This...

This...

"This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The LORD's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are New every morning; Great is Thy faithfulness. 'The LORD is my portion,' says my soul, 'Therefore I have hope in Him.' The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him. It is good that he waits silently for the salvation of the LORD."

- Lamentations 3:21-26

Without a doubt, Jeremiah is one of my prophetic heroes. From the time he was first called (Jeremiah 1:4-10) the entirety of his life was spent walking in faithfulness to God's calling and God's Word. Again and again he was given Word after Word from the LORD, and each time, he spoke it, wrote it, lived it out and even, when called on to do so, acted it out faithfully, every time.

At first glance, this all sounds well and good, except for one problem... the problem of the other side of Jeremiah's calling... his audience. In other words, the problem was not with the message (God's Word), nor was it the messenger (Jeremiah the Prophet), the problem was with the message recipients (God's chosen people) and the messages they just didn't want to hear.

If you read the Book of Jeremiah you will find that Jeremiah spent his entire ministry and all of his adult life, faithfully proclaiming a message that was never received. And, one of the unique things about Jeremiah is that not only was he given prophetic words, in the form of both forthtelling and foretelling, to boldly speak to his people, but he also literally lived to see his people, his friends, his family and his countrymen, reap a harvest of the consequences that grew directly out of their stiff-necked disobedience, and their outright full-knowing rejection of, God's Word, God's Will, and God's Plan.

Sadly, the extremely comforting words found at the beginning of this post, from the book of Lamentations, are actually written from the ruins and from midst of the tragic consequences of the willful disobedience of God's people. God's people had rejected God's Word, God's Will and God's plan for them, and had intentionally removed themselves from God's covering. They wanted to live the way they wanted to live. They wanted to do what they wanted to do. They wanted to be like other nations, like other peoples, and they wanted to practice the idolatrous religions of the peoples around them. They didn't want to be warned, corrected, held accountable, or re-directed. And, the truly sad thing is the reality that Chaos is always what God's people reap whenever they/we reject His Word, His Will, and His Plan for their/our lives. Always...

Throughout both his lifetime and then on into his legacy, Jeremiah was known of as "the weeping prophet." Because of his prophetic anointing, Jeremiah saw what was coming and desperately tried to get someone, anyone, and especially those in leadership and authority to listen. But no one would have it... And, as a result, Jeremiah wept. He wept as he witnessed the people's rejection of God's Word. He wept as he witnessed the people's indifference to God's Will. He wept as he witnessed the people's usurpation of God's Plan in an effort to implement and live out their own. And, finally he wept from the rubble of what had once been a strong, stable, Nation, that had been lived in by a free and godly people, and that had been built upon a land that was given to them by the abounding Grace and Hand of Almighty God.

I feel the weight of that today... The day after yesterday, January 6th, 2021. What will 2021 really hold if it has started out like this? America, the truth is that we too, just like the people of Jeremiah's day, have rejected God's Word, God's Will and God's Plan. We must return to Him now, and there is no time to delay. We must Recall where we come from, Repent of our rebellious "self-will run riot," and Return to Jesus with all of our hearts! I personally believe it is really the only way we, and our Nation, can survive in and through 2021.

In Jeremiah, chapter 29, we can read a letter that God told Jeremiah to write from the ashes, and to the exiles who had been taken captive by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. In the letter, Jeremiah speaks a Word from the LORD and says: "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD. Plans for good and not for calamity, plans to give you a future and a hope." Can we hear what God is saying here? Do we understand? As God directs Jeremiah to write these words, God is literally and contextually saying to His people: "Look, I know the plans I have for you... and these things that you are going through (exile, catastrophe, chaos) are not the the results of my plan, they are the results of your plan apart from me!" Do we get it? Can we understand? If so, do we also understand that if we as a nation don't come back NOW, there may actually be no coming back... There are times, in the history of Nations, in which it can literally be too late.

Last night, my wife and I stayed up late talking and praying together about the current state of our Nation and the events that had transpired earlier in the day. One of the questions we came to as we talked and prayed was: "What can we do?" That's a hard question really, especially when you think about the size and the scope of the issues we are facing in our nation and our world, today. But, I truly believe that "We" always begins with "Me." Any change in the faith and Spiritual climate in our Country, in our State, in our Community and in our Time, is not a change we wait for, it's a change that we must literally understand is in the hands of... "me." I believe, Now, right Now, is the time for the followers of Jesus to be in the Word (Joshua 1:7-8), in Prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17), in Fellowship (Hebrews 10:25), in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16), and in Ministry (Matthew 28:18-29), no matter what. These are the things that keep us on track, in a living relationship with Jesus, and in right relationship with one another. Do we understand the power of what can happen if "we" will... just come back? And, do we understand the inevitable implications of what will happen if we don't?

