PART TWO SUNDAY EDITORIAL EXCUSE US, WAIT A MINUTE, BACK UP

Women of the Bible - The Woman with the Issue of Blood
A Woman Who had a Faith Born in Desperation (Mat 9:20-22; Mar 5:25-34; Luk 8:43-47)



by Kathryn Capoccia

Young Adults Sunday School Class

All Scripture references are taken from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW
INTERNATIONAL VERSION (C) 1978 by the New York Bible Society, used by
permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

© Copyright Kathy Capoccia 2000. This file may be freely copied, printed out,
and distributed as long as copyright and source statements remain intact,
and that it is not sold.


“A large crowd followed and pressed around Him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, ‘If I just touch His clothes, I will be healed.’ Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from Him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, ‘Who touched my clothes?’ ‘You see the people crowding against you,’ His disciples answered, ‘and yet you can ask, “Who touched Me?”’ But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and knelt at His feet, and trembling with fear, told Him the whole truth. He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering’” (MAR 5:25-34).

“As Jesus was on His way, the crowds almost crushed Him. And there was a woman there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind Him and touched the edge of His cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. ‘Who touched Me?’ Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, ‘Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.’ But Jesus said, ‘Someone touched Me; I know that power has gone out from Me.’ The woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at His feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched Him and how she had been instantly healed. Then He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace’” (LUK 8:43-47).

“Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the edge of His cloak. She said to herself, ‘If I only touch His cloak, I will be healed.’ Jesus turned and saw her, ‘Take heart, daughter,’ He said, ‘your faith has healed you.’ And the woman was healed from that moment” (MAT 9:20-22).


A. Who was she?
1. When did she live? 1st century A.D.; this probably occurred in the late 20’s.
2. Where did she live?
a. In the Galilee region of Israel (LUK 8:26; MAR 5:1).
b. Near the shore of the Sea of Galilee (MAR 5:21).
c. Probably in Capernaum:
1) Mark 2:1, “Jesus entered Capernaum…” and, “went out beside the lake…” (MAR 2:13).
2) “Jesus left there and went to his hometown” [of Nazareth] (MAR 6:1).
3. Who were her people?
a. The Jews: Jesus was sent to “the lost sheep of Israel” (MAT 15:24).
b. Family, unknown.
4. How old was she? Unknown: old enough to be a wife, but not elderly (“woman,” gune (GR., goonay)= a woman or wife).

B. What did she do?
1. She Was Desperate:
a. She suffered:
1) She had been bleeding for 12 years.
a) This was a chronic, abnormal condition (possibly a fibroid tumor of the uterus?), a “spring of blood,” that must have been, at the least, an embarrassment for her.
b) This was an affliction that she could “feel,” and which made her suffer, though whether physically or emotionally is not clear (vs. 29, Mark 5).
c) Chronic loss of blood probably meant anemia and physical weakness for her.
2) She had endured medical “cures” (vs. 26).
a) She had suffered under medical treatments.
b) She had consulted many doctors.
b. She was hopelessly incurable: she had only grown worse under the doctors’ care.
c. She was destitute: she had spent all she had.

2. She Was Earnest:
a. She had “heard” about Jesus (MAR 5: 27).
1) She was there when Jesus returned from healing the demoniacs of the Gerasenes (MAR 5:21, 25).
2) She must have heard that Jairus, an official at the synagogue, had beseeched Jesus to heal his daughter (vs. 23).
3) She had heard from the crowd “about Jesus” (vs. 27).
4) The Galilee area had previously seen Jesus heal a paralytic (MAR 2), a man with a shriveled hand (MAR 3), large crowds of their diseases and evil spirits (MAR 3), raise a centurion’s servant from the dead (LUK 7), raise a widow’s son from the dead (LUK 7:14,15).
5) Others had been healed by Jesus in Galilee through touching Him (LUK 6:19).
b. She believed that Jesus could heal her: she said over and over,
1) “If I only touch His cloak I’ll be healed” (MAT 9:20).
2) “If I just touch His clothes, I’ll be healed” (MAR 5:28).
c. She was willing to break social taboos.
1) As an “unclean” woman she was unwelcome in society (LEV 15:19-30), i.e. socially isolated.
a) Everything and everyone she touched became ceremonially unclean, so she would have been shunned by everyone, even family.
b) Sexual relations would have been unclean, her bed and even her husband would have been ceremonially unclean, so she probably would have been divorced by her husband (DEU 24:1).
c) Worship in the synagogue would have been barred to her since she could not make atonement for her blood flow (LEV 15:28-30).
2) As an “unclean” woman if she touched Jesus, under normal circumstances, she would make Him ceremonially “unclean.”
3) As a woman she was restricted from touching a man in public.
d. She was willing to hope in Jesus:
1) She was not intimidated by the large, dangerous crowd.
a) “Large,” polys = super large crowd—“a large crowd followed [Him]” (MAR 5:24).
b) “Crush,” sympnigo = choke or crush—“the crowds almost crushed Him” (LUK 8:42).
c) “Crowding,” synecho = hemming in—“the people are crowding and pressing against You” (LUK 8:45).
d) “Pressing,” apothlibo = press up against—“ the people are…pressing against You” (LUK 8:45).
2) She believed Jesus would help her, even though she interrupted Him as He on His way to heal the mortally ill daughter of Jairus, a synagogue leader and man of social prominence.
3) She reached out to Him:
a) “She came up…” (Perhaps she had to force her way through the crowd after she heard about Him?)
b) “She came up behind Jesus…” (Perhaps she could only reach His back? Or was she too shy to face Him?)
c) She “touched the edge of His cloak...”possibly to one of the two tassels on the corners of the shimla hanging down His back. (Perhaps she almost missed Him?)
d) She touched Jesus’ cloak—“touch,” Greek, haptomai (hap-tom-ahee) means to fasten onto or grab; so, she clung to His shimla, the large square cloth that comprised His outer robe. (See JOH 10, Mary Magdalene, for another instance of “haptomai”.)

3. She Was Satisfied:
a. Jesus received her:
1) Jesus knew “in His spirit” (MAR 2:8) both her need and her touch. (Luke says Jesus “noticed” her, Mark that He saw her.)
a) Jesus did not heal all who touched Him in the crowd.
b) Jesus perceived her secret touch.
2) Jesus was willing to heal her:
a) Jesus controlled His power—power did not automatically flow from Him or from His clothing—and He “responded by letting His power go out to heal her” (Lenski, Interpretation of St. Mark’s Gospel, Mark 5:30, pg. 223).
b) Jesus allowed touch to produce the healing, though He did not need to touch anyone or to be touched by anyone to effect a healing.

b. Jesus saved her from her affliction:
1) Jesus healed her body by His power immediately and completely:
a) “And the woman was healed from that moment” (MAT 9:22).
b) “Immediately her bleeding stopped …” (MAR 5:29).
c) “…and immediately her bleeding stopped” (LUK 8:48).
d) “She felt in her body that she had was free from her suffering” (MAR 5:29).
e) She knew “what had happened to her” (MAR 5:33).
2) Jesus restored her social standing:
a) He made a public declaration that power had gone out for healing--
* “Jesus said, ‘Someone touched Me; I know that power has gone out from Me’” (LUK 8:46).
* “At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from Him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, ‘Who touched My clothes?’ …But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it” (MAR 5:30,32).
b) He made her publicly confess her healing:
*“In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched Him and how she had been instantly healed” (LUK 8:47).
* “Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at His feet and, trembling with fear, told Him the whole truth” (MAR 5:33).
c) He made a public declaration of that she was healed:
* “Daughter, your faith has healed you” (MAR 5:34).
3) Jesus cared for her feelings:
a) Jesus relieved her fears: “Then the woman…came and fell at His feet and, trembling with fear…” (MAR 5:33).

WHY WOULD SHE BE AFRAID?
She recognized that she was in the presence of God?
She was afraid of rebuke?
She was afraid that her previously embarrassing condition would be made public?

* Jesus reassured her with the words, “Take heart” (MAT 9:22).
* Jesus addressed her as “daughter,” (MAT 9:22; MAR 5:34), an expression of “love and concern” (Lenski).
b) Jesus blessed her, “Go in peace” (eirene, “lack of strife”) (MAR 5:34; LUK 8:48).
c) Jesus assured her that the affliction would not return with the words, “Be freed from your suffering” (MAR 5:34).
c. Jesus saved her from her sins:
1) She expressed faith:
a) She worshiped: she “came trembling and fell at His feet” (LUK 8:47)…. “came and fell at His feet and, trembling with fear…” (MAR 5:33).
b) She made a profession of faith:
“She told Him the whole truth” (MAR 5:33)…”In the presence of all the people, she told why she touched Him and how she had been instantly healed” (LUK 9:47).
* God made Adam and Eve confess the truth so that they could be saved (GEN 3).
* The Philippian jailer and his household believed in Jesus and were saved (ACT 16:31,32).
2) He granted redemption to her: “Your faith has made you well” (MAT 9:22; MAR 5:34; LUK 8:48).
a) “Well,” sozo = redeemed; i.e. a right relationship with God. (Contrasted withiaomai, the usual word for healing.)
b) “Faith,” pistis = faith or trust; i.e. saving faith.


