Pastoring the Flock

As I write this newsletter to you my dear brethren, I am now preaching meetings in the Deep South in my home state of Georgia.  The cotton is ripe for picking and the pecans will soon follow…

 Forgive me I got carried away with my thoughts of being home for a while.  But back to our thought…and that is Pastoring the Flock…

 Whether it is driving through big cities, small towns or driving down winding country roads with cotton fields and Pecan Orchards on both sides of the road, from the Large Church to the Small Country Church we began to see a consistency among Pastors.

 I having been a Pastor and working, I realize that this is not an easy task, but it can be more rewarding and encouraging than the discouragement that I see among Pastors.  I feel their pain and see their discouragement, that reminds me of the cold, bitter icy, snowy winters in New England…And this is where I get the opportunity to love on them, encourage them, and minister to them.  I do not claim to know it all and neither do I have all the answers, but I do understand and over the past 44 years in the ministry God has taught me a few things which I would like to share with you and hope it will be a blessing to you.

The Pastor of the Church…[Ephs. 4:11]

 The term “Pastor” is the one most used in Scripture.  It designates the person who has the responsibility of feeding [and caring] for the flock.  I would like for us to focus on Caring For The Flock.

 Recently while here in Georgia I had the great honor and privilege of working with a Small and Struggling Church whose Pastor had recently left.  Also, within 50 miles there were 3 Churches without pastors.

 At one Church I along with one of the Deacons visited a dear lady who had had a stroke and was disabled.  With tears she told me how here previous pastor hadn’t visited her but once in one year…Another Church in Ohio is next to closing its doors for the same reason the only time they see their Pastor is at Church.

 As Pastors the first thing we must do is get the people’s heart and that doesn’t happen over night.  It takes time to win the folks confidence and trust.  Preaching is such a great calling and blessing of God but that is only 10 percent of our responsibility.  The other 90 percent is being involved with people’s lives.

 I am blessed every time I go to preach meetings at a Church with a dear pastor friend of mine in Florida.  About 4 years ago when they called him as pastor, they had only about 20 to 25 folks.  God used this dear man of God in taking this Church from 20 to 25 members to over 120 to 125 average today.  The Love and sensitivity of this dear man of God and his dear wife as they got involved in folks lives. They visited them every time they had a need, cried and wept over them when they had problems in their home with children or marriage.  He lived Christ before them by caring for them as Christ teaches us about the Shepherd and the sheep. We have too many pastors today and not enough Shepherds.  The Bible says…For He Careth for you…

 The pastor not only looks after their spiritual needs but also he watches, protects, guides and rules in self-sacrificing Love and Sympathy.
 The Greek word [pomen] indicates a pastor-shepherd.  As a pastor, he works with the same spirit of love that Christ demonstrates as our “Good Shepherd.”  Read (1Peter 5:2, 3; Acts 20:17, 28).
 
I for one realize how busy and challenging the ministry can be trying to balance our duties, our family and home life and taking time to get involved with people’s lives.  Listen, Jesus never just taught them but he also loved them and got involved in their lives.

 Pastors are beating themselves to death trying this program and that program.  Programs do not build Churches…People build Churches.  Get the folks trust and confidence, get their heart and then they will follow you.  But before they will follow you, you first must start following Christ.

 If we neglected our families like we do some of our members we wouldn’t have a family very long.  Let’s be honest with ourselves, are we too busy just preaching?  Then we need to ask God to help us balance that.  A pastor who doesn’t study can not help his flock.  What doesn’t flow in can’t flow out.  And a pastor who spends all of his time with his people may enjoy their fellowship but will miss their fellowship with God.  There must be a balance.  God gave us both because we can do both.  God doesn’t tear down one good thing to build up another good thing.  God wants harmony.

 We must all seek to be more like Christ and be a Shepherd to our flocks that God has entrusted us with under our care.  The pastor will be a true Shepherd, a lover of souls…He will feed and nourish his flock, instructing them in divine truth.  He will have sympathy for the needs of others, a burden for God’s People that will lead him to pray earnestly for them.  He will watch, protect, guide, rule in Spiritual things.  He will apply God’s Word in cases of Spiritual illness, need, error and sin…But also he will visit them, love them, cry with them and get involved in their lives.  In self-sacrifice he will freely give himself to his people.

 We are only going to turn the situation of the Church around when we get folks hearts and gain their trust and confidence so that the Pastor and the flock can enjoy God’s Blessings…

 Pray for one another and encourage one another that our service will bring Glory to God our Father.  Let’s start the New Year with a fresh vision and a new commitment to love and serve the Lord.

Requirements for God’s Blessings

 It is now November and I have just finished up in Georgia, my home state, with a month of meetings where God worked in so many hearts.  It is Thanksgiving and I am now in the Midwest, Ohio and Kentucky before I return to New England to spend Christmas with my family and also our Church Family.

 As I was praying about what God would have me write regarding Thanksgiving, I thought about all the things we should be thankful for.  But as I thought about it, most of the things that we are thankful for are material blessings.  Very few Christians are thankful for Spiritual blessings.  As I travel I see bumper stickers all the time that read…God Bless America…Churches praying for God’s Blessings.  But there is something that God requires before Blessing is given.

REQUIREMENTS FOR GOD’S BLESSINGS

 As you read 1Kings 18:21-38 we see an example of a Biblical Principle…God requires certain things of us before He gives us His blessing.  God’s Blessing is conditional.

 Before the rain would fall, the wayward Israelites had to accept the changes that God required of them.  Repentance is always essential whenever God’s people have been stiff-necked and self-willed.  Elijah exhorted the people to turn from their rebellious ways, to soften their hard hearts and to return to the strait and narrow path.  They had to repent before the Lord would bless.

 In addition to making a definite choice concerning who they would serve (V. 21), Israel also had to recognize that service to or worship of any god other than the Lord God was only fruitless and vain (V. 24).  So it is with the believer today.  He, too, must come to the place where he realizes that anything outside the Father’s will is vanity.  The believer who tries to serve God and his own selfish desires will never experience inner satisfaction.  Only Jesus Christ can meet our deepest needs.

