Few thoughts about Morality!

It is amazing how many intellectual Atheist cannot define evil. I do not intend to belittle any, only to stimulate thinking. By definition, I am not very knowledgeable of the origins of Atheistic thought. Nor do I claim the desire to understand every thought from every Atheist. Let me ask a few questions for which most Atheist try to explain away. Does evil exist? Define evil please? Ok, here are a few secular definitions; 1. morally wrong or bad; immoral; wicked: evil deeds; an evil life. 2. “extreme moral wickedness.” Now here is an Antonym–righteous. Secular definitions-1. characterized by uprightness or morality 2. acting in an upright, moral way; virtuous. Now who sets the parameters? What is right and what is wrong? Can man set these parameters? Who says the murder is wrong? Who says sleeping with another mans wife or husband is wrong? Who says stealing is wrong? Is not Murder evil? How about the evils of Adultery? The evil of taking something that does not belong to you. To say that mankind and his behavior evolves through the millennia is absolutely illogical. With this train of thought, one day murder will evolve into giving life, adultery will be what gives strength to marriage and stealing will evolve into charity. What is Atheism? Definition of Atheism: 1. the doctrine or belief that there is no God. 2. disbelief in the existence of a supreme being or beings. Is this logical? To believe there is no belief? An Atheist told me some time back that faith is believing in something that you know does not exist. Wow that redefines logic. The end of Faith is the aspirations of many Atheist’, which in turn would be the end of Atheism. Only suggesting that there is something Greater than the Intellect of mankind! What is the mathematical percentage that everything that is known just happened? God does exist. Jesus did die on a cross and was raised from the dead! With man, this is impossible, but we are not talking about man are we? By the way, I am not telling anyone how or what to believe. That is your free will choice!

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Good Thursday, not Friday!

Millions of Christians celebrate the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Good Friday and then wake early in the morning on Sunday to celebrate Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead. I was stunned when I heard an Atheist say, “there are contradictions in the Bible and I can prove it.” To my amazement, he proved his point. He said, “there is no way that Jesus was Crucified on Friday and then Raised from the dead early on the first day of the week, which is Sunday. Jesus said, “Matthew 12:40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” So, if Jesus was Crucified on Friday then there is a contradiction because that would mean Friday night, Saturday, Saturday night and then Sunday .” Here ends his argument. The Atheist was right! We Christians wonder why there is so much corruption and confusion in the Church and why so many in the world say there are problems with Christianity. The Atheist did not like my response and some of you may not either. Jesus did die on the Cross for your sins and was raise from the Dead, so repent of your sins and believe in Jesus. Just because Christians contradict themselves from time to time does not give you an excuse not to believe the Truth! The Christian Church has for generations celebrated the Crucifixion of the Passover Lamb, Jesus, on Friday when it should be celebrated on Thursday. Listen to what Jesus said and count for yourself. “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Christ was crucified for us at the third hour (9 a.m.). Darkness came over the land at the sixth hour (Noon) and lasted until the ninth hour (3 p.m.), when our Lord gave up His spirit. So here is the Truth. Thursday night, Friday, Friday night, Saturday, Saturday night then Sunday. Corruption, ignorance and deceit are manifest in the Church today. We as believers need to always study and obey God’s Word rather than trust in the traditions of the Church. The Atheist did not find contradictions in the Word of God, he found then in the people who go to Church! We must know the Truth and obey, even if doing so causes people to feel uncomfortable in their ignorance. Just because “that’s the way we have always done it” does not make it Right! What do you believe and why do you believe it is more important than just acting out your religion in ignorance. Jesus Rose from the dead early in the morning on the first day of the week (Sunday) and we now know He was Sacrificed on Thursday and not Friday. As I always tell my people “now you’ve heard the Truth, what are you going to do with that Truth? Romans 10:9 That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Father, thank you for sacrificing you only begotten Son on the Cross to Atone for our sins. Thank you for His Glorious Resurrection. Grant all who reads this the knowledge of their sins and how our sins can be Washed Away by His Blood if they would just Repent and believe! In Jesus Name, Amen

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Rise Of Christian Persecution!

Sharing this article from Prophecy News Watch.  Where will you spend Eternity?  A Scripture to think about while reading this article is ; “Re 6:9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained.
10 They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?”
11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.

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 horrifc 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?

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Evolution just Happened!

