ARE YOU LISTENING? 3/1/15

WHEN I began teaching women in a Sunday School class I began with a series called "You’ve Got What it Takes!" It was a little book and I can’t remember who wrote it, but I took the title because it said it all. My emphasis was that with Christ, we could do whatever God wanted us to do. This past week I was watching Joyce Meyer and she was using the title of "We Can Do It"; which was taken from the advertisement of Rosie the Riveter during WW11. She made it clear that the WE was God the Father, Jesus the Son, the Holy Spirit and you! Both clearly calls the Christian to stand firm in all ways!

"I CAN do all things through Christ who strengthens me!" Philippians 4:13 I hate for my world to be so vividly exposed through the world of technicolor technology. The news media has brought it all home to us. I remember during the Desert Storm Battle of 2000; Jim and I could hardly wait to get home from work, to turn on the TV, to sit on the couch eating our dinner, watching the war in action. It was like we were there! You could almost feel the dust and blood spatters along with the smell of oil fumes and burnt flesh.

TODAY we want to watch and be tortured by the futile efforts of the enemy as they behead, burn alive, and to use whatever method they feel will cause our jaws to drop, to kill Christians and even those who are not Christian, to show their power and their, off the wall, allegiance to what they call allah, the Muslim god. We love to be scared; we love to walk a fine line; we love to hate! I use the word we loosely, because I am not part of the we! I hate to be scared, I hate to walk a fine line, and I hate to hate!

"FOR JOHN is the one of whom the scripture says; "Here is my messenger, says God; I will send him ahead of you to open the way for you., remember this! John the Baptist is greater than any man who has ever lived. But he who is least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the time John preached his message until this very day the Kingdom of heaven has suffered violent attacks, and violent men try to seize heaven. All the prophets and the law of Moses, until the time of John, spoke about the Kingdom; "and if you are willing to believe their message, John is Elijah, whose coming was predicted. "Listen, then, if you have ears!"  Matthew 11:10-15    Are you listening?  

I SUPPOSE that those who are least in the Kingdom are greater than John because he lived and died under the law. You and I are under grace! Are you listening! In the Greek there are two meanings for the word violent. The first violent in this passage means to attack, and the second means to be energized. Our news has been likening the attackers of today to those in WW11. Are they alike; yes! Has there been anything else like it; yes! Men of violence always try to force their way in, when they try to conquer a city. Remember, they attempted to make Jesus a political King! "Jesus knew that they were about to come and get him, to make Him king by force, so he went off again to the hills by Himself." John 6:15

IF JESUS had wanted to be a political king, that was His opportunity. He frustrated their plans by going off by Himself. But later the people turned on Him and killed Him and God showed the world His Son! "Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and stone the messengers God has sent you! How many times have I wanted to put my arms around all your people, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not let me! Now your home will be completely forsaken. From now on you will never see me again. I tell you, until you say; "God bless Him who comes in the name of the Lord." Matthew 23:37-39

THE ROMANS came in later and completely decimated Jerusalem. Well over 11,000 were killed in despicable ways and Rome ruled. Are you listening! Prayer is the key to heaven, but Faith unlocks the door! God has given us time; use it well!     BY Jane Ann Crenshaw 3/1/15