The Miraculous Power of Pain & Suffering – By Thomas Koester

When I get strong, I get lost. When I get busy, I get independent. When I get successful, I get lonely.

I was down and out from October 11th, 2013, through mid-January 2014. Life had been hard and painful, but God has never been closer than he’s been with me through those difficult months. I’ll tell you, my dear friends, I’d rather be laid up and laid out with God by my side than lonely but successful in the world any day.

I had gotten to the point in my suffering that I began to thank God for my injuries and sicknesses. I began to see the blessings and the beautiful breaking to my stubborn heart and the fresh and living water flooding into my dry soul. My pain in a miraculous way allowed God’s voice to become magnified, and the whispers of “I love you son” filled my troubled mind in those long and dark, painful nights.

I truly want God, but he’s not necessarily in my busyness, nor is he in my business. He’s not in my self-imposed deadlines, or in the deadlines of others, which weary my body and mind, and cause me to strain and to force my goals above Gods’. He’s not in the coulda, woulda, or shoulda’s, nor is he in my goals of independence and worldly success. God is definitely not in my confused tantrums, my sulking, or complaining.

God is in the midst of suffering; he’s nearby the crushed and the weary, the sick and the lonely. Our God is with the widowed; he’s with the fatherless and alien. He hears the cries and prayers of the broken, the injured, and the weak.

“He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle.” Isaiah 42:3 (NLT)

When I get strong, I get lost. When I get busy, I get independent. When I get successful, I get lonely.

I want God, and therefore, I welcome the pain and suffering so that I might gain all that he has for me through it. This is the process that can get us found in God, which can make us strong in the right things and focus on eternal values, which can bring contentment during our seasons of affliction.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not looking for pain and suffering, only that when it comes, the goodness and presence of God is magnified through it, and therefore, I can revel in it and celebrate because of it. Through it, I have learned that our greatest changes can result from what we suffer. Pain and suffering are powerful for our good!

So, while my body was aching and writhing in pain and anguish, my soul was soaring with God. I worshiped God and thanked him through so much of my illnesses and injuries. The pain still lingers, and the scar, which I now bear on my left leg and knee, will always remind me of God’s faithfulness to me all the way through it.

And so, I thank God for all of it.

One day, I was complaining to my wife, Toni, about a difficult client. I was through and ready to cut the relationship and take a significant loss just to get out of the misery.

Then, Toni pulled the “Book of Job” on me:

“Has not God provided through this person?” she said, and then continued: “Do you really to
throw people away because they sometimes cause difficulty?”

Wow! I was called out and convicted. Thank you, Toni!

I had set aside, not only heaven’s provision for me, but I had set aside God’s provision of grace and mercy towards the one whom God set up to bring such needed financial provision.

“Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not also receive evil?” In all this, Job did not sin with his lips. Job 2:10

I am not deformed, but I am being transformed. The more we complain and lay blame, the slower our remaking through our braking goes. In my recent story with my client, God used my wife to get me back on track and with God’s program.

Our complaining always works against God’s transforming work, and so we fail to see how God masters evil for our good. Our complaining and blaming causes us to only see the badness of evil, rather the goodness of God in spite of it and His creative use with it.

“I form the light and create darkness: I make peace and create evil: I The Lord do all these things.” – Isaiah 45:7

Ha, I’ve not heard that verse preached in Church!

So, if God masters light, darkness, peace, and evil, how can we be destroyed in the day of pain, sickness, and disease? How can we lose if what we fear can not keep us from winning? How then shall we live, if even evil and the day of disaster, is under the control of such a loving and caring Heavenly Father?

I’ll tell ya how we should then live – in Total Victory and with an Overcomer’s Spirit!

Hey, there’s power in what we suffer, no matter how miserable or deadly! But you gotta put away the complaining and start the thanksgiving and praising.

I was just a young teenager of 14 years old when I got a hold of a book titled “By What Standard” by the late Dr. Rousas John Rushdoony, the father of Mark Rushdoony.

Like the late Dr. Rushdoony, the life and story of Job, set the standard of who God is and His power over evil. Page 185 through page 205 of By What Standard is what impacted me most in my life as a teenager. The Book of Job established my foundation for all my understanding of the ways of God and the ability of God. The Book of Job became my standard of biblical understanding and godly comfort.

Like Job, it is blind faith and trust in the Almighty, whereby God shall succeed in spite of our lack of understanding and even confusion. Our suffering is not the end of the means, but the means to an end, forewhich Satan’s must comply with God’s will over our lives and our wellbeing.

So, the key is to invest all of your faith and trust into God’s will, and pain and suffering will become allies to your transformation and glorification.

“In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.” – Hebrews 2:10

Was it not God who invited Satan to consider His servant Job?

Did not God establish the boundaries after he invited Satan to afflict Job?

The Book of Job, chapters one, and two.

God masterfully controlled darkness, sickness, and disease over His servant Job, but He also displayed His power over the Prince of Darkness.

The Book of Job reveals how Satan must obey the very boundaries that God sets up, leaving Satan and all evil under the power of the God of the Universe and Creator of all things. And yes, including all angelic beings, and even those who’ve failed at the Heavenly coup d’état of God’s throne and power, and dare I say, they failed miserably!

‘God spoke to Cain:”Why this tantrum? Why the sulking? If you do well, won’t you be accepted? And if you don’t do well, sin is lying in wait for you, ready to pounce; it’s out to get you; you’ve got to master it.” – Genesis 4:6-7

We can master sin because God has mastered evil, and his Son, Jesus Christ, has vanquished our sin. He destroyed death and conquered the grave! But tantrums and sulking leave you vulnerable, and instead of victory, you’ll end in defeat.

So, we can thrive in pain and suffering, in loss and betrayal, and evil shall not destroy us. Evil becomes a weapon in the hand of God, disarming our enemy and thwarting evil’s plan for our destruction.

