In a nutshell, CRT stigmatizes all whites (including “woke” ones) as racist oppressors while equally stereotyping all blacks as helpless victims who need an immensely powerful state to “liberate” them. This is not merely a “theory”. It is a political project which relies on inculcating feelings of guilt so as to shame whites into silence while perpetuating a sense of victimhood among blacks. CRT is thus fundamentally at odds with traditional Christian values – among them equality before the law, the presumption of innocence, and viewing people as individuals made in the image of God rather than as members of groups. CRT is indeed itself a racist ideology.
Someone who is woke is constantly inspecting every institution in society, looking for the presence of racism, sexism, and other forms of pervasive prejudice. What separates someone who is woke from someone who is merely progressive is not only this vigilance and awareness but a fervent belief that everyone must be enlisted into their social causes at all times and that the end justifies the means when battling what they see as injustice.
Unlike traditional liberals, woke Americans place very little stake in value-neutral norms like freedom of speech and non-discrimination.
A number of influential CEOs in the USA have embraced ‘woke’ corporate policies in recent years. While some may have thought this to be harmless – and perhaps good for business – it has seemingly come with a price, as the backlash has come from woke ads. CEOs can never buy enough absolution from the left as long as they believe in profit. Alienating the right leaves them friendless. Biz News warned CEOs that this would happen when they went for woke, and now it has.
What Wall Street did not mention is that the funding of big business is controlled by people such as Larry Fink (Blackrock) and Michael Bloomberg and they have the World Economic Forum (WEF) agenda of “The Great Reset” – A world socialist agenda controlled by the elite, “front and centre” of all they do.
What are ESG factors and Stakeholders, not Shareholders?
In his 2022 annual CEO letter, Fink said the nature of companies is changing, they now need to consider stakeholders, not shareholders. Stakeholders (employees as well as shareholders) need to know where the company stands on the societal issues intrinsic to their companies’ long-term success”. Companies will be judged by how they are addressing ESG factors. ESG is a framework that helps stakeholders understand how an organization is managing risks and opportunities related to Environmental, Social, and Governance criteria (ESG factors). ESG takes the holistic view that sustainability extends way beyond just environmental issues.
It is obvious that unless Boards and CEOs take on these new “Stakeholder and ESG” values, funding will not be forthcoming.
Some have criticized stakeholder capitalism and ESG as “woke” politics, a threat to shareholder interests, and a distraction for boards and management. Others have questioned whether stakeholder capitalism and ESG can straddle “doing good” and “doing well.” Uncertainty also abounds as to what ESG truly means.
But God reveals what is truly going on here. It is a move by the WEF elite to have companies adopt their godless agenda which will lead to a one-world government exactly as the Bible prophesies will happen prior to Jesus soon coming to earth. First, to rescue the Saints, second, to pour out His wrath on an unrepentant world, and third, to establish Jesus’ Millennial Kingdom. Go to http://www.millennialkigdom.net for more information on what God has planned next for His world.
God’s Word gives us many examples of people who went to God for help but David is a standout
David had just been anointed King over Israel and the Philistines heard of it and searched for him.
“So David inquired of the Lord, ‘Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?’ The Lord answered, ‘Go up for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand.’ So David went and at Baal Perazim, there he defeated them. David exclaimed, ‘the Lord has broken through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of water.’ Therefore he called the name of that place Baal Perazim (Master of Breakthroughs).” (2 Samuel 5:17-20)
The Philistines went up once again and deployed themselves in the valley of Rephaim (giants.) David enquired again of the Lord. This time the Lord said, ‘you shall not go up: circle round behind them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the trees advance quickly. For then the Lord will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.’ And David did what the Lord commanded him, and drove back his enemies.
available on Amazon as an ebook or trade paperback book
There are times when we need a breakthrough from the Lord. The problem is beyond us, we need Him to act. Wisely David enquired of the Lord and very wisely he followed the Lord’s instructions and there was a breakthrough.
In itself, that breakthrough was a battle rather than the whole war, for the Philistines returned and threatened again. Very wisely David enquired again and did not repeat the previous strategy. This time the Lord’s plan was different. Again, following the word from the Lord, David had victory over his enemy.
