CULTS
Church of Scientology
To start this off let’s look at the founder, L. Ron Hubbard, who said the following: “I’d like to start a religion. That’s where the money is.” Having this statement from Mr. Hubbard, we can easily see how this religion came about. As a matter of record, Judge Breckenridge, from the Los Angeles Superior Court said: “ [The court record is] replete with evidence [that Scientology] is nothing more in reality but a vast enterprise to extract the maximum amount of money from its adepts by pseudo scientific theories.”
Immediately we find that Mr. Hubbard did not believe in the Christian Christ. False Christian concepts were forced upon a Thetan (Scientologist person). The Christ legend was an implant formed a million years ago in pre-clears (Scientology rating).
Mr. Hubbard casts doubt upon Jesus as the Messiah. The Church of Scientology teaches that Jesus Christ may have believed in reincarnation. They site this on the part of religious historians showing the early education of Jesus of Nazareth as being a member of the cult Essenes, who believed in reincarnation.
Hubbard attributes Hindu teachings to Jesus. “Christ,” he wrote, “was a bringer of information. He never announced his sources. He spoke of them as coming from God. But they might just as well have come from the god talked about in the Hymn to the Dawn Child the Veda.” Hubbard looks down upon Jesus from his OT VIII position, claiming, “Neither Lord Buddha nor Jesus Christ were OT, (Scientology rating), according to the evidence. They were just a
shade above clear.”
Scientology’s view of reincarnation includes extraterrestrial life, evolution on other planets, evolution on earth, implant stations, forgetter implants, and engrams that keep people trapped in reincarnation. The OT III, section three, (Scientology paid for rating), material was entered into court cases, from which we find Hubbard’s journey of the Thetan. He claims this discovery was in December 1967: “The head of the Galactic Confederation (76 planets 95,000,000 years ago) solved overpopulation (250 billion or so per planet) by mass implanting. He caused people to be brought to Teegeeack (Earth) and put an H-bomb on the principal volcanoes and then the Pacific area ones were taken in boxes to Hawaii and the Atlantic ones to Las Palmas and there “packaged.” His name was Xenu”
As you can see, The Church of Scientology is designed with one goal in
mind … make money. They have a system of ratings that must be purchased as intensives. To get to the highest level of salvation it will cost more than $ 300,000.00. They have special training positions that people can work through if they don’t have the immediate funds available to purchase their salvation status.
If you desire more detailed information, plus Mr. Hubbard’s college transcripts and grades, there are books that give this information. Kingdom of the Cults, is a good reference material. This article only represents a small portion of the immense amount of material a person must purchase to attain a higher level in the Church of Scientology.
Know when to speak #13
Now you can reinforce the free gift and point out that this is something we can’t merit on our own. Turn to Ephesians 2:8-9. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Again you may stress the fact that heaven is not obtainable by anything we can do.
Somewhere in this discussion we usually hear the comment, “It doesn’t seem possible that there is only one way to get to heaven. What about all the other people in the world who believe they can get to heaven by some other means? Surely there are more ways to get there than just one….”
Let’s look at another analogy. We’ll say you are caught in a burning house with no way out. The firemen arrive and start to rescue you by cutting a circle through the fire and burning debris. They tell you to go through the circle they have cut, but all your life you have heard a rescue must take place by cutting a square. So, you hesitate and don’t go through the rescue circle, because you feel there is another way to reach safety, and, we know the result of that action. The same is true with the gospel. It is scriptural and extremely simple, but there are those who won’t avail themselves of the simple free way to heaven because they think there are other ways to reach eternity with God.
As we progress our way through the gospel, this would probably be a good time to discuss what the Bible has to say about ‘man’.
Right off the bat. Look at Romans 3:23. “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We have all sinned. None of us escape this one. Now that we know that we all have sinned, I think a definition of the word ‘sin’ is in order. A list of sins or types of sins can be stretched from Mission Viejo to the ocean, but we may still be confused as to what the actual definition of the word means. Suppose we make it simple. A sin is anything we do that is displeasing to God. The arguments continue to come. Now, we get those who say they don’t sin very much. We’ll try a little math on that one. What would we consider ‘not sinning very much?’ How about 10 times a day? Now that’s in thought or deed. Ok, ok, we’ll say only 3 times a day. ….That’s very close to ‘walking on water.’ Time for a little math. 3 times 365 days a year, equals over 1000 sins. That figure times an average of 70 years equals over 70,000 sins. Where do you think this person would end up if they had this many criminal counts against them? So much for ‘I don’t sin very much.’
Do we need more? Illustrations are useful, but they are not scripture. Turn to Matthew 5:48. “Therefore you are
to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” It would seem the passing grade into heaven is 100%, not ‘I don’t sin very much, or any other excuse we can find.’ And, just for those who think, ‘if it feels good, it must be alright,’ here’s another point in scripture that blows that away. Turn with me to Proverbs 14:12. “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”
Need we say more? The idea here is that man cannot save himself. Next month we’ll take a look at God, and see how He handles our problem.
Just Stay
A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside. 'Your son is here,' she said to the old man.
She had to repeat the words several times before the patient's eyes opened.Heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack, he dimly saw the young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen tent. He reached out his hand. The Marine wrapped his toughened fingers around the old man's limp ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement.The nurse brought a chair so that the Marine could sit beside the bed. All through the night the young Marine sat there in the poorly lighted ward, holding the old man's hand and offering him words of love and strength.
Occasionally, the nurse suggested that the Marine move away and rest awhile. He refused. Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the Marine was oblivious of her and of the night noises of the hospital –the clanking of the oxygen tank, the laughter of the night staff members exchanging greetings, the cries and moans of the other patients.
Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words. The dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the night.Along towards dawn, the old man died. The Marine released the now lifeless hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse. While she did what she had to do, he waited.Finally, she returned. She started to offer words of sympathy, but the Marine interrupted her.'Who was that man?' he asked. The nurse was startled,
'He was your father,' she answered. 'No, he wasn't,' the Marine replied. 'I never saw him before in my life.''Then why didn't you say something when I took you to him?'
'I knew right away there had been a mistake, but I also knew he needed his son, and his son just wasn't here. When I realized that he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his son, knowing how much he needed me, I stayed.'The next time someone needs you ... just be there. Stay.
WE ARE NOT HUMAN BEINGS GOING THROUGH A TEMPORARY SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE.
WE ARE SPIRITUAL BEINGS GOING THROUGH A TEMPORARY HUMAN EXPERIENCE.
A Little Humor
(Or is it?)
RECALL NOTICE:
The Maker of all human beings (GOD) is recalling all units manufactured, regardless of make or year, due to a serious defect in the primary and central component of the heart. This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype units code named Adam and Eve, resulting in the reproduction of the same defect in all subsequent units. This defect has been technically termed "Sub-sequential Internal Non-Morality," or more commonly known as S.I.N., as it is primarily expressed. Some of the symptoms include:
1. Loss of direction
2. Foul vocal emissions
3. Amnesia of origin
4. Lack of peace and joy
5. Selfish or violent behavior
6. Depression or confusion in the mental component
7. Fearfulness
8. Idolatry
9. Rebellion
10. Unforgiving heart
The Manufacturer, who is neither liable nor at fault for this defect, is providing factory-authorized repair and service free of charge to correct this defect. The Repair Technician, JESUS, has most generously offered to bear the entire burden of the staggering cost of these repairs. There is no additional fee required.
