The Gift of Prophetic Insight

ATTN: PASTORS AND LEADERS! I just received this email from Pastor Mike Gonzalez, Midlands Director for the SCPA and I wanted to pass this info along to you, in hopes that you would read it and it would scream in your spirit! This is powerful!

Warning: This will challenge squeamish preachers, could possibly (hopefully, prayerfully) re-ignite the fire that may have gone out in some ministers hearts, and will encourage those already engaged in the battle!

This is a powerful prophetic word!
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Hi brothers,

I just had a friend send me this piece from A.W.Tozer wrote this in 1960, three years before his death in 1963. Tozer articulates here what I have running through the deepest recesses of my heart and soul concerning what is needed in this hour. May the SCPA be that prophetic voice across our state and nation!

fighting the good fight of faith,
Mike Gonzalez

**Please Read

The Gift of Prophetic Insight

A.W. Tozer

Excerpted from Of God and Men

A prophet is one who knows his times and what God is trying to say to the people of his times.

What God says to His church at any given period depends altogether upon her moral and spiritual condition and upon the spiritual need of the hour. Religious leaders who continue mechanically to expound the Scriptures without regard to the current religious situation are no better than the scribes and lawyers of Jesus’ day who faithfully parroted the Law without the remotest notion of what was going on around them spiritually. They fed the same diet to all and seemed wholly unaware that there was such a thing as meat in due season. The prophets never made that mistake nor wasted their efforts in that manner. They invariably spoke to the condition of the people of their times.

Today we need prophetic preachers; not preachers of prophecy merely, but preachers with a gift of prophecy. The word of wisdom is missing. We need the gift of discernment again in our pulpits. It is not ability to predict that we need, but the anointed eye, the power of spiritual penetration and interpretation, the ability to appraise the religious scene as viewed from God’s position, and to tell us what is actually going on.

There has probably never been another time in the history of the world when so many people knew so much about religious happenings as they do today. The newspapers are eager to print religious news; the secular news magazines devote several pages of each issue to the doings of the church and the synagogue; a number of press associations gather church news and make it available to the religious journals at a small cost. Even the hiring of professional publicity men to plug one or another preacher or religious movement is no longer uncommon; the mails are stuffed with circulars and “releases,” while radio and television join to tell the listening public what religious people are doing throughout the world.

Greater publicity for religion may be well and I have no fault to find with it. Surely religion should be the most newsworthy thing on earth, and there may be some small encouragement in the thought that vast numbers of persons want to read about it. What disturbs me is that amidst all the religious hubbub hardly a voice is raised to tell us what God thinks about the whole thing.

Where is the man who can see through the ticker tape and confetti to discover which way the parade is headed, why it started in the first place and, particularly, who is riding up front in the seat of honor?

Not the fact that the churches are unusually active these days, not what religious people are doing, should engage our attention, but why these things are so. The big question is Why? And no one seems to have an answer for it. Not only is there no answer, but scarcely is there anyone to ask the question. It just never occurs to us that such a question remains to be asked. Christian people continue to gossip religious shoptalk with scarcely as much as a puzzled look. The soundness of current Christianity is assumed by the religious masses as was the soundness of Judaism when Christ appeared. People know they are seeing certain activity, but just what it means they do not know, nor have they the faintest idea of where God is or what relation He has toward the whole thing.

What is needed desperately today is prophetic insight. Scholars can interpret the past; it takes prophets to interpret the present. Learning will enable a man to pass judgment on our yesterdays, but it requires a gift of clear seeing to pass sentence on our own day. One hundred years from now historians will know what was taking place religiously in this year of our Lord; but that will be too late for us. We should know right now.

If Christianity is to receive a rejuvenation it must be by other means than any now being used. If the church in the second half of this century is to recover from the injuries she suffered in the first half, there must appear a new type of preacher. The proper, ruler-of-the-synagogue type will never do. Neither will the priestly type of man who carries out his duties, takes his pay and asks no questions, nor the smooth-talking pastoral type who knows how to make the Christian religion acceptable to everyone. All these have been tried and found wanting.

Another kind of religious leader must arise among us. He must be of the old prophet type, a man who has seen visions of God and has heard a voice from the Throne. When he comes (and I pray God there will be not one but many) he will stand in flat contradiction to everything our smirking, smooth civilization holds dear. He will contradict, denounce and protest in the name of God and will earn the hatred and opposition of a large segment of Christendom. Such a man is likely to be lean, rugged, blunt-spoken and a little bit angry with the world. He will love Christ and the souls of men to the point of willingness to die for the glory of the one and the salvation of the other. But he will fear nothing that breathes with mortal breath.

