God will Provide

Christians have another unreality. They glibly say,

God will provide,

but very few think about what this really means. God actually provides in four ways.

1. Creative Miracles - Jesus feed the five thousand in this way. The ravens fed Elijah during a crisis. However, creative miracles of this kind a relatively rare. When looking to God for provision, we should not expect gold coins to rain from the sky.
2. Blessed by the World – The Egyptians gave the children their jewellery when they fled Egypt. These situations are quire rare too.
3. Reaping what we have Sown – God has given us earth in which to grow feed. If we plant a few vegetable seeds in the earth, God blesses the growth and provides us with feed. Forget about spiritual seed and plant vegetable seeds, if you really want God’s provision.
4. Other Christians – People in need will often be given gifts by other Christians. This is the most common way that God provides.

Most of God’s provision for his people comes through other Christians. This has an interesting consequence. God’s provision involves two Christians: one to receive and one to provide. For everyone who is blessed by God’s provision, there must be another who gives as the Spirit leads.

So if God is going to provide, we will not all be receiving. For God to provide, some of us will have to be on the giving end. If we not prepared to be givers, God will find it hard to provide.

We should prepare by getting together with other Christians who now how to share and give.

For more this topic see Christians and Money.

Phony Depression

The problem with the current “phony depression” is that real preparation for tough times is being put on hold; before it even starts. Christians should be getting ready for life in a different world. They should be getting into strong relationships with other Christians, so they can walk together through any crisis and still be strong. We should be learning how to live simpler by sharing and supporting others that we trust. Preparation is urgent.

We probably have less than a year to learn how to do this stuff, but all the negative talk has produced a false complacency. Too much “crying wolf” has made people unrealistic about what is required. Downsizing from a daily latte bowl to a flat white is not living simpler. Buying a few “less treats for the kids” is not serious preparation. People say they are cutting back, but most are just kidding themselves. The chatter about crisis has created a sense of unreality. Many are thinking:

If this is a depression,
I can cope.
Things are tight,
but I am alright.

Our complacency held back God’s ability to shape our nation and now it is preventing us from preparing the future. Complacency is dangerous, because it makes people unreal about the future.

Two young boys were playing beside a lake.
A few metres out from the edge was a small flat island,
an interesting place to play.
The water surface looked smooth,
so the boy decided to wade out to the island.
I warned them to be careful,
but the water looked calm,
so they plunged ahead,
but were soon up to their waists in mud.
They managed to struggle on to the island,
but they were shocked and bedraggled.

We are like those children. When warned of danger, we ignore the warnings and plunge ahead confidently, because things look good on the surface. Only when we are up to our waists in mess will we realise that something is wrong.

We are watching people in other nations struggle, but not thinking about the causes of their problems, and what they should be doing to prepare

A crowd was standing around watching a woman
staggering around and trying to stand up.
Only when those watching put their arms around her to hold her up,
did someone remember that she is a diabetic,
and get something sweet for her to drink.

The time for goofing around is over. New Zealand has less than a year to prepare.

Bruce Shepherd has some good advice. He is probably overstating the immediate risks, but what he said about communities is important. When someone from the ultra individualistic world of finance starts talking about building community, we should sit up and take notice.

Pause Ending

New Zealand has forgotten God.
As a nation we once knew him;
not very well,
but we tried to serve him,
we tried to obey him,
we tried to worship him
and he blessed us.

But now New Zealand has abandoned God
most people have rejected his love,
many have forgotten who he is,
some of our leaders oppose him,
and others really hate him.
Given that we have forgotten God,
we should have lost our blessing
we should have lost it long ago.
But God is merciful
and has held back the judgement
He has held back the trouble and sorrow,
He has held back the pain,
and allowed his blessing to remain
although we had forgotten him

Now the long pause,
between forgetfulness and consequence
between sowing and reaping
is coming to an end.
Within a year
of a bright light being snuffed out
the economy will start to shake.
Just when people are saying,
The doomsayers were wrong.
We have avoided the hard landing,
a strident shudder will strike.

