Matthew 6:33; 1 John 2:6; 2 Chronicles 16:9 FOUR URGENT PRIORITY RECOMMENDATIONS TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN OUR CHURCHES IN PREPARATION FOR ETERNITY AND GOING THROUGH THE SOON- COMING ENDTIMES John M. Stephenson January 27, 2012 Biblical Worldview Ministries SUBJECT Four Urgent Priority Recommendations Are presented That Implement (in My View) Vitally Needed Ministries (Augmenting Our Current Ministries) That Allow (Help) Us To Become More Mature in Christ-likeness Needed For Eternity, and Cause Us To Be Prepared For Going Through the Soon Coming Endtimes. (Everything shared is in and/or from applications in the Bible.) These recommendations come from my love of God and the Church, and especially from God s leading. We need to work for excellence before Him. Doing the recommendations will help us become a greater example Church and bring more glory to and worship of God from His perspective (my view). DISCUSSION I request that you investigate and urgently implement what I am recommending because signs now signal louder and louder that the US is heading into an inflationary financial collapse, bringing socialism and government control that leads to a most serious Calamity that will bring in the endtimes Tribulation that the (your) Church will go through. The endtimes will come sometime as prophesied, and they appear now to be on our doorstep. The existing signs are similar to those that were in OT Israel before world government invaded and placed her into divine discipline. Thus, we can expect the endtimes Tribulation at any time in the next few months to a few years with only God knowing the timing. We want to be prepared early than one second too late, for then our people will be caught blind sided and then fall away under the coming severe persecution. W hen the endtimes come most likely our training time will be taken away. Another recommendation I could add is to place our church people into small home churches of people who live near each other so the ministry and worship can continue after the world government closes our church doors. We are here to gain a maximum maturity in Christ-likeness (not just work for some Christian growth) that God has commanded so we can relate to Him toward His maximum now, but especially in eternity. Apart from this relationship, there is nothing. W e seem to be more working for numbers with first order teaching for some Christian growth. So are we adequately taking care of our own? In the Church, we have the gung ho, the very faithful, the learners, the watchers, and new people with some unbelievers. In my view, we should be working 85% of our time with the gung ho and very faithful, bringing them to maximum maturity in Christ-likeness and provide extra Page 1 of 6
training for the others (who will take the training) to bring them up to speed. Have we not now, even though doing many-many good things, lost our sense of excellence before our perfect and wonderful God? Because of His Greatness, we should do only what is in His Bible, not taking anything from the world. But have we not done some of the latter? I fully realize we can have different interpretations and amounts of knowledge of the Bible. W e often specialize in different topics. But what follows is mine in the form of urgent recommendations, based on an integrated understanding of the Bible. We, as churches, are doing many-many good things. We all attest to that. That is why we attend. However, the Four Recommendations that follow, we should add to our ministries. Please read and study them carefully and give them much prayer. Please send me comments. Understand that because we are not training with a version of God s Whole Counsel, our young people and our young married now know but little of the Bible. This is Satanic strategy for the endtimes. When they come, our people will not know what is happening and why. They do not know they should pursue becoming maximally mature in Christ-likeness for the sake of eternity. RECOMMENDATION #1 (Do at least this recommendation if you do no others, for our people to have a maximum relationship with God. Then our people then will have the leading to do the others.) RECOMMENDATION: MAXIMALLY MATURE OUR PEOPLE IN CHRIST-LIKENESS: Train with the infinite Greatness of God, using His attributes. Put together a version of God s W hole Counsel and maximally mature our people in Christ-likeness, not just work for Christian growth. In doing so, train with what to do, how to do it, give examples for how to do it, give testimony for how you (we) did it, and place our people into several places of on-the-job training where they can apply the principles, such as in families, work, ministries, and in the churches. They become mature when they experientially live out the principles, not just know them. BENEFITS FROM IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATION: People will be able to relate to and fellowship with our infinite and most perfect God in eternity in a maximum way. They will be involved in much ministry now before eternity comes. Apart from fellowshipping with God, there is nothing. We will have the best life possible when we relate to God in a maximum way. COST OF DOING THE RECOMMENDATION: W e will have to urgently go all out to do maximum training in various ways such as in sermons, Sunday School, seminars, and special training. Pastors may need to use expository in-depth verse by verse preaching. Our leaders must learn the needed doctrines that bring our people and them into a maximum maturity in Christ-likeness. We will need to search the entire Bible for everything that God wants us to become (outcome) and for all the steps and principles we need to live out experientially to get there (procedure) and record our results in a computer where we can update our findings when we learn more. Then we will do nothing else. (We can have our congregation read them so Page 2 of 6