I wanted to share this article to put a mathematical number on the odds that evolution occurred.

Michael Stubbs

Many ordinary people believe that an uncontrolled process called evolution has produced the intricate designs which we see around us. It only takes a few moments of easy mathematics to check out the truth of such a belief.

50:50

When we toss a coin, we expect it to land showing either a head or tail. We say from experience that the probability of the coin landing ‘heads’ is one half, or we can say ‘tails’ has a 50% chance of showing up. We also know from experience that this does not mean when we throw a head first, the next throw will be a tail. It simply means that if we keep tossing coins long enough, then half the time the coin lands, it will show heads, and half the time tails.

 

However, even in the idea of ‘1/2 heads’ are some assumptions or beliefs which few of us bother to check when throwing coins. We take it for granted that the coin weighs the same on both head and tail sides, so it gives an unbiased result. We rarely check to see if the coin has both a head and a tail, even though rare double headed coins do exist.

An interesting situation arises when two separate events occur at the same time, e.g. tossing a coin and throwing a die. (Most of you will call it a dice, but that is plural for more than one die.) If we ask what is the ‘chance’ of throwing a head and a 6 at the same time, a simple look at all the possible results of throwing coins and dice will show the answer.

Since the coin has two sides and only one head, the possibility of a head is 1/2.

Since the die has six sides and only one face with 6 on it, the possibility of six is 1/6.

The only trouble is that half of the times the die lands showing a 6, the coin will show a tail, the other half of the times we throw a 6, the coin would show a head. So the probability of throwing the head and the 6 together, must be one half of the sixes, or put mathematically, 1/2 x 1/6. This, of course, is 1/12. Again we must remember that this does not mean one in every 12 throws, but if you throw for long enough, 1/12 of all throws would have both a 6 and a head (see footnote). Puts one off gambling somewhat!

Can ‘chance’ count to 10?

Let us extend this idea further. (A problem for any Grade 10 math’s class.) Suppose we have a bucket in which are placed ten (10) identical discs, each numbered from 1-10. The question is: Can chance methods enable us to count from 1 to 10? If only one disc is to be selected from the bucket, noted and replaced, and we require disc 1 first, disc 2 second, etc. in the correct sequence from 1-10, what is the probability of selecting all ten discs in order?

The maths are relatively easy. Since there is only one disc numbered 1, there can be only one chance in ten (1/10) of selecting it. After we replace the first disc, the chance of selecting the disc number 2 is the same—1/10. In fact, every separately numbered disc has one chance in ten of being selected. The probability of selecting the first one followed by the second one in correct order must be 1/10 x 1/10 or 1/100. To select all 10 in the right order the probability is 1/10 x 1/10 x 1/10 x 1/10 x 1/10 x 1/10 x 1/10 x 1/10 x 1/10 x 1/10 or (1/10)¹⁰. This means that you would select the right order only once in 10 billion attempts. Put another way ‘chance’ requires 10 billion attempts, on the average, to count from 1 to 10.

The theory of evolution

Further tests exist to measure how efficient chance is at producing design. The following is fascinating. The question is: What is the expected probability for chance to spell the phrase—‘the theory of evolution’? This phrase by chance would involve the random selection and sequencing of letters and spaces in the correct order. Each letter from the alphabet plus one space (totaling 27 possible selections) has one chance in 27 of being selected. There are 20 letters plus 3 spaces in the phrase—‘the theory of evolution’. Therefore ‘chance’ will, on the average, spell the given phrase correctly only once in (27)²³ outcomes!!

This computes to only one success in a mind boggling 8.3 hundred quadrillion, quadrillion attempts (8.3×10³²) (gasp!). Suppose ‘chance’ uses a machine which removes, records and replaces all the letters randomly at the fantastic speed of one billion per microsecond (one quadrillion per second)! On average the phrase would happen once in 25 billion years by this random method. If, as evolutionists would have us believe, the earth has been in existence for approximately 5 billion years, then ‘chance’ could take five times this time to spell out its own success, even at this phenomenal rate of experimentation. And this phrase is infinitely simpler than the smallest life form, and children of average intelligence could perform this same spelling task within a minute or so.

Amended 7 October 2004.

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America’s Moral decline!

