Volume 12 Issue 1 - January 1997

A Faith For the New Year

"And the apostles said unto the ford, increase our faith." (Luke 17:5)

As we say goodbye, or for some, good riddance to 1996, my sincere prayer is that we face the New Year of 1997 with our faith energized and raring to go. Now, obviously, I don't know the condition of your faith, how you may feel about the New Year or what you are facing at this juncture in your life, but there is a spirit of expectancy growing in my heart. It's as if my very bowels have been impregnated with a renewed zeal to faithfully serve the purposes of God in 1997. As I gaze into the horizon of the New Year, my faith is stirred. It is bubbling with divine anticipation of all the great and mighty things God is going to accomplish through a people whose hearts are filled with faith and are completely loyal to Him (2 Chronicles 16:9).

When one usually mentions the word faith, immediately one assumes the Americanized version of faith. The kind of faith that is solely concerned about meeting one's own needs. Many in the church today, unfortunately, hold to that view, thereby limiting the scope and effectiveness of their faith. Faith to them is simply some sort of currency from Heaven to purchase God's goods in the earth. In some extreme cases, there are those who treat faith as a magic wand that somehow mysteriously forces God to jump through our hoops of selfish demands. Let me assure you that is not the faith that I'm espousing, though, I do believe that God takes good care of His children and does meet our needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

The Bible tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews I 1:6). Think of it, would not a more pleasing faith in God be a worthwhile goal to pursue this New Year? To make a godly resolution that commits to use our faith to be a better mate, an improved parent, and a more faithful minister of the blessed Gospel. Indeed, the very thought of it should burn its way into all of our hearts. Creating in us a faith that will flourish as a sweet smelling fragrance that is well pleasing to our Heavenly Father. In light of this, let us purpose in our hearts that we will not reduce or, God forbid, prostitute the gift of faith for just selfish satisfaction. NO, let our faith be increased to serve the purposes of God, bear much Kingdom fruit and ultimately be pleasing unto Him and not merely ourselves

Using the book of James as a challenge to have greater faith for the New Year, let us press on to discover how we can increase our faith, better utilize our faith, and make our faith more relevant in 1997. The book of James clearly states to the chagrin of many that, "faith without works is dead" (James 2:26). As a result, a dead faith may be worse than having no faith at all. In fact, it would be safe to say, faith without works cannot really be called faith. The simple truth is, faith must work in order for it to be considered true Biblical faith. It must produce, be made tangible, and visible in this unbelieving world in which we live. Verbal faith is not enough. Mental faith is insufficient for it does not inspire action. For this reason, James exhorts believers to integrate and substantiate their faith by applying their faith to every area of their lives. His main emphasis being that true faith must manifest itself with corresponding exploits.

James boldly teaches that faith endures trails Other writers including Peter preached this same truth We must courageously face the inevitable, our faith will be tried, tested, and brought through the fire so that it may be found to bring praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:6,7). The point being, who needs strong faith when things are going our way? The truth is, trials will come and go, but a strong, living, and dynamic faith will go through them, overcome them and in the process develop endurance and godly character because of them (Romans 5:1-5).

According to James, true faith discerns and understands temptation s. It will not idly stand by, allowing us to consent to our lust which will automatically slide us into sin with all its horrific consequences. No, true faith will rise up, shout aloud to our conscience, and convict us for even daring to think of committing high treason and treachery against our Lord and Master who purchased us with His redeeming blood. The profound reason for this comes down to the reality that true faith longs to love, honor, and obey the Lord and His precious word. There is no way Biblical faith can merely hear this kind of word without becoming a doer of that word.

James goes on to teach that faith harbors no prejudice. For James, faith and favoritism simply cannot coexist. Faith will work to control our tongues. This small but potentially dangerous part of our anatomy must be held in check by faith. Faith also acts wisely, granting us the ability to choose wisdom that is heavenly and to shun the demonic, sensual wisdom of this world. Faith as it is nurtured will eventually separate us from the world, bring us into submission to God, so He can then send us back into the world to change it for His glory. By faith we will be empowered to resist the Devil and to humbly draw near to God. Finally, faith will work without complaint waiting patiently until we see our Lord face to face at His coming. Praise God!

"COME ALIVE!" UPDATE

"And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." (Daniel 12:3)

"Come Alive!" began with a four-fold vision: 1) To provide a dramatic vehicle that would help the Body of Christ to unite and work together to impact our city with the Gospel of the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ 2) To fulfill what Daniel penned centuries before to turn many to righteousness (there were eleven souls that know of who surrendered their lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ). 3) To minister to devastated families, struggling with abuse, and on the threshold of divorce. 4) To produce a high quality drama that would combine talent, skill, and the anointing of God to reclaim the arts for God's glory. I will leave it to God and others to decide whether or not these goals were realized. All I know is, we did the best with what we had.

We dedicated the production as such: "Come Alive!" is dedicated to the eternal glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Faithful Witness, the Firstborn from the dead, and the Ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him, who loved us and washed us in His own blood, and made us kings and priests unto God and His Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever Amen! We truly love you, Lord!

A heartfelt thank you to Pastor John Wachsmann and Church on the Rock for your prayers, love, support, an. use of facilities to rehearse. To the entire cast, their families, and respective churches who sacrificed so much to see "Come Alive!" become a reality, the Lord richly bless you. It was an honor and privilege serving our King together with you. I am grateful for each and everyone of you.

To the Church in Waco: My sincere prayer is for the Bible believing / Church in Waco to unite n the fear of God. Specifically, for the purpose to impact our city with the Gospel of the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord in His supreme goodness has already provided for us a common faith and grace based upon the sound teaching of His word to accomplish this godly goal.

