Stand Up For Small Business In California – Allow Them To Reopen NOW Safely (PETITION)
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Fire, Mudslides and #METOO: Is God Punishing California?
-Previously published Op-Ed for: Charismanews.com
Referring to God as a Reactionary seems odd, even to the writer. The term “reactionary” is mostly used in the context of politics. But then again, maybe it is the right word. We tend to be guided more by cultural theology than a biblical view of God.
As a resident of Southern California, I find myself on the receiving end of questions regarding how God works. The questions poised always seem to come back to God’s displeasure with Los Angeles, politics and entertainment. The questions, by the way, increase in proportion to the number of fires, earthquakes or mudslides.
The Christian community has its stock answers for why bad things happen and finds satisfaction, if not superiority, in being able to know the ways of God. Those answers, I might add, never satisfy the skeptic or the serious student of the Word of God.
When a missionary suffers loss or death in a fire, flood or earthquake, is that the judgment of God for their sin and rebellion? Or is that the work of Satan? I choose to embrace a theology that God is good. A.W. Tozer says that when we speak of God as good, we refer to His essential nature:
“Divine goodness, as one of God’s attributes, is self-caused, infinite, perfect and eternal. Since God is immutable, He never varies in intensity of His loving-kindness. He has never been kinder than He is right now, nor will He ever be less kind.”
The goodness of God is the foundation of our faith and our expectation. When we begin with the idea of a God who always does good and who loves us, then our expectation meets our experience. That simple shift in thinking is remarkably powerful because it realigns us with God’s eternal kingdom. We begin to operate from a perspective of abundance and favor instead of a perspective of poverty and struggle.
Some people embrace a theology that God inflicts evil on people to teach them a lesson or to make them holy. This view usually fails to take into account the consequences of living in a “fallen” world that is imperfect.
As a Christ-follower, I embrace that God is all-powerful and sovereign over all things. However, the use of His power is qualified by His other attributes like mercy and love. When we isolate one of His attributes from the rest of His character we cast God in a non-biblical light and make it difficult to understand His love.
How to Spot the Poverty Spirit
-Previously published Op-Ed for: Charismanews.com
A poverty spirit is easy to spot. It shows up in both the Prodigal Son and the older brother (Luke 15:11–32). The Prodigal Son dominates the story; he is young, selfish and wants his inheritance before his father dies so he can leave home and see the world, all at the father’s expense. The father, surprisingly, grants his request. Why would any father do this? The key is that this story is not about just any father; it is about the heavenly Father. This act of kindness points to the character of God. It is not a lesson about a wayward son who comes home; it is a story about a benevolent Father. The goodness of the Father can be seen throughout the parable. The son does not understand the depth of his father’s love until much later, when he runs out of money and finds himself in a far country, alone and barely surviving. He has developed such a spirit of poverty that he cannot see the goodness of his father. By that time, he perceives himself as a slave and not a son.
But when he came to himself, he said, “How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.’” Luke 15:17–19
The sad truth of the passage is that the Prodigal never saw himself as a son. He did not understand the goodness of his father when he asked for his inheritance, nor does he understand in his despair away from home. He feels guilt and shame, not primarily because of his failure but due to a lack of knowledge about the essential character of the father.
When he returns, he is surprised to discover that the father has been eagerly awaiting him. The father sees him in the distance and runs to love and embrace him. So overwhelming is the father’s love that the son cannot find a platform for his confession. The character of the father dominates the story. He insists, “Bring out the best robe and bring “the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (verses 22–24).
What kind of father is this? No guilt? No life lessons? This would not be the reaction of many earthly fathers, and the contrast shows the abundant love and goodness of our heavenly Father.
But the story is not over. It continues with the older son, who also needs to understand the goodness of the father. When little brother returns from his journey in the far country, the older son is indignant and angry with both the brother and the father. He refuses to join the celebration for the returning Prodigal, even after the father pleads with him. He held the view that many hold today, that the Prodigal did not deserve the kindness of the father. It was not fair! How could the father love, forgive and bless such a clueless and selfish son?
The older son was living with the same poverty of spirit as the Prodigal. In his estimation, he was good, and now the father was bad. Only a bad father would show favor to a wayward son. Again we see how a distorted view of the goodness of God can affect our perspective on life.
