Members Blogs http://salemchurchcynthiana.org/blog/MemBlog.php Posts by varrious users of Salem Christian Fellowship some may not reflect the views of the majority of our users or staff. If you would like to join our blog team let us know. en-us Nucleus CMS v3.63 © Weblog http://backend.userland.com/rss http://salemchurchcynthiana.org/blog/MemBlog.php/nucleus/nucleus2.gif Members Blogs http://salemchurchcynthiana.org/blog/MemBlog.php How the church has changed. xml-rss2.php?itemid=69 Click to continue reading.recreational facilities for their members they even tried appealing to members by dropping Bible teaching and holding classes on managing your money and other “more relevant daily life topics” but attendance continued to fall. Now when asked why, many are giving the answer that people are too busy to attend now. They don’t have as much free time as they did to go to church. What! People have less free time now than when they had to raise all their own food plowing with mules and shearing sheep to spin thread to make their own clothes. I doubt that free time is the issue. People are choosing to use their time for things other than church they have plenty of time they simply choose not to go. So what is the answer? Why is attendance falling? People are basically the same so it must be the church that has changed but how has it changed. To answer this question let’s compare the early churches of the Bible which grew rapidly with the declining churches of today and see if we can find the answer.
Mission
Jesus gave us a clear message as to the primary mission of the church in
Mat 28:19 Go you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit:
Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
And also in
Luk 4:17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
Luk 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luk 4:19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

Seeking the lost and telling them about the Gospel of Jesus leading men to salvation and teaching them about the Lord has always been the primary stated purpose of the church. The early church did this constantly despite persecution and the ever present threat of death and grew quickly. Do Christians in the church really do this today? How often do we individually go out to seek the lost and tell them about Jesus? In too many churches today seeking the lost is seen as the minister job or the missionaries’ job. Members pay these men and think since they pay them that the preachers should go do the job for them. Most never even take the time to speak to the lost they see every day about Gospel. Did God intend it to be this way? No! the Bible clearly teaches us that everyone is to seek the lost.
Mat 4:19 And he (Jesus) said unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

Everyone who follows Jesus is to seek the lost to be fishers of men. It is the purpose of every believer, not only pastors and clergymen, to bring souls to Jesus Christ.
Beyond this primary mission churches were to teach new believers to help them grow in the Lord as mentioned in the Great Commission from Mathew 28 and further to prepare maturing believers to do God’s work. Eph 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

We are all part of the body of Christ not just the ministers. 1Co 12:13 For by one Spirit were we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
1Co 12:14 For the body is not one member, but many.
1Co 12:27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
1Co 12:28 And God has set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helpers, administrators, various kinds of tongues.
1Co 12:29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?
1Co 12:30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?

Every part of the body of Christ has a job to do. All parts of the body of Christ are important. Any given member of the church body not doing their job is much like an eye deciding it does not want to see any more and saying I think the ear should do it. If we are not all working doing our job for the body of Christ we cost it one body part and leave it disabled not edified.
But above all other jobs every member of the body shares one job the job of bringing the lost to Christ.
2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2Co 5:18 And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

This ministry is given to every member of the body much like every cell of your body must divide and grow. If we stop reproducing by witnessing to the lost the body of Christ the church will die as surely as your body would die if your cells stopped reproducing.
One other mission of the church is to provide a safe place for Christians to gather together, fellowship with other Christians and worship God. Mat 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

We are to gather not just to enjoy each other company but to help each other and encourage each other in our work for the Lord.
Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as you see the day approaching.

Today we do continue to gather though less frequently as the day continues to approach not more frequently but do we gather for the right purposes? Are Christians in the modern church gathering to encourage each other and support each other’s work for Jesus or are we just gathering for a pleasant social meeting?

Target Audience
When we do seek people to bring into the church who do we seek out? Who did the early church seek out to bring into their flock?
Consistently Jesus and the early church went looking for sinners and the poor. People who had genuine need who were hurting and ready to accept the gospel message and the healing it offered. Luk 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luk 14:12 Then said he also to him that bade him, When you give a dinner or a supper, call not your friends, nor your brethren, neither your kinsmen, nor your rich neighbors; lest they also bid you again, and a recompense be made you.
Luk 14:13 But when you give a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:
Luk 14:14 And you shall be blessed; for they cannot recompense you: for you shall be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.
Luk 19:5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at your house.
Luk 19:6 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
Luk 19:7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.

Jesus explained why it was better to seek out the worst of sinners when he was questioned by Simon.

Luk 7:39 Now when the Pharisee who had bidden him saw it, he spoke within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that touches him: for she is a sinner.
Luk 7:40 And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have something to say unto you. And he said, Teacher, say on.
Luk 7:41 There was a certain creditor who had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.
Luk 7:42 And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?
Luk 7:43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, You have rightly judged.
Luk 7:44 And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, See this woman? I entered into your house, you gave me no water for my feet: but she has washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.
Luk 7:45 You gave me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in has not ceased to kiss my feet.
Luk 7:46 My head with oil you did not anoint: but this woman has anointed my feet with ointment.
Luk 7:47 Therefore I say unto you, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.
Luk 7:48 And he said unto her, Your sins are forgiven.

The early church continued to follow Jesus example reaching out to the poor and gentiles the worst Godless sinners in their area. Many churches today not only do not reach out to these people but actively try to prevent them from coming in or try to drive them out if they do dare come to a service. Many churches even warn not to talk to those people to avoid being seen with them because others might think you approve of their lifestyle. Instead they try to bring other Christians into the church by offering them more than the other churches. They build gyms, they have Christian concerts, and they adopt more entertaining praise services things that only appeal to believers not the lost. They have stopped seeking the lost to grow the church and have instead turned into sheep thieves trying to entice members from other churches. Few ever reach out to those not raised in the church or the poor after all sinners might be a bad influence and the poor are just a burden and don’t pay much tithe. We have many ways to justify it but regardless of our excess we have to ask is this what Jesus wanted us to do? Are we following the example of Jesus and the early church?
Finances
As we are told in the New Testament the early church used its money to directly support widows, orphans, Jews, and help the poor. James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

Rom 15:26 For it has pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints who are at Jerusalem.
Rom 15:27 It has pleased them greatly; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in material things.
Gal 2:10 Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was eager to do.

