Our pastor has announced a week of prayer in our assembly during the week of January 14 through 20 and I am excited at the possibilities. I had been meditating on a scripture from Amos who we refer to as one of the minor prophets.

Shepherd or Prophet? What will it be?

Amos was a sheepherder, the Bible says in Amos 1:1; He was among the shepherds of Tekoa and God showed him visions of the judgement that was coming on Israel, JUDAH AND THEIR NEIGHBOURS and Amos prophesied to them what God had given him…the words of Amos. You don’t have to be a prophet to prophecy, If God tells you TO prophecy a thing, first of all you had better make sure that it was God who told you.
Amos was challenged by the priest Amaziah who complained to King Jeroboam and it reads from Amos 7:10 - 13, " 10 Amaziah, a priest at Bethel, sent this message to Jeroboam king of Israel: "Amos is making evil plans against you with the people of Israel. He has been speaking so much that this land can't hold all his words.11 This is what Amos has said: 'Jeroboam will die by the sword and the people of Israel will be taken as captives out of their own country.' "
12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, "Seer, go back right now to Judah. Do your prophesying and earn your living there,13 but don't prophesy anymore here at Bethel. This is the king's holy place, and it is the nation's temple." Amos replied in verses 14 and 15, "14 Then Amos answered Amaziah, "I do not make my living as a prophet, nor am I a member of a group of prophets. I make my living as a shepherd, and I take care of sycamore trees.15 But the Lord took me away from tending the flock and said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.' Some do not want to hear what the Bible says about their lifestyle, they don't want to hear that they are not living right. But that does not change what the Word of God declares and that does not stop us from declaring it. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not popular as far as this world is concerned. It will always be rejected by the majority, but that should not stop us from proclaiming it.

What are the consequences of telling somebody about Jesus? Most likely they will listen AND very often they will agree and there's a good possibility they will accept the plan of God for their life. That is wonderful if that happens. What about the flip side? Maybe they will say no to the Gospel. They might even get mad. That's probably conviction and that's a good thing. Or maybe they make fun of us. So what if they do? Is that so bad? What difference does it make in the light of eternity? What difference does it make in the light of tomorrow for that matter. The Bible says that the fear of man brings a snare. My friend Pat knows what a snare does...he is a trapper. The fear of man will choke the life from you (spiritual life). Let us be bold as Amos was and proclaim Jesus to others. That is the primary purpose of this blog...to proclaim Jesus in layman's terms. Like Amos, I am not a prophet neither the son of a prophet but like Amos, we as Christians are taken from following the flock and the LORD has said to us...go and prophecy... go tell others. He said "Go, prophecy to My people Israel" So what has this to do with a week of prayer...Everything. We need to pray before we go and we need to be empowered and not afraid...that is why we need prayer. Chapter 6 verse 1 says "Alas for those who are at ease in Zion, and for those who feel secure on Mount Samaria. Too long we have set on the mountain top feeling secure in our own little world and being at ease in it when there is a world out there down at the foot of the mountain that is dying and going to hell.

Let us gird up the loins of our minds and determine to follow Jesus wherever He will lead us.

Having a bad day//words of knowledge series from Proverbs 23:12 which says, "Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge." (I need this as much as anyone does)

So, you're having a bad day; your landlord just issued you an eviction notice; the rent is overdue by three months. Your car won't start and you found out that the engine is seized and you still have three years left to pay on it and the warranty just ran out. On top of all this you just got laid off from your job and to really add misery to your life, your wife just informed you that your mother- in- law is coming to stay for the winter. If you didn't have bad luck you wouldn't have any luck at all. As Jed Clampett might say, "You're lower than a snakes belly in a wagon rut and you'll have to reach up to touch bottom."

Humorous this may seem, there are times perhaps when we have all felt like our world is crashing down around us.

There was an individual in the Bible who was having a bad day also. In fact he no doubt had several of them. As a matter of fact his own mother despised him so much that after a painful birth she named him Jabez, a name that stuck with him all of his life. Jabez literally translated means "He will cause pain" What a terrible thing to do. Can you imagine the pain and the ridicule that Jabez had to suffer? Every time he came near a group of children they would say "here comes Jabez, he will cause us pain" or " stay away from Jabez, he's a real pain". When I read his account I thought of the school yard bullies and they would have a real field day with poor little Jabez.

