HUMBOLDT CHURCH OF GOD
Humboldt, Tennessee
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Accountability or the Lack Thereof
Is America Being Judged by God?
Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.
1 Timothy 1:15, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief."
Jesus Christ came into the world to call sinners to repentance.
Mark 2:17, "When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
Jesus Christ came into the world to seek and save the lost.
Luke 19:10, "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."
Jesus came into the world to demonstrate the true purpose of life and give Himself a ransom.
Matthew 20:28, "Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."
Jesus Christ came into the world to be a King and bear witness to the truth.
John 18:37, "Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice."
Jesus Christ came into the world to do the Will of His Father.
John 6:38, "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me."
Jesus Christ came into the world to be a Light in the world.
John 12:46, "I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness."
Jesus Christ came into the world that men might have the Abundant Life.
John 10:10, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."
Jesus Christ came into the world to Judge the world.
John 9:39, "And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind."
Jesus Christ came into the world to Proclaim or preach the Good News about the Kingdom of God.
Mark 1:38, "And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth."
Jesus Christ came into the world to die on the cross.
John 12:27, "Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour."
Jesus Christ came into the world to fulfil the law.
Matthew 5:17, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil."
Jesus Christ came into the world to be a Divider of men.
Matthew 10:34, 35, "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law." (Christ makes it necessary to choose between relatives and the truth. This choice often causes division.)
Jesus Christ came into the world as a demonstration of God's Love.
1 John 4:10, "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."
Jesus Christ came into the world because the Father sent Him.
John 20:21, "Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you."
a. The Father SENT Jesus to be the Propitiation (atonement) for our sins.
1 John 4:10, "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."
b. The Father SENT Jesus and gave Jesus as the Saviour of the world.
John 3:16-18, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
c. The Father SENT Jesus to bless us by turning us from our iniquities.
Acts 3:26, "Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities."
d. The Father SENT His Son to redeem us from the curse of the law.
Galatians 4:4-5, "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons."
e. God SENT His Son to make possible a new power in the hearts of men, a power to enable him to fulfil the righteousness of the law.
Romans 8:3,4, "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
As I have grown older, I have noticed a change in my personality. Maybe I am becoming the cantankerous old man that I never wanted to pay attention too as a youth. Thankfully, age and experience has mellowed my outlook on life and a sort of wisdom seems to have overcome my youthful ignorance.
I am finding that I have little patience for anyone who looks for a way out of the consequences they themselves have caused resulting from their own bad life choices. It seems that the world around us even encourages this lack of responsibility and has created a social order that almost discourages accountability. If one can find a way to pass the blame on to someone or something else, rather than accept the liability that comes from their own actions, they can somehow feel justified and a false sense of self-esteem returns. With no admission of guilt and no acceptance of blame, this life usually boils down to a constant parade of excuses, lies, accusations, and finger pointing.
Being sorry that one has been caught does not constitute true repentance.
The false sense of self-esteem gained only serves to create a hypocritical façade that sears the conscience of the guilty and ultimately becomes a self-made prison. The truth that could set the guilty free has become their warden and the refusal to deal with the reality of their own bad choices has become their jailer. All this denial just so there will be no sorrow, no "bad" feelings to deal with. The problem is there are some things we should feel sorry about.there are some things that should make us feel bad. When there is a constant refusal to deal with the reality of our choices, innocent people get hurt. This, in my estimate, is the ultimate example of selfishness. An excellent example of how our society discourages accountability is when everything that causes pain, takes lives, or generally makes us feel bad about ourselves is considered a disease.
There has to be an explanation for the way our lives have turned out! There has to be another reason besides "me." .and the band played on. As troubling as this is, there is a far worse sum of the bad life choices equation. If we cannot follow the worldly prescription for the lack of accountability for our choices.If we aren't diagnosed with the right "disease".If we cannot pinpoint the cause or find something else to blame; then it has to be us. This revelation is not something some are willing to live with and the suicide rate in America just keeps escalating. Our own "social disorder" is just that, a disorder. The things that plague our lives for the most part come from our own bad choices that set our lives off course to the life we thought we would have. Alcoholism, drug abuse, sexual promiscuity. are not diseases that can be set straight with medications, but are disorders brought on by our own bad choices that can be set straight. We can have the lives we dream about if we learn to take responsibility for our lives and stop passing the buck every chance we get. The question is; if we believe this to be true, how do we overcome? How can I defeat this demon that is destroying me while this world offers me perfect excuses to be who I have created myself to be.
The answer is simple and as old as time.in a personal relationship with the one who created you, and gave you that free will choice in the first place.God. I know Him personally and if you really want His help, I would be glad to introduce you to Him.
