Light of the Nations' Foursquare Church in Denver Podcast

This is the first part of a series of 3 battle grounds. We are in a war. As soon as you become a Christian you become a target of the devil. We are under attack.Wisdom is needed to fight this war.Age and treachery will always defeat youth and zeal. Satan is an ancient foe and his specialty is lying.Purity of heart helps us see the Lord.Satanic and demonic activity has become rampant in recent years.The devil would love for you to believe he doesn't exist.Many Christians have compromised their faith. We must not compromise.Sometimes the people in the most danger are the smartest ones. Arrogance can destroy you. Pride goes before the fall.You have Jesus in you. The power of Christ is in you. You need to know who He is.The pathway to victory. How to keep from falling. Submit to God 

Ferne Millar speaks to an AGLOW chapter on the power of prayer.

Ferne Millar discusses the blood of Jesus and the miraculous powers of it.

Ferne Millar and her husband Campbell Millar describe how God's grace is sufficient and how He has shown that to be true through out their missionary lives.

Ferne Millar speaks about trusting the Lord.

Ferne Millar speaks about depression.

Ferne Millar speaks about the Holy Sprit and fighting His prompting.

The Holy Spirit is a game changer. When the Holy Spirit come into your life, it changes everything. It fills you with a spirit of power and life and love.In the Old testament the Holy Spirit would come on people but it would not come on everyone.The first person mentioned in the Bible that became full of the Spirit was Bezalel. He was an artist and built the first temple. He was a construction worker.Then there was Joshua. Then Gideon. Then Samson. Then Saul. They were all filled with the Spirit and when the Spirit came in, it was a game changer. Everything changed.The early church exploded when the Holy Spirit came. Look what happened to Paul/Saul. In 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 Paul accredited his message and preaching with a “demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.” That is good news. It isn’t resting on you if you have the game changer with you.Your faith should be based on God’s power through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit wants to come on us. He wants to move through us. We can’t be content with just having the Spirit fill us. He wants to move through us to fill others.Jesus wants us to partner with the Holy Spirit. In John 14:12 Jesus says “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing. And they will do even greater works than these because I am going to the Father.”When the Holy Spirit fills us, He changes the game. He changes the situation. He changes our schools, our jobs, our families and the way that we think. God is love. There is nothing more powerful than God’s love.

It is God’s purpose in this world to bring people together. In the beginning, God created the universe with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not point to himself. One of the first mentions of the Holy Spirit was by a king that didn’t even know him. Joseph foretold to Pharaoh that there would be famine. Pharaoh knew Joseph was right because he had dreams and he knew that the Spirit was in Joseph. So even someone that does not know God can recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit. We want to always evidence the Spirit here when someone visits us. Jesus told us that He had to go away so that the Spirit could be in us and with us. We should make use of this each day. The Spirit helps us even to pray. How can we be unified in a world where there is so much trouble? The Holy Spirit will help us with that. When you have trouble with a brother or a sister, what is the trouble. We have original sin. Original sin means you are born with it. There is a worm in every apple. Even if you think a person has no faults, they have original sin. Without the Holy Spirit and the blood of Jesus we cannot have unity. God doesn’t want to make us weird or peculiar. What God wants is to make us holy. Throughout the New Testament we see the work of the Holy Spirit to make us holy. One of the ways is the fruit of the Spirit described in Galatians 5:22. There are also the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:8.

Immersion is taking something a dunking it in water. It needs to go under the water. Completely covered. We practice water baptism but we also believe in spirit baptism. To be baptized in the spirit you must be thirsty for the Holy Spirit. We need the Holy Spirit. We just don’t know it. The Holy Spirit comes in different ways in the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit would come upon certain chosen people. It would come upon a prophet and the prophet would prophesy. Or it would come upon a king and enable the king to rule. But Jesus said He had to go to His Father to send the Holy Spirit to us more directly.Jesus died on the cross to forgive our sins but also to send the Holy Spirit to us. The sacrifices in the temple in the Old Testament were a preview of Jesus’ death and sending the Spirit. We have a new relationship with God. The law is written on our hearts and we are a people of priests. The Old Testament is looking forward to this time. No longer is it just that prophet speaking Gods word. We have the Holy Spirit to help us with the work God has set out for us.We talk about the baptism of the Spirit and we say that the Spirit comes upon us and gives us power to heal, to speak prophesy and knowledge and to speak in a language we don’t know. We recognize two baptisms, with water and with fire and the Holy spirit. The baptism with water is conversion. Symbolically dying with Christ.The baptism of the Holy Spirit which brings power and other gifts.There is also the baptism of Moses which brings people of for deliverance.