 Elijah subsequently took steps to restore Israel’s proper worship and communion with the Lord.  He repaired the Altar, which speaks of renewed reliance upon prayer (V. 30).  He laid the prepared offering, piece by piece, upon the Altar, typifying the Saint’s total yieldedness to the Father’s will (V. 33).  He then poured water over all the wood and the offering to emphasize the removal of anything that could cause the Revival to appear counterfeit or pretended (V. 35).  Finally, Elijah prayed acknowledgeding Israel’s sin and God’s Power to turn their hearts back again (VV. 36-37). All of this was done in Obedience to God’s Word (V. 36b), another requirement.  As expected, the fire of God fell and Revival began (VV 38-40).

 We see in 1Kings 18:36-40 that Israel chose to return to the Lord.  Spiritual Fruit invariably follows genuine Repentance.  Dealing with sin God’s way, results in a sincere change of the heart and mind.  So when Israel chose to return to the Lord, He, in turn, “turned their hearts back again.” (V. 37).   John 1:9 also expresses this worthwhile truth.  As Christians, when we become defiled by sin, we too, can confess our sins to the Lord and be blessed, just as God restored Israel to the place of Blessing. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  The Lord also testified to Israel thought Hosea, “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for Mine anger is turned away from him.” (Hosea 14:4).  Restoration to the place of right relationship and renewed blessing is a Spirit-wrought work of Grace…Thank God for His Mercy!

 In order to resume a proper fellowship with the Lord, the heart must be made right, and only God can accomplish this by the inner working of the Holy Spirit.  Israel’s changed heart revealed itself by a renewed reverence for the Lord (V. 39).  The backsliding saint is desensitized to God’s Presence, but the Spiritual believer is intensely aware of the nearness of his Lord and seeks to serve Him acceptably “with reverence and Godly fear.” (Hebrews 12:28).

 Separation from defilement is essential if the child of God is to maintain a Christ-Honoring Walk. (V. 40).
 Once the believer gets right with the Lord, he no longer sees complicity with evil and evildoers as inconsequential.  Israel put away whatever was contrary to truth, including the false prophets.  May we experience Spirit-Wrought Renewal in our own Hearts Today…Our work comes out of our Blessings—not, our Blessings come out of our work.

 We love you and greatly appreciate your ministries.  Pray for us as we do for you.
  
May God Bless You one and all,
Love and Prayers in Christ,

Randy Davis

Satan Joins the Church

        In August my wife and I enjoyed a week vacation at a Christian Camp along with other preacher friends of ours and their families.  One night as it was getting late, the owner of the camp was making sure everyone was keeping the noise down.  Next to our cabin was a “so-called” Christian family.  I say that because the kids had long hair, dressed immodest and listened to “so-called” Christian rock music.  She said to them, I thought you folks were Christians.   Having experienced this attitude today, I thought about how all of us who are truly Fundamental, Independent Baptist seek to honor our dear Lord in every area of our lives.

 The Book of Jude predicts what will happen in the latter days of the Church age.  In fact, Jude seems to be writing about the very days in which we are living!  Jude’s purpose in prophesying is to encourage the Church to discern apostasy when it raises its divisive and destructive head so that it might earnestly contend for the faith. 

 It is clear that because Satan has not succeeded in destroying the Church from without through persecution, he is now at work to destroy it from within by means of apostasy in the pulpit and apathy in the pew.  Satan is Not Fighting The Church today – He is Joining It. 

 Jude is sounding the alarm for us, that in the latter day’s apostates will go the way of Cain, who perverted the mode of Worship, the way of Balaam, who perverted the motive of Worship, the way of Korah, who perverted the manner of Worship.  So we as believers of the Church of Jesus Christ cannot afford to ignore Jude’s Message.

 Jude prophesied that in the last day’s apostates would do two things.  First, they would pollute the witness of the Church.  They will do this in body by defiling the flesh, that is, by immorality.  They will do this in soul, by being insubordinate, that is, they will “reject authority.” They will do this in spirit by being irreverent, that is, they will speak evil of dignitaries.  Second, he says they will pervert the Worship of Christ in mode, motive, and manner…

APOSTATES WILL POLLUTE THE WITNESS OF THE CHURCH

 Apostates pollute the witness of the Church with every fiber of their being.  Man is made up of 3 parts – body, soul and spirit.  Those elements make up his identity.  Although he lives in a body, the real man is that which lives as long as God lives – his spirit.  Apostates pollute the Church with body, soul and spirit.
 
       In (V 8) Jude tells us that Apostates are dreamers.  They live in an unreal dream world.  They bought into the lie Satan first used in the Garden, when he said to Eve, “Ye shall be like God” (Gen 2:5).  Jude speaks of Apostates, “But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts in these things they corrupt themselves. (V 10)

 Immoral actions that would have been openly rebuked in pulpits just a generation ago are today accepted in many of those same pulpits.  Dreamers are rocking to sleep their congregations while helping them to feel comfortable in their sin.  When preachers pollute their pulpits by discounting such crucial doctrines as the Infallibility and Inerrancy of the Word of God, it is not long before their moral code goes along with it – body, soul and spirit.

APOSTATES WILL BE IMMORAL

 After rejecting truth, apostates many times have a tendency to become involved in sensual sin.  And sooner or later, most false teachers are exposed on a moral level.  We all can recall some of them that come to our mind over the past 20 years.  Apostasy and defilement of the flesh are Siamese twins; they are linked together in Scripture. Read (2Peter 2:20-21).

 The new morality we hear about is nothing more than the old immorality.  People making light of marriage vows, living in open adultery, joining homosexual clubs and bath houses are not new concepts.  Jude prophesied more than 2000 years ago that these kinds of things would signal the age of Apostasy.

Here’s a word of caution…As we seek to heed Jude’s warnings against imposters, we must be careful not to judge others too quickly, because if one falls into sin that does not mean that person is an Apostate.  Before we look down our noses at anybody else, we need to remind ourselves of (1Cor. 10:12) “Let him who thinks he stands take heed, lest he fall.”
 
APOSTATES WILL BE INSUBORDINATE

 In the well-known Great Commission passage Jesus tells us how All Authority had been given to Him both in Heaven and on Earth. (Matt 28:18)  The only authority He has is what we allow Him to have over our lives.  All Authority originates with God; whether it is the Authority of the Home, the Church, or the Government, it has its source in Him… He has chosen those Institutions to be guardians of His Authority, and to carry out His will.

 Rejecting the Authority that God has established is dangerous business indeed.  In spite of that, many folks today flat out reject God’s Authority.  Jude tells us that the apostate is Subordinate in his soul, but emotionally, by an act of the Will, he rejects God’s authority.

