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February 09 Pray for the Church
I found this on a new site I like; Arab Vision . God Bless them for bringing Christ to the lost in Iraq. Iraqi Christians take a stand
Violence against Christians intensified last October, especially in the northern city of Mosul, where Christian homes were vandalized and burnt down. Around 2,500 families were forced to leave the city because of specific threats, and the Iraqi government resorted to sending police reinforcements after 12 Christians were killed. Christian TV production company, Arab Vision, recently organized a special conference in Iraq for one of its popular programs. Around 250 viewers were in attendance and 12 episodes of the program were recorded during their time together. “Iraqi Christians have many tragic stories, so we want to do everything possible to encourage them through our programs,” explained one of the producers. On Saturday, the sentiments echoed by various Iraqi Christians at the polls were of defiance against violence and a declaration that they are also sons and daughters of Iraq. “We want to shout out to the world that we are committed to our land and reject any plans for partition,” one of them said. At the time of the invasion, Christian leaders estimate that around 800,000 Christians lived in Iraq, but the number has since shrunk by at least a third because of the escalating violence. For this latest provincial election, Iraqi Christians have been allocated one seat in Baghdad, one in Nineveh and another in oil-rich Basra in the south. Mouse Trap
CHARLES H. SPURGEON QUOTATION "A mouse was caught by its tail in a trap the other day, and the poor creature went on eating the cheese. Many men are doing the same. They know that they are guilty, and they dread their punishment, but they go on nibbling at their beloved sins." February 08 Comparison of Islamic and Christian Beliefs Pt. 1The following is a summary of a lecture by a western islamologist and theologian which has been given to a Christian student group. I think that more people might profit from reading it. The article is posted with the permission of the original author. May it help towards a better understanding among Muslims and Christians and help to clear up some of the many mutual misconceptions about the other faith. ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY
Christianity and Islam share much common ground. Both trace
their roots to Abraham. Both believe in prophecy, God's messengers
(apostles), revelation, scripture, the resurrection of dead, and
the centrality of religious community. This last element is
especially important. Both Christianity and Islam have a
communitarian dimension: what the church is to Christianity the
"umma" is to Islam.
Despite these significant similarities, however, these two
world religions have a number of significant differences as well.
I would like to comment on these -- not to engage in any kind of
polemic (since I consider polemic a sign of religious immaturity)
but to foster better understanding. A true dialogue between
religions can be built only on nuanced understanding and not
caricature.
I will discuss these differences under four general headings:
I -- The Understanding of God
=============================
Muslims and Christians believe there is only one God / Allah.
The basic testimony of Islam is called the 'shahada', the first
clause of which states that "la ilaha illa Allah" -- "There is
no god but God." This is certainly a statement that Christians
would affirm.
But how Christians and Muslims conceptualize God in their
respective theologies is actually quite different. The emphasis
in the Islamic theology of God can be summarized by one word:
'tawhid', which means "absolute unity." Muslims insist that
there is no distinction within the Godhead. God is sublimely one.
Thus the Islamic polemic against Christianity has centered on the
doctrine of Trinity. This is the central doctrine that causes
problems for Muslims when they consider Christianity. Muslims have
caricatured Christians as tritheists guilty of "shirk", that is,
attributing an associate to God. By believing in the Trinity,
Muslims say, Christians believe in three gods. This attitude is
expressed in the Qur'an:
Say not "trinity", Desist. It will be better for you. For
God is One God (4:171).
They do blaspheme who say: God is one of three in a
Trinity, for there is no God except One God (5:76).
But every one who knows Christian theology well knows that the
doctrine of Trinity was articulated precisely to oppose the idea of
believing in three gods! Apparently the understanding of the
Trinity was very inadequate among the Christians with whom the
earliest Muslims interacted. Early Muslims, therefore, came to
understand the Christian doctrine of the Trinity in very distorted,
inadequate terms. It seems that some even believed that Christians
worshipped Mary as part of the Trinity! This misunderstanding of
the Trinity found expression in the Qur'an itself:
And behold, God will say; "O Jesus the Son of Mary! Didst
thou say unto men, "Worship me and my mother as gods in
derogation of God?" (5:119).
It seems that in the era of the Qur'an it was assumed by many
people that the Trinity was the Father, the son Jesus, and Jesus's
mother Mariam (Mary)! So the Trinity was misunderstood.
This is not to place blame on the people back then. The
Trinity is not easy to understand; in fact, it is an ineffable
truth, not graspable by the human mind. How many heresies in
Christian history have arisen because people attempted to detract
from the mystery of the Trinity, coming up with doctrines that were
more easily "digested" by the human mind. No, the doctrine of
Trinity cannot be reduced to the pale categories of human reason.
It is arrogant for anyone to think that he or she can grasp the
mystery of the Godhead! So the fact that the doctrine of the
Trinity is not readily understandable in terms of human reason
should not worry us. This is what the proper Christians response
should be to any polemic against the doctrine of the Trinity. We,
in all humility and submission to God can only say this: God has
revealed himself as Trinity, i.e the Father, the Son and the Holy
Spirit. We do not rationally understand this; any explanation that
we come up with will be flawed. But since God has revealed Himself
as Trinity, we submit to Him as Trinity even if we do not
completely understand how he can be Trinity! It is blasphemy to
"reduce" God to something we can understand. The purpose of
theology is not to "cut God down" to the size of human reason but
to elevate human reason to the contemplation of the Divine Mystery
-- the Mystery which teaches us that the One God -- ineffably,
incomprehensibly -- exists in three Persons.
Perhaps the best way to enable our Muslim friends to
understand why we believe that God must be a Trinity is to
emphasize Christianity's fundamental teaching regarding God, namely
that GOD IS LOVE. Now, love can 'never' be exercised in
isolation. You cannot be all-loving and be alone. Love is
manifested 'in relationship', and for that reason the God who is
LOVE must exist within a "community within himself," that is,
within a community of three Persons, among whom their mutual love
is so perfect that they, though three, become perfectly One! This
is the fundamental truth underlying the doctrine of the Trinity.
So do not try to come up with a rational explanation of the
doctrine of Trinity to try to "prove the Trinity" to your Muslim
friends. That is a waste of time. Rather, try to help them
understand how affirmation of the mystery of the Trinity -- despite
the limitations of human reason -- is part of the Christian's
surrender and submission ('islam') to the God beyond all
understanding! We surrender to the all-holy Trinity not because we
can understand this sublime Mystery but simply because that is what
God has revealed himself to be.
It is from this same perspective -- that GOD IS LOVE -- that
we should try to explain how Jesus can be the Son of God. Such a
statement is blasphemous to Muslims; they believe that God is "far
above" having a son. On the contrary, Christians see the Sonship
of Jesus not as a blasphemy but as a testimony to the divine love,
which is so intense (again, beyond all human understanding) that
God was not content only to bless his creation from outside of it.
No, actually humbled himself to the point of becoming a part of his
creation through the Incarnation of his Son Jesus Christ! By
becoming part of the created order, by taking on a full and a
complete human nature, God sanctified humanity "from within," so to
speak. Both Islam and Christianity say that God is totally other
and beyond human comprehension, completely beyond the ability of
humans to grasp, yet Christians add something completely different:
that God sanctified the world by deigning to become part of it, by
loving us so much that he was willing "to come down from his
throne" to became part of this mess which we call the world. In
this bold -- and wonderful -- assertion, Christianity stands apart
from both Judaism and Islam, which stress the total otherness and
transcendence of God to the point where it is incomprehensible to
them that He could become part of the created order.
We Christians must never loose sight of the fact that even
though we are Trinitarian, we affirm that there is only "one God".
In fact, the Orthodox Christians in the Middle East always say in
Arabic: "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit, ONE GOD!" (in Arabic: "Bismilabi wal-ibni war-ruhi-l-
quddus, ALLAH WAHID!"). This is to show that in affirming the
Trinity, we do not deny in any way that God is one.
II -- The Understanding of Revelation :
=====================================
Christianity believes that God revealed Himself in order to
redeem us, to save us -- that is to lead us to a fullness of life,
freed from the bonds of sin both in this world and in the world to
come. According to Islam, on the other hand, revelation is not for
the purpose of redemption, but for the sake of "guidance". That is,
God's revelation is meant to provide guidance for living in this
world.
In Christianity, revelation is mediated. We believe that the
Bible is the Word of God, but we do not believe that God
mechanically transmitted it through certain people as if they were
"channelers" of some sort. Christians hold that the Bible was
written by human beings under divine inspiration, the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit. The divine revelation was thus "filtered"
through a human lens and written in human words and within human
history. That is why our scriptures refer to historical
circumstances; it describes not some mystical, ahistorical
revelation of God but rather chronicles God's wonderful
intervention in human history.
