Hacker Speak

Missional church is definitely a popular saying that is anywhere you look these days. the idea that we are required to categorize churches, missional, has always been a little strange to me. I ask you, shouldnt all churches be missional in their very core? why cant a church, at its very nature, shoot to engage their culture and community with the gospel as a missionary would in a foreign country? Isnt this what the church buildings is commanded to do in the great commission in Matthew 28:19? Our own local area needs this type of church. Churches in central Austin is slowly gravitating to what Christ instructed in the Bible.

The Son of God gives the charge in Acts 1:8 saying, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 exemplifies this concept as, right before Jesus Christ rises to Heaven, He sends the disciples on a exploration that would launch right in their personal community. He begins with their area of Jerusalem, and then enlarges the call to the many parts of the creation.

As Christians, we are not urged to social clubs, but to be missional people who are actively going out and going to areas right where they are with the story of Christ. We have gazed at this throughout history: God urges Abraham on a mission to move from his home and his people and go to the city that God would show him (Gen. 12:1), God motivated Moses on a story to rescue an enslaved people and lead them to joy (Exodus 3:8-10), God urges Jesus on a journey to globe to restore all things to Himself through the death of Jesus (Colossians 1:20). And now God is sending believers on a mission to engage neighborhoods, cities, people groups, and even nations with the good news (Matt. 28:19 Mark 6:7 Luke 10:1 John 20:21 Acts 1:8). If we dont respond to this urge and continue to perceive the places of worship like a closed off country club ” encouraging that people fix their talents, pay their dues, and visit to our church God will continue His mission without us.

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British doctors are claiming for the right to discuss religion with their patients. This sensitive and controversial issue will be taken up for discussion at the annual meeting of the British Medical Association (BMA), as reported by BBC.

Religion and spirituality has always been discouraged in mainstream medicine. Many nurses and doctors have lost their jobs for giving religious advice to patients. For instance, a bank nurse Anand Rao had to give up his job after he tried to instil faith in his patients by invoking religion. In another case, a female nurse by the name Caroline Petrie was suspended for doing the same.

The strictness maintained by medical authorities in this regard has frustrated doctors all over the country. Cancer specialist Dr Bernadette Birtwhistle, of the Christian Medical Fellowship comments that not only is freedom of expression and professional independence affected, but also spirituality is not given an opportunity to exercise the healing power that it often has on people.

On the contrary, the health department claims that provision of spiritual guidance is the job of NHS’ Chaplaincy Services. Moreover, as, Jonathan Chamberlain, a partner at Wragge & Co commented, once the employers have clearly stated a non religious employment policy, the employees have to follow that at work irrespective of what their personal beliefs may be. The CIPD Certificate in Employment Relations, Law and Practice provides a firm foundation in all the areas of HR and employment law; click on CIPD training for a course which will help you understand how employment practice works within a personnel department.

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Is Hell a real place, or is it just a symbolic representation of
a place where bad people should go? Does it really exist, or is
the Bible trying to give us some insight into the torment that
non-believers have in their final days of existence on earth? Or
is it just fantasy put in the Bible to persuade people to
believe in God? I once heard a preacher say, “You can believe
whatever you want to about whether hell is real or not, but it
does not change the fact that it is a real place of torment for
non-believers.” Let’s take a look at what the Bible has to say
about hell.

By examining the scriptures, we can learn a great deal about the
place we call hell. We see that there is going to be everlasting
destruction. “…in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who
do not know God, and those who do not obey the gospel of our
Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting
destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of
His power,…” (II Thessalonians 1:8,9) We see in this passage a
glimpse of hell. It is for those “who do not know God, and those
who do not obey the gospel.” In other word for those people who
fit two categories: (1) those who do not know or believe in God,
who voluntarily choose not to, and (2) those who profess to
believe but by their actions and the way they live their lives,
do not follow or obey the gospel.

There are millions of people who have heard the gospel message,
some I am sure dozens of times, and reject God and His Son. They
do not give their lives to Christ, choosing rather to go their
own way or perhaps the way of the world. According to this
passage, these people will spend eternity in hell.

I am convinced there is also a large number of people who claim
to be Christian and simply go through the motions, never really
obeying the gospel or following the teachings of the New
Testament. Their lives and hearts were not changed. These too
shall spend eternity away from God.

So what is hell? The above passage again gives us a glimpse into
this. “These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from
the presence of the Lord…” The fate of those we are speaking
of is to be banned eternally from being near God, or to be out
of His presence. What is being “destroyed” in the passage is the
ability or opportunity to be in the presence of or near God.
Death, by spiritual definition, is separation. The first death
is when our spirit is separated from our bodies. The second
death will be when a person’s spirit is eternally separated from
God.