1.  Authority of the Home:

God instituted the authority of the Home.  Should we not be surprised that many leaders of the feminist movement do not pay heed to the teachings of the Bible on the home?  Even worse, liberal theologians who support the modern feminist movement
neglect and reject the teaching of Authority in the Home, found in (Eph 5).

2.  Authority of the Church:

The Bible is the sole Authority for rule and faith.  Should we be surprised that leaders of dying denominations and Churches do not hold to the inerrancy of Scripture? Today we see imposters in our Churches and Schools undermining the Bible – Our Infallible, Inerrant, and Authoritative rule of Faith.  They attack the Bible because it represents God’s Authority.

   3.  Authority of Government:

Apostasy in the Church has been on the rise since the turn of the century.  Since then we have seen a serious and orchestrated attempt to undo the authority of Government that our forefathers established.  It is interesting that many times the rejection of the authority of the Bible go hand in hand with a demand for a new social order.  Of course, we know that the underlying reason that Apostates reject authority is that they reject the Authority of the Lord Jesus Christ and His rule over them.  Those who have fallen away from the Faith take the precious Bible Doctrine of the priesthood of the Believer and pervert it to make it a license to believing anything they wish.

APOSTATES WILL BE IRREVERENT

 If it is true that these folks who have fallen away from the Faith are immoral in body and insubordinate in soul, it is not surprising that Apostates are also Irreverent in Spirit (V 8).  The word that Jude uses here [dignitaries] it literally means “Glorious Ones.”  The Apostate is Irreverent toward the things of God.  When Apostates seek evil of dignitaries, they do so of God’s Appointed and Anointed Leadership.

 This Spirit of cynicism and accusation comes from Satan himself.  One of the titles that the Bible gives him is “the accuser of the brethren” (Rev 12:10).  Christians fall into Satan’s trap and do his work when they “speak evil” of each other and especially of those God has placed in a position of Authority.

 Immorality, insubordination, and irreverence have their result.  As Jude puts it, Apostates “like brute beasts”, In these things they corrupt themselves. (V 10).  The spirit of apostasy pollutes the witness of the Church.  Looking around us today we wonder if the complete fulfillment of Judge’s prophecy is near.  Never before have we heard so many folks speaking evil of Dignitaries…Men who are True and Faithful to the Word of God.

APOSTATES WILL PERVERT THE WORSHIP OF CHRIST

 In this I mean by The Mode of Worship, The Motive of Worship and The Manner of Worship has been perverted.  Because of space I will only elaborate on all three in general. 

 Jude tells us Apostates go the way of Cain (Gen 4:1-7).  In today’s language, the way of Cain is always of good works.  Cain was the first Apostate.  One of the sure signs of an Apostate is his neglect of the emphasis on the vicarious death of our Lord Jesus Christ and His shed blood and atonement for our sin.  The Apostates do not preach or teach about the Blood of Christ.

 And then the Motive of Worship…What should be our Motive for Worship?  It is to meet God and Glorify Him.  Yet, Jude tells us Apostates go the way of Balaam for profit. (V 11) and then read (numbers 22-24).

 The error of Balaam was using Spiritual Motives for material gain.  And his error wasn’t in just doing what he did but things he could get away with it.  Balaam was in religion for what he could get out of it.  He started out to please God but along the way he also decided to please man and himself at the same time.  Our Lord warns us about this, read (Matt 6:24)

Now is the Manner of Worship…Paul gives us the Manner of Worship in (Phil 2:3) and then read (Eph 5:21).  Paul tells us that we are to submit to one another.  Whereas Cain ignored the Word of God and Balaam opposed the Word of God, Korah rebelled against the Word of God.  The Apostate first ignores what the Bible says.  Then he moves on to opposing it by saying that the Bible is not the Word of God, once he reaches that point it is not long before he openly rebels against God’s Holy Word.

 In our Churches are men and women who refuse to be under the authority, who like Korah, gather groups about them to oppose God’s Anointed and Appointed.  Only God knows how many Churches have split because of the Spirit of Apostasy that caused folks to perish in the rebellion of Korah.

 Jude’s look reminds us of two questions we must ask ourselves…First, what about my witness:  Is it polluted or clean?  Second, what about my Worship?  Is it perverted or is it clear?  True believers who keep silent and compromise to avoid conflict will be held accountability for not contending for the Faith.

WHEN SATAN JOINED THE CHURCH THE SPIRIT OF GOD DIED

 According to God’s Word, the danger of Apostasy is to know the Will of God and not act upon it.  We all need to learn from the accounts of these three men in Jude 11.  Fearful Judgments await those who know the Truth and reject it.
 
Pray for us as we pray for you and may God Bless your ministries is our prayer.

Love and Prayers in Christ,

Bro. Randy Davis

The Promise of His Presence

It is now September, the kids are back in school, and vacations are behind us.  Gas prices continue to climb as we all adjust to its affect on our lives.  We have all experienced unpredictable weather this summer, from fires in California, devastating storms in the Midwest and the rain and thunderstorms here in New England.

 I was praying the other day, thinking of folks that I know who were affected by these terrible storms in someway.  I was reminded of the many storms that so many Pastors and Churches are facing.  I receive so many calls from pastors who are facing storms in their ministry.  It seems you no sooner get through one storm and you’re faced with another one.  THE STORMS JUST KEEP COMING…

 So when pastors call me about storms they are going through, I remind them that the storm will surely pass.  I share with them the words of Solomon upon the completion of the House Of The Lord, seeking simply to assure them of the promise of His presence…

(1 Kings 9:1-3)  THE PROMISE OF HIS PRESENCE:

“And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished the building of the house of the Lord and the
King’s house, and all Solomon’s desire which he was pleased to do, That the Lord appeared to
Solomon the second time, as He had appeared unto him at Gibeon.  And the Lord said unto him,
I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hollowed this
house, which thou hast built, to put My Name there forever: and mine eyes and mine heart
shall be there perpetually.”
 
 History will affirm and all the ages attest that it is unwise, ill-advised, and inexpedient to build a House for God and not be certain that God Himself has decided to be its resident.  God’s House is His House.  If it is His House, and not our house, He alone must determine if this house is a suitable house in which He will dwell.