In Islam, on the other hand, the Qur'an is considered the
"unmediated" word of God. In other word, Islam stresses very
strongly that in receiving his revelation Muhammad was illiterate--
and hence completely passive. He simply recited what was put into
his mouth, without any input of his own. ("Qur'an" means
"recitation.") The Qur'an -- which is seen as eternally existing
in heaven -- simply descended (another name for the Qur'an is 'at-
tanzil', "that which descended") and was expressed through Muhammad
as a passive instrument of revelation. Anyone familiar with
modern critical linguistic theory would have to question such a
view. According to such theory, 'all' communication is mediated;
as soon as a thought is put into words, it is mediated. The very
fact that a thought is put into words means that it is "processed"
and passed through a human lens, so to speak. The whole purpose of
revelation is for God, whose thoughts are so far above ours, to
mediate his communication to us through human language. God does
not think in human language; to say so is to limit his omniscience,
which is far beyond the constraints of human language! Thus
Christians must call the Islamic view of "unmediated revelation"
into question on both linguistic and theological grounds.
It should also be noted that Qur'an is much more a 'book-
centered' religion that Christianity. It is wrong to assume that
what the Qur'an is to the Muslim the New Testament is to the
Christian. Not so! The appropriate analogy is this: what the
Qur'an is to the Muslim, 'Christ himself' is to the Christian. We
are not 'book'-centered; we are 'Person'-centered (that is,
'Christ'-centered)! Muslims say that the Qur'an is the Eternal
Word of God; but we do not say that the New Testament is the
Eternal Word of God. Only "Christ" is the Eternal Word! Therefore
be sensitive to Muslims. Never insult the Qur'an; to insult the
Qur'an would be as offensive to a Muslim as insulting Christ would
be to a Christian! By the way, Muslims, in affirming the
eternity of the Qur'an, face a theological problem that is directly
analogous to the one faced by Christians who affirm that Christ is
the Word, existing from all eternity. Muslims ask us how we
Christians can say that there is One God, who alone is eternal, and
yet claim that Christ existed from all eternity. They accuse us of
ascribing an associate to God in saying this. But they face the
same problem in teaching the eternity of the Qur'an. How can one
claim that something besides God -- namely the Qur'an -- exists
from all eternity without ascribing an associate (in this case an
object, rather than a person!) to God? It is interesting that both
Christians and Muslims solved these parallel theological dilemmas
in virtually the same way: Islam asserts that since the Qur'an is
the Word of God, it always coexisted with God -- "as part of God,"
so to speak, since God could never be without his Word. We use the
same reasoning in defending the Christian doctrine of the eternity
of Christ: as the Word of God, Christ always existed with God the
Father. Christ is co-eternal with the Father since God the Father
could never exist apart from his Word! One Eastern church Father,
Gregory of Nyssa, explained this mystery in this way: God
eternally spoke his Word (namely, his Son). And when he eternally
spoke the Word, there came forth eternally from his mouth the
Spirit (namely, the Holy Spirit, "ruh ul-quddus"), by which the
Word was spoken. (Breath, after all, is necessary for speech!)
Thus, from all eternity, the Word and the Spirit co-existed with
the Father! Islam claims the same thing about the Qur'an as the
Word of God! Do you see the similarity in reasoning?
In short, while both Islam and Christianity affirm that God
has spoken and revealed Himself to humankind, still there is one
great difference: whereas Islam teaches that the Qur'an is God's
Word to humanity, Christianity proclaims that Jesus Himself is
God's Word to humanity. For Islam, therefore, God has spoken
through a Book: for Christianity, on the contrary, He has spoken
through a Person. In Islam, the written Arabic Book is the marvel;
in Christianity, the Person of Christ is the true miracle!
Christians believe that if Almighty God can reveal His will
perfectly through a Book, as Muslims assert, surely He can do so
even more perfectly and fully through a Person. For if God is a
personal God, then a personal life would clearly be a far better
means of revealing Himself than any Book, however excellent it may
be.
We must also mention here another standard Muslim argument
against Christians: that their scriptures suffered corruption and
distortion. This is called the doctrine of 'tahrif'.
Articulation of the doctrine of 'tahrif' began with the Qur'an
itself. Islam affirmed the veracity of the earlier revelations
given to the People of the Book; theoretically, they were fully
consistent with the Qur'an. Jews and Christians, therefore, were
urged to accept the revelation given through Muhammad:
O ye People of the Book! Believe in what We have
(now) revealed, confirming what was (already) with
you.(4:47)
And this is a Book which We have sent down, bringing
blessings and confirming (the revelations) which
came before it. (6:92)
When Jews and Christians brought arguments against Muhammad and his
followers on the basis of what their scriptures taught, however,
Muslims had to account for the discrepancies. How could the text
of the Old and New Testaments contradict that of the Qur'an if the
latter was a confirmation of the former?
A number of responses to the problem are found in the Medinan
'suras'. The Jews are accused of knowingly perverting the word of
God after having heard and understood it (2:75). Some actually
"write the Book with their own hands and then say, 'This is from
God'" (2:79); these "transgressors changed the word from that which
had been given them" (2:59). Others corrupt the text by displacing
words, changing them from their right places (4:46, 5:14), or by
"twisting" their tongues and reading it incorrectly:
There is among them a section who distort the Book with
their tongues. (As they read) you would think it is a
part of the Book, but it is no part of the Book; and they
say, "That is from God," but it is not from God. (3:78)
Of the Jews there are those who displace words ...
and say: "We hear and we disobey ... with a twist
of their tongues.... (4:46)
Moreover, the charge of concealment (ikhfa') is levelled
against the People of the Book. They know the truth as they know
their own sons, "but some of them conceal it (2:146); they thereby
"swallow fire" and will receive a grievous penalty for their
duplicity (2:159; 2:174). "Why do ye clothe truth with falsehood,"
the People of the Book are asked, "and conceal the truth while ye
have knowledge?" (3:71) Muhammad is depicted as coming to reveal
to them much of what they used to hide in their Book (5:16). Jews
are further chided for dismembering the Torah by making it into
separate sheets "for show" while concealing much of its contents
(6:91). Of Christians, it is said that "they forgot a good part of
the message that was sent them" (5:15).
It was a creative way of trying to explain the discrepancies
between the Qur'an and the earlier scriptures, but it is has
absolutely no basis in the manuscript tradition. Anyone who has
studied the manuscripts of the Jewish and Christian scriptures
knows that there is no evidence whatever for the corruption posited
by the doctrine of 'tahrif'. In fact the manuscript evidence, if
it establishes anything, establishes how carefully the texts of the
Old and New Testaments were passed down!
III -- The Understanding of Sin and Salvation :
=============================================
Sin and salvation are central categories in Christian theology
and spirituality. Christianity teaches that the effects of
original sin have corrupted the world and the human beings who
exist in it. In Islam, however, there is no such a thing as
original sin. The Qur'an does indeed state that Adam and Eve
sinned, but according to Islamic belief, they repented and were
fully forgiven so that their sin had no repercussions for the rest
of human race.
I believe the Islamic rejection of original sin is really the
rejection of a 'specific understanding' -- what I would consider to
be a 'narrow' understanding -- of original sin. Islam rejects the
doctrine of original sin that asserts that all human beings
inherited the guilt -- the culpability -- of the sin of Adam and
Eve. This seems unfair to the Muslim: Why should we have to
accept guilt for someone else's disobedience?
To respond to such a question, we Christians must move beyond
a narrow Augustinian understanding of original sin, the view that
"in Adam's fall we sinned all." The Calvinists later carried this
view to an extreme, saying that the result of Adam's sin is total
human depravity; that is, that original sin has made human beings
completely incapable of doing anything good without the assistance
of divine grace! Such a notion is thoroughly incomprehensible to
Muslims!
There are, however, other (in my opinion, better)
understandings of original sin in the history of Christian
theology. These can explain original sin to the Muslim inquirer in
more palatable terms. Western Christians (both Protestants and
Catholics) need to move beyond the traditional Augustinian-
Calvinist understanding of original sin and look toward the ancient
Christian East for what I would consider to be more satisfactory
explanations. Eastern Christianity understands original sin in
this way: No sin that is committed is without its effect. Every
sin that you and I commit -- every sin that is ever committed --
disrupts the entire cosmos. Your sin has an effect not only on you
but on everyone and everything else. Any sin that you and I commit
has a reverberation throughout the world, throughout the cosmos.
Every puff that you take on your cigarette pollutes the air that
everyone else breathes, so to speak. So when the Old Testament
claims that the sin of the father will be visited upon the
children, it is not issuing a threat; it is simply describing
reality. Think about this proposition, and I think you will
recognize that it is true. Is it realistic to claim, as Muslims
do, that Adam and Eve's sin -- the first of the human race! -- had
no effects in the world into which all other human beings were
born? I do not think so!
