Choose this day, who do you serve

The state is my shepherd? I don’t think so.

I thought about writing this as a Parody on Psalm 23 this morning, this is the craziness we are living in now!

So they tell me:

The state is my shepherd, I shall not want

They lead me to social distancing, to stay in my home,

Where they say I am safe, and falsely secure my soul.

They lead me to forsake all righteousness, for tolerance sake, while they deny to acknowledge all that is evil.

They tell me to accept all that is wicked and hate those who don’t,

they tell me that right is wrong and wrong is right and expect me to believe it.

They make a mockery of God and mock me for believing in Him,

They educate my children in ways I don’t believe and call that progressive.

Yes though I walk through the valley of the shadow of the death of faith, I will not yield to their lies, I will stand fast in the Lord as I live my life.

Yes the Lord is my shepherd not the state and their lies, His word not theirs will comfort me,

He will raise me up in that day, when He comes for His faithful ones,

they will gnash with their teeth on the day His will is done,

with vengeance and judgment, the end will come.  

The wicked will be cast, into the fire at last,

and we will dwell in the House of the Lord forever!

No, the state is not my shepherd and never will be. I have heard warnings all my life that the left were trying to bring about Marxism and Communism and I am watching as even believers are being led like sheep to the slaughter! Where is the cry from the church as our nation is being attacked by anti-christ leftists? Do you really want to give up your right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and depend on the next stimulus check or government welfare check for your prosperity?

Christians all over the world are dying and being imprisoned for the right to assemble and Pastors are closing their churches for the possibility that someone might get the Covid 19 virus? We have been told that basically everyone will deal with this virus sooner or later and a vaccine is not yet a reality. They still don’t have a vaccine that cures the common cold.

I have friends right now who have the Covid 19 virus and I don’t deny it’s reality or the severity for some, but I am not yielding to the fear of catching it and will not spend the next six months or one year or two years hiding in my home in fear! It is not going away and I am not staying away!

Remember this, more people died of heart disease this month than Covid 19, but there is no international outcry against the false advertising of the food industry that is fueling this disease. Where are the protests for the 79 people shot in Chicago last weekend and the children being killed every week by stray bullets from drive by shootings?  The media and the left and the Hollywood elitists have one agenda, get rid of Trump!

I would encourage you to read the first 3 chapters of Isaiah and I’ll just include these three verses:

Isa 3:10-12

10 “Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them, For they shall eat the fruit of their doings.

11 Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, For the reward of his hands shall be given him.

12 As for My people, children are their oppressors, And women rule over them. O My people! Those who lead you cause you to err, And destroy the way of your paths.”

NKJV

Choose you this day, which leader will you serve!

Be blessed!

• Date - July 10, 2020
• Author - David Chisholm

John 18:33-36

33 Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

34 Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?” 

35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?”

36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.”  NKJV

This is a verse that should be very relevant to the body of Christ right now. I have used this truth to keep myself in the “right fight” for the last 38 years. This is why I am not a politician as a Pastor. I believe we need to be active as believers in the government of our nation, but at the same time we need to realize that our national government is of this world, not the Kingdom of God. As long as non-believers have an equal vote in legislating morality we are under a secular, not Biblical civil rule.

Remember that America crossed the boundary of the majority of populace being unsaved years ago. As our representatives, many of  the elected officials follow the will of the ungodly majority, not the Biblical world view people. Let me go a step further and show another similar example of this.

Luke 12:13-15

13 Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?”  15 And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”  NKJV

Whenever someone tried to pull Jesus into the secular civil government issues, he basically said, this isn’t my jurisdiction now. There is a day coming when He will take over all world government but it has not happened yet and will not happen until after the second coming. The doctrine known as” Kingdom now”, which was popularized during the charismatic movement of the 90’s was unbiblical. The idea that we as believers would rise up in faith and take complete world dominion and control the planet is unfounded. In fact, the scriptures declare the opposite of this. The anti-christ will establish the one world government not the church during this dispensation. We can stand and declare all we want that we are going to “take over” and the world is just getting darker and darker as the time draws near to the return of the Lord!

