WHO ME? WORSE THAN AN INFIDEL? WELL…

Ah, the refreshment that comes from repentance…

The first words that come to my mind to express my sentiments of how I was affected by the 2010 Operation Save America National Event are, “Thank you Jesus!”  Why?  Because he smashed me with the truth of His Word, I confessed my sin, repented, and now I’m free.  Hallelujah!

Now, please allow me to explain.

On the last night of the event, Rev. Flip Benham gave an altar call to anyone who had not been faithful to be in God’s Word every single day.  Of course, I arrogantly looked around the room at all the “sinners.”  Then, I saw my wife stand up.  Oh, I knew that she had struggles with being in the Word everyday.  After all, she has to take care of two kids all day.

So I watched my wife respond to the altar call and God busted me, big time.  It’s almost as if he said, “Look buddy, you think you’re doing such a good job by being in the Word everyday, but you’re a failure.  Who do you think is responsible for your wife being in the Word everyday?”  Then, all of the sudden, two verses were brought to my remembrance.

First, it was 1 Timothy 5:8, which says: “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”

I remembered that verse because God had just showed it to me through an article written by Dr. Patrick Johnston dealing with ways in which we, as husbands, can do a better job of loving our wives.  “Wow!” I said.  I was busted.

I realized that Paige was not the one that should be at the altar.  I should!  So, then, being the prideful man that I am I thought, “Well, if I go down there, everyone will think that I’m not in my Bible everyday.”  (Yes, I repented of that, too.)  So, I walked down to my wife, put my arm around her and told her that this was my responsibility and apologized.

As I was down there, I started to think some things over.  I have always taught young men I disciple that, before they can pursue the opposite sex, they should be 100% prepared to provide for their wife physically, financially and spiritually.  So I realized that, because of 1 Timothy 5:8, I had become “worse than an infidel.”

The other scripture that the Holy Spirit brought to my remembrance was Ephesians 5:25-28, which says: “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.  So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.”

There have been times that I have washed my wife’s feet to show my love and devotion to serve her.  Oh, my wife thinks I am the greatest husband ever.  Well, I know better.  I realized this night, that despite the emotional, physical and financial support that I show to Paige, if I do not wash her with the Word of God, I have completely failed as a husband.  I have become worse than an infidel.

Well, throughout the week, God had showed me several areas in my Christian walk that needed to be improved upon.  The biggest things were my not being a good husband and father.  I remember feeling horrible all day Tuesday.  I tried to put this stuff before the Lord, but it seemed that it didn’t do any good.  Then, I recall someone saying, “No one has ever come to God in repentance and been turned away.”  So, I realized there was hope.  The reason I felt so sorrowful was because it truly was godly sorrow and God just wasn’t done dealing with me.

So, praise the Lord!  On Friday night, I was finally confronted with the very specific sin that I was committing.  I was not fulfilling the responsibilities of being a godly husband. On Sunday, I was able to confess it to my church and ask them to hold me accountable.

I am just so thankful for God’s tender mercies.  And I am so thankful for the men of God in OSA who took the time to talk to me about how to become a better husband and father.  I thanked Doc Johnston for his booklet that I read (I’ll include a link to it at the bottom of this page).  I explained that I had to repent and he told me something like, “If you don’t get it right with your wife, you won’t get it right with your kids.”

God showed me so many things.

I had a critical spirit.  Believe it or not, even though I was completely failing at my job as a husband and father, I had the nerve to criticize Paige when the house was not as clean as I thought it should be.  What a hypocrite I was!

I already talked about my failure in not teaching the Word to my wife, but I was also failing in the area of training my children in the fear of the Lord.  I am so thankful that Frank Campana and Rusty Thomas took the time to show me how to do better in this area.  Their practical pieces of advice have already paid off, tremendously.

Praise God for his grace and forgiveness!

Now that the log’s been removed from my eye, I wonder if I could encourage some of you to examine yourselves to see if there are areas where you need to repent.  I’ll just give you some simple questions and admonishments for fathers and husbands, for mothers and wives, and for young men and young women.

Questions for husbands and fathers: Are you providing for your wife and children financially, physically, emotionally and spiritually.  I’ve already explained how to provide spiritually.  If you would like to understand more about the others, please ask me and I’d be glad to help you on this.  Remember this, God has entrusted you with your wife.  He has entrusted you with your children.  You better not forget that.  You better love your wife and treat her as the gift from God that she is.  Likewise with your children.  And you better not forget that your children are eternal souls.  They are future mothers and fathers, missionaries and martyrs for Christ!  Don’t forget the value of those whom God has entrusted to you.

Questions for mothers and wives: Are you submitted to your husbands as unto to the Lord?  Are you committed to the call on your life to raise godly children and to come along side your husband as a help meet?

Questions for young men: Are you prepared to provide for your future wife financially, physically, emotionally and spiritually?  Are you prepared to leave and to cleave?  Are you committed to study God’s Word?

Questions for young women: Are you willing to trust God and wait for Him to send you a husband?  Are you committed to surrender all to your calling to raise children and submit to your future husband?

Just so you know, God might call some of you young men and women to celibacy.  That’s fine.  But, if you were my children I would still raise you to be good husbands and fathers and good mothers and wives.  That’s what biblical manhood and biblical femininity is all about.

I hope this has been encouraging and provoking.  Remember, there is only One that can deliver you from sin.  His name is Jesus!

For His Glory,

Adam Tennant

Here is a the link to Dr. Patrick Johnston’s article:  http://rightremedy.org/articles/305

Asa and America: Two Peas In A Pod

As I was reading about king Asa in the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth chapters of 2 Chronicles, I started to see many similarities between his life and the life of the our nation.  We aren’t going to do an extensive study on these three chapters, so I would just ask you to read them for yourself.  You will find that Asa was a king that started off tremendously well. “He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles.” (2 Chronicles 14:3) He also built up the towns in Judah, urged the people to worship the true God, and prepared his army to protect the nation of Judah.  He was a good king.

You’ll see in verse nine that Zerah the Cushite wanted to start some trouble with Judah.  Then, in verse eleven, you’ll see that Asa was a king that relied solely on the Lord.  And in verses twelve through fifteen you’ll see that the Lord delivered Asa.  2 Chronicles 15:2 says, “The Lord is with you when you are with him.  If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.” We need to forever remember, that the Lord will be with us as long as we are with him.  But, we should also remember that as soon as we forsake him, he will forsake us.  Deuteronomy 31:6 is a verse you see all over the place, which says, “the Lord will never leave you nor forsake you.” The sad thing is that it’s been taken out of context.  Later in that same chapter, you read that the Lord will, indeed, forsake you if you forsake him (Dt. 31:17).  You see that repeated again right here.  The important thing is, that you won’t have to worry about it as long as you don’t forsake the Lord.

We see this principle very clearly as we study the life of king Asa.  For, he was a king that started off trusting in the Lord, and the Lord delivered him.  But, as time went on, Asa started to make, seemingly, small compromises.  He began to put his trust in others.  Therefore, God forsook him.  And, just as Asa started off on the right track, so did America, but she is now barreling down the path leading toward destruction.  How has this happened?

Alexis De Toqueville said this about America:  “I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers, and it was not there. In the fertile fields and boundless prairies, and it was not there. In her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits, aflame with righteousness, did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”

We recently celebrated Independence Day.  A day where we celebrate our Independence from the oppressive British Monarchy.  In our government schools, we are taught that the main reason for the Revolution was taxation without representation.  However, we are never taught the origination of that phrase.  The truth is, it comes from a sermon delivered by the Reverend Johathan Mayhew in the city of Boston in 1750.  Why are we not taught this?  Because, as a nation, we have turned our backs on Almighty God.  Our leaders do not want us to know that this nation was founded on the Word of God.  They don’t want us to know that all of the ideas in the Declaration were taken from sermons that the founders had heard over the past fifty or so years.

You’ll find in chapter sixteen of 2 Chronicles that Asa also turned his back on God.  Even though God had delivered him from a massive army in chapter fifteen, he now bribed the pagan king, Ben-Hadad, to take care of his enemy, Baasha king of Israel.  He had forsaken the Lord, and now the Lord would forsake him.  In America, we have forsaken the Lord, and he is now forsaking us.

In our early years, when we relied on the Lord, he delivered us over and over.  Now, as we have become so clever as to believe that our greatness comes from ourselves, he has begun to forsake us.  He is draining our wealth, turning us over to our enemies, and slapping us in the face with one natural disaster after another.  He is allowing the sin, which we celebrate, to rule over us.

