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# INSPIRATION
Inspirational Files
## FILES
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp01.txt [ 1068] One Solitary Life
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp02.txt [ 3206] He Gave the Very Best
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp03.txt [ 1163] DREAM
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp04.txt [ 1646] Dear Friend...
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp05.txt [ 5650] HIS NICKNAME IS THUNDER
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp06.txt [ 3050] OTHERS CAN .. BUT YOU CAN'T
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp07.txt [ 6990] MY TESTIMONY
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp08.txt [ 1779] The Touch of the Master's Hand
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp09.txt [ 2101] TURN 'ONE OF THOSE DAYS' INTO PRAISE.
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp10.txt [ 2058] If Jesus came to your house.
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp11.txt [ 1292] God Forgive me when I whine.
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp14.txt [ 1009] AND THE LORD SAID, "GO"
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp15.txt [ 2649] ␍ No Hurry
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp16.txt [ 4691] ␍ PERFECTION␍ By Steve Allen
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp17.txt [ 1089] ␍ Dear Church Member...
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp18.txt [ 2097] ␍ The Utterly Unique Person
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp19.txt [ 3646] ␍ SO YOU'RE UPTIGHT?
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp20.txt [ 6539] ␍ BUT YOU DIDN'T
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp21.txt [ 5866] ␍ EMPTY SEATS
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp22.txt [ 7281] ␍ DOES THIS RAILROAD LEAD TO HEAVEN?␍ As told by Pastor F.M. Dosh
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp23.txt [ 8722] ␍ The Emperor's Three Questions␍ (By Leo Tolstoy)
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp24.txt [ 4160] ␍ THE WAITING EAGLE␍
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp25.txt [ 809] 23rd PSALM FOR BUSY PEOPLE
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp26.txt [ 11025] ␍ PATHWAYS␍ A short story by Bob Sadler
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp27.txt [ 1627] ␍ THE BURGLAR
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp28.txt [ 1852] ␍ 'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE JESUS CAME
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp29.txt [ 4563] ␍ A GAGGLE OF GEESE AND THE BODY OF CHRIST
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp30.txt [ 3462] ␍ What is God?
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp31.txt [ 2126] ␍ Are You In The Dark?
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp32.txt [ 4025] ␍ Wrestling With God
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp33.txt [ 3664] ␍ Shall We Bow Down?
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp34.txt [ 3354] ␍ Out of Context?
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp35.txt [ 9095] ␍ AFRAID
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp36.txt [ 7154] ␍ THE GOSPEL OF␍ ␍ THE GRACE OF GOD
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp37.txt [ 3092] ␍ A Visit From Heaven.␍ by:␍ Orlando Wiebe
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp38.txt [ 6977] ␍ WHAT WAS THE COST OF YOUR SALVATION?
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp39.txt [ 3942] ␍ How Do You Spell ANXIETY?␍ Fr. Michael Crosby, OFM
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp40.txt [ 864] THE AGONY RELIEVED
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp41.txt [ 1470] Angel in the Fire
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp42.txt [ 2257] ␍ ARE YOU THE RIGHT PERSON FOR GOD'S WORK?
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp43.txt [ 15123] ␍ THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp44.txt [ 929] A DAY OFF!
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp45.txt [ 2777] ␍ MILLIONS NOW LIVING ARE ALREADY DEAD!
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp46.txt [ 2441] LESSONS of FAITH - 1
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp47.txt [ 1734] Lessons in Faith - 2
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp48.txt [ 2429] Lessons in Faith - 3
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp49.txt [ 21333] ␍ BREAKING UP THE FALLOW GROUND - An Outline For Repentance
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp50.txt [ 8192] I'VE ALWAYS BEEN A FOOL ␍ by John Goetsch
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp51.txt [ 16658] ␍ FULFILLMENT␍ ␍ by Cornelius R. Stam
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp60.txt [ 3231] MOTIVATE
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp61.txt [ 19737] ␍ My Heart - Christ's Home By Robert Munger
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp62.txt [ 512] ␍ This is the beginning
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp65.txt [ 4089] Nuggets of Truth
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp66.txt [ 9741] PAIN
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp67.txt [ 14511] Passivity: The Lethal Lullaby
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp68.txt [ 6451] ␍ PROPHECIES CONCERNING THE DEATH OF CHRIST
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp69.txt [ 6293] RADICAL GENESIS EVANGELICALS
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp70.txt [ 817] JESUS IS COMING AGAIN!
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp72.txt [ 4686] 7 WAYS TO AVOID GOD.
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp74.txt [ 8911] ␍ IF GOD SHOULD SPEAK
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp75.txt [ 12292] ␍ ␍ Jesus Christ The Son of God
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp78.txt [ 1038] MY PERSONAL DEDICATION TO GOD
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp79.txt [ 6818] ␍ GIVING YOUR PERSONAL TESTIMONY
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp80.txt [ 1792] ␍ ␍ TEN LITTLE CHRISTIANS
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp81.txt [ 942] IN TIMES OF TROUBLE
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp82.txt [ 1290] WALKING WITH GOD
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp83.txt [ 1791] WHEN THE MESSIAH COMES
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp86.txt [ 11617] JOURNEY THROUGH THE HEART
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp87.txt [ 9481] ␍ Observations on Faith␍ by John R. Marler
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp88.txt [ 1280] ␍ ␍ SPIRITUAL SUICIDE
=> gemini://informis.land/textfiles/occult/INSPIRATION/insp89.txt [ 1024] Holiness
occult/INSPIRATION/insp01.txt
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One Solitary Life
. He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman.
He grew up in another village, where he worked in a carpenter shop
until he was thirty. Then for three years he was an itinerant
preacher.
. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never
traveled more than two hundred miles from the place where he was born.
He did none of the things one usually associates with greatness.
. He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned
against him. He was turned over to his enemies and went through the
mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves.
When he was dead, he was laid in a borrowed grave.
. Nineteen centuries have come and gone, and today he is a central
figure of the human race and leader of mankind's progress.
. All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever
sailed, all the kings that ever reigned have not affected the life of
man as much as that One Solitary Life.
Computers for Christ - Chicago
occult/INSPIRATION/insp02.txt
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He Gave the Very Best
. A magazine article recently described the shopping spree of a
extremely rich man buying gifts for his family. Among the things he
bought were nineteen Cadillacs, for which he paid extra to have them
lengthened. Then he purchased two Porsches and six Mercedes, a
$40,000 speedboat and a truck to haul it in, sixteen refrigerators and
a stack of luggage. For good measure he added two Florida grapefruit
trees, two reclining chairs and a slot machine. The total bill was
$1,500,000 -- plus $194,000 to have it all delivered.
. There are only a few people in the world as rich, or richer, than
that man. When they give gifts, they can afford to give the best.
. But all their possessions combined are nothing compared to the
vast wealth owned by Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
. Jesus is the Creator of the Universe. He said a word and
galaxies were born. "For by Him were all things created, that are in
Heaven, and that are in earth ... all things were created by Him, and
for Him." (Colossians 1:16)
. Christ is rich in power and position for He said, "All authority
is given unto Me in Heaven and in earth." (Matthew 28:18) He knows
that true riches -- love, joy, peace -- cannot be purchased with a
credit card or check. God knew that no amount of material wealth
could raise man out of his spiritual poverty. So almost 2,000 years
ago He gave the best gift. God sent His Son to be our Savior. "For
ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich,
yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might
be rich." (2 Corinthians 8:9)
. "He became poor." While Jesus was on earth, He was poor in
possessions for He had no real home. Even the tomb in which His
followers laid His body was borrowed.
. But more than that, Jesus Christ, the Creator of the Universe,
took on the form and limitations of His creatures. He became poor in
position, The first became last; the Sovereign became the Servant.
(Philippians 2:7) Lepers came to Him and were made clean; the blind
asked for sight and received it. Harlots came to His feet and were
forgiven.
. But Jesus' greatest sacrifice was when He gave His life on the
Cross for you and me. Salvation for our sins cost us nothing; it cost
Him everything.
. How can Jesus make you rich? By giving you Himself. When you
receive the Savior, you have forgiveness of sins because of His death
for you. (Colossians 1:14) Because He was raised from the dead and
now sits at the Father's right hand in Heaven, He gives you eternal
life and you are adopted into God's family. (John 5:24) By God's
grace you become a "joint heir" with Christ. (Romans 8:17) And daily
He Gives you power for living. (Philippians 4:13)
. God gave the very best. Are you spiritually poor? You can be
rich. The Bible says "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from
the dead, thou shalt be saved." (Romans 10:9) Receive Him and the
Riches He died to give you can be yours.
-- Robin Sheffield
Computers for Christ - Chicago
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DREAM
. One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the
beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.
For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one
belonging to him, and the other to the Lord.
. When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back
at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the
path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also
noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his
life.
. This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it.
"Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me
all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome
times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don't
understand why when I needed you most you would leave me."
. The Lord replied, "My precious, precious child, I love you and I
would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when
you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."
Computers for Christ - Chicago
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Dear Friend,
. I just had to send a note to tell you how much I love you and
care about you. I saw you yesterday as you were walking with your
friends. I waited all day hoping you would want to talk with me also.
As evening drew near, I gave you a sunset to close your day and you
never came. It hurt me, but I still love you because I am your
friend.
. I saw you fall asleep last night and I longed to touch your brow.
So, I spilled moonlight on your pillow and your face. Again I waited,
wanting to rush down so that we could talk. I have so many gifts for
you. But you awakened late the next day and rushed off to work. My
tears were in the rain.
. Today you looked so sad, so all alone. It makes my heart ache
because I understand. My friends let me down and hurt me so many
times too. But I love you. Oh, if you would only listen to me. I
really love you. I try to tell you in the blue sky and in the quiet
green grass. I whisper it in the leaves on the trees and breathe it
in the colors of the flowers. I shout it to you in the mountain
streams and give the birds love songs to sing. I clothe you with warm
sunshine and perfume the air with nature's scents. My love for you is
deeper than the oceans and bigger than the want or need in your heart.
. If you only knew how much I want to help you. I want you to meet
my Father. He wants to help you too. My Father is that way you know.
Just call me and talk with me. I have so much to share with you. But
I won't force you. I'll wait because I love you.
. Your Friend, JESUS
Computers for Christ - Chicago
occult/INSPIRATION/insp05.txt
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HIS NICKNAME IS THUNDER
. His Nickname is Thunder, but even in Cleveland, that is a
misnomer. The only thing outwardly intimidating about Andre Thornton
is his size. He looks like a guy who could snap a bat in half with
his bare hands.
. But don't be misled by appearances. His voice is tissue paper
soft, his manner extra polite. Andre Thornton is a deeply religious
man who has found in baseball a vehicle to convey a very special
message, even while he's terrorizing American league pitchers. That
is why the story of yet another remarkable comeback by the 32 year old
first baseman-designated hitter is unique.
. Through his 16 year professional baseball career, Andre Thornton
has survived frustration, rejection and the ultimate tragedy of losing
his wife and a child in a 1977 car accident. For two recent seasons,
the 6-foot-2, 205 pound Thornton was in virtual hibernation, chiefly
because of injury. But now he is back. In fact, he's on a rampage.
- Larry Whiteside, Sportswriter for the Boston Globe.
TRAGEDY ... TRIUMPH
. Obviously, power hitter Andre Thornton has endured much more than
baseball injuries or fickle batting slumps. His most painful
experience began on an icy night in October 1977 when the van he was
driving skidded off the Pennsylvania turnpike. Thornton's wife and 3
year old daughter were killed, leaving only Andre and his 4 year old
son as survivors.
. "There is no doubt that the accident was like tearing the insides
right out of me," says Thornton. "My first wife and I both loved the
Lord. She was a wonderful woman. We spent seven years together. I
felt God's presence right there on that highway in Pennsylvania I felt
God's peace. Now I'm thankful that I knew Him years before, that I
didn't have to come to that point in my life and see my wife and child
lying on a highway and have no hope at all ... [Hope] is the essence
of life."
. That tragedy was the true test of Andre's faith. It proved that
his outer composure was more than just a mask - it was the result of a
deep inner stability, a firm spiritual foundation. That's why he
received the 1978 Danny Thompson award for "exemplary Christian spirit
in baseball," and the 9th annual Roberto Clemente Award for his
"sportsmanship, character, community involvement and contributions to
team and baseball."
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
. But Thornton remembers how it all began in 1968, just months
after entering professional baseball. He had just joined the National
Guard and was alone in his room. "It was one of the loneliest times
of my life," he says. "Everything seemed to be so confusing, and
questions about life were boiling inside of me. It wasn't money I was
looking for. It wasn't clothes or houses or a profession that had
prestige. I wanted to know what life was all about, why I was here,
where I was going. The questions were demanding an answer. Here I
was, experiencing all the things that most people want, but the world
could not give the true answers that I needed so urgently."
. It was then that Thornton started to read the small tract that
his mother had given him earlier. For the first time Thornton
understood Christ's words: "I came that they might have life, and
might have it abundantly." (John 10:10) "I knew that was what I was
looking for," Thornton says, "life, abundant life. Here was the
answer to my question. First God had a purpose for my life. He
created me in order that I might enjoy Him and serve Him. Second,
when I died, I could know that I would have eternal life with God."
. Thornton realized that he needed a new spiritual life. "The
Bible told me that 'all have sinned and fall short of the glory of
God' (Romans 3:23), and that 'the wages of sin is death' (Romans 6:23)
which means spiritual separation from God." He understood that his
sin was the reason why he wasn't experiencing abundant life. "Then I
read that there was a solution to this problem," Thornton recalls.
"The key ... was my believing in God's Son, Jesus Christ. The Bible
says, 'God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He
who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does
not have the life. These things [were] written to you who believe in
the name of the Son of God, in order that you may KNOW that you have
eternal life' (I John 5:11-13). Believing that Jesus Christ had died
on the cross to pay the penalty for man's sin, and knowing that He had
risen from the dead, Thornton got down on his knees and asked Christ
to be his personal Savior.
AN INFINITE RESOURCE
. "It's been more than ten years since I invited Jesus Christ to
come into my life, to forgive me of my sins, and to change my life.
And I have found Him to be the source of joy, peace, love - of all
things I ever wanted in life. There have been trials and tragedies,
but God has brought me through all of them."
. Sometimes we experience problems and trials that we can't
understand. I've learned that there is one thing I can trust and that
is what God says in His Word. That comforts me and reassures me, even
when all of my questions aren't answered."
. That confident assurance enables Andre Thornton to remain calm
through all the circumstances of life. He has found a stability in
God, and inner foundation which holds him up when life threatens to
overwhelm him. He keeps swinging at life's tough pitches.
Computers for Christ - Chicago
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OTHERS CAN .. BUT YOU CAN'T
. If God has called you to be really like Jesus, He will draw you
into a life of crucifixion and humility, and put upon you such demands
of obedience, that you will not be able to follow other people, or
measure yourself by other Christians, and in many ways He will seem to
let other good people do things which He will not let you do.
. Other Christians and ministers who seem very religious and
useful, may push themselves, pull wires, and work schemes to carry out
their plans, but you cannot do it; and if you attempt it, you will
meet with such failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make you sorely
penitent.
. Others may boast of themselves, of their work, of their success,
of their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any
such thing, and if you begin it, He will lead you into some deep
mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good
works.
. Others may be allowed to succeed in making money, or may have a
legacy left to them, but it is likely God will keep you poor, because
He wants you to have something far better than gold, namely a helpless
dependence on Him, that He may have the privilege of supplying your
needs day by day out of an unseen treasury.
. The Lord may let others be honored and put forward, and keep you
hidden in obscurity, because He wants you to produce some choice,
fragrant fruit for His coming glory, which can only be produced in the
shade. He may let others be great, but keep you small. He may let
others do a work for Him and get the credit for it, but He will make
you work and toil on without knowing how much you are doing; and then
to make your work still more precious, He may let others get credit
for the work you have done, and thus make your reward ten times
greater when Jesus comes.
. The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch over you, with a jealous
love, and will rebuke you for little words and feelings, or wasting
your time, which other Christians never seem to get distressed over.
So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign, and has a
right to do as He pleases with His own. He may not explain to you a
thousand things which puzzle your reason in His dealings with you, but
if you absolutely sell yourself to be His love slave, He will wrap you
in a jealous love, and bestow upon you many blessings which come only
to those who are in the inner circle.
. Settle it forever, then, that you are to deal directly with the
Holy Spirit, and that He is to have the privilege of tying your
tongue, or chaining your hand, or closing your eyes, in ways that He
does not seem to use with others. Now when you are so possessed with
the living God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased and
delighted over this peculiar, personal, private, jealous guardianship
and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found
the vestibule of heaven.
G. D. Watson, in Living Words
Computers for Christ - Chicago
occult/INSPIRATION/insp07.txt
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MY TESTIMONY
. I grew up in a family with 2 fine parents, neither of whom was a
Christian, although my Mother believed in God, doing good things,
leading a clean life and generally being kind and considerate to
others. I had a happy childhood and was encouraged to attend Sunday
School from an early age. I loved the singing and the Bible stories
but it meant nothing more than that.
. When I was about 7 or 8, I heard an old man preaching the Good
News of Jesus on the beach. Every day during the summer months, he
would bring bibles, songbooks and a tent through the town and down to
the beach where he would conduct his one-man mission. Anyway, after
he had explained something about the love of Christ, he invited us
kids to say a prayer with him and give our lives to the Lord, and so I
did. Nothing felt different afterwards but I was still excited enough
to blurt it all out as soon as I got home for lunch. My parents told
me not to be so silly and to hurry up washing my hands because the
food was getting cold. I did as I was told (because that was how we
behaved) and forgot all about it for many years.
. In my family, we all loved music, especially fine singing, and so
it was natural that I joined the church choir when I was about 9 or
10. I used to love the services because it was a chance to sing, I
could chatter quietly to my friends during the sermon, and if it was
an evening sermon, then I could screw up my eyes to look at the
candles and see each one as a cross. Best of all, we were paid to
sing!
. Nothing much happened until I was about 13 or 14. My voice
started to break, the vicar suggested I should be confirmed and I ran
a mile. Me get confirmed? No way. As far as I was concerned the
church was full of stuffy old hypocrites and children who were goody-
goodies. I didn't want to be part of that. I was getting into a wild
stage of my life with under-age drinking, taking girls to the farmer's
barn and so on. And so I turned my back on the church and walked away
without any regret at the time.
. Time passed. I grew out the other side of my wild patch and
married when I was 23. She was a lovely woman - everything I could
possibly want in a wife and far, far more than I could ever describe.
After 12 years, we had 3 super children, all boys. The first was 8,
the second 6 and the little one 18 months. Then life went sour, the
colors and the singing went out of it. My wife was diagnosed as
having terminal cancer.
. This couldn't be. Not to us. She was so kind, so loving and I
needed her. No, there must be a mistake. But no, there was no
mistake and although we had access to the best doctors and treatments
in England, all we could hope for was to prolong her life.
. During the 2 years to 1980 when she was ill, Lyn used to go to
the Sunday morning service in church and to a Bible study class in the
vicar's house every Sunday night. She used to get great strength from
it and so, as a loving husband, I helped her all I could to make sure
she never had to miss one, even when it meant carrying her because she
was too weak to walk. I didn't see how she got so much out of it but
could see it did something wonderful for her.
. By early February 1980, she was so ill she was in the hospital.
We both knew she wouldn't be coming home again and reckoned there was
about 2 or 3 weeks left. Suddenly and with no apparent reason, I knew
we had to get to the hospital QUICKLY. We grabbed our shoes and
headed towards London. It was about 40 miles to the hospital, and
meant driving through nearly all of London on a Saturday lunchtime.
The streets were heaving with people, cars and lorries and yet,
somehow, it was as though a way was being cut through for us as we hit
speeds of 80 or 90.
. We reached the hospital and rushed up to Lyn's room. She was in
a coma and fighting for breath, fighting to hang on. I went to her
side and spoke, not knowing if she could hear me. Yes, she seemed to
be able to. Her breathing increased each time I spoke as if she
wanted to reply but couldn't. Then, suddenly, I SAW A HAND REACHING
DOWN FOR HERS and knew that it was OK. "Lyn", I said, "if you can see
a hand reaching down for you, take it." She gave a gentle sigh and
died in my arms. How could that not make an impact on a non-believer.
. In the months that followed, I searched for some purpose to life,
for some spiritual input. I looked suspiciously at the Eastern cults
before deciding that they weren't for me. All the time my desperation
was growing, largely because I had just too much grief bottled up
inside me and I was too much in control to let it out. Then there
were the kids, super boys, and their hurt was hurting me more. Where
could I turn?
. About 6 months before Lyn died, I started showing symptoms of
what I thought might be cancer. But with Lyn ill, what could I do? It
seemed the best thing was to leave it until she either recovered or
died. Well, by the February when she died, it had grown and was so
unsightly that people were keeping on at me to see my doctor and have
it treated. No way, I had seen what all that radiotherapy and
chemotherapy had done to Lyn, and didn't everyone reckon the treatment
was as bad as the disease? Forget it!
. Well, 12 months later in February 1981, I was at the end of my
tether. I just couldn't cope with the pent-up grief, the pressure was
on at work, my own tumor had grown and was bleeding fairly often and I
still hadn't seen a doctor. I just wanted to curl up in a corner and
die. In the middle of all this I was searching desperately for a
spiritual side to my life. Every other religion and cult had seemed
like empty shams and I remembered that Lyn had drawn so much strength
from her Christianity. She had always been a good judge of things -
maybe she was right about this as well.
. And so, I started reading Christian books, going to Christian
meetings and so on. I could feel something reaching me but I was
still holding back. I wasn't ready, I told the counselor, I'm not
good enough yet. Give me time to be more acceptable to God. Then he
explained about the Cross, about how His own Son went to the Cross,
bleeding, dying just for me and my sins. And how, through the
resurrection, he defeated death and sin. And how I could have Jesus
as my personal redeemer if I would only confess my sins, ask
forgiveness, and receive Jesus as Lord of my Life.
. Well, I did and I can't explain the immediate happenings. Like
Close Encounters of the 3rd kind but a million times more powerful.
All I know is that because I'm human, I've made mistakes as I seek to
follow Christ more and more every day of my life, but I'm still
accepted by God through His Son, Jesus Christ. Praise the Lord!
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The Touch of the Master's Hand
..............................
It was battered and scarred, and the auctioneer
Thought it sacrcely worth his while
To waste much time on the old violin,
But he held it up with a smile.
"What am I bidden, good folk?" he cried,
"Who'll start the bidding for me?
"A dollar - a dollar - then two, only two -
"Two dollars, and who'll make it three?
"Going for Three" - but no -
From the room far back, a gray-haired man
Came forward and picked up the bow,
Then, wiping the dust from the old violin,
And tightening the loosened strings,
He played a melody pure and sweet
As a caroling angel sings.
The music ceased, and the auctioneer,
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said, "NOW what am I bid for the old violin?"
And he held it up with the bow.
"A thousand dollars - and who'll make it two?
"Two thousand - and who'll make it three?
"Three thousand once - three thousand twice -
"And going - and gone," cried he.
The people cheered, but some of them cried,
"We do not understand.
"What changed its worth?" Quick came the reply,
"The touch of the Master's hand."
And many a man with life out of tune,
And battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap, to a thoughtless crowd,
Much like the old violin.
A "mess of pottage" - a glass of wine,
A game - and he travels on:
He is going once - and going twice -
He's going - and almost gone!
But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd
Never can quite understand
The worth of a soul and the change that's wrought
BY THE TOUCH OF THE MASTER'S HAND.
By Myra Brooks
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TURN 'ONE OF THOSE DAYS' INTO PRAISE.
By Fiona Castle
. Sometimes I don't feel like praying. Sometimes I don't feel like
reading the Bible. And sometimes I certainly don't feel a bit like
being loving and kind to anyone!
. But I thank God that my faith is not based on feelings, but on
the sure and solid fact of Jesus' death for me on the cross. In other
words, my salvation is not dependent on what I do for Jesus, but on
what he did for me.
. There is a verse in Psalm 22 which says: 'Oh thou that inhabitest
the praises of Israel.....' The modern translations are slightly
different but I like this version because it urges me to begin
praising God no matter how I feel - and he will inhabit those praises.
. As I start to praise God as an act of the will, he begins to live
in my praise until my spirit starts to lift and the weariness
disappears. My whole attitude to my prayer time changes, and my
praise comes from my heart, not just my lips!
. It is good, sometimes, to begin a prayer time by reading a Psalm
of praise, such as Psalm 104, which ends with the words: 'I WILL
praise him, Hallelujah!'
. I remember our pastor saying from the pulpit once: 'You can't say
Hallelujah with a long face!' You try it! It will make you begin to
laugh, especially if you say it in front of a mirror.
. Jesus wants us to praise him no matter what happens. That is the
wonderful privilege of belonging to him. He has promised us a peace
and a joy that are not dependent on our circumstances - they stem
directly from our relationship with him.
. So, if today is 'one of those days', when you don't feel like
being anything but negative, begin to praise Him and soon you will
find your mind and body are joining with your spirit as it soars
towards the Lord and brings joy to his heart.
. 'There I will go to the altar of God, my exceeding joy, and
praise him with my harp' - Psalm 43:4
Reproduced from 'Family' magazine (February 1985) with permission.
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If Jesus came to your house.
If Jesus came to your house to spend a
day or two
If he came unexpectedly, I wonder what
you'd do.
Oh, I know you'd give your nicest room
to such an honered Guest,
And all the food you'd serve to Him
would be the very best,
And you keep assuring Him
you're glad to have Him there
That serving Him in your own home is
joy beyond compare.
But when you saw Him coming,
would you meet Him at the door
With arms outstreched in welcome to
your heavenly Visitor?
Or would you have to change your
clothes before you let Him in?
Or hide some magazines and put the
Bible where they'd been?
Would you turn off the radio and hope
He hadn't heard?
And wish you hadn't uttered that last,
loud, hasty word?
Would you hide your worldly music and
put some hymn books out?
Could you let Jesus walk right in, or
would you rush about?
And I wonder if the Savior spent
a day or two with you,
Would you go right on doing the things
you always do?
Would you go right on saying the things
you always say?
Would life for you continue as it does
from day to day?
Would your family conversation keep
up its usual pace?
And would you find it hard each meal
to say a table grace?
Would you sing the songs you always
sing, and read the books you read,
And let him know the things on which
your mind and spirit feed?
Would you take Jesus with you every-
where you'd planned to go?
Or would you, maybe, change your plans
for just a day or so?
Would you be glad to have Him meet
your very closest friends?
Or would you hope they'd stay away
until His visit ends?
Would you be glad to have Him stay
forever on and on?
Or would you sigh with great relief
when He at last was gone?
It might be interesting to know the
things that you would do
If Jesus Christ in person came to spend
some time with you.
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God Forgive me when I whine.
. Today, upon a bus, I saw a lovely maid with golden
hair, I envied her, she seemed so gay, and I wished I
were as fair.
. When suddenly she rose to leave, I saw her hobble
down the aisle; she had one foot, and used a crutch,
but as she passed, she had a smile.
. Oh, God forgive me when I whine; I have two feet,
the world is mine.
. And when I stopped to buy some sweets, The lad who
sold them had such charm. I talked with him, he said
to me, It's nice to talk to men like you, You see, he
said I'm blind.
. Oh, God forgive me when I whine; I have two eyes,
the world is mine.
. Then, as I passed along the way, I saw a child with
eyes of blue. He stood and watched the others play;
it seemed he knew not what to do. I stopped for a moment;
and then I said, "Why don't you join the others, dear?"
He looked ahead without a word, and then I knew he could
not hear.
. Oh, God forgive me when I whine; I have two ears,
the world is mine.
. With feet to take me where I'd go,
. With eyes to see the sunsets glow,
. With ears to hear what I would know,
. I'm blessed indeed.
. The world is mine.
. Oh God, forgive me if I whine.
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AND THE LORD SAID, "GO"
And I said, "Who me?"
And He said, "Yes, you."
And I said,
. "But I'm not ready yet,
. and there is company coming,
. and I can't leave the kids,
. and you know there's no one to take my place."
And He said, "You're stalling."
Again the Lord said, "Go."
And I said, "But I don't want to."
And He said, "I didn't ask if you wanted to."
And I said,
. "Listen, I'm not that kind of person
. to get involved in controversy
. besides, my family won't like it
. and what will my neighbors think?"
And He said, "Balony."
And yet a third time the Lord said, "Go."
And I said, "Do I have to?"
And He said, "Do you love me?"
And I said,
. "Look, I'm scared
. people are going to hate me
. and cut me up in little pieces
. and I can't take it all by myself."
And He said, "Where do you think I'll be?"
And the Lord said, "Go."
And I sighed, "Here I am, send me."
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No Hurry
. The story is told that some time ago Satan called together all
the hosts of the lower realm because he wanted to send another of his
diabolical assistants to earth. When they had all assembled he asked
them.
. "Who is willing to go to earth to assist me with the destruction
of the souls of the son's of men?"
. A young demon, hoping to attain a lower ranking quickly
volunteered to go.
. "And what is your plan for assisting me with the destruction of
the souls of the son's of men?" asked Satan.
. "I will tell them that there is no hell," replied the demon.
. "No, that will never do," Satan said. "For within the heart of
every man there is an awful sense of justice and because of that, no
matter how much they try to deny it or are otherwise taught, mankind
still senses that there must be a place of punishment. They will
never be convinced beyond question that there is no hell. You may not
go. Your plan will fail."
. Again Satan asked, "Who is willing to go to earth to assist me
with the destruction of the souls of the son's of men?"
. A somewhat older demon, who loved the opportunity to make the
younger demons look stupid, sneered at the first volunteer and said,
"I'll go."
. Again Satan asked, "What is your plan for assisting me with the
destruction of the souls of the son's of men?"
. With another sneer toward the younger demon he answered, "I'll
tell the son's of men that there is no heaven."
. "No," Satan replied again, "That will be no better. For, as we
know all to well, every man retains within him something of the image
of God his creator and because of that while they often wish they
could deny it they will never be fully convinced that there is no
heaven. No, your plan will not work and you may not go."
. A third time Satan asked, "Who is willing to go to earth to
assist me with the destruction of the souls of the son's of men?"
. Much to the surprise of all those present an old demon, who never
had much to say, volunteered to assist with the destruction of the
son's of men.
. Again Satan asked, "What is your plan for assisting me with the
destruction of the souls of the son's of men?"
. "I'll tell them," the old demon a bit timidly, "I'll tell them
that there is no hurry."
. "Go!" shouted Satan, "for your plan will surely succeed. All men
have within them the sense of both heaven and hell but if we can keep
them from considering their eternal destiny then hell will certainly
grab them before they take hold of heaven."
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PERFECTION
By Steve Allen
Let us reason together, saith the Lord...
Oh Father. I cry...
Where is Thy perfection?
For I look about me and this is what I see...
Imperfection and Falseness seems to be reality,
while Perfection and Rightousness seems to be the fantasy, a myth.
Ever since I was very young -
I grew, with this question strong in my heart.
And I saw a vision,
as I tried to imagine what perfection was...
One way it looked like a jigsaw puzzle -
where all the pieces fit and none missing.
It was the Law of creation I knew,
But I could not describe it -
for all my descriptions seemed to little for something
that contained Everything!
I was frustrated, and I searched for the words
for a long time that would fit.
And I reasoned with my father.
And I was led.
There was indeed much to see,
in order to answer this question.
Before The Beginning...
There was GOD.
The Essence - from which all things are made.
The Father.
Here all things are the same, but
here you can find no difference in him,
as no difference can be found in boundaries.
Here GOD was the potential of all that is to happen.
Here he is the beginning and direction.
In the Beginning...
GOD first cast the void, the abyss,
an emptiness in which to fill.
And GOD spoke.
And the words' meaning was - I AM.
And the words' own vibration separated time
from one moment to the next,
and GOD divided himself,
and multiplied,
and filled the void.
GOD created all things - from himself.
He drew boundaries and differences in himself,
all things fitting together
and governed by the laws of creation.
GOD's Law.
The Perfect Conception.
Laws of coexistence,
opposites and shades.
Laws of combining and separation.
Of selection and proportions,
of reception and reflection.
The law of wholeness and detail.
Laws of cause and effect and laws of balance and reason.
All the laws that would take forever to list!
GOD fathered all things from within.
Here GOD was the Perfect Creation.
And there was no falseness found in him.
Here GOD is truth.
And here is Christ...
The BODY of GOD.
Who was first born.
The Christ, which means the Perfection in All Things.
And here also is the Holy Ghost...
The TRUTH and REASON, the Law who testifies
of Christ, the Perfect Creation.
Who will one day be made man, for a reason.
The HOLY TRINITY, together.
And from the beginning...
GOD knew of the perfection.
And GOD also knew of the imperfection,
in which he had left out.
And it's name is falseness
and it came from the void,
which in itself is nothing!
But when joined with creation it becomes Mis-conception.
Such as when black is joined with white,
the outcome is gray on top but
to look close you still see a lot of black and white.
The word "Mis" can not be alone - for it is nothing.
Therefore must be joined with something to exist at all.
Mis-conception.
GOD is everything.
GOD is not False (a lie).
But falseness exists - How can this be?
Falseness is something that is not real...
joined with something that is real.
Certain parts, of a falsehood is based on real things.
GOD is that which is,
the void is that which is not (an emptiness) Gen. 1:2
A lie will contain both.
The very root of lies are - insinuations.
That which tells the exact truth in such a way
as to lead someone to a false conclusion.
A conclusion that was never said.
Falseness can often be spread by accident,
by someone who does not make themself clear.
There are a lot of false elements:
Rumors
Vagueness
Mystery
Abstract
This requires a very close look...
Because each also has some truth!
And GOD gives the gift of Discernment.
GOD knew this potential of falseness from the beginning
and in his wisdom knew it must come to pass.
If man was to be a companion, instead of a puppet.
And he must let it run
its entire path to completion.
And though it leads to destruction,
where all things look lost and the the end is death.
GOD tells all who listen
I'm sorry....and this is only a passing thing.
