Some of the greatest men and women have been saddled with disabilities and adversities but have managed to overcome them. Cripple him, and you have a Sir Walter Scott. Lock him in a prison cell, and you have a John Bunyan. Bury him in the snows of Valley Forge, and you have a George Washington. Raise him in abject poverty, and you have an Abraham Lincoln. Strike him down with infantile paralysis, and he becomes a Franklin D. Roosevelt. Burn him so severely that the doctors say he will never walk again, and you have a Glenn Cunningham, who set a world's record in 1934 for running a mile in 4 minutes 6.7 seconds. Deafen a genius composer, and you have a Ludwig van Beethoven. Have him or her born black in a society filled with racial discrimination, and you have a Booker T. Washington, a Harriet Tubman, or a George Washington Carver. Make him the first child to survive in a poor Italian family of eighteen children, and you have an Enrico Caruso. Have him born of parents who survived a Nazi concentration camp, paralyse him from the waist down when he is four, and you have an incomparable concert violinist, Itzhak Perlman. Call him a slow learner, "retarded", and write him off as ineducable, and you have an Albert Einstein.
Not in Unbelief.
Voltaire was an infidel of the most pronounced type. He wrote: "I wish
I had never been born."
Not in Pleasure.
Lord Byron lived a life of pleasure, if anyone did. He wrote: "The worm,
the canker and the grief are mine alone."
Not in Money.
Jay Gould, the American millionaire, had plenty of that. When dying he said:
"I suppose I am the most miserable man on earth."
Not in Position or Fame.
Lord Beaconsfield enjoyed more than his share of both. He wrote: "Youth
is a mistake; mankind a struggle; old age, a regret."
Not in Military Glory.
Alexander the Great conquered the known world in his day. Having done so, he
wept, because, he said, "There are no more worlds to conquer."
Where, then, is Happiness found?
The answer is simple: In Christ alone. He said, "I will see you again,
and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you."
A mother's thanksgiving prayer
Lord, thank You for this sink of dirty dishes; we have good food to eat.
Thank You for this big pile of dirty clothes; there's no doubt we have plenty
of things to wear.
Thank You for these unmade beds; they were clean and comfortable last night.
Thank You for this finger-smudged refrigerator; it has served us faithfully
for a long time.
Thank You for the tall grass that needs mowing; we enjoy our spacious yard.
Thank You for that slamming door; the children are healthy and able to run and
play.
A businessman who suffered from insomnia was asking a friend how he managed to sleep so soundly at night.
"Do you count sheep?" he asked.
"No," came the reply. "I just talk to the Shepherd."
A man may go to heaven without health, without wealth, without fame, without a great name, without learning, without culture, without friends, without ten thousand other things. But he can never go to Heaven without Christ!
Do you know how many members of the Tate family belong to your church? There is old man Dic Tate who wants to run everything, while Uncle Ro Tate tries to change everything. Their sister Agi Tate stirs up plenty of trouble, with help from her husband, Irri Tate.
Whenever new projects are suggested, Hesi Tate and his wife, Vege Tate, want to wait until next year. Then there is Aunt Imi Tate, who wants our church to be like all the others. Devas Tate provides the voice of doom, while Poten Tate wants to be a big shot.
But not all members of the Tate family are bad. Brother Facili Tate is quite helpful in church amtters. And a delightful, happy member of the family is Miss Felici Tate. Cousins Cogi Tate and Medi Tate are always thinking things over and lend helpful, steady hands. And of course there is the black sheep of the family, Ampu Tate who has cut himself off from the church.
Christian Youth mocked for giving out tracts- by their own church.
I was absolutely flabbergasted by this staggering recent report from a correspondent in Qld: M., C., and A. handed out many tracts in the CBD. They also placed them on every seat and in every phone booth and ATM around. These three have a very strong conviction for the young people that are misled and confused, and are headed for Hell. They copped a load of flack from their friends who go to their church (Baptist). If they were not sincere, the verbal abuse that was thrown at them would have turned them off, but they have bought more of "This is your life" and "Somebody loves you" to continue to do the same thing every couple of weeks. So we are praying that the Lord will use the tracts to stir and convict someone of their need of the Saviour. We also pray for the protection of all servants of the Lord, as satan must hate them.
As well as this, Christian youth are reportedly busily drinking up all the latest foul waters coming out of Hollywood. Youth are lapping up the immorality and lax standards of corrupt modern movies and television, with no show of discernment or regard for holiness. They rave about the latest vile and filthy movie, without any shame about its godless content. The tide of evil is flooding into young minds unabated. Where are the pastors and youth leaders who will help deliver our young people who are in danger of drowning spiritually by swallowing this toxic material?
A little boy Tran went through "Beginners" studies and was charged by his pastor with this goal: "go back to your town and share the Lord with at least five other non-believers."
One moth later his pastor received a call from Tran, who asked him to come and take a baptismal service. "Why, do you have five souls to be baptised?" the pastor asked. Tran replied, "No, Sir, but..."
The pastor, a busy man, said, "Brother, do you know how far it is to your town, and how expensive it is to get there? How come you ask for a pastor without even five people to be baptised?" Tran replied: "No, I do not have five souls, but I do have five villages." The overwhelmed pastor found himself faced with the task of baptising 753 people. (Greg O'Connor, Open Doors, 1/97)
Doctor Peter Ruckman in his commentary on Galatians-Colossians tells of a man who joined the U.S. Army in 1938 as a born again Christian, but completely lost his testimony. He was captured when the Philippines fell, somehow survived the infamous Bataan death march, and 2 years as a P.O.W. under the Japanese.
One night when his jailers were full of saki he slipped out of a porthole, made it to a nearby island, and passed out. He came to at noon to find the ship had left. For five days he lived on whatever he could forage before he became aware of military activity on the other side of the island. Waiting till it was near dark he cautiously approached and saw American helmets and landing craft. Joyously he broke cover and ran towards them but was stopped in mid-stride by a challenge: "Stop, you --!" Give the password."
He suddenly realised his short stature, emaciated state and hear nakedness made him look Japanese. He said, "I-I don't know the password. My name is --, my serial number is --. I joined up in 1938 in Maryland. I'm a G.I." In return he heard the terrifying sound of the sentry drawing back the bolt and shooting the cartridge into the breech.
"Sorry, buddy. I got orders to shoot anyone from the General down who dunno the password."
He cried out, "I don't know. I escaped off the ship. Don't kill me after all I've been through- You don't know. Look at me! I'm a G.I."
The sentry raised his rifle, "Sorry, buddy. I got orders. Prepare to die."
He screamed out, "If you're gonna kill me, please- let me pray first!"
The sentry relented, "O.K. Go on and pray. I'll give ya ten seconds."
He fell to his knees and said, "Lord they're gonna kill me. I wanted to get home but you won't let me. I'll see you in a minute. I've lived like a devil and don't deserve anything. When I see You, I don't want you to remember my good deeds any more than my sins. Just remember Jesus Christ. I just want You to see the Blood."
He fell silent and waited for the bullet. Instead he heard the sentry say quietly, "That's the password (Blood). C'mon in." You see, they used passwords with "L" in them, because Japanese pronounced it "R". (Judges 12:5, 6; Exodus 12:12, 13). At the time of writing that man was pastor of a small church in Pennsylvania. (Sent by Ken, Camp Hill, Qld)
Oh how well I remember,
In the old fashioned days,
When some old-fashioned people
had some old-fashioned ways,
In the old-fashioned meetings
As we tarried there,
In the old-fashioned manner,
how God answered their prayer.
