Blog Put On Hold

I'm taking a break from Bloggin'

John Avant is Coming!

EVANGELISM CONFERENCE with JOHN AVANT at Royal Heights Baptist Church in Delta BC. October 26 & 27

John Avant is a gifted evangelist, speaker and author.

He will speak the evenings of October 26 (Monday) & October 27 (Tuesday) and during a lunch Tuesday for pastors, church planters, church staff and ministry leaders.

All is FREE but you must register with Mary Huppe, Office Manager at office@royalhbc.com

Worship was Great Today!

We baptized our 28th person this morning! What a joy to witness what the LORD is doing. Gina shared a super testimony about the work of the LORD in her life. The worship team had new sound equipment. The spirit of the room was high!

I just love going to worship. To gather with other believers to sing songs of worship to our King of kings and LORD of lords. To see first time believers give their very best to the LORD.

After the service we all had a Chili lunch as Jana won the grand prize of having the best Chili of all of us. Great job, Jana! Oh, and she just had a baby a few days ago!

I just loved worship today!

Jesus is our Sabbath

Why do we, as humans, find it so hard to be a human being instead of a human doing? We seem to MUST do. We seem to be driven to do instead of be.

Most of our training from early childhood to adult learning is teaching us how to do something. We seem to honour those who have mastered some skill, like a doctor, lawyer, NASA scientist, etc. If you are "smart" and doing something important than, we conclude, we MUST be important.

This thinking "works great" until you lose your job or grow old or someone smarter comes into the room. Then jealously begins, envy surfaces and depression can quickly become the mood for the rest of our lives.

How does our understanding our being help us live in the practical world of life?

Hebrews 4: 1 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. 3 For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: “ So I swore in My wrath, ‘ They shall not enter My rest,’”

8 For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.

This rest is the Christian's sabbath. Christ is our Sabbath! We have ceased from our striving to "please God by our doing". We have discovered that our religion of works in an abomination before the LORD. He is not interested in our "doing", it is filthy rags of false righteousness before Him.

Christian, you have been made new! You are a new human BEING. You have been made righteousness not be your "doing" by through our absolute ceasing from work. We totally live or rest only in the Christ's righteousness to give us life.

This is where the seventh-day Adventist completely miss the understanding of the Sabbath. They continue to look to honour a day when the Sabbath is God's picture to enter His rest. And God's only REST is His Son, Jesus the Christ.

Romans 14:5 One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks.

Does it matter that the seventh-day advents celebrate the LORD on the Saturday, which was the Sabbath day for the Jewish people of Israel? No,... if that is their choice, to God be the glory. But when they claim that all who do not are serving the Anti-Christ this is where we part company.

As a believer in Christ, I ALWAYS keep the Sabbath! I keep the Sabbath every day, for I rest (Sabbath) only in the Christ and His finished work to redeem me to His Father. This old convent day is completely fulfilled in the coming of the Christ. He is our Sabbath Day,...enter Him alone and cease from all of your labours to save yourself. Stop doing and BE!

Christian, we have been given the greatest gift of all time from our Lord. He has given us LIFE. We are human BEINGS! Rest in this truth. Rest in the Christ! Stop "trying" to please the Father. You can only please Him by faith (totally resting in Him alone).

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Stop it!

Stop "trying" to be and just BE. You are righteousness in Christ. Enjoy this righteousness. Embrace who you have been made to be. Rest! REST! REST!!

John 6:28 Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

God is looking for people who just Believe in Him, not work FOR Him. You CANNOT work FOR God, you can only ABIDE with or in Him and His holy work flows through you. Your "work" is to DO no more work!! Your work is to but BELIEVE!

I know this is a "new concept" for many but this is the very secret of the Christian faith. This teaching is really over 2000 years old. This is the clearly teachings of Paul. It is only by faith and unto faith, unto faith and unto faith that victory is experienced in the practical world of living.

Worry

What is worry?

In today's world with the uncertainty of money many seem to be in a panic. "Will we have enough? What will I do if we don't? How will we survive?" Many are living in daily fear about the financial situation.

Look at these words of Jesus written over 2000 years ago...

Matthew 6:25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

Easy to write. Easy to read. Easy to agree with but impossible to live without totally abiding in the Almighty.

Why worry? Where does it come from? It comes from our misunderstanding of who's in charge of this ol' world. The LORD God is Sovereign. He is trustworthy. If you believe, rest in, put your full weight upon, had total faith in this truth worry cannot come.

Christian, who is in charge of all things? Do you believe?

Satan: The Enemy of God

Today, I had the Redemption ministry house guys all in the church building as we work together through a course on "How To Counsel Yourself". I love teaching this class because you can see the guys that "get it".

Their eyes light up. Their hope is clear. They ask questions and give answers with meaning a purpose. It is just great!

Today we talked about Satan and His ways. What a reminder of the evil that he can do to this old planet. Oh, how he hates God with a passion.

Some of his names:
Tempter (Matthew 4:5; 1 Thessalonians. 3:5)
Beelzebub (Matthew 12:24)
Enemy (Matthew 13:39)
Evil One (Matthew 13:19, 38; 1 John 2:13-14; 3:12, and 5:18)
Belial (Worthlessness) (2 Corinthians. 6:15)
Adversary (1 Peter 5:8)
Deceiver (Rev. 12:9)
Dragon (Rev. 12:3)
Father of Lies (John 8:44)
Murderer (John 8:44)


Where did he get his start? Why did he get twisted up?

Isaiah 14:12 “ How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your heart:
‘ I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ 15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit.


But God...


In Ephesians 6:10-18


How do you win the battle with the Evil One? Dress in the armour of the LORD.


To dress is to BELIEVE. To FULLY Trust in. To ABIDE. To put all your confidence and faith in the finished work of Christ. To put not trust in your works or your skills.


The Armour:


The TRUTH: The truth is only God's Word. Everything is subject to this one divine revelation.

The RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD: Not our righteousness but God's. We are justified. Made right with the LORD God Almighty in a through only His Son, Jesus Christ.

The GOSPEL: We have nothing to say but what we have received. It is only Jesus the Christ and Him crucified.

The FAITH: I rest in Him. His work. His love. His victory. His obedience. His holiness. I believe!

The SALVATION: I am saved! I am saved! I am saved!. Thank God Almighty I am saved!

The WORD OF GOD: The Scriptures are God's words given to man. Trust them. Treat them as sacred because they are. Believe them! They will set you free!!

My Blog:A Love - Hate Relationship

I love blogging! I hate blogging today! I love blogging! I hate that I have no time today! I love blogging! You can the point...

My blogg is a great way for me to lay out some of the thoughts I'm having on any given day. The problem is getting to the page every day to lay out those thoughts for all to see. It is easier for me to have these thoughts than to write about them.

What keeps me going are the words of my friend, Paul Johnson. I remember once when he was my pastor and I told him after I didn't administrate something very well, "I'm just not a good administrator, Paul!" Looking for his approval and nod of agreement instead he said, "Alan, that's no excuse, learn it!" Ouch!

I remember reading at least 10 to 20 books on the subject so that I would learn how to care for people and things in a proper way. He was right, I was just trying to give an excuse.

So, today I am open for comments: If you think I should continue this blogg, let me know. If you are frustrated with my lack of consistency and think I should move on to other things, let me know that also.

Maybe nobody reads this thing anyway and I'm talking to myself????

Our Amazing God

It is just like God to keep doing things beyond what we could ask or think!

At the start of the year we asked the Lord for 29 baptisms. 29 new people who would be brought into the faith. 29 new families that would be healed and brought into the health of the gospel.

The amazing thing is that we have never see 29 people baptized in one year here at Royal Heights in over 18 years! We were and are asking God by faith. "LORD, lead us to the ones You have so chosen to taste Your goodness and mercy. Reveal to us, Your people, who You desire to bring to Yourself when we declare the great gospel message in their hearing. LORD God, redeem Your people, we pray!"

Today is the month of August and we are experiencing amazing works of God. We saw 25 people be baptized so far this year! Only God can cause the increase in His church. Only God can call the lost to be found. Only God can take the dead and raise them to His eternal glory. ONLY GOD!

Also this year we worked on our overall purpose or mission statement for the church. Our conclusion was the saying, "We exist as a church body to be On Mission with the Master!"

This last Sunday was a great confirmation to myself that the LORD was organizing and designing His work to His glory. Could I arrange to have the key mission's leader of the Southern Baptists churches throughout the world to speak to our people? Could I accomplish these things with and through my influence?

The answer is "NO!" I am powerless to influence this way personally BUT God...

This week, Dr. Jerry Rankin, the President of the Southern Baptist's International Mission Board preached to God's people here at Royal Heights!

