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 Norb Novocin - Jacksonville, FL Sharon Sanders - Jerusalem, Israel Pastor Russell Walden - Bunkie, LA Mike Wilkinson - Citrus Heights, CA Dr. Charles Wootten - Matoaca, VA CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Chuck Bennett - San Jose, CA Jody Fauss - Lindale, TX Zola Levitt - Dallas, TX Dennis R. Mallory - Albany, NY Joseph A. Nigro - Oradell, NJ Jeannine Robinson - Mississauga, Ontario, Canada Moishe Rosen - San Francisco, CA Dale Strand - Dublin, CA Rick Thrasher - Santa Clara, CA J.C. Trudel - Naples, FL Terry White - Washington, DC SENIOR PUBLISHER - DOS and WINDOWS Editions Steve Paulovich - Pembroke, NH SENIOR PUBLISHER - MACINTOSH Edition Toby Trudel - Nashua, NH SENIOR PUBLISHER - Hard Copy Edition Ray Reed - Beaumont, TX OFFICE SYSTEMS TECHNICIAN Patrick Auriemma - Nashua, N.H. U.S. DISTRIBUTION DIRECTOR OF BBS DISTRIBUTION Walter H. Bauer Jr. - Sugar Land, TX AMERICA ONLINE NETWORK DISTRIBUTION Jerry White - Germantown, MD COMPUSERVE NETWORK DISTRIBUTION Kathy Ruess - Albuquerque, NM Dr. Charles Wootten - Matoaca, VA GENIE NETWORK DISTRIBUTION Pastor Geoffrey Kragen - Roseville, CA DELPHI NETWORK Rev. Vince Gonzalez - Naples, FL DISK SUBSCRIPTION DISTRIBUTION James Byers - Sun City, AZ Joe Giacco - Durham, CT MORNING STAR is produced and published monthly, by a staff of born again believers in Jesus, located across the United States of America. Correspondence to MORNING STAR may be sent via the U.S. Postal Service or one of several computer networks. ELECTRONIC MAIL LINKS INTERNET: mstarmac@aol.com (Toby Trudel) AMERICA ONLINE: MStarDOS (Steve Paulovich) GENIE: M.Wilkinson1 (Mike Wilkinson) COMPUSERVE: 70420.317 (Vince Gonzalez) DELPHI: VINCEGSR (Vince Gonzalez) FIDONET: 1:106/3118 (Walter Bauer) CHRISTIAN FAMILY NETWORK: 8:3003/0 (Walter Bauer) CHRISTIAN DISTRIBUTION NETWORK: 8:2013/0 (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 Welcome to our 28th edition of MORNING STAR. This month, we present a variety of material that deals with the topic of victimization. Our Feature area along with the People Profile, Ministry Focus, Testimony, Prison Ministry, Music and Commentary columns are all dedicated to this theme. The stories and articles concern both physical and emotional abuse, as well as victimization from churches. As our Mission Statement says, our intent is not only to bring the Gospel to the unsaved, but also to present believers with material to help them in their Christian walk. It's our hope that many readers will benefit from the information we present in this special issue. As always, we give thanks and praise to our Lord for sending this great collection of stories and articles our way and enabling us to bring it to you. As I mention in this letter almost every month, we are looking for material from our readers to publish. I've received a few notes asking me what the best topics are to write about. Our greatest need at this time is articles for our upcoming Feature themes as well as the Testimony, Education, Mission Field and Commentary columns. Keep in mind that our Columns section can accommodate material of varied topics, including articles on family, singles, Christian youth, short stories and poetry. Documents should be kept under 2000 words in length and may be sent to MORNING STAR by the following means: - Computer disks (best) or printed/typed articles may be sent direct to P.O. Box 7755, Nashua, NH 03060-7755. - By Fax to 603-883-0466 - Via Internet E-mail to: mstarmac@aol.com I encourage everyone reading MORNING STAR to share it with others. If you care to help make this magazine available in other countries, please contact me directly through the Nashua P.O. Box. Finally, don't forget that we are providing a lot of people, who cannot afford it, a free subscription to the hard copy of this magazine. This includes chaplains in 150 prisons across the country who share it with Christian inmates. We received our first letter from an inmate thanking us for giving him something good to read besides his Bible. Praise God - This is what it's all about folks! (Matthew 25:36b) If the Lord has provided for you and you can afford to, each 12-issue subscription costs us $18 to produce and mail. Help us keep a good thing going. In service to Him, whom those that have been victimized may turn to, as their Wonderful Counselor and Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), Toby Trudel People Profile People Profile In this issue of Morning Star, we focus on concerns related to victimization. This subject sometimes generates controversy within the local church and the Christian community at large. We felt it might be helpful if we answer some general questions and criticisms that are frequently expressed. This is not intended to be all-inclusive. If you have other questions, please direct them to Pastor Geoffrey Kragen at Morning Star. Pastor Kragen has been counseling individuals as part of his pastoral duties for more than ten years. In 1990 he founded Sepher Ministries, as a pastoral/counseling ministry, and now devotes the major part of his ministry to a counseling practice. Much of his time is spent caring for both men and women who are the survivors of intensive childhood abuse. The following material is drawn from Pastor Kragen's own experiences as well as those of other professionals with whom he works. Question: Isn't victimization the latest fad "illness? Aren't people claiming victimization to be part of the "in crowd?" Pastor Kragen: Actually, I wondered the same thing myself as I read more about the problem. The answer is yes and no. Certainly as a specific problem surfaces there are always people who claim to be dealing with it as a way of getting attention. But, this isn't an adequate explanation for the volume of accounts of victimization. I have talked to several counselors and therapists I work with about this very question. There seems to be at least three factors to the increased visibility of the subject. First, because of the public discussion more people are willing to coming forward, admit they are victims and get help. This is especially true for men who are generally reticent about exposing themselves. Second, victimization is on the increase. For this discussion, abuse includes but is not limited to emotional, physical and sexual abuse. Many of the adults I work with are only now coming to realize how much of what they had accepted as normal was abusive. The familiarity of violence often prevents the victim from realizing they are being abused. Third, yes, there seems to be a trend for people to claim victimization. As such, there is a tendency to identify situations as abusive when they really are not. The problem with considering something as simple as a bad taste joke with a sexual connotation as harassment, is that it minimizes the severity of true sexual harassment. And to describe normal, healthy sexual relationships within marriage as rape, as some extreme feminists do, is to downplay the pain of women who have been raped. Question: Is child abuse really as prevalent as we are led to believe? Aren't Christians who are trying to be responsible parents opening themselves up to abuse charges? Pastor Kragen: There is clearly a serious increase in child abuse. We are told that abortion should be readily available so every child is a wanted child. However, here is a major difference between rhetoric and reality. I suspect there is a significant correlation between the increase in abortion and the increase in child abuse. As we devalue the pre-born, it is reasonable to suspect there is a general decline in valuing human worth, children's in particular. As far as I am aware, no study has been done to see if this relationship exists. Common sense though seems to show that these two types of abuse have risen in tandem. Also, as society devalues human worth, giving it only on a utilitarian basis, the value of the elderly is also minimized. Simultaneously, abuse of the elderly seems to be also on the rise. It appears that as humanity is seen as worthy only by what it can do, that violence and abuse increases. Regarding the second question, yes, there is a risk that Christians will be charged with abuse. This will occur simply because they are trying to use a biblical model for parenting. Never-the-less parents are accountable to the Lord, not the state, for how they bring up their children. But, this should not be construed to mean that child abuse isn't a serious problem and that it isn't sometimes found within the church. Some "Christians" do use the Bible to justify their abuse behavior. Question: While it is sad that people are victims, because Christians are new creatures in Christ, shouldn't they be able to put the past behind them and move on? Pastor Kragen: This is an unrealistic assumption. It is true that in dependency on the Holy Spirit the resources to overcome the abuse of the past are available. This change however is not instantaneous. It takes time and hard work for people to change. Consider the individual who grows up in a family where worth comes only from accomplishment. This person may be driven. He may be a workaholic. His