#14 Our Hevenly Father speaks through media and culture
God's Voice • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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The Hike
The Hike
God speaks through Media
God speaks through Media
God can do anything.
He can reach out to us through Books, TV, Movies, and even Social Media.
Big - a little movie that spoke Purpose to Me.
Big - a little movie that spoke Purpose to Me.
Hever heard of the movie BIG? It is not even a good movie. If it is known to any of you it is probably because one of the Stars made it big Tom Hanks. The movie big is unchristian in focus and content. But one night my best friend and I happened to rent it and watched it together.
It is about a young boy who finds he is to short to ride the carnival ride, and wishes to be BIG at a spooky fortunetelling machine. (Fortunetelling is expressly forbidden by God) Inexplicably the Boy JOSH is turned into an adult when he wakes up the next morning. the movie goes on to show the problems and advantages to being a little boy in a big body. Without any christian focus. He gets caught up in the adult world and forgets what it is like to be a boy… and then in the pressures of adult life finds that must return to being a boy again.
There was nothing godly about the movie. But amazingly, after the movie there was a palpable heaviness to the atmosphere, as the Spirit of God began to impress on my friend and I the need to have a purpose and direction to our lives. My friend was not a christian, but we began to talk and walk late into the night about what things matter most in life and what our purpose in life should be. A year or two later through prayer and other events my Friend gave his heart to Christ.
You See God can speak through Media. Even ungodly media.
Serpico - God reveals Jamie His identity
Serpico - God reveals Jamie His identity
is a 1973 American biographical crime drama film starring Al Pacino in the title role. At our Men’s conference we learned how God used this movie in the life of Jamie Winship to speak to him about his identity. As a boy of 14 years he was been raised in a Strict Christian home. No movies. God does not live movies. God does not Go to movies. One place you will never find God is at the movie theater. Then one night in an act of rebellion an curiosity, he snuck out to watch a movie. He didn’t care what movie it was. And it turned out he had sneaked into Serpico a rated R film. A movie about an Honest Cop that dies in the line of duty. He is watching this movie and the strangest thing happens he begins to realize that the living Father God is in the theater with Him and is speaking to him through this movie. By the end of the movie he realizes that God is asking him to accept his God given identity to be a militant peacemaker. His only experience with God speaking and giving callings upon people is from his Church, so he does the only thing he knows how to do to respond to God… he goes to the front of the movie theater and steps up on the small stage at the front and he kneels down to give his life to God’s purpose and Identity for his life.
He goes on from that point knowing what God has called him to do… to be God’s chosen militant Peacemaker. and He has walked in that identity though a series of vocations that include Police officer, Detective, CIA, and even to the point of thwarting extremist Muslim groups by bringing them face to face with their fears, identity and and the love of God.
His identity is who we are. not what we do.
His identity is a an militant peacemaker… it would have been his identity no matter what he did. And his identity was fulfilled when he aligned his vocation with his identity. Later he began to understand his identity with more precision. “untie-er of knots”.
But it all started with God doing something He was not supposed to so… show up n a movie theater and speak through a rated R movie to a boy that was not supposed to be there.
God speaks through Movies… and all kinds of Media.
Jamie has gone on to write an amazing Book “Living Fearless” which is a book that I think our men will read together. in the near future for a Men’s Meeting.
“Once you get your TRUE identity from God and God alone, Your are unstoppable” -
For me, I believe i am a Pathfinder through mazes. complex problem. God shows me the way through. Tough part is being obedient.
Christian Media
Christian Media
I feel it is a bit obvious, but
God speaks through Christian Books - powerfully and God can use them to powerfully guide your life.
I remember the first time God used a book to change my life…
Evidence that Demands a Verdict.
Evidence that Demands a Verdict.
Reading this book had a profound effect on me.
I was a freshman in college. I was being challenged in my faith. Like most colleges students for the first time I had a chance to think for myself unbounded by the framework of my families beliefs. I had to know was it real.
DO any of you have that nagging doubt in your brain that says ...”yes but what if it is all just a hoax. that Christians have just become caught up in some deception.”
I began to seek, and I had heard about a book called “more than a carpenter” by Josh McDowell. It was interesting, and compelling but I was not satisfied.
