Departments
Staff List
Staff List
MORNING STAR
A Multimedia Christian Publication

P.O. Box 7755, Nashua, NH 03060
Phone: 603-883-4624 Fax: 603-883-0466


EDITOR IN CHIEF
Toby Trudel - Nashua, NH

EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Pastor Geoffrey Kragen - Roseville, CA

SENIOR EDITORS
Teresa Giordanengo - Canonsburg, PA
Al Murillo III - El Paso, TX

ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Jerry Johnson - Modesto, CA
Sharon Sanders - Jerusalem, Israel
Mike Wilkinson - Citrus Heights, CA
Dr. Charles Wootten - Matoaca, VA

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Jody Fauss - Lindale, TX
Joseph A. Nigro - Oradell, NJ
Jeannine Robinson - Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Moishe Rosen - San Francisco, CA
Clark Stephens - Huntington Beach, CA
Pastor Dale Strand - Dublin, CA
Rick Thrasher - Santa Clara, CA
J.C. Trudel - Naples, FL


SENIOR PUBLISHER - DOS and WINDOWS Editions
Steve Paulovich - Pembroke, NH

SENIOR PUBLISHER - MACINTOSH Edition
Toby Trudel - Nashua, NH

SENIOR PUBLISHER - Hard Copy Edition
Ray Reed - Beaumont, TX

OFFICE SYSTEMS TECHNICIAN
Patrick Auriemma - Nashua, N.H.


DIRECTOR OF BBS DISTRIBUTION
Walter H. Bauer Jr. - Sugar Land, TX

AMERICA ONLINE NETWORK DISTRIBUTION
Jerry White - Germantown, MD

COMPUSERVE NETWORK DISTRIBUTION
Jorge Lopez - Lubbock, TX

GENIE NETWORK DISTRIBUTION
Mike Wilkinson - Citrus Heights, CA

DELPHI & NATIONAL VIDEOTEX NETWORKS
Rev. Vince Gonzalez - Naples, FL


MORNING STAR is produced and published monthly, by a staff of
born again believers in Jesus, located across the United States
of America. Correspondence to MORNING STAR may be sent via the
U.S. Postal Service or by electronic mail to one of several
computer networks:

INTERNET: mstarmac@aol.com (Toby Trudel)
AMERICA ONLINE: MStarDOS (Steve Paulovich)
GENIE: M.Wilkinson1 (Mike Wilkinson)
COMPUSERVE: 70743,603 (Jorge Lopez)
DELPHI: VINCEGSR (Vince Gonzalez)
NATIONAL VIDEOTEX: VGONZALEZ (Vince Gonzalez)
PRODIGY: xvsn02a (Vince Gonzalez)
FIDONET: 1:106/3118 (Walter Bauer)
CHRISTIAN FAMILY NETWORK: 8:3003/5 (Walter Bauer)
CHRISTIAN DISTRIBUTION NETWORK: 8:2013/1 (Walter Bauer)
POLICENET: 150:402/53 (Walter Bauer)


To receive a free copy of the MS DOOR program, which allows
viewers to read the magazine onscreen, contact: Alan Graff, P.O.
Box 131, Wheelersburg, OH 45694 - FIDONET: 1:2260/50
Editor's Letter
Editor's Letter
Hello and welcome everyone to our twenty-fifth issue of MORNING
STAR, a computer-based Christian magazine. Beginning with this
edition, we are now publishing MORNING STAR in a professional
hard copy. For the benefit of those reading this premiere hard
copy version, allow me to explain how the computer editions of
this magazine are created and give a bit of history as to how
this project all came about and where the Lord has taken it.

Throughout the 1980's many people with home computers began
joining "computer networks". For a monthly fee, they could
communicate with other computer users across the country. (The
computers "talk" to each other over telephone lines, using
"modems" - devices that takes computer data, change it to
electronic pulses for telephone transmission, then change it
back to computer data.)

Some of the most popular networks in the United States are
America Online, Compuserve, Delphi, GEnie and Prodigy. There
are hundreds of thousands of people on these networks. People
can send each other letters in the form of "electronic mail",
also known as "E-mail." Larger documents, even entire magazines
and books can be converted to an electronic format, "uploaded"
onto one of these networks, where it becomes available for
anyone to then "download" onto their own computer and convert it
back to readable (and printable) text.

In 1990, a number of Christian people "found" each other on the
America Online (AOL) network and began to exchange "E-mail". A
mailing list began, which was used to send out a weekly letter
that passed along prayer requests and other helpful information.
Realizing that a lot more could be done with this new
technology, the idea came up in 1991 for a Christian "electronic
magazine" that could be produced and distributed over AOL. 
Miraculously, the Lord brought together all the people necessary
to form a staff and make this happen, and the first issue of
MORNING STAR made its debut in September, 1991.

In its first few months of publication, MORNING STAR was
available on AOL in two formats, one for the Macintosh computer
and one for computers that used "DOS", which included all IBM's
and compatible machines.

It did not take long to realize that the Lord had greater plans
for this electronic magazine. A number of people on the AOL
network also made use of other networks and the magazine was
soon made available to those people too. This was done by
"downloading" the magazine from AOL, then "uploading" it onto
other networks. (The magazine stays in a "library" permanently
on these networks. People actually download a copy of it.)

Besides these large networks, there also exist all over the
world thousands of smaller electronic "Bulletin Board Systems"
(BBS) which can also store electronic magazines like MORNING
STAR. Many of these BBS are Christian ones and are full of
great information for believers.

A big breakthrough came in early 1992 when I received a phone
call from a man in Minde, Norway. He wanted to tell me how much
he enjoyed reading the magazine. I asked him where he got it
from and he told me he downloaded it from a BBS in Norway!

After I fell off my chair, I managed to asked him if he knew how
MORNING STAR had found its way onto a BBS in Norway. This
fellow had taken the time to trace the "path" that the magazine
had followed to get to him. Someone in the United States had
first uploaded it to a BBS in Canada. From there, a Canadian
BBS user uploaded it (long distance) to a Christian BBS in
England. Someone who downloaded it from the English BBS then
decided to make it available on a large public network in
Sweden. From there it made its way to Norway. The Lord surely
provided the directions on this trip!

As of this issue, MORNING STAR is available on hundreds of BBS
in 26 states and is also read in 16 countries. Besides the
original Macintosh and DOS editions, we added a "Windows"
edition - a popular and more attractive program for DOS users.

After much thought and prayer, a decision was made in the summer
of 1993 to make MORNING STAR available to people who don't have
computers or access to these networks and BBS. We are not
charging anyone for this hard copy, but we hope that those who
can afford to make a donation to help with the cost will
consider doing so. (We have no wealthy financial backers, the
expenses come out of the pockets of men and women who believe
the magazine will be a blessing to many.)

We are also making this hard copy available free to prison
chaplains and inmates across the country. PRISON FELLOWSHIP of
Washington D.C. is helping us coordinate this effort. Again,
your prayers and donations are needed for this to continue and
grow. Anyone wishing to help should send a contribution to our
hard copy publisher:

David's Mighty Men, Inc.
PO Box 5093
Beaumont, TX 77726

MORNING STAR does not have a large writing staff. We depend on
our readers to send in articles, testimonies, mission reports
and ministry profiles. Articles can be sent in on computer disk
or in printed/typed format. You can make contact by way of our
Post Office box, Fax number or E-mail address.

We hope you enjoy the variety of material we present in this
magazine. You will find MORNING STAR to be very unique in its
content as well as its methods of publication. We place a lot
of emphasis on the Jewishness of our faith. Every issue has a
"Messianic Studies" column as well as a testimony from a Jewish
believer in Yeshua (Hebrew for Jesus). On occasion we dedicate
our entire Features area to studies in this area. (As we are
doing with our upcoming November and February issues.)

It is our hope, as reflected in our Mission Statement, that
MORNING STAR will be a helpful resource to believers and also a
blessing to those who do not yet know our Lord.

In service to Jesus our Savior,

Toby Trudel
Editor-in-Chief
MORNING STAR
People Profile
People Profile
MORNING STAR Editor, Pastor Geoff Kragen, and Pastor Russell
Eugene Walden of Bunkie, Louisiana, conducted this interview
over the America Online computer network.


Geoff: Pastor Walden, why don't you give our readers some
background information about yourself?

Pastor Walden: I'm 33 years old, a father of four, my wife
Frankie and I have been pastoral ministry since 1981. We have
pastored two churches, one in Lake Charles, Louisiana and we are
in our 8th year in Bunkie Louisiana at Crossroads Community
Church. My grandfather was a pastor in the early pentecostal
movement that came out of the notable "Azuza Street" meetings.
My father has been in pastoral ministry for forty years and my
two brothers are also in the ministry. I was the quintessential
bad preacher's kid. I revolted against my parents and their God
while still in my early teens. I told them over and again, "I
hate your God, I hate what you stand for.." They loved me, and
put me over and again into God's hands. I entered the military
at 17 and achieved my goal of becoming a drug dealer. My biggest
thrill was 'turning people' on to LSD for the first time. By the
end of the first year of my hitch I was physically debilitated
and mildly brain damaged by the drug and alcohol abuse. 

I had a vision where God gave me a choice between an altar and a
padded cell. I processed out of the military and found that
altar at my dad's church. I knelt with tears of frustration and
admitted to God that I did not want to serve him but I realize
that if "you train up a child in the way he should go, when he
is old he will not depart from it..." Still drug addicted, I
told the Lord He would have to deliver me, I would not lean on
mere will power. I would sit in my parents back yard at 3:00
a.m. smoking grass, praying and reading my bible. over a period
of three months, the drugs interfered with His presence, and I
chose his presence. I was then delivered and over time restored
physically and mentally. I met my wife in my father's church and
after several years got involved in fulfilling his call on my
life to church leadership.


Geoff: How would you define legalism as opposed to the call to
live a holy life before the Lord?

Pastor Walden: A good contrasting definition between legalism
and biblical holiness would be a distinction between that which
is an outward appearance, and that which is an inward reality.
Legalism only addresses what you do, holiness addresses WHO YOU
ARE. Legalism changes man's actions and is fueled by the will.
Holiness is something you are, someone you BECOME in the light
of WHO JESUS is within your heart. Legalism only changes what
you do through the power of the will, motivated by some form of
intimidation. True holiness is that which is produced in your
life by virtue of who Jesus is and what he has done, not who you
are or what you have (or have not done.) Legalism gives the will
of man license to boast, true holiness can only glory in Jesus
Christ, because it is the by-product of intimacy with Him.


Geoff: Where does legitimate obedience move into the burden of
legalism?

Pastor Walden: The book of Romans contains two mentions of a
phrase that I believe are intended to 'bracket' this book that
contains the master treatise of the grace / works issue. This
phrase is "Obedience to the Faith," found in Romans. 1:5 and
Rom. 16:26. Biblical obedience demands faith as a condition of
intimate relationship with Jesus. Legalistic obedience demands
conformity to precepts or principles (biblical or not) as a
condition of fellowship in the body and as a condition of
salvation. The expression I've often heard is "we are saved by
grace, but you've got to work to keep your salvation..." 

I personally question the salvation of a hypothetical individual
whose level of piety was maintain only to escape damnation. The
piety the Father is seeking is that which flow out of a heart of
love, because you ARE saved, not so you can stay saved. Having
said that let me add that I don't consider myself a Calvinist.
But neither would I want to be a card carrying Armenian either!

Grace oriented obedience find expression in a person's
Christianity as they adhere to the person of Jesus Christ, the
Source of Grace. Legalistic obedience is precept and principle
oriented. Law based obedience involved discipline in regard to
applying precepts and principles. Grace based obedience involves
disciplined exposure to the Person of Jesus through the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The discipline factor of intimacy
is understood when you experience the heart searching and the
demand for honesty in his presence that exposes hidden motives,
and continually shapes our personalities more closely into the
personality of Jesus Christ. Legalism claims that God's
acceptance is conditioned upon your obedience. 

Legitimate obedience is maintained in this attitude: I know I am
ACCEPTED by God because of who Jesus is and what He has done
(regardless of who I am or what I have done), however because I
seek not only his acceptance but also his APPROVAL, therefore I
move toward obedience, and seek a lifestyle conformed to His
sense of Holiness. Legalism confused God's acceptance and God's
approval. 

They are two different things. God accepts you because of who
Jesus is and what he has done regardless of who you are or what
you have done. In the same way that you accept your own
children. They are you children, no matter how degraded their
performance may be. And just for being your children, certain
benefits accrue to them, not matter how naughty they may be.
(i.e. food, clothing, shelter...) Likewise there are benefits
that accrue to you as a child of God ACCEPTED in the BELOVED, no
matter how poor your performance. 

I totally accept my children, but there are times I completely
disapprove of them. Therefore in the context of my full
acceptance of them in my family, I move to address the areas of
their performance that have resulted in my disapproval. If I,
being evil know how to deal with my children, how much more your
heavenly father... The legalist hears God tell him "you are not
my little boy, my little boy would not do such and such..." The
true voice of chastening is "Son, I love and accept you, but I
totally disapprove of your performance in this area, and
therefore warn you of the consequence of continued
disobedience..." 


Geoff: How do we avoid taking grace and making it a basis for
license. People do, through ignorance take advantage of the
teaching of righteousness in Christ? (i.e. God accepts you on
the basis of who Jesus is and what he has done regardless of who
you are or what you have done.)

Pastor Walden: My thoughts on that would be to direct you
attention to the problems that sin in your life is symptomatic
of. John the Baptist said "lay the ax at the root of the tree."
Legalism only picks fruit. Sin is the fruit of deficient
relationship with Jesus. Romans 1:18-32 continually mentions God
'giving men over' to sin because 'they did not glorify him, they
did not like to retain him in their knowledge...' Therefore when
you see sin in you life, don't rush out with the sword of the
Lord and lop the fruit off. It will only fall to the ground,
germinate and produce some fresh corruption in your life. Rather
acknowledge that this certain sin is symptomatic of some
deficiency in your relationship to Him, then work on that. Run
TO HIM, not away from him. God's cry to every fallen son and
daughter is "where are you..." Like Adam, we have sown a fig
leaf of legalism, and are cowering behind a theology of
intimidation.


Geoff: In you own ministry what have you damage have you
observed arising out of legalism?

Pastor Walden: The greatest damage of legalism in Western
Christianity is inability to get prayer answered. 1 John 5:4
states "we know we have the things we desire of him because we
do what is pleasing in his sight." When your acceptance in
Father's eyes is based on your performance, you can never know
you are pleasing in his sight, never legitimately get your
prayers answered. This is why Hebrews 10:19 compels you to enter
the Holiest on the basis of the BLOOD, not your performance. The
writer goes on the say that the conscience must be sprinkled
with the blood of Jesus. 

In other words, the Christian's conscience should justified you
on the basis of the merits of Christ, not on the merit of your
performance, good or evil. The legalist seeks to balance evil
works with good works, and is therefore still eating of the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil. So the greatest damage has
been the destruction of faith in the hearts of God's people.
They know that God CAN, but they don't know that he WILL,
because their hearts are condemned by religious legalism. 


Geoff: How do we answer the unbeliever who says, "... then you
mean that if I become a Christian I can do whatever I want and
simply ask God to forgive me, and He will?"

Pastor Walden: My answer would be, "knock yourself out."
Because the convert in the end will do what he wants anyway. The
difference is, that if his conversion is genuine there will be
an immediate change in his desires because he has found a source
of satisfaction that quenches every desire for other things. I
have confidence that what Christ deposits in the heart of a new
born Christian will be more compelling than any addiction, habit
or activity that would quench that grace. 


Geoff: Why are so many churches typified by "rules and regs" as
proof of the Christian walk?

Pastor Walden: Rules and regulations are made by elders who
want to get to bed early. They are an easy means of measuring
our effectiveness, and gauging our authority. Regulations
simplify things. There is no need to depend on discernment or
the anointing. We can cut the elders prayer meeting short and go
home and catch "Murder she wrote..." Yet it is impossible to
regulate 1 Corinthians 13! The church has been reduced to a sad
counterpart of the Jewish Religious System in Jesus day. Paul
said that the branches grafted in could be rejected also. I
believe that we are in danger of that in the modern Christian
religious system for the same reason ancient Judaism was judged.
Jesus will never reject His people, but he will reject the
system through which his people are brought into bondage only to
service the insecurities and idiosyncrasies of a spiritual
bureaucracy describing itself according to Ephesians 4:11-12. 


Geoff: How can we be faithful in our own walks without falling
into the trap of legalism?

Pastor Walden: Avoid being dogmatic. Realize that the Truth is
first a Person, not a set of doctrines. In my experience I find
myself more comfortable with my questions than I am with
everyone else's answers. When I was searching for so many years
for answers to what I'd been told were burning questions, all I
had was HIM. He became my companion as I searched for the
perfect dogma. After awhile I started 'sluffing off' in my
search simply because I enjoyed being with Him. In time, all
those burning issues became smoldering ashes that I ignored in
my pursuit of Him. Hold everything loosely. Exercise more
diligence in fostering your intimacy with Jesus on a daily basis
than you exercise in charging windmill astride your white
stallion of your piety. 


Geoff: What is so appealing about legalism when God's grace is
so freeing?

Pastor Walden: Legalism instigates an endless cycle of sinning
and being forgiven, never arriving at any level of maturity.
Everything is reduced to shallow, outward issues, and the real
inward conflicts and corruption is ignored. There's a verse in
the Old Testament that speaks of the corruption of God's leaders
and the observation that "my people love to have it so..."
Everything is so much simpler, no challenge, no demand for true
holiness. It's so much easier to pay lip service to changing
what you do, than submitting to the Holy Spirit's work of
changing WHO YOU ARE.
Ministry Profile
Ministry Profile
INTERNATIONAL BIBLE SOCIETY

Serving the Church with Scriptures for Evangelism since 1809


International Bible Society was founded in 1809 in New York City
by a small group of evangelism-minded Christians. During the
early days, it was known as New York Bible Society. Its ministry
centered on distributing Bibles in hotels, hospitals and jails,
aboard ships and to immigrants.

Over the years it grew into an international ministry. In 1992
International Bible Society merged with Living Bibles
International (LBI) to further expand its worldwide Scripture
translation and distribution efforts. The enhanced ministry
retains International Bible Society's name and the Colorado
Springs headquarters; its International President is Lars B.
Dunberg, former International President of LBI. Key benefits of
the merger include a greater capacity for global outreach and
more efficient stewardship of resources.

To date the Bible Society has published God's Word in more than
540 languages on 6 continents. Scripture translation projects,
carried out by more than 800 national Christians on a part-time
basis, are currently underway in more than 120 languages. A
global network of 39 offices, staffed by 250 national
Christians, oversees this aspect of the ministry.

As part of its efforts to make Gods Word as clear as possible,
International Bible Society sponsored the translation of the New
International Version Bible. Over 100 evangelical scholars
worked more than 10 years to produce this highly accurate
version of the Bible in modern English.

In the United States, International Bible Society produces
Bibles, New Testaments and Scripture portions in various formats
and sells them at or below cost to individuals, churches and
organizations for use in evangelism and discipleship. Recipients
of these subsidized Scriptures include rescue missions, campus
ministries, prison ministries and crisis pregnancy centers. Its
New York office, New York Bible Society, continues to distribute
Scriptures in New York metropolitan areas through strategic
outreaches.

Elsewhere around the world, International Bible Society provides
Scriptures free of charge through gifts from believers in North
America. These Scriptures are distributed by dozens of
evangelical organizations, many of which are national missions.

This year, through our CIS Orphanage Project, we are providing
750,000 orphans in 5,600 state-run orphanages in five republics
in the Commonwealth of Independent States with children's Bibles
in their national languages. Through Operation Francais, we are
reaching out with a contemporary French Bible to people in the
46 French-speaking nations of the world. And between April 1,
1993 and March 31, 1994, some 80,000 secondary school children
in Nigeria will receive Bibles through our Africa Schools
Program.

Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA, the purpose of
International Bible Society is "to serve the Church in
evangelism and discipleship by providing God's Word so that
people around the world may come to faith and life in Jesus
Christ."

International Bible Society is an independent, non-profit
organization with membership in the Evangelical Council for
Financial Accountability (ECFA), the National Association of
Evangelicals (NAE) and the Evangelical Fellowship of Mission
Agencies (EFMA).

For more information write to the IBS at:
1820 Jet Stream Drive
Colorado Springs CO 80921-3696
Telephone: 719-488-9200
The Bookworm
The Bookworm
Browsing With The Bookworm

Well here it is - another month requiring book reviews. And,
because this issue deals with Grace and Legalism, I thought it
would be helpful to reprint, with minor changes, a review from
our very first issue. At the time the review was first published
this book was called TOXIC FAITH. Since then, it has undergone a
title change. But the concerns expressed haven't changed.


FAITH THAT HURTS, FAITH THAT HEALS
by Stephen Arterburn & Jack Felton 
Published by Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN

The Christian is called by Christ to go and make disciples. As
part of this process, we are often given the opportunity to work
with those who are in deep pain. The more we choose to help
those whom the Lord sends to us, the more we will run into
people who suffer from toxic faith.

The cover of the first edition of "Faith That Hurts, Faith That
Heals" describes it this way: "Well-meaning but misguided
people can turn religion into a harmful addiction, an addiction
that can be used to avoid commitments, avoid pain, avoid
reality, avoid fear, and avoid growth. This type of faith is
toxic.

When religion becomes a means to avoid or control life, it
becomes toxic. Many people are susceptible: people with low
self-esteem; people raised in shame-based families; people who
have been emotionally, physically, and sexually abused; people
with addictive personalities; and people with faulty belief
systems."

"Faith that Hurts, Faith that Heals" calls for a mature
Christianity. It makes a call for relationship with God instead
a of life committed to religiosity. Too often individuals don't
live in dependency on the Lord. They live in bondage to a
system, a cult, or their own misguided perceptions of reality.

As you live in the Body of Christ, you will find these people.
You may find them in your family, in your church or in your
community. (You may even find that you are suffering from this
problem.) "Faith That Hurts, Faith That Heals," will help you
understand the victim and maybe give you the wisdom to be of
help.

This book digs below the surface of the "pillar of the church."
It finds instead of Christ the cornerstone, a foundation of sand
and corruption, of pain and fear. The reader may not agree with
everything found here. Nevertheless, this book is still one that
every Christian concerned with advancing the Kingdom of God
should read.

By the way, some discount book services still have some copies
left of the earlier edition. When you look for this book, check
under both the current and previous titles.

Since we normally review books that are very practical in
content, we thought it might be fun to also review a fantasy
trilogy. This series was primarily written to entertain.


SONG OF ALBION Trilogy
"The Paradise War"
"The Silver Hand"
"The Endless Knot"

By Stephen Lawhead
Lion Publishing, Batavia, IL 60510

Steven Lawhead is one of the few contemporary Christian writers
who can publish well written fantasy. Even the secular market
recognizes the quality of his writing.

His first two sets of novels were Christian allegories. The
first of the two is the DRAGON KING trilogy. These books are
written for juveniles, but are entertaining for adults as well.
The second collection is a two-book series called the EMPYRION
SAGA. This can properly be called novels of Science
Fiction-Fantasy.

Lawhead's next series is the Pendragon cycle. These books focus
on Arthurian traditions and legends of lost Atlantis.

This brings us to his latest series, "The Song of Albion." These
books, while not obviously allegorical, are nevertheless written
from a Christian world view.

These books include a parallel world view as used in many other
fantasy novels. In the first book, "The Paradise War," the hero
Lewis Gilles follows Simon. The movement is from our world earth
to the ancient Celtic style "Otherworld." The problem is that
the two worlds are intricately interwoven. Simon and Lewis must
return. If they don't return, it portends disaster for both
worlds.

But, Simon is the serpent in the Paradise of Otherworld. He has
no desire to return. Instead, in this world of Kings and Bards,
he desires to gain power and to loose ancient evil. Lewis must
find him and return him to our world. But Lewis finds himself
drawn to this beautiful new world and soon forgets all that he
has left behind, including the danger of not returning.

The tale picks up in THE SILVER HAND. The high king has died,
and there is ruin throughout the land. Llew (Lewis) must defeat
Simon, now known as Siawn Hy. Unfortunately, Hy has joined
forces with a usurper and continues to spread evil throughout
the land. And the damage done by the breach and imbalance
between the two worlds continues to poison both.

It seems that all has been set to right, but conditions are not
always what they appear. Llew is now king. THE ENDLESS KNOT
tells the story of the last battle. Llew is ready to return to
our world, but the time has not yet arrived.

These are excellent works. They are readable, which is often not
the case with contemporary fantasy novels. The underlying story
is the battle between good and evil, and the sacrifice necessary
to cleanse the world from corruption and poison.

All three volumes are available in hard cover. The first two are
also available in trade paperback editions. And, at the time of
this writing, the first is available in standard paper back. If
you are a fan of fantasy, you will enjoy these books. If you
have never read this kind of literature, give it a try with the
SONG OF ALBION trilogy.

Until next time, Lord bless and good reading,

Your friend

The Bookworm
Praise and Prayer
Praise and Prayer
PRAISE AND PRAYER is our international prayer link column. Send
your praise report or prayer request to MORNING STAR for
publication in our next issue. Call on your brothers and sisters
worldwide and together we will call on God!


PRAISE REPORTS:

Ray in Ohio and Bill and Kim Collins thank everyone for standing
in prayer with their family. On January 13, 1993 Kimberly
Collins was diagnosed with brain and kidney cancer and told she
might not make it through the year. People on this prayer chain
and elsewhere began to lift up Kimberly in prayer. Today she is
doing everything a normal healthy person should be doing. Thanks
to the doctors for their help, but, the real glory goes to God! 

Chuck in Massachusetts praises the Lord for his first client in
his new consulting firm. He thanks the Lord for setting him free
from alcohol and drugs too.

Melody in Indiana thanks the Lord and everyone for their
prayers. Her husband is completely recovered from bronchitis. 

Bruce in Georgia thanks the Lord for a purchaser of a home he
had attempted to sell for over 2 years. He praises the Lord for
the opportunity to apply for a better job also.

Steven in Texas thanks the Lord that he has been set free from
homosexuality. Continue to pray for strength and guidance for
Steven.

Gene in New York thanks the Lord that twelve people committed
themselves to the Lord and got water baptized at the Christian
City Church, Greenlawn, New York.

Cyndi from Virginia thanks the Lord for a new Pastor in her
church in South Norfolk Baptist Church in Chesapeake, Virginia.
She also is thankful for the intercessory prayers for Joyce and
the mighty work the Lord is doing in Mexico City, Mexico. 

Bill in Nevada praises God for blessing him abundantly by
allowing for the loan to be approved for his new home.

Norm in Florida praises the Lord for a successful open-heart
surgery to close a hole in a 5 year old girl's heart. 

Carl in California asks for prayer for Matthew, 16 months of
age, who swallowed a pear stem which got lodged in his throat
and cut off his air supply. Consequently, he suffered brain
damage and his little body is paralyzed. The doctors had pretty
much given up and suggested institutionalizing him. His parents
brought him home and people have been praying. Since then
Matthew's brain has not only stopped shrinking it has actually
begun to grow! Please continue in prayer for Matthew and family.

Kim in Tennessee is thankful for all the prayers and that the
truth came out and her brother was cleared of any wrongdoing. 

Ann in New York praises the Lord that she had the opportunity to
pray with an unbeliever in the hospital recently.

Lucinda in Georgia thanks the Lord that two of her Home Health
patients will be retaining their services a while longer. Pray
for Robert Watson who has cancer.

