Emily Tomko - "For All those who love His appearing": Recent Episodes
Emily Tomko
The ushering in of a New Year is a perfect time to reflect on the last year with gratitude, and to commit to going deeper with the Lord in the coming one.
A few months back I shared how the Lord prompted me to “up my game” in my prayer life by praying fifteen minutes a day in the Spirit, by the clock I must confess that at times it has felt tedious, even rote. Other times, I lingered long after my timer went off because I didn’t want to leave.
But regardless of how it “feels,” The discipline of praying in tongues fifteen minutes a day has had a remarkable impact on my faith and also in my ability to strategically pray for individuals and situations.
We know intellectually that life is fragile, and that any one of us could leave this world at any time. But the reality has become much more than theory recently. We have loved ones who should still be here. They have been taken from us suddenly, and seemingly before their time.
Never has this hit home more than the last couple of weeks. To chat with a friend at church and make plans for the following week, only the next morning to hear that this bright light among us is now gone. It seems impossible to reconcile the news as real.
Is there anything redemptive that can come out of this culture of death that has thrown its nets over the global community these last few years?
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Keywords: eternal life, died suddenly, death to self
Pastor Jonathan Conrathe tells an amazing story of leading the head anesthesiologist from the World Health Organization to Christ on an airplane. This anesthesiologist professed that he believed in God because of how routinely during surgery the medical team would open up a patient to discover that whatever malady they were operating for was already healed. The head surgeon would say, “We will say nothing of this” and they’d stitch him back up. Inevitably, the anesthesiologist said that they discovered the patient was either a Christian or had a church praying for him.
Following this remarkable conversation, the anesthesiologist went back to his newspaper. Jonathan realized that while the man believed in God, this didn’t mean that he necessarily was regenerated. When he asked him if he had ever asked Christ to be Lord and Savior, the man replied, “Well, no. No one ever told me that was the way to get to God.” The doctor then prayed with Jonathan to receive Christ.
The story highlights how we must always be ready to give an appeal for Christ.
Jesus is coming back quickly and people are not ready. The thought governs my awareness, and yet at times I feel paralyzed to do much about it.
When an evangelist and his team of nine men and women from the UK came to help stir us to action, it was a powerful shot in the arm. (This evangelist was Jonathan Conrathe with whom we’d worked three years ago in the city of Harrisburg; his incredible testimonies and sermons can be found at Mission 24.)
The “us” consisted of over a dozen local churches of varying denominations, about half of them Spanish. There is something demonstrably powerful about church leadership setting aside differences, denominations, and personal styles, and pastors honoring and deferring to one another. The Holy Spirit begins to move with swift and astonishing might...
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During a time of prayer recently I heard the words, "Time to up your game."
In a church culture that shies away from the idea of striving or works, one might question, was that really the Holy Spirit?
The message however came with a very specific directive. The Lord reminded me of a rookie missionary to Hong Kong, Jackie Pullinger, who was counseled by her mentors to pray in the spirit 15 minutes each day. She says this...
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Do we profess the truth even though it might offend a brother? Or do we only speak certain truths because if we dilute truth to the least common denominator we can still label it unity?
Is divisiveness in itself a sin?
Martin Luther said, “If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the Word of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Him. Where the battle rages there the loyalty of the soldier is proved; and to be steady on all the battle front besides, is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point.”
These are questions I have wrestled with as others - even people I respect - have sometimes admonished the church "stay away from politics"...
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The wickedness of God’s people provokes a response to His holiness: He must render swift and severe judgment on the nation. Just before He instructs His angels to carry this out, He tells them, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and make a mark on the foreheads of the people who groan and sigh over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst.” (Interestingly, the mark here is a Tau, the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which was in the shape of the cross).
Among God’s people who are called by His name are a remnant that mourn the vile practices pervading the land.
This passage jumped out at me recently, and I believe the Lord would have His people understand what it means to groan over the abominations in our land. There are numerous abominations in our own land here in the United States. But the detestable practice of abortion is a sin our nation bears that God will not continue to tolerate. We’re approaching the tipping point.
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“If what you thought to be true was not, would you want to know?”