We need to have the gifts of the Spirit restored again to the church, and it is my belief that the one gift we need most now is the gift of prophecy.

WHO IS OUR REAL ENEMY?

WHO IS OUR REAL ENEMY?

Ephesians 6:12 – “ ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” 

One of the church’s greatest demands is to discern between the spiritual struggle and other social, personal, and political difficulties. If not, individual believers and groups become too easily detoured, “wrestling” with human adversaries instead of prayerfully warring against the invisible works of hell that are so busy behind the scenes.

The word “Wrestle”, means to throw or swing. It is a contest between two opponents that continues until one hurls the other one down and holds him down. The term is used of hand-to-hand combat, emphasizing the personal and individual nature of spiritual warfare waged against each Christian, local church and the Church universal. We are not engaged in a human, physical warfare.

Wrestle Flesh and blood, of course, refers to humanity, which is not the church’s adversary, at least, not directly. It is true that spiritual influences and entities manifest themselves through people, who sometime are aware of it and are a willing vessel; or sometimes through people who are unwitting and ignorant vessels of these influences and entities.

The word against presents the idea of a personal foe, face-to-face and hand-to-hand conflict to the finish, a life and death struggle. Paul is not describing a Sunday school picnic. But against principalities. Principalities refer to the high-ranking hierarchy of demonic authority. Powers. Invested with authority. Rulers of the darkness of this world. The world rulers in revolt against God and limited to “this darkness” here on earth. Spiritual wickedness. The army of invisible wicked spirits. In high places. The sphere of this conflict is in the heavenlies, where life in Christ is lived (2:5–6). So, the Church’s real battle is directly with principalities (demonic rulers), powers (authorities), rulers (world-rulers), spiritual wickedness (wicked spiritual beings), in other words, fallen angels, demons, and Lucifer himself.

When faced with setbacks, people often tend to blame God for their circumstances, or other people, or even themselves. Granted that sometimes we are “our own worst enemy”, and the fault for many of our own problems may be a result of our own doing, however, Scripture urges us to consider another, more sinister source for troubles. Paul called them “principalities” and “powers” in the heavenly places. Our struggle is not against God or other people but against “spiritual hosts of wickedness” (Eph. 6:11–12).

There is certainly a place for human responsibility, but Paul is telling us that ultimately, people are not our enemy, sin and Satan are.  That is what those of us must remember, who are involved in the PPB movement, or perhaps some other activists causes, such as the Pro-Life movement, Protection of Natural Marriage or any kind of Godly movement that is supported by the Scriptures! Although it is people who appear to be the enemy, they are only surface obstacles. The real enemy is deeper and more hidden, simply using these human vessels as their instruments of warfare, and many times, as distractions. Distractions from the root of the cause which is in the spiritual realm. If we intend to stand up to the onslaught of these powerful adversaries, we must fight them on their own turf—the spiritual—with weapons appropriate to the conflict (see Ephesians 6:14–18).

Of course, it can be very difficult to persuade people of that in this day and age. Secular thinking dismisses all talk of the supernatural realm as mere superstition from the ancient world. People who openly stand up and speak out against God, the Bible, Godly principles and God’s holiness and righteousness, so many times do not even realize, in fact, they even scoff at the idea that they are being used as pawns in an eternal game of destiny, that really isn’t a game and has eternal consequences.

Nevertheless, the Bible is very clear-cut. It declares that evil forces exist in the spiritual realm that have a substantial influence on the world and human events.  Again, they are known as “principalities.”

Sometimes the presence of evil powers is evident, as in demon possession (see Luke 11:14). However, Satan and his hosts have numerous other ways to influence human activity and carry out their ultimate purpose, to incarcerate people away from God. For example, two means through which they can work are:

Belief systems. Philosophies and worldviews have a powerful effect on the way people live. By introducing lies into the very principles upon which entire societies are based, the evil one can wreak incredible havoc on the world.

For example, consider the beliefs that fueled Nazism. Eventually they led to the most destructive war in history, which claimed tens of millions of lives. They brought about extermination camps in which millions of Jews and others were slaughtered. They disrupted entire nations and economies. Indeed, even today we still are seeing some of the repercussions of that dark era.

And again, just look at what has happened to our public school system, overall, since prayer and the Bible were removed from their rightful place, which extended to the moral degradation of the nation as we are seeing it today! Just as Abe Lincoln declared, “the philosophy of the classroom in one generation, will be the philosophy of government in the next.”

Let me reiterate that none of this is to suggest that humans are excused from responsibility. However, behind the visible, knowable element of human choice, one can detect or at least suspect the activity of forces with supernatural ability and evil intent, prompting people to accept and act on falsehoods.

