Pastor John Paul Marlow

Greetings to each and everyone in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. The 2014 Convention was a huge success and our saints did prosper from the words brought forth. We continue to add daily to out little church on 7th Avenue. It was a privilege to have these wonderful saints and these powerful anointed men of God to worship with us. I want everyone to feel welcome and at home here. If there are any special needs to be met, please get with one of the Group Leaders and we will do our very best to accommodate you in any way possible. Feel at liberty here and let the Spirit of the Lord bless you, while blessing all of God's people.

As I approach my 80th year on this Earth, and my 68th year as a Christian, I would like for each of you to consider, along with your prayers for myself and my family and the ministry in Bradenton, of which I am finishing my 53rd year; how great it would be to hear from you and let me renew my acquaintance with you or just walk down "Memory Lane" and remember how God has changed and impacted each one of our lives.....one way or the other. It is important for me to write on this article regarding the changes that have taken place and will continue to take place in each of our lives.

"The Changing Times"

We are reminded in the Scriptures that change is actually part of the creative process that god has in His complete, eternal plan of the redemption of the earth and mankind. The wisest being that lived in the history of Israel—King Soloman—spoke of this, in both the First Chapter of Proverbs and the Third Chapter of the Book of Ecclesiastes. We know that there is a time and then a set time, and of course, a season for everything to change. In a simple laymen’s statement; "Change means simply to remove the past and to present the future."

Now in the dramatic age in which we live, there are three things that stand paramount as we focus on change. One is America—our nation. You would have to be a foolish man or woman, in natural terms of reasoning or spiritual understanding, to not realize and know that the nation of America is the pivotal nation that the axis of the rest of the nation’s turn upon. I also believe that America was created of God, through politics and blood to become the incubator of the restored church before the coming of Christ. In the span of time that you have lived, what about America has not changed? Its standard of living has changed; its moral principles have changed. Its religion has changed. The concepts of every America in the way they look at morals, religion, marriage, and so on, have changed.

Is it going to stop changing and revert back to the America of yesterday? No! Corrupt morals, corrupt family life, corrupt politics, corrupt religion will only continuously erode the super-structure of the America way and, above all, God’s way.

The times we are now living in, are changing so rapidly that before much of our technology is fully introduced, new technology succeeds it. What was held and revered in teaching of how to rear children, how to maintain gamily life, how to raise families up in a culture of sane, sensible thinking—these are going by the wayside. It did not happen overnight. The roads our spiritual, economic, social structure and religion did not arrive at this shaky compromising area overnight. The church, the family structure, the industrial world, serve many generations producing in America the greatest infrastructure the world has ever looked upon as a nation of industrial might, biblical morality and loyalty to the precepts of family living, religious devotion and the ability to develop every part of natural life needed for a nation for come the showcase of a blessed country that million and millions from other nations wanted to come and live and merge their culture in the America dream. What happened? Have you stopped to think and ponder what has happened to that dream? Look at the present American culture. Everything from pants down in the youthful generation, with the same philosophy now entering the older mainstream, to corrupt politics—where it is common to read in the news every day: "Senators or representatives of government, or police officers arrested for, perhaps, money laundering, illicit sex." Etc.,etc

However, the corruption does not rest alone, in the generation of a corrupt America. It now reaches to the pulpit itself. We still hear rhetoric from movements and men—even some terming themselves the Body of Christ—about high and holy platitudes of morality and holiness. Also, we see politics as usual in the leading of the church itself. Let me mention the school systems of America. Can anyone deny that it is also common to hear the news, daily: "Teacher, principal or coach arrested for scams used in grading systems" or "Assault upon athletes," etc?

Evil has always existed, from the very beginning of two men, Cain and Abel, in the early dawn of man’s history. It also existed in their father, Adam. We hear the prophet Jeremiah cry out in Jeremiah 6:30-31, "A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the earth. The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and the people love to have it so." In the book of Jeremiah 2:13, "My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water" You see, we must face the fact that we are living not only in changing, times but in the last days.