sense of his own worth exists only when he is accomplishing something. For example, I have seen Christians who believe that they are only acceptable to God when they minister. The first misunderstanding is that we can earn God's approval. Second, when life interferes with ministry, as it frequently does, we assume we are worthless to Him. The fallacy is there is anything we can do in and of ourselves that will make us worthy of God. But it takes time to unlearn the false view of live that says worth comes from what we can do. This is why Paul says, "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-- the good, pleasing and perfect will" (Romans 12:2). This is a process. We must allow the Holy Spirit to help us identify where our perspectives on life are wrong. We must come to see it through God's eyes. This takes time and hard work. Question: Doesn't a victim oriented focus lead to blaming others for personal problems? Isn't this more of the same excuses for not taking responsibility for our own actions? Pastor Kragen: This is a common complaint regarding the consideration that people are victims. There is reason to be concerned about this. Historically, much of secular counseling has taken this position. It is suggested that we are not responsible for the way we are. The fault lies with parents, or society, or racism, or socioeconomic barriers. Consequently, we don't have to take responsibility for our actions. One outrageous case that springs to mind is a pair of murders that took place in a major metropolitan area some years ago. A local politician murdered two other members of the local political body. Part of his defense was that he was a junk food addict and therefore not in control of his behavior. The court accepted this and as a result he only served seven years for a double murder. But, the recognition that we are victims does not require the abdication of personal responsibility. In fact realty reflects the contrary. To change the patterns we do have to recognize how we learned our behaviors and why we carry them out. This is not for the purpose of blame, but understanding. It is only as we understand our behavior that we can conform it to God's standards in dependency on Him. An adequate understanding of the process of victimization is vital to taking personal responsibility for our lives and moving beyond being victims. Until the abuse victim really understand how much he is controlled by the abuse he remains a victim. It is only as he sees his true freedom in Christ, and allows the Lord to conform his thoughts to God's reality that he will no longer live as a victim. Question: What is the responsibility of the Church in helping victims? Pastor Kragen: If the local church is serious about helping those who are victims of abuse then there should be an effort to educate the leadership regarding these issues. A good resource is the book "Victims, A Manual For Clergy and Congregations." This book was developed by the Spiritual Dimension in Victim Services under a grand from the U. S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office for Victims of Crime, Washington DC. If your church is interested in this material, contact The Spiritual Dimension at P. O. Box 163304, Sacramento, California, 95816. If we are to help victims move towards the Lord and away from living as victims, we must create an environment where they can feel loved and safe. We mustn't excuse sin, but we must disciple people, so that God's Word and the Holy Spirit will convict their hearts. Let the church be a place of restoration, restoration of relationship to God, and restoration of relationships to people. Let us lovingly help people take responsibility for their own lives. Then they not stop blaming others for their problems. Instead they will desire to be conformed to the image of Christ. As society grows more violent, we in the church will be seeing more people becoming victims of abuse. We MUST be God's loving, merciful hands to a fallen world. If we don't demonstrate God's love, as shown most clearly on the cross, then who will? Ministry Focus Ministry Focus MINISTRY FOCUS By Norb Novocin As a minister that works with a vast array of ministries around the world, I was looking forward to writing about a different ministry each month, here in Morning Star. But, as always the Lord gives us more to do than we would comfortably like to do. He likes to stretch us out of our comfort zone. I'm comfortable writing about ministries, its a fairly cut and dry scenario. So when Editor in Chief Toby Trudel asked if I could do an article on a ministry that specializes in working with victims of abuse, I thought, "piece of cake". Little did I know. As with any job, you organize a plan of attack, this story should be just the same. This is how I imagined this story would go; define abuse, find a ministry that deals in that area, call and interview the person running the ministry, write the article and turn in the finished product to Toby with plenty of time left over for my evening chat on the computer. Oh well, as it says in Proverbs 16:9 "The mind of man plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps. Thank God, He directs! I never even finished step one before I realized there was much more here the Lord wanted then just a simple article. Abuse - think about it. How do you define abuse? Here are a few of the definitions the dictionary gives; To trick or deceive., To hurt or injure by maltreatment., To assail with contemptuous, coarse, or insulting words., A corrupt practice or custom. Its almost like defining the phrase, evil works. Sexual abuse, physical abuse, verbal abuse, lack of attention, abuse of children, the elderly, the handicapped, wives, even abuse of husbands, the list goes on and on. No matter how you look at it there is no single definition of what abuse is. Finding a ministry that dealt with victims of abuse was both very simple and very difficult at the same time. I had it in my head that there would be a ministry somewhere out there that had as its vision, "to minister to victims of abuse". It was much like looking for a restaurant that specializes in food. You soon realize that every restaurant specializes in food just served or prepared differently. I found, that most ministries and churches are dealing with victims of abuse on a regular basis as part of what they are doing. There are ministries out there that do work with more victims of abuse than others, albeit one small area of abuse. We are going to look at just a few of those. BETHEL BIBLE VILLAGE Bethel Bible Village, located just outside of Chattanooga, Tennessee, was founded in 1954 and is a nondenominational Christian home for boys and girls whose parents are in prison. The children they work with have been orphaned by crime. Bethel Bible Village's emphasis is on what they call "hominess" and togetherness. Each "family" lives in a cottage with eight children and their house parents. The family is involved in Christian and local schools and churches. For most, this is the first time in their lives they have been in a happy home. Bethel Bible Village considers it their privilege to help mend broken lives and families. They endeavor to introduce each child to Jesus Christ, for they know that He is the only One who can heal their hurts. Here is a poem written by one of the kids currently at Bethel. "A Dark Road" by Ummina Falling down a dark, scary road. Where the thoughts of my past starts to unfold. My past hurts me like a hungry dog. Following behind me like the mists of glaring fog. Picking up the broken pieces that my family has left along the trail, The devil tries to fool me saying I have failed. Stand tall that little voice would say. Yesterday is the past, tomorrow is a brand new day. Many of the kids here have suffered through much and Bethel Bible Village reaches out to them. If you want more information on Bethel Bible Village, contact: Bob McFarland 3001 Hamill Rd. P.O. Box 5000 Hixson, TN 37343 Phone: 615-842-5757 PACIFIC GARDEN MISSION Another area that is awash with people, men, women and children that have been abused is the homeless. Founded September 15, 1877 as the nation's second oldest Gospel rescue mission, Pacific Garden Mission ministers around the clock to the physical and material needs of Chicago's homeless and other destitute people. At the same time Pacific Garden Mission proclaims to them the power of God to redeem them from sin and transform their lives through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Pacific Garden Mission offers 21 Gospel services and Bible studies each week; also trained workers counsel individually from God's Word, both on the premises and by telephone. Needs are met through numerous separate ministries: Homelessness, though temporary, increasingly involves women and children. With accommodations in several locations, the Mission can minister on a given day to the needs of more than 130 women and children. Mothers receive instructions in parenting skills and all women and children are given Bible instruction. Pacific Garden Mission Annually provides some 365,000 free meals, distributes as many as 500,000 Articles of clothing, And records