I found out that he was once Agnostic and that had set out to disprove Christianity. But instead Josh found out that beyond and reasonable doubt Jesus was who he claimed to be the Living God - the promised Messiah of the Bible. I found out that he took those notes and in 1972, compiled them into two books that were little more than an outline of notes from his days of seeking the TRUTH. Not much fun to read but so powerful!
Evidence That Demands a Verdict
More, Evidence That Demands a Verdict
as I read fact after fact, argument after argument in those books the case for Christ became so overwhelming that I gave up all of my lingering doubts. I know without a doubt that Jesus was God. And not just any God he was my God. He loved Me!
GOD used that Media a Book of facts that were gathered by an agnostic, to reach me and thousands and thousands more.
Evidence That Demands a Verdict was ranked 13th in Christianity Today's list of most influential evangelical books published after World War
It should not be surprising that GOD uses Media.
The case for Christ
The case for Christ
25 years later. Another person, this time an atheist tries to do the same thing. this time to get his wife back from the clutches of Christianity. His investigation also leads to him finding out Jesus is exactly who the Bible says. the Living God who created the world. This investigative award willing journalist of the Chicago Tribune, publishes his story and it becomes
The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus (September 1, 1998),
Only God knows the countless salvation have come through that book and the others in the series written by Lee Strobel
The Case for Christ:
The Case for Faith
The Case for a Creator
The Case for Easter
The Case for Christmas
The Case for the Real Jesus
The Case for Hope
The Case for Grace
The Case for Miracles
The Case for Heaven
Lee Strobel ‘s story of his fight to disprove a God he knew did not exist… and ended up loving a God he knew existed became a great movie “The Case for Christ”
I love Christian movies like that… but they don’t always reach as many new non-Christians because the world see it coming and raise up it’s defenses making it hard to reach beyond the Church.
But God has ways to make his Media break through those barriers.
The Jesus Film
The Jesus Film
https://www.jesusfilm.org/
The Jesus Film Project premiered in 1979. since then they estimate it has been seen 11 billion times. It has been translated in over 2000 different languages. For a long time I was a supporter of the project while I was in college. It was a mazing to get their newsletters each month about the latest adventures they had taking it into a new area. there have been 665 million decisions for Christ because of that film. WHy is it so powerful? Prayer for sure.
Not everyone can read or will read the Bible. Jesus Film Project delivers the story of Jesus on film so all can hear Him speak in their language and see His love play out on screen.
To hear a story is powerful. But to see it happen — and to hear Jesus speak in your language — is life-changing. even more…
The impact of seeing Jesus’ story in the first movie many have ever seen is powerful. In many of these 865 people groups, literacy is incredibly low—half of them don’t have a written language at all.
https://www.jesusfilm.org/watch
Consider supporting Jesus film project they are now adding many newer films to their library.
More recently “The Passion of the Christ” came out and God’s presence through that movie was so powerful that there are stories of an Irish man who was planning to blow things up with a bomb … to repent and turn Himself in .
New amazing movies are coming out all the time.
Gutenberg press
Gutenberg press
but it is not just movies that God will speak. it is Books too… in fact…
In Germany, around 1440, the goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg invented the movable-type printing press, which started the Printing Revolution. Modelled on the design of existing screw presses, a single Renaissance movable-type printing press could produce up to 3,600 pages per workday, compared to forty by hand-printing and a few by hand-copying.
At the time of the Gutenberg press. the Church was in a horrible situation. the Catholic church was more about making money to finance estrangement lives and pay for the crusades that serving God or getting people to find that They can be Gods very children.
God changed all that be creating the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther never set up to create a revolution. His idea was to slowly transform the church from the inside out, discussing with other Priests the problems in the church and discuss how they could restore and renew the Church to righteousness from the inside. How ever some egar new printers were looking for something good to print and distribute to make a few bucks. so they essentially stole Luther 95 thesis, and published them far and wide. Soon it was not just priests that were learning about the ideas of correcting the errors of the church… but the entire country. God used those notes that were ment for a small audience to magnify the reach of them so start an entire movement.
The protestant reformation. A reformation that called for everyone to read the scriptures for themselves, and soon the demand for printed bibles that everyone could read for themselves was out stripping the ability to print them fast enough.
it started a literacy revolution, as people began to learn to read so they could read the bible.
the Bible did more to pull people out of the dark ages than all the “secular enlightenment” put together.