We can write pages on the above named changed in the world in which we are living. I say "world" because the changes in America are being reflected in Asia, Africa, and Europe, as well as the rest of the known world. I am more concerned, though, in the latter part of this article, about addressing not the changes as we can all clearly see and feel them, as we are being confronted by them, each day of our lives. I am more concerned, as a shepherd of the sheep of God and a Pastor dealing with many complex issues of the church itself, from the changing morality of our age. What should we take note of, as Christians, in these changes? How should we relate, or not relate, to these changes? What kind of attitude should we develop? A gloomy, morbid, depressive attitude? You know, the kind of attitude that we would wring our hands and say, "Why even try to live in such a world?" We would be so depressed that we could not let our light shine. Or, perhaps, some would say, "If the world is like that, I’ll just go and retire, as a Christian, and I’ll be part of the world." No, a thousand times, no! Neither of these approaches would be right for a child of God. We must so let our light shine. Just simply let our testimony stand true. The Bible uses the term, "Having done all to stand, stand therefore." The Bible also uses the term, "Resist the devil and he will flee from you." In short, in a changing world, we do not change as Christians. I didn’t say that we are not aware of every change that is going on around us, in standards of living. When I say, "standards" I mean principles of righteousness in our daily living in the world. Yes, we are "in" the world, but not "of" the world. I believe that we will continue to see crumbling values of daily biblical, moral and spiritual standard, according to the Scriptures.

In the Book of Thessalonians, the 5th Chapter, Paul the Apostle tells us that we are "children of the day, not of the night." There is only one change that we must make. We must eventually live in such a way—after the world has seen our standard of living and that it is opposite the unholy and immoral conduct of the changing times—that we then will be a light to the world. Earlier in the article, I spoke of the culture of America that once was the giant of nations in being blessed of God as a Christian nation, only to slip, fade and fall from such a position, until today you can see that we are even now classified as a third world nation in much of our educational systems. It is my prayer that 2nd Corinthians 7:1 will be fulfilled in a remnant of believers, and I say it must be fulfilled before the return of Christ. That particular Scripture said, "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all the filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."

Because we are living in such a rapid changing of times, we can tend to grow weary with change. I think all of us like to set it in motion and leave it there in the same principle of thought that one generation has walked in, though we grow comfortable with doing things over and over. However, when we read the Scriptures we know that nothing can stay as it is, in order for the complete will and plan of God to be fulfilled in our time, and the last day prophecies of the Scriptures come to pass. Then we know, also, that God must tear down to build up, also plant; and we arrange all of creation in order to fulfill His word completely.

In the book of Jeremiah the Prophet, in Chapter 1, Verse 9, the Scriptures said: "Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth." Verse 10: "See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant." Those are powerful words. They call on the prophet of God to root out, that is, to reveal; and to pull down and to destroy and in the end of the matter, to throw down, to build and to plant. What changes come about when the Word of God is spoken!

So, whether man likes it or not, God has governors on the face of humanity. Now that is a key to helping one who seeks peace in living on this earth in the last days. To simply know that everything that happens around us, to the church, to us, individually; if we are God’s children, we can glory in tribulation (Romans 5). That does not mean that we are lacking, when tribulation comes. We know that with every change, God is refining the elect and very elect of God on this earth. While God is eternal, man is temporal. In order for man to see God, he must become incorruptible and moral.

If I could speak words of hope to the remnant church of this day, the 21st Century, in the year of our Lord 2013, I would say, "Be steadfast and unmovable in the revelation given to us, of the Lord presenting to the Father a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing." When you see the changes coming—and many of them are visible now—the shaking of the economy, the military, the leaders, from the President to the Congress, the social structure; it makes me to know that you cannot become weary with well-doing, for these changes must come to pass in order for Christ to come.

My friends there are many more changes, ahead, for the world that we live in. First, however, the first earth will pass away. I urge you to be ready for any change that comes to you, individually, or to the nation, or the church to which we are a part—constructive or destructive, a blessing or tribulation in which God will test your faith at the time of this change. As long as there is change, there is hope for life and of course, for us who believe, there is eternal life.