This woman had a great need and had the faith to come to Jesus for its resolution. The woman’s healing was a demonstration of Jesus’ power and His deity, and the woman recognized this. In turn, Jesus recognized her saving faith and gifted her with total healing—both in body and soul. Like the man blind from birth who came to Jesus for healing and found both healing and redemption (JOH 9:2-25) this woman found all that her heart desired in Jesus.

C. What can we learn from her?

1. Jesus honors our faith, however small.
2. Jesus is approachable in every circumstance.
3. Jesus has compassion on the needy who come to Him in faith.
4. Jesus sometimes allows circumstances to enter our lives that reduce us to desperation so that we will reach out for Him.

Memory verse: “If look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God “(PRO 2:4,5).
God Bless,
recj/LJG

SUNDAY EDITORIAL EXCUSE US, WAIT A MINUTE, BACK UP

We are doing this editorial on a very important issue to us. The misquoting and misinterpretations of scripture. The other day LJG was listening to a very well known religious leader when he in his teaching of a Bible story said the women in question ‘was at fault, she brought it on herself.’ LJG was upset and sent me an e-mail at which I reacted as she did, in anger. LJG is the caregiver for a family member; she herself has some health issues, as do I. Is it our fault we have not been healed? Of course not! What really made us angry is the people we know, some from childhood, who have been scared off by so-called men of God who say things like this. Are we saying that sin cannot bring on illness? Of course not, we have scriptures to support this. We also have scripture to support other reasons. The goal of this article is to show why we say read, study, seek God and take no man/women’s word for what the Bible means.
Now let us get to the scripture in question. We have three accounts of this story.
Matthew 9:20-22 KJV 20And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: 21For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. 22But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.
Mark 5:25-34 KJV 25And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, 26And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, 27When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. 28For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. 29And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. 30And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? 31And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 32And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. 33But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. 34And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

Luke 8:43-47KJV 43And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, 44Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched. 45And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 46And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me. 47And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately.

Three disciples telling the same story and all three report she was healed. Two report that her faith has made her whole. Nothing is said of any sin. Does this mean she had not sinned? Well let us look at other scriptures of healing that Jesus preformed. While we will not print the entire scriptures here, we encourage you to look them up.

John 5:14 Jesus tells the man ‘sin no more.’ John 8:11 Jesus told the women to ‘sin no more.’In these two scriptures we can read the people were told to go and sin no more.

Matthew 8:13 ‘as thou has believe be it done unto thee.’ Luke 9:42 ‘Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child.’ These two are different in that in the first the man is told he has believed and so it is done[and if you read the scriptures you will find he was there for someone else, not himself]. The second scripture tells us Jesus rebuked and healed.

Now we will read and look at the next to passages of scripture.

Here we will include the scriptures.
Luke 5:12-25 KJV12And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 13And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.14And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. 15But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. 16And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed. 17And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. 18And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. 19And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. 20And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. 21And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? 22But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? 23Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? 24But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.25And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.
Scriptures 13 tells us the man asked if thou will; verse 14 Jesus touched him and said be thou clean. If we read further to verse 18 we find a man with palsy; verse 20 tells us when Jesus saw their faith He said ‘thy sins are forgiven.’
John 9:1-101And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. 2And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? 3Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. 4I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.5As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. 6When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, 7And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
In this scripture, we see Jesus being asked who sinned the man or his parents. Neither this man nor his parents but that the works of God should be manifest in him.

What we can gather from all these scriptures is that God can and will tell if it is sin in a person’s life that has brought on illness, or that believing and having faith has healed them, with no mention of sin.

Returning to our three stories of the women with the issue of blood we see no where was she was told to sin no more, only that her faith has healed her.
Now we will look at what LJG heard in that teaching that got us so angry. Listeners were told she had the issue of blood because: it was sexually transmitted; and as a result her husband divorced her; she lost her children; she had no one; she was shunned; it was all her fault. This is simply the thoughts from this religious leader. Where does it say she was a harlot and brought the disease upon herself? How do we know she was married or had children?
Why is this bothering us so much? LJG stated it this way: 'I have always thought of her as a women who was willing to take her own life in her hands just to exercise her faith in Jesus.' From what we have read and researched this seems to be the case.
If it appears we are not answering some questions it is because we are going to follow this with an article by Kathryn Capoccia. She covers who, when, what, where, and how; which also includes the shunning that would have taken place in that day and age. We encourage you to read it for a further breakdown of the women's story.
This man is not along in the way he is teaching, we find it in many churches around the world. It is the reason we repeat ourselves in saying read and study for yourself.

God Bless each and every one of you.
recj/LJG
http://www.biblebb.com/files/KSS/kss-bleedingwoman.htm
We believe that this article will answer any remaining questions you might have. You can visit the site or continue on to read the article that will be posted here in a follow up article.

GOD'S MORNING MELODY

Matthew 6:9
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, etc.



This prayer begins where all true prayer must commence, with the spirit of adoption, "Our Father." There is no acceptable prayer until we can say, "I will arise, and go unto my Father." This child-like spirit soon perceives the grandeur of the Father "in heaven," and ascends to devout adoration, "Hallowed be Thy name." The child lisping, "Abba, Father," grows into the cherub crying, "Holy, Holy, Holy." There is but a step from rapturous worship to the glowing missionary spirit, which is a sure outgrowth of filial love and reverent adoration-"Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Next follows the heartfelt expression of dependence upon God-"Give us this day our daily bread." Being further illuminated by the Spirit, he discovers that he is not only dependent, but sinful, hence he entreats for mercy, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors:" and being pardoned, having the righteousness of Christ imputed, and knowing his acceptance with God, he humbly supplicates for holy persev erance, "Lead us not into temptation." The man who is really forgiven, is anxious not to offend again; the possession of justification leads to an anxious desire for sanctification. "Forgive us our debts," that is justification; "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil," that is sanctification in its negative and positive forms. As the result of all this, there follows a triumphant ascription of praise, "Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever, Amen." We rejoice that our King reigns in providence and shall reign in grace, from the river even to the ends of the earth, and of His dominion there shall be no end. Thus from a sense of adoption, up to fellowship with our reigning Lord, this short model of prayer conducts the soul. Lord, teach us thus to pray.
Charles Hadden Spurgeon Christiainity.com@crosswalkmail.com

EXCUSE US, WAIT A MINUTE, BACK UP!!!

How is that for a title? Did it get your attention? I will further explain that in a moment.

recj here to apolize to all our readers. As LJG recently shared with our readers she is taking care of a family member causing her to get a little behind in posting on our sites. I also have been for the last three years suffering from pain that the doctors from two different hospitals could not explain or do anything about. Now I have never doubted for a minute that our God does not heal. I believed when this started and still believe today that God can and will heal His children. Which leads us to this odd but telling title.

A few days ago a well-known religious leader was speaking of a story in the bible while LJG was listening. Her Spirit leapt up in her that what he was saying did not line up with Word of God. She sent me the info and I also reacted with anger at his words. This then lead to both of us doing hours of research, talking and comparing scriptures to see if he was right and we were wrong in our belief of what this story was showing to the people of God.

Thus the title above. Now usually I wait to do articles like this on Sunday, to express my personal feelings on something we both feel so strongly about. But as fate would have it, my illness reared its ugly head and I had to rest. Today I saw a new Doctor and finally it looks as though we might have an answer to my problem. We will though have to wait till he gets in the results of all the testing that has been done in the past three years. The truly wonderful thing about this is that as Christians we know that something needs to be called by name in order for us to bind and rebuke it. God always has a plan.

Now again I am sorry for not having articles to post the last few days, but we will promise you that on Sunday you will see the results of our labor about what this man spoke of. It is quite interesting, if we do say so ourselves.

LJG and I have noticed years ago that when we had a really good message from the Lord the computer would act up, we would get sick, something could and would go wrong. Which is just letting us know who is mad at us.

Keep us in your prayers, and be reading Sunday you will find it very interesting. It will also let you know again why we encourage all of you to read, study and seek God about what His Word says and what it means.

