Volume 12 Issue 8 - August 1997

MESSAGE FOR DAYTON

"But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak." (Jeremiah 1:7)

The following is a brief outline of the message the Lord gave me to impart to the "Return to Truth" event in Dayton. This was spoken on Sunday, July 13th, as we prepared to kick off our campaign with a call for us to enter a Solemn Assembly. "Welcome, bothers and sisters and thank you for coming. Tonight you are a part of an historic gathering. This is the first time O.R.N. has started a national event with a Solemn Assembly. Our desire is simple: to meet the conditions set forth in God's word, that He will hear from heaven, forgive our manifold sins and bring healing to this spoiled, wicked, and perverse nation. We are praying that what is said and done during this event will effect time and history. That this event would not only touch Dayton and alter the course of this city, but God would use this time to shake America to her foundations.

I just want to take a couple of minutes as we prepare our hearts to enter in this Solemn Assembly, to share on the significance of such a gathering. Biblically, there were approximately 12 Old Testament Revivals . Though each had its own unique circumstance and leadership, there were four keys that were always present that preceded each move of God as He restored His people and brought reformation to the land.

1) The people of God, either through ignorance or outright rebellion, participated in the dominant evils of their day. They became accustomed to and actually assimilated the true worship and service of God with the fashionable idols of the land. The ministers of the day refused to put difference, to make distinction, between the clean and the unclean, the holy and profane. As a result, God's people ended up rejecting the Law of God, exchanged the truth for a lie, and adopted pagan philosophies and practices instead. The result was spiritual and moral decline.

Just one look at America reveals this same unfortunate condition. Religion is up, but morality is down. Millions and millions of Americans say they are born-again, have a relationship with Jesus Christ and yet, the church in America has about the same divorce rate as the world, the same rate of adultery, our kids are fornicating neck and neck with pagan kids, and 1 out of 5 women going into abortion mills are self-proclaimed Evangelical Christians. That means millions of children inside of Christian's wombs have been sacrificed on the altars of Molech. Their precious blood has been shed that nourishes demonic forces that are enemies of God. Shall not God visit such a people as this?

2) After repeated warnings, after several calls from His prophets for His people to return without success, God would then send sanctions from heaven to try and awaken His people to the danger they were in (Amos 4). Ultimately, God would lift His hedge of protection and give them over to their enemies to oppress them. Sometimes God's judgments were immediate and final, which usually resulted in a mass scale destruction of the wicked, and sometimes His judgments were remedial and gracious which resulted in brokenness, prayer, repentance, and an extraordinary seeking of God's face.

3) God in His mercy would raise up an immensely burdened leader to deliver them from their enemies and restore their land. The truth is, God judges nations and restores nations based upon leadership. According to Isaiah 3, when a nation’s doings and sayings offend the Lord, He will remove the valiant mighty men and turn that nation over to weak, inept, wicked rulers. God’s exact quote is, "As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them ..." (Isaiah 3:12a). The tragic irony is, our nation thinks this is a sign of enlightenment and progress instead of the curse and judgment of God upon a sin-soaked, self-serving people driven mad with pleasure seeking. On the other hand, it is also clear from the book of Judges that when God decides to have mercy and restore His people, His chosen instrument was and will remain to be anointed, burdened , and godly leaders.

4) Solemn Assembly. A call by God to gather His people to take ownership for their personal sins as well as identify with the moral failures of their nation. This was usually the point of contact that provoked God's people to cry out and put the Lord in remembrance of His everlasting covenant. It created the atmosphere for God to reverse the fortunes of His people. This solemn occasion is what turned God's heart from plucking up, throwing down, afflicting, and destroying a nation to desiring to rebuild and plant that nation instead. Based on that scenario, how many know, we are ripe for a heaven-sent revival? Brothers and sisters, we must awaken to the fact, that we are way beyond a political solution, an educational explanation, or a financial answer to what is ailing us. God’s intervention is not optional. It is all that remains and we must seek it with all our hearts. The bottom line is, God's chastisement is on the land. The only question that remains is whether God is going to judge us to restoration or will He judge us to annihilation. I submit that the answer to this perplexing dilemma lies at the threshold of the Church in America and how we respond to the Lord in this late hour.

Tonight, we have gathered in God's presence to prayerfully answer three simple, but imposing, questions. 1) What is it in us, the Church of Jesus Christ, (Not the heathen, the pagan, the homosexual agenda, the feminist movement, the abortion industry, and a renegade judiciary) that has lifted God's hand of blessing off this nation and has invoked His curse upon us instead? 2) Why is it that under our watch, our nation has been subject to wicked rulers, unjust laws, and legalized evil? 3) How come the Church, who has the stewardship responsibility to be Salt and Light has, for the most part, stood idly by while evil not only became established, but is actually flourishing in our midst?

