In this video, Rich Carey presents his thoughts on the Ecclesia and the history and problems with Dispensationalism.  This message was delivered at the 2012 Convening of the International Apostolic Ministries in Dover, FL on Feb. 22, 2012.

This is the BEST documentary on the planned takeover of America from within that I have ever seen.  This is a MUST SEE for every American who values family, faith, liberty and freedom.  It reveals the structured, long-term plans of the radical socialists over the past several decades and see just how close we are to the point of no return.

I implore you - please take the time to watch this with your family THIS WEEK (it's only online for free for a limited time).  Share it with as many people as you can.  Let's come together and take our nation back before it's too late.

This is a full-length (90 minute) documentary.

AGENDA: Grinding America Down (Full Movie) FREE to watch for a limited time. from Copybook Heading Productions LLC on Vimeo.

(text below from USHistory.org)

In the winter of 1776, General George Washington and his ragged army had experienced only defeat and despair. The War for Independence was going badly, with failure following failure. In the preceding months, Washington's campaign in New York had not gone well; the Battle of Long Island ended in a loss when the British troops managed to out-maneuver the Continental Army. A series of defeats settled around Washington as he was forced to retreat across New Jersey to Pennsylvania on December 7th and 8th.

As the harsh Pennsylvania winter set in, the morale of the American troops was at an all time low. The soldiers were forced to deal with a lack of both food and warm clothing , while Washington watched his army shrink due to desertions and expiring enlistments. Now, more than ever, a victory was desperately needed.

The original plan called for the three divisions to cross the river under the cover of darkness. The boats to be used for the crossing were gathered earlier in the month in compliance with General Washington's orders, primarily as a defensive measure. Various types of boats were collected; most notable were the large, heavy Durham boats used to carry pig iron down the Delaware.

Fully expecting to be supported by two divisions south of Trenton, Washington assembled his own troops near McConkey's Ferry in preparation for the crossing. By 6 PM. 2,400 troops had begun crossing the ice-choked river. The operation was slow and difficult due to the condition of the river. There was an abrupt change in the weather forcing the men to fight their way through sleet and a blinding snowstorm. These obstacles proved to be too much for the supporting divisions led by Generals Cadwalader and Ewing, ultimately preventing their crossing at southern points along the Delaware.

Against all odds, Washington and his men successfully completed the crossing and marched into Trenton on the morning of December 26, achieving a resounding victory over the Hessians.

By moving ahead with his bold and daring plan, General George Washington re-ignited the cause of freedom and gave new life to the American Revolution.

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May we carry in our hearts the Spirit of 1776 and know that our cause is worthy and just. And with the Lord's help and blessing, we shall see a Second American Revolution (this time without bloodshed) and a return to righteousness in the land.

Onward and upward,
Rich

This video is an excellent overview of the history and development of the Rapture theology in America and the effect it has had on our culture.  Highly recommended viewing.  Please leave your (respectful) comments below.

This is an excellent series by PBS on the history and failures of socialism. It's up on YouTube in segments, but I wanted to make it more convenient to watch in the original full 1 hour segments. I'm assuming that since it's all over YouTube that PBS has no objections to it being online. If they do and contact me, I'll pull this down. In the meantime, please watch this series when you have some time, and thanks to PBS!

Here's a link to their page on this series, which includes some teaching resources.

Hour 1 - The Rise

It was one of the most powerful political ideas in history, a new faith for a skeptical age. It promised a world of harmony and abundance - if only property were shared by all and distributed equally. The idea was called "socialism," and it spread farther and faster than any religion in history. Then, in almost the blink of an eye, it all collapsed.

What happened? In this series, we trace the rise and fall of an idea that changed the world - an idea that promised a heaven right here on earth.

Hour 2 - Revolutions

When Vladimir Lenin seized power in Russia in 1917, he created the world's first socialist state. But other socialists said that Lenin's dictatorship wasn't true socialism at all. Over the next sixty years, people who called themselves socialists-often disagreeing violently with each other-would rise to power in scores of countries all over the globe … until they ruled more than 60 percent of humanity.

Hour 3 - The Collapse

By the late 1970s roughly sixty percent of the world's population found itself under socialist governments of one kind or another. Communists ruled China, Russia, Eastern Europe and much of Asia. Third World socialist governments controlled thirty nations in the Middle East and Africa. Social Democratic parties held majorities in much of Western Europe. Even with all its problems, socialism was still in power. Then, unexpectedly, the pendulum began to swing.

