Volume 13 Issue 8 - August 1998 EL SHADDAI Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hand..." (Isaiah 49:15,16a) Typically, our newsletters are written to diagnose the moral ills that plague America and to call the Church to repent for providing the spiritual climate that allowed these unspeakable evils to take root and to flourish in our midst. We have, by God’s conviction upon our souls, put the trumpet to our mouths to warn this nation of impending judgments and to call the Church to obedience in order to stand in the gap, to make up the hedge, and to give God a good reason to show mercy to a nation that is provoking His wrath upon our heads. Obviously, there are not a lot of people banging down our door, nor jumping with glee to join our ranks. In fact, I would dare to say that Gideon was over staffed in comparison to those God has called in this hour to be a prophetic witness to a nation that has abandoned Him and to a Church that doesn’t seem to care. At least, not yet! We have consistently preached that God is love, not based upon sentimentalism, nor based upon permissiveness, but upon the sure foundation of God’s truth contained in His Word. We have revealed God as a Father who loves us enough to take us to the woodshed if and when we need it. As Proverbs 3:11,12, confirms, "My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth." We have declared that a true sign of God’s love upon an individual, a family, a church, and a nation is that you’re not allowed to get a way with doing evil. Biblically, a sign of God’s love is His restraint upon the souls of men to correct and deter them from their destructive ways. Conversely, a sure sign God’s love is missing is when people in the vanity of their darkened minds think they can sin with impunity, while plunging headlong into perdition, unrestrained by God’s convicting power. On this point, the Scriptures affirm, "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth."(Heb.12:6) It goes on to teach, if people are without God’s chastisements then they are illegitimate children, void of God’s correcting and restraining love. (Hebrews 12:8) I know the messages I preach and write are not easy to receive, nor are they easy to give, but I believe they are necessary in light of the times in which we live. There is no question, these are perilous times facing America with a number of possible national disasters knocking at our corporate door. Therefore, I’m convinced that God is calling us to not only be faithful to warn of impending judgments and chastenings, but to also declare God’s loving care and maintenance of His people in these perilous times. You see, God has not only revealed Himself as a loving Father that disciplines His children, but mother who cares deeply for the plight of her children. According to our opening text in Isaiah, we may live in a time when parents, in particular mothers, may forget and abandon their children, but God promises never to forget nor to abandon us. He promises to nurture, protect, and provide for those who have put their trust in the Almighty. In fact, even if the Lord’s anger is unleashed upon a nation, God declares He can still remain a hiding place for His people who are committed to His holiness and righteousness. (Zephaniah 2:1-3) Obviously, it behooves us then to ensure we are meeting the requirements to find refuge once God’s terrible sword is unsheathed and being wielded by the One who judges and makes war in righteousness (Revelation 19:11). Brethren, the bottom line is, we must trust that what God began in us, He is able to develop and complete until the day of Jesus Christ. (Galatians 1:6) Regardless of what may befall our beloved land, our Lord is both the source and sustainer of our physical and spiritual life. He is committed to the nurture, discipline, and care of His people. He has promised not to leave us as orphans in a hostile world. We must hold on to these precious truths, especially when everything around us seems to be contrary against us. We must still recognize that even in the battle or in the storms of life, there is still a secret place that God bids His children to come. We must be convinced in our faith that God is watching over our lives, our salvation, and our future, though for a season we may be afflicted and surrounded by great and numerous calamities. Brethren, there is one Hebrew name for God that will summarize and fully communicate the heart of this article. The name is El Shaddai. This name provides a glorious window to understand how the Creator of the heavens and the earth longs to relate to His people. The word "El" is a shortened form of Elohim. It denotes and sets forth the might, the strength, and the excellent majesty of our great King and Lord. "Shad" is the Hebrew word for breast. That is why some theologians interpret El Shaddai as the "Breasty One." In any case, Shaddai pictures God’s fullness, His All-Sufficiency, His bounty, His generosity, and His desire to nurture us, to make us fruitful, in this life and in the life to come. In this one name, God’s attributes of might and tenderness are brought together. This one name reveals God as a powerful Father and a nurturing Mother. I pray this revelation will encourage you to live by faith and not fear, to never lose hope, nor allow your love to grow cold in the midst of a perverse and wicked nation. Remember my brothers and sisters, El Shaddai loves you!!! DOES CHARACTER COUNT? "Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." (Matthew 7:17-20) Before I delve into this subject and add my two cents to the national debate that is asking this weighty question, let me make an opening disclaimer concerning Mr. Clinton. President Clinton is not the problem with America and no other candidate that the two-party system presents to the American people for voting consideration will be the answer. America is way beyond a political, financial, and