What Makes the World Go Round...

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God…
2 Cor 6:14-16

Last week we talked about “commercial Babylon” in the tribulation period, the system that will be the ‘mother-of-all-globally-encompassing-economic-systems’, that the Anti-Christ will utilize to enslave the world through commerce and wealth. While that might seem far-fetched, we can see the underpinnings of this system at work today. Stop and give some thought as to the messages that come to us from a thousand different sources; TV, radio, magazines, internet, newspapers… all of them telling you “you can have it all, the “American Dream”, if you only buy their product or use their service.

Truly, “money is what makes the world go round”, so to speak. That would be “this world”. Yet we are still faced with a dilemma. Certain things are needed to live in our culture, such as food, clothing, living space, transportation. Tthe dilemma that many Christians face is “where do I draw the line?” How much is “OK?” When does “it” become “too much?”

Perhaps a good indicator is this: What occupies the throne of my life? What do I dwell on? What do I yearn for? You see, if we are always thinking about the next thing (house, car, promotion, just fill in the blank), that is a good indicator that I am caught up in the trap of the world system. It indicates that I believe that some fulfillment will come from that next objective being met, or item being acquired.

The fact is – we will always act on our core beliefs. If I believe that the things of the world will fulfill me, I will act towards that end. If I believe that there is an eternity waiting for me on the other side of this physical existence, and that the things I do in the Lords Kingdom will be rewarded in that kingdom, then guess what – I will act on that belief!

It seems to me that is exactly what the book of Revelation is communicating to us. This world will pass away. Another kingdom is coming, the Kingdom of God. It’s one thing to build a life here. It takes a good, solid, dose of this thing we call faith to look past all of this and see into the eternal Kingdom of God that is coming!

Pastor Clay

Give Thanks!

Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness. Ps 107:8-9

Thanksgiving is here, a day when we eat, fellowship, sleep, and maybe watch football! But is there more to the holiday than just eating turkey?

The first Thanksgiving is taught as a "harvest festival" at Plymouth, in 1621. In this time of "religious eradication", there is a sense of trying to distance the event from any religious significance. But actually, the first thanksgiving occurred two years earlier...

Two years before the Pilgrims on December 4, 1619, a group of 38 English settlers arrived at Berkeley Plantation in what is now Charles City, Virginia. The group's charter required that the day of arrival be observed yearly as a day of thanksgiving to God.

Captain John Woodleaf held the service of thanksgiving. Here is the section of the Charter of Berkeley Plantation which specifies the thanksgiving service:

"We ordaine that the day of our ships arrival at the place assigned for plantacon in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetually kept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty god."

Now, I feel we should be careful that we don't become possessive and 'stake our claim' on the day, as the bible teaches us "One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind."

And yet we as Christians can make the day a day that we observe "to the Lord" (He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord Rom 14:5-6 NKJV).

We can take this day that the Lord has given us, a day when we take off from work, invite family and friends over, and fellowship over food, and truly "give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness"

Let the Lord satisfy your longing soul, and fill your soul with goodness!

May the Lord bless you all, and "Happy Thanksgiving... in the Lord!"

Pastor Clay

"The Golden Compass is skillfully designed to get kids lost."

The following note came across my email, it originated from Pastor Bob Botsford of Horizon Christian Fellowship:

In our four services this past weekend I referenced the release of an upcoming movie starring Nichole Kidman coming out this December called, "The Golden Compass."

The movie is designed to introduce children to an "anti-Narnia" trilogy of books written by Phillip Pullman in which God is killed. Pullman is a secular humanist and proclaimed atheist whose works recently were accurately described by ABC news as, "atheism for kids." Clearly, Pullman's motivation is to attack the symbolism of Christ that is beautifully portrayed in the Chronicles of Narnia series written by C.S. Lewis.

Pullman has publicly stated that he wants to "kill God in the minds of children". And it has been said of Pullman that he is "the writer the atheists would be praying for, if atheists prayed."

To some "The Golden Compass" movie itself will seem mild and innocent, and they will draw the conclusion that I and the Christian community have once again over-reacted. However, the books upon which the movie is based portray a much darker story than meets the eye. The plot thickens over time resulting in a "frog in the kettle" reading experience that is meant to draw your young readers in unsuspectingly. There are characters in the book series that blatantly describe Christianity as "a very powerful and convincing mistake." In fact, in the final book, characters representing Adam and Eve eventually kill God, who at times is called YAHWEH. Each book in the trilogy progressively becomes more wicked, graphic and bold.

I have received many phone calls of concern, articles and emails, and I believe based on the information I have received that this could possibly be the most dangerous film, to date, ever made for children. At its core, The Golden Compass is about killing God and is skillfully designed to get kids spiritually off course and ultimately leave them lost! I believe we have a "golden" opportunity to stand up in opposition to this assault aimed directly at the heart of our faith and the heart of our families.

Humbly, with the heart of a shepherd, my aim simply is to warn the flock of pending danger and advise that we steer clear of grazing in this patch of poisoned grass.

May God bless you as you raise your families and build your homes upon the Truth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the Glory Forever,

In the Power of His Love,

Pastor Bob Botsford
Horizon Christian Fellowship
Rancho Santa Fe, CA