When we need a breakthrough, for the problem is greater than us, we can enquire of the Lord. We can listen for His answer but note that it may need patience which is difficult when we are under threat. Yet scripture assures us that we will receive an answer –
‘Ask and it will be given to you…For everyone who asks, receives.’Matthew .7:7-8
The apostle Peter confirms that the breakthrough will come if we stand firm. He says ‘Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God…cast all your care on Him…be sober and vigilant… The devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Resist him and stand firm in the faith… Then after you have suffered a while the God of all grace will give you the breakthrough – He will perfect, establish, strengthen and settle you.’ (from 1 Peter 5:6-11)
Paul wrote to the Ephesians telling them to stand and when they had done everything to keep standing – always looking out for the sword of the Spirit – that specific word (rhema) from God, that specific instruction just like David received when he enquired of the Lord. Our breakthrough comes in the same way – ask, listen and obey the specific instruction, not relying on previous victories for God’s strategy is always right for every problem. Patience is needed!
Why is patience needed? Because patience is having its perfect work in us. Patience is abiding under pressure – enduring. So we keep standing and waiting for the breakthrough which will surely come at the right time.
Article from The International Chronicles – Interactive Forum of Political Culture January 21st 2022
THE “ACADEMY” IS DEAD… IT WAS COWARDLY AND FECKLESSLY ALLOWED TO BE SLOWLY CHOKED TO DEATH AND MURDERED BY THE MARXIST PROFESSORIAL CLASS AND ITS ACADEMIC MINIONS. THE APPALLING IDEOLOGY OF DIVERSITY, INCLUSION, AND EQUITY (DIE) IS DEMOLISHING EDUCATION AND BUSINESS… AND HAS NOW DRIVEN A BRILLIANT MAN FROM ITS REALM.
“There were many reasons why I resigned, including the fact that I can now teach many more people and with less interference online. But here’s a few more:
First reason: my qualified and supremely trained heterosexual white male graduate students (and I’ve had many others, by the way) face a negligible chance of being offered university research positions, despite stellar scientific dossiers. This is partly because of Diversity, Inclusivity, and Equity mandates (my preferred acronym: DIE). These have been imposed universally in academia, despite the fact that university hiring committees had already done everything reasonable for all the years of my career, and then some, to ensure that no qualified “minority” candidates were ever overlooked. My students are also partly unacceptable precisely because they are my students. I am academic persona non grata, because of my unacceptable philosophical positions. And this isn’t just some inconvenience. These facts rendered my job morally untenable. How can I accept prospective researchers and train them in good conscience knowing their employment prospects to be minimal?
Second reason: This is one of many issues of appalling ideology currently demolishing the universities and, downstream, the general culture. Not least because there simply is not enough qualified BIPOC people in the pipeline to meet diversity targets quickly enough (BIPOC: black, indigenous and people of colour, for those of you not in the knowing woke). This has been common knowledge among any remotely truthful academic who has served on a hiring committee for the last three decades. This means we’re out to produce a generation of researchers utterly unqualified for the job. And we’ve seen what that means already in the horrible grievance studies “disciplines.” That, combined with the death of objective testing, has compromised the universities so badly that it can hardly be overstated. And what happens in the universities eventually colours everything. As we have discovered.
All my craven colleagues must craft DIE statements to obtain a research grant. They all lie (excepting the minority of true believers) and they teach their students to do the same. And they do it constantly, with various rationalizations and justifications, further corrupting what is already a stunningly corrupt enterprise. Some of my colleagues even allow themselves to undergo so-called anti-bias training, conducted by supremely unqualified Human Resources personnel, lecturing inanely and blithely and in an accusatory manner about theoretically all-pervasive racist/sexist/heterosexist attitudes. Such training is now often a precondition to occupy a faculty position on a hiring committee.
Need I point out that implicit attitudes cannot — by the definitions generated by those who have made them a central point of our culture — be transformed by short-term explicit training? Assuming that those biases exist in the manner claimed, and that is a very weak claim, and I’m speaking scientifically here. The Implicit Association test — the much-vaunted IAT, which purports to objectively diagnose implicit bias (that’s automatic racism and the like) is by no means powerful enough — valid and reliable enough — to do what it purports to do. Two of the original designers of that test, Anthony Greenwald and Brian Nosek, have said as much, publicly. The third, Professor Mahzarin Banaji of Harvard, remains recalcitrant. Much of this can be attributed to her overtly leftist political agenda, as well as to her embeddedness within a sub-discipline of psychology, social psychology, so corrupt that it denied the existence of left-wing authoritarianism for six decades after World War II. The same social psychologists, broadly speaking, also casually regard conservatism (in the guise of “system justification”) as a form of psychopathology.