Steve in California praises the Lord that over 20,000 people
made public stands for Christ at the Summer Harvest Crusades in
Southern California! 

Spencer praises the Lord that his dad from Arkansas arrived back
home safely after a mission trip to Central America.


PRAYER REQUESTS:

Pray for Dennis in Albany, New York that the Lord will lead and
guide him in the weekend evangelistic lecture series he is
planning at the Northfield Auditorium in Massachusetts in June
1994.

Solomon asks us to pray for Margaret in Alberta, Canada who has
some kind of cancer that the doctors can't do anything about.

Pray for Danny from Ft.Worth, Texas; that the Lord will have His
way in his life.

Pray for Verneita in North Dakota as she continues to recover
from a stroke.

Pray for Faith Baptist Church in Cuthbert, Georgia as they are
in need of a Pastor.

Pray for Jim's wife Carolyn, in Virginia. She has lost her job
and is seeking re-employment!

Pray for the Full Gospel Korean Church of Houston, Texas. They
are looking for a youth pastor.

Pray for Steven in Texas as he is planning to become an intern
at a full gospel camp next year. He asks prayer for protection
and wants to serve the Lord with all his heart.

Pray for Mae in Florida who is recovering from back surgery.

Gene in New York asks for prayer for his parents who don't go to
church and both smoke and drink.

Pray that David's grandmother in Wisconsin continues in her
recovery.

Pray for Paul in Florida who is waiting for a response from his
new job interview.

Mike in Oregon asks for prayer for a closer walk with the Lord
and a healing of some long seated problems in his life. Pray for
the reconcilement of his and Diana's marriage too.

Pray for Vincent in Florida who will have his left knee operated
on for the third time in the past two and a half years.
 
Remember Rev. Charles Stanley from the Atlanta Baptist Church in
Atlanta, Georgia in prayer. Pray for God's will in this family.

Remember the flood victims along the Mississippi River in prayer.

Pray for the Parrous, Manis and Kotsopolous families of
Fayetteville, North Carolina who had family members killed or
wounded in a recent shooting incident. Pray also for the alleged
gunman, Kenneth French, who was apprehended.

The Bauers in Texas have become a host family for a German
exchange student. Pray that the Lord would minister to her
through them and through the youth and others at church. Walter
Bauer asks specific prayer for wisdom with a teenager.

Pray for Stan and Becky's daughter Rachel at the Evangelical
Free Church of Satellite Beach, Florida. She is having problems
that may be related to a traumatic birth with oxygen deprivation
4 years ago. 

Bill in Nevada asks for healing of a hole in the heart of a
foster child, 2 year old Christian Russell. who has a hole in
his heart. Pray that his foster parents Jerry and Kathy will be
able to adopt him.

Pray for Mike's wife Claire in New Jersey who had some terrible
stomach pains this past week. Also pray for peace and strength
for Mike as he just resigned his job of 14 years. 

Pray for Brother Willie Larsen in Florida who is very ill with
fever of 105 and pneumonia. He needs a healing because he also
has a very bad heart.

Pray for a speedy recovery of a concussion for Ann in New York. 

Pray for a healing for Brian's mom Carol. Brian is on the AOL
network.

A brother on the AOL network asks for prayer for his wife who is
having eye surgery. Pray also for his church that is in need of
a Pastor and for the youth department to continue to grow. Pray
for a friend Helen, who is feeling a great deal of stress and it
is affecting how she deals with her co-workers. Pray for her
salvation and that she turns to Jesus for her needs.

Pray for Ron in California, that the Lord will lift him up; also
for his wife who is straying from the Lord and needs salvation.

Steve in New Hampshire asks for prayer that the Lord continues
the good work that He's undertaken on behalf of his health and
well being.

Jim in Virginia asks for prayer for his family as they move to
Lynchburg, Virginia where he will be attending Liberty Bible
Institute this fall. 

Jack in Georgia asks for prayer that he and his fellow-students
do well on the upcoming exams. Pray also for guidance for his
friend Matt, who recently broke off a relationship with his
girlfriend because he felt led by the Lord to do so. Remember
Jack's father who is working in New Jersey and feels lonely
since his family is not there with him.

Dennis in Massachusetts asks the Lord's help in his new business
venture.

Pray for Staci on the AOL network who has a very big decision to
make soon. May the Lord lead and guide her.

Pray for Danny in Iowa that the Lord will help him with his
decisions in the workplace.

Pray for Stevie on the AOL network whose husband died recently.


INTERNATIONAL REQUESTS:

Pray for a Christian brother, Hamdi, in Turkey who is in a
hospital in a coma allegedly due to prolonged torture by
government security forces. Please pray for his recovery. 
Incidences of persecution against Christians in Turkey have been
on the increase in recent months. Also keep in prayer six
families left in Hamdi's village who are fearful of further
harassment.

Pray for Juan of Peru, a fellow Evangelical Believer, who has
been falsely accused of links to the bloodthirsty terrorist
"Shining Path" communist guerillas in Peru and was forced to
sign a "confession" after being tortured.

Sri Lanka: persecution against Christians is increasing; 8
church buildings have been burned recently, and our brothers
and sisters face harassment and persecution daily.

The United States State Department confirmed independent reports
that the Islamic government of Sudan is rounding up non-Muslims
and enslaving them. Massive numbers of women and children have
recently been sold into slavery after being forcibly removed
from their homes; many have been exported to Libya and other
Muslim countries. Repeated attempts to send in human rights
monitors have been thwarted by the Sudanese government. 

Sha'alu Shalom Yerushalayim. - Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem.
(Psalm 122:6a)
S.C.U.D. Warnings!
S.C.U.D. Warnings!
S piritual
 C ounterfeits
   U ndermining
    D octrine

W A R N I N G S

By Jerry Johnson


"The Three L's"

A well-known nursery rhyme:

Jack and Jill went up the hill
to fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down and broke his crown
and Jill came tumbling after.

The same poem written by someone who is licentious:

Jack and Jill went up the hill
with passions most assiduous.
They had fun, but what was done
is none of your darn business.

The same poem written by someone functioning in liberty:

Jack and Jill went up the hill
boldly and not fearful.
Jack fell down and broke his crown
next time they'll be more careful.

The same poem written by a legalist:

Jack and Jill went up the hill,
they didn't get permission.
Jack fell down and broke his crown;
nailed for not submittin'

You have probably witnessed a first in the history of the
English language! It is doubtful anyone has ever tried to use
"assiduous" and "business" as a rhyme; but, hey, "Morning Star"
is a ground-breaking kind of magazine!

This is the first time I've intentionally tried to thematically
link a SCUD Warning to the general topic for the issue. This
does create some problems.

You see, the articles for "Morning Star" are sent by modem and
mail to our editors. They then collect, correct and combine
them. Just like you, I don't see the articles until I receive my
copy of "Morning Star." So, what I will be saying about
legalism in this SCUD, you may have already read multiple times
in this issue. If it sounds familiar, please feel free to skim
or skip it. I promise I won't get upset. (That would be rather
legalistic of me, wouldn't it?)

Actually, I should issue a warning before I start. I really get
bugged about legalism. It's probably because I am from a
legalistic denomination. But, I've tended to be distinctly
off-center enough to have recurrent and consistent hassling from
those who function in the spiritual gift of legalism.

It's funny though, neither my wife or I can ever recall talking
to a legalist who would define themselves as one. They most
often feel that they are "prophets," defenders of the faith or
just very earnest believers... almost anything but legalists.

The thing is, that is exactly what the Pharisees thought they
were... earnest believers and defenders of the faith. Yet Jesus
had a somewhat different opinion which included defining them
as: a brood of vipers, hypocrites, a wicked and adulterous
generation, blind guides, blind fools, whitened tombs full of
dead men's bones and snakes. Hardly a glowing recommendation.

And as you have probably already read in this issue, legalism
and Pharisaism are basically one and the same, just a couple of
millennia apart.

So what motivates a legalist to be a legalist?

As stated above, if you ask them, they'll usually make some
statement about defending the faith or some such.

That may be their stated rationale, but I seriously doubt it is
their motivation. If they were truly defending the faith, they
would defend all of it... and that includes the stuff about
grace, mercy and that wonderful verse, Galatians 6:1: "... if
someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore
him gently (legalism loses on that point). But watch yourself or
you may also be tempted." It's that last point that really
forbids the legalist from functioning in the role of restoring a
fallen brother.

I have not yet met a legalist who would admit they could be
tempted by a sin that they are correcting someone for. I really
believe that is part of the crux of the trap of legalism.

"You consider legalism a trap?"

What would you call something whose purpose is to catch
something, stop it in its path and impede it's freedom, usually
while inflicting pain along the way? Sounds like a trap to me.

We all know what legalists do: go by the most conservative
interpretation of the book. We know that they know the rules,
keep score on how people are doing and usually will let you know
when your score's too low.

A number of columns ago I observed that the people that act most
like legalists in the business world are the people who are
scared to death of the boss. They play by the book in order to
be able to prove to the boss, or anyone else, that they have
been doing their job.

These people "do their job." But they take no risks and rarely
take any initiative, for fear they may fail and draw negative
attention on themselves. I know because I have a co-worker like
that and he would rather do nothing than try and fail.

So he often does nothing.

And I feel that is often true of legalists; they often do
nothing except point out the weaknesses in others, possibly to
make themselves feel good about all those things that they do do
so well.

"I think I ought to call the Legalists' Anti-defamation League!
You're making them sound like hypercritical, do-nothings!"

I didn't say they do nothing. They just don't do anything other
than what they feel they can absolutely succeed at. That may be
why legalists create such a hermetically sealed, rigid and tiny
world with their rules.

The fewer the freedoms, the lower the risk of failure and
mistakes.

Yet scripture makes it clear that Christ came to bring life and
life more abundantly (John 10:10), that we no longer labor under
condemnation (Romans 8:1), that knowing Him instills GREAT joy
(1 Peter 1:8), that He loves us when we are at our worst (Romans
5:8) and that He came to set us free (John 8:36).

The two sets of beliefs do seem to be at odds.

Maybe it can be viewed this way: Liberty understands man's
weakness and delights in God's grace. License delights in man's
weakness and exploits God's grace. While on the other hand,
legalism denies and condemns man's weakness while not being
confident of God's grace.

Also, it has always been easier to follow a clear set of rules
than work out your salvation with fear and trembling
(Philippians 2:12). Again, in liberty there are WAY too many
opportunities to make mistakes and fail.

But the thing that I have pondered the most...

"Ponder? Ponder?! I thought people quit doing that at the turn
of the century!"

OK, so I've thought about it; what is it about legalism that
compels legalists to go about condemning people?

I grew up with the idea that we should not do things to make
others stumble. And, in that spirit, whenever someone got upset
about something everyone would knock themselves out to not do it
anymore. This was intended to keep the brother from stumbling.

But if you really read Romans 14 where it talks about these
issues, the stumbling block is when you do something in liberty
and someone who cannot do the same thing in good conscience
follows your lead into doing something they really believe is
probably sin.

Those weren't the people we were adjusting everything for.

We were usually jumping to the fevered outcries of people (you
may use that alternative spelling: l-e-g-a-l-i-s-t-s) who simply
disagreed with what we were doing and were condemning us,
usually in the name of the Lord.

Ah yes, repression in the name of God. It's been done before and
will likely be done again.

They aren't the weaker brother! They aren't following our lead,
they're condemning it.

"But if your act incites them to condemnation and rage, isn't
that causing them to stumble?"

That's like saying creating a tall building incites people to
jump off. It doesn't incite them, but their own weakness will
take advantage of the opportunity.

"Then it's like I said, your acts still contribute to them
stumbling, so you shouldn't do it!"

Romans 9:32 makes it clear that Israel got hung up on a
"stumbling block" that was saturated with liberty. Should we
have stopped Christ because he elicited some Jews' condemnation
and rage?

Just because Adam and Eve ate the fruit and became aware of
their nakedness doesn't mean that the Tree of the Knowledge of
Good and Evil was a stumbling block. It meant that they chose to
stumble over their single, free-will choice that was an
indicator of their commitment to God.

But back to my question of a couple of inches ago: Why does
legalism compel legalists to go after others?

Maybe its because misery loves company... or maybe they just
love God so much that they can't stand seeing someone else doing
something "wrong"... or maybe they just can't stand to see
anyone having a good time... or...

I had a roommate in college that had strong legalistic
tendencies, but I didn't know how strong those tendencies were
until I made the comment that God must laugh at the foibles of
us humans.

That's when my roommate declared that God doesn't laugh.

God was someone to be feared and served, period. He was a
demanding, somber savior. He had no sense of humor.

If that was who I understood God to be I would probably be
worried about following the rules too.

But the God I know is significantly different than that.

He's omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, holy, righteous,
loving, caring, forgiving, gracious, gentle and, to be quite
frank, very entertaining.

I KNOW FOR AN ABSOLUTE FACT that I could never do enough, well
enough to merit His attention, love and favor... yet I have His
attention, love and favor.

If I am freed from having to earn his love, I am freed to enjoy
that love... and Him. Notice, I did not say that I am afraid of
Him or fear His reprisals. I do not fear Him in the least
because I trust Him the most.

I trust Him to be guiding me if I give even the slightest
inkling of wanting to follow Him. I trust Him to hound and
convict me if and when I am moving in rebellion. I trust Him to
forgive me regardless of how bad or repetitive my sins are. I
trust Him to not consider my mere mistakes to be sins. I trust
Him to know I'll be human enough to fail. I trust Him enough to
focus on His pleasure rather than my performance.

So, (for the third time) why does legalism compel legalists to
go after others?

If your theology and beliefs are structured on error, its much
like a house of cards. All it takes is a puff and its gone. I
honestly believe, at least in the case of my roommate, that it
was way too unsettling for his legalism to have a God that
laughs. So rather than examine the idea, and risk being wrong,
he simply attacked the idea that was a threat to his
self-consistent but incomplete theology.

Maybe it is that same perceived threat to a theology too weak to
enjoy options that causes other legalists to go on the defensive
rather than the introspective.

If you're a legalist, you probably aren't even aware of it. Just
ask yourself a simple question: "Do I feel safe and accepted
with God?"

If the answer is no, you may be feeling compelled to earn His
pleasure and may be slipping into legalism.

If the answer is yes, but you are enjoying the sin you are 
supposed to be fighting, you are into license.

If the answer is yes and you just want to make God happy, you
are probably functioning in liberty.

There are three L's. Take your pick, but only one leads to joy
AND righteousness.
 

Next time: Church and the "First Date Syndrome" (and, no, it
has next to nothing to do with taking someone out for a meal and
movie).
Commentary
Commentary
COMMENTARY

RESTORATION NOT RETALIATION

Pastor Geoffrey Kragen


In this special issue of Morning Star, we focus on Grace versus
Legalism, a subject that often generates a lot of heat in the
contemporary Church.

This subject greatly concerns me for two reasons. First, I am a
Hebrew Christian. I have been taken out from under the burden of
the Law. I have no intention of being returned to it. "Therefore
no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the
law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin" 
(Romans 3:20). "For sin shall not be your master, because you
are not under law, but under grace" (Romans 6:14). It is not
the law which saves, but the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Second, this subject concerns me is because I am a pastoral
counselor. I frequently have to help clients deal with the
results of time spent in a legalistic church environment. The
damage done by this is often very serious. "Christian" legalism
sends a wife back to a violent husband even at the risk of her
life. It is judgmental instead of loving. It punishes instead of
disciplines. It is more concerned with sentencing than
restoration. Legalism stifles the growth of the believer,
substituting rules for seeking the Lord's direction for his or
her life. 

And, because the focus is legalistic, it is more concerned with
peripheral rather than substantive issues. Legalism deals most
harshly with behaviors that aren't significant by biblical
standards. It confuses outward appearances with inward maturity.
It mistakenly implies that being at church every time the door
is open indicates a mature walk with the Lord. Thus, it judges
most harshly when someone fails to live up to the appearance of
righteousness. It often ignores the deep rebellion of the heart
not apparent on the surface.

The legalistic environment is similar to the one found in the
dysfunctional family. More energy is spent on outside
appearances than on fixing the inward rot. This is the very same
failing that Jesus identified in the lives of the religious
leaders of His day. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and
Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which
look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead
men's bones and everything unclean" (Matthew 23:27).

We can see "religiosity" in the lives of the legalists. We can
confuse this with spiritual maturity. In Matthew 23:15 Jesus
states the following: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and
Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a
single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as
much a son of hell as you are" (Matthew 23:15). Here is a group
of men who are much more dedicated than many of us. They would
go to major lengths to convert an individual to Judaism. But
then they would burden this new believer with a greater slavery
than he had ever experienced before his conversion.

In my experience, there are a couple of reasons why people are
legalistic. First, if they focus on the shortcomings of others,
they can feel superior to them. "Why, in our church the women
always wear hats and dresses, never pants." This means that they
are superior to the church down the street. And of course, by
focusing on others' "failings," they never have to recognize how
far they themselves have moved from God's standards. "Why do you
look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no
attention to the plank in your own eye?" (Matthew 7:3).

His attitude of superiority also allows the legalist to distance
himself from the "weaker" brother. He doesn't have to get down
in the mud, helping his brother out. Instead he can stand on the
sidelines saying: "It is your fault you are down there! If you
had just followed the rules."

Apparently, the Corinthians were pretty proud of their status.
However, Paul wasn't all that impressed. "Do you not know that
the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be
deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor
adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor
thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor
swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some
of you were" (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). The legalist forgets that
he is no better than the one he attacks.

Additionally, the legalist, who believes he is more spiritually
mature, forgoes his responsibility to the younger believer.
"Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on
disputable matters. One man's faith allows him to eat
everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only
vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on
him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must
not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. Who are
you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands
or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him
stand" (Romans 14:1-4). (Also see the balance of Romans 14).

Yes, we are called to judge, but not the behaviors that Paul
calls "disputable matters." Yes, we are called to walk worthy
before the Lord, but I am responsible to the Lord for my walk.
And yes, we are not to cause a brother to stumble. But the Lord
will convict us of the need to give up our freedom because of
our love for a fellow believer.

The second problem with legalism is the focus on rules. This
allows them to avoid the difficult struggle of working through
decisions with the Lord. They can feel comfortable in their
works, not remembering that spiritual maturity is a product of
relationship with God, and not a set of rules. 

Paul warns against the problem of legalism in great detail in
many of his writings. Consider the following. "Therefore do not
let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to
a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath
day.... Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this
world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to
its rules: "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? These
are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on
human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an
appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their
false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they
lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence" (Colossians
2:16, 20-23).

The great joy of the Christian life is that our sins are
forgiven. We are no longer slaves to sin. We are free. We are
free to obey God, which we must do, but out of love, not
legalism. We are free to love each other, not judging, but
instead encouraging. Our God is the God of restoration. Let us
live in a way that allows His love to follow through us, drawing
others to Him. And He will, in love, convict of that which must
change, not for salvation, but because of it.

I pray that this issue will be a real blessing to all of us,
encouraging us to praise the Lord for His loving grace. May our
burden of legalism be left at the cross. May we desire to love
others, walking with them as fellow suffers, and disciples of a
loving Father.
Gospel Message
Gospel Message
Are you a child of God? Do you have a personal relationship
with Jesus Christ? Are you saved? If you have heard these
questions and you aren't sure what they mean, the following
is provided to help you be sure that you will be spending
eternity with the Lord.

¨Es usted un hijo de Dios? Tiene usted una relaci˘n personal
con Jesucristo?  ¨Es usted salvo? Si ha oĦdo estas preguntas
y no est  seguro lo que quieren decir, lo siguente est 
proveĦdo para ayudarle estar seguro que va a pasar la
eternidad con el Se¤or.


All people need a Savior because each of us has sinned.
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
(Romans 3:23).

Todos necesitan un Salvador porque cada uno de nosotros
ha pecado. "Pues todos han pecado y est n lejos de la
presencia salvadora de Dios" (Romanos 3:23).


There is a price we would have to pay for sin.
"For the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23a).

Hay un precio que debemos pagar por pecado.
"El pago que da el pecado es la muerte" (Romanos 6:23a).


And the price must be paid. "Man is destined to die once,
and after that to face judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). The
judgment faced is an eternity separated from God, an
eternity in Hell. He will say to those who have not
accepted Christ's payment for sin: "Depart from me,
you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for
the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41b).

Y el precio debe ser pagado. "Y asĦ como todos han de morir
una sola vez y despu‚s vendr  el juicio" (Hebreos 9:27). El
juicio es una eternidad separado de Dios, una eternidad en
el infierno. El decire a los quien no han aceptado el pago
de Cristo por pecado: "Ap rtense de mĦ, ustedes que est n
bajo maldici˘n, v yanse al fuego eterno preparado para el
diablo y sus  ngeles." (Mateo 25:41b)


But God is loving and merciful, "For God so loved the world
that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in
him shall not perish but have eternal life"  (John 3:16).

Pero Dios es amable y tiene misericordia, "Pues Dios am˘ tanto
al mundo, que dĦo a su Hijo £nico, para que todo aquel que
cree en ‚l no muera, sino que tenga vida eterna" (Juan 3:16).


He has provided a way for the penalty for sin to be paid for
each of us. "So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the
sins of many people" (Hebrews 9:28). "The gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23).

l ha proveĦdo el modo en que el castigo por el pecado puede
ser pagado por nosotros. "AsĦ tambi‚n Cristo ha sido ofrecido
una sola vez para quitar los pecados de muchos" (Hebreos 9:28).
"Pero el don de Dios es vida eterna en uni˘n con Cristo Jesus,
nuestro Se¤or" (Romanos 6:23).


The Apostle Paul, in what is referred to as the "Gospel" message,
explains how Christ provided payment. "For what I received I
passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for
our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he
was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures"
(1 Corinthians 15:4).

El ap˘stolo Pablo explica en lo que se refiere al mensaje
"evangelio" como Cristo proveo el precio. En primer lugar les
he dado a conocer ense¤anza que yo recibĦ. Les he ense¤ado que
Cristo muri˘ por nuestos pecados, como dicen las Escrituras;
que lo sepultaron y que recusito al tercer dĦa como tambi‚n
dicen las Escrituras" (1 Corintios 15:3-4).


If you understand and accept these truths, then there is only
one requirement to receive salvation and to enjoy an eternity
with the Lord. "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,'
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).

Si entiende y aceptan estas verdades, entonces solo hay un
requisito para recibir salvaci˘n y para disfrutar una eternidad
con el Se¤or. "Si tu boca reconoces a Jes£s como Se¤or, y con
tu corazon crees que Dios lo recusit˘, alcanzar s la salvaci˘n"
(Romanos 10:9).


Pray this prayer to confirm your acceptance. "Lord, I realize
that I am a sinner. I accept Christ's payment for my sin and
thank you for the gift of my salvation. I know that all my sins
are now forgiven and that one day I will come to be with you.
Thank you, Lord."

If we can be of any help, please contact us here at Morning
Star Magazine.

Ore ‚sta oraci˘n para confirmar su acepci˘n, "Se¤or, me doy
cuenta que soy pecador. Acepto el precio de Cristo que ha pagado
por mi pecado y gracias por el regalo de mi salvaci˘n. Yo s‚ que
mis pecados ya son perdonados y alg£n dĦa vendr‚ a estar contigo.
Gracias, Se¤or".

Si podemos ayudarle, por favor comunĦquese con nosotros aquĦ a 
Morning Star Magazine.

Features
The Law or God's Grace ?
The Law (Works) or God's Grace (Free Gift)?
THE LAW (Works) OR GOD'S GRACE (Free Gift)?

By J.C. Trudel
Naples, Florida


Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but
by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus
Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and
not by the works of the law: for by the works the law shall no
flesh be justified. (Galatians 2:16)

The above scriptural statement is in itself a legal religious
opinion regarding what does and does not lead to salvation. It
is legal as it is based on rules set forth by our Savior. These
rules clearly state that by His death and the shedding of His
blood, He paid the penalty for our sins, and offers us eternal
salvation. It is a free gift that can only be received by faith
in Him and the sacrifice of Himself at Calvary.

The non-biblical opinion that one can be saved by works, or the
observing of rules and regulations, is totally opposite to God's
plan of salvation. The lack of knowledge of God's Word
unfortunately causes many to get trapped in legalism and to
follow the whims and rules of man rather than the pure teachings
of Jesus Christ.

Paul in his epistle to the Philippians 3:5,6 tells us of his
legalist days, his high standing as a Pharisee in the synagogue,
his zeal, his persecution of the christian church and his being
blameless in the law. Since the Pharisees had augmented the
Mosaic Law to 800 plus ordinances, one can really conclude that
Paul was as legalist as one can get.

Was Jesus happy with Paul's legalism? Our Lord's direct
intervention in Paul's spiritual life on the road to Damascus
bluntly tells us that He was displeased. Paul's complete
transformation into a proponent of God's grace for our salvation
is a clear indication of our Lord's plan for our salvation and
his rejection of legalism (Acts chapter 9).

Legalism has many forms and is a festering spiritual disease
that has been entrenched in the church since the beginning,
often using the clever disguise of "Traditions".

We see a feeble attempt at legalism in Mark 9:38, where John
says: Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he
followeth us not; we forbade him because he followeth us not. In
verses 39 and 40 Jesus made it clear that the man was to be
allowed to do what he did in His name and that he did not have
to be part of the physical group to do that.

In Acts Chapter 15 we see the legalizers from Judea, at the
Council of Jerusalem, trying to mix grace and the works of the
law as the only way to obtain salvation. Such a notion was
soundly rejected, as it is not God's plan since He gave the law
to be our schoolmaster, to bring us unto Christ, that we might
be justified by faith (Galatians 3:24). The law was to be the
standard to measure our actions against, to make all realize
their need for a Savior. It has been compared to a thermometer
which can indicate the temperature but can do nothing to change
the causes of the changes in temperature.

Jesus fulfilled the law by offering Himself, ONCE FOR ALL, as
the perfect sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins. Some
legalists claim to sacrifice Him every day in a grievous ritual
that only says that our Lord's, once for all, sacrifice at
Calvary was insufficient - that His dying words "It is finished"
were a lie.

Legalism always travels in the company of false doctrines as it
is based on the opinions of man and must keep changing, adding
and removing, in order to gain and retain control over naive and
scripturally ignorant people.

Paul rebukes legalism as well in 1 Corinthians 1:11-17 and
3:1-8. Some claimed to belong to Apollos, to Paul, to Cephas, to
Christ and were causing contentions in the Body of Christ and
had transformed their church into a carnal body of men. 

If someone asks me what church I belong to, I can only reply
that I am a born again christian who presently attends the local
First Baptist church because I feel that it is a sound Bible
preaching and living christian church. I do not belong to that
church, I belong to my Lord Jesus Christ. Soon my wife and I
intend to join. We have been in the choir for over one year and
we can love and serve God whether or not we are members. We felt
a need to check the christianity of the church over a good
period of time before joining it.

Legalism is also used as a tool in people control, through
rules, fears and a variety of other ways. One favorite way is to
make the rule that you cannot serve in any ministries of the
church unless you become a member of that church. As if
membership is the test of one's christianity! Many people do
not feel like being bound to a physical organization yet would
be willing to serve in many ways and may stay away from a church
that has such a legal requirement anyway. I believe that you
will rarely find a church where everyone attending there is a
member. An exception is the Catholic church where infant
baptism makes you a member, declares you saved and in no danger
to go to Limbo - which is nowhere in the Bible.