What did Jabez do about his bad days? Did he whine and complain? Did he blame his mother? Did he blame somebody else? No! He didn't resort to any of that He had made a choice, in fact his whole life was all about choices. You and I have choices also. We can whine and complain or we can follow the example of Jabez; the Bible says that first of all he was an honorable man. He was more honorable than his brothers. Let me read 1st. Chronicles ch. 4 verses 9 and 10, "Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez "Because I bore him in pain". How extremely careful we must be when talking to our children, what we call them and that we do not put them down with bad talk, telling them that they will never amount to anything, etc. This is the reason for so many social and moral ills in our society today.

Verse 10 says, "And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain! So God granted him what he requested."

Jabez asked for five different requests. #1 You may ask for God to bless your life. #2 You can ask Him to enlarge your territory...your field of influence, your witness, #3 You can ask for His hand upon your life and upon the lives of each and every member of your family...you can claim their salvation and you can claim divine protection on their lives every day. And even though they may wander from their teaching and upbringing, you can expect God to bring them back into His care. #4 We can ask to be kept in the time of evil, when Satan comes around to tempt us we can resist him in the name of Jesus after we have submitted unto God, and He will answer us when we call.#5 We can ask Him to keep us from causing pain to others. Lord, don't let me say something that will hurt somebody else. Set a watch over my tongue today and every day...this is so very, very important. The Bible says that when Jabez prayed this way that God granted him all these things that he was asking for. You need not face your bad days alone...just like Jabez ask in Faith believing that God hears and answers when we call out to Him in our time of need...[and thank you Pat for the Jabez plaque]...RC

Words series//Words of knowledge: Some of the saddest words found in Holy Writ are these words from the pen of the Apostle Paul. "for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world." Paul was in a Roman prison alone because his companions had left for ministry or perhaps other legitimate reasons and some Paul had sent, perhaps all of them with the exception of Demas and good old doctor Luke who stayed behind to be with Paul. The story unfolds in the 4th. chapter of 2 Timothy verses 9-13. You can read it there. I can see a story as it unfolds in my minds eye also...a picture of the old warrior who once had been just that, hailing men and casting them into prison for proclaiming the Gospel. Now he is himself in prison for the same reason...proclaiming the Gospel. I'm sure that he considered it a privilege to be there for the Gospel's sake, for he had just finished his valdictory address in verses 6,7,8 of this chapter 4: "For I am already poured out as a drink offering and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth, the King James says, it says ("Finally") in modern translations, Finally there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteousness judge shall give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing." However there must also have been a great aching in his heart over Demas for he said "Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world." In Col. 4:14 and Philemon verse 24 Demas is identified as a co-worker, a fellow laborer in the Gospel and now he has forsaken the Apstle while in an hour of need. Reminds me of a Judas character.



Judas loved the world and money. I don't know just what it was that attracted Demas but the Bible says he loved this present world.
How many times have you heard of a husband leaving his wife because she has a cancer or some other terminal disease or a wife leaving her husband because of an allegation of being a child molester which could not be proven and never happened? Guilty until proven innocent, a stigma for life. Or maybe it was a co-worker or a life long friend who betrayed you as Ahithophel who was a good friend and advisor of the King of Israel and he became an advisor to David's adversary and left David and even betrayed him. Ahithopel loved position and it was David's son Absolam who was also his father's adversary and Ahithophel being Absalom's new adviser was making sure(he thought) that he would still be a man of position. He too loved this present world. Maybe somebody reading this blog can identify with the Apostle, perhaps some time along life's way you have felt betrayal. Paul was in prison as I stated at this point in his life, Demas was a fellow laborer and there is no doubt that Paul felt a great love for this brother and held him in high regard and Demas was there in Rome with him, ministering to his needs...but he saw the suffering, he saw the price that had to be paid to serve Jesus. There's an old song that says, "it'll cost you something to follow, but you'll gain far more than you gave, You'll give up a life of sorrow, forever with Jesus to reign." "It will be worth it all when we see Jesus," another song declares. Demas was not willing to pay the price...he loved the present world. The Bible says, "love not the world, neither the things of the world for woever loves the world; the love of the father is not in him.
Ahithophel was the father of one of David's mighty men 2 Samuel vs. 34 of chapter 23 and his advice was according to 2 Samuel 16:23, " Now in those days the counsel that Ahithophel gave was as if one consulted the oracle of God; so all the counsel of Ahithophel was esteemed, both by David and by Absalom." Both Demas and Ahithophel were highly respected and well loved men...men of God, or so one would think. But like Judas Iscariot, who betrayed his Lord, they forsook the right paths and missed the only real things that are important. Again if you have been betrayed by someone close to your heart then cast your care on the Lord and He will keep you, ......HE CARES FOR YOU

