World Food Program Director: 270 Million People Now “Marching Toward Starvation” In Wake of COVID-19 | Zero Hedge

Beasley expressed a bleak outlook for 2021 as he believes next year is going to be “catastrophic based on what we’re seeing at this stage of the game”…

Submitted by Joseph Jankowski of Planet Free Will,

According to the head of the World Food Program (WFP), the amount of people around the world now on the brink of starvation has doubled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic effects of government reactions to the virus.

Director of the WFP, David Beasley, who previously warned that the “cure” for the COVID-19 pandemic should not be worse than the disease, told the United Nations General Assembly on Friday that 270 million people are now “marching towards starvation” in wake of the economic effects of the pandemic.

“As I had warned the United Nations Security council back in April, that if we’re not careful the cure could be worse than the disease because of the economic ripple effect – if we don’t handle economic disruptions, supply chain disruptions, ect. …” Beasley told the council.

“As we predicted back in April, the number of people that were going to be marching toward the brink of starvation had already risen from 80 million to 135 million the last four years, primarily because of man made conflict,” the director went on, adding:

“But because of COVID it’s now spiking from 135 million people – not going to bed hungry now, [but] literally marching towards starvation – to 270 million people.”

Beasley expressed a bleak outlook for 2021 as he believes next year is going to be “catastrophic based on what we’re seeing at this stage of the game.”

He said that “because we’ve spent $19 trillion, that money may not, and will not most likely be available for 2021”  as economic contractions out pace the need to supply a lifeline to those starving.

In April, Beasley pointed to an already deepening starvation crisishappening in conflict torn nations such as Yemen. He would warn that the world is “facing a perfect storm” with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and that if “funding shortfalls and disruptions to trade” could not be avoided “we could be facing multiple famines of biblical proportions within a short few months.”

The WFP director’s shocking warning was sounded just prior to alarm bells raised by the WHO’s special envoy on COVID-19, Dr. David Nabarro, who cautioned that national lockdowns should be avoided as a primary response to COVID-19 as they have the consequence of “making poor people an awful lot poorer.”

“Lockdowns just have one consequence that you must never, ever belittle, and that is making poor people an awful lot poorer,” Nabarro said in October.

In May, UNICEF predicted that in 118 low and middle-income nations, 1.2 million children under the age of five could die in the following six months because of the surge of declining access to medical care “due to lockdowns, curfews and transport disruptions.”

Starvation as a result of the pandemic and the resulting lockdowns is not unique to nations at the bottom of the economic rung.

Feeding America, a US based non-profit organization that operates a network of food banks, is predicting that one out of every four childrenin America could suffer from hunger by the end of 2020.

— Read on www.zerohedge.com/economics/world-food-program-director-270-million-people-now-marching-toward-starvation-wake-covid

Preach the Law, Then Preach Grace — CultureWatch

To appreciate the good news we must first hear the bad news:

It is always amazing just how biblically illiterate some folks are. Worse yet, there are plenty of Christians who think they know everything about the Bible, when it is clear that they most certainly do not. Let me give an example of this that I came upon yesterday on the social media.

Someone had shared a meme that I had earlier shared which said this: “If only some had the reverential fear of God that they have of Covid19!” One of his friends came back with this short but silly remark: “Fear is not a godly trait.” I replied by posting Philippians 2:12: “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”

And I posted a link to one of my previous articles on this: billmuehlenberg.com/2010/08/29/the-fear-of-god/

And this morning I noticed another passage – of so many – that said the same thing: “The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love” (Psalm 147:11). And we have numerous other verses, such as, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.”

That is just one case of biblical illiteracy reigning supreme. Speaking of this – and the social media – I just posted this online: “It seems the Apostle Paul may have known all about FB, given that he said this in 1 Tim.1:6-7: ‘Certain persons … have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions’.”

There certainly are a lot of armchair theologians out there who seem to think they know it all, and are ever ready to go on search and destroy missions if they find anyone daring to take a differing view. But that passage – which I just read again this morning – is worth looking at more closely, and in context. It entails Paul’s warning against false teachers as found in 1 Timothy 1:3-11:

As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.

Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

What especially stood out to me was that second paragraph. How many times have I heard Christians say that we cannot expect pagans to know about, or run with, God’s law and God’s morality? They tell us we should not tell them about right and wrong and godly standards, but instead we should just “love” them into the Kingdom.

But here Paul seems to say the exact opposite: the law IS for sinners! The law is for the ungodly. Of course this is not the only passage on this matter, but it does run counter to what we so often hear. And this is a topic that I have written on before, arguing that we need to proclaim to the lost the law first, and then follow that up with grace.

That is the biblical pattern, and that is what we find in effective preaching and evangelism throughout church history. This may come as a shock to some Christians, but yes, we can and should tell sinners that they are sinful, under the wrath of God, and headed for a lost eternity unless they repent and put their trust in Christ.

And Paul gets quite specific here: we can and should use the law to let murderers know that murder is wrong; to let liars know that lying is wrong; and yes (gasp) to even let homosexuals know that homosexuality is wrong! If Paul; was willing to do this, why aren’t we? Are we better and wiser and more spiritual than Paul?

Plenty of terrific quotes from terrific Christians can be offered here. Let me present just some of them. Martin Luther said this: “The first duty of the gospel preacher is to declare God’s Law and show the nature of sin.” The famous Puritan author John Bunyan put it this way: “The man who does not know the nature of the law cannot know the nature of sin. And he who does not know the nature of sin cannot know the nature of the Saviour.”

Charles Spurgeon often spoke to this: “They must be slain by the law before they can be made alive by the gospel.” Or consider this very helpful advice he once gave in a sermon:

I do not believe that any man can preach the gospel who does not preach the law. The law is the needle, and you cannot draw the silken thread of the gospel through a man’s heart unless you first send the needle of the law to make way for it. If men do not understand the law, they will not feel that they are sinners. And if they are not consciously sinners, they will never value the sin offering. There is no healing a man till the law has wounded him, no making him alive till the law has slain him.