God Bless
recj/LJG

My computer was down all day yesterday. Praise God it is up and running today. LJG

WHY DID I OPEN THE DOOR

WHY DID I OPEN THE DOOR?
We have all seen them; they usually come in groups, Bible in hand, ready to save the world. This group was from a church that I had left years before most of them were born. What made me open the door I do not know; maybe just maybe I wanted to see was it the same, had nothing changed in all those 30 years?
They asked did I know of the church. I told them yes I had been a member, and why I had left. The conversation came to clothes. The young woman proceeded to tell me that we were not to wear men’s clothing. I asked what was worn in Bible times, to which we both said robes. Nevertheless, she insisted there was a different. Now I thought I had her. Yes a difference. I asked her did I look like a man with my pants, ‘No, she told me.’ Good they are women’s pants I said. No she continued, you are not to wear them.
People men and women wore robes back in Biblical days. There was a difference between them but they were both robes. Those differences would let you know if it was for a man or for women. Like buttons on a shirt, or the fly on pants.
Just for fun, I looked up the style of clothing and I am going to explain what they wore and the differences to you.
The inner tunic: for both men and women it was a long garment , for women reaching to the ankles, for men a undergarment for the upper body, but sometimes reaching to the ankles.
The tunic-coat or ketonet : a full length garment, usually with long sleeves; women usually had a finer quality and it was enhanced with needlework and/or multicolor threads.
The belt or girdle: Now we see a real difference men’s were of leather; women of colorful silk or wool, many times with a fringe nearly to the ankles.
The cloke or mantle: a robe worn over all other clothing for warmth; women usually more intricate.
The headdress: Worn chiefly as protection from the sun; women lighter, finer, and more colorful.
Shoes or sandals: shoes, soft leather; sandals, harder leather.
What a big difference? I do not know about you but it seems the women got finer material, and more colorful material then the men. But, now you know I would have to go there. Isn’t there a young man in the Old Testament who had a coat of many colors. In other words women wear dresses, and men wear pants that open to the other side!!
As to why I opened the door? I really have no sane answer, maybe from being bored. But i did tell them to please just leave after she told me they both wore robes, but no women are not to wear pants.
God Bless
recj/LJG

ANYONE CAN GIVE YOU A WORD FROM GOD

Numbers 22:28 KJV And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?
God will use people and yes even animals to speak to you. Which causes us to wonder, is He using someone else or an animal because we are not open to hear Him all the time? Now we are not speaking of a person confirming a Word you are waiting on, or a prophet giving you a Word.
If you read the story of Balaam he was angry when the donkey spoke to him. Being honest when we are angry it is hard to hear anyone, and that includes God. There are times also when we just are not listening.
There are times when God will use others to give us a Word, or confirm His Word, We though should be listening for His voice. We should know the sound of His voice just as the mother in the store looks up when she here’s a child call Momma in the store, and she knows it is her child. Yes anyone can give us a Word from God. BUT we should be listening for His Words every moment of our life.
God Bless
recj/LJG

ENOUGH TO HANG YOURSELF

'Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them.' Romans 1:24

We have all heard that expression 'enough rope to hang yourself' and even with God that can in fact happen. God will step back and with no interference from Him allow people to pursue the desires of their heart, not the desires of our Lord.

A story most of us are familiar with is the man in the storm who ended up on his roof with the waters rising. God sent a truck, a boat, and finally a helicopter but the man stayed put believing God would save him. One of my sayings is I have faith in God to protect me but I am not going to step in front of a 18-wheeler. I watch some of our thrill seekers in the world today. Trying to see how much further they can go with their next thrill.

Whether it is a thrill man is after, or lust of the heart, God is a good God and will be there for us until our foolishness becomes more important then our relationship with Him. How can we, even being saved, continue in sin or foolishness expecting God to save us no matter what we do?

God will give us over. Think about that. God will give us over.

God Bless
recj/LJG

"SPECIAL BLESSING" REAL FAITH AVOIDS BOASTING

Real Faith Avoids Boasting
James 4:13-17
October 16, 2011 AM

By boasting I mean - self-sufficiency. What is self-sufficiency?
Even we Christians can get to the point where we feel like we are self-sufficient.

We sometimes look at others who are struggling and say, “Its there own fault… and if they were more like me they would not be in this mess.” Really?!

Aren’t we all, what we are, only by the grace of God? Isn’t it still true that all good gifts come down from the Father above? Isn’t He the one who blesses us with the ability to become and to do and to have certain things? Or are we so arrogant that we would say, “I am what I am because I have done this or that!”

The truth is – I am only what I am by the grace of God!

You see, self-sufficiency is a terrible sin in the eyes of God. Why? Well, I will answer this question with the passage at hand.

Let’s Stand and Read James 4:13-17…

First of all notice:

One who is Self-sufficient Plans without God (v. 13)

Here’s the problem – when you plan the details of your life without considering God, you are saying, “God, I am in charge here.”

Here me out…there is nothing wrong with planning or being prepared. In fact, as someone has said, “Those who fail to plan have planned to fail.”

However, planning without regard to God is a mistake. And let me show some Scripture that affirms this truth:

Isaiah 55:8-9 – For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

So we see here that God has a plan for our lives…and I promise you that God’s plan for your life is perfect! He has planned an expected, predetermined course for your life.

That’s why we should hear and heed: Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Whose plan are you following? Yours or His?

Notice the plans of those in our text:
They have constructed their own desirable plan – “today or tomorrow” we will do this
They have chosen their own desirable place – “we will go into such a city”
They have calculated a desirable period of time – “continue there a year”
They have considered a desirable purpose – “buy and sell” – it’s what we want to do
They have even assumed a desirable profit – “get gain”

Now listen carefully – They were not being criticized for making plans or setting goals. They were being criticized for their failure to include God in their plans and goals.

They are also being condemned for what they’re after in life. The context suggests that they did not even consider what God wanted or what He thought.

Pastor Johnny Hunt said, “Their only reason for traveling, and trading and even living was to make a profit.”

Well that’s admirable goal…isn’t it? It is admirable as long as it is what God wants them to do…as long as it is the way God is leading in their lives!

However, we can see from the context here that although their goals and aspirations were high, they were not high enough.

They failed to remember that in their brief lives, their ultimate goal should have been to bring glory to God, not to make a profit! While they stacked up profits in this life, they failed to store up heavenly treasures for the next life.

And so we ought to be careful about being so self sufficient in life that we plan without regard to what God wants.

One who is Self-sufficient Presumes without Regard to God (v. 14)

No one can predetermine what will happen in their lives, in a year, a week, a day or even this very hour. Our lives are in the hands of Almighty God! He is in charge! He knows the number of our days and all that will occur.

Psalm 39:4-5 – Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am. 5 Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity.

None of us knows what tomorrow holds. Proverbs 21:1 – “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

Life is complex – Life is uncertain – Life is brief – And we control none of it!

James says that your life is like a vapor; Here one moment and gone the next.
What is a vapor? …Morning mist or fog, puff of smoke, steam from boiling pot of water. It appears for a short time and then it’s gone…That’s your life!

When I was a child, I laughed and wept – Time crept.
When I was a youth, I dreamed and talked – Time walked.
When I became a full-grown man – Time ran.
When older still I grew – Time flew.
Soon I shall find in passing on – Time gone.

We like to measure our lives by years, but God tells us to number our days…
Psalms 90:12 – 12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Luke 12:16-21 tells us a story about a man that Jesus called a fool…

Life is brief, God is in charge and only the fool lives contrary to these two facts!

One who is Self-sufficient fails to acknowledge God (v. 15-16)

James says in verse 16 – “You brag about your arrogance!” By the way this is the same word that John uses when he talks about “the pride of life.” The idea is to arrogantly live as if you are the master of your own fate. The problem here is PRIDE.

Louis Snedes says that this kind of pride comes in three models:
The Pride of Power – I have the power within myself to do whatever I set my mind to do.
The Pride of Knowledge – I know it all and you cannot tell me anything that I do not already know. Whatever contradicts my knowledge is a lie!
The Pride of Virtues – I am holier than thou and you should do what I do so that you can be like me!

Jeremiah 9:23-24 – 23 Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:
24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.

I am convinced that pride is first and foundational sin and I believe it is at the root of just about any sin that you could name. We can show others our faith by avoiding pride!

One who is Self-sufficient lives in sin (v. 17)

James finishes this section with a statement of the obvious. He has already explained what these boasters of life do. They make plans without regard to God; they presume the course of their lives without regard to God; and they fail to acknowledge God in their decisions because of pride. Now he says, “If you know that you should do something and you do not do it, this is sin.”

While the self-sufficient bragger goes about life according to his own desires, he often fails to do the obvious things that God has put before him.
I know that I should go to church;
I know that I should quit this bad habit;
I know that I should read my Bible;
I know that I should spend more time with my family;
I know that I should give more to the Lord;
I should go on a diet;
I should take better care of myself;
I know I should, I should I should…
but if I know that I should do good and I don’t do it, then I am in sin.

There are so many uncertainties in life. Life’s complexities can leave us whirling and wondering what we should do. There is so much about our lives and our futures that we will never be able to predetermine…these things should be left to the Lord’s will.

Even we Christians spend a lot of time doing what we want to do, trying to fulfill our desires and oftentimes without regard to God, not knowing what tomorrow holds. BUT… what we do know… that is what we should do…those are the things that we should spend our time doing! Amen!

Let me close by saying that James makes it very clear that knowledge and responsibility go hand in hand. It is one thing to sin without a clear understanding, but to sin in the face of known truth is altogether something different.

2 Peter 2:21 – 21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

Our life phrase and philosophy should be verse 15 – “If the Lord is willing” I’ll do this or that. However, once we know His will, we must do it!