Another way that legalism is often used is through suggestions
such as: You should not have a TV set in the house, you should
not read papers or magazines, or, you should not use background
music cassettes to sing in church for they might have been
recorded by unbelievers, etc.. Well! who might have put the
sound system together? Perhaps the lumberjacks who cut the
timber used for the pews and the church were hard-drinking
cursing atheists! 

On and on legalists can go to gradually assume control over
people, trying to cripple their free will and dominate their
conscience. Cults are often born when people no longer think
for themselves in the light of God's word and follow the
dictates of man without searching the Scriptures to see if it
scripturally based and acceptable. (Acts 17:11)

For most of my life I was in a church infested with legalism and
rules that keep its members in fear and bondage. Their priests
can't marry, yet Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 3:2, that a bishop
must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of
good behavior, hospitable and apt to teach. 

One must go to church on appointed days or you commit a mortal
sin. It used to be the rule that if you intended to receive
communion on Sunday, you were not to drink or eat anything after
12:00 AM, or you would commit a mortal sin. If you ate meat on
Friday, you committed a mortal sin. One only has to read 1
Timothy 4:1-5, Colossians 2:8, 2:14-23 and the letter to the
Galatians and see what the apostle Paul thought of obedience to
the Mosaic law when under grace.

Some still insist on following some of the rules of the Mosaic
law in teaching that certain foods should not be eaten and
hinting that you violate the law if you do. I asked one such
christian if she observed the sabbath or did she meet with other
christians on the Lord's day which is Sunday. She could not
reply as she was trapped as a proponent of the law trying to
claim to live in grace at the same time, which is not possible
as grace and the law (works) cannot co-exist. It has to be one
or the other and Paul tells us, it's grace all the way.

I am certain that Paul ate whatever was put before him, even
though he was very careful not to offend a weak brother who
might still have been under the bondage of the law (1
Corinthians 8:9, Romans 14:14,15).

There was wisdom in the Mosaic law, in circumcision, in personal
hygiene, and other things. You can wisely avoid diets that can
be harmful to your health, but never in a way that interfere
with christian liberty as has been the case with some diet
ministries. It's so strange that the name "ministry" has been
tagged to so many endeavors whose chief purpose is gain.

The law is connected with Moses and works; grace with Christ and
faith (John 1:17, Romans 10:4-10). The law blesses the good;
grace saves the bad (Exodus 19:5, Ephesians 2:1-9). The law
demands that blessings be earned; grace is a free gift
(Deuteronomy 28:1-6, Ephesians 2:8, Romans 4:4,5). The law says:
Pay all; Grace says: All is paid. The law is a work to do; grace
is a work done. The law restrains actions; grace changes the
nature. The law condemns; grace justifies. Under the law a
person is a servant working for wages; under grace he or she is
a son or daughter enjoying an inheritance.

It is clear that if someone is living in grace and has a living
faith, he or she will want to do good deeds to the glory of God.
Someday, we must all (believers) appear before the judgment seat
of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10) to have our works judged,
whether they be good or bad. This is not a judgment for sins, as
the believers' sins have been atoned for at Calvary. The result
is "reward" or "loss", but he himself shall be saved (1 Cor.
3:11-15). Some legalists have used verse 15 to justify the false
doctrine of purgatory, not understanding that God is a refiner
(Isaiah 48:10, Malachi 3:2-3, Zechariah 13:9). 

Any works claimed to have been done for one's own glory or
claimed as a help in our salvation will be a loss. This must be
done to prepare the believers for the Marriage supper of the
Lamb (Revelation 19:7-9) where the Church is the Bride and Jesus
is the Bridegroom. There will be no room there for
self-righteousness, works, as the white linen (verse 8) is the
righteousness of the saints, the righteousness of God upon all
them that believe.

Legalism is not only found in the christian churches. We know of
many millions who face in a certain direction with their head in
a cushion at certain times of the day. Nebuchadnezzar also had a
legal form of worship for everyone under his influence. At
certain appointed times, all had to worship the golden image he
had made in the plain of Dura or be thrown in the fiery furnace
(Daniel 3:1-7). 

The book of Revelation, Chapter 13, tells us of an approaching
day when all will be told to worship the image of the Beast
(Antichrist) or be killed. If they are not willing to bear the
mark of the Beast they will not be allowed to buy or sell
anything. The ultimate and final legalism this will be and those
who will worship the Beast and bear his mark will be lost
forever.

We had a preview of this during the Persian Gulf War when Iraqi
soldiers tried to get Kuwaitis to worship the picture of Saddam
Hussein. Those who refused were beaten. 

I pray that you are living in God's grace and enjoying liberty
from legal bondage. If you are not free, then you must come to
Jesus who gave His life and shed His blood to make eternal life
and religious liberty yours.

With all the sincerity of your heart, you must recognize that
you are a sinner in need of God's grace, as we all come short of
the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Tell God that you deeply regret
your sins and ask Him to forgive you and He will. Tell God that
you receive Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior and that you
trust only in what Jesus did at Calvary for your salvation. Ask
God to send you the Holy Spirit to strengthen you and guide you
in your new (born-again) life, and to create in you a hunger
for God's Word that the Truth may set you free. 

And remember to thank God for His Amazing Grace, for it is by
grace that you are saved, not by works, lest anyone should boast
(Ephesians 2:8,9).
The Holy and Profane
The Holy and Profane
THE HOLY AND PROFANE

Discerning God's Requirements from Man's Rules

By Evangelist Brian P. Jenkins
Life in Jesus Ministries
Crandall, Indiana


"And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, say
unto her, Thou art the land that is not cleansed, nor rained
upon in the day of indignation. There is a conspiracy of her
prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the
prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and
precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst
thereof. Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned
mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy
and profane, neither have they shewed the difference between the
unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths,
and I am profaned among them." (Ezekiel 22:23-26 KJV)

The above reference dictates that we have a clear understanding
about what profanity is to the Lord. This led me to a deep study
of which I will state the sum briefly herein. The word profane
carries two meanings in Old Testament Hebrew. One means the
common, or of common use; as opposed to the holy, or that which
is set apart for a specific use. The other means that which has
not been asked, or is a misrepresentation of something or
someone.

Believers today do not know the difference between the holy and
the common (profane). They believe that many things are required
by God that are not. On the other hand they offer many things to
God that he has not asked. This misrepresents God. When people
say, "I'm doing this for the Lord." and it is destroying their
lives and families, does that not misrepresent God as someone
who cares more about his own ends than about the welfare of his
children? Are not many believers drawing near to the church to
find the same--that the church cares more about its
accomplishments than about the nurturing of God's flock? Is this
not profanity?

In Numbers 20:1-13 Moses struck a rock to bring forth water and
misrepresented God as being angry with the people. In verse
eight God simply told Moses to speak to the rock and it would
bring forth water. In verse 10 Moses called the people rebels
and struck the rock twice with his rod. Moses did not sanctify
God by setting him apart from his own personal feelings. He did
not show the people the distinction between the holy and the
common.

Many of the references to profanity in the Old Testament relate
to Israel's misrepresentation of God to the nations around them.
He almost seemed to be a God of sinfulness if you were to look
upon the actions of the Israelites. God declared that he would
do what was necessary to keep his name from being profaned
(misrepresented) among the Gentiles. God would clear himself of
their misdeeds done in his name.

Do not profane my holy name. I must be acknowledged as holy by
the Israelites. I am the LORD, who makes you holy. (Leviticus
22:32 NIV) 

Tell Aaron and his sons to treat with respect the sacred
offerings the Israelites consecrate to me, so they will not
profane my holy name. I am the LORD. (Leviticus 22:2 NIV) 

As for you, O house of Israel, this is what the Sovereign LORD
says: Go and serve your idols, every one of you! But afterward
you will surely listen to me and no longer profane my holy name
with your gifts and idols. (Ezekiel 20:39 NIV) 

Have we not all one Father? Did not one God create us? Why do we
profane the covenant of our fathers by breaking faith with one
another? (Malachi 2:10 NIV) 

Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your
God. I am the LORD. (Leviticus 19:12 NIV) 

Her priests do violence to my law and profane my holy things;
they do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they
teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the
clean; ... (Ezekiel 22:26 NIV) 

You have profaned me among my people for a few handfuls of
barley and scraps of bread. By lying to my people,... (Ezekiel
13:19 NIV) 

But for the sake of my name I did what would keep it [my name]
from being profaned... (Ezekiel 20:9 NIV) 

But for the sake of my name I did what would keep it from being
profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought
them out. (Ezekiel 20:14 (NIV) 

But I withheld my hand, and for the sake of my name I did what
would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations in
whose sight I had brought them out. (Ezekiel 20:22 NIV) 
 
And wherever they went among the nations they profaned my holy
name, for it was said of them, "These are the Lord's people, and
yet they had to leave his land." (Ezekiel 36:20 NIV) 

... I will no longer let my holy name be profaned, and the
nations will know that I the LORD am the Holy One in Israel. 
(Ezekiel 39:7 NIV) 

The verses above are a clear indication that the Lord refuses to
allow himself to be profaned by our actions. If we seek him and
follow his instructions then he will show that our deeds are
wrought by his Spirit. But if we choose our own way and try to
represent it as a vision from God, then he will make it known
that the work is not of him. We are not free to do something for
the Lord. We are servants that must simply hear and obey.
Anything else is presumption, not faith. Anything else will
bring destruction, not restoration.

This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Take off the turban,
remove the crown. It will not be as it was: The lowly will be
exalted and the exalted will be brought low. A ruin! A ruin! I
will make it a ruin! It will not be restored until he comes to
whom it rightfully belongs; to him I will give it. (Ezekiel
21:26,27 NIV)

We find the Lord's word is very direct in Leviticus Chapter 10.
It is the story about Nadab and Abihu offering strange
(unauthorized) fire before the Lord. A fire came out from God
and consumed them. Moses told Aaron not to grieve. He quoted the
Lord saying, "Among those who approach me I will show myself
holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored." He also
instructed Aaron that with the following: 

You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between
the unclean and the clean, and you must teach the Israelites all
the degrees the Lord has given Moses. (Leviticus 10:10,11 NIV) 

Lastly, an admonition comes to us from the Book of Ezekiel which
states:

They are to teach my people the difference between the holy and
the common and show them how to distinguish between the unclean
and the clean. (Ezekiel 44:23 NIV)

For those that wish deeper insight into the things I've said
this month, I encourage you to read the entire 44th chapter of
the Book of Ezekiel. Also I've just finished a book that I would
recommend, The Subtle Power Of Spiritual Abuse, written by David
Johnson and Jeff VanVonderen (published by Bethany House
Publishers).

The sum of all that I've written this month is: People must be
taught what is truly required of them by God and what are just
the requirements placed on them by men. There IS a difference. 

Jesus said that many were teaching the traditions of men as the
commandments of God. We must explain the difference--freeing the
people of God from serving doctrines and allowing them to serve
the Lord as the Spirit directs them. Only this will allow the
church to flow together as the Spirit orchestrates it. Profanity
is an offering to God of things or actions that he has not
instructed. Profanity is also convincing others that God has
spoken when he has not. Let us not profane the name of our God
by misrepresenting him to those that are drawing near to learn
more of him.
Sabbath or the Lord's Day?
Sabbath or the Lord's Day - Which?
A first century debate on grace and legalism...

SABBATH OR THE LORD'S DAY - WHICH?
The First Christians and the Sabbath Question

by Victor Buksbazen
excerpted from the book THE GOSPEL IN THE FEASTS OF ISRAEL


At first Jewish believers apparently continued for some time in
the voluntary observance of the Sabbath, not because they felt
their salvation rested upon this, but rather out of regard for
the sensibilities of their own people.

At the same time they felt the inner need to assemble themselves
on the day of our Savior's triumph, His Resurrection, and to
break bread and to remember His death and coming again. Prayers
were offered and the Word preached (Acts 20). After the early
Jewish church was scattered abroad and the majority of believers
were from among the Gentiles, the Sabbath observance soon came
into disuse.

The early church was faced with a fierce struggle. There were
two incompatible groups. One representing the Judaizing element
of the Church who believed that a Gentile in order to become a
Christian must first become a Jew and conform to all the Law of
Moses.

Opposed to these were the main fellowship of the Christian
Church, those who believed that Gentile believers were under no
such obligation to the Law.

The New Testament, especially the Acts of the Apostles, and
Paul's Epistles to the Galatians and to the Colossians, vividly
depict this struggle. The matter came to a head at the first
Christian Synod in Jerusalem (Acts 15).

The Apostle James, the first bishop of Jerusalem, presided, (not
St. Peter - the alleged first pope) and gave the following
ruling: "Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out
from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls,
saying, ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we
gave no such commandment.

For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you
no greater burden than these necessary things; That ye abstain
from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things
strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep
yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well" (Acts 15:24, 28, 29).

The imposition of the Sabbath upon the Gentile believers is
conspicuous by its absence - not a word about it.

After that First Synod in Jerusalem, Paul devoted all his energy
in defense of the Gospel of Grace against all those who would
impose the legal system of Moses as a necessity for Gentile
believers. His heart agonized when he saw the confusion and the
deadening effects of the Judaizing teachings upon the Gentile
converts. Here is a typical passage which gives us a glimpse
into Paul's heart:

"O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not
obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been
evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I
learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or
by the hearing of faith?... For as many as are of the works of
the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every
one that continueth not in all things which are written in the
book of the law. But that no man is justified by the law in the
sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith"
(Galatians 3:1, 2,10,11).

"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing,
nor uncircumcision, but a new creature" (Galatians 6:15).

To cling to the Sabbath was for Paul to cling to the beggarly
elements - to exchange the glorious reality in Christ for the
mere shadow which the Law of Moses represents.

The main body of the Church consisting both of Jew and Gentiles
very early began to observe the first day of the week as "The
Lord's Day." There were, however, some Jews who persisted in the
observance of the Sabbath as well as of other rites of the
ceremonial law. They had no fellowship with the other Christians
who did not observe the law.

These Judaizing Hebrew believers, called Nazarenes and
Ebionites, cut off from the main flow of Christian life and
fellowship within the Church and despised also by the synagogue,
in time vanished from the horizon. They were eventually
swallowed up by Judaism or gnosticism.

The historical record of the early Christians indicates clearly
that the First Day became the Christian day of worship - the
Lord's Day.

"And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came
together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to
depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight" -
Acts 20:7.

Barnabas, one of the Apostolic Fathers of the First Century
A.D., writes: "We keep the Lord's Day with joyfulness, the day
on which Jesus rose from the dead."

The "Didache of the Apostles," one of the earliest Christian
documents also of the First Century, which contained the
teachings of the Apostles, states:

"On the Lord's own day gather yourselves together and break
bread and give thanks."

Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, in the year 110 A.D., says: "Those
who walked in the ancient practices attain unto newness of hope,
no longer observing sabbaths, but fashioning their lives after
the Lord's Day, on which our life also rose through Him, that we
may be found disciples of Jesus Christ, our only teacher."

Justin Martyr, in the year 135 A.D., says: "Sunday is the day on
which we all hold common assembly, because it is the first day
on which God having wrought a change in the darkness and matter
made the world, and Jesus Christ our Saviour on the same day
rose from the dead. And on the day called Sunday all who live in
cities or in the country gather together to one place and the
memoirs of the Apostles or the writings of the prophets are read
as long as time permits."

These are just a few of the historic documents of the early
Church relating to the subject.

To maintain as some do that the observance of the first day of
the week as the Lord's Day was instituted by the Popes or
Constantine the Great in the fourth century, is to betray a
basic ignorance of New Testament facts and to fly in the face of
the recorded history of the Christian Church. What happened is
that Constantine the Great, so-called, upon accepting
Christianity, enacted in 321 A.D. the first "Sunday Law," making
for the Roman Empire the Sunday observance obligatory. But that
was already the practice of Christians since the days of the
Apostles.


The Sabbath Versus Sunday Issue

The Jews of the Western world often find themselves in a
peculiar predicament. Their Gentile neighbors work on the
Sabbath and take Sunday off for worship, if believers; or
pleasure, if unbelievers.

The Jew closely integrated in the economic and social pattern of
life, is forced often to work on the Sabbath and to relax on
Sunday. If he is to worship at all he may have to do it on
Sunday. It has therefore become a practice at least among some
reformed Jews to hold "Sabbath" services on Sunday.

Conversely Jewish Christians in Israel are faced with the same
problem in reverse - observing "Sunday" on Saturday.

In the new State of Israel the believers live in a Jewish
economy. The Sabbath is the legal day of rest. Sunday is a work
day like every other day. Most believers are therefore unable to
foregather on Sunday and consequently have to worship the Lord,
attend services and pray on the Sabbath. To insist that the
Hebrew Christian should not work on Sunday would mean to
jeopardize his already precarious existence. Shall we judge him
for that?

The position of the Hebrew Christian today closely parallels
that of his believing ancestors of the early Church. We could
not do better than follow the Apostle Paul who gives us very
clear guidance in this matter.

"One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth
every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own
mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and
he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard
it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God
thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and
giveth God thanks. For none of us liveth to himself, and no man
dieth to himself" (Romans 14:5-7).

The keeping of the Lord's Day dedicated to divine worship and
witness is a godly, wholesome, and altogether commendable
practice, refreshing for the body, and quickening to the spirit.
Furthermore it is based on the example and practice of the first
Christians according to Scriptural and post-Scriptural testimony.

Yet our salvation does not rest upon the observance of any
particular day, be it Saturday or Sunday. The point in all these
matters which we must bear in mind is this: our salvation rests
entirely and uncompromisingly on the finished work of Calvary.
Salvation is what the Lord has done and not what we do. We can
neither add nor subtract, only accept it in faith.

In the State of Israel the Jewish believer may wish out of
loyalty to his people to observe the Sabbath, or to practice
circumcision, or to refuse to eat pork. So long as he does not
make this a question of salvation it matters little. Said the
Apostle Paul: "Unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might
gain the Jews" (1 Corinthians 9:20).


A Rest to the People of God

The Lord's Day is a day of spiritual rest. Not a day of
idleness, nor of man-enforced prohibitions, but a day when
"peace like a river" floods the soul.

This kind of Sabbath is unknown to the Jew, but it is the
blessed experience and heritage of the child of God who has
found rest and peace in the Messiah of the Jews, the Lord Jesus
Christ. "There remaineth therefore a rest (a Sabbath) to the
people of God.

For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from
his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to
enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example
of unbelief" (Hebrews 4:9-11).


The Liberty Wherewith Christ Has Made Us Free

Those of us who have been raised under the Law know the
deadening effect of the Law. 

"The letter killeth but the spirit giveth life." How pathetic
and misguided are some Christians who would induce anyone, Jew
or Gentile, who has known "the liberty wherewith Christ has made
us free" to take upon themselves again the burden of the Law.
With the Apostle Paul, we feel like saying: "O, foolish
Galatians, who hath bewitched you?"

Years ago in Poland when I was a little Jewish boy of about five
years, I remember "the Melamed," the teacher of religion, as he
led by the hand little recalcitrant boys to "Cheder," the
religious school of instruction. There the children were taught
the Hebrew alphabet and the rudiments of The Scriptures. The
Apostle Paul had a very similar picture in mind when he said,
"Wherefore the Law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ,
that we might be justified by faith" (Galatians 3:24). The word
for schoolmaster in Greek is "paidagogos," literally, "The one
who leads the boy."

The Law of Moses has led us by the hand to Christ.

Only one who has lived under the Law and has come to know the
liberating power of grace, may sing:

"Free from the law, O happy condition!
Jesus hath bled, and there is remission;
Cursed by the law and bruised by the fall,
Christ hath redeemed us once for all."
Religious Performance
Religious Performance in Light of God's Grace
RELIGIOUS PERFORMANCE IN LIGHT OF GOD'S GRACE

Pastor Russell Eugene Walden, Sr.
Bunkie, Louisiana


I learned about grace at eleven years of age, sitting on the
front porch of my grandparent's farmhouse. It was a turn of the
century structure with steep gables with an outhouse, and a
fresh water well just outside the kitchen window. farmhouse.
Grandma Birdie was my widowed grandfather's second wife. When
she met John Walden she was known as "an old maid evangelist."
Grandma travelled the byways of the Midwest during the
depression years preaching under an open air tent by night, and
teaching morning meetings using a twenty-five foot hand painted
chart of Finnias Dake's plan of the ages. 

My father and mother would drive us three boys from our hometown
of Clinton, Mo., across the Grand river bottoms to a little
hamlet called LaDue, Mo. There, three blocks down a gravel paved
main street stood my Grandparent's home. Every summer weekend we
would while away Saturday afternoon under the caress of a cool
Mid-western breeze. 

My father was a young pastor, and grandma would sit for hours
and discuss the scriptures with him, while I dozed on the floor
amid my scattered toy cars and trucks. On this particular day I
was absent-mindedly picking up on their conversation when
Grandma said something that I have never forgotten.

"Roy," she said solemnly to my father, "Prayer without the Word,
leads to fanaticism." pausing, she let her words find their
mark. Dad nodded, mumbling his affirmation. She continued, "And
the study of the Word without prayer results in legalism." 

Now I had never used those ten dollar words, "fanaticism," or
"legalism" in all my eleven years. However, the depth of
conviction with which she spoke made the tiny hairs on my neck
stand up and salute. Something profound has been said, and I
pondered its meaning. Not bold enough to interrupt their ongoing
conversation, I sorted out her wisdom in my own musings. The
word without prayer, I surmised, must have something to do with
making what God says, more important that God himself. Therefore
you have to have both, I concluded, reading of the word and
prayer to have a right walk with God. Going too far either way
would lead you off track. From that memory, and from countless
sermons and lessons on God's grace I have meditated on His Grace
and the basis of our relationship to the Father. 


A PRACTICAL DEFINITION OF GRACE 

"For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by
the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." (Romans 
5:19) 


The grace of God is that quality within Himself by which He
provides you a basis of approach to His throne. The term "God's
grace" has been defined as His "unmerited favor." Unmerited
favor implies that God's acceptance of you as a believer is on a
basis other than your performance. That basis of acceptance is
found in the context of who Jesus is and what He has done
rather than who you are or what you have done. The access He
affords you to His Person, His family, His resources, and His
kingdom, has nothing to do with your personal performance. This
is the message found along the Roman Road (Rom. 1:1 - 8:1). Paul
was continually criticized for this stand, because the gospel of
Grace when you teach it right, will always sound wrong to the
religious mind. 


GRACE AND RIGHTEOUSNESS

Right-standing with the Father is s primary benefit of grace. It
is a faith based, rather than a law based provision. The
Legalist's rightstanding is law and precept oriented. The
Legalist subscribes to an outward standard of conformity, as his
approach to God. Legalism imposes upon you an ethical and moral
requirement that is held to be the basis upon which God works in
your behalf. If you fail to measure up to the standard, you are
then outside God's grace. Common expressions that are root in
legalism groups are "you are saved by grace, but you have to
work to keep it," "God only helps those who help themselves,"
etc., etc. 
 

WHAT ABOUT THE LAW?

Remember that God's dealing with the nation Israel did not begin
with the law. His first involvement with Israel came in his
relationship to Abraham. The law was not handed down till Moses,
over four hundred years later. A group that is intensely
committed to some standard of outward conformity as a basis of
approach to God's favor must see that the ground upon which the
Patriarch Abraham walked with God. This was not according to
laws and precepts, but according to principles of faith in the
context of a personal relationship with Jehovah. 


"Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster [to bring us] unto
Christ, that we might be justified by faith." (Galatians 3:24)


Legalism legitimizes itself pointing back to the Old Testament.
In Galatians you see that the law is intended to be your school
master to bring you to Christ. The law is God's accommodation of
fallen man's assertion of his equality with His person. By
seeking to obey the law, man is faced with his own helplessness
to fulfill it in its entirety. Thereby God has trained man over
and over through the sacrifices that blood was the only remedy
for his failure. The law's perfection, brings imperfect man to
self realization, to deep understanding of his spiritual
bankruptcy outside of Christ. 


WHAT ABOUT HOLINESS? 

In God's grace, your standing in Father's family is relationship
oriented. It is based on ongoing relationship to Jesus through
the indwelling Spirit of God. The effect of that indwelling
Spirit will mortify the man of sin (the flesh or the old man)
and produce true holiness, not just the outward appearance
achieved by religious performance. 

Your access to God is not based on who you are or what you have
done rather on who Jesus is and what He has done. The traces of
legalism today are unmasked in any system, personality or
doctrine that qualifies access to God's favor by outward
conformity to an established standard rather than by inward
relationship to Jesus Christ.


INWARD YIELDENESS VS. OUTWARD OBEDIENCE

If God provides you a standing in his family on the basis of
your personal efforts, then there is no need for grace.
Salvation then becomes a reward rather than as the scriptures
teach, a free gift. 

In the New Covenant however, God does not ask only for your
obedience, but for your person. He wants you not to give Him
outward acts, but inward yieldedness. He wants more than outward
performance, He wants personal abandonment to Himself. 

Justification (the reversal of the effects of sin on your
personal relationship with God) is then imparted not to the man
who gives outward obedience, but to the man who offers himself
to God in faith irrespective of the condition of his outward
life. Then the obedience will be produced out of your
relationship with Him. 

The standing with God that a hypothetically sinless life would
obtain, is actually provided to man on the basis of his faith in
God's performance, rather than his own personal performance. Yet
it must be seen that in that faith stand before the Father is
the power to live a life free from sin. 

Under the new covenant, sin is not ignored, it simply is removed
from God's consideration as to whether or not He accepts you in
his family. Yet having that acceptance it goes without saying
that his disapproval of sin will result in Him bringing
conviction, forgiveness and repentance into your life to deliver
you from sin. 


LET US SIN THAT GRACE MAY ABOUND?

If your access to God's person and His Kingdom is on the merits
of Jesus Christ's righteousness then can you abandon all
restraint and live according to the dictates of your flesh? No,
not at all. When you approach the Father with an honest and open
heart, you will be changed. You will come to personify in
varying degrees of maturity, God's holy, righteous character. 


COME BOLDLY BY THE BLOOD


"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we
may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." 
(Hebrews 4:16) 


A vast number of Christians know nothing of the true benefits of
God's grace. Their noses are to the grindstone, milling out
their religious performance, in vain hopes of earning standing
with the Father that only the blood of Jesus affords. 

Restoration of intimacy with the Father can be yours as you once
again, or perhaps for the first time cross the bridge of blood
that is your only access to Father's fellowship and provision.
Come empty handed, come nakedly. He will clothe you in purple
and put a ring of righteousness on your finger. You will find
that His acceptance and love will overshadow you as you lay
aside every natural effort of trying to earn what His grace has
freely provided.
Grace Upon Grace [Part 1 of 2]
Grace Upon Grace [Part 1 of 2]
GRACE UPON GRACE 

By Ellen Zaretsky
From THE JEWS FOR JESUS NEWSLETTER


If you said to the average Christian, "Isn't it wonderful how
God extends his grace to people in the New Testament?" you would
probably get an immediate affirmation of, "Yes, it is!" But if
you said to the same person, "Isn't it wonderful how God extends
his grace to people in the Old Testament?" the response might be
less immediate or less positive.

Some in the non-Jewish Christian community have a negative view
of the Old Testament. Dr. Ronald Allen, professor of Hebrew
Scriptures at Western Conservative Baptist Theological Seminary,
proposes some reasons for this:

1. The Gentile Christian community has distanced itself from
Jewish culture. Because the earlier portion of Scripture is
called the Old Testament many regard it as passŽ, viewing only
the New Testament as "relevant" Scripture for today.