A friend posted this question on social media and the responses were surprising. Instead of the universal “of course!” which I anticipated, several individuals replied “it depends” or “not necessarily.” Openly, several people admitted before their peers that, given a choice, they would rather believe some lies than have to change their minds.
“The truth shall set you free,” Christ said; yet how many would rather live in bondage than bear the personal responsibility that freedom brings?
This is a time of exposure, of paradigm shifts, of repentance, and of changing one’s mind. Yet a potential pitfall is that in swerving to avoid a trap, we don’t careen into a ditch on the other side.
Two specific concerns for the body of Christ in this time of shaking are that,
- We would not be divided by non-foundational issues, but would commit to give each other grace where there’s difference of opinion
- In our rejection of the prevalent lies we realize have propped up much of the culture, we would not embrace new lies simply because they’re novel and non-mainstream
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See also:
https://dissentfromdarwin.org/
https://emilytomko.com/the-classroom-pulpit-how-the-religion-of-humanism-undermined-a-generation/
The nature of many paradigm shifts are that they are freeing but force us from our comfort zones. More than that, when you start sincerely seeking the truth, you may anger the people you’d least expect.
The last 20 months, governments across the globe took unparalleled actions in the name of halting a virus. This has caused people to question many things they once took for granted. School board meetings that used to bring out four or five parents on a good night are now packed; one local meeting in my county lasted nearly six hours as parents waited to vocalize what had become all too apparent: many adults who were supposedly in the business of educating and nurturing children prioritized politics, money, and power high above the welfare of children. Science findings were repeatedly presented from peer-reviewed medical journals that did not back up the arbitrary decisions of those in power. Tone-deaf to the voice of parents and taxpayers in their district, some staff and board members were seen rolling their eyes in meetings where high school students tearfully testified of anxiety and depression caused by mandates that had no legal backing.
I remember a friend of mine, the young wife of a pastor, voicing to me her disbelief at how naive people – Christians especially – could be in supposing the government and the media had their best interest in mind. “Nobody loves you that much except Jesus!” she exclaimed.
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A paradigm shift is defined as a radical change in thinking from an accepted point of view to a new belief (Merriam-Webster). The phrase “paradigm shift” is somewhat contemporary and originates from the scientific use of models and patterns (paradigms), necessitating a “shift” when new discoveries produce anomalies – or deviations – in the current trend.
That the word “pattern” is foundational to the word paradigm brings Romans 12:2 to mind, in which the Apostle Paul exhorts us “do not be conformed to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your minds” (NIV).
Why are paradigm shifts so difficult? Here are three reasons....
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Imagine a wealthy relation leaves you an inheritance, the scope of which is beyond your wildest imagination. Between the wealth and property he’s bequeathed, you’ve become one of the richest people on the planet. Delivered of your own debts and worries, his will stipulates one thing: that you help individuals out of their destruction too, using his funds. You follow his instructions, and in doing so, find a delight in helping to liberate people who were also trapped. Tapping endlessly into this bank account never leaves it overdrawn.
But along the way, the postman delivers a gadget to your home. It has buttons and lights up. While it adds little value to your life other than amusing you, you find yourself drawn to it more and more. At times, you even find it leaves you irritable. But mesmerized, you can’t tear yourself away from this new toy.
The executor of the will follows up and asks how you’re enjoying having access to such a lavish inheritance to right so many wrongs for people. Sheepishly, you admit that you’ve been so distracted playing with a toy in your living room, you’ve not done much with the inheritance. The executor is silent in disbelief. How could anyone in their right mind waste both their life and this coveted inheritance by forfeiting their waking hours playing with a goofy toy?
Is this not a picture of what we do with Christ?
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Check out titles on Spiritual Warfare, Prophecy, and Faith that Overcomes the World
Recently I had a dream in which I was in a small house surrounded on three sides by water. I was talking with a couple (they were not known to me in real life, but casual acquaintances in my dream) about our broken food system. As I spoke about how the last year and a half has made me aware how vulnerable and centralized our food really is, I opened the door of the house to glimpse an enormous wave cresting. I watched as it moved past the house we were in and broke toward the coastline, just past my visibility. I knew there were people in the path of the wave, but could not see or hear their fate.