Do you want to disarm the Evil One? Then, praise God in the midst of all that hell has unleashed and bask in the suffering with thanksgiving. Trust fully in the God who knows what He is doing and the limits for which evil must obey.

Can we lose?

“No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Romans 8:37

Put your faith and trust in God and become transformed and not deformed by all that you suffer.

Your pain may be your breakthrough into victory and validation that you are a true son or daughter of God and not a fatherless victim.

As a victor, you, too, will see The Miraculous Power of Pain and Suffering.

My Failed Masquerade – By Thomas Koester

God Wants Us As We Are And Not What We Pretend To Be.

It’s been a long season of letting go and stripping down. It’s been a time of pruning and preening, until all the old feathers are removed and the old eagle remains perched, cold, vulnerable, and flightless. It’s a time of humility and powerlessness. It’s a time whereby I’ve become blind, deaf, and mute. I long for even the faintest whisper from the Almighty; a glimpse of his existence, and acknowledgement of my prayers.

It’s a time where others are making my decisions, not because I am a king (my time of reigning has deminised) but, because God’s interest are sonship and not kingship at this time in my life. God must have his way, or I will become too strong, too hardened, and too important. While my flesh yearns for such strength, independence, and self-importance; yet, His Spirit calls me heavenward.

So, I am sent back into the womb; into seclusion; into the hands of God to be reformed, kneaded, and made pliable, until my obedience becomes instinct, and my quality becomes refined. The purest gold is crystal clear and what we call beautiful, God calls dross.

In our human fragility and stubbornness, we cease the process of humility way too early. If it’s our own deconstructing and demolition, we blame it on the devil. If it is a friend or neighbor facing such travails, we jump in to save and to fix, and so short-circuit God’s best work in them. As singer/songwriter, Jill Phillips has so artfully penned into song,

“…God is both the builder and wrecking ball.”

And this truth gives good reason I cling to hope; amazingly, through it all, our God is in control. My deconstructing can be a good thing, if it is God swinging the wrecking ball.

Religious-populace thought, has dwarfed my perception and need for God. The extractible biblical principles and acquirable blessings “by cause and effect,” granted me the promised land of goodies without intimate relationship with Yahweh. I have become an idolater and have joined the ranks of “Christians,” who have reformed and refashioned their gold and silver into objects of worship. We call it “Yahweh,” and have found a way to satisfy our itch for deity worship and maintain our addiction to sin.

We’ve even learned to worship our worship! And crave “the anointing” more than the Anointer.

We’ve convinced ourselves and others that God as “Love,” trumps God as Justice, Holiness, and Righteousness. Oh, but how many of us do cry out for true justice, righteousness, and holiness?

Mainstream Christianity has reinvented God. He’s become a benevolent and tolerant God, full of winks, giggles, and thumbs-up at our sins.

So, I’ve been quiet and introspective. I’ve taken a look under the hood and it’s time for rebuilding and rethinking. Twenty-first Century Christianity is finally equivalent to First Century Phariseeism, only without the dark and flowing robes and phylacteries.

We’ve convinced ourselves that observances and the mastering of principals and rote make us acceptable to God. We are all white on the outside, but dead and dirty on the inside. We shut our ears and mouths to our own inner immorality and conflict; we direct the attention of others to our outward achievements and ministry appointments. We protect our own duplicity at the cost of our own identity.

We prefer to live in the shadows; not too much in the light or too much in the darkness. In the end, it is God we must convince, and He sees through our masks and into our hearts. There are no shadows with the Almighty!

We’ve become the generation who’d see to the arrest of Jesus; treat him as an imposter, a fake and a phony; his presence an annoyance, and his outspokenness a disturber of our traditions. We’d cast him out of our carpeted and high-tech sanctuaries and chase him and his homeless faction back to 73rd and West MacArthur.

We simply would not recognize Jesus of Nazareth, nor agree with his lifestyle and “unsuccessful demeanor” and lack of corporate-ness.

I’m on a quest to find the simplicity of what Jesus taught. To archeologically excavate and rediscover what decades of religious debris has covered over, like the sands of time.

So, that’s what has been going on in the inside. The outside is a different story. It must be mastered, or it will become my master. And this is my battleground. It’s an ancient battle fought by many, and won by so precious few. My prayer is to join the few, by relying on God’s grace and power, through Jesus Christ.

Our Sunday morning masquerading must come to an end. The pretense and fakery must be replaced with humility and honesty, or else we’ll become master Pharisees. We must capture our first love again and shed our sophisticated and false adult-selves and become God’s children again.

God wants us as we are and not what we pretend to be. Jesus didn’t come for fakers or liars, but for the broken and humble.

Pretenders pretend that their sins and shame are covered behind their false personas. Their so-called salvation is their masquerade, which, by the way, only assures them a full dance card outside with sweaty dogs and demons.

“Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.” – Revelation 22:14-16

I pray, that we as a redeemed people, can leave all the religious fakery behind and get back true redemption and rejoin God in redeeming this world. Because, if you haven’t noticed, this world is headed full speed towards hell.

Blessed are those that remove their masks and cease their love affair with living a lie.

My prayer is that God will also help you fail at your masquerade. Amen

Inconvenient Truths vs. Reassuring Lies – By Thomas J. Koester

Because reassuring lies are not so convenient.

The reason reassuring lies are so popular is because lies are safe and convenient. But the world and Church are out of time for safety and convenience.

There is no other important message to the Church in America today than repentance. I’m not speaking about the lost repenting, but Christians repenting for the sins of omission. A retreating Church in a culture war is the death of any nation.

We’ve forgotten how important the Church was to the Founding of America, not only to its formation, but also to its influence on politics and education.