I wonder what De Toqueville would say if he were to take a look at America today.  If he were to seek for greatness, he certainly would not find the trace of it.  Even our leaders have openly confessed that America is no longer great.  And why is this?  Because, as a fulfillment to De Toqueville’s statement, we have ceased to be good.  We have forsaken the law and praised the wicked.  We have called good evil and evil good.  But, if we are to seek the root cause of all of this, we need not point our fingers at the governmental leaders.  If we ask ourselves why we are no longer good, we will find the root of this decay behind the pulpits of this land.  Because our pulpits are no longer aflame with righteousness, we, as a nation, are no longer good.  Therefore, we are no longer great.  The pitiful state of our nation is due to the pitiful state of our pulpits.

Just as the compromises of Asa led to his downfall, so have the compromises of the church led to the downfall of this nation.  And, just as Asa began to persecute the prophets and oppress the people (2 Chronicles 16:10), you are now seeing, in the United States of America, the same thing.  The land of the free and the home of the brave is quickly becoming a meaningless phrase.  This same nation, that was once a shining city set upon a hill, is quickly becoming a lonely flagstaff on a mountaintop, a banner on a hill.  And, just as we have seen in 2 Chronicles, God’s judgment will continue to be poured out on us until we get to the point that we have no where else to go.

So, is there an answer to this madness?  How can we stop America from barreling down the track toward her destruction.  Maybe we could continue to put our trust in big government or in the Republican Party.  Hey, I know what.  We just need to get some true conservatives in office (whatever that means).  Yeah!  That will fix it!  Conservatism fixes everything!  Hmmm…book, chapter and verse, please.

No, the answer to our problem will only come when we realize who and what our problem is.  Our problem is God!  Why?  Because we have forsaken him.

God sent the prophet Isaiah to the nation of Judah to deal with the same thing.  They were a nation that had turned their backs on God.  Therefore, God sent his judgment against them, in hopes that they would repent and, once again, trust in him.  However, instead of dealing with their sin, they too turned to political saviors and alliances.  Listen to what Isaiah had to say about this:

“This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.  You said, ‘No, we will flee on horses.’ Therefore you will flee! You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’Therefore your pursuers will be swift!  A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee away, till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill.” (Isaiah 30:15-16)

I would highly recommend that you read the entire chapter of Isaiah chapter thirty.  God has a message for us.  The question is, “Are we willing to listen?” Or, are we going to be like king Asa when he was confronted with his sin in 2 Chronicles 16:7-9?  How did he respond?  “Asa was angry with the seer because of this; he was so enraged that he put him in prison.  At the same time Asa brutally oppressed some of the people.”  (2 Chronicles 16:10) Is that going to be our response?  It certainly seems so.

For His Glory,
Adam Tennant

THE GULF STATES CALL TO PRAYER…A SIGN OF REVIVAL?

Every Friday, on his show, “Wallbuilders Live,” David Barton has a special called, “Good News Friday.”  He finds good things that have happened across the nation over the past week to encourage his listeners that, despite all the bad, there are some good things going on.  Recently, I have heard him saying that he believes our nation is in the midst of a revival.  The latest occurrence that he used to exemplify this was the call for prayer coming from the governors of five gulf states.  This call to prayer, of course, was concerning the gulf oil spill.

Before I respond to Mr. Barton praising this act, I want to tell you that I have much respect for him.  David Barton is a great historian and has done much work to get true American history back into the hands and hearts of the people of this nation.  He has, no doubt, been an instrument of God in turning the hearts of this nation back toward our founding fathers.  So I don’t want you to think that I am encouraging not to listen to him.  Quite the contrary.  I would encourage you to read every book he’s written.

However, Mr. Barton has a problem, sometimes, discerning whether or not something is good.  Every time I hear him praise another piece of incremental “pro-life” legislation being passed, it makes me cringe.  How can he not see that they all end with the caveat, “then you can kill the baby?”  Probably because of his loyalty to the Republican Party, who’s very platform contains that caveat.

This call to prayer was touted by David Barton as a sign of national revival.  When I heard him say this, I had to check out the actual proclamation by the governors.  Of course, it was no coincidence that, in my Bible reading schedule, I was reading through 2 Chronicles six and seven when I read this proclamation.  Isn’t it amazing how God works!  If you are reading His Word, He will speak to you.

So, before reading the governor’s proclamation, let’s take a look at what God calls us to do when hit with a national tragedy.

We see, in chapter six of 2 Chronicles, that Solomon has just finished building the temple of the Lord, and now he is going to say a prayer of dedication.  There are many things you can pull out of Solomon’s prayer in chapter six, but a great summation of the main point to his prayer comes in the answer God gives to Solomon in chapter seven.

2 Chronicles 7:13-16 says, “If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.  Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.  For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.”

I encourage you to read all of chapter six and seven, in your own time, to see if what I am about to say is accurate.  Here is what God is saying, through Solomon’s prayer, and through his answer to Solomon’s prayer.  “When my people sin against me, I’m going to send them judgment.  My judgment is meant to humble them and lead them to repentance so that I can pour out my mercy on them.  Both, my judgment and mercy is given so that they, and all the world, will fear me and walk in my ways.” Pretty simple, right?  And you’ll find that principle throughout the entire Bible.

You’ll find a good example of this in 2 Chronicles 6:28-31, which says, “When famine or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers, or when enemies besiege them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come, and when a prayer or plea is made by any of your people Israel—each one aware of his afflictions and pains, and spreading out his hands toward this temple- then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive, and deal with each man according to all he does, since you know his heart (for you alone know the hearts of men), so that they will fear you and walk in your ways all the time they live in the land you gave our fathers.”

In order to properly understand this, you really need to read this passage in it’s context.  Read all of chapter six.  God gives four examples in this chapter, showing that these disasters come because His people sinned against Him(2 Chronicles 6:22, 24, 26, 36).  The formula is obvious.  You sin, God sends judgment.  You repent, God sends mercy.  It’s that simple.

So, about the gulf oil spill.  Is it a judgment of God?  Well, let’s just think about that.  Let me just mention a few things that might cause God to send judgment on this land.  Over four thousand babies are murdered every day.  Homosexuality has been called a good thing, while the altar of marriage has been desecrated.  Christianity has been prostrated to the same level as all religions, except Islam, of course.  Islam is given more respect than them all.  And here’s the kicker: the church continues in her slumber.  No repentance.  No speaking out.  Nothing.

Therefore, God has, once again, sent His judgment with the goal of leading us to repentance.

So, now we can look at this proclamation for a day of prayer and say, “Yes! Finally! We are turning back to God!” Right?  Well, you might want to hold your tongue for a minute.  Let’s take a look at the actual wording of the proclamation,  keeping in mind what we just learned in 2 Chronicles.  I want you to pay close attention to the number times sin and repentance is used in this proclamation.

“Now, Therefore, I, Jeff Kottkamp, Lieutenant Governor of the State of Florida, do herby call for a Day of Prayer on Sunday, June 27, 2010, urging citizens to pray for comfort for the families of those killed in the Deepwater Horizon initial blast; that God would crown with success efforts to stop the flow of oil in the Gulf; that He would interpose to mitigate further damage and strengthen the hands of clean up crews; that He would sustain those whose livelihood is directly impacted by this tragedy; that He would preserve the health of citizens along the coastal regions; that He would comfort all citizens impacted by the oil spill, reminding us that He is a strong refuge in times of trouble; that He would guide and direct our civil leaders and provide them with wisdom and Divinely inspired solutions to the many complex problems associated with this disaster; and that He would prevent future recurrences of this oil spill.” “NOW, THEREFORE, I, Bob Riley, Governor of Alabama, do hereby declare Sunday, June 27, 2010, as a Day of Prayer in Alabama and encourage individuals to pray on their own or with others, according to their own faith, in an expression of faith and hope. NOW, THEREFORE, I, Bobby Jindal, Governor of the State of Louisiana, do hereby proclaim June 27, 2010 as a Statewide Day of Prayer In the State of Louisiana and in the Gulf of Mexico.” “NOW, THEREFORE, I, RICK PERRY, Governor of Texas, under the authority vested in me by the Constitution and Statutes of the State of Texas, do hereby proclaim Sunday, June 27, 2010, as a Day of Prayer in the State of Texas. I urge Texans of all faiths and religious traditions to offer prayers on that day for the healing of individuals, the rebuilding of communities and the restoration of entire Gulf Coast environment in the wake of this disaster NOW THEREFORE, I, Haley Barbour, Governor of the State of Mississippi, hereby proclaim June 27, 2010, as a Day of Prayer in Mississippi for relief from this crisis and restoration of the Gulf of Mexico and shoreline.”

