Article Writing Brainstorming

Do you ever feel like you have so much to say, but not sure how to say it? The great thing about this country is we have the opportunity to say whatever we want to. Sometimes we second-guess ourselves on how we want to say something. Stop thinking about it so much and just get started!

Do It

Writer's block can be a scary thing. You feel like you've already said all you have to say, and you have no ideas left. Well, you do have ideas. You have lots of them. You can write about anything. Even if it doesn't seem as though your intended topic would tie in with your business, you can make it work. People invented things such as dog massages, trust me, your correlation and idea of articles, will probably not be that far fetched!

Include Loved Ones

You love certain people in your life, even if it is just one person. You may have one friend whose opinion you really trust. You could consult with even your colleagues, whether you are the superior or the subordinate, like I said before everyone has something to say. If you feel as though you are neglecting your children or your boyfriend, ask them if they would want to spend a night coming up with really great ideas for your article writing. If you include children or teenagers, have them write things and approach their teachers about earning extra credit.

Ask for Feedback

If you are more reserved or it is easier to receive article writing input from people who are detached, ask your consumers for input. They visit your website, buy your product, and you can promote your business while receiving feedback on what they would like to read in future articles.

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When the State Oversteps Its Bounds

Why was Jesus crucified? Because His gospel was highly politicized. It had everything to do with GOVERNMENT! God's people would do well to note that fact. His enemies accused Him of sedition. They distorted His Message to make it appear He was out to overthrow the government! (John 19:12). They led the rulers to believe Jesus was a dangerous individual, a real threat to public order and national security (John 11:48). Jesus had to be stopped! Both the political and religious authorities turned on Christ.

Why was Stephen murdered? Should he have just kept his opinions to himself? He blasted the religious establishment for their hypocrisy. Although he spoke the plain truth, they confused the issue by taking his words out of context. He undoubtedly did tell them that Jerusalem was going to fall and the Temple was going to be destroyed - just like Jesus prophesied - if they didn't quickly change course (Acts 6:8-15). He was arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin (their religious court). They angrily condemned him to die for being so blunt (Acts 7).

I read the Book of Acts, making it much more meaningful and relevant, during my detention in Jerusalem's Russian Compound jail. If you examine the evidence surrounding Paul's frequent arrests and imprisonments, you'll see a pattern of trumped up charges, misunderstandings and misguided zeal. It's a miracle that Paul didn't say "enough is enough" and quit. But God used him to provide for us a very human example, since we expect Jesus to act divine (I Tim. 1:16).

Many in jail proclaim their innocence, but God knows that I was an innocent politico-religious prisoner. The Leftist government in Israel was out to crush their opposition. As a Christian member of the Temple Mount Faithful, I represent all that the secular hate. I've been involved in many televised demonstrations to remind the government of its biblical responsibilities. Whether they listen or not is between them and God.

Living by Faith

The Israeli settlers whom Gerald Flurry (pastor general of the Philadelphia Church of God) once condemned are putting their lives on the line. By living in Eretz Israel (the Land of Israel) they are exercising their faith in God's Word that promises the Holy Land to Israel, not Ishmael. How cowardly for Gerald Flurry to throw rocks at their faith when he sits safe in his comfortable office in democratic America. God help him (and all the other Church leaders) to wake up to this aspect of the Bible of which too many remain ignorant. Thankfully, from subsequent articles in The Philadelphia Trumpet magazine it appears Mr. Flurry's understanding has improved.

God's people won't suffer the prophesied persecution (not that we're seeking it) until we take a PUBLIC STAND on religious matters that have political ramifications, just like Jesus and the apostles and prophets. It's an artificial separation between politics and religion. God's one government has two branches: Church and State (Malachi 4:4-5).

Spiritual issues are fought in the political arena of men's minds (2 Cor. 10:4). Whether we recognize it or not, our Israelite nations are engaged in a cultural war. Unless we join the struggle, promoting the biblical platform that pierces through the mental fog, how can we expect to be in any position to help influence our nation's direction away from the precipice (Rom. 10:14)? God's Church has a superficial understanding when they fail to put God's truth into practice and take political action (James 2:14-17)!

I was detained for a righteous reason. I'm closely associated with those who call for a return to biblical values. We uphold God's Law as our true Constitution. We plead with Judah (and Joseph) to obey God and not men; to put their trust in Him and not fear the UN; to restore the Temple Mount as the Temple Mount. If the Jews fail to listen to this opportunity for restoration, they'll self-destruct, falling apart at the seams. Israel faces the growing threat of a civil war and European intervention!

Warning the Jews

My enemies (if you don't have any, God is your enemy), knowing that I've written that the mosques must go - the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aksa mosques - have falsely accused me of being in a plot to destroy those beautiful abominations! It's the serpent up to his old tricks, telling half-truths and mixing it with outrageous lies. I did tell the GSS (Israel's Secret Police like the former East German Stasi) that I was thankful for the opportunity to clear the air and answer any questions. I didn't want to incriminate myself in any way - and they did try to entrap me - but I also didn't want to deny Christ the opportunity to testify before them (Mark 12:13).

All the while during my six and a half hours of interrogation, I prayed only to speak what God would have me to say; nothing more or less (Luke 20:12-19). I did clearly warn them that the "peace" process is a trap; that it's about to blow up in their faces, and that a German-led Europe is going to wage a new crusade to enforce the Vatican's version of peace. Catholic Europe will backstab and betray both the Arabs and the Jews. They'll push for Jerusalem to become "an international city" (Zech. 14:2), all under the cover of UN Resolution 181.

I maintained that the only explosives that I'm involved with is the bombshell I've written, Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall. I continually referred them to it, stating that's where my beliefs are on public record (John 18:20). (Later I gave them a computer disk with my book on it to assist their alleged investigation). I told them I know that Israel won't take God's warning seriously, any more than those Jews who spurned Jabotinsky's efforts to save them from Hitler. (Ze'ev Jabotinksy warned the Jews of Hitler's fury but they thought he was just crying wolf). Nevertheless, God will intervene and save us after our worst time of suffering, and every survivor in Jerusalem will be holy.

That whole ordeal brought my name, and the fact that I've written a book, and that I'm a Sabbath-keeping Christian member of the Temple Mount Faithful, to Israel's attention (Philip. 1:12-14). It also increases my standing in the Jewish community who know I've willing to suffer to help try to save Israel from itself, and that I'm not bitter, but still expect Israeli citizenship. I've proven that I'm not a fair-weather friend. I plan on standing by Judah's side, even when they fall because they've refused to take the necessary actions to insure "Never Again." (Isa. 49:5; I Sam. 12:23).

David Ben-Ariel is a Christian-Zionist writer in Ohio and author of Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall. With a focus on the Middle East and Jerusalem, his analytical articles help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. Check out Beyond Babylon.

Church Building and Church Buildings

Church building is a term used to designate both the physical building of a church facility, and the spiritual building of a group of people into a unified body of believers. The physical church buildings are made of wood, stone, mortar, and brick, but the act of spiritual church building comes at the cost of evangelism, preaching, and teaching. Church building sometimes involves both acts together when a new building is being built and a new congregation is being pulled together. Those that build them with the eternal purposes of Jesus Christ in mind consider Church buildings a ministry in themselves.

A church building is the physical location where a group of Christian believers come together each week to worship God and fellowship with one another. Church buildings often require a great monetary sacrifice on the part of the church members, and often a church building project can last for years. Church buildings can be small or large and the capital necessary to build them varies as well. Sometimes a capital campaign is launched to generate giving on the part of committed church members. Other times church members that are craftsmen or artisans donate their time and services to help lighten expenditures.

Church building requires wise counsel and experienced help to pull it all together. Learning how to build a church to meet the needs of your particular ministry often requires experienced consultants that can offer peace of mind by helping you lay the groundwork both figuratively and literally. Knowing what you can afford to build and how you will pay for it are vital concerns for church building campaigns, and many times just making those decisions with wise counsel can reduce stress, uncertainty and effort. Church buildings are an integral part of a church's ministry to the community, and therefore much thought and planning should be undertaken. Church building is a blessed work and worthy of much prayer and forethought.

Church buildings are places where the Word of God is taught and people come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Acts 14:27 says, " And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles."The work of the Lord that occurs in a church building is holy, blessed work, and everything involved in that church building, from initial construction to the day to day care and cleaning should be right. Church buildings are where God's church, his people, grow up together in love.

For more information about church building and church buildings, visit:
http://www.christianet.com/christianbusinesses/churchbuilding/
http://www.christianet.com/

In the Nature of Humanity There is No Hope!

