I have a story to tell you about people who wanted the freedom we now enjoy. When the English colonized America, they didn’t have enough soldiers or money to supply a military force. England was fighting an ongoing war with France for the Americas. What England did was sent arms and ammunition to the local government. The local government would form a militia to protect the colonies. Because the American Yankees were causing trouble by disrupting commerce, the English sent an army to Boston in 1775. The orders were to go to Concord where the state armory was and confiscate all arms and ammunition. A brigade of British regulars, red coats, left Boston in April of 1775 marching to Concord. Paul Revere and Thomas Dawes left Boston a few hours before the British and warned the people all along the way. Lexington was on the way to Concord. In Lexington the captain called out the militia, all 77 members. They were fathers, brothers, sons and neighbors. As they fell into formation with their squirrel guns and hunting rifles, 400 British regulars marched into Lexington. The captain told them not fire on the British. The British major told the group to surrender their arms. They didn’t move. Then a shot rang out. The British soldiers began firing on the Massachusetts National Guardsmen. 6 fell died and rest began to run as the British chased them. That day, 3900 National Guardsmen turned out and chased the British army of 1500 strong back to Boston. The British suffered over 300 causalities. The National Guardsmen suffered less than a 100 causalities. After the British army made it back to Boston. The British general Gates told a subordinate that the British army was defeated that day by an idea. And that idea was freedom.

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It is a day of celebration for the America people. We do whatever, listen to orchestras playing patriotic music or going to the beach. Of course there is a bar-b-que somewhere in there. Traditionally hamburgers and hot dogs are served with apple pie. It is a festive time for all of us. We are proud of what our forefathers have done for us. And it doesn’t matter where we came from. We all have part in this celebration. People from every nation on earth has come to this country for its freedom. In the dark days before WWII, President Roosevelt in January, 1941, gave his State of the Union address. In his speech he talked about four freedoms that the America people enjoy and that everyone should have. The four freedoms were the freedom of speech, freedom of worship, the freedom from want and the freedom from fear. I would like to recognize some people who have fought to preserve those freedoms. Like my cousin Charles who died in Thailand serving his country during the Vietnam War. And down to my children who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of my family has served this country defending our freedoms including myself. Freedoms are what we have because we live in this country. Where it was founded for that purpose. So today let us honor both the living and the dead who defended our right to freedom. And pray that God will keep our nation from destruction. Enjoy yourself because tomorrow there still is a lot of work to done in this nation. Like the people of WWII that came together as one to defeat a common enemy, like us come together as one. For there is nothing that can stop a nation united as one. I wish you a happy 4^th of July.

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When 9/11 happened, people became afraid of the unknown. The US began circling the wagons. And people went back to church to find answers. It filled the churches for about 3 months. The US took the fight to the enemy. The Glitch was coming in stronger. People began to see the US as their savior. The churches began to empty as fast as they were filled.  What is unfortunate is that 9/11 was just the opening volley. There has been a major disaster every year in the world since 9/11. If it isn’t a flood, it’s a fire. If it wasn’t a fire, it was tornados. Or it was hurricanes. Or it was a volcano or a Japanese nuclear plant exploding. After hurricane Katrina, I heard a few preachers saying that it was the hand of God. And I heard the religious community saying that it wasn’t God. You see those few preachers knew the truth. The others were just deceived. Let alone there were man-made disasters. I am speaking of our current national government. I have never seen any administration try to pull down this government as fast as these people. And the shame of it is that God put them into place because of us, because nobody is listening to God. It isn’t over yet. What is God going to have to do to get your attention? How would you like to become refugees like the Syrians? Did you know that the number 6 is the number of man? We have discussed the Glitch – the recurring error. The 1^st one was the love of money is the root of all evil. The 2^nd was replacing God with man. The 3^rd was refusing to listen to God when He is speaking to us. Despite what you think the only answer to any problem that man has is God Himself. This is the reason we were made to fellowship with God Himself.

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Saddam Hussein had overrun Kuwait. And he was threaten Saudi Arabia. America had to get involved in the conflict. President Bush formed a coalition of nations, both monetarily and militarily. It took two years but the Iraqi army was defeated. The 1990s became the decade of outreach. This new church had grown up. It was now time to put your money where your mouth is. Missionaries from every denomination was sent to every country in the world. The feeding programs were massive. The outreach was so great that African countries were sending missionaries to America. The work of God was endless. The glitch was growing. The fervor of the 1980’s was beginning to wane. People were getting dissatisfied with denominations. Independent churches began to rise up and met the need of the people. And these independent churches were Pentecostal with the Holy Ghost. But violence in this country was growing experientially. All because of no respect for life. This all came about because of the Roe vs. Wade decision of the US Supreme Court in 1973 which allow abortions. As it was in the 1^st century, Christianity came under attack. Christians were being attacked by demonic agendas. People began to wonder away from the Church. Until something horrible happened. The century had turn and a new president was elected. In his first term as a peace time president, he became a war time president. 9/11 happened. I’ll finish the story tomorrow.