(Chorus:)
'Twas an old-fashioned meeting,
in a old-fashioned place,
Wear some old-fashioned people
had some old-fashioned grace,
As an old-fashioned sinner,
I began to pray,
And God heard me, and saved me
In the old-fashioned way.
-There was singing, such singing of such,
old-fashioned airs.
There was power, such power,
In those old-fashioned prayers;
An old-fashioned conviction
Made the sinner pray;
And the Lord heard and saved him,
In the old-fashioned way.
Well they say it is better,
"Things have changed, don't you know?",
and the people in genr'l seem to think it is so,
And they call me old-fashioned
when I dare to say,
That I liked it far better
In the old-fashioned way.
If the Lord never changes
as the fashions of men,
If He's always the same,
why He is old-fashioned, then.
As an old-fashioned sinner,
Saved through old-time grace,
O, I'm sure He will take me
to an Old-fashioned place.
Andrew Meekens, an elder in the International Evangelical Church of Addis Ababa, was one of those who died in November when a hijacked Ethiopian jet ran out of fuel and crashed near the Comoros Islands. According to survivors of the crash, Meekens stood up and spoke to calm the passengers on the Ethiopian Airlines flight after the pilot announced that he would attempt an emergency landing. Meekens then presented the Gospel of Jesus Christ and invited people to respond. A surviving flight attendant said that about 20 people accepted salvation, including a fellow flight attendant who did not survive the crash. (CMAA newsletter, 2/97)
Heavenly Father, we ask Your forgiveness and seek Your direction and guidance.
We confess the following:
We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it moral pluralism;
We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternate lifestyle;
We have exploited the poor and called it lottery;
We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation;
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare;
We have killed our unborn children and called it choice;
We have saved dolphins from suicide as we killed our own people with lethal
injections;
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building esteem;
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom
of expression;
We have ridiculed the time honoured values of our fore fathers and called it
enlightenment.
(Manning Valley Monitor)
Thank you God for the gift of me
Whatever I am, however I may be
I look different from others but I'm meant to be
So thank you God for the gift of me.
If the passage of life is a race to be run
There are those who scramble to claim that they've won
But I run my race with a spirit that's free
So thank you God for the gift of me.
I might not look much, might not have any skills
But I try in my way to help others with ills.
And when my race is run and a new world I see
I shall thank you God for the gift of me.
(Keith Murray; Ps. 139:14)
Every sin must have a reaping,
Every deed to judgment come.
For a holy God is righteous,
Sinners meet the wrongs they've done.
O, how fearful are the wages
Paid for sin, whose end is death.
But the sin of all who trust Him
Jesus paid with dying breath.
Sweet the gift of life eternal
Offered all in Jesus' name,
And the uttermost salvation
Brings forgiveness for sin's shame.
How may one obtain salvation,
Have forgiveness for His sin?
Trust in Jesus Christ for pardon,
Open now your heart to Him!
Formula for failure - try to please everybody.
It is related of an atheist who was dying that he appeared very uncomfortable, very unhappy and frightened. Another atheist who stood at his bedside said to him: "Don't be afraid. Hold on, man, hold on to the last."
The dying man said: "That is what I want to do, but tell me what to hold on to?"
A man named Richmond dropped a Christian tract on a pavement in England and prayed that a bad man would pick it up. A bad man did pick it up. He carried the tract to prison and he was converted. He wrote "Pilgrim's Progress", which turned millions of people to righteousness. The book is second only to the Bible in sales.
"How can a God of love send a man to hell?" someone asked John Seddon. "I will ask you another question, by way of reply... How can a God of righteousness take a sinner and rejector to Heaven?"
Tomorrow, he promised his conscience,
Tomorrow I mean to believe,
Tomorrow I'll think as I ought to,
Tomorrow my Saviour receive.
Tomorrow I'll conquer the habits
That hold me from heaven away,
But ever his conscience repeated
One word and one only, Today.
Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow-
Thus day after day it went on,
Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow,
'Till youth like a vision was gone.
'Till age in his passions had written
The message of fate on his brow,
And forth from the shadows came Death
With a pitiless syllable - Now.
What will you do with Jesus?
The call comes low and clear;
The solemn words are sounding
Now in your listening ear.
I became a Christian as a senior High School pupil... During years in the Army I became an agnostic. After the war, having married a dedicated Christian, I was forced into the position of searching out the truth concerning God and the Bible. Starting from scratch, I checked the historical records of the Bible against the historian's history of the world. After further checks from the various archaeologists I became convinced the Bible was accurate historically.
I then searched the pages of the Bible for evidence of the Bible being inspired by God, and found this in the prophecies that had been fulfilled by archaeologists and history generally.
Having became satisfied with the dependability of the Bible I then had to find out which church was correct. After comparing the general beliefs from Encyclopaedia Brittanica and pamphlets from the various churches in Australia, with the statements from the Bible, I have come to rest on my present understanding of the Bible. For over 40 years I have been endeavouring to improve my knowledge of the Lord's will and way. (Owen Wainwright, Bass Hill, NSW)
I asked God to take away my pride, and God said "No!"
It was not for Him to take away, but for me to give up.
I asked God to make my disabled child whole, and God said, "No!"
He said, "Her spirit is whole, her body is only temporary."
I asked God to grant me patience, and God said, "No!"
Patience is a by-product of tribulation. It isn't granted, it's earned."
I asked God to give me happiness, and He said, "No!"
He said He gives me blessings, happiness is up to me.
I asked God to spare me pain and God said "No!
Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to Me."
I asked God to make my spirit grow and He said, "No!"
I must grow on my own, but I will be in Heaven some day because I believe.
I asked God to help me love others as much as He loves me, and God said,
"Ah, finally you have the right idea!"
Going into a church doesn't make a Christian any more than going into a garage
makes a mechanic.
When one compares the Quran and the Bible - it's no contest, The Bible is 66 books written by 40 different prophets and apostles, in 3 languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek), on 3 continents (Africa, Asia, and Europe), over 1,500 years. The Quran is one book, written by one author, in one language, in one geographic area, over 23 years.
Even the Quran acknowledges that Jesus Christ was miraculously born of a virgin, was holy and faultless, performed miracles, healed the sick and raised the dead. Muhammed, however, was a trader who transported and sold slaves. He was also a slave owner. This we learn from the Muslim's own holy writings - the Hadith. One of Muhammed's 14 wives, Aisha, was only 9 years old when he married her. (According to the laws of most countries in the world that constitutes child abuse.) Muhammed attacked caravans for loot and had over 600 Jewish men in Medina dig their own mass grave before having them slaughtered. Their wives and children were then sold as slaves. All these are facts recorded in the Hadith.
Unlike the Quran, the Bible is convincingly attested to by countless miracles and detailed prophecies. If you visit Medina you can see the tomb where Muhammed is buried. But if you visit Jerusalem you will find an empty tomb. The Lord Jesus Christ has risen. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No-one comes to the Father except by Him. (Frontline Fellowship, 1/97)
Islam is nothing more than a revival of the ancient Moon-god cult. It has taken the symbols, the rites, the ceremonies, and even the name of its god from the ancient pagan religion of the Moon-god. Allah was originally a little idol, sitting in the Kabah in Mecca, along with the idols of his three daughters. (Battle Cry, 6/96)
During the last war an English farmer sent a contribution to a mission group, making apology for the smallness of the gift, "due to dry weather and the lack of water on his farm." He added a request that the staff pray that no German bombs fall on his property.
The leader of the mission answered, thanking him for his gift, but saying that they were only praying "The Lord's will be done" as far as the bombs were concerned. The answer was somewhat of a puzzle to the farmer who had so earnestly requested prayer for God's protection.