Feeding, nursing, caressing, counseling, and religiously washing the old nature of fallen humanity will not save anyone. The only way a child of God can be produced is when a person "is born of the Spirit." The flesh must die, for there is no other cure. The religion of humanity loves an outward show of rites, rituals and ceremonies (Colossians 2:20-22), but these will not lead us into right relationship with God. Rather, it is the inner change of our nature, and the heart transformation that only Christ brings; that is the hope for our salvation.

"Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations- 21"Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle," 22which all concern things which perish with the using-according to the commandments and doctrines of men? 23These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh." (NKJV)

Everything that has to do with our former nature will "perish with the doing," because they are born of the flesh. In Matthew 15:11, Jesus said, "Every plant which my Father hath not planted shall be rooted up." (KJV)

[i]"These words were spoken by the Lord Jesus to those whose religion was of the flesh and consisted in ritualistic washings and making long prayers. They were those who honored God only with their lips, and not with their life. They thought a person was defiled only by, "that which goeth into the mouth" (Matthew 15:11, KJV). Jesus declared these words to religious men (Scribes and Pharisees) who "teach for doctrine the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:9, KJV), and made more out of "that which goeth into the mouth," instead of "that which cometh out of the heart."

Such was the reason for this discourse between the Lord and the wayward religious leaders. For no matter how much they loved their religion, in and of itself, it can save no one, because the flesh cannot be converted by the works of man.

Remember, it is impossible for you to make your own heart clean. The old nature cannot be cleansed, and the new nature needs no cleansing, "For the heart of man is full of deceit and desperately wicked." Only Jesus can remove your old, fallen, carnal, corrupt, sin nature, and give you a new heart. The Word of God tells us, the only way we can receive a "clean heart" is through redemption. This truth destroys the modern idea of 'making men better without converting them.'"

If we are justified by grace, why are we trying to be sanctified by the works of man? Such thoughts come under reproof in Galatians 3:3, "Are you so senseless (unintelligent) having begun by the Spirit (the new nature) are you being made perfect in the flesh?" ([ii]Darby).

The Fallen Nature At-A-Glance

When Adam fell, humanity became guilty of sin. His sins formed what has become known as the carnal, or fallen nature within us. It is for that reason that we have become inheritors of the sin nature. The Bible states, "All have sinned and come sort of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)

The nature of fallen humanity is desperately wicked - there is no hope in it. We cannot clean it up, purify, self-help or improve upon it. The only way we can overcome it, and it's eternally destructive traits, is to exchange natures - throw out the old, put it to death, through the sacrificial death of Christ, and receive His new nature in its place.

Our nature comes from the begetter, and the begetter of sin, is Adam. Since our nature determines everything we think and do, God had no choice but to reject all who bear it, and thereby, keep them from cohabitating His presence. This rejection does not mean that God hates humankind; rather, it simply means that He, the holy God, cannot and will not allow sin to dwell in His presence.

The sign of His great love for us, even in our fallen condition, however, is that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to die in our place, so that we through Him, might be freed from sin, and the nature of fallen humanity.

That is the reason David prayed, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free Spirit" (Psalm 51:10-12, KJV).

Notice that David did not pray, "God, please counsel evil out of my heart," or "Through my self-will, and continued efforts at self-improvement, O God, make my heart holy." The reason such prayers won't work is simple, the only way to be saved, and wholly sanctified, is for God to create a new heart, a spiritual heart, in place of the fleshly, lust-driven, heart of sin that we possessed from birth. Truly, our only hope exists in His ability to change us into His likeness, from the inside out!

[i] The Two Natures in the Child of God, E.W. Bullinger. Published: 1999. Publisher: Truth for Today.

[ii] Darby Translation of the Bible or Darby's New Translation. Translated by John Nelson Darby. Public Domain

Tom Cannon is an experienced author, and has written numerous books, including; "Two Faces in the Mirror," "Servants of the King," "Mountain Empire" and "Changing Natures." He is the director of Destiny Ministry, Inc., and ministers worldwide in conferences, churches and seminars.

For more information on this topic, or to purchase books, head on over to Amazon.com, http://www.TomCannon.org, or http://www.DestinyMinistry.net bookstore.

Book Preview: Google Book Search

Email: destinyministry@gmail.com

Read more blogs at: TomCannon.org.

What Does Christ's Church Look Like?

If we know anything about the mind of Christ, then we must also know something about His mind for His church. In other words, if any of us have caught a glimpse of Christ then we should also have a pretty good idea of what His church should look like. Otherwise, if we can't imagine what Christ's church looks like, then how can we claim to know Christ?

So, if Christ were leading His church, what would that look like? My answer to this is... I don't know. Or at least I don't know from watching this play out before my fleshly eyes. This is the honest answer for anyone whose primary idea of "church" has been a building, a paid pastor and all the usual, western fixin's.

If your idea of church is not these things and yet you're still taking part in these things, then why? Maybe you know better... or maybe you're fooling yourself into thinking you know better. I'll believe you when you say "I know better" as soon as you start acting better.

But God's Spirit will lead us into freedom.

The first step toward freedom and obedience is to take care of our unfinished business with the Almighty. When our consciences are clear before God, then we will be free to confront any life-circumstance.

The same quality of freedom applies to God's people despite all the hardship or opposition that the world can assemble against us. Our successfulness or lack thereof is not ours to measure. It is our place to obey Christ directly and then trust Him to work out the end product of these things.

If we belong to Christ, then it is fitting that we should stumble around and fail miserably every time we try to live apart from Him.

by Patrick Roberts

http://www.BooksByPatrick.com

Patrick is an average Christ-seeker. His goal is to turn people to Jesus Christ.

Was Jesus Real or A Myth - Video

Christ's Entry Into North Korea

How will Christ change North Korea, when He goes in with His people? If this happens before His powerful second coming, He will go in with the power of His own unity, not with the organizations of men.

Clues from Paul, Ephesians. 1:2,3: The true Church is the very Body of Jesus. Not just a body of believers that happens to belong to Him. The Church IS Him! 4:3. What do we do? Keep the unity (that already exists) in the bond of peace. Recognize what is already there and flow in it. 4:13. Unity of belief may not exist until later, but essential unity is now. In God's eyes there is unity. Always has been. Men are divided, growing, imperfect, but unity is here. I Corinthians 1:10 ff. The Corinthians were divided. But Christ was not divided. Denominations formed. A sectarian spirit developed. Personality cults sprang up. But Christ was one. And is still.

Why the "division" today? People divide for a number of reasons.

• Some separate because they never belonged to Christ. "They went out from us, but they were not of us."
• Some believe they are called out to better things. Dangerous idea. But sometimes true.
• Simple differences of opinion. Paul and Barnabas, for example. But Christ was not divided during that incident. The ecumenists of our day would have begged Paul and Barnabas to stay together at all costs. "Together" is not unity in the Spirit. God had other plans for both of them. We can't figure out everyone's motive and don't need to. Unity continues on regardless. There is One Body filled with One Spirit, just as at the beginning!

Our options today as we consider moving into North Korea when things change there (soon we pray!):

• announce to all denominations, "Come together!" and let's go in to conquer. But in the large group there is much that is false. Always has been since the days when Roman Emperors forced people into the "Church." One cannot force someone into the Body. Most pagans who came in did so to save their lives. They brought their pagan ways with them and the external church has lived with them ever since. No, a thousand times NO, don't bring this mess into North Korea!
• seek God as to who is born again in the crowd that will try to press in. Let God call His true people together. He will then give discernment to those inside who are waiting for the Gospel. God's sheep will hear His voice. There will always be false Christians and cultists offering competition to the truth. The answer is not to join with those who grieve the Spirit, but to preach the truth and let God call His own to Him.

The boundaries of the true Church of Jesus remain invisible to human eyes but very visible to Christ and those who know Him. And consider:

If Christ does not go into North Korea until His second coming, how "nice" will that be? Will Jesus gingerly gather all those who wear the name "Christian" and set them up as little kings all over the land? Is that the picture you see? The Bible says He will come with wrath and judgment, utterly destroying all His enemies. Only the true Body of Christ will remain to judge the earth with Jesus.

So why not join with those true ones now? Making alliances with "Christians" that have not the Spirit of God is always a deadly unproductive road. And it gives the wrong message to the North Korean people who have been deceived these many decades.

Christ, lead on, show us how to win back the hearts of the Korean people for You, Who so deserve this offering.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. Just about every day I'm writing a blog featuring some news, a book, or a story of North Korea. There's a live news feed on the site, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together!