Banaji’s continued countenancing of the misuse of her research instrument, combined with the status of her position at Harvard, is a prime reason we still suffer under the DIE yoke, with its baleful effect on what was once the closest we had ever come to truly meritorious selection. There are good reasons to suppose that DIE-motivated eradication of objective testing, such as the GRE for graduate school admission, will have deleterious effects on the ability of students so selected to master such topics as the statistics all social sciences (and medicine, for that matter) rely upon completely for their validity.
Furthermore, the accrediting boards for graduate clinical psychology training programs in Canada are now planning to refuse to accredit university clinical programs unless they have a “social justice” orientation. That, combined with some recent legislative changes in Canada, claiming to outlaw so-called “conversion therapy” (but really making it exceedingly risky for clinicians to do anything ever but agree always and about everything with their clients) have likely doomed the practice of clinical psychology, which always depended entirely on trust and privacy. Similar moves are afoot in other professional disciplines, such as medicine and law. And if you don’t think that psychologists, lawyers and other professionals are anything but terrified of their now woke governing professional colleges, much to everyone’s extreme detriment, you simply don’t understand how far this has all gone.
Just exactly what am I supposed to do when I meet a graduate student or young professor, hired on DIE grounds? Manifest instant skepticism regarding their professional ability? What a slap in the face to a truly meritorious young outsider. And perhaps that’s the point. The DIE ideology is not friend to peace and tolerance. It is absolutely and completely the enemy of competence and justice.
And for those of you who think that I am overstating the case, or that this is something limited in some trivial sense to the universities, consider some other examples: This report from Hollywood, cliched hotbed of “liberal” sentiment, for example, indicates just how far this has gone. In 2020, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the Oscar people) embarked on a five-year plan (does that ring any historical bells?) “to diversify our organization and expand our definition of the best,” They did so in an attempt which included developing “new representation and inclusion standards for Oscars,” to, hypothetically, “better reflect the diversity of the movie-going audience.” What fruit has this initiative, offspring of the DIE ideology, borne? According to a recent article, penned by Peter Kiefer and Peter Savodnik, but posted on former NY Times’ journalist Bari Weiss’s Common Sense website (and Weiss left the Times, because of the intrusion of radical left ideology into that newspaper, just as Tara Henley did recently, vis a vis the CBC): “We spoke to more than 25 writers, directors, and producers — all of whom identify as liberal, and all of whom described a pervasive fear of running afoul of the new dogma. … How to survive the revolution? By becoming its most ardent supporter. … Suddenly, every conversation with every agent or head of content started with: Is anyone BIPOC attached to this?”
And this is everywhere — and if you don’t see it, your head is either in the sand or shoved somewhere far more unmentionable. CBS, for example, has literally mandated that every writers’ room be at least 40 percent BIPOC in 2021 (50 percent in 2022).
We are now at the point where race, ethnicity, “gender,” or sexual preference is first, accepted as the fundamental characteristic defining each person (just as the radical leftists were hoping), and second, is now treated as the most important qualification for study, research, and employment.
Need I point out that this is insane? Even the benighted New York Times has its doubts. A headline from August 11, 2021: Are Workplace Diversity Programs Doing More Harm than Good? In a word, yes. How can accusing your employees of racism etc. sufficient to require re-training (particularly in relation to those who are working in good faith to overcome whatever bias they might still, in these modern, liberal times, manifest) be anything other than insulting, annoying, invasive, high-handed, moralizing, inappropriate, ill-considered, counterproductive, and otherwise unjustifiable?
And if you think DIE is bad, wait until you get a load of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) scores. Purporting to assess corporate moral responsibility, these scores, which can dramatically affect an enterprise’s financial viability, are nothing less than the equivalent of China’s damnable social credit system, applied to the entrepreneurial and financial world. CEOs: what in the world is wrong with you? Can’t you see that the ideologues who push such appalling nonsense are driven by an agenda that is not only absolutely antithetical to your free-market enterprise, as such, but precisely targeted at the freedoms that made your success possible? Can’t you see that by going along, sheep-like (just as the professors are doing; just as the artists and writers are doing) you are generating a veritable fifth column within your businesses? Are you really so blind, cowed, and cowardly? With all your so-called privilege?