I think we can see from the above passage that hell is a real
place. We can also see that it is for certain that it will
exist. In the book of Mark we see another glimpse of hell as a
terrible place. “And if your hand makes you sin, cut it off. It
is better for you to enter into life maimed, than having two
hands, to go into hell, into the fire that shall never be
quenched — where ‘their worm does not die and the fire is not
quenched.’” (Mark 9:43,44) The last part of this passage, “their
worm does not die and the fire is not quenched,”is quoted from
Isaiah 66:24. It simply tells us that though the physical body
is dead, the spirit is still in existence. The spirit of those
going to hell will be an existence as of a worm, or as Isaiah
put it, “They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.” (Isaiah
66:24) If we “in the flesh” could actually see exactly what hell
is like we would truly be horrified. It is a terrible place of
eternal existence for those who do not know God and those who
will not obey the whole gospel.

Not only is hell a terrible place, but it is also a place of
eternal existence. “Then He will also say to those on the left
hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire
prepared for the devil and his angels,…’” (Matthew 25:41) “And
these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the
righteous into everlasting life.” (Matthew 25:46) The judgement,
once pronounced, will be final, irreversible, and unending. For
those of us that are obeying the gospel of Jesus Christ the
thought of eternal life with God and Jesus is joyous. However,
just the thought of eternal existence in hell makes me shutter.
I cannot imagine — and I don’t want to — what it would be like
to spend eternity in a place where I could not praise and
worship my Heavenly Father. That alone, for me, would be
terrible.

It is difficult for us to conceptualize what eternity will be
like. Everything which we experience here on earth is limited by
time. We tend to think of a lifetime as a very long period. In
reality, in the frame-work of eternity, a lifetime is but a
twinkle of an eye. It is but a fraction of a second in
comparison. I like the way the song Amazing Grace phrases it,
“When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the
sun, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we first
begun.” How glorious that will be for us, and how terrible it
will be for those in hell.

Specifically, who will be in hell? The Bible tells us exactly
who will be in this place of eternal torment. “Then I saw a
great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the
earth and heaven fled away. And there was found no place for
them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God,
and the books were opened. And another book was opened, which is
the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their
works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea
gave up the dead which were in it, and Death and Hades delivered
up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one
according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the
lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found
written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”
(Revelation 20:11-15) This is a long passage, but it shows
clearly that everyone will go through the judgement. Those whose
name is found written in the Book of Life will be entering into
eternal life with God. Those whose name is not found in the Book
of Life will be cast into the lake of fire, or hell. In other
words, to put it in simple terms, all who are not saved by the
grace of God through the blood of Jesus Christ shall spend
eternity in hell.

The Scriptures also show us that hell will be a place where
those who are there will be in a state of consciousness. They
will be aware of their torment. Jesus in the Parable of the Lost
Son illustrates this fact, “And being in torments in Hades, he
lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his
bosom. Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on
me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in
water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame,…’”
(Luke 16:23,24) They will be aware of their existence,
condition, and the reason for their torment. I think that this
will be especially severe for those who knew Christ, and have
fallen away.

I suppose when the average person hears of hell being referred
to as the lake of fire, they also picture it as a bright place.
After all fire puts off quite a bit of light. But the scriptures
also describe hell as a place of darkness. “But the sons of the
kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 8:12) The outer
darkness may be a way to contrast the beautiful picture painted
for us in Revelation of what heaven will be like. The outer
darkness may be an indication that it will be the opposite of
the beauty of heaven. It is no doubt a very ugly place. The
“outer darkness” could also be literally that; complete and
utter darkness. We know that the parable of the lost son
indicates that those in hell can see to the other side, but that
does not mean that they can see and understand what is going on
right next to them. The torment spoken of in the Bible would
surely be multiplied if it happened in complete darkness.

Those in hell will be fully aware of what they have missed. It
is hard for us to conceptualize the beauty of heaven and the
ugliness of hell. But for those who get sent to hell, they will
know of both. It will also be a place where those who are there
are separated from their Christian loved ones. “There will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac
and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and
yourselves thrust out.” (Luke 13:28) What a horrible experience
for someone to be able to see their loved ones; mother, father,
brothers, sisters, and friends enjoying themselves in heaven and
know that they themselves are cast into hell for eternity.

We know that in heaven there will be no pain, no sadness, and no
crying. In order for this to be true, we will not be aware of
all the sad memories we have today. But that will not be true in
hell. There will be memories. The ones which are sad for those
hell-bound today will be even more pronounced. And the joyous
memories of today will turn to sadness as they realize what
could have been.

Have you ever made a poor choice in life and have it “come back
to haunt you?” Anyone of any age at all that has not experienced
this is truly a unique person. We all make poor choices, and
they will usually come back to haunt us in the future. As those
in hell are remembering their life on earth, they probably will
be also remembering all the opportunities that they had to give
their lives to Christ, and didn’t. They will probably remember
each excuse that they used. They will remember those things that
they did not want to give up to become a Christian, and how
little those things eventually meant to them. The memories of
all those things will be horrible memories indeed.

And finally we see that hell will be a place of no release. “And
these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the
righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:46) A few years ago I
was lamenting to a friend of mine about some aspect of my life
that I was having trouble dealing with. We all go through that,
dealing with unpleasant matters. My friend said, “Remember, this
too shall pass.” Whereas this is true with everything on earth,
the opposite is true in hell. Hell is for eternity, and for
those banished there, it will not pass away.

