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A man is also like a ship, It can sit in the harbor all safe and sound where it will rust and grow useless, or it can sail the dangerous seas and do what ships were meant to do. That strength so essential to men is also what makes them heroes. If a neighborhood is safe, it's because of the strength of men. Slavery was stopped by the strength of men, at a terrible price to them and their families. The Nazis were stopped by men. Apartheid wasn't defeated by women. Who gave their seats up on the lifeboats leaving the Titanic, so that women and children would be saved? And have we forgotten-- it was a Man who let Himself be nailed to Calvary's cross. This isn't to say women can't be heroic. I know many heroic women. But God made men the way they are because we desperately need them to be the way they are. Yes, a man is a dangerous thing. So is a scalpel. It can wound or it can save your life. You don't make it safe by making it dull; you put it in the hands of someone who knows what he's doing. C.S. Lewis "Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even and animal."

“Do all the good you can,by all the means you can,in all the ways you can,in all the places you can,at all the times you can,to all the people you can,as long as you ever can!” ~ John Wesley All mortals tend to turn into the thing they are pretending to be. C.S. Lewis from The Screwtape Letters I never knew that Jesus was all I needed until Jesus was all I had. Corrie Ten Boom Psalm 34:18-22 The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all. He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked, And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned. The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned. It has been said that a man is not a hero because he is braver than anyone else... but that he is brave longer. Romans 8:30-39 "Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: “ For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”[c]37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." "Every sorrow or pain that comes to us can be used for God's glory. If we grow bitter or rebellious, the suffering has been in vain. But if we learn from it sympathy and forbearance, it can become a blessing that will bear fruit for Him. You have given your life to Him to use as He sees fit. Let Him take all these things also and bless you through them. If God wills, and in spite of the sad past it can be a happy one." "The road has been hard and lonesome, but God has given me grace for each day, and He has given much of happiness, too. He never makes the burden to heavy, and has taught me the meaning of real joy. It is something that goes deep into the heart and has nothing to do with outside circumstances." Oh, what wonderful wonderful rest, Trusting completely in Jesus I'm blest; Sweetly He comforts and shields from alarms, Holding me safe in His mighty arms.

Okay, it is Monday 1-02-12! Happy New Year! I want to post a short blog - this may not even have one scripture in it, but as Christians, we know that what I am about to say is the truth... YOU HAVE TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT, EVEN WHEN OTHERS AROUND YOU DON'T. Sometimes people will do things that you don't like, you may feel like doing what they do, and getting back at them. What does the Bible say? Romans 12:19-21 / 19Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 20Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 21Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. I will be short in this message, but I want to encourage you as Christians that your light shines before the world. When you do the same hateful things the world does, they see, and your light looks identical to theirs. But if you demonstrate the love of Christ, your light will shine into the world. I encourage you to pray through temptations and trials, and not be overcome of evil, as it says in the scripture. It is not that we are not to speak the truth - but we must love our enemies too. God bless you!

Merry Christmas! What does the Bible teach about this day? We read in Isaiah 7:14 – “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” God told Israel years before it came to pass that a virgin, a woman who had never been with another man, would have a man child. These words were written around 700 years before Jesus’ birth. The name Immanuel means “God with us”. This is because Jesus Christ was the Son of God! We read in Luke 1, beginning in verse 26, how God sent Gabriel, an angel, to speak to Mary, the soon-to-be wife of Joseph (and still a virgin) that she should soon be pregnant with a child. She asked him how this was possible, seeing that she had never been with a man. Gabriel told her that the Holy Ghost would come upon her, and the power of God would overshadow her, and she would become pregnant with the child of God. She was told to call his name Jesus! In Micah 5:2, we read “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” Micah was prophesying that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem – Micah was an 8th century BC prophet. This means that God was foretelling even the place of Jesus’ birth hundreds of years before He was born. We read in Luke 2 that Mary and Joseph were travelling to Bethlehem to pay his taxes per the decree of Caesar Augustus. Mary had to travel while she was almost ready to have the baby – we can imagine how she felt! As they got to Bethlehem, they found that there was no more available rooms – yet there was a barn. We know that Jesus was born in a barn because it says he was laid in a “manger”, or a wooden trough used for feeding animals. Why was Jesus born? For one, He came to show us how to live. He spoke in John 6:38 – “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.” Jesus never spent time worrying about his own selfish ways – instead, He always sought to do what God the Father would have Him to do. He preached the gospel to people everywhere He went, and He had the ability to heal sicknesses, and even to raise people from the dead. Two – He came to give His life as a ransom for us. We are born into sin – everyone of us is born into it, and it is obvious that everyone of us have been guilty of committing sins in our lives. We technically deserve the righteous punishment that sin holds – eternal separation from God in hell. However, God was compassionate to our spiritual malady, and He made a way for us to be set free from the chains of sin. Long before mankind was ever created on this earth, God devised a plan that His Son would pay the price in our place. We read in Revelation 13:8 – “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Jesus was willing, long before this earth was created, to give His life as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind. He foresaw that mankind would fall into sin, and had a provision ready from the very beginnings of time. Jesus came to this earth to pay the penalty for our sins, so that we could have eternal life with the Father in heaven. Jesus spoke in 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.” Today, consider that Christmas is not a thousand boxes wrapped in colorful paper. It is definitely not about a man in a red suit flying through the sky. It is not about trees decorated with sparkling ornaments. AND – it is not about going into debt! Christ set us free from the debt of sin – this doesn’t mean we should go into financial debt J. Today, remember that God gave you a gift – the gift of eternal life. His Son, Jesus was willing to be born into this world and endure every temptation that you and I go through – ALL so He could understand what we go through. He came here selflessly to teach us how to live. He came here to give His life for you – because He loves you. If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you want to begin today, simply pray this prayer: “Dear Jesus, please forgive me of my sins, and come into my heart, and be my Lord and Saviour. I believe that you are the Son of God, and that you died on the cross for my sins, and that you rose again from the dead.” Some may dispute the validity of the Sinner’s Prayer, but my Bible backs it up (in case you are wondering, that is the King James Version). We read in Romans 10:9 – “That 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.” However, it does not end here – this is the beginning of your journey. It is necessary to continue on in God. Find a good church home, filled with believers filled with the love of Christ, and a pastor who teaches the Word of God. Be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. You have a wonderful journey laid before you – your life will never be the same again. God bless you!

12-24-11 – Blessed Are The Paps Which Never Gave Suck – Part 3 Luke 23:29 - For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck. This is the third message on the same topic – the concept of change. It may seem so obvious that we might say, “Why even reference the Bible? We know that things change – that is obvious, with or without the Bible.” However, it is important to use the Bible to teach the patterns that God has revealed to us – God’s mercy and grace that extends to us as we turn our hearts to Him, and His judgment that comes when we refuse to hear His voice. We have been discussing what the Bible teaches about God’s judgment upon Israel for their disobedience, and how it relates to America, and the world, today. America, as we discussed in the last message, was originally established as a Christian nation. I know that it is disputed that America was not particularly a “Christian” nation, being that Americans do have the right to the freedom of religion – this is in our First Amendment rights in the Bill of Rights. Here is the first Amendment to the US Constitution, according to Wikipedia – § First Amendment – Establishment Clause, Free Exercise Clause; freedom of speech, of the press, and of assembly; right to petition Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. It is amazing in this light that we have seen such an uprising about stripping away prayer and the Ten Commandments from the schools. Our very nation, which was founded upon the FREEDOM of religion, has worked so hard to STRIP away the religious foundations that many Americans have enjoyed, and that we have the right to enjoy! That being said, our founding fathers did establish Christianity as a frame of reference for spiritual understanding. In referencing , we read that the pilgrims came to America to establish a place where they could worship God freely. It was not that the English did not have Christianity – it was that they persecuted others who did not worship EXACTLY how they required. The pilgrims fled, and established a base of religious freedom to worship THE CHRISTIAN GOD freely, without fear of persecution. I want to reference one more portion from the above-mentioned website for reference: “America was indeed founded by bible-believing Christians and based on Christian principles. When they founded this country, the Founding Fathers envisioned a government that would promote and encourage Christianity. All but two of the first 108 universities founded in America were Christian. This includes the first, Harvard, where the student handbook listed this as Rule #1: “Let every student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies is to know God and Jesus Christ, which is eternal life, John 17:3; and therefore to lay Jesus Christ as the only foundation for our children to follow the moral principles of the Ten Commandments." In 1777. Continental Congress voted to spend $300,000 to purchase bibles which were to be distributed throughout the 13 colonies! And in 1782, the United States Congress declared, “The Congress of the United States recommends and approves the Holy Bible for use in all schools.” There is more than just this – and I am not saying that America’s First Amendment only applies to freedom to worship the Christian God. But I am saying that our country was founded upon Christian principles. This, I believe, is why God has blessed this country. Can I prove it biblically? Most certainly! This is the point – we need to see how God deals with countries that put Him first as their God. Take a look at His love letter to Israel in the beginning of Ezekiel 16, before He discussed their falling away and the judgments that He would bring upon them for breaking His covenant. Ezekiel 16:3-7 / 3And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite. 4And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all. 5None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born. 6And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live. 7I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare. In short, God is telling here that He had compassion on Israel as if she was a helpless baby, just born, not even cleaned up from the birth, and barely able to support herself. God took her under His wing as a loving parent, and He helped her to grow. Some might dispute this and say, “What about countries like China, who have grown up?” America has effectively whored out all of her blessings that God has given her for financial gain, worshipping the dollar rather than the Creator. I am not saying the Bible is against working with other countries. It never says that. As a matter of fact, Solomon made covenants with other countries to create a setup of trade, and Israel was a very blessed country financially under this reign. However, our country has stripped away the jobs that the common American has enjoyed and sold them to another land, so that the rich could get richer, and left the faithful workers hanging in the balance. God grew Israel into a country that the surrounding nations could easily see. We can say that the Bible is incorrect to say that God was the one behind their blessings, but then we would have to leave out the fact of all the miracles that God did in Egypt, how He parted the Red Sea, how He fed Israel in the desert for 40 years, how He helped Israel come into Canaan’s land and defeat nations much larger than herself, and how He helped to establish her as a nation in the midst of a perverse people. We see her rise documented in Ezekiel 16:8-14 / 8Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine. 9Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. 10I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers' skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk. 11I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck. 12And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head. 13Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom. 14And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD. Israel was guilty of whoring out her spiritual gifts to the surrounding nations to get favor from them. She even bowed herself to their gods in order to make alliances with their people. Let’s take a look at Ezekiel 16:15-26 to see a good look at what Israel was guilty of / 15But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was. 16And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so. 17Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them, 18And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them. 19My meat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savour: and thus it was, saith the Lord GOD. 20Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter, 21That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them? 22And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, and wast polluted in thy blood. 23And it came to pass after all thy wickedness, (woe, woe unto thee! saith the LORD GOD;) 24That thou hast also built unto thee an eminent place, and hast made thee an high place in every street. 25Thou hast built thy high place at every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty to be abhorred, and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms. 26Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbours, great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke me to anger. For the sake of time, since we are already at a pretty good length, we will continue next week with God’s judgments upon Israel’s disobedience. In summary, our country is getting farther and farther away from their original covenant with God, and we cannot expect God to continue to pour out His blessings upon us as we continue in disobedience. Just as we studied in Leviticus 26 on the 1st part of this lesson and saw that God would judge disobedience with harsh judgments, so it will be today if we do not turn our hearts back to Jesus.