 Maybe you have not considered the options of God or the Preferences of God.  We say it is His House; we built it for Him to serve Him.  It is our offering and our sacrifice to Him, and then He must give us a sign and a signal that He will accept it as His sanctuary and designate it as a habitation for the Holy.  Just because we built the house does not give us the right to force it upon Him, press it upon Him, or require His residency within it.  We must give Him the Key; assign Him both deed and title.  We must divest ourselves of any options of ownership, abandon any claims we may think that we have, and let Him decide for Himself if indeed this House will be His House.  I am simply convinced today that it is unwise, ill-advised and inexpedient to build a House for God and not be certain that God has decided to be its resident.

A Church Is Not A Church If God Is Not There…

Men will pray, but there is no power if He is not here.
Gold-gilded organs may play, but there will be no sweetness in the notes if He is not here.
Robed choirs may sing, but the music will not saturate the soul, if He is not here.
Tithes and offerings may abound, but “the windows of Heaven” will not open up if He is not here.
Preachers may proclaim the Word, but souls will not be saved, sinners will not be converted, the lost will not be found, the blind will not see, the deaf will not hear, and the sick will not be healed if He is not here.
The Church is only the Church where the insecure and the uncertain are able to find,
in this place, a blessed assurance and a foretaste of Heaven. 
But I assure you that the Church is not the Church if He is not here.
The Presence Of God is so critical, important and crucial to the existence of the Church. 
And the Presence Of God is so vital and necessary to the power and permanence of the Church.

  If you have a moment, I want to turn back the pages of History…Now the record says that when Solomon had finished building the House of the Lord, the Lord appeared unto Solomon a second time.  When God has a work for you to do, He not only appears one time, but a second time.  If I might offer some advice, I wouldn’t move out to build a House for the Lord in the first place if the Lord has not revealed it to you.  I may as will be honest with you,  if the Lord doesn’t reveal Himself the first time, He will not be back for a second time.  When the Lord lays His hands on you, the Lord reveals His work for you: 

The first time He assigns you, but the second time He confirms you
The first time He gives you sight, but the second time He gives you insight
The first time He reveals His plan, but the second time He reveals His purpose

 And so, when He appeared to Solomon the second time, God said several things to him which had to do with The Promise Of His Presence.  At the outset God said, “Solomon I have heard your prayer and your supplication.”  I don’t care what you say, whenever God’s house is built, somebody has been praying.  You can’t build His House unless somebody knows the worth of prayer. 

 But that’s not all that God said, not only has He heard our prayer, but the revealed Word says, “I have hallowed this House which thou hast built.”  Now my dear brothers the Word tells us that there is only so much that we can do.  If He’s going to live in it, if it’s going to be His House, we can build it, but God has to bless it.

We can build it, but God has to put His benediction on it.
We can design it, but God has to dedicate it.
We can structure it, but God has to sanctify it.
We can plan it, but God has to purify it.
THERE IS ONLY SO MUCH WE CAN DO…
The brick mason put it together with mortar, but God put it together with Mercy.
The quarry provided the stones, but God is the Chief-Cornerstone.
The Contractor worked by blueprints, but God has a divine design. 
The structure is welded steel, but the superstructure is the Plan of Salvation.
The draftsmen said build it on the rock foundation, but the great Architect of the
Universe said, Build it On The Word.

I can tell you that we have the Promise of His Presence.  It’s not a conditional Promise and it’s not a provisional Promise.  I’ve put My Name there. 

He will be here…If we stay on the Word and under the Cross, He will be here.
Through the storm and through the rain, He will be here.
In the good times and in the bad, He will be here.
When the hosts of hell assail, He will be here.
When the winds blow and beat upon the House, He will be here.
When the death angel comes and bear some home, He will be here.
When we walk though the valley and the shadow of death, He will be here.
When high mountains get in our way, He will be here.
When deep valleys make us stumble and fall, He will be here.
When men won’t do right, He will be here.
When the Heavens weep, the seas and rivers fill, He will be here.
“Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain, that build:
except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.”

 Well now my brothers as I come to a close I need to tell you that anything that belongs to you, if it’s really and truly yours, you put your name on it.  He also told Solomon not to worry because I will come because I put My Name on it.  You can hang up a sign and call it what you want…but I have put My Name there…THE PROMISE OF HIS PRESENCE…Let all of us make sure that we seek God in prayer, build His House on His Word and that He has put His Name there…

 We love you and appreciate your ministries so much.  Remember when you are in a storm that Jesus said, “Peace Be Still” just as He calmed the sea He will also calm not only the storm you’re in, but He will also calm you as you face the storm.

How to Silence A Preacher, Our Shut Your Mouth

It is now August and the heat has been a real challenge.  In fact we have been creative in order to find ways to cool off.  During hot August summer days; I am reminded of my childhood of great Revival Meetings and Camp Meetings under the big tent.  Folks came from all over to hear some of the greatest men of God, who are now in Heaven with our dear Lord.  The Preaching was just as hot as the August Nights…Men who preached with power and conviction…Over the last 51 years I have seen preachers be silenced from preaching.

HOW TO SILENCE A PREACHER, OR SHUT YOUR MOUTH
(Judges 18:3, 4)

Preaching used to have a place of importance which it no longer enjoys.  John the Baptist came preaching and teaching in the wilderness of Judea.  Mark says that when the Christian movement began, “Jesus came…Preaching” (Mark 1:14).  Peter preached with such Power, that 3,000 souls joined the Church at one time.  Paul established his theology of doctrine of Salvation on the principle of Preaching. (Romans 10:14-15).  God thought Preaching was important.  Did not Paul say, “It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” (1Corinthinans 1:21).   In fact, God thought Preaching was so important, that He made His only Son a Preacher.
 
I don’t mind telling you that I am disturbed and distressed, for it appears that something has happened to preachers.  It disturbs me that we don’t have any Elijahs who have opened a school for godly preachers.  It is a source of my continued agony that the voices that used to be heard are now hushed on the other side of eternity and there seems so few to take their places.  It unsettles me to know that when men ask Zedekiah’s question, “Is there any word from the Lord?” (Jeremiah 37:17), all we hear is the insulting sound of silence.  And so I want to know Who Silenced The Preachers?  Who told the preachers to hush?  Evidently somewhere, somehow, sometime, somebody said, “Preacher, shut your mouth. “  Quite honestly, I find it hard to handle this “shut your mouth business.”  But as I think about it, there are several elements at work engaged in the business of silencing the preacher.
 
The first thing that seeks to silence the preacher is the social, political and economic climate of America.  The record of history will reveal that the driving force in the achievement of racial justice and social advancement has been the preacher.  We need to understand that preachers have brought about more change in America than all the courts could adjudicate and all the congressmen could legislate.  
 