And it’s not just the universities. And the professional colleges. And Hollywood. And the corporate world. Diversity, Inclusivity, and Equity — that radical leftist Trinity — is destroying us. Wondering about the divisiveness that is currently besetting us? Look no farther than DIE. Wondering — more specifically — about the attractiveness of Trump? Look no farther than DIE. When does the left go too far? When they worship at the altar of DIE and insist that the rest of us, who mostly want to be left alone, do so as well. Enough already. Enough. Enough.
Finally, do you know that Vladimir Putin himself is capitalizing on this woke madness? Anna Mahjar-Barducci at MEMRI.org covered his recent speech. I quote from the article’s translation: “The advocates of so-called ‘social progress’ believe they are introducing humanity to some kind of a new and better consciousness. Godspeed, hoist the flags, as we say, go right ahead. The only thing that I want to say now is that their prescriptions are not new at all. It may come as a surprise to some people, but Russia has been there already. After the 1917 revolution, the Bolsheviks, relying on the dogmas of Marx and Engels, also said that they would change existing ways and customs, and not just political and economic ones, but the very notion of human morality and the foundations of a healthy society.
The destruction of age-old values, religion, and relations between people, up to and including the total rejection of family (we had that, too), encouragement to inform on loved ones — all this was proclaimed progress and, by the way, was widely supported around the world back then and was quite fashionable, same as today. By the way, the Bolsheviks were absolutely intolerant of opinions other than theirs.
“This, I believe, should call to mind some of what we are witnessing now. Looking at what is happening in a number of Western countries, we are amazed to see the domestic practices — which we, fortunately, have left, I hope — in the distant past. The fight for equality and against discrimination has turned into aggressive dogmatism bordering on absurdity when the works of the great authors of the past — such as Shakespeare — are no longer taught at schools or universities because their ideas are believed to be backward. The classics are declared backward and ignorant of the importance of gender or race. In Hollywood, memos are distributed about proper storytelling and how many characters of what color or gender should be in a movie. This is even worse than the agitprop department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.”
This, from the head of the former totalitarian enterprise, against whom we fought a five decades’ long Cold War, risking the entire planet (in a very real manner). This, from the head of a country riven in a literally genocidal manner by ideas that Putin himself attributes to the progressives in the West, to the generally accepting audience of his once-burned (once (!)) twice-shy listeners.
And all of you going along with the DIE activists, whatever your reasons: this is on you. Professors. Cowering cravenly in pretense and silence. Teaching your students to dissimulate and lie. To get along. As the walls crumble. For shame. CEOs: signaling a virtue you don’t possess and shouldn’t want to please a minority who literally live their lives by displeasure. You’re evil capitalists, after all, and should be proud of it. At the moment, I can’t tell if you’re more reprehensibly timid even than the professors. Why the hell don’t you banish the human resource DIE upstarts back to the more-appropriately-named Personnel departments, stop them from interfering with the psyches of you and your employees, and be done with it? Musicians, artists, writers: stop bending your sacred and meritorious art to the demands of the propagandists before you fatally betray the spirit of your own intuition. Stop censoring your thought. Stop saying you will hire for your orchestral and theatrical productions for any reason other than talent and excellence. That’s all you have. That’s all any of us have.
He who sows the wind will reap the whirlwind. And the wind is rising. Please spread the word and share.
For Christians, Jesus told us what it will be like before He returns and it will be tough as the following Scripture indicates. Our priority must be prayer and joining with like-minded Christians to support one another. God has work He has assigned for each one of us to do. We need to know what that is and stay focused.
“What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them… “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.“
Well, Vern Gowdie of Port Phillip Publishing thinks so. Port Philip Publishing was established in 2005 as the Australian outpost of US publisher, Agora Inc. Agora was founded over 25 years ago by best-selling author and entrepreneur Bill Bonner, and is one of the world’s most successful publishers of financial, health and travel newsletters.
Vern’s book THE END of AUSTRALIA is currently available FREE from Port Philip Publishing to subscribers of one of their Financial Services.
Vern firmly believes Australia is headed for the greatest collapse since The Great Depression.
Remarkably the exact week that THE END OF AUSTRALIA was released the great market reversal predicted in the book began. And it has continued just as Vern predicted with the selling led by the banks.