No, sin indeed has a "snowball effect": it accumulates
throughout human history, impacting upon all who are born into the
world. (Actually, we feel the effects of sin even before our
birth, while still in our mother's womb!) What started this off
was the sin of Adam and Eve -- the first, or original, sin in this
process. For the Eastern Christians to say that all suffer the
effects of original sin is not to say that all are "born guilty"
but rather that all human beings have to deal with the powerful
force of sin that has accumulated from the sin of our First Parents
until the present day. If we explained original sin to our Muslim
brethren in this way, perhaps it would be more understandable to
them (and to us, I might add!).
Once one understands original sin in this way, I think the
need for salvation -- the ability to break loose from the
overwhelming bonds of sin that have grown stronger and stronger
through the ages -- becomes evident. With sin's effects
everywhere around us, we have an undeniable proclivity to sin; and
no one of us sitting in this room this evening is capable of
freeing himself or herself from sin's grip. Because Islam has
understandably reacted against the deficient understanding of
original sin I described earlier, it has tended not to be receptive
to this more realistic understanding of the pervasive effects of
sin on all human beings. Thus, it sees no need for salvation; it
cannot understand how Christ's death and resurrection brings
salvation. "Salvation from what?" they ask. Just as it is
unthinkable to Muslims that one person should have to shoulder the
guilt for another person's sin, it is unthinkable that another
person (in this case, Christ) would be able to pay the penalty for
another person's sins.
Furthermore, because Muslims believe that prophets are sinless
(this doctrine is known as isma'), it seems a blasphemy to say that
Christ died the shameful death of a sinner on the cross. They
therefore deny that it was Jesus that was crucified; they say that
it was Judas (whom God made to look like Jesus so that he would
suffer his rightful penalty for betrayal). Through such a story,
Muslim see themselves as protecting the prophetic integrity of
Jesus, since a true prophet, according to Islam, could not suffer
the indignity that Jesus did. Muslims affirm that Jesus ascended
to heaven but deny that he died on the cross.
But back to our main point: because Muslims do not recognize
the universal and corruptive power of sin, unleashed as a result of
original sin, they see no need for salvation in the Christian
sense. If there is no sin that has a throttle-hold on you, you do
not need to be saved from it. What you should do, according to the
Islamic view, is to live a good life, pleasing God in all that you
do. Submit to God and follow His directives. Religion, to the
Muslim, does not mean salvation from sin; it means following the
right path, or the shari'a, mapped out by Islamic law. While
-------
Christianity is a faith concerned primarily with "orthodoxy," or
"right belief," Islam is a faith concerned primarily with
"orthopraxy," or right practice. It is a religion of law, and it
sees Christianity's rejection of the Law (as taught by St. Paul in
his writings, especially Romans and Galatians) as a serious
deficiency in the Christian way of life. This, of course, does not
mean that Islam is not at all concerned with right doctrine or that
Christianity is not at all concerned with right practice. It
simply means that the emphasis is different in the two religions.
But that difference in emphasis is very important. If one
recognizes the pervasive power of sin, salvation is not just an
option; it is a necessity. Christians lament the fact that a
faulty presentation of original sin led early Islam to "throw out
the baby with the bath water" with regard to their understanding of
sin. By reacting against an anemic understanding of original sin,
as I have described it, they have missed what Christians consider
to be the central truth of human existence: that no matter how hard
one tries to conform to "right practice," he or she will fall short
of the goal. We cannot live the kind of life that God wants by our
own power.... And that is why salvation is necessary.
These matters, of course, are very profound, and I do not
pretend to have exhausted what should be said about them. In this
part of my presentation, I simply wanted to point to the divergent
Christian and Islamic understanding of the crucial issues of sin
and salvation.
IV -- The Religious Community :
=============================
Let me conclude on a theme that reverberates in the hearts of
both Muslims and Christians: religious community. What the church
is to the Christians is what the " umma" is to Muslims.
Christians and Muslims both consider themselves as accountable to
a community of faith. It is not enough to believe in isolation; we
must link our lives to brothers and sisters in the faith.
Nevertheless, there are some noteworthy differences between
the Christian and Muslims visions of religious community. There is
no ordained ministry or "hierarchy" in the Islamic umma. Also, in
the Islamic umma there is more stress on homogeneity -- on a common
pattern of life throughout the Islamic world, regulated by the
'sharia', or religious law -- than in the Christian church at
large. Christians have attempted to "incarnate" Christianity as
much as possible in local culture. For example, the Bible, hymns,
and liturgical texts are translated into the local language and
adjusted to the local culture. On the contrary, one must learn
Arabic if one wants to be a good Muslim. The Qur'an is considered
to be "untranslatable"; that is, to the Muslim the message of the
Qur'an is inextricably link to the original language. Yes, one can
attempt to render the text of the Qur'an in English, French,
German, etc., but then it is no longer really the Qur'an, only an
interpretation of it. Thus, when he did his famous translation of
the Qur'an into English, the British convert to Islam, Marmaduke
Pickthall did not call his work 'The Glorious Koran' but 'The
MEANING of the Glorious Koran'. A translation is thus seen as a
deviation. To the Muslim, Arabic is a sacred language; therefore
one can perceive the perfection and inimitability (i`jaz) of the
Qur'an only in Arabic, according to Islam.
Moreover, Muslims and Christians have different understandings
of worship. Now, I recognize that it is difficult to talk about
"Christian worship" as a single phenomenon because, as we all know,
there are many, many different traditions of worship in
Christianity. Different denominations worship in markedly
different ways because they have all responded to different social
and cultural contexts. In Islam, all Muslims worship the same way,
throughout the world, with no significant variations, regardless of
social and cultural context. In all fairness, it seems to me that
there are strengths both to the Christian emphasis on adaptability
and the Muslim emphasis on uniformity.
When discussing differences between Christian and Muslim
worship, we should also note that Muslims are very attentive not
just to the interior aspects of worship but to the external aspects
as well. In this Muslims have much more in common with Eastern
Christianity than with Western Christianity, especially
Protestantism. Like Eastern Christians, Muslims use their whole
body in prayer. Both groups, for instance, make prostrations
before God in their worship. This seems strange to many
Protestants, whose worship consists of sitting (or maybe standing
from time to time) in a comfortable setting (on cushioned pews, in
air conditioned churches, etc.) What one does with the body in
most Western Christian worship seems almost unimportant. Not so in
Islam. The submission of the spirit is symbolized by the
submissive gestures of the body, made according to a ritualized
pattern. Muslims have a much easier time, therefore, understanding
the spirit behind the highly developed liturgical worship of the
Eastern Christian than they do understanding what they consider to
by the overly informal, unregulated worship of the Evangelical
Christian. This, to me, is an interesting topic in Christian-
Muslim relations that needs to be explored more fully in
scholarship and inter-faith dialogue: Christians and Muslims need
to examine more fully -- and more objectively -- the similarities
and differences between their experiences of prayer and worship.February 04 Thoughts from the Book of Judges
In the twentyfourth chapter of Joshua we have the man of God, Joshua, exhorting the assembled tribes of Israel to turn from their evil and idolatrous behavior and to serve the Lord. You will notice that although he was a great leader and general, he gave the glory to God. Great leaders do not so much rule as they do serve. Our Lord Jesus is a perfect example. When tempted in the wilderness by satan He only answered from His Fathers Word. The end of that battle being : " Then Jesus saith to him, 'Get thee hence, satan : for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.' Then the devil leaveth Him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto Him." Matthew 4:10-11 (See also Matt. 7:12, Matt. 9:37-38, Matt. 20:25-28, Matt. 23:11, Matt. 26:39, as a few examples of how to be a servant.) Our Lord was the perfect example of a dutiful Son, a loving Father, a faithful Husband (to His bride, the Church), and The Good Shepard. He willingly laid down His life for you and me though He could have called twelve legions of angels to destroy those who sought His life. He washed the disciples feet, fed the hungry, and healed the sick and raised the dead. He is still healing and bringing the dead to life today. Joshua finishes his life pleading with the Israelites to " Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve Him in sincerity and truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell : but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:14-15 We find in the Book of Judges that Israel did not commit to obedience to God and the consequences that entailed from it's actions. Joshua warned them but they soon forgot his words and endured severe discipline from God. Our God is a "jealous God", "Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments."Exodus 20:5-6and will not tolerate rivals. He will not be one of several "gods" in our lives. We must, as Paul stated, "...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." Hebrews 12:1 and, ".. press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:14 We transition into The Book of Judges where the nation fragments physically and morally. Two and a half tribes move east of the Jordan, and individual tribes fight to claim their inheritance with God granting victories to individuals rather than the nation as a whole. The book mentions that eight times they "did evil" in God's sight and were chastened. They cry out for mercy and are delivered but soon go back to their evil ways only to be disciplined again. "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." Isaiah 64:6 What began with conquest, soon became compromise as the defeated tribes gave in to the enemy. Israel learned their ways and began to worship their gods. "Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness." Ephesians 4:19 We as Christians today must learn from our collective history or we will be doomed to repeat it. Our world is full of idols to worship. Our television raises up a new "American Idol" every so often and the sports page is so full of "role models" for our imitation. Friends, there is not anything better to idolize than the creator of all that exists, and no role model better better than His Son; Jesus of Nazareth. We owe everything to Him. America is in a serious case of denial and self worship, for just as in the end of Judges : " In those days there was no king in Israel : every man did that which was right in his own eyes." Judges 21:25 Look to God for guidance and He will give it to you. "The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?" Ezekiel 18:20-23I pray that this message will be of some help to someone. God Bless you and keep you. I would like to thank Nelson's Quick Bible reference by Warren W. Wiersbe ( ISBN 0-7852-8235-1 ) and BibleGateway.Com for the knowledge and inspiration. February 03 Another Re-Post