America dosen’t necessarily suffer from bad politics, as bad as they may be, but more so from thousands of Churches suffering from disassociative disorder.

Symptoms of a disassociative disorder:
“feeling disconnected from yourself and the world around you.”

There’s far too many Christians and Churches disconnected from their identity as true disciples of Jesus, and therefore, they lost their witness to a lost world around them. A self-focused Church is not the work of Heaven. It’s symptomatic of a lost identity and purpose.

So, I gotta ask, why all the self-focused Churches? Where did this philosophy come from, if not from Heaven?

So, here’s the inconvenient Truth that many of us are avoiding, repentance from omission and disengagement.

Somewhere along the way we ceased being a missional Church to something else.

Early Protestants accused the Catholics of making big business out of Christianity. The Roman Catholics had fused a business concept to its ecclesiastical order and to soteriological precepts. They used to sell religious stuff, like trinkets, souvenirs, even selling indulgences, a monetary payment of penalty which, supposedly, absolved one of past sins and/or released one from purgatory after death.

Sadly, today, many mainstream Evangelicals have made Christianity into big business. They kept the business concept of church structure intact from the Catholics. While mega-churches and TV Evangelists are the extreme examples of “church business,” many mainstream Protestant and Charismatic Churches are structured like business.

How do you tell if a Church or ministry is a business?

“If someone ceases to be valuable to you because they no longer attend your church — you’re not in ministry — you’re in business!” – Author Unknown

Many Churches want large buildings, big budgets, catchy names, and viral exposure. Heck, many rebrand themselves every decade or so, just to stay on the cutting edge of marketing. Yep, there’s a lot of competition out there for those parishioners! Hmm, kinda sounds like a business to me. But is that model that Jesus wanted?

Well, we know He didn’t want a seeker-friendly, money focused Church.

He wants a Kingdom seeking Church. A Church that sets its priority seeking first God’s Kingdom and His Righteousness.

So then, what about budgets, buildings, and ledgers?

Well, Jesus thought of that. He tells his followers that all those things, which the world toils and sweats after will be freely given to us!

Yep, Matthew chapter 6: 25-34. This is a great passage to read in unison as a congregation.

I dare you to try it!

Yes, yes, I know these are indeed hard words, but they are necessary. Sometimes Truth is inconvenient. It certainly was for Jesus and His Father. Speaking Truth cost Jesus His life, but look what it won for us — look what He’s done for the World!

You remember, John 3:16 don’t you? Let me ask you; has it simply become a catchy phrase, a lovely cliché you like to recite? Don’t you think if we truly believed John 3:16, we’d be out in the world seeking out and speaking to the “whomsoevers?”

The truth is, if God’s people do not repent of these evils, as subtle as they may appear, God’s judgment will begin with His House. If it begins with God’s House, what of the world? Where is your compassion of them?

I’m sure you remember the story of Jesus, as recorded in John chapter 2, chasing out the moneychangers, you know, the sellers and buyers and money managers inside His Father’s House?

Yep, and it goes onto imply that Jesus was not a happy camper; taking the time to brade a whip, afterwhich, he stormed into His Father’s House a whippin and a thrashin, knocking tables and chairs over, while chasing the prayerless and money focused from His Father’s House!

“… and the Zeal for your house shall consume me!” John 2:17

So, don’t hangout with moneychangers and so-called business focused ministries.

So, to wrap things up…

You have the Light of the Glorious Gospel for a world going darker day-by-day.

Simply repent from retreating and being AWOL (Absence Without Leave) from your duty to King and Kingdom. Then go shine God’s Light into the darkness. Cancel out the reassuring lies with the inconvenient Truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Once they believe, Truth won’t be so inconvenient. Especially, after you show them how to repent.

The Power of History – By Thomas Koester

I was asked by a friend what inspires me to write and what resources do I use?

Five things that influence and inspire me:

Lifetime of reading Scripture.
Reading and understanding Church history.
Observation of current events, (watching and listening to reliable men and women, and paying attention).
Observation of the spiritual and political times/climate in which we live.
Application of these fundamentals determines probable outcome, i.e. cause and effect.

These are the five things that impact me everyday. However, there is one other impact in my life, and since it is not a thing, it’s on its own list and category. It is none other than the Holy Spirit, the Voice of Scripture and the Whisperer of God’s heart.

God’s Spirit makes alive the Holy Scriptures, in an almost four-dimensional way. Speaking at times, to the center of my being; awaking my conscience, convicting my mind, easing my worries, and wooing my heart. So, there it is, six areas of impact and influence.

Aside from the Holy Spirit and Scriptures, History is a very reliable teacher. History truly does repeat itself. It’s not hard to look at the past to understand our future. The old saying is true:

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana, The Life of Reason, 1905

This explains the Cancel Cultural. They want to forcibly cancel and erase the past to assure the past will repeat itself. More pointedly, their objective is to implement the Marxist past into our current reality without notice and without resistance. But if the masses knew the past atrocities of Marxism and Communism and the failure of Socialism, we would still be a free nation. I say this with meaning and unfortunate intentionality, as we are no longer a free nation.

Sadly, our “freedom” is a mirage, an illusion. We lost it some time ago. What we perceive as “freedom,” is what “they” tell us. Most of what is broadcasted are lies, misstruths, misstatements, well crafted and expertly produced propaganda.

If Christians knew Church and secular history it wouldn’t be stuck and steeped in Romanism, Hinduism, and paganism. If American Christianity didn’t sell its birthright of light and salt to the nations for the warm stew of a 501(c)(3) tax advantage, Christianity would’ve been an enormous and effective influence over culture and politics. Freedom would still be a reality.

If Christianity would’ve understood the impact of unbiblical eschatology and the recent emergence of premillennial dispensational theory of the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Gospel would have singlehandedly changed our nation and the world.