Yet the father in our story was relentless in his pursuit of the older son. His goodness could be seen on every side. The father patiently waited as the older son expressed his frustration and anger. Once he finished, it was the father’s turn to close the discussion with words that ministered love and grace.
The father provided three important truths. The first was sonship: “Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours” (verse 31, emphasis mine).
The older brother had lived under his father’s roof for years but never understood that his father was good. He needed to acknowledge that a good father does not show favoritism. He was like many people today who live a life apart from the goodness of God and do not understand sonship. Much of the turmoil in our homes and the world can be directly traced to a lack of understanding that God is good.
The second truth was relationship. The father reminded the older brother, “Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours” (emphasis mine). You might think that after the younger son left home, the older son would be closer to his father, yet he never really knew him. Maybe he made no attempt to know the father because he assumed that he was not worth knowing. We can get so busy working for God that we fail to take the time to get to know the heart of the Father. When we set aside time to abide in His presence, we discover that our Father is much more interested in our relationship with Him than our labor for Him.
The third truth was that of inheritance. The father was incredibly generous: “Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours” (emphasis mine). All that the father had, he provided for his sons. In his living and his dying, he gave it all that he might further his kingdom. The father knew that future generations would depend on his sons getting a better understanding of his heart. The importance of knowing the goodness of God the Father is essential in every generation, especially those living in the last days who will face unparalleled lawlessness and disregard for Him.
What hope did the younger son have in that far-off country, destitute and detached from his father? What hope did the older son have with his hardened heart that kept him apart from his father just as surely (if not more so) as physical distance? In both cases, their only hope was in a renewed relationship with the father. The younger son realized it, and we can see what a vast difference it made in his life. Jesus ends the story before we see whether or not the older son finally came around. But the parable gives us all hope for the prodigals we know, as well as those we know who are so driven to work for God that they miss the joys of relationship with Him.
Jesus made it clear to His disciples that it was “your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). What a powerful statement! In Christ, we have been adopted into God’s family and are partakers of His divine favor. We are “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17).
As Christ followers, we have been given the authority to carry out the agenda of the Father on earth. With every prayer, we increase in power and advance the Kingdom of God. When we press into the Kingdom, we understand that all the power and provisions of Christ are entrusted to our care. Jesus expects us to carry out the mission of proclaiming the Gospel, healing the sick and advancing the Kingdom.
California’s Devastating Wildfires and God
-Previously published Op-Ed for: Foxnews.com
The term “scorched earth” is usually one we associate with a military policy that targets anything that may be useful to the enemy. As a resident of Southern California, more specifically, Anaheim Hills, the term has recently taken on a different meaning.
Earlier this week, my wife and I were given 30 minutes to evacuate our home of 12 years. To make matters more complicated, I was en route to the airport when I received the text from my wife asking, “What do you want me to pack in the car? I have to leave in minutes.”
My mind raced trying to determine what was important and irreplaceable. All I could think of was family photos and the flag that draped my dad’s coffin at Arlington National Cemetery. In the midst of the chaos and disbelief, our friends and neighbors rallied to assist us in our time of need.
The next day, I found myself sitting in another airport trying to process everything that had happened in the past 24 hours. At first I reflected on our kind neighbors and how even in the worst of times we can see the good in humanity and love of God. Then my thoughts shifted and I began reflecting on the chaos, both natural and man-made, that has affected our nation in recent days. I began to wonder if I had become numb to all the tragedy. I don’t even have time to mourn the fact that we had to evacuate our home.
Thinking about all of this, I found myself asking, “Where is God?” As a nation, we are facing an increase in lawlessness and what appears to me, an unusual number of natural disasters.
It’s a natural human response to ask questions for things we can’t understand or process. I get it; moral evil can be explained by the free will of man but much of the things we face (cancer, death, hurricanes and fires) are not a result of our free will. So where do I go from here? Either God or nature (which He created) must cause these physical evils. But these things seem incompatible with an all-loving, all-powerful God.
I’m left with what I call a “divine tension.” I affirm the greatness of God and yet, at the same time wonder as the condition of the world.
