Category Archives: Ministry

Articles, Prophecy, Teaching

TRIUMPH OF TRUMP

It is official: Donald Trump has passed the 1,237 delegate threshold. He will be the Republican Party candidate for President of the United States. What an amazing feat for a man who never held political office.
His rise is utterly remarkable, unpredictable, and unprecedented. Weeks out from the Republican Party National Convention, he knocked out 17 other Republican candidates, including well-known and experienced politicians. Trump has received more votes in a Republican presidential primary season than any other candidate in history.
Let’s face it: this is the most unusual US Presidential election in our lifetime. Well-known, experienced politicians have been sidelined while populists are taking centre stage. The experts are dumbfounded as a volatile electorate endorses candidates who would have been dismissed as improbable only a few years before. The two main populist candidates are Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump.
On the far left Socialist Bernie Sanders, a US Senator from Vermont, is an independent who seeks the Democratic nomination for President. He would be comfortable with the likes of Fidel Castro, who promised the people of Cuba free education and free healthcare. Yet Castro ruled with a rod of iron in the worse tradition of totalitarian dictatorship, causing boat exodus from Cuba to Florida that dwarfs what Australia has experienced. Younger Americans view Bernie as a ‘rock star’ (‘I can feel the Bern’) who speaks about the unfairness of Wall Street, the banks, promises to write off student debt and level the economic playing field.
The Democratic front-runner, Hillary Clinton, is an intelligent, hard-working woman, with universal name recognition, an impressive resume of offices held, and plenty of campaign money. But she is viewed as ‘untrustworthy’ and ‘untruthful,’ with an on-going FBI investigation into her emails while US Secretary of State, along with her role in the collapse of Libya and the Benghazi disaster, which led to the assassination of the US ambassador Christopher Stevens. Critics say she has been big on busyness but short on accomplishments.
In the centre-left is Donald Trump, who seeks the Republican Party nomination for US President.
The ‘rise of Trump’ is an enigma, in part, because he does not easily fit into any mould. He is not a conservative in any traditional sense of the word. He is for protectionism, taxing the rich, soft on abortion and same-sex marriage. He has been married three times, did business with casinos, and attends his New York Presbyterian Church when he can.
However, the ‘conservative’ side of Trump is for border protection. He says that the global warming scare is exaggerated and the proposed solutions will harm jobs. He promises to appoint conservative Supreme Court justices and a less interventionist foreign policy (America should not be be the policeman of the world).
Americans, like other westerners, want the government safety net or entitlement programs like the Social Security (old age pension) and Medicare (government provided health care for the elderly). Never mind that these are exceedingly costly, wasteful, play a significant role in increasing the ballooning US national deficit, and are less efficient than private enterprise.
This is progressivism: it promises to ‘take care of you’ and your interests through big government involvement. In practice, it means in exchange for heavy taxes, much regulation, a more autocratic government that has no problem with interfering in people’s lives or fighting wars, ‘big brother in Washington DC’ will be watching out for you.
Despite its unsustainability and poor return, Social Security is such a sacred cow in the United States that even the mere mention of touching it arouses the wrath of ‘grey power.’ Woe to any politicians who even breathes the word ‘reform;’ they will be run out of town! So the deficit increases.
Trump is unlikely to reform the safety net – he is going to preserve it. That means, with his populist, politically incorrect message yet ‘give and take’ on conservative issues, he has a fighting chance to be President. This is remarkable considering questions on his character, gaps in knowledge, and questionable conservatism.
In any case, the 2016 US presidential election will be anything but dull.
Next month, we will look at the topic: Could God be behind the rise of Donald Trump?

Articles, Bible, Faith, Prophecy, Teaching

Is It A Good Time to Visit the Holy Land?



With so much happening in the Middle East today, and with Europe on the alert, is it really a good time to take a Bible land tour to Israel?
Many Bible-believing Christians are very keen to make the visit, but they have two major concerns:





