More on the Nadya Suleman Story

The more I read, the angrier I get, and I have not been able to get ahold of Anne Curry to let her know how discriminatory I felt her interview was in comparison to the other families who have had multiples, so I'll just put it here and hope some of those people who can't seem to say anything nice will at the very least know that the whole world does NOT in fact agree with their tirades.

First, for clarity, I do not agree with many of the decisions Ms. Suleman made. I am completely against IVF, as I wrote before, because it gives the doctor too much god-power. He could be throwing those embryos in the trash while pretending to implant them in order to force you into more cycles and more money. He could sell some of your embryos to someone under the table. He could use his own sperm without your knowledge. And don't give me the 'doctors live by ethical guidelines' speech, because you're the very same people who are condemning a doctor for implanting this woman to begin with. I believe in the sanctity of marriage and the sanctity of family- that both should involve a man and a woman, committed for life. And yet I find myself defending this woman against the culture of which she is a product. The culture that said you can have whatever you want and you don't have to do it the way it has always been done.

So, say someone wants a big family. Life-long dream. No progress the traditional way (married and trying to conceive), so we move to the advances in science to see if they can provide a solution. We do W+X and get Y, which is a baby. Repeat 4 more times, and get Y (except once when it results in YY). So we have a precedent here of W+X equalling Y. Even the margin of error resulted in only YY. So for a sixth time we do W+X, and get YYYYYYYY. Even people who work in statistics and probability will tell you there was no way to know that was coming. We have created a way to fiddle with the human body in order to get what we couldn't before- surely you had to figure somewhere it was going to backfire. You can't even buying an appliance without a warning that if you use it in a manner other than what the manufacturer intended it for, he will not be liable for what happens to you.

Then I keep reading comments about how a single, unemployed mother should never have that many kids- one is enough. Whoa! (so much for a woman's right to control reproduction, BTW!) If the problem is that she can't possibly care for all those children and give them what they 'need' (read: everything advertised on TV)because she is not working, then why subject even one child to a life of doing without? Feminism's jagged pill is that you have the right to demand whatever the world says is normal, but anything beyond that and you're on your own. If it is an ethical dilemma, what impact does the number of kids have? She would be just as 'unfit' to one child as to 14, no? So you're willing to pay taxes to support a woman with one kid, but that's the cut-off? You people are deranged.

On to the financial arguments. Ms. Suleman is currently living off of student loans. I'm still waiting for the point here. You mean that is different than the thousands of couples who take out loans to pay for IVF, or for overseas adoptions in countries who have made babies a commodity? That's different than someone who has a life long dream of living in a prestigious house getting a loan to pay for it? We are currently bailing out those people and their pie-in-the-sky mortgages, but the only person we can blame for such a 'scheme' is the lady who's dream was kids instead of a house? This is America- when we can't afford what we want, we charge it. We get what we want now and agree to pay for it later. And while we're talking about the financial aspect, isn't investing in kids a better risk than commodities? Kids appreciate. They will grow in value as they become old enough to work. Houses and cars depreciate. At least her investment makes logical sense! And she is using those loans to get the degree that the world has said she cannot succeed without.

Well, her house is too small. Does anybody remember the house the septuplets went home to? Or better yet, the homes our great-grandmothers not only raised large families in, but gave birth to those families in? If someone had 12 kids in an 800 square foot cabin today, they'd be taken away! Jimminy Cricket, we're sure lucky our government finally went against its own constitution to determine for us what is best, because we sure don't know ourselves. Of course, there would have been nowhere to put the kids taken into custody 200 years ago, because all the neighbors lived the same way. No wonder they were so miserably unhappy and our nation suffered a lack of inventors and heroes.

And finally, our country has 'progressed' to a point that people can condemn one another without ever meeting. Countless quacks psychologists have been paid to consult media moguls on the mental health of Ms. Suleman. Without any kind of clinical sessions or testing, they have given diagnoses ranging from an unhealthy preoccupation, to schizophrenia, all based on an hour long, edited interview with a journalist who focused on her own presuppositions to determine the questions. An interview with a woman who had just been through the most exhausting and terrifying experience of her life, both emotionally and physically. Bringing the argument full-circle to the first argument I made, in America, sanity is now subjective. G-d preserve us.

In Defense of Large Families; Revisited

I find myself amazed at the timing of my previous posts to what has become nothing short of a media circus over Nadya Suleman, the mother of the set of octuplets born in January. I feel we as believers need to be standing up for this mother of many, and finding ways to offer assistance in any way we can. Some of the reasons why are similar to the post I wrote previously when so many were in an uproar over the Duggars having #17 (yeah, that long ago). There is quite a lot of talk going on about how the doctor should not have 'let her' get pregnant again when she had six children at home. If we begin using a limiting rule for some families, it won't be long before we are right behind China is controlling people's reproduction. But there are also some specific things I think we need to consider in this situation.

First, we need to be thankful that Ms. Suleman was willing to carry her babies, even at the risk of her own life, instead of employing selective reduction. When Jamie Lyn Spears announced her pregnancy, many mommy blogers wrote in her defense because she did not decide to end what most saw as an inconvenience rather than a human life. The same argument applies here. Both women were in less than ideal situations, and thought they made choices we don't agree with, the fact that they did not abort demands our thankfulness.

Secondly, there is something of a double standard when it comes to accepting multiples in America. The McCaughey septuplets were heralded as miracles, and their parents were not publicly attacked for not choosing to reduce. The Gosselin sextuplets were heralded as miracles, and their parents were not publicly attacked for not choosing to reduce. I have seen interviews with both of those families where they were asked if their choice to use fertility treatments was maybe irresponsible because of the risk of so many babies, and both families gave an unequivocal no, because the odds were so, so slim that it was never a consideration. The chances are higher for a woman pregnant with one baby to have complications than for a woman to end up carrying six, seven, or eight viable embryos. It's like saying people are irresponsible for going outside when there is a 1 in 1,000,000,000,000 chance they will be hit by a meteor.

Third, Ms. Suleman did not do anything sneaky or untruthful. The doctor did the procedure. And while many are upset that using 6 embryos was unethical, it would seem this was the same plan they had used for the previous pregnancies. None of those pregnancies produced more than twins, and that only happened once. Even with the chance there that all 6 might develop, no one could forsee two of them splitting into twins. How can we criticize someone for something even the medical community did not see coming? One doctor interviewed for his 'professional criticism' said he never implants more than three embryos, but if you use the same standard he is using to condemn this woman, he is just as irresponsible, because those three could divide into six, which is exactly how many were implanted into Ms. Suleman. Double standard.

Finally, the money for the IVF cycles was earned through working, where Ms. Suleman undoubtedly paid taxes. Why is it so crazy then that she be getting back some of that tax money in the form of support for her children who have special needs? People are willing to pay taxes to create 'special' schools to ship the 'special' kids to, but not to help support the home they live in? I totally don't understand that reasoning. Social Security may not be something we agree with or like, but the fact is that we are paying into it, and so long as it exists, we have a right to use it when we need to.

What it boils down to is this mother is being unfairly attacked because she wants children instead of a lifestyle, she sees many children as a blessing and not a burden, and she is not wealthy. But compare those criteria to the two previous families mentioned with multiples, and they are the same. What gives?

She is single.



And in what has to be the biggest hypocrisy in the news today, the country that told women they did not need men to raise a family has turned on a woman who decided to live just that. "Well, she shouldn't be getting donations because she chose to have the kids". As did the Gosselins and the McCaugheys. Even the media is biased- the same Anne Curry who grilled Ms. Suleman does cheerful yearly updates on the McCaugheys. In reality, the best sponsors for this woman would be the National Partnership for Women and Families, the ACLU, or the National Organization for Women- the very organizations who demanded her right to have children without a partner. But we all know how fickle they are, both demanding protection for that right to chose to be a single mother, and simultaneously expecting every responsible woman to have an abortion in a case such as this. You have to fit into the mold they created.

No, the support should fall to the church as a collective to take in this woman who so valued life as to preserve it at all cost. Churches should be finding a suitable house for this large family and offering not only to be round-the-clock feeding helpers, but also protectors, acting as a shield between the violent world and this young family. No one had a problem doing it for the other miracle babies.

***Just a note, I love both the Gosselins and the McCaugheys and in no way wish to criticize them or the support they were given. I merely think it ought to be just as liberally applied when the circumstances aren't what people want them to be.

Shocked by the Bible is Awesome!

Laurie is my online BFF, because she always challenges me and leads me to just what I had been searching for. I had not told her of this honor being bestowed upon her before, but now I am making it public because she has saved me so much trouble! Her recommendation of the book Shocked by the Bible interested me, so I ordered it. It was on back order so it has just arrived. I am now going online to order more copies. See, this book covers many, many of the topics I have been trying to hash out (for lack of a better term) with friends and family who are convinced that we have gone off the deep end. Contained within the pages of this book are many truths which I have long believed, with references and wording so precise, I will now just give copies of the book to those who think we are mad (read: legalistic).