Prayer: Lord thank you for your Word. Now help us to live by it. God help us to seek your plans and purposes for our lives and not our own; realizing that our lives are in your hands, and too short to try to make a go on our own. Help us Lord to look for and live according to your will.
Now as we come to this invitation, help us to respond with action to your leading. Salvation…separation…membership…etc.
In Jesus Name. Amen

Senior Pastor John Sweat, Sr
Crossroads Baptist Chruch
1595 Baxley Road
Middleburg, Florida
904)376-5049

THANK YOU

To all God's faithful readers of our site I would like to take a moment and thank all of you. I am sorry that the sites are not going so well right now. I have my ex-husband at my house with end stage vascular dementia and it does take up a lot of my time. I am not meaning to let God or ya'll down.

By accident this morning I deleted two comments and if those people would please resend their request I will be more than happy to respond. I am so very sorry. I will be looking for the request again.

Thank you and God's Blessing to each of you,

LJG/recj

TO BE OR NOT TO BE: A CHRISTIAN

The Bible mentions in three scriptures [ Acts 11:26; Acts 26:28; and 1 Peter 4:16] the calling of those that believe in Christ Jesus as Christians. It would be interesting here to note that these verses refer to the followers of Christ who did not acknowledge the emperor of Rome.

The word Christian is therefore first mentioned by Peter and Paul in the New testament giving us reason to believe that the term did in fact start at that time. Peter was an disciple under Christ while He was here on earth, whereas Paul came to His belief in Christ after Christ had died and risen.

Both believed that Jesus Christ was the One whom was spoken of in the Old Testament. Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

This is the Christian that was spoken of by Peter and Paul. Christian being One that walked and talked as Christ did while here on earth.

The word christian now does not have the same meaning. A christian now is considered to be anyone that does believe in Jesus, whether they believe in His virgin birth, or agree with His teachings.

Denominationalism is the ideology which views some or all christian groups as being versions of the same regardless of their distinguishing labels. Some christian groups believe themselves to be the only right 'church.'

Without being able to define christianity how then can we determine what christianity is? When all groups are put together under the heading of being 'Christian', even when we know that they do not agree or line up with the teaching of Christ Jesus as it is presented in the Bible without change, do we then want to be called 'Christian.'

To us to be a Christian means to follow after the teachings of Christ. Not to change His word to suit our own lifestyle, which is what many churches are doing now. We are aware of the changes that have happened with the translations's of the Bible through all the many years since it was first written down from stories that were passed around for many years. This is why we encourage all to pray seek the will of God, ask for His wisdom and knowledge in understanding His Word. To seek after His face, not to accept any mans word for what the lord intends for us to believe. To put out the fleece and ask God 'What do You mean by this?' Believe us he likes it when we ask.

God Bless
recj/LJG

THE TRANSMIT AUTHORITY

"The word of the Lord came to me saying, 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set up apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations'" (Jeremiah 1:4-5 NIV).

Competitions can be cruel. Usually only one contestant wins. For a culture wrapped up in winning, the runner up is still a loser. And no second place finisher feels good about them-selves. They drown in sorrow, self-pity, depression, and despair. All of those emotions can be reversed on the single word of an authority.

A student in architecture entered a nationwide contest for building design. Judged by a panel of architects, her design received Honorable Mention. She was utterly depressed. She believed hers was the best design. At lunch on the last day of the convention she was sitting over her uneaten sandwich, looking at her creation. An old man was looking at it, too. At last he remarked, not knowing who had designed the building, "This one, I think, is the best of the lot." Judges had merely given her work Honorable Mention, but one old man had liked it. The young student went home elated. Why? The old man was Frank Lloyd Wright, probably the greatest architect of the time.

When the authority tells us something, we can count on it. God is the authority on who we are. He is the Creator. He gives the correct information. He is the one we should be listening to about who we are.

Jeremiah felt the emotions of being a loser, a second-rate prophet from a third-world country. He didn't feel like he could measure up to the assignment of being God's spokesperson. He was feeble, fallow, and flawed. But the authority (God) reminded him that he had a divine formation, a distinctive calling, and a chosen vocation. He was God's voice to God's people.

It helps to hear from the authority. Instead of entertaining the mockery of the multitude, the ridicule of the rivals, and the false accusation of your foes, listen to God. His voice is the one that really matters. And his is the one that speaks truth.

…..Copyright by Rick Ezell, 2009, as seen in One Minute Uplift by way of Cup O'Cheer (cheer316@sc.rr.com) and “Christian Voices” (www.ChristianVoicesWorldwide.net)

I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHICH STRENGTHENS ME

by bummyla

I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHICH STRENGTHENS ME
(Philippians 4:13)

“Christ” in our
opening Scripture doesn’t refer to the Man Jesus; it means “The Anointed One and HisAnointing”. It refers to the supernatural
empowerment Jesus received when the Holy Spirit came upon Him, which made Him
the Christ. You received the same Holy Spirit when you were born again. Thus
the same anointing that madeJesus The
Christ and gave Him the ability to do the impossible is at work in us. Apostle
Paul understood this truth, and by the Spirit said, “I can do all things
through Christ which strengthens me.”

Like Apostle Paul, we ought to make this our constant
confession; The ability of The Holy Spirit has been granted to us to achieve
supernatural exploits in life. The Bible says, “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of
ourselves; but our sufficiency is of GOD” (2 Corinthians 3:5). The word
“sufficiency” in the verse of scripture means “ability”. The Spirit of God is
letting us know that we’ve been endued with God’s supernatural ability.
Therefore, look beyond what your physical ability can do.

Never let your confidence rest in your intellect or in your
physical ability because there’s a divine energy available to us. That energy
is the power of The Holy Spirit which we must recognize and put to work in our
lives every day. With us, nothing is impossible. Cultivate the “I can do
mentality” and be possibility- conscious.

For example, if you’re a student, never admit that something
you’ve read is too difficult for you to understand. Rather, tell yourself, “I
have the ability of God in me; I can do all things through Christ which
strengthens me. I have the ability to comprehend everything I read and pass my
examinations with flying colours.”

If a project or an assignment is given to you in your place
of work, no matter how difficult it may look, don’t say it can’t be done. Never
say something is impossible; we have the ability of God in us, therefore we can
do all things.

PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father,
thank You for Your power that works in me mightily. I declare like Apostle Paul
that I can do all things through Your anointing that’s at work in me. Thank You
for helping me build an “I can do mentality”, and because I’m conscious of Your
divine energy that’s at work in me, I know that nothing will ever be impossible
for me to accomplish, in Jesus Christ Name! Amen!

www.rhapsodyofrealities.org

May Our God The Almighty prosper Nigeria
and Israel and defend us from all our enemies in Jesus Christ Name, Amen!

I am truly sorry that I can’t give you an url for this site but he is on wordpress.

INTIMACY

Yesterday we mentioned intimacy, we want to speak on it again today. Exactly what do you think intimacy is? We love the way one Preacher describes it ’In-To-Me-See’. The Me being Christ Jesus. See into Me, Christ is saying to us. Look into Him, with eyes only for Him. Forgetting all the cares and worries of the world. God wants us to be so into Him that nothing else matters, there is just you and Him. We are to become one with Him.
The questions to think on today: Does Christ Jesus need you? When we do spend time with Him what do we spend that time doing?
Intimacy, being One with Christ. When is the last time you just basked in His glory? Not asking anything of Him, just enjoying Him for all He is?
God Bless
recj/LJG

SOLID FOUNDATION

Michelangelo’s David stands in a rotunda in Florence, Italy. A very impressive statue, known the world over. Why though have I shown it from the back? Look closely at the bottom right. A tree stump that most do not notice or comment on. It is not ornamental, but a vidal part of the statue. Without this stump to balance the entire work of art, the masterpiece would have toppled centuries ago.
In our relationship with Christ, we need a solid foundation. Without a solid base, we also will topple. The tests that we go through in life are too heavy for us to support alone. It is only with the proper support that we will be able to stand, and that support can only happen with an intimacy with Christ. Our relationship with the Lord needs to be build on intimacy with Christ.
Psalms 27:8 When You said, ‘Seek My face’, my heart said to You, ‘Your face, oh Lord, I shall I seek.’
James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
Psalms 46:10 Be still, an know that I am God.

God Bless,
recj/LJG

SUNDAY EDITORIAL WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?

Thank the Lord for another day. A new day and what do we intend to do with it? From my facebook page most people are ready for football and beer. It causes me to wonder, will Jesus decide not to come on a Sunday because there are so many people watching different football games? Makes you think doesn't it, if He does come during a game will the stands be empty?

When would be a good time for Him to come? Christmas, no cause it doesn't always fall on Sunday. How about Easter? Now there is a day the churches are full. Wonder how many empty seats there would be?

How about during a funeral, they are going on all the time. Have you ever been to a funeral when they have said well we know they are going to hell. Seems to me like everyone that dies is going to heaven. Makes for a very crowded place.