Did God know he was coming to speak here? Did God know He was about to send a man whose whole life is missions? Did God know He would send the President of over 5,500 missionaries to encourage Royal Heights in her mission?

The answer is "YES!'

He moves the hearts of leaders as He so decides. He brings people and resources to reveal His glory and power. This is the LORD God's work and man is the benefactor of His great love.

Thank You, LORD! Thank You, that we never have to motivate You to reach our neighbours and our friends, for Your heart is as a Shepherd's, longing for the sheep to find her rest! Thank You, LORD!

To Be Set Free

We live and serve a Lord who is perfectly capable of healing all who come to Him. He is a LORD without limits. Strength that is beyond measure. All should run to Him.

Without a clear look at God we struggle with so much in our lives. God is a God of mercy and grace, wrath and Holiness, and love and truth. To know God is to know Life. We must take time to sit at His feet and learn.

Who is man that You are mindful of him? God is in love with mankind. He desires all to be saved. He expects us to turn from our sin and give our lives over to Him.

Our beliefs become the means of safety as they are converted to God's ways and mind. False beliefs are the chief reason why we do not function as we should when we have come to the Lord.

Humans are not made to "work", they are made to rest. They rest in God as He works through them. This is a truth that becomes difficult to grasp but once found the load become instantly light. God is at work in us to do His good pleasure.

God enemy is now our enemy. The Evil One hates the works of God and those who carry out His work. He is at war with us even if we don't know it. We must prepare to do battle.

The Lord's kingdom is reigning. Jesus' kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom. He is winning each person to Himself in love. Oh the power of His kingdom. He can conquer every man and every situation.

The Lord's people are His blessing. He has found them to be His holy Bride. The church is to live with the oneness of Christ in us. He gives His gifts to each one of us to display the glory of the Father.

When God's people are free, it is instant! When God's people "get it" they rejoice. When walk this truth out we experience God Himself! This life is the adventure we are privileged to have with LIFE!

Bless His Name!!

Is Fasting For Today?

Common views:
1. Quick fix for spiritual ailments, as if denying food will make up for the malnourishment of their soul.
2. Confusion. It seems good but I don’t know about it.

What is fasting?

Bible Greek word is "Nesteia means "not to eat"
Asitos means "without grain or food"
Hebrew word; Tsum means "to cover ones mouth"
Anah means "to afflict or humble oneself"
Essentially, "fasting is voluntarily denying the body something for a specific purpose." Food is not always the object denied.

Sleep is denied by King Darius,
Daniel 6:18
Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of music brought before him: and his sleep went from him.

Sexual relation for a brief period of time,
1 Corinthians 7:4-5
The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. {5} Defraud ye not one the other, except with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.

Three distinct reasons for fasting:
1. To express sorrow.
2. As a sign of repentance.
3. To make a request of God.

What fasting is not.
It is not buttering up God so He will give us what we want. We receive what we ask for because we are in Christ and obey Him (1 John 3:22). Fasting is no escape from obedience.
Not to impress others.
Not a quick cure for spiritual ailments. Laziness in studying and digesting God’s Word always leads to leanness of soul.
Not a guarantee of obtaining a certain desire in prayer. Fasting never forces God’s hand.
Fasting is no substitute for God’s revealed Word and will never change His will. (Ex. It would be inappropriate to fast and see if God would have us marry an unbeliever.)
　
Why fast?
God places a high priority upon humility. Without it, we seek our own desires. Fasting helps us set aside our own needs and desires. It helps us become absorbed with the interests of others and the will of God.
James 4:6
But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
If fasting produces that humility, good. Fasting lets us be aware of how dependant we are of God. It lets us see the seriousness of our situation.

How should we fast?

Know your motive and what we want to accomplish.
Fasting is not advisable to those in poor health.
Be secret about it.

I'm BACK!

Holidays have come to an end. I just flew in from Edmonton today. My wife, Wanda and my mother, Evelyn drove mom's car all the way from Edmonton.

A wedding tomorrow! The pastor life BEGINS! I LOVE IT!

I'm happy to be BACK!

Holidays are a Comin'

I'm sitting in my daughter, Sharon's house, in Red Water which is just north of Edmonton. I will be here a week with Wanda then we will drive over to North Battleford to visit our families.

I will take a break from the Blog, but will get back at it in July. I am back at the office on the Sunday of July 19th. On the 18th, the Saturday, I will be officiating at a wedding.

Have a great summer and thanks for checking out my Blog.

See you July 19th!

A Thirsty Soul

What is worship?

Jesus met a woman at a well who was there to draw some water for herself. Jesus asked her for a drink. This surprised her because she knew that Jewish men never spoke with Samaritan women. Here He was speaking to her and asking something from her.

Jesus sees the thirst in her soul for relationships. He reveals to her the search she has been on to find love. With numerous husbands and broken relationships, her system is clearly not working.

Jesus sees her thirst. "...ask of Me and you'll never thirst again!"

Oh, to truly drink from the living water. To truly believe that He is our answer of refreshing for our souls. He is water of life.

Are we much different from the woman at the well? We seek and look for something to satisfy our deep longings for relationship. We feed our soul with the things of the world hoping to find something that we calm the thirst in us for satisfaction.

Jesus makes this profound statement to the woman when He declares that He can give living water to her. He is saying, "I alone satisfy the soul". No man or prophet before Him ever claimed to be this everlasting drink for man. Only Jesus dared to claim He was the Water of Life to all who came to drink from Him.

Are you thirsty? Have you found Jesus as the satisfaction of your soul? Have you drunk from the Christ? Are satisfied with your life? Do you "feel" full or empty?

Study the life of Jesus, than sit down before His Word and believe! A whole new world will open before you. It will be heaven on earth!

Dependence Upon is LIFE

SIN equals independence not just some bad behaviours that we do. SIN is man's attempt to find LIFE outside of God Himself. SIN is more than missing the mark, it is missing the very purpose you and I were made. We were made to glorify the LORD God Himself. God HATES independence!

You can hear people who are living in independence. They say things like, "I'll do it my way. No one can tell me what to do. It's my way or the highway. I am in control of my own life. I am my own boss." These statements and ones like them reveal that the person has placed his or her faith in themselves and they are independent from God.

FAITH means dependence upon. You have come before God and bowed your heart before Him and openly admit that you want and need Him. You want Him to live His life through your life.

When you were received by God unto salvation He re-created you in Christ to be a vessel of honour that He would use to express Himself to the world. You were "born-again" or "born from above". You are a new creation. The old has been destroyed and the new has come. You are not the same person before you came to know Christ.

The life that now desires to be expressed is a life that only finds joy in living in servanthood before the throne of God. Each day your new life wants to please the Father by bringing Him glory. The clearest way that God living in you is revealed to the world is through the outward display of love.

The word that is used for love in the Bible is agape. This word is an action word and means “doing the most constructive, compassionate, redemptive thing for another.” This love is what Christ desires to express through us right now, through our earthsuit. He expressed this love clearly through His earthsuit when He willing died on the cross for us and He will continue to bring honour to His Father through us and our earthsuits.

Jesus said: “He who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father” (John 14:12).

You cannot live the Christian life, only Christ can live His life through you. As we abide in Christ we bear much fruit. Our dependence upon Him to live through us is the secret of a powerful Christian life.

You and I have NO POWER outside of Christ. It is ONLY when we are in Him that this power to live is given. You must abandon any thoughts of independence. You CANNOT save yourself. Only the Christ can save you! And remember, after you have come to trust Him for your salvation, it is only His life that can continue to walk in obedience to the Father.

You can be "successful" as a Christian, you just must "die to self". Jesus has given us the hope we needed to bring glory again to our Creator. He alone brings us into a right relationship with God. He alone gives us a new life. He alone unites us again to Himself to walk as true people of faith.

This is possible because we are plugged into a Source that’s more powerful than we’ll ever realize this side of heaven! Father God is our Creator. Jesus is our LORD and Master. The Holy Spirit is our Strength and Sanctifier. The Triune God has won us and is desiring to live His life through us. Wow! I freely give my life to Him to redeem and use for His purposes.

I celebrate because I have come HOME!

Proof of the Existence of God

Everything has a cause...

It is illogical to suggest that something had no cause. This is where the theory of evolution becomes inadequate. It can not explain how anything began, let alone life. When we consider the evidence (that there are things which exist) it logically demands that either something or someone caused it. We can then rule out "something" as the solution since we would be returning to the original problem (what made the something?). This demands that there must be Someone who has always existed (eternal) and is in themselves therefore uncreated. We don't have to understand this in order for it to be so.