12-18-11 – Blessed Are The Paps Which Never Gave Suck – Part 2 Luke 23:29 - For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck. Continuing from last week, we were discussing how things change, and how we cannot take things for granted. In our country, we are so blessed, and we often don’t realize it! We have been given the privileges of running water, electricity, streets of asphalt and air conditioning. We can take a hot shower, blow-dry our hair with a hair dryer we can purchase at the local Wal-Mart. We can drive to the local Wal-Mart in our vehicle that we purchased based on our credit score. I could continue on this scenario, but it is clear to see that we enjoy many wonderful privileges here in America. As a matter of fact, these same privileges are also enjoyed in many other countries in this world. However, America had long been established as a land of promise – a place people could travel to from miles away to enjoy the freedoms and blessings that we enjoy (and often take for granted). This country was originally founded on Christian principles. God has blessed this country for that reason – it went from being a very small group of people to one of the world’s superpowers, and now it is 300 million strong and actively trying to help other countries around the world. But, we are beginning to get away from the God who blessed this country. We have forgotten about the many blessings He has poured out upon us. This is where the scripture comes in – we must understand how God works. Understanding what He taught us through His word will help guide us in all truth. In Psalm 119:105, we read “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” We can take the words of God and lean on them for understanding in situations in life where we don’t know the right way to turn. Going back to the original five books of the Bible, we see a book called Leviticus – it was filled with the laws of the Old Covenant, given to us at Mount Sinai to Moses, who began to teach the law to Israel. It was filled with rituals and ordinances to lead them in the right paths. Fortunately for us, we don’t have to continue in all of the ordinances anymore! When Jesus came to this earth, He fulfilled all of the law for us. We read in Colossians 2:14 – “14Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;”. God never intended for us to continue in the law. It was an expression of the righteousness that man would have to attain to in order to be perfect in God’s eyes. When Jesus fulfilled this law (which God foresaw), He was given ALL POWER to help out those who needed salvation and help in a time of need. If we continue to look into Leviticus, we come to chapter 26, which is a very interesting chapter in this regard. Some would teach that it is part of the Old Testament law, and therefore we are not subject to what is written there. It may be true that we are not exactly subject to certain laws written in the Bible (animal sacrifices, feasts, etc.), but we are to still give heed to what was written for our spiritual education and growth. Paul taught in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 - 16All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. The reason Paul wrote the word “ALL” is because it is HIGHLY important for us to take heed to all things written. There are spiritual precepts and concepts to be learned. We read in Leviticus 26 that God was telling Israel about the blessings that they would obtain if they obeyed His law. In verse 3-13, God gives Israel a list of blessings they would inherit as the fruit of their obedience, such as rain to help their crops grow, increase in the productivity of the land, an overflow of supplies, peace in their land and respect from their enemies. Most importantly – they would have the respect of God. However, in verse 14-39, He gives warnings about what will happen when they choose to rebel against the law. He tells of such consequences as disease, intense lack, enemies bringing attack, wild beasts bringing destruction, and ultimately strong judgment against the people – they would become a scattered people. There is strong reason to cover this part of the Bible – we see the history of Israel. They grew from a people very small (Jacob, his wives and 12 children) to a country of MANY people. They were given Canaan’s land as a blessing from God, and they were able to defeat many strong nations that were bigger than them because of the hand of God that was upon them in blessing. They established a city, Jerusalem, for their country, and they continued in following God. In short, if we read books like the book of Judges, we read of the rollercoaster that Israel went on – one moment, they were on track for God, following in His precepts, and the next they were abandoning Him as their main God, following a god of the people around them. God strictly warned them in Judges 2:3 - Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. God told Israel this because they did not fully obey Him. Going back to Judges 2:2, we read why God gave this judgment - 2And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? God told the children of Israel that since they chose not to rid the land of all of its idolatry, they would fall prey to idolatry themselves. This is EXACTLY what happened to Israel – we read in Judges 2:11 - 11And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:. This is only EIGHT scriptures later! The Word of God came to pass with swiftness and exactness! The story is more thoroughly told in Judges 2:16-19 / 16Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them. 17And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; but they did not so. 18And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them. 19And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way. Israel kept falling away from the God of Israel, and He would always allow judgment to come upon them to cause them to cry out to Him. He had to prove to them over and over again that HE was the source of protection and prosperity – not ANY other gods. And, so it is happening today in our country! We are abandoning the principles of the God of Israel for a more politically correct message – the message that our leaders are teaching us. The problem is, their message is CONTRARY to the message that God gave us. We read in Acts 5:29 - Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. It is important to obey the authority of the government in ALL things – except when they command you to fall from God and obey a different command. This is exactly what happened in Daniel 3 – Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, commanded all people to bow to the golden statue he had created. HOWEVER, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego chose not to bow, knowing that it would cost them their lives. God spared them their lives to prove a point – the command of God TRUMPS the command of a leader. Nebuchadnezzar learned that day that the God of Israel has power ABOVE that of the king. In this day and age of political correctness, we have to make a choice to either be a respecter of men, or a respecter of God. As our country begins to choose its own path over the paths that God provides, we see the very promises that God gave in Leviticus 26 coming to pass in our country. We have seen a surge in natural disasters happen over the past few years. Some dispute that a loving God would do such a thing, but if you take a look at the Bible, it is perfectly in line with God’s nature. Take a good look at the judgments He brought on Egypt for their disobedience: blood, frogs, lice, flies, pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and finally the death of the firstborn. They teach that a God of love would never do such things. But do those same people never discipline their children? Guys, we have forgotten that just because our God is a God of love doesn’t mean that He also condones sin! HE HATES SIN! He loves us immensely, so He tries to work with us to lead us away from the sin. Remember – ALL SIN MUST BE JUDGED. If we continue in the sin, we will inherit the judgment we rightfully deserve. And if this country continues to rebel against the God that established it, it will continue to experience the judgments that it rightfully deserves! Take a quick look in the Book of Revelation and see the judgments that God will pour out upon the disobedient. If that doesn’t put the fear of God in you, I don’t know what will! I will continue next week in greater detail about Israel being sold into captivity due to their disobedience, and how God raised them up when they turned back to Him. It is time our country turns back to God. The farther we stray, the more we will repeat the pattern that has already been shown in the Bible.

12-11-11 / Blessed Are The Paps Which Never Gave Suck – Part 1 Luke 23:29 - 29For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck. This is a peculiar scripture, a prophecy that Jesus gave before he died. It has came to pass in such a STRONG fashion here in America especially these days. In this day and age, our young women are taught that abortion is totally acceptable, and that children are more of a burden than a blessing. I am not advocating that our youth go get pregnant immediately. HOWEVER, we are not teaching anything about the value of what it means to have a family. Our children are becoming more and more desensitized to what once was considered “obvious” in our culture, and many others – family values. This message isn’t even about family values, but rather how things change. We cannot take for granted what we see, what we experience, and what we know as normal. Recently, I began to learn about a new law that America has been planning on passing, and it is important that every American know about this law and what it means. It is called the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA 1031), and it basically states that anyone (including US citizens) that the government determines is a terrorist (a threat to USA) can be INDEFINITELY DETAINED without trial. This law, in that type of writing, is highly unconstitutional, in that it defies the 6thAmendment Rights that we enjoy as a nation. The 6th Amendment to the United States Constitution states that “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.” It is EXTREMELY important to note that this is part of the Bill of Rights, which means that this law was created by our FOUNDING FATHERS. It is part of the legal lifeblood of what the United States stands for. If this law were passed, any US citizen who is considered a threat to the USA can be indefinitely detained without a trial. You don’t even have to commit a crime! If, for any reason, you are deemed a potential threat to what America stands for, then you can be stripped away from what you enjoy and love as an American. But what does America stand for? Our country originally stood on a ground of concern for truth, guaranteeing even the criminal the right to a trial. Yes, that is right – even criminals have rights in America. I know that there are people who abuse the system today, but part of America’s legal foundation establishes rights to even criminals. Remember – they are still US citizens. Yet, if we sign this piece of legislation into law, we have shifted what the United States stands for as a whole – those guaranteed privileges will no longer be enjoyed. In other words, we can no longer take for granted something that was GUARANTEED to us as US citizens. You might say, “What does all of this have to do with a Bible study?” EVERYTHING. The Bible is not just words on a page – it is a life map, a book that gives us instruction on how to handle life. It is filled with pages of stories and experiences of people years ago who went through similar situations as us, and how they either prevailed or failed. It is a collection of stories of people who walked with their God, the God of Israel, and now the God of Christ, and how they overcame impossible situations. To see these things coming to pass and to not consider what the Bible says might be easy for some, but for the believer, it is IMPERATIVE that we know what is written, for our own good. It is not only important to know what is written, but also to spend alone time with God. Here is what God says – NEVER TAKE ANYTHING IN THIS WORLD FOR GRANTED. There is no literal wording of that sort in the Bible, but it is directly connected to the scripture at the beginning of the message. The women were coming up to Jesus as He walked to His death, and they were crying. Let’s take a better look at the scriptures that lead up to the one we based our study upon. Luke 23:26-31 / 26And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus. 27And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him. 28But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. 29For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck. 30Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. 31For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry? Jesus was more concerned with the people than with Himself – how typical of Him. He always cared more for others than for Himself. Even in His agony, He took the time to share words of wisdom with others in their time of agony. What selflessness! In the society that they were currently living in, it was considered a blessing for a woman to have children. If a woman did not have children, she was not held in the same esteem – it was almost as if she was “dysfunctional”. Women craved to have children – it was a HUGE thing to them. People considered children a blessing – and rightfully so, because children TRULY are a blessing from God. I have one of my own, a 5 month old named Noah, and his smile is as bright as a summer sun. He is a gift to me and my wife. However, let’s take a look at today’s society and our outlook on abortion. Beginning with Roe v. Wade in 1973, abortion became an acceptable thing. I want to take a look at the language used in the court case of Roe v. Wade, and how the nature of abortion has shifted over the past 40 years. This is a small excerpt from Wikipedia on Roe v. Wade - The Court decided that a right to privacy under the due process clause in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution extends to a woman's decision to have an abortion, but that right must be balanced against the state's two legitimate interests for regulating abortions: protecting prenatal life and protecting the woman's health. Now, if you say that this type of class has no business in the middle of a Bible study, then what are you applying your Bible to? Life around you? Or is it just stories that you repeat about things that happened 2,000 years ago and beyond? The Bible applies to these things today as well, and we need to know what it says about what is going on. I see two key points in the language of what determines a woman’s ability to have an abortion legally - protecting prenatal life and protecting the woman's health. The sad truth is that this is not the case today. Any teenager who wants an abortion can go to a clinic and be rid of their child immediately. Children (and adults too) can have sex with whoever they want, without regard for the fact that they might conceive, and simply wash away the evidence. This is highly reminiscent of Proverbs 30:20 – “Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.” I am not going on an anti-abortion rage either. There are some instances where a woman has to have one for medical reasons – sometimes there are complications that can threaten the woman’s life, and then neither she nor the baby will survive. That is NOT what we are discussing. I am talking about people throwing away human life WILLINGLY and SELFISHLY. What is the point behind this? The things that once were taken for granted are no longer this way. Jesus’ prophecy in Luke 23:29 came to pass with amazing clarity. People are evaluating whether it is more blessed to have children, or to delay for other reasons. There is nothing wrong with not having children. However, the social matrix has shifted – that which once was HIGHLY valued does not hold the same esteem as it once did. Consider the rights of the baby – at one point, a mother would do ANYTHING for that child’s safety, whether it was in the womb or already born. They were already a child. Even today’s amazing technology can show us real pictures of babies at 6 weeks in the womb with eyesockets, arms, legs, a midsection – the person is DEFINITELY forming already. This begins at conception. But with abortion, the rights of the child are stripped, and they are often condemned to die excrutiating deaths. One of the methods is suction, where the baby is pulled away from its environment to die. Another is by cutting the child into pieces (Dilation and Curettage, or D&C). Then, there is salt poisoning, which is the equivalent of making a human drink acid and giving them a bath in it at the same time (salt poisoning, or saline injection). We could continue with some of the methods, but that probably would be overkill to illustrate the point. The point is, values have changed. And that takes us back to the discussion on the 6th Amendment and the NDAA. Right now, we enjoy privileges as people – but at any time, these privileges can be stripped away in a heartbeat. DO NOT TAKE FOR GRANTED THE PRIVILEGES YOU HAVE ENJOYED! I know we did not get heavy into scripture this week, but it is important to note that we cannot take these things for granted. Further, what can we do? The Bible tells us to fast and to pray, and to seek the Lord in a time of need. He is King of Kings – that means that He has authority over those in office. I will finish this message with a scripture that we are likely to tie into next week – I want to continue with this topically in a more thorough Biblical manner next week. 2 Chronicles 7:14 - If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

