Hither And Yonder

God’s “To Do” List

2011-04-27T00:19:00.000-07:00

Joshua 1:7-8 tells us “Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe TO DO according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe TO DO according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. “

Any body with any sense wants to be a success. In this passage we are told how to have, and be, just that. Notice in God’s commission to Joshua, twice God said, “observe TO DO…” God has a “TO DO” list for all who would follow Him.

In Christ’s commission to the church, He said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Mt. 28:18-20).

In our Lord’s commission, we do NOT read, “teaching them all things whatsoever I have commanded you.”

Much of our teaching today is just that—the dissemination of information. It says, “teaching them TO OBSERVE…” Here are the two lost words of the Great Commission—“TO OBSERVE.” Throughout the Word of God the accent is on doing, observing, keeping the commandments of the Lord.

Today we teach them, but we fail to teach people to DO them.

The Word is hid in the head, but not in the heart. It is the Word hidden in the heart that keeps from sin (Ps. 119:11).
You can have a head full of Scripture and a heart full of sin.

What’s on your “TO DO LIST” today?
Is there something God wants you TO DO?

PARROTS AND PUPPETS

2011-04-27T00:11:00.000-07:00

John 18:34 “Jesus answered him, Sayest this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?”

A good question, isn’t it? Especially for this parrot age in which we live in.
People who do not think for themselves, do not speak for themselves.

I remember filling in at another Church and teaching a Sunday School class years ago and asking members of the class what they believed about a certain text, and the repeated reply was, “I just believe whatever the pastor believes.” This is what I call “secondhand religion.” To hear, “Polly wants a cracker,” sounds cute, but you can be sure it’s not an original thought with that bird!

Handed down tradition doesn’t mean its true, only that each generation has accepted it as such. Eternal truths never change, but these are few in comparison to man-made rules handed down to us, like the Jews of old, by well meaning but ill informed folk. Believe what you will about secondary issues, but Paul tells us to make sure we are “…fully persuaded in our own mind.” You’re not to adhere to what your guru tells you, but what God has shown you personally. It’s called the priesthood of all Believers.

It’s a good thing Apollos didn’t have this puppet philosophy (Acts 18:24-28). It is only those uncertain of themselves who want those around them to adopt their pattern of life so as to make them feel more secure in their set of beliefs and convictions.

A puppet cannot speak for itself but only says what another makes it appear to say for itself. Sadly many in our society are the same. They repeat what they hear or are told to tell without ever thinking for themselves. As the Bible says,“these things ought not so to be.”

So how about it? What do YOU say?

Do you know WHY you believe WHAT you believe?

The Positive and the Negative

2011-04-26T23:59:00.000-07:00

The Positive and the Negative

1 Timothy 6:11 “But thou, O man of God, FLEE these things (negative); and FOLLOW after righteousness (positive)…”

There is no such thing as a car battery with only a positive post. For a battery to work, there must be a positive and a negative side. This is also true in the spiritual realm. The Bible is repeatedly clear on the point that you cannot hold hands with God and the world at the same time.

Paul wrote, “Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils” (1 Cor. 10:21).
There is a separation from something (negative) and separation to something else (positive). The Jews under Nehemiah “separated themselves from the people of the lands unto the law of God” (Neh. 10:28).

Whenever you say “yes” to God (positive), you must also say “no” to the devil (negative). James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” It is useless to try and resist the devil without first submitting to God. The devil is too strong for mere mortals. Victory always begins with surrender to God. But, at the same time, we must also actively resist Satan. While we positively position ourselves on God’s side, we must also take a negative stand against the enemy. So again, the act of submission (positive) must be coupled with active resistance (negative).

Both elements must be part of any Churches teaching (2 Tim. 4:2). The preacher is to exhort (positive) and rebuke (negative). Any preacher that does not preach both sides is like a battery with no power.

A lady came to Dr. Tom Malone, long time Pastor in Pontiac, Michigan and author of many fine books, and said , “Dr. Malone, you need to be more positive in your preaching. You are so negative when you preach!” Dr. Malone responded saying, “No you’re mistaken, I AM POSITIVE in my preaching—I’m positive that sin is wrong!” He was right!

So remember, in order to have power, it positively takes both positive and negative!

www.fellowshipbaptistwilliamston.com

Losing Your Keys

2010-06-15T01:27:00.000-07:00

SEEKING GOD

“But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.” Deuteronomy 4:29

Car keys! I sometimes wonder if car keys have legs, and sneakily use their legs to get up and walk away. Have you ever searched for your car keys, and still could not find them?
You continued searching diligently, but for some reason you still had no keys in your hand. The worst part about this scenario is that you were likely already late for something important. In this case, you opened every drawer, shuffled through every pile of paper, and looked in every pocket just to find those keys. Why? Because you needed those keys to get you to a specific place.

When you seek God, do you feel the same way? Do you feel as if you are searching and searching, but you still don’t have what you are looking for? The worst part about this scenario is if you are in the midst of a trial. In this case you should seek, search, and study the Scriptures fervently, because you will need God to help you get through the trial.

God promises that if we seek Him, we will find Him, but under one condition.

We are to seek Him wholeheartedly.

God repeats this promise in Jeremiah 29:13 “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”

Sometimes we give our hearts to so many different desires, and we only save a small portion of it for God. If we give all of ourselves—our heart and soul—to the dream of success, to the aspiration of a promotion, to the comforts and cares of this world, then what is left for God?

Is God your whole heart’s desire? If you want to find Him, then your answer should be yes!

Losing keys is frustrating. Not being able to find God is far more frustrating. Thankfully, the Scriptures give hope. They show us the simple way to find God.

Seek Him with all of our heart and soul today, and remember to keep the SON in our eyes!

DOUBLE IDENTITY

2010-06-15T01:26:00.000-07:00

It has been said ;“A Rose by Any Other Name is Still a Rose.” During His earthly ministry Jesus did not change into another thing what His Father had made into one thing. He did not change a stone into bread when tempted to do so by the Devil. When Jesus changed the water into wine, it was still a liquid substance. When God changes a sinner into a saint, he remains a part of the human race. Interestingly though, I have found through the years that many try to deny this very fact.

Some refuse to accept that they were who they were , and are who they are at the same time.
We are indeed "new creatures in Christ”(2 Corinthians 5:17) but that doesn’t distance us from the definition of our identity. Paul put it this way, “I am what I am.”

When the Holy Spirit comes into one’s life, his or her principles are converted from ones of depravity to that of Deity. Your tastes and temperament stay the same, but are now governed by the Divine Nature.
When Jesus spoke of denying self, it was in reference to rights, not recognition.

If we want to live a happy, contented life, we must accept the reality of our duality. We are “born again” (John 3:3) but still retain our identity and humanity. With this in mind, we must stay in Gods Word, obey it as best we can, be filled with the Spirit, and take life a day at a time. It will work, if we will.

CLEARANCE

2010-06-15T01:24:00.000-07:00

In a major retail store I visited I came upon a section of shelves marked “Clearance.”

This is a special area of the store where they sell the items that had been scratched, dented or somehow damaged.

There is surely some process the store must go through to define and select items that are no longer “normal.” Likely there is a policy manual to guide them that specifies how big a dent may be, or how long a scratch can be, before it is labeled “less desirable” and relegated to the clearance area.

In case you haven’t noticed….. no one is normal! We are all unique, special, and we all carry the scars and dents of a life lived in the harsh environment of this world. We are all “damaged goods”.
Maybe our faults are physical, but they can also be emotional, intellectual or a result of our choices or habits. Whatever the cause of the problem, we all have them.

Thankfully God does not search through the shelves of our community and pull the damaged containers off the shelf, toss them into a basket and place them on a clearance isle somewhere in the back, dark corners of the world, or into life’s green dumpster.

In the gospel of Mark chapter 2 and verse 17 Jesus told us that He did not come for the “healthy”, He came for the sick. Jesus came for those that are beaten, bruised and broken. He came to those who are on their last nerve and are ready to give up, give out or give in.

If you feel you are normal and have everything “all figured out” then I apologize, this article is not for you. But, if you are among the other 99.9999% of us who are not abnormal, here this: God loves you!

God wants to lift you up, repair the damage that has occurred and place you, fully restored, into a place of safety and purpose.

You are always valuable to Him.

“SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE”

2010-06-15T01:23:00.000-07:00

We live in changing times. More than ever before, and right before our eyes.

FASHIONS change. Don’t believe it? Just look at some of the pictures of yourself years ago! Side burns to here, Bee hives to there, high collars, bell bottoms- you get the picture.
FAMILIES change. Kin folk marry and move, babies are born, death divides and every year the family circle is altered a little or alot.
FRIENDS change. Childhood friends we once swore to be “best friends forever’ with are grown and gone and we don’t even know where they live anymore.
FEATURES change. Not many of us still weigh what we weighed in high school, and the hair we have is either turning gray or turning loose!

We used to have three networks on a Black and White TV - now we have 750 channels on a HDTV – showing the same three programs!
Records were replaced with 8 tracks, then came cassettes, then CDs now IPODS! We are surrounded by POD people!!!

And as one little gem puts it :
“My great-grandfather rode a horse, but was afraid of the train.
My grandfather rode on a train, but was afraid of a car.
My father rode in a car, but was afraid of an airplane.
I ride in an airplane, but I’m afraid of a horse!"

However, I’m glad that in the midst of a changing world, some things ……never change!

1.) The WORD FROM God …..hasn’t changed!
Psa. 12:6-7 “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever”.

God’s Word is INSPIRED not EXPIRED! It’s ABSOLUTE and not OBSOLETE!

2.) The WORSHIP OF God…..hasn’t changed!
John 4:23-24 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

He hasn’t rescinded the requirement to reverence!

3.) The WAY TO God …..hasn’t changed!
Jesus said : John 14:6 “I am the way the truth and the life, no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Salvation is still ….."For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."—Eph. 2:8,9

Each of these unchanging truths WILL change us!

Think on this, and remember to keep the SON in your eyes!

Falling Down And Getting Up

2010-06-15T01:18:00.000-07:00

We live in days of economical difficulty, moral decay, marital disaster, and spiritual decline. As a result, a spirit of defeat has engulfed many.

During difficult days, a good verse to remember is Proverbs 24:16 — “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again…”
Notice it doesn’t say, “IF a just man falleth.” Sooner or later, we all stumble. Everyone falls down now and then. That doesn’t mean we quit!
I recently read about a lady who was afraid to try ice skating because of the fear of falling on the ice. An experienced skater wisely told her, "Oh, you have to fall down-that’s the only way you can learn." The same is true in life. A baby will never learn to walk without falling a few times. If we never fall, it’s because we never try. The requirement to fall down during our journey is one of life's ironies. We must fall down (and thus, feel pain) so that we can succeed. Show me someone who never falls and I’ll show you someone who spends their life sitting and not moving forward. We can’t sit on the sidelines of life and expect to win the game. The old locker-room adage is appropriate: "Winners never quit and Quitters never win.”
We have to pick ourselves up (by the help of God) dust off and get back going. The Apostle Peter learned this and so should we. He messed up majorly, and yet was used of God even greater AFTER his mistakes , because he repented and returned. You are never a real failure unless you quit trying.
The key to falling down is to (1) learn from your experience; and (2) get back up, smile, and try again. You've just moved one fall closer to getting it right!

I'm No Kin To The Monkey

2010-05-11T16:41:00.000-07:00

As one who was facinated by evolution/dinosaurs as a child, deep study brought me to the inescapable conclusion that evolution is a fairy tale for adults.

PARROTS AND PUPPETS

2010-04-19T06:56:00.001-07:00

John 18:34 “Jesus answered him, Sayest this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?” A good question, isn’t it? Especially for this parrot age in which we live in.
People who do not think for themselves, do not speak for themselves.

I remember filling in at another Church and teaching a Sunday School class years ago and asking members of the class what they believed about a certain text, and the repeated reply was, “I just believe whatever the pastor believes.” This is what I call “secondhand religion.” To hear, “Polly wants a cracker,” sounds cute, but you can be sure it’s not an original thought with that bird!

Handed down tradition doesn’t mean its true, only that each generation has accepted it as such. Eternal truths never change, but these are few in comparison to man-made rules handed down to us, like the Jews of old, by well meaning but ill informed folk. Believe what you will about secondary issues, but Paul tells us to make sure we are “…fully persuaded in our own mind.” You’re not to adhere to what your guru tells you, but what God has shown you personally. It’s called the priesthood of all Believers.

It’s a good thing Apollos didn’t have this puppet philosophy (Acts 18:24-28). It is only those uncertain of themselves who want those around them to adopt their pattern of life so as to make them feel more secure in their set of beliefs and convictions.

A puppet cannot speak for itself but only says what another makes it appear to say for itself. Sadly many in our society are the same. They repeat what they hear or are told to tell without ever thinking for themselves. As the Bible says,“these things ought not so to be.”

So how about it? What do YOU say? Do you know WHY you believe WHAT you believe?

Think on these thinks and keep the SON in your eyes!

Old Dogs

2010-04-19T06:53:00.000-07:00

Old Dogs and New Tricks
The old adage, “You can’t teach old dogs new tricks,” is just not true. It may seem improbable, but it’s not impossible. This applies to puppies and people. The difficulty lies not so much in learning the new, but unlearning the old. Provided, that is, that the old even needs to be forgotten to begin with.

As arduous as it is to train old “Rover” fresh techniques, it is even more difficult to teach NEW dogs OLD tricks.! Young “Spot” may have some cute little tricks up his paw; but the question is, will such actions and antics bring benefit to others, or are they potentially dangerous in the long run? This is especially true as it relates to the next generation.

More and more I am seeing in my own generation a total disregard for what gave them the freedoms they enjoy and often abuse. This is almost always done with a complaint that the older dogs are “out of date” and out of touch with reality. Really? Have we looked in our own kennel lately?

Pride can keep “Old Dogs” from learning the new; but stubbornness can keep “Pups” from learning the old.

It’s a dog eat dog world out there, and it gets pretty “ruff” at times…we need to stay in the “old paths” if we are going to make it.

(Jeremiah 6:16) “Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.”

As the “dog days of summer” approach, may we reflect on these things and remember to keep the SON in our eyes!

Pastor John M. Keeter 2 Cor 5:17
Fellowship Baptist Church
Williamston , NC
www.fellowshipbaptistwilliamston.com

LOVE Out Of PLACE

2010-02-08T16:56:00.000-08:00

Love is in the air! February is the month of love and romance and during it we are reminded what love is and what love does. However, as we read the Word and look at the world, we see that more often than not, love is misplaced.
Love, in its proper place, is the best thing in the world and a gift from God who IS Love (1 John 4:8 & 16). Yet like anything out of place, when it is misused or misapplied, only brokenness results.
We are warmed repeatedly about misplace love in the Bible, for example:

1. The LOVE OF SELF. 2Timothy 3:2 “For men shall be lovers of their own selves, (and as a result are) covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy”
2. The LOVE OF MONEY. 1Timothy 6:10 “For the love of money is the root of all evil: (not money itself, but the love of it) which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
3. The LOVE OF WORLD. 1John 2:15 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
5. The LOVE OF PLEASURE. 2Timothy 3:4 talks of those who are “Traitors, heady, highminded, (because they are) lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God”
5. The LOVE OF DARKNESS. John 3:19 “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”
We must be careful to place our love where it SHOULD be!

Matthew 22:37-39 “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”

Think on these things and keep the SON in your eyes!

PROTECTING OUR PURITY

2010-01-09T00:11:00.001-08:00

PROTECTING OUR PURITY

In Northern Europe and Asia lives a little animal called the Ermine, known for it’s snow-white fur in winter. The Ermine instinctively protects its white coat against anything that would soil it.

Fur hunters take advantage of this unusual trait. They don't set a snare to catch the Ermine, but instead they find its home, usually a cleft in a rock or a hollow in an old tree, then they smear the entrance and interior with mud.

Afterward, the hunters set their dogs loose to find and chase the Ermine. The frightened animal flees toward home, but will not enter in because of the filth. Rather than soil his white coat, he is trapped by the dogs and captured while preserving his purity.

For the Ermine, purity is more precious than life.

Would that we were more like Ermine. Would to God we would see purity so precious that we would do anything to keep ourselves “unspotted from the world” as the Bible says.

It isn’t easy. Nothing stays clean unless you work to keep it clean. The world hounds us with peer pressure, job expectations, and cultural bandwagons. Satan tries to trap us by bringing filth right into our own homes via television, internet, and ungodly music. We must work at preserving purity or we will lose it.

Being pure in heart and mind is not only healthy for us, but it will be worth it when we meet our pure and perfect Savior face to face. We want to be willing to say that His bride has kept herself unspotted and unblemished by sin, faithful to the Bridegroom.

“Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2 Corinthians 7:1)

Think on these things…and keep remember to keep the SON in your eyes!

FAITH

2010-01-09T00:10:00.001-08:00

How’s Your Faith ?
" . . .According to your faith be it unto you."--Matthew 9:29
The Bible speaks of a "measure of faith" and also of a "proportion of faith." These tremendous words were spoken by Jesus to two blind men. They were greatly rewarded by their faith because their eyes were opened.
Notice Jesus did NOT say, according to your "fate" or according to your "fortune"; nor did He say, according to your "fame," "friends" or "feelings," but "According to your faith . . ."

This seems to indicate that there are various degrees of faith. Let’s consider several verses that help us to understand this truth.

1. In the Bible, we read the statement, "How is it that ye have no faith?" (Mark 4:40). Jesus asked His disciples in the boat when they feared that they would perish. Sadly there are many defeated Christians living without power and victory who have no faith.
2. In Matthew 8:26 Jesus said, "O ye of little faith." This again is the account of the disciples in the ship. Some have a small sum of faith , but not enough to help them through tough times.
3. The Bible also speaks of WEAK FAITH. "Him that is weak in the faith receive ye . . ." (Rom. 14:1). Here the Apostle Paul is referring to an immature Christian who has not been made strong yet. He or she is spoken of as being one who is weak in the faith.
4. In the book of James we read of DEAD FAITH- "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead" (James 2:17). There is proof when there is faith. James admonished us to show faith by works.
5. The Bible speaks again of another kind of faith; VAIN FAITH.. " . . .and your faith is also vain" (I Cor. 15:14). The word "vain" means empty or of no avail. This means faith is wasted and useless if not based on what is real and worthy.
6. Jesus spoke to a Gentile woman and said she had GREAT FAITH. "I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel" (Luke 7:9). In several places Jesus spoke of those who had great faith. What a compliment!
7.The Bible says that Barnabas was FULL OF FAITH: "For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith" (Acts 11:24). He was a tremendous example and pattern for all believers. 8. The Bible tells us to have STEADFAST FAITH. " . . .beholding your order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ" (Col. 2:5). There is great peace and contentment in being settled in the promises of God.
9. James speaks also of being RICH IN FAITH: "Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith?" (James 2:5). Faith is more valuable than money.
10. Peter wrote, " . . .to them that have obtained like PRECIOUS FAITH. . ." (II Pet. 1:1), referring to salvation that makes us partakers of the grace of God. The word "precious" is used in relation to something that is scarce and very valuable.