He has given us freedom of choice, and has also
shown us what we must never choose again.
GODs aim is not destruction but Life Everlasting.
And GOD knows what must be done to obtain it.
I will never reason alone
for I now know that there is a reason to all things.
But no one knows the whole story -
For no-one must stop that which must happen
for all to see.
Father - Let us reason together.
as I have many questions to ask...
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Dear Church Member,
. Don't wait until the hearse hauls you to church. If you do:
1. You will go, regardless of the weather.
2. You will go, regardless of the condition of your body.
3. There will be beautiful flowers there, but you won't enjoy them.
4. You will go, regardless of how your family feels.
5. The minister may say many good things, but they will do you no
good.
6. There will be beautiful music, but you won't hear it.
7. There will be heartfelt prayers, but they will not touch your
heart.
8. There will be friends and relatives there, but you won't worship
with them.
9. You will go, no matter how many hypocrites are there.
10. You will go, no matter how much you are needed at home or work.
11. You will receive no blessing from the service.
12. You won't feel concerned about your clothes.
13. You will never have to decide about attending church again.
. Aren't you glad to be alive and well and full of zest and able to
choose to go to church?
Walter Nuessle
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The Utterly Unique Person
. He was born in poverty, was reared in obscurity, and lived in
simplicity. He had no wealth or influence, and no college education.
Yet the profoundest wisdom of men has never equaled His. "Never man
spake like this man."
. He never wrote a book, yet the largest library could not hold the
books that have been written about Him. He never wrote a song, yet He
has furnished the theme of more songs than all others combined. He
never founded a college, yet all the schools together cannot boast of
as many students as He has.
. He never marshaled an army, drafted a soldier, or fired a gun.
Yet no leader ever had more volunteers, who under His orders made
rebels stack arms or surrender without a shot being fired.
. He lives on although all other great men have come and gone.
Herod could not kill Him, Satan could not seduce Him, death could not
destroy Him, the grave could not hold Him.
. He laid aside His purple robe for a peasant's gown. He was rich,
yet for our sakes He became poor. As to how poor? Ask Mary. Ask the
wise men. He slept in another's manger, cruised the lake in another's
boat, rode on a borrowed beast, was buried in another's tomb.
. He conquered death, rose the third day as He said He would,
ascended into heaven and will one day return with power and great
glory.
. He will judge the world in righteousness. Every knee shall bow
to Him and every tongue shall confess Him as Lord - His friends
gladly, but His enemies seeking for a place to hide from His face.
. He came from the bosom of the Father to the bosom of a woman. He
put on humanity that we might put on divinity. He became the Son of
Man that we might become sons of God.
. Thus we celebrate Christmas as the birthday of this utterly
unique person. But these facts are of no value to you unless you
acknowledge your sin and your need for such a Savior. Only by
believing in Him will you become a unique person: a child of God!
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SO YOU'RE UPTIGHT?
. So you're uptight? Turned off? Got real hang-ups? Well, let me
tell you like it is! See, a long time ago God said, "I think I'll
make me a universe." So He did just that. Then He really split the
scene - He made Man, and in His own image!
. Have we ever messed up that deal! Right from the very beginning.
And we've kept right on messing it up. In fact, it got so bad that
God said, "They're really copping out down there, but even so I still
love them. I figure the time has come to do something about it."
. So what does He do? He sends His only Son to save the world!
How does that grab you? Born over 1900 years ago in a barn! How
about that? The Son of God! Talk about identifying!
. But did we change? Oh no, we kept right on messing everything
up. We didn't even listen to God's Son, Jesus Christ. And this next
one is a clincher: Jesus kept right on loving us! In fact He even
died on the Cross for us! Now, man, that is really 'way out' love,
like you never saw!
. He let us nail Him to a tree and when He was hanging there, He
even asked His Father to forgive us! He said that we were uptight and
didn't know what we were doing! Talk about relating! Beautiful,
isn't it?
. So He died for us - shed His blood for us - to cover all these
dirty sins of ours. And, now sit down for this one, three days later
He rose from the grave! That's right, right up from the dead! He was
alive again! And, how about this: He's still living!
. Later He went to heaven to live with His Father. They're getting
things ready up there for everybody who believes in Jesus. Some day
I'm going to be with them. What a day that will be!
. You see, Jesus worked it all out. He sent His Holy Spirit down
here to be with us. The Holy Spirit is right here - right in us - all
the time. How's that for contact? That's what I call communication!
. You Say, "Man how can I communicate?" Well, it's like this.
You've got to tell Him what a mess you've made of your life. Tell Him
you're really sorry for everything you've done and that you want to
get on the right beam from here on in. Then ask Him to come in and
really take over. You've got to believe in Him and then, brother,
move over and let Him work, cause He will!
. See, I've tried it and I know it works! Jesus Christ can give
you real soul peace. He really fills you UP; He gives you a happiness
that is just something else! He is for real! But He's not pushing
Himself in where He's not wanted - you've got to really want Him.
And, I mean - you've got to mean business with Him.
. You say, "Man, no hurry, no sweat." I want you to know there'll
be nothing but sweat for you, forever more, if you decide against Him!
Plus, how do you know how long you will be around down here? You
might not have another chance. This isn't a 'sit on the fence' game.
No siree, you're either for Him or against Him, Kinda shakes you up,
doesn't it?
. And, no matter what you decide down here, there's coming a day
when you've got to answer for it all - and that includes me and
everybody else. And, boy I sure am glad I'm on Christ's side and He's
on mine, cause I know for sure it's the winning side!
. If you really want to take a trip - one that will really last
forever - take Jesus - make Him your own Savior. He'll never let you
down, but never! He's the Answers any hang-up anyone ever had. He's
what's happening and I'm telling you that's like it is!!
- Jane J. Arundale -
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BUT YOU DIDN'T
. Almost forty years ago my father gave me a wonderful little
plaque that said simply: "Never give up." The Never Give Up plaque
still hangs above my desk and contains three of the most powerful and
important words I've ever heard or read.
. I wrote the following poem just after learning that my dad, now
seventy-six, has cancer. I wrote it to honor this very special man
whom I have the privilege of calling my father.
Dad,
. Remember when I broke the window at the neighbor's house? You
know, the great big one? I tried to get you excited about the fact
that I'd hit a home run in the process; But by the look on your face
when you found out how much it was going to cost, I thought you were
going to strangle me,
BUT YOU DIDN'T
. And remember when you found out that I had sold the Minister some
books on how to mix drinks (that I'd found in the alley) just to make
some extra money for Christmas presents? I thought for sure that you
were going to tell me that there was going to be no more Christmas for
me,
BUT YOU DIDN'T
. Do you remember, Dad, when I borrowed your best knife, kinda
without your knowing it, and kinda lost it? Oh I felt awful. I knew
that you were going to tell me that I was a screwed-up, irresponsible
kid,
BUT YOU DIDN'T
. Remember, Dad, when I split my head open for the fourth time in
only three years? For sure, I expected you to tell me that it was a
really dumb thing to do,
BUT YOU DIDN'T
. O Dad, can you remember when you tried to teach me how to drive?
And I became an instant imbecile, unable to remember which pedal did
what, making the car jump up and down all over the road? I felt
certain that you'd adopt me out to another family until I finally
learned how to drive,
BUT YOU DIDN'T
. And, can you remember, Dad, when you let me use your car, for
that "extra special" date and I got into an accident because I was
trying to show off? I was afraid to come home because I told her you
were going to ground me ... for at lease a year,
BUT YOU DIDN'T
. O Dad, you were always surprising me, always loving me more than
I ever deserved. Somehow you always knew just what I needed. Like,
remember when I didn't make the team that year and I came home in
tears, feeling pretty sorry for myself? I was confident that you'd
join me in my self-pity party.
BUT YOU DIDN'T
. Or, years later, when I finally made the All City and All State
teams and even got a scholarship to go to Stanford? I thought you'd
be so impressed and tell me that now I "really had life made,"
BUT YOU DIDN'T
. I guess that's why you didn't seem so surprised when I got thrown
in jail for "celebrating a little bit too hard" after a State
Championship game. Remember, Dad, (how could you ever forget) when
you and Mom got a phone call at 4:30 in the morning from the chief of
police asking you to come down to the jail and get your son? All the
way home I waited and waited for you to blast me.
BUT YOU DIDN'T
. The first words, in fact the only words, you said to me were:
"Come on, son, let's go have some breakfast." How did you know, Dad?
How did you know? At the time of most critical failure; at the very
time when I knew that I had let you down the most, you knew, you
remembered to remind me that I was your son - period ... in spite of
it all.
. How did you know? For a man with only an eighth - grade
education and no time to read, because you were always working more
than one job just to keep your family going, you were sure smart. No,
more that that, Dad, you had some of that "wisdom" that must have come
from the Other Father. You always told me that you and "The Man
Upstairs" (as you were fond of calling Him) were pretty close friends.
. The years passed, and our friendship grew even closer. I can
remember, Dad, the first time we had lunch together - just you and me,
alone. I was in my late twenties - almost a grown man. We laughed
and you told me stories about your youth that I never knew before.
That lunch seemed to go on forever. After that, you seemed even
closer and I began to realize who you really were ... and how much I
really loved you. Memories ... Special ones ... Aren't we fortunate,
Dad, to have so many? Steve and I have a lot of rich memories,
because you made sure that we experienced a lot of life ... together.
REMEMBER, DAD,
. When we used to go duck hunting at Midnight, our little dog, was
so small that she couldn't drag the ducks back?
. When I brought forty-three kids home from a Young Life camp at
three in the morning, to sleep on the floor?
. When you and Mom could dance all night and still knock the socks
off everybody at work the next day?
. When your sons finally graduated from college (it was something
you always wanted for us)?
REMEMBER, DAD,
. When Steve, your number - one son and my number - one friend, got
married in Boston? What a grand celebration. You were so proud,
. When we couldn't wrestle anymore?
. When you got honored for being the top man in your region - an
honor few men get (still working) at the age of seventy-four?
. When you first had to tell me that "California was a long ways
away" and that you would like to come down, but maybe later...?
O Dad,
. I've never quite had enough words to be able to tell you and Mom
just how much I love you.
. Remember when Pam and I finally got our first house and the
children came? We wanted so much for you to be able to come visit,
BUT YOU DIDN'T
. You couldn't anymore. For a growing number of reasons. You
wanted to so much, but California was "such a long way."
. Remember, Dad, the day they broke the news to you that you had
cancer? Everyone else seemed to fall to pieces,
BUT YOU DIDN'T
. Never have I been more proud of you, Pop. The quiet courage that
you showed us all those years, sometimes when we weren't even aware of
it, has shown all the more brightly these past months.
. I never heard you complain. In fact, I've never seen you laugh
more richly, Pop, and never seen you so much at peace.
. I'm understanding, at even deeper levels, those three precious
words you gave me four decades ago.
"Never Give Up",
because,
YOU DIDN'T
From .. "What kids need most in a Dad." By Tim Hansel
Computers for Christ - Chicago
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EMPTY SEATS
. "No, I made jelly yesterday, and I'm tired. I'm faithful enough
to stay at home this cloudy morning." Mrs. Clark curled up on the
couch with the Bible she had not opened for a week, but it soon
dropped from her hand. She was aroused by a strange voice saying:
. "Now, my good imps, what have you done today the weaken the
kingdom of God?" The voice came from a suspicious looking personage
seated on a throne of human skulls. Around him was gathered a crowd
of terrible beings, each with a crown of fire, in which gleamed some
name, such as malice, envy, pride, hatred, and kindred passions.
. "We have been busy today, making empty seats in churches," began
one.
. "Nothing could please me better," answered their king.
. "I persuaded one man that he had a headache, and kept him from a
sermon that might have changed his whole life," said one.
. "I induced one good man to slip to his store and fix up his
books," said another, with a horrid grin.
. "Good!" said the king. "He'll soon give up the Sabbath
altogether."
. "I was able to get one devoted young man to visit old friends,
"said one imp.
. "I worried a good sister about her old bonnet until she decided
to stay at home until she got a new one," spoke up the imp labeled
"Pride."
. "And I made several poor women who were hungry for God's Word
stay home to repine over their trials. I just said to them, 'Oh,
these rich people don't care for you; you can't wear fine clothes so I
wouldn't go where I was looked down upon.'"
. "I induced a good many men and women to think they were not
strong enough to go out," said one called "Indifference." "Of course,
all these men will be at their business tomorrow, even if they feel
worse. But they could not go to church, where they would have no
special mental or physical strain. And the ladies would have been
able to clean house or go calling; but I made them think they couldn't
walk to church unless they were perfectly well."
. "Very good," said the king, with a sulfurous grin. "Sunday
headaches might often be cured by getting out in the air, and
backaches forgotten by thoughts drawn to higher things. But you lying
imps must use every weakness to the flesh to help make empty seats."
. They all smiled, for in their kingdom "lying" was a great
compliment.
. "I'm the weather imp," said one gloomy fellow. "I go around
persuading people it is going to rain, or it is too cold, too damp or
too hot to venture out to church. It is enough to make even your
gloomy majesty laugh to see these same people start out the next day
in wind and weather. One would think it a sin to carry umbrellas or
wear coats to church."
. "I have a better scheme than that," said another, "I have a plan
that empties seats of the workers in the church."
. "I make these people overwork on Saturdays. For instance, I make
some good man the preacher depends upon, or some devout Sunday school
teacher, make Saturday the busiest day of the week. I just keep him
rushed with neglected things till late at night, and then he
oversleeps or is sick the next day, and can't get out.
. "Splendid plan!" cried Satan.
. "Yes, it works well with delicate women. If they clean house, or
have Saturday company, they can be kept at home without knowing they
have broken the Sabbath the day before. A church party late Saturday
night helps with empty seats."
. "You are doing fine, my imps," his majesty said warmly - for his
breath was a flame of fire. "Preachers may work and pray over their
sermons all week, but there will be no results in preaching to empty
seats. One of the most important things we have to consider is how to
keep people away from churches on Sunday. Your plans are excellent,
but I might suggest another good point. All preachers have human
imperfections -- some fault of manner or speech. Get Christians to
criticize their pastor, especially before their children. If you can
stir up a spirit of fault-finding against the preacher, or among the
members, it will help empty seats. People who get mad at each other
do not care to go to church together. If the seats are empty, the
minister may be a saint and preach like an angel to no purpose."
. "See the result of your labor on High Street church today. Not
only did the 200 people who stayed at home lose a blessing, but each
empty seat did its work against the Lord's kingdom. The preacher made
unusual preparation, and went with his heart on fire, but the empty
seats chilled him, and he did poorly."
. There was a special collection, but the best givers were away, so
it was a failure. It isn't a smart preacher, nor a rich congregation,
nor a good location, nor a paid choir, that makes a successful church.
It is the church members always being there that draws in the
unconverted, and makes an eloquent preacher. As soon as a Christian
begins to stay at home, from one excuse or another, I know I have a
mortgage on his soul which if he does not shake off, I will foreclose
on the judgment day."
. "You have none on mine!" cried Mrs. Clark, who had been listening
with baited breath; "I'll go to church, if only to defeat you."
. "What's the matter, dear?" asked he doctor. "Have you been
dreaming?"
. "Perhaps so; but I'm going to church if I get to my seat just in
time for the the benediction. I'll cheat Satan from this day out of
one empty seat." She has kept her word, and influenced many others to
let nothing trifling keep them from God's house; and one "downtown"
church has begun to grow, and will soon be a great power for God,
because of no "empty seats."
FAITH PRAYER AND TRACT LEAGUE
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
Computers for Christ - Chicago
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DOES THIS RAILROAD LEAD TO HEAVEN?
As told by Pastor F.M. Dosh
. This is a true story taken from the 1894 edition of "Touching
Incidents And Remarkable Answers To Prayer." As you'll see, this
wonderful story seems to speak to adults as well as to children. It's
easy to see why Jesus urged the disciples to "Permit the little
children to come to Me, for to such as these belongs the kingdom of
heaven." (Luke 18:16)
. In traveling we often meet with people of different nationalities
and languages. We also come across various incidents, some sorrowful,
and others joyful. I recently witnessed one of the most joyful
incidents while traveling on the railroad.
. The train was going west, and it was evening. At a station a
little girl about eight years old came aboard, carrying a little purse
under her arm. She came into my car and quickly took a seat. She
then began to study each face, but all were strange to her. She
appeared weary, and using her purse for a pillow, she laid down on the
seat to try to get a little sleep.
. Soon the conductor came along collecting tickets and fare.
Observing him, she asked him if she could lie there. The gentlemanly
conductor replied that she could, and then kindly asked for her
ticket. She informed him that she didn't have one, and then I
overheard the following conversation.
. Said the conductor: "Where are you going?"
. "I'm going to heaven," she answered.
. "Who's paying your fare?" he asked.
. She said, "Mister, does this railroad lead to heaven, and does
Jesus travel on it?"
. "I don't think so," he answered. "Why did you think that?"
. "Why, sir, before my mommy died she used to sing to me about a
heavenly railroad, and you looked so nice and kind that I thought this
was the railroad. My mommy used to sing about Jesus on the heavenly
railroad, and that He paid the fare for everybody, and that the train
stopped at every station to take people on board. My mom doesn't sing
to me anymore. Nobody sings to me now, and I thought I'd take the
train and go see my mommy. Mister, do you sing to your little girl
about the railroad that goes to heaven? You have a little girl, don't
you?"
. With tears in his eyes, he replied, "No, my dear, I have no
little girl now. I had one once, but she died some time ago and went
to heaven."
. Did she go over this railroad, and are you going to see her now?"
she asked.
. By this time every person in the coach was upon their feet, and
most of them were weeping. An attempt to describe what I witnessed is
almost impossible. Some said, "God bless this little girl."
. Overhearing someone say that she was an angel, the little girl
earnestly replied, "Yes, my mommy used to say that I would be an angel
some day."
. Addressing herself once more to the conductor, she asked him, "Do
you love Jesus? I do, and if you love Him, He will let you ride to
heaven on His railroad. I'm going there, and I wish you would go with
me. I know Jesus will let me into heaven when I get there, and He
will let you in too, and everybody that will ride on His railroad -
yes, all these people. Wouldn't you like to see heaven, and Jesus,
and your little girl?"
. These words, so pathetically and innocently uttered, brought a
great gush of tears from all eyes, but most profusely from those of
the conductor. Some who were already traveling on the heavenly
railroad shouted aloud for joy.
. She now asked the conductor, "Mister, may I lie here until we get
to heaven?"
. "Yes, dear, yes," he answered.
. "Will you wake me up when we get there so that I can see my
mommy, and your little girl, and Jesus?" she asked. "I so much want
to see them all."
. His answer came in broken phrases, but in words very tenderly
spoken, "Yes, dear angel, yes. God bless you." "Amen!" was sobbed by
more than a score of voices.
. Turning her eyes once more upon the conductor, she questioned him
again, "What should I tell your little girl when I see her? Should I
tell her that I saw her daddy on Jesus' railroad? Should I?"
. This brought a fresh flood of tears from all present, and the
conductor knelt by her side and, embracing her, wept the reply he
could not utter. At this point the brakeman called out the name of
another station. The conductor got up and asked the brakeman to take
care of his duty for him at that station, for he was busy.
. That was a precious place. I thank God that I was a witness to
this scene, and I was sorry that at that point I was obliged to leave
the train.
THE SEQUEL
(A letter from the conductor to Pastor Dosh)
Dear Pastor Dosh,
. I wish to unburden my heart by writing to you and saying that
that angel visit on the train was a blessing to me, although I didn't
realize it in its fullness until some hours later. But blessed be the
Redeemer, I know now that I am His and He is mine. I no longer wonder
why Christians are happy. Oh, my joy, my joy!
. The instrument of my salvation has gone to be with God. I wanted
to adopt her in the place of my little daughter, who is now in heaven,
and with this intention I took her back to her hometown, where she
left the train.
. When I talked with my wife about adopting her, she replied, "Yes,
certainly, and immediately too, for there is a Divine providence in
this. Oh, "she said, "I could never refuse to take under my charge
the instrument of my husband's salvation."
. When I returned to the town where I had left the little girl, I
asked about her and learned that in just three days after her return
she died suddenly, without any apparent disease, and her happy soul
had gone to dwell with her mother, my little girl, and the angels in
heaven.
. I was sorry to hear of her death, but my sorrow is turned to joy
when I think that my daughter in heaven received word from earth
concerning her daddy, and that he is on the heavenly railway. Oh!
sir, I think I see my little girl near the Redeemer. I think I hear
her sing, "I'm safe at home, and daddy and mommy are coming." I find
myself sending back the reply, "Yes, my darling, we are coming and
will soon be there." Oh, my dear sir, I am so glad that I know you!
May the blessing of the great God rest upon you. Please write to me,
and be assured I would be most happy to meet you again.
. We learn many things from this incident. "From the mouth of
infants and nursing babes Thou has established strength ..." (Psalm
8:2) Not only should we never be afraid to speak out for Jesus, no
matter where we are, but we should never give up praying for the
salvation of those we love. The conductor's wife was obviously a
godly woman who must have been praying for her husband's salvation.
It looks like God honored her prayers with a visit from this "little
angel" who came in love, boldness, and with a word from the Lord about
the conductor's daughter. The right word at the right time is a
mighty tool in the hand of God.
The Last Days Newsletter.
Box 40, Lindale, Tx. 75771-0040
Computers for Christ - Chicago
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The Emperor's Three Questions
(By Leo Tolstoy)
. One day it occurred to a certain emperor that if he only knew the
answers to three questions, he would never stray in any matter.
. 1. What is the best time to do each thing?
. 2. Who are the most important people to work with?
. 3. What is the most important thing to do at all times?
. The emperor issued a decree throughout his kingdom announcing
that whoever could answer the questions would receive a great reward.
Many who read the decree made their way to the palace at once, each
person with a different answer.
. In reply to the first question, one person advised that the
emperor make up a thorough time schedule, consecrating every hour,
day, month and year for certain tasks and then follow the schedule to
the letter. Only then could he hope to do every task at the right
time.
. Another person replied that it was impossible to plan in advance
and that the emperor should put all vain amusements aside and remain
attentive to everything in order to know what to do at what time.
. Someone else insisted that, by himself, the emperor could never
hope to have all the foresight and competence necessary to decide when
to do each and every task, and what he really needed was to set up a
Council of the Wise and then to act according to their advice.
. Someone else said that certain matters require immediate decision
and could not wait for consultation, but if he wanted to know in
advance what was going to happen he should consult magicians and
soothsayers.
. The responses to the second question also lacked accord.
. One person said that the emperor needed to place all his trust in
administrators, another urged reliance on priests and monks, while
others recommended physicians. Still others put their faith in
warriors.
. The third question drew a similar variety of answers.
. Some said science was the most important pursuit. Others
insisted on religion. Yet others claimed the most important thing was
military skill.
. The emperor was not pleased with any of the answers, and no
reward was given.
. After several nights of reflection, the emperor resolved to visit
a hermit who lived on a mountain and was said to be an enlightened
man. The emperor wished to find the hermit to ask him the three
questions, though he knew the hermit never left the mountains and was
known to receive only the poor, refusing to have anything to do with
persons of wealth or power. So the emperor disguised himself as a
simple peasant and ordered his attendants to wait for him at the foot
of the mountain while he climbed the slope alone to seek the hermit.
. Reaching the holy man's dwelling place, the emperor found the
hermit digging a garden in front of his hut. When the hermit saw the
stranger, he nodded his head in greeting and continued to dig. The
labor was obviously hard on him. He was an old man, and each time he
thrust his spade into the ground to turn the earth, he heaved heavily.
. The emperor approached him and said, "I have come here to ask
your help with three questions: When is the best time to do each
thing? Who are the most important people to work with? What is the
most important thing to do at all times?"
. The hermit listened attentively but only patted the emperor on
the shoulder and continued digging. The emperor said, "You must be
tired. Here, let me give you a hand with that." The hermit thanked
him, handed the emperor the spade, and then sat down on the ground to
rest.
. After he had dug two rows, the emperor stopped and turned to the
hermit and repeated his three questions. The hermit still did not
answer, but instead stood and pointed to the spade and said, "Why
don't you rest now? I can take over again." But the emperor
continued to dig. One hour passed, then two. Finally the sun began
to set behind the mountain. The emperor put down the spade and said
to the hermit, "I came here to ask if you could answer my three
questions. But if you can't give me any answer, please let me know so
that I can get on my way home."
. The hermit lifted his head and asked the emperor, "Do you hear
someone running over there?" The emperor turned his head. They both
saw a man with a long white beard emerge from the woods. He ran
wildly, pressing his hands against a bloody wound in his stomach. The
man ran toward the emperor before falling unconscious to the ground,
where he lay groaning. Opening the man's clothing, the emperor and
hermit saw that the man had received a deep gash. The emperor cleaned
the wound thoroughly and then used his own shirt to bandage it, but
the blood completely soaked it within minutes. He rinsed the shirt
out and bandaged the wound a second time and continued to do so until
the flow of blood had stopped.
. At last the wounded man regained consciousness and asked for a
drink of water. The emperor ran down to the stream and brought back a
jug of fresh water. Meanwhile, the sun had disappeared and the night
air had begun to turn cold. The hermit gave the emperor a hand in
carrying the man into the hut where they laid him down on the hermit's
bed. The man closed his eyes and lay quietly. The emperor was worn
out from a long day of climbing the mountain and digging the garden.
Leaning against the doorway, he fell asleep. When he rose, the sun
had already risen over the mountain. For a moment he forgot where he
was and what he had come here for. He looked over to the bed and saw
the wounded man also looking around him in confusion. When he saw the
emperor, he stared at him intently and then said in a faint whisper,
"Please forgive me."
. "But what have you done that I should forgive you?" the emperor
asked.
. "You do not know me, your majesty, but I know you. I was your
sworn enemy, and I had vowed to take vengeance on you, for during the
last war you killed my brother and seized my property. When I learned
that you were coming alone to the mountain to meet the hermit, I
resolved to surprise you on your way back and kill you. But after
waiting a long time there was still no sign of you, and so I left my
ambush in order to seek you out. But instead of finding you, I came
across your attendants, who recognized me, giving me this wound.
Luckily, I escaped and ran here. If I hadn't met you I would surely
be dead by now. I had intended to kill you, but instead you saved my
life! I am ashamed and grateful beyond words. If I live, I vow to be
your servant for the rest of my life, and I will bid my children and
grandchildren to do the same. Please grant me you forgiveness."
. The emperor was overjoyed to see that he was so easily reconciled
with a former enemy. He not only forgave the man but promised to
return all the man's property and to send his own physician and
servants to wait on the man until he was completely healed. After
ordering his attendants to take the man home, the emperor returned to
see the hermit. Before returning to the place the emperor wanted to
repeat his three questions one last time. He found the hermit sowing
seeds in the earth they had dug the day before.
. The hermit stood up and looked at the emperor. "But your
questions have already been answered."
. "How's that?" the emperor asked, puzzled.
. "Yesterday, if you had not taken pity on my age and given me a
hand with digging these beds, you would have been attacked by that man
on your way home. Then you would have deeply regretted not staying
with me. Therefore the most important time was the time you were
digging in the beds, the most important person was myself, and the
most important pursuit was to help me."
. "Later, when the wounded man ran up here, the most important time
was the time you spent dressing his wound, for if you had not cared
for him he would have died and you would have lost the chance to be
reconciled with him. Likewise, he was the most important person, and
the most important pursuit was taking care of his wound."
. "Remember that there is only one important time and that is now.
The present moment is the only time over which we have dominion. The
most important person is always the person you are with, who is right
before you, for who knows if you will have dealings with any other
person in the future? The most important pursuit is making the person
standing at your side happy, for that alone is the pursuit of life."
Computers for Christ - Chicago
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THE WAITING EAGLE
. The following is the content of a sermon that I listened to a
couple of weeks ago on television. I can't remember the preacher, but
the message was loud and clear. His use of the eagle in the example
to follow has many hidden meanings. How many can you think of?
. A young man was out hiking in Canada along the bank of a fast
flowing river. Large blocks and chunks of still-solid ice were
breaking away from the shoreline and slowly moving out into the fast
flowing water in the center of the river. Many insects and a few
small animals occasionally drifted out into the river perched atop the
blocks of ice, to be swept off into the distance and out of sight of
the watcher.
. As he walked along, getting closer and closer to the rapids and
the waterfall that he could hear in the distance, the young man
noticed an eagle circling in the sky. It swooped down close to a
piece of ice floating out in the middle, but did not quite touch the
ice. It was then that the young man noticed something small and fuzzy
scurrying around on the ice that the eagle had just dived at.
. As he walked along watching, the eagle made a couple more dives
at the little creature on the ice. Finally, the eagle came to land on
the edge of the block of ice, quickly capturing and killing his prey.
The eagle must have been very hungry as he did not take off, but
proceeded to start eating the little creature, glancing up from time
to time watching the ice's progress towards the now close rapids and
falls.
. At the top of a hill, the path the young man was following veered
off away from the river. Quickly, the man climbed a large rock which
gave him an excellent view of the river, the falls and the eagle still
riding the block of ice.
. Still the eagle stood on the edge of the ice eating. It looked
up again and again, evidently judging the time left before the ice
went over the edge of the falls. Surely, thought the young man, it
must take off now, but the eagle was waiting till the last minute
enjoying the now almost finished meal.
. Finally, the eagle decided that it was time to leave. But flap
as much as it would, the eagle could not leave the ice! It would
appear as though while the eagle had been riding the block of ice
eating and watching for the falls, waiting till the last possible
moment to make his escape, its feet had melted the ice then become
re-frozen, welding him permanently in place.
. The eagle flapped and flapped, feathers flying, literally beating
its wings to a pulp. But to no avail. As it went over the edge, the
scream it made sent shivers up the back of the young man watching from
the rock. It sounded just like the scream of a woman in agony as she
plunged to her death.
. The point of the story is that the eagle, just like so many
people, kept watching the future approaching but choose to wait until
the absolute last moment to make a decision (as so very many wait all
of their lives knowing that they will have eternal life if they accept
and walk with Jesus, but try to put it off till the last possible
moment). The eagle, like so many "future watchers", lost.
. Are you waiting till the last possible moment, watching the falls
approaching? Do you really want to take that chance and miss being
able to live eternally? Jesus is waiting for you to ask him into your
heart today. A whole new world can be yours for the asking if only
you'll accept Him as your Lord and Savior. If you have been waiting
and watching but are now convinced that you want to make the right
choice while you still have time, then pray the following prayer and
ask Jesus into your life. DO IT NOW!
. "Dear Father, I know that I am a sinner and need forgiveness. I
believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins. I am willing to turn from
sin. I now invite Jesus to come into my heart and life as my personal
Savior. I am willing, by God's grace, to follow and obey Jesus Christ
as the Lord of my life."
Jim Lewis, The Light BBS, (904) 625-2737
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23rd PSALM FOR BUSY PEOPLE
The Lord is my Pacesetter, I will not rush.
He makes me stop and rest for quiet intervals.
He provides me with stillness, which restores my serenity.
He leads me in ways of efficiency, through calmness of mind;
and His guidance is peace.
Even though I have a great many things to accomplish each day,
I will not fret, for His presence is here.
His timelessness, His all-importance will keep me in balance.
He prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of my activity
By anointing my mind with His oils of tranquillity.
My cup of joyous energy overflows.
Surely harmony and effectiveness shall be the fruits of my hours,
And I shall walk in the peace of the Lord for ever.
Toki Miyashina
Computers for Christ - Chicago
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PATHWAYS
A short story by Bob Sadler
. It was a brisk autumn night, nothing was happening (as usual), so
I decided to go check out what the Parks Department had planned for
the evening. You see, I was attending a family reunion in the
Southeast corner of Iowa, in a small town called Keosaqua. Just by
the name, you should realize that the excitement for this town, was
driving around a make believe square, in a hot rod or your fathers
tractor, whichever happened to be running. The parks department had a
night nature walk planned.
. Well, I decided that I could use the walk, and might even enjoy
seeing Lake Keosaqua at night, I mean it had to look better than in
the day. Anyway, I went on ahead to the Rangers office where everyone
was supposed to meet. When I had gotten there, to my surprise, there
were about twenty people waiting as I was now, to enjoy this brisk
walk in the cool Autumn air. The ranger showed up about five minutes
late, and checked out a fluorescent lantern to everybody, and then we
were off.
. We walked for awhile, all of us undoubtedly enjoying the quiet of
the evening. We came along to a fork in the path, and the ranger
abruptly stopped and turned to us and said, "This is as far as I will
lead you. From here on out, you must make your own choices." He sat
down on a log that had been conveniently left for him, and he began to
whistle silently, watching all the faces of the now confused and
shocked people.
. I decided to check out the situation, so I took a step towards
both paths, and looking down the left side of the path I could see
that this path was wide and well kept. Trees lined both sides and
everywhere, for as far as you could see, people were laughing and
having a good time. A few people who had come along on the walk, had
already started walking down this path. As they made their way
further and further down the path, I noticed that everyone on this
path came running towards them and screaming at them to put out their
lights. Each time someone would dim their light, a loud cheer arose
from the people who were on that path. Then I noticed something that
was before hidden by the darkness, there was a large pile of lanterns
in the middle of the path, it was higher than the eye could see. I
shook my head in wonderment, and began to look down the path on the
right.
. This was a narrow path, and although it held great beauty, there
were rocks scattered throughout the way, making it difficult for the
people to walk. Unlike the people on the first path I saw, the people
on this path carried their lamps and used them to light the way, not
only for themselves, but also for others following. And as before, a
few that were on the walk, had begun down this path, and those who
were already on this path, came rushing back to greet the newcomers,
and helped them along the way.
. Reflecting back on what I'd seen, I could feel a sense of unity
in those who were walking down the narrow path, and at the same time,
I could feel a sense of loneliness among those walking down the wide
path. Finally, I began my journey.
