In our last newsletter, we discussed the concept of Sheep vs. Goat.
In this issue, we will be taking a closer look at scripture to determine what it is to be a Sheep, as the sustenance of the Lord’s Flock is not oats nor grain nor ivy, but the Living Word of God.
John 21:15-17 (KJV) 15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
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John 10:27 (KJV)
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
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Colossians 1:10 (KJV)
That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
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Colossians 2:18-19 (KJV)
18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
19 And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.
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Colossians 3:1-25 (KJV)
1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
6 For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
16 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.
17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
18 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.
19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.
20 Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
21 Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.
22 Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God:
23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
25 But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.
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Colossians 4:1-6 (KJV)
1 Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.
2 Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
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5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.
6 Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
Are you following Jesus?
Evaluate your walk today
On the Path
In the Thickets
1 John 2:
10He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
1 John 2:
9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. … 11 … he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
1 John 2:
15Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. … 17 …but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
1 John 2:
15 … If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof:
1 John 2:23 … he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
1 John 2:23Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: …
1 John 3:
6Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not … 7Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.… 9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
1 John 3:
6… whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. … 8He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. … 10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
1 John 3:
11For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. … 14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. … 16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
1 John 3:
14 … He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. … 17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
By now you may be wondering as to the relevance of the article title; “Who is of Laodicea?”
The Church at Laodicea is mentioned six times in God’s Word; four times in Paul’s epistles and twice in the Revelation to John.
Here we find Paul showing concern for the Colossians and the Laodiceans, that they remain firm in their faith and not be beguiled by false teachers:
Colossians 2:1-23 (KJV) 1 For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;
2 That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;
3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
4 And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.
5 For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ. 6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
19 And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.
20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,
21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not;
22 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?
23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.
It is the message of Revelation 3 that concerns us today, for many of today’s churches are reminiscent of the Church of Laodicea as described in Revelation 3, having become complacent and goat-like, absorbed in themselves, their possessions and those material things which became their idols, losing sight of God and the purpose which had drawn them together in fellowship.
Revelation 3:14-22 (KJV) 14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I encourage you to submit yourselves to an honest self-evaluation of your walk with Jesus Christ, keeping your eyes focused squarely upon Him, and eliminating whatever obstacles may lay along your path.
In the words of John:
1 John 5:
18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.
19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
I find myself more and more troubled as I go through my daily life, encountering folks along the way who I would never guess were Christians were it not for the fact that they make such a profession.
One example is that of a young woman, the daughter of a minister, who has a manner of speech that would make a salty sailor blush, and who unashamedly declares herself to be a lesbian, yet maintains that she is a Christian.
Another example would be the folks in the break room at work, both men and women, giggling over the pornographic images which they send one another over their cell phones, several of whom I know to consider themselves Christians.
While only God knows their heart and their eternal condition, I cannot help but fear both for their salvation and the salvation of those in their lives to whom they are a source of influence.
The Holy Bible is chock full of indicators that professing salvation is not the same as being saved.
Consider the following scripture -
Matthew 25:31-46 (KJV) 31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
It is abundantly obvious what the role of a true believer is to be and the message is well paralleled in -
James 2:14-26 (KJV) 14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Lest we fall into the trap of thinking that ‘good deeds’ alone merit saving Grace, we will look to the apostle John for wisdom:
1 John 1:3-10 (KJV)
3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Let us reflect for a moment on the various elements presented thus far, concerning SHEEP status, i.e., true salvation as opposed to the false sense of security which is the condition of the GOAT.
Firstly, one must believein God, but as noted in the scriptures above, mere belief is not enough; “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”
If we were to rely solely upon the writings of James cited above, we could leap to the conclusion that belief in God + Good Deeds = Salvation. And, having done so, we would be doomed, for that is a totally false presentation of the concept of salvation and clearly demonstrates why it is so vitally important to be well-read in the Word of God, to be able to ‘rightly divide’ scripture, applying it ‘line upon line’ and ‘precept upon precept’.
While there are numerous scriptures pertaining to the necessity of belief in God and the Son, Jesus Christ, [the most widely quoted undoubtedly being John 3:16] we needlook no further than the scripture from 1 John above; “ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Let us now revise our formula to:Belief in God + Faith in Christ + Confession of Sin = Salvation.
We’re getting closer, but we are not quite there, for we have not yet covered the concept of ‘repentance’ which is, from the Greek ‘metanoia’, to reconsider, to change one’s mind. Again, we will find repentance taught throughout God’s Word, such as in Acts 20:21 where we find Paul “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.”, which neatly ties together an almost complete formula: Belief in God + Faith in Christ + Confession of Sin + Repentance = Salvation.
Praise God Almighty for His abounding Mercy and Grace!
But wait! Before we get all warm and secure in our sanctification and eternal security, beware of the hidden snare of complacency, which is what the core message of this missive is about.
Couple the very stark and clear message of Jesus’ words as related by James regarding SHEEP vs. GOATS, with John’s teaching of “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:”
It is evident to me, that folks who wallow in their former lifestyles, with no turning away, no changing of mind, leading to changing of walk, are, clearly those whowalk in darkness, and their profession of ‘I am a Christian’ is a lie. Plain and simple. Also, it is made all the more tragic as they are lying to themselves! They have a false sense of security and will meet a GOATS tragic end!
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
PRAISE THE LORD!
Thus walking in the light entails turning from sin and evidencing fruit of the spirit…
Galatians 5:22-23 (KJV) 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
…the greatest of which is clearly described in the actions of the sheep, and may be summed up in a word: Charity [Love].
1 Corinthians 13:4-13 (KJV) 4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
Let us now finalize our formula to read: Belief in God + Faith in Christ + Confession of Sin + Repentance = Salvation if evidenced by the fruit of the spirit.
In closing, I leave you with the following passage and the opening question; Sheep or Goat: Which are you?
John 10:24-30 (KJV) 24 Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me.