The farmer's faith was severely shaken when, not too long after, a huge bomb shook the earth with a deafening roar, breaking windows and tearing things up in general. "Is this the Lord's will?" questioned the man. "Should this happen to me?" But investigation showed no damage to any livestock or to his family. And what should rise from the bottom of the still-smoking crater but a gushing spring of crystal-clear water!
The next harvest a much-enlarged cheque arrived at the mission as the man wrote of the blessing that the bomb had been to him and his water-needy neighbours. This was better than having no bomb fall!
When we have prayed, and what we have feared comes, look for the springs of God's blessings! (J. W. Mellick)
What we need are more Christians who quietly but effectively do their jobs like a hammer. A hammer keeps its head; it doesn't fly off the handle; it keeps pounding away; it finds the point quickly and drives it home; and perhaps most important, it is the only knocker in the world that accomplishes anything worthwhile! Consider the hammer, and follow its example in your daily walk with Christ.
Live every day as though it's your last. Some day you'll be right.
If you should find the perfect church
Without one fault or smear.
For goodness sake don't join that church
You'd spoil the atmosphere.
If you should find the perfect church
Where all anxieties cease,
Then pass it lest by joining it
You spoil the masterpiece.
If you should find the perfect church
Then don't you ever dare
To tread upon such holy ground
You'd be a misfit there.
But since no perfect church exists
Made of perfect men,
Let's cease on looking for that church,
And LOVE the church we're in.
Of course it's not the perfect church,
That's simple to discern,
But you and I and all of us
Could cause the tide to turn.
What fools we are to flee our past
In that unfruitful search
To find, at last, where problems loom,
God proudly builds HIS CHURCH. (Anon; sent by Leone, Medina, WA)
To attract churchgoers today, you've got to please the consumers. That means high-tech entertainment. Day care. Self-help groups. No pleas for money. No Bible thumping. Happy customers from California to Maryland are eating up "fast-food religion" this Easter. Pastor Bill Hybel's answer for getting 30- and 40-year-olds into the tent: Marketing. Ask consumers what they want, then let them (as they say at Burger King) have it their way. (USA Weekend: Article re "New Time" religion)
When William Booth first set eyes on the city of London in 1849, he exclaimed, "What a city to save!" He would devote his entire life to that burden. At one time he broke down, crying out, "Oh God, what can I say? Souls! Souls! Souls! My heart hungers for souls!" With hundreds of "Christian" organisations in operation today, where is the parallel to a sickly William Booth planting his Salvation Army in 58 countries while preaching the Gospel in over 34 languages?
Where is the modern equivalent to the staying power of the preachers of yesteryear? Of all ministerial graduates of Yale from 1702-1775, 79 percent served one parish their entire life.
How many missionaries have you heard of like William Carey who taught himself six languages and stayed on the field for forty-two years without a furlough to translate the Scriptures into 44 languages and dialects?
Do you know of a prayer warrior like George Mueller who without a single stewardship program, "Jesus First" pin, Giant Print Bible or 800-toll free number prayed in $7.5 million dollars to feed 2,000 orphans daily, not to mention distributing 111 million Gospel tracts and 300,000 Bibles while supporting 163 missionaries as well? He also read the Bible through over 200 times and went on a nineteen-year, 200,000-mile evangelistic circuit after he was seventy years old.
Would you prefer to discuss the subject of Holy Spirit power? In Charles Finney's day, sea captains testified that conviction broke out among passengers as their ships neared ports where revival was in progress.
When did you last see figures like 50,000 souls out of a total New England population of 300,000 coming to Christ during the Great Awakening of 1740-1770?
Over 10,000 residents of White Clay Creek, Pennsylvania, listened in profound silence to a Whitfield sermon for one and one-half hours through steady rain, and in December no less.
Crowds in excess of 6,000 began assembling at 6.00 am for the first of four daily preaching services by Evangelist Sam Jones- during the four consecutive weeks of his Nashville campaign. (There were over 10,000 additions to the area churches with the city's entire population numbering only 50,000.
How would today's cream puff, Rolex watch-wearing "reverends" compare with the calibre of their rugged predecessors as epitomised by the following excerpt from an anonymous Baptist circuit rider's correspondence in 1803:
Every day I travel I have to swim through creeks or swamps, and I am wet from head to feet, and some days from morning to night I am dripping with water... I have rheumatism in all my joints... What I have suffered in body and mind my pen is not able to communicate to you. But this I can say: While my body is wet with water and chilled with cold my soul is filled with heavenly fire, and I can say with St. Paul: "But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy".
During the eighteen years that Torquemada held the Roman Catholic "Holy Office" of Chief Inquisitor, ten thousand two hundred and twenty persons were burned alive, and ninety-seven thousand three hundred and twenty-two punished with loss of property, or imprisonment. Canon Llorente, who was the Secretary to the Inquisition in Madrid from 1790-92 and had access to the archives of all the tribunals, estimated that in Spain alone the number of condemned exceeded 3 million, with about 300,000 burned at the stake... Pope Martin V commanded the King of Poland to "burn, massacre... exterminate the Hussites." The Roman Catholic Church has never officially admitted that these practices were evil, nor apologised to the world or to any of the victims or their descendants. (Dave Hunt)
A historian writes of the Anabaptists: Some were racked and drawn asunder; others were burnt to ashes and dust; some were roasted on pillars or torn with red-hot pincers... Others were hanged on trees, beheaded with sword, or thrown into the water... Some starved or rotted in darksome prisons... Some who were deemed too young for execution were whipped with rods, and many lay for years in dungeons... Numbers had holes burnt into their cheeks... The rest were hunted from one country and place to another. Like owls and ravens, which durst not fly by day, they were often compelled to hide and live in rocks and clefts, in wild forests, or in caves and pits.
In 1833, Charles Darwin visited the South Sea island of Tierra del Fuego in search of his elusive "missing link." Upon observing the island's benighted inhabitants, Darwin concluded that he had indeed happened upon a lower stratum of humanity that would indeed support his theory of evolution. Confident in his discovery, he wrote: "The Fuegians are in a more miserable state of barbarism than I ever expected to have seen any human being. The expression of their faces is inconceivably wild, and their tones and gesticulations are far less intelligible than those of domestic animals."
However, after thirty-six years of gloating, Darwin made the mistake of returning to his "island of darkness." To his amazement, he found an entirely different community consisting of churches, schools, homes and every semblance of tranquillity. The mystery was soon unravelled; missionary John G. Paton had invaded the hellhole with the Word of God. Darwin was willing to give credit where credit was due: "I certainly should have predicted that not all the missionaries in the world could have done what has been done." The naturalist was so dumbfounded by what he witnessed that he made a generous contribution to the London Missionary Society. He also renounced his own theory later in life.
As thrilling as this story appears, it is really quite the norm for nineteenth-century missionary activity. For instance, on the South Pacific island of Aneityum (New Hebrides) can be found the famous inscription to Dr John Geddie which reads: "When he landed here in 1848 there were no Christians. When he left there in 1872 there were no heathen."
Then there is that unbelievable account of revival which occurred on Pitcairn Island. Note with wonder what a single King James Bible can accomplish:
The true story of the Mutiny on the Bounty has often been retold. One part that deserves retelling was the transformation wrought by one book. Nine mutineers with six native men and twelve native (Tahitian) women put ashore on Pitcairn Island in 1790. One sailor soon began distilling alcohol, and the little colony was plunged into debauchery and vice.