hundreds of professions of faith in Christ. For more information on Pacific Garden Mission, call or write: Dr. David G. Saulnier 646 South State St. Chicago, IL 60605 Phone: 312-922-1462 DUNKLIN MEMORIAL CAMP One of the direct results of abuse is a lifestyle of addiction to mind altering drugs or alcohol. Dunklin Memorial Camp was founded in 1963. Located on 220 acres of land in the Florida Everglades, it is dedicated to the regeneration of those addicted to Alcohol and Drugs. They minister to the spiritual, emotional and physical needs of the addicted person. Showing them that the love of Jesus is more than able to free them from the chains they have allowed themselves to be bound with. God has greatly blessed Dunklin Memorial Camp with an expanded ministry and with new additions as needs have arisen. Dunklin Memorial Camp is quick to give thanks and all glory to Jesus Christ our Lord for what He has done and look forward to what He wants to accomplish in the future. If you want more information on Dunklin Memorial Camp, please contact: Mickey Evans 3342 S.W. Hosannah Lane Okeechobee, FL 34974 Phone: 407-597-2841 CHILD EVANGELISM FELLOWSHIP Poverty seems to breed frustration, which in turn breeds abuse, the main victim of this abuse is normally children. America's inner-cities are full of these victims. Child Evangelism Fellowship is an international ministry to the children of the world. Currently working in 121 countries around the world and in all 50 states, Child Evangelism Fellowship has 1,638 full time workers and have trained 51,804 individuals in just the United States in the special needs of Children. In their 1991-1992 year, they were able to minister to 2,821,642 children, around the world. Child Evangelism Fellowship's workers also counseled with 514,892 children, about accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Their 790 local chapters in the U.S. work in the inner city via Video Bus" programs, 5-Day Clubs", Vacation Bible Schools, Bible Fun Times, special summer-time ministries, Christmas and holiday parties and open-air evangelism. This ministry is constantly coming up against the results of sin and abuse with children and deserves our heartfelt prayers and support. If you want more information on a Child Evangelism Fellowship chapter in your area, you may contact them at: P.O. Box 348 Warrington, MO 63383 Phone: 314-456-4321 NEW DAWN MINISTRIES Differences quite often breed abuse, especially when the one receiving the abuse is not able to defend themselves, this is seen especially in the area of the mentally handicapped; New Dawn Ministries is a local ministry in Jacksonville, Florida reaching out to the mentally handicapped, since 1989. They currently are working with about 40 individuals who have suffered under today's system of "help." New Dawn houses, feeds, clothes, counsels, and prays with each of these very special people. New Dawn emphasizes the verse 2 Timothy 1:7 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind". Through faithfully ministering to these victims, New Dawn has seen to the Glory of Jesus, a start at the restoration of their minds. For more information on New Dawn Ministries, you may contact: Ander Kenney 735 S. McDuff Ave. Jacksonville, FL 32205 Phone: 904-388-3151 Some of the ministries mentioned in this column are national and international in scope and others are local. If you need assistance because you or someone you know has been a victim of abuse, start looking in your home town and your home church. Help may be a lot closer than you think. Norb Novocin is Director of Christian Brotherhood, Inc., (CBI), a non-profit organization dedicated to drawing the Body of Christ together. If you would like more information on CBI contact Norb at: Christian Brotherhood, Inc. P.O. Box 41503 Jacksonville, FL 32203 Phone: (904) 783-3210. Internet Email: norbn@aol.com The Bookworm The Bookworm Browsing With The Bookworm In this issue we review two books. The first, which I review, deals with an essential challenge for the contemporary church, the need to distinguish between Orthodoxy and Heresy. The second book, reviewed by guest critic Janette Kragen, is a change of pace. We need to be reminded that even Christians should to laugh more often. ORTHODOXY AND HERESY By Robert M. Bowman, Jr. Published by Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1992 Robert Bowman is the special projects editor for the Christian Research Institute of Irvine, California. As such he frequently deals with issues of Biblical truth. Because Mr. Bowman deals with cult teachings, he must stand firmly behind an orthodox understanding of Scripture. Commitment to sound doctrine is a major problem in much of the contemporary church. Often when individuals are victimized by the church it is because of a poor understanding of God's word within that body. However there is a major difference between poor doctrine, inadequate understanding of Scripture, and heresy. Someone isn't a heretic because they hold a divergent view on prophecy. Heresy is a term that is too often used with little understanding of its meaning. In "Orthodoxy and Heresy," Robert Bowman works to clarify the meaning of these terms. The back cover of the book describes it focus this way: "The cause of doctrinal discernment is in serious jeopardy, he (Bowman) says. 'Most believers seem to think either there are almost no heretics or that almost everybody but their own little group is a heretic.' Here is a case for balance. Robert Bowman tells how to be discerning without being vindictive and where to draw the line between teachings that are acceptable and those which lead outside the bounds of Christianity." The book, subtitled "A Biblical Guide to Doctrinal Discernment," is broken into two major parts and includes several appendices and helps. Section one is a call to Doctrinal Discernment. Much of modern Christianity doesn't seem to feel the need to be bothered with a strong commitment to doctrine. In this first section Bowman reminds us of the importance of systematically understanding the fundamental truths of the faith. In the second part of the book, the focus moves to "Guidelines for Doctrinal Discernment." It isn't enough to agree that we need to be doctrinally sound; we also must understand the issues. Mr. Bowman does an excellent job of clarifying these principles. Following these two sections, the author also provides some helpful tools. These include two appendices: "Checking Out a Church's Teaching" and "On Using the world CULT." Also a glossary, recommended reading list, discernment ministries listing and scripture and subject indexes are provided. This small book, only 126 pages, provides a service to all of us. It clarifies and much clouded area. I recommend you pick up a copy of "Orthodoxy and Heresy" and share it with the leaders in your church. LAUGH AGAIN By Chuck Swindoll Published by Word Publishing, Dallas, Texas, 1992 When was the last time you laughed aloud during a moment of sheer joy? You can't remember? If you would like to bring laughter back into your life, this book is for you. Just like his previous books, Swindoll's latest work is a rewarding reading experience. It is filled with wise counsel from a godly man who is not afraid to show his own struggles and weaknesses to the world. In "Laugh Again," the author talks about a universal addiction that is every bit as destructive to our lives as alcohol or drug abuse. This addictive behavior affects children and adults, men and women, believers and unbelievers, rich and poor, educated and ignorant. Chuck Swindoll tells us that this sin robs us of our joy. He gives us clear guidelines on how to recognize, conquer, and cut this addiction out of our lives forever. If you think you can't find the time to read the entire book, here are a few suggestions: First, TURN OFF THE TV! Read just one chapter at a time. Or try sharing one page at a time with your spouse or other family member. You could take turns reading paragraphs aloud. This book also can be used as an excellent vehicle for a bible study of Philippians. Use it either independently or with a group of friends. Find the best way that works for you, but please don't deny yourself the chance to take a giant leap forward in your spiritual walk; read "Laugh Again." God created us to enjoy His presence, to love life, and to laugh often. 