26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
30 I and my Father are one.
Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Ministers, Pastors, Lay Teachers of God’s Word, Fathers and Mothers:
It is with the greatest sense of urgency that I write to you today, exhorting you in all earnestness to look around our 21st Century world, (and at the USA in particular, for that is where the bulk of the recipients of this missive dwell), taking a hard look, through the lens of God’s Word!
It is my deeply held contention that at no time in history, since the time of the 1st Century apostles of Christ who began the spreading of the Gospel to the nations of the world, has the need for revival of the preaching of the full Gospel of Christ been greater than it is today.
Many of us are reaching an age where we will be, relatively soon, called home to the Lord.
There is great comfort in the simple scripture:
Philippians 1:21 (KJV) For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
However, we cannot be, we must not be, fully satisfied with the ‘running of the race’ unless and until we have passed off the baton to the youth of today, who will comprise the body of tomorrow.
Brothers and Sisters, I challenge you to look objectively at yourselves, to discern if God’s Word is truly inscribed upon your hearts, for it is only each individual and God Almighty who can make that determination. The point being that we need to be certain that God’s Word is being sown upon fertile ground…that we are ministering not only to the head, where intellectual acknowledgment of the Lord resides, but watering the sown seed, that it take deep root in the heart of young believers, indeed all believers, equipping them with a full understanding of what it means to be a child of God.
There is a competition with the darkness of this world, which pummels our youth with the message that there is no God, that they are sufficient unto themselves, that the Holy Bible is a mere writing of superstitious men.
The battle will be won, by bringing our youth to the realization that God’s Word is not a collection of restrictions upon their behavior, but a guide book for a truly freeing and fulfilling life experience leading, in God’s Glory, to life everlasting in the presence of our Lord and with one another!
The time is come for a call to arms; a drawing and a wielding of the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God!
Purpose of Youth Ministry
Proverbs 22:6 (KJV) Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Titus 2:1-15 (KJV)
1 But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:
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4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
6 Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.
7 In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,
8 Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.
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11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
15 These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.
Mark 10:13-16 (KJV) 13And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. 15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. 16 And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (KJV) 4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
Psalms 78:1-8 (KJV) 1 Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: 3 Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. 4 We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. 5 For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: 6 That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: 7 That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: 8 And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.
Ephesians 6:1-4 (KJV) 1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. 4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
2 Timothy 3:14-17 (KJV) 14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; 15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
Youth Ministry should be viewed as a circular process; ministering, teaching, exhorting and building upon the existing congregate population leading to:
Outreach to community – drawing youth into the body of believers.
Discipleship – developing within the youth, upon a solid foundation, based on sound doctrine as to the existence and nature of God, the Truth of the Word, which is Christ, the fundamental knowledge of what it means to be a child of God, how to live ‘in the world’ without being ‘of the world’ and equipping the young Christian with the full armor of God.
Service to community – returning of the youth to the community-at-large as ambassadors of Christ.
Outreach to community – drawing youth into the body of believers.
Basis for Belief
Evidence of the Existence of God
Romans 1:
15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith. 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19 because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: (KJV)
Who is God? What are His Characteristics?
God is… [1]
(Exodus 34:5-7 NIV) Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. {6} And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, {7} maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.”
(Numbers 23:19 NIV) God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
(Deuteronomy 3:24 NIV) “O Sovereign LORD, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do?
(Deuteronomy 4:24 NIV) For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
(Deuteronomy 4:31 NIV) For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath.
(Deuteronomy 6:4-5 NIV) Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. {5} Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
(Deuteronomy 9:3 NIV) But be assured today that the LORD your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire. He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, as the LORD has promised you.
(Deuteronomy 10:17 NIV) For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.
(Deuteronomy 20:1 NIV) When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you.
(Deuteronomy 20:4 NIV) For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”
(Deuteronomy 33:27 NIV) The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemy before you, saying, ‘Destroy him!’
(Joshua 1:8-9 NIV) Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. {9} Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
(Joshua 23:3 NIV) You yourselves have seen everything the LORD your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the LORD your God who fought for you.
(2 Samuel 22:32-34 NIV) For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? {33} It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. {34} He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights.
(2 Chronicles 30:9 NIV) If you return to the LORD, then your brothers and your children will be shown compassion by their captors and will come back to this land, for the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him.”
(Ezra 8:22 NIV) I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him.”
(Psalms 10:4 NIV) In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
(Psalms 33:11-13 NIV) But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. {12} Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance. {13} From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind;
(Psalms 37:30-31 NIV) The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just. {31} The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip.
(Psalms 46:1-2 NIV) ….God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. {2} Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
(Psalms 46:4-5 NIV) There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. {5} God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
(Psalms 48:14 NIV) For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.
(Psalms 50:6 NIV) And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for God himself is judge.
(Psalms 54:4 NIV) Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.
(Psalms 59:9-10 NIV) O my Strength, I watch for you; you, O God, are my fortress, {10} my loving God. God will go before me and will let me gloat over those who slander me.
(Psalms 62:7-8 NIV) My salvation and my honor depend on God ; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. {8} Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.
(Psalms 68:19-20 NIV) Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. {20} Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death.
(Psalms 73:26 NIV) My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
(Psalms 84:11-12 NIV) For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. {12} O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.
(Psalms 94:22 NIV) But the LORD has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.
(Psalms 116:5 NIV) The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.
(Psalms 144:15 NIV) Blessed are the people of whom this is true; blessed are the people whose God is the LORD.
(Proverbs 30:5 NIV) “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
(Matthew 22:32 NIV) ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’ … He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”
(Acts 10:34 NIV) Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism
(Romans 5:5 NIV) And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
(Romans 6:23 NIV) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 14:17 NIV) For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,
(1 Corinthians 1:9 NIV) God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.
(1 Corinthians 4:20 NIV) For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.