Is hell a real place? Yes, it certainly is. It is a terrible
place, and it is a place of eternal punishment. It is for all
the unsaved who reject the gospel and turn away from God. It is
a place of consciousness, torment, darkness, separation from
Christian loved ones, separation from God, a place without any
hope of release, and a place of horrible memories.

The unsaved need to know about hell. I hope that this article
will help you to be a witness to the lost in your community as
well as your friends and loved ones who are without Christ. My
prayer is that you will use this information to share with them.

All scriptures quoted are from the New King James Version unless
otherwise noted.

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I recently read an article by a “former Christian,” that stated that the Bible was in error. I believe the quote he cited was from Luke 9:27, “But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”

He cites other scriptures, but fails to cite Luke 17:20-21, “Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Lo, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”

The author of that other article states that the end times should have come before now, since Christ said that “there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God,” but let me suggest the following interpretation of that passage.

Could it not be that Christ was speaking of his own rising from the dead and then his ascension into Heaven on that instance? OR, could he have been speaking of the true understanding that comes prior to death, when many people speak of the dying obtaining a visage of peace? Perhaps he meant that they would truly understand the kingdom before they died. Could that be? Especially, when he says “behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”

An oft cited exhortation in the Bible is, “Let he who has ears hear and who has eyes see.” Now, this is not speaking of the physical eyes and ears, but of the spiritual eyes and ears. Those that let into the very heart of the soul and intrepret the Scriptures to the soul.

The end times are not the way to keep the faith, nor is a wrong interpretation on our parts reason to believe the Bible is wrong. If one does not listen to the Scriptures with the ears of the spirit, the physical mind is incapable of truly interpreting what is being said. It can only judge what is said from its experiences here in the body, but what is needed is to let the spirit interpret these things from its experiences with higher things.

It is my belief that the spirit is a type of energy that has existed since the beginning. Even from before time was counted. That it resides in the flesh in these days does not stop it from knowing more than the fleshly body and brain. If spirit is allowed to interpret the words in the Bible to the inner person and thus to the outer person, then the knowledge will be true. But, if we insist on interpreting from the flesh to the spirit, the knowledge will be false.

If you are seeking knowledge of the kingdom of God, seek it first in the spirit and you will see it all around you. If you are seeking the knowledge of the end times, just to make sure you’re ready, well, look to Jerusalem. When it is surrounded by armies it is time to really get ready. But, then, again, we of the flesh cannot truly know when the end is near, so we must be ready at all times.

Behave as though the end is immenent and you will be prepared when it comes; whenever it comes. For the person that wrote the article calling the Bible wrong, I shall pray that your spiritual eyes and ears are opened to the true knowledge of the scriptures and the kingdom of God.

C. Rogers Upson is a published author on several websites and in
several anthologies. This article can be published on your website or in your newsletter, so long as the resource information is intact and nothing is changed. Her website is http://www.edragonmarketing.com and she has a blog at http://edragonmarketing.blogspot.com.

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Again, let’s call attention to our text: “Let her be covered.”

One more question: “Why?”

Well, I hope that some answers have already gotten through to you. To all that, I would add this: Wear the headcovering because you know God wants you to! I cannot supply you with a more valid reason for the performance of any deed than simply to know that God wants you to do it. Can you? Can you think of a more valid reason to motivate any action? For every pliable saint, what God has written right here should be enough to settle the matter.

It is here made apparent that God wants to preserve an awareness of His divinely established order. That is urgently needed in today’s society. Furthermore, he wants YOU to have a part in that, not only the sisters, but also the brethren. He wants both Christian men and Christian women to give visible evidence of their pledge to abide by that order. For the man, that visible witness is given by the non-wearing of a religiously significant covering. For the woman that witness is given by the wearing of a religiously significant covering. The God-supplied long hair will not suffice for this because it is not a personally supplied witness. It doesn’t necessarily reflect a personal endorsement of God’s arrangement. It doesn’t convey the clear signal that “I’m voluntarily submitting to man’s leadership.” The humanly supplied covering should be worn to convey that signal. To all who see it, it proclaims this message: “I will not attempt to dominate, I will not attempt to manipulate my head. I submit to God’s plan.”

Now, to all of this, the response of the critic might be: “So what? There is no salvation in it!” That is as much beside the point as to say that there’s no salvation in baptism or in any other of the ordinances. We don’t keep the ordinances to become saved, rather being saved we gladly keep those commandments. “He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me.”

It’s very obvious that some portions of this passage have not been touched on in this message. Perhaps they can be touched on some other occasion.

Before I close, I wish to add some remarks bearing on the more practical side of this practice. We as church leaders try to monitor changes in covering styles and covering sizes, but changes can be made so gradually that we may not always be abreast of what is happening. Little by little, you can make your covering smaller and smaller, and you may suppose that no one else notices it, but God knows it, and you know it, and very likely more people take notice of that than you realize. You may never know. If you take that course, you may never know how many other sisters are influenced to do likewise. Now you may take that course if you choose, but that will not build the kind of church life that I think you want. It will not build the kind of church life that you want for your children.