. People rushed towards me and as I got closer, one reached out and
hugged me. He showed me how to properly hold my lamp so it would give
out the most light to myself and others who happened to be following
me. He helped me along, accepting no thanks, and helped me over the
first few rocks, and even picked me up when I fell, and helped brush
me off. Not only was he watching out for me, but I could also see the
ranger that had led the group to the path, was now walking down this
path. As he passed me, he looked into my eyes, and said, "I love
you." I thought this to be a bit strange, but enjoyed the attention I
was receiving, I thanked him, and returned the saying.
. A little way further down the path, was a commotion. I rushed to
see what was happening, and there, about fifty feet in front of the
group, was a pack of wild wolves. Suddenly, the ranger appeared out
of nowhere, and without caring for his own safety, he charged the
wolves screaming. Most of the pack was so startled, that they ran
off. But one, who looked as big as a lion, wasn't too scared. He
leaped towards the ranger, and with one swipe of his large paw, he
killed the ranger. We sat still for a moment, as the wolf examined
his kill. Satisfied with what he'd done, the wolf walked off growling
assuredly. We rushed to where the ranger was, and confirmed what was
originally thought. I don't know why, but I felt a strange sense
about this loss, maybe it was that he'd been nice to me when passing,
and all I did was just to return his niceties with words.
. A group of people got together and buried the ranger, and we who
had started down the path, began our walk back. The path seemed to
get rockier and more precarious. When suddenly, the front of the
group stopped. I went ahead to see what the problem was, and before I
arrived, my lantern had gone out. I stumbled trying to find my way in
darkness, but finally reached the front of the group. As expected, I
found the reason for our stop was because everyone's lamp had gone
out. I stood there, and began to cry, trying to reason within myself
why I had chosen this path. I could see the other path now as I
looked to my left, and even a crossway. Everyone on that path kept
walking and talking as if nothing was wrong. They seemed to be used
to the darkness. Others from the group called out to them, and
proceeded to switch paths for the lack of safety. I sat and wondered
how it could be that they, on the other path, could see without having
trouble. I looked up and saw the man that had greeted me at the first
part of the path. He smiled and said, "Have faith friend, help will
come soon." I almost laughed out loud, but could see in his eyes that
he wasn't joking. I wondered what could happen, what could possibly
save us. I thought if only the ranger was here, he could surely lead
us, why he must have walked this path a thousand times, he could
probably do it in his sleep.
. Without warning, a voice whispered in my ear, "Take my hand" it
said. I tried to turn and see who was talking but could not. I sat
for what seemed like a lifetime, before I decided there wasn't much
else that I could do. I reached out, not knowing where I was
reaching, and felt a hand, strong and yet gentle. I felt this
strangers hand grasp mine, and he said, "I will lead you out of this
darkness." And he began to walk. I walked with him, trying
desperately to see who he was, but could not. Then I noticed that
someone else was holding onto my other hand, I looked back and saw the
group connected by their hands, following the stranger as I was.
. We walked for what seemed like days, and then I could feel we
were walking up a slant. It got progressively harder and harder to
walk up this unknown ground, and I could hear people giving up as we
walked. I whispered to the stranger who was leading, "Can't we stop,
so those who are having trouble can catch up with us?" He replied in
a loving, but firm voice, "They have made their choice, and now must
live with it." Immediately I realized that I had heard that voice
before, but it was impossible, it couldn't have been, but it sounded
so much like that of the ranger's.
. Suddenly I looked up and saw a light shining over the mountain
that we were climbing, although, no matter how hard I tried, I still
couldn't make out the face of the one that had taken my hand. When we
reached the top of the mountain, I looked back, and gave a hand to
those who were still behind me. When we were all at the mountain top,
with the sun blazing down on us, the man who had lead us out of the
darkness, turned and said to us, "Welcome, to my paradise." I could
hardly believe what I saw. It was him, the ranger had somehow come
back to life, and lead us out of the danger. I just couldn't believe
it. Then I remembered what he had said as he passed me on the path, I
began to cry. The ranger walked up to me and asked why I was crying.
I couldn't look into his eyes, and with my face buried in my hands, I
said, "I love you too!" There was no response so I looked up and saw
the ranger crying too. He said to me, "You don't know how long I have
waited for you to say that, and mean it in your heart."
. We all began to journey into the paradise of the ranger, when I
looked to my left. I saw those on the other path, who were being led
into what seemed to be like a roaring furnace. I called to the ranger
and said, "What is going on, why are they being lead into that thing?"
The ranger with tears in his eyes, said, "They chose to walk that
path. I made that path for someone other than they, and even along
the path gave them warning signs as to what lies ahead, but they
refused to listen, they refused to believe. The one that leads them,
he mocks me, and tells them that I will not harm them, and I was the
one who put them on that path. They couldn't realize for themselves,
that it was not I who chose for them, but themselves. And now, it is
not I who am sending them there, but it is their own selfish desires
that have led them there. But this is not the day of sadness for
them, because they have yet to realize the beauty and love that I
beheld for them. For a day will come, when I will call all of them up
to me, and they will stand before me, and answer as to why they chose
the way they chose. Then they will see the truth in their actions.
They will no longer deny their thoughts, they will see that it was
they, not me, who chose their final resting place."
. I cried out in anguish, and started back down the mountain,
trying to make my way back to the front of the path. The ranger
stopped me, and said, "It is not up to you to force people down this
path. You can go back and help those who have been discouraged, but
you cannot make the choice for them. You must let them make that
choice for themselves. This is the only way, that I will know that
they truly love me."
. My head was pounding when I awoke, people were standing over me,
with a relived look upon their faces. A man in a Ranger's uniform
stood over me with a wet cloth, "Sorry 'bout hitting your head with
that door, didn't know anybody was that anxious in getting started."
I reached up and felt the lump now growing on my head. I tried to
stand, and with the help of a couple of people was able to catch my
balance. The ranger came over to me, and looking into my eyes asked
how I was. I fought to no avail to hide the tears in my eyes. I
looked at the ranger and smiled, "Thanks," I said, "thanks for helping
when I really needed it." He smiled, and winked, "Anything to help a
friend."
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THE BURGLAR
. Ted Vogel says the burglar was cruising through one of our posh
suburbs looking for a target of opportunity. At one house he saw a
truck unloading a big screen television, stereo, and video outfit. All
the gear had to cost thousands of dollars. He made a mental note and
went on his way.
. The next day he was back in the same neighborhood. When he
drove past the house with all the goodies, he saw an elderly couple
loading suitcases into the trunk of their car. He could hardly wait.
. That night, without a moon in the sky and a heavy fog, he drove
up to the house. He rang the doorbell and when no one answered, broke
the lock on the kitchen door and went in.
. It was pitch black inside as he made his way through the
kitchen, then the dining room and into the den where he expected to
find the things he wanted to steal.
. "I see you and Jesus sees you," a voice said.
. The burglar froze in his tracks.
. "I see you and Jesus sees you," the voice said again.
. When nothing more happened, the burglar took out his flashlight
and shinned it in the direction of the voice. All he saw was a parrot
on its perch.
. "I see you and Jesus sees you."
. The burglar laughed.
. "Just a dumb bird," he said.
. The burglar closed the drapes before turning on a lamp and
that's when he saw a big and mean looking Doberman Pinscher sitting
beneath the parrot's perch.
. "Sic him, Jesus!" the parrot said.
(Milwaukee Journal--by Alex Thien)
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'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE JESUS CAME
'Twas the night before Jesus came and all through the house,
Not a creature was praying, not one in the house.
Their Bibles were lain on the shelf without care,
In hopes that Jesus would not come there.
The children were dressing to crawl into bed,
Not one ever kneeling or bowing a head.
And Mom in her rocker with baby on her lap,
Was watching the Late Show while I took a nap.
When out of the East there arose such a clatter,
I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash!
When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But angels proclaiming that Jesus was here.
With a light like the sun sending forth a bright ray,
I knew in a moment this must be THE DAY!
The light of His face made me cover my head,
It was Jesus returning just like He had said.
And though I possessed worldly wisdom and wealth,
I cried when I saw Him in spite of myself.
In the Book of Life which He held in His hand,
Was written the name of every saved man.
He spoke not a word as He searched for my name;
When He said "It's not here" my head hung in shame.
The people whose names had been written with love,
He gathered to take to His Father above.
With those who were ready He rose without a sound,
While all the rest were left standing around.
I fell to my knees, but it was too late,
I had waited too long and thus sealed my fate.
I stood and I cried as they rose out of sight;
Oh, if only I had been ready tonight.
In the words of this poem the meaning is clear,
The coming of Jesus is drawing near.
There's only one life and when comes the last call,
We'll find that the Bible was true after all!
(author unknown)
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A GAGGLE OF GEESE AND THE BODY OF CHRIST
OR
REFLECTIONS ON THE COMMUNITY OF THE SPIRIT
By Calvin Culver
. As I was walked to work recently I heard above me a sound which,
for the past several months, has been absent from our skies - the
honking of geese flying overhead. I stopped to watch as their
formation flew by over me when it occurred to me that we could take a
lesson from these birds on the nature of discipleship. What, one may
ask, does a flock of birds have to do with the Body of Christ? Let me
start by asking this: why do geese fly in a V-formation? Well, as
most people probably know, such a formation helps tremendously to
decrease drag due to air resistance. This, especially on long
migratory flights, enables the geese to travel long distances before
tiring. Apart and by himself, a lone goose could probably never fly
the long route from summer home to winter haven and back again.
Together, however, a flock of geese can accomplish what is impossible
for one alone.
. At the head of the formation is, of course, the leader. Though I
know not the ways of geese, how they select their leaders, I would
speculate that the chosen is one who is strong enough to take the
brunt of the headwind while his fellows ride his draft, and in
addition is perhaps one who has traveled the road before. He rides at
the head while his flock follows, and guides them along the long and
difficult journey.
. Such then is the nature of our journeys in Christ; we seek not to
follow Christ alone, irrespective of our brothers and our leaders, for
then what would we have but a horde of geese all jostling and shoving,
trying to assume the position immediately behind the leader. Instead,
Paul wrote, "Follow me as I follow Christ."
. We may also see something of the nature of the Church here. For,
as I looked at the geese flying overhead I saw, not thirty-five or so
geese in the sky, but a diamond formation, moving in unison. To be
sure, there were individual geese in the formation but what I saw was,
above all, a flock. This, I believe, illustrates a facet of the
nature of the Church. We - modern, Western man - see the society
around us through our individualistic metaphysic; that is, the nature
of society is that it is nothing more, nor less, than a collection of
individuals. Concepts of such things as societal consciousness or
one's responsibility to society are next to unknown, having been
replaced by concepts of the sovereignty of the individual.
. Yet this was not always so. Medieval thought, for example,
tended to elevate society above individual, and it was almost
axiomatically held that an individual could not be fully realized
without acceptance and fulfillment of that niche to which society had
assigned him. This could be called an extreme form of societal, as
opposed to individualistic, metaphysic.
. The nature of the Church, I believe, lies somewhere in between
these extremes - in a sort of communal nature. It is certainly more
than a mere collection of individual Christians, yet neither do the
individualities of its members get subsumed in its whole. Still,
there is something of a communal nature to the Church that we, with
our Western individualism, have failed to recognize. Thus, for
example, it seems to me that, as the Roman Catholic church has
declared, there is no salvation outside the Church. Not, indeed, in a
narrow sense which would define the Catholic - or any other - church
as the one true Church, but in that God mediates his salvation through
the body of Christ. Hence, the logical order of events at one's
conversion is that he is first joined to the Church and then bestowed
with salvation. No one is truly saved who is not a member of the
Church.
. Again, it is in this sense that Scripture declares that we are
the temple of the Holy Spirit. That is, the Body of Christ is the
temple in which the Spirit of Christ has chosen to dwell. And again,
when declaring that "the kingdom of God is within (among) you",
Scripture announces that it is within the Body that God has
established his rule. It is our responsibility, as members of that
Body, to demonstrate to the world what is the nature of that kingdom.
And it is within this framework, as members of the true Flock, that we
are called to follow one another, as each of us seeks to follow
Christ.
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What is God?
. For a written class assignment, a third grade teacher asked her
students to explain "God". This is one perspicacious response from
Danny Dutton, who attends the First Christian Church of Chula Vista.
Danny is eight years old.
. "One of God's main jobs is making people. He makes these to put
in place of the ones that die so there will be enough people to take
care of things here on earth. He doesn't make grownups. Just babies.
I think because they are smaller and easier to make. That way He
doesn't have to take up His valuable time teaching them to talk and
walk. He can just leave that up to the mothers and fathers. I think
it works out pretty good.
. God's second most important job is listening to prayers. An
awful lot of this goes on, as some people, like preachers and things,
pray other times besides bedtime. God doesn't have time to listen to
the radio or T.V. on account of this. As He hears everything, not
only prayers, there must be a terrible lot of noise going into His
ears unless He has thought of a way to turn it off.
. God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere.
Which keeps Him pretty busy. So you shouldn't go wasting His time by
going over your parents head and ask for something they said you
couldn't have.
. Atheists are people who don't believe in God. I don't think
there are any in Chula Vista. At least there aren't any who come to
our church.
. Jesus is God's Son. He used to do all the hard work like walking
on water and doing miracles and trying to teach people about God who
didn't want to learn. They finally got tired of Him preaching to them
and they crucified Him. But He was good and kind like His Father and
He told His Father that they didn't know what they were doing and to
forgive them and God said ok. His Dad (God) appreciated everything He
had done and all His hard work on earth, so He told Him He didn't have
to go out on the road anymore. He could stay in heaven. So He did.
And now He helps His Dad out by listening to prayers and seeing which
things are important for God to take care of and which ones He can
take care of Himself without having to bother God with. Like a
secretary, only more important, of course. You can pray anytime you
want and they are sure to hear you because they've got it worked out
so one of them is on duty all the time.
. You should always go to Sunday School because it makes God happy,
and if anybody you want to make happy, it's God. Don't skip Sunday
School to do something you think will be more fun like going to the
beach. That is wrong. And beside the sun doesn't come out at the
beach until noon anyway.
. If you don't believe in God, besides being an Atheist, you will
be very lonely, because your parents can't go everywhere with you like
to camp, but God can. It's good to know He's around when you're
scared of the dark or when you can't swim very good and you get thrown
in real deep water by big kids. But you shouldn't think always of
what God can do for you. I figure God put me here and He can take me
back anytime He pleases. And that's why I believe in God."
. Taken from a paper published by the First Christian Church. 305
W. California Ave. Vista, CA 92083-3595
Contributed by The Manna System
(714)-532-6310
300/1200 Baud
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Are You In The Dark?
. Matthew 10:27 -- "What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light;
and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops."
. Semi-official notice: Christianity does not consist in a continuous
experience of victory, light and joy. Sometimes it's pretty dark out.
. "What? Do you blaspheme the noble theology of success?" No, just facing
facts: at times I don't feel so great and full of light, and I think that at
least once in a while there is a legitimate reason behind it.
. I don't think that the Lord wants to protect us from all the unenjoyable
experiences and depressing times that life naturally tends to bring our way.
He does offer the grace to endure and come through them not having given up
faith and hope, but I believe also that he actually wills for us to go through
some dark times so that he can tell us something in the darkness. There are
things he wants us to learn and ways in which he wants us to grow and mature
that we can't fully receive except in times of hardness and difficulty.
. Is it sometimes dark in your life and you don't know why? If not, you're
either not normal or not being honest. But if so, remember: He IS with you,
although possibly incognito. He may be trying to reveal himself to you in a
new way ("What I tell you in darkness..."), to bring you into a greater depth
of maturity and faith. He is there, but the darkness makes it hard to see.
We need to be more spiritually sensitive, so we might hear when we can't see.
Maybe it's that sensitivity itself that he's trying to develop in us by
placing us in the dark.
. Have you heard something from Christ during a time of darkness? Have you
benefited and grown through difficult and depressing experiences? "That speak
ye in the light." After the darkness has passed and we are walking in the
light again, we need to remember that others also pass through the darkness
and can benefit from our empathy, understanding, comfort and help.
Charles Shelton
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Wrestling With God
. Genesis 32:24-26: "And Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him
until the breaking of the day ... then he said, 'Let me go, for the day is
breaking.' But Jacob said, 'I will not let you go, unless you bless me.'"
(RSV)
. Jacob's wrestling match with the angel at Peniel is, to me, a picture of
what he had been doing all his life -- wrestling with his conscience, with
God, and with the world around him. It started when he was born, when, as he
was coming from the womb he laid hold of his twin brother's heel, a portent of
his coming life and character. Later on in life he also laid hold of his
brother's birthright and his blessing. He was constantly trying to "supplant"
reality, to mold and conform it to his own will and desire, and he was often
successful, getting what he wanted.
. But as he grew older he became less and less satisfied with what he was --
Jacob. The name means supplanter, deceiver. In the context of the story
about wrestling with the angel, Jacob was preparing to meet his brother Esau,
whom he had "ripped off" in the past. He was being faced with the
consequences of his character, which served to reinforce the knowledge that he
was not the man that he wanted to be, not the man that he should be.
. Jacob's experience with the angel, who represented God more fully than
most angelic visitations, further reinforced his self-awareness to the point
of personal crisis. "What is your name?", the angel asked, giving Jacob a
chance to honestly face what he was like and confess it verbally, both to the
angel (and therefore also God) and to himself, which was even more important.
. Jacob had become serious enough, desperate enough about his need for
change that when he wrestled the angel he refused to let go until he had
received what he needed. "I will not let go, unless you bless me."
. But sometimes we can't change until we understand not only our need for
change, but also why we need to change. Therefore, he was led by the angel
(God) to the confession, "I am Jacob." I am a supplanter, deceiving myself
and those around me. This is what I am, and I need the blessing of an inward
change. And I am serious enough, desperate enough for such a change, that I
am going to hang on to you, God, whether it takes all night or the rest of my
life. I recognize that you can help, and I refuse to give up seeking until I
have received what I need.
. And the angel at THAT point renamed Jacob, signifying that God had granted
the change, the blessing. Jacob was renamed "Israel," one who has struggled
with God and won.
. God desires to make us all winners with Him. But often elements in our
lives and our characters hold us back from receiving the victory. We may need
to face up to these things, see them for what they are, confess them to
ourselves and to God, and decisively renounce them. As with Jacob, sometimes
it takes a crisis in our lives to bring us to the point of honesty with
ourselves and with God. We make excuses for ourselves, we rationalize and
play mind games to reduce the seriousness of our need, until a set of
circumstances might come along that strips it all away and forces us to see
the truth.
. And just as Jacob, we then have a choice: we can face the truth ("This is
what I am.") and seize the opportunity to wrestle with God for inward change,
or we can give up, turn and walk away, letting go and refusing to struggle
with it any longer. We can then go on with our pattern of rationalization and
playing games with our minds. And we can also therefore fail to reach our
full potential as human beings in His image.
. May God help us to seize Him, to overcome the struggle, and to refuse to
let go until we are blessed with real and significant change. "To him who
overcomes ... I will give to him ... a new name..." (Rev. 2:27)
Charles Shelton
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Shall We Bow Down?
. The story of the three children of Israel in the fiery furnace in the
third chapter of the Old Testament book of Daniel is rightly considered a
religious classic. It has had an enduring popularity and importance for those
of Jewish and Christian persuasions. It's also been a favorite passage for
exposition in pulpits as well as the inspiration for much religious art and
music.
. One of the major points that is often emphasized when the story is
brought to our attention (such as in a sermon) is God's miraculous deliverance
of those who were brave enough to be faithful to what they knew was right.
The three men had been tied up and thrown into a furnace of fire, but God sent
an angel to preserve and deliver them from death. A dramatic and remarkable
event, indeed.
. But one thing that especially impresses me each time I read this Biblical
passage is the statement of the three men in verses 17 and 18: "Our God is
able to deliver us ... but even if he doesn't we will not serve or worship
your gods." Even if he doesn't. They had received no promise from God for
deliverance. They were simply convinced about what was right and were willing
to stand for the right rather than bow down to the Babylonian idols even if it
meant for them a painful death. They had to buck the pressure of the crowd
("everybody" was doing it, why not them?), the governmental authority (I made
this image, and it's the law that you bow down to it!), and their own natural
desire for self-preservation. Although they were delivered in the end, they
weren't sure that they would be -- they were literally facing death, yet their
moral values were more important to them than their own temporal lives.
. It's easy to "stand up" for right when there's no cost involved. But
when the whole world around us is trying to squeeze us into its mold; when
resistance may cost us our reputation, our friends, our material goods, or
even our lives; it's then that we see the real strength of our inner
convictions and our commitment to act accordingly.
. Idols exist in abundance today in our own cultural environment. There
is the widespread worship of wealth and prosperity, the great god Mammon (it's
even written "In God We Trust" on the face of our currency). Many worship the
great god Nation ("It's my country, right or wrong."). And many desperately
crave the acceptance and respect of some "in" group, the great god Party.
. The reverence and respect of the majority for the idols of today creates
an intense pressure on us to conform to the common worship. For those who
resist such worship, the cost can be high. For those who develop a simple,
non-materialistic life-style; for those who take a critical stance toward the
wrongs and injustices they see in their government, their society, their
world; for those who realize that the acceptance and respect of the "in" group
is not worth seeking. But the one who wishes to live completely from God's
perspective should be prepared to pay the price, for "all who wish to live
godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." (II Timothy 3:12)
. It's not easy to stand against the idols of our society, especially when
so many Christians are bowing down around us. But how else will the idols be
seen for what they really are? God doesn't promise to always deliver us from
the cost, but to always give us the strength (if we really want it) to stand
up for the right rather than to bow down to false values and priorities.
Charles Shelton
Computers for Christ - Chicago
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Out of Context?
. John 3:16 -- "For God so loved the world that he gave his only
begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life."
. Over the years of my life (I'm close to 37 now, which I HATE to
realize) I have had quite a few friends and relatives die, some after
much pain and suffering. In times of suffering and death, especially
when seemingly good, innocent people are involved, some of us may
wonder (I know I often have) how God's love can be seen in the
situation. "If God is love, why did he allow my child to die?" "If
God loves me, why must I suffer this constant pain?" Some also wonder
about God's love when they think of the starving multitudes in Third
World nations. Why does he allow such suffering? How can he claim to
love someone and then sit by and watch them in excruciating life-long
pain, especially when he has the ability to stop that pain?
. To be honest, I am myself puzzled concerning the reasons behind
much of the apparent evil and suffering that I see or hear of in this
world. And some of the proposed solutions to the puzzle that I have
heard sound pretty shallow, and I imagine especially so to the one
faced with an actual situation of suffering.
. But I think that sometimes what aggravates the problem, making it
seem even worse than it already is, might be called an attempt to
"read" God's love out of context. Living in a culture that's
completely wrapped up in the concerns of this life, legitimate as
those concerns are, we can easily lose the "eternal perspective." We
tend to see things only within the context of this life, forgetting
that God's love in Christ is an eternal love, something that will find
its greatest fulfillment on the other side of this life, in the "life
to come."
. The Apostle Paul is aware of the eternal perspective when, in I
Corinthians 15, he speaks of the importance of faith in Christ's
resurrection. In verse 18 he says that if there is no resurrection,
then those who are dead in Christ have perished, which is the tragic
view of death and suffering from the perspective of this life alone.
He continues, "If it's only in this life that we have hope in Christ,
then we are the most miserable of all men." If this life is our only
evidence of God's love, then we ARE in pretty bad shape. "But now
Christ has risen from the dead, and he's only the first, for ... in
Christ all shall be made alive" (vv. 20,22). Thus, we are helped to
refrain from drawing hasty conclusions out of context, for when all of
this world's words have been spoken, we know that God has yet another
word. On that word we wait, trusting that it will put everything into
context. The atoning death of Christ on the cross ("For God so loved
the world that...") has given us this larger context.
. Surely, the eternal perspective should not be used as a cop-out
from our responsibility to be concerned with removing or reducing
suffering whenever and wherever we can, and of making the world a
better place for all to live in. But it can help us to understand,
when this life is unavoidably difficult, that suffering is never the
last word for those who live in the context of God's love.
Charles Shelton
Computers for Christ - Chicago
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AFRAID
. The state of being afraid is an emotion which all of us have
experienced at one time or another. It can manifest itself in many
ways to different people. What is this thing that can creep into our
life and take such complete control if left unchecked?
. There are two definitions which are related, yet quite different
in their applications. One is that on respectful awe and/or
reverence. This is the kind of fear referred to many times in
scripture when we are admonished to "fear God." This is a simple and
direct statement that we are to hold God in great respect. He is our
creator, our superior and is due all worship, adoration and praise.
. This definition of fear is different from the day to day usage of
the word. It involves amazement and wonder. It is a POSITIVE thing.
(I Peter 2:17) Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor
the king.
(Revelation 14:7) Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to
him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made
heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
(Revelation 19:5) And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise
our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and
great.
. Yes! There is trembling; there is a feeling of being scared when
we approach that infinite being which is so far beyond our limited
capacity to understand. But what hope is offered in that He will
remove all the false fears; He will make us joint heirs to all things;
He will, for those who seek Him, give the power to understand all
things. The reward is eternal joy, peace, and understanding.
(Isaiah 35:4) Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear
not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a
recompense; he will come and save you. How wonderful that we need not
be afraid of the unknown. God will come and save us from the basal,
worldly traps. He will come with a vengeance and a recompense? Yes,
a vengeance for evil (not men) and His reward for those that fear Him
and not the things of the world.
. Now let us consider the other definition. This is the one that
involves feelings of agitation and anxiety whenever there is presence
or nearness of danger, evil, pain, sudden loss, etc. When we fall into
the grip of fear, it produces an unparalleled emptiness. Our direction
and purpose is lost until the fear is conquered; until we have restored
control of our emotions.
. Our first recorded example, in scripture, of fear is in Genesis.
Fear makes its entrance into the world as a consequence of sin. After
Adam and Eve had eaten of the forbidden fruit, "... the man and his
wife heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden
in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees
of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, "Where are you?"
He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I
was naked; so I hid."(Genesis 3:8-10 NIV) As a result of sin, a brand
new emotion was born - anxiety - turmoil about what is to happen.
. Today there are many fears which we must face on a nearly daily
basis - our physical and mental health, our security in maintaining
ourselves and our families, fear of accident, on and on. Fears range
from personal, private matters to those of great worldwide social
consequence.
. There are times when fear is a healthy thing. There are things
that we should be afraid of for our own good - things that
realistically can harm us - standing in traffic, falling down stairs,
eating tainted food, touching a hot stove burner - these present a
real and present danger and to be unafraid of them is not only
unrealistic but stupid. A lack of fear in these situations is a
denial of being in the world, something we are advised to accept
during our temporary stay here, to be involved with living so that we
are the witness of the power of salvation. To exhibit a false lack of
fear of those things that can harm us is to be unrealistic in our
witness and to "tempt" God in trivial matters. Healthy fears protect
us. They are rational emotions that keep us from a self-destructive
path.
. Unhealthy fear produces mental states that allow fear to grow; to
envelope us completely - loss of ability to reason, depression, and
inaction, just to mention some. It's no wonder that the "Great
Deceiver" uses fear as one of his most effective tools. Right from the
Garden of Eden until the present, evil has been disguised to be
appealing to the temporal mind. When we succumb to the lure and become
aware of the deception fear takes over to sustain and widen the gulf
between the sin and the reality. MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT, THE
GREATEST DANGER OF FEAR IS THE POWER OF FEAR TO TAKE CONTROL OF OUR
MINDS AND OUR ACTIONS.
. I attended a company meeting recently where we listened to a
motivational speaker discuss mankind's general failure to effect
changes in its conditions. Fear was labeled as the greatest culprit.
Even though the speaker was referring only to earthly things, he
presented fear as an acronym which has good application in our
discussion here:
. False
. Evidence
. Appearing
. Real
. Exactly what Satan would have us believe! He is the great
deceiver! The illusion of reality can separate us from all control of
a situation. A powerful, downward spiral is created. Once control is
lost, error (sin) can then procreate itself, spreading to other things
and other situations.
. Very early in scripture, God promised relief from fear for those
who trust him. Clear back to Abraham we find:
(Genesis 15:1) After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram
in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy
exceeding great reward.
. And a little later, to Isaac:
(Genesis 26:24) And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and
said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee,
and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's
sake.
. Some of our greatest promises of comfort come in the Psalms:
(Psalms 23:4) Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff
they comfort me.
(Psalms 27:1) The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
(Psalms 27:3) Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall
not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be
confident.
(Psalms 31:13) For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every
side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take
away my life.
(Psalms 56:11) In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what
man can do unto me.
(Psalms 91:5) Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for
the arrow that flieth by day;
(Psalms 112:7) He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is
fixed, trusting in the LORD.
. And that familiar passage in Proverbs:
(Proverbs 3:24) When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea,
thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.
. Faith is the answer to fear. It is not an excuse for ignoring
adversity and hiding from reality, it is the God-given power to meet
fear and prove the falsehood of the situation and to conquer its power
over us. We have that promise stated many times in the Bible. It
WORKS!
. In the New Testament something new is added. We were given
access to the third part of the Trinity - The Holy Spirit. Often
referred to as The Comforter, we now have the very real presence of
God to sustain us in every facet of life. This is the wonder of the
Trinity. It is the ultimate result of faith - constant assurance of
the promises of God.
. The old hymn states the current status as well as any I have
found:
Oh, spread the tidings 'round, wherever man is found,
Wherever human hearts and human woes abound;
Let every Christian tongue proclaim the joyful sound:
The Comforter has come!
The long, long night is past, the morning breaks at last;
And hushed the dreadful wail and fury of the blast,
As o'er the golden hills the day advances fast!
The Comforter has come!
Lo, the great King of Kings, with healing in his wings,
To every captive soul a full deliv'rance brings;
And thro' the vacant cells the song of triumph rings:
The Comforter has come!
O boundless Love divine! How shall this tongue of mine
To wond'ring mortals tell the matchless grace divine -
That I, a child of hell, should in His image shine!
The Comforter has come!
Sing, till the echoes fly above the vaulted sky,
And all the saints above to all below reply,
In strains of endless love, the song that ne'er will die:
The Comforter has come!
Computers for Christ - Chicago
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THE GOSPEL OF
THE GRACE OF GOD
Dear friend,
. If you would take a few minutes and read this message from
the Word of God, it will show you how you can have all of your
sins completely forgiven by God Almighty--once and for all.
. But if reading this is making you uncomfortable, and you
would rather not face the truth about your sin problem, then just
throw it away. But remember: When you are burning in the Lake
of Fire and Brimstone for eternity because your sins were not
forgiven, you will remember this and the opportunity you had to
get them forgiven!
. Now I must start by telling you the bad news, otherwise you
will never appreciate the good news. Here is the bad news:
. "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God"
(Romans 3:23).
. One example of a sin is telling a lie. A lie is simply an
untrue statement. So when you told your first lie, you became a
liar. Therefore you are a sinner and you will be held
personally accountable to God. Almighty for every single sin you
have ever committed in word, thought or deed. You then will
receive exactly what you earned for your sins: DEATH!
. "For the WAGES of SIN is death..." (Romans 6:23).
. See the word wages? A wage is something that you earn. See
the word sin? Did you notice the word sin is singular?
Therefore, all it takes is one sin to earn you death.
. The reason that you will die physically one day is because
you are a sinner. This will be your first death. Than the split
second after you are dead, you soul will leave your body and you
will go down into the flames of HELL. After that, you will stand
before God Almighty to be JUDGED for all of the sins you have
committed in your lifetime.
. "And I saw a GREAT WHITE THRONE, and him that sat on
it...And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and
the books were opened...and the dead were JUDGED out of those
things which were written in the books, according to their
works" (Revelation 20:11,12).
. Then after you have been truthfully judged by God Almighty
and declared GUILTY, you then will receive your just punishment.
You will be cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone where you
will burn forever and ever!
. "...ALL LIARS, shall have their part in the lake which
burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the SECOND DEATH"
(Revelation 21:8).
. Just try to imagine the excruciating torment you will
suffer because of your sins not being forgiven. If you are
wondering how it will feel to be in the Lake of Fire, try holding
your hand in an open flame for just 10 seconds. Now imagine
spending ETERNITY in a Lake of Fire and Brimstone! You will
scream, wail and gnash your teeth. And worst of all, you will
have NO HOPE of ever getting out. Your punishment for eternity
will be to burn in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone FOREVER. This
will be your second death...THE DEATH OF YOUR SOUL! That's the
bad news.
. Now answer these two questions: Would you like to be saved
from the Lake of Fire? If your answer is yes, then you must get
ALL of your sins forgiven so that you don't go there.
. Next question: Would you like to have all of your sins
completely forgiven by God Almighty? If your answer is yes, the
Bible has some good news for you:
. "Being JUSTIFIED freely by his GRACE through the REDEMPTION
that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a
PROPITIATION..." (Romans 3:24,25).
. See the word justified? To be justified means to be
declared righteous as God Himself is righteous. See the word
grace? The grace of God is all that He is free to do for you.
And what the Lord Jesus Christ did at the Cross for you is called
redemption. That means He freed you from your sin debt by paying
the price for those sins, which is death. Therefore, when the
Lord Jesus Christ died for your sins on the Cross, He became a
propitiation for you. A propitiation is a fully satisfying
sacrifice. And the Lord Jesus Christ became that just for you:
a fully satisfying sacrifice to God Almighty for your sins.
. But all of this good news will not help you one bit if you
don't obey the next five words in the verse:
. "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a
propitiation THROUGH FAITH IN HIS BLOOD..." (Romans 3:24,25).
. The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ that was shed on the
Cross is the ONLY sacrifice that God will accept as payment for
your sins. So when the Word of God says you must put "faith in
his blood", that simply means to "make a decision in your heart
to trust completely and exclusively in the blood of the Lord
Jesus Christ as the total payment to God Almighty for your sins."
. My friend, even though you are guilty and worthy of death,
God Almighty DESIRES to save you! So if you want this free gift
of salvation, right now is your opportunity to receive it.
. At this time you have the responsibility of making a
decision. What are you going to trust in to have all of your
sins forgiven? If you don't want to burn in the Lake of Fire and
for all eternity, the ONLY choice you may have is to trust in the
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ as the payment to God Almighty for
your sins. I BEG YOU, make the decision right now to trust the
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Then as soon as you do, God
Almighty will forgive you all of your sins AND save you from
spending eternity in the Lake of Fire.
