2 SWORD OF THE LORD March 22 , 2023
Resurrection Sunday Upcoming
My , oh , my , what a Saviour we have and what a privilege to set aside a Sunday to celebrate His triumphant resurrection !
When Jesus died on the cross , He did it for us ( Gal . 4:4 , 5 ; Acts 2:36 ; 4:2 ; I Cor . 15:3 , 4 ); but after three days and three nights , He was out of the grave , alive and pressing on .
This year Resurrection Sunday is April 9 . Let ’ s all make a big todo about it by making much ado about the Saviour . Amen !
Revival Fire or Wildfire
Whether it is a managed fire or an unmanaged one , they both create smoke . One does good ; the other does not .
The burden for revival has been at the forefront of our concerns for decades . As we have watched our country over the years falter morally and spiritually , we have not lost sight of the nature of its decline and what it will take to fix it .
In a word , a genuine revival among God ’ s people would put our nation and its people back on a solid footing . A rekindling of the fire of God would be most welcome by a lot of us ; but if the fire is a wildfire , that ’ s a different matter .
Liberal Methodist College Claims Revival
In early February the news broke that a “ revival ” was underway at Asbury University in Wilmore , Kentucky ( suburb of Lexington ). Although the college website has virtually nothing about it , the ar - chived videos of the chapel services are there and I watched a couple of them . They showed that the music was contemporary styled almost totally , with some video clips showing the audience singing , dancing , etc .
Asbury University is a Methodistrelated school with a liberal and ecumenical track record . Some of the people associated with Asbury have reported on Twitter that some of these chapel “ revival ” services have been led by homosexuals .
So , Is It Real Revival ?
They are claiming that it is revival ; and the fact is , something is going on . The question is : What is it ? Is it genuine revival , or is it a wildfire ?
There is no question that America is ripe for revival . Many of the college campuses have been so far from God that anything fervently religious will get tagged as revival . The chapel services of many col - leges are dull , dry as powder and just plain dead .
A lot of the students have come from liberal , liturgicalstyled church es that are stilted and lifeless . Consequently , anything that resembles action or that gen - erates a bit of excitement would spark the interest of some of the students . I have no doubt that there is a hunger with many of these students , a spiritual hunger that they would like to satisfy .
In the Asbury case , time will tell . If it is real fire ; genuine , scripturallylegitimate revival , here are some things that should be evident .
1 . An awareness of sin should be so strong that known trans - gressions should be confessed to God and abandoned . As Jesus said , “ Go , and sin no more ” ( John 8:11 ).
2 . Scriptural mandates should be acknowledged and followed .
3 . There should be a setting aside of worldly influences in music , entertainment , personal attire , personal grooming and sinful habits ( alcohol , drugs , im - morality , etc .). There are scriptural instructions easily available on all of these matters . An article published by the Dissenter was headlined “ Revival Isn ’ t About Sitting Around Playing Acoustic Guitars and Singing Shallow Wor - ship Songs .” I wholeheartedly agree .
4 . Various Bible versions need to be replaced . All of the Bible quotes that I heard in the chapel videos were from weak , if not bad , translations or paraphrases of the Scripture .
5 . There should be a clear salvation ( gospel ) presentation . Many of these students are from denominational groups where they
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have been christened and con - firmed but never converted . A product of real revival would be very clear salvation messages with definite decisions to receive Christ as Saviour .
6 . There would be a correcting of doctrinal error . There is no real revival in salvation by works , bap - tismal regeneration , falling from grace and other obviously heretical views . I have not seen or heard any doctrinal corrections coming out of Asbury .
7 . In times of real revival , people get things right with God and right with one another . Again , time will tell .
Now , let me be clear . What I ’ ve seen of the Asbury “ revival ” does not have the appearance of real revival . If I could see the earmarks of real revival , I would stand up and eagerly embrace it . But frankly , Asbury doesn ’ t do it .
I ’ m sure that some of the students are sincere in their thirst for God , but it appears to me that they need to be drinking from a different fountain .
Wildfire burns out of control and leaves a path of burnout in its wake . If the fire at Asbury is real revival , it will allow the Word of God to have full charge . Wildfire is destructive , while a fire under control is constructive ( useful ).
Before anyone jumps on board , it would be wise to see which kind of fire this one is . After a couple of weeks , the “ revival ” at Asbury ended . At this point in time , it does not look like the real fire of genuine revival to me .
Dr . Max Barton Graduates to Heaven
One of our Sword of the Lord board members , Dr . Max Barton , graduated to Heaven on February 21 , 2023 , after a brief illness . I met Dr . Barton in 1980 and enjoyed a great friendship with him through all the years .
I preached numerous revivals for him at Festus , Missouri and at Greenville , North Carolina . He preached numerous times for me at Westminster , Maryland and in our National Sword of the Lord Conferences . He served several terms on the Sword board . He was a Christian gentleman , a solid fundamentalist and a very able pulpiteer . I was blessed by his friendship in many ways .