The reason our society at large wants to silence the preacher may well be because the preacher is under orders to speak a word about morality, to preach on the issues of institutional iniquity, governmental greed, personal perversion and social sins.  Nobody wants to hear the Preacher say, “Righteousness exalteth a Nation:  but sin is a reproach to any people.” Nobody wants to hear the Preacher say, “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life.”  The Culture wants a Preacher that it can Control.  They want a preacher who is unconvicting due to his own compromises.  They want a willy-nilly, foot-pattin, head-scratchin, chicken-eatin Preacher whose ethics will always be in conflict with his appetite, just so they can tell him, “Preacher, shut your mouth.”
 
There is a second reason why they want to silence the Preacher or for him to shut his mouth. I do not mean to be offensive but necessity has laid upon me to tell you that whenever a preacher’s moral life is called into question, he has just lost his voice.  The Church’s position on deviant behavior in general and homosexuality in particular has never been popular.  Biblically and morally the Church has always seen such behavior as abhorrent and unacceptable.  Homosexuality is the only sin that God gave up on. (Romans 1:24, 26-27).
 
And there is a third reason why society wants the preacher to shut his mouth…When it comes to the issue of Women Preachers, the Bible makes it very clear that God ordained men to be leaders in the home and in the Church including the Pastor.  The Women’s Liberation movement goes against scripture and against God.  Women are very important and they have a wonderful and proper role in the home and in the Church as well, but it is not to take a leadership role.
 
The fourth reason why the Preacher is silenced, is because we are not training young men to be used of God.  We have not encouraged, we have not trained, and we have not taught our young men to make themselves available to be used by God.  We are quick to encourage our young people to be lawyers and doctors, but somewhere along the way we have forgotten to tell the about the highest of all callings, which is service to God.  How we need to mentor young men for the ministry today.
 
And last of all the groups that wants to silence the preacher, the ones who really want him to shut up are those who sit in the pews.  They do not come right out and say it to you because they have too much class, too much training and upbringing.  They use subtle ways of saying it to you, What they say is, “Now Pastor we don’t want you to worry about the Church and don’t worry about the money and don’t give a thought about the trustees, you just preach on Sunday and leave the Church to us,” and when you hear that…it means shut your mouth.  It is indisputably true; however, that God put only one person in charge of the Church.  The Bible says, “And I will give you pastors…not board, not committees, but Pastors.”   Not nosy sisters who try to run everything [from the bedroom to the boardroom] in the Church…”And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding” (Jeremiah 3:15).  
 
That same Church group has another not so subtle way of silencing the pastor, when they put a clock on him.  “Now, Brother Pastor you’re a fine man and I just love you so much, but one thing, you just preach so long.”  Church folks will stay out all night long and never look at their watches, but just wait until 12:00pm on Sunday!  The Preacher had better get it straight right early that quantity is not synonymous with quality.  But neither is brevity synonymous with Salvation.  When I preach most folks know that I’m through when I’m through.  You might also know that if they can shut your mouth, that means they intend to open theirs.
 
I cannot in good conscience finish without telling you there is yet another manner Church folks have of silencing the preacher.  If they can’t shut your mouth theologically or socially or ethically, they’ll shut it economically.  Folks get mad at the preacher and they won’t put any money into the Church.  Now, that’ll make you hush in a hurry.  Don’t you know it’s not the preacher’s money?  It’s God’s money.  You can try to hold back the preacher’s cash if you want to, but you’re messin with your blessing! (Malachi 3:10)
 
The Bible says, “Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm” (Psalm 105:15).  Dear Preacher don’t let anybody tell you to shut your mouth.  The world has never wanted a preacher who didn’t mind preaching.  Preachers we ought to obey God rather than man!  We love you and appreciate your ministries so much, now let’s GO PREACH as we are charged to do.

Freedom!

 First I want to thank all of those who have given and are giving to help us with the cost of our new van because of my accident in the Midwest.  My prayer is that God will Bless you for your generosity.
 

FREEDOM!
(Romans 5:1-10)

 As we celebrate our American Independence, let us think for a moment about our Freedoms.  Our freedoms did not come without a cost.  I’m reminded of a time in my youth, while sitting in an American History Class, in the 10th grade of High School.  The war in Vietnam was going strong.  My history teacher Mrs. Hawn made a statement that I never forgot.  She told the class that Freedom gives us the right To Do As We Should, not as we please.

 The blood of so many has been shed upon the soils of foreign nations as well as our own homeland, yet how many of us fail to consider this sacrifice?  How quick we are to forget those who have paid the ultimate price!  How quick we are to complain and then sit back while others die for what we enjoy!  Our Freedoms are not rights to be abused.  We have not been given the Freedom to do what we want at the expense of Righteousness.  We have not been given the Liberty to choose our own way at the expense of doing what is right. But, everywhere we look, we see freedoms being violated, abused and sacrificed.
 
        Today’s text tells us, “Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord.” Our Freedoms cannot be separated from God, for it is He who ultimately gave them to us.  Our Freedoms will only be enjoyed in relation to our acknowledgement of the Lord.  The further we move from Him, the fewer our Freedoms become until they ultimately cease to exist.

 We also must consider another Freedom – Spiritual Freedom.  Only those who are rightly related to God can experience this Freedom.  Everyone who rejects Christ as savior is enslaved to sin.  True Freedom comes only when a person puts his faith in Christ.  Jesus said, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32).  What Is Truth?  Jesus stated, “I am the way, The Truth, and the Life.” (John 14:6).  Freedom from Sin and Condemnation comes only through Him; He paid the ultimate price.  “If the son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36). 

 So I encourage one and all, as we celebrate our Independence and rejoice over our freedoms, let’s not take them for granted.  Also, as Born-Again Believers in Christ – Let’s not take our Spiritual Freedoms and Liberties for granted either.
Freedom – Freedom – Freedom

 True Freedom only comes from God…May God Bless you one and all is my prayer.
 
His For Souls,
 
Bro. Randy Davis

The Drought in Christ’s Church

It is May and we have just left Ohio, Kentucky and are now in Michigan where we continue to Preach Revival Meetings and encourage Churches and Pastors.  God has really blessed us and it has been wonderful to see the hand of God in the meetings.