they will know God s plan for them.) I have a first cut paper on my web site (with inputs from others) www.biblicalwoldviewministries.com that describe the results of such a search. It is found under Training: Keys to Becoming Maximally Mature in Christ-likeness In Godly Relationship Living. PENALTIES FOR NOT DOING THE RECOMMENDATION: Our people will not be able to interface with and know our most perfect God in eternity toward His maximum to the degree that God has planned. This is a most terrible result. We are talking about eternity - forever and ever. Apart from relating to God, particularly toward Hid maximum, there is nothing. Because we will not have sin natures and the world, flesh, and the Devil will not be in heaven, it is most likely our maturity in Christ-likeness will not increase in heaven. W hat we have at death, we most likely will have forever. We are here now to gain this maturity. We are commanded to pursue it. So not pursuing to mature our people can be sin and disobedience to God. RECOMMENDATION #2 RECOMMENDATION: URGENTLY TRAIN OUR PEOPLE HOW THE ENDTIMES WILL SOON UNFOLD AND WHAT THEY WILL EXPERIENCE WHEN THEY COME - HELP THEM PREPARE BOTH SPIRITUALLY AND PHYSICALLY (NEEDS OF LIFE): Train our people with endtimes Bible Prophecy for how the endtimes will very soon unfold bringing a post Trib Rapture. W arn (alert) them that they are very soon going into the endtimes Tribulation beginning with a devastating Calamity that will come without warning, like a sudden earthquake, apart from the current signs. Thus, train them to walk by very strong faith and put in provisions for at least 3-6 months and to stand strong without falling away. (Many churches may not have taught Bible Prophecy from the pulpit in any depth-breadth for many years. Our people, in this case, generally do not know Bible prophecy. Read my web site documents to learn the depths of Bible prophecy. (I realize many of us have different views on prophecy, or no view. The main thing is that we do the best for our people. We must care for our own.) BENEFITS FROM IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATION: Our people will know what is happening and why when the endtimes come, and they will be prepared with food etc. to get through the Calamity. Walking by strong faith and knowing prophecy, they will not be caught blind sided (uninformed) or fall away under the sudden soon coming Calamity and the most terrible persecution and martyrdom in the Tribulation. Not falling away, we can gain more maturity. COST OF IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATION: Our leaders may (will) have to learn Bible prophecy and have sessions where they educate their people. The endtimes will come sometime and by the signs, they appear to coming in the very near term. We must educate with the post-trib Rapture view. (See my web site documentation.) PENALTIES FOR NOT IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATION: Our people will be caught blind sided and unprepared when the Calamity comes. Many will die. They, being immature in Christ, will fall away from the faith when the Tribulation comes with persecution and martyrdom. This will give Satan more power to bring more devastation in the endtimes. Page 3 of 6
RECOMMENDATION #3 RECOMMENDATION: URGENTLY EVANGELIZE AND DISCIPLE THE CHILDREN OUT IN THE COMMUNITY: Go all out to urgently evangelize and disciple the children out in the community, bringing them to maturity in Christ-likeness. W ork with at least CEF who can provide the training and establish the schools. With the endtimes soon coming for a limited time and our people staying alive for a limited time, our children with have their life spans truncated and many then may not be saved. Many who serve God as adults were saved as children. Statistics show that about 85% of those coming to Christ were saved in the age range of 4-14. BENEFITS FROM IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATION: Many children will be saved and gain maturity in Christ-likeness to have a closer walk with God in eternity. If we have more time before the endtimes come, more adult ministries will be implemented. COST OF IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATION: We will have to go all out to train our people and establish the ministry, working with Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) (and others) to evangelize and work with the children. (W e can work with other like-minded churches which have a doctrinal statement similar to ours.) CEF will provide needed training and help us establish many after school clubs in the school year and many 5-day clubs in the summer. PENALTIES FOR NOT IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATION: Many-many children may not