I want to write you some things that I gleaned from a book written by Rev. Rod Parsley; World Harvest Church, Columbus, OH in his book “On the Brink”.
I want to share with you The Spirit of the Age. An evil supernatural force is driving our children over the brink. It may not show up in the standard curriculum for most university psychology departments, but that mystical unusual, supernatural force is called a demon. The spirit of the world is concerned with the ordering of human beings and human affairs by demonic influence. The apostle Paul warned us about this spirit in our text tonight.
The great word translated “perilous: in verse 1 of this passage appears once more in the New Testament, in the account of the demonized man of Gadara who was extremely “fierce” or violent. As we consider Paul’s prediction that the last days will be fierce and violent, consider this panoramic snapshot of our society in the last several years and how it has affected or infected the church:
1. 25% of all women will be abused at some point during their lives.
2. Some form of spousal abuse occurs in 30-50% of the marriages in America.
3. Nearly 50% pregnancies in the United States of America end in abortion. The same high-ranking leaders who maneuver or veto any bill that would put an end to partial birth abortion can quote more scriptures than most preachers.
4. Evidence indicates that a demonic spirit of disease has been released in the earth that goes far beyond the usual patterns of disease. Form the bubonic plague, to the 20th century outbreak of AIDS and Cancer.
5. A Spirit of anger is plaguing our roadways in National Highway Traffic Saftey Administration listed road rage as the number one traffic problem in America. YES, After Drunk Driving.
6. A spirit of suicide is stalking the land. Teen suicide ranks as the second leading cause of death for those ages 15-19.
7. A spirit of perversion has joined forces with the spirit of violence to spawn a disgusting new class of brutal crimes against the human race.
8. A Spirit of Witchcraft, Satanism, and the occult is using man’s innate interest in the supernatural realm to gain entrance to human souls on an unpre3cendented scale.
9. A Spirit of Pornography is gaining ground and “converts” at an astounding rate. More than 1-5 American adults has visited a sexually oriented Web Site, according to Focus on the Family.
10. A Spirit of Murder is casting its dark shadow over every square mile of our nation. Communities and demographic groups we believed would always be sage have been devastated by mass murders and unspeakable violence.
11. A Spirit of Addiction has gripped the nation all the way down to the Bible Belt of America. Where we have as many cooking meth as do attend a church in some counties of America.
We are living in a time period that America is in a bad way. Paul warned us of this coming day. We can either bury our head in the Sand and say, “Not in Olney, Illinois”. Or we can realize that the Spirit of the Age has come to roust here as well. One of the problems in America is with us preachers. Yeah, I’m going to pick on us preachers. When you have Big-Name TV Preachers who do their best to corner the market on the Christian Crowd with ear-tickling enticements and tantalizing fundraiser offers. They are afraid to call out sin because it will hurt their ratings and hurt their fundraising efforts. But that’s not the only problem. Now we large #s of preachers in America who are watching these preachers and desiring the spot light and decide to start preaching like the TV preachers and we lose the PROPHETS voice in America.
The problem in America we no longer call Sin – Sin. Even in the church. It’s a disease. I know we are running a drug and alcohol program here at the church, so I will be careful here. However, it’s time that we stop treating Alcoholism like a disease. It’s a spirit. Drug Abuse is not a disease. It’s Sin. Compulsive liars are no longer called sinners; they are merely extroverts with lively imaginations.
Murders are now victim of their tortures psychological pasts. Adultery is no longer considered a sin in Hollywood (or in 90% of the church); it is the highlight of most primetime shows.
We have churches that are preaching to the end.. “We serve the God of second chances.” We have people on 20th-30th chance. When is the Mercy of God stretched so thin that it is no longer Mercy but compromise. Oh Now, I’m preaching.
I think it’s time that we respond to the Spirit of the Age. I told you on New Year’s Eve that God has shown me that there is a Spirit of Jezebel that has ruled in our region and for too long.On New Year’s Eve, I took it as my personal assignment to pray off this spirit. I also believe that American is facing more than just this spirit and it is up to us to pray these spirits off as well.
God’s answer to perilous times is a glorious church filled with light and power. One singer-performer who has been popular in past years with American teens was Marilyn Manson. He created his stage name by joining the first name of late Hollywood sex goddess with the second name of a demonic cult murderer named Charles Manson.
Wearing nothing but his black G-string, this man straps himself to a wooden cross for his outrageous concerts. Marilyn Manson openly declared, “My role is to awaken a collective disbelief in Christianity and its God.
Some of you may remember the song “Country Death Song”
I started making plans to kill my own, Come little daughter we’ll have some fun.
I led her to a hole, I gave her a push, I threw my own child into a bottomless pit.
We are living in an age of Rap Singers singing songs about Killing Cops, etc. We must stand up as the church and declare the glory of our God and the Power of his Spirit in our life. You and I have been given Authority over the fallen god of this world.
Now is the time to use that authority. Let God’s Word be the foundation of your holy commission as a devil chaser and ambassador of the most high God:
Luke 9:1 states, He gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.
Luke 10:19 states, Behold I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing [that means nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing & again I say Nothing] shall by any means hurt you.
We need to declare war on the devil tonight that we are not going to stand for his spiritual dominion in Olney and Greater Richland County. There is a reason I am here. There is a reason you are here. There is a reason that there is an Apostolic Church in this community. It’s not so that I can preach some pretty sermons to fill a building. It’s not so you can sit on a pew and go through the emotions of religion. It’s not so that there can be another denomination in town for people to choose from.
Since the New Testament the Apostolic Church has been the church that has dominion over the spirits of the age. The Apostles took control over the spirits and it’s time that we do so also. As my brother preached the other night, this kind comes out by prayer and fasting. You better get prayed up. You better get fasted up. You better get ready. Because it is time that we as the Apostolic Church serve notice of the devil that his time in the County, City, and Church is up. We are not going to be as nice as the court system and give him 30 days to vacate.
It’s time that he vacates now. Are you ready for an old fashion old ghost exorcist? The Catholics thought they had a market on that, but it’s time we use more than Holy Water. It’s time that we use the Holy Ghost.
I love the song sung by Carmen, A Contemporary Christian singer in the 90’s that said in his Song – “Satan Bite the Dust”.
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