[Messianic Figure?]

Messianic Figure?

Obama appears to have become a messianic figure to many in this country. Unlike Jesse Jackson, who was once introduced as " the messiah " in a black church, Obama has not let that go to his head or received such adoration, at least not yet. Let's not forget that Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadenijad has a messianic complex too and the muslims are awaiting the Imam Mahdi ( Islamic messiah ). With Obama's muslim background he may well be accepted as such by the Islamic world. Obama seems to have the same hypnotic effect on people that Adolf Hitler did. He seems to have already mesmerized many in the United States.   

I am opposed to the Super Bowl being shown on a large screen in a church as in a sports bar, especially considering some of the half-time entertainment which we saw with Janet Jackson and Jason Timberlake a few years ago, for example. Furthermore, considering that the Super Bowl is a big moneymaker for advertisers, the players and the league, showing the Super Bowl at church seems to me to be too much like allowing the moneychangers into the Temple which Jesus angrily cast out ( Matthew 21:12; Mark 11:15 ).  Our attention at church should be focused on Jesus Christ and the things of God, not on sports.

The NFL could just as easily schedule their games on Fridays or on Saturday nights rather than on Sunday afternoons.  The same goes for Major League Baseball and the NBA.  Sunday is the Lord's Day in a nation that is overwhelmingly Christian.  I don't believe that the NFL respects that at all.  Churches that show the Super Bowl only encourages that attitude by the league.  I am sure that there are several Christian coaches and football players in the NFL, like the late all-time great Reggie White who was also an ordained minister, who would rather be in church on Sunday with their families than on the gridiron but that is their job and their employer requires them to be there.  I wouldn't have liked it one bit if my employer had made me work on Sunday. 

I once attended Chicago Bears games on Sunday for awhile when I was in a backslidden condition and did not attend church.  The Lord convicted me about that so I gave it up and made a vow to God not to attend any more professional sports events on Sunday which means that I can never attend another NFL game again unless it is on Monday night.  I love pro football but I love the Lord a lot more. 

No offense toward anyone is intended but these are my personal convictions.

[Building A Wall To Keep God Out]

Building A Wall To Keep God Out

by Bill Harper

The driving motive of church and state separationists is not "religious freedom" as they deceitfully claim but rather freedom from religion.  Their ultimate goal is the cutting asunder of anything that connects the American people with our Christian heritage and to replace it with a godless philosophy of secular humanism.  If they have their way any reference to God will be removed from all public institutions and even the very mention or acknowledgment of God.  If they are successful then that means the words "In God We Trust", our national motto, will be removed from all our currency, from above the speaker's podium in the chamber of Congress in the U.S. Capitol and from every building and monument across the land.  It means that the words "one nation UNDER GOD" will be omitted from the Pledge of Allegiance.  Their evil plan and design is clearly to build a wall that will keep Christian influence and God Himself out of our society and culture.  This is not what the founding fathers envisioned for our nation nor is it what Thomas Jefferson meant when he cited the words of a Puritian minister in declaring "a wall of separation between church and state."

The building of such a wall is a socialist idea and dream.  Those who would build such a wall will often mix the blood of God's people through persecution in their mortar.  However like the Berlin Wall, erected by the atheistic communists of the Soviet Union and East Germany to keep people enslaved to communist ideology and from immigrating to the Christian West, this wall will be broken down and destroyed as well.  As the walls of Jericho fell to the ground before Joshua and the children of Israel by the power of God, so any wall built by man to keep God out of the affairs of men and nations will fall and not stand.  God Himself will bring it down if necessary.  Personally, I think this wall will collapse on its own because its foundation of humanistic philosophies is weak and its mortar untempered by the truth of God's Word.  Nothing will be left of this wall either except perhaps a few ruins to remind future generations of the folly of a few wicked men attempting to wall God out of government which He Himself has ordained in the first place and keeping people in need of salvation from knowing Him and thus remaining separated from Him for eternity.

The only thing that can separate man from His Creator is sin.  Thank God that He has already broken down that wall of partition and has bridged the separation from God caused by sin by the cross of Jesus Christ.