That’s why we cannot be too careful about the ideas we embrace, whether they come from religious teachers, educators, government leaders, or the media. Ideas have consequences, both in individual lives and entire nations. Our best protection against deception is a grounding in biblical truth (Eph. 6:14).

Human institutions and leaders. Human systems and people in authority make ideal targets of Satanic activity because of their influence on others. In the first century, one has only to consider the character and especially the spiritual choices of such groups as the Pharisees (Matt. 23:13–15, 31–36), the Jewish council (Acts 7:51–60), the Herods (see Acts 12:1–2), Caiaphas (see Matt. 26:3), Pilate (John 18:37–38; 19:10–11; 1 Cor. 2:8), and the Caesars, especially Nero (see Acts 25:12), to appreciate the counterattack that Satan must have launched after the coming of Christ and the founding of the church.

Scripture asserts that human authorities are established by God to carry out good purposes (Rom. 13:1–7). But because they are operated by humans, they are vulnerable to the influence of evil spiritual forces.

Paul knew that all too well. As he wrote the Ephesians, he sat chained to a Roman soldier for no other crime than the preaching of the gospel (Eph. 6:19–20). On another occasion, he instructed Timothy, the pastor at Ephesus, to have the people pray “for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” because God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:1–4).

There are many other ways in which the powers of darkness attempt to subvert the purposes of God. It can sometimes be pointless for us to try to determine at any moment whether something is being “caused” by a wicked spiritual power. A preoccupation with that can, in fact, lead only to foolish guesswork.

Paul gives us a far more positive, constructive strategy for “standing firm” against our spiritual enemies: “put on the whole armor of God” (Eph. 6:11). That armor is made up entirely of spiritual weapons: truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, the word of God, and prayer (6:14–18).

Make no mistake about it, we are fooling ourselves if we think that re-introducing the freedom of prayer and Bible reading in the public school system is not going to be a fierce battle. It will be very taxing. However, by learning to wear and to wield these powerful armaments, we can resist the carefully laid plans of the devil and, when the fight is over, still be standing.

1 Thess. 5:17 – “Pray Without Ceasing”

Next: Is It A Winnable War?

Michael Parnell, B.Th., Chairman, PPB Initiative

It’s Not About “State-Sponsored” Prayers – It’s About Freedom of Speech!

 

The other day during a debate over putting prayer back in the school system, once again, someone challenged me with some of the same old tired rhetoric, that has been answered again and again.  This person asked a question, followed by what they perceived as being a verse in support of their anti-prayer stance: “What’s the difference between quiet prayer and praying aloud?  I take you to Matthew 6:6 where Jesus says, ‘But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.'”   So, at the risk of being redundant, I will make another attempt to bring some clarity as to what it is that the PPB Initiative is all about.

As is the case so many times, people use a verse or two of Scripture to use as a “proof text”, but most of the time, take it out of the entire context of the rest of the passage.  So, with that being said, let’s take a look at Matthew 6, beginning with verse 1 and following, Jesus says:

“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. 

5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathendo. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.” (NKJV)  He then proceeds to teach us what is commonly known as, “The Lord’s Prayer”.

In the context of this passage, Jesus, in essence, gives three specific examples of how our practice of piety should be different from the hypocritical or external practices of the Pharisees.The general principle for Christians is that the motive in religious observances is to please God and not to gain praise from others.  He is not addressing anything even remotely associated with what the PPB motivations are all about.

A key word the Lord uses is in verse 2; “hypocrites”.  Let’s take a very quick look at that for a moment.  

From the Greek, hypocrites, hupokrites (hoop-ok-ree-tace); Strong’s #5273: In Bible days actors wore masks, which included mechanisms for amplifying the voice. Since the dramas were questions and answers, the word describing the dialogue was hupokrinomai, to reply or to answer. Hupokrites is one who is playacting, reading a script, or one who puts on an act. Thehypocrite conceals his true motives under a cloak of make-believe.

In contrast to hypocrites Christians are not to call attention to their alms-giving, praying or any good deeds, in order to receive some kind of praise or glory from it. The reward of such “play actors” is present and human, contrasted with the divine reward for unpretentious giving.

So, let’s be very clear:  Jesus does not criticize public prayer in any way, shape, form or fashion here.  However, He does condemn pretentious, ostentatious prayer that attracts attention to one’s self or the flesh.

Take a good look at what He says:  “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  Forthey love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.”  That is certainly not what the PPB and others who believe in the God-given and Constitutional right to freedom of speech are advocating.