For example:
*we sleep when we die rather than going straight to heaven
*Jesus did not declare all meats clean
*Adam and Even did not eat an apple (well, maybe, but the Bible doesn't say apple)
*Jesus made appearances in the OT (good grief- just read the first three chapters of Genesis!)
*Easter is in the Bible, but not how many think
*God was not The Father in the OT (which goes hand in hand with the misconception that we are all God's children)

And then there are some I didn't know (or forgot):
*God gave hemorrhoids as a punishment
*people were resurrected from the dead in the OT
*the Ten Commandments were written on the front and back of the stone tablets
*God has a body

I found the book for $15.63 at Amazon (thought it won't be signed by the author like the one I ordered) and plan to get enough copies to cover the first set of people on my list.

Reaching Our Kids

We have had the discussion here and other places about just how to approach salvation in children, as there seems to be an awful lot of 'conversion' going on at VBS that ends up producing no fruit. I have told my children to not raise their hand and say a prayer, but rather when they feel something stirring, come to talk to us. I have known too many adults who struggled with the state of their salvation later.

Berean Wife has an article posted that is the best I have read yet when discussing the way to evangelize children. It is certainly worth the read- if you're busy, print it out and carry it with you to use during a down moment in your schedule. It should be required reading for parents.

You Tell 'Em, Ray

You know how much I love Ray Comfort. (Did I tell you about the time we were taking pictures and I said, "Let's standby this tree", so he stood behind it and stuck his head out? That guy is so funny). I love that Ray loves everyone the way Yeshua does. He can find love and concern for the soul of someone like Bill Maher, who I would personally love to see under the heel of Yah's foot. We really should strive to be as compassionate and forgiving as Ray, who is striving to be as compassionate and forgiving as the Father.

Maher Mockery of Muslims May Backfire

In Religulous, due to be released in 500 theaters this week, comedian Bill Maher travels to numerous religious sites, such as Jerusalem, the Vatican, and Salt Lake City, interviewing believers from a variety of backgrounds, including Jews for Jesus, Christians, and Muslims.

Best-selling author and TV co-host Ray Comfort said, “I don’t blame Bill Maher for mocking religion. Manmade religion has left a trail of destruction throughout history--from the Roman Catholic Inquisition, its famous Crusades against Islam, and pedophile priests, to hypocritical Protestant ministers and money-hungry televangelists. I can see why he took the trouble to make the movie. In one sense, it’s overdue.”

However, the author said that although the film is bound to be popular in the U.S., it may badly backfire on Maher. Comfort said that in 2007 he befriended the atheist who received national attention for encouraging other atheists to post videos of themselves blaspheming God. "I emailed him explaining that Muslims translate the name ‘God’ as ‘Allah,’ and suggested that he rethink what he was doing. Muslims killed a number of people for merely publishing cartoons of their prophet Mohammad. I also reminded him that author Salmon Rushdie is still hiding in fear of his life for his Satanic Verses. All it would take is a report on Arab television that Americans were making videos blaspheming Allah and saying, ‘And I am not afraid,’ to stir a response. After I sent that email, the blasphemy challenge seemed to disappear very quickly.”

Comfort warns that Hollywood has gotten away with mockery of Christianity, but many Muslims aren’t so tolerant. “How will they react to a movie that critics describe as ‘a blasphemous detonation of all things holy’? Even Maher’s casual jesting with his Jesus could be offensive to Muslims, who believe Jesus was a prophet. Imagine if the movie catches the attention of Arab news, which reports, ‘American Comedian Mocks Allah in Popular Movie.’ Already, the International Herald Tribune’s lead article was titled “Maher vs. God.” The movie’s website www.lionsgate.com/religulous/ links to a site that has a Muslim symbol with the word "Bastard" beside it. While that site has a sense of anonymity, the famous comedian doesn't, as his face is easily recognizable. I wouldn’t want to be in Maher's shoes, or even in the seat of a theater that upsets Muslims. We are living in volatile times. We don’t need this sort of thing right now--religious intolerance. I seriously suggest that he postpone the release date, and do a little last-minute editing.”

The Canadian Press said that Maher “dissects organized religion, but he's doing it in his laceratingly funny, typically sardonic way . . . But Maher undermines his arguments at the end when the tone turns sharply serious: He tries to make a connection between religion and all the wars and violence in the world, and he does it with the same kind of certitude he just got done condemning others for having.”

Comfort added that he also believes Maher is straining at gnats and swallowing a camel with his movie. “He is speaking the truth when he talks of religion’s trail of destruction. But religion comes in second when it comes to committing atrocities down through the ages. Atheistic communism is number one. It is responsible for more than 100 million deaths. The problem isn’t religion or atheism. It’s human nature. That's what needs to change.”

Comfort is the author of Hollywood Be Thy Name (Bridge-Logos), which looks at Hollywood’s history of blasphemy and why it is so out of step with mainstream America. It explains why movies such as Religulous wouldn’t have made it to the box office before the 1950s, and what it was in 1962 that opened the floodgates to unrestrained blasphemy.

The Hand of Yah

This is an email update I got from Menorah, a Messianic ministry in Denver. We are part of their prayer team and have gotten prayer requests over the past month as they prepared for a Muslim outreach day on the college campus. Here is the update sent out yesterday as to the outcome of the week. I don't have space to list all of the concerns that were prayed over, but they ranged from weather to the college adminstration putting up SEVERAL roadblocks, and it was all cleared away by the hand of the Master.

Thank you Jesus, we serve an awesome God!!
September 27, 2008

Shalom Prayer Partners,

What a week that only happened because God answered all our prayers and even the prayers we did not know we needed
to pray! Thank you all so very much for partnering with us in this way!

God gave us the favor we needed with both campus administrations, so much so that it was obvious God intervened!

The weather was not just good but perfect with beautiful Colorado days and evenings, not even a hint of rain!

God softened hearts to hear...
My very first conversation Monday morning while setting up was with a Muslim women from Libya who had just received a
phone call from her friend in Libya whom she described as a strong Muslim women. Her friend was telling her how much she now
hates not only Muslims in her country but Islam too. They got disconnected and the young women standing in front of me told me
she was feeling the same way and looked up and saw us and knew she was surpose to talk with us about this. Talk about God's
timing in preparing a heart to listen! The rest of the day proceeded in this manner and all we could think about was the goodness
of God! If you think about it please continue to pray for all these hearts that heard the beautiful Gospel message these
four days, that they will submit to the call of Jesus for their hearts!!!! Each day God sent lots of open hearts all day long to
share his love with and also opened wide the door into Muslim hearts to want to also take the wonderful literature our Professor/
Pastor Scot had written. We will soon have them available on our web site along with a Video that was made of the two evenings at
Denver University.

On Tuesday we had a stage and a sound system that filled the Aurtaria campus air ways with the praises of Jesus in five different languages,
Farsi, Urdu, Arabic, Hebrew and English. I knew it would be awesome but it was much more than that! We all felt the presence of God
descend down on that area of the campus in a most powerful way! After the music began students started coming to ask for prayer and
some with tears of joy and thanksgiving expressing their shock and excitement over having such a bold and powerful witness for Jesus taking
place in such a public space on campus! We are sure some of the students did not really know why they stopped but were just drawn by the
Spirit of God!

Pastor Daniel was powerful in his testimony of Jesus and explaining the differences in the Koran and Bible. Reuben and others also gave
testimony intermixed with music and questions and the one on one conversations that took place all day. We had at least 10+ volunteers all
day sharing Jesus with people. One ex Muslim man from Iran who was at first reluctant to share his testimony changed his mind and was so
encouraged by God he decided to share his powerful testimoney again! Seeing Jews, Iranians and Pakistanis on stage together loving Jesus
and each other was a beautiful picture of True Christianity! Pastor Daniel also had many private one on one and with groups of two and three
at a time conversations with Muslims. He is such a wonderful and powerful scholar and knows the Koran and Hadiths extremely well that it
was a joy and blessing to our heart seeing this man so full of Jesus having these wonderful scholastic conversations all day with Muslim students!
Needless to say we were all exhausted by the end of these two days but our spirits were soaring and looking forward to the next two days at
Denver University! We were praising Jesus on campus from 9am to 6pm!

At Denver University God provided our Muslim speaker, Taj, for the following two evenings. We soon discovered that he represented the
very liberal view of Islam that seems to prevail here in America because Islam is still a minority in the States. Pastor Daniel brought out the
suras in the Koran and attempted to force him to talk about what the Koran and Hadiths actually teaches in these areas he was trying to avoid.
He wanted to talk more about the moral equivalency issues (subpossively in his mind). The format for the D.U. event made Daniel shine in his
expertise and Reuben did a wonderful job as the moderator. We know the people who attended were blessed and the Muslim hearts that were
open had to be filled with truth that we pray leads to Salvation in Jesus. After these two powerful evenings Christians shared with overflowing
excitement about all they learned and even the Muslims asked if we could do it again!! Pray especailly for Taj and his salvation.

God also opened many doors for further ministry and opportunities to continue conversations with the students we met at the outreaches.
A Messianic Jewish student at D.U. came to the events who has a heart for evangelism and has started a prayer group on the D.U. campus.
They have been praying and now they want to partner with Menorah in this. We are going to begin with weekly prayer and Bible study together
on campus and an outreach for Sukkot coming up mid October. This is an answer to a long standing prayer of ours to begin a time of prayer
study and outreach with Women on the D.U. campus.... We are praising Jesus for the timing of this answer to prayer! Another answer to prayer
is that through this outreach God also provided Menorah with an ex Muslim from Liberia that wants to work weekly with Menorah on our campus
outreaches, is this beyond awesome or what!! Please pray for Colleen and Tony as we begin working together for Jesus!!!