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond on my site.

Bold Lies

You will not surely die!

Bold, blatant, and in complete opposition to the truth. When you see a lie like this, there is no question from whence it comes. And you say, Only a demented person could tell such a lie, and only a similarly demented individual could believe it. But taking a look at Eve, the mother of us all in the flesh, one would not have thought her to be what we call now a whack job. Probably beautiful, sensitive, caring. No, lies have no boundaries. You have believed them and so have I.

Later in Moses' chronicle a king arises who did not know of Joseph. What! How could there be an Egyptian head of state who had never heard of the savior of his own land not that many years earlier? Easy. Liars were employed by former heads of state to revise the history books. We have such persons in important media positions today, revising the nightly news.

The resurrection of Jesus was the most attested major event of ancient history. But revisionists today, some of them posing as believers in Jesus -if you can fathom that! have rewritten the theology books and explained it all away. Their judgment is just.

The Watchtower Society found some very troublesome passages in the King James Bible. Truths about the deity of Christ had to be covered up. So they wrote a new Bible. And the deceivers attracted many of the deceived who bought into this lie.

Islam has an entire set of mistruths by which it comforts itself that it is a true expression of God's will for mankind. It not only denies the resurrection of Jesus, it denies His crucifixion, claiming that someone was substituted for Jesus at the last minute! It too has come up with a new Bible though God warned that His revelation is closed.

You say, who can believe such fantasies as this? Over 1/6 of the human race does. Bold, blatant, and in complete opposition to the truth.

So it is no wonder that in Tehran today [December of 2006], a collection of deceivers meets to declare to the world that 6,000,000 Jews did not die in the Holocaust. After all, if that story is true, a great injustice was done by the world to these people. If it is true, the sympathy of the world must be with Israel.

Tehran and company care not one whit whether the Holocaust is a fact. Their intention is the same as Satan's has always been: turn the affection of the world against Israel. Destroy this troublesome bunch who gave the world the Bible, monotheism, the Savior, and the greatest heroes faith has ever produced. Above all, get them out of the land, their own land, the possession of which is promised in prophecies innumerable.

As long as Israel stands, God's truth stands. So look for the lies to remain , bold, blatant, and in complete opposition to the Truth.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. I have created over 200 blogs and the site features a live news feed, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. I love to write Scriptural works. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond.

All Worked Up

It's always important to say in articles like this one, that God can do whatever He wants. His church is His church. We need to be very careful in criticizing people and things we do not understand.

But my observations today come from a desire to warn the people of God about things that are happening in that church. Speaking out in some situations is as important as being silent in others.

Consider with me the Western style "revivalist" of our day. Some of them have mastered techniques that they use to milk and fleece God's sheep. Unfortunately a multitude of congregations have dozed off, and a razzle-dazzle performance geared to "waking up the saints" can work wonders. Or so it would seem.

I'm a skeptic about much of what I see and hear and read because the church, and I'm part of that church, has been lied to too often. That does not mean that I discount a genuine miracle or an all-powerful God.

The written revelation continues to be the standard by which we can judge all things. Thank God that He took the time to pass along to us principles and examples that we can hold up to the men who stand before us and would carry us away to who knows where.

Look at the prophets. Granted, they did some things we would have to call strange. Walking around essentially naked, or stretched out on the ground, first on one side then the other. But their motivation was obedience. This was not their style, and none of this unusual-ness "worked up" an audience to give money. Until the interpretation of their actions was given, the crowd did not know what to think.

And Jesus. Individuals were worked up with anxiety and pain, to be sure. They wanted to be well. And yes, there was power to meet the needs, definitely. But the miracles came, for the most part, commensurate with the faith of the inquirer, not the emotion of the crowd. And that emotion, when it did come, came in response to a miracle, not to make one happen. Miracles are free.

The apostles followed their Master. They preached. Signs followed, as a bonus. No one was told to do anything so that the power of God would fall. Pentecost, and all subsequent outpourings were directed by God on unsuspecting groups of people. Never once did an apostle demand or perform a show so that God would "show up."

Remember Jonathan Edwards? Well, he was a little before our time. He's the one considered to be the main spark of the "Great Awakening" of the mid 18th century. And the one who preached "Sinners in the hands of an angry God." He was not considered a great orator, though his words were intense. But his hard stand against sin and for judgment brought a true revival.

Yes, there were strange things that happened in his meetings. People passed out under conviction, for example. They call this fainting by other names today, even though the Bible does not name the phenomenon. Edwards did not encourage a response or try to make it happen. Men and women simply confronted themselves and their God at the same time. An awful and dangerous experience.

When challenged about the things that happened in his meetings, Edwards stressed that they were all incidental to the preaching, that they were not to be emphasized, nor was favor to be reckoned to those whose "bodily effects" were more noticeable. Gradually though the "bodily effects" people changed the course of the revival, as they always do.

It's a different world today, at least to some degree. It becomes obvious early on in some "revival" meetings that the leader is trying to "make something happen." Some preachers will suddenly yell, or blow into a microphone, or run around. The crowd is sure that the Spirit is moving, and it reacts accordingly and unpredictably, throwing caution and order and compassion for those who have come along with them, to the wind. But with all the smoke, often there is not a word of conviction spoken in the entire meeting. It's all for show and money in some cases.

We want to say, "nevertheless, Christ is preached" as the gracious Paul could say, but that might not even be true in some of these meetings, as people have stopped looking for sound teaching and the true power of God, and are seeking out feel-good shows of signs and wonders that they can talk about to their friends.

Let me say this. We insult and endanger folks when we tell them they must get "all worked up" in order for Jesus to move. That's not how it happened as our church was being formed. And that notion is nothing more than a revival of the old "works" mentality so prevalent in the institution(s) out of which we have come.

Preachers, preach Christ! Preach the Word! Preach grace! Don't imply that I must do something to receive the gifts of God. Just fill my mind and heart with God's Truth and let me deal with it. Oh I may get excited and even loud but not because of shenanigans and not to meet your needs. Or silently God may do a work in me that you could never imagine, that God will never tell you, lest you be lifted up with pride and think you did it.

People of God, it's going to get worse. Keep the discerner's fine-tuned, the eyes wide open, the heart turned only to Jesus Christ.

Look for Bob Faulkner's home page on http://sermonaudio.com There you will find a combination of love for the Scriptures and a desire for North Korean believers to have their needs met. There are nearly 300 blogs , ovber 200 Bible teaching MP3's, lists of resources, NK picture albums, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Would love to fellowship with believers who respond.

Ready to Die?

Korean hero extraordinaire, Yi Sun-sin, the incredible Naval Admiral whose small but mighty fleet won the day for Chosun in the late 16th century, has left behind many memorable quotes, not the least of which is the following, from his daily journal:

Calling my staff officers and all ships' captains, I gave the following instruction: "According to the principles of Strategy, he who seeks his death shall live, and he who seeks his life shall die."

Sounds familiar, right? I don't believe Yi had a connection to Christ or the Bible, yet the same general principle was spoken by the Lord:

"He that loves his life shall lose it; and he that hates his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal."(John 12:25)

Then there is the Christian hero, a man or a woman who hazards life daily on behalf of others, others like the North Korean church and North Korean evangelism. One of these is a pastor quoted by Mike Kim in his new Escaping North Korea.

"Chinese people who help refugees get in trouble by the Chinese government. The punishment is going to prison and paying a heavy fine. But we are also a church here, so if we are caught, the punishment will be much heavier... If I go to prison, I go... I know of some families that have been shot and executed for helping refugees. So if we aren't ready to die, we cannot do this kind of work. "

Isn't that what Jesus was saying? Any volunteers?

Look for Bob Faulkner's home page on http://sermonaudio.com.

There you will find a combination of love for the Scriptures and a desire for North Korean believers to have their needs met. There are nearly 300 blogs , over 200 Bible teaching MP3's, lists of resources, NK picture albums, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together! Contact me any time at diakonos3@gmail.com

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Would love to fellowship with believers who respond.

Try God, She Said

"You should try God."

That's what my neighbor Goldie said to me on that day long ago in Ohio where I grew up. She was trying to offer some advice to a forlorn little kid she had seen moping around the neighborhood. She knew my alcoholic dad was away again. She knew my mom was in a mental hospital. That my cousin who had moved in was twice my age and size and beat me up on a regular basis. Maybe she even knew that once he had invited a friend over to watch it happen...

