I Can’t Say Until I Know What’s In It by C.H. Spurgeon (1834-1892)

When we were in Venice we purchased a few curiosities, and finding them burdensome, we thought of sending them home by one of the English vessels lying in the Canal. We went out in a gondola with our box, and having asked for the captain of one of the vessels, we put to him the question, “Will you take a box for us to London, and what is the charge?” His reply was very ready, “I can’t say till I know what’s in it, for I don’t want to get into trouble.” A very common sense answer indeed; we admired its caution and honesty.
What a pity that men do not exercise as much care in spiritual matters, as to what they will receive or reject. Dear reader, in these times there are thousands of bad books published, and herds of bad teachers sent forth to deceive the unwary; you must be on your guard, lest you be led into error. Take nothing for granted, inquire into things for yourself, and try every new doctrine, and professedly old doctrine too, by the Word of God. You may take contraband goods on board before you are aware of it; keep both eyes open, watch and examine, and when a thing is pressed upon you, find out what’s in it. Do not believe all a man says because he is a clergyman, or eloquent, or learned, or even because he is kind and generous. Bring all to the bar of Holy Scripture, and if they cannot stand the test, receive them not, whatever their bold pretenses.

To read more of this quote, click HERE

Destroying Pop-Christian Views of Marital Bliss

By Paul Washer

"In the book of Romans chapter eight verse 28 the Bible says:

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to
those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed
to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many
brethren."

Although I know that there is an entire congregation here and that when the Word goes
forth it goes forth to all, but my principle endeavor this afternoon is to speak to two
people who are very dear to me who are going to make one of the greatest decision of
their lives today.
Sometimes in preaching the gospel we want to say, “Who is competent for these things?”
But standing here today I ask myself the same question. “Who is competent to speak to
you regarding the greatest of all endeavors for man to take a wife?”
I have found that through my life it is quite easy to become a missionary. It is quite easy
to follow the gospel call, relatively speaking. It is quite easy to be spiritual to even the
most remote people group. What is the most difficult task I have found, is to be the man
that I ought to be with the woman that must mean more to me than all other things on this
earth put together, including ministry and preaching.
I remember years ago a young person came to me and they said, “I want to be a
missionary in China.”

To read more of this article, click HERE

Straining at Gnats...

Jesus asked them, "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they remained silent. He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts... -- Mark 3:4-5

My friend, Marlys, who heads up a Christian disabilities group, recently visited an internationally renowned prayer center. As she was sitting in the prayer room, interceding and enjoying the peaceful atmosphere, a staff member from the prayer center motioned to her and asked her to step outside. "Ma'am," he said, "we're a little concerned about two blind members in your group. The two blind people went into the prayer room with their guide dogs. I don't think that's proper. I'm concerned that having a dog in the room would grieve the Holy Spirit. How do you think the Lord feels about this?"

 

Marlys could hardly believe her ears. It was all she could do to stifle her anger. What she said was, "I think God is saying, 'Hallelujah! I'm glad they're here!" Still, the man persisted. He thought someone should remove the dogs and let the blind individuals remain in the room to pray. After ten minutes of haggling, the staff member finally relented.

The whole affair reminded me of Jesus' words in Matthew 23:23-24, "You give a tenth of your spices - mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law - justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel." Thank heavens, there is a higher law which incorporates prudence, compassion, and a more exalted perspective!

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * 

How often we believers lose our focus and put more emphasis on externals, rules, and practices, rather than on God's passion for lost and hopeless people. Which means more to the Lord... religious decorum, or eternal souls?

Dear Father, keep me from becoming distracted by minor issues and trivial infractions, so that I fail to walk in your great yearning for men and women to turn back to you. As David prayed so long ago, "Renew a right spirit within me."

Blessings,

 

Joni and Friends

www.joniandfriends.org 

 

Taken from Pearls of Great Price.  Copyright © 2006 by Joni Eareckson Tada.  Used by permission.  Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

Do It Yourself Religion

We often hear that most people in the United States believe in God, and if you trust the opinion polls, they do.