Here are the download links for the slides for the series "Taking A Stand For Kingdom Culture".  You have my permission as a Lionheart Tribe member to use them in your teaching sessions however you see fit.  Feel free to leave out any lame jokes I may have referenced

Slides with notes For Taking A Stand For Kingdom Culture Part 1 

Slides with notes For Taking A Stand For Kingdom Culture Part 2

Part 1 - Defining The Battleground

In this segment, Rich provides an overview of the struggle for control of culture, then moves in closer for a practical application.

This is a high resolution video slideshow presentation.  You can click on the full screen button in the player to enjoy a larger version of the presentation.

Part 2 - Pulling Down Strongholds

In this segment, Rich addresses the strongholds of Dispensationalism, Pre-Trib Escapism and End-Times Mentality in the Church.

This is a high resolution video slideshow presentation.  You can click on the full screen button in the player to enjoy a larger version of the presentation.

ENJOY THIS?  The slides and study notes for this presentation are available to members of our Lionheart Tribe.  Please consider becoming a member and supporting our efforts to bring transformation to the world.

Words are powerful.  Wars are waged and entire nations are conquered by the power of words.  It’s important that we understand that the pen truly is “mightier than the sword”.

We find ourselves in the midst of a culture war. One of the most critical elements of success in any military campaign is communication.  If you can confuse or hinder the channels of communication of your opponent, you can gain an advantage that can ultimately lead to your victory.  The enemy of our souls understands this and continually seeks to bring confusion into our communication at every opportunity.

Language is the means by which we communicate.  Every culture has it’s own language which allows the people within that culture to work cooperatively in order to accomplish mutual objectives.  Without a common language, cooperation is extremely limited and fruitful enterprise is drastically hindered.  While animals possess inherent instinct, humans must rely solely upon language as the only means by which knowledge and survival skills are passed from one generation to the next.

Language is also fundamental to the way we interpret reality. We think in pictures, and words create images in our minds based on our understanding and interpretation of their meaning.  Words have the power to transform our worldview and to chart the very course of our lives. Culture is actually a product of language.

Culture is actually a product of language.

We all interpret the world through our unique understanding of it (worldview).  Each new generation has a number of revolutionaries who possess a desire to correct the mistakes and right the wrongs of previous generations.  This is commendable and even necessary, yet however zealous they may be to change the world, young people also lack a measure of wisdom that can only come from experience.  Thus, the enemy works to bring division between the older and younger generations, yet maintaining trans-generational communication is vital for the health and advancement of any society.

One of the challenges we face in this regard is evolution of language.  Younger generations are prone to modify language and make it their own by changing the meanings of existing words or creating new ones.  In time, street slang and cultural buzzwords find their way into the mainstream of each new generation.  It’s easy for those in the older generation to tune out the younger and not actively seek to listen to and understand what they are saying.  However, if we don’t bridge the language gap with the younger generation, we become increasingly irrelevant because we become isolated from the changing culture around us.

If you’re over 40, it’s not difficult to think of words that have drastically changed in meaning during your lifetime.  When I was a teenager growing up in Idaho during the 70s, “gay” was someone who was happy, “spam” was a breakfast food, and “thongs” were something you wore on your feet.  (Today if I told my kids I was running off to the store to buy myself some new thongs, I’m sure it would generate an amusing response!)  Of course we had our own version of the language as well, redefining words and coining new terms like “cool”, “groovy”, “head”, “roach”, and other “far out” phrases.  Today I try to restrain myself from using the term “groovy” in the presence of young people because they make fun of me, and that kind of “harshes my mellow”, if you know what I mean.

Whoever controls the language controls the culture

Another challenge is that language is subject to manipulation. It is a historical fact that if you can change the language of a culture, you can steer it in the direction you want it to go.  Simply stated, “Whoever controls the language controls the culture”, and “whoever frames the debate wins the argument.”  For the past several decades it seems that the Ecclesia has largely been ignorant of this fact while the forces of darkness have effectively used this strategy against us.