Economic Situation in New Zealand

Despite all the talk about crisis, depression has not come to New Zealand. Despite the chatter about crisis overseas, the economic reality is currently quite different in this country. The decline in GDP has been very small (mostly the result of a drought that is over).

Wages are under pressure, but very few people have lost their jobs. Those who do lose their jobs get generous benefits. Business is tough, but that is to be expected after ten years when business was easy. Profits are down, but very few businesses have failed. Adjustments to consumer spending are so marginal, that they hardly show up in the aggregate.

We are not experiencing anything like what happened in the 1930s. Life is still a breeze compared to those times. For the majority of New Zealanders, life just goes on as normal. People are still walking their dogs, not eating them.

The reason is that New Zealand went into the current world crisis in far better shape than most countries.

• We were the first country in the world to go into this recession (GDP went negative during the first two quarters of 2008), but the cause was a drought, not financial jarring. That drought has ended.

• Unemployment has been at a record low.

• Real estate agents and car dealers are suffering, but they have creamed it over the last few years.

• Most New Zealand businesses are in good shape (apart from excessive debt). We do not have any economic cripples like the US auto industry. The weak players here were shaken out during the early nineties.

• Government debt levels were much lower than in comparable nations.

• The New Zealand banking system is relatively sound. Most of the dodgy lending was done by the finance companies. These passed from the scene last year without causing too much pain.

• The decline in petrol prices is helping everyone.

• Homeowners and businesses have been assisted by a sharp decline in interest rates.

• Tax cuts have put extra money in most pockets.

• The devaluation of the New Zealand dollar is compensating exporters for declining commodity prices.

• Food production for export markets is our main industry. The people of the world who can no longer afford to buy SUVs still need to eat.

• Although Bama and Brown’s bailouts are morally flawed, they are keeping their flawed banking systems going.

When the economy appears to be recovering, and politicians are saying that the doomsayers were wrong, and economists are talking about a soft landing, and forecasters are talking up the recovery, but they could be wrong. Just as fear is turning into hope, the economy will probably turn to custard.

David Pawsons Burden for New Zealand (5)

Twenty-three years after David Pawson visited, another David brought a similar message to New Zealand. David Wilkerson also carried a real burden from God when he spoke to Christian leaders in Auckland. The following is a summary of his message.

David Wilkerson had a strong sense that calamity will affect a big percentage of our population, even up to one million people. The collapse of our real estate boom will hit New Zealand like a whirlwind. If God has to touch every pocket book, he will do it because He loves this country.

The Lord knows what He is doing and everything is in His divine order. Many people are putting together money in the bank to see them through the storm they intuitively see ahead. They are putting their energy into a nest egg, rather than trusting in God, caring for the poor, the widows, etc.

He quoted Ezekiel 16:46-56 that lists the
following sins:

pride
fullness of bread
abundance of idleness
did not strengthen the hand of the poor and needy
haughty

There is no greater sin than apathy, because apathy is a by-product of covetousness. We have bought into the idea that happiness only happens when we have nice things, a house, a job, etc. Apathy demands judgement before any other sin. He asked God to smite our apathy.

Long Delay
An interesting question is why David Pawson’s burden has been brought up again, after such a long delay. The reason for the delay is that God was giving his people time to get ready. If he had allowed an economic disaster to strike New Zealand at that time, many of his people would have been ruined.

Many Christians would have been swept away,
because they were not prepared.
If the economy had collapsed,
most people would have been shaken
and many would have fallen.
God needed his people standing together,
so they could minister
to those who were shaken.

Our complacency has held back God’s ability to shape our nation. This was dangerous, because while God withheld his hand to protect his wayward people, evil continued to increase. Evil has now been unrestrained for thirty years and has penetrated so deep into our culture that he cannot hold back any more.

