"Most Precarious Times Ever" (January 2012)

     We are probably in one of the most precarious times ever. So many voices clamoring a myriad of subjects. Some saying we are experiencing a great move of God, others preaching the soon return of Christ. Still others continue to say we are in for a great blessing of the Lord. We are on the verge of a great spiritual breakthrough, affirm others. Yet every time I pray, I weep because I see how modernity has affected the church and how believers seem also, like the world, constantly preoccupied with entertainment and the pursuit of pleasure. Even church has to be fun. We seem to have more parties than prayer meetings?! More outings than outreaches! The present crowd in church today is a high-maintenance crowd; can't seem to stay free from sin between Sundays!
     Our young people can't seem to keep their lives clean because they give more heed to the peer group than the Word of God. Hip-hop and rap music has made more converts than all of Christendom put together. It’s even come into the local churches due to worldly and weak leadership. Liberal thinking and liberal ideas have flooded Christianity to the point that Christianity needs to be re-defined. The power of the Holy Spirit is missing in most congregations and has been replaced by loud contemporary music and carnal exuberance which is nothing more than hyped emotions.
     It is time to repent and come back to God in true and humble contrition of heart, and like God said to Jacob, when he became Israel, get rid of your foreign gods (strange gods) that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments (Gen. 35:2). I see today as a time to clean up our act and our lives.

~ Pastor John