We also plan to continue our friendship with Pastor Daniel and his wife Mariat and their ministry out of Australia, Ibrahim Ministries
International. Only God knows what the future holds in this area. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with them and count them a wonderful blessing
from God and hope God let's us partner together with them again. They are a couple that God has and is using in a mighty way to advance His
kingdom. They still have some very sensitive travel ahead of them before returning to Australia so please continue to remember them in prayer.

If you want to continue to pray for us, you can pray for our ministry as the Lord opens doors locally and internationally and for many people to
trust in Jesus for the free gift of Salvation He offers to all! Please let us know if you would like to remain on our special prayer team.

Thanks again for your partnering with us in prayer and support through this exciting time. We pray you too are rejoicing in all
that God did!

Excited about serving Jesus,
Reuben and Donna

Survey Request from Chosen People

Shalom!

I hope that you'll take a moment to complete our quick online survey. If you do, your name will be entered into a raffle to receive a free copy of all four volumes of Dr. Michael Brown's wonderful series of books, Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus.

We need your input as we continue to fulfill the calling God has given to Chosen People Ministries to reach Jewish people for our Messiah Yeshua across the globe. Your feedback is appreciated and will be very helpful. There are only five questions, and you can complete the survey right now at the following link:

http://www.chosenpeople.com/feedback

In our Messiah,


Mitch Glaser

Messianic Studies

An email I received from Chosen People Ministries:

Shalom!

I am praising God for the beginning of our spring semester at the Charles Feinberg Center, our new educational program that provides training for ministry among the Jewish people.

Chosen People Ministries is partnering with Biola University's Talbot School of Theology to offer this accredited program leading to a Master of Divinity degree. You can read more about it on our website:

Program overview
Course descriptions
Why choose the Feinberg Center?

Have you ever thought about deepening your training for Jewish ministry, but did not know where to go? I hope you will request more information by calling Nicole Foster at 1-888-2-YESHUA or e-mailing info@feinbergcenter.com.

You can "get your feet wet" by taking a summer class in Los Angeles or in New York City—ask Nicole for the details.

If you know of anyone—a Jewish or Gentile believer, young or old—who might be interested, please let them know about this groundbreaking Master of Divinity program in Messianic Jewish Studies!

Cut to the Quick

This lesson from the Restoration Ministries had a profound impact on me today:

Signs of False Gospels

No matter what size faith community you are in, Satan will send as many people as he can who have embraced a false gospel. Since the Holy Spirit does not dwell in these individuals, leaders have to use “prop up” programs to keep them coming:

• If people can’t worship in “Spirit and truth,” they’ll seek worship that entertains them. Worship leaders will try to conjure a “spiritual” mood. Success is measured by the numbers who attend your services rather than on their impact in the world.

• Without the Spirit Who gives life to God’s Word, reading the Bible is a chore. People devoid of the Spirit look to someone else to teach them, someone not relationally close enough to confront them to live its truth.

• In order to attract more people, you rely more and more on programs and services that cater to the carnal nature. You enable husbands to neglect their spiritual responsibilities at home. They “outsource” their wives and children to others for spiritual development, such as Sunday schools and youth programs.

Religious systems that cater to false gospels operate through administrative busyness — keeping all the programs running efficiently. Leaders in the system may be called “pastor” or “elder”, but they are in reality administrators in charge of programs — functioning more as managers than as spiritual role models and leaders.
If you’re a person who has embraced a false gospel, you’ll seek out faith communities that can fulfill any of the above-mentioned needs. When you have embraced the true Gospel, none of the above will be your motivation.
Mission agencies that are still sending missionaries to the same places generation after generation because they failed to raise up spiritual leadership from among the indigenous people should question the gospel they share. Without the Holy Spirit, mission agencies will have to “prop up” the people they serve for generations.
A few years ago we visited a school for Native American children. The missionary principal was proud that he had quadrupled enrollment during his relatively short tenure. I asked him how many Native people had ever taught at the school during its 75 years of existence. “None,” he replied. I asked, “Don’t you see a problem with that?” He didn’t.

Satan is a deceiver. Wherever our Father has shed the light of His love and established Covenant with His chosen, the Adversary will counterfeit that truth with his own false gospels. In the 10 years we have shared the Gospel embraced by the earliest Church at our seminars around the country, we have found that only 3 out of every 100 people have a ratified-consummated relationship with our Father. Most admit themselves that there is no sign of the Spirit’s presence in their lives. They were deemed “saved” by someone when they agreed with a few Bible verses and “went forward.”

Tragically, the majority shared one issue in common that kept our Father from ratifying and consummating the Covenant: bitterness. We’ll deal with this issue shortly.
Always be on guard against counterfeit “Good News.” Even the first-century Galatians were warned to beware of a perverted gospel: “Even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!” (Galatians 1:8). Any so-called “gospel” of today that differs materially from the Gospel understood by the earliest followers of Jesus is a path to hell.
Satan is shrewd. He doesn’t care how you don’t get to heaven, as long as you don’t get there! Some people mistakenly assume that God will excuse them at the judgment throne for not knowing the true Gospel. The Bible states otherwise.
Entering into Covenant with our Father is first and foremost a heart issue. It’s a step of yearning to live in union with Him, as much a heart issue as a faith issue. Covenanting with our Father is never a mere cognitive act. You don’t enter our Father’s Covenant through your mind’s analysis.

Many of the false gospels ask you to agree with a few Bible verses. Then someone ratifies you as “saved.” Generally these verses are lifted solely from the Newer Testa-ment. No covenant relationship is established, and definitely no consummation. All you end up with is human ratification.

Most likely there was no requirement for repentance, a determination to turn from the sins that needed to be forgiven and come to the Father through Jesus for reconciliation. Thus, the Holy Spirit did not enter to consummate the Covenant because no covenant relationship existed. Yet, others will assume you’re a “Christian.” Deluded, you’ll never be welcomed into heaven without the Spirit.
Human ratification is occurring in this country in epidemic proportions. The false gospels of today banner “getting you saved” or proffer “fire” insurance. How far short of our Father’s goal of intimate relational union they fall!

Put in the context of a marriage analogy, a cognitive gospel would be if someone shared with Sue and me before we ever met a list of personality characteristics about each other. Both of us liked what we read and, as a result of our positive response to the character qualities, we’re told, “You and Sue are married!” Still, we haven’t met, we have no viable relationship, and have definitely experienced no consummation. But we are assured by others, “You’re married!” I know about her and she knows about me, but sadly, we don’t know each other. It’s impossible to live in covenant union this way.

This is the same foolishness of the false gospels. They require nothing more than cognitive assent to Bible facts but bypass the intimacy and devotion of a covenant union with our Father.

Great Report from Israel

The following came from the Chosen People Minsitries I have mentioned before:

Dear friend,

Shalom! As the year draws to a close, I am thanking God for all He has done through Chosen People Ministries in 2007. We are so grateful for your partnership in reaching Jewish people for Jesus!

May I share with you an exciting report from one of our staff members in Israel?

Recently, the staff was approached by a network of Holocaust survivors living in the northern region of Israel. They had heard about us and that we had provided food and other supplies for hundreds of refugees who had left the North for the safety of the southern part of Israel during the terrible war in 2006. During that time, we used the Messianic Center as the staging ground to help these temporarily homeless Israelis.

This Holocaust survivor network asked if we could plan a "Fun Day" for the 150 older people within their group. The wonderful thing is that they initiated this contact even though they knew we were believers in Messiah. Of course we accepted—with surprise and thankfulness.

We took them to the Western Wall and to the Mount of Olives, explaining their Biblical significance. Many had questions when we told them about Jesus the Jewish Messiah, who also walked these very hills and streets to the Temple. The pinnacle of the day was when we brought them to a beautiful moshav (settlement) outside of Jerusalem. After lunch, we settled down for a piano concert from one of our staff members as well as some discussion about our faith in Jesus and why we loved hosting them for the day. This was met with a hearty round of applause and thanks.

As they were about to leave, the leader of the network stood up and graciously thanked us for the day. She was overwhelmed, saying she had never expected such care, special planning and kindness. She also made a point of mentioning that, during World War II, it was true Christians who saved most of the people in the group. I was thrilled to witness how these people responded to the next generation of believers in Jesus. It was a very special moment, and there was not a dry eye in the room.

The 150 older people stood up and gave our staff a standing ovation. As they boarded the buses back home, we were able to smile and say good-bye to all. We also gave each one a Bible, an evangelistic magazine called "My Jerusalem" and a small gift. The lady asked if we could do this again and, I might add, she is not a believer—yet!

Thank you so much for your faithful prayers and support in 2007. If you would like to send in a final gift for the year—this is a good opportunity to do so. You can send it right now through the web or mail it in. The gift will count for 2007 if it is postmarked or sent securely online no later than December 31. You might also want to read our special Year-End Giving Report about the many wonderful benefits available to you when you make a gift before December 31.

May you have a wonderful and Jesus-filled holiday!

Your brother,


Mitch Glaser

P.S. The response to our Daniel Fuchs Matching Grant has been so generous that we have already matched the $50,000. However, we now have another $25,000 available: this means that your gift can be matched dollar for dollar through December 31!

The Almost Christian

REALLY good article!