Forgotten
New Zealand has forgotten God.
As a nation we once knew him;
not very well,
but we tried to serve him,
we tried to obey him,
we tried to worship him
and he blessed us.
But now New Zealand has abandoned God
most people have rejected his love,
many have forgotten who he is,
some of our leaders oppose him,
and others really hate him.
Given that we have forgotten God,
we should have lost our blessing
we should have lost it long ago.
But God is merciful
and has held back the judgement
He has held back the trouble and sorrow,
He has held back the pain,
and allowed his blessing to remain
although we have forgotten him.

But the season of patience has now come to an end. God must deal with evil, even though his people are not prepared. God wanted to reach New Zealand before hearts became too hard. If his people had been prepared, he could have turned the nation back with one quick shake (possibly in 1987). He offered the church a quick painless victory, but we refused to get ready, so the opportunity passed, a painful economic crisis inevitable.

David Pawsons Burden for New Zealand (4)

God’s challenge to New Zealand was received in the 1980s, but it has not been acted on. People focussed on the economic crash, but missed the warning to be prepared. Many asked, "Is the crash coming now?" but few asked "What must I do to be part of the commando army?" People did not get ready, so God hand was restrained.

The economic crash could have been the 1987 share market crash, but it was not because God’s people were not ready, so he had to defer. The economic crash could have been triggered by the Asian financial crisis in 1997, but God’s people were not ready. The economic crash could have been triggered by the 2007 credit crunch, but it was not because God’s people were still not ready so he has deferred again.

The Lord seems to start an implement his strategy every 10 years, but because his people are not ready, he has been unable to bring his plans to fulfilment.

David Pawson shared his burden,
he also told us how to get ready.
People listened, but they did not hear
Crash, Crash, Amen, Amen! they said,
but no one got ready.
So God could do nothing,
he could not fulfil his word.
A word that is not heard,
cannot be fulfilled.

The church has had thirty years to prepare, but has done very little. Most Christians are still not a place where they could cope with a real economic crisis. Very few could be strong during a time of disaster.

Despite the advance warnings, we are not ready.

Pivotal Times
Very few Christians understand the critical times that we are living in. Most are looking around and see things falling apart. They are not worried, because they believe that Jesus is returning soon to rescue his people. They look forward to an economic crash, because that brings the second coming closer. They are not worried about difficult times, because they have blind faith that God will take care of them.

Rather than pondering signs and events and waiting for the second coming, Christians should be getting prepared to complete the task that God has called us to do. By warning his church that an economic crash is coming, God was giving us an enormous opportunity. Unfortunately we are not ready to take that opportunity. We are living in pivotal times, but the pivot is missing.

David Pawsons Burden for New Zealand (3)

The members of a commando army must be totally committed to their task. They are totally focused on their objective and will not let anything distract them. They will do what has to be done, even if it costs their lives.

Each member of the team will be extremely fit, mentally alert and totally prepared for their part in any operation. Each commando will have a task to do. They will have trained for that task until they can do it with ease. Any challenge that comes their way will be handled effectively.

Each member of the commando team will be equipped with a different weapon. One will carry a machinegun, another will be expert with explosives and others will be skilled with small arms. Each one will be trained in the use of their weapons and backing each other up. If one member of the team takes an injury, another will quickly step into his place.

The commandos will have melded together into a team. Their strength comes from the way that they support each other. Each one can go into action, knowing that the rest of the team will back them and do their bit.

These commandos can operate with very limited back up and support. They carry all the equipment in the packs on their backs. Commandos are able to live off the land, so they can operate for long period of time in hostile conditions without support.

The commandos understand the strengths and weaknesses of their enemy. They know how to strike where the enemy is vulnerable and they are strong.

Here are some of the things that I believe Christians must do to become spiritual commandos.

• Get out of debt.
• Learn to live simply.
• Share possessions.
• Reduce dependence on motor vehicles for fellowship and work.
• Make the spiritual gifts normal.
• Take hold of Christian healing.
• Learn to function as part of a team.
• Build real relationships with other Christians.
• Reduce dependence on a few powerful leaders.
• Learn to follow the voice of the Holy Spirit.
• Understand spiritual protection.
• Total dedication to Jesus.
• Learn to do God’s work in pairs.
• Start doing the One Another stuff.
• Get a vision for the Kingdom of God.
• Get out of debt.