Then, I looked up and a second wave came into sight. It was much larger and higher than the first wave, and I had the thought that it was too enormous even for someone to dive through its base and survive. Again, the wave broke behind the house on the shore somewhere outside of my view; while I could not see its impact, I could hear shrieks and cries.
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Did you know that scripture speaks of five crowns available to the believer?
Paul talks in this passage about the crown of righteousness awarded to him and to all those that love his appearing. The Berean Study Bible uses the word “crave” in place of “love” in regards to Christ’s appearing.
Paul writes this to Timothy while in prison, the conditions unfavorable and uncomfortable (in the verses following he urgently requests that Timothy get to him before wintertime, and that he brings him his coat). The shadow of death is hovering over Paul, but he is looking ahead to the splendor of the next life and prophetically anticipates the reward safeguarded for him by Christ. Further, he reminds Timothy that this crown is available not only to Paul himself, but to every believer that is eagerly watching for the manifestation of Christ.
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The kingdom of heaven belongs to children, Christ said. Unless we become like children, He warned, we are going to miss it.
How exciting to realize that simple faith lights up the heart of our Lord, and that God rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). Elizabeth Barrett Browning rightly stated that “God’s gifts put man’s best dreams to shame.”
Three people who lived among scoffers There are scores of scriptural examples of individuals who became heroes through their faith in and devotion to Jehovah, shining like stars among their mainstream peers. Three come to mind especially...
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Living with Expectation in a land of scoffers
In the last days scoffers will come
How to avoid becoming a scoffer in these last days
The dangerous thing about scoffers and mockers is that they hang out in the church and call themselves pastors and teachers and prophets; some are bloggers and professors and Christian music artists.
Peter warns the church about mockers so that
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We recognize them
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We don’t hang out with them
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We don’t ourselves become scoffers, fools and ultimately deceived.
What group of individuals is an antithesis to scoffers?
Here are some hints:
But Jesus said, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matt. 19:14)
“Truly I tell you,” He said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 18:3)
“In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.” (1 Cor. 14:20)
What attributes of children make it easy for them to enter the kingdom of heaven?
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Have you ever had a conversation with someone about the times we are in, and the imminent return of Christ, only to hear them say something to the effect of, “Aw, they’ve been talking about the world coming to an end since I was a kid”?
It’s a shock when you realize that the scoffers are in the church...
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In Joshua 10:16-26 there is an account of five Amorite kings that fled as the children of Israel pursued the Amorite armies at Gilgal. The kings hid in a cave, and after the rest of their people were consumed by Israel, Joshua commanded the kings to be brought out of the cave. Joshua ordered his captains to put their feet on the necks of the five kings.
“And Joshua said unto them, ‘Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom ye fight’.” (Joshua 10:25).
This passage jumped out at me at the time. I sensed the five Amorite kings represented five evil governors in our republic, and that the Lord would hold them accountable as the people of God cried out for justice.
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In The Abolition of Man, C. S. Lewis foresaw a deadly marriage between moral subjectivity and technological advancement. In 1944, before the death camps of the National Socialists had been liberated, before the full horrors of communism surfaced on the world stage, Lewis looked into the future with uncanny clarity and predicted what we are witnessing today.
This week I attended a local school board meeting for the first time. The 90-minute segment of time when community members spoke was dominated by the discussion of the board’s 6-3 vote in favor of allowing freedom of choice in wearing masks for teachers and students, contingent on a parent survey that had had gone out. It occurred to me as I listened that...
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What happens when your best laid plans for God get waylaid? Prepare for Him to do beyond what you could ask or imagine!
Leaders of a network of churches attempted to find connections in Lancaster City, Pennsylvania, to hold an evangelistic outreach with Jonathan Conrathe and his team from the UK, just as we did two years ago in the nearby city of Harrisburg.
God supernaturally connected these leaders to other local pastors. As more ministries began hearing of the plans, they eagerly stepped forward to join in the details. One veteran city pastor remarked that he had never before worked with a group of bishops and pastors in which there was such a spirit of unity and love, and such an eagerness to serve one another across denominational and ethnic boundaries.
