Evangelist Ken Carter Now In Glory

I met Dr. Ken Carter for the first time in 2003. Ken received an honorary doctorate from Southeastern Baptist Seminary. Ken was an evangelist with ministries across the world and also here at home in the United States. He came to the church where I was called into the ministry, Peniel Baptist Church in Timmonsville, SC, to lead our congregation to seek a deeper prayer life. This was one of Ken's passions as he knew the church first and foremost needed to seek the power of God through sincere prayer. Ken's instruction was wonderful and greatly influenced my view of ministry.

Ken returned to Peniel a year later to preach a revival. It was at this point in my life I was feeling the call into ministry but struggling mightily to surrender and obey. Ken was planning a trip to Cuba the following fall and I signed up for this mission trip. Even though I had never preached a sermon Ken said he would allow me to do so on the trip. He embraced my calling and took me under his wing, teaching me many things in the process. Among them were:

1) THE POWER OF PRAYER: Everything Ken did began and ended with prayer. Prayer was a burden that God had placed upon his heart and he preached the message of the power of prayer everywhere he went. He led churches to seek God's face and never wavered in his commitment to taking everything to God's throne of grace.

2) THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: It's rare a person's first public message is through an interpreter, but that was the case for me. Before I preached, as I watched others precede me, I wondered to myself how God could use such an awkward forum. You don't even know if the interpreter is communicating what God has laid upon your heart. But as I watched and actually preached myself I realized an essential lesson. The power of preaching does not rest in the preacher, but rather in the Holy Spirit. God's word will not return to Him void. I was simply amazed at the power of God's word to change lives and save people. And I realized that it was all about Him, and not me.

3) STREET EVANGELISM WORKS: In our crusade in Cuba we saw many accept Christ as their Savior. But we saw far more come to Christ through one-on-one witnessing in the streets of the small Cuban villages we witnessed in. Though their were army guards that should have stopped us per government law, they did not. The people were eager to hear the truth and embrace it. Of the nearly 500 people who prayed to receive Christ, 90% or more were won one-on-one or in small groups on the streets. It is still a burden to me as to why we are so eager to practice this method in foreign countries yet when we return home we seem to put it away. Show me a church that is out and about telling people of Christ, and I will show you one that is seeing God save people.

4) DIFFERING DENOMINATIONS SHOULD WORK TOGETHER: On this trip we had Baptists, Pentacostals, Presbyterians and non-denominational church members. While we disagreed on some theology, were were united around the person of Christ and that only He can save. We put aside the minor things to focus upon the most important thing; Jesus. And God provided fruit for these efforts.

Over the years I kept in touch with Ken. I had lunch with him a few times and would run into him at different conferences. He always remembered me and encouraged me. While I'm saddened by the earthly loss of him, I am rejoicing that he is now with his blessed Savior whom he loved so much. I'll always remember Ken Carter, and the things he taught me. He embraced a confused young preacher and without hesitation gave me the opportunity to fully enter the ministry. Thanks brother Ken, and our most heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.

Observations from a Sunday Morning at Home

While still sweating as my fever recurs and breaks, at least the nausea is gone and I can eat. I'm thankful for all the prayers that have been ushered to God on my behalf the last few days, and the Lord is surely healing, but I was unable to preach this morning. This has only happened a few times in my 6+ years of preaching, and every time it has it feels so weird not to be proclaiming God's word. Because I love God, I love to preach His word. I miss it when I cannot do so. Even on weeks where Ashley and I are on vacation we are in church somewhere, so a Sunday morning at home is a rare thing indeed.

I love to listen to and watch preaching. Part of my normal Sunday morning routine before I head to church for prayer is to watch Jonathan Falwell, Jack Graham and James Merritt. This morning in addition to those I also caught some of Charles Stanley, David Jeremiah and D. James Kennedy. All of these men of God feed my desire to learn and grow in God's word.

However, as we all know, most of religious television is dominated by questionable if not heretical teachers that pollute our airwaves. This morning out of curiosity I also caught part of Creflo Dollar, Gregory Dickow, Kenneth Hagin, Jr., Kenneth Copeland, Ron Carpenter(of Greenville's Redemption World Outreach), Joel O'Steen, Frederick Price and, gulp, Robert Schuler. My goodness the heresy that passes for the gospel these days.