If I say anything, while preaching under the anointing of God, that hurts you or makes you feel as if it is a personal attack of some kind, I want you to know the truth. I do it only from the standpoint of an intense love for God and His people.
I will never stop preaching God's word, and I will do so as expected by our Father, in spirit and in truth! His word confronts our sins, it reveals our failures, and it exposes our mistakes and that is exactly what it is designed to do. At times the process can be painful, but the process is the only way to gain victory over our sins, failures and mistakes.
The man of God must be trusted to deliver the hard messages that confront our problems head-on; he can do no less and remain faithful to his calling. If, at times, we feel ourselves getting upset or offended, we must stop right there and realize that this is a spiritual matter and not a fleshly one. Spiritual matters will always conflict with the flesh when the flesh is determined to win out.
Our faith in Almighty God, contradicts everything that the world and our carnality claims as truth. The facts may be that we have sickness and disease. The facts may be that we still have pain and tears in this life. The facts may be that there are those living in constant spiritual bondage. The facts may be that our enemy tries to torment our every waking moment, but these are just facts...natural facts. They are merely opportunities for God to intervene in a supernatural way.
This is why it is imperative to hear the truth of the word of God concerning the hard facts of our lives, as delivered by a trusted man of God. After hearing, we must apply our faith and receive His word as it was intended, not with thoughts of malice, but within the limitless boundary of the highest level of love imaginable.
God called me to be pastor and it is the hardest job I will ever love. There have been many points of discouragement, many times I have felt like Jeremiah and would have given up only to find that the embers of His word still smoldering in my bones. Again and again, His fire has burned within me and try as I might, I find joy in no other vocation.
If you hear me preaching you can know for certain, I will always try my best never to let you or God down. I will always preach His word of truth as it is revealed to me. Therefore, if you hear excitement in my voice, a sense of urgency, or maybe an over enthusiastic shout, it is due to the lateness of the hour in which we live. Just turn to your neighbor and say, "That's just Brother Jeff. He must have found an open door to victory and he wants us all to go through it together."
Prov. 14:34 Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.
God has already judged sin in all of its forms so the title of this article is a rhetorical question for true Christians. Anyone with even an elementary knowledge of the bible should already know the answer.
I believe that many Americans live under a false impression concerning our Holy and Righteous God. Some are deceived into believing that God will not judge us for our sins; that He is going to excuse our “blessed” nation of its provocation against Him and exempt us from the consequences of our actions. The problem with this line of thought is that sin is sin and His word is very plain…
Ezk 18:20 The soul that sins shall die… God does not need America to fulfill His divine agenda, and He is not on America’s side as some have been deceived to believe. Frankly, He is not on anyone’s “side” except His own and those who are committed to accomplishing His divine will. As the Prophet Isaiah reminds us in Is 46:9-10…
Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure…
If we are going to be His people, boast of His blessings, we must conform to His standards, and not insist He conform to ours. Singing “God Bless America” and keeping His name in our pledge of allegiance is not enough. These sentiments mean nothing unless the pursuit of Godly righteousness is the driving forces that sets us apart from other nations. God Almighty can and will bless those efforts.
Look at these startling statistics concerning America from Scott Ross, a commentator for CBN news:
■ Homicide and incarceration highest of any industrialized nation. Ten times that of Japan, Sweden, Ireland, and the Netherlands.
■ Crime increased by 371% since 1960, with Juvenile Crime up 920% since 1985, the highest in the world.
■ Divorce quadrupled in the last 30 years, making the U.S. the world leader.
■ Teenage pregnancies also quadrupled in the last 30 years (more than a million a year) making the US the Western World leader.
■ Voluntary abortion leader in the world.
■ Illegal drug use leader of the world.
■ Illiteracy world leader, with National Educational Standards among the lowest in the world.
■ Teen suicides more than doubled in the last 30 years.
We throw money at these problems every year and still the statistics grow. Our money will not save us; neither will our politics, only God is able to perform that miracle.
How can anyone believe what God’s word says about His judgment of sin and still believe we will somehow escape His judgment because of who we are? God has and will continue to holds those whom He blesses more accountable to obedience of His word. If we claim His blessings, and we refuse to police ourselves in light of His holy word, we should also be ready to accept the consequences of our sins.
1 Peter 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? He allowed the pagan nations to take His people into captivity in the Old Testament, and, because He is a just judge, He must judge the sins of America.
The question to which we now need an answer too is how will God’s judgment effect true believers? This answer is also found through a study of God’s word.
