People From the Other Side
I wrote the information in today's post in 2001. I was mocked and ridiculed over it by many pastors, especially some in the city where I pastored. Very few American Christians took the words seriously. I’m not always right, but I was that time.
IN 2001
“The phrase ‘history maker’ is typically used of a person who does something extraordinary, setting them apart from others. Actually, we're all history-makers in one way or another. Time marches on, and history is always being written. Two important questions we must all answer are: What history are we ‘making’? And, are we making it by default - watching from the sidelines - or are we actively involved in the history-making process?
“America is at a crossroads. Decisions we make now will write our history and determine our future for years to come. There are pivotal points in a nation - kairos points in time - when decisions are extremely critical and strategic.(1) The choices made at these times are more far-reaching in scope than is otherwise the case. Please hear me, Church of America: we are at one of those pivotal points. We are an Esther generation, born to alter the course of history at such a time as this. We are like Israel at the Jordan, writing today what our kids and grandkids will read about us tomorrow. Will we cross over and face the giants in the land, or will we perish in the wilderness as a has-been nation that lost its bearings? Will we receive a holy visitation from Christ, or will we miss our visitation, as Jerusalem did, causing Jesus to weep and pronounce judgment (see Luke 19:41-44)?
“Many decisions we make in life are relatively inconsequential. It is important to remember, however, that some choices really are ‘do or die,’ ‘sink or swim.’ Unfortunately, just how important they are isn’t always obvious. For many people, the current crisis is not discernible. Because of America’s prosperity and the fact that we are at peace, they do not realize the critical nature of where we truly are. It is much easier to recognize and face the challenge when the crisis is obvious, and the decision is forced upon us. Hitler gave Europe no choice - fight or be conquered. At Pearl Harbor, the Japanese gave the United States no choice - fight or be conquered. Goliath gave Israel no choice - fight or become slaves. America's current peril is not as obvious as these examples, but just as real.
BLIND TO THE CRISIS
“Refusing to believe that we are at a crisis point, many Christians believe we have plenty of time to change, but this is not true. America will either choose now to move into a new walk with God, or our nation will enter another 20 to 30-year cycle of downward moral spiraling, resulting in a further loss of inner strength and character. Having just come through such a cycle of erosion, we cannot endure another. We must recognize our true need, respond with holy desperation, and seize our God-given opportunity to cross over into the new.
“Jesus said to Jerusalem, ‘You did not recognize the time of your visitation” (Luke 19:44). Unfortunately, the word ‘visitation’ does not clearly communicate what Christ was saying. He was not simply talking about coming for a ‘visit.’ The Greek word is episkope,(2) from which we get the words bishop, overseer, and
superintendent. Jesus was saying to Jerusalem, ‘I came to cover you, to be your shepherd and bishop. I wanted to care for you as a mother hen would her chicks, wrapping you under my wings, covering and protecting you. But you did not recognize that’ (see Luke 13:34).
“We in America are currently receiving a similar offer. God is giving us an opportunity to return to Him and His loving care. He wants to show us once more that righteousness - not money, power, or pleasure - exalts a nation. Jesus is knocking at our door, saying, ‘Will you receive Me back into this nation as your shepherd and bishop, allowing Me to cover, protect and lead you? Will you once more become a nation under God?’ I pray that we choose His covering, for if we do not, we are choosing further spiritual death and destruction.
“The way that brings life isn't always the easiest decision at the time. The way of complacency may seem easy, even the most natural, but it can also be the most deadly. The path of least resistance can be fatal.
“‘For years, the opening of “The Wide World of Sports” television program illustrated “the agony of defeat” with a painful ending to an attempted ski jump. The skier appeared in good form as he headed down the jump, but then, for no apparent reason, he tumbled head over heels off the side of the jump, bouncing off the supporting structure.
“‘What viewers didn't know was that he chose to fall rather than finish the jump. Why? As he explained later, the jump surface had become too fast, and midway down the ramp, he realized if he completed the jump, he would land on level ground, beyond the safe sloping landing area, which could have been fatal.
“‘As it was, the skier suffered no more than a headache from the tumble.’(3)
“At this time in America, we need to leave the seemingly safe ski slope of ‘no confrontation’ and ‘let’s all just get along.’ Sometimes the boat just has to be rocked, and history makers are boat rockers. They are not ‘que sera sera’ people, but those who choose to make a difference, even when that means taking the more difficult way. Sometimes the difficult and costly way simply must be chosen.
“Change is imperative for us in America, and its price will involve prayer, fasting, sacrifice, repentance, moral change, going against the tide of public opinion, and more. Will godly history makers arise, choosing to be those who rock the boat? As a nation, will we die in the wilderness like Moses' generation, or will we cross over into God's blessing as the Joshua generation did?
THE "HEBREW" IN US
“Genesis 14:13 uses the phrase ‘Abram the Hebrew.’ Recently I found myself wondering why was he called a Hebrew? Where did this designation, first mentioned in this verse, come from? Finally, my curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to find out why Abraham was called ‘the Hebrew.’
“The word for ‘Hebrew’ is ibriy, (4) which originates from the word abar, meaning ‘to cross over or into; to pass by or into.’(5) Basically, it means to move from one place to another. Sometimes abar is a very generic word simply for going from one place to another; it is, in fact, used this way hundreds of times in the Old Testament. Other times, passing into or crossing over is a very significant, meaningful, and life-changing experience, as it was with Abraham.
“Abraham was a Hebrew because he chose to ‘cross out of the familiar, over the obstacles, and into a new place’ at God’s command. ‘By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going’ (Hebrews 11:8, italic mine). One definition of a ‘Hebrew’ given by Strong's Concordance, is actually "one from the other side."(6) There’s a name for ya! Hebrews 11:13 calls them pilgrims and strangers on earth, seeking a heavenly country. Ephesians 2:19 calls them fellow citizens with the saints, members of the household of God.
“As I stated earlier, America, including the church, is at a crossroads. Will we be Abrahamic Hebrews at heart, crossing over into repentance and life, or fall further into complacent sterility and destruction.” (End of 2001 article)
America’s collapse since I wrote this in 2001 has been dramatic. It was said of Israel, “She did not consider her destiny; therefore, her collapse was awesome” (Lamentations 1:9 NKJV). We, too, have forgotten our destiny and are languishing in our pigpen of godlessness, insanity, and filth. But God - just as He did for Israel - is offering us restoration. We must continue to command the “destiny” and respond with humble, yet faith-filled hearts. A shaking is coming, but the prayers of the faithful will save this nation.
Pray with me:
Father, man, in his arrogance, so often believes he can break Your laws and make his own. The result is always the same: spiritual death and physical destruction. America did this, becoming a prodigal nation and finding her pigpen. It is stained with the blood of our children, littered with the dry bones of the spiritually dead, and filled with the slop of violence, hatred, division, and injustice.
And yet, we hear the sound of rain. A cloud the size of a man’s hand has formed, and the wind is blowing in the treetops. A remnant is rising. They have crossed over, becoming Hebrews at heart, refusing to accept defeat and give away the destiny of their nation and their children. You hear their cry, and You are answering. Both shaking and awakening are coming. The God of fire is answering the appeal.
We believe Your mercy will triumph over judgment. You will run to meet the returning prodigal, giving him a new robe and ring, and feeding his famished body with a banquet of love. You will do this, because of who You are - a God of mercy who loves to save. We speak all of this in Jesus’ name, amen.
Our decree:
We declare that we are Hebrews, people from the other side.
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