Departments Staff List Staff List MORNING STAR A Multimedia Christian Publication P.O. Box 7755, Nashua, NH 03060 Phone: 603-883-4624 - Fax: 603-883-0466 EDITOR IN CHIEF Toby Trudel - Nashua, NH EXECUTIVE EDITOR Pastor Geoffrey Kragen - Roseville, CA MANAGING EDITOR Teresa Giordanengo - Canonsburg, PA SENIOR EDITORS Janette Kragen - Roseville, CA Al Murillo III - El Paso, TX ASSOCIATE EDITORS Jerry Johnson - Modesto, CA Pastor Russell Walden - Doniphan, MO Mike Wilkinson - Citrus Heights, CA Dr. Charles Wootten - Matoaca, VA CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Chuck Bennett - San Jose, CA Dr. Paul A. Kienel - Whittier, CA Zola Levitt - Dallas, TX Dennis R. Mallory - Albany, NY Joseph A. Nigro - Oradell, NJ Rick Riker - North Plainfield, NJ Jeannine Robinson - Mississauga, Ontario, Canada Moishe Rosen - San Francisco, CA Ray & Sharon Sanders - Jerusalem, Israel Dale Strand - Dublin, CA Rick Thrasher - Santa Clara, CA J.C. Trudel - Naples, FL Terry White - Washington, DC SENIOR PUBLISHER - DOS and WINDOWS Editions Steve Paulovich - Pembroke, NH SENIOR PUBLISHER - MACINTOSH Edition Toby Trudel - Nashua, NH SENIOR PUBLISHER - Hard Copy Edition Ray Reed - Beaumont, TX HARD COPY COVER ARTIST Donna Riker - North Plainfield, NJ PRINTER - Hard Copy Edition Phillip Speckter - Lumberton, TX OFFICE SYSTEMS TECHNICIAN Patrick Auriemma - Nashua, N.H. ELECTRONIC DISTRIBUTION DIRECTOR OF BBS DISTRIBUTION Walter H. Bauer Jr. - Sugar Land, TX AMERICA ONLINE Jerry White - Germantown, MD COMPUSERVE NETWORK Dr. Charles Wootten - Matoaca, VA Rick Riker - North Plainfield, NJ GENIE NETWORK Pastor Geoffrey Kragen - Roseville, CA Mike Wilkinson - Citrus Heights, CA DELPHI NETWORK Rev. Vince Gonzalez - Naples, FL E-WORLD NETWORK John Linton - Haverford, PA INTERNET NETWORK (DOS EDITION) Per Cederqvist - Linkoping, Sweden Internet Email: ceder@lysator.liu.se Morning Star is available on the Internet via anonymous ftp from: ftp.lysator.liu.se (pub/religion/christianity/morning-star) INTERNET NETWORK (MAC EDITION) Gary Bogart - Ithaca, NY Internet Email: njb@iclnet93.iclnet.org Morning Star is available on the Internet via anonymous ftp from: iclnet93.iclnet.org (pub/software/mac/Morning.Star) DISK SUBSCRIPTION DISTRIBUTION James Byers - Sun City, AZ Del Fletcher - Mountaintop, PA Joe Giacco - Durham, CT Michael W. Law - Moffett Field, CA Craig Olson - Springfield, OR Charles Richardson - Greenville, SC Dale Strand - Dublin, CA MORNING STAR is produced and published monthly, by a staff of born again believers in Jesus, located across the United States of America. Correspondence to MORNING STAR may be sent via the U.S. Postal Service or one of several computer networks. ELECTRONIC MAIL LINKS INTERNET: mstarmac@aol.com FIDONET: 1:106/3118 CHRISTIAN FAMILY NETWORK: 8:3003/0 CHRISTIAN DISTRIBUTION NETWORK: 8:2013/0 POLICENET: 150:402/53 If you run a bulletin board system and would like for your BBS callers to be able to view Morning Star on line by running a door program then contact: Alan Graff P.O. Box 131 Wheelersburg, Ohio 45694 Fidonet 1:2260/250 and 77:100/50 BBS: 614 776 7136 Editor's Letter Editor's Letter Can you believe it? This issue makes three full years of publication for MORNING STAR! Praise the Lord for His faithfulness. The magazine has come out once a month during this time, finding its way onto computer networks, electronic bulletin board systems (BBS) and into mailboxes of people across the United States and in 17 other countries. Add to this list one more place where people will be reading the magazine - SRI LANKA. (Go find it on a world map like I did!) We have someone who receives the magazine on a BBS in Canada who has friends and family over there. He will be sending them a computer disk each month! To date, over 1000 articles, stories and testimonies have been printed in the pages of MORNING STAR. The Lord never ceases to amaze. I am pleased to announce that MORNING STAR is the very first electronic magazine to be made available in the religion area of the new E-WORLD network for Macintosh and Apple users. If you have access to E-WORLD (or plan to have it soon) here is the path you take to find us: Religions and Spiritualities Forum Shortcut: Religions Path: Arts and Leisure Pavilion: Forums: Religions and Spiritualities: Sharing Scrolls We are looking for articles, stories and testimonies for future issues. Our upcoming Feature area themes are: November: Walking the Christian Walk (articles by and for couples, singles, senior citizens, young adults, etc.) December: Missions and Missionaries January: Christian Music February: Messianic Studies March: ONE in Christ (unity among born-again believers IN Christ) April: Prison Ministry (articles & testimonies from inmates, chaplains, guards etc.) We also need testimonies as well as articles for our monthly Education, Music, and Mission Field columns. FINALLY FOLKS... please don't forget our need for donations to keep the hard copy of the magazine going strong. The hard copy goes to chaplains, inmates and missionaries - all who have precious little Christian material to read, study and use to witness with. A little goes a long way with this project - please be generous. We need your help right now. Every month we send out 1000 issues at a total cost of $750. Send an offering to our publishing ministry: David's Mighty Men PO Box 5093 Beaumont, TX 77726 In this month's issue, our Feature area focuses on the area of Praise, Prayer and Worship. May these articles bless you along with the rest of the studies, columns and testimonies. It is our intention to keep this work going until HIS return. Lord bless, Toby Trudel People Profile People Profile MORNING STAR editor Teresa Giordanengo conducted this interview on praise, prayer, and worship with Richard W. DeMarco of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. Richard is a licensed preacher with the Christian Church of North America and an accomplished guitarist. He has been in the gospel-music ministry for twenty years and is currently in charge of the mid-week Worship and Praise service at the Belmont Christian Church. Terri: What does it mean to Praise the Lord? Rick: This question is multi-faceted. The scriptures tell us that the Seraphim angels are around God's throne shouting Holy, Holy, Holy twenty-four hours a day, day and night, without ever tiring. In a church worship service, we do much the same by praising God with songs and our own personal testimonies of what God has done for us. We can praise the Lord within ourselves too. Many times as I am driving down the highway my thoughts are of the Lord and I praise Him in my thoughts and even sometimes out loud. I have sung songs to the Lord as I am driving on long trips and even quote scriptures in praise to God. Terri: Why should we Praise God? Rick: The benefit of praising God is demonstrated in II Chronicles 20:20-25. In this passage we see how King Jehoshaphat was victorious in defeating the three kings and their armies by praising the Lord with singers and musicians that preceded Israel's army. Likewise, we can be victorious in our lives through the power of praise. I believe that God expects us to praise and thank him. Remember the ten lepers in Luke 17:17, when Jesus asked where the nine were, since only one came back to say thanks. We have all received many blessings from the Lord, and yet we take so much for granted. Terri: Rick, it seems as though Christians are quick to get excited about athletes and other celebrities but when it comes to getting excited about the Lord, we are a little timid. Why is this? Rick: One of the reasons is that man lives in the realm of the five senses. He tends to respond to things that he can see, touch, hear, smell, and taste. Most Christians have the tendency to live in this realm. What most Christians need to do is to develop a sense of awareness of the presence of Christ in their life. To do this one would have to set his affections and his attention on the things above, as the scripture says. This would be through the studying of the Word and being sensitized, by prayer, to the actions of the Holy Spirit in our lives. According to Acts 14:8-10, a story is told of a man who was lame from birth. The Apostle Paul perceived that he had the faith to be healed, but was not healed yet. Only when he acted on his faith and responded to the command of the Apostle to rise up and walk, did he see the miracle of God. In the same manner today we should respond to the command of the Apostles through the inspired Word to stir up the gifts that are in us placed there by the Holy Ghost. The more we do this, the more our hearts will beam with joy. Nehemiah 8:10 tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength. It is through this that the excitement of the Lord will take fruit in our lives. It is only with this type of vision that our hearts can be stirred with the presence of God at work in our lives. Some people are naturally reserved, but I do believe there are times when we all feel the Presence of the Lord and want to raise our hands or our voices in adoration to Him. Terri: Many times people complain that the Lord has not answered their prayers. Is there any value in prayer? Rick: The answer to that question is in Daniel 10:1-14. This is where Daniel prayed three full weeks for an answer to his prayer. By being persistent and unwavering, he received the answer to his prayer. This is also demonstrated in the parable recorded in Luke 18:1-8. A judge, who did not regard God or man, granted the request of a woman who continually came to him. He granted her request because of her persistence in coming to him. Jesus said we should do the same with our petitions. We should come boldly to the throne of Grace (Hebrews 4:16). I remember when I was in Vietnam, I was awakened with mortar flying all around us. I had no time for a long prayer or fancy words. I was so afraid and all I shouted was, "Jesus help me!" And instantly I had the peace that passes all understanding. I knew that my parents and my church was praying for me back home and I know God answered our prayers and brought me back safely. Terri: How can we worship God? Rick: To worship is to love, to show admiration, to honor, and to show reverence. We can only worship God after we become aware of Him through the Spirit of Truth, realizing who God is and our place in Him through Christ. After having been forgiven of our sins we now have peace with God and know that someday we will be with Him forever and ever. In worship, we show our admiration to Christ for His forgiveness and blessings in our lives. One form of worship is in singing Psalms; scripture put to music according to I Corinthians 14:25,26. There are times when I spend hours playing my guitar and singing to the Lord. This is one of my favorite things to do. I know that I am worshipping the one and only true God, the creator of all things. I feel so humbled to have the privilege of glorifying His name. Terri: Do you have any experiences in your life that you would like to share with us concerning prayer? Rick: My brother Auggie was in a terrible automobile accident and the doctors said he would not come out of his coma. He had too many injuries. My family trusted God and began to pray along with the people in our church. Our many friends far and near began to fast and pray for my brother too. As we continued to pray day after day, we began to notice an improvement in my brother. Today he is a happily married man with 2 children and I know that this was in answer to prayers. Only God can perform miracles and guide the surgeon's hand in a crisis such as this. I give the Lord all the thanks, honor, and glory for saving my brother's life and restoring him to perfect health. Terri: Is there a final thought you would like to leave with our readers? Rick: Give God all the praise, honor and glory due Him, for He is worthy. He is always with us in times of trouble and need. Even when we don't feel Him near us, He is there. He will never leave us or forsake us. There is no set way to pray... just talk to God and believe that He hears you and will answer your prayers. There are times we must just wait for the Lord to answer us, but we can be sure that the answer will come. As we read the scriptures the Holy Spirit will teach us to pray according to God's will in our lives. Remember that Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father, ever interceding for every believer! The Lord said that those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth, and the Lord desires this type of worship. The Bookworm The Bookworm Browsing with the Bookworm Yes, I know this isn't the men's issue, but I wanted to review the "Promise Keeper" book. Therefore I thought I'd toss in another men's book that we reviewed back in Volume 2, Issue 4. Commitment is one of those words that sometimes causes a feeling of major discomfort in people. Marriages are much more fragile today than ever before. This is because both husbands and wives believe that if it gets to tough, they can get out. "After all, God wants us to be happy, doesn't he?" Men are to be the spiritual heads of their homes. This means that they must model commitment and obedience to God. In 1990 an organization named "Promise Keepers" was formed. Its intent was to help men in their commitment to God; to help them become conformed to the image of Christ. And so, great numbers of men meet in stadiums across the land. They listen to the Word and commit themselves to obedience. But the mountaintop experience of Promise Keepers will soon fade away unless men commit to accountability within their own community of believers. To give direction and structure to this process, "Focus on the Family" has published "Seven Promises of a Promise Keeper." SEVEN PROMISES OF A PROMISE KEEPER edited by Al Janssen and Larry K. Weeden Focus on the Family Publishing, Colorado Springs, CO, 1994 THE MEASURE OF A MAN Gene A. Getz Regal Books, Ventura, CA, 1974 The only way the hope of Promise Keepers will succeed is if small groups of men, three to five in number, will meet on a consistent basis. They must hold each other accountable to their Christian commitment and promises. This book is made up of some essays by authors such as Bill Bright of Campus Crusade, Dr. James Dobson of "Focus on the Family," Gary Smalley of "Today's Family," and Luis Palau. It is divided into seven areas of commitment. Randy Phillips, president of Promise Keeper says in his introduction to the book. " A Promise Keeper seizes the moment for Jesus by making commitments. Yes, commitments! There is no changing the future without committing to that change. There's no commitment to change when men have a comfortable Christianity that makes no demands on their lives. If we're honest, we must admit that promises have been broken. Relationships have been damaged. And we are out of step with God. It's time for us to rise up and say, 'Those days are over!'" (p. 8-9). The seven promises make up the seven sections of the book. Each includes at least two essays. Also provided at the end of each section is a "Personal Evaluation" worksheet. This is helpful in aiding the reader to apply the principals in his own life. The seven promises are related to: 1. A Man & His God: A Promise Keeper is committed to honoring Jesus Christ through worship, prayer, and obedience to God's Word in the power of the Holy Spirit. 2. A Man & His Mentors: A Promise Keeper is committed to pursuing vital relationships with a few other men, understanding that he needs brothers to help him keep his promises. 3. A Man & His Integrity: A Promise Keeper is committed to practicing spiritual, moral, ethical and sexual purity. 4. A Man & His Family: A Promise Keeper is committed to building strong marriages and families through love, protection, and biblical values. 5. A Man & His Church: A Promise Keeper is committed to supporting the mission of his church by honoring and praying for his pastor, and by actively giving his time and resources. 6. A Man & His Brothers: A Promise Keeper is committed to reaching beyond any racial and denominational barriers to demonstrate the power of biblical unity. 7. A Man & His World: A Promise Keeper is committed to influencing his world, being obedient to the Great Commandment (see Mark 12:30-31) and the Great Commission (see Matthew 28:19-20). If you desire to be the man God desires you to be, then you must not fear the "C" word: commitment. This book will go a long way to providing biblical direction for commitment. And with obedience should come the commitment to being a godly man. The model that scripture provides is the qualities of an elder. These qualities are the subject of the next book in this review, "The Measure of a Man." As men, we are so caught up in surviving day-to-day, we frequently overlook our responsibility to be conformed to God's standards. We are to be a testimony of God working within our lives. Not enough attention is given to what those standards are. A book that has become a basic work on the subject of God's expectations for Christian men is "The Measure of a Man." Gene Getz provides some very specific guidelines on characteristics to be found in mature men. He uses the attributes of elders and deacons from Paul's letters to Timothy and Titus. These provide definitions, illustrations and exercises designed to help us grow in the Lord. Some might argue that the qualities identified, are intended only for elders and deacons, not all men. However, if these are God's standards for leadership, then they are desirable for all men. While all of us may not seek leadership positions, we should want to please God by conforming to these specific qualities. "The Measure of a Man" consists of introductory material and then twenty-one chapters, each dealing with a specific quality or characteristic. These include such topics as: "above reproach," "prudent," "not quick-tempered," and many others. The approach of each chapter is to explain what is specifically required by the characteristic being discussed. First, the quality is examined in a biblical context. Next, a contemporary illustration is given showing how the quality can be used or abused. Finally, a section called "A Personal Project" is provided. Here the reader is given the opportunity to examine his own life in light of the specific characteristic. If this is an area in which he is lacking, specific suggestions are provided to help him improve. Who is this book written for? Obviously, it is intended for every Christian male. It doesn't matter how long you have been a believer, the desire to mature should be present in each of us. Also, this book can help us clarify where we need to improve in our walk before the Lord. The readership of "The Measure of a Man" shouldn't be limited to men. Quoting from the back cover: "Every Christian wife will want to read this book to discover how she can provide the supportive love and understanding her husband needs in order to reach his potential level of maturity in Christ." This book is also an excellent tool to use, in discipling or in a men's group. On a one-on-one basis, it can be used to disciple. Two men can be open and help one another grow before the Lord. Similarly, the book with its suggested projects would be excellent in the context of a men's group. As the poet once said, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another " (Proverbs 27:17). Again quoting the back cover, "Married or single, man or woman, this book is for you -- if you want to grow in Christ." Men: God is challenging us to stand firmly for him in a shaky world. As we remain obedient to Him, we can testify to His mercy and grace. As we are obedient to Him, we provide a sense of stability and security for our wives and children, not security in who we are, but in our Lord who empowers us. Both books are excellent resources and work well in the small group setting. I highly recommend both. See you next month! Your friend, The Bookworm CFI Reports CFI Reports CFI REPORTS is our monthly column dedicated to the ministries of CHRISTIAN FRIENDS OF ISRAEL in Jerusalem. Our October, 1993 issue of MORNING STAR (Volume 3.1) presented a summary of the various CFI ministries and explained the foundational principles and objectives of CFI. In this month's column we present CFI NEWS which is from the CFI publication FOR ZION'S SAKE - 3rd Quarter, 1994. The Smallest Light Can Penetrate the Darkness CFI seeks, through words and deeds, to bless the People of Israel based on the Bible's commands. "You will make it ... it will be better tomorrow"... is often passed along to the newcomers who are finding themselves in difficult situations of loneliness and depression since their arrival. The need is great for burden-bearers to offer prayers of encouragement and hope. Only time will reveal the radius of our lighted candle. A Typical Story After coming to Israel from Siberia last year, Barbara Zim, 42, found work as a cleaning woman in Meir Hospital in Kfar Sava. A few weeks ago, one of the hospital's physicians, Dr. Ashre Porat, engaged her in conversation and was surprised to discover that Barbara, by profession is a pediatrician. Dr. Porat made some inquiries, and now Dr. Zim is participating in a course to prepare her for Israel's medical licensing examination. After she passes that test, she will be promoted to the position of Doctor in the hospital's pediatrics ward. Recently, while visiting with Holocaust survivors, Sharon Sanders found that one of the survivors, a doctor by profession, is working as a maid in one of Jerusalem's hotels. Please pray that we might be able to find the right source here in Israel to help this dear man's wife obtain a position in her field, that his tears might be turned to JOY! "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy". (Psalm 126:5) God's Prophetic Plow "To everything there is a season ..."(Ecclesiastes 3:1-2) This truly is a season of restoration for the People of Israel who are concerning Israel ... I pray for the returning to their homeland. Ecclesiastes tells us there is "... a time for every purpose under heaven." God's purpose for bringing His people back to their Land is to bring them back to Himself and to also reveal their Messiah. For "I will place salvation in Zion, Israel My Glory". (Isaiah 46:13). "A time to be born." (Ecclesiastes 3:2) May 14, 1948, recorded forever in the annals of God's Diary, the birth of the Jewish nation. As His Word tells us, "The Lord has founded Zion". Isaiah 14:32). And a time to die..." (Ecclesiastes 3:2) The Jewish people suffered enormously at the hands of the Nazis when 6,000,000 died just because they were Jewish. The resurrection from the graves (Ezekiel 37) has brought a new light upon their destiny as God preserved them for His purposes, including spiritual as well as physical restoration. "A time to plant ..." (Ecclesiastes 3:2) Now is the time for Christians to join with us as a Prophetic Plow. Together we can plow up fallow ground in Jewish hearts in order to plants seeds of love and comfort to help heal the Jewish nation's soul. After all the years of suffering at the hands of "Christian" anti-Semites, we desire to demonstrate that everything we do is because of our love for the Jewish Messiah, Yeshua, and our gratefulness to the Jewish people for being the human vessels in which He was divinely brought forth. Penny Valentine CFI Wall of Prayer... An Answer! (The following is an excerpt of a letter from a Wall of Prayer participant) "I have a very exciting answer to prayer concerning Israel. I pray for the Israeli embassy here, as you were concerned about possible attacks on embassies. I discovered recently through the press that there was a plan to bomb the embassy on March 11th. But It failed. I should not be amazed at the Lord answering prayer, but I am very grateful, too. I do feel that they could try again not only to get at Israel but to get at Thailand too, especially if three of their men are in jail here. So, though I am rejoicing in answered prayer, I'm not being complacent. I will continue to pray that the Lord will keep His chosen people safe here." M. Ramsay (Scotland) The Need for More Personal Intercessors What a joy it was to meet many of our faithful friends from the nations face to face at the Shavuot Conference, and hear them say, "I have been praying for you and for CFI". We know that your prayers are the "fuel" that provides the spiritual impetus to all that we do for the Lord. All that has been accomplished in the ministry thus far has been built on and through a solid foundation of prayer. Without this, we would have nothing. Your prayers for us and for Israel mean more than we can ever express. We thank each and every one of you, some unknown to us, who keep us lifted before the Lord so that our work will be fruitful here in the Land. "And you must add your help by praying for us; for the more people there are praying, the more people there will be to give thanks when their prayer for us is answered". II Corinthians l:ll JNT). It takes three people to produce one overseas servant for Jesus: One Going; One Praying; One Giving. There is a great need for personal intercessors to pray for the ongoing ministry of CF] and Ray and Sharon Sanders. For those feeling called of the Lord to this important part of ministry, please write to our Jerusalem Office. The weary ones had rest, the sad had joy That day and wondered "how?" A plowman singing at his work prayed, "Lord, help them now". Yes, we are always wondering, wondering "how?" Because we do not see Someone, unknown perhaps, and far away, (For us) on bended knee Al Bryant Special Letter Received from the Office of the Chief Rabbi of Israel "Thank you for your warm greetings which you expressed in your letter to the Chief Rabbi of Israel. Your support and counsel is well received for we know and appreciate your commitment to the welfare of Israel. May your prayers, together with ours, combine for strength and for the Almighty's sustaining us as we turn to Him for guidance and hope. Our best wishes for your good health and a bright future". Rabbi Frank, Administrator CHRISTIAN FRIENDS OF ISRAEL PO Box 1813 Jerusalem 91015 ISRAEL Tel 972-2-894172 Fax: 972-2-894955 Praise and Prayer Praise and Prayer PRAISE AND PRAYER is our international prayer link column. Send your praise report or prayer request to MORNING STAR for publication in our next issue. Call on your brothers and sisters worldwide and together we will call on God! PRAISE REPORTS ARKANSAS Spencer thanks the Lord that even though the gas leak at his church destroyed the building, no one was injured. COLORADO Gail thanks the Lord that 262 decisions were made for Christ and 5,477 people gave their names for follow-up in the Jews for Jesus service. Pray for the rally that will take place in Russia. FLORIDA Denise praises the Lord that her husband has a new job and an increase in pay with a Christian construction company. MARYLAND Praise the Lord! Dale found a new job. OHIO Bert praises the Lord that he has gone back to work after being off for one year. PENNSYLVANIA Tim thanks the Lord that after praying about his computer imaging business, someone