Hope and Light for Eternity - Dennis McCleod, NZ

 

LoveForHisPeople.org

Hope and Light for Eternity by Dennis McCleod

Dennis McCleod, New Zealand CFI rep 

In the words of Dylan Thomas to his dying father, "Fight against the darkness, don’t give in." There was a time the Light of the World shone brightly. He taught, He debated, and always came out on top, for no darkness can ever quell the light the Lord brings to the lives of people. [John 1:5]

Darkness is only the absence of light. But the Light of Jesus is never absent; He is there at all times and in all places. It is said a person’s heart is full of darkness, [Jeremiah 17:9] which in truth, looking at history, is only because they don’t have Jesus to bring light into their soul. But He is still there, calling, knocking at the door, waiting for His knock to be answered. [Revelation 3:20]

We have the choice to either pull the curtain back to see who is at the door or to open it. Then we can invite Him in or close the door; if we send Him away, it may be our last chance, for we don’t know what tomorrow may bring. [James 4:14] If we accept His hand that reaches out to us, with the words come to me. All who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. [Matthew 11:28]

The things that befall us the next day may seem overwhelming, but with Jesus in our lives, we can overcome all things. [Philippines 4:11-13] Maybe for a time we feel all has left us, but deep down there is a light, a love that lifts the soul so we can see a future, not just now but into the far-off promise. [John 14:3]

As the years pass, the things of life build up to become a wall that seems to block our path. We look left and right, and there is no end to the wall in any direction. We look up, and it is too high to climb. There is no way forward; we are without hope, but then we look and see that Jesus has broken down the wall of partition [Ephesians 2:14] therefore, He can break down any wall that separates us from the truth of the Word that can light up our path [Psalm 119:105] when we call upon His name. [Romans 10:13]

 

Throughout history, there has always been a person raised up by God to speak about the light. People like Paul, once a hater of the Followers of the Way, who suffered and died for the truth of the Word and what Jesus stood and died for. [Romans 8:12-17]

There were the Church fathers in the early years of Ireland who lived the lives of hermits, so they could get closer to the Lord. John Hus of Bohemia spoke to the crowds about faith by confession and not by works [Ephesians 2:8] he was a light to the word of God, illuminating it into the lives of the people.

The authorities tried to silence the message of hope that He spoke from the scriptures by burning him at the stake. This act of terror against the truth did not silence it but set it ablaze for following generations, proving that the darkness can never blot out the true light.

Then came Luther, a man for the times, and the authorities also tried to extinguish this flame, teachings burnt, people killed, but a fire of the Lord can never be doused out once lit. Others followed, Tyndale, who was murdered, and Knox was put to work as a galley slave.

The Wesley brothers, who, they say, prevented a bloodbath during the English Revolution. In the early part of the 20^th century, there came the Welsh revival, which emptied prisons, put police out of work, and hospitals had far fewer patients than normal. Billy Graham filled stadiums worldwide with the message of light and hope, and the list goes on with people bringing light to the lives of thousands. 

 

Now, Gen Z, the generation of computer games and TV screens, people said, were lost. But not so, there are revivals taking place in many parts of the world. Assisting in this came a man called Charlie Kirk, who spoke and brought hope and light to thousands, a man who stood firm on the Word of God. The darkness may be thinking it has removed the flame in Utah, but as I said, the darkness can never douse the light of the Lord.

Charlie Kirk 

The light of Charlie Kirk did not start with him, nor will it end with his death. Has anyone ever tried to put out an oil fire with water? If you have, then you know how useless it is, so to try to extinguish God’s light from spreading by removing one person is an impossibility. In fact, it can have the opposite effect, as has been proven many times down through history. They killed Jesus, thinking that was the end. [John 11:50] However, on the third day, [Luke 24:2-9] a ripple started to flow around the world, which continues to this day, and the death of all martyrs has kept that ripple going near and far.

We come and we go, [Job 14:10] but the truth of the Word continues forever, [Isaiah 40:8] and no evil act can ever bring it to an end. The truth started before time began and will be here for eternity. [Matthew 24:35] For this, we can be forever grateful knowing this life may end, but eternity has been won for us through Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb, the Light of the world, that no darkness can ever remove because the Lord has won the battle against the darkness that once kept us in bondage. [John 8:36]

 #HopeandLightforEternity#DennisMcCleod #Jesus #CharlieKirk #MartinLuther #GenZ #revivals #WordofGod 

A Deadly, Anti-Israel Theological Error by MICHAEL BROWN - Charisma News

Michael Brown

A Deadly, Anti-Israel Theological Error

3/18/2014 MICHAEL BROWN  CHARISMA NEWS

The idea that God is finished with the Jewish people as a nation and that the church has replaced Israel in God’s plan is not only a serious theological error. It is a deadly one as well.