12-04-11 / “Kind” Part 2 Ephesians 4:31-32 / 31Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Last week, I was spending time with family for the holiday season – my apologies for not posting this message last week. I want to continue where we left off two weeks ago, on the word “kind”. We previously studied in depth verse 31 – before we can really understand God’s definition of kind, it is advisable to take a good look at those things which are contrary to it. We discussed the meanings of “bitterness”, “wrath”, “anger”, “clamour”, “evil speaking” and “malice”. This week, we will continue into verse 32, focusing on the words “kind”, “tenderhearted” and “forgiving”. We may take a look at some alternate scriptures that work with these scriptures. One important thing to ALWAYS remember is that it is not spiritually healthy to only major on one scripture. If we do this, we are not able to “rightfully divide the word of truth”, as Paul taught Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:15. Some churches will go so far as to say to not study the Old Testament, seeing that we are no longer under the law. My argument is that the early apostles who wrote the New Testament only had the Old Testament and the words of Jesus to work with, and they often cited the Old Testament in their works. God gave us all word, from Genesis 1:1 until Revelation 22:21, and even today He still provides new prophetic words that act in conjunction with the Word that He has already established for His people. Let’s begin with the word “kind” – this comes from the Greek word “chrēstos” – look at how similar that is to the Greek word for Christ, “Christos”! This word, in the Greek, means “fit, fit for use, useful, mild, pleasant (as opp. to harsh, hard sharp, bitter)”. The words that we typically associate with “kind” are the latter two – “mild” and pleasant”. But take a look at the first words – “fit for use, useful” – how peculiar that those words are also under the definition for the word “kind”. The thing is that God cannot use a Christian who is unkind – let’s backtrack for a second to verse 31 – a Christian who is full of “bitterness”, “wrath”, “anger”, “clamour”, “evil speaking” and “malice”. Don’t get me wrong – God does want us to be able to make a stand for what is right. However, that doesn’t mean we have to be filled with unholy zeal to accomplish what we feel is right. People have went so far as to kill in the name of Christ, believing that they were doing God’s work. Christ taught us to pray for our enemies, and to love them. We do have to make a stand for that which is holy, in a HOLY fashion. Peter stood up to those who told him to keep silence in Acts 4, and Stephen spoke the truth in Acts 7. Granted, it cost Stephen his life, but God never promised us that we would always be able to keep our lives while living a godly life. He did promise that He would preserve our soul. But many holy men of God gave their lives while serving the Lord – they were martyrs for the truth. Is there a difference between holy boldness in God and unholy zeal? Can we accomplish that which is holy in an unholy manner? God never commanded us to twist people’s arms to serve Him – each person gets an opportunity to hear the message of truth, and to either embrace it and turn from their wickedness, or to turn away from it and continue embracing a life of damnation. God never commanded us to strike back at those who mock the gospel – Jesus taught us in Matthew 5:39 to “turn the other cheek”. We cannot turn the other cheek while we are running our mouths at those who hate the gospel of truth. Many of those who once mocked the gospel have turned to the truth – a perfect example in the Bible is Saul, who later became known as Paul. He was consenting to the death of Stephen – BUT he thought he was doing God’s perfect work. It wasn’t until He had a personal meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus that he changed. And even further – he never really changed! All along, his desire was simply to obey the LORD – in the beginning, he was actually in disobedience! However, his heart was always turned toward the LORD. He even stated in Philippians 3:4-6 how that he was extremely obedient to the Old Testament law from birth until the moment of his conversion: 4Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: 5Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; 6Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. Thinking in this regard, we see that Paul never really was trying to be disobedient – according to 1 Timothy 1:13, everything he did was done “ignorantly in unbelief”. Once he saw the truth, he fully embraced it, and he changed the path he was walking. How many times does this happen today? One day a person is speaking against God, and finally they have a “wake-up call” and realize that He is real! From that moment, their life is changed, and they proceed to live for Christ. Now think of all the Christians that spoke against them, saying they would never amount to anything – how they have to forgive every one of those people. What a testimony of the flesh! Have we lashed back at others who spoke against the word of God? Was there ever a time in our lives when we did not agree with God on anything? Remember – disagreeing with God on ANYTHING puts us on the wrong side of the fence! However, God is always faithful to try to lead us the right way. Often, He has to “turn the other cheek” time and time again while we fumble through life, mixing a walk of denial with our fleshly pride and stubbornness. We must first crucify the flesh before we can truly walk in the Spirit! If God lashed out at us every time we accused His word of being wrong, every one of us would be dead! Remember Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:2 – “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again”. God has full permission to destroy any one of us for our sins of rebellion – YET he refrains BECAUSE His love is so strong for us. God is KIND to us! Continuing on with the scripture, we come to the word “tenderhearted”, which comes from the Greek word “eusplagchnos”, which means “having strong bowels, compassionate, tender hearted”. We can understand “compassionate” being used as a descriptive word for “tenderhearted”, but “having strong bowels”? We have to take a look at the use of the word “bowels” in the Hebrew to get a good idea of why this word is used. Even the Greek word “eusplagchnos” comes from compound word literally meaning “prosper” and “bowels”, or “healthy bowels”. If you mentioned this in a medical conversation, it would likely have a totally different meaning! All jokes aside, in the Hebrew, they used the word “me`ah” which not only meant “internal organs, inward parts, bowels, intestines, belly”, but also “organs of procreation, womb”, and finally (and most befitting for this part of the discussion) “place of emotions or distress or love”. God is interested in how tender-hearted we are – do we have compassion on others in their weakness? We see others who are spiritually lost – do we speak about them behind their backs? Do we seek to reach out to them and demonstrate the love of Christ? Remember the words spoken in Romans 5:8 – “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” God reached out to us BECAUSE His love is SO STRONG! Remember in Genesis 3, when Adam and Eve ate of the fruit they were commanded not to eat of? They hid “amongst the trees of the garden” (Gen. 3:8) and God “called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?” (Gen 3:9). God sought out the lost! It has never changed – God has been doing this since Adam and Eve, seeking after those who are lost. Remember Jesus’ words in Luke 19:10 – “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Jesus was “moved with compassion” in Mark 1:41 and healed a leper, and in Matthew 20:34 he had “compassion” on the blind and healed them. Remember – compassionate is one of the meanings of the word “tenderhearted” – Jesus was “tenderhearted”! The last word we are discussing in Ephesians 4:32, “forgiving”, comes from the Greek word “charizomai”, which means “to do something pleasant or agreeable (to one), to do a favour to, gratify, to show one's self gracious, kind, benevolent, to grant forgiveness, to pardon, to give graciously, give freely, bestow, to forgive, graciously to restore one to another, to preserve for one a person in peril”. These are a lot of different definitions for the word, but it shows the complex illustration that the word “forgiving” presents. It simply means “to wipe clean the slate” – to erase any debt owed to you. Consider all the debt that we owed God – He erased our slate by applying it to Christ as He gave His life for us! He “preserved us in peril” – He “restored us to another (Himself)” – He “showed one’s self (Himself) gracious”…how many times can I go back to this definition and apply it to God? Remember – if we are His children, then we are to obey His commands! His command is that we forgive others their sins – otherwise we will not be forgiven (Matthew 6:14-15)! One additional way to look at forgiveness is that if you refuse forgiveness, you will constantly be in bondage trying to establish judgment upon that person, place or thing. This unforgiveness will birth the fruits of the flesh mentioned in verse 31, and we will not be free in Christ – we will be in slavery to our own selfishness! I hope that every one of us can walk away from this message with a more clear understanding of what God expects from us, and even more – that we can see that God’s way will truly birth many great spiritual blessings and freedoms in our lives. God is not seeking to lead us along a path of hard bondage, but rather a path of freedom from the deceptively harsh bondage of sin. One last thing – the freedom only comes through Christ! This world promises many paths that lead to God, but Jesus clearly spoke in John 14:6 – “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” The truth is, we cannot get to God any other way. There is no other path to heaven – no other path to the true blessings of God. God established a clear path through His son, Jesus Christ, who came to this earth to die for our sins. He fulfilled the prophecies of Isaiah 53:5, written about 700 years before Christ was ever born – “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” As a matter of fact, Isaiah 53 as a whole paints a very descriptive picture of EXACTLY what Christ would suffer for our sins. It was even written as if it has already happened or as if it was currently happening. God CLEARLY wanted us to understand what He had planned for us – a TOTAL PLAN OF SALVATION FOR ALL MANKIND! It can come from no one else, but through Christ. If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you want to do so, salvation is free! It comes from humbly coming to God and admitting that you have sin, and that you are in need of redemption. God gives this gift freely through the gift of His son – we read in 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.” It takes a simple prayer, spoken from your heart: “Dear Jesus, please forgive me of my sins. Please come into my heart, and be my Lord and Saviour. I believe that you are the Son of God, and that you died for my sins. I believe that you rose from the dead, and that you are seated at the right hand of God.” If you have prayed this prayer earnestly for the first time, you are saved! However, it does not end here – this is only the beginning of your journey with God. The next step is to go to a church and find a good pastor – one who will teach you the truth. It is important to attend church with other believers – people who you can connect with who are also on the path of righteousness. If you ever have any questions, please feel free to send me a private message – God bless you!