Throughout the bible, the righteous have had to suffer the judgment inflicted on the unrighteous. God is faithful to His people and will prosper those who are His in the midst of trials and tribulations. For example, Daniel and his friends had to go into captivity even though they were faithful to God, yet in the midst of their captivity, God was well able to bless and prosper them.
We cannot expect to be exempt from the effects of divine judgment of the rampant sin of an ungrateful nation, but we can fully expect God to be true to His people….forever.
Christian Immunity
by: Bishop Jeff Keen
If you want to prevent a sickness or disease, you have an inoculation against that disease. This means that a small amount of the causative agent of the disease injected into the body will introduce immunity. Your body has just enough of the disease to develop antibodies to battle a full-blown attack. This is a great thing when it comes to resisting sickness such as the flu or a disease such as polio.
As I was meditating on the subject of inoculations, my mind began to fill with a somewhat shocking revelation! This is exactly what many denominations and religions are doing to Christianity in America...giving a potential convert just enough of the gospel to immunize the sinner from the devastating effects of sin and the full power of God to save, heal, deliver and set free! We are medicating them with a watered down version of the powerful gospel just enough to numb the conscience of sin thus robbing them of their full potential and provision in Christ. These potential converts are just as lost as they ever were but in more danger of eternal damnation because of their resistance to the truth.
Instead of a radically saved Christian who understands the price paid for their salvation and the cost of taking up their cross to follow Jesus, we are producing a breed of spiritually needy, sickly Christians who do not intend to become a productive, vital part of the body of Christ. So much Christian potential laid waste in favor of an ideal religious clone that attends a service once a week and does not rock the established doctrinal boat with too many questions. This is a false gospel established by a manipulative and lazy clergy and has never been what God intended for His church or born again believers.
The lack of true Christian leadership and teaching in the church has produced a pseudo-Christian, who profess but do not possess. These Christians, in name only, live deceived lives of self-justification and compromise+ comfortably insulated from the needs of the people around them and from the true gospel message. This deceit has played squarely into the hands of the enemy who intends to pervert the plans of God to save this lost and dying world.
There is nothing that the American Christian church, the world, or the enemy of our souls can do to thwart the plans of Almighty God. With this knowledge, the facts remain that innocent people are being hurt and fooled into a false acceptance of what true salvation really is.
It is my prayer, as I know it is with other true Christians, that the fervency kindled within the hearts of true believers the moment of our new birth must never be dampened by the cold touch of complacency. The cause of Christ needs to spread rapidly with fever pitch as a pandemic meant to save lives.
This dying world does not need another “type” of Christianity. The one paid for by our savior Christ Jesus is the only one that will do. American Christianity that represents a false gospel is a bitter pill that makes the sins of the world easier to swallow! This sinful world needs to know the Christ who shed His blood so that the sinner may sin no more and be reconciled to our loving Father! It is the blood of Christ that heals us and that same blood should choke even the very thought of sin and iniquity out of every corner of our life.
The steps to salvation and serving God remain the same:
As you can see, it is a continual process
He continues to bless as we continue to obey
God does not owe us anything but He does love His creation and because He loves us so much He made the way to redeem us back to Himself through the shed blood of His only Son on the cross. He sacrificed so that we could be saved from the ravages of sin and have the opportunity to live eternally blessed with Him. He did not compromise; He paid the price that was required.
We have no right to compromise either. Instead of trying to cheapen the gospel and pervert the way to salvation we should be humbly crying out, “What more do you need me to do Lord? What more is required of me?”
Let this spiritual revolution start with you…right here, right now!
Embrace the Power
by Bishop Jeff Keen
Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you…
The clock alarm had given me my usual wake-up call. As soon as my brain kicked into gear, and began to clear from a nights slumber, God flooded my mind with this one, over-powering thought, “Embrace the power!”
God had spoken clearly and I could not escape the thought, “Embrace the power if you really want to change lives. That is why I sent the Holy Spirit. He is your helper. If you really want to help other people, do not be afraid to embrace the power. If you want really want my anointing to flow in the church…EMBRACE THE POWER!”
I had been praying to God for a fresh anointing. I know that in order for me to make any difference in anyone else’s life, I needed the touch of God on mine. His powerful presence working through this weak, mortal flesh is what I need to accomplish His will.
As I have meditated on this, I am developing a clearer understanding of what our Father means and wants from His servants.
We have the scriptural record starting on the day of Pentecost! The powerful presence of God anointing believers, clothing them with power from on high for one purpose, to birth His church. A church that would explode out of the upper room onto the streets of
We have the historical record. In the past, God has anointed men and women to reform the church, usher in spiritual awakenings, and revivals! The willingness and desire of His servants to change the course of human and church history in marvelous ways has touched the very heart of God! In return, He has set the hearts of men ablaze with the same anointing that birth His church in the first place.