Remembering as we reach out to the lost who are poor, widowed, slaves to sin we must always remember to first help those who are our brothers in Christ who may be in need. Mat 25:37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we you hungry, and fed you? or thirsty, and gave you drink?
Mat 25:38 When saw we you a stranger, and took you in? or naked, and clothed you?
Mat 25:39 Or when saw we you sick, or in prison, and came unto you?
Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Since you have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me.

These were the priorities of the early church and what they spent their offerings on in the name of Jesus. These are the things God wants us to use His money for. Is this how most churches spend their offerings today? NO! When they do spend money to help those in need most do it by proxy sending the money to another group to use it for them, though this is often just a small part of their offering. How do they tend to spend much of God’s money? In many churches large amounts of money are spent building additions like basketball courts or other facilities for the use of the members. Another big expenditure for many churches is entertainment in general. Whether it is youth trips or men’s outings or ladies dinners some churches are spending vast amount to entertain themselves. Overall there is nothing wrong with offering opportunities for people in the church to have fun and often they can be used as a good way to get lost acquaintances to come but we must be sure to take care of the expenses God told us to spend His money on first.
Focus
As should be obvious by this point the change is at least in part due to a change in focus within the churches. The early church was fully focused on Jesus and what He had taught them. They had no traditions to follow, no other churches to follow after just Jesus teachings. But the Bible warned us it would not always be that way. We are told that the church would lose its way and fall into apostasy in the latter days. 2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come the falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Ti 4:2 Preach the word; be diligent in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
2Ti 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they draw to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
2Ti 4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto myths.
This description of a worldly apostate church more concerned with its own desires than the truth of God’s word is a clear indication of a church that has shifted its central focus from serving God to serving the church members. Why are we here in church? Which are we going to serve God or ourselves? Mat 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

Authority
Part of this shift has come as people have shifted from viewing the Bible as the only absolute authority to viewing so called experts as their authority. During the time of the early church they saw the scripture as the only authority and the holy spirit as the only fit teacher of the scripture. Rom 4:3 For what says the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
Over and over the new testament writers begin this way What do the scripture say? That was all that mattered to them. Act 13:44 And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.

2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

They understood that All of scripture which in the time this was written was the old testament was spoken to us by God and important. Further they understood that only God knew exactly what He meant as He gave the word and they turned to the Holy Spirit to help them understand not experts.
2Pe 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of one’s own interpretation.
2Pe 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
1Co 2:10 But God has revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God.
1Co 2:11 For what man knows the things of a man, except the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knows no man, but the Spirit of God.

Paul himself when he was first converted did not seek out the apostles to learn but studied prayerfully himself. Gal 1:11 But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man.
Gal 1:12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Gal 1:16 To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the Gentiles; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:
Gal 1:17 Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them who were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.

Today many have stopped giving final authority to the Bible and rely on experts to lead them and teach them what is true. They have started placing some men above others because they have this degree or wrote that book or their family did some great work. They stop studying and holding fast to what they know to be Gods truth and allow themselves to be intimidated by so called experts and led into believing false teachings. They forget we are all just men and all make mistakes some even advance false teachings for personal gain. Tit 1:9 Holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to refute the opposition.
Tit 1:10 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, especially they of the circumcision:
Tit 1:11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who ruin whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for dishonest gain.

Further many teachers simply are teaching what they have always been told. Many don’t mean to teach false doctrines but they have always accepted what they were taught as many do and have never prayerfully studied for themselves because they are sure what they have always heard must be true. But the Bible warns about this also. Mar 7:6 He answered and said unto them, Well has Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
Mar 7:7 But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Mar 7:8 For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such things you do.
Mar 7:9 And he said unto them, Full well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your own tradition.


There is nothing wrong with men studying together. The problem comes when we stop studying and start to rely on whatever the experts tell us without question. Like the Bereans we must always question our teachers and turn to the scripture as final authority. Act 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.


Conclusion


One big problem with trying to return the church to the model God set up for us in the New Testament is many in the church today do not seem to realize there is a problem or that the church has changed so drastically. God knew the church would stray and He knew many would think everything was fine as we are told in Rev 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
Rev 3:15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot: I would that you were cold or hot.
Rev 3:16 So then because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth.
Rev 3:17 Because you say, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and know not that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

If we are going to please God and bring life and growth back into the church we must all do our part, we must all witness, we must study the word diligently, and we must all truly put God first not only in church but in every part of our lives.

]]> Terry's blog xml-rss2.php?itemid=69 Tue, 17 May 2011 14:34:34 -0400 When will Jesus return? xml-rss2.php?itemid=54 While no single catastrophe, such as the Japan quake, can be used to imply in any way that the Second coming of Jesus is at hand but the Bible does give us clear indications of when that return will take place. I know you are thinking but what about no man knowingthe day or the hour or His coming being like a thief in the night? Those two short chunks of scripture out of context come up immediately as soon as anyone starts to try a serious discussion of Jesus second coming but what is the wholetruth of scripture regarding knowing when to expect Jesus return?

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Mat 24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When its branch is yet tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near:
Mat 24:33 So likewise you, when you shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
Mat 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

Chapter 24 gives numerous signs that the time is near and tells us that when we see all these signs that generation will not pass away. So is someone tries to use the above scriptures to tell you Jesus may not come back for hundreds of years they are wrong Jesus himself promised when we see these things listed in Mathew 24 that the generation alive at that time will not pass away until everything is completed including His return.Besides this passage was never meant to pertain to Christians as Paul explained in first Thessalonians it was talking about unbelievers being caught unaware and Paul went on to warn that we should be watching and ready.