contacted him concerning ink jets he needed. Mark thanks the Lord that his brother Jim was able to go back to work after he cracked his hip in an auto accident. TENNESSEE Pat praises the Lord that his sister went through four hours of surgery and is recovering quickly. Many tumors were removed from her abdominal area. Please continue to pray for her and her family. PRAYER REQUESTS ALASKA Pray for Rod and Joyce and Scott and Elizabeth in church planting. Pray for Don and Cherilyn and the staffing needs at KRSA Radio station. ARKANSAS Pray for Clifford who is 28 years old and lost a leg in an auto accident. CALIFORNIA Pray for a family where one parent has tried suicide. FLORIDA Darlene, mother of 3 children, is having marital problems. She needs wisdom, strength, and courage as she is trusting in the Lord. GEORGIA Please pray for the upcoming Billy Graham Crusade in October at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Pray for Michael who needs help in all areas of his life. ILLINOIS Pray for Anna age 73 who is having spinal surgery soon. MISSOURI Please pray for Bill's grandparents who are both in their 80's and in ill health. Please pray that they will finally accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. NEVADA Pray that Tom's ex-wife Louann accepts Jesus as her personal Savior. Paul is involved with a Christian Band. They have a chance to perform on TBN. Please pray that they are given this opportunity to perform and bring comfort to souls and conviction to unbelievers through music. NEW HAMPSHIRE Continue praying for Toby's arm, that the Lord would take the pain away. Also pray for his mother, Mae in Florida. She is still in pain after back surgery. Pray for Tammy, 19 years of age, who has to go for cancer tests. Pray also that she chooses to live for the Lord she believes in and not follow the way of the world. Pray for additional funding of the Morning Star hard copy. NEW JERSEY Donna, an artist, broke her finger when her dog jumped forward pulling on the leash around her finger. Pray that the finger will heal quickly. PENNSYLVANIA Pray for salvation for Anne-Marie. Pray for Ron and his outreach in Atlantic City. There will be an outreach to Russian speaking Jews and a Bible study with a translator. TEXAS Danny asks prayer for financial needs. Pray that he will continue to work at his current job until doors open as an Education Director or a Media Minister. Walter asks for prayer for the pains he is having in his head. Also pray that the Lord will help him in situations at his job. VIRGINIA Richard, age 19, may have Muscular Dystrophy. He wants to got to seminary. Please keep him and his family in your prayers. WASHINGTON Bernard asks prayer for a family where the ex-husband took off with their three daughters and the authorities can't find him. Pray for his salvation also. OTHERS Pray for Brian who has had surgery twice in 14 days. Mark was a drug user and alcoholic 10 years ago. His body chemistry is out of balance and he is depressed right now. He also is in need of a job. Pray the Lord will have His way in Mark's life. Pray for John and Becky's marriage. She is very depressed and needs the strength of the Lord. INTERNATIONAL REQUESTS AFRICA The SIM Taureg Team is calling for a day of prayer and fasting for the Taureg people on October 12. Pray that the Lord will move in power in His work among the Taureg. ALBANIA Praise God for the summer team of Alexis, Robert, Scott and Veronica. Pray for Robb and Pam and Bob as they do the followup. ANGOLA Civil war continues. Pray that the Marxist lies taught to the young are cleansed by the truth in Christ. AUSTRALIA Pray for Bill who needs healing from some kind of viral infection. BANGLADESH Pray for John and Jan as they minister by producing cassette tapes in discipling. BULGARIA Pray for Richard and Gerry and all involved in the Biblical Academy and the extension program. CANADA Pray for John and Helen in their ministry to Somalis. CHINA Pray for Li Tian An, a church leader in Shanghai who is in hiding. Sister Whu remains in prison as she refuses to compromise her faith. A key brother pleads for 100,000 Bibles and Christian literature. Pray that open doors can meet this need. COLOMBIA Guillermo Ramirez, a mayor in Cundinamarca, Bogota was set up by his enemies after he initiated an anti-corruption campaign. Pray for him. He is in the worst prison in Colombia. Pray for the pastoral training seminars in the different conflict areas. Pray for Helman as he organizes different activities. EGYPT Please continue to pray for our Christian sister Hanaan Al-Safti . She is still under house arrest. ETHIOPIA Pray for Paul and Lila as they settle into Addis Ababa and develop ministries to women and children. HONG KONG Pray for Thomas and Helma as they start cell groups among the blue collar Chinese. Pray for recovery of their son Daniel after successful eye surgery. Pray for Richard and Peggy and all the staff at the school. IRAN Pray for the release of Hassan Shahjamali who converted from Islam and other church leaders still imprisoned. IRAQ Pray for the safety of foreign Christian workers in northern Iraq (Kurdistan). The regime of Sadddam Hussein has increased the reward for killing foreigners to $38,000. JAPAN Pray for David and Barbara in their ministry. MACEDONIA Pray for Eric as he follows up on those who made decisions for Christ after summer teams ministered through English classes. MEXICO Pray for Pablo Salazar, a Christian politician who represents the state of Chiapas. He is a defender of our Christian brethren who were forced to flee their homes because of the conflict and are destitute refugees. PAKISTAN Pray for Ginny who requests we pray for 5 more workers to join the team working with unreached Riasti nomads. They need literacy, medical and evangelistic workers. PHILIPPINES Pray for Rosa as she implements an educational program. Pray for Roger and his wife as they minister the Word. Pray for Peter and Sonya. They are expecting their third child. Pray for Mang, a new convert, to grow stong in the Lord. PUERTO RICO Please pray for preparations for March 1995 Global Mission from Billy Graham Crusade in San Juan , Puerto Rico. ROMANIA Pray for missionaries Tim and Leslie. RUSSIA Pray for Sergei and other new Christians who don't have a local church to attend and rely on radio programs for spiritual nourishment. Victor, an independent missionary, asks prayer for the evangelism of the Sakhalin Island. Pray for Luda's ministry to children. Victor, programmer for FEBC, asks prayer for the gospel to reach and penetrate the hearts of the people before the cults and occult poisons their minds. Pray for salvation for Mikhail's friends, Klochkov, Dmitry's wife, Petraev and other university students. Pray the Lord blesses Fedor and Tanya's new-born child and also their ministry. FEBC needs a Christian journalist to serve in Russia. Pray that the right person is found for this position. Pray for Zuk and others with family problems and that FEBC can meet the need with family oriented programs. Pray for Inna and others to advance the cause of Christ. Pray for Ulan and other muslim youth in the former Soviet Asian republics who need salvation. Pray for Yuri who is confused. Pray that the cultic influences will disintegrate under Biblical teaching. Pray for God to meet the need for new teachers at the Bible College. Pray for Dave and Sharon and Rex and Lori who have completed language school and are now raising support to arrive in Khabarovsk next month RWANDA Pray for the families of the victims of genocide which has taken more than 500,000 lives. SPAIN Pray for John and Glenna in their church planting ministry. Pray for Mike and Terry and the newly planted church. SUDAN The atrocities committed by the government continue with repeated rapes, selling of children, and exploitation of impoverished Christians. Pray for all concerned. TAIWAN Pray for Julie in her language studies. Pray for missionary teachers Jenny, Tom, Jeff, Will and Suzy. UZBEKISTAN Christian outreach to Uzbeks has upset Muslims and authorities. Pray for the limited freedom of religion to continue. YEMEN Pray for our Christian brethren to be strong while in the midst of civil war. More than ever, Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6a). S.C.U.D. Warnings! S.C.U.D. Warnings! S piritual C ounterfeits U ndermining D octrine W A R N I N G S By Jerry Johnson GRACEBUSTERS (A relaunch of an earlier SCUDS column) The Do-attitudes Blessed are the demanding in spirit, for theirs is the rule book of heaven. Blessed are those who feel guilty, for they shall feel justified. Blessed are the perfectionists, for they will inherit the expectations of everyone on earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after clearly defined structure, for they shall create their fill. Blessed are the unmerciful, for they know the others don't deserve it anyway. Blessed are the guilty in heart, for they would see God, if they deserved it. Blessed are the lawmakers, for they will be called the terminators of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of their upholding of the rules, for theirs are the clearly defined parameters of the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are you when people revile you, persecute you and say all manner of evil against you, for you probably deserve it. Gracebusters - those insidious attitudes that have, throughout the centuries, been able to make their way both into the churches and into the lives individuals and compromise the immense grace of God. These attitudes are insidious because, somehow, even though they mitigate the grace of God, the people with these attitudes usually believe them to be of God. The three biggies we will be discussing will be 1) guilt, 2) perfectionism and 3) legalism. We'll start with guilt. You know guilt. It's that "go out and have a good time, ignore the fact that I have tons of work to do, including some of your leftover work. Enjoy yourself. After all, I can handle the extra work... my back doesn't hurt nearly as much today. Go out... enjoy!" Guilt. I believe that guilt is a weapon of Satan against people in general, and Christians in particular. "Hold it just a minute! Are you saying we're not guilty of anything?" No, we're guilty. What I'm talking about is the difference between guilt and conviction. And there are significant differences. "Prove it." Adam and David. Both blew it. Each responded differently and those differences clearly indicate the dissimilarities between conviction and guilt. Guilt: Adam knew he blew it, so he hid from God in the bushes (never very effective), tried to compensate on his own power with fig leaf Levi's, passed off the blame and felt put down and was put out. Conviction: David knew he blew it with Bathsheba and his reactions. So, when trapped by the prophet with a tidy little analogy; David turned back to God, asked for God's forgiveness, acknowledged his sin and responsibility and was restored. Guilt condemns and causes one to avoid God because of our unworthiness. We become obsessed with our failings, and usually with looking for at least explanations (if not excuses); we get depressed, withdraw from God and fellow believers and end up in a dark room, watching soaps and eating bag after bag of Pepperidge Farm cookies. Conviction draws one towards God because we understand we are unworthy, but that He wants to restore us; we focus on repentance and change, seek out the Lord and other believers so we won't fail as readily in that same area; we get determined to move on and end up sharing our struggles to help others through the same types of conflicts. It's like having your car run out of gas. Guilt wants us to abandon the car because we were too dumb to gas up at the last gas station and, thereby, we get nowhere. Conviction gets us to go get gas, fill up the car, go on and watch the gauge more closely. Satan loves to have Christians abandon their cars, God loves to get us up and going. Satan would love to have all believers dead, but in lieu of that he'll accept having them simply acting as if they are dead: cold, withdrawn and still. That's why he likes guilt. It can tie Christians in knots, obsessing on their inadequacy and somehow functionally convincing them that Christ's blood wasn't quite effective enough for THEIR sin. One way guilt can effect a believer is to propel them into perfectionism. We all know some of those people. Hey, some of us ARE those people. These are the ones who understand how unworthy we are of God and seek to pay Him back for His sacrifice. Now it usually doesn't come across that bluntly. It's usually someone who feels REAL bad when they fail God, so they knock themselves out trying to not blow it. These people usually succeed. They are structured, extremely demanding of themselves and scared to death they'll blow it and fail God again. Somewhere, deep inside, comes the feeling that we're earning God's favor. That's a subtle deception because it results in all the outward signs of righteousness, doing the right thing. And then comes this small, persistent voice: "you know, you really are doing so well that God should be delighted in you. You really deserve His sacrifice on the cross." Wrong! Isaiah 64:6 says that our righteousness is as filthy rags. Our very best is contaminated trash. That's the modern version of filthy rags. In the Hebrew it refers to rags used for menstrual flow or a festering wound. That wasn't just dirty, but also somewhat gross and, to a Jew, ritually unclean as well. That's our righteousness. "Oh yeah, now I REALLY feel worthy to come to God!" We should, because we come based on Christ's righteousness, not ours. We don't and can't deserve His sacrifice. We are unworthy, but we get it anyway! It's like winning the biggest lottery of all time when you didn't even buy a ticket. "So what's so wrong with wanting to try to pay God back?" Besides the fact that it's impossible, consider this: would you like the love of your life interacting with you to impress you or because they love you. Jesus wasn't impressed by the efforts of the Pharisees to impress God and He is equally unimpressed by our efforts. Now, onto legalism. The difference between perfectionism and legalism is a lot like the difference between suicide and homicide... it depends who you're aiming the gun at. It doesn't take a theological seminarian to realize that Jesus wasn't too wild about legalistic Pharisees and Paul wasn't too fond of legalistic Judaizers. Both groups wanted to whittle a relationship down to a simple, quantifiable list of dos and don'ts. Again, it's much easier to follow rules than God. But, much like perfectionism, legalism can have a "holy" feel about it. After all, aren't we defending the faith, encouraging people toward righteousness, lifting high the standard of Christ?! See, it even sounds righteous. The problem is, it rarely reflects the compassion of Christ and most often feels harsh and condemnatory. And remember, guilt is very much a part of perfectionism and legalism. The big question is: Why, when we have the totally effective sacrifice of Christ bathing us in grace, do we fall back to the gracebusters like guilt, perfectionism and legalism? Have you ever worked in a job that you really liked and put out extra effort for? Have you ever been in a job you hated and tended to do only what you had to do? What was the difference? Usually you get response like "it was a lousy place to work" or "they were trying to rip everyone off" or "they treated you like a slave" or "they were always so nit-picky." Bottom line is, we tend to become legalistic, perfectionistic and guilty when we really don't trust that the boss cares about our well- being. We try to cover our own posteriors through observance of guidelines and rules that could stand up under arbitration if the boss decided to nail you without warning. We tend to utilize the gracebusters because we don't truly believe God loves us, cares for us and supports us. So we try to make ourselves look good by "doing it right." If we truly understood that Christ's blood is sufficient for any and every sin; if we truly believed that He loves us dearly and works in our lives to our ultimate, God-defined good; if we truly relaxed in the truth that we can't earn God's grace, but can wholly enjoy its benefits; we could quit trying to act like Christians and get busy ministering to the Almighty and each other. Next time: The Gospel According to Judas Commentary Commentary A CHRISTIAN WITNESS AT WOODSTOCK '94 By John Rogers Akron, Ohio Finding better rates on Compuserves Christian Interactive Network, I usually spend most of my time on there. However, one of the things I missed from American On line, was the chance to minister to people who do not know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. So from time to time, I would log back onto AOL to witness and visit old friends. On one of these infrequent visits, I ran into a dear brother in the Lord, who goes by the name of "Woolibuger" when online. Now, he is one of those hug able sorts of people, and I tell him from time to time, he should change his name to Woolibear. But on this day, he said that he was going to the Woodstock Chat room, to witness, and asked if there was anyone who was willing to go along with him. The plan was we would go into this room, and just carry on a Christian conversation with each other. So we clicked on keyword: WOODSTOCK and there we were. We had left our comfortable Christian fellowship and were in the midst of Generation X, the 1994 version of Woodstock. We were in a group of people who were claiming to be running around naked, and taking drugs. Their objective for being on line this day was that the Woodstock 94 gathering was taking place, and AOL had set up two on-site systems at the festival. The people had come to this room, to talk to those who were at Woodstock, in the hopes of finding out what was going on. Excitement was in the air, because this was a happening event. We now had a audience of up to fifty people who we could talk to about God, and witness to about the things of Jesus. We began our conversation about the after affects of taking drugs. We witnessed to these young people about how if you play today, you will pay tomorrow. We discussed about how if you take drugs today, you may end up in rehab tomorrow, and rehab is no fun. But more than anything, Wooli and I talked about God, we talked about Jesus, we talked about how awesome of a God we serve. How wonderful He is, and worthy of praise and Glory. How gentle, kind, loving, and patient our God is, not wanting any to perish and hoping that all well come to Him, and respond to the love He has for them. Now, when you are in the enemies area talking about Jesus, you had better be prepared to be doing spiritual warfare. So, we began to pray, about how we should witness and minister to these people. I began to think about how the original Woodstock in 1969 had undermined the traditional values and morals in this country. I began to realize, that I did not want this to happen again, with out putting up a fight. I have stood in front of abortion clinics, with a sign in hand, trying to stop the onslaught of death in this country. For the wages of sin are death. Only for me, the best way to stop the death, is to stop the sin, back in the beginning. Just then, it began to rain. I look out my window, and saw the heavy drops begin to fall, and I realized that sense I live south of the great lakes, that this storm was going to head straight for Woodstock. A happiness and a joy began to come up out of me, like I have never quite experienced before. I began to realize their party was going to be rained on. So we began to pray for rain. It was not long after that, that the rain began to pour down. Sure enough, right on schedule, at 4:00 Saturday afternoon, it began to pour down rain on Woodstock. People began to scramble for cover in the flimsy tents and make shift shelter they had set up. The party spirit had begun to be dampened, and now we had a mudfest going. The next logical thing to do, seemed to be to pray for bad press coverage. Something to discourage people from thinking that this was the place to be and the thing to do. Reports began to come out of the bad organization. How the peace keeping forces had walked off the job. How transportation was so tangles up that it took six to eight hours to be transported from the parking areas to the fest. People with tickets could not get in, and people who did not have tickets walked in freely, unrestricted. Woodstock had turned into a mudfest, and was rapidly on its way to a dudfest. It was becoming the place NOT to be. Its message did not seem to be going out. No one even seemed to realize if there was a message that it had to offer. At least one objective had been accomplished - it was not going to have the impact on morals and values in this country the same way the original did. Of course a lot of that had already been accomplished by the enemy thought the movie industry, and MTV. The young people of generation X, seemed to have already gotten the message. So there was no need for this event to carry it further. So their attention turned to drugs. Because that was the main area the enemy had not made much inroads in toward gaining social acceptance. I remember talking to a young man, early in the morning, who was on what he said to be nine hits of LSD. I told him that Jesus loved him, and he responded: "Really, Jesus loves me". Yes I assured him, Jesus loves him. The response I got was "far out". We began to tell people about how Jesus is there for them, to help them to pick up the pieces and put their life back together again. We told them about how God can deliver them, and set them free from their bondage. He can release them from their captivity. We continued to pray, and we continued to ask God how we can witness and ministry to these people. Wooli keep telling people about the Christian tent that was set up at the festival. Other Christians from the area, joined us in the room to witness to people. There were Christians on location to witness and minister to peoples spiritual needs. The enemy began to attack. We both came under oppression for a short while, and we started to ask all our friends to pray for us. Wooli's wife Donna injured her hand, walking the dog, when the leash got wrapped around her finger and the dog bolted, breaking her finger. Prayers began to go up for Donna, because she is a artist and needed this hand in order to earn a living. A operation was performed, and at this point we are still praying that she gets back complete use of her hand. Gradually the spiritual oppression began to subside, with all the prayer support we were getting. The battle had been fought, the enemy struck back, but the victory was Gods. Young people are very short sighted. A party had taken place, it did not turn out to be all that great of a party unless you were sitting at home, watching it on your TV. No message seemed to come out of it. Nothing has really changed. The enemy still continues to make progress through MTV and the movie industry, where we have not put up any sort of a battle to hinder him, or stop him. In fact so much attention has gotten drawn to this event, that the genuine 25 anniversary celebration of the real woodstock seems to have gone unnoticed. As 25,000 people had gathered at the original site. All we could do, was hope for another day, to fight another battle for the things we believe in. Resources Resources MORNING STAR - Volume 3 Summary of Major Columns The following is a list of Feature Area themes and major columms published in MORNING STAR volumes 3.1 through 3.11. MORNING STAR VOLUME 3.1 Feature theme: "Grace versus Legalism" Columns: NEW TESTAMENT STUDY - LOVE CAN MEAN SAYING "NO" (2 John 1-6) by Pastor Geoff Kragen SPECIAL STUDIES - GOD IS REVEALED IN THE ATONEMENT by Dr. Charles Wootten MESSIANIC STUDIES - A special article on the law by Sam Nadler, President of Chosen People Ministries PRAYER GUIDELINES - PRAYER AND COMMITMENT by Michael Wilkinson PEOPLE PROFILES - Interview with Pastor Russell Eugene Walden of Bunkie, Louisiana. EDUCATION - "BIBLE QUIZ 1993-1994" from the Gospel Publishing House, Springfield, Missouri MUSIC - THE IMPORTANCE OF MUSIC AND PRAISE BY TODAY'S YOUTH by Rev. Tom M. Berninger, Youth Pastor PRISON MINISTRY - New Column! A letter from Chuck Colson and an article from an inmate in New Jersey prison. MISSION FIELD - REFLECTIONS ON RUSSIA TRIP #2 by: Joseph A. Nigro of Straight Path Ministries MORNING STAR VOLUME 3.2 Feature theme: "The Feasts of Israel" Columns: NEW TESTAMENT STUDY - LOVE CAN MEAN SAYING "NO" part 2, (2 John 7-13) by Pastor Geoff Kragen SPECIAL STUDIES - GOD IS REVEALED IN HIS PROPHECIES AND FEASTS by Dr. Charles Wootten MESSIANIC STUDIES - THE CHURCH AND ISRAEL, An Explanation of Replacement Theology. Part 1 of a 3-part article by Wayne Hilsden PEOPLE PROFILES - Interview from the flooded midwest with Evangelist Will Speaker of Kansas City, Missouri EDUCATION - CAN YOU TRUST GOD FOR YOUR CHILD'S CHRISTIAN SCHOOL TUITION? by Dr. Paul A. Kienel MUSIC - MUSIC AND WORSHIP - USHERS IN GOD'S PRESENCE by Rev. Frank Baio PRISON MINISTRY - L.A. GANG LIFE OFFERS MEMBERS NO EASY EXIT from "Inside Journal", a publication of "Prison Fellowship" MISSION FIELD - Three reports from missionaries working among the Muslims BOOKWORM - FINDING GOD by Larry Crabb, Zondervan Publishing House MORNING STAR VOLUME 3.3 Feature theme: "Christian High-Tech" Columns: NEW TESTAMENT STUDY - ENTERTAINING ANGELS (3 John 1-8) by Pastor Geoff Kragen NEW IN CHRIST - THE MEASURE OF TRUTH (Part 1 of a 3-part series on the Bible) by Toby Trudel SPECIAL STUDIES - GOD IS REVEALED IN THE RESURRECTION by Dr. Charles Wootten MESSIANIC STUDIES - THE CHURCH AND ISRAEL, An Explanation of Replacement Theology. Part 2 of a 3-part article by Wayne Hilsden PEOPLE PROFILES - Interview with Rick Thrasher, president of the Christian Macintosh Users Group MINISTRY FOCUS - CORNERSTONE COMMUNICATIONS INTERNATIONAL of Minneapolis, Minnesota by Jo Reeves EDUCATION - CALIFORNIA'S PROPOSITION 174, "THE SUPER BOWL OF BALLOT INITIATIVES" by Dr. Paul A. Kienel PRISON MINISTRY - FRANKY'S MERRY CHRISTMAS by James Brett Barnett from "Inside Journal", a publication of "Prison Fellowship" MISSION FIELD - BUCKET BY BUCKET, BLOCK BY BLOCK, a report from Haiti by Mike Turvey SOFTWARE REVIEW - Online Bible 2.0 by Kay Hall MORNING STAR VOLUME 3.4 Feature theme: "Victimization" Columns: NEW TESTAMENT STUDY - GOOD IS FROM GOD (3 John 9-14) by Pastor Geoffrey Kragen NEW IN CHRIST - THE MEASURE OF TRUTH (Part 2 of a 3-part series on the Bible) by Toby Trudel SPECIAL STUDIES - SECRETS OF THE SCROLLS/New Revelations From the Dead Sea Scrolls (Part 1 of a 3-part series from Zola Levitt) MESSIANIC STUDIES - THE CHURCH AND ISRAEL, An Explanation of Replacement Theology. Part 3 of a 3-part article by Wayne Hilsden PEOPLE PROFILES - Pastor Geoffrey Kragen replies to questions on the topic of victimization. MINISTRY FOCUS - Editor Norb Novocin highlites five ministries dealing with different forms of victimization. EDUCATION - SEVEN VALUES FOR PARENTS TO LIVE BY by Dr. Paul A. Kienel, Executive Director, Association of Christian Schools International PRISON MINISTRY - THE CHRISTIAN'S RESPONSE TO SEX OFFENDERS by Tim Slevin from "Inside Journal", a publication of "Prison Fellowship" MISSION FIELD - CHINA - IN THE HEART OF REVIVAL from NEWS BRIEF, a publication of OPEN DOORS MINISTRY MORNING STAR VOLUME 3.5 Feature theme: "Best of our Messianic Studies" from our first two years of publication. Columns: OLD TESTAMENT STUDY - SPECIAL DELIVERANCE (Psalm 3) by Pastor Geoffrey Kragen NEW IN CHRIST - THE MEASURE OF TRUTH (Part 3 of a 3-part series on the Bible) by Toby Trudel SPECIAL STUDIES - SECRETS OF THE SCROLLS/New Revelations From the Dead Sea Scrolls (Part 2 of a 3-part series) by Zola Levitt GROWING IN GRACE - An all new column! Part 1 of a 3-part series called CHRIST IN YOU by Pastor Russell Walden PEOPLE PROFILES - Editor Teresa Giordanengo interviews Messianic Rabbi Robert Diamond of the Beth Yeshua Congregation in Youngstown, Ohio EDUCATION - LIBERTY MINISTRIES by Marlene Mitchell, Fort Worth, Texas PRISON MINISTRY - "EARNIE SHAVERS - MUGGED BY GOD" from "Inside Journal", a publication of "Prison Fellowship" MISSION FIELD - OPERATION ABC - Children's Bibles for the former Soviet Union! MORNING STAR VOLUME 3.6 Feature theme: "Prison Ministry" Columns: > OLD TESTAMENT STUDY - HOW DO YOU SPELL RELIEF? (Psalm 4) by Pastor Geoffrey Kragen > NEW IN CHRIST - THE HIDDEN HELPER (The Holy Spirit in the life of the believer) by Toby Trudel > SPECIAL STUDIES - SECRETS OF THE SCROLLS/New Revelations From the Dead Sea Scrolls (Part 3 of a 3-part series) by Zola Levitt > GROWING IN GRACE - Part 2 of a 3-part series, CHRIST IN YOU by Pastor Russell Walden > THE ROOTS OF OUR FAITH - Another new series premiers, beginning with; IS THE OLD TESTAMENT STILL THE WORD OF GOD TODAY? by Pastor Chuck Cohen > PEOPLE PROFILES - Editor-in-Chief Toby Trudel interviews Terry White, the Editor of Prison Fellowship's publication INSIDE JOURNAL > MISSION FIELD - WHERE HAVE ALL THE JUNGLES GONE? by Chuck Bennett, President of PARTNERS INTERNATIONAL > MUSIC - THE PRISONER'S SONG by Lennie Spitale, Coordinator of Prison Ministries for the Evangelistic Association of New England MORNING STAR VOLUME 3.7 Feature theme: "Help for the Homosexual" Columns: > NEW TESTAMENT STUDY - THE LETTER TO EPHESUS Revelation 2:1-7 by Pastor Geoffrey Kragen > NEW IN CHRIST - LIFESTYLES OF THE POOR AND HUMBLE by Toby Trudel > GROWING IN GRACE - "Intimacy With Christ", Part 3 of the CHRIST IN YOU series by Pastor Russell Walden > THE ROOTS OF OUR FAITH - THE NATURE OF GOD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT by Pastor Chuck Cohen > PEOPLE PROFILES - Editor Geoff Kragen interviews Bob Davies, executive director of Exodus International-North America > MISSION FIELD - "Russia, The Revival Continues" by Joseph A. Nigro of Straight Path Ministries > SCUDS - "Gullible's Travels" by Jerry Johnson MORNING STAR VOLUME 3.8 Feature theme: "Women of the Bible" Columns: > NEW TESTAMENT STUDY - THE LETTER TO SMYRNA Revelation 2:8-11 by Pastor Geoffrey Kragen of Roseville, CA > NEW IN CHRIST - LIFESTYLES OF THE POOR AND HUMBLE part 2 by Toby Trudel of Nashua, NH > GROWING IN GRACE - Recovering the Simplicity of Your Faith - RESTORATION OF CHILDLIKE FAITH by Pastor Russell Walden of Doniphan, MO > THE ROOTS OF OUR FAITH - THE NATURE OF GOD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT part 2 by Pastor Chuck Cohen of Jerusalem, Israel > MESSIANIC STUDIES - MESSIAH ACCORDING TO ISAIAH, Part 1 of a 4-part series by Steve Ger of Zola Levitt Ministries in Dallas, TX > ANEE M'AMIN - A WITNESS TO MY PEOPLE, The testimony of Rose Warmer of Haifa, Israel > TESTIMONY - The story of author/lecturer Marjorie Holmes of Manassas, Virginia > SCUDS - REFERENDUM REVIVAL or BLESSED BY THE BALLOT by Jerry Johnson of Modesto, CA MORNING STAR VOLUME 3.9 Feature theme: "Annual Prophecy issue" Columns: > NEW TESTAMENT STUDY - THE LETTER TO PERGAMUM, Revelation 2:12-17 by Pastor Geoffrey Kragen > NEW IN CHRIST - THE GOD OF THIS WORLD, part 1, by Toby Trudel > GROWING IN GRACE - BREAKING THE CHRISTIAN LANGUAGE BARRIER by Pastor Russell Walden > THE ROOTS OF OUR FAITH - BASIC DOCTRINES OF SALVATION - part 1 by Pastor Chuck Cohen > MINISTRY FOCUS - Zola Levitt Ministries Inc. of Dallas, Texas > MISSION FIELD - "PERU - 190 Terrorists Are Won to Christ" from THE VOICE OF THE MARTYRS > SCUDS - "The Myth of the Cookie Cutter Christian" by Jerry Johnson > PRISON MINISTRY - "What Does 'Father' Mean to You?" from INSIDE JOURNAL magazine > MUSIC - "Patriotic Music" by Teresa Giordanengo MORNING STAR VOLUME 3.10 Feature theme: "Witnessing" Columns: > NEW TESTAMENT STUDY - THE LETTER TO THYATIRA Revelation 2:18-29 by Pastor Geoffrey Kragen > NEW IN CHRIST - THE GOD OF THIS WORLD, part 2, by Toby Trudel > GROWING IN GRACE - THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN by Pastor Russell Walden > THE ROOTS OF OUR FAITH - BASIC DOCTRINES OF SALVATION - part 2 by Pastor Chuck Cohen > MISSION FIELD - Press Release: MOSCOW MESSIANIC JEWISH FESTIVAL DRAWS THOUSANDS TO OLYMPIC STADIUM > SCUDS - REACHING FOR THE PRIZE(WINNER) by Jerry Johnson > PEOPLE PROFILE - Interview with Joseph Nigro, director of STRAIGHT PATH MINISTRIES > PRISON MINISTRY - REFORMED AND TRANSFORMED from JUBILEE INTERNATIONAL, a publication of Prison Fellowship > EDUCATION - THE CHILDREN'S RIGHTS MOVEMENT: SOMETHING TO PRAY ABOUT by Dr. Paul A. Kienel > MUSIC - MUSIC FROM THE HEART, FOR THE LORD by Teresa Giordanengo MORNING STAR VOLUME 3.11 Feature theme: "Bible Study" Columns: > NEW TESTAMENT STUDY - THE LETTER TO SARDIS, Revelation 3:1-6 by Pastor Geoffrey Kragen > GROWING IN GRACE - KINGDOM CITIZENRY by Pastor Russell Walden > THE ROOTS OF OUR FAITH - BASIC DOCTRINES OF SALVATION - part 3 by Pastor Chuck Cohen > MISSION FIELD - MY FRIEND, THE ENEMY; MY ENEMY, THE FRIEND by Avi Snyder > SCUDS - THE "LIKE" OF GOD by Jerry Johnson > PRISON MINISTRY - THE BIBLE: PLUGGING INTO THE SOURCE, from INSIDE JOURNAL, a publication of Prison Fellowship > EDUCATION - BASIC QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS by Dr. Paul A. Kienel > MUSIC - CREATION '94 REVIEW by Rick and Donna Riker Features Paradise Lost Paradise Lost PARADISE LOST by Janette Kragen Roseville, California It was a hot summer night in Roseville, California on Thursday, September 11, 1992. In solemn tones, the TV newscaster informed us that Hurricane Iniki was about to hit the Hawaiian Island of Kauai. "Here we go again," I said to my husband Geoff. "Remember the hurricane warning during our stay 4 years ago?" We recalled being scared and excited at the same time. How relieved we were when the winds bypassed the island. The last hurricane to cause extensive damage to the Poipu Beach area of Kauai was 1982's "Iwa." However, by the time we returned in 1984, the site looked better than ever. Three new luxury resorts were open, welcoming visitors to one of the loveliest islands on earth. The ten o'clock news broadcast reported that hurricane Iniki was passing right through Kauai. Wind speed was clocked at 165 miles per hour. We were concerned for our cherished vacation retreat. This time would the island be able to recover from extensive hurricane damage? Two weeks later, follow-up reports confirmed the worst. Our beloved tropical paradise is in ruins. Very few structures escaped damage. No doubt the intrepid Kauaians will rebuild, but it will never be the same. We will have to be content with memories of our eleven Hawaiian vacations... What a graphic illustration of God's awesome power! How vivid is His reminder not to put our trust into earthly things. Only He is eternal and everlasting. As Geoff and I reflect on this disaster, we can give thanks to our Lord. We are grateful that our friends on the island are alive today. We thank Him for each trip He made possible. Finally, we praise Him for reminding us how transient our earthly existence really is. Jesus consoles us with these words: "Let not your hearts be troubled. If you believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:1-3 KJV). Our eternal paradise in heaven is ready for us. Maranatha! The Value of Prayer The Value of Prayer THE VALUE OF PRAYER By Moishe Rosen Are things going easy for you in your life as a believer in Jesus? If they are too easy, you might be headed downhill. In the journey of faith there is no such thing as "front sliding!" Easy coasting will only move you backward because moving toward takes effort. There are two good ways to gauge your spiritual level. One is the degree of your involvement with Scripture. Do you spend more time in Scripture or less than you use to? Perhaps an even better measure of your walk with the Lord is the frequency and direction of your prayer life. Do you pray often? When you pray, is it usually for "me, myself, and mine"? While that is better than not praying at all, it is "baby stuff," for beginners. Mature prayer involves spiritually empowered petitions for world peace and for the conversion of those who sit in positions of power. God can use your prayers to change individuals and, through them, even world situations. Once you realize the power of prayer, you are headed in the right direction. I could write about prayer in general, but since this is the Jews for Jesus Newsletter, I would like to be more specific. I would like to suggest petitions for this ministry as a way for learning how to pray efficaciously. Know the person or circumstance for which you are praying. If you are a donor to Jews for Jesus, you receive personal communications (usually handwritten postcards) from various people on our staff. It is their hope, and mine as director, that as you see their names, you will come to know them and where they are serving and feel burdened to pray for them. As you enter the presence of God and introduce individual Jews for Jesus by name before His throne, your prayers will help to anchor you and them in the faith. A spiritual bonding will begin between you and those missionaries. That spiritual link will then evoke even more heartfelt, earth-moving prayer as you see God's answers to the petitions of His people. If you can do no more than earnestly mention a specific person's name to the Lord, it will still serve to strengthen that individual. In the true spiritual sense, your prayers will set you next to those for whom you pray in whatever they are doing. Whether they are frontline missionaries or much-needed behind-the scenes administrative workers, you will enter into their labors for the Lord. You might be praying for someone who operates a printing press in our production department where safety and accuracy are so important. In answer to your prayers, God will give that person an extra measure of alertness, a bit more stamina and above all, joy in the knowledge that he or she is serving Jesus. You might be praying for missionaries who are going door to door on a canvas. Door to door ministry can be discouraging and lonely. It needs to be bathed in prayer. We approach about nineteen doors where people refuse to listen for every one door where someone will take a moment to hear what we want to tell them. Your prayers will give the missionaries a little more courage in those situations. We usually send people out two by two, that they might pray for one another and give one another cheer. Yet some times it is just not possible to send along a second person. In such a case, you prayers are vital. They can give that lone missionary a sense of God's presence. You might think that this could only happen if the missionary knew you were praying. Not so. Somehow God makes Himself felt through the prayer of many. This has been the testimony of almost everyone on our staff in difficult situations. When they found unexpected inner reservoirs of courage, commitment and compassion, they knew that God had planted those feelings within them because someone was praying for them. Your prayers will help us move in the power of the Holy Spirit. He is the protective envelope around us. He is also the fuel that propels us forward and the guide who compels us to go in certain directions where He has prepared the way. People often ask, "What is the most important thing for me to pray about to: the Jews for Jesus staff?" My answer is always, "Pray for our spiritual lives that we might live in constant renewal. The vision, courage and commitment to do a difficult task all spring from a sense that God is the greater reality. Pray that we might be conscious of God and filled with His Spirit." The Overseas Missionary Fellow ship, which was originally founded in 1865 by J. Hudson Taylor as the China Inland Mission, has published an excellent pamphlet called "Why and How to Pray for Missionaries." The first point is crucial: The missionary is invading enemy territory. In most instances, Satan has held uncontested sway for centuries or even millenniums in the countries which we think of as "foreign mission fields." As a result, the thinking of the people is twisted. and minds are blinded. and God's truth does not penetrate easily. Satan does not meekly give up his prey. He counterattacks in... undreamed of ways. He fights to the last ditch. We are in the midst of a spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:10-18). While Jews for Jesus has overseas branches, we may not be a "foreign mission" in the commonly understood sense of working among primitives. Yet basically the above certainly applies to Jewish evangelism. From the beginning, Satan has been at the Jews, trying to destroy them physically and blind them spiritually to the truth of salvation in Jesus. We in gospel outreach to Jews encounter that spiritual battle daily. Our work is as lonely as that of any foreign missionary. At worst, many of us are utterly rejected by our families and loved ones. At best, we are tolerated but utterly misunderstood. Family is very important in our Jewish culture, so it is imperative that we maintain stability in the face of such rejection or misunderstanding. You who are God's people are our new family in Christ. Your prayers and words of encouragement can help to provide us with that stability. When you pray for us, please remember that we face a temptation that Gentile Christians may not encounter so often. For Jewish believers there sometimes arises a temptation toward doctrinal compromise. We know the many Scriptures that point to Jesus as the only way of salvation. Yet the thought of our ancestors and loved ones who have died without Christ sometimes tempts us to wish there could be another way. Pray that we will remain firm in our convictions that are based only on the truth of God' s Word. Some Jewish believers in Y'shua also struggle with a problem of "ethnic pride." In attempting to promote a sense of self-worth to counter anti-Semitism, our parents and religious teachers may have unintentionally inculcated the idea that being Jewish is "better." We may have been led to imagine that somehow our Jewish family ties were closer, our heritage richer and our zest for life fuller than that of non-Jews. Well-meaning Gentile friends may try to affirm us in that way, but it is not what we need to hear. There is no room for pride in the Body. God has concluded all under sin, and all people need to be saved. Our boasting must be only in the Lord, not in the flesh, nor in our heritage. We need to keep that knowledge in balance with self-respect. Pray that we might always remember that new life in Christ counts above all else and that no child of God is innately better than another brother or sister in the Lord. After spiritual battles, another temptation that most missionaries face is in the area of self-discipline. Proper self-discipline and self-management are possibly the greatest difficulties a missionary faces. In general, they are trusted to organize their own time. This is a pitfall. Some will tend to overwork, over schedule and over commit themselves. Others will be tempted to succumb to opposite extremes. It pains me to admit that, but asking for prayer I must. If I failed mention the problem you might not pray properly for us. Of course the self discipline we all need is the self-control of the Fruits of the Spirit. Perhaps that the best prayer for all of us-that we might be fruitful in spirit. Jews for Jesus needs your fervent prayers. Our kind of intense evangelism challenges body and soul. We often encounter opposition on the streets spitting, shoving, cursing and threats imprisonment. Sometimes we are maligned in the press by those who choose to think evil of us. Yet it is worthwhile when we consider that GOD will use our efforts to bring many into His Kingdom. It is all a bit lighter to bear when we know that you are out there praying for us. By God's grace we stand firm, and we pray that you, prayer warrior friends, will also stand firm in bringing us before God's throne. The prayer warrior fights a constant, unending battle. It is a struggle of major proportions. Yet when victory comes, it is the greatest victory of all as we serve Y'shua, we are seeing big victories in our own lives and in the lives of those to whom we are proclaiming the gospel. We are seeing victory in the hearts of many Jewish people as they find Jesus and experience real joy in serving Him. As prayer warriors rejoice with us. When you pray, your only bond with us in our hardships, you also share all those victories! Moishe Rosen is the International Director of JEWS FOR JESUS, 60 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA 94102-5895 Worship Worship WORSHIP Rev. Vince Gonzalez, Minister of Music East Naples Baptist Church (SBC) Naples, Florida We are always in such a rush. There is choir, visitation, Sunday School, Discipleship Classes, Prayer meetings, church suppers, business meetings, committee meetings... you know the kitchen committee, the finance committee, the properties committee, the music committee... Church Council, Sunday School Council, Deacons meeting... so much activity. So many things vying for time and attention. How do we prioritize and sort through all the activity and get to that which is most necessary, that which is most important? If I were to take a poll I am sure that each one of the above items would be placed at the top by someone. Opinions like "the church's primary task is evangelism and missions" or "teaching and training believers, that is the task of the church." Those tasks are important and I am not to about to suggest that they are not. I would like to suggest that there is one "activity" of the church which is above all else and should be the primary "activity" of the church, and, that all the other "activities" are outgrowths of this one incomparable activity. That activity is the activity of our worship both corporate and private. If asked, I am sure that most of us could quote verbatim the Great Commission as stated in Matt. 28: 18-20 but most of us neglect to observe what precipitated that tremendous charge from our Lord. Verse 17 says "and when they saw Him, they WORSHIPED Him" (caps mine) NKJ. It was out of a worship experience that Christ gave them their marching orders. It is out of our worship experiences that God gives us our marching orders and prepares us to do spiritual warfare. It is out of our personal encounters with the Living God that we gain new and proper perspective on life, world events, social issues and interpersonal relationships. Without those worship experiences we would be like automobiles without fuel. These worship experiences encompass both the corporate and the private aspects of worship. Private worship consisting of prayer, meditation, Bible reading and study, and reading of good, quality inspirational literature that helps us to grow and be strengthened as believers (good biographies and autobiographies of strong Christian leaders and missionaries should always be a must with growing Christians). It is out of the private worship experiences that comes the necessary ingredients to having a joy-filled, moving, strengthening corporate worship experiences. It has always been puzzling to me how Christians can come to church and expect to receive all that is necessary for solid Christian living in just one hour in a Sunday morning Service. Our corporate worship experiences only gain their richness and depth when our private worship experiences are what they ought to be. Then, when our "worship" is in order we are prepared spiritually, emotionally and psychologically to accomplish all the tasks He has given us to do. It is only when our worship experiences are full and fulfilling that our fulfilling the other tasks of the church gain their proper perspective and purpose. I have served several churches in full time staff positions and I have seen many church workers and leaders experience "burn out." When questioned about their worship consistently their replies were that they really didn't have time for the "quiet times with God" that they knew they should have... they were just too busy. Their priorities were out of sync as the one incomparable activity was relegated to a lesser position, the time alone with God and the time spent corporately at the church was just one "duty" or thing they "had" to do among the many. Now granted, there are jobs at the church that are the "have to do jobs" but all jobs in and about the church take on a new dimension and added depth when done out of the out growth of our worship experiences with God. From changing diapers and cleaning bathrooms, to trimming hedges and mowing lawns, and planting flower beds, vacuuming carpets, to preaching and conducting the choir, all are important but all cannot take on their fullest meanings and bring the fullest joy until we, each one of us, take time to spend in private and public worship of God. Worship is that one "activity" that is and should always be incomparable. It should never be confused with any other activity of the church. First and foremost the purpose of the church is to worship God, to offer sacrifices of praise to our Lord, Creator, Redeemer. God inhabits the praises of His people and only when we spend quantity, quality time in worship can the glory of the Lord truly be manifest in our lives. Take time out this week and evaluate your worship times with God. Do they seem stale and lifeless. Perhaps it is you that has fallen into a rut and you need a breath of fresh spiritual air from the Lord. Do you find yourself reading scripture passages just because you are supposed to? I know that it is important to be able to check all the little boxes on the offering envelopes showing that you read your Bible every day etc... but if that is the only reason you are reading your Bible then serious evaluation needs to be undertaken. Spend time in prayer being honest with God and seeking His presence. If what you are doing is stale and routine then change. There are many excellent devotional guides available as well as devotional books. One that has been particularly helpful in my Christian walk is "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers. Find someone you can trust and confide in and ask for their prayer support and encouragement as you seek to rebuild your worship experiences with the Lord. Along these same lines there is another issue that must be dealt with. As a minister of music I hear many times let's sing the "good ole hymns." (I know I have already stepped on someone's toes.) Many times we allow our corporate worship to get in "ruts" because our private worship is in "ruts." I am not opposed to singing the good old hymns and I select them often but we must remember that in our worship we are singing not for ourselves, we are praising not for ourselves but for God and to God. We approach God week after week with the same old stuff. As a father I have had my children bring me paintings etc... and things that they made when they were small. The first thing done was to find a prominent place on the refrigerator or on the wall in my office for these gifts of love. They made me one proud papa. We approach God week after week with our gifts of praise to Him. When my kids were small and they brought me a finger paint special I was very proud because that was the limit of their capabilities. But, if they, as teenagers, were to come with the same I would be grateful, yes, but questioning. Surely they have learned more than this, surely they have grown beyond this level all these years, and yet they bring me the same as they did years ago. I would have a sense of disappointment because as a father I want to see my children grow and mature and thus with these gifts that demonstrate that the growth and maturity that I had desired had not come I would be disappointed. I think the application is clear. When we come to God with the same "finger paint" year and year and we do not grow in our worship experiences and abilities I am sure it disappoints the Heavenly Father. Does He stop loving and caring for us? Never. But we as His children are bring the same gifts week after week and month after month and not grow and learn new songs and ways to express our praise and adoration. We must grow in our worship experiences and constantly learn new ways to express our love, praise and adoration to the Father. That comes with learning new songs, hymns, praise and Scripture songs. It is my hope and prayer that this week as you approach your private worship and your corporate worship experiences that you will find a new depth and joy, and a new appreciation for the value in your life that these can be. "Oh sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless His Name; Proclaim the Good News of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among the peoples. For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods." Psalm 96:1-4, NKJ. Vince Gonzalez may be reached via Internet Email at: revvogsr@aol.com Focused Prayer - Our Secret Weapon Focused Prayer - Our Secret Weapon FOCUSED PRAYER - OUR SECRET WEAPON By Ceil Rosen Encouraging the Ephesian believers concerning their walk of faith, Paul wrote: "... we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12). Paul described Satan as the wily enemy and believers a God's soldiers who must fight to protect their position. Paul taught that victory in this spiritual warfare requires believers to counter the spiritual weapons of the enemy with spiritual defenses-the whole armor of God. Added to the defensive armor was the sword of God's Word, both a defensive and an offensive weapon. In Ephesians 6:14-18 Paul continued, "Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;... praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit..." Ancient Weaponry and Its Spiritual Parallels A brief understanding of ancient weaponry enhances the interpretation of this passage: The breastplate and waist girdle protected a warrior's heart and other vital organs, the helmet protected the head, and the shoes protected the feet from falling arrows. Yet other parts of the body remained exposed and vulnerable. To protect them the warrior also needed a shield. In ancient combat flaming arrows could totally destroy a target by