The Almost Christian
by Steve Camp

What is then the true gospel and what are its components? What did Jesus really mean when He said, "Follow me!"? (Matthew 28:19). This is one of the crucial issues facing the evangelical community in our day. Contrary to popular opinion it is not materialism; it is not communism, it is not Marxism, narcissism, or hedonism. The issue today is the reverence for and the purity of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. That alone is the rudder that guides the church - it is the nexus of the matter.

Take away the truth of the gospel and the church turns into a religious bar serving up whatever mixture of intoxicant faith that will be imbibed by those who are drunk on their own righteousness never desiring to be awakened from their stupor. And the lamentable thing is that they think they are saved. That is precisely why I am a firm believer that many people attending our churches week after week have made some sort of emotional verbal assent to Christ, but are not truly regenerated. They enjoy all the niceties of worship, fellowship, music, service, communion, etc, but have never been confronted with the reality of their sin, their need for a Savior, the eternal consequences of rejecting Christ, the awfulness of the wrath of God, the necessity for submission to the Lordship of Christ, the complete atoning work that Jesus accomplished on the cross, what His grace entails, and so crucially, what kind of faith is saving faith. Otherwise their epitaph will read, "They did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved" (2 Thessalonians 2:10b).

I am utterly convinced, that one of the greatest mission fields in the United States today is the local church.

Walking an Aisle--the Narrow Road that Leads to Heaven?

Have you ever attended an evangelistic outreach service at a concert, missions conference, church meeting, etc..., where you heard gospel altar calls or appeals such as, "accept Jesus in your heart today"; "just lift up you hand and walk this aisle and you are saved"; "say this sinners prayer with me and if you do you're a Christian"; "make Jesus Lord of your life"; "there's a God-size hole in your heart and He alone can fill it"; or "just be bananas over Jesus"?

As familiar sounding as these phrases are, it may surprise you that not one of them is even remotely biblical or associated to the gospel according to Jesus. He does not want your hand raised, beloved, He wants your life surrendered! (Matthew 7:21). He doesn't desire you to be bananas over Him, but He does desire that you are obedient to Him (John 14:15, 15:14-16). There is not a hole in your heart to be filled but your entire life to be transformed (Colossians 1:10-14). You don't make Jesus Lord of your life - He is Lord... period. The question is will you submit to Him as Lord and honor Him for who He is and all He claimed to be (Hebrews 1:-8; John 1:14, 8:58; 14:5-9)?

No Cheap Grace Allowed

Have you considered the cost of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ... to follow Him? The content of the gospel is confessing Christ as Lord and believing in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9-10); believing on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved (John 1:12, 3:15-18); that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3-4); for by grace you have been saved by faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). Here we have a glimpse of the saving work of Jesus Christ. It requires believing, confession, trusting in His complete work from the cross to the resurrection, it is by God's grace and His enabling faith, and it is His gift to you - you can't earn it no matter what.

Notice that coupled with God's loving grace, is the call for our conformity and submission to all He commands. Though we do not participate in our salvation; we do participate in our sanctification--and yet, it is still all of grace (John 15:5). This is a mystery beloved: God's sovereignty and man's obedience woven together in our sanctification--ouyr daily growth and conformity to Christlikeness (Titus 2:11-12).

Let's look at three essential commands of the Lord to become His disciple: that you deny yourself; take up your cross; and follow Him (Matthew 16:24).



What Does It Mean To Follow Jesus Christ?



1. DENY YOURSELF:
To deny yourself means to come to the end of yourself; to be done with yourself; to see yourself as bankrupt from any ability to save yourself; to not place any trust whatsoever within yourself to be saved. The Lord did not come to "complete us" or to help us "get in touch with ourselves." Far from it. The Lord is calling for us to be finished with ourselves: our desires; our goals; our ways; our own truths; our agendas; our self-made religious whims, ceremonies or inventions. We must "deny" ourselves to be His disciple. John Calvin says it this way: "the sum of the Christian life is the denial of self"- and I thoroughly agree with him. We must come to Christ not putting our confidence in our own "goodness", because we have none (Romans 3:10), but solely in what Jesus has done for us. The prophet Isaiah brings us to the end of our own righteousness by affirming, "All our righteous deeds are like filthy garments" (Isaiah 64:6). I recognize this is a hard way, for our entire culture shouts at you to trust in yourself, you control your own destiny, it is personal power and self esteem that will set you free. The most flamboyant, bold, misguided, foolish example of this is the recent fascination with psychic power. Out of all the religions in this world, and there are thousands of them, there are really only two kinds; the religion of human achievement; and the religion of divine accomplishment. The religion of human achievement says that man is good, man can save himself, man can earn his way to heaven through good works, etc...

Christianity on the other hand says man is totally depraved, completely sinful, by nature children of wrath, sons of disobedience, none are good, and, in fact, no one does what is good (Roms. 3:10-18). Christianity says human achievement cannot save and that to have salvation someone must have divinely accomplished what man could never do. Jesus Christ fulfilled on the cross what no man or manmade religion could ever do - satisfy God's wrath against all sin and abolish the penalty of sin. He "died once for all, for all time" (Hebrews 10:12). His sacrifice is complete not requiring any additional word. When Jesus cried out on the cross "It is finished!" He was proclaiming that He had achieved the atonement as the Captain of our Salvation (Hebrews 2:10). When any man embraces, surrenders and submits to Jesus Christ, by grace, as Lord and Savior of his life (2 Corinthians 4:5), he then has as Paul says, "peace with God" (Romans 5:1). In other words, the war is over. "If God is for us who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31). The answer is clear... no one. And the converse is also true, if God is against you who can be for you? The New Age movement? Buddha, Mohammad, or Krishna? No. Sun Young Moon, J.Z. Knight or Shirley McClain? No. Can praying on your rosary or trusting in the Pope in Rome? No. You must deny yourself; jettison all confidence in your own ability to save yourself and cling to Christ alone.

That is why Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3). "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but by Me" (John 14:6). Jesus is absolutely exclusive in His claim. He is the only living and true way! There is no other way to heaven no matter how noble, good, or satisfying it may seem. You must be bankrupt of human achievement, and place your belief only in Christ for your redemption (John 3:16).

2. TAKE UP YOUR CROSS:
All people in the world have one thing in common - a sin nature. We are all born into this life with sin in our heart that needs divine healing. It's difficult for us to imagine this when we see little new-born babies who are so pure, gentle, sweet and innocent. Scripture tells us though that we are "by nature children of wrath" (Ephesians 2:3); "behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me" (Psalms 51:5); and again the Psalmist affirms this reality when he says, "the wicked are estranged from the womb; those who speak lies go astray from birth" (Psalms 58:3). That is why our "old man"; our "old self"; our sin nature needs to be dealt with. We need a new nature that is not rooted in sin but rooted in righteousness! (read Ephesians 2:1-10). Two natures cannot co-exist with each other (read Romans 6) and that is why in order to receive a new nature the old one must be brought to Calvary and crucified!

The Apostle Paul was proclaiming this truth when he explodes with this amazing statement in Galatians 2:20. "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ Jesus lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me." And again in Romans 6:6 he says, "knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin." When we come and place our faith and trust in Jesus Christ and what He has accomplished at Calvary, at that moment we are crucified with Him. Our old self or nature is executed, put to death, and we are made alive unto God...new creations in Christ Jesus our Lord! That is painful for the old man doesn't want to die, but live. Oh friend, but we must come the way of the cross if we desire to have eternal life in Jesus Christ.

3. FOLLOW HIM:
Last but not least, we must follow Him. I can't think of a better definition of a Christian than one who follows Him--who obeys the Lord and His Word. The masses would come from miles around to hear our Lord preach, see Him perform miracles and acts of healing. However, Jesus said to the onlookers that they would have "to eat His flesh and drink His blood" if they wanted to be His disciples (John 6:37ff). What did He mean by this? Every time Jesus said follow Me, He was headed to the cross. He was meaning to partake of the crucified life. As my friend, John MacArthur, so susinctly says, "to give all that you are for all that Jesus is." This means that we must love Him more than all other loves - father, mother, brother, sister, son and daughter. Jesus isn't saying "hate your families." But what He is saying is, that He must be first love of your life. (read Luke 14:26-27; Rev. 2:4). The gospel is Jesus Christ and Him crucified, buried and risen bodily on the third day. It is good news that there is eternal life in Christ, victory over sin, hope beyond the grave for those who place their faith and trust in Him. Oh my dear friend, consider the cost.

The Wimpy Gospel

Saint Francis . . . A Sissy?
- By Ray Comfort

One hundred and fifty thousand children had been on the brink of starving to death, but thanks to the kind gift of a very generous billionaire, every child now had enough food to keep him alive. That gift had arrived in the form of one big check. The horror was now over. It was finished. It was just a matter of distributing the food using the few relief workers we had. Without them to get the food to the children, there would have been many more deaths.

Some days later, a frantic worker burst into the camp and cried, "Some of the relief workers have stopped distributing food. Masses of children are dying!"

Why would the workers stop when there was plenty of food? It didn't make sense. The distraught man said, "It's because one of them held up a sign that said, 'Feed the starving children. Where necessary, use food.' That has caused some of the workers to simply befriend the starving children without giving them food. It's insane!"

The first time I ever heard of Saint Francis of Assisi was back in 1965. It was during the surf movie "The Endless Summer." Four surfers who were chasing the sun discovered the perfect wave, at a place in South Africa called "Cape Saint Francis." The sight of the perfect wave excited me beyond words.