America is in a spiritual spiral. Christians seem to chase their tails when it comes to changing the moral decline in America. It appears that America does not care about a relationship with its Creator who bestowed the freedoms that has brought more light and hope to this dark world than any other country in history. What’s the problem? Better yet, what is the solution? I am a believer in the transforming power of Jesus Christ through the  indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit. The solution to America’s problem is so obvious that most Christian’s may not see.  Why do Christians want people of the world to understand God’s Word?  They can’t!  For the redeemed reading this, they will understand. The unredeemed reading this will scoff.  Scripture says “1Co 2:14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

When the Spirit illuminates the heart, then a part of the man sees that which he has never seen before; a part of him knows which he never knew before, and that with a kind of knowing which the most acute thinker cannot imitate.  He knows now in a deep and authoritative way, and what he knows needs no reasoned proof.  His experience of knowing is above reason, immediate, perfectly convincing and inwardly satisfying.  “A man can receive nothing.”  That is the burden of the Bible. Whatever men may think of human reason, God takes a low view of it…1Co 1:20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?  “The inability of human reason as an organ of Divine Knowledge arises not from its own weakness but from its unfittedness for the task by its own nature.   It was not given as an organ by which to know God.” Tozer It takes the Holy Spirit to unlock the Book!  He who reads simply with the eye of the intellect will miss the glory of the Book, and will never realize the soul food with which it is stored.  It is well to ask the Light and blessing of the Holy Spirit upon us each time we read.  America does not need another man to change the moral temperature of the country; it needs the Christians to seek to minister to the empty souls of its countrymen.  As an example, consider this.  Pornography enslaves millions in America. To change this moral depravity is not found in government regulation but is found in showing people Jesus.  If Jesus changes the hearts of the pornography seeking people, then the pornography industry will be out of business.  Christians understand this but the enslaved cannot.  Let us seek to lift Jesus up and allow Him to transform lives instead of trying to reason with the lost!

America is in a spiritual spiral. Christians seem to chase their tails when it comes to changing the moral decline in America. It appears that America does not care about a relationship with its Creator who bestowed the freedoms that has brought more light and hope to this dark world than any other country in history. What’s the problem? Better yet, what is the solution? I am a believer in the transforming power of Jesus Christ through the  indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit. The solution to America’s problem is so obvious that most Christian’s may not see.  Why do Christians want people of the world to understand God’s Word?  They can’t!  For the redeemed reading this, they will understand. The unredeemed reading this will scoff.  Scripture says “1Co 2:14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

When the Spirit illuminates the heart, then a part of the man sees that which he has never seen before; a part of him knows which he never knew before, and that with a kind of knowing which the most acute thinker cannot imitate.  He knows now in a deep and authoritative way, and what he knows needs no reasoned proof.  His experience of knowing is above reason, immediate, perfectly convincing and inwardly satisfying.  “A man can receive nothing.”  That is the burden of the Bible. Whatever men may think of human reason, God takes a low view of it…1Co 1:20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?  “The inability of human reason as an organ of Divine Knowledge arises not from its own weakness but from its unfittedness for the task by its own nature.   It was not given as an organ by which to know God.” Tozer It takes the Holy Spirit to unlock the Book!  He who reads simply with the eye of the intellect will miss the glory of the Book, and will never realize the soul food with which it is stored.  It is well to ask the Light and blessing of the Holy Spirit upon us each time we read.  America does not need another man to change the moral temperature of the country; it needs the Christians to seek to minister to the empty souls of its countrymen.  As an example, consider this.  Pornography enslaves millions in America. To change this moral depravity is not found in government regulation but is found in showing people Jesus.  If Jesus changes the hearts of the pornography seeking people, then the pornography industry will be out of business.  Christians understand this but the enslaved cannot.  Let us seek to lift Jesus up and allow Him to transform lives instead of trying to reason with the lost!

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True Worship!

Everyone worships something or somebody. The question is who? The question is what?  Here is the Truth about true worship; John 4:24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” The stark, tragic fact is that the efforts of many people to worship are unacceptable to God.  Without an infusion of the Holy Spirit there can be no true worship!  This is serious. It is hard for me to rest peacefully at night knowing that millions of cultured, religious people are merely carrying on church traditions and religious customs and they are not actually reaching God at all.