Not even the new Prime Minister could stop the fall. The ASX 200 index closed another 78 points, or 1.5% down. The average Australian share portfolio is now 16% lower than it was just five months ago.
Vern says that is just the beginning. “Far, far greater losses are to follow for investors who fail to take evasive action now.” He says, it won’t happen in a straight line as the Central Banks will do their utmost to stop it. The financial industry will deny it to the end. American stocks are rallying as I write this post and Australian stocks may follow tomorrow but the crash is inevitable says Vern and I agree with him.
As Christians we understand that almost everything is being shaken and at risk – the economic, environmental and social fabric of society is deteriorating. God has called us to be part of the solution for this time! We need to be like the men of Issachar who understood the times and seek God’s YES for our personal and working life.
The founder of Nehemiah Project International Ministries, Patrice Tsague is in Australia in April 2015 to introduce Biblically based curriculum to teach entrepreneurship to teens and adults. Patrice is originally from Cameroon where the project was developed with Bethel World Outreach Ministries and Living Word Missions.
My name is Ron Edwards and I am on the Board of the International Christian Chamber of Commerce, Australia. I am excited about the introduction of the Nehemiah Project Training Materials to Australia and would encourage
Principals of Christian Schools and Colleges to come hear what Patrice has to say about the curriculum in a two hour Seminar on April 9th.
Venue: Restore Church 181 Rocky Point Rd, Ramsgate NSW Time: 10.00am to 12.00 noon
Pastors and Church leaders are encouraged to come to the afternoon session. Learn about a vision for a God-ordained partnership between business leaders and ministers.
Venue: Restore Church 181 Rocky Point Rd, Ramsgate NSW Time: 2.00pm to 4.00pm
Business Owners you need to come hear Patrice on how wealth is created. The Biblical understanding of wealth and God’s intentions for wealth
Venue: Restore Church 181 Rocky Point Rd, Ramsgate NSW Time: 7.00pm to 9.00pm
Coffee, tea and light refreshments will be available at all sessions.
It is the end of the second day of the conference. With over 50 member nations represented at the conference it is an exciting time. Today we are living in very disruptive and challenging times. There is universal agreement amongst members that we are living in a time of unprecedented financial crisis with the debt burden increasing to unsustainable levels is most of the developed countries. A worldwide financial crash is inevitable it is only a matter of when.
As a people called by God whose business and working lives are an outward manifestation of an inward walk of faith, motivated by God’s love, we are confident that we are called by God to be part of the solution for this time. It is our desire to see Christians in their professional and spiritual lives growing up to be great and tall trees, planted by the water, each bringing forth their fruit in season, and creating shade and rest for those around. ( Psalm 1, Isaiah 61:3, Jeremiah 17:7-8 ). it is about a walk of faith, understanding and loving God, and in His power serving those around us – individuals, communities, and nations that need our help.
Wonderful testimonies were given of God’s equipping and enabling members to overcome seemingly impossible situations.
I am attending two important events in October and November. The first starts this week in Athens. It is the International Christian Chamber of Commerce Conference, “Possessing The Land – It’s Time”. I hope to post reports on this Conference next week.
Last year ICCC was forced to re-evaluate what God wanted of us when He took both the President and Vice President home unexpectedly.
ICCC is not alone among Christian organisations and churches that are being shaken like this at their very foundations.
I was part of a Leadership Conference in Cyprus in February when the new International Board shared with the ICCC Boards of the Nations their vision for the future. This has now been fine tuned and will be presented at the Athens Conference under the banner “POSSESSING THE LAND – IT’S TIME”. I am excited about what God will do at this conference and of course the opportunity to meet up with many good friends. Watch this space for the reports I will post as time permits.
The second meeting I am attending which is a very important one is the 822 Gathering in Jerusalem November 10th to 13th.
“At this kairos hour, the Lord is calling forth a remnant, a representation of the family of believers worldwide, to come together as one new man in Jerusalem. In the power of unity submitted fully to the leadership of the Holy Spirit, we will stand in the gap and decree that the hour has come for the bride of Christ to wake up and to make herself ready for her bridegroom”.
In between the two conferences I am joining a tour “The Hidden Treasures of Israel” sponsored by Kingdom Builders and the Australian friends of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem from Nov 2nd until Nov 10th. It also promises to be an exciting time.
