Intercession as Zero Hour Nears

IN Genesis 19 is a picture of the power of intercession:

Abraham was a major-league intercessor.
He saw his nephew delivered even as he saw God's judgment on the evil citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah
"Will the LORD spare Sodom for 50, 45,40, --down to 10...??"
Perhaps we stand closer to God's wrath than we realize today;
perhaps we are more like Lot than we are like Abraham.
Do see the principle that righteous people are somehow a deterrent to judgment day wrath.
And we see the powerful influence ofone person who has the courage to ask God to spare others!

What is the Church's LIFE?

The "bottom line" of who is/is not "a Christian" has to be God's judgment and God's alone. But there are some things that give life to all of us who profess to be members of the Body of Christ. Beyond regional, cultural, even doctrinal matters, what really makes us followers in fact of Jesus Christ? Not that doctrine is unimportant- it certainly is important- but also the fact is that we are saved by Jesus Himself, and not by our great wisdom in grasping facts, truth with a small "t". Jesus Himself is the Truth.
My personal conviction is that the Church will continue to grow and be healthy even if some sincere movements within the churches flame out and popular spokespersons come and go-- for Jesus Himself has promised that He will build the Church, which is His Body. But I believe the Church will flourish precisely as it re-discovers the vitality of traditions that have been discarded because they have been mis-used , misunderstood, and even sadly neglected. The Holy Communion, regularly and reverently observed will vitalize any congregation. The Creed(s) thoughtfully affirmed often, publicly will filter into the souls of young and old alike. The Lord's Prayer, prayed together week by week by whole congregations, has a way of meeting the current needs-- far from "vain repetition" it will foster unity in the Body.
I love the Church!

Call to Christlikenss (sel.)

Genuine faith must choose betweenthe apparent and the genuine.
Appearances are all-important to phony Christians. Genuine 'walkers-with-God' have as their first concern thereality of staying near Him; and secondarily only 'what it will seemto other people.'Too often we worship the big, the booming, the shiny. God-centered faith is willing to be thought a failure so far ason-looking people may be concerned!
Paul was a man who certainly pleased God. But listen to thesewords he wrote to the Corinthian church (I Co. 4:11): "To this presenthour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and areroughly treated, and are homeless..."
Paul was not a modern-day success story. He didn't have a stretch limo tocarry him from pulpit to pulpit!
. Until we settle it to please God first we will probablycontinue to have troubles with prosperous evil people, and with hypocrites in the church, and with do-nothing professing Christians. But if we make it our business to walk with Jesus we won't stayfrustrated by people for too long! There are greater things in life than what PEOPLE think!

A SIMPLE EXERCISE IN SPIRITUAL GROWTH

THE 'T V PUSH-AWAY'

WORKS LIKE THIS---
You are sitting comfortably
before the TV when something comes on ... gets your interest ...
which soon offends your spirit just the slightest.

TURN IT OFF TO
THE GLORY OF GOD!
TURN IT OFF WITH A PRAYER: "Father, I want You
to fill my mind, and not this garbage! Amen."

Ask God for a holy ANGER! Ask the Holy Spirit to show you
your own shortcomings ... how prone we humans are to actually
enjoy the exposure of great sins in others while at the same time
we excuse the sins we consider "small" that we harbor in our own
thought life!

Sins like: harsh judgment of others ... an unloving,
critical spirit ... any kind of double-dealing-- of lying by
implication ... we must shun-- turn away-- reject anything like
this, anything that is not of God's Spirit.

And why should we turn away from evil? (1) Because of other
people's personal convictions? NO (2) because of legalistic
standards? NO (3) Because of fear of what people might say?
NO

We turn away from evil because IF WE TURN AWAY WE SHALL
ENJOY GOOD HEALTH! So many people are not robust, healthy
Christians because they have never been convinced of the need to
HATE SIN as well as to LOVE THE LORD!