1Th 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I write unto you.
1Th 5:2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord socomes as a thief in the night.
1Th 5:3For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction comes upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
1Th 5:4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
1Th 5:5You are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
1Th 5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

An individual disaster is not a sign but we were told that these things would increase in frequency and intensity as a woman in labor as the time nears. The thing to watch is not individual events but trends in events. Check for yourself rates and intensities for natural disasters over time I think you will be amazed at what you find.

Jesus mocked those who ignored the signs of the times at His first coming. Even with Jesus among them and over 300 prophesies of His first coming in their scripture they could not see who He was. If Jesus mocked them for not knowing shouldnt we seek to know the signs of His second coming given they are more numerous than the signs of His first coming.

Mat 16:2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, you say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
Mat 16:3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and overcast. O you hypocrites, you can discern the appearance of the sky; but can you not discern the signs of the times?

Some even argue there is no reason for God to give signs for Jesus second coming. In doing so they ignore the nature of God.

2Pe 3:9The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

He warns us as He has always warned sinful men out of love and His desire that all will repent and come back to Him. He tell us in Amos He will always give warning before judgment comes and further nothing just happens He is responsible for all disasters that befall the cities of men.

Amo 3:6 Shall a trumpet beblown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be calamity in a city, and the LORD has not done it?
Amo 3:7Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, unless he reveals his secret unto his servants the prophets.

Many scoffers and those who fear prophesy or simply dont understand it try to scoff at eh whole idea and claim these events just happen. Earthquakes just happen, floods just happen, tornados just happen but God made it clear in His word He is in control of everything and responsible for all disasters. If ignore His warnings as things that just happen and refuse to repent and serve God we can expect many more similar events to just happen.
Of course the current plethora of educated scoffers was also foretold as a sign of this age.

2Pe 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
2Pe 3:4And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

What never ceases to amaze me is the number of ministers I have met who are in this group looking for logical ways to dismiss the work of God and take control away from Him and give it over to so called natural events.
To give you an idea of where we are consider the following.

The Old Testament prophets teach that the Messiah will come in triumph to reign over all the world at a time when the Jews have been re-established in their land and in their city of Jerusalem (Isaiah 11:10-12; Jeremiah 23:5-8; Ezekiel 37; and Zechariah 12).

The state of Israel was proclaimed to the world on May 14, 1948. The Jews reoccupied the city of Jerusalem on June 7.

Jesus emphasized the significance of these two signs in His teaching. He mentioned both of them in His "Olivet Discourse," delivered to His disciples during the last week of His life.

Regarding the re-establishment of the state of Israel, He told his disciples to watch "the fig tree,"because when it blooms again, all the things prophesied about the end times will come to pass (Matthew 24:32-34). The fig tree is one of the symbols of Israel in the Hebrew Scriptures (Hosea 9:10, Jeremiah 24:1-10, and Joel 1:7).

The day before, while walking with His disciples, Jesus had spotted a fig tree with no fruit. He pointed to the tree and put a curse on it. The tree immediately withered (Matthew 21:19). This action was a symbolic prophecy pointing to the fact that the wrath of God would be poured out on Israel because the nation had rejected its Messiah.

The next day Jesus referred back to this fig tree and said to watch for it to rebloom one day. "When it does," He said, "the generation that sees it bloom will not pass away until all the end time events take place" (Matthew 24:34).

The fig tree bloomed on May 14, 1948. We are the terminal generation.

In the same discourse Jesus said for His followers to watch Jerusalem. "The Jews will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all the nations," He prophesied. Then, He added, "Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled."

Forty years after He spoke these words, the first part of His prophecy was fulfilled as the Romans conquered Israel, destroyed Jerusalem, and scattered the Jews worldwide. Jerusalem passed from the Romans to the Byzantines, and from them to the Arabs, the Crusaders, the Mamelukes, the Turks, the British, and finally the Jordanians.

For 1,897 years Jerusalem was under Gentile control. The liberation came on June 7, 1967. It is the surest sign that our time is short.

For 50 more signs that we are living in the terminal generation see http://www.lamblion.com/articles/articles_signs11.php

No, we cannot know the date. Yes, we can know the season. Jesus is coming soon. All the signs point to it. He is at the very gates (Matthew 24: 33), and for all those who have studied God's Prophetic Word, He will return as their "Blessed Hope" (Titus 2:13) and not as a thief in the night.

The bottom line is while we do not know the day not even Jesus does we do know we are in the season of His return and as the generation moves forward time gets shorter every day. There are no prophesies that must take place before Jesus comes so it could literally be now or next year or ten years from now but not 100 years from now. The generation of His return began some time ago and the remaining time is getting short. As such it is important we remember Jesus consistentwarning to be watching and ready always every moment for His return.

Luk 12:35 Let your waists be girded about, and your lamps burning;
Luk 12:36 And you yourselves be like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he comes and knocks, they may open unto him immediately.
Luk 12:37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he comes shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to eat, and will come forth and serve them.

As Christians may our prayer ever be Maranatha! Come Lord quickly. Amen

]]> Terry's blog xml-rss2.php?itemid=54 Tue, 15 Mar 2011 16:21:28 -0400 Following Jesus xml-rss2.php?itemid=41 Old Ben Putnitoff


Ben Putnitoff was a member of the Lord's church. Morally, he was a good man. He did not lie, curse, drink, or beat his wife. He paid his income tax, came to Bible class and worship services, paid his bills and gave a "few bucks" to the Lord. He was never opposed to anything that was good.
One day old Ben Putnitoff died and stood before the Righteous Judge. The Judge said, "Ben, you are charged with trying to close the church.

Click To Read More-->Are you guilty or not guilty?"
"Not guilty," pleaded Ben Putnitoff. "I didn't do a thing!"
"Guilty as charged," the Judge ruled. And then He continued, "Ben, you have confessed to the most effective way ever devised of closing the church. You 'did not do a thing.'You did not visit the sick. You did not encourage the weak. You did not feed the hungry. You did not reach out to the lost with the gospel."
"But, Judge," Ben pleaded, "I intended to do all of those things, but I was too busy making a living and enjoying myself. I have just been putting it off."