Ten years later, only one white man survived, surrounded by native women and half-breed children. In an old chest from the Bounty, this sailor found a Bible. He began to read it and then to teach it to the others. The result was that his own life and ultimately the lives of all those in the colony was changed. Discovered in 1808 by the USS Topas, Pitcairn had become a prosperous community with no jail, no whisky, no crime, and no laziness.
(Above notes were largely gathered from "Final Authority", by William P. Grady, an inspiring, masterly defence of how God has used the King James Bible, and how satan has tried to pollute, discredit, and steal God's Word down through history; available from ELE, PO Box 5010, Brendale, QLD 4500.)
(Caution: this article will shock)
Hitler was a good Catholic. The Nazi holocaust was thoroughly known to Pope Pius XII in spite of his complete silence throughout the war on the slaughter of the Jews. In 1936 Hitler told Bishop Berning of Osnabruch, "I am only doing what the Church has done for fifteen hundred years, only more effectively." The Vatican's Holocaust and Convert... or Die present documented facts that the Catholic church also liquidated over 800,000 orthodox Serbians in Croatia, Yugoslavia during the years 1940-45.
The next time some bigoted Catholic tries to dismiss his murderous heritage as a "thing of the past," ask him to explain: 250 peasants buried alive in the Serbian district of Bjelovar; 2,000 children gassed in the death camp at Bosaska Gradiska; a father and son crucified together and then burned in their own home in Mliniste; mothers and children (as young as three) impaled on the same stake in Gorevac; a mother forced to hold the basin which caught the blood of her four sons as their throats were cut in Kosinj an expectant mother having her unborn child cut out of her womb and replaced by a cat in the death camp at Jasenovac; 1,360 prisoners having their throats cut in a single night by one guard during a sadistic throat-cutting contest (also at Jasenovac); not to mention dismemberments; beheadings; crowns of thorns; "graviso" knives for specialised throat cutting; necklaces of human tongues and eyes; the confining of prisoners to rooms filled with blood to the ankles; and ten thousand other atrocities condoned by the Roman Catholic Archbishop Aloysius Stepinac who prayed at the opening of the Croatian Parliament in February of 1942, for "...the Holy Ghost to descend upon the sharp knives of the Ustashi (Catholic guerilla army).
(From "Final Authority" by W.P. Grady)
What about even more recent times? In Rwanda, Mother Superior Gertrude Mukangango summoned soldiers to kill 3,500 people hiding in a Benedictine convent. "Sister" Julienne Mukabutera supplied gasoline for the burning of Tutsis hiding in a garage. One Catholic priest personally shot refugees seeking sanctuary in his church, and led a band of killers. Another priest led a Hutu death squad and personally murdered 16 priests and nuns. Another participated in the massacres and then sold rice donated by Christian charities to the survivors. The Priest Abbe Serumba paid bulldozer drivers to flatten his church, killing 2000 people seeking refuge inside. (Pointy Hat News, 2/96)
Rome was referred to as Babylon by the early Christians. The Woman of Revelation 17, who rides the beast that represents Antichrist and the revived Roman Empire he will rule is a city built on seven hills that reigns over the kings of the earth. The one city upon earth, past or present which meets all the criteria is Catholic Rome and Vatican City. Pray for the 980 million Catholics who are deceived into trusting their Church instead of Christ for their salvation. (Source: Dave Hunt, "A Woman Rides the Beast"; info sent by Nat, Childers, Qld)
Another interesting point: The Hippy "peace" sign of two fingers has been known through history as the sign of an oath (Boy Scouts); the Vatican's Swiss body guards use it in their oath: "True to death". It is used as a signal for a bayonet assault in the Infantry, or "forward" for tank attack. It signifies "V" for Victory, and was Constantine's "cross" in battle. For 1500 years it has been used by the Pope's as the Papal "blessing". It is, in fact, actually 4000 years old: it is the sign of Nimrod - the 13th man since Adam- a hunter whose name means "rebel" or "leopard"; his name in Hebrew adds to 666. (Mark of The Beast by P. Ruckman)
The subject of baptism is discussed more than 70 times in the New Testament, apart from references to the Holy Spirit baptism. In His parting instructions to His apostles, Jesus said, "Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." (Matt. 28:19-20) The act of baptism does not save us, it is our faith in Jesus as the Christ, demonstrated by our submission to baptism, that saves us. Believers demonstrate their belief and repentance by being baptised into Christ. (Condensed: Owen, Bass Hill, NSW)
That which the Angel's wandering eye
Deem as subjection sweet
That which fond Mary took to dry
Her Blessed Saviour's feet.
'Twas love that touched, that won her heart,
Love drew her Glory down,
But greater love- the Saviour's part
He crowned her with renown.
Let not the Devil's scissors touch
The hair- what'eer its measure
But keep your GLORY- for 'tis such
And part not with your treasure.
(1 Cor. 11:1-6)
Today's apostate churches are organised on the basis of at least three errors:
1. Hard and fast religious traditions and dogma (doctrines peculiar to that organisation), instead of the Apostle's doctrine and fellowship;
2. Working upon a financial basis as a business, instead of the New Testament pattern;
3. A class system of religious hierarchy and laity. Ever since Diotrophes who loved to have the pre-eminence and dictate to the flock as a "big wheel" (3 Jn 9,10), these accursed deeds and doctrines of the arrogant "Nicolaitanes" have lorded it over God's people. Jesus hates this domineering attitude of a clergy-hierarchy holding down a servile flock. See Rev. 2:6. The word, "nicol" means "victor". The word laos or laity means the "people". Thus victory over the laity is implied. Too many "priests" and "pastors" (so called, but not true shepherds according to Bible standards) insist on their authority over their blind and dumb followers who simply warm pews to be brainwashed by denominational party religion. They are not allowed to question, comment or contribute their words to the gathering. And the people actually pay these preachers to study and think for them! Too lazy they are to study the Word of God for themselves. They are content to drink in the weird mixture of deceptions and half truths which the theologians have drunk in at a theological college or seminary infiltrated and subverted by the enemies of our Lord Jesus Christ. How different to the New Testament ideal presented in 1 Cor. 14:26, 30, 31. That is really beautiful- I would like to see it in action. Praise God, I believe it will happen eventually. (Br Roger, Mt Clarement, WA)
It is so easy especially when the workload gets rather large to think of how much we are doing and how tired we are... When our eyes are turned back onto our Lord it gives us added strength and makes us forget ourselves and continue on with the work as A1 priority... We can produce huge amounts of leaflets... We have not advertised extensively at all and yet we are busy every day with orders. We are feeding the Christians and filling their arms with information which they can pass on to fellow believers and in turn to those who are yet to believe. The Holy Spirit brings the people and leads them to His truth.
A philosopher, I believe, called Menclus, said: "To act without clear understanding, to follow a path all one's life without knowing where it leads, such is the behaviour of the multitude". I believe it is word of mouth that will get the truth out there. The onus is on every Christian to do his part. Each member is there for a purpose and we pray the apathy, of which Australians are no stranger to, will be crushed in the rush to get God's truth out there. (Moreno Dal Bello- info on Catholicism, cults, and tracts: phone him on 03-9462 3497.)
I had a dream the other night, I'll tell you what I saw,
A multitude of wailing souls, pounding on the door.
Above the door, a sign which read: "Jesus, Heaven, straight ahead!!!"
The door it opened just a crack, God's glory flooded through,
The damned, the lost, they cowered back,
They knew not what to do.
A trumpet blast, an angel's song,
Called my name out loud,
I pushed, I shoved, and came out from amidst that mournful crowd.