ReliabilityCan we trust the New Testament as a historical document? Many people do not believe that the Bible is a reliable document of history. But, the fact is the Bible is very trustworthy as a historical document. If we were to look at a chart that compared the biblical documents with other ancient documents, we would see that the Bible is in a class by itself regarding the number of ancient copies and their reliability. Please consider the chart below It should be obvious that the biblical documents, especially in the New Testament documents, are superior in their quantity, time span from original occurrence, and textual reliability. The question is not into documents a reliably transmitted to us. In the question is whether or not the biblical documents record actual historical accounts. January 30 A Better Crusade
I realize that "Crusade" is very much a charged, or sensitive word for many of my Muslim friends. The Crusades of the Middle ages were in my opinion a sad part of the collective Christian history, doing much more harm to the cause of Christ than good, while totally ignoring the real message of Christ, to wit, " Love thy neighbor as thy self". The Campus Crusade for Christ is a Christian organization that functions to serve the underprivileged of the world and to bring the good news of Christ that they may have life, and have it more abundantly. This article is from their website Campus Crusade For Christ .org Overcoming Fear in Evangelism5 steps to get past "hello" and talk about your faith
I was prepared to serve, but I didn't think I would have to once more wrestle with the elephant in my heart -- that ever-present fear to talk to others about my faith. By Greg Stoughton 21 . January . 2009 And to think we almost went to Disney World. Should we ride rides and see shows -- absolutely nothing wrong with such times of family fun -- or serve others at a holiday food distribution project? The leading of the Holy Spirit this day came in a well-timed e-mail reminder from our pastor about a need for volunteers. I was prepared to serve, but I didn’t think I would have to once more wrestle with the elephant in my heart -- that ever-present fear to talk to others about my faith. The Challenge to Reach OutMy wife and children busied themselves in needed work as I worked to look busy. Tap. Tap. Tap. Again, it was Pastor Rick. He pointed to the 100-plus people who stood waiting for a turkey and said, “How ‘bout if you float among the crowd and talk, encourage them, and maybe tell some about your faith.” My thoughts: I am a professional -- equipped to help take the gospel to the world. But I write about doing this; I don’t so often do it, Lord. I’m afraid. Can’t I just carry turkeys today? 5 Steps I Took to Overcome My Fear1. Prayer I can approach people that I don’t know, but the thought that I could be rejected -- especially were I to offer some spiritual truth -- initially paralyzed me. I asked God to replace my felt anxiety with a faith and confidence that, I knew, He could provide. Prayer didn’t change the situation. It began to create change within me. 2. Perspective In Witnessing Without Fear, Bill Bright writes, "Understanding success and failure can free you from the fear of being rejected." He defines successful witnessing as, “taking the initiative to share Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit,and leaving the results to God.” I needed to remember that it isn’t up to me to make someone a Christian. Only God is able to change a heart to embrace Christ. 3. Power Through prayer, I invited God’s Holy Spirit to embolden me and direct my path. Lord, with whom would You have me to speak? Guide me in what to say. Fueled and ready, yielded from making my time an exercise in self-effort, I felt able to take my first step. 4. Purpose As I walked, I redefined my purpose. I made it my aim to relationally connect with others the best I could in what time I had. Remembering God’s promise that “perfect love expels all fear” (1 John 4:19, New Living Translation), I repeatedly breathed, Lord, what is needed to help move this person one step closer to You? With some, that meant I just needed to listen to stories of rough circumstances and empathize as able. With others, I offered prayer. I gave a small handout to one person. And, in certain instances, I felt led to dispense a nugget of spiritual truth. I even got to carry groceries a time or two. As I sought to be faithful, my activity became fun -- more about others, less about me -- and was largely void of fear. 5. Permission Once I sensed someone felt heard, I would say, “Thanks for letting me into your life. Would it be okay if I told you a bit of my story?” Courtesy was given in return as I communicated my personal testimony and the main points of the Four Spiritual Laws booklet. How God Moved Through my FaithfulnessI crossed paths with Sterland about 30 minutes after an initial encounter. A friend at his side left on an errand. We found ourselves alone. Earlier, I had prayed with Sterland in a small group, been thanked and talked about some of my journey toward Christ. This time I breathed upward, then asked, “Sterland, would you have interest in hearing how you could experience God’s forgiveness and become a follower of Christ?” He jumped at my offer. Relaxed, at peace and full of faith -- not fear -- I talked for 20 minutes with Sterland about the gospel. That day he prayed to begin a relationship with Christ. Thankfully, we went to Disney World another day. They also have an article about the very urgent need for food in Zimbabwe at this time. It is heart breaking to see those beautiful little children and think that many of them will not eat tonight or maybe tomorrow either. Always check references, then, if you can please give a little to help the suffering of someone else. I think that God is well pleased with these small sacrifices. God Bless you all. January 29 Update
Just a few words to update the readers as to what I've been doing lately. I'm not too sure if there are any regular readers as no one ever leaves a comment, but in case there are one or two, I will let you know what I've been up to. I started out with this blog as an attempt to reach out to: 1.) My Christian Brothers and Sisters in the hopes that they would find some love in their hearts for the one and a half billion Muslim people of this world, to the end that some of these may come to know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. And, 2.) To those same Muslims to let them know that ALL Christians are not hateful hypocrites that would rather see them dead and in hell, and to show them from the Bible, ( which by the way for the Christians that don't realize it, is also considered "from God" to them, though they think we've corrupted it, and they on the other hand, have corrupted their own message of the Qu'ran by private interpretation. ), that Jesus is who He said He is. ( though they don't say that He said that, but if you were reading the last couple of months, you might understand a little of the arguments of both sides. LOL. ) I feel, by the negative responses I've engendered from the few "Christians" that have cared to comment or correspond with me, that my efforts have been largely a waste of my time. I have no Muslim readers that I am aware of. I have reached out the hand of friendship to them, but only in my daily life with several face to face encounters have I been successful. I have been talking to a few people on Face Book and reaching out with a greater success there to Christians and Muslims alike. I did not plan to use this as my primary medium, but God has steered me into that direction. I would not have you think that I have gotten no positive feedback from my brothers in Christ, just sparingly. I thank the Lord for what I have. Praise you Jesus. I told my best Muslim friend that I intended to go to a Conference in Atlanta to learn about being a missionary to the Muslim people, to bring Christ to them. His reaction was not exactly as I had expected. He was not very happy about it. Before you laugh and say " see, I told you so ", hear me out. He was not concerned so much that I was wrong and his religion was right. He knew by my conversation with him, that some may be converted to Christianity by my working with them. He also knew that I am not yet prepared to do this. I am not fully able to expound my own belief system and though I know a lot about theirs after a couple of years of study, and have a beginning knowledge of the Arabic language, I am still not ready to attempt to ask someone to change their life, leave their God by committing the "unpardonable sin" of "shirk", or as we call it, apostasy. Thereby forsaking family, friends, home, country, and possibly their very life. In several Muslim countries it is a capital offence punishable by death to convert out of Islam. In others, it is not the "official" policy but a very real threat. He is concerned for me taking my life in my hands by committing to this also. Do I have a right to ask these human beings to put their lives on the line for something I'm only a novice at ? I mean, does one go and attempt to de-fuse a bomb after one has read a book about it ? This is real life, real consequences, in the real world folks. You can't go on a holiday missionary excursion for a couple of weeks, turn someone's world upside down, then go home back to your safe warm condo to watch cable TV and drive to church on Sunday in your BMW. What about the ones you've left behind ? Does anyone understand what I'm talking about or am I deluded ? I want to be correct in my relationship with God. I don't really think it's important what man thinks about me but I understand I have been wrong so many times in my life. His thinking, I believe was that 1.) maybe I was not indeed, counting the cost and also, (though he knows me pretty well and does not doubt my sincerity of conviction), 2.) He may have been actually concerned about the state of my faith and what would the end of my journey bring me in my relationship with God. He also brought to my attention the fact that someone who is starving, naked and homeless will come to your religion quite easily when you have food, clothing, and shelter. You have in essence, become their savior. He asked me " Is it fair, are you not taking advantage of these people in order to gain favor with God ?" I had not thought of it that way and I could not answer him. In the process of rethinking your religion, your faith, your soul and your very existence, you go from rejection of the new, to questions of your own, to rejection of parts of either and various fluctuations and doubts about both. Many Muslims do not make the jump from Islam to Christianity, but rather land in the void of atheism between the two. Is it better for them to have never been messed with, (for my lack of a better term), and left with some belief in one God, (the God of Abraham), or belief in nothing ? Many of my "Christian" friends will reply that it doesn't matter that both are going to hell anyway. I do not subscribe to that fatalistic and unkind ideology. If as Jesus taught, a house built upon an unsound foundation will fall, what about a half built house abandoned and left to weather in the elements on it's own ? I do plan to continue to study in the living Word of God, and concentrate my efforts towards the missionary field and apologetics. I still need to learn more about my Master, Jesus, and what He wants. I will try to help with feeding the poor and helping their physical and emotional needs as my Lord has commanded me to. I specifically want to reach out to the Muslim people we have seem to forgotten about, except in caricatures of hate. The days of the black faced Vaudeville buffoons and images of "Black Sambo" and the other racial stereotypical epithets of our not too distant past seem to have re-appeared in a lighter shade. It is still evil. Paint your racism any way you like, God will be the judge. Pray for me if you have a mind to and may the Lord of Heaven bless you with His Riches in Glory. MaSalaama.