As J. Gresham Machen said, “A new and more powerful proclamation of that law is perhaps the most pressing need of the hour; men would have little difficulty with the gospel if they had only learned the lesson of the law. . . . So it always is: a low view of law always brings legalism in religion; a high view of law makes a man a seeker after grace. Pray God that the high view may again prevail.”

The Welsh expository preacher Martyn Lloyd-Jones said this: “The trouble with people who are not seeking a Savior, and for salvation, is that they do not understand the nature of sin. It is the peculiar function of the Law to bring such an understanding to a man’s mind and conscience. That is why great evangelical preachers 300 years ago in the time of the Puritans, and 200 years ago in the time of Whitfield and others, always engaged in what they called a preliminary law work.”

Or as Archie Parrish and R. C. Sproul wrote: “Edwards strongly advocated the preaching of the Gospel but insisted that it was also necessary to preach the law. Without a knowledge of the law, the good news of the Gospel is perceived as no real news. The bad news of the law is what reveals the good news of the Gospel. Edwards says, ‘Some say it is unreasonable to frighten people into heaven. But I think it is reasonable to try to frighten people away from hell’.”

The noted apologist and evangelist Francis Schaeffer offered us this pithy formulation: “If I had one hour with every man, I would spend the first 45 minutes talking to them about God’s law, and the last 15 minutes talking about His great salvation.”

And it is not just those who are in the Reformed camp and the like who have said these sorts of things. The great evangelist John Wesley stated, “Before I preach love, mercy, and grace, I must preach sin, law, and judgment.” And the English evangelical Anglican bishop J. C. Ryle put it this way: “Never does a person see any beauty in Christ as a Savior, until they discover that they are a lost and ruined sinner.”

The German Lutheran pastor and martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer once put it this way: “It is only when one submits to the law that one can speak of grace . . . I don’t think it is Christian to want to get to the New Testament too soon and too directly.”

The ‘mere Christianity’ Anglican C. S. Lewis spoke to this as well. In one place he was discussing the early Christian preachers and he said that the “Christian message was in those days unmistakably the Evangelium, the Good News. It promised healing to those who knew they were sick. We have to convince our hearers of the unwelcome diagnosis before we can expect them to welcome the news of the remedy.”

Or as he put it in The Problem of Pain:

When the apostles preached, they could assume even in their Pagan hearers a real consciousness of deserving the Divine anger. The Pagan mysteries existed to allay this consciousness, and the Epicurean philosophy claimed to deliver men from the fear of eternal punishment. It was against this background that the Gospel appeared as good news. It brought good news of possible healing to men who knew that they were mortally ill. But all this has changed. 

Or as English Anglican evangelical John Stott so rightly put it, “We cannot come to Christ to be justified until we have first been to Moses, to be condemned.” Catholic apologist Peter Kreeft put it this way: “Men have more need to know unwelcome truths than welcome truths; that is why the prophets more often mention unwelcome ones.”

And A.W. Tozer said this: “There is plenty of good news in the Bible, but there is never any flattery or back scratching. Seen one way, the Bible is a book of doom. It condemns all men as sinners and declares that the soul that sinneth shall die. Always it pronounces sentence against society before it offers mercy; and if we will not own the validity of the sentence we cannot admit the need for mercy.”

The truth is, as sinners we only want to hear good things. We want to hear that we are OK. But what we need to hear is the hard truth that we are not OK, but under God’s wrath – unless we repent. Thus before we can proclaim the wonders of God’s matchless grace to people, we first need to make it clear to them why they need such grace in the first place.

And that means they must hear of the just demands of the law, and their complete failure to live up to those perfect standards.

Preach the Law, Then Preach Grace — CultureWatch

Scientists have discovered a way to store a patient’s vaccination history “under the skin at the same time as the vaccine” — End Of The American Dream

Researchers have found a way to leave a “mark” under the skin that will enable medical authorities to know whether someone has been vaccinated or not.  This “mark” is created using a specialized dye that is not visible to the naked eye, and the dye is delivered under the skin as part of the vaccination process.  If that sounds quite creepy to you, that is because it is very creepy.  Scientists at MIT wanted to create an easy method for keeping track of vaccinations in parts of the world where electronic databases are not commonly used, and what they came up with is extremely alarming…

MIT researchers have now developed a novel way to record a patient’s vaccination history: storing the data in a pattern of dye, invisible to the naked eye, that is delivered under the skin at the same time as the vaccine.

“In areas where paper vaccination cards are often lost or do not exist at all, and electronic databases are unheard of, this technology could enable the rapid and anonymous detection of patient vaccination history to ensure that every child is vaccinated,” says Kevin McHugh, a former MIT postdoc who is now an assistant professor of bioengineering at Rice University.

Unsurprisingly, the MIT article announcing this discoverystated that this research had been funded “by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Koch Institute Support (core) Grant from the National Cancer Institute”.

In order to see the “mark” that has been left behind by the specialized dye, authorities will need a “specially equipped smartphone”, and we are being told that the “mark” can be read for at least five years after the initial injection…

The researchers showed that their dye, which consists of nanocrystals called quantum dots, can remain for at least five years under the skin, where it emits near-IR light that can be detected by a specially equipped smartphone.

As you read this article, you may be envisioning a long needle as the delivery system, but that is not the case.

The scientists involved in this research intend for a “microneedle patch” to deliver the vaccine and the dye at the same time…

The researchers designed their dye to be delivered by a microneedle patch rather than a traditional syringe and needle. Such patches are now being developed to deliver vaccines for measles, rubella, and other diseases, and the researchers showed that their dye could be easily incorporated into these patches.