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: Lucinda in Georgia praises God that someone dear to her who has not been to church in 6 years went last Sunday! She also thanks the Lord for their new pastor Jeff Giddons. Pray that the church will grow strong with this new leadership. She also wants to thank the Lord for their daughter's great improvement in school. Cyndi in Virginia reports that eight people were baptized last Sunday. The ages ranged from about 10 to 50 and two were a married couple. Cyndi asks us to pray for a friend who is having a hard time with losing weight. This is important for health reasons. Robert in North Carolina reports that Barry thanks all those who prayed for him while he was hospitalized. Barry has been paralyzed from the chest down for 20 yrs and has been a real blessing to Robert and others. Continue praying for him. "GK" in Missouri praises God that he talked of spiritual things with his 90 year old dad. Pray dad's heart opens up to the Gospel message. Mike in Georgia thanks the Lord for finding an apartment at college after months of searching. He was down to his last chance, stopped to pray first and got the place! "PG" on the AOL network praises God that he is finally coming out of a year of heartache, loneliness and bitterness. He is beginning to experience peace at times and moments of joy. Denise in Florida says she is recovering nicely from her surgery and thanks all who have been praying. Also, her husband Paul who is out of work, has a job interview this week. Patricia in Colorado thanks the Lord for the real revival among the men in their church! David in West Virginia praises the Lord for 16 new people attending their Bible Study. Anita in New York praises the Lord for her in-laws. She is thankful for their love and care and for daughter Amanda having grandparents to love. Robert in Ohio thanks everyone who lifting his court situation up in prayer. The Lord won another victory because a great testimony was created on this day. Praise the Lord! Wasyl on the AOL network thanks the Lord that his daughter, who is expecting a child, is much better now. Praise the Lord that her blood pressure is down and the baby is positioned ready to be born. Greg and his wife thank everyone for the prayers concerning the youth group at Immanuel Methodist in Des Moines, IA. It was very successful and attendance is improving. Gene in New York says that Josh came home from the hospital yesterday in good health. Praise God for His healing touch. He thanks all Born Again Christians for their prayers. Jay in Washington thanks the Lord that her sister Edna did not have to have extensive surgery. She is now home from the hospital but still needs a lot of prayer mainly for depression. Jay also praises the Lord that after 40 years of married life, she and her husband will have a place of their own. PRAYER REQUESTS: Keep in prayer the family of Christian Craig, the 5 year old son of Daniel and Coleen Craig of Glendale, Arizona, who went to be with the Lord on November 12, 1993. Danny in Texas needs a job. Pray for the Pastor of his church who is very sick and needs a touch from the Lord. "Solitude", a local Contemporary Christian Country band requests prayer that their music ministry will bear much fruit. Their quite challenging goal is to reach one million souls with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Bill on the AOL network says he is considering RK/Lk eye-surgery to correct extreme nearsightedness. Please pray that he will follow the Lord's will in this matter. Dennis from New York feels led to have a conference at the Northfield Auditorium located on the Northfield Mount Hermon Schools campus in Northfield, Massachusetts. Pray for an organization that will be willing to sponsor this event. AOL brother BP's grandfather, Kenneth Coble had a stroke. He needs prayer for his body, his spirit and his soul. He is giving up hope. Josie on the AOL network asks for wisdom and spiritual strength to get over her dislike of her boss (who is anti-Christian) so that she can pray for her soul. Shandolyn has a prison ministry at Lancaster and Baystate Prison in Massachusetts. Pray that they will be stronger in the Lord. Barry in North Carolina needs a touch from the Lord. He has been paralyzed for over 20 years, and has diabetes and kidney trouble. Cyndi in Virginia asks prayer for physical problems. Gene in New York asks for prayer for the pastor's 11 year old son, Josh Kelsey. He fell and has a fractured skull. They are keeping him in the Intensive Care Unit due to brain swelling. Danny asks us to pray for his 61 year old father Tom in South Carolina, who was just laid off. His mom, Nancy, is taking it kind of hard. Their biggest concern is financial. James in Arizona asks us to pray for his ex-brother in law in California who is not saved and has cancer. Spencer and his dad in New York are seeking the Lord's direction regarding possible mission work in Missouri. Dennis in Massachusetts informs us that his grandmother, Marion, died last week- she was 83. Keep the family in prayer, especially his mom. "SG" in Massachusetts asks us to please pray for the Zion Baptist church in Lynn, Massachusetts, as they expand the church building. Pray also for her uncle Joe and other family members for salvation. Joseph in Missouri asks prayer for spiritual revival at Cross of Christ Church in St. Louis. Joe needs guidance in some business decisions he has to make and asks us to pray for Christians in his area to be more compassionate to each other. Jen and Laurance in Indiana hope to attend Florida Christian College next August. He wants to teach God's word and asks for prayers to help them with making decisions over the next 8 months in selling their house. Vince in Florida asks for prayer for his church's finances. They have cut the budget severely and are talking staff layoffs. Lenora in Texas asks for prayer for salvation for her 70 year old father. Patricia in Colorado feels that the Lord is really leading her to call her ex- husband and tell him she forgives him and ask forgiveness s well. She has been praying he will become a Christian. Also, her brother Roger lost his job due to embezzling. Pray for him and his family. Anita's father-in-law Frank in New York is still having blackouts. Also her friend Michael has liver cancer. Randall in Minnesota has a prayer request for his grandmother who has lung cancer and for his fiancee Jennifer, for the surgery she recently. Ronald in Nevada asks us to keep his employment needs in prayer and if the Lord wills, a Christian wife. John in California and his wife have just been accepted on staff with Christian Light Foundation in Jacksonville, Florida. They are going to be missionaries to the Philippines and need to raise $2500 a month. Continue to be in prayer for Toby's arm in New Hampshire. Keith in Washington asks for prayer for The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America concerning decisions on issues in the church. Lucinda in Georgia reports that she hit a deer with their van. Please pray that the insurance will not cancel her policy as they have threatened. Danny in Georgia and his wife ask for prayer for guidance in buying a new home. Wade in Georgia needs help with a drug and alcohol problem. Pray for a revival at Eddie's church in Michigan. Lottie, Aaron's mother in New York has cancer. She needs salvation and the Lord's will in her life. Janette's work situation is somewhat precarious in California and is creating some stress for her and her husband Geoff. They know God is in control, but their emotions seem to be forgetting it. She may have to leave the job. Pray that the Lord's will be done here. Denise's husband desperately needs a job in Florida. He needs guidance and strength. Pray for Jen's father-in-law in Indiana who has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from Vietnam. Robert in Illinois asks prayer for salvation for friends Erik and Brandon, his sister, his two brothers as well as others at school. He also needs strength in following God in his life and for his struggle with diabetes. Robert asks prayer for Charlotte in Florida who needs to follow God's Word and will for her life. Pray that God will protect her and bring her back into a loving relationship with Him. Also pray for friends, Jan and Jim who may be ready to yield their lives to Christ. TURKEY - Amnesty International is seriously concerned for the safety of Savme Durmaz and his 15 year old son Sukru who have been in unacknowledged detention since 26 October 1993. Their whereabouts are not known and it is feared that they are being tortured during interrogation. They were detained by Interior Ministry forces who came to their village of Alagz in Mardin province on the border with Syria. On 30 October, six villagers and the youngest son of Savme Durmaz, aged 10, all Assyrian Christians from Alagoz village, were also detained when they went to the authorities to inquire about the fate of Savme and Sukru Durmaz. They were released two days later in very poor condition and subsequently confined to bed. Reportedly they had been heavily tortured in detention. 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 (Relaunch) By Jerry Johnson THE BOOK OF (PROSPEROUS) ACTS (a satirical rewrite) Chapter 1, verse 1: And, lo, after Jesus was raised from the dead he again appeared before the disciples, saying, "Having conquered sin and death, I now command you to go and collect great stores of material goods and mammon, so that the world may marvel at all I have given you." 2. And behold, the disciples looked about and saw many material goods and much mammon and understood that it was good and much to be sought after. 3. So, the disciples departed, understanding that if they followed the laws of God, that great blessing and wealth would follow according to the will of God. 4. For, verily, did not the scripture state that God sent his son to die that we might accumulate great wealth? 