i would like to start a forumn for prayer request. this is where you mention your family and friends that need the gift of prayer. this means anything from health, drugs, or just helping someone stay on the path! bless all here!

Christmas is coming pretty soon, so I thought I would open this up. It is not uncommon for those "wise" in the ways of the world to tell us Christ could not have been born on December 25. They tell us that since the shepherds were watching their flocks by night, they must have been “lambing”. That is, the ewes were giving birth so the shepherds needed to be there. But those who are wise to the ways of the world seem to miss other explanations. Is there any other reason the shepherds might have been watching their flocks by night? Yes, because they were special sheep. There is a long standing tradition in the Holy Land that the sheep used in the temple were kept in the fields around Bethlehem. These sheep had to be kept completely pure and clean for the sacrifice. No unclean sheep could be offered to God. So the job of these special shepherds was to watch these sheep from the time they were born until they were to be taken to the slaughter in the temple. Who better to witness the birth of Christ, the Lamb of God (as John the Baptist would later call Him), than the shepherds whose job it was? Tradition also tells us that the “stable” in which Christ was born was a cave that was often used by these shepherds to “stable” the young sheep to protect them from the weather. It all is so appropriate! And so very cool!!!

8-07-11 / The Holy Spirit Luke 24:49 / 49And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. There are a couple of themes here that we need to be aware of: #1 – Jesus (who is speaking here) has a promise for us – what is that promise? It is the promise of the Holy Ghost! Who is the Holy Ghost? We are going to discuss Him in this lesson. #2 – Jesus tells the disciples to “tarry” until they “be endued with power from on high”. We need to understand what is being said here, so let’s take it piece by piece. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? The chicken, of course! On the 5th day, God created winged fowl (Genesis 1:20-21), and we read of the physical creation of the animals in Genesis 2:19. We do not read of the egg preceding the chicken! Otherwise, who would nest on the egg to keep it warm until it hatches? Who would feed the chick that hatched from the egg? No, first God made an adult chicken, just as he made an adult Adam and Eve. In this scripture, Luke 24:49, Jesus gives an order - #1 – TARRY (or wait) - #2 – RECEIVE POWER FROM ON HIGH! But so often, we want it the other way. As a matter of fact, we really don’t want to wait – we want it NOW! More money now, more power now, more satisfaction now…and we never learn to truly appreciate what we have, as we are always lusting for what we don’t have. This “power” that Jesus spoke of in Luke 24 refers to power from God, and it emanates from the Holy Spirit, or the Holy Ghost. For reference, the two names are the same – modern translators have used the term Holy Spirit, but it is the same. Who is the Holy Spirit? We first read about the Holy Spirit in Genesis 1:2 / 2And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. We read the words “Spirit of God” here, and perhaps we could think that maybe this is a general term for God in general. But God begins to give us more clues to His nature a few verses later, in Genesis 1:26 / 26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Take special note to the word “us” – who is God talking to? Himself, or another person? Is there more than one God? We know according to Scripture that there is only one God – we read this in Deuteronomy 6:4-5 / 4Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. So we see “one LORD”, but yet we see the word “us” in Genesis 1 – is God confused? No – as a matter of fact, He is painting a very intimate picture of who He truly is. Our “one God” is comprised of three distinct parts: The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. They operate in one mind and one accord – they never do anything apart from one another, not to the slightest degree. There is even a degree of rank with the three (we will refer to these three as the “Godhead”) – first is the Father. He is the head over all things. Directly underneath Him is the Son, Jesus Christ. And finally, we see the Holy Spirit. However, even though there is a direct order of rank, the three are three distinct parts of one God. This parallel is evidenced in our human nature – we also have three parts. Genesis 1:27 / 27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. As God has three parts, so do we – we have a body, a soul, and a spirit. Let’s quickly discuss the three parts, so we understand the difference. #1 – BODY – This is the part of us that is physical, and is the most obvious of the three to understand. #2 – SOUL – This is your personality – this is who you are as a person. Regardless of what your body is like, this is what type of person you are – funny, serious, mild, wild, wacky, peaceful, etc. #3 – SPIRIT – This is your life-force, and it comes directly from God. We read how God breathed into Adam in Genesis 2:7 / 7And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. There is an intimate picture of the three parts discussed in this verse. God formed man of the dust (BODY), and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (SPIRIT), and man became a living soul (SOUL). As a matter of fact, we read that when someone goes to hell, they are dead, but if someone goes to heaven, they are alive. Why is this? Because if you go to heaven, your spirit remains with you, which is your life-force and your strength – it is given directly from God. But if you die and go to hell, your soul goes to hell, but your spirit still ascends unto God. Therefore, your soul is dead (without a life-force) and is doomed to suffer. What a moment of sadness for those who finally realize that they are lost, and it is too late! Let’s quickly discuss a bit of scripture behind this, and move on, because I do want to discuss more about the Holy Ghost. Where does it say that those who are in heaven are living? Jesus Himself gives that explanation to the Sadducees in Matthew 22:29-32 / 29Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. 30For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. 31But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, 32I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had passed away long ago, but they had inherited life from the Father through the covenant of salvation. They went to Abraham’s Bosom, also known as Paradise, after their death, but they were not condemned to suffer in hell for their sins. And they were ordained to rise unto God with those who were saved by God’s grace. However, those who rise and are ordained unto condemnation will rise as well (Revelation 20:12-15). As a matter of fact, in Revelation 20:14, we hear that the lake of fire, reserved for the unsaved, is also called the “second death”. Some preach that those who are lost will be instantly turned to ashes, and they do quote scripture, but this is a symbolic description. We know from scripture that their punishment extends throughout eternity. I will reference two scriptures to show that the second death is not instantaneous, but rather eternal – #1 – Revelation 20:10 / 10And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. #2 – Isaiah 66:23-24 / 23And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. 24And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh. This is not a popular message in today’s church – so many are against preaching about sin and hell, afraid that they are going to lose their congregation. However, those preachers must stand accountable before God for their wicked behaviors, and God will judge them accordingly (Revelation 22:18-19). As we have three parts, so does God – The Father is like the Soul Realm, the realm of the persona of God. Jesus is the express image of the Father – this means that He retains all of the characteristics of the Father in His personality. Jesus Christ is as the Flesh – He is the Word of God, the substance formed from the mind of God. And finally, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit realm of God. All three are a part of one another, but they have separate characteristics and functions within the Godhead. God’s ultimate goal is to have an intimate relationship with us, and a big part of this is allowing His Holy Spirit to dwell within us. Before Jesus died on the cross, the glory of God dwelt in the Most Holy Place in the Old Testament Tabernacle. This was a building that God commanded Moses to build. When Moses went to receive the laws from God (including the Ten Commandments), he also received specific instructions on how to construct the tabernacle. This tabernacle would be the place where all the ministry would flow through – the animal sacrifices, the offerings to God, etc. There were three key sections to the Old Testament Tabernacle – the Courtyard (brazen altar and the laver for the washing of the priests), the Holy Place (incense to God, the Golden Candlestick and the Table of Shewbread), and finally the Most Holy Place (Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat). Only the High Priest could enter into the Most Holy Place, and he only did it once a year to offer atonement for sin. In like manner, when Christ resurrected from the dead, He had to go into the heavenly tabernacle and offer blood for the sins of mankind. We read of his ascension before his 40-day walk on earth after the resurrection in John 20:16-17 / 16Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. 17Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. The writer of the Book of Hebrews went so far as to actually explain what Christ did in Hebrews 9:24-26 / 24For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: 25Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; 26For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. When Christ gave his life for sin, it is written that the veil of the Most Holy Place was torn in two. Before, this veil was very important – it “clothed” the glory of God from the wandering eyes of the people. God takes people looking on His glory very seriously! But once the veil was torn, the glory departed from the temple, and now God seeks to let it dwell within us! Matthew 27:50-51 / 50Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 51And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; I will continue on this subject next week – God bless!