It was this false theology that helped fuel the fires of Jew hatred in one of the early church’s most respected leaders, John Chrysostom (347-407), who once said, “God hates the Jews, and on Judgment Day will say to those who sympathize with them: ‘Depart from Me, for you have had intercourse with My murderers!’ Flee, then, from their assemblies, fly from their houses, and hold their synagogue in hatred and aversion.”

Without this erroneous theology, the Crusades would never have taken place 700 years later.

It was this false theology that helped fuel the fires of Jew hatred in the great reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546), who gave this counsel to the German princes of his day: “First, to set fire to their synagogues or schools. ... Second, I advise that their houses also be razed and destroyed. ... Instead they might be lodged under a roof or in a barn, like the gypsies. ... Third, I advise that all their prayer books and Talmudic writings, in which such idolatry, lies, cursing, and blasphemy are taught, be taken from them. Fourth, I advise that their rabbis be forbidden to teach henceforth on pain of loss of life and limb.” (For many more examples, see my book Our Hands Are Stained With Blood.)

Luther’s murderous words were put into action by none other than Adolph Hitler, beginning the night of Nov. 9, 1938, which is called Krystallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, when, according to Nazi officer Reinhard Heydrich, “815 [Jewish] shops [were] destroyed, 171 dwelling houses set on fire or destroyed ... 119 synagogues were set on fire, and another 76 completely destroyed ... 20,000 Jews were arrested, 36 deaths were reported and those seriously injured were also numbered at 36.”

This is a direct result of a theology that was dead wrong helping to justify deadly actions. (The Nazis were obviously not true Christians, but it was centuries of “Christian” anti-Semitism in Europe that helped make the Holocaust possible.)

To be sure, there are fine Christians today who embrace this same theological error (called replacement theology or supersessionism, meaning that the church has replaced or superseded Israel), and they are absolutely not anti-Semites and they would never sanction the persecution of the Jewish people in Jesus’ name. And they totally repudiate hateful quotes like these just cited.

But the sad fact of history is that it is this very theology that opened up the door to centuries of “Christian” anti-Semitism in the past, and it is threatening to open up that ugly door once again in the present.

In light of the third “Christ at the Checkpoint” conference that just took place in the ancient city of Bethlehem, where issues like these were anything but theological abstractions, it’s important to remember how wrong theology leads to wrong actions.

According to Acts 1, after the disciples had spent 40 days with Jesus after His resurrection, speaking to them “about the kingdom of God” (v. 3), His devoted followers wanted to ask Him one question before He ascended to heaven.

They inquired, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

He replied, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (vv. 6-8).

In other words, that’s a good question, and it certainly makes sense in light of everything we’ve been talking about, but the timing of when that will happen—when God will “restore the kingdom to Israel”—is not of your concern right now. You must concentrate on fulfilling the Great Commission with the help of the Spirit’s power.

But that’s not how John Calvin interpreted Jesus’ reply. As noted by Dr. Paul R. Wilkinson in his book Understanding Christian Zionism, Calvin stated that there “‘were “as many errors ... as words’ in the disciples’ question concerning Israel’s restoration. This, he believed, showed ‘how bad scholars they were under so good a Master,’ and therefore ‘when he [Jesus] saith, you shall receive power, he admonisheth them of their imbecility.’”

Wilkinson also notes, “At the 5th International Sabeel Conference in 2004 [this is an anti-Zionist conference], Mitri Raheb denounced the disciples as ‘very narrow-minded,’ ‘nationalistic,’ and ‘blinded’ for asking such a question.”

To be candid, interpretations like these are nothing more than exegetical nonsense, standing the biblical text on its head.

For example, if the disciples had said to Jesus, “Lord, is this the time for us to take up swords and behead our enemies?” He would not have replied, “It’s not for you to know the time for beheading that the Father has determined. You just concentrate on preaching the gospel.”

Hardly! Instead, He would have rebuked them in no uncertain terms.

But that’s not what He did here, despite the fact that His words are constantly interpreted as if He had said, “You idiots! Don’t you know that I’m through with Israel? Don’t you know that the church has replaced Israel? Have I been with you so long and you still don’t get it?”

Instead, He simply told them it was not for them to know exactly when the Father would restore the kingdom to Israel (something that Jesus and Peter and Paul affirmed; see Matthew 19:28; Acts 3:19-21; Romans 11:28-29; 15:8); their mission was to be His witnesses.

Unfortunately, in our day, as we are seeing an increasing number of Christians turning against the modern state of Israel—and I don’t simply mean that they are criticizing Israel when Israel deserves criticism but that they are rejecting it as a prophetic fulfillment in any sense of the word, also embracing the Palestinian narrative of Israel as an evil occupier and claiming that no prophetic promises remain to the Jewish people as a nation—we are seeing the seeds of Jew hatred being planted again in the hearts of many of these believers. Their hostility to Israel is hardly a secret.

Be careful, people of God!

History could well repeat itself—to the reproach of the name of Jesus, to the disgrace of the church, and to the spiritual and physical harm of the Jewish people—unless we get our theology right.

You have been forewarned.