In so doing, may we also, like Nehemiah of old, honestly assess the spiritual condition of our city, asking God to open our eyes to see the distress, that which is lying in waste, the walls that are broken down, the gates that are burned with fire, and the exposed areas that the enemy is exploiting to savage our community. Together, we can make a difference, as we seek the Lord to build the old wastes, raise up the former desolations, and repair the wastes cities, the desolation of many generations. May we be compelled by God's love to give our lives to pray, believe, and work together for repentance, revival, and reformation to visit the city of Waco.

ROE MEMORIAL WEEKEND, DALLAS,
JANUARY 17,18, AND 22, 1997

"Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also will shall cry himself; but shall not be heard. "

(Proverbs 21:13)

Calling all concerned Christians in the Waco area to come to Dallas to take the Gospel to the very Gates of Hell! Join Operation Rescue National, Flip Benham and I as we seek to give women a real choice that they and their children can live with. Brothers and sisters, I beseech you by the mercies of God to consider this important invitation. There are many children who are silently crying in their mother's wombs as their lives are cruelly snuffed out. Our cities and nation are drowning in a sea of innocent blood. We must arise in the Spirit and love of Christ to end the madness and turn the faucet off. For more information call O.R.N. at (214) 348-8866.

OPERATION: "JOHN THE BAPTIST", WASHINGTON DC

JAN. 17-20, 1997

"And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, show thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth." (1 Kings 18: 1 )

Right after the event in Dallas, I will immediately be sent to Washington DC to join Flip, Randall Terry, and Pat Mahoney to participate in a prophetic witness called, "Operation: John the Baptist." This particular event is a public, prophetic call for the President to repent over the sin of abortion. As John the Baptist was sent by God to confront Herod and to call him to repent over the sin of adultery with his brother's wife, so shall Christians who are moved by God's Spirit and word confront the President to publicly repent for his sin of supporting the shedding of innocent blood in our beleaguered nation.

Please pray for us as we go to bring God's truth and justice to our nation's capital. Pray that God's Law, His Gospel, and the Pro-life message will go forth in power to destroy the works of the Devil, push back the powers of darkness, and pull down the stronghold of child-killing in our land. Approximately, 2 to 3 billion people will be watching this Inauguration worldwide. Obviously, this is an historic opportunity to lift up the name of Jesus and to declare openly and unashamedly that God's Law is supreme and binding over this land. The message will be simple, but profound. Mr. President you may call abortion legal, but it is not lawful. Mr. Clinton it is not lawful for you to murder babies. God will call you to account for the shedding of innocent blood. Mr. President, "Thou Shalt Not Kill"!

As I prepare my heart for what I am praying to be a divine appointment, I am reminded of Biblical history. The Lord brought to my remembrance the many times He sent His messengers to declare His word to civil rulers. In Exodus chapter 3, the Lord called Moses to go back to Egypt to declare to Pharaoh, "Let my people go". In like manner, we are going to present ourselves before this evil administration to declare to them, "Thus saith the Lord, Let God's babies go in Jesus name!

We see this pattern throughout the Bible. The Lord sent Elijah to confront the wicked administration of Ahab and Jezebel. It was that particular administration that established child-killing as a civil right by setting up the altars of Molech in Israel. They also were responsible for ordaining homosexual priests in God's temple (sounds familiar, doesn't it?). In the midst of this legalized evil, God raised up His prophetic messenger, Elijah, and sent him to confront Ahab, Jezebel, and their Baal cronies. Because of Elijah's obedience, God honored His word and brought down the abominations, released heaven's rain that brought life once again to their dry and thirsty land, and caused an entire nation to turn back to the true and living God. Can that happen in America? I don't know, but one thing is certain, it will never take place, if we, as God's people, do not have the moral courage to confront the spirit of the age with all its debauchery. The lessons of history are clear, unless God's people confront and overcome evil, evil will eventually confront us and overtake us. Tell me, Church, what are we experiencing today?

FAMILY ALTAR

"For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him." (Genesis 18:19)

In our last newsletter, we sent you a Bible reading schedule as our Christmas gift to you. This month, we desire to admonish you to seriously seek the Lord through using that schedule as a basis for daily devotions with your family. Liz and l have read through the Bible as a couple for the last 5 or 6 years. This year we have expanded our commitment by incorporating our 3 oldest children. We have already noticed beneficial changes in our family, amongst our children, and in the general atmosphere of our home. There is much more peace, a more tangible expression of love, and our children have been more willing to serve without complaint.

Brothers and sisters, take advantage of this opportunity that will help disciple your family, utilize your time better, and create a family altar that will fill your house with the sweet presence of God. It will deliver you from the cafeteria type of Christianity that is so prevalent in America. Where people pick and choose what Scriptures they will read to justify, in some cases, their selfishness, rebellion, and disobedience. My experience has been that reading through the Bible has convicted me to abandon the American version of Christianity. It has forced me to deal with the fact that Jesus is not just another addition in my life to enhance the American dream. NO, He came to purchase and completely change me to be more like Him. This change takes place as our eyes are opened to behold the different characteristics of God, his manifold attributes, and the clear pattern of His dealings in the affairs of men. Reading through the Bible has also convicted me to quit being God's personal public relation's representative seemingly hired by Heaven to help clean up God's image so He will be liked by this evil and adulterous generation. God deliver us from the Great American Gospel Enterprise and get us back to the God of the Bible. One way this godly goal can be accomplished is to daily open The Book and read from Genesis straight through to Revelations. Amen!

IN KING JESUS’ SERVICE,

Rusty Lee Thomas