It’s odd including this article by Jonathan Brentner, Pastors, Don’t Let Your Churches Remain Unaware Of What Lies Ahead, as I’ve never been contacted by any pastors who come to this place. Although I have met with much disdain and scorn, downright nastiness, and snide remarks from some pastors face to-face in churches I’ve attended since starting A Crooked Path. I’ve been on the receiving end of more than a couple of nasty, cutting remarks with a certain tone and look in the eyes, expression, and body language speaking loudly about what I do and what is on this place from pastors. Speaking to me no differently, well actually worse, than an unbeliever would, or has, about what I do here.
Imagine that.
So it goes…
I know they won’t be showing up here to read the following article, but they are the very ones that should be reading the following.
So, this isn’t here for pastors, although if someone out there is one please take a few moments to leave a comment in the comment box below the article [keep scrolling and you’ll eventually see it — and when I’m able I am going to have ACP redesigned].
If this isn’t here for pastors then why is it here?
For the people who come here, and a good group of very loyal subscribers who have been coming here for many years now. I haven’t run a poll or a survey in many, many years, but when I have I received wonderful and very telling replies. My surveys were never multiple choice or as almost every survey or poll. I did very open, tell me is this working? Should I continue doing this this way? Are these articles beneficial or should I stop doing these things?
Folks wrote back honestly, from their hearts. As themselves.
And overwhelmingly the majority of responses were, to paraphrase and be succinct;
“Please keep doing what you are because my pastor never tells us about any of this.”
So, that’s why the content on ACP is as it is. It may seem worldly/secular at times. Merely political, cultural, but everything — EVERYTHING — in this life, where you live, where you work, where you go to school, where you attend church, in this nation, within and around everyone on earth everywhere is ni constant ebb and flow, context to and with the spiritual war that began back in the Garden and has only escalated in intensity and speed as time is almost up. And Satan knows it. Evil knows it. Satan’s minions and ministers know it. Everyone does — even the oblivious and unaware. There is something in the dense, thick numbness of oblivion, the fog, the preoccupation, the constant slumber, the denial, the delusion that still knows.
Don’t let them tell you otherwise. None have an excuse.
There is nothing — NOTHING — that appears as just political or cultural or separate or devoid of being connected to the spiritual warfare that never pauses that is not at its core part of the spiritual war.
Yes, there are more than a few boatloads of dullards, utterly oblivious, appearing clueless people. Unaware. And they are. For one, The Enemy, the Evil One, and all those who conspire with him have honed deception to an art form. Sleight-of-hand. Keep people occupied in banality. Stupid even. And, yes, unaware. A lot of them by choice. But not all.
To the longsuffering longtime subscribers and visitors who may be regulars but have not subscribed — you all have noticed distinct changes over the years haven’t you? Certain pastors that I once included regularly here I no longer do.
And I now include pastor Jack Hibbs and others regularly. And I don’t need to explain why do I? If you’ve opened some of those pages, watched and listened to the sermons, the talks, read the articles.
There is no time to waste.
No time to be passive. Or cowardly. Silent. Impotent. Complicit with the world.
It is time, for what time remains, to be bold, solid, firm, sound with hearts aflame for the Lord Jesus Christ and the whole Word of God and what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.
No coasting. No going along in neutral going through the motions.
No one ought to be among the UNAWARE OF WHAT IS AND WHAT LIES AHEAD.
Here on earth in the flesh, in this life.
Directly entwined, bonded to what lies ahead in eternity. One eternity or another depending on if a person truly knows Jesus, lives with, by, and for Jesus, loves the Lord, loves the Word, and lives THE FAITH working out their salvation — and everyone else.
For there are only those two kinds of people on earth no matter where a person lives, how old they are, which of the two sexes they are, what nationality they may be, whatever the color of their epidermis is, what language their tongue speaks and mind understands.
Everyone can know, hear, and understand the ways and Word of God, Jesus as Lord of their life, to be born again, made new from within by the Supernatural power of the Spirit of God, knowing what is good, what is evil — right from wrong.