5. So, in accordance to the commands of Christ, Peter, James and John did form the "Fishes and Loaves Catering Business" and, yea, due to being able to feed thousands using but two fish and five small loaves of bread, their overhead was small, but profit was great. And, lo, following many festivals, they prospered greater than all other catering businesses. 6. And Simon the Zealot did run for political office and, verily, became a man of great power and prestige in the region of Galilee and vanquished many of those that would thwart the investments of the other disciples. And, so, Simon was much respected and gained great wealth in his working with businessmen of special interests. 7. And Andrew, according to his manner, ran seminars on how to meet and influence people and, yea, he prospered greatly. And, lo, not many days hence, he committed his wise teachings to a best selling scroll and, lo, he gained greatly in wealth and comfort. 8. And, lo, Philip, after meeting the eunuch on the road to Emmaus, was lead into the used chariot business. And, verily, he prospered greatly and became the sole proprietor of 25 Mercedius Chariots Dealerships throughout the known world and his fame was known far and wide. 9. And Matthew, whom God had already gifted with a skill with numbers, formed "Cash from Carp Tax Services" and invested wisely in the Markets of Rome and, lo, his investments bore fruit twenty, thirty and fifty fold. And he was visited by an angel in the night who told him, "Thus sayeth the Lord, Go to all the world and spread the good news of multi-level marketing." Matthew did as he was commanded and prospered greater than any other disciple. 10. And the other disciples gained, too, in wealth and reputation above all others in their region and lived to be old and exceedingly rich, except for Thomas, known as the doubter. 11. And, not many days hence, there was a long waiting list of people desiring to join the church in Jerusalem ... if their bank balance bore witness that they had learned well the laws of God. 12. So, verily, those who were poor or disadvantaged or visited by trial or tragedy were viewed by those in the church as reaping the results of the sin they had sown. And those visiting from the Far East did recognize the concept of Karma, and felt they had much in common with the beliefs of the church in Jerusalem. 13. And soon the church in Jerusalem was a source of great financial and political force in the region and its name was changed to the Mount of Olives County Club and many powerful people gathered there. 14. And the poor and halt and hurting stayed away in droves. 15. And, during those times, the apostle Thomas, known as the doubter, did not take to heart that God had called him to amass wealth. And it was heard that he was acting as servant to those in pain, speaking of God's love and sufficiency in times of trouble. And great was the number of people who came to hear these words of acceptance and succor. 16. And, in time, the Mount of Olives Country Club did continue to accept those who were qualified, as there were openings by those whose sin caused them to experience hardship and, thus, were required to leave until their bank balance once again indicated God's blessing. 17. And there was talk of franchising the church, but those who could afford the franchise so valued their contacts at the Mount of Olives Country Club, that they chose not to leave. And so, to this day, the church in Jerusalem may be visited at their opulent facilities, reservations permitting. 18. And Thomas's group, which had little wealth, shared all it had in common, and turned the world upside down. "MAKE THE BUCK STOP HERE" - THE PROSPERITY GOSPEL It seems quite ironic to me that we in America, the single wealthiest culture with the highest standard of living in history, have had a teaching develop that says God wants to make his people wealthy in material goods. We already are! Hopefully the above satire showed how absurd, and differently, the disciples and the church in Jerusalem would look if they were pursuing the same goals as are being extolled by the prosperity gospel teachers today. After all, once Judas had literally bumped himself off, ten of the remaining disciples were martyred spreading the news of God's love and Christ's sacrifice and tradition says the only reason John was exiled to Patmos was that he had survived being boiled alive in oil. OUCH! These men lived under the full, complete and personal teachings of Christ for around 1000 days. If anyone would understand what it was that Christ considered important, it was them. And did they spend their lives in ease, comfort and wealth? Nope. Like Paul, their lives were poured out like a drink offering to spread the good news of salvation. Somehow, I think they got it right and those who believe Christ merely wanted to bring us prosperity missed the boat that Christ built. Christ and the disciples spent and lost their lives focusing and investing not in property, venture capital and mass marketing, but people. Remember what the Bible says about putting your energy in things "that moth and rust doth corrupt." Well, how was that for preaching? Now, on to a slightly more analytical view of a couple of the teachings of the prosperity gospel. I will freely acknowledge that there are a number of teachers out there preaching this misdirection to whomever will listen. Some of these teachers are as deceived by what they teach as the people who follow them and then there are others, I am convinced, that preach this as a pure con job in order to get money sent to them. I doubt there is a Prosperity Creed per se, but we will go over two of the most common beliefs and line them up against the Word and see how they fare. "If a believer is in right relationship with God and has no sin, secret or otherwise, in his/her life, they will be blessed with material goods, physical health and will have no trials or difficulties. On the other hand, if there is sin in their life they will not be able to prosper and will, perforce, have trials, traumas and tragedies." Do I hear the dulcet tones of Karma wafting through the air? That teaching is strictly eastern in its origin and interpretation, and it is not part of the revealed Word of God. "Prove it!" David. After David had been anointed by Samuel, proved faithful and successful in battle and loyal to the King, he ended up living in caves followed by every misfit and malcontent in Israel while the King of Israel hunted him like a dog. Had he done anything wrong? No. In fact, he had the opportunity to kill Saul twice and each time refused to take the throne by his own hand. So he had bad when he hadn't deserved it. Then, after David is King of Israel and Israel is a major force in the region, he lusts after a married woman, commits adultery and arranges the death of her husband. Although he loses the son the liaison conceived, he loses no wealth and keeps his throne and position. So he had good when he didn't deserve it. "Well, that changed after Christ came ... he wanted us to be prosperous." Paul. Have you read II Corinthians 11:23-27 lately? God utilized Paul to spread the gospel through the majority of the Mediterranean and look at all he went through! Now, I have heard that one of the prosperity teachers stated that Paul had missed the blessing and didn't need to go through all that. Sure! Paul was wrong and this guy is right. I doubt it seriously. Besides, read John 15:20 and II Timothy 3:12. The New Testament is VERY clear, if we desire to be like Christ, we will be persecuted like Christ. Both James and the gospels state that God uses persecution and trial to conform us to the image of Christ. James 4:4 says that friendship with the world is hatred toward God. Think about it. Adam and Eve handed this world over to Satan and it's been following his lead ever since. This world is a self-centered, violence-loving, status-conscious, stuff-loving, people-hating, God- avoiding, I-gotta-look-out-for-number-one place. Do you really want this world looking at you with envy? Do you want Saddam Hussein to say you're really a wonderful guy and he really likes the way you think? The world hates the Lord and, except for those individuals who come to Him, they will continue to hate the Lord and anything that even smells like Him. The prosperity gospel wants the world to look upon its blessings and be impressed enough to come to the Lord. I guarantee you; if they come, it will be for the stuff and not for the Lord! "God set certain laws in order and He sticks to them. So if we obey those laws, we are guaranteed blessing which includes material prosperity and physical health." I'd like you to analyze this concept very calmly: God has set laws in order that He will not go against, so follow the rules and you get a pay off. God obeys the rules. So who is in charge? The rules. This is philosophical and functional idolatry. Those who are into prosperity gospel live their lives according to the "prosperity laws," which God supposedly follows. According to their teaching, God is in subjugation to these laws; He is serving the laws, ergo, the laws are higher than God. I believe there is a commandment somewhere that has something to do with having no other gods before Him. "But God has committed to follow His own rules, that's his rule, not mine ... I'm just taking Him at His word." It sounds Biblical enough ... but does God HAVE to follow His own rules? Here are three things for you to examine and ruminate on. The first two are thought-provoking, the third may take some Bible study and prayer. 