burning it. Scripture likens Satan's attacks to barrages of fiery darts or arrows. In our Christian warfare we need the shield of faith to protect us from the fiery darts of the wicked one so they will not destroy us. Inept or erratic use of our faith shields against the fiery darts can result in our being "wounded" - rendered weak and temporarily ineffective. Some believers protect themselves with a good set of defensive armor so that they are seldom seriously injured by Satan's arrows. Yet because they fail to use offensive weapons, they gain no substantial victories. According to Ephesians 6:18, along with all our defensive weapons and God's Word, the sword of the Spirit, which is both a defense and an attack weapon, we have yet another effective tool for our Christian warfare. We have our own darts and arrows-prayer in Jesus' name. With these we can go on the offense for God, attacking and destroying spiritual strongholds and winning victories for His Kingdom. As a swift arrow shot from an archer's bow, a prayer arrow released from the catapult of faith reaches far, to the heights of God. But, as with literal arrows, the apex of the path is not the final goal. Though the archer releases an arrow from his bow with great force, the arrow loses momentum in flight. To maintain impact energy that arrow must regain speed from the downward pull of gravity as it arches toward its target. The farther the target, the higher the archer must angle his arrow. The path of our prayer arrows is much like the trajectory of the archer's arrow. They ascend with as much energy as the bows of our hearts can muster. However, their descent to the target depends on God's "gravity power." As our prayer arrows find their heavenly mark, God takes over. He directs them to the target, to accomplish His purpose. Well-Focused Arrows of Prayer The best kind of prayer is specific. Too often God's people pray in generalities. To be most efficient, we need sharply pointed, focused, definite and specific prayer arrows. One sharpshooter hitting a bull's eye has more effect on a target than a barrage of arrows. One well-aimed shot, as one archer stretches his arm span to the limit, taxes his total energy to hold that position, takes careful aim and releases at just the right moment, can accomplish more than wide rain of hasty, generally aimed arrows. So it is with prayer. Of course God can and does work at time despite vain repetitions and without specific petitions. But He delights to teach us truths about Himself through answering our specific prayer. Then as we stand back in awe, our thankful worship and praise glorify Him. If you want to be a prayer warrior you need to make your prayers as specific as possible, like carefully aimed arrows. A well-aimed prayer arrow entails more than "Lord, please save Susie." Learn Susie's circumstance well enough to understand at least partially what may be keeping her from making a commitment to Christ. If you want to see Susie come to Jesus, deal with particulars you feel may be necessary for her salvation. Make requests like, "Lord, open Susie's heart; surround her with people who can show her Your love. Lord, don't let material things distract Susie. Lord, help Susie to understand. Illumine her mind with Your truth." In praying for someone's salvation you should not only know and pray for specific needs in that person's life, you should also be willing to take an active part in the process if and however God wills it. Acknowledge this willingness to Him as you pray. When you fulfill these two criteria, your petitions become more focused. You pray more intelligently and more effectively. For an unbelieving sick friend you might pray, "Father, please use this illness as a door to John's considering more deeply who You are. Grant him spiritual healing in Christ and physical healing as well, if that is Your will." For someone who is having difficulty in personal relationships, you might pray, "Father, may Jim find enough faith to be able to trust You even though people have failed him.'' If the person to whom you are witnessing seems smug and content, with no apparent need for God, your specific prayer might include the request that the person will discover the inadequacy of his or her self-sufficiency to meet all the vicissitudes of life. Let Go and Trust Realize that, like the archer's arrow, our prayer arrows are weapons of commitment. We aim, let go and trust they will find their target. Sometimes when we send up those prayer arrows we may lack the sense of having hit the target. Once we let go, we can no longer sense an arrow as we might perceive the weight or path of a hand-held sword. Having aimed our arrows of prayer at Satan's strongholds, we may not recognize their potency and power to inflict damage. We may not hear the enemy howl with the pain of defeat. We may not see him slink from the battlefield rather than face those piercing prayer arrows. Yet it does happen. As we prevail in prayer, Satan retreats and we win the battle. Trust is intrinsic to prayer. When we send a prayer arrow upward, we entrust it into God's hand. He adjusts our aim and sends the gravity weight of His will behind our petition so that it strikes the intended target. As we commit our prayer arrows upward, taking the best aim we can, God tales over. He adjusts our aim, changes the trajectory downward and adds the necessary force. God uses the prayers of His people to accomplish His purposes. In focused prayer we become allies with Him. In focused prayer together we fight against His and our common enemy. In focused prayer we gain the victory. From THE JEWS FOR JESUS NEWSLETTER What in the World is God Up To ? What in the World is God Up To ? WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOD UP TO? A Bird's-eye View of the Global Cell Church Movement By Jim Egli What in the world is God doing? A lot! I can't cover it all in this article, but I want to tell you about one of the most exciting ways God is at work -- the global cell group church movement. Around the world a new form of church life is emerging -- a form marked by vitality, outreach, growth, and power. In all hemispheres of the globe, North and South, East and West, in cultures rich and poor, Western and non-Western, from Beijing to New York to Baghdad, a pattern of church life that is simple, yet profound, is taking shape. This form of church is known as the Small Group or Cell Group Church. Cell Group Churches are congregations that see small meetings of believers in homes as their primary form of life and ministry. They typically have large worship gatherings on Sunday as well, but their primary focus is on the Cell Groups. These groups are the vehicles for pastoral care, ministry, prayer and outreach. Growing traditional churches expand primarily by attracting members from other congregations and usually reach a growth ceiling. In contrast, Cell Group Churches demonstrate an amazing ability to reach unreached people in an expanding way. Instead of topping out at 200, 2,000, or 20,000 members, the structure of Cell Group Churches allow them to grow indefinitely. The Cell Church movement is global with rapidly growing congregations emerging on every continent. ASIA The Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, Korea, with 600,000 members is perhaps the most well-known Small Group Church. Few people realize, however, that it is only one of many Korean Cell Group Churches. Nine of the world's twenty largest churches are Korean Cell Churches. However, the most remarkable Cell Group movement is not in Korea but in mainland China. An estimated 50 million meet in the underground house churches there. Further south in Thailand, Dr. Kriengsak Chareonwongsak, a former economics professor, planted the Hope of Bangkok Church using a Cell Group strategy. In a country considered highly resistant to the Gospel, this congregation has grown to 6,000 members while planting another 100 churches. In Singapore, the Faith Community Baptist Church, pastored by Lawrence Khong and Ralph Neighbour, has grown from 400 to over 4,000 members since its beginning in 1988. This church has over 400 Cell Groups and baptizes more than 1,000 persons each year. They are now also establishing a training center for Cell Pastors in the former Soviet Union at Alma Ata, Kazakhistan. Cell Group Churches are mushrooming into existence across the former Soviet Union. Meanwhile in the Arab world, new Cell Churches are penetrating the Muslim strongholds of Iraq and Kuwait. AUSTRALIA In Australia, the Christian Outreach Center in Brisbane has about 4,000 members in 300 cells and has penetrated over 60 other cities across the continent using a Cell model. Meanwhile in Sidney, Les Scarborough has begun a network of Baptist Cell Churches now reaching thousands. AFRICA From Ethiopia comes another fascinating story. In 1981, the Communist government seized the church buildings of the evangelical Meserete Kristos Church and imprisoned key leaders. Without meeting-houses or professional pastors, the church began to meet in small groups of five to seven people. In a period of just 10 years, the church went from 5,000 to over 50,000 members. Now that the Communists are out of power and the buildings and pastors have been returned, the churches are continuing to meet in Cell Groups and phenomenal growth continues. This story is told in the just released video from Gateway Films, "Against Great Odds." In Abidjan, Ivory Coast, the Cell Church pastored by Robert Dion has grown to 30,000 while planting churches among Francophone Africans as far away as Houston, Texas, and Paris, France. EUROPE The Mana Church in Portugal is Pentecostal church which has over 30,000 in cells and has planted cells in African nations, some of which have grown to 10,000 members in two years. Further north in Europe, Ichthus Fellowship of London, England, has penetrated its city with hundreds of cells in dozens of congregations. This church is now spearheading Cell Church evangelism among Muslims around the world from its mission base in Cyprus. LATIN AMERICA The granddaddy of all Pentecostal Cell Group Churches in Santiago, Chile, numbers over 50,000. Other Cell Group Churches across South America also number in the tens of thousands (Rio de Janeiro, 30,000; Buenos Aires, 70,000; Santa Fe, 80,000). In Honduras, the Amor Viviente congregation, begun by Mennonite missionaries, has grown to 3,000 adult members in 300 "Growth" Groups. The congregation has used its Cell Group strategy to plant 17 other congregations in Honduras as well as new churches in the U.S. cities of Miami, New York, and New Orleans. NORTH AMERICA A recent Gallup poll revealed that a full 70% of the American population are disillusioned with the traditional church and believe most churches are not effective in helping people find meaning in life. At the same time there is an increasing realization within the church that there must be a better way to do church than our building-bound, clergy-centered, traditional patterns. In this context, Cell Churches are beginning across the U.S. and Canada in a wide variety of settings, from Florida to British Columbia, from cosmopolitan New York to the rural hills of Arkansas To-date the largest North American Cell Group Church is New Hope Community in Portland, Oregon. This congregation weekly ministers to over 6,000 people through 500 small groups. Like most Cell Churches, a majority of its new members are new Christians, not just transfers from neighboring congregations. On the East Coast, New Life Fellowship, a bi-lingual congregation in Queens, New York, has grown to 700 participants in over 40 Cell Groups. CHARACTERISTICS OF CELL GROUP CHURCHES Although Cell Group Churches are diverse, depending on their culture, location, and denominational background, they share remarkable similarities. Almost all Cell Group Churches are marked by these characteristics: intense prayer, a mobilizing of laity for ministry, the utilization of both men and women's leadership gifts, and a passion for evangelism with a focus on reaching and enfolding unsaved individuals and families. THE IMPACT OF THE CELL GROUP CHURCH MOVEMENT The Cell Group Church Movement is growing rapidly with increasing momentum. It has begun to impact many denominational families. Whether Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Assembly of God, Mennonite, or non-denominational, the largest and most vital congregations in the world are Cell Churches. Nor is it only a Protestant phenomenon, as the Catholic Church around the world is being impacted by Small Groups that they call "Basic Christian Communities." EVALUATING THE CELL GROUP CHURCH MOVEMENT In historical context we must admit that the Cell Group Church movement is nothing new. The New Testament church also met in homes. As early as the account in Acts chapter two we see both large and small group contexts, the believers met "in the temple courts" and "in their homes" as "the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved" (2:46-47). Throughout church history a similar pattern emerges--in the Anabaptist movement of the 16th century, the Methodist movement of the 18th century, and in the charismatic movement of our generation, small groups have been the basis for outreach and discipleship. But the magnitude of what is emerging today is astonishing and it is gaining momentum. In a wide variety of cultures and settings, often unbeknownst to each other, Cell Group Churches are emerging with a passion to penetrate the world for Jesus Christ. As you evaluate this movement, I encourage you to also evaluate yourself. Do you have a sense that God wants to do a greater work in the world than has ever been done before? Are you wondering if there is a way for the church to empower every member for ministry and outreach as part of a supporting community? Are you willing to do whatever God calls you to reach this generation with the love of Christ? SOURCES Boyd, Carolyn. "The Apostle of Hope: The Dr. Kriengsak Story" West Sussex: Sovereign World, 1991. George, Carl. "Prepare Your Church for The Future". Tarrytown, NY: Fleming H. Revell, 1991. Neighbour, Ralph. "Where Do We Go From Here? A Guidebook for the Cell Group Church". Houston: Touch Publications, 1990. Neighbour, Ralph. "A Note From the Publisher..." "Cell Church Magazine", Volume 2, Number 1. Otis, George Jr. "The Holy Spirit Around the World." "Charisma", January 1993. Lake Mary, FL: Strang Communications. Jim Egli was formerly director of North Star Strategies -- a Small Group Resource Ministry. North Star is designed to help Program Based Designs transition into Small Group Churches. North Star provides help through monthly newsletters, materials, on-site consultations and conferences. For information about this ministry, contact Bill Jackson at 1500 N. Lincoln, Urbana IL 61801, 217/384-3077, fax 217/384-3081 or contact Stephen Price via Internet E-mail at: steve@kn5f.jsc.nasa.gov Praise Praise PRAISE Bill Bledsoe Las Vegas, Nevada I was once involved in a church that frowned on observing Christmas (due to its supposed "pagan" origin). The holiday of Thanksgiving took on added significance as a day to get together with family centered around a celebration of the grace of God. One year I was unable to be at home with my parents and relatives during Thanksgiving. I had recently enlisted in the Coast Guard and was on duty the day before Thanksgiving and was not scheduled to be relieved until 9:00 am Thanksgiving Day. After being relieved I called my mom. She sounded so disappointed that I could not be with them. This caused me to impulsively hop into my car and drive all night the approximately 500 miles to home. I arrived early that Friday morning after Thanksgiving at about 3:00 am. I had a key, so I let myself in and made my way to my brother Tom's room where I found an extra bed. (When I left home, my younger brother Ed had taken over my old bedroom). I felt sure that my unannounced visit would be a pleasant surprise to Mom and patch things up. The next morning, as I slept, my brother Tom told my Mom I had arrived the night before. But she responded to him in anger. My brother Tom related this to me later. I felt guilty that my mother was hurt because of my absence at Thanksgiving. I then and there resolved to NEVER miss a Thanksgiving from that point on. In fact, even though my religious beliefs prohibited me from officially observing Christmas, I nonetheless from that point on tried and obtained, except once, to get leave from the Coast Guard at Christmas as well. All because of my love for my mother and my concern for her feelings. Several years later, a few years after I had trusted Christ as my personal savior and become a born-again believer, I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to start writing poetic rhymes. My first and largest work was called "Thanksgiving". Off and on I spent several months on the manuscript. God blessed my heart through it and gave me a heartfelt appreciation for and gratitude to God for all he had done for me and, basically, for every created thing. As a consequence, I became quite devoted to the holiday of "Thanksgiving". In fact, today I reverence the holiday of Thanksgiving even more than Christmas and Easter. I am very grieved over the fact that our culture has become increasingly secular and irreverent, to the point where the common euphemism for the holiday of "Thanksgiving" is "Turkey Day". Any reference to God has been weeded out to the point of non-existance, just as Santa Claus and commercialism has crowded out the original meaning of Christmas. Unfortunately, over the years my Mom's views have changed regarding the holiday of Thanksgiving as well. Her attitude parallels the prevailing culture. The was brought out quite convincingly to me when in November of 1993, three weeks before Thanksgiving, she cavalierly announced during dinner one Saturday that she was "not having Thanksgiving " this year. I was shocked. My shock then turned to anger to the point of rage. I felt betrayed. To take so lightly my favorite holiday of the entire year was like a slap in the face. Her carnal attitude conveyed to me that she thought "Thanksgiving" was just another day off from work. I became resentful. It took several months for me to face my anger and forgive her. I understand now that unless and until she obtains a personal, intimate relationship with the Creator, Jesus Christ, then "gratitude" to God will have no meaning to her or any other unbeliever. One thing I really cherish during the week of Thanksgiving is the local Christian radio station KILA's "Praise-a-thon". For 3 weekdays prior to Thanksgiving, from dawn until way past dusk, the lines are open to all who want to call in and broadcast live how grateful they are to God for all He's done for them. It is such a blessing and faith-builder that I look forward all year long to this event. The Last Prayer Meeting The Last Prayer Meeting THE LAST PRAYER MEETING By Seth C. Rees And the kings of the earth, and the great men and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of His wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?" - Rev 6:15-17. This is a description of the most dread prayer meeting that will ever be held-and the largest. It announces a time when vast multitudes will come together. Kings of nations princes, lords, governors and sheriffs will be there. Senators and representatives, mighty millionaires and popular professors, men of strength and men of renown, the high and the low, the rich and the poor, the black and the white-all classes will assemble at one great prayer meeting. Prayer meetings today are about the smallest meetings that are held. It is a rare thing if a king ever comes; but there will be kings at the last one. Presidents and governors do not often frequent the prayer room, but they will be present on that occasion. It will be a great day! All infidels, all Universalists and every one who propagates heresy-theosophy, Christian Science or anything contrary to Bible truth-will be there. Scholarly men from Yale, Harvard, Amherst and other great institutions of learning, often considered above criticism, will be at the last prayer meeting. At that vast assembly men will pray. Not many people know how to pray today. Many say they do not believe in prayer, but everyone will believe in it then. Everyone will be engaged in it then. All will drop on their knees and call for help. Friend, do you know that there are times when infidels and the most God-hating men will pray? They may be loathe to confess it, but they do. When men's hearts fail them for fear, they pray. Walking along the streets of Chicago one morning, I heard two elevated trains crash just over my head. Pieces of the wreckage fell on the street about me. I heard screams and cries and groans. Running upstairs I found them carrying out the wounded and dying. In a few moments policemen were there, with tearful eyes and white faces. Patrols and ambulances came. Everyone was screaming and crying and praying. It was a time to pray. I have seen many unsaved people die. From their dying testimony I know that hell must be awful. Hell is real. Ordinarily you believe what people say when they are dying. You expect them to tell the truth in such an hour as that. I have seen enough people die, testifying with their last breath that they were damned in hell. I do not want to be present any more when people die without God, without hope. I saw a man die who had once been rich. He had been looked up to, had held the respect of many, far and near. A few months before, I had seen this man in a great meeting where many were seeking God. I saw him under conviction. I heard preachers talk to him, heard his pious wife plead with him to turn to God. But no! He had money, influence, friends. This present evil world seemed to be his god. He turned away from that great outpouring of Grace-unsaved. Now, the man's money was gone and his friends had failed him. One night the doctor drove by to say, "Mr. Rees, our friend is dying. Won't you go over and see him?" Unsaved himself, the doctor was not willing to see that man go into eternity unprepared and with nobody to pray for him. I bent over the dying man and asked, "My brother, can you pray?" "When I attempt to pray, hell is + pressing + me + down," he whispered back. His hand dropped upon his chest and in a short time he was gone. I saw a merchant die-a successful man who apparently had accomplished his purpose in the world. But he was godless. He had heard the gospel message again and again. He had been invited to come to Christ, but had rejected Him. I remember the day the merchant dropped into hell. A saintly friend had felt divinely impressed to call on him, warning him to flee from the wrath to come. He was not disrespectful to her. He merely treated the warning with indifference and turned away to his merchandise. The friend left and walked perhaps no more than five blocks, when someone came running after her, begging her to return. But it was too late. In the meantime, I was sitting at my table only half a block distant, when I heard an unearthly cry. It came from the direction of the merchant's place of business. I rushed there and found him alone, suffering intensely. He dropped on the floor. In less than two minutes he was dead. I have seen a formal church member die- a woman eighty years old. Formal church members will be at the last prayer meeting in great numbers. For church membership will never save you. It will take the blood of Jesus Christ to save you from all sin. This woman's daughter sent for me. I hurried to their beautiful home. The mother looked at me as she walked the floor, wringing her hands and saying, "I am lost, I am lost!" I thought the Holy Spirit was awakening her and told her that she was just the kind of person whom Jesus came to save. "No," she answered, "It is too late. I might have been saved but now I am lost." She was then in good health, in good use of her mental powers, but as she walked the house, day and night, wringing her hands, she grew weaker. She took to an armchair, then to her bed. I visited her, but I could not stay. Her relatives said they could not stay and listen to her screams. Hired helpers would not stay. They could not endure the dying screams and cries of a good church member, wailing that she was going to hell. If one despairing soul can make a place so unendurable, what will it be like when he multiplied millions are assembled together to pray at the last great prayer meeting? Because no sudden calamity overtakes them, some people may not pray today nor tomorrow, nor for ten years. But sometime they will pray. They may pray when it is too late. Such are not going to pray to God. They will pray for the rocks and the mountains to fall on them and hide them from the face of Him who sits upon the throne. A mere profession of Christianity will not keep us out of hell. We must have the real thing. There are people who say, "If I go to hell, I will have lots of company." Don't believe it. Each man in hell will be so miserable with regret and rebellion of heart and anguish of suffering that he will be no company for you nor you for him. A day is coming (Rev. 20:12-15) when all around this world the dead will get up out of their graves. The sea will give up her dead. All the unsaved will be present on the great Judgment Day. Read it for yourself: "Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Now is the time to pray. Repent of your sins and get right with God. Will you make this your prayer today ? "God be merciful to me a sinner. I come now to take refuge in Christ Jesus, Who suffered for my sins on the cross and rose again to open Heaven for me." From Jewish Voice Broadcasts, Inc. Post Office Box 6, Phoenix, Arizona 85001. Courtesy of Gospel Publishing House, Springfield, Mo. Studies New Testament Studies New Testament Studies With this column, we continue a special series from the New Testament. This article is the sixth of seven focusing on the "Letters to the Seven Churches" found in the book of Revelation. During this series, the column will be called "New Testament Studies." Future studies after this series will include Psalms and books from both the Old and New Testaments. THE LETTER TO THE CHURCH AT PHILADELPHIA Revelation 3: 7-13 By Pastor Geoffrey Kragen At the end of the Broadway musical, "Man of La Mancha," Don Quixote becomes sane once again. He is also dying. In his mind, he sees the open door. But, he has very little strength left. Nevertheless, he pulls himself up from his bed. He calls Sancho to accompany him on the road once again. Instead, Quixote falls back dead. He had vision. He had desire. But he had no strength. I wonder if those in the church of Philadelphia felt the same. Were they frustrated? In this letter, we will see that Christ calls them to the open door. Simultaneously, He tells them they have little strength. We find opportunity to serve, but are we able to carry out the work? As with Christ's previous letters, we will read it with the intent of understand and applying it to our lives. We will have to touch on the prophetic nature of the letter as it relates to the return of Christ. The outline for this study is the same as outlines for previous studies. First, an overview of the letter, next, an examination of the Text and finally, an Application for our own lives. First, let us take a general overview of the letter. I How Christ is pictured: Christ is the Holy and true Messiah from the line of David. He, not the false Jews, is the one who opens the door to God's kingdom. II Background: Philadelphia, a Lydian city, was founded in 140 BC by Attalus II. It was located where three great countries, Mysia, Lydia, and Phrygia were joined. All of the seven cities were located on a small peninsula of Asia Minor. It was on the eastern shore of the Aegean Sea across from Greece, on the west side of the Sea. Its location made the city a "missionary" center. It was in the business of Hellenizing the world -- that is, spreading the Greek language, culture, literature, manners and way of life. The city was named after Philadelpus in recognition of his love for his brother Eumenes. In fact, the name Philadelphia means "brotherly love" in Greek. Philadelphia, like Sardis, suffered major damage in the great quake of 17 AD. The city was practically destroyed. The area was plagued by quakes for some twenty years thereafter. The city was third down the list as a recipient of relief funds from Rome. As a sign of appreciation for this aid, the city "temporarily" changed its name to Neocaesarea, or "new Caesar." This is what Christ is alluding to in verse 12 where He speaks of the new Jerusalem. (1) In the same verse, Christ talks about making the believer a pillar in the Temple of God. This parallels the city's practice of dedicating a pillar in the temple to the name of some individual, honored for an unusual or noble act. Those who were honored included magistrates, civil servants, benefactors or philanthropists. Philadelphia was the last bastion of Christianity when Asia Minor was overrun by the Islamic Turks in 1392. As with Smyrna, whose church was the only other one to received no condemnation, Philadelphia still exists today. III Commendation: They were obedient to God's word and didn't deny their Lord. IV Condemnation: None given. V Counsel: They were to hold to what they had, so they wouldn't they lose their crown. VI Challenge: 1. They faced an open door. 2. Their enemies would fall before them. 3. They were to be kept from the hour of temptation. 