11. Then the Bible speaks finally of " HOLY FAITH." " . . .building up yourselves on your most holy faith . . ." (Jude 20). What a wonderful way to refer to the faith “once delivered” (Jude 3)

In all of these Bible phrases, we see evidence of degrees of faith. The question then is…how’s YOUR faith?

Think on these things, and keep the SON in your eyes!

THE FORGETFULNESS OF GOD

2010-01-09T00:08:00.000-08:00

THE FORGETFULNESS OF GOD

Sin stalks and subdues souls with guilt and regret, shame and remorse rule and ruin millions by the hour causing conflict and confusion in the hearts of the Christian and the unconverted, as soul after soul suffers in silence.

But it doesn’t have to be this way!

We read and hear about the holiness, of God, the love of God and the mercy of God…but how about the forgetfulness of God? Thank God our sins, via the cross of Calvary, are FORGIVEN & FORGOTTEN FOREVER.

The prophet Jeremiah says in chapter 31 verse 34 “ …I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

God’s forgetfulness is not like ours…His is not a matter of inabilty but of infallibilty! The forgetfulness of God is not a matter of weakness but WONDERFULNESS!

Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, was reminded one day of a vicious deed that someone had done to her years before. But she acted as if she had never even heard of the incident. "Don’t you remember it?" her friend asked. "No," reply, "I distinctly remember forgetting it."

It’s not that God is unable or CAN NOT remember, but that He DOES not. He alone is able to chose what to remember or forget. No sins are omitted and no strings are attached. God’s forgiveness is not dependent on the worthineSs of the offender-but the wonderfulness of the offended! Instead of looking at our achievements––He looks to His own affection.

(1John 1:7) “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth (verb tense- “keeps cleansing”) us from ALL sin. Vs. 9 “ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

As the songwriter said; “My sin O the bliss of this glorious thought – My sin, not in part but the whole, Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, praise the Lord, Praise the Lord O my soul”

Think on these things, and keep the SON in your eyes!

How's Your Hearing?

2010-01-09T00:06:00.000-08:00

Hearing God Speak

Can you hear God speak? Yes, you can—if you know where to listen! Where you say? Well the Bible tells us a few places we can.

First of all, I. You Can Hear Him Speak In Creation.
Psalm 19:1 tells us “The heavens declare(Speak) the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork.”

We can clearly see and hear God in the works of His creation. It speaks of His glory, his power, and His love. Both verses were written by David, a man who spent much time outdoors in his work as a shepherd. He was in tune with nature, and being so he was in tune with God. Sitting underneath a starlit sky at night doing his work, it was quite clear to him that his surrounding were the handiwork of God. If we will take time to explore, and to experience his creation, it has his fingerprints all over it!

II. You Can Hear Him Speak In His Conversations.
2 Peter 1:21 “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
The Bible is a record of God's conversations with men in the past, and his words still speak to us today. It is just as relevant and real as when it was first given to men of old.
2 Tim 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”
The Bible is God revealing himself to us speaking with (not just to) mankind ! If God is not speaking to us, it is because we are not spending time in his word.

III. You Can Hear Him Speak Through Circumstances.
It would be a good and wise thing to ask God what he is trying to say to us when we experience pain, sickness, loss.
C.S. Lewis said “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world”

IV. You Can Hear Him Speak At Church.
God can speak to us in many places because God is everywhere , but the primary place in which he meets with his people, and speaks to them is in His house !
It is His ordained plan and place to communicate to His children.

Speaking of Pastors and Church leaders the Bible says in Hebrews 13:7 “Remember them which have the rule over you, who have SPOKEN unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.”

We can hear God speak through the teaching, the music, the prayers, the Spirit, the preaching and the invitation.

And last, but certainly not least,
V. You Can Hear Him Speak At The Cross.
If we had been at the cross on the day that Christ was crucified, we would have heard God speak. Though we weren’t, what He said is recorded in His word for us to read and listen to today..
From the cross Jesus spoke words of forgiveness even to the very ones who drove the nails into Him.
God spoke words of salvation to the whole world when Jesus uttered from the cross “It is finished!” and He still speaks to us today the same truths….are you listening?

Think on these things and keep the Son in your eyes!

Evidence that You are Filled

2010-01-09T00:05:00.000-08:00

Evidence that You are Filled with the Holy Spirit

Eph 5:18 “…. be filled with the Spirit” A young Italian boy knocked on the door of an artist's studio in Rome. When it was opened, he said, "Please Madam, would you give me the master's brush?" The famous painter had died, and the young boy, with a desire to be an artist, wished to paint with the master's brush.

The lady placed the brush in his hand, saying, "This is the brush, try it my boy!" The boy made a supreme effort, but soon found out that he could paint no better with this brush, than he could with his own. The lady then looked at the boy and said, "Remember child, you cannot paint like the great master, unless you have the master's spirit!"

God the Holy Spirit is not an INFLUENCE, or an IDEA, but an INDIVIDUAL! He is just as much God as God the Son and God the Father.

All Christians are INDWELT by the Spirit (Romans 8:9) “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” , but NOT all Christians are INFILLED with the spirit!

It is a matter of surrender and submission.

What is the evidence that you ARE filled with God’s Spirit? Following the command to be filled with the Spirit, we find a list of spiritual attributes that counteract fleshly, selfish living. By displaying these traits, saints show that the Spirit is in control of their lives. Here they are:

1. Verse 19 says we should be “Singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” Joyful, not mournful music, characterizes Christianity. When we are filled with and by the Spirit, the heart is filled with merry and melodious music.

2. Notice the next verse: (Eph. 5:20), “Giving thanks always unto God” a spirit filled Christian is not grumpy and griping. We should have an attitude of gratitude!

3. And again the next verse: (Eph. 5:21). “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God” The world is filled with rebellion against all authority. The flesh is anti- authority, but a Spirit-filled person will respect authority “in the fear of God.” The next two verses deal with husbands and wives submitting to each other in love.

We must be Spirit-filled Christians to live like this. We must walk by faith in constant dependence on the Spirit of God!

Think on these things, and keep the SON in your eyes!

Wisdom For the New Year

2010-01-09T00:04:00.000-08:00

Wisdom For the New Year

THE END IS NEAR!! As we come to the close of 2009 the millennium gains momentum and what was future fantasy is now familiar fact. On this, the last day of the year, let us reflect and remember our need of wisdom.

Widom is defined as “the right use of knowledge” The Bible says, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7). If you want a happy new year, “Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding” (Proverbs 3:13).

A word of caution, there is the wisdom of the world and then there is the wisdom of God. James 3:13-16 tells us that the wisdom of this world is full of hatred and hypocrisy.

Contrariwise, “But 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” (James 3:17).

God’s wisdom is guilt-free, rewarding and is God’s way of bringing us step by step through every phase of our life. God’s wisdom will help us in every age and stage of our life. This is the wisdom that we need and would do well to seek.

1. The wisdom of God is better than the MIND of man.

Read 1Corinthians 1:20- 30 and 2:4-5 God is the only one who can get us out of the social, economic and spiritual problems that plague us.

Gods wisdom is better than all the world’s philosophies and th eonly answer to lifes questions.

Christ is wisdom, (I Corinthians 1:30, Colossians 2:3) therefore: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom…”

2. The wisdom of God is better than the MIGHT of man.

The prophet said to the king, “…Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). Man’s wisdom without God is not only lousy, it’s lethal! The Bible says, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ” (Colossians 2:8). Man’s reasoning is “mental candy” that creates mental cavities.

The Bible teaches: “Wisdom is better than weapons of war…” (Ecclesiastes 9:18). “He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: He is a buckler to them that walk uprightly” (Proverbs 2:7).

3. The wisdom of God is MINE and YOURS for the asking.

Wisdom is a gift. “For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding” (Proverbs 2:6). The best example of this is given in the life of young Solomon. (II Chronicles 1:7-10 & I Kings 4: 29,30).

Have you listeend and learned from the lessons of life this past year? Do you not want the wisdom of God to guide you in the next with this knowledge in tow?

Then join me in claiming: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James 1:5). God bless you in the new year as you think on these things and keep the SON in your eyes!

2009-11-18T23:36:00.000-08:00

10 REASONS TO NOT ASK JESUS INTO YOUR HEART!
By Todd Friel
Todd Friel is the co-host of The Way of the Master radio.

The music weeps, the preacher pleads, “Give your heart to Jesus. You have a God shaped hole in your heart and only Jesus can fill it.” Dozens, hundreds or thousands of people who want to get their spiritual life on track make their way to the altar. They ask Jesus into their heart. Cut to three months later. Nobody has seen our new convert in church. The follow up committee calls him and encourages him to attend a Bible study, but to no avail. We label him a backslider and get ready for the next outreach event.

Our beloved child lies in her snuggly warm bed and says, “Yes, Daddy. I want to ask Jesus into my heart.” You lead her in “the prayer” and hope that it sticks. You spend the next ten years questioning if she really, really meant it. Puberty hits and the answer reveals itself. She backslides. We spend the next ten years praying that she will come to her senses.

Telling someone to ask Jesus into their hearts has a very typical result, backsliding.
The Bible says that a person who is soundly saved puts his hand to the plow and does not look back because he is fit for service. In other words, a true convert cannot backslide. If a person backslides, he never slid forward in the first place. “If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation.” (II Cor.5) No backsliding there.

Brace yourself for this one: with very few if any exceptions, anyone who asked Jesus into their hearts to be saved…is not. If you asked Jesus into your heart because you were told that is what you have to do to become a Christian, you were mis-informed.

If you have ever told someone to ask Jesus into their heart (like I have), you produced a false convert.
Here is why:

1. It is not in the Bible. There is not a single verse that even hints we should say a prayer inviting Jesus into our hearts.

Some use Rev. 3:20. To tell us that Jesus is standing at the door of our hearts begging to come in.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” There are two reasons that interpretation is wrong.

The context tells us that the door Jesus is knocking on is the door of the church, not the human heart. Jesus is not knocking to enter someone’s heart but to have fellowship with His church.
Even if the context didn’t tell us this, we would be forcing a meaning into the text (eisegesis). How do we know it is our heart he is knocking at? Why not our car door? How do we know he isn’t knocking on our foot? To suggest that he is knocking on the door of our heart is superimposing a meaning on the text that simply does not exist.

The Bible does not instruct us to ask Jesus into our heart. This alone should resolve the issue, nevertheless, here are nine more reasons.

2. Asking Jesus into your heart is a saying that makes no sense. What does it mean to ask Jesus into your heart? If I say the right incantation will He somehow enter my heart? Is it literal? Does He reside in the upper or lower ventricle? Is this a metaphysical experience? Is it figurative? If it is, what exactly does it mean? While I am certain that most adults cannot articulate its meaning, I am certain that no child can explain it. Pastor Dennis Rokser reminds
us that little children think literally and can easily be confused (or frightened) at the prospect of asking Jesus into their heart.

3. In order to be saved, a man must repent (Acts 2:38). Asking Jesus into your heart leaves out the requirement of repentance.

4. In order to be saved, a man must trust in Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31).
Asking Jesus into your heart leaves out the requirement of faith.

5. The person who wrongly believes they are saved will have a false sense of security. Millions of people who sincerely, but wrongly, asked Jesus into their hearts think they are saved but struggle to feel secure. They live in doubt and fear because they do not have the Holy Spirit giving them assurance of salvation.

6. The person who asks Jesus into his heart will likely end up inoculated, bitter and backslidden. Because he did not get saved by reciting a formulaic prayer, he will grow disillusioned with Jesus, the Bible, church and fellow believers. His latter end will be worse than the first.

7. It presents God as a beggar just hoping you will let Him into your busy life. This presentation of God robs Him of His sovereignty.

8. The cause of Christ is ridiculed. Visit an atheist web-site and read the pagans who scoff, “How dare those Christians tell us how to live when they get divorced more than we do? Who are they to say homosexuals shouldn’t adopt kids when tens of thousands of orphans don’t get adopted by Christians?” Born again believers adopt kids and don’t get divorced.

People who ask Jesus into their hearts do. Jesus gets mocked when false converts give Him a bad name.

9. The cause of evangelism is hindered. While it is certainly easier to get church members by telling them to ask Jesus into their hearts, try pleading with someone to make today the day of their salvation. Get ready for a painful response. “Why should I become a Christian when I have seen so called Christians act worse than a pagan?” People who ask Jesus into their hearts give pagans an excuse for not repenting.

10. Here is the scary one. People who ask Jesus into their hearts are not saved and they will perish on the Day of Judgment. How tragic that millions of people think they are right with God when they are not. How many people who will cry out, “Lord, Lord” on judgment day will be “Christians” who asked Jesus into their hearts?

So, what must one do to be saved? Repent and trust. (Heb.6:1) The Bible makes it clear that all men must repent and place their trust in Jesus Christ. Every man does have a “God shaped hole in their hearts,” but that hole is not contentment, fulfillment and peace. Every man’s heart problem is righteousness. Instead of preaching that Jesus fulfills, we must preach that God judges and Jesus satisfies God’s judgment…if a man will repent and place his trust in Him.

If you are reading this and you asked Jesus into your heart, chances are good you had a spiritual buzz for a while, but now you struggle to read your Bible, tithe, attend church and pray. Perhaps you were told you would have contentment, purpose and a better life if you just ask Jesus into your heart. I am sorry, that was a lie.

If you have been preaching that people should ask Jesus into their hearts, I beg you to stop immediately. You will give an account for all the souls you have led astray.

*NOTE by JMK
Scripture does mention that “Christ… dwell in our hearts by faith.” (Ephesians 3:17), but asking him in is not how he gets there.

2009-11-17T10:11:00.000-08:00

Hearing God Speak
Can you hear God speak? Yes, you can—if you know where to listen! Where you say? Well the Bible tells us a few places we can.

First of all,
I. You Can Hear Him Speak In Creation.
Psalm 19:1 tells us “The heavens declare(Speak) the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork.”

We can clearly see and hear God in the works of His creation. It speaks of His glory, his power, and His love. Both verses were written by David, a man who spent much time outdoors in his work as a shepherd. He was in tune with nature, and being so he was in tune with God. Sitting underneath a starlit sky at night doing his work, it was quite clear to him that his surrounding were the handiwork of God. If we will take time to explore, and to experience his creation, it has his fingerprints all over it!

II. You Can Hear Him Speak In His Conversations.
2 Peter 1:21 “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
The Bible is a record of God's conversations with men in the past, and his words still speak to us today. It is just as relevant and real as when it was first given to men of old.
2 Tim 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”
The Bible is God revealing himself to us speaking with (not just to) mankind ! If God is not speaking to us, it is because we are not spending time in his word.

III. You Can Hear Him Speak Through Circumstances.
It would be a good and wise thing to ask God what he is trying to say to us when we experience pain, sickness, loss.
C.S. Lewis said “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world”

IV. You Can Hear Him Speak At Church.
God can speak to us in many places because God is everywhere , but the primary place in which he meets with his people, and speaks to them is in His house !
It is His ordained plan and place to communicate to His children.

Speaking of Pastors and Church leaders the Bible says in Hebrews 13:7 “Remember them which have the rule over you, who have SPOKEN unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.”
We can hear God speak through the teaching, the music, the prayers, the Spirit, the preaching and the invitation.

And last, but certainly not least,
V. You Can Hear Him Speak At The Cross.
If we had been at the cross on the day that Christ was crucified, we would have heard God speak. Though we weren’t, what He said is recorded in His word for us to read and listen to today..
From the cross Jesus spoke words of forgiveness even to the very ones who drove the nails into Him.
God spoke words of salvation to the whole world when Jesus uttered from the cross “It is finished!” and He still speaks to us today the same truths….are you listening?

Think on these things and keep the Son in your eyes!

Evidence that You are Filled

2009-11-17T10:08:00.000-08:00

Evidence that You are Filled with the Holy Spirit

Eph 5:18 “…. be filled with the Spirit” A young Italian boy knocked on the door of an artist's studio in Rome. When it was opened, he said, "Please Madam, would you give me the master's brush?" The famous painter had died, and the young boy, with a desire to be an artist, wished to paint with the master's brush.

The lady placed the brush in his hand, saying, "This is the brush, try it my boy!" The boy made a supreme effort, but soon found out that he could paint no better with this brush, than he could with his own. The lady then looked at the boy and said, "Remember child, you cannot paint like the great master, unless you have the master's spirit!"

God the Holy Spirit is not an INFLUENCE, or an IDEA, but an INDIVIDUAL! He is just as much God as God the Son and God the Father.

All Christians are INDWELT by the Spirit (Romans 8:9) “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” , but NOT all Christians are INFILLED with the spirit!

It is a matter of surrender and submission.

What is the evidence that you ARE filled with God’s Spirit? Following the command to be filled with the Spirit, we find a list of spiritual attributes that counteract fleshly, selfish living. By displaying these traits, saints show that the Spirit is in control of their lives. Here they are:

1. Verse 19 says we should be “Singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” Joyful, not mournful music, characterizes Christianity. When we are filled with and by the Spirit, the heart is filled with merry and melodious music.

2. Notice the next verse: (Eph. 5:20), “Giving thanks always unto God” a spirit filled Christian is not grumpy and griping. We should have an attitude of gratitude!

3. And again the next verse: (Eph. 5:21). “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God” The world is filled with rebellion against all authority. The flesh is anti- authority, but a Spirit-filled person will respect authority “in the fear of God.” The next two verses deal with husbands and wives submitting to each other in love.

We must be Spirit-filled Christians to live like this. We must walk by faith in constant dependence on the Spirit of God!

Think on these things, and keep the SON in your eyes!