Lo, when THE WALL is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it? Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in my fury to consume it. SO WILL I BREAK DOWN THE WALL that ye have daubed with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. Thus will I accomplish MY WRATH UPON THE WALL, AND UPON THEM THAT HAVE DAUBED IT WITH UNTEMPERED MORTAR, and will say unto you, THE WALL IS NO MORE, NEITHER THEY THAT DAUBED IT;

- Ezekiel 13:12-15 KJV

[The Cup of The Lord]

The Cup of The Lord
 
by Bill Harper

There is a cup filled with wine in the Hand of God that is given to all men to drink thereof. To one man it represents the "cup of salvation" but to another it will be the "cup of trembling " or "cup of indignation" which represents the outpouring of God's judgment and wrath upon the world.

THE CUP OF SALVATION

" I will take THE CUP of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD."

- Psalm 116:13 KJV

The "cup of salvation" is exactly what The Bible says it is. It was beautifully illustrated by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper before He went to the cross:

" And he took THE CUP, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many."

- Mark 14:23 KJV

God gives to us salvation when we put our faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ for the atonement and forgiveness of our sins. One can either refuse the cup of salvation or one can receive it from the Lord's hand and drink it. All of the disciples of Jesus present at the Last Supper took and drank of the cup except for Judas Iscariot who betrayed him. God will not force you against your will to drink it.


THE CUP OF TREMBLING AND INDIGNATION

" For in the hand of the LORD there is A CUP, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them."

- Psalm 75:8 KJV

If you refuse the " cup of salvation" then you must drink of the "cup of trembling" which is also the "cup of His indignation" filled with the wine of the wrath of Almighty God. Unlike the cup of salvation there is no refusing of the cup of trembling and the fury of His wrath because God will force you to drink of it if you are not saved.

Satan always has attempted to counterfeit the things of God so the Devil has a cup in his hand too. It is filled with the wine of Babylon ( i.e. 'Babel ' ) from which all false religions of the world and vain philosophies of men originated. At the time of the end those who drink of it will be deceived by the wine of satanic deception and will thus end up worshipping the Antichrist for which punishment is eternal damnation. If you drink of Satan's cup you can and will also drink of the cup of trembling from the Hand of God if you do not repent. You cannot drink Satan's cup and also the cup of salvation but you can drink Satan's cup and will drink the cup of trembling. So we are warned in the Holy Scriptures:

" Ye cannot drink THE CUP OF THE LORD, and THE CUP OF DEVILS: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils."

- 1 Corinthians 10:21 KJV

Know the difference lest you be be found drunken but not with wine. Walk soberly in the truth and in the knowledge of the Lord.

" And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into THE CUP OF HIS INDIGNATION; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name."

- Revelation 14:8-11 KJV

This is a fearful judgment. The Bible doesn't call it the "cup of trembling" for nothing.

Among them who will also drink of this cup also are the nations which will gather together against Israel in the last days. The prophetic Word of God says:

" Behold, I will make Jerusalem A CUP OF TREMBLING unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it."

- Zechariah 12:2-3 KJV

Israel from ancient times has already tasted of the cup of trembling because of her iniquities before God. However, in the Day of the Lord this cup will be taken from Israel and given to her enemies and those who have persecuted her and who have trodden down the Holy City of Jerusalem.

" Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the CUP OF HIS FURY; thou hast drunken the dregs of the CUP OF TREMBLING, and wrung them out. There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she hath brought forth; neither is there any that taketh her by the hand of all the sons that she hath brought up. These two things are come unto thee; who shall be sorry for thee? desolation, and destruction, and the famine, and the sword: by whom shall I comfort thee?  Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as a wild bull in a net: they are full of the fury of the LORD, the rebuke of thy God. Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine: Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the CUP OF TREMBLING, even the dregs of the CUP OF MY FURY; thou shalt no more drink it again: But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over. "

- Isaiah 51:17-23 KJV

However, there is Good News. You do not have to drink of that cup if you have Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as your Savior because he drank that cup filled with the wrath of God for you and, as The Bible says, he tasted death for every man ( Hebrews 2:9 ). In the Garden of Gethsemane, there was the Lord Jesus, in prayer to God the Father speaking of His sufferings which a He would soon endure:

" And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let THIS CUP pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. "

- Matthew 26:39 KJV

Jesus fully understood that there was no other way to redeem fallen humanity except by enduring the cross on our behalf. He knew that it was impossible to save us any other way and that it was the Father's will for Him to do so for us. Jesus willingly took that cup and drank it so we would not have to drink it ourselves. Because he drank it God can offer to all who believe on His Name, both Jew and Gentile, the "cup of salvation."