I surely wanted to try something. I'd try anything if I could hear from my dad. Dad and I were never that close. But He was dad, and I missed him terribly. So, one day while on my way home from school, knowing I had a lot of time to kill before my aunt would be home and take care of my cousin if needed, I decided to try God like she said. I stopped by a wooded area and dropped to my knees.

"God," the little boy said, "if you're really there, I want to hear from my dad tonight!" Simple ignorant faith. Isn't it always the best! I had no reason to think Dad would call tonight. It had been a long time since he had called, and he didn't always want to talk with me. I was in for the surprise of my life.

I still remember seeing the hands of the clock when I walked through the door of my house that evening. It was 5:45. The phone was ringing. Long distance from California. "Daddy wants to talk to you," my sister told me.

My tears streamed, but I have long since forgotten what Dad said. All I remember thinking was, "This is God. God did this."

That was the beginning.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. I have created over 200 blogs and the site features a live news feed, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. I love to write Scriptural works. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond.

The Deity of Jesus Christ - Samuel

Jesus is God in the books of Samuel.

I Samuel 2:3, knowledge. "The Lord is a God of knowledge." From Hannah's lips. And from Paul's pen, a statement to the Colossians:(2:2-3) "...to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ in Whom (Father and Christ or just Christ?) are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." He knows it all, this Christ, Who is God.

II Samuel 22:2 , Deliverer. "The Lord is my deliverer." The words are David's. He speaks the same in Psalm 40:17 and numerous other places. It is generic and applicable in a number of ways to how our God sets us free from the enemy of our souls.But let's be specific. Who is this Deliverer in concrete human terms?Romans 11:26 quotes Isaiah as referring to One who will come out of Sion and turn away ungodliness from Jacob. The Jewish deliverer is none other than Christ Jesus. And thus Christ shares yet another title with Yahweh, making these two , one.

II Samuel 22:3, Saviour. With this word we strike a nerve in Scripture. David begins the chorus in 22:3 by calling the Lord his Saviour. We have been conditioned to thinking of Jesus this way, for He saved us from our sins. But the prophets of Yahweh knew Him in this same way.From David to Isaiah(43:3), "I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour." And from Isaiah to Hosea (13:4), where God says, "...there is no saviour beside Me."When we come to the New Testament with the words of Hosea ringing in our ears, we either have a problem or a revelation. None other than Mary (Luke 1:47), the mother of Jesus and His half-brothers and sisters, proclaims: "...my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour." Well, that's safe enough ,still talking about God. But in the very next chapter, the beloved physician quotes the angel of the Lord as saying, "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." (But Hosea said...) With Paul the excitement builds. His letter to Titus is overflowing with the Saviour theme. 1:3 "...preaching...is committed to me according to the commandment of God our Saviour." But check the very next verse: "...peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour." Whoa, Paul, what are you saying? And could you say it again? Certainly, 2:13: "Looking for...the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." In 2:10 and 3:4, it is "God our Saviour". In 3:6, it is again Jesus as Saviour. The formula "God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" is used also by Peter, II Peter 1:1.Oh, have we ever fathomed the reality of this truth? The truth is, our Saviour, JESUS, IS GOD.

II Samuel 22:4, Worthy. "I will call upon the Lord, Who is worthy to be praised,"says David , 22:4. Is anyone else worthy of such praise and worship? No one. But see the Worthy One revealed in other form: In Matthew 2:11 the Magi worship a young child named Jesus. Matthew 14:33 tells of some suddenly believing disciples in what seems to be a hopeless storm. When the winds die down because of Jesus' presence, they worship Him. In the next chapter a Canaanite woman worships Jesus in appealing for her daughter to be healed. Luke (17:16) tells of a Samaritan man, healed and grateful, who falls on his face before the Master. John relates how one born blind worships Him.(9:38) Thomas, a doubter no longer, calls Jesus "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28) Never is this worship refused. The writer of Hebrews quotes a Psalmist who says "Let all the angels of God worship Him." The implication of the passage is that "Him" is the Son. The final chorus of praise to Jesus, Who is God, is found in Revelation. 5:12 says, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing!" Why, because He died? Many have died. Because He suffered? No. Because He is GOD. For only God is worthy of such praise.

II Samuel 22:48, the avenger. "It is God that avengeth me, and that bringeth down the people under me." Paul's complementary statement: "...the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God."

Samuel thus agrees with the other witnesses of Scripture. Jesus is God.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. I have created over 200 blogs and the site features a live news feed, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosen together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. I love to write Scriptural works. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond.

To North Korea - Never Forsaken!

There are a lot of Psalms that I would like to read to a North Korean saint. The Book of Psalms was written largely under duress by suffering saints who trusted God for their deliverance. Take number 37 for example, by King David.

"Don't worry about evildoers... they will soon be cut down like the grass."

"Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness."

"Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him."

"Evildoers shall be cut off... but those who wait on the Lord shall inherit the earth!"

Verse 25, following, may give some people pause. I admit I struggled awhile with it, knowing what I do about the situation in North Korea:

"I have been young and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread."

Have the righteous been forsaken in North Korea? Oh no! Not at all! We who know God know that in our worst moments He is there with encouragement, refreshment, hope and material aid as needed. We believe that such is the case with saints in this prison land. We see with the eyes of Elisha who refused to use mortal sight and could envision the hosts of angels surrounding him, giving him the majority in every battle.

With God's Spirit, God's angels, and the provision of God's people coming in from all over the planet as the need of North Korea is presented to the Body of Christ, how can these saints be considered forsaken?

We are not intimidated by a one-million man NK army. The very gates of hell cannot prevail against the church of Jesus Christ, wherever it is. We fear not those who kill the body but cannot touch the soul. Oppressors, without knowing it, are creating martyrs and heroes whose glory will shine forever. They are sending people out into eternity where they cannot touch them ever again but where they will be embraced by the Father Himself. They are rousing the worldwide church into action. In other words, they are is doing the very opposite of what they want to do! They are building the church, not destroying it.

How marvelous are God's ways! He can take a hardened Pharaoh and get glory from him. A Christian-killing Saul of Tarsus is putty in his hands. We know not how the NK saga will end, but we know that God's glory will be gotten one way or another.

Psalm 37 again: "The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble, and the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him!"

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. Just about every day I'm writing a blog featuring some news, a book, or a story of North Korea. There's a live news feed on the site, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together!

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond on my site.

Jesus' Missing Years in the Bible

It looks like there is a big problem in the Gospels. There are more years in Jesus' life that are missing than years of his life that were ever recorded. Why weren't these years listed in the Bible?

All the Gospels talked about the death of Jesus, the birth of Jesus and a few years in between, but all of the Gospels are missing some very important years from his life. When raising a child, some of the most important years of their lives, will be those when they were teenagers and often those of their young adulthood.

The Gospels talk about Jesus at the temple at around the age of 12 or 13. After that, there is very little known until he reaches the final years of his life. Was there someone or a group of people or even a community who influenced his life? Could Jesus have learned something from a spiritual master Guru that changed the world forever?

There is more speculation on Jesus' missing years than you could ever imagine. Some say that Jesus went to Egypt to study with their masters or priests. Egypt obviously wasn't that far from where Jesus was raised, but like most of the stuff in the Bible, there is very little evidence to support any of these speculative stories.

Could Jesus have went to India and studied with the Buddhist masters or even a Hindu scholars? Did Jesus study with advanced Jewish scholars? This is only a little bit of the historical speculation, but if the truth was ever to be known, it could help Christianity solve a lot of problems.

Most Christians rarely even question these missing years. There are quite a few Christians that don't even know that there are any missing years in Jesus' life. I wrote this article to get people thinking and hopefully to start educating themselves about early Christianity. Good luck and God bless.

Great Christian Books And Articles

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:
Religious Education And Fear

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author and a inspiration to millions of people. He has been involved in religious research for almost 30 years, and his influence in the Christian community is growing. The Holy Bible, is the core to Christian beliefs and most Christians don't even question it. Was the Bible actually written by men?

His newest book," Did God Actually Say That?" Was written specifically for Christians who are interested in gaining additional knowledge about the Bible. This book provides Christians with advanced biblical knowledge, answer some tough questions and should be read by every faithful follower of Christ.

Religious Mind Control Or Generational Sin

If you were raised with certain beliefs and belong to a certain religion, there is a very good chance that your parents followed your religion and share the same beliefs. If you are a Muslim, there's a very good chance that your parents were Muslims. If you live in the United States, there is a really, really good chance that you're a Christian, especially if you live in Texas or Utah.