(1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV) No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
(1 Corinthians 14:33 NIV) For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. As in all the congregations of the saints,
(2 Corinthians 9:8 NIV) And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
(Galatians 6:7-8 NIV) Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. {8} The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
(Ephesians 4:24 NIV) and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
(Hebrews 4:12 NIV) For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
(Hebrews 11:16 NIV) Instead, they were longing for a better country–a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
(Hebrews 13:16 NIV) And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
(1 John 1:5 NIV) This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
(1 John 4:16 NIV) And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
(Revelation 21:3 NIV) And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
Who is Jesus Christ? What are His Characteristics?
Jesus is: Word, God, Creator, Light
John 1:1-14 (KJV) 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Jesus is: Lamb of God, Son of God
John 1:29-34 (KJV) 29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. 30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. 31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. 32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. 33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. 34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
John 14:6-14 (KJV) 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. 8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? 10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake. 12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. 13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
Jesus is: Saviour, Lord
Titus 2:13 (KJV) Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Philippians 3:20 (KJV) For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
What is a Christian?
The Christian Life—Scripture [2]
2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
1 John 4:15
If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.
Colossians 1:13-14
For he [God] has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Galatians 5:16-17
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.
Matthew 6:25,33
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? … But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 4:19
“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”
Hebrews 13:5
… God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Romans 3:23-25
… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.
John 1:12
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
Romans 10:9
That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Galatians 3:11
“The righteous will live by faith.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
John 14:21
“Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”
John 15:8
This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Romans 12:1-2
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Hebrews 10:25
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Philippians 4:12-13
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Matthew 6:19-21
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Mark 16:15-16
He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
1 Thessalonians 4:1-7
Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.
Christian Duties [3]
As we go through our daily lives as Christians, how are we to relate to those we encounter along the way?
One of the most prolific inspired writers of the New Testament, originally known as Saul, described himself, in his address to King Agrippa, thusly:
Acts 26
4My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews;
5Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.
6And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God, unto our fathers:
7Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope’s sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews.
8Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?
9I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
10Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them.
11And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.
Here was a man on a mission – to persecute Christians! Who would have imagined that such a man would be called for such a Glorious purpose? Yet reading on we find:
12Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,
13At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.
14And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
15And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.
16But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;
17Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,
18To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
Consider also:
Acts 1
8But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Clearly, we, who have likewise been called as followers of Jesus Christ, have been admonished to be Salt and Light to the world.
Matthew 5
13Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
14Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Putting this into practice requires more than a passive role. Often it requires us to step outside of our comfort zones and, perhaps, to cross some conventional lines of ‘political correctness’. It also requires us to set aside certain preconceived notions or misconceptions and actually inquire into the eternal security of our acquaintances, neighbors and co-workers.
Think about it; when is the last time someone inquired into your eternal security?
Feed my sheep!
Romans 1:16 (KJV) For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Mark 8:38 (KJV) Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
Isaiah 61:1-3 (KJV) 1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
Ephesians 4:17-32 (KJV) 17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, 18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: 19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20 But ye have not so learned Christ; 21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. 25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. 26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 Neither give place to the devil. 28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. 29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. 30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
1 John 4:7-9 (KJV) 7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
Consider also: [4]
2 Corinthians 5:21 (KJV) For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
As if it wasn’t enough that Jesus was scourged and beaten half to death and experienced the excruciating pain and humiliation of being nailed to a cross, He took upon Himself the sin of all mankind, throughout all time, from the fallen Adam and Eve to the present time and the future up to His return.
Now, of course, this is not news to any Christian believer. It is at the core of our beliefs. We have heard it scores of times, to the point, I sometimes fear, that the impact upon us lessens over time. Do we begin to take our salvation and our Savior for granted?
What I am driving at here is the coming to grips with the reality of my/our personalcontributions to the suffering of our Lord!
Would any of us, if present during Jesus’ torment, imagine ourselves laying hold of the scourge and adding stripes to His back or laying hold of the hammer to pound in a nail? Surely not!
But what thought do we give, as we live day-to-day, secure in the Grace and Salvation we have found through Him, to our actions and deeds in the context of His suffering? Would we be less likely to stumble over a future temptation if we kept ever in the forefront of our awareness the extra burdensome pain we will heap on our precious Lord by way of our next sinful act?
To be sure, the time of Christ’s suffering has passed, He has died, and He has risen (Praise God!), yet it boggles the mind (at least mine) to comprehend the time-line-connection between the past events of the crucifixion and the impact of yet-to-be, future events of sin.
How many times in the past have I sinned, before I accepted the awesome and unmerited Gift of Salvation? How many times in the past have I sinned even after being saved?? How much might I have lessened the anguish of my Lord and my God had I considered not just the Forgiveness of my sin when I came back in repentance, but the consequence of my sin to Him?
Oh, Heavenly Father, I thank you for the Gift you have given to so wretched a one as myself and I pray that you keep fresh in my mind, and the minds of my brothers and sisters in Christ as the future unfolds, the personal responsibility we have to guard our thoughts and our deeds for the sake of and the love of our Lord and Our Savior, Your Precious Son, for we were bought with a price that is levied…by us.
In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
This video should be required viewing for EVERY ministry…
Mary Did You Know – The Passion
~~~Attention Sons and Daughters – yea – ALL children of God!~~~ Proverbs 2:1-22 (KJV)
1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;
2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;
3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;
4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;
5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.
8 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.
9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.
10 When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;
I sat by the hospital bed with my mother’s hand clutched in mine. I was afraid to let go as she slipped in and out of consciousness. She was too young to be lying here, terminally ill and trapped inside a small private room. My mother was strong, this I knew. She was always doing the things she loved to do, working hard but loving it all the while. Why was this happening to her? Why was it happening to me? Her frail and sickly figure did not match the Mom I’d known for all my life. Where had her will gone? She was a fighter, but recently she had given up. I stared at her face, waiting for the next time she woke up so I could see what remained of the light that sparkled in her honey brown eyes. The flare was gone in them, but an ember still remained, glowing dimly.