However, when you dig down a little bit, you’ll find this good news isn’t so good after all. According to a new book by George Barna entitled Futurecast, America is filled with people who are do-it-yourselfers when it comes to religion - either making up God as they go along or dropping traditional beliefs and practices, like going to church. Barna tells USA Today, “People say, ‘I believe in God. I believe the Bible is a good book. And then I believe whatever I want.’”

Indeed, Barna says only seven percent of those he surveyed say they believe in seven essential Christian doctrines, as listed in the National Association of Evangelicals’ Statement of Faith.

Barna’s Futurecast tracks changes from 1991 to 2011. It finds that those who say they haven’t been to church in the past six months, except for special occasions like weddings or funerals, jumped from 24 percent two decades ago to 37 percent today. That’s an increase of over 50 percent in the nation’s “unchurched.”

No wonder that Lifeway Research, in a new survey of 900 Protestant pastors, found that 62 percent say that the importance of being identified with a denomination will decline among believers over the next decade.

This buffet-style religion isn’t confined to the church. USA Today quotes Nadine Epstein of the Jewish magazine Moment as saying, that most Jewish people when asked if there can be Judaism without God say yes! Epstein adds, “You pick and choose the part of the religion that makes sense to you.”

Okay, folks, we are experiencing a religious smorgasbord. Indeed, Barna says with just a hint of hyperbole that America may become a nation of “310 million people with 310 million religions.”

Friends, if we believe in the Truth - not to mention in the future of the Church - this can’t go on. We Christians must get back to biblical basics, to “the faith delivered once for all to the saints.”...to read more, click HERE

Foxes Book Of Martyrs Volume 2

There is a widely quoted statistic that more Christians died for their faith in the 20th century than in the 19 centuries leading up to it. But as bad as the 20th century was, the 21st century is starting to make that look like a Sunday picnic. In every corner of the globe, Christians are being shot, burned, hanged, tortured and even stuffed into metal shipping containers. Christian clergy are being marked for assassination around the world, hundreds of churches are being burned to the ground along with scores of homes and businesses owned by Christians. Dozens of nations across the globe have now passed strict anti-conversion laws in an attempt to stifle the spread of Christianity. In the countries where Christians are not yet facing physical persecution, they still must deal with open discrimination, lawsuits and increasing ridicule. Christianity is now the most hated and most persecuted religion on the plant. The reality is that the words that Jesus spoke in John 15:18 ring truer today than ever: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.”
Keep those words in mind as you read the following shocking reports of Christian persecution from all over the world….
China
Chinese authorities have conducted a crackdown on “illegal” Christian churches in recent months that church leaders are calling the harshest in years. Christians in China are required to worship in “churches” run by state-controlled organizations, and Christians who attempt to worship on their own are brutally persecuted.
Recently, hundreds of government police and hired thugs descended on a megachurch that served approximately 50,000 worshippers, smashing doors and windows, seizing Bibles and sending dozens of worshippers to hospitals with serious injuries. The co-pastors of the church are in prison and police vehicles remain parked on virtually every corner of the neighborhood where the church is located. Scenes such as this are regularly being repeated all over China as the Communist government seeks to eliminate all religion that is not government-sanctioned.

Eritrea

In a story that recently made headlines all over the world, thirty elderly women in Eritrea were arrested for simply praying together. But the truth is that this is just the latest episode in an ongoing persecution of Christians that is beyond brutal.
The Pakistan Christian TV website recently described the horrific persecution of Christians in Eritrea this way….
Today some 3,000 Eritrean Christians are imprisoned for their faith. Some are in underground and solitary cells whilst some are in ‘secret’ prisons for the ‘disappeared’. However, most are herded into unventilated shipping containers in the desert where dysentery and infectious diseases go untreated. Torture is routine.
The truth is that these unventilated shipping containers are extremely uncomfortable. The temperatures in these metal shipping containers can reach well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and in many instances Christians are not even let out of them to use the bathroom.
Assassinations Of Clergy