Is this religious mind control and generational sin or is this truly the way life is meant to live. Your parents and ancestors formed strong beliefs and pass them on to their children. What's wrong with that? Is it a generational sin to pass on what you truly believe? With that question asked, is a generational sin our mind control to teach our children how to fit into society, is it our obligation as stewards.

We often send our children to school, give them a good religious upbringing and then assimilate them into the workplace, almost like robots on an assembly line. We seem to never even question where these beliefs originated, we have no idea where they are going to take us and above all, we have no idea that they are truly beneficial to society, let alone ourselves.

Teaching our children what we have been taught, isn't always going to be right. If you look back in history, at all the beliefs, rituals and facts that have been disproven and are no longer followed by modern man, you can get a pretty good idea what I'm talking about. These people often taught their children, what they were taught. In centuries to come, these truths died out and were replaced by new ones.

Religious mind control can be cured by opening your mind and reading articles like this. You might be talking to someone who you have been taught to fear or even hate your whole life, only to find out that they think like you. They care about their families, feel sorry for others who are less fortunate and usually eat and sleep just like you do. If your mind is open enough, you could realize that you have been lied to and now it's time to start thinking seriously about what you were taught and what you're going to believe in the future.

Religious mind control can be cured through reading books, watching television, visiting other countries and educating yourself about other cultures and religions. The change you make today could affect future generations in your family.

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his recommended books, You Can Have It All

Greg is currently working on a religious help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Could You Be a Married Adulterer? - For Christians Only

Adultery has been going on for centuries and obviously was a problem 2500 years ago or it wouldn't have been mentioned in the Bible so many times. Could you actually be married to someone and be considered an adulterer? It's time for you to learn all the rules in the New Testament about adultery.

Here's a Bible verse that could get a lot of Christians in trouble. Mark 10:11-12 (New King James Version)" 11 So He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries commits adultery against her. 12 And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."

It looks a little more complicated than most of us could have ever thought. Whoever divorces his wife and marries another, has committed adultery. That means that there are millions of Christians all over the world who have committed adultery.

I've got some more bad news for Christians who might have looked at a woman lustfully. Matthew 5:28 (New International Version Bible) "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." This isn't looking good, for men or women is it?

If you've never been married, but while you were at church, notice an attractive woman or man and had lustful thoughts, about them, you're an adulterer. I know, it sounds a little harsh, but I'm not making anything up here, it's right out of the Bible.

I know things aren't looking good but I would like to leave you with a comforting thought. If you were divorced from your spouse because of an adulterous relationship, things might be starting to look a little different with this next Bible verse.

Matthew 19:9 (New International Version Bible) I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery."

These are typical contradictions and they are located throughout the Bible. Mark 10:11-12 states that all divorced people who have remarried, commit adultery. Matthew 19:9 states something completely different, if your divorced and your ex spouse has been unfaithful during your marriage and you remarry, everything is okay.

Are you even more confused than when I started? There's a good chance that you are. I'm even confused and I wrote the article. The real question is, can we remarry or can't we.

This would be a good topic during Bible study. You can start by asking, how many people are adulterers?

Read This Today

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author and a inspiration to millions of people. He has been involved in religious research for almost 30 years, and his influence in the Christian community is growing. The Holy Bible, is the core to Christian beliefs and most Christians don't even question it. Was the Bible actually written by men?

His newest book," Did God Actually Say That?" Was written specifically for Christians who are interested in gaining additional knowledge about the Bible. This book provides Christians with advanced biblical knowledge, answer some tough questions and should be read by every faithful follower of Christ.

Click here if you're interested in the Bible truth.

Good Christians Really Do Inspire Me

One of the best Christians who I ever met, truly inspired me and everyone around him to become a better person. His son is now working at a church and his daughter is a teacher and they're not the only people who he inspired.

He inspired me to write this article, good Christians really do inspire me and others and he definitely was living his life, like Jesus did. He's the only person that I ever met, who didn't have anything bad to say about anyone, with the exception of one time. I actually heard him say that he hates that person, the person probably deserved it, but I still couldn't believe that the word came out of his mouth.

We all make mistakes, even he did, every once in a while. Whenever someone asked him about Christianity, he would try to avoid sharing his beliefs with them, unless they were persistent and then he would share all that he knew.

He never tried to convert anyone and never forced his opinions on anyone else. I asked him once," Did he actually read all of those books that he had in his library." He said that he actually did and I was shocked. He had three large library shelves that were each 4 foot wide and went almost all the way up to the ceiling, filled with books on Christianity and some on other religions.

He's the only man I ever met, that I would actually consider to be a good Christian. I don't know what it was about him, his honesty, compassion or simple kindness, but I valued his friendships and kept my ears open and my mouth shut... most of the time.

If you know someone like this in your life, I would advise you to take full advantage of their wisdom and let them inspire you to become a better Christian and if you don't believe in Christianity, these people can inspire you to become better person. A great life can be acquired, learning the wisdom from people who lead great lives.

Unbelievable Christian Bible Study Book

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Do you really know why you're a Christian, click on this way to get more information about Becoming Really Good Christians

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author and a inspiration to millions of people. He has been involved in religious research for almost 30 years, and his influence in the Christian community is growing. The Holy Bible, is the core to Christian beliefs and most Christians don't even question it. Was the Bible actually written by men?

His newest book," Did God Actually Say That?" Was written specifically for Christians who are interested in gaining additional knowledge about the Bible. This book provides Christians with advanced biblical knowledge, answer some tough questions and should be read by every faithful follower of Christ.

Thanks for reading my articles

Jesus' Missing Years in the Bible

It looks like there is a big problem in the Gospels. There are more years in Jesus' life that are missing than years of his life that were ever recorded. Why weren't these years listed in the Bible?

All the Gospels talked about the death of Jesus, the birth of Jesus and a few years in between, but all of the Gospels are missing some very important years from his life. When raising a child, some of the most important years of their lives, will be those when they were teenagers and often those of their young adulthood.

The Gospels talk about Jesus at the temple at around the age of 12 or 13. After that, there is very little known until he reaches the final years of his life. Was there someone or a group of people or even a community who influenced his life? Could Jesus have learned something from a spiritual master Guru that changed the world forever?

There is more speculation on Jesus' missing years than you could ever imagine. Some say that Jesus went to Egypt to study with their masters or priests. Egypt obviously wasn't that far from where Jesus was raised, but like most of the stuff in the Bible, there is very little evidence to support any of these speculative stories.

Could Jesus have went to India and studied with the Buddhist masters or even a Hindu scholars? Did Jesus study with advanced Jewish scholars? This is only a little bit of the historical speculation, but if the truth was ever to be known, it could help Christianity solve a lot of problems.

Most Christians rarely even question these missing years. There are quite a few Christians that don't even know that there are any missing years in Jesus' life. I wrote this article to get people thinking and hopefully to start educating themselves about early Christianity. Good luck and God bless.

Great Christian Books And Articles

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:
Religious Education And Fear

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author and a inspiration to millions of people. He has been involved in religious research for almost 30 years, and his influence in the Christian community is growing. The Holy Bible, is the core to Christian beliefs and most Christians don't even question it. Was the Bible actually written by men?

His newest book," Did God Actually Say That?" Was written specifically for Christians who are interested in gaining additional knowledge about the Bible. This book provides Christians with advanced biblical knowledge, answer some tough questions and should be read by every faithful follower of Christ.

Religious Mind Control Or Generational Sin

If you were raised with certain beliefs and belong to a certain religion, there is a very good chance that your parents followed your religion and share the same beliefs. If you are a Muslim, there's a very good chance that your parents were Muslims. If you live in the United States, there is a really, really good chance that you're a Christian, especially if you live in Texas or Utah.

Is this religious mind control and generational sin or is this truly the way life is meant to live. Your parents and ancestors formed strong beliefs and pass them on to their children. What's wrong with that? Is it a generational sin to pass on what you truly believe? With that question asked, is a generational sin our mind control to teach our children how to fit into society, is it our obligation as stewards.

We often send our children to school, give them a good religious upbringing and then assimilate them into the workplace, almost like robots on an assembly line. We seem to never even question where these beliefs originated, we have no idea where they are going to take us and above all, we have no idea that they are truly beneficial to society, let alone ourselves.

Teaching our children what we have been taught, isn't always going to be right. If you look back in history, at all the beliefs, rituals and facts that have been disproven and are no longer followed by modern man, you can get a pretty good idea what I'm talking about. These people often taught their children, what they were taught. In centuries to come, these truths died out and were replaced by new ones.