2. Attempts to magnify New Testament grace have led to a steady
demeaning of God's grace in the Old Testament. Some feel that in
order to show God's rich grace in Jesus they must negate the
existence of grace before Jesus came, or at least show it as
having been intermittent.

This can lead to a theory of two different Bibles, with two
almost different Gods: the vindictive Old Testament Judge who
manifests no grace; and the merciful New Testament Father who
manifests much grace. Dr. Allen describes this fallacy as
"thinking wrongly about God because we have not thought rightly
about Scripture."

God extended his grace in both Testaments. While he revealed his
grace to the fullest in the New Testament coming of Y'shua
(Hebrew for Jesus), his grace is also displayed throughout Old
Testament Scriptures.


"Hesed"

God is a God of "hesed". The Hebrew Scriptures use the noun
hesed to describe God's grace, manifested as loyal love, in his
relationship to his people Israel. No single English word can
cover all that hesed implies. Various scholars have translated
it as "kindness," "mercy," "unfailing love," "lovingkindness,"
"love," "steadfast love" and "the loyal love Yahweh had for his
people." In 176 out of the 245 times that the word hesed is
used, the New American Standard Bible translates it as
"lovingkindness."


God's Grace in the Call of Abraham

God chose Abram and called him to leave his country, his
relatives and his father's house for a new land to be given him
(Genesis 12:1). God did not choose Abram because he was
particularly good or holy, nor even because he was young and
able to sire-many children. God chose Abram merely because of
hesed. While neither the word "grace" nor "hesed " appears in
the description of God's relationship with Abram, the concept of
God's grace in choosing him is clear (cf. Romans 4:3-4).

God not only chose Abram to be his own, but also promised to
make of him a great nation in whom the entire earth would be
blessed (Genesis 12:2-3). God's grace was to be extended not
only to one nation, Israel, but to many!


God's Grace in the Exodus

Abraham's seed through Isaac and Jacob multiplied greatly
(Exodus 1:7). During a four-hundred-year period in Egypt the
family became a people and the people a nation. God had chosen
Israel, but she was not yet in her own land. The new Pharaoh saw
the Israelites as a menace, so he enslaved them (Exodus 1:9-10).
In their bondage the Israelites cried out to God because they
had a relationship with him

"And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant
with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob... and God knew their
plight." (Exodus 2:24-25)

God called Moses to deliver Israel. After the ten plagues
Pharaoh finally let the Israelites go, but as they began their
exodus Pharaoh had second thoughts and pursued them. But God
delivered his people. He parted the waters for their escape and
drowned their enemies. Certainly that physical deliverance was a
manifestation of God's magnificent grace! In Exodus 15:1-17 we
read Israel's hymn of confession as they celebrated that mighty
act of divine grace. Verse 13 is particularly important:

"Thou in thy mercy ["hesed", also translated lovingkindness]
hast led forth the people whom thou hast redeemed; thou hast
guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation."

God's deliverance of his people from Egypt made such an
impression on Israel that it became central to Jewish faith.
Many Jewish liturgies and songs recall the Exodus (cf. Psalm
76:6; Psalm 77:14; Psalm 78:12-16; Psalm 105:23-45; Psalm
135:8-9). Perhaps the best example is Psalm 136, the "Great
Hallel" song. The antiphonal response, "for his hesed (mercy)
endureth forever," occurs twenty-six times. Why did God choose
Israel, deliver her out of Egypt and extend to her his love and
mercy? It was not because Israel was impressive in size, nor
because God knew how fortunate he would be to have her as his
people, nor because Israel was so submissive and obedient. It
was not because of the people's merit at all. It was because of
God's hesed-his faithfulness and love.

"For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God... above all
people... upon the face of the earth. The LORD did not set his
love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number
than any people: for ye were the fewest of all people. But
because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath
which he had sworn unto your fathers... Know, therefore, that
the LORD thy God... keepeth covenant and mercy [hesed... to a
thousand generations... (Deuteronomy 7:9)

And even when Israel was unfaithful in her role as God's agent
to minister to the nations, God did not rescind his hesed toward
her.


Grace in the Law 

The first five books of the Bible are commonly known as the "Law
of Moses." Most Christians do not think of the Law as a setting
for God's grace. Instead they automatically think of the
restrictions and obligations placed on Israel. 

Leviticus is often the first book that comes to mind when we
think of the Law, because there we find the dietary laws, the
sacrificial system and many other regulations. But the Law, or
Torah, is much richer and fuller in meaning.

Far from being a legalistic code or a hypothetical means of
earning one's salvation, the law was a means of maintaining
fellowship with Yahweh-not the grounds of establishing it. The
same law that demanded a standard of holy living equal to the
character of God Himself also made provision for failure under
the law by forgiveness and atonement of sin. The context of
every and any demand of the law was the atmosphere of grace: "I
am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt." (1)

"Torah" is derived from the Hebrew word "yara" meaning "to
teach." The idea is "to point out with a finger the path one
should walk." Rather than mere rules and regulations, Torah was
God's instructions to Israel for life. It included commandments
and "laws," but in its greater sense it was given to point the
way for Israel so that she might get to where she needed to be
in order to fulfill God's purpose for her. 

Seen in this light, Torah is God's gracious provision of
direction for his people. God had already established a
relationship with Israel. He had called her out and delivered
her from her oppressors. But if he had stopped there how would
his people have known how to live and how to relate to him, to
each other and to strangers? God gave the Law out of hesed, to
direct Israel in her relationship with him. God had already
established that relationship before the formalizing of the
Covenant at Sinai. We see this in the preamble to the Decalogue:

"And God spoke all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God,
who have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house
of bondage." (Exodus 20:1-2)


"Hesed" in the Golden Calf Apostasy 

You would think that in response to God's "hesed" Israel always
would have delighted in her relationship with him, would have
lovingly responded to him and sought his instructions. Not so.
Exodus 32 describes a great apostasy even as God talked with
Moses on Mount Sinai and gave him the divinely written tablets
of stone. The Israelites were not waiting patiently for God's
instructions.

"And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down... the
people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said... Up,
make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses...
we know not what is become of him... and all the people broke
off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought
them unto Aaron. And he... fashioned it with an engraving tool,
after he had made it a melted calf: and they said, These are thy
gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
(Exodus 32:1- 4)

Out of his "hesed" God had called Israel and loved her as a
husband loves a wife. And while he was preparing his loving
instructions for her, she was unfaithful. God was angry and
punished Israel. Yet he did not forsake her, because he is a God
of mercy and loyal lovingkindness. We read one of the early
declarations of God's character, his hesed, soon after the
golden calf incident:

"And the LORD passed by before him [Moses], and proclaimed, The
LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious [from Hebrew hen] long
suffering and abundant in goodness [from Hebrew rav hesed, great
loyal lovingkindness] and truth. keeping mercy [hesed] for
thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and who
will by no means clear the guilty..." (Exodus 34:6-7a)

God did not wash his hands of his people Israel. He judged, but
he forgave. He called his people back and loved them with
everlasting "hesed".


Grace in the Sacrificial System

Many Christians approach Leviticus and the sacrificial system
with an attitude of, "Isn't that awful! It's all law and no
grace. What a load of restrictions God put on the Jewish people!
I'm glad I don't have to do all those things to have a
relationship with God!" Actually, the sacrificial system was
grace. By it, God provided the means of dealing with sin. The
offerings were a pathway for lawbreakers, who knew God and were
already in relationship with him because of his hesed. The
offerings remind us of God's holiness and the fallenness of the
people who know him.

The sacrificial system was a means graciously provided by God
for the life of his people; not a way to gain life, but a
gracious provision for those whom God had made his own. Even
such matters as sin offerings were never seen as any kind of
meritorious works. A sin offering is the acknowledgment that one
has sinned. The animal's death is a symbolic appeal to the Lord
to accept one's confession of guilt and grant the forgiveness he
has promised. To perform such a sacrifice is an act of faith
that trusts in God's offer. (2)

God's grace is demonstrated another way in the sacrifices. Some
sacrifices were peace and communal offerings that entailed
feasts and celebrations for the community. The people made their
offerings to God, but then they got to eat the "goodies!" Here
God's grace is seen in Israel's times of joy and celebration.


Grace Upon Grace

The Hebrew Scriptures speak of a God of grace! Out of his
"hesed" (lovingkindness) he chose a people, not only for their
own sake, but also for a divine mission. Through them God would
extend his love to all peoples. To understand this better we
need to look into the New Testament.

[continued]
Grace Upon Grace [Part 2 of 2]
Grace Upon Grace [Part 2 of 2]
The New Testament "Charis"

Throughout the New Testament one word, "charis", is used for
grace. In classical Greek "charis" had three basic meanings:
(a), a charming quality that wins favor; (b), a quality of
benevolence that gives favor to inferiors; and (c), a response
of thankfulness for the favor given. (3)

The second meaning commended "charis" for New Testament use, to
indicate God's benevolence toward sinners. In later Greek,
"charis" also carried the sense of force or power. Charis came
to signify "good-will" and "kindness," often with the idea that
the favor was undeserved.

The Hebrew word "hesed" comes closest to the New Testament
concept of grace, as hesed suggests steadfast love, loyal
lovingkindness, and most often God's freely given commitment to
love. (3)

It [hesed] is the character and conduct typical of Cod within
the covenant he freely made with Israel. The kind of spontaneous
generosity with which he responds to the people of his covenant
is a harbinger of the grace that appeared bringing salvation to
all people in Christ. (3)

Yes, "hesed" in the Hebrew Scriptures foreshadows the filler
meaning of "charis" in the New Testament. God's character did
not change, and "his hesed [mercy] is everlasting..." (Psalm
100:5b).


The Apostle John as a Hebrew Thinker 

The Apostle John was a Jew. He thought and spoke as a Hebrew,
not as a Greek. John began the prologue to his Gospel with, "In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God." He probably used the words "In the beginning" to
draw his readers back to Genesis, the first book of the Hebrew
Scriptures, which starts with that identical phrase. 

In talking about the "Word" John used the word Logos, which
usually meant speech or reason and would have been familiar to
Greeks. But again the Hebrew thinker would have thought back to
Genesis and other portions of Torah as "the Word" draws a
parallel with the Hebrew "davar Adonai", "the Word of the Lord."
It also draws us to the oft-repeated "Vayomer Adonai", "and God
said." 

The Word is God's Word. Psalm 33:6 states, "By the word of the
LORD were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the
breath of his mouth." Again this draws the Hebrew thinker back
to Genesis and Creation. In chapter 1, verses 4 and 5 of his
Gospel, John continued to use words with a Genesis connection:
"life," "light" and "darkness." 

In verse 14, "the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us," John
takes us back once again to an Old Testament image of God
tabernacling with his people. The Hebrew verb "skaina" means "to
pitch one's tent" or "to tabernacle." John parallels the
beautiful portrayal of God having a relationship with his people
Israel in their very midst, when his "glory filled the
tabernacle" (Exodus 40:34). John was a Hebrew thinker who wrote
from his own frame of reference and culture. In light of his
Jewishness, consider his words in John 1:14-17 about grace and
truth and law.

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld
his glory,... as of the only begotten of the Father), full of
grace and truth... And of his fullness have all we received, and
grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and
truth came by Jesus Christ.

John's statements are full of good news - and grace! But are we
to take verse 17 to mean that only law and no grace was given
through Moses, whereas grace and truth came for the first time
through Jesus? I believe not. 

Perhaps the use of the Greek word "nomos" for "law" is part of
the reason that some misunderstand the intent of that verse.
Nomos does mean a legal system of rules and regulations. But
John did not write from a Greek perspective. He wrote from his
Jewish background and perceptions. When John wrote "law" he
would not have been thinking "nomos", but Torah. And Torah, "the
Law," was God's instruction to guide Israel in the way of life:

Deuteronomy 30:15: I have set before thee... life (Torah);

Jeremiah 21:8: Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I set before you the
way of life (Torah);

Psalm 16:11: Thou wilt show me the path of life (Torah).

The Law (Torah) was given to Israel to bestow life. It was an
expression of God's love (hesed). John was saying that there was
grace in Torah, even in all of Old Testament history, which was
God's instruction to Israel for life! 

John did make a true statement when he said, "The Law [Torah]
was given through Moses," but there was great grace in Torah.
The Torah was given by God through Moses. It was not Moses' Law,
but God's. Moses was the mediator, not the lawgiver. If we
attack the Law as a set of impossible demands rather than the
grace of God for Israel's life, we do not merely attack Moses,
but God himself.

Yes, the second part of John 1:17 is true. Grace and truth did
come through Jesus Christ. He embodies grace and truth. He is
what grace and truth are all about! We don't want to contrast
law and grace. If we say that there is no grace in the Law, then
we must say that there is no truth in it either.

John 1:17 actually expands verse 16, "And of his fullness have
all we received, and grace for grace." Y'shua embodies God's
grace in its fullest, and those of us who have come to the
Savior have received from this fullness! It is grace upon grace.

In God's Law given through Moses there was great grace, but in
Y'shua there is greater grace! There is grace upon grace given
through the Son. It is a concept of "better over good," not
"good over bad." Old Testament grace may seem dim in comparison
to New Testament grace, because New Testament grace in Jesus is
so great. Y'shua is "the Light of the world" and all who follow
him shall have the light [instruction] of life that overshadows
all other light.

The Word was made flesh and lived among us, and we beheld his
glory, full of grace and truth. What God did before, He now does
better. The glory of God was there when he "dwelt among us" or
"tabernacled with us," but now we behold God's glory as he
dwells with us in Y'shua who is "full of grace and truth."

And best of all, everyone has free access to this grace of God,
(His hesed) whether they are Jews or Gentiles.


(1) Walter C. Kaiser, "Toward an Old Testament Theology", p. 63
(Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1978)

(2) Ronald M. Hals, "Grace and Faith in the Old Testament", p.
66 (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1980)

(3) Geoffrey Bromiley, Ed. "The International Standard Bible
Encyclopedia", Vol. Two, E-J pp. 548-553 (Grand Rapids: Wm. B.
Eerdmans Publishing Company 1982)
Aren't We Grateful?
Aren't We Grateful?
AREN'T WE GRATEFUL?

By Connie J. Walters
Compuserve Network


"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, Who
forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who
redeems your life from destruction." (Psalm 103:2-6)

"He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us
according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above
the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him. As
far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our
transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, so the
Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame, He
remembers that we are dust." (Psalm 103:10-14)

What sweet music to our mortal ears! Our loving father
continually extends His grace to us!

I am so vividly reminded of occasions during my childhood when
Papa pitied me following misbehavior on my part and did not
punish me according to what I deserved. I was a strong-willed
child, ever determined to have my way. He would place me on his
lap, smile, kiss me, and say "don't ever do that again. If
you do, I'll spank you." His touch, smile, kiss, and hug
assured me of his love. Wonderful man that he was, Papa, too
was a mere mortal. 

There were those times when he seemingly lost control, at my
expense, and really let me have more than my share of
punishment. 
My most painful reminder is of a very warm, humid summer day in
Oklahoma, sun beaming down mercilessly. We lived in a rural
area on what would be considered a small farm. Though no
stranger to field work, it held no choice spot in my heart. 
Papa had assigned chores to be done that day. Ed, my brother,
was to plow and I was to plant. I knew in my heart, as
instructions were given, that I would not fulfill this task. I
never was one to say "I won't do this or that," but was,
however, known to find ways to weasel out of the task at hand. 

Beans, an ever present offering at mealtime, were the item to be
planted. I had grown weary of this form of nourishment, so why
should I contribute to producing more of them? My childish
reasoning prevailed. I planted them all in one spot and quickly
went to park under my favorite shade tree. There I laughed
within myself, taking great delight in what I had done. When my
mischief was discovered, Papa went into a rage, His humanness
prevailed. 

Many of us can relate as parents. At times we discipline 
in the Spirit, and at other times our frustration leads us to
punish our children excessively, determined to straighten them
out or teach them a lesson.

Not so with the Father, He extends His grace to us, not
condoning our sin, but covering it with the blood of Jesus. He
pities us, knows we are dust, and grants us an opportunity to
come to Him, restore our fellowship and again walk in the
Spirit. He never punishes according to what we deserve. 

Aren't we grateful? Were it so. Calvary would be of no value
and death would be our fate. My spirit soars when I am reminded
that "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (I
John 1:9) My heart is again grateful when I am reminded that
"you who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked
works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh
through death, to present you holy and blameless and
irreproachable in His sight. (Col. 1:21-22). 

Us--holy, blameless and irreproachable? Thanks be to God! This
passage alone should cause us to be ever moved with compassion
toward those whose minds the god of this age has blinded. (II
Cor. 6:4a) or those who have left their first love. (Rev 2:4) 
We readily accept His grace to us, yet we often deal harshly
with the backslider or become indifferent to those who have not
yet come into the knowledge of His saving grace. Is it any
wonder that David said "I am in great distress, Please let me
fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are great, but
do not let me fall into the hand of man." (II Sam. 24:14). 

David knew that "the wrath of man does not produce the
righteousness of God." (James 1:20). "For we ourselves were
also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts
and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one
another, But when the kindness and love of God our Savior toward
men appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done,
but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of
regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit whom He poured out
on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior that having
been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to
the hope of eternal life." (Col 3:3-7). 

Therefore, we must extend His kindness, love and grace to all
others. Numerous times throughout the Gospels, we see that
Jesus was moved with compassion as He always responded to needs
in the lives of those He encountered. The love of Christ in us
should also move us with compassion. Just as Jesus saw the
multitude as sheep without a shepherd, so we must have
compassion and point them to the Good Shepherd. "Therefore He
is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through
Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them." 
(Hebrews 7:25).

Studies
New In Christ
New In Christ
The NEW IN CHRIST column is dedicated to the basic teachings of
Biblical Christianity. We began this column in Volume 1.1 and
have chosen to repeat some of our early articles, beginning with
this issue, as it is our premier hard copy edition and will
reach many new readers.

In this and next month's issue, NEW IN CHRIST will focus on what
it means to be "born again" into a saving relationship with
Jesus Christ. Future issues will deal with other topics. The
editorial staff at MORNING STAR encourages all readers to use
this information to witness to those who don't know Jesus and to
help new Christians grow in their walk with the Lord.


WHY DO I HAVE TO BE "BORN AGAIN"?
(Part 1 of a 2-part article)

By Toby Trudel


One of the most shocking truths a person finds as they begin to
seriously read the Bible, is that no one who sins can get into
Heaven. Not one of us! (1 Corinthians 6:9) The Bible also
states if you try to live by God's laws yet break just one of
them, you are as guilty as if you broke them all. (James 2:10) 
Now, don't think that anyone has ever gotten off the hook by
never sinning, for the Bible also says that we have all sinned.
(Romans 3:23) 

This seems to cause quite a problem for us, as the price we have
to pay for sin is death. (Romans 6:23) Not just physical death,
but spiritual death, which is separation from God forever, in a
very real place called Hell!

The Bible also informs us that there is nothing we can do on our
own to pay the penalty for sin, or to escape God's judgment. 
God laid down the law that the wage of sin is death. All
individuals have sinned and therefore face death, and God cannot
change His rules. If He did, He would be going back on His
Word, and this He will not do. (Titus 1:2) The debt of our sin
(death) still has to be paid or we cannot get into heaven. No
human, man or woman, can pay the bill for anyone else, after
all, being debtors ourselves we cannot pay off each others debts.

Our good deeds cannot pay the debt either. The Bible says such
attempts are like offering filthy rags before God. (Isaiah 64:6)

What chance do we have then? 

Fortunately, God loves us enough that He gives us one
opportunity to escape our unpleasant destiny. This is where
Jesus comes into the picture. He came to earth, born by a
miracle of God to a virgin. (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:18-23) As
such, he did not inherit the sin nature, which is passed down
from one human generation to the next. 

Jesus lived His entire life without sinning, and so became the
only person in history qualified to die and pay the debt of our
sin. He died an agonizing death by crucifixion, then came back
to life after being buried for three days, (as He said He would
do), to prove He was God, and show that there is life after
death.

A lot of people have heard much of this teaching at some point
in their lives but never understood how it applies to them
personally. Many grew up with the rules and ceremonies of a
religion which had little or nothing to do with Jesus dying on
the cross for their sins.

Just what is the connection between what Jesus did in the first
century, and people today in 1993? Did Christ die so that
everyone automatically goes to heaven? Or is there something
specific we must do individually, in order for this payment of
debt to apply to ourselves?

Looking in the Bible, you will find that although Christ died so
we could get to heaven, Scripture does not say that everyone has
a free ride regardless of what they do with their lives. Jesus
Himself told us what the condition was that we must meet in
order to get into heaven. In fact, he was emphatic about it
being the ONLY way to get in! In the Gospel of John, chapter 3
verse 3, he made it clear, when He said, 

"Verily, verily, I say unto thee. Except a man be born again he
cannot see the kingdom of God".

Many who have read the New Testament don't realize the great
significance of these words spoken by Christ. This is why Jesus
said so few people find the way to heaven. (Matthew 7:14) Here
is the answer to the single most important question in life! 
(How do I get to heaven?) 

But what did Jesus mean by the term "born again"? The answer to
this question is found in the New Testament. According to God's
Word, to be "born again", a person must;

1. Understand that he/she is a sinner who needs a Saviour
2. Repent (agree to turn from) all sin as God defines it.
3. Accept Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour and Lord of your
life.

God says if you do this, (for real, with all your heart, as you
cannot fool Him), you will end up living in heaven forever. 
(... if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe
in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be
saved. - Romans 10:9) 

If you do not accept God's "born again" way to heaven, you will
still live forever... only not in Heaven. This then conversely
answers the important question, How do I get to Hell? The
answer is, You don't have to do a thing, just go on with life as
is and you automatically qualify!

To "repent" however, does not mean simply asking for forgiveness
for certain bad things you have done. Asking for forgiveness is
only part of repentance. True repentance means turning from
sin. And the desire for this turning is the product of becoming
a believer. This means ALL sin! Not what you or someone else
thinks is sin, but what God says is sin in His Word. (Colossians
2:8, 1 Timothy 6:3, 1 Corinthians 3:9 & 4:3,4) 

This will most likely result in a dramatic change in lifestyle
for many people, and will be noticed, (as well as criticized),
by those who know you. (1 Peter 4:4)

If someone thinks repentance is some type of half hearted effort
to "try and be a better person", "turn over a new leaf", or
"change a few bad habits", they are mistaken! It doesn't matter
how committed you are to such concepts. (Romans 10:2,3) The
Bible teaches repentance involves a 100 percent turning from all
sin as God defines it, whether you "agree" with it or not. You
have to surrender your will to God. This is what Jesus taught
concerning "dying to one's self". (Matthew 16:24)

The New Testament letters explain clearly how your old self dies
to your old values, beliefs, thought patterns and behaviors. 
You are reborn into a brand new life empowered to follow all of
God's teachings. (And only His!) Although this isn't a
"complicated" process, IT IS a huge step for anyone that is
serious about it. 

Jesus said a person should take a good look at those things in
his or her life that contradict with God's Word. He compared it
to a general reviewing all the facts before deciding to enter a
battle. (Luke 14:27-33)

If a person says he or she can repent but refuses to read what
the Bible says about sin, or justifies sin by saying it doesn't
apply in this day and age, they are in opposition to what the
Lord has to say, and there is real doubt as to whether or not
they have accepted the gift of salvation.

God is very clear that we are not to be unwise but to be aware
of what He expects of us. (Ephesians 5:17) Jesus told the
religious leaders of His day that their teachings were in error
due to their lack of knowledge of God's Word. (Mark 12:24) He
also stated that the Word of God never changes, to even the
slightest degree, (Matthew 5:18), and that heaven and earth may
pass away, but His word never would. (Matthew 24:35) 

The Bible tells us that Christ and the Word of God are one and
the same, and that He is the same yesterday, today and forever. 
(Hebrews 13:8, John 1:1) God the Father never changes to any
degree either. (Malachi 3:6, James 1:17) There is no "gray
area" with respect to God's Word changing with the times. The
Bible says it does not!
New Testament Studies
New Testament Studies
This issue features the eleventh in a series on the Epistles of
John. This is the first study in 2 John. On some occasions this
column with be called Old Testament Study. In either case,
studies will include Psalms and books from both the Old and New
Testaments. 


"LOVE CAN MEAN SAYING 'NO!'"
2 John 1-6
by Pastor Geoffrey Kragen

Janette (my wife) and I are not exactly social butterflies.
Also, I wouldn't put hospitality at the top of the list of gifts
the Lord has given us. Yes, we have people stay over at our
place, but these are without exception people who we know and
are friends with.

It was the late seventies and life was routine. One night
Janette came home and announced that she had been talking to
this person whom neither of us knew. Anyway, this young lady
needed a place to stay. And much to my surprise, Janette
suggested we put her up. Now this must have been a request from
the Lord. And since Janette suggesting this was on a parallel
with the parting of the Red Sea, I agreed. hospitality was not a
familiar practice to us then. And it isn't that familiar to many
believers today, but . . . 

The pattern of hospitality once was a standard practice within
the Christian world. Many homes had an "Elijah Room." This was a
guest room for the traveling pastor, missionary or other needy
Christian. However, the practice of caring for these people
could be abused. One way was to put-up someone who wasn't a
believer, but in actuality was an enemy of the Gospel. John
speaks to this situation in his second epistle.

Some general comments about the three epistles can be found in
the first issue of volume two of Morning Star. As with the first
epistle, the accepted author of this epistle is the Apostle
John. Here as well, the background problem focuses on the issue
of false prophets who were attacking the believers' faith.

This and the third epistle are the shortest books in the Bible.
Unlike the first epistle, these are written much more like
letters. We will take two articles to review each letter.

The perspective of this letter deals with a specific concern of
the day. John's focus is on the practice of providing
hospitality to traveling missionaries. He speaks about how this
practice should be carried out in relation to the activities of
false prophets.

Even today, some believers continue to house traveling servants
of the Lord. This practice is not widespread. I remember Dr. J.
Vernon McGee always stated he preferred staying at a local
motel, where he could have more privacy.

However, this epistle presents a more general principle. This
relates to how we are to interact with false prophets claiming
the name of Christ and asking for hospitality. In previous
articles we noted how some Christians think that to be critical
or non-supportive of evangelists, regardless of what they teach,
is being judgmental, unloving and non-Christian.

We can extrapolate from John's comments on hospitality to a
general principle on dealing with those who, while representing
themselves as Christians, aren't. Speaking of this type of
people, John stated: "They went out from us, but they did not
really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would
have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them
belonged to us" (1 John 2:19). 

vs. 1-3: John introduces himself, not by his name, but by his
position. He calls himself the Elder. He writes from a position
of authority. His readers know from whom the letter came. 

(The problem for us in reading somebody's personal letters is we
don't always have the background of the reader. So, we don't
always have enough information to understand everything that is
going on. This shouldn't be seen as a problem because no basic
doctrine of Christianity is founded on passages that are
unclear. This also shouldn't be an excuse to simply say, "I
don't understand." Pray and depend on the Holy Spirit for
wisdom.)

Some commentators believe John is addressing a specific
individual. The context, however, supports a view that John is
writing to the personification of a local body. The whole thrust
of his comments is directed to a group rather than a specific
person.

John states that he loves this local body. Apparently this group
was known to other believers who also loved them. The foundation
of this love was truth. John loved in truth. Others loved in
truth. The truth was present in all, in John, others and those
in the body. What is this truth? The truth of God, salvation,
what it means to be a believer, the incarnation. These are all
included. The truth is all that is consistent with theological
orthodoxy.

