For the past few months, I have been growing uneasiness with the way that Christians, me especially, are far too friendly and cozy with our nation and our culture. I look at the book of Acts and see a group of believers who were confronting the world and unbelievers to expose sin and darkness.

I don’t think I am exaggerating when I say that, in general, there is little practical difference between the Church and the rest of America. We have been swept along with the wickedness of our culture so that we are participants in it, not prophets exposing it. Instead of being messengers calling the lost from our culture, we have become a part of it.

I feel that in the days ahead the Church in America will directly confront the wickedness of the American government, the American culture, and the American dream. We will be forced to take a stand against our nation or be swept away in the wickedness and delusion. I fear that persecution against Christians in this nation is not too far away because we will not be tolerated because we will not tolerate wickedness.

In light of this, the Lord is calling His people to awaken and stand for truth. Where delusion has swept in like a flood, He will pour out a Spirit of revelation. Where we are poor in wisdom, He will cause us to abound in love in true discernment. We will be a people who boldly proclaim His coming and His will to turn hearts to Jesus. We will do it in love and we will be hated for it.

He is calling us to be a nation set apart. Pilgrims waiting for our King to come.

P.S. My intent is not to be negative, but to call us to sobriety, and encourage us to lay hold of a vision for wholeheartedness and separation.

For the past couple of months, I have been thinking about the kingdom of God. I have never seriously thought about the subject, always leaning on the popular phrase, “already, not yet,” when being confronted with the subject. Yet a couple of my favorite teachers, and a post-election theological think tank have led me straight into the subject.

I’m still trying to get my feet wet, but I’m creeping towards the conclusion that the kingdom of God is entirely future. That above mentioned phrase just does not cut it for me as I feel it lacks sufficient understanding of the kingdom of God.

The first reason I say this is that, in God’s purpose, the kingdom was always a physical kingdom that would be established by a God-appointed king, Jesus the Messiah. The earth was always the place where God intended to dwell with humanity. Even after the fall, His intention was that His government would be on the earth – a physical kingdom. So to say that the kingdom is “already,” is to say that the kingdom of God is not a physical kingdom, but a “spiritual” one. This is against the promise of the Old Testament and the expectation of the apostles.

The second reason ties in with the first because it has to do with the idea of hope. The primary expectation and hope of the apostles was the coming of the Lord. The reason for this is because they were looking for Him to return to resurrect the dead, judge the wicked, and establish His kingdom in Jerusalem where He would reign with His saints as their reward. They were not running around believing that they were somehow establishing the kingdom. They were preaching about the kingdom and suffering for the kingdom because they had hope that Jesus was the Messiah who would soon establish the kingdom.

I am seeing that hope is one of the most precious things that I possess. I cannot and should not give out my hope lightly. My hope must be placed completely on Jesus the Messiah and His coming kingdom. We do not hope in the next revival. We do not hope in Church buildings or programs. We do not hope in a president. We do not hope in a promotion or a fulfillment of our calling. We hope in our Messiah who will soon split the sky to resurrect the dead, slay the wicked, and set up His kingdom. This is our hope because that is the only thing that is sure.

“For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.” (Romans 8:24-25)

We are on day two of the onething08 young adult conference here in KC. 15,000 people are here for 4 days of being equipped and called to be forerunners. IHOP-KC has a real sense that this will be a strategic time in the forerunner movement.

The IHOP website has tons of materials on the conference if you can’t make it. You can actually view the conference for free via webstream, which is awesome. They are also giving updates through Twitter, Flickr, Facebook, and more.

So check it out and join in with this exciting and historic event.

Belated Merry Christmas to you! Jocelyn and I spent the past week in Connecticut with Jocelyn’s family and had a great time. The highlight for us was being able to meet Sova Grace Turner. She is the Indian girl who was adopted by Mike & Jill, Jocelyn’s sister and brother-in-law, at the end of August. You can see pictures of her with us at Jill’s blog. She is so cute and has picked up the English language so well! She refers to herself in the third-person, which is cute, and wants me to shave my beard, which is…still cute.