He says:  “when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.” Vain repetitions refers not to repeating a request, but to an empty babbling and long prayers that confuse meaningless verbosity with piety. By way of contrast, Jesus teaches focused prayer, which acknowledges God’s needed reign in every facet of life and society (vv. 9-13). 

gain, to be so painstakingly repetitious, what we are advocating and calling for is simply the right to pray, silently or aloud, if one feels the need to, without fear of reprisal.  We are not even vaguely advocating “state-sponsored” prayers.  We are not attempting to force anyone to pray, we just don’t want people to be forced to suppress their basic right and freedom.

Daniel knew that for him to continue to exercise his God-given right to pray as he saw fit, that a decree had gone out that could very well cost him his life in a pit with ravenous lions.  Daniel6:10 – “10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.”

Daniel prayed out loud, not for show, but because it was his right and he should be able to do that aloud if he wanted.  I’ll tell you the bottom line of the whole story is, the devil tries everything he can to keep people from praying to God, at anytime using any means he can to do so.  And he uses unwitting, clueless people most to accomplish that task.  Not necessarily wicked people, just people that for whatever reasons, get convinced that “you don’t have to pray like that to have a relationship with God”.  To which I answer, “you don’t have to take a bath either, but it sure feels good”!

Next, we’ll talk more regarding the fact that it really isn’t flesh and blood that we are fighting, but something beyond all that.

“Pray without ceasing.”

Pastor Michael Parnell, B.Th.
Chairman, PPB Initiative

“LET GOD ARISE!”

^{Theme for 2015:
LET GOD ARISE!}

Psalm 68:1

Psalm 68:1 – “Let God arise, Let His enemies be scattered; Let those also who hate Him flee before Him.”

The New King James Version.

While up a little earlier than usual this morning, I was spending some time with God in prayer and devotion.  Earlier in the week I had been praying for a theme for 2015 to share with our church body!  Although this Psalm was not part of my devotional Scripture for today, and at the moment I wasn’t even praying about a theme, when I reached a place of just being quiet before the Lord, I sensed these words from David in my spirit: “Let God Arise!”

In this Psalm 68, God is presented as the God of all nations, not just the God of Israel.  Most interpreters agree that it was written when the ark of the Lord was transferred from the house of Obed-edom to the new location on Zion’s mountain (2 Sam. 6:2–18).

In verse 1, David begins his psalm with the marching cry of Moses (Num. 10:35): “Rise up, O Lord!” I.e., “Let God arise”!  He then follows it with several other ancient battle hymns.

As we enter into 2015, there is no doubt the Church is facing some seemingly overwhelming challenges, and you may be personally facing one or several.  I can readily identify with that, but even more so, the Lord knows about our challenges.  Paul has an answer in a question for us:  “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”  (Romans 8:31 – The New King James Version.)  I believe and know that the victories that lie ahead are going to be worth the battles, because God is for us!

I believe God’s word to our local Church (and possibly for the universal Church) in 2015 is, “LET GOD ARISE”!

This Psalm is more than a historical narrative. It is rich with theology.  At that time, God’s person and His place for Israel in the world seem to have been understood in a much deeper way.

I believe if we will get to that same theological understanding and revelation of God’s person and His place for our lives and our nation in a deeper way, we will definitely see a positive difference in 2015!

One key word is the very first word in the Psalm – “Let”.  The Holy Spirit is a gentleman and is not going to force His way into your life without you letting or inviting Him to do so.  That’s why God created us as creatures of volition.  We have to make the choice to let God arise in our lives, family, church and nation.

I will be elaborating on this thought this coming Sunday morning at CTL.  Join us and get a fresh word from the Lord for your new year!

Will you make this declaration with me for 2015?  “Let God arise, Let His enemies be scattered; Let those also who hate Him flee before Him.”  If we will do that, I believe we are going to see God accomplish some miraculous things this year!

Remember: “It is all about Christ and His Kingdom!“

Pastor Mike

Facts and Figures Speak What God Has Been Saying All Along

Facts and Figures Speak What God Has Been Saying All Along       

I am part of a grassroots effort to bring prayer back into our public schools for both students and teachers, and in the public arena altogether. Quite naturally, we have been met with opposition from the Left and many opposing secular forces. However, amazingly, we have found some of the stiffest opposition to come from supposedly professed Christians! (I know, go figure, right?)

But, Christian or sinner, saint or “haint”, you cannot deny the undisputed facts to the effect it has had on the nation when prayer was removed from the public school system in 1962 (my second grade year) and the Bible removed in 1963 (third grade year), then followed by the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973 (my Junior year of high school).

The secular world and unfortunately, some ignorant or misguided Christians, continue to think that man has the answers to the increasing ills of our society. When will we stop being so “hard-headed” and face up to the fact that “God without man, is God; man without God, is nothing”?

