THE LIVING DEAD

Recently I was having a discussion with a couple of "Kingdom Hall" followers, commonly but falsely called, "Jehovah's Witnesses." There aren't Jehovah's witnesses because they don't believe that Jesus is Jehovah though the Bible clearly teaches that He is. One of the most frustrating things about our conversation was the main talker constantly referring to death as a cessation of being (annihilation) even though the Bible (once again) clearly teaches otherwise. Even after I showed her in the Bible that death could not mean annihilation she would fall back into that 1 minute later. These people are not the only ones to misunderstand death. Some people will say something to the effect, "I just want to kill myself and end it all!" Or, "Well, at least for them it's all over now." "At least they're better off." Wishful thinking unless they know Jesus personally.

According to the Bible there are three* basic kinds of death. In none of these three cases is death a cessation of being. In all of the cases you could refer to the individuals involved as "the living dead." Everyone experiences 1 type, whether or not you experience another type is completely up to you, and the 3rd type is related to your previous decision as we shall see.

I. DEFINITIONS

Death is not cessation but is separation. You can be separated from someone or something without ceasing to exist and this is exactly what the Bible teaches. Let's see as we examine the 3 basic kinds of death.

1. Physical death-separation of the soul (the immaterial) from the body (the material) as seen in Lk. 16:22-23. It began to be possible with the sin of Adam & Eve and is the basic due of all living [Gen. 3:21-24, Rm. 5:12). Since they dead continue to exist they could be called a type of living dead.

2. Spiritual death-separation of the soul from God because of sin. Since we are born sinners we are born spiritually dead [Ps. 51:5, Is. 59:2, Eph. 2:1]. This explains Adam's situation- he was spiritually dead though he lived physically for many more years [Gn. 2:17, 3:4, 8, 22-24]. This is the natural condion of all people born of man and woman but can be changed. In the meantime, alive physically, dead spiritually, they too can be classified as the living dead.

3. The Second death-separation of the soul from God eternally in the lake of fire as taught in Rev. 20:11-15. The lake of fire was prepared for Satan and the fallen angels (Mt. 25:41) but men choose to go there by rejecting Christ's righteousness [v. 46, II Cor. 5:21]. Living in the sense of existing but spirituall dead and undergoing the second death forever- the eternal living dead.

II. SOLUTIONS-REALLY ONLY 1 BUT IT COVERS ALL THREE!

1. Spiritual death can be changed to spiritual life by the new birth according to the Bible [Jn. 1:12, 3:3-8; Eph. 2:1]!

2. Physical death is only temporary then to a Christian and can even be avoided if the rapture hits before you die physically [I Th. 4:13-17].

3. The second death is completely avoided by trusting Christ while still alive physically [Jn. 11:25-26; Rev. 20:4-6, 15]

III. SUMMATIONS

1. Born once you'll die twice (already spiritually dead).

2. Born twice you'll only have the possibility of dying once.

3. There are no chances after physical death to get saved- Heb. 9:22-28].





*Others include- dying to self, dying daily

THE TESTIMONY OF A TRANSFORMED LIFE

GALATIANS 1:20-24

Paul says they didn't know him by face but they had heard about him. They heard that his life had been changed. They heard that he had been changed. They heard God had changed him. He had the testimony of a transformed life!

I. IT WAS A PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION [V. 11-13, II Co. 5:17]

II. IT WAS A LIFE-GOAL TRANSFORMATION [V. 1, 13b, 23, Philippians 1:21 ]

III. IT WAS A RELIGIOUS TRANSFORMATION [V. 14-15, Eph. 2:8-9]

IV. IT WAS A MENTAL TRANSFORMATION [V. 16-17, MT. 22:41-46, JN. 8:32, Rm. 12:2]

V. IT WAS A RELATIONAL TRANSFORMATION [V. 18-19, new family-Jn. 1:12, friends-Jn. 15:14, enemies-I Pt. 4:4]

Have you been transformed? How far have you let it extend? Can others see a change in you?

Q: Is an Ivy League school really spending millions of dollars to prove there’s no God?

Weekly News from the Answers In Genesis' (see links) Answers Update

A: These days it seems as though everyone is jumping into the creation/evolution debate. Not wanting to be left out, Harvard announced a new multimillion dollar research project, the “Origins of Life in the Universe Initiative.” They’re setting aside $1 million a year to try to prove what they already believe.

Listen to what a Harvard professor of chemistry and chemical biology told the New York Times about the origin of life: “My expectation is that we will be able to reduce this to a very simple series of logical events that could have taken place with no divine intervention.”

For all the PhDs that Harvard may hand out—and for all the good science they may do—none of it is important when it comes to eternity. If they’re producing atheists, then what’s the point in the long run?

As Matthew 16 tells us, “What profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?”


Read the full story at "Harvard allocates millions to prove there is no God" at the AIG website.

This information was provided by Answers In Genesis, an excellent source of material relating to Creation and evolution. Please visit their website using the link in the upper left.

AN OPEN LETTER TO WIL RICE OF THE BILL RICE RANCH

Dear Brother Wil,

What a great time we had at the Master's Mens Conference. Some of our men were disappointed when we heard that Dr. Bill wouldn't be there but we all saw God's hand moving even in that! I can't imagine not hearing even one of the great messages from God's Word brought to us by you and Brother Pittman. Thank you for allowing God to use you to minister to us.

The staff at the Ranch was up to their usual top-notch "behavior", the music was superb and the food was just plain good! Thank you for nor repeating the quiche disaster of a while back (I'm only half-way kidding about that)! As I told you then, "Real men don't eat quiche!" I rejoice to see what the Lord is doing there in Middle Tennessee! I remember when there was more red mud visible than grass. How beautiful the Ranch is.

Of course, we rejoice in Mike's salvation. Thank you for being sensitve to the Holy Spirit and speaking to him. He said he's going to follow the Lord in believer's baptism soon! Many of the men are already planning on coming next year Lord willing! Personally I hope to be in the first week of summer camp as well.

This letter is going on the blog but a hard copy is winging it's way to you as well. Enclosed you'll find a little something for the mission fund. To say I believe in the Ranch is not enough, I personally want to have a part in the work!

In Jesus' Name, Rick Jackson

Pastor, Bradford Baptist Church

PICTURES OF THE WEEK (Headshots???)

GOD, HITLER AND WAR

War
Edwin Starr

War, huh yeah
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing. [Impossible, even a bad war can serve as a good example]
War huh yeah
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing.
Say it again y'all
War, huh good god [God is good but blasphemy is not. Mk. 10:18, Ex. 20:7]
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing. Listen to me

War-I despise
cause it means destruction
Of innocent lives [In the strict sense there are no innocent lives-- Rm. 3:23, 6:23][First, there is no such person as the innocent, as we have seen already. We are all sinful. But furthermore, we clearly have to reap the consequences not only of our own personal sins, but also of the sins of the entire race; and, on a smaller scale, the sins of our particular country or group. We are, at one and the same time, individuals, and members of the state and of the entire race. The Gospel saves us as individuals; but that does not mean that we cease to be members of the state and part and parcel of the entire human race. We share the same sun and rain as other people, and we are exposed to the same illnesses and diseases. We are subject to the same trials by way of industrial depression and other causes of unhappiness, including war. Thus it comes to pass that the innocent may have to bear part of the punishment for sins for which they are not directly responsible.-MLJ]

War means tears to thousands of mothers eyes
When their sons go off to fight
And lose their lives

War, huh good god y'all
What is it good for? [Stopping evil--- WWII for example]
Absolutely nothing. say it again
War whoa lord
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing. listen to me
It ain't nothin but a heartbreaker [It's more than that as we shall see]
Friend only to the undertaker [Do undertakers love death?]

Oh war, is an enemy to all mankind [It's a sympton, not the actual problem.]
the thought of war blows my mind
war has caused unrest in the younger generation
induction, then destruction who wants to die

War, good god y'all
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing. say it say it say it
War uh huh yeah huh
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing. listen to me
It ain't nothin but a heartbreaker
got one friend that's the undertaker

oh war has shattered many young mans dreams
made him disabled bitter and mean
life is much to short and precious to fight mighty wars these days
war can't give life it can only take it away oooooh [War cannot give life, but it can preserve and protect life]
War, huh good god y'all
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing. say it say again
War whoa lord
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing. listen
It ain't nothin but a heartbreaker
Friend only to the undertaker

Peace love and understanding tell me
Is there no place for them today
they say we must fight to keep our freedom
but lord knows there's got to be a better way [There is a better way- for men to trust Christ and then live for Him but men reject the only solution and want still another way. There is no other way. No-one can ever offer a different solution than to trust Christ or have war.]

