A Voice in the Wilderness – Page 4

Too Good for This World

By Tom Grassano | November 21, 2011 |

I have just watched two videos of a house church in Vietnam, taken a few moments after hired government “thugs” broke into the church and attacked the pastor, leaders and church members simply because they worship Jesus. The video is shocking, emotional and heart-breaking. Blood drips from head wounds. Others cannot walk because of their beatings. One is unconscious. Some lie bleeding with their heads resting on Bibles. I wept as I watched it…

It’s Past Time for a Charistmatic Revolution

By Tom Grassano | November 4, 2011 |

I’ve grown increasingly aware that the so-called “Spirit-filled” church of today struggles with many of the same things the Catholic church faced in the 1500s. We don’t have “indulgences”—we have telethons. We don’t have popes—we have super-apostles. We don’t support an untouchable priesthood—we throw our money at celebrity evangelists who own fleets of private jets. In honor of Reformation Day, I’m offering my own list of needed reforms in our movement. And since I can’t hammer these on the Wittenberg door, I’ll post them online.

The Father’s Heart

By Tom Grassano | October 26, 2011 |

God cares about the lost. It is estimated that 80,000 people die every day without Christ. That’s 55 people every 60 seconds! How much time to we invest in non-eternal things while so many in the world still do not know about Christ’s saving love? Do you pray for them? Jesus does! Do we seek them? Jesus does!

The Loving Father and His Two Sons

By Tom Grassano | October 21, 2011 |

The Father of the Prodigal in Luke 15 said that the oldest son with with him every day. That leads me to this question: How can you be in the Father’s presence and not have the Father’s heart?

The Good Shepherd and the Lost Sheep

By Tom Grassano | October 4, 2011 |

We often say we want to bring joy to God in the way we live. Jesus tells us in Luke 15:7 that “there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!” Why, then, do we spend 99 percent of our time ministering to the 99 who need no repentance rather than seeking and searching for the one lost sheep?

Jesus gave us His mission statement in Luke 19:10 – “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save those who are lost.” Is that our mission statement today, too?

The Tough Questions

By Tom Grassano | August 31, 2011 |

As we consider our need and desire for God’s favor, these are some tough questions for personal spiritual evaluation:

Do you hold the Word of God in a place of honor in your life? Do you respond obediently to its words? Do you have order in your life? Are your conversations holy? Do your words and actions draw people to Christ? . . .

If any of these questions prompt reflection and bring conviction into our lives, let us respond with humility and brokenness of heart. God never despises and broken and contrite heart. On the contrary, it is the key that opens the door to the increase of His presence and favor in our lives.

Don’t Settle for Fake Anointing

By Tom Grassano | August 3, 2011 |

“Do you trust the Holy Spirit to work in you, or do you lean on the flesh? Do you have the precious dew of His miraculous anointing on your life, or have you manufactured a cheap form of human moisture to do the job? Many Christians today can’t distinguish between the sweat of the flesh and the dew of heaven, but there is a big difference. As I have prayed for more anointing in my life, I’ve realized that we often mistake fake anointing for the real thing…”

The Light shines in the darkness

By Tom Grassano | July 17, 2011 |

When we are faced with situations like I wrote to you about in my last entry, we see only a few choices:

We can cut and run.
We can stay in the safe walls of our church or ministry center.
We can go to the location where the heart of the problem is and confront it head-on.

We chose Option C.

A Tragic Death – A Need to Press On

By Tom Grassano | July 6, 2011 |

One of the young men I knew was brutally murdered a month ago. He left his apartment one block from The Harvest Center to run an errand. Some youth were sitting on the hood of his car. He politely asked them to get off, informing them he had to go somewhere. Spewing profanity, one said, “I’ll get off when I feel like it.” After trying several more times for over ten minutes, the young man slowly pulled his car out of the parking space until they jumped off his car … Senseless death and violence.

The Call to Effective Outreach in Cities

By Tom Grassano | May 17, 2011 |

The gospel, if allowed by the church, will powerfully affect our lives. IF allowed. IF our faith is not considered a sub-culture, but a counter-culture. IF our faith possesses a radical commitment of all that we are to all that He is in every part of our lives. IF allowed, the gospel will permeate every part of the human being to the very core – as the Word says, the marrow (Hebrews 4:12) – of our being, and thus to the very core of our homes, our churches, our families, our city and our culture.