Shorter Catechism Q34: What is adoption? A34: Adoption is an act of God’s free grace, whereby we are received into the number, and have a right to all the privileges, of the sons of God. He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ Himself, according the kind intention of His will. Eph 1:5 …so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. Gal 4:5

11-19-11 – “Kind” Part 1 Ephesians 4:31-32 / 31Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. What a challenge this is for the church world today! We don’t like when people talk against us – well, Jesus promised us in John 15:18 – “18If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. I don’t want to say that Jesus is telling us to “get over it”, but in a nice way, he is. He was preparing us to understand that when we chose to follow God, we had no promise that the world would like anything that we were about. We once were gamblers, drinkers, fornicators, liars, thieves, etc…and the world loved us! They had a great time with us – we partied till the sun came back up. Why did things change? At the time, we were doing the same things they were – and we loved it too. Those that love sin will love those who sin – you were in good company. But now – now you have left behind the things that ultimately will destroy you (sin) and chosen a better path. The world cannot stand that path, because it stands for everything they do not stand for. Those who once used to be your close friends will have trouble connecting with you if they stay in the old ways, and some will even turn against you, telling you that you have changed, or that you are a hypocrite, etc. Anyone who has made a serious attempt to go on for God has heard all of these before at some time or other. The question is – how do we handle these things? What do we do when someone treats us hateful? Should we do as Jesus taught in Matthew 5:39 – “39But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.”? Or should we do as the disciples asked Jesus in Luke 9:54 – “ 54And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?” Truthfully, if God was into casting fire down on people every time they spoke against Him, not one of us would be alive! There is not one of us who at one time have said something against God that we should not have! YET – God has been very forgiving, and very patient with us. Even God Himself regularly has to “turn the other cheek” on His Heavenly throne as He listens to people regularly chew His name into the ground. My wife mentioned an old saying earlier in the week – “You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar”. It is not in the Bible, but it is a very strong proverb with a lot of meaning wrapped up in a little sentence. It basically says kindness gets you much more in the end than bitterness. And this is where we begin into the word “kind”. Taking a look at the scripture mentioned above, among other words, Paul taught us to be “kind”. What does that word mean? According to its original Greek meaning, we see that “kind” means “1) fit, fit for use, useful a) virtuous, good 2) manageable a) mild, pleasant (as opp. to harsh, hard sharp, bitter) b) of things: more pleasant, of people, kind, benevolent”. How can we go around helping anyone if we are constantly ready to fight? Just as fish are easily scared away by disturbances on the waters, so are people when they hear about drama. Let’s take a look at the scripture mentioned at the top, and look first at the words that are the opposite of “kind”. Bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour, evil speaking, malice…sounds pretty bad when you put it all together! But let’s take a look at what these words mean, so we can reflect and see if these are issues that we deal with in our own lives. “Bitterness” comes from a Greek word which means “extreme wickedness, bitter hatred” and comes from a root word meaning “to fasten together, to build by fastening together”. In a modern-day translation, we could look at it as a byproduct of unforgiveness. When we have been done wrong, and we choose to hold back forgiveness, it wounds us more than anyone else. As the root word implies, we build a stonewall castle in our hearts – a hardened fortress of protection from the wiles of the outside world. We refuse to let others in that fortress. On top of this, our mind is permeated with thoughts concerning the thing that we withhold forgiveness from. Maybe it is from our family, or our boss, or a spouse – whoever it is, their thoughts will dominate our minds. We become entrapped by our own bitterness. We might even get to the point of fantasizing terrible things happen to them, but the truth is certain – we are the ones trapped in the prison of bitterness, and don’t even realize it yet! Bitterness will affect our emotions, robbing us of happiness, and feeding us frustration. It is good to forgive others to be released of this terrible prison. Sometimes it takes spending alone time with God to be set free from these chains. “Wrath” comes from a word which implies “boiling” and it is very accurate in its description. Proverbs 16:32 teaches us that “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.” Wrath is a result of us being in bondage to things “setting us off”. We have created certain conditions in our spirit that set off these triggers (not being talked down to, not getting our own way, being treated unfairly, someone speaking evil of us, etc). For instance, if a person has purposed in their heart that no one is going to tell them what to do, when someone tries, their anger will begin to boil over. In the end, they may have won a battle, but they are losing in the war of self-control. In short, they are also a prisoner to their emotions. Anger is described as “agitation of the soul” in the original Greek – a very befitting concept! It is, in a way, the lesser form of the word “wrath”. If wrath is a boiling pot, anger is certainly a simmering one. However, God doesn’t want our emotions to be governed by everything that goes on. How can we truly be following the spirit of the Lord if we are governed by our feelings? James 1:26 speaks about a bridle of the tongue – we also need a bridle for our emotions. This bridle comes from forgiving others, and from realizing that sometimes, as Jesus said in Luke 23:34, “they know not what they do.” “Clamour” comes from a root word which means “the crying of the raven”, and it implies a bunch of squawking! How can we say we are peaceful Christians when we are always causing a bunch of uproar? Sometimes people will go so far as to create disturbances just so they have something to “squawk about”! However, God wants peace, not disturbance. It takes getting alone with God to be healed of these feelings. “Evil speaking” comes from the Greek word “blasphēmia” (“blasphemy”) and it means “slander, detraction, speech injurious, to another's good name”. We might say, “I am not a blasphemer” – but do you go around always tearing someone down with your mouth behind their back? That would make you a blasphemer – a slanderer, a person who uses injurious speech for personal gain. We need God to open our eyes to these things, so we don’t fall prey to a spirit of gossip, looking for opportunities to belittle others. “Malice” means “malignity, malice, ill-will, desire to injure”. Do we have a genuine desire to see others fall into mischief and harm? If so, we have malice operating in our lives, and it will spread like a spiritual cancer throughout our spirit-man, defiling us. We need Dr. Jesus to come in with His blood and wash away all the iniquity and stain! Finally! We are through verse 31! Someone might say, “I thought this message was on kind – but we spent the whole time talking about the opposite of kind!” Unless we deal first with the bad things, we cannot really get into the good things as well. We may have a level of kindness, but God wants to help us grow up into a greater level of kindness. To get there, it is going to take some spiritual growth, some spiritual plowing, some repentance, and some humility. “…kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving” - this is the focus of the lesson today. Granted, for time’s sake, we don’t have as much time to focus on the meanings of the words in verse 32. However, we can come back to them next week. So, to wrap this up, let’s take a quick look at the meaning of the word “kind” here – we can continue next week on this same message. “Kind” means “1) fit, fit for use, useful a) virtuous, good 2) manageable a) mild, pleasant (as opp. to harsh, hard sharp, bitter) b) of things: more pleasant, of people, kind, benevolent”. Simply put, being kind is treating someone the way you would truly want to be treated – with love and respect. God expects this out of us as Christians – to treat people with kindness. That includes people that you may not like! And if you find that that last sentence struck home, you may have some bitterness to deal with! ;-) Next week, we will come back to the topic of “kind” – I hope we can walk away from this message with a good understanding of what the opposite of “kind” is, and reflect upon those things. God bless!

The Screwtape Letters: A Study in the Strategies of Satan EVIL AND HELL What does the Bible say about evil? How much power does Satan have? What are the strategies of Satan? Can someone be demon possessed? Can Satan make us do anything? What are Satan’s objectives? If God is good then why did he allow Satan? Names/Descriptions of Satan Adversary-I Peter 5:8 Apollyon-Rev 9:11 Abbadon-Hebrew for Destruction-Rev 9:11 Accuser-Rev 12:10 Angel of Light-II Corinthians 11:14 Angel of the bottomless pit-Rev 9:11 Anointed Cherub-Ezk 28:14 Beelzabub- Matthew 12:24 Deceiver- Rev 12:9 Great dragon- Rev 12:9 Serpent-Rev 12:9 Devil-Rev 12:9 (35 times) Satan-Rev 12:9 (52 times) Enemy-Matt 13:39 Evil one-John 17:15 Father of lies- John 8:44 God of this age-II Cor 4:4 King of Tyre-Ezk 28:12 Liar-John 8:44 Lucifer-Isaiah 14:12-14 Prince of the power of the air-Eph 2:1-2 Roaring Lion-I Peter 5:8 Tempter-Matthew 4:3 Wicked one- Ephesians 6:16 Thematic Verse Finally be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood , but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:10-12 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you once walked following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, Ephesians 2:2 You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44 II Corinthians 11:14-15 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. … and they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. 2 Timothy 2:26 Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil. John 6:70 During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him, John 13:2 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on our anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Ephesians 4:26-27 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into the snare of the devil. I Timothy 3:6-7 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason that the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. I John 3: 8 Be sober minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. I Peter 5:8 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4: 7 God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. Acts 10: 38 I have written to you young men because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. I John 2:14 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. I John 4:4 YOUR ASSIGNMENT Discuss today something new you learned about Satan. Read Christ temptation in the wilderness Matthew 4: 1-11 Why did God allow there to be a Satan and demons? Begin Memorization of Ephesians 6: 10-12