The Unspeakable Gift

The next time I heard of him was when I heard that he said "Preach the Gospel at all times. Where necessary, use words." That statement upset me beyond words, because it was a philosophy that I knew sounded deeply spiritual . . . to those who were spiritually shallow. It made as much sense as "Feed starving children. Where necessary, use food."

On 16 July 1228 Francis of Assisi was pronounced a saint by Pope Gregory IX. That's a long time ago, so it's a little late for questions, but if I could I would like to find out why anyone would say such a strange thing? Was it because he was fearful to use actual words to preach the truth of the Gospel? Or was it because he thought that people would see that he had good works and hear the message of salvation without a preacher, something contrary to Scripture's "How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?" (Romans 10:14).

Whatever the case, 800 years since Francis we have many who profess faith in Jesus, and are no doubt using this popular philosophy to justify being speechless. To them salvation truly is an "unspeakable" gift.

Recently someone told me about a conference where 100,000 Christians gathered to worship God. When I asked if they were exhorted to go out and preach the Gospel to every creature, it was no surprise to me that they weren't. Instead, they were exhorted to live a life of worship. Again, that sounds spiritual, but you can't worship God without obedience to His Word, and His Word commands us to preach the Gospel to every creature.

I regularly meet those who think they can obey the Great Commission without using words. When they hear the Gospel preached that are usually offended and say things like, "I appreciate what you are saying, but I don't like the way you are saying it." With a little probing, they are the relationship folks, who think preaching the Gospel means building relationships with the lost, and never mentioning words like "sin," "Hell," and "Judgment Day." They think that real love is to withhold the Bread of life from those that are starving to death. Remember that Jesus said, "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 comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels" (Mark 8:38, italics added).

According to the dictionary, a "sissy" is "a timid or cowardly person." From what I understand of Saint Francis, he was no sissy. He was a loving man who was not afraid to use words when he preached. He wasn't frightened to preach repentance to a sinful world. However, there have been times when I could have been called that name. I have felt the grip of fear and have wanted to drop words such as sin, Hell, repentance and Judgment Day when I have preached to sinners. I don't want to come across as being unloving or judgmental, but I fear God more than I fear man. So when God's Word tells me to use words, I use words, despite the consequences.

Listen to the Apostle Paul's sobering warning to his hearers: "Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God" (Acts 20: 26-27). Perhaps he spoke about being free from their blood because he was familiar with God Himself warning Ezekiel of his responsibility to warn his generation: "When I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die,' and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand." (Ezekiel 3:18, italics added).

When someone thinks that they can feed starving children and not use food, that's their business. But when their philosophy spreads throughout the camp, it becomes an unspeakable tragedy. If we become passive about the Great Commission because we are more concerned about ourselves than the eternal well-being of others, we may be able to hide our motives from man, but not from God. He warns, "Deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, 'Surely we did not know this,' does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?" (Proverbs 24:11-12).

There's an interesting irony to this story. After a little research I came across a quote about the famous saying. It is from someone who had been a Franciscan monk for 28 years--and had earned an M.A. in Franciscan studies. He co ntacted some of the most eminent Franciscan scholars in the world to try and verify the saying. He said, "It is clearly not in any of Francis' writings. After a couple weeks of searching, no scholar could find this quote in a story written within 200 years of Francis' death." (1.)

So if it wasn't Saint Francis who said not to use words, who was it? Who is it that would like to see the truth of the Gospel hindered from being preached to every creature? That doesn't need to be answered.

The time is short. The laborers are few. Please, cast off your fears and equip yourself to preach the Gospel with words. They are necessary.
______________________
(1.) www.americancatholic.org/Messenger/Oct2001/Wiseman.asp

Change of Plans and Visible Witness

First, I'm going to have to switch the order of the articles I had planned this week. Parts of my co-op order were missing and it took SO much longer than we had planned. Since the death thing is already written I will post that tonight (assuming my dial-up works long enough to upload pictures) and actually that might be more timely with the celebration of Halloween. There is a great deal about this day that goes WAY beyond the surface argument of trick-or-treating and not. Anyone who has even had a foster or adopted child who has been exposed to satanism understands that it is a day of horrors, and it glorifies death, so the piece on death with fit perfectly.

On another note, today I went to the store in the Amish town near us because they have a Super WalMart, which carries the rice cheese we use since so many of us cannot eat dairy. And as I have said before, I am not telling anyone else what they need to do. It was just a very neat experience that I wanted to share because it touched my heart! OK, so I am in the store in the Amish town. This was something that made me nervous from the minute we decided to take the verse literally about the woman being covered, because one of my biggest fears is having people think I am either mocking them or copying them. So far, no one has said anything, although I have noticed people whispering a few times, and I imagine that is what it is like for all those Amish women who have been whispered about, so I really understood that desire to be un-noticed.

After WalMart, I needed some baking stuff from Sav-a-Lot for the mission fundraiser my girls are conducting, so I went in by myself (while everyone else had a carrot muffin in the bus). I have never been in that store and not seen Amish people, because it is a very prominent Amish town. Anyway, I was in the canned fish section and a Mennonite lady I had seen behind me came by and said hello, and I said hello. She asked if I was from that town, and I said no that I was from __________. And she looked puzzled and said, "Is there a Mennonite church there?" So I answered her that no, not that I knew of, we attended a ___________ church. Her face lit up and she said "And you veil!" It was not like a question or a poke, she was genuinely excited. So I went on to explain it, that I had not been veiling long, but after my husband and I studied the verse in depth and taken into consideration the original language texts about it, that we could not deny the truth of it.

This woman started to cry. I continued that I was the only one I knew of in my church that veiled, and that I had not said anything to anyone unless asked directly because I did not want to appear to be trying to sway people (I was kinda afraid she was thinking there was a ______ church in the area where the women veiled, and I didn't want her to show up and feel lied to, so I really wanted to make it clear that I was doing this under my own husband's authority and no one else's). She wanted to know how we discovered it. I said that we had made the decision to re-examine everything we had been taught, and that we concluded that we could not take parts of the Bible literally and not others. And she said, still crying, that it is amazing what happens when we decide to just open our hearts and let God lead, so I started to cry. There we were, perfect strangers, crying together right next to the oysters in Sav-a-Lot.

She said a few things about how amazing it was that I was willing to submit to the veil knowing I would be the only one doing it in my church, and how it was such a witness. And that made me smile, because as I have stated before, I want people to see the truth of Jesus just by looking at me. Instant visible witness-accomplished.

Is Jesus the Messiah?

I got this in my inbox from Chosen People Ministries (I have mentioned them before) and it sounds like it will be very interesting.

"Is Jesus the fulfillment of Isaiah chapter 53? Dr. Michael Brown and Rabbi Shmuley Boteach disagree on the answer!

You are invited to tune in to www.chosenpeople.com/debate this Sunday, October 28th, to view a limited, one-day webcast entitled "Did Jesus Die for Our Sins?"

Watch as Messianic Jewish scholar Dr. Michael Brown and Orthodox Rabbi Shmuley Boteach discuss the well-known 53rd chapter of the Book of Isaiah, which is interpreted very differently by those who believe that Jesus (Yeshua) is the Messiah and by those who do not.

Dr. Brown holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures from New York University and is the author of numerous works including the recently-published What Do Jewish People Think about Jesus? He is the founder and president of ICN Ministries.

Rabbi Boteach was named "the most famous rabbi in America" by Newsweek, and is the host of the popular television show Shalom in the Home. He is also the author of many books, including Judaism for Everyone and Kosher Sex.

Sponsored by Chosen People Ministries, which has brought the message of the Messiah to Jewish people for more than a century, this free webcast will engage your mind and spirit."

Yeshua...Who was He?

This is a link to a link, but it was just so wonderful, and I had to let you know that I found this on Karin's site because I also learned tonight that she and her husband are going to move to Israel to minister to the Jews there. And I was astonished becase I just learned that the Old Paths family are doing the same. Also, a young man from our church is there now as a student/missionary. I think what these families are willing to do is helping people to really realize that the Jews have always and will always be the Chosen People, and as followers of Christ (Yeshua) we ought to be reaching out to his nation.

"This writing came from Dr. Michael L. Brown PhD; a Jewish scholar and author of numerous books on answering Jewish objections. He has debated some of the great Rabbi's of this century. His link is at the bottom.

For all who have ears to hear and eyes to see!