January 26 A Re-Post
Leftovers are good the second time around too. LOL ! Commentary Courtesy of Matthew Henry's Concise Bible commentary from e-wordtoday James 2:14-26 (King James Version) Courtesy of BibleGateWay.com 14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? 17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. 24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. 25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. James 2 Verses 14-26 Those are wrong who put a mere notional belief of the gospel for the whole of evangelical religion, as many now do. No doubt, true faith alone, whereby men have part in Christ's righteousness, atonement, and grace, saves their souls; but it produces holy fruits, and is shown to be real by its effect on their works; while mere assent to any form of doctrine, or mere historical belief of any facts, wholly differs from this saving faith. A bare profession may gain the good opinion of pious people; and it may procure, in some cases, worldly good things; but what profit will it be, for any to gain the whole world, and to lose their souls? Can this faith save him? All things should be accounted profitable or unprofitable to us, as they tend to forward or hinder the salvation of our souls. This place of Scripture plainly shows that an opinion, or assent to the gospel, without works, is not faith. There is no way to show we really believe in Christ, but by being diligent in good works, from gospel motives, and for gospel purposes. Men may boast to others, and be conceited of that which they really have not. There is not only to be assent in faith, but consent; not only an assent to the truth of the word, but a consent to take Christ. True believing is not an act of the understanding only, but a work of the whole heart. That a justifying faith cannot be without works, is shown from two examples, Abraham and Rahab. Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness. Faith, producing such works, advanced him to peculiar favours. We see then, ver. 24 , how that by works a man is justified, not by a bare opinion or profession, or believing without obeying; but by having such faith as produces good works. And to have to deny his own reason, affections, and interests, is an action fit to try a believer. Observe here, the wonderful power of faith in changing sinners. Rahab's conduct proved her faith to be living, or having power; it showed that she believed with her heart, not merely by an assent of the understanding. Let us then take heed, for the best works, without faith, are dead; they want root and principle. By faith any thing we do is really good; as done in obedience to God, and aiming at his acceptance: the root is as though it were dead, when there is no fruit. Faith is the root, good works are the fruits; and we must see to it that we have both. This is the grace of God wherein we stand, and we should stand to it. There is no middle state. Every one must either live God's friend, or God's enemy. Living to God, as it is the consequence of faith, which justifies and will save, obliges us to do nothing against him, but every thing for him and to him. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Matthew Henry, (18 October 1662 – 22 June 1714), was an English non-conformist clergyman. Life Henry's commentaries are primarily exegetical, dealing with the scripture text as presented. Henry's prime intention was explanation, not translation or textual research. His Miscellaneous Writings, including a Life of Mr. Philip Henry, The Communicant's Companion, Directions for Daily Communion with God, A Method for Prayer, A Scriptural Catechism, and numerous sermons, were edited in 1809 and in 1830. This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. January 24 John Wesley
From MSN Encarta John Wesley (1703-91), English theologian, evangelist, and founder of Methodism. Wesley was born in the rectory at Epworth, Lincolnshire, on June 17, 1703, the 15th child of the British clergyman Samuel Wesley. He was educated at Charterhouse School and Christ Church, University of Oxford. Ordained deacon in 1725 and admitted to the priesthood of the Church of England in 1728, John Wesley acted for a time as curate to his father. In 1729 he went into residence at Oxford as a fellow of Lincoln College. There he joined the Holy Club, a group of students that included his brother Charles Wesley and, later, George Whitefield, who was to become the founder of Calvinistic Methodism. The club members adhered strictly and methodically to religious precepts and practices, among them visiting prisons and comforting the sick, and were thus derisively called “methodists” by their schoolmates. In 1735 Wesley went to Georgia as an Anglican missionary. On the ship to Savannah he met some German Moravians, whose simple evangelical piety greatly impressed him. He continued to associate with them while in Georgia and translated some of their hymns into English. Except for this association, Wesley's American experience was a failure. On his return to England in 1738, he again sought out the Moravians; while attending one of their meetings in Aldersgate St., London, on May 24, 1738, he experienced a religious awakening that profoundly convinced him that salvation was possible for every person through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
From Christianity Today John Wesley Methodical pietist
"About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed." In late 1735, a ship made its way to the New World from England. On board was a young Anglican minister, John Wesley, who had been invited to serve as a pastor to British colonists in Savannah, Georgia. When the weather went sour, the ship found itself in serious trouble. Wesley, also chaplain of the vessel, feared for his life. But he noticed that the group of German Moravians, who were on their way to preach to American Indians, were not afraid at all. In fact, throughout the storm, they sang calmly. When the trip ended, he asked the Moravian leader about his serenity, and the Moravian responded with a question: Did he, Wesley, have faith in Christ? Wesley said he did, but later reflected, "I fear they were vain words." In fact, Wesley was confused by the experience, but his perplexity was to lead to a period of soul searching and finally to one of the most famous and consequential conversions in church history. Timeline 1678 John Bunyan writes The Pilgrim's Progress 1687 Newton publishes Principia Mathematica 1689 Toleration Act in England 1703 John Wesley born 1791 John Wesley dies 1793 William Carey sails for India Religious upbringing Wesley was born into a strong Anglican home: his father, Samuel, was priest, and his mother, Susanna, taught religion and morals faithfully to her 19 children. Wesley attended Oxford, proved to be a fine scholar, and was soon ordained into the Anglican ministry. At Oxford, he joined a society (founded by his brother Charles) whose members took vows to lead holy lives, take Communion once a week, pray daily, and visit prisons regularly. In addition, they spent three hours every afternoon studying the Bible and other devotional material. From this "holy club" (as fellow students mockingly called it), Wesley sailed to Georgia to pastor. His experience proved to be a failure. A woman he courted in Savannah married another man. When he tried to enforce the disciplines of the "holy club" on his church, the congregation rebelled. A bitter Wesley returned to England. Heart strangely warmed After speaking with another Moravian, Peter Boehler, Wesley concluded that he lacked saving faith. Though he continued to try to be good, he remained frustrated. "I was indeed fighting continually, but not conquering. … I fell and rose, and fell again." On May 24, 1738, he had an experience that changed everything. He described the event in his journal: "In the evening, I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation, and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death." Meanwhile, another former member of the "holy club," George Whitefield, was having remarkable success as a preacher, especially in the industrial city of Bristol. Hundreds of working-class poor, oppressed by industrializing England and neglected by the church, were experiencing emotional conversions under his fiery preaching. So many were responding that Whitefield desperately needed help. Wesley accepted Whitefield's plea hesitantly. He distrusted Whitefield's dramatic style; he questioned the propriety of Whitefield's outdoor preaching (a radical innovation for the day); he felt uncomfortable with