The facts and figures speak for themselves folks. They are as follows:

A. Young People
1. For 15 years before 1963 (the year the Bible was removed from the public school system, or at least the effort began then) pregnancies in girls ages 15 – 19 years old had been no more than 15 per 1000. After 1963 pregnancies increased 187% for the next 15 years.
2. For younger girls, ages 10 – 14 years, pregnancies since 1963 are up 553%.
3. Before 1963 sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among students were 400 per 100,000. Since 1963, they went up 226% over the following 12 years.
B. The Family
1. Before 1963 divorce rates had been declining for 15 years. After 1963 divorces increased by 300% each year for the following 15 years.
2. Since 1963 unmarried people living together is up by 353%.
3. Since 1963 single parent families with children are up by 160%.
C. Education
1. The educational standard of measure has been SAT scores. SAT scores had been steady for many years before 1963. From 1963 they rapidly declined for 18 consecutive years, even though the same test has been used since 1941.
2. In 1974-75 the rate of decline of the SAT scores decreased, even though they continued to decline. That was when there was an explosion of private religious schools. There were only 1000 Christian schools in 1965. Between 1974 to 1984 they increased to 32,000.
a. That could have an impact if the private schools had higher SAT scores. In checking with the SAT Board it was found that indeed the SAT scores for private schools were nearly 100 points higher than public schools.
b. In fact the scores were at the point where the public schools had been before their decline in 1963 when prayer and Bible reading/instruction was removed from the schools.
c. The scores in the public schools were still declining.

3. Of the nation’s top academic scholars, three times as many come from private religious schools, which operate on one-third the funds as do the public schools.

D. The Nation
1. Since 1963 violent crime has increased by 544%.
2. Illegal drugs have become an enormous and uncontrollable problem.
3. The nation has been deprived of an estimated 60 million citizens through legal abortions since 1973.
How can any thinking person, Christian or non-Christian, look at these facts and figures and deny that we do not need to invite, indeed BEG God back into our public school system and our society?

Pastor Mike

THE STAND

The date is set. Saturday, November
8th! The time and exact location at the statehouse is being worked out. Please schedule this on your calendar! We need you there!

ATTENTION ALL PASTORS! IF THERE WAS EVER A TIME TO TAKE A STAND IT IS NOW! LET’S BE MEN AND WOMEN OF GOD SOUND THE CLARION CALL TO OUR PEOPLE, TO OUR TOWNS, COUNTIES, COMMUNITIES, OUR STATE AND TO THIS NATION! WE WILL NOT BOW TO THE PHAROAHs OF THIS WORLD! IF GOD IS FOR US, WHO CAN BE AGAINST US? I WANT TO KNOW WILL YOU STAND AND BE COUNTED? AND WILL YOU WHO ARE MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH STAND BEHIND YOUR LEADERS TODAY?

Hope to see you there!

Pastor Michael Parnell
Call To Life Family Worship Center

WOULD JESUS CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN?

WOULD JESUS CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN?

Our president stood on national T.V. just a few days ago and stated that the U.S. was safer than it has ever been! Oh yeah? When you have I.S.I.S. promising to become an even bigger threat, and we are supposed to feel safer because he says so? He said that I.S.I.S. isn’t Islamic. Right, and I suppose that Martin Luther King, Jr. was not black! He, this administration and the CDC say that we should not have great concerns regarding the Ebola virus. Mm, … hmm……. sure.

Now, its no big news that the American public have always been lied to on one level or another, however, the American people have never been fed as much bilge and swill as what we have in just the most recent 8 – 10 years (2006 – 2014, at this writing). And, the American people have never been so prone to swallow all that bunk, and yet still feel intelligent. Our so-called leaders, think that the bulk of the U.S. public is naive, gullible or just plain stupid. And, looking at the shape this nation is in, who am I to argue any differently? It would seem that they have proven their point in flying colors!

This is very much like the swill, bilge, garbage and pack of lies that satan has fed to the world and majority of Christians when it comes to Halloween. Once again, we have this same battle that we address each October.

Spiritual discernment in the Christian realm on a general level, seems to be at an all-time low, instead of what it should be, given the access that we, as a nation, have to God, to the Bible, to attend church, to Christian bookstores, etc.

How difficult is it, I mean, how much spiritual discernment does one need to understand that Halloween is a religious holiday. How many more ways can it be said to the Church: Stop claiming Jesus as your Lord while at the same time, you celebrate a demonic worship day of the devil, and sometimes you do it in the name of Jesus?

We try to appease our flesh and sear our conscience with the worn out lie, “Oh, it’s all in good, clean fun”, and/or, “it’s all for a good cause”. Let me point out, it is not all “good”, nor is it “clean”, and the only kind of “fun” it provides is fleshly, carnal and demonic fun.

