R.T. Kendall's Blog, page 18

First Baptist Church Portland, Maine

First Baptist Church, 360 Canco Road, Portland, Maine

Services:  8:45 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.

Believing God 1

After I had been at Westminster Chapel for a year or so I felt drawn to Hebrews 11. One evening, driving Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones to Chipping Norton in the English Cotswolds (where he would be preaching that night), I asked him to give me a good definition of faith – one that would safely carry me through Hebrews 11. We discussed it on the way to Chipping Norton and on the way back to London. We seemed no closer to a definition after some four hours of driving. The next day the phone rang. Almost before I could say “hello” a voice on the other end said, “Believing God. There is your definition”. Dr. Lloyd-Jones then began quoting one verse after another: Abraham “believed God”, Paul said “I believe God” and on and on he went. “I am so excited I think I will use it myself”, he chuckled. But I never looked back. It worked. Beautifully. It became the title of my book on Hebrews 11 a few years later – Believing God.

All those in Hebrews 11 did what they did “by faith”. Not only that; each one of them did what they did because they believed God. They believed what he promised; they believed his Word so much that they acted upon the promise – they obeyed. Faith is what saved them; faith is also what led them to do what they did – they came into their inheritance – turning their world upside down in the process.

God wants you and me to turn our world upside down. But we won’t do it by working things up or imagining what God says; we can only believe and obey what God says. We don’t have to come up with anything new. No. His Word will open the way forward. That is where we begin. With the Bible. Believing the Bible. To believe the Bible is to believe God. To believe God is to follow in the steps of those in Hebrews 11. We are called to do in our day what they did in theirs. We have the same God.

RT

You can read much more about this in my book: Believing God available at a discount for this month.

 

RT’s New Year Letter

New Year’s Letter 2013

“When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near”

- Luke 21:28.

The highlight of 2012 for us was on October 3rd when our son T. R. suddenly had to function as the midwife in the birth of our second grandson, Timothy Robert. The midwife arrived five minutes too late! T. R., Annette and Toby moved to Tennessee on March 25th. They now live on their little farm in White House, less than fifteen minutes from Rex and Melissa. So in 2012 we have our entire family near Louise and me. How kind of God to do this!

Louise and I are very well, considering we are getting up in years (73, 77). Her back is completely healed from the injury that resulted in an operation 18 months ago. She frequently travels with me. We have so much to thank God for. Next June 28th will mark our 55th wedding anniversary! I have traveled and preached this year more than ever – 170 times in 50 venues in 4 countries. In February I will visit Qatar, Dubai and India.  Despite a worsening arthritis and occasional dizzy spells I am doing quite well. I continue to write books (over 60). God has been so gracious to me to let me have such a wider ministry. T. R. keeps the website current, helps with the social media and is always giving me wise and timely input. Melissa has earned her Master’s degree from Trevecca Nazarene University (my alma mater). All our family need your prayers for continuing good health and energy, especially for a greater anointing of the Holy Spirit but also for wisdom in knowing when to say Yes and No to various opportunities.

Some of my friends have lovingly criticized me for implying that President Obama might not be a Christian since I have committed to praying for him daily to be saved (see my blog and Facebook for November 7). Perhaps I got it wrong. But I have yet to be convinced that the man who wrote his books is a Christian. He himself admitted that his reason for joining a church was that it would help him politically. I know some who won’t pray for President Obama at all. This is surely wrong. “I urge”, said Paul, “that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving me made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority” (1 Tim.2:1-2). I pray daily that God will bless our president but also save him. I won’t give up. John Wesley said that God does nothing but in answer to prayer. If that is true, someone was praying for Saul of Tarsus (who became the greatest Christian of his day). So I am hopeful. And yet I worry for our nation and fear that bad things are coming down the road. But to quote the king of Nineveh: “Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish” (Jonah 3:9). My very first book was Jonah.

In my little book The Day the World Changed (meaning 9/11) I predicted that things would get both worse and worse and better and better. The worse and worse is being fulfilled; but the better and better? Not yet. However, the better and better refers not to the economy and peace in the world but rather to the spiritual condition of the Church in many places. Jesus said that that the church in the last days would be “asleep” (Matt.25:5). The scary thing about sleep is, we don’t know we were asleep until we wake up! We do things when we are asleep (as in our dreams) we would not do when wide awake. I fear that a sleeping church is tolerating things that were once thought disgraceful. Where is the outrage? You tell me. And we hate the sound of an alarm.