So have you given it any thought? It is another day, how much time are you going to give to God today? Well one way or the other He is going to 'Get YOU', the problem is what is He going to do with you once He does?

Have a blessed day in the Lord
recj/LJG

EAGLES IN THE STORM

Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks? The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it. The eagle does not escape the storm. It simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm.

When the storms of life come upon us - and all of us will experience them - we can rise above them by setting our minds and our belief toward God.

The storms do not have to overcome us. We can allow God's power to lift us above them. God enables us to ride the winds of the storm that bring sickness, tragedy, failure, and disappointment into our lives. We can soar above the storm. Remember, it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down, it is how we handle them.

"Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on the wings like eagles." (Isaiah 40:31)

…..The Daily Encourager (dlangerfeld@harrisburgbaptist.org) by way of “Christian Voices” (www.ChristianVoicesWorldwide.net)

CHANGE YOUR LIFE

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind...”
(Romans 12:2, NIV)



TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

If you watch television for any length of time, it won’t be long before you see products and pills advertised to make you thinner, smarter, younger looking, more successful and ultimately claim to change your life. But the truth is all you need in order to change your life is already in your hand. God has given you the ability and the power to be transformed into the person He created you to be.

I heard somebody said, “Sight has to do with what we can see, but vision has to do with what we can be.” The reason some people are stuck at the same level is because their vision is limited. They don’t see themselves growing, increasing, being promoted or getting healthier. All they see is more of the same. More lack. More struggle. More defeat. They’re producing what they’re seeing.

Friend, don’t let that be you! Instead, let the Word of God wash over you and renew your thinking. See yourself the way God sees you. See yourself rising higher. See yourself becoming stronger, healthier and wiser. Change the picture you have of your life, and you will change your life. See yourself the way God sees you and receive the wonderful blessings He has in store for your future!



A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father God, thank You for the seed of the Word which will not return void in my life. I receive Your truth which sets me free. Help me to see my life the way You see it so I can boldly embrace the blessings You have in store for me in Jesus’ name. Amen.

— Joel & Victoria Osteen

AUTOMATIC DOORS

Psalm 116:2 He has inclined His ear to me and I will call upon Him as long as I live

Recently I was shopping at a department store, and took note of the automatic doors. One door was labeled “in”, and would automatically swing inward as you approached it. The other, marked “out”, only worked from the opposite side.

I am so thankful prayer - our communication with God - is extended to us in a different manner. His doors of love open both ways - it is not a one - sided affair.

Our Heavenly Father is so majestic and mighty, but He listens to us as we speak to him. Am I attuned to listen to Him when He speaks to me? He is always available to us. He will hear our praises and petitions. They may transpire any time of the day or night, be of any length, and be grand or simple in language.

Likewise, He talks to us in so very many ways - perhaps through a friend, a sermon, a Christian book, tape or radio program, through spiritual music, or through the awareness of the miracle of nature and life. He definitely speaks to me through His holy Word - the Bible. He even speaks to us in the small still inner voice that each Christian possesses.

Thank you, Lord, that our communication is a two-way door. You listen to us, as well as speak to us . We can talk to you as well as hear You through the door you have opened for each of your children - the door of prayer.

…..Marion Smith (noles65@aol.com) by way of “Christian Voices” (www.ChristianVoicesWorldwide.net)

AUTOMATIC DOORS

Psalm 116:2 He has inclined His ear to me and I will call upon Him as long as I live

Recently I was shopping at a department store, and took note of the automatic doors. One door was labeled “in”, and would automatically swing inward as you approached it. The other, marked “out”, only worked from the opposite side.

I am so thankful prayer - our communication with God - is extended to us in a different manner. His doors of love open both ways - it is not a one - sided affair.

Our Heavenly Father is so majestic and mighty, but He listens to us as we speak to him. Am I attuned to listen to Him when He speaks to me? He is always available to us. He will hear our praises and petitions. They may transpire any time of the day or night, be of any length, and be grand or simple in language.

Likewise, He talks to us in so very many ways - perhaps through a friend, a sermon, a Christian book, tape or radio program, through spiritual music, or through the awareness of the miracle of nature and life. He definitely speaks to me through His holy Word - the Bible. He even speaks to us in the small still inner voice that each Christian possesses.

Thank you, Lord, that our communication is a two-way door. You listen to us, as well as speak to us . We can talk to you as well as hear You through the door you have opened for each of your children - the door of prayer.

…..Marion Smith (noles65@aol.com) by way of “Christian Voices” (www.ChristianVoicesWorldwide.net)

HEALED BY THE NAME OF JESUS

Isaiah 53:5
But 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.

1 Peter 2:24
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
We love these two scriptures. Read them carefully, Isaiah says ‘we ARE healed.’ 1 Peter tells us ‘ye WERE healed.’

Are is the present indicative plural of the substantive verb to be. Were is the imperfect indicative plural, and imperfect subjunctive singular and plural, of the verb be. Be. To be to exist actually, or in the world of fact; to have existence. To exist in a certain manner or relation, -- whether as a reality or as a product of thought; to exist as thesubject of a certain predicate, that is, as having a certain attribute, or as belonging to a certain sort, or as identical with what is specified, To take place; to happen;. To signify; to represent or symbolize; to answer to.
We found that commonly used words are often spoken without a full understanding of their meaning. Looking at the definition of a word reinforces the true meaning. When we read these scriptures, we are to read them as though they actually exist in reality or in our thoughts.
To stand in belief of God’s Word we are to speak these scriptures as though they be, not as we would have them to be.
Look closely the verses do not imply might be, shall be, can be, will be. No the scriptures say that they are NOW.
He paid the price one time; He does not have to pay it again. He did not ask us if we wanted Him to do this for us. Now we are certain that none of us would ask Him to go back and be beaten again.
Be Blessed by the One True God of all Creation, Our Savior Jesus Christ
recj/LJG

WHAT IS NORMAL?

[THANKS TO SIS JACKIE]


My beautiful sister Jackie posted this on Face Book today: ‘I’m past due for some normalcy’. Now I believe in giving credit where credit is due, so Jackie this is the result of your words.
I answered ‘Remember what is normal for one is not normal to another. Example: conjoined twins are normal to themselves.

What is normal to one is not always normal to another. What we accept as the right way to do something is entirely wrong to another. A great example of this is bath time. My personal belief is how you can crawl in bed to wake the next morning to take your bath. It has been explained to me that a bath in the morning starts your day off fresh and clean. So please explain to me how you can go to bed dirty, which in turn makes your sheets dirtier each time you do this, cause I know you do not change them every day. Therefore sleeping in the funk you have from the entire day. My take is you bathe at night, so you are fresh to lie on your sheets, to wake up the next morning clean. Nevertheless, who am I?

Another example would be gas in the car. My take is you fill up when you go to the station, using the ½ mark as an empty line. This way you NEVER run out of gas. Having lived in hurricane country both in Florida and along the coast of Louisiana, I am always prepared to go when the need arises, or the water. Numerous people I know put just enough to go where they are going this trip. Two miles to the grocery store means stopping and putting 3 dollars in, which is not even a gallon of gas.

How do the conjoined twins figure in all this? Years ago on television two young women were asked did they miss being normal. No, one said this is all we have ever known, this to us is normal.

There are many definitions for the word normal, we will go with what relates to the subject we are on: 2 a: according with, constituting, or not deviating from a norm, rule, or principle b: conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern 3: occurring naturally .
Being a Christian it is natural for us to thrive to live as Jesus would have us live, not deviating from His Word. What then is a normal Christian? Being a normal Christian is not something we are born with, but something that is acquired as we grow in the Lord. It also depends on the teaching that we receive. There are Christians that support abortions, gay rights, legal use of certain drugs, etc. Many Christians do not believe in speaking in tongues, laying on of hands, healing, etc. This is to them normal; does that then make it right? No, of course not. What makes something right or wrong? What makes it normal to God is if it lines up with His Word.

Today ponder on what is normal to Christ!

Be Blessed
recj/LJG

WHERE HE REIGNS, THERE IS PEACE

By Bishop E. Earl Jenkins

Ira Sankey provided the music for D.L. Moody's evangelistic meetings. One night after singing a solo called "The Shepherd's Song" a stranger asked him, "Did you serve in the Union Army?" When he said yes, the man asked, "Were you on picket duty one moonlit night in the winter of 1860?" When Sankey said yes, the man continued: "Me too. But I was in the Confederate Army, and when I saw you I decided to kill you. Then you started singing that song, so I took my finger off the trigger thinking, 'I'll let him sing then I'll shoot him.' But you stirred up so many childhood memories of my Godly mother that it was impossible for me to follow through. That night when I thought of the God who saved you from certain death, my arm went limp."

Such stories aren't unusual. One Christmas during WWI as Americans and Germans were in their bunkers, somebody started singing, "O Little Town of Bethlehem." Immediately men who'd been shooting at each other began singing in German and English, "O Holy Child of Bethlehem! Descend to us we pray; Cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today. We hear the Christmas Angels the great glad tidings tell; O come to us, abide with us, Our Lord, Emmanuel."