New Beginnings

2009-02-24T19:03:00.000-08:00

A FRESH START

The story is told of a man who while reading his morning newspaper was shocked to find his own name listed in the obituary column. He called up the newspaper and was outraged that they had made such a mistake.

The newspaper's explanation did not satisfy the man, so he stormed down to their office and demanded to see the editor. After some time argument, the editor grew frustrated and said, " Cheer up! We’ll put your name in the birth column tomorrow and you can have a fresh start."
You may laugh at a story like that, but wouldn't it be wonderful to just start over again?

Well, I’ve got good news…you CAN have a fresh start!

Yesterday is in the TOMB of time, tomorrow is in the WOMB of time -but NOW is ours.

The past is history, the future is a mystery, but God has given us the present—which is a gift—that’s why it’s called the present.

Penniless or prosperous, paper man or president, whether you wear a Rolex or Timex, we have exactly the same sequence of seconds, the same amount of minutes -and it is a precious commodity.

The month of January is named for Janus the Roman mythological god of the gates, doors, and doorways who is pictured with two faces looking in opposite directions—forward and backward, used to symbolize change and transitions such as the progression of past to future.

Fittingly, January closes the door on the old year and is the door to the New Year.

2009 is still a blank slate. There are opportunities (and obstacles) ahead of us. We decide which course we are going to take.

The new year is a good time for a FRESH START. Aim higher, reach further, dream bigger, and believe stronger. Start living life in the presence of death. Allow it to temper your soul and purify your priorities. Set your affairs in order and make your life count.

Heb 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment, so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”

Ephesians 5:15 -16 “ See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil..”

How then shall we live?

Think on these things this year, and keep the SON in your eyes!

TIME MACHINE?

2009-02-24T18:53:00.000-08:00

“HOW TO CHANGE THE PAST”

Ecclesiastes 3:15 “That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.”

What if there was such thing as a TIME MACHINE?

Putting aside Hollywood's version of time travel for a moment, park the Delorean, & get out of the phone booth, I believe in Time travel! Time travel is real- in fact, we’re all traveling through time right now!

Someone once said "Time is Gods way of keeping everything from happening all at once." We’ve all wished we could re-wind and re-move, but we can’t turn back the hands of time. What’s done is done, and mistakes cannot be unmade.

However , though we can’t change today’s past---we can change tomorrow’s! The past yet created, can still be changed! You can’t change today’s past- but you can change tomorrows past!

If you want to change the past before it begins, follow these three simple steps:

I. MAXIMIZE THE POTENTIAL OF THE PRESENT

The Bible says “Redeem the time” -spend it wisely. As we age we begin to comprehend the brevity of time , and wish we hadn’t wasted so much of it.

Ecclesiaste 12:1 tells us “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh”

Don’t wait or procrastinate. Investigate, appropriate, and then accelerate! Change tomorrow ……today!

II.NEUTRALIZE THE PROBLEMS OF THE PREVIOUS

Sometimes the pasT can be a PEST! the past can be a poison, a prison-and put people in bondage to before!

Don’t linger in the past, don’t languish over the past. Don’t live in the past, t learn from it!

Change yesterdays past into a teacher instead of a torturer, and tomorrows past into a blessing instead of a burden!!!

Lastly,
III. ENERGIZE A PLAN FULL OF PROMISE

The greatest truth won’t work—if we wont work! We need kinetic Christianity, active and aggressive.

Instead of feaing the future, we should face it with fervor and do today what we’ll be glad we did tomorrow!

The Apostle Paul said in Phil 3:13-14 "… Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before…I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus".

You can CHANGE the PAST before it begins!

…think on these things, and remember to keep the SON in your eyes!

COINCIDENCE?

2009-02-24T16:09:00.000-08:00

JUST A COINCIDENCE?

A Coincidence is “the noteworthy alignment of two or more events or circumstances without obvious causal connection.” The word is derived from the Latin co- ("in", "with", "together") and incidere ("to fall on"). Many things in life are strange and interesting coincidences.

Just take the coincidence of the similarities between Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. The names Lincoln and Kennedy each contain seven letters. Both were particularly concerned with civil rights. Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846. John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946. Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860. John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960. Both wives lost their children while living in the White House. Both Presidents were shot on a Friday. Both were shot in the head. Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy. Kennedy's secretary was named Lincoln. Both were assassinated by Southerners. Both were succeeded by Southerners. Both successors were named Johnson. Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808. Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908. John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln was born in 1839. Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy was born in 1939. Both assassins were known by their three names. Both names comprise fifteen letters. Booth ran from a theater and was caught in a warehouse. Oswald ran from a warehouse and was caught in a theater. Both were assassinated before their trials. And that’s only a partial list!

Yes, there are some strange coincidences in life. But divine providence is altogether different. God may provide for a need or a meeting in a way that seems mysterious to us, and is sometimes contributed to “coincidence” but it is all in His plan.

Take for instance the story of “The Church of Providence.” In 1874 in Swana Quarter, NC a group of people wanted a certain piece of ground on which to build a church. But no matter how hard they negotiated, the owner would not sell. Finally they had to settle for another piece of ground where they built their church. Two years later, there was a great storm and the area flooded. As the raging waters neared the church, they lifted the building off it's foundation and it literally began to float away. After the storm was over the people of the area were amazed that on this day, Sept. 16, 1876, God had providentially done what man was unable to do. He moved the church across town and sat the church square on the piece of property the church members had originally bargained for!

The owner of the land could not deny the hand of God in the matter and gave the people the piece of property they so badly wanted. The church was renamed "The Church of Providence," and can be still be seen by those who visit the town.

The next time you think an act is just a coincidence, maybe you should ask yourself, “Is God at work here?” Is COINCIDENCE…or PROVIDENCE? (Jeremiah 29:11)

Think on these things…..and remember, to keep the SON in your eyes!

Revival

2009-02-24T16:08:00.000-08:00

Fellowship Baptist Church is having
REVIVAL
Sunday March 1st through Wednesday March 4th
with
Evangelist Andy Williams
from Santa Claus , Georgia

Sunday Services are at 11 AM and 6 PM, Monday through Tuesday at 7:30 PM

Nursery is provided and everyone is invited.
For more information call Pastor John M. Keeter at (252)-792-7395
or visit the Church website www.fellowshipbaptistwilliamston.com

2008-12-22T19:38:00.000-08:00

“Check The Facts!”

A group of women from a local Church wanted to get together on a regular basis, and socialize.

It was one ladies turn to be host. She wanted to outdo all the others.

She decided to have mushroom-smothered steak. However, knowing that mushrooms are expensive, she changed her mind. Then her husband said, “Why don't you go down in the pasture and pick some of those mushrooms?” She said, “No, some wild mushrooms are poison.”

He said, “Well, I see animals eating them and they're OK.” So she decided to give it a try. She picked the mushrooms -- washed, sliced, and diced them for her smothered steak.

Then she went out on the back porch and gave Ol' Spot (the yard dog) a double handful just in case. Ol' Spot ate every bite.

All morning long, she watched Ol' Spot and the wild mushrooms didn't seem to affect him, so she decided to use them.

That afternoon husband and Ol’ Spot, not wanting to be the only two males around, decided to go for a walk.

The meal was a great success. After everyone had finished eating, they relaxed, socialized, and sat around and talked.

About that time, her husband called from his cell phone and said, “I hate to tell you this, but ........Ol' Spot just died.'

At this news, she went into hysterics. She hung up, called the doctor and told him what had happened. The doctor said, “ I think we can take care of it. I‘ll call an ambulance and be there as quick as possible to pump out every ones stomach. “

Soon they could hear the siren as the ambulance was coming down the road. The EMTs and the doctor had their suitcases, syringes and a stomach pump.

One by one, they took each person and pumped out their stomach.

After it was all over, they sat around moaning and groaning.

About this time, the hosts husband walked in and said, “You know, I've been thinking...that fellow that ran over Ol' Spot never even stopped.”

Always check the facts!

How often we run ahead without all the information we need and regret it later. We do this also with Bibles truths.

The Bible says 2 Tim 2:15 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

We are not to just “Take somebody’s word for it” but we are to check and see for sure what the scriptures say for themselves!

We should be as the Bereans of old. They were a group of believers who the Apostle Luke said they “…searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Acts 17:11

Do you know what you believe and why you believe it? If not…then you need to open your Bible and….check the facts!

Think on this, and remember to keep the SON in your eyes!

2008-12-22T19:36:00.000-08:00

THANK GOD I’M NOT A TURKEY

When asked to write a school composition entitled, "What I'm most thankful for on Thanksgiving," a student wrote, "I am most thankful that I'm not a turkey!"

I agree! In my opinion, only a turkey WOULDN'T like Thanksgiving!

Sadly for some, Thanksgiving has become Football, Family, & Food – not gratitude to God. Some folks even go so far as to refer to the holiday itself as “TURKEY DAY.” :-(

However today is much more than a holiday celebration, it is a heart condition!

LiteralLy and figuratively I thank God I’m not a turkey!

But I do want to talk turkey in this article.

By definition A turkey is one of a quite few things….
1.) A fowl a particular North American Bird.

Christopher Columbus thought what he discovered was connected to India, and believed the bird he discovered (the turkey) was a type of peacock. He therefore called it 'tuka,' which is 'peacock' in Indian.

It has become the staple of Thanksgiving dinner and I personally look forward to Gooble Gooble-ing some this afternoon!

Also, Turkey is …..
2.) A far away land a country in Western Africa with a rich history.

Another definition of Turkey is theatre jargon for …..

3.) A failure or a flop, of a theatrical production .

Back in the 1800,s during the Thanksgiving holiday season , many third rate production plays were released quickly, put together hastily, to make a quick profit and closed after the first weekend because they were inferior and unsuccessful.

And yet another definition of Turkey is …..

4.) A fINE TRIO of strikes in bowling. Three consecutive strikes are called a “turkey”.

Why? Because during the Great Depression, at Thanksgiving the bowling proprietors would present a live turkey to people who scored three strikes in a row. Since “thirty” sounds like Turkey the term has carried over ever since.

But of course I am referring to what has interestingly become the most common use to the word outside of the bird itself, and that is…..
5.) A foolish person used in a derogatory sense to describe someone who is lacking in either intelligence and/or in character.

Specifically in relation to a lack of appreciation, the biggest turkeys in America today sit AT the table instead of ON it!

Don’t be a turkey today. Give God gratitude for all He gives us….. family, freedom, food and most of all, the forgiveness God grants through the cross.

Today, THANK on these things….and keep the SON in your eyes!!!!

KJV Pastor John M. Keeter
1611 FELLOWSHIP BAPTIST CHURCH Williamston, NC
____ http://fellowshipbaptistwilliamston.com/

2008-12-22T19:34:00.002-08:00

The Value of A Soul

If I were to ask you what your most precious possession is- I wonder what you would answer? Family? Finances? Physical health? Some trivial treasure?

Jesus says your soul is worth more than this whole wide world and everything in it. He asked a rhetorical question in Mark 8:36 “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”

All the wealth in the world all put together- are not worth one single solitary soul!

But what is the soul?

Ancient Greeks sometimes referred to the soul as psyche (as in modern English psychology). Aristotle's works in Latin used the word anima (as in animated), which also means "breath".
Likewise, the Biblical Hebrew word for 'soul' is nefesh, meaning life, or vital breath.

The Bible says Genesis 2:6 "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the earth. And breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living SOUL."

The crowning work of Creation was not an accident of evolution-God wasn’t monkey around when he made man! What set us apart is our God given soul. It is who we are.

You can’t find it with a cat scan or measure it with an MRI, you cant reach it with a needle or a knife....but it is just as real as other invisible things such as thoughts and TV waves…and much more important .

Jesus says if you could have every thing you could get your hands on, unlimited riches and resources, at the expense of your self- you soul-it wouldn’t be worth it. Earthly things will rust and rot away….while the soul remains.

1 John 2:16-17 tells us “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

Charlemagne the Great was the wealthy, mighty emperor of France. The story is told that when archaeologists entered his tomb they saw treasures that had been buried with him, but found Charlemagne placed sitting on a throne, a crown placed on his head.
When he was discovered, the crown had slipped down around his skull and in his lap was a Bible. It was opened and a bony finger was pointed to Mark 8:36.

Charlemagne knew what we need to know. Even if you gain the whole world, as he almost did, you can’t keep it.

Jesus also said in Mathew 10:39 "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."

Martyred Missionary Jim Elliott said "He is no fool who is willing to give up what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose."

From the lips of our Lord this question is being asked of you! Don’t be a loser. Don’t sell out your soul for anything. It isn’t worth it, and if I were you- I wouldn’t miss heaven for the world!!!

Think on this, and keep the SON in your eyes!!!

KJV Pastor John M. Keeter

1611 FELLOWSHIP BAPTIST CHURCH Williamston, NC
____ http://fellowshipbaptistwilliamston.com/
2 Cor 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a NEW CREATURE: old things are past away; behold, all things are become new.” =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

2008-12-22T19:34:00.001-08:00

Don’t Lose Heart!

Did you enjoy the 2008 Olympics? We watched a multitude of amazing athletic achievements accomplished before an audience of millions and were reminded of biblical truths.
The metaphor of a marathon is used to inspire and instruct us in Hebrews 12:1 “Wherefore 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”
Incidentaly, this particular passage inspired the name of this column “The Winning Side” as well as the the closing phrase always used concerning our focus on the Jesus.
Competitors are encouraged by their coaches and the crowds to perservere and not lose heart—even when it appears they are behind. During one of the Olympic races in Bejiing the 2nd and 3rd place runners were disqualifed for accidenally leaving their lanes , and the 4th and fifth place runners won the medals.
What if they hd looked and saw the others leading and slacked off?
There is a verse in the Bible that speaks on this : Proverbs 13:12 “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.”
When we choose to believe we can succeed, instead of chosing to believe we may fail, our heart becomes sick. When a person is sick, they don’t perform up to the level they know they can. In our jobs, schooling and the work of the Lord, we must not lose heart! Half the battle is either won or lost over this issue.
How do we maintain heart?
The Bible says, “Keep (or blockade) thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” Proverbs 4:23.
We must give God one hundred percent of all we are. It is full dedication that God blesses.
In this area there can be no compromise: “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with ALL thy HEART, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength:” Mark 12:30. We must not give up!
Along the way, sometimes we find our heart faltering, or failing. I am reminded of what the song writer said;
“Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it; prone to leave the God I love. Here’s my heart, oh take and seal it! Seal it for thy courts above.” Although written hundreds of years ago, the sentiment is still the same.
What do we do? The Bible tells us in our text:
Hebrews 12:2-3 “ Looking 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.
For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be WEARIED and FAINT in your minds.”

Believer, keep your eye on the prize, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and never lose heart. If you are a Christian, He is waiting for you at life’s finish line!
Think on this, and keep the SON in your eyes!!!

Coming 2 Town

2008-12-22T19:29:00.000-08:00

“JESUS CHRIST HAS ALREADY COME TO TOWN!”

Every persons existence can basically be summarized with three words: birth, life, and death.

When we think of the birth, life, and death of the Lord Jesus Christ, three cities instantly come to mind: Bethlehem - where He was born, Nazareth - where He lived, and Jerusalem where He died.
Each city conjures up a different picture. When we think of Jerusalem, we think of the cross. When we think of Nazareth, we think of the carpenter. And when we think of Bethlehem, we think of the cradle.

It is that city which is the focus of today’s thought.
Instead of singing "Santa Christ Is Coming To Town" we must remember that Jesus Christ has ALREADY come to town!

When you think of BethleHEM you can’t help but think of HIM!

Christmas is not about Jingle Bells but Jesus! It isn’t about Rudolph but Redemption! It isn’t about Frosty but Forgiveness! It’s not the Grinch of who-ville it’s the God of whoseover-will! !!

Many great cities existed then, Antioch, Athens, and Alexandria among others, yet little bitty Bethlehem is remembered and revered like none else because one silent night, Jesus came to town! The greatest Christmas gift ever given was wrapped , not in pretty paper, but in swaddling clothes, and Mary brought forth her bundle of joy to the world.

This Obscure, Overlooked, Out of the way backwoods boondocks so seemingly insignificant and isolated ended up a very important piece of the prophetical puzzle. Seven and one half centuries earlier it was prophesied;
Micah 5:2 says……. “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.”

Bethlehem is yet another reminder that indeed BIG things come in SMALL packages!

The name itself “Bethlehem” means “House of Bread”, and what better place for the Bread of Life to come from than there? (John 6:35)

As we think about "the little town of Bethlehem" this season, may its prophecy instruct us, its history inform us, and its mystery inspire us to give Jesus our lives, our loyalty, and our love all year long.

As the Philip Brooks hymn “O Little Town Of Bethlehem” says;
“O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in us today.”

Think on these things, and keep the SON in your eyes!

KJV Pastor John M. Keeter

1611 FELLOWSHIP BAPTIST CHURCH Williamston, NC

____ http://fellowshipbaptistwilliamston.com/
2 Cor 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a NEW CREATURE: old things are past away; behold, all things are become new.” =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Yard Dogs & Mushrooms

2008-08-06T02:39:00.000-07:00

The Baptist Dinner

A group of country friends from the Cottonwood Baptist Church wanted to get together on a regular basis, socialize, and play games.

The lady of the house was to prepare the meal.

When it came time for Al and Janet to be the hosts - Janet wanted to outdo all the others.

So Janet decided to have mushroom-smothered steak. However, knowing that mushrooms are so expensive, she told her husband, 'No mushrooms -- they cost too much.'

He said, 'Why don't you go down in the pasture and pick some of those mushrooms? There are plenty in the creek bed.'

She said, 'No, some wild mushrooms are poison.'

He said, 'Well, I see varmints eating them and they're OK.' So Janet decided to give it a try.

She picked a bunch -- washed, sliced, and diced them for her smothered steak.

Then she went out on the back porch and gave Ol' Spot (the yard dog) a double handful. Ol' Spot ate every bite.

All morning long, Janet watched Ol' Spot and the wild mushrooms didn't seem to affect him, so she decided to use them. The meal was a great success and Janet even hired a lady from town to help her serve it. She had on a white apron and a fancy little cap on her head.

After everyone had finished eating, they relaxed, socialized, and started singing playing some music.

About then, the helper lady from town came in and whispered in Janet's ear. She said, 'Mrs. Williams, ........Ol' Spot just died.'