Brothers and Sisters, by God's grace, our intention is to deal honestly and openly with these crucial issues. Like Nehemiah and Daniel of old, we are going to take ownership and responsibility for our own personal sins, as well as identify with the transgressions of America. I know we can't artificially produce a broken and contrite heart, but let us seek God and cry out to Him, to hear, to forgive, and to bring healing to our broken, wounded land."

CATALOGUE OF SINS

"... I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the Lord my God, And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens." (Ezra 9:5b,6)

I believe as surely as the cry of the sin of Sodom reached heaven and called for a thorough investigation by our Holy God with eyes aflame with fire, so, too, has the cry of the sin of America reached the heavens. One wonders, if we are, even as I write, being weighed in the balance and found wanting. Obviously, only God can determine whether or not we have crossed the line of no return. But brethren, we must be aware that we could be dangerously close.

Shall He not be avenged on such a nation as this?

Biblically, there does come a point where the Lord seals the fate of nations and there is nothing one can do to change His mind. Just consider this somber directive given to Jeremiah, "Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear." (Jeremiah 7:16)

The Lord warned Ezekiel, "Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord God ... Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate." (Ezekiel 14:14,16) It is made painfully clear by this passage that God would not relent of His judgment, even though, righteous men stood in the gap and made up the hedge. Brethren, these truths are just as much apart of the whole council of God as "For God so loved the world..." While we have time, we need to urgently press in, grab a hold of the promises of God, punch a hole in the sky, and intercede until God’s glory comes down to rescue our nation.

The following is a comprehensive, though not an exhaustive list of the catalogue of sins, we prayerfully dealt with at the Solemn Assembly in Dayton. Please consider taking a day as an individual, family, prayer group, or church to fast and pray through this list. I am convinced, as God’s people, if we would take ownership and responsibility for our personal sins, as well as to identify with the transgressions of our nation, we could give God an excuse to show Himself strong in our nation.

INDIVIDUAL SINS AGAINST GOD AND MAN

AGAINST GOD-

Lack of love, devotion & service to God, Idolatry (honor, priority, worship & devotion to other gods: things, jobs, people, etc.), Disdain for God’s law & word, Fear of man, Little or no fear of God, Prayerlessness, Stubbornness, rebellion & disobedience, Unfaithfulness & spiritual adultery.

AGAINST GOD & MAN-

Covetousness, selfishness, greed & materialism, False witnessing, Fear which leads to disobedience, Gluttony, Lust, fornication, adultery, homosexuality & other sexual perversions, Arrogance, pride, Covenant-breaking, Shedding of innocent blood, Deceit & Lying, Drug Abuse & drunkenness, Slander & malicious gossip, Murder, suicide, anger, hatred & bitterness & unforgiveness, Stubbornness, rebellion, Witchcraft, new age & the occult, Neglect of poor & widows, Racism & ethnic hatred & discrimination

FAMILY SINS

PARENTS-

Abortion, Divorce, Adultery, Spousal neglect, abuse & abandonment, Child neglect, abuse & abandonment, fathers to love wives, Failure of wives to submit to husbands, Failure of fathers to raise children in nurture & admonition of the Lord, Submitting children to Godless education (public schools), Failure to provide children a righteous, spiritual, and material heritage.

CHILDREN-

Rebellion & disobedience to parents, Neglect of elderly parents, Drugs, sex, wicked music & every evil practice.

CHURCH SINS

PASTORS-

Failure to distinguish between the holy & unholy, clean & unclean, Looking away from (ignoring) the shedding of innocent blood & other abominations, Looking away as America’s spiritual & religious history were rewritten & the Church marginalized, Hypocrisy & neglect of private devotion to God, prayer & true holiness, Fear of man, Failure to be examples to the flock, Failure to tend God’s flock, Neglect of Truth in preaching, False teaching, license, heresy, Failure to rebuke & correct the disobedient, Failure to stand as God’s prophets in the community & nation to rebuke sin, immorality, injustice, tyranny & oppression, Failure as watchmen to warn and protect God’s flock from encroaching civil tyranny & persecution, Allowing civil governors to dictate to, usurp, tax & control the Church.