The number to call for repair in all areas is:
P-R-A-Y-E-R.Once connected, please upload your burden of SIN through the REPENTANCE procedure. Next,
download ATONEMENT from the Repair Technician, Jesus, into the heart component. No matter how big or small the SIN defect is, Jesus will replace it with:
1. Love
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Patience
5. Kindness
6. Goodness
7. Faithfulness
8. Gentleness
9. Self control
Please see the operating manual, the B.I.B.L.E. (Believers' Instructions Before Leaving Earth) for further details on the use of these fixes. WARNING: Continuing to operate the human being unit without correction voids any manufacturer warranties, exposing the unit to dangers and problems too numerous to list and will result in the human unit being permanently impounded.
For free emergency service, call on Jesus. DANGER: The human being units not responding to this recall action will have to be scrapped. The SIN defect will not be permitted to enter Heaven so as to prevent contamination of that facility. Thank you
for your attention!
- GOD
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Thursday, December 31, 2009
CULTS
To start this off let’s look at the founder, L. Ron Hubbard, who said the following: “I’d like to start a religion. That’s where the money is.” Having this statement from Mr. Hubbard, we can easily see how this religion came about. As a matter of record, Judge Breckenridge, from the Los Angeles Superior Court said: “ [The court record is] replete with evidence [that Scientology] is nothing more in reality but a vast enterprise to extract the maximum amount of money from its adepts by pseudo scientific theories.”
Immediately we find that Mr. Hubbard did not believe in the Christian Christ. False Christian concepts were forced upon a Thetan (Scientologist person). The Christ legend was an implant formed a million years ago in pre-clears (Scientology rating).
Mr. Hubbard casts doubt upon Jesus as the Messiah. The Church of Scientology teaches that Jesus Christ may have believed in reincarnation. They site this on the part of religious historians showing the early education of Jesus of Nazareth as being a member of the cult Essenes, who believed in reincarnation.
Hubbard attributes Hindu teachings to Jesus. “Christ,” he wrote, “was a bringer of information. He never announced his sources. He spoke of them as coming from God. But they might just as well have come from the god talked about in the Hymn to the Dawn Child the Veda.” Hubbard looks down upon Jesus from his OT VIII position, claiming, “Neither Lord Buddha nor Jesus Christ were OT, (Scientology rating), according to the evidence. They were just a
shade above clear.”
Scientology’s view of reincarnation includes extraterrestrial life, evolution on other planets, evolution on earth, implant stations, forgetter implants, and engrams that keep people trapped in reincarnation. The OT III, section three, (Scientology paid for rating), material was entered into court cases, from which we find Hubbard’s journey of the Thetan. He claims this discovery was in December 1967: “The head of the Galactic Confederation (76 planets 95,000,000 years ago) solved overpopulation (250 billion or so per planet) by mass implanting. He caused people to be brought to Teegeeack (Earth) and put an H-bomb on the principal volcanoes and then the Pacific area ones were taken in boxes to Hawaii and the Atlantic ones to Las Palmas and there “packaged.” His name was Xenu”
As you can see, The Church of Scientology is designed with one goal in
mind … make money. They have a system of ratings that must be purchased as intensives. To get to the highest level of salvation it will cost more than $ 300,000.00. They have special training positions that people can work through if they don’t have the immediate funds available to purchase their salvation status.
If you desire more detailed information, plus Mr. Hubbard’s college transcripts and grades, there are books that give this information. Kingdom of the Cults, is a good
reference material. This article only represents a small portion of the immense amount of material a person must purchase to attain a higher level in the Church of Scientology.
Know when to speak #13
Now you can reinforce the free gift and point out that this is something we can’t merit on our own. Turn to Ephesians 2:8-9. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Again you may stress the fact that heaven is not obtainable by anything we can do.
Somewhere in this discussion we usually hear the comment, “It doesn’t seem possible that there is only one way to get to heaven. What about all the other people in the world who believe they can get to heaven by some other means? Surely there are more ways to get there than just one….”
Let’s look at another analogy. We’ll say you are caught in a burning house with no way out. The firemen arrive and start to rescue you by cutting a circle through the fire and burning debris. They tell you to go through the circle they have cut, but all your life you have heard a rescue must take place by cutting a square. So, you hesitate and don’t go through the rescue circle, because you feel there is another way to reach safety, and, we know the result of that action. The same is true with the gospel. It is scriptural and extremely simple, but there are those who won’t avail themselves of the simple free way to heaven because they think there are other ways to reach eternity with God.
As we progress our way through the gospel, this would probably be a good time to discuss what the Bible has to say about ‘man’.
Right off the bat. Look at Romans 3:23. “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We have all sinned. None of us escape this one. Now that we know that we all have sinned, I think a definition of the word ‘sin’ is in order. A list of sins or types of sins can be stretched from Mission Viejo to the ocean, but we may still be confused as to what the actual definition of the word means. Suppose we make it simple. A sin is anything we do that is displeasing to God. The arguments continue to come. Now, we get those who say they don’t sin very much. We’ll try a little math on that one. What would we consider ‘not sinning very much?’ How about 10 times a day? Now that’s in thought or deed. Ok, ok, we’ll say only 3 times a day. ….That’s very close to ‘walking on water.’ Time for a little math. 3 times 365 days a year, equals over 1000 sins. That figure times an average of 70 years equals over 70,000 sins. Where do you think this person would end up if they had this many criminal counts against them? So much for ‘I don’t sin very much.’
Do we need more? Illustrations are useful, but they are not scripture. Turn to Matthew 5:48. “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” It would seem the passing grade into heaven is 100%, not ‘I don’t sin very much, or any other excuse we can find.’ And, just for those who think, ‘if it feels good, it must be alright,’ here’s another point in scripture that blows that away. Turn with me to Proverbs 14:12. “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”
Need we say more? The idea here is that man cannot save himself. Next month we’ll take a look at God, and see how He handles our problem.
Stay
A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside. 'Your son is here,' she said to the old man.
She had to repeat the words several times before the patient's eyes opened.Heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack, he dimly saw the young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen tent. He reached out his hand. The Marine wrapped his toughened fingers around the old man's limp ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement.The nurse brought a chair so that the Marine could sit beside the bed. All through the night the young Marine sat there in the poorly lighted ward, holding the old man's hand and offering him words of love and strength.
Occasionally, the nurse suggested that the Marine move away and rest awhile. He refused. Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the Marine was oblivious of her and of the night noises of the hospital –the clanking of the oxygen tank, the laughter of the night staff members exchanging greetings, the cries and moans of the other patients.
Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words. The dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the night.Along towards dawn, the old man died. The Marine released the now lifeless hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse. While she did what she had to do, he waited.Finally, she returned. She started to offer words of sympathy, but the Marine interrupted her.'Who was that man?' he asked. The nurse
was startled,
'He was your father,' she answered. 'No, he wasn't,' the Marine replied. 'I never saw him before in my life.''Then why didn't you say something when I took you to him?'
'I knew right away there had been a mistake, but I also knew he needed his son, and his son just wasn't here. When I realized that he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his son, knowing how much he needed me, I stayed.'The next time someone needs you ... just be there. Stay.
WE ARE NOT HUMAN BEINGS GOING THROUGH A TEMPORARY SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE.
WE ARE SPIRITUAL BEINGS GOING THROUGH A TEMPORARY HUMAN EXPERIENCE.
A Little Humor
(Or is it?)
RECALL NOTICE: The Maker of all human beings (GOD) is recalling all units manufactured, regardless of make or year, due to a serious defect in the primary and central component of the heart. This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype units code named Adam and Eve, resulting in the reproduction of the same defect in all subsequent units. This defect has been technically termed "Sub-sequential Internal Non-Morality," or more commonly known as S.I.N., as it is primarily expressed. Some of the symptoms include:
1. Loss of direction
2. Foul vocal emissions
3. Amnesia of origin
4. Lack of peace and joy
5. Selfish or violent behavior
6. Depression or confusion in the mental component
7. Fearfulness
8. Idolatry
9. Rebellion
10. Unforgiving heart
The Manufacturer, who is neither liable nor at fault for this defect, is providing factory-authorized repair and service free of charge to correct this defect. The Repair Technician, JESUS, has most generously offered to bear the entire burden of the staggering cost of these repairs. There is no additional fee required.