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The 1980’s was a time of study. People were learning who they were in Christ and about who God really is. Many things happened in the world. The hostages were taken in Tehran, Iran. They were held for a year. When Ronald Reagan was elected president, he put a grip hold on the government of Iran. They released the hostages. There was a renewal in America. People were believing that America could great again. Several major events happened in America. After the hostages were released, President Reagan was shot after 70 days in office. Thank God he wasn’t killed. He recovered. In 1983 an event occur that change the world. The US Congress passed HR 535, the Year of the Bible. And the president signed it into law. For the 1^st time in 2000 years, a nation honored God. What happened next was amazing. The GNP rose to a rate higher than in the past 20 years, including the Vietnam War years. Churches were filled to capacity. God was honored and we received the benefits for it. We became a wealthy nation again. Then a scandal broke out in Washington, Iran/Contra. This was about the government secret plans to fund the Contra Indians in Guatemala to fight Sandinista Junta government in Nicaragua. It was a CIA operation to sell captured arms to fund the Contras. The glitch began to come in for money and power. That recurring error showed its ugly head again. Many people weren’t affected, but church attendance suffered. What happen next was the Gulf War and a new president. But God was beginning to mobilize his army throughout the world. I continue the story tomorrow.

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I have been tracking the activities of mankind for a while. I began to see a correlation between what was happening in Israel and the Christian Church. You would think that they aren’t related but they are. Pentecostalism wasn’t worldwide for hundreds of years. People became Christians but the power in the Church wasn’t there. Pentecostalism did break out in the 20^th century in America in the Azuza Street Revival. But it wasn’t worldwide. During the 6 Day war in Israel, the Israelites re-captured Jerusalem in 1967. Then began a spontaneous Revival from God Himself. People were being baptized in the Holy Spirit with tongues of fires upon their heads. Just as it was in the 1^st century with the Apostles in Jerusalem. The power of God came down from heaven to mankind. It went worldwide within a few years. In every denomination in the world was touched by God. Even denominations that don’t believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues received it. God didn’t leave out anyone. If you ask God for it, it happened in your life. The 1970’s became the decade of Great Revivals. Churches went up everywhere. People were coming to the Lord. Lives were being changed. This is where I came in. it was an exciting time. The presence of God was everywhere. People were excited and joyful. Even as the 70’s came to a close, the Church world was changing. If the Church was to be affective in our world they had to learn of God. So bible schools began to open all over the world. It was time to go to God’s school and learn. Even the Apostle Paul had to go back to school. For 14 years God taught him on the back side of the desert before he began his ministry. I’ll continue the story tomorrow.

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In the 1^st century, Ephesus was one of the largest cities of the times. Most people from every nation came to trade there. Anyone who had a mind for business made money. There were wealthy people in Ephesus. One reason that the Romans wanted to be there. They garrisoned the city and protect them for anyone attacking the city. It was almost like Rome itself. You could get anything you wanted. This is also why the Christian Church was based out of Ephesus. The Jewish people had revolted against Rome and their government was oppressive. So the Church moved to Ephesus. There still was a Church in Jerusalem, but it was very hard to function. The 1^st bishop of Ephesus was the Apostle John, brother of James, son of Zebedee. The Church in its beginning was great. They were powerful and effective. They had a large percentage of the population in the Church. The Church was wealthy also. It had money to do the work God called them to. They had the main Church and 6 satellite Churches. The seven churches in Asia where Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. This is where the glitch comes in. Somewhere in the middle of all this wonderful prosperity, the Church began to change. The focus became money and not God. They began to leave God out of the lives. They were too busy pursuing money. They lost a lot of their power. Once that went they lost their effectiveness. Persecution rose to a height that the people were killing Christians. In 90 AD, the city of Ephesus arrested John and put him on the Isle of Patmos to die. But God had other plans for John. There he wrote the Book of Revelation. It only took 40 years for the most powerful Christian Church to fail. You can read for yourself the story in the bible, the books of Ephesians and in Revelations. 40 years, in 1 generation there came a glitch in human history. And unfortunately it is a recurring error that happens throughout the history of mankind. For the love of money is the root of all evil. Not long after that the headquarters for the Christian Church moved to Alexandria, Egypt.