It seems every year I am asking rhetorical questions about this holiday, so my question for this year is:

Would Jesus celebrate Halloween and especially the kind of demonic depictions that are taking place?

Some Christians will not join us in the effort to get prayer back in school, and some even criticize and send nasty emails about it. Yet, some of these same “Christians” will support and promote these demonic events, and then in weeks, months or years, be some of the very ones who will be scratching their heads when their children or grandchildren start acting and living their lives as if they are possessed of demons. Then they want to knock on the preacher’s door, many times that same preacher they ridiculed for telling the truth, and want prayer, counseling and deliverance for those same children!

We invite the demonic into our lives and then wonder why our children start acting like devils, why we can’t seem to get delivered from some illnesses; physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. When all hell starts breaking loose in our lives, the lives of our families and even in our churches, we want to ask God “why”? When God, through His Word as well as through some of his servants, has been trying to warn you for years, but just like the people of Noah’s day, you laugh it off – until the rain of hell begins!

We need to pray as David prayed, “God, renew a right spirit within me!” This may seem like a trivial thing to some, given all the problems that are looming on the world stage, but I would propose that this subject is one of many contributors to society’s woes!

We even have pastors and leaders who are involved in this stuff and leading others to get involved. What does that say about the spiritual discernment in the pulpit? And yet, we wonder what’s wrong in the Church?

My prayer is that someone, anyone who reads these words will allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you and reveal the truth of what I am saying. Once again, to hinge of the old adage “what would Jesus do?”, I ask you, would Jesus celebrate Halloween?

I have offered and stand available to discuss this personally with anyone locally who wants the truth or wants to challenge me regarding this truth. After all these years, no one has yet to come and speak up and explain to me why it’s okay for Christians to participate in this kind of wickedness. However, my door is always open.

Pastor Michael Parnell, B.Th.

“My Son” (Especially for Men)

The following was submitted to The Hartsville Messenger, one of our local newspapers, by Carole Flowers.  Ms. Flowers is a volunteer worker with Agape’ Hospice, of Hartsville, SC.  I hope it touches you as it did me.

A tribute to the nation’s veterans and their families

Dear editor,

My grandfather, Sidney Lee Segars Sr., wrote a poem for his son, Sidney Lee Segars Jr., who was sta­tioned aboard the USS Wasp during WWII. The ship was torpedoed and sunk on Sept. 15,1942. My uncle survived, treading water for about 24 hrs. This poem was written in 1942, before the sinking of the ship.

Since Aug. 14 marks the end of WWII, I hope this poem will help servicemen and servicewomen who risk their lives and deal with difficult emotions every day. Also, for their loved ones who struggle to understand it all. To our veterans alive and gone: THANK YOU! 

“My Son”

Son, I wish I had the power to write 

The thoughts wedged in my heart tonight.

As I sit watching that small star, 

And wondering how and where you are.

You know, son, it’s a funny thing 

How close a war can bring

A family who, for years, with pride 

Have kept emotions deep inside.

I’m sorry that when you were small 

I let reserve build up a wall.

I told you REAL MEN never cried 

And it was Mom who always dried

Your tears, and soothed the hurt away 

So you could soon go back to play.

But, son, deep down within my heart, 

I longed to have some little part

In drying that small, tear-stained face; 

But we were MEN — men don’t embrace.

Now, suddenly, I find my son 

A full-grown man, with child­hood done.

Tonight you’re far across the sea, 

And waging war for men like me.

And, somehow, pride and what is right, 

Don’t seem to mean a thing tonight.

I find my eyes just won’t stay dry; 

I find that sometimes men DO cry,

And if we stood here face to face,

I guess we’d find men do embrace.

Son, dads are quite a funny lot, 

And if I’ve failed you in some spot

It’s not because I love you less — 

It’s just this thing called “manliness”.

But if I had the power to write 

The thoughts wedged in my heart tonight,

The words would ring out loud and true, 

I’M PROUD, MY BOY, SO PROUD OF YOU!

We won’t forget!

CAROLE FLOWERS

Hartsville, S.C.

Thanks for reading,

Pastor Mike

Is Suicide The Unforgivable Sin?

Is Suicide The Unforgivable Sin?

There have been multitudes and multitudes of news coverage, commentaries, the blog-o-sphere being lit up, of course, publications, etc., etc., on the subject of Robin Williams, so I had decided to just remain silent, but then someone very close to me asked my view on it. Well, to say the least, since there is no simple answer, I just decided to go ahead and blog my response to that question, so here goes.

The question that was asked of me went like this:

“I’ve seen a lot of controversy over Robin Williams death. What are your beliefs on suicide? Do you believe it is the ‘unforgivable sin’?”

