What About John?
November 21, 2024
00:01:00
The Hamilton Minute is a power packed 60 seconds where we tackle the issues of the day through the lens of God’s Word. You don’t want to miss a moment of it.
Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?”
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
At the climax of the account when Jesus restored Peter’s personal relationship with him, and Peter’s call to ministry, He saw John following them.
Jesus had just predicted that Peter would give his life for the Gospel, when Peter said, “What about John, LORD?”
Jesus responded, “What does he have to do with your calling? You follow me.”
With those words, Jesus hit a consistent flaw of the human condition. We derive value and self-worth by comparing ourselves to other people.
Your ups, your downs, your failures, your victories were never meant to be compared to other people.
We have been called to serve an audience of One. The only approval you need is His.
"So Aaron took it as Moses said and ran into the midst of the assembly. And behold, the plague had already begun among the people. And he put on the incense and made atonement for the people. And he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped" Numbers 16:47-48 (ESV).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Often, when the concept of intercession is raised, we normally think about prayer and we should. Prayer is one form of intercession.
Here, we see another – living intercession.
At the climax of a plague, Aaron runs into the fray, armed with incense, and where he stands, the plague stops. Aaron literally stands between the living and the dead.
May God move us to be living intercessors for our day, and where we take our stand in Christ, the plague stops!
You shall have no other gods before me.
My name is Abraham Hamilton III, and this is the Hamilton Minute.
In 1954 Americans lived under constant threat of nuclear attack from the USSR.
When American children practiced duck and cover in classrooms across the country, President Eisenhower realized that our pledge had no distinction from any other republic.
After hearing a sermon on February 7th of that year, President Eisenhower signed a law adding the words “under God” to our pledge.
The president recognized the true source of unity, of indivisibility is unwavering submission to the God of the bible.
As we go about our day, let us all remember the only true source of national unity is submission to almighty God.
"Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds” Matthew 14:22.
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Here Jesus instructed His disciples to cross a lake and meet Him on the other side of it. As they went, they were met by a violent wind storm that halted their progress.
Often in our Christian lives we receive clear instruction from the LORD, only to be met by an obstacle that halts our progress. We must, however, recognize that the onset of a storm does not cancel out God’s instructions.
Halted progress does not equal denied destination.
When Jesus directed the disciples to go to the other side, He absolutely meant for them to get there.
Delay does not equal denial.
"Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."
My name is Abraham Hamilton III and this is the Hamilton Minute.
Statistics show that children who grow up without a father are 5 times more likely to live in poverty and commit crime. They’re 9 times more likely to drop out of school and 20 times more likely to end up in prison. Yet the percentage of children born to fatherless homes has skyrocketed in America. As of 2015, 25 percent of white, 53 percent of Hispanic and 73 percent of black babies are born into fatherless homes.
While Scripture teaches that the weight of raising children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord falls upon fathers, seems like we need a movement that says fatherhood matters.
"Then David said to Saul, 'I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.' So David put them off." 1 Samuel 17:39.
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Corner.
As David prepared to face Goliath, Saul tried to outfit David with Saul’s personal armor. But David didn’t have Saul’s armor when he faced the lion or the bear, and David realized he did not need the armor to slay Goliath.
Today, many Christians yield to the temptation to be hipper, cooler, and even a little fuzzy on the clear teachings of Scripture in order to face the Goliaths of our day. But Jesus said, “If I be lifted up, I will draw all men" John 12:32.
We don’t need a cool light show to be an ambassador for Christ. All we need is to offer what we have freely received.
We know the transforming power of Christ because He has transformed us.
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
What are gates? They are defensive tools used to keep stuff out, to keep an advancing force at bay.
Too often the enemy is successful in putting Christians on defense, when the facts are the Lord established His church as an aggressive, offensive, territory-taking body.
The Lord never meant for us to sit on the sidelines of life or to cower in the corner as a result of the wickedness in our culture.
A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. The light of the world cannot be contained.
The Lord is building His church and the mamby-pamby gates of Hell shall not prevail against us.
Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scoffers.
My name is Abraham Hamilton III, and this is the Hamilton Minute.
One word has proven to be debilitating in our society: the D-word. Discrimination.
What we fail to realize is discrimination is not automatically a dirty concept. We discriminate against thieves and murderers when we send them to prison. We discriminated against sexual predators by keeping them away from children. And yes, we rightly discriminated against men when we keep them out of women’s restrooms.
According to Psalm 1, we have to discriminate against the counsel of the wicked in order to be blessed. Good thing God isn’t debilitated by the D-word.
“Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain.” Exodus 18:21(a) (KJV).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Lots of attention has been placed on the presidential election understandably. But another election could have an outsized impact on our nation’s course. With Senator Mitch McConnell stepping down, Senate Republicans will choose a new leader for the fist time in 18 years.
This decision with determine how the Senate will conduct business going forward.
What will the Senate Republicans choose? Will they choose a leader who embraces an America First agenda, who upholds constitutional fidelity, and employs a biblical worldview? Or, will they choose a regressive leader?
“Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” Colossians 3:5 (KJV).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
The Barna Group has released a report that found pornography use is prevalent among Christians and non-Christians. In fact, the study showed that 75% of Christian men and 40% of Christian women who participated in the study reported consuming pornography. This included pastors who admitted pornography consumption as well.
Furthermore, a large share of respondents indicated that they were comfortable with the habit.