Jesus - Yeshua. Rabbi? Prophet? Healer? Deliverer? Savior? Messiah? Son of God? Jesus - Yeshua. Deceiver? Apostate? Magician? Rebel? Traitor? Liar? Accursed of God? Jesus - Yeshua. Who is this man?
Two thousand years have come and gone, but the question remains the same: Is Jesus of Nazareth the Jewish Messiah, the Savior of the world? If he is, then let’s follow him, for we have no other way. If he’s not, let’s expose him, for only the truth will set us free.
* * *
Although the world is full of religions, the controversy surrounding the Messiahship of Jesus is unique, because both those who accept Jesus and those who reject him base their beliefs on one and the same Book. Jews who follow Jesus say: “He must be the Messiah. He fulfilled all the prophecies of the Bible.” Jews who don’t follow Jesus say: “He can’t be the Messiah. He fulfilled none of the prophecies of the Bible.”
Who’s right?
From one Book, the Hebrew Scriptures, have come two faiths. One faith says: We’d rather die than confess the name of Jesus. The other faith says: We’d rather die than deny the name of Jesus. One faith says: There are two Messiahs who will only come once. The other faith says: There is one Messiah but he will come twice.
“So how can I know the truth?”
Simple. Only one of these two faiths is based on the power of God while the other has been built on the traditions of men. There really is quite a difference! And the God of the patriarchs, the God of the exodus, the God of the prophets, is the God of the Messiah, and He has made things plain in His Word. If you seek Him with all your heart, then the Scriptures will be “a light to our path and a lamp to our feet” (Psa 119:105). His Word is sure. He cannot lie.
* * *
Once I was speaking to an ultra-orthodox rabbi about the Messiahship of Jesus. He didn’t want to hear my opinions (and I can’t blame him for that!). He didn’t care about what anybody else had to say. He just wanted to go back to the original sources. “Let’s go back to the Talmud,” he said. “That’s where we can find the truth.” I think my answer surprised him. “Why should I go back to the Talmud,” I said, “when I can go all the way back to the New Testament?” To my surprise, he didn’t argue.You see, many Jewish people today are told that Judaism alone is the real religion of the Bible, and that “Christianity” is a much later, predominantly Gentile religion. And yet statements such as these, intimidating as they may sound, are simply not true.Here are the facts: Traditional Judaism as we know it today is not so much the religion of Moses and the prophets as it is the religion of the rabbis who lived and taught over 1500 years later. Instead of being the religion of sacrifice and blood atonement as prescribed by the Torah, it is a religion without sacrifice and blood atonement, in spite of the Torah. It may shock you to know this, but some of Judaism’s most sacred books did not even exist before the late Middle Ages. Christopher Columbus had already discovered America before the Code of Jewish Law used by Orthodox Jews today reached its final form. And the traditions keep on growing to this very day.As for the Messianic Jewish faith, the Jewish faith that believes in Yeshua the Messiah, the facts are as follows: The sole authority for faith and practice is the Bible, consisting of the Old and New Covenants. Rather than the New Covenant being a late Gentile book, all it’s authors, save one, were Jews, Jews who lived in the days before the Second Temple was destroyed in 70 CE. Many other traditions and customs added in the following centuries by the church have had nothing to do with the Bible and therefore have absolutely no connection with the Messianic Jewish faith. Although some people may call them “biblical” or “Christian,” they are totally devoid of scriptural authority.The writers of the New Covenant were Jews who recognized that Messiah had come to atone for the sins of his people. They based their beliefs on the Hebrew Scriptures, and on the Hebrew Scriptures alone. And so, when Yeshua died and rose from the dead in accordance with key prophecies in those very Scriptures, they had all the confirmation they could ever want that he indeed was the promised Messiah. If he had not fulfilled those essential prophecies then they would not have followed him. They recognized him because he did the work Messiah had to do.Then why didn’t the other Jewish leaders of the day acknowledge that Yeshua was in fact the Messiah? The answer again is simple: They weren’t looking for him. They were looking for another. The Messiah of the rabbis only partly resembled the Messiah of the Bible. And yet the thing they longed for most was the very thing they missed, for Messiah had come to save them from their sins. So in 30 CE, as Yeshua “approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, ‘If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace -- but now it is hidden from your eyes. For you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.’” (Luke 19:41-42) Forty years later Jerusalem was destroyed, and tens of thousands of her inhabitants were dead.“But wait one second,” you say. “Weren’t these rabbis the very ones who studied the Torah day and night? And weren’t these the men who were responsible for some of the most beautiful prayers and teachings that were ever written? How did it happen, then, that some of the most scrupulous and zealous Jews who ever lived missed the Messiah?” It is to this question that we now must turn.
* * *
Substitution.
There is no more important concept in the Hebrew Bible than this if we are to understand God’s holy love for us.
Substitution.
It is the key that unlocks the door to our redemption. And it is the rock that makes men stumble. It alone can fully explain why Yeshua’s own people missed him, and it alone can open their eyes again.
Substitution. Without this word Yeshua’s death is a farce.
The rabbis of the Talmud discussed how to be made right with God, especially in the absence of blood sacrifices. They said, “For certain sins, the Day of Atonement alone is sufficient,” while for other sins they argued, “There must be repentance as well.” For more serious offenses they claimed that only the Day, plus repentance, plus suffering would do the trick, while for the worst sins of all they taught, “The only hope for forgiveness is in the Day of Atonement and death!”And yet they missed the point of the Day, and they missed the point of the blood. They failed to grasp the lesson that was before their eyes.Day after day, the Sadducees offered their sacrifices at the Temple. Thousands upon thousands of animals were slain, and gallons of blood were poured out on the altar. Lambs and goats and rams and calves were offered up to a holy God. Yet the people could not see.The Pharisees studied the Torah day and night. They added new regulations to old laws, and they developed the most detailed system of ritual purity that the world has ever known. They taught that study of the Law was more loved by God than even the offerings themselves. Yet they failed to see the heart of the matter. They failed to grasp the fundamental meaning of it all. For it was not the blood of bulls that God wanted for Himself; it was not the fat of rams that He desired. It was not a people of mere ritual purity that He sought; He did not require a new code that would keep men clean. No. He wanted a substitute, a righteous lamb who would bear His people’s sins. He wanted a spotless sacrifice who would purify the people within. Over and over again, a thousand times ten thousand, the offerings were brought before the altar. And over and over again, in numbers too great to count, their innocent blood was spilled. And over and over again, the message of God was crying out: “A substitute must come! A substitute must come!”
* * *
The Jewish people of Yeshua’s day were all looking for a Savior. Some hoped for a mighty military Leader, while others looked for a Deliverer from the sky. Some looked for a holy Priest, while others looked for a Teacher of Righteousness. Yet no one was looking for a Crucified Messiah. And no one was looking for the Lamb of God. They had forgotten that the righteous Servant of the Lord was himself to be an ’asham -- an offering for sin (Isaiah 53:10). And they had forgotten father Abraham’s words that God would provide the lamb for the burnt offering (Genesis 22:8).Yes, there were some rabbis who claimed that every sacrifice was accepted on the basis of Abraham’s offering up of Isaac. And they claimed that in the Passover rite, when God “saw the blood” (Exodus 12), He was looking at the sacrifice of Isaac and not at the blood of the lamb.Yet Isaac was not offered, and his blood was never shed. And it was God Himself Who provided the sacrifice that saved the life of Abraham’s son. It was Messiah who suffered and died, and it is by his wounds that we are healed (Isaiah 53:5). It was he who was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and it was he who bore our sins (Isaiah 53:7, 12 and Leviticus 16:22).Oh yes, there were Jewish teachers who believed that the suffering of the righteous could bring atonement to the world. Yet when the truly Righteous One suffered and died, they said that it was for naught.
* * *
Our rabbis tell us that when Messiah comes, he will establish peace on earth. When the real Savior comes, he will even bring change to the physical world. But a Savior who changes the physical world without first changing us is really no savior at all. And a Messiah who establishes peace on earth without first establishing peace in our hearts is really no Messiah at all.Messiah had to die. Messiah had to take our place. There was no other way. No other substitute was found. No one else could pay the price. Nothing else could heal our wounds, for sin required death.Yeshua paid the price. It was his death that brought us life. He alone was the Substitute for a sinful human race, and he alone can offer us redemption.
* * *
The traditional Judaism of our day has its roots in the religion of the Pharisees, a small group of dedicated Jews who banded together over two thousand years ago. These were the men who would not eat with ceremonially unwashed hands, the men so famous for their attention to detail. These were the men who even tithed on insignificant crops, and who studied every jot and tittle of God’s Law. Yet many of these men were the ones who missed Yeshua when he came. They did not see the forest for the trees. For it is not ritual observance that makes a man clean within, and it is not attention to an outer system of laws that brings us to God. And no matter how much we try to love Him and please Him, our efforts are polluted with sin. We are members of a fallen race. Only a new heart will do. Yet this is the truth these zealous men missed, since in their passion for obedience to every letter of the Law they did not fully grasp the spirit of the One Who gave it. And as the Pharisees went, so have the Jewish people gone. Traditional Judaism as we know it today was formulated by the heirs of those who rejected Yeshua. It is a religion which stands against faith in him, a system which ignores his life, disregards his death, and denies his resurrection. It downplays the supernatural, life-transforming power of the Spirit of God. That’s why traditional Jews throughout the ages have stumbled over the person of Yeshua. But in the beginning it was not so.Most Jewish teachers before Yeshua emphasized the miraculous and believed in the power of God’s testimony from heaven. But when the followers of Yeshua had so many healings and prophetic words, many said, “We don’t depend on a miracle!”Many of the Jews of Yeshua’s day were looking for a Deliverer who would come miraculously, as with the clouds of heaven. Yet when Yeshua said, “I have come down from heaven, and I will come again in the clouds of heaven,” many said, “Not so! Our Messiah will be a teacher of the Law, a rabbi like ourselves!” They had the prayers, they had the laws, they had the covenant tradition -- how did our forefathers miss it? The answer again is simple. They truly had a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge (Romans 10:2). They did not attain what they sought after, for they stumbled over the grace of God. Messiah had come to make them well, yet they said in reply, “We’re not sick!”
* * *
But not all of our forefathers missed it. The writer of almost half of the New Covenant Scriptures was himself a Pharisee, born of the tribe of Benjamin. And the Book of Acts records “how many myriads of Jews” there were who believed and were zealous for the Torah (Acts 21:20). In fact, “a great many of the [Jewish] priests were obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7), and even today in our country and throughout the world, there are multiplied scores of thousands of Jews who believe and confess, “Yeshua is the Messiah! Yeshua is Lord!”This, then, is the biblical, Jewish faith, the Jewish faith that is truly Messianic. And this is the faith that will bring the world back to God, the faith that will cause the nations to believe. And Yeshua is the One who will establish justice in the earth, “and the coastlands shall [and do!] wait for His law” (Isaiah 42:4). At this very hour, in every continent on the globe, countless millions of people who used to be godless now worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob -- through Jesus (Yeshua!) -- the Messiah and Lord. He is the only Way.It is true that the Messiah’s mission to Israel appeared to have failed, and the Hebrew Scriptures tell us that he even said to the Lord, “I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing.” But the Lord responded to him: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth” (Isa 49:4, 6). Yes, Israel too shall believe, just as the nations of the world have put their trust in the Messiah, the Son of God.
* * *
The Talmud teaches that for the last forty years before the Temple was destroyed, God did not accept the sacrifices of the Day of Atonement (Yoma 39). Year after year, for the life of one whole generation, the Lord was saying, “No.” You see, God had provided one Sacrifice for all, a final Atonement for the sins of mankind. God had provided the Lamb. And it was forty years before the Temple was destroyed that Yeshua offered his life. From that day to this, God has been saying “No” to His people. “No more of your sacrifices, no more of your prayers, no more of your works. I have provided the Way.”Yet to all who have ears to hear, God has been saying: “Yes, you may come! Yes, you can know Me! Yes, I will cleanse you from all your sin! Believe in the One I have sent. Messiah Yeshua has come.”
* * *
The spiritual leaders of our people who tell us that we can not know God are wrong. They are only saying, “I don’t know Him personally, so how can you? I’ve studied for years and I’m still learning. How can you be so sure?”Once again, our answer is simple and clear. Messiah Yeshua has made God known. He has revealed the Father to us. And through his blood we have been brought back to God.
Tradition will not save us.
Opinions will not set us free.
Messiah has ransomed our souls from the Pit.
Let all his Jewish people come!
*Copyright © Michael L. Brown, 1987, 2005,2007