If you believe these truths and have never done so before then take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord today. Say to Him, Thank you, Lord Jesus, for dying in my place, for allowing your precious blood to be shed to take away my sins. Thank you for offering me the cup of salvation. With rejoicing I take it from thy Hand and drink it today.

The promise of God's Word is:

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

- Romans 10:13 KJV

Killing God, huh?  Pullman must want to try and finish the job that the German rationalist Friedrich Nietsche with his " God is dead " philosophy was not successful in doing.

[Except Ye Become As Little Children]

Except Ye Become As Little Children
 
by Bill Harper

And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, AND BECOME AS LITTLE CHILDREN, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.  Whosoever therefore shall humble himself AS THIS LITTLE CHILD, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

- Matthew 18:2-4 KJV

Even though we are all, as The Bible says, " conceived in sin and shapen in iniquity " ( Psalm 51:5 ) in our mothers' womb  and so are born into this world with an inherent carnal sin nature which we have from Adam and Eve who were the first parents, there is a certain innocence about all children until they reach the age of accountability. At that stage in their lives they begin to be able to choose between good and evil. That innocence is lost the first time that they willingly choose to do wrong and are thus led into sin.

To be converted means to turn away from your sins, or to depart from evil, and turn to God.  It means to reverse the course of your life, to go back in the other direction and begin choosing the good again. I believe that we only have the power to do this after we are born again spiritually by the Spirit of God through faith in Jesus Christ by the hearing of the Word of God; and thus become once again as children in God's sight.  As such we begin our new lives as newborn babies in Christ. As little babies must mature and grow into adulthood so must we grow spiritually in Christ.  As a toddler must learn to walk so we must also learn to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. Though we still have the old carnal sin nature inherent in our flesh, we will begin to get victory over sin in our lives and be able to choose good over evil by the power of God working in us.  If we be Christ's, then as far as God is concerned we are already innocent in His sight.

AS NEWBORN BABES, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

- 1 Peter 2:2-3 KJV

As for humility, that is required of God before we can even be saved. After hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ we first come to an awarness that we have sinned in transgressing God's law. At that point we then must humble ourselves before God and confess that we are sinners in need of salvation which can we only receive by the grace of God ( unmerited favor ), through faith in Jesus Christ.  When we believe on the Name of Jesus we will be converted, we will come to repentance or a change of mind about the way that we have been living. We will have a desire to depart from evil and to live for God. Humility before God is the first step toward salvation and a spiritual rebirth but it is a stumblingblock to proud sinners. Their refusal to humble themselves under the Hand of Almighty God, to receive Christ as their Savior and thus be born again by the Holy Spirit is what will keep them out of the Kingdom of God.

It is much easier to talk to children about Jesus than it is to many adults.  Why is that? It is because their hearts are not yet hardened by sin through years of disobedience to God and because kids by nature are generally more trusting. Their minds have not yet been subverted by the false wisdom of this world which is in opposition to wisdom of God and turns them away from God as they get older. To become once again as a little child who is fit to enter the Kingdom of God you must first be willing to listen to the Word of God. Your stoney heart  must be broken in pieces by God whose Word is like a hammer so that you might become broken before God in humility. You must once again find the childlike faith that you once had as a child and place that faith in Jesus Christ that you may be born again and once again become as a little child in God's sight.

I write unto you, LITTLE CHILDREN, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake.

- 1 John 2:12 KJV

[The Unpardonable Sin]

The Unpardonable Sin
 
by Bill Harper

" Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come."

- Matthew 12:31 KJV

Even though the teaching of what has become known as the "unpardonable sin" was spoken of by Jesus in the context of the scribes and Pharisees' blaspheming the Holy Spirit by attributing the power of the Holy Spirit to the power of Satan, I disagree that this sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit by declaring the miracles of Jesus to be satanic, alone in itself, is what Jesus meant by the "unpardonable sin."  I believe that many put the emphasis on that aspect and so miss the essential truth of what Jesus was saying in this passage.