So I write to inform. To inspire. To alert and to awaken curiosity and hopeful action.

Interestingly, when I write on my favorite topic, matters of the heart, and the Father-heart of God, it gets little attention. But when I write on political issues or commentary, it gets much more notice and conversation.

The truth is being connected to God and deriving our core identity as his beloved children should supercede politics, religion, health, and beauty. But it does not. This is a very sad and unfortunate commentary of 21st Century Christianity. It is being replaced by humanism, the occult, sadosexism, gender disforia, and the sexulization of children, all being done in broad daylight!

The Church is to be about the Father’s business not about Church business. We’re left to expand and preach the Gospel of the Kingdom. But alas, Jesus’ Great Commission to the Church has become the “Great Recommendation,” and so our culture and the world suffers.

There is preaching going on in the world and culture, don’t get me wrong, but it’s the antithetical gospel of heathenism and hedonism. The Kingdom Gospel is to the world and not to the Church. The Kingdom of God is meant to expand into the world and nations from the Church.

So, the opposite happened. Instead the world has entered the Church, taken over its mission, the proclamation the Kingdom’s righteousness to the proclamation of their unrighteousness. Therefore, unrighteousness has entered into and metastasized throughout culture and society more rapidly and deadlier than a virus.

Jesus didn’t leave us behind to simply hold-on or to hold-out until he comes back — quite the opposite!

This word “occupy” means to be busy, it literally means “to carry on business of investing and trading. Jesus’ meaning is not too difficult. He is telling us to “TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS,” TO KEEP BUSY UNTIL HIS RETURN. It means to carry on with his work, his commands, and his commission. He came to save the world not to condemn the world. He showed his disciples (us) how to carry on his plan of redemption. But instead, we’ve condemned the world with our silence and our misunderstanding of occupying.

The Roman army didn’t confuse the concept of occupying when they sacked kingdoms. They knew that to occupy was to culturalize the conquered territory; to make it Roman, to Romanize the people, politics and religion. Roman generals were also called apostles.

Did you know that the term apostle, oringally came from Greece? Jesus borrowed the term “aspostolos” when he declared his twelve disciples as “apostles.”

“And He Himself gave some to be apostles…”
— Ephesians 4:11

“During the time of the ancient Greek orator Demosthenes (384-322 BC), the word apostolos was a naval term that described an admiral, the fleet of ships that traveled with him, and the specialized crew who accompanied and assisted the admiral.

The fleet would be sent out to sea on a mission to locate territories where civilization was nonexistent. Once an uncivilized region was identified, the admiral (called the apostolos) — along with his specialized crew and all their cargo and belongings — would disembark, settle down, and work as a team to establish a new community. Then they would begin the process of transforming a strange land into a replica of life as they believed it should be. Their purpose was total colonization of the uncivilized territory.” Source: https://renner.org/article/the-historical-meaning-of-the-word-apostle/

Do you now have a better understanding of the concept of occupying until he returns?

You see, if Christianity does not see itself as a spiritual and cultural occupying force, another force will occupy and it won’t come with “healing in its wings.” It comes with a spirit of devastation and destruction in its horns.

“But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall” (Malachi 4:2, ESV)

I don’t think we, or our neighbors, are “leaping like calves from a stall,” these days.

“But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings.”

“But for you…,” but, who is the you?

“…who reverence my name,” thats the “who!” The “who” can also mean the unsaved. It is our responsibility to bring about reverence of God’s name and rule to the nations, so that they too would have reverence for the Creator-God.

The point is that Christianity has so far, failed its mission, and, among many other things, has disobeyed Jesus’s commands. Christianity is fragmented, into what some are reporting, as many as 44,000 denominations among Evangelicals, Protestant, Pentecostal, and Charismatic churches. Talk about ignoring history, how about Christianity ignoring His Story? Ignoring the power of history has affected the unity of Christianity.

What must we all do?

Repent, believe and obey the Gospel!

Re-engage community and culture with the Kingdom Gospel and stay busy occupying every sector of society in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Let’s create a better history together!

Until Jesus returns. Amen

Thank you, Cor Dolor, for your inspiration!

If We Only Had A Brain – By Thomas J. Koester

If you were an alien arriving to earth from a far faraway galaxy, what would you report back to planet Vagus, located deep within the Andromeda Galaxy?

Would you report that intelligent life exists? Would you find anything of value to justify your 2.5 million light year journey?

The truth is that after careful study of earthlings, you might conclude that earth’s prime species is in a quick and steady course of de-evolution. The prime species had long ago reached its pinnacle and is quickly reverting into primitivism and tribalism. You may even report back that the earthling’s three-pound central organ had lost its use like their appendix. No faculty of learning. No intelligence, and absolutely no commonsense!

I think your data would prove there’s no reason to be introduced to earth’s brain dead leaders, especially if you were planning on invading North America!

I love the story, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, written by Frank L. Baum in 1900. I love the characters he developed; the homeless Dorothy, the heartless Tin Man, the cowardly Lion, and the brainless Scarecrow. It almost seems as though Mr. Baum was writing prophetically, a fitting allegory of 21 Century North America!

But today, due to our current sexual and culture war, I’m going to focus on the Scarecrow and his quest for a brain.

If the average American could have the same drive and quest that Mr. Scarecrow had, maybe we wouldn’t be a nation in decline and a de-evolved species. “If I only had a brain,” would become America’s quest and desire, maybe then, she could survive the 21 century.

Brain inactivity is rampant. Not only society in general, but in our institutions, such as grammar schools, universities, colleges, governments, corporations, and yes, even in many religious organizations. The evidence is indisputable and is absolutely inexcusable!

Who’s to blame?

All of us! Left, Right, Atheist, Saint, Pastor, Priest, Parishioner, and Patriot, we all are culpable and guilty for America’s decline. You and I are responsible for the current cultural absurdities. Our passivity is killing America, just as it has destroyed many kingdoms, nations, and civilizations.