It is sad and disturbing to me that so many have been deceived by these wolves in sheep's clothing. They are men who preach to itching ears and felt needs, propagating "name it and claim it" and that material wealth is a part of the Christian faith. I've never felt as though God owed me anything, but rather, I owed God everything. But to listen to this rabble you'd think the Almighty was in our debt, and subject to our command, rather than what the bible teaches that we are to be under his control and to be obedient to Him.

I must say most of them started out soundly, but after about 5 minutes of decent biblical exegesis, they all drifted into a "what's in it for me" mentality. Worshipping God in not about me, it is about Him, but vast numbers of churches today have made church about man's needs, instead of God's desires. Name it and claim it; prosperity now; be a better you; you are pleasing to God just as you are. So this is why Jesus died?

Through my faith in Jesus Christ God is not required to give me anything other than eternal life as He has promised. And that is by His grace and mercy, and by nothing on my account. His word tells me my "treasures are in heaven," not here on earth. I should want nothing in my life that is not the will of God; whether it be riches, or health, or comfort, or peace. His word tells me I will suffer, be persecuted, hated by the world. It does not say I will show Myself, God Almighty, by how wealthy or prosperous I will make you. But you'd find that hard to tell by watching TV this morning.

Also, as I know in my heart, there is a reason for everything. Why did I get sick this week. Well, early this morning, a young couple in our church suffered a terrible tragedy. They suffered a miscarriage. I found this out on Facebook when I normally would not have been home. They did not call as they thought I'd be at church. Though unable to be with them due to illness, I was able to minister with them over the phone, and will surely be with them when I'm no longer contagious. Pray for the Riggan's as they undergo this trail. I'm very proud of Brian and Lauren and with the faith in which they are dealing with this.

What else this Sunday holds I do not know. But Adrian Rogers is on in 10 minutes. While I did not have the privilege of feeding the sheep this morning, this sheep still wants to be fed. Thankfully interspersed between the false teachers and money grabbers, we do find gems from time to time. Everyone have a blessed day! For this is the day "the Lord has made."

The Implications of a Democratic Middle East

Genesis 3:6, "So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of it's fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate."

As the news footage of the uprising in Egypt and all across the middle east continues to roll in, a fundamental question has arisen regarding the future of this most unstable of all regions of the earth: Do not all people have the right to self determination? It is a question that goes to the heart of the human condition. Should we all not have the right to the free will God gave us as creatures made in His image? As a matter of public policy since the United States military involvement in the region escalated to full fledged war after 9/11, the official government position has been we are aiming to stoke the fires of democracy across this region known for totalitarian governments and despots as rulers. Israel is the only true democracy in the Middle East, even Iraq has not made that transition fully. So what are the ramifications of self determination, of freedom of choice, in a region ruled by extremist points of view?

In theory, democracy is the most noble form of human government. The people hold the power to install the type of leadership they desire. But whether it be a representative democratic republic, like the United States, or a true democracy where the people make the decisions for themselves, this form of government rule is wholly dependent upon the belief that mankind is basically good; and will choose what is best for himself and his kindred. Is this faith in our fellow man well placed however?

Genesis 3:6 clearly teaches us man will not always, and in many cases, almost never choose what is best for himself, no matter how clear the choice seems to be. Adam and Eve were the most fortunate people ever to walk the earth. Other than Christ, they were the only one's who ever managed to live a portion of their lives in the perfect will of God. They lived in the paradise the bible calls Eden. They "walked and talked" with God Himself. They had been given clear instruction that both understood completely regarding the eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Yet when confronted with the devious devices of evil, they rejected all that was good, and chose evil. They chose disobedience and sin. As a result of their choice, all of mankind since has been born into sin. We pay the price for their rebellion, and are sinners from the moment of our first breath.

You do not have to teach a child to lie, it comes naturally. You do not have to teach a child to rebel, it is instinctive. You do not have to teach a child to become angry, or lust, or covet. These things are born into them as part of the sin nature. When faced with the choice between good and evil, the natural man, quite naturally, chooses evil. So what should we expect from all of this chaos in the middle east?

