Hi all,
KWOWI – The children in Uganda are being transitioned back into their parents’ care, and the orphans should be placed with families and other organizations over the next 60-90 days. It is a process which requires an official to interview prospective families and such. Thank you for your continued support during this time. In Kenya, things are going well, see the report above. Visit kwowi.org for more information.
CWOWI App – available on the App Store. It has our full site, right on your phone or other device! Available in most countries.
Lithuania conference – The conference is June 5-8 with travel time being the 3-11th, so please keep us in prayer. We are excited to see old friends, and meet new ones. This will be my 4th time to Lithuania, a nation and people I greatly admire. It was their declaration of independence from the USSR that was recognized by Moscow on 6 September, 1991, combined with the other Baltic States declaring independence (Latvia, Estonia), that accelerated the collapse of the USSR.
Perhaps it is that bold independence and entrepreneurial mindset of the Lithuanians that has contributed to the embracing of the Biblical practice of meeting in homes, for the Word of the Lord is strong there. Please pray for Barb who is staying home this trip, and of course Chris. Having Barb there able to visit him will be a huge blessing.
Wealth of the wicked laid up for the just?
There are so very many voices on social media talking about end time events, but I’ve yet to hear of one devoted to what the Bible actually says about the end times as it relates to our faith.
I posted (5/14) a short teaching on YouTube the error of the teaching that in the end times the body of Christ will become wealthy through a wealth transfer from the wicked. I’ve also received and/or seen many messages and postings about the rapture happening this year (it was to have been in May or is coming in September). There are also some that say the new Pope is the anti-Christ or ‘beast’.
Especially popular are dreams people had that speak of the exact timing of everything from the US being (pick one) at war, invaded, attacked, taken over, to when Jesus is returning.
End-time information, and warnings for Christians in the Bible
Under the category of information: Perhaps the biggest sign of being in the last days is what Jesus said in Matthew 24: 14: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world, and then the end will come.” Determining when the whole world has heard the gospel may be a better way to measure how close we are to the end of the end times.
Peter agrees with Jesus, stating the day of Pentecost started the era known as ‘the last days.’ In Acts 2: 16-21 he says: “This is what the prophet Joel was talking about when he said, ‘This is what God says. It will happen in the last days I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh; your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will have visions, your old men dream dreams. On young men and women I will pour out my Spirit and they (too) will prophesy.'”
That is the first part of the last days, here is the second part as he continues: “Then I’ll show wonders in the heaven above and on earth below. The sun will be turned dark and the moon will be red like blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord come (the return of Jesus), and all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”
The sun darkened and the moon to blood is of course what Jesus said will happen when He returns, in Matthew 24: 29-31: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened and the moon will look like blood…and the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and He will gather His elect from one end of heaven to the other, and all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
So from this among other passages, we know Pentecost started the last days, and we know Pentecost continues until the return of the Lord. Again, perhaps measuring the extent of the charismatic (pentecost) gospel in the earth is a better way to measure how close we are to the end of the end of the age.
Jesus also said in Luke 21:24: “(From its destruction which happened in the year 70)…Jerusalem will be controlled by Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles is fulfilled.” Paul agrees and shares additional information in Romans 11: 25: “…blindness in part has happened to Israel (Jews) until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.”
Gentiles controlled Jerusalem until 1967, and since then we do see the blindness has started to lift off the Jewish people as to Who Jesus is; that it is a partial blindness as increasing numbers of Jews come to Jesus. So we know the time of the Gentiles is winding down. Perhaps measuring the increasing numbers of Jews who are coming to know Jesus as Messiah would be a better way to track how close we are to the end of the end.
Those are bits of information about the times and seasons of the end of the end times. But there are warnings:
II Timothy 3: 1-7 in part: “Know this; in the last days dangerous times will come. People will be lovers of selves and lovers of money, proud, boasting in themselves…uncaring about their own family….unforgiving, slandering others, despising those who are good….without self control…traitors…loving pleasure rather than loving God…having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof, going into homes of silly people and leading them astray with various lusts (Internet goes into homes; with sin and filling one’s time with erroneous teachings, etc)”
In I Timothy 4: 1 Paul speaks of Christians ‘departing from the faith’ meaning sound and balanced faith, as they listen to ‘seducting spirits and teachings of demons.’ In context he isn’t talking about Christians falling away from faith in Jesus, rather falling away from ‘balanced’ faith to submit to ‘seducing spirits and teachings of demons’. Paul lists 2 examples of the ‘teachings of demons’ as being demanding everyone become vegetarians, and requiring celibacy.
In the larger sense the demonic teaching that a man or woman must be celibate is a category of demonic teachings involving sexuality. The same of vegetarianism as a category of teachings of demons, that includes thinking animals are equal to people in rights, denying their use on this earth, and other teachings related.
But those are just examples he provides,
If we look around at the world today we can see many more teachings of demons. A way of measuring is what the apostle John wrote: Test the spirits. If a spirit doesn’t acknowledge Jesus as Lord, it is an anti-Christ spirit. (I John 4: 1-3) If a Christian wants to be a vegetarian, or if a Christian remains celibate, that is fine as they are choosing that path unto the Lord. The demonic enters when a person wants everyone to be like them. We see many groups, some violent, treating trees and animals as equal to human, or demanding people accept their alternative sexuality. Perhaps being aware of the spread of doctrines of demons might be a good way of measuring how close we are to the end of the end.
Paul wrote in I Timothy 1:19 of Christians making a shipwreck of their faith by giving up (tossing overboard) faith with a clear conscience. He uses a metaphor of the practice of throwing cargo overboard when a ship is in a storm, and running their ship of faith aground against a hidden reef. Paul suffered just such a shipwreck in Acts 27 (v18). Perhaps noting Christians caught in storms/crisis of faith throwing overboard their clear and balanced faith and a clear conscience (effort to live godly lives), would be a good way to measure who close we are to the end of the end.
What we don’t find in scripture
What we don’t find in scripture are letters devoted to studying the stars and Jewish calendar to determine when the rapture would be. What we don’t see in scripture is speculation based on someone’s dream about Jesus returning this or that month or day. What we don’t see in scripture is talk of Caesar or some other government or church official being the anti-Christ or false prophet. What we don’t see in scripture is people trying to figure out that which they cannot know this side of heaven.
Each one of us is 1 heart beat away from heaven. Perhaps we should be more concerned about Jesus coming in our day, to us, and living like He could at any moment. No where do we see Jesus or Paul, Peter, John and the rest, writing that we need to spend our precious little time on distractions and speculations about that which is unknowable.
These are the instructions written for us: Don’t listen to questions that only stir up strife and speculation. II Corinthians 12:20, I Timothy 1: 4, 6:4, II Timothy 2: 23, Titus 3: 9, among others.
My heart for the body of Christ is that we will focus on the things He wants us to focus on. That boring, mundane, walking with Him, growing in Christian character, guarding our thoughts and emotions, being always thankful and praying – that is where we are to focus, not the teaching that tickles the ears and leads us into distraction, causing us to leave our first love. Just doing what He says: Love justice and mercy, and walk humbly with our God. We can’t improve on that!
Thank you for your support and prayers!
Blessings!
John & Barb, Brian & Amy.