We are being told that the “microneedles” on each patch would consist of a mixture that includes dissolvable sugar, and once applied to human skin they would “partially dissolve”…

The microneedles are made from a mixture of dissolvable sugar and a polymer called PVA as well as the quantum-dot dye and the vaccine. When the patch is applied to the skin, the microneedles — which are 1.5 millimeters long — partially dissolve, releasing their payload within about two minutes. By selectively loading microparticles into microneedles, the patches deliver a pattern in the skin that is invisible to the naked eye but can be scanned with a smartphone that has the infrared filter removed.

To many, this invention may sound like a much less painful method to deliver vaccines and a great way to keep track of who has been vaccinated.

But for many others, this sort of technology is a giant move in the wrong direction.  In addition to being a gross violation of our privacy rights, many are concerned that we could eventually be approaching the days warned about in Revelation chapter 13…

16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

According to the Bible, someday people will not be able to perform basic day to day activities without the Mark of the Beast.

And even now, we are being warned that those that do not take a COVID vaccine may not be able to live normal lives.  Just consider what Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Williams just said…

“What we can do is to say sometimes for access or ease of getting into certain settings, if you don’t have vaccination then you’re not allowed into that setting without other protection materials,” said Williams.

“What may be mandatory is proof of…vaccination in order to have latitude and freedom to move around…without wearing other types of personal protective equipment,” he added.

We are going to need proof that we have been vaccinated “in order to have latitude and freedom to move around”?

I don’t like the sound of that at all.

Will we eventually get to a point where we are not allowed to go to work and our kids are not allowed to go to school without a COVID vaccine?

And could such restrictions foreshadow a day when an even more sinister scheme appears on the global stage?

These are such unusual times, and right now a war for our minds is going on.

If we do not stand up and object to the increasingly oppressive restrictions that are being instituted now, what will we do when even more draconian measures are instituted during the years ahead?

I don’t know about you, but I will not ever allow anyone to put any sort of a “mark” on or under my skin.

Others may willingly line up to be branded like cattle, but I will not be among them.

Scientists have discovered a way to store a patient’s vaccination history “under the skin at the same time as the vaccine” — End Of The American Dream

Clothe Yourself With Humility | Possessing the Treasure

by Mike Ratliff

5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:5-7 (NASB) 

Humility was not considered a virtue in the ancient world any more than it is in our day and time. Oh, it is given lip service here and there, but what I have seen get the most attention from people is arrogance that is rooted in pride. When this is rampant in the world it is understandable, but when so-called Christian leaders become so puffed up with their own importance that they refuse to listen to any constructive criticism whatsoever nor will they change the course of their ministries in case they may damage their public image, well, those are men living according to the flesh not in the Spirit. The imperative in the passage above is not just for leaders. It is for all of us. We know this since it is in the context of being subject to our elders. Let’s look at it a bit closer. 

5 Ὁμοίως, νεώτεροι, ὑποτάγητε πρεσβυτέροις· πάντες δὲ ἀλλήλοις τὴν ταπεινοφροσύνην ἐγκομβώσασθε, ὅτι [ὁ] θεὸς ὑπερηφάνοις ἀντιτάσσεται, ταπεινοῖς δὲ δίδωσιν χάριν.
6 Ταπεινώθητε οὖν ὑπὸ τὴν κραταιὰν χεῖρα τοῦ θεοῦ, ἵνα ὑμᾶς ὑψώσῃ ἐν καιρῷ, 7 πᾶσαν τὴν μέριμναν ὑμῶν ἐπιρίψαντες ἐπʼ αὐτόν, ὅτι αὐτῷ μέλει περὶ ὑμῶν. 1 Peter 5:5-7 (NA28)

5 Likewise, younger men, be submissive to elders. All of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another because God opposes proud men, but to humble men he gives grace.
6 Therefore, be humbled under the mighty hand of God that you may be exalted in due time, 7 having cast all of your anxiety upon him because it matters to him concerning you. 1 Peter 5:5-7 (translated from the NA28 Greek text)

The “likewise” in v5 translates the adverb ὁμοίως (homoiōs) and could have been rendered as “similarly” for it is referring back to Peter’s instructions in 5:1-4 to elders, the shepherds of the flock. This part of the passage is written to νεώτεροι (neōteroi), “ new, young.” This is everyone who is not an elder or pastors or spiritual leaders of the church. The church members, the νεώτεροι, are to give honor, deference, and respect to spiritual maturity (1 Corinthians 15:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-14; Titus 3:1,2; Hebrews 13:7,17). Look at the examples in our time where young, so-called Christian leaders in the new-Evangelicalism have done the exact opposite, refusing to listen to those who are older and more mature.

How are we to live before others? We are to clothe ourselves with humility toward one another. The words “clothe yourselves with” translates the Greek verb ἐγκομβώσασθε (enkombōsasthe) the Aorist tense, Imperative mood, Middle voice case of ἐγκομβόομαι (enkomboomai), “dress, clothe.” The Aorist, Imperative denotes a command, request, or entreaty. It is used for general exhortations and for things that must be begun at that very moment. The Middle voice makes this somewhat reflexive in that we are told to do something to ourselves or with ourselves. In the Greek, the verb meaning is to tie something on oneself with a knot or a bow. It was often used of a slave putting on an apron over his clothes in order to keep his clothes clean. What is this telling us then? Humility or “lowly mindedness” is an attitude that one is not too good to serve.