At this point some say we should not even try to understand these things because our minds just get in the way. But I suspect the opposite is the case. That is, it is perfectly legitimate to ponder these things and rather than our minds being too bigger an obstacle, our minds are actually too inadequate to comprehend them. Therefore, faith and thinking are not incompatible, its just that we have realise that they both require discipline and exercise.

~Andrew Corbett

Spiritual Health

When a person is unhealthy it can show up very quickly, even to the untrained eye. We may see a paleness to their features or a laboured approach to their walk. We may hear them coughing, hacking or sneezing. We may know that they struggle to get out of bed because of the pains they feel.

Good health is so important. But how do we know if someone is spiritual healthy or spiritually sick? What are the vital signs to the spiritual condition of people?

Eight Character Traits of a Healthy Spiritual Person:

1. They have put their trust in Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.

2. They have a love for the Scriptures and for talking with the Lord.

3. They have deny their flesh and take up the cross of Christ.

4. They display the fruit of the Spirit in their lives.

5. They have a hatred for sin and desire for righteous in their lives.

6. They have a witness of Christ in their lives.

7. They are willing to work together with other like minded bleivers.

8. They humbly submit to the Scriptures, Holy Spirit and God's people.

I know that a person who has no connection with the Lord will not want to do these things. These character traits are lived out as an expression of our love to our Lord. It is in joy we abide with our Lord as He fills us with His Spirit to fulfills the glorifiction of the Father.

Ponder on the characteristics of a believer and follower of Christ. Then ask yourself, are you spiritually healthy?

It's Friday!

Ahhhhhhhhhhh, my day off has begun!

I went to bed early last night (1:30AM), exhausted from the day. I knew it was too early to go to bed so now I'm up at Starbucks at 5:30AM. Now, I know why I have to stay up to at least 3AM or 4AM every morning or I have to get out of bed before 5AM or 6AM.

Anyway, my day off just starts early, I guess.

I'm enjoying my coffee, answering some fresh emails and looking through some Bible passages that I want to see what they really mean, instead of what I think they mean.

Yesterday, I got to spend about 3 hours with someone just going deep into the scriptures about the gospel of Christ. I find that so enjoyable! The gospel is so overwhelmingly beautiful. The cross of Christ is so deep and so pure in its wisdom and grandeur, it is difficult to contain myself sometimes. Oh, if we knew the beauty of the cross...!

I think I'll ponder this some more as I get another coffee! Ahhhh, to enjoy a day off!

Coffee Time

I am sitting at Chapter's having a cup of coffee. Grande with cream and a half teaspoon of sugar. Is there any better out there for taste? I think not!

I am sitting here thinking about some of the people who have into my life. These people have had an effect on me that is forever. I apprreciate each one. I've valued each one. I've hurt a few of them deeply but I believe they still love me. I have given much to many of them but always feel I have received more.

Paul J, Dave B & Don F, Tim & Joan, Amin & Sepideh, Rob B, Glen, Gary, Jack C, Gerry T, Dwight, Bob, Richard & Mel, Art, David N, Mary H & Marylou, Pearl, Sheila, Fred & Pat, Darrel & Sonja, Corinne, Harold, Chad, John, Graig, Dave C, John, Anita, Kellie, Don H, Rachelle & Andrea, Billy & Vi, Eduardo, George, Peter, Paul & Nancy, Jim & Elaine, Karrisa, Kyla, Tricia, Luke, Matt, Elin, Anthony, Joanne, Bruce, Abraham, Grace, Mark, Linda, Gerry H, Adam, Sarah, and the list goes on and on!

I am a man who is most blessed!

I am so thankful for all the people who have invested in me. I am a privledged person.

This is a great coffee time.

Pray to Know God

There is nothing more worthwhile than to pray to God and to converse with him, for prayer unites us with God as his companions. As our bodily eyes are illuminated by seeing the light, so in contemplating God our soul is illuminated by him."
St John Chrysostom

Prayer is God's way to draw us closer to Him and His will. As we come to know God deeper through seeing life through His eyes we become more like Him in behaviour; compassionate, merciful, loving, angry at sin, etc.

These behaviours begin to become part of our outward expression of our inside transformation that has already happened. When we came to be known by Christ, He gave us a spirit that is totally connected and dependent on Him and He expects us to walk in that spirit. This new spirit longs to live out the desires of God! Prayer is God's way to guide your spirit into the activity of Himself.

Prayer is not attempting to convince God what you are doing is important and He should be involved with you. Prayer is your heart linking with His heart so you can see and interrupt what He is doing and how you may adjust so you can follow Him.

Praying without a knowledge of scripture can easily become a vain effort to know God on your terms. To manipulate God to do what your flesh desires. Remember, God is not tricked. He never moves unless His Glory is the final outcome. God can only do right. You must know the scriptures that reveal Him or you will create a false god in your mind and move toward it. Idols are the false imaginations of man attempting to reveal God that does not exist.

Only God can reveal Himself. No man can know or discover God without God so willing. Man's mind is continually bent to evil and self so if you pray in this mind of flesh and earth thinking your prayers will be long and vain. Jesus said, "babbling...;

Prayer is to move you into the heart and ways of God. As you come to know God through His Word, you will be brought to a God who is nothing like the world as created. God is not a giant Santa Claus dispersing gifts to all who ask. This is so alien to the true heart of God it's a shame Christians even let any of this false teaching into their home and even around their children.

God is Holy. He is Almighty. He is compassionate. He is Pure. He is full of mercy. He is a God of Wrath. He is love. He is just. He is unchanging.

Unless your one desire is to know God and be known by Him, you will always struggle with prayer. You will struggle because you basically see prayer as a means "to get" instead of a means "to know".

To know the beauty of God is the goal. To walk with Him as He brings all of His enemies under his feet is the adventure. To live with an understanding that He is ever present, with you right now causes you to purify yourself. Prayer is the awesome privilege we get to have an audience with the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Prayer's purpose is to know God, to become one in Him.

1 John 3
1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

...Thrown Into The Lake of Fire

And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15)

People say, "this verse can't mean God will thrown people in the lake of fire. A loving God would never do that to people.

"I can't believe in a god that would do that to people."

"I think my time here on earth is the only hell"

"I think hell is not real"

"I think..."

My answer to this and other comments that blantantly go against the Bible is "it does not matter what YOU THINK, it matters what God says. If you don't believe something is true and it is true than your believe is in error. Your belief does not create reality. If it true, it's true. It does not matter what you believe about it."

Many humans desire to live in a world with no God. We want to even claim we know God but sadly many even so called "Christians" areonly Christian in name but are functioning Atheists! We really don't believe what has been clearly laid down by the holy writings. We hope against reality that God will not cast people into the lake of fire. We life with the false hope that He's "too nice" to do that.

Hell is an awful place of glorification of God. Hell is not a place that was created by Satan, it was created by God Himself and God only makes things to bring glory to His holy Name. So why would He make hell and the Lake of Fire?

Look at some of the Scriptures on the subject:

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)

"But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (Revelation 21:8)

And I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds... And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11-12, 15)

And death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:14)

"Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. (Matthew 7:13)

And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Revelation 20:10)

He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." (Matthew 3:12)

"Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (Matthew 7:19)

"Therefore just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. (Matthew 13:40)

True love is not permissive.

The first false assumption is that love allows the object of that love to do whatever he or she wants. However, this permissive kind of "love" isn't really love at all. Any of you who are parents will recognize that allowing your children to do whatever they want to do is not loving at all. If you were to do this, your children would grow up to be spoiled selfish brats, incapable of loving other people. Permissive gods, who are caught up in their own intrigues, and so allow humans to do whatever they want without repercussions, are found in the pagan religions. However, the God of the Bible wants us to love Him and other people above everything else we do.

God's moral laws have a purpose

The Creator God of the universe is obviously a God of order. The laws that govern the physical universe are so precise that we can calculate the positions of planets, stars, and galaxies thousands to millions of years into the future. Would a God of this kind of precision design moral laws that are random or changing? It doesn't seem likely or consistent with the character of the Creator that we know from the reality of the creation. Therefore, it seems likely that unchanging moral laws are consistent with the God of creation. The Bible says that the moral laws are consistent with the character of God. Therefore, the main purpose of the moral laws are to teach us what God requires for us to enter into His kingdom. The moral laws also allow us to live with each other on earth without hurting each other. In fact, if we all perfectly fulfilled the moral laws of God, we would be in perfect harmony with each other. Our failure to fulfill God's moral laws leads us to seek Him as the source of our salvation.

God's creation of free will beings must allow for the possibility of rejecting God completely

Since God created spiritual beings for the purpose of expressing love, those beings must have complete free will in order to express that love. Of course, free will allows for the possibility of those beings rejecting God and His plans. Unfortunately, most people do not agree that God's rules are good and do not want to embrace them. In fact, the vast majority of people want to run their own lives without submitting to God at all. Somehow, they feel that God will just let them into heaven because they have behaved about as good, and maybe even better, compared to the rest of the people on earth. The problem with this idea is that God does not grade on the curve.