4. They were to be pillars in God's Temple. The major point I stress when studying the book of Revelation is: the purpose of book is not to reveal prophecy, but to reveal Christ. Remember: the correct title of the book is "The Revelation of Jesus Christ." The prophetic aspect of the book is the framework on which the tapestry of Christ is hung. When studying the book, the focus needs to be on what it teaches about the Lord. This approach will make it easier to understand. Someday we will all know which prophetic system is correct. Our most important need is greater knowledge of Christ, not of the future. This letter is uniquely rich. But its very richness means we will need to limit both our analysis and application for this article. Verse 7: Christ directs the letter to the representative of the local church. As seen in verse 13, though, it is intended for all the members. Actually, it is intended for believers in all ages. First, Christ introduces Himself. How He is presented relates to the specific needs of the Church and His expectations for them. First, Christ reveals something of His own nature. He says He is holy and true. He is the holy and sovereign God. (2) Second, He is seen holding the key of David. Because of who He is, He can require the church to follow Him. They are to keep His word and His name. "But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: 'Be holy, because I am holy'" (1 Peter 1:15-16). Christ is Holy by His nature. To be Holy is to be "Spiritually pure, sinless." (3) Christ was holy in his birth. The angel came to Mary and said: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). Christ was holy; He lived a sinlessness life. That's why He could pay the price for our sin: "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). His holiness, His sinlessness is the foundation of the efficacious nature of His death in providing for our Salvation, paying the penalty for our sin. "Because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay" (Acts 2:27). Christ is also true, that is, genuine. He is perfect and complete. "Jesus answered, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one comes to the Father, except through me'" (John 14:6). Christ is shown here as truth to contrast with the falseness of the teachings and practices going on in Philadelphia. Christ comes to the church, first because of who He is, and second, based on His position. He holds the key of David. This refers to Isaiah 22:22; "I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open." The key is the one given to Eliakim, the treasurer of the house of David. Christ is the one who opens the door to His Father's treasure house, the treasure vault of the Kingdom. The treasures certainly include salvation, as well as the accompanying blessings. These include the opportunity to serve and witness. Verse 8: As already noted, the church receives no condemnation, only commendation. Christ tells the believers He is aware of their works. They were serving as witnesses, but had little power. They were probably few in numbers and influence. But they kept His Word and His name. Therefore, He expected no more than that. The key is to the door of God's treasure. This is the door Christ opens and no man can close. There is disagreement over the meaning. The message was to believers, so it can be understood as an open door of service and blessing. Through their service, the open door gave the opportunity of salvation for others. Verse 9: Part of their witness was to withstand the persecution of a Jewish contingent. While these were of the physical seed of Abraham, Christ tells us they lied when they called themselves Jews. They were not of Abraham's spiritual seed. They have rejected Christ and they persecuted His church. But the day will come when the Jewish people will recognize Christ for who He is. There was also a problem with some individuals within the church holding to the Law. In fact, Ignatius, in his letter to the Philadelphians, chapter 6, verse 1, said: the Christian Jews finally left the synagogues and gave up keeping the law as a basis for salvation. This probably increased the tensions between the Jewish Community and the local church. Verses 10-12: The Lord promises a blessing for their obedience. In verse 12, as we noted in prior articles, the overcomers are, by definition, believers: the promises are directed to the believer. Some find verse 10 controversial. The reason is that, if it is taken literally, it teaches that Christ will keep the believer from the coming world-wide tribulation. Here is a strong reason to assume the church will be taken up from the earth before the tribulation. Christ's coming will be sudden. The Philadelphians are called to remain constant to His name and word. Implicit in the warning of His coming is the call to continue in obedience, for no one knows when He will appear. "Quickly" doesn't mean "immediately," it means "suddenly." Christ can return at any time. Nothing else has to be fulfilled for Him to come. The other promise of blessing is that the believer will become a pillar in the eternal Temple of God. We will have a position of honor in Heaven. "Jesus said to them... 'And everyone who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or children, or fields, for my name's sake, will receive a hundred times as much'" (Matthew 19: (28a), 29a). We are the living stones that make up the church. "Consequentially, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit" (Ephesians 2:19-22). Finally, the believer is told they are to have a new name, a name tied to God, the new Jerusalem and Christ. We are identified with God and will spend eternity with Him. This is the promise made to all those who place themselves under the shed blood of Christ. The message then is to all of the body of Christ: we have an eternity to look forward to with Him. We have the true hope of the Church, Christ's return: "While we wait for the blessed hope-the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13). We also have the call to walk as He would have us, modeling the truth and righteousness for others as Christ models for us. Christ is holy. He is truth. If we really understand this, we also understand He is God. Having heard Him say "I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one comes to the Father, except through me" (John 14:6), if you haven't yet accepted him as your Savior, then you should consider it now. Remember, in this passage He tells us He is to return suddenly. Therefore, you ought to accept Him, while there is still time. No one knows what tomorrow will bring. Regarding salvation, Paul said: "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15: 3-4). If, in your heart, you can say to the Lord you know you are a sinner and believe He died for your sins, then you too will be a part of the body of Christ. "Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart... And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is his Son. He who has the Son has life; He who does not have the Son of God does not have life" (1 John 5: 10- 12). For the believer, if we understand Christ is first holy then we must remember that "Just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: 'Be holy, because I am holy'" (1 Peter 1:15-16). We are called to live a holy life, separated from the world and sin, separated to God and righteousness. Our lives are to be a testimony for Christ. If Christ is also the Truth, that's truth with a capital "T," then we must recognize that all truth comes from God. If we are to walk in the path of righteousness He sets before us, we must live in the truth. "But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God" (John 3:21). Knowing who Christ is, He that is Holy, He that is True, should cause us to want to live in a way that brings honor to Him. As with these believers, we to have a door that He has opened before us. This is the door of service. If the time for the lost to find Salvation is now, then the time for us to live our life for Christ is also now. What is the motivation of our daily life? Money, power, family, good grades, fun, football, or simply just getting by? Or is our motivation to be used to our fullest extent by the Lord? As Christ was looking for works within this church, so He looks for works from us. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2: 8-10). God has prepared works for us to do. If we aren't doing anything, it's not because there isn't anything to do. It's because we're unwilling to do it. Like these believers, we may feel that we too have little power. But we too have an open door, the Word of God and the resource of the Holy Spirit. Even for you young people, if you are Christ's, He has something for you to do. It may be at school, or at home, or some other place. Your obedience is all He requires. Mature Christians: There is no retirement in the body of Christ. God rewards service by giving us more work. He still has plenty for you to do. As for everyone else, the call to service is clear. James has said to us: "Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do" (James 2:13). In conclusion: the message of this letter is that some of the unsaved are called to salvation. The saved are called to service. Also, the Lord gives us the comforting hope of His imminent return. "Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words" (1 Thessalonians 5:13-18). 1. Criswell, W. A., EXPOSITORY SERMONS ON REVELATIONS, Zoncervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1969, p. 158-159. 2. Walvoord, John F., THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST, Moody Press, Chicago, IL, 1966, p. 84. 3. Guralnik, David G., WEBSTER'S NEW WORLD DICTIONARY, Collins World, Cleveland, OH, 1971, p. 224. Growing in Grace Growing in Grace In this article, Rev. Russell Walden expresses concern over the believer's problem of being caught up more in religious form than spiritual maturity. Too often, Christians fight over issues that do not threaten the doctrine of salvation. While there are significant distinctions between some churches, more often than not we "major in the minors." Rev. Walden uses the parable of the Wine and Wineskin as a place to derive his illustrations. While the primary focus of this parable is the problem of serving Christ while being tied to the law, the parallel Rev. Walden draws here is excellent. We hope this article will be a blessing to you. YOU CAN'T JUDGE A WINE BY ITS WINESKIN By Reverend Russ Walden "They said to him, "John's disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking." He told them this parable: "No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins" (Luke 5:33, 36-38a). Jesus discussed religious traditions and practices using wine and wineskins as illustrations. The wine, in this comparison, represents the spiritual reality found in a relationship with God. The wineskin represents the structure men use to attempt to preserve that spiritual reality or blessing. For example: The wonderful, refreshing and uplifting experience you received at your local church the other day is THE WINE. The building you met in, the order of service, the nonprofit corporation that enables your church to receive donations and conduct its business are THE WINE SKINS. The wineskin further includes the denomination, or movement that your church chooses to use to identifying itself to members and the world. This could be any number of denominations, or movements; nondenominational, charismatic, ecumenical, fundamental, or whatever... These wineskins are PACKAGING. In a free market society, packaging, or marketing, is everything. The kingdom of God is like that. Everyone has a choice. When you have a choice, there will be efforts by various groups to influence your choice. The building you meet in, the organization your church belongs to, the programs that are offered, these make up religious marketing, or the WINESKIN. They are designed to influence your choices in spiritual matters. This is not by itself evil, or wrong. But as you grow in the Lord, you must look beyond the packaging, to see if SPIRITUAL REALITY is present. One of the frustrations with living in a free market economy is THERE ARE SO MANY choices. Last fall, when you decided to trade in your old car on a new '94 model, you walked miles through any number of car dealerships. Finally, you gave up trying to see every option and settled on one. What you got was a good car. It will service you well. But following your purchase, you were made uncomfortable by the competitor's MARKETING. Maybe you would have done better to buy this model or that model? The same is true in shopping for computer equipment. I subscribe to a stack of computer magazines and direct mail catalogs. I went over thousands of ads every time I set out to buy a new PC or peripheral. Invariably, after finally buying, I would run across an ad that offered a better deal. We'd like to believe marketing and packaging has nothing to do with religion. In truth, it is more a part of us than we would care to admit. When two Christians meet in the grocery store, what is the inevitable question? What denomination are you? What label do you wear? What brand are you? It's interesting to note: people in a bar have more understanding of unity in the context of diversity than many Christians. A new acquaintance joins one of the patrons at the bar. His friend tells the bartender: "Whatever he's having, give him a round on me..." He doesn't demand that his friend drink his label. He's perfectly content to let his friend drink whatever brand of beer, wine, or liquor he wants. To each his own. In Christendom, any one who doesn't package his faith like we do is held suspect. If you don't baptize like I do, or subscribe to my doctrines, then I won't have anything to do with you. The objection may be raised: "Well, doesn't it matter?" In truth, most of the churches in the United States DON'T MATTER. If they did, then our nation would be a very different place. It would either be a little acre of heaven, or where the blood of the martyrs ran in the streets. Is that negative? No! I don't believe in being negative. We need to realize there are churches of every faith who ADVERTISE SPIRITUAL REALITY but don't deliver it. The old cigarette commercial says "I'd rather fight than switch..." Christians, more often than not, are fighting for religious packaging rather than spiritual reality. At this stage of development (or decline, if you wish) in the church, we need the discernment to look past the name on the door, the denomination, or affiliation. We must ask whether spiritual reality is present and available. The wineskins all look great, but is there any wine? How many times have you popped the cork on some well-packaged church, ministry or denomination and all you got was a mouth full of vinegar? I grew up in the "full gospel" persuasion. There are many wonderful truths and experiences in Pentecostal and Charismatic groups and denominations. But I tell you in truth, the greatest sincerity and depth of consecration I have ever seen was in the lives of men and women many "spirit filled" people would regard as "backward" and "unenlightened." Advertising can be misleading. "It ain't Full Gospel till its FULL OF THE GOSPEL." The "spirit-filled" groups haven't cornered the market on false advertising. They just happen to be the background I'm from and therefore I can speak with authority from my experiences. You have to let God lead you to the wineskin of His choice for your life. All of the advertising, promotion, and marketing ignores that placement in the kingdom is not primarily up to the tastes of the individual. God's ideal is that He places each of his children where he wants them. Everyone of us, at different times in our Christian development, will need any number of the various "vintages" of spiritual reality in the Kingdom of God. Your group, or denomination does not have the market on the blessing of God. God has not bestowed on any certain group "the secret ingredient" that you can't get anywhere else. The issue of placement in the kingdom in a certain church, bible study or group should be a matter of the "Father's will" for your life. It should not be based on who marketed their selling points to you most effectively. "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18). All of your Christian life, you are going to be bombarded with "spiritual advertising." Different groups and churches will try to sell you on what they claim that God has distilled in them. Always remember the words of Jesus in John 15:1. "I am the true vine.... " Churches, ministries and different groups will disappoint you, because they cannot deliver on their advertising. Jesus didn't bring you into the kingdom to expose you to a dizzying array of wines and wineskins. He wants you to DRAW ON HIM, ON YOUR PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP TO HIM, for filling your life. Then, beyond that, he will lead you to the church or group where he wants you. Who knows? He might even put you in a dry county. Or maybe have you plant a vineyard to produce a fresh NEW WINE... Messianic Studies Messianic Studies FULFILLED PROPHECY CONCERNING THE MESSIAH OF ISRAEL Excerpt from a booklet written in 1905 by William L. Pettingill, D.D., and entitled, "Israel-Jehovah's Covenant People." "Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder." - (Isaiah 9:6) The Old Testament contains over six hundred prophecies. One-half of these are Messianic - that is, they pertain to the great Deliverer, who was to come out of Zion and take away ungodliness from Jacob. But the mass of Messianic prophecy presents some startling contrasts. The Anointed One is sometimes pictured as a great and mighty Potentate who should sit on David's throne and reign over the earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. On the other hand, He is described as a vicarious sufferer: a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. The earthly glory of Israel is always connected with the former line of prophecy. Well, the Messiah has been here once and at His first advent He fulfilled every jot and tittle of that line of prediction relating to His humiliation. He will come again and just as literally and exactly fulfill the other line of prediction. For this cause Jehovah is preserving His covenant people separate from the nations, though scattered among them. Why is it that a Jew is known as a Jew wherever we see him? It is God's mark of separation. He said of them: "Their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, [literally, 'recognize"] that they are the seed which Jehovah hath blessed," (Isaiah 61:9). But is it true that the Messiah has come? His Jewish brethren deny it. What claim has He upon them? Has He proved His right to be called Immanuel, God with us? "To the law and to the testimony!" If Jesus be not the Messiah, then Whoever the Messiah may be, He must, when He comes, do exactly what Jesus has done, before He can possibly begin His kingly work. And not only so, but Jesus must be explained. If He were not divine, then His life is inexplicable. Let us examine the Scriptures and find what they require as to the Messiah. 1. The Messiah must be, in a peculiar sense, the seed of the woman. To Satan God said in Genesis 3:15: "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." Of course this does not mention his Messianic character, but we shall perceive, as we proceed, the unbroken connection between this promise and those given later on, concerning the Messiah. 2. He must be of the lineage, (I) of Abraham, (2) of Isaac, and (3) of Jacob, (see Genesis 17:15, 16, 19; 28:13, 14). 3. He must be of the family of Judah, (Genesis 49:10). 4 He must be of the House of David, (2 Samuel 7:16). Supposing for a moment that the Messiah has never been here and that we are still to look for His first advent, how can He prove His identity? The official genealogical tables were destroyed many centuries since and no Jew is in a position to prove his lineage. 5. The Messiah must be the Son of God. ( 1 ) Psalm 2:7, 12: "I will declare the decree: Jehovah hath said unto Me, Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee... is the Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him." (2) Proverbs 30:4: "Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? Who hath gathered the wind in His fists? Who hath bound the waters in a garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son's name? if thou canst tell?" Surely God the Father is in view in these Scriptures and His Son also. (3) Isaiah 48:16, 17: "Come ye near unto Me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord Jehovah, and His Spirit, hath sent Me. Thus saith Jehovah, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel." Here is the Trinity. 6. The Messiah must be God in the flesh. According to Isaiah 9:6, 7, the Messiah is to be first a Child born, a Son given, and then it goes on: "The government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David," etc. His eternal and divine character is also shown in Micah 5:2. "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be Ruler in Israel; Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." He is God's "fellow" - His comrade - His co-equal: Zechariah 13:7: "Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, and against the Man that is My Fellow, saith Jehovah Tsebaoth." 7. The Messiah must be born in Bethlehem. (See Micah 5:2 above.) 8. He must be born miraculously, of a virgin. "Jehovah Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:14). Thus He is to be the seed of the woman. 9. The Messiah must not be of the seed of Jehoiachin. This is a most interesting and important point. Jehoiachin was the last king in David's direct line to reign in Jerusalem. He was deposed by the conqueror Nebuchadnezzar, and his uncle, Mattaniah, whose name was changed to Zedekiah, was enthroned in his place. Jehoiachin, the son of Jehoiakim, reigned only three months, but his brief rule was marked by terrible wickedness. His name appears as "Jeconiah" in I Chronicles 3:16 and Jeremiah 24:1, and in Jeremiah 22:24-30 he is called "Coniah." I quote this last passage: "As I live, saith Jehovah, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon My right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence; and I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life,... and into the hand of the Chaldeans. And I will cast thee out, and thy mother that bare thee, into another country, where ye were not born; and there shall ye die. But to the land whereunto they desire to return, thither shall they not return. "Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? Is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? Wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not? "O Earth! Earth!! Earth!!! Hear the word of Jehovah. Thus saith Jehovah. Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah." Here, doubtless, is to be found the key to the right understanding of the genealogical tables of our Lord Jesus Messiah in Matthew and Luke. According to the Old Testament predictions the Messiah must be the heir to the throne in the kingly line, and really the seed of David, without being descended as pertaining to the flesh from the wicked king Coniah. It seems impossible that this could be brought about, but again the integrity of the Word of God is shown. Matthew, I doubt not, gives the genealogy of Joseph, the reputed father of Jesus. This shows that Joseph would have been the rightful king of Israel were it not for the prohibition against the seed of Coniah. Luke, on the other hand, gives the ancestry of Jesus through His mother, Heli being the father-in-law of Joseph. Thus Jesus was at once descended from David through his son Nathan, as shown in Luke, and also the adopted son and acknowledged heir of Joseph, who descended from David through Solomon's line, as shown in Matthew. 10. The Messiah must be a Suffering Savior, (Isaiah 53; Psalm 33, etc.). 11. He must enter Jerusalem riding upon an ass. "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon the colt the foal of an ass," (Zechariah 9:9). 12. He must be betrayed by a friend for thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave. "Yea, Mine own familiar friend, In whom I trusted, which did eat of My bread hath lifted up his heel against Me." (Psalm 41:9). "And I said unto them, if ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of Jehovah." (Zechariah 11:12, 13). These words might have been written by Judas himself, so exactly do they describe his own experience. But the Holy Spirit wrote them hundreds of years before Judas betrayed his Lord. 13. He must be rejected by His own people. "He is despised and rejected of men; a Man of Sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; He was despised, and we (i.e., Israel) esteemed Him not," (Isaiah 53:3). 