"Therefore say to them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Return to Me," declares the LORD of hosts, "that I may return to you," says the LORD of hosts." - Zechariah 1:3

Today, "...as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15)

Today, as I, to the best of my ability, seek to personally return, and prayerfully ask that my Nation would return, to the LORD, I also choose, in faith, to recall to mind that... "The LORD's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are New every morning; Great is Thy faithfulness. 'The LORD is my portion,' says my soul, 'Therefore I have hope in Him.' The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him."

"Lord, today, please bring about whatever circumstances it will take to bring America back to You! And, please help me to be a man You can call on, a man who places his hope firmly in You, who waits expectantly for You, who fervently seeks Your face, and who faithfully follows Your lead, in and through each unknown day, and all of that which 2021 holds and has in store.   No matter what.

• In Jesus Name, Amen"

Pastor Rob Schmutz

Watchman Evangelism Ministries

20/20 Vision?

2020 Vision?

It's been quite the year hasn't it?  For me and my family we found ourselves stumbling into 2020 having just gone through the loss of my Mom to a battle with breast cancer in December of 2019, only to find out next, that our whole family would need to get a series of Rabies shots due to a personal encounter with a rabid skunk and it's interactions with a litter of kittens in our shed...  That experience led to an initial bill of over $100,000 for our family.  We are a non-traditional insurance, self-pay medical expense family, so that experience was quite a way to kick off our own unfolding and personal rendition of 2020.  

About halfway through January, as I was driving back to Kansas after having been the key-note speaker at a North Central Oklahoma, men's wild-game feed, I was about two miles from the Kansas State line, when two Oklahoma Whitetail Bucks ran right out in front of me...  The good news was that not only did I get two deer with one shot, but my truck was also not totaled, still drivable, and both the County Sheriff, and the Oklahoma State Trooper I spoke with on the phone, let me salvage the carcasses for meat!  I was even able, after a relatively brief search with a flashlight, to find all of the broken antler shards and pieces after the collision!  So, upon returning home, I got to process two large deer that night, and I was rewarded with a couple of nice racks I would be able to turn into European mounts to add to my bone collection.  I remember wondering to myself that night as I de-boned those two deer, just what the heck 2020 would really be like if it had started out like this? 

In February I partnered with a brother in Jesus and we lead a "Men in Ministry" Hog Hunt and Evangelism training called "When Pigs Fly!" at "No Mercy Outfitters" in Gracemont, Oklahoma.  What a true blast that was!  Then, just 6 days later I hopped on a plane with a Watchman Evangelism ministry team of 9 to be a part of my first International preaching crusade, where our team not only did preaching, evangelism and teaching, we also did community relief work and helped build a Christian school in Liberia, West Africa.  It was a tremendously challenging, exponentially rewarding, Spiritually eye opening, and truly life changing, experience.  I still do not have adequate words to describe what all we learned and experienced on, in, and through that trip.

Then, not long after returning from Africa, it seemed like everything all around the world, and even in the United States, started lurching, twisting, careening... and then, like the way time in an accident freeze frames and inches by, frame by frame, imprinting each tenth of a second on your mind with crystal clarity, while at the same time moving blindingly fast, the world began turning completely upside down, tumbling into an uncontrollable roll... a Global Pandemic, a Brave New World, Masked America, Following the Science, Fear, Lockdowns, the Seizing/Surrendering of Civil Liberties, Propaganda, Death-Tolls, Global Economic Free-Fall, Thousands of Acres Ablaze, the 24-Hour News Cycle, Hatred, Brutality, Racism, Riots, Looting, Cities on Fire, Contact Tracing, Persecution of Christians and of Assemblies of Faith, Hurricanes, Freak Storms, Tornadoes, Earthquakes, almost innumerable Signs in the Heavens (just Google astronomical phenomenon 2020) including even a "Christmas Star" (planetary conjunction), and then let's also not forget the political drama of a Stolen Election that the mainstream media still just won't cover...  On this New Year's Eve, what if the answer to all of this is NOT simply putting 2020 behind us and hoping for a better 2021?  What if there is far more going on than can be touched by well wishes, a handful of positive thoughts, the usual assortment of impotent New Year's Resolutions and all of us placing our hopes in a Vaccine?

