Issue 79 - Turbulence - Letter from the Editor

Dear Reader,

In 2007, Kim Clement prophesied that Donald Trump would be raised up as a trumpet and that God would raise up a “hot blood” president for two terms.[1] Some interpreted this as Donald Trump becoming President of the United States for two terms.

Whether you like Donald Trump, don’t like him, don’t care, or are somewhere in between, you can’t deny that something is going on in the world, and immense change seems to be afoot. Like the disciples in the boat during the storm at sea,[2] times of instability can cause us to feel powerless and afraid, unclear on how to proceed, asking God like the disciples did, “Don’t you care if we drown?”

It is with this turmoil in the world in mind that we asked our writers to put forth a work to help us interpret the times and to look forward.

Caleb writes of the temptations we might face in politics, pulling from two historical threats to Christianity from the past that we might look forward with wisdom. How can we understand the fears we might have and recognize the dangers our different ends of the political spectrum pose to our walk with Christ?

Matt helps bring together examples of how Christians are sensing God leading them to move in new ways, outside of traditional patterns and institutions. How might the Church adapt to turbulent times through how we interact and provide resources for others?

Brandon helps bring us a picture of the prophetic. What do those with prophetic giftings sense God saying in this time? I realize there may be readers who are cessationists, who do not believe some spiritual gifts, including prophecy, are active. I hope that you will still be edified in this edition as we seek to see what God says as He reveals Himself in Scripture within the context of our times.

Finally, we include a short tool we pray will help all of us work towards “un-abstracting” our Christian lives. Will we live into Christ or live merely talking about and thinking about Christ? In times of difficulty, it’s important to properly prioritize and take action towards those properly ordered priorities.

In the end, our prayer is that these articles would encourage you in these turbulent times. May you remember that we have everything we need in Christ today even if we do not see it. May our hope in Christ help us see the dangers around us and help us to walk wisely in love within our called context. And may we hear and properly discern God’s voice today, that we might hear and obey and find hope as Hagar and Job did in the midst of their despair, that we might see the One who sees us, and trust upon Him in these times to come.[3]

In Christ,

Jonathan Ho

P.S. 我們很樂意聽聽你的想法。你是否感覺神今天對教會有什麼話要說？你是否有些感動想與我們分享？歡迎寫信給我們：he***@***********os.com