Having said all this, I am going to choose carefully what fight, what I engage in,  and what stock I invest “my emotional capital” in. There are many believers who have invested themselves into an earthly battle that isn’t even really their fight. I fight for the souls of men, to see them redeemed by the blood of the lamb! This world is moving quickly into the position of the anti-christ government and there is nothing we as a church can do to stop this, it’s going to happen, however, we can delay it by praying and voting and making our voice known to the elected officials. Our vote counts the same as the unbeliever and recent elections have reported less than 50% of the body of Christ even show up to vote! That my friends is a travesty!

“We can delay it (the position of the anti-christ) by praying and voting and making our voice known to the elected officials.”

I believe President Trump was installed by God to slow the doomsday clock down, and another four years will slow it again. So I will vote for him and encourage all believers to do the same! There is a chance that Roe vs Wade could be overturned if he wins in 2020, and the democrats fear this above all else! As we saw again this week concerning the Supreme Court vote on the Arkansas abortion law, Justice John Roberts again sided with liberal judges. It seems he is being converted to the liberal side of issues.

When Obama said, “America is not a Christian Nation” years ago, it shocked and alarmed people to the reality that was being mostly ignored for a long time. The majority of Americans are no longer siding with God or the Bible and certainly not the church!

We all want revival but we must remember what the scripture says about the end of days:

2 Tim 3:1-5

3:1 Perilous Times and Perilous Men But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,  3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

NKJV

And again:

2 Peter 3:3-18

3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days , walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, 6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. 7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. 8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.   11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation — as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, 16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen. NKJV

We want a world without sin and the Libs want a world without God!

And lastly:

Jude 17-19

17 But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ:

18 how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts.

19 These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.

NKJV

So let’s do our part and not lose heart!

Be blessed!

• Date - July 1, 2020
• Author - David Chisholm

Hebrews 10:25 –Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

I have heard this for years, from one extreme to the other, and  had not really studied it out because it seemed self-explanatory to me. Legalistic people make you feel like you will go to hell if you miss a church service, while extreme grace people will live a Que sera sera life and say- you can worship Jesus at home-, no need to be there all the time – you just do you.

However, the Apostle Paul speaks of this in the word of God. After noticing so many people who do not regularly attend church, for whatever reason, and pondering on this, I decided to dig a little deeper and see what the Lord says regarding this and why. Is Hebrews 10:25 a suggestion or a necessity?

First, I think most of us can agree and have a better understanding of, how vital corporate worship is after the pandemic we just came through!  What a privilege it is to gather with like-minded people to worship our God! Once something is taken from you, it is easier to appreciate!

So, as I began to re-read this verse today, I decided to see what was being said before  and after verse 25 to get some context for the content.  Let’s take a look starting with verse 16:

¹⁶ “This is the covenant that I will make with them
After those days, says the Lord:
I will put My laws upon their heart,
And on their mind I will write them,”

He then says,

¹⁷ “And their sins and their lawless deeds
I will remember no more.”

¹⁸ Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.

¹⁹ Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; ²⁴ and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, ²⁵ not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

So, to paraphrase, we see that the Apostle Paul is reminding us that God gave us a better covenant with the sacrifice of Jesus and His blood on the cross, and that His sacrifice was the final one for all time.  (What great news!) And now that we can enter the holy place by Jesus’ blood, we have a new way of living.  In other words, we no longer have to go through an earthly priest and stand with a separation between us and God, we can go right into the Father through the shed blood of Jesus.  Paul also says let’s do this sincere in heart (honor the sacrifice) and full of faith (confidence in the word of God) with a clean conscience! (not living with sin in our lives)  He goes onto say that we are to hold fast to the confession of our hope (faith) without wavering.  (We should not doubt, but remain steadfast on the promises of God) Because He who promised – Our heavenly Father – is faithful. This is really good news!

Paul is reminding us that He who promised is faithful!  But he doesn’t stop there – let’s keep going.  In verse 24 we see that we are  to consider how to stimulate one another to love and do good deeds… in other words, let’s cheer each other on!  We are to empower one another in the word, pray for each other and be a helper to our brothers and sisters.  Again, he says let’s – let us consider how to stimulate one another to good deeds, stirring up good works, then comes verse 25 and he adds NOT forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, but ENCOURAGING one another all the more….

Folks, stirring one another up and assembling together is part of the same sentence, the same thought. The verse connotations are there simply for easier reference, it is all one thought.  It is not an idea out there on it’s own, nor is it a suggestion, but it is one part of our part in the body of Christ. Paul doesn’t say I think or I suggest, but he is including this with very matter of fact statements all through this chapter.