Not long after returning from Liberia as I watched and read the news and observed everything begin to unfold through my own lenses of Faith, Scripture, and understandings of Bible Prophecy, I remember frequently being reminded of a quote in Galadriel's voice from the Prologue of the movie "The Lord of The Ring's: The Fellowship of The Ring": "The World is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it..."

(In truth, that quote is not spoken by Galadriel, but is spoken to her by Treebeard, and is actually borrowed and adapted, for the motion picture, from JRR Tolkien's third book of the trilogy "The Return of the King."  Here is the actual quote: "'It is sad that we should meet only thus at the ending. For the world is changing: I feel it in the water, I feel it in the earth, and I smell it in the air. I do not think we shall meet again.").  In either case, and in both literary contexts, it certainly seems to be a quote for our times and for this day, and I truly cannot tell you how many, many times I have thought of it over the last 9 months. 

Back in 2001 I attended a speaking event in Kansas City, Kansas, (where I was pastoring at the time) which took place just a couple of months after the attacks of September 11th.  At the event, the key note speaker (I can't for the life of me remember what his name was), who was a media spokesperson for the FAA said these words as he began his presentation:  "I've heard so many people say that 'The world has changed since September 11th...' I disagree.  It's not at all that the world has changed, it's just that now our eyes are opened as to how the world really is."  My first reaction to his words were, quite frankly, disagreement... that is until I Scripturally reflected on them a bit.  Then, I realized that the speaker was actually spot on, and as I embraced his words, they were indelibly imprinted on my mind.  And, I must say, just like the quote from Lord of The Rings mentioned above, I have thought of them repeatedly this past year, as layer after layer of 2020 has been peeled away.

So, my question for us on this last day of 2020 is this... Do we have "20/20 Vision" and are we yet able to see how things really are?  As we now reflect on the unparalleled nature of the past 365 days, is there really any remaining doubt that we live in a broken world, in the midst of a fallen humanity, and that our world is tragically beyond the reach of our own best thinking and the best efforts of our science, our technology and our medicine?

There is no doubt in my mind, that now, and that these days, more than ever before, are the days we all need to come to Jesus.  And, there is no doubt in my mind that in these days in which we find ourselves "above ground and walking around" we are closer to His return than ever before.  In three different places the Bible says "All who call upon the Name of the Lord, will be saved." (Joel 2, Acts 2 and Romans 10).  Have you called yet, on the Name of the Lord?  I called on His name for the first "real time" in April of 1989 when I awoke to the realization of the "train wreck" I had made of my life and existence, and found myself with only three crystal clear choices:  Suicide, Insanity or Jesus.  In that instant I recalled the words of a Sunday School teacher from back when I was 8 years old (Mary Lou Stirtz).  She said to me: "Robby, just remember, when you get in a jam, you can always call on Jesus."  So, I did just that.  I said: "Jesus, if You can save me, Save me, and I'll give you my life and never return to the person I've become."  In that moment Jesus saved my soul.  And, I want you to know, in this moment, or whatever moment you find yourself surrounded by in the future, Jesus can save your Soul too.  All you have to do is call!  Will you do that right now?  My hope and prayer is that you will so you and I can both keep on keepin' on in Jesus, until He comes again!

Pastor Rob Schmutz

Watchman Evangelism 

Quick Fixes For Prayer Distractions!

I just had an early AM text exchange with an accountability Brother about how to deal with distracting thoughts during prayer. 

 Here were some of our conclusions. (Feel free to comment below to add to our effort!) Here’s what we came up with! 

 1) In the background or softly through a headset play worship music or a favorite Christian Band. 

2) Pray as you read Scripture. Psalm 91 for instance. Pause between verses and pray. 

3) Make a "prayer list" (like a "to do" or a "task list") then pray through the list.

 4) Use a format like "ACTS" Adoration (Praising the Lord for ALL He Has Blessed me with!) Confession (Admitting sin and struggles.) Thanksgiving (Thanking Him for everything I can think of.) Supplication (Praying for others and their needs as well as my own.) 

5) Write a "Dear Jesus" Prayer letter in a notebook, or on a piece of any paper quickly available.