14. He must be put to death to save others. "After the threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for Himself," (Daniel 9:26). "He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed," (Isaiah 53:5). 15. He must be numbered with the transgressors, (Isaiah 53:12). Jesus died between two thieves. 16. He must be crucified. This was not the Jewish mode of execution; and yet there it is in the Jewish Scriptures long before His advent: "One shall say unto Him, what are these wounds in Thine hands? Then shall he answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of My friends," (Zechariah 13:6). "They shall look upon Me Whom they have pierced," (Zechariah 12:10). "They pierced My hands and My feet," (Psalm 22:16). This 22nd Psalm has been called "the Psalm of Sobs." It is a terribly realistic picture of Messiah's sufferings upon the cross. 17. Vinegar and gall must be offered to Him. "They gave Me also gall for My meat; and in My thirst they gave Me vinegar to drink," (Psalm 69:21). 18. His garments must be parted by lot "They part My garments among them, and cast lots upon My vesture," (Psalm 22: 1 8). 19. He must be associated with the wicked and the rich in His death and burial "He made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death," (Isaiah 53:9). 20. He must rise from the dead. "My flesh also shall rest in hope. For Thou wilt not leave My soul in Sheol; neither wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption" [or "decomposition"], (Psalm 16:9,10). 21. He must ascend to heaven. And this is what Jesus did. Hear the Father's greeting as He entered within the veil: "The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool. The LORD shall send the rod of Thy strength out of Zion: rule Thou in the midst of Thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power," (Psalm 110:1-3). 22. There must be salvation for the Gentiles through in "It is a light thing that Thou shouldest be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give Thee for a light to the Gentiles, that Thou mayest be My salvation unto the end of the earth," (Isaiah 49:6). Now, one but needs to read the historical accounts of the life. the works and the death of the Prophet of Nazareth to find that every one of these prophetic requirements was fulfilled in Him. He is the Anointed One-The Messiah of God. But let us remember that He is not only a future King. but also a present Savior. "By Him all that believe are justified from all things." "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." "Kiss the Son, lest He be angry." "Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him." Reprinted from the Jan./Feb. '94 issue of Prophetic Round-Up, P.O. Box 2, Abilene, TX 79604-0002. The Roots of Our Faith The Roots of Our Faith THE ROOTS OF OUR FAITH "... I worship the God of my fathers believing all things which are written in the Law and the Prophets" (Acts 24:14). BASIC DOCTRINES OF SALVATION - part 4 By Pastor Chuck Cohen King of Kings Assembly Jerusalem, Israel Messianic terms used in this teaching: Yeshua = Jesus Messiah = Christ Tanach = Old Testament (Unless stated otherwise, all scripture verses are from the New King James Version) All basic doctrines of the New Testament have roots deep in the TANACH, so it is essential to a fuller understanding of these doctrines that we dig into their Hebraic soil. Their scriptural background permeated the hearts and mind of Yeshua and the New Testament writers. Only by building on this foundation could these men be used by the Spirit of God to explain the true meaning of, or to "fulfill", the Law of God. In our previous article we examined roots of the doctrines of blood atonement, sin and forgiveness found in Leviticus 16, the instructions for the Day of Atonement. We also studied the role of the High Priest. In this article, we will discuss several other Tanach verses that are foundational to our understanding of the doctrines of sin and blood atonement. Romans 3:23 states that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". Paul, a rabbi learned in the scriptures (i.e., "the Old Testament"), used the Tanach more than fifty times in his epistle to the Romans to prove that the major doctrines of the faith for the believing Jew and gentile are of God. Paul's thinking was simple; a doctrine is of God if it bears witness to what God has previously said in the "Old Testament". As Isaiah so succinctly stated, "To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isa. 8:20). Do we find in the Tanach a sweeping statement concerning sin like Romans 3:23 quoted above? As early as Genesis 6:5, before the flood, the Bible states "the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (Hebrew - "kol yom", all or every day)". After the flood God declares that He will "never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth" (Gen. 8:21). Notice that in both verses God focuses on the heart, and the condition of man's heart is stated as being "evil" all his life (cp. Jer. 17:9). In Leviticus 16, the High Priest needed to make atonement for everyone in the camp of Israel, including himself. None were free from this need of atoning for their sin (Lev. 16:6,11,17,24,33,34). King Solomon, whom the scriptures declare was the wisest man who ever lived (1 Ki. 3:12), recognized the truth about our continuing propensity to sin. When dedicating the Temple in Jerusalem, he prayed to God, "When they sin against You (for there is no one who does not sin)..." (1 Ki. 8:46). Later in life, he came to a further realization that "there is not a just (Hebrew -tsadik, just, lawful, righteous) man on earth who does good and does not sin" (Ecc. 7:20; see also Prov. 20:9). Even the righteous who want to please God and to walk according to all He reveals are not able to avoid sinning. The prophet Isaiah says something parallel in Isaiah 64:6 "But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags." These three verses rebuke those who try to earn their salvation. Not only is there "no one", not even a "just man" who can avoid sinning, but God declares that even our righteous acts are like filthy rags (Hebrew - the bloody rag of a menstruating woman) in His sight! Therefore, even in the Tanach, the Spirit of God declares that without His grace we are all hopelessly lost. Here are some other Tanach verses emphasizing this truth that "all have sinned". The Psalmist exclaims in 130:3,4, "If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who can stand?" In Ps. 143:2, King David pleads with the Lord to "... not enter into judgment with Your servant, for in Your sight no one living is righteous." If God judges us according to His legal right as our Creator who insists that we walk before Him holy and without blame (Lev. 11:44; l Pet. 1:16), all of us are found wanting. Isaiah also states this in 53:6: "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way...". In the New Testament Paul says that we have inherited our sin nature from our father Adam the natural head of the human race (Rom. 5:14-21; l Cor. 15:21,22). Can we find the roots of this truth in the Tanach? In Gen. 5:1-3 we have a very insightful commentary by the author Moses on the result of Adam's sin: "In the day God created man, He made him in the likeness of God... And Adam... begot a son in his own likeness, after his image..." Since "God is Spirit" an. 4:24), this refers to Adam's spirit created in His image. This image died when Adam and Eve sinned (Eph. 2:1,5) and all their offspring were then created in their image and likeness. Only by being born from above are our spirits resurrected (Jn. 3:6,7) and we begin to be conformed into the likeness of the Son of God, Yeshua (Rom. 8:29). Both Psalm 51:5 ("I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.") and Psalm 58:3 ("The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray as soon as they are born...") indicate that babies are born with sin nature. If you have ever seen a precious little baby suddenly change into a rebellious screamer because it could not have its way, you have seen a perfect demonstration of sin nature: - I, Me and Mine! Other terms that the Tanach uses to describe sin include: unbelief, lack of trust, hardness of heart, disobedience, stiff-neck, rebellion. Blood Atonement The Theological Wordbook of the old Testament, (TWOT) by Harris, Archer, Waltke, Vol. I, p. 453 states the following about the Hebrew word for atonement - "kaphar": "From the meaning of "kopher", 'to ransom', the meaning of kaphar can be understood... 'to atone by offering a substitute'." We have a good example of this in Exodus 21:30; "... he shall pay (kopher) to redeem his life...". Hebrews 9:22 contains the clearest statement about blood atonement in the New Testament, "... without shedding blood there is no remission". This verse occurs in the context of the writer's argument that Yeshua's blood was necessary to establish a new covenant between God and man. The Hebrew phrase for "to make a covenant" is literally, "'to cut a covenant' [thus] making a bloody sacrifice as part of the covenant ritual" (TWOT. Vol. I, p. 128). We have a better understanding of Yeshua's words concerning the cup of wine during His last supper (a Passover meal) once we realize that sealing a covenant requires blood to be shed (Matt. 26:27,28; Mk. 14:23,24; Lk. 22:20). Throughout the scriptures, God makes it clear that the blood is not some arbitrary magical substance that provides forgiveness for sin, i.e., atonement. Blood is required because it contains the life of the individual. The Lord states that the "soul who sins shall die" (Ezek 18:4,20). "Soul" (Hebrew - "nephesh") "denotes the 'life' of an individual" (TWOT. Vol. 2, p. 589). Look at Leviticus 17:11 and 14: "For the life (nephesh) of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul... for the life (nephesh) of all flesh is its blood." (see also Gen. 9:4; Deut. 12:23; Heb. 9:11- 22) Thus a sacrifice whose blood was shed on the altar of God, became a substitute for the sinner's soul, i.e., life, fulfilling the divine law of a life (nephesh) for a life (nephesh) (see Ex. 21:23 and Deut. 19:21). God is not after the physical red liquid itself, but the life of the flesh equated with it. The New King James Version translates the Hebrew word "blood" as "life". Leviticus 19:16 in the New King James Version reads "against the life of your neighbor"; in the King James Version and the original Hebrew it is "against the blood of your neighbor". We conclude with the understanding that in scripture blood sacrifice represents the life of a creature taken as a substitute for a person's life which otherwise would be forfeit through sin. Our salvation depends on this very fact. Yeshua gave His life for us by spilling His blood as our substitute/sacrifice; His life for our life (Mt. 20:28; In. 6:47-54; l Jn. 3:16). Thus to be mankind's substitute, Yeshua had to die in a certain way. He had to shed His blood (God's blood according to Acts 20:28! Also see Ex.15:13,16). This satisfied God's justice while releasing His mercy in forgiveness (Rom. 3:23-26). This is prophesied in Isaiah 53:10, "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin..." It was Yeshua's soul (nephesh - life) that was offered for our sin. Judas said, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood" (Matt. 7:4). God is proclaiming that the sinless life of Yeshua was exchanged for our sinful lives by His shed blood at the cross. Isaiah 53 analyzes the exchange our Lord accomplished by dying in our place. It states that Yeshua took our grieves and carried our sorrows (53:4); was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities and the chastisement for our peace was upon Him (53:5); had the iniquity of all laid on Him (53:6); was stricken for the transgression of my (Isaiah's) people (53:8); His soul was an offering for sin (53:10); and He bore the sin of many (53:12). All of this was made possible because of the doctrine of substitutionary blood sacrifice as spelled out in the Tanach. Finally, how was forgiveness obtained by the people who offered sacrifices to God? "... without faith it is impossible to please Him..." (Heb. 11:6). The author of Hebrews goes on to give examples of this biblical faith by looking to that "great... cloud of witnesses" (Heb. 12:1), heroes and heroines of the Tanach. The concept of "faith" is more often found in the Tanach embodied in the word "trust". Before Yeshua, any Israelite instructed in God's Word realized he needed an atonement for his sin and brought a sacrifice. He believed/trusted what God said was true, that sins need blood shed to be forgiven. He acted on that Word and was reconciled to God. However, if the rite was performed not in belief but only as dead tradition, God (who looks on the heart) would not forgive. (see for example, Gen. 4:4,5 cp. Heb. 11:4; l Sam. 15:22; PS. 34:22; 51:16,17,19; Prov. 21:27; Isa. 1:10-20; Jer. 7:21-23; Hos. 6:6; Amos 5:21-24; Mic. 6:6-8; Mal. 3:3; Mk. 12:33,34.) Works do not and never did, lead to salvation, but coupled with faith they evidence a relationship with the living God (Tit. 2:14; 3:8; 3:14). Works without faith are just as dead as faith without works (Jam. 2:20), but together they make an unbeatable combination. "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb [faith] and by the word of their testimony [faith and works], and they did not love their lives to the death [works]" (Rev. 12:11). The WORD for Today The WORD for Today This month, we will continue the series on Communication in Marriage. We intend to examine communication problems in marriage from a biblical perspective. We will show how couples can apply God's word to their marriage. The companion book to this study is H. Norman Wright's COMMUNICATION: KEY TO YOUR MARRIAGE. The book is published by Regal Books and should be available from your Christian book store. This is the seventh of ten articles inspired by a series given by Pastor Geoff Kragen through Foothill Bible Church in Lincoln, California. BUT I'M ANGRY! In the previous article, we considered the basic issue of anger. We saw that frequently anger itself isn't sin. However, within the context of marriage, anger can be a significant problem. If we desire a healthy setting for communicating, we must be careful how we express anger. We often become angry because we are turning appropriate expectations into inappropriate demands. We fall into the trap of thinking our peace, satisfaction, or self-image is dependent on how our spouse treats us. When the way we are treated doesn't meet our expectations, we get angry. The problem is, we are putting expectations on our spouse to meet all our needs. Instead, we must look to the Lord as the one to meet these expectations. "As we spiritually mature, we will find that some concerns we respond to with anger are not "life and death matters." And therefore, we will finally put inappropriate anger away. "But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips" (Colossians 3:8)." (1) But even if we understand these truths, we still get angry. To communicate effectively we must find ways to deal with anger in constructive rather than destructive ways. One significant characteristic that feeds anger, and interferes with loving communication, is a critical spirit. In fact, Christ spoke directly against this attitude in Matthew 7:1. "Do not judge, or you too will be judged." This verse refers to avoiding a judgmental, critical spirit. However, it isn't saying we should not identify sin as sin. If I am critical of my wife, I am hurting her. And if she is hurt, she is less likely to talk to me. Husbands: how is being critical of your wife consistent with loving her sacrificially? And wives, how are you helping and building up your husband if you are constantly critical of him? "But I am angry!" OK, you're angry. You still have the responsibility to move toward you spouse in love. This means that you have to depend on the Lord to do a supernatural work in your life. You need His peace to keep the proper perspective on life's trials. You need to feel what you are feeling. Nevertheless, you need to respond in love to please God. To experience peace depends on a God-focused perspective. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7). The is often a direct relationship between one's stress levels (anxiousness) and irritability (anger levels). God wants us to focus on Him and not on our circumstances. As we allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, we manifest the Fruit of the Spirit. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23). These are qualities that will help us to overcome our tendencies to vent our anger towards others. Next, there are some practical steps that we can take to dissipate our anger. First, we need to recognize that we're angry. This may seem self-evident. Nevertheless, sometimes, because "Christians aren't supposed to get angry," we can't admit we are. This isn't helpful, because unrecognized anger often does get vented--in inappropriate ways. Having recognized we are angry, next we need to ask: Why am I angry? Am I angry because I'm more concerned about myself than my spouse? Obviously, if we understand our anger is selfish, we can repent of it. This means asking both the Lord and our spouse to forgive us. "But what if I really have been treated unfairly?" Then ask: Is my goal to vent or to communicate with my spouse? If I really want to talk to him or her, my anger won't help that process. One step either person can take is to admit anger and therefore recognize the issue can't be discussed constructively. I suggest you put aside the matter for the moment. Schedule a time to discuss it when there has been a cooling off period. This can be in an hour or even the next day. I can't emphasize enough the importance of setting an appointment to discuss the issue later. If this isn't done, the person who is being asked to wait will feel like they are being put off. It also would be helpful if you will both pray for the Holy Spirit's peace and presence. Do this so you can discuss volatile issues in a loving manner. You also must express your love for each other. It is your relationship that should be the primary concern, not the issue over which you are angry. "Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold" (Ephesians 4:26). There are times when some find that they are overwhelmed by anger. They are out of control. If this describes you, it would be very helpful if you could start to identify what is going on before the burst of anger. By this, I don't mean focusing on what you spouse does to make you angry. You need to identify feelings that are the warning signs of extreme anger. It is wise to leave, go for a walk, chop wood or even punch a punching bag to release the anger. (I don't recommend that you drive since this could be dangerous to you or others.) If you do have a serious anger problem, one where you are a danger to yourself or others, don't take the position that others make you angry. Instead, seek professional help from a counselor, experienced pastor or therapist. While our emotions come from God, our fallen condition sometimes allows us to chose wrong ways to handle them. As we strive to love one another and to communicate, one point that may help us with our anger is: No one can make us angry. Our anger is a reflection of our response to the actions of others. If I am more concerned with my wife than myself, I am less likely to become angry, even if her behavior is wrong. The Lord's words to His disciples are also some of the best thoughts available to married couples. "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:34-35). If we remember that we are to love one another, then we will depend on the Lord, to use our anger constructively. We wouldn't use it to control a spouse. Instead we will use it to understand ourselves better, striving to move closer to the Lord and our spouse. Next Time: "Am I Stressed!" 1. Kragen, Geoff, MORNING STAR Volume 3, Issue 11, "Anger Isn't Sin"  Columns Anee M'Amin Anee M'Amin THE TESTIMONY OF RON ELKIN There are two verses which are foundational for my experience with the Lord. Joel 2:25 "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten and Philippians 4:13, "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." THE YEAR OF THE LOCUSTS I was born in a Conservative Jewish home in Philadelphia. My mother kept a kosher home, we attended synagogue regularly and celebrated the major Jewish feast days. When I was eight years old, I began to attend Hebrew school three times a week in addition to public school. There I learned the history of the Jewish people, how to read and write Hebrew, and the religious ceremonies of Judaism. At thirteen I went through my Bar-Mitzvah (Son of the Commandments). I was raised to follow the Ten Commandments and to respect other people. In spite of all our religious life and moral ideals our home life was unhappy. My father, Samuel, had a low paying factory position. He lacked the confidence to develop himself into a better position. His trade often had lay offs and he was frequently out of work. This caused lot of tension and arguments with my mother, who desired to live a materially better life then we could afford. In order to supplement our income, my mother worked as a secretary. We also took in borders when we had a spare room available. I had one brother, Bernard, who was nine years older than me. While he tried to obey my mother and father, I was more rebellious and questioning. I was raised to be very conscious of my Jewishness. We often heard in synagogue how the Jews had been persecuted by "Christians." My family felt wary towards the Gentile world. They were justifiable paranoid. I absorbed much of this attitude. The Christian's belief that Jesus was God was rejected by my family idolatry. However, I remember that I enjoyed listening to Christmas Carols. Memories of my home life are not pleasant. My parents constant arguments over money, my father's withdrawn fearful personality, my mother's domineering and non-supportive critical attitudes, and my own sense of insecurity made for a miserable home life. I tried to escape from this atmosphere through reading and TV. I particularly liked science fiction books because they fulfilled my desire to be part of a different world. The arguments over money affected me. I did not want to pursue financial success and developed a disdain for middle class material values. I had few friends since I lacked the confidence to relate to my peers in a positive way. I was picked on, and got in to several fights. I was very insecure and self conscious. For example, I remember being very uncomfortable boarding public buses. I was constantly concerned over how I looked, and how other people felt about me. As I read newspapers and saw all the problems in the world and reflected on my own life I wondered if there was a God. How came He didn't clean things up? Why was there so much suffering? In my mid-teens, I declared to all who would hear me that I was an atheist. It was during my late teens and early twenties (the 60's), that mind expanding drugs, new age spirituality, and the alternative lifestyles/hippie movement were coming on the scene. I was drawn to this rebellious lifestyle like a duck is to water. I tired LSD and marijuana, but praise God! I did not finds them enjoyable. I also became active in the anti-war movement. I was hungry for a world that was fair and just. I often felt suicidal and drifted from one low paying job to another. In my late teens my mother rented out a room to a border named Bonnie. I developed a relationship with her. When she became pregnant we got married. Our daughter was born into a troubled home. I was totally unprepared to be a responsible husband or father. In 1971, after six years of a stormy relationship we were divorced. I was guilt ridden and sorrow for the mess I had made. My ex-wife fled Philadelphia and did not let me know where she went with my daughter. I tried to locate them but could not locate them. During my marriage years I was introduced to astrology and the writings of Edgar Casey. I became convinced there was a spiritual realm beyond this physical world. And I began a ten year search for spiritual reality. I bought hundreds of dollars of occult books and learned how to do astrological charts. I got involved with Yoga and meditation and became a vegetarian. I lived with a group of people who were also interested in Yoga. Later, I traveled to India to study with a guru but became disillusioned with the teachings of the leader. His assistants wanted me to mediate on the guru as the ultimate form of reaching God. I thought this was ridicules. Why should I worship a man. How could a man compare to God, the awesome creator of the universe. I didn't believe that the guru had any special connection to God. This was also one of the reasons I also rejected the Christian's belief that Jesus was God. Christians would talk to me about Jesus being the only way to God, and that he died for my sins. I did not accept this. I couldn't believe that someone else could be responsible for how God would relate to me. I believed as traditional Jews do, that one had to earn their way into God's acceptance through doing mitzvahs (good deeds). Also, the history of the "Church's" persecution of the Jews turned me off from believing there was any truth to their beliefs. To me, Christianity was a narrow minded, bigoted group of people who hated Jews, and anyone else who did not go along with their views. During my search for God, I became involved with ten or more religions or philosophies. I hoped each one would lead me to the true meaning of life and God. I also was wanted to find someway to overcome my personal problems of insecurity. I approached each new philosophy with excitement and hope. After a while, I would begin my search again for truth, disappointed and unchanged. While I was involved with yoga and meditation, I used to spend hours praying and trying to connect with God. God used this time to bring me under conviction that I was sinful (falling short of God's standards). I also sensed the purity and righteousness of God. After my divorce, I moved to California. A friend of mine had bought a piece of land as part of a cooperative community in Northern California. I was invited to help her develop the land. This part of California is very lovely. I lived near redwood forests, vineyards, cattle ranches and wheat farms. In spite of all this natural beauty, I was still insecure around people and lacked a sense of meaning or purpose for life. I remember one particular day, when the whole community was having a celebration of the summer solstice, that I felt very alone in the midst of all these people. I began to cry out to God that I wanted to go home, and I didn't mean back to Philadelphia. I meant that spiritual realm that I had sensed in my meditation. A place where righteous reigned and purity and peace abounded. There was a longing in my heart for God's kingdom, but