Take the word “justice” for example. “Justice” carries the idea of fairness and people getting what they deserve.  According to scripture, justice is one of the foundational principles of the Kingdom of God on the earth (Isa. 9:6-7).  Thus the concept of justice should be near and dear to the heart of anyone who claims to know and love God.  America’s Founding Fathers had this in mind when they penned the Constitution and included the words “all men are created equal”, and further believed that all men have inherent, God-given rights of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”, or equality of opportunity.

In reality, there is only justice or injustice.  If something is not just, then it is unjust.  But how do we define “justice”?  The term “social justice” has been used in the previous century to describe the righting of such wrongs as unfair wage practices, child labor, abhorrent prison conditions, inequality of race and gender, etc. – issues that most reasonable human beings should be able to agree with.  This gave birth to the labor union movement and much needed reforms took place.

But today, “social justice” is being re-defined far beyond the recognition of equal opportunity. Several decades ago, the progressive movement seized upon this phrase as a tool for social transformation and wealth redistribution. The "Social Justice Movement" now openly embraces socialism as a means of redressing the alleged evils of capitalism and producing a forced equality, which it freely acknowledges will be purchased at the price of individual liberty.  If you disagree with their campaign of “social justice”, you will be demonized as one who is selfish, unjust and unfair, despite the fact that forced redistribution of wealth is the diametric opposite of “justice” and is thus “injustice”.

We call this manipulation of language for social transformation “propaganda”.  Garth Jowett and Victoria O'Donnell have provided a concise, workable definition of the term: "Propaganda is the deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist."  Because this was widely used by Hitler to promote Nazism and Socialism, the term has inherited a negative connotation, but in reality it is used by the social engineers of today on both sides of the struggle.  Let’s be honest - when “they” do it, it’s propaganda, but when “we” do it, it’s called information and education.

The tragedy is that most Evangelical Charismatic Christians have allowed their dispensational escapist theology to sideline them in the battle for culture.

This is the reason the enemy has wisely sought and won control over the cultural mountains of media, education and government.  Whoever controls these institutions and instruments of knowledge has the capacity to mold and shape people’s perception of reality and direct culture.  This is accomplished by associating new meanings to existing words or crafting and propagating new phrases that carry the definitions they desire to inject into the minds of the masses.

The tragedy is that most Evangelical/Charismatic Christians have allowed their dispensational/escapist theology to sideline them in the battle for culture.  Rather than seeking to bring transformation to the world, they have retreated into their own culture and developed a new language of their own.  There is an entire phrase book that is common to the average churchgoer, but completely foreign to the un-churched.  As precious as these words may be to us, when we toss out terms like “saved”, “sanctified”, “born again”, “washed by the blood”, etc. in the presence of unbelievers, they not only do not understand us, they marginalize us, causing us to be irrelevant in their lives and thus ineffective in our mission.

It’s time for the Ecclesia to begin walking in wisdom in regards to our language – choosing our words carefully and appropriately for our audience.  We need to educate ourselves on the language of the culture around us and stop isolating ourselves from the world Jesus has called us to transform.  We must also learn to strategically employ the power of language to frame the debate, re-define the terms of the battle, and bring reformation to Religion Mountain and transformation to the culture around us by invading it with the liberating truth of the Kingdom of God.

In this edition of StrateGEMS, Rich challenges the popular Christian belief that God is in control of what happens in our lives.

I’m not sure why you tune into these little broadcasts, but I’m hoping it’s because you realize that there may be something in your belief system that needs to be challenged and corrected.  This is true for all of us, whether we acknowledge it or not.  At any rate, today I want to talk about something that many Christians believe to be true that I think needs some adjustment.

Whenever bad things happen in our lives, many of us are prone to say “well, I just know that God is in control!”.  This is certainly an acknowledgement of our faith and trust in a loving God who is watching over us.  However, the idea that God is in control goes way beyond this.  To say that God is in control is also to imply that God is ultimately behind whatever happens in our lives.  Some of you may take issue with that statement, but deep down in your belief system is the idea that God is up there directing all the affairs of your life and you find comfort in this during those difficult times.

However, there are several problems with this idea, starting with the fact that the Bible doesn’t teach that God is in control of what happens on Earth.  Yes, He is sovereign, all-powerful and all knowing.  But that doesn’t mean He is orchestrating what happens on planet Earth from His control room in Heaven like some sort of divine puppet-master.