I. WAR IS A CONSEQUENCE OF SIN (it is not a sin in and of itself)

1. Satan's sin [Rev. 11:7, 12:7, 12:17, 19:19]

2. Man's sin [Rev. 17:12-14, James 4:1-3]

3. World of sin [II Cor. 10:1-6]

II. WAR IS A REMINDER OF SIN

1. The cost of sin [Ex. 17:6, Is. 21:15, Rm. 6:23]

2. The cancer of sin [James 4:1-2, I Pet. 2:11]

3. The continuation of sin [Judges 5:8, I Sam. 23:8]

To ask God to prohibit war or to prevent war, therefore, is to ask Him to prohibit one of the particular consequences of sin. Or, if we take the view that war itself is actual sin, it is to ask God to prohibit one particular sin. Here again we see both the selfishness that is involved in the request and also the insult to God. Because this particular form of sin, or consequence of sin, is especially painful and difficult for us, we ask God to prohibit it. We are not at all concerned about the holiness of God, or sin as such. Were we so concerned, we would ask Him to prohibit all sin and to restrain all iniquity. We would ask Him to prohibit drunkenness, gambling, immorality and vice, the breaking of the Sabbath, and all the various other sins which men enjoy so thoroughly. But if anyone ventured to suggest that, a protest loud and strong would be registered immediately in the name of freedom. We boast of our free-will and resent any suggestion or teaching that God should in any way interfere with it. And yet, when, as the result of the exercise of that very freedom, we find ourselves faced with the horrors and troubles and sufferings of a war, like peevish children we cry out our protests and complain bitterly against God because He has not used His almighty power and forcibly prevented it! God, in His infinite and everlasting wisdom, has decided not to prohibit sin and not to restrain altogether the consequences of sin. War is not an isolated and separate spiritual and religious problem. It is just a part and an expression of the one great central problem of sin.---Martyn Lloyd-Jones


III. WAR DOESN'T MAKE THE PARTICIPANT'S SIN

1. War can be fought righteously [Ex. 15:3, I Tm. 1:8, Rev. 19:11]

2. War can bring benefits [Dt. 4:34, Job 5:20, Ps. 27:3]
(Does anybody really believe the world would have been better off if nobody opposed Hitler?)[And all this, in turn, leads to the final purpose, which is to lead us back to God. Like the Prodigal Son, when we have lost all and are suffering acutely and in a state of wretchedness and misery, seeing our folly and our stupidity, we think of God, even as he thought of his father and his home. No word is found more frequently in the Old Testament as a description of the Children of Israel than the words, in their trouble and distresses they cried unto the Lord.---MLJ]

3. War will be ended [Is. 2:4, Micah 4:3, Rev. 20:7-10]

The question that needs to be asked is not "Why does God allow war?" but rather,

Why does God not allow the world to destroy itself entirely in its iniquity and its sin? Why does He in His restraining grace set a limit to evil and to sin, and a bound beyond which they cannot pass?

Oh, the amazing patience of God with this sinful world! How wondrous is His love! He has sent the Son of His love to our world to die for us and to save us; and because men cannot and will not see this, He permits and allows such things as war to chastise and to punish us; to teach us, and to convict us of our sins; and, above all, to call us to repentance and acceptance of His gracious offer.

The vital question for us therefore is not to ask, "Why does God allow war?" The question for us is to make sure that we are learning the lesson, and repenting before God for the sin in our own hearts, and in the entire human race, which leads to such results.

May God grant us understanding and the true spirit of repentance, for His Name's sake.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981), minister of Westminster Chapel in London for 30 years

QUOTES OF THE WEEK- Only A Piece of Paper?

"Many women callers to my radio show have told me that the man in their life sees no reason to marry. 'It's only a piece of paper,' these men (and now some women) argue. There are two answers to this argument. One is that if in fact 'it is only a piece of paper,' what exactly is he so afraid of? Why does he fear a mere piece of paper? Either he is lying to himself and to his woman or lying only to her because he knows this piece of paper is far more than 'only a piece of paper.' The other response is all that is written above. Getting married means I am now your wife, not your live-in; I am now your husband, not your significant other. It means that we get to have a wedding where, before virtually every person alive who means anything to us, we commit ourselves to each other. It means that we have decided to bring all these people we love into our lives. It means we have legal obligations to one another. It means my family becomes yours and yours becomes mine... When you realize all that is attainable by marrying and unattainable by living together without marrying, you have to wonder why anyone would voluntarily choose not to marry the person he or she wishes to live with forever." ---Dennis Prager

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband." ---Ephesians 5:25-32

MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE

HEBREWS 11:23

Every day we make scores of choices. Some small, insignificant and some life-changing though we may not know it at the time. All through our lives we will have choices to make. Adam and Eve made the first wrong choice and we have all been affected by it. We are not islands. Our choices affect others. Joshua told Israel, "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

Elijah said, " How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him."

"Whenever you are confronted with a decision- you do make one! Even deciding to put off the decision is a decision!" -Evangelist Bill Rice III

Jesus put it this way, "He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad." [Mt. 12:30]

In the book of Hebrews we see lots of choices people made and their results. One man who made some wise choices that affected not only his life and the life of millions in his time but continues to affect lives today is the man we call Moses.

Moses parents made a wise decision and Moses was spared death as an infant. Let's look at some of his decisions.

I. MOSES CHOSE GOD OVER POSITION [V. 24]

Henry Clay was once offered a deal that would guarantee him the presidency. Knowing it to be morally wrong Clay replied, "Gentlemen, I'd rather be right than president." He never was presient but we remember him more than many presidents because of his character.

II. MOSES CHOSE GOD OVER PLEASURE [V. 25]

David made the wrong choice in this area and he is remembered still for this sin. Many lives have been ruined because of the pursuit of pleasure. How many of our young people have been snuffed out in the prime of life in seeking some high from drugs or alcohol? The adults who allow it or set the bad example are also making the wrong choice.

III. MOSES CHOSE GOD OVER RICHES [V. 26]

Jesus said, "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." [Mt. 6:24]

IV. MOSES CHOSE GOD OVER GOVERNMENT [V. 27]

FAITH=Forsaking All I Trust Him [I COR. 2:14, II COR. 4:4, HB. 11:6]

V. MOSES CHOSE GOD OVER UNBELIEF [V. 28]

VI. MOSES CHOSE GOD OVER SURRENDER [V. 29]

Choosing God is always the right choice. Choosing God's way is always the right choice. Choosing God's Word is always the right choice. So, MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE!

THE MISTAKES OF FOOLS

PROVERBS 1:22-23

I. THEIR MISTAKES ARE MANIFEST

1. They Disregard God [v. 24]

2. They Devalue God [v. 25]

3. They Despise God [v. 29-30, Heb. 10:28-29]

II. THEIR OUTCOME IS ODIOUS

1. God will be antagonistic toward them [v. 26]

2. God will be apathetic toward them [v. 27-28]

3. God will be appropriate toward them [v. 31-32]

III. THE SOLUTION IS SIMPLE

1. Fear the Lord [v. 7]

2. Turn to the Lord [v. 23]

3. Hearken to the Lord [v. 33]

Q: Do creationists believe flying dragons were mythical?

A: The pictures of flying dragons we see in movies and books may be a bit fanciful. But they are probably based on memories from people who did see such flying creatures, perhaps pterodactyls.

In the 5th century BC, Herodotus, the famous Greek historian, wrote about the “winged serpents” of Arabia. Their descriptions fit what we know about pterodactyls. Similar reports of such creatures come from Ethiopia and India. And there are people living today in the jungles of Southern Africa who say they’ve seen flying reptiles—though they call them “kongamato.” Even the Bible, in the book of Isaiah, talks about flying serpents that lived with people.

Evolutionists insist that the flying reptiles became extinct with the dinosaurs millions of years ago. But the Bible and ancient records give evidence that such creatures lived with people not so long ago.

Furthermore, it shouldn’t surprise those who believe in the book of Genesis if such a flying reptile was still living today. After all, the Bible says that God created all the land animals on the sixth day of creation.


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Does that mean, then, that dinosaurs were also made on the sixth day—the same day that Adam was created? For some intriguing evidence that humans and dinosaurs have lived together, read Dinosaurs and the Bible at www.answersingenesis.org

This information was provided by Answers In Genesis, an excellent source of material relating to Creation and evolution. Please visit their website using the link in the upper left.

GOD, DANNY ROLLING, AND CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

On the editorial page of yesterday's Gainesville Sun was a letter from a woman we'll call Ms. Smith. Ms. Smith begins by telling us what most of us already know.

"Danny Rolling will be killed on Oct. 25, finally receiving the ultimate legal payment for his heinous crimes. There's no doubt that he is guilty or that he deserves the maximum punishment the state can impose, even after his abusive childhood and personality disorder are taken into account."

Okay, she admits his guilt and that he deserves the maximum punishment (I prefer the word "penalty") for his crimes. The state of Florida recognizes the maximum penalty as death. This should be the end of the story. Unfortunately, it is not.

Ms. Smith continues, "There is also no doubt that the victims' families, the residents of Gainesville, and indeed the world, deserve closure and some sense of relief." So far, so good. But then she says, "Unfortunately, ending Rolling's existence will not comfort the families' grief or mollify their rage; only God and their own inner resources working through time can accomplish that."

It actually might comfort them to know the man that killed their loved one(s) will not kill again. It might even mollify their rage by the same reasoning. It is true that ultimately their only hope lies in God, so does God have anything to say about the death penalty, i.e., about capital punishment?

I. GOD DOESN'T JUST APPROVE OF THE DEATH PENALTY- HE INSTITUTED CAPITAL PUNISHMENT!

1. God instituted it along with human government before the law [Gn. 9:1-6]

2. God insisted upon it during the law albeit with certain provisions [Ex. 21:12-14, Nm. 35:30, Dt. 17:6]

3. God reiterated it after the law by the Apostle Paul [Rm. 13:1-10]

Ms. Smith voices her opinion further. "Danny Rolling's death will not relieve Gainesville or the world of his horrific brand of violence. Potential torturers and killers are not deterred by the execution of others. Rolling, of course, will not be committing murder again, but that would be the case if he were spending life in prison without parole."