PEOPLE-

Unfaithful church attendance, fellowship & lack of wholehearted participation, Selfish failure to serve brethren, Selfish failure to tithe & give offerings, Disdain & disobedience to church leaders, Failure to be "light" in the community & nation (a holy, peculiar people), Neglect of Great Commission, evangelism & discipleship, Failure to be "salt" to the nation (to prophetically declare God’s law & warn of His punishments)

STATE & NATIONAL SINS

CITIZENS-

Abandonment of God and His Word as the foundation for civil order, Apathy & neglect-failure to vote, serve, & support God-fearing men & women in government, Passive & active support for evil leaders, Neglect of stewardship of liberty & Godly heritage, Willful ignorance & neglect of community, state & national affairs, Silent indifference to the imposition of evil laws & public policy, greedily seek entitlements & largesse of big government despite cost to children.

LEADERS-

Judicial, legislative & executive actions affirming, fostering, promoting & exporting: abortion, infanticide, homosexuality & atheistic education, Treasonous barter of American liberty to international interests, Using international influence to promote immorality & abortion, Deliberate destruction of America’s military defense, Interference and usurpation of parental rights & responsibilities, Violation of the Church & religious civil liberties, Usurpation of parent’s authority by indoctrinating children into sexual promiscuity, pantheism (worship of the environment), polytheism (multiculturalism), atheistic humanism, liberal politics, socialism & statism under the guise of public "education" while failing to teach fundamental academics or simple truths of right & wrong, Thievery via confiscation of private property under veil of "environmental protection", Thievery of family wealth via confiscatory estate and inheritance taxes, Thievery via confiscatory levels of income tax & use of tax dollars for evil, Thievery from future generations through wicked borrowing, deficit spending & amassing unconscionable public debt, Thievery from all Americans via inflation, Oppression via suffocating over regulation, Violation of the national covenant with the people: the Declaration and Constitution, Tyranny via unjustified surveillance, search & seizure, assault & murder of innocent people (Ruby Ridge, Waco, etc.), Persecution of Christians (restraining, abusing & firing Christian School teachers, government workers, etc., who are true to their faith), passage of laws discriminating against vocal pro-life Christians, imposing outrageous fines and punishment which do not fit the "crimes", Imposition of Statism and Socialism in every arena of American life (schools, medicine, business, charity, etc.), Exaltation of State as God, nullifying His laws & demanding control over every area of life, including the Church & Family.

A PROCLAMATION TO THE SOLEMN ASSEMBLY

Kettering, Ohio, July 13, 1997 Anno Domini

A CALL TO REPENTANCE AND RESTORATION

for Individual Sins Against God

Whereas: The first commandment is to love the LORD our God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind, having no other gods before Him. (Ex.20:1-7; Deut. 5:1-15/6:4/10:12-22)

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, but the fear of man brings a snare. (Ps. 111/112; Prov. 1:7/9:10/15:33/29:25)

We are required to bring honor and glory to the Name of the Lord in all that we think, speak, or do. (I Cor.6:19,20/10:31)

The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, and the pursuit of riches is a snare. (Matt.6:24; Luke 16:3; I Tim. 6:6-10)

Friendship with the world, which hates the Lord Jesus Christ, is an act of treason against God. (Ex. 23:32; Deut. 7/12:29-32/18:9-13; Jn. 15:17-25; 2 Tim. 4:10; James 4:4; I Jn. 2:15,16)

However: We have lost our first love, having loved ourselves and brought dishonor to His Holy Name. (Rev.2:4) We have conformed ourselves to this world, by seeking acceptance, provision, and re

We have conformed ourselves to this world, by seeking acceptance, provision, and recognition from it. (Rom. 12:2)

We have substituted the fear of man for the fear of the LORD, and have chosen to walk in the ways of the world in lieu of the commandments of the LORD God.

We have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, deceiving our own souls, attempting to make ourselves wiser than God. We have worshipped the calf of gold, mammon, Baal, and Molech, the created, in lieu of the Creator. (Rom. 1:18-32)

We have forsaken the LORD for idols, which we have made in our own image, and He has turned us over to them for our own destruction. (Deut. 8:18-20/12:31)

We have brought upon ourselves the curse and judgment of Sovereign, Holy God.

THEREFORE:

We call upon the Covenant People of Sovereign God to humbly fall upon our faces before Him, to confess our sin and transgressions against His Righteous Law, to cry out to Him for mercy and forgiveness, trusting solely upon the finished saving work of the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of our souls, and to renew our covenant with Him by turning from our wicked way and henceforth walking in obedience before Him in accordance with His holy and righteous commandments. Only then will He hear our prayer, lift His curse upon us and replace it with His blessing, and send healing to our land. And then we will once again delight ourselves in the Law of the Lord, and He shall be our God, and we shall be His people, and He will lift us up, and all nations will fear Him, for He is the Awesome God and All-Consuming Fire, a terror to evildoers, but a Loving Father to His children. Soli Deo Gloria!