Are you thirsty? Then you need to take a drink.When you don’t drink enough water you get dehydrated and all kinds of things can go wrong. Pain, infections, all sorts of things. We are dehydrated as a church. We are not drinking enough or the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is kind of like the fluids you put in the engine of your car. We all know about gasoline, but you also need oil and antifreeze. The Holy Spirit serves many roles and we need them all.If you don’t have enough water in your engine you will see fire and it will be bad. The oil keeps things moving smoothly.We need the Holy Spirit in our lives in order to function properly. The Holy Spirit gives us power to do ministry. Power to cast out demons and pray for someone to be healed or to speak a word of knowledge into someone’s life. We need the water of the Holy Spirit to keep us regulated so we don’t burn out. We need the oil of the Holy Spirit to keep us working smoothly.In John, Jesus talks of the Holy Spirit and says that it will come after He is Glorified. What is He referring to? He was glorified when He was lifted up. Lifted up on the cross in crucifixion, into heaven in resurrection and onto the throne in ascension.Jesus was redefining the ceremony where the priests were pouring out water. He said that He was the water that you need.Jesus went to heaven to send back the Holy Spirit for us. Everyone needs the Holy Spirit.So, are you thirsty?

A discussion of tithing and blessings.

Each of us has a mission and destiny that was begun before we were born. God knew us then and formed his plans for us then. You are a person of destiny. God has a plan for you.

Andy talks about stealing and lying.

Special guest Eunice Njeri shares her testimony!

The first commandment is "“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me." This puts God firmly in His place as the Lord of everything and the deliverer of His people.The second commandment is “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments" This makes it clear that we should not put anything before the Lord.The third commandment is “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name." What is the meaning of this?Most people think it only means using His name as a curse, but it is more than that. It also means using His name without meaning or in a frivolous or insincere way. It also means the common practice of using His name as an exclamation ("Oh My ...') should be avoided since this would be frivolous or insincere.Don't use His name as part of a pagan incantation.What are His names? "I AM" is His answer. Or in Hebrew Yahweh.Respect His name! It is a strong tower in which you can take refuge.

Jessi and Roblans Mejia discuss their ministry in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

We need to beware of worshiping other gods. A god can be anything that you put ahead of God. It can be money or statues or even a car or a house! It makes no sense to worship something that is made by man.God transcends all of that.

Mothers are very important. Their role in protecting their families spiritually, as well as nurturing them cannot be underestimated. They need the full armor of God.

A discussion of Christian life in Pakistan. Presented by the founder of Shining Light International Ministry.

As a church we need to know the ten commandments and to understand them. Our religion is based on them. Our country is based on them. They are the rules that show us how to live our lives. When we stop following them we open ourselves to all sorts of problems and begin to fail as a culture.Sometimes people say the they are part of the Old Testament and therefore don’t matter. We must have both the Old and New Testaments. They strengthen each other.Israel entered into a covenant with God and said that they would submit to His authority.The law that came from the commandments was how Israel was supposed to live. If they followed them, they would be blessed. If not, they would be abandoned by God. God spoke the commandments Himself. No human made them up.He starts off by saying who He is and why He can make these laws.

Over 2000 years ago Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey and the people laid down their coats and palm branches to cover the ground and they shouted “Hosanna.” But what they were shouting is different than what we shout today. What they were saying was a plea to be saved. But when we say it, He has already saved us. For us it is a declaration! It is important to realize which side of the cross you are on.The kingdom of God is advancing! Whatever you are looking for, you will find. Even in the midst of the worst desert God will provide what you need. Philippians 4:8 says “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Our country is going through some struggles. If you are looking for bad things, you will find them. And if you are looking for good things, you will find them. Even in the darkness, the light is shining brighter. I am filled with hope because the Kingdom of God is expanding.In John chapter 7 it tells us that during most of Jesus ministry His brothers rejected Him. He was completely misunderstood by His blood relatives. Since He went through it, He can lead us out of it.Adam and Eve rejected God. He was their father and they broke the family relationship. Ever since then, brokenness has been part of families around the world. Except Jesus came from an unbroken family to reestablish what family is and to reclaim what Adam and Eve had given up. During His ministry he said some pretty radical things about family. Because the more broken something is, the more radical the fix needs to be.Whoever Jesus says He is, has to become our foundation, because He is the embodiment of our Father. In Matthew 12:46-50 Jesus shifts the whole definition of family. When we become Christians, family changes. We used to know the family rules but when Jesus came He changed the rules of what family looks like. Is Jesus giving permission to dishonor parents? NO! He is redefining what family is.When Jesus says “who are my mother and brothers and sisters?”, He is not downgrading his loyalty to them. Rather He is upgrading His loyalty to someone else, God the Father! If He is upgrading His loyalty to the Father, what should we be doing?