11-13-11 – Gentle God’s Word, as a whole, is designed to help transform our nature. It is a sad day in our Christian walk when people try to figure out how to justify their fleshly behaviors with the Word of God. Even in this day and age, there are books on how rich we should be as Christians, or how sexual immorality has been misunderstood over the centuries, and finally we have it figured out. Folks, the disciples of Jesus’ day understood that God is trying to help save us from ourselves. We have sin that resides in our hearts, and God wants to purge those desires from us. What tool does He use? The Word of God! We read in John 15:2-3 – “ 2Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” God’s word “cleans” us – what does it clean us from? 1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” And we read in Ephesians 5:26 – “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,” – we can see the pattern that God is speaking to us. He wants to clean us – we are filthy with sin! But His Word is designed to transform us. Why do we refuse to spend time in God’s Word, if that is what He gave us to help us grow? Is it because we are too lazy to do the work? Maybe we are too busy? Even a little bit of time spent in God’s Word each day will prove successful in your life – it is like sowing good seed on a field. The same Word that sows the seed also prepares the field – it plows our hearts (breaks up the hard-heartedness), removes the stones, plants the seeds, fertilizes the crop, and waters the ground! It allows good seed to come to grow – it is so important to stay in that Word daily! Today, I want to focus on the word “gentle” and its close cousins, “gentleness” and “gently”. Why this word today? Last week we discussed the Good Samaritan – a man who went out of his way to help another that was in need. But God needs to craft some behavior traits in our hearts to give us the desire to help others in need. Some of the traits I will be discussing over the next few weeks are the words kind, meek, tender, and the word lamb. Today, we focus on the word “gentle”. The first reference of the word “gentle” is in 1 Thessalonians 2:7, and I would like to include some of the passage around verse 7. 1 Thessalonians 2:7-12 / “7But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children: 8So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us. 9For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God. 10Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe: 11As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, 12That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.” The disciples were not worried about their own glory – they cared for the ones they were trying to help lead in the message of Jesus Christ. Before we take a deeper look at this verse, let’s try to understand the original meaning of the word “gentle” found in verse 7 – it means “mild, kind, affable”. That word “affable” means “being pleasant and at ease in talking to others”, and it also means “characterized by ease and friendliness”. How can we truly say that we are gentle with others when we constantly criticize them, or look down on them? Remember, the same Word that saved us from our sins is designed to save others from their sins, and God has entrusted us with a Holy Gospel to give to the world. Back to 1 Thessalonians 2:7-12 – let’s take a look at some of the characteristics the apostles and disciples demonstrated along with the word “gentle”. In verse 7, we read that they were as a nurse (or nursing mother) cherishing their children. In verse 8, they cared enough about them as if they were their very own souls! In verse 9, they wrote that they labored night and day to help their fellow brethren grow in Christ. In verse 10, we read that their behavior towards their fellow believers was holy, just and blameless. In verse 11, we read that they were as a father to their children, encouraging, comforting and leading them in the right ways. WHY? Look at verse 12 – so that they would be able to walk worthy of God! Not only did the apostles demonstrate the gentle and nourishing love of a mother, but they also demonstrated the strong love of a father. This is the way it is with our Heavenly Father – He has a Father side, and a Mother side as well. One of His awesome attributes is…His gentleness! We could easily continue for an entire lesson on 1 Thessalonians 2:7-12, but I want to continue with some other scriptures. It is not spiritually healthy to only focus on one scripture! Admittedly, it is better to have one than none, but while we have the opportunity, let us travel through the field of God’s Word, gleaning tasty fruits! We continue to see the word “gentle” in 2 Timothy 2:24 – “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,”. It is going to take the hand of the Lord to graft in the gentleness and patience needed to help us teach the gospel to this world. There are some who do not have ears to hear, and some who will mock at us and say mean things towards us. There are some who are seeking to learn, but can only handle so much at a time. It is important to be GENTLE, and with that GENTLEness, we must also have PATIENCE. Remember, a tree does not grow overnight – sometimes to see a tree fully mature takes years. Sometimes the Word that someone receives will continue to work on them. We need to spend time in the presence of God and let Him wash away our anger, our frustration, and our impatience, as He imparts to us gentleness, peace, and patience. Take a good look at Malachi 4:2 – “2But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.” Just as the sun rises up and shines upon us, giving us a physical tan, so will the SUN, the WORD OF GOD, JESUS CHRIST, rise up and give us a spiritual tan! He will begin to change the color of our hearts to a more humble color – one filled with love, compassion and desire to help those in need! There are three more scriptures with the word “gentle” in them – we may not have enough time to cover every piece of the word “gentle” and its cousins “gently” and “gentleness” in this message. However, I would like us to be able to walk away with an understanding of what the words mean, so that when we spend time alone with God, we can meditate on what He wants from us. The next verse comes from Titus 3:2 – “2To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.” It is so easy to tear at people who don’t match up to our standards. In our day and age, it is common practice to lash at our political leaders that don’t meet the requirements we think they ought to meet. However, if we spent the same amount of time and energy we invested in gnashing at them with our teeth, and we used it to pray for them (for they are only human), we might accomplish some greater spiritual good. Keep in mind also that constantly living in a state of anger is not good for us physically! We must forgive those who we feel have wronged us, and begin to pray for them. In James 3:17, we read “17But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” Do we have this wisdom operating in our lives? Are we easily provoked? The Good Lord knows I am grieved driving on the highways these days! But God constantly reminds us that we must be patient, and full of MERCY! It is possible if we give ourselves over to the LORD, to be used as instruments of righteousness. The final scripture with the word “gentle” is in 1 Peter 2:18 – “18Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.” That word “froward” means “crooked, curved, perverse, wicked, unfair, surly, froward” – of course none of us have ever had an unfair boss before, right??? ;-) In reality, God will “bless” us with a boss who is not fair, because this will cause us to pray! We will pray, not only for ourselves, but also for our boss – through this, God will craft a spirit of prayer in our lives! Remember - we are always more inclined to pray when we are experiencing hard conditions in life. In truth, if we really spend time in God’s Word, we will develop an attitude of prayer for our boss. Jesus will constantly remind us with Matthew 5:43-45 / “43Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” In finishing this message, I want to take a look at the other meanings of “gentle” – one of the words, “ep-ee-i-kace’”, means “mild, gentle, moderation, patient” and comes from a root meaning of “to be weak all around” (“epi” = in every direction” + “eiko” = weak). The word “gentleness” has a few meanings – “anah avanah” in the Hebrew, which means “to be afflicted with humility” (Reference “gentleness” in 2 Samuel 22:36 –“36Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy gentleness hath made me great.”) In Galatians 5:22, the word “gentleness” means “moral goodness, integrity, benignity, kindness” (Galatians 5:22 – “22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,). Finally the word “gently” comes from a Hebrew word “’at” and it means “gentleness, softness, gently, flowing, softly” (ref. 2 Samuel 18:5 – “5And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom. And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom.”) I think we can walk away from this lesson with the understanding that God is not interested in us preaching the gospel in pride, but in gentleness. It is true that there is a boldness that Christ will give us, but we must not forget that even the boldness of Christ is a HUMILITY boldness – a boldness to preach the Word in utter submission to the LORD. It is a boldness birthed out of the love of God. I pray that you can walk away from this lesson with a new understanding, or at least a fresh understanding, of the word “gentle”. Let God minister His grace unto your hearts, so that you can become more gentle in spirit as well – God bless you!

Approximately 2 years ago, my wife, Marylou was diagnosed with cancer.She went through major surgery to have tumours removed, and many months of chemotherapy.The results of which were supposed to be a clean bill of health upon completion.Realizing how precious life is, we made the decision that I should retire early, and we would buy our dream home in another province.Leaving my career of 20 years, and taking out my pension, we bought a farm, and moved to a very small town in rural Manitoba, with our dogs, cats, and horses."Living the dream now".Many miracles in this daunting process occurred, as their were many major hurdles to overcome to make it all happen.It happened, as if divine intervention had intervened..and it had!!!We were thankful, and excited about our new life together.A couple of weeks before the move, we learned marylou's cancer had spread despite the chemotherapy, and another major operation was performed, and large cancerous tumours removed...and we were advised she had 18 months to live, her cancer was terminal.A huge unexpected shock.We had allready purchased our new home, and I had terminated my employment.We moved despite the news..and I kept busy readying our farm, for our horses.Life was real tough, marylou was depressed, emotionally ditraught, and slept many many hours a day.I spent many hours outside in vicious cold, working trying to keep my mind busy...praying for help and direction.Our intention was that I find a job in my career..(law enforcement), and we would be fine financially...as now she could not work, due to her illness. And her ongoing chemotherapy treatments.I must say here too...during the move..and all the pressure..it felt as though we were being "led" to our new home.I met our neighbour one snowy cold afternoon last winter...he invited us to his church..a "healing" church, to worship.I told my wife, and she attended the church.Being a Christian, she thoroughly enjoyed the small church, and as a result I began attending church with her.We both now are avid, thankful members of a loving, fathful family..and feel honoured.I applied for many jobs in my profession, and have yet to be successful..the finacial strain is becoming so overwhelming, bankruptcy may be our only hope.A month ago Marylou's chemotherapy was stopped , as the cancer has spread too far..liver, abdomen, etcetera.There is nothing left that the doctors can do..she received a death sentence.We were shattered.But she prayed, our church prayed.We were baptized together, and she is testifying her and Jesus have beat the cancer.I TRY to believe as strongly as she.I watch her in pain and agony..at times..I watch her vomit from the pain..curl up in the pained fetal position.I have watched her suffer..forgive me God, I speak the truth..I have watched her suffer more than Christ suffered...over and over.It's been 2 years of fighting cancer, valiantly and with faith. Not my story

There is a new movie that came out today called, "Courageous." Here is a link to the movie trailor. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9VT_NBIVfs I encourage you to please watch it. I think you will be blessed by the message it gives. Here's a movie review to sum up the story. http://www.pluggedin.com/movies/intheaters/courageous.aspx