.

David Pawsons Burden for New Zealand (2)

During his visit to New Zealand, David Pawson was handed a vision about a Commando Army that had been received five years earlier. This vision confirmed his burden and explained how an economic crisis would bring revival. This vision described an economic crash that is not just another judgment on the world, but a key element in God’s strategy for accomplishing his purposes for this nation. This vision contained several keys to understanding God’s strategy.

• Most Christians would be shattered by an economic crisis. They have been blinded by wealth and drawn into a materialistic lifestyle. In an economic crash these people would be totally crushed.
• Christians have taken a worldly attitude into the church and starting running it like a business, paying their fees and leaving the professionals to do the work. Churches that are dependent on this money machine will grind to a halt during an economic crisis.
• The world forces will also be shattered. Satan has used the lure of money and material wealth to hold the people captive, so the crash will break his hold over many people.
• In difficult times, power flows to those who are prepared. The commando units are Christians who have prepared by learning to live simply without the trappings of the world. Their only motivation is love for Jesus and love for each other. They will have committed to serving each other and will know how to support each other through times of pressure. These Christians will know how to move in the power of God and will be able to minister to all people in all situations.
• The commando units will not be touched by the crisis. They would not be surprised by climactic events, so they will be strong at a time when everyone else is shattered and confused. Their powerful proclamation of the gospel will be welcomed by people looking for hope and peace in a sea of trouble.
• People of the world who gained meaning through wealth and consumer goods will be looking for a new meaning to life and will be ready to receive the gospel. The result will be a mighty victory for God.

God’s strategy is to economic crisis to shake up the worldly and loosen Satan’s hold on the nation. The problem is that he cannot shake the world system without also seriously shaking his church. His strategy will only work, if some Christians get into a place where they will not be touched by the economic crisis. The plan would succeed, if significant groups of Christians get prepared.

Timing is Critical
God did not send the flood until the ark was completed. If he had sent the flood sooner, Noah and all the animals would have been wiped out. This meant that the timing of the flood was partly in Noah’s hands. If he spent time preaching when he should have been building the ark he may have actually deferred the flood. In the same way, God could not send the economic crash until the commando armies were prepared. If he were to send a crash before they were ready, it would do too much harm to both the church and the world. The timing of this crash is not determined by economic events, but by what happens in the church.

When this commando army is ready God will drop the bomb.

God could not send this economic crash until his commando army ready.

Micke Bickles Dream

I find that the person receiving a prophetic dream is often not the best person to interpret it. Gene Redlin drew my attention to a dream by Mike Bickle that illustrates this problem.

Mike’s presentation of the dream makes another common mistake. He mixes his interpretation into his description of the dream. This is unwise as it minimises the communication impact of the dream. Prophetic dreams should be allowed to speak.

In the version of Mike Bickles dream below, I have cut out all the interpretative comments and just left the works that describe what he saw. Reading it this way the message is much clearer.

A. I was speaking at a conference in a baseball park inside a large fairground. About 40,000 people were present—many leaders from different “charismatic” streams, and people from all these groups. I saw one particular leader who was representative of other leaders in the Body of Christ who seek to walk in God’s power and who have an excellent spirit. We were enjoying warm fellowship together.

B. I preached on prayer, God’s power and end-time judgment. I spoke at two afternoon sessions. In the break between the sessions, people were debating what I was preaching. Some IHOP-KC people debated each other, while others were speaking to believers from different ministry streams. They were discussing God's power and His end-time judgment in a friendly way; there was no hostility, only sincere dialogue with humility and love. It was enjoyable and intellectually stimulating but none of the different points of view stirred up real faith or revelation.

C. Immediately as I finished the second session at 5 PM, I saw (some) large snakes (over 100 yards long and 50 feet thick), each having a huge head that looked like a dragon, and many of them were coming from the sky down to the earth.

