In my search for the answer to the question I asked myself on New Years Day, 2010, I was relieved to have discovered that The Oak Initiative’s definition is truly in line with what my spiritual and moral resolution will be…
Spiritual and Moral Resolutions
* The biblical mandate of The Oak Initiative is to be the “oaks of righteousness” described in Isaiah 61:3. A healthy oak tree has a root system as expansive below the ground as it has branches above the ground, and it is likewise our resolve to help promote Christian leadership with a corresponding depth and expanse. * It is the resolve of The Oak Initiative to take up the mandate of Isaiah 61 which describes the purpose of the Spirit of the Lord. The principles of this chapter are the inspiration for the following resolutions. * It is a basic Christian duty to consider and seek real and lasting relief to the poor, the needy, and the oppressed. Because charity is a basic Christian duty, when charity is institutionalized it becomes cold, inefficient, and ineffective, and therefore it is the responsibility of the church, not the government, to address this mandate. * It is the devotion of The Oak Initiative to maintain and defend individual freedom based upon the eternal law that God is sovereign and grants all rights, and that all men are equal under the law, regardless of race, creed, culture, financial, or political affiliation. * It is a basic devotion of The Oak Initiative to establish, maintain, and defend religious liberty in every place, and for all people, and to challenge all attempts to inhibit this basic liberty. * It is the conviction of The Oak Initiative that the development of the Constitution and Bill of Rights of the United States were guided by biblical principles and morality, and that these are the basis of legitimate government of the United States, and that any who seek to void or circumvent these must be opposed. * It is the resolution of The Oak Initiative to seek solutions for healing moral offenses, racial prejudices, and basic justice for all. * It is the resolution of The Oak Initiative to promote respect for and good stewardship of the creation as a basic biblical mandate. * It is the conviction of The Oak Initiative that it is a basic responsibility of those on “the path of life,” to defend and protect life, which is a “womb to the tomb” mandate. It is also our conviction that because mankind was given stewardship of the earth that all life is sacred and includes all species, and our guardianship of the earth includes the stewardship of all life on it. * Because it is a commandment from God found in both the Old and New Testaments, we must have a basic resolve to “honor our fathers and mothers.” Honoring them includes making every effort for them to live out their days with the dignity, peace, and comfort they deserve. * Because the commandment to honor our fathers and mothers is the only commandment with a promise: that it would go well with us, and that we would dwell long upon the earth (see Deuteronomy 5:16), this is essential for national well-being and longevity, and that the poor treatment of our elders would be a basic shame and injustice.
“And since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let each exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy with cheerfulness.” Romans 12:6-8 NAS
The content of this post comes from a report I received this week from a special group at my church who were researching “A Christian’s Call To A Lifestyle Of Worship.”
I thought it would answer some of the questions I have received from our readership and I am glad to be able to share this with everyone!
The chapter I am quoting is titled: “The Redemptive Gift”
“‘The list of 7 gifts found in Romans 12, are distinct from the lists of gifts found elsewhere in the New Testament. Each person appears to have one of these seven gifts and they form the foundation for the DNA of their soul and spirit. It is these gifts we refer to as the “Redemptive Gifts”
What follows after initial salvation is the process by which our purpose on the earth is worked out for God’s purpose. The Roman’s 12 primary “gift” which God has sculpted uniquely into an individual is the very avenue through which God wishes to “redeem” (use for His purpose) that life while on earth. The seven primary gifts flowing together in the lives of men causes His government/way of ruling/kingdom to operate.
Analogy: the human body is one body, however it is made up of several basic core systems, which in turn can be broken down into numerous unique parts. The core systems (i.e. nervous, respiratory, digestive, etc.) have totally different functions, which must work together to produce life. Basic differences in cells of each system are preprogrammed before conception with the end result in mind. In the same pattern we believe God also incorporates a core gift into each individual life, which we call “redemptive gift.” It explains the underlying motivational purpose that life performs for the whole body of humanity, again, because God has an end purpose in mind. He has created us to need each other.