What is the role of a bridge? Connection! The bridge is there to help connect two sides easily. Maybe it is a river or a ravine. Sin and disobedience put a barrier between humans and God. Man is lost because of sin. Man is living far from God. But God is full of grace and mercy. So even with this barrier, God continued to love man. No matter who you are, Jesus loves you. We must stay away from sin so that we can attract the glory of God.God has made a way for us to approach Him. It is Jesus. Only through Jesus precious blood can we come close. Christ took our place at the cross. But we rejected Him. But for everyone who believes in His name, He gave them the power to be the children of God.People are living without Christ in their lives. When you don’t have Christ, you are lost!There are two verbs by which you can be saved. To receive and to believe. Have you ever done the two verbs in your life? Many people believe in God but they never receive Him as their Lord and Savior. If you are in that category, you are not a son of God. Christ wants to rule in your life. He wants to live in you.The bridge is there for everybody, but there is a condition. You have to believe and receive. Life is in the Son and whoever has the Son has life but whoever does not have the Son does not have life.The time to give your life to Christ is now. Not tomorrow. Because You don’t know when your life may end. Then it is too late.

Installation of Loth Lanongo as an elder of our church. This is very important in the life of our church. Elders help guide the pastor and the congregation in prayer and counseling. In this episode, Pastor Andy spends some time discussing elders and talking especially about Loth.Joshua was told by the Lord to be bold and be strong. And very courageous. Be careful to obey all of the law that Moses gave you. If you obey the law, you will be successful. Keep the law on your lips. Meditate on it day and night. Speak it.

Achan hid treasure that he stole from Jericho. God had said they were to destroy everything and not loot. When Israel got to Ai, they were defeated. Humiliated. So after prayer and investigation, Achan’s sin was discovered and he and everything he had, including his family, had to be destroyed. In chapter 8, God had a new message for Joshua. Really the same message he had all along. Don’t be afraid. God is with you. Sema usiogope.Fear is a terrible prison. It keeps you in bondage. Whatever challenge you are facing, God is already there for you. Do not be afraid. You must do what the Lord has commanded. God tells you what he wants you to do and you need to follow. Joshua built an altar to commemorate the victory at the second battle of Ai. He built it according to the instructions that Moses laid out in the law. Gather stones and build it. Don’t cut or break the stones. Just use what you have. This is how God works with us. He takes all of our past experiences, the good and the bad, and puts them together into something better than what we would ever see. All of the little pieces fit together just right. God wants you to come to him as you are. Just come. You don’t need to become perfect to come to church. That part will be taken care of by God. Satan wants you to stop coming to church. God just wants you to come. We also need to know the rules. We get those from God’s word. He is very clear. And we need to teach them to each other and to the children. Both the rules and the blessings. The blessings and the curses. We also need to teach them how to pray.

A very short message following the annual business meeting of the church. The importance of tithing is discussed.

The city of Jericho was destroyed and the people were instructed to not take anything for themselves. No looting! Looting was the norm after a battle at that time. But God said “NO!” It was forbidden. Many of the soldiers didn’t like that.Achan saw some things in one of the houses that he wanted to keep. He decided that it would not hurt and no one would know. That day Achan become the enemy of Israel and God and himself. God knew this but held off on punishment. The next city was Ai.At Ai the army of Israel was defeated. It should have been an easy victory but God wanted to get their attention.God wants us to move forward. But only if we are moving with Him. If we are not moving with Him, we must repent!God told Joshua that He would be with him but only if he obeyed. God says that we must not take that which belongs to Him. Achan had disobeyed and stolen that which the Lord said was his. This is like not tithing. Don’t withhold your tithe! Tithing unleashes God’s blessing in your life.In the case of Achan, he and his whole family had to die to pay for this sin. When you sin, you impact everyone. The answer is to turn from your sin and repent. There is hope and salvation through Jesus! Jesus will take the punishment for you if you repent and accept Him.