In v6 we are told that we are to humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand. We are to submit when hardships come. When we are wrongfully accused or we are discovered to have some disease or one of our children is in rebellion or we have suffered some great financial loss or we have lost our job or we were a Bible teacher at church and were falsely accused by liars with another agenda and so lost our position or our church’s leadership decided to go seeker sensitive and no matter how well we challenge their decision, no one listens, et cetera. You see, these humbling scenarios come in all sorts of designs and conditions and from every conceivable direction and yet, if we will obey this command to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God in the midst of what does not make any sense to us, we have this promise, “be humbled under the mighty hand of God that you may be exalted in due time having case all of your anxiety upon him because it matters to him concerning you.” God will lift up the suffering, submissive believers in his wisely appointed time just as he did his servant Job.

Where is your heart my brethren?

Soli Deo Gloria!

— Read on mikeratliff.wordpress.com/2020/12/06/clothe-yourself-with-humility-2/

8 Dangerous Pastors Who Will Destroy Your Church — ChurchLeaders

You’re on your church’s pastor search committee? Good for you. It’s a difficult task, one that can make or break your church for a long time to come. But this can be one of the finest services you render for the Lord and His church, especially if you help your church avoid dangerous pastors. At first, you step tentatively into those pastor-searching waters, testing to see if they are acidic (scary, dangerous), too deep (you’re in over your head) or turbulent (requiring skills you do not have).

Then, you go forward.

In your search for the next pastor of the Lord’s people, there are ten thousand things for you to know and remember, to watch out for and to stay away from. What follows below is just one of the prohibitions, a summation of some pastor-types you and your committee will want to be wary of. I love the way Beeson Divinity School’s Frank Thielman puts it in the NIV Commentary, “Beware the curs! Beware the criminals! Beware the cutters!”

Beware of these dangerous pastors in your quest for God’s leader for the flock…

1. Single issue pastors

In the political realm, a “single-issue candidate” has one big item on his mind, some change he or she wants to introduce in Congress. They are the abortion candidates, the big-oil candidates, the environmental candidates or the Tea Party candidates. There are pastors like this, men who have one huge thing on their plate and all their sermons and programs revolve around it.

In most cases, pastors need to be generalists, not specialists. They are called upon to be students and teachers of God’s word, to deliver great sermons, to administer the staff, and to oversee a church that ministers to all age groups, that ministers in the community and touches the world with the gospel. The church needs to be evangelistic, but also mission-minded, Bible-teaching and good stewards. There may be a place for a pastor who does one big thing well and all other aspects of the ministry do not interest him, but chances are, your church is not the place for him.

Know whom you are getting. Bring a one-issue pastor to a church needing a jack-of-all-trades and nothing good will come from it.Page 2 of 8

2. Politically ambitious pastors

In this case, it’s denominational politics.

I’ve known dangerous pastors whose driving force was to become known throughout the Southern Baptist Convention and be elected for high office. The problem is that he will be inclined to use the church to further his goals, even to the point of manipulating programming and misusing people.

The Lord Jesus said, “I am among you as One who serves,” and “He who would be great among you, let him be your servant.”

So, find out if that pastor has a servant heart, and what service he is now doing.

Before writing a letter of recommendation to a children’s home ministry in search of their new executive director, I learned they wanted someone with pastoral experience and administrative skills. In the letter, I pointed out that not only did this candidate have his degree in administration, and not only had he pastored several churches (and every church he serves as interim wants to make him their permanent shepherd), but at the moment, he and his wife were working with children in the inner city of New Orleans through one of our smaller congregations.

No one said, but I’m guessing this last detail is what clinched the deal. It certainly did for me. What is the pastor doing at this moment that reveals him to have a shepherd, serving heart?Page 3 of 8

3. The predators

Jesus spoke of shepherds who watch the sheep, hirelings who do not stick around when the sheep are threatened, and wolves who are the enemies of all sheep.

Pastor search committees need to know how to tell one from the other. (John 10 is a good starting place for your study.)

A shepherd lays down his life for the sheep, Jesus said. A hireling has no appetite for conflict, looks out for number one, is not devoted to the flock and skips town (or locks himself in his study!) at the first threat of trouble. The wolves are the ones who make the trouble (see Acts 20:28-30).

As I sometimes get reminded on this blog—which we admit is directed toward pastors and church leadership—the church’s problem can be the preacher. Of course, this is true. Dangerous pastors can be a cancer, spreading disease throughout the flock, its lay leadership must rise up and take action. But, for our purposes here, we’re talking about a search committee trying to spot the trouble-making pastor in order to avoid bringing him in.

Ask references for the names of others whom you will want to call in order to have a full picture of this minister. Consider having a member of your committee who knows how to fly under the radar visit that pastor’s city and make discreet inquiries about him and his church.

Sexual predators are the worst kind.

If rumors persist about a particular minister you are interested in, don’t automatically assume the worst. Your committee should have as its advisors one or two ministers with vast experience—either a retired pastor or a denominational leader—who can give you his perspective and make recommendations, but will hold everything in the strictest confidence.

If, however, the rumors trail the minister from church to church where he has served, you will want to pay attention.Page 4 of 8

4. The combative

Paul warned Timothy about dangerous pastors, “The Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all… ” (II Timothy 2:24).

Your committee will listen to the pastor’s sermons and talk with him privately enough to have an idea about this. Then, the references you run—particularly with his former staff members—will confirm to you one way or the other if he loves a good fight.

A combative personality in the pulpit can be entertaining the first time or two. But a steady diet of war-making from a dangerous pastor gets old quick and brands your church as a warmongering congregation (since pastors tend to make the people like themselves).

Is this pastor kind? Is he Christlike? Paul went on to Timothy, “But be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition” (II Timothy 2:24-25).

The pastor who is always spoiling for a fight has no business in the ministry. He needs to bring himself to the cross and die there, daily if necessary (I Corinthians 15:31).Page 5 of 8

5. The immature

Dangerous pastors, who have never grown up, tend to be quick to take offense, cannot handle correction and worry about their careers. Any criticism is unwelcome and the critic becomes marked as an enemy.