educational solution to what ails us. All that remains to rescue our beleaguered nation is a sweeping revival that will awaken the moral conscience of the American people. A move of God to usher in the much needed reformation to restore our land. No, Bill Clinton is not the root of the problem, he is the fruit of the problem. Bill Clinton is the personification of the moral or should I say immoral "State of the Union Address." He is first of all God’s judgment on our land. According to the Scriptural pattern, a sign that God is displeased with a nation is when he removes competent, righteous, valiant leaders and gives you over to weak, inept, wicked rulers. (Isaiah 3) He is also the Lord’s rebuke to the Church of Jesus Christ. Conservative Christians can demons Clinton all they like, but that doesn’t remove God’s warning through this corrupt administration that the Church is going the wrong way and was a major contributing factor to Clinton’s rise to power. Allegorically, Bill Clinton is Balaam’s donkey that God used to speak to a wayward prophet that was about to head into a collision course with the dread Sovereign of the Universe. Balaam thought by beating the donkey that would alleviate his problems. So it is today, many Christian and conservative groups who fill their coffers by beating the President think they can alleviate the problems with America by pursuing this same foolish course. Unfortunately, many of us are just as blind as Balaam when it comes to the understanding that the president is not the problem, we are. The bottom line is, Bill Clinton is God’s x-ray into the heart of America that reveals the moral sickness that is plaguing our nation for abandoning God and for trashing His Laws. He is a prophetic warning that the bridge is out up ahead and we need to turn around before it is too late. I believe it is imperative that the American people understand that Bill Clinton is not the only one being investigated and on trial here today. The truth is our entire nation is on trial. For us to even have a debate whether character counts is an admission of how far we have fallen. It is also an indictment against our inability for self-government, (the very cornerstone of our Republic) the breakdown of family government, the failure of church government to be salt and light to the culture, and the abdication of civil government to uphold God’s Laws. These sacred institutions that God established for our benefit and for His pleasure were to uphold what is noble and honorable amongst men and to restrain that which is base and destructive. Here we have a nation that openly believes the president is a liar and an adulterer, but could care less about the implications of that belief. We pretend what a man does in his private life has no connection, nor any effect upon his public life. People actually believe you can be dishonorable in private and still maintain a facade of honorability in public. That may work for Hollywood and the spin-doctors in Washington DC, but it is failing miserably as our nation has become an embarrassment to the rest of the world. Besides that, all the mental gymnastics in the world, all the double standards we invent, and all the spin we can conceive, will never be able to withstand the blazing scrutiny of God’s justice. Each of us will stand in the Court of the Most High God to give an account for our public as well as our private lives. Every thought, deed, and action will be exposed, weighed, and judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ and none of us will escape that appointment, not even Slick Willy! Brethren, Jesus settled this issue a long time ago in the Sermon on the Mount. A good tree produces good fruit. What a person is in private will eventually reflect what he is in public. A corrupt tree produces evil fruit. Ultimately, everything done in secret will be exposed and be made manifest. (Mark 4:22) Jesus declared, "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things." (Matthew12:34,35) The heart of man is the most private place in the world, but life with all its uncertainties, pressures, and challenges will always be faithful to show us and eventually the public what we are truly made of. In fact, the day will come when our own words will tumble out of our hearts to betray and expose us. Like a powerful prosecuting attorney our own words will declare us guilty of hypocrisy and condemn us for trying to live a double life. By the way, hypocrisy is what we’re promoting as national policy when we allow men to separate their private life from their public life. We are endorsing the notion that a man can wear a mask in public that will shield us from the truth of what he is in private. This is an ill-advised policy that is a recipe for national disgrace and disaster. God help us! This moral dilemma which has defiled the highest office in the land and made our nation the brunt of every lewd joke is yet another penalty for rejecting the standards of the Bible and the lessons from history. The Bible teaches that God holds leaders, rulers, and to those who instruct others to a higher standard. Their lives come under a greater magnifying glass. That is why there are certain requirements for civil and church leadership that are not required by God for lay people and the common citizens. It is also why God warns in James 3:1, "My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation." According to God, those in leadership are not called to uphold a lesser standard, but to uphold a higher one. They are to be aware that their lives will be subject to greater scrutiny and judgment as one who stands in the place of authority. That is why civil rulers are to be men who are just, ruling in the fear of God. (2 Samuel 23:3) In Exodus 18:21, the Lord confirms this criteria for civil leaders by declaring, "Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, (this reveals a representative form of