Increasingly, Christian clergy are being targeted for assassination all over the world. The following are just a few of the recent examples….
*A Russian priest that had been highly critical of Islam has been assassinated inside his own church.
*Leftist guerrillas in Colombia brutally executed a Christian pastor just outside his own home.
*Two masked members of the al-Shabaab Muslim militia shot and killed a Christian pastor in Somalia as he drove home from a worship service.
India
Persecution of Christians in India is getting so bad that India actually made International Christian Concern’s Hall of Shame.
According to the ICC, 2008 was particularly bad, with “wave after wave of highly coordinated Hindu raids” that resulted in “the worst outbreak of anti-Christian violence in its recent history.”
The statistics that the ICC quotes regarding the outbreak of persecution in India are sobering….
“In all, more than 100 Christians are confirmed dead, 4,000 homes have burned down, and over 50,000 Christians have fled their homes.”
The following is just one example of what is going on in India. This story was originally posted by The Voice of the Martyrs….
—-
On April 25, Pastor Mohan Babu and two other believers were severely beaten by 35 Hindu extremists for holding a Vacation Bible School (VBS) near Bangalore City, in Karnataka State. According to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts in India, the three-day VBS was organized by Ragigudda Baptist Church. VOM sources said, “Around 60 children from different backgrounds were attending the VBS. As they were worshiping, about 35 people belonging to a Hindu extremist group forcefully entered the hut chanting slogans and demolished the hut. The extremists mercilessly beat Mohan, Samuel and Krishna, alleging forceful conversion. The perpetrators chased the children without any courtesy and tore the Bibles. Mohan was severely injured on his lips and was profusely bleeding. The believers are living in fear and did not lodge complaint with the police.”
—-
Egypt

Hundreds of Muslim villagers in southern Egypt recently burned and looted scores of Christian-owned shops. Christians in Egypt live in a constant state of fear and thousands are being forced to relocate. In fact, the forced deportation of Egyptian Christians from their homes by the government in order to “protect” them is rapidly increasing.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia, of course, strictly forbids the conversion of any Muslim to Christianity. The penalty for conversion is death. Back in 2008, The daughter of a man who works for Saudi Arabia’s religious police became a Christian after she joined an Internet chat group. He responded by cutting out her tongue and burning her to death.
The United Kingdom and Europe

All across Europe, “anti-proselytising” laws are being passed. Not only that, but other laws are being adopted that force Christians to deny their beliefs. For example, the U.K. government is being forced by the European Commission to eliminate exemptions that allow churches to refuse to employ homosexual staff.
North Korea
North Korea is one of the most brutally repressive governments in the history of mankind. Tonight more than 200,000 Christians will try to stay warm in horrific North Korean labor camps.
Christians there are considered little more than dogs as the following story from The Voice Of The Martyrs illustrates…..
—-
The young brown-eyed girl looked up at her mother. What would she decide?
Earlier that morning, the young girl’s mother, their pastor, and twenty-six others in her North Korean village of GokSan were bound and taken before a screaming crowd of Communists.
One of the guards ordered Pastor Kim and the other Christians, “Deny Christ, or you will die.” The words chilled her. How could they ask her to deny Jesus? She knew in her heart he was real. They all quietly refused.
Then the Communist guard shouted directly at the adult Christians, “Deny Christ, or we will hang your children.” The young girl looked up at her mother. She gripped her and knowing how much her mom loved her. Her mother then leaned down. With confidence and peace she whispered, “Today, my love, I will see you in heaven.”
All of the children were hanged.
The remaining believers were then brought out onto the pavement and forced to lie down in front of a huge steamroller. The Communists gave them one last chance. “Deny this Jesus or you will be crushed.” The Christians had already given up their children; there was no turning back.
As the driver started the heavy piece of equipment, the singing from the villagers started softly. “More love, O Christ, to thee, more love to thee.”
—-
United States