All who enter God's kingdom must be absolutely holy, since no sin is allowed in God's presence. In addition, people must be willing to allow God to prevent them from sinning ever again, since there is no sin in heaven. This means that people must be willing to submit fully to God's will in order to get into heaven.

Of course, all humans fall short of God's moral requirements. Therefore, God has made a provision to erase all sins that we have committed in this life and to perfect us so that we cannot sin when we receive eternal life from Him. Sin means "independance from God". The opposite of sin is not good behaviour. The oppositeof sin is faith, "dependance upon".

Provision to remove us from sin and place us into the presence of God is through the sacrifice of God's son, Jesus Christ. Jesus took the punishment that we deserve and gives us the reward that we do not deserve - eternal life. In accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour, all our sins are erased.

People prefer hell over complete submission to God

So why doesn't God make everyone into perfect beings and allow them all into heaven? It would actually be more cruel if God were to do this, since many people prefer hell to the alternative (complete submission to God). All the people who end up going to hell will have done so because they actually prefer hell to being forced into the presence of God for all eternity. People like to live in their sin and favorite sins and answer to no one else. They know that if they accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour that God will want them to change their lives and they would have to give up their autonomy.

Conclusion

At this time in history, there is more evidence demonstrating the existence of God than at any time in the past. In addition, there are missionaries throughout the world proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ and the salvation that He offers as a free gift. Although the gift is "free," it will cost you your life, sin, selfishness, and pride. Since none of these character traits are allowed into heaven, those who insist upon holding onto these traits and remaining independent from God cannot enter into heaven, but must be separated from God in a place called hell.

Therefore, those who go to hell do so voluntarily, preferring hell to complete submission to a holy and just God.

(Much of this article was from a site; www.godandscience.org)

Man Gives $60M To His Employees

Miami banker lavishes $60M on his employees
February 26, 2009

MIAMI (AP) - At a time when U.S. bankers are being pilloried on Capitol Hill as heartless and greedy, Leonard Abess Jr. stands apart.

After selling his U.S. bank for a fortune last fall, he quietly handed out $60 million in bonuses from his own pocket -- and not just to top executives. In all, 471 employees and retirees, including tellers, clerks and secretaries, were rewarded, receiving an average of about $127,000 each.

"I think everybody was surprised. But knowing Leonard, the type of person he is, I can believe him giving it away," said retiree William Perry, who spent 43 years at City National Bank of Florida, rising from janitor to vice president. Perry, 78, got $50,000, which he is using to help his son pay for law school.

"He's a brilliant banker, which I think is obvious because of how well the bank has done all these years. And, obviously, a very generous man," said Ginger Nunn, a managing senior vice president. "He can not only set an example for other bankers but for any businessperson."

Abess, 60, did not return several calls for comment Wednesday. He never wanted to make a big deal out of his largesse; he didn't even show up at the bank when the envelopes were distributed in November. It wasn't until he mentioned the bonuses in a recent interview with The Miami Herald that they became publicly known.

Abess' father founded the bank in 1946 and he began his career in the print shop, working his way up the corporate ladder. His family sold the bank in the early 1980s to an investment group, which in turn sold it to a Colombian coffee magnate. When the magnate was convicted of fraud, Abess bought a majority stake out of bankruptcy in 1985 for $21 million, all of it borrowed, and then acquired the rest for $6 million.

The bank, under his ownership, grew from $400 million in assets and seven offices to $2.75 billion in assets and 18 offices.

While other U.S. bank CEOs passed out million-dollar bonuses to their cronies as their institutions failed, Abess kept City National profitable and received no money from the federal bank bailout. When he sold an 83 per cent stake to a Spanish bank for $927 million, he decided to share the bounty with his 399 employees and 72 retirees.

"Those people who joined me and stayed with me at the bank with no promise of equity, I always thought someday I'm going to surprise them," he told the Herald. "I sure as heck don't need" the money.

But others persuaded him that dropping such large checks on the employees without warning wasn't a good idea.

Abess, who remains the bank's chairman and chief executive, made a video telling the employees a bonus would be coming with the sale and assuring them it wasn't severance. A vice president, Linda Naughton, contacted some retirees and told them they would be getting a letter from Abess and should "sit down before they opened it."

Joyce Andrews, who has spent 57 years at City National, including a stint working as a secretary for Abess' father, has known Abess since he was a toddler. On Tuesday night, the 75-year-old woman said, she was so proud she felt like his mother.

Andrews would not say how big her bonus was, but she said she invested it for her retirement.

"It's so unbelievable. I think it has to be the best feel-good story of the year. Don't you? When a man shares that much, $60 million. The fact that he could even do it or thought about it," she said. "There are people that get money that don't do a thing. It's theirs, you know? I think it was a wonderful thing."

What a great story! There is genrousity still out there.

30 Years Married!

Today is 30 years of marriage with my wife. 30 years of having a close friend. It is amazing how the Lord has blessed us through the years.

I met Wanda while she was a waitress at a local coffee shop in the area. We met on March 1st and married on June 1st of the same year. It has been a real ride since 1979. I've enjoyed it and I hope she has!

"God, thank You! Thank You for my wife, who is my best friend! Thank You for the four beautiful children that you blessed us with. Thank You for the great friends You blessed us throughout the years, the list goes on and on! Thank You for Abundant Life Christian Fellowship and the ministry You called us to when we were there. We so enjoyed our experience. Thank You now for Royal Heights Baptist Church. We love the people and feel so cared for and blessed."

"Father God, You alone are the Maker and Builder of lives. I bow to You and Your holiest. Forgive me where I failed to display Your glory and beauty through my deeds and actions. Father, thank You for blessing me in Grace. I know I have recieved so much of what I do not deserve. Thank You! Thank You! Thank you for my wife, my friend, and my covanant partner till death do us part."

Wanda, I love you!

TESTIMONIES OF LAST SAYINGS OF MARTYRS

Johannes (John) Huss of Bohemia, Czech reformist burned by the Roman Catholic Church as a "heretic" on July 6th, 1415 in Constance (Courtesy:

The procession crossed the bridge and halted in a meadow, between the gardens of the city and the gate of Gottlieben. Here the execution was to take place. Being come to the spot where he was to die, the martyr kneeled down, and began reciting the psalms. He offered up short and fervent supplications, and oftentimes repeated, as the bystanders bore witness, the words, "Lord Jesus, into thy hands I commend my spirit."

"We know not," said those who were near him, "what his life has been, but verily he prays after a devout and godly fashion." Turning his gaze upward in prayer, the paper crown fell off. One of the soldiers rushed forward and replaced it, saying that "he must be burned with the devils whom he had served." Again the martyr smiled.

The stake was driven deep into the ground. Huss was tied to it with ropes. He stood facing the east. "This," cried some, "is not the right attitude for a heretic." He was again unbound, turned to the west, and made fast to the beam by a chain that passed round his neck. "It is thus," said he, "that you silence the goose, but a hundred years hence there will arise a swan whose singing you shall not be able to silence."

He stood with his feet on the targets, which were mixed with straw that they might the more readily ignite. Wood was piled all round him up to the chin. Before applying the torch, Louis of Bavaria and the Marshal of the Empire approached, and for the last time implored him to have a care for his life, and renounce his errors.

"What errors," asked Huss, "shall I renounce? I know myself guilty of none. I call God to witness that all that I have written and preached has been with the view of rescuing souls from sin and perdition; and, therefore, most joyfully will I confirm with my blood that truth which I have written and preached."

At the hearing of these words they departed from him, and John Huss had now done talking with men. The fire was applied, the flames blazed upward.

"Do not believe," he says to the people, "that I have taught anything but the truth." No trembling of the lips - no whitening of his cheeks. He is going to testify to the truth. Why should he fear? Truth and liberty are eternal, and will live when emperor and pope have passed away. Truth makes men free, and it will be glorious to die for freedom.

The wood is piled around him - bundles of dry sticks. The executioner stands with his torch. "Renounce your error," shouts the Duke of Bavaria.

"I have taught no error. The truths I have I taught will seal with my blood."

"Burn him." The executioner holds his torch to the wood.

"John Huss," says Fox, "began to sing with a loud voice, 'Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.' And when he began to say the same the third time, the wind so blew the flame in his face that it choked him."