I look forward to sharing with you insights into what God is doing at the “late hour”.
The amazing 30 year old evangelist Nick Vujicic, born without arms and legs is one of the most inspiring examples I know of a man who truly understands what it means to be living eternal NOW.
“Nick” as he is known, spoke recently in Vietnam, May 22-26, 2013 to many thousands. He spoke at seven official events, including two in large stadiums in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Three of the major events were televised nationally on VTV and he did numerous television interviews. After only 4 days, you would have been hard pressed to find a Vietnamese who had not heard about “Nick”.
Though not allowed to preach in public events, he took the country by storm as a motivational speaker. He became an instant hero and idol.
The unprecedented tour was sponsored by a consortium of a Hoa Sen business group whose Chairman Le Phuoc Vu is a devout Buddhist.
It seems Mr Vu, the lead organizer and sponsor wanted to do something positive for Vietnam’s youth, many of them aimless, purposeless and lacking role models.
Mr Vu’s answer to critics on spending so much on “Nick’s” events said, “In the spiritual perspective, the amount is negligible, Nick’s story is a great source of encouragement for the disadvantaged, the disabled , orphans , the poor, …. It is like water for thirsty people in the desert, very precious.
At a private dinner party for Nick at Mr Vu’s estate which included two Buddhist advisors to Mr Vu, he turned to Nick and said, “I see GOD in you, such hope and joy”
At the Hanoi stadium event a little girl with Nick’s identical condition was brought to him. When they met Nick asked her (National TV and thousands in the stadium), “DO YOU KNOW WHY I LOVE GOD? BECAUSE HEAVEN IS REAL! ONE DAY WHEN WE GET TO HEAVEN WE ARE GOING TO HAVE ARMS AND LEGS. AND WE ARE GOING TO RUN, AND WE ARE GOING TO PLAY, AND WE ARE GOING TO RACE”
News reports said, “participants burst into tears” at this powerful expression of Nick’s faith. Nick is a man who by the power of the Holy Spirit indwelling him knows how to live eternal now
He has learned to swim, surf and skydive, is married to a beautiful woman and has a son, has authored best selling books and is the epitome of purpose, joy and gratefulness.
see complete article by Reg Reiner in The Christian Post 05/06/2013.
All of the Aussie delegates to the ICCC (International ChristianChamber of Commerce) Conference were expectant that God would speak to them through the experience and I don’t believe any are disappointed.
Of the many delegates that I spoke to, all are challenged to a deeper walk with the Lord by the main speaker, Dale Fife the author of “The Secret Place”. A yearning for a deeper intimacy with the Lord is growing amongst God’s people as things (governments, economy, morality) around them start to crumble. HE is driving us to a place of desperation where we realise that unless HE shows up we are in deep trouble.
Fortunately I had already come to the realisation that our walk with the Lord is a daily affair, still I realised from Dale’s walk that a far deeper level of intimacy is available to us IF only we will spend the time with HIM in the “Secret Place”. Get/Download his book, you will be inspired.
There were 36 nations represented at the conference with 360 members. Regardless of whom I spoke to, ALL believed that we are in the latter days/end times, with events unfolding with ever-increasing speed as if we are in “fast forward”. For those that are listening “time is short” but the harvest is ripe and the Lord is looking for workers who will go where HE calls/sends. Will we be one of those that obeys? It is an exciting time, persecution comes with the territory but victory is assured and the rewards in heaven great and everlasting.
With the unexpected and sudden passing of the President and VP last year we all understood that it is a new season at ICCC. The conference theme was appropriate “Beyond the Barriers”. The new Board elected on the last day of the conference seems appropriate for the new season and includes Paul McConnell (Australia) as the head of the ICCC Business Development Centre (BDC) in Israel. One of the major projects initiated by the BDC is a hydro power plant in Burundi. With Paul relocating to Rwanda in August he will be well positioned to oversee this project.
After starting my report on the conference I received the following report on the conference from Ntiense. He is on the new International Board and in charge of the Prayer Domain.
His report says it all.
Global Prayer Watch
As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
Psalm 42 vs. 1-2.
One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD , and to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.
Psalm 27 vs. 4-5.
I wish to give a brief summary of the highlights of the just concluded ICCC international conference and IGM held in Jerusalem March 3rd to 6th. 2-13.