Even with everything that has happened, the United States still offers Christians more freedom than virtually anywhere else on earth. But that is quickly changing as well. Christians in the U.S. just do not have the same level of freedom that they used to experience.
For example, school teachers in Florida say that they are being forced to hide in closets to pray after a controversial court ruling. All expressions of Christian faith are being ruthlessly pushed out of the public sphere by very powerful interest groups.
Calls for government repression of Christianity in the United States have grown louder than ever before. The Huffington Post even published a deeply disturbing article that calls evangelical Christianity the number one source of domestic terrorism in the United States and that calls on the Secret Service and the FBI to investigate and “infiltrate” pro-life and evangelical Christian groups.
Not only that, but many of the hottest best selling books in recent years have publicly mocked Christianity….
Just consider the titles of a few recent New York Times bestsellers…..
*”God is Not Great: Why Religion Poisons Everything” by journalist Christopher Hitchens.
*”The End of Faith” by atheist author Sam Harris.
*”The God Delusion” by Richard Dawkins.
But this anti-Christian sentiment is just not held by a few elitists. The reality is that it has spread to much of the general population.
For example, the following are the titles of just a few anti-Christian threads on one of the most popular political discussion forums on the Internet….
“Dirty, Filthy, Christians”: Treatise On The Most Dangerous Death Cult In Human History
How can we destroy Christians?
Christians should not participate in politics
Why Christians are so ******* lame…
Attention Heterosexuals! Repent! Jesus Can Finally Make You Gay!
Christian are sub-humans
The truth is that hatred for Christians and Christianity is rapidly increasing.
Jesus warned us that these days would come.
In Matthew 24:9, Jesus told us how the world will treat Christians in the end times….
“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.”
The times ahead of us are not referred to as “the Tribulation” for nothing. It will be an absolute bloodbath for Christians. The entire world system will be geared towards eliminating all traces of the true Christian faith. Members of the same family will even betray one another to the authorities.
The truth is that things are not going to get any easier for Christians from here on out. Someday soon there will be no place to hide from Christian persecution.
When that day arrives, what will you do?

I Did It For You

I did it for you. Simple statement. Nothing fancy. You hear people, especially parents say something similar to this to their so-called ungrateful children, “All that I have done for you…”

Think about what our Lord Jesus went through from the garden to the cross, to the grave to hell and back. Can you or anyone of us possibly imagine what He went through? We all have our ideas, and our conceptions of what Jesus Christ endured in the garden when He cried out to His Father, “If there be any other way…” What it must have felt like to have the sin of history poured out on top of Him and into Him as He drank the cup He dreaded so much. What was this cup? The wrath of God stored up for all of humanity, focused on His very own Son, the sinless and spotless Lamb.

My wife hates spiders.

I mean hates them with a passion. A grown woman will actually sprout wings and fly to get away from a creature that measures no more than a quarter inch across. To her, there is nothing more disgusting than spiders. I asked her to try to understand the idea of having all the spiders of history poured out on top of her, into her mouth, ears, eyes, hair and everywhere. The look said it all. The thing that disgusted her the most. The thing that has the ability to churn her stomach to the point of vomit. The thing that makes her skin crawl at the mention of the word. Yes, this is what I believe Jesus was experiencing in the garden and on the cross when all this sin, this filth was being poured out onto and into Him. Put yourself in His shoes and understand, He was scared, and wanted nothing more than for this to pass and there be another way. But His love for you, His awesome and indescribable love pushed Him on and made Him accept His Father’s will and punishment. Could you? Could my wife swim in a pool of spiders?

Could she have all of the spiders of history poured out on top of her for those who hate her?

Could I?

Could you?

Jesus took all of God’s wrath, all of His anger, fury, jealousy and hatred of sin and embraced it all the while remaining sinless. What an awesome Lord and King. What an awesome Saviour.

That’s my Jesus!

What Would YOU Do?

If Jesus came to your house to spend a day or two—

If He came unexpectedly, I wonder what you’d do.

Oh, I know you’d give your nicest room to such an honoured Guest,

And all the food you’d serve to Him would be the very best,

And you’d keep assuring Him you’re glad to have Him there—

That serving Him in your own home is joy beyond compare.

But—when you saw Him coming, would you meet Him at the door,

With arms outstretched in welcome to your heavenly Visitor?

Or would you have to change your clothes before you let Him in?

Or hide some magazines and put the Bible where they’d been?

Would you turn off the TV and hope He hadn’t heard?

And wish you hadn’t uttered that last, loud, hasty word?

Would you hide your worldly music and put some hymnbooks out?

Could you let Jesus walk right in, or would you rush about?

And I wonder—if the Saviour spent a day or two with you,

Would you go right on doing the things you always do?

Would you go right on saying the things you always say?

Would life for you continue as it does from day to day?

