January 21, 2022 | Page 2

2 SWORD OF THE LORD January 21 , 2022
As the World Churns
Some of you will remember the old way of making butter . With milk in a jar you shake it vigor - ously for a period of time . It takes a while , but the churning will eventually turn the milk to butter .
Others of you have been on the ocean when the sea became turbulent . The churning of the waters gave you a very rough ride .
Well , the term also applies to the ongoing , noisy , boisterous upheaval here in America and in numerous other nations across the globe . We are living in a time when the chickens are coming home to roost .
Disorder , distrust , dysfunction and other like matters are no longer the exception ; they are the rule . Hate and hostility , vengeance and violence , atheism and anarchy , vitriol , lies and thuggery are com - monplace . Death and destruction are now a societal pandemic .
Our planet makes a full revolu tion on its axis once every twenty-four hours , but our society is spinning out of control every hour of the day . Walking down the street in broad daylight is no longer safe . Children playing in their own yards are at risk . Businesses are subjected to shoplifting , holdups and the smash-and-grab mobs .
In a word , you could say our world is on fire . The problem is it is the wrong fire . Left to them - selves , the people in our world will spin out , their lives will end and they will live forever in the fiery domain of an eternal Hell ( Luke 16:19 – 31 ).
The perpetrators of this world ’ s churning — the atheist , the humanist , the secularist , the evolutionist , the God-denier , the Christ-rejecter , the Bible hater — are all in this world ’ s fire ; but they are headed for the bottomless pit of that eternal Hellfire .
Another Fire Is Missing
When Jeremiah said , “ His word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones “ ( Jer . 20:9 ), he disclosed that he had some - thing that we all need . When the excitement of being saved ebbs away , it is a sad indicator that your fire is not burning brightly . When a church drags through service after service with empty altars , dry baptistries and no new babes in Christ , someone needs to re - kindle the fire .
As a preacher matures , he needs to be careful to keep that spiritual fire burning in his soul . When he takes to the pulpit and opens his mouth to preach , it ought to be evident that the Holy Spirit is creating a combustion in him .
When the fire goes out in the preacher and the folks at the church , the darkness will overtake the area . Fire provides light and dispels the darkness .
You and I have a Saviour . We are saved . We have been forgiven and we are in the family of God . We are Heaven bound . We can be filled ( anointed ) with the Holy Spirit . We have the pure Word of God and the Gospel that is available for everybody . Oh , dear friend , pile all of that up like cord - wood , light it up with the unction of the Lord and let your fire burn .
Our churning world cannot help itself . It is on a collision course from which it cannot extricate itself . There is only one way of escape for them . You and I have the answer , the only solution , for them .
“ For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ : for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth ; to the Jew first , and also to the Greek .”— Rom . 1:16 .
“ For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received , how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures ;
“ And that he was buried , and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures .”— I Cor . 15:3 , 4 .
That ’ s it ! Let ’ s get with it and get the job done that our Lord gave us to do .
The Churning and the Burning
This old sin-sick , Devil-crazed world will continue its hopeless churning until the trumpet of
( USPS 531-160 ) ( ISSN 0039-7547 ) AMERICA ’ S FOREMOST REVIVAL PUBLICATION DR . JOHN R . RICE , Founder-Editor 1934-1980 DR . CURTIS HUTSON , President-Editor 1980-1995
DR . SHELTON SMITH , President , Editor
MARLON SMITH , Executive Vice President and General Manager BART WALKER , Treasurer JIMMY BARRETT , Director of Marketing and Customer Service CALEB PENLAND , Director of Development and Circulation
CONTACT US
Customer Service
Book sales , Subscriptions , Address changes , Gifts
800-247-9673 fax 615-278-1309 customerservice @ swordofthelord . com
Advertising 615-893-6700 fax 615-895-7447 advertising @ swordofthelord . com
Conferences 615-893-6700 fax 615-895-7447 conference @ swordofthelord . com
Editorial 615-893-6700 fax 615-895-7447 editorial @ swordofthelord . com
Correspondence to columnists should be sent in care of the Sword of the Lord , PO Box 1099 , Murfreesboro , TN 37133-1099 .
Web Site www . swordofthelord . com
SUBSCRIPTION RATES United States : one year $ 19.95 Canada and Foreign : $ 29 U . S . per year
SWORD OF THE LORD is published semimonthly by the Sword of the Lord Foundation , 224 Bridge Avenue , Murfreesboro , TN 37129 . Periodicals Postage Paid at Murfreesboro , TN and at additional mailing offices .
POSTMASTER : Send address changes to : Sword of the Lord PO Box 1099 Murfreesboro , TN 37133-1099
Publication Mail Agreement # 41347012
Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to : PO Box 503 RPO West Beaver Creek Richmond Hill , ON L4B 4R6
Heaven announces our Lord ’ s return . We can ’ t stop the churning ; but if we get our hearts burning and our ministries on fire , we can “ rescue the perishing ; care for the dying ” ( Fanny Crosby ) one person at a time .
God is powerful , the Gospel is powerful and the Word of God is powerful . The Lord has promised His power to us if we simply do His bidding .
Here are His orders .
“ And Jesus came and spake unto them , saying , All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth .
“ Go ye therefore , and teach all nations , baptizing them in the name of the Father , and of the Son , and of the Holy Ghost :
“ Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you : and , lo , I am with you alway , even unto the end of the world . Amen .”— Matt . 28:18 – 20 .