The United States is supposed to be the model. A bastion of liberty on which we hope the whole world will model itself. But liberty is a two-edged sword. While the desire for freedom is also a an inalienable, God given right. The consequences of liberty are both good and bad. The United States claims to recognize the rights of all of it's citizens, but bloody wars and civil uprising had to occur to insure this for blacks and minorities. These rights have been taken away from the most vulnerable among us, the unborn child, and nearly 60 million abortions/murders have occurred since 1973 in the name of freedom of choice. We have the liberty to serve God and others, or to serve ourselves and our desire for pleasure. Which occurs more frequently today? We have the liberty to choose our own representatives, yet most Americans vote blindly, failing to educate themselves on even the smallest of details regarding whom they cast their votes for. So why should we expect those in the middle east to choose any more wisely than we have?

On Monday I opined in my blog that the United States is in a no win situation with what is occurring in the middle east today. Oppose the desire for self determination and support despots who rule as though they were God and oppress individual liberty, and we turn our backs on our own self declared beliefs. Support the protesters and the right of self determination, and we risk most assuredly the rise of radical elements that most surely will be more evil and dangerous than those who currently rule. Once again God has shown us, only He is sovereign. And only in choosing Him can we insure personal liberty is a positive force, and not one that brings both great good but potentially even greater evil.

What is happening in the middle east today is the same thing that happened in the garden at Eden years and years ago. Mankind is faced with a choice. A choice, most assuredly, that God has given them, but nonetheless, a choice. Is our faith in mankind and our desire for personal liberty, bringing both the pros and cons of those decisions, well placed? Not if the history of man is any indication.

You see, it is only faith in God, in Jesus Christ, that brings about wisdom and wise decisions. And even then, as Adam and Eve proved, the reality of being deceived and choosing evil is ever present. God's word indicated the strife now occurring in the middle east is a continuation of God's eternal plan. Israel, Jerusalem and the middle east region are ground zero for the battle between good and evil. Everything that is happening will serve God's already written story for the fate of His most beloved creation, us.

If Egypt, and the other nations now or soon to be embroiled in this battle for personal freedom choose wisely and choose God's way, the region could enjoy a new found peace. Not only in terms of human rights and bondage, but in the open door that personal freedom would provide for the spread of the gospel, religious freedom, and the peace only Christ can provide. If as Adam and Eve, the devil deceives, and the wrong choices are made, all forms of peace, both between nations and with God, will disintegrate before our very eyes.

The bible tells us that the "heart of man is deceitfully wicked."(Jeremiah 17:9) The word of God declares that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."(Romans 3:23) Their is only one path to true liberty and freedom, Jesus Christ. "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."(John 8:36) Unless His way is chosen, mankind's record of self determination is filled with the choice of evil over good, even in it's best intentions, like the United States. The implications of a democratic middle east are self evident in the economy of God. Choose Him, or "the wages of sin is death."(Romans 6:23) Faith in mankind is a misplaced hope. Only faith in God can bring about true freedom. Do we really believe this is the choice that will be made?

The U.S. and Middle East Turmoil

Daniel 2:21, "And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to those who have understanding."

For the last several weeks national news has been more and more filled with protests and turmoil from the middle east. What started in Tunisia in mid-December and then moved to Yemen has come to crisis level in Egypt this last week. While most of the secular media seems eager to portray this as political unrest, their is no denying that all of the turmoil we see in the middle east right now stems from the desire of Islamic fundamentalists to gain political power and install regimes that would be anti-American and even more anti-Israel. It places the United States in basically an un-winnable position: support authoritarian regimes that are secular yet repress people, or allow an Islamic revolution to occur that would empower radical elements who repress people and would be clear enemies of the U.S. Either way, whether in the short term through these governments being fully overthrown, or in the long term, by further stoking Islamic opposition and radicalism, the U.S. and Israel will lose.

This may seem quite defeatist. Surely a nation as powerful as the United States can apply influence to calm these fires of rebellion and maintain the precarious peace, lack of all out war, that exists in the middle east, can't we? Not if history and the scriptures are any indication. The fires of revolution are erupting all across the Islamic world, not just in these countries that are getting the headlines right now. Turkey, once a secular ally of the U.S. and Israel, has been taken over through peaceful means and now boasts a fundamentalist Islamic regime. Lebanon just this month became a state completely controlled by the terrorist group Hezbollah. Pakistan is in the midst of an Islamic revolt fueled by the Al-Queda elements hiding from our troops in Afghanistan where this battle has been raging for 10 years. The Palestinian conflict is nowhere near resolution. Iraq since the withdraw of most of our troops, is sliding toward a more radical Islamic attitude. Iran is the gas that's igniting these fires. Jordan, along with Egypt, the strongest ally of the U.S. and Israel in the middle east is experiencing the embers of this same sort of uprising. Across the globe, radical enemies of the U.S. and Israel are ascending to power, and we appear powerless to stop it.