Would your family conversation keep up its usual pace?

And would you find it hard each meal to say a table grace?

Would you sing the songs you always sing, and read the books you read,

And let Him know the things on which your mind and spirit feed?

Would you take Jesus with you everywhere you’d planned to go?

Or would you, maybe, change your plans for just a day or so?

Would you be glad to have Him meet your very closest friends?

Or would you hope they’d stay away until His visit ends?

Would you be glad to have him stay forever on and on?

Or would you sigh with great relief when He at last was gone?

It might be interesting to know the things that you would do,

If Jesus Christ in person came to spend some time with you.

Woe To You…

This generation of so-called Christians are more sign and wonder hungry than any other generation in history.

• Gold dust
• Gold teeth
• “Anointed” Oil coming out of someone’s hands
• Giant jewels falling from the sky
• Angel sightings
• Jesus sightings

…and the list goes on and on…
When our Lord Jesus appeared to the disciples after His resurrection, what did He say to Thomas after he couldn’t bring himself to believe that Jesus indeed rose from the dead?
John 20.29: Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
Are you depending on signs and wonders to fuel your relationship with Christ? Or are you walking by faith and believing without seeing?
What did Jesus Christ say to the religious leaders when they asked for a sign to prove His authenticity?
Matthew 12.39: But He answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
Why do so many seek after a sign when Jesus was so dead against them?

Sensationalism

The church is for the most part guilty of seeking after a sign to validate their experience as a Christian. Their relationship with Jesus Christ is experience-based, which means without something “happening”, they don’t have a relationship. If there isn’t signs and wonders, then Jesus mustn’t be moving. Or many believe that they have or are sinning, that’s why they aren’t receiving the “outpouring”.
If your relationship with Jesus Christ is based on experiences then the enemy will hook you and lead you around like a love-sick puppy. If you want signs, he will give you all the signs you can handle. If you want to see demons being cast out, he can do that too. In fact, if you want to see “Jesus” coming in the clouds with all of the saints of heaven in tow, he will definitely do that as well…just watch and see.
Jesus isn’t about signs and wonders, He’s about obedience. If you haven’t seen God’s miracles operating in your life, you still press on evangelizing for God’s glory. He will show Himself and His wonders when He’s good and ready. Don’t go looking for them like a drug addict searches for their next fix.
Jesus Christ is not nor ever will be a magician for hire. He doesn’t draw crowds through signs and wonders, He draws people to Himself through His truth and life encapsulated in that truth.
The next time you see or hear of a “revival” taking place and all the people can talk about is the stuff happening, then chances are it’s not from God.  If the truth isn’t being spoken and unbelievers aren’t being convicted of their sin and rebellion then it’s not from God. Hang the miracles. You can’t get saved on miracles, just like you can’t live a healthy life on candy. You have to have the truth which is the life, which is from Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ only. Then and only then, will God decide to show His power through miracles.

What Evangelicals and Fundamentalists Have In Common With Pagans

 

  

W. J. Mencarow

2 Kings 17:24-35; Isaiah 66

Modern church worship largely "serves their own gods...they fear not the Lord, neither do they after His law." How do they serve their own gods? Let us count the ways...

To listen to this sermon, click HERE

To download this sermon in MP3, click HERE

Sermon Audio

You Voted Him In...

Muslim Persecution of Christians - The Stories You Are Not Hearing About

http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/2011/September20/2061.html


This series, developed to collate some—by no means all—of the most extreme instances of Muslim persecution of Christians that surface each month, serves two purposes:

1) To document that which the mainstream media does not: habitual, if not chronic, Muslim persecution of Christians.

2) To show that such persecution is not "random," but systematic, interrelated, and ultimately rooted in a worldview inspired by Sharia Law.

As will become evident, whatever the of persecution that took place, it typically fits under a specific theme, including hatred for churches and other Christian symbols; sexual abuse of Christian women; forced conversions to Islam; apostasy and blasphemy laws; theft and plunder in lieu of jizya, the additional tax that can be imposed on by Muslims on non-Muslims in a Muslin state; overall expectations for Christians to behave like cowed dhimmis, or second-class "protected" citizens; and simple violence. Oftentimes it is a combination of the aforementioned.