I wonder if this is reminiscent of something Elijah would have prayed with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel.  Wait a minute, he cut the heads off the false prophets who were calling on their false gods!

I imagine that you are all asking the same question I asked after reading this.  “How in the world does David Barton not see that this prayer is an abomination to the Lord?” If you read through Solomon’s prayer, you will find a great emphasis on “this place.”  God has always been very specific with the way to reach Him.  All through the Bible, you will find that there is only one way.  In the Old Testament, God’s people had to come to the temple of the Lord.  Now, Jesus is the way to reach God(John 14:6).  We know that neither sin nor repentance was mentioned, but how many times was the name of Jesus mentioned?  It wasn’t.  Why?  Because these governors, despite their sincere convictions, are bowing to the altar of pluralism.  That’s right.  They don’t want to offend anyone so they just prostrate the God of the Bible and put Him on the same level as all the false gods of the world.

Bob Riley encouraged, “individuals to pray on their own or with others, according to their own faith, in an expression of faith and hope.” Rick Perry urged, “Texans of all faiths and religious traditions to offer prayers on that day…” What an abomination!  How can we, as a Christian nation, expect God to answer prayers like that?

There are two major problems with this prayer proclamation.  First of all, there was no confession of sin or admission that this gulf spill came as a result of national sin.  And secondly, it was a prayer offered up to a multitude of Gods.

David Barton, when touting this act as a sign of revival, discussed a little bit of the history of national leaders calling our nation to a day of prayer.  He compared this prayer proclamation, namely, to the those of George Washington, James Madison and Thomas Jefferson.  But I wish he would have actually done a good job of this, because if we study the prayer proclamations of our founders, you will find that there are no similarities with what the governors of the gulf states released.

I want to be clear on something.  I truly believe that now, more than ever, our president needs to proclaim a National Day of Prayer.  We have sinned against Him and are experiencing His judgments.  We need to realize that God is our problem, and that He is the only answer to that problem.  But this proclamation can look nothing like the one you just read.  For a better model, let’s read the one called for by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, in the midst of a civil war:

Whereas, the Senate of the United States, devoutly recognizing the supreme authority and just government of the Almighty God in all the affairs of men and of nations has by a resolution requested the president to designate and set apart a day for national prayer and humiliation.

And whereas, it is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God: to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon: and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord:

And insomuch as we know that by His divine law nations, like individuals are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world, may we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war which now desolates the land may be but a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole people?

We have been the recipients of the choices bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown; but we have forgotten God.

We have forgotten the gracious land which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God who made us:

It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.

All this being done in sincerity and truth, let us then rest humbly in the hope authorized by the divine teachings, that the united cry of the nation will be heard on high, and answered with blessings no less than the pardon of our national sins, and the restoration of our now divided and suffering country to its former happy condition of unity and peace.

Abraham Lincoln

Do you see the differences?  The gulf state governors were only asking God for help.  Lincoln is confessing the great sin of this nation.  He humbly recognized that the judgments falling on this land were a direct result of our sin.  He prayed for forgiveness from the “offended Power.”  Then, at the end of this proclamation, Lincoln let the people know that deliverance would only come after humbling themselves, and crying out to God in repentance.  And until we realize this, our national disasters will only increase.

So, you might be asking, “How do I apply this to my life?” I know, you aren’t the president of the United States.  You aren’t a high ranking government official.  But, you may be one day.  Or, just as important, you might have the ear of someone like that one day.  Hey, that’s a good place to be.  But if you ever get to a place like that, you had better not compromise truth.  Never compromise truth.

Another application, which is just as important, is taking what we’ve learned in 2 Chronicles and applying it to your family life.  Dad, it’s not time to be playing Xbox.  It’s not time to be so consumed with work that you don’t get to spend time with your wife and kids.  Hey Dad, if you’re not loving your wife and kids the way God calls you to love them, you had better repent.  It’s time to get your home in order.  You want national revival?  Well, you’re gonna have to want revival in your home first.  It’s time to get on your knees, Dad.  Seek the face of the Lord to guide your family.  If you’re not reading the Word of God, everyday, than you had better start.  Without it, you are lost.  And you had better make sure your family is being led by the Word of God.  Come on, Dad.  This is not time to be playing around.  It’s time to get your home in order.  Teach your kids obedience.  Teach your family the fear of the Lord.  And don’t just say it.  Do it.

I say all this because I recognize that the gulf oil spill is a judgment from God.  I believe that God has been sending us one wake up call after another.  The problem is, we aren’t hearing it.  Therefore, be sure of this.  If this nation does not repent, judgment will continue to be poured out on us.  He will absolutely smash us until we come to repentance.  Until we realize that “in repentance and rest is our salvation.” (Isaiah 30:15)  It’s time to get your family ready.

I don’t claim to be some great writer, but I’ve been sending out these writings for a while now.  My very first one, involved high gas prices and I proclaimed that God was draining the wealth of this nation.  I warned that this would continue to get worse, unless we repent.  I warned of the judgment to come.  Now, I don’t claim to be a prophet.  The truth is, I am surrounded by godly men who have shown these things to me through the Scriptures.  My job is simply to take these truths, and get them to all that I can.  What happens with that is not up to me.  I’m just the mailman.  But I’ll warn you today that we haven’t seen anything yet.

So what’s the answer.  2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” This is something we need to do as a nation.  More importantly, this is something we need to do as a church.  But, first and foremost, we need to do it as a family.  For, according to Malachi 4:6, the curse which hovers over this land is a result of absent fathers and broken homes.

Here’s what we need to do.  Call your family together and search your hearts for the sin within.  Deal with it, and deal with it ruthlessly.  Get your homes in order.  Dads, if you’ve wronged your wife, or even your children, confess it.  The same goes for Moms and children.

Last of all, I want to take this opportunity to stress to you the importance of reading God’s Word.  Regardless of who you are, or where you are in life; without the daily consumption of God’s Word, you will drift away.  I guarantee it.  Dad, I cannot stress enough, the importance of devoting yourself to the Scriptures.  You need to know God’s Word.  If you don’t, you will lead your family astray.  There are so many deceptions out there, right now.  If you do not have the compass of God’s Word, you’ll be lost in a sea of deceit.

I started by mentioning David Barton and this call for prayer from the governors of the gulf states.  I end by saying this:  I have no doubt that these governors are well-meaning Christians, but they have not committed themselves to be students of God’s Word.  If they had, than they would know that you have to deal with sin before you can expect the Deliverer to hear from Heaven.  They would know that there is only one Way; that being the name of Jesus Christ…not a multitude of Gods.  But they don’t know the importance of that because they don’t know the Word of God.  By the way, how did God answer that pluralistic prayer?  Hurricane Alex?  Hmmm…something to think about, isn’t it?

Now do you see the importance of knowing God’s Word?  Let’s get back to the Scriptures.

For His Glory,

Adam Tennant

P.S.  I also should state that David Barton is a great historian.  If you want to know the truth of America’s godly heritage, there is no better source.  So, don’t think this article is an attack on David Barton.  It’s not.  I just wish he had better discernment when it comes to certain things.  Especially, since he has the ears of so many influential people.  Hey, he’s night and day better than Rick Warren.

DAVID OR SAUL…WHICH ONE ARE YOU?

Proverbs 28:13 says, “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” A perfect illustration of this would be the life of Israel’s first king; Saul of Kish.  Though he seemingly started off on the right foot, it wasn’t long that this man chose to floor it down the highway leading toward destruction.  As we follow his life through the book of 1 Samuel, we continually see him make decisions based on his own thoughts and feelings.  Then, when confronted with his sins, he blames others, tries to justify or rationalize his sin, or he just denies it.  But, as the proverb says, when we do this, we will not prosper, and we will not find mercy.  Is this not the natural bent that we all have?  You bet it is.  And it is only when we humble ourselves enough to confess and renounce our sins that we will find the forgiveness of God.

We are going to examine two characters found in 1 Samuel who provide a picture of both of these attitudes.  First, we’ll look at King Saul, who was filled with pride, which led to his destruction.  And then we’ll take a look at King David, a man after God’s own heart who, when confronted with his sins, softened his heart and found mercy.