There really is no simple answer to that question. To begin with, the only “unforgivable” sin, is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, which of course, suicide could fall under that category, to a degree, as being either a way, or even a result, of blasphemy.

The word “suicide” does not occur in the Bible (but, then again, the word “Bible” is not in the Bible, either). Neither are there any laws relating to suicide in the Bible, that I know of. But the Bible does give certain contextual insight into the subject and several examples of suicide, in which none are in a noble or positive light. Some examples include:

• Saul and his armor bearer (1 Sam. 31:4–5). Of course, Saul was in a totally backslidden condition and out of relationship with God. In that day and culture, it was considered an honor to die along side your king or ruler, so that could explain the armor bearer following suit.
• Zimri, king of Israel, who “burned the king’s house down upon himself with fire” (1 Kin. 16:18), when Tirzah was besieged.
• In the New Testament, Judas killed himself primarily because of his shame and grief at betraying Jesus (Matt. 27:5). How sad, and how curious, that the earthly end of one of the first of the Lord’s original apostles should be that of suicide. He could have spent a lifetime of service for God, winning souls and healing multitudes. He could have inherited eternal life and a throne over a tribe in Israel and all the other glories of the redeemed, but he would not pay the price of going back to the ones he had failed. He hanged himself and then fell headlong in the valley below where his bowels gushed out (Acts 1:18). Lightfoot, a theological commentator, says that the devil caught up Judas and then threw him down dashing him to pieces on the ground.

Human life is sacred, since we are created in God’s image (Gen. 1:27 “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” ). God as the Creator has power over all existence. He alone should control life, whether it continues or stops (1 Cor. 6:19 – “… do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”).

My basic answer to the question is “yes”, however, the final answer as to where Robin Williams is right now, rest with God. I, nor does anyone else, have the wisdom, knowledge or authority to declare whether he is in heaven or hell.

Suicide, and again, basically speaking, is a selfish and cowardly act. The person is centered and focused on self and are not thinking about those they supposedly love or who love them. They sometimes do not have the courage to face life anymore, hence it is an act of cowardice. That’s a general rule of thumb, but then again, sometimes the answer is not so simple.

In fact, it can become very complex. It could be because of some kind of chemical or neurological imbalance or disorder of the brain that causes a person to do something that they would never normally do. I have even seen and heard some good friends of mine who very quickly just jumped to the assumption that he or anyone else who commits suicide goes to hell – period. I do not agree with that notion.

It is very sad that Robin, along with so many others, felt that he had no other recourse, that he felt so overwhelmed he could think of no other answers.

In Robin Williams’ case, he was alone. No one was there with him and even if there had been someone there, it is impossible to know what kind of encounter, if any at all that he had with God. No one could possibly know if in the final throes of death, that he may have asked God for forgiveness and mercy. As long as there is life and breath, there is always hope.

His father was Episcopalian, so who knows what kind of seeds that were planted in his early life that may have perhaps come to fruition and influenced what may have been his final heart’s cry to God? Then again, his mom was a Christian Scientist, a weird, off the wall cult. So, did any of that influence his thought processes?

There are fundamentally only 2 things that we know:

1.) We know that the absolute only way to Heaven and to God is by and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said it Himself in John 14:6 – “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” I know that sounds intolerant, but that is just the way it is. That is a direct quote from Jesus.
2.) We also know that we don’t know what went on in that room with only Robin Williams and the Lord. So, for anyone to just make a concrete judgment in that matter, is still, at best, just sheer speculation. I may even agree that the odds are probably against it, but still, it is left to supposition and assumption.

I was deeply saddened when I received the news. Although I didn’t particularly care for some of the roles he played, basically I was a fan for a great portion of the body of his work. I, like all of America, was first introduced to him as the quirky “Mork from Ork”. But, I recognized his comedic genius and acting brilliance with each passing project that he pursued. I really appreciated his spontaneous gifting, which I believe was a gift from God. He may not have used it for God, but nevertheless a gift from God, all the same.

He also, like countless others, was plagued and haunted by a number of things, some known, others unknown. He was open about his addictions and alcoholism and his struggle with depression.

It is a sad thing for anyone to die without God and spend eternity in a place that was originally prepared for the devil and his demons, but is certainly sad to think about one, such as Williams, who gave so much laughter and enjoyment to untold millions, to spend eternity in untold sadness and misery.

The bottom line in all of this is a spiritual deficit. Ecclesiastes, although written by a backslidden king/preacher, Solomon, still bears some spiritual truths. In 3:11 it says, ” He [God] has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He [God] has put eternity in their [human] hearts,…”

God Himself, since creating us in His image, placed eternity in the human spirit. That’s why people, for the most part, want to live forever. However, that eternal place in our heart cannot be filled with anything that is attached to this temporal world. It can only be filled by something that is eternal, and that has to be something spiritual. It also has to be the right spiritual thing, or Person, that has to fill that empty place, and that Person can be no one other than Jesus Christ.