Many dangerous pastors pastors can be spotted by their use of slang, by their adolescent clothing and hair styles, and by their discomfort in associating with people old enough to be their parents and grandparents. My observation is that anyone God ultimately uses in great ways, He first has to “break.” (Think of breaking a horse.)

Until a minister—or any Christian—sees himself as unworthy, a sinner deserving of hell, one who dare not trust himself because “in my flesh there dwells no good thing” (Romans 7:18), and throws himself on the mercy of God, he’s not much good as a shepherd of God’s people.

Has this pastor been broken? Ask people who have worked with him fairly recently; they will know.

In saying this, I’m reminding myself we were all young and immature at one time. I’m grateful to those small churches that took a chance on me (mostly, I expect, because they didn’t have a lot of choices, being poor as well as small).

Second Peter 3:18 is a good reminder for pastors as well as everyone else: “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

The issue then becomes: Is this young pastor showing signs of growing, of being teachable, of being able to make corrections when shown something he got wrong? Do not go forward until you learn the answers to these questions.Page 6 of 8

6. The mentally unhealthy

Now, poor mental health is a problem for humanity, not just one particular group. But you do not want in your pulpit a man (or woman, if your church allows women to serve as shepherds) who struggles with ego (either too much or too little), who is still trying to find his own identity, who has anger issues and whose fragile confidence always needs bolstering. This kind of dangerous pastor is trouble.

Before telling us how the Lord Jesus shed his outer garment, took a towel and basin of water, and stooped to wash the feet of the apostles, John opens the curtain and lets us in on a divine secret. The opening words of John 13reveal to us exactly how our Lord was able to do such a humble act:

“Now, before the Passover, Jesus, knowing that His hour had come that He should depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end; and during supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, rose from supper, laid aside His garment, and taking a towel, girded Himself about … ” 

These four verses are worthy of many hours of our reflection and meditation. They contain a thousand insights, only two or three of which I have grasped so far.

The one big message, the truth that jumps out and demands to be considered, is that Jesus was able to stoop and serve in the lowliest position because He knew who He was, knew God’s calling upon His life, was on schedule with His life and had nothing to prove. Insecurity will paralyze us, but knowing our identity in Christ will set us free to do anything He commands.Page 7 of 8

7. Carnal

I suppose this is redundant, since most of the above indicates a pastor still fleshly and not spiritual. But I’m thinking of one pastor I knew who always had an off-color joke to share, could always be counted on to find a sexual slant to any incident, and who was critical of other ministers.

Eventually, I decided that his criticism was intended to justify his excluding himself from his brethren, a protective device lest they find out his secrets. Only after he left that church did we hear that he was often seen at the race track making bets, and a restaurant owner noted that this preacher always ordered alcoholic drinks with his dinner.

When he left our denomination, we were not unhappy. When we found that another denomination had welcomed him with open arms, we were saddened. I hope they know what they got. If not, they probably found out quickly.

Paul says we will have the carnal (fleshly) in the congregations (see I Corinthians 2). These are disciples who need to grow and rise above activities and ways of their former life. Look for evidence of his spirituality. Does he read his Bible and pray regularly, and not just for sermon preparation? Does he love people and is there a humility in his life?Page 8 of 8

8. Loners

Does this pastor have friends in the ministry? Does he attend meetings of pastors in his city? Or does he isolate himself from his colleagues as though he fears contamination?

Our Lord called His disciples to become part of the team of 12, then sent them in pairs (see Mark 6:7). When the Holy Spirit sent out missionaries, they went not as solo acts, but in groups of at least two (see Acts 13:2; 15:39-40).

One of the most reliable indications of bad mental health in a pastor is his isolation. Whether from a lack of trust of other ministers or a sense of inferiority in himself, nothing good comes from his self-imposed protective quarantine.

Pastors are going to urge people to come to Christ, be saved and baptized and join the church. They are going to tell the new disciples that they cannot live this Christian life in isolation, that they need the family of the Lord. And they will be right.

Do not fall in love with a candidate so quickly that you cut short your background work or refuse to consider negative information you are picking up. Talk to ministers who have served on that pastor’s staff in previous churches and to pastors who led neighboring congregations, and pay close attention to both groups, particularly if they are all saying the same things.

Keep the congregation on their knees interceding for your committee. You cannot do this without His guiding hand.  

8 Dangerous Pastors Who Will Destroy Your Church — ChurchLeaders

Obama CIA Head Brennan Lies Again About ‘No Spying On Trump’

Federal agency reports previously found that Brennan repeatedly lied, including while under oath to Congress, about the CIA spying on the Senate, drone strikes, and more.

— Read on thefederalist.com/2020/12/06/obama-cia-director-john-brennan-lies-again-about-no-spying-on-trumps-campaign/

A Must Watch! — Christian Research Service

View Fox News Laura Ingraham Interview Dr. Sucharit Bhakdi

Does the race for vaccine development make sense? What are the chances of success?

Will the vaccine be safe? Will people accept it?

In 2020 Corona, False Alarm? exploded into the German market, selling 200,000 copies and 75,000 e-books in the first six weeks.

No other topic dominates our attention as much as coronavirus and COVID-19, the infectious disease it triggers. There’s been a global deluge of contradictory opinions, fake news, and politically controlled information. Differing views on the dangers posed by the pandemic have led to deep division and confusion, within governments, society, and even among friends and family.