The Bible is by far the worlds best-selling book of all time. No other book, fact or fiction, even comes close. Most estimates place the number of Bibles printed each year at over 100 million. 20 million Bibles are sold each year in the United States alone. Based on this number of 100 million Bibles printed per year, or about 3 bibles / second.
The Bible Society of the United Kingdom calculates that the number of Bibles printed between 1816 and 1975 was around 2.45 BILLION. By 1992, the estimated number printed rose to nearly six billion and by 2007 to 7.5 billion. by now it is far over 8 billion.
yet for some reason… many people we know have not even read the bible once. Yet it is the most influential and most loved, and hated and criticized book ever written.
Christian Stories
When Jesus walked the earth in Israel there were no Movies, or books, just scrolls of the Jewish scriptures. But it was so powerful. The Bible it's self with the many stories in it was a significant aspect of entertainment. Reciting the stories, sharing the lessons.
Jesus made up stories… parables to capture peoples attention and to be able to share spiritual truths in powerful ways.
Each story was part of Jesus TRUTH telling. that brought people closer to God by understanding God’s heart and his will for them better.
we can learn from God and can hear him speak more often through all forms of Media if we are open to him speaking to us.
I began to realize how powerful this could be in College… after I had that experience with the Movie Big. in 1989 i went to a movie field of dreams. I spend the whole night at a dinner with my date as we talked about what we think heaven is like and how we know.
a Horror show flatliners in 1990, God used so that I could share about how Sin works and it is something that grows inside us and must be destroyed be taking it to God and being forgiven by Jesus.
Now i dont condone or encourage anyone to watch horror films. getting scared and opening yourself up to fear is a not just a scare way to get an adrenaline rush… it can cause you to to open your self up to being tormented by the demonic. Many people have been made slaves to fear by watching horror films. or even films that are just too intense when they are too young.
I have seen very few films in my life that are considered horror films. And God dealt with me quickly about them. and also protected me from the fear the fe times i did see one.
the Bible is our clear guide regarding that entertainment.
Philippians 4:8 - Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Iron man
Iron man
When I saw Iron man God showed me how it was a modern day parable of What Jesus wants to do with us. God.
As my kids grew up i would frustrate them a bit by pausing a movie and asking them what was going on and what Godly message they were to be getting from the film.
The Praying medic
Media can speak TRUTH - either by design like the Jesus film, or by the living God taking what man has made and turning it for his Good purposes…
How many people know or have heard of Dave Hayes, the Praying Medic. he also was an atheist that God saved. For him it happened in one day. One day he was an atheist reading the book “Left Behind” and the next day he was a Christian sharing his faith with others.
then God spoke to him in a dream, urging him to pray for the sick in an ambulance. for a long time he prayed without success because His faith was so small. but as God worked in him as he listened, and and he obeyed.
he began to see people healed.
God used that fictional book based on an interpretation of the Bible, “left Behind” that may or may not be accurate to get people saved.
Dave has many thing to say about listening to God. he also wrote them in a Book. “God Speaks: Perspectives on Hearing God's Voice”
have you wonders what god’s voice sounds like?
have you wondered how you can tell your vision is your own or not?
Podcast. and books.
The Sound of Freedom
The Sound of Freedom
Finally we have all been watching what God is doing to communicate a huge message to the world with the Sound of Freedom.
The movie had been completed 5 years ago, but could not be shown in theaters because no media distribution outlet was willing to show it. Think about that! The devil has conquered our entertainment and news distribution system so completely, no one was willing to distribute a movie about saving children. The devil knows how powerful media is and he wants to control it for his purposes!
The Chosen
The Chosen
Yet god had a better plan… in the last 5 years God had been raising up Angel Studios - a Mormon company that was partnering with Christians all over the world to produce a crowd funded television series style version of the story of Jesus and the Gospel going forth. The success of that endeavor has been remarkable.. and in the last 5 years they have grown to not only produce the chosen but a whole range of programs for adults and children. Angel studios became the answer to prayers to release more faith based movies in a form of crowd funding were people who liked what they saw can donate and pay-forward the chance for others to view what they had seen without the cost of a movie ticket.
The sound of Freedom had a goal to sell 2 million tickets to that film. hoping that God could use that many views to stir hearts to change the level of awareness of the plight of children and slavery across the world.
They have blown past that goal by 861% so far… having sold over 17 million tickets. You can still see it showing in local theaters.. and it came out July 4th.