All of us are like one of these two.  As you read this, all I ask is that you allow the Holy Spirit to prick your heart.  If you are like Saul, then your only hope is immediate repentance.  If you don’t repent, you will only dig your pit deeper and deeper.  If you are more like David, then you’re in a good place.  Does that mean your perfect?  Absolutely not!  That just means that you are the kind of person that, when you sin, you confess and renounce it.

I highly recommend that you study the entire book of 1 Samuel, in order to get a good grasp on who Saul really was.  It will amaze you to see the hardness of this man.  But, for sake of time, we’re just going to look at one chapter, to see what kind of man Saul was.  So, open your Bibles and turn to 1 Samuel chapter fifteen.

As we read verses 1-3, we find that Samuel clearly commanded Saul to “attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them.  Do not spare them; put to death mean and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.” This command, in itself, might not seem right to us, but the Amalekites were a very wicked people.  Saul was called to deal with them the same way a surgeon deals with cancer (removing every bit of it, lest it grow back and kill the patient).  He was supposed to completely destroy them.

Then, in verses 4-9, we find that Saul decided to spare the wicked king Agag, along with “the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs-everything that was good.” He blatantly disobeyed the command of the Lord.

God spoke to Samuel in verses 10-11, saying, “I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.”

After crying out to the Lord all night, Samuel decided, early in the morning, to pay Saul a visit.  When he set out to meet Saul, I’m sure he was shocked at what he saw.  As he searched for him, he was told that, “Saul has gone to Carmel.  There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.” Many of us are now saying to ourselves, “Well, I’m definitely not like Saul.  I would never do anything like that.” Oh really?  Well, that’s exactly what we do when we decide, in our own minds, what is right and what is wrong.  We make ourselves into our own god.

Here’s something else we do.  Look how Saul greeted Samuel, in verse 13.  “The Lord bless you!  I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.” There are several things to point out here.

First of all, he’s speaking “Christianese.”  Though he is walking in complete disobedience, he still has the Lord on his lips.  Have you ever met a Christian like that?  I certainly have.  They are always saying things like, “Bless God!” or “Praise the Lord!”, yet everything they do would show you that they are clearly walking down the wrong path.

Secondly, Saul was so excited to tell Samuel about all that he had done in carrying out the instructions of the Lord.  He believed very strongly that he had done what was right.  The problem was that, what he thought was right, was contrary to the word of the Lord.

Last of all, pay attention to how Saul was so adamant that he was the one who orchestrated all of this.  He was taking the credit for all that was done.  At this point, he wanted that credit, but let’s see how well he sticks with that attitude, after Samuel rebukes him.

In verse 14, Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears?  What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?” Uh-oh…busted.  Now we see, in verse 15 that Saul changed his story about who orchestrated all of this.  After Samuel confronted him, Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.”

Did you see what Saul just did?  He blamed the soldiers for carrying out the things that Samuel spoke against, but gave an excuse as to why they did it.  And then, he took partial credit for the destruction of the rest.  This shows you that Saul was very aware of what God had commanded him.  But, like so many of us are prone to do, he was blaming others and trying to justify and rationalize why he didn’t do things the way God had commanded.  We had better realize how serious this is.  He actually thought that he could improve upon God’s commands.

In verse 16, we see Samuel’s response to Saul.  “Stop!”  Samuel said to Saul.  “Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” He had had enough and he was about to show Saul that God had had enough, too.  But, of course, Saul seemed eager to hear what God had to say.  He actually thought that God was going to commend him.  That’s how arrogant he had grown.

In verse 17-19, Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel. 18 And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; make war on them until you have wiped them out.’ 19 Why did you not obey the LORD ? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the LORD ?”

Here we see that God was not buying the excuses of Saul.  He knew very well that Saul was the one responsible.  Unfortunately, that is something Saul would never truly grasp.

This is made evident in the response Saul gave in verses 20-21.  “But I did obey the LORD,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the LORD assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king.  The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal.”

Saul is still trying to justify himself and blame others.  Why is it that, when we disobey the word of God, we always resort to the same type of response that Saul gave?  Many of us, even after many rebukes, will remain stiff-necked.  If that fits you, you had better own up to it.  For, if you hold on to your pride, you will never find the forgiveness of God.  And, like Saul, you will die a bitter death, both spiritually and physically.

Finally, Samuel lays it all out to Saul.  In verses 22-23, Samuel not only shows Saul the exact sin that he committed, but this time, he shows how Saul’s sin was of the spirit.  His heart had become corrupted by pride, and he was now being compared to witches and idolaters.

“22 But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.  23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king.”  (1 Samuel 15:22-23)

If you only grasp one thing in all that I have written, let it be this.  It doesn’t matter how much you think you are doing for the Lord.  If you are blatantly disobeying his commands, you are in rebellion to the God of the universe.  And God makes it very clear, “rebellion is like the sin of divination.” Just where does this rebellion stem from?  Your arrogance.  Oh, it’s one thing to disobey the command of God, but it’s entirely different when you sin with a high hand, begin to make excuses and try to justify what you did.

Woe be unto us if we do this.  As the word of God says, when we do such things, we are no better than witches and idolaters.  And, because we rejected the word of the LORD, he will reject us.

It’s clear that God is not calling us to perfection.  He’s calling us to own up to our sins.  If we don’t, we are in rebellion.  And there is no hope for us.  Yes, in the following verses we see a confession from Saul, but it was obviously worldly sorrow, which only leads to death.  Even in his confession he makes excuses.  Like I told a friend, recently, “When a confession is followed by an excuse, it completely negates the confession.” We are given an example of this in verses 24-26.

24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the LORD’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them. 25 Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD.” 26 But Samuel said to him, “I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you as king over Israel!”  (1 Samuel 15:24-26)

Sounds harsh, doesn’t it?  Well, that’s the way it is.  If you won’t own up to your sin, you are rejecting the LORD, and he will reject you.

I almost wish this was the end of Saul’s story, but it continues to get worse.  As you follow him throughout the end of this book, you see a man who started so well, finish in the worst way possible.  He does it all.  You see him slaughter innocent people, including priests.  You see him attempt to kill his faithful servant, David.  He even tries to kill his own son, Jonathan!  And, then, he dies a cowards death, falling on his own sword.

Proverbs 16:25 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” Beloved, when you do what seems right to you, it will always end in death.  I don’t care who you think is to blame.  It doesn’t matter how many excuses you give.  You will have to answer for your sin.  Hopefully, you won’t end up like Saul.  And I’m not talking about your physical death.  No, Saul really died far earlier than this.  In 1 Samuel 16:14 we see the spiritual death of Saul.  He passed the point of no return, and from here on out, all we see are the exploits of a madman.  1 Samuel 16:14 says, “Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him.”

Remember the verse we began with?  Proverbs 28:13 says, “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” Saul definitely fit the bill of someone who concealed his sin, therefore never finding mercy.  But there was another man who, though he sinned greatly, confessed and renounced his sin, finding mercy and forgiveness.  That being King David; a man after God’s own heart.

We won’t go through the life of David.  Of course, he started well.  But, unlike Saul, David finished well.  The dark spot on his life, though, is found in 2 Samuel 11.  David lusted after Bathsheba, he committed adultery with her, and then murdered her husband, Uriah, in order to cover up his sin.  So, it appeared that he would not find mercy.  And, indeed, he wouldn’t have, had he not had a man like Nathan in his life.

Nathan came to him and told him a parable, which showed that, if David could see what he did from the outside, looking in, he would have condemned his actions.  And then, Nathan busts him in 2 Samuel 12:7.  “You are the man!” he told him.  Nathan then delivered a specific word for David, straight from the Lord.  When David heard all of this, he could have followed in the footsteps of Saul, by blaming others and trying to justify his sin.  But, had he done so, he would have never found mercy.  No, David showed, by his response that he truly did have the kind of heart that God desires us to have.

He said, in verse 13, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Yes, Saul, at times, said this too.  But this was different.  David truly recognized that he had offended a holy God and he repented.  A great example of the broken heart of David is found in Psalm 51.  Listen how, in verse 4, he takes complete ownership for his sin.  “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.” This is the path to the mercy of God.

When you have been confronted with the word of the Lord, you can do one of two things.  You can allow it to soften your heart and repent, like David did.  Or, like Saul, you can harden your heart and make excuses.  It’s up to you.  Do you want to be like David or like Saul.  But I can assure you of this.  If you choose to harden your heart today, don’t be sure that the day won’t come that God will harden it further.  And don’t be sure that the day won’t come that God will send an evil spirit to torment you (1 Samuel 16:14).