 6) Pray like a child... Simple, Straight Forward, Direct.

 7) Or, what I do when all else fails... I Just pray the Lord’s Prayer.

 Remember... Jesus said in Matthew 6:6 to "...go into an inner room...". And, there is definitely something to be said about removing distractions as much as possible! 

 But, the main thing is to Pray!

 Prayer is the Work! 



 Keep on Keepin' on In Jesus!

A Different Conversation...

A Different Conversation... 

I love Jesus. So much. Without a doubt, He is my Savior, my Hero, my Lord, my favorite person, and my best and most trusted friend. He is the only one who has never let me down. And, though I wish I could say I’ve never let Him down, the reality is I have, oh so many times.  But, in light of that statement, I must say that with all of my heart, the last thing I want to do in this hour, is to let Him down now.  

There are so many things happening in our world right now. So many confusing, frustrating, and disturbing things going on all around us. I don’t know about you, but some of them make me angry, some of them make me sad, and through most of them, what I think I feel most right now, is this unshakable sense of disappointment.

Why disappointment? That’s a good question... Here is my best attempt at an answer. I think I feel disappointed in America, and in the Church in America. We are better than this, at least I believe we are supposed to be... expected to be... could be... need to be (now for sure)... as both leaders of the "Free World" and as a people of "Faith" who live out our "Faith" in the "...Land of the Free and the home of the Brave."

• An entire Nation seemingly cowering in fear in the face of a virus? 
• Businesses of all shapes and sizes all across America forced to shut their doors (many of which will never open them again), while in many states abortion clinics were allowed to stay open and deemed essential?
• Churches being ordered to stop meeting under threat of criminal prosecution and arrest, and the majority willingly doing so, without even blinking, as they surrendered First Amendment Rights and bowed down at the altars of Medicine, Science and Technology? 
• The expressed devaluing of human life as manifested and witnessed in the casual taking of a life during the apprehension and arrest of a suspect at the hands of, in the name of, and as an asseveration of the law, and law enforcement? 
• Rioting and looting in the streets in response to injustice, resulting in not only the further loss of life, but also untold millions of dollars in property destruction, damage and theft, which is then portrayed as "justifiable" by the media? 
• Cities allowing anarchy to reign due to either state or city leaders in agreement with a liberal anarchist agenda, or an apparent fear of being seen by the media as intolerant, racist or politically incorrect? 
• Mobs destroying, tearing down or removing statues and monuments, disfiguring and desecrating artistic expressions of the truth of our history and key aspects of the story of our republic? 
• And, all of this taking place in the brave new world of "masked" America, and our newly adopted culture of quarantine and "Social Distancing?"
• This tragic short-list of today’s current events and my perceptions of them, could unfortunately go on and on... 

But, please hear this... This, I believe, is not us, America. This is not who we are meant to be. This is not who we should be. This is not who we need to be. We can do better. We’ve got to do better. We must do better, because our "melting pot" has become a "caustic bubbling cauldron." 

Back to Jesus... 

As stated above, I love Jesus, so much, even when He is hard to live with, hard to live for, hard to understand, and hard to follow. And, as I’ve spoken honestly with Jesus about my feelings of disappointment, as I’ve continued in conversation with Him as all of these things have unfolded, as I’ve cried out to Him and attempted to intercede in prayer for America and for all of these circumstances currently at hand, I’ve also been hearing back from Him... No, not through a voice that I’m hearing in my head, but through a persistent piercing in my heart, through my relationship with Him, and in the daily reading of His Word. What I’ve felt Him saying to me in response and in my heart is this: "All of this is exactly what I’ve told you was coming through my Word. A time of increasing lawlessness, lovelessness, and faithlessness. A time of the unfolding of judgement, the beginnings of which are not the wrath of God, but are the direct results of the actions and free-will of humanity. God isn’t ‘doing’ this. God is allowing you to choose what you will and what you want, and to experience the results of life in a fallen world in which you have chosen deliberately to live apart from and without Him, out from under His covering, and without the constraints of His Word and His Will." (See Matthew 24:4-14) 

How can I put this message into receivable words? There are so many talking heads out there right now. So very many... So many angry, wounded, anguished, violent, loud, vulgar, offended, offensive, enraged, confusing and confused voices. So many words from so many different sources... How will anyone hear, heed and receive these words I feel led to write, and the message I believe I’m supposed to share? Even with what I’ve written so far, there are likely already many who have shut me off, and there will be many more who will pick apart my words, discounting what I’m saying as ethnically biased, as theologically fundamentalist, as Biblically illiterate, as unintelligent, as those determined to instead of considering what I’m saying, to be those who get caught up in the circumstantial narrative of the now, and miss the larger Biblical and Prophetic context all together. 