We must humbly worship God in Spirit and in Truth. Each one of us stands before the Truth to be judged.  Is it not now plain that the Presence and the Power of the Holy Spirit of God, far from being an optional luxury in our Christian lives, is a necessity? “The fellowship of God is delightful beyond all telling. He communes with His redeemed ones in an easy, uninhibited fellowship that is restful and healing to the soul.  He is not sensitive nor selfish nor temperamental.  What He is today we shall find Him tomorrow and the next day and the next year….He loves us for ourselves and values our love more than galaxies of new created worlds.” Tozer In every relationship that is important to you, there has to be participation ie. Fellowship. To grow in our relationships we must devote time, energy, humility, love and soul. So it is with our worship of God. We cannot and will not ever grow in worship without these important elements.  Jesus tells us “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

This is the first and greatest commandment.

And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ True Worship flows from the soul of the obedient believer.  So flee from the worship of religion, man, money and self image and come to the Wellspring of Righteousness the comes from Jesus Christ.  Ps 95:6-8 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;

for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. I pray you experience True worship with our Father this day through the Holy Spirit and the Truth!

Everyone worships something or somebody. The question is who? The question is what?  Here is the Truth about true worship; John 4:24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” The stark, tragic fact is that the efforts of many people to worship are unacceptable to God.  Without an infusion of the Holy Spirit there can be no true worship!  This is serious. It is hard for me to rest peacefully at night knowing that millions of cultured, religious people are merely carrying on church traditions and religious customs and they are not actually reaching God at all.

We must humbly worship God in Spirit and in Truth. Each one of us stands before the Truth to be judged.  Is it not now plain that the Presence and the Power of the Holy Spirit of God, far from being an optional luxury in our Christian lives, is a necessity? “The fellowship of God is delightful beyond all telling. He communes with His redeemed ones in an easy, uninhibited fellowship that is restful and healing to the soul.  He is not sensitive nor selfish nor temperamental.  What He is today we shall find Him tomorrow and the next day and the next year….He loves us for ourselves and values our love more than galaxies of new created worlds.” Tozer In every relationship that is important to you, there has to be participation ie. Fellowship. To grow in our relationships we must devote time, energy, humility, love and soul. So it is with our worship of God. We cannot and will not ever grow in worship without these important elements.  Jesus tells us “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

This is the first and greatest commandment.

And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ True Worship flows from the soul of the obedient believer.  So flee from the worship of religion, man, money and self image and come to the Wellspring of Righteousness the comes from Jesus Christ.  Ps 95:6-8 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;

for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. I pray you experience True worship with our Father this day through the Holy Spirit and the Truth!

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Fire!!

The passage of Scripture I want to use for this devotion is found in Jeremiah 1.  “8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD.

9 Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now, I have put my words in your mouth.”

Pascal wrote on a piece of paper a brief account of his experience, folded the paper and kept it in a pocket close to his heart, apparently as a reminder of what he had felt.  Those who attended him at his death found the worn, creased paper.  In Pascal’s own hand it read:

“From about half-past ten at night to about half-after midnight-fire! O God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob-not the God of the philosophers and the wise. The God of Jesus Christ who can be known only in the ways of the Gospel. Security-feeling-peace-joy-tears of joy. Amen.

Were these the expressions of a fanatic, an extremist? No.  Pascal’s mind was one of the greatest.  But the Living God had broken through and beyond all that was human and intellectual and philosophical.  The astonished Pascal could only describe in one word the visitation in his spirit: “FIRE!” ….

What we need among us today is a genuine visitation of the Holy fire of God, the Holy Spirit! So many walking and living amongst us today are living in spiritual blindness, darkness in their souls, lost in a world which hates its Creator and who do not desire the Cross. The way of the Cross is the only way to true enlightenment, forgiveness, peace, joy and love.  Those who try to understand God cannot lest they come by way of the Cross of Jesus.  Their misunderstanding about God leads them to deeper spiritual blindness. Everyone is born physically alive but spiritually dead!  No human can understand the things of God until they are born from above, born by the Spirit’s baptism of fire.  “Nothing can prevent the spiritual rejuvenation of the soul that insist’s upon having it.” Tozer

As Jeremiah received a word from the Holy God and Father, so we today need the same Word. Man is sinful, God is Holy, Mercy is given, Jesus died, Holy Spirit given and now is the time of Repentance. Why is the Church so slothful in it’s message of the Cross today? Answer, God’s way is the way of Holiness which can only come by the way of the Cross. People in the “church” has become worldly in it’s worship. The world’s church has become nothing more than a pep rally for worldlings! The True Church(believers)is about Christ and about emptying ourselves of self. It is about being filled with the Fire that Pascal referred to and which Jesus promised to all that would hunger and thirst for Righteousness. May the fire of Heaven visit us in a fresh way today. Amen

The passage of Scripture I want to use for this devotion is found in Jeremiah 1.  “8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD.