Janet went into hysterics. After she finally calmed down, she called the doctor and told him what had happened. The doctor said, 'That's bad, but I think we can take care of it. I will call for an ambulance and I will be there as quick as possible. I'll give everyone enemas and I will pump out every ones stomach. Everything will be fine.

'Just keep them calm..'

Soon they could hear the siren as the ambulance was coming down the road. The EMTs and the doctor had their suitcases,syringes and a stomach pump.

One by one, they took each person into the bathroom, gave them an enema, and pumped out their stomach.
After the last one was finished, the doctor came out and said, Everything will be fine now, and he left.'

They were all looking pretty weak sitting around the living room and about this time, the helper lady came in and said,

'You know, I've been thinking...that fellow that ran over Ol' Spot never even stopped.'

:-)

Pastor John M. Keeter

FELLOWSHIP BAPTIST CHURCH Williamston, NC

http://fellowshipbaptistwilliamston.com/
2 Cor 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a NEW CREATURE: old things are past away; behold, all things are become new.” =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

__,_._,___

SIN...by any other name.

2008-07-08T22:56:00.000-07:00

THE DECEITFULNESS OF SIN
Heb 3:7-13

The word sin sounds as sinister as it is. What Leprosy, or Cancer is to the body, SIN is to the soul.
It is SIN that robs the baby of tender affection, SIN that turns marriage into misery, SIN that causes War and riots. SIN that nailed Jesus Christ to the cross.

People no longer fear sin. It is sensationalized and trivialized, promoted as proper and paraded in public. There seems to be no shame today by those who participate in sin. Jeremiah 6:15 says the people forgot how to blush.
We, like they, have become complacent and comfortable in carnality.

Since Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44), one would think that he is the most deceitful on all the earth.
However the Bible says...."The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" Jeremiah 17:9
What is more deceitful than Satan? According to scripture, your heart is!!!

Sin comes from within!
Our sin separates us from God: "But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear" (Is. 59:2).

We are so easily doped, we think sin is not that serious.

We even attempt to re-define it by our dictates.

What is sin?

1 John 3:4 "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. "

James 4:17, "Therefore, to him who knoweth to do good and doeth it not to him it is sin."

Rom 14:23 " whatever is not of faith is sin."

SIN is........

I. DECEITFUL IN ITS PROMISES

Sin is a LIAR!!! Sin never has, never will, and by the way never can kept the promises it makes!

Sin FACINATES then ASSAINATES!!! Sin flatters,, And it scatters. Sin mutilates, And it alienates. Sin dulls, And it annuls. Sin seizes, And it squeezes. Sin chases, And it disgraces.

A. ITS PROMISES ARE MANY

The Devil know what Lure to use- the same bait wont catch different fish.

You dont catch a Catfish with what you use to hook a Tuna. Same is so for souls.

B. ITS PROMISES ARE DEADLY

" But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." (Jas. 1:14-15).

Galatians 6:7-8 "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting."

See how sin has caused such suffering and sorrow!!
Go to the hospital the mental wards the divorce courts and behind bars- ask them! Ask them!

"Hardness" is translated from skleruno, from which name for the disease multiple sclerosis is derived.

II. DECEITFUL IN ITS PRESENTATION

A. IT PRESENTS ITSELF AS SAFE

SIN IS NEVER SAFE. It is always dangerous, destructive, damning and always brings with it disastrous consequences.

It brings DEFEAT, DISGRAE and DESTRUCTION! !!

* You can call Garlic Chanel no 5 but it still stinks! *

III. DECEITFUL IN ITS PRESCRIPTION

Sin offers the cure to itself! I'm not gonna let the Devil tell me how to be delivered by Him!!!

A. Sin Says REMAIN

If you can stop anytime you want, then stop before you get started!!!

B. Sin Says REPLACE

C. Sin Says REFORM

Education is the answer! Environment is the key! Look what sin has done to each!!!

Back on December 20, 1995, an American Airlines jet crashed into a mountainside in Colombia, killing 159 passengers. Months later, airline officials determined that the cause of the crash was an error by the flight captain. As the flight approached the airport from the north, the control tower radioed to the flight captain that he was to fly a straight path over the ?Rozo? navigational radio beacon near the airport. The captain punched the letter ?R? into the on-board computer, which he assumed was the autopilot to fly the plane toward the beacon. Unfortunately, there was another radio beacon with a code name that began with the letter ?R,? the ?Romeo? beacon, 132 miles to the left. The autopilot sent the plane on to the wrong beacon ? with disastrous results.
Accuracy and details are essential not only in navigation but also in religion. Punching in the letter ?R? for any old religion will not do. That will only send you to destruction. The ?R? that we need is not ?religion;? it is ?relationship, ? a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

D. Sin Say REFUSE

TODAY if you will ?hear His voice!!?

CONCLUSION:

There IS a BALM in GILEAD!!!

What About Christianity?

2007-07-25T12:24:00.000-07:00

On February 24, 2005, a nine-year-old girl was reported missing from her home in Homosassa, Florida. Three weeks later, police discovered
that she had been kidnapped, brutally raped, and then buried alive. Little Jessica Lunsford was found tied up, in a kneeling position, clutching a stuffed toy.

HOW DO YOU REACT?

(more on that later) Read on……..

THE CHOICE

Imagine I offered you a choice of four gifts:

● The original Mona Lisa
● The keys to a brand new Lamborghini
● A million dollars in cash
● A parachute

You can pick only one. Which would you
choose?

Before you decide, here’s some information that will help you to make the wisest
choice: You have to jump 10,000 feet out of an airplane.

Does that help you to connect the dots? It should, because you need the parachute. It’s the only one of the four gifts that will help with your dilemma. The others may have some value, but they are useless when it comes to
facing the law of gravity in a 10,000-foot fall.
The knowledge that you will have to jump should produce a healthy fear in you—and that kind of fear is good because it can save your life. Remember that.

Now think of the four major religions:
● Hinduism
● Buddhism
● Islam
● Christianity

Which one should you choose?

Before you decide, here’s some information that will help you determine which one is the wisest choice: All of humanity stands on the edge of eternity. We are all going to die. We will all have to pass through the door of death. It could happen to us in twenty years, or in six months, . . . or today. For most of humanity,
death is a huge and terrifying plummet into the unknown. So what should we do?

Do you remember how it was your knowledge of the jump that produced that healthy fear, and that fear helped you to make the right choice? You know what the law of gravity can do to you. In the same way, we are going to look at another law, and hopefully your knowledge of what it can do to you will help you
make the right choice, about life’s greatest issue.

So, stay with me—and remember to let fear work for you.

THE LEAP

After we die we have to face what is called “the law of sin and death.”
We know that Law as
“The Ten Commandments.”

So let’s look at that Law and see how you will do when you face it on Judgment Day.

Have you loved God above all else? Is He first in your life? He should be. He’s given you your life and everything that is dear to you. Do you love Him with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength? That’s the requirement of the First Commandment.

Or have you broken the Second Commandment by making a god in your mind that you’re comfortable with—where you say, “My God isn’t a God of wrath,
he’s a God of love and mercy”?
That god does not exist; he’s a figment of the imagination.
To create a god in your mind (your own image of
God) is something the Bible calls “idolatry.”
Idolaters will not enter Heaven.

Have you ever used God’s name in vain, as a cuss word to express disgust? That’s called “blasphemy,” and it’s very serious in God’s sight.
This is breaking the Third Commandment, and the Bible says God will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

Have you always honored your parents implicitly, and kept the Sabbath holy? If not, you have broken the Fourth and Fifth Commandments.

Have you ever hated someone?
The Bible says, “Whosoever hates his brother is
a murderer.”
The Seventh is “You shall not commit adultery,”
but Jesus said, “Whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart”

(the Seventh Commandment includes sex before marriage).

Have you ever looked with lust or had sex outside of marriage? If you have, you’ve violated that Commandment.

Have you ever lied? Ever stolen anything,regardless of value? If you have, then you’re a
lying thief. The Bible tells us, “Lying lips are abomination to the Lord,” because He is a God of truth and holiness. Have you coveted (jealously desired) other people’s things? This is a violation of the Tenth Commandment.
See Revelation 21:8; 1 Corinthians 6:9,10.

LITTLE JESSICA

So that is God’s moral Law that we each will face. We will be without excuse when we stand before God because He gave us our conscience to know right from wrong.

Each time we lie, steal, commit adultery, murder, and so on, we
know that it’s wrong. So here is the crucial question. On Judgment Day, when God judges you, will you be found innocent or guilty of breaking this Law?

Think before you answer.

Will you go to Heaven or Hell? The Bible warns that all murderers, idolaters, liars, thieves, fornicators, and adulterers will end up in Hell.

So where does that leave you?

Perhaps the thought of going to Hell doesn’t scare you, because you don’t believe in it. That’s like standing in the open door of a plane 10,000 feet off the ground and saying, “I don’t believe there will be any consequences if I
jump without a parachute.”
To say that there will be no consequences for breaking God’s Law is to say that God is unjust, that He is evil.

This is why.

Little Jessica Lunsford.

Remember her?

Do you think that God is indifferent to such acts of evil?

HOW DO YOU REACT?

How do you feel toward the man who murdered that helpless little girl in such an unspeakably cruel way? Are you angered? I hope so. I hope you are outraged. If you were completely indifferent to her fate, it would reveal something horrible about your character.
Do you think that God is indifferent to such acts of evil?

He is not.
He is outraged by them.

If He wasn’t angered, He wouldn’t be good. We cannot separate God’s goodness from His anger. Again, if God is good by nature, He must be unspeakably angry at wickedness.
But His goodness is so great that His anger isn’t confined to the evils of rape and
murder. Nothing is hidden from His pure and holy eyes. He is outraged by
torture, terrorism, abortion, theft, lying, adultery, fornication, pedophilia, homosexuality, and blasphemy. He also sees our thought-life, and He will judge us for the hidden sins of the heart: for lust, hatred, rebellion, greed, unclean
imaginations, ingratitude, selfishness, jealousy, pride, envy, deceit, etc.

Sinning against God comes naturally to us—and we naturally earn His anger by our sins.

God
is not a benevolent Father-figure, who is happily smiling upon sinful humanity.
In the midst of these frightening thoughts, remember to let fear work for you.

The fear of God is the healthiest fear you can have. The Bible calls it “the beginning of wisdom.”

Again, your knowledge of God’s Law should help you to see that you have a life-threatening dilemma: a huge problem of God’s wrath (His justifiable
anger) against your personal sins.

Like the rest of us, you’ve no doubt broken all these laws, countless times each. What kind of anger do you think a judge is justified in
having toward a criminal guilty of breaking the law thousands of times?

LET’ S SEE

Let’s now look at those four major religions to see if they can help you with your predicament.

Hinduism
The religion of Hinduism says that if you’ve been bad, you may come back as a rat or some other animal.

If you’ve been good, you might come back as a prince. But that’s like someone
saying, “When you jump out of the plane, you’ll get sucked back in as another passenger. If you’ve been bad, you go down to the Economy
Class; if you’ve been good, you go up to First Class.”

It’s an interesting concept, but it doesn’t deal with your real problem of having
sinned against God and the reality of Hell.

Buddhism
Amazingly, the religion of Buddhism denies that God even exists. It teaches that life and death are sort of an illusion.

That’s like standing at the door of the plane and saying, “I’m not really
here, and there’s no such thing as the law of gravity, and no ground that I’m going to hit.”
That may temporarily help you deal with your fears, but it doesn’t square with reality. And it doesn’t deal with your real problem of having sinned against God and the reality of Hell.

Islam
Interestingly, Islam acknowledges the reality of sin and Hell, and the justice of God, but the hope it offers is that sinners can escape God’s
justice if they do religious works. God will see these, and because of them, hopefully He will show mercy—but they won’t know for sure.

Each person’s works will be weighed on the Day of Judgment and it will then be decided who is saved and who is not—based on whether they followed Islam, were sincere in repentance, and performed enough righteous deeds to outweigh
their bad ones.

So Islam believes you can earn God’s mercy by your own efforts. That’s like jumping out of the plane, and believing that flapping your arms
is going to counter the law of gravity and save you from a 10,000-foot drop.
And there’s something else to consider.
The Law of God shows us that the best of us is nothing but a wicked criminal, standing guilty and condemned before the throne of a perfect
and holy Judge. When that is understood, then our “righteous deeds” are actually seen as an attempt to bribe the Judge of the Universe.

The Bible says that because of our guilt, anything we offer God for our justification (our acquittal from His courtroom) is an abomination to Him,and only adds to our crimes.

Islam, like the other religions, doesn’t solve your problem of having sinned against God and the reality of Hell.

So then there is
Christianity
So why is Christianity different? Aren’t all religions the same? Let’s see.

In Christianity, God Himself provided a “parachute” for us, and His Word says regarding the Savior, “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Just as a parachute solved your dilemma with the law of gravity and its
consequences, so the Savior perfectly solves your dilemma with the Law of God and its consequences!

It is the missing puzzle-piece that you need.

How did God solve our dilemma? He satisfied His wrath by becoming a human being and taking our punishment upon Himself. The Scriptures tell us that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself. Christianity provides the only parachute to save us from the consequences of the Law we have transgressed.

BACK TO THE PLANE

To illustrate this more clearly, let’s go back to that plane for a moment.

You are standing on the edge of a 10,000-foot drop. You have to jump.
Your heart is thumping in your chest. Why?

Because of fear. You know that the law of gravity will kill you when you jump.

Someone offers you the original Mona Lisa.
You push it aside.
Another person passes you the keys to a brand new Lamborghini. You let them drop to the floor.

Someone else tries to put a million dollars into your hands. You push the person’s hand away, and stand there in horror at your impending fate.
Suddenly, you hear a voice say, “Here’s a parachute!”

Which one of those four people is going to hold
the most credibility in your eyes?

It’s the one who held up the parachute! Again, it is your fear of
the jump that turns you toward the good news of the parachute.

In the same way, knowledge of what God’s Law will do to you produces a fear that makes the news of a Savior unspeakably good news!

Jesus of Nazareth died an excruciating death on the cross, taking your punishment (the death penalty) upon Himself. The demands of eternal
justice were satisfied the moment He cried, “It is finished!”

The lightning of God’s wrath was stopped and the thunder of His indignation was silenced at Calvary’s cross:
He became a man to pay our penalty in His life’s blood.
Then He rose from the dead, defeating death.

That means that God can now forgive every sin you have ever committed and commute your death sentence.

God Himself can “justify” you. He can cleanse you, and give you the “righteousness” of Christ. He can make you pure in heart by washing
away your sins. He can shelter you from His fierce wrath, in the Rock of Ages that He has cleft for you.

Only Jesus can save you from death and Hell, something that you could never earn or deserve.

“For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8,9).

DO IT TODAY

To receive the gift of eternal life, you must repent
of your sins (turn from them), and put on the Lord Jesus Christ as you would put on a parachute—trusting in Him alone for your salvation.
That means you forsake your own good works as a means of trying to please God (trying to bribe Him), and trust only in what Jesus has done for you. Simply throw yourself on the mercy of the Judge. The Bible says that He’s rich in mercy to all who call upon Him, so call upon Him right now. He will hear you if you approach Him with a humble and sorrowful heart.
Do it right now because you don’t know when you will take that leap through the door of death. Confess your sins to God, put your trust in Jesus to save you, and you will pass from death to life. You have God’s promise on it.

For the scripture saiths, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:12,13).

Pray something like this:
“Dear God, today I turn away from all
of my sins [name them] and I put my
trust in Jesus Christ alone as my Lord
and Savior. Please forgive me, change
my heart, and grant me Your gift of
everlasting life. In Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen.”

Now have faith in God. He is absolutely trustworthy. Never doubt His promises. He is not a man that He should lie.
The sincerity of your prayer will be evidenced by your obedience to God’s will, so read His Word (the Bible) daily and obey what you read.

“He that hath my commandments, and keeps them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loves me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him” (John 14:21).

—there’s nothing more important than where they will spend eternity.

Thank you for reading this.

Adapted & Edited from a tract by Ray Comfort,
P.O. Box 1172, Bellflower, CA 90706
visit www.livingwaters.com

Which way today (sad to say)

2007-07-03T12:07:00.000-07:00

Backward Christian Soldiers

Backward Christian soldiers, fleeing from the fight
With the cross of Jesus nearly out of sight.
Christ, our rightful master, stands against the foe
But forward into battle, we are loathe to go.

Like a mighty tortoise moves the Church of God
Brothers we are treading where we've always trod.
We are much divided, many bodies we
Having many doctrines, not much charity.

Crowns and thorns may perish, kingdoms rise and wane,
But the Church of Jesus hidden does remain.
Gates of hell should never 'gainst the Church prevail
We have Christ's own promise, but think that it will fail.

Sit here then ye people, join our useless throng
Blend with ours your voices in a feeble song.
Blessings, ease and comfort, ask from Christ the King
With our modern thinking, we don't do a thing.

(Anonymous)

The Subject and Sum of Scripture

2007-07-03T11:51:00.001-07:00

'CHRIST in All the Book"

I see my LORD in the Bible
Whenever I chance to look.
HE is the theme of the Bible,
The center and heart of the Book.

HE is in the Book's beginning,
HE gave the earth it's form.
HE is the Ark of Safety
To bear the brunt of the storm.

HE's the burning Bush in the desert,
Then the budding of Aaron's rod.
Whenever I open the Bible
I see the Son of GOD!

HE is the Rose of Sharon,
HE is the Lily Fair.
Whenever I open the Bible
The LORD of the Bible is there!

HE's the Lamb upon Mt. Moriah
HE's the Ladder from earth to sky.
HE's the Scarlet Cord in the window
And the Serpent lifted high.

HE's the Smitten Rock of the desert
The Shepherd with staff and crook
It's whenever I open the Bible,
I see my LORD in the Book!

HE is the Seed of the woman
And the Saviour, virgin born.
HE is the Son of David,
Whom men rejected with scorn.

HE's the LORD of Eternal Glory,
Whom John the Apostle saw.
The Light of the Celestial City,
The Lamb without spot or flaw.

HE's the Bridegroom coming at Midnight!
For Whom HIS people look.
Yes, thank GOD, whenever I open the Bible,
I see my LORD in the Book!

Huh?

2007-07-03T11:44:00.000-07:00

A QUESTION OF RESPONSIBILITY

A few years back, a news report came out of Orlando, Florida about a new craze for local teenagers: garage jumping. Thrill seekers were jumping from one parking garage roof to another, with some roofs as high as six stories or 80 feet. As expected with such lunacy, some fell and were injured.