Jesus said there would be a Midnight Cry just before the Second Coming. “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’” (Matt.25:6). Midnight in this case does not mean 12:00 o’clock midnight but rather is a translation of a Greek word that means in the middle of the night – when we are in a deep sleep. I have wondered if the Midnight Cry of Matthew 25:6 could be in two stages, or two realms – to the world generally and to the church: (1) a general wake-up Call – which may have happened on September 11th 2001. If so, the awakening was short-lived. Most people rolled over and went back to sleep. To the people of God there will be (2) an amazing, astonishing and sudden Call that will emerge clearly and unmistakably. How? I don’t know. But it will happen prior to the Second Coming and – if I were to be totally honest with you – in my lifetime.

        Two things will change

I’m sorry, but I fear that things will get much, much worse in the world. Call it “the beginning of sorrows” or whatever. I don’t mean to be unfair, but I fear for those who hold that the Rapture will usher all believers out of Great Tribulation. This viewpoint sets many sincere Christians up for huge disillusionment. In my opinion, two things will change. First, many will sooner or later have to abandon their cherished eschatological theory – that Christians will be snatched away and spared of extreme suffering. This view is not only far from convincing but I’m afraid it encourages Christians to stay fast asleep. The truth is, we can expect the worst right before our very eyes. Second, those holding to “cessationism” (the view that miracles “ceased” long ago and there is no hope for signs and wonders since we have the Bible) will also have to abandon this hopeless perspective. We should pray for and expect an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that will restore power and authority as in the days of the early church. The Trinity for too many is, as Jack Taylor puts it, “God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Bible”. We need the immediate and direct coming of the Spirit to make people see the infallibility of Holy Scripture and the integrity of the Gospel.

This outpouring, then, is in my opinion not far away. And yet it could be that the recent tragedies – whether Hurricane Sandy in New York or Sandy Hook in Newtown, Connecticut – will be part of God’s way of driving us to our knees. I pray for this while we all equally pray for those families who have been so bereaved by recent events.

God bless you. Thank you for turning to our website and reading this.

From me, Louise and all our family, warmest greetings and best wishes for 2013.

 R. T. Kendall – Romans 8:28 AV: “We know that all things work together for God to them that love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose”.

Covington Assembly of God

Saturday, Feb 2nd at 11:00a.m.

Sunday, Feb 3rd at 10:30 a.m

(901)476-9592  covingtonag@bellsouth.net  1861 Highway 51 S, Covington, TN 38019

http://www.covingtonassembly.org

 

New Town United Methodist Church

Sunday morning the 17th at 9:15 & 11:00 a.m. and one service at 7:00 p.m

http://www.newtownumc.org

Bethesda Community Church

Bethesda Community Church
4700 North Beach Street
Fort Worth, Texas 76137
817.281.6350
www.bethesdanet.com
Sunday morning service begins at 10:30 a.m. and 6 PM

Salvation and Inheritance

RT’s speaks on Salvation and Inheritance

Watch RT Preaching on

Salvation and Inheritance

Here is a link to download the video.

For PC users: right click and choose Save target as… This QT video can be played with most media players.  It is 456 MB large and may take a long time to download.

The Sermon on the Mount 4

When Jesus said for us to love our enemies and “pray for those who persecute you” in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt.5:44), it was an extension of his treatment of the Law – namely the Sixth Command: do not murder. Murdering is done not merely by the physical act but by the attitude of the heart, namely, hate.

Hate is something some of us are not willing to admit to. Like Jealousy, the sin no one talks about; or pride, the sin that no one admits to, so too hate. It is demeaning to hate; we all like to feel it is what “others” do – never us!

How do you know you have not given into hate? How can you be sure you are not a hater? You say: “I’m not a racist”. “I am not homophobic”.  Good. But how can you sure? I reply: when you pray for that  person to be blessed. Not when you say, “Lord, I commit them to you” – which lets you off the hook. When you say, “I commit them to you”, you have left the door open that, just maybe, God will visit them in vengeance; that God will punish them for you. So never think you are praying for your enemy when you say, “Lord, I commit them to you”.

Here is how you are to pray for your enemy: “Lord, I sincerely ask you to bless them”. Or, “I ask that they don’t get punished – or found out”. You may say to me: “R T you are  crazy”. No, I’m not crazy; I am obeying Jesus’ teaching of the Sermon on the Mount. You may ask, “But why? What’s in it for you if you pray that your enemy will be blessed and let off the hook?” I reply: a lot. In a word: I inherit the kingdom of heaven – the highest spiritual achievement this side of the  Judgment Seat of Christ. Not only that; I know I have God’s approval. His approval means more to me than seeing my enemy punished.  I choose to have the approval of God than vengeance on my enemy.