The Bible says that without a vision, people perish. If a person does not know their purpose how can they fulfill it? The success or failure of a person’s whole life can hinge upon their ability to discover and to master the principles associated with the core gift God has purposed for their life. Oftentimes, these core gifts have been corrupted by the enemy in individuals and groups of individuals (family, church, city,state, nation, world) in an effort to prevent the government of God on earth from being realized.
Rediscovering our purpose and moving in it with the Lord’s power is the beginning of the enemy’s defeat.
Identifying the gift of an individual or a group of individuals brings a revelation of purpose and destiny and direction for life. This understanding is not meant to replace anyone’s prior understanding of Romans 12:6-8, but rather it may be a new way of looking at it with an application to “groups of individuals” (Cities) - the corporate body.
Beginning in Genesis 1, with the 7 days of creation, and continuing all the way to the Revelation message to the 7 churches, God has revealed characteristics of the 7 gifts found in Romans 12 NAS/NIV/NLT. There are more than 100 lists of 7’s found thus far, which parallel and clarify the list of 7 redemptive gifts in Romans 12.
It has come to be understood that cities also have God-given gifts, as do people. When a city perceives its destiny and begins to walk in it, God’s purpose is brought forth. Deter mining the city’s redemptive gift is even more important than discerning the nature of evil principalities. principalities rule through perverting the gift of the city in the same way an individual’s gift is turned to the enemy’s use through sin.’”
What is your redemptive gift?
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May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13:14 NIV/NLT/NAS
Apparently the prophesy of Revelation 16:12 is taking place and will test our strength (all Christians) and our faith in the Lord, by bringing intense fear of the Islamic Nations throughout the world.
No matter how much we want to believe that we here in the USA are not or will not be effected, we must heed the Word of God and prepare for what He has planned for us.
While checking my RSS feeds today, I am humbled by the most recent post at Joel Rosenberg’s “Epicenter” blog titled: EUPHRATES RIVER DRYING UP: New York Times notes connection to Book of Revelation and the End Times.
‘”The front page of Tuesday (July 14, 2009) morning’s New York Times had a stunning headline: “Iraq Suffers as the Euphrates River Dwindles.”
The drying up of this historic river in the land of ancient Babylon is so stunning, that even the Times had to note that Bible prophecy says this will happen in the “last days” of history, in the lead up to the apocalyptic battle of Armageddon described in the Book of Revelation.
Excerpts from the Times story: “Throughout the marshes, the reed gatherers, standing on land they once floated over, cry out to visitors in a passing boat. ‘Maaku mai!’ they shout, holding up their rusty sickles. ‘There is no water!’ The Euphrates is drying up. Strangled by the water policies of Iraq’s neighbors, Turkey and Syria; a two-year drought; and years of misuse by Iraq and its farmers, the river is significantly smaller than it was just a few years ago. Some officials worry that it could soon be half of what it is now. The shrinking of the Euphrates, a river so crucial to the birth of civilization that the Book of Revelation prophesied its drying up as a sign of the end times, has decimated farms along its banks, has left fishermen impoverished and has depleted riverside towns as farmers flee to the cities looking for work.”’
Just finished reading an awesome book I got from a wonderful Christian friend of mine titled; Keys To Heaven’s Economy, An Angelic Visitation from the Minister of Finance by Shawn Bolz from WhiteDove Ministries. You can get it at: Amazon or Streams Ministries.com
This book contains an incredible message from the visions that Shawn had in order to write the book. The effect it had on me has inspired me to provide my visitors with a scripture passage and message from the book.
The passage is from Isaiah 58:6-12 and I don’t know what bible it is taken from. But, after I looked it up in the NLT, I discovered a verse that has had my attention for quite some time. It requires everyones attention as well. The passage I am providing here includes verses 13 and 14 from the NLT version, respectively.
6 “No, this is the kind of fasting I want:
Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;
lighten the burden of those who work for you.
Let the oppressed go free,
and remove the chains that bind people.
7 Share your food with the hungry,
and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them,
and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
8 “Then your salvation will come like the dawn,
and your wounds will quickly heal.