II. CAPITAL PUNISHMENT ADDRESSES ISSUES OTHER MEANS DO NOT

1. As a determination-the murdered will never murder again. Life without parole doesn't guarantee this (pardon, escape, in prison)

2. As a deterrant-when done speedily it does work [Eccl. 8:11]

3. As something deserved-Num. 35:3

Ms. Smith finishes her letter with her opinion as opposed to God's unalterable Word:
"Killing Danny Rolling can't satisfy our need for vengeance, because death is a woefully inadequate punishment for his crimes. It only shows the civilized world that our system of justice is unable to respond to violence without more violence.
The justice to be executed this month confirms and sanctions a violent society. Please join me outside the prison on Oct. 25 to protest the death penalty."

III. LESSONS LEARNED FROM CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

1. There is a penalty for doing wrong [Rm. 6:23]

2. There is an authority to whom we must answer [Rm. 3:4, Rev. 20:11-15]

3. There is a solution [Rev. 20:15, Rm. 6:23, 10:9ff]

PICTURES OF THE WEEK

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

The world is not always ready to receive talent with open arms. Very often it does not know what to do with genius. - Oliver Wendell Holmes

You can bear witness or you can bear a grudge but you cannot do both at the same time. Not well. - Evangelist Wil Rice

Your ministry is not YOUR ministry. - Wil Rice

It's not what you have done. It's what you become. - Pastor David Pittman

Be sure that they see Jesus in you today. - Randy Lamb

WHAT DOES THE BILL RICE RANCH DO TO PEOPLE?

Why would 7 men travel 10 hours one way to spend approximately 36 hours at the Bill Rice Ranch outside of Murfreesboro, Tn.? Why would they sit through 8 services during that time and then travel 10 hours back to Florida? Why? Because of what the Bill Rice Ranch does to people. Besides the great activites and the great food the Bill Rice Ranch:

I. THEY EVANGELIZE THE SINNER [RM. 1:13]

1. They are unbiased [v. 14]

2. They are unpretentious [v. 15]

3. They are unashamed [v. 16]

II. THEY EDIFY THE SAINT [EPH. 4:7-10]

1. Note the who [v. 11]

2. Note the work [v. 12]

3. Note the why [v. 13-16]

III. THEY EMPHASIZE THE WORD OF GOD [TITUS 1]

1. They promote Scripturality over style [v. 9a]

2. They promote sound doctrine over sensationalism [v. 9b-2:6]

3. They practice what they preach [2:7-8]

RIGHT & WRONG

MT. 26:6-13, MK. 14:3-9, JOHN 12:1-8

It was in the spring of 30 AD, the week before Jesus would go to the cross to bear the sins of the world, to give His life on Calvary's tree, and to rise from the dead three days later. Here we find Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha, illustrating our first point...

I. DOING RIGHT [JOHN 12:1-3]

1. Mary knew what Jesus had done [v. 1]

2. Mary knew what Martha was doing [v. 2, note: the events of Lk. 10:38 etc. had occurred in the fall of the previous year, i.e. 29 AD]

3. Mary knew what another had done [v. 3, note: the events of Lk. 7:36-50 had happened in 28 AD, some 2 years earlier)

You might think that this display of love would elicit praise from others in the immediate area. But instead we find our people illustrating our second point...

II. DOING WRONG [JOHN 12:4-6]

1. The self-serving sinner will criticize [v. 4-6]

2. The careless Christian will conform [Mt. 26:8, Rm. 12:2]

3. The carnal Christian will conflict with God [Mk. 14:4, Rm. 5:8-13]

One of the reasons we study God's Word is to get to know Him better, and in knowing Him better we can look at what's going on, see right and wrong, and that brings us to our third and final point...

III. KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BY KNOWING THE SAVIOUR

1. The Rebuke [Mk. 14:6]

2. The Reminder [Mk. 14:7]

3. The Reward [Mk. 14:8-9, Mt. 25:21]

Q: What do creationists mean when they say dinosaurs were re-discovered?

A: Most people have the idea that we discovered dinosaurs when scientists found and examined their bones back in the 1800s. But when you think about it, this idea is really based on the evolutionary belief that dinosaurs never lived with people.

According to the Bible, all land animals—including dinosaurs—were made on Day 6 of Creation Week. So they actually lived alongside Adam and Eve. Therefore, when some scientists say that we first discovered dinosaurs in the 1800s, we say that, from a biblical perspective, they actually rediscovered them.

Furthermore, the many “dragon” legends from cultures around the world are most likely stories about the creatures we now call dinosaurs. Dragons are actually referred to a number of times in the Old Testament. (The word “dinosaur” wasn’t coined until 1841.)

When someone asks you, “When were dinosaurs discovered?” you can start from Genesis and reply, “They were first discovered about 6,000 years ago, when Adam saw the first dinosaurs!”

This information was provided by Answers In Genesis, an excellent source of material relating to Creation and evolution. Please visit their website using the link in the upper left.

20-20 VISION

ACTS 20-18-24

Paul saw very early in his Christian life what a Christian needs to be and what a Christian needs to do. Let us open our eyes and hearts to what the Lord would have us to do.

In order to have Acts 20:20 Vision we need to:

I. HIT THE GROUND RUNNING! [V. 18]

Suppose, like me, when you first got saved you didn't know you were supposed to do anything. You just kept on like you had been until you learned better. Well, it may be a cliche, but it's still true- today is the first day of the rest of your life!

II. SERVE THE LORD HUMBLY [V. 19, Col. 3:23, James 4:10, I Peter 5:5-6]

III. SHARE THE WORD PROFITABLY [V. 20, II Tm. 3:16-4:5]

IV. GIVE THE GOSPEL IMPARTIALLY [V. 21]

V. SUBMIT TO THE SPIRIT WHOLLY [V. 22-23]

VI. FINISH THE COURSE JOYFULLY [V.24, Rom. 15:32, Phil. 2:17, I Pet. 4:13]

chalk drawings from Julian Beever.

Julian Beever is an English artist who's famous for his art on the pavement of England, France, Germany, USA, Australia and Belgium . Beever gives to his drawings an amazing 3D illusion.

W.W.W. ON REAL WORSHIP

Warren W. Wiersbe on Real Worship

“I have learned that preaching is an act of worship and that my message must be a sacrifice placed on the altar to the glory of God.”

Warren Wiersbe, Real Worship (Nashville: Oliver-Nelson, 1986),

p. 18

“When you consider all of the words used for worship in both the Old and New Testaments, and when you put the meanings together, you find that worship involves both attitudes (awe, reverence, respect) and actions (bowing, praising, serving). It is both a subjective experience and an objective activity. Worship is not an unexpressed feeling, nor is it an empty formality. True worship is balanced and involves the mind, the emotions, and the will. It must be intelligent; it must reach deep within and be motivated by love; and it must lead to obedient actions that glorify God.”

Ibid., p. 21

“We do not worship God for what we get out of it, but because He is worthy. ‘Whoever seeks God as a means toward desired ends will not find God,’ wrote A. W. Tozer. ‘God will not be used.’ If you worship because it pays, it won’t pay. Of course, this runs contrary to much of the popular preaching and teaching today that promises health, wealth, contentment, and a problem-free life to all who will ‘turn themselves over to God.’ Those who proclaim this pernicious doctrine would be brokenhearted if their own children loved them only for what they could get out of them.”

Ibid., p. 22.

“True worship is not cheap entertainment.”

Ibid., p. 23

“Worship is the believer’s response of all that he is--mind, emotions, will, and body--to all that God is and says and does. This response has its mystical side in subjective experience, and its practical side in objective obedience to God’s revealed truth. It is a loving response that is balanced by the fear of the Lord, and it is a deepening response as the believer comes to know God better.”

Ibid., p. 27


This information was from AS I SEE IT.

[“As I See It” is a monthly electronic magazine compiled and edited by Doug Kutilek. Its purpose is to address important issues of the day and to draw attention to worthwhile Christian and other literature in order to aid believers in Jesus Christ, especially pastors, missionaries and Bible college and seminary students to more effectively study and teach the Word of God. The editor’s perspective is that of an independent Baptist of fundamentalist theological persuasion.

AISI is sent free to all who request it by writing to the editor at: DKUTILEK@juno.com. You can be removed from the mailing list at the same address. Back issues sent on request. All back issues may be accessed at http://www.KJVOnly.org]

THE 7 YEAR EVENT

There is coming a 7 year period unlike any other in history. It has been called Daniel's 70th week, the coming Holocaust, and more commonly, the Tribulation. It is as sure as yesterday's news and yet many people know little about it. We know it will start after the next big event on God's prophetic calendar, the rapture of the church, but we don't know when that will be. Once it starts the history of the world is written out in gross detail. This message will touch on a few key individuals and events of that time. Let's look then, at the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!

I. THE BAD

1. The Beast (II Th. 2:1-12)

2. The Boss (II Th. 2:9, Rev. 13:1-10)

3. The Booster (Rev. 13:11-18)

II. THE GOOD

1. The 2 (Rev. 11:3-12) [Moses, Elijah, Enoch? Mt. 17:1-3, Gn. 5:24, II K. 2:11]

2. The 144,000 (Rev. 14:1-5, 7:1-8) [Imagine 144,000 apostle Pauls]

3. The Multitude (Rev. 7:9-17)

III. THE UGLY

1. The Desecration (Dan. 9:26-27, 12:11; Mk. 13:14)

2. The Destruction (Rev. 11:13, 12:13-17)

3. The Destination (Rev. 19:19-21, 20:10-15)

Q: Can public schools remain religiously neutral by “deleting” Jesus?