This Christmas I was struck with the need to have reality in my life. I want to know Jesus as being more real than those things which I can touch and smell. I want to have a firmer confidence in Jesus’ return than I do in the fact that I will wake up in the morning. I feel that I have more hope in things for this life, than I do for things that are to come upon Jesus’ return. This should not be the case.

I was watching “The Nativity Story” movie a few nights ago and was struck with the insanity of Jesus being born into this world 2,000 years ago. Just the fact that He exists should blow my mind on a daily basis and cause me to forget all earthly pleasures and ambitions. Contrary to what some might think, this isn’t a rejection of the physical, or escapism. When I see that Jesus took on real flesh, walked on real ground, and transformed real people, it makes life so much more meaningful and beautiful.

Rather than placing my hope in things whose source is from the world, I can place my hope in the Man who is sitting on a throne in heaven and will one day split the skies to set-up His Kingdom on earth. I will have entrance into this Kingdom by having faith today, and will have a reward in this Kingdom by walking in obedience today.

My attitude in the face of difficulties should not be one of grumbling or selfishness, but joy and endurance. Through difficulties, yea, afflictions, my reward in the resurrection age will become more glorious if I respond in trust and joy.

Of course, this is how things should be, yet I still grope around in the dark having to convince myself that this is not a fairy-tale. This is reality. The Man who is sitting at the right hand of God in the heavens is more real than the gifts I received for Christmas. The hope of His coming to eradicate the earth of wickedness and the wicked is more sure than any earthly success I might attain.

If only I could live like all of this is real…

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon at Barnes & Noble speed reading through Brian McLaren’s book “Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope. I was reading it to help a friend with a project he is working on, but also because I was interested in what McLaren is all about since I have heard about him, but never read him.

If you are intrigued by him and his ideas, don’t be. Instead, be worried.

The essential message of the book is that the Church has had it wrong for too long and Jesus’ message was not about getting to heaven after we die and worrying about our personal relationship with God, but that everyone needs to help the poor of the earth and in doing so, we will be living like Jesus.

It is all fair and good to say that the Church needs to care more for the poor and that the gospel is not about us going away to His kingdom in the sky. But to say we are to do that to the neglect of establishing a right relationship with God, or that we are not awaiting a coming kingdom, is insane. Furthermore, to help the poor at the expense of preaching the gospel and requiring allegiance to Christ is to trample on the blood of Christ.

From what I observed, there are three faulty foundations on which he builds his ideas:

1. Jesus’ Kingdom was established when He walked on the earth and it is our job as His followers to expand that kingdom. We are not waiting for Him to return, but for humanity at large to do what He told us to do.
2. Man is not born into sin, but is capable of progressing and improving themselves if only they are relieved of exterior negative circumstances.
3. Our great hope is not that Jesus the King will one day split the skies and establish His Kingdom on earth, but that man can apply the teachings of Christ in order to improve themselves and be healed.

If we remove the eschatological hope of Jesus returning as a King, then we are left hopeless. If we remove any semblance of sin as being the sickness that plagues mankind and repentance and faith in Christ being the answer, then we are left with vanity.

I’ve been a little quiet as of late. It’s not that I don’t have anything to write, it’s that I have too much to write. I tend to want the “ink to dry” on my thoughts before putting them to paper. This is the opposite of my wife who is much more of a verbal processor. Life has also been a little busy due to the end of the semester at FSM, and a visit from my parents for Thanksgiving which was quite lovely.

IHOP has recently been abuzz as the Lord has been quickening Mike Bickle, the leadership team, and our community that the days are short and it is time to prepare. Jesus is soon returning to take over the kingdoms of the earth and the earth is radically unprepared for the events and conditions that will precede His return. IHOP has always been called to speak of His coming and prepare for His coming, but the Lord has awakened our urgency.