“Bullies may be the perpetrators of evil, but it is the evil of passivity of all those who know what is happening and never intervene that perpetuates such abuse.” -Philip Zimbardo

“Passivity is fatal to us. Our goal is to make the enemy passive.” – Mao Zedong

So, there it is in plain view! We’re all guilty of passivity. And, yes, we were lulled into passivity by an evil enchantment cast upon us by an unseen enemy.

Don’t you recognize what’s been going on? Have you so easily forgotten our original story? Don’t you remember Evil’s entrance into paradise? Its enticement to cause earth’s first parents to doubt God?

“The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”

“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” – Genesis 3:1, 4-5

Where was Adam when the serpent was deceiving Eve?

He was standing right there, next to her!

“The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. Genesis 3:6 [Emphasis mine]

You see, Adam was actually the first of the brainless scarecrows. His brainless passivity ruined it for all mankind. (Whoops, I meant “people-kind” how insensitive of me!) Adam concluded that God had been holding out on him. It is that thought that gave rise to Adam feeling offended by his Creator.

Mao Zedong’s quote above, about passivity, is as deadly today as it played out during his dark evil reign over the Chinese people. “His rule was from the 1^st of October 1949 – 27 September 1954. Mao’s government was responsible for vast numbers of deaths, with estimates ranging from 40 to 80 million victims due to starvation, persecution, prison labour, and mass executions, which drew criticism for being considered totalitarian rule.” Source, Wikipedia.

All offenses find their origin in the unfortunate story of doubting God’s goodness and His generosity. And so, Adam and Eve’s son, Cain, becomes offended by Abel, and so kills his brother. This stupidity of offense has spread throughout our planet more rapidly and deadlier than a virus.

Is it possible that our fate will be that of China’s?

No one can accuse the Chinese people of being ignorant or unintelligent. To the contrary. However, they were conquered by the Marxist and Communist. Their enemies were passivity and brainless tolerance. Their captors brilliantly used these psychological tools to lull the Chinese nation into slavery and death.

It is happening here, now, in America!

We have become a nation of cultural pacifists and controlled, whether you admit or not, by a brainless tolerance, allowing the moral and political destruction of the greatest nation in modern history!

So, the moral of the story – Go get your brains back! Before it becomes too late!

Or…

…Buckle your seatbelt, Dorothy, cause [America] is going, bye-bye!”

Don’t be a Mr. or Mrs. Scarecrow!

Who Is On The Lord’s Side? – By Thomas Koester

Because my side, your side, or their side may be equally wrong.

Frankly, I’m amazed at how many people post and boast about the Lord being in their side. Isn’t it the other way around?

Who is on the Lord’s side?

Are we not a blessed people because we’re on the Lord’s side?

If we post and boast about God being on our side, then His will, which exists in Heaven, is ignored and left undone. Even Jesus taught us how to pray in the right direction…

“…thy will be done on earth as it exists in Heaven,” taught Jesus.

It seems as though the prevailing theme among many “believers” is to pray the opposite of what Jesus taught us.

“My will be done in Heaven as it exists on earth,” is not what Jesus Christ had in mind.

We get our needs met by obeying God, by doing His will; by seeking first the Kingdom of God, and then our essentials will be given to us.

God encouraged Joshua to “Be Strong and Courageous.” This encouragement wasn’t given to Joshua and his buddies so they can get their needs met, but that he would lead God’s people into His promises and for His purposes.

Remember when Joshua and his army crossed the Jordan river? When they got to the other side, they were met by an angel with a bright sword.

“Are you on our side, or the Enemy’s side?” questioned Joshua.

“Neither,” said the Angel, “I am on the Lord’s side.”

Psalm 11 (ERV)

To the director: A song of David.

1 I trust in the Lord, so why did you tell me to run and hide? Why did you say, “Fly like a bird to your mountain?”

2 Like hunters, the wicked hide in the dark. They get their bows ready and aim their arrows. They shoot at good, honest people.

3 What would good people do if the wicked destroyed all that is good?

4 The Lord is in his holy temple. The Lord sits on his throne in heaven. He sees everything that happens. He watches people closely.

5 The Lord examines those who are good and those who are wicked; he hates those who enjoy hurting others.

6 He will make hot coals and burning sulfur fall like rain on the wicked. They will get nothing but hot, burning wind.

7 The Lord always does what is right, and he loves seeing people do right. Those who live good lives will be with him.

Verse 3 says: “What would good people do if the wicked destroy all that is good?” Isn’t this what is exactly happening? The wicked are perverting the rule of law and justice. They are changing the definition of everything which used to be sound and good.

How can we do the good that God has planned for us if we fail to call upon his will and purpose from heaven?

The truth is that you and I, and even the church collectively can do nothing but repent, pray, and turn our hearts towards the God of Heaven and Earth. Our fate is now in the hands of God, as it should be. But alas, had we acted like the people of God in the first place, perhaps things wouldn’t have gotten so off course. Perhaps the people’s fate would be synonymous with the will of God in Heaven.

Perhaps if we would’ve prioritized the Kingdom of Heaven and pursued the Righteousness of Jesus Christ, that his righteousness, being our righteousness would have exalted our Nation. Perhaps the age-old foundations of sound truth and justice would’ve prevailed and withstood the onslaught of such wickedness, and our out of control, wayward government.

Here is some good news. Though they will try, and seemingly succeed in their schemes and wicked plans, the Lord knows what they are up to. He does not blink, nor does he shrug it off. Our God is tirelessly on duty! He will avenge his Truth and His Justice and the innocent of the earth. He will not be mocked, nor will he allow these who pervert all that is good and true to go unpunished.

