Rom 15:13, Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
In the early 1990’s I was doing some teacher subbing in the Amarillo public schools to supplement my income while building a new church. I distinctively remember one 5th grade class and how God took control.
Although this was a secular public school class, God was not intimidated by man’s laws of separation of church and state. For the next few hours, this class of spiritually starved children opened up their hearts to someone who dared to talk about God with them.
They unloaded so many heart breaking stories of twisted home lives and disingenuous adults in their lives that I was taken to my knees by their truthfulness and sincerity and pain. Children in my American city, exposing the things I had only read in news papers and books.
Eventually the Spirit of God took control and opened up their minds and let them see the hope and comfort that Jesus offers. What I saw happen revealed the truth of the word of God. With these confessions, came the grace of God and He allowed everyone of these public school children to hear the gospel and receive prayer for their needs.
As the Holy Spirit released the class, there remained a glimmer of hope in their eyes. They made comments to me, not about being offended by what we just discussed, but about how they were going to pray for their mom or dad or some family member, how they were not going to let the devil bother them anymore.
Hope came that day to a classroom of 5th graders in the midst of a godless educational system. May we today find hope in the midst of our godless environments.
We have been fooled to think that we are still living in a society influenced by Christianity. I cannot agree with that because the bible teaches us that it is not what goes into the mouth, it is what comes out of the mouth….
Mat 15:16-20, And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.
The evidence of Christian influences is fading fast as the evidences of corruption spills out from all aspects of our society. Yes, this has been going on for years and you can continue to spew this excuse out if it comforts you. If we cannot see the signs of the times by now, chances are, we will never see them or at least not until the enemy is upon us.
But hope is still alive and available through Christ. Hope for our life, for our families, for our neighbors, for our cities, for our Nation, and for the whole Human race. Without hope in Christ, we have nothing but this world to trust in and that is an awful thought indeed.
Our hope though is not in the thought of Jesus Christ and not in the man Jesus Christ. Our hope is in the eternal Son of God Jesus Christ who not only comforts us in this life but takes us into the presence of God when we pass from this life, this is the hope in Christ that we have, praise God.
1Co 15:19, If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
1Co 15:22-26, For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
Pray one for another, PRAY!