A: Not at all! Take this example from a school near Answers in Genesis.

The Christmas program at this school was to be a religious musical titled “Calling All Angels.” The program included Mary, Joseph, the voice of God and numerous angels preparing for the birth of Jesus.

The daughter of a prominent secular humanist wrote a letter to the music teacher that stated, “I do not think it’s fair at all to put on a religious holiday play. Not everyone is a Christian and believes that the Christmas story is true. I think that it’s wrong to promote that one religion is true, when many people do not agree.”

This student had been trained by her humanist parents to protest any religion except her parents’—humanism. As a result, the musical was replaced by a secular program that glorified winter instead of Jesus.

The point is, removing references to Christianity didn’t make the program neutral; instead, Christianity was replaced by the religion of humanism! Christians must realize that humanists are imposing their man-centered religion on our society and deleting the true answers from God’s Word.


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The Christmas season generates a multitude of questions from people who are confused and want to know whether they may wish someone “Merry Christmas,” or whether their town may include religious decorations to celebrate the season. For answers to these questions and more, please see Christ, Christmas, and the U.S. Constitution.


This information was provided by Answers In Genesis, an excellent source of material relating to Creation and evolution. Please visit their website using the link in the upper left.

Picture(s) of the week

A Lesson Too Often Unlearned

From the Word of the Living God-

Luke 6:40-49

The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.

For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:

He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.

But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

From the old sayings category:

"Oh my goodness. I've got three words for you. Pot... kettle... black. " -Mr. Chapel

3 PROVISIONS OF THE PERFECT GOD

a message by Rick Jackson

I. GOD'S WORK IS PERFECT (DT. 32:1-4)

1. The action of salvation (Heb. 10:1-14)

2. The associates of salvation (Rm. 8:31-32, James 1:17)

3. The assurance of salvation (I Jn. 2:5, 4:12, 4:17-18)

II. GOD'S WAY IS PERFECT (II SAMUEL 22:31, PSALM 18:30)

1. Look at the prospect (Mt. 5:48, Jn. 17:17-24)

2. Look at the process (Ps. 138:8, Eph. 4:12-13, Ph. 3:12, I Pt. 5:10, Ja. 1:4)

3. Look at the Person (Heb. 2:10, 5:9, 9:11, 13:21)

III. GOD'S WORD IS PERFECT (PSALM 19:7)

1. To grow by (II Tm. 3:16-17, Heb. 6:1, I Pt. 2:2)

2. To live by (James 1:25)

3. To keep (I Jn. 2:5)

Top Ten Peeves that Dogs Have About Humans...

Adapted from an email someone sent me.

1. Blaming your gas on me... not funny... not funny at all !!!

2. Yelling at me for barking.. I'M A DOG, YOU IDIOT!

3. Taking me for a walk, then not letting me check stuff out. Exactly whose walk is this anyway?

4. Any trick that involves balancing food on my nose... stop it!

5. Any haircut that involves bows or ribbons. Now you know why we chew your stuff up when you're not home.

6. The sleight of hand, fake fetch throw. You fooled a dog! WooHoo! what a proud moment for the top of the food chain.

7. Taking me to the vet for "the big snip", then acting surprised when I freak out every time we go back!

8. Getting upset when I sniff guests. Sorry, but I haven't quite mastered that handshake thing yet.

9. Dog sweaters. Hello, Haven't you noticed the fur?

10. When you are acting all high and mighty when we get on the furniture. We both know who the boss is here! You don't see me picking up your poop.

EL SHADDAI

Last week we said, Elohim is derived from two root words 1. "El" meaning unlimited energy, might, power , strength (Gn. 1:1) It celebrates the divine attribute known as Omnipotence. (Heb. 1:3, Ps. 19:1) ...There are 3 secondary names compounded with "El" the root of "Elohim" meaning "God". El Shaddai, El Elyon, and El Olam. Now we look at the first of these three names:
El Shaddai

God's names in Scripture reveal His nature. "El Shaddai" is used 48 times in the Bible. 31 of which are found in Job alone! El is the abbreviated form of Elohim and has we have previously pointed out speaks of God's Omnipotence. The root word for "Shaddai" is "shad" which is almost invariably used in reference to a mother's breast through which she transmits all that her baby needs to live, grow and be healthy. The effect of a mother's milk on a baby is nothing short of amazing. It can quiet and comfort as it nourishes the little one. "El Shaddai" is a tender term that is used exclusively in reference to God and His children.

This lesson is only intended to whet your appettite. For further study let me recommend Lehman Strauss's book, "The First Person".

Let us look in Genesis 17 for:

I. THE FIRST TIME

1. God's promise to Abram (Gn. 17:1-8, 15-19)

2. God's persuasion of Abraham (Rm. 4:13-25, 10:17)

3. God's power in Abraham & Sarah (Heb. 11:11-19)

II. THE FAMILY TRADITION

1. Isaac used the name with Jacob (Gn. 28:1-4)

2. God used the name with Jacob/Israel (Gn. 31:42, 32:24-30, 35:9-18)

3. Jacob used the name with his sons & grandsons (Gn. 43:11-14, 48:1-4, 49:22-26)

III. THE FRUITFUL TEACHING (Ps. 91:1)

When we meet His conditions:

1. God will supply our needs (Mt. 6:33, Phil 4:19)

2. God will increase our faith (Lk. 17:5, II Cor. 10:12-17)

3. God will use us (Jn 15:1-8)

This week on www.AnswersInGenesis.org

Q: What do millipedes and cyanide have to do with evolution?
A: One would think that cyanide-producing millipedes would be killed by their own poison. But surprisingly, they aren’t!
Located within the sides of each segment of this type of millipede are small chambers that produce a deadly cyanide liquid. The poison is activated when the millipede is threatened, and forms little droplets along the millipede’s side.
The cyanide is strong enough to make most predators seriously ill if they touch the millipede. And it’s strong enough to kill many small predators if they eat it. Since the cyanide gives off a peculiar odor, most animals will just avoid the millipede altogether.
The millipede has a special kind of mitochondria that helps prevent it from poisoning itself. But if evolution were true, then how many millipedes poisoned themselves before they developed the mitochondria that protect them? The system that produces the cyanide is extremely complex and would have had to evolve at the same time, otherwise none of it would have worked.
This type of millipede had to be specially designed to do what it does, and what it does do, it does do well.
We should always remember that merely rejecting evolution in favor of a generic notion of intelligent design does not go far enough. Our purpose as a ministry is not just to convince people that there is a Creator, but that He is far more than that—that the Creator is Christ, and that He is the only way to be saved. Please see It’s intelligent, but is that good enough?

Quote of the week
“Insect resistance to a pesticide was first reported in 1947 for the Housefly (Musca domestica) with respect to DDT. Since then resistance to one or more pesticides has been reported in at least 225 species of insects and other arthropods. The genetic variants required for resistance to the most diverse kinds of pesticides were apparently present in every one of the populations exposed to these man-made compounds.”
– Francisco J. Ayala. “The Mechanisms of Evolution,” Scientific American, Sept. 1978, p. 65.

This information was provided by Answers In Genesis, an excellent source of material relating to Creation and evolution. Please visit their website using the link in the upper left.

They have their reward

Years ago a man we'll call "Anthony" had gotten saved and thoroughly right with the Lord. While in this condition the Lord laid upon his heart to make right a situation that was wrong that he had had a part in back when he was lost (not legally wrong but certainly morally and ethically questionable). He did so. He even made a profit on doing the right thing though he stood to not gain as much as he could in the future had he not done what he said the Lord led him to do. During the next quarter of a century or so as Anthony backslid at times he would rub his previous actions in the face of those who benefited from his doing what he said the Lord led him to do. He alternately bragged and whined about how magnanimous he had been all the while still making a very good living off his continued part in the situation. He bragged about how generous he had been (how he gave, in reality he sold, so much. He whined about how much more he could have made had he not done what he said the Lord led him to do. No doubt, from his own testimony, Anthony did what God wanted him to do. No doubt, from his own actions, Anthony didn't keep the spirit of what he had been led to do. May we not only do what God leads us to do but let us do so in the spirit He would have us show.

Matthew 6
1Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
2Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
3But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
4That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
5And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

CONSIDER THE LORD

Deuteronomy 4:39-40, 8:5-6, 1 Samuel 12:23-24

I. CONSIDER GOD'S PERFECT TIMING

1. It prepares us (Ps. 37:23, message prepared me for cultists that came by later)

2. It protects us (I Sam. 23:24-29)

3. It prefers us (Gal. 4:4ff, Eph. 1:6-10ff.)

II. CONSIDER GOD'S PROVEN TRUTH

1. It builds us (Acts 20:32, Jude 17-20)

2. It blesses us (Matthew 13:10-17)

3. It binds us (Ps. 147:2-5, 15-20, Is. 61:1)

III. CONSIDER GOD'S PROPHETIC TRIUMPH

1. It emboldens us (Heb. 13:6)

2. It involves us (Titus 2:11-15)

3. It includes us (Rm. 8:31-39)

Background

This is me in our truck at the end of our driveway. In the background is the house where I grew up. Up until 9-13-2005 my mother lived there. On that day she moved to Hallelujah Blvd. Now my niece and her family live there.

Quotes of the week

Ronald Reagan's Wisdom

"Here’s my strategy on the Cold War: We win, they lose."