The number to call for repair in all areas is:
P-R-A-Y-E-R.Once connected, please upload your burden of SIN through the REPENTANCE procedure. Next,
download ATONEMENT from the Repair Technician, Jesus, into the heart component. No matter how big or small the SIN defect is, Jesus will replace it with:
1. Love
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Patience
5. Kindness
6. Goodness
7. Faithfulness
8. Gentleness
9. Self control Please see the operating manual, the B.I.B.L.E. (Believers' Instructions Before Leaving Earth) for further details on the use of these fixes. WARNING: Continuing to operate the human being unit without correction voids any manufacturer warranties, exposing the unit to dangers and problems too numerous to list and will result in the human unit being permanently impounded.
For free emergency service, call on Jesus.
DANGER: The human being units not responding to this recall action will have to be scrapped. The SIN defect will not be permitted to enter Heaven so as to prevent contamination of that facility. Thank you
for your attention!
- GOD
CULTS
Starting with this issue we will look at cults in the United States and try to see how they affect Christianity as we know it to be true. For the most part we see cults trying to claim they are Christian faiths. However, we’ll see that they don’t follow the Bible except for small pieces they can fit into their own doctrine. They either deny or change the scriptures to fit their own belief system. They believe their faith is the only way anyone can achieve salvation.
A cult of Christianity is a group of people, which claiming to be Christian, embraces a particular doctrinal system taught by an individual leader, group of leaders, or organization, which (system) denies (either explicitly or implicitly) one or more of the central doctrines of the Christian faith as taught in the sixty-six books of the Bible.
Source: "Unmasking The Cults", by Alan Gomes.
This month we’ll start with a very popular cult…’New Age’. This one is sweeping the country. Let’s see if we can see why and how this is happening.
NEW AGE: A destroyer of humility! A Christian practices to be humble before an almighty God. The New Age teaches four main doctrines: (1) Knowing good and evil, (2) Your eyes will be opened, (3) You will be like God, (4) You will not die. Do these sound familiar? They should. You’ll find these four lies in Genesis 3:4-5, where Satan is speaking to Adam.
Knowing good from evil: In this new knowledge, music and arts are of the "natural": singing birds, rivers, mountains, the music of rain, storms, the oceans, the desert......But in this utopic world of knowledge, something is wrong: Feminism is at its heights, with mother earth, Gaia, at the front... abortion rights, gay rights, animal rights with abortion prohibited in animals, polygamous privileges, homosexual marriages, prostitution, gambling, drugs... all of this in the name of "God in you", for all that God can be and do is focused in the depths of your soul...
Your eyes will be opened: You become conscious of how powerful you are, capable of overcoming any problem... this is the "human potential movement" which has made the greatest inroads in the spread of New Age:
You will be like God: The "gigantic quantum leap", is when every human will realize that he is God... and this will occur "suddenly", as a "quantum leap", when enough people on earth have the consciousness of God, of being God!...
You will not die: At the core of the New Age is "Reincarnation"... and you will never even be sick with the holistic healing, exercise, diet, herbology, biofeedback, acupuncture, massage techniques, magic, the healing effects of crystals, pyramids, and many other superstitions.
"The 5th lie of Satan", of Matt.4, is included in this new wisdom: Jesus Christ is discarded, he is not God, and not even the son of man... he is only the "Christ Energy" or the "Cosmic Christ"... better try the occult.
There is something very wrong here.
The primary belief here is that everything is God. And, that you are God. All that you do is fine. You can overcome anything because you are God. Your decision will be the correct ones because of your god position. The primary thought here is the ‘Me generation’. The New Age is an umbrella, a collection of beliefs, over 1000 of them that you can find on the internet.
How do you become a god? It’s really quite simple, since you are already a god. You just have to realize it, and live as a god. It’s a completely mystical experience, not by logic or any type of reasoning.
There is not a founder or world leader for New Age. The term was first brought into existence by spirit medium, Alice Bailey, who died in 1949. The term gained popularity and international recognition after the musical Hair launched the concept of the Age of Aquarius.
FROM THE INTERNET
Thought you might be interested in this information from the White House. This isn't a rumor; this is a fact. We have a friend at church who is a very talented artist. For several years she, among many others, has painted ornaments to be hung on the various White House Christmas trees. The WH sends out an invitation to send an ornament and informs the artists of the theme for the year. She got her letter from the WH recently. It said that they would not be called Christmas trees this year. They will be called Holiday trees. And, to please not send any ornaments painted with a religious theme. She was very upset at this development and sent back a reply telling them that she painted the ornaments for Christmas trees and would not be sending any for display that left Christ out of Christmas. Just thought you should know what the new residents in the WH plan for the future of America . If you missed his statement that "we do not consider ourselves a Christian Nation" this should confirm that he plans to take us away from our religious foundation as quickly as possible.
A LITTLE HUMOR
SUNDAY CLOTHES A little boy was walking down a dirt road after church one Sunday afternoon when he came to a crossroads where he met a little girl coming from the other direction. 'Hello,' said the little boy 'Hi,' replied the little girl. 'Where are you going?' asked the little boy. 'I've been to church this morning and I'm on my way home,'answered the little girl. 'I'm also on my way home from church. Which church do you go to?' asked the little boy. 'I go to the Baptist church back down the road,' replied the little girl. 'What about you? '
'I go to the Methodist church back at the top of the hill,' replied the little boy.
They discover that they are both going the same way So they decided that they'd walk together. They came to a low spot in the road where spring rains had partially flooded the road, so there was no way that they could get across to the other side without getting wet. 'If I get my new Sunday dress wet, my Mom's going to skin me alive,' said the little girl. 'My Mom'l tan my hide, too, if I get my new Sunday suit wet,' replied the little boy. 'I tell you what I think I'll do,' said the little girl. 'I'm gonna pull off all my clothes and hold them over my head and wade across.' 'That's a good idea, 'replied the little boy. 'I'm going to do the same thing with my suit.'So they both undressed and waded across to the other side without getting their clothes wet. They were standing there in the sun waiting to drip dry before putting their clothes back on, when the little boy finally remarked: 'You know, I never realized before just how much difference there really is between a BAPTIST and a METHODIST!!
Know when to speak #12
Once you’ve repeated their answer, ask one more time.. ‘May I share with you how I came to know that I have eternal life, and how you can know also?’ As stated before, we don’t want to ram the gospel down anyone’s throat, and this last question will take the threat completely away. You are asking to tell how you came to know the Lord. Most of the time the person will say ‘ok’. In the event they do not say ok, do not try to push the issue. Change the subject.
There will be another time, only if you don’t try to force anything. Remember, people are not rejecting you.
Great! Now what? Your next sentence should grab their attention. To start off we can just say, “Did you know that heaven is a free gift?” With that statement, the eyes will open, the gears in the brain will turn, questions start to form, and….are you ready to back it up? An important point to keep in mind is; never say anything you can’t back up. By back up, I mean open the Bible and go right to the spot you just mentioned. If you are going to use the Bible, know what it says and where you can find it. Can you imagine how this gospel presentation will go if the person asks you where it says heaven is a free gift, and all you can come with is that it’s in the Bible. …….Goodbye credibility.