All we can do at this point is put our whole trust into God and know that He is not like man that he would lie, nor like man, or governments, who make their plans in darkness. Our hope is in the Lord. He is the God of the Angel Armies. We know the end of the story! He is God our Redeemer, Father to the fatherless, to the widowed and to the orphaned, and to the wanderer. He is our shield in times of disaster and adversity. He is our only refuge and our only shelter. We must put our trust and faith in him.

Gird yourselves up in the Lord. Read and understand all the promises of God. Keep Truth and Justice alive in your own hearts, homes, and businesses. Seek the heavenly order of God’s ever-present and ever-expanding Kingdom. Practice righteousness to your neighbors, to your coworkers; at your board rooms and dinner tables.

Practice all that is the opposite to what this evil regime is perpetrating over us. Operate in the opposite spirit. Where there is greed, sow generosity. Where there is hatred, sow love and forgiveness. Where there are lies, sow truth and honesty. Where there is evil, sow what is innocent and pure.

Refuse to become corrupted. Stand in Christ, and only kneel at his feet and not at any despotic or tyrannical government, no matter how benevolent or generous they may appear. This is the sleight of hand that you must become wise to.

“Be without fear in the face of your enemies. Be brave and upright, that God may love thee. Speak the truth always, even if it leads to your death. Safeguard the helpless and do no wrong; that is your oath.” The Kingdom of Heaven” (Movie)

One other thing… When asked to pray, pray while they are still near you and in your hearing. Why? Because far too many of us say we’ll pray but forget to do so. Maybe saying you’ll pray has become a kind phrase, its just something you say to cheer up hurting people. Or perhaps you use the famous 🙏 🙏 🙏 emojis to simply show support.

What people really need from us is the Lord God, from whose side we’re on. They will benefit from our connectedness to the Lord.

“Be strong and courageous. Be very strong and be very courageous. Do not be dismayed or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua, Chapter One, verse nine.

Who is on the Lord’s side? Who do you choose to serve?

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!

We earnestly pray that God is victorious in his plans, and in so doing, as we join Him in His work. Then our needs are met here on earth, as it exists in Heaven. Amen

Where Have All The Good Men Gone? – By Thomas Koester

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Edmund Burke

“Where have all good men gone, and where are all the gods?

Where’s the streetwise Hercules to fight the rising odds?

Isn’t there a white knight upon a fiery steed?
Late at night, I toss, and I turn, and I dream of what I need

I need a hero

I’m holding out for a hero till the end of the night

He has to be strong, and he has to be fast, and he has to be fresh from the fight

I need a hero

I’m holding out for a hero till the morning light. He’s gotta be sure, and it’s gotta be soon, and he’s gotta be more significant than life…” Lyrics by Bonnie Tyler

“In peace, nothing so becomes a man as modest stillness and humility; but when the blast of war blows in our ears, then imitate the action of the tiger; stiffen the sinews, disguise fair nature with hard favored rage. . .” William Shakespeare

We live to fight for others; there’s no time for the cowardice of heart or the indulgence of sorrow and pity…we have no time for what might have been, but only for what must be done! …Stop licking your wounds, get’m healed, then back into the fight we go!

We men, must, in great haste, understand the times in which we live. It is no accident or coincidence that you’ve been born in such infamous days. You will not survive what lies ahead unless you ready yourself, strengthen your heart, and clear your mind of worry.

Your soul is witnessing your actions; your wife and kids are watching; angels are gathering, and demons are unsettled.

Become the man you’ve been destined and chosen to be, give God his due, or die trying.

Our warfare is not against men and politics; we’re not battling flesh and blood, minorities or extremist; our fight is with spiritual wickedness in high places and unseen principalities; evil puppeteers are preying on the weakness of mortal men, enticing them with absolute power to cause absolute corruption.

Pay attention! If you refuse to battle the spiritual darkness of our time, you’ll be swept up into its evil, neutrality is equality with darkness, and bystanders will soon become backsliders.

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Edmund Burke

Good men, do something! Doing nothing is an abandonment of your masculine soul and God-given role in this world. There are only two kingdoms, the Kingdom of Darkness and the Kingdom of Heaven. Your convictions and actions dictate which Kingdom you belong to and not your “good” intentions.

Turn your gaming and playtime into the prayers of warriors and saints. Act like the heroes of our ancient faith, who’ve never seen their victories in the land of the living, but gave their lives nonetheless. They are in the heavens, cheering us towards glory and final victory.

“As it goes, everyone will receive what his actions in life have cultivated. Whoever has labored diligently and patiently to do what is right—seeking glory, honor, and immortality—God will grant him endless joy in life eternal. But selfish individuals who make trouble, resist the truth, or sell out to wickedness will meet a very different fate—they will find fury and indignation as the fruit of living in the wrong.” – Romans 2:6-8 (VOICE)

Start doing what is proper; do it with everything you’ve got. What you do, or do not do, has eternal consequences.

Say: “goodbye” to selfishness and passivity, and say: “hello” to glory, honor, and immortality!

Earn your crowns to have something to lay down at the feet of your King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

There is no room for second-place winners in the Halls of Heaven.

“Remember, there is only one foundation, the one already laid: Jesus Christ. Take particular care in picking out your building materials. Eventually, there is going to be an inspection. If you use cheap or inferior materials, you’ll be found out. The inspection will be thorough and rigorous. You won’t get by with a thing. If your work passes inspection, fine; if it doesn’t, your part of the building will be torn out and started over. But you won’t be torn out; you’ll survive—but just barely.” 1 Corinthians 3: 12-15 (MSG)

“Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste death but once.” William Shakespeare

We need men to be men and transition into warriors rather than women.

“Watch and keep awake! Stand true to the Lord. Keep on acting like men and be strong. Everything you do should be done in love.” 1 Corinthians 16: 13-14

Where have all the good men gone?