 It is now Spring and you can see the flowers, crops and vegetables coming into bloom.  The greatest enemy to crops, flowers or plants is a drought where there is no rain or nourishment.  It’s the same way when there’s a drought in Christ’s Church Today…

THE DROUGHT IN CHRIST’S CHURCH

“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt has lost his savour, wherewith all it be salted?
It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.”  (Matt. 5:13)

 I believe that the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, not only in America, but also around the world, has come to a crisis of having lost it’s effectiveness to stop the advancement of corruption and evil.  If we were what we ought to be in God’s eyes and if we were as effective as God wants us to be, then sin and evil could not advance.  We cannot continue to blame everyone else.  The blame belongs at our own doorstep, the Church of Jesus Christ.

 God gives Joy unspeakable and full of Glory, this is His blessing when we take certain steps.  Why does the Bible say in (Matt 5:3), “Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit?”  This verse is talking about brokenness.  How can the poor in spirit, they that mourn, and the meek be blessed?  It is because God says…To this man will I look.  God’s eyes look beyond the thousands walking and leaping and praising God but have NO BURDEN…God watches millions who worship NOT IN TRUTH, but to be seen of men.  God looks at them in dismay.  God has to break us until we have NO PRIDE, OR CONFIDENCE IN OURSELVES.  It is a Joy to be broken before God but we must not be satisfied to stay there.  We have to take the next step. 

“Blessed are they which thirst and hunger after righteousness, for they shall be filled.” (v.6)  Filled means to be satisfied.  If you find a man in a time of severe drought that is hungry and thirsty, and you give him a million dollars, that man will not be satisfied.  That man will only be satisfied when he has that which he is thirsting after.  NOTHING WILL SATISFY you until God makes you righteous.  If you hunger and thirst you’re going to be made righteous.  You will receive the only thing that will quench that thirst and take away your hunger and satisfy you.  This is Righteousness imparted by God.  I am not talking about righteousness imputed, there’s a great difference.  This context here has nothing to do with righteousness imputed…where at the moment of faith in the Blood of Jesus Christ (Romans 4:5).  But (Matt. 5) is talking about righteousness imparted.  God’s righteousness is seen in our lives when we’re made righteous.  Are we hungering and thirsting for God to make us righteous?  When we are made righteous by God do you know what will happen to the Church?  They will be able to forgive so that we can be forgiven (v.7).  Also as a result of God’s righteousness we are pure in heart (v.8).

The next thing that I see is a peace coming among God’s people. [Peacemakers] (v.9).  I have the ability to go to my worst enemy and embrace him/her and fall on my knees and beg him/her to be at peace no matter what it cost me.  As God sees us being merciful and making peace, then will persecution come suddenly.  “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake.” (v.10)  And all who will live godly lives in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution (2 Tim. 3:12).  We cannot escape it because we are the salt of the earth.  It doesn’t matter that we are persecuted because sooner or later they’re going to get saved, because their hearts are so condemned.  They will see our good works because we are the light of the world that is showing the way.

As a result of righteousness imparted by God, we realize that Jesus Christ did not come to destroy the law but to fulfill it in our lives.  Some folks say to me we’re no longer under the law but under grace.  This is the dispensation of Grace.  Most folks who say that to me end up in disgrace.  Christ said…”I haven’t come to destroy the law but to fulfill it…IN YOU…It is through God’s righteousness imparted by His Grace and Mercy in and through us.  It is not by rigid discipline but by Him writing the Law of God upon my heart and by the Holy Spirit, that I can then live the standard.  I don’t memorize and think “Thou shalt not” and say, Thou shalt not do this.  I don’t do the forbidden thing because it is not by my own effort…For this is God’s righteousness imparted.  This is God’s liberty, the liberty of the Law in Christ Jesus.  It’s an amazing liberty not a bondage of the Law.  When we find God’s righteousness imparted into us, through us, then it is not our own righteousness.

In case you thought that the Law was destroyed through Christianity, let me tell you that the standard is ten times higher in the New Testament than in the Old Testament, and we can live it!  Of course, I am talking about the Fruits of the Spirit.

The law says you must not kill…this is how I want you to live and you’re going to live it. Be angry and sin not, whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer in my eyes.  Any anger that comes into our lives must be righteous indignation and anyone watching can see nothing else but holiness in our reaction to that which we are offended.  In time of deepest offense we will be Christ-like because it is caused by righteous indignation and this will condemn hearts and condemn us.

Matt 5:23, 24 says “ Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there remember that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.”  God desires love before sacrifice.  The righteousness imparted by God [Fruits of the Spirit] gives us the ability to forgive any wrongs we have with our brother first, and then to offer our gifts.

This righteousness imparted gives us the power not to look at any man or woman with lust.  Your husband or wife should be all that you desire or want.  We can be holy by God’s Grace.

I assure you, ninety percent of divorce will stop when Revival comes.  The Church needs to live the message, and preach the message instead of writing volumes to just deny it and try to explain it away or find psychologists to deal with it…No…GOD DEALS WITH IT…

When we find Righteousness of God [Fruits of the Spirit], we don’t have to swear…Just let our yes be yes and our no be no.  Every man looking at us with our integrity will not require more of us than a Yes…If the Church Is The Salt Of The Earth then we need to end this drought in Christ’s Church so that evil and sin will no longer advance.

There is such a need today for all of us to be more like Christ.  There is a need for the Church of Christ to be a Bright Light in a dark and sinful world. 

Please continue to pray for the ministry that God has called us to; with Small and Struggling Churches.  We are constantly praying for you and your ministries as well.  Let us also not forget to pray for one another. 
May God continue to have His divine hand upon your life and ministry is my prayer.

Love & Prayers in Christ,

Bro. Randy Davis
(Psalms 126:5, 7)

April, 2008 Prayer Letter

As you read this newsletter, I am preaching in meetings out in the Mid-west, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and I will be in Michigan in May…

 As I drive along these country roads for miles, you can see the fresh plowed fields where the farmers have planted seeds of corn.  It is time to plant seeds of corn.  I thought about that and am reminded when I was a boy and planting corn as well; we always got our hands dirty in our Garden.  It’s impossible to plant seeds and not get your hands dirty.

PLANTING SEEDS AND DIRTY HANDS
(Matthew 13:3-9)

Notice with me in this parable the different conditions of the soil.  1. The Wayside Soil (v.4), 2. The Stony Soil (v.5), 3. The Weedy Soil (v.7), and finally 4. The Good Soil (v.8).  Notice in God’s Word that it was all the same dirt…The only difference was the way the soil was prepared…and that’s what made the difference in each situation.  And so, it is with the human heart.  We are all made of the same essence, but we are conditioned by different influences and environment that have shaped us.