government) such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness..." The reason for these requirements should be self-evident, but just in case you are a victim of public school, let me spell it out for you. God knows the propensity within men to err, sin, be selfish and to become completely depraved in their dealings with their fellow man. God knows the pressures, the special interests, and the financial incentives of bribes to distort justice, to blind the eyes of the wise, and to pervert the words of the righteous. (Deuteronomy 16:19) He knows that power has an intoxicating and destructive effect upon men who are not curtailed by the restraints, qualifications, and conditions that God expects from those who would dare to be leaders. Otherwise, men would naturally abuse their power to advance injustice and tyranny amongst the very ones they claim to serve and lead. In Proverbs 16:12, the Lord declares, "It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established by righteousness." The word of God goes on to teach that it is this very righteousness that exalts a nation, that brings stability to a nation, that brings soundness to a nation ,and that brings peace to a nation. But sin, the willful breaking of God’s Laws, the disregard for God’s standards and the rejection of God’s morality, will inevitably bring reproach, instability, and chaos to any people. (Proverbs 14:34) Today’s headlines confirm this truth. We will move now from the biblical perspective of "Does Character Count?" to the historical one. Our Founding Fathers knew the importance of private virtue as it relates to public service. John Jay, who was our first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, made this profound statement on October 12, 1816. "Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers." Could you imagine the uproar and fervor that would be created if a Supreme Court Justice gave that same admonishment today? All the multi-cultural, diversity groups would politically lynch a judge if he dared to utter such "intolerable nonsense." No! No one in today’s political climate would dare suggest that this nation was founded as a Christian nation and that it would be beneficial for American citizens to elect Christians to be our rulers. No! None would dare suggest this, therefore America continues to wallow in the midst of the most corrupt administration to curse these shores. But wait, I have even more shocking politically incorrect history to reveal. Before the current Constitution eradicated its practice, did you know that our other founding documents and State Constitutions required a religious affirmation to hold public office? Our forebearers were so convinced of the need to have godly moral men in public office they instituted a public confession of faith before you could be sworn in to serve in civil government. Case in point, the Constitution of the State of Delaware stated: Every person who shall be chosen a member of either house, or appointed to any office or place of trust...shall...make and subscribe the following declaration, to wit: "I_______do profess faith in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ His only Son, and in the Holy Ghost, one God, blessed for evermore; I do acknowledge the holy scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by divine inspiration." Based on this criteria, I wonder how many people would remain in public office today? How about the State Constitution of Massachusetts which demanded a declaration of: I believe in the Christian religion and have firm persuasion of its truth? Or what about the Tennessee Constitution which stated: No person who denies the being of God, or a future state of rewards and punishments, shall hold any office in the civil department of this State? Brethren, the arrogance of the modern may think character doesn’t count to our national shame, but biblically and historically it does, big time! Our private lives are the proving ground for our public life. Our private life is the test of our true character and all the media spin in the world won’t be able to sanitize it. We must awaken to the hard truth that we can’t export in public what isn’t working at home in private. That being the case, how about America setting a new goal? Instead of lowering the standards to see how far we can sink and still remain in power, how about making a commitment that by God’s grace, we will all seek for those who know us the best, to love and respect us the most? That we all seek substance instead of image? That we would commit to pleasing God and not man? That we would seek the praise of God, instead of the praises of man? If all of us would seek God to fulfill these simple goals, then maybe, just maybe, God in His infinite mercy would restore integrity, credibility, and honor to His Church, our public discourse and to our political institutions once again. Christ in Action News Release Attention: Assignment Editor For Immediate Release 7/6/98 Nobody's Fool The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God. (Psalms 14:1) On Wednesday, July 8th, 1998, at 7:30am and noon the same day, Christ in Action, along with concerned parents and dedicated young people, will be on hand to offer the truths of God's word to the participants at Planned Parenthood's "Nobody's Fool." "We will be there to countermand the irresponsible, misleading, and destructive sexual philosophy promoted by Planned Parenthood," said Rusty Lee Thomas, the Director of Christ in Action. "We want the kids to understand that there is no such thing as safe sex, because there is no such thing as safe sin. A condom is not only insufficient in stopping pregnancy and STD'S, but a condom can never protect a young person's broken heart from the ravages of pre-marital sex." The following is just the tip of the iceberg concerning the results of Planned Parenthood's "success" in Sex Education.