I didn't know it at that time. After a year I left my friend's community and went to live in the Russian River area which is north of San Francisco. The ocean was only 20 miles a way. I continued my search for the meaning of life. I got by with odd jobs or by collecting unemployment compensation. I also had large gardens on the land I rented. By this time (1974). I was no longer practicing Yoga but I now believed in the existence of God. As I continued to sense my own unrighteousness before God, I decided to do a very Jewish thing. I would earn God's forgiveness and his blessings through doing good deeds. With zeal, I called for community meetings among the hippies and alternative lifestyle people in my area. I proposed we start a community organization which could help build a mutually helpful committed society. We would start by helping people who were having employment, medical, mental or social problems. I learned how to write proposals and submitted a proposal the Sonoma Country Board of Supervisors. To my surprise the proposal was approved. We received $45,000 to develop the Russian River Community Help Service. However, because of my lack of confidence, I was pushed out of the leadership position by a gentleman with a college degree in social service. He took over the paid position that was created by the grant. I became disillusioned with my naive idea that a just and loving community could be developed by people. I learned that both the poor and the rich were primarily interested in their own needs, and not able to have an altruistic attitudes towards others. God used this incident to draw me closer to himself. I read a book called "Autobiography of a Yoga." This book said that Jesus as one of the great teachers (avatars) whom God sent to help people know God. While this book was not factual in how it presented the ministry of Jesus, it caused me to be more open to learn about him. As I listened to Christians, I became attracted to the sense of purity and truth in Jesus. I still did not believe that Jesus had died for my sins. In occult writings, Jesus is seen as an elder brother pointing the way towards spiritual truth. They miss the point of what Jesus accomplished through his death and resurrection. They place the responsibility for spiritual growth on individuals efforts, there is no sense of the grace of God. I thought the Christians had gotten it all mixed up. Jesus was an example of how we were to live selflessly. He was a source of help, but not God, or my savior. I didn't like the idea that Jesus was closer to God then me. I wanted to be close to God on my own merit. But all my attempts left me feeling inadequate and imperfect. Meanwhile in my personal life I had a desire to be married. And sought for a woman who would love me and I could love. The truth was I was so self-centered that I wasn't really able to love another person. I pursued one relationship after another. I was very unrealistic and would throw myself into each new relationship hoping this would be the true one. But none of them worked out. In 1974 I had a unique experience which drew me closer to Jesus. I normally did not go to night clubs. However, when I saw an advertisement for a local rock band that was playing for the last time, I became interested in hearing them. They were called the "Last Chance Band." God has a good sense of humor. While I was listening to them play, the music suddenly sounded celestial. I experienced the presence of Jesus. I didn't hear a voice outside of myself, but I had the impression of Jesus saying to me, that he wanted me to find peace, that he had died for my sins, and that he would never leave me or forsake me. I had been feeling very depressed that night, after this experience I felt joyful and content. On my way home, I began to make up songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. However, I still did not accept Jesus as my Messiah at this time. Even with this experience, I was still trying to get to God on my own efforts. But there was a lasting and abiding affection for Jesus. After an experience like this, you would expect a person to repent and believe on the Lord. All I can say is that I agree with the prophet Jeremiah who said in Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart [of people] is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" RESTORATION After another of couple years of wandering around in a spiritual desert, God brought me to a place of conviction, where I understood that faith in Jesus was the true way to himself. It wasn't a particular person, or church, but it was the Spirit of God who convicted me. In spring of 1976, I went to a church meeting and went forward when they asked who wanted to believe in Jesus. This particular church was used to dealing with new age hippies like me. They wisely gave me a New Testament and encouraged me to read the Gospel of John, and to return next week if I wanted to make a commitment to Jesus. I went home and read the Gospel. My sins weighed heavy on me. I felt unworthy of the Lord's sacrifice on my behalf. But by God's grace, I was willing to accept His forgiveness through Jesus' death. I went back to the church the next week and publicly confessed faith in Jesus. Later that night the magnitude of what I had done hit me. I began to cry with relief and joy. After ten years of searching I had finally come to my spiritual home. The joy and peace of the Lord flooded me and I experienced his wonderful cleansing power. I knew that I had found the true way. He began to work a change in me that has continued to this day, eighteen years later. I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH HIM WHO GIVES ME STRENGTH I began to work steadily from the time I was saved. A couple of years later I returned to Philadelphia to witness to my parents and family. My dad's last words before he died give me hope he may have accepted Jesus. There is no outward sign that my mother accepted the Lord before she died. I began to work for an exterminating company. And attended Beth Messiah, a messianic congregation (Jews who believe in Jesus while maintaining a Jewish cultural identity) and Tenth Presbyterian Church. At one of the services at Beth Messiah, I met my future wife, Jackie. We began to date and a couple of years later we married. God had given me a new wife and the opportunity to develop a family. Jackie is an award winning artist and a lovely caring women. We became married in 1982. In 1988, Jackie and I adopted a boy from Chile named Richard. Richard is also a gifted artist. God had indeed restored the year of the locust in the area of family life. A year before I married Jackie, God helped me start a pest control business. Thinking back on how self conscious and insecure I was before I believed In Jesus, it is a miracle how God enabled me to go out and sell my service to many businesses. In 1984, I felt the increased burden to bring the Gospel to the Jewish people. Several members of the Tenth Presbyterian Church and myself began AMMI Ministry. AMMI is a Hebrew word which means "My people." Isaiah 40:1 says, "Comfort ye, comfort ye, My people." I can't think of any greater goals than to help someone, Jew or Gentile come into a personal relationship with the Living God. AMMI's goals are to help Christians witness to Jewish people and bring the Gospel to them through outreach meetings, street witnessing and other forms of evangelism. One of the problems I struggled with for years was the fear of public speaking. As the director of AMMI, I was in a position where I had to give presentations to large groups of people. I found strength in the Lord to overcome this fear. What helped me was to have more concern to bring God's word to people then my fear of failure or people's rejection. In 1985, I attended the Philadelphia College of Bible and graduated with a BA from their Jewish Missions Program in 1989. I went to work for the Messianic Hebrew Christian Fellowship as a missionary, and continued to direct AMMI as a volunteer work of the Tenth Presbyterian Church. It was an incredibly busy time. In 1990, God made it clear to me, (and other spiritual leaders), that He wanted to develop AMMI into a full-time mission work. So we incorporated AMMI and formed a Board of Directors. Today, AMMI is actively bringing the Gospel to Jewish people in Philadelphia, Lancaster City, Pittsburgh, and Atlantic City. God continues to restore the years of the locust. Recently my daughter from my first marriage, got in contact with me after 20 years. Praise God! We are slowly rebuilding our relationship. He also continues to teach me how to love my family and other people. He has led a once to a place of trust in Him, where I can go out into the streets of cities and boldly proclaim the Gospel. He enables me to teach at hundreds of churches. He is indeed able to repair, build up, and encourage anyone who comes to Him through the precious blood of Jesus, which cleanses those who believe from ALL their sins. Ron Elkin can be reached via Internet email at: RonE2@aol.com Testimony Testimony "HE WHO BEGAN A GOOD WORK..." A Personal Testimony of God's Saving and Keeping Power in My Life By Dominick Tedesco According to the will of God I was born May 21, 1917 in Cleveland, Ohio. My parents were Italians and nominal (in name only) Catholics. When I was about five years old my parents moved to Erie, Pennsylvania. This, too, was in the will of God for shortly thereafter my parents attended an Italian Gospel mission and were converted. What a tremendous change (born again) took place in their lives! In reality they became saints of God. I and my brothers and sisters (11 in all) were privileged to be brought up in this God-minded home. The only textbook in our home was the Italian Holy Bible. Our lives were patterned after the teachings of the Bible-the-Word of God. At an early age I, too, placed my faith and trust in Jesus, the Son of God as my personal Savior and also had the born again experience. How did I know that? It was confirmed by the words of the Apostle Paul: "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). So from about seven years of age to 14, I was schooled in the Bible by being acquainted with many portions and memorizing many key scriptures. By doing so I grew in faith. As the Apostle Paul says: "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." I was rooted and grounded in the faith of Jesus Christ. But this was about to change. I was endowed with exceptional athletic ability and when I was 14 years old I was drawn away by the constant urging of my friends to participate in sports. It started a little at a time with my withdrawing from the family and church circles. My father warned me and I also knew that I was slipping away. Still, I thrust myself into playing ball with my friends and eventually turned away from God. Soon thereafter I began gambling, which later became such an addiction that I inherited the nickname "Ace". Many a married man wanted to play against "Ace". I did not relish the thought of being so popular when inwardly I knew I was wrong and had forsaken family and God. I was in a state of depression from condemnation because some of the things that I was doing were sinful. It was during this time that I was selected to be a Blue Streaker bantamweight football player. On New Year's day, 1936, (Sunday) when I was eighteen years old, I went to the Warner theater on State Street at its opening time of two o'clock. I bought a bag of popcorn and went upstairs to sit in the balcony. I was all alone up there before the film starring Errol Flynn came on the screen. During this time I was thinking, like I had so many times before, that I better repent of my sins and get back to God. I knew very well that I would have to be sincere or else God would not answer my prayer. The movie started but my mind was set to make one of the most important decisions of my life. I thank God every day that then and there, I got up, walked down the stairs, and out of the theater onto State Street. Being a Sunday afternoon, only a few people and cars were on the street. I started walking north and looked up to heaven and said: "Oh God, I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins, and from this day onward I will trust in thee." Before I got to the corner I knew that God had answered me! The depression and condemnation was lifted from me and I felt light and free. The gambling habit and other bad habits were broken on State Street that day. I became a new person, and being Sunday I gladly went to church that night for the first time in four and a half years. It was homecoming time for me to sing, pray and hear the Word of God again. Now over 50 years have passed and I have never regretted it for one moment. I have spent my life working as a printer, 20 years for the Times Daily Newspaper, and also in my own business. I married the only girl I ever went with and we celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary on October 14th, 1989. God has blessed us with three sons. Joseph, his wife and three children, reside in Tampa, Florida. He has a print shop which does all my printing. Jon, his wife and two children reside in Pleasanton, California, where he is president of Marvenco Advertising Agency. Our youngest son, Paul, is a minister, and with his wife and son reside in Colleyville, Texas. He is Pastor of the First Assembly of God Church. After leaving the Times I went to work for my son Jon in Hallandale, Florida where he had an advertising agency and print shop. After a few years he left the business to go to California. It was during this time that my son Paul and his friend Bill Wilson, and I started the Train Depot business. This is a religious direct mail business. I am the business manager and work six days a week. I love and enjoy this work of making available good Christian curriculum and materials for children and teens. Over 70 Christian denominations are using our materials every week here and overseas. Since making peace with God when I was 18 years old I have been a Bible teacher and filled pulpits (in English and Italian) for over 35 years. It is a blessing and joy for me to declare the truth of God's word. Of course, there is much more that I could say, but the older I get (I'm now 75 years old), the more I realize that nothing else surpasses the fact that we must have the right relationship with God or else all is lost. If you do not have this assurance I urge you to repent of your sins and accept Jesus Christ as your own personal Savior. The apostles Peter and Paul said: "Whosoever calleth on the name of the Lord shall be saved." If you haven't done so, do it now. Education Education 25,000 STUDENTS IN THE UNITED STATES GIVE CLASSROOM SUPPLIES TO 25,000 STUDENTS IN RUSSIA By Dr. Paul A. Kienel Executor Director Association of Christian Schools International On March 2nd it was a special honor for me to represent 25,000 Christian school students in the U.S. as I handed the first of their 25,000 packets of classroom supplies to Dr. Alexander Asmolov, Deputy Minister of Education at a special ceremony at one of the new Christian Cultural Centers in Moscow. Last fall I sent a letter to ACSI member schools in the four eastern regions of the U.S. In my letter I pointed out that due to the severe economic conditions of Russia, basic classroom supplies, we take for granted in the U.S., are almost nonexistent in Russia - supplies such as: Pencils, paper, pens, glue, scissors, chalk and erasers. I asked them to prepare individual student packets in plastic Ziploc bags and even larger packets for teachers. To my amazement 25,000 of our students and teachers responded! Included in each plastic packet is a special letter written in the Russian language to the Russian student receiving the supplies. The name and address of the American student sending the packet is at the bottom of each letter. Hopefully, a "pen pal" relationship will develop and the message of Christ will be shared with the American Student's counter-part in Russia. As you may know, ACSI is the largest organization of evangelical schools in the world. We are one of the founding organizations of The CoMission - a unique teaching project authorized by the Russian government to train their public school teachers how to teach their students in Christian ethics and morality. The idea of training public school teachers in Christian ethics and morality is difficult to believe since to do the same in the U.S. would be illegal! Hundreds of teachers and administrators from ACSI member schools have been to Russia over the past two and a half years as a part of this training project. In cooperation with Campus Crusade for Christ and Walk Thru The Bible Ministries we have now trained 20,000 Russian public school teachers and administrators! Amazing, isn't it! Many of them have become believers in Christ and enthusiastic students of the Bible! The CoMission, a coming together of eighty Christian organizations is now sending to Russia teams of Christians on year-long assignments to conduct Bible studies and to assist Russia's public school teachers on how to teach Christian ethics and morality in the schools. More than 500 have already accepted the challenge and have gone to Russia. Hundreds more are preparing to leave for Russia soon. One Russian Ministry of Education official said, "We have left God out of our country for seventy years. We now must put Him back and we must begin with our children." As far as we know, Russia's method for "Putting God back into their country" is unique in the annals of world history. We know of no other country which has officially opened its public schools to Christians to freely share the message of Christ with its students. We feel privileged and honored to be a part of this amazing opportunity. It is important, of course, to share the message of Christ with students and teachers in Russia but it is also important to provide them with basic classroom supplies. It is not an understatement to say that they are in desperate need of our help. Beginning next fall we will ask our entire membership of schools throughout the world to participate in our Russian school supplies project. Even those schools which participated this school year may wish to participate again when my appeal letter arrives in early October. We are particularly grateful for Paul Johnson, Chairman of The Commission Arrangements Committee for appealing to the U.S. government to ship our classroom supplies free of charge to Russia as humanitarian aid. We are also grateful to the students, teachers, administrators and parents. Prison Ministry Prison Ministry TAKING PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY Filled with Anger and Empty of Self-Confidence, An Embezzler Analyzes His Past, Makes Changes by Sam P. Wrede Colorado Springs The last two years of my life have been the worst of times-and the best of times. As often happens, wisdom and courage have arisen from the ashes of suffering and despair. I'm a prisoner at the Federal Prison Camp in Englewood, Colorado, serving a sentence for embezzlement. I am a convicted felon now and will be for the rest of my life. I'm down to my last two weeks, but I've had more than enough time to reflect on the events leading to this humiliating and painful situation. In many ways it really has been the worst of times. My wife has had to bear the financial burden of supporting our family while I am unemployed. She has had to care for our two small children plus manage all the household responsibilities while I've been incarcerated. Worse than the pain of being separated from my family has been the pain of seeing my wife suffer through these added burdens because of my crime, while I remain essentially helpless to do anything but offer words of encouragement. Quite often that encouragement has been feeble at best, as I've struggled with my own emotional pain. The stress of our situation has led to anger, fear, and hurt. Both my wife and I have shed many tears of frustration. I am the one responsible for this situation, without question. Back in 1988 my wife and I were faced with the possibility of having to pay some large medical bills that our insurance company initially refused to pay. I gave in to the temptation of stealing funds from my employer by a simple manipulation of the books. The first time I actually found myself enjoying it. The risk of getting caught made me feel more alive. As time went on, and the scheme I had devised proved to be easily hidden, I gave in to greed and embezzled more funds as opportunities arose. Evil had a firm grip on me. I was wallowing in my own emotional pain, unconcerned about the real needs of my family, and following the enticements of my sinful nature. Even though my life was coursing down all the wrong directions, there was still a part of me always crying out to the Lord for help. The various diaries and poems I had written over the years showed that I had been crying out to God ever since I was 13. Once my crime was uncovered, God began breaking me down to finally realize I could do nothing on my own in life but make a mess of things. I knew that my only hope was to accept Christ into my life and turn the controls over to Him. One of the first steps in this breaking down process involved professional counseling. I found that I was full of inner anger and had very little self-confidence. I was self-destructive and wasn't concerned about anyone's needs but my own. I was incapable of expressing love to others, and hadn't the slightest idea how to love myself. I learned that I took on many of my parents' problems at an age when I was just beginning to mature into an adult. My mother leaned on me as a substitute father for our family and even as a substitute husband. She confided her deepest hopes and fears in me instead of my father. Even though my father was usually around physically, he lost touch with me emotionally throughout my adolescence. My mother used the threat of withdrawing her love from me as a tool to control me for years. I had a deep fear of being abandoned. Later, I covered up my fear of abandonment by pushing away those who loved me the most, especially my wife. I felt numb to life, full of self- hate, full of guilt over many decisions I had made in the past, and unable to control my emotions. Just as many of us do, I managed to be calm and steady on the outside while I was crumbling from within. The counseling sessions brought out some deep hurt and anger. I finally began to understand more about the forces that had driven me for so long. As a result, I began the process of healing and forgiveness that continues now and probably will for many years. I am learning to turn negative thoughts and emotions over to the Lord, and I am allowing the forgiving love of Christ to replace them. Most important, I've been able, in most cases, to forgive myself and begin the process of loving myself. Counseling was only the beginning of the breakdown process. The specter of a prison sentence still loomed ahead of me. After an entire year of not knowing what was going to happen, I finally stood before the judge. I had ready paid back all the money I had embezzled, and had submitted reports to the judge from my counselor. I knew I was probably going to spend some time in prison, but I had no idea how difficult a lesson that experience would be. The emotional lows I have experienced in prison have been horrible. It's difficult to describe the helplessness at having no control over your family's life. The pain of being separated from wife and children has been almost unbearable at times. We all take for granted the freedoms we have each day to go and do as we please-to take a walk, go out to eat, make a phone call, hug your kids, kiss your wife, throw the ball for your dog, or watch your cat sleeping. I'll never take these wonderful pleasures for granted again. Prison has no productive purpose. It is a warehouse for human beings who are hidden away from society. Prison tears down and destroys families and lives. I do believe that prison is necessary for violent offenders. But I now firmly believe prison is wrong for nonviolent offenders. People who have broken the laws of society but have caused no physical harm to others should be required instead to serve society in a productive fashion to pay for their crimes. This experience has really opened my eyes to the waste of human life in our ever-expanding prison system. Many days I found it necessary just to break down and cry-when I could find a place to be alone. During these times, when life seemed at its lowest point, the Lord found fertile ground to begin His loving work in me. I don't doubt that God is a loving Father, and He never caused harm to come to any of His children. But He does make good use of the suffering we bring on ourselves to teach us, to help us learn and grow. During my time here in prison, my ego has been battered and my defense mechanisms stripped away. I've been reduced to the fearful, lonely child who was buried deep within me for so many years. I've realized that all my attempts to direct and control my own life have been futile, and that only by surrendering my life to the Lord can I ever find true peace or joy. I've begun to discover the real meaning of humility and patience. I've been able to spend time with other prisoners here who are also brothers in Christ. I've been able to devote real attention to the study of God's Word. I've read many great books written by men who have truly had the guidance of God in their lives even some who nave gone through the prison experience themselves. I've come to understand that, after the Lord, my family should be the primary focus of my attention in life. Learning to love myself has unleashed an overflowing love for my wife and children. The Lord broke me down in order to build me back up again. Now the process of rebuilding my life in Christ has begun. Both my wife and I have turned our lives over to Christ and we trust in Him and wait patiently for Him to guide us. We understand that struggle and pain will always be part of life, but we know Christ gives peace and joy in the midst of troubled times. He uses suffering to teach us and help us grow spiritually. The last two years have been the worst of times in many ways. But God's "amazing grace" has also truly made it the best of times. God loves us-each and every one of us-now and forever! From INSIDE JOURNAL A publication of PRISON FELLOWSHIP PO Box 16429 Washington, DC 20041-6429 Poetry Poetry THANKSGIVING By Bill Bledsoe Las Vegas, Nevada I thank you Lord for the birds that sing, and praise you for the phones that ring. I thank you Lord for a salad bar, and praise you that there is no czar. I thank you Lord that I'm not hooked on dope, and praise you that I'd rather have cantaloupe. I thank you Lord for friends that care, and praise you for fruit like a pear! I thank you Lord for my good health, and praise you that I don't have too much wealth. I thank you Lord for my favorite girl, and praise you that she is as a priceless pearl. I thank you Lord for any necessary test, and praise you for your very best. I thank you Lord