But, here it is... America, like it or not, we’ve chosen this, this "now...". We have methodically, litigiously and legislatively prepared our society for this hour of great turmoil. We have created this moment. This that we are going through is the direct result of our "best" thinking, planning, preparations and plotting apart from God. We have pridefully, arduously and systematically removed the foundation stones of faith, morality and of Biblical moral absolutes, from beneath the structure and from the very fiber itself of our Nation and Culture. And, Church, to be totally honest, the reality is this, it has all been done under our watch. So, now, as we turn on the news each night and take in the latest video footage of bedlam in the streets, we think to ourselves, "How can this all be happening?!?" Here is the truth... America, we have sown these seeds, we have planted these crops, and Church, we have, in our years of silent assent, allowed all of this to happen, to become what it is, and now... Now we are reaping this harvest. 

The only way to change it, any of it, is to recognize what time it is, to come back to Jesus, to come back to God’s Word, and to come back to the real, authentic, heartfelt, living out of our relationship with God without regard for the cost to us personally. What I’m talking about here is Repentance. To recognize the path and direction we have chosen and to turn 180 degrees in order to go the exact opposite direction. 

In Revelation 12:10-17 a "flash forward" takes place and the reader is given a picture of the times of the end. In this picture and in the last part of verse 12 we are shown what is really behind all of the escalations in violence, hatred, warfare, and all of the woes of the earth. It says there: "Woe to the earth... because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time." Then, in 12:13-17 we see the action that the enemy, the dragon, the devil, the "accuser of the brethren" takes as he persecutes and pursues God’s chosen people and then makes war with all of the true followers of Jesus. 

But, in verse 11, before things get crazy, we are told in advance how the followers of Jesus will prevail. In fact, this is the only way they prevail. And, what that means for us is that this is the only way we prevail. There is no other way, and there is no better plan. It says: "And they (This is us!) overcame him (the enemy) because of the Blood of the Lamb (A saving relationship with Jesus), because of the word of their testimony (Our relentless tenacity in living for Jesus, talking about who Jesus is and what Jesus has done for us.), and because they did not love their life even when faced with death (We don’t cower in fear even when faced with the enemy’s greatest weapon against us, because we know this world is not our home!). In this "flash forward" it is through these three strategic actions that the Church finds and lives out victory in the face of the wrath of the one who knows his time is short and who has come to destroy them. This is what the Bible tells us that the Church did/does in the face of the future. 

So, What time is it Now, Church? Seriously?!? Do we not see?!? Can we not recognize the signs of the times?!? Just open your Bible and read the book of Revelation, read Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21, and then look at the news headlines of just the last year, let alone the last 5-20 years, and think about what our circumstances are communicating. I believe it’s time for us, Church, to realize Who we are, Why we are here, and What we are really supposed to be doing about it. And, as we recognize what time it really is, to take action accordingly. In other words, I believe it’s time for the Church to grab ahold of this three-fold plan from Revelation 12 and to take action by coming back to an understanding and an embracing of both the Greatest Commandment and the Great Commission. 

Church, make no mistake, we are designed by God to be the true agents of change in our culture. We are the Bride and Body of Christ. And, I believe it’s time we more intentionally lived and acted like it, by obediently walking in His Word in preparation for His return. We have been placed where we are, not to shut or shutter our doors out of the fear of death, or the fear of litigation or the fear of liability, but to open our arms and to take action no matter what the cost. How? By walking by the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16) and by intentionally choosing to fulfill both the Greatest Commandment (OT Deuteronomy 6:4-9 & Leviticus 19:18 / NT Matthew 22:37-40, Mark 12:29-31, Luke 10:26-28), and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), by speaking the truth in love as we take up the purpose and personal mission of Jesus as proclaimed by Him in Luke 19:10. We are the Bride and the Body of Christ and this mantle has been placed on no one other than us. What are we going to do about it now, in the face of things as they are and as they are unfolding? 