9 Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now, I have put my words in your mouth.”

Pascal wrote on a piece of paper a brief account of his experience, folded the paper and kept it in a pocket close to his heart, apparently as a reminder of what he had felt.  Those who attended him at his death found the worn, creased paper.  In Pascal’s own hand it read:

“From about half-past ten at night to about half-after midnight-fire! O God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob-not the God of the philosophers and the wise. The God of Jesus Christ who can be known only in the ways of the Gospel. Security-feeling-peace-joy-tears of joy. Amen.

Were these the expressions of a fanatic, an extremist? No.  Pascal’s mind was one of the greatest.  But the Living God had broken through and beyond all that was human and intellectual and philosophical.  The astonished Pascal could only describe in one word the visitation in his spirit: “FIRE!” ….

What we need among us today is a genuine visitation of the Holy fire of God, the Holy Spirit! So many walking and living amongst us today are living in spiritual blindness, darkness in their souls, lost in a world which hates its Creator and who do not desire the Cross. The way of the Cross is the only way to true enlightenment, forgiveness, peace, joy and love.  Those who try to understand God cannot lest they come by way of the Cross of Jesus.  Their misunderstanding about God leads them to deeper spiritual blindness. Everyone is born physically alive but spiritually dead!  No human can understand the things of God until they are born from above, born by the Spirit’s baptism of fire.  “Nothing can prevent the spiritual rejuvenation of the soul that insist’s upon having it.” Tozer

As Jeremiah received a word from the Holy God and Father, so we today need the same Word. Man is sinful, God is Holy, Mercy is given, Jesus died, Holy Spirit given and now is the time of Repentance. Why is the Church so slothful in it’s message of the Cross today? Answer, God’s way is the way of Holiness which can only come by the way of the Cross. People in the “church” has become worldly in it’s worship. The world’s church has become nothing more than a pep rally for worldlings! The True Church(believers)is about Christ and about emptying ourselves of self. It is about being filled with the Fire that Pascal referred to and which Jesus promised to all that would hunger and thirst for Righteousness. May the fire of Heaven visit us in a fresh way today. Amen

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Woe to you who call evil good!

What about homosexuality and being a Christian? Is this possible? Is living in sin and being saved from the penalty of sin even possible? Woe to a people who calls evil good and good evil! We all have sinned, yes. We all will from time to time fall into sin. What does God’s Word say about this. 1Jo 3:4-6 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. Galatians 5:19-21 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. Again 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. Now read this article that lays out a scenario.  “As more states-like Iowa-approve same-sex “marriage,” conservatives are claiming that freedom of religion is in peril. Same-sex “marriage” supporters accuse them of engaging in hysterical gay-bating. Who’s telling the truth?
Let me share some stories with you from an excellent news broadcast produced by National Public Radio. Then you decide.
Two women decided to hold their civil union ceremony at a New Jersey pavilion owned by the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association. This Methodist group told the women they could not “marry” in any building used for religious purposes. The Rev. Scott Hoffman said a theological principle-that marriage can only exist between one man and one woman-was at stake. The women filed a discrimination complaint with the New Jersey Division of Civil Rights. The Methodists said the First Amendment protected their right to practice their faith without being punished by the government. But punish the Methodists is exactly what New Jersey did. It revoked their tax exemption-a move that cost them $20,000. Then there’s the case of the Christian physicians who refused to provide in vitro fertilization treatment to a woman in a lesbian relationship. The doctors referred her to their partners, who were willing to provide the treatment. But that wasn’t good enough. The woman sued. The California Supreme Court agreed with the woman, saying that the doctors’ religious beliefs didn’t give them the right to refuse the controversial treatment. In Massachusetts, Catholic Charities was told they had to accept homosexual couples in their adoption service, or get out of the adoption business. They chose correctly-get out of the business.
In Mississippi, a mental health counselor was sued for refusing to provide therapy to a woman looking to improve her lesbian relationship. The counselor’s employers fired her-a move that was backed up by the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. In New York, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University refused to allow same-sex couples to live in married student housing, in keeping with the school’s orthodox Jewish teachings. But in 2001, the New York State Supreme Court forced them to do so anyway-even though New York has no same-sex “marriage” law.
In Albuquerque, a same-sex couple asked a Christian wedding photographer to film their commitment ceremony-and sued the photographer when she declined. An online adoption service was forced to stop doing business in California when a same-sex couple sued the service for refusing, on religious grounds, to assist them. Convinced? Clearly, homosexual “marriage” and religious liberty cannot co-exist-because gay activists will not allow them to. As marriage expert Maggie Gallagher puts it, same-sex “marriage” advocates claim that religious faith “itself is a form of bigotry.” I know this may sound alarmist, but it’s true. If we don’t work to stop this juggernaut, we may soon find ourselves hunted down at work, at school, and even at church-as others have been-by those determined to force us to accept as a moral good what God calls evil. Our attitude toward all sin must change. All sin will lead to Hell! May the Holy Spirit give all of us reading this conviction to view sin the way God does. Let us truly be Born again in Christ Jesus!