Sound of Freedom has started a world wide conversation. it is changing hearts and minds. it may even change the direction and course of elections as more and more people are awakened to the fact that the current deep state establishment has been bought and paid for by demonic agreements.
What the sound of freedom shows, it that the established mainstream entertainment outlets, news media, and political system is is incapable of getting serious at truly bucking the system for a deep cause of righteousness.
Courageous God fearing Media outlets
Courageous God fearing Media outlets
God’s people have been praying for a some deep cleansing amongst the political, news, and entertainment systems.
God is answering our prayer and we are seeing a a massive disruption and replacement of the current powers replacing them with people who fear God more than they Fear man. People who are willing to do courageous things.
The devil can use Media too!
The devil can use Media too!
I talked about horror films earlier. But the Devil is of course adept at using Media for evil. he has corrupted Books, Film and Music to stop and drown out What God is doing with Media. We as Christian should be wise to this, and not get sucked in. Ever vigilant. and careful and wise about our weaknesses.
Doing courageous things…
Those that fear god and Love Truth are being called upon to act to bring new alternatives… Like show a movie exposing child trafficking - Angel studios.
Tearing down… the old.
Tearing down… the old.
That required tearing down the existing entertainment and news outlets and raising up completely new ones that fear God. This is what we see happening in these last 3 years. Dramatically.
Disney is crashing because of their unholy alliance with demonic powers (literally).
CNN / MSNBC/ and Now even FOX - are all becoming so irrelevant as they alienate the their own audiences by abandoning TRUTH.
money other FOX personalities have left before Tucker to go on to establish their own free news outlets.
Glen Beck left years ago… https://www.glennbeck.com/
Tucker left this year… and they spoke truth, and continue to do so now with freedom to say TRUTH they feel is important.
NPR - government “Public” Radio - yes this is also corrupt.
The list goes on and we could talk about many other outlets…
Facebook, Instagram - being exposed
Amazon
Google -
ChatGPT - invisible censorship. BE aware. Many papers and presentations have come out already about how it is already invisibly censoring.
God is calling us to be wise. and
Are you continuing to support these idols that are coming down? if God is doing this, then it is time to switch to new Media.
Building UP the new Media Groups.
Building UP the new Media Groups.
At the same time these institutions are being brought down… God is causing new outlets that have Freedom and godfeering roots built into them.
Twitter, —> "X” https://twitter.com/home
Twitter was gutted and transformed in the last year by the courage of one man - the richest man in the world. But actually backed by the power of prayer I believe.
that is courageous enough to put principles of freedom before fear and control. - not sure how much God-fearing there is with Elon musk - so pray for him. He needs the power of God in his Life. Interesting that he chose the sign of the Cross for the new name. the history of the letter X is that is was short hand for the cross. I believe the work in Twitter is Gods response to many prayers.
It is now a home for people like Tucker a christian that calls himself the lest of all Christians, and is yet willing to fearlessly interview and report on all the stories that are being canceled and skipped and not covered because of the demonic agenda that is controlling the established news outlets.
Like the Printing press of Johannes Gutenberg. the Internet has enabled alternate media forms to bypass the established powers that have been corrupted.
The Epoch Times https://www.theepochtimes.com/about-us
my favorite.
it is so interesting you can type there name in a search bar and it will not be prioritized, you will get anything and everything else that talks bout them before you get them. I just did it this morning.
the Epoch Times is a news outlet that is willing to share news stories because they are TRUTH.. and not worry about who they will offend. - Epoch Times. Founded by People with the courage to report TRUTH about what Communists Countries were doing like China, and now America… completely bypassing all the establish mainstream news outlets.
This means all other news outlets are gunning at them. and hate them.
They have a daily news paper you can get delivered. They have magazines, they have TV, and news.
Introductory offer of $1 for 2 months.
My favorite show is “Fact Matter” with Roman Balmakov” in 10-15 minutes we will thoroughly explore key topics important to our freedom. providing links to all the data that he is sharing. so you can check it out yourself.
regular subscribers
Prager U https://www.prageru.com/
Prager U https://www.prageru.com/
a media university attempting to bypass the brainwashing of our schools and Universities. Wildly successful - in 5 minutes you can learn the Truth about thousands of topics that have been “controlled” by the education system.
founded by a Jew that fears God… and willing to tell the truth.
https://www.prageru.com/
Daily Wire https://www.dailywire.com/
Another news commentary that is founded by Jews and Christians that are
Patterns of Evidence https://www.patternsofevidence.com/
Sanctified in Truth
Sanctified in Truth
Jesus prayed that the Heavenly father would as his disciples be Sanctified by the TRUTH. This is important.