"The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I’m here to help."

"Of the four wars in my lifetime none came about because the U.S. was too strong."

"I have wondered at times about what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress."

"The taxpayer: That’s someone who works for the federal government but doesn’t take the civil service exam."

"Government is like a baby: An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other."

"If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under."

"I’ve laid down the law, though, to everyone from now on about anything that happens: no matter what time it is, wake me, even if it’s in the middle of a Cabinet meeting."

"It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first. Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it."

"Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book."

"No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women."

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

JOSHUA 7

There are 3 primary names for God in the Old Testament. Usually when you read "G-o-d" in the O.T. it is "Elohim", "L-o-r-d" is "Adonai" and "LORD" and/or "GOD" is "Jehovah" or more correctly, "Yahweh."

There are 3 secondary names compounded with "El" the root of "Elohim" meaning "God". El Shaddai, El Elyon, and El Olam.

There are also 9 names compounded with Yahweh. Which, Lord willing, we will discuss as a later time. But is is from the 3 basic names for God that we get the other names for God. All 3 of these names are given to us in JOSHUA 7.

7 And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord (Adonai) GOD (Yahweh), wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to GOD we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!
13 Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD (Yahweh) God(Elohim) of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.

I. ELOHIM

Translated "God" in the KJV it appears at least 2500 times in the O.T., 32 times in Genesis 1. Elohim is derived from two root words

1. "El" meaning unlimited energy, might, power , strength (Gn. 1:1) It celebrates the divine attribute known as Omnipotence. (Heb. 1:3, Ps. 19:1)

2. "Alah" meaning "to swear". It celebrates the divine attribute of truth and activity of giving His Word. The covenant making and keeping God. (Num. 23:19, Heb. 6:17-18, Jn. 14:6, 17:17)

3. "Elohim" is a plural noun. (Gn. 1:26, 3:22, 11:7) This fits in perfectly with the doctrine of the Trinity expounded in the O.T. and N.T. alike (Ps. 2, Mt. 28:19, II Cor. 13:14)

II. YAHWEH (JEHOVAH)

Translated "LORD" about 6000 times and "GOD" about 300 times and thus is used more than any other name. The actual pronunciation was lost due to the Jews interpretation of Lev. 24:16
"And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the Lord, shall be put to death."

1. Derivation- It is derived from the Hebrew word "havah" meaning "to be" or "being" speaking of existence or rather, self-existence. Thus Yahweh is the eternal, self-existent One without beginning or end. (Heb. 13:8, Rev. 4:8)

2. Revelation- This is how He revealed Himself to Moses in Ex. 3:14, tied it with "Elohim" in 3:15 and with Jesus as revealed to the Jews in John 8:58.

3. Explanation- Ex. 6:2-3 doesn't say that they had never heard the name "Yahweh" before that time but it had not been explained to them fully until then. No use for JEDP (of documentary hypothesis infamy)

III. ADONAI

Translated "Lord" it occurs about 300 times in the O.T.

1. Plurality- Like Elohim it is plural attesting to the Trinity

2. Duality- it can be used of men(singular=adon) or God (differentiated in the KJV by the capital "L" when referring to God) and refers to one (or One) who exercises authority (Gn. 15:1-2)(Gn. 24:34-35 master=adon)

3. Morality- term or relationship in marriage, wife to husband, headship (Gn. 3:16, I Tm. 2:14, Ez. 16:8ff, 59-63, Eph. 5) We are to be faithful to Him as a wife is to be to a husband, the Lord, unlike men, is always faithful)I Jn. 1:9

THE NEXT GREAT EVENT--- THE RAPTURE

I CORINTHIANS 15:50-58

the Rapture...

I. WILL CAUSE IMMEDIATE CONFUSION

1. Accidents (consider drivers, pilots, engineers, etc. -instantly missing)

2. Activity (consider policemen, firemen, EMTs, etc. -instantly missing)

3. Anxiety (consider the above) Is. 26:3 (none of these left)

II. WILL CAUSE INTERNATIONAL CONSEQUENCES

1. USA will likely lose prominence (President, much of the military, many leaders gone, those left are likely to be anti-God, anti-Israel)

2. Israel will face many problems (Ez. 38-39)

3. Anti-christ will rise to power (Rev. 13:1-8)

III. WILL CONTINUE INSPIRATIONAL CERTAINTY

1. God's children are secure (I Th. 4:13-18, Titus 2:13)

2. God's control is sure (Ps. 2:1-9)

3. God's cure is the Saviour (Ps. 2:10-12)

Answers in Genesis Q: Are humans just animals?

A: People who accept evolution are more inclined to believe that there’s not much difference between cats and children. After all, they believe we’re all just animals. Sadly, this has had an enormous influence on the way people view abortion.
If evolution is true—and if man is just an animal—then what is in a mother’s womb is just another animal. If you are willing to get rid of spare cats, why not get rid of unwanted kids in the same way?
What’s so sad—and inconsistent—in our culture today is that people will spend a lot of time and money trying to find a home for a cat, or they’ll protest against animal research and demand animal rights, but many of these same people think nothing of having an abortion to get rid of an unwanted child!
Evolutionary indoctrination has led people to abandon the absolutes of God’s Word. Since our Western society has largely turned from the truths of Scripture, we have lost an absolute morality. Instead, all becomes relative, and society forgets that man is made in the image of God. The solution is returning to the absolute authority of the Word of God.
While all life is valuable (within the proper perspective of stewardship), a human is made in the image of God and worthy of even greater respect and protection. To read more on this topic, see Get Answers: Morality and Ethics.

This information was provided by Answers In Genesis, an excellent source of material relating to Creation and evolution. Please visit their website using the link in the upper left.

Ponderisms

I didn't write these but I wish I had thought of a few of them.

I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.

Gardening Rule: When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.

The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.

There are two kinds of pedestrians: the quick and the dead.

Some people are like Slinkies. Not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you see 'em tumble down the stairs.

Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.

Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?

Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out?"

If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a song about him?

Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup?

Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he doesn't like it, but when you take him on a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?

Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?

Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

ANGRY IGNORANCE

Nobody told me this was Rick Jackson's week to be yelled at by angry ignorance. If they had I might have stayed home.

Scenario #1- I was going to a local bank and saw a pull-in parking spot open to the left of a Grand Marquis. As I started to pull in the driver of the car started to back out... at an angle! I had to honk or he would have backed right into me. Fortunately he stopped in time. Then he turned to me angrily motioning furiously with his left fist with thumb extended for me to back out of his way. I am not sure why he was mad at me. I had the right of way and I just saved him a repair bill and a possible ticket for his carelessness. Was he ignorant of the situation or arrogant enough to think the rules of driving didn't apply to him? I don't know but if his wife figured out it was his fault I am sure he got an earful after he drove off in a huff! I am not sure what he was mouthing at me but I'm sure I was better off not hearing it!

Scenario #2- Several days later I am driving on a side street towards the light when a person comes off the main road but taking up my lane! Then the woman driver proceeds to yell at me! Fortunately her windows and mine were up so once again I can only guess at what she was saying. I chose not to guess. I did figure out her problem. Until about a month ago that road had been designated "One Way", a rather short experiment the city had ended. The fact that it had been changed back was in the local paper and all the "One Way" signs had been removed. The road was painted for two-way traffic and I was once again clearly in the right (literally this time) but had inspired the anger of the obviously ignorant. I was right, they were wrong, and yet they were mad at me. I wasn't even mad at them. Somewhat bemused and slightly annoyed but not mad.

In the grand scheme of things these two incidents don't amount to much but what of a similar scenario? What about when people get mad at God for something that is not His fault? All the trouble in the world is due to man and man's sins. Even the weather (hurricanes, etc.) is due to the sin principle working on the Creation since Adam's fall. I have known people to smoke all their lives and then get mad at God because they get cancer. Or those who drink blame God for accidents they are in due to their sin. Even when death takes a loved one they are angry at God. Death is a result of sin (Rm. 6:23) and God doesn't sin, He doesn't even tempt man to sin (James 1:13). God has paid for sin in the person of Christ and has even offered man eternal life if he would call upon the Name of the risen Lord Jesus Christ. Don't be angry in ignorance. Trust the only truly Righteous One.

JESUS ONLY

MARK 9:1-10

a message by Rick Jackson

In this passage Peter seems to put Moses and Elijah on equal footing with Jesus. In our day others want to elevate different ones (Buddha, Confucious, Moses, Joseph Smith, etc.) to an equal, or even superior, level as Jesus. Others want to pull Jesus down to a lower level but the answer of God the Father concerning Jesus is clear, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. ...And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only." Jesus only. Why Jesus only?

I. BECAUSE NO-ONE ELSE IS GOOD ENOUGH! (HEBREWS 7:26)

1. Holy & Harmless [in character and actions]

2. Undefiled [unsoiled] (Jn. 8:23)

3. Separate from sinners (Is. 59:2)

II. BECAUSE NO-ONE ELSE IS GREAT ENOUGH

1. Because of Who He Is (Col. 2:8-10)

2. Because of what He does (Phil. 3:20)

3. Because of what He can do (Phil. 3:21)

III. BECAUSE NO-ONE ELSE IS GRACIOUS ENOUGH

1. He was willing (Ga. 1:4, 2:20; Eph. 5:25; I Tm. 2:6; Ti. 2:14)

2. He is loving (Jn. 13:34, 15:13)

3. He was selfless (Phil. 2:5-8)

JESUS ONLY!