C. S. Lewis captured my tension when he wrote, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but [God] shouts in our pain: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”
I admit I hear God better in the struggle than I do in its absence. Tears, heartbreak, loneliness and hurt all add to my humanity and character. My joy and peace is found in those little unexpected moments when my children call, my wife smiles, my friends rally to my side, and I hear God say, “It’s going to be OK, I got this one!”
Manchester Attack is ‘Evidence we are Living in Prophetic Days,’ says End Times Pastor
-Previously published for: The Christian Post
As heinous terror attacks continue to take place in populated cities around the world and claim the lives of innocent men, women and children, Hotsenpiller’s new book aims to explain the evil and demonic source behind the spread of lawlessness the world is seeing today.
The book aims to help readers begin to “connect the dots between biblical prophecy about lawlessness and current events.”
Speaking with The Christian Post after 22 innocent people were killed and 110 injured when a suicide bomber attacked the outside of an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, last week, Hotsenpiller explained that the goal of his book is to help people understand “the mystery” of the extremist lawlessness.
“A lot of people, we look at something like Manchester and we think of lawbreakers but we don’t think about a spirit behind that and where that originated from,” Hotsenpiller told CP. “I really try to grapple with the hard questions — like what is really going in our world with the shootings, with terror attacks, how we can connect biblical prophecies to lawlessness and current events.”
“To help those living in the last days discern the times, Jesus gave prophetic declarations (Luke 11:29–30,32) that would signify those times had come. One of them was His prophecy of the men of Nineveh [Mosul, Iraq] rising up.
“It is important to understand that the impact of ISIS reaches far beyond Iraq and the Middle East,” he added. “For one thing, prophesy fulfilled in part or completely is a source of encouragement and a tool for believers worldwide. Secondly, a global terror network that is no longer restricted to geographical borders is a new phenomenon, with implications for the entire world. Unlike with other terrorist groups, the appearance of ISIS can be directly linked to the increase of lawlessness on a global scale. The attack in Manchester is further evidence that we are living in prophetic days.”
According to Hotsenpiller, the reason why the Manchester attack and other deadly terrorist attacks like it keep happening is because of an evil and satanic spirit that is overtaking the minds of the Islamic extremists responsible for carrying out the attacks.
“When we start to look at evil in the world, it just takes on a whole different level,” he said. “That is why Manchester happened, because behind the scenes are these demonic spirits of lawlessness. It says in 2 Thessalonians 2 that the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. It’s being restrained right now by the Holy Spirit and by believers. But when the spirit and believers are removed from the Earth, then the lawless one, Satan, will be revealed.”
“Lawlessness is the evil behind the evil acts and evil people,” he continued. “So, it’s a developed defiance that comes from Satan himself that does more than just act bad. They actually seek to control everything that is good and from God.”
Hotsenpiller was critical of many Christians in the United States today and accused them of “handing over the keys” and conceding to the Islamic agenda.
For historical context, he noted that the Middle East, which is now predominantly Muslim, was once “a Christian Middle East.”
“The Middle East was a Christian Middle East until about 700 or 800. By 1100, it was completely gone. Instead of resisting evil, Christians just folded,” he explained. “They folded all across the Middle East. Rather than resist, they basically converted to Islam. What they did was they failed to believe the preaching of Jesus and defend that position.”
Hotsenpiller told CP that Christians have the ability to “prevent the influx of evil.” However, he stressed that most Christians in America want to be “isolated from politics and evil in the world instead of being a crusader.”
“Every great advancement of Christianity required somebody’s sacrifice and sacrifice wasn’t that I went to church on Sunday,” he said.
Hotsenpiller noted a few shifts that have happened which suggest that proponents of the Islamic and secular agendas have taken influence away from Christians in various aspects of the American society, including academia and politics.
“What we do is we have these wonderful ideas and we get this great thing going and then because we don’t stand for truth, we hand the keys over to someone in the name of some kind of human goodness, but not divine justice. We hand it over and we give up territory to the enemy,” he asserted. “Christians have to quit handing the keys over in the name of human niceness and realize that divine justice of God demands that we hold the ground that we have been given or sooner or later we will be giving up the keys to our own house.”