One of the greatest truths that we can bring to someone’s understanding about God is that He is love.  This is clearly taught in scripture, and Jesus called it the greatest commandment – to love God and love one another.  Love is the hallmark of one who believes in Jesus.

But when tragedy strikes – someone close to us suddenly dies in a tragic accident, or when a massive earthquake buries thousands of people alive, the idea that God is in control becomes a problem. How could a loving God be so cruel?  This is a primary argument that atheists use to disparage Christianity. They know it is intellectually dishonest to claim on one hand that God is love and on the other that He is in control.

Rather than saying God is in control, I suggest it is better to say that He is in charge.  He does not control everything that happens in our lives, but He can intervene supernaturally.  This is the reason why we pray.  We are asking God to exercise His sovereign power and intervene in our situation.  We are not asking Him to change his mind – we are calling on Him to help us in our time of need.  That is a very significant difference, don’t you agree?

This idea that God is in control is also very destructive to the advance of the Kingdom of God because believers use it as an excuse for lack of involvement.  Because their worldview says God is controlling everything, they take no personal responsibility for the fulfillment of the Great Commission.  At a subconscious level, they believe that God is going to do the work, and their job is simply to go along for the ride.  They misinterpret Jesus’ statement of “I do only what I see my Father doing” to mean “I just need to wait until I see God doing something before I get involved.”

Worse yet, they believe it is useless to fight against a rising tide of evil in society because

they consciously or unconsciously believe it is all part of God’s end-time plan and they don’t want to be out of His will.  How crazy is that kind of thinking?  Yet there is someone not far from you who actually believes this because their worldview says that God is in control.

So remember - God is NOT in control, but He is in charge!  Thanks for joining us, and we hope you’ll tune in next time right here on StrateGEMS!

In this edition of StrateGEMS, Rich contrasts religious behavior modification, the breakdown of morality and the abundant life found in Christ.

John 10:10 (Message Bible) – “A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.”

There is a big difference between religion and the Kingdom of God.  By and large, religion is nothing more than man’s feeble attempt to connect with God through a prescribed set of rules and ordinances.  The basic premise is that God is Holy and good, but man’s behavior is bad.  Man must therefore change his behavior if he is to gain access to God.  Religion becomes a means of controlling bad behavior, or at least behavior that is deemed to be bad by those who write the rules.

There are a couple of problems with this idea.  First is the notion that man is willing to have his behavior controlled in order to appease God.  It seems like it’s easier and much more fun to merely deny that God exists and keep on living my life as I please.  Second, we see that man is pretty creative when it comes to making up rules for other people to follow, but not so good at following them himself.  All we have to do is look at Washington DC as exhibit A.

Yet, it is true that man has a behavior problem.  We are naturally prone to do things that hurt others and ourselves.  In the heat of anger or passion, I’d guess that most all of us have the capacity to destroy a life.

So, we are left with a problem.  For any society to be healthy, bad behavior must be controlled, and this is why we have laws.  However, the question is, who decides what is lawful and unlawful?  Whose sets the standards of right and wrong?  Are these decisions based on popular opinion or are there moral absolutes?

Not many years ago in this country, we had a commonly accepted standard of morality.  Marriage was defined as one man and one woman who pledged to be faithful to one another. It was wrong for one person to take another person’s stuff.  Your word was your bond, and when you made a promise to someone, you kept it because lying and cheating were universally frowned upon.  This is the code of moral conduct that we find in the Bible.

Today there is a move in the court system to re-define marriage to include two people of the same sex.  Over the past couple of years, financial institutions have robbed people of billions of dollars, but nobody is going to jail.  Lying and cheating happen every single day at the highest levels of government because apparently it’s just part of what it takes to get elected and stay in power so they can continue to advance their personal agendas.

Truth is, everybody wants to be happy and enjoy a life filled with peace and joy, and this is what God wants for our lives as well. Since He created us, he knows what brings us the most joy.  And He blessed us with His Word, which is filled with wisdom on how to live a joy-filled life.

God’s standards of morality were not given to us for any other reason but to bring life to a world that is overflowing with death and corruption.  Prov. 19:7 says, “The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul.”  This isn’t speaking about some kind of dead religious activity.  It’s about honoring one another, not living selfishly, but looking out for one another.  It’s about loving God and loving others in the same way we want and need to be loved.

We hope you’ll join us again next time, right here on StrateGEMS.