My dad was late. He always was. Was work more important than seeing mom? I only went to school because I had to. He wouldn’t let me skip it, not even to be with her. I felt bitter tears coming to my eyes. Forcefully I pushed them back. I couldn’t cry now; what if mom woke up? She didn’t need any more concerns than she had already.
I looked up as the head doctor pushed open the door gently and nodded at me. His words were soft but they stung, “Visiting hours are over in 5 minutes, Monica.”
His warning made me angry. I felt like screaming at him to go away so I could sit here for as long as I wanted with my mother; remembering all the times when she was well. I didn’t trust myself to speak so I gave one terse nod. He left with a swish of his white coat and the quiet click of the door closing. I looked longingly at my sick mom. Why her?
“I have to go now… But I’ll be back tomorrow, mommy. Please get better… I love you.” I whispered, rubbing her hand very carefully. I was afraid she might break if I wasn’t gentle.
Standing I moved the plush chair I sat in everyday back to its corner and slipped out of the room. The threat of tears nearly overwhelmed me as I left the hospital building. My mom was dieing of cancer and there was nothing the doctors could do about it. Her days were numbered; she’d already outlived the days that were estimated to be left of her lifespan. I woke up every morning and dragged myself through my high school courses with a sense of dread. One day I’d walk into the hospital after school and she’d be gone. I knew this was true, but I never gave up believing she’d suddenly get better.
With my head bent and my long black hair around my face I boarded the bus that would take me home. Every evening the bus driver eyed me worriedly as I took my seat, sliding my book bag to fill the space next to me so no one would try and sit with me. Staring out the window I watched as buildings, signs, trees, and people zoomed by. Nothing registered in my mind at this time. The ride home from the hospital was always a blur. No thought penetrated my few precious moments of solitude. I became a shell during these rides home. I never had to pay attention; the driver dropped me right in front of my house on his way to the next stop.
“Monica.” His voice disturbed my serene place, somewhere far from this world, and I looked up. He smiled weakly in the mirror at me. I didn’t smile back as I gathered my book bag and made my way down the aisle.
“Thanks.” I mumbled sincerely but in a hollow and distant way. He never expected anything more than a simple thanks. The driver didn’t even expect that much.
By the time my dad was home I had fixed a bleak meal of spaghetti. I tried to always have some sort of dinner ready for him when he came home. Someone had to establish a sense of normality around here. But I wasn’t mom, I couldn’t cook like her. It was too bitter a time to put my love into the dinner I made, like she would have. Tonight’s pasta hardly escaped my salty tears as I prepared it.
Even though I forgot to put the brown sugar in the meat sauce, my dad’s favorite ingredient in spaghetti sauce, he still complimented on it. I poked idly at the food but for sanity’s sake I managed to eat most of it. Together we cleared the dishes and saved the leftovers.
After I said goodnight to my dad I hurried upstairs to be alone. Putting on my headphones I let music blare as I did my homework. I put a lot of time and effort into my school work. I focused on it entirely, blocking out everything except for the beats in my head and the task at hand. It had never been like this before. I would have sped through my homework so fast so I could watch TV downstairs, go out to eat somewhere with my parents, or meet up with my friends. It was different now… if I wasn’t at the hospital I was doing homework. And if I wasn’t doing homework I was sleeping.
My friends still tried to talk to me at school. They stopped dropping by my house weeks ago, though. For awhile I’d put effort into acting happy, pretending nothing was wrong. I couldn’t do it anymore. I was slowly pushing my friends away and locking them out of my pitiful life.
With a sigh I closed my notebook and got ready for bed. I took a shower, as I did every night in my unwavering routine. When I set my alarm I knew getting up the next morning would be just another challenge for me.
———————–
I wanted disorder, I wanted change, and I wanted to do something on edge. Today I sat at the very back of the bus instead of the front on my way home from the hospital. I always sat in the same seat, it had become habit. But I walked briskly past my normal seat and went straight to the back. The bus driver even seemed surprised. Like always though I sat my book bag next to me and turned to gaze unseeingly out the window. As the bus lurched forward I let myself get lost.
Feeling someone sit next to me got my attention rather quickly. I looked up and stared in surprise at a young man that had moved my book bag to the floor and taken seat next to me. Swiftly my eyes scanned the bus. There were various seats open, so what was his problem? I gave him a venomous look that nearly screamed I didn’t want him there and then I promptly turned back to the flashing scene outside my window.
“I see you get on the bus everyday looking like the world is going to end tomorrow.” He said in a chillingly soft tone, looking down the aisle nonchalantly.
I ignored him. What did he care? We both rode the bus, what was his point? I didn’t even so much as look at him. If I ignored him, he might go away or sit silently. My theory died within seconds of thinking it.
“But so far the world hasn’t ended. So what’s wrong?” The stranger asked, glancing at me with deep brown eyes that were serene pools of understanding and caring. I was too distracted to really notice his gaze.
I slowly turned my head to look in his general direction. “Nothing is wrong.” I practically wanted to yell just exactly what was wrong. My mom was dieing, my dad was working unfair shifts at work, and I could hardly feel anything but my own sorrow anymore. But I didn’t want to wind up in a loony bin so I carefully picked those three words.
“Be anxious for nothing.” The young man said coolly, seemingly unconvinced by my pathetic reassurance.
For the first time I really looked at him. I was puzzled by his pointlessly cryptic way of making me feel better. At least I thought he was trying to make me feel better. He was doing a lousy job of it. Looking at him closely though, I noticed his face had a healthy glow to it, his complexion a tone of olive, and his thick brown hair framed his face delicately. It was apparent he was older than I by at least a few years; perhaps in his early twenties? No matter, I shrugged at his comment and bit back a sharp request for him to go away.
“It’ll be okay, Monica.” The words were so gentle, so carefully spoken, and yet they provoked a rage inside of me.