Jesus in His earthly life went out of His way to visit the sick, minister to the poor, seek out the lost, in short to give of Himself to help others and restore them to a relationship with God. Today many are more like Ben than Jesus. They come to Church, give as they think they can comfoortably aford, and may even teach a class or sing in the choir, all these things are nice and will lead others to praise you for what a wonderful Christian person you are but is that all God wants from us as Christians?

1Pe 2:21 For even to this were you called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow his steps:

Are Christians really living this kind of life today? Unfortunately many are not. Many go out into the world on monday and live much as the rest of the world. They go to work, hang out with their friends, and go home to watch tv without ever giving a moments thought to Jesus during their week. Oh they may pause when someone makes a crude joke about Christians but they lack the courage to speak out. They may remember Jesus for a fleating moment when a hurting atheist friend mentions longingly that there must be more to life than jsut working to get by, but again they quickly change the subject to fit in and not risk ridicule. They pause to wish they could do more to help when they hear about a family with no insurance that lost their home in a fire but the concern fades quickly when they remember the they need the small amout of extra money they have to get a new HD tv to replace the old one thats too small. They concider visiting the sick when a friend from church tell them about their mother who is very ill but it is wuickly forgotten when they remember the playoffs start tonight and if they go they will miss the game on tv. Over and over self wins out over Christ in their daily lives as they find excuse after excuse to follow their own will instead of Jesus example. When ever the isue comes up they follow their own way instead of God's way. After all there is no rush I can always do those things later when I have more time, more money nothing I want to do, they tell themselves, but what if one day never comes? What if you suddenly find youself befor God to give an account? Would you want the report of your life to read that you were to timid to tell others what Jesus had done in your life, to busy to help others, to selfish to give when you were prospering?

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.

Philippians 1:27-28

Never forget to live every day for Jesus and each day as though it was your last. Ask yourself each day do I want to live like Jesus or Ben Putinitoff. 



]]> Terry's blog xml-rss2.php?itemid=41 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 12:41:48 -0500 A Faithful Woman and Atheist Neighbor xml-rss2.php?itemid=38
An elderly lady was well-known for her faith and for her boldness in talking about it.
She would stand on her front porch and shout "PRAISE THE LORD!"

Next door to her lived an atheist who would get so angry at her proclamations he would shout,
"There ain't no Lord!!"

Click to read more.............


A Very Faithful Woman

An elderly lady was well-known for her faith and for her boldness in talking about it.
She would stand on her front porch and shout "PRAISE THE LORD!"


Next door to her lived an atheist who would get so angry at her proclamations he would shout,
"There ain't no Lord!!"


Hard times set in on the elderly lady, and she prayed for GOD to send her some assistance.
She stood on her porch and shouted "PRAISE THE LORD. GOD I NEED FOOD!!
I AM HAVING A HARD TIME. PLEASE LORD, SEND ME SOME GROCERIES!!"


The next morning the lady went out on her porch and noted a large bag of groceries and shouted,
"PRAISE THE LORD."


The neighbor jumped from behind a bush and said, "Aha! I told you there was no Lord.
I bought those groceries, God didn't."


The lady started jumping up and down and clapping her hands and said, "PRAISE THE LORD.
He not only sent me groceries, but He made the devil pay for them. Praise the Lord!"

This is a cute joke but in the real world we never know what impact simple comments to others about what God has done for us might have on those we encounter from day to day. I know it is easy to get discouraged when we witness and it seems to fall on deaf ears but we never know how the seed we plant as we tell others of Jesus might grow as it is tended by the Holy Spirit over time.

Matthew 28:16-20 (New International Version, ©2010)

The Great Commission
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Notice in verse 19 Jesus said go, not sit and wait for them. I know it is important to live an example before the world but that is not enough. We were commanded to go to spread the Gospel to all men. I know not all of us can be missionaries but we don't need to be we all meet lots of lost people every day as we go about our lives. All we need to do is tell others about Jesus and what God has done in our lives. If we won a lottery we would run out excited and tell everyone we know about our good fortune. So, why are we so reluctant to spread the greatest news of all to everyone we meet. No news could possible be better than God loves you, Jesus died for you, God will forgive your sins and let you come to live in Heaven with Him.

In the new film The Secrets of Johnathan Sperry, which is based on a true story, an elderly man simply takes time to be kind to some of the neighborhood kids and tells them about Jesus as they chat never suspecting the impact his simple actions would have. Long after he is gone the boys grow up and due largely to simply talking about Jesus with Johnathan one pastors a church, one starts a Christian outreach for troubled teens, one opens three Christian radio stations, and one becomes a Professor at a Christian university. (no mention of what becomes of other boys he talked to in the film is given) It would be impossible to imagine the impact him just talking to a few kids about Jesus had on the world or how many people were saved from an eternity in hell through his simple acts of kindness and telling others about Jesus.

Spread the word while there is still time you never know who may be listening or where it may lead.