But six weeks ago, citing covid, our British evangelist friends were denied visas by the U.S. government.
As the pastors and leaders pondered what to do with this disappointing news, God said to them, “You were planning for an event but I, the Lord of the Church, have bigger plans. I am calling my people to work together as one body, one flock. Up until this point you’ve been separated into your individual domains. Now I am calling you to let me be Lord over the Church and I am calling you to let the boundaries serve me instead of you serving the boundaries. I am preparing a beautiful bride who will be able to welcome in the Harvest that I am bringing.”
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Sitting on the floor next to my bed, crying over the imminent and premature departure of a loved one from this life, I sensed the Lord saying to me, “Would you still maintain your belief in my willingness and ability to heal, if only because you knew it pleased Me?”
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Have you ever stopped to think of Liberty as an attribute of God’s nature, just like joy or gentleness, and a manifestation of His kingdom here on earth?
Consider these scriptures:
“Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Liberty” (2 Cor. 3:17).
“It is for freedom that Christ has set you free. Stand firm and be not encumbered again with a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).
“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” (Galatians 5:13).
“Whom the Son sets free is free indeed” (John 8:32).
“You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free” (John 8:36).
“He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners” (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:19).
“Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen: to break the chains of wickedness, to untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and tear off every yoke?” (Isaiah 58:6)...
In fact, the inscription on the Liberty Bell contains Leviticus 25:10 and reads, “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all inhabitants thereof.”
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I awoke in the middle of the night recently with a sense of the Lord wanting to speak with me. But each time I started to pray, my mind wandered. Finally I whispered to God, “Speak, Lord. I’m listening.”
Immediately I heard Him say, “I am coming quickly. Preach the gospel to everyone.”
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Blessings!
Did you ever consider that your willingness to say “yes” to whatever The Lord is asking of you right now might change the very course of history?
A woman asked me to pray for her teenage daughter who was facing a weighty decision. This teen felt God was calling her into missions following graduation. But the broad path of a four-year college was what her peers were choosing and what the culture expected. She was wavering.
As I sat down to worship at the piano and bring this situation before The Lord, a picture began to take shape in my mind. In vivid detail, I saw the hosts of heaven gathered, gazing at the earth, peering with such intensity, it was as though they were standing on tiptoe to see what choice this girl would make. The impression on me was that her decision would affect the cosmos itself.
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Did you ever hear a message so compelling that you had to listen to it a second time? That was my experience as I heard a doctor share her journey of physical healing as she was on her deathbed with all kinds of severe infirmities in her body, and how she was restored.
That doctor was Sina McCullough, and her degrees are in neurobiology, physiology, and nutrition science. What I found so fascinating about her story was how medicine is testifying of what God's word has told us for thousands of years: that life and death lie in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit, according to Proverbs 18:21.
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The world is greatly distressed in this hour; but it is only the calm before the storm.
I sense the Lord is giving a strong message to His church right now. The word is this: “Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins or contract any of her plagues (Rev. 18:4, Berean Study Bible).”
What exactly does that mean?
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John Dewey, author of the Humanist Manifesto (1933), along with his disciples, understood that a generation drifting further away from God’s standards of righteousness would be unfit for the liberty of self-government, and that the heavy yoke of socialism and the reduction of reason and intellect went hand in hand.
The world, the secular arena apart from Jesus Christ, is incapable of solving problems concerning the human condition. At best, all that the secular world can do is rearrange problems so that they look different. Are we the church moving in the supernatural, or are we simply engaged in the same humanist philosophy of a civic organization?
What is humanism? How is it presented in the Bible? Are you or your church operating in humanism?
What are some of the signposts scripture gives us as indicators of the Last Days? Recognizing the times that we are in, how do we prepare for what's ahead?
Are we living in the days of Revelation and of 2 Thessalonians 2? Are we seeing the great Falling Away (Apostasy) and also the rise of the Man of Lawlessness? How quickly the response to Covid seems to be ushering in events of the end times! In all of it, the Lord is jealous for His bride to emerge.
Is it possible to be in a worse state than that of someone who never met God? According to the Bible, yes.