At his request , I was privileged to have a part in his funeral on February 24 at Second Baptist Church in Altoona , Alabama . The Lord used Dr . Barton in a tre - mendous way and all of us are better for having known him .
Super , Blessed Sunday , Central Baptist Church , Ocala , Florida
On the last weekend of February , Betty and I flew to Florida and spent some wonderful , blessed time at the Central Baptist Church of Ocala . Although I ’ ve been coming to Central Baptist for more than 20 years , it was Betty ’ s first time here . Dr . and Mrs . Bloom and the church family gave her a grand welcome with the same gracious , warm hospitality that I have en - joyed with them so many times .
Dr . Bloom , now in his 37th year as the pastor , continues to lead the church to take a solid stand and to continue reaching people . With a great location on Southeast 36th Avenue , Central Baptist Church is well located in Ocala .
Their Christian school , Ocala Christian Academy , has a current enrollment of 573 students .
The church has two radio stations , 91.5 FM and 107.1 FM . They carry
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Noteworthy News
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rhetoric .… But it seems that this coming generation still believes that there is a person who reminds us that there is a good and right way to live .”
— Ryan Foley , christianpost . com
Star Surfer Slams New Rule Allowing Men to Compete Against Women
One of the most well-known surfers in the world has publicly slammed a recent decision by the World Surf League to allow men to compete as women .…
…[ Bethany ] Hamilton ,… 32 ,… a wife and mom of three , released a video message on Instagram criticizing the WSL ’ s decision to allow socalled “ transwomen ” to compete against female surfers so long as their testosterone levels remain at or below five nmol / L for at least one year . WSL claimed that the rule change , which passed unanimously , now accords with “ Olympic guidelines .”…
Because of her concerns , Hamilton affirms in the close of the video : “ I personally won ’ t be competing in or supporting the World Surf League if this rule remains .”
Though Hamilton has received a lot of criticism on social media , including accusations of “ transphobia ,” she has also received an outpouring of support .
— Cortney Weil , theblaze . com
Pediatricians Appeal Case to Protect Conscience Rights
Shortly after President Joe Biden took office , he issued an executive order instructing his administration to reinterpret “ sex ” in federal law to include “ sexual orientation ” and “ gender identity .”
As it turns out , the Biden administration ’ s radical reinterpretation of the law also affects Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act ( ACA ). That means that doctors could be forced to act against their medical judgment , religious beliefs and conscience in performing controversial and often medically dangerous gender transition interventions on all kinds of patients — including children .
Otherwise , they could face huge financial penalties , loss of federal funding and even the removal of their ability to practice medicine in most settings .
That ’ s why Alliance Defending Freedom has filed suit in federal court against the Department of Health and Human Services on behalf of the American College of Pediatricians and the Catholic Medical Association .…
Founded in 2022 , [ the American College of Pediatricians ] is a group of concerned physicians who wanted to base its policies upon “ scientific truth ” and “ a framework of ethical absolutes ,” not “ the politically driven pronouncements of the day .”…
These unconstitutional mandates [ threaten not just ] doctors . They threaten their patients as well — children , in particular .
— ALLIANCE DEFENDING FREEDOM
Disney ’ s “ Firebuds ” Character Has Two Moms
Many parents have already found out that Disney Junior is no longer safe for young children . Now , Disney ’ s animated series Firebuds has added a same-sex couple to the program . One of the main characters , Violet , has two moms in the Vega-Vaughn family .
The creator of the show , Craig Gerber , tweeted , “ After I sold the # firebuds pitch , my 1st detailed show overview included Violet ’ s 2 moms . Disney gave us 100 % full support from day one . Thrilled to be making an inclusive show that reflects the diverse world we live in w / folks who care as much as I do .”…
1MM is concerned with the normalization of a sinful lifestyle choice during a children ’ s animated show designed for preschoolers . This type of sexuality should never be included in a children ’ s cartoon , much less praised .
— AMERICAN FAMILY ASSOCIATION
EDITOR ’ S COMMENTS : Once upon a time the word “ Disney ” meant family friendly , but obviously that was then — and the above is now .
TikTok and Other “ Prohibited Technologies ” Banned on All Texas State Devices
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has issued a statewide security plan that bans the use of TikTok on state devices , as well as prohibiting any state contractors from conducting state business using a device that has TikTok , the governor ’ s office announced .…
“ The security risks associated with the use of TikTok on devices used to conduct the important business of our state must not be underestimated or ignored ,” said Governor Abbott .…
Any device that is connected to the internet is included in the ban .…
“ Owned by a Chinese company that employs Chinese Communist Party members ,” the governor continued , “ TikTok harvests significant amounts of data from a user ’ s device , including details about a user ’ s internet activity .”…
Federal lawmakers are also proposing a national ban on TikTok for any device in the United States , after passing the No TikTok on Government Devices Act in December 2022 .
— Andrew Chapados , theblaze . com
EDITOR ’ S COMMENTS : If you or your family are in any way engaged on TikTok , it is our strong advice that you disengage from it promptly .
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