-Proclamation written by Joe Rogers from Dayton, Ohio-

ECCLESIASTICAL COURT

"Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?" (Psalms 94:3)

One of the highlights of the entire event, for me, was the Ecclesiastical Court. The power of God’s anointing was so strong that it was literally impossible for Refuse and Resist (a pro-abort, homosexual group) to open their mouths to interrupt the proceedings. Lord knows they tried, but their mouths were silenced as God’s presence was made manifest in our midst. The following was the Dayton Daily News’ account of the tribunal set up to hold Martin Haskell (inventor of the heinous Partial-Birth Infanticide technique) accountable for his sins against God and his crimes against humanity.

"After a week of protests, arrests, and services, the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue concluded street demonstrations in the Miami Valley on Friday by conducting a trial. Dr. Martin Haskell, who does late-term abortions at the Women’s Medical Center, 1401 E. Stroop Road, was held in contempt in the group’s Ecclesiastical Court for violating God’s law, "Thou shalt not kill."

Haskell, who was not at the center this week, was tried and convicted by nearly 200 anti-abortion supporters of all ages who stood in front of the Kettering Center with pictures of aborted fetuses and anti-abortion slogans.

Rusty Thomas, a minister in Waco, Texas, said the protesters were not there because they hate Haskell but because they love him. "Our call is for this man to repent. If he refuses, we ask God to deliver the innocent from his bloody hands," Thomas said. Supporters of the movement stood and waved Bibles, while others dropped to their knees praying for Haskell and their movement.

Abortion-rights activists said people shouldn't be fooled by what appears to be "nonviolent" or "Christian" rhetoric. Mary Lou Greenburg of New York, one of 15 abortion-rights activists and a member of Refuse and Resist said the anti-abortion forces are "vicious" and their movement calls for people to murder doctors and take away women’s rights to choose."

Operation Rescue and abortion-rights supporters stood in front of the Women’s Medical Center for three hours before traveling in a caravan to the Dayton Women’s Center on 1829 N. Main St. "We can’t shut these facilities down," said Flip Benham, director of Operation Rescue. "Our purpose is to allow theology to move from the churches of Jesus Christ into the (abortion clinics) gates of hell."

By the way, right next to this story was a little excerpt concerning a man who was going to be tried in Greene County on charges he arranged a "hit" on his unborn child. Douglas C. Moore Jr. 26, was indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit aggravated murder. Police said Moore offered an undercover officer $400 to kill the fetus being carried by his former girlfriend. Police said Moore feared the child would interfere with his life. Is it just me, or do these two articles next to each other vividly demonstrate the lunacy, schizophrenia, and absolute folly plaguing our nation today?

CHALLENGE ‘98

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

Calling all intercessors to pray for Challenge ‘98! Some wonderful opportunities have arisen to not only minister to and equip Christian families and church kids as they head back to school, but it looks like we will be ministering to a number of unsaved young people as well. One of the Waco police officers that is part of the program is going to round up the different at-risk youth groups throughout the city and bring them to "Challenge ‘98." Ken Silver, the former Hell’s Angel who now heads "Sons of Thunder" a Christian motorcycle group has volunteered to rally all the gang members in the projects where he works as a social worker. Together, a lot of kids who desperately need God’s touch, intervention, and revelation will be present at "Challenge ‘98." Please pray for this event that God would move mightily in the lives of all involved. We are believing God for a tremendous harvest of souls. Thank you!

For those in the Waco area, "Challenge ‘98" will commence on Saturday, August 9th, at 5-9:30pm located at the Waco Hall on the Baylor Campus. Please feel free to come out and be a part. Invite your church, youth group, family, and friends to come out and take the "Challenge." Hope to see you there!

LET MY PEOPLE GO

"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land." (Exodus 6:10,11)

Last month, I shared with you the vision of the "Let My People Go" conference. Pastor Johnny Hunter from Virginia will be our key-note speaker. The burning issues we will address are Biblical manhood, Racial reconciliation amongst God’s people, the abortion, racism connection promoted by Planned Parenthood, and a Biblical response to the "welfare state" that has enslaved millions to a life of sloth, violence, crime, and poverty. Our up-front expenses for a conference of this magnitude is approximately $2,000.00. If you as an individual, family, or as a church could help underwrite some of this expense, I’m sure the Lord and those benefited by this unique event will greatly appreciate it. Please make checks out to Christ in Action (our local outreach ministry in Waco) and on the memo designate it to "Let My People Go." Please consider helping us as we build some bridges, establish relationships, pull down strongholds, and prepare the way for God to mightily impact our city. Thank you!

IN KING JESUS’ SERVICE,

Rusty Lee Thomas