Abortion is connected to sexual immorality. Sexual immorality is connected to pornography.
How can the church be salt and light if the church is bound in darkness?
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us.” Ephesians 2:4 (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Donald John Trump, the 45th President of the United States of America will also be our 47th President. Additionally, Republicans have secured majorities in the U.S. Senate and it seems so in the House of Representatives too.
God has spared us from “She who shall also never be President.” Thank you LORD for your mercy.
We mustn’t, however, misinterpret His mercy. We must take advantage of the reprieve He’s granted us to fulfill His commission. Our constitutional republican form of government is made only for a moral people. It is entirely inadequate for the governance of any other.
“But evil men and impostors will proceed [from bad] to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” Matthew 5:13 (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy, Director of the Los Angeles Children’s Hospital Gender Clinic—the leading clinic in the country, applied for and was awarded a $9.7 million grant by the National Institutes of Health in 2015 to study the impact of puberty blockers on dysphoric American children.
The study showed that puberty blockers did not help the children at all.
Instead of “following the science,” Dr. Olson-Kennedy refused to publish the results of her study because science got in the way of her pre-determined preference.
Where we would be in the national discourse if this doctor simply published the science?
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.” Matthew 5:13 (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Today is election day. The 47th President, the U.S. Senate, the House of Representatives, your state legislature, governorships, mayoral races, city councils, school boards, county governments, state constitutional amendments are all on the ballot around the country.
We are at a critical juncture in our nation’s history. My question is what will you do tomorrow? What course of action will you pursue? Will you be salt and light? Or will you simply be lightly salted?
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect” Romans 12:2 (ESV).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Paul’s epistle to the Romans was written to believers. This verse highlights the fact that it’s possible for Christians to be conformed to the world’s ways.
The word “conformed” there means to be squeezed into the mold of another. Rather than to be squeezed into the world’s mold, the Lord requires us to be transformed by having our minds renewed by God’s Word.
Everything about us must be held up to the light of Scripture. And whenever there’s any discrepancy, we must be transformed.
My name is Abraham Hamilton III, and this is the Hamilton Minute.
This Scripture underscores the harrowing reality that permeates the life of many who profess to be Christians. The blessing of being a Christ follower comes not only from hearing God’s Word, but obeying it.
James continues, “for if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law of liberty and perseveres, being not a hearer who forgets, but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing."
“God’s word judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Excerpted and from Hebrews 4:12(b) (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Tennessee passed a law to protect its minor citizens from genital mutilation and chemical castration under the guise of trans-medical care. The Federal District and Appellate Courts both upheld the law. The Harris-Biden administration intervened in the case, to prevent Tennessee and other states from protecting their minor children from trans-insanity.
Yet, what the Huffington Post found objectionable, is that we had the audacity to cite scripture in our brief to support TN’s efforts to protect children.
Permanently mutilating the bodies and likely reproductive capacity of minors isn’t the problem for the HuffPo… Scripture now that is a problem.
“Weep with those who weep.” Romans 12:15(b) (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Between 2019 and 2023, Islamists have slaughtered 16,769 Christians in Nigeria according to the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa. 4,192 Christians have been murdered there per year, one Christian killed every two hours.
The violence has reached the point that many traumatized Christian children sleep in the trees to avoid being butchered in the night, when the Fulani terrorists are prone to attack.
In 2014, there were 1.1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Nigeria. As of 2023, there were 3.4 million.
Muslim Fulani herdsmen, Islamic State West Africa Province, and other terrorists are committing genocide in Nigeria and its largely ignored in the West.
“Sin is a disgrace to any people.” Proverbs 14:34(b) (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Regardless of the Harris-Biden administration’s opinion on the matter, Israel continues its efforts to decimate Iran’s proxy front. Israel eliminated Hezbollah’s terrorist chief, Hassan Nasrallah, while he was in Tehran, Iran.
Israel also continues decimate Hamas, it’s organizational and leadership structure, and most recently, the architect of the October 7th massacre—Yahya Sinwar.
For years international pressure forced Israel to embracing a stasis where rabid terrorists, committed to their annihilation, surrounded them. October 7th seems to have forever altered that calculus. Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu seems resolved to destroy Hamas, Hezbollah, and all of Iran’s terrorist proxies around them once and for all.
“The evil man out of evil treasure brings forth what is evil, for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.” Luke 6:45(b) (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
In a rare unscripted moment, Kamala Harris responded to two college students who shouted “Jesus is LORD” during her Wisconsin rally by saying, “Oh, you guys are at the wrong rally.”
Her immediate, instinctive impulse wasn’t to use the moment as an opportunity to display a graciousness or a willingness to engage people, even those who may disagree with her. The impulse response was to say, you, your kind, and your LORD aren’t welcome here.
Very telling. Jesus said, the mouth speaks from the overflow of what fills one’s heart. Ms. Harris’ words here seem consistent with her public record of actions.
“Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them.” Ephesians 5:11 (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
When the FBI originally released the “final” crime data for 2022 in September 2023, it reported that the nation’s violent crime rate fell by 2.1%. This quickly became, and remains, a Democrat Party talking point.
But the FBI has quietly revised those numbers, releasing new data that shows violent crime increased in 2022 by 4.5%. The new data includes thousands more murders, rapes, robberies, and aggravated assaults.
The change was discovered through a cryptic reference on the FBI website that states: “The 2022 violent crime rate has been updated for inclusion, 2023.”
It looks like President Trump was right again.