I stepped across the portal, all shimmering with gold,
As I looked into my Saviour's face, my heart grew strangely cold.
I looked- my hands, they dripped with blood,
My heart was seized with fear,
My guilt, my shame, was manifest, by Jesus standing near.
The screaming, wailing misery, was firmly locked outside,
I wanted now to bring them in, to stand at Jesus' side..
"Oh, Lord," I cried, "give me a chance to tell that crowd of
You."
"You've had your chance," He sadly said, "and now your life is
through."
I said, "Lord, open wide the door, and bid them all come in."
"I cannot do that," said the Lord, "they're held out there by
sin."
The trumpets ceased their blowing, the angels ceased their song.
And all around, echoed out, the wailing of the throng.
"Oh, my God, forgive me," rang out my anguished cries.
I could not look upon the love, the pain within His eyes.
He gave His life for those outside, when He gave His life for me,
I had withheld the words of life, with which to set them free.
Then suddenly I was awake, and lying in my bed,
The wails, the trumpet, Jesus' words, were ringing in my head.
My heart was pounding in my chest,
My bowels were gripped by fear,
But then the wondrous words of Grace, came softly to my ear...
"My child, please know- I love you!
Your sins will not remain,
You will appear before me,
Without a spot or stain.
My grace will be sufficient, As you lead these souls to me,
And you will shine, a star in Heaven, For all eternity.
So brethren, I beseech you,
Take His love into the lands,
Don't stain the floor of Heaven,
With the blood upon your hands.
(Selected; sent by Leone, Perth, WA)
A stranger came to my house
I did not know his name,
He asked me gently, "May I come in?"
And I somewhat felt ashamed.
I led him through the front door,
Greeting him with a smile,
"Would you mind," I asked him shyly
"If you sat here for a while?"
With a polite nod of his head,
I moved from the room with haste,
I had to hide - not let him see,
The guilty look upon my face.
I quickly moved about the house,
Hiding some things of mine
I did not want for him to see,
They certainly weren't his kind!
I pulled my Bible out from a box,
Wiping the dust from its cover.
I put it by my bedside
Quickly flicking some pages over.
With a calm look, I walked back out,
He was waiting- so patiently.
"What can I do for you?" I asked.
He answered, "Just talk to me."
We chat for a while - I was lost for words,
My heart pounded with every breath.
"What is your name?" I finally asked.
"I think you know", he said.
It was then I realised - and I felt bad.
I had not been prepared for my Friend.
I looked into his eyes - they seemed rather sad,
I wondered if this was the end!
"I created you, cared for you, I gave you a life,
I died, in your place, on the cross.
Yet you don't seem to worry that yourself and your friends
Are leading the life of the lost."
"You live for yourself, but are you so sure,
Where your life is - eternally?
Or do you not care, when you die where you'll go-
Or where you'll be destined to be?"
"Please don't ignore me or avoid me, my friend,
I paid for you at a cost.
Do you not care that I came to save you
And to seek and to save the lost?"
"I love you, my child," were his final words,
He got up and walked to the door.
My tears were flowing, I felt ashamed.
My heart was aching and sore.
It was then that I realised I'd been given a chance,
Jesus had come and I wasn't prepared.
But had he have come to take me away,
I wonder how I would have faired.
(Melanie Woodsbey, Bundaberg, Qld)
My husband and I are in our seventies and live in a lovely retirement village. We have been born again for 45 years now, and every day with our blessed Lord gets sweeter and sweeter. Praise His wonderful Name. We do not attend any church now. We became disillusioned with those we attended because of their false teaching. We were involved with a home church for a time until we moved here 18 months ago, and now we have our own little home church ourselves and friends who visit from time to time. (Ken & June, Thornlands, Qld)
We ourselves have left AOG after 16 years because of "Toronto" like meetings that we felt we could not agree with. We tried many churches, but we now seem to be at home at the Church of Christ. One day I believe there will just be "home meetings". There seems to be so much division in the churches today, "Toronto", "Promise keepers", ecumenism, etc. real "rock" music, repeated over and over again; not once and twice but maybe ten times. The words have changed too, nothing much about the Cross, the Blood, Repent, etc. It's a very sad time for the "Church" and many dear Christians cannot see the "Truth". I think the "One World Church" is coming fast and also the Lord Jesus too. (Sis M., Salisbury, SA)
I was attending an AOG church, but owing to the shouting and banging of the drums which I feel is not needed, my husband and I have left to attend a Presbyterian Church where there is good teaching and good choruses are sung. I asked the AOG pastor why one had to put up with all that noise. He said the young ones want it, so I guess in his eyes they have the priority. (Edith, Toowoomba, Qld)
I found your article in Issue 40 on the Toronto and the Faith movement very good and had reinforced a lot of my own study... Not only must we beware of false teaching, we must also remember that God always has His faithful people. False teaching must be seen for what it is. False. WE must however feed the faithful so they are strong. I find today too many hungry Christians who have not been fed from the Word of God for so long. (Ps. Phil, Highfields, Qld)
There are three ways for a country to be conquered. The most common is by war, the second is by change of religion, and the third is by control of finances. When a conqueror takes over a country there is a known ten point program that is followed:
(1) The nation's flag is taken down;
(2) The Head of State is removed;
(3) The Media is controlled;
(4) The Constitution and culture is ignored;
(5) The race is diluted;
(6) The education system is changed;
(7) Personal ownership is removed;
(8) Slavery (financial?) is imposed;
(9) The national religion is changed; and
(10) The population is disarmed.
Now you tick off each item in this list, using your own knowledge, and decide whether Australia is a conquered country. If you think the answer is yes then the only question you must ask is, "Who is the conqueror?" (Marje Rowsell, Cundleton, NSW)
To God be the Glory, Great things He has done.
One day as a woman was crossing a street at London station, an old man stopped her. He said to her, "Excuse me, ma'am, but I want to thank you."
She looked up and exclaimed, "Thank me?"
He replied, "Yes'm, I used to be a ticket collector, and whenever you went by you always gave me a cheerful smile and a good morning. I knew that smile must come from inside somewhere. Then one morning I saw a little Bible in your hand. So I bought one, too, and I found Jesus."
After his cat got stuck in a tree, a pastor mounted a rescue operation. He climbed a ladder as far as he could, tied one end of a rope to the narrow trunk, and then tied the other end to his car bumper. As he drove forward, intending to bring the bough down far enough for the cat to jump off, the inevitable happened - the rope broke, catapulting the moggy into space. No more was heard of the poor creature until a couple of weeks later. The pastor was in the supermarket when he saw one of his church members buying cat food. "I didn't know you had a cat", he said enquiringly.
"I didn't. It's a funny story, quite a miracle really. About two weeks ago I was having a picnic on the lawn with my daughter. 'I'd like to have a cat, Mummy,' she said. 'You'll have to pray for one,' I replied. At that very moment this cat came flying through the air and landed on the lawn, and he's stayed with us ever since."
The night is dark,
My way is hedged with fears;
Earth's sorrows press,
Mine eyes are dimmed with tears.
Great boulders strew the way,
And mountains I must pass,
And rivers brimming doubt
Ere home I reach at last.
The desert's burning heat,
Its dust and haze and blight,
Would seek to blind mine eyes
To Heaven's beck'ning light.
The sea is wide,
Its waves roll high and fast;
And frail my bark
To meet the tempest blast.
But One the ocean rules,
Who shall my Pilot be;
And naught can make Him fear
Who steers my ship for me.
And should He choose to speak
The waters calmed would be;
And though so wide and deep,
He can divide the sea.