become saved or have a great relationship to God needed for eternity. RECOMMENDATION #4 1 (I fully realize many may not want to do this because they believe using loud rock music with a drum band is okay and draws the youth and the young married. But is it of God? But if we are to bring our people to maximum maturity in Christ-likeness for eternity and to greatly increase our ministry, this recommendation #4 or one like it should (must) be accomplished.) RECOMMENDATION: LEAD OUR PEOPLE TO NO LONGER SIT UNDER THE DEVIL S LOUD ROCK MUSIC: Church leaders and pastors must do research to determine the evils of using loud rock type beat music in our church services and Sunday schools. Educate our people in small groups on the side, outside of the church services, of the evils of loud rock music and lead them to come into the hymn services. This loud rock-beat music is profane, and it is not found in the Bible. In the rock music services, we, in my view, are actually worshiping Satan more than God, when the music is played. Research shows this type loud and rock music was used in Voodooism to call up evil spirits and demons. Thus, its use cannot glorify or worship God from His perspective. Using it and mainly low level teaching is Satanic strategy to transform our churches to fall away from God s best not gaining maximum maturity and by losing our Bible intellect and having us have a low plateau of Bible knowledge. We will not adequately know the Bible or how to live by great faith and love and be in ministry. We need to avoid using this music and go to in-depth-breadth expository preaching in our church services. The Bible s music has the melody dominate. Melody moves the heart where rock music moves the body. 1. APPLICATION: This recommendation does not apply to churches that use only the hymns and like music. Page 4 of 6
BENEFITS FOR IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATION: Our people will have greater worship and glorification of God, gain more maturity in Christ-likeness, have more participation in the ministry, and will have greater sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit. COST OF IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATION: We will have to know and admit that using loud rock type music with a drum band is not of God, not being in the Bible. Leadership, as presented, will need to do research to learn the source and effects of such profane music. (I have done much.) Leadership must gain the understanding that such music is profane. PENALTIES FOR NOT IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATION: Sitting under loud drum beat rock type music, our people have physical motion and not great heart experience (that dominate melody brings) and thus, cannot gain maximum maturity in Christ likeness and give God maximum worship. Satan will be allowed more opportunities to bring the endtimes. Sitting mainly under loud and rock music is a way our churches are falling away from excellence before God, particularly His best. WHEN THE ENDTIMES COME WITH GOD S PEOPLE FALLING AWAY AND ALSO NOW IN PRECURSORS TO HAVING IT COME, THE FOLLOWING WILL OCCUR (Some are happening now. At your church? We need to pray and evaluate. We want God s best and then with excellence. This brings glory and worship to Him.) 1. People will not be able to tell the difference between the holy and the profane. 2. God brings a famine of His Word. 3. People will no longer endure sound doctrine. 4. God forgets the children. NOTE: Many of our people, especially our young people, not being mature in Christ-likeness, may no longer attend church. When they see a lack of testimony seeking God s excellence in our churches (and in their parents), with only limited teaching and with music of the world, why attend church that is not going anywhere? So many of our young people now when they attend college no longer attend church. See the book: Already Gone and my paper on this subject (I can send it to you). Using this church procedure, with our youth leaving the church, is satanic strategy to lower the ministry, so the elect will not believe and accomplish God s work. This is a form of the church that shows at least a partly falling away. This is satanic strategy for the endtimes. NOW PLEASE, AS CHURCH LEADERS AND PASTORS, URGENTLY READ MY MUST READ WEB SITE DOCUMENT (FOUND UNDER WHAT S NEW) ON THE BIBLE S BIG PICTURE OF TODAY: INTEGRATED OVERVIEW OF TODAY S BIBLICAL BIG PICTURE This Document Puts Together an Integrated Overview of the Current and Long-term Biblical Big Picture Especially Including knowing: (1) God s Plan for History for Us to Become Maximally Mature in Christlikeness in Order to Relate to God Toward His Maximum in Eternity (Apart from This, There Is Nothing); (2) How to Become Maximally Mature in Christ-likeness for Eternity; (3) Endtimes Prophecy (How and Page 5 of 6
Why and How the Endtimes Are Unfolding and Will Unfold);(4) the Spiritual Warfare with its Strategies Between Christ and Satan; (5) the Situation Now with and the Future for Israel; (6) Current Satanic Strategies; (7) How the United States is found in endtimes prophecy; and (8) What Now Is Happening to Our Churches in Their Current Falling Away That Is Causing the Endtimes to Come, and What They Should (Must) Urgently Do Now to Have the Best We Can Have Before God.(10 pages) Page 6 of 6