Jul 7, 2009
Dear friends:
It was not my plan to watch Michael Jackson's star-studded memorial service in the Los Angeles Staples Center on TV this afternoon, but at the beginning I was glancing at the television and suddenly got hooked....
God was using the service, broadcast to many millions, maybe billions, worldwide, to announce the soon return of Jesus!!! No joke!
How did He do it? The opening song was by the Andrae Crouch Choir singing Andrae's classic, "Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King..." I could hardly believe it. Knowing that this timely message went out all over the world, I was very, very moved. That has always been one of my all-time favorite songs and messages.
Okay, I was hooked.
Then the opening address was by Los Angeles Baptist Pastor Lucious Smith -- not by a Jehovah's Witness and not by a Muslim cleric. He also got my attention.
Then I heard Lionel Ritchie sing, "Jesus is Love."
One speaker said that the King of Pop is now in the presence of the King of Kings, whom everyone knows as none other than Jesus.
Bernice King, daughter of the late Martin Luther King, quoted the Scripture that "nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Not one time did I hear mention of the words Allah, Mohammed, Islam or Muslim, or Jehovah's Witness. To my surprise and delight, it was essentially a Christian service.
Personally, I think Michael Jackson was duped into embracing Islam, as was reported. He knew nothing about theology, and they probably told him that Muslims believe in Jesus. They do, but not the same Jesus. It is deception. It was reported to me that one time on television Jackson confessed to Geraldo Rivera that Jesus Christ is his Lord and Savior. If he did, I doubt if he ever took it back
Overall, it was a very inspiring service. There were times when I wept. I believe God was pleased. He was surely glorified. There were many reminders to the worldwide audience that our time on earth is short and we must be ready for the next life, and the answer pointed to Jesus.
The "We are the World" song smacked of one-world brotherhood, but Jesus would endorse the idea of loving and caring for all people, as long as He is the focus.
Pastor Smith ended the service with a powerful benediction and prayer to the Father, and closed it with the thundering words, "In the glorious name of Jesus Christ our Lord!" It gave me goose bumps.
Amen.
Jim Bramlett
Source: http://www.injesus.com/index.php?module=message&task=view&MID=4B007GHX&GroupID=2A004N9G&print=1
No comments:
Post a Comment