Hotsenpiller further argued that too many churches in America today “lack a theological foundation.”
“Even though they may be large churches and successful churches and they are ministering to a lot of people, do they have the theological background to know what is going on in our world?” he asked. “I talk to a lot of pastors and they don’t have a clue about things that are happening in the Middle East, the history of the Middle East and why it is happening here. Samuel B. Huntington was a theologian at Harvard and he basically outlined in the 1970s the agenda of Islam in taking over America.”
Lawlessness and the War on Law Enforcement
As someone who regularly speaks to biblical prophesy as it relates to the end of the world, I once was asked, “When you think about the future, what scares you?” Without hesitation, I responded, “Lawlessness.”
Lawlessness is now becoming—a normal part of mainstream culture. The epidemic of violence is more than a plank in a political platform or a topic for talk radio; it will not be resolved with the passage of new, tougher laws because it is not simply a civil matter. It is a symptom of the much deeper and wider spiritual problem. A major shift appears to be taking place, indicating a new and threatening level of lawlessness in the United States, from the pinnacle of government to the living rooms of every community.
James Hodgkinson, the man, identified as the shooter of House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and four others was a crazed left-winger who somehow justified his behavior because he did not approve of the politics of the President Donald J. Trump. Maybe it’s time to look deeper than one’s political views and identify the real problem that exists in society.
The ambush shooting of a New York City police officer demonstrates the spirit of lawlessness that exists in our world. This was more than a random and isolated assassination, this is a war on our way of life and the foundation we hold dear. Maybe it’s time to look deeper than one’s political views and identify the real problem that exists in society.
Our nation is great, in part due to government, laws, and order that we have enjoyed. Laws are designed to promote justice, and resolve conflicts. The Rule of Law militates against the right of an individual to decide for themselves, which laws are right and which laws are wrong. Without law, we have anarchy, fear and the erosion of civilization.
Lawlessness is more than breaking the civil or national law. This is because lawlessness is not the action of violating the established laws of a nation; lawlessness runs much deeper and is by nature spiritual. Scripture recognizes the
authority of government and even goes so far to say that they are appointed by God for the good of all mankind (Romans 13:1-3).
The corrosive and destructive spirit of lawlessness is not primarily a consequence of defying the law. It also includes the absence of the love for his fellow man. It is quite possible (and all too common) for people to be model, law-abiding citizens with regards to the laws on the courthouse books, but if they do not have genuine love for God and for “neighbor,” then they are contributing to the problem of lawlessness.
When society fails to respect the law, fear is elevated as disorder rises with the result that social patterns begin to change and residents feel disconnected from other members of society. Communities crumble, and trust is absent from the vocabulary, except as a memory.
For America, perhaps our finest hour came after 9/11, which was an eye-opening alert that evil from outside was making its way in. We responded to our national shock by pulling together, foregoing personal concerns to help others in greater need, consoling those who had lost loved ones, and rebuilding what external terrorists thought they had destroyed.
But to believe that America has somehow risen above the spirit of lawlessness that is spreading across the world is both foolish and naïve. In the years since 9/11, the pendulum has swung far in the opposite direction, revealing that this spirit has not been subdued. Our nation is being torn apart by inner-city strife, the dispute over immigration, the epidemic of addiction and more. In addition, we have begun to witness a startling disregard for God’s Law.
What once was shocking and abhorrent to most people is now widely accepted. The threat of lawlessness from without, while still a cause for much concern, is far less frightening than the potential consequences of extended, ongoing weakening of our internal moral compass.
We have become like the Prodigal Son who longs to return to the father. Remembering a time when things were better. America is not perfect, but America is great. During times of turmoil, struggle, and war we have demonstrated our resolve and our faith in God. The character and essential qualities of our great nation lie just below the surface of struggles. I, for one, am confident in our future.
The War on Law Enforcement
As someone who regularly speaks to biblical prophesy as it relates to the end of the world, I once was asked, “When you think about the future, what scares you?” Without hesitation, I responded, “Lawlessness.”
