Sound from Heaven is a revival cry to worship Jesus wholeheartedly and share hope in Him with those around us. This multicultural, content-rich, faith-based production combines bite-sized messages of encouragement from Christian leaders around the world, as well as songs from leading worship artists. Look out for the Prayer for the World, shared by individuals across the globe in multiple languages. Believing in the unity of the Church, Sound from Heaven is a collaboration between many ministries and networks around the world, including Global Voice of Prayer, Praise Live, the World Evangelical Alliance, GO2020, Unite 714, Global Kingdom Partners Network, The Send, Generals International, International Prayer Connect, Jericho Walls International Prayer Network and many others.
Author Archives: Ron Edwards
ATHEIST IN PRAISE OF CHRISTIANITY
A great article from Jonathon Van Maren. He is a public speaker, writer, and pro-life activist. He is the author of The Culture War and Seeing Is Believing: Why Our Culture Must Face the Victims of Abortion. The article demonstrates that even atheists recognise that as the world throws off the restraints of Christian morality, it is descending into chaos.
Historian Tom Holland is known primarily as a storyteller of the ancient world. Thus, his newest book Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World, came as something of a surprise for several reasons. First, Tom Holland is not a Christian. Second, Holland’s book is one of the most ambitious historical defences of Christianity in a very long time.
While studying the ancient world, Holland writes, he realized something. Simply, the ancients were cruel, and their values utterly foreign to him. The Spartans routinely murdered “imperfect” children. The bodies of slaves were treated like outlets for the physical pleasure of those with power. Infanticide was common. The poor and the weak had no rights.
From There to Here …
How did we get from there to here? It was Christianity, Holland writes. Christianity revolutionised sex and marriage, demanding that men control themselves and prohibiting all forms of rape. Christianity confined sexuality within monogamy. (It is ironic, Holland notes, that these are now the very standards for which Christianity is derided.) Christianity elevated women. In short, Christianity utterly transformed the world.
Holland’s passionate defense of Christianity is fascinating because it appears to be part of a trend. As the West becomes definitively post-Christian, many secularists are suddenly realizing that Christianity may have been more valuable than they thought. While many — including Holland — cannot quite bring themselves to believe Christianity is true, they are starting to believe that Christianity might be necessary.
Douglas Murray, the conservative author and columnist, is also an atheist. In recent years, however, he has started to warn that the decline of Christianity is a dangerous thing. Society now faces three options. First, Murray says, is to reject the idea that all human life is precious. “Another is to work furiously to nail down an atheist version of the sanctity of the individual.” And if that doesn’t work? “Then there is only one other place to go. Which is back to faith, whether we like it or not.”
Murray now occasionally refers to himself as a “Christian atheist.” Speaking with Esther O’Reilly on the Unbelievable podcast, Murray lauded the “revolutionary moral insights” of Christianity. He told her that while visiting the Sea of Galilee, he couldn’t shake the feeling that “something happened here.” And he admitted that as atheists consider morality, “the more we may have to accept that … the sanctity of human life is a Judeo-Christian notion which might very easily not survive [the disappearance of] Judeo-Christian civilization.”
Speaking on The Darren Grimes Show last month, he was even blunter. “There seems to be little point to me in a life spent talking about Labour Party politics rather than God.”
Listen to the Warnings of the Atheists — Christianity is Necessary
These strange struggles also deliver a warning to the West. Without Christianity, we are heading into a thick and impenetrable darkness. Christianity gave us human rights. It gave us protection for the weak. Compassion rooted in commands to love. Forgiveness for enemies. It revolutionized the world. We are now in the process of undoing that revolution. In fact, we are replacing it with the Sexual Revolution.
We should look at what we are destroying before we carry on. We should ask why fences were built before tearing them down. We should listen to the atheists nervously telling us that Christianity is necessary. And we should fight to ensure that our post-Christian culture is again a pre-Christian one.
God’s word tells us this won’t happen, the truth is, the only hope Christians have is that Jesus will return in the not too distant future to rule and reign on earth with a “rod of iron”. God has given us a detailed picture in His word of the last seven years on this planet before He returns. Berean Christians won’t be taken by surprise when the tribulation and even great tribulation that is prophesied happens.
CHAOS IN AMERICA: HOW DID WE GET HERE?
This article is largely by David Lane. He is the founder of American Renewal Project. We differ in that David is hopeful of a good outcome.