Church, something to consider now is this, what if there is a "Second-Wave" of this global pandemic? What if there is another National or Statewide shutdown? What if there are future executive orders by governors, presidents or whatever the powers that be, instructing the Church not to assemble? Will we choose to be the Church and assemble anyway? Will we go beyond the boundaries of FaceTime, Zoom and Video venue gatherings in order to walk in obedience to Jesus? And, at what point will we be willing to say "Thanks, but no thanks" to any order, law, or proclamation that blatantly violates both our State and our US Constitutions, not to mention Scripture? 

I believe, in the end times, in the face of whatever is to come, that there’ll come a time for the people of the Church, the followers of Jesus, to side with Peter and John when they were told to no longer speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus in Acts 4:19 & 20, when they said: "...Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking what we have seen and heard." 

I believe, in the end times, there’ll come a time for the leaders and the clergy of the Church to say what Joshua said as he addressed his people toward the end of his life and ministry in Joshua 24:15, "And if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve... But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

I believe, in the end times, there’ll come a time for all who name the Name of Jesus Christ to heed the words of the Apostle Paul to the Church at Ephesus when he said in Ephesians 5:14-17, "For this reason it says, ‘Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’ Therefore be careful (intentional) how you walk, not as unwise persons, but as wise, making the most of your time because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is." 

What makes us think that time isn’t now?

Again, back to Jesus... Have you ever noticed how Jesus always had a way of redirecting the conversations He was in? He did so in almost every conversation He was involved with in the New Testament. Someone would start talking to Him about some Axe he or she wanted to grind... and out of the clear blue, with just a turn of a phrase, Jesus would take their Axe, turn it around, and then use it like a scalpel to conversationally and relationally cut open their chest, expose their heart, and suddenly be a surgeon performing Spiritual open-heart surgery... 

There is a lot to talk about in America today. And, it seems to me that most people are so busy shouting, that no one is really taking the time to listen to anyone else. There are a lot of words being exchanged but very little real conversation and relational communication happening today. Church, I think Jesus wants to use us to recognize what time it really is, and to take the subject at hand, whatever it is, to prayerfully change the tone, and... to begin to engage relationally in a different conversation. A conversation that leads to a reality and a topic we’ve, in all honesty, been intentionally and awkwardly avoiding for quite some time now, a conversation about the need for Salvation and the Return of Christ. I believe it’s time for all believers, all followers of Jesus, to intentionally, invitationally, conversationally, and relationally engage with people about the gospel (the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus [Romans 1:16] / "...the blood of the Lamb" [Rev. 12:11]), and the return of Jesus, in the context of the discussion of current events. I believe it’s time to both talk about and live out what Jesus has done for us, what we are trusting Him to see us through, and what we know He would want us to do in how we treat and relate to others (The Golden Rule [Matthew 7:12] / "...the word [and deeds] of their testimony" [Rev. 12:11]). I believe it’s time for us to take action as those whom He can count on to be the Church, without fear or regard for our own lives, to not only speak the truth in love but to place ourselves in positions to be the truth in love. (Laying down our lives as living sacrifices [Romans 12:1-2] / "...they did not love their life even when faced with death." [Rev. 12:11]) 

Church, we can be those whom Jesus uses to do what He did... we can be those who redirect the flow of not only the conversation, but also the action. We can be, but will we be? What are we going to do about it? In the last phrase of Luke 18:8, as Jesus concludes the parable of the Widow and the Judge, a parable spoken to encourage His followers and to inspire them to not tire of both praying and taking action, He says... "However, when the Son of Man (Jesus) comes (comes back), will He find faith on the earth?" That’s a great question... What we choose to do here and now, as these days of the end unfold, will be our opportunity to answer it. One of the key truths of human behavior that I’ve observed again and again, is that people always consistently do what they truly believe. It’s time to ask ourselves "What do we truly believe?" Do we truly believe we are the Bride of Christ? Do we truly believe we are the Body of Christ? Do we truly believe we are living in the unfolding times of the end? What we choose to do or not do next may just say a whole lot more about what we truly believe than we realize or are willing to admit. 

Who are you going to choose to, or choose not to, talk with about Jesus and His return today? 

"He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming quickly.’  Amen, Come Lord Jesus." - Revelation 22:20

Pastor Rob Schmutz 

Watchman Evangelism Ministries

Where in the... Word?!?

I’ve been getting a lot of calls, emails and fb messages with questions about where to turn in Scripture at a time like this.