the emotional reactions even his own preaching elicited. But the orderly Wesley soon warmed to the new method of ministry. With his organizational skills, Wesley quickly became the new leader of the movement. But Whitefield was a firm Calvinist, whereas Wesley couldn't swallow the doctrine of predestination. Furthermore, Wesley argued (against Reformed doctrine) that Christians could enjoy entire sanctification in this life: loving God and their neighbors, meekness and lowliness of heart, abstaining from all appearance of evil, and doing all for the glory of God. In the end, the two preachers parted ways. From "methodists" to Methodism Wesley did not intend to found a new denomination, but historical circumstances and his organizational genius conspired against his desire to remain in the Church of England. Wesley's followers first met in private home "societies." When these societies became too large for members to care for one another, Wesley organized "classes," each with 11 members and a leader. Classes met weekly to pray, read the Bible, discuss their spiritual lives, and to collect money for charity. Men and women met separately, but anyone could become a class leader. The moral and spiritual fervor of the meetings is expressed in one of Wesley's most famous aphorisms: "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can." The movement grew rapidly, as did its critics, who called Wesley and his followers "methodists," a label they wore proudly. It got worse than name calling at times: methodists were frequently met with violence as paid ruffians broke up meetings and threatened Wesley's life. Though Wesley scheduled his itinerant preaching so it wouldn't disrupt local Anglican services, the bishop of Bristol still objected. Wesley responded, "The world is my parish"—a phrase that later became a slogan of Methodist missionaries. Wesley, in fact, never slowed down, and during his ministry he traveled over 4,000 miles annually, preaching some 40,000 sermons in his lifetime. A few Anglican priests, such as his hymn-writing brother Charles, joined these Methodists, but the bulk of the preaching burden rested on John. He was eventually forced to employ lay preachers, who were not allowed to serve Communion but merely served to complement the ordained ministry of the Church of England. Wesley then organized his followers into a "connection," and a number of societies into a "circuit" under the leadership of a "superintendent." Periodic meetings of Methodist clergy and lay preachers eventually evolved into the "annual conference," where those who were to serve each circuit were appointed, usually for three-year terms. In 1787, Wesley was required to register his lay preachers as non-Anglicans. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, the American Revolution isolated Yankee methodists from their Anglican connections. To support the American movement, Wesley independently ordained two lay preachers and appointed Thomas Coke as superintendent. With these and other actions, Methodism gradually moved out of the Church of England—though Wesley himself remained an Anglican until his death. An indication of his organizational genius, we know exactly how many followers Wesley had when he died: 294 preachers, 71,668 British members, 19 missionaries (5 in mission stations), and 43,265 American members with 198 preachers. Today Methodists number about 30 million worldwide. January 20 Christianity - Lite
When I was studying Computer Assisted Design several years ago, I learned on a program that was then state of the art called Auto-Cad. It was full featured, having all the "bells and whistles" as they say. I wanted to buy the program so I could work at home with it, but it was very expensive. I looked into it and found that I could buy a "stripped down" version of it called "Auto-Cad Lite" for home use. It did not have all the features, and was not quite as powerful an application, but it had the "bare essentials" to do the job. It was also a whole lot cheaper. I see that society is obsessed with all things "lite" these days. Lite bread; take out the calories and you can eat without having to exercise ! Light mayonnaise; a lower calorie fat source. Lite beer; get just as drunk with a smaller "beer belly". Etc., etc. The Idea basically is that you can cut down or condense something so that you get all of it's "good" qualities or attributes while excluding the "undesirable" ones. I see a lot of people who have carried this concept over into their worship of Christ. Christianity - Lite, I call it. You take the "good stuff" and the easier practices from Biblical Christianity and leave the "hard stuff", or things that take too much faith, belief, or effort, behind. People think that they can pick and choose like they were at a salad bar or something. "Oh, I'll take some salvation, some charity, and a little bit of worship music. " they seem to be saying. God's plan as revealed to us is an integrated, self standing platform. Fully functional and not meant to be taken piecemeal. Those that saw Jesus face to face even had trouble "swallowing" the entire Word. Many came just for the miracles, or to "see the show", so to speak. We need to ask ourselves today, are we here to see a miracle, or be a miracle ? John 6:24-69"When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus. And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither? Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work? Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. " We must dig a little bit deeper brothers and sisters. To sit contented with our own lives while the rest of the world is on a rollercoaster ride to hell is not what the Lord intended. Tell someone about what the Lord has done for you today. It may be your or their last chance. May God Bless you with His Abundant Riches in Glory. January 19 After the flood
Genesis 8:15-22"And God spake unto Noah, saying, Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee. Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth. And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him: Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark. And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."
Noah offers sacrifice, God promises to curse the earth no more.Noah was now gone out into a desolate world, where, one might have thought, his first care would have been to build a house for himself, but he begins with an alter for God. He begins well, that begins with God. Though Noah's stock of cattle was small, and that saved at great care and pains, yet he did not grudge to serve God out of it. Serving God with our little is the way to make it more; we must never think that is wasted with which God is honoured. The first thing done in the new world was an act of worship. We are now to express our thankfulness, not by burnt-offerings, but by praise, and pious devotions and conversation. God was well pleased with what was done. But the burning flesh could no more please God, than the blood of bulls and goats, except as typical of the sacrifice of Christ, and expressing Noah's humble faith and devotedness to God. The flood washed away the race of wicked men, but it did not remove sin from man's nature, who being conceived and born in sin, thinks, devises, and loves wickedness, even from his youth, and that as much since the flood as before. But God graciously declared he never would drown the world again. While the earth remains, and man upon it, there shall be summer and winter. It is plain that this earth is not to remain always. It, and all the works in it, must shortly be burned up; and we look for new heavens and a new earth, when all these things shall be dissolved. But as long as it does remain, God's providence will cause the course of times and seasons to go on, and makes each to know its place. And on this word we depend, that thus it shall be. We see God's promises to the creatures made good, and may infer that his promises to all believers shall be so. From Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary. "Oh what peace we often forfeit, oh what needless pain we bear. All because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer." Goes the song "At The Cross" that we sing in my little Baptist Church here in East Tennessee. It is so true that we must start and end everything with Him. Our Alpha and Omega, beginning and ending. A man or woman who has started and ended her day in prayer has built a rampart in front and behind her protecting from satan's "pre-invasion" bombardment, and his parting shots as he cowardly flees to easier targets.