THE CHOICE IS NOW UP TO YOU...
. Well? What did you decide? If you have wisely decided to
trust only in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ as the total
payment to God Almighty for your sins, let me say to you on the
authority of the INFALLIBLE WORD OF God that all of your sins
have been completely forgiven AND you are now saved from the Lake
of Fire!
. "In whom (Christ) we have redemption through his blood, THE
FORGIVENESS OF SINS, according to the riches of his grace"
(Ephesians 1:7).
. "...having forgiven you ALL trespasses" (Colossians 2:13).
. "Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall
be SAVED FROM WRATH through Him" (Romans 5:9).
. Or, if you have foolishly decided not to trust the blood of
the Lord Jesus Christ, God Almighty has a question to ask you
. "And thinkest thou this, O man...that thou shalt ESCAPE the
judgment of God?" (Romans 2:3).
. Well? Do you really think that you will escape the
judgment of God? If you do, you are DEAD WRONG because the Word
of God says:
. "A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that
speaketh lies SHALL NOT ESCAPE" (Proverbs 19:5).
. My friend, wisely make that decision NOW, before it's too
late...
Marty Richling
Bolingbrook Bible Church
105 Talcott Court
Bolingbrook, IL 60439
Phone: (312) 739-7973
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A Visit From Heaven.
by:
Orlando Wiebe
'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the land
Every creature was stirring, as Caesar had planned;
A census was taken in which every soul
In the Empire of Rome must be placed on the roll.
Up from Galilee, out of Nazareth came
A pair which was Joseph and Mary be name;
To their city of birth which is called Bethlehem
They came as descendants of King David's stem.
There the days were accomplished that she should give birth
To a son who would reign as King o'er the earth.
She brought forth her first-born, and with her own hands
She wrapped the sweet Child in soft swaddling bands;
In a manger so lowly this life did begin,
Since there was no room for them in the inn.
In the country the shepherds abode in the field,
Keeping watch o'er their flock as in silence they kneeled
In the shadows of night, with their rods and their staves,
Having just settled down in the warmth of the caves,
When out of the sky there shone a great light
That filled the men's hearts with a terrible fright.
They sprang from the ground with a leap and a dash
To see what was causing this unearthly flash.
'Twas the glory of God shining down on the ground
With a halo of radiance on the sheep all around.
When, what to their questioning eyes should draw near,
But the angel of God with a message: "Don't fear!
For behold! I bring you good tidings of joy,
For all men and women, for each girl and boy;
For to you is born a Saviour this day,
In the city of David, as prophets did say."
Then suddenly with the bright angel appeared
A heavenly host, praising God as they cheered:
"To God in the highest may glory abound,
On earth peace, and good will to men all around."
Near at hand, far beyond, on the left, on the right,
The heavenly seraphs were poised in their flight.
Then as snowflakes before the fierce storm winds do fly,
Passing o'er the wide fields, soar up to the sky,
So up into heaven the angels they flew
Having given their message so wondrously new.
Then the shepherds declared with faces aglow:
"To the village of Bethlehem quickly let's go,
And see this great thing which has come to pass,
Which the Lord in this night has made known unto us."
There they found Joseph and Mary so mild,
And in the rough manger the dear little Child.
So when they had seen Him they made known abroad
The message as told by the angel of God.
The people they wondered at that which they heard
As told by the shepherds in angelic word;
But Mary, who knew all these things from the start,
Kept pondering this great event in her heart.
The shepherds returned giving glory and praise
To the God of their fathers, the Ancient of Days:
"To god in the highest may glory abound,
On earth peace, and good will to men all around."
(You can find this wonderful story in the Bible in the book written
by Matthew 1:18-25, 2:1-23, and the book written by Luke 2:1-52
the Good News BBS
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WHAT WAS THE COST OF YOUR SALVATION?
. When you think of God, what kind of image comes to mind? Far too
many people have a severely distorted image of God and it adversely
effects the way they relate to Him. Many see the Father as some kind
of old tyrant sitting on his big throne making tough laws that nobody
can obey perfectly and then getting angry over our failure, ready to
kill us any moment. When we envision Jesus, he is seen like a kind of
Jewish mother with chicken soup, always ready to protect us from the
ole' meanie and his bonger. Then there is the Holy Spirit, something
that is just kind of hovering around like a vapor doing something, but
few know quite what.
. While such confusing images are common to the world, it is
surprising how much of this kind of thinking is in the church.
Failure to properly discern the person of God is one of the basic
causes for failure to understand the nature and problem of sin. I
want to take a moment here to examine sin from God's perspective as
revealed in the Word of God.
. Jesus said that a wise man counts the cost of a thing before he
decides to proceed so that he will not look like the fool when he
comes up short. It is important to count the true cost of sin! We
have all heard the basic redemption story told from the angle of
Christ's suffering at the hands of the Sanhedrin and Romans.
Crucifixion was a Phoenician invention that the Romans perfected into
a fine science to make death as painful and slow as possible. Like
Gaius Caesar used to say, "make him feel like he is dying." After the
body is ripped to a bloody mass by the Roman lash, the convicted man
will be forced to carry his own cross-bar to the place of execution.
. There, the proficient executioners will secure the arms in place
and feel for the space between the bones just below the wrist. There
is a pain nerve that crosses this area, and it is here that the large
spike is driven through the wrist and fastened by the nail head to the
crossbar. Once the arms are secure, the feet are then also fastened
with a single spike so that the knees are slightly bent. The cross is
then lowered with a jolt into the hole, often causing the joints in
the body to be dislocated in places.
. The stress of the weight of the body on the chest with the arms
secured in this way is such that one cannot breathe. To breathe, one
must stand on the nail pinned feet to push the body up and relieve the
pressure on the diaphragm. Thus, survival is lengthened as the victim
repeatedly rises and falls in order to breathe. This is why breaking
the legs speeds up the death process.
. Friend, whenever you pull out your calculator and add up the cost
of sin, I dare you estimate the agony of Jesus. Yet it was your sin
that cost Him that pain and death. Our Father has made forgiveness so
easy and available that we have entered a "take it for granted" type
of attitude toward it. We seem to think that we can be lax on sin,
lax in prayer, diligence and holiness, reckless with our spiritual
walk and the only price we have to pay is taking the time to ask
forgiveness. Salvation may have been free for you, but it was not
cheap. Let's look a bit deeper here.
. Is there any doubt in your mind that the Father loved His Son?
What father doesn't, except the debased? How intensely the Father
loved His only begotten Son who was perfect in every sense of the
word. He NEVER disobeyed. Yet, "God so loved the world that He gave
His only begotten Son...", not just to let Him come to earth, but God
gave Him to the cross. The pain that must have been in God's heart is
unknowable. Not only did the Father allow Jesus to suffer a
horrendous physical death, but he also was forced by the law of
righteousness to turn His back on Jesus at His time of supreme need.
. On the cross Jesus quoted David's Psalm (22:1) when He said, "My
God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" The verse goes on to say,
"Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my
groaning?" The penalty for sin is not only physical death, it
includes banishment from the presence of God. God must turn His back
on sin, and in eternity, turn away from the sinner that has not
forsaken his sin. On the cross, Jesus was dying as our substitute so
He had to experience the full impact of sin's penalty. When they
offered Jesus a pain killer he refused for He knew that He must
experience the full blast of God's wrath. He must not only drink the
bitter cup, He must drain it to the dregs.
. I can not imagine how it must have anguished the Father to so
turn His back on His Son. Why did He do it? Because, my friend, He
loved you! He saw you dead in your sin and there could only be one
substitute. The price for sin was either your life or His, and He
chose to give His for you. Jesus died for the sin of adultery because
it was the sin of adultery that drove those nails home. He died for
the sin of lying and bitterness, because those sins drove the Roman
lash. He died for your selfishness and rebellion, because man's
rebellion brought the curse of thorns into the world and forced a
crown of thorns into His precious brow.
. Get out your calculator and add it up! Before the sum reads
"Freebee Grace", remember the price somebody had to pay. Calculate it
out, friend, before you curse your circumstances, treat a brother
rudely, cop an attitude, or sleep with someone you should not be with.
If you can proceed with sin, knowing the cost Jesus and the Father had
to pay, then you lie when you say you love Him. Nobody would put
somebody they loved through that just to please the lusts of the
flesh. Sin is a reproach and deserving of eternal hell, especially if
it is persisted in in light of the cross.
. Finally, we have the command of Jesus Himself when He says that
we should forgive just as we have been forgiven. Before you cop an
attitude or embrace a bitter or unforgiving attitude in your heart
toward someone, remember the debt you were released from. If what
they did to you comes anywhere close to what your sins inflicted on
Jesus, then I suppose you are now dead and this message doesn't even
matter. If you are still alive, then you must forgive.
. I assure you, forgiveness is still just a repentant heart away,
but I pray that the knowledge of the weight of what it cost will cause
you to consider your ways and rush to an altar of prayer, not just for
forgiveness, but also for His delivering power. "Come near to God and
He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify
your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your
laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before
the Lord and he will lift you up" (James 4:8-10).
J.Jefferson (John J. Clark II)
Computers for Christ - Chicago
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How Do You Spell ANXIETY?
Fr. Michael Crosby, OFM
. There's a story told about St. Francis of Assisi, that one day he
noticed a serious young friar sitting alone, very much lost in
himself, while the rest of the community was enjoying good
conversation. Francis went over to him and whispered: "My son, if
you're in sin go find a confessor. If not, then come and join your
brothers."
. For Francis, the only real worry in life was being in sin, and
the Lord had already provided a remedy for that. So a hallmark of
spirituality was joy and peace.
. In this he was following the teaching of Jesus who so often
greeted his disciples with "peace", and urged them, "Fear not, I am
with you."
. Jesus and every Christian teacher since him has warned us about
the destructive power of fear, and the creative power even of personal
disaster when it is accepted with trusting love. Jesus reminded us
that most of the things we are worried about are out of our control
anyway, so we're much better off when we let go of our anxious cares
and let him be Lord.
. Just say the word "anxiety" slowly, and discover its weakness.
Right in the middle of "a-n-x-i-e-t-y" is that sound: "I". It stands
there like a little idol, that "I", that ego. It proclaims that I
trust more in me than in God, and that's why I am anxious about me
rather than trusting in him. There are other ways to spell anxiety,
such as guilt, trials and pain. All of them contain that central
weakness: the "I" that is afraid to surrender self-reliance to the
Lord.
. We read in the very first pages of scripture that after God
finished his work of creation, he saw that what he had done was good -
- not perfect, that was for another realm -- but good. So he rested
from his work.
. Now God did not rest because he was fatigued. He rested because
he wanted to appreciate the good he had accomplished, and to declare
his confidence in the stewardship he had invested in Adam and Eve. So
he backed off, not indifferent to the welfare of creation, but
confident in the eventual accomplishment of his purpose, no matter how
we humans might fumble and abuse his providence.
. That was a tremendous act of hope on the part of God. He
professed his trust in us, and followed through on that trust by
respecting our need to learn from our mistakes. Now it's our turn to
return that gift of trust by investing our security in God.
. Another peaceful saint, Philip Neri, was noted for his trust in
God. While still a seminarian, he was shooting pool when one of his
classmates tried to distract him with the question: "What would you
do, Philip, if you knew the Lord was going to call you home to himself
two minutes from now?" It was a problem calculated to cause anxiety.
But Philip never broke his concentration on either his game or his God
as he replied: "I'd sink the eight-ball into the side pocket."
. In our relationships with each other and with God, the less we
concentrate on us and the more we consider the other, the greater will
be our peace. Check this in your own life: the more you try to
control others the more anxiety you create for yourself. Even our
prayer life becomes anxiety-ridden if it is filled with ourselves and
our needs rather than with the Lord. St. Augustine observes wisely in
his Confessions:
. "You are always present, O Lord, to those who seek your help.
You respond clearly, but we do not always hear you clearly. We ask
what we want, but we do not always hear the answer you want. Your
best servant is the one who is intent to hear not so much his own
wants responded to, as to respond to whatever he hears you want of
him."
. One of the Psalms says it so directly: "Be at peace and accept
that I am God." When we admit God as Lord of our life, there is no
room for anxiety.
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THE AGONY RELIEVED
When your back's to the wall;
And you took all you can.
Your problems are mounting;
You faced them, then ran.
Confused and bewildered
Knowing not where to turn.
Running away blindly
Defeated and spurned.
By all earthly creatures
You have trusted and loved.
No fight for survival;
No help from above,
You die.
But relief's on the way
It's there so just ask.
You haven't been the first:
You won't be the last;
To feel God has left you
In amidst your despairs.
Humbly confront him,
You'll find that He cares.
Selfpity doesn't work
So listen, after you pray.
God's ready with answers
To brighten your day.
PLEASE TRY !
--George Creighton--......
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ARE YOU THE RIGHT PERSON FOR GOD'S WORK?
A little known firm which specializes in analyzing candidates for management
positions in various organizations recently uncovered some old files
which throw some interesting light on what some might consider essential
skills and abilities for Christian service. I quote from the report:
To: Jesus son of Joseph regarding:
12 candidates for management positions.
Dear sir,
Thank you for submitting the resumes of the twelve men you have picked for
positions in your new organization. All of them have now taken our battery of
tests; and we have not only run the results through our computer, but also
arranged personal interviews for each of them with our psychologist and
vocational aptitude consultant. It is the staff opinion that most of your
nominees are lacking in backround, education and vocational aptitude for the
type of enterprise you are undertaking. They do not have the team concept. We
would recommend that you continue your search for persons of experience in
managerial abiluty and proven capability.
* Simon Peter is emotionally unstable and given to fits of temper.
* Andrew has absolutely no qualities of leadership.
* The two brothers, James and John, place personal interest above company
loyalty.
* Thomas demonstrates a questioning attitude that would tend to undermine
morale.
* We feel that it is our duty to tell you that Matthew has been blacklisted
by the greater Jerusalem Better Business Bureau.
* James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeaus definitely have radical leanings,
and they both register a high score on the manic depressive scale.
One of the candidates, however, shows great potential. He is a man of ability
and resourcefulness, meets people well, has a keen business mind and has
contacts in high places. He is highly motivated, ambitious and responsible.
We recommend Judas Iscariot as your controller and right-hand man.
Sincerely yours,
Management Consultants Inc.
(and you thought that things had changed a lot over the last 2000 years.)
'If any one serves me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall my
servant also be; if any one serves me, the Father will honor him.' John 12:26
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THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS
. In this article, I shall discuss some of the physical aspects of the
passion, or suffering, of Jesus Christ. We shall follow Him from
Gethsemane, through His trial, His scourging, His path along the Via
Dolorosa, to His last dying hours on the cross.
. I suddenly relized that I had taken the crucifixion more or less for
granted all these years - that I had grown callous to its horror by a too easy
familiarity with the grim details - and a too distant friendship with Him. It
finally occured to me that as a physician, I did not even know the actual
immediate cause of death. The Gospel writers do not help us very much on this
point, because crucifixion and scourging were so common during their lifetime
that they undoubtedly considered a detailed description totally superfluous -
so we have the concise words of the Evangelist: "Pilate, having scourged
Jesus, delivered Him to them to be crucified - and they crucified Him".
. What did the body of Jesus of Nazareth actually endure during those
hours of torture?
. This led me first to a study of the practice of crucifixion itself;
that is, the torture and execution of a person by fixation to a cross.
. The upright portion of the cross (or stipes) could have the crossarm (or
patibulum) attached two or three feet below it's top (this is what we commonly
think of today as the classic form of the cross, the one which we have later
named the Latin cross). However, the common form used in our Lord's day was
the Tau cross, shaped like the Greek letter Tau or like our "T". In this
cross the patibulum was placed in a notch at the top of the stipes. There is
fairly overwhelming archeological evidence that it was on this type of cross
that Jesus was crucified.
. The upright post, or stipes, was generally fixed in the ground at the
site of execution and the condemned man was forced to carry the patibulum,
apparently weighing about 110 pounds, from the prison to the place of
execution. Roman historical accounts and experimental work have shown that
the nails were driven between the small bones of the wrists and not through
the palms. Nails driven trough the palms will strip out between the fingers
when they support the weight of a human body. The misconception may have come
about through a misunderstanding of Jesus' words to Thomas, "observe my
hands". Anatomists, both modern and ancient, have always considered the
wrists as part of the hand.
. A titulus, or small sign, stating the victim's crime was usually
carried at the front of the procession and later nailed to the cross above the
head. This sign with it's staff nailed to the top of the cross would have
given it somewhat the characteristic form of the Latin cross.
. The physical passion of Christ began in Gethsemane. Of the many aspects
of this initial suffering, I shall only discuss the one of physiological
interest, the bloody sweat. It is interesting that the physician of the
group, St. Luke, is the only one to mention this. He says, "And being in
agony, He prayed the longer. And his sweat became as drops of blood,
trickling down upon the ground".
. Though very rare, the phenomenon of Hematidrosis, or bloody sweat, is
well documented. Under great emotional stress, tiny capillaries in the sweat
glands can break, thus mixing blood with sweat. This process alone could
have produced marked weakness and possible shock.
. We shall move rapidly through the betrayal and arrest. I must stress
again that important portions of the Passion story are missing from this
account. This may be frustrating to you, but in order to adhere to our
purpose of discussion only of the purely physical aspect of the Passion, this
is necessary. After the arrest in the middle of the night, Jesus was brought
before the Sanhedrin and Caiaphas, the High Priest; it is here that the
first physical trauma was inflicted. A soldier struck Jesus accross the face
for remaining silent when questioned by Caiaphas. The palace guards then
blindfolded Him and mockingly taunted Him to identify each of them as they
passed by, spat on Him, and struck Him in the face.
. In the morning, Jesus, battered and bruised, dehydrated, and
exhausted from a sleepless night, is taken across Jerusalem to the Praetorium
of the Fortess Antonia, the seat of government of the Procurator of Judea,
Pontius Pilate. You are, of course, familiar with Pilate's acton in
attempting to pass responsibility to Herod Antipas, the Tetrarch of Judea.
Jesus apparently sufferd no physical mistreatment at the hands of Herod and
was returned to Pilate. It was then, in response to the cries of the mob,
that Pilate ordered Bar-Abbas released and condemned Jesus to scourging and
crucifixion. Most Roman writers from this period do not associate the two.
Many scholars believe that Pilate originally ordered Jesus scourged as his
full punishment and that the death sentence by crucifixion came only in
response to the taunt by the mob that the Procurator was not properly
defending Caesar against this pretender who claimed to be the "KING OF THE
JEWS".
. Preparations for the scourging are carried out. The prisoner is
stripped of His clothing and His hands tied to a post above His head. It is
doubtful whether the Romans made any attempt to follow the Jewish law in this
matter of scourging. The Jews had an ancient law prohibiting more than forty
lashes. The Pharisees, always making sure that the law was strictly kept,
insisted that only thirty-nine lashes be given. (In this way, they were sure
of remaining within the law in case of a miscount). The Roman legionnaire
steps forward with the flagrum in his hand. This is a short whip consisting
of several heavy, leather thongs with two small balls of lead attached near
the ends of each. The heavy whip is brought down with full force again and
again accross Jesus' shoulders, back, and legs. At first the heavy thongs
cut through the skin only. Then as blows continue, they cut deeper into the
tissues, producing first an oozing of blood from the capillaries and veins of
the skin, and finally spurting arterial bleeding from vessels in the
underlying muscles. The small balls of lead first produce large, deep
bruises which are broken open by subsequent blows. Finally the skin of the
back is hanging in long ribbons and the entire area is an unrecognizable mass
of torn, bleeding tissue. When it is determined by the centurian in charge
that the prisoner is near death, the beating is finally stopped.
. The half-fainting Jesus is then untied and allowed to slump to the stone
pavement, wet with His own blood. The Roman soldiers see a great joke in
this provincial Jew claiming to be a king. They throw a robe across His
shoulders and place a stick in His hand for a scepter. They still need a
crown to make their travesty complete. A small bundle of flexible branches
covered with long thorns (commonly used for firewood) are plaited into a shape
of a crown and this is pressed into His scalp. Again there is copious
bleeding (the scalp being one of the most vascular areas of the body). After
mocking Him and striking Him across the face, the soldiers take the stick
from His hand and strike Him across the head, driving the thorns deeper into
His scalp. Finally, they tire of their sadistic sport and the robe is torn
from His back. This had already become adherent to the clots of blood and
serum in the wounds, and it's removal, just as in the careless removal of a
surgical bandage, causes excruciating pain... almost as though He were again
being whipped - and the wounds begin to bleed again.
. In deference to Jewish custom, the Romans return His garments. The
heavy patibulum of the cross is tied across His shoulders, and the procession
of the condemned Christ, two thieves, and the execution detail of Roman
soldiers headed by a centurion, begins it's slow journey. In spite of His
efforts to walk erect, the weight of the heavy wooden beam, together with
the shock produced by copious blood loss, is too much. He stumbles and
falls. The rough wood of the beam gouges into the lacrated skin and muscles
of the shoulders. The centurian, anxious to get on with the crucifixion,
selects a stalwart North African onlooker - Simon of Cyrene, to carry the
cross. Jesus follows, still bleeding and sweating the cold, clammy sweat of
shock. The 650 yard journey to Golgotha is finally completed. The prisoner
is again stripped of His clothes - except for a loin cloth which is allowed
the Jews.
. The crucifixion begins. Jesus is offered wine mixed with Myrrh, a mild
analgesic mixture. He refuses to drink. Simon is ordered to place the
patibulum on the ground and Jesus is quickly thrown backward with His
shoulders against the wood. The legionnaire feels for the depression at the
front of the wrist. He drives a heavy, square, wrought-iron nail through
the wrist and deep into the wood. Quickly he moves to the other side and
repeats the action, being careful not to pull the arms too tightly, but to
allow some flexion and movement. The patibulum is then lifted in place at the
top of the stipes and the titulus reading "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the
Jews" is nailed in place.
. The left foot is pressed backward against the right foot, and with both
feet extended and toes down, a nail is driven through the arch of each,
leaving the knees moderately flexed. The victim is now crucified. As He
slowly sags down with more weight on the nails in the wrists, excruciating -
fiery pain shoots along the fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain as
the nails in the wrists are putting pressure on the median nerves. As He
pushes Himself upward to avoid this stretching torment, He places His full
weight on the nail tearing through the nerves between the metatarsal bones of
the feet.
. At this point, another phenomenon occurs. As the arms fatigue, great
waves of cramps sweep over the muscles, knotting them in deep, relentless,
throbbing pain. With these cramps comes the inability to push Himself upward.
Hanging by His arms, the pectoral muscles are parlyzed and the intercostal
muscles are unable to act. Air can be drawn into the lungs, but cannot be
exhaled. Jesus fights to raise Himself in order to get even one short breath.
Finally, carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and in the blood stream and
the cramps partially subside. Spasmodically, He is able to push Himself
upward to exhale and bring in the life-giving oxygen. It was undoubtedly
during these periods that He utterd the seven short sentences which are
recorded:
. The first, looking down at the Roman soldiers throwing dice for His
seamless garment, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."
. The second, to the persistent thief, "Today thou shalt be with me in
Paradise."
. The third, looking down at the terrified, grief stricken, adelescent
John (the beloved Apostle), he said, "Behold thy mother", and looking to
Mary, His mother, "Woman, behold thy son."
. The fourth cry is from the beginning of the 22nd Psalm, "My God, my
God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
. Hours of this limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending
cramps, intermittent partial asphixiation, searing pain as the tissue is
torn from His lacerated back as He moves up and down against the rough timber.
Then another agony begins. A deep crushing pain deep in the chest as the
pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart.
. Let us remember again the 22nd Psalm, verse 14: "I am poured out like
water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is
melted in the midst of my bowels."
. It is now almost over - the loss of tissue fluids has reached a critical
level, the compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish
blood into the tissues, the tortured lungs are making a frantic effort to
gasp in small gulps of air. The markedly dehydrated tissues send their flood
of stimuli to the brain.
. Jesus gasps His fifth cry, "I thirst."
. Let us remember another verse from the prophetic 22nd Psalm: "My
strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and
thou hast brought me into the dust of death."
. A sponge soaked in Posca, the cheap, sour wine which is the staple
drink of the Roman legionnaires, is lifted to His lips. He apparently does
not take any of the liquid. The body of Jesus is now in extremis, and He can
feel the chill of death creeping through His tissues. This realization brings
out His sixth words, possibly little more than a tortured whisper: "It is
finished."
. His mission of atonement has been completed. Finally He can allow His
body to die.
. With one last surge of strength, He once again presses His torn feet
against the nail, straightens His legs, takes a deeper breath, and utters
His seventh and last cry: "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit."
. The rest you know. In order that the Sabbath not be profaned, the Jews
asked that the condemned men be dispatched and removed from the crosses. The
common method of ending a crucifixion was by crurefracture, the breaking of
the legs. This prevented the victim from pushing himself upward; the tension
could not be relieved from the muscles of the chest, and rapid suffocation
then occurred. The legs of the two thieves were broken, but when they came
to Jesus, they saw that this was unnecessary.
. Apparently to make doubly sure of death, the legionnaire drove his
lance through the fifth interspace between the ribs, upward through the
pericardium and into the heart. The 34th verse of the 19th chapter of the
Gospel according to St. John: "And immediately there came out blood and
water." Thus there was an escape of watery fluid from the sac surrounding the
heart and blood from the interior of heart. We therefore, have rather
conclusive postmortem evidence that our Lord died, not the usual crucifixion
death by suffocation, but of heart failure due to shock and a constriction of
the heart by fluid in the pericardium.
. Thus we have seen a glimpse of the epitomy of evil which man can exibit
toward man - and toward God. This is not a pretty sight and is apt to leave
us despondent and depressed. How grateful we can be that we have a sequel, a
glimpse of the infinite mercy of God toward man - the miracle of the atonement
and the expectation of Easter morning!
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A DAY OFF!
So, you want the day off!
Let's take a moment to look at what you are asking for:
There are 365 days available for work.
There are 52 weeks per year of which you already have 2 days off each weekend
leaving 261 days left available for work.
Since you spend 16 hours each day away from work that accounts for 170 days,
and there are 91 days left available for work.
You spend 30 minutes each day on breaks that accounts for 23 days each year,
leaving 68 days available for work.
You spend 1 hour a day at lunch, that accounts for another 46 days per year
leaving 22 days available for work.
You spend 2 days per year on sick leave leaving 20 days available for work.
You take 9 holidays per year, leaving 11 days available for work.
You take ten days vacation each year leaving 1 day left available for work
and......
NO WAY
are you going to take that day off!
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MILLIONS NOW LIVING ARE ALREADY DEAD!
What is this - double talk? A paradox? Some kind of joke?
Neither of these - Just a way to call your attention to a
universal situation because statistical facts "hammer home" the
startling information that 68 million flesh and blood people die
every year. Death is a big business with 160,000 people dying
every day. It's a deadly and frightening fact of life.
O.K., so you're young - heathy and full of the old "spizzas!"
The truth is you're already on the Death list. You, like many
others, may be dead already. The unshakeable Word of God
declares that millions now apparently ALIVE are actually dead.
Spiritually dead. Listen to the Creator's words!
"And you (believers in Christ) hath he (God) made alive,
who were dead in trespasses and sins." Ephesians 2:1
It is God who said:
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and
death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all
have sinned." Romans 5:12
Which means, my friend, that if you have not been born anew,
you carry Adam's death penalty in your soul. You may be
physically in your soul. You may be physically alive but
spiritually dead, and therefore, have no contact with God. God
in great mercy provided a glorious way out through His Son. Here
is His guarantee:
"But as many as recieved Him, to them gave He power to
become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His
name." John 1:12
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he
that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath
of God abideth on him." John 3:36
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my Word,
and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and
shall not come into comdemnation; but is passed from death
unto life." John 5:24
By recieving Christ as your Saviour by faith, you will come
alive spiritually. You will also come alive in understanding the
Bible, God's Word. You will come alive with new desires, Godly
desires. You will come alive with a hope burning in your heart
of knowing that there will be life after death, life with Christ.
Would you right now, from a repentant heart, cry out to God
with this prayer?
"Believing the Gospel, that the Lord Jesus Christ died for
me, and that He was buried for me, and rose again the third
day from the dead for me, I now recieve Him as my Saviour, and
confess Him as my Lord."
Charles Svoboda
From the S.O.N. BBS, WI
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LESSONS of FAITH - 1
It ÿwas ÿin the bag. ÿHe was clutching it like it ÿwas ÿthe
last ÿthing he owned. ÿAnd it was. ÿThe attendants had to pry ÿit
from ÿhis ÿhands. ÿWhen they opened it, ÿthey ÿfound ÿover ÿ3000
dollars, ÿÿmostly small bills. ÿBy some standards, ÿhe might ÿbe
considered rich, but you see, he wasn't. He was poor, ÿwandering
the ÿstreets, ÿsleeping in alleys and doorways, ÿbegging for food
and ÿmoney. ÿÿHe ÿhad found a good area where ÿthe ÿpeople ÿwere
generous. ÿHe asked and they gave. Yet, when they found him, dead
from ÿthe ÿcold and lack of good food, ÿhis clothes were old ÿand
dirty, ÿand his pockets were empty. ÿAll he had was that bag ÿand
3000 dollars. What happened?
What ÿhappened is that he failed to follow one of the ÿmost
important ÿteachings in the Bible. ÿGod's principle of Use. ÿThis
same ÿprinciple is rarely applied in many of our own lives, ÿÿand
yet it is easily recognized as "missing" ÿin others. The man with
the bag failed to apply the principle. ÿHe was keeping all he had
hid in a paper bag. He was saving for a rainy day. He was so busy
saving ÿfor an unsure future, ÿhe failed to see the storm ÿaround
him, ÿÿand he ended up dead on the sidewalk, ÿclutching his ÿonly
belonging. It was in the bag.
That which he cared so much about is now useless to him. ÿHe
didn't use what he had. ÿHe kept it hid in a bag, while he wasted
away. He didn't spend a cent for food, clothing, or anything. ÿHe
kept saving, saving, saving! Now it's too late. He didn't use it.
It was in the bag.
Are ÿyou holding on to all you have? ÿAre you afraid to ÿuse
it? Are you saving for a rainy day? Don't! Don't die holding the
bag! ÿÿGod wants you to use your talents and your resources. ÿÿHe
gave ÿthem ÿto you, ÿnot so you can hide them in a bag, ÿÿbut ÿto
display ÿto ÿall ÿfor His Glory! ÿJesus, ÿin the parable ÿof ÿThe
Talents, ÿÿwas pleased at the servants that used what ÿthey ÿwere
given ÿand ÿangry at the servant that buried his portion ÿin ÿthe
ground. ÿ(See Matt. ÿ25:14) ÿJesus even instructs us not to ÿsave
treasures ÿon ÿearth where moth and dust ÿcorrupt, ÿÿand ÿthieves
steal, ÿbut to save treasures in heaven, ÿfor where our treasures
are, our heart will be also. (Matt. 6:19)
Please, take it out of the bag!
LRH 10/10/85

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Lessons in Faith - 2 ----------------
"Mom, why do we have go to church?"
"We go to church to pray and worship God!"
"But we can do that at home. I say my prayers before I go to
bed, and Dad thanks God for food before supper."
"At church we have fellowship with other people who ÿbelieve
in God."
"What is 'fellowship'?"
"Fellowship is caring about other believers and sharing news
about what God has done."
"Is that like when I told my friend about Jesus?"
"Not quite, ÿthat is called witnessing. ÿFellowship is ÿmore
like ÿgoing to a party where everyone knows your name, ÿÿeveryone
believes ÿin God and his son Jesus, ÿand everyone is always ready
and ÿhappy to help you in any way. ÿEveryone cares about what ÿis
happening ÿin your life, ÿand is ready to listen if you ÿneed ÿto
talk, ÿÿand ready to pray with you about your or ÿsomeone ÿelse's
needs."
"That ÿsounds like the Bible study you have here on Tuesdays
with all those ladies!"
"That's right! ÿWe all share God in common, ÿand are ÿalways
ready to share him and what he has done!"
"My teacher in Sunday School always asks 'What did God do in
your ÿlife this past week?' ÿOnce Joey said that God gave him ÿan
'A' on his math quiz!"
"Your Sunday School class is a fellowship!"
"Mom, is fellowshiping important?"
"Yes. ÿWithout fellowship, ÿa ÿbeliever might start to ÿfeel
alone in the world. ÿBelievers need to share, to know that God is
working in our, and other people's lives."
"Mom, ÿÿI ÿÿknow it's Friday, ÿbut could we go to church ÿto
fellowship now?"
LRH 11/09/85

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Lessons in Faith - 3
----------------
Give it your all! Why are you holding back? Why are you
reserving part of your energy? Is your faith doubtful? God wants
you to give Him your ALL! He wants your BEST. God is depending on
you! You have a partnership that can work miracles, but you must
give it your all!
When God told Moses to raise his staff over the Red Sea, the
scene could have gone like this...
Moses raises his Staff half way. "Moses" God calls,
"You're not giving Me your all." "Lord," Moses replied, "I'm
saving my energy in case nothing happens and I have to
swim!"
...but it didn't! Moses gave his all! At times he was tired,
and at times discouraged, but he always gave his ALL. And Noah
didn't hold back, the scene could have gone like this...
Noah hammers the last nail into the twenty-four foot
yacht. "Noah," calls God, "That is not the ark I told you to
build." "Lord," replies Noah, "I was saving some lumber to
build a new split-level, with two garages for my family!"
...but it didn't! Noah kept nothing back and built the ark!
The scene with Joshua and the walls of Jericho could have gone
like this...
Half of Joshua's army is circling Jericho. "Joshua,"
calls God, "Where is the rest of your army?" "Lord," Joshua
replies, "Some are over here building catapults, battering
rams, ladders and other assorted weapons. Others are
guarding the camp, and scouting ways into Jericho."
...but it didn't! Joshua gave his all! He didn't hold back!