This speaks for me! You can find this at- http://www.revolutionnow.org/"

Cheese or Pepperoni Church Youth Group

Here is another example of seeker-sensitive evangelism, which I oppose, and for the same reasons regardless of the approach.

Cheese or Pepperoni Church Youth Group?
By Chris Johnson

How about neither! In this article my aim is to show you why you should refuse to be a member of what I call a “pizza party youth group” and demand a ministry that truly ministers to your soul and not simply your stomach. Some of these arguments might rub your flesh the wrong way, but if you desire to be a true follower of Jesus Christ then comfort and ease are not part of the equation. I know this sounds radical in an age where comfort is everything but my friend I am going to tell you the truth, God’s truth. My prayer is that it will resonate in your heart and set you on a quest in search of righteousness and truth.
The question that I seek to answer is “What are the ramifications of being satisfied with a ‘pizza party youth group’?” The answer I believe is direct and straight to the point, death! The fact is the leaders of these “ministries” are not ministers at all. The objective of youth ministry is to call young people to genuine repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. To direct them in the paths of righteousness that lead to life, to call them to a life of holiness and model this life in front of them. It is not to entertain and appease their sinful flesh.
In Ephesians 2, the Apostle Paul unashamedly describes the spiritual state of both you and I prior to regeneration. In verse 1, he explains how we were dead in our trespasses and sins, destined for eternity separated from God, condemned to eternal punishment and torment in the flames of hell. The word ‘dead’ can be translated corpse. It describes an utterly hopeless existence void of any hope of life. It has been said that the only difference between a spiritually dead person and a physically dead person is six feet of dirt. Paul goes on to explain that it is only through the regeneration of our souls by a most merciful God that we have any hope of life beyond these few years on this earth. We must be cleansed of our sinfulness and made alive by the power of the Holy Spirit through the blood of Christ Jesus.
My purpose in bringing up this most humbling truth is to ask you whether or not you have ever heard it preached in the latest pizza bash you attended. If you have heard it then this article is not for you. Unfortunately the majority of these shallow ministries is strictly entertainment in the name of God. Their stomachs have been filled with melting cheese and pepperoni, but their spiritual man is left starving and empty.
So what are the ultimate outcomes of this backward method of ministry? Below I will describe three scenarios:
.
First: The unsaved visitor

He has been invited to the youth group to have a “good time.” The selling points for his coming were pizza, games and girls. (Notice coming into a right relationship with God was never mentioned). Sure the pizza was great and who wouldn’t want to spend a few hours playing the latest X-Box & DDR games. As for the girls the jury is still out, but what about his eternal soul? Well, the answer is that unfortunately with ten minutes left before calling it a night the youth leader gathered everyone together and mentioned that he hoped everyone had a good time and told them what would be coming up in the following weeks. He then closed with a five-minute devotion, mentioning how Jesus wants them to have a good life and how they can live forever in heaven by simply praying a short prayer. He followed the devotion with the “bow your head and repeat this prayer after me” stunt, and after reassuring everyone that they were in good standing with God and telling them how cool they were He closed the night in prayer. Result you now have a young man who doesn’t know what he “prayed” and doesn’t understand his real sinful state but feels that he is “ok” because that is what the leader said. He leaves the meeting and reassures his friend he will be back next week.

Next: The regular member of the youth ministry

Odds are at one point or another he was the “unsaved” visitor who also feels secure in his “salvation experience” even though he continues to live a compromising sinful lifestyle. He never hears the message of daily repentance and of needing to live a holy and righteous life depending fully upon the power of the Holy Spirit to grow deeper in His walk with Christ. The food and games are his favorite part of the youth group and he faithfully follows the directions of his youth pastor to invite his friends to the next week’s meeting. What we see is at best a malnourished young believer who will most certainly grow up to be a shallow self-centered Christian and worst of all he is still lost in his sinfulness without a clue that he is on His way to hell. I know these words are sobering but how long will we ignore what is happening to our young people?

Finally: The Youth Intern

This for me is the saddest state of the ‘pizza party’ youth group. It is here that the transfer of ministry knowledge takes place. This young man has been in the group a long time. He has been faithful to participate in all the group’s activities and really shows some real leadership qualities. The youth leader inquires as to whether or not he would be interested in interning during the summer and learning the ins and outs of youth ministry. The student jumps at this opportunity because He loves kids and wants to make a difference. Unfortunately He is taught all of the same shallow methods that He experienced growing up. Who knows how many young people will now be influenced by his continuation of this shallow self-centered practice called youth ministry.

Many might believe that my assessment is too harsh and unfounded but I have been around many young people and I have seen the tragic lives that they live - lives without any purpose except fulfilling their own desires. There is no devotion to Jesus and His purpose for their lives. There is no concern for the lost souls around them because it is possible that they too might be in the same boat.

My prayer is that we would return to real Biblical Christianity. Let us call this generation to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. It is the only way. It is not old-fashioned nor out dated. If we don’t begin now to call these young people to a real walk with Christ based upon the truth found in the Bible, we will not only lose them but many generations after them. We must answer the call and stand Truth.

Dear Friend

Feel free to copy this and use it however you like.
*Please site this blog as source.


Dear Friend,

This letter is a long time coming, mostly because I haven't been able to find a way to say what I need to say. During our last conversation, you mentioned that I seemed distant, and I laughed it off- but you were right. There is something between us that I can't pretend away anymore.

You may not realize it, but you are causing problems in my marriage. The clothes you have been wearing are a temptation to my husband that he is sometimes unable to overcome. I know that losing the baby weight was a big accomplishment for you, and that dressing nicely makes you feel more confident, but it comes at a price. The jeans may not seem tight, but they are certainly form-fitting, and they accentuate your every curve.

You may think you couldn't possible have turned the head of another man after having three children, but men aren't made to process things the way we do. They instead recognize and are excited by the shape of a woman's body regardless of the size or imperfections. You are a beautiful woman. The sweet and cheerful mother and wife you are make you a magnet for people, anyway. And when you add apparel that accentuates your body, I am faced with comparison I cannot ever defeat. It is hard for me to know that you are the same woman who prayed with me in Bible study and agreed that tantalizing ads on TV were one of the biggest areas of concern in the Christian marriage, and yet you are the seductress in the next pew! Oh, my friend, the sting I feel even as I write this, knowing you would never willingly steal my husband, but watching you do it all the same.

My husband has confessed his distress to me that your appearance causes him to think lustful thoughts at times. He is so frustrated that he has mentioned changing churches, or not going at all. He says he faces so much temptation in the world that facing it at church, too, is just too much. That is why we have moved to the front of the church. I know I told you something like we wanted to be able to hear the choir better or that it is less distracting to have everyone behind us, but the truth is that when we would bow our heads to pray, my husband's eyes were drawn right to the seat of your pants. I cannot blame him, as mine were too, just out of proximity. But it didn't cause me internal struggle; at least not for myself. I did feel pity for my husband that he was instantly driven out of the spirit of worship and into the spirit of warfare.