E. Everyone at the conference was filled with panic; most were terrified. No one had understanding or faith that was mature enough to respond in the power or confidence that I had just preached on, myself included. I ran as I felt the terror of the event. The leaders and their people were terrified; everyone wanted to get out of the fairground quickly. Most people were in confusion, including those from IHOP-KC.

F. These snakes were filled with rage against the people. They were angry and even humiliated about being confined to the earth.

G. Soot like wet, muddy, thick ash was raining down from the sky. It darkened the sky as it fell on the people who were running. I ran out of the vast fairground to the park offices at the entrance. Wet ash was all over me as I ran. Many did not get out; they were bitten by the large snakes.

H. There were evil policeman at the entrance. They told me, “You have to go back into the fairground or we will put you in jail.” They were callous about the danger I would face if I went back into the fairground. I was in a dilemma. I thought, “I just escaped from the most intense danger imaginable and now I have to go back in!”

One thing stands out really clearly. These people were keeping up to date with the latest teaching and the current moves of God. They had just listened to an afternoon of teaching by the “best” end-time teacher in America. Yet when evil appeared in their midst, they were totally unprepared for it. They were “filled with panic”, “most were terrified”, “no one had understanding”, “their leaders were terrified”, “people were in confusion” and “everyone wanted to get out”.

There is a serious disconnect here. People listening to “prophetic teaching”, but totally unprepared for what happens to them next. Something is seriously wrong.

The core message of this dream is that end-time teaching is not preparing people for the evil that lies ahead.

Most of the snakes came down from the sky. This suggests that some were already their in the stadium. This is very disturbing. God’s people are so busy discussing the power of God and the latest end-time teaching that they are blind to the evil that is already emerging in their midst.

Heads represents political power (Rev 17:9). Large heads represent excessive political power. End-time teaching blinds Christians to the idols of state power economic power and military power that are already at work in America, and will suddenly manifest themselves in a terrible way in the future.

All the different “charismatic streams” were present at the stadium. Many of the leaders who “see to walk in God’s power” were there too. This means that the problem being exposed by the dream affects all these Christian streams.

Mike Bickle does not mention the soot in his interpretation, but it is clearly important. Soot represents shame. The dream is warning that fear and confusion will eventually turn to shame, when people realise how they have been side-tracked by misleading teaching. Shame is dangerous, because it makes people want to get out. Many will be so ashamed of their foolishness that they want to give up being Christian. This would be a disaster if it was allowed to happen.

The policemen at the entrance made Mike Bickle go back. I was really touched by a prophetic word that Mike Bickle received many years ago.

I will change the understanding and expression of Christianity in the earth in one generation.

I was also really encouraged by his efforts to assist in restoring the prophetic ministry to the church. In recent years, Mike seems to have morphed into an end-times teacher. I sense that the Spirit is telling him to go back to that early calling: transforming Christianity to something totally different and restoring a vibrant prophetic ministry. His end-time teaching is producing confusion and distracting Christians from the important stuff. If continues with that he will end up where he could end up constrained and shut down.

PS: In his interpretation, Mike Bickle refers to Revelation 12. This passage does not describe a future event. It was fulfilled at Jesus ascension into heaven.

David Pawsons Burden for New Zealand (1)

To understand the current economic situation in New Zealand, we must go back to a clear word that the English evangelist and bible teacher David Pawson delivered more than thirty years ago. Although he has never been called a prophet, he carried two burdens from God when he visited our nation in 1982.

One burden was as follows:

God wants New Zealand back.
He wants New Zealand back as
a nation that will be a model to the nations
of a people who are living under the government of God.
God intends New Zealand to be one of those nations
where he demonstrates his Kingdom.
God wants New Zealand back.
He is wanting his people to reign with him.
Don’t wait for eternity to begin to reign with him
He is looking for a queen to reign with him now,
because New Zealand has a king an his name is King Jesus.
This country needs a change of government.
New Zealand is a nation that could be brought
under the government of God
and be a light to the nations.

This burden was not understood; his second burden was very simple:

God wants to bring revival to New Zealand for the first time.
God will bring revival through economic ruin.
Who is willing to pray for economic ruin,
to make revival possible.