At onething this year, Mike is going to teach through the book of Revelation and call forth the forerunners; those, like John the Baptist did for Jesus’ first coming, who will prepare the way for the Lord. God wants His Church to be people of understanding and revelation in order to give clarity in the midst of the shakings and judgments that are about to come upon the earth. He wants to save the most amount of people, into the deepest level of love, using the least severe means, without violating anybody’s free will.

Jesus is stirring our hearts to lay hold of the vision to be messengers and intercessors who will speak to kings and nations at the end of the age and declare the coming of another king who will overthrow the governments of the earth. Just as Moses stood before Pharaoh, so will the Church stand before the the Antichrist and kings in alliance with him. Just as Peter and Paul saw thousands radically saved, so will we see a great harvest of souls. We will see the multiplication of food, while the waters will also turn to blood. Believers will be divinely protected, while others will give their lives witnessing of a coming king and His kingdom.

I am excited for the days ahead, yet I am trembling. I long to see the Church be purified and empowered, but I wonder if I have the endurance to survive. I have no choice but to say, “yes,” because I long to see the Messiah come and take His rightful place on the earth as it was in the beginning. I groan for His return because He will make all things right and new again.

It’s time to be sober, and a time to prepare. Follow along with what Mike and Allen Hood have been sharing on the book of Revelation in preparation for onething. Ask the Lord for wisdom and revelation. Ask Him to prepare you for His return.

I’ve been taking a weekly class at through the Apostolic Mission School at IHOP this semester called “Biblical Theology of Mission”, which is taught by John Harrigan. The purpose of the class is to set out what the mission of the Church is, and to do that, we go through what existence was at the beginning to determine where we are going and what our part is as Christians. The class is immense in its scope, but it is really mind-blowing.

Yesterday, my friend Brandon and I were going over session one, “Earth’s Global Flood”. It is based on a scientific theory called the “hydroplate theory,” which basically shows how the flood happened scientifically and how it explains so much about our earth today. The man who has come up with the theory is a man named Dr. Walt Brown who has written a book called “In the Beginning: Compelling Evidence for Creation and the Flood”. It would be worth your time to watch a short video that explains the theory.

Anyway, as Brandon and I were listening to John’s teaching as he went over Walt’s theory, I was blown away by the reality that the flood actually happened on this earth around 5,000 years ago (or so). It’s easy to read the biblical flood account and miss the fact that it actually happened on our physical earth. In the matter of days, creation was changed in a dramatic and radical way.

Learning the potential science of the flood actually makes it real not just as history, but as our future. When speaking of the end of the age, Jesus referenced the days of the flood as a model of what we could expect (Matt. 24:37-39). Wickedness will be rampant on the earth as in those days, and God will cleanse the earth of wickedness in the same manner as the flood (Gen. 6:5). Peter emphasizes the second point more emphaticly and shows that the future cleansing will not be with water, but with fire (2 Pet. 3:4-7).

Furthermore, Peter shows that a failure to recognize the historicity and authenticity of the biblical flood, has led men to mock any idea or notion that their will be a future cleansing of the earth with fire. This has happened with the theory of evolution which has indoctrinated a generation with the idea that it is scientifically impossible for the flood to have occurred because God is not involved with the affairs of men. Consequently, we believe that He will not cleanse the earth of wickedness.

I urge you to consider the reality of the flood so that you can be confident to know that He will come to cleanse the earth of wickedness again. A great, cleansing fire will come upon this earth to purge it of wickedness and the saints will live with the Father, the Son and the Spirit on earth forever (2 Pet. 3:11-13).

In case you didn’t hear, our next president will be Barack Obama. There has been a lot written by Christians and non-Christians about him, so I don’t really need to write much. Yet I have a few random thoughts about him.