Lawlessness is now becoming—a normal part of mainstream culture. The epidemic of violence is more than a plank in a political platform or a topic for talk radio; it will not be resolved with the passage of new, tougher laws because it is not simply a civil matter. It is a symptom of the much deeper and wider spiritual problem. A major shift appears to be taking place, indicating a new and threatening level of lawlessness in the United States, from the pinnacle of government to the living rooms of every community.
James Hodgkinson, the man, identified as the shooter of House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and four others was a crazed left-winger who somehow justified his behavior because he did not approve of the politics of the President Donald J. Trump. Maybe it’s time to look deeper than one’s political views and identify the real problem that exists in society.
The ambush shooting of a New York City police officer demonstrates the spirit of lawlessness that exists in our world. This was more than a random and isolated assassination, this is a war on our way of life and the foundation we hold dear. Maybe it’s time to look deeper than one’s political views and identify the real problem that exists in society.
Our nation is great, in part due to government, laws, and order that we have enjoyed. Laws are designed to promote justice, and resolve conflicts. The Rule of Law militates against the right of an individual to decide for themselves, which laws are right and which laws are wrong. Without law, we have anarchy, fear and the erosion of civilization.
Lawlessness is more than breaking the civil or national law. This is because lawlessness is not the action of violating the established laws of a nation; lawlessness runs much deeper and is by nature spiritual. Scripture recognizes the
authority of government and even goes so far to say that they are appointed by God for the good of all mankind (Romans 13:1-3).
The corrosive and destructive spirit of lawlessness is not primarily a consequence of defying the law. It also includes the absence of the love for his fellow man. It is quite possible (and all too common) for people to be model, law-abiding citizens with regards to the laws on the courthouse books, but if they do not have genuine love for God and for “neighbor,” then they are contributing to the problem of lawlessness.
When society fails to respect the law, fear is elevated as disorder rises with the result that social patterns begin to change and residents feel disconnected from other members of society. Communities crumble, and trust is absent from the vocabulary, except as a memory.
For America, perhaps our finest hour came after 9/11, which was an eye-opening alert that evil from outside was making its way in. We responded to our national shock by pulling together, foregoing personal concerns to help others in greater need, consoling those who had lost loved ones, and rebuilding what external terrorists thought they had destroyed.
But to believe that America has somehow risen above the spirit of lawlessness that is spreading across the world is both foolish and naïve. In the years since 9/11, the pendulum has swung far in the opposite direction, revealing that this spirit has not been subdued. Our nation is being torn apart by inner-city strife, the dispute over immigration, the epidemic of addiction and more. In addition, we have begun to witness a startling disregard for God’s Law.
What once was shocking and abhorrent to most people is now widely accepted. The threat of lawlessness from without, while still a cause for much concern, is far less frightening than the potential consequences of extended, ongoing weakening of our internal moral compass.
We have become like the Prodigal Son who longs to return to the father. Remembering a time when things were better. America is not perfect, but America is great. During times of turmoil, struggle, and war we have demonstrated our resolve and our faith in God. The character and essential qualities of our great nation lie just below the surface of struggles. I, for one, am confident in our future.
PETITION: STOP California Governor Newsom From Shutting Down Churches And Houses Of Worship.
PETITION: STOP California Governor Newsom From Shutting Down Churches And Houses Of Worship. It’s Our First Amendment Right.
Attorney General William P. Barr, in a letter to Governor Newsom, stated that “even in times of emergency when reasonable and temporary restrictions are placed on rights, the First Amendment and federal statutory law prohibit discrimination against religious institutions and religious believers. Thus, the government may not impose special restrictions on religious activity that do not also apply to a similar nonreligious activity.’ Simply put, there is no pandemic exception to the U.S. Constitution and its Bill of Rights.”
The letter from Assistant Attorney General warned Governor Newsom of unfair treatment of California Churches:
“We are writing to you to raise several civil rights concerns with the treatment of places of worship in Executive Orders N-33-20 and N-60-20 and documents relating to the California Reopening Plan.”
THE BOOK OF ACTS
The Church in the book of Acts was no stranger to governmental displeasure, counter-culture activities, or a willingness to risk all for the advancement of the Kingdom.
We need your signature to show the Governor that we will not tolerate our First Amendment rights to be violated. Please sign below:
