2012….The End?

As we inch further into the year 2012 we hear more rumblings of looming disaster that awaits. Many fear an apocalyptic scenario on or before December 21, 2012 because the ancient Mayan calendar ends on that day. There have been countless documentaries and interviews with those who truly believe the end of the world is at hand. The ancient Mayans were well advanced in astrology and science long before other civilizations, however I can assure anyone reading this that the world will never end! What’s my source of information? The Bible!

Ecclesiastes 1:4
⁴ Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever

Psalm 104: 5
He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved.

Although this world will never be destroyed, it will indeed undergo massive renovations by Almighty God (Revelation 20:1). Translated properly, when we read phrases like “end of days” or “end of the world”, it means “end of the age.” The church age will one day end, and King Jesus will descend from Heaven at the end of the Tribulation hour and will literally reign upon this earth for 1000 years. This will begin the age of perfect peace in the Millennium. So yes, the world will cease to exist as we know it, but it will never cease to exist.

Many so-called experts have come up with many scenarios that may happen, or could happen in the near future. Asteroids could hit the earth virtually wiping us out completely. Another planet could collide with earth. Solar storms may disrupt the entire earth. Nuclear war. The list goes on and on. Although many of these things can and one day will happen to a certain degree, those who believe and are eagerly looking for the appearing of Christ will not be here to witness the worst of it. Although we’ll see these things begin to happen (Luke 21:28, Luke 21:36), He will rescue those who are looking for His return from these frightening scenarios (Rev 3:10, Rev 4:1, I Thess. 4:15-17, I Thess. 1:10).

Jesus likened the last days to a thief robbing a homeowner. Jesus commands us to continually watch so we’re not walking blind during these days we now live.

Matthew 24: 42-43
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.”

What is Jesus saying? He’s saying to keep watch, be ready, and NOT to be taken by surprise. He’s telling us to read and understand scripture and how it relates to our culture today so that we walk in confidence, not fear. The Apostle Paul echoed the teaching of Jesus in his letter to new Believers in Thessalonica.

I Thessalonians 5:4
“But you, brothers, are not in the darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.”

So, were the Mayans right? Well we know that no man knows the day or hour, not even Jesus (Matthew 24:36). However, we also know for sure that we’ll know when His return is “right at the door” (Matthew 24:33). I do believe scripture has pointed us to the season we’re in. Based upon scripture we can know for certain that it’s NOT December 21, 2012. However, “right at the door” could be next month or next year. What if it’s today? Are you ready?

Journey On,

Shane Bowers

Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas?

This month we’ll celebrate the most significant landmark event since the fall of Adam and Eve. Sin committed in the Garden of Eden brought about the curse (Genesis 3: 17-19) and separation from God. The central theme of the Old Testament was the blessed hope in the coming Redeemer that would atone for the sin of mankind. The Torah, or the first five books of the Bible, laid out many customs, rituals, and laws for those that chose to serve Yahweh (YHWH). In that law there were very specific instructions regarding the sacrificing of animals as covering for sins. This covering was temporary and only served as a prelude to the complete and perfect sacrifice of Jesus. Hebrews 9:22 declares; “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” Someone had to pay the ultimate price for our sin. Since no one was, or is, worthy for such a task, God chose to do it himself.

One of the most amazing things about the Bible is its ability to foretell the future. Old Testament scripture gave many very specific details of the coming Messiah. I’ve read different commentaries and studies by statisticians that say the odds of any one man fulfilling all of the prophecies written is 1 in a number that’s not even comprehensible. Perhaps the most amazing truths foretold about the coming Messiah was the virgin birth as described in Isaiah 7:14. Further, he was to be born in a small, seemingly insignificant town called Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).

God chose to come to us through a young Jewish woman named Mary. Scholars estimate that she was likely 14-15 years of age. Imagine that; the Savior of the world placed such a formidable task to a teenager. She was not perfect but she loved God with all of her heart. (As a side note, let this serve as notice that age is simply irrelevant when it comes to God. He can use anyone; young or old!)

We can’t overlook Joseph. Here’s an upstanding servant of God as well that was faced with a tough decision. He was pledged to be married to Mary but found out that she was pregnant. That would be tough news for anyone. In that culture, rejecting her as his wife would have all but ruined her. Her family would have disowned her and she quite possibly may have even faced death for having a child out of wedlock. As much as Joseph wanted to believe, at first it was tough to hear the excuse of, “God’s the father of my child” (paraphrased of course)! We’re told that he even contemplated leaving her quietly (Matthew 1: 19). After an angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph in a dream, he stayed, took Mary as his wife, and this carpenter became the earthly father of Jesus.

Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth, in Galilee. However Caesar issued a decree to have a census taken. That forced them to return to Bethlehem in Judea since Joseph was from the line of David. While on their visit to Joseph’s hometown, Jesus was born in Bethlehem thus fulfilling a prophecies of Isaiah 11:1 and Micah 5:2. This was the beginning of the greatest love story ever told when God himself came down from Heaven as the sacrificial Lamb of God.