17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
Santify - is the biblw word for the process that makes us Holy… more like Jesus.
Santify - is the biblw word for the process that makes us Holy… more like Jesus.
If you want to be more like Jesus you must be continually exposed to the truth.
The best source of truth is the Bible… that is indespensible.
But we need truth in our news. in our entertainment, in all manner of media. THe father can use any of it… even the most corrupt media can be turned from evil to Good. Just as God usaed corrupt world leaders like Nebbudadnezzer, He can use Serpico, or Feild of Dreams, or Flatliners.... But what we need above that is to be Sanctified by TRUTH.
we need truth in all of the Media.
look a the scripture again.
John 17:17–22 (ESV)
17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one,
Breaking through to Freedom
Breaking through to Freedom
34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness.
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
3 I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
12 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. 13 “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
Pray and healing...
AARONIC BLESSING
AARONIC BLESSING
Refers to the benediction that appears in Num 6:24–26. Also called the “priestly blessing.”
Announcements
Announcements
Bible in the news: Growing cases of leprosy
Bible in the news: Growing cases of leprosy
There have been a rise in leprosy cases in the past few years. still just a few in the US but when we have not had a single case for 50 years the uptick in cases is quite interesting. The CDC attributed it to Armadillos. which is absurd on the face of it - and proves how worthless the CDC is. many of the cases had no known contact with armadillos.
papers and studies are showing the connection with both Pfizer mRNA vaccines and illegal immigration.
According to studies published around the world (including a study out of the UK published two weeks ago), it appears that leprosy has been showing up as an adverse reaction in some people who received the mRNA-based COVID vaccines.
Stories like this are real and backed by scientific medical papers
mRNA Vaccines Have Biblical Disease as Adverse Event｜Facts Matter
Colfax Food Distribution
Colfax Food Distribution
Auburn Interfaith Food Closet
1788 Auburn Ravine Rd Auburn, CA 95603
Mailing Address P.O. Box 132 Auburn, Ca 95604
Phone: 530-885-1921
email: aifc@auburnfoodcloset.org
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Colfax Remote Delivery Program 3-4 hours per month
Colfax Program Leader 8-10 hours per month
Our Mission The Auburn Interfaith Food Closet will provide nutritious food to those in need, preserving their dignity and encouraging self-reliance.
A monthly food distribution program began in Colfax, on June 4th. This program was developed in collaboration with the Colfax Elementary School, with invitations to all the families. The school district covers a large area of Placer County, helping more people in our service area with challenges to get to our building for help. We aim to build a volunteer team based in Colfax and to encourage members of that community to help with food drives and donations to support it. If you are interested in helping, please let Andy know.
Each year, we receive donations from a variety of individuals and organizations. Our 2nd largest source is the Sponsor-aFamily program. Over 80 individuals and families are donating monthly, between $5 to $40 dollars. These add up through the year, providing us more than 1/6th of our annual contribution income. If
you would like to join this program, please contact treasurer@aifcfoodcloset.org for more details. For those of you who are already contributing through any of these programs, thank you. In the future, we will also focus on the food donors, who bring canned and grown items to AIFC, helping us stretch our operating budget. In addition to your hours of service, all of these levels of support are an added blessing to AIFC.
2022 Contributions Income
Individual Donation 199,147 58.2%
Sponsor A Family Program 59,512 17.4%
Corporate Donation 55,091 16.1%
Church Donations 16,578 4.8%
Total Virtual Food Drive 9,779 2.9%
Community Partner Program 2,000 0.6%
Total Memorials/Honor Of 280 0.1%
Total $342,387
Soon to be available—AIFC apparel for purchase. In partnership with Whitney Signs you will soon be able to order and purchase a variety of apparel to include hats, T-shirts,( crew and V neck) polo shirts, aprons and more. More information and order forms to come. Look for a link on our web page in the future under “I am a volunteer” to order or in our next newsletter publication. If you have any further ideas for AIFC logo apparel please reach out to denise.hoffman12@gmail.com