HOW’S YOUR ZEAL?

Rick Jackson

GAL 3:1-9, 4:16-18

Is there anything you are zealous about? Do you have any zeal? “Zeal” according to the dictionary is: “eager interest and enthusiasm; ardent endeavor; fervor”. According to the Bible God has zeal. One can have the right kind of zeal but one can also be zealous for the wrong things, and have a wrong kind of zeal. The Bible speaks of both.

I. THE BIBLE SPEAKS OF GOD’S ZEAL

1. God has zeal for His people (II K. 19:30-31; Is. 37:32)

2. God has zeal for His House (Ps. 69:9; Jn. 2:13-17)

3. God has zeal for His Word (Is. 9:6-7, 59:15-21)

II. THE BIBLE SPEAKS OF GOOD ZEAL

1. Zeal for the Lord and His Word (Num. 25:10-13ff; II K. 9:1-7, 10:16; Ps. 119:137-144; II Co. 7:11; Rev. 3:19)

2. Zeal for the Lord’s people (II Cor. 9:1-2; Col. 4:13)

3. Zeal for the Lord’s will [good works] (Titus 2:14)

III. THE BIBLE SPEAKS OF A MISGUIDED ZEAL

1. Doing wrong in patriotic fervor (II Sam. 21:1-2, Japanese internment camps)

2. Doing wrong in religious fervor (Phil. 3:6-9)

3. Doing wrong in religious ignorance (Rm. 10:1-2; I C0. 14:12; Ga. 1:11-14, 4:16-18)

WHAT KIND OF ZEAL DO YOU HAVE?

Picture of the week

PRESSING MATTERS

Philippians Chapter 3:4-11

Rick Jackson

Everyday we have things we want to do but sometimes these things are crowded out by pressing matters. Things we must do. Sometimes there are not enough hours in the day and we must choose the most pressing matters. I had a wedding to perform yesterday that took most of the last three days. The wedding itself took less than an hour but the preparation time was quite a different matter. I begged off from the rehearsal dinner and the reception meal because I had "pressing matters" to take care of. Jesus told the story of a rich man who thought he had the pressing matters taken care of but actually he had OTHER MORE pressing matters that he had not considered, Luke 12:20, "But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?"

Even if we have settled the matter of salvation there may be pressing matters before us that we are not giving enough of our attention. Paul helps up put some of these in perspective in the third chapter of Philippians.

I. There is the matter of Positive Dissatisfaction (3:12-13a)

"Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:"

II. There is the matter of Prime Devotion (3:13a, Mt. 6:33)

"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do..."

III. There is the matter of Pointed Direction (3:13b)

"...but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before..."

IV. There is the matter of Personal Determination (3:14, James 4:17)

"I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

V. Finally, there is the matter of Perpetual Discipline (3:15-21)

"Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

16-Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.

17-Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

18-For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:

19-Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.

20-For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

21-Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

CAN WE HAVE REVIVAL?

II CHRONICLES 15

Rick Jackson

CAN WE HAVE REVIVAL?

"Sure we can Brother Rick, just call an evangelist and set up a meeting." Really a meeting is not a revival. You hope the meeting produces a revival but of course that's not always the case. You can have meetings without revival but you can also have revival without meetings. What does an evangelist do then? He preaches the Word of God hoping to get sinners saved and saints right with God. When God's people get right with God usually sinners will be saved and more saints get right with God and more sinners get saved and soon you have revival! A bringing back to life! The saints begin to show spiritual life, the lost gain spiritual life, the church shows life and we have revival. Can it happen? Yes, that's actually what God wants to be the norm for His people. Let's look at a revival in the Bible and see what happened.

They started with a...

I. GREAT PROMISE (v. 1-2, 7:14, 14:4, Mt. 10:33, James 4:6-10)

They had...

II. GREAT POTENTIAL (v. 3-6, 16:9, Eph. 6:10)

They had...

III. GREAT PROVISION (v. 7, Joshua 1:6-9, Mk. 9:41, I Co. 15:58)

They had a...

IV. GREAT PATTERN (V.8-13)

1. Cleanse the life (v. 8a)

2. Call upon the Lord (v. 8b)

3. Covenant together (v. 9-15)

My friends we have the same things! We can have revival! The question is will we pay the cost?

This week on www.AnswersInGenesis.org

Q: Doesn’t granite take millions of years to form?

A: According to evolutionary geologists, granite is made of a number of compounds that were mixed together under extreme heat. Supposedly they rose slowly to the earth’s crust, and then cooled over thousands of years to form the granites we see today.
However, evolutionary geologists have discovered something. Some of the crystals found in granites near the earth’s surface will not withstand temperatures over 800° Celsius for more than 50 years without being destroyed. This is a big problem for these scientists and their previous theories about the origin of granite.
The idea that blobs of molten rock rose slowly through the crust and cooled for eons of time is now in question. Evolutionary geologists are now changing their ideas and are starting to look to more catastrophic events to explain the origin of rocks, like granites.
If we really want to know how the first rocks were formed, we can find our answers in Genesis—God commanded the dry land to appear, which makes sense of the evidence scientists are now discovering!

This information was provided by Answers In Genesis, an excellent source of material relating to Creation and evolution. Please visit their website using the link in the upper left.

KARLO AND THOSE DEVIOUS DINOSAURS

They'rrrreeee Baaaaack! Those devious dinosaurs. We have two on our property. I really didn't realize it until about a year ago. Karlo pointed them out to me. Karlo Vuckovic escaped from Croatia back when that's the only way you could get out. He got a bullet in the leg for his efforts. The Lord expedited his travel to the United States though at the time Karlo didn't know it... or Him. Later, here in the States. Karlo learned that Jesus, God in the flesh, had died for Him, taking his place and paying his sin debt (and ours too) and then that He rose from the dead three days later proving He was who He said He was (God) and that He did what He came to do (make the payment for our sins). Karlo put his faith in the risen Christ, the Jewish Messiah, the Creator of the world and became a new creature. But God wasn't finished with Karlo. Like all of us who know Him, the Holy Spirit wanted Karlo to be a witness and so Karlo became a witness. Being multilingual (he speaks, at the very least, Croation, Serbian, German, English, French, Italian and as Karlo puts it "Rooskie") Karlo has been able to witness to quite a few nationalities over the years.

Is he a missionary? Yes and no! He's a house painter (and jack of all trades) but he also is a missionary (as all Christians should be). He doesn't raise support, nor is he under a board, so technically he is not a missionary in the conventional sense but this has allowed him access to where missionaries (God bless them) cannot always go.So Karlo was painting our house at the end of last year (and trimming trees, putting in windows, put down a new floor, fixed a dent in my truck, etc.) when he said, "Where are dinosaurs?"
"Dinosaurs?"
"Yes, dinosaurs. Very tricky."
I finally realized he meant our dogs. I told him while big (95 and 65 pounds) they weren't that big. That the dog I used to have, Greystoke, was 150 pounds but people called him a horse, not a dinosaur. Karlo was undeterred. From then on, every day it was the same question or a variation thereof, "Where dinosaurs?"

It wasn't until I watched Jurassic Park again (very entertaining but hardly scientific-see AIG link for more details) that I realized what he meant. Raptors! Not that big (as compared to T-Rex or others) but very canny, very devious. Very much my dogs. One will distract you while the other... well, you get the picture. Karlo did and was able to work for weeks (months?) without a bite. Wise man. Devious dinosaurs. Beware!

Raptors? Bessie and Jada waiting fro Karlo to take out the windows and door for easier access. Karlo still escaped without injury and the finished result shown below in pictures taken by Beka.

FOR "OUR BOYS"