There is another element of Biblical truth. This is relational
truth. By this, I mean truth between believers in relationship.
We can only love one another, care for each other, in the midst
of truth. If we try to hide ourselves from our brothers and
sisters, then we are not living truth in relationship. And, if
we are not living truth, then we don't have real relationship. 
Therefore, we aren't showing God's love. The church has to be a
place of transparency. We must give up wearing masks put on to
make us look like we have our acts together. Truth and love go
hand-in-hand.

As with the previous letter, the underlying issue here is the
importance of truth and the abuse of truth by heretics. Love
cannot be carried out in an environment of compromise with
truth. This is why the ecumenical movement that desires
"Christian" unity because of Christ's call to love is on the
wrong track. Christ doesn't desire a love that sells out to the
lowest common denominator of doctrine. This is why He has John
warn believers about false prophets.

Moving on to the completion of John's greeting, we find the
familiar grace and peace. Here John includes a third element,
mercy. It is God's grace that is the basis of our salvation. He
saved us while we were undeserving. "But God demonstrates His
own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ
died for us" (Romans 5:8). 

He showed us His mercy by caring for us as needy and helpless
sinners. We needed forgiveness and we were helpless to do
anything to earn it. So God loved us and provided the way of
salvation as His gift.

Finally, we are at peace with God. Too frequently, when we talk
about God's peace, we mean emotional peace. But, in this
context, the concern is the end of warfare between God and man.
We are no longer in rebellion, but are at peace with God. This
peace is a product of the work of Christ on the cross.

vs. 4-6: What should be a great joy to us as believers? John's
joy comes from the faithful walk of other believers. What is
encouraging is that he finds joy even though some of the local
community are not being faithful. He says that he finds some of
the believers walking in truth. 

This means that we are not to become discouraged because all
those who represent themselves as believers don't prove the
validity of that claim in their lives. "The servants asked him,
'Do you want us to go and pull them (weeds) up?' 'No,' he
answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root
up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the
harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect
the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the
wheat and bring it into my barn'" (Matthew 13:28-30). 

We are called to judge the message and fruit of those who claim
to be believers. However, the final judgment related to
salvation can only be made by the Lord. We need to receive joy
from the obedient and not allow the disobedient to steal that
joy.

John, as in his previous epistle, offers the most important
command, the command to love one another. This is the final
proof of our obedience, our love.

What we will see next month is that this church was showing this
love with the practice of hospitality. And while they thought
they were practicing love, they were not showing discrimination
in where they were exercising it. The call to love is also a
call to commit to the truth.

Christ's command, taught to them from day one, was to love, to
love God, and to love others. But the call to live still
requires what Dr. McGee always called "sanctified common sense."

The message we need to continually reemphasize is that
everything we do as believers is to be done in God's love. Each
decision we make as individuals must require asking, "Is what I
want to do a demonstration of God's love?" Dr. McGee gives some
real practical illustrations of love in the life of the
individual. "Love is not made in the bedroom -- it is made out
there in the laundry room. Does she wash his clothes? Does he
bring home his paycheck? Does he support his family: That is the
way you express love in the family, and that is the way you
express love in the church -- in your concern and in your help
for others. You cannot say that you are loving someone unless
you have a concern for him, especially a concern with his
spiritual welfare." (1)

Each decision we make as a local church means asking the same
question. "Is what I want to do a demonstration of God's love?"
And we must consider that this love has to be grounded in truth.

It is only as we show God's selfless love that we become
adequate representatives of His presence in a fallen world. The
inner condition of the local church is the first issue we must
deal with as believers. As my ministry will not be effective if
I don't walk consistently with the Lord, so too it is with the
local body.

We can't minister effectively to within the community if we
don't have our perspective on issues properly balanced within
the body. We are to love, and to love in truth. 

John isn't the only one concerned with this issue. Jesus
expressed a similar thrust in His letter when He said:

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the
words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and
walks among the seven golden lampstands: I know your deeds, your
hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate
wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles
but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and
have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.
Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do
the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come
to you and remove your lampstand from its place. But you have
this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans,
which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give
the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise
of God" (Revelation 2:1-7).

Let us restore the purpose of the church. We are called to make
disciples. We are called to hold firm to truth. And we are to do
all this, in dependency on the Holy Spirit, in obedience to
God's commands to love Him and love one another.

Next time we will see that loving one another doesn't mean being
doormats to the demands of others who have no concept about real
Biblical love.



1. McGee, J. Vernon, "Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee,"
Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN, 1983, p. 829.
Messianic Studies
Messianic Studies
The Messianic Studies column explores the world of the Messianic
Believer. Like the church at large, Messianic Judaism contains
much diversity. It is made up of numerous views as to what it
means to be a Jewish follower of Jesus the Messiah, who we are,
what we call ourselves and what we believe. This column will be
used to explore this variety, giving the reader a broader
perspective of this arm of Christianity than found elsewhere. It
will also expose those of us who are Completed Jews to the wide
spectrum of practice found within the movement. Hopefully we
will succeed in helping our Jewish brothers and sisters
understand why we follow Jesus as the Jewish Messiah.

We also hope that what is provided here will give our gentile
readers both a better understanding of their Jewish brothers and
sisters in Christ, as well as the Jewish roots of their own
faith.

We are expanding this column to also include articles that deal
with issues related to Israel and the church. We want to expose
teachings that are the basis of anti-Semitism, rejecting the
need to witness to Jews, and false teachings related to subjects
of interest to Messianic believers. This reflects and expansion
of the scope of the column. We hope that this will be of
interest to the readers. If you have questions or would like to
suggest topics for the column contact us here at Morning Star.

This month, we dedicate our Messianic Studies column to a recent
article from THE CHOSEN PEOPLE magazine, written by Sam Nadler,
President of Chosen People Ministries.
_____________________________________________________________

Not too long ago in Israel, a public argument erupted between
the Chief Ashkenazik Rabbi and the Chief Sephardic Rabbi. The
matter at hand? Strange as it may seem to the outside observer,
the matter that stirred such public passion was the grass
growing in the Wailing Wall! It seems over the years, grass has
grown in the cracks of the Wailing Wall (the western, outer wall
of what was once the Temple). One rabbi said that the grass
should be cut and removed. The other said that because the grass
was now a part of the Wall, it was sacred and should remain.

On one hand, such zeal over every detail of honoring God seems
admirable. On the other hand, it is incomprehensible to most
secular Jews that anyone, much less two of the world's most
influential rabbis, would spend his time arguing about such an
issue.

However, looking beyond either rabbi's viewpoint, the larger
reality to which this controversy points is that when it comes
to almost any issue under the sun, we Jews are a people that
rarely reach a consensus. The old joke - whenever you have two
Jews, you have three opinions - is not so funny when we realize
that God created the Jews to be a light to the rest of the
world, to be an example of harmony with God that would lead
others to want to know Him.

Disunity and disagreement are not new to the Jewish people. When
there were two brothers, Jacob and Esau, there were two
different and divisive opinions. With the 12 tribes, division
seemed so inevitable that following Solomon, Israel was divided
into two kingdoms: Judah in the south and Israel in the north.

To the secular Jews of that day, perhaps this division seemed
inevitable and practical. Yet the Lord, who wanted Israel to be
His representative, thought differently. God desired the Jewish
people to be one people with one heart (Ezekiel 11:19).

Since a look at history tells us this is an impossible goal,
perhaps there is another place to look - a place that is not
revealed in history but IN THE HEART.


Unity Begins in the Heart

Despite our lofty goals as individuals (or as a nation, or even
as Jews), we cannot attain unity as a result of natural
circumstances. If we could, certainly by now we would have
eliminated war and famine in the world.

What many call efforts toward unity are actually concessions to
situations (or to common interests), such as when two countries
form an alliance against a common enemy. Yet this type of
"unity" is only temporal.

True unity is more than the art of careful debate and
compromise. True unity begins within an individual's heart,
where there is a cleansing of hurts and grievances and guilt.
Then that person is free to be unified, made one, with another
individual ... and another ... and another.

Such cleansing can only take place when a person's heart is
first and fore most unified with God and cleansed by Him. Only
then, when a desire to follow Him is uppermost, does everything
else become focused from a new perspective.

How can we achieve this unity? How can the average person
develop a relationship with God?


Can the Law Bring Us into Relationship with God?

Does the Law of Moses provide the way for us to achieve this
type of cleansed heart and thus be brought into relationship
with God?

No. The Law of Moses does point the way to a peaceful heart. It
does tell us that we should love one another (Leviticus 19:18).
BUT THE LAW, BY ITS VERY NATURE, REVEALS OUR OWN INABILITY TO
LIVE BY IT.

The Law served as a standard to show us that we cannot follow
its more than 600 precepts, each of which is required to attain
the level of holiness God expects. In and of ourselves we cannot
maintain a relationship with God if His standards are this
exacting.

Yes, God recognized that the Law could only show how people
broke the covenant He made with them. Scripture teaches, even
more, that when our own relationship with the Lord was broken,
our covenant (unity) with one another was broken as well. Unity,
it seems, comes first from a relationship with God. This
relationship, in turn, allows us AS INDIVIDUALS to have
peaceable relationships with others and AS A PEOPLE to have a
unity with the God of our fathers.

Yet as we see the standards that must be fulfilled to maintain
the covenant God has outlined - we also see something else. For
the Law, which shows us that we, in ourselves, are unable to be
cleansed, also points to God's promised way of cleansing - to A
NEW COVENANT.

"Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new
covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah"
(Jeremiah 31:30).

This new covenant would be an unbreakable one and no longer
would be dependent on our powerless efforts to maintain it but
rather on WHAT THE LORD HIMSELF WOULD DO in us through His love
(Jeremiah 31:31). This new covenant would not be written in
tablets of stone, but on the tablets of the heart (Jeremiah
31:32).

This new covenant would be one that would unify man to God,
neighbors to one another, and the Jewish people to the God of
their fathers.


Not from the Law - But from Messiah

This new relationship with God, this intimate understanding of
God, is what people - all people - yearn for at one time or
another. This is the only relationship that can fill the
God-shaped hole in each person's heart, a hole that is left
unfilled by mere religion or philosophy (Jeremiah 31:33).

It may seem impossible that we can truly know the Lord, yet
through the new covenant, this is what happens. We enter into an
intimate relationship with the living God.

This relationship is TRUE UNITY, and it is what God promised as
a new covenant. Such unity (the new covenant) is found only in a
relationship with the Messiah. For He, Yeshua (Jesus), is the
embodiment of this covenant.

Yeshua promised an unbreakable relationship between man and God.
He offered a security beyond the Law (the old covenant). Yeshua
alone promised, "I give eternal life to them (those who believe)
and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of
my hand" (John 10:28).

Even more, when Messiah established the new covenant, He
provided the internal enablement to live such a life. Messiah
promised His disciples that He would send His Ruach ha Codesh
(the Holy Spirit) and that His Spirit would give them power to
live for God, the power needed to honor Him and to love one
another. This unification of individuals with God... and with
one another... is not dependent on the letter of the Law but on
the Spirit of the living God in the heart.
Special Studies
Special Studies
GOD IS REVEALED IN THE ATONEMENT

By Dr. Charles Wootten


The sole purpose for Jesus' "kenosis", His coming down from
Heaven to be our Passover, is the Atonement. Our faith is
distinctively a religion of atonement. It gives the death of
Christ the first place in the Gospel message. 

It is not by accident that the cross is our central symbol.
Without the meaning of the Cross redemption, atonement, would
not be meaningful. What the Cross symbolizes is God's way of
dealing with men. The Cross is the meeting point of suffering
with love. It is God's way of conquering evil through suffering
love.

While Jesus was on the Cross we see the world's sin press itself
on His loving and holy soul. Sin came from afar -- from the
past, the distant, and the future -- and met on Him. He was
bearing the sin of the world. And the consuming fire of God's
nature (the opposite of the light of His holiness and love)
washed over him to burn away the sin of the world. This is the
atonement: the way in which Christ's death makes possible the
forgiveness of sin.

Leviticus 17:11 "For the life of a creature is in the blood, and
I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the
altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life." In
this discussion we find it much easier to allow the Scriptures
to speak for themselves on the meaning of blood atonement. God
can speak better than any man-made theology.

We find that God told Cain, "If you do what is right, will you
not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is
crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must
master it." (Genesis 4:7) God is showing that the offer of the
right sacrifice would be accepted -- even by Abel. This shows
there was no difference between people when it comes to God's
requirements for atonement.

"In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed
with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no
forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22 along with Exodus 12; Exodus 24:5-8;
and Leviticus 1:2-4)." On a voluntary basis the shedding of
blood was a portion of the contract with God. Through this blood
atonement could be made for every person for any sin, disease,
and corruption among the children of God. Leviticus 12:6-8 and
Leviticus 14:53-57 are very clear in this regard. 

In prophecy and in promise atonement has been referred to as
being for all men alike whether they be Jew or Gentile. Malachi
1:11 states: ""My name will be great among the nations, from the
rising to the setting of the sun. In every place incense and
pure offerings will be brought to my name, because my name will
be great among the nations," says the LORD Almighty." (Also see:
 Isaiah 1:16-20; 11:10; 42:1,6; 49:6,22; 60:3-16; 61:9; 62:2).

The remission of sins requires that "In the case of a will, it
is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because
a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes
effect while the one who made it is living. This is why even the
first covenant was not put into effect without blood. When Moses
had proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people,
he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool
and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the
people. He said, "This is the blood of the covenant, which God
has commanded you to keep." In the same way, he sprinkled with
the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its
ceremonies. In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be
cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is
no forgiveness" (Hebrews 9:16-22; cf. also Romans 3:24,25;
Ephesians 1:17; I John 1:7).

This is the purpose of redemption through the shedding of blood,
the atonement. "For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new
covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised
eternal inheritance -- now that he has died as a ransom to set
them free from the sins committed under the first covenant"
(Hebrews 9:15). "For you know that it was not with perishable
things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the
empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but
with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or
defect" (I Peter 1:18-19). 

The blood of the atonement is for salvation from the destroying
wrath of Almighty God as exemplified by the fact that "when the
LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will
see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will
pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to
enter your houses and strike you down" (Exodus 12:23)" "Since
we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we
be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were
God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of
his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be
saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice
in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now
received reconciliation" (Romans 5:9-11). "For God did not
appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our
Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake
or asleep, we may live together with him" (I Thessalonians
5:9-10).

By accepting the blood of atonement we have access to God with
the "confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of
Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the
curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest
over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere
heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to
cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed
with pure water" (Hebrews 10:19-22).

"For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has
destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by
abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and
regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man
out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to
reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put
to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who
were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him
we both have access to the Father by one Spirit" (Ephesians
2:14-18).

Access to God is the benefit of the hope of redemption through
the shed blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. This is "not by
works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His
mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing
of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through
Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace
we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life" 
(Titus 3:6-7).

Noah Webster defines justification as the "remission of sin and
absolution from guilt and punishment; or an act of free grace by
which God pardons the sinner and accepts him as righteous, on
account of the atonement of Christ." "For (t)here is no
difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of
God, and are justified freely by his grace through the
redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a
sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this
to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had
left the sins committed beforehand unpunished -- he did it to
demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just
and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus" (Romans
3:22b-26).

We who are justified "know that a man is not justified by
observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too,
have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by
faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by
observing the law no one will be justified. If, while we seek to
be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are
sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely
not!" (Galatians 2:16-17) Titus 3:4-7 says: "But when the
kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not
because of righteous things we had done, but because of his
mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by
the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through
Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his
grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life." 

Thus the blood of the atonement gives atonement for the soul
through justification and "not only is this so, but we also
rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we
have now received reconciliation" (Romans 5:11).

Christ redeemed men by one sacrifice for sins because He once
suffered for sins having died unto sin once by paying only one
price. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: "Do you not know that your body
is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have
received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a
price. Therefore honor God with your body." The blood of the
atonement is as the redemption which bought again something that
was sold (cf. Leviticus 25:25). The blood of the atonement is
able to deliver from bondage without ransom. The blood of the
atonement of Jesus Christ delivers sinners from Satan and sin.

Through the blood of the atonement, and all that has been said
to this very point, is that God, through our Lord Jesus Christ,
is revealed as loving, kind, and forgiving to the sinner by the
shedding of blood. The sacrificial blood evinced the sinner's
acceptance of the righteous sentence of God's holy law, so that
He could be propitious to the sinner.

Propitiation is the basis on which God sets forth His own
righteousness, and yet pardons men without compromising His own
justice and righteousness. God can, through the propitiation of
Christ, forgive and be just in justifying the sinner who
believes and becomes reconciled to Him through Jesus Christ.

As J. G. Lawson once said, "The atonement is the scarlet cord
running through every page in the entire Bible. Cut the Bible
anywhere and it bleeds; it is red with redemption truth."

Next month: God is revealed in the Resurrection of Christ.
The WORD for Today
The WORD for Today
In Hebrews 10:25 we read, "Let us not give up meeting together,
as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one
another -- and all the more as you see the Day approaching." The
responsibility of all Christians is to encourage one another. 

This series is intended to help provide some guidelines in the
process of encouragement. The book, "Encouragement, the key to
caring," by Lawrence J. Crabb Jr., and Dan B. Allender, is
recommended reading with the series. Each message can be read in
conjunction with the related chapter in the book. The series can
be used as the basis of a group study in your church. Please let
us know if you find the material helpful, or if you have any
questions or suggestions. The article presented here is the
tenth of fourteen messages given by Pastor Geoff Kragen. They
were presented at Foothill Bible Church in Lincoln, California. 


CAN WE TALK?


"Encouragement is the kind of expression that helps someone want
to be a better Christian, even when life is rough." (1) 

Each month at the beginning of this column we record Hebrews
10:24-25 as part of the month's study. We want to examine these
verses. The focus of these verses is the importance of
"fellowship love." (2) 

Dr. John MacArthur notes in his study on these verses: "The
Jewish readers were having a hard time breaking with the Old
Covenant, with the Temple and the sacrifices. They were still
holding on to the legalism and ritual and ceremony, the outward
things of Judaism." (3) 

The author of Hebrews is concerned that his readers understand 
that the real basis for fellowship is the presence of God's love
shown to one another. These Messianic believers needed to move
their focus from tradition and relationship with the Temple to
God's love and fellowship with one another.

The most important responsibility we have as believers is to
help one another attain agape, acts of love directed to the
needs of others. The requirement for fellowship is obvious. We
can only practice love in the company of others. (4)

Unlike the "some" mentioned in the passage, and we all know some
"somes," we aren't to fall into the trap of separatism. By doing
so, we disobey the most basic command to love others. It isn't
enough to agree to the need to encourage. This still leaves the
question, "OK, what do I do?"

How do we prepare for encouragement? We have already seen that
if we desire to encourage, we have to choose to reach out to
people in love with God's truth. However, this isn't the
starting place for encouragement.

Encouragement can only be carried out in the midst of
relationships. This is why the church family is the ideal place
to offer God's love to one another. We encourage by directing
one another to a deeper relationship with the Lord. As we see
that life comes from God, and nowhere else, we grow. And growth
is the fulfillment of Christ's command to go and make disciples.
However, this isn't the starting place for encouragement.

The starting place is developing a mindset that takes ministry,
specifically the ministry of encouragement, as a given. Too
frequently, we think about ministry as something we do as an
add-on to everything else in our lives. We overlook the truth
that, as believers, everything we do is ministry and testimony
for the Lord. The only real question is: What kind of ministry
are we accomplishing?

To find opportunities to encourage, we must always be open to
the Lord to reveal them to us. People are always in need of
encouragement.

Most of what we do occurs in the context of some kind of
purpose. Even when we relate to others, we do so with the intent
of accomplishing something. Now, that something may be as simple
as getting past someone without getting entangled in an involved
conversation. In fact we may even walk around the block to avoid
seeing someone we don't want to talk to.

If we desire to be obedient to the Lord, we need to understand
our mindset and to make it conform to the purpose of ministering
for the Lord. Larry Crabb takes the position that, "Broadly
speaking, all our purposes can be sorted into two categories:
either we manipulate for our own self-enhancement or
self-protection, or we minister for the glory of God and the
well-being of others." (5) 

We need to reprogram our thought patterns. This is exactly what
Paul means when he said, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in
view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices,
holy and pleasing to God -- this is your spiritual act of
worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will
be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good,
pleasing and perfect will" (Romans 12:2).

We need, in a desire to be obedient to the Lord, to develop a
mindset that says, "Lord, help me to see the opportunities You
are providing to care for others." This is what the author of
Hebrews is saying in the passage recorded above. We have to
think about the fact we are to encourage one another. Many of us
aren't natural encouragers. Therefore, we have to consider,
meditate on, pray about, and have an awareness of the need to
encourage.

Not only do we need to develop a mind-set of encouragement, but
we actually have to plan the way we can encourage others. Yes,
the Lord can lead us, unprepared, in encouraging someone.
However, we read in Hebrews that we are to consider how we can
encourage someone. We need to think about it.

The first step is to live in expectation that the Lord will
provide opportunities. And second, in expecting these
opportunities to arise, we must be willing to make the best use
of them. 

It isn't enough to have a mindset of encouragement. We need to
have a very important skill. We need to learn to listen to what
others are saying. People joke about those of us who counsel. If
I ask someone how they are doing, they think, "I wonder what he
meant by that?" A serious detriment to effective communication
is a lack of listening skills. 

Why do we have trouble listening? Primarily, we don't listen
because we are self-absorbed. We are thinking about what we are
going say in response to the speaker. Instead of giving the
person attention, our minds are off somewhere else. "Boy, I'll
be glad when this is over so I can get home and get something to
eat." Or, even more importantly, "I'll miss my favorite TV show
if I don't get out of this discussion quickly."

Seriously, we don't listen because we might hear something. It
is possible that at that moment, we don't want to deal with
someone else's burden because we have enough trouble of our own.
Or, we may hesitate because we are afraid to take the
responsibility of giving someone a suggestion. If they follow
it, they may blame us for the results later. So, we don't listen
because we are self-centered. This may be the case, even if we
were only too distracted to notice that someone was putting out
help messages.

We need to listen with discernment so we can pick up the help
messages. These may be clues that the person isn't even aware of
sending. I have a client who is on a computer network. The other
day she was writing to a friend and very troubled about
something that had arisen. She told the other person she would
have to stop writing. Then, being completely unaware of what she
was doing, she also wrote "Help Me." We wouldn't usually get
that clear a message in recognizing another's need for
encouragement.

As you observe a friend's demeanor or listen carefully to their
words, often they will let you know that they need help. Phrases
like, "Ok, under the circumstances," or "So, So," or a personal
favorite, "Fair to middling." These can be opportunities to ask,
"Yes but, how are you really?" If you know the person well, you
can ask outright what is the matter. After thirty years of
knowing my wife, I only have to hear the tone of her voice to
know something is wrong. We need to be educated listeners. And
the Holy Spirit is happy to help us learn.

This then, is what it means to prepare to encourage. Step number
one is to develop an attitude of expectation. We must look to
God, waiting to see what opportunities He places before us. This
doesn't mean waiting for a brick to drop on our heads. Let us
start the day with a prayer that the Lord will give us the
opportunity to minister. Let us pray before meeting with
individuals, "Lord let me be sensitive to the needs of this
person."

And as we pray to be sensitive, let us also be attentive. Let us
learn to listen to what people are really saying, and not just
their words. As we sincerely desire to help one another, the
Lord will give us His discernment, and we will hear what we need
to are hear. Then we will find that our lives will be richly
blessed, because we commit ourselves to care for one another.



1. Lawrence, J. and Allender, Dan B., "Encouragement -- The Key
to Caring," Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1984,
p. 10.

2. MacArthur, John, "The MacArthur New Testament Commentary,"
"Hebrews," Moody Press, Chicago, IL, 1983, p. 228-229.

3. Ibid.

4. Morris, Leon, "The Expositor's Bible Commentary," "Hebrews,"
Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1981, p. 105.

5. Crabb, p. 96.

Columns
Anee M'Amin
Anee M'Amin
Anee M'amin is Hebrew for "I believe". Each month this column
presents the testimony of a Jewish believer in Yeshua (Jesus).


HANG A LEFT!
The testimony of Marcy Lightcap

From ISRAEL MY GLORY magazine.


My family origin is German, Russian, and Nordic. Both of my
parents are Jewish. My immediate family is very small, since
each of my parents was an only child and my grandparents had all
passed away by the time I was 13 years old.

I Consequently, I never heard family stories about grandparents,
aunts, uncles, or cousins. The only family picture we had hung
on the wall of the living room. My earliest memories were of a
gold leaf frame containing the image of a bearded old man, and
whenever my friends asked who he was, I teased and said, "He's
my great, great, great... grandfather." I wasn't really sure of
the family relationship, but every time I entered the door of
the living room, that picture stared at me from five feet away.

When I was a toddler, we were one of only two Jewish families in
our town, so when I was four years old we moved to a larger,
predominantly Jewish town where we became acquainted with some
of our Jewish neighbors. Soon several families began to spend
the Jewish holidays together, and my brother and I attended
Saturday school at a local synagogue. We were not taught about a
personal God. Instead, we prayed in Hebrew (which I didn't
understand) and read stories with good, moral endings. My
brother's bar mitzvah was the last occasion on which anyone in
my family attended synagogue services.

We did continue to celebrate Hanukkah, which was an awkward time
of the year because most of my friends were Gentiles and
celebrated Christmas. My friends did not know I was Jewish until
the holiday season arrived. My family sang the Hanukkah prayers
in Hebrew over the menorah, and there were always piles of
presents. I knew about the Hanukkah miracle, but I never knew
that God was more than a miracle worker.

When I was about five or six years old, a neighbor named Heidi
asked me to accompany her to vacation Bible school. There I
learned songs like "Jesus Loves Me" and "Onward Christian
Soldiers," and I memorized the titles of the first five books of
the Bible. Over the years Heidi and I became good friends, and I
stayed overnight in her home from time to time. In the morning
the family always gathered around an open Bible as her father
led family devotions. I didn't usually pay much attention, but
apparently I absorbed more than I realized. When I was 12 years
old, Heidi's family moved away from the neighborhood, and when
her mother came to say good-bye to our family, she left a gospel
tract behind on my mother's night stand.

Shortly after high school I planned to join the Army, and I was
given a small green Bible along with other Army paraphernalia. I
never did join the Army, but I kept the Bible. Over the next
three years I attempted to read it, always beginning at Genesis
1:1, but I never made it past Leviticus. I didn't yet know that
Jesus was my God, so I didn't have the Holy Spirit to help me
understand His Word.

When I was 21, my mother, who was also my best friend, became
terminally ill. When I grasped the fact that I would soon lose
her, I realized that if I didn't have God to lean on, I wouldn't
make it. It was at that time that I committed my life to Christ.
I immediately began reading the Bible and felt an increasing
hunger to know more about the Lord. Every moment while in my
car, I listened to Christian radio stations, and I frequently
watched religious shows on television.

But I was also confused. How could God have revealed Himself to
me? How could I know that Jesus was God? And, most frightening
of all, why was I the only Jew in history to believe in Jesus? I
was afraid to tell anyone! I battled with pride and felt that I
was betraying every generation of my family. My fear and guilt
were overwhelming. I didn't understand why Jews were opposed to
Jesus, but I knew that if a Jewish person believed in Jesus, he
was no longer considered a Jew.