Why has God so powerfully filled my heart with this message? Have we not embraced the power of the Holy Ghost? After all, are we not Holiness, are we not Pentecostals, are we not Charismatic, and are we not Full Gospel?
The answer is simply that the gospel message, in order to be effective, must be infused with power from on high. It must be preached and ministered to the sinful ears of man so to change their hearts, by anointed men and women who desire nothing less than God working with them and through them. Somehow we have let this knowledge slip from us.
The anointed power of God is not sophisticated; yet have we not become so? The anointed power of God does not compromise nor limit itself; yet have we not done so? The anointed power of God is sometimes loud, chaotic, always unapologetically non-traditional, and full of life!
Someone once said that the difference between a loud and chaotic nursery and the quiet stillness of a graveyard is that one of them has life! Where the Spirit of God is there is life and there is liberty. It may sometime seem out of control, but it is only because the Holy Spirit has total control.
Embrace The Power!
The Fall of Mammon
By Bishop Jeff Keen
Mat 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Mammon is the name of an ancient deity worshiped by the Sumerians. He is the God of wealth and his name translates as "property". The writers of the gospels used the term mammon to describe greed, materialism, and unjust worldly gain. Some people simply translate mammon as “money” but I believe the more accurate description would be that of a rival deity, especially when trying to fully understand the above scripture…Ye cannot serve God and Mammon.
When the Philistine army captured the Arc of the Covenant, they tried to set it up as a spoil of war in the temple of their god, Dagon (1 Sam 5:2-7). The first morning after they tried this, the statue of their god had fallen off its pedestal. They set him back in place only to come back the next day and find their idol fallen and broken. Their reaction was to get rid of the God of power in order to keep their idol…v.7. The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god.
This is the attitude of our modern no less paganistic world. The love of money and the greed for “stuff” has dictated the path this world is determined to take…we will rid ourselves of the sovereign God of grace and mercy so that we can fulfill the lust of our flesh for the falseness of the god of mammon.
Is it no wonder why God has spoken prophetically about the judgment concerning this attitude of pagan worship? He is Almighty God and He declares His judgments!
James 5:1-3 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
Zep 1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
The world is experiencing a steady economic decline and is has for years. Each day the predictions grow darker as certain economic collapse looms just over the horizon. With all the worlds’ knowledge and experiences of the past, souls are still being sold daily for the promise of a better day ahead. Instead of crying out to the God of mercy and grace, multitudes hold to the false hope of their false messiah…mammon. The fact is, this idol has fallen from prominence and has crashed to the temple floor! The only thing that remains a constant…the only thing that remains intact among all this global economic shaking is Almighty God, His word, and His judgments.
A question arises. With so much pressure expanding the economic bubble that is about to burst, why has it not exploded yet? Countries are trillions of dollars in debt, nation upon nations are headed for financial ruin and bankruptcy, so it only stands to reason that the longer the inevitable holds off, the greater the collapse will be!
What has delayed this catastrophe? What power has temporarily stayed the inevitable? The answer is, God and His saving grace. He still loves all of His creation, though they are misguided, He still extends His hand in mercy. His judgments are sure; He is sovereign and will have things His way and in His time.
2 Pet 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
He is calling all the worshippers of Mammon to repentance before it is too late. Like Humpty Dumpty, this idol is smashed and scattered on the ground.
I will leave you with a couple of questions to ponder. What would happen to the world economy if the rapture took place right now? The answer is evident, take that many good, tax-paying citizens out of the global work force and collapse will be a certainty. Could this be the plan? Would that not be the perfect scenario for the rise of the anti-christ?
Just a thought.
God’s Outlaws by Bishop Jeff Keen Is 40:7-8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever. The contemporary Christian group “Big Tent Revival” had a song called “If Loving God was a Crime.” The song written to be an anthem for those who feel that the legislative arm of our government is fast approaching a point of no return and that Christians will one day have to choose between what they know is right or stay within the parameters of the laws set before them. I have to agree with the brother who penned these lyrics, “When loving God is a crime, I’ll be an outlaw.” The term “outlaw” simply refers to one who chooses to live outside the law. When the law of the land dictates the extent of your belief in God, you will have to choose. You may be thinking that will never happen in What will be next? Who will be next? That one is easy. Anyone with the spiritual backbone to say enough is enough! Anyone who says that God’s way is the only way! Anyone who believes that the bible is the unadulterated, inerrant word of God. That person and their religion could be the target of the next immoral legislation coming down the pike. God, His word, and His people are the only obstacles in the way to more of the same. What about you? When loving God is a crime…will you be an outlaw? The time to answer that question is now.
