Jesus answered and said unto him, “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23, KJV).

The Clarion Call To Prayer

The American Christian Church today is in the throes of a deadly spiritual lethargy having made an idol out of evangelical-ism and there is only one antidote. Leonard Ravenhill, who in his day was England’s foremost outdoor evangelist, tells us what it is:

People often ask me, “Why do you insist on prayer so much?” The answer is very simple, because Jesus did… Jesus went on a mount and He was transfigured. There’s nothing more transfiguring than prayer. The Scriptures say that the disciples went to bed, but Jesus went to pray as was His custom. It was His custom to pray. Now Jesus was the Son of God, He was definitely anointed for His ministry.

If Jesus needed all that time in prayer, then don’t you and I need time in prayer? If Jesus needed it in every crisis, don’t you and I need it in every crisis?… People say, “I’m filled with the Holy Spirit.” If the coming of the Spirit didn’t revolutionize your prayer life, you’d better check on it. Cause I’m not so sure you got what God wanted you to get… Jesus the anointed of God, made prayer His custom.

And so should you and I. As our Master says in our text – “If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” But be of good cheer fellow Christian, the effort to get to know God will be more than worth the time as you acknowledge the God of the [Bible], and serve Him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you (1 Chronicles 28:9).

If the Body of Christ is to be God’s Lighthouse to shine the light of His glorious Gospel into the putrid darkness of the spiritual wasteland that is so-called “postmodern” America then it is vital for us to understand this truth. The Christian is required by the Lord to make the effort to cultivate his relationship with his God, and frankly if you don’t have this desire then you do have good reason to doubt whether you are even a Christian in the first place. For this is what Jesus means when He says – “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; and anyone who does not take up his cross [daily] and follow Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:37-38).

Let’s Return To Our Lord And Join Him In Battle

This is the genuine Jesus of the Bible. The question I would ask you the Ecumenical Church of Deceit (ECOD): “Is it Him you love, or is it rather the caricature of Christ that you spiritual slackers have created. Some say: “Well, I witness by my lifestyle of Christian ideals, and that speaks for me. I’m a silent witness.” And as Dr. Walter Martin used to say: “Yeah, you’re so silent, no one even knows that you are a witness. Don’t you know that there are all kinds of atheists, skeptics, and non-Christian cultists who live ethical lives; that proves nothing. Our word ‘witness’ comes from the Greek word martyr and no one would have lost their lives for Christ if they had kept their mouths shut.”

To hear most “Christians” today talk you’d think it’s our “duty” to live as comfortably as we can, with the least possible conflict, and then to enter Heaven for our eternal “rest.” I ask you; what exactly is it you “resting” from? Yet even more rest? Or just maybe true Christians are rewarded with eternal bliss as a recompense for our life in this world of constantly striving for Jesus against the warfare of the Devil? Now just think about most people’s concept of God for a moment. This mush god of love that creates a mankind, who then pays him virtually no mind lest he “intrude” into our lives; then after enjoying all the creature comforts in this life, we then get to live in an Edenic paradise. Seriously, anyone who believes that really needs to have their spiritual head examined.

You see the Bible tells us to – Fight the good fight of the faith (1 Timothy 6:12). What the true Christian Church needs today are men and women of courage and with character to accept our God’s exhortation – Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier (2 Timothy 2:3-4, KJV). Then further – Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God‘s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed… (Romans 12:1-2). And finally we are to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3, NKJV).

Let me encourage you dear Christian, this would be the greatest gift we might give our Savior, and it is really the only thing Christ Jesus our Lord and King would truly want on His birthday:

Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus going on before.
Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe;
Forward into battle see His banners go!
Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus going on before.

And as the Purpose Driven Church, the Emergent Church and the Word Faith Church in the ECOD of new evangelicalism gets set to merge back into the apostate Church of Rome, let me ask you a question: Do you remember those “Christian soldiers” who marched out as to war? My O my, they were really quite impressive once, weren’t they…