Well, let’s see if we can back up a strong statement like the one above. Free gift, huh? For a starter, take your Bible and turn to Romans 6:23. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We can follow this with about two to five minutes of your personal testimony. You might say, “I used to believe ……. and now I have eternal life.” Be careful not to give away the answer. The person you are speaking to will come to a conclusion on their own after you have shared the gospel. Afterwards you can tell them, “You know we can’t earn heaven, and we don’t deserve it. There is no way we can get there on our own.” Get ready…. You’ve done it again.
Starting with this issue we will look at cults in the United States and try to see how they affect Christianity as we know it to be true. For the most part we see cults trying to claim they are Christian faiths. However, we’ll see that they don’t follow the Bible except for small pieces they can fit into their own doctrine. They either deny or change the scriptures to fit their own belief system. They believe their faith is the only way anyone can achieve salvation.
A cult of Christianity is a group of people, which claiming to be Christian, embraces a particular doctrinal system taught by an individual leader, group of leaders, or organization, which (system) denies (either explicitly or implicitly) one or more of the central doctrines of the Christian faith as taught in the sixty-six books of the Bible.
Source: "Unmasking The Cults", by Alan Gomes.
This month we’ll start with a very popular cult…’New Age’. This one is sweeping the country. Let’s see if we can see why and how this is happening.
NEW AGE: A destroyer of humility! A Christian practices to be humble before an almighty God. The New Age teaches four main doctrines: (1) Knowing good and evil, (2) Your eyes will be opened, (3) You will be like God, (4) You will not die. Do these sound familiar? They should. You’ll find these four lies in Genesis 3:4-5, where Satan is speaking to Adam.
Knowing good from evil: In this new knowledge, music and arts are of the "natural": singing birds, rivers, mountains, the music of rain, storms, the oceans, the desert......But in this utopic world of knowledge, something is wrong: Feminism is at its heights, with mother earth, Gaia, at the front... abortion rights, gay rights, animal rights with abortion prohibited in animals, polygamous privileges, homosexual marriages, prostitution, gambling, drugs... all of this in the name of "God in you", for all that God can be and do is focused in the depths of your soul...
Your eyes will be opened: You become conscious of how powerful you are, capable of overcoming any problem... this is the "human potential movement" which has made the greatest inroads in the spread of New Age:
You will be like God: The "gigantic quantum leap", is when every human will realize that he is God... and this will occur "suddenly", as a "quantum leap", when enough people on earth have the consciousness of God, of being God!...
You will not die: At the core of the New Age is "Reincarnation"... and you will never even be sick with the holistic healing, exercise, diet, herbology, biofeedback, acupuncture, massage techniques, magic, the healing effects of crystals, pyramids, and many other superstitions.
"The 5th lie of Satan", of Matt.4, is included in this new wisdom: Jesus Christ is discarded, he is not God, and not even the son of man... he is only the "Christ Energy" or the "Cosmic Christ"... better try the occult.
There is something very wrong here.
The primary belief here is that everything is God. And, that you are God. All that you do is fine. You can overcome anything because you are God. Your decision will be the correct ones because of your god position. The primary thought here is the ‘Me generation’. The New Age is an umbrella, a collection of beliefs, over 1000 of them that you can find on the internet.
How do you become a god? It’s really quite simple, since you are already a god. You just have to realize it, and live as a god. It’s a completely mystical experience, not by logic or any type of reasoning.
There is not a founder or world leader for New Age. The term was first brought into existence by spirit medium, Alice Bailey, who died in 1949. The term gained popularity and international recognition after the musical Hair launched the concept of the Age of Aquarius.
FROM THE INTERNET
Thought you might be interested in this information from the White House. This isn't a rumor; this is a fact. We have a friend at church who is a very talented artist. For several years she, among many others, has painted ornaments to be hung on the various White House Christmas trees. The WH sends out an invitation to send an ornament and informs the artists of the theme for the year. She got her letter from the WH recently. It said that they would not be called Christmas trees this year. They will be called Holiday trees. And, to please not send any ornaments painted with a religious theme. She was very upset at this development and sent back a reply telling them that she painted the ornaments for Christmas trees and would not be sending any for display that left Christ out of Christmas. Just thought you should know what the new residents in the WH plan for the future of America . If you missed his statement that "we do not consider ourselves a Christian Nation" this should confirm that he plans to take us away from our religious foundation as quickly as possible.
A LITTLE HUMOR
SUNDAY CLOTHES A little boy was walking down a dirt road after church one Sunday afternoon when he came to a crossroads where he met a little girl coming from the other direction. 'Hello,' said the little boy 'Hi,' replied the little girl. 'Where are you going?' asked the little boy. 'I've been to church this morning and I'm on my way home,'answered the little girl. 'I'm also on my way home from church. Which church do you go to?' asked the little boy. 'I go to the Baptist church back down the road,' replied the little girl. 'What about you? '
'I go to the Methodist church back at the top of the hill,' replied the little boy.
They discover that they are both going the same way So they decided that they'd walk together. They came to a low spot in the road where spring rains had partially flooded the road, so there was no way that they could get across to the other side without getting wet. 'If I get my new Sunday dress wet, my Mom's going to skin me alive,' said the little girl. 'My Mom'l tan my hide, too, if I get my new Sunday suit wet,' replied the little boy. 'I tell you what I think I'll do,' said the little girl. 'I'm gonna pull off all my clothes and hold them over my head and wade across.' 'That's a good idea, 'replied the little boy. 'I'm going to do the same thing with my suit.'So they both undressed and waded across to the other side without getting their clothes wet. They were standing there in the sun waiting to drip dry before putting their clothes back on, when the little boy finally remarked: 'You know, I never realized before just how much difference there really is between a BAPTIST and a METHODIST!!
Know when to speak #12
Once you’ve repeated their answer, ask one more time.. ‘May I share with you how I came to know that I have eternal life, and how you can know also?’ As stated before, we don’t want to ram the gospel down anyone’s throat, and this last question will take the threat completely away. You are asking to tell how you came to know the Lord. Most of the time the person will say ‘ok’. In the event they do not say ok, do not try to push the issue. Change the subject.
There will be another time, only if you don’t try to force anything. Remember, people are not rejecting you.
Great! Now what? Your next sentence should grab their attention. To start off we can just say, “Did you know that heaven is a free gift?” With that statement, the eyes will open, the gears in the brain will turn, questions start to form, and….are you ready to back it up? An important point to keep in mind is; never say anything you can’t back up. By back up, I mean open the Bible and go right to the spot you just mentioned. If you are going to use the Bible, know what it says and where you can find it. Can you imagine how this gospel presentation will go if the person asks you where it says heaven is a free gift, and all you can come with is that it’s in the Bible. …….Goodbye credibility.
Well, let’s see if we can back up a strong statement like the one above. Free gift, huh? For a starter, take your Bible and turn to Romans 6:23. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We can follow this with about two to five minutes of your personal testimony. You might say, “I used to believe ……. and now I have eternal life.” Be careful not to give away the answer. The person you are speaking to will come to a conclusion on their own after you have shared the gospel. Afterwards you can tell them, “You know we can’t earn heaven, and we don’t deserve it. There is no way we can get there on our own.” Get ready…. You’ve done it again.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Know when to speak #11
This month we’ll start taking a look at sharing what we have learned over the last year. The first point to keep in mind is; don’t try to shove the gospel down someone’s throat. You will start an argument and possibly lose a good friend. The gospel does everything we could possibly want and more. We just deliver the facts, logic and simplicity that many people seem to miss. To give you an example of the ‘miss’ part, all we need to do is ask a person if they are a Christian. If they answer yes, ask them to define the word Christian. Immediately it’s going to get a bit tough. Your response might be, “Can I help you to define the word?” Once they have agreed that they are indeed a ‘follower of Christ’, (definition of Christian), you can agree that the Bible is the word of God. You may want to keep the conversation light for a bit here. Ask them if they would like to hear how you came to know that you have eternal life, and how they may find out the same. Most of the time the person you are speaking with will say, ‘yes’. If they say no, discontinue the conversation until some other appropriate time.