So which one are you?  Are you like Saul, always blaming others and justifying your sin?  Or, are you like David, who confessed his sin and found forgiveness?  Beloved, today is the day to own up to your sins.  Search your heart and come clean.  Today is the day of salvation!

For His Glory,

Adam Tennant

PREACH THE WORD…WHETHER THEY LISTEN OR NOT.

The sun started to rise as we traveled in Tom Cook’s Denali on our way to meet twenty other saints to deliver the truth to those attending the 2009 Atlanta Pride Parade.  It wasn’t long that we decided to read some Scripture.  Jason had to catch up in his Bible reading schedule so we read from Saturday’s reading.  We quickly realized that it was no accident that we read these particular chapters.  No.  In preparation for the grueling day we faced, God had a specific word for us straight out of Ezekiel, chapters two and three.

Before I get to the exact scripture that stuck out to us so much, let me first set it up with another passage from the same book.  In Ezekiel chapter eight, The Spirit took Ezekiel to the temple so that he could see, for himself, the detestable things that were taking place.  Ezekiel’s eyes were opened to the wicked and detestable things that were taking place in the temple of the Lord.  The house of Israel was doing horrible things, but they were being led by the ruling seventy elders(the Sanhedrin).  Ezekiel was blown away by the things he saw, but the Spirit kept telling him that he would see things that are “even more detestable.”

You might wonder what this passage has to do with the 2009 Atlanta Pride Parade.  Well, here’s the point.  Ezekiel was a prophet called to deliver God’s mail to the house of Israel.  But, before he could go amongst them and proclaim His word, his eyes had to be opened.  Likewise, today, the church of Jesus Christ has been called to be watchmen and proclaim God’s word to all.  Therefore, we need to be able to see.

Hopefully, after reading this, you will get a glimpse of what goes on at these detestable events.  When a Christian hears what we do at these parades, the most popular response is, “Don’t you think you should be more loving?” There are many problems with that question.  But, instead of addressing all of them, let me just say that if they had eyes to see, they would not say such things.  And I also have to say that they obviously don’t fully grasp the biblical concept of love (See Leviticus 19:17).

That gets us back to the scripture that stuck out to us on our ride down.  There were several key words and phrases that stuck out to us.  The word, “rebellious” was mentioned eight times in Ezekiel chapters two and three.  God was also adamant in these two chapters that Ezekiel speak His words to the people.  He also, repeatedly, told him not to be afraid of the people to whom he would be delivering God’s mail.  All of those things were very applicable to our trip to Atlanta.  But, more than anything, verse seven of chapter two really spoke to us.  “You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious.”

Beloved, we had been to this particular event in years past and we knew what to expect.  We were going to be speaking the word of God to a people that, for the most part, would not listen to the things we had to say.  Now, most of the church would say that we must not be going about things the right way.  But, remember this, it’s not about success.  It’s about faithfulness.  We must speak the word of God to all the world, regardless of whether they listen or not.  And trust me, for the most part, our message fell on deaf ears this year.  Oh, they heard it.  They just hated what we had to say.

Don’t get me wrong.  When we broke up into pairs of two at this event, we ran into one divine appointment after another.  When having these one-to-one conversations, it’s amazing to see the Holy Spirit breaking through the pride of individuals.  Those conversations are fun and are very necessary in ministering at these kinds of events.

But, there is another message that must be brought: the public proclamation.  And that’s where we get the message from the church, that we are not doing things right.  But make no mistake about it, this message must be brought.  While one-to-one witnessing is vitally important, so is this.  We cannot allow hundreds of thousands of homosexuals to parade their sin like Sodom in the streets of our cities without boldly and sternly confronting them in their sin.  Will you win many converts this way?  Probably not.  Not right off the bat anyway.  But that’s what the one-to-one witnessing is for.

When you are witnessing to a homosexual, you usually don’t want to start off by dealing with his sexual perversion.  No.  You want to make a connection and swing it to the spiritual.  If the conversation goes well, the Holy Spirit will open a door to deal with the specific sin of homosexuality (usually while you are going through God’s Law).  Then you will have a wonderful opportunity to talk to him about his childhood, his sin and, most importantly, the Savior.

But when you are making a public proclamation, confronting the sin of homosexuality, you need to bring it down hard.  Why?  Because many believe that they can practice homosexuality and love Jesus at the same time.  And what might that be called?  A false religion. So, when Christians say that Jesus would never do it the way we do it, they simply don’t understand the Jesus of the Bible.  Remember, it was Jesus who nailed the religious hypocrites of His day, by calling them hypocrites, vipers, whitewashed tombs, etc.  Jesus didn’t pull any punches and neither should we.  Especially, when you have churches participating IN the parade.  That’s right.  There are always a number of churches that actually march in the parade.  Where did you think they were getting their affirmation from?  None other than wolves in sheep’s clothing.  And when you deal with these guys(and gals), you don’t start by setting up a friendly dialog.  No.  You bust them!

Now, just to warn you, when you go with this message, you will not go without great opposition.  I am making no exaggerations when I say this, but had the SWAT team not surrounded us, I would not be writing this article today.  I would be dead (probably after being brutally mutilated by this blood-thirsty mob).  You can hardly believe the hatred spewing from their lips.  What’s so odd about it is that, on many occasions, someone would be screaming obscenities, with spit flying all over the place, shouting, “God is love! You are full of hate!”  I’m not joking.  Then, Craig Gross, the founder of XXX Church decided to lecture Flip on how to be more loving in his approach.  Craig Gross, aka the Porn Pastor, designed his emergent ministry to make the gospel more suitable for porn stars, porn addicts, homosexuals, etc.  By the end of the conversation, he made a wonderful display of this “luv” he was talking about, by pouring his water on Flip’s shirt (Flip had all kinds of stuff dumped on him).

But the attacks got worse.  In years past, we have been physically attacked, but one thing really got to me this year.  A young lady that came with us was threatened by two girls.  The threat?  One of them held an object in her hand and threatened that they would rape her.  But these same girls were also shouting about how WE were so unloving.

There are so many detestable things that take place at these events.  I could go on and on.  But why should I go on and on when you can come to see for yourself?  And don’t say it’s not your calling.  We are all called to confront sin.  When we make that commitment to Christ, we aren’t just gaining Heaven, we are losing our lives.  That’s right.  Our lives do not belong to ourselves.  And God is calling us to be the salt of the earth; to be watchmen over this once Godly nation.  Will it cost you something?  Yes.  And it might even cost you your life one day.  I have no doubt we would have lost ours had the SWAT team not protected us this year.  But, remember, my life does not belong to me and neither does your life belong to you.

THE MORAL DEPRAVITY OF AMERICA…WHO’S RESPONSIBLE?

Hello beloved,

As I pen this letter tonight, our nation is in great trouble. I have no doubt that most of you have picked up on the rapid downward spiral she has experienced in the past year. And I have little doubt that you would also agree that we are experiencing the judgment of God. God has sent us sign after sign, calling us to repentance, but to no avail.  It wasn’t until late September of last year, that more Americans started to see that their little god of money could not rescue them. God has continued to pull the financial rug out from under us, yet we still kick against the goad. It sometimes frightens me to think about what He will have to do to finally bring us to our knees. The homosexual agenda is growing stronger and stronger, taking hold of every thing they can get their hands on. Feminism has long been a controlling force, yet now our churches have been overpowered by this rebellious spirit. The spirit of abortion has been prevalent in the world, and the church is not far behind. The only difference is that we(the church) call it birth control*. Now, we have the most godless man ever sworn in as the Commander in Chief to these United States of America. Yet, all we do is complain about it. The most innocent of innocent life has now been laid on the chopping block(of course, the axe was made ready by our very own George W. Bush). And the church wants to act surprised. So, what can we do about it? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. That is, unless we want to repent of our apathy. What if churches across this nation started repenting? Oh, if we would only repent.

My question tonight is, “Who is responsible for the moral breakdown and depravity of this once godly nation?” After my opening comments, you shouldn’t have any question where I stand. In 1620, God entrusted this nation to a covenanted group of Christians known as the Pilgrims, to be a city set on a hill and a beacon of light in this dark world. And it has been the church who has allowed her to sink in to her depravity. I would like to hear back from some of you, on your thoughts about this. But, regardless of what any of us think, the answer to this question can only come from one place…the Word of Almighty God. So, tonight, let’s take a look at a few scriptures, starting with Acts 20:20-27.