Your godliness will lead you forward,
and the glory of the LORD will protect you from behind.
9 Then when you call, the LORD will answer.
‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.
“Remove the heavy yoke of oppression.
Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors!
10 Feed the hungry,
and help those in trouble.
Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.
11 The LORD will guide you continually,
giving you water when you are dry
and restoring your strength.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like an ever-flowing spring.
12 Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities.
Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls
and a restorer of homes.
13 “Keep the Sabbath day holy.
Don’t pursue your own interests on that day,
but enjoy the Sabbath
and speak of it with delight as the LORD’s holy day.
Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day,
and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly.
14 Then the LORD will be your delight.
I will give you great honor
and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob.
I, the LORD, have spoken!”
Shawn states the following from page 114 after the passage: “This passage provides the greatest key to spiritual acceleration and growing in favor with God and humanity.”
I also found a deeper understanding of this message after reading the following from page 119: “An awesome invitation is being sent us - the very release of revelation on how to give. Part of what will constitute deliverance for the Western world is when those who have much to lose start taking risks and leaps of faith by giving and sowing extravagantly into God’s heart. If you don’t know where to give radically to please God, you can find the two largest targets singled out all through the Bible: the poor and the Jewish people. We can accelerate our spiritual growth by giving to the poor, which partners with God’s heart. When we give to Israel, though, we not only accelerate our personal spiritual growth and blessing, but we actually accelerate the Lord’s coming.”
Wow… just saw this video and you can hear the fear in these folks voices! The American Politicians just don’t get it, which is unfortunate for us here in the USA.
Theologian William Barclay comments in the Daily Study Bible that “antichrist is not so much a person as a principle, the principle which is actively opposed to God and which may well be thought of as incarnating itself in those in every generation who have seemed to be blatant opponents of God.”
I’ve been researching this topic for some time and have not been able to complete my understanding of what the Anti-Christ is yet. However, in 2 John 1:6-8 we are reminded of what the meaning of the bible’s message is once again!
Are you familiar with anymore Bible verses that depict the Antichrist beside those listed below, please let us know here.
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I say this because many deceivers have gone out into the world. They deny that Jesus Christ came* in a real body. Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist.
2 John 1:7(NLT)
Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come.
1 John 2:18(NLT)
And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ.* Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist.*
1 John 2:22(NLT)
But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.
1 John 4:3(NLT)
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Do you think the Anti-Christ has arrived?
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UPDATE:(August 2, 2009) The following information comes from Joel Rosenberg’s “Epicenter: blog“. Are you tuned in?
‘”As I describe in my non-fiction book, Epicenter, Bible prophecies in the Old and New Testaments indicate that in the End Times, a Third Temple will be built on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, the site where the First and Second Temples once stood. Skeptics and cynics have long dismissed such prophecies. Military officials, moreover, have long argued that a Jewish effort to build a new temple could unleash the fury of 1.3 billion Muslims and trigger an apocalyptic war in the epicenter.
But a new poll in Israel finds a stunning 64% percent of Israelis — including 47% of secular Israelis — want to see the Third Temple built.
The Hebrew Prophet Isaiah writes, “It will come about in the last days that the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of mountains” and that “the nations will stream to it.” (Isaiah 2:2)
In Daniel 9:26-27, we read: “The Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come [the Anti-Christ] will destroy the city [Jerusalem] and the sanctuary [the Second Temple]….Even to the end [of days] there will be war; desolation’s are determined. And he [the Anti-Christ] will make a firm covenant with the many for seven years, but in the middle of that week, he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering [in a rebuilt End of Days Temple] and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate.”
The Book of Revelation also confirms that a fully functional and operational Temple will be in place when the Tribulation begins (see Revelation 11).
Jewish groups in Israel are already producing architectural plans to build the Third Temple, and making other preparations as well. “‘
Based on this information, I am astonished that the American Politicians are continuing to follow the path that will eventually help to destroy us and the rest of the entire planet. Why are they not listening to the Word of God? What are they listening to?…
WORLD LEADERS CONSIDERING SINGLE CURRENCY AMIDST SEVERE GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS
The content below comes from an email a friend of mine sent to me yesterday March 21, 2009. This is actually from Joel Rosenberg’s FLASH TRAFFIC: WASHINGTON UPDATE!