Words of knowledge//Prov. 23:12 from the NRSV...Apply your mind to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.verses 17,18 of this same chapter " Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always continue in the fear of the Lord. Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off." Several times in the King James Version a verse will open with these words..."and it came to pass". Someone wittingly has said "I'm glad this thing has come to pass and not to stay." Humorous that may be but it carries a message to our anxieties. This trial that you are facing will pass even though we sometimes feel that there is no future, that this is all there is. The Bible says here that " Surely"...from the Amplified Bible it says "For surely there is a latter end [a future and a reward], and your hope and expectation shall not be cut off." Whatever it may be that is troubling you today remember these words...words of knowledge...there is a future, there is an end to this situation you are in, there is an endurance reward, a future and a hope. Haven't you had an answer to your prayers just yet? Does it seem like the heavens are as brass? Do your prayers seem like they don't get past the ceiling? Or have you given up in prayer? Well don't give up just because you have not seen an answer. Maybe you just have not recognized it yet. God is still on the throne and He has not forgotten you and He sees the cry of your heart.

In my city which is a seaport, there is an oil terminal where oil tankers come in and load petroleum products. And I pass this terminal several times a week on my way from home or back to home. One day I was complaining, I would have to say, yes, it was complaining, to the Lord, about a situation in my life that there did not seem to be an answer for. And I was feeling rather blue about it all, as a matter of fact, I was crying out to God and suddenly I took notice of a ship tied up to the terminal and it was loading oil products to take to a market somewhere. This ship looked like it had seen many storms; it had great blotches of rust on it's sides where the paint was missing and in my minds eye I could imagine how rough the storms were that it had been through. As I quickly scanned the condition of this vessel while I was driving by in my F150, I took notice of the name on the side near the bow....PERSEVERANCE!

It was as though God pulled the curtains back and let me see His answer.

Perseverance, persistence in prayer is the answer...He will answer as we are persistent in prayer and He will give us a future, a hope when it seems there is no way out. The answer or result of our praying may not be evident yet but if we are instant in prayer, consistent, persevering, and insistent combined with faith then He is committed, compelled, faithful to deliver on His promises. Look to Him again today and put your confidence in what He has said....truly He is faithful. Your future is secure as long as your confidence is placed in God.

The Prayer Room…Words of knowledge/a series/ Proverbs 23:12: “Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to words of knowledge.” This morning as I am sitting here in front of our computer, the Lord has laid some words of knowledge upon my heart and I have been pondering these words and like David of old “as I mused, the fire burned.” It is burning now deep within my soul.
I want to address a situation that is extremely apparent to me and I’m wondering if some of you who I hope will take the time to read this feel as I do. This is primarily to Pentecostals although not exclusively. Is it me or do you feel the same way as I feel and that is the fact that so many of our Pentecostal churches are dwindling in size, that they are on a down hill slide? Our youth groups are very few in numbers and even our Sunday schools(or whatever name you want to call them by) are also dwindling even in this past year and there are great empty spaces? There seems to be a great falling away in most of our local churches with the exception of a few who offer some programs that appeal in whatever way to entice folks to attend. But are these programs what we need? A change in pastors often mean a drastic change in programs. And this is not meant in any way a criticism of pastor’s or church leaders. I well remember a time when the Sunday School dept. was the largest dept. of the church; when the youth groups were large groups.
It seems that the largest group these days are those whose hair is turning from grey to white like mine is or it is getting very thin like mine is (it’s the only part of me that is getting thin) So two responses to this situation comes to mind; what is the problem and what is the cure?
We are facing in my opinion the demise of many churches just like that which happened in many main line churches 40 to 50 years ago. When our movement was flourishing. I believe our movement was flourishing because of the prayer room. We need to reestablish the prayer rooms in Pentecost. The Holy Ghost was poured out on the day of Pentecost because the disciples had just spent 10 days in the prayer room. We used to pray as a congregation before service and after service in the prayer room. Saturday evening was spent in prayer in the prayer room. I remember so vividly my experience in receiving the mighty Baptism in the Holy Ghost in the prayer room. Let us reestablish the prayer room, first and foremost in our hearts and then in our homes and in our assemblies. It is the answer for today’s situations like family breakup, for deliverance from sinful habits, for whatever the need is. We need corporate prayer and we need to encourage one another through prayer and the best place for it is in the prayer room. It is the answer for any Bible believing church in our city and in our province and in our country. It doesn’t matter how young you are or how old you are, or whether you stand, sit, or lay prostrate on the floor. It only matters that we return to the prayer room and seek God together and offer up sweet incense to Him through our prayers.
Oh God, in the name of Jesus I pray, place it in our hearts the desire to return to the prayer room as a corporate body to pray.