 As we look also in (v. 19) at the wayside soil, this is the unresponsive heart…This person just sits there and hears the Word of God time and time again and has no time for the Gospel, no time for no one but themselves and their own selfish desires…Their hearts are hardened.

 I remember walking through rows of corn as a boy.  In between the rows of corn was hard dirt that was packed down by walking on it all the time.  The purpose of walking on the same path of dirt was so we wouldn’t disturb the virgin soil around the corn.

 So was it in Palestine and this is what Jesus was telling His disciples in this parable.  Along the wayside, there were paths that went around the field, that were heavily traveled and dirt was packed down.  Birds would come and take the seeds that fell on this hard soil before it had a chance to germinate or the winds would blow it away…

1. The sower is the Christian,
2. The seed is the Gospel,
3. The field is the world, 4. The soil is the human heart.

So this is the person who has no time for spiritual matters.

 As we look in (v.5) we see the stony heart or the superficial heart…The seeds were not planted deep enough, so when the sun came out the plants would die and wither away…They had no root in themselves, this is the professed Christian…Those who claim to be God’s Children for awhile…but there’s no spiritual fruit (1John 2:19).  Not everyone in our midst…is of us…

 Thirdly, as we read (v.22) we see the weedy soil which is the worldly heart…This person still has a lot of the world in them.  They are more concerned for the things of the world.  A double-minded person…They try to serve Christ and self too.

 They know a lot of facts about Christ but they don’t know Him personally.  There is only one road that leads to Eternal Life and the Bible tells us, “Narrow is the Way…”
Now I would like for you to see with me the enemies…
The Shallow soil in (v.7) here the weeds were the worries of the world.  My friend’s weeds will grow.  Even spiritual weeds will grow but they will not bear any fruit.  True Christians will show and bear fruit.  And you won’t have to get on your hands and knees to look for them either…They’ll stand out among the weeds.  You will be able to spot them by their lack of fruit.

 In (v.6) the sun is the affliction and persecution.  Again these are those who planted their seeds in shallow soil.  The minute that troubles or persecution come along, they fall away.  They have no root in themselves, as we see not only in (v.6) but also in (v.21).

 In (v.4) birds are the evil one [Satan] and in (v.19) this is the person with a hard heart.  The three enemies are…The World, The Flesh and The Devil.

 Jesus is telling the disciples that you will face resistance.  That is will not be an easy life or an easy walk.  That there will be shallow short-term converts, there will be double-minded people, the hardness of the road, and the shallow soil.  The aggressiveness of the weeds will frustrate the efforts to grow good crops…But my friends God will till the soil of the most stubborn heart.

 But then there’s the Good Soil, as we see in (v.23).  This is the receptive heart…This is the field that is plowed, been prepared and is ready to receive the seed of the Gospel.  This is the heart that is ready to receive the Lord Jesus Christ.  Without plowing or cultivation, there is NO SALVATION FRUIT…The ultimate test of Salvation is bearing fruit (Matthew 7:17-20).  Only good soil and plowed dirt from a good cultivated ground can produce fruit.

 As sowers, we are called to broadcast the seeds of the Gospel.  Even if some fall on unprepared soil, there will always be wayside soil, shallow and rocky soil, and weedy soil.  But also my friends, there will always BE GOOD SOIL.  It only needs the right seeds thrown on it.

 A farmer knows if he wants corn next year, he has to plant and replant corn every year.  If he only thinks of this year, then next year he will not have anything to eat.

 It’s the same with planting the seed of the Gospel.  If we just plant seeds this year, there will not be any growth or increase in the harvest for the Lord Jesus Christ. 
I am so afraid that too many of us today, for too long of a time…Have clean hands.  We need to get our hands dirty.  We need to plant some seeds.

 You know my friends you can never create a seed you can only reproduce the original seed.  The original seed of the Gospel was created by the Lord Jesus Christ and we can only reproduce that seed.

 We cannot preach another Gospel, or another Christ or another way.  There is only one way, only one Gospel and only one plan of Salvation.

 Planting Seeds And Dirty Hands…Let’s get busy and reap a harvest for the Lord Jesus Christ.
 
His For Souls,
 
Bro. Randy Davis
(Psalms 126:5, 7)

March, 2008 Prayerletter

I was recently preaching in a Revival Meeting in New York during the 2nd week of December.  Between all the snow and ice, I felt God really blessed the meeting.  The pastor and I were discussing the sins in Christian’s lives and the absence of holiness from our pulpits and congregations in many Churches today.  I am NOT talking about discipline or self-righteousness.

 So God has impressed upon my heart to talk about the doctrine of holiness, this month…

THE STIGMA OF BEING HOLY

“I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh.  For as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now
yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.”  (Romans 6:19)
 
There is no doubt that holiness is both the aim and the goal of religion.  But I for one, have NOT met many Christians who have set the mark or even reached the goal that they can properly be identified as holy.  The Truth IS…We will NOT be completely holy [Conformed to the image of Christ] until Christ returns and we get our glorified bodies.  But we can still do much better than we are now.

 And yet I am of the opinion that despite all of this, even the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is difficult, if not impossible to find anybody that is holy as the Bible teaches us.  Please stay with me.  I am not talking about self-righteousness.  I want to talk about this issue because I am concerned about what appears to be an absence of holiness and Christ-likeness and an absence of those who are themselves holy within the Institution of the Church as we know it.

 It disturbs me that we have come to the 21st Century and what folks are most likely to find in the Church is not holy Christians [Christ-like], but instead a peculiar contradiction.  Those are folks who prefer to be Christians of the generic kind without any requirement for living Christ-like.

 It bothers me that many times we who are supposed to represent Christ-likeness or holiness, who say that we have been convicted and converted [Born-Again] to a lifestyle that is suppose to be holy and more like our Savior.

 It bothers me that even though God’s Word speaks of holiness and defines holiness and requires holiness, that not many preachers are not preaching about holiness and Christ-likeness today.  And as a result not many Christians are living in the path and pattern of holiness.  In fact, just to talk about holiness causes some folks to be uncomfortable.  It causes others to get nervous while others are turned off by it.

