Since the last email to
our newsletter list I have received about 430 emails concerning the
topic of Barak Obama, Rick Warren and Islam. I am going to pick just a
few and reprint them in the next email we send. Reading those selections
then will give you an idea of the vastly differing opinions of our
readers.
Here, I want to bring
to light a few little known facts and a couple of pertinent Scriptures
that all relate to America, our new President and the spread of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Church is called,
actually commanded to pray for our political leaders. It matters
not whether we personally voted for someone or not. Whether we like
particular politicians and their policies
or disdain what they stand for, the Scriptures implore us to intercede
for the leaders in our society. Here are the Apostle's words in I Timothy
2:1-4.
I exhort therefore,
that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of
thanks, be made for all men; 2 For kings, and for all that are in
authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness
and honesty. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our
Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the
knowledge of the truth.
We are commanded to
pray for our leaders that through their work peace, honesty and civility
will abound in our nation and godliness will have free reign. We need to
pray for our leaders in such a way that God be glorified and that those
who need to be saved
would come to faith in Jesus Christ. Daily we need to ask that those who
already know Jesus would be strengthened and led by His Spirit. We need to pray "evangelistically"
for many and not
just for our favorite politicians but also for those who appear to be
farthest from God. As we do, we need to ask God to position,
use and yes, even manipulate them, their positions and their power for His glory. Surely
Almighty God can use even the most ungodly public officials to bring
about His desired results.
In II Thessalonians
3:1-3 the Apostle Paul enumerates again on why it is important that we
pray earnestly for the politicians in our countries today.
Finally,
brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course,
and be glorified, even as it is with you: 2 And that we may be delivered
from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. 3 But the
Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.
You see, we are
to pray that the Gospel will spread and be proclaimed freely! For this to be
done in quiet and peace (as Paul's words to Timothy express) we need
to pray for the salvation of our leaders. This is why that though we
stand against so many of the plans that Barak Obama proclaims he wants to
accomplish, we must pray for his soul. No matter where we
might be in the-end-of-the-end-days, our mission is clearly to pray,
witness and remember that as we battle against evil God always
rewards our efforts by filling the pages of the Lambs Book of Life!
Fruit Inspection
I have received several
emails taking me to task and assuring me that the new President is
indeed a Christian. They said, after all, Obama attends church and he
said he was a Christian didn't he? My response has been that anyone can
claim to be a Christian but it is through an
inspection of
their fruits that we'll know if they are genuine
believers or not. While I cannot judge anyone's heart, the
Bible does instruct us to judge by a man's actions and attitudes. I hope
it is clear that I
want any and every person in need of the Saviour to fall on
the mercy of God through the blood of Jesus Christ. So by simply reviewing
the legislation that he has previously supported and by just the
statements he has made (such as the one quoted below) I strongly suggest
that Mr. Obama reevaluate just where his spiritual life is headed.
For those who are skeptical
of my words, let
me site the book, The God Factor: Inside the Spiritual Lives of
Public People, by Chicago
Sun-Times religion editor Cathleen Falsani who interviewed (then) Senator
Obama in 2004. He stated, "I'm rooted in the Christian tradition.
I believe
there are many paths to the same place, and that is a belief that there
is a higher power, a belief that we are connected as a people." Falsani
reports that Obama thinks that "all people of faith - Christians, Jews,
Muslims, animists, everyone - know the same God." Obama continues, "The
difficult thing about any religion, including Christianity, is that at
some level there is a call to evangelize and proselytize. There's the
belief, certainly in some quarters, that if people haven't embraced
Jesus Christ as their personal savior, they're going to hell." Falsani
adds, "Obama doesn't believe he, or anyone else, will go to hell. But
he's not sure he'll be going to heaven, either."This surely appears to be nothing more that the politically correct
doublespeak of a Universalist who claims to be a
Christian.
Until I hear authentic Christianity coming
from his lips followed by actions to match his words, I will continue
to pray for our new President to have a genuine conversion by faith, for God to speak clearly to
him, to convict him of sin and
yes, to even lead him by the nose to accomplish Heaven's purposes if need be.
A couple of emailers
even accused me of endorsing slavery for stating stuff like that. I
wrote recently that we need to pray for God to "put a hook in Obama's
nose to make him accomplish the will of the Lord." It is silly to
believe that I was endorsing slavery or racism. Instead, I was quoting
Isaiah's prophecy of how God would deal with
Sennacherib for acting in
disobedience to the will of the Lord. (II Kings 19:28 states:
Because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come up into mine ears,
therefore I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and
I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.)
As is obvious, I am not
a fan of the past policies and confused spirituality of Barak Obama. I would hold to this position
if only on the issue of abortion - but there is of course much more. (In
the article
"Rick Warren Should Have Rejected Obama's Offer" I
gave ample facts as to how utterly chilling Obama's view of abortion has
been. It is in fact, one of the few things we actual know from his short
political track record.) Now however, it seems that every day a new
policy, executive order or choice of cabinet members and advisors gives us more pause to be concerned
about the incoming administration. Its frankly too much to keep up with
but here are just three items that the major media isn't widely reporting about President Obama.