We’ll assume the person said yes to your offer to share your experience. At this point you’ll ask them if it’s alright to ask them a couple more questions. Assume they say yes. The first question: ‘Have you come to a place in your spiritual life that if you died today, would you go to heaven?’ The answer here is not the absolute key. Your next comment would be that the Bible states that we can know that we have eternal life, and you might tell them a little about your own testimony. Following this you tell them you are asking the second question, which is; ‘Let’s just say you died and were standing before God, and He should ask you, ‘Why should I let you into my heaven?’ How do you think you would respond to this question? This is where the rubber meets the road. There is only one answer that will be acceptable to God……… If the person’s answer starts with the word ‘I’, there is a very good chance it will be wrong. Why is this the case? Most of the time when someone says ‘I’, it is going to refer to something they did. We all know that going to heaven is nothing we have done. This will not be the correct answer. Once they have answered, repeat their answer back to them. This will also serve to let them know you were listening and know exactly what they said. Next month we’ll take it from there.
SOCIAL SECURITY
senate and all of the house ofrepresentatives. It would be nice if Congress
got the message; the voting taxpayers are incharge now. LET US SHOW OUR LEADERS IN WASHINGTON "PEOPLE POWER" AND
THE POWER OF THE INTERNET.IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU AREREPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT ! Propose this in 2009:
START A MOVEMENT TO PLACE POLITICIANS ON SOCIAL SECURITY
SOCIAL SECURITY: (This is worth reading.. It is short and to the point.)
Perhaps we are asking the wrong questions during election years. Our Senators and Congresswomen do not pay into Social Security and, of course, they do not collect from it. You see, Social Security benefits were not suitable for persons of their rare elevation in society.. They felt they should have aspecial plan for themselves. So, manyyears ago they voted in their own benefitplan. In more recent years, no congress person has felt the need to change it. After all, it is
a great plan. For all practical purposes their plan works like this: When they retire, they continue to draw the same pay until they die. Except it may increase from time to time for cost of living adjustments. ...... For example, Senator Byrd and
Congressman White and their wives may expect to draw $7, 800,000.00 (that's Seven Million,Eight-Hundred Thousand Dollars), with their wives drawing $275, 000..00 during the last years of their lives. This is calculated on an average life span for each of those Dignitaries.Younger Dignitaries who retire at an early age, will receive much more during the rest of their lives. Their cost for this excellent plan to them is $0.00. .. NADA !!! ..ZILCH !!!.. This little perk they voted for themselves is free to them. You and I pick up the tab forthis plan. The funds for this fine retirement
plan come directly from the General Funds;
"OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK" !
From our own Social Security Plan, which you and I pay (or have paid) into, every payday until we retire (which amount is matched by our employer), We can expect to get an average of:$1,000 per month after retirement. Or, in other words, we would have to collect our average of $1,000 monthly benefits for 68 years and one (1) month to equal Senator Bill Bradley's benefits !
Social Security could be very good if only one small change were made. That change would be to Jerk the Golden Fleece Retirement Plan from under the Senators and Congressmen. Put them into the Social Security plan with the rest of us. Then sit back..... And see how fast they would fix it ! If enough people receive this, maybe a seed of awareness will be planted and maybe good changes will evolve.
A Little Humor....
God was missing for six days. Eventually, Michael, the archangel, found him, resting on the seventh day. He inquired, "Where have you been?"
God smiled deeply and proudly pointed downwards through the clouds, "Look, Michael. Look what I've made."
Archangel Michael looked puzzled, and said. "What is it?" "It's a planet," replied God, "and I've put life on it. I'm going to call it Earth and it's going to be a place to test Balance." "Balance?" inquired Michael, "I'm still confused."God explained, pointing to different parts of earth. "For example, Northern Europe will be a place of greatopportunity and wealth, while Southern Europe is going to be poor. Over here I've placed a continent of white people, and over there is a continent of blackpeople. Balance in all things." God continued pointing to different countries. "This one will be extremely hot, while this one will be very cold and covered in ice."
The Archangel , impressed by God's work, then pointed to a land area and said, "What's that one?"
"That's Washington State , the most glorious place on earth. There are beautiful mountains, rivers and
streams, lakes, forests, hills, and plains. The people from Washington State are going to be handsome, modest, intelligent, and humorous, and they are going to travel the world. They will be extremely sociable, hardworking, high achieving, carriers of peace, and producers of software."Michael gasped in wonder and admiration, but then asked, "But what about balance, God? You said there would be balance." God smiled,
"There's another Washington . Wait till you see the idiots I put there."
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Know when to speak #10
It’s an exciting moment when someone has accepted Christ as their personal savior. When this happens with me, I have a mental spiritual score board. On the scoreboard it has two columns. One column says Jesus and the other says Satan. When someone accepts Jesus I erase one from Satan’s side and put it on the side of Jesus.
To back up a little. When someone says they want Jesus in their life we can easily tell them we can take this request to God …right now! This prayer doesn’t have to be a major production. God knows what happened. We can tell the person, who might be a bit shy at this point, that you will lead the prayer. All they have to do is repeat what you say. At the end you can close the prayer yourself. Here are some suggestions as to the content of the prayer. State: “Thank you for the gift of eternal life”, “I know that I am a sinner and can’t save myself”, “I know that Jesus went to the cross to pay for my sins”, “Please come into my heart”, “Thank you for saving me”. The idea is to go back over some of the points you have used in your presentation of the gospel, and keep in mind you have a ‘baby Christian’ in front of you.
What happens next? Now the real work gets started. Are you planning to leave your new Christian hanging out there? Of course not…. Do we just plug them into a home bible study group? …not yet… Many home bible study groups are involved in particular studies. These are way beyond our new Christian. This new believer needs personal attention, discipleship, is what I believe it’s called. Did you notice the word personal?
Classroom study is not the way to go with a new Christian. Keep in mind, this person may be a bit nervous at first, and won’t ask questions in a classroom setting. However, they will be more open in a one on one setting. They will have the opportunity to learn, build a strong foundation and be able to tell others of their experience. What a concept!!
In a personal discipleship the new Christian will learn about baptism….be baptized, learn about the church, and have the gospel planted firmly in their heart and mind. This usually takes about 6-8 weeks to complete. After this it will be time to introduce them to a home bible study group.
During the next couple months we’ll look at a few examples of approaching people with whom we may share the good news.
A Little Humor.....
IF MY BODY WERE A CAR... My headlights are out of focus, and it's especially hard to see things up close.My traction is not as graceful as it once was. I slip and slide and skid and bump into things even in the best of weather.
My whitewalls are stained with varicose veins...But here's the worst of it -- Almost every time I sneeze, cough or laugh, either my radiator leaks or my exhaust backfires.
CASH FOR CLUNKERS..........I QUALIFYHow about You?
2012
Here we go again….Another end of the world. This time it’s the Mayan Indian calendar and Nostradamus telling us the end will come in 20-12. The last time we packed our bags and toothbrush was at the turn of the millennium. Our computers were supposed to go haywire, our clocks were probably going to start running backwards, cash register were going to lock up…Hmmmm, we’re still here, and I lost my toothbrush.
If we take stock in these notions, then we are not accepting what Jesus has to say in the Bible, which states: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time is.” Mark 13:31-33.
A Sign of the Times.....