Of course men are accountable for their thoughts, and it cannot be made the responsibility of women to keep men in spiritual check. There will be men who will look longingly no matter what you wear. But to make it harder for the men who are trying to break free from lust is to create a stumbling block between them and God. I know you well enough to know that you would never continue to do something that would cause others to sin, so I am asking you to change this part of your life for me. Please don't continue to come between my husband and I, or worse, between him and God.

Your sister in Christ

http://trainachild.blogspot.com

Starting at Home

I have believed for a long time that the family is a powerful tool in evangelism. Because people perceive you often first and most lastingly by your family, it is very important that the family be both transparent and grounded in this visible witness. The fact that so many people come up to us and comment on our children and their behavior is what prompted the idea of the business cards and website in the first place.

Recently I have been introduced to the idea of the family being a point of evangelism for the CHURCH. The first was a CD of a message given by Voddie Baucham at the Evangelism Conference in Cedarville, Ohio this year. The points were right on with what we have felt for a long time- that age-segregated Sunday School is not the best approach to discipling children, that the men ought to be teaching the children (in particular the father) and not the women, and that youth groups create a lot of false converts because the foundation is not established first.

Then Heather sent me a link to the association of which her church is a part, which is all about integrating the family into the church instead of the other way around.

When families live as God ordained them to, they draw attention. Because He has compared our walk with him to that of a father and child, we ought to be able to see that repeated in our churches as well, abnd it is sadly missing from most of the church.

Great Bible Tracts and More!

I am a very big 'fan' of the Ray Comfort/Kirk Cameron website Living Waters, and the accompanying School of Biblical Evangelism. I know there are a lot of popular people endorsing a lot of church-oriented products, but I fully agree with the approach demonstrated in their videos and books for reaching the lost. Teaching the cross truly is foolishness to those who are perishing. It is hard for us to understand it when we have been accustomed to "church-talk" and know the truths that all sins are the same and that God requires perfection. But to many in the world, morality is about comparing. How many people have you heard say "Well, I'm a good person because I've never murdered anyone or done anything major wrong, and I try to help people all the time."?

What is wrong with this statement?

1. God's standard is perfection. It won't matter in the slightest what someone else did or didn't do when you stand before Him. all that matters is what he deems to be sin (going against His law, or Ten Commandments), the price for that sin (death), and the only way to avoid it (being covered by the blood price paid by Christ). This isn't a college entrance exam- God is not going to choose the top 5% to be His elect. He will only save those who have had their sins paid for by the only person who could afford to pay it- the sinless Christ.

2. While most of us can say we have never murdered another person, which is forbidden in the 6th commandment (Exodus 20:13), we are doing what the Pharisees did in trying to create our own standard of righteousness by taking away the essence, or the scope of the law.
"For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire." Matthew 5:20-22

James 2:10 also tells us that if we keep all of the law except one little part, we are guilty. The Law is a package deal, not a multiple choice list. The Law isn't just about NOT doing some things, but about DOING others. You may never kill a person's body, but if you are teaming with anger and hatred toward that person, your heart is already guilty of murder.

3. Good works are important because of what they prove. In James Chapter 2, there are examples of how "faith" without works is dead. Some may misconstrue this to mean that works are necessary to receive salvation. If you read closely, though, he is saying that real faith cannot exist without works because of the transforming nature of that faith. When we are truly saved, we CANNOT sit back and watch others in need and do nothing. The ours is a false religion, because Christ gave his very life for us when we were perishing, and if we are to walk after Him, we must be of a like mind and give everything for others. Doing good should be the outward evidence of the change inside of us, but it will not save us.

God does not take attendance, give out extra credit points, or rejoice in your help. Isaiah 64:6 tells us what we think is beautiful service to God is to him as filthy rags. What could we buy of any value with rags? And Galatians 2:16 and Ephesians 2:8-9 tell us that we are saved by faith, not by works. In fact, we are saved by the opposite of works. If we could be saved by works, we could save ourselves and not need Christ. But the necessary brokenness in salvation stems from our realization that we cannot save ourselves, and then we must rely wholly on Jesus, not on our good deeds.

The School of Biblical Evangelism is fully of meaty lessons and good self-examinations, and there is a forum for those who join the school to discuss topics and find other in the area to team-evangelize with. And on the living waters page there is a store where you can buy really good, sound Bible tracts as well as the videos and other items to help with reachign the lost. It is also obvious from the pricing that the people behind this store are not making a living at selling Bible-related items, but are TRULY committed to seeking and saving thwe lost.

www.livingwaters.com
www.needgod.com
www.wayofthemaster.com

What's Your Temperature?

These evangelism postings are for you to print if you like and share with others. The one about temperature was for our Christmas Cards in 2006, and we attached a small disposable thermometer to the bottom of each. We also printed them on paper with all the relevant Bible verses framing the outside, but that will not copy here, so if someone needs the verses, just leave me a note.



What is your Temperature?

temperature- n. The degree of hotness or coldness of a body or environment

We use thermometers to check the temperature of our foods, the air outside, and our bodies. The information these tools give us help us better understand what we need to do in order to make a situation 'right'. If the thermometer inserted in a turkey does not register a high enough number, we know the turkey is not fully cooked. If the temperature outside is not understood to some degree, we can end up not being prepared- dressing too warmly or not warm enough. And a high temperature in a person indicates the presence of some internal struggle. The body responds to invasion of germs or stressors by raising the heat, hopefully destroying those threats.

There is a temperature we often ignore or avoid, even if we have never considered it in such a way. There is a measure of the temperature of our spirit or soul. It is not comfortable to compare ourselves to what we are told is required by God. We like to try and interpret the Bible in our own way, or make statements to the effect that 'God is forgiving' or that 'I am a good person'. But these statements are false because they are incomplete by themselves. God does forgive- but there are parameters around that forgiveness. It does not require a repayment by us, any action to earn it, or even a complete understanding of it. The forgiveness of God requires admission of our wrongs and knowing that we cannot be good enough on our own- we need an intercessor.

If we can earn eternal life through efforts, or if God forgives man because he is flawed, the crucifixion of Christ was unnecessary. And if his death was not necessary, celebrating his birth is meaningless as well. God is a just God, meaning he requires things to be made right. We could never make right what we have done wrong because the fair punishment for sin is death. But God is merciful in that he provided the way for us to get it right- Christ. The story of the nativity is just a sweet story unless we realize why Christ was born- to live a sinless life and then offer himself as the payment for the sins of the world. That is the gift offered, and it is free, but we must receive it. We must consciously understand what he is offering and take it BEFORE we stand in judgment. Regardless of what we might pretend, God will not hand out free passes to those who were "good", but instead will only spare those whose names are in the Book of Life.

How can we get our names in the Book? Jesus tells us very clearly that unless we are born again, we will not see heaven. But what is born again? The very phrase makes many people cringe because of the connotations that go with it. Regardless of what it appears to be or has been said to be, this requirement is the realization of the truth- that you have sinned before God and stand condemned, and only faith in Jesus can save you. It is born again because the heart of man is deceitful from the beginning, telling him that God will not really punish sin, and the new heart that comes from being honest about sin does not try to justify itself, but rather clings to the one hope in light of the alternative. There is a new focus, a new understanding, a new man. A man who has been born again- different.

Well, what if your sins are not that bad. I mean, you've never murdered anyone or robbed a bank, right? If you look at it that way, you are using your own measuring device- one that you invented to suit your own desires. I could make up a thermometer of my own, but if it does not have the same informational value as the one used by the National Meteorological Society, my information will not be considered useful because standards have been established by those who created the weather tracking system. God, creator of all, created his standard- perfection- and try as we might, we will never 'sell' him on our own ideas. Not fair? Would a just judge let a murderer go free because he was good in every other aspect of his life? Would he allow a thief to continue to steal because that thief felt he 'wasn't really hurting anybody' or felt that the government was impeding on his right to expression? No. A just judge will prescribe justice. And none of us can claim innocence- has anyone besides Christ ever kept all of the 10 Commandments?

Sometimes we pretend to be secure in our eternal destiny when we are not. We assume that a one-time acknowledgement of who Christ is was enough, or that we might believe in what the Bible requires, but that we should keep it to ourselves so as not to offend anyone. Does that sound like a different man? Are we truly convicted if we are still trying to stand in the middle? Jesus warns that not everyone who believes they will be saved will enter heaven. He talks about those who are 'lukewarm', neither hot nor cold toward him, and how those pretenders are so vile that he will spew them out of his mouth. Certainly not the 'forgiving God' we have heard about who winks at sin and considers only how unavoidable we think our wrongs are.

So, what is your spiritual temperature? Do you know what you believe and why, or are you easily influenced by the latest trends in spirituality and morality? Are you prepared to answer for yourself, or are you still planning on comparing yourself to others whose sins are 'worse'? Are you leaning on an invalid system of determining temperature? You don't have to believe in God's wrath in order for it to be real. You will face it some day- maybe a day when you are not prepared for it. And ignorance will not be excused- God has told us everything we need to know in his Bible. He has promised answers to those who truly seek them. Just like the weather man, whose concern is to be sure people are prepared for what is to come, God is warning the world that he is going to decide, and there is no middle. It's a clear yes or no- with him or without him. No luke-warm. Measure your temperature by the Author's standards. It's the most important check-up you will every have.

- Amy Brookover 2006