The family of one boy who fell and fractured his shoulder, filed a lawsuit against the city and parking garage for not having a fence to keep jumpers from jumping. The city has since erected some length of fence, but a jumper can still get around the fence and jump. The suing family stated that the garage should “take responsibility” before another jumper jumps. Huhhh?

How about this for a solution: put up a sign that says “Don’t Jump, Idiot,” but then that would be too common sense of an approach. Plus, it may offend idiots.

If anyone is crazy enough to take such a risk, that individual will go find an unfenced building somewhere else and jump anyway. Where does responsibility begin? It begins with the individual. Where does the placing of blame stop? Should we place fences on streets and highways to keep people from walking in front of moving vehicles? If not, can local or state governments be sued for not restricting walkers who may get struck by automobiles? When the door to lunacy is opened, when do you shut it?

Remember the individual who sued McDonalds over the hot coffee? After placing a hot cup of coffee between the legs while driving, this person received burns from splashed coffee. McDonalds then began placing on each cup, warning signs of “Hot Coffee” (which is tantamount to “Cold Ice”) when they should have spent a few cents more and also printed “Don’t Place Between Legs or Knees While Driving, Genius” on each cup. By the way, isn't coffee supposed to be hot, otherwise, it is called cappuccino?

The shirking of responsibility is nothing new. In the book of Genesis, Adam and Eve both did their share of placing blame. Eve told God the serpent gave her the fruit to eat, so it was his fault. Adam placed a double blame with one stroke and told God the problem was the woman He (God) gave to Adam. When Aaron, the brother of Moses, was asked where he got the golden calf, his answer was, “Well we put our gold in this fire, and out came this calf,” like the calf made itself. And last but not least, King Ahab called Elijah the one who “troubleth Israel,” yet Israel’s real problem was Ahab and his wicked wife Jezebel, for it was their wickedness that demanded the judgment of Jehovah.

When people refuse to take responsibility for their actions, then everyone else is fair game to blame. Couples divorce with a no fault divorce. If it was not the fault of either involved, then how did it happen? A young person robs a store, but it’s not his fault. His defense attorney later claims society has failed all youth. The list could go on and on. There are sometimes external circumstances that contribute to, or influence individuals to make certain decisions, but ultimately each individual has to be held accountable for his or her own actions. Accountability, followed by acknowledgment and confession of wrong doing, reduces problems and paves the way for making right decisions in the future.

Acceptance of personal sin is necessary for salvation.

Joseph Harris

Guns, the devil & GOD

2007-05-16T20:09:00.000-07:00

Guns, the devil and God

By David Kupelin
The following is excerpted from the May 2007 edition of WND's monthly Whistleblower magazine

"Why don't you pick up that gun and blow your brains out?"
"You could kill a whole lot of people with that gun."
"Why not shoot her right now? That would shut her up!"

These are the sorts of vile mental suggestions many people experience from within their own minds when they see a gun.

That's right. Dark thoughts and impulses, too horrible to dwell upon or even acknowledge, occur to many of us at the mere sight of a firearm or a naked blade. When we see the firearm, we sense the presence of evil – so naturally we assume the gun is its source, when actually the gun's close proximity caused our own buried, angry, violent tendencies to surface for a moment.

Thus, many people who "dislike" or "are afraid of" guns are actually afraid of what they might do if they had a loaded firearm in their hand. And I'm not talking about criminal types here. I'm talking about "nice" people – nice on the outside, and lots of buried and perhaps unrecognized rage inside. Again, the presence of the gun simply causes his or her own dark, angry propensities to "stir a little" deep down inside.
But the reality of all this is too heavy and "negative" for many of us to face, so we instantly and unconsciously project our own buried violence onto the gun – as though an inanimate hunk of metal could somehow be evil.

Obviously, a loaded handgun has great potential for destruction and havoc. At the mere squeeze of a trigger there can be murder, suicide, terrorism. Even without pulling the trigger, the gun represents the magic ticket to armed robbery, forcible rape and every other form of coercion. For a person with lots of anger, albeit buried, a gun represents the shortest distance between two points – between the suppressed violent nature within him or her and the maximum expression of that nature. Therefore, the mere sight of a gun excites that dark part of us, causing it to beckon wordlessly, "Use me!"

Let's examine this admittedly scary subject a little more closely.

Have you ever stood close to the edge of a cliff, or out on a balcony of a high building? Did you notice that some "force" almost seemed to want to pull you over the edge? Most of us have experienced something like this phenomenon – a momentary loss of balance, an unexplainable fear, some mysterious pull toward the edge. We have a moment of disorientation and fear, then we pull back to safety.

I've experienced it. Last year after driving five hours to Portland, Ore., to be a guest on Fox News I checked into my hotel room, unpacked, checked over the room, then stepped out onto the balcony. As I approached the railing and looked out at the cityscape and then gazed down several stories to the ground, I noticed a distinct pull, along with a slight disorientation, as though I was losing my balance. I recovered right away and realized I was so tired and frazzled from a long day that my mind was vulnerable to the "pull" of dark forces. So I took the hint and rested a bit, until I had recovered my strength and mental focus.

In this life, the malevolent intelligence we call "evil" is constantly scanning each of us for opportunities to tempt or even destroy us. As the Good Book puts it, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8 KJV). In critical moments of the sort I'm describing, evil seizes the opportunity to give us a mental "shove." Unfortunately, for some people that "shove" is strong enough – especially after a lifetime of giving in to anger, judgment and despair – to pull them over the edge.

We'll never know how many "suicides," in which people fell off a cliff or a balcony, occurred this way – not because of a premeditated suicide plan, but because they were vulnerable to the opportunistic impulse of evil.
Similarly, how many head-on auto accidents occur every year because someone inexplicably crosses the center line to crash at high speed into another car, having succumbed to a wordless, instantaneous mental suggestion from hell? All in a timeless fraction of a second the message impresses itself on your mind: "Crash your car into that one coming your way. Life sucks. Go out with a major bang! Everyone will be shocked! You have the power! Just do it! Do it now!"
Does this scare you? If so – if this description resonates with you even a little bit – it's only because you have the same problem to some degree. Don't fret. We're all in the same boat. We're all subject to the "dark side" of the force. It's called being "born in sin." But some of us honestly face it, and quietly call out to God for help, and His help comes. Others live in denial – until tragedy and death end it all. (This is the central theme of "Spiderman 3," by the way.)
In any event, this same phenomenon is at work with firearms, because of the potential guns provide for immediate and ultimate destruction. Guns literally bring to the surface of the mind the suppressed potential for violence that exists inside every angry person.

Again, there is more than one way this discomfort around guns can be experienced. A sincere person who is uncomfortable around guns will probably be able to deduce that the problem is within him and not with the inanimate firearm. He's already on the path to getting better.
Unfortunately, many people who hate/fear guns never allow themselves to come face-to-face with the real problem – themselves. No sooner does their own suppressed anger react to the sight or even the thought of a gun, than they turn that angry emotional response into something more "acceptable" – like fear. After all, on the "niceness" scale, fear is a lot nicer than hatred.
The problem is, after our buried anger is effortlessly transformed into "fear of guns," that fear easily turns into false righteousness: "I don't like guns and have no need for them. I'm a peaceful, non-violent person and wouldn't ever shoot anyone for any reason."

Some take this "righteousness" even further: "God protects me; I don't need guns. I have faith he'll never put me in a position where I need to shoot someone." Good thing none of the Bible's Old Testament heroes like David or Joshua thought like that. They were required by God to kill many people. Who can say what will be required of us in this journey called life – whether or not we may be called on to defend ourselves or our families from a dangerous enemy?

Of course, there are many angry people who love guns. The world seems to be full of pumped-up jihadists who crave weapons, the bigger and more lethal the better; drug lords who use guns to murder judges and mayors and anyone else who gets in their way; gangbangers who pack heat so they can kill members of rival gangs; and every variety of criminal who, of course, take pains to procure the tools of their illegal trade – guns.

Unlike those who hate/fear guns as a result of unconsciously projecting their own inner violence onto them, angry people who love guns are in love with their own hatred, which they see as righteousness! The Islamic jihadist thinks he's serving Allah by murdering innocents. And predators and psychopaths of every sort love their guns because that's where they get the means to overcome their intended victims.

The God side of guns

Obviously, guns allow evil to be expressed in a multitude of ways, just as any weapon does. Everybody understands this, so there's no need to say much more about it – except that these people need to be stopped.

But what does need to be said, and shouted from the rooftops, is that in the right hands firearms also enable real goodness and virtue to be manifested – right here, right now – by opposing evil and protecting the innocent.

I'm talking now about what I'll call true Americans – not those who criminally prey on others, but also not those whose cowardice or shallowness causes them to appease bullies and to blame inanimate objects for the evil in the world and within themselves.
Whether individually or in a war, the moral imperative to defend ourselves and others is the same. And just as we all share this fundamental and undeniable right to self-defense, it follows that we also share the right to the means of self-defense, or else that supposed right is just a bad joke.

Fortunately for us, the Constitution and Bill of Rights were written and adopted by strong, right-thinking people. And the Second Amendment spells out for all to see the right of Americans to "keep and bear arms," a fundamental right that "shall not be infringed."

Today, according to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, there are well over 200 million privately owned firearms in the U.S, including more than 65-70 million handguns. Approximately 45 percent of American households have firearms. That means we have 65-80 million American gun-owners, including 30-35 million owners of handguns.
This is a very, very good thing – we don't even realize how good it is. For just as it was true in our founders' day, it's true today that Americans need guns.
If you don't believe me, just consider the Virginia Tech disaster. Imagine Cho Seung-Hui walking into a classroom, threatening people with his guns, making them line up, preparing to shoot them. Now freeze-frame that scene and think for a moment: There isn't anyone or anything in this world that could have stopped Cho in his tracks at that point and averted the hellish slaughter that followed – except a single student or professor with a firearm, and trained to use it.
At the time of this nation's birth, people understood the importance of the armed citizen.
James Madison, who wrote the Second Amendment, said Americans had "the advantage of being armed," whereas in other nations "the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms." Thomas Jefferson said, “No free man shall be debarred the use of arms.” Patrick Henry said the "great object is that every man be armed. … Everyone who is able may have a gun." And Thomas Paine said, "Arms … discourage and keep the invader and the plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property."
But today, many people would like to get rid of the Second Amendment – either by excising it from the Bill of Rights or, more likely, by judicially redefining its meaning as they have with the First Amendment (with the invention of the mythological "separation of church and state").
You see, in today's America the self-reliant, responsible, independent-minded man or woman who carries a gun – the kind of person who is aware, thinks for himself, is skeptical of government, the press and all of society's "experts" – the person not content to be a victim, but willing to take charge of a situation, "get involved," even fight back and stand up for what is right – in other words, a true American – is threatening to society's elitists, experts and politicians who are addicted to power.
As a general rule, it is liberals who tend to oppose private citizens carrying guns around with them. As I said, this is mostly because they're full of suppressed anger and therefore project their own – and others' – evil onto inanimate objects so as to maintain the denial in which they live. After all, you can't possibly believe the illogical and immoral things liberals and leftists espouse unless you're full of trauma and repressed hatred. It takes lots of inner rage to distort reality sufficiently to believe it's OK to kill beautiful little babies in their mothers' wombs or to believe a malevolent chameleon like Hillary Clinton should be elected president of the United States and commander-in-chief of the most powerful military in world history.
This same emotional confusion leads liberals to think guns are the problem, rather than being – in the right hands – the protection from tyranny and predation they truly are.
Do you know what happens when good people carry lethal weapons? Their mentality changes from passive to active, vulnerable to protective, powerless to empowered, dependent to independent. Very simply, they become more responsible – and more capable of doing good.
In fact, they make up the very fabric of a free America. This is the whole concept of the unregulated militia.
When neighbor stands with neighbor
There have always been two parts to the "militia" mentioned in the Second Amendment – the regulated and the unregulated (or the organized and the unorganized) militia.
Various laws throughout U.S. history have defined the organized or regulated militia, for instance the Militia Act of 1792, which specified that males 18 through 44 years of age "shall severally and respectively be enrolled in the militia …"
However, much more important was the founders' and framers' concept of the unorganized or unregulated militia, which they regarded as the ultimate defense of the new nation. This larger and more organic militia consisted of all able-bodied citizens. As Richard Henry Lee, a key founder during the Revolutionary period, explained in 1788: "A militia when properly formed [is] in fact the people themselves ... and include[s] all men capable of bearing arms. ... To preserve liberty it is essential that the whole body of people always possess arms." Or as George Mason famously and cryptically put it: "I ask, sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people, except for a few public officials."
Although the practice of arming oneself is very wholesome – for responsible, mature people, that is – there is one nightmare scenario we need to guard against, because history shows it leads inexorably to tyranny.
That scenario would be for angry, "right-wing, fundamentalist Christians" (more accurately, pseudo-Christian hate groups) to commit acts of terrorism or murder – like the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City – in the name of freedom. That is exactly what today's would-be totalitarians would secretly relish most, as it would justify their crackdown on "Christian" and "patriot" groups and gun rights across the board.
Timothy McVeigh, who thought he was advancing a patriotic rebellion against oppressive government, achieved precisely the opposite: He discredited everything he thought he was fighting for and caused many people to regard "right-wing patriots" and "militia types" as domestic terrorists.
In fact, the biggest reason President Bill Clinton was asleep at the switch with regard to Islamic terrorism, allowing Osama bin Laden to slip through his fingers even when the terror kingpin was offered on a silver platter, is because it served Clinton's leftist agenda to obsess over "right-wing" extremist organizations rather than the threat of radical Islam. Thus, Clinton disastrously focused the FBI predominantly on "right-wing hate groups" rather than task it with chasing down the many credible leads we had on al-Qaida terror plots against the United States.
If angry, would-be "patriots" engage in violence against the U.S. government as occurred in Oklahoma City, this nation could quickly move toward the suppression of gun rights and much more, all in the guise of protecting the public safety.
It's a very real temptation. Think of it: As government corruption becomes more and more brazen, as judges outlaw the Ten Commandments, as "hate crimes" laws effectively criminalize the Bible, as kindergartners are brainwashed with radical "gay rights" propaganda and so on, pretty soon some group decides it can't take it any more. Its members become so enraged, they conclude it's time to start the next armed revolution. Seeing their nation being raped and envisioning no solution other than violence, they convince themselves they're the modern counterparts of America's revolutionary founders. Training with firearms and explosives and conspiring in secret – all the while quoting Jefferson to each other about "watering the tree of liberty" from time to time with "the blood of patriots and tyrants" – they murder some federal judges or blow up a government office building in an attempt to fight back. But all they succeed in doing is murdering and maiming a bunch of their fellow Americans (or, as McVeigh did in Oklahoma City, massacring a room full of toddlers in daycare – which he later coldly termed "collateral damage").
What would follow would be a massive official crackdown on "domestic terrorists" and a severe assault on freedom in America – not to mention a major distraction from the real war against Islamic jihad.
Amazing what hatred can accomplish, isn't it? Exactly the opposite of what you intended. The dark side of the force is very clever. As the blood-drenched, hate-based French Revolution proved, when "revolutionaries" are full of hate, they're no better than the hateful, corrupt government they try to replace – and maybe worse – ushering in their own "reign of terror."
This is why true, mature Americans – the kind that must be armed – must also be self-controlled, even-tempered, virtuous and noble, not motivated by hatred and revenge. They must also stand together.
In reality, the responsible armed citizen is the strength of America. But there will always be a tension between him and his government – especially today, when the armed citizen is the antithesis of everything our culture, experts, politicians and other "leaders" teach us. In their minds, we're supposed to be helpless victims or incompetent, irresponsible, out-of-control children. We're supposed to need them to provide for us and protect us. If they could have their way, nobody would have guns except the police. But then, that's what's known as a "police state."
What we need is a rebirth of the true American spirit. We need people to take up arms in the spirit of responsibly protecting their family and other innocents, just like in the old days when everyone carried a sword. Every man had to be willing to put his life on the line to protect his loved ones. But you can't do that without your sword – which in today's world is a firearm.
One quote from Jesus we almost never hear cited these days is what He said shortly before being taken into captivity by Roman soldiers to be crucified. It was a dangerous time, and as He spoke to His disciples, He told them to arm themselves.
And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, – Nothing. Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end. And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough. (Luke 22:35-38 KJV)
The police cannot protect you. Very simply, they're never there when the crime against you and your loved ones is being committed.

Do you want God to protect you? Of course. Then don't tempt Him by saying, "The Lord will protect me, I don't need a gun." That's like the man who says, "A storm is coming, but I don't need an umbrella; God will protect me," all the while ignoring the real protection God has provided for him – the common sense to get an umbrella or come in out of the rain. In dangerous times such as those in which we live today, God clearly speaks to us – both in Scripture and through good old fashioned common sense – about being prepared to protect and defend ourselves, our families and our neighbors.

As Jesus Himself said: "He that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one."

John M. Keeter
www.fbc-nc.com
http://hitherandyonder.blogspot.com/

Atheism isn't the final word

2007-04-16T17:19:00.000-07:00

Atheism isn't the final word
By Don Feder

Oh, for the days when one could safely stroll into a bookstore without tripping over the latest atheist title. Ironically, by writing their tracts, in the long run atheists might boost belief.

My local Barnes & Noble has the following titles on display -Atheist Manifesto: The Case Against Christianity, Judaism, and Islam ; The Quotable Atheist; Letter To A Christian Nation; God: The Failed Hypothesis: How Science Shows That God Does Not Exist; and The God Delusion, which is a New York Times best-seller.

Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., has become the first member of Congress to announce that he doesn't believe in God. He's probably just looking for a book deal.

Why the sudden outpouring of atheist advocacy? Perhaps it's a way for the cultural left to assert itself in the face of the religious right. Or maybe it's meant to show that the anti-God argument can be framed more intelligently than in a Bill Maher monologue. Whatever the impetus, as a believer, I welcome the phenomenon. After all, the great enemy of belief isn't disbelief but indifference.

Let the godless write their books and the faithful answer them. The disillusionment with religion that dominated British intellectual circles after World War I helped to shape the great Christian apologist C.S. Lewis. The surviving son of atheist icon Madalyn Murray O'Hair is an evangelical Christian.