Philippians 4:5-7"Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." January 18 Crusades Timeline
From Christianity Today Major Crusades to the East: Christian History Timeline 1071 1093-1109 1095-99 1100 1113 1115 1118 1121 1144 First Crusade Mission Leaders Outcome The first wave, an unauthorized “people’s crusade,” massacred Jews and plundered Eastern Christian territory, before being slaughtered by Muslims near Nicea in 1096. A second wave, led by princes, moved into Asia Minor that summer and won strategic battles at Nicea and Dorylaeum. After a seven-month siege, Antioch was captured in June 1098. With great violence the crusaders captured Jerusalem in the summer of 1099. Four crusader states were established in the Holy Land. 1145–48 1155 1167-68 1169 c. 1173 1174 1187 Second Crusade Mission Leaders Outcome Because of bickering and ineffective leadership, the German crusaders suffered a major defeat at Dorylaeum (1147). Badly weakened, the crusaders abandoned any hope of retaking Edessa. Instead, they besieged Damascus. But following a strategic blunder they failed in their siege and were forced to retreat (1148). Christians were devastated that a crusade preached by a moral exemplar and led by royalty would fail. 1187–1191 1191 Third Crusade Mission Leaders Outcome Barbarossa (“Redbeard”) set out with an army in 1189 but drowned crossing a river en route. In 1190, Philip II of France and Richard I (Lion-Heart) of England gathered their armies. On the way, Richard captured Cyprus from a rebel Byzantine prince. Meanwhile, Philip II laid siege to Acre, and after Richard arrived, it fell. Richard also took Jaffa and negotiated Christian access to Jerusalem. 1198–1204 1199 1208 1208–18 1212 1215 1217 Fourth Crusade Mission Leaders Outcome The crusaders contracted with Venice, the shipping power, to sail them to Egypt. When they couldn’t pay the bill, the crusaders agreed to conquer for the Venetians a Christian city along the Adriatic Sea. Then Alexius IV, son of the former Byzantine emperor, asked the crusaders to restore his father to power. In return he’d pay huge sums of money, reunite the Eastern church with Rome, and supply a crusade to the Holy Land. Most crusaders agreed, and against the pope’s orders, attacked Constantinople, the capital of Greek Christendom. When the restored Alexius couldn’t fulfill his promises, the crusaders attacked the city again. The resulting three-day massacre soured relations between Eastern and Western Christians for centuries. The crusade never reached Egypt. 1217–21 1225 1226 Fifth Crusade Mission Leaders Outcome In 1218, crusaders successfully took a strategic tower in Uamietta, on the Nile. More troops arrived with Cardinal Pelagius, who assumed leadership. Though Muslims offered to give up the kingdom of Jerusalem, he continued the siege and took Damietta in 1221. Then an advance inland failed, forcing crusaders to retreat with nothing gained. Only bright spot: during the siege of Damietta, Francis of Assisi crossed enemy lines to preach to the Muslim sultan. 1228–29 1244 1244–50 Sixth Crusade Mission Leaders Outcome Frederick II, who had vowed to participate in the Fifth Crusade, pleaded illness as the Sixth set out, so the pope excommunicated him for not fulfilling his vow. Nonetheless, Frederick joined the crusaders in the Holy Land and soon negotiated with Muslims for Christian access to Jerusalem (except for the Temple area). The treaty was denounced by the devout of both faiths and lasted but ten years. Ironically Frederick was again excommunicated for making peace rather than pushing for military victory. 1248-50 1253–68 1261 1263–71 Seventh Crusade Mission Leaders Outcome As soon as he heard Jerusalem had fallen to Muslims, the devout Louis IX of France volunteered to lead a new crusade. After four intense years of planning, the well-financed army of crusaders took the Egyptian city of Damietta in 1249. But on a subsequent move toward Cairo, Louis’s forces were surrounded, and he was taken prisoner. Louis was ransomed for a huge sum in gold and the city of Damietta. Louis then went to the Holy Land for four years and rebuilt many Christian fortresses. 1267–72 1271 1273 1291 Eighth Crusade Mission Leaders Outcome Louis’s second crusade got sidetracked into attacking Tunis in North Africa. Typhus and dysentery spread through the crusader camp, killing Louis. His brother Charles negotiated a treaty. Edward arrived too late to join Louis. Still, he proceeded to Acre, where soon the crusade was abandoned. In 1291, the crusader city of Acre fell, and the Christian presence in the Holy Land ended. January 17 Favorite Outreach
Some of my fellow "Christians" subscribe to the "kill 'em all ! " theology. I pray today that the love of Christ will pour over them and show them who Jesus actually is. This is from my favorite outreach project The Crescent Project . At the present there approximately 1.5 BILLION ,( with a B ), Muslims in this World. There is about 1 missionary to every 1 Million Muslims. Lost, and loved by Christ, yet hated by the majority of people who claim to represent His name. If you read this and see that " O.M.G.! he watches Al-Jazeera ! ", don't be offended, please read on and if you will, look at the site and read the Mission Statement. This Lord with whom we have to do is no respecter of persons, and this Body of believers, His Church, that we belong to is no exclusive country club folks. God bless you all, and keep you by the Power of His Word. No man can pluck you from His hands ! Hallelujah !
Who Is My Neighbor? Dear Partner in Prayer:
You won't believe how many people we met while "waddling" Sadie around our neighborhood! Two doors down, there was a Filipino watering his lawn. We introduced ourselves and went on. Across the street lived the Owusu's, a Tanzanian family. Around the corner (you won't believe this one) I met a Lebanese woman who grew up down the street from me in Beirut! The world was living in our little suburban neighborhood...and we didn't even know it. It was as easy as saying, "Hello, my name is..." Who is my neighbor? "But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?'" (Luke 10:29) Who is my neighbor? Sadly, most of us don't have an answer. Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan was shared in order to show the young, self-justifying man that all people -- both Jews and Gentiles (and I would add, Muslims!) -- are deserving of our compassion, of our going the "extra mile." In the latest edition of my Podcast, I share three ways you can reach Muslims in this New Year. One of them is to befriend one Muslim, maybe a neighbor! Listen to Podcast
Fouad Masri President, Crescent Project P.S. Don't miss the newest edition of our Podcast, "New Year Resolutions." Our Podcast has gone through an "earlift," so to speak, so subscribe today and get the latest on Muslim issues and beliefs as we learn together how best to share the Hope with Muslims. Listen to Podcast January 16 The Lord has hardened their hearts
Brothers and sisters in Christ, please pray for peace in the Middle East. There are so many dead and hurting people there now. I would not think that this is what our Lord wants. Jesus wasn't a killer. I could put some pictures of the dead babies or the heartbroken families on this site as I have already done, but to some, it makes no difference. I have a friend who is from Palestine whom I have been praying for. He is a Muslim and I first tried arguing the Gospel with him. I have been shown by God that I will not reach him that way. He has let me understand that I am to express the love of Christ to this precious one. My friend's aged father lives in Gaza with some of his extended family. This man is very old and has no way to hide from the bombs and shells and bullets. Pray for him. There are babies who did not vote for Hammas who are being maimed and killed. Pray for them. There are women, (who by the way have virtually no rights under Islam and do basically what their husbands tell them to do), who are being bombed and burned alive with white phosphorus. They have nowhere to hide. The borders are sealed and they are being exterminated; like shooting rats in a trash can. I hear "good Christian" folks that shill for the Israeli government's blatant disregard for human life contending that, " it's Hammas' fault that the kids are getting killed. They are using them as human shields." Ask yourself, if a killer was caught in your community and as the SWAT team arrived, he grabbed your three year old daughter and used her as a "human shield"..., and the police opened fire with automatic weapons killing both the killer and your child...., would you say the cops were "justified" ? Come on folks. If you don't have love in your hearts, you better do a serious self inventory and rethink whether you've even really been saved. I will pray for you. God bless Israel with Peace and understanding. Shalom. January 15 What to do
From Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary Genesis 6 “It is easy to be religious when religion is in fashion; but it shows strong faith and resolution, to swim against the stream, and to appear for God when no one else appears for him; Noah did so. All kinds of sin were found among men. They corrupted God's worship. Sin fills the earth with violence, and this fully justified God's resolution to destroy the world. The contagion spread. When wickedness is become general, ruin is not far off; while there is a remnant of praying people in a nation, to empty the measure as it fills, judgments may be long kept off; but when all hands are at work to pull down the fences, by sin, and none stand in the gap to make up the breach, what can be expected but a flood of wrath?” Matthew Henry. 1662-1714 It’s funny that religion was in fashion in the seventeenth century much as it is today. In fact I don’t think there has ever been a time in our history that it hasn’t been. Why do you think that is so ? I would postulate that it is man’s inherent condition which leads to his proclivity to seek out a “higher power”. Romans 1:18-20 " For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse." (KJV) We have a need to cleave unto God. The Apostle Paul noted to the Athenian’s when he was in Greece, the “intellectual capital” of the world at that time : Acts 17:16-32 And also testifying of his kinsmen, the inheritors of the promise : Romans 10:1-4 So we see the Pagans and the children of the promise both looking for God. The heart, like the needle of a compass pulled to the direction of true north. God has not left us without a clue. The believer has the Bible, the Living Word of God, as a roadmap for his soul. And you, unbeliever, that small still voice in the darkness of your loneliness… is Jesus calling you. You my friend are dead. You may feel like it too. I know I did when I was outside His Love and Forgiveness. “But God commendeth His Love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8. We as sinners, do not deserve to have fellowship with a Holy and Righteous God. “For the wages of sin is death.” Romans 6:23. You need to do something right now because it is time. “For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God.” Get on your knees and ask the one who died to give you life for forgiveness of your sins. “ For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13 Right now, with the simple faith of a child, ask the lord Jesus Christ to come into your heart and save you : “ Dear Lord, I know that I am a sinner, I know that Jesus died on the cross for me. Please forgive me of my sins, come into my heart and save me. In Jesus name. Amen.” God bless you my friend. If you prayed and sincerely meant it, you are covered by the Blood of Christ. Saved from hell. You will notice some changes in your life for the better. It won’t all be “peaches and cream”, or “easy street”. It takes some effort to grow as a Christian. You need to do some things to help you in your walk with the Lord. 1. Make a public profession of your faith. ( this Sunday in Church would be best.) Remember that we will not be perfect. We sin all the time. God is Holy, but we are not. However, remember that if we do sin we have an advocate with the Father whom we can turn to. 1 John 2 If you have let Jesus fill the void in your life today, please write to me here so that I can rejoice with you and pray for you. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. God loves you and I love you. January 14 Paul Pt.7
