Pastor Stan Pratt

This was printed for the Taylorville Breeze-Courier Taylorville Ministerial Letter on Friday, July 17, 2009.


Submitted by: Pastor Stan Pratt
The Way of Life Church
1929 W. Spresser St.
Taylorville, IL 62568
#824-2548


The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:1-4 (Amplified Bible) “But understand this, that in the last days will come [set in] perilous times of great stress and trouble [hard to deal with and hard to bear]. For people will be lovers of self and [utterly] self-centered, lovers of money and aroused by an inordinate [greedy] desire for wealth, proud and arrogant and contemptuous boasters. They will be abusive [blasphemous, scoffing], disobedient to parents ungrateful, unholy and profane. [They will be] without natural affection [callous and inhuman], relentless [admitting to no truce or appeasement]; [they will be] slanderers [false accusers, troublemakers], intemperate and loose in morals and conduct, uncontrolled and fierce, haters of good. [They will be] treacherous [betrayers], rash, [and] inflated with self-conceit. [They will be] lovers of sensual pleasures and vain amusements more than and rather than lovers of God”

Sounds like reading or hearing the daily news doesn’t it?

The Prophet Joel asked in Joel 1:2 “ - - Has anything like this
happened in your days or in your fathers days?” His statement is
concerning the troubles of the nation - a shrinking economy and more.
The stark circimstances are then attributed to the ceasation of God-honoring lifestyles.

Scripture also warns of many “being deceived” in these “last days”.
To “be deceived” is to believe a lie, to deny what is truth, to accept what is false as true or real. What about you and me? Where are we in this picture? Are we walking in truth, or are we among those deceived - at least partially? We can certainly agree with Joel’s question concerning it being different than we have ever seen it before can’t we? We should, as Christians see that much of the troubles or perils of these days are due to the shrinking back of men and women standing for truth - real truth, the Word of God, Christ who is Truth, and the Holy Spirit who is the witness of Truth. Sin is the issue. Not some “problem,” but rather not honoring the God of
all creation by refusing to accept Christ as redeemer or as the real
answer to that which is destroying us. The issue is life and death -
the life of God, which brings His covenant blessings, or death which
leaves us separted from Him.

How foolish, that many who consider themselves part of the “church”
fit right into the statements made by Paul to Timothy quoted above!
And worse yet, defend their position(s) as being “okay”! How can we
deny the truth of Scripture and expect blessings to abound? How
can we stand silently by while so many declare as truth that which is
false? A danger in that is we also will become deceived because we
are not “standing in truth”. We risk mingling the Holy and the
profane by thinking all is okay even as we are denying the power of
God to bring His blessings into our lives - personally and / or as a
nation. Examples would include those who say they are “christian”,
and yet support abortion and sexual perversions of some or all types,
or those who openly deny the truths of Scripture in one or more areas
as “old fashioned” or say that Scripture / God changes with the
advancement of mankind. Wake up! God never changes, Christ is the
same, yesterday, today and forever. God honors His Word above His
name and won’t alter it for anyone or any generation, period!

Even if a President says “America is not a Christian nation”, we as
christians must arise and realize that if we are not a Christian
nation, then we are no longer the United States of America that the
writers of our Declaration of Independence, our Constitution, the Bill
of Rights, many of our Presidents and Judges declared us to be. Even
if a President declares a month to honor sexual perversion pridefully,
we as christians must arise and say that we are not proud of sin being
honored on our land. We must declare that for us and our
household(s), we will serve and honor the Lord! Especially, we who
are Pastors / leaders in the christian community must stand firm in
truth lest we become party to deceiving multitudes in our spheres of
influence. I personally do not want to stand before Christ trying to
explain “why” I bought into deceptive issues so clearly stated in
Scripture! I don’t want any under the sound of my voice to either!

Recently, I stood with about fifty other Christian leaders from across
Illinois and declared that “This nation was founded on Godly
principles, formed as a nation under God, and stands on that
foundation”. We decreed that “this foundation will not be destroyed
or changed by the voice of man” and that “the belief of Christian
principles and a nation in need of a Savior and Lord is inherent in
our Constitution”. We decreed that “America was born a Christian
nation, is still a Christian nation and will forever be.” Standing
as one, we renounced and rejected the President’s decrees that we are
not a Christian nation and the decree of June, 2009 as a month to
honor sexual perversion as a lifestyle. Although our President is
trying to issue a decree that supercedes the Word of God, it “will
not stand because the Word of the Lord stands forever”. We declared
that these presidential decrees had exalted themselves against the
knowledge and design of God. We agreed to choose submission to those
authorities over us who are submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ
and the Word of God. Where that differs, we choose to follow the
Lord. In our sphere of authority, we will decree righteousness. We
will not condone rebellion, sin, appeasement or ungodly decrees with
silence.

Things contrary to God and His Word are happening and will happen
increasingly in this world, but we, as Christians, though in this
world are not of it. We will stand in Him and see the salvation of
our God. We do not have to be partakers of those things contrary to
God and His Word. We are partakers of His divine nature so that we
can release His light into the darkness of this world. We, as
Christians are here, in such a time as this, to bring glory and honor
to Him through Christ so that of the increase of His government and
peace, there is no end, and that the knowledge of His glory will cover
the earth as the waters cover the sea. Our hearts desire is that all
men repent and come to the great salvation which is available by grace
through faith in Christ.

Be blessed as you choose to honor God and His Word at all times.

If God is for you who can be against you?

Together, we advance the victory of the King of the Kingdom!

Stan Pratt
Pastor, The Way of Life Church
First Vice President, World Ministry Fellowship
Facilitator, DP Prayer Shield Team
Co-Coordinator, Illinois NDP