Then though He bids me go
Through darkness dense as night
Through sorrow, pain, and woe,
I'll trust His love and might.
Yea, dark though be the way,
My times are in His hand;
And when at last my home I reach,
I know I'll understand.
And though on earth I dwell,
And weak and frail I be,
Why should I fear the foe
When Jesus pilots me?
And while in Him I trust,
The darkness shall be light;
And soon my Father's house
Shall come within my sight.
O blessed Holy One,
My life I yield to Thee,
My heart, O take and keep
Till Thou shalt call for me.
(R.R.D. Marks)
Pastor Rittenhouse and his family were on vacation travelling down the highway when they saw a suitcase fly off the top of a car going in the opposite direction. They stopped to pick it up, but the driver of the other car never stopped. The only clue to the driver's identity was a twenty dollar gold piece inscribed" ""Given to Otis Sampson at his retirement by Portland Cement Company." After extensive correspondence, Otis Sampson was located and contacted. He wrote a letter telling them to discard the suitcase and all its contents, and send only the gold piece. Mr Sampson used the phrase "my most precious possession," several times to describe the gold piece. Pastor Rittenhouse sent the gold piece, and wrote a cover letter telling Otis Sampson about his most prized possession, the Lord Jesus Christ. A year later, the pastor received a Christmas package. In it was a twenty dollar gold piece. Mr Sampson wrote, "You will be happy to know that we have become active members of a church. We want you to have this gold piece. I am seventy-four; my wife is seventy-two. You were the first one to tell us about Jesus. Now He is our most prized possession."
Kalgoorlie contains the richest square mile of gold bearing ground ever discovered. I recently went on a mine tour, and was privileged to be allowed to briefly hold a large solid gold ingot. I was told that this heavy ingot was worth close to $400,000. Men strive for such earthly gain. But where are true riches found? How much more precious it is to know the Saviour, and to look forward to a day we can walk Him on streets paved with gold.
It is never too soon to repent, But soon it may be too late.
I want to tell you about a strange and wonderful country, a country where there are no tears or heartaches, a country in which there is no sickness, pain or death. The people who live in this country never get tired. They carry no burdens and they never grow old. No-one ever says good-bye, for separations are unknown, and there are no disappointments.
In the country of which I am speaking, there is no sin, for no one ever does anything wrong. There are no accidents of any kind. You will travel for thousands of miles and never see a cemetery or meet a funeral procession. There are no undertakers and no morgues. There are no gravediggers, and coffins are unknown. The clothes that are worn are bright and glistening and no one dresses in mourning.
It is a country where nothing ever spoils. The flowers never lose their fragrance and the leaves are always green. There are no thunderstorms, no erupting volcanoes and no earthquakes. Upon those fair shores hurricanes and tidal waves never beat. There are no germs or fevers, no pestilence of any kind. The sun never shines and yet it is always light for there is no night there. It is never too hot and never too cold. The temperature is exactly right. No clouds ever darken the sky and harsh winds never blow.
There are no drunkards in this country for no one ever drinks. None are immoral. There are no illegitimate babies. Prisons, jails and reformatories never darken the landscape. Doors have no locks and windows no bars, for thieves and robbers never enter there. No lustful books are read, and as for unclean pictures, they are never seen. No taxes are paid and rents are unknown. It is a country free from war and bloodshed.
Yes, and let me tell you something else. There are no cripples to be seen anywhere; none are deformed or lame. Nor is anyone blind, deaf or dumb; hence, homes for incurables have never been built for all are healthy, all are well and strong. No beggars are seen on the streets for none are destitute and all have enough. Doctors are never needed and hospitals are unknown.
You ask me how I know all this? Have I ever been there? No, I have not yet had the privilege of visiting this wonderful country, but others have. And One, at least, who has lived there for a long, long time, has come, and told me a great deal about it. He says it is called Heaven, and this is His description of it: "Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them and be their God. and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying neither shall there be any more pain (Rev. 21:3-4).
Do you want to go there? Then get ready now. It isn't difficult. All you have to do is open your heart to Jesus Christ, the Lord of the country, and ask Him to come in. Then, when the journey of life is ended, you too will go to this wonderful country and dwell there for evermore.
Will you do it? Do it- NOW? (Oswald J. Smith)
It was alone the Saviour prayed
In dark Gethsemane:
Alone He drained the bitter cup,
And suffered there for me.
It was alone the Saviour stood,
In Pilate's judgment hall;
Alone the crown of thorns He wore,
Forsaken thus by all.
Alone upon the cross He hung
That others He might save;
Forsaken then by God and man,
Alone His life He gave.
Can you reject such matchless love?
Can you His claim disown?
Come, give your all in gratitude
Nor leave Him thus alone.
Alone- alone, he bore it all alone.
He gave Himself to save His own:
He suffered, bled and died,
Alone, alone. (From an ELE Tract)
Live in the world but not of it. The salt loses its savour. Young people and old, be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners (1 Cor. 15:33). Our Lord Jesus Christ was never very politically correct or religiously correct for that matter. The Word of God- that's what matters.
During the Second World War we did not send our troops off to the enemy to be trained. We did not just give them a rifle, and point them in the enemy's direction, and say, "Good luck- you'll learn by experience." No, the training received stands in good stead when the experience comes. Parents remember to "Train up a child" (Pr. 22:6). If you do not- there are others who will. Prepare them before they get to life's battlefield (Deut. 6:7). (Mark, Stanwell, Qld)
A few months before I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small Tennessee town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer, and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around to welcome me into the world a few months later.
As I grew up I never questioned his place in our family. In my young mind each member had a special niche. My brother, Bill, five years my senior, was my example. Fran, my younger sister gave me the opportunity to play "big brother" and to develop the art of teasing. My parents were complimentary instructors- Mom taught me to love the Word of God and Dad taught me to obey it.
But, the stranger was our storyteller. He could weave the most fascinating tales. Adventures, mysteries, and comedies were daily conversations. He would hold our entire family spellbound for hours each evening.
If I wanted to know all about politics, history, or science, he knew it all. He knew about the past, understood the present, and seemingly could predict the future. The pictures he could draw were so full of life that I would often laugh or cry as I watched.
He was like a friend to the whole family. He took Dad, Bill, and me to our first major league baseball game. He was always encouraging us to see movies, and he even made arrangements to introduce us to several movie stars. My brother and I were deeply impressed by John Wayne in particular.
The stranger was an incessant talker. Dad didn't seem to mind, but sometimes Mom would quietly get up, while the rest of us were enthralled with one of his stories of far away places. Mom would go to her room, read her Bible, and pray. I wonder if she ever prayed that the stranger would leave.
You see, my Dad ruled our household with certain moral conditions and convictions, yet somehow this stranger never felt obligated to honour them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our house- not from us, from our friends, or from adults. Our long term visitor, however, used occasional four letter words that burned my ears and made Dad squirm. To my knowledge the stranger was never confronted.
My Dad was a tee-totaler who didn't permit alcohol in his home, but the stranger felt we needed exposure. He didn't actually ever give us any alcohol, but he constantly tried to enlighten us to other ways of life. He covered the gusto side of life with beer and other alcoholic beverages.
He talked freely (Probably much too freely) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing. I know now that my early concepts of the man-woman relationship were influenced by the stranger.
As I look back, I believe it was the grace of God and what we had been taught in church and Sunday school that kept the stranger from deceiving us. Time after time he opposed the moral values of the Bible. Yet no one said much about it, and no one wanted him to leave.
More than thirty years have passed since the stranger first moved in with our family. To be honest I found a stranger like him and took him into my own home. Now they both sit in the den of my parents home and in my home. He waits patiently for someone to listen to him talk, and you look at him as he talks.