1) God created the conditions that have lead us to develop the laws of aerodynamics, which tell us whether or not something can fly. According to the laws of aerodynamics, which God created, the bumblebee, which God also created, CANNOT possibly fly. Wrong ratios between mass, wing area and lift. Either they are too dumb to know they can't fly or God is not doing things according to our understanding of His law. 2) Newton "discovered" the laws of thermodynamics and physics: to every action there is an opposite and equal reaction, etc. However, scientists are now discovering, much to their amazement, that when dealing with sub-atomic particles, so-called quantum physics, Newtonian law doesn't fit. An action does not result in an opposite and equal reaction. Once again, He who made the laws doesn't necessarily follow them to our understanding. 3) Read I Kings 22 and II Chronicles 18. In these verses God wants Ahab to go into battle so he can be killed, but Ahab doesn't trust his prophets' counsel that he will win. God then authorizes an angel to go down to Ahab and lie to him, so that Ahab will go into battle and die. This is a tough chapter and I have known no theologians courageous enough to deal with this in a group setting. Is God "breaking" his own rules here? You decide. Main point of this is, either God is calling the shots or His law is calling the shots ... one must be subject to the other. Which are you serving? In the Old Testament, God used the law to effectively prove that man cannot muster enough righteousness in himself to keep the law. Now a group of people want us to again submit ourselves to the law so we may profit and be impressive to a God-hating world. But then again, as the pharisees of old proved, it's much easier to try to follow rules than a living God. Next month: "The books of I and II Psychologicals" Commentary Commentary GETTING IT OFF MY CHEST Pastor Geoffrey Kragen I have been thinking about this commentary for a while now. The subject of victimization, the theme of this issue's Feature area, is difficult to deal with. I see many of the results of victimization in my counseling practice. Even with the Lord's help, the scars that result from intensive abuse may never fade. The abuse I find the most difficult to understand, however, comes from some churches. Frequently I talk to clients who went to their church for help. Instead they received more abuse. Sometimes the problem is simply bad advice given sincerely but from ignorance. Other times the problem is a church that is more dysfunctional than the person needing help. Unfortunately, the result is these people have felt estranged from the very source that can provide help. And what is even worse, they also confuse God's attitudes with the attitudes of that church. As you can see from the title of this piece, I considered using the column to vent anger. But I realize that isn't a constructive approach. I also recognize that frequently churches aren't aware of the additional damage they are inflicting. In all sincerity, pastors, church leadership, congregations and individual believers do more damage than healing. I want to explore a few of the reasons this happens. More importantly, I want us to examine our responsibility to the abused of this world. The church is to be the institution that represents Christ to the world. It must be an environment where people can experience the fulfillment of Christ's words. Remember his call to the hurting: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). First, what do I mean by victimize? There are many ways we can unintentionally victimize people. Once serious problem is that we can ostracize the sinner because of sin. The church isn't to be a museum for saints, but a sanctuary for sinners. It isn't the sin that is to be accepted, but the repentant sinner. After all, isn't that what we all are? While it sometimes may be necessary to excommunicate someone, the reason is always to be for unrepentance, not the sin itself. The responsibility of the church is to restore, and to provide whatever aid is necessary for growth and maturity. This reflects Christ's call to the church to make disciples. Examine Matthew 18: 15-18. Christ's call to discipline is motivated by His desire that sinners be restored. We must never lose sight of this fact. Do we treat people from this foundation, or from a judgmental spirit, legalism and ignorance? We need to make the church a place where sinners come for restoration and aid in moving from their sinful practices. They need care and help to overcome the results of the abuse they have experienced in their lives. Frequently abuse victims have found there is no one they can trust to care about them. If the church reinforces that lesson, where can they go for help? The church needs to be the place where the repentant sinner gets care, not more pain. This is especially true for the individual who has been a victim of extreme abuse, be it emotional, physical or sexual. Too often, the sinful patterns that manifest themselves as a result of victimization are seen as the problem instead of the symptom. Instead of offering comfort and help, we heap more guilt and rejection on someone already guilty and hurting. I'm not suggesting we excuse sin, but if the sinner can't get help to overcome sin in the church, where else can he go? Do we make the homosexual welcome and safe? There is help for the homosexual today. There is hope of restoration. But the believer struggling with this sin needs a place where he, or for that matter she, can be accepted as a person struggling with sin like everyone else. They need the opportunity for safe, non-sexual relationships with mature individuals of the same sex. There is no better, and sometimes no worse place for this to take place than in the church. The homosexual should not be treated as this year's leper, but accepted as one more person struggling with sin in their lives. Does the person who was bound up in legalistic patterns their entire life need to be told they are sinners simply because they don't follow the arbitrary rules of a local church? Instead, shouldn't they be cared for because they are children of God? The believer struggling with sin already feels guilty. Therefore, we need to hold out God's promise of strength and power. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, they can find release from the self-protective patterns developed to survive an abusive situation. More and more we are going to see people who grew up in single-parent homes, or with parents who carried on abusive relationships. These individuals don't have a clue to how to have healthy relationships, how to be functioning spouses and parents. It isn't enough to say simply, "Love your children," "Care for your wife/husband," "Meet your spouse's sexual needs." If they don't know how, or because of abuse are unable to, how do we help them by simply condemning them? Instead, we need to come alongside and love them. More importantly, we must direct them to a loving God who can model His standards for them. God's two greatest commandments are to love Him and each other. If we are to avoid victimizing people within the local church, we must remember this: hold firmly to God's word, never compromise the fundamental doctrines of the faith. Finally, we must never lose sight of the fact that God loves the sinner and desires that he be saved. And we also must remember that each believer is God's child. God loves us and desires for our growth. Let the church be the place where we can grow safely, being cared for and helped to move out of the victim's role. Features When My Worst Fear Came True When My Worst Fear Came True WHEN MY WORST FEAR CAME TRUE A mother relives the time her young daughter was molested By Diane Smith as told to Cynthia Culp Allen Seventeen years ago, my husband, Mike, and I moved from Southern California to the White Mountains of northeast Arizona. We had just begun our family. In that sleepy, little town population 2,000 we felt confident we could raise our children in peace and safety. For years, we did enjoy the quiet community, and we even launched a successful business there. Life was serene and relatively uneventful until one April afternoon two years ago. That day seemed ordinary as I hurried about my household activities. Everywhere I went, I was accompanied by my fifth child, 3-year-old Tiffany. Tiffany was our "surprise package," arriving six years after our other children. This tiny girl's sweet smile and bubbly personality made her the family favorite. Tiff was adored by all of us. As the afternoon progressed, my daughter and I chatted as we folded clothes. I launched into my "concerned mother" routine, casually asking Tiffany a question I had directed at one time or another to all of my children. "Has anyone ever touched your private