First of all, there are numerous examples of and warnings in the Scriptures about counterfeit miracles and signs and wonders being performed by the power of Satan. Jannes and Jambres, up to a certain point, was able to duplicate the same miracles performed by Moses and Aaron in the sight of Pharaoh. Jesus, speaking of the last days, also warned His disciples, " For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and SHALL SHOW GREAT SIGNS AND WONDERS; insomuch that, if it were possible, THEY SHALL DECEIVE THE VERY ELECT[ Christians ]." - Matthew 24:24. Likewise, the coming Antichrist and the False Prophet will do signs and wonders in the endtimes by the power of Satan ( Revelation 13:13; 19:20 ) and will deceive the whole world. According to Revelation 13:6, the Antichrist will also open his mouth and blaspheme God. We ignore those teachings to our own peril and to so readily accept all miracles, signs and wonders as being from God without testing them by the Word of God is spiritually dangerous and sets one up for spiritual deception.

Counterfeit signs and wonders can be done even in Jesus' Name and yet not necessarily be of God.  If  " the unpardonable sin " is to blaspheme the Holy Spirit by attributing certain miracles to the Devil then it would be best for all of us to keep silent, to ignore the warnings in Scripture of the counterfeit and to lay aside the exhortations to exercise spiritual discernment altogether, just to be on the safe side as we could not afford to be wrong or in error on that matter.  The scribes and Pharisees were not exercising spiritual discernment because it was clear that they lacked it.

Jesus Himself warned:

" Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? AND IN THY NAME HAVE CAST OUT DEVILS? AND IN THY NAME DONE MANY WONDERFUL WORKS? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, YE THAT WORK INIQUITY. "

- Matthew 7:21-23 KJV

What is the work of God? Jesus said, "...THIS IS THE WORK OF GOD,that ye BELIEVE on him whom he hath sent." - John 6:29 ( kjv ).  Jesus Himself did all of the work of redemption that was required for our salvation.  There is nothing that we can add to what Christ has already done.  If we attempt to do that then we are in effect diminishing what He has done for us which is also blasphemous.  God's requirement on our part is that we simply trust in the finished work of redemption that Jesus Christ accomplished when He bare all of our iniquities on the cross.  Judaism under the authority of the scribes and Pharisees was a works-based religious system which included certain traditions that were not even Scriptural.

According to 2 Timothy 3:8, the sin of Jannes and Jambres in opposing Moses and Aaron by duplicating their miracles was to " RESIST THE TRUTH " which is what the Pharisees did as well in opposing Jesus:  "... as THE TRUTH IS IN JESUS " ( Ephesians 4:21 ).  In doing so they also were resisting the Holy Spirit who is also called " THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH " (  John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13 ). Hear the words of the martyr Stephen before he was stoned to death by the Pharisees:  " Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always RESIST THE HOLY GHOST: as your fathers did, so do ye " - Acts 7:51 ( kjv ).

Actually the Jews required a sign ( Matthew 12:38-39; 1 Corinthians 1:22 ) before they would even consider believing so it wasn't so much the miracles of Jesus itself that they were rejecting but rather Jesus' claims to be the Son of God.  The miracles Jesus did were intended to be signs to unbelievers to confirm His Word that He was who He claimed to be, the Son of God which they chose not to believe.   Though the scribes and Pharisees rejected Jesus yet they could not deny the miracles which He did by the power of the Holy Ghost in the sight of multitudes of people.  Their only recourse then was to attack the miracles as being of Satan in order to discredit Christ.

Therefore, the " unpardonable sin " is unbelief and rejection of Jesus Christ while under the conviction of the Holy Spirit.  When one rejects Christ he/she is also rejecting the Holy Spirit whose work is to convict sinners of sin, righteousness and judgement ( John 16:8 ) and their need of salvation in Jesus Christ. In rejecting Christ one is rejecting the witness of the Holy Spirit and making God a liar ( 1 John 5:10-11 ). This is the ultimate blasphemy!   We find throughout the gospels that unbelief was the root sin in the heart of the scribes and Pharisees which they often compounded by blasphemy. The sin of unbelief is what moved the Pharisees to blaspheme the Holy Spirit and to call Jesus " Beelzebub, the prince of the devils " ( Matthew 12:24; Mark 3:22 ).   

Unbelief and blasphemy, even words spoken against Jesus, are sins that can be forgiven if repented of.  These sins only become unpardonable if you die in your sins without Jesus Christ as your Savior. It is dying in unbelief that seals the eternal destination of lost sinners and sends multitudes to Hell. The "unpardonable sin" is impossible for true believers in Christ to commit.  If we are in Christ then all of our sins; past, present and future, have already been pardoned.  We do not have to live in constant fear, as some do, that we have somehow committed the unpardonable sin and cannot be forgiven.