After my mother passed away and I moved into my first apartment,
I finally felt that I could pursue some outward display of
Christianity. Less than 24 hours after moving in, I got out the
telephone book, turned to the yellow pages, and looked up
"Churches." I was amazed to see over 60 categories of churches,
and each category had many listings. I attended several churches
in those early days, but none satisfied my spiritual hunger. And
I never told anyone in any of the churches I attended that I was
Jewish.

One evening I was out for a drive with some friends, and we
passed a large sculpture on what seemed to be an open field in
Deptford, New Jersey. The sculpture had a crown, a cross, and a
star of David. I shouted, "Hang a left!" We turned down a
one-way drive leading to The Friends of Israel headquarters and
began questioning the first person we met. Although we received
many good answers, the only one I remembered as we drove away
was, "We don't have a church here." I was disappointed and
apprehensive about calling The Friends of Israel for more
information, but about that time I was looking for a new job,
and, for some reason, I had a real desire to work at FOI. I came
to the Mission one day and asked if they were hiring. Shortly
thereafter I was called in for an interview.

Usually at an interview you try to impress the prospective
employer with the good qualities and skills you have to offer.
That was not the case at FOI. Fred Hartman interviewed me, and,
the next thing I knew, Will Varner had given me four books on
Bible doctrine from the Institute of Biblical Studies library.
We continued to talk for a while and they recommended an area
church with a college and career group. When I left the
interview, I felt as if I were walking on cloud nine. I had
gotten the job, and I knew that I had been chosen to work at FOI
for my own benefit as well as for the Mission's.

As I attended the semiweekly devotionals at work, services at my
church, and night classes at the Institute of Biblical Studies,
I gained new understanding about God's love and the wonder of it
all. Everyone at The Friends of Israel was pleasant and helpful,
and I soon received answers to questions I had been asking for a
long time. I was so excited! As I settled into my new job, I
continued to ask questions about spiritual matters, and, no
matter what the topic, someone either answered my questions or
provided reference material that would help.

I went home from the staff Christmas luncheon in 1989 bubbling
over with the love of Christ, and it was then that I became
burdened to tell my father about my newfound faith, where I
worked, and why I worked there. I wanted him to know what the
Lord had done for me and that He could do the same thing in his
life. My Christian friends and co-workers were very supportive,
and if prayers can form a blanket that wraps itself around you,
that's what happened to me. Although I was scared, I felt
absolute peace as I shared the good news with him. I had no idea
how he would react, and a few minutes into our conversation he
got up and left the room. I thought I had blown it! But, after
what seemed like an eternity, he returned and calmly asked me to
continue. When I finished, he told me about the man who had
stared at me from the gold leaf frame on the wall for so many
years. The man was his grandfather, and he was a believer in
Jesus who became a minister! Unfortunately, his conversion
caused a rift in the family, and, while some of the relatives
relocated to Saginaw, Michigan, with him, most disowned him.
Some day I'd like to go to Saginaw, find the church my
great-grandfather pastored, and dig into the archives. Perhaps I
have some relatives there.

Recently, while helping my father move, I came across another
photo of my great-grandfather, and in this photo he was holding
a Bible in his hand. No doubt he prayed for his family through
the years, and the Lord has graciously answered his prayers
through my salvation. It is now my prayer that God will work in
the lives of the rest of my family and bring them to Himself as
their Messiah and Lord.
Testimony
Testimony
Dema Ivaschenko was one of two interpreters that REVIVAL FIRES
MINISTRIES provided for STRAIGHT PATH MINISTRIES during a recent
trip to Russia. (See this month's MISSION FIELD column in the
International Section.)

Dema's life has been completely changed by the Lord Jesus
Christ. His testimony is one of millions who have come to the
Lord recently through the work of American outreaches to Russia.


FROM RUSSIAN ATHEIST TO CHRISTIAN
THE TESTIMONY OF DEMA IVASCHENKO


A remarkable fact in my life when I was a 3rd year student of
Moscow State Technical University. I was a part of a USA-USSR
student exchange program and I was one of those 200 students who
were supposed to go to American universities for education. I
cannot explain with words how happy I was about that, because
it's a dream of any Russian young person to go to the USA, at
least to look. 

I passed all the tests and competitions and they told me to wait
till they call me and tell the time and give the tickets. They
said it was a done deal. So, you can imagine how frustrated I
was when 3 months later, in August 1991, they told me that the
US government did not fund the exchange. 

But now, I praise the Lord for that, because it was a perfect
plan for my life. In August 1991, while I was in Moscow waiting
for information and doing nothing, I decided to go to a meeting
with Americans from the Campus Crusade for Christ organization.
I had nothing to do, I needed English language practice and I
never heard of Jesus before, so I went there. 

When I was there I was amazed. After you saw those old ladies in
Russian Orthodox Church always weeping about something, it
really makes you wonder if it is the same Christianity when you
see young men and women happy and singing beautiful songs. I saw
that they were intelligent people and they knew something I
didn't. They were joyful about something I wasn't.

I started studying books they gave me. The books were the New
Testament, "More Than a Carpenter" by Josh McDowell, and
"Jesus." I read those books, some of them 2 or 3 times, because
it was very hard for me to believe. Having a logical mind, I
needed evidences strong enough, and I got them. Now I know the
Holy Spirit lead me at that time, because in two months I gave
my heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ, and I never was
sorry about that, not even once. My life is also filled with joy
and happiness now as never before. I have a lot of friends all
around the world.

I know that I don't have to worry about things in this life
because my Lord will provide me according to His riches and
glory. I know that eternity with my wonderful Saviour is waiting
for me. What else should a person want!

Also, in the summer of 1992, I visited the USA and spoke in
Churches all around the country. So by God's grace, my dream
also came true.

I am happy that I can work for Revival Fires Ministries in their
wonderful mission of winning souls for God. I am also one of the
fruits of American missionaries' labor. I can tell you that the
harvest is ripe and the field is white and we pray that God
would send more laborers to Russia while the door is open.
During this time of Revival we need to raise up as many of God's
soldiers as we can, so the fire would never be quenched.


Editor's note: Dema is now the associate director of Revival
Fires - Russian Division and also interprets for incoming
American preachers. He is an aerospace engineer and interested
in going into the ministry. One woman said it best after he
interpreted, that Dema has "a pure heart." The above testimony
is purely Dema's. There is no "ghost" writing, no "polishing"
or even grammar correction. We wanted to keep the testimony as
pure as possible.
Education
Education
BIBLE QUIZ 1993-1994

Gospel Publishing House
Springfield, Missouri


If you have been praying for your teenager to become more
disciplined, to build quality relationships through teamwork and
friendly competition, and spend more time in the Word of God,
the answer is here.

It's BIBLE QUIZ!

Picture two teams of four contestants each, sitting at the quiz
table with hands poised over a buzzer pad. As the quizmaster
reads a question, several attempt to buzz in with the answer.
The best participants are able to interrupt the question,
complete the question, then give the answer.

This is the scene throughout America each year in the Assemblies
of God, as 7th through 12th graders study one or more books of
the New Testament in preparation for local competition. The best
teams then progress to regionals and then to nationals.

Any church can enjoy the benefits and competition of BIBLE QUIZ.
You can always have BIBLE QUIZ as part of a Sunday school quiz
class, youth group, or other unofficial forum. To be a part of
the Assemblies BIBLE QUIZ competition, however, participants
must be active in the Assembly of God church or youth group.

The best contestants are also eligible for scholarships at some
Assemblies of God colleges. Other scholarships are awarded at
national finals.

For more information on how you can get involved in BIBLE QUIZ,
contact:

Gospel Publishing House 
BIBLE QUIZ
1445 Boonville Avenue
Springfield, Missouri 65802


OVERVIEW OF BIBLE QUIZ


HISTORY

The BIBLE QUIZ program of the Assemblies of God started in 1961
with the study of the book of Acts. The first official quiz year
began in the fall of 1962 and concluded with a national
competition during the General Council meeting held in Memphis,
Tennessee. Since then, thousands of youth have enjoyed the
excitement that quizzing offers. The Assemblies of God program
is the largest, with more than 6,000 participants.


STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The purpose of the BIBLE QUIZ program is to: 

1. Encourage, by systematic study, an in-depth understanding of
God's Word among junior and senior high young people;

2. Teach youth to make daily application of the Word by
involvement in the program;

3. Motivate youth to memorize the Word;

4. Cultivate, through competition, a proper attitude toward
winning and losing;

5. Teach youth to reflect the Spirit of Christ in attitude and
action;

6. Provide, through travel and competition, opportunities to
expand Christian friendship among other youth; and

7. Provide an opportunity for discipling to take place among
youth by sharing activities and experiences with their
non-Christian acquaintances.


EIGHT-YEAR CYCLE

Each year a different portion of the New Testament is studied.
This is accomplished in an 8-year cycle covering 16 books of the
New Testament. The official year of competition begins each
September 1 and concludes with the National Finals held during
the summer of the following year.


ROLE OF GUIDELINES

The guidelines contained in the manual, provided by the Gospel
Publishing House, serve as the official guide for BIBLE QUIZ
participants, coaches, officials, and BIBLE QUIZ coordinators.
While the Official Guidelines attempt to offer rules and
regulations on a variety of quiz topics, they neither cover
every situation or answer every question.


GETTING STARTED

SELECT A COACH. The coach is the key to a successful and
sustained quiz program who will not only select study times, but
also encourage, challenge, and inspire contestants. This person
should always remember that his/her role is not to be the star
of the team, but to lift up the participants.

The coach must be willing to learn along with the contestants.
Qualifications should include a desire to study, to work with
youth, and to devote a lot of time to the project. He/she should
have the ability to communicate, to love, and to understand
young people, motivating them toward spiritual goals, not just
toward winning matches. A new coach should develop local quiz
contacts, including experienced coaches and his district quiz
coordinator.

A potential coach should pray and seek God's guidance before
making a commitment. Someone who feels the Holy Spirit leading
him/her into this area of ministry will be more conscientious
and will seek the Lord's leadership in directing the team.
Quizzing allows a coach to disciple several youth and lead them
into a deeper spiritual commitment. Therefore, spiritual
maturity is required.

For more information on the BIBLE QUIZ coach, consult the Gospel
Publishing House (GPH) publication THE COMPLETE BIBLE QUIZ
COACH's MANUAL. BUZZ-OFFERINGS, the official BIBLE QUIZ
newsletter, also lists additional coaching helps.


RECRUIT TEAM MEMBERS

A coach should seek out youth who already show an interest in
studying God's Word. He/she may also:

1. Post announcements on the bulletin board and in the church
newsletter.

2. Personally invite teens who attend the church's youth
meetings and Sunday school classes.

3. Ask a coach, contestant, or an entire quiz team from another
church to share about the quiz program with your youth group.

4. Attend another team's practice, or take prospective
participants to a tournament to observe.


COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT BIBLE QUIZ

Every year thousands of teens regularly spend hours memorizing
God's Word. Pastor, are your teens involved in BIBLE QUIZ? If
not, read the following most asked questions about BIBLE QUIZ.


Q: Who is eligible to participate?

A: Any youth of your church enrolled in grades 7-12 as of
September 1.


Q: What books do the teens study?

A: The quiz teams follow an 8-year cycle covering 16 different
New Testament books.


Q: How many teens are needed for a team?

A: Each team needs a minimum of three participants, but may have
a maximum of three alternates. 


Q: What adult involvement is required?

A: At the very least a quiz team needs a coach. Your coach
should be a mature Christian, have a love for teens, and have
time available for practices and tournaments.

Most teams will also want an assistant coach and two or three
adults to serve as tourney officials.


Q: Where does a team obtain necessary materials and equipment?

A: The National Youth Department (1445 Boonville Avenue,
Springfield, Missouri 65802) will send you up-to-date
information on materials and equipment. BUZZ-OFFERINGS, a
newsletter free to head coaches, lists items from both Gospel
Publishing House and outside vendors.

The most popular GPH materials include (1) the BIBLE QUIZ
OFFICIAL GUIDELINES, a manual of rules and procedures; (2) the
BIBLE QUIZ STUDY GUIDE, a handbook complete with Scripture text,
commentary, and practice questions; and (3) the OFFICIAL
PRACTICE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS, 50 sets of tournament-style
questions.

If your coach is new to the quiz, be sure to order THE COMPLETE
BIBLE QUIZ COACH'S MANUAL.
Prison Ministry
Prison Ministry
As mentioned in the Editor's Letter, this issue of MORNING STAR
is the first to be printed in a hard copy, making it available
to many people who don't have access to computers or networks. 
Along with this new venture, we have also embarked on a project
to make the magazine available to prison chaplains and inmates
across the United States. PRISON FELLOWSHIP in Washington D.C.
is working with us to accomplish this. We encourage all of our
readers to help "sponsor a chaplain" in this program. Please
contact us for more information on how you can help!

The staff of MORNING STAR also felt that the addition of a
regular "Prison Ministry" column would be a blessing to readers
both in and outside of the prison system. The material for this
column will be provided by PRISON FELLOWSHIP ministry as well as
other sources.

In this premiere column, we feature a letter from Chuck Colson,
the Chairman of the Board of Prison Fellowship as well as an
article by Kerry Green in Riverfront State Prison, New Jersey.
Both the letter and article are taken from INSIDE JOURNAL, "The
Hometown Newspaper of America's Prisoners" which has given
MORNING STAR permission to reprint this material.


"... I was in prison and you came to visit me" (Matthew 25:36)

A MESSAGE FROM CHUCK COLSON

By Charles W. Colson
Chairman of the Board of Prison Fellowship


Dear brothers and sisters in prison,

I remember a sultry Late-summer day in 1974. I was in an Alabama
prison. Twenty years before, I had been a crew-cut Marine
lieutenant. I had risen over the years to a powerful position
advising the President of the United States. Now my own spirit
was crying out in agony. A prisoner. How could all this have
happened? The men with whom I served in the White House-Nixon,
Mitchell, Ehrlichman, Haldeman - we were all trapped by our
pretensions of power. 

But here I was now, in the dreary confines of that prison with
hundreds of other men trapped by the circumstances of their
lives. There must be lessons for my life. 

At first my thoughts focused on what I saw around me in the
prison and in the country. The nation-like the prison-was in
darkness; there was anger, bitterness, and disillusionment
across the land. I thought of grand reforms. I began to write my
thoughts down on paper. 

And I prayed. 

God seemed to be saying that the answer to the darkness and
anger was within me. My ideas for grand reforms were my plans,
not God's. If I wanted to change anything, I had to let Him lead
me. I had to submit myself to His plans. 

After my release, my plans did not include prisons. I never
wanted to see razor wire or a chow hall or a CO again. I could
make a marvelous living as a lawyer And I would never look back. 

But I had heard the groaning of the prisoners. I had heard tough
men cry in the night. I had seen broken hearts and broken
spirits. And I couldn't shake them from my heart and mind. 

God spoke to me. He gave me the idea of taking prisoners out on
furlough for Christian training. That was the beginning of
Prison Fellowship (PF). And from that simple beginning, PF has
grown to bring 40,000 volunteers to help prisoners and their
families. Inside Journal, Angel Tree, Justice Fellowship,
marriage and life plan seminars-all grew from that simple
beginning. It was God's plan for my life. 

As one of you-one who worked in a prison laundry and ate mystery
meat and suffered from loneliness just like you-I want to
challenge you. If you are feeling darkness, bitterness, anger,
disillusionment, or rage, I challenge you to submit to God's
plan for your life. I challenge you to pray. I challenge you to
go to chapel services. (And you can forget the old idea about
chapel being full of sissies. The tough prisoners aren't the
ones who are pumping iron. The tough prisoners are the ones who
will openly say that they are Christians.) 

The answer to what you feel can be found within you-just as God
showed me. If He could take me at the lowest time in my life and
use me to begin Prison Fellowship, just think what He could do
with you-and the hundreds of thousands of others who are in
prison. 

He's got a plan for you. All you have to do is let Him lead
you. You can change the world.

"A bruised reed he will not break... In faithfulness he will
bring forth justice." (Isaiah 42:3)


GETTING THROUGH: DON'T LET DOIN' TIME DO YOU IN

by Kerry Green
Riverfront State Prison, New Jersey 


Okay. You're in. The sentencing is over. Guilty or not, the
system has you. You're going down, facing the harsh reality of a
word called TIME. No person in his right mind can be happy about
it. It means separation from the world as you knew it. Loved
ones and career are all suspended in a colorless nightmare that
won't go away. 

The DOC routine was set in motion long before you arrived, and
will continue without missing a beat long after you leave. The
bells, whistles, and the PA systems are no respecter of your
desires, wishes, or personal habits. Like it or not, you will
conform. You are reminded of the consequences of your misdeeds
every morning as you try to mentally escape the endless miles of
razor wire, cold steel bars, and the unforgiving concrete.
Whatever you were, you aren't now and there is always that guard
who's all too quick to remind you that you are just a number. 

Daily, you are consumed with the frustration, anguish, and
helplessness of a lifestyle that pushes a person to the limits
of endurance and tolerance. You've probably already lost most
everything that really mattered on the outside. Things are
deadly serious now. It's no game and it's no joke. You may never
be happy for what has happened to you, but there is a way to be
happy in your situation.

Classification will, hopefully, assign you a meaningful job.
There are educational and rehabilitational concerns that really
should be addressed. You will eventually find supportive,
positive-minded friends - if that is indeed what you are looking
for.

And yet - even with those meager positive straws to grasp -
there seems to be nothing but total, devastating fear and
uncertainty surrounding you on every side. There seems to be
nobody you can cry out to, no person who can really help. Your
fellow inmates offer you the supposed solutions to all of your
problems, and even worse, their life is in an even bigger
shambles than yours. They, perhaps like you, were madly racing
down that same foggy road, ignoring or challenging the same
"Bridge Out" signs that you did.

Incarceration can give you the once-in-a-lifetime chance to sit
down, sit still, shut up, and try to get yourself in line with
what really makes you tick. If this hadn't happened to you, do
you honestly believe you would have ever taken the time for
personal reflection?

A vast majority of those locked up will openly admit that they
might be dead if they hadn't been caught. Others shudder at the
thought of the staggering amount of time they would be doing if
they had continued behaving as before. Despite the intense
hostility, cruelty, and unfairness of your environment, you must
try to make serious evaluation as to what actually got you here.
Take a good hard look at that man in the mirror, and don't be
afraid of the conclusions that may stare back at you.

God has a good reason for everything. Yes, it can be very
elusive at times, but you have not been stopped dead in your
tracks for nothing. Don't be so set in your opinions and
attitudes that you ignore that still small voice that continues
unceasingly every night as you lie in the rack. You are what
you are when you're alone in a room at night. There's no one to
kid now. Some of your best scams, plans, and thoughts got you
here. Maybe it's time to lay the hammer down for a change. It is
pretty obvious that God had a little trouble getting your
attention. Are you listening yet?
Music
Music
I was impressed with this article on the positive effect of
Praise-music within the youth program in the Nutley, New Jersey,
Assembly of God. I hope their enthusiasm will spark an interest
in Praise-music in other youth groups around the world.

Teresa Giordanengo - Morning Star Senior Editor


THE IMPORTANCE OF MUSIC AND PRAISE BY TODAY'S YOUTH

By Rev. Tom M. Berninger
Youth Pastor 
Nutley Assembly of God
Nutley, New Jersey


Across the country today, many church youth groups are raising
questions in the area of praise and worship. Is praise and
worship important enough to include in every service? Where does
it fit in to a service and how far should we "go with it?" Just
a few years ago our youth group was facing the same questions.
In seeking the Word of God for answers, the Lord gave us some
insight on the tremendous power of praise and worship. It helped
to transform a non-committed youth group of 30 into a "fired up"
youth ministry in the span of a few short years.

Music is more than just a combination of sounds and words. It
possesses qualities that transcend the natural and reach into
the spirit of man. Just take a look at your youth in society
over the past 40 years in relation to the music to which they
listened. In the 1950's when rock-n-roll came into prominence,
many preachers and parents argued that this "devil's music" was
promoting rebellion in their children. At the time most young
people just laughed this notion off as a lot of nonsense from an
older generation that just "didn't understand" what was going
on. 

Now, four decades later, it is becoming obvious that those early
preachers saw something behind the music and lyrics, and
recognized something seriously wrong in the spirit realm. What
was happening was that teenagers were not just listening to
music, they were identifying themselves with "their" music. The
music of the 50's spawned the rebellion and drug-filled music of
the 60's. A major change took place in the spiritual aspect of
music during that time which is affecting the music our children
are listening to today. 

In the 1950's, the spirit of the music was hidden behind candy
coated lyrics that sang about teenage love and teenage
heartbreak. In the 60's, however, the spirit behind the music
was no linger hidden but became obvious in the lyrics that
openly sang about drugs and rebelling against society. The music
of the 60's led to the acid rock of the 70's. In this decade the
music itself began to take on more of a spiritual flavor as
rhythms and beats began to match the rebellious nature of the
lyrics that accompanied it. The music of the 70's then led to
the all-out spiritual assault on our children through the music
of the 1980's. In this past decade songs were filled with lyrics
and messages that openly espoused drugs, suicide, rebellion
against authority, sexual promiscuity and outright encouragement
of Satan worship.

This article is not meant to tackle the issue involving the
evils of rock-n-roll music, but to show that music has a
powerful nature which affects the spirit of the person who is
listening to it. Just look at teenagers today. They identify
with or take on the spirit of the music to which they listen. It
is common to see a person who is into "heavy metal" music
wearing the same type of clothing; i.e., satanic symbols on
their clothing or jewelry, tattoos, leather and studs... Girls
listening to their favorite "pop" music will often be seen
wearing the same ungodly clothing and emanating the same
seductivity which is being preached to them through their music.
If music has such a powerful spiritual nature that can affect
our young people in a negative way, then why can't music affect
our teenagers in a positive way through the power of praise and
worship?

Scriptural accounts of the spiritual power behind music are
found throughout the Bible. The veil spirit departed from King
Saul when David ministered to Saul on his harp (I Samuel
16:14-23). There are many instances where Israel was preparing
for war and God gave them the battle plan, put the swords and
the bows in the back and sent forth the singers and the
musicians first. Once they began to praise God, they released
the power of God and they had victory (II Chronicles 13:14-15;
20:18-22). 

As you can see, the use of praise and worship to move the hand
of God and to destroy our spiritual enemies is not a concept
that is foreign to God. In the New Testament when Paul and Silas
were in prison they began to pray and sing praises to God. After
they began to worship God in song, the prison began to shake and
they were set free from their bonds (Acts 16:25-26). There is
definitely a supernatural power behind praising and worshipping
our Lord and this power needs to be released every time the Body
of Christ joins together.

For the first few years that I was involved in youth ministry,
praise and worship was something that was stuck in the gap
between the opening prayer and the announcements. This gap was
usually filled with three songs what were randomly chosen from
our hymnals and were sung without much enthusiasm. Because of
the lackluster approach to glorifying God, the changes that took
place in the lives of the youth were very slow and very minimal.
Even though the messages that were being preached were almost
always dynamic and right on the money, something was missing.
Then God began showing us that the missing ingredient was the
power in worship. We, as a group, never made it into the holy
place when we praised God; we usually just hung out somewhere in
the outer court.

We soon discovered that praise and worship was much more than
just a way to fill ten minutes in our schedule. It was a way to
express our love towards God and it also created an atmosphere
for God to move in us through His spirit. After all, God
inhabits the praises of His people (Psalms 22:3). Once we had
discovered the importance of allowing the spirit of God to lead
us in our worship, our services were never the same. Immediately
an excitement began to build in the hearts of the young people.
We no longer had to "pull teeth" to get our youth to sing and to
praise God. The worship portion of our youth service soon
stretched from ten minutes to twenty and sometimes past a half
hour. The commitment level of our young people began to grow as
a domino effect was taking place. 

As we learned to give praise and worship its rightful place in
our services, every other part of our service began to grow.
What was once 30 young people who came to youth because they had
to come, over the span of a few years turned into five different
youth groups with a combined attendance of over 250 who came
because they wanted to come.

The gifts of the Spirit also began to flow through our praise
and worship services. At one time the gifts were something we
only read about in the Bible. Now they were manifested freely in
our services. Let me assure you that things did not get out of
hand. No one was rolling on the floor or swinging from a
chandelier. Our pastor, Rev. Peter Bruno, taught us the meaning
of I Corinthians 14:40, "Let all things be done decently and in
order."

We also learned that praise and worship was like John the
Baptist; it prepared the way for the coming of the Lord. It
became apparent that people were receiving the ministry of the
Word with a greater enthusiasm. Praise and worship prepared the
hearts of the people to receive the Word the same way John the
Baptist prepared the way for the coming of our Lord. A youth
service without dynamic praise and worship is like having a
stick of dynamite but never lighting the fuse! The Word of God
gives testimony to the importance of the role of praise and
worship in its description of the restoration of the Tabernacle
of David. 

The prophet Amos (9:11) writes, "In that day will I raise up the
Tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches
thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as
in the days of old." This same verse is again echoed in Acts
15:16. What exactly did the Tabernacle of David represent and
what did the prophet mean when he said I will restore it again?
The tabernacle that David set up to hold the Ark of the Lord was
unique in that it was a prophetic tabernacle. 

When David brought back the ark after it was stolen by the
Philistines, he did many new things in establishing the new
tabernacle. He placed the ark in a new location, Zion, as
opposed to the old location, Gibeon. He then ordained a new
priesthood. His new priesthood which at first would appear to
differ from what Moses had instructed was really a prophetic
revelation of the spiritual fulfillment of Moses' tabernacle.
Moses' priests were there to offer animal sacrifices before the
Lord. David's priests, however, offered the sacrifices of praise
before the Lord with singing and with instruments and they were
to minister "before the Ark", a thing which was forbidden under
mosaic law (I Chronicles 16:4-7; 15:16). God wasn't upset with
David for breaking the traditional laws of his day because
that's what God wanted from the beginning.

"... he forsook the Tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he
placed among men (Tabernacle of Moses)... but chose the Tribe of
Judah (praise), the Mount Zion which he loved (site of the
Tabernacle of David)" Psalm 78:60,68.

The fulfillment of the prophecy concerning the rebuilding of the
Tabernacle of David then, is reemphasizing the role of praise
and worship before the Lord in our services that David
instituted in his tabernacle.

In Ephesians 5:18-19 we are told to be filled with the Spirit;
and one of the ways is taught in the Psalms. Remember, much of
what David wrote concerning praise and worship was prophetic and
should be fulfilled in the church today. The first verse in each
of the last five Psalms, in fact, commands us to "Praise Ye The
Lord." 

Yes, praise and worship is important enough to include in every
youth service; and because of its spiritual significance it
should play a major role in the life of every believer. "By Him
therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God
continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His
name" (Hebrew 13:15). "If we will not praise His name then the
rocks would immediately begin to cry out" (Luke 19:40).
Chef's Corner
Chef's Corner
APPETIZERS... THESE MOUTHWATERING FIRST COURSES ARE MADE USING
FRESH VEGETABLES: 


TEN LAYER SALAD... Cut 1 head lettuce as you would for a salad
for first layer. Cut 1 head cauliflower into small flowerettes,
spread over lettuce. Do same with 1 head broccoli. Dice 1 small
Bermuda onion and sprinkle over broccoli. Sprinkle 1 package
frozen peas over onions. Add salt and pepper. Spread with 2 cups
mayonnaise like icing. Cover with 1/4 cup sugar, then 1/2 cup
grated Parmesan cheese, and crumble 1 lb. crisply fried bacon
and sprinkle over top. Cover tightly and let set in refrigerator
a few hours or overnight. Toss before ready to use. Be sure to
use big enough bowl to toss easily (at least a 3 quart bowl).
Yield: 12 servings.