area, Tiff?" She nodded yes. "Who?" I demanded, nausea gripping my stomach. "Wesley," came her quiet answer. Wesley. The 12-year-old boy I had hired to look after Tiffany several afternoons a week while I worked at my home-based business. I had always been home while they played together. Don't panic, Dianne, I calmed myself. Perhaps Tiffany is mistaken. But, as I questioned her further, I realized no 3-year-old could invent the disgusting details Tiff was relating to me. Decisively, I gathered my purse and my daughter and headed straight to the police. Six months before, I had read this advice immediately contact authorities in a magazine article on child molestation. Little did I realize that this horror would soon invade my own life. At the police station, Tiffany was taken into a different room for questioning. The authorities had been taught specific procedures to pull the facts out of a small child with a limited vocabulary. Afterwards, they suggested I call a friend to take Tiffany home while they spoke privately with me. In their office, the officers disclosed the extent of Tiffany's victimization. Not only had my 3-year-old been sexually molested over a week's time, but she had also been raped. "No! It can't be true!" Right in their office, I began to scream. I yelled and carried on, never wanting to stop. When I finished reacting, I knew I'd have to face the reality of what had happened to my precious child. In my heart, I didn't want to believe it. How could a 12-year-old boy do this? I thought. Didn't boys that age fill their minds with thoughts of BMX bikes, baseball cards and Nintendo games? Where had Wesley come up with these vile ideas? DEALING WITH THE AFTERMATH That evening, when the police questioned Wesley at his home, the boy admitted to everything. Meanwhile, I took Tiffany to a woman gynecologist, who medically confirmed that the rape had occurred. My daughter immediately began seeing a counselor, beginning the process of working through the trauma. But I couldn't get over what that boy had done to my innocent little girl. Resentment dominated me. I blamed Wesley for the hurt he'd caused our family. "He's shattered an innocent girl's life," I told my husband. "Wesley deserves to be punished." I began to build a case against him, imagining ways to hurt Wesley. Friends, even Christians, justified my vengeful spirit. But because of my spiritual upbringing, deep inside I recognized that there was one important element missing from the tragedy God's grace. Oh, it was there alright. I knew that from His Word and past experience, but it was difficult to feel His grace amidst such devastating turmoil. One day, as a friend drove Tiffany and me to a counseling session, she remarked, "Well, Dianne, welcome to the 'Poor-Broken-Slob Club.' Now you can see if your words really work." I knew what she was referring to. For years I had been active in a pro-life ministry, counseling post-abortion victims. From the outside looking in, I had experienced other women's abortions, desertions and abuse. I always counseled with positive words and Scripture. Lives had been changed while trusting Romans 8:28: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him ..." Now Tiffany's life had been broken. I was certain no good would ever come from my small child's victimization. In my heart, I knew I was capable of deep hatred. However, in counseling embittered women, I had learned what internal venom could do. I knew it could destroy both my relationship with God and my family. I wasn't strong enough to stop the hating, but I knew God was. At this point, I didn't feel ready to forgive Wesley. But out of past experience, I knew I had to trust God to use the worst in my life to glorify Himself and benefit others. With this belief, I whispered a simple, stumbling prayer: "God, don't let me hate." In my mind, I envisioned a chasm as deep as the Grand Canyon filled with my bile. I saw myself standing on the brink, slipping fast. I knew if I fell in, my joyful, victorious Christian life would be over. I pleaded again, "God, don't let me step over that edge. Please hold me back." Even after I prayed, I still wrestled with my emotions. But for the first time in two months, I felt some peace as I allowed God's grace to sustain me. CAUSE AND EFFECT The following September, the court date arrived for Wesley's sentencing. I had wondered how a 12-year-old boy could come up with the atrocities Wesley had. My answer came as his counselor revealed his findings. Pornography. At a vulnerable age and a crucial time in Wesley's life as his parents were experiencing marital problems the youth had been introduced to hardcore pornographic materials at a summer camp. It was only a matter of time before Wesley acted out what he had seen. During the court proceedings, Mike and I were allowed to share our grief. Unable to contain his tears, my husband said, "I will never be able to look at a little girl again without wondering if this terrible thing has happened to her, too." Standing next to Mike, I poured out my heart. Putting the incident from my mind seemed impossible, especially in our small town where we'd run into Wesley at social events or even the grocery store. Seeing him had even triggered a reaction from Tiffany, the therapist reported. Tiff had begun acting out the molestation with her dolls. I concluded my statement by pleading with the family to move. "I can't stand the thought of living in the same town and seeing this boy all the time." When I sat down, the judge called Wesley and his mother to the bench and asked if they had anything to say. The boy stammered as he apologized for his actions, adding, "I've lost all my friends." His broken mother, weeping openly, expressed her own hurt and remorse over her son's crime. "Our lives have been shattered," she cried. "This is my son, and I love him. Yet what he has done is so terrible. I know how Mrs. Smith's heart is broken because my heart is broken, too." Suddenly at that moment, I saw the woman through a mother's eyes. Realizing that her life had also been devastated, I prayed my third prayer: "Lord, help me to forgive." God had kept me from stepping off the edge into hatred. Now I desperately needed His help to set both Wesley and me free. The Lord honored my request, and I was acutely aware that the mercy I was feeling was a gift from God. The judge cleared his throat, then sentenced Wesley to two weeks of residential counseling. (Later, we discovered this was a controversial secular program where the youngsters were exposed to more hard-core porn while outfitted with a sensor. If they showed an arousal, they were made to sniff ammonia as a deterrent. After this "therapy," he would be released on probation until age 18.) After pronouncing sentence, the judge announced to the courtroom, "I am giving this boy the strongest sentence I can under the law." As the gavel came down to dismiss the case, I whispered to Joanne, from the Victim's Assistance Department, "I'd like to have a word with Wesley." "No, I don't want you to, Dianne." Her voice was firm. "It's best if the two parties don't interact. I've actually seen fist fights take place." After assuring Joanne that would not happen, I hurried over to Wesley and his mother. When I reached them, I hugged each one. Looking Wesley straight in the eye, I told him, "Nothing will ever take away the pain you have caused our family. But, I want you to know something, Wesley. Because of Jesus Christ and His love for all of us, I am able to fully forgive you." As I returned to my family, I overheard Joanne comment, "Well, I'll be! In all my years in this work, I've never seen anything like that in this courtroom!" Later, Wesley's mother told me if I hadn't expressed forgiveness to her son, she knew he could never fully recover from his crime. I still pray for Wesley, that his restoration will be complete, as mine has been. Oh, the pain is still there, but the hatred and vengeance are gone. God has placed peace in my heart instead. He was able to use our family's tragedy for His glory, and hopefully, to help others. MOVING PAST THE PAIN Some months later, I flew to Washington, D.C., to speak at a meeting of the "Enough Is Enough" anti-pornography campaign. This group of women are seeking to reduce sexual violence and to prevent women and children from becoming victims of harmful pornography. I testified (without using my last name) that porn brought unforgettable harm to a 3-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy. I pleaded that our nation's lawmakers would wake up and work to eliminate child pornography and illegal hard-core porn from the open market. It's been two years since my daughter's molestation. Recently, I took her to the therapist who has worked with her since the incident. Her words brought joy and relief to my heart. "Your daughter is doing wonderfully," she said. "She's happy and adjusting well. She doesn't need to continue therapy at this time." I learned that I had to be aware that during several development stages, a few sessions could be helpful so recurring memories don't overwhelm her. As a mother, I continue to pick up the pieces of my shattered life. As I