Jesus is "The Prince of Peace" (See Is 9:6), and the Bible says, "Of...his government and peace there will be no end." Where Christ governs, there's peace! Whether it's a sniper preparing to pick off a sentry or a spouse planning to explode in anger, Jesus can change hearts and bring peace - if you let Him!

Scripture Of The Day: "Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end." - Isaiah 9:7a (NKJV)

"SPECIAL BLESSING" GOD'S UNLIMITED GRACE AND GLORY

God’s Unlimited Grace and Glory – Giftedness
I Peter 4:10-11
September 25, 2011 AM

Intro - The Gift of God is eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Illus: (Display a large wrapped box with a gift inside…use it to describe God gifts of grace to us)
I am so thankful today for God’s amazing grace and glory! I am thankful because it is unlimited in its person…unlimited in its purpose…and unlimited in its power.
It is God’s grace that brings us the Gospel…and it is the Gospel which opens the door to His marvelous grace.
The question is: Have you believed the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and have you received Him as your personal Savior?
If you have…then you know about His gifts of grace and glory…because you have received it. But what you also need to know is that you are now a steward of this gift that you have received.
God saves us for a purpose…He saves us by His grace…and then supplies us with certain gifts to be used for His glory. I suppose we could say that as Christians we are gifted in many ways.
There are certain young people who are identified by their teachers as being especially “gifted”. These are students who are believed to have an extraordinary capacity for learning and understanding. So they take these gifted students and try to provide for them a more intense course of study in order to develop their extraordinary potential.
Every believer is gifted…and has extraordinary potential! But why are we gifted? We are gifted and to be used for the glory of God. We are stewards…responsible to use what He has given us for His glory!
Yet, many Christians today don’t see themselves as gifted in any way. In fact, many of them think that the service of God should be left to those who are called or gifted to do His work…but listen Christian: Every one of us are called, gifted & given responsibility to do the work of God!
I would like for you to consider what the Scriptures have to say about this matter:
Ephesians 4:11-13
I Corinthians 12:1, 4-7, 11
Romans 12:3
Now, I am not going to have time to talk about each gift in detail, but there are a few basic things that you need to know before we continue:
There are many different gifts
Not everyone has the same gifts
But everyone has at least one gift
Now, these gifts we are talking about are not talents or natural abilities…they are supernatural gifts given to believers according to the will of God.
With these thoughts in mind I would like for you to turn to I Peter 4:10-11:
With these two verses I would like to give you three things to think about concerning your spiritual gifts.
The Purpose of Having Your Gift – 10a & 11c
Notice the beginning of verse 10 and the end of verse 11…
“As every man has received the gift…that God in all things may be glorified”
It should be the sole aim of every believer to bring honor and glory to God and not to self. We do not preach, or teach, or minister, or serve to draw attention to ourselves.

Matthew 5:16 – Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
John 15:8 – Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
Romans 15:6 – That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I Corinthians 6:20 – For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
So, simply put the purpose of having your gift is that it to be used to glorify God.
The Priority of Using Your Gift – 10b
“Even so let him minister the same one to another”
Use it! If you are not using your gift then you are not doing the very thing that God has equipped you to do.
“Wealth unused may as well not exist”
“Truth unused is like an unused muscle”
And an unused gift is not a blessing to the one who has it, nor to anyone else.
We use our gifts for God’s glory, but we also use them to minister to others.
“As good stewards of the manifold grace of God”
There is that word again…Steward! God has entrusted to us certain gifts…made us stewards of these gifts…We are responsible to use them and accountable for how we use them!
So, the priority of your gift is to use it! Not for yourself; not for your fulfillment, but for edification, and encouragement of other believers.
And if we put these two points together we see that the purpose and priority of your spiritual giftedness is for God’s glory and the good of others.
The Power of Expressing Your Gift – 10b, 11b
With this point let me back up again to the phrase - “As good stewards of the manifold grace of God”…think about this for a moment…
If our giftedness is according to God’s manifold grace (which means multifaceted, and speaks of its variety) then I think we can assume two wonderful truths about our gifts or giftedness:
He gives us what He wants us to have to use for Him.
What He gives us to use for Him is backed by His own power.
Notice again the middle part of verse 11…“As of the ability which God gives”
Sometimes using your gift can be a little uncomfortable or scary…you may feel a little hesitant or lack confidence in your ability to do it…but the same God who decided to gift you in this way will also give you the power to do it!
Closing – Maybe you are wondering…what is my gift? How can I know what it is?
Well, to find out what your gift is you have to get involved in the work of God…and then simply do what you enjoy the most. If you don’t enjoy it then it isn’t your gift…but if you do enjoy it then do it for God’s honor and glory!
Some are called to be preachers, teachers, or evangelists. And some are gifted with mercy, ministry of helps or hospitality. There are other gifts…let me encourage you to discover what it is and then use it for God’s glory and the good of others.
Illus - Give the gift to someone & tell them when it is opened they must share it with someone else.)
Are you saved?...If so you have received His marvelous grace which he has bestowed upon you and now you are a steward of the Gospel…and a steward of the Giftedness which also He has given you according to His own will.

Senior Pastor John Sweat, Sr
Crossroads Baptist Chruch
1595 Baxley Road
Middleburg, Florida
904)376-5049

2ND SUNDAY EDITORIAL

WHEN IS A SIN A SIN
KJV Romans 5:6-8 6For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
19-3119Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.20Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. 21But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. 27Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. 28Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. 29Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: 30Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. 31Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.
We woke up this morning to read the following on line.
SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. — More than two decades after Scott Anderson told his California congregation that he was gay and therefore must resign as its pastor, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) is preparing to welcome him back with mostly open arms.
Anderson will be ordained Saturday in his new home of Madison, Wis., as the denomination’s first openly gay minister, marking the latest mainline Protestant church to move toward accepting homosexual relationships.
We know that Jesus loves us even when we sin, and we are thankful that we can go to Him even in sin and ask for deliverance and forgiveness. Why though would you put a person, who is saying accept my sin, accept me and put me behind the pulpit? Yes, it is a sin. Where do we get our information from, the Bible.
Homosexuality is a sin. Genesis 19 tells of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, verses 5-8 “and they called to Lot and said to him, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them.’ But Lot went out to them at the doorway, and shut the door behind him, and said, ‘Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly.’”
, Lev 18:22-23 “You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.” Lev 20:13 “If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death.”
The New Testament does not change. 1 Cor 6:9 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals” 1 Tim 1:9-10 “realizing the fact that (civil) law is not made for a righteous man, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers” Rom 1:26-27 “For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.”
People where do we draw the line? We not want anyone openly acting in sin in any leadership positions in our churches. By sin, we mean any sin.
If all sin and fall short of the glory of God, who then is able to stand in those positions. We pray that any will pray and ask God for forgiveness before standing before any to preach or teach. There is not a one of us that is perfect. However, to openly announce that this is what we do, accept us and we will continue to do this is sin. No, they should not be allowed to take those positions of leadership.
God Bless
recj/LJG