" And I will cleanse them from ALL their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I WILL PARDON ALL THEIR INIQUITIES, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me. "

- Jeremiah 33:8 KJV

[AMERICA FIRST!]

I think people who believe in AMERICA FIRST! and preserving American sovereignty ought not to vote for Sen. John McCain ( R-AZ ) to be the next President of the United States.  He will most certainly continue President Bush's policy of merging the United States into a North American superstate with Mexico and Canada which sets us on the path to a one world government which will eventually be ruled by the coming Antichrist.  As students of Bible prophecy we know this is enevitable but we shouldn't and don't have to cooperate in the destruction of our country by voting for people who wittingly or unwittingly taking us down that road.  Juan Hernandez is deceived too and, unless he is a traitor, he wouldn't be involved in this either if he understood that it will strip Mexico of it's national sovereignty as well.  He is short-sighted and looking solely at the economic benefits.  We already know what McCain's record and stand is on illegal immigration.  His solution to that problem is simplistic, that is, to grant illegal aliens general amnesty and declaring them now legal. 
 
AMERICA FIRST!

[" There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god. "- Psalm 81:9 KJV]

The American people have been deceived by multiculturalism, the globalist doctrine of "unity in diversity " and by the notion that somehow religious pluralism is a wonderful thing.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The false god of Islam would have been a "strange god" to the founding fathers of this country and if the hearts of the American people were right with God it would be so today.  After 9-11 we should be outraged that our own leaders have allowed Islamists to infiltrate our government.  If this trend continues then there are going to be dire consequences in the near future.

" There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god. "

- Psalm 81:9 KJV

[Racer Figures It's Best to Cross the Finish Line with the Lord]

Note: I am not a NASCAR fan but I love to hear testimonies by Christians who seek to magnify the Lord in any sport and I like to see them do well.  So I thought I would share here a news article about NASCAR driver Darrell Waltrip from a couple of years ago.

Racer Figures It's Best to Cross the Finish Line with the Lord
Darrell Waltrip, NASCAR Legend

By Doug Greengard
Christian Sports Minute
February 18, 2005
 
(AgapePress) - Growing up in Owensboro, Kentucky, Darrell Waltrip's focus was on reaching the winner's circle. It began with go-kart racing when he was 12, and his dream was to advance to the pinnacle of stock car racing success. "That was my mission," said Waltrip. "I pursued that with everything that I had."
 
By 1972, after working his way up on dirt tracks and short tracks, Waltrip made his NASCAR debut at Alabama's Talladega Speedway. Three years later, he decided to shift gears and hit the track full-time against the world's best drivers on the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.
 
The rest, they say, is racing history. Checkered flags, along with fame and fortune, followed as Waltrip quickly rose to the ranks of one of the sport's elite drivers. Everything seemed to be going just as planned. That was, of course, until one day in 1983 when, at the urging of his wife Stevie, he attended an event not far from their home in Nashville, Tennessee, and listened to a minister discuss eternal life.
 
"I thought that if I was a good guy, I would go to heaven if anything ever happened to me," says Waltrip, who was NASCAR's Driver of the Decade in the 1980s. "I figured if I got killed in a race car, or whatever, I was a good person ... I never killed anybody ... I never robbed anybody -- I figured I'd go to heaven."
 
Waltrip, seeing his need for a Savior, surrendered his life to Jesus Christ. Stevie had already begun her walk with the Lord and was being of great encouragement to her husband and others at the race track.
 
"She was attending Bible study fellowship and got on fire for the Lord and starting working on me," says Waltrip, a three-time Winston Cup Series Champion. "In our sport, there's an element of danger and she wanted to make sure every Sunday that I was protected the best I -- and the other drivers -- could be."
 
It became a custom that Stevie would hand out notecards containing Bible scriptures to the drivers. In 1986, the Waltrip's took another giant step, joining with several other racing couples to form Motor Racing Outreach. "We saw in 1986 a huge need on the circuit," explains Waltrip. "It's our church at the track."
 
After retiring in 2001 and being inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Waltrip still stays connected to the sport as a television analyst. Looking back, he sees how powerfully he has been used to share God's love with others.
 
"Sports gives us such a great platform," he adds. "I'm glad that I can do my part, and I wish other guys would step up and do the same thing."
 
Sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. That is, literally, where the rubber meets the road for Darrell Waltrip.
 
Doug Greengard is chaplain for the NFL's New Orleans Saints and the host/producer of Christian Sports Minute, a radio feature airing on more than 300 stations in North America. To obtain Heroes of Faith, a book filled with 24 stories of well-known sports figures, send a donation of $10 or more to: Greengard Family Ministries, 2250 Gause Blvd., PMB 51089, Slidell, LA 70461. 

© 2005 AgapePress all rights reserved
 
Source:  AgapePress news article at:
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/2/182005g.asp

Many thanks to you all for the kind words and the warm welcome to these forums.  I know I will enjoy this site and be blessed by your fellowship in the gospel of Christ.  I love you all in the Lord.

You wouldn't have to worry about me, Pastor Roger.  I wear headphones.   

[" I was rescued by a helicopter, but Martin with angel's wings. " - Gracia Burnham]

I read this book too.  It is a very powerful, inspiring and moving story.

On May 27, 2001, Martin & Gracia Burnham, missionaries with New Tribes Missions in the Philippines, were kidnapped by the Islamic Abu Sayaf terrorist organization.  They were held as hostages for 1 year and 11 days until their rescue on June 7, 2002.  Martin died in the resulting shootout.  Gracia was wounded but survived.  Some will say that they had no business being there in the first place and trying to convert those people.  However, the love of Christ for the lost and their desire to be obedient to His Great Commission to " Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature..." ( Mark 16:15 ) constrained them to risk their lives to do so.
 

" I was rescued by a helicopter, but Martin with angel's wings. "

- Gracia Burnham
 
 
 " When men are heathen by choice, that's THEIR business. But... when men are heathen by no choice, that's OUR business! "

- New Tribes Mission: Philippines website

http://www.ntm.org.ph/

[" Well, if they keep us from going to Russia where there is some freedom, we'll just have to change America. I'll make sure you never say another prayer in that school! "- Madalyn Murray O'Hair, as recounted by her son William Murray]

It is a step in the right direction but I am not impressed with it.  The whole point of removing school prayer was to silence Christians in the classroom and this " moment of silence " does nothing really to change that.  The remedy I would favor would be to allow all students and teachers who want to pray to meet in the school auditorium before classes where prayers could be said aloud and publicly.  Those who do not want to pray would not be required to attend and can go directly to their classrooms and study until the other students come to class.  To me that would be a reasonable and a fair solution to this controversy.  I don't think that Madalyn Murray O'Hair would have been offended all that much by a "moment of silence."  It was audible prayer she detested.

" Well, if they keep us from going to Russia where there is some freedom, we'll just have to change America.  I'll make sure you never say another prayer in that school! "

- Madalyn Murray O'Hair, as recounted by her son William Murray

Source:  My Life Without God, by William J. Murray, Harvest House Publishers; Eugene, Oregon, 1992, p.56 (new expanded edition)

[Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.- Colossians 3:16 ( kjv )]

I have always been a music lover.  Before I became a Christian my musical taste was pop and hard rock which included some of what were clearly satanic-influenced bands.  After I was saved one of the first things the Lord changed about me was my musical tastes.  In fact, I took a hammer and smashed to pieces all of my rock albums that I had collected over the years. The music of the world no longer appealed to me.  I began to listen to Christian music and that became my strict preference.  It is the only kind of music I will spend money for.  It doesn't matter to me if it is contemporary Christian music, southern gospel, black gospel, praise & worship, inspirational, instrumental or traditional hymns.  As long it lifts up the name of the Lord and gives Him praise and glory I will like it. 

When I listen to Christian music I want to be able to know it is a Christian song when I hear it.  Lyrical content, therefore, is very important to me and is a factor in how I evaluate a Christian song.  One of the best things about the old traditional hymns of the Church is that they are scripturally based and doctrinally sound.  They can actually teach you doctrine when you listen to them.  That cannot always be said about the modern music of the Church.  To be frank, some of the contemporary Christian music out there is hard to distinguish from the world.

I don't judge anyone for listening to secular music and I don't shun them because of their musical tastes.  I know that some Christians still like to listen to it.  However, I would object if my unsaved neighbor was playing very loud music all night long until 4:00 AM...lol.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

- Colossians 3:16 ( kjv )