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For many years I have watched mankind as a whole. Looking at what people do consistently. Life as we know it is pretty regular. We go after the 3 basics, food, shelter and clothing. It seems that our lives are mundane or even boring. Unless something interrupts our daily lives. 200 t0 300 years ago, it would be a wagon train coming into town or a ship sailing into harbor. If you lived by the sea. Columbus watched the ships sail in and out of Genoa, Italy and discovered that the earth was round. A 100 years ago, it would be a circus that came to town or God forbid a war breaking out somewhere. Life would go along until something exciting came along. Some people like the routine of life. It makes them feel safe and secure. While others like the adventure and excitement of the unknown. But I have noticed a recurring cycle or error in the lives of mankind. The cycle is about 40 years. It is generally referred to as a generation. In that cycle is a glitch, a recurring error in every generation. I first discovered this glitch in a story over 2000 years ago. It is the story of Ephesus in Asia Minor. As the Roman army spread across the world, they would conquer countries. But if the city surrendered to them they wouldn’t destroy it. The Romans would collect a tribute and leave a garrison in the city. Ephesus was one of these cities. It was an important port city and very wealthy. When the Romans came, they brought their technology with them. Ephesus became a thoroughly modern city. They had features that we have today. Such as paved roads, running water, sewers, and even air conditioning. They had street lamps to light the main roads. They also had a large population. The city was over 100,000 people. The need for agricultural products was very great. The farming was very intense. The land around Ephesus was farmed so intently that there was a great amount of erosion. And all the run off went into the harbor. The harbor silted so badly that the city of Ephesus is now 10 miles from the sea. Their prosperity didn’t help them to survive for more than 60 years. I’ll finish the story tomorrow.

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Did you ever stand on the edge of a cliff to look down into the valley? It is called the brink. There are many beautiful views in the Great Smokey Mountains. I took a boat ride down the Pigeon River. It had was a class 3-4 whitewater rapid river. 2 of my sons and I rode the river. It was exciting. In the middle of August, the river was 65 degrees. It was cold. We just had to jump in and ride the river. I fell in the river and had an extremely hard time getting back to the boat. But I will do it again. I came to the brink and drove into it. During the 60’s, political activism was encourage for everyone to be involved in the shaping our country. Many pastors thought that this was a way to keep the influential power of the Church. It worked for a time because the general thought was that we are a Christian nation. Churches were involved in political campaigns. Many Christians won. More people were interested in programs than the Gospels. It was and is a popular way to run a church. It isn’t the first time this has happened. It happened in the 1^st century with the new Christian church. Ephesus was the center of Christianity in the 1^st century. It was a free Roman city. It was very wealthy and modern. It had paved roads, running water, sewers, street lamps and air conditioning. The agricultural was so extensive. They had to keep planting crops just to keep up with the demand. It caused erosion and silted the harbor. Ephesus is still there, but it is a city 10 miles from the sea. The Christians became obsessed with making money that they literally lost their way. They came to the brink. You can read the story in Ephesians and Revelations. In 40 years, Ephesus went from the most powerful Christian church, to a church on the brink of failure. And guess what it has happened again. Look around and see what is left of the Church in America. Jesus was very specific about this. He told them to return to their first love or He would remove their light from them.

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To err is human and to forgive is divine. It is a quote from Alexander Pope in the 18^th century England. He understood how important forgiveness is in one’s life. Knowing that we can be forgiven lifts such a great burden off of our lives. I understand this all too well. I thought I was going to die because in I was in such need of forgiveness in my life. When it came there was such a relief. It felt like I floated home. I have seen people crushed by the weight of their lives. Sometimes they just get into a death spiral and can’t get out. Not receiving forgiveness is a death spiral. So where do you go to get forgiveness? Jesus forgave a person’s sin and the religious leaders objected. Saying only God has the authority to forgive sin. They were right only God can forgive sin. And this is why God wants us to be like Him and forgive. Jesus said how can you say that you love God who you can’t see. And hate your brother who you can see. If we want to be like God, then we need to forgive. The disciples asked Jesus how often do we forgive someone who has sinned against us. They said 7 times. Jesus said 70 x 7.  Jesus came to this earth for several very important reasons. The 1^st and foremost was to die for the forgiveness of our sins. Then He came to show us how we can live just as God said. He is our example of what life is about. Forgiveness is part and parcel to our living. It is to be given and to be received in our lives.

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