“ And he said unto them , Go ye into all the world , and preach the gospel to every creature .”— Mark 16:15 .
“ And said unto them , Thus it is written , and thus it behoved Christ to suffer , and to rise from the dead the third day :
“ And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations , beginning at Jerusalem .
“ And ye are witnesses of these things .
“ And , behold , I send the promise of my Father upon you : but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem , until ye be endued with power from on high .”— Luke 24:46 – 49 .
“ Then said Jesus to them again , Peace be unto you : as my Father hath sent me , even so send I you .”— John 20:21 .
“ But ye shall receive power , after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you : and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem , and in all Judæa , and in Samaria , and unto the uttermost part of the earth .”— Acts 1:8 .
Could it be any more clear ? Our world has lit itself on fire , a wildfire that destroys everything it touches . It is a destructive force to every - thing it touches .
In glorious contrast , the fire of God is a controlled fire that pro - vides light and warmth . When used properly , it generates power . It is that fire that you and I can use to fulfill the duties that the Lord has committed to us .
Let ’ s Stoke the Fire All Year Long
I know it is wintertime , but it is a good time — yes , a good time to preach the Bible , knock on doors , win souls , run bus routes and stir the children of God to action .
The Sword of the Lord Can Help You Light the Fire
Yes , we can help you individually and we can help your church .
1 . Order a bundle of the Sword of the Lord to distribute to your church .
2 . Order a larger bundle of the Sword of the Lord to give out all over town .
3 . Get the Sword Soul Winner ’ s Club Training and start training soul winners . See my 45-minute introduction to the Soul Winner ’ s Club Training on YouTube or other social media outlets .
4 . We have 259 individual titles of pamphlets and booklets on a wide variety of topics . Give them out to the folks at church and in your town .
5 . We also have gospel tracts Continued on p 3▶
Noteworthy News
■ Continued from p 1■
less dangerous than previous variants , particularly the Delta variant which it is in the process of displacing .
— Leon Wolf , theblaze . com
Rocks and Trees With Legal Rights
The radical “ Environmental Justice ” agenda is one of the many pet projects packed inside … “ Build Back Better ” ( BBB ) bill . “ Environmental Justice ” is a movement advocating that rocks , trees and water should have constitutional rights — just like humans !
… This bill … erases human rights in favor of pushing rights for rivers and trees while wasting trillions of dollars to radicalize the next generation of Americans .…
The BBB bill grants 10 billion dollars to push “ environmental justice ” in our colleges and universities as a credit program to indoctrinate students and promote the policies of the Green New Deal .
… It is insane to think that rocks , trees and water have constitutional rights just like human beings .
Environmental Justice is a radical movement that is infiltrating college campuses and this movement will get a big boost if the BBB bill passes .
— LIBERTY COUNSEL
Communist Tyrant Kim Jong-un , Public Executions
North Korea has publicly executed at least seven people in the past decade caught watching or distributing … videos from South Korea , a human rights group said … as part of a new report investigating statesanctioned killings under leader Kim Jong-un .
… The Seoul-based … group claimed that North Korea ’ s … leader has responded to international scrutiny over the country ’ s human rights abuse record by clamping down on information leakage and selecting execution sites that are easier for his government to control .
… The … group said it was able to account for at least 23 public executions over the last 10 years , seven of which were carried out simply for engaging with South Korean pop culture entertainment — including songs , movies and TV dramas .
— Phil Shiver , theblaze . com
California Demands Church Pay $ 3.8 Million in COVID Fines Even Though SCOTUS Struck Down Its Worship Ban
All they did was meet together for worship .… Then the government started fining them . Now officials have shown up with a warrant and are interrogating their employees . The worst part of all is that the Supreme Court has twice ruled in favor of Calvary Chapel San Jose , yet still state and local governments are harassing them .
… Six justices curtly overruled the county ’ s worship ban , perhaps annoyed by the brazen way in which the county flaunted their earlier decision .
But the county still wants to extort their pound of flesh . They insist the church must pay $ 3.8 million in bogus fines because the church refused to comply with the unlawful worship bans .
— Joshua Arnold , lifenews . com
Texas Building Its Own Border Wall to Curb Illegal Immigration
Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that the state has begun construction on a border wall .…
… Abbott announced …, “ Biden allows open border policies and refuses to enforce laws passed by Congress to secure the border and enforce immigration laws . Texas is stepping up to do the federal government ’ s job .”
— Ryan Foley , christianpost . com
Texas City Settles Lawsuit for Charging Churches Higher Water Rates Than Businesses
A Texas town has reached a settlement with three churches in which the local government agreed to modify its water rate system that previously charged houses of worship a higher rate than area businesses .
The city of Magnolia agreed to a settlement … in response to the lawsuit .…
In May 2019 , the three churches sued Magnolia over a local ordinance for tax-exempt entities that increased water use fees by changing their status from “ commercial ” to “ institutional .”
— Michael Gryboski , christianpost . com
EDITOR ’ S COMMENTS : Churches should not have to go to court over such things ; but in the twenty-first century you may have to do it in order to get equal , fair treatment .
San Francisco Unlawful Discriminatory Treatment of Vax Mandates
The City of San Francisco decreed a vaccine mandate for all employees . No religious exemptions are allowed — unless one belongs to Louis Farrakhan ’ s Nation of Islam , Christians and Jews [ need not apply ].…
Continued on p 13 ▶