It could have been any night of the week, as I sat in one of those loud and casual steak houses that are cropping up all over the country. You know the type- a bucket of peanuts on the table, shells littering the floor, and a bunch of perky college kids racing around with longneck beers and sizzling platters.
Taking a sip of my iced tea, I studied the crowd over the rim of my glass. I let my gaze linger on a few of the tables next to me, where several uniformed military members were enjoying their meals. Smiling sadly, I glanced across my booth to the empty seat where my husband usually sat. Had it had only been a few weeks since we had sat at this very table talking about his upcoming deployment to the Middle East? He made me promise to come back to this restaurant once a month, sit in our booth, and treat myself to a nice dinner. He told me that he would treasure the thought of me there eating a steak and thinking about him until he came home. I fingered the little flag pin I wear on my jacket and wondered where at that moment he was. Was he safe and warm? Was his cold any better? Were any of my letters getting to him? As I pondered all of these things, shrill feminine voices from the next booth broke into my thoughts.
"I don't know what Bush is thinking invading Iraq. Didn't he learn anything from his father's mistakes? He is an idiot anyway, I can't believe he is even in office. You know he stole the election."
I cut into my steak and tried not to listen as they began an endless tirade of running down our president. I thought about the last night I was with my husband as he prepared to deploy. He had just returned from getting his smallpox and anthrax shots and the image of him standing in our kitchen packing his gas mask still gave me chills.
Once again their voices invaded my thoughts.
"It is all about oil, you know. Our military will go in and rape and pillage and steal all the oil they can in the name of freedom. I wonder how many innocent lives our soldiers will take without a thought? It is just pure greed."
My chest tightened and I stared at my wedding ring. I could picture how handsome my husband was in his mess dress the day he slipped it on my finger. I wondered what he was wearing at that moment. He probably had on his desert uniform, affectionately dubbed coffee stains, over the top of which he wore a heavy bulletproof vest.
"We should just leave Iraq alone. I don't think they are hiding any weapons. I think it is all a ploy to increase the president's popularity and pad the budget of our military at the expense of social security and education. We are just asking for another 9-11 and I can't say when it happens again that we didn't deserve it."
Their words brought to mind the war protesters I had watched gathering outside our base. Did no one appreciate the sacrifice of brave men and women who leave their homes and family to ensure our freedom? I glimpsed at the tables around me and saw the faces of some of those courageous men, looking sad as they listened to the ladies talk.
"Well I for one, think it is a travesty to invade Iraq and I am certainly sick of our tax dollars going to train the professional baby killers we call a military."
Professional baby killers? As I thought about what a wonderful father my husband is and wondered how long it would be before he was able to see his children again, indignation rose up within me. Normally reserved, pride in my husband gave me a boldness I had never known. Tonight, one voice would cry out on behalf of the military. One shy woman would stand and let her pride in our troops be known. I made my way to their table, placed my palms flat on it and lowered myself to be eye level with them. Smiling I said, "I couldn't help overhearing your conversation. I am sitting over here trying to enjoy my dinner alone. Do you know why I am alone? Because my husband, whom I love dearly, is halfway across the world defending your right to say rotten things about him. You have the right to your opinion, and what you think is none of my business, but what you say in my hearing is and I will not sit by and listen to you run down my country, my president, my husband, and all these other fine men and women in here who put their lives on the line to give you the freedom to complain. Freedom is expensive ladies, don't let your actions cheapen it."
I must have been louder than I meant to be, because about that time the manager came over and asked if everything was all right. "Yes thank you." I replied and then turned back to the ladies, "Enjoy the rest of your meal."
To my surprise, as I sat down to finish my steak, a round of applause broke out in the restaurant. Not long after the ladies picked up their check and scurried away, the manager brought me a huge helping of apple cobbler and ice cream, compliments of the table to my left. He told me that the ladies had tried to pay for my dinner, but someone had beaten them to it. When I asked who he said the couple had already left, but that the man had mentioned he was a WWII vet and wanted to take care of the wife of one of our boys.
I turned to thank the soldiers for the cobbler, but they wouldn't hear a word of it, retorting, "Thank you, you said what we wanted to say but weren't allowed."
As I drove home that night, for the first time in while, I didn't feel quite so alone. My heart was filled with the warmth of all the patrons who had stopped by my table to tell me they too were proud of my husband and that he would be in their prayers. I knew their flags would fly a little higher the next day. Perhaps they would look for tangible ways to show their pride in our country and our troops, and maybe, just maybe, the two ladies sitting at that table next to me would pause for a minute to appreciate all the freedom this great country offers and what it costs to maintain. As for me, I had learned that one voice can make a difference. Maybe the next time protestors gather outside the gates of the base where I live, I will proudly stand across the street with a sign of my own. A sign that says "Thank you!"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lori Kimble, the writer of the article, is a frequent contributor of commentaries for the Washington Dispatch.This particular commentary was published in April of 2003.

The Root of All Evil?

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Rick Jackson

For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. I TIMOTHY 6:10

For many years I did not understand this verse. How could money be the root of all evil when there was evil before there was money? The problem of course was not with the Scripture but was with how I was viewing this particular Scripture.

I. CONSIDER THE CONTRADICTION

The Bible consistently teaches that the root causes of evil fall into three categories. The lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. Every sin you can think of is based on at least one of these. Let me give you a few examples:

1. The world [system] uses these (I Jn. 2:15-16)

2. The flesh [the old nature] uses these (II Sam. 11:1-4)

3. The Devil uses these (Gen. 3:6, Mt. 4)

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food (lust of the flesh), and that it was pleasant to the eyes (lust of the eyes), and a tree to be desired to make one wise(pride of life), she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

He tried to use these on Jesus but it didn't work!

II. CONSIDER THE CONTEXT

"A text without a context is a pretext."

1. Some men's sins (I Tm. 5:24, 6:3-4)

2. Some men's good works (I Tm. 5:25-6:2)

3. Some comparisons of contentment and greed (I Tm. 6:5-10)

III. CONSIDER THYSELF CAREFULLY (GAL. 6:1)

This should cause us to:

1. Flee (I Tm. 6:11; I Co. 6:18, 10:14; II Tm. 2:22)

2. Follow (I Tm. 6:11, Mt. 16:24, II Tm. 2:22 )

3. Fight (I Tm. 6:12; I Co. 9:26; II Tm. 4:7)

4. Be Faithful (I Tm. 6:13-21; I Co. 4:2)

JUNKBUSTERS Anti-Telemarketing Script

This is awesome! I can't wait to try it. We owe a debt of gratitude to Junkbusters for this one.

This is found at: http://www.junkbusters.com/ht/en/script.html

Telemarketers always use a script: why shouldn't you?
What to say when they call if you don't want junk calls
Every time you get a call you consider junk, just ask the questions in this script. If they answer no, you may be able to sue them. Be sure to put your phone number on the National Do-Not-Call registry by visiting http://donotcall.gov or by calling 1-888-382-1222.


1. "Are you calling to sell something?'' (or ``is this a telemarketing call?'')
2. "Could you tell me your full name please?'' $
3. "And a phone number, area code first?'' $
4. "What's the name of the organization you're calling for?'' $
5. "Does that organization keep a list of numbers it's been asked not to call?'' $
6. "I would like my number(s) put on that list. Can you take care of that now?'' $
7. "And does the company you work for also make telemarketing calls for any other organizations?'' (If they answer no, skip the next question.)
8. (If yes) "Can you make sure your company won't call me for any other organization?'' $

You may need to ask to speak with a supervisor if they sound lost. When you're ready to let them off, you might close with ``Is it clear that I never want telemarketing calls from anyone?'' and just say goodbye. If you feel like making them pay, keep going:

1. "Will your company keep my number on its do-not-call list for at least ten years?'' $
2. "And does your company have a written policy that says that on paper?'' $
3. "Can you send me a copy of it?'' $
4. "What's your supervisor's first and last name?''
5. "What's your employer's business name, address and main telephone number?''
6. "Are you calling for a tax-exempt nonprofit organization?''
7. "Is this call based on a previously established business relationship?''

Before hanging up, check you have all their answers written down, then say goodbye. Add the date and time to your record. (Is it between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.? $)

Disclaimer: nothing here should be taken as legal advice. If they answer no to any question ending in "$'' you may be able to sue them for $500-$1500 under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. But if the answer to either of the last two questions is yes, then the Act doesn't consider the call to be a solicitation, so it's not covered by many of its regulations. Also excluded are calls to business numbers. For more details, see our pages on federal laws and on how to reduce telemarketing calls and junk mail. JUNKBUSTERS DECLARE makes it easy to tell companies not to pester you.

Quotes of the week

Selected by Rick Jackson 

 "How many of you know that ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity?" -Rick Rigsby

 "Awww... find a bridge and get over it!" -Randy Lamb

 "A small sin can derail a mighty man." -Pastor Jeff Redlin 

 "Whenever you are confronted with a decision- you do make one! Even deciding to put off the decision is a decision!" -Evangelist Bill Rice III 

 I just noticed something... Evidently these quotes are brought to you courtesy of the letter "R". (See names of all those quoted)

GOD BLESS THE USA!

According to an article in The Herald of Rock Hill, South Carolina, this picture was taken September 11, 2003, the second anniversary of the Attack on America.It is a group of Baker Company Marines who were still in Iraq on that date.One of them, 1st. Lt. Andrew Shoemaker, wrote to his father, "It is in remembrance of those that gave the ultimate sacrifice on September 11, and the reason that no matter how long we are here, we will continue to push and never forget why we serve."

www.Truthorfiction.com (use this site to verify or deny all your internet rumors!)

BLESSED AND A BLESSING- 3 NATIONS

Rick Jackson

PROVERBS 14:34

In the history of the world there are three nations that really stand out as having been blessed by God and as being a blessing to others. This is not to say there aren't others but there are three that are practically indisputable in this regard. Israel, Great Britain, and the United States of America. Obviously books have been written on the subject of each individual nation but here let us just note three things about each of these three nations and why God has blessed them and made them a blessing to others.

I. THE NATION OF ISRAEL (PSALM 33:12, MAL. 3:6-12)

Israel was used of God to:

1. Give us the Bible (Rm. 3:1-2)

2. Give us the Saviour (Rev. 12)

3. Give us the Gospel (Mt. 28:18-20, Acts 9:1-6, 15-16, 20)

II. THE BRITISH EMPIRE

The British Empire was used of God to:

1. Give us the English Bible (II Tm. 3:16)

The Wycliff English Bible in 1382, the Tyndale Bible in 1525, the Coverdale in 1535, the Rogers Bible in 1537, the Great Bible in 1539, the Geneva in 1560, the Bishops in 1568, the King James Bible in 1611

2. Give us the modern missions using William Carey, God's plodder (Mark 16:15)

When he died at 73 (1834), he had seen the Scriptures translated and printed into forty languages, he had been a college professor, and had founded a college at Serampore. He had seen India open its doors to missionaries, he had seen the edict passed prohibiting sati (burning widows on the funeral pyres of their dead husbands), and he had seen converts for Christ.

On his deathbed Carey called out to a missionary friend, "Dr. Duff! You have been speaking about Dr. Carey; when I am gone, say nothing about Dr. Carey -- speak about Dr. Carey's God." That charge was symbolic of Carey, considered by many to be a "unique figure, towering above both contemporaries and successors" in the ministry of missions.