These may even give the skeptics more reason to pray
than they once thought.
Obama
Stimulus Bill targets Christians
According to an
interview by
OneNewsNow.com, our old friend Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the American
Center for Law & Justice, says there is a provision in the Obama
Stimulus Bill that allows for funds to be given by the federal
government in the form of grants for renovation of existing colleges and
universities - as long as the schools do not allow religious
activities to take place on their grounds.
Sekulow says there are two points that prohibit a university from
funding in the bill. "One, if the university itself is a religiously
based or faith-based institution, it does not qualify. And if the
facility that is being renovated allows religious worship to take place,
it also does not qualify."
Specifically, the provision reads that stimulus funds may not be used
for "modernization, renovation, or repair of facilities -- (1) used for
sectarian instruction, religious worship, or a school or department of
divinity; or (2) in which a substantial portion of the functions of the
facilities are subsumed in a religious mission."
Under that provision,
according to Sekulow, many schools would bar on-campus worship or even
Bible study because it will put federal funding in jeopardy. That, he
says, should raise a warning flag in a federal courthouse. (Read
entire article here.)
Obama Carries "Monkey God" Idol among
other "Charms"
The Chicago Tribune
reported in late June, 2008 that Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) carries
a series of good luck charms with him. One of those charms is a Hindu
brass monkey king. The charm is an image of Hanuman, Hinduism's monkey
god.
Brij Mohan Bhama, a politician associated with the ruling party in
India, is a follower of Hanuman and presented the Senator with a
2-foot-high gold-plated Hanuman idol, which had been blessed by a dozen
Hindu priests in a special prayer service. According to Bhama,
"Obama has deep faith in Lord Hanuman and that is why we are presenting
an idol of Hanuman to him." Bhama also told The Hindu news: "We
will ensure that Mr. Obama receives the idol by August 24, a day before
the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado." In addition to
the idol, Obama will also receive a Hindu hymn book called the Hanuman Chalisa.
Hanuman is a Hindu god worshipped as a symbol of physical strength,
perseverance and devotion. Hanuman's exploits are recounted in a Hindu
epic called Ramayana.
Obama also carries an American Eagle pin given to him by a Native
American woman and a poker chip given to him by one of his supporters, a
Madonna and child, and a bracelet belonging to a soldier deployed to
Iraq. (Read
entire article here and
more here.)
Obama "Disses" Marine Corp Band -
Arabic language song will be played at public events instead of the
traditional "Hail to the Chief"
AOL News reported:
On Day One of his
presidency, everywhere Mr. Obama went they played "Hail to the Chief"
for him - but not since. In fact the U.S. Marine Band's duties at the
White House over the last 10 days appear to have been dramatically
downsized.
Instead of the usual
contingent of trumpets, tubas and drums, a single piano player now
provides musical interludes before and after the president's appearance.
And the tunes have
little connection to the military marching music of John Phillips Souza
that is the usual accompaniment to presidential appearances. These days
the pianist's repertoire includes Cole Porter's "Night and Day" and
Sting's "Desert Rose."
"He's not a 'Pomp and
Circumstance' kind of guy," says press secretary Robert Gibbs of the new
president. (Read
entire story here.)
(Click
here to hear Obama's replacement for "Hail to
the Chief." It is by Sting and features Algerian-born rai singer, Cheb Mami,
performing in Arabic. Can Barak's choice in music be
traced back to that schooling he received in
the
madrassa? I suppose the US Marine Band can take the slogan
"The Presidents Own" off
their website too.)
About Sting's
collaborator on "Desert Rose" Cheb Mami... Though once
arrested by French officials, as far as I can ascertain Cheb Mani is under an
international arrest warrant after being indicted in October 2006 for
"voluntary violence, sequestration and threats" against an
ex-girlfriend, and failing to answer a court summons on May 14, 2007. He
is accused of having tried to force his former girlfriend, a magazine
photographer, to have an abortion. During a trip to Algeria in the
summer of 2005, the alleged victim is said to have been locked in a
house belonging to one of Mami's friends, where an abortive procedure
was attempted on her.
The Two
Most Important Reasons to Pray for Obama
(1) The future of our
nation is at stake. I encourage Americans to pray for our leaders like
we have never prayed before. I am also asking Christians around the
world to pray for America. Should the Lord delay His coming, I for one want my
grandchildren and their grandchildren to live in peace and freedom with
the ability to openly worship and to share the Gospel with the lost
without fear.
(2) Unless the Church
prays we can only expect the worst. So we must pray. Souls are at
stake starting with President Obama's. You better believe that Satan is
concentrating a lot of energy on deceiving and manipulating the powerful in Washington to accomplish his goals. Let's not quit but keep
believing by faith. If God can save us then He is surely able to save
Barak and if God can birth this nation he can surely revive it.
When the righteous are in authority,
the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn. - Proverbs 29:2
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and
pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I
hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. - II Chronicles 7:14
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Universalism has become the "politically correct" religion of choice of many
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Above all, this message clearly illustrates the biblical truths of salvation
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