BELL PEPPER SALAD... this is a very colorful salad - 1 large red
bell pepper, 1 large green bell pepper, 1 large yellow bell
pepper, 1 small red onion, sliced, 16 ripe olives, 2 teaspoons
chopped basil or 2/3 teaspoon dried basil, 2 teaspoons chopped
thyme or 2/3 teaspoon dried thyme. 

To make the dressing, mix together, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1
tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1 garlic clove, finely chopped,
pinch of sugar, and salt and pepper to taste, in a small bowl or
shake together in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Set aside.
Preheat broiler. Place whole peppers under hot broiler about 10
minutes, turning occasionally, until skins are evenly blistered
and blackened. Transfer peppers to a plastic bag a few minutes,
then peel away and discard skins. 

Cut pepper in half, remove and discard seeds and cut peppers
into strips. Place in a salad bowl with onion and olives. Stir
or shake dressing and pour over salad. Toss gently to mix and
sprinkle with herbs. Yield: 4 servings.


BEAN AND ONION SALAD... Add 12 ounces green beans to a saucepan
of boiling salted water and cook 4 minutes until tender. Drain
and refresh under cold running water. Place in a bowl with 1
thinly sliced onion and 2 tablespoons capers in wine vinegar,
drained. 

Beat 6 tablespoons olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, 1/2 teaspoon hot
red pepper flakes, pinch of sugar, salt and pepper to taste in a
small bowl or shake together in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.

Pour over salad, add herbs and mix well. Yield 4 to 6 servings.


MIXED BEAN SALAD... 2/3 cup dried cannelini beans, soaked
overnight and drained, 2/3 cup dried black-eyed peas, soaked
overnight and drained, 2/3 cup dried lima beans, soaked
overnight and drained. Place beans in separate pans. Cover with
cold water, bring to a boil and boil briskly 10 minutes, then
reduce heat and simmer, covered, about 1 hour until just tender.
Drain, rinse briefly under cold running water, then drain and
transfer to a serving dish.

To make the dressing, mix together 1/4 cup olive oil, 2
tablespoons red wine vinegar, 2 garlic cloves, crushed, salt and
pepper to taste in a small bowl or shake together in a jar with
a tight-fitting lid. Add 1 small onion, chopped, and dressing to
beans while they are warm. Stir and cool to room temperature.
Cover and chill until served. Just before serving, stir in 2
tablespoons chopped oregano or 2 teaspoons dried oregano, and 1
tablespoon chopped parsley and adjust seasoning. Yield: 6
servings.


RICE-STUFFED TOMATOES... Cut tops off 6 large, ripe tomatoes and
reserve. Using a teaspoon, scoop out seeds and flesh from
tomatoes; reserve seeds and flesh for use in sauces or
casseroles.

Place tomatoes upside down to drain. Preheat oven to 350F. Rinse
2/3 cup long-grain while rice and put in a small saucepan with 1
1/2 cups boiling chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce
heat, cover and simmer 12 to 15 minutes until liquid is
absorbed. If rice is not tender, stir in a little boiling water
and continue cooking. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in
a medium-size saucepan. Add 1 small onion, finely chopped, and 1
crushed garlic clove and saute 3 minutes to soften. 

Stir in 1/2 pound fresh spinach, finely chopped, 3 tablespoons
chopped parsley and cooked rice. Remove from heat and season
with salt and pepper. Sprinkle insides of tomatoes with a little
salt and fill with rice mixture. Replace reserved tomato tops.
Arrange in a baking dish and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons olive
oil. Bake in the preheated oven 20 minutes until tomatoes are
tender. Serve hot or cold with lettuce leaves. Yield 6 servings.


ZUCCHINI WITH GARLIC... Preheat oven to 375F. Using a vegetable
peeler and pressing quite firmly, peel along the length of 6
medium-size zucchini to remove long thick strips. Divide between
2 baking sheets; bake 20 minutes until crisp-tender.

Transfer zucchini to paper towels to drain 30 minutes. Preheat 1
cup peanut oil and 1 cup olive oil together in a saucepan or
deep-fryer to 375F. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Fry
zucchini slices in batches in the hot oil 2 to 3 minutes until
light golden-brown. Transfer to paper towels to drain. When all
the zucchini are cooked and drained transfer to a serving dish.

Add 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped, 1/3 cup red wine vinegar, 1
to 2 tablespoons chopped dill, salt and pepper to zucchini. Toss
gently to mix. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Serve
sprinkled with 12 mint leaves. Yield: 6 servings.


ROASTED PEPPER SALAD... delicious - Preheat broiler. Place 2
whole green bell peppers and 1 whole red bell pepper under hot
broiler about 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until skins are
evenly blistered and blackened.

Transfer to a plastic bag a few minutes, then peel away and
discard skins. Cut peppers in half, remove and discard seeds and
cut peppers into strips. Heat 1/3 cup olive oil in a large
skillet over medium heat. Add 1 onion, coarsely chopped and 1
crushed garlic clove and cook 3 minutes to soften. Stir in 1 1/2
pounds tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped, a pinch of sugar
and cook 10 to 12 minutes until thickened.

Add pepper strips and simmer 5 minutes until peppers are soft.
Season with salt and pepper and serve hot sprinkled with 1
tablespoon chopped parsley. Yield: 4 servings.


BAKED STUFFED CELERY... Preheat oven to 375F. Add 1 head celery
separated into stalks and cut into 3-inch lengths, to a large
saucepan of boiling water and cook 3 minutes. Drain and refresh
under cold running water. Drain on paper towels. 

To make stuffing, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet. Add
1 small onion, finely chopped and 1 garlic clove, chopped, and
cook 3 minutes to soften. Remove from heat. Chop together 2
tablespoons capers in wine vinegar, drained, and 1 red bell
pepper packed in wine vinegar, drained and chopped. Stir into
skillet with 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs, 1/2 cup grated
provolone cheese, and 3 tablespoons chopped parsley. Season with
salt and pepper.

Place stuffing in cavities of celery pieces. Arrange celery with
stuffing up, in one layer in a shallow baking dish. Drizzle with
1/4 cup olive oil. Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven 20
minutes. Remove foil and continue cooking about 10 minutes until
celery is tender and stuffing lightly browned. Serve hot or
warm. Yield: 6 servings.


PERFECTION SALAD... In a small saucepan, mix 1 envelope
unflavored gelatin, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add
1/2 cup water; stir over low heat until gelatin is dissolved.
Stir in 3/4 cup water, 2 tablespoons vinegar, and 1 tablespoon
lemon juice. Chill until slightly thickened. Fold in 1/2 cup
finely shredded cabbage and 1 cup diced celery. Pour into mold.
Unmold on greens and serve with salad dressing. Yield: 4
servings.


BASIL VINAIGRETTE... Add parsley, rosemary, chives, thyme, basil
and 4 cloves garlic, crushed, to 1 cup honey until it is thick
with herbs. Mix with 1/2 cup basil vinegar to make a dressing of
desired consistency and tang.
Prayer Guidelines
Prayer Guidelines
PRAYER AND COMMITMENT

Article 20 of the "Prayer and ..." Series

by Michael Wilkinson


"Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall
bring it to pass" (Psalms 37:5).

The Christian life is to be a life of commitment to the Lord. We
first commit to Him when we receive Christ as savior. We come in
faith, believing in Him, and we come in repentance, turning away
from the path of sin, that we may follow Christ instead.

That is not the end of the matter, though, because we continue
to seek His guidance through prayer. "For You are my rock and my
fortress; Therefore, for Your name's sake, Lead me and guide me"
 (Psalms 31:3). We seek his guidance, not so that we can merely
avoid error, but because we want to please him. We want to bring
honor to His name.

If we pray only for our own wants and desires, we lose sight of
what the Lord has planned for us as His servants. 

"Then He (Jesus) said to His disciples, 'Therefore I say to you,
do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the
body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body
is more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow
nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds
them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? And which
of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? If you then
are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? 

Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;
and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not
arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothes the grass,
which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the
oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?
And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink,
nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of
the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these
things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall
be added to you" (Luke 12:22-31).

Yes, we should pray that God will use us as His servants to
further His kingdom. "For we are God's workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for
us to do" (Ephesians 2:10). Therefore, it pleases God for us to
pray that His will would be done in us, and that others would
see and believe in Him too.

We should look forward to heaven where we will be with the Lord,
honoring and glorifying Him. "If then you were raised with
Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is,
sitting at the right hand of God" (Colossians 3:1). And we pray
that the Holy Spirit would guide us until the time we go to
heaven.
Culture
Culture
TO ACT, OR NOT TO ACT

By Janette Kragen

This article is dedicated to my husband, Geoff Kragen, with my
deepest gratitude for his continued support and encouragement.


"Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player who struts and frets
his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more...."

Macbeth, Act V, scene v

Human lore abounds with illustrations about the brevity of man's
existence. As an actor in the middle of a play run, Macbeth's
statement has taken on a fresh, poignant significance for me.

Putting on a play is an amazing process involving many steps. 
First a play is chosen. Then the director sets a schedule for
casting and rehearsals. The actors begin committing their script
lines to memory. Slowly, each stage character comes to life.
 
Everyone copes with long hours of taking direction and
constructive criticism. We recite our lines again and again. We
absorb the dynamics of blocking (stage placement and movement).
Next we analyze and add substance to our characters' motivations
and actions. This entire process often results in emotional and
physical exhaustion coupled with sleepless nights. For actors
who hold 9-5 jobs or are full-time students, maintaining a high
level of creative energy is a constant challenge. 

As rehearsals continue, it is crucial the actors learn to work
well with each other, both on and off stage. To ensure a
successful run, the cast must be a cohesive, dynamic team by the
time performances begin. Our continual struggle lies in subduing
our egos and suppressing performance anxieties. We try not to
indulge in negative criticism, envy or rivalry. The most
productive decision a cast can make is to help each other give
the best performances possible.

Something magical happens as opening night draws near. The bare
stage is transformed. Depending on what the specific play calls
for, the audience may see a moonlit forest, an emperor's summer
palace, or perhaps the drawing room of an upper-class British
home.

Opening night itself feels like being suspended on the peak of a
roller coaster, just before the stomach-wrenching plunge. Our
nerves are worked up to fever pitch as we wait backstage to go
on. We hurriedly check our personal props one last time to make
sure nothing has been forgotten. Once we're onstage, the sweat
of anxiety may run our makeup and stick our costumes to our
bodies, but we valiantly carry on. And if we remember our lines
and blocking, we may actually be able to relax and enjoy
ourselves under those bright, hot stage lights!

Then it happens, that unforgettable sound all performers long to
hear: audience laughter and applause. Once again, we realize
that our hard work has been rewarded. We have made contact with
the audience!

By the middle of a performance run, the roller coaster has
reached the halfway point. Only minimal changes are made. The
play is now set. A routine has been established for costuming,
makeup, assembling props, setting entrances and exits, and
remembering all lines and stage business.

We become increasingly aware of how quickly the weeks fly by.
Each performance seems to be over within minutes. The close ties
we actors have established with each other will soon be severed.
We will be going our separate ways. 

When the play run is over, what will we have to show for all
this? A videotape and (hopefully) a favorable review or two.
Also, we will have acquired additional acting credits and many
precious memories to sustain us until the next play.

I am thankful the Lord has given me an acting talent and the
opportunities to develop it. My goal is to show my gratitude by
using my gifts to serve Him. You see, the Christian actor has an
added, precious advantage. He or she can take these gifts beyond
creating temporary illusion. Today, more and more churches are
using drama as an evangelistic tool. Within this setting, the
Christian actor can apply his gifts to share a message of
eternal significance.
 
In today's world, life without Christ equals pain. It may be the
pain of a tortured past or the hurt of difficult relationships.
Many struggle with the anguish of loneliness or overwhelming
anxiety about the future. Salvation through Jesus remains the
only solution. Our Savior accepted the greatest pain of all when
He gave up His deity to take on human form. He willingly
suffered a horrendous death to release mankind from the bondage
of sin.

This is the life-giving news we must communicate to the unsaved.
It's not an option, but God's command for every Christian. Are
you an artist who knows Christ? Have you considered using your
creative gifts to convey the gospel? If you draw, paint or
sculpt, you can reveal God's beauty in your own special way. Are
you a musician who loves the Lord? God inspired George Frederick
Handel to compose some of the most beautiful music the world has
ever known. The Hallelujah Chorus from his MESSIAH is the
perfect example.
 
Maybe God has given you a writing talent. Do you realize how
rare this gift is today? Have you considered writing articles,
or perhaps fiction, poetry, or even stage and screen plays to
express what the Lord means to you? Please pray about it. The
world needs to hear from good Christian writers!

Finally, let's remember the most important aspect of all: life
is short. We no longer have the luxury of saying to ourselves:
yes, I'll do something, but not right now. Maybe after I
graduate from college. Or after I find the perfect mate and get
married. Or maybe next year, when the kids are in school. Or
when I'm older, wiser and financially established, then I'll use
my gifts for God.

While we hesitate, people around us are giving up. More and more
teenagers are committing suicide. Other people are dying a
slower death, either by voluntary starvation (anorexia, bulimia)
or by succumbing to the lure of alcohol and drugs. The
statistics of AIDS-related deaths, especially among
heterosexuals, are increasing at an appalling rate. And we
Christians, who hold the only valid solution to these problems,
continue to do nothing!

I encourage you to take the first step: make an inventory of the
gifts God has given you. Then, thank Him for your talents. Ask
Him how you can apply them to bring the lost into His kingdom.
The next step is to wait for His response. This is the most
difficult part! As you wait, it is absolutely vital you study
your Bible and pray daily. 

Discuss your objective with Christians who have a solid
grounding in the Scriptures. Ask other believers to pray with
you about your goal. Then, when God gives you His plan for your
life, don't hesitate. Go into action. DO WHAT YOU DO BEST, TO
THE GLORY OF GOD. You will be blessed beyond your wildest
dreams!


(EDITORS NOTE: Janette Kragen's personal testimony was published
in Morning Star Volume 1.4.)

International
International Staff
International Staff
INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION

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FAX: 972-2-894-955

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Tel: 416-271-7371
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PHILIPPINES
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"HIS" Shareware & Public Domain
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Tel: 44 602 893344
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Phone: 49-30-7457796
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APO AP 96367-2416
OKINAWA RANGER BBS: 81 98 6372788

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Christian Ministry BBS: 96368409

AUSTRALIA
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Cross Beat BBS: 61-2-605-9438

TAIWAN
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Christian Service Center
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Taichung, Taiwan 407, Republic of China
INTERNET: timt@misgate.gmi.org
- Taiwan Missionary BBS: 886-4-292-4455

SOUTH AFRICA
- Santie Vandenplas
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Cape Town, South Africa 7550 
INTERNET: svdp@sunvax.sun.ac.za
"The Mutant Pencil's Pad BBS: 27 219190300
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Mission Field
Mission Field
REFLECTIONS ON RUSSIA TRIP #2

By: Joseph A. Nigro
STRAIGHT PATH MINISTRIES


What on Earth are You Doing?

Some of us have spent years in frustration wondering why God is
not using us, or why we can't find God's will for our lives. We
may be discouraged because we can't seem to find a job that we
fit into, or because we can't find a mate. We simply cannot find
contentment in our positions in life. We may be happily married
with children, while owning a house and fitting into the
American dream, but we sense that we are possibly missing God's
dream. Yes, we love the Lord, we go to church, we sing the hymns
and we pray. We even serve on several ministries... but some
thing is not right deep down in the inner depths of our soul. We
know that there is more to the Christian life than we are
experiencing... but why can't we seem to find it? 

Tragically, we have either disregarded or forsaken the final
commandment of Jesus, "Therefore GO and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son
and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I
have commanded you..." 

This commandment is the heart of all the Scriptures. Our main
purpose here on earth is to glorify God (1 Corinthians 10:31). 
Then, in obedience to Him, we are to offer our "bodies as living
sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God... Then [we] will be able
to test and approve what God's will is..." (Romans 1 2:1-2). 
God then shows us His ordained purpose and plan to redeem the
world. Jesus told us to GO and make disciples of ALL NATIONS.


The First Missionary Was Jesus!

The sad part is that we think since we were born in America,
that we should "bloom where we are planted." Guess what? If the
first missionary, Jesus Christ, did that, we ourselves would
never have salvation. If Jesus didn't want to come to earth
because He didn't like the food, or the stench compared to
heaven, we would all be bound for hell. If Jesus didn't want to
leave heaven (literally!) to come to the polluted, corrupt,
sin-stained world that we live in to preach the Good News about
salvation,... then we would have no hope. 

Yet the Scriptures tell us, "Your attitude should be the same as
that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in the very nature God, did not
consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made
Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made
in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He
humbled Himself and became obedient to death - even death on the
cross!" (Philippians 2:5-8)

The saddest part is that we don't even realize that there is a
world starving for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Instead, we spend
time in America trying to share the Gospel with people who are
totally hostile to the things of God, and who have no regard for
the holy things of God. One begins to wonder if we are actually
"casting our pearls before swine." So we make excuses that
America needs to be reached with the Gospel, while 46% of the
world has never heard the Gospel even once!

How do you put into words or pictures the spiritual hunger of
Russia? The Russian people are ripe unto harvest for the Gospel
as NEVER BEFORE IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD. This is a country
where people are crying when they receive the Good News about
Jesus Christ! They weep with gratitude when they receive a Bible
for the FIRST TIME EVER! 

On my initial trip to Russia in April, I saw that the harvest
was extraordinarily large, and even though there are thousands
of workers pouring into the country, there are 300 million
people seeking salvation! As Jesus said, "Truly the harvest is
great, but the workers are few..." I began to wonder what we
think we are doing in America when another country is starving
for the Gospel of Jesus. Are we sitting here in America looking
for fruit on empty trees when Russia's trees are toppling over
with fruit?

How do you explain that the Book of Acts is literally taking
place in the country of Russia? How do you explain that the
supernatural almost became the natural in Russia?!


The Supernatural Russian Trip

God took seven of us, my wife Andrea, and myself, Pastor
Jonathan Cahn of Beth Israel Messianic Congregation, Jane
Driscoll, Allan Hopson, Carol Scheitlin, and Georgette
Scognamiglio to serve Him during the weeks of June 21-July 4th.
We were in awe that God chose ordinary people like us to do the
extraordinary. How else do you explain over 2000 people coming
into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and 11,000 Bibles
being distributed by our small group of seven? The people would
thank us with flowers and gifts that they couldn't afford, for
bringing them the Good News of the Gospel! 

Part of the group went to an orphanage and were deeply touched
by the children thanking them with small gifts of appreciation
for coming. After receiving a Bible, one young boy came back
from his room with a fairly large book and presented it to
Andrea. She told the interpreter that the boy really needed the
book so he could learn to read. The little boy responded, "I
don't need that book because now I have this Bible." The little
boy realized that he had received a treasure.

We wanted to give out Bibles on the streets one day, but as we
were going to the marketplace to give them out, the rains
started to come down hard. So we decided to go shopping for
umbrellas to hold while we gave out Bibles. We never found the
umbrellas, but to our amazement, God provided for us the
opportunity to give out the Bibles inside the center of the
large a department store. This resulted in our handing out 900
Bibles in 45 minutes. We even had a young Russian police officer
come up to us and shake our hands enthusiastically several times
for the Bible!

Once a person is in a nursing home in Russia, they are forgotten
and never visited again by their relatives. So we went to the
nursing home to witness to the forgotten people of Russia, and
they were weeping, and thanking us for introducing them to Jesus
Christ. One woman actually got on her knees and kissed the
ground several times to thank us for bringing the message of the
One who will never forget them. We were reminded of the verse,
"How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news"
(Romans 10:15).

We went to a hospital and they announced over the loudspeakers
that Americans have come to talk to the patients. When about
125 people showed up in the halls, we started to sing and
minister to the people there. Most of the patients in the hall
chose that day to receive Jesus Christ as Lord. The head doctor
then brought us to every room in the hospital to give out Bibles
to every patient!


Reaching out to the Children

We would go to children's camps, where they once taught
Communism to the children, and presented to them the Gospel of
Jesus with song, dramas, and flannel graphs. A touching moment
was when Georgette taught all the children how to use sign
language for the song, "Jesus Loves Me." We were all amazed at
the way the precious children, ages 6-15, intently listened to
the message of God's Word, soaked it in like sponges, and then
boldly stood up to receive Jesus Christ. We had even gone to a
military camp for children, run by a former colonel in the
Soviet army, and recruited all the children for God's army.

We went to a sanitarium without an appointment to see if we
could present the message of God's plan of salvation. This
sanitarium consisted of individuals and families taking a rest
from their daily work. The director told us that we can use the
auditorium to present our message, and that he would hold up
everyone's lunch until our message was over! The whole
sanitarium (300 people) showed up to see who was holding up
their lunch! I told the people that I was sure that they were
hungry and wanted us to finish up quickly (they agreed), but I
had come with the Good News of the One who said, "I am the bread
of Life, he who comes to Me will never go hungry." I offered
them a chance to cure their spiritual hunger and they ALL chose
to receive Jesus Christ.

When we went to Minsk, we were given a room on the 19th floor of
the hotel. I asked the Lord, why 19 floors high? Couldn't you
give me something a little safer in this hotel? Maybe 7 floors,
but not 19. It turned out that on the 19th floor, the ambassador
of Latvia (formerly of the Soviet Union) was giving out visas
every day. God had used us, His Ambassadors, to reach out to new
people every day from the country of Latvia with Russian Bibles.

We even sang songs in the lobby for them one day, and several of
the people were very touched. One morning a Latvian man came up
to Carol and said "I want to know God. Tell me more about Him!"


Going to the Highways and Byways

Everyday was the same. Everything we did or touched turned into
the Gospel going out! Something as simple as going into the
elevator gave us an opportunity to witness. On one occasion, two
German women from the German Embassy asked us in the elevator to
come sing Gospel music to them at 11:30 at night!

We would go into the small towns, door to door, giving out
Bibles. We had goats and chickens and roosters following us, and
we were reminded of the movie "Fiddler on the Roof." We saw
people sobbing because someone thought enough of them to come to
their house with the words of eternal life.

As we were walking down the dirt road, a bus of children came by
and we waved it down to stop. We then gave every child on the
bus a Bible and children's booklets that explained salvation!

God had blessed us with two great and anointed interpreters,
Dema and Julia, on the trip. But we were greatly blessed when
people came up to us in the town of Smolentz and told us that
even though there was still somewhat of a language barrier, they
saw Jesus Christ in our eyes, and they knew that we loved them
as a mother loves a child.


The Challenge

Our challenge to you asks these questions: Are you living up to
the highest calling that God has for you? Do you see the
supernatural happening in your life, your job, your ministry, or
are you just going through the motions? Do you ever think that
maybe the inner peace that you are searching for is in obedience
to serving God in another country? If God were to come to you
and tell you that He was longing for someone to proclaim His
name, His salvation and His glory to another nation... and then
asked the question, "Whom shall I send?" would you like Isaiah
say, "Here Am I, send me"? (Isaiah 6:8). The peace that only God
can give is found in our submission to His will and Lordship in
our lives.

"Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers
into his harvest field." (Jesus speaking in Matthew 9:38)


Special thanks to the team of Jane, Georgette, Carol, Allan,
Jonathan, Dema, Julia, and my wife Andrea. It was a joy and a
privilege to serve Our Lord with you all. May God embed into
your Spirit and hearts all the blessings we experienced. Well
done, thou good and faithful servants!


Straight Path Ministries
297-101 Kinderkamack Rd. #278
Oradell, NJ 07649
Fax No. (201) 261-4954
Prodigy No.: KGFS78A
Compuserve No.: 70762,3412
AOL Handle: StraitPath
Partners International
Partners International
PARTNERS INTERNATIONAL

Ministry Highlights - August 1993 


GENEROSITY OF THE POOR

Richard Makunyane and the Hope for Southern Africa team work
among the Tswana people of South Africa. South Africa is an
expensive place to live, but many of these people earn less than
$30 per month. They can only afford to live in slums, where it
is common to not have electricity or running water.

Yet when Partners International's Africa Coordinator, Dr. David
Kitonga, visited one of their churches, they decided to take a
love offering for him since he was a "missionary from Kenya."
Dr. Kitonga said, "It was a surprise. The whole church gave
money. It came out to about $40, which is a lot of money for
them. They can barely afford to live, but they can support a
missionary."


HER STORY

Students of the Evangelical Theological Seminary of Indonesia
(ETSI) continue to work hard and pray hard to fulfill the
unusual requirement of this seminary: each student must plant a
new church in order to graduate. Partners International helps
ETSI by raising support for the staff and funds for the campus
development. This partnership has resulted in many Indonesians
finding Christ, like Rose:

"My name is Rustini, but I am called Rose. I was born in a small
city in central Java, the youngest of five children. We lived
close to a building that was used for Sunday school classes. I
would hear children singing, and would hide in the bushes and
peek in the windows. I could hear the stories they were telling.
Several times the teachers invited me in, but I dared not go in.
One day I got up the courage and went. After that I went every
time.

"Some of my Muslim schoolmates noticed where I was going, and
began to tease and mock me. They told the Muslim teacher that I
had been going to a Christian meeting. She called me to the
front of the class, and asked if I was a Muslim or a Christian.
I was trembling all over. She said I had to make a choice. I
said, 'I am a Christian!"'


FINDING THE UNREACHED

"Our funds were small, but the vision was big," wrote Fortune
Mwiza about their work to research the Lusaka Urban District.
Lusaka is the capital of Zambia.

They found that 767,356 people (78 percent) do not attend church
regularly! The results of this research has already inspired and
challenged churches in Lusaka. As one pastor said, "That's why
we must evangelize every week and every month."


REACHING THE UNREACHED

Rev. Subhas Sangma, leader of one of our partner ministries in
Bangladesh, reports that his team continues to penetrate
"unreached people groups." In just one year, 17 churches were
established among the Sadri people, who are Hindus. They were
also able to start two churches among the militant Chakmas, and
some among the Khumi. In all, they planted 41 churches last
year, exceeding their goal of 25. This year they have decided to
try for 100 new churches.


JUST SEND ME A LETTER?

William Tarty, a church planter in Ivory Coast, West Africa,
does an excellent job at keeping his Christian sponsors in
America informed about his work. But it isn't easy for him. In a
recent letter, he wrote the following (using his exact words):

"The reason of my letter delaying sometime is due to lack of
transportation, at time to go to the post office, if no money, I
walks and from where I am living to the post office is three
hours and thirty minutes. Where I'm living no fax machine, I
live in the jungle part of Ivory Coast."

We are happy to report that we have since been able to send
funds for William to buy a motorcycle. William covers a circuit
that includes 29 churches.


GOD SPEAKING THROUGH DREAMS

Just like the biblical accounts where God spoke to many people
through dreams, our partners in North Africa report that God is
speaking to some Muslims through dreams. Here is one example:

"In one of those dreams a child came to this Muslim man, and the
child told him that he was going to be his neighbor. A few
months later this Muslim recognized the child he had seen in his
dream: it was the child of my fellow worker, who had just moved
into a house nearby. A few days later, the Muslim was shown a
video on the life of Jesus. He said that he knew most of the
video-he had dreamed about it."


