The Pastor’s File

I was just made aware of an important day that is being organized by First Baptist Church in Santa Maria, California.  The church is setting aside Thursday, October 15th as a day to fast a pray for revival amongst God’s people.  They are also encouraging other churches and individual believers to commit to spending the day in prayer and fasting with them.  Gospel Light Baptist Church is going to join them in this effort, and I would like to encourage other believers and churches who long for revival to consider joining as well.

More details can be found at a special website they have established for this day.  Those who will be participating are encouraged to sign up on the site.

http://www.hartforrevival.com/

Here are some guidelines taken from the HART for Revival website:

Habakkuk 3:2
O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.

1. Pray that Lord would revive His people — that Christians would become saturated with their God, turn from their sin and live fully the victorious Christian life in the power of the Holy Spirit.
2. Pray that the Lord would revive His Church — that He would purify and empower the Church as a united whole and the body of local believers to impact their world for His glory.
3. Pray that the Lord would make His reviving presence known to His people that are thirsty for Him and through His people to an unbelieving world.
4. Pray for a great harvest of souls and healthy churches where those souls can be properly nourished.
5. Pray for our nation, that we would see a Great Awakening in the midst of our years.
6. Pray for God’s mercy, as our sin deserve His judgment. May we be broken, contrite, and humble.

Can you commit to prayer for revival on this day.  If so, go sign up now!

I don’t understand how Congress can get away with these tactics. They are inserting the hard to pass hate crimes legislation into a troop funding bill. If the legislation can’t stand on its own, it shouldn’t ride to passage on the back of another important bill. This is a disgrace!

I would have to agree with Representative Tom Price of Georgia who stated, “The inclusion of ‘thought crimes’ legislation in what is otherwise a bipartisan bill for troop funding is an absolute disgrace.”

No matter what you may think about “hate crimes legislation,” anyone can see it has nothing to do with defense funding. I am a firm believer that every citizen should have equal protection under the law. If a crime is committed against you, it should be punished equally. The victim’s race, religion, or sexual decisions should not enter into how a criminal is punished. A person is a person. Of course this legislation also carries huge implications for free speech rights of those who may not speak in politically correct sentences.

The Wall Street Journal Article may be read here:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125503856503174407.htm