*from Profiles in Evangelism by Fred Barlow, Sword of the Lord Publishers, ©1976.

3. Give us some great influences for Christ- John & Charles Wesley, William Booth, John Bunyan, David Livingstone, Charles Spurgeon, George Mueller, John Newton, Hudson Taylor, C.T. Studd, George Whitfield to name a few (Mt. 5:13)

III. THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (I COR. 3:11)

The United States of America has been used of God to:

1. Send the Bible to all the world (Rm. 10:17-18)

2. Send missionaries to the whole earth (Rm. 10:13-15)

3. Send out some great lights for Christ- C.I. Scofield, D.L. Moody, John R. Rice, Billy Sunday, Fanny Crosby, R.A. Torrey, Henry Morris (Matthew 5:14-16)

THE UNDISPUTED, UNDEFEATED CHAMPION OF LOVE

Rick Jackson

I. UNDISPUTED

There's really no argument about it. The love of God is greater than any other love.

1. It is a gracious love- it can't be bought or earned (Rm. 5:8)

He loves the unlovable, He loves the unlovely, He loves the unloving. I Cor. teaches there are 3 kinds of people (natural , carnal, spiritual) and God loves them all. Rm. 5:8, Heb. 12:6ff, Jn. 14:21

2. It is a giving love- it can't be outgiven or outlasted (Jn. 3:16)

True Christianity conquers with love not force. Think of the reaction to The Satanic Verses by Salmon Rushdie with the reaction to The DaVinci Code.
Christians fought the falsehood but with truth not fear.

3. It is a great love- the changes it brings are incomparable (Eph. 2:3-5, I Tm. 1:14)

II. UNDEFEATED

1. No-one can separate us from it (Rm. 8:35-39)

2. No-one can supercede it (Ps. 27:9-10, Jn. 15:13)

3. No-one can surpass it (Eph. 3:18-20)

III. THE CHAMPION OF LOVE

1. He came (I Jn. 4:10)

2. He saw (Mt. 9:35-38)

3. He conquered (Jn. 19:30, Rm. 1:4, Col. 2:6-15)

Organizing & Dieting

I just realized something today. Organizing and dieting are two peas in the same pod. What? How can that be? It sounds rather incongruous doesn't it? But here's what I mean. When you start to lose weight on a diet it encourages you to keep losing weight, you get excited about it, it helps you stay on track. When you're organizing (or at least these things are true of me) and an area is looking better it encourages you to keep organizing, you get excited about it, it helps you stay on track. Success can breed success.

Okay. This is a strange blog isn't it? Hey, I never promised you a rose garden. I am just writing from my Starke reality. A shout out to Brother Greg (in the Lord) who really likes the title of my blog. Greg, if you are reading this, just remember, it doesn't get much better than a chicken teriaki sub on toasted bread at Subway with a lot of sweet onion sauce. Excelsior!

Picture of the week

This is why dogs chase cats.

The Root of Bitterness

Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

Hebrews 12:14-15 (King James Version)

Bitterness is a problem we all face. I have seen it in homes, schools, businesses, churches, relationships, etc. I have seen it towards people, government, church, leaders, followers, the military, etc. One man recently turned against the President, the armed forces, the U.S. Government and me. I think he just got in the habit of being bitter and it grew and consumed his life. He had a legitimate gripe against a few individuals in the military but let it encompass more. He overlooked some faults of himself and others, he maximized the faults of certain individuals while minimizing the blessing these people had been in the past and grew more and more bitter. Unfortunately bitterness is seldom self-contained.


I. THE RISE OF BITTERNESS

1. It is continuous (Heb. 12:15a)

2. It is contagious (Heb. 12:15b)

I have seen good people serving the Lord happily turn negative and quit serving God because they associated with bitter people. I have been tempted myself in this area and prefer to stay away from bitter people. Often this is hard because it may be a friend or relative or fellow church member who is slowly turning bitter before our eyes. Let us all beware the root of bitterness. It's trunk, branches, and fruit are not pleasant.

3. It is contemptuous (Heb. 12:16-17)

II. SOME OF THE ROOTS OF BITTERNESS

1. Dissatisfaction with God's plans (Is. 38:9-20, 39:5-8, Ez. 3:5-14)

2. Dissatisfaction with God's punishments (Lam. 1:1-5)

3. Dissatisfaction with God's person (Rm. 3:10-18, Ps. 2:1-3)

IN ALL OF THESE WE CAN SEE THAT BITTERNESS IS A HINDRANCE TO REVIVAL!

III. SOME PROPER RESPONSES TO BITTERNESS

1. Prayer (I Sam. 1:10, Heb. 12:12)

2. Put it away (Heb. 12:13, Eph. 4:29-5:1)

3. Persevere in holiness (Heb. 12:14-16, Lam. 3:8-26)

"Life is like a box of chocolates..."

The Hillbilly's Ten Commandments- posted on the wall at Cross Trails Church in Gainesboro, TN.

(1) Just one God.
(2) Honor yer Ma 'n Pa.
(3) No tellin' tales or gossipin'.
(4) Git yourself to Sunday meetin'
(5) Put nothin' before God.
(6) No foolin' around with another fellow's gal.
(7) No killin.'
(8) Watch yer mouth.
(9) Don't take what ain't yers.
10) Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's stuff.

Once again Rose has sent me a good one (above). Hope you all had a good Labor Day. For me and the missus we grilled some steak, burgers and hot dogs (a little off the diet) but we actually labored inside doing so much needed organizing. It necessitated a trip to Wal-mart to get a bookshelf (of sorts) but it all worked out. Now I just have to organize what became unorganized because we organized so much. "Life is like a box of chocolates..."

WHAT TEACHERS MAKE

My friend Rose sent me this one. I taught school for 13 years so I really liked it. Maybe you will too.

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"

He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach." To stress his point he said to another guest, "You're a teacher, Susan. Be honest. What do you make?"

Susan, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied,
"You want to know what I make?

"I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
"I make a C+ feel like the winner of the Congressional Medal of Honor.
"I make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall in absolute silence.

"You want to know what I make?!

"I make kids wonder.
"I make them question.
"I make them criticize.
"I make them apologize and mean it.
"I make them write.
"I make them read, read, read.

"I make them show all their work in Math and perfect their final drafts in English. I make them understand that if you have the brains, and follow your heart, and if someone ever tries to judge you by what you make, you must pay no attention because they just didn't learn."

Susan paused and then continued. "You want to know what I make?
'I MAKE A DIFFERENCE.' What do you make?"

"Teachers make every other profession possible!"

THE NAME OF THE LORD

GENESIS 4:25-26

Rick Jackson

In our western culture names don't always mean anything more than what sounds nice aesthetically. In the eastern cultures this is not always the case, and in the Bible we find that names were very important. Look at the number of people in the Bible who were given new names to indicate a change in their lives (Abram, Sarai, Jacob, and Saul of Tarsus just to name a few).

Over 100 times the Scripture uses the exact phrase "the name of the Lord". There is power in that name because of the person of the Name. There are perils in misusing or abusing the name of the Lord. Then again there is also great potential for those willing to call upon the name of the Lord rightly.

I. THE PERSON ASSOCIATED WITH "THE NAME OF THE LORD"

The phrase "the name of the Lord" is used:

1. By God to declare Himself as God (Ex. 33:12-20, 34:4-9, Joel 2:26-27, Zeph. 3:-12)

2. By men to worship God as God (Gn. 13:4, 16:13, 21:33; Job 1:21-22; Ps. 124:8, 148:5, 13; Pr. 18:10; Jer. 3:17, 22)

3. By God and men to identify Jesus as God (Ps. 118:21-29, Joel 2:32; Mt. 21:9, 23:29, Lk. 19:10, 38, Acts 2:21, 4:10-12, 10:48; Rm. 10:13, I Cor. 6:11)

Have you called upon the name of the Lord and received the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour?

II. THE PERILS ASSOCIATED WITH "THE NAME OF THE LORD"

It may seem strange that there could be danger or peril associated with this wonderful name but the Bible warns us carefully on this very matter. We are warned about:

1. The misuse of the Name (Ex. 20:7; Lv. 24:11, 16; Dt. 5:11; Is. 48:1)

2. The misappropriation of the Name (Dt. 18:22; Zech. 13:3)

3. The misjudging or mistrust of the Name (Jer. 11:21-23, 26:8-10, 20, 44:15-23; II Co. 11:13-15)

Just as there are perils in taking the name of the Lord lightly or wrongly there is also, for those who take the Name rightly,

III. THE POTENTIAL ASSOCIATED WITH "THE NAME OF THE LORD"

1. We can use the name in praise and thanksgiving (Ps. 7:17, 102:21, 113:1-2, 122:4, 135:1, 148:13)

2. We can represent the name as we are called to serve Him (Dt. 18:7, 21:5, 28:10, 32:2-4; I Sm. 17:45; I K. 10:1; I Ch. 21:18-20; II Ch. 33:18; Is. 50:10; Acts 9:29; Col. 3:17; James 5:10)

3. We can love the Name and call upon the Lord in prayer(I K. 18:24, 32; Ps. 116:4-5, 13, 17; Is. 56:6; James 5:14)

Picture of the week.

They crossed a horse with a Dachshund. What did they get?

A) I don't know but it seats three people

B) A Dachshorse!

C) All of the above

D) None of the above