Because these accounts of persecution span different ethnicities, languages, and locales –even in the West, wherever there are Muslims—it is clear that one thing alone binds them: Islam—whether the strict application of Sharia, or the supremacist culture borne by it.

Categorized by theme, August's batch of Muslim persecutions of Christians includes (but is not limited to) the following events, listed according to theme and in alphabetical order by country, not necessarily severity of the event:

Attacks on Christian Symbols: Churches and Bibles

Indonesia: Two churches were set aflame; officials downplayed these cases of arson by arguing that the buildings were "only made of board" and not real churches. A mayor also proclaimed that churches cannot be built on streets with Muslim names.

Iran: Officials launched a Bible burning campaign, confiscating and destroying some 7,000 Bibles; many were publicly burned. Likening their tiny Christian minority to the "Taliban and parasites," the regime also "cracked down" on Christians (who make up less than 1% of the entire population), arresting many; their whereabouts remain unknown.

Iraq: Two churches were bombed: the first attack damaged the church and wounded 23; the second damaged the church (a third church was targeted but the bomb was defused before detonating).

Nigeria: Two churches were bombed, including a Baptist church no longer in use due to previous Muslim attacks; when officials arrested Islamist leaders, a third Catholic church was torched.

Apostasy and Forced Conversions

Eritrea: At least eight Christians have died in prisons, most under severe conditions and torture, simply for refusing to recant Christianity.

India: A female who was formerly stripped and beaten by a Muslim mob for converting to Christianity, continues to receive severe threats to return to Islam or die; likewise, Muslims held three Christian women "threatening to beat and burn them alive if they continued worshipping Christ."

Iran: A Christian pastor in Iran remains behind bars, where he is being tortured; he is awaiting execution for refusing to recant Christianity.

Malaysia: religious police raided a church when it "found evidence of proselytisation towards Muslims" and "receiving information that there were Muslims who attended a breaking-of-fast event at the church"; a Facebook campaign created to support the raid and to "prevent apostasy" has already drawn support from 23,000 people.

Norway: A Muslim convert to Christianity was tortured with boiling water and told by fellow Muslim inmates "If you do not return to Islam, we will kill you"; if deported to Afghanistan, he risks death by stoning for leaving Islam.

Pakistan: Muslims openly abducted a 14-year-old Christian girl at gunpoint saying she had to convert to Islam. Another Christian woman who was abducted, drugged, and tortured for two years—all while being informed that she had converted to Islam—happily made her escape. In both cases, the police, as is usual, are siding with the Muslim abductors. Most recently, two Christians returning from church were attacked by Muslims and beaten with iron rods for refusing to convert to Islam or pay "protection" (jizya) money.

Sudan: A 16 year old Christian girl finally escaped from her Muslim kidnappers, who "beat, raped and tried to force her to convert from Christianity to Islam." Whenever she tried to pray, she was beaten again and called an "infidel"; when her mother went to the police, they told her to convert to Islam before they returned her child.

Uganda: In accordance with Islam's Hanafi School of law, a Muslim father locked his 14-year-old daughter in a room for several months without food or water simply because she embraced Christianity; when rescued, she weighed 44 pounds.

General Oppression, Violence, and Murder of Christians

Bangladesh: Church leaders, including an elderly pastor, were severely beaten in a police station for protesting that Muslims had illegally seized and occupied a Christian home. A previously tortured Christian activist is in hiding in Honk Kong, even as his wife and children face death threats from Muslims in the neighborhood.

Egypt: Soon after breaking their Ramadan fast, thousands of Muslims rampaged throughout a predominantly Christian village, firing automatic weapons, looting and throwing Molotov Cocktails at several homes. They beat a priest, then plundered and torched his home. Another Copt was murdered in his home, which was then ransacked. Separately, a Copt was savagely attacked by seven Muslims in front of a police station; he lost one eye and required 20 stitches to his head. Girls leaving church were sexually harassed by Muslims, who hurled stones at the church; they shattered five windows.

Nigeria: In what is being called a "silent killing," ten Christians were slain by Muslims seeking to expunge Christianity from northern Nigeria; eyewitnesses insist that the army is assisting and enabling the slayings.

