Back To Jerusalem                                                   07-31-15


Psalm 86:10 (ESV) ¹⁰  For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.


He doesn't really need us does He? Who's that Ronnie? Why, God of course. He ALONE is God. A couple of observations this week. Hopefully we, and most certainly I can learn to apply the truth of the above verse to my(our) lives.Sometimes I am tempted to dethrone God in my thinking; especially as it involves His Sovereignty. As I look and listen to the torrent of bad stuff that is happening in the world, I am prone to think that evil is winning. 

No, not ultimately. I, too have read the end of the Book; and, I too KNOW that we are, in the end, on the WINNING side! No, it's not the ultimate outcome I debate in my mind, but the CURRENT state of affairs that is so troublesome. I often think that for my generation, we have given up and lost the battle. But, God reminded me this week, that is not the case.

I saw a post on Facebook this week about the "Back To Jerusalem" movement. I searched a little further and found a couple of articles written by British residents in China at the time of the beginning. A very brief history. It seems that early on in 20th century China, a couple of missionaries were fasting and praying for direction. God gave them a vision to evangelize the countries along the "Silk Road," an ancient trade route linking China to the Middle East. Interestingly the vision was specific as to the targeted people. It ran through countries with large Buddhist and Hindu populations, but according to the missionaries they were to  take the Gospel to the muslims and Jew in those countries all the way to Jerusalem.

Time will not permit me to go into greater detail, but this movement grew gaining tens of thousands of Christians in these countries. They asked for no financial support, believing God for their provision. They also became very Pro-Israel in their political thinking; not for reasons concerning this world, but to explain how it would be in the next. Let me end this history with a quote from 1949 by a British missionary in China. Bear with me, it is lengthy, but I have a point.

"The thing that has impressed me the most has been the strange, unaccountable urge of a number of different Christians to press forward in faith, taking the Gospel towards the west. I know of at least five different groups, quite unconnected with each other who have left their homes in east China and gone forth leaving practically everything behind them to the west........It seems like a movement of the Spirit which is irresistible. The striking thing is that they are disconnected, and in most cases seem to know nothing about each other."

It's a fascinating story. Go read about it, if you are interested.

You see, brothers and sisters God truly is sovereign. He's going to "geterdun." One wonders if the current ascendancy of China onto the world scene is due at least in part, to the Jesus movement in that Communist land. Who knows?

One also wonders if this Chinese phenomenon is due to God foreseeing the decline of the West( see United States, Europe etc.,)


I read this in my devotional this week. "God's purposes do not depend on us. He has limitless ways to accomplish His will. The same God who led Moses could also use Joshua. If NO ONE(caps mine) were willing to serve Him, the Lord would accomplish His work by His own divine power......The question is this: Will we be a part of God's activity, or will He find someone else. Service to the Lord is an honor God bestows on us, not a favor we do for God."

God's going to be glorified. It matters not if the United States retains God in it's national consciousness or not. GOD IS GOING TO BE GLORIFIED.

It matters not whether I or anyone else retains God in their individual lives. GOD IS GOING TO BE GLORIFIED!

Philippians 2:9-11 (ESV)        ⁹  Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰  so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹  and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

God reminded this author this week that indeed evil is not winning. Not ultimately, not currently. It looks very dark at times to this author. BUT, BUT I don't have God's view do I? From where I sit, it at times is bleak. God ,on the other hand, is perched far above the madding crowd. We, as Christians have a higher call. Nationalism, patriotic pride, while good and noble, is not the child of God's highest priority. We gather and march under a banner more pure and noble than even the stars and stripes.

All God wants, it seems to me, is for us to look around at where He is ALREADY working and ask Him if we can join Him. Yield to His leading and try and understand that He truly is calling the shots. He's got our(your's and mine) backs.

 Psalm 72:19 (ESV) ¹⁹  Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen!



God Bless