And there is one more fringe benefit (if I may put it that way): more anointing. Yes. More anointing meaning insight and an ability to understand the Bible. People ask me, “How can you write all those books?” They seem to think it is my brain or education. No. It is one thing: the anointing. It can be traced directly to taking Jesus’ words seriously – to pray that my enemy will be blessed. When Jesus said “blessed” are we who are persecuted, he was guaranteeing a great reward indeed – that is, if we respond to persecution by blessing our enemy not cursing them.

Therefore it eventually comes down to this (strange as this may seem): praying for  your enemy becomes a selfish thing. The more persecution, the greater anointing – on the condition I bless them. Highly recommended: an enemies’ prayer list!

RT

Look for a special offer in the coming few days for special Christmas gift pricing on this and other of RT’s books.

Read more on in depth analysis in RT’s book.

 

Our President

I did not vote for Barack Obama. I am almost ashamed to admit I voted for a Mormon. Until two weeks ago I decided not to vote at all, knowing as I do that Mormonism is shrouded in the demonic. But I rationalized that our national debt – and trend away from family values – warranted my vote for Romney. In any case, Barack Obama won by a far greater majority than most of us predicted. It is my view that the Monster Storm had something to do with this. That said, God (for some reason) has allowed for President Obama to be our president for another four years.

I have prayed for President Obama every day for four years. Some say, “I pray that Obama would fail”. No, this is wrong. We should pray that God will BLESS President Obama. It is in our national interest that God blesses him. God can determine how this blessing is manifested.

But I will pray for one more thing – for certain: that God will save President Obama. Grant him saving faith and unfeigned repentance. John Wesley taught that God does nothing but in answer to prayer. I don’t know how many Christians were praying for Saul of Tarsus two thousand years ago, but look at what God did. God confronted Saul of Tarsus with irresistible grace and saved him and turned him into the greatest Christian of his day. God can do this again. I will pray for this every day starting now. As the king of Nineveh said in response to the preaching of Jonah: “Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish” (Jonah 3:9).

RT

The Sermon on the Mount 3

Jesus deals largely with three of the Ten Commandments in the Sermon on the Mount: (1) the Sixth Command (“You shall not murder”), (2) the Seventh Command (“You shall not commit adultery”) and, implicitly, (3) the Third Command (“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God”). Inheriting the kingdom comes by being justified by faith in Jesus’ blood and upholding the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount.

Jesus taught that we murder not merely by physically taking another person’s life by anger, hatred and accusing another. This teaching internalized the Sixth Command (Matt.5:21ff). When Jesus later said we must love our enemy and pray for them (Matt.5:43f) it was extending his teaching of the Sixth Command. It came to this: total forgiveness toward those who have hurt us, letting them off the hook and pray for them to be blessed. It was astonishing teaching. And yet it is the say we come into our inheritance in the Kingdom of God.

Jesus internalized the Seventh Command when he said that to look at a woman “lustfully” – or causing her to lust – is to commit adultery. Therefore we commit adultery not  merely by the physical act but by lusting and causing a woman to lust by physical touch or flattery. No one had ever taught this! It is the way you and I are to live, that there be not even a “hint” of sexual impurity (Eph.5:3). It was to be a purity not only of outward behavior but in the heart, which referred back to purity of heart in the Beatitudes (Matt.5:8).

Some have not understood that Jesus’ telling us not to “swear” was his exposition of the Third Command. There are those who misuse God’s Name and don’t realize it. I refer not merely to cursing with God’s name but to seemingly innocent practices as saying, “The Lord told me this”. Why bring in the Lord’s Name? Jesus said not to swear at all – whether by God’s throne or his footstool (Matt.5:33-37) but to say what you mean and man what you say without bringing in God’s Name. What would be the purpose of bringing in God’s Name: partly to make sure people believe we are telling the truth (an oath is weightier) and partly to make ourselves look good. If, for example, I want you truly to believe I am telling the truth I say “I swear to you by the living God”, I may succeed in getting you to believe me; but I have misused God’s Name at the same time. Jesus said not to swear at all – appealing to any authority but your simple statement of truth. As for my saying “God told me”, I have no right to do this! You will say, “But what if he did tell you?” I reply: I don’t have to bring in his Name. It is only to make me look good – not Him. Many people misuse God’s Name this way.

 

RT

Read more on in depth analysis in RT’s book.