]]> Terry's blog xml-rss2.php?itemid=38 Wed, 9 Feb 2011 11:45:10 -0500 10 signs of a true Christian convert from 1 john xml-rss2.php?itemid=36


1. A true convert admits he or she is a sinner. He does not believe he can go to heaven by being a "good" person. She understands her own totally depravity. (1 John 1:8)



2. A true convert lives a life of obedience by keeping God's commandments more often than breaking them. A true convert is not a habitual sinner. There's a difference between stumbling into sin and jumping in with both feet. While true converts may continue to sin as part of the struggle with our sin nature, the life of a true convert is marked by a desire to pursue holiness and walk in obedience to God's Word. (1 John 2:3-6, 3:6, 5:2)



3. A true convert does not harbor hate for his brother but displays forgiveness, love, and compassion. (1 John 2:9, 2:11, 3:15, 4:16, 4:20)



4. A true convert does not love the world or the things of the world, nor the world's system of evil, ruled by Satan. (1 John 2:15)



5. A true convert proclaims Jesus Christ as the Son of God and defends the exclusivity of Christ in a world of multiple religious systems. (1 John 4:15)



6. A true convert hopes and longs for the return of the Lord. (1 John 3:2-3)


7. A true convert desires to serve and help other Christians. (1 John 3:17, 3:14)


8. A true convert loves being with other believers and hearing the Word taught. (1 John 5:1)



9. A true convert rejects false teaching. (1 John 2:22-23)



10. A true convert remains in the truth and perseveres in the faith. (1 John 2:24)]]> General xml-rss2.php?itemid=36 Sat, 15 Jan 2011 17:27:48 -0500 Jesus and Dead cows xml-rss2.php?itemid=33
The Lord was walking down a rugged dirt road and saw a man standing under
the shade of a tree. He walked up to him and said "what is wrong?"



The man replied with a deep sigh "I was looking at those poor farmers at
the bottom of this hill. They have no food, no crops, no animals, their
house is falling apart and they have only one cow that they get milk
from everyday just to survive and not starve. They sit around with no
work and little hope"



At this moment the Lord revealed his identity to the man and asked him what the man thought he should do for them.



Of course the man being moved by compassion said to help them in any way possible.



The Lord turned to the farm and told the man to watch closely.



Right as the man was watching....the cow dropped DEAD!



"WHAT ARE DOING" screamed the man...that cow was all they had!!!!



The Lord started walking away and the man ran up to him and said "That's it? that how you helped them? by killing their cow?"



The lord replied "Meet me here in one year" and continued walking.



The man was so upset he turned the other way and headed off in a huff, feeling so terrible about what had just happened.



The year passed and the man had to work up the courage to return to
farm. He was filled with fear that he would find the place in ruins or
worse that the poor people where forced off thier farm.....or dead.



He arrived first and stood there at the top of the hill. Looking down his jaw dropped....



A lush, green pasture. Animals roaming. A farmhouse painted and fences up.

The song of a rooster and hens cackling after their young.



He ran down the hill with all his force, this must be new owners, this
cant be the same family. The farmers saw him running down the hill and
went to meet them with some water.



What happened here? I saw this farm a year ago and you were destitute,
starving to death. No work. No money.....what happened here????



Well, let me tell you, replied the old farmer...



"its true we were all done in, there was no food, no crops, no money.

We all just sat outside taking turns milking the cow for a little
something to fill our bellies. Momma started to pray and we all held
hands knowing we couldn't hold out too much longer and asked God to send
us a miracle. Right at that moment...our cow died! Dropped dead right
on the spot. We were shocked.

She was fine one minute and dead the next."



"So what happened then?" asked the man



"I sent my son right away to the butcher. He came buy and divided the
meat. I sold him the best parts and kept the lesser for us. We had the
hide tanned and sold that for a good price too. I used the money for
some seed, a few hens and a mate, a male and female rabbit and a few
young goats. We used some eggs for food and some to create. Same with
the rabbits. I started selling the extra produce and that keeps steady
money coming in. I traded the goats for a cow and my wife makes butter,
cheese and whey that she sells in the market."



The man sat there astonished while listening to the whole story.



At that moment the Lord walked up to the group.(the man being the only
one knowing who he really was) and purchased a small bread and some
cheese for his journey, thanked them and walked away.



"Do you know who that is???" asked the man to the farmer



"I don't his name, just some guy who's been coming here off and on all year"

Never forget all things work together for good for them that love the Lord even if sometimes we don't understand what's going on. Have faith and believe and God will take care of it. ]]> General xml-rss2.php?itemid=33 Mon, 10 Jan 2011 12:17:39 -0500 A Sack Lunch xml-rss2.php?itemid=22
I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. 'I'm glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap' I thought.

Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation.

'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me.
'Petawawa. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Afghanistan

After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached the east, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time...

As I reached for my wallet, I overheard a soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. 'No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to base.'

His friend agreed.

I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. 'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.' She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. 'My son was a soldier in Iraq ; it's almost like you are doing it for him.'

Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, 'Which do you like best - beef or chicken?'
'Chicken,' I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class.

'This is your thanks..'

After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room.
A man stopped me. 'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed me twenty-five dollars.

Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand and said, 'I want to shake your hand.' Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said, 'I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.' I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers.

Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm

When we landed I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars!

Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base.
I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. 'It will take you some time to reach the base.. It will be about time for a sandwich.
God Bless You.'

Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers.

As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country.. I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little...

A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to 'The United States of America ' for an amount of 'up to and including my life.'

That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.'

37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Do not be deceived no act of kindness done in the name of Jesus ever goes unnoticed or unrewarded. ]]> General xml-rss2.php?itemid=22 Fri, 15 Oct 2010 16:00:17 -0400 Ezekiel Ch1 notes xml-rss2.php?itemid=20 Eze 1:2 On the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity,
Eze 1:3 The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.

About 594bc in southern Babylon (Iraq)

Eze 1:4 And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire engulfing itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of its midst as the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire.

Job 38:1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
God gives the vision out of a whirlwind.

Eze 1:5 Also out of its midst came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.

Likeness – demooth דּמוּת resemblance of, to concretely model something
Here we are told this in not a description as much as a representation a symbolic picture of what he saw.

Eze 1:6 And each one had four faces, and each one had four wings.
Eze 1:7 And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot: and they sparkled like the color of burnished bronze.

Notice the creatures walked uprightly and had feet of burnished bronze Rev 1:15 And his feet like unto fine bronze, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.


Eze 1:8 And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and the four had their faces and their wings.
Eze 1:9 Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went each one straight forward.
Eze 1:10 As for the likeness of their faces, the four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and the four had the face of an ox on the left side; the four also had the face of an eagle.