Poggius, who was secretary to the council, and Aeneas Sylvius, who afterwards became Pope, and whose narratives are not liable to the suspicion of being coloured, bear even higher testimony to the heroic demeanour of both Huss and Jerome at their execution. "Both," says the latter historian, "bore themselves with constant mind when their last hour approached. They prepared for the fire as if they were going to a marriage feast. They uttered no cry of pain. When the flames rose they began to sing hymns; and scarce could the vehemency of the fire stop their singing."

What is it that the people hear coming from that sheet of flame? "Glory be to God on high, and on earth peace, good will toward men." It is the song which the angels sung above the pastures of above the pastures of Bethlehem. And this: "We praise thee, we bless thee, we worship thee, we give thanks to thee for thy great glory." It is Gloria in Excelsis. The smoke blinds him, the flames are circling above his head. Yet the voice goes on: "Thou that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on me." The flames wrap him round, his head falls on his breast.

Huss had given up the ghost. When the flames had subsided, it was found that only the lower parts of his body were consumed, and that the upper parts, held fast by the chain, hung suspended on the stake. The executioners kindled the fire anew, in order to consume what remained of the martyr. When the flames had a second time subsided, the heart was found still entire amid the ashes. A third time had the fire to be kindled. At last all was burned. The ashes were carefully collected, the very soil was dug up, and all was carted away and thrown into the Rhine; so anxious were his persecutors that not the slightest vestige of John Huss--not even a thread of his raiment, for that too was burned along with his body--should be left upon the earth.

ROGERS MARTYRDOM
Mr. Rogers said, "That which I have preached I will seal with my blood!"

"Then," said the sheriff, "thou art a heretic."

"That shall be known," said Rogers, "at the day of judgment."

"Well," quoth the sheriff, "I will never pray for thee."

"But I will pray for you," replied Rogers; and so was brought the same day, which was Monday the 4th of February, towards Smithfield, by the way, all the people rejoicing at his constancy, with great praises and thanks to God for the same. And there, in the presence of Rochester, comptroller of the queen's household, sir Richard Southwell, both the sheriffs, and many people, the fire was put unto him; and when it had taken hold both upon his legs and shoulders, he, as one feeling no smart, washed his hands in the flame, as though it had been in cold water. After lifting up his hands unto heaven, not removing the same until such time as the devouring fire had consumed them, most mildly this happy martyr yielded up his spirit into the hands of his heavenly Father.

THOMAS CRANMER, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY. Martyred 12 September, 1555

Then was an iron chain tied about Cranmer, whom when they perceived to be more steadfast than that he could be moved from his sentence, they commanded the fire to be set unto him. And when the wood was kindled and the fire began to burn near him, stretching out his arm, he put his right hand into the flame, which he held so steadfast and unmovable, (saving that once with the same hand he wiped his face,) that all men might see his hand burned before his body was touched. His body did so abide the burning of the flame with such constancy and steadfastness, that standing always in one place without moving his body, he seemed to move no more than the stake to which he was bound; his eyes were lifted up into heaven, and oftentimes he repeated "his unworthy right hand," so long as his voice would suffer him; and using often the words of Stephen," Lord Jesus, receive my spirit," in the greatness of the flames he gave up the ghost, in the sixty-seventh year of his age.

JOHN HOOPER, BISHOP OF WORCESTER AND GLOUCESTER
Martyred 22nd of January, 1555

Then the hoop of iron prepared for his middle was brought, which being somewhat too short, he shrank and pressed in his body with and, until it fastened: but when they offered to have bound his neck and legs with the other hoops, he refused them, saying, "I am well assured I shall not trouble you."

Being now ready he looked around on all the people, of whom he might be well seen, for he was both tall, and stood also upon a high stool, and beheld that in every corner lifting up nothing to be seen but weeping and sorrowful people. Then lifting up his eyes and hands to heaven he prayed in silence. By and by, he that was appointed to make the fire came to him and asked him forgiveness. He asked why he should forgive him, saying that he never knew any offence he had committed against him.

"O, sir," said the man, "I am appointed to make the fire."

"Therein," said Mr. Hooper, "thou dost nothing to offend me: God forgive thee thy sins, and do thine office, I pray thee."

Then the reeds were cast up, and he receiving two bundles of them in his own hands embraced them, and putting one of them under each arm, showed with his hand how the rest should be bestowed, and pointed to the place where any were wanting. Command was now given that the fire should be kindled. But because there were not fewer green kindling than two horses could carry, it did not kindle speedily, but was some time before it took the reeds upon the wood.

At length it burned about him; but the wind having full strength in that place, and it being a lowering cold morning, it blew the flame from him, so that he was in a manner little more than touched by the fire. Endeavours were then made to increase the flame, and then the bladders of gunpowder exploded; but did him little good, being so placed, and the wind leaving such power.

In this fire he prayed with a loud voice, "Lord Jesus, have mercy upon me! Lord Jesus, have mercy upon me! Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" And these were the last words he was heard to utter. Yet he struck his breast with his hands, until by the renewing of the fire his strength was gone and his hand stuck fast in striking the iron upon his breast. So immediately, bowing forwards, he yielded up his spirit. Thus lingering were his last sufferings. He was nearly three quarters of an hour or more in the fire, as a lamb, patiently bearing the extremity thereof, neither moving forwards, backwards, nor to any side; but he died as quietly as a child in his bed; and he now reigneth as a blessed martyr in the joys of heaven, prepared for the faithful in Christ before the foundation of the world; for whose constancy all christians are bound to praise God.

William Tyndale Born 1484 ? -- Martyred October 6, 1536

At last, After much reasoning, when no reason would serve, although he deserved no death, he was condemned by virtue of the Emperor Decree , made in the Assembly at Augsburgh and upon the same brought forth to the place of Execution, was there tied to the Stake, and then strangled first by the Hangman, and afterwards with fire consumed in the morning, at the Town of Filford, A.D. 1536; crying thus at the stake with a fervent zeal, and a loud voice, "Lord open the king of England's eyes."

Latimer & Ridley burnt alive at Oxford in the year 1555.

Then they brought a lighted stick, and laid the same down at Ridley’s feet; upon which Latimer said calling out from the fire, “Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man. We shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out." (from Foxe's Book of Martyrs)

How Polycarp was martyred in about 168 A.D.

Polycarp was born abound 70 A.D. He was sold as a slave in his childhood to a wealthy woman named Calisto. She reared him as her son. He came to know Christ as his Savior in those early years. As he grew older, he had the opportunity to study under the Apostle John and others who had personally sat under the teaching of Jesus Christ.

Polycarp was actively involved in serving the Lord in the Church of Smyrna. Upon the death of Calisto, he became heir to all of her estate. He used his inheritance to advance the cause of Christ and to help those who were in need. When the pastor of his church, Pastor Bucolos, died the Apostles and particularly the Apostle John appointed Polycarp to be the Pastor of the Church of Smyrna. Polycarp faithfully ministered in that church for many years.

Persecution of Christians was the order of the day when Marcus Aurelius was the Emporer of Rome. For many years Polycarp was spared. But, the full forced of persecution was unleashed on Polycarp in the later years of his ministry. Three days before he was arrested the Lord revealed to him in a dream that he would be burned at the stake. When the soldiers came to get him, his friends insisted on hiding him. Polycarp made it clear that in the future, he would not allow himself to be hidden. Soon the soldiers discovered where he had been taken. When he saw them coming, he went out and greeted them warmly and offered them food. As they were eating, he requested that he be allowed to pray before they took him away. His request was granted. For two hours he prayed fervently out loud and my book says, "inasmuch that many of the soldiers began to repent, that they were come out against so godly an old man."

When he was done praying they set him on a donkey and took him into the city to be tried as one who was an adversary of the authorized pagan religion. When he arrived, they sat him in a chariot and began to urge him to say the Caesar was God and offer a sacrifice to him. They said, there is no harm in that is there? At first he refused to answer. Finally, after they continued to press him Polycarp said, "I shall not do what you would persuade me to."

This made his judges very angry. They had confidently supposed that they would be able to easily persuade him to do what they wanted him to do. They became vicious in their words and actions. They literally threw him out of the chariot he had been sitting in, which caused serious injury to his thigh. This display of force incited the blood thirsty mob to the point that they were so loud in their curses and jeers that no one could hear. As they were dragging Polycarp to the place of execution, a voice rang out from Heaven loud and clear, above the harangue of the crowd which said, "Be strong, Polycarp, and quit thyself like a man." [The phrase "quit you" means, to carry through, or perform to the end. Hence, be strong and stand like a man to the end.]

The record states that while no one saw who it was that spoke to Polycarp, many of the believers who were in the crowd clearly heard the voice also. To be sure, Polycarp stood for the Lord Jesus Christ to the end, despite all the efforts to persuade him to renounce Christ. One of the judges tried to get him to deny his faith by saying, "Reverence thy old age…Swear by Casear's Fortune. Repent, and say; Take away the Wicked."