That brings us to this season of Christmas. Jesus most likely was not actually born on December 25th, but this is the day appointed to celebrate this amazing event. I truly love this season when kept in its proper context. I love the music. I love the lights. I love the trees. People seem nicer, unless it’s Black Friday. I love spending time with family. I love many of the fond memories of Christmases of days gone by, in particular, those when my grandparents were still around. But most of all, I love it when we all remember why we celebrate it.

There’s a changing of the tide in our culture. Many simply want us to forget the true reason for the season. Many want us to believe it’s about a man in a red suit or about how much stuff we can accumulate. The television airwaves seldom even say Merry Christmas anymore because the word “Christ” is right in the middle. How sad is it that media won’t even say Merry Christmas anymore? Instead, most have opted for the politically correct “Happy Holidays.” As for Julian Drive, my family, and certainly me, it will always be “Merry Christmas!” So from all of us, we wish you and your family the Merriest of Christmases yet!

Shane Bowers

When You Feel Like Giving Up…..

Hey gang! We are out on the road again this week. This morning we are in Mississippi (I still sing the M I crooked letter, crooked letter I song when I spell that state). We stayed over with some great friends that we have met in the past few years. Logan Collins and his family have been great supporters of us and just all around great people to hang with and they really just feel like extended family so anytime we are near we plan on staying with them. They came to see us play recently and help with the loading process, which we always appreciate. After the show we sat down to eat and Logan joined us as well as the youth pastor of the church. We began to chat a little and share about stories of times that events had been planned and how the turn out wasn’t what we had hoped for and how it often times has left us discouraged. One event had happened recently to the youth pastor of the church in which we had just performed. They shared about the event and how only 7 of the youth showed up from their church. They went on to say that the kids had wanted this event to happen and even begged to get it planned but when it came time to have it, they chose another, how do we say, less spiritually effective event to attend. The youth pastor was almost in tears sharing this story. They felt like they were let down. Maybe even a little disrespected.

As ministers we all have times like these. Logan has often times shared of times of discouragement in his own ministry with me. I’ve shared times like that in my ministry with him. It happens all the time. I wish there was some magic formula to make people get it, but there’s not. We are not perfect and will always let each other down. We’re human! In the 2 years I have been with Julian Drive, we have gone through times of feeling disrespect, anger, disappointment, discouragement, you name it we’ve had it. It seems like it’s a continuous cycle that repeats itself constantly. Sometimes you even question if it’s worth it to keep doing ministry. It’s a scary place to be. Believe me I know!

Not that we are there now but I believe Julian Drive is in a season. It’s been tough over the last year. There have been ups and downs but God always is there ready to encourage us to keep going. I was reading this morning, with all these thoughts of the past year on my mind. Listen to what I believe God was telling me in 1 Cor. 4: 1,17-18:

Since God in His mercy has given us this ministry, we never give up.… For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

For those of you in ministry I hope this has been some encouragement for you! Keep going and reaching people for Christ!

The Jordan Stones

Well it’s starting to warm up here in Georgia. I’m gonna miss the winter. I know most people look forward to spring and summer, but I’m a winter lover. I love the cool temps but do love the things that come along with spring and summer. As I look back at the winter time and look forward to the summer, I’m reminded to always think of what God has done and look forward to what He is doing so that I have strength for today. Or better phrased, a record of God’s faithfulness in the past combines with hope in a better future for one end: to equip us for the present.

I once wrote a paper for college called “The Jordan Stones.” The paper was based on the times that God told the children of Israel to build piles of stones in places that God did things so that future generations would see the stones and ask what they were for then prompting the adults to remember and tell the stories of how God moved in big ways for them. This year has already received some “Jordan Stones” in my book. Many of you that come to our shows have heard about us being in Haiti when the earthquake hit in January. You’ve heard Shane and Shaun share of the things God did and there were so many. It was truly an amazing time! One that sticks out to me was told to me later on after the trip. Our Holt rep., Chris, was just mentioning in passing that every time she had been to Haiti on a Trip with missions organizations and brought artist that they had stayed in Hotel Montana in Port-au-Prince. This was the first time that she came and we stayed in another hotel!! Incredible! I’m reminded once again that God is in control and it still brings tears to my eyes to think of how God was watching out for us because that hotel was completely destroyed. Many Americans lost their lives in that hotel. My parents often times would share with me the time I was a baby and how I managed to get the baby gate open that blocked the stairs going to our basement. I then went down about 15 stairs in my walker with no side railings only to be found by my mom completely unharmed and upright in my walker on the basement floor.

I share these things with you only to encourage you. God is and incredible loving Father that has great plans for us. When external circumstances press in, family strife, job pressures, financial worries, global concerns, think back to how God has been faithful to you. Remember the “Jordan Stones” in your life to gain hope for the future and strength for the present. Paul became frustrated with the people of Corinth in Acts 17 and had to be reminded by God that He was at work there even though Paul did see it in the present. God is always at work around us we just have to open our eyes to see sometimes. I hope that you can view all the distractions of your day from the perspective of eternity. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever!! TRUST HIM!