The books referenced above assert that the debate is over and that atheism has won, but atheists have been saying that for more than 200 years. Since the French Enlightenment, the death of God has been confidently proclaimed. Religion has been made obsolete by egalitarian revolution, industrialism, or science, they insisted. Yet, early in the 21st century, faith endures.
Outlasting the Soviet Union

For 70-plus years, the Soviets tried everything imaginable to kill religion: show trials, mass murder of clerics, confiscations, indoctrination and even attempts to co-opt religious symbols and ceremonies. But belief survived, while scientific socialism is now defunct.

In China, where communism's war on God continues, the home-church movement thrives. Half a world away, America has the highest weekly church attendance in the industrialized world, notwithstanding attacks on faith from Hollywood, academia and a judiciary seemingly intent on purging religious symbols from public spaces.

In the USA - the most science-oriented society in history - Christian bookstores, radio stations and TV programming proliferate. It seems as though a hunger for the Creator is imprinted on the human heart.

What would a world without God look like? Well, for one, morality becomes, if not impossible, exceedingly difficult. "Thou shalt not kill" loses much of its force when reduced from commandment to a suggestion. How inspiring can it be to wake in the morning, look in the mirror, and see an accident of evolutionary history - the end product of the random collision of molecules?

A universe that isn't God-centered becomes ego-centered. People come to see choices through the prism of self: what promotes the individual's well-being and happiness. Such a worldview does not naturally lead to benevolence or self-sacrifice.

An affirmation of God can lead to the Ten Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount and the Declaration of Independence. In terms of morality, a denial of God leads nowhere.

There are no secularist counterparts to Pope John Paul II, Mother Teresa, William Wilberforce (the evangelical responsible for abolition of the British slave trade), Martin Luther King Jr., or the Christians - from France to Poland - who rescued Jews during the Holocaust.

True, terrible things have been done in the name of religion. Terrible things have been done in the name of every noble concept, including love, charity, loyalty and kinship. Yet, the worst horrors of the modern era were perpetrated by godless political creeds. The death toll from sectarian conflict over the ages is dwarfed by ideological violence, from the Jacobinism of Revolutionary France to the charnel houses of communism and fascism.

This is not to say that atheism leads naturally to guillotines and gulags, but, just as "love your fellow man as yourself" can be corrupted, so too can liberty, equality and fraternity.

Signs throughout history

There is no irrefutable evidence for God's existence or non-existence. But, if you look closely, his footprints can be discerned in the sands of time.

Jews introduced the world to monotheism. They also were the first people to perceive history as linear- an unfolding story moving toward a conclusion.

Is it a coincidence that this tiny, originally nomadic people generated the ideas that shaped the Western world, including equality, human rights and a responsibility to our fellow man? Jews are the only people to maintain their identity during two millennia of exile, and then return to their homeland and re-establish their nation.

Mark Twain wrote: "The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed, and made a vast noise and they are gone; other peoples have sprung up, held their torch high for a time, but it burned out and they sit in twilight now or have vanished. … All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?" Had Twain been a believer, he might have answered his own question.
America's survival and rise to global pre-eminence are equally improbable. Challenging the greatest empire of the 18th century, America should never have won its independence or should have self-destructed during the Civil War.

Alexis de Tocqueville observed that the genius of our infant republic lay not in its farms and workshops but in its churches whose "pulpits flame with righteousness."

Atheists are free to disbelieve and to try to propagate their disbelief in books and other intellectual forums. But saying the debate is over doesn't make it so. A bit of humility might make their case more convincing. Then again, humility is itself a religious concept.

Don Feder is a former syndicated columnist and author of Who's Afraid of the Religious Right?

Salvation-Saved From What?

2007-03-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

Saved From What?

Dr. Harold Sightler (1914–1995)

“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”—Matt. 1:21.

In the first chapter of Matthew, we have the clearest declaration concerning the manner of the birth of Jesus found in the Bible. The inspired record sets forth in no uncertain terms the virgin birth, and this truth is repeated several times. Joseph had to be convinced, for his first impression was that Mary had committed fornication. He was “minded” to put her away privately, not being willing to make a public example of her. This is what Joseph was proceeding to do when he was arrested by the angel of the Lord with this statement concerning the true facts of what had happened.

After the angel had instructed Joseph as to the manner of Mary’s conception, he then announced the great purpose of this miracle. In our text, the angel sums up the entire purpose of the coming of Jesus into the world: “Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” This is one of the great statements of the Bible. It is a truth that has been proven over and over again. Its wonderful message is the sweetest ever heard by mortal ear. The power of this truth has transformed the lives of multitudes.

The great motivating power that sends us out to preach is the message that Jesus saves. This is the same motivating power which fills the ranks of missionaries. No sacrifice is too great and no price is too high for this message. It drives us on with new hope upon each opportunity to witness or preach. We have experienced its life-transforming power, and we have seen it work in the lives of others.

I. Things From Which None Are Saved

Though Jesus saves—blessed truth—notice three things from which none of us are saved today.

1. None Saved From Suffering

First, I am saved, but I am not saved from suffering. Go to the hospitals today, and you will find as many Christians there as lost people. Go to the rest homes, and you will find as many feeble and weak Christians as non-Christians. Yes, sometime or other every last one of us will suffer. We may be well today, but some tomorrow will bring us to the hospital in pain and agony. This life is marked by suffering. Sin is producing its fruit. Ours is a fallen race, and a mark of this Fall is suffering.
Well do I know that Jesus has power to heal our bodies. He is the Great Physician. No disease is too great for this Healer. Every time we recover from an illness, it is because He is the Healer. We ought to pray for the healing of our bodies and for the healing of our loved ones. Yet, there will come a time when it is not God’s will to heal. When the day comes we shall die. All suffer in this life. We enter the world with a cry, and we leave the world with the same. The journey is marked by times of suffering and sickness.
May I rejoice with you over the day when there will be no more pain. The time will come when all will receive a new body. This body is to be fashioned like unto the glorious body of our Lord. Then there will be no more suffering and sickness. In I John 3:2, we read, “Beloved…it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” When that day comes, there will be no more pain, suffering or sickness.

2. None Saved From Sorrow

Second, I am not saved from sorrow. Tears are the portion and lot of us all here upon this earth. For many years, I could say that I had never had a broken heart. I had never sorrowed. All in my family were well and strong. I had never lost a loved one by death. I had never trod the valley of sorrow. I had never shed bitter tears. However, never again can I say this. In 1951, I was plunged into a valley of tears and sorrow unparalleled in all my past. My family circle was forever broken in the tragic passing of my child. She was killed in an automobile accident. My wife was very seriously injured. For five months she lingered near death. She will carry the marks of this accident to her grave. My heart was broken. Tears came freely then, and often since. I was saved then as much as ever, but I was not saved from sorrow.
Sometime in the lives of us all sorrow will come. This sorrow will make us long for the day when Jesus will wipe away all tears from our eyes. He has given to us this promise: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning” (Ps. 30:5). The time will come when no saved person will ever weep, when our hearts will never bleed again.

3. None Saved From Shame

Third, I am not saved from shame. All will agree that there is a shame in the old rugged cross. The world has never been friendly to grace. They that live godly will suffer persecution. This world does not understand the saved. The saved can never become adjusted to this age. The Bible warns that this world will be “despisers of those that are good” (II Tim. 3:3).
One needs only to take his Bible in hand and walk down a busy street to see the eyes of others lifted in scorn.
There is shame in the Book. There is shame in a testimony. There is shame in a witness. They that stand for God understand this shame and gladly bear it.
Some golden daybreak those who now suffer shame will be placed on exhibition in Glory. The angels and all the heavenly creatures will be permitted to look upon the token of God’s grace. The redeemed of all ages will be gathered together onto this place of exhibition. No shame then; only glory by and by.

II. Things From Which We Are Saved

I have noticed three things from which we are not saved; now I want us to notice three things from which Jesus does save us.

1. I Am Saved From Sin

The text says, “He shall save his people from their sins.” Someone has accused us of believing in a “sinning religion.” Though we do not claim sinless perfection, we do rejoice that, by His grace, we have been saved from sin—saved from the power of sin. Grace has broken the power of sin. “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Rom. 5:20). Jesus gives His people power to say no to the Devil and sin. He liberates from the bondage and pits of sin. He lifts us out.
We are also saved from the penalty of sin. The Bible says, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die,” and, “…the wages of sin is death.” It is true that the penalty of sin is death, but to us who are saved, this penalty is paid by our Lord Jesus Christ. In Romans 8:1 we read, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” We are passed from condemnation to eternal life.
Then one day we will be saved from the presence of sin. The redeemed are to be lifted from the earth and from its sin. The day will come when we will be taken to a place where there is no sin. Jesus promises that “there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination” (Rev. 21:27). Neither the Devil nor his demons will be able to enter into that City. It is prepared for the redeemed.

2. I Am Saved From Self

I am not my own; I am bought with a price. After Jesus saved me, He demanded my body, soul and spirit. All I am and all I have are His; I must be about His business. I must go where He wills that I go and say that which He wills me to say. To use the words of Paul, I am a bond servant of Jesus—we are His slaves. All saved people are able to give this same testimony.
Sometimes unsaved people are heard to say that they will do as they please. God’s people must not say this. We gladly pledge our allegiance to Jesus. We gladly do as He pleases. Herein lies the reason men and women will give their lives on the mission field. Here is the answer to the great sacrifice some people make in order to serve Jesus: we are saved from self.

3. I Am Saved From Satan

This makes the Devil mad. He does not want me to proclaim deliverance from his power. Blessed be the day when Jesus saved me from Satan. I am free indeed. The Devil cannot do more than nag me. He cannot put his dirty hands upon me except in God’s will. He cannot get to me except God permit him to do so. The Bible describes Satan as a roaring lion going up and down in the earth seeking whom he may devour. I rejoice that there are some whom he cannot devour—the redeemed. To the saved he is more a roar than anything else.
Claim the deliverance and rejoice in it. The Devil can do no more than try to hinder you from so doing. Claim freedom by faith. When Jesus saved you, He saved you from Satan.

Many times the Devil has threatened my life. In nearly audible impressions he tells us that he will take our lives. But he is a liar; my life is in Jesus, and the Devil can do nothing about it.

Sowing And Reaping

2007-03-08T21:06:00.000-08:00

“WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND”

Galatians 6:7 " Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."

An assistant manager of a large department store saw a boy standing at the bottom of the escalator one day. The assistant became suspicious. He watched the boy for a while. The had his eyes glued on the moving handrail. Finally the assistant went over to the lad and questioned him. "Something wrong young man?" he asked? "No sir "., replied the boy, not taking his eyes off the handrail, "I'm just waiting for my bubble gum to come back."

We know that specifically, the primary application of this passage is to the PLACE and the PURPOSE of GIVING.

We see the precept in verse 6, the principle behind the precept in verses 7 and 8, and then the promise in verse 9.
However, this also applies to every other area of our lives,.……….what goes around comes around!

Jan 15, 1986 Raleigh N.C. a man went to a party and had too much to drink and his friends plead with him to let them take him home. He says no because he only lives a mile away. About five blocks from the party, the police pull him over for weaving and they ask him to get out and walk the line.
Just as he starts, the police radio blares out that a robbery is taking place about a block away. The police tell him to stay put because they will be right back after the go check out the robbery.
The guy waits and waits and finally decides to drive home. When he gets there, he tells his wife he is going to bed, and to tell anyone who might be looking for him that he had the flu and has been in bed all day.
A few hours later, the police knock on the door. They ask if the man lives there and the wife says that he does. They ask to see him and she replies that he is in bed with the flu and has been all day. The police have his driver's license. They ask to see his car and she asks why. They insist on seeing his car, so she takes them to the garage and opens the door where they find the police car, lights still flashing.

This explicit warning implies:
1. That you can be deceived- 2. That many are deceived- 3. That we must therefore, earnestly, and actively, seek not to be deceived!

If we are honest with God and yourself, this is a very sobering and solemn subject to each and every one of us!
We are right now reaping, and will reap, positively & negatively the results of what we’ve sown physically, financially and spiritually.

A Navy SEAL was attending some college courses between assignments. One of the professors was an avowed atheist. One day he shocked the class when he came in, looked to the ceiling, and flatly stated, “God, if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform. I’ll give you exactly 5 minutes.”
The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop. Ten minutes went by and the professor proclaimed, “Here I am God. I’m still waiting.”
It got down to the last couple of minutes when the SEAL got out of his chair, went up to the professor, and punched him right off the platform. The professor was out cold. The SEAL went back to his seat and sat there, silently. The other students were shocked and stunned and sat there looking on in silence.
The professor eventually came to, noticeably shaken, looked at the SEAL and asked, “What is the matter with you? Why did you did that?”
The SEAL calmly replied, “God was busy ,So He sent me.”
God’s judgment moves slowly but crushes completely! …..there is coming a payday someday!

"mock"- Greek- “to stick your nose up at” to sneer.
They think some fancy footwork will get them free from facing the penalty!

* What happens in Vegas does NOT STAY in Vegas!!!!!!

* Cigars and Insurance A Charlotte, NC, man having purchased a case of very rare, very expensive cigars insured them against fire. - then smoked his entire stockpile of cigars - the man filed a claim against the insurance company. In his claim, the man stated the cigars were lost "in a series of small fires".
The insurance company refused to pay, - The man sued.... and won.
Rather than endure a lengthy and costly appeal process the insurance company accepted the ruling and paid the man $15,000 for the rare cigars he lost in "the fires".
After the man cashed the check, however, the insurance company had him arrested on 24 counts of arson. - the man was convicted of intentionally burning his insured property and sentenced to 24 months in jail and a $24,000 fine.

" that shall he also reap."

Many eastern religions teach what they call Karma. The Chinese religions call this Ying Yang.
"For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction,"

No one gets around this law. This, like the law of gravity-is universal. You may not reap the moment when you sow, but you will reap what you sow.

Law Enforcement has new technology that will take a picture of your license plate if you exceed the speed limit.

In Great Britain, London police sent a photo and citation to one motorist showing him running a red light.
The motorist in turn sent the police a photo of a check for the citation. Not to be outdone, the police then sent the motorist a photo of handcuffs. He quickly paid in cash.

Some people sing, “if it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all, gloom , despair, and agony , oh me”. It’s not bad luck. It’s probably bad sowing!
It’s a **choice**, not **chance** a CONSEQUENCE of sin…past & present have a effect on the future!

If you spend more than you earn, and gamble all you gain, you might as well expect poverty.

If you smoke for 15 yrs, don’t be surprised when you reap emphysema.
You may not reap Cancer, but you will reap to one degree or another ill effects of alcohol or tobacco abuse of your body.

Diabetes is often the result of reaping- same is so for high blood pressure.

Your chickens WILL come home to roost!

Whatsoever “THAT”- not something else but “THAT’!
What is reaped will be of the same SORT as what was sowed.
What you SOW is what’s gonna GROW in your GARDEN!
You WILL reap the results of what you sow!

If you plant WHEAT you won’t get WATERMELONS! If you plant CORN you won’t get CUCUMBERS!

I once read of a little boy who used to escape his bedroom after being punished. he would crawl out of his bedroom window down an old fruit tree to the ground. One day, his father told him that he was going to chop down the fruit tree, because it hadn't borne any fruit for a number of years. That evening, the boy and his friend bought a bushel of apples, and during the night, tied those apples on the barren branches. The next morning, the man could not believe his eyes. He said to his wife, "Honey, I just can't believe it! That old tree hasn't yielded any fruit for years, and now it's covered with apples. And, the most amazing thing is that it's a pear tree!"

Sooner or later, you will get what’s coming to you!
Job 4:8 “Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.”
OT Parallel passage …..
Numbers 32:23 “But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.“

Church members sow their wild oats all week and pray for crop failure on Sunday!
The only way to change the harvest is to change the sowing.

Don’t get caught in the web and you won’t be dinner for the spider!
Don’t act surprised when you get stuck in sin!

Hosea 10:12 “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.”

Getting the Point

2007-03-08T20:30:00.000-08:00

“THE GIFT OF THORNS”

What would you think if someone came to work-house. Wherever you were, and gave you a big bunch of .....thorns?
Would you think somebody was angry at you? Didn’t like you anymore? Well that’s what happened to Paul in 2 Corinthinas 10.
“There was given to me a thorn in the flesh.”
God gave Paul some thorns-not because He was angry at him but b/c He loved Him!!!

Every generation since Adam has a sure reminder of the curse on creation—via THORNS!

Genesis 3:18 “ cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee”

In a way…..life IS a BED OF ROSES! …but all the Roses have THORNS!!!

No matter where you go- trouble is waiting for you when you get there. Nobody has it made- we are all stuck with Thorns in our life!

Trials…tribulations… and troubles. Discouragement… Disappointment, and Disasters!

Thorns come in a thousand frustrating forms.
Surely suffering is a thorny issue. If you have never asked the question, "Where is God when it hurts?" One day you will. You may not need my message this moment, but you may need it in the next minute or the next month.

The greatest Christian of all, the Apostle Paul, knew what it was to have problems.

Notice………..

1. THE THORN AS AN ASSIGNMENT "was given me"

- God uses Thorns in our lives to TEACH

Trials are designed to call your faith to the witness stand ~ to validate what you declare you believe.

A faith that cannot be TESTED cannot be TRUSTED!

TESTS are to do two things:
1.) Show us what we learned 2.) Teach us what we haven’t learned yet!

A little boy girl had been promised the privilege of climbing to a nearby hilltop where his big brother played. But when he came within sight of the steep, rough path, he drew back. "”There isn't a smooth spot anywhere. It's all bumpy and stony!". His big brother, "How else would we climb if it wasn't? The stones and bumps are what we step on to get there."

God allows affliction, and puts in our path what some might consider to be stumbling blocks.

Even in so called ACCIDENTS- we see his APPOINTMENTS.

2. THE THORN AS AN AILMENT "in the flesh"

- God uses Thorns in our lives to TENDERIZE

Suffering can come in many shapes and sizes from many sources!

As to the nature of this thorn there have been many equally inconclusive guesses.
Some say it was poor eyesight. Some say it was a speech impediment. Some say it was a physical handicap. Some say it was his mother-in-law. Whatever it was- it hurt!.

Its best that we do not know what Paul’s problem was. Why? Because I am preaching to people who have thorns and are experiencing buffetings right now. If Paul had named his thorn, then we might conclude that the promises of God associated with that thorn were only good for others with the same problem. But, since we don’t know what he suffered from, we can apply the promises he received to the situations we face!)