I’m glad for the healthy signs among us. It’s a healthy sign when daughters appear with coverings as large as their mother’s. That’s something to rejoice over and thank God for. Really, anything less than that will lead in the wrong direction. If, in successive generations, the daughter’s covering every time is just a little smaller than the mother’s, it will only be a few generations until the covering is lost. I don’t think you want that to happen here, so I plead with you to help to keep it from happening.

Shall we come before the Lord in prayer? For those that have read all four articles I trust they were enlightning and helpful to you. If you still think that I do not know what I am talking about visit www.successmagnet.org

Should you like to more about Christian living please write:
Living Waters For thirsty Souls,
40 Wood Corner Road,
Ephrata, PA, USA,
17522

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Too many hypocritical Jews have despised the Jewish homeland by
staying in their self-imposed exile, and while in such a
self-imposed exile within professing Christian countries,
Gentilized Israelite nations,
some Jews even display the chutzpah to speak
against the King of the Jews, Yeshua the Messiah.

It’s past time Jews follow Judaism to Israel
where both the Bible and Judaism teach Jews belong. They
shouldn’t demand God put a fire under their butt to get
moving.

Jews had better move to Israel and enjoy Jerusalem while they
can, because unless there’s national repentance soon,
Jerusalem will get stomped by the EU jackboot as punishment
for their sins:

Paint Israel
Black: Jews to Lose Jerusalem!

The good news is even if Judah and Israel demand such drastic
measures to bring them to their knees and to God, Two Witnesses
will be there throughout Jerusalem’s 3 1/2 year EU occupation to
offer hope and comfort and announce, in the spirit of
Elijah, the coming of King Yeshua to save us all.

For the record, lest I be misunderstood, I love our Jewish
brethen and only wish the best for them, but they’re not
following their own religion that instructs them to live in
Israel, the Jewish homeland, to keep Shabbat and the biblical
festivals in spirit and in truth, restore the Temple Mount as
the Temple Mount by removing the pagan mosques and
constructing the Third Temple, as
commanded, and treat their sworn enemies like sworn enemies and
their faithful friends and allies like family!

May God bless Israel and Judah, the Anglo-Saxon and Jewish
peoples, to work together in an Anglo-Israeli
alliance to win the war against Nazi-Muslim terrorism that
we may live in peace and prosper and love and obey our God.
Otherwise, we’ll both fall before the fascist European Union.

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Loud thunders. Powerful lightning. A dark cloud. The loud sound of a trumpet. The House of Israel heard and saw these things and trembled with fear. It was on the Feast of Weeks after their journey out of Egypt when Jesus Christ gave the 10 Commandments (Exodus 19:16).

However, there is no mention of rain. Water often symbolizes the Holy Spirit, and God did not give them the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, they did not have the heart to keep God’s commandments (Deuteronomy 5:29).

They sinned greatly by building a golden calf and an altar before it. They attempted to use it to declare a Feast to God. Moses ordered the execution of those who had committed such sin, and about 3,000 people died at the hands of the Levites (Exodus 32:5, 26-28).

On the Feast of Weeks called Pentecost in the New Testament when God gave the Holy Spirit to the Church of God, the apostles heard a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind as described in Acts 2:2.

They would receive the Holy Spirit, which is the comforter that Jesus Christ had promised. The Holy Spirit would also give them the power to keep God’s commandments in their spiritual intent and to do the work that God had given them.

The apostle Peter would preach a sermon about repentance and about 3,000 people were added to the church (Acts 2:41). In the days that followed, many more people repented and were added to the church, including a large number of priests (Acts 6:7). The priests were Cohanim. They were of the lineage of Aaron, who was a Levite.

The apostle Peter gave a sermon about repentance on the Day of Pentecost when God gave the church the Holy Spirit. However, the Day of Pentecost was not the first time Peter and the other apostles had experienced the sound of a mighty wind or received comfort from Christ.

The purpose of this article is to describe the lessons we can learn from Peter’s walk on the water.

Peter Walks on the Water

The disciples were in a boat during a bad storm as recorded in Matthew 14:22-31:

“22And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. 23And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. 24But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. 25And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. 26And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 27But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. 28And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 29And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. 30But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. 31And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” (KJV)

Jesus Christ came to them in the fourth watch of the night, which would be about 3:00 a.m. The disciples were afraid and thought that they might have seen a demon. Yet, Jesus Christ was near to them, and they did not even recognize him.

Notice that Jesus Christ was not physically present in the boat with the disciples because he was praying to his Father. The ship is symbolic of the Church of God. The Church of God is relatively small in the midst of many waters, which represent the nations of the world (Revelation 17:15). Likewise, Jesus Christ is not physically present with us today, but he makes intercession for us as our high priest before the Father (Hebrews 4:14-16). And Jesus Christ dwells within Christians today through the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Christ placed the disciples in the boat together, but he sent the multitudes away. Likewise, the Holy Spirit has placed Christians in the Church of God, and we are to be separate from the multitudes in the world. The world is under the influence of Satan (II Corinthians 4:4). Pure religion includes keeping ourselves unspotted from the world (James 1:27). We are to be led by the Holy Spirit.

