number who tell me how unwise it is. This is what I’ve been told:

• Don’t go there alone.
• Don’t go there without a church (which wants membership and/or your tithes).
• Don’t go at all.
• It isn’t economically sound.
• It isn’t practical.
• It isn’t safe.
• It isn’t necessary.
• It’s wrong to leave your family.

Some of these things may be true, but they are not excuses. When it comes to God’s command, there is never an excuse to neglect it. Allow me point out a few details about our Biblical heroes:

• Noah built an ark: Not necessary (there was no rain).
• Lot followed two strangers command to get out of Sodom: Foolish by today’s standard.
• Abraham took his son up to an alter to kill him: Today he’d be arrested and committed.
• Jacob worked 14 years in a field for a woman. Today, I think he’d be accused of all sort of sin, from burning lust to insanity.
• Moses held up a stick several times, each resulting in a miracle. The Israelites still complained, but today I think they wouldn’t have let him get as far as he did. They might wander for 140 years!
• Esther risked her life for an audience with the king. That’s not safe.
• The fishermen dropped their nets, left their boats (their livelihood) and families and followed Jesus. That’s not economically sound and today would show “poor family relationships”.
• Peter got out of a boat to walk on water with Jesus. Not very practical.
• Daniel prayed openly to God, despite a law prohibiting it. Many would say that his prayers weren’t necessary.
• Jesus died for the sins of everyone-for YOUR sins. Even Peter told Him not to. Jesus’ response? “Get behind me Satan!” Jesus pointed out to Peter that that wasn’t God’s will; it was the will of man.

All of these and SO many more are men and women we call heroes. We look upon them in such high esteem, in such regard. Yet, if any of them were a man or woman in a typical congregation, they would be rebuked for their faith, cast aside, insulted, talked down or outright ejected from the church! We no longer hold in high admiration the strong, enduring faith of such believers, but we try to reason them down as the world would. We attempt to explain away the impracticality of the deed they wish to do. With this continuing on, there is little hope for the church.

No wonder the Bible calls for a great falling away of the faith. These people have no faith left, just religion. Religion that is accompanied by lighting, sound systems, meetings, décor, “group activities”, busyness, hyped up music and user-friendly preaching. They have laid aside Spiritual gifts and teaching that rocks the boat. They refuse to offend a sinner, and in result the Holy Spirit is boxed up, gossip is labeled as “keeping informed for the purpose of prayer”, adultery is a simple and often mistake, sin is allowed so long as we pray later, and there are no prophetic words, no deep soul cleansings, no demons cast out, no healings, no miracles, no Jesus. There is no Jesus is these churches, just the use of His Name, powerless by the covering up of sin and the list of convenient excuses.

What a contrast between the Bible’s definition of a believer and the current worldly church. Jesus made a promise to reward those who will leave something behind and follow Him. It seems so simple. Who wouldn’t want to go out in Jesus’ Name and receive an eternal reward? Given the current religious climate, I can see why it is a rewardable and rare practice.

Justin Lessard

May 2009