If someone says something three times it means it is very important. God is not holy three times. He is holy more than three times. Three times is not enough for Him! He is holy so much we can’t even say it. But jewish people say it three times. Even Jesus on the cross said “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” That is how serious it was. When we talk about holiness we talk about seriousness. But let’s talk about a joke. In a joke there is nothing serious. Some people don’t like jokes. So why is Pastor Fils putting these two opposite things together? Sometimes jokes cross the line and bring bad things. So some people don’t like jokes. Paul tells Ephesians to be careful and not cross the line. So what is Pastor Fils doing when the Bible tells us not to do it, putting the two words together?A word from God is holy, but the reaction of a man can make it a joke. An angel comes to Gideon and calls him “mighty warrior.” Gideon says, “What are you talking about?” God’s word is holy but to man sometimes it sounds like a joke. When Lazarus was dead, Jesus told Martha to take him where you put him. That is holy. But Martha said he had been dead for many days and thought Jesus was joking. God is telling us things but how are you taking it? You can keep it holy or make it a joke. It can look like a joke, but if it is coming from God you should think of it as holy. That is when you will see a miracle. In Joshua 6 God gives specific instructions on how to take Jericho. But the instructions sound like a joke. March around the city for six days with seven priests with trumpets. It is hard to take these instructions seriously. But they came from God so they must be serious. Imagine what the defenders of the city thought when they saw the Israelites following the instructions. But the miracle happened just like God had said. Perhaps the most important part was praising God at the end with a shout. Praise Him when you have nothing left. Praise Him when you are tired. We need to obey God no matter what He tells us to do. God has a plan and it will only work when you obey. The first step is to come to Jesus.

| We need to take this land for the Lord. Denver is not going to give up its people for nothing. Moses is dead. God has told Joshua to be bold and strong. He was to take the nation of Israel across the Jordan river. The Jordan was about a mile wide and was in flood stage. God told Joshua to just walk in to the river. The priests were terrified. But the water stopped flowing upstream a mile or more and two million people were able to cross on dry ground. God want us to take the land. It will require us to be bold and strong. We will encounter resistance. But God will be with us and we won’t be alone. This is what God told the people they had to do to take the land. 1. Get circumcised. (WHAT?!?) What does that have to do with winning the battle. 2. Have a Passover. What is God asking of us? 1. Have communion together. 2. Have prayer together. 3. Have praise and worship together. You won’t see the real battle on the news. The real battle is in your neighborhood and even in your mind and in your heart. We are never going to conquer the spiritual forces surrounding us unless we are submitted to Jesus Christ. We are not trying to kill the enemy, we are trying to bring them to Jesus. We need to have circumcised hearts. Let’s look at our lives to see if there are things that need to be cut off so that we can be holy. We should also practice the communion in our homes.

Joshua and all of the people were on one side of the Jordan River. On the other side lay the Promised Land. The river was at flood stage. It was flowing fast and wide. It’s going to take a lot of miracles to get the people across. But God said “Be bold!”You have to be careful not to go out ahead of God. Wait for His timing. Then be bold.When we are going to do something big for God we need to let God go ahead. We need to watch God. Keep your eyes on God. Don’t be discouraged or afraid.You also need to purify your heart. God insists that our hearts are pure when He works with us.Next, you must take action. Do as God directs. Step out in faith. It may be scary but this is where the boldness comes in.Finally, God wants us to remember when He acts. Remember when He performs miracles. Start a Miracle Journal.

How can we see God as a bigger God. Send up bigger prayers. Move from listening and knowing to doing. Putting your faith into action and making it your own.People who strengthen their faith are those who actually put it into practice. You don’t have to be perfect. It is ok to fail when you step out in faith. Your faith, your story grows anyway. God wants your story to be heard. There are a lot of people in this church who have powerful stories.With our faith are we actually practicing or are we just learning. Learning is good but doing is better. When you act on your faith, it opens a door and encourages others to start thinking about acting on their faith. And actually doing it!What are we building our faith on? Sand or rock? We should have limitless faith because God is a limitless God. It should be exciting to be a Christion. We server a powerful God! He is always amazing us and others. How can we put our faith into action today. We should pray that God will strengthen us and encourage and guide us. We need to believe that God is a great big powerful God. We need to see God alive in our lives. We need to pray that fear will not stop us from stepping out and putting our faith into action!

Joshua has recently become the leader of all of the Israelites. About two million people. God had told him to be bold and strong because God is with him. Joshua had been one of the spies that Moses sent to spy out the promised land. So Joshua sent two spies to Jericho to the house of Rahab. Rahab was reputed to be a prostitute but that might not be an accurate translation. Rahab hid the spies on her roof and she covered them with flax. But first she had a conversation with them.Rahab had come to understand what was going to happen. She told the spies that she knew the Lord was going to hand the land over to the Israelites. She wanted to be on the right side. So she betrayed the people of Jericho. Whose side are you going to be on?

Jesus taught that we should not judge so that we will not be judged. We have a tendency to see all of the problems that other people have but are unable to see their own problems. Life is not fair. Only God is fair. We expect more from others that we are able to give. We what people to be perfect and we are ready to punish them when they fail. But these people are not perfect and they don’t even notice that.This is the year of restoration. But restoration requires change. We need to listen to the Word of God so that we can see the changes that we need to make in our own lives. We need to judge ourselves prior to judging others. None of us are perfect so we need to work on ourselves before we work on others. Everyone can fall into temptation and sin. Only Jesus can be perfect.We need to develop a heart of forgiveness and repentance and love. Not judgement! We need to forgive because we are forgiven. We also need to ask for forgiveness if there are things we have done to others. It works both ways. Go and forgive and be forgiven.