David Pawson was well known in New Zealand through the circulation of his Bible teaching tapes, so his authority was widely acknowledged. He took this message of “revival through economic ruin” around New Zealand, but it has mostly been misunderstood or forgotten. This is sad, because God was providing a wonderful strategy by which he could bring about a great victory. He was challenging and warning his people, so they could prepare in advance.

The burden of David Pawson contained four important points.

• God will establish his kingdom of God in New Zealand
• This will be a model that other nations can follow
• A great revival will advance the kingdom of God rapidly
• The revival will come through economic ruin.

Read these four bullet points slowly and let them sink in. This was one of the most awesome prophetic messages that a nation has received in recent years.

Advice to Prophetic People

The following comments are part of the advice, I wrote to a young person seeking to serve the Lord.

1. Prophetic people should avoid saying, “I am a Prophet”, as it makes them sound arrogant. If you are a prophet, God will authenticate your ministry by fulfilling your words, as he did with Samuel. It is better to wait and let the people say, “He is a prophet”, because they see your words are witnessed and fulfilled by the Holy Spirit.
2. You should not share the words confirming your calling that the Lord has given to you, except with those who are close to your and will understand them. The Lord gave them to encourage you, not to authenticate your ministry.
3. Receiving a word from the Lord is the easy part of prophetic ministry. The hardest par is learning how to communicate the word once it has been received. The OT prophets communicated in a variety of ways. Many more communication tools are available to us today. You need to learn how and when to use them in obedience to the Lord. The truth is that if you can receive a word from the Lord, you are capable of receiving guidance about how it should be communicated.
4. Be careful about using expressions like “The Tribulation Period”. This expression is not used in the scriptures. Tribulation is normal for Christians in every age, so there is not just one such period. I see the current tribulation teaching as part of the traditions of man, so I would be careful before speaking about it. Stick to what is in the scriptures.
5. Most teaching on the prophetic ministry emphasises the isolated aspect of the role too much. You really need to get a group of strong Christians around you who can encourage you and support you. You also need some one close who will challenge you when you make mistakes. Make sure you are surrounded by honest, trustworthy Christian friends.

Economic Wisdom

From time to time, I have posted quotes from amusing or sound articles on the economic situation. To avoid clutter, I am no longer putting them on this page. In future, they will be found on a page called Economic Wisdom. The latest quote posted will appear under the heading of More Economic Wisdom on the side bar of this page.

The Prophets Missed It

The people who call themselves prophets mostly missed the economic crisis. Several prophecies warned about an economic crisis in America, but these were quite vague. Few were specific with regard to timing. There is very little spiritual understanding of the reasons for the credit crunch. Few understand what God is trying to do.

Even when they warned of economic troubles, most prophets assure God’s people that they would be kept safe. They promised that the wealth of Christians will not be touched. These promises are dangerous. They are probably true for those Christians who are totally dedicated to the Lord. However, Christians with one foot in the world and another foot in the church should not count on them. Christians who want to walk in the Spirit and drive in an SUV should not assume that their substance will be kept safe.

Warnings of the dangers of debt were rare. The idolatry of buying bigger and better houses was ignored.

None of the American prophets are asking what is wrong with their nation that so many Christians could be sucked into a housing bubble and then bow before the state when things went wrong. Worst of all, none of the prophets have understood why God has allowed the credit crunch. They do not understand that it is being used to change the nation and bring in the beast.

The problem is that most American prophets are court prophets. They are cheer leaders for the American system who love their country as much as they love God. They will argue vehemently in support of their favourite political candidates, but they cannot see through the American system to understand what it has become. Most are looking for a transfer of wealth from the world to the church. These blinds spots prevent them from understanding what is happening to their nation.

Ethics and Democracy

When I suggest that democracy is anti-Christian, the response usually consists of two statements.

• We need a government.
• Democracy is the best form of government.

The first statement has a strange form. It is not a moral statement (normative) but a pragmatic or positive statement about the way things are, like,

• Humans need water.