1. I’m really proud that our nation did choose an African-American man as their next President. After he won, I watched as African-Americans were reduced to tears because of what Obama’s victory symbolized for them as a people. It was quite touching, but it took me a couple of days before I could more fully appreciate what it means for this nation and for those of different ethnicities.
2. I’m not as fearful about his presidency as I was before the elections. Maybe I’m being naively optimistic, but I’m still believing that the praying Church has authority to release light and truth into this nation that will push back darkness that will try to prevail. Yet wicked men will still do wicked things, and God continue to shake all that can be shaken.
3. I’m curious as to what will happen in these next 4 years. It will be interesting to see how the church responds. It will be interesting to see what happens politically. How will the world’s opinion of America change? What will happen when the seas don’t recede and our planet does not begin to heal? What will the public opinion of Obama be 4 years from now?
4. I think it’s a time for the Church to rethink how we are to be involved in politics. I, for one, have been wrestling throughout these elections with how the Church is to relate to the state. What influence are we to have? What is to be the nature of that influence? I have been grieved over my own propensity to elevate social justice issues higher than the glory of Christ; to care more about politics than about the beauty of Jesus. I feel the Lord calling me to stare at Him and preach the message of a coming King and a coming Kingdom. That is to be our message of hope and change.
5. Though I applaud America for choosing an African-American as their next president, I mourn over the depth of compromise that has come into the Church regarding the plight of the unborn. I fear that we as the people of Christ have rallied around an unholy cry for “change” and neglected the cries of the unborn. This disturbs me because the shedding of innocent blood will not go unanswered.
6. Prayer is still the answer. God’s answer to wickedness rising up across the earth is the praying Church. No one can release light and truth into the human spirit or a nation except for the praying Church. Our words govern the earth. As those who stand for life, our cries are still to be, “Jesus, I plead your Blood over my sins and the sins of my nation. God, end abortion and send revival to America.” As Christians living in America, we are to pray for President Obama and his wife, Michelle (see my wife’s dream.)
7. We win in the end. Jesus is returning very soon and He is coming for a bride who will be made ready. I am confident that God is calling for His people into greater depths of love, truth, righteousness, and light. Righteousness will prevail in our nation and Jesus will establish His Kingdom. This is our great hope and it is our great calling to proclaim this in whatever way we can. For this, I am thankful.

Today is the day. Finally, the elections are here and will we know who our next President will be by tomorrow. I say “tomorrow” because the media will want us to believe that Obama has won it tonight in a race to be the first to report it. But don’t listen to them. It’s not over until it is over.

Go and vote no matter what the media says! McCain still has a shot at this because it is close in key states.

As you vote, hear the cries of the unborn.

The Presidential Elections being held this Tuesday will be one of the most important elections in US history. Yes, I’m young, but I can’t think of another election that will so clearly determine the direction of our nation. I think that most people would recognize this fact no matter their political leanings.

At this moment, it looks like we will elect a president who is radically pro-choice related to abortion, and favors liberal judges who see it as their duty to make laws based on their judgment, not interpret the constitution. This will lead to the legalization of homosexual marriage, and, I believe, the suppression of free speech and the persecution of Christians. I’m not saying that all of this will happen during an Obama presidency, but it very well could happen years down the road as a result of decisions that he makes.

I’m not saying that Obama is evil and McCain is good. What I am saying is that Paul instructs us to pray and give thanksgivings “for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Tim. 2:2). So kings (ie. Presidents, senators, etc.) are not put in place to establish the kingdom of God, but to give protection so that the Church can be the Church and go forth with power to preach, heal, and love.

In light of this, TheCall San Diego that is being held on Saturday is very important. It is a 12-hour prayer meeting crying out for revival in California, and for God to move on the hearts of people to change the laws in California related to homosexual marriage.

I won’t be going to San Diego, but I will spend the day in prayer. We still have time for a miracle and a turning around of the direction of this nation. Would you devote Saturday to be a day of prayer for the elections and our nation? We need a season of mercy whereby the gospel can go forth in power to heal and save.

Pray for:

1. God to have mercy.
2. The name of Jesus to be glorified.
3. For light to break forth. There has been so much confusion around these elections that truth is not being seen. We need light to break darkness over these elections.

We don’t need change; we need mercy and revival.