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To die is Gain!

VERY soon your life here will end; consider, then, what may be in store for you elsewhere. Today we live; tomorrow we die and are quickly forgotten. Oh, the dullness and hardness of a heart which looks only to the present instead of preparing for that which is to come!  Therefore, in every deed and every thought, act as though you were to die this very day. If you had a good conscience you would not fear death very much. It is better to avoid sin than to fear death. If you are not prepared today, how will you be prepared tomorrow? Tomorrow is an uncertain day; how do you know you will have a tomorrow?  What good is it to live a long life when we amend that life so little? Indeed, a long life does not always benefit us, but on the contrary, frequently adds to our guilt. Would that in this world we had lived well throughout one single day. Many count up the years they have spent in religion but find their lives made little holier. If it is so terrifying to die, it is nevertheless possible that to live longer is more dangerous. Blessed is he who keeps the moment of death ever before his eyes and prepares for it every day.  If you have ever seen a man die, remember that you, too, must go the same way. In the morning consider that you may not live till evening, and when evening comes do not dare to promise yourself the dawn. Be always ready, therefore, and so live that death will never take you unprepared. Many die suddenly and unexpectedly, for in the unexpected hour the Son of God will come. When that last moment arrives you will begin to have a quite different opinion of the life that is now entirely past and you will regret very much that you were so careless and remiss.  How happy and prudent is he who tries now in life to be what he wants to be found in death. Perfect contempt of the world, a lively desire to advance in virtue, a love for discipline, the works of penance, readiness to obey, self-denial, and the endurance of every hardship for the love of Christ, these will give a man great expectations of a happy death. Great Day it will be when I die in Christ Jesus!!

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Do you know the Truth?

What is Truth? Is it objective or subjective? Absolute or relative? Do you consider yourself to be wise and intelligent? I must say dear reader that the Truth does not depend upon you! Man is incapable of  understanding Truth without Guidance from the Author of Truth. Where did Truth come from? Did it just appear randomly? Did it have an Origin? What good is much discussion of involved and obscure matters when our ignorance of them will not be held against us on Judgment Day? Neglect of things which are profitable and necessary and undue concern with those which are irrelevant and harmful, are great folly. We have eyes and do not see. What, therefore, have we to do with questions of philosophy? He to whom the Eternal Word speaks is free from theorizing. For from this Word are all things and of Him all things speak — the Beginning Who also speaks to us. Without this Word no man understands or judges aright. He to whom it becomes everything, who traces all things to it and who sees all things in it, may ease his heart and remain at peace with God. 1Co 1:18-21 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.” If you are interested in finding the Truth, it will be revealed.  The only stipulation to finding Truth is honesty, if that is even possible, for man must seek the Truth for Truth sake not for his own sake! Whether you believe in Jesus or not listen to His statement; “John 8:31-32 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” How many there are who perish because of vain worldly knowledge and too little care for serving God. They became vain in their own conceits because they chose to be great rather than humble. He is truly great who has great charity. He is truly great who is little in his own eyes and makes nothing of the highest honor. He is truly wise who looks upon all earthly things as folly that he may gain Christ. He who does God’s will and renounces his own is truly very learned.  My fellow Truth seeker, the Truth is here but it may not be your truth because of self-seeking. Only seek the Truth and you will find!

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