9-18-11 / Adultery and Idolatry – Part 1 Ezekiel 16:15-16 / 15But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was. 16And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so. What are we reading here? Is it about a woman beginning to sleep with other men? Sort of! The woman referenced in the passage above is the nation of Israel – and the references to being a “harlot” actually refer to Israel beginning to worship other gods! The subject of the week was adultery – but we have spent probably a good 7-8 weeks discussing sexual sins. It is an important topic this day and age. Many churches refuse to preach about sex, and we see that even in the church, people are becoming more and more loose on the issue of sexuality. Churches today are beginning to embrace those with perverse sexual sins as godly, and allow them to even preach in the pulpit. Therefore, people are not getting the real truth – they are getting a twisted form of it. Anytime you mix light with darkness, you never get a pure blend of light. According to Ecclesiastes 10:1, “Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.” Those who know the truth will run from those who mix holiness with wickedness, and those who are blind to the difference will blindly follow. As I said, I don’t want to get back onto the subject of physical adultery today – we can simply wrap up adultery with its definition – “voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and someone other than his or her lawful spouse”. So how does this relate to idolatry, the topic of the week? Let’s take a quick look at the definition of “idolatry” – “the religious worship of idols, excessive or blind adoration, reverence, devotion, etc.” So we need to distinguish the difference between worshipping our God, the God of Judaism and Christianity, and any other god out there. First, we must determine if our God is the only God out there. There are a multitude of religions in this world that have multiple gods. One of the most prominent polytheistic (multi-god) religions these days is called Hindu. According to www.allaboutreligion.com, the first line says “It has been said that Hinduism is a religion of 330 million Hinduism gods.” It is plain to see that in Hindu religion, there are an abundance of gods. So what is an idol? According to dictionary.com, it is “an image or other material object representing a deity to which religious worship is addressed”. In laymen’s terms, the person worshipping some god will create an image, like a statue, made out of metal, stone, wood, or some other material, to bow down and worship it. They believe that the statue is a symbol of the actual god that they are reverencing, and that that god will see their devotion to them, and that it will hear their prayers. Just a short list of some of the gods that people worship in this world (ref. Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_deities): Creator, Moon, Sky, Sun, Time, Weather, rain, thunder, lightning, Earth, Night, Ocean, water, Death, Father, Mother, Fate, Fertility, love, lust, Health, healing, medicine, Household, hearth, Hunting, Knowledge or wisdom, Thresholds, doorways, Trickster, War, Culture heroes, Imperial cult, Sacred king This is just a short list of some of the gods that people in this world worship. If they are wanting more rain, they will pray to a god who they believe has power over the weather. If they need more sun, they will pray to a sun god. There are gods that people worship for money, for love, for fertility, for long life, etc. The big question here is – are those gods real? What does the Bible say about gods? Is there only one God, or are there more than one? According to the Holy Bible, there is only one true God – the God of Christianity. He began to show Himself to Adam and Eve, and He created a covenant with Father Abraham in the Old Testament. He was a God to the Jews, and He sent His son Jesus Christ to die for our sins. Now, He is the god of Christianity – of anyone who believes on Jesus Christ. Let’s see a couple of scriptures in the Bible to prove that Christianity believes in one God. One of the most famous references is in Deuteronomy 6:4 – “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:” There is one Godhead in Christianity, consisting of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These are three parts of the Godhead, and they operate together in one mind and one accord. All power originates from the Father realm of the Godhead, and flows down to the Son, and finally to the Holy Spirit. The three operate together as one. This is why we can say that Christianity is a monotheistic (one-god) religion – even though there are three parts, they never operate one tiny bit apart from each other. They are all in 100% unity with each other. In polytheistic religions, people believe that there are separate gods with separate powers. The sun god has power over the sun – and probably only just that. The mood god has power over just the moon. And so on. But let me ask you a question. As perfect as our universe is balanced, how could a multitude of gods come together in one mind and one accord to create what has been created? Unless you believe the universe simply came from one God, and then there were more gods created later – some people believe in religions like that too! However, this is not a history lesson on world religions. We simply want to find out if it is okay for Christians to worship more than one God. According to the Bible, there is only one God, and one God only. There are no others! According to Joel 2:27, “And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.” God says that there are NO OTHER gods but HIM – and we shall not be ashamed! And even in the Ten Commandments – we read in Exodus 20:3-6 / 3Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. God says in verse 3 – “THOU SHALT HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME”. God is not a God who wants to share His glory with ANYTHING ELSE! As a matter of fact, He says in Exodus 34:14 that He is a JEALOUS GOD! How many know that a woman is jealous for her husband’s attention! Or even that a man gets jealous if he sees someone else hitting on his wife, or if his wife began to flirt with another man! So it is with God! He doesn’t want us to spend 1% of our devotion on any other “god” – He wants it ALL! Let’s read the passage in Exodus 34:12-17 / 12Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee: 13But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: 14For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: 15Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice; 16And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods. 17Thou shalt make thee no molten gods. God says that if we begin to worship other gods, they will drag us away from Him. He says that we will go “whoring” after their gods. According to my understanding, that word is used primarily in sexual terms! But God is using it in reference to the act of worship! What God is saying is that when you devote your attention to anything else, it is giving it your intimacy – it is in effect a way of spiritually sleeping with that thing! Whether it be your car, your house, your job, your money, or whatever…whatever you devote your attention to MOST, that is now your god! And God says that He is a Jealous God – He doesn’t desire that you have any other gods before Him. As a matter of fact, God gets so jealous that He will actually allow bad things to happen to you – to try to wake you up – when you slip into idolatry. We read of this a whole lot in the book of Judges! Let’s take a look at just a few sections of Judges to see how much God hates idolatry. Judges 2:13-14 / 13And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth. 14And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. Judges 3:7-8/ 7And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves. 8Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushanrishathaim eight years. Judges 3:12-14 / 12And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD. 13And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees. 14So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. The book of Judges tells the same story over and over again – #1 - Israel descended into idolatry #2 – God allows them to be delivered to their enemies #3 – The children of Israel cry out to God for help #4 – God delivers them from their enemies Repeat step one, etc until you want to throw up! J Why did God contine to allow them to be sold to their enemies? So that they could see that the new god they worshipped was no real god at all! When they worshipped the LORD, they had rest in their lands. We read this in the book of Judges – for instance, take a look at Judges 3:9-11 / 9And when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. 10And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the LORD delivered Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushanrishathaim. 11And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died. God raised up a deliverer, a valiant warrior, in Israel who helped to set them free from their enemies, in the name of God. As long as Israel served God, He kept a hedge of protection around them. Whenever they took their eyes off of God and put them on something else, He became jealous, and let them be turned over to their enemies. WHY would God do that? To prove that those other gods are no gods at all – they are just a figment of the person’s imagination. We read in Isaiah 2:8 – “Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made:” How is it possible to simply create a statue of what you think God is, and believe that you have created a God? Or better yet – that your statue is a fitting depiction of God? Many religions believe in the idea of statue worship, believing that the thing they have created will be able to help save them. But according to God, all of these idols are nothing but a lie – they cannot help you, they cannot save you, they can do nothing! We didn’t have time to really get into how idolatry is related to adultery, so we will cover more of those scriptures hopefully next week. This week, it is enough to realize that in Christianity, there is only one God, and no other god (creation of man’s imagination) can save you. If you have read this message, and you want to learn more about God, please feel free to send me a message. Also, if you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, you can do so now! God offers salvation for all who desire to be saved! We read in 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.” If you want a new start in life, you can have it through Christ. Repeat this prayer from your heart – “Dear Jesus, please come into my heart, and be my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive me of my sins, and help me walk with you. I believe that you are the Son of God, and that you died and rose from the dead for my sins.” If you prayed that from your heart, you have now given your life to God – and you are saved! But you must begin to walk in the faith. Find a local church that preaches from the Bible (some don’t!) and begin to learn more about Christ, and how you can grow in Christ. And as always, if you have any questions, feel free to ask – God bless you!

9-11-11 – Watch and Pray Luke 21:34-36 34And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. 35For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. What is Christianity all about? Is it a show, an act, for people, to pretend that you are better than they are? Is it a sham? Or is it something real? This is a question that many people wonder, especially with so many different types of Christians over the years. Some are holiness Christians, concerned with outward appearance along with their walk with God. Some are do-what-you-want Christians, believing that since Christ died for their sins, they can do what they want, believing that they are saved by God because they accept Him as their Lord and Saviour. But there is a key to this – not only is Jesus our Saviour, but He must also be our Lord! And according to Jesus himself, in Luke 6:46, we read the following words – “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” One of the most important things to learn is to listen to the words of Jesus. How can we say that we are Christians, if we don’t obey what Christ taught? It is one thing to tell others, “I am a Christian”, and a totally different thing to actually obey Christ. What is Christ speaking about in Luke 21:34-36? He was just telling his disciples about signs of the ends of time as we know it! Let’s recap a few things that were written in Luke 21, so we have a bit more understanding about what Jesus is speaking here. - v.7 – The disciples ask Jesus when the end will come, and what signs will they see. - V.8 – Jesus says that many will pretend to be Christ, but warns us not to follow them. - V.9 – Jesus says wars and commotions must first happen before the end comes. - V. 10-11 – Jesus says nations and kingdoms will rise against one another, and there will be great problems in the earth (great earthquakes, famines, pestilences, fearful signs in the heavens). - V. 12-16 – Jesus says that Christians will be persecuted for their faith, and encourages us to stand strong as a testimony for Christ. He also says that some of us will be put to death for our faith. - V. 17-19 – Jesus says that Christians will be hated by all men, but to continue in the faith, knowing that our souls will be saved. - V. 20-28 – Jesus speaks of the beginning of the tribulation period, and warns that those who are left behind will endure much suffering. He also says that at the end of the tribulation period, He will return “in a cloud with power and great glory” (v. 27), and encourages those who remain to be encouraged, knowing that their “redemption draweth nigh” (v. 28). - v. 29-33 – Jesus says that these are signs of the times, to let us know that the time draws near for the end. There are many who scoff today at the idea of God bringing judgment upon this world with natural signs. Those who refuse to hear the gospel of Christ will always scoff at any sign from God, being fully convinced in their minds that God is not real, and therefore any natural disasters are simply a random occurrence. However, Christ warned us that these signs were not just for the unbelievers – they are also for the believers! And more specifically, they are for the believer first, to let us know that the time is short. Those who are on the fence? They will see the signs, and have another opportunity to repent. For those who have hardened their hearts against God, it will take the very hand of God to wake them from their slumber. And we read in the Bible that there are those who are turned over to a reprobate mind – they have refused the gospel, and God has turned them over to love and believe a lie, and be damned. I want to focus primarily on verses 34-36, because there is a key here that we need to be aware of. I often teach on verse 36, because it is a pivotal verse in understanding the tribulation period and how it relates to Christians. So let’s go back and focus just on that verse, for a moment – “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” One of the key words in this whole passage is the word “ALL”. Such a small word – three letters long! But it makes a huge difference in the passage. If the word was “SOME”, it would entirely change the understanding of what Jesus was telling His disciples. “Escape ALL these things” – “ALL” – not “SOME”, not “NONE”, but “ALL”. What am I escaping? What Jesus spoke about in Luke 21:20-28, the tribulation period! We read much about the tribulation period in the book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible. We read of a man called the Anti-Christ who will have control over all government on this earth. There will be a 42 month period of destruction upon this earth, and all who refuse to bow down and worship his image, and take his mark, will be killed. There will be intense war, famine, disease and destruction. As Jesus says in Matthew 24:21 (Matthew’s account of the same story), “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” We could cover all of God’s judgments of wrath upon the earth during the tribulation period, but that is not what I am trying to discuss – I want to discuss Luke 21:34-36. Jesus gave us a promise in verse 36 that we could escape ALL of these things! But how do I escape them? He gives the secret (also in verse 36) in a short phrase – “Watch ye therefore, and pray always". I need to understand this phrase, to understand how I can escape all of these things. So let’s discuss these two words – “WATCH” and “PRAY”. Let’s get into the original definitions of the words, to know what they mean. “WATCH - ἀγρυπνέω - ä-grüp-ne'-ō - 1) to be sleepless, keep awake, watch 2) to be circumspect, attentive, ready – a compound word meaning “without” and “to sleep” “PRAY” - δέομαι - de'-o-mī - 1) to want, lack 2) to desire, long for 3) to ask, beg a) the thing asked for b) to pray, make supplications – comes from a root word meaning “to bind, to tie, to fasten” Essentially, to watch means to be spiritually sober – we must be aware at all times of what is going on around us, so that we don’t get sucked into the traps of sin. Sometimes things which initially appear harmless can be full of poison, and you won’t know how bad they are until you get into them. And to pray? It means to bind your will to God’s will, and begin to ask for things that are needful for yourself and for others. Without God’s help, it is impossible to grow in Christ! Sometimes we forget how necessary God’s help is in our lives and in others, and we think we are at a place where we don’t need to pray for ourselves of for others. But Christ teaches us that if we don’t pray always, we will miss out. Who wants to experience the torments of the tribulation period? A short synopsis of what will happen for the believer and the non-believer. Those who are left behind, but choose to follow Christ after the rapture? They will have to give their lives – the Bible tells us in Revelation 20:4 that they will be beheaded. I imagine that there will be some who try to survive during the Tribulation period in hiding, but the lack of food, etc. will make it extremely hard to continue. And for those who choose to serve the Anti-Christ? They will be able to continue their lives to the best of their ability, but they lose all chance of salvation once they take the mark of the beast. And they will spend eternity in a lake of fire, suffering for their rebellion. I really don’t have to know all the details of every torment and judgment that will take place to know that I don’t want to be here when it does take place. All things are written in the Word, but how much warning do I need to make a choice to get myself ready? If I don’t respond to God tugging at my heart now, what makes me think that I will get myself ready for God when the going gets tough? So I ask you one question – are you obeying Christ? Or are you just going through the motions, and telling others you are a Christian, when in reality you are not being obedient? What has Christ asked of us as Christians? To WATCH and to PRAY. There are more than just these, but a mature believer will actively do these things in their life. They will be at a place in Christ where it is as natural as eating and breathing – the desire to watch out for those things that can suck us back in to a life of sin, and to pray constantly for ourselves and for others. And so I go back to Luke 21:34-35, which were a part of this teaching. Jesus says that if we begin to focus on ourselves, and not on Christ, we can easily be sucked into a life of self-gratification (in any area!), and so we begin to fall asleep spiritually. A sinning Christian is not awake spiritually! Even the foolish virgins in Matthew 25 heard the call that the time had come for the bridegroom to arrive, but they had not prepared themselves. They brought no oil in their lamps (they had no prayer life), and so their lamps went out. And they were not allowed into the marriage supper – they missed the rapture. The Bible warns us to be awake TODAY! We have no promise of tomorrow. The Bible even tells us that some of us will have to give our lives for the gospel of Christ, but it is easy to read it and consider that it might not be us. But what if it is? What if you are going to be put before a court one day and testify that Christ is Lord, knowing it may cost you your life? Which is worth more – this short life on earth, or the eternal life in heaven? Consider that Christ has given us a promise – to escape those things which come to pass. But we need to be ready today! I encourage you to take today and reflect on areas where you have not been perfect in your walk with Christ, and begin to work with God to help you grow spiritually, so that you are not left behind. Also, if you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, you can do so now! God offers salvation for all who desire to be saved! We read in 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.” If you want a new start in life, you can have it through Christ. Repeat this prayer from your heart – “Dear Jesus, please come into my heart, and be my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive me of my sins, and help me walk with you. I believe that you are the Son of God, and that you died and rose from the dead for my sins.” If you prayed that from your heart, you have now given your life to God – and you are saved! But you must begin to walk in the faith. Find a local church that preaches from the Bible (some don’t!) and begin to learn more about Christ, and how you can grow in Christ. And as always, if you have any questions, feel free to ask – God bless you!