We see a river flowing from the throne of God. This isn’t like a river in Colorado It is deep and wide and flows a long way. It flows through the city of God. And there is a tree alongside of it and it is the Tree of Life. We also saw the tree of life in the garden of Eden. This tree brings life. It has 12 crops per year, one per month. The fruit is for the healing of the people and the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The curse is the labor that we have to do and the sickness we get.In Heaven there will be no more night and no need of the sun because the light of the glory of God will light the whole place.The Bible says the end is coming soon. We know it is true because the Bible says so. We don’t know when, only God knows that. But we know it will be soon. The church that is looking for the coming of Jesus is a church that is experiencing revival.John is experiencing this revelation and he is so overwhelmed that he falls down to worship the angel. He is rebuked because we are not to worship created things, only the creator.The angels of God work with the people of God. They are God’s servants, just like us. We are not to worship them but God only. We need to tell others that we are not to worship other people or things. People worship rock stars and all sorts of celebrities ot things. This is very dangerous.Jesus is coming soon! He will come without warning. You need to come to Him now because later will be too late. The time is now! This is true for you and your friends and relatives.Jesus will reward each person according to what they have done. When we all get to judgement day, we will probably be surprised by the rewards that we, and others, receive. Only those whose robes are washed clean will be able to take from the Tree of Life.There is a list of people who are outside. The list goes in reverse order of how bad the sins are. Surprisingly, witchcraft is not the worst. Sexual immorality and pornography are worse. Murder is worse than that. Then idolatry is worse still. Finally on the list is practicing falsehood (Lying).Come to Jesus. Everyone, come to Jesus!

God is with us! When things are going great, God is with you. When you hit a rough patch, God is with you. When you are tempted, remember that God is with you. When you take on a big challenge, God is with you.One of Jesus’ names is Emmanuel which means God with us. In the garden of Eden, God was there with Adam and Eve until sin separated Him from us. The Israelites spent 40 years in the desert and one of the most important lessons was that God was with them. He gave them explicit instructions on how to build a tabernacle so that His presence could be right there among the people. He was with them as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. God was with them.God sent His son to live with us and to be with us. He wants to be with us always and will do amazing things to accomplish that. He sent His Holy Spirit to dwell within us. The Bible is full of examples of God reaching out to us to be with us. When we accept Jesus into our lives, He comes to live in us. You are a temple for God! This is really important. But it isn’t the end.We live as believers that the holy Spirit lives in us and gives us power and goes everywhere we go.At the end of Revelation, God sends the holy city down for us and God finally comes to live with us forever. God wants to be with you!We need to be bold and strong because the Lord is with us. We need to take back our cities and our countries to correct the work of the enemy. We need to be bold and loving to do so.God told Joshua that He wanted the Israelites to take the land. Throughout the beginning of the book of Joshua God told him to be bold and strong and courageous because God was with him. Why did God need to tell him that so many times? Because things had changed. The cloud that went before them went away. Every day you need to step in boldness because the Lord is with you. We need to be bold for the people who are with us. There are people in your life who need your boldness. Your boldness can help them to be bold. It can help them to be confident and strong and courageous. People rely on you to have faith. Even people that you don’t know are relying on you.Your boldness needs to go with obedience to God. This is vital. If you don’t go with obedience to God, you may lose His favor. Sometimes this is difficult. It can go against your desires. But you need to be bold and obey the Lord!You need to meditate on Gods work all the time. This is your path to prosperity. We need to speak the word of God. We need to speak what is true to the people around us. How else will they learn?Do not be afraid. Do not be dismayed or discourages or depressed. God is with you. God can drive out the fear. Boldness doesn’t need to be big and strong. It can be gentle and kind. It can be loving.

In Rev. 21 the devil has been conquered. The false prophet and the beast have been thrown into the lake of fire. Now comes the good part!This is where the victory comes. A new heaven and a new Earth because the first heaven and the first Earth were passed away.God has never given up on us! He hasn’t even given up on the Earth. Not even during the flood. God is taking all that has been corrupted and is making it new. The New Jerusalem comes down from heaven and is prepared like a bride. It is made totally beautiful. The church is getting ready for Jesus Christ. It is made holy for Him. We can’t make ourselves holy. Only Jesus can make us holy.Every day we should come before the Lord and ask for forgiveness and to be made pure.In this chapter of Revelation we see that God’s desire, God’s plan is to come and live with us. This is a little picture of what heaven will be like. More and better than we can ever imagine. There will be no more sorrow or pain. No more sadness or disease. No more death. WOW! Everything is made new.