(Washington, D.C., March 19, 2009) — Amidst the global economic crisis in which upwards of 45% of the world’s wealth has been lost in the last 18 months, talk of radically restructuring the global economic system is growing. In recent weeks, leaders in Europe, Africa and the Middle East have proposed scrapping the current economic order and going to a single common currency.
A story in yesterday’s Moscow Times is creating quite a stir in particular. At the April 2nd meeting of world leaders in London (the G20), the Kremlin is reportedly set to propose a new global common currency system to replace the U.S. dollar as the international currency of choice.
The story notes that “the Kremlin’s call for a common currency is not the first in recent days. Speaking at an economic conference in Astana, Kazakhstan, last week, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev proposed a global currency called the ‘acmetal’ - a conflation of the words ‘acme’ and ‘capital.’ He also suggested that the Eurasian Economic Community, a loose group of five former Soviet republics including Kazakhstan and Russia, adopt a single noncash currency - the yevraz - to insulate itself from the global economic crisis….”
“Nazarbayev’s proposal…garner[ed] support from at least one prominent source — Columbia University professor Robert Mundell, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1999 for his role in creating the euro. Speaking at the same conference with Nazarbayev, he said the idea had ‘great promise.’ The Kremlin document also called for national banks and international financial institutions to diversify their foreign currency reserves. It said the global financial system should be restructured to prevent future crises and proposed holding an international conference after the G20 summit to adopt conventions on a new global financial structure.”
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last week called for a single regional currency for 400 million Muslims in the Middle East. “The process of obtaining one single currency in the trade and exchanges among members, and in the next stages with other countries and neighbors, should be designed,” the Iranian leader said March 11th.
Libyan leader Muammar Ghadafi, recently elected leader of the African Union of states, is calling for a single continental currency for all of Africa and has persuaded 200 tribal leaders to call him the “King of kings.” The BBC reported in February that Ghadafi “envisages a single African military force, a single currency and a single passport for Africans to move freely around the continent.”
“A U.N. panel will next week recommend that the world ditch the dollar as its reserve currency in favor of a shared basket of currencies, a member of the panel said on Wednesday, adding to pressure on the dollar,” the story noted. “Currency specialist Avinash Persaud, a member of the panel of experts, told a Reuters Funds Summit in Luxembourg that the proposal was to create something like the old Ecu, or European currency unit, that was a hard-traded, weighted basket. Persaud, chairman of consultants Intelligence Capital and a former currency chief at JPMorgan, said the recommendation would be one of a number delivered to the United Nations on March 25 by the U.N. Commission of Experts on International Financial Reform. ‘It is a good moment to move to a shared reserve currency,’ he said.”
The “Euro” is the model many are looking to, in part because 20% of the world’s foreign exchange reserves are already held in euros. Last year, the EU celebrated the 10 year anniversary of the creation of the “euro.”
These are curious developments given that scholars of Bible prophecy have long noted that according to the Scriptures, in the “last days” the world will see the emergence of an entirely new international financial architecture, complete with a single common global currency created and mandated by the leaders of Europe. The Bible indicates that eventualoly no one on earth will be able to engage in commerce without “buying in” to the new cashless system. The prophecy is found in Revelation 13:16-17, which reads: “And he [the world leader that emerges from a revived Europe] causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one can buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.”
Cynics and skeptics have long dismissed such talk as the province of “religious nuts” and “prophecy buffs.” But the discussion is now being advanced by major world leaders. It’s too soon to say where this will all lead, but these are certainly developments worth watching.
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If you haven’t seen The Coming Perfect Storm videos at John Paul Jacksons site yet, I highly recommend you take time to view them.
While checking 
Just finished reading an awesome book I got from a wonderful Christian friend of mine titled; Keys To Heaven’s Economy, An Angelic Visitation from the Minister of Finance by Shawn Bolz from WhiteDove Ministries. You can get it at: 
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