This statement can be proved by observation as many people have died of thirst in the desert. However I cannot see how the claim that we need government cannot be proven by observation or experiment.

If I turn the statement into a moral statement:

• Government is good.

it looks less certain. If I turn the moral statement into a universal one,

• All government is good,

it starts to look quite shaky. We can all think of governments that are not good. If I qualify it to the following statement:

• Some governments are good,

It loses all meaning, and begs several questions. Which governments are good? What are the correct criteria for identifying a government that is good?

This leads to the second leg of the double, above:

• Democracy is the best form of government.

This is a moral statement. It does not just imply that,

• Democracy is good.

It is a superlative. Democracy is better than all other forms of government. This takes us back to the first statement. What are the criteria for deciding the best form of government? It also begs another question. What is the list of government types that democracy has been tested against?

The truth is that those who use the two statements above never think about these issues. They just assume that the two statements are true. The problem is that they assuming what you are trying to prove is not very sound logic.

Prophetic Crunch

The impact of the credit crunch in America will very different from other countries.

America is in the process of grouching toward being the Beast. The home of market capitalism and the bastion of independence is becoming the breeding ground for state power. Faith in the state has been growing rapidly in the United States over the last few decades. The state has now made a huge series of interventions in the economy and most Americans are cheering. People who would not accept telephone number that includes the digits 666 are glad that the state is bailing out the banks. They will never be able to resist the creeping power of the state again.

The credit crunch will not destroy American power. The productive base of the American economy is still strong, so after a brief hiccup, America will keep on growing as the world empire. The only impact of the credit crunch will be a sharp shift from freedom and independence towards state subservience and control. This radical change will have happened without even a whimper of protest.

Crisis and Revival

Many Christians assume that the economic crisis will turn people back to God, but this is not inevitable. The escapades of the Christian Right have turned many Americans off the church, so they will be more like to turn to alternative religions in time of need. Many people are now so secularised, that God does not even cross their minds when troubles come. Church is not even on the radar. Troubled times might benefit the religions more.

Modern people look to the state when things go wrong. If Obama can kickstart the economy, that faith will be further boosted. A worse crisis will just turn people to the state. People in Africa and South America know that government leaders are crooks, who will look after their mates, so their only hope is in something supernatural. Americans have gone the other way. They see the church as crooks, looking after their mates. They will look to the state when troubles come.

To experience a harvest in times of trouble, the church will have to demonstrate a life that is viable, while all others are failing. In an economic collapse, pastor-centric, building-centric churches will be too busy worrying about their overdrafts and mortgages to be able to reap the harvest. Their members will be to busy struggling with their own hire purchase payments and credit card debt to reap a harvest. Non Christians who are struggling with debt will not take seriously churches and Christians who are stuck in the same sinking boat.

To reap a harvest during economic troubles, you will need a model of church that can bring life and hope to where people live. The point of the Commando Vision is that an economic crisis cannot produce a harvest, unless radical Christians get ready to function through tumult. The reason is that most modern churches will be wiped out by the crisis and will not be in a position to help others. I expect that the American church has too many F16 Christians and not enough commando Christians to bring in a harvest in troubled times. Therefore, I doubt that the Lord will put his church through a real economic crisis, because the risk of disaster is just too great.

Coercion or Consensus

If the state has power of coercion, and that seems to be its primary characteristic, then a state that takes actions that are not supported by a broad consensus has slipped into tyranny. It will be forcing people to do things against their will, without a moral basis for doing so.

This means that state action must be limited to things that most people support, regardless of whether they make their decision about these things on the basis of reason, emotion religion or just following the crowd. Unless that state stays within the lowest common denominator that everyone accepts, it becomes a tyrant. This is true whether the state is totally secular or listens to religious voices.

There are very few state actions that everyone will agree on, so the role of the state must be very limited.

The only question in Politics is this: When is force justified
(Lew Rockwell - The Left, the Right and the State)?

Crossing the Chasm

Last Saturday I read iMonk’s article called the Coming Evangelical Collapse. I also read several articles but the financial crisis. I spent much of the day pondering what God is doing and how long the current economic crisis will last. That night, I had the following dream.