9-4-11 / Faith and Evidence This weekend, my wife and I are travelling to visit family in Eastern Kentucky. Those at the Country Church got invited to visit with another church this weekend, so that is a blessing. Fellowship is one of the most important gifts God gave the Body of Christ – if we refuse to come together, it is much harder to come against the enemy. Remember, one of his biggest, and most successful, tactics is that of separation and scattering! With that in mind, remember that Satan will always be ready to try and bring about offense in our hearts, to where we judge our fellow brothers, rather than try to help one another, and lift one another up. This week, the message comes solely from inspiration. Normally, I have more time to study and prepare a message, but as I fed Noah this morning, I meditated on what should be taught this week. There are so many wonderful topics in the Bible, and salvation is at the core of it all. You can live to be the best human being on earth – but what about once it is all over? What then? According to Romans 3:23, we read “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”. What does this mean? It means that, no matter how good we try to be, on our own, when we stand before God after we have left this earth, we do not stand a chance to be saved. Some don’t believe in God – and that is their choice. They say, “It’s just words on a page” or “Those stories were written long ago by people who tried to explain things that science is explaining now”, etc. I have heard many stories. The only problem with their argument is that the Bible proves itself. I bought a debate recently between Richard Dawkins, a famous atheistic professor, and John Lennox, a theistic professor. The debate centered around a book that Dawkins had written called “The God Delusion”. Dawkins plainly does not believe in God. What struck me, coming from a man who normally spoke about science and its processes, was some of the arguments that he used to defend his stance. I would like to discuss this stance, since his argument is the argument of many atheists, and of many unbelievers as well. One of his key points was that faith was being content with not knowing. This idea is simple – we don’t know the answer, so we say, “Well, God did it.” Here is an example – “Why are there mosquitoes?” “Well, I don’t know, but God did it!” But the problem with this argument is that it avoids one of the key pieces of why faith is more than just not knowing – I argue that faith IS knowing. In the Bible, we read that God said many things - by faith, we would believe in Him. HOWEVER, the real question is, DO THEY REALLY HAPPEN AS HE SAID THEY WOULD? I would most definitely say yes. First – we read the accounts of the Bible. I could name so many different accounts in the Bible where God made a promise, or He spoke something, and it came to pass just as He said. This began in the very beginning of the Bible. We read of His creative accounts in Genesis 1 – in verse 3, we read “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” That is simple enough! He spoke light into existence. Dawkins mocked a bit at Lennox for mentioning that the Bible accurately predicted a beginning of the universe, saying that it was a 50-50 chance. HOWEVER – the Bible was accurate on the fact that our universe did have a beginning. So what about more than just creating the heavens and the earth? What about situations in everyday life? Let’s look at Elijah and the widow woman in 1 Kings 17. The widow woman only had a small amount of meal and oil – just enough left for one more meal. She was ready to make that meal for her and her son, and die. But God sent Elijah, a prophet of the LORD, with a promise – feed Elijah FIRST, and then the food supply will never run out. The woman believed God (FAITH), and she obeyed God – and then she saw the EVIDENCE that God’s Word was true – her food supply never ran out! This, of course, is a supernatural act, and it can be done by God alone. No man can simply speak on his own, and make food multiply. It is the power of God! I could take you on a journey through the Bible, and we could read the promises of God, and how they came to pass just as He promised. But the next premise (and a very important one!) is this – is the Bible true? Are those just stories on a page, or do miracles still happen today? If you speak to someone who doesn’t believe in miracles, then the answer is probably no. But do they still happen? I have testified to many atheists about miracles that have happened in my own life, by the Word of God. Miracles that happened within the last 15 years. Miracles that were testified by friends of mine, men and women of God, blessed with the gifts of prophecy and miracles. People raised from the dead via prayer, people receiving money in due season, creative miracles of the body, restoration of the soul…and the list goes on. ACCORDING TO GOD’S WORD! What was the response? Most of the time, I received something like this – “Well, those “miracles” must be tested according to science…” and it always went into a scientific explanation that wrote off the power of God. The atheists stumbled at something so obvious, so painfully obvious…but why? Why refuse to admit to evidence right in front of your eyes? Here is my question – if I flip a coin 1 time and tell you before-hand that it will land on heads, and it does, that could be taken as a coincidence. 2 times? Still a chance. 10 times? Pretty good accuracy! But what if I keep continually getting heads over and over again? Or better yet – what if I was simply able to tell you every time whether it would be heads or tails? Only a person with intimate knowledge of the details could predict such a thing. And that is the case with God – He has intimate knowledge of all things, and has shared many things with this world. We have to choose to believe Him, or refuse Him. Jesus healed many people right in front of people who refused to believe in Him. He even raised the dead – and the Pharisees wanted to kill Him. Just because you see a miracle in front of your eyes does not mean that you have to believe in miracles. I can see it raining outside, but refuse to believe the evidence that it is raining. Or even to a lesser degree – I can go outside and see wet grass and a wet pavement, but I still don’t have to believe that it rained. The wetness would be evidence of what happened. In this event, I am discussing supernatural events, or miracles – things that don’t normally happen. I am speaking about a man going into a room and telling a man of God (who was in a coma) to wake up in the name of Jesus – and the man began shaking, and came out of his coma! I am talking about a woman who was told by doctors that she had to have her leg removed because of melanoma (found in biopsies), but prayer showed to not have surgery – God’s word would heal her leg. AND IT DID! I am talking about a woman speaking to gout to come out of her feet – AND IT DID! Do we ignore the evidence that God’s Word comes to pass? It is our choice. As Dawkins says, faith is being content with not knowing. But I know that God’s Word is true – why? Because of the evidence! And the evidence from the past gives me faith for my future! What is the evidence of the past? We can read of the many accounts in the Bible – how Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was born of a virgin – how He healed the sick, brought people back from the dead, cast out devils, was crucified according to His own prophecies, rose from the dead, preached to people after His resurrection for 40 days, and ascended into heaven. BUT – we don’t have to believe the evidence. We can read how God poured out His Holy Spirit in Acts 2 upon the disciples, and they were filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak in other tongues. We can read how the gifts spread to different believers, and through Paul, God did many special miracles – BUT – we don’t have to believe the evidence. We can read about Asuza Street, a modern-day revival that broke out in the early 20th century in the Western United States. We can read of the many creative miracles that were done there – BUT – we don’t have to believe the evidence. And even today, miracles still happen! But who are you asking, and who do you believe? Those who bring an evil report about God, or those who actually have the gifts of the Holy Spirit? If I want to hear about the real miracles of God today, I need to listen to someone who has the gifts. Fortunately for me, I have been blessed to meet some real men and women of God, believers, who through FAITH saw miracles (EVIDENCE) come to pass. So my question to you today is – are you going to ignore the evidence that the Bible presents? The Bible tells us of many things – heaven and hell, sin and righteousness, love and hatred, etc. It tells us that we all have a place to go after this life – some will inherit eternal life through Christ. Who will be saved? Those who believe (FAITH) on God – they will see the evidence of their salvation come to pass. There will be some who will go to hell – who is that? Those who hear the gospel, and refuse to believe it. According to God’s Word, when the real Word is preached, it bears witness in our spirit. There is a part of us that knows that this is the truth – but we can refuse to believe that tugging on our spirits. And when we stand before God one day, He will be blameless, because according to His promise, He was faithful to give us all an opportunity to hear the truth, and to flee from our wickedness. To sum it up, I encourage you to examine the evidence that the Bible provides, and ask yourself, “Is this book for real?” I leave you with a very quick miracle that God gave me a few years back. I knew God wanted me to have a cellphone – not for selfish reasons, but to be able to minister to people. BUT – I didn’t have enough money to pay for the plan. I needed $100 to start the plan. So I prayed – “God, I will get the phone, but you must first provide me with $100 to get started.” I prayed that prayer on Saturday. On Monday, as I walked into work, I saw an envelope on my desk, with a thank you card – and $100 in the card. I had previously saved a customer about $1000 on an order – and he decided to bless me with $100. I could say, “Coincidence”….and REFUSE THE EVIDENCE. I was faithful to my end of the deal, and I got the cellphone. So – now it is your choice. Will you refuse the evidence? Will you continue to always find fault with God, and with the Bible? Or will you give Him a genuine chance to prove to you that He is real? This is the thing – if He is real, you have everything to gain. If He is not, then you have nothing to lose. But I can tell you from my own life – the power of God is real! I have no reason to lie. I am not gaining money from this message. I am not gaining popularity. I have everything to lose, when it comes to friendship and reputation, and even some people’s opinions of my sanity! ;-) But that being said, give God a chance. Faith is NOT being content with not knowing – it is being content KNOWING that God provided evidence before, and that He will continue to do so! I leave you with this scripture, from the beginning of Hebrews 12. Hebrews 12:1-2 / 1Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. In short, it is saying that we have all the evidence from what has happened in the past (cloud of witnesses), and God did it for them – He will do it for us too! God bless you!