He’s you!

Faith In The Fiery Furnace – By Thomas J. Koester

Is your faith ready for the fiery furnace?

“If our God, whom we honor, can save us from a blazing furnace and from your power, he will, Your Majesty. But if he doesn’t, you should know, Your Majesty, we’ll never honor your gods or worship the gold statue that you set up.” Daniel 3:17-18

As the banks fail, global economies collapse, and protests around the world turn violent; we believers everywhere must cling to God and His Word and never cease from honoring our God. We must resist men who threaten to seize control over our lives and who are progressively replacing the God whom we worship, with false gods and ideologies increasingly infesting our sacred institutions.

We will never bow to a false president, nor accept fraudulent elections. We will not honor any decrees which dishonor God or the sanctity of life. We will never worship the government or live by every word from the mouth of Washington DC.

We refuse to listen to fakers and thieves, whether in Church or government, cable news, or podcasts.

So, even if our God delays, our most sincere prayers and longing for a New Heaven and a New Earth, we’ll never honor false gods or fake news broadcasts, nor will we honor their czar-gods, or worship “the golden woke programming” that they continue to force upon us!

Why? Because the Church will be too busy searching and for the lost and reaching them in the four corners of this darkening world.

Rise O’ Bride of Christ, your finest hour has dawned this year of tragedy, our window of opportunity to exploit the last rays of freedom’s daylight is closing. Otherwise, the day of our persecution and times of trouble spoken about in the Scriptures will soon provide the contrast which should have been there all along.

Our listening to glorious Sunday morning messages, to talk radio, Christian branding, and marketing of worldly delights have caused us to forfeit the grace and culture that could have been ours. We’ve lost our nation not because we adhered to our Christianity but because we did not preach its redemptive messages outside of our pretty church buildings and corporate structures.

We’re losing our Nation not because we’ve not read enough Christian authors, or followed each crazed Christian fad, but rather because we chose passivity and embellished ourselves on “Turkish Delights” of Worldliness, and gazed too long at the bewitchment of the Queen of Goodies and new Technologies. (For which I, too, am guilty).

Because we used our freedom to form and fashion false gods of tolerance — gods of laughs and giggles -— and thumbs up and “Likes” to our sins and compromises. So, we branded our “Golden Calf” with the name “Yahweh” to ease our guilty consciences and silence the voice of God’s whispering Holy Spirit of repentance.

Our Nation’s ruin is not our failed politics or lack of political might, but rather our refusal to preach the Gospel of a better order and of an eternal and expanding Kingdom. A Kingdom led by the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and the Presidents of Presidents, that is Jesus Christ, The Righteousness of God!

But there is still hope. And, the God of all hopes dwells within you. The time is NOW to declare the Hope which is inside of you. For how can it be hope unless you speak it out to the hopeless and the hope-lost?

Put down the false gods of our age, and thus brighten the future of America. Our liberty was won by people whose God is the Lord!

Get your faith and houses in order. Decide now, not later what you will do when the world crashes around you.

“Fear nothing—not wild wolves in the night, not flying arrows in the day, Not disease that prowls through the darkness, not disaster that erupts at high noon. Even though others succumb all around, drop like flies right and left, no harm will even graze you.” – Psalms 91:5-7

Whether God does or does not come through for us and our nation, we will never cease from honoring our God!

President Biden and presidential candidate, Harris, you may be destroying our Great Nation, besmirching America’s great name among the nations, robbing our liberties, destroying our securities, and devaluing our properties.

But, Mr. President, you should know this; as you darken America, even to the point of collapse, we’ll never honor your gods or worship the golden statute of wokeism that you set up. We will never turn our backs against the Lord God All Mighty, Maker and Redeemer of Heaven and Earth!

We will face the coming fiery trials like Daniel and as his friends did. We will obey God and not foolish rulers. We will defy your false gods. We will stand firm in our faith no matter the circumstance.

People of God, be brave, be strong, and very courageous! You have the God of the Angel Armies watching over you!

The Tale of Two Churches – By Thomas Koester

Your soul will follow the fate of the church you attend. Make sure it’s the true Church.

The Early Church

While the First Century Church had its challenges, it was devoted to unity, brotherly love, the holy scriptures, apostles teaching, prayer, and evangelism. It was One Church, One Gospel, One Spirit, One Baptism, and one Faith. It was an unincorporated, organic, relational, and Christ-alone hierarchy. It was mobile redemptive communities spreading and growing exponentially by the Spirit of Grace and authentic gospel power. Every believer was required to participate and exercise their spiritual gifts.

The early Church was Apostolic, in that it was a sending and outward reaching movement. Churches then had no fanciful or catchy names, no! The name of the Church was the name of the City. The city was their objective and not their mailing address. Its power source was the resurrection and its message was transformational, not only to one’s life but to the whole community. The Early Church was validated by miraculous signs and wonders.

The Modern Church

For many modern-day churches, most of everything, including religious practice, is influenced by Greco-Roman paganism and occult practice. The influence of First Century authentic Christian practice has nearly been vanquished by emotionalism, relativism, universalism, and progressivism. Many charismatic and pentecostal churches have adopted pagan practice and occult ritual.

This is why today’s evangelical, fundamental, and charismatic [organizations] are nearly ineffectual in propagating a true gospel message and producing true Saints of God. They cannot reproduce in accordance with biblical authority, because they lack authentic spiritual seed. In a metaphorical sense, many modern-day churches have become “GMO,” Genetically Modified Organizations.

The Modern Church has become dynastic, whereby it gathers and reaches inward, within the confines of a building. Rarely do these churches raise up pastors, rather they appoint search committees to seek pastors abroad rather than within. Just like businesses do when searching for a new CEO or chairmen.