Religious mind control can be cured by opening your mind and reading articles like this. You might be talking to someone who you have been taught to fear or even hate your whole life, only to find out that they think like you. They care about their families, feel sorry for others who are less fortunate and usually eat and sleep just like you do. If your mind is open enough, you could realize that you have been lied to and now it's time to start thinking seriously about what you were taught and what you're going to believe in the future.

Religious mind control can be cured through reading books, watching television, visiting other countries and educating yourself about other cultures and religions. The change you make today could affect future generations in your family.

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his recommended books, You Can Have It All

Greg is currently working on a religious help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Could You Be a Married Adulterer? - For Christians Only

Adultery has been going on for centuries and obviously was a problem 2500 years ago or it wouldn't have been mentioned in the Bible so many times. Could you actually be married to someone and be considered an adulterer? It's time for you to learn all the rules in the New Testament about adultery.

Here's a Bible verse that could get a lot of Christians in trouble. Mark 10:11-12 (New King James Version)" 11 So He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries commits adultery against her. 12 And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."

It looks a little more complicated than most of us could have ever thought. Whoever divorces his wife and marries another, has committed adultery. That means that there are millions of Christians all over the world who have committed adultery.

I've got some more bad news for Christians who might have looked at a woman lustfully. Matthew 5:28 (New International Version Bible) "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." This isn't looking good, for men or women is it?

If you've never been married, but while you were at church, notice an attractive woman or man and had lustful thoughts, about them, you're an adulterer. I know, it sounds a little harsh, but I'm not making anything up here, it's right out of the Bible.

I know things aren't looking good but I would like to leave you with a comforting thought. If you were divorced from your spouse because of an adulterous relationship, things might be starting to look a little different with this next Bible verse.

Matthew 19:9 (New International Version Bible) I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery."

These are typical contradictions and they are located throughout the Bible. Mark 10:11-12 states that all divorced people who have remarried, commit adultery. Matthew 19:9 states something completely different, if your divorced and your ex spouse has been unfaithful during your marriage and you remarry, everything is okay.

Are you even more confused than when I started? There's a good chance that you are. I'm even confused and I wrote the article. The real question is, can we remarry or can't we.

This would be a good topic during Bible study. You can start by asking, how many people are adulterers?

Read This Today

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author and a inspiration to millions of people. He has been involved in religious research for almost 30 years, and his influence in the Christian community is growing. The Holy Bible, is the core to Christian beliefs and most Christians don't even question it. Was the Bible actually written by men?

His newest book," Did God Actually Say That?" Was written specifically for Christians who are interested in gaining additional knowledge about the Bible. This book provides Christians with advanced biblical knowledge, answer some tough questions and should be read by every faithful follower of Christ.

Click here if you're interested in the Bible truth.

Travel Writing Course Solves Job Problem

Did you know that a travel writing course is a good investment? As with any career or job, it's imperative to know what is going on in your chosen field. If you want to stay competitive, find a travel writing course that fits your schedule and sign up today.

Travel writing courses can be taken online, in class, or self taught. Find the right travel writing course for you. If you prefer to be in a classroom setting, check out your local community college, tech or trade school, adult education classes, or university. You'll find a course that suits you.

Travel Writing Course

1. AWAI. Offers The Travel Writers Life. You can learn about travel writing from the comfort of your own home.

2. Offbeat Trips. This is another travel writing course that can be done from the comfort of your own home. It's a bit more economical than AWAI's.

3. Writer's.com. Is for writers on the net. They offer a 10-week course taught by Amanda Castleman, a freelance journalist who specializes in travel.

4. Media Bistro. Offers plenty of courses to choose from on their website.

In addition to enrolling in a travel writing course, consider purchasing writing software such as WhiteSmoke. This software can help you with grammar, punctuation, and much more. If your grammar is not up to par, check out this writing software today. Read WhiteSmoke's Testimonials and decide if this software can help you improve your writing.

You can find more than just books at your local bookstore. They often have courses in travel writing. Some have three day workshops and or conferences. The best part is they carry a plethora of travel and writing books. Before you leave the store, pickup a book or two and learn all you can about travel and writing.

Remember that editors and publishers are busy people. If you submit inquiries that are full of grammatical and spelling errors, you just lost out on a potential writing opportunities. You may have an excellent style and voice, but your writing may be lacking in other areas.

If travel writing is your dream career learn as much as you can about it. Remember it's what you do with the knowledge that is important. You can take 20 different courses and still fail because you're not applying the lessons. Determination, perseverance, and a little work will take you far in travel writing. Find a course that's right for you, sign up, and watch your writing take-off.

Our website is dedicated to aspiring and experienced travel writers. You'll find inspiration, encouragement, and education on everything travel writing.

Sign up for our weekly blog recap. If you're about to travel this is a great way to keep up-to-date with the latest in travel writing. Also, check out our forum. If you have a question, login, and with a click of a button you'll have the answer to your question.

URL: http://www.Travel-Writers-Exchange.com

Love and Prayers to Heal Divisions in the Christian Church

More than same-sex marriage and pedophile priests molesting choir boys, what tears the Christian Church apart is its own followers' biases and prejudices against each other.

As Christians, we tend to focus too much on our diversity that we forget what it is that unites us: our faith in Jesus Christ, his death for sins, burial, resurrection and our desire to follow His teachings.

But is it possible to have unity in the Christian Church? The answer is yes. Love, understanding and praying for unity are what we need to break down denominational walls in the Church.

With two billion followers, Christianity is the world's most widely practiced religion. If a family consisting of a father, a mother and their two children may not always see eye to eye, how much more such a huge number of people? Dissension cannot be avoided and there will always be disagreements. It is when we begin to ask, "Whose views are more superior?" that judgment starts. This leads to alienation, and alienation is what creates disunity among us.

Wracked by issues as child sexual molestation by the clergy, contraception, abortion, stem cell research and divorce, the moral authority of the Christian Church is continuously under scrutiny. Also, some denominations within the Christian Church openly support homosexuality and gay marriage even among male priests and consecration of openly gay bishops. This triggers denouncement from other Christian groups which perceive these practices as blasphemous to the Church's doctrines and damaging to the already fragile image of the Christian faith.

Another issue that has drawn criticisms from both Christians and non-Christians alike is the growing number of churches being established in areas in close proximity of each other. One example of this is a particular town in Texas which only has a population of around 20,000 but 51 churches were built in the area. It seems the Christian Church is taking the words, "Go forth and multiply" too literally. With the problems hounding it, it seems that the Church's response is to build more churches much like social networking sites sprouting on the internet instead of unifying the members of the existing ones.

Instead of addressing these glaring problems within the organization, church leaders hurl blame against each other. Different denominations preoccupy themselves arguing about non-essential matters like worship styles, Arminianism, Calvinism, etc., instead of uniting on the foundation of Christianity. This somehow proves what most people fear all along, that the Christian Church is the Church of the Disunited.

How can the Christian Church summon enough credibility (and focus as obviously its energies are scattered) to continue to preach the word of God? How can it defend itself from the attacks of other religions when a war is raging within the Church itself? Division and bickering is like a disease that attacks the Christian Church from within, much like an auto immune disease.

How differences can be healthy

A little dose of differences among the members of the Christian Church can be healthy because it leads to dynamism. "For there must also be factions among you, in order that those who are approved may have become evident among you,"(1 Cor. 11:19).

According to Romans 14:1-12, we may have differing opinions, but we should not judge each other because "To his own master he stands or falls; and stand he will, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One man regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind..." God himself will be the judge.

Not one denomination of the Christian Church should consider itself superior and regard the other groups with contempt. Christians may operate under different names, but it should not matter because God gave us no name but his under which to rally.

Unity in the Christian Church is possible

Unity is not achieved by ramming one's opinions down someone else's throat and the other person blindly conforming to these. We need to recognize that our differences of opinions and worship styles are fine, but we need to constantly work and pray for unity.

What is important is for us to practice God's loving and accepting attitude across denominational barriers. When we reject others whom Christ has accepted, it conflicts with the very nature of the Christian faith which preaches about love, forgiveness, self sacrifice, humility, and unity. What God truly meant for us to do is to practice His teachings and spread His word, not sit as judge of the other person.

Would it not be a good way to preach to the world about Christianity if the Christian Church is able to unite despite its differences? Would it not please God if Christians, regardless of denominations, are able to accept and love each other?

Love, acceptance, and praying for unity

Love, acceptance, and praying for unity are the perfect unifying bond for the Christian Church, and these should be tightly woven into the spiritual and moral fiber of the Christian faith. The unity of the Christian Church begins with individuals praying for unity.