1.    Is it affordable?
2.    Is it safe?
First, I cannot stress enough that your decision to ‘go or not to go’ should not be based on the nightly news. Under no circumstance should a Christian believer make decisions based on fear! Now or ever.
The Bible is full of exhortations to ‘fear not.’ Nowhere does it imply we should fear anything, any time. The only fear we should have is the ‘fear of the LORD.’ When you exercise Godly fear, it cancels out all other fears!
Your decision to visit the holy land should be based on two things:
1.    Prayer and the leading of the LORD; and
2.    Sufficient, accurate information.
Why visit the Holy Land?
There are two consistent and compelling reasons:
3.    To walk where Jesus (and Bible heroes) walked. This is called‘devotion.’
4.    To learn more about the Bible. This is called ‘education.’
There are so many wonderful Biblical places to visit that would fulfil both criteria, including: the Dead Sea, Jericho, Jordan Valley, Jordan River, the Sea of Galilee, Nazareth, Mount Carmel, Caesarea, Jaffa, Bethlehem, Mount of Olives, Mount Zion, and the Old City of Jerusalem, plus more. In all these sites you can see first-hand where ‘Jesus walked’ and Biblical events took place.
You will learn, grow, enjoy, and even have fun. You can float on the Dead Sea, get baptised in the Jordan River, partake in the Temple Mount sifting project, fellowship with local believers (the ‘living stones’) or do what everyone does – go shopping. Yes, a spiritual pilgrimage can be fun, too.
What is the difference between a tourist and pilgrim?
Tourists visit a place for rest and recreation. Pilgrims can have these same goals but with one dramatic difference. A pilgrim has faith in his or her heart and travels to a place ‘in faith’ in order to connect with a place associated with ‘faith.’
In other words, a pilgrim is a person of faith and the journey in faith is called a pilgrimage.
Is it affordable?
Yes, it is very affordable. For less than the price of a cruise (where much of what you see is ocean water), you can travel, sleep, enjoy abundant fresh food, and live like a monarch.
One the of key questions: is it safe to go?
With screaming headlines about ‘Arab Spring,’ ‘Syrian War,’ ‘Rise of ISIS,’ and increased terrorism, it is a legitimate question. Here is the answer.
First, it is safe enough. Apart from being in God’s will, is there any place on earth that is absolutely safe?
Second, the Middle East is big enough. A bomb going off in Baghdad does not mean there is trouble in Jerusalem. While there are problems in some parts of the region, there is stability in other parts. Israel is one of those places of stability.
Third, one local Christian said this is the safest country in the world, because it is God’s land. So true. Deuteronomy 11:11-12 (NKJV) says:
But the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven, 12a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year.
Since God’s eyes are always on this land, you can be sure that His eyes will be on you, too.
Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport has been impressively renovated in the past few years. According to Conde Nast Traveler, its readers rated Ben Gurion the world’s Number Four airport, after Singapore, Dubai, and Hong Kong airports. It is especially ‘state-of-the-art’ when it comes to security issues. There are 11 checkpoints and security posts from the time you drive through the airport gate until you board the airplane. No wonder there has not been an attack at or a hijacking from Ben Gurion in forty years!
Furthermore, both local Jews and Arabs have a vested interest in the security of their pilgrim guests since both work in the hospitality industry (you will find many Arab workers, even in the Israeli hotels). The locals have their ‘ear to the ground’ when it comes to security; they are the best sources of information when it comes to a place being secure. Prayer and following their advice affords you the best protection possible.
This is a hospitable part of the world with low rates of crime. It is safer here than in many major western cities.
Journey in Faith: Remember the pilgrim’s secret weapon: Faith. Unlike the nervous tourist, the pilgrim believes that God is with them and protecting them every step of the way (Psalm 91:1-2). Many comment that they feel safer in Israel than in many other places. This is because they put their trust in the LORD. Those who do are never put to shame.
After all, Christian believer, if you cannot trust God now for your fears, faults, failings, finances, friends, family, and future … then when do you plan to start?
Now is the time!
Is it really a good idea to visit the holy land? If you are led by God and full of faith, then ‘go for it.’ With that kind of attitude, you will be well equipped to enjoy a fearless journey to the Land of the Bible. The results can be life-changing.
NOTE: Teach All Nations is offering two Bible lands tours in November 2016:
The Book of Revelation (Greece and Turkey)
Bible Adventure Tour (Jordan and Israel)

Log onto tan.org.au for more information

Articles, Prophecy, Teaching

FINDING A SPOUSE: Part 2



He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favour from the LORD — Proverbs 18:22 (NKJV)
In Part 01, we looked at some of the factors that cause people to ‘get it wrong’ while in search of Mr. or Miss Right. These factors included:



1.      A corrupt, sex-saturated culture;
2.      Worship of false gods, which is far more prevalent than one realises, including materialism, statism (an overarching role for the government), and selfism;
3.      Opportunism;
4.      Narcissism: people can put on a prolonged act before the real person is exposed.
5.      The scourge of pornography. Latest count is that 46% of Americans view porn during the week. It also has a devastating effect on male virility.
6.      No fear of God;
7.      Ignoring wise counsel. Proverbs 11:14 says it all: ‘Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.’
In Part 02, we will look at ‘how to get it right.’ Please note that these are principles, not a magic formula.
Seasons: Ecclesiastes says to everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven. There’s a time to be born, a time to die, a time to plant, a time to pluck (3:1-2). There is also a time to marry when your season comes. We have a season of singleness which is a gift from God: during this time we grow, develop, form our values and prepare for our future. As maturity and commitment set in, there is a time to marry. With so many waiting until their late 20s and early 30s before marriage, the possibility is strong that they had been in their season long before they actually marry. This can present complications. In other words, don’t wait too long because seasons change.
Decision: First, we need to make a decision to marry even before we meet someone. Everything flows from decision. It is amazing how many people entertain the idea of marriage, but allow life to flow by without actually doing anything about it. Men especially need to ‘prepare to launch’ by deciding that the time of girlfriends and floating around is finished: it is time to be a man and find a wife. As Proverbs 18:22 says that the man who finds a wife finds a good thing and the favour of God will be on Him. At the age of 25, I came to the conclusion that my time for marriage had come. Weeks later, the Lord identified to my future spouse. Having made the decision to marry, it was no effort to ‘make a move’ once I knew who it would be.
Have realistic expectations: It is almost entertaining how people have ‘fairy-tale’ criteria of whom they are going to marry: a certain educational background, physical appearance, social status, the perfect gentleman etc. The problem with these things is that they are 100% natural, not spiritual. Proverbs 31 describes the amazing virtuous woman; note that it says little about her appearance. Her spiritual life and ‘fear the LORD’ is what made her suitable. Whoever God has for you will be ‘a work in progress’ (just like you), so don’t see them as they are, but how God will make them.
TO BE CONTINUED