Robin Williams, as well as countless others, are classic examples that things of this world, whether money, fame, sex, adrenaline rushes, entertainment, power or anything else associated with this world, will never fill that emptiness. There can only be One – Jesus Christ!

I do firmly believe that if we have a solid relationship – not religion – but relationship with God through the Lord Jesus, barring some kind of brain disorder, suicide will never be an option.

There are volumes that have already been written and no doubt multiplied volumes more that will be written regarding this topic.

My sincere hope is that someway, somehow Robin Williams was able to make that mercy connection with God and in that instant, the blood of Jesus Christ cleansed him in a flash. And if he did, we will meet in Heaven and laugh and laugh and laugh while the endless ages roll. However, only eternity will reveal that.

Pastor Mike

No Time To Slack Off Now!

Many times, if not most of the time, these verses are quoted from a negative aspect, but I declare unto you that God is not finished with America yet!  Just in the past couple of weeks (June, 2014), we have seen the Lord bring about some amazing things!  I want us to see the positive side of these verses.
 
Psalm 9:17 – “The wicked shall be turned into hell, And all the nations that forget God.” The positive aspect of this verse is that the nations who do not forget God shall be blessed!
 
Isaiah 60:12 – “For the nation and kingdom which will not serve you shall perish, And those nations shall be utterly ruined.” Again, the positive aspect of this verse is that the nations who serve God shall not be utterly ruined!
 
Judges 21:2a – “Then the people came to the house of God, and remained there before God till evening. They lifted up their voices and wept bitterly, and said, “O Lord God of Israel, why has this come to pass…?” The positive aspect: When we do these things, God will hear and honor and not allow some judgments to pass on America, as evidenced in Joel 2:12-14 – “Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning. ¹³ So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm. ¹⁴ Who knows if He will turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him…? ”
 
Proverbs 14:34 – “Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people.” The positive:  God exalts righteous nations!
 
I want you to be very acutely aware, the war is not over yet,  however, I do fully believe that we are seeing, at least an indication, of what happens when God’s people begin to sincerely call out to Him and genuinely seek His face!  I am convinced that it is because of this that we have witnessed a few significant battles for the Church, but it is no time to sit on our laurels.
 
Jesus said the “gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church”!  That means the Church has got to “bring it”! The Church has to assault the gates of hell!  We have to take the Word of God, the anointing of the Holy Ghost, and all the weaponry that God has made available to His Church, and advance God’s Kingdom forward, continually.
 
We have seen the anointing that breaks the yoke begin to manifest itself locally, regionally and nationally!  We have been talking and writing about the deep move of God that we have experienced right here at Call To Life Family Worship that began on June 8, Pentecost Sunday.  The fires are still burning!  The Holy Spirit doesn’t set us on fire so that we can burn out!
 
The Call-2-Fall effort has been taking place for the last several years, but this year, even more churches and people across America have gotten involved, and this past Sunday, millions were on their knees praying and seeking the face of God for this nation.

Immediately following C-2-F Sunday, this past Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court decided in favor of Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties, ruling that closely held family corporations are protected under the Religious Freedom Reformation Act (RFRA) and the federal government cannot compel them, under the Affordable Care Act, to provide their employees with insurance that covers contraceptives that produce abortions in some instances.
 
Earlier in May, the National Day of Prayer made a significant impact as bold proclamations went forth.
 
We have been seeing more and more abortion clinics close down in just the past couple of years – a result of prayer and hard work.
 
Daughter of Evangelist Billy Graham, Bible teacher Anne Graham Lotz has issued an urgent call to prayer, responding in obedience to the Lord. The prayer and repentance initiative, called 777, calls us to Pray! In the 7^th month of July, we are called to Pray! On each of the first seven days of July (beginning yesterday), we need to Pray! On Monday, July 7th for seven hours of your choosing, accompany that 7^th day of prayer with a Fast! ( http://www.annegrahamlotz.com/events/urgent-call-to-prayer/ )
 
I have been taught in sports that when you have your opponent on his heels and off-balance, that is the time to really pour it on!  Church, we have got the enemy staggering, so we cannot, we must not let up, but continue to pour it on, not in our own strength, but in the might and power of the Spirit of God!  Zechariah 4:6b – “‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts!!!”
 
We must continue to pursue and not become “weary in well-doing.”  If ever there has been a time to “blow the trumpet in Zion“, IT IS NOW!   Joel 2:1 – “Blow the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the Lord is coming, For it is at hand:“

Pastor Mike