Musings from Graceland

NOTHING CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT...?

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I received this email update from Amy Lancaster, co-founder of WE WILL GO ministry:

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This Sunday, August 31, a young man, one of our precious sons, Chris Smith died in a pool of blood in downtown Jackson, just a short walk from our home. He was murdered by another one of our "sons", Billy. Billy is just 22 years old; Chris was 26. Many people skimmed over the newspaper, glanced at the news that Jackson had its 48th murder, and said, "oh well, that's Jackson for you. Nothing can be done about it."

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We have wept and wept and continue to weep. Billy's grandmother came here to church on Sunday afternoon, crying, hysterical, looking for Billy. Billy was on his way here to us for help when the police picked him up. He is now in jail, sitting and waiting and filled with pain and guilt and horror. His grandmother came here today, crying, asking for prayer and help.

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I spent a long time just days ago pouring into young Chris in our yard at the side gate. I listened to Chris, his fears, dreams, worries, hurts. I cried and pleaded with Chris to turn to Christ while he still had time; Chris' response was, "mama Amy, I ain't studyin your Jesus. I don't have time for that." I grabbed him and hugged him and prayed over Chris with all the faith that I have. He left, non repentant and hard.

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Now Chris is gone, forever. There is no more time for repentance for him. Eternity is real. Billy is now shattered and sitting in jail at 23 years of age.

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Many people are accepting this as normal. Many people say to us, "you are wasting your time." "These people do not change." "Jackson is too far gone." " you need to use your brain and think and be reasonable." "Do you really expect God to move there? " "Do people really get saved there? Really?" "oh well, just another black guy shooting another black guy." and much, much worse.......AND these comments most often are from people who name the name of JESUS and profess to know Christ. People on the street have often just given up and given in -- no hope, no prayers, no saints walking the streets and reaching out, no cries to the Father, no vision.....

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Well, we submit to you HIS WORD. We serve a KING Who can do anything! We CANNOT and we WILL NOT look away and quit and wring our hands. We will NOT worry and think and come up with a human plan. We will NOT give up ground to satan, for he is already defeated by KING JESUS! We will NOT lay down in the dust and let the armies of hell march over GOD's people. We, as HIS children, will PRAY. We will FIGHT in the SPIRIT and with the WORD of GOD. We believe GOD and we believe HIS WORD -- why is that weird and strange and so amazing?

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Jeremiah 32:17 "Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you."

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John 3:16-17 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

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What is "normal" Christianity? What does GOD expect? What should we who are BORN AGAIN do? What does HIS WORD say?

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Romans 12:1-2 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."

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So how do we go forward? How do we pray? According to HIS precious WORD...

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Romans 8:26 "And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. "

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What was Nehemiah's response to hearing his city, God's city, Jerusalem was in ruins?

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Nehemiah 1:3-11 3 They said to me, “Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.” 4 When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. 5 Then I said, “O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, 6 listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned!7 We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses. 8 “Please remember what you told your servant Moses: ‘If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations. 9 But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.’ 10 “The people you rescued by your great power and strong hand are your servants. 11 O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you."

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What should my response and your response as a BORN AGAIN Believer in JESUS CHRIST be?

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Each one of us must answer this question individually before our SAVIOR.

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Because of JESUS....we live,

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The Lancasters and the We Will Go Family
http://www.wewillgo.org/
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"Here am I. Lord send me!" Isaiah 6:8

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This photo was taken of Chris at one of the WE WILL GO Sunday afternoon worship services.

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