 You are aware, of course, that this matter of holiness is not my idea.  Holiness and [Christ-likeness] is not an option.  The Bible teaches us that God’s people are, by definition, a holy people and a holy nation: “Sanctify yourselves and therefore, be ye holy: For I am the Lord you God.” (Lev. 20:7)

 Psalms says that the place of Worship is at His Holy Hill.  The Scriptures teach that the Temple of God is Holy.  Paul told young Timothy that God has called us with a holy calling.  God’s Name is Holy.  Even the Word of God which we preach from was written by holy men who were inspired by the Holy Ghost.

 So at the Biblical level it is a clear concept that holiness and holy are to be part of the Christian life.  This note on iniquity and holiness, which comes from an aging Apostle whose days are indeed numbered, does not, I will admit, usually provide proper kindling for preaching fire.  And yet, here is Paul writing from Corinth with love to those whom he says are “Called To Be Saints.”

 To these, the unclean, the impure, the defiled, the dirty, the weak and the wicked, to these Paul says:  YIELD YOUR MEMBERS SERVANTS TO RIGHTEOUSNESS UNTO HOLINESS.  What Paul is addressing here is the manner by which sinners can escape the power of sin.  It is here that Paul reminds us in (V.23) that the wages of sin is death.  Paul is saying that once a man is converted, he is no longer what he was.  The converted man was once a servant of sin, but now that he has a brand new walk in Christ, we are no longer servants of sin but servants of righteousness.

 After Salvation [New Birth] the change of moving from what I used to be, is achieved by yielding ourselves to the Holy Spirit.  Holiness is not something that we do, but something that the Holy Spirit does as He conforms us to the image of Christ.

 In other words, one does not just stumble upon holiness.  Paul insists that if you seek or desire the Fruits of the Spirit, then you must decide to give up, to surrender, to yield your bodies “Servants of Righteousness.”  “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1)

 Holiness is not about what you wear; Holiness is about how you walk with God.
 Holiness is not about the Cross that your wear; Holiness is about the Cross that you bear.
 Holiness is not about the Bible that your carry; Holiness is about the Bible that carries you.
Holiness is not about how well you preach; Holiness is about how well you pray.
 Holiness is not if you are an officer; Holiness is if you are a witness.
 Holiness is not about the quantity of your tithe; Holiness is about the quality of your Christian life.
Holiness is not about how high you can jump; Holiness is about how well you serve God when you come back down.

 The Holy Spirit is not power to be used, but He is a person to be yielded to, so that you might be used.  Holiness is not something that we do, but something that the Holy Spirit does in us and through us.  If God is Holy, then His children [Born-Again], believers, and His Church along with those men of God who lead them should be as well.  This only happens when the Holy Spirit gets more of us in every area of our lives.

 Please, don’t think that I think that I have arrived in any way.  But I am saying that all of us have room for improvement.  Let’s make a decision that we’re going to live our lives and lead God’s People to be more Christ-like so the we might bring Honor and Glory to God our Father.

 I encourage you and I too pray for one another that we might strive to live holy lives and be more like Christ.  To put Christ first in our lives that we might show others how God manifest Himself in us that others will desire the Holy Spirit working in their Christian life and not grieve Him.

 This decision begins by each of us denying self and pleasing God, instead of denying Christ and pleasing ourselves.  May God Bless You is my prayer.
 
A Servant Of The Lord,
 
Bro. Randy Davis
(Isa. 40:31)

February, 2008 Prayerletter

“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.”  ( 2 Chronicles 7:14)
 
 As those in New England and the Midwest deal with all the ice and snow, I am blessed by preaching Revival Meetings in the warm and sunny states of Georgia and Florida.  Not that I’m rubbing it in.  Anyway it is already February and we are now in the beginning of another year.  2007 is behind us and 2008 is ahead of us.  I am so burdened concerning all the Pride and Selfishness over God’s people and over us as a Nation.

SERVING OTHERS AND NOT SELF
 
 I am so sad over the bickering, bitterness and fighting among God’s people who are so caught up in serving self instead of serving others…
 America, God Still Loves You!  I am so very grateful for the privilege to be able to worship as we please as we do here in the United States of America without worrying about someone looking over our shoulder.

 Come Sunday, we gather to Worship as we see fit, and I’m thankful for that.  However, here in America, we take for granted the freedoms that we have.

 Folks around the world complain about the United States.  As well, we complain about ourselves.  But America is still the greatest place on earth.  To listen to the politicians and the Presidential debates you might think that it is not true.

 The very fiber of our great nation is being destroyed from those who are among us, not from any outside enemy. 

 Because of greed and neglect in our Godly and Moral Character, we see folks who have it all, and yet they are on the verge of losing it all. 

 Why?  Because the only God that is worshipped today is the God of Self, Self-will, Self-pleasures, self-esteem and self-worth. 

 Sometimes we are so busy serving self; we have no time for right or wrong or for helping our fellow mankind.

 President Woodrow Wilson once stated…America was born a Christian Nation for the purpose of exemplifying to the Nations of the World the principles of Righteousness found in the Word of God.  I believe that no people or Nation has ever conquered those who serve God.

PRAYERS TO GOD
 
 Now is the time for prayer once again. We must take a stand for God by lifting up our eyes and seeking God’s face to grant us His Grace and Blessings.

 Government will not solve the problems of a degenerating society, Only The Prayers Of God’s People can make a Nation what it is meant to be…

 In the Bible [Word of God] in ( 2 Chronicles 7:14) it says…If my people [that’s you dear Christian] not just for Israel.  Which are called by My Name will humble yourselves.   [Get rid of our Pride].  And Pray [Communicate with God].  And seek My face [Making God first priority in your life].  And turn from our wicked ways [Repenting Of Sin].  Then will I hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

 We as God’s people or as a Nation cannot enjoy the wonderful blessings of God until we repent as a people and as a Nation. 

 This year we face the great responsibility of choosing our Next President.  No matter what Party you belong to we first must repent so that we may have the Blessings of God.  We cannot continue in our sin and expect God to bless us as a Nation. 

 Instead of us crying God Bless America we should be praying with a broken heart.  “God Please Forgive America.”

 Preachers and Christians alike must see the need of this great Nation, it is not only who is President but What God do we serve…The God of Self or the God of Heaven.

 This year in 2008 let’s make it a year where we as God’s People will once again get a hold of Heaven so that He may forgive us and heal our land.

 Please let us pray one for another and encourage one another as we lift up one another in Prayer.  May God continue to have His divine hand upon your life and ministry is our prayer.
Love & Prayers In Christ,
 
Bro. Randy Davis
(Isa. 40:31)