The historian goes on to say, "Polycarp, looking with a stern countenance upon the whole multitude of wicked Gentiles, that was gathered together in the Lifts, and shaking his hand at them, looked up to Heaven, and groaning said, Take away the Wicked." But the judge was not satisfied with this. He said, "Sware, and I will set thee at liberty; reproach Christ." It is at this point that Polycarp gives his famous response -- "Eighty and six years have I now served Christ, and he has never done me the least wrong: How then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?"

The judge then angrily urges him to, "swear by the Genius of Caesar." Polycarp refuses, but offered to share his faith in Christ. The judge rejected the offer and threatened, "I have wild beasts ready, to those I will cast thee except thou repent." Polycarp responds calmly, "Call for them then: For we Christians are fixed in our minds not to change from good to evil; But for me it will be good to be changed from Evil, to Good."

The furious judge said, "Seeing that thou dispiseth the Wild Beasts, I will cause thee to be devoured by Fire, unless thou shall repent."

Polycarp answered, "Thou threatenest me with Fire which burns for an hour, and so is extinguished; but knowest not the Fire of the Future Judgment, and of that Eternal Punishment, which is reserved for the Ungodly. But why tarriest thou? Bring forth what thou wilt!"

The judge loudly cried out three times, "Polycarp has confessed himself to be a Christian." The mob responded in fury, "This is the Doctor of Asia; The Father of the Christians; an the overthrower of our Gods. He that has taught so many not to sacrifice, nor pay any worship to the Gods."

At first they cried out that the lions should be loosed on him and then that he should be burned alive. They took Polycarp to the stake and were going to nail him there. He spoke up and said, "Let me alone as I am: For he who has given me strength to endure the Fire, will also enable me, without your securing me by nails, to stand without moving in the pile." They merely tied him to the stake.

He prayed this prayer before the fire was was kindled -- Lord God Almighty, the Father of thy Well-beloved, and Blessed Son, Jesus Christ, by whom we have received Knowledge of thee; the God of Angels and Powers, and of every Creature, and especially the whole Race of Just Men who live in thy presence! I give thee hearty thanks that thou hast vouchsafed (allowed) to bring me to this Day, and to this Hour; that I should have a part in the Number of thy Martyrs, in the Cup of thy Christ, to the Resurrection of Eternal Life, both of Soul and Body, in the Incorruption of the Holy Ghost. Among which may I be accepted this Day before thee, as a fat and acceptable Sacrifice; as thou the true God, with who is no falsehood, has both before ordained, and manifested unto me, and also hath now fulfilled it. For this, and for all things else, I praise thee, I bless thee, I glorify thee by the Eternal, and Heavenly High Priest, Jesus Christ they Beloved Son; whit whom to Thee and the Holy Ghost, be Glory both now, and to all succeeding Ages, AMEN.

Upon the "AMEN" the executioner lighted the fire, but something strange happened. The flames arched around Polycarp like a sail of a ship filled with wind and he would not burn. After some time, the command was given to the executioner to stab him with a sword, so he did. The result was that so much blood flowed from the wound that it extinguished the fire. The fire was rekindled and Polycarps body was burned to ashes. Polycarp was faithful to the Lord unto death.

A Great Saskatchewan Weekend

I was invited to Discovery Baptist Church in Regina to lead a seminar on "Declaring the Gospel". It was on Friday and Saturday and then I preached on the Sunday. It was a great experience.

I flew down on Friday morning. During the flight I had opportunity to go through the napkin evangelism presentation with a passenger on the flight who was sitting beside me. He refused to see himself has dead in sin and believed that the only way to God was to earn his way in, so eventually we agreed to disagree. He later revealed to me he was an actor. He had acted in many movies, never as the main lead but when he named some of his movies they were popular ones. It was interesting to see where his life had been. I sadly know where is life is going, if he does not come to an end of himself.

Anyway, I was so impressed to see what the Lord has been up to in Regina. I had visited the church a few years back and it was almost completely discouraged. People had left, leadership was struggling, and costs were going up. When I went there this week, the place looked fresh and alive. The people were full of joy with a deep seriousness to know God.

I stayed with the pastor and his wife, both were so very godly. Humble in spirit and yet full of the wisdom of God. God surely has blessed His people by providing them with great leadership.

During the meetings we looked together at what the scriptures say is the gospel. After each session people were noticeably moved, some to tears, many visibly impacted by the Spirit of God. Oh, the power of the Gospel!

On Sunday, I again preached on the majesty of God and the fullness of knowing Him. At the end of the service their pastor gave an invitation to do business with the Lord and only six or seven of the congregation remained in their seats! All came forward! We got on our knees together and lifted up our hearts to the Lord asking Him to fill us with His Spirit, so we would be witnesses unto His Name. It was beautiful to see and be apart of!

The pastor called me into his office after to counsel with a young believer. At the end he was going to be baptized the following Sunday! God is good!

I came back home on the flight and went to my Home group. Don & Wanda were the only ones there but we laughed and laughed. The fellowship was sweet. The joy of the Lord is my strength!

This has been a great weekend!

The Fear of God

I received an e-mail yesterday from a friend about the Fear of God. She had a perfect understanding of this complicated consecpt.

"As I reflected on what we talked about yesterday, I again go back to the fear. It is not an awe fear but a genuine fear of God. But what separates this fear from all other fears is this one thing: this fear makes me want to run to God and hide in Him and not run the other way. Our natural tendency is to run the other way or get away when we fear something. But this fear draws you to Him, with reverence which is pretty cool."

When we understand the Fear of the Lord it frees us up in so many other places in our lives, such as the fear of man or not having enough or death and dying.

There is a great illustration in the Chronicles of Narnia, an allegory by CS Lewis, the author. The story has two girls, Susan and Lucy, getting ready to meet Aslan the lion, who represents Christ. Two talking animals, Mr. and Mrs. Beavear, prepare the children for the encounter. "Oooh" said Susan, "I thought he was a man. Is he quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.

"That you will, dearie." said Mrs. Beaver, "and make no mistake, if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most, or else just silly."

"Then isn't he safe?" Said Lucy

"Safe?" said Mr. beaver. "Don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? Of course he isn't. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you!"

What a good understanding that CS Lewis makes about the fear of God. God is not safe as in tame. God is incredibly holy, full of praise and presence. No being can stand before Him unless he so agrees. You are wise to fear the Lord. The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

...But he is good!

Thank You, LORD!

The week is ending and a new one is about to begin. Who would've ever thought that I would see 50 years of these things go by! Time seems to be flying.

My wife, Wanda, is in the kitchen cooking up a storm. My oldest son Richard is over for the weekend and my youngest son Jerry just flew in from Kelowna. My second oldest son, Simon flew to Penticton to visit his daughter, Emma. And my only girl, Sharon, just got off the phone with her mother as she was helping her do her cooking over the phone.

I'm preparing and finishing up my sermon that I'm to preach tomorrow. My sermon series is called, Managing Life, that's something I'm into right now.

Life, what a big subject.

Lord, I just want to say, thank You, thank You, thank You!

Make Disciples

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

When our Lord was leaving the planet,He left us with clear instructions of what we were to be about. One: Go make disciples, Two: Baptize them, Three: Teach to observe.

I believe the strength of the church is found by obedying this command. We were not told to gather for worship, or Bible studies, we were not told to come together to sing or eat meals together. We were told to make disciples.

Why did the Lord say it was the priority of the church to be about making disciples?

I believe this answer is found in the making of a disciple of Christ. When we make a disciple, you see, we must teach them to pray and study the Bible. We must teach them to gather in worship and praise. But if we focus on gathering for worship service we can have the people do this without becoming disciples of Christ.

Cults gather people to do one thing with them, make them a disciple. This is why cults spread so quickly. They disciple. They disciple with false doctrine but they disciple.

When the church relooks at the task we should be about from the task we are doing, we will find the strength coming back into the Lord's community. It will be then our worship services become ever deeper, our prayers become full, our fellowship becomes sweet.

Church, let's make disciples, it is the Lord's business!

My Mother Taught Me.... Poem

To Value A Job Well Done
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

Time Travel
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

Logic
"Because I said so, that's why."

Foresight
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

Irony
"Keep crying and I'll give you something to cry about."

Osmosis
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

Stamina
"You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

Weather
"This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

Hypocrisy
"If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

Circle Of Life
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

Behavior Modification
"Stop acting like your father!"

Envy
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."

Anticipation
"Just wait until we get home."

Receiving
"You are going to get it when you get home!"

Medical Science
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way."

How To Become An Adult
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

Genetics
"You're just like your father."