20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.

25 “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. 26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. (Acts 20:20-27)

Now, we see here, that Paul did not hesitate to preach anything to the Ephesians. He declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. That’s extremely important; you know, to preach repentance and salvation. But, is that the whole will of God? I think we would all agree that it’s not. In verse 22, Paul tells us that he is going to Jerusalem, not knowing what’s going to happen to him. Yet he is sure that persecution and suffering is going to come. Can we say that we share with Paul in that? Do we really suffer hardships or persecution for the sake of declaring the will of God? If you aren’t, then you probably aren’t declaring the whole will of God. And only when we can come to the point that our lives are worth nothing to us will we be able to do such.

In verses 26-27, you see where Paul is going with all this. A place that the church doesn’t dare touch…the doctrine of bloodguilt. Paul proclaims that he is innocent of the blood of all men. How can he say that? Because he did not hesitate to proclaim the whole will of God. Can we apply that to today? Would you agree with me that it is the will of God that we stop killing our children? Do you think it is the will of God that we get out of our churches and do something about the killing that takes place right down the street? Of course it is. But, here’s a big question. When was the last time you heard a Pastor sound the trumpet about an abortion clinic down the streets, and then lead his flock to the very gates of Hell? When, beloved? Then is he declaring the whole will of God? Is he innocent of the blood of those babies? What about the congregation? I just want you to think about these questions. You have to answer them. If I’m wrong then I will be held accountable for it. But, if I’m right, than how are we going to give an account for the shedding of so much innocent blood?

Another question you’ll need to answer is, “Am I making a correct exposition and application of this scripture?” That’s a very important question. Because our opinions simply don’t matter and there’s only one true interpretation of scripture. So, please study these scriptures to see what God is saying.

Let us also quickly visit a very well-known section of scripture, in Ezekiel, concerning bloodguilt. I would imagine that Paul had this in mind when he penned these words in Acts, chapter twenty. Like Ezekiel, Paul was a true watchmen. So, let’s turn to Ezekiel.

1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, speak to your countrymen and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, 3 and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, 4 then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not take warning and the sword comes and takes his life, his blood will be on his own head. 5 Since he heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had taken warning, he would have saved himself. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.’ (Ezekiel 33:1-6)

Focusing on verse six, what is it that made the watchman accountable for another man’s blood? That’s right, he is guilty of that man’s blood because he saw the sword coming and did not blow the trumpet to warn the people. Now, with that being said, have you seen a sword coming to this land? If so, have you blown the trumpet? I know I said I’d stop at the last scripture, but God took it a step further so I think we should. Let’s look at verses seven through nine.

7 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 8 When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. 9 But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself. (Ezekiel 33:7-9)

God made it very personal with his chosen watchman. He said, “I have made you a watchman”. Have we not all been made watchmen and priests? Then he told Ezekiel that he must warn that wicked man. He was not being called to sound a trumpet to a random people, he had to go to that man in his sin and dissuade him from his ways. Are we doing that church? Or do we sink in our apathy as the world goes to Hell?

Beloved, the doctrine of bloodguilt is simply not taught. I can’t beat it into your head, but I don’t mind banging the same note over and over in hopes that you hear it. I’m just hitting the one with God’s fingerprint on it.

The sword is drawn and is coming on this land. I only pray that we we heed the warnings. Until then, may we all be haunted by the blood of these little babies.

In Christian love,
Adam Tennant

*I think an explanation to my statement paralleling abortion and birth control is in order. You are probably not aware of this, but some forms of abortion are actually abortifacient. Abortifacients are types of birth control that work after conception by killing the newly conceived child. These include oral contraceptives (the “Pill”), IUD, Norplant, Depo-Provera, Emergency Contraception (the “Morning-After Pill”), and anti-fertility vaccines. Some of these abortifacients kill the child occasionally, but some, such as IUD’s, kill the child every single time. Doctors will rarely make you aware of this(I could only speculate why). So, I would encourage you to do your homework on this. It’s a big issue in God’s eyes.

Regarding this issue, I must also state, that it is my personal conviction that any type of contraception or birth control is not God’s perfect will. I also believe I could back it up in God’s word. However, I this is something I think you just need to pray about and study God’s word to see what He has to say. You won’t find this teaching in most Protestant churches, so I understand that it’s a shocker. You do with it what you want. I know it took me a while for God to get me to this conclusion. If any of you have any questions about this, I would love to share some stuff with you.

WHO DO YOU SAY THAT HE IS?

Hello beloved,

I would like to talk to you tonight about Jesus. To narrow it down, I want to ask you a question, “Who do you say that He is?” Let’s go to the gospel of Mark to see who the people of Jesus’ day said that He was. In Mark, chapter eight, a beautiful picture is painted of what those who walked with Jesus actually thought of Him. It’s quite a different perception than how much of the world today(and the church for that matter) views Jesus. According to popular opinion today, Jesus was meek and mild and would have never judged a thing. Oh, beloved, He was meek. Make no mistake about that. But don’t mistake meekness for weakness. Meekness is basically power under control. He was King of kings and Lord of lords. At any time, He could have wiped out all of His enemies. But He was meek. And He was on a mission…to lay down His life that others might live(eternally).

Regardless of how we view Jesus today, this section of scripture provides a clear account of how people(the world and the church) viewed Jesus when He walked this earth. So, if you have your Bibles, turn to Mark 8:27-28. I’ll provide the verses here, but you should make some notes in your Bible.

Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” (Mark 8:27-28)

In this passage of scripture, we find that Jesus was asking His disciples who people said that He was. He was not asking for their opinion. He was asking for them to take the information they had gathered from others and give Him an answer on who the people said that He was. If you asked some people that question today, you might get answers like “Some say Dr. Phil; others a fat black woman(reference to ‘The Shack’); and still others, a homosexual.” You might think that I am joking, but I have actually heard people compare Jesus to the latter two. The thing is, they have no scriptural basis for these assumptions. No, this is who they need Jesus to be so they can justify their sin and their misconstrued perceptions of God. Regardless of who people might compare Jesus to today, let’s take a look at the men that they mistook Jesus for in His day.

John the Baptist – Do you know the first recorded message of John the Baptist? The first recorded words from his mouth were, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” (Mt. 3:2) By the way, Jesus began His preaching ministry with saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” (Mt. 4:17) Then, in Mt. 3:7-12, John went on to call the Pharisees a “brood of vipers” and warned them to produce fruit keeping with repentance, lest they be cut down and thrown into the fire. Hmmm…do you think that the culture and church of today would mistake Jesus for a man like that? Not likely. I heard a man on the radio, the other day, say that the church should not take part in political activism because Jesus never really took on the government of His day. Really? Then why did they mistake Jesus for John the Baptist? Didn’t John the Baptist take on the government of his day? He sure did. That’s why he was thrown in prison. He confronted Herod for taking Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. (Mt. 14:1-12) So, if the people of Jesus’ day mistook Him for John the Baptist, we could safely say that Jesus was not at all the non-judgmental, meek and mild Jesus that we see Him as today. By the way, there are several instances of Jesus confronting the church(Pharisees and Sadducees) and politicians(Herodians).

Elijah – Elijah was another prophet who had no reserve when it came to stirring up trouble. Just like Jesus with the Pharisees, Elijah was always picking a fight. He did it on Mount Carmel with Ahab and the 400 prophets of baal(1 Ki 18:16-45). He was constantly confronting the government of the day. He actually mocked the false prophets on Mount Carmel and then called fire down from Heaven to consume them. We would say, today, that Jesus would never do anything like that. But, don’t forget Who sent the fire…

One of the prophets – This would include many prophets of God. And this would disprove the notion that, when Jesus came down, God all of the sudden changed. No, beloved. God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He does not change. Look at who the people of His day said that He was. Who are some of the prophets they might have been referring to? Possibly Jeremiah, who had maybe one convert that we know of. He constantly called the church and government of his day to repentance. Don’t forget, he also confronted the shedding of innocent blood. Isaiah rebuked the church for their hypocritical worship. In Isaiah 1:15, he said, “When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood;” Beloved, the church sits by, in apathy, as over 4200 babies are murdered every day through abortion. Our hands, too, are covered in blood. Isaiah confronted it in his day and Jesus would preach the same message today. Beloved, I could name prophet after prophet, and you would find men who dared not keep their mouths shut against the sin and idolatry of their day. What would the Bible look like had Nathan not confronted King David? First of all, you wouldn’t have Psalm 51, David’s beautiful psalm of repentance. Beloved, it was prophets like this that Jesus was mistaken for by the people of his day.