The wind was strong, which caused the boat to be tossed by the waves even as trials often toss us about in life’s stormy seas. However, Jesus Christ came to the disciples to comfort them even as God has given the Holy Spirit to comfort us. God comforts us in our trials through the Holy Spirit so that we can know better how to comfort others in their trials (II Corinthians 1:3-4).

The disciples reacted with fear. However, Jesus Christ instructed the disciples not to be afraid. We may react with fear to our sore trials, but God comforts us and pours out his love on us through the Holy Spirit. Perfect love casts out fear because it is a sacrificial love. We are called to be a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1)

Peter had some doubt if the one whom he saw walking on the water were really Jesus Christ. We may often doubt if God is really with us and if the Holy Spirit is guiding us. He wanted to come to Jesus Christ, but he asked permission first.

Jesus Christ told Peter to come to him on the water. We often have to show our faith by taking bold steps with the aid of the Holy Spirit, which is often symbolized by water.

Peter was bold enough to do so when Jesus Christ bid him to come. We are often bold enough to take the initial steps of faith.

As long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus Christ, he was able to walk on the water and go toward him. As long as we keep our eyes on Jesus Christ, we can make spiritual progress regardless of the trials and difficult circumstances that surround us. We know that all things work together for good to those whom God has called and who love God and keep his commandments (Romans 8:26).

However, when Peter took his eyes off Jesus Christ and began to see the effects of the boisterous wind, he began to sink. Although Peter’s name means “rock,” he did not sink as the proverbial rock. Jesus Christ allowed Peter to begin to sink. The soles of his feet began to go below the surface of the water. If we take our eyes off Jesus Christ and begin to focus on negative conditions surrounding our lives, we begin to sink spiritually.

Peter was an experienced fisherman and probably could swim. Yet, he was in danger because of the severity of the storm. He needed the strength of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit to survive this storm. Likewise, we cannot rely on our own strength alone to survive the storms and trials of life. We need God’s help through the power of the Holy Spirit.

As soon as he began to sink, Peter called out to Jesus Christ to save him. Likewise, as soon as we begin to sink in our walk of faith, we should cry out to God to deliver us from our trials with the power of the Holy Spirit. We should not wait until we have sunk to the depths of despair to cry out to God. Just as Jesus Christ saved Peter from sinking in the sea, God rescues us with the Holy Spirit when we begin to sink in the storms of life.

Duty to Help Others

Jesus Christ told Peter that when he was converted to strengthen his brethren as recorded in Luke 22:31-32:

“31And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” (KJV)

We see in the book of Job how Satan goes to God and asks for permission to try God’s servants (Job 1:9-12). The fact that Satan wanted to sift Peter as wheat is interesting because the Feast of Weeks, which is also known as Pentecost, celebrates the firstfruits of the wheat harvest (Exodus 34:22).

Jesus Christ had already been praying for Peter because he knew how badly that Satan wanted to cause him to sin. According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, the word sift can figuratively mean “to try one’s faith to the verge of overthrow.”

Yes, Jesus Christ knew of Peter’s weaknesses. He knew that Peter would likely yield to Satan’s temptation. Yet, Jesus Christ also had confidence in Peter that he would repent. Peter would stumble, but his faith would not fail.

Avoid Sinking Spiritually

Peter knew fear and doubt as he began to sink while walking on the water. He would again display such fear and doubt when he denied Jesus Christ three times (Matthew 26:69-75). Yet, he learned to cry out to God and repent. He tells us what we must do to avoid falling spiritually in II Peter 1:1-10:

“1Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: 2Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,” 3According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (KJV)

We are partakers of the divine nature through the Holy Spirit.

“5And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.” (KJV)

We must see the big picture. Remembering how we have been cleansed from our old sins helps to keep us humble even as we gain more knowledge about the Bible and the plan of God. We must grow in character as we are led by the Holy Spirit.

“10Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:” (KJV)

Yes, if we do these things, we will never fall in our Christian walk as Peter began to sink while he walked on the water.

Conclusion

We can learn important lessons from Peter’s walk on the water. We must use the power of the Holy Spirit in our walk in this life with all of its storms and trials. We must have a vision for the Kingdom of God. If we take our eyes off Jesus Christ and begin to sink during a trial, we should cry out to God immediately. God will comfort us through the Holy Spirit and lift us up before we sink spiritually.

As we grow in the character traits that Peter listed, our vision becomes more focused. We must keep our eyes on Jesus Christ during our walk through the stormy trials of this life. Our vision must be clear and focused as we walk toward our goal of meeting Jesus Christ at his coming and entering the Kingdom of God.