In Corona, False Alarm?, award-winning researchers Dr. Sucharit Bhakdi and Dr. Karina Reiss give clarity to these confusing and stressful times. They offer analysis of whether radical protective measures―including lockdown, social distancing, and mandatory masking―have been justified, and what the ramifications have been for society, the economy, and public health. Dr. Bhakdi and Dr. Reiss provide dates, facts, and background information, including:

• How Covid-19 compares with previous coronaviruses and the flu virus
• What infection numbers and the death rate really tell us
• The challenges around lockdown: Were the protective measures justified?
• Mandatory mask-wearing: Does the science support it?
• Does the race for vaccine development make sense? What are the chances of success? Will the vaccine be safe? Will people accept it?

Corona, False Alarm? provides you with sound information and substantiated facts―and encourages you to form your own opinion on the corona crisis. [c/o Amazon]

To Vaccinate for Covid or Not?

Upon asking Dr. Martin Erdmann what he thought about an mRNA vaccine for Covid-19 and its delivery system using lipid nanoparticles he replied,  “It is poison and probably (very likely) deadly for some. It is a form of eugenics (better word: population control) and also a registration device meant to imprison and exploit you, and do many other things which you don’t want to be done to you. Technocracy will only work if everyone has a number; every move you do needs to be registered somehow and recorded by that number.” — Dr. Erdmann held a position as Senior Scientist at the University Hospital in Basel, Switzerland, involving research into the ethical implications of Nanotechnology.

A Must Watch! — Christian Research Service

Wisdom University: Backsliding Class — HeadHeartHand Blog

Sermon Notes on Proverbs 14:14.

Wisdom University: Backsliding Class — HeadHeartHand Blog

Into All The Truth — Reformation Theology

John 16:12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

https://embed.sermonaudio.com/player/a/126202155397986/

Into All The Truth — Reformation Theology

December 6th The D. L. Moody Year Book

Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? for ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.—1 Corinthians 6:19, 20.

I THINK it is clearly taught in the Scripture that every believer has the Holy Ghost dwelling in him, that there is a divine resident in every child of God. He may be quenching the Spirit of God, and he may not glorify God as he should, but if he is a believer on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost dwells in him. But I want to call attention to another fact. I believe to-day that though Christian men and women have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them, He is not dwelling within them in power; in other words, God has a great many sons and daughters without power.^[1]

 

^[1] Moody, D. L. (1900). The D. L. Moody Year Book: A Living Daily Message from the Words of D. L. Moody. (E. M. Fitt, Ed.) (p. 217). East Northfield, MA: The Bookstore.

December 6 Life-Changing Moments With God

It is God who works in you.

Lord, I am not sufficient of myself to think of anything as being from myself, but my sufficiency is from You, Lord God. I can receive nothing unless it has been given to me from heaven. I cannot come to Jesus unless You, Father God who sent Him, draw me; and You will raise me up at the last day. You will give us, Your people, one heart and one way, that we may fear You forever.

I will not be deceived. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from You, the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of Your own will, God, You brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of Your creatures.

I am Your workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which You prepared beforehand that I should walk in them.

Lord, You will establish peace for me, for You have also done all my works in me.

You accomplish things through me, You give every good gift to me, You have called me to be Your child! I am blessed to be Yours, gracious God!

Philippians 2:13; 2 Corinthians 3:5; John 3:27; John 6:44; Jeremiah 32:39; James 1:16–18; Ephesians 2:10; Isaiah 26:12^[1]

 

^[1] Jeremiah, D. (2007). Life-Changing Moments With God (p. 365). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

December 6, 2020 Evening Verse Of The Day

Affirmation of Justice (58:11)

11 With the triumph of God, the righteous are vindicated. Whenever justice prevails, God and his kingdom are being established (see Reflections, p. 119, Yahweh Is King). Humankind (ʾādām; cf. v. 1), which has experienced the oppressiveness of evil, will testify that God rules (“judges,” cf. 98:9) with “righteousness” and “equity” (cf. v. 1). It will also be evident that God is concerned with the righteous (ṣaddîq; see 1:6) and will reward them for their loyalty. The language of “reward” (lit., “fruit”) is reminiscent of Psalm 1:3: “He is like a tree … which yields its fruit in season” (see also Gal 6:9; Jas 5:1–11). The day will come when the righteous will receive their reward from the Father (cf. 2 Ti 4:8).^[1]

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Then men will say, ‘Surely the righteous still are rewarded; surely there is a God who judges the earth’ (v. 11). Men in general will ultimately make the declaration that the righteous receive the fruit of their lives from the God who judges the whole earth (cf. Ps. 94:2 where God is called ‘judge of the earth’). The psalmist is confident that a day is coming when even the heathen will acknowledge this fact. Believers know that God, the righteous judge, is going to reward them at the last day (2 Tim. 4:8) and they must wait patiently for the day of reckoning (James 5:1–11).^[2]

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58:11 people will say, “… surely there is a God who judges the earth.” In this verse, we have the use of the generic term for humanity (’adam) and a plural participle (“who judges”) that modifies “God” (’elohim). The judgments the psalmist prays for will elicit the confession, evidently by humankind generally (“and mankind [’adam] will say”), that God’s two-pronged justice is a reality: God rewards the righteous and judges the wicked.^[3]

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Ver. 11.—So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous. God’s righteous judgment being seen in the punishment of the wicked, men will no longer doubt of the ultimate reward of the godly. God must, by his very nature, be more inclined to reward goodness than to punish wickedness. Verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth; rather, verily there is a God, etc. (see Revised Version). Elohim is joined with a plural here, because the speakers are men generally, not only Israelites.^[4]