Whereas George Floyd’s tragic death and the sinfulness of racism are inexcusable from any point of view, they cannot and should not be used as an excuse for the massive, wanton and indiscriminate destruction and calculated anarchy that is currently taking place. And neither can the brutality and lawlessness be justified by the fact that America’s founding was established upon address of grievances and the right for public demonstrations.
In wondering where the support for revolution and terror in the streets of America is coming from, there is no question that the rioters have access to essential resources, including organization, know-how and funding … nationwide.
While we might assume that an independent news media and press would be eager to investigate who is inciting political and social turmoil in America, they, alas, seem to be complicit in wanting to remove at any price the 45th president of the United States on Nov. 3, 2020.
How did America get here?
The short answer is that secularism’s devoted priesthood imbued America’s youth with an ungodly set of beliefs through 100 years of public education, while the church remained idle and quiescent. The full extent of this iniquitous shift will come to light when we compare early American education textbooks and curricula, which concentrated on the development of virtue and character, with contemporary education’s focus on a godless origin of the universe and a resultant exaltation and normalisation of sin.
Let’s not forget that politics is downstream from culture, and that culture, in the words of Joseph Boot, is the public manifestation of religion.
Christians surrendered their biblical responsibility of rearing and educating their children to pagan secularists over the last century, which amounts to an inauspicious lack of observance to fulfil Genesis 18:19 (GW): “I have chosen him so that he will direct his children and his family after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. In this way I, the Lord, will do what I have promised Abraham.”
Returning to the question how America got here, an additional answer came last week in the form of a Wall Street Journal opinion piece by Van Gordon Sauter. The former two-time president of CBS News, a forward-looking liberal married to former California Treasurer Kathleen Brown, the sister and daughter of former California governors Jerry Brown and Pat Brown, provided an indictment of “the ‘liberal leaning’ media” as having “passed its tipping point: A return to balance would be commercially nonviable. The best solution may be an honest embrace of bias.”
Unfortunately, his accurate analysis didn’t provide a proposal how to correct or repair the situation, so we will offer one:
With his 30-year background in consulting, business and non-profit, Dr. Lance Wallnau puts the matter in perspective: “Listen, you guys who are Christians have an insider advantage on all of this chaos because there’s a system to how the world works.
“We wrestle not with flesh and blood but principalities and powers. That doesn’t mean that people aren’t involved; it means that there are devils and demons working through people, behind people and energizing systems. What Christians have never really understood, because we think that everything can be solved with a local church, a conversion, and the gospel being preached … well, it doesn’t work that way. Because at some point China was taken over by the Mao Revolution, and [they] killed all the Christians; same thing with Stalin.
“Now we’ve got enough churches, and enough Christian television and Christian books, TBN, DayStar … it’s not as though we don’t have enough talking, it’s just that we have very little impact. If you want to be very honest about it, the LGBTQ crowd, the race organizations, the ‘Borderless-America’ organizations, the anti-Israel organizations, they’ve done a better job of making disciples than Christians have, because we’re just kind of holding our own, and the other groups are converting.
“They’re institutional, they’re academia, they are in media, they are in Hollywood, they’re in government, in the courts, in law, and already they are in our churches pushing gay marriage and the LGBTQ agenda.
In summary, Wallnau’s assessment comes down to Jesus’ kingdom assignment as found in Matthew 16:18, His ekklesia, involving societal transformation as the major thrust of the Great Commission to disciple nations.
Two distinct religions are vying for control of America’s public square: eternal and immutable Christianity versus transient and mutable secularism. What’s happening is spiritual—two distinct religions cannot coexist as one will ultimately end in the destruction of the other.
God be praised that Gideons and Rahabs are entering the public square in the form of elected officials to local office: city council, school board, parks and recreation and so on. Will societal transformation occur over the next 20 to 30 years? David Lane is hopeful, but God’s word tells us “For then there will be great tribulation such as has not been seen since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.” Matthew 24:21-22
OUR GREAT HOPE, OUR ONLY HOPE – JESUS
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” John 11:21-27
Jesus made a promise to Martha that not only was there a resurrection, but that Jesus himself was the resurrection and the life, and that faith in him would result in eternal life. It’s why this same apostle John, would go on to write the greatest summary statement in all the Bible:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
Paul said, if there is no resurrection then we are to be pitied. “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” 1 Corinthians 15:19
“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.” 1 Corinthians 15:3-6
IT’S WHY WE HAVE HOPE
Paul is recording the central claim of Christianity: Jesus proved his divinity by dying on the cross and rising again, thereby validating everything he said about the resurrection. It’s why we have hope that we who believe in Jesus will see our brother again, that this is not the end. The key here is the list of witnesses: after his resurrection, Jesus appeared to Cephas (Peter), the twelve, then 500 at one time, many of whom were still alive fifteen to twenty years later. It’s like Paul is saying: fact-check me on this one. I know it’s an outrageous claim, but go and talk to the witnesses yourself.