He didn't reserve energy!
What do Moses, Noah and Joshua have in common? Faith! Faith
the God will do as He promises. Faith that God knows best! Faith
that the battle is won before it is started!
What about Ananias and Sapphira? They sold thier land and
gave only part of the money to the apostles. They fell down dead!
They held back! You might not fall down dead, but you will not be
living to your fullest!
Are you reserving energy, afraid you might have to swim? Are
you holding back, to build your own resources? Are you not giving
your best, in case the idea doesn't work? Don't! Put your faith
to the test, like Moses, Noah and Joshua! Give it your all!
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BREAKING UP THE FALLOW GROUND
An Outline For Repentance
This ÿis ÿfor ÿChristians who have had trouble finding ÿthe ÿtrue
peace that is promised with conversion. ÿFor those who are frustrated
because ÿthey are constantly struggling with weakness and ÿsin, ÿÿthis
could well be the very help they've been praying for. ÿCharles Finney
saw ÿmore ÿtrue conversions in his life and ministry ÿthan ÿany ÿother
American before or since. ÿWe thank God for continuing to anoint ÿand
use his writings. ÿMany thousands have been helped by this article to
break ÿthrough to God's precious forgiveness. ÿRemember one thing ÿas
you ÿread this - God loves you so much, ÿand is waiting for you to ÿbe
thoroughly ÿcleansed by His grace through repentance. ÿ- ÿÿKeith ÿand
Melody Green
The Jews were a nation of farmers, ÿand it is therefore a ÿcommon
thing for God to refer, ÿin the Scriptures, to scenes from their daily
lives ÿas ÿillustrations. ÿÿHosea ÿaddresses ÿthem ÿas ÿa ÿnation ÿof
backsliders, ÿÿbut uses words that farmers and shepherds are ÿfamiliar
with. ÿÿHe rebukes them for their idolatry and sharply warns them ÿof
the impending judgments of God.
A revival consists of two parts: ÿits effect on the Church, ÿÿand
its effect on the ungodly. ÿI will speak at this time of a revival in
the Church. ÿFallow ground is ground which has once been tilled, ÿbut
now ÿit lies waste and has gotten hard. ÿIt needs to be broken up and
made soft again, before it is ready to receive seed.
If you mean to break up the fallow ground of your heart, you must
begin ÿby looking at your heart: ÿexamine carefully the state of ÿyour
mind ÿand ÿsee where you are. ÿMany people never even seem ÿto ÿthink
about ÿdoing this! ÿThey pay no attention to their own ÿhearts, ÿÿand
never ÿknow whether they are doing well in their walk with the Lord or
not; whether they are gaining ground or going backwards; ÿwhether they
are bearing fruit or are totally barren. ÿNow you must draw off ÿyour
attention from all other things and look into this right now! ÿMake a
business of it, do not be in a hurry. Examine the state of your heart
thoroughly, ÿand see where you are: are you walking with God everyday,
or with the Devil?
Self-examination ÿconsists of looking at your life, ÿÿconsidering
your ÿmotives ÿand actions...calling up your past and seeing its ÿtrue
character. Look back over your past history. Take up your individual
sins one by one, ÿand look at them. This doesn't mean that you should
just take a casual glance at your past life, ÿand see that it has been
full of sins and then go to God and make a sort of general confession,
asking forgiveness. ÿThis is not the way. ÿYou must take them up one
by one. ÿIt's a good idea to take a pen and some paper as you go over
them, and write them down as they come to mind.
Go ÿover them as carefully as a businessman goes over his ÿbooks;
and ÿas often as a sin comes to your memory, ÿwrite it down! ÿGeneral
confessions of sin are not good enough. ÿYour sins were committed one
by ÿone; ÿand as much as you are able, ÿthey ought to be reviewed ÿand
repented of one by one. ÿNow begin, ÿand start with what are usually,
but ÿimproperly called 'sins of omission' ÿ(i.e. ÿthings you didn't do
that you should have).
INGRATITUDE (unthankfulness). ÿTake this sin, for example, ÿand write
down under this heading all the times you can remember where you ÿhave
received ÿgreat blessings and favors from God for which you have never
given ÿthanks. ÿÿHow many cases can you remember? ÿÿSome ÿremarkable
protection ÿwhere your life was spared, ÿsome wonderful turn of events
that saved you from ruin. ÿWrite down the instances of God's goodness
to you when you were living in sin, ÿbefore your conversion, for which
you have never been half-thankful enough; ÿand the uncountable mercies
you ÿhave ÿreceived ÿsince. ÿHow long the list of ÿtimes ÿwhere ÿyour
ingratitude has been so black that you are forced to hide your face in
shame! ÿGet on your knees and confess them one by one to God, and ask
Him to forgive you. As you're confessing these, they will immediately
remind ÿyou of others...write these down too! ÿGo over them three ÿof
four times in this way, and see what an incredible number of times God
has given you mercy for which you have never thanked Him!
LACK OF LOVE FOR GOD. ÿThink how grieved and alarmed you'd be, if you
suddenly ÿrealized ÿa great lack of affection for you ÿin ÿyour ÿwife,
husband, ÿor children; if you saw that someone else had captured their
hearts, ÿthoughts and time. ÿPerhaps in such a case you would ÿalmost
die with a just and holy jealousy. ÿNow, ÿGod calls Himself a jealous
God. ÿÿHave ÿyou not given your heart to other ÿloves ÿand ÿinfinitely
offended Him?
NEGLECT OF THE BIBLE. ÿPut down the cases where for perhaps weeks, or
longer, God's word was not a pleasure. Some people, indeed, read over
whole chapters in such a way, ÿthat afterwards they could not tell you
what they had been reading. ÿIf that is so with you, ÿno wonder ÿyour
life has no direction, ÿand your religion (relationship with God), ÿis
such a miserable failure.
UNBELIEF. ÿÿRecall the instances in which you have virtually ÿcharged
the God of truth with lying, ÿby your unbelief of His express promises
and declarations. If you have not believed or expected to receive the
blessings which God has clearly promised, you have called Him a liar.
LACK ÿOF PRAYER. ÿThink of all the times you have neglected ÿprivate-
prayer, ÿfamily-prayer and group-prayer meetings; ÿor prayed in such a
way ÿas ÿto grieve and offend God more, ÿthan if you hadn't prayed ÿat
all.
NEGLECT OF FELLOWSHIP. ÿWhen you have allowed yourself to make small,
and ÿfoolish excuses that have prevented you from attending ÿmeetings.
When ÿyou have neglected and poured contempt upon the gathering of the
saints merely because you "didn't like church!"
THE MANNER IN WHICH YOU HAVE PERFORMED SPIRITUAL DUTIES. Think of all
the times when you have spoken about God with such lack of feeling and
faith, ÿin such a worldly frame of mind, ÿthat your words were nothing
more than the mere chattering of a wretch who didn't deserve that ÿGod
should ÿlisten ÿto him at all. ÿWhen you have fallen down ÿupon ÿyour
knees ÿand "said your prayers" ÿin such an unfeeling and careless way,
that if you had been put under oath five minutes later, ÿyou could not
say what you had been praying for.
LACK ÿOF ÿLOVE ÿFOR ÿSOULS. ÿÿLook around at ÿall ÿyour ÿfriends ÿand
relatives, and ÿthink of how little compassion you have felt for them.
You ÿhave stood by and seen them going straight to hell, ÿand it seems
as though you didn't even care. ÿHow many days have there been, ÿwhen
you ÿhave ÿfailed to make their wretched condition the subject of even
one ÿsingle ÿfervent ÿprayer, ÿor to prove any real desire ÿfor ÿtheir
salvation?
LACK OF CARE FOR THE POOR AND LOST IN FOREIGN LANDS. Perhaps you have
not ÿcared ÿenough ÿabout ÿthem ÿto even attempt ÿto ÿlearn ÿof ÿtheir
condition. ÿDo you avoid missions-magazines? ÿHow much do you really
know or care about the unconverted masses of the world? ÿMeasure your
desire for their salvation by the self-denial you practice, ÿin giving
from ÿyour ÿsubstance to send them the gospel. ÿDo you deny ÿyourself
even the hurtful expenses of life, such as tobacco, alcohol, expensive
food, ÿÿclothes, ÿand entertainment? ÿDo you defend your standard ÿof
living? ÿWill you not suffer yourself ANY inconvenience to save them?
Do you daily pray for them in private? Are you setting aside funds to
put into the treasury of the Lord when you go up to pray? ÿIf you are
not doing these things, ÿand if your soul is not agonized for the poor
and ÿlost ÿof ÿthis world, ÿthen why are you such a ÿhypocrite ÿas ÿto
pretend to be a Christian? Why, your profession of faith is an insult
to Jesus Christ!
NEGLECT ÿOF ÿFAMILY DUTIES. ÿThink of how you have lived before ÿyour
family, how you have prayed, what an example you have set before them.
What ÿdirect ÿefforts ÿdo ÿyou habitually ÿmake ÿfor ÿtheir ÿspiritual
welfare?
LACK ÿOF ÿWATCHFULNESS ÿOVER YOUR WITNESS. ÿHow many times ÿhave ÿyou
failed ÿto take your words and actions seriously? ÿHow often have you
entirely neglected to watch your conduct and speech, ÿand having ÿbeen
off ÿyour guard, ÿhave sinned before the world, the church, and before
God!
NEGLECT TO WATCH OVER YOUR BRETHREN. ÿHow often have you broken ÿyour
covenant, ÿthat you would watch over them in the Lord? ÿHow little do
you ÿknow ÿor care about the state of their souls? ÿAnd yet ÿyou ÿare
under a solemn duty to watch over them. ÿWhat have you done to get to
know ÿthem ÿbetter? ÿHow many times have you seen ÿyour ÿbrothers ÿor
sisters ÿgrowing ÿcold ÿin ÿfaith and have not spoken ÿto ÿthem ÿabout
it...neglecting ÿone ÿspiritual duty after another, ÿand you ÿdid ÿnot
reprove ÿthem in love? ÿYou have seen them falling into sin, ÿand you
let ÿthem go on. ÿAnd you pretend to love them? ÿWhat ÿa ÿhypocrite!
Would ÿyou watch your wife or child going into disgrace, ÿÿor ÿfalling
into a fire, and hold your peace?
NEGLECT OF SELF-DENIAL. ÿThere are many professing Christians who are
willing to do almost anything in religion that does not require ÿself-
denial. ÿÿThey think they are doing a great deal for God, ÿand ÿdoing
about as much as He ought to reasonably ask, ÿbut they are not willing
to deny themselves any comfort or convenience whatever for the sake of
serving ÿthe Lord. ÿThey will not willingly suffer reproach ÿfor ÿthe
name of Christ. Nor will they deny themselves the luxuries of life to
save ÿa ÿworld from hell. ÿSo far are they from realizing that ÿself-
denial is a condition of discipleship, that they do not even know what
it is. ÿThey never have really denied themselves a ribbon or a pin for
Christ ÿand the gospel. ÿOh, ÿhow soon ones such as these will be ÿin
hell! ÿÿSome are giving from their abundance, ÿand giving a lot, ÿand
will even complain that others do not give more; when, in truth, ÿthey
are ÿnot giving anything that they need, ÿor anything that they ÿwould
enjoy if they kept it. They only give of their surplus wealth!
Now we turn to sins of commission...
LOVE OF THINGS AND POSSESSIONS. What has been the state of your heart
concerning ÿyour ÿworldly possessions? ÿHave you looked ÿat ÿthem ÿas
really ÿyours - as if you had a right to use, ÿor dispose of ÿthem ÿas
your own? ÿIf you have, ÿwrite it down! ÿIf you have loved property,
and sought after it for its own sake, or to gratify ambition or to lay
it up for your family, you have sinned and must repent.
VANITY. ÿHow many times have you spent more time decorating your body
to go to church than you have in preparing your heart and mind for the
worship of God? ÿYou have cared more about how you appeared outwardly
to men than how your soul appeared in the sight of God. You sought to
divide the worship of God's house, ÿto draw off the attention of God's
people, ÿto look at your pretty appearance. ÿAnd you pretend that you
do not care anything about having people look at you. Be honest about
it! ÿÿWould you take all this pain about your looks if ÿevery ÿperson
were blind?
ENVY. ÿÿLook at the cases in which you were jealous of those who were
in ÿa higher position than you. ÿOr perhaps you have envied those who
have been more talented, ÿor more useful than yourself. ÿHave you not
so envied some, ÿthat it has caused you pain to hear them praised? It
has pleased you more ÿto ÿdwell ÿupon ÿtheir ÿfaults ÿthan ÿupon their
virtues...upon their failures rather than their successes. ÿBe honest
with yourself, ÿand if you have harbored this spirit of hell, ÿÿrepent
deeply before God.
BITTERNESS. ÿÿRecall all the instances in which you have ÿharbored ÿa
grudge, ÿÿor ÿa ÿbitter ÿspirit toward someone, ÿÿor ÿhave ÿspoken ÿof
Christians ÿin a manner completely devoid of charity and love. ÿÿLove
"hopes all things", ÿbut you have given no benefit of doubt, ÿand have
suspected the worst!
SLANDER ÿ(gossip). ÿÿThink ÿof all the times you have ÿspoken ÿbehind
people's backs of their faults, ÿreal or supposes, ÿunnecessarily ÿand
without ÿcause. ÿThis is slander. ÿYou need not lie to be guilty ÿof
slander; to tell the truth with the intent to injure is slander.
LEVITY (a spirit of excessive humor). How often have you joked before
God, ÿÿas ÿyou ÿwould ÿnot have dared in the presence ÿof ÿan ÿearthly
dignitary or important official. ÿYou have either been an atheist and
forgotten that God existed, ÿor have had less respect for Him and ÿHis
presence, than you would have had for a mere judge on earth.
LYING. ÿNow understand what lying is. Any form of designed deception
is ÿlying. ÿIf you purpose to make an impression other than the naked
truth, ÿyou lie. Put down all those cases you can recollect. ÿDo not
call them by any soft names. God calls them lies and charges you with
lying, ÿso you'd better charge yourself correctly! ÿThink of all your
words, ÿÿlooks, ÿand actions designed to make an impression on ÿothers
contrary to the truth, for selfish reasons.
CHEATING. ÿSet down all the cases where you have dealt with anyone in
a way you, yourself would not like at all. That is cheating. God has
said that we should treat all men in the same manner we would like ÿto
be treated. ÿThat is the rule. And if you have not done so you are a
cheat! ÿGod did not say that you should do what you would expect them
to ÿdo, ÿÿfor if that were the rule it would allow for ÿall ÿkinds ÿof
wickedness in our actions. ÿBut it says, "Do what you would want them
to do to you! ÿ(Have you cheated the government? i.e., ÿunemployment
insurance, ÿÿwelfare, ÿfood stamps, ÿsocial security, ÿstudent ÿloans,
etc...gained by fraud?)
HYPOCRISY. For instance, in your prayers and confessions to God, ÿset
down ÿall ÿthe ÿtimes in which you have prayed for things ÿyou ÿdidn't
really ÿwant. ÿHow many times have you confessed sins that you ÿnever
intended to stop doing? Yes, you have confessed sins when you knew in
your heart you as much expected to go and repeat them, as you expected
to live!
ROBBING ÿGOD. ÿThink of all the instances in which you ÿhave ÿtotally
misspent your time, ÿsquandering the hours which God gave you to serve
Him, ÿÿand ÿsave souls. ÿPrecious time wasted in ÿvain ÿamusement ÿor
worthless ÿconversation, ÿÿin reading worldly novels, ÿor ÿeven ÿdoing
nothing; ÿÿcases ÿwhere you have misused your talents and ÿability ÿto
think. Think of how you have squandered God's money on your lusts, or
spent ÿit ÿfor ÿthings which you really didn't need, ÿÿwhich ÿdid ÿnot
contribute to your health, comfort, or usefulness.
BAD TEMPER. ÿPerhaps you have abused your wife, or your children, ÿor
your family, or employees, or neighbors. Write it all down!
HINDERING ÿOTHERS FROM BEING USEFUL. ÿYou have not only robbed God of
your own talents, but tied the hands of somebody else. ÿWhat a wicked
servant is he who not only is useless himself, ÿbut hinders the ÿrest!
This is done sometimes by taking their time needlessly. Thus you have
played into the hands of Satan, ÿand not only proved yourself to be an
idle vagabond, but prevented others from working also.
SOME IMPORTANT GUIDELINES TO FOLLOW
If you find you have committed a fault against anyone, ÿand ÿthat
person ÿis within your reach, ÿgo and confess it immediately, ÿand get
that ÿout of the way. ÿIf they are too far away for you to go and see
them, ÿÿsit ÿdown ÿand write them a letter (or better yet ÿcall ÿthem)
confessing ÿthe injury you have committed against them. ÿIf you ÿhave
defrauded anybody, send the money, the full amount and the interest.
Go thoroughly to work in all this! ÿGo now! ÿDo not put it off;
that ÿwill only make matters worse. ÿConfess to God those ÿsins ÿthat
have been committed against God, and to man, those sins that have been
committed ÿagainst man. ÿDo not think about getting off easy by going
around ÿthe ÿstumbling-blocks. ÿÿTake them up out of ÿthe ÿway. ÿÿIn
breaking up your fallow ground, you must remove every obstacle. Things
may be left that you may think are little things, ÿand you may ÿwonder
why you don't have your peace with God, ÿwhen the reason is your proud
and carnal mind has covered up something which God has required you to
confess and remove. ÿBreak up all the ground and turn it over. ÿDo not
turn aside for little difficulties; drive the plow right through them,
beam ÿdeep, ÿÿand turn the ground up so that it all may be mellow ÿand
soft, and fit to receive the grain and bear fruit, "a hundredfold".
When ÿyou ÿhave gone thoroughly over your whole history ÿin ÿthis
way, if you will then go over the ground a second time, ÿyou will find
that the ÿthings ÿyou have put down will suggest other things of which
you have been guilty, connected with them, or near them. Then go over
it a third time, ÿand you will recollect other ÿthings ÿconnected with
these. ÿAnd you will find when you are finished that you can ÿremember
an amount of history in specific detail, ÿthat you did not think ÿthat
you could remember even if you had all eternity.
Unless ÿyou take up your sins in this way, ÿand consider them ÿin
detail, ÿone by one, ÿyou can form no idea of the amount or weight ÿof
them. ÿÿYou should go over the list as thoroughly, ÿand as carefully,
and ÿas solemnly, ÿas if you were preparing yourself for the ÿjudgment
(1Corinthians 11:31).
As ÿyou ÿgo over the catalogue of your sins, ÿbe sure to ÿresolve
upon ÿimmediate ÿand entire reformation. ÿWherever you find ÿanything
wrong, ÿÿresolve at once in the strength of God to sin no more in that
way. ÿÿIt ÿwill ÿbe ÿof no benefit to examine yourself, ÿÿunless ÿyou
determine ÿto ÿchange, ÿin every aspect, ÿthat which you find wrong in
heart, temper, or conduct.
Set ÿyourself to the work now; ÿresolve that you will never ÿstop
until ÿyou ÿfind ÿyou ÿcan ÿpray. ÿLet there be ÿthis ÿdeep ÿwork ÿof
repentance and full confession, this breaking down before God, and you
will have as much of the spirit of prayer as your body can bear. ÿThe
reason why so few Christians know anything about the spirit of ÿprayer
is ÿbecause ÿthey ÿnever would take the pains ÿto ÿexamine ÿthemselves
properly, ÿand so they've never known what it is to have their ÿhearts
all broken up in this way.
It will do no good to preach to you while your hearts are in this
hardened, waste, and fallow state. ÿThe farmer might just as well sow
his ÿgrain upon concrete; ÿit will bring forth no fruit. ÿThis is why
there ÿare so many fruitless professing Christians in the Church, ÿand
why ÿthere is so much technique and tradition, ÿand so little ÿsincere
feeling. ÿÿLook ÿat the Sunday-school for instance and see ÿhow ÿmany
programs ÿand ÿtrappings ÿthere are, ÿand how little of the ÿpower ÿof
Godliness. ÿIf you go on like this, ÿthe work of God will continue to
harden you, ÿand you will grow worse and worse, ÿjust as the rain ÿand
snow ÿon ÿan ÿold ÿfallow field make the turf thicker ÿand ÿthe ÿclods
stronger.
Professing Christians should never satisfy themselves or expect a
revival just by getting all excited, ÿblustering about, and talking to
sinners. ÿThey must get their fallow ground broken up. ÿYou may ÿget
into ÿan excitement without this breaking up; ÿyou may show a kind ÿof
zeal, ÿbut it will not last long. ÿIt will not take hold of ÿsinners,
unless ÿyour hearts are broken up. ÿThe reason is, ÿthat you go about
mechanically, ÿÿwithout the Spirit, ÿhaving not broken up your ÿfallow
ground.
And now, finally, will you break up your fallow ground? Will you
enter ÿupon ÿthe ÿcourse now pointed out and persevere until ÿyou ÿare
thoroughly awake? ÿIf you fail here, ÿif you do not do this, ÿand get
prepared, ÿyou can go no farther with me. I have gone with you as far
as I can, ÿuntil your fallow ground is broken up. Now, ÿyou must make
thorough work upon this point or all I have further to say will do you
little good. ÿNo, rather it will only harden, and make you worse. If
you ÿdo ÿnot set about this work immediately, ÿI ÿshall ÿtake ÿit ÿfor
granted that you do not want to be revived. ÿIf you do not do this, I
charge you with having forsaken Christ, with refusing to repent and do
your first works (Revelation 2:5)!
From Chapter Three of "Revival Lectures" By Charles G. Finney
Edited and Paraphrased by Keith and Melody Green
Contributed by The Manna System
(714)-532-6310
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I'VE ALWAYS BEEN A FOOL
by John Goetsch
It has been said that "everybody is somebody's fool." ÿI am
not any different than anyone else. I have always been a fool
for something.
On July 31, 1967, ÿI was sitting in the auditorium at Camp
Chetek in Northern Wisconsin, listening to Dr. Eric Folsum preach
a message from the Bible on Hell. He read scripture throughout
the message that told about Hell being a place of everlasting
torment prepared for those who never personally ask Jesus Christ
to save them. At the close of the service he asked those who
wanted to be saved to come forward and have someone show them
from the Bible how to be saved and go to Heaven.
I felt very uneasy, ÿand those scriptures on Hell were really
convicting my heart. But, I couldn't walk down that aisle, why
everyone knew that John Goetsch was a Christian. I had grown up
in a Christian home, had gone to church and Sunday School all my
life. I went to Vacation Bible School and Youth Camp every
summer. I had been baptized and was a member of the Calvary
Baptist Church in Watertown, Wisconsin. In fact, I was president
of athe youth group in my church. But as I walked out of that
auditorium that night, I could not get away from those scriptures
on Hell.
That night and the next day I was miserable. ÿI kept asking
myself, "Am I going to Heaven or Hell?" Everyone else seemed to
think I was going to Heaven, but I wasn't sure.
The following night, ÿI couldn't listen to the preacher. ÿI
didn't hear a word he said. I kept asking myself over and over;
am I really going to Hell? Again at the close of the service the
invitation was given, ÿbut I couldn't seem to move. Something
inside kept saying, "You're good enough, You're better than most
of these other people, they are the ones that need to be saved,"
and I listened. Later that night we watched a gospel film. In
the darkness of that room that night God began to speak in plain,
simple terms to me. He said, "John, if you don't get saved, you
are going to go straight to Hell, no matter what anyone else
thinks, you are not saved!"
Right then I realized I had been a fool for the devil. ÿHe
had tricked me into thinking that I had been good enough. As the
film ended, I ÿturned to a pastor who was sitting behind me and
asked him if he would help me. Pastor Don Phaffe took me to a
small room and there on my knees on August 1, 1967, at 10:30 p.m.
I personally asked Jesus Christ to save me. I claimed Romans
10:13 which says: "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved," and Revelation 3:20, "Behold, I stand at the
door, and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I
will come in..." The Lord didn't trick me that night like the
devil had. At that moment Jesus Christ forgave my sin and gave
me everlasting life. No longer was I a fool for the devil.
I ÿwent back to high school that fall with real joy and peace
in my heart knowing I was on my way to Heaven. During those high
school ÿyears I became very active in athletics playing football,
basketball, ÿÿand track, ÿand was achieving some success ÿin ÿall
sports. ÿBy the time I reached my junior and senior years, I ÿwas
completely ÿwrapped up in sports, ÿwith little time for ÿanything
else.
One day in Sunday School my Youth Pastor asked us to ÿwrite
down ÿsome goals for our lives. ÿMy goal for High School ÿwas ÿto
make all-conference in football. ÿFor my College goal, ÿI ÿÿwrote
down that I wanted to play College football, and for life my goal
was to get into some facet of professional sports.
Things went well and my senior year I captained the ÿfootball
team ÿto a 5 win and 3 loss record, ÿquite respectable since ÿour
high ÿschool ÿhad not won a single football game in ÿthree ÿyears
prior to that. ÿOffers began to come from various colleges asking
me ÿto play football. ÿOur basketball team was ranked 7th in ÿthe
state ÿof ÿWisconsin, ÿand I was looking forward to breaking ÿthe
school ÿrecord in the shot put in track that spring. ÿSports was
my god and I just didn't have time to serve Christ too.
On January 20, 1970, in the middle of my senior year, I ÿwas
sitting in one of my classes and my chest began to hurt. ÿI ÿhad
never felt any pain like it before, ÿbut I put off thinking about
it ÿbecause ÿwe had an important game that night. ÿThe pain ÿgrew
steadily worse that afternoon and evening and that night I played
the ÿworst ÿbasketball ÿgame I had ever played ÿin ÿmy ÿlife. ÿÿI
disgraced ÿmyself ÿand ÿthe ÿteam. ÿÿPhysically ÿhurting ÿand
emotionally upset, I went home to bed. However, as soon as I laid
down ÿflat on my back, ÿthe pain became sharp. ÿIt seemed ÿas ÿif
someone was taking a knife and cutting inside my chest.
At ÿ3:00 ÿÿa.m. ÿthe next morning my parents took me to ÿthe
hospital. They put me in a bed and I stayed in that bed, ÿunable
to move, ÿfor the next 3 months. I ÿhad a virus of the heart sac.
My heart sac was filled with poisonous liquid and was the size of
a basketball. ÿI missed the rest of my senior year, ÿthe rest of
basketball, and all of the track season.
All of the time I was in that hospital I never read my ÿBible
or ÿprayed once. ÿI ÿwas bitter against God because He had ÿtaken
everything I had dreamed of away.
For ÿthe ÿnext two years I ran from God and rebelled at ÿeven
the thought of surrendering my life to Him. I gradually worked my
body ÿback ÿinto ÿcondition until it was ÿstrong ÿand ÿcompletely
healthy.
Three weeks prior to my first college football game, ÿI ÿfelt
the ÿsame ÿpain ÿin my chest I had felt two ÿyears ÿbefore. ÿÿThe
doctors, ÿafter two weeks of tests told me that I had an enlarged
heart, ÿÿalmost ÿtwo times the size it was supposed to be. ÿÿThey
informed me that I would never play sports again.
I was crushed. ÿAll I had ever worked for was gone. ÿI ÿwent
back ÿand told the coaches that I would never play again. ÿÿAs ÿI
walked ÿacross ÿthe practice field that morning I looked ÿat ÿthe
footballs ÿlying there and walked away knowing I would never pick
one up again. At that moment my heart broke and I gave my life to
Christ. ÿI told the Lord I had run from Him long enough and if He
wanted my life, He could have it all.
I drove home and parked the car in the garage. My mother came
running ÿout and said, ÿ"John! ÿJohn! ÿyou can play football!" ÿI
said, ÿ"No, ÿthe doctors told me this morning that I would ÿnever
play again." ÿShe replied, ÿ"I know, ÿbut they just called. ÿThe
tests ÿwere read wrong. ÿYou are perfectly healthy and can ÿstart
playing tomorrow!" ÿI ÿbowed my head and thought, ÿ"If only I had
been ÿwilling ÿto give God my life two years ago when ÿHe ÿwanted
it..."
Though God allowed me to play 3 years of college football and
4 years of college basketball, I never again let myself be a fool
for sports and put anything before Christ.
I ÿwent to Maranatha Baptist Bible College and it was while I
was there that God called me to be a preacher and into Evangelism
to help others, ÿlike you, ÿfind Christ as your Saviour and serve
Him.
I Corinthians 3:18 ÿsays, "Let no man deceive himself, if any
man among you seemeth to abe wise in this world, let him become a
fool (for Christ), that he may be wise."
Today, ÿÿfriend, ÿÿdon't be a fool for the devil any ÿlonger.
Right ÿnow ÿin simple faith ask Jesus Christ to ÿcome ÿinto ÿyour
heart and life, ÿrepent your sin, and ask Him to give you eternal
life.
If ÿyou ÿhave ÿbeen saved, ÿdon't be a fool to ÿthe ÿtemporal
things of this life. ÿDedicate your life to your Saviour and be a
fool for Him.
From the S.O.N. BBS, WI
d didn't trick me that night like the
devil had. At that moment Jesus Christ forgave my sin
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FULFILLMENT
by Cornelius R. Stam
THE NEED FOR FULFILLMENT
There is a great outcry these days for fulfillment.
Psychology professors and psychiatrists, most of whom show little
evidence of having themselves found true satisfaction in life,
keep emphasising man's need for fulfillment. As a result, the
younger gereration is presently engaged in a frantic search for
this precious commodity. They want fulfillment, physically,
intellectually and spiritually - mostly in that order.
The reason for this latter is that godless "intellectuals"
in our institutions of learning have placed such heavy emphasis
upon the sensual that a truly lost generation of young people has
been brainwashed into supposing that if only man's physical
desires, his sensual passions, can be satisfied, the realization
of intellectual and then spiritual fullment will follow
naturally.
Actually, the very opposite is the case: it is spiritual
fullment that straightens out all the rest and brings into proper
perspective. What man needs first and above all else is for his
spirit to be filled and satisfied with all the peace, assurance,
joy and victory that God's Spirit alone can bestow. Referring,
doubtless, to the influence of the Spirit of God upon the human
spirit, our Lord rightly said:
"It is the Spirit that quickeneth [giveth life]; the flesh
profiteth nothing" (John 6:63).
In Galations 6:8 the Apostle Paul declares:
"He that soweth to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap
corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit
reap life everlasting."
In Romans 8:6 he states this same truth in even stronger
language:
"For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually
minded is life and peace."
Some translators have rendered this passage: "the mind of
the flesh... the mind of the spirit," but the preceding verse
seems to indicate beyond doubt that the Apostle is speaking of
having one's mind on the flesh, or on the Spirit. to have one's
mind on the flesh, he says, is "death," but to have one's mind on
the Spirit is "life and peace."
Significantly, it is since America has departed so far from
God, since men in the pulpit have so largely stopped teaching the
Bible, or even giving credence to it, that all this cry for
"fulfillment" has arisen.
Thousands of clergymen are telling lost souls what they ought
to do and how they ought to live, simply because they themselves
are unregenerate men who merely went to seminary to prepare for
the ministry, but do not know Christ. These unsaved clergymen
know nothing of the riches of God's grace in Christ that their
hearers so sorely need. But, alas, even men of God, who know
Christ and believe the Bible, are in many cases failing to teach
God's Word, to "feed the flock" with those precious truths that
could so greatly enrich their lives. Hence this spiritual
starvation, this deep hunger on the part of so many, even
religious people, who do not know exactly what it is they lack.
These should know that the Bible, and particularly the epistles
of Paul, show us the way to glorious fulfillment.
The orderly, satisfied, victorious lives of those who do
experience spiritual fulfillment, springs from their recognition
of the truth of God's declaration that, "man shall not live by
bread alone, but by every Word of God."
The Bible has much to say about fulfillment, espically in
the epistles of Paul, but also in the writings of John, who wrote
long after Paul was raised up to make known to mankind how much
Christ accomplished for us by His death at Calvary.
ENJOYING TRUE FULFILLMENT
Paul had been a very religious man, very zealous of the
traditions of the fathers, but there was an emptiness in his life
and he became progressively more bitter until he came to know
Christ. Only then did he find true fulfillment - and then this
was all he could talk and write about!
Picture him before Agrippa, standing there in chains in a
crowded courtroom, his very life at stake. He does indeed speak
in his own defense, but as we read the record this almost seems
to be secondary. He appears to be preaching to those assembled.
He preaches with such power that Festus interrupts him, shouting:
"Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee
mad", but Agrippa says: "Almost thou persuaded me to be a
Christian", whereupon Paul replies:
"I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear
me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am,
except these bonds" (Acts 26:29).
The Apostle, even in chains, experienced true fulfillment.
Hence his mind was not upon himself. He saw Festus and Agrippa
and all those assembled in that courtroom as poor lost souls,
needing Christ, and the fulfillment that He alone can give.
To these who sat in judgment upon him, the Apsotle said in
effect: "I wish you could all experience the satisfaction that I
enjoy!" And he did not speak thus, merely, as a zealot at a
public trial. To his Christian friends he wrote from his prison
in Rome about sitting "in heavenly places (Lit., the highest
heavens) in Christ," blessed with "all spiritual blessings"
(Ephesians 1:3). To the Philippians he wrote, triumphantly:
"...the things which have happened unto me have fallen out
rather unto furtherance of the gospel;
"So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace,
and in all other places;
"And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by
my bonds, are much more bold to speak the Word without fear"
(Phillipians 1:12-14).
"Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, rejoice!" (4:4)
Paul had indeed found fulfillment and, bless God, there are
thousands upon thousands of us today who have found this same
fulfillment in Christ. We have the same assurance of sins
forgiven, of complete justification before a holy God, and, like
Paul, rejoice in our position and blessings in the heavenlies in
Christ.
But now let us proceed to the doctrine of fulfillment as we
find it in the Word of God.
THE DOCTRINE OF FULFILLMENT
To make this as uncomplicated as possible we will consider
but one root word, which the Bible uses far more than any other
to express fulfillment. It is the Greek noun pleeroma and its
grammatical derivatives.