Michael Brown is author of Hyper-Grace: Exposing the Dangers of the Modern Grace Message and host of the nationally syndicated talk radio show The Line of Fire on the Salem Radio Network. He is also president of FIRE School of Ministry and director of the Coalition of Conscience. Follow him at AskDrBrown on Facebook or at @drmichaellbrown on Twitter.

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'Brave German Woman' Rebukes Islam's Lie

By Dale Hurd

CBN News Sr. Reporter

Friday, February 07, 2014 

SPEYER, Germany -- Islam continues to grow in power and influence across Europe. But at a recent concert in Germany, one Christian woman decided to stand up to it.

"The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace" by Welsh composer Karl Jenkins was supposed to be an interfaith event to bring Christianity and Islam together.

But when the Muslim imam began his call to prayer during the concert, he was interrupted by a small woman in the balcony proclaiming that "Jesus Christ alone is Lord of Germany," and shouting, "I break this curse."

She also invoked the name of Martin Luther and warned the audience that what was happening was "a lie."

The video went viral.

'Brave German Woman'

The mysterious Christian lady became known on the Internet simply as the "brave German woman."

It happened on Nov. 10, 2013 at the Memorial Church of the Reformation in the Rhineland city of Speyer, built to honor Martin Luther.

It isn't just any church. It's a monument to the Protestant Reformation and a memorial to the spiritual transformation of Germany.

It was at this spiritual landmark that a Muslim imam was invited to give the call to prayer. When the brave German woman, whose real name is Heidi Mund, heard about the event, she prayed.

"I was asking Jesus, 'Lord, shall I go there?' So, when I have to drive one and half hours, you know, I think, 'Is it worth it to go or can others go?' So, this is human laziness, yeah?" Mund recalled.
She grabbed her German flag emblazoned with the words "Jesus Christ is Lord" and headed for the concert, still not sure what she would do when she got there.

"Until the imam started with his shouting, I did not really know what to do. I was just prepared for what God wants me to do," she told CBN News.

Then the Muslim call to prayer began, and Heidi said she felt something rising up inside her.

A Holy Anger

"I would call it a holy anger," she recounted. "And then I rose with my flag and I was calling and proclaiming that Jesus Christ is Lord over Germany."

"My purpose was, I broke this curse because [Muslims] say, 'Only Allah is the Lord. He is God, the only God.' And I broke this curse in this church and I broke it over my country," she continued.

And she repeated the words of Martin Luther in 1521 after he refused to recant his faith in scripture alone: "Here I stand. I can do no other" and "Save the church of Martin Luther!"

Video shows another concert-goer trying to calm her by saying, "This is a concert for peace."

Mund can be heard responding in German, "No it's not! Allahu Akbar is what Muslims scream while murdering people! Don't be fooled! Don't be fooled! This is a lie!"

She was thrown out of the church.

"They should have thrown the imam out and not me because I am a believer in Jesus Christ, but he serves another god. This Allah is not the same god. And this is not the truth."

"This 'allahu akbar,' they use it when they kill people," she argued. "This is, for me, worship to an idol, to their god. And when a Muslim calls 'allahu akbar' in a church, that means this church is not a church anymore, it's a mosque."

Church No Place for Imams?

With Mund at the concert was Kamel, who did not give his full name for safety reasons. Before coming to Germany he lived in the Muslim world.

Kamel told CBN News that an imam has no place in a church.

"Islam is one of the reasons for persecution, Muslims have persecuted me. They don´t want me to tell others that Jesus Christ is my Savior."

Also with Mund was Marion, who has also asked that her last name not be included. She belongs to a group calling itself the White Rose, which took the same name as the World War II anti-Nazi resistance group shown in the film "Sophie Scholl: the Final Days."

"Islam is inhuman, the same as in the Nazi time. For me, personally, there is no difference. We want to show Germany and the world that we will not bow down to the slow Islamization of our country," Marion said.

Afraid of Muslims?

Mund said she knows that her first television interview could place her in danger.

"Many people ask me, 'Are you afraid of the Muslims?' And I can only say, 'No, I'm not afraid of them,'" she told CBN News. "I know my God, the living God of the Bible can protect for me for as long as he wants. When my time is over I will go to him."

An evangelist by gifting, Mund grew up an atheist in communist East Germany. But now, as a believer, her burden and her ministry is for the spiritual rebirth of Germany.

"I feel I have to protect my country and my people. I am only a little woman but I feel I have to protect them," she said.

Reviving a Dead Nation?

Some might associate Germany with the Nazis, but Germany was once a base for world missions, sending missionaries to Africa and Korea and to America.

Mund is trusting God for a miracle in what is a very wealthy and, some would say, spiritually dead nation.

"I know nothing is impossible for my God. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing," she said.

"From a human point of view I feel our country is lost. It's already lost. It's done. Because I see so many changes in the country, in every area," she continued. "But I trust God that he has a 'Plan A' and that my country is not lost and that He will reach us and He will come and change the whole situation."

Click here: Watch CBN News video