Quote of the day:

"whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea."

- Jesus, Matthew 18:6

July 31st, 2023

Today’s Headlines:

Suicide Bomber in Pakistan

In Pakistan's Bajur district, a bomb exploded at a rally organized by a religious political party, resulting in the deaths of at least 40 people and leaving 135 others injured. The Islamic State group operating in Afghanistan is suspected to be behind the attack.

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The Remnant’s Response:

When tragedies like this happen it is easy to wonder where the goodness of God was and why He didn’t do more to stop the evil. Jesus was matter of fact about earthquakes, plagues, famines, tragedies, and terrors (Luke 21:9). In addition to being matter of fact about death, war, sadness, and heartache He was heart broken (John 11:35) and hopeful (John 11:23-26) and in doing so He left a pattern for us. We can be certain that more troubles will come and we can be certain He will overcome them (John 16:33).

Until we are home, we are called to be His hands and feet by mourning with those who mourn (Romans 12:15), prosecuting evil by advocating for righteous governments (Psalm 101:7-8), and fretting not because of evil doers as we know their end (Psalm 37:1-2). While we remain vigilant to do what we can to comfort others and confront evil doers let us not fail to communicate the only antidote to evil, the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16). Our job is to offer hope to those engulfed in hopelessness (Romans 5:3-5) and remind everyone that ultimate hope can be found only in Christ’s offer of grace (Matthew 11:28-30) and coming promise of judgment (Jeremiah 50:29). Who are you comforting and confronting with Truth today?

ABC Producer

This weekend a former senior counterterrorism adviser for the US House Committee on Homeland Security and investigative reporter for the ABC news network, pleaded guilty to possession and distribution of child pornography. James Gordon Meek worked for ABC beginning in 2013, joining their Washington bureau reporting on national security issues. In early 2022 he quietly resigned from his position after the FBI received a tip from Dropbox that his accounts contained years of sexually explicit material. From 2011 until he began his job at ABC, Meek served as senior counterterrorism adviser and investigator for the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security. In addition to these charges, the investigation showed that Meek was also soliciting explicit content from minors over various social media apps. Link to an article found here (*warning - disturbing content*). 

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The Remnant’s Response:

The "exceeding sinfulness of sin" (Romans 7:13 KJV) has haunted us ever since Genesis 3. The Lord warned humanity, in the persons of Adam and Eve, that the day we rejected Him and turned to our own understanding, we would 'surely die' (Genesis 2:17). There is no greater evidence of sins "utter sinfulness" (Romans 7:13) than the exploitation of children, especially for sexual pleasure. For now (and I do mean only now), the majority world seems to agree. We cannot go further in our response than saying that those who perpetrate such evil and harm against children, but for the grace that Jesus offers to all men, deserve the swiftest and severest form of judgment (Matthew 18:6).

When we hear of such horrors, we should pray for all involved and stop and pray for ourselves that we would see the horror of our own compromise (Luke 18:1-8) and pray for God's protection and grace (Matthew 6:13; 1 Corinthians 10:12). The sexual exploitation of children is a very real evil we face today in our world. Recently a movie Called “the Sound of Freedom” came out about this very issue, and we commend it to you. The remnant should pray for the rescue of the oppressed, the swift judgement of the wicked, and for the ultimate healing that will come at the hand of, and ultimately at the return of, our Lord. While he tarries, we can support individuals and organizations that are doing the incredibly important work of rescuing the enslaved, ministering to survivors, prosecuting offenders, and lobbying governments to create and enact laws that provide greater protection for the most vulnerable and precious among us.

There is little doubt that James Meek never thought sin would lead him to such horrors. Though no one knows who truly deserves credit for first saying, "sin will take you further than you want to go, it will keep you longer than you want to stay, and it will cost you more than you want to pay." The internet most often credits it to renown Christian apologist Ravi Zacahrias. If you don't know his story, hit this link, and may the remnant indeed take heed. The remnant's cry should be, "Come quickly Lord Jesus”.

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Leaving the Church

The Atlantic published an opinion piece about the decline in Church attendance we thought was worth a Remnant Response.

The decline in US church attendance, which has impacted approximately 12% of the population over the last 25 years (equivalent to 40 million Americans), can be primarily attributed to the conflict between modern American life and the time needed for meaningful church involvement. "The Great Dechurching," an upcoming book based on surveys of over 7,000 Americans, explores this trend and proposes a new perspective: churches may not be asking enough of their members, rather than asking too much. The cultural obsession with individual success leaves little room for communal activities, including religious participation.

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The Remnant’s Response:

Charles Colson likened the Church to the immune system of society, claiming that when the people of God act in accordance with their calling by identifying societal decay and disease, they can proactively bring healing and restoration to the community. It's no surprise, then, that we see societal erosion when abandonment of and compromise in the church occur.

Just as our immune system fights off infection and disease, the True church is alert to detect and active in destroying anything it recognizes as foreign to human flourishing (Matthew 5:13). Instead of losing heart as it gets darker, we lift up our lives and let our light shine before men to deal with the cancer of sin attacking our culture (Matthew 5:14-16).

The church is weak because its leaders are weak (Ezekiel 22:23-29). Too many "pastors" want people to come back to their Sunday meeting instead of holding fast to biblical truth. Jesus did not lower the call to grow His following (Matthew 8:18-22), and all who truly follow Him will not either. Where faithful leaders exist, people will hear Truth and know a prophet is among them (Ezekiel 33:33). The problem in America and around the world today is not a loss of numbers in those attending church, but a loss of passion in those attending to the Lord’s business. When you think of church growth, think sanctification, not Sunday presence. Instead of fretting about weak leaders, the remnant needs to stop supporting them. If the church you are attending is not led by strong, Godly men tending to the Lord's business and fearlessly speaking the Lord's Truth, then the best thing you can do is add to the number of those leaving and get busy creating a community that is full of doers of the word and not merely hearers who delude themselves (James 1:22).

A. W. Tozer has a word for us about needing better seed… not more.

“Our most pressing obligation today is to do all in our power to obtain a revival that will result in a reformed, revitalized, purified church. It is of far greater importance that we have better Christians than that we have more of them. Each generation of Christians is the seed of the next, and degenerate seed is sure to produce a degenerate harvest, not a little better than but a little worse than the seed from which it sprang. Thus the direction will be down until vigorous, effective means are taken to improve the seed. To carry on these activities [evangelism, missions], the church should be walking in the fullness of power, separated, purified, and ready at any moment to give up everything, even life itself, for the greater glory of Christ. For a worldly, weak, decadent church to make converts is but to bring forth after her own kind and extend her weakness and decadence a bit further out. So vitally important is spiritual quality that it is hardly too much to suggest that attempts to grow larger might well be suspended until we have become better.”

Source: "The Set of the Sail" by A. W. Tozer, p. 154-156.

Other news you should know:

📈 The Fed is no longer signaling a recession.

💉 If you still care what they say, the CDC says Mosquitos have been working out.

🏈 Third string quarterback yet to prove a single thing sells trading card for $102,500.

🐳 3 whales synced up for a cool moment.

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