SUNDAY EDITORIAL

We want to address an issue that has come up in our life’s and we believe has occurred in the life’s of others. Today we are going to write on ‘Care Giver’s’. We include Doctors, Nurses, home care workers, etc. First, let us say that we have been exposed to many that are professional, and even under trying times have given us great care. We say thank you to these who have shown compassion and understanding toward our families and us.
The ones we want to address are those that do not show that professionalism and compassion. In short, they do not take the time to listen to us. LJG and I both have health issues that we have lived with for years. In LJG case, she has a family member living in her home that she has provided care for many years. We are familiar and know the ends and outs of our cases. We know what does and does not work.
We could give plenty of examples here that would fill pages. This is the problem we have; we want you to listen to us. We have addressed these problems for years. We might not be a Nurse or Doctor, but after years of this, we know the treatment that works. You are new to our cases, we are not unconscious, we are awake and alert. Listen to us. I personally have had to tell an ambulance medic that I refuse treatment after he stuck me 4 times in my right hand. LJG had to tell a new hospice worker to leave her home.
If I was unconscious, I would not care how many times I was stuck or bruised but awake I can tell you, inside my left elbow is the fastest and easiest place to get an IV in me. LJG knows the personality of her family member; she knows the calmest ways to work with him.
Listen to us, that is all we are saying. We are not trying to do your job, we are trying to make your job easier by telling you what we know works for us, in a situation that we are very familiar with.
God Bless
recj/LJG
The really sad part of this whole thing is that too many family and care givers DO NOT know what is wrong with their family member. Me, on the other hand, has been through it all with him. June 1, 2000, open heart operation, for the whole month. July, 2000, back in ICU with renal failure for the rest of that month. August 2000 back in the hospital with congestive heart failure for the rest of that month. I was right there with him all the time. I went to the doctor appointments so I would know cause he couldn't remember what the doctor would say. His pt inr HAS NEVER been stable. Starting in September 2000 we had to drive to St Vincent down in Riverside five days a week. Then it was four days a week. Then 3 times a week. I had every milligram of Warfarin there is. Back then the blood had to be taken out of a vein. Thank God St Vincent opened a clinic out here in Orange Park and they had come up with a finger stick. His veins are gone. He now has to be butterflied. Trust me if you don't get it the first time you ain't gonna get it. His vein's clot even while you are drawing the blood.
When Hospice first took over his care, the doctor was going through his chart, which ain't a small one, Allison, the Social Worker, told him to call me. He questioned her on whether I would know. So he had Christine call me and ask why was he on Warfarin. He has an AVR St Jude artificial value I told her. Allison told me later that the doctor was in a state of shock that I knew.
As my brother-in-law, Mark, says my personality is LOUD. That's just the way I am. Now trying to claim you don't hear me will not pass muster. As all the personnel of Hospice knows I am LOUD. I have to really think hard, which don't happen often, to talk in a quiet voice.
I do not have RN, LPN or any medical initials behind my name. BUT I do have mama and experience there. I was a CNA in the past and after my third patient died I decided it was time to take a break.
God and Carlos put me in charge of his care. Outside of me, NO ONE and I do mean NO ONE is going to use him as a pin cushion just to prove me wrong. God has given me the strength, ability and He alone guides my path. Carlos will get the best care that is possible as he deserves. He does have enough brain cells left to know a little of what is going on. He will be treated as a normal human beginning or you won't treat him.
Justine is the first Hospice Person that has come to our house and showed absolutely NO compassion or feeling. She didn't talk to him. She was more worried about me cause she had me so upset my oxygen dropped and my nails and lips were turning blue. I told her I was not the patient and I would be fine I was under the care of God as is Carlos and it was time to go.
I do not go out of my way to be nasty to people UNLESS I see you mistreat a person less fortunate than you. Then I am the unnicest person you will ever meet.
Please, please always remember to treat a person who is not in good health as you would like to be treated. They did not ask for this disease to come on them. With Jesus all things are possible. Jesus showed compassion which tells us we are too.
Jesus is my rock and He keeps renewing me as He does the Eagles. Thank You Jesus,
LJG

GETTING WHAT WE DON'T DESERVE

Acts 12:18-19a
In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.
Peter had been rescued from prison, and possibly the same fate as James, by an angel of the Lord. According to Roman custom, guards who "let" their prisoner escape (in this case Peter) received the same punishment or penalty as their prisoner. As a result, you can imagine what high level of care a soldier would have placed into guarding his prisoner (to avoid the same fate). I sometimes struggle with what appears to be the unfairness -- in human terms -- of things that happen in Scripture. I'm sure the guards did nothing wrong, yet they were executed nonetheless.

Have you ever been punished for something you didn't do? It's hard to think of a recent incidence because rarely does that happen. Instead, most of the time we escape from justifiable punishment because no one has caught us doing what we did wrong. Think that doesn't apply to you? For the next week when you drive your car, count the number of times you break a law (excessive speed, illegal u-turn, following too closely on the freeway, etc.). Then count how many tickets you received for these violations. I think you will be grateful you didn't get what you deserved for each and every violation.

As Christians, we probably have a higher developed sense of gratitude for not getting what we deserve because we start from the perspective that we are all sinners and therefore need a Savior. So when I get punished for something I didn't do, I usually try to abate my anger by counting off all the things I did that I didn't get caught doing. But let's face it, sometimes it seems a little unfair when, as in our passage today, we see the soldiers executed for allowing Peter to escape when it was no fault of their own. Or a lot unfair when a child is born in Africa with AIDS. I wish I had a nice, neat explanation for why God allows bad things to happen to people, but I don't. All I do know is unfair things do happen, and sooner or later it's going to happen to you no matter how "good" a Christian you are. Are you ready to trust God in all circumstances?
My favorite Bible verse for dealing with a difficult or unfair situation is Romans 8:28 "And we know that in ALL THINGS [my emphasis] God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." I have this one and numerous other verses memorized so when (not if) I run into a problem, I can call upon and find comfort in one of God's promises. What about you? What are your top Bible verses for dealing with hardship, loss, worry, sickness, or death? If you don't have any, let me encourage you to start a list today. Begin with Romans 8:28.

pocketpower.org

WE ARE SAYING WE ARE SORRY

We are posting this today to explain having to remove posts from one of our sites yesterday. This is concerning our Face book pages. Yes we do use these sites to communicate with family and friends. One look at these pages would show anyone we are into God. We do not care if you think we are Jesus freaks are whatever, this is what we believe and live for.
Maybe you do not consider it vulgar, maybe you were not thinking, maybe you did it on your page and it just showed up on ours. The thing is we have written before we do not try to be polically correct. It it concerns the Bible we will back it up with scripture. If it is our personal view we say that at the beginning of the article.
The point though is that if we find it to be vulgar with cuss words, unsightly pictures, or racial comments the post will be removed as soon as we see it.
We thank you for respecting our beliefs.
God Bless
recj/LJG

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

QUESTIONS FOR TODAY

Look closely at the picture above. Do you see Jesus on the cross? If you shake the skull you will hear the rattle of bones [dice], like the guards rolled at the base of His cross. I found this hard to believe the first time I heard the story from a fisherman. Then they showed me the skull, and yes I shoke it.

Today we know that Jesus was taken off that cross, buried and arose. We think that natural wonders created by God that remind of us Jesus are awesome. Man made images can be found everywhere also. The questions today: Would you pray to that skull? There are people today that pray to images of the cross, and the cross itself. We ask again would you pray to the catfish skull? Then why would you pray to a man made image.

God Bless
recj/LJG

QUESTION OF THE DAY

he Bible tells us we are to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. We will reap what we sow. It is only right that we be kind to others. Before the expression got popular ‘pass it forward’ I was one to say ’do it for someone else’.
This though is my question: when we reach out to others, whether it be a neighbor or stranger, does that mean we want to be best buds with them? Do we want to hang out with them, visit them, or have them visit us?
Has the world gotten to a place where if someone is nice to us, we want to cling to them? People should be able to accept kindness without thinking we want to be a part of their life’s. I would love to hear your thoughts on this.
God Bless
recj/LJG

MAY GOD BLESS YOU THIS DAY...WITH MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

Once upon a time, a fellow (we'll call Mike) took his young daughter, son, two nephews and a niece to a place high on a mountain. Its treeless top was covered with green grass, and they could see surrounding mountains for many a mile.

Suddenly Mike spread his arms, began slowly spinning, and burst out in song. "The hills are alive...with the sound of music."

These many years later, the children, now all grown, remember it with fondness, laughter, and even a bit of joy. The mere mention of this brief moment in their lives brings a quick smile. How sad it would have been had Mike been consumed with appearances, like much of the rest of the world.

While stuck at home recovering from surgery, I watched a lot of TV and things on the Internet. One in particular was a clip from Britain's Got Talent featuring Susan Boyle. As she stood on the stage, the audience openly laughed at her, rolling their eyes with ridicule. At least, that is, until Ms. Boyle began to sing. Then they cheered.

What caused the mocking stares, laughter and blatant disbelief when she said she dreamed of being a professional singer? As scores of articles honestly said afterward, it was because of how Ms. Boyle looked. In the audience's eyes, she was homely and frumpy. To them, she was not beautiful nor even pretty. They judged her for her appearance, rather than try to see into her heart.

This has nothing to do with Brits. I see the same thing everywhere. TV personalities, movie stars, authors, corporate executives, politicians, even more than a few pastors, ministers and priests. For some reason many think that how someone looks has something to do with that individual as a person.

And then they apply such standards to themselves, and life becomes miserable. I'm too fat, too thin, too tall, too short, too dark, too light. I don’t like my hair, my eyes, the length of my legs. Even more...I can't walk, I can't stand, I can't hear, I can't see, I can't speak. I'm not beautiful. I'm worthless.

Appearance can beat down and steal joy when a person is consumed by it. God has warned us of such devotion. All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless...They know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see,
and their minds closed so they cannot understand. No one stops to think... (Isaiah 44:9a,18-19a)

But remember how Isaiah described the One who would come? He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. (Isaiah 53:2b) Jesus was not handsome. His appearance would not have drawn us to Him. He was plain and ordinary. If today He stood on a stage and told us, I have come to save you, what would we say? Nope, sorry, you don’t look the part.

Next!

God does not care how you look. He does not care about the color of your skin, how much of it you may have, or its lines of age. He does not care if your body is perfect according to the standards of this world. God's focus, what He deeply cares about, is found on the inside, where From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth. (Psalms 50:2). Do you seek to be like Him?

God looks into your heart and sees someone worth dying for. Spread your arms and dance on the mountaintop. Let no one bring you down, for to the One who created the wonders of the Universe, the galaxies, the stars, and this incredible planet on which we live...to Him you are beautiful!