If someone stood up today and started claiming: there were no attacks on 9/11, a plane never flew into the side of Pentagon, even though that was almost twenty years ago, there are thousands of witnesses here that were there and could contradict that. 1 Corinthians is written twenty years after the event of the resurrection, with witnesses still alive, who saw Jesus alive after his death and burial and resurrection. And because Jesus rose from the dead, everything changes!
Here’s what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians about how Jesus’ resurrection secures our own resurrection:
“So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.“ 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 54-57
GOSPEL LEGACY OF GEORGE FLOYD
The rest of the world knows George Floyd from several minutes of cell phone footage captured during his final hours. But in Houston’s Third Ward, they know Floyd for how he lived for decades—a mentor to a generation of young men and a “person of peace” ushering ministries into the area.
Before moving to Minneapolis for a job opportunity through a Christian work program, the 46-year-old spent almost his entire life in the historically black Third Ward, where he was called “Big Floyd” and regarded as an “OG,” a de-facto community leader and elder statesmen, his ministry partners say.
Floyd spoke of breaking the cycle of violence he saw among young people and used his influence to bring outside ministries to the area to do discipleship and outreach, particularly in the Cuney Homes housing project, locally known as “the Bricks.”
“George Floyd was a person of peace sent from the Lord that helped the gospel go forward in a place that I never lived in,” said Patrick PT Ngwolo, pastor of Resurrection Houston, which held services at Cuney.
“The platform for us to reach that neighbourhood and the hundreds of people we reached through that time and up to now was built on the backs of people like Floyd,” he told Christianity Today.
“His faith was a heart for the Third Ward that was radically changed by the gospel, and his mission was empowering other believers to be able to come in and push that gospel forth,” said Nijalon Dunn, who was baptized at Cuney. “There are things that Floyd did for us that we’ll never know until the other side of eternity. There were times where we’d have Church at the Bricks until 3 p.m., and by 4:30, they’re firing shots right at the basketball courts.”
Dunn shared pictures of Floyd at his baptism and basketball games. Floyd’s handle included the name “BigFloyd4God.”
Tributes and prayers of lament from fellow Christians rolled in over social media as the news of Floyd’s death spread this week. On Twitter, Davis described Floyd as “the definition of ‘Be the change you want to see’” and shared a video tribute that has been viewed 1.1 million times. Popular Christian hip-hop artist Propaganda reposted the reflections from fellow artists who knew Floyd saying, “He was a friend of my friends.”
GOSPEL PREACHED TO ALL THE WORLD
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:-14
How, when and by whom is this gospel of the kingdom preached in all the world as a witness to all nations just prior to the end?
“Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgement has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.” Revelation 14:6-7
It will be one of three angels that God sends out with messages for all peoples on earth just prior to the wrath of God being poured out on the unrepentant.
In Revelation, at the completion of his commentary on the opening of the sixth seal, John says, “For the great day of His wrath has come; and who is able to stand?”
The Rapture of the saints happens at the seventh seal just prior to the wrath of God being poured out with the trumpet and bowl judgements.
LAWLESSNESS WILL ABOUND
Along with pestilences, Jesus told us lawlessness will abound in the last days. I believe the widespread lawless behaviour, by young people in particular, to a terrible act of police brutality in the USA is an indication we are entering the last days.
“And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:12-14
Curfews are in effect or imminent in more than a dozen US cities facing rising unrest. The start times Saturday evening range from 6 pm in parts of South Carolina to 10 pm around Ohio. People are being told to get off the streets beginning at 8 pm. or 9 pm in Atlanta, Denver, Los Angeles and Seattle.
A curfew is in effect for a second night in and around Minneapolis, though reports are emerging that police have begun to charge people who are flouting it. Thousands ignored the Friday night curfew and peaceful protests gave way to violence late into the night.
the answer to anarchy in our streets? REPENTANCE
Repentance is God’s gift to us. When it’s taught by example to our children a healthy awe and respect to the Living God is planted. Repentance then becomes a lifestyle which thereafter can grow in a mighty way, uncovering God’s unique calling for that child to advance God’s Kingdom.
