A Pastor’s Thoughts and Prayer Entering Two New Years
Early in 1971, the pastor of the Idaho Falls Assembly of God
Church, Rev. Russell V. Umphenour, wrote a column that was published in the
Post Register.[1] It
began:
The
United States of America is the greatest nation upon the earth as far as I am
concerned. I am glad to be one of its citizens. There is a trend in America which is very
disturbing, however. Every honest
citizen of our land must become aware of the direction we are headed
spiritually, morally and economically.
If this sounds like a political speech – it isn’t. It is the voice of a concerned minister of
the gospel.
There
are seven deadly sins which are destroying our nation. These sins are personal and with their
accumulation are affecting the entire nation. They are as follows:
- politics
without principle;
- pleasure
without conscience;
- knowledge
without character;
- wealth
without work;
- business
without morality;
- science
without humanity; and
- worship
without sacrifice.
Our
nation needs to repent. This word “repent”
means to “turn around and go in the opposite direction.” The above mentioned sins must be repented
of. Instead of “politics without
principle” it must be “politics with principle”; and the same thing hold true
to all the other above mentioned situations.
It takes character to project an idea in politics which is not
politically expedient. We have become a nation which desires “things.” These things are for our pleasure and
comfort. Too often “pleasure and comfort” produce indolence; and an idle mind
becomes “the devil’s workshop”…
In the years immediately following 1971, we saw new prayer
groups form and meet in Idaho Falls. Also
in the 1970’s, the charismatic movement had an impact in Idaho Falls. Then in the 1990’s, many new churches were
planted in Idaho Falls, as many as in the previous three decades. National prayer and missions movements reached
Idaho Falls as we participated in Concerts of Prayer, Prayer Marches, the
National Day of Prayer, missions conferences that focused on the 10/40 window
and unreached people groups, and we saw the Lord send out many people from
Idaho Falls on short-term and long-term missions.
So where are we headed as we begin 2024? Several Idaho Falls churches have had or are
having a week or more of prayer this month. Iglesia Centro Evangelistico continues their 4
am prayer meetings, five days a week, in addition to their well-attended weekly
“House of Prayer” meetings. The weekly
prayer meeting at the IFRM Community Center is now in its 13th year.
What trends do you see in our culture
that have overflowed into the church and call for repentance and prayer?
In another column written by Rev. Umphenour, published on December
30 of 1966,[2] he
wrote:
…Our
nation, our state, our city, and our churches need people with great spiritual
resolve. During an era of diverse mental
attitudes relating to social and spiritual ideologies it is vitally important
that every Christian citizen hold tenaciously to the Divine moral principles so
lacking in our spiritually decadent society.
The individuals who advocate and practice the teaching of God’s Holy
Word are the truly great men of our nation.
Will the church, community and nation be a better place to live because
of our personal resolve for the year 1967?
A
good prayer for the start of the New Year is this: “Our Divine, loving and
merciful heavenly Father, we pause, at the beginning of another year, in Thy
hallowed presence. We humbly ask your
forgiveness for our past and present sins.
And realizing our human inadequacy to cope with all the events of this
year alone, we sincerely ask for Thy guidance; and then give us the wisdom and
humbleness of spirit to follow Thy infinite leadership. Develop in each one of
us greater spiritual character that our fellowman may know that we are your
children. Amen.”
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