“Yeah, well, what do you know?” I hardly registered he’d used my name but by the time I realized it he was already talking in that same tone.
“I know that you are not alone.” With that said he stood up and picked my book bag up off the floor. He handed it to me right as the bus came to a smooth stop.
The bus driver looked in his mirror at me, “Monica, your stop.”
I took my book bag and slung it over my shoulder, edging past the stranger and leaving with a slight nod towards the driver. He smiled at me.
That night I made dinner with a lot more on my mind than usual. My mom had been awake when I had come in after school. For the first time in a long while we had an extended conversation before she drifted off. The entire time we spoke she didn’t sound at all worried. I wanted to ask how she seemed so calm. She knew she was dieing.
“Be happy, honey. You’ll get through this.” She had told me that night. Why did she have to be so brave all the time? Why couldn’t I be more like her? I felt like I didn’t have enough time with her anymore.
The next day when I got off the bus at the hospital I went up to her room. The doctor and his nurse were scurrying about quickly. I rushed to the door but a nurse just directed me to a seat outside the room while they stabilized her. Days like these made me want to break down. My heart was in my throat and my stomach twisted as I waited for the doctor to get everything under control. I knew Calvin was a great doctor, even if he couldn’t cure my mother… and even if he kicked me out when visiting hours were over. But every time I showed up for a visit when my mother wasn’t doing well I felt she might die before I could see her again.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of agony Dr. Calvin came down the hall as the nurses left with cleaning supplies in hand. He stopped at my chair.
“Okay, Moni… you can visit her for awhile but she’s not feeling very well.” There was a strain in his voice. I wondered in that moment what it was like for a good doctor to lose a patient. My eyes stung. “If she gets sick buzz for a nurse.” He told me, for the millionth time since my mom was admitted to the hospital.
I nodded, taking note that he only used my nickname when the situation was serious.
My mom was asleep when I walked into the room so I pulled up my chair and sat by her bed. I waited with more patience than a teenager should have. When she finally opened her eyes and saw me my smile was broad.
“Hello honey. I’m sorry…” She trailed off, her voice weak.
I nodded and swallowed hard. She had no reason to be apologetic. “S’okay.” I mumbled and patted her hand.
We talked for awhile and occasionally I got a meek laugh out of her. Sometimes it was silent between us, but it was a welcomed silence that made the hospital room feel peaceful. Only the sounds of the machines disturbed the quiet.
Finally I brought up the question I had kept turning over in my mind. “Mom, why are you giving up fighting?” My voice trembled, “How can you be so calm about this?”
Her smile caught me off guard. I watched as she thought of the best way to put her words together so that she used as little energy as possible. “Because I know everything will be alright. I’m not afraid of it anymore.”
I was shocked. My mom had been afraid of dieing? Of cancer? She had hidden it so well, I’d never known. And yet… why wouldn’t she be? I’d be terrified if I were dieing. I was horrified that she was dieing. What had changed that made her so calm? I frowned slightly and she brushed her delicate hand against my face.
“It will be okay Monica.” She told me with a soft expression that made me want to break down crying. I couldn’t cry in front of her. I just wished she would keep fighting to stay alive. I wished she wouldn’t accept that she was dieing. But most of all I wished that I wasn’t accepting the truth either.
“You don’t need to be afraid.” My mom continued and lowered her hand back to the bed.
I didn’t know what to say. I was afraid. I was angry and sad. How could it be okay? But I didn’t get a chance to say anything, the door opened and Calvin poked his head in.
“Visiting hours are over.” He informed us lightly. I had an overwhelming desire to shove an operating knife down his throat at that moment. Instead I stood and kissed my mom goodnight, told her that I loved her. Calvin led me out.
Climbing the steps onto the bus I paid my fair and sat in my usual seat. My throat was too tight to reply to the driver’s polite greeting. I felt my rebellion to sit in the back of the bus was gone as I slid my book bag into its proper place.
It wasn’t until a few minutes into the routinely ride that I noticed he was sitting next to me again. I glanced over at him in annoyance and he took the acknowledgement of his presence as a good time to start a conversation. It went much like this:
“How was your day?”
“Horrible.” I snapped.
“Why?”
“Because.”
“Something happen?”
I drew in a deep breath and stared at the seat in front of me. “Nothing new. Now go away, please” I told him curtly.
“If you never tell anyone you’ll never feel better. We all need help.” His voice was calm. It annoyed me.
“Even if I told the whole damn world my problems wouldn’t get any better.” My tone was contrastingly angry.
His comeback was swift, “So you admit something is wrong?”
“Everything is wrong!” I said loudly, getting a few unnecessary looks from other passengers.
He smiled and I wanted to slap the expression right off his face.
“Not everything.” The way he spoke so softly made my irritation ebb.
Tentatively, wondering why he felt he knew everything, I asked: “What is right, than?”
“You’re alive.” It was simple, it was true.
“I soon be dieing than losing what I love most.” I replied spitefully, the familiar anger flaring again.
The stranger did not seem surprised by this twist in the conversation. He only appeared thoughtful. It annoyed me how calm he was; it was as bad as my mother.
Slowly and sympathetically, “There is a reason for everything.” The man told me, examining my face with those unbearably intense eyes.
I ignored the depth of his statement, “Don’t give me that bullshit. There’s no reason my mom should be dieing!” I was on the verge of screaming at him when the bus came to an abrupt stop and the driver opened the doors.
“Mon–” The driver started, but I was already standing.
The irritating stranger next to me scrambled to get out of my way. As I passed he grabbed my wrist. It sent a light fluttering sensation through my veins. “Hey… there’s light even in the darkness.” He whispered to me in an attempt to be comforting.
With a scowl I departed, the bus driver did not smile at me as I left. He looked sad, pulling away from the house to continue his route.