Take care and be God's,

…..Chuck as seen in a Note of Encouragement by way of Cup O’Cheer (cheer316@sc.rr.com((Cupocheer316@yahoo.com) and “Christian Voices” (www.ChristianVoicesWorldwide.net)

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE/recj

The Bible explains to us why things happened. We have scientist to give us explanations. The Bible foretells us of signs and wonders. We read of them every day in the newspapers and the internet.

In the Bible God told of the signs that would happen before they came to past. A few examples of these are Exodus 7:3; Deuteronomy 4:34; Daniel 4:1-3. In the New Testament, He told us of what was to come: Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:22; Acts 2:19; Hebrews 2:4. We are to learn wisdom from reading the Bible; the following three scriptures show us that we should look to two or three for confirmation. 1 Corinthians 14:29; 2 Corinthians 13:1; and 1 Timothy 5:19
We must also remember this: 2 Thessalonians 2:9 ‘Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.’ The devil will come with all kinds of signs and wonders with his helpers and it will all be lies.

We need to be on guard. This is not making believe, it is the true and living Word of God, the only God, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. The signs are all around us, we are living in the days that were spoken of in the Bible.

We will compare a few things from the Bible to today. First, we have Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed by fire and brimstone. In both Christian and Islamic traditions, Sodom and Gomorrah represent impenitent sin and their fall from God’s grace. These two cities are used as metaphors for vice and homosexuality. The word sodomy comes from the word Sodom, used to describe crimes against nature, consisting of oral and anal sex whether homosexual or heterosexual. God said He would destroy the cities and He did because of the sin that was happening there.

In the United States when we think of fire we think of 9/11 and the great Chicago fire. Scientist will explain the falling of the twin towers due to bad construction that was there before the planes hit, and the Chicago fire to a cow kicking over a bucket. What few forget or do not know is that on the day of the Chicago fire there were major fires elsewhere. Pashtigo, Wisconsin was consumed by fire along with a dozen villages, 1,200 to 2,500 people were killed and 1.5 million acres were destroyed. Holland, Michigan and nearby areas burned to the ground. Manistee, Michigan also went up in flames. Port Huron was lost to fire and Urbana, Illinois had destroyed many parts of downtown. Let us step over into Windsor, Ontario that was also burned. All these fires at the same time. On 9/11, we also lost many to the crash of a plane into the Pentagon building and to another plane crashed by people avoiding another attack.

The Bible speaks of many earthquakes, but we will focus on Moses. God told us in His Word why it happened. Let us look at Numbers Chapter 16.
1Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan andAbiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men: 2And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown: 3And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?
20And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,21Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.
26And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of their's, lest ye be consumed in all their sins. 28And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind. 29If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then the LORD hath not sent me.
30But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD. 31And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them: 32And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. 33They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation.

Let us now look at the world earthquakes. Scientists tell us an earthquake, also known as a quake, tremor or temblor, is a result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth’scrust that creates seismic waves.

The USGS estimates that several million earthquakes occur in the world each year. Many of these are undetected as they hit remote areas or have small magnitudes. The NEIC now locates about 50 earthquakes each day, or about 20,000 a year. I was going to include a list of earthquakes that have happened this year over 4.1 magnitudes; it would have taken up a lot of space, as there have been 53. In the last 7 days, there have been 201 earthquakes.
Next, we will look at tsunami, which is a series of waves created when a body of water, such as an ocean, is rapidly displaced. Earthquakes, mass movements above or below water, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explosions, landslides, underwater earthquakes, large meteoroid or asteroid impacts and testing with nuclear weapons at sea all have the potential to generate a tsunami. The effects of a tsunami can range from mild to devastating. Listing of the largest that have happened since 2000: 2004 Indian Ocean; 2010 Chile; 2010 Sumatra; 2010 Haiti; 2011 Tohoku

Was it a tsunami that caused the earth to be covered by water when Noah built the ark? We are sure that some scientists have found a solid factual reason behind the flood. The Bible tells us the story of the ark, the animals and the people that were saved in Genesis Chapters 6 through 9. Noah was righteous and blameless, but he was not sinless (see Genesis 9:20-21). Noah pleased God and found favor because he loved and obeyed God with his whole heart. As a result, Noah's life was an example to his entire generation. Although everyone around him followed the evil in their hearts, Noah followed God. Noah and his family were saved from the flood that covered the entire earth. God ended this story by making a covenant with Noah that is seen by all of us still today, a rainbow in the sky. God’s purpose was not to destroy people, but to destroy wickedness and sin.

Let us look at prophets then and now. In the Old Testament, we have Major and Minor prophets. The Major Prophets were Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, ad Daniel. The Minor being Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.

The New Testament lists these: John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, Peter/Simon, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Nathanael/Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, Simon, Jude/Judas [brother of James], Judas Iscariot, Matthias, Barabbas, Paul/Saul, and Agabus. Each one of these men was human with faults, but used of God to prophesize to others.
We agree that in this day and age, we need to be careful, but the Bible did have false prophets. Today we still have prophets. Our problem is we forget that prophets of old had faults. Today we expect men and women of God to be perfect to believe their words. Recently a man of God told that it was okay to put away a spouse with altimzers. Many people were up in arms, how can a man say he is of God and say put away a sick spouse. Surely, they are forgetting when Moses said it was okay to put away a spouse.

Lastly, we will look at Revival. The biggest Revival that happened in the Bible was Jesus teaching. Many were against His teaching; they wanted to see Him dead. He was criticized for not observing Mosaic Law; eating with publicans; gathering grain on the Sabbath; and claiming to be God, among many other things. Jewish and pagans alike accused Him of being the devil when he healed people. Another time He was wrong for healing on the Sabbath. He was sold for thirty pieces of silver, beaten and nailed to a tree where He was stabbed. An innocent man was slandered and killed.
Look back to 1906 in the good old USA. In California, a Preacher leads a revival in Los Angeles. It started on April 14, 1906 and continued until 1915. Here is a preacher who happens to be an African American and he is leading inter-racial meetings. That is just the beginning. Spiritual experiences accompanied by miracles, dramatic worship services, and speaking in tongues are going on. The media and Christian theologians considered the behavior outrageous and unorthodox. The Los Angeles Times reported “Breathing strange utterances and mouthing a creed which it would seem no sane mortal could understand” Another reporter described the Revival with the following words: ‘...disgraceful intermingling of the races...they cry and make howling noises all day and into the night. They run, jump, shake all over, shout to the top of their voice, spin around in circles, fall out on the sawdust blanketed floor jerking, kicking and rolling all over it. Some of them pass out and do not move for hours as though they were dead. These people appear to be mad, mentally deranged or under a spell. They claim to be filled with the spirit. They have a one eyed, illiterate, Negro as their preacher who stays on his knees much of the time with his head hidden between the wooden milk crates. He doesn't talk very much but at times he can be heard shouting, ‘Repent,’ and he's supposed to be running the thing... They repeatedly sing the same song, ‘The Comforter Has Come.’

The attendees of the meetings were often described as "Holy Rollers", "Holy Jumpers", "Tangled Tonguers" and "Holy Ghosters." Reports were published throughout the U.S. and the world of the strange happenings in Los Angeles.

Christians from many traditions were critical, saying the movement was hyper-emotional, misused Scripture and lost focus on Christ by overemphasizing the Holy Spirit. Within a short time, ministers were warning their congregations to stay away from the Azusa Street Mission. Some called the police and tried to get the building shut down.

What we ask is the difference? Maybe a better question would be do you see where they are alike? Where is the USA headed? What will become of this country, which has turned from the Lord? How can we stand by and believe that it just happens. Has God who allowed [yes we said allowed] this country to be formed, finally stepped back and said ‘I leave them to themselves until they turn to Me.”

We are proud to be Americans, but let us be honest and look at what this country has done to itself. We have put the God that blessed us and taken Him out of the public. Are we to keep Him in a shoe box on a shelve, to bring Him out at home, praise Him and then put Him back for no one else to see.

How can we look at all the disaster in the world and here in the USA and feel that way. Look at country’s that do not believe in Him, what has been happening in those countries for years is now happening right here in the good old USA. The USA has seen its share of problems, but the more we put God away the worst this country gets.

Can one person make a difference? Again, we look at the Bible and the same prophets listed in the passages above. You are not alone, we are not alone.

Praise the Lord; He will come in the blink of an eye. Are you ready?

recj/LJG

WHAT IS THE DIFFENCE/LJG
At one time people were interested in what the Bible says. They applied it to THEMSELVES. Now these same people are so busy with everything else in life that they simply don't take the time to seek God, read God, ask God or knock unto God. IF, and that's a big IF, they do take time for God they are now busy applying it to everybody else and not to them. So many are NOT standing up for God. They want all His blessings but don't want to put forth the effort to get them. To me, people are trying to live under the Law so that they can feel like God OWES them. God has already given us all He OWES us and it is His only Son, Jesus. People are more interested in their own pleasures than the pleasure Jesus gives us and the attitude of putting our selfish pleasures first is just plain stupid. God is first in our (recj/LJG) lives. How about you?