Rev 4:7 And the first living creature was like a lion, and the second living creature like a calf, and the third living creature had a face as a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.
Rev 4:8 And the four living creatures had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.
The symbolism of the animals can be debated but generally lions represent courage, the ox perseverance, eagle swiftness and keen vision, all are used to represent power and are chief of their group of animals man is over all. An old Jewish saying went "there are four that are proud (or excel) in the world; the lion among beasts; the ox among cattle; the eagle among birds; and man, whom God has exalted above all, for he rules over all.'' The main point though is all the symbolism used points to Christ and the gospel. This clearly identifies these as the 4 angels of the 4 Gospels. Given the differences of point of view of the 4 Gospels the most reasonable order would be as given

Mathew- Lion- Jesus as the Lion of Judah -emphasis on righteousness.
Mark -Ox- Jesus as servant-His work, strength and actions
Luke -Man- Jesus as physician healer of sinners- emphasis on humanity
John – Eagle- Jesus as word of God- emphasis on Jesus Divinity

Eze 1:11 Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of each one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.
Eze 1:12 And they went each one straight forward: wherever the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.

Their wings a reference to Jesus message His words reaching up to heaven being joined in unity among the 4 and covering more properly filling them.
kâsâh כּסה literally to fill up figuratively to cover or cloth. More on wings as the words of Jesus in v. 24





Eze 1:13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches: they went back and forth among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.

Torches or lanterns light to the world and out of the fire a flashing sword.
baw-rawk' בּרק
Concretely a flashing sword another allusion to the word of the Lord as opposed to lightning baw-zawk' in v 14



Eze 1:14 And the living creatures ran back and forth like the appearance of a flash of lightning.
Eze 1:15 Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold, a wheel upon the earth beside the living creatures, with its four faces.

4 faces or parts Mathew Mark Luke John one united message

Eze 1:16 The appearance of the wheels and their workings was like the color of beryl: and the four had the same likeness: and their appearance and their workings was, as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel.

Here the wheels are shown to be the Gospel message conveyed through the Old and New Testaments. Here ah'-yin עין eye or fountain (eye of the landscape) is translated color. A better reading would be their workings and appearance were like a fountain of Beryl a blood red stone. Like a fountain of Blood. Here we are shown the continuity of God’s message throughout the Bible and the dependence of the New Testament the inner wheel on the Old Testament the outer wheel as well as their unity of message concerning the messiah and faith in the Lord. what the Old Testament defined the New Testament showed forth so the New is encompassed in the Old.


Eze 1:17 When they went, they went in any of four directions: and they turned not when they went.
Eze 1:18 As for their rims, they were so high that they were awesome; and their rims were full of eyes, round about the four of them.

They did not deviate their outer parts of the message were so far reaching as to be awesome and they were full or covered by ah-yin the fountain.
Eze 1:19 And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.
Eze 1:20 Wherever the spirit was to go, they went, there was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up with them: for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
Eze 1:21 When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up along with them: for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

Here as one is exalted the other is also as the word spreads as the angels of the gospel spirit (breath) is in the gospel message. All scripture is breathed of God…2Tim 3:16

Eze 1:22 And the likeness of the firmament above the heads of the living creature was as the color of awesome crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.
Eze 1:23 And under the firmament were their wings spread out straight, the one toward the other: each one had two, which covered on this side, and each one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies.
Eze 1:24 And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of tumult, as the noise of an army: when they stood, they let down their wings.

Rev 1:15 And his feet like unto fine bronze, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
Here we see clearly that the wings also with the sound of many waters are the word and testimony of Jesus echoed endlessly by messengers of the Gospel.




Eze 1:25 And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.
Eze 1:26 And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.
Eze 1:27 And I saw as the color of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his waist even upward, and from the appearance of his waist even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.
Eze 1:28 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spoke.

The remainder of the passage is a parallel of the description of God (Jesus) on the throne in Heaven with the crystal sea and the rainbow over the throne.
In our American way of thinking things are either literal or symbolic of a spiritual concept the Jews believed all scripture was both literal and contained a spiritual message. In agreement with them I see the symbolism of the gospel and its messengers shown here and also have no doubt 4 literal angels of the gospels as described here are going out watching over the message and will in the future be see before the throne as pictured in Rev. 4.
]]> Terry's blog xml-rss2.php?itemid=20 Wed, 29 Sep 2010 09:05:25 -0400 The myth of seperation of church and state xml-rss2.php?itemid=17 "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."

The statement about a wall of separation between church and state was made in a letter on January 1, 1802, by Thomas Jefferson to a church (the Danbury Baptist Association of Connecticut). The congregation heard a widespread rumor that the Congregationalists, another denomination, were to become the national religion. This was very alarming to people who knew about religious persecution in England by the state established church. Jefferson made it clear in his letter to the Danbury Congregation that the separation was to be that government would not establish a national religion or dictate to men how to worship God. Jefferson's letter from which the phrase "separation of church and state" was written to affirm first amendment rights. Jefferson wrote:
I contemplate with solemn reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church and State. (1)

The reason Jefferson choose the expression "separation of church and state" was because he was addressing a Baptist congregation; a denomination of which he was not a member. Jefferson wanted to remove all fears that the state would make dictates to the church. He was establishing common ground with the Baptists by borrowing the words of Roger Williams, one of the Baptist's own prominent preachers. Williams had said:
When they have opened a gap in the hedge or wall of separation between the garden of the Church and the wilderness of the world, God hath ever broke down the wall itself, removed the candlestick, and made his garden a wilderness, as at this day and that therefore if He will ever please to restore His garden and paradise again, it must of necessity be walled in peculiarly unto Himself from the world...(2)

The "wall" was understood as one-directional; its purpose was to protect the church from the state. The world was not to corrupt the church, yet the church was free to teach the people Biblical values.

I know all about the separation of church and state.

For seven years one of my ancestors, Rev. John Greenwood was confined in prison and finally on the sixth of April, 1593, was taken from jail in England and hanged for his belief and teaching of - the separation of church and state.