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11. So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward. We have additional evidence from what is here said of the cause or source of it, that the joy attributed to the saints has no admixture of bad feeling. It is noticeable from the way in which this verse runs, that David would now seem to ascribe to all, without exception, the sentiment which before he imputed exclusively to the righteous. But the acknowledgment immediately subjoined is one which could only come from the saints who have an eye to observe the divine dispensations; and I am, therefore, of opinion that they are specially alluded to in the expression, And a man shall say, &c. At the same time, this mode of speech may imply that many, whose minds had been staggered, would be established in the faith. The righteous only are intended, but the indefinite form of speaking is adopted to denote their numbers. It is well known how many there are whose faith is apt to be shaken by apparent inequalities and perplexities in the divine administration, but who rally courage, and undergo a complete change of views, when the arm of God is bared in the manifestation of his judgments. At such a time the acknowledgment expressed in this verse is widely and extensively adopted, as Isaiah declares, “When thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness,” (Isaiah 26:9.) The Hebrew particle אך, ach, which we have translated verily, occasionally denotes simple affirmation, but is generally intensitive, and here implies the contrast between that unbelief which we are tempted to feel when God has suspended the exercise of his judgments, and the confidence with which we are inspired when he executes them. Thus the particles which are repeated in the verse imply that men would put away that hesitancy which is apt to steal upon their minds when God forbears the infliction of the punishment of sin, and, as it were, correct themselves for the error into which they had been seduced. Nothing tends more to promote godliness than an intimate and assured persuasion that the righteous shall never lose their reward. Hence the language of Isaiah, “Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him; for they shall eat the fruit of their doings,” (Isaiah 3:10.) When righteousness is not rewarded, we are disposed to cherish unbelieving fears, and to imagine that God has retired from the government of the world, and is indifferent to its concerns. I shall have an opportunity of treating this point more at large upon the seventy-third psalm.

There is subjoined the reason why the righteous cannot fail to reap the reward of their piety, because God is the judge of the world; it being impossible, on the supposition of the world being ruled by the providence of God, that he should not, sooner or later, distinguish between the good and the evil. He is said more particularly to judge in the earth, because men have sometimes profanely alleged that the government of God is confined to heaven, and the affairs of this world abandoned to blind chance.^[5]

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^[1] VanGemeren, W. A. (2008). Psalms. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms (Revised Edition) (Vol. 5, p. 470). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

^[2] Harman, A. (2011). Psalms: A Mentor Commentary (Vol. 1–2, p. 440). Ross-shire, Great Britain: Mentor.

^[3] Bullock, C. H. (2015). Psalms 1–72. (M. L. Strauss & J. H. Walton, Eds.) (Vol. 1, pp. 443–444). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

^[4] Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Ed.). (1909). Psalms (Vol. 2, p. 10). London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company.

^[5] Calvin, J., & Anderson, J. (2010). Commentary on the Book of Psalms (Vol. 2, pp. 378–379). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

Advent- Thirty Days of Jesus: Day 9, The Child Grew — The End Time

By Elizabeth Prata

Photo by Samuel Zeller on Unsplash

Further Reading

What happened during Jesus’ childhood?

Why doesn’t the Bible say much about Jesus childhood?

The boyhood of Jesus

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thirty Days of Jesus Series-

Introduction/Background
Day 1: The Virgin shall conceive
Day 2: A shoot from Jesse
Day 3: God sent His Son in the fullness of time
Day 4:  Marry her, she will bear a Son
Day 5: The Babe has arrived!
Day 6: The Glory of Jesus
Day 7: Magi seek the Child
Day 8: The Magi offer gifts & worship

Advent- Thirty Days of Jesus: Day 9, The Child Grew — The End Time

December—6 The Poor Man’s Evening Portion

I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and behold, a Watcher, and an Holy One came down from heaven.—Daniel 4:13.

My soul! that which terrified the impious monarch in his visions of the night, ought to be to thee a subject of holy joy! When Jesus proclaims “the day of vengeance which is in his heart,” he adds also, “the year of my redeemed is come.” A day is enough for destruction; a year, yea, an everlasting year, will not be too long to make his people happy. But what a striking character is this of “a Watcher, and an Holy One!” To whom but to Jesus can it possibly refer? Jesus, at the call of God his Father, stood up from everlasting, to watch over his Church, to water it every moment; yea, to keep it night and day, lest any hurt it. And who shall describe in how many ways the Lord Jesus is for ever performing this blessed office, and hath been, and will be to all eternity? Is he not for ever in the midst of them, to do all that is needful for them: to protect, to comfort, to lead out, to bring home, until he brings in and houseth them in his temple for ever? Yea, he saith himself, “I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land, assuredly with my whole heart, and with my whole soul.” (Jerem. 32:41.) But oh! ye despisers of my God! tremble at the approach of this almighty Watcher, this Holy One coming down from heaven! For he comes, armed with zeal and with wrath, “to take vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the gospel of Christ.” “Oh! kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are they that put their trust in him.”^[1]

 

^[1] Hawker, R. (1845). The Poor Man’s Evening Portion (A New Edition, p. 338). Philadelphia: Thomas Wardle.

December 6 – What’s the difference between a fool and a wise man? — VCY America

December 6

Hosea 4:1-5:15
2 John 1:1-13
Psalm 125:1-5
Proverbs 29:9-11 

Hosea 4:2 – Note the sins: Swearing (Leviticus 19:12/3rd Commandment), Lying (9th Commandment), Killing (6th Commandment), Stealing (8th Commandment), Adultery (7th Commandment). The LORD is not even pointing out the “minor sins” – the 613 commands of the Torah, but just the “Big Ten!”

Hosea 4:6 – Many people use this phrase – “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:” but they ignore the context. The knowledge is knowing the Law, and obeying the Law!

Hosea 4:13 – We’re back to the 2nd Commandment – and God ties the 2nd Commandment to the 7th Commandment. The argument being, if you’re not faithful to me, your spouses will not be faithful to you.

Hosea 5:15 – Do we take spiritual adultery as seriously as God takes it? Do we realize that God takes it as seriously as we take physical adultery? Do we know that God will let us suffer the consequences of our sin until we seek His face?