If we are to hold fast to the confidence that we can go into the presence of our God without hesitation or a veil between us, if we are to stand firm on His promises, and  encourage each other, stirring up good deeds among each other, building up our faith, then we are to also by this same exhortation assemble and not forsake it.    The word encourage in this passage means to admonish, exhort, comfort and teach.  THIS is what happens when we attend, assemble together in church! THIS is why the Apostle Paul is saying do NOT forsake the assembly of ourselves, as some are in the habit of doing!

There is a deep well of encouragement, exhortation, comfort and teaching found when the saints of God gather together! There is great synergy of faith, agreement, and love.  There is wisdom and encouragement, correction and instruction for the times we live in.   (As long as you are in a church where the pastor teaches un-compromised truth and allows for the Holy Spirit to move!  I have to put that disclaimer in there!)

NOT forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, but ENCOURAGING one another all the more….

Let’s see what else Paul has to say…

…and all the more as you see the day drawing near.  What day?  The last days.  You know the ones that Timothy speaks about in 2 Timothy chapter 3.  Perilous times.  Are we in perilous times?  No doubt!

Does this mean we go to hell if we miss church?  No, of course not.  What Paul is saying is, look, we need to hold fast to our confession of  faith and we need to encourage, comfort, exhort and teach one another because we are living in perilous times.  So, go to church and build each other up!  Don’t forsake this!  Especially in perilous times.

I said all of that to say this:  I look around and I see people who are hopeless and they need Jesus.  And if I, a Christian, walk around weak, disheveled in the spirit, without an exhortation of the hope that lives inside of me, how will unbelievers find out there is a better way?  What will draw them to want to know my Lord?  The Bible says it is the goodness of God that draws men to repentance!  (Psalms 33:5, Romans 2:4)  The way to stay filled and encouraged is to stay connected.  How will we find the courage to live in these trying times?  How will we keep our peace and hope alive? How will we win others to Jesus?  What about our lives would even make them want to live like we do? We must stay personally connected, daily in the word and in prayer with our Lord, and Paul says we must stay corporately connected.  Paul specifically put this admonishment after explaining our new covenant and before explaining the result of insulting that covenant.  (I encourage you to read and study the whole chapter!)

Let me tell you, this whole global season has made me so thankful for my local church.  So grateful for a pastor who does not compromise truth and allows the refreshing of the Spirit.  I KNOW there is a connection to my faith, encouragement, hopeful outlook and the assembling of myself with other believers.  The corporate worship, the fellowship with like-minded people, the encouragement and hope given, the word taught, these things are invaluable to my life and to my call!  These build my faith and empower my hope.  Why just the other day during a prayer meeting, I was given and word that was and is a huge encouragement to me to keep pressing on!  To not give up!  And had I not been at that meeting, I would not have received that word!

Also, let’s not forget the scripture one puts a thousand to flight and two puts ten thousand to flight (Deut 32)… can you imagine the impact of our prayers and praise when we come together?  God has set us up to win!  He always works with a remnant! His desire is for His church, (His Ekklesia – which is ruling body) to govern with His decrees and declarations.  We are to agree with Him and release it!  WE – not just one, but all!  In Bible times, the Ekklesia ruled the earthly law, not the other way around, but that is another lesson!)

Everything in the Bible is there for a reason.  And just because this directive from the Apostle Paul is not one of the Ten Commandments, doesn’t mean it is to be ignored or taken lightly.  I have shown you what the word says, and I have shared with you how it impacts my life.  I now exhort and encourage you today to make church attendance a priority, and if you don’t have a church, pray and ask the Lord to direct you!

(PS – I know a great one…..hint hint! )

Let’s pray –

Father God, I pray for the person reading right now.  I break off any negative connotations of control and legalism that may be associated from their past and ask You to give them fresh eyes to see and understand this principle and the importance of it in their eyes.  May we hold fast to our faith, encourage each other and stir up the gifts You have given us in this day.  Thank You for godly shepherds and for assemblies that  gather to worship and to learn about You and to be equipped to harvest the lost.  May every one be strengthened and enriched in these days. May every pastor preach truth and may the hope in Your word speak to all who read this and may we be hearers of this word in Jesus’ Name.  AMEN!

• Date - June 22, 2020
• Author - David Chisholm