Repentance is the key to submitting to God. Once we’ve submitted, we can easily resist the devil. He then has to flee.
WHAT A MIGHTY GOD WE SERVE
Often we do not see the real Jesus because we’re too busy looking at ourselves—it’s easy for our own flesh to get in the way. Repent daily, asking the Holy Spirit for His help and His mercy to see Christ as He truly is. We need God’s mercy and grace everyday.
Reflect on the names of the Lord. What awe, reverence and worship they should evoke in the spirit of every true believer:
“And thou shalt call His name JESUS” (Matthew 1:21, kjv). He is the Prince of Peace, Mighty God, Wonderful Counsellor, Holy One, Lamb of God, Prince of Life, Lord God Almighty, Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Root of David, Word of Life, Author and Finisher of Our Faith, Advocate, The Way, Dayspring, Lord of All, I Am, Son of God, Shepherd and Bishop of Souls, Messiah, The Truth, Savior, Chief Cornerstone, King of Kings, Righteous Judge, Light of the World, Head of the Church, Morning Star, Sun of Righteousness, Lord Jesus Christ, Chief Shepherd, Resurrection and Life, Horn of Salvation, Governor, The Alpha and Omega.
Jesus: The Lord of All Things
The secret of the abundant life, is Christ and Christ alone. We must see the real Jesus. We must have a correct vision of who He is and, therefore, who we are representing and serving during our time on earth. Only then will we begin to rediscover the authority, glory and power of His majesty.
One of the most revealing images of the real Jesus is found in Colossians 1:13–20. Here we find Him to be “the image of the invisible God . . . .
“For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell.”
What a mighty God we serve! The whole universe, everything that we can see and cannot see, was created for Him. He is head of the Church and our Lord. We were made for Him and His pleasure.
Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,Let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising loving kindness, judgement, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,’ says the LORD. Jeremiah 9: 23-24
PROOF THE BIBLE IS THE INSPIRED WORD OF GOD
Christians believe the Bible is the Word of God, but how do we know that’s true? How did we get the collection of books we call the Bible, and can we trust them?
Gary Bates and Lita Cosner of CMI do a good job of explaining why Christians believe the Bible is the inspired word of God. Fulfilled prophecies are for me convincing proof. Also, the fact that Jesus believed the words Moses and the O.T. prophets wrote so why shouldn’t I? Jesus made it possible for our Heavenly Father to send the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit to indwell my spirit, to be my counsellor, teacher and comforter. He has changed my life for the better. This is all the proof I need.
DO YOU REALLY KNOW FULLY, WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST?
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of the One having called you out of darkness into His marvellous light.” 1 Peter 2:9
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16
Once you enter in the Light of Christ, where everything has meaning, everything is important, everyone has purpose, then, and only then, can you truly love others and live a life that is pleasing to God. We become keenly aware of the importance of obedience to God and how we perceive and care for others. This is not simply a gospel of “being nice” but a deep knowledge that the devil is “playing for keeps.” We must view people as souls either on the path to destruction or walking the straight and narrow. We are not permitted to “cross the road” or “look away” when we see someone taking a beating by Satan. Like the Good Samaritan, we are to GET INVOLVED.
Remember, when Jesus sent out the 70 disciples “to heal the sick, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.” they returned saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” Luke 10:9,17
Jesus told them not to rejoice in this fact but rejoice instead that their names are written in the Book of Life (Luke 10:20), He nevertheless acknowledged the fact that devils MUST obey them. This is TRUTH! When passionate Christians wake up in the morning, Satan should literally SHAKE IN FEAR. We should be a daily reminder to him that his days are numbered. Sadly, how many of us believe and act out this TRUTH!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, It is time for your army of spiritual warriors to be released. Let us not be bound up with things of this earth but let us set our sights on Your Heavenly Kingdom. Let us never forget the One who died for us so that we may win the spiritual battle with the enemy of our souls. Already, we are seeing more of our brothers and sisters in Christ being martyred for their faith and we know from end times prophecies, that in the last days before Jesus returns that will only increase. Help us to be fully cognisant of the sacrifices that will need to be made. Please send the power of Your Holy Spirit afresh this Pentecost to equip us so that we may be courageous warriors in Your service.
LIVING ETERNAL NOW 