3. THE THORN AS AN ASSAILANT "Messenger of Satan to buffet me"

- God uses Thorns in our lives to TEAR DOWN

Matt 13:22 Thorns always try to choke out the word of God!!!

One thing we know for sure about Paul’s thorn is this: it may have been carried out by Satan, but it was conceived by God! Whatever it was, it was part of God’s plan!

God could have kept Daniel out of the lions’ den- or kept Job from Satan’s assault- or the3 Hebrews out of the fiery furnace. However, God had a purpose for each of the trials they endured.

Don’t be sad because the roses have thorns, but rather rejoice because the thorns have roses.
Thorns outnumber roses 10 to 1!

If a man gives his wife Roses freshly picked- the wife wont look at bouquet and said “Why’d you bring me a bunch of thorns!?” No! Why can’t we be like that? We have all these good things-but focus on the thorns!

Would you be a better believer if all things went well? If you never had a hurt?
Or is it the opposite true?
There is a tendency and a temptation when things are going great to think that things are going so great, because you are so great, that God is so good to you, because you are so good to Him.

* This thorns Purpose was to Prevent Paul from getting proud.

That which hurt him helped him !!!!
“God resisteth the proud, but gives grace unto the humble”!

* When God allows some suffering in your life…

Do You GET THE POINT?

“THE END IS NEAR”

2007-03-08T20:14:00.000-08:00

“THE END IS NEAR”

In Matthew24:3 Jesus was asked, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?"

It is increasingly obvious that the time of our Lord's coming is drawing near. Prophecy is being fulfilled daily, and at a faster pace than ever before.
Even people who do not know the Bible can sense something is about to happen.

REMINDS ME OF THE MONKEY WHO ACCIDENTALLY GOT HIS TAIL CUT OFF AND THEN SAID, "IT WON'T BE LONG NOW."

I’m not saying for sure that it all will end today or tommorw- but I am saying it CAN!
Now his coming may not necessarily be immediate but it is always imminent.
"But of that day and hour no man knows, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only" (Mt. 24:36).

I think of the mirrors on our cars. On them are the words, "Objects are closer than they appear." The reason is that the mirror is convex, allowing a much wider angle of vision. The Bible gives us a wide angle vision of the future and everything seems to say, "The return of Jesus is closer than we may think."

Some may look at a sign that reads—THE BRIDGE IS OUT, and say, "Oh, someone is just trying to scare us into taking another road; let’s go on the same way." They go on and plunge to their death. The sign was not meant to scare people, but to warn them of impending danger. The sign was put there, because someone cared and didn’t want others to die.

God wants you to know, WHEN YOU SEE THESE THINGS COME TO PASS (the prophecies from the Bible in this message), KNOW YE THAT THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS NIGH AT HAND-Lk 21:31.

The amazing accuracy of prophecy is astounding! In reality, it is IMPOSSIBLE for a lost man to believe the 2nd Coming. That’s right! Any man that TRULY believes Jesus is Coming would be stirred to salvation!

Here are a few SIGNS of the TIMES that the END is NEAR!!

1.The RISE & RATE of Knowledge & Travel

Daniel 12:4 "But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase."
90% of all the engineers and scientists who have ever lived are alive today.

One super computer can do in a minute what it would have taken thousands of men a year to do. This is the age of information, communication, and transportation.

They don’t call it the INFORMATION SUPER HIGHWAY fornothing!

2. THE REALITY OF NUCLEAR WARFARE

Some signs sound strangely similar to plagues, like the effects of nuclear radiation. Zechariah foresaw these future plagues when he wrote, "And this shall be the plague...their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, and their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths" (Zech. 14:12-15).
hTis was a mystery to previous generations They could not comprehend what we easily assimilate.

Irate IRAN will soon have nuclear capability---so will South KOREA , andRUSSIA still does!

3. The REBIRTH of Israel

If you are not interested in Israel or in the Jewish people, then I know that two things must be true about you. On the one hand, you haven't been reading your newspaper, and on the other hand, you haven't been reading your Bible. I guarantee you if you will read your newspaper and you will read your Bible you will become vitally interested in the nation of Israel.

May 14th 1948 was the most important day in the 20th century

Israel Is the fig tree described in Matthew; "as soon as its branch becomes tender and starts putting forth its leaves", the end times are at hand (see Matt. 24:32-34). "who has heard of such things... shall a land be born in one day... shall a nation be delivered in one moment... yet as soon as Zion was in labor she delivered her children" (Isa. 66: 8-10, Mic 5:3.

Also, there is……………

4. The RETURN of Jews TO THEIR HOMELAND
*see Zephaniah 3:10-11

In 1984, Operation Moses saw the airlift of 15,000 Jews who had already fled to refugee camps in Sudan to escape starvation. In 1991, Operation Solomon flew 20,000 Jews to Israel from Ethiopia itself. A further airlift began in June of 1999, aimed at transporting the last 3,000 members of the Quara Jewish community from northeastern Ethiopia to Israel.
Israel's children are now, in our own time, returning home from Russia and other places in the world. "...as the Lord lives who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the north country and from all the countries where I had driven them... and they shall dwell in their own land" (Jer. 23.7-8).

5.THE RULE OF Jerusalem No Longer Gentile

Gentiles controlled Jerusalem from 70 A.D. until the Six Day War of 1967.
Jerusalem would be "trampled by the gentiles until the times of the gentiles is fulfilled" (Luke 21:24). The "times of the gentiles" has been fulfilled as a result of the Six Day War of 1967, since Jerusalem is now under the control of Israel. Therefore, since Jerusalem cannot be under gentile rule in the terminal age, the current situation of the Jews controlling Jerusalem is a sign that we are in the terminal age.

6. THE REBUILDING OF THE TEMPLE

For several end time prophecies to be fulfilled, the temple will have to be rebuilt.
In Revelation 11:2 John is told to measure it.
In Daniel 9:27 we see that the Antichrist will commit the abomination of desolation there.

Some archeologists believe that the temple mount is actually 340 feet south of the Dome of the Rock site, putting the Dome of the Rock within the Court of the Gentiles. This may be the court outside the temple that is left out.
A group in Israel called the Temple Mount Faithful have obtained most of the clothing, instruments and other equipment required for temple worship and are actively preparing for the laying of the third temple's cornerstone.

7. THE RED HEIFER

In recent years there has been the amazing APPEARANCE OF THE RED HEIFER AFTER 2000 YEARS
Numbers 19:2-7
A red heifer will be required to be used in the process of purification described in the book of Numbers.
In May 1997 the first Red Heifer was born in 2000 years. Another red Heifer was born in Israel in March of 2002.

8.The RELIGIOUS apostacy of the hour

New Age theories and philosophy –Secular humanism- no right or wrong Environmentalism, rampant pantheistic pagans worship Mother earth -not Father God, and are more concerned with bugs and birds than babies!

Matthew 24:5 "For many will come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and will mislead many."
Matthew 24:11 "And many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many."

In the last several years many have claimed to be the Messiah. Jim Jones and David Koresh are examples of these false christs as well as countless others who are not as newsworthy. These false prophets are a prelude to the ultimate false christ, the antichrist.

9.the RECENT PLAGUES & PHENOMENA
"there will be famines, pestilence, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows" (Matt. 24:7-8). AIDS, the Ebola Virus , the Asian bird flu and other diseases are proof that we are living in the terminal age .

Do I need to mention EARTHQUAKES ? The total number of earthquakes in recent years is indeed rising. For example, it was reported that in 1986, the total number of earthquakes was 12,718. In l990, it was 16,612. In 1994, it was 19,371.
This will culminate during the Battle of Armageddon. At that time, there will be an earthquake that will shake the world. The cities of the nations will fall. Every island will flee away.

10. THE REUNITED ROMAN EMPIRE

In Daniel 2:32-33, 2:40-43 we find that the 4th kingdom of iron is the Roman empire according to Daniel's interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar's dream. The two legs are the division of the Roman empire into an eastern portion called the Byzantine empire which ended in the 1400's and a western portion based in Rome which ended in the 400's.
The nations of Europe since the Roman empire dissolved have never adhered or formed one empire but continue as separate nations, however, the European Union now has 15 Member States and is preparing for the accession of 13 eastern and southern European countries.

On May 10, 2006 three members of a family in Florida became the first people to receive the biochip implant. Each device, made of silicon and called a VeriChip, is a small radio transmitter about the size of a piece of rice that is injected under a person's skin. It transmits a unique personal ID number whenever it is within a few feet of a special receiver unit. VeriChip's maker describes it as "a miniaturized, implantable, radio frequency identification device (RFID) that can be used in a variety of security, emergency and healthcare applications."

11. The RUMORS OF WAR

The winds of war are raging around us and the rest oftheworld ……Matthew 24:6 "And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.

Matthew 24:7 "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes."

More people were been killed in warfare in the 20th century than at any other time in history, and the 21st looks to surprise it. As the death toll rises in the Middle East, more and more countries work feverishly to develop devastating weapons of mass destruction. Add to that the expanding threat of terrorism and unpredictable dictators ALL OVER THE Middle and Far East, and the potential for the outbreak of war exists in nations, kingdoms and places across the globe.

12.The ReSEMBLENCE TO THE DAYS OF NOAH & LOT

"but as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be" (Matt. 24:36-39).

50 years ago, many people never locked their doors at night. People could leave their keys in their car. Merchants could leave their merchandise on the sidewalk without guards, and there was little or no profanity on television, radio, or in the movies. One of the biggest problems in public school was gum chewing. Those days are long gone.
And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold." (v.12) Three things always go together: lawlessness, lovelessness, and lukewarmness.

The end is NEAR the coast is CLEAR and we almost outta HERE!

If you knew that tomorrow was your last day on earth, how would you live differently? Luke 21:28
Jesus, speaking of His return, said, "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."

The END is NEAR!!!

A TITANIC TRUTH

2007-03-06T07:43:00.000-08:00

"A TITANIC TRUTH"

Guest Blog by Pastor Steve Powell

Pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church

Tillers Corner, Alabama

A few weeks back our family went to see the Titanic exhibition in Atlanta.

The exhibit is set up as an interactive tour. At the beginning of the tour, each person is given a card with the name of someone who was on the ship. You are given some slight biographical information on the person such as sex, age, reason for the trip, family on board, class of cabin, etc. but you are not told whether the person survived. It made for interesting conjecture among us, trying to figure out if “our” person “made it” or perished when Titanic went down. Since the great majority did not survive, you know from the beginning that the odds are against your passenger. If they were an adult male, the odds were even less. If you were a poor, adult, male, you didn’t hardly stand a chance. As we continued the tour, seeing all kinds of artifacts pulled from the wreckage, photos of the ship, and items about the voyage, the lighting grew more dim, and the atmosphere was purposely made more morbid and threatening. From the excitement of leaving port you moved to the horror of the collision with the iceberg. I had been given the name of an adult male, relatively poor. Viewing scenes of wreckage from the destruction of the great ship, I began to hope against hope, that “my” person somehow survived. At the end, I was not surprised, however, to find his name among those who were lost at sea. I heard someone say that it would be wonderful if a person could go back in time and warn the people about what was going to happen. “Think of all the lives you could save!” they said.

I, however, had the unpleasant knowledge that even a time traveler would have little or no effect on the fate of these people. If you could go back and be on Titanic, you would be utterly frustrated. No matter what you said, or how passionately you might plead, or how much proof you offered, almost everyone would continue on exactly as they had before. That is the nature of people. They would rather go on in ignorant bliss and would resent someone disturbing that bliss.

The worst part of all, is that you would be on board that ship with those same people that were destined for disaster. Even if your safety were guaranteed, if you knew that you would be whisked to safety right before the disaster, you would not be happy. You would mourn for the people that were going to die. They would not be mere names on a slip of paper. They would be living, breathing people, with hopes and dreams, and families. Some of them you might not like, and they might not like you. But some of them would become your friends. Some would be very likeable, admirable, warm and engaging people. You might even find some that were kin to you. And though you might enjoy their company, you would have the knowledge that each day you were drawing closer to at time when those same people would be crying in terror and pain, freezing or drowning in frigid waters. Some would be on lifeboats watching their husbands and fathers going under with the great ship. The weight of that knowledge would temper every thing that you experienced. Folks may tell you to “lighten up” and “quit being so dramatic” and maybe “have some fun”. After all, you were on an unsinkable luxury liner. Couldn’t you just relax and let everyone enjoy the trip?

Eventually you would be forced to make a decision, whether to “chill out” and let them go ignorantly to their deaths, or be a fanatic, a nuisance, and hope to convince some to be prepared for disaster. Either way, it would certainly be no vacation.
Fortunately we will never have to make that decision. The disaster of the Titanic is history now, and that page of time is forever turned. But, as Christians, we live, work and associate with people every day in a very similar circumstance. We have the certain knowledge of a great disaster for them that makes the sinking of the Titanic pale in comparison. That knowledge allows us to be safe from the horror but lays a heavy burden on our shoulders for the people we come in contact with. Our desire is to warn them about what is to come, but so very few will even heed the warning.

I listened to a certain radio host who was talking about going to pre-marital counseling with a Baptist preacher. The host said that the preacher had insulted him horribly and left a really bad taste in his mouth for organized religion. He said, “I go in there for marriage advice, and the first thing this guy asks me is, ‘Are you a Christian?’ I wanted to tell him that I was an idol worshipper. I mean, what an insulting question. How dare he ask that?”

As I listened I tried to comprehend why this man should feel so insulted. What if he had gone to a doctor for a checkup before his marriage and the doctor asked him, “Are you healthy? Do you have any major physical problems?” Would the radio host be insulted at the doctor’s question? In fact, the question asked by this preacher is exactly the first question that should have been asked. The Bible specifically states that a believer is not to be unequally yoked with an unbeliever. It is the same thing as marrying a live person to a dead one. The preacher was merely asking, “Are you alive?” It is more than a concern for this man’s marriage; it is concern for his eternal fate.

Most people in America consider themselves to be a Christian. They, like this radio host, are very insulted if you ask them about their spiritual condition. And yet, the Bible tells us that the vast majority of people, no matter what they call themselves, are doomed to an eternity of eternal damnation. Like the folks on the Titanic, they have contented themselves with false sense of security and do not want that feeling to be challenged. They are very resentful if you dare question it. If you had asked a passenger on the Titanic, “What will you do if the ship sinks?” You would probably been answered with a sharp rebuke for daring to ruin their voyage by making them think about such a thing. After all, they were on an unsinkable ship, what could go wrong?

In hindsight, we see that many things went wrong. The Titanic disaster has raised a lot of questions. Why did the ship not have enough lifeboats? Why was she moving so fast in an area noted for icebergs? Why did the ship sink so quickly? Why did the captain ignore repeated warnings? If hard questions had been asked before the ship left for sea, then there would not have been a disaster. Instead, buoyed by false confidence and arrogance, questions were put aside and the ship steamed full speed ahead to a terrible fate. Even as the ship was sinking, many refused to believe it was happening. That is the way that people are. We do things like avoiding medical checkups because we are afraid that the doctor might actually find something. After all, what we don’t know won’t hurt us. It might, however, just kill us. It might even doom us for all time.

Every day I see people that I know and love. I run into friends and strangers alike I see friends that I care about deeply. I see family that means the world to me. I wish I could pretend that they were all going to be safe and sound for all time. But I have the terrible knowledge that a great many of them are headed for disaster. They are cruising full speed ahead, heedless of warnings, confident in their safety, unquestioning of their future. They worry about retirement. They worry about mortgages. They worry about the stock market, college tuition and health costs. But very few of them worry about their eternal destiny. When we leave this planet, all the worries of this world will be left behind. Many will realize then, that there was only one concern that absolutely had to be acted upon here on this earth; where they ended up when up when their time was up.

False hope. False confidence. False assurance. It sent the Titanic to the bottom of the sea, and many of its passengers along with it. The same will send many a soul to Hell.

In the third chapter of the Gospel of John, a man named Nicodemus sneaks over to see Jesus in the night. Nicodemus is a religious leader; a Pharisee. He is a teacher of the Word of God. He is a leader of the people, an instructor in righteousness. He is worried about his eternal destiny. Jesus looks into the heart of Nicodemus and answers the question that has driven this man to lay aside his pride and to seek answers. Jesus tells him, “Verily, verily I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

Jesus elaborates, “Except a man be born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.”

That message, my friend, is to the point, final and unchangeable. It is the most important thing that you will ever hear or read. It holds the key to where you will spend your eternity also. Jesus answered not just for Nicodemus, but also for you and me. YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN!

This is the knowledge that bears such a weight in the heart of a true Christian. We know that unless a person is born again by the Spirit of God, they are doomed for eternity. They cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. Instead of being insulted, when asked whether he was a Christian, that radio host should have asked himself, “Have I ever been born again?” The question is not, have you ever been baptized, or have you ever joined the church, or have you ever prayed a prayer, or have you ever had a religious experience. The question is, have you ever been born again by the Holy Spirit of God?

It’s a question that every person needs to ask. It’s the most important question you will ever answer. It is a very specific question with very specific guidelines. You can only be born again by the blood of Jesus Christ. He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” (John 14:6) You can only come if the Holy Spirit convicts you of being a sinner. You must come with a repentant heart. You must come in faith, having nothing to offer for your salvation but the blood of Jesus. You must be born again!

I wish that every person had some sign that a pastor could see that would let them know who is saved and who is not. That knowledge, however, is only between each individual and God. The “proofs” of salvation are not for someone else to judge your eternal fate. They are given for you to know if you are saved. I can’t look at a diabetic and tell if they need insulin, at least not until they start showing severe symptoms. The diabetic person has to keep a check on their own blood sugar level, for their own benefit for their own well being. That is why God gives several “indicators” for each of us to check our spiritual health. You can call them “proof of life.”

First, have you ever come to Jesus in repentance and, in faith, asked Him to forgive you of your sin? Did you then make a public profession of your faith? That public profession does not save you, but it shows yourself and others that you really believe. Did you obey the first command of God to be baptized? (Again, the baptism does not save you, but it shows that you believe and obey, that you are willing to be identified with Jesus.) Do you have the witness of the Holy Spirit in your heart? Has God placed a love for the other children of God within you? Do you desire to please Jesus and to have a loving relationship with Him? Do you have any of the “fruits” of the Spirit, such as peace about your eternal fate, faith in the Word of God and love for others? If you cannot answer “yes” to these questions, then you need to realize that you may be on the road to eternal disaster.