Pakistan: A Christian family consisting of 26 people, including women and children, lived in slavery for over 30 years, forced to labor on a farm belonging to a wealthy Muslim landowner; they only recently managed to regain their freedom, through the aid of the Catholic Church. A Muslim mob attacked a group of Christians watching a movie about Jesus, and destroyed the projector. A Christian man was beaten unconscious for celebrating Independence Day. He was told by Muslims, "How can you celebrate when you are Christian? Convert to Islam if you want to join the celebration."

Somalia: Al-Shabab ("The Youth") is intentionally preventing food aid from reaching the nation's miniscule Christian minority: "Any Somali that the Islamists suspect to be a Christian, or even a friend of Christians, does not receive any food aid."

Sudan: A "humanitarian crisis is unfolding" in Sudan's border region where Christians and their churches are being targeted in a systematic campaign of ethnic cleansing by North Sudan's Islamist regime.

United Kingdom: A Muslim family was terrorized and threatened with death because their daughter married a Christian -- an act considered a crime according to Sharia. Note: a man marrying a non-Muslim woman is permitted.

Uzbekistan: Authorities continue to pressure churches and Christians, fabricating evidence to punish or limit Christians' ability to practice their faith, and subjecting them to excessive fines, false accusations, as well as confiscating their Christian literature.

* * *

These are just some of the assaults to which Christians have been subjected under Islam that made it to the non-mainstream media last month.

Then there are the countless atrocities that never make it to any media—the stories of persistent, quiet misery that only the victims and local Christians know—such as the recent revelation that a 2-year-old girl was savagely raped in Pakistan because her Christian father refused to convert to Islam: it took five years for this story to surface. How many never surface?       

The Good, Perfect and Acceptable Will of God

"That ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God."

Romans 12:2

The will of God is "good, perfect, and acceptable." How are we to prove personally and experimentally that it is all this? That good and perfect will runs counter, over and over again, to my natural inclinations, sets itself firmly against my fleshly desires. God's will calls for self-denial, but I want self gratification; it requires obedience, but my carnal mind is the essence of
disobedience; it demands many sacrifices, but my coward flesh revolts from them; it bids me walk in the path of suffering, sorrow, and tribulation, but my fleshly mind shrinks back, and says, "No, I cannot tread in that path!" As long, then, as I am conformed to the world, I cannot see the path, for this worldly conformity has thrown a veil over my eyes; or if I do dimly and faintly see it, I am not willing or able to walk in it, because my carnal mind rebels against all trouble or self-denial, or anything connected with the cross of Christ. But, on the other hand, if by any gracious operations of the Spirit on my heart, I am drawn out of this worldly conformity, am renewed in the spirit of my mind, and transformed into the likeness of the suffering Son of God, then "that good, and perfect, and acceptable will of God" becomes commended to my conscience.

This good, and acceptable, and perfect will is far, far out of the sight of the carnal eye, out of the sound of the worldly ear, out of the touch of the worldly hand; but is made manifest to the spiritual eye, listened to by the spiritual ear, and laid hold of by the spiritual hand. To realise this for ourselves, we shall find it good sometimes to look back and see how that divine will has, in previous instances, proved itself acceptable to our renewed mind. We can see, too, how supremely that will has reigned, and yet how supreme in all points for our good. It has ordered or overruled all circumstances and all events, amidst a complication of difficulties in providence and grace. Nothing has happened to our injury, but all things, according to the promise, have worked together for our good.

But one thing we must deeply bear in mind, that as we cannot deliver ourselves from worldly conformity, so we cannot renew ourselves in the spirit of our mind. The blessed Spirit must do both for us, and work in us to will and to do of his good pleasure. But as we are led to feel the misery of the one state, and the blessedness of the other, we shall seek after these gracious operations and divine influences; and as the blessed Spirit from time to time brings the soul out of this worldly conformity and transforms it into the suffering image of Christ, it sees more and more the beauty and blessedness of walking in this path; and cleaving to Christ and his cross with its tenderest affections proves for itself the goodness, acceptability, and perfection of the will of God.