——————- – - – —–
“I pray everyday, Lord, that You won’t let her go.” He said quietly as he knelt by the bed. His wife slept on the opposite side, oblivious to his personal prayer. “She is losing a battle inside; I can see it every time she gets on my bus. Help her Lord, I know only You can. She cannot make it alone. Why are You testing her so? This trial might only break her…” He bowed his head lower, his tired eyes shut.
———————-
The morning was bright and cheerful. I had true hope for the first time in a long time. Maybe it was because the sky was a splendid blue with no clouds to mottle its perfect surface. Riding the bus to the hospital I gazed at the sky and managed to pay attention to what was happening around me. I was vaguely aware of a mother and her son in the seat behind mine, playing little games to pass the time. The bus driver seemed to be in an exceptionally happy mood. A gray haired man on his way to work read the weekly newspaper. It was Saturday, I didn’t have to face school and I could spend more time with my mother. I was looking forward to it. As my attention returned to the window I smiled, two birds flew freely against the pale blue sky. It looked as if they were playing tag. I wanted to be free like that.
Tapping my foot impatiently I waited in the corridor. I’d already paced the entire length of the hall a million times and I’d seen the same nurses rush back and forth from room to room, wheeling patients around, and going about their tasks. Dr. Calvin had instructed I wait out here. That was hours ago and I still hadn’t been let in to see my mother. Every so often a nurse would come out and explain to me that she wasn’t doing well. My mom was still alive though. She was a fighter, whether she accepted death or not, she would fight. But sitting there doing nothing but tapping out a frantic beat was fraying my nerves raw.
I sighed when Calvin finally came out, looking tired and older than usual. “You can go in. But your mom needs rest, so don’t stay long.” He gave my shoulder a squeeze. These waits to see my mother were becoming more and more frequent.
Sitting by her bed I watched as she slept. She was gaunt. I’d gotten used to her thin frame and sickly skin. Exercise and sunlight were all she needed, but she rarely got them. Contended I sat by her bedside, sometimes talking idly about my day. I always talked to her while she slept. It was much like having a family member in a coma. You hoped they would hear you talking and be able to process it. The family members of the patient never gave up hope that their voice would wake them up. Even though my mom was just sleeping I still had a brief conversation.
After running out of topics I sat quietly, examining the room that had become my mother’s second home. I remembered all the good times… The day’s when I was younger when I’d come home from school and smell something baking for dessert. Now the house smelt of cigarette smoke when I came home. My dad had started smoking when my mother was diagnosed with cancer. At least he hadn’t started drinking. But now that mom was in the hospital no one made him smoke outside or by a window. I didn’t mind the smoky smell. I just wanted to come home and see my mom sitting at the table again, working at a puzzle, minding the cooking, and kidding around with my dad.
I wondered how much longer I had today before Calvin would kick me out. The thought was cast aside as I heard a long drawn out beeeeeeeep. It hurt my ears. I looked up and watched a flat red line scroll across the hospital monitor on the other side of my mother’s bed. Its quiet blips had turned into a horrific sound within the blink of the eye. I hit the button on my mom’s bed, hammering on it multiple times in a state of panic. “Nurse!” I called out as the door flung open to the room and a nurse brushed me aside to work with my mother. He was a good doctor’s aid, always making her comfortable and feeling at home.
My emotions were fighting for domination. There was anger, panic, sorrow, the want to cry, and despair. It was only a few seconds later that Dr. Calvin came in and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me out of the room. “What’s happening?!” Someone screamed hoarsely. It had been me. I didn’t realize that I was kicking and clawing at Calvin to get back to my mom until we were out of the room. It was swarming with nurses and doctors trying to bring her back to life.
The realization stunned me. I knew what was happening; it just refused to fully register. That flat line and hideous beep meant my mother’s heart had stopped. A heart stopped meant death. I felt empty inside. There was still hope though. Professionals were in that room doing everything they could to resuscitate my mom. Many of them had saved lives before. Dr. Calvin was renowned for bringing back the dead.
“Jenna! Take her somewhere else. Send an aid to call her father.” Calvin ordered, transferring me to the nurse Jenna. She led me quickly to an empty room. It was crisp and clean, but desolate.
Jenna brought me to the neatly made bed that once belonged to a patient. “Please stay here, hun. Someone will be right in to watch you. We’re going to call your father.” She said gently, but I could tell she was in a rush. This was a cancer expert that might be able to help my mom. So I nodded solemnly and she briskly left.
An onslaught of tears hit me the second I was alone. I slipped off the bed and curled up in the far corner, burying my face in my knees as I hugged them close to my chest. Black hair cascaded around my shoulders as I trembled from the sobs. I don’t know how long I sat there, but I would have cried forever if no one had come to console me.
I didn’t hear the door open, but when I looked up out of instinct I saw the last person on Earth I wanted to. It was that annoying boy from the bus. His face was soft but somber. I was ready to tell him to go away through my bursts of tears when he came over and sat by me. His arms came around me in a warm and protective veil. Why was he here? It didn’t matter at the moment. I cried into his shoulder like a little kid and I could feel his empathy without him having to say a single word.
“Why is she being taken away from me?” I asked in anguish. I knew he couldn’t answer that, but I had to ask. She didn’t deserve to die.
“Shh.” He cooed, “No one is taking her away from you, Monica.” His voice calmed me but I didn’t understand. Her heart had just stopped. I knew no one willed her death to happen, but she was leaving me nonetheless.
“This is a part of life. Everyone lives and everyone dies when their time has come.” The young man continued, putting his hand under my chin to lift my face. His eyes were an abyss of understanding and caring. But there was no pain or sorrow there. “Everyday that she fought her cancer she endured another 24 hours of pain and the inability to do anything she loved. Her hurt… it has ended on this day.”
I shook my head. He was wrong; I knew she hadn’t given up. My mom wouldn’t just give in and die. She’d have fought until she couldn’t anymore. I shut my eyes and wondered if she just couldn’t fight any longer.