This word is used in several passages in John's writings,
where it is indicated that God would have His people enjoy rich,
full lives, regardless of outward circumstances.
Our Lord closed His famous discourse on the Vine and the
Branches by saying:
"These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might
remain in you, and that your joy may be full" (John 15:11).
Later, instructing His disciples as to how they should pray
in His absence, He said:
"Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My name: ask, and ye
shall recieve, that your joy may be full" (John 16:24).
In the opening verses of his first epistle, the Apostle John
likewise writes:
"And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be
full" (1 John 1:4).
And those who trusted Christ, even in those early days
before the dispensation of grace, did find full-fillment. John
the Baptist, who heralded the coming of the King and introduced
Him to the people of Israel, declared:
"And of His fulness have all we recieved, and grace for
[upon] grace" (John 1:16).
This ful-fillment was not marred by adversity, for
consistently in the Acts record we find the persecuted apostles
and disciples joyful and victorious. After having suffered a
cruel beating and bitter threats from the Sanhedrin, we read in
Acts 5:41 that "they departed from the presence of the council,
rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his
name."
Again, in Acts 13 we find a church born in the midst of
strife and persecution, yet of these persecution believers we
read:
"And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy
Ghost" (Verse 52).
"FULFILLMENT AND THE MYSTERY"
But it was to Paul that the risen, ascended, exalted Lord
revealed Himself in what the Apostle calles "the mystery," a
secret hid from previous "ages and generation." Not only did this
"mystery" involve a program, God's great purpose concerning this
present dispensation of His grace; in the "mystery" our Lord also
revealed Himself and His glorious, all-sufficient work as the
secret of all the riches of grace which are ours in Christ.
Had the Lord Jesus Christ remained in heaven, aloof from us
sinners, we could have known only condemnation and judgement, but
He came to be with us, yes, to become one of us, true man as well
as true God, to pay our debt of sin, so that by faith we might be
fully justified and find fulfillment in Him.
If the Spirit-inspired apsotle makes anything clear and
emphatic it is that fulfillment can be found in the rejected but
glorified Christ alone, by an intelligent understanding and
believing appropriation of His person and work in our behalf.
Col. 1:19: "For it pleased the Father that in Him should all
fulness dwell."
Col. 2:9: "For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the
Godhead bodily."
Col. 2:10: "And ye are complete [made full] in Him..."
Restless soul, you will never find complete satisfaction
until you find it in Christ, for the simple reason that all
fulness resides in Him. He is the fount of every blessing, the
Source of all supply.
What do you want that is of any real and lasting value?
What do you want that will truly fill your life? Forgiveness?
Justification? A free Conscience? Peace? Assurance? Liberty?
Joy? All - every bit of it - is to be found in Christ alone.
Read the epistles of Paul and see how "all spiritual blessings"
are to to found only "in Christ." Read the above passages from
Colossians again, thoughtfully and prayerfully. "It pleased the
Father that in Him should all fulness dwell...in Him dwelleth all
the fulness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete [made
full] in Him."
But God wants us to see that all this blessing and joy, all
these riches of grace that reside in Christ, can become ours only
as we place our trust in Him. In Romans 15:13 the Apostle
writes:
"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in
believing..."
How I wish you could see, my dear unsaved friend, that god
simply wants to be believed, just as you want other to believe
you. He knows all about your sins but He Himself has settled all
the claims against you and now He wants you to leave the whole
matter with Him and accept salvation as "the gift of God through
Jesus Christ our Lord." Believe what He says about christ dying
to pay your debt and rising again in power to prove that your
debt is fully paid. Take Him at His Word, and He will "fill you
with joy and peace in believing."
In Ephesians 3:17-19 the Apostle, divinely inspired, urges
you to let Christ "dwell in your heart by faith." And then,
"rooted and grounded in [His] love," he would have you measure
"what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height" of all
that Christ has for you and can be to you, as it is revealed in
the wonderful "mystery," the sacred secret made known through
him. And why would he have us "measure" these riches of grace
and glory? Listen:
"...to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge,
that ye might be filled with all fulness of God" (verse 19).
How can we leave this passage without quoting the blessed
benediction that brings it to a close:
"Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above
all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in
us,
"Unto Him be glory in the Church, by Christ Jesus,
throughout all ages, world without end. Amen" (verse 20,21).
Do you see how believers are "made full," find fulfillment,
in Christ? Do you see how Paul had much more than material
matters in mind when he wrote to the faithful Philippian
believers:
"But my God shall supply [Lit., fully fill] all your need
according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians
4:19).
FULFILLMENT FOR CHRIST
Perhaps the most profound and amazing aspect of the mystery
revealed through Paul is the divine truth that as we are "made
full" in Christ, so He is "made full" by His Body, the true
Church.
Not only would the Apostle have us understand and enjoy the
riches of our inheritence in Christ; he also prays earnestly that
we might comprehend "what is the riches of the glory of His
inheritance in the saints"! (Ephesians 1:18).
In Ephesians 4:10 we read that our Lord "ascended up far
above all heavens, that He might fill all things," but Chapter 1,
Verse 23, we are told that the Church is...
"...His body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all."
As Eve was given to Adam, and the two became "one flesh",
God now calling their name Adam (Genesis 5:2), so in a spiritual,
yet very real sense, believers are given to Christ as His blood-
bought possession, that we might be one with Him, the members of
His Body. And as we find fulfillment in us, whom He loved, for
whom He died and upon whom He joyously bestows all the riches of
grace which He purchased for us at Calvary. Think of it! We His
inheritance, and more - His fullness, His completeness. What and
evidence of His loving character is this! He would not be
complete in heaven without us any more than Adam would have been
complete or happy alone in the Garden of Eden. Christ needed the
love and companionship of His creatures. His divine capacity for
compassion and understanding and mercy and love needed
opportunity for expression.
How much that Blessed Book, the Bible, has to say about
fulfillment and satisfaction and joy - and most of all in the
epistles of Paul. In discussing this subject we have cited many
occurrences of one Greek word for fulfillment: pleeroma, along
with its grammatical derivatives, but there is much, much more to
be found in the synonyms and arguments used, espically by Paul,
to show how rich believers are in Christ and, indeed, how rich He
has become since His love sent Him to Calvary to die in shame and
agony and blood for us! What joy will fill His heart, as well as
ours, when through the ages of eternity we finally love and adore
Him as, in our present state, we are unable to do!
We are deeply conscious tha only with "stammering tongue"
have we endeavored to place before you what God's Word says about
"the peace that passeth understanding" and "the joy that passeth
knowledge," but one fact is unmistakably clear: such fulfillment
can be found in Christ alone.
Have you recieved and acknowledged Him as your Lord and
Saviour? If not, will you do so now, without further delay? It
is His desire to fill with peace and joy, but you must recognize
your need of Him and acknowledge that you are the sinner for whom
He died, asking Him to save you. Be wise. Cast yourself upon
Him right now.
"For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek;
for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him.
"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved" (Romans 10:12,13).
From The S.O.N. BBS, WI
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MOTIVATE
. Live by choice, not by chance. It's ironic; I first saw that at
Special Olympics. Compared to their struggle, our choice should be
easy, but we take it for granted. You must choose life everyday.
Living life and not use existing requires active participation. You
can't sit around and wait for life to take you by the hand - because
it won't. It's not what like can give you, but what you should put
into life. You have to take the initiative.
. I guess I should define what I mean by life and living. God
gives us life (everlasting life through Jesus Christ). And we should
live that life according to His perfect will -then and only then will
we know what living verses existing truly means.
. Yet God doesn't force man to do anything. We must reach out to
Him, ask of Him, cry out to Him, pray to Him.... We have to step out
in faith toward Him. Jesus chose to die for man; God chose us as His
children - He took the initiative and now never wavers or varies from
that choice. It's like the saying, "I'll meet you halfway." Jesus
died for you, and He is calling your name, but it's up to you to step
across the threshold. It's man's turn to choose and not vary from it.
In the choice for life, there is no grey, only black and white.
. So what is our motivation for life; where do we find the drive to
stick with our choice of life? You must take the first step towards
it. Motivation won't come looking for you. Look around you; don't be
caught up in the seen; look at what is unseen - Jesus, everlasting
life, love..... It's pretty obvious that good is an easier motivator
than bad. So search for good in everything and everyone. When you
find it, hold it close to your heart; make it a precious treasure.
Don't brush it aside, but experience it and live each moment as it
comes. Motivation is a day to day thing. Each day, as each situation
arises, stand by your choice.
. Don't be motivated by your emotions! If you let your emotions
control your motivation, you will run into trouble. Times will arise
when you don't feel like doing so and so, and you won't. You can't
sit around procrastinating and expect God to say, "You're motivated!"
and presto! There you go! You must persevere.
. This is where discipline comes in. Disciplines are like good
habits, only harder to form. Discipline is being faithful to the goal
you've set or to the choice you've made, regardless. So when all else
fails, you don't feel like doing it - lean on the strength of your
discipline. You'll find it is God. Stick to your guns; God will
honor your perseverance. That's His promise, not mine!
Scripture: 2 Cor 4:18, 2 Tim 1:7, Rom 5:1-5, James 1:3-4
This is a lecture that my cousin will be presenting in Atlanta. I
thought that y'all would get something out of it. I did. Her name is
Marsha and is currently going after a medical degree. She's the only
other person in my family that I am sure of being saved. It's obvious
to me (maybe not to you guys) that God is able to use her. If there's
any questions about this outline, I'll try to answer them for you. If
I can't, I'll get in touch with Marsha.
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*****************************************************************
** My Heart - Christ's Home **
** By Robert Munger **
** (C) Copyright 1954 Inter-Varsity C.F. **
** Typed by Servant, Used Without Permission **
*****************************************************************
[This file may be of some use to many of you who are attempting or
considering the Christian way of life, especially new Christians.
It applies to all who's goal as a Christian is to please Christ.
Please do not alter or add to this file! -Servant-]
In Paul's epistle to the Ephesians, we find these words: "That [God]
would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be
strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ
may dwell in your hearts by faith" (Eph 3:16). Or, as another has
translated, "that Christ may settle down and be at home in your
hearts by faith."
Without question, one of the most remarkable Christian doctrines is
that Jesus Christ himself through the presence of the Holy Spirit
will actually enter a heart, settle down and be at home there.
Christ will make the human heart his abode.
Our Lord said to his disciples, "If a man love me, he will keep my
words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and
make our abode with him" (John 14:23). It was difficult for them to
understand what he was saying. How was it possible for him to make
his abode with them in this sense?
It is interesting that our Lord used the same word here that he gave
them in the first of the 14th chapter of John: "I go to prepare a
place for you...that where I am, you may be also." Our Lord was
promising his disciples that, just as he was going to heaven to
prepare a place for them and would welcome them one day, now it
would be possible for them to prepare a place for him in their
hearts and he would come and make his abode with them.
They could not understand this. How could it be?
Then came Pentecost. The Spirit of the living Christ was given to
the church and they understood. God did not dwell in Herod's temple
in Jerusalem! God did not dwell in a temple made with hands; but
now, through the miracle of the outpoured Spirit, God would dwell in
human hearts. The body of the believer would be the temple of the
living God and the human heart would be the home of Jesus Christ.
It is difficult for me to think of a higher privilege than to make
for Christ a home in my heart, to welcome, to serve. to please, to
fellowship with him there. One evening that I shall never forget, I
invited him into my heart. What an entrance he made! It was not a
spectacular emotional thing, but very real. It was at the very
center of my life. He came into the darkness of my heart and turned
on the light. He built a fire in the cold hearth and banished the
chill. He started music where there had been stillness and he
filled the emptiness with his own wonderful loving fellowship. I
have never regretted opening the door to Christ and I never will--
not into eternity!
This, of course, is the first step in making the heart Christ's
home. He has said, "Behold I stand at the door and knock: if any
man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and
will sup with him, and he with me" (Rev. 3:20). If you are
interested in making your life an abode of the living God, let me
encourage you to invite Christ into your heart and he will surely
come.
After Christ entered my heart and in the joy of that new-found
relationship, I said to him, "Lord, I want this heart of mine to be
yours. I want to have you settle down here and be perfectly at
home. Everything I have belongs to you. Let me show you around and
introduce you to the various features of the home that you may be
more comfortable and that we may have fuller fellowship together."
He was very glad to come, of course, and happier still to be given a
place in the heart.
THE LIBRARY
The first room was the study -- the library. Let us call it the
study of the mind. Now in my home this room of the mind is a very
small room with very thick walls. But it is an important room. In
a sense, it is the control room of the house. He entered with me
and looked around at the books in the bookcase, the magazines upon
the table, the pictures on the wall. As I followed his gaze I
became uncomfortable. Strangely enough, I had not felt badly about
this before, but now that he was there looking at these things I was
embarrassed. There were some books there that his eyes were too
pure to behold. There was a lot of trash and literature on the
table that a Christian had no business reading and as for the
pictures on the wall -- the imaginations and thoughts of the mind--
these were shameful.
I turned to him and said, "Master, I know that this room needs a
radical alteration. Will you help me make it what it ought to be--
to bring every thought into captivity to you?"
"Surely!" he said. "Gladly will I help you. That is one reason I
am here. First of all, take all the things that you are reading and
seeing which are not helpful, pure, good and true, and throw them
out! Now put on the empty shelves the books of the Bible. Fill the
library with scriptures and meditate on them day and night. As for
the pictures on the wall, you will have difficulty controlling these
images, but here is an aid." He gave me a full sized picture of
himself. "Hang this centrally," he said, "on the wall of the
mind." I did and I have discovered through the years that when my
thoughts are centered upon Christ himself, his purity and power
cause impure imaginations to retreat. So he has helped me to bring
my thoughts into captivity.
May I suggest to you if you have difficulty in this little room of
the mind, that you bring Christ in there. Pack it full with the
Word of God, meditate upon it and keep before it ever the immediate
presence of the Lord Jesus.
THE DINING ROOM
From the study we went to the dining room, the room of appetites and
desires. Now this was a very large room. I spent a good deal of
time in the dining room and much effort in satisfying my wants.
I said to him, "This is a very commodious room and I am quite sure
you will be pleased with what we serve here."
He seated himself at the table with me and asked, "What is on the
menu for dinner?"
"Well," I said, "my favorite dishes: old bones, corn husks, sour
cabbage, leeks, onions and garlic right out of Egypt." There were
the things I liked -- worldly fare. I suppose there was nothing
radically wrong in any particular item, but it was not the food that
should satisfy the life of a real Christian. When the food was
placed before him, he said nothing about it. However, I observed
that he did not eat it, and I said to him, somewhat disturbed,
"Savior, you don't care for the food that is placed before you?
What is the trouble?"
He answered, "I have meat to eat that you know not of. My meat is
to do the will of him that sent me." He looked at me again and
said, "if you want food that really satisfies you, seek the will of
the Father, not your own pleasures, not your own desires, not your
own satisfaction. Seek to please me, and that food will satisfy
you." And there about the table he gave me a taste of doing God's
will. What a flavor! There is no food like it in all the world.
It alone satisfies. Everything else is dissatisfying in the end.
Now if Christ is in your heart, and I trust he is, what kind of food
are you serving him and what kind of food are you eating yourself?
Are you living for the lust of the flesh and the pride of life--
selfishly? Or are you choosing God's will for your meat and drink?
THE DRAWING ROOM
We walked next into the drawing room. This room was rather intimate
and comfortable. I liked it. It had a fireplace, overstuffed
chairs, a bookcase, sofa and a quiet atmosphere.
He also seemed pleased with it. He said, "This is indeed a
delightful room. Let us come here often. It is secluded and quiet
and we can have fellowship together."
Well, naturally, as a young Christian I was thrilled. I could not
think of anything I would rather do than have a few minutes apart
with Christ in intimate comradeship.
He promised, "I will be here every morning early. Meet with me here
and we will start the day together." So, morning after morning, I
would come downstairs to the drawing room and he would take a book
of the Bible from the bookcase. He would open it and then we would
read together. He would tell me of its riches and unfold to me its
truth. He would make my heart warm as he revealed his love and
grace towards me. They were wonderful hours together. In fact, we
called the dining room the "withdrawing room." It was a period when
we had our quiet time together.
But little by little, under the pressure of many responsibilities,
this time began to be shortened. Why, I don't know, but I thought I
was just too busy to spend time with Christ. This was not
intentional, you understand; it just happened that way. Finally,
not only was the time shortened, but I began to miss a day now and
then. It was examination time at the university. Then it was some
other urgent emergency. I would miss it two days in a row and often
more.
I remember one morning when I was in a hurry, rushing down the
steps, eager to be on my way.
As I passed the drawing room, the door was ajar. Looking in I saw a
fire in the fireplace and the Lord sitting there. Suddenly in
dismay, I thought to myself, "He was my guest. I had invited him
into my heart! He had come as Lord of my home. And yet here I am
neglecting him." I turned and went in. With downcast glance I
said, "Blessed Master, forgive me. Have you been here all these
mornings?"
"Yes," he said, "I told you I would be here every morning to meet
with you." Then I was even more ashamed. He had been faithful in
spite of my faithlessness. I asked his forgiveness and he readily
forgave me as he does when we are truly penitent.
He said, "The trouble with you is this: You have been thinking of
the quiet time, of the Bible study and prayer time, as a factor in
your own spiritual progress, but you have forgotten that this hour
means something to me also. Remember, I love you. I have redeemed
you at a great cost. I desire your fellowship. Now," he said, "do
not neglect this hour if only for my sake. Whatever else may be
your desire, remember I want your fellowship!"
You know, the truth that Christ wants my fellowship, that he loves
me, wants me to be with him, wants to be with me and waits for me,
has done more to transform my quiet time with God than any other
single fact. Don't let Christ wait alone in the drawing room of
your heart, but every day find some time when, with the Word of God
and in prayer, you may fellowship with him.
THE WORKSHOP
Before long he asked, "Do you have a workshop in your home?" Down
in the basement of the home of my heart I had a workbench and some
equipment, but I was not doing much with it. Once in a while I
would go down and fuss around with a few little gadgets, but I
wasn't producing anything worthwhile.
I led him down there.
He looked over the workbench and what little talents and skills I
had. He said, "This is quite well furnished. What are you
producing with your life for the Kingdom of God?" He looked at one
or two of the little toys that I had thrown together on the bench
and he held one up to me. "Are these little toys all that you are
producing in your Christian life?"
"Well," I said, "Lord, that is the best I can do. I know it isn't
much and I really want to do more, but after all, I have no skill or
strength."
"Would you like to do better?" he asked.
"Certainly," I replied.
"All right. Let me have your hands. Now relax in me and let my
Spirit work through you. I know you are unskilled and clumsy and
awkward, but the Spirit is the Master-worker and if he controls your
hands and your heart he will work through you." And so, stepping
around behind me and putting his great, strong hands over mine,
controlling the tools with his skillful fingers, he began to work
through me.
There's much more that I must still learn and I am very far from
satisfied with the product that is being turned out, but I do know
that whatever has been produced for God has been through his strong
hand and through the power of his Spirit in me.
Do not become discouraged because you cannot do much for God. Your
ability is not the fundamental condition. It is he who is
controlling your fingers and upon whom you are relying. Give your
talents and gifts to God and he will do things with them that will
surprise you.
THE RUMPUS
I remember the time he inquired about the playroom. I was hoping he
would not ask me about that. There were certain associations and
friendships, activities and amusements that I wanted to keep for
myself. I did not think Christ would enjoy them or approve of them
so I evaded the question.
But there came an evening when I was leaving to join some companions
-- I was in college at the time -- and as I was about to cross the
threshold, he stopped me with a glance. "Are you going out?"
I answered, "Yes."
"Good," he said, "I would like to go with you."
"Oh," I replied rather awkwardly. "I don't think, Lord, that you
would really want to go with us. Let's go out tomorrow night.
Tomorrow night we will go to prayer meeting, but tonight I have
another appointment."
He said, "that's all right. Only I thought when I came into your
home we were going to do everything together. We were going to be
partners. I want you to know that I am willing to go with you."
"Well," I said, "we will go some place together tomorrow night."
But that evening I spent some miserable hours. I felt wretched.
What kind of friend was I to Christ, When I was deliberately leaving
him out of my associations, doing things and going places that I
knew very well he would not enjoy? When I returned that evening,
there was a light in his room and I went up to talk it over with
him. I said, "Lord, I have learned my lesson. I cannot have a good
time without you. We will do everything together from now on."
Then we went down into the rumpus room of the house and he
transformed it. He brought into life real joy, real happiness, real
satisfaction, real friendship. Laughter and music have been ringing
in the house ever since.
THE HALL CLOSET
There is just one more matter that I might share with you. One day
I found him waiting for me at the door. There was an arresting look
in his eye. He said to me as I entered, "There is a peculiar odor
in the house. There is something dead around here. It's upstairs.
I think it is in the hall closet." As soon as he said the words, I
knew what he was talking about. Yes, there was a small hall closet
behind lock and key I had one or two little personal things that I
did not want anybody to know about and certainly I did not want
Christ to see. I knew they were dead and rotting things. And yet I
loved them, and I wanted them so for myself that I was afraid to
admit they were there. I went up the stairs with him and as we
mounted, the odor became stronger and stronger. He pointed at the
door and said, "It's in there! Some dead thing!"
I was angry. That's the only way I can put it. I had given him
access to the library, the dining room, the drawing room, the
workshop, the rumpus room, and now he was asking me about a little
two-by-four closet. I said inwardly, "This is too much. I am not
going to give him the key."
"Well," he said, reading my thoughts, "if you think I am going to
stay up here on the second floor with this odor, you are mistaken.
I will take my bed out on the back porch. I'm certainly not going
to put up with that." And I saw him start down the stairs.
When you have come to know and love Christ, the worst thing that can
happen to you is to sense his fellowship retreating from you. I had
to surrender. "I'll give you the key," I said sadly, "but you'll
have to open the closet. You'll have to clean it out. I haven't
the strength to do it."
"I know," he said. "I know you haven't. Just give me the key.
Just authorize me to take care of that closet and I will." So, with
trembling fingers I passed the key over to him. He took it from my
hand, walked over to the door, opened it, entered it, took out all
the putrefying stuff that was rotting there and threw it away. Then
he cleansed the closet, painted it, fixed it up, doing it all in a
moment's time. Oh, what victory and release to have that dead thing
out of my life!
TRANSFERRING THE TITLE
Then a thought came to me. I said to myself, "I have been trying to
keep this heart of mine clear for Christ. I start on one room and
no sooner have I cleaned that then another room is dirty. I begin
on the second room and the first room becomes dusty again. I am so
tired and weary trying to maintain a clean heart and an obedient
life. I just am not up to it!" So I ventured a question: "Lord, is
there any chance that you would take over the responsibility of the
whole house and operate it for me and with me just as you did that
closet? Would you take the responsibility to keep my heart what it
ought to be and my life where it ought to be?"
I could see his face lighten up as he replied, "Certainly, that is
what I came to do. You can not be a victorious Christian in your
own strength. That is impossible. Let me do it through you and for
you. That is the way. But," he added slowly, "I am not owner of
this house. I am just a guest. I have no authority to proceed
since the property is not mine."
I saw it in a minute and dropping to my knees, I said, "Lord, you
have been a guest, and I have been the host. From now on I am going
to be the servant. You are going to be the Lord." Running as fast
as I could to the strong box, I took out the title deed to the house
describing its assets and liabilities, its situation and condition.
Then returning to him, I eagerly signed it over to belong to him
alone for time and eternity. "Here," I said, "here it is, all that
I am and have forever. Now you run the house. I'll just remain
with you as houseboy and friend."
He took my life that day and I can give you my word, there is no
better way to live the Christian life. He knows how to keep it in
shape and deep peace settles down on the soul. May Christ settle
down and be at home in your heart as Lord of all.
[This file was both blessing and challenge for me as a new
Christian. I hope it is for you, too. -Servant-]
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This is the beginning
of a New Day.
God has given me this day
to use as I will.
I can waste it
or grow in its light
and be of service to others.
But what I do
with this day is important
because I have exchanged
a day of my life for it.
When tomorrow comes,
today will be gone forever.
I hope I will not regret
the price I paid for it.

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Nuggets of Truth
Too soon we get old and too late we get smart.
God created the home before He created the Church.
Between every promise and it's fullfillment is a wilderness. The way we
act determines how long it takes for us to get to the fulfillment.
The life that Christ lived, qualified Him for the death that He died. The
death that He died qualifies us for the life He lived. Jesus had to come
as He did to be what He was. He had to be what He was to do what He did.
He had to do what He did that we might have what he is. And we must have
what He is to be what He was and do what He did.
It's twice as important to finish a job as it is to start one.
When we become busy doing the do's, we won't have time to worry about the
don'ts.
Only God can count the apples in one seed. You never know how many lives
you're going to affect through one person that you minister to.
All spiritual experience comes from divine light on eternal truth. But
truth preached without light becomes doctrine. With divine light it becomes
revelation. Truth always comes in one form or the other. Doctrine genders
the law. Revelation genders life.
A self chosen path is a path of trouble. A path chosen by God is straight,
simple, and furnished with God's guidance.
Satan cannot do anything to you apart from fear anymore than God can do
anything for you apart from faith.
Let no man curse the darkness if he will not light a candle.
The guy who says it can't be done always gets run over by the guy doing it.
A life that is walked in truth all day can lay down at night and sleep
without worry.
The power of my living for Christ is governed by the law of forgiveness.
The key to forgiveness is the emotion with which I remember. If it still
shakes me up, it's not been forgiven.
God is looking for men filled, not better methods.
The deep things are not discovered but received, not acheived but believed,
not taught but revealed, by the Spirit we know the things of God.
Faith will not function nor operate beyond obedience.
The more time we spend on out knees, the less trouble we'll have standing
on our feet.
The New Birth saves us fron the penalty of sin. The Holy Spirit saves us
from the power of sin. And the return of Jesus will save us from the
presence of sin.
Relationship without fellowship is like marriage without love.
We become the pivot point to every person we meet and they will never be
the same again.
Don't look for ways to get the money to come rolling in, look for ways to
get the WORD out and the money will come.
Love works the most. Faith gets the most. But humility keeps the most.
The WORD made speech is oratory. The WORD made print is literature. The
WORD made flesh is life.
The Lord is more interested in the quality of your sheep than the size of
your flock.
Before the lips can rightly declare the teaching of the scripture the
heart must be its home. The words are the guideline to faith and obedience
to it's teaching is the secret of a life of victory.
Faith activates God like fear activates the devil.
In the beginning God created Adam and Eve, NOT Adam and Steve.
No man has a ministry of his own. We participate in Christ's ministry, it's
his vineyard. If we realize that, we won't care what field we're in.
Hypocrites never pray in secret for prayers that are a pretense always
require an audience.
Your greatest strength can become your weakness. Keep your strong soulish
nature under the spirit of God and learn to know the difference.
Through surrender we come to obedience. Through obedience we come to
overcoming. Through overcoming we enter into inheritance.
Find out what God would have you do and then do that little well. For what
is great and what is small only He can tell.
Because of God's grace, the believer stands before the Throne in
righteousness that is spotless, in a life that is endless, and in a dignity
that is glorious.
Downloaded from the Computers for Christ BBS
(408) 997-2790
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PAIN
Meaning and purpose
in the life of a Christian
The ÿexperience ÿof ÿpain, ÿin whatever ÿform ÿit ÿtakes ÿis
universal. ÿÿHuman ÿsuffering ÿis one of ÿthe ÿworld's ÿgreatest
unanswered ÿquestions. ÿÿEspecially ÿduring the newness ÿof ÿthe
Christmas season, do we become more and more aware of the mystery
involved ÿin ÿit. ÿI'm not writing this article ÿto ÿattempt ÿan
answer to the suffering question. ÿI am writing instead, ÿsimply
to ÿshare ÿsome ÿof my thoughts and experiences ÿon ÿthe ÿmatter.
Also, ÿÿperhaps by examining my mistakes, ÿand efforts in dealing
with pain, ÿyou will have something to fall back on when it comes
your way ... as it inevitably will.
Just by way of background, I was on Cross Fire '75, the team
to West Africa. ÿI ÿspent much of the fifteen months we traveled
in ÿpain, ÿand incredible fatigue. ÿI ÿnever really took it ÿtoo
seriously, ÿÿas ÿmost ÿof ÿus were sick ÿregularly. ÿÿIt ÿbecame
frustrating for me, and the entire team though, when my illnesses
outweighed my healthy times. ÿThe situation reached a crisis the
final ÿmonth ÿof ÿteam when I just couldn't ÿcontinue. ÿÿI ÿÿwas
hospitalized ÿat ÿthe ÿend ÿof ÿAugust ÿ1976, ÿÿand ÿdue ÿto ÿthe
persistence of a caring doctor, ÿdiscovered I was the victim (and
had ÿbeen ÿfor years) ÿof an incurable, ÿand ÿoftentimes ÿcruelly
painful ÿdisease called Systemic Lupus Erythemetosis. ÿLupus for
short. The cause, and the cure remain unknown.
I remember laying in the hospital in a state of ÿdis-belief.
My ÿhead ÿwhirled with questions, ÿbut none so prevalent ÿas ÿthe
eternal "why?" Why me ... why now ... why this? I ÿwas suddenly
faced with the reality that I would be dealing with pain on a day
to ÿday ÿbasis for the rest of my life. ÿIn the fear ÿthat ÿsuch
thoughts bring, I began to observe the attitudes toward suffering
in ÿthe ÿpeople ÿaround me. ÿMost of us view pain ÿas ÿsomething
alien, ÿÿsomething ÿto ÿeradicate ÿand be rid of ÿas ÿquickly ÿas
possible. This attitude may be fine when you deal with ills that
are ÿtemporal, ÿdefinable, ÿand curable. ÿBut not all ÿsuffering
falls ÿinto those categories. ÿWhat do we say to those ills ÿand
accidents ÿÿthat ÿÿleave ÿtheir ÿvictims ÿpermanently ÿÿdisabled,
disfigured, or mentally incapacitated? ÿWe cannot simply dismiss
them. They are real, and difficult, and very much a mystery.
When a Christian deals with life situations, we must keep in
mind ÿthe ÿfact that God is a mystery. ÿHe cannot be defined ÿor
explained by our limited knowledge. ÿWho hasn't heard someone in
desperation or grief ask the unanswerable "why?" And who had the
power and wisdom to respond? Once we accept that sometimes there
are ÿno ÿanswers, ÿat least for now, ÿwe experience a release ÿof
those gnawing doubts, ÿand become free to start learning. ÿÿWhen
there ÿare ÿno answers, ÿonly questions for us, ÿwe must look ÿto
Christ, ÿÿand ÿHis example. ÿJesus felt. ÿHe hurt and ÿlaughed,
suffered ÿand died as we all must. ÿHe was and is God incarnate,
sensitive counselor to our despair, ÿas He has felt the very same
pain we do. ÿC.S. Lewis, upon the death of a dear friend, ÿwrote
in his book A Grief Observed:
"When ÿI lay these questions before God, ÿI ÿget no ÿanswer.
But, a rather special no answer. It is not a locked door. It is
more ÿlike a silent, ÿcertainly not unkind gaze. ÿAs ÿthough ÿHe
shook His head, ÿnot in refusal, but waiving the question. Like,
'Peace Child, you don't understand."
The ÿenigma of pain reflects the mystery of God. ÿIt begins
as a journey of trust. We can choose to accept and deal with our
frailty, ÿÿor, ÿlike Ivan Dostoevsky stated, ÿ"If God offered ÿme
suffering ÿas a pass through life, ÿI ÿfor one would ÿreturn ÿthe
ticket." ÿWe can face, ÿand even learn from the realities of our
humanity, or we can run from them.
Why ÿmust suffering remain a mystery? ÿI ÿcan't give a ÿpat
answer, ÿÿbut isn't it true that the times we are closest to ÿthe
Lord ÿare those times we have no control? ÿFor me these are also
the hours of my greatest sensitivity and compassion to those near
me. ÿÿIt's ÿonly when our efforts to rationalize ÿand ÿeradicate
seemingly useless pain are gone, ÿand we reach the end of our own
rope, ÿwe see Christ's strength available to us. ÿIf the mystery
were ÿfully explained, ÿthere would be no crisis. ÿMost of ÿall,
there ÿwould ÿbe no need of our faith walk with God. ÿÿPain ÿand
suffering are not some type of Cosmic Character Builders sent ÿby
the ÿAlmighty. ÿThey are however, ÿused by Him to strengthen and
cleanse our relationship to Him and to each other.
As ÿChristians ÿwe ÿbelieve that God's ÿpromises ÿare ÿtrue.
Romans 8:28 ÿreminds us that the Lord is ever present and working
in our trials. Sometimes this is comforting, but often, the pain
is still there, ÿand still very hard to cope with. ÿJust because
we ÿknow we are living a mystery, ÿand God is using it, ÿÿdoesn't
make ÿit hurt any less. ÿBut so much of our suffering depends on
our ÿattitude ÿtoward ÿit. ÿIt's very human, ÿÿand ÿnecessary ÿI
believe, ÿÿto ÿexperience ÿfear, ÿanger, ÿÿself-pity, ÿÿand ÿeven
bitterness. ÿWe wouldn't be normal if these emotions didn't pass
through us. ÿI think so often of one of my African friends, ÿwho
when I reached a high pitched frustration, would always shake his
head and say, ÿ"Kristi, it will pass." It will pass. Fear, ÿand
all ÿof the so-called "negative" ÿemotions that follow it can ÿbe
healthy, ÿnormative, ÿand even creative forces in our lives. ÿÿA
well balanced emotional human is capable of them all. ÿThey only
become evil when we allow them to immobilize and blind us to ÿthe
lessons ÿwe could be learning. ÿPersonally, ÿI ÿhave ÿchosen ÿto
concentrate on life, ÿmy life as it is now. ÿI ÿcannot wish ÿthe
pain away, or ignore it. It has become a very real part of who I
am. ÿÿBut what I can do, ÿwhether I am suffering or not, ÿis ÿto
concentrate ÿon ÿthe ÿhealth ÿthat exists ÿinside ÿof ÿme. ÿÿThe
acceptance of my human condition, ÿin the light of God's promises
leads to a fresh hope, and a new peace of mind.
