Have you listened to music that many of our children are listening to? The "hard rock" music which is being fed to today's youth in mega-doses is laced with devil worship, death and suicide messages, suggestions that killing police officers is good, and drug use as a desirable form of recreation. Without sounding redundant, "Where are Christians?"

I have just about run out of room for this article and I have not even touched on abortion as a form of birth control, decline of family, dropping church attendance, abuses of America's institutions of higher education, media bias, government bias, and euthanasia. To give each of these topics just cursory mention that I have given other topics would take more space than I have left in this article. I wonder if Jesus is asking, "Where are Christians?"

After reading all of this, I hope that you are as angry as I am at shape our country is in. How did we let this happen? Where have we, Christians, been during last thirty years while all this has been developing? Could it be that we have become so complacent that we won't even make an effort to complain about this mess? Or is it that we have been so busy making all that money that we have been blinded to reality? Or is it that we now put party politics (Republican or Democrat) before our Christianity? And here is clincher: How much worse does it have to get before we wake up and start doing something about it? For last time, I ask YOU, "Where are Christians?"

You may be thinking that there is not much, if anything, that one person can do to correct this mess. However, that is not true. Especially when we consider millions of people who claim to be Christian. So, what can you and I do?

First, we need to start immediately praying for our nation, its problems, its leaders, and its Christians each and every day. God hears and answers prayer! What if millions of people went to God every day and prayed as I have indicated? Great things would certainly have to happen. Remember, "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." (James 5:16b)

Second, it time to get serious by making our voices heard with "powers that be." We should be continually writing our U.S. Congressmen and Senators and speaking out on issues that concern us. We need to continually be writing letters to news media that support perverse life styles of homosexuals and like. We need to write letters to sponsors of programs which we feel are inappropriate to be broadcast during family viewing times. We should refuse to purchase goods from companies that refuse to listen to our concerns. We should refuse to support any candidate for any office that holds views that are anti- Christian or conducts themselves in a manner which is not consistent with our Christian beliefs. If there are no candidates from either major political party which we can support, then it is time to get Christians to run for office and go all out to support them.

And third, it is time to start putting pressure on our Christian friends, family, and neighbors to join in this fight. It is time to hold leaders of our congregations responsible for organizing our churches in this effort to bring Christ back to a position of honor and glory in America.

And finally, it time for each one of us that claim Christ as our Lord and Savior to stand and be counted in this effort. Let's look at some of what Scriptures have to say about this: "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad." (Matthew 12:30); "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand." (Matthew 12:25b); "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (II Chronicles 7:14); and one of my favorite Scriptures, "...choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve... But as for me and my house, we will serve Lord." (Joshua 24:15).

Brothers and sisters in Christ, if Christians in America do not take a stand and start fighting for what we believe, America as we know it (or have known it) will soon cease to exist. We must start today, NOW, and not quit until we have taken back our country from humanists. Do we have courage to be like Isaiah? "Also I heard voice of Lord, saying: 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?' Then I said, 'Here am I! Send me.'" (Isaiah 6:8)

All scriptures quoted are from New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

Stephen Kingery is an author, preacher, teacher and founder of The Home Bible Study Institute.

Visit our site at http://www.james1-22.org

As we see in these selected Scriptures, Holy Spirit was given to apostles to guide and direct them as they established church, preached gospel and wrote New Testament. Even those of us that boast of an impeccable memory can not remember everything that is said and done. Of course, fact that apostles were being taught by Christ and fact that they witnessed wonderful miracles that He performed would make events stand out in their memories much more than average event. Nonetheless, humans are not flawless when it comes to remembering events and teachings. It was therefore necessary for God to provide a means by which apostles could have 100% perfect memories when it came to remembering teachings of Christ and events that surrounded His ministry. God provided Holy Spirit to fulfill this need.

But we too have a need for Holy Spirit today. As we try to live a good faithful Christian life, it is difficult. It is difficult because of constant bombardment of temptations sent our way by Satan himself. We need constant guidance and direction to be able to withstand those temptations and "fight good fight." Again, God has provided! He has provided Holy Spirit to meet that need.

How do we know that God has given us Holy Spirit? Because Scriptures tell us so, "Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in name of Jesus Christ for remission of sins; and you shall receive gift of Holy Spirit.'" (Acts 2:38) For an excellent description of Holy Spirit dwelling in us as Christians read Romans chapter 8.

The Preexistence of Christ

Was Jesus just a prophet, a good man, a man of God; or was He in fact Son of God? If we are to believe in Christian concept of Holy Trinity, then we must be able to show evidence that Christ existed as part of Trinity prior to His coming to earth as Jesus.

The Old Testament is replete with prophecies concerning coming of Christ. There have been volumes written and still more shall be written in future on this aspect of Jesus Christ. The first prophecy in Bible concerning coming of Christ is found in Genesis 3:15, "And I will put enmity between you and woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." From this verse forward we see prophecies in Deuteronomy, 1 Samuel, Job, Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. Over and over again these prophecies point to coming of Christ: "The Spirit of Lord shall rest upon Him." (Isaiah 11:2); "For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given." (Isaiah 9:6); "Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him." (Daniel 7:14) and "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold your King is coming." (Zechariah 9:9) These are but a few of many prophecies of coming of Christ.

But did Christ exist prior to His coming in form of man? Again there are many Scriptures which point to preexistence of Christ. The Gospel of John clearly indicates that Christ was at beginning of time. Here is what book of John has to say about Christ: "In beginning was Word, and Word was with God, and Word was God. He was in beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made." (John 1:1-3)

Jesus also said that He was in existence prior to time of His ministry here on earth: "‘Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.' Then Jews said to Him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?' Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.'" (John 8:56-58)

There is yet another area of this discussion which I will not be able to develop to any reasonable extent. That area is fact that Old Testament has many different "types" of Christ. These are persons in Old Testament who posses certain characteristics or attributes of Christ. They were mere men, but their lives point to coming Christ. There were several of these in Old Testament. Perhaps we can develop these in future articles.

As I draw this article to a close, I feel that subject has not been given justice for there is so much more that can be said about reality of Holy Trinity. However, I sincerely hope that I have given you enough to strengthen your faith and I encourage you to study this subject further.

All Scriptures quoted are from New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

Stephen Kingery is an author, preacher, teacher and founder of The Home Bible Study Institute.

Visit our site at http://www.james1-22.org