The Christmas story in Matthew chapter 2. This story is different from the story as told in Luke. They are told from different perspectives and intended for different audiences. By reading both we actually get a better view of the whole story.Matthew 2 to told mostly from the perspective of Joseph. In Luke it is more from the perspective on Mary. The magi were not really “wise men”. They came from what would be modern day Iraq and they were famous for reading the stars. They travelled about 1000 miles to Jerusalem. They went to Jerusalem because they didn’t know exactly where to go but they knew they were looking for the “King of the Jews”. There may have been more than three, we don’t know. That journey would have taken a lot of resources.Herod was a man obsessed with finding and killing his enemies. This even included his family members. We would call him paranoid. He was also short. E was a great architect and builder. He was very disturbed when he heard about the Magi’s search. He wasn’t the only one who was disturbed. All of Jerusalem was disturbed. He called the chief priests and the teachers of the law and asked where the messiah was to be born.Herod sought to know when the baby was born. He told the magi that he wanted to worship the child and asked that they tell him when they find him. The magi knew this was a trick so that Herod could have Jesus killed.In the traditional nativity scene, we have it wrong. The magi were not there for His birth. They probably didn’t show up until He was about two years old. When it was time for them to leave, the magi had a dream about Herod’s treachery. So the left by a different route. About that time Joseph also had a dream and he took he family off to Egypt.Jesus’ birth disrupted a lot in Jerusalem and in the Roman empire. He still disrupts the world today. We need to have a relationship with Him that goes beyond how He can help us. We need to focus also on how we can stand up for Him and spread His love and His message.

Revelation 20 is kind of like the new testament version of Sodom and Gomorrah. This talks about judgement. That is when God is deciding what is going to happen. Some people think they should just live the way they want to and when they get to heaven they will reason with God and convince Him that it is OK. The bible teaches thet God is true and that every man is a liar.Judgement is real. Everyone is going to have to stand before God. No sin will go unpunished. Actually, there are two judgements. Every sin will be punished. Either by Jesus on your behalf or by you. You have the choice over which way it will be.God wants everyone to be saved. That is why He sent His son to take the punishment for us. But we need to repent and believe.We have seen the false prophet and the beast thrown into the lake of fire. Now we see the dragon punished. First, an angel ties him up for a thousand years. Then the people who have been martyred for their faith are resurrected and rule for a thousand years. These are the ones who refused to take the mark of the beast. The rest of the dead do not come back to life yet.There are two resurrections. The first where the righteous are resurrected. This include believers and martyrs. It goes on for a thousand years. The second is where everyone else is raised.This is kind of like the garden of Eden again. In the garden, there was no sin. At the end of the thousand years, the devil (dragon, serpent) is freed and allowed to deceive people again.The final judgement of Satan comes next. He is then thrown into the lake of fire. After Satan is thrown into the lake of fire comes the final judgement. This is for those who have rejected Jesus. They go before a white thrown. There are books that reveal all of the good and bad that each of these people has done. All is revealed. We all think there is more good than bad, but this simply isn’t true. In fact, only one sin is enough to put you in hell. There is also a book of life. In that book are the names of everyone who has confessed that Jesus is their Lord and Savior. If your name is in the book of life, there is no further judgement. However, anyone whose name is not written in the book of life is thrown into the lake of fire.