Planned Parenthood promised the world to solve STDs, unwanted pregnancies, child abuse, and other assorted maladies that afflict mankind. All they need is more money, more government programs, and our children to bring their utopian dream to fruition. Unfortunately, that dream has turned into a nightmare and our kids are the ones that continue to suffer as we subject them to Planned Parenthood's bizarre, godless social experimentation. Planned Parenthood is not the answer, but a major organization that is compounding the problem. When will we awaken and deliver our children from those who distribute condoms and peddle birth control which inevitably ensures Planned Parenthood will have future clients to support their bloody and grisly business called ABORTION? For more information and interviews contact Rusty Lee Thomas at 836-1037. Christ in Action, P.O. Box 3126, Waco, TX. 76707 We recently sent this press release out and had a powerful time confronting the lies of the enemy by exposing the truth to the unsuspecting young that Planned Parenthood was targeting. Annually, Planned Parenthood sponsors the "Nobody’s Fool" event to indoctrinate children to their godless sexual philosophy that ensures they will have future clients patronizing their bloody abortion mills. This message went out through TV, radio, newspaper, and on the streets of Waco. A bus load of kids left, along with many parents who refused to drop their kids off to an organization that promotes racism, lies, and abortion. There is one other powerful quote that our local paper printed, much to my surprise, it stated, "Thomas said, according to Planned Parenthood, the problem is teen-age pregnancy. But pregnancy is not the problem. The child in the womb is not the problem. The problem is pre-marital sex. The problem is fornication." As a result of this outreach, Planned Parenthood’s numbers were way down. They had a pick-up full of lunches left over. Praise be to God! THE HARVEST "Say not ye, there are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? Behold, I say unto you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields: for they are white already to harvest." (John 4:35) My family and I just recently returned from a ministry trip that covered the states of Oklahoma, Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama. Before we left out for these states, I traveled to Chicago to be with my good friend, Pastor Bonner from the Christian Fellowship Church. We had a wonderful time together, though there was a major trial of sickness that Pastor Bonner endured and is now recovering from. Please pray for this man of God. He is a dear friend whom I deeply love and respect. Though he was dangerously ill, we still had a powerful outreach on the streets, at an abortion mill, and in the church. One episode stands out as a highlight of my time in Chicago. Pastor Bonner had just finished preaching at a wake for one of the charter members of his church when we left the funeral home to witness a gang of young people being dispersed by the police. As I looked on their faces, I was reminded of my hoodlum days growing up in Bridgeport, Connecticut. While pondering my past and the plight of these precious young people in the inner city of Chicago, the Lord brought a Scripture to my remembrance, "And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us." (Matthew 20:6,7a) Prompted by the Spirit of God we went to inquire of these young people what they were doing with the life God gave them. We then began to challenge them that there was a destiny to fulfill, a battle to fight, an enemy to take on and take out, a heaven to gain, and a hell to shun. While we were preaching young people began to gather around us. They came by car, on foot, and by bike. Before we knew it, we were completely surrounded by young people hungry for the truth of the Gospel of the Kingdom. When it was all said and done, every single young person responded to the call and surrendered their lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Before we left, some of them came to Pastor Bonner to plead with him to come back and be with them again. Pastor Bonner has already responded and is preparing to follow up with their request. Praise be to God! The next day we went back to the inner-city to have a Holy Ghost prayer meeting at 6am. We prayed for two hours and then showed up at an abortion mill with about fifty saints filled with the Holy Ghost. I can tell you, it wasn’t killing as usual on that day. We know of one baby that will live to see the light of day and perhaps there were others that only heaven will reveal. On Sunday, I preached two messages. The first one was the "Battlefront" and the second was "The Homosexual Agenda." If you would like a copy of these messages just request them via the return envelope and will send them out to you. ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST "...I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18b) I bring you good news of glad tidings. Another giant in the abortion industry has just bitten the dust and has been closed. Health Resources (DHR) has forced the most notorious and busiest abortion mill in Atlanta, Georgia, Midtown Hospital to shut down. Their report reads like a horror novel. It documents the butchery of women, filthy conditions, and careless attitudes by the abortionists and employees. Faithful Christians who lived out their faith for years are rejoicing and are extremely grateful for the Lord bringing this Goliath down to end this mill’s reign of terror. Two committed sidewalk counselors, Michael and Michelle Wolven testify, "Proclaim our love of our Lord with all our heart and praise Him with all our breath. He did not bring the smallest of abortion mills down (although I don’t think He sees them in any different light), but He brought down the Goliath." Praise God for this powerful victory! Keep pressing on! IN KING JESUS’ SERVICE, Rusty Lee Thomas |