First, let me say that "ALL Scripture is inspired by God..." (2 Timothy 3:16), so literally opening up anywhere and just letting the Lord lead, and speak to you through His Word, every day, is a great idea. And, with the extended time off and away from work that many are experiencing, right now may be a great time to read the Bible from cover to cover. When I do that (this is the way I’ve been reading through Scripture every year for years thanks to a sweet little old lady named Arlene Reece in my church in Burdett, KS, who taught me this method back in the 90’s), I start with the first book of the Bible, Genesis, and the last book of the Bible, Revelation, and read my way to the center, while also reading from Psalms and Proverbs as I do. You’ll be amazed at how the Word of God comes together for you as you apply this method.

As far as Scripture to turn to in days like these... I literally read Psalm 91 every day as a reminder of God’s Protection and guidance in my life. In the New Testament, the book of Philippians is where I go whenever I feel overwhelmed, challenged beyond my capacity to respond, down, insecure, or uncertain about the future. It is FILLED with encouraging words. It’s interesting because Paul writes what he does to the Church at Philippi while he himself is incarcerated and under house arrest in Rome. Some of the most encouraging words in all of Scripture come from a time in Paul’s life of extreme discomfort and unpleasantness. That’s what happens whenever we let the Holy Spirit lead and guide our thoughts, actions, and efforts.

So, there ya go! Get in the Word and... Keep on Keepin’ on in Jesus!

- Rob Schmutz

#GetInTheWordNow

Praying in Faith Today...

"Listen! The Lord ’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call." Isaiah 59:1 NLT

Praying in faith today for a miraculous turning of events and circumstances all across our Nation and all around the World.  

Praying in faith today for healing for those who are sick.

Praying in faith today for their families.

Praying in faith today for families who have lost loved ones.

Praying in faith today for healthcare facilities, providers, and healthcare workers.

Praying in faith today for wisdom for all those who are working on the development of a vaccine and a medical and scientific way to confront and combat the threat we are currently facing.

Praying in faith today for miraculous experiences and testimonies of God’s Grace, Provision and Faithfulness in and through all that we are going through as a Nation and as human beings all around the World.

Praying in faith today for the Spirit of God to open hearts, touch lives, give comfort, come alongside those in distress, calm the fearful, bring peace to troubled minds, and to move in such a way that people everywhere, as many as will call upon His Name, have an experience of God’s Amazing Grace, miraculous provision, and of the peace that passes all comprehension.

Praying in faith today that literally millions will call on and come to know Jesus personally as their Savior through this time of instability and uncertainty all around the globe.

Join me today, won’t you, in praying for all of this and whatever else God lays on your heart?

Whatever the problem, situation or circumstance, Jesus... is always the answer!

Let’s Keep on Keepin’ on In Jesus!

#PrayingInFaithToday

50 Day Genesis Challenge, Day 50

"And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive."  

                          - Genesis 50:20

I’m surrounded this morning by so much more than I can even begin to describe, let alone be able to understand. I’m in Liberia, West Africa, and I see people all around me who are surviving and who have survived, experiences too numerous to count of all kinds of great evils. Wrongs have been done to them both as individuals and as an entire population on so many, many, levels, and on so many, many, different occasions, for so many, many, generations. Hopelessness seems to be a pervasive reality everywhere I look... Over the next few nights I and my team will be given an opportunity to speak for a few minutes, a Word of Hope into their lives. Hope... 

I am asking God to move mightily over these next few nights, and to grant that miracles, healings, and deliverances could touch the people we are seeing, and that a great work of God’s power could be experienced among them. I am asking Jesus to empower us to serve and to speak as carriers and communicators of the hope of the gospel, as expressions of His Love, and as conduits of His transformational power. Please pray for us as we attempt to do so.  

LORD Jesus, I have never been here before. Not here, seeing all of this that You are showing me... Grant, Lord, that Your Spirit will pour out mightily over this place, these people and me and my team, Your servants here in this place. Please help me and my team fulfill that which You have brought us here to do. Help us to be "Jesus with skin on" to everyone we get the chance to come in contact with. Bring about a fulfillment like you did for Joseph, something through which the people are able to say along with Joseph... "What others have intended for evil, God has used for good, in order to bring about the salvation of many...". In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

#50DayGenesisChallenge

#50DayGenesisChallengeDay50