As ÿI study the Bible, ÿI'm always amazed at the ÿincredible
sensitivity Jesus has toward us. ÿWe humans, ÿunfortunately ÿare
much ÿmore ego-centric in our view of suffering. ÿWe ÿmean ÿwell
usually, but never quite know what to say or do. In sharing with
a ÿperson in pain, ÿor dealing with it yourself, ÿit is vital ÿto
remember ÿthat ÿthe ÿsuffering Christian lives ÿwith ÿa ÿconstant
reminder ÿof ÿhis/her ÿfrailty. ÿThere is no question ÿthat ÿGod
heals, ÿÿlikewise ÿthere ÿis ÿno question that ÿwe ÿdon't ÿalways
understand ÿhow ÿHe ÿdoes so. ÿOurs is not a total ÿtheology ÿof
glory. We live, as Martin Luther puts it, ÿ"In the shadow of the
Cross." ÿÿWe ÿmust take this cross seriously, ÿwith all of ÿit's
implications. There is no victory without defeat, ÿglory without
shame, ÿor health without suffering. ÿFor example; I ÿcannot say
that I have been healed of my disease. (Not yet anyway) I can say
however, ÿthat I have been healed of many other things through my
disease. ÿÿI've ÿnever felt as loved as when I discovered I ÿhad
Lupus. I saw Christ alive through the caring of His church, ÿand
I ÿÿexperienced ÿfirsthand ÿthe ÿsensitivity ÿand ÿfaith ÿof ÿHis
followers. Healing with suffering ... victory, in the shadows.
I'd ÿlike to tell you that I accept and trust at all ÿtimes,
but ÿI ÿcan't. ÿI'm human. ÿWhen I'm in pain, ÿÿI'm ÿconstantly
reminded ÿof my mortality. ÿBut, ÿI'm also reminded that in ÿthe
shadow (or light?) ÿof the cross, and God's promise of redemption
through Christ, there is hope.
In ÿclosing ÿout my thoughts, ÿI ÿthink ÿit's ÿimportant ÿto
mention ÿa little bit on the practical side of sensitivity to the
suffering person. I ÿbelieve the most important attitude you can
take is honesty. ÿA ÿperson is rarely alone in their pain. ÿÿIf
there ÿare people around who care, ÿthey will be suffering ÿalso.
If ÿyou ÿfind ÿyourself in that boat, ÿdon't be afraid ÿto ÿadmit
you're afraid. Be honest about your feelings, hurts, ÿand fears.
If ÿyou're ÿangry or confused, ÿtalk about it, ÿÿit ÿhelps. ÿÿBe
supportive ÿof the suffering person, ÿbut don't pity them. ÿÿLet
them know you care by being yourself, ÿthat is after all who they
love and need. Accept the ills of those you're dealing with as a
part ÿof ÿthemselves. ÿA ÿvery real part. ÿMost of all, ÿÿdon't
underestimate ÿthem. ÿÿThey ÿwill fight the ÿpain, ÿÿfear, ÿÿand
desperation hand in hand with you, and with our Lord.
I hope some of the things I've talked about will help you in
your ÿtrials. ÿÿI ÿhope it helps the next time you hold me, ÿÿor
someone like me as they cry. ÿI ÿhope most of all, ÿyou use your
experience in suffering to grow in sensitivity, ÿand that our God
will burn into your conscience your need of Him in health as well
as ÿpain. ÿÿThis ÿChristmas, ÿmay you be guided ÿby ÿthe ÿtender
compassion of our bleeding Savior.
Kristi Lee Hernmeir
NOTE: This article was written by Kristi for the Christmas, 1977
issue ÿof the National Lutheran Youth Encounter Newspaper. ÿÿThe
article was written only a few days before Kristi's death.
Permission ÿto reprint the article was given by Pastor ÿGene
and Ruby Hernmeir, Kristi's parents.
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P A S S I V I T Y - L E T H A L L U L L A B Y
---------------------------------------------------
"Once there was fine warren on the edge of a wood, overlooking the meadows of
a farm...
"One day the farmer though, `I could increase these rabbits: make them part of
my farm- their meat, their skins. Why should I bother to keep rabbits in
hutches? They'll do very well where they are.'... He put out food for the
rabbits, but not too near the warren. For his purpose they had to become
accustomed to going about in the fields and the wood. And then he snared
them-not too many; as many as he wanted and not as many as would frighten them
all away or destroy the warren.
"They grew big and strong and healthy, for he saw to it that they had all of
the best, particularly in winter, and nothing to fear-except the running knot
in the hedge gap and the wood path. So they lived as he wanted them to live
and all the time there were a few who disappeared. The rabbits became strange
in many ways, different from other rabbits. They knew well enough what was
happening. But even to themselves they pretended all was well, for the food
was good, they were protected, they had nothing to fear but the one fear..."
(excerpt from WATERSHIP DOWN by Richard Adams)
A story of rabbits can easily be translated to men. Our warren, too, is plush
and secure, safe from danger, and insipidly deadly.
The typical would view of passivity is that is constitutes a positive force; a
person who is passive is often described as "restrained" or "reserved." Both
terms, if not carried too far, are supposed signs of strength in character.
When passivity is seen in a negative light, it is often confused with
indifference or apathy, neither of which are synonymous, but are often
passivity's symptoms.
According to Webster's [Sixth] New Collegiate Dictionary, passivity consists
"Not [of being] active, but acted upon; affected by outside force[s] or
agenc[ies and] receiving or enduring without resistance or emotional
reaction..."
A person "being acted upon... affected by outside forces" is one who allows
circumstance and environment to dictate his state of mind. The question is
what the individual really is doing when he allows himself to assume a passive
stance. For that, we must look at some of passivity's fruit.
DEPRESSION AND SUICIDE
Psychologists agree that "the most prominent symptom of depression [is]
passivity." (Psych. Today, June 1973, p. 45) Paradoxically, there is also a
reversal of roles. Depression can become a symptom of passivity: "I existed
in a state of complete nothingness. My world was one in which passivity
played the major role. Depression was the stat I most often was in, because I
felt unable to make and effort to overcome the barriers in my life."
In extreme instances, even suicide can be traced to passivity. The most
graphic examples come from the insane world of the rock and roll star or film
personality. Freddie Prinze, of "Chico and the Man" fame, and Robert Lamm,
from the group Chicago, both shot themselves in a seemingly irrelevant and
unplanned manner. It was report, however, that Prinze used to hold the gun he
later shot himself with to his head and tell his startled friends that he was
going to kill himself. Then, laughing, he would put the gun aside. In his
life, fantasy became reality.
Janis Joplin, too, was a study in passivity. At one point, when a friend
confronted her about her heavy heroin usage, she offered this defense: "I
just did it to see." "To see what?" "To see if I wanted to do it anymore."
(Janis Joplin, Buried Alive, Myra Friedman, pg. 388)
Keith Moon, the drummer of the Who, is the most recent possible suicide
related to passivity. He died by taking two handfuls of sleeping pills by
"accident." The Rolling Stone commented that, "It was in any event, and
uncharacteristically passive end for one of rock's most flamboyant figures."
PASSIVITY AND THE CULTS
A major area in which passivity is encouraged is religion, especially the new
religions of the East, as well as spin-offs from Christianity. Men such as
Sun Myung Moon, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and Edgar Cayce all encourage a passive
mind in the search for God. In a recent issue of People magazine, a young
high school journalist penetrated the "Moonie cult," and described various
techniques used to break down potential member's minds until they reached a
state of uncritical passivity.
In Hare Krishna, on "is urged to act without seeking the fruits of his
action." (Those Curious New Cults, William Petersen, p. 167)
Zen Buddhists have a poem that expressed the same idea:
"If you want the truth to stand clear before you
Never be for or against
The struggle between `for' and `against'
Is the mind's worst disease."
Along more occultic lines, Edgar Cayce was perhaps one of the more famous
mediums. He was called "the sleeping prophet" because of his allowing his
mind to go blank and his apparent unconsciousnesses during "prophetic"
utterances supposedly uttered by the denizens of the spirit would. As cult
expert William Petersen says, "Anyone who puts his mind in neutral should
check to see who is behind the wheel. Whenever Cayce went into a self-induced
trance, he was at the mercy of outside forces." (Those Curious New Cults,
William Petersen, p. 58)
And it is ironic that out of six types of seances practiced by spiritualists,
one of them is call "passivity."
Finally, there are the thousand and one forms of meditation being peddled by
an assortment of gurus and psycho-analysts, from TM to Yoga. Almost all of
them rely on a mantra or some other form of chant to reach what TM calls
"total relaxation." This chant is extremely repetitious, often only one word
and serves to slow down or even stop the mind's thought processes. (see
Psychology Today, February 1978, p. 84)
PSYCHOLOGY, PHILOSOPHY, AND THE INDIVIDUAL
Many psychologists support meditation techniques such as TM, claiming that
they're beneficial. Also the school of behaviorism (as taught by B. F.
Skinner) teaches that men are controlled by their environment, which precludes
any escape from one's lot in life.
Most (almost all) of modern philosophy encourages passivity. Existentialism,
harsh determinism, and even end-of-the-road nihilism, all leave little option
as to passivity. Consider one scholar's comments on Jean-Paul Sartre, the
father of existentialsim: "He says that we live in an absurd universe. The
total, he says, is ridiculous. Nevertheless, you try to authenticate yourself
by an act of will. It does not really matter in which direction you act as
long as you act.
"You see an old lady and if you help her safely across the road you have
'authenticated yourself.' But if you choose to beat her over the head, and
snatch her handbag, you would have equally have 'authenticated yourself.'
...you just choose and act." (The God Who is There, Francis Schaeffer, p. 24)
The normal individual is reduced to bumbling along, making up his own ethics
as he goes. For many this task proves a bewildering one, and so ethics goes
in the garbadge along with absolutes. Of all the myriad paths open to the
individual, passivity is by the far easiest and safest one to travel.
Passivity's greatest damage is done within the mind of the individual who is
ruled by it. Thus, what starts as a self protective mechanism to avoid injury
or perhaps just an easy out from responsibility turns into a bondage that
ultimately destroys the human personality, crippling the individual's ability
to love or to care.
"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will
certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of
keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal.
Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all
entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket of coffin of your selfishness.
But in that casket--safe, dark, motionless--it will change. It will not be
broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable." (C. S.
Lewis, The Four Loves, Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, p. 169)
OVERCOMING PASSIVITY
Can passivity be overcome? The emotions that may lead to passivity
(depression, insecurity, apathy) are themselves debated; are they integral
parts of each person's makeup, or are they forces that can be separated from
the personality? Some say the latter. "Unlike a spectator during an
abduction, we do not seem to have the option of abandoning our pasive stance
and getting involved; for what would it be like for us either to help hinder
the depradations of our moods and our unconscious processes?" (Mind, July
1978, p. 393)
Is this really true, or are human emotions sxtraneous to human behavior? The
ancient Greek philosophers such as Socrates and Plato believed the mind was of
ultimate importance and emotions not even secondary, but rather a hindrance.
Both of these views end in passivity. The first claims it as an inescapable
fact of life, while the second denies passivity's existance. neither actually
deals with it.
We must put on that "renewed mind" and our thoughts must be transformed. This
goes beyond Norman Vincent Peals and his "Power of Positive Thinking," and
into a realm involving cost.
The Bible points to commitment as the vital ingredient and to attain this
commitment we need God in our lives, and Jesus Christ, who was God on earth in
human form, is the lone gateway to Him. Passivity is only logical if we have
no reason for life or hope, but if Jesus is a changer of lives, we must face
that fact and accept or reject His offer.
THE PRIME MOTIVATER: SATAN
Just as there is a real, living God, the Bible also points to the existence of
Satan. Not symbolic, not imaginary, but a real spirit orchestrating evil
through the whole world, Satan is the one who perpetrates and encourages
passivity. It gives him an opening through which he can pour all the thoughts
he pleases, paralyzing our will and leading us by the nose into bondage of
sin. Passivity itself is sin, for it is the door that allows Satan entry.
Rather than allow Christians to attempt answering Jesus' challenge of
discipleship, Satan uses passivity to encourage our gliding along on the
circumstances of the moment and evading the issue. He wants no struggle to
understand or grasp the truth, but rather a submissive acquiescence to "things
as they are."
Rebellion and passivity go hand in hand. So often, we "turned off" our
parents, teachers, or evan our friends by retreating into its embrace. In
situations that put pressure on us to grow, or problems that challenge us in
their complexity, passivity becomes the best non-narcotic escape to "tune-
out." If passivity is linked to rebellion, we must realize the seriousness of
this in God's eyes. "Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft." (I Sam. 15:23)
Many who are under passivity's bondage attempt to escape through prayer,
fasting, or reading the Word. This is missing the point. "There I was, at a
Christian college, and my spiritual life was at a complete standstill. I
wasn't even conscious of any passive stance within...I suffered from a
spiritual malaise, a deadness that tormented and frustrated me. I read the
Word trying to break free of something I didn't even understand. I would sin,
but rather than repent and simply obey God next time. I attempted through
'being spiritual' (reading and praying) to come around. Part of it was that I
didn't know about passivity, and part of it was that I wouldn't have chosen
simple obedience anyway." (See I Sam. 15:22)
We need to gain a true hatred for passivity; not just an intellectual assent
to its destructive qualities, but a heartfelt revulsion for the role it plays
in subverting any fruitful relationship to Christ.
Martin Luther, when being actually visibly confronted with Satan, understood
this hatred perfectly. He hurled an inkwell across the room at the devil, and
although Satan obviously suffered no harm, the point was made. Martin Luther
loved God and hated the king of the fallen angels and fallen men. Just as
Luther made his point, we must make ours. This crucial, for without an
understanding and hatred of passivity, it will continue to reign in our lives,
perverting our personality and causing our soul to agonize in its emptiness.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, we see illustrated perhaps the most titanic
struggle a man has ever waged against the numbing paralysis of passivity.
"And being in agony (of mind) He prayed (the) more earnestly and intently; and
His sweat became like great clots of blood dropping down upon the ground."
(Luke 22:44, Amp.)
Even when motives are right, a person can fall prey to passivity. "Many
people who truly desire to follow the Holy Spirit and who have given up self-
will and personal ambition are people who can get into a state of a passive
mind because of misunderstanding. They don't want their own will, the don't
want their own thoughts, and so they God to do their thinking for them. But
God doesn't do your thinking for you." (Jack Winter, Dimension Tapes, SIJW 7)
Ultimately, every man will meet with passivity. He can either deal with it
through a living relationship with Jesus Christ, or he won't deal with it all.
He will become passive and he will be overcome in the end. Consider what C.
S. Lewis writes in his book "The Screwtape Letters:
"You will say that these are very small sins...It does not matter how small
the sins are provided that their cumulative effects is to edge the man away
from the Light and out into nothing...Indeed the safest road to hell is the
gradual one--the gentle slope, sof underfoot, without sudden turnings, without
milestones, without signposts..."
Whether it is to be this road or the hard but exhilarating mountain of reality
in Christ, we choose it. And sometimes not choosing is the worst choice.
Jesus People USA
4707 N. Malden
Chicago, IL 60640
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PROPHECIES CONCERNING THE DEATH OF CHRIST
====================================================================
TOPIC | PROPHECY | FULFILLMENT
====================================================================
Seed of woman being |Genesis 3:15 |John 19:18
bruised | |(Galatians 3:13-16)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
My God,my God |Psalm 22:1 |Matthew 27:46
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Darkness on earth |Psalm 22:2 |Matthew 27:45
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Despised by the |Psalm 22:6 |Matthew 27:39-44
people | |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Surrounded by enemies|Psalm 22:7,8,13 |Matthew 27:39-44
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Pierced hands and |Psalm 22:14,16 |John 19:34,37
feet | |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
No broken bones |Psalm 22:17 |John 19:36
|(Exodus 12:46;Psalm |
| 34:20) |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Look at him |Psalm 22:17 |Matthew 22:36
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Cast lots |Psalm 22:18 |Matthew 27:35
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Did not tear garment |Psalm 22:18 |John 19:24
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Gave up spirit |Psalm 22:21;31:5 |John 19:30 (Luke 23:46;
| |John 10:18)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
False witnesses |Psalm 35:11 |Mark 14:56
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Friends stood afar |Psalm 38:11 |Luke 23:49
off | |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Judas's betrayal |Psalm 41:9 |Mark 14:10 (John 13:18,
| |19)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I thirst |Psalm 69:3 |John 19:28
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Shame,reproach |Psalm 69:19 |Matthew 27:28, 29
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Gall and vinegar to |Psalm 69:21 |John 19:21
drink | |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
When they looked |Psalm 109:25 |Matthew 27:39, 40
they shook their | |
heads | |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Exact time of death |Daniel 9:26 |John 11:50-52
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Beating,spitting |Isaiah 50:6 |Matthew 27:26,30
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Disfigured by |Isaiah 52:14 |Matthew 27-30
cruelty | |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Despised and rejected|Isaiah 53:1-3 |Mark 15:29-32
by men | |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Peter 2:24 |Isaiah 53:4-6 |Mark 15:25
--------------------------------------------------------------------
2 Corinthans 5:21; | Isaiah 5,6,10 |John 19:16
1 Corinthans 5:7 | |
An offering for sin | |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Opened not his mouth |Isaiah 53:7 |Matthew 27:13-14
--------------------------------------------------------------------
The Lamb of God |Isaiah 53:7 |John 1:29
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Grave with the rich |Isaiah 53:9 |Matthew 27:56-60
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Made intecesession |Isaiah 53:12 |Luke 23:34
for transgressors | |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Numbered with |Isaiah 53:12 |Mark 15:27-28
transgressors | |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Thirty pieces of |Zechariah 11:12 |Matthhew 26:15
silver | |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Potters |Zechariah 11:30 |Matthew 27:3-7
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Lamented and mourned |Zechariah 12:10 |Luke 23:17
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Disciples scattered |Zechariah 13:7 |Mark 14:27,50
--------------------------------------------------------------------
God to smite the |Zechariah 13:7 |Matthew 26:31
shepherd | |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
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RADICAL GENESIS EVANGELICALS
*
*
1. An R.G.E. POWERFULLY REJECTS the "GOD IS A MELLOW CALIFORNIAN" concept:
. a. God IS NOT LAID BACK
. b. IS NOT content as long as you're sincere in what you
. believe
. c. IS NOT SLOPPY or LAZY in communicating His will
. d. Is not a God of Errors, Myths, or Mistakes
. (a laid-back, sloppy & lazy god might be content
. with an error filled bible but the great I AM would not)
. e. Would NEVER BE a T.V. EVANGELIST.
. f. Has laid out an EXACTING & SINGULAR way for man to be
. saved. There is only ONE-WAY by which man can be saved:
. Faith in Jesus Christ.
*
2. RGE's hold firmly to SOLA SCRIPTURA (Scripture Only). The
. Bible is WORD-FOR-WORD EXACTLY CORRECT IN ALL IT SAYS.
. God's Word IS COMPLETE in the 66 books of the N.T. & O.T. Canon.
. There is NO OTHER or new revelation beyond the BIBLE ITSELF.
. a. An R.G.E. actually believes Jonah was swallowed by a
. big fish,
. b. believes Adam & Eve were the first humans; they did
. not evolve, they were created by God and ALL HUMANS
. are descended from Adam & Eve
. c. believe that God, in His infinite wisdom, had the
. Israelites totally destroy other nations.
. d. A RADICAL GENESIS EVANGELICAL may not always under-
. stand, but he DOGGEDLY BELIEVES.
*
3. RGE'S believe in a literal Heaven & a literal Hell.
. A minority of people who have lived on Earth will be in
. Heaven, the majority will be in HELL.
. *
4. RGE'S believe God is Self-Existent - no beginning no end.
. God is also Triune; Father, Son (Jesus Christ), & Holy Spirit.
. a. God exists whether or not man does
. b. God IS NOT a Chameleon forever changing to please man
. c. Man's subjective thoughts/feelings about God are only
. correct if they agree with the objective Scriptures.
. D. the CREATED cannot totally understand the CREATOR;
. it is ARROGANT & FOOLISH to think he can.
. *
5. God IS NOT Sentimental or Sloppily Emotional in His love
. for His children. HE IS a God of love but also a God of
. Implacable and AWESOME WRATH. Those people who think HE
. is a Mellow Californian will find they are DEAD-WRONG,
. in Hell.
. a. God never smiles at small sins
. b. Chastises his children with alarming regularity
. c. And does not listen to the prayers of unbelievers except
. when they call out in REPENTANCE for Salvation.
*
6. RGE'S think ALL mankind is incredibly evil and self-deceived.
. An RGE think the "biggies" are still Sins of the Heart more
. than behavioral misdeeds. Our society today suffers from:
. a. Pride (we think we're okay and we can take care of
. ourselves)
. b. Arrogance (especially some theologians who think they
. are smarter and more knowledgeble than the Apostle Paul)
. c. Incredible Materialism (the Christian community has
. bought into rampant materialism Hook, Line & Sinker.
. (Owning a BMW and a 5000 sq. ft. house is obscene.)
. d. Unrestrained Selfishness (I want, I think, I feel,
. I gotta be me, take care of # 1, etc. ad nauseum)
. e. Lack of Courage (how many of us will stand up to the
. taunts and ridicule of family & friends; of the media?)
*
7. An R.G.E. doesn't hate Gays, Adulterers, Liars,
. Politicians, Murderers, the Sexually Warped, liberals,
. Abortioners, T.V. Evangelists, and those who think RADICAL
. BELIEVERS are to be ridiculed and laughed at. Those
. individuals suffer the devastating consequences of their own
. sins here on Earth (and in Hell if they reject Jesus
. Christ). One doesn't have to be an R.G.E. to get to Heaven
. but there is NO BETTER WAY TO LIVE.
. (OBVIOUSLY, R.G.E.'s are not sinless. We also struggle with
. lust and all those other debilitating & destructive sins.)
*
8. R.G.E.'s believe that God, in His infinite wisdom, chose
. women to be subject to men. This IN NO WAY IMPLIES MALE
. SUPERIORITY in God's economy. But female dominated societies
. are NOT God's Plan. Women who seek equality or superiority
. are doomed to be frustrated and miserable (the men also).
*
9. R.G.E.'s believe that in the Culture:
. Divorce and remarriage are wrong except for:
. 1. Chronic sexual infidelity/perversion of a spouse
. 2. Desertion by an unbelieving spouse
. 3. If one was married & divorced before salvation.
. (Certainly, there can be family situations so destructive
. that marital separation might be the best alternative.)
*
10. R.G.E.'s STRONGLY BELIEVE "If anyone DOES NOT PROVIDE FOR
. HIS RELATIVES, and especially for his immediate family, HE
. has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."
. Bar-hopping, beer guzzling, TV-addict husbands who selfishly
. spend money on their own WANTS are a CANCER in our society.
*
11. R.G.E.'s STRONGLY BELIEVE younger women (wives) should
. love their husbands and children, be self-controlled and
. pure, BUSY AT HOME, be kind, subject to their husbands so
. that no one will malign the Word of God. Titus 2:4,5.
. a. Mother's are ultimately happier and more fulfilled at
. home and
. b. KIDS WEREN'T CREATED FOR DAY CARE CENTERS.
. c. God placed the ultimate, responsibility of educating
. our children in THE PARENT'S HANDS not the State's hands.
*
12. Finally, RADICAL GENESIS EVANGELICALS:
. a. Will Never be in the majority: always be UNPOPULAR
. b. Under constant attack; mostly by people CLAIMING to
. be Christians,
. c. But striving to PERSEVERE; FIGHTING FOR THE FAITH!
LIVE 100%, FLAT-OUT for JESUS CHRIST. There "ain't nuthin'" else worth living
for on this planet.
LIVE RADICALLY!
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JESUS OS COMING AGAIN!
Are you ready? Are you storing riches in Heaven or are you gorging
yourself on the 'riches' of this world? BE SOBER! The time is short.
The night is drawing to a close. The dawn of That Day is nigh. The world
must be evangelized, NOT accomodated. Don't make room for the world in your
life.
PRAY FOR REVIVAL
Pray for revival in our land. Get ready for this to happen. Think... do
we as Christians have a developed body of practical answers to the questions
that a newly converted country will raise? Let us strive to raise up
Christians who will be ready to offer counsel in every area of life, at
every level of leadership.
One way: Support CBN University
Virginia Beach,VA
23463
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7 WAYS TO AVOID GOD.
I think of myself as an average person.I don't hate God. As far as I know
He has done me no harm. But I do find it difficult to avoid God.
I am not an atheist. I am an agnostic. If there is a God I don't want to
know Him. I prefer to live my own life. The last thing I want is for God to
get in my way. So I have set out a personal seven-point plan to avoid Him.
With Bibles on display in bookstores, and churches on almost every street
corner my task has not been easy. But here is my procedure:
STEP ONE: I sleep Sunday mornings.
I personally don't find 'sleeping in' that easy. I have the bad habit of
waking early, even on Sunday. But I have solved the problem. I told my
doctor I was having a difficult time sleeping and he gave me some pills.
About midnight on Saturday I swallow two pills and am good until eleven
o'clock Sunday morning, which conveniently is too late to go to church.
STEP TWO: As a traveling man I keep hotel & motel dresser drawers closed.
In many hotels and motels today a Bible will jump out at you if you open a
drawer. I enter my room, hang up my suitbag & leave my other things in my
open suitcase. I carry an off-color paperback with me so if there is nothing
to do in town at least I can read myself to sleep. By the way, I don't
accept literature from strangers. When offered literature I politely tell
people I am too busy to read it.
STEP THREE: I carefully choose my radio stations.
Many cities carry twenty-four-hour religious stations. Some of their music
is good but you must be wary because they may be skillfully concealing a
sharp hook. Right while enjoying a fine recording, some preacher breaks in to
tell you that you are a sinner & need God. I am on to their tricks, so now I
dial a station that is really rocking and rolling and feel reasonably safe.
STEP FOUR: I avoid Christian businessmen.
In fact, I am a church member. I seldom attend, but my membership has given me
many good business contacts. But one must be careful. I have discovered a
fanatical brand of businessmen who would rather talk to you about God
than about gold. I don't question their sincerity,but it takes money to feed a
family, and that is my first concern. When a Christian businessman invites
me to church or for Bible study, I usually back out with, 'I have a splitting
headache' (that sounds better than a hangover) 'and just can't make it tonight.'
STEP FIVE: I create my own gods.
I have a list of things I would like to do but never have time to get done.
So Sunday I play around with the most attractive items on my list. I have
come to feel that that is what Sunday is for. Every person should have a
hobby and I use Sundays to spend time on my hobbies and to do my thing.
STEP SIX: I see to it that I am' master of my fate.'
It is my privilege to choose to believe in God or to choose not to believe.
I accept the old Roman idea that death ends everything. This makes the whole
business of escaping God a lot easier. It allows one to sing with the freedom
of a bird, 'Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die.'
STEP SEVEN: I can always kill myself.
This I call my desperate step. I don't really advocate it and frankly, I am
chicken. But I know it happens many times a day. Self-destruction is a way
of escape. However, it leaves me a little cold. Questions pop into my mind.
Is it a copout from life? Is it really escape? Does one avoid God in this way
or is death the solemn usher that leads me into the presence of God?
Now that I have answered questions on what I can do to avoid God I find
myself faced with an even greater question. If there is a Supreme Being
who loves me, why should I try to avoid Him? Is my attempt to hide from God
inconceivable conceit? Would I not be wiser and happier to accept His love?
Is it not the fool who says in his heart 'There is no God?' Why run from
God? His invitation is pretty inviting for a man who is tired of running:
'Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest' (Matthew 11:28)
After running for so long I gave God my worries and accepted His rest. I
found it so easy. I just said, 'Jesus, You please take my sin and I will take
Your salvation.' God and I made the trade and I am no longer running, I am
resting in His salvation. I have thrown my list away. If you will do what I
did, you won't need your list either.
'And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the
Lord shall be saved.' (Acts 2:21).
Written by: Dick Hillis
Downloaded from the Good News BBS
(313) 459-8375
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IF GOD SHOULD SPEAK
This skit deals with prayer and other issues of the Christian life. It
requires one person who is the "pray-er" and someone else who is the voice of
God, offstage.
Pray-er: "Our Father which art in heaven ..."
God: Yes.
Pray-er: Don't interrupt me. I'm praying.
God: But you called me.
Pray-er: Called you? I didn't call you. I'm praying. "Our Father
which art in heaven ..."
God: There, you did it again.
Pray-er: Did what?
God: Called me. You said, "Our Father which art in heaven. Here I
am. What's on your mind?
Pray-er: But I didn't mean anything by it. I was, you know, just saying
my prayers for the day. I always say the Lord's Prayer. It
makes me feel good, you know, kind of like getting a duty done.
God: All right. Go on!
Pray-er: "Hallowed be thy name ..."
God: Hold it! What do you mean by that?
Pray-er: By what?
God: By "Hallowed be thy name?"
Pray-er: It means ... it means ... Good grief! I don't know what it
means! How should I know? It's just part of the prayer. By
the way, what does it mean?
God: It means honored, holy, wonderful.
Pray-er: Hey, that makes sense. I never thought what "hallowed" meant
before. "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is
in heaven."
God: Do you really mean that?
Pray-er: Sure, why not?
God: What are you doing about it?
Pray-er: Doing? Nothing, I guess. I just think it would be kind of
neat if you got control of everything down here like you have
up there.
God: Have I got control of you?
Pray-er: Well, I go to church.
God: That isn't what I asked you. What about that habit of lying
you have? And your temper? You've really got a problem there,
you know. And then there's the way you spend your money -- all
on yourself. And what about the kind of books you read?
Pray-er: Stop picking on me! I'm just as good as some of the rest of
those phonies -- at church!
God: Excuse me! I thought you were praying for my will to be done.
If that is to happen, it will have to start with the ones who
are praying for it. Like you, for example.
Pray-er: Oh, all right. I guess I do have some problems, some hang-ups.
Now that you mention it, I could probably name some others.
God: So could I.
Pray-er: I haven't thought about it very much until now, but I really
would like to cut out some of those things. I would like to,
you know, be really free.
God: Good! Now we are getting somewhere. We'll work together, you
and I. Some victories can truly be won. I'm proud of you!
Pray-er: Look, Lord! I need to finish up here. This is taking a lot
longer than it usually does. "Give us this day, our daily
bread."
God: You need to cut out some of that "bread." You're overweight as
it is.
Pray-er: Hey, wait a minute! What is this, Criticize-Me Day? Here I
was, doing my religious duty, and all of a sudden you break in
and remind me of all my problems and shortcomings.
God: Praying is a dangerous thing. You could wind up changed, you
know. That's what I'm trying to get across to you. You called
me, and here I am. It's too late to stop now. Keep on
praying. I'm interested in the next part of your prayer.
(pause) Well, go on!
Pray-er: I'm afraid to.
God: Afraid? Afraid of what?
Pray-er: I know what you'll say next.
God: Try me and see.
Pray-er: "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass
against us."
God: What about Joe?
Pray-er: I knew it! See, I knew you would bring him up! Why, Lord,
he's told lies about me, and cheated me out of some money, and
is the biggest phoney around. He never paid back that debt he
owes me. I've sworn to get even with him and then never
associate with him again!
God: But your prayer! What about your prayer?
Pray-er: I didn't mean it.
God: Well, at least you're honest. But it's not much fun carrying
that load of bitterness around inside you, is it?
Pray-er: No, but I'll feel better as soon as I get even. Boy, have I
got some plans for old Joe! He'll wish he never did me any
harm.
God: You won't feel any better. You'll only feel worse. Revenge
isn't sweet. Think of how unhappy you are already. But I can
change all that.
Pray-er: You can? How?
God: Forgive Joe. Then the hate and sin will be Joe's problem, not
yours. You may lose the money, but you will have settled your
heart.
Pray-er: But Lord, I can't forgive Joe.
God: Then, how do you expect me to forgive you?
Pray-er: Oh, you're right! You always are! And more than I want
revenge on Joe, I need to be right with you. All right, I
forgive him. Lord, you help him to find the right road in
life. He's bound to be awfully miserable now that I think
about it. Anybody who goes around doing the things he does has
to be out of it. Some way, somehow, show him the right way.
Maybe you can even help me to help him?
God: There now! Wonderful! How do you feel?
Pray-er: H'm! Well, not bad. Not bad at all. In fact, I feel pretty
great! You know, I don't think I'll have to go to bed uptight
tonight for the first time since I can remember. Maybe I won't
be so tired from now on because I'm not getting enough rest.
God: You're not through with your prayer. Go on!
Pray-er: Oh, all right. "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver
us from evil."
God: Good! Good! I'll do that. Just don't put yourself in a place
where you can be tempted.
Pray-er: What do you mean by that?
God: Change some of your friendships. Some of your so-called
friends are beginning to get to you. Don't be fooled! They
advertise that they're having fun, but for you it could be
ruin. Either you are going to have to stop being with them or
start being a positive influence on their lives. Don't you use
me as an escape hatch!
Pray-er: I don't understand.
God: Sure you do. You've done it a lot of times. You get caught in
a bad situation. You get into trouble by not listening to me,
and then once you do, you come running to me, saying, "Lord,
help me out of this mess, and I promise you I'll never do it
again." You remember some of those bargains you tried to make
with me, don't you?
Pray-er: Yes I do, and I'm ashamed, Lord. I really am.
God: Which bargain are you remembering?
Pray-er: Well, when the woman next door saw me coming out of that
X-rated movie with my friends. I'd told my mother we were
going to the mall. I remember telling you, "Oh, God, don't let
her tell my mother where I've been." I promised to be in
church every Sunday.
God: She didn't tell your mother, but you didn't keep your promise,
did you?
Pray-er: I'm sorry, Lord, I really am. Up unitl now, I thought that if
I just prayed the Lord's Prayer every day, then I could do what
I liked. I didn't expect anything like this to happen.
God: Go ahead and finish your prayer!
Pray-er: "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for
ever. Amen."
