Matthew 16 1 3 And the Pharisees and

Matthew 16: 1 -3 And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red. ’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening. ’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. ”

One goal of this course is to impart vision – Spiritual Vision

God has a strategy for dealing with his enemy. WE are part of the strategy .

We live in extraordinary times The world’s population has increased tremendously The expansion of knowledge Communications Maximum speed of human travel: The goods explosion The threat of nuclear holocaus AIDS is today the “new leprosy” Many forces threaten and attack traditional family values

Taking a Spiritual Perspective

Take a spiritual view of these trends. What does it say about the work of God, and the work of “the enemy”? Change is unprecedented

a spiritual upheaval in the world today: The rise (and fall) of communism The revival of militant, “fundamentalist” Islam Western Christendom is no longer Christian.

At the same time, the Holy Spirit has been poured out in our age, in a way unmatched since the early Church.

“Poured out” – like water, abundantly flowing, generously given. One Christian leader has estimated that more than 100 million people today have been prayed with to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. Is 44: 3, For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your descendants, and my blessings on your offspring. Joel 2: 28 -29, And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even upon the menservants and maidservants in those days, I will pour out my spirit.

This is an age of unprecedented evangelization, and also of unprecedented suffering and martyrdom. As St. Paul said, “Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. ” (Romans 5: 20)

Conclusion In our world today there are unprecedented expressions of evil, ways of doing evil. There is great suffering, and threat to human life. At the same time, there is unprecedented work of the Lord. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3: 22 -23).

Let us avail of the mercy, love, and forgiveness that God wants to give us, and let us help others avail of that mercy and forgiveness.