That little band of Pilgrims that landed at Plymouth, Mass., in 1620, were his followers -- they had worshiped at the church he founded -- that band of Puritans that landed in America and founded Boston were believers in the doctrine that John Greenwood was the first to publish and teach - the separation of church and state.

The Pilgrims at Plymouth brought to America the teachings of John Greenwood -- including the separation of church and state -- and if America owes its greatness, its progress, and its achievements to one principle in government more than another it is that in America every American can kneel at the altar of his own faith, and worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience. The state in America is separated from the church. American government tolerates no single form of religious worship but shelters and protects alike all. John Greenwood taught that there could be but one head to the church and that head was not the Queen but Jesus Christ, and that there could be no law for the government of the church other than what the Scriptures contained.

Both the phrase and concept of the separation of church and state uses by Thomas Jefferson and Roger Williams came directly from the teachings of Rev. John Greenwood.

The American people knew what would happen if the State established the Church like in England. Even though it was not recent history to them, they knew that England went so far as forbidding worship in private homes and sponsoring all church activities and keeping people under strict dictates. They were forced to go to the state established church and do things that were contrary to their conscience. No other churches were allowed, and mandatory attendance of the established church was compelled under the Conventicle Act of 1665. Failure to comply would result in imprisonment and torture.

The people did not want freedom FROM religion, but freedom OF religion.

The only real reason to separate the church from the state would be to instill a new morality and establish a new system of beliefs. Our founding fathers were God-fearing men who understood that for a country to stand it must have a solid foundation; the Bible was the source of this foundation. They believed that God's ways were much higher than Man's ways and held firmly that the Bible was the absolute standard of truth and used the Bible as a source to form our government.

There is no such thing as a pluralistic society. There will always be one dominant view, otherwise it will be in transition from one belief system to another. Therefore, to say Biblical principles should not be allowed in government and school is to either be ignorant of the historic intent of the founding fathers, or blatantly bigoted against Christianity.

Each form of government has a guiding principle: monarchy in which the guiding principle is honor; aristocracy in which the guiding principle is moderation; republican democracy in which the guiding principle is virtue; despotism in which the guiding principle is fear. Without people of the United States upholding good moral conduct, society soon degenerates into a corrupt system where people misuse the authority of government to obtain what they want at the expense of others. The U.S. Constitution is the form of our government, but the power is in the virtue of the people. The virtue desired of the people is shown in the Bible. This is why Biblical morality was taught in public schools until the early 1960's. Government officials were required to declare their belief in God even to be allowed to hold a public office until a case in the U.S. Supreme Court called Torcaso v. Watkins (Oct. 1960). God was seen as the author of natural law and morality. If one did not believe in God one could not operate from a proper moral base. And by not having a foundation from which to work, one would destroy the community. The two primary places where morality is taught are the family and the church. The church was allowed to influence the government in righteousness an d justice so that virtue would be upheld. Not allowing the church to influence the state is detrimental to the country and destroys our foundation of righteousness and justice. It is absolutely necessary for the church to influence the state in virtue because without virtue our government will crumble -- the representatives will look after their own good instead of the country's.

Government was never meant to be our master as in a ruthless monarchy or dictatorship. Instead, it was to be our servant. The founding fathers believed that the people have full power to govern themselves and that people chose to give up some of their rights for the general good and the protection of rights. Each person should be self-governed and this is why virtue is so important. Government was meant to serve the people by protecting their liberty and rights, not serve by an enormous amount of social programs. The authors of the Constitution wanted the government to have as little power as possible so that if authority was misused it would not cause as much damage. Yet they wanted government to have enough authority to protect the rights of the people. The worldview at the time of the founding of our government was a view held by the Bible: that Man's heart is corrupt and if the opportunity to advance oneself at the expense of another arose, more often than not, we would choose to do so. They firmly believed this and that's why an enormous effort to set up checks and balances took place. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. They wanted to make certain that no man could take away rights given by God. They also did not set up the government as a true democracy, because they believed, as mentioned earlier, Man tends towards wickedness. Just because the majority wants something does not mean that it should be granted, because the majority could easily err. Government was not to be run by whatever the majority wanted but instead by principle, specifically the principles of the Bible.

Our U.S. Constitution was founded on Biblical principles and it was the intention of the authors for this to be a Christian nation. The Constitution had 55 people work upon it, of which 52 were evangelical Christians.(3) We can go back in history and look at what the founding fathers wrote to know where they were getting their ideas. This is exactly what two professors did. Donald Lutz and Charles Hyneman reviewed an estimated 15,000 items with explicit political content printed between 1760 and 1805 and from these items they identified 3,154 references to other sources. The source they most often quoted was the Bible, accounting for 34% of all citations. Sixty percent of all quotes came from men who used the Bible to form their conclusions. That means that 94% of all quotes by the founding fathers were based on the Bible. The founding fathers took ideas from the Bible and incorporated them into our government.

If it was their intention to separate the state and church they would never have taken principles from the Bible and put them into our government. An example of an idea taken from the Bible and then incorporated into our government is found in Isaiah 33:22 which says, "For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king..." The founding fathers took this scripture and made three major branches in our government: judicial, legislative, and executive. As mentioned earlier, the founding fathers strongly believed that Man was by nature corrupt and therefore it was necessary to separate the powers of the government. For instance, the President has the power to execute laws but not make them, and Congress has the power to make laws but not to judge the people. The simple principle of checks and balances came from the Bible to protect people from tyranny. The President of the United States is free to influence Congress, although he can not exercise authority over it because they are separated. Since this is true, why should the church not be allowed to influence the state?

People have read too much into the phrase "separation of church and state", which is to be a separation of civil authority from ecclesiastical authority, not moral values. Congress has passed laws that it is illegal to murder and steal, which is the legislation of morality. These standards of morality are found in the Bible. Should we remove them from law because the church should be separated from the state?