God: Do you know what would bring me glory? What would make me
really happy?
Pray-er: No, but I'd like to know. I want to please you. I know what a
difference it can make in my life. I can see what a mess I've
made of my life, and I can see how great it would be to really
be one of your followers.
God: You just answered my question.
Pray-er: I did?
God: Yes. The thing that would bring me glory is to have people
like you truly love me. And I see that happening between us
now. Now that these old sins are exposed and out of the way,
well, there's no telling what we can do together.
Pray-er: Lord, let's see what we can make of me and my life, O.K.?
God: Yes, let's see!
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Jesus Christ The Son of God
Christianity differs from all religions, because it is more than a religion --
it is the life of the Son of God made living in man. He is the supreme subject
of each book of the New Testament, and fulfills all the promises of God in the
Old Testament, from His incarnation to His Second Coming as "Lord of lords and
King of kings."
[Revelation 17:12-14 NT] "And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings,
who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings
with the beast for one hour. These have one purpose and they give their
power and authority to the beast. These will wage war against the Lamb,
and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of
kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful."
He is the God-man Christ Jesus in glory, exalted above all creatures. Jesus
said, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth" [Matthew 28:18
NT].
During His earthly ministry, He claimed to be God incarnate (in human flesh).
He is all that He claimed to be, or He is less than the least.
[Revelation 1:4-8 NT] John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to
you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come; and from the
seven Spirits who are before His throne; and from Jesus Christ, the
faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of
the earth. To Him who loves us, and released us from our sins by His
blood, and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father;
to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, He is
coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced
Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Even so. Amen.
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and
who is to come, the Almighty."
Before His claim can be denied, there are some things that must be accounted
for:
His virgin birth;
His holy, sinless life;
His many miracles;
His vicarious death and His bodily resurrection.
THE DEITY OF JESUS CHRIST
[John 1:1-5 NT] "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being
by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In
Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the
darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."
The deity of Jesus Christ, or His God nature, is well established in the New
Testament. Some of the facts are:
(1) He is called God by the Apostle John (above verse 1).
(2) He is called God by the Apostle Thomas.
[John 20:28 NT] "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock,
among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the
church of God which He purchased with His own blood."
(3) He is called God by God the Father.
[Hebrews 1:1-8 NT] God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the
prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has
spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things,
through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His
glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all
things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of
sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high; having
become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more
excellent name than they. For to which of the angels did He ever
say, "THOU ART MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN THEE"? And again, "I
WILL BE A FATHER TO HIM, AND HE SHALL BE A SON TO ME" ? And when He
again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, "AND LET ALL THE
ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM." And of the angels He says, "WHO MAKES
HIS ANGELS WINDS, AND HIS MINISTERS A FLAME OF FIRE." But of the Son
He says, "THY THRONE, O GOD, IS FOREVER AND EVER, AND THE RIGHTEOUS
SCEPTER IS THE SCEPTER OF HIS KINGDOM."
(4) He claimed to be God in that He was with the Father before creation.
[John 17:1-5 NT] These things Jesus spoke; and lifting up His eyes to
heaven, He said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify Thy Son, that
the Son may glorify Thee, even as Thou gavest Him authority over all
mankind, that to all whom Thou hast given Him, He may give eternal
life. And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only
true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou has sent. I glorified Thee on
the earth, having accomplished the work which Thou has given Me to
do. And now, glorify Thou Me together with Thyself, Father, with the
glory which I had with Thee before the world was."
(5) He claimed to be God in that He was before Abraham.
[John 8:51-59 NT] "Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My
word he shall never see death." The Jews said to Him, "Now we know
that You have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You
say, 'If anyone keeps Me word, he shall never taste of death.'
Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The
prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?" Jesus
answered, "If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father
who glorifies Me, of whom you say, 'He is our God'; and you have not
come to know Him, but I know Him; and If I say that I do not know
Him, I shall be a liar like you, but I do know Him, and keep His
word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and
was glad." The Jews therefore said to Him, "You are not yet fifty
years old, and have You seen Abraham?" Jesus said to them, "Truly,
truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am." Therefore they
picked up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself, and went out
of the temple.
(6) He received worship, and only God is to be worshiped.
[Matthew 14:33 NT] And those who were in the boat worshiped Him,
saying, "You are certainly God's Son!"
Angels refused worship.
[Revelation 22:8,9 NT] And I, John, am the one who heard and saw
these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at
the feet of the angel who showed me these things. And he said to me,
"Do no do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren
the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book; worship
God."
Man refused worship.
[Acts 10:25,26 NT] And when it came about that Peter entered,
Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter
raised him up, saying, "Stand up; I too am just a man."
(7) He forgives sin. Only God can forgive sin.
[Mark 2:1-12 NT] And when He had come back to Capernaum several days
afterward, it was heard that He was at home. And many were gathered
together, so that there was no longer room, even near the door; and
He was speaking the word to them. And they came, bringing to Him a
paralytic, carried by four men. And being unable to get to Him
because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they
had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic
was lying. And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, "My
son, your sins are forgiven." But there were some of the scribes
sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, "Why does this man speak
that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?"
And immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning
that way within themselves, said to them, "Why are you reasoning
about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the
paralytic, `Your sins are forgiven'; or to say, `Arise, and take up
your pallet and walk'? But in order that you may know that the Son
of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" -- He said to the
paralytic -- "I say to you, rise, take up your pallet, and go home."
And he rose and immediately took up the pallet and went out in the
sight of all; so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God,
saying, "We have never seen anything like this."
(8) He is creator and maker of all things.
[Colossians 1:13-17 NT] For He delivered us from the domain of
darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in
whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. And He is the
image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. For by
Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth,
visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or
authorities -- all things have been created by Him and for Him. And
He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
(9) He is sustainer of all things. Only God can control the universe.
[Hebrews 1:1-3 NT] God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the
prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has
spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things,
through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His
glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all
things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of
sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high;
(10) He claimed to have "all authority ... in heaven and on earth." God
has all authority.
[Matthew 28:18-20 NT] And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying,
"All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go
therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them
to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always,
even to the end of the age."
(11) He walked upon the blue waters of Galilee. The winds and the waves
obeyed His command. He healed the sick and raised the dead. He gave
sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf. He cast out demons and
made the lame to walk. He turned water to wine, and fed five thousand
with the lunch of a lad.
d he saw it and
was glad." The Jews therefore said to Him, "You are not yet fifty
years old, and have You seen Abraham?" Jesus said to them, "Truly,
truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am." Therefore they
picked up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself, and went out
of the temple.
(6) He received worship, and only God is to be worshiped.
[Matthew 14:33 NT] And those who were in the boat worshiped Him,
saying, "You are certainly God's Son!"
Angels refused worship.
[Revelation 22:8,9 NT] And I, John, am the one who heard and saw
these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at
the feet of the angel who showed me these things. And he said to me,
"Do no do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren
the prophets and of those who heed the words of this
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MY PERSONAL DEDICATION TO GOD
God means a lot to a lot of people, I am no exception. I am 13 years old and
God is very important in my life. He helps me resist the many temptations to
sin that every teen has.
God gives me the strength to do the things he wants me to do, and he can give
you that strength also, all you have to do is accept Christ as your own
personal savior.
Sin and temptation are everywhere in a teen's life, and it is hard for a
Christian teen to ignore all this on his own, that is where God comes in for me.
I call on guidence from our Lord regularly, for things like tests or for
things like forgiving my many sins. God answers all prayers, he makes things
easier for me and he can make them easier for you.
I find it hard to understand why everyone dosen't accept Jesus Christ. He
works miracles in my life and he will work them in yours, try it.
.W#04?
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GIVING YOUR PERSONAL TESTIMONY
WHY?
One of the most exciting and interesting ways to share Jesus is to give a
personal testimony. Your testimony is the basis of your witness. It is your
story, your firsthand account of what God through Christ has done in your
life.
Your testimony has authority. Many questions about the Bible you may not be
able to answer, but you are the authority on your testimony.
This guide will help you learn how to report your experience with Jesus in
simple language.
WHAT?
At the end of this guide you should be able to understand the importance of
your testimony in witnessing and be able to share it with others.
HOW?
You will achieve this goal by:
Identifying the four points that should be included in a personal testimony
Writing out your testimony
Reading your testimony to a friend (or typing it up in a message on this BBS)
Read I John 1:1-3. In these verses, John literally shares his tesimony. Those
things which had seen and heard, he was telling others. Many times the Apostle
Paul effectively gave his testimony. Sharing your testimony is one the most
effective ways to witness for Jesus Christ.
These are three basic characteristics of a personal testimony:
1. IT HAS AUTHORITY. You may not be able to answer many questions about the
Bible; however, you are the only authority in the area of your experience
with Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord.
2. IT COMMUNICATES. It reaches out and expresses to people your very heart
and life. You are not talking merely in theological terms, you are
speaking about the things in life with which you are familiar. You are
telling others what you have experienced with Jesus Christ.
3. IT RELATES. As you talk about your experiences with God you are relating
with people whose lives are like yours and who are seeking to understand
the change that Jesus has brought about in your life.
Paul gives his testimony in Acts 22:1-16 and 26:9-23. He says almost the same
thing using a simple four-point outline. First, Paul says, "I have not always
been a Christian, but God showed me my need of Jesus Christ. I committed my
life to Jesus and now my life is different."
Read those passages and then list the four points in Paul's outline.
1.
2.
3.
4.
You should have something like:
1. My life before Jesus.
2. How I realized I needed Jesus.
3. How I received Jesus.
4. How Jesus makes my life full and meaningful now.
Review these four points. You will use them in preparing your testimony.
Simple facts to remember are:
Your testimony is important. If it is important to you, it will become
important to other people.
As you prepare your testimony, seek the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Because
you will have a very brief encounter with each person, it is necessary for you
to seek the Holy Spirit's leadership in preparing to share your testimony.
God honors preparation. Carefully prepare your testimony so you can
effectively share Jesus Christ.
Remember the four points of a testimony. The first three points are past
history. Once you verbalize those, you will be prepared to share them anytime,
any place. The fourth point is current and refreshing - how Jesus Christ is
dealing in your life now, how He is making life meaningful. Your sharing the
growth and daily relationship with Jesus makes vibrant and meaningful what God
is doing in your life.
Keep your testimony short. It should be from one minute to one and a half
minutes or about 275 words. Use short, simple phrases.
Keep your testimony to the point. Remember, you are not describing the
theology of how to be saved. You are simply sharing what Christ has done in
your life. Yet you need to give adequate detail. You are expressing to a
person an intangible experience. The simple details of your experience relate
what has happened in your heart and in your life. As you share your testimony,
you live it.
A person might criticize, "Preparing your testimony is mechanical." Actually,
as you share your testimony and relive the experience, God through the Holy
Spirit can give your testimony a new thrust, a new dynamic and a new meaning,
refreshing your heart and life.
Avoid bragging or negative remarks. Bragging about personal accomplishments
does not glorify God. Paul said in Phil. 3:7, "But what things were gain to
me, those I counted as loss for Christ." Boasting should be about Jesus Christ
and what he has done. Negative comments lead toward a negative discussion.
Keep your testimony positive, pointed and simple. Ask yourself, "If I were a
person without Jesus or outside the fellowship of the family of God, what
would this testimony mean to me?"
As you prepare your testimony, carefully consider your words. Use language
people understand. Often these are unfamiliar words and unfamiliar church
organizations. Phrases such as: "I walked the aisle for Jesus," "I was saved,"
"I was lost," or "I had a glorious experience" are meaningless to people who
are unfamiliar with church vocabulary. Use words and phrases that will help
others understand your testimony.
A SAMPLE TESTIMONY:
I was born three blocks from the county courthouse in Fort Worth, Texas. My
father left my mother before I was born. In my early childhood - during the
depression - my mother sought security. She met and married a man whom she
thought would offer the security she so desperately needed. I grew up in what
I thought was a normal home, a home similar to other homes. But there was a
noticeable void. My life lacked real meaning and purpose.
As a young man I began looking, searching and longing for meaning and purpose
in life. For a while, I really did not find what I was looking for. Then I
noticed a difference in the lives of some friends. That difference was Jesus.
Jesus had made a change in their lives. I began to see in them what I wanted
and needed.
After one of my friends told me how to become a Christian, I very simply
turned from my old way of life and invited Jesus Christ to come and live in
me. No Roman candles burst. No bands played. But in a very real way I knew
that God had come live in me.
I cannot say every day since then has been beautiful and that I've been
perfect. I'm human. But I continue to grow and develop and mature. One thing I
know - Jesus Christ has always been faithful. He has helped, guided and
blessed me. Now my life has real meaning.
Now please take the time and write your testimony out using the four points
discussed earlier. Keep it to about 275 simple, understandable words.
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IN TIMES OF TROUBLE
GOD'S TRUSTING CHILD MAY SAY:
FIRST He brought me here. It is by His will I am in this difficult place:
in that I will rest.
NEXT He will keep me here in His Love and give me grace in this trial to
behave as His child.
THEN He will make the testing a blessing, teaching me the lessons HE
intends for me to learn, and working in me the grace He intends
to give.
LAST In His good time He can bring me out again - how and when HE knows.
YOU SAY: I am here
1. By God's appointment
2. In His care
3. Under His training
4. For His time
And call upon me in the day of trouble:
I will deliver thee,
and thou shalt glorify me.
Psalm 50:15
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WALKING WITH GOD
In Genesis 3:8 we read that Adam and Eve heard God walking in the garden
in the cool of the day. One can assume that they were accustomed to the sound
and that God did this often. Can you imagine walking with God and having a
casual conversation? When sin entered the picture this relationship was
broken.
In Revelation we read where this relationship will once again be restored
in chapter 21 verses 1-3. 'And I (John) saw a new heaven and a new earth; for
the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no
longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out
of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I
heard a loud voice from the throne saying 'Behold, the tabernacle of
God is among men, and He shall dwell among them...'. We will once again
walk with God!
Isn't that great! One thing is missing from this story - God walked with
man one other time between Genesis and Revelation. He came to earth as a man
named Jesus and as in the beginning man rejected Him and nailed Him to the
cross. The picture we see in Revelation is possible only for those who
accept the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross.
Downloaded from the:
St. Louis Christian BBS
(314) 947-0895
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WHEN THE MESSIAH COMES
When things were bad, and we didn't have the things we needed or wanted,
the grandfathers would say, 'You'll get it, you'll have it... when the Messiah
comes!'
'Daddy can I have a bicycle?' - 'Sure, when the Messiah comes.'
Some began making excuses for his not coming:
'He can only come when there's peace on earth.'
'He can only come when all Jews observe one Sabbath together.'
Others said, 'There's no coming of the Messiah.' Later,some said,'There
is no Messiah.' Some even said, 'THERE IS NO GOD.'
Today Most say, 'Who cares? (The price of pickled herring in Paraguay
is more important, anyway.)'
Some few, in a voice almost ashamed to ask, 'What is the Messiah, and can
he do anything for me?'
Well, if you really want to know, the answer is this: The Messiah is the
one who can set things straight... and the good news is that he has ALREADY
come...and He is in Oakland, California...(and everywhere else), and he's
brought a bicycle big enough for EVERYBODY!
If you really want the right things to happen to you, ask HIM if HE would
come into YOUR LIFE.
Ask for HIM by name. The only true MESSIAH is JESUS (Acts 4:12).
He is the one whom the prophets spoke of, the one we all have been waiting
for... or SHOULD have.
Jesus said 'had you believed Moses, you would have believed me, for he
wrote of me.' (John 5:46)
Check Him out... HE'S waiting for YOU EVERYWHERE.
For more information about the Messiah call or write!
Baruch Goldstein
Jews For Jesus (C)1972
60 Haight St.
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415)864-2600
(R) Jews For Jesus is a registered trademark of Hineni Ministries.
From LU-ACH YESHUA BBS
Downloaded from the
Computers for Christ BBS
(408) 997-2790
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JOURNEY THROUGH THE HEART
Though dark and gloomy my story may be,
but so very vital to you and to me.
The subject is Sin and all it can do,
so pay close attention, for many it slew.
For us it began in a Garden so fair,
who`d ever think that Sin would hide there?
The Serpent did slither on this Hallowed Ground,
a victim was surely there to be found.
So unsuspecting as Sin did draw near...
Eve was there waiting; Sin`s target - her ear!
"What did God tell thee ?" Sin did inquire.
"Of this we may NOT eat...", Sin roared, "He`s a Liar !"
She saw it was lovely so with Adam she shared
Sin crouched in the darkness...his victims were snared !
So delightful a setting this Garden Divine,
where not only man, but Sin did first dine.
Sin`s fruit, Oh so sweet, he ate to his fill,
'twas not only Adam, but Mankind his kill.
Since then Sin's been feasting, the world is his table,
now WE are his fruit, to escape we're unable.
Just how can we KNOW that WE'VE been his fare?
we must look WITHIN and we'll find him there.
He`s clever, that Serpent, doesn't want us to know...
that OUR HEART`S been his CASTLE..., that he's been our foe
Look close and be honest, he may be disguised...
for all that you'll find there, you might be surprised.
As we stand and we wonder, with entrance so wide
DARE WE JOURNEY FORTH, to see what's inside?
The outline looms heavy, we shiver with fright,
we think to ourselves..."such an ominous sight."
The gate, it is lowered, we see as we cross,
this castle's not gleaming, `tis all filled with dross!
Each step at a snail's pace, we come to the arch,
the darkness surrounds us... more slowly we march.
So dingy, so murky and blacker than night,
can't see very clearly...we must have a light.
But what can we use and where can we find,
a reliable torch, that won't leave us blind?
Yea, a light we must have, but also a Guide,
to comprehend fully what in there does abide.
As we stand here helpless, our vision still blurred,
Behold, a White Charger...with God's Holy Word!
His two-edged sword for us leads the way,
what once had been darkness, is now bright as day!
We creep down the hallway...seems so full of gloom,
we reach the first chamber... we enter the room...
With floors oh so dusty and webs all about,
"Who doth reside here?", we say with a shout.
We wait for an answer...there comes no reply...
this room seems unlived in...we all wonder "why".
We leave for the hallway..."no cause for alarm...
a room that's this empty can do us no harm."
Our trek we continue, we try every door,
they seem never ending and still there's yet more.
All chambers were bare, though covered with grime,
no lodgers had been there for quite a long time.
Single file we went onward, the path was so winding,
but nary a boarder was there for the finding.
Through doorways and hallways, 'twas truly a puzzle,
this vacant old wasteland, our minds did bemuzzle.
The coldness and dampness, to our bones it was felt,
by now we decided that herein no one dwelt.
As the exit drew near, we stepped up our pace,
we just couldn't wait to leave such a place.
We crossed o'er the mote, the gate, it rose slowly,
we said to each other, "how impure...how unholy!"
Out of that dungeon we now could think clearly,
I pondered the place that I once thought of dearly.
When I thought on my heart, 'twas visions of gold,
but now that I've seen it, 'tis crusty with mold.
Our Guide was still leading...He looked like a King...
when we suddenly realized that He spoke not a thing!
"We searched Lord and searched, but couldn't uncover,
a trace of the evil, 'twas told we'd discover."
Then abruptly He turned, and for us He unraveled,
the truths of that mansion, and the trail that we travelled.
This thought, as He spoke, I could not dismiss,
that "never before had a man spake like this".
His Words seemed to echo to the castle and back,
of their power and persuasion there was surely no lack.
He said at the outset, "Take care HOW you hear..."
as back through the castle, our minds He did steer.
"The things that doth dwell here, a man, doth defile..."
I knew from that moment, my HEART was on TRIAL !
"The rooms were not empty, just UNOCCUPIED,"
I clung to His Words, as I sat mystified.
"The heart is deceitful above all that you know,
to trust what abides here shall bring misery and woe."
My thoughts were discerned, for I wanted to ask,
the NAMES of the tenants... this riddle unmask.
But before I could speak, He began to disclose,
that question I pondered...just WHO were my foes?
"UNCLEANNESS, IDOLATRY, ENVY, and MALICE,"
these were the Demons who lived in the palace!
"GREEDINESS, JEALOUSY, ANGER, and SCORN,"
He said they had been there ever since I was born.
"CHEATING, and LYING, TALEBEARING, and STRIFE,"
His Words thrust in deeply... they cut like a knife.
"FIGHTINGS, BACKBITINGS," He went on to explore...
"these are the things," said He, "I deplore."
"These works of the flesh shall surely be known..."
the ground shook around us at the sound of His tone!
As to WHERE were these villians, my mind was perplexed,
He answered precisely, for He knew what was next.
"All shall be manifest, this treachery and sin..."
but "WHERE COULD THEY BE?", I thought deep within.
"OUT OF THE HEART proceeds evil things..."
His Words came like rapiers, such grimness it brings.
I froze as He told us that THEY'D GONE TO LABOR...
to wreak havoc for ME, upon friend and neighbor!
By this I was smitten, seemed to know all along...
of the misery I'd caused...all the pain... all the wrong.
We now knew the reason for the filth and the slime...
with evils THIS BUSY, to return was no time.
They were constantly working, from our hearts did they vent,
we each knew too dearly, to whom they were sent.
These workers were tireless, to rest was no need,
they were sent with no mercy, this horrible breed.
The past flashed before me, such pictures they brought,
of so many people with whom I had fought.
My head and my shoulders sank deep with despair,
for all I had injured and treated unfair.
In the midst of my groaning, our Lord did insist,
that we look back behind us...to the FLAG that we missed.
Waving on high above that dark manor,
the word that was there, inscribed on the banner...
Raging and flapping like the Fires of Hell,
the name of the LANDLORD for us it did tell!
Shattered and broken I lift up mine eyes...
the word "S E L F" was upon it, and HOW PROUDLY IT FLIES!
The silence was deafening, inside was this growing...
that over MY heart, this flag was STILL BLOWING!
With unquenchable thirst and Sin as my drink...
in the Abyssal of Self, I continued to sink.
My mouth hung wide open, my eyes closed with shame,
a war raged within...no peace could I claim.
Heart's song like a death march, it pounded much faster...
each beat brought me nearer, to certain disaster!
My foes marched before me, like SINS ON PARADE...
and I was there General! What a fool have I played!
That my heart was their FORTRESS, Oh I can't bear this load...
the feelings inside me, like bombs they explode!
With my mind as there battlefield and my soul as the spoil,
my heart and God's Word continued to toil.
Sin gave in not so easy...it gathered it's forces,
I viewed in amazement, at all it's resources.
REASON and LOGIC, EXCUSES and LIES,
so unwilling Sin was to relinguish it's Prize.
"I'm not so bad, I'd done some good deeds,"
I soon was aware, 'twas LOGIC that pleads.
EXCUSES came next, then LIES and then REASON...
but all was revealed, to my heart this was TREASON!
Not a thing my heart offered, before HIM could stand,
it's foundation, you see, was built upon sand.
His search light for me, had so clearly revealed,
all of this wickedness, my heart had concealed.
My defense was so useless, these sins I COMMITTED !
But now came the truth of the things I OMITTED!
"LONGSUFFERING, MEEKNESS, GOODNESS and JOY,"
a heart without these, Sin would surely destroy.
"SELF-CONTROL, FIDELITY, SHARING and PEACE,"
without these within, Sin would always increase.
"COMPASSION, HUMBLENESS, CHARITY, LOVE,
every good gift comes down from above."
But the worst of my crimes, those sins of omission,
was...NO TIME FOR GOD, to Him - no submission!
A moment perhaps, just one here or there,
but to FIND WHAT HE WANTED...'twas no time to spare.
Oh, I'd gone to church, I'd been there each Sunday...
but I'd rather not say what I did on each Monday!
I took time to pray...seems I wanted so much,
so to Him I would turn...did I USE Him such???
My Bible was there but it stayed on the shelf,
too busy, I guess, in pursuits for MYSELF.
His Name, I remember, was oft used in vain,
my speech, to be honest, was mostly profane.
I sat and reflected, overcome with such shame,
MYSELF I had lived for...NO TIME FOR HIS NAME!
His salvation for me, well, it held no appeal.
This whole business of "God", it seemed so unreal!
Death was far off, I could deal with that later...
must live for the NOW, to MYSELF I must cater.
All of these thoughts were just the conclusion,
of a spirit so dead...of a heart of delusion.
Deaf to His Word and Blind to His Scripture,
my soul in a casket...what a horrible picture!
That I counld do nothing, 'twas made very clear...
my heart was depraved, it's state too severe.
Within ME was NO CURE, I was TOTALLY LOST!
For my God was no time, now I must pay the cost.
Heart's Trial was fast closing...my soul seemed to wilt...
the verdict was coming...'twas sure of my guilt!
The offense of my life would demand the worst sentence,
but with words sweet as honey...He spoke of REPENTANCE!
I sat there astounded, not a thing did I merit...
And yet His Kingdom was offered for me to inherit!
His Arm rose up slowly, He beckoned me COME...
A NEW HEART He'd give me...His plea left me numb.
What could I do, with such a Grand Offer?
Would YOU follow Him...or go on as a scoffer?
The end of my story has NOT YET BEEN REACHED...
but I leave it for now, and to YOU I beseech,
Gird up your loins and draw nigh the Gate...
take Heart's Journey yourself...before it's TOO LATE!
RLW
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Observations on Faith
by John R. Marler
. We need today to be reminded that the Kingdom of God does
not consist of rituals, works or any outward observances of any
kind or manner. The Kingdom of God consists of righteousness,
peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. This kingdom, moreover, is a
gift of God, not a human accomplishment. Its foundation is the
vicarious atonement of Jesus Christ on Calvary. It was carried
forward by the great outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
. The disciples before Pentecost were only disciples. They
tried to follow Jesus and His teachings as best they could, but
they did not know true faith. It was only at Pentecost that they
were truly made Apostles. At that time, each of them experienced
the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. At that time,
each of them was emboldened by the Holy Spirit to bear witness of
Christ in public. Whereas previously they were disciples of the
One whom they saw as the Messiah of Israel, now they were
ambassadors and heralds of the risen Christ. Instead of seeking
faith that is a dead work of the law, they now had the faith that
empowers and redeems. Previously they had the faith of servants,
now they had the faith of sons of the Living God. Previously
they were plagued by timidity and fearfulness, now they were
ready to die for the sake of their Master and Savior.
. Faith includes intellectual assent, but its essence is a
personal relationship with the Living Savior, Jesus Christ. It
consists, basically, in a living union with Jesus through the
Holy Spirit. True faith means being before doing - being in the
favor of God before doing the will of God. It means being
grasped by the Spirit of God. It is an opening of our inward
eyes to the reality of God's incomparable love poured out for
sinners in the sacrificial life and death of Jesus Christ.
. Yet, faith is not an almighty action of the Holy Spirit on
the soul, it is also in our action in the power of the Spirit as
we are sent forth into the world as witnesses and ambassadors of
Christ. Faith entails both radical passivity and radical
activity. Luther once observed: "Faith ... is a living, busy,
active, mighty thing ... so it is impossible for it not to do
good works incessantly."
. The deficiency found in many churches today is an empty
formalism or barren biblicism, either of which degenerates into
an oppressive legalism. Other churches that seem more vital are
plagued by perfectionistic enthusiasm or frenetic activism that
borders on humanism. What is needed is a recovery - a revival -
of the depth and breadth of Apostolic faith.
. A revival must start in the heart of one individual - me.
Each believer, with God, can work the miracle of revival -
'Breaking up the fallow ground' only in their own heart and life
- then God can use that person to spread His revival to the
world!
. It is imperative that we bear in mind that Jesus Christ is
not just a moral ideal or prophetic genius - He is a LIVING
SAVIOR. He is not simply the human representative of God, but
God Himself in human flesh. It is not enough to know the
historical facts about the life of Christ, how He lived and died,
each person must know that Jesus died for them personally!
. True faith does not consist of imposing our views on others,
but in sharing the light given to us. In our evangelistic task
we must not approach others with any pretension to greater virtue
or intellectual acumen. Instead, we present ourselves as fellow
sinners whose eyes have been opened both to the gravity of the
human predicament and to the reality of God's unconditional grace
and love. The word that we proclaim stands in judgement over our
lives as well as the lives of our hearers. We are beggars
telling others where they can get food. As "fishers of men" we
are instrumental in advancing the Kingdom of God, but it is not
through our cleverness that people are won to Jesus Christ; our
task is simply to let down the net of the Gospel. As the vehicle
of the Spirit, the Gospel itself brings in souls for the kingdom.
(Luke 5:2-10)
. This is not to imply that Christians should never use
apologetic arguments in defense of the faith, but our purpose in
doing so is not to induce a decision of faith. (Only the Spirit
does that through the preaching of the Word.) Rather, our aim is
to intensify the hunger for faith in the human soul and to help
those who already believe to better understand their own faith.
We can show the intellectual relevance of our faith by
argumentation, but faith's concrete relevance to the human
condition can be grasped only by those whose minds have been
touched by the illumination of the Holy Spirit.
. Our witness is not to some "zapping" peak experiences of the
sacred, but to the incursion of the sacred into the secular which
we see in Jesus Christ.
. Our appeal is not to external evidences for the faith but to
evidences that faith itself provides:
o The empty tomb.
o The transformed lives of the disciples.
o The interior witness of the Holy Spirit.
. In carrying out the evangelistic mandate, we must bear in
mind that Holy Scripture is its own best interpreter, that is to
say, Scripture illumined by the Spirit of God, its author. Holy
Scripture in the hands of Spirit directed believers is sufficient
to "demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up
against the knowledge of God." (2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV)
. We should never confuse religion with techniques for
cultivating spirituality or programs of church growth. It is God
who gives the increase, though it is up to us to plant the seed.
(1 Corinthians 3:6-7) Our responsibility is to hear the Word and
then share the Good News. We can serve the Kingdom of God, but
we cannot build it. The kingdom is a gift from God that can only
be received with thanksgiving and gratefulness.
. There is a difference between believing that Christ is the
Savior of humankind in general and coming to know Him as one's
own Savior. Faith, understood as an interior awakening to the
glory and meaning of the cross, is a gift of God. It is a work
of the Holy Spirit within us. If we do not have this kind of
faith, let us seek it. Let us pray for it as the Apostles did.
(Luke 17:5) The key to discipleship is given by our Lord:
. "Ask, and it will be given you, seek and you will find,
knock and it will be opened to you." (Mathew 7:7)
. True faith is inseparable from the experience of divine
holiness and divine love. Sometimes that experience will take
dramatic form, such as when the apostle Paul was lifted up into
the 'third heaven.' (2 Corinthians 12:2) Yet those who have such
experiences do not dwell on them. People of faith are not
spiritual exhibitionists, but heralds and ambassadors of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Living on a 'religious high' is not serving the
glory of God and advancing his kingdom. John the Baptist
furnished the model of true spirituality and faith when he
declared: "He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:30)
. Humility such as this is an indispensable mark of authentic
piety. No one can be confronted by the Holy God without having a
poignant sense of one's own creatureliness and sinfulness.
(Isaiah 6:1-5) What shows us the depth of our sin and the
magnitude of God's grace is not just an awareness of God as the
Holy One, (which all people have to some degree) but the
knowledge of the Holy Love of God reflected in the life and death
of Jesus Christ. Humility is the key to the love of other human
beings for God and for one another. Proud people cannot love,
because love means to be emptied of self and dedicated to the
glory of God and the welfare of his creatures.
. The cardinal evidence of true faith is works of self-giving
love which are visible to the world as shown in Mathew 7:20, John
13:35 and other scriptures. Such works, however, are not visible
to those who do them, for the focus of the faithful doer is never
on their deeds (to which they are more likely oblivious) but on
Christ and His great, completed work of Atonement.
. The essence of true religion, the righteousness of faith, is
known only to God. True faith will be manifested in fruits, but
before we can bear fruit we must be rooted in Christ, engrafted
into Him. We must be born again from above by the Holy Spirit.
(John 1:12-13, 3:5-8, 1 Peter 1:3)
. Frank Kafka once wrote: "The fathers of the Church were not
afraid to go out into the desert because they had a richness in
their hearts. But we, with richness all around us, are afraid
because the desert is in our hearts."
. Let each and every one of us, today, make the commitment to
be His servant and to seek the knowledge of His Grace and Mercy.
Let us become the vessels of His workings in this world. Let us
have the richness in our hearts. Let us have FAITH that will set
us apart from the world and that will make the world want to know
more about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen
Computers for Christ
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SPIRITUAL SUICIDE
-----------------
Think how wonderful our nation
And how peaceful it could be
If each prayed, and searched the Scriptures
As much as they tuned in T V.
It's amazing and appalling,
How the Lord is so denied.
Many people have exchanged their Bibles
For that so-called T V Guide.
Murder pictures--children watching,
Programs often base, obscene.
Many juvenile delinquents
Can be traced back to the screen.
Pastors, many are bemoaning.
Small attendance Sunday nights.
Careless members, home and watching
Special programs or the fights.
Surely, this must grieve the Master:
All this tendency to crime,
As He notes "the wasted hours",
How and what we do with our time.
With this grip upon our nation,
Midnight hour, so very nigh;
Yet we lull to sleep our conscience,
Mid a "Rock-Roll" lullaby.
Spiritual suicide is certain
If continued in this way
How we need to search the Scriptures:
More and more we ought to pray.
There would be tremendous difference,
(To this you may not agree)
But our GREATEST Spiritual ROBBER
Is none other than T V.
Eva Gilbert Shaver.

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Holiness
--------
What's happened to the cross that stood on the hill
Have they torn it down, or is it standing there still?
Does the blood that flowed from Calvary's brow
Still have the power to save us now?
Do you know what they've done to the virgin birth
They laughed it to scorn, it's been drug through the dust;
What's happened to holiness we used to possess?
When our church was on fire and people got blessed.
The world is so hungry to hear it again
The spirit of God wants to live within men;
Is our heart turned to heaven or does pleasure intrude
We get cold and indifferent without spiritual food.
Its got to start from the pulpit down
Are we living for Jesus or just playing around?
The people must hear not watered down
Then the love of our Savior on earth will abound.
by Doris Jones