“Monica, she wasn’t afraid to die. She held on for you and tried to wait until you were ready to let go.” His explanation hurt.
My eyes flickered open and I stared at him, searching his eyes. I wanted to push him away but couldn’t move. “How do you know?” I asked contemptuously.
“I know all. I know that Cecilia will not suffer any longer. I know that you can be free now. There is light, even in the darkness, Moni. Her death will allow her to live once more, without the burden of cancer she had been carrying. You will see her again, new and full of life, when the time is right.” I got lost in his voice.
The melody of his words was almost tangible as I tried to imagine what he told me. I tried to picture my mother healthy again and doing the things she loved in a place made of clouds. I knew Heaven wasn’t really made of clouds, at least I thought it wasn’t, but it added to the mental picture. It surprised me, how hard it was to even fully remember her as a woman of great health, free of the disease that twisted her beauty. I frowned.
His eyes… I stared into His eyes and felt the compassion, the infinite love I had been so blind to before. I couldn’t decide who He was. An angel perhaps, with a pretty face? He knew more than I could have imagined. He knew my mom’s name, and that her heart had just stopped, that cancer had killed her, and He spoke so knowingly of her fate. He was young but the wisdom I saw in His face was as old as time itself. The way He held me in a protective embrace made me feel safer than I had ever felt.
“You are afraid she’ll be gone forever, that you will be alone. But she will always be here,” He put his hand to my heart, “And she will always watch after you.”
I shuddered from a second wave of tears and sobs. “Why… why couldn’t she have been healed?” I managed to ask, feeling a rush of sadness wash over me.
“She has been, in a way no doctor could.” He told me gently, patiently. “There is reason for everything. Cancer was a battle she sought to win. And even though she has died, she came out triumphant, for she now sits with the Lord. Cancer showed her a new strength she was never aware of. It opened her eyes and it has made you strong.” His words were powerful, but they did not drag away my sorrow.
Tears streamed down my face and I cried silently, sitting with Him. I hadn’t cried for so long, pretending for my mother, pretending for my father. I couldn’t cry when they tried so hard to keep on fighting. But now all the pent up tears rained down and as they left they were replaced with relief. The sting in the back of my eyes was fading.
“Do not be afraid to ask for help. I will always listen, I am always here. I act in My own time, and your time and My time are very different.” He kissed my forehead in such a tender manner it felt like a butterfly landing. He stood as I felt a peace inside of me that had never been there before. It filled most of the hole in my heart but my tears did not stop. As He turned to leave I called after Him.
“Wait… who are you?” My voice was clear, it did not tremble. My quakes had subsided.
He looked to me with a radiant smile, “I Am.” His response was simple. I did not understand it at the time. Watching Him leave I tried to make sense of it. He gave no name, and yet I felt I knew Him.
The moment the door shut it opened again and my father rushed in. His eyes were wet with tears and he knelt by my side, pulling me to him. We sat there crying together, “I’m so sorry, honey.” He apologized. The depth in his voice was sincere.
I loved him so much; I just wished we could have spent more time together by my mother’s side. But I knew he worked to keep a roof over our head, to keep food in our fridge.
Sniffling, “Did you see that man on your way in?” I asked, looking at his rugged face. His puzzlement was clear.
“What?”
“The man who left just before you came in… did you see him leaving?” I elaborated. Had he been so concerned he missed seeing someone leave?
“There was no one else; it was just me and Calvin.” He frowned, looking at me with more concern than was necessary.
I didn’t push it. I still didn’t want to end up in a loony bin. But how could anyone have missed seeing Him? Surely they just about ran into each other at the door.
At the time I didn’t understand. But I know now. Sitting on the back porch I watch my two kids play with their daddy. I have a book in my hand, a great mystery novel. But I paused to look up at the family I love. My father is supposed to be over soon for dinner. He still smokes and sometimes I still cry for the mother I lost when I was sixteen. Sometimes they are tears of sorrow, sometimes tears of joy. I understand now. She was never taken from me. She was brought Home. The doctors numbered her days, but she went only when she thought I was ready for her to go.
I smiled as Mike came around the house to the back with his wife. For months he had driven me back and forth to the hospital and home whether or not I had the fare. I felt like I owed him a lot. And through some act of fate he became a great family friend and Sherri, his lovely wife, watches my children when my husband and I have a night out. Mike and my dad watch the football game every weekend together.
I’ll never forget that boy on the bus, how His presence had saved me. I didn’t understand then… But I know now.
O heavenly Father, please draw your children close to you and place a hedge around us, as you prepare to deal with the land of the Obamites, whom you have, after much long-suffering, turned over to a reprobate mind.
For it is written:
…
Romans 1: 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
In order to fully appreciate the following letter you really need to watch this video of American children singing the praises of the Obama Messiah.
Hymn to Hitler
by
Lori Kalner
In Germany , when Hitler came to power, it was a time of terrible financial depression. Money was worth nothing. In Germany people lost homes and jobs, just like in the American Depression in the 1930s, which we have read about in Thoene’s Shiloh books.
In those days, in my homeland, Adolph Hitler was elected to power by promising ‘Change.’
He blamed the ‘Zionists’ around the world for all our problems. He told everyone it was greedy Zionist Bankers who had caused every problem we had. He promised when he was leader, the greedy Zionist bankers would be punished. The Zionists, he promised, would be wiped off the face of the earth.
So Hitler was elected to power by only 1/3 the popular vote. A coalition of other political parties in parliament made him supreme leader. Then, when he was leader, he disgraced and expelled everyone in parliament who did not go along with him.
Yes. Change came to my homeland as the new leader promised it would.
The teachers in German schools began to teach the children to sing songs in praise of Hitler. This was the beginning of the Hitler Youth movement. It began with praise of the Fuhrer’s programs on the lips of innocent children. Hymns in praise of Hitler and his programs were being sung in the schoolrooms and in the playyard. Little girls and boys joined hands and sang these songs as they walked home from school.