Now, I’m not saying that Jesus was any of the aforementioned people. He is much greater than any man to ever walk the face of the earth. He is God! But, He does have attributes; many of which we have tossed to the wayside(His justice and wrath, for example).

With all that being said, let me ask the question again, “Who do you say that He is?” Is He the meek and mild little lamb that would never judge or confront anyone? Or is He the Judge of the living and the dead; the King of kings; and the Lord of lords? And I dare not leave out that He is the spotless Lamb that was slain for our sins, full of mercy and compassion. But, know this, His judgment always precedes His mercy and grace.

Beloved, we need to stop letting feminists and limp-wristed preachers rewrite the Bible. Jesus has been painted to be a wimp. The sermon on the mount has been spiritually emasculated. It has become “un-Christian” to go out and call that which is good good and that which is evil evil. Anytime we quote Leviticus 18:22, which clearly calls homosexuality a sin, we are called hateful, judgmental bigots(and soon we will be arrested for it). We are told not to judge when we go to the abortion mills to confront the murder of innocent children. I even heard a lady tell a friend of mine, after he said, “unless ye repent you will all likewise perish”, that Jesus would never say something like that. We are told that if you want to really know God, forget the Bible and let’s meet at “The Shack”. So many false teachings about Jesus and His Word are filling every ear in America. And the church is not doing a thing about it. Why? I would say it is mainly because we don’t really know the Word of God.  Hosea 4:6 says, “my people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge.” We don’t want don’t study God’s Word, therefore we don’t fear Him, therefore we are being destroyed…at His hand mind you.

I don’t want to take all of your time tonight, so let me finish up. Let me close with a few questions. Beloved, are you going to accept that God has called you to declare a message of repentance, justice and mercy. Or will you just stick with the mercy message, like most of the church? My prayer is that you hear from God tonight and boldly go out to declare His message. It won’t do you a bit of good if you just hear from me. You’ve got to get on your knees, and get in the Word, and see if what I am saying is the truth.

May we all have eyes to see and ears to hear.

In Christian love,
Adam Tennant

THE SALT HAS LOST IT’S SALTINESS

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. (Matthew 5:13)

Hello beloved,

I have come to you in words, to express to you my heart. Beloved, my heart is wrenched and broken over the state of the church. And, I must tell you, I can hardly discern my sadness from my anger. They go hand in hand right now. How can we lift our hands and voices, sending praise to our Lord, while we totally ignore any command that we see as difficult? Can we not see that life in the Son of God only belongs to those willing to endure the narrow road? Beloved, this narrow road is not easy, but it is our birthright. Will we be like Esau, who despised his birthright, becoming an object of God’s wrath and hatred? or will we be like Jacob, whom God loved because he desired and took up the responsibility of the birthright? And what is that birthright? Boldly advancing the Kingdom of God!

In Matthew five, verse thirteen, Jesus was not giving His followers the option to become the salt of the earth. No, he made it very clear to them. “You are the salt of the earth.” When you repent of your sins and place your faith in Christ, you die to yourself and become a new creation in Christ. That part’s simple, right? Of course it’s simple. The gospel has always been simple. But the problem is, we look past the part about us dying. It’s all about new life, yet you rarely hear anything about the death that must take place first. Beloved, when you are converted, your life no longer belongs to you. It is no longer your will. No, you are now to do the will of the Father.

And guess what? In doing His will, you are to be salt. Being salt means that you can’t be afraid to be salt. One of the first attributes of salt that we often focus on is it’s stinging capabilities. You know, “throwing salt in a wound”. In this politically correct world we live in, we are so scared that someone might call us judgmental. Beloved, when you give the truth to those around you, it will often times sting. And that’s all we focus on, which leads us to keep our salt to ourselves. We need to realize that, if we are truly a friend, we must wound them with the truth. Proverbs 27:6 says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful”. Did you know that when you tell someone only what they want to hear, steering from the life-giving rebuke, you are actually stabbing them in the back? So don’t be afraid to sting from time-to-time. For without the sting, you can’t have the beautiful gift of repentance; which so often is a prelude to salvation(2 Cor. 7:10).

We have focused on the stinging attribute of salt. Of course, it has many others.  But what about the salt that loses its saltiness? Well, according to Jesus, “it is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” So, let me ask you a question, “Can a Christian be salt that has no saltiness?” Isn’t that a difficult question to answer? It’s kind of like the question, “Can a Christian be lukewarm?” The answer to both would have to be, “no”. After all, what happens to salt that loses it’s saltiness? It’s thrown out and trampled on. What happens to those who fall in the category of lukewarm? They are spewed from the mouth of the Lord. I’ll let you marinade on those thoughts yourself. We’ve got to tackle one more thing though…the beautiful gift of repentance.

I cannot recommend to you a better practice, than to regularly examine yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Paul said, in 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” Now, where is your mind going right now? Do you have the idea that, perhaps, I am saying if you deny your calling to be the salt of the earth, that you have walked away from your salvation? Well, that’s not for me to say. But, I will say that you should, at least, consider it. At least ask yourselves the question, “Am I salty?” But, what is so beautiful about this question is that it could lead you into a room full of sorrow. What? A room full of sorrow is beautiful? Absolutely! But, only if it is godly sorrow. When you realize that you have forsaken your birthright, you can get on your knees and confess it to God and repent. For godly sorrow leads to repentance unto salvation, never to be regretted. Praise the Lord!

Well, beloved, I think I’ll end things here. But, let me leave you with the admonition that Jesus left to the lukewarm church of the Laodiceans. (No, I’m not calling you lukewarm…unless, of course, you are lukewarm)

Despite how some modern day evangelists use the following passage, it is not a salvation message. This message was written to believers who had strayed from God; believers who were blind but thought they were seeing 20/20; believers who desperately needed to repent. Let me just be quiet so you can hear:

“Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 3:19-22)

May you all have an ear to hear.

In Christian love,
Adam Tennant

EXAMINE YOURSELVES…

This was written in September of 2008.

“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 3:5)

Hello beloved,

The above scripture is one that most of the Church today has chosen to shy away from. Instead of being taught that we should examine ourselves to see whether we are in the faith, we are taught that, if at some point we asked Jesus into our hearts, we never need to test ourselves again. “Just look back at that day you said that prayer and tell the devil to stop making you feel guilty.” Beloved, I would submit to you that this is simply not true.

What the Church needs today, more than anything, is a large dose of self-examination and repentance. If the Church today would do more self-examinations and less false proclamations, we would not be in the moral down-slide we are in. What a travesty, not only that professing Christians would vote for a man like Barack Obama, but that they would vote for “the lesser of two evils” in John McCain. And where travesties, such as these, take place, you can be assured that repentance is necessary. And if we stop entertaining ourselves long enough to search our hearts, everyone in the Church of America would find something to repent of.

Can’t we just stop long enough to see that it doesn’t matter who we elect. God is going to bring His mighty hand of judgment on this nation if we don’t repent of the killing of innocent children. The Church in America is guilty of this. That means you. That means me. That means everyone professing Christ as Lord. I’ve been accused in the past of being a “one string fiddle” when it comes to me speaking against abortion. That’s fine with me as long as I am playing the same string God is playing. Let me make it real simple, if we don’t deal with the sin of abortion, God will. God is going to keep playing the same string until we get it. I just don’t understand how we can just turn a blind eye.

It is time to open our eyes, beloved. We need to wake up from our spiritual slumber, put on our big boy pants and take the battle to the streets. Why is it that we act like sugar when God has called us to act like salt? “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” (Matthew 5:13)

So, in light of that, I believe that God desires that all of the Church must repent because we allow abortion in America to continue. You don’t need to examine yourselves on that. It’s right there for all to see. But, now let’s take a look at how we can do what Paul asked us to do in 2 Corinthians 3:5. Let’s look inwardly to see what controls us. Is it the Spirit or is it the flesh?

When Paul said to “examine yourselves”, in his second letter to the Corinthians, he was in the midst of rebuking them for their rebellion and immorality. And he was about to come and straighten things out. We too are called to rebuke our brothers and sisters. But, before we can do so, we must examine ourselves..