JC Philpot - 1802-1869

Study on the Word 'Prodigal'

The word ‘prodigal’ may not be the proper word to use in all circumstances, so I did a word study and found some worthwhile things to share. My comments are in 'bold'.

Webster’s 1828

Prodigal – from Latin prodigus, prodigo to draw out, to lavish
1. Given to extravagant expenditures; expending money or other things without necessity; profuse; lavish; wasteful; not frugal or economical; as a prodigal man; the prodigal son. A man may be prodigal of his strength, of his health, of his life or blood, as well as of his money.

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The Sin of Unbelief

"And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is among you." (Deuteronomy 13:10-11)   In context, this "wickedness" was the crime of rejecting and influencing others to reject the Lord. While this is not a capital crime in a Christian context, this passage does show how God feels about the sin of unbelief--especially trying to persuade others into unbelief--in the infinite love and sacrifice of Christ who suffered and died for their sins. "He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?" (Hebrews 10:28-29).   Unbelief in Christ is, in fact, the only sin which God cannot forgive, and thus is the most wicked sin of all. Christ died for all our sins, and thus will provide full forgiveness for all who will accept His gift of salvation. Christ Himself said: "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (John 3:18).   One of the final words of the Bible is the warning: "But the fearful, and unbelieving . . . shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death" (Revelation 21:8). These are words spoken by the Lord Jesus, speaking of those who have spurned His sacrificial love. It may seem a light thing in our modern society to ignore or reject Him, but it will eventually prove "a fearful thing" (Hebrews 10:31) to face Him in judgment. HMM

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Institute for Creation Research | 1806 Royal Lane | Dallas | TX | 75229

We Worship Jesus

“(Jesus) is the only one worthy of worship. Folks, we do not worship the family. We do not worship home education. We do not worship patriarchy. We worship Jesus Christ. And as a church we exist to exalt and to worship and to bow the knee and to prostrate ourslelves before the Lord Jesus Christ. We don’t make much of the family. We make much of Jesus. If we get to a place we’re making more of the family or more of patriarchy or more of home education than we are of Jesus, then we are in a place of idolatry. We exist to bow the knee to Christ, to worship the Lord Jesus Christ. We exist to give to Him all that we have and all that we are just as these disciples when they saw the resurrected Christ, recognized that He and He alone was worthy of worship. We don’t worship styles. We worship Jesus. We don’t worship philosophies. We worship Jesus. And that’s who we are first and foremost. We are a people who are hard after God. We are a people who are passionate for Jesus Christ.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Voddie Baucham

Berean Wife

Because of the Love of Christ

For Christ's love compels us.... --II Corinthians 5:14

Glenda Heisley and her family are Mennonites who tend a small farm in the pasturelands of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The Heisleys have a herd of goats and cows, besides their modest fields of corn. Glenda loves to sing, and she's a member of her church's choir. Shortly after the terrorist attacks of 2001, she and her choir friends wondered, How can we help the people of New York City? Our denomination has already sent medical supplies, but what can our church do?

They asked God to show them how a few farmers from the cornfields might encourage the city folk of New York. God gave them a wonderful idea. Early one Friday morning, Glenda and her church friends boarded a bus for New York. They took with them a stack of CDs, recordings they had done of all their favorite old hymns.

When they arrived, their bus stopped at a subway station, and they disembarked. They looked quite a sight in their simple farming clothes-including traditional white caps for the women and straw hats for the men. Standing near the station, they took a deep breath... and began to sing. In rich, deep, four-part harmony, they sang "Rock of Ages," and "Dwelling in Beulah Land." Suddenly the stockbrokers rushing by slowed their pace. Students exiting the subway to run to class at Columbia University, paused. Shoppers hesitated. All turned their heads as they walked by, catching lovely strains of hymns from what must have seemed to them like another planet. As they sang, they held out the free CDs. Gifts of love, straight from the heart, in the name of Jesus.

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There is always a way-a creative, sincere way-to share the love of Christ. For these Mennonites, it started with prayer, asking God for direction and fresh ideas. And that's a good place for you to start today, too.

Use me, Holy Spirit-who I am and where I am-to show people an

alternative to a shallow, empty life without God.

Blessings,

 

Joni and Friends

www.joniandfriends.org