Calling Forerunners to Intercession, Prayer, Fasting, and Worship in the Pacific Northwest & Pacific Rim

I wonder how many are as outraged as we are, regarding the Penn State Sex Scandal. Or, will you disregard what we are about to say in this article for the sake of a keeping a forty five year legacy and football sacred? You may think we are being dramatic but our souls are at stake here, for Scripture speaks of God’s judgment on a culture that did not repent from such things.

As Coach Joe Paterno, President Graham Spanier and two vice presidents are fired for a cover-up of over fifteen years involving retired defensive coach Jerry Sandusky sexually abusing eight young boys, protests are breaking out on the Penn State campus. Shocking as this may be, much of the outrage is not for the victims but instead for the firing of Coach Paterno who knew of the abuse and did nothing. A freshman student that was interviewed said this, “It’s like where do we go from here? We no longer have a president, we no longer have a 45 year legacy.” One individual close to the program was primarily concerned about the impact of the situation on future recruiting for the football program. Has this young generation come to this? The sister of one of the victims is a student at Penn State and she is having trouble attending class because so many are making jokes about the trouble.

We as a nation have made football a god. Let us demonstrate this. In 2002 assistant coach Mike McQueary witnessed Sandusky raping a nine year old boy in the showers at Penn State. Instead of calling the police he went home to his father who agreed they needed to tell Coach Paterno. The coach then reported it but nothing was done, and he let the matter drop. Sandusky continued his privileges at the college and maintained his access to young troubled boys and it was allowed for the sake of the football game and a so called “Squeaky clean football program”. How close as a nation have we come to Genesis 19, and Sodom and Gomorrah?

The word “Sodom” means “cesspool, den, and pandemonium.” Does this sound similar to what is going on at Penn State? What has happened to us that students would protest and destroy things for the sake of keeping a coach on staff who covered up rape? Is this an example of a generation that is in jeopardy of losing their souls? Let’s take a look at Genesis 19. Here is a quote from a commentary by Matthew Henry. “Thus many that are under some convictions about the misery of their spiritual state, and the necessity of a change, yet defer that needful work, and foolishly linger. Lot did so, and it might have been fatal to him if the angels had not laid hold of his hand and brought him for, and saved him with fear.” In Jude 23 it is said “the Lord was merciful to him; otherwise he might justly have left him to perish, since he was so loth to depart. The salvation of the most righteous men must be attributed to God’s mercy, not to their own merit.”

Are we righteous men and women and are we outraged because of the abuse of these boys? Or, do we turn our heads and say it does not involve us? How close are we to destruction because we have allowed entertainment such as football to become an idol and a distraction from Jesus? When the two angels appeared to Lot and destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah did you know to this day that area remains a great lake called the Dead Sea or the Salt Sea? There is no living creature in it and it stinks, literally. Also, when Lot hesitated, the angel grasped his hand and rushed him to safety. Lot did not want to abandon the wealth, position, and comfort he enjoyed. It is easy to criticize Lot for being hypnotized by Sodom when the choice seems so clear to us. To be wiser than Lot we must see that our hesitation to speak out about how far we have gone with idolizing entertainment stems from the false attractions of our culture’s pleasure and we would sacrifice innocent boys for the sake of a college and a game.

Two facets of God’s character are His great patience and His fierce anger towards unrighteousness and sin. If there is true repentance, God will have mercy on anyone who calls on His Name, even those who commit such overt and criminal acts. He has had mercy on us, and our sin put Jesus on the cross. Fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much and the very presence of God-fearing men and women in a place helps to ward off judgment. We must pray for these men and the children whose lives were ruined through this behavior. And we must pray that the Holy Spirit will bring true repentance and revival to an idolatrous culture that sacrifices our children on the altar of entertainment and sports. The time has come for us to wake up and see what we have done and what we have become. The Lord is calling us to holiness and our time is drawing short. The Lord Jesus is drawing near.

Baptism Testimonies

calebchase — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 23:07:55 +0000

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Baptism & Communion – Gary Wiens

calebchase — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 23:06:32 +0000

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Bride of Christ – Cultivating the Oil of Intimacy – Gary Wiens

calebchase — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 23:02:17 +0000

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Presence Worship Conference – Key of David (Sun. Morning) – Pablo Perez

calebchase — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 21:14:44 +0000

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Presence Worship Conference – Understanding the Thirst of Your Soul (Sat. Afternoon) – Pablo Perez

calebchase — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 21:12:26 +0000

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Presence Worship Conference – Living Indoors, the Choice of a Lovesick Heart (Sat. Morning) – Pablo Perez

calebchase — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 21:10:33 +0000

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Presence Worship Conference – Exploring Presence Worship (Fri. Night) – Pablo Perez

calebchase — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 21:08:07 +0000

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Healing from Hodgkins’ Lymphoma (Cancer)

admin — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 17:01:10 +0000

I was originally diagnosed with Hodgkins’ Lymphoma in 2004. I have received 4 different chemotherapy regimends over the past 7 years. Prior to August 2010 I had been in remission for 2 years during which time we were blessed with the birth of our first daughter, Sofhia. She was an absolute miracle as doctors all said I had received too much chemotherapy to ever get pregnant. Doctors found the tumor in Aug. 2010 when I was 2 months pregnant with our 2nd daughter, Ahna. Through Gods’ grace I was able to postpone the chemo treatment until after Ahna was born premie at 32 weeks on Oct. 28, 2010. Ahna was born absolutely healthy with no complications. I started chemo immediately and received an autologous stem cell transplant in February 2011. It was during my transplant that we met Gary and Marie Wiens and all their partners in prayer at IHOP Northwest. They all were such a blessing to my family and I during this difficult time. They provided a safe haven for us to go to IHOP NW to receive prayer and to meditate on God’s healing touch! I had a PET/CT scan in June and the doctors determined that I was in complete remission! Thanks to the many many prayers that people prayed for us through IHOP, and our home church in Cashmere, WA and all over the world, God answered all of them! I recently had another CT scan and the dead tumor is shrinking even more. Between the two scans, it has shrunk by at least 50%. My doctor said that it appears that my bodies’ immune system is recognizing the dead tumor cells and it is healing them with God’s marvelous touch! Praise God and to Him be the Glory Forever!