In Egypt, where a peace treaty with Israel has been effective for 30 years, the transfer of power appears imminent. President(dictator) Hasni Mubarak, who has maintained the peace with Israel and been an ally of the U.S. in the middle east, will not remain in power. Unlike the armies that it brought against Israel in the 1967 war, Egypt has a military establishment now that has been reinforced by the United States for these last 30 years and is now at least technologically close with that of Israel, and has far more manpower. The one who appears to be poised to eventually take power, Muhammad el Baradai, is the same former U.N. representative who shielded and denied Iran's nuclear program for years. He has stated publicly that when he ascends to power he will formally recognize the terrorist group Hamas in Gaza on Israel's southern border. Egypt will once again become an active, instead of a passive enemy of Israel and the U.S. even if it begins behind the scenes. Jordan, the only other middle eastern nation with a peace agreement with Israel, is poised to follow this same path to Islamic extremism. If, when, Egypt and Jordan fall, Israel will be fully surrounded by publicly declared enemies.

The consequences for Israel in all of this turmoil are obvious. They face an enemy whose stated goal is to drive the nation into the sea and eliminate the state of Israel and as much as possible, the Jewish people. This is a doctrine straight from the pits of hell, as Satan has tried this many times in the past. But what are the consequences for the U.S., and what will we do?

As I stated earlier, I believe this is a no win situation. If Egypt falls, and the Suez canal is affected impacting the flow of oil from Saudi Arabia, the immediate impact could be a huge spike in oil and gas prices. While the devastation on our economy this would cause would be serious, it is not remotely the worst that could come of this. The current administration has already shown a pattern of backing away from Israel as a staunch ally. What would the consequences be if for economic stability we fully withdrew support from Israel to keep the oil flowing? Israel, armed with it's own nuclear arsenal, could be placed in a position where it is largely outnumbered and may have no other choice than to tactically defend itself with weapons of mass destruction. Basically, we're talking World War III. For those who believe the bible as God's inerrant word, the promise of God in Genesis 12:3 would be tested. Here God promises to bless those who bless the chosen descendants of Abraham, through Issac and Jacob. Those descendants are the Jewish people. He also promises to curse those who curse those descendants. As one who believes this, I contend the wrath of God, through natural and supernatural means would be turned upon our nation.

This blog is written as an observation of these events. As a Christian, I believe their is only one solution to these problems, and it is not a political or military one. I do not believe their is a human means of resolution to these issues. The world scoffs at this point of view, but it is what the bible teaches. One day Antichrist will bring a false peace that lasts 3 1/2 years, but that is merely a prelude to the one solution that will triumph. That solution is Jesus. The only problem for the unbelieving world with that point of view is that the bible clearly states that these problems will not be resolved until Christ Himself returns to establish His kingdom. That is a truth I rejoice in and look forward to. But for those who do not know Christ, it is a day of judgment.

So how should we take solace in these events that almost surely will lead to eventual global chaos? The verses in Daniel that begin this blog are where we should rest. Whatever we see happening, we must have faith, that even though the forces that appear to be coming to more and more power clearly oppose the God of the bible and do not represent His holy will, these events are being allowed to occur through His permissive will. They will further the march toward His kingdom. Our God is sovereign and in control, even when it appears He is not. "All things work to the good for those who love God." Even things which appear to be throwing our world into a time of crisis we have never seen, where nuclear conflict will be a major threat and player. As ludicrous as this may sound to those who read it and do not believe the words of scripture, the holy bible has foretold all of the coming conflict. The only way to truly have peace is to come to faith in Jesus Christ. Do you know Him? Have you been "born again" in Christ? Do you have peace even in the midst of the fiery furnace? If you do not, I implore you to receive Jesus into your heart; confess, repent and ask forgiveness for your sins; and follow the one true "King of Kings," and "Lord of Lords." Jesus told us that in this world, we would have "tribulations." But He has overcome the world. The only way we can overcome, is through Jesus.