I was walking beside a river with a companion. The sky was blue and the river was flowing steadily. The sides of the river were shaped evenly almost like a canal. People were sailing and rowing boats in both directions. Everything was lovely and the river stretched on for ever.

My dream jumped forward and I was trying to cross a ravine that ran down to the river. A huge structure made of framing timber had been built across the ravine in quite a haphazard manner. I was cling to a couple of the vertical planks on the side of the structure. I noticed the the distance across the ravine was really short. I looked down and was amazed at the depth of the ravine. It seemed to go down thousands of feet.

I was holding on to the vertical planks with on hand and holding a bag containing some of my possessions with the other. I quickly realised that I would not survive a fall and that if I kept going I would certainly fall. I carefully got back off onto the bank of the ravine where I started.

My companion pointed across the structure showing me that it went right across the ravine. My first thought was that I could use the bridge to cross the ravine. I then noticed that there were no planks on top of the structure, so I do not know if it was possible. I woke up before I attempted to go cross.

When I awoke, the following interpretation seemed obvious. The river represented the world economy over the last decade. Everything seemed lovely and people thought it would go on like that forever. The narrow, deep ravine which came upon me suddenly is the current economic crisis. If left to work its course, it would be very deep but very short.

The wooden jerry-built structure represents the bailout packages adopted by various governments. They have put in place in a very haphazard way. People clinging to their property will fall into disaster, if they trust in government bailouts.

A problem that should be deep, but short, may have been made impassable by shonky government programmes.

Employment for a Calling

Knowing your calling is really important. Too many Christians have only ever looked for paid employment and just assume that their employment is their calling. They are frustrated, because they are not fulfilling their calling.

If your calling does not pay, finding paid employment can be quite liberating. Some Christians leave their calling on hold while dreaming of a rich benefactor who will fund them to exercise their calling. This is a vain hope. No one will understand the value of calling as much as the person called. If they get paid employment, they can be the benefactor for their own calling. They are freed from dependence on trite promises that God will provide.

Understanding that your employment frees you to fulfil your calling will quell the frustration at what can sometimes seem to be pointless effort. Hard work flies by, if you know that it will support you to do something of value. Stitching stinking skins into tents can be fun if you are discussing peoples to reach and churches to plant.

Sometimes our employment will quite different from the calling. Making tents has very little to do with apostleship. Some people with more intellectual callings may need to do physical work to support themselves.

Christians should choose employment that will give their freedom to do their calling. Paul could have earned more money working as a lawyer for the Roman Empire, but it would have limited his freedom to be an apostle. Academia my provide employment for those with intellectual callings, but it can also limit their freedom to follow their dreams. I chose not to get employment as an economist with a secular institution, as that would compromise or confuse my freedom to publicise a Christian view of economics.

Calling and Employment

Many Christians do not understand the difference between a calling and paid employment. A calling is what God created you to do. It is what will make a permanent difference in the world. Paid employment is what you do to support yourself and your family.

A few Christians are able to get paid employment doing their calling, but that is not normal. People called to be pastors can often get paid employment doing pastoral work (many are actually doing management or administration). A person called to be a prophet is unlikely to get paid employment doing their calling. That is why so many become pastors, which is a pain for everyone.

Paul was called to be a apostle, but that did not pay well, so he often took paid employment as a tentmaker. This will be the situation for most Christians. They will not be able to get someone to pay them to do their calling, so they will need paid employment in field where they have skills to earn a living to support themselves while carrying out their calling. They should seek paid employment in a role where the can earn enough to live on as quickly as possible. This task may not be fulfilling and it may not have much eternal significance (all Paul’s tents have rotted away), but that does not matter, if it leaves lots of time for the real calling.

I am called to Christian economics. I have never seen a job advert for a "Christian economist", so I cannot support my family doing my calling. My solution has been to find employment in a role that has very little eternal significance, but allows me to earn a living in three days a week and gives me plenty of time to fulfil my calling.