Alan D. Campbell lives in Brandon, Florida. For more good news, please see his blog The Good News of the Kingdom of God at http://goodnewsofthekingdomofgod.blogspot.com

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Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated to all of Israel, and the world last night that the moment of truth had arrived. Announcing his resignation as Finance Minister in the Sharon cabinet, he stated that he had been forced to remain in the government, and also remain mostly silent regarding his opposition to the disengagement over these last several months in order to complete his economic reforms, he claimed that he anguished over the continued march towards the disengagement with no signs of gaining anything in return. He also categorically pronounced what the rest of us have been shouting from the rooftops since its inception, he stated in no uncertain terms that this move would escalate terrorism, empower Hamas, and ultimately put the survival of the state in danger. While many felt his timing was strictly politically motivated to position himself to take control of the Likud party, wresting it away from Ariel Sharon, I must say I have a bit of a different take on it. Please read on to understand what it is and why I feel that way, and also what I really think about BiBi Netanyahu.

I have watched Benjamin Netanyahu for the last twenty-five years or so and have never failed to be impressed with his intelligence, his ability to articulate a situation or concept, and his overall charisma in front of a camera. He is without a doubt a masterful politician, and that is a point to remember whenever we hear BiBi state a position or make a speech. Was the resignation last night from the Sharon government timed for maximum political impact? I’m sure to some extent it was, like I said, BiBi is a masterful politician.

But there is something more about Benjamin Netanyahu that I have observed over the years, and that is what I believe to be an honest love for Israel and the Jewish people. I don’t have time here to go into the history of BiBi or his heroic brother Jonathan, if you aren’t aware of the Netanyahu history, you may want to read up on it. Many like to say that Benjamin will never be the star his older brother was who died in the daring rescue of Israeli Olympic athletes at Entebbe, but I don’t think such comparisons are ever fair. No one knows what Jonathan would have done had he lived, and no person can ever walk in the shoes of another, especially a famous and beloved brother who died a national hero.

I have no doubt that BiBi knows the score. He knows what the New World Order is all about since he was groomed by Kissinger and educated in the New York environs of the Council on Foreign Relations. He has proven that he will go along with the plan when he signed the Wye River accords with Clinton giving away an additional 13% of Judea and Samaria (the so called west bank) but he also has made moves to slow the progress of such plans and actually spoken out against them to some extent, which I believe is what ended up getting him removed from power. His problem is that Israeli society has a long memory and they feel betrayed by his giving in on this issue when he promised that he would never trade land for peace. It also cannot be ignored when he said in his speech last night that he believed we should get out of Gaza, he just objected to the way Sharon was doing it. This would appeal to a lot of Israelis who want out of Gaza because of the high cost of watching their sons murdered by terrorists.

As you know I am 100% against any pull out of any part of Israel as I believe that it is part of the Jews biblical heritage and God ordained right to posses this land. It is not even in the power of the Jewish people not to possess this land, as it is God Himself that is bringing the Jews back to Israel to inhabit their inheritance.

So where does BiBi fit in? Time will tell, but I think that he has a true Jewish heart, while Sharon, Perez, Beilin and the rest have the heart of Edomites, that is like Esau they despise their birthright. I may be completely wrong, but in the end I think that Netanyahu just may do the right thing and stand up against the world powers that are out to destroy Israel. Many will tell me that this is wishful thinking, and well it may be, but I think that Netanyahu has a lot of patience, and the determination to form a plan and see it through. He is much smarter than most of his opponents, and while they may gain the upper hand for a while, he will keep waiting for the right time to strike. My hope is that he will allow himself to look like a part of the problem knowing that at the right time he will prove to possess a heart like David.

I am also a little worried however because the religious Zionists are flocking to him as their only hope right now as they gather at a rally in Tel-Aviv. Since BiBi announced that he too wants out of Gaza, he would not appear to be their long-term answer. What I do think could happen however as a result of his announcement and his speech is that the Israeli public could be woken up to the actual danger and stupidity of the plan Sharon is foisting upon the country right now. Netanyahu very passionately and articulately explained to an entire nation exactly why this plan was suicidal, and he carries a lot of weight in Israel, even if people are mad at him. If Netanyahu is truly the insider people think he is though, he could be another smoke screen to get the religious right to follow after a wicked shepherd who will lead them over a cliff.

We only have a few days left until Tisha B’Av, which is the tradition time of mourning for a myriad of historic tragedies that have occurred on this day, from the evil report of the spies Moses sent into the promised land, to the destruction of the Temple, and this year seems to be poised to go down in history as another possible tragedy. Many are hoping that it will be a day of triumph, reversing the history of this date from a day of mourning to a day of rejoicing. If this evil plan of expulsion somehow is cancelled in the last few days, it will indeed be a miracle, and a time for rejoicing. My prayer is that God, and not Benjamin Netanyahu would get the glory.

There will certainly be a backlash if this plan gets cancelled. The world is in a near froth that I believe will be turned up to a full fury if they are not rewarded with a victory over Religious Zionism and the God of Israel. The world will move forcefully to press Israel into a no win situation through sanctions, and even U.N., with possible U.S. troops, on the ground imposing the One World Order agenda upon the people of Israel with the capitulation of the Israeli government.