These corporate structured churches are known for its emphasis on numbers and not disciples. It is a dynasty governed by an elite celebrity class. Its power source is an institutional and collective hierarchy. Validated by street signs and billboards.

The Herodical and Pharisaical leaven has permeated modern Christianity, along with occult and pagan influences, requiring a second and deeper reformation. Therefore, a time may be coming whereby we exit the modern “church” and start from the beginning. The early reformation did not go far enough and left too much Greco/Romanism and pagan practice intact. The gulf between clergy and laity is too wide and impassable. This ministry fissure wasn’t created or caused by Jesus Christ, but by some other force.

The Absent Church

I am sorry to say, my dear brothers and sisters, we have entered into, and for quite some time, a post-Christian Era. We have surrendered our biblical authority to political correctness and a democratic culture rather than an other-worldly Spiritual Kingdom Economy. Our churches, therefore, are ruled by mass appeal and in-vogue stylistic theologians and fad-mongers.

Did you know that there are nearly 38,000 denominations within the Protestant and Evangelical movements?

Without unity of faith, doctrine, and authentic discipleship, Christianity cannot impact culture and society. What we do inside our denominational buildings is powerless to the outside world.

Authentic biblical truth that could bring deep conviction and godly sorrow has been prohibited in most Sunday morning services. That kind of preaching would send the majority out the doors, never to return, which would negatively affect “church business.”

It is time to make ready and oil up our lamps. Darker days are approaching. The time to cease following false Christs and false teachers is now — the time to end populating and financing false churches has arrived. If you cannot discern while there is light, what will you do when it becomes dark?

The Triumphant Church

Ready yourselves by reading the scriptures like never before. Strap yourselves into God’s promises. Bolt yourselves down to the foundation of God’s word and be prepared to be shaken until all shakable things have been rooted up and out. Cling to your faith, for it will be tried and refined. Trust in Jesus Christ and, by all means, love one another.

Jesus is expecting a triumphant Church and not a worldly tramp.

We know the end of the story. While it will be a bumpy ride, our triumph is secured in Jesus Christ. He is our victory and the Great Shepherd of all who believes and obeys the Truth.

Our inner and outer peace comes from a ruling and reigning King. If He is Lord of your life and Church, He reigns within your heart and congregation. He is the Prince of Peace, and He has chosen to expand His rule and peace through you and His Church.

Your soul will follow the fate of the church you attend. Make sure it’s the true Church.

Untapped Spiritual Power of The Resurrection – By Thomas Koester

The Most Powerful Event In All History, The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

It is undeniable that America is in a post-Christian era. The culture of death and darkness is everywhere. I truly believe the lack of preaching on the single most important event in history has created a vacuum for evil to flourish and death to prevail.

When eternal life is unoffered, uncelebrated, and relatively unknown, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ diminished to a mere annual holiday, overtaken by pagan ritual, the power of the resurrection becomes unknown and untapped.

Target, Walmart, Macy’s, and Hallmark are not to blame for the commercialization of the most powerful event in all human history. This is Christianity’s doing. For they are the arbiters of this most important truth, not department stores!

The sad thing about what this Sunday has become in many churches across America is summed up in one word, “powerless.” Matter of fact, the title Resurrection Day has been replaced with the title ‘Easter Sunday.” The Gospel replaced with Easter eggs, chocolate bunnies, colorful baskets, pastel dresses, and shiny shoes.

It’s not the world offering Easter egg hunts. No, it’s thousands and thousands of churches.

In their minds, it’s the ends justifying the means. A marketing strategy, if you will.

However, I see no such market strategies in the Bible, by either prophet or apostle, preacher or evangelist.

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live even if he dies, and the one who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the central theme of The Gospel!

For Christianity to impact the world and chase the demons and devils of death back onto the shadows, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ must once again become the central theme of The Gospel.

Immediately prior to Jesus’s crucifixion, he appeared as a failure; deserted by his closest followers, deceived by one of his disciples, and rejected by his own people that he came to save. Silent before his accusers, no one spoke on his behalf.

His Father let him suffer a naked and terrible death on a cross. He was buried in a borrowed tomb, which was carefully guarded by nearly a dozen Roman soldiers. He certainly was despised and rejected.

Yet, Christianity finds its roots in the single and most important act:

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

“…and if Christ has not been raised from death, then we have nothing to preach, and you have nothing to believe.” – 1 Corinthians 15:14

It is the power of Christ’s resurrection, which should both compel and propel churches and not budgets, charismatic preachers, or in-vogue programs, pageants, and parades.

“The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all.” – Acts 4:33

The focus of a Church living from the roots and foundation of the resurrected Lord of Life is to seek and save the lost rather than a mausoleum of inactive Christians.

To the early Christians and First Century Church, the Resurrection was their main message. For us today its become an annual holiday.

“I want to know Him inside and out. I want to experience the power of His resurrection and join in His suffering, shaped by His death, so that I may arrive safely at the resurrection from the dead.” – Philippians 3:10-11

If you want a vibrant and alive Church, preach the Resurrection of Christ throughout the year.

If you want a dead church, stay with your religious tips and tricks, and keep following those mainstream, so-called Christian fads and fashions. You may get your numbers and budgets, but you’ll have no real spiritual power.

Without real spiritual power, you’ll have no real spiritual fruit.

The Church was founded and propelled by an Outlaw, and today, the Church is held back by its bylaws.

Get back to the message of Resurrection, and not just on once a year on “Easter” Morning.

Preach powerfully the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing will be upon you all.

The greatest critic and deniers of the resurrection of Christ are not disbelievers and atheists, but those who refuse to preach and live it.

True spiritual success still comes from the most powerful event in all human history…

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

“Do you believe this?”

If you did, you’d be full of life and full of power, and no worldly or spiritual force could stop your message.

Tap into it and live it and gain true spiritual power, power the Lost and the Broken are waiting for.