In This Month's Report:
* Editorial - Prophets or Babysitters?
* Feedback - War of the Worlds
* July Events - 24 in Trinidad and Tobago
* July Ministry - Impacting the Northeast and Beyond
* Tips and Resources - Unlimited Mailing Lists
* Products - Three New Resources (see link below)
* Partnership - Invest in God's Program for the Northeast of America
* God Thoughts - Preach a Better Sermon

We would love to hear from you; please send us your feedback today. Don’t forget the ever-popular 'GOD THOUGHTS' at the end of this report. Enjoy! JB

INTRODUCTION
Social acceptability was never the agenda of any true prophet of God in the Old Testament. Whether seer or challenger of the backslidden state of a people or nation, they confronted the status quo, sometimes reluctantly, to either prepare the people for the future or for a restoration of lost righteousness.

John the Baptist, the last but 'greatest' prophet of the Old Testament ("For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist...." Luke 7:28), was so unusual that his dress and diet received a special mention in Matthew's gospel ("Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey." Matthew 3:4). Nonconformity can almost be said to be a necessary commodity of the prophetic ministry.

ME, MYSELF AND I
In the western world, nearly everyone alive today has been weaned in a consumer culture, which promotes the 'me, myself and I' mentality. Our conditioned expectation is to be served rather than to put others ahead of ourselves. This attitude has invaded the church over the last four decades, with the result that people come to church asking, “What's in it for me?" Consequently, most decide where they will be in the Kingdom, not so much on the call of God for their lives but on the best deal available.

In turn, political correctness (read unbiblical), another ethic of this age, has fostered a thin-skinned sensitivity that encourages us to take offense at the slightest discomfort - emotionally, physically, and spiritually. As a result, we leave and go to the other church across town. This easy offendability is one of the biggest hindrances to advancing the Kingdom of God in this nation. With 98% of church growth in America coming from transference, some churches that have become 'mega' have done so aided by consumerism's best ally – television. Just like Wal-Mart coming to town, these churches have grown at the expense of all the 'mom and pop' churches. However, the fact remains that the vast majority of congregations in America number well under 100 members.

CHRISTIANITY LIGHT
The lack of significant growth in the American church is compounded by associated issues such as a lack of spiritual boldness to be a witness, which suggests that the church is slacking off from a true and empowering baptism of the Spirit. Also, diversity, an offshoot of political correctness, makes it unpopular to 'proselytize,' pressuring Christians to keep their religious views to themselves, at the same time forcing us to accept the views of others, which may be at odds with the Christian world view. This pressure is not just confined to the pews; it is also touching the pulpit. Our preaching may be addressing the ‘felt’ needs of the people, but shies away from the root issues! God's words are not minced; they cut to the quick!

POWER PREACHING
The most powerful force in this world is not nuclear but verbal! The power of the spoken word has changed more on this earth than anything else. That's why the Lord chose preaching as the main way to communicate the Gospel. The written word affords a collective continuity of human thought beyond just one generation. That's why the Bible is still the biggest selling book after hundreds of generations. God’s Word revolves around the message of the Cross and, if it is truly foolishness to those who are perishing (1 Corinthians 1:18), it is so because it does not conform to the logic of this age.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THEM!
The Cross is not about 'me' – it's about others. True Christianity is not about individuality; it's about a community called the Kingdom of God, which has only one commission – to advance like an army! If the church is supposed to be an army, as in “...onward Christian soldiers,” we don't have time to get offended any more than troops on the frontline would have the luxury of endless 'counseling' sessions in the face of an onslaught from the enemy. In a battle, you must follow orders, whether you like it or not. Minuscule matters of offense dissolve before your eyes when death is staring you in the face!

THE FEAR OF THE LORD
The war over the human soul is the greatest battle of all time! Many pastors today have felt the pressure to pull back from the battle front. Proclaiming God’s truth is the responsibility of all leaders in the Body of Christ. In this sense, we are called to speak for Him as prophets to this generation. Otherwise, we just abrogate our role to that of 'babysitters' to an immature church. May courage infect our souls and the fear of the Lord overcome the fear of man, and when the day comes, let us all be able to stand before God with confidence in anticipation of those desired words, "well done, good and faithful servant, now come into your rest." #

Hi Jeff, Your article titled 'War of the Worlds' is an absolutely accurate depiction of what is taking place here in the US and abroad. The enemy's master stroke is that he has blinded and deceived much of the general populace into believing it is just our new 'liberated' cultural trend of 'anything goes....' This is promoted as freedom, but in reality is hardcore mass bondage in every area....

Bob Dylan, on his 1978 album "Slow Train Coming" said, "The enemy I see wears a cloak of decency." Now almost thirty years later, the 'slow train coming' is pulling into every station in America. It is letting off passengers and cargo everywhere, so to speak. That 'Slow Train' is, in fact, the 'Long Black Train' that is spoken of in the recent country music hit. It is a train of darkness from the unseen realm, the enemy mother ship, as it were.

The alien invasion we are experiencing is by beings without bodies from another realm. Paul absolutely confirmed this in Ephesians 6:12 (New Living Translation) - "For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places."

The spirit of ho hum religion has lulled the nation into a 'so what' attitude; even in the church, this is often the case. If these unseen forces were discovered to be a secret weapon from another nation, there would be mass red alert and full scale retaliatory measures implemented.

Often when we read an article, like the one you wrote Jeff, we are tempted to think, "How cute! What a fun play on words, war of the worlds!" That's a good one, I will have to use that title for my next sermon, or, that would look good on the church billboard. In reality - this IS the reality - not just a clever analogy. We are, right now, in the greatest "War of the Worlds" this planet has ever seen, or ever will see. Amen. Bless you, Jeff - Paul Sames

24 in Trinidad and Tobago - Over the weekend of July 15th, we had an opportunity to join Pastor Matthew Singh and his wife, Kathy, along with several other pastors and leaders from Los Angeles, New York City and New Jersey, on a ministry trip to Trinidad. This small nation, in the southern Caribbean just off the coast of Venezuela, was named by Christopher Columbus probably after the three ships that were with him or after the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

This twin island republic of 1.3 million is very ethnically diverse, consisting of Christians (70%) and Hindus (22%), with a minority of Muslims (6%). The population is about evenly divided between those of African and Asian Indian descent.

Our team was there for a praise and prayer tour to, among other things, combat the rapidly rising crime rate in the nation. Kidnappings have become prevalent, with the wealthy being the target.

One of the main events was a 24-hour prayer meeting held at Faith Center, San Fernando, pastored by Carlisle and Marilyn Chankersingh (see photo below). Many other churches and ministries from across Trinidad also took part in the program from 6 pm Friday night through 6 pm Saturday night. The team ministered in several churches around the island the following Sunday morning and then flew to the nearby island of Tobago for a two-day break before returning home to the USA.