This is the testimony of Loth Lanongo.I was the first born of 12 children. My father was a pastor and was in the army. When I was 15 years old we were in the city named Bunia. I was sleeping and woke up at 5 am to go to school. But I was so tired that I remained in bed and I saw a light coming through the roof and it filled the room. And there was someone in the light who was full of glory. He had a belt and a crown. And He said my name and said that He had chosen me to take His gospel far. I was only fifteen years old and before the glory of this man I could not even move but only look at Him. He said He would be with me and then He left.My parents thought I was already at school when I came out and my father questioned why I was not at school. I told him I could not go to school because Jesus came to speak to me. He didn’t believe me and said I was talking crazy. But I insisted and told him what Jesus said to me.Since that time I have felt that I am not alone and I have someone at my side. I was schooled in a Roman Catholic school. In my country we have big cars that get loaded up very high and after they are loaded people go up on top and catch rides on them. One day I was coming home from school riding on top of a car like that with about six people. The driver was speeding down a hill and he lost his brakes. We came to a turn and the car rolled and we all fell off. But an angel took me very quickly and lifted me off the car and stood on my back and we watched the car roll over. Some villagers came to rescue us and they were asking me what happened but I could not speak. Then I told them what happened and pointed out the angel who rescued me but they could not see him. My father was frustrated because I was seeing things that no one else could see.I was in a village called Kasenyi which is near Lake Albert. This is the lake that borders Congo and Uganda. My uncle was in charge of all of the troops stationed there. People told me that there is a confluence of two rivers that are different colors and it shows that this is Congo and that is Uganda. So I was very curious and my uncle sent me with five soldiers to go see it. There were soldiers from Uganda and Cong and they were talking. A storm came and we left there but it was raining very hard with a strong wind. It was so bad that our boat broke in two and we were all in the water. Out in the middle I found some shallow water and I thought I was standing on a rock in the middle of the river. I was scared and crying but I started singing. I stood there for three hours and then I heard a sound of an engine coming. Soldiers came and were wondering who this was standing in the middle of the river. As the boat got closer, the rock started moving. It wasn’t a rock. It was a hippo! The hippo saved me. From that day on I thought the name of Jesus was hippo! If you go to Kesenyi they all were talking about this. Hippos are very dangerous. The most dangerous animal in Africa.After that my father was transferred to Kinshasa which is about 2500km from Bunia. So I thought this was what Jesus meant when He said He was sending me far.Eventually, my father passed away. Since I was the oldest, I became the father of these eleven children. So I went looking for a job. I found a security job. They asked us to complete a test. There were several circles various sizes. We were to pick out the largest of the circles. Everyone had trouble with this. I heard a voice behind me telling me to choose the smallest looking circle. I thought for sure that the angel was wrong this time. So I wrote that the smallest one was the biggest one. I was the only one to get it right. The man in charge was from America and asked me to explain my answer. I told him I didn’t know and that I just chose it. He took me to the US Embassy and told me there is only one job open. Did I want it? I took it because I didn’t know any better. The next day 9 people came from the US to

In the beginning of chapter 19 we saw the three hallelujahs showing that God is God and there is no other. They started right before the final battle. At the end of the hallelujahs it was so beautiful that John fell down and worshiped the angel. But the angel stopped him. We are not to worship angels. We are to worship the creator and not the created. Jesus accepted worship because He is God.In our modern world we are enticed to worship all sort of things and people. Rock stars, sports stars, money, cars. Even ourselves. That is the ultimate sin. We are constantly tempted to worship anything but God. Throughout the old and new testaments we are told not to worship idols. We get confused because we don’t have “idols” but the devil is so crafty that he has created all sorts of idols for us to worship that don’t look like idols.In chapter 19 Jesus comes out of heaven to fight the devil. He is riding a white horse. He is referred to as faithful and true. Why would Jesus do that? He already dies for our sins. In the old testament the messiah comes as a lion and as a lamb. One messiah that comes two times. First as a lamb and then as a lion. He comes to bring justice.He doesn’t come alone. He comes with the host of heaven and they are all dressed in white. Pure, clean and white. He is the Word of God. With a sword coming out of His mouth. The sword is His word. A two edged sword that cuts us to separate what is good from what is bad. He is carrying something in His hand. An iron scepter that symbolizes ruling. This one is made of iron instead of gold. Iron is a hard metal. He is not messing around.Why do wars start? Sometimes it is because of greed. Sometimes it is for revenge. This final war has another reason. To bring justice on the earth. Every sin that has been done against you will be paid for in one of two ways. Either by the person who committed it or by Jesus himself.We need to get serious about God. We need to tell others!The final battle comes in verse 21. The devil has three parts. There is the dragon, the beast and the false prophet. The beast and the false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire. This happens so fast. It shows how powerful God is. But it makes you wonder what God is waiting for. He is waiting for His people to come to Him. God is patient and kind and doesn’t want anyone to go to the lake of fire but He won’t force you against your will.

This chapter begins the conclusion of Revelation. We are beginning to see all of the victory that God is bringing. This book is really about worship.The battle between heaven and hell is coming to an end. Even if we don’t have the victory in hand yet, it is time to rejoice and worship before it is finished. When Paul and Silas were in prison they began to sing a song of praise at midnight and then the earth shook, and the cells opened and the prisoners were freed.God is looking for people who will praise Him. You need to praise Him so that He can work in your life.First hallelujah: God has the power. God has the power of salvation. God has the power of glory. The presence of God is the glory of God. All power! No one is beyond salvation.Second hallelujah: The elders bow down. When we understand the power of God, we can’t stand in His presence. Both great and small are supposed to worship God. Families should worship together. Even little children should hear the Word of God.Third hallelujah: The whole multitude of people are worshiping God and giving praise because the bride is ready. Who is the bride? It is the church!