His name?... We always called him by his initials: T.V. (Selected)
When we became churchless some 2 years ago we went to every church we could... This was a very interesting time, a real time of learning. We were not really happy with what we saw. Wonky doctrine, unbiblical traditions, and massive organisations that were very busy with a host of programs that seemed to be self serving.
Nevertheless in almost all congregations there seemed to be one or two individuals that radiated the love of Christ. It's not hard to recognise. Our Father always has His remnant that love Him, even in the most unusual places. (Henry, Buxton, NSW)
What are all the glories of this vain, polluted world compared with the bliss and blessedness secured to the family of God? Vanity, nothing but vanity and vexation of spirit (Ecc. 1:14) And shall we in very deed neglect those things which contain in them an eternal weight of glory, and spend the greatest part of our time and talents in pursuing vanity and vexation of the spirit? What! the heirs of glory forget their high calling and exalted privileges, and mix with and roll themselves in the mud? O blessed Comforter, forbid it! Suppose, by all our toil, we make ourselves great works, and build houses, and plant vineyards, and make ourselves fine gardens and orchards, and plant in them trees of all kinds of fruit, and make pools of water, and get men servants, and maid servants, and great possessions of great and small cattle, and gather silver and gold like dust, and to keep up our fatigued spirits, we get men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, musical instruments, and that of all sorts, and rise to what the world calls respectability and eminent greatness, what are they all when compared with the glorious gospel of the blessed God? Verily, a solemn blank, nay, worse than that, vanity and vexation of spirit.
Do we not see with our own eyes ah! and feel in our own hearts, that an over-anxious care after the things of this polluted world brings barrenness of soul and misery of mind, together with ten thousand perplexing disappointments? and shall we turn our back upon the best of friends, and the best of blessings, and incessantly toil for straws?
Riches take to themselves wings and fly away; they are altogether uncertain. Let us not trust in them. But they that trust in the Lord shall never be confounded. Blessed be God! eternal realities are eternally certain. Happy is the man whose God is the Lord.
The spirit of Antichrist is gone forth in the world under the guise of charity. True charity rejoices in the truth; but the charity of this day of blasphemy and rebuke shuns the truth and rejoices in almost anything but the truth; and, sad to relate, many who some few years ago would have not allowed their ears to have been insulted with the flesh-pleasing, God-dishonouring, Christ-despising, Holy Ghost-insulting mongrel system of the day, are now taken captive, and appear to sit at ease in Babylon. Time was when it appeared to be their great concern to be spiritually acquainted with and enjoy God's blessed truth in all its glorious discriminating branches; but alas! alas! How is the fine gold become dim. Truth is not palatable to the fashionable professing world. So ensnaring was this mongrel system in the days of Paul, that he compared it to witchcraft: "Who hath bewitched you?" said he; and the flesh-pleasing system of this day is very captivating to the fleshly mind, and therefore may well be called witchcraft, for its advocates are very numerous, and in the sight of the world, very respectable too; and it is wonderfully calculated to ingratiate itself into the mind of the unwary and inexperienced. We have to do with God and truth, and it is our exalted privilege to live upon the truth by a precious faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Things wear a gloomy aspect when professors of the glorious truths of God's discriminating grace can content themselves in sitting under and supporting that which can never deliver their souls out of trouble nor induce them to give God the glory due to his name.
(William Gadsby of Manchester, 1826)
People don't mind wearing the symbol around their necks. They don't mind singing hymns about the cross. They don't mind preaching to the lost about the cross. But they do mind you suggesting that they apply the cross to their own lives. People don't like to hear of personal sacrifice that might move them out of their comfort zones.
Many pastors are no longer primarily concerned with faithfully proclaiming the true gospel. They are busy trying to preach sermons that will "meet the needs" of the congregation. After all, if they don't, the people might not come back! Many Christian counsellors spend months, even years, trying to help people understand how God can meet their supposed needs, rather than pointing them to the cross and teaching them to die to the desires of the flesh. Christian bookstores have shelves filled with books designed to help people define and meet needs. In the midst of all this, we should be asking ourselves, whatever happened to the cross?
The message of the cross, which is the true Gospel, is not often heard in the churches of America (Australia) today. Instead people are hearing "a different gospel" (Gal. 1:6-7). Self, which has been recognised throughout the history of the church as a major problem for the Christian, can now be catered to and pampered. It doesn't have to die or be denied; it can be cherished. This kind of teaching has given rise to a weak, insipid brand of Christianity that is now prevalent in the American church.
To the minds of the early Christians, the cross presented a vivid image- the image of death. Not only did it mean death to self and all its desires in order to be alive in Christ; for many it meant torture and physical death as well. This was the message they had believed and received, and this was the message they lived. The reality of what they believed was seen in the way they lived and died. The message of the cross was their source of strength. This is the message we have lost. (Jan McMurray)
When it comes to how we live, how we think, how we look, how we sound, and how we "do ministry", we have become virtually indistinguishable from the world outside the church. Recent Barna research indicates, for example, that the divorce rate in the church is actually higher than outside the church.
We have bought into the world's philosophies and practices. Whereas the church used to tell the world how to live, now the world is telling the church how to live. We have accommodated the culture, rather than calling the culture to accommodate Christ.
Church and ministry have become big business; we are more familiar with management and marketing principles, than with the principles of humility, purity, faith, and prayer. Many pastors have become CEOs rather than spiritual shepherds.
We have utilised nearly every worldly method conceivable to attract the lost, and in many cases, have both lost our distinctiveness and our effectiveness. We've built our ministries on pragmatism- "whatever works"- without stopping to evaluate if the means we're using are in accordance with the ways and Word of God.
In an effort to convince the world that Christianity is fun, we have entertained and amused ourselves to death. Why do Christian celebrities and comedians perform to sell-out crowds, while scarcely a few attend the prayer meetings? Why do we feel we can't reach people today without rock bands, hip talk, and worldly dress?
Whatever happened to the power of God? Have we become more dependent on methods, techniques, strategies, and programs than on prayer and the Holy Spirit?
Have we lost confidence in the power of the Word to convict, the gospel to convert, and the Spirit to draw men to Christ? We've seen what human effort, ingenuity, creativity, and technology can do- we know what money, organisation, and promotion can do- but we have yet to see what God can do!
We care more about public relations- how outsiders view us- than about how God views us; we are more concerned about our reputations than His.
In our seeker-driven mind-set, we are more worried about offending visitors than offending God; we are more concerned with people "feeling good" than about their "being right"; we want people to leave feeling good about church, about us, about themselves- never mind that they have grossly offended a holy God and are under His condemnation and wrath!
We're so afraid of seeming intolerant or unloving that we tiptoe around crucial issues of the Word of God. Our cowardice in standing with God on such matters as divorce and remarriage has made us accessories to the carnage of millions of Christian families. In fact, we have placed ourselves in the precarious position of justifying and defending what God says He hates!
We have commercialised and merchandised the gospel of Christ for the sake of financial gain and worldly acceptance.
We have pursued unity at the expense of purity. Today anyone who dares to call sin by name or point out doctrinal error is likely to be branded as divisive, unloving, or "legalistic".
In an effort to make Christianity palatable to our soft, self-centred generation, we've preached a diluted message that sidesteps the issues of sin, eliminates the demands of the cross and overlooks the need for conviction and repentance.
In an effort to make our message relevant, we've ended up preaching "another gospel" that is not gospel at all. We've preached Christianity as a way to find fulfilment, rather than a calling to take up the cross and follow Jesus.