for the ocean sea, and praise you that you are always with me. I thank you Lord for your abounding grace, and praise you that you love us regardless of race. I thank you Lord for a vegetable garden, and praise you that the blood of Jesus grants eternal pardon. I thank you Lord for National Parks, and praise you for termite-eating aardvarks. I thank you Lord for beautiful crystal clear lakes, and praise you for low-fat yogurt shakes. I thank you Lord for a fun computer game, and praise you for ultimately alleviating all pain. I thank you Lord for banana-creme pie, and praise you that knowing Jesus is a natural high. I thank you Lord for my humble abode, and praise you that I don't have to sleep in the hot or cold. I thank you Lord that I'm not addicted to drugs, and praise you that I'd rather have hugs. I thank you Lord for every single breath, and praise you that you redeemed me from eternal death. I thank you Lord for those fighting pollution, and praise you for the ultimate solution. I thank you Lord for the falling rain, and praise you for keeping me sane. I thank you Lord for giving me sight, and praise you for dew-drops shimmering in the moonlight. I thank you Lord for my microwave, and praise you that only Jesus can save. I thank you Lord for a beautiful flower, and praise you that your Holy Spirit gives me anti-sin power. I thank you Lord for balls of nerf, and praise you for this bountiful Earth. I thank you Lord for my daily food, and praise you that I don't have to walk around nude. I thank you Lord for big green trees, and praise you even when I have to sneeze. I thank you Lord for the refinement of suffering, and praise you for the strength to endure without blubbering. I thank you Lord for crescent moons, and praise you for loons, prunes, and sand dunes! I thank you Lord for my pickup truck, and praise you that without you I'd surely be out of luck. I thank you Lord for the opportunity to serve, and praise you for your Holy Spirit who gives me the nerve. I thank you Lord that you sent your only begotten Son, and praise you that on the cross it was once and for all done. I thank you Lord for children at play, and praise you that Jesus will return someday. I thank you Lord for the falling snow, and praise you for a feeding doe. I thank you Lord for woodchucks that gnaw, and praise you for my Grandma. I thank you Lord for my niece, and praise you for the Prince of Peace. I thank you Lord that you have risen, and praise you for those that make a saving faith decision. I thank you Lord that you forgive, and praise you that your Word teaches me how to live. I thank you Lord that you prod my character to grow, and praise you that your blessings abundantly overflow. I thank you Lord for many a feast, and praise you when I help those who are the least. I thank you Lord for those who speak a kind word, and praise you that you love even a nerd. I thank you Lord for your shed blood on the cross, and praise you that you saved me from eternal loss! Chef's Corner Chef's Corner THE LAST FLING OF SUMMER - A BARBECUE PARTY MARINATED GRILLED CORNISH HENS - For the marinate, blend 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 1 crushed garlic clove, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, 1/2 cup giblet stock, and 2 teaspoons soy sauce. Hens should be marinated for at least an hour. If longer than an hour, they should be marinated in the refrigerator. When ready to cook, drain and reserve marinade. Pull neck skin back and secure wings against body. Tie tail and legs together. Secure hens on spit according to manufacturer's directions. Start motor. Grill for 45 to 60 minutes brushing occasionally with reserved marinade until golden brown and tender. A delicious accompaniment to these hens is GRILLED RICE PILAF. This can be prepared in advance and cooked with the hens. In a small saucepan, slowly heat 1/4 cup salad oil. Add 1/2 cup finely chopped onion and 1/2 cup chopped green pepper. Saute until tender - about five minutes. Add one beef bouillon cube, 2 teaspoons seasoned salt, a dash of cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cut two 18 x 20-inch rectangles of heavy duty foil. Press inside a 1 1/2-quart bowl to make lining. Be sure the foil extends above bowl. In this lined bowl, combine 1/2 cup coarsely chopped ripe olives and one 5-ounce package precooked rice. Add boiling liquid and stir to combine. Fold foil over top to seal securely. Remove foil package from bowl. Place on grill, five inches above prepared coals. Cook 20 minutes. After cooking, turn back foil and fluff up rice with fork. Sprinkle with parsley and serve right in its own foil packet. BARBECUED SALMON -Sprinkle 2-inch thick fresh salmon steaks heavily with celery salt. Combine equal parts melted butter and fresh lemon juice for sauce; add coarse ground pepper to taste. Sear salmon on one side over hot flames. Turn salmon; brush with lemon butter. Cook for about 15 minutes, turning frequently and basting with lemon butter. Test for doneness; salmon should be slightly underdone in center. LEMON-BARBECUED CHICKEN - Have butcher split 3 broiling chickens and remove wings, backbone and tail. Place chicken in shallow pan. Combine 1 cup salad oil, 3/4 cup lemon juice, 1 tablespoon salt, 2 teaspoons paprika, 2 teaspoons onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 2 teaspoons crushed sweet basil, and 2 teaspoons crushed thyme in a jar. Cover; shake to blend. Pour over chicken; cover tightly. Refrigerate overnight, turning chicken occasionally. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before cooking. Place chicken on grill over hot coals. Cook for about 20 minutes on each side, basting frequently with marinade. FLANK STEAK TERIYAKI - In an electric mixer bowl, combine 1/2 cup cooking oil, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 3 tablespoons honey, 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger, and 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt; beat for 15 minutes at medium speed. Place 1 flank steak in shallow container; pour sauce over steak, Refrigerate for 24 hours. Cook steak on grill over hot coals for 5 minutes on each side. Slice thin to serve. Yield: 4 servings. SPICY BARBECUED FISH STEAKS - Thaw 2 lb. frozen fish steaks; cut into 6 servings. Place in single layer in shallow baking dish. Combine 1/2 cup barbecue sauce, 1/2 cup melted shortening, 1/3 cup lemon juice, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 2 teaspoon barbecue spice, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 1 teaspoon salt, and dash of pepper. Pour sauce over fish; let stand for 30 minutes, turning once. Remove fish, reserving sauce for basting. Place fish on grill about 4-inches from moderately hot coals. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes, basting with sauce. Turn fish; cook for 5 to 8 minutes longer or until fish flakes easily. Garnish with 6 thin lemon slices and chopped parsley. Yield: 6 servings. POTATOES OVER COALS - Slice 6 medium potatoes 4 or 5 times lengthwise almost to bottom; insert butter between slices. Sprinkle each slice with garlic salt to taste. Wrap potatoes separately in foil. Bake over hot coals for 1 hour, turning at 15 minute intervals. CORN ON THE COALS - Soak 6 ears of corn, in husks, in water for 2 hours. Place over hot charcoal; roast until husks are browned. Husk. Serve with salt and butter. CHARCOALED ONIONS - Scoop out small hole in top of 6 medium onions that have been peeled. Fill each with 1 bouillon cube and 1/2 teaspoon butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Wrap each onion tightly in foil. Place on hot coals; cook for about 30 minutes, turning frequently. Unwrap. Serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings. MARINATED VEGETABLE KABOBS - Cut 1 large tomato into 6 wedges. Slice 1 medium green pepper into 2-inch pieces. Cook 8 small white onions, 4 ears sweet corn, 8 small new potatoes, and 4 carrots until just tender in boiling water. Drain. Cut corn and carrots into serving pieces. Arrange all vegetables in shallow dish. Pour 1/2 cup Italian dressing over vegetables; marinate for 2 hours. Arrange vegetables on skewers. Broil for about 10 to 12 minutes 5-inches from source of heat, turning once, until vegetables are tender. Yield: 4-5 servings. SWEET/SOUR CABBAGE SALAD - Combine 2 quarts shredded cabbage, 3 tablespoons minced green pepper, 1/2 cup minced carrot, and 3 tablespoons chopped onion in a bowl. For the DRESSING, mix together 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon celery seed, stirring to dissolve sugar. Pour dressing over cabbage mixture. Cover; refrigerate for at least 12 hours before serving, to enhance flavor. Salad keeps well. Yield: 10-12 servings. PEACH COBBLER - Drain 1 large can sliced peaches, reserving syrup. Combine 1 cup flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and 2 teaspoons baking powder; stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 small can evaporated milk and reserved peach syrup. Mix well; fold in peaches. Melt 1/2 cup margarine in large baking dish; pour peach mixture into dish. Do not stir. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes to 1 hour. APRICOT BARS - Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, using a pastry blender or fork, combine 1 cup brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 cups sifted flour and 3/4 cup shortening until it looks like coarse cornmeal. Stir in 1/3 cup evaporated milk and 1/3 cup chopped English walnuts. Lightly grease a 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan. With your fingers press about 2/3 of the brown sugar mixture evenly in the pan as if for a crust. Over this spread a layer of apricot filling. Then dot the layer with the remaining 1/3 cup of the brown sugar mixture. Sprinkle the whole with more ground nuts. Bake 35-40 minutes or until done. Cool on wire rack. Cut with sharp knife into 24 bars. ECLAIRE CAKE - This recipe calls for a 1 lb. box of graham crackers... Butter bottom of 9 x 12-inch pan. Line with graham crackers. Mix 2 small boxes instant French vanilla pudding with 3 cups milk. Beat at medium speed about 2 minutes. Blend in 1 (9 oz.) container Cool Whip. Pour half mixture over crackers. Make second layer of crackers. Pour over remaining pudding. Make third layer of crackers. Refrigerate for 2 hours, then frost. FROSTING - Beat the following ingredients until smooth: 2 packets presweetened chocolate, 2 teaspoons white Karo, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 3 tablespoons soft butter or margarine, 1 1/2 cups unsifted powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons milk. Spread over cake. Refrigerate 24 hours. ZUCCHINI CUPCAKES - Sift together, 3 cups flour, 1 teaspoon soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Set aside. Beat 3 eggs, 2 cups sugar, and 1 cup vegetable oil. Mix well. Add 2 cups grated, unpeeled zucchini. Stir in flour mixture, then 1 cup raisins, 1 cup chopped nuts, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Yield: 24 cupcakes. Minimal Christianity Minimal Christianity MINIMAL CHRISTIANITY by Michael Wilkinson "Suppose one of you has a servant ploughing or minding sheep. When he comes in from the fields, will the master say, 'Come and sit down straight away'? Will he not rather say, 'Prepare my supper; hitch up your robe, and wait on me while I have my meal. You can have yours afterwards.'? Is he grateful to the servant for carrying out his orders? So with you: when you have carried out all you have been ordered to do, you should say, 'We are servants and deserve no credit; we have only done our duty'" (Luke 17:7-10). Jesus told His disciples this story so they would think about the meaning of serving the Lord. And since we are His servants today, we can still learn what is expected of us as servants. The servant in this story waits on his master all day long. And it is not appropriate for the servant to demand that his needs come before the needs of his master. This is not a story about Sunday-morning-only service, but a life of never-ending service. There is always something to be done for the Master. The servant lives for Him first, then his own needs are met. It is true that we are God's children, not just servants. God loves to bless His children (see Matthew 7:11 and James 1:17). And yet, He has called us to be servants. "Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me" (John 12:26). The above story presents a stern image of the master/servant relationship. This is perhaps more severe than we are used to when we think of our Lord. But the story is useful for showing us the shortcomings of what I am calling "minimal Christianity." Minimal Christianity is the lifestyle of those who have received the grace of God to the point where they believe unto salvation but then do not live out their faith in obedience and service. They may be moral people. They try to obey some of the commandments. But Christianity to them is simply a free ride to heaven. They call Jesus "Lord" but they do as little as possible to please Him. Hence the term, "minimal Christianity." They do not realize what Christianity is really about, or perhaps they do not care. Nevertheless, good works of service are clearly called for in the life of the Christian. "For it is by grace you are saved through faith; it is not your own doing. It is God's gift, not a reward for work done. There is nothing for anyone to boast of; we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the life of good deeds which God designed for us" (Ephesians 2:8-10). Good works are certainly part of the normal Christian life. Now some will undoubtedly say, "Isn't that legalism? Doesn't that mean that salvation is a matter of works?" The answer is that salvation is not OF works; salvation is FOR works. That is why the servants in Luke's story say, "We are servants and deserve no credit; we have only done our duty." That is to say, we are not saved by works (for we become servants when we are saved). Nor do works add to our salvation (for we "deserve no credit"). We are here to do works (that is why we are servants). The cure for minimal Christianity is a twofold process. First, make Jesus Lord and serve Him out of love and respect. Consider the meaning of the phrase "created in Christ Jesus for the life of good deeds" in Ephesians 2:10. Also consider: there is no evidence of faith apart from the goodness which faith produces in the believers life. "So with faith; if it does not lead to action, it is by itself a lifeless thing. But someone may say, 'one chooses faith, another action.' To which I reply: 'show me this faith you speak of with no actions to prove it, while I by my actions will prove to you my faith.' You have faith and believe that there is one God. Excellent! Even demons have faith like that, and it makes them tremble. Do you have to be told, you fool, that faith divorced from action is futile?" (James 2:17-20). Those who are not sure what God wants them to be doing should pray and ask guidance. God will give opportunities for service to those who really want to serve. Perhaps God is waiting to hear from you now. Second, become involved in a church where the believers encourage each other to serve the Lord. "Moreover, let us be mindful of each other, stirring each other up to the uttermost to love and to the performance of noble deeds" (Hebrews 10:25). Your church may have more needs than you think, and all they need is someone willing to do the work. Let them know you are available. Remember that helping others is a vital Christian work. "Leave no room for selfish ambition and vanity, but humbly reckon others better than yourselves. Look to each other's interests and not merely to your own" (Philippians 2:3-4). Mission Field Mission Field Partners International MINISTRY HIGHLIGHTS July and August 1994 A MIRACULOUS DELIVERANCE In 1992 the civil war that would become Yugoslavia's holocaust came to Sarajevo. Partner ministry workers Boris and Senka Kacarevic, who pastored the city's only evangelical church, remained in the city with their three young children to conduct a humanitarian ministry. Two months later the city was surrounded and escape no longer possible. Senka was pregnant! Each time Boris ventured out to buy food for his family, he would bid them farewell, not knowing if he would return. The price of a single egg, when eggs could be found, was $6-7; a chicken was $120 and starvation a looming specter. On each outing, people standing beside him in line were slain by sniper fire. On November 7, 1992, Senka gave birth to a son; they had nothing for the baby, and she was bleeding heavily. The next day God opened the door of escape. A Red Cross worker whom the Kacarevics knew from previous escape attempts came to offer them passage with a Muslim man who had purchased his own escape from the city. Clutching her day-old infant, Senka, Boris and their three children squeezed into the tiny Yugo with the Muslim man and the vehicle's driver. The car bore a Red Cross insignia. The driver, wise in the way of the enemy, drove very slowly through the streets knowing they would be fired upon if he moved quickly. After what seemed an eternity, they were out of danger. God had delivered his servants. After a period of healing, the Kacarevics have reentered the ministry and are preparing to pastor a church in Valjevo, a city in central Serbia with a population of about 80,000 people and no evangelical witness. NEW MINISTRY IN GHANA With about 100 ethnic groups and three major language divisions, Ghana is ripe for well-planned outreach to the large number o unreached people in remote, undeveloped areas of the country. Our new partner ministry, Christian Outreach Fellowship (COF), is an indigenous agency that trains and sends church planters to the most unreached parts of Ghana. They work in rural areas where there is little infrastructure development and where the education and literacy level is quit low. To date they have planted 98 churches and have 17 missionaries working in 14 different areas. Some of the missionaries have no support but serve voluntarily because they feel called to missions. A few try to sustain themselves by working part time, and some of the women workers earn money by making and selling mats. The ministry leader, Bernard Ofori Atta, is a former attorney who directs the mission with enthusiasm, love and a keen interest in each worker. He is hardworking and a good friend to everyone connected with COF. TRIUMPH IN TURMOIL Everyone who prayed for the South African elections had more prayers answered than they will ever know. In one case our partner worker, Richard Makunyane, reported civil disturbances, in his area just a few weeks before the election. Looting, burning buildings and lives lost brought police control to a standstill. Richard accompanied some young ANC leaders to mediate between them and the community. The station commander requested Richard to organize a rally and to encourage the people to trust the police. He was able to do this effectively, and the police kept their word. Crime has diminished in the area, and now Richard is recognized as a Christian leader and mediator. He reasons, "Political freedom alone is not enough. It can be misused by those who do not know God and therefore cannot discern between what is right and wrong. Only in Jesus can people find true freedom." SHOWERS OF BLESSING A preaching trip into China by a partner ministry worker from Malaysia has born much fruit. He reflects: "Christians in China are like a dry parched land waiting for the word of God to shower upon their longing hearts. I was requested to preach nine hours a day as they long to listen to the word of God. After the last message, I lost my voice completely. It was an exhausting experience to preach nine hours a day for eight days, but very rewarding as a revival has begun in that region. "One of the old Christians said that since a revival in the forties, they had not seen such a revival for more than 50 years. The word of the Lord came to them like a great fire. During those few days the Chinese Christians here so touched by the Spirit they spent sleepless nights crying to the Lord. It is prayer that has brought this revival; prayers like yours, so continue to pray that revival may continue in China." GOSPEL OPPORTUNITIES IN A FUNERAL SETTING Adopt A City, one of Partners International's projects in China, has exciting testimonies of how God is working in their midst. One worker had conducted several funerals. He preached the Gospel at each funeral, and every time a score of people accepted Christ. Many people mourn without hope at funerals and also without hope. In Christian funerals they see a difference. They sense hope and hear of God's love. They want Jesus in their lives. Burial is expensive in China. An old woman in her eighties had no possessions except a large tree which she decided to have cut down so she could use the wood for a casket. But she began to ponder the growing church's need for new wooden benches. Finally the woman had the tree chopped down and brought to the church. Why? She said, "When I am dead, I can do nothing for Jesus. I want to do something now while I am alive." HARDSHIP IN IRAQ As a part of our ministry in Iraq, Partners International has been assisting with relief efforts being conducted by a church in Baghdad. The church leaders have expressed their gratitude for this help at a time when groceries in the market are extremely scarce. The situation in Iraq has been rapidly deteriorating. Families are barely able to make ends meet with the typical monthly salary dropping to the equivalent of $4-5 US. The church has been distributing food to more than 1,000 families and currently provides help for 650 families per month. Despite the economic instability and increasing shortages of food and medicine, this church is growing. On any given Sunday, there are approximately 800 Christians gathered for worship. The church members desired to express their heartfelt gratitude to all the donors who have supported the ministry of their church through Partners International. HEALING AND HOPE In the mountains of Myanmar (formerly Burma), zealous coworkers, many without formal training, travel extensively on foot from village to village preaching Christ and praying for the healing of the sick. Recently revival came to the village of Zozang through a prayer ministry as a woman "with an issue of blood," a young man with severe leg pains, and a boy who was dumb were healed. Fifty young men from Tuivar village, who were in bondage to alcoholism and immorality, accepted Christ after seeing a rainbow in the sky for three days. Most of the 40 different tribal people groups, each speaking their own language, are animistic. Our partner ministry worker Phun Duma started the Tahan Christian Baptist Church in this region in 1987. A woman with stomach cancer was healed through prayer. She and her five children received Christ, and their testimony impacted her neighbors and other villagers. CELEBRATING GOD'S FAITHFULNESS IN THAILAND With great rejoicing and praise to God, the congregation of the Chiangmai Blessings Church in Northern Thailand celebrated the completion of their new building. The church dedication service was held with 300 people gathering from around the area to give thanks to God. The people expressed their gratitude to all of those associated with Partners International who supported the building project through their prayers and gifts. Worship services in the new building began along with a three-week Akha leadership training program. The building will serve multiple purposes as a training center and preaching point to reach out into the surrounding country. Another cause for joy is that with a permanent location, the work can now focus on enfolding the children into the ministry. A children's party on Christmas Day had a good attendance with 64 young celebrants. GOD'S WORK CANNOT BE STOPPED As opposition from the Muslim government to our partner ministries in Indonesia mounts, God continues to go before His servants, opening doors "which cannot be shut." An influential Muslim (who had caused a preaching point to be closed, continuously reported the church's activities to the authorities and encouraged Muslim opposition) came to one of our coworkers along with two important Muslim priests. Surprisingly, he invited a discussion on the means of salvation. The conversation lasted for hours until 3:00 in the morning. Later this man returned to the worker and asked to receive Christ in his heart. Now the testimony of this Muslim convert has strengthened and edified the believers. The unchangeable God has all power and authority. He is the God of the impossible! REFUGE OF BETHLEHEM A social service program through the Refuge of Bethlehem home provides full-time care for 22 children and feeds 60 additional poor children daily. This merciful partner ministry is headed by Roberto and Beatriz Azzati of the Argentina Evangelistic Association. Roberto tells the story of one 15-year-old boy, Daniel, who was found wandering through the streets. He had been expelled from his home, dropped out of school and had taken up robbery to survive. He was brought to the home, given food, clean clothes and touched by God's love as the Gospel message was shared. Finally Daniel received Jesus as his Savior, returned to school and is now helping as a coworker at the home. UNIVERSITY ACCREDITATION IN ST. PETERSBURG Our partner ministry in St. Petersburg has reason to rejoice. University accreditation has been granted to the college faculty ministering in Russia, and the college is now St. Petersburg Christian University. It is the only non-orthodox Christian institution of university status in the country. This gives them authority to move ahead with developing master's and doctoral programs. A DREAM COME TRUE Jose Cruz, our Latin America Regional Coordinator, finds his role with Partners International in the Southern Hemisphere to be a dream come true. As a catalyzer, he functions to promote world evangelization. Jose shares, "I had been co-teaching a seminar in missions to a crowd of 120 made up of pastors and Bible school students in Chimaltenango, Guatemala. Close to 25 young people committed their lives to world missions. In Costa Rica we met with 125 people from ten different denominations, and close to 25 surrendered their lives to full-time service for world evangelization. It is truly harvest time." CHANGES, CHANGES, CHANGES Partners International, after 21 years at the North Fourth Street location, has moved within the San Jose, California, area. On Friday, July 15, after continuing prayer, disposition of years of accumulated effects and a packing barrage that engulfed everyone, your Fourth Street staff moved into a newer, more modern building at 2302 Zanker Road. Our new facilities are much more up-to-date and efficient, with new furniture and phone systems donated by local businesses. All of this means that our move will save us nearly $15,000 annually. Ministry Highlights is published by Partners International PO Box 15025 San Jose CA 95115-0025 Tel: (408) 453-3800, (800) 966-5515 FAX (408) 437-9708