The message for today is “Going back to the gates.” To summarize, this is the story of Mordecai who found a job to be a gate man. While at the gates three things happened. First, some people plotted to kill the king and Mordecai told Esther about the plot. The only reward he got was to write his name in the book of souvenir and that is all. Even the king didn’t bother to come out and thank him. People expect to get some recognition when they do good deeds. Often this does not happen. So what do you do? Many people will change their way of doing things because of this.Second, Mordecai remained at the gates. He got no promotion or anything. Other people got promoted but not Mordecai. But Mordecai was humble and patient. He stayed at the gate and waited.Third, Mordecai was faithful. He kept doing the same duty as before. Most people could not, or would not remain faithful. They would change how they work. For instance, they might show up late or leave early.Then there was a man name Haman. He was Mordecai’s boss. He was very important. Everyone bowed before him except Mordecai. So Haman did not like Mordecai. Haman went to his wife and asked for advice on how to deal with Mordecai. Haman’s wife told him to kill Mordecai.So Haman went to ask the king for permission to kill Mordecai. But the king asked Haman what should be done to the man that the king delights to honor. Well Haman figured that he was the man the king wanted to honor so he gave the king lots of good advice. The king told Haman to do for Mordecai as Haman had said. Mordecai was there so Haman had no choice but to honor him. If Mordecai had not been there, it might have turn out differently.The time may come when your enemies will be forced to bless you. Amen!How many people, after all of the honor, will go back to the gates? Most people will think they are better than that. Many people have destroyed their lives because of the first honor. But if you go back to the gates, the second honor will be greater than you can imagine!We need to go back to the gates! Remember our origins.

Chapter 18 contains a lament over a city that has not yet been destroyed. It is a prophetic action. The city is Babylon, the city of the harlot. We know it as Rome. The city of Rome today is not the same as the Rome we know today.How are we supposed to view this today? Today the enemy of the Lord is everywhere, in every city. Today, we need to prophesy and understand that the end of this world system is coming. We should be encouraged by that. When you are suffering and being chased by terrible enemies it is good to know that there is victory ahead of us.One of the reasons the sin of adultery is so bad is that it is a betrayal of trust. This is important to understand because we live in an age when adultery is accepted and we don’t even know how bad it is.In verse 4 we see a message for the people of God. Come out from her people so that you will not share in her sins and receive any of her plagues. We are tempted every day to buy into the world system. Consumerism, politics, etc. We don’t belong there. We are to stand for the truth. As soon as we do, lots of people will come against us.We are to be in the world, but not of the world.Trouble tends to come upon us suddenly. God’s judgement comes upon us suddenly.God says that in the same way you judge, you will be judged. Be careful how you judge others. This is pretty scary. Watch your words and watch how you think. Repent right away.

In the bible we read about a new heaven and a new earth. That is the picture of how a church or a world should look. What are the characteristics?“The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed the bear, their young will lie down together and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.”What is God saying here? Different kinds of animals, predators and prey, living together in peace. This is not how things are now. People live in conflict. There are rich and poor. Proud people and people in fear. But isn’t this picture something else? Perfect harmony and friendship.That is what God wants inside His church. So we are not done here. Even in Light of the Nations where we have many different types of people worshiping together. We can still do better! The bible says we should live in perfect love and harmony. No Jew, no gentile, no rich, no poor, no black nor white. We will all be one in Christ!In Revelation 21:4 it says there will be death no more. God wants a living church! Not a dead and dry church. Dead churches don’t attract anyone. Live churches do.God wants to have us live in perfect harmony and love. The He wants to fill us with His word and His spirit so that we can be truly alive.

In chapter 17 we see an illustration of some of the judgement from the previous chapter. It is illustrated by a prostitute (named Babylon). Babylon is a picture of the sin of the world. Babylon was a great kingdom that ruled over much of the world and destroyed Jerusalem. They took the holy items from the temple and desecrated them. We need to respect those things that God says are holy. Your life is holy so you must respect it. We learn in this chapter that the leaders of the world are committing adultery with Babylon. Spiritual adultery is anything that take away from the worship of God. When you and I become addicted to something other than the worship of God, we enter into spiritual adultery. This could be materialism or money or anything that take you away from God. Why adultery? We all are the bride of Christ. We are to be the wife of God and these things would be unfaithful to Him. Instead of being the bride of Christ, we go after the spirit of this world. The text shows the leaders of the world being drunk with this prostitute. But the prostitute is not drunk on wine but on the souls of the people of God. We live in a wicked world. After this we see a war between the Lamb of God and the beast. Whose side are you going to be on? We must choose sides. Choose carefully because we already know the ending. Jesus, the Lamb of God will win.

The Light of the Nations’ 10th Anniversary celebration. A discussion of the past 10 years and all of the good things that have happened. Also, a brief message from Pastor Sam Rockwell.