HORSEBACK MISSIONARIES

In the mountainous tribal areas of the Philippines, even
motorcycles often can't get through. American Christians gave
funds through Partners International for horses for some of the
workers of the Philippine Missionary Fellowship. Pastors Agao,
Flang and Ming report that they used to walk five or six hours
to conduct a Bible study or church service. Now it only takes
two hours, and they can also bring in some supplies for the
tribal people, and carry the sick to the hospital.


COUPLES RESTORED

One way in which Couples Encounter in Brazil reaches people is
through retreats, where husbands and wives hear how Christ can
help in very practical ways in their marriages and with
difficulties they face with their children. Couples who attend
are often so changed that the word spreads and their friends
come to the next retreat. The most recent retreat drew 49
couples.

Armando Padovan, a Couples Encounter leader, wrote, "Among those
people there was a man named Oswaldo. His wife had been a
Christian for 12 years. Imagine the joy on her face when she saw
her husband born again!"

Heitor and Regina are another example. They were invited by
their friends Mauri and Ana. They arrived "with a heavy heart; a
lot of grief and suffering could be seen on their faces." By the
end of the retreat, Heitor said, "I've never experienced
anything like this. I found myself spiritually. Today I am a new
man!"


DEDICATED TRAINEES

American Christians giving through Partners International enable
leaders inside China to receive Bible and ministry training. One
of these leaders commented on this wonderful opportunity:

"During the morning and late afternoons we learn together.
During noon time we come together for meals and exercise. But in
the evenings, the reality of homework looms over us. We love to
do the work, but it is not easy. Often times the lights are out
at 11:00 p.m., but a number of us are still up doing homework by
candlelight.

"Friends, this training center is so precious. As soon as we get
back to our villages we immediately train our co-workers. We
have to. They are expecting it, and we are bursting with God's
truths."


Partners International
1470 N. 4th St.
San Jose, CA 95112
(408) 453-3800
(800) 966-5515
Fax: (408) 437-9708
CFI Reports
CFI Reports
CFI REPORTS is our monthly column dedicated to the ministries of
CHRISTIAN FRIENDS OF ISRAEL in Jerusalem. As this issue of
MORNING STAR is the first to be printed and distributed in a
hard copy, we have chosen this month's CFI REPORTS to review the
foundational principles and objectives of CFI and present a
summary of the various CFI ministries. We are also presenting
the August edition of the WATCHMAN'S PRAYER LETTER from
Jerusalem, which is a regular item in this column.


CHRISTIAN FRIENDS OF ISRAEL

"He is mindful of His covenant forever... the covenant which He
made with Abraham... which He confirmed to Jacob... to Israel as
an everlasting covenant, saying 'To you I will give the Land of
Canaan'" (Psalm 105:8-11).

"I ask then, has God rejected His people? By no means!... God
has not rejected His people whom He foreknew... For the gifts
and the call of God are irrevocable" (Romans 11:1,2,29)


Christian friendship and support for the Jewish people and the
Nation of Israel have a clear Biblical mandate for this hour of
History. Christians are being called upon to uphold Israel and
her right to exist. Now, more than ever, the Jewish people need
Christians who will not only PRAY for the peace of Jerusalem but
will openly STAND on their behalf.

The founding of Christian Friends of Israel was affirmed in
December, 1985. There are Branch offices, Representatives and
Distributors of C.F.I. in a number of countries around the
world. Their work is supported by the Jerusalem Office.


FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLES

* As Christians who have received from God a love for Israel and
  the Jewish people, we want, in the name of Messiah Jesus, to
  bless them.

* The early Church was Jewish. Christianity sprang from Jewish
  roots and has never ceased to depend upon and be indebted to
  the Jewish people.

* We believe that the restoration of the Jewish people to the
  Land of Israel is in accordance with promises contained in
  the Word of God and that God's time to "favor Zion" has begun.

* We believe that Israel (people, land, and nation) has a
  divinely ordained and glorious future, and that God has neither
  rejected nor replaced His Jewish people. We acknowledge that the
  barriers that exist today between Jews and Christians are
  largely due to Christian anti-semitism and Christian persecution
  of the Jewish people.

* We believe in the Jewishness of Jesus and the Jewishness of
  the New Testament.

* Although we believe our Lord Jesus is both the Messiah of
  Israel and Savior of the world, our stand alongside Israel is
  not conditional upon her acceptance of our belief.


GENERAL OBJECTIVES

* To express friendship and solidarity with Israel and the
  Jewish people throughout the world.

* To impart an understanding to Christians of their Jewish roots
  and of modern Israel.

* To eradicate anti-semitism among Christians in its past and
  present forms.

* To stimulate Christians worldwide to intercede for Israel.

* To provide practical support for areas of need within the land
  of Israel.

* To assist and pray for the liberation of Jewish people from
  countries where they are oppressed, who wish to return to Israel.

* To encourage and pray for the reconciliation of Jew and Arab.

* To establish fellowship with Christians in Israel.


A SUMMARY OF THE MINISTRIES OF C.F.I.

* WATCHMAN'S INTERCESSORY PRAYER LETTER - Designed to share
particular areas in the Land and for the People of Israel where
specific and strategic prayer can be focused. Written by Sharon
Sanders monthly and considered valuable for individual and group
prayer.

* WALL OF PRAYER - Prayer and intercession are keys to Israel's
survival. We are seeking those who will commit to pray for
Israel. Every city, town, village, kibbutz or moshav in Israel
is being covered in prayer. Each intercessor is given a map to
locate their assigned area and a short history of the village or
city. Thousands of Christians are already a part of this vitally
important ministry.

* ISRAEL NEWS DIGEST - A monthly summary of the news and events
in Israel written by David Dolan, C.F.I.'s Contributing
Correspondent. This Digest is very valuable to many in the
nations who desire to know the truth of what is happening in the
Land, especially very essential for those who pray for Israel.
(Annual subscription $25 US/12 issues)

* ZION QUARTERLY - A Quarterly publication for those desiring
greater insight and background information on key issues today
in Israel and the Middle East ($10 annually/4 issues).

* "A CHRISTIAN VOICE FOR SOVIET JEWRY" NEWSLETTER - This
informative and inspiring quarterly newsletter will keep you
up-to-date on the latest happenings among Israel's Soviet Jews,
their return to Israel and assistance through C.F.I.'s
Distribution Center in Jerusalem (Subscription ( $10 US/4
issues).

* JEWISH ROOTS PERIODICAL - Basic doctrines of the New Testament
have their roots deep in the Old Testament. These periodicals
bring fuller meaning when we dig into the Hebraic soil.

* FOR ZION'S SAKE - A bi-monthly newsletter keeping up-to-date
on CFI in Israel and linking the work of C.F.I. in other parts
of the world with activities in Jerusalem.

* "MIDDLE EAST UPDATE" - Recorded in Jerusalem and updated every
three to four months, Lance Lambert presents the current
situation in the Middle East with a unique and rare perception
into God's Word. This tape is available by subscription at $20
US/4 tapes a year.

* NEW "BIBLE VIDEO" SERIES - Just completed is the second in a
series of Bible videos with Lance Lambert. The first series
deals with the History of Jerusalem with titles such as
"Jerusalem, The Eternal City", "I Have Chosen Thee", "Jerusalem
Shall Stand" and "City of the Great King". The videos are filmed
on location in Israel. The second series entitled "The Prophets
and the Modern State of Israel" includes precious footage of
Jews returning to their homeland. Available in PAL (European)
and NTSC (American), $35 US, postage included.

* CFI MINISTRY VIDEO - A 41-minute video filmed in Israel to
help "see" the work of CFI in Israel. A good way to share with
others the ongoing ministry. Available in PAL (European) and
NTSC (American), $15 US, postage included.

* PROJECT OPEN GATES - A ministry of assisting the incoming
Soviet Jews to Israel through clothing, household items,
furniture, finances, eyeglasses and dental care. Many Christians
from around the world are showing their concern for the new
immigrants.

* PROJECT DOORS OF HOPE - An outreach and aid program to the
poor and needy in the Land. Volunteers distribute clothing,
toiletries, medical supplies and finances to many in the Land,
both Jew and Arab, Ethiopians, Lebanese and believers.

* PROJECT TOGETHER AGAIN - This program was developed by CFI to
aid the returning Ethiopian Jewry who are in need. Through this
program, Christians are able to respond to the needs of the
newcomers.

* FORSAKE THEM NOT CFI - staff make home visits to holocaust
survivors residing in the Jerusalem area, assessing their needs.
Finances are personally distributed to the survivors through
cooperation of a local holocaust survivor.

* PROJECT CARE PACKAGE - Soldiers, both men and women, in the
Israeli Army are easily forgotten as they guard this Land and
People. Christians may send items for the soldiers to our
Jerusalem Office, where the items are distributed to soldiers on
primitive bases on the Golan Heights and Syrian borders. This
project will help you to be a blessing to the soldiers.

If you wish to contact CFI write to:
P.O. Box 1813
Jerusalem, 91015, Israel


WATCHMAN'S PRAYER LETTER - AUGUST 1993 

"I will take my stand to watch, and station myself on the
tower..." 
(Habakkuk 2:1)


Lilias Trotter, servant of the Lord to North Africa, gave this
illustration of the power of united prayer. "In a big wooden
spinning factory here, if all the looms happened to beat
together, the vibration would be strong enough to bring the
building down. If that is the power of unison in nature, what
must be its reach when it's translated into the Kingdom of
Grace? If we hold together, hold on long enough in the name of
Jesus, a vibration of power will be set up that will end in
shaking to pieces the seemingly immovable mass of opposition
round us". "If two or three agree on earth as touching any thing
that they shall ask it shall be done for them of the Father."
(Matthew 18:19). Let us unite our hearts in fervent prayer for
Israel so that the Lord may display His power in the days to
come, pulling down everything that stands against the
fulfillment of His purposes for this nation. We may be awakened
in the night seasons with a burden to pray. Your prayer
commitment is of prime importance!


On July 1st, an Egged bus was boarded by two terrorists carrying
weapons and explosive devices. The terrorists opened fire on the
bus and twenty minutes later hijacked Jeannette Kadosh-Dayan in
her car. As her vehicle reached the Gilo roadblock in south
Jerusalem, she was shot and thrown from her car. Jeannette lived
in the neighborhood of the CFl ministry office. As we visited
the family and attended the "sheva" (a 7 day mourning period) we
talked with the family and comforted them the best we could. The
grief of losing a daughter and the void left for the husband and
four children has left hearts full of pain. ". . . I am
afflicted and in pain; may thy salvation, O God, set me securely
on high." (Psalm 69:29)

* PRAY that the family will not hold resentment against God as
they cried, "Why did He allow this to happen?" May He give them
His peace as they "cast their burdens upon the Lord." (Psalm
55:22)

* PRAY EARNESTLY that through expressing Godly love and
kindness, our relationships with the Moroccan community will be
strengthened. "Put on therefore... bowels of mercy and
lovingkindness." (Colossians 3:12)

* BOLDLY PROCLAIM the comforting promises of God for Israel that
one day, "They that sow in tears will reap in joy." (Psalm 126:5)

In the past year approximately 250 Jews have been brought to
Israel from Yemen. The most recent disclosure of immigration
from Yemen jeopardizes future immigration for those left in
distressed countries.

* INTERCEDE for the remaining Jews of Yemen whose lives are
still at risk to be brought to the Jewish homeland. Pray also
that God will protect and deliver them from trouble. (Psalm 54:7)

* REJOICE with the seventy who arrived and made an emotional
pilgrimage to the Western Wall for the first time. One immigrant
said, "This is my first time in the Holy City and at the Western
Wall, a remnant of our Temple. In Yemen, I only dreamed of how
it looked." 

"When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like
them that dream." (Psalm 126:1)

* REMIND GOD of the new heart and spirit which He promised upon
His people's return which would bring spiritual and moral
cleanness to the nation. A return to Him is needed for God to
sanctify His name in Israel. (Ezekiel 36:23)

* PRAY FOR HEALING for a Jewish woman who has just arrived in
Israel but who was raped in Croatia by Croatian soldiers. Also
please stand on behalf of a two-year old Jewish baby who has
been sent without the mother. The mother was injured and chose
to remain behind in Bosnia. "Heal me O Lord and I shall be
healed..." (Jeremiah 17:14)

* DILIGENTLY SEEK GOD for removal of the chief blockage holding
up the immigration of approximately 4,000 Yugoslavian Jews to
Israel (the inability to sell their property). May strongholds
be removed in order to set them free from the yoke of
materialism which holds back the Lord's blessing of true riches.
May they realize that only "the blessing of the Lord, it maketh
rich..." (Proverbs 10:22).

Syrian government-controlled newspapers in Damascus have
recently been sending tough signals, such as the following: "No
peace in the Middle East is possible without Jerusalem".
However, firm decisions have been taken over the past month on
Jerusalem. Prime Minister Rabin stated, "If anything symbolizes
the Jewish people's faith and hope, it is Jerusalem - the heart
and soul of the Jewish people. If anyone believes any Israeli
government can compromise on a united Jerusalem under
sovereignty, he is fooling himself. We will NEVER negotiate the
fate of Jerusalem".

* THANK THE LORD that Jerusalem is not on the bargaining table,
but is being prepared for the Messiah's coming and is destined
to be called "the throne of the Lord." Jeremiah 3:17)

* STAND IN THE GAP for steadfastness on the decision of
Jerusalem. While no stone will be left unturned on the road to
"peace" (from Israel's side, a red line must be drawn around
Jerusalem as a hedge of protection against usurping possession
of the Holy City. For the enemies of Israel are still saying,
"... let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession."
(Psalm 83:12) Thank the Lord that the ancient high places will
be in the hands of the Jewish people when Messiah returns.
"... the enemy has said against you, aha, even the ancient high
places are ours in possession." (Ezekiel 36:27)

Syria's dictator Hafez Assad has said He wants Israelis to
witness a soldier's funeral every day. (Nothing will bring
discouragement more than daily reports of deaths suffered in
defense of the land.) Israel's topographic and geographic
advantages are such that if it decided to retaliate for an
increase in military casualties, the blow to Syria might be
devastating. The hostilities could quickly escalate to all-out
war.

* BESEECH THE LORD for deliverance against terrorist attacks
upon Israeli solders. May those lying in wait to shed blood be
prevented from destroying life and be .scattered by God's Power.
"Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them
that rise up against me... save me from bloody men... scatter
them by thy Power; and bring them down, O Lord our shield".
(Psalm 59:1,2,11)

As IDF and South Lebanese Army troops remain on alert in he
northern security zone and along the northern border, tension
remains high despite relative quiet. One Givati Brigade soldier
stated he was ready to defend his country as his mother had told
him: "I should not be afraid as God is keeping an eye on me."
"Behold the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon
them that hope in His mercy; to deliver their soul from death."
(Psalm 33:18,19)

* MAKE UP THE HEDGE for this Israeli soldier. He is believing
God to protect him. Let us proclaim II Chronicles 16:9 for him
and others who are relying on God: "For the eyes of the Lord run
to and fro throughout the whole earth to show himself strong in
the behalf of those whose heart is perfect toward him..."

* THANK THE LORD for 68 year old Oded Bernbolum, working at the
Good Fence, operating a souvenir kiosk. He often wears one of
the T-shirts he sells which states, "Better a close neighbor
than a distant brother." "Solomon wrote it in Proverbs", he
says. The Word of God is still being proclaimed here, even if
written on T shirts. (Proverbs 27:10)

As the terms "terrorism", "peace process", "clouds of war" and
"continued immigration" frequently appear in our Prayer Letters,
please remember that these are issues that will continue to be
on the horizon for some time. In our next issue of the
Watchman's Prayer Letter we will be sharing the vision God has
given for calling A YEAR OF PRAYER for Israel. Intercessors
will play an extremely integral part in the end-time purposes of
God when praying in accordance with God's Will for this nation.

Grace be with all of you, 
Sharon Sanders
CFI Jerusalem
Newsdesk
Newsdesk
MORNING STAR NEWSDESK - October 1993


NEW CREATURES IN CHRIST

Armed Karamojong warriors surrendered their rifles and publicly
turned their backs on violence during a rally in the Karamoja
region of the Republic of Uganda, according to Youth With A
Mission (YWAM). The rally was part of a preaching campaign
organized by churches of the neighboring Teso region and TWAM.
The campaign has seen several hundred Karamojong turn to Jesus
Christ. Some of these new believers have publicly apologized to
former victims and returned stolen cattle, according to Jon
Armstrong, a YWAM team member based in Teso. (DECISION MAGAZINE)


FRENCH PARENTS LOSE RIGHTS TO CHILDREN

Thus far, 136 countries have signed the U.N. Convention on the
Rights of the Child, including France. Some Protestants feel
that the document is being used as partial justification for the
seizure and "re-education" of children, according to News
Network International. Seven children were taken from their
homes in pre-dawn raids last February. Police convinced judges
that the youngsters should be put into state custody because
their parents indoctrinated them with Biblical teaching,
homeschooled them, and "sequestered" them. All were in an
independent church that elders said they disbanded because of
persecution. (THE MIDNIGHT
CRY)


MOVING TOWARD THE NEW WORLD ARMY?

United Nations secretary general, Boutros Boutros-Ghali wants
America to create a standing force that the U.N. can call on and
command. President Bill Clinton will likely sign a directive in
September giving Boutros-Ghali part - but only part - of what he
wants. The United States, if the change is made, will promise to
permit its troops to join operations led by foreign generals -
as it did this year in Somalia. (US NEWS & WORLD REPORT)


MORE MANEUVERS TO UNITE EUROPE

The citizens of 11 EC countries will soon be synchronizing their
watches and sharing the same time zone if the EC has its way. 
Businessmen across the EC complain that they are hampered by
having to take account of three different time zone, stretching
from Ireland in the west to Greece in the east. The proposals
would see all EC countries except Greece, keeping the same
hours. (THE EUROPEAN)


OK GIVEN TO EVANGELICALS HELPING ISRAELI IMMIGRANTS

In a reversal of policy, the Jewish Agency has decided to
endorse the efforts of a Christian group that has been bringing
immigrants from the CIS (former USSR) to Israel. Agency aliya
department head Uri Gordon praised the evangelical Ebenezer
Society and the Man shipping lines, which have transported 1,500
immigrants on 20 sailings aboard the "Dmitri Shostakovitch". 
Concern had been expressed that the Christian group had been
proselytizing on board the ship. Gustav Schiller, the founder
of the Ebenezer Society put those fears to rest, informing
Jewish authorities that all society volunteers must promise in
writing that they will not conduct missionary activities on
board ship. "Our motives are pure," Schiller said. "We are
Bible-loving Christians and we feel we have to help the Jews go
home. Absorption Minister Yair Tsaban said the proselytizing
charges had been examined and found to be false. (JERUSALEM
POST)


JUST WHO WILL BUILD THE NEXT TEMPLE?

Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, who heads Jerusalem's Temple Institute,
which is preparing implements for use in the Third Temple, said
former Sephardi chief rabbi Mordechai Eliahu is relying on the
Apocrypha and the New Testament, specifically Revelation 21, to
support his view that the temple will descend from heaven. He
added that the commandment to rebuild the temple obligates every
Jewish man and woman. (JERUSALEM POST)


MORE STEPS TO A CASHLESS SOCIETY

According to "Card Technology Today" (4/93) "Danmont", a Danish
pilot program for a cashless payment system, has proved
successful and organizers are planning on rolling our a
nationwide system. Henning Jensen, Managing Director of
Danmont, stated that the capital city, Copenhagen, will be the
next location to see widespread use of smartcards for prepayment.

Meanwhile, CTT also reports that New South Wales, Australia, is
about to send out tender documents for a statewide open pre-paid
smart card system. Plans for a roll-out of the pilot program
are scheduled for the end of 1994. (CHRISTIAN WORLD REPORT)
Resource
Resource
MINISTRY INFORMATION GUIDE - October 1993

The MINISTRY INFORMATION guide is for the benefit of all
believers.
MORNING STAR does not charge for these advertisements.


AMMI MINISTRY
(Bringing the Gospel to Jews and Gentiles)
Director: Ron Elkin
P.O. Box 27576 
Philadelphia PA. 19118
(215) 843-7964
INTERNET: rone2@aol.com

BILL RUDGE MINISTRIES
(An international outreach challenging believers to reach their
maximum potential in Christ.) 
220 North Buhl Farm Drive
Hermitage, PA 16148-1718
(412) 983-1223

CAMPUS CRUSADE FOR CHRIST INTERNATIONAL
Arrowhead Springs
San Bernardino, CA 92414
(714) 886-5224

CHI ALPHA CAMPUS MINISTRY
(Reaching the college campuses of this nation)
Division of Home Missions
1445 Boonville Avenue
Springfield, MO 65802-1894
INTERNET: yoshua@aol.com

CHOSEN PEOPLE MINISTRIES Inc.
(Reaching all Jews everywhere with the Gospel)
1300 Cross Beam Drive - Charlotte, NC 28217-2834
(704) 357-9000
CANADA: Box 4400, Sta. D - Hamilton, Ont. L8V4L8
(416) 545-9066

CHRISTIAN FRIENDS OF ISRAEL
P.O. Box 1813
Jerusalem 91015 Israel
tel: 972-2-894-172 / 894-187
fax: 972-2-894-955
NOTE: The Editor in Chief of MORNING STAR is a U.S. distributor
of material for CFI. Write to MORNING STAR for more
information. INTERNET: mstarmac@aol.com

CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE ENRICHMENT
17821 17th St. Suite 290
Tustin, CA 92680
tel: (800) 875-7560
fax: (714) 544-8153

DAVID'S MIGHTY MEN, INC.
(A Bible Study Group)
P.O. Box 5093 
Beaumont, TX 77726
(409) 755-3015
INTERNET: davidsmm@aol.com

DEREK PRINCE MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL
(Reaching the unreached and teaching the untaught through radio,
books, audio and video cassettes.)
P.O. Box 300
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33302
(305) 763-5202
CANADA: DPM-Canada
P.O. Box 8354
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3K 5M1

EXODUS INTERNATIONAL
(Global ex-gay Ministry - Write for free information)
PO Box 2121
San Rafael, CA 94912
(415) 454-1017

FAMILY LIFE MINISTRY
3900 North Rodney Parham - Suite 100
Little Rock, AR 72212
(501) 223-8663

FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN PEACE OFFICERS, USA
P.O. Box 11547
Chattanooga, Tennessee 3740l-2547
(615) 622-1234

FRIENDS OF ISRAEL GOSPEL MINISTRY
(Publishers of "Israel My Glory" magazine - $8 per year. 
Sponsor of the Institute of Biblical Studies.)
PO BOX 908
Bellwawr, NJ 08099
1-800-257-7843

INTERNATIONAL PRISON MINISTRY
P.O. BOX 63
Dallas TX 75221

JESUS CARES MINISTRIES
(Ministering to those in crisis pregnancy)
P.O. Box 371
Chandler, Arizona
85244
(602) 831-1737

JESUS FILM PROJECT
30012 Ivy Glenn Drive
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
FAX: 714/495-7383 

JESUS PEOPLE USA
(An excellent resource for tips and techniques on witnessing and
ministering to specific groups of people.)
4707 N. Malden
Chicago, IL 60640
Editorial office: (312) 989-2080

JEWISH VOICE BROADCASTS INC.
(Publishers of "Jewish Voice Prophetic Magazine". Annual cost
$20, published monthly)
P.O. Box 6
Phoenix, Arizona 85001

JEWS FOR JESUS
(Publishers of "The Jews for Jesus Newsletter" - no charge)
60 Haight St.
San Francisco CA.
94102-5895
Canadian Office: P.O Box 487, Station Z
Toronto, ON M5N2Z6
INTERNET: mitymo@aol.com

JOHN ANKERBERG MINISTRY
P.O. Box 8977
Chattanooga, TN 37441

LEDERER MESSIANIC MINISTRIES
(Publishers of the "Jewish New Testament" by David Stern)
6204 Park Heights Ave.
Baltimore MD 21215

MESSIANIC JEWISH ALLIANCE OF AMERICA (MJAA)
(Serving American Messianic Jewry since 1915. A main resource
for ministering and witnessing to Jewish people everywhere. Call
for more information.)
P.O. Box 417
Wynnewood, PA 19096
(215) 896-5812
INTERNET: zevchik@aol.com

MINIRTH-MEIER COUNSELING CLINICS
(Christian Mental Health Professionals)
Western Region 1-800-877-HOPE
Eastern Region 1-800-486-4673
Midwest Region 1-800-848-8872
Southern Region 1-800-229-3000
INTERNET: pastor1@aol.com

MOMS IN TOUCH INTERNATIONAL
(Calling moms to pray for our public schools)
P.O. Box 1120
Poway, CA 92074-1120
(619) 486-4065

NITELITE MINISTRIES
(Building the faith of the youth through the Gospel of Jesus
Christ using music)
16 Crockett Street
Irvine, CA 92720
(714) 559-0894
INTERNET: peterjac@aol.com

PARDONED MINISTRIES
(Ministry to jails and prisons)
PO BOX 50746-433
Phoenix AZ 85076

PARTNERS INTERNATIONAL
1470 N. 4th St.
SanJose, CA 95112
Tel: (408) 453-3800
FAX: (408) 437-9708

POINT MAN INTERNATIONAL
(Christian outreach for veterans by veterans)
820 Wayne St.
Washington PA 15301
(412) 228-5081

PRISON FELLOWSHIP
PO BOX 17500
Washington DC 20041-0500
(703) 478-0100

PROMISE KEEPERS
(Christian men who wants to make a serious impact for Christ in
America.)
P.O. Box 18376
Boulder, CO 80308-9806
INTERNET: markc88@aol.com

PROJECT LETTERS OF LOVE
(Building bonds of friendship between Christians and Israelis
via letter-writing)
P.O. Box 1813
Jerusalem, 91015 Israel
Phone 972-2-384-406
 
RESOURCES FOR CHRISTIAN COUNSELLING
Word DMS - PO Box 10853
Des Moines IA 50336-0853

SEPHER MINISTRIES
(A church-based counseling/discipleship ministry)
C/O Foothill Bible Church
P. O. Box 236
Lincoln, CA 95648
INTERNET: pastor1@aol.com

STRAIGHT PATH MINISTRIES
(Jesus touching people so that they can touch others)
297-101 Kinderkamack Rd. #278 Oradell, NJ 07649
Phone: (201) 261-7654
Fax: (201) 261-4954
Prodigy: KGFS78A
INTERNET: straitpath@aol.com

TEEN CHALLENGE TRAINING CENTER INC.
P.O. Box 98
Rehrersburg, PA 19550
(717) 933-4181

TRANSPORT FOR CHRIST INTERNATIONAL 
(Winning truck drivers to Jesus Christ and establishing them in
their faith)
P.O. Box 303
Denver, Pennsylvania 17517-0303
Phone (215) 267-2444 
FAX (215) 267-4181
Canadian Address:
Box 2321
Clearbrook, BC V2T 4X2
Phone (Canada) (604) 856-8024

WHOLE COUNSEL MINISTRIES INC.
6113 River Road
Matoaca, VA 23803-8047
INTERNET: listener1@aol.com

ZION'S TRUMPET
(A FAX-ministry dedicated to bringing accurate news reports and
prayer needs from Israel to Christians around the world.)
For more information contact Larry Baker
Home FAX: 907-766-3342
Address: P.O. Box 1033 - Haines, Alaska, 99827.
INTERNET: 76570.671@cis

ZOLA LEVITT MINISTRIES INC.
(Publishers of the "Levitt Letter" (no charge) Producers of
"Zola Levitt Presents" television show)
P.O. Box 12268
Dallas Texas 75225