In many cases we're more concerned about additions and statistics than actual converts, or the quality of those converts.
The Bride has forgotten how to blush; we sin without shame; we've lost our ability to mourn and weep and grieve over sin.
In our casual brand of Christianity, there is little sense of the fear of the Lord. How else could millions of churchgoers sit under the preaching of the Word week after week, and leave unchanged, unmoved? How else could so-called believers who claim to believe in holiness sit in their living rooms watching television and laughing at ungodly jokes, lifestyles, and philosophies? When is the last time you saw God's people "tremble at the Word of the Lord?"
Where's the unction, the fire? Where are the tears? Where is the mourning, the grieving, the weeping? Why are our eyes dry and our hearts dull? Where is the groaning? The crying out in soul travail?
Where are the prophets who are willing to risk their reputation, their retirement funds, and their acceptance in the Christian community, in order to say what needs to be said to our generation? Where are the men who are sounding the alarm to waken the church out of her sleep and lethargy?
Is not God's Word like a fire, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? Then where is the preaching with conviction, confrontation, divine fire, and Holy Spirit anointing?
Where are the intensity and terror when we speak of the judgment and the wrath of God?
Where, for that matter, are the tenderness and passion when we speak of the loveliness, the beauty, and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ?
Where are the hot coals, set aflame by the coal from the altar of the Lord?
Where are the men who have been with God- who have tarried in His presence until they have heard His Word, and then descended from the mount with the glory of God radiating from their faces?
God calls us to repent. The time is come that judgement must begin at the house of God.
(Nancy Leigh DeMoss)
The 19th Synod of the Uniting Church of Australia has passed a resolution urging the 8th national Assembly, which meets in July 1997 to ban self-avowed practising homosexual people from any positions of leadership. (Journey, 11/96)
It has been reported that more than US $627,000 has disappeared from the coffers of two atheistic groups once controlled by Madalyn Murray O'Hair about the same time she and two members of her family dropped from sight. (Pulpit Helps, 2/97)
All eight-year-old, Joanna Rightmyer wanted to do was to tell her friends and classmates in Seveirville, Tennessee, about Jesus. Her right to witness, despite initial opposition from her teacher and principal, was confirmed by the Justice Department. At last report, more than twenty children have come to know Christ, and this plucky little girl has started a Bible study at recess, and is teaching others how to witness in turn. (Pulpit Helps, 2/97)
On October 10th, President Clinton announced that he wants every home in the United States to have a computer and be on the internet: "Let us be brought closer together as a community through that connection." He is proposing a 100 million dollar plan to upgrade the internet. With the Clinton plan, every home in America will be connected by computer and controlled through the internet. Your computer will be your only telephone, television, means of sending mail and way of paying and receiving money. The US Federal Government recently announced that as of January, 1999, there will be no more government cheques. If you don't comply, you will be cut off. (Last Trumpet Newsletter, 11/96)
Millions of Australian children are reading books on myths, legends, aliens, fear, and ghosts. (Bruce, Murray Bridge, SA)
Whenever you go to an ATM it is possible that you are being photographed. These cameras reportedly often randomly photograph people at the machine. These photos are "digitised" (turned into computerised information) and transmitted to the headquarters of Interpol (the international police organisation) in Geneva, Switzerland. (From: A. Hellier- Box 9169, Alice Springs, NT 0871; Ask for tape on "Satan 2000- One World Religion")
Some satellites orbiting earth are able to read the print on a postage stamp lying on the ground. This technology is able to track people, listen to their conversations, and track their movements.
Every telephone call you make or receive is monitored by intelligence agencies worldwide. They do it with supercomputers listening for key words (eg, White House, Clinton, Bomb). If they hear a key word, they download it and it is listened to by a human.
Through ground surveillance radar it is possible to listen from several miles away to a car or footsteps. Technology now exists to scan your retina and those of your passengers as you drive along the road, thus identifying you personally at a distance.
Intelligence agencies can turn your phone into a listening device. They dial a code and the phone does not ring. This allows them to hear and record everything in your office or home.
Television sets are being equipped with monitors that scan a room every two seconds to record the movements and actions of every person in the room.
Voice prints can also be identified. The unique variations and modulations of a person's voice are like a fingerprint. When Columbian drug lord, Pablo Escovar was on the run for one year, the NSA computers were listening to every phone call in the world- millions of simultaneous phone calls. Escovar made the mistake of speaking on a cellular phone for 30 seconds. Within the first 10 seconds they identified his voice. They triangulated his position, sent in the commandos and shot him.
In the right hands, such technology is useful for a civilised society. This technology is wonderful for law enforcement, and efficiency. But we have lost our privacy. And if ever we have a dictatorial government, we will have lost our freedom forever. (From: Update International- PO Box 3370, Rundle Mall, Adelaide, SA 5000)
Youth for Christ say: "Get Dirty", the theme for a Gippsland rock concert in March. "Featuring Sydney rock band Quick and the Dead, Mudrock '97 promises an evening of fun and entertainment!" Youth are urged to join "a sea of people in an acre of knee deep mud... It's time to get Dirty!"
The message of the Bible, in contrast, is "It's time to get Clean." God's Word urges us to be washed of sin, to keep ourselves unspotted from the world, and Christ reaches out to lift us out of the miry clay. He offers a fountain for removing sin and uncleanness. Lay aside the garments that are stained by sin, and be washed in the Blood of the Lamb. Youth who genuinely stand for Christ will want to be separate from the filth and "fun" of this world and its foulness. God have mercy on us. (Ed.)
When the brutal husband of a holy woman forbade her going to John Wesley's meetings on pain of death, still she went, though he had sworn in his wrath that he would bake her in his oven. Returning from the cottage meeting, she saw the smoke going up from the bake-oven. falling on her knees, she said: "Lord, if you need a martyr in England, I put in the first bid. I am ready to go into that oven like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. If you do not need the martyr, put your hand on my wicked husband." When she got inside of the house, she saw him rolling over the floor, unable to stand on his feet, exclaiming aloud, "Pray for me, O my Polly; I will be in hell before night." Soon he was converted and sanctified and became an earnest preacher. (W.B.Godbey)
Young queen Julia, the royal heir of the Roman empire was lead into the Colosseum. She could live if she would recant her faith in Christ and resume her loyalty to the Roman gods. The high priest of Jupiter asks her just to drop a pinch of incense to burn on the censer, in worship of the Roman gods, and she will live. The royal damsel was immovable by all their bribes and threats, as they point her to the imperial crown on one side, and the roaring lions on the other. She responds: "I have no God but Jesus. I fear not the lions. Do you not see the angels? The chariot is already lowered to bear me away to a world of bliss." She was abandoned to the lions.
Though the Bible is in every home in many countries, how few comparatively
read, believe, and obey it! It lies on every pulpit, to be insulted with the
human teaching of a sinning religion. The issues of eternity are culminating
on all sides. How very few have the grit and grace to preach the Word as it
is, fearless of men and devils! If God were to save people against their will,
he must dehumanise them. When they do not will to receive his truth in the love
of it, what can he do but leave them in the hands of the devil, to "believe
a lie (and that lie is a sinning religion), and all be damned who do not believe
the truth, but take pleasure in unrighteousness." God's religion is self-denial
throughout. Satan's counterfeit offers you salvation and heaven without self-denial.
The people of this world will have the pleasures of sin. If they become religious,
they still hold on to the world's sinful pleasures, thus worshipping the devil
instead of God, believing his lies rather than God's truth, and receiving damnation
instead of salvation. (W.B. Godbey, writing in 1898)
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