It is for this reason that the Missionaries of Prayer, an interdenominational Christian Prayer Ministry committed to praying for the world and praying for unity in the Church, holds a daily time of prayer for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity from January 18 - 25 at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/missionariesofprayer. The daily intercessions are aimed at healing the divisions within the Church, as well as promote dialogs among Churches and Christian communities.

Dreams and Jesus

(Below is a poem that hopefully will inspire you about faith, Jesus, and the walks that we take in life. It enlightens us to have faith, and really believe what is true to our heart. If one believes in Eternal Life and their Lord Jesus, I believe that they can accomplish anything.)

-----------------------------------------------

Into the midst, lies a flame of untold glories....

Just breathe...

Just breathe, and the night will go away.

Into the fog, I hold out my hands.

"Come and touch me, I've been waiting...

See me, for there is a drought throughout the lands."

Just breathe, and he will hold me,

"Just breathe my child, and your faith will awaken."

I am afraid

I am forsaken,

A man tells me the story of a drought in the land...

Who will bring me water?

Who will bring me hope?

"Just breathe, and your questions will be answered."

And the man opens my closed eyes.

"My child, here is your land..."

My heart is restless.

My mind aches of confusion.

Who will bring me faith?

Who has brought on this resurrection?

Who will provide me water to my lands?

Again, I close my eyes,

and a strange man holds ot his hand.

"Just breathe and I will hold you.

Let your steps become mine and I will carry you.

For thou name is Jesus, and it is I who has brought on this resurrection.

I will bring you your water."

http://www.arianacherry.biz

The Way Home

At the moment, your life may seem like a fierce battlefield. Perhaps you're desperately struggling to keep your head above the water, slowly drowning in despair. Maybe you've walked away from God and your church family years ago. You're not alone. I've been there myself. Rick Warren says it best, "You'll never know that God is all you need until God is all you've got." (From his book The Purpose Driven Life).

In the midst of your turmoil, let me give you a word of encouragement. None of us had the ability to choose our birth parents. Like it or not, we're bound to them by blood, through birth. If this is a true, biological law, could the same also be true of the spiritual?

When you turned away from God, may have lost fellowship with Him, but you didn't lose relationship. Fellowship is a connection that can be decidedly dissolved. But, relationship is an inseparable connection by blood, through birth! Jesus said, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." (John 3:6) "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission* of sins." (Matt 26:28, KJV with emphasis added).

*remit v. 1. To transmit (money) in payment. 2.a. To refrain from exacting (a tax or penalty, for example); cancel. b. To pardon; forgive: remitted their sins. 3. To restore to a former condition or position. (The American Heritage Dictionary, Third Edition)

Just before His death, Jesus said in John 19:30, "It is finished." Receipts for taxes found in the papyri have written across them this single Greek word, which means "paid in full." The price for our redemption from sin was paid in full by our Lord's death. (Source: Ryrie Study Bible)

You cannot redeem yourself, no matter how much you try. All you have to do is repent of your sins and ask God for forgiveness. Pastor LeJeune teaches, "The word 'Repent' was an old military command that was issued while marching that simply meant 'about-face' or turn-about 180 degrees." A little boy said, "Repentance is being sorry enough to quit."

The blood that Jesus shed for us over 2,000 years ago has never lost its power. It is still just as effective today as it was the day we experienced His New Birth (John 3). The bible says in 1st John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Since the day you left, your Father had His eyes fixed upon the horizon, longing to see you making your way back home. It doesn't matter to Him what you've done, where you've been or how long you've been away. He just wants you to come back home!

Author's Bio: Born in 1973, raised in Southwest Louisiana, Joshua Olmsted is a divorced father of four, raising his children while serving his local assembly, Jesus Worship Center of Jennings, LA (Rev. Clifton J. LeJeune, Sr. Pastor). His professional career involves Offshore Natural Gas & Petroleum Facility Operations in which he has become a senior operator/supervisor over the past 10 years of service to the industry. He is a former Deputy-Sheriff of the Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff's Department, a former locally-licensed minister of the U.P.C.I. and, served his country as a U.S. Marine. He is a frequent freelance writer and contributor to many publications, including; The Pentecostal Herald magazine, The Louisiana Challenger magazine, Apostolic Information Services, Indiana Bible College - Perspectives Magazine, PreachIt.org, Jennings Daily Newspaper of Jennings LA, and more.

The Anti-Christ In The Last Message Of Daniel

The final message of the prophet Daniel is recorded in the 11th and 12th chapter of the book bearing his name. Now, according to Jesus, there is a specific sign of the beginning of the end of the world. It is the abomination of desolation, albeit it must be the one spoken of by Daniel. Daniel speaks of such an abomination, the surrounding of Jerusalem, and the removal of the daily sacrifices, all followed by desolations as God Himself backs off from the scene. Nothing can be more desolate than this.No less than a messenger from Heaven, Gabriel, is behind all these prophecies. All agree that these things happen in the final days of earth's history. Daniel points out a man behind all the problems: "a little horn", "a king," and "the prince who is to come." He sees him not as a "type" but as the actual perpetrator of the evil.

All of this in the chapters leading up to chapter 11. I tremble as I think ahead to that chapter. For I believe I have identified there the one who will come before Christ. The last prophecy of Daniel is like no other in Scripture. Daniel 8 tells of one whose ancestry goes back to Alexander's kingdom and who later arises as the antichrist. Daniel 11 tells us that the ancestor and the antichrist are the same man. Some preliminary details for study are in order for this chapter also.

First it will be necessary to explain and employ the "gap" thinking that exist in chapters eight and nine. Though a narrative unfolds and takes the reader from beginning to end, first time readers usually need to be told that somewhere in the story there is a huge gap in time. When they see it for themselves they are left with the problem that has had Bible students scratching their heads for centuries. "Closing the gap" is one of the objects of this study. The explanation that is confirmed by reading the book of Revelation and picking up other clues here and there is not comprehensible by the human experience. I will still maintain that this is what the Spirit is saying to the churches in our time and forward. I believe that more and more people will see this as the time for His appearing draws near.

A second concept must be grasped before Daniel 11 can be understood. Put simply, history does repeat itself. We have seen it happen already in the discussions of this book. Consider the ways there have already been repeats of events, just in regards to Jerusalem :

1. Armies encircle the city. 163 B.C. and 70 A.D. to name only two times.
2. In those same years, the Temple is desecrated, then destroyed.
3. The people of Israel are scattered to other nations, by Assyria, Babylonia, Rome.
4 An evil anti-Semitic king or emperor or dictator surfaces and wreaks havoc.
5. Someone seeks to kill all Jews: Haman, Raamses, Hitler etc.

History does repeat itself. Consider also:

1. While a Father looks on, a Son climbs a hill carrying the wood on which he is scheduled to die: 2000 B.C., Abraham & Isaac. But also 33 A.D., Jehovah and Jesus.
2. A man climbs the ascent called the Mount of Olives, crying. His people have rejected him, and are trying to kill him and take away his throne. His best friend has just betrayed him. Yet many of the people walk along crying with him. 1000 B.C., David. 33 A.D., Jesus. Many events can come around to be replayed, proving that the first ones were only shadows and prefigures.

There is a section of chapter eleven that I have struggled with for some time. I am forced to believe that this small group of verses can only be explained in the light of repeated history. To me there is no question that at least most of that portion of the text has already happened. But there seems to be equally strong evidence to support the notion that it will happen again.

And thirdly, it is important for us to understand the concept of the preservation of life. All life is preserved, though most of it is behind the scenes. All human lives have an appointment with death, and then receive a new body that will be eternally with God or suffering apart from Him. There are two men of the Bible account who never died, but have an appointment with death, and will return to the planet as prophets in the end time. Many say they are Elijah and Enoch, and they are prophesied both by Zechariah and John as future "invaders" of our planet. God is able to preserve lives, and cause them to re-appear. They will come, die, leave us again, to meet us in the air when Jesus comes back.

With Antiochus Epiphanes, I believe a similar principle is at work. He already died. But he is scheduled to receive a new body. It is with that "glorified" body that he returns. The pattern for all three of these men is not unusual, but the placement before our eyes is strange. All three die, then are hidden from us, then get a new body and re-appear.

Enough for now. Welcome to the mystery of Daniel 11. Its solution is available only to those who believe every Word of God is true.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. Just about every day I'm writing a blog featuring some news, a book, or a story of North Korea. There's a live news feed on the site, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together!

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond on my site.