The conference marked the beginning of a “new season” given that we in ICCC have been in transition in the last few years. This was marked by the opening night when the trumpets (shofars) were blown in consonance with the instruction of Numbers 10 vs. 10 “at the beginning of your months..” We consecrated the conference and ourselves to the Lord so that His glory can be tangibly manifested in the marketplace in fulfilment of the claim that the Lord has made over the marketplace when He led J Gunnar Olson (Founder) to proclaim the vision of ICCC. This claim of God over the world is absolute!!
The timing of our conference is also significant because when the decision was made by the international board in 2011 to hold the conference and IGM in March 2013 we were actually being led by the Lord to a unique season of a shift. Certain events like the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, the elections in Israel and even the pending visit of President Barak Obama to Israel all point to the fact that there is indeed a shift of season! We therefore sense that this conference was positioned to accelerate the shift of seasons so that we can experience a real manifestation of the power of God and the gradual close of the age. This will be accompanied by the unprecedented harvest of souls as well as the manifestation of the glory of God. Our Speakers made certain declarations to this effect. While Dr. Dale Fife declared; “This is our day!” Dr. Mark Kauffman proclaimed; “God says this is your Kairos time ICCC!”.
A major theme that came through during the conference whose theme was “Going beyond Boundaries” was the imperative of intimacy with God. The two Scriptures quoted above give light to the critical need to find the “secret place” and dwell there as a way of life so that we can become more of those who “be” rather than those who “do”. This will require a life of worship, prayer and indeed a desperate passion for God! Some delegates shared how they are practically seeking to implement this in their workplace. Gunnar said something that is remarkable. He said “You do not have to build the Kingdom. God says believe in me and I will build the Kingdom. Therefore we need to seek the Kingdom of God and walk in faith which will cause God to manifest on the earth”. What lies ahead of us is impossible with man’s effort, so like God told Moses, “I have come down”. This becomes more relevant in view of the coming industrial revolution as well as key areas of scarcity namely; energy, water and food. This certainly requires a walk of faith like never before.
Again let me quote something else that Gunnar said, “When God called Abraham, he made Himself dependent on the faithfulness of one man! Abraham did not settle for anything else as he held the yardstick of the “Holy City” he saw and therefore remained faithful waiting for God to manifest His promises. Upon this faithfulness the redemption of the entire world depended” This in my view is incredible that God’s purpose could be tied so delicately to the faithfulness of man. Therefore the call of God upon us is far more significant than our personal wellbeing or “blessing”. We are called like Israel was to be God’s servants! Again Gunnar declared, “You were born with a purpose, you are not here for yourself”!
Dr. Dale Fife, our main speaker, challenged us to go deeper in our walk with God by declaring “There is more”! He shared from Abraham’s experience; “he journeyed going on still” Gen 12 vs.9. He indicated that all the patriarchs journeyed. We tend to be comfortable with our present locations but God want us to journey! We can mark our journeys with God through divine encounters. There are dimensions that we have never known before that God wants us to encounter. Sometimes in our journey we come to a “roadblock”. It is the key of faith that will enable us to wait upon the Lord when we come to the roadblock. There are various levels of intimacy. Unless you are desperate you will not find the “secret place”. Sometimes God takes us into the wilderness so we can really be thirsty for Him. The mind of Christ comes through intimacy with God. Dr Fife ended with a long list of distractions that can hinder our intimacy with God. These include material possession, health, sex, people, work, ministry, entertainment, etc
One inspiring input to the conference were the panel discussions particularly the session presented by the “young professionals”. They shared on the topic “What do you have in your hand? – Your calling in Business as a Divine instrument for God” We felt that the young professionals are a key constituent for the future relevance of ICCC. We prayed for and dedicated this track of young professionals for the release of the needed strategy and unction to harness their gifting and callings for the furtherance of God’s purpose in the marketplace. Contact with this group for now will be through the international office.
A new international board was elected during the IGM. The composition of the board is also another sign of a new season.
The above are just my recollection and some of the notes I took during the conference. You can always order the full recording of the conference from the ICCC international office in Sweden.
PRAYER THEMES
Give thanks and Praise for the success of the Conference and IGM
Pray for the new international board to receive clearly the mandate for the new season
Pray for Israel particularly the need to form a new government following the last election. Also pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
LIVING ETERNAL NOW 