Wisdom
"When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

Justice
"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you"

Conquering Debt God's Way

People pray for many different reasons, sometimes it's for the well being of others, sometimes it's simply looking for answers. It can be healing, and many times confusing. For Bruce Ammons, it was life changing. God answered his prayers in a way he never expected, giving him the courage to take some big steps financially and the wisdom to teach those steps to others.

Bruce Ammons and his wife Ruthie had always been involved with the church and when they found themselves in financial trouble they knew prayer was where they should turn. "We were in such a bind that we prayed to God for help, we said 'God will you help deliver us we'll do anything You ask us to do just please deliver us' and God led us to a Bible based elimination plan and it didn't all make since to our human minds but we obeyed it anyway and it even included the role of being generous with our money. My thinking was if God would ever help us get out of debt I would start being generous with my money toward His kingdom, but He really changed my perspective and He taught me that if I would start being generous now He would in fact help me to get out of debt. So that's part of the strategy we teach is the role of generosity in the role of debt elimination," Bruce Ammons said.

Bruce has been leading seminars for years now, he's traveled, helping others understand what God has taught him and that you have to give in order to get something back. "The seminar is a Bible based debt elimination seminar that teaches people how to pay off their debt house and cars included in a period of five years. It's a very effective debt elimination plan it's not traditional nor conventional it's different then what you'd typically hear of taught by the world but it's very exciting and really it's life changing."

Bruce acknowledges prayer doesn't always lead you where you might expect it to. He left a steady job to go out on his own and help others who were going through the same financial struggles he had, relying strictly on love donations to earn a living. But for this husband and father of three, he turned again to his faith and the power of prayer.

"Prayer has changed my life, and I am just amazed to see time and time and time again God proves Himself faithful. God doesn't answer every prayer that I pray in the way that I ask Him too, but I do believe God knows best, and in fact, I've been able to see that God answered my prayer in a different way than I have preferred but months or years later I look back on it and think thank God He didn't answer it the way I prayed it. God knows best. He's always faithful and the neat thing about prayer is that its an open phone line with God."

"The power of prayer has changed my life and I'm committed to it from now on."

Bruce Ammons is going to be our keynote speaker on May 31th at Royal Heights Baptist Church. He will preach the morning service and lead us in Conquering Debt God's Way in the evening. Plan to set this time aside, you won't be disappointed!

Flat Landers

I'm in Edmonton with my daughter, Sharon and her husband, Adam. I look out side and the world is flat! You can see as far as the eye can see. It is beautiful!

I use to be a flat lander when I lived in North Battleford, Saskatchewan which seems like another life time ago. I stayed and worked in the North Battleford area for thirty years. My first job was selling pop and peanuts at the local hockey games. I became a welder and a cement workers for a number of years then finally working my last eight years as a city fire fighter.

I remember moving to Penticton in BC and feeling like we abandoned of province that we loved. We coulod so homesick once that we even considered returning home. But we remained and started to enjoy the clossness to the mountians and rolling hills.

Now Wanda and I enjoy the mountianous area over the flat land but whenever we are back in this area I feel a little like I'm coming home.

I'm here teaching a group of people that Sharon and Adam are relating to spiritually. I am leading them through the Book of Romans to teach the gospel and its impact once understood.

Pray for me. Pray for me because now I miss the mountians and the closenest of the ocean!

Salvations

The worship service was beautiful. You could sense the Lord in the room. Kelyn gave his testimony of his walk with the Lord. Kelyn is three weeks old as a believer! The last worship song was especially moving as it sought us to move into the compassion of Christ.

A family of three have been attending the church. They came through their ties at our Small World Preschool. They listened intently all through the message. After service I invited them out to Boston Pizza for lunch.

During our meal I had the opportunity to ask them about their faith in the Lord. The man and woman listened as I declared to them the gospel of Christ. Taking a simple napkin I drew out the plan of salvation. At the end both, with tears, gave their lives to Christ. We held hands at the table in Boston Pizza and prayed to receive Christ. Both will be baptized this coming Mother's Day!

Two souls in the Kingdom! Salvation freely received! To God be the Glory great things He hath done!

Now it's Sunny

Today, the weather was warm and sunny. Weird! All the snow melted off the grounds and now they are watered and ready for Spring.

Flying home tomorrow, it will be great to be home for one day. I have to fly out again to go to Edmonton and do a Romans' Study at a Home Group.

I must now go finish up my sermon prep for Sunday morning!

Unexpected Weather

I'm sitting in Cochrane,...it's snowing! Wow!! It's the first day of May and it's snowing! I thought we were in global warming!

This is certainity unexpected weather for me. I brought my light coat. I was not prepared for this.

Many times in our lives we expereince unexpected turn of events. We thought something would happen and it has turned out almost the opposite of what we have expected. How do you prepare for these changes?

First - You must trust that it is the LORD God behind every situation working things out to His glory and praise. We must not take things as if they are a personal attack against you.

Second - You must learn to embrace pain. We normally run from pain so this is difficult for us to do. When situations are not working out like we thought go through the situation counting it all joy as you grow in Christ.

Third - You must test your faith in smaller situations to prepare for the more challenging ones. Faith grows by going to faith-needing expereinces. Faith expereinces are events that challenge our situations in life.

Fourth - You must remember that either you are going into a challenge, are in one right now, or about to go into one soon. Life is a series of unxpected events, orchastrated by the Sovereign LORD Almighty, working all things to Himself!

Fifth - You must connect with others so you go through things together. You were never meant to live life by yourself, it was supposed to be a group effort. Call out to friends and family.

The storms of life are coming. Are you ready? Do you have a big coat somewhere? Have you set your life up in faith to go in and through this events without destroying your heart and attitude?

Hey, ...I like snow!!!

James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

I thought I Was Right

I went to Manchester, New Hampshire this weekend to do some evangelism teaching. It was an interesting experience.

I got to the airport early, with Tim driving me. We left my house at 5AM so I would get there on time. This met I had to be up at 4:30AM to be ready! We got to the airport and Time dropped me off. I walk up to the ticket counter and discover my plane does not leave until 8AM. I'm three hours too early!

Anyway, I try to book myself in but have trouble at the self-ticket booth so I have to go to the counter. The lines are all busy except the first class ticket line so she calls me over and books me in. (No, I never got first class) She completes this procedure rather quickly and tags my one bag and I'm off to sit and wait for my flight.

I look at my ticket and see that I'm flying out at Gate 10B. I make my way over to it. I board the aircraft after the long wait. As I'm making my way down the isle, I'm looking for seat 20E. When I get there it is full. Someone is already sitting in the seat. I ask him what is his seat number and he tells me 20E, the same as mine. I draw the attention of the steward and he says, "hmmmm, just sit in any seat." So I do.

The plane heads off down the runway and I'm talking to the guy who has my seat. Suddenly, I notice my ticket stubs do not have my name on them but a Stephen Maurphers. I ask him if this is his name and he says it is. I said, "Oh, oh, I think my bags are tagged with your name and not mine!"

I arrive at my now new destination and go to the check out counter to clear up the confusion. They look at my ticket on the file and realize I was suppose to go to Toronto for my connecting flight and I am now in Chicago! She looks at me and says, "Wow, they really mixed this up!" I said, "I am use to having an airline lose my luggage but never one that loses ME!"

They rebooked everything to get me to Manchester, only it would be now a seven hour wait before I could get on the correct flight! Finally, it arrived and I was off. It was now 12:30AM and I was tired of airports.

I got to the luggage department and found that they now lost my luggage! They would have to send it in the next morning. My conference was the next morning so this meant no change from what I was wearing.

Eventually the luggage did come the next day and I could change. The conference went smoothly and life went on. What's the lesson in all this?

It all started because I thought the woman at the ticket counter who booked me in was correct. I followed her plan until I discovered I was in Chicago instead of Toronto. I thought I was right but the truth was I was on the wrong flight all along.

Many people believe they are on the right road to heaven. Someone has told them that this is the way. Do this and do that. Keep this rule and that rule. But soon they will discover, too late, that they are on the wrong road, entering the wrong gate!

I could fix my situation, many will never be able to change their desparate situation. I lost a few hours, many are moving into eternity. I was travelling with a lot of others so it seemed right but many are on the board way thinking because so many others are with them, it must be okay. It was only when the truth was known to me, I could get the situation fixed. The truth must be made known now to people so they can have their situation fixed.