In a recent article Barry Chamish, an investigative reporter here in Israel, who has stumbled upon the One World Order and written several books about the betrayal of Israel by their leftist leaders, received a phone call that confirmed something I had always suspected. Barry has written extensively about the fact that Shimon Peres was behind the murder of Yitzhak Rabin, and this conversation focuses on the details surrounding that murder, but in the midst of it is something I find much more revealing. That is the origin of the disengagement plan, and the ultimate motive for it:

Three days ago I received a phone call from Oslo. The caller was Henry Gluksman, the advance man for the Oslo negotiations. He read my website and was impressed by my Rabin murder research. The first thing he said was, “You missed the real motive for Rabin’s murder. It was financial.”

A little background about the man. He lives in what he calls a “fool’s paradise” as a political refugee in Norway. The government there provides him with an apartment and pension as protection against mortal retaliation from Israel. Strange that he would be used to pave the way for the Oslo “peace” talks.

He claims the Shabak made attempts on his life and he was forced to flee Israel in the early 1980s. Argentinian-born Gluksman publicly accused Israel of being behind the Falklands War. “I discovered that it was Israel Aviation Industries that provided the Argentinian planes and missiles and it was they who sunk the Lancaster,” he explained. “They convinced the Argentinian government that they could win the war for them.”

Mr. Gluksman’s motives for talking freely to me appear not to be ideological. He is an avowed Marxist. Simply, he believes his Oslo talks became corrupted and that Rabin was murdered by the corrupters of his negotiations. His insider revelations are startling and verify the crux of my own research.

HG - When I began laying the groundwork for the Oslo talks in ‘88, money wasn’t even considered as a political issue. It’s when it became the core issue that things turned ugly.

BC - What do you mean ‘88? The talks began in ‘92.

HG - The plans for them were initiated in ‘88. We had to wait until Rabin was elected to put them into action. He sent the two negotiators, Pundak and Hirshfeld, to Oslo and the initial talks were aimed at establishing an honest groundwork for peace.

BC - I interviewed Ron Pundak in 1996 and he told me something remarkable. He said that his boss, Yossi Beilin, doesn’t believe in borders. Borders cause wars. He told me the end result of the accord would be the removal of Israel’s borders. This would be done by dismembering the country piece by piece. After, Israel would blend into a Middle East bloc of united Arab countries.

HG - Yes, that was our objective. The Gush Katif disengagement was agreed to in 1993 as part of the broader plan. To understand how this would lead to peace, look at Hong Kong. It was a colony of six million in a sea of over a billion Chinese. Israel consists of six million Jews in a sea of over a billion Moslems. When Hong Kong was handed over to China in 1999, nothing changed for the people of Hong Kong. They went on with their lives as before but without the threat of attack hanging over them. That was our objective. Israel would become Arab and nothing would change, but the threat would end. The Jews of Tel Aviv would go on with their lives, run their businesses, build their homes but the mayor would be an Arab, the police would be Arabs, the courts would be Arab. It was the ideal solution.

BC - So if the plans are on course beginning with Gush Katif, what is your problem with the accords?

HG - The problem began when the Labor Party leaders saw Oslo as a way to make a quick buck. Everyone was rushing to join in, Peres, Ramon, Micha Harish. And they all came with their Palestinian businessmen in tow. I mean, who were Micha Harish and Chaim Ramon? How did they become peace negotiators? Oslo was drawing the greediest crooks to the money pot. They didn’t want peace, they wanted a piece of the action. People who were absolute nobodies suddenly were showing up for discussions. The most absurd was this Rabbi Melchior who Peres brought along. Who ever heard of him before? He had no legitimacy or constituency, never wrote learned tracts and overnight he jumps from Oslo to the cabinet of Shimon Peres. Everyone the Israelis sent to iron out details were there for what they could get out of Oslo and the PLO more than cooperated in the thefts and corruption. From a Marxist beginning, the discussions turned capitalistic.

BC - Where did Rabin fit in?

HG - He saw how corrupt everything had turned and decided to abandon the whole enterprise. He was going to put the talks on hold or shut them down for good if the corruption didn’t stop. That’s why they murdered him. He threatened to bring down the house of crime and that would have been very costly to the crooks. I read your work. Your conclusion is similar to mine but you left out some people who stood to lose big if Rabin stayed alive. It’s a broader plot than you’ve found out.

end

Please understand that as I have been saying for many years, Israel has been subdued by the most crooked and evil kind of self-serving backbiters one could ever imagine. The southern stereotype of Boss Hog looks like a choirboy compared to these people. I started an article a few days ago that I haven’t finished, but I will say it here, every death, every lost life, every ruined family can be laid at the doorstep of the “Peace Activists” in this country and the countries abroad. They are by and large self-indulgent haters of God, and it is their insistence upon unworkable humanistic solutions that have caused the enemy to be armed, and empowered to hatred. Without the Peace movement, Israel would have remained strong in their resolve, and the enemy would have never had the armaments or the initiative to wage a war of attrition. You may think this statement too strong, or too much of a broad brush, but I say it will prove out in the end to be absolutely true. Even those who are nave and have no idea about who they are in bed with are responsible because of their anti-God agendas, and their inability to see the truth. Just like Hitler’s youth, or the young communists, they have bought a lie, and worked with vigor to promote it to the detriment of thousands of innocent people.

