I was talking to my daughter one day that used to team drive a long distance semi with her husband. I had heard the term tandem trucks before and asked her if there is such a truck and how did they work. She informed me that it is not the truck but the wheels that are in tandem.

I knew the term “tandem” meant working together, so that made perfect sense!

I had heard a teaching on Matthew 17:20-21 where the disciples had tried to cast a demon out of a young man. The last passage read, “This kind goes not out but by prayer and fasting”. The minister said Jesus was not referring to the demon in the person but the unbelief in the disciples. It is not as if Jesus’ Name is not strong enough to cast out demons and the disciples had to add fasting to the mix. The tandem was Jesus’ Name and FAITH.

God is a tandem God. He said “All things work together for good to them that love God…” (Romans 8:28).

I had started this article a few months ago, but never got back to it. Now we are coming into the Thanksgiving season, and I think this fits together very well. Thanksgiving is our first winter family holiday. I always think of the Norman Rockwell paintings of the family gathered around the big dining room table, and Grandma carrying the huge turkey in from the kitchen, while Grandpa stands ready to carve it. I think everyone gets the warm fuzzies from those scenes.

Just as wheels have to work in tandem to transport a trailer full of goods, the plans of God as well as the interrelationships of families, must also work together for the common good.

Never in our nation’s history has there been such an attack against our families and Christian values. It is obviously because we have left God. We have thrown Him out of our schools, our government, and sadly, many of our churches. God was the core of these institutions, and without our compass, we have lost our way.

The Rockwell families seem to be a thing of the past. So many American families are estranged from one another these days, even among the Christians. There will be a lot of empty chairs around the Thanksgiving tables this year. My daughter, who runs this website for me, recently wrote a great word of wisdom on this subject, which I will include here. It is a portion of a letter she had written to a family member who had wounded her.

“We are running out of time. We are family and it doesn’t matter who has done what to whom, we are still family. I will never get an apology from those who have caused me such pain, and you probably won’t either. However, it does not negate the fact we are still blood. God has placed us in this particular family dynamic and is our first mission field before reaching out to the world. Just like the Word says, a pastor must first be able to lead his own family before he can lead his church members…our ministry begins at home within the family the Lord has chosen for us. Nowhere does the Scripture indicate that it is acceptable to erase our family when they have offended us.

I am not going to lecture you on forgiveness. God will have to deal with your heart on that. However, just because you have found a pastor that will agree with what you want, does not necessarily make it God’s will.

If you decide to write me off, then that is up to you. Just know that I love you and forgive you for the hurts you have caused me…I have already asked you to forgive me for any way I have hurt you. I hope we can resolve our issues before it is too late. You have hardened your heart against most of our family and cut us off. Your objections to that observation cannot hold up when weighed against the actions you have taken to erase us from your life. Please reconsider your position. Time is running out”.

It is hard to believe such bitterness is alive in the hearts of God’s own people. It is hard to imagine how divorce has ravaged the church within these last 2 generations. There was a time not that long ago when you could pick out the Christian families in the neighborhood. We are truly living in the Last Days, “when the love of many has waxed cold” (Matthew 24:12). Pastors have GOT to return to God’s Word and preach the truth, and quit turning our churches into social clubs. Jesus is coming soon to gather His remnant Bride. We do not know how much time we have.

During this Holiday season when you sit around your sumptuous table surrounded by family and friends, pray for the Body of Christ to seek Him with a greater intensity than ever before. We are losing our religious freedoms and we must work while there is still light. That work begins within our own hearts and motives, and how WE line up with God’s instructions concerning love, forgiveness and longsuffering. Our lives must bear the fruit of the Spirit if we call ourselves Christ-like Christians. Our harvest fields begin within our own families, as Jesus said in Acts 1:8.

I’ve received 2 emails this month concerning this subject, so I feel there are many people going through a family crisis. The second one is posted on the Friends Page.

“Father, we thank you for our families, our freedoms and our relationship with you because of the sacrifice your Son Jesus the Christ was willing to make on our behalf. Help us all to repent of our sins and backslidings, let go of the past, and press toward that high calling of God; and please help us to keep our eyes on the skies in anticipation of your long awaited return…amen”.

God Bless You All and Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Pastor Moser

November, 2009

W.O.W.

Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! (Psalm 133:1)