Only two kinds of people on Earth. No matter what may be said or written or believed to distract from this truth.
Only two kinds of pastors as well. Tragically, far too many are not the solid in the Word, active, rather than passive, cowardly rather than bold, lukewarm or dead rather than heart on fire for the Lord.
And the churches mirror all of this.
Read on…
Ken Pullen, Friday, September 13th, 2024
Pastors, Don’t Let Your Churches Remain Unaware Of What Lies Ahead
September 10, 2024
Reprinted from Harbniger’s Daily
If I were to select one word that sums up most people today, it would be “unaware.” Despite the myriad of signs that tell us that the start of the Tribulation period is long overdue, few people are paying attention. Most believers pursue their aspirations with little or no understanding of the times in which they live.
Is this not yet another sign that we live in the last days? I believe it is: “For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:38-39, emphasis added).
The words “they were unaware” in the English Standard Version are literally “they did not know” in the original. Because the people in Noah’s day didn’t believe his warnings about God’s impending judgment, it was as if they didn’t know about it until it started raining. Some versions of the Bible translate the words as “they did not understand.”
During the lengthy time required to build the ark, it seems likely that word of such a spectacle would’ve spread to most people living at that time. They saw so many things that were out of the ordinary with the building of a huge ark and the boarding of the animals on it, yet they remained oblivious to the coming flood until it started to rain.
Just like in Noah’s day, most people today are unaware that things in the world will suddenly change in perhaps the near future. For decades, they have heard people like me point to the nearness of Jesus’ appearing. Even though they have heard the warnings, they aren’t knowledgeable of what lies ahead and are thus unaware of what’s coming.
Because we don’t know the precise timing of Jesus’ appearing, we can’t cease the normal activities of our lives and wait for Him. However, Jesus’ words concerning the days of Noah imply that we can do so with an awareness that He might dramatically intervene in our world at any moment. We may see the end of 2024 and perhaps even the end of 2025. On the other hand, we may not see the end of today, this week, this month, or the next.
Why do I believe it’s so close? It’s because the Lord continues to warn us of its nearness by allowing both believers and those outside of the faith to see small yet vivid glimpses of the cataclysmic events described in the book of Revelation.
Many pastors, however, ignore the vast number of signs pointing to the nearness of the events described in Revelation. Is it not unbelief that causes them to dismiss the book’s message as having no significance for believers today? It’s because they do not understand the times in which they live that so many in their churches remain unaware of what lies ahead.
The Lord’s design for His church was to live with an anticipation of His imminent return. Why else would He instruct His followers to be ready and watch for His return? (Matthew 24:44; 2513). The sense of Philippians 3:20 is that we “eagerly await” Jesus’ appearing. Immediately upon turning to the Lord, the new converts at Thessalonica began anticipating His coming (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10).
An additional advantage of such an expectation is that an awareness of what the Bible says about our day calms our hearts and enables us to live with hope. We don’t have to run from the news of our day or pretend that things will get better with time. We know these are biblical times and Jesus is coming for us soon.
I’m surprised by how many Christians today remain unaware of the lateness of our day. They talk and plan as though nothing will interfere with either their near-term or long-term aspirations. The problem is not with the planning itself but with doing so without an understanding of the imminent dangers that threaten their livelihood.
For many, their unawareness extends beyond that of the nearing Rapture and includes that of the dangers knocking at our day. Globalists plot how to dramatically reduce the world’s population while dire economic conditions seem probable in the not-so-distant future. The threat of World War III has never been greater than it is now.
Life between now and the Rapture may become increasingly scary and perilous. Because so many around us are unaware of what’s coming, it’s essential that we remain focused on the prize ahead for us, continue to study Scripture, and be ready to give an answer to those who ask about our hope (1 Peter 3:15).
If there ever was a time to obey the Lord’s command to watch for His return, it’s now!
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