Helpful Tips For Writing Thank You Notes

For gifts given on birthdays, anniversaries, religious celebrations, showers and weddings:

Keep it real. Be sure your thank you note fits the person you are thanking by the tone and style of your writing. In your thank you note, mention the gift and how you plan to use it. Even if the gift is a monetary one - you can tell the giver how you plan to use their generous gift. Be sure to acknowledge how wonderful and/or useful the gift is in your thank you note. Always send your thank you notes within two weeks time or as soon as possible so that the gift and what it means to you is fresh in your mind.

Guidelines for a monogram: Example: Susan Ann Doe

When a monogram has a large middle initial, the center initial represents the last name, the initial on the left represents the first name and the initial on the right represents the maiden or middle name = SDA

Today many couples are using both of their names in the monogram.

Example: Susan and John Doe

The same guide applies, however, one person's name is to the left and The other person's name is on the right = SDJ

When you complete a job interview, thank the interviewer for giving you the:

* Time of the interviewer
* Information you received in the interview
* Hospitality of the receptionist, interview and others
* Consideration of the organization to be hired as an employee
* Opportunity to advance in your career

Business reasons to send a thank you note:

Send a personal note of congratulations when someone you know is cited for a personal or business achievement. Promote good will by acknowledging an order or referral with a thank-you note.

And this advise from C.J. Hayden, business coach and author of Get Clients Now: "To most people, an anonymous brochure received in the mail is merely junk. A personal, handwritten note on attractive stationery will get someone's attention. Why? Because you took the time to write it. It makes the recipient feel special. And that's how he or she wants to feel as your customer."

Stay in touch!

Quality and convenience at prices you can afford.
Correspondence cards and folded notes.
Also unique invitations, Holiday and Christmas cards. =>
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The Sabbath and Constantine

The Jewish Sabbath seems to have slowly evolved into the Christian Sunday-Sabbath. Romanism claims responsibility for this evolution, yea demands that it was by her authority that it happened. But, we do not want to leave out Constantine when looking for persons to applaud for this observance. Constantine was the professing Christian Emperor of Rome at the beginning of the fourth century. It is clear that Sunday-Sabbath was in full swing when he came along in 321 to make it a Roman law, but one cannot overlook the historical impact that his edict had for establishing patterns that would be passed on for centuries unquestioned by the masses of Christians. His law was worded thus in English:

"On the venerable Day of the Sun [long a pagan holiday, and a special favorite of this part-Christian, part-sun-worshiper] let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest and let all workshops be closed. In the country however, persons engaged in agriculture may freely and lawfully continue their pursuits because it often happens that another day is not so suitable for grain-sawing or for vineplanting; lest by neglecting the proper moment for such operations the bounty of heaven should be lost."

His sensitivity to those for whom an exception might be needed was certainly not akin to later Popes and Councils who would consign persons to eternal damnation for the new Sabbath-breaking, while still religiously claiming that our day was better than their day.

I find this observation of columnist Christine Tatum in the April 20, 2003 Chicago Tribune to be most insightful:

Early Christians- the first ones being Jewish of course - were careful to celebrate both holidays [Passover/ "Easter"]. They took their lead from Jesus, whose Last Supper was a Passover celebration like the ones Jews have held for more than 3,500 years to observe God's redemptive power and his protection of their nation.

The unified teaching was fleeting. As the church attracted more Gentiles, it also started to look more Roman than Jewish. Constantine, the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, widened the rift between the two factions. Often motivated more by politics than by his faith, he helped usher anti-Semitism into the church after declaring in 325 A.D. at the Council of Nicaea "a desire, dearest brethren, to separate ourselves from the detestable company of the Jews."

That meant no more celebrations of Jesus with a Jewish twist, including seders.

Is this what made the Jewish Sabbath disappear from the church scene? Anti-Semitism? The Sunday observance was making some inroads, with even a bit of Scripture to back it up, but without the political backing of a Roman Emperor who even posed as a Christian, it seems unlikely to me that the practice would have been ingrained in the hearts of so many. And when he played the anti-Jew card, he struck another chord that had been developing through those years.

The earliest Church was Jewish, and its Jews reached to other Jews with the message of salvation. Their message was at times harsh, but always inviting. Never would those early Jews take it upon themselves to punish their fellows for not accepting the message. They left this in the hands of God for another time. The growing Gentile church, centered in Rome and the evolving Romanist doctrines, was of a different ilk. Separation from, hatred of, killing of Jews and Judaism would be their trademark for many a century.

So, what began on a large scale partly as a pagan ordinance from an anti-Semitic Emperor was used by the church to support its own practices, and to this day so-called Christian nations, Christian communities, Christian organizations all tend to back off activities on the first day of the week. America has certainly changed in its attitude toward the first day in the last 50 years, but there is no question that Sunday is a much slower time here, whether in the Christian or purely secular world. The habit is with us.

But we must always ask, "Did it come from God? Does it glorify God? Is it done in direct obedience to a command of God?" Or perhaps Rome can continue to say, "This is ours"?

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. I have created over 200 blogs and the site features a live news feed, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosen together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. I love to write Scriptural works. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond.

Even Unto Death

As we walk another day, we see many Christians in peril, and even being killed. We see this in India, Africa, and many points around this world. When Jesus spoke of the end days, He spoke of His sacrifice as well, as the sacrifice that many today will, and must make.

Churches burn, Christians suffer and the world speaks not of these things, but rather they speak of governments, leaderships, and the over all good of man. Who then is man that we should speak highly of him? Who is saying that man has the answers, has the wisdom, and the knowledge, to bring peace upon this earth? Do you realize that with each conflict, struggle and war, we approach the end of man as we have know him?

Have you not seen that when a conflict comes between the poor and the rich, many times the poor are the first to suffer. They burn down their own homes, businesses and churches, this is all madness, for the rich are not influenced by these things, but rather rejoice over the destruction that the poor have brought down upon themselves. Are these things new to the Christian or followers of God? No, many things that we suffer today are being suffered by other brothers and sisters around the world. There is nothing strange about these events, for even in the beginning it was accomplished, lets read;

"Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:
And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth." (Heb 11:35-38)

"being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
(Of whom the world was not worthy:)"
We are the Children of the Most High God, we suffer, for Christ suffered, we roam in a world, and a land, that is strange to us, for we have no home as Christ had none. He was from above, and not below, He was from God, and is God, we are to be as He is, and not as we think. This world is not our home, but a place to witness and testify of the Glory of Salvation threw the Blood of Jesus Christ.

Destitute(Not having or possessing; wanting; as destitute of virtue, or of piety; destitute of food and clothing.)
Afflicted(The cause of continued pain of body or mind, as sickness, losses, calamity, adversity, persecution.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous. Psa 34.)
Tormented;(To tease; to vex; to harass; as, to be tormented with importunities, or with petty annoyances.)

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous."
We are to be harassed and tormented in these end days. Do not think that it is strange that war, murders, conflicts and persecution comes upon you, for as the word has stated that these things shall come about, it has.
These are the times of the end. A countdown was started when Jesus was born and we are almost at the midnight hour, when all this earth will be rocked as a drunkard.

"And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.
The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.
The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again." (Isa 24:18-20)

We are to endure many things, for we are, my brothers and sisters, the terminal generation that shall see great signs, and wonders, in the Heavens, and upon the earth.
"Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.
But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God." (Act 20:23-24)

"But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself." This is what we are to be about. These things that are coming upon this earth shall try our faith and also our patience. For it all comes down to faith and how we handle it.
Can your faith save you in these times of trouble? Yes. Can your faith keep you from these troubles that will come? No. Your faith gives you a weapon that you can rely upon. Many afflictions shall come upon those that believe. Just as with the conflicts that are taking place today, many Christians have their churches, homes and businesses burnt to the ground, and many will be beaten, suffer nakedness and even hunger. This all according to the will of God that must try the faith of this generation. This is not new for it happened even unto our Savior.

Our lives are purposed to be, born and die. There is always a reason for everything that happens to a believer in Christ. Are you unhappy or even disappointed in the life you have? Do you believe that you shouldn't suffer because you have faith? Have you not heard of our teacher of distresses? Read again;
Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.
Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.
Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;

In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?
If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities. (2Co 11:22-30)

"in perils by mine own countrymen." Do you not see this today? Have you not heard of Nations being divided, riots and conflicts? So then we must, as Paul taught, If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities.
Thank the Lord that we are counted worthy to suffer as Christ suffered. Hold to your faith and hope, look up our redemption draws nigh.
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. (Rev 2:11) ars

Temple of Spirit & Truth Ministries
A.R.Smith Ministries
http://www.ourchurch.com/member/a/arsmithsermons/