I have long suspected that the disengagement was conceived before Sharon came into power, and that he is simply following a plan, a road map lets say, and that this whole disembowelment of Israel was part of a greater plan to actually destroy the country from within. You must understand that the devil does not want Israel to survive, and he has found willing accomplices within the Jewish political body. That does not excuse anti-Semitism, or justify Jew hatred; on the contrary, it should accentuate the need for prayer for the Jewish people in this terribly difficult time.

Who was the architect of the Oslo accords? Yossi Beilin! What does he want to see eventually? An Arab controlled Palestine under whose authority the Jews will live. Who has empowered Beilin? Shimon Peres. The two of them profited in the tens of millions of dollars by selling the guns to the PA security forces after the signing of Oslo, and today they are plotting many ways to profit from the dismanteling of Gush Katif including building a casino like the one they built in Jericho. Who heads the Peace movement in Israel? Yossi Beilin and Shimon Peres.

Where does Netanyahu fit in? I don’t really know. He seems to be outside the framework of these guys, even though he has had the same handlers who have raised him to power, and I believe who removed him from office. Maybe like Rabin, there were lines he wouldn’t cross. Only God knows and time will tell.

I agree with Netanyahu about something, and that is that the “Moment of Truth Has Come.”
As a believer that means that the time for absolute and complete repentance is here, for without clean hands our prayers will avail us nothing. The time for true intercessory prayer is long overdue. Giving up our leisure time activities and exchanging them with long sessions on our knees before the throne of God is our most important activity from now until the coming of the Lord. Praying for the salvation of the Jewish people is our top priority. I am not saying to stop praying for other needs, but I am saying that this should top our list every day. Pray also for massive Aliyah (immigration to Israel) because this is the best way to overcome the corruption and the dividing of the land. It will put more pressure on the government and bring more accountability to what has been an entrenched system. Pray for the safety of the Jewish people and the Soldiers and Police who are on the front lines of this war against the Jewish people. Pray for the protection of this nation from the enemies without, and the enemies within. Pray for the salvation of government officials, and that corrupt officials would be either saved, or removed and replaced by righteous leaders who will honor God. Pray that the Jewish people would be given a heart of David in these last days, to stand up to the goliath of nations and say, “How dare you blaspheme the Holy Name of our God. Today He will give you into our hands” and then they will chop the head off of the beast. Pray that God’s name would be glorified, in Israel, and throughout the world.

All of these prayers by the way are biblical in their foundation and you can pray this way knowing that you are praying according to the will of God. If this isn’t enough to pray about, I can give you twenty or thirty more things like this to pray.

Don’t underestimate prayer. All things begin in prayer. All victories are won first in the Spiritual realm and then they are manifested in the physical. Prayer is not easy; it is hard. It is probably the hardest thing to do in service to God, which is why so few people undertake to do it. You can say that others are given the mantle of prayer, but before you dismiss yourself from the room, I would like to suggest you ask God which one of the people you are supposed to be. One who is given to prayer, or one who leaves the battle to someone else?

Please I implore you… put down the remote control and pick up your bible. Everything that God said was going to happen is happening now! It is going to get worse not better.

In Luke 13 Yeshua gives us dire warnings about our need to strive to enter the narrow gate. In chapter 21 he explains the frightening reality of the last days in which men’s hearts will be failing them for fear and ends with an admonition: “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” Many believe that this means a rapture in which the believers escape all this nasty stuff that is going to happen, I know I may alienate myself from many readers here, but I believe that He is talking about escaping the darkness that is about to engulf the world, the sinful nature that is about to become fully manifested in the evil heart of mankind. What are we to do? We are to be watchful (as the watchmen on the wall of Isaiah 62:6,7) We are to pray always, pray what? To escape? I don’t believe so, I think He is telling us to pray always as we were instructed in the same chapter of Isaiah, why? So we may be found worthy to stand before the Son of man. The way to escape the coming darkness that is going to flood the earth, and the delusion that will fool even the elect were it possible, is to be doing the word of God when He comes. To be praying and giving the Lord no rest, and taking no rest for ourselves until He has made Jerusalem a praise in all the earth. When will He do that? At His glorious coming.

What do we who want to enter by the narrow gate need to be doing? Praying! When? Now! For how long? Until His coming!

Praise the Lord. This isn’t a time for fear but for focus. This isn’t a time to give up but to dig in. This isn’t a time to look at the Anti-Christ but to be enthralled with the glory of the Only Christ!

Look Up, for your redemption draweth neigh.

God Bless You,

Tom Cooper
The Israel Report
http://theisraelreport.com

Tom Cooper is the founder of The Israel Report.
More than News and Commentary, it is a full ministry to believers in ISrael, and throughout the world. Based in Jerusalem, The Israel Report is your portal to Israel.

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