do, I take with me the assurance that God's grace. His undeserved love and forgiveness will be my traveling companion. Copyright: Cynthia Culp Allen Reprinted with permission National Coalition Against Pornography 800 Compton Rd. Suite 9924 Cincinnati, OH 45231 (513) 521-6227 Why Johnny Can't Worship Why Johnny Can't Worship WHY JOHNNY CAN'T WORSHIP By Josh Williams Bleeding from his lip that he had just hit on the floor, little four year old Johnny could feel the swelling starting and taste the saltiness of the blood. Fear seized him as he tried to hold back the tears. A knot started to take shape in his stomach, it was supposed to be a game! He did not understand. He trusted his father, but . . . I can already feel the knot again taking its familiar shape in my gut as I lock the door of my car and walk with the family toward the large warehouse building that is our church. We are late again. We pass through the Sunday School areas first, and notice all the kids in their classrooms, or going down the hallway in a line. The sounds of the praise music grow louder as we approach the main sanctuary. I look over the square room. There is a band on the platform playing songs and everyone is singing. It's always the same people down in front. You can see the emotion they feel on their faces as they sing. Some raise their hands in submission, and others are on their knees. Then, as I look at the back of the room, I see a different group. They sing, yes, but they lack the same intensity as the people in the front. They are more easily distracted. Some look troubled. Some look like they are in pain. I take my rightful place in the back I open my mouth to sing, but the words get stuck in my throat. Oh, I know how to sing, and I don't have a bad voice at all, but somewhere between my diaphragm and my larynx, it gets choked. Maybe I feel hypocritical about even being there. I know that God deserves better from me. It isn't that I don't believe in Him, for my intellectual mind does believe that He is there. I realize that I am not being very honest with God. This isn't a true expression of my feelings, this is more like a performance. "I will sing whatever songs they tell me to sing, and then I will fall into that ecstasy of the worship experience." But I never connect. I feel so . . . so . . . impotent! My worship experience doesn't give life to me. It has become mundane and ordinary . . . sort of like the Pledge of Allegiance. My mind begins to wander . . . I notice an attractive woman two rows in front of me. I feel guilty and try to put the thought out of my mind. I notice the bass player playing a wrong note . . . I think about work . . . I look at my watch; only forty-five more minutes . . . if he finishes his sermon on time. AM I THE ONLY PERSON IN HERE THAT FEELS THIS WAY? Little Johnny said "Catch me, Daddy!" And then he would jump with all his might into the arms of his waiting father. The next jump his dad told him to go a little higher to the third step. "Catch me again, Daddy", and again he would jump into his father's arms. Finally, he summoned all his courage, and went to the fifth step. Daddy stood at the bottom as usual, his arms stretched out wide. This was to be Johnny's biggest accomplishment ever; to jump to Daddy from the fifth step. He could already hear the praise and encouragement of his dad. He got down into a crouch, and jumped as high and as far as he could jump. But Daddy wasn't there. Daddy had moved away at the last minute. The little boy lay sprawled on the floor at the bottom of the steps. Through his tears he looked up and saw his Daddy say, "I hope this teaches you son, you never know who you can trust". Just like Johnny I grew up as a controlling person. I could not allow myself to get into a place of vulnerability. I always made sure that everyone around me was at my mercy. Up until 3 years ago, I had never had a male friend. I was never comfortable around other men. Now that's changing. I am learning to trust other men. I have never been more 'myself' then I am when I'm with a group of guys. We talk about things that we are feeling and I'm starting to feel okay about being exactly what I am, a man. And as I get more comfortable with my own masculine identity, and learning how to accept the "fathering" from my close male friends, I find hope that I will begin to patch things up with my heavenly father. . . he is NOT my earthly father, who stepped aside. From TRACKS IN THE SAND magazine "Uncovering Christian Men's Issues" P.O. Box 1828 Tustin, CA 92680 Freedom From Pornography Freedom From Pornography FREEDOM FROM PORNOGRAPHY By Chaplain John Harrisburg, Pennsylvania One may say, "what do you mean freedom from pornography? I'm not bound like a ball and chain to any book, magazine, videotape, etc., so why must I be set free?" The best illustration I can give is of a young man I know, John. This young man was introduced to pornography at the young age of twelve. Even though he'd been raised in a good Christian home and had asked Jesus to come into his heart, he had a strong desire to see and read more of the literature that excited his mind and body. Soon the books and magazines were not enough to give him the same high feeling he'd had so, he began lying about his age to get into x-rated movies. At first, the soft porn movies gave him that rush he'd experienced, but soon he was watching and looking for more perverted materials. In the back of his mind (deeply suppressed), was the knowledge that what he was doing was wrong, so when he would finish looking, the guilt feelings would come. He rationalized that if he were married, all of the physical and mental needs would be met. John did meet, date, and marry a very beautiful Christian girl. While she loved him and did everything within her power to satisfy him, the desire for pornography brought a dark secret into their relationship. It was like something had a hold on him and wouldn't let go. Even though he hated keeping the secret from her, John continued reading and collecting these materials for several years. One Sunday evening in a church service, the Lord God confronted John with the sin that was in his life. (In our society, it's so easy to call this evil desire a sickness, a disease, or a shortcoming, but God calls it sin. In Matthew 5:28 Jesus said, "anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." John confessed his sin to God and promised to clean out that secret compartment in his house. While there was a cleansing of his heart, John knew he wasn't totally free, because he still had a compulsion to pick up pornographic magazines and look at them at magazine stands. The compulsion would then drive him back into the filth. Those old familiar guilt feelings would once again flood his mind. One day, with the help of a good Christian friend, John prayed a prayer asking God to forgive him of his involvement with pornography and other sexual sins. He said he was sorry for these specific sins and renounced them (saying he didn't want to have anything to do with them again). Recognizing the power that is in the shed blood of Jesus to cleanse all his sins and using the name of Jesus, an evil lustful spirit was driven out of his life. There was a marked difference in John's life as he was totally set free from the bondage of pornography and lust. I know this story is true because I am John, the author of this article and chaplain for Transport For Christ at Harrisburg, PA. Yes, I am free and so can you be if pornography is a sin that is in your life! Jesus has more than filled that void in my life with genuine love for men and women. From HIGHWAY magazine A Christian magazine for truck drivers Published by Transport For Christ P.O. Box 303 Denver, PA 17517 Bonsai Memories Bonsai Memories I found this to be an excellent allegory - one of the best things I've read in a while. - Editor G.K. BONSAI MEMORIES by Matt Crawford bon-sai \bon-`si\ n, pl. bonsai [Japanese]: Potted plant (as a tree) dwarfed by special methods of culture Planted by my gardener, in her youth I was potted, placed in high regard, and tended on a daily basis. Without benefit of comparison, I didn't know I was a bonsai. And, while it wasn't until later I even knew what bonsai meant, I could sense a difference between the other trees in the garden and me. Similar plants were growing tall and strong, but I could not join them in their ascent. This confused me. The life of a bonsai is not a good one. Nevertheless, I trusted my gardener would take care of me. After all, I got more attention than any of the other plants in her garden. Bonsai is a science and an art. The training of a young tree's limbs to be perfect and satisfying is difficult business. The natural direction a plant grows is up and out, but my gardener's special methods of culture dwarfed my progress. Every time a new branch sprouted from my trunk, she would meticulously bend and shape it to her desired contour. Hours spent placing wires in just the correct position ensured only her design for my growth. Oh, how my bark ached as she twisted me from my normal shape into a bent and ugly bush. Sometimes I thought she heard my screams of torment, but she only continued