As I was reading this passage, I asked the question, “What would this examination look like?” The answer to that question seemingly resides in Romans, Galations and 1 John. Beloved, I earnestly implore you to take this test. But, first I ask that you soften your heart. It is far too easy to apply these things to someone else, but I ask that, first and foremost, you apply them to your own heart. If not, you are simply wasting your time reading this, and more importantly, you are resisting the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. So, examine yourselves beloved, to see whether you are in the faith. Shall we begin?(I suggest grabbing a pen and paper)

1. As you live your life, are you controlled by the Spirit or by the sinful nature(the flesh)?
“You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” (Romans 8:9)

As Christians, we would all say that the Holy Spirit lives in us. This statement is always true, yet one that can only be claimed by those who “are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit”. What is it that controls you? Are you truly controlled by the Spirit or by your own lusts? Are you building God’s Kingdom, or are you striving to build your own? Let’s look at the acts of the sinful nature, compared to the fruit of the Spirit.

16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. (Galatians 5:16-26)

After reviewing this scripture, I ask that all of you would make a list of the “acts of the sinful nature” and a list of “the fruit of the Spirit”. Be honest with yourselves. Do you truly walk in the fruit of the Spirit? Or do seek to gratify the desires of the sinful nature? Oh, beloved, please don’t let this go in one ear and out the other. Please take the time to truly examine yourselves. Your eternity just might depend on it.

Please note that possessing the fruit of the Spirit makes you no more righteous than anyone who has put their trust in Christ. Likewise, committing acts of the sinful nature make you no less righteous. There are no levels of righteousness when you are a believer. We are made righteous when we repent and trust in Jesus. You are either made righteous through faith or you are not righteous at all. And it is not our own righteousness that the Father sees, but the righteousness of Christ. Therefore, there are no levels of righteousness. Look at it this way, you are not lost because you commit acts of the flesh, but you commit acts of the flesh because you are lost. Likewise, you are not saved because you possess the fruit of the Spirit(or look like it), but you possess the fruit of the Spirit because you are saved.

After making these lists, if you found that you are, at all, led by the flesh, you must repent. Do it now, beloved! Your eternity just might depend on it.

2. Do you love your brothers and sisters in Christ?
“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.” (1 John 3:14)

Do you see this in your life? Do you love the brethren? It is a rarity that I see true biblical love in action, by the Church in America. What we call love is not love at all. When was the last time you loved your brother by warning him of the sin he is living in? Do you not know that, if you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, both of you will be held accountable for his sins(Ezekiel 33:8)? The problem is we tell our brothers that we love them, but won’t confront them in there sin. Proverbs 27:5 says, “Better is open rebuke than hidden love.” Beloved, hidden love is no love at all.

Jesus said in John 15:12-13, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” This is a command beloved: that we love each other as Christ has loved us. Do we really know anything about that? How far are we from this? Do you take part in all of the backbiting and gossip which has infiltrated our churches and businesses? God hates that. Have you put your desire to advance yourself, above your love for the brethren? Have you lied to a brother or sister in Christ? Have you been rude, jealous, envious or selfish with the brethren. If so, you don’t love the brethren. If so, you need to repent.

3. Do you practice righteousness?
“If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.” (1 John 2:29) “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.” (1 John 3:9)

Like I said before, practicing righteousness is not what makes you a Christian. It’s your Christian faith that makes you practice righteousness. The Pharisees and Judaizers practiced righteousness yet they were definitely not Christians. Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, and other religions practice righteousness, yet they are lost and will spend eternity in hell, unless they repent.

But, as a believer in Christ, you will seek to do that which is right. The season that this nation is in allows me an excellent illustration of this. In the upcoming election, we have two candidates, which are in moral opposition to the God of the Bible. Neither of them stand for morality. Yet, one, you could say, is more moral(or less evil) than the other. Now, there are many Christians that can see just how evil the one candidate is, and are willing to cast their vote for the lesser of two evils, hoping to keep the greater evil out of office. I won’t address the obvious lack of trust in God that this represents. Yet, I would like to address the morality, or righteousness, of this choice. Senator John McCain agrees that life begins at conception. That is a righteous truth. Yet, here is the major problem with that. Senator McCain also agrees that abortion is a good thing in the case of rape or incest. He is also a supporter of embryonic stem cell research. And he is a big supporter of Planned Parenthood. God is in direct opposition to all three of those. Yet, many Christians are going to overlook that which God hates, in order to help God out. That’s right, we are going to help God put the right guy in the White House. Beloved, that is not the way. We must stand on the Word of God. We must stand for righteousness and God will incrementally rescue this nation from the wicked.

So, that is an illustration that directly relates to the season we are in currently. But, there are other areas for self-examination. Look at 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, “9Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” Now ask yourself the question, “Am I truly born again?”

These things are black and white, beloved. Ask yourselves, do you practice righteousness? If not, you need to repent.

4. Have you overcome the world?
“for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” (1 John 5:4)

It certainly is not hard to elaborate on this one. The Church in America has become so inundated by the world, you can no longer tell the two apart. We do everything the world does, but we get away with it by slapping the name of Jesus on it. In doing so, we might as well be slapping Jesus Himself. How can there be a music genre called “Christian Death Metal”? Most of our music looks and sounds just like the world. The divorce rate is just as high in the Church as it is out of the Church. There is so much evidence of the Church embracing the world. Just look at the way we dress, the way we talk, the things we talk about and the list goes on and on. One of the favorite shows of Christians is American Idol. Hello! Does the name not send up a red flag?

Here’s the thing though; each of us thinks that we are exempt for some reason. We think that we are one of the few that has not become worldly. We can’t do that, beloved. Just soften your hearts. Ask yourselves a few questions: Do you dress like the world? Do you talk like the world? Do you watch worldly TV shows? Are you worldly in your business practices? Do you listen to worldly music(that can include some “Christian music”)? Have you overcome the world?

Unfortunately, we have tried to make black and white areas into gray areas. But, spend some time alone with God. Ask him to show you areas in which you have given into the world. If you are born of God, you will overcome the world. If not, you need to repent.

“You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” – James 4:4

Some Closing Thoughts…

Beloved, we have reviewed some scriptures which provide an excellent test to see if you are in the faith. I would ask you to entertain the though of a few more attributes I believe all Christians should possess. I believe that Christians should read their Bible daily. How can we go two weeks without getting our spiritual food, yet we can’t go four hours without eating physical food? I believe that Christians should regularly witness to the lost. If we truly believe that lost souls will spend eternity in Hell, how can we sit by and do nothing? How is your witness? Every second, two people die and walk off into eternity; either Heaven or Hell. Does that concern you. If you are truly born again, it should. Yet, it must concern you enough to do something about it. As Mark Cahill says, “If it doesn’t bother you enough to do something about it, it doesn’t bother you.”

Beloved, that concludes the exam. Now, I would ask you to answer one last question. This might be the most important question to the result of this test. Ask yourselves, “Is what I just read the truth, or is it just the ravings of a disturbed mind?” The truth is all that matters and, if what I have just told you is true, than you can’t just let it go in one ear and out the other. And you need to embrace the fact that these truths are not addressing a generic crowd. They are addressing YOU. It’s easy to say, “Man, I wish so and so would hear this…” No, beloved. This message is addressed to you. You determine whether your sorrow is worldly or godly. (2 Corinthians 7:10)

Now, I would ask that you spend some alone time with God. Confession and repentance might be necessary. But, I would also recommend that you just spend some time meditating on all that Christ has done for you.

In Christian love,
Adam Tennant

DOES SARAH PALIN CHANGE ANYTHING?

Below, is an article I wrote on Friday, August 29. Since then, I have found out a lot of things about John McCain’s running mate. I must say, I am very impressed with Sarah Palin. And I am very excited about what’s going to happen. She definitely holds the standards that would help turn this nation back to God. With that being said, I must also state that, though she is on the ballot, she is not running for President. All I can say in response to some of the questions you might have regarding Mr. McCain’s choice for VP, is that I’m just going to wait to see how things pan out. At first look, I would say that God has definitely raised her up for such a time as this. But what is that purpose? Hopefully she can get John McCain to truly stand for the sanctity of life. So, right now, I will still say that I am not casting my vote for John McCain until he repents of his stance that abortion is OK in the case of rape or incest, and his position that embryonic stem cell research is OK. If life starts at conception (which it does) there are no exceptions.

Copy and paste this to go to the article: https://ifmypeople.wordpress.com/2008/08/30/a-vote-of-repentance/

In Christian love,

Adam Tennant