Words of knowledge from Proverbs chapter 23 and verse 12. “Apply your heart to instruction, And your ears to words of knowledge.” Words of knowledge include the word faithfulness and the best way perhaps to describe faithfulness is by way of example. The other day in a BIBLE study, the leader of that group had several members read the Christmas story as recorded in Luke ch. 2. And we read of the portion where Jesus is brought to the temple by His parents to present Him to the Lord as required by the Law (Luke 2:23) and as we read of that scenario, which I have read many times before, I began to see in a certain woman named Anna just a wonderful example of faithfulness. It says there starting to read at verse 36, “Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, She was of great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity. 37. And this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 38. And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.” Several other versions say she was a widow “of great age, having lived with her husband seven years after their marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty four.” Perhaps this is a little clearer. She was eighty four.
Here indeed is a picture of faithfulness, a portrait of faith you might say and you would be correct in saying so. Here are some definitions from the dictionary of the word faithfulness.
1.strict or thorough in the performance of duty as a faithful
Worker
2.true to one’s word, promise, vow, etc.
3.steady in allegiance or affection, loyal, constant, as: faithful friends.
And there are several more definitions of the word faithfulness from the dictionary but none of them seemed to fit…they did not do this lady justice however the Lord seemed to drop the real meaning into my heart of this woman’s faithfulness and it is “sold out”.
Sold out to God….I wonder how many of us (whoever and wherever you are in the world), how many are sold out to God? What do you think faithfulness means in your life? She was a woman who expected something from God. And she received what she had been longing for and it caused her to worship and to proclaim the gospel as she spoke about redemption, the message of the cross. That is what faithful living will produce in a Christian's life...it will proclaim Christ and His redemption so that others will know.

Words; in particular, words of knowledge; a series
As I opened my Bible this morning, my eyes fell on some words from the writings of one King Solomon who is reputed to be the wisest man who ever lived or at least the wisest man of His time…there is some question as to how wise a man with 1000 wives just might be. However, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit he wrote with considerable wisdom; in fact His words are recorded for us within the canon of scriptures. And the particular words that I looked at this morning around 6 a.m. were these found in Proverbs chapter 23 and verse 12. “Apply your heart to instruction, And your ears to words of knowledge.”
Words of knowledge…propensity, now that is a word of knowledge and I am not talking about the gift of the word of knowledge as laid out in 1 Cor. ch. 12. Propensity in the online dictionary that I use from time to time is described as ; 1. a natural inclination or tendency. 2. A favorable disposition or partiality. 3 .An innate inclination; a tendency .
Mankind has been born with a natural inclination, a tendency, a propensity to sin…it’s our nature. We inherited it from our fathers and our mothers and they inherited it from their fathers and their mothers and you can keep going back until you can identify a couple who were entrusted with the most beautiful garden ever known to any civilization of any time in history and they got themselves kicked out because they listened to a snake. You might think that they had a natural inclination to stupidity but that was not the case although it was stupid. It is always stupid to disobey God. It was more than stupid; it was sin; disobedience to God and what He says in His Word is always sin. We were born in sin and shapen in iniquity, the Bible says. A natural tendency to sin.
Even sometimes after we are saved from that sin we can slip in and partake of that which we are forbidden to do and that is because the old sinful nature has to be put to death on a daily basis. Paul said “I die daily.” We must put to death, he says, the old man and his deeds. The old ,man refers to that old sinful nature. Put it to death! Abstain from the very appearance of evil. Easy for Paul to say, after all he was an apostle, he had seen the Lord on the Damascus highway. He had met Peter and the rest of the apostles. He was close friends with people who knew Jesus and ate with Him. He had been converted in a miraculous way, he had a spectacular testimony.
Don’t we serve the same God as Paul served? Don’t we have Jesus living in us as he had? Will He not hear us when we are in trouble and cry out to Him? I know He will when we ask Him in faith. When the old nature rises up within with it’s tendency to sin, we can cry out to Him and instead of being hell-bent we know we are heaven bound. “Therefore if any person is (engrafted) in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether) ; the old [previous moral and spiritual condition ] has passed away. Behold the fresh and new has come! (Amplified Bible) And that means that our propensity to sin isn’t as strong anymore, in fact we have all the defenses we need to guard against it for we have His indwelling Spirit.
Now our propensity is to do what is right and proper and when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him. From our Granada short term mission to the children comes this word: “The old has gone; the new has come.” Next blog in this series; faithfulness