Ten years ago, prior to Empowering Action, a friend passed along to me a poem by missionary Amy Carmichael, which, in reference to Israel’s miraculous crossing of the Jordan River in Joshua 3, stated the following:

“You and I may be called again and again to walk right into our own ‘rivers,’ whatever they may be-to wet our feet in them. We may be called to do what nobody understands except those to whom the word of guidance is given-and with it, His promise too.”

The years of EA have been a testament to the principle that where God guides…He provides. His provision has included, not merely the continued financial generosity of our supporters, but also key leaders and ministry partners, which have enabled us to have a breadth of ministry beyond our greatest expectations.

Two of the countries in which we minister, Haiti and Cuba, are in the midst of chaos. As a result, we ask that you join us in praying for those brothers and sisters in Christ, mourning with those who mourn (Rom. 12:15), interceding on their behalf (1 Tim. 2:1) and petitioning for God’s provision of divine strength, amidst diversity, to “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:10).

Pictured below are pastors of Haitian churches within the Dominican Republic, planning and praying earlier this week, alongside our staff, for EA’s efforts to serve Christ’s Church in their home country.

People often ask me, “How can I pray for the ministry?”

A small portion from a short New Testament epistle provides an answer:

The Apostle Paul may have spent as little as three weeks in the Greek city of Thessalonica on his second missionary journey, but the encouraging report he received from Timothy motivated him to pen the book of 1 Thessalonians.

Amidst expressing his joy over the spiritual transformation of the Thessalonian Christians, Paul also found it necessary to answer false charges from troublemakers regarding his character and message. It’s within that rebuttal we find two descriptions that can serve as a template in praying for the church leaders that EA has the privilege to serve:

• “…we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children.” (2:7)
• “…like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.” (2:11-12)

Would you join us in praying that each of the leaders, involved in any of our four programs, would grow in their biblical acumen as well as the leadership ability to faithfully shepherd their flock, nurturing as a mother, and encouraging and exhorting as a father.

I had the privilege of preaching today at our church on The Triumphant Entry of Palm Sunday.

As I shared, Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem represented the following three things in the life of Christ:

1. A UNIQUE SITUATION: As it was the only occasion when Jesus accepted the public recognition of King. As an example, recall what occurred after the Feeding of the 5,000:

    

   “So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.” (John 6:15)

2.  A DEFINING MOMENT: By riding into Jerusalem as he did, fulfilling the Old Testament prophesy of Zechariah 9:9, Jesus was unmistakably claiming to be the Messiah and King of Israel.

    

   Remember, previously, he had “warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ” (Matt. 16:20) and “told his disciples and others around him, ‘My time has not yet come.’” (John 2:4; 7:6,8)

3. A POINT OF NO RETURN: As Andreas Köstenberger notes,

    

   “Up to this point in Jesus’ ministry, he could have still managed to live a long, happy, peaceful life, but his actions on Sunday set in motion a series of events that could result only in either his overthrow of Rome and religious establishment or his brutal death. He has crossed the point of no return; there would be no turning back. Caesar could allow no rival kings.”

As Christians, we are called to live all year in the shadow of the cross; however, let me encourage you to make a concerted effort this Passion Week to reflect upon the specifics of this paramount week in Jesus’ life and our salvation.

Click here for some great resources on the Ligonier website!

Paul warned the church in Colossae, and consequently the bride of Christ throughout history,

“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.” (Col. 2:8)

Yet, sadly, and at a breakneck pace, worldly ideologies have infiltrated not only churches, but also previously doctrinally sound universities, seminaries and ministries.

The casualty list grows by the day.

The question must be asked, “How is this occurring?”

While Christ remains on His throne with His promise to build His Church intact, Satan is attacking the weak, unstable and immature in the faith, as they’re ““tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine” (Eph. 4:14).

We see this principle in both the old and new testaments.

The Lord instructed Saul to utterly destroy the Amalekites,

Thus says the LORD of hosts: “I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.” (1 Sam. 15:2-3)

What was it about the Amalekites that so provoked God’s wrath?

Deuteronomy 25:17-18 provides the details,

“Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you were coming out of Egypt, how he met you on the way and attacked your rear ranks, all the stragglers at your rear, when you were tired and weary; and he did not fear God.”

The Amalekites, not bold enough to confront the strong of Israel, assaulted the tail end of the traveling pack, where the slow, weak, elderly and infirmed trudged along.

This is what the false teaching of the Social Justice Movement has done within evangelical Christianity: assaulted and taken captive the weak and vulnerable in the faith.

Speaking of false teachers within the New Testament church, Peter stated,

“They entice unsteady souls.” (2 Peter 2:14)

The metaphor Peter is using is to entice fish with bait. And his use of the term “unsteady souls” references how false teachers do not capture those strong in the Word, but, rather, purposely prey on the weak, the unstable, and the young in the faith.

What, then, must we do?

As Jude 17-25 notes, be aware, in prayer, ever maturing in our faith, reaching out to those who have strayed, all while looking forward to the blessed appearing of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ:

But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.” These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.

 Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority before all time and now and forever. Amen.