Our founding fathers who formed the government also formed the educational system of the day. John Witherspoon did not attend the Constitutional Convention although he was President of New Jersey College in 1768 (known as Princeton since 1896) and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. His influence on the Constitution was far ranging in that he taught nine of fifty-five original delegates. He fought firmly for religious freedom and said...
"God grant that in America true religion and civil liberty may be inseparable and that unjust attempts to destroy the one may in the issue tend to the support and establishment of both."(4)

In October 1961 the Supreme Court of the United States removed prayer from schools in a case called Engel v. Vitale. The case said that because the U.S. Constitution prohibits any law respecting an establishment of religion officials of public schools may not compose public prayer even if the prayer is denominationally neutral, and that pupils may choose to remain silent or be excused while the prayer is being recited.

For 185 years prayer was allowed in public and the Constitutional Convention itself was opened with prayer. If the founding fathers didn't want prayer in government why did they pray publicly in official meetings? It is sometimes said that it is permissible to pray in school as long as it is silent. Although, "In Omaha, Nebraska, 10-year old James Gierke was prohibited from reading his Bible silently during free time... the boy was forbidden by his teacher to open his Bible at school and was told doing so was against the law."(4) The U.S. Supreme Court with no precedent in any court history said prayer will be removed from school. Yet the Supreme Court in January, 1844 in a case named Vidal v. Girard's Executors, a school was to be built in which no ecclesiastic, missionary, or minister of any sect whatsoever was to be allowed to even step on the property of the school. They argued over whether a layman could teach or not, but they agreed that, "...there is an obligation to teach what the Bible alone can teach, viz. a pure system of morality." This has been the precedent throughout 185 years. Although this case is from 1844, it illustrates the point. The prayer in question was not even lengthy or denominationally geared. It was this: "Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our Country."

What price have we paid by removing this simple acknowledgment of God's protecting hand in our lives? Birth rates for unwed girls from 15-19; sexually transmitted diseases among 10-14 year olds; pre-marital sex increased; violent crime; adolescent homicide have all gone up considerably from 1961 to the 1990's -- even after taking into account population growth. The Bible, before 1961, was used extensively in curriculum. After the Bible was removed, scholastic aptitude test scores dropped considerably.

Satan is not a creator. He cannot create anything. All he can do is take that which God has created and 'twist' it upside-down and call it something else. God created good - Satan twisted it into evil. God created love - Satan twisted it into hate. God created faith - Satan twisted it into fear. Do you see how he works?

Satan also twists the good things that man has created as well. To the point - our founding fathers, many of which were ministers, created the constitution and it's amendments including the First Amendment which provides for legal protection of the Church from the State (i.e. government) - Satan has now twisted that in the minds of the people to "protect" the State and all governmental entities, property, programs, etc... from the Church - banning the very freedoms that the First Amendment guarantees! Now the IRS is already beginning to tell Pastors what they can and cannot preach and teach in their own churches - threatening to revoke their 501(c)(3) tax exempt status!

There is no such thing as a pluralistic society; there will always be one dominant view. Someone's morality is going to be taught -- but whose? Secular Humanism is a religion that teaches that through Man's ability we will reach universal peace and unity and make heaven on earth. They promote a way of life that systematically excludes God and all religion in the traditional sense. That Man is the highest point to which nature has evolved, and he can rely on only himself and that the universe was not created, but instead is self-existing. They believe that Man has the potential to be good in and of himself. All of this of course is in direct conflict with not only the teachings of the Bible but even the lessons of history.

In June 1961 in a case called Torcaso v. Watkins, the U.S. Supreme Court stated, "Among religions in this country which do not teach what would generally be considered a belief in the existence of God are Buddhism, Taoism, Ethical Culture, Secular Humanism and others." The Supreme Court declared Secular Humanism to be a religion. The American Humanist Association certifies counselors who enjoy the same legal status as ordained ministers. Since the Supreme Court has said that Secular Humanism is a religion, why is it being allowed to be taught in schools? The removal of public prayer of those who wish to participate is, in effect, establishing the religion of Humanism over Christianity.

This my friends is exactly what our founding fathers tried to stop from happening with the first amendment.

Today in the United States, 90% of the population believes in God! 80% of those believe in the Judeo-Christian Ethic (i.e. believe in Jesus). But Hollywood and the media has convinced most Christians that they are - the vast minority! When in fact Christians are the "Silent Majority!" Adolph Hitler once said that if a well crafted lie is told often enough and long enough it will become as good as the the truth! For example, "the Religious Right" is a totally fictitious entity. There SHOULD be one, but there is no such thing! Christians just haven't seemed to be able get together long enough to realize the strength they would have if they united politically. Now the "Religious Right" is just a straw-man to hide a REAL and very active movement - "the Atheist Left!"

"Separation of Church and State" is just a myth. But it's a myth that if allowed to continue will continue to daily chip away our religious freedoms. We just cannot keep quiet about it any longer. Christians must be taught on this subject now - before it becomes illegal to do even that! All evil needs to flourish is for good men - to do (and say) nothing! ]]> General xml-rss2.php?itemid=17 Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:25:45 -0400 A Wealthy Man's Son xml-rss2.php?itemid=12

The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.


About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art."


The young man held out this package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this." The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. "Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift."


The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.


The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection.


On the platform sat the painting of the son.
The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?"


There was silence.


Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one." But the auctioneer persisted. "Will someone bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?"


Another voice shouted angrily. "We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!" But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?"


Finally, a voice came from the very back of the
room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the painting." Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.


"We have $10, who will bid $20?"


"Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters."


"$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?" The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. The auctioneer pounded the gavel.
"Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!"


A man sitting on the second row shouted, "Now let's get on with the collection!" The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I'm sorry, the auction is over."


"What about the paintings?"


"I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son getseverything!"


God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on a cruel cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: "The son,the son, who'll take the son?" Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything. Make sure you accept His offer before it is too late and the final gavel falls.]]> Terry's blog xml-rss2.php?itemid=12 Fri, 27 Aug 2010 13:34:01 -0400