From Christianity Today
Fighting the Good Fight As with most incidents in Paul’s life, even the journey to Rome could not be uneventful. The Alexandrian grain ship that carried Paul encountered a hurricane that wrecked the vessel. Passengers, clinging to planks or pieces of the ship, swam to the nearest island, Malta. After a delay of three months, in the spring of A.D. 60, Paul and his guard finally reached Italy. In Rome, Paul was put under house arrest, but he invited Jews to come to his rented home, and he debated with them. As usual, when they stopped giving him an ear, Paul turned his message to the Romans. For two years, he continued teaching any who visited. We do not know the results of Paul’s legal hearing, which probably took place in A.D. 62. Early tradition says he was martyred by sword during Nero’s persecution in July 64. It is highly possible, however, that he was released, and after further missionary work (perhaps in Spain), was imprisoned again in Rome before being executed. In this case, his final confinement would have been harsh. This may well be when he wrote his letters to Titus and Timothy: in them, he referred to being deserted by former companions and wrote, “I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” To keep the faith is to put it mildly. Paul had done so in the face of jailings, floggings, death threats, murder attempts, and the constant anxiety for the churches he founded—not to mention what Paul called his “thorn in the flesh”—a chronic and debilitating weakness. Still, Paul had carried his message to people of many religions and cultures. Preacher P.T. Forsyth once said, “You must live with people to know their problems and live with God in order to solve them.” Paul networked an entire empire in life and letter, sharing his soul and Christ’s message with Jew and Greek, bond and free, male and female. He once said, “I have become all things to all men, that I might win some.” It’s clear that nobody’s done it better. What an awesome example of faith we have been so blessed to have recorded for us. He took his example from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let us take courage in Paul's sufferings. Hebrews 121 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, 2 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. 3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. 4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. Brothers and sisters, treat your salvation as a garden. Plow the hard rocky soil of unbelief and old and unprofitable patterns of thinking. Plant seeds of Righteousness, which are spreading the Gospel and doing the work of Christ. Fertilize the ground with Prayer which brings growth. And water it with the Living Word of God that it may flourish and bring forth fruit. Please continue to pray for peace in the Middle East. God bless you all . January 13 Reach out
Rediscovering Apologetics Even in a postmodern culture, Christians must still be prepared with a logical response. Paul Copan | posted 11/07/2008 in LeadershipJournal.net
Once, while giving a Muslim friend a ride, I asked him, "Tamir, why should I become a Muslim?" "To have a community," he said, and "to enjoy a sense of purpose." I replied, "I can find these in Christ." "Well, why should I become a Christian?" he said. "Tamir," I exclaimed, "I thought you'd never ask!" Unfortunately, many Christians aren't equipped to answer Tamir's question because they are intimidated by potential intellectual challenges. What about evil? How do Christians understand the many world religions? But with some guidance, and armed with the knowledge that their faith can withstand intellectual scrutiny, Christians can converse engagingly with doubters and skeptics. Pastors should use the pulpit and the classroom to equip their congregations with the basics of apologetics. Consider preaching a sermon series on some of the apologetic material in the Gospels, Acts (which uses words like "eyewitnesses," "(make a) defense," "persuade," "reason"), and 1 Corinthians 15. Preach a series on the major objections to Christian doctrine. Teach a world religions class and then visit a mosque, temple, or synagogue to listen and learn. Meanwhile, identify church members with a passion for apologetics and empower them for ministry. Another important opportunity for apologetics training is among the church's students. Research has shown that the North American church is losing more and more young people. One major reason they're leaving is that they've never been equipped to handle the challenges to their faith they encounter in college. To counter this trend, we need to equip the next generation to be thoughtful idea-engagers. I attempt to do this with my own children. My wife and I regularly have Q&A times with our kids around the dinner table. We discuss the religious pluralism and relativism they regularly encounter in school. My oldest daughter, in her first few weeks at a secular art college, is already encountering these challenges. She just sent me an email that said, "It is cool how many times the topics of religion and belief systems come up. I get to see how all these different people see the world, earnestly listen to what they have to say, and, Lord willing, challenge their way of thinking in some way and point them to a Savior still unknown to them. I love these deep conversations." A final consideration includes a matter of the heart. Christians must not merely proclaim the gospel; they must also embody it. A Christian's life should be marked by love and integrity, and he should engage with non-Christians in relationship and respectful conversation. To do that, we must be good friends and careful listeners who earn the right to offer our perspective; having cared enough to understand our friends' journeys, we're better positioned to discuss Jesus. In fact, if we listen carefully, we'll often find ourselves agreeing with our non-Christian friends—there are hypocrites in the church, evil is a gut-wrenching problem, and the Scriptures can be perplexing! But with a little training, we will also be prepared to give an account for our faith. Paul Copan is professor of philosophy and ethics at Palm Beach Atlantic University and author of When God Goes to Starbucks: A Guide to Everyday Apologetics (Baker, 2008) Copyright © 2008 by the author or Christianity Today International/Leadership Journal.
Shipwreck
1 Timothy 1:5-7"Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm."
"The ministry is a warfare against sin and Satan; carried on under the Lord Jesus, who is the Captain of our salvation. The good hopes others have had of us, should stir us up to duty. And let us be upright in our conduct in all things. The design of the highest censures in the primitive church, was, to prevent further sin, and to reclaim the sinner. May all who are tempted to put away a good conscience, and to abuse the gospel, remember that this is the way to make shipwreck of faith also." Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary, courtesy of BibleGateway.com We need to examine ourselves daily by prayer and study in the word of God to make sure we are not headed for the rocks in our Spiritual journey.
Hebrews 4:12-13 (King James Version)"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do." Not as Pilate " examined" Jesus, which meant a cruel scourging ( see Acts 22:24 ),nearly to the death of the subject.( An "enhanced interrogation technique" if you will), But rather a thorough introspective into the very desire and intent of our hearts. "And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him: No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him. " Luke 23:13-15 Sisters and Brothers, We have been given such a dear and precious gift. A ransom of such momentous price that we could never be worthy of it. What right do we have to keep it to ourselves ? He has given us the Bread of Life, that we should never hunger again, Water to drink that we shall never thirst again ! Why would we muddy it with our sin and prejudices and hatred? Paul understood that he needed to be the friend of all men that by some means some may be saved. Our Lord was condemned by the Pharisees' for eating with sinners and talking to, and healing Samaritans and other "unclean" people. Are we becoming modern day Pharisees' ? Have the lepers now been cast as the gays', the Muslims', the drug addicts', the prostitutes' and any other group you wouldn't have at your dinner table tonight. I praise my Lord and thank Him that He let a wretched thing like me come to His table ! Hallelujah ! I hear it all the time, " oh we love them, it's the sin we hate." My friend, Love is an action, it is not an idea. If Christ had loved us in the way that some of you "love" your neighbors, we'd be dead in sins still, and without hope. Praise His name. My church likes to put down the Catholic people. I do not agree with every teaching they have, and probably never will , but they teach the same salvation in Jesus Christ only, and many of the same teachings I believe. They are bringing people into the Kingdom of Heaven ! They are doing so many good things for the hungry, hopeless and afflicted of this world. I thank my Lord for them. If they have made some mistakes, God will show them as He will show me mine. I understand that no one worships our Lord Jesus Christ by the devil. Is Beelzebub divided ? How indeed will his house stand ? The psychology of "the other" is one of the sharpest knives in Satan's tool bag. When you hold a precious little baby in your hands, do you think of what color it is, or if it's eyes don't look just like yours, or if there is a vowel at the end of her name? Are they any less beautiful ? God holds us in His strong and mighty hands with a fathers precious and tender love. Love your Brother ! "For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. " 1 Corinthians 11:23-31Our Heavenly Father, thank you for our daily Bread. Teach us to eat it in humility and thankfulness. Forgive us for our many sins. Not in the same manner in which we forgive others, but in your Holy Mercy, casting them into the Sea of Forgetfulness, never to charge them to the account that was taken care of by your Son Jesus. Father give us the desire to do your Will and not our own. To seek your Wisdom, and not our own. Father lead us into paths of Righteousness for your Names sake. Build a hedge around us to protect us from Satan's attacks as he does as soon as we start to work in your Will. Father I ask in Jesus Name that you give a special Blessing to each one of your Children who reads this Prayer. That your Glory is evidenced and confirmed so that by any means someone close to Perdition will be Saved. Hallelujah, thank you Father. Amen. January 12 Who is my neighbor ?
Johann Arndt (1555-1621), German Lutheran theologian "Give me ... a compassionate heart, quickly moved to grieve for the woes of others and to active pity for them, even as our Lord Jesus Christ beheld our poverty and hasted to help us. Give me grace ever to alleviate the crosses and difficulties of those around me, and never to add to them; teach me to be a consoler in sorrow, to take thought for the stranger, the widow, and the orphan; let my charity show itself not in words only but in deed and truth." |
Iraqi Christians ignored security threats and a recent spade of violence against them, to come out and vote at the provincial elections on Saturday. “We decided to participate... to remove the fear in our hearts and in the hearts of our families,” one of them told the AFP news agency. 
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Several years ago my wife leveled with me. She said, "Fouad, we're falling into the American Trap. We're becoming people who disappear into their garages." 
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