My brother came home and told Papa what was happening at school. The political hymns of children proclaimed Change was coming to our homeland and the Fuhrer was a leader we could trust.
I will never forget my father’s face. Grief and fear. He knew that the best propaganda of the Nazis was song on the lips of little children.
That evening before he said grace at the dinner table, he placed his hands upon the heads of my brothers and me and prayed the Living Word upon us from Jeremiah 1:4-5.
‘Now the Word of the Lord came to me, saying,
‘Before I formed you in the
womb I knew you,
and before you were born I
consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to
The nations.’
Soon the children’s songs praising the Fuhrer were heard everywhere on the streets and over the radio. ‘With our Fuhrer to lead us, we can do it! We can change the world!’
Soon after that Papa, a pastor, was turned away from visiting elderly parishioners in hospitals. The people he had come to bring comfort of God’s Word, were ‘no longer there.’
Where had they vanished to while under nationalized health care? It became an open secret. The elderly and sick began to disappear from hospitals feet first as ‘mercy killing’ became the policy. Children with disabilities and those who had Down syndrome were euthanized.
People whispered, ‘Maybe it is better for them now. Put them out of misery. They are no longer suffering.And, of course, their death is better for the treasury of our nation. Our taxes no longer must be spent to care for such a burden.’
And so murder was called mercy.
The government took over private business. Industry and health care were ‘nationalized.’ (NA-ZI means National Socialist Party) The businesses of all Jews were seized. (Perhaps you remember our story in Berlin on Krystalnacht in the book Munich Signature)
The world and God’s word were turned upside down. Hitler promised the people economic Change?
Not change. It was, rather, Lucifer’s very ancient Delusion leading to Destruction.
What began with the propaganda of children singing a catchy tune ended in the deaths of millions of children. The reality of what came upon us is so horrible that you in this present generation cannot imagine it.
Our suffering is too great to ever tell in a book or show in a black and white newsreel.
When I spoke to Bodie about some of these things, she wept and said she could not bear to write them. Perhaps one day she will, but I asked her, ‘who could bear to read our suffering?’
Yet with my last breaths I warn every Christian and Jew now in the name of the Lord,
Unless your course of the church in America is spiritually changed now, returning to the Lord, there are new horrors yet to come.
I trembled last night when I heard the voices of American children raised in song, praising the name of Obama, the charismatic fellow who claims he is the American Messiah.
Yet I have heard what this man Obama says about abortion and the ‘mercy killing’ of tiny babies who are not wanted.
There are so few of us left to warn you.
I have heard that there are 69 million Catholics in America and 70 million Evangelical Christians.
Where are your voices? Where is your outrage? Where is passion and your vote?
Do you vote based on an abortionist’s empty promises and economics? Or do you vote according to the Bible?
Thus says the Lord about every living child still in the womb.
‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you.’
I have experienced the signs of the politics of Death in my youth.
I see them again now.
Christians! Unless you stand up now, you will lose your freedom of religion.
In America priests and preachers have already lost their freedom to speak openly from their pulpits of moral danger in political candidates. They cannot legally instruct you of which candidate holds fast to the precepts of scripture! American law forbids this freedom of speech to conservative pastors or they will lose their ‘tax exempt’ status.
And yet I have heard the words of Obama’s pastor Damning America ! I have heard the words of Obama damning and mocking all of you in small towns because you ‘Cling to your religion.’
But I am a woman whose name is unknown. My life is recorded as a work of fiction. I have no fear of reprisal when I speak truth to you from the pages of a book. (Though the Zion Covenant books are mocked and condemned by the Left in America .)
I am an old woman and will soon go to be with my Lord. I have no fear for myself, but for all of you and for your children, I tremble.
I tremble at the hymns to a political leaders which your children will sing at school. (Though even now a hymn or a prayer to God and our Lord Jesus is against the law in public school!)
Your vote must put a stop to what will come upon America if Barrack Obama is elected.
I pray you will personally heed this warning for the sake of your children and your grandchildren. Do not be deceived.
The Lord in Jeremiah 1:7-8 commands every believer to speak up!
‘Do not say, ‘I am only a youth,’ for to all whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them for I am with you, declares the Lord!’
I am in Prayer for you, and for the Church!
Spoken to you in the authority of Jesus the Christ,
the Name Above All Names,
The godless politically correct minions of Satan stay busy each year attempting to keep CHRIST out of CHRISTMAS.
The following story is just one example:
Town’s parade draws fire for dropping ‘Christmas’
The Associated Press
A famed fireworks company is pulling out of a holiday boat parade because “Christmas” was dropped from the event’s name. Fireworks by Grucci won’t lend its sparkle to Patchogue’s Nov. 23 parade – decorated yachts on the Patchogue River – because the organizers have renamed it the Patchogue Holiday Boat Parade. It was the Patchogue Christmas Boat Parade last year, when the Grucci company donated $5,000 worth of fireworks.
The company’s vice president, Philip Butler, who has criticized the secularization of Christmas in the past, said parade organizers were “using all the themes of Christmas and plagiarizing all those themes.”
Organizers in the Long Island town said the parade has had several names over its roughly 15-year existence. The name was changed again this year after complaints that the use of “Christmas” seemed to make the parade less inclusive.
“When I think about fireworks, I don’t think about Christmas anyway,” Mayor Paul Pontieri said. “I think about the Fourth of July.”
The venerable Grucci company is famous for providing spectacular fireworks displays at major national celebrations. It is based in Brookhaven, not far from Patchogue.
Be sure to send a rousing ‘Well-done, Brother Philip!’ to Philip Butler, Grucci’s VP, who has chosen to raise his voice and make it known that CHRIST will not be removed from our hearts and lives and that CHRISTMAS still is the day that commemorates the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
On the Path
In the Thickets
Are you following Jesus?