2 John 1:1 – Who is the “elect lady”? GotQuestions notes that she has a sister, and is part of the church, but that is all that is known. Chuck Missler suggests that it might be Mary, the mother of Jesus based on Jesus entrusting Mary to John’s care. Also Mary had a sister (John 19:25).

2 John 1:5 – In this short epistle we have a few commands: “love one another” (2 John 1:5), “walk after his commandments” (2 John 1:6), and “abide in the doctrine” (2 John 1:9). These are similar to the theme of John’s gospel.

• Love!  (John 15:12) – 57 times in John’s gospel.
• Obey! (John 14:15) – If Love, then Keep!
• Believe! (John 20:31) – That’s the point of the writings!

VIEW OF JERUSALEM AND THE SURROUNDING JUDEAN MOUNTAINS PHOTOGRAPHED IN THE LATE 19TH CENTURY BY FRENCH PHOTOGRAPHER, BONFILS.öéìåí öáò îñåó äîàä ä 19 ùì äöìí äöøôúé áåðôéñ. áöéìåí, ðåó èéôåñé ùì äøé éäåãä åéøåùìéí.

Balage Balogh (www.Archaeologyillustrated.com)/FreeBibleimages.org.

Psalm 125:2 – If you’ve been to Jerusalem, the mountains around the city are incredibly impressive. Deep valleys, tall heights, and sharp cliffs. This Psalm is part of the “Song of Ascents” from Psalm 120-134, songs to sing while climbing the road to Jerusalem.

Proverbs 29:11 – No comment necessary!

December 6 – What’s the difference between a fool and a wise man? — VCY America

December 6 Been With Jesus

When they saw … that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished, and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
(Acts 4:13, NKJV)

To these New Testament Christians it wasn’t a language, it was their lifestyle! They were ordinary, and they were unschooled, but they all had their B.W.J.—Been With Jesus! They acted like Him, they talked like Him, and they did the works He did. (See John 14:12.) Daniel said, “The people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” What does it mean to know God? It means to know His Word and what He has to say on the subject. It means to know His character, because that never changes. It means to know your authority as a believer, because you are living in fellowship with the One who gave it to you.

Jesus said, “I have given you authority … to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you” (Luke 10:19, NIV). Paul said we should reign in life through Jesus Christ. (See Romans 5:17.) These disciples were not waiting to reign, they were demonstrating the Kingdom everywhere they went. A man who had been paralyzed for 38 years was dancing in the Temple. 5,000 men had been won to Christ in a single day. The religious authorities feared them, the people loved them, and everywhere they went they brought the presence of God. What was their secret? B.W.J! They’d Been With Jesus!

 

Today, make that the prayer and the passion of your life.^[1]

 

^[1] Gass, B. (1998). A Fresh Word For Today : 365 Insights For Daily Living (p. 340). Alachua, FL: Bridge-Logos Publishers.

[VIDEO] Sidney Powell Says She’ll Be Back in Court Soon “We Have Bags of Shredded Ballots” | WayneDupree.com

The first thing Sidney Powell wants everyone to realize is that this “December 8” do or die deadline does not apply.

that was the message Kraken warrior Sidney Powell had during an interview with Newsmax.

December 8th is the date that everyone is saying Trump must prove his case by, but Sidney says that’s not true.

“With the fraud case, the Dec 8th deadline doesn’t apply,” Sidney stated.

“We have at least until December 14th,” she went on to say.

MORE NEWS: [VIDEO] Jenna Ellis Alerts Everyone on Michigan “Forensic” Status….”Today’s The Day”

Sidney added, “we might file more suits. But a court in Michigan or Wisconsin today just gave us a great order recognizing that. These are not pure election contests that we are filing; these are massive fraud suits that can set aside the results of the election due to this fraud at any time. And the states should not be certifying the results in the face of it.”

She then went on to say that she has “bags of shredded ballots.”

What the…

You Can Watch the video below:

 

I’ll tell you what, the deeper and deeper we delve into this 2020 election sludge, the more and more disturbing things become.

It should be obvious to anyone with half a brain that the Dems used “mail-in ballots” to create mass chaos and as a cover so they could massively stuff ballots without it seeming “odd.”

People need to ask themselves: why did they stop counting on election night when Trump was ahead, and then suddenly, hours later all these “votes” for Biden were discovered?

The question now is, will any court or state legislature have the courage to stand up and be the first to overturn this sham?

Source: [VIDEO] Sidney Powell Says She’ll Be Back in Court Soon “We Have Bags of Shredded Ballots”

Jenna Ellis on the MI judge that gave Team Trump access to 22 Dominion voting machines

Jenna Ellis on the Antrim County, #Michigan judge that gave Team Trump access to 22 Dominion voting machines to conduct a forensic audit TODAY!

Collins tears into Pelosi: She ‘played politics’ with people’s lives

Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., discusses the importance of Georgia’s Senate runoffs and Congress passing a coronavirus relief bill.

John Ratcliffe: FBI Needs to Be More Transparent With Public on Voter Fraud Investigations

The Director of National Intelligence said Sunday that the FBI should provide more transparency about voter fraud investigations. John Ratcliffe, the head of the U.S. Intelligence Community, was asked in a Fox Business interview about whether he believes the FBI “will bring anybody in to question … Does anybody believe the FBI is actually going to bring these people in to question them to find out what they were doing with the suitcases of ballots?” The “suitcases” question refers to a video sourced on Election Night at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta that shows election workers pulling out containers of ballots after poll observers and poll workers were allegedly sent home before counting resumed until after 1 a.m. on Nov. 4. “I have great confidence in our law enforcement authorities,” Ratcliffe said, noting that he’s not responsible for FBI investigations. “I really do, but I think they, to the extent …

Source: John Ratcliffe: FBI Needs to Be More Transparent With Public on Voter Fraud Investigations