People do not like to think about Hell. It is a very unpleasant topic. Jesus, however, spoke a lot about Hell. He was very specific about its reality. The icy waters of the North Atlantic provided only a few moments of suffering for those lost on the Titanic. Many of those same poor souls awoke in the flames of eternal damnation. In Luke, chapter 16, Jesus tells of a man suffering in the flames of hellfire, who begs for someone to go and tell his brothers to repent, that they would not come to the same horrible fate he suffered, but he is told that even if one rose from the dead to warn them, they would not repent. That is the way of people. We would rather stay comforted in false assurance, than take heed to an uncomfortable warning.

Jesus has risen from the dead. He has warned us. Pastors, preachers and evangelists proclaim over and over the dire warning of Almighty God. And yet, every day we pass through a world that is oblivious to the disaster waiting just ahead. Each person, charting his or her individual course of disaster. Full speed ahead. As I pass among them, I just want to grab, shake them and pound some sense into them, but I know it would do no good. The Bible tells us that only a small number will be saved, that only a portion will hear the truth. They did not listen to Jesus then and they are not listening to us now. So we go about with this terrible knowledge, while we shake hands at the grocery store, and enjoy a meal in restaurant, that the majority of those around us will perish. Even looking out over our own congregation, we know that there are those sitting on our pews that will never see the Kingdom of God. At family gatherings or with good friends, people that we really like and care about, that knowledge hangs over us. It is a burden that is almost crushing. Our best consolation is that God says that one day, He will wipe away the tears from our eyes.

Only God will be able to wipe them away those tears because it is a depressing and sorrowful thing to realize that people that we know and love are not going to make it. Some will find the narrow path to eternal life, but most will sail down that broad highway to destruction.
So, dear friend or family member, if you see me with a bit of sadness in my eyes, if I seem a might downcast sometimes, it is only because I care about you, and I worry about you, and I dearly hope that we will be able to share eternity together. Jesus Christ died for you and He loves you dearly. Friend, there is still time to turn your ship around. I pray that you will heed the warning. God, who knows the future, has reached out to you in time to save you. Now, how you receive that warning is entirely up to you.

Eternity awaits!

~Steve Powell

Pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church
Tillers Corner, Alabama

Your Sunday Best

2007-03-05T19:56:00.000-08:00

Your Sunday Best
Guest Blog By
Brother Ritechus N. Dignation

(sure to ignite & inspire .....)

I’m fired up again. I mean I’m really stirred up. I just came from church, but from the way folks were dressed, you would have thought we were at the county fair. Last week, I attended a funeral and the dearly departed was dressed better than the bereaved. I’ve seen folks dress better for a hog call’in.

It used to be that people took pride in themselves and dressed up for church, weddings, funerals and other special occasions. Now anything goes and nobody bats an eye at the sorry and ungodly way folks cover their hide (or don’t cover, in some cases).

Now I know the old argument “What’s on the inside is more important than what’s on the outside”, is technically true, but the label on a can also tells you what’s inside. My wife used to buy those unlabeled, dented cans for a quarter at the grocery store, but I got tired of eat’in cat food casserole. What’s on the outside is pretty important in my book.

My wife and daughter went to a bridal shower where the bride and other guests wore tacky jeans and shorts. They were out of place in their nice skirts and dress shoes. People tell me to loosen up cause times have changed. Dadgum right and that’s the problem. A sense of propriety, pride and decency have been lost in this generation and no one seems to care or notice but old fogeys like me. We’ve come a long way, baby, but we’re going in the wrong direction.

Nakedness in public is the norm, and not just from the younger folks. I see older people who know better, showing way too much skin, from top to bottom. Mothers and Grandmothers ought to be ashamed for leading young girls astray. The Bible says the older women are to teach the younger and brother they’ve done exactly that, but they have put the emphasis on modern apparel and not modest apparel.

And preacher, dress up. Comb your hair, tuck in your shirt and put on a tie. It ain’t gonna kill you to look professional. After all, you can’t out dress your calling.

Brother Ritechus N. Dignation.
Joseph Harris

Modern Martyrdom?

2007-02-26T10:21:00.000-08:00

“It may seem an extreme assertion at first, but I believe that the challengeof living with popular culture may well be as serious for modern Christians as persecution and plaques were for the saints of earlier centuries. Being thrown to the lions or living in the shadow of gruesome death are fairly straightforward if unattractive threats. Enemies that come loudly andvisibly are usually much easier to fight than those that are undetectable.”
-Ken Myers

Co-exisiting with today’s popular culture is certainly a challenge for Christians and Christianity itself.
Amazingly, most modern believers are advocating following popular culture and pursuing the world, using it and its ways as a model!

But the Bible bodly says the exact opposite! Ro 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Believers are to be "in the world, not of the world." The Bible is clear on the subject, and is in fact almost unsettling as it says: 1John 2:15"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

Temptations to follow the world and its ways are certainly strong. Can these really compare with the ones of saints under persecution in the past? Not to the same extent, but I think the point certainly deserves attention and awareness.

Christians, especially those who are parents of young children and teenagers, are being attacked by snipers on all fronts, often ignorant that they are even being fire d upon until they take more than one direct hit. When dealing with active persecution, it is easier to see the enemy. It is when the enemy is concealed that the fighting becomes more difficult.

Never before has culture been so pervasive and even a necessary for communication. Aside from language and politics ( Government), it used to be in America and the world that one was able to raise their family within clearly defined moral exposure. Unless war called people away to foreign ports (and exposure to foreign substances and social mores) a person who did not want to be exposed to certain things, or whodidnot want his children exposed, could control this.

No longer.

Unless one literally lives in a cave (without electricity) they and their children know who Britney Spears, Anna Nicole and Monica Lewisky are and why they are (ahem) "Famous”.

For two years my wife and I did not have a TV and still heard about all these things.
Children suffer the most.

To take a laxidacal attitude is to say “Okay I recant”

Read Foxes book of Martyrs lately?

If you do- it will remind you of your responsibility in such matters even though it deals with fire and Sword, something (or someone) inside us is stirred by such.

Coincidence?............. Or conscience?

Are you being burned? Or are you already assimilated and unaware?

More Myers....

"...popular culture's greatest influence is in the way it shapes how we think and feel (more than what we think and feel) and how we think and feel about thinking and feeling."

"Popular culture is in many ways a very trivial matter...but its triviality , while making it seem innocuous, also enables it to be extremely pervasive, and that is its most toxic quality"

2007-02-26T09:12:00.000-08:00

Take Your Medicine

A woman runs into the psychiatrist's office yelling, "Doctor I think I'm a set of curtains!" The doctor said, "pull yourself together!"

A man bursts into a psychiatrist's office, interrupting an important phone call, and screams "Doctor, you've got to help me! I think I'm a deck of cards!" The doctor replied, "I'll deal with you later!"

A kleptomaniac went to see a psychiatrist. He gave her something to take.

(insert your own badum Csh! sound effect and canned laughter)
I think you see the pattern!

These jokes (or feeble attempts at them) are to illustrate how the ridiculous requires the ridiculous. Or as the old saying says, "Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer".

Ok, maybe the last one didn't illustrate that, but I thought it was funny. Anyway…..

As a minister I get this a lot. People mess up their lives and then come to me with questions that have all too painfully obvious answers.

It would be funny, if it wasn't so tragic.

"Preacher my marriage is falling apart!" I feel like answering, "Maybe because you threw it down and stomped on it so many times?"
or
"Preacher I'm at the end of my rope financially" and I fell like answering "Maybe because you have been swinging on it like Tarzan with credit cards and spending sprees?"

You get the idea. I am guilty also, as are all others on Earth.

Maybe , we should go to the Great Physician BEFORE we reach such sad states.

Then we need to take his prescription, no matter how bad the medicine tastes going down.

Gulp!

THE APATHY OF PROFANITY

2007-02-20T23:54:00.000-08:00

THE APATHY OF PROFANITY

When you mention to others their foul language, usually the reaction is "whatever".

One day a man was in the hospital and had a stream of visitors from his church. Two men had stopped by, when their quiet conversation was interrupted by another patient's peppery language from behind the curtain. Before leaving, the visitors read some Scripture and prayed. After they left, the roommate loosed another string of expletives and then sheepishly confessed, "If I had known one of those guys was a minister, I'd have watched my #%*@! language." "Oh?" the man replied, "Well actually, theywere the deacons in the church. I'm the minister."

I suppose most ministers could share a similar story. There have been numerous times when someone let profanity slip in my presence and would hasten to say, "Sorry, Preacher." To which, I usually respond soemthing similiar to: "I appreciate your sensitivity, but you need not direct your apology to me, only to God."

The tragedy today is there are many people who have become so habituated to unclean talk that they are unaware they are using it.

A Brief History of *&%@!

Emperor Caligula of ancient Rome responded to his critics by extending his crooked arm in an obscene gesture. That same gesture is still used today nearly 20 centuries later, particularly in Europe.

Scholars have discovered profanity carved in Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Chaucer, medieval poet-author of The Canterbury Tales, peppered his language with obscenities, but not everyone followed suit immediately. Jonathan Swift, whose biting satire was often was often criticized, chose milder language, once objecting to the use of the word "mob" because it was too vulgar.

In the Victorian era of the 19th century, "leg" was considered sexually explicit, the terms "lib" and lower extremity were substituted.

In the 1930's free-speech cases were won on behalf of James Joyce and other authors whose language reached a new level of profanity.

After World War II public swearing increased dramatically as soldiers brought home their barracks vocabulary.

President Truman's freedom in swearing was once a significant campaign issue, and President Kennedy was once criticized for repeating favorite profane phrase of his father.

The Vietnam era brought profanity to an all-time high as anti-war activists used graphic sexual language to emphasize their anger and to draw attention to their message.

Scholars say that swearwords have not changed much over the years. People today are using the same cursed words Benjamin Franklin used in his day.

Nowadays, even some Christian ministers use profanity, usually with the rationalization that it helps make a point.

Where will it end? Or will it just get worse?

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU'VE HAD ENOUGH PROFANITY

LIGHT HUMOR:
Very carefully and tactfully used, light humor can be employed to criticize the offender. This is most effective with friend and depends on good taste and timing.

THE SILENT TREATMENT:
Since conversations depend on give and take, a sudden refusal to respond will be noticeable. In response to offensive language, total failure to answer, or an awkward pause before answering, will signal that something is wrong. In a quiet, controlled social setting, silence is often the best choice and can be accompanied by a meaningful look.

NONVEBAL RESPONSE:
Folded arms, scowl, looking away, or turning away to speak to someone else are common body language signals to report that offence has been taken at the use of profanity. Visibly wincing at obscenities indicates hurt and displeasure.

ASSERTIVENESS:
A very simple, tactful statement is sometimes used to point out what might have become an unconscious habit of swearing.
Keep your words polite, calm and to the point, something like "Excuse me. I wish you wouldn't use that kind of language. It offends me." When done correctly, such statements are unarguable and answerable. A polite Christian witness can also be used something like, "Since I gave my life to Jesus Christ, that kind of language offends me."

HOW ABOUT YOU?

Are you guilty...or do you even care? (apathy)
...and remember:
"Profanity is the sign of a weak mind trying to express itself forcibly".

Gizzard Getting

2007-02-08T22:12:00.000-08:00

Things That Just Rip My Gizzard
by

Ritechus N. Dignation

I have a list of things that really get next to me. I mean these things just chap my hide, rip my gizzard and generally hack me off. Everyone probably has a list like this. Ever' once in a while, it's good to blow off a little steam, so here are some things that are on my hit list.

(1) Church Fundraisers- The Lord's got a plan for financing His church and her ministries. That plan don't include selling donuts, having spaghetti suppers, holding car washes and rafflin' off the family dog. God's plan is called the "open your wallet and give cheerfully" plan. Church members ought to tithe and give above the tithe for special things. If the young'uns want to go on a trip, the church ought to be able to take care of it, instead of sendin' them traipsin' up and down the streets sellin' junk that nobody wants to buy anyway. Why, if ever'body in every church just tithed, the church would have to hold special meetin's just to figure out how to use all the extra money for the Lord's work.

(2) Unfaithful Church Workers- The sorry way in which elected workers treat the Lord's work is a shame. I've seen Sunday School teachers not show up and never tell 'nary a soul they weren't coming. I've seen committees elected to take care of important business (any business for the Lord is important) and never hold the first meetin'. If they performed on their money payin' job the way they work for the church, they would be fired before noon on Monday. The Lord's work is not second rate.

(3) Stingy Church Treasurers- Let me explainify. I'm talkin' about treasurers who treat the church's money as their own private stash. In one church I pastored, the treasurer had a coniption every time the church voted to spend a penny. The church once voted to spend $50.00 on needed supplies. When I went to the money man for a check, he balked, turned red in the face, wrote the check and threw it at me. I considered givin' him a holy slap, but declined. The church voted to spend that money. Well, he later resigned and we commenced with spendin'.

(4) Dead Preachin'- Nothing is harder to endure than dead preachin'. Old Brother E. M. Bounds used to say, "Dead men preach dead sermons, and dead sermons kill." I know a preacher who literally puts the congregation to sleep. His people say church is where they get their best nap. Late one night, one of his members couldn't get to sleep, so she called up this preacher and asked him to give her a little devotion on the phone. She was snoozin' in no time.

Now, I know what your thinkin', and No, the preacher don't have to rant, rave, yell, stomp, snort and foam at the mouth to give some good preachin'. Ever'body's different. But every preacher ought to be excited and enthusiastic about his message. And folks can tell if you ain't.

Now I feel better
Brother Ritechus N. Dignation
(This article may be reprinted in whole)

A Whole Lotta Nothing GoingOn

2007-02-08T22:10:00.000-08:00

The Wickedness of Nothingness

The English philosopher and politician Edmund Burke once said, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." This often used quote from the 18th century is still true today. Look at this spiritual parallel in a parable from Jesus found in Matthew 25:14-30, as I borrow, then expand upon a few thoughts from Harold Leytham and Danny Cresswell.
A master left different numbers of talents with three stewards, with expectations for all. The first two multiplied their talents, but the third steward buried his so he could return it to his master. Upon returning, the master was displeased, because he had expectations and they were not fulfilled. The point of the parable: it is wicked to do nothing when something can be done.
The word "wicked" can mean evil, lewd, malicious, or hurtful. Jesus did not use the word often and used it only three times when referring to individuals. Why was this servant wicked? Not because he lied. He was actually honest and admitted to burying the talent. Did he receive it dishonestly? No, it was given to him in good faith. Was he immoral with the talent, like the prodigal son? No. So why was he wicked? Because he did nothing with the talent. Doing nothing when something can be done is wicked, according to Jesus.
There is a high cost in nothingness. If anyone has gifts or talents and they do not use them, there will be a cost, "for it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful." How could it possibly be costly to do nothing? Consider these examples:

Physically, there is a cost in nothingness. If you sit in a wheelchair or stay in bed for six months and never get up and use your legs, it will cost. Your legs will become useless and you will have to learn to walk again. If you place a patch over one eye and stop using the eye, the eye will get weak and have to be exercised for use again. It will cost to do nothing.

Socially, there is a cost in nothingness. If you ever purpose in your heart to lose friends, there are two options. First, be mean and hurtful, curse and slander them and tell them to get lost. That would probably work. Or you could try option number two. Do nothing. Never visit with them, do not return their calls, ignore them, and eventually they will go away. Simply doing nothing can cost greatly. Many have been lost to nothingness.

In your family, there is a great cost in nothingness. If you as a reprobate wanted to corrupt your children so they would turn out rotten, you could teach them to do wrong, steal, give instruction in lying, etc. or you could do nothing. Just let them go and let depravity run its crooked little course. Never teach them standards, convictions or restraints. Let them do anything they want to do and let them watch anything they desire to watch on TV or video and they will move on from Sesame Street to MTV and graduate on to HBO. Just do nothing and they will corrupt in a natural progression of events.

Agriculturally, there is a cost in nothingness. After planting a garden, you could transplant Johnson grass, clover, briars and weeds, in order to choke out the vegetables and lose your crop. Or if you really want to lose your garden, just do nothing. Never fertilize, never irrigate, never cultivate, and I guarantee you will lose the garden. It will cost to do nothing.

For any church, there is a severe cost in nothingness. The pastor could run ads and pass out flyers advertising the closing of his church, followed by members passing along the closing by word of mouth. Or everyone could just do nothing. Don't win souls, don't tithe, don't attend, etc., and eventually the church will close. Just do nothing.

If you could donate blood to save a life and you did nothing, would you be guilty of a death? If you could call 911 and save a life and you did nothing, would you be guilty? Do you know what you need to do to go to an eternal lake of fire? You could sin like the devil, drink, dope, fornicate, lie, steal, or you could do nothing. Just never repent and accept Jesus as Savior and you will go to an eternal lake of fire of punishment as a member of Adam's fallen race.

Is nothingness wicked? Jesus said it was. Are you doing something or nothing?

by Joseph Harris

NIP IT IN THE BUD

2006-12-15T21:15:00.000-08:00

NIP IT IN THE BUD

Possibly the five wisest words ever spoken on network TV were spoken by Barney Fife on the Andy Griffith Show in the 1960's.
Barney: "Nip it in the bud! You got to nip it in the bud! ... Nip it! You go read any book you want on the subject of child discipline, and you'll find that every one of 'em is in favor of bud-nippin'... Only one way to take care of it."
Andy: "Nip it." Barney: "In the bud."

"Nip it in the Bud!" Now there's an excellent philosophy, but it didn't originate with Barney Fife.

A bud is a flower before it blooms. In early spring "buds" begin to appear on my cherry trees. It isn't too long until the bud blooms into a flower. After that comes the fruit and the seed for another cherry tree.

To "nip it in the bud," is to cut off the bud before it can flower and produce seed. It is an idiom that means deal with a potential problem before it can grow into something serious or disaster. Nipping it in the bud keeps a situation or thing from blooming into a full scale sin.
To nip a process in the bud is to stop it from flowering completely.

That is a picture of what James 1:14-15 is saying.
· The bud of sin is found the temptation to lust.
· To nip sin in the bud means to cut off the enticement that tempts us to lust.
James 1:27 admonishes the Christian "to keep himself unspotted from the world." Don't allow sin to even get started in your life!