Matthew 7:13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Making the B Attitudes Practical

Eight Recovery Principles based on the BEATITUDES
by Rick Warren

1. Realize I’m not God; I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and my life is unmanageable.
”Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor.” Matthew 5:3

2. Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him, and that He has the power to help me recover.”Happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4

3. Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control.
”Happy are the meek.“ Matthew 5:5

4. Openly examine and confess my faults to God, to myself and to another person whom I trust.
"Happy are the pure in heart." Matthew 5:8

5. Voluntarily submit to any and all changes God wants to make in my life.
"Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires." Matthew 5:6

6. Evaluate all my relationships, offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for harm I’ve done to others when possible, except when doing so would harm them or others.
"Happy are the merciful" Matthew 5:7 "Happy are the peacemakers" Matthew 5:9

7. Reserve a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and His work for my life and gain the power to follow His will.

8. Yield myself to be used by God to bring this good news to others, both by my example and by my words.“Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires.”
Matthew 5:10

Who Am I?

You may know me.
I'm your constant companion.
I'm your greatest helper; I'm your heaviest burden.
I will push you onward or drag you down to failure.
I am at your command.
Half the tasks you do might as well be turned over to me.
I'm able to do them quickly,
and I'm able to do them the same every time
if that's what you want.
I'm easily managed, all you've got to do is be firm with me.
Show me exactly how you want it done;
after a few lessons I'll do it automatically.
I am the servant of all great men and women;
of course, servant of the failures as well.
I've made all the great individuals who have ever been great,
And I've made all the failures, too.
But I work will all the precision of a marvelous computer
with the intelligence of a human being.
You may run me for profit, or you may run me to ruin;
it makes no difference to me.
Take me. Be easy with me and I will destroy you.
Be firm with me and I'll put the world at your feet.
Who am I?



I Am Habit.

A profile of Iglesia Cristiana Segadores de Vida

A profile of Iglesia Cristiana Segadores de Vida, America's Fastest-Growing Church of 2007
By Jeannie Choi

When Armando Ortega heard that a cell group member of his church was suffering kidney failure, he didn’t hesitate to offer his own. Though a series of tests revealed he was not an eligible candidate, Ortega would have gladly undergone surgery, he says.

“That is our heart—to go the extra mile to reach out and help others. It’s beyond normal,” says Ortega, associate pastor of Hispanic church Iglesia Cristiana Segadores de Vida, in Hollywood, Fla. (segadores.com).

To many, offering a kidney is an almost unimaginable act of generosity, but for the leaders at Segadores de Vida, No. 1 on the Outreach 100 Fastest-Growing Churches list, giving themselves away is key to growing their church.

“Our goal is to influence our community,” says Ruddy Gracia, 41, who pastors Segadores de Vida along with his wife, Maria. “If anybody near our church is hungry or in need, we want them to know there’s a place that will help.”

Segadores de Vida, Spanish for harvesters of life, began in 1992, when the Gracias gathered their neighbors in their apartment living room. “We knocked on our neighbors’ doors and won them to Christ immediately,” Maria says. “We grew in that apartment to 85 people in less than six months.”

Meetings were intimate, with nearby residents in the predominantly Hispanic community coming together to share their spiritual and practical needs. The Gracias did all they could to meet those needs, like teaching their members English, arranging legal aid for immigrants and providing prayer support.

The rapidly expanding congregation migrated to a local middle school classroom in 1993, but soon filled the school choir room, and then the gymnasium. By 1995, Segadores de Vida had more than 300 members and was meeting at a storefront in a nearby strip mall. Settling into a more formal setting, the leadership transitioned out of the home-church model and focused on the weekend services, a move Ruddy now sees as a mistake.

“We immediately stopped growing. In 2000, we started the cell groups again and in the past seven years, we’ve grown from 700 to 6,000 members,” Ruddy says. “So the real success has been through raising lay leadership within home cell groups.”
In March 2003, Segadores de Vida moved into its current building, which accommodates 1,750 people. The congregation meets in three services, with people lined out the door. Parking is an utter mess, but the Gracias could not be happier.
“People are ready. This is the time for the Church to harvest what the Lord has promised. We’re in overdrive all the time, but we’re following the Lord’s steps,” says Maria.

Segadores de Vida’s guest connections technique is extremely strategic: Every first-time visitor is contacted by phone within 24 hours of visiting the church. Within 48 hours, a cell group leader meets with the visitor and, over the next five weeks, forges a relationship. Once the visitor has made a decision to follow Christ and join a cell group, he or she is invited to a three-day retreat during which the church’s leaders minister and educate new believers toward spiritual maturity.
Participants are then enrolled in the Segadores Bible School—a series of classes that equips members for leadership. The final trimester of Bible school requires every student to bring several people to Christ, and these new believers become the student-leader’s first cell group. On average, the journey from first-time visitor to cell group leader takes eight to 12 months, Ruddy says.

“We believe that the purpose of salvation is not just to go to heaven, but to lead others to come with you. From the moment you set foot in this church, we place you on a river flowing toward a goal, which is to be used by God,” he says.

With more than 600 cell groups ranging from eight to 40 members each, Segadores de Vida is a growing network of smaller communities that meet weekly to worship together, study God’s Word and provide support to the Hispanic congregation. The church also partners with local civic organizations to help support members in need.
“As people get connected to their cell group, the leaders discover they’re here as immigrants, don’t know English and are in need of legal aid. We already know the system, so we guide them to a lawyer who will not steal their money, and companies and schools that will help them,” Ruddy says.

More than leading the helpless to the temporal comforts of the world, the leaders of Segadores de Vida bring them to the eternal joy of knowing Christ. Although Armando Ortega didn’t pass the test as a kidney donor, he did pass the test as a parent, when eight years ago, he and his wife decided to legally adopt Nicole, a 13-year-old cell group member. Nicole’s grandmother, who was raising her, had suffered a stroke.
“God started putting in our hearts to help her get through this,” says Ortega.
Today, to the Ortegas’ delight, Nicole is happily married and beginning a family. Her testimony stands as an example of what Segadores de Vida is all about—bringing people into the family and helping them start their own.

-Excerpted from Outreach magazine, "Features," 2007 Outreach 100

Clearly Baptist Church

We had a team come from the USA during the Spring holidays. Clearly Baptist Church served with us over the Easter break. They are now on mission again to another part of the world. They ask for our prayers. Below is their request:

Me (Pastor Kevin Ivy) and five others leave Jackson Monday morning to begin a long journey to the southern part of India. We are going to an unreached people group called the Mapilla. They are a group of over 10 million muslims who have no missionary, no church, and no Gospel witness. They are lost and without Christ. They are hard to the Gospel. The International Mission Board is having to fly a missionary in to Calicut to meet us. That is how alone and unreached these people are. If anything is to be accomplished there, there must be prayer, prayer, prayer.

I want to encourage you to pray for several things.

1. Pray that the Mapilla people will begin to have their eyes opened and their hearts softened so that they will be open and responsive to the Gospel. There are numerous reports of unreached Muslims having dreams and visions of Jesus and of mission teams bringing them the truth. It is my prayer that some of these Muslims have had dreams and visions that prepare them for our arrival with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Pray that the Mapilla will begin having visions and dreams and that their hearst will be softened and prepared for the Gospel.

2. Pray for our safety and the safety of our families as we are gone. Pray that we will all walk very closely with God from this point on, and throughout the entire trip. Pray that we will be discerning, wise, and anointed by the power of the Holy Spirit to be used mightily of Him for His glory.

3. Pray for the power of Satan to be bound. I was talking with a church member today who was remembering the week leading up to her mission trip to the Dominican Republic. It was a rough week and it seemed that Satan tried every way he could to crush her spirits. It seems that Satan definitely works hard to disrupt the work of God. He is sticking his ugly head up everywhere I turn lately it seems. He is raking me over the coals as I try to prepare my heart and mind to go.

The mission team met to pray Monday and we prayed that the strongholds that Satan has among this people would begin to fall and that he would begin to open their eyes, soften their hearts, and open their ears so that when we arrive they will be able to hear and receive the Word of God. Little did we know that Satan is not only working among this people group, but he was going to work full force among us here in the U.S.A. This is part of what prompted the blog entry last night. If you didn't read it, go back to the archives and read it. We are too naive to realize when Satan is using us, attacking us, influencing us, and hindering the work of God through us. God, help me...help us NOT be an instrument of Satan to hinder and thwart the work of God. Help us oh God, to guard our hearts and minds against the works and thoughts of the evil one. Help us oh God, to pray, pray, pray. Help us oh God to focus on your mighty works.

Pray that Satan will be bound both here and there.

In short, if anything good is to come out of this first trip to this unreached people, we must MUST have the prayers of godly people behind us. Would you please forward this blog like crazy? Would you please ask those in your inbox to forward it like crazy? Would you sign up to follow us along the way...at least as much as we can have internet access? Would you commit to pray?
I want to ask each of you to pray for us as we leave Jackson, MS Monday morning at 8 a.m. to make our almost 2 day journey to the southern part of India. Pray for our work there. Pray for the people there.