If that’s not enough to be concerned about, we have to deal with the word ‘God” being omitted from our school children’s studies. Below is a new prayer written by a 15 year old student from Ohio.
Written by a 15 yr. old School Kid in Ohio : Since the Pledge of Allegiance & The Lords Prayer are not allowed in Schools anymore because the word 'God' is mentioned... A Kid in Ohio wrote the attached... NEW School prayer : Now I sit me down in school where praying is against the rule for this great nation under God finds mention of Him very odd. If Scripture now the class recites, it violates the Bill of Rights. And anytime my head I bow
becomes a Federal matter now. Our hair can be purple, orange or green, That's no offense; it's a freedom thing.. The law is specific, the law is precise.. Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice. For praying in a public hall Might offend
someone with no faith at all. In silence alone we must meditate, God's
name is prohibited by the state. We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks, and pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks.... We can carry smut, but not the Bible. To quote the Good Book makes me liable. We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen, and the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King. It's 'inappropriate' to teach right from wrong. We're taught that such 'judgments' do notbelong. We can get our condoms and birth controls, study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles. but the Ten Commandments are not allowed.
No word of God must reach this crowd. It's scary here I must confess, when chaos reigns, the school's a mess. So, Lord, this silent plea I make: Should I be shot; My soul please take! Amen
It’s an exciting moment when someone has accepted Christ as their personal savior. When this happens with me, I have a mental spiritual score board. On the scoreboard it has two columns. One column says Jesus and the other says Satan. When someone accepts Jesus I erase one from Satan’s side and put it on the side of Jesus.
To back up a little. When someone says they want Jesus in their life we can easily tell them we can take this request to God …right now! This prayer doesn’t have to be a major production. God knows what happened. We can tell the person, who might be a bit shy at this point, that you will lead the prayer. All they have to do is repeat what you say. At the end you can close the prayer yourself. Here are some suggestions as to the content of the prayer. State: “Thank you for the gift of eternal life”, “I know that I am a sinner and can’t save myself”, “I know that Jesus went to the cross to pay for my sins”, “Please come into my heart”, “Thank you for saving me”. The idea is to go back over some of the points you have used in your presentation of the gospel, and keep in mind you have a ‘baby Christian’ in front of you.
What happens next? Now the real work gets started. Are you planning to leave your new Christian hanging out there? Of course not…. Do we just plug them into a home bible study group? …not yet… Many home bible study groups are involved in particular studies. These are way beyond our new Christian. This new believer needs personal attention, discipleship, is what I believe it’s called. Did you notice the word personal?
Classroom study is not the way to go with a new Christian. Keep in mind, this person may be a bit nervous at first, and won’t ask questions in a classroom setting. However, they will be more open in a one on one setting. They will have the opportunity to learn, build a strong foundation and be able to tell others of their experience. What a concept!!
In a personal discipleship the new Christian will learn about baptism….be baptized, learn about the church, and have the gospel planted firmly in their heart and mind. This usually takes about 6-8 weeks to complete. After this it will be time to introduce them to a home bible study group.
During the next couple months we’ll look at a few examples of approaching people with whom we may share the good news.
A Little Humor.....
IF MY BODY WERE A CAR... My headlights are out of focus, and it's especially hard to see things up close.My traction is not as graceful as it once was. I slip and slide and skid and bump into things even in the best of weather.
My whitewalls are stained with varicose veins...But here's the worst of it -- Almost every time I sneeze, cough or laugh, either my radiator leaks or my exhaust backfires.
CASH FOR CLUNKERS..........I QUALIFYHow about You?
2012
Here we go again….Another end of the world. This time it’s the Mayan Indian calendar and Nostradamus telling us the end will come in 20-12. The last time we packed our bags and toothbrush was at the turn of the millennium. Our computers were supposed to go haywire, our clocks were probably going to start running backwards, cash register were going to lock up…Hmmmm, we’re still here, and I lost my toothbrush.
If we take stock in these notions, then we are not accepting what Jesus has to say in the Bible, which states: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time is.” Mark 13:31-33.
A Sign of the Times.....
If that’s not enough to be concerned about, we have to deal with the word ‘God” being omitted from our school children’s studies. Below is a new prayer written by a 15 year old student from Ohio.
Written by a 15 yr. old School Kid in Ohio : Since the Pledge of Allegiance & The Lords Prayer are not allowed in Schools anymore because the word 'God' is mentioned... A Kid in Ohio wrote the attached... NEW School prayer : Now I sit me down in school where praying is against the rule for this great nation under God finds mention of Him very odd. If Scripture now the class recites, it violates the Bill of Rights. And anytime my head I bow
becomes a Federal matter now. Our hair can be purple, orange or green, That's no offense; it's a freedom thing.. The law is specific, the law is precise.. Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice. For praying in a public hall Might offend
someone with no faith at all. In silence alone we must meditate, God's
name is prohibited by the state. We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks, and pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks.... We can carry smut, but not the Bible. To quote the Good Book makes me liable. We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen, and the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King. It's 'inappropriate' to teach right from wrong. We're taught that such 'judgments' do notbelong. We can get our condoms and birth controls, study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles. but the Ten Commandments are not allowed.
No word of God must reach this crowd. It's scary here I must confess, when chaos reigns, the school's a mess. So, Lord, this silent plea I make: Should I be shot; My soul please take! Amen
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Meet Me In The Stairwell
You say you will never forget where you were when
you heard the news On September 11, 2001.
Neither will I.
I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room
with a man who called his wife to say 'Good-Bye.' I
held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the
peace to say, 'Honey, I am not going to make it, but it
is OK..I am ready to go.'
I was with his wife when he called as she fed
breakfast to their children. I held her up as she
tried to understand his words and as she realized
he wasn't coming home that night.
I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a
woman cried out to Me for help. 'I have been
knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!' I said.
'Of course I will show you the way home - only
believe in Me now.'
I was at the base of the building with the Priest
ministering to the injured and devastated souls.
I took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven. He
heard my voice and answered.
I was on all four of those planes, in every seat,
with every prayer. I was with the crew as they
were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the
believers there, comforting and assuring them
that their faith has saved them.
I was in Texas , Virginia , California , Michigan ,
Afghanistan ....
I was standing next to you when you heard the
terrible news. Did you sense Me?
I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew
every name - though not all know Me. Some met
Me for the first time on the 86th floor.
Some sought Me with their last breath.
Some couldn't hear Me calling to them through the
smoke and flames; 'Come to Me... this way... take
my hand.' Some chose, for the final time, to ignore
Me. But, I was there.
I did not place you in the Tower that day. You
may not know why, but I do. However, if you were
there in that explosive moment in time, would you
have reached for Me?
Sept. 11, 2001, was not the end of the journey
for you. But someday your journey will end. And I
will be there for you as well. Seek Me now while I may
be found.
Then, at any moment, you know you are 'ready to go.'
I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.
During the next 60 seconds, stop whatever you are
doing, and take this opportunity. (Literally it
is only 1 minute.) All you have to do is the
following:
Stop and think and appreciate God's power
in your life, for doing what you know is pleasing to
Him. Christ is strength.'
Light vs Dark
This came to me on the internet. I thought it quite appropriate with our ongoing series, ‘Know When To Speak.’ Many times we think we will say something to a friend or family member at a better later date. How do we know when that time will come when the Lord will be waiting in the stairwell?
