Even a cursory look at church history reveals many things that were not only contrary to the teachings and nature of Christ, but were diabolical in nature. Today the church tends to deal mostly with matters of insensitivity, but in times past, the issues were how to deal with the brutal and inhuman cruelty being inflicted on literally millions in the name of Christ. Certainly, progress has been made out of the deep darkness which the church had fallen into. So where are we now? What's next?

As we continue our study from the rest of Joshua 6, we learn how Israel crossed over to possess the Promised Land by capturing Jericho through faithfully following the Lord’s orders. However, before they blew the trumpets and shouted so that the walls would fall down, Joshua charged the people to keep their vow to Rahab the harlot and those who were in her house not to touch anything that was under the ban.

In the next verse of the Lord’s discourse concerning the end of the age, He says:

God created man in His image, and for four basic purposes:

1. to have fellowship with,
2. to cultivate the garden,
3. to be fruitful and multiply, and
4. to rule over the earth and all that is in it.

This week we continue the study of the purpose of equipping ministries listed in Ephesians 4:11 with what must be considered one of the most amazing verses in the Scriptures, Ephesians 4:13. It states that these ministries are given: “until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ.”

I was asked to spend an hour with one of the Presidential candidates in the last election. I agreed with this candidate on most matters, especially social issues, and I was very glad in some ways that these were the main reasons why he was running for President. I would have loved to have seen him win, but I had been shown that the main issue in the election was going to be the economy, not the social issues that were so important to him. I spent the entire hour trying to convince him of this.

One word that I started getting on the day of this tragedy was "heroes." It was not until this morning that I began to understand it. A hero is someone who takes decisive action in a crisis. This is what the Lord wants His people to do in this crisis, and every crisis.

I have heard many comment that we are in the first stages of the great tribulation, that the anti-Christ is coming, and since it is prophesied, there is nothing that we can do about it. This is a tragic deception. Let's read what the Lord said about this very thing in Daniel 11:31-32:

          The angel that released the apostles from prison said to them, “Go stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life” (Acts 5:20). To know “the whole message of this life” and to be obedient to it will be the basic devotion of a disciple.

Last week we began addressing our responsibility to test the fruitfulness of ministries and missions in which we are investing the Lord's resources. In large operations such as charities, which are devoted to distributing material goods, this is much easier to measure than when we examine evangelistic and missionary outreaches.

     In Psalm 97, we have one of the most illuminating prophecies of what we are now seeing unfolding in the earth:

            The Lord reigns; let the earth rejoice; yet the many islands be glad.

        Clouds and thick darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.