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16…sound familiar? Let’s go a bit further with this scripture. (17) “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. (18) “He who believes in Him is not judged, he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (19) “And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their deeds were evil.” (20) “For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.” (20) “ But he who practices the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”
Pretty heavy……Let’s apply this to a few issues going on today. We can start with our government legislators taking God out of everything they can get their hands on. I can furnish you a copy of the preamble to every state constitution, which ties God and government together. What about abortion? Or, what about same sex marriages? Reading over the passages above from the book of John, we can see why there are a fairly large number of people who would like to take Christianity out of everything. They are operating in the dark where their evil deeds can not be seen or exposed. As sad as it sounds, we are getting what we have let happen. In 1963 we could have stopped everything. The vote came up to take prayer out of schools. The 3% (those wanting to take prayer out), outvoted the 97% who did not. We didn’t react then. Now, look where we are! Just imagine…..If we had stopped that vote from happening, things would have probably been a lot different today. Something like Roe vs Wade would never have happened. We would not have murdered 50 million children that God gave as gifts. Hmmmm….How does that last sentence hit you?
We’ve let it happen. Now, it’s going to be
A lot tougher to get things back in order. We can do it!! We need to make our voices heard by our elected representatives. These people work for us….we don’t work for them!
Be aware of tricky legislation coming at us. Presently, the government is discussing methods of trying to stop all internet activities under the pretense that there is a cyberspace security threat. It’s just another way to prevent you from getting current information. There is no cyberspace threat. There is even chatter about cutting cell phones off. We just need to watch carefully these issues that will affect us all.
If you read over the scripture illustrated here. (John 3:16-20), you’ll start to understand how many of the problem areas have started and continue to grow at a fantastic rate. It’s up to us to fix it……
Know When To Speak #9
Does this all make sense to you? During the last eight months we’ve gone over the points to discuss when speaking to someone about their eternal future. If you will notice, all points are God’s points. And, as far as any statements I have made, they are all backed up with scripture. The gospel is God’s words delivered by His children to those who have not heard the ‘good news’.
If you reach this point with someone, you might want to go through a few high points when you ask them if this makes sense. You might say: “Let me clarify what this means.”
1. Transfer trust to Jesus alone.
2. Receive Christ as savior
3. Receive Christ as Lord
4. Repent (Turn direction of life)
Pray with them to receive Christ.
Next month we’ll discuss this further.
(Sorry…No humor section this month)
Special Prayer Request!
A friend of mine, Angela, who lives in Colorado, has been diagnosed with breast cancer. She is scheduled for surgery on Tuesday. Please include her healing and speedy recovery in your prayers.
You say you will never forget where you were when
you heard the news On September 11, 2001.
Neither will I.
I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room
with a man who called his wife to say 'Good-Bye.' I
held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the
peace to say, 'Honey, I am not going to make it, but it
is OK..I am ready to go.'
I was with his wife when he called as she fed
breakfast to their children. I held her up as she
tried to understand his words and as she realized
he wasn't coming home that night.
I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a
woman cried out to Me for help. 'I have been
knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!' I said.
'Of course I will show you the way home - only
believe in Me now.'
I was at the base of the building with the Priest
ministering to the injured and devastated souls.
I took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven. He
heard my voice and answered.
I was on all four of those planes, in every seat,
with every prayer. I was with the crew as they
were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the
believers there, comforting and assuring them
that their faith has saved them.
I was in Texas , Virginia , California , Michigan ,
Afghanistan ....
I was standing next to you when you heard the
terrible news. Did you sense Me?
I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew
every name - though not all know Me. Some met
Me for the first time on the 86th floor.
Some sought Me with their last breath.
Some couldn't hear Me calling to them through the
smoke and flames; 'Come to Me... this way... take
my hand.' Some chose, for the final time, to ignore
Me. But, I was there.
I did not place you in the Tower that day. You
may not know why, but I do. However, if you were
there in that explosive moment in time, would you
have reached for Me?
Sept. 11, 2001, was not the end of the journey
for you. But someday your journey will end. And I
will be there for you as well. Seek Me now while I may
be found.
Then, at any moment, you know you are 'ready to go.'
I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.
During the next 60 seconds, stop whatever you are
doing, and take this opportunity. (Literally it
is only 1 minute.) All you have to do is the
following:
Stop and think and appreciate God's power
in your life, for doing what you know is pleasing to
Him. Christ is strength.'
Light vs Dark
This came to me on the internet. I thought it quite appropriate with our ongoing series, ‘Know When To Speak.’ Many times we think we will say something to a friend or family member at a better later date. How do we know when that time will come when the Lord will be waiting in the stairwell?
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16…sound familiar? Let’s go a bit further with this scripture. (17) “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. (18) “He who believes in Him is not judged, he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (19) “And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their deeds were evil.” (20) “For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.” (20) “ But he who practices the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”
Pretty heavy……Let’s apply this to a few issues going on today. We can start with our government legislators taking God out of everything they can get their hands on. I can furnish you a copy of the preamble to every state constitution, which ties God and government together. What about abortion? Or, what about same sex marriages? Reading over the passages above from the book of John, we can see why there are a fairly large number of people who would like to take Christianity out of everything. They are operating in the dark where their evil deeds can not be seen or exposed. As sad as it sounds, we are getting what we have let happen. In 1963 we could have stopped everything. The vote came up to take prayer out of schools. The 3% (those wanting to take prayer out), outvoted the 97% who did not. We didn’t react then. Now, look where we are! Just imagine…..If we had stopped that vote from happening, things would have probably been a lot different today. Something like Roe vs Wade would never have happened. We would not have murdered 50 million children that God gave as gifts. Hmmmm….How does that last sentence hit you?
We’ve let it happen. Now, it’s going to be
A lot tougher to get things back in order. We can do it!! We need to make our voices heard by our elected representatives. These people work for us….we don’t work for them!
Be aware of tricky legislation coming at us. Presently, the government is discussing methods of trying to stop all internet activities under the pretense that there is a cyberspace security threat. It’s just another way to prevent you from getting current information. There is no cyberspace threat. There is even chatter about cutting cell phones off. We just need to watch carefully these issues that will affect us all.
If you read over the scripture illustrated here. (John 3:16-20), you’ll start to understand how many of the problem areas have started and continue to grow at a fantastic rate. It’s up to us to fix it……
Know When To Speak #9
Does this all make sense to you? During the last eight months we’ve gone over the points to discuss when speaking to someone about their eternal future. If you will notice, all points are God’s points. And, as far as any statements I have made, they are all backed up with scripture. The gospel is God’s words delivered by His children to those who have not heard the ‘good news’.
If you reach this point with someone, you might want to go through a few high points when you ask them if this makes sense. You might say: “Let me clarify what this means.”
1. Transfer trust to Jesus alone.
2. Receive Christ as savior
3. Receive Christ as Lord
4. Repent (Turn direction of life)
Pray with them to receive Christ.
Next month we’ll discuss this further.
(Sorry…No humor section this month)
Special Prayer Request!
A friend of mine, Angela, who lives in Colorado, has been diagnosed with breast cancer. She is scheduled for surgery on Tuesday. Please include her healing and speedy recovery in your prayers.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
What Is Hell Like?
Many people have told me they are looking forward to going to hell. They feel they will be with their friends and have an eternal party. These same people usually state that we are in hell right now, and going somewhere else will be an improvement. I would be willing to bet that most of you have heard the same thing, or remarks very close to these. What does that suggest to you? The first thing that comes to mind is this person does not know Jesus. It also points out that they have probably not read the Bible, and don’t understand the message.
If we look deeper we might find an underlying cause for this person’s rejection of the Lord. Many times it has to do with something they have experienced, or seen some horrible occurrence happen to someone else, perhaps a loved one, or even simple street talk downgrading God or Jesus. We need to keep in mind some of the loose laws we live by, such as; abortion and same sex marriages. I have run into those people who have had an abortion that feel they will never be accepted by God. The same is true for same sex marriages. Some of these people think they have done such an awful wrong that there will never be hope for them. So, they turn the other way…..start looking forward to going to hell. And, sad as it may be, the government is trying to provide for free abortions in the new health bill if it gets passed.
Let’s look at what hell is like. In very basic simple terms it’s the absence of God, hope and peace. Something I heard on the radio which is very good at explaining hell. Hell was designed by God for Satan and the fallen angels. It’s also available, by choice, for the only specie dumb enough to select it as an option….humans. People who have decided that they want nothing to do with God elect to go to hell. I think they are in for a bad news surprise.
Where am I going with all this? It’s coming down to those of us who know the Lord to get the message out. It doesn’t matter if we are 5 years old or 105 years old. The message is the same, and it’s our responsibility to share it with as many people as we can.
Know When To Speak #8
Last month we took a look at what faith is not. Sometimes we get a bit confused when a friend or family member says they believe in God or Jesus. For the most part, this is a quick escape for those who are not really sure about their faith.
So….what is real faith? I’m going to try and explain this as simply as possible. Real Faith or saving faith is when you have come to a point in your spiritual life where you have put all your trust in getting to heaven in Jesus. That is, you believe He is the only way you will get to heaven, and you have transferred all trust to Him to get you there. A simple illustration; You are sitting in a chair. A few feet away from you is another chair. The chair looks like it might hold you. This is an example of, I believe. How do you know it will hold you? The only way to know for sure is to get up and go sit in the other chair. The same is true with saving faith. You can talk about it, have discussions about it, but until you actually transfer all your trust to Jesus for your eternal life,it won’t happen.
A Little Humor...
On the outskirts of a small town, there was a big, old pecan tree just inside the cemetery fence. One day, two boys filled up a bucketful of nuts and sat down by the tree, out of sight, and began dividing the nuts.
'One for you, one for me One for you, one for me,' said one boy. Several dropped and rolled down toward the fence. Another boy came riding along the road on his bicycle. As he passed, he thought he heard voices from inside the cemetery. He slowed down to investigate. Sure enough, he heard, 'One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me..' He just knew what it was. He jumped back on his bike and rode off.
Just around the bend he met an old man with a cane, hobbling along. 'Come here quick,' said the boy, 'you won't believe what I heard! Satan and the Lord are down at the cemetery dividing up the souls.' The man said, 'Beat it kid, can't you see it's hard for me to walk.' When the boy insisted though, the man hobbled slowly to the cemetery.. Standing by the fence they heard , 'One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me.'
The old man whispered, 'Boy, you've been tellin' me the truth. Let's see if we can see the Lord.' Shaking with fear, they peered through the fence, yet were still unable to see anything. The old man and the boy gripped the wrought iron bars of the fence tighter and tighter as they tried to get a glimpse of the Lord. At last they heard, 'One for you, one for me. That's all. Now let's go get those nuts by the fence and we'll be done.' They say the old man made it back to town a full 5 minutes ahead of the kid on the bike.. SMILE, God Loves you.
Something to think about………..
A Holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, 'Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.'
The Lord led the holy man to two doors.
He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table..
In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful.
But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.
The Lord said, 'You have seen Hell. They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man's mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking.
The holy man said, 'I don't understand. 'It is simple,' said the Lord.. 'It requires but one skill. You see, they have learned to feed each other. The greedy think only of themselves.'
When Jesus died on the cross, He was thinking of you.
This illustration is not so funny. It gives us good reason to be sure about our eternal final destination.
Many people have told me they are looking forward to going to hell. They feel they will be with their friends and have an eternal party. These same people usually state that we are in hell right now, and going somewhere else will be an improvement. I would be willing to bet that most of you have heard the same thing, or remarks very close to these. What does that suggest to you? The first thing that comes to mind is this person does not know Jesus. It also points out that they have probably not read the Bible, and don’t understand the message.
If we look deeper we might find an underlying cause for this person’s rejection of the Lord. Many times it has to do with something they have experienced, or seen some horrible occurrence happen to someone else, perhaps a loved one, or even simple street talk downgrading God or Jesus. We need to keep in mind some of the loose laws we live by, such as; abortion and same sex marriages. I have run into those people who have had an abortion that feel they will never be accepted by God. The same is true for same sex marriages. Some of these people think they have done such an awful wrong that there will never be hope for them. So, they turn the other way…..start looking forward to going to hell. And, sad as it may be, the government is trying to provide for free abortions in the new health bill if it gets passed.
Let’s look at what hell is like. In very basic simple terms it’s the absence of God, hope and peace. Something I heard on the radio which is very good at explaining hell. Hell was designed by God for Satan and the fallen angels. It’s also available, by choice, for the only specie dumb enough to select it as an option….humans. People who have decided that they want nothing to do with God elect to go to hell. I think they are in for a bad news surprise.
Where am I going with all this? It’s coming down to those of us who know the Lord to get the message out. It doesn’t matter if we are 5 years old or 105 years old. The message is the same, and it’s our responsibility to share it with as many people as we can.
Know When To Speak #8
Last month we took a look at what faith is not. Sometimes we get a bit confused when a friend or family member says they believe in God or Jesus. For the most part, this is a quick escape for those who are not really sure about their faith.
So….what is real faith? I’m going to try and explain this as simply as possible. Real Faith or saving faith is when you have come to a point in your spiritual life where you have put all your trust in getting to heaven in Jesus. That is, you believe He is the only way you will get to heaven, and you have transferred all trust to Him to get you there. A simple illustration; You are sitting in a chair. A few feet away from you is another chair. The chair looks like it might hold you. This is an example of, I believe. How do you know it will hold you? The only way to know for sure is to get up and go sit in the other chair. The same is true with saving faith. You can talk about it, have discussions about it, but until you actually transfer all your trust to Jesus for your eternal life,it won’t happen.
A Little Humor...
On the outskirts of a small town, there was a big, old pecan tree just inside the cemetery fence. One day, two boys filled up a bucketful of nuts and sat down by the tree, out of sight, and began dividing the nuts.
'One for you, one for me One for you, one for me,' said one boy. Several dropped and rolled down toward the fence. Another boy came riding along the road on his bicycle. As he passed, he thought he heard voices from inside the cemetery. He slowed down to investigate. Sure enough, he heard, 'One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me..' He just knew what it was. He jumped back on his bike and rode off.
Just around the bend he met an old man with a cane, hobbling along. 'Come here quick,' said the boy, 'you won't believe what I heard! Satan and the Lord are down at the cemetery dividing up the souls.' The man said, 'Beat it kid, can't you see it's hard for me to walk.' When the boy insisted though, the man hobbled slowly to the cemetery.. Standing by the fence they heard , 'One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me.'
The old man whispered, 'Boy, you've been tellin' me the truth. Let's see if we can see the Lord.' Shaking with fear, they peered through the fence, yet were still unable to see anything. The old man and the boy gripped the wrought iron bars of the fence tighter and tighter as they tried to get a glimpse of the Lord. At last they heard, 'One for you, one for me. That's all. Now let's go get those nuts by the fence and we'll be done.' They say the old man made it back to town a full 5 minutes ahead of the kid on the bike.. SMILE, God Loves you.
Something to think about………..
A Holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, 'Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.'
The Lord led the holy man to two doors.
He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table..
In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful.
But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.
The Lord said, 'You have seen Hell. They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man's mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking.
The holy man said, 'I don't understand. 'It is simple,' said the Lord.. 'It requires but one skill. You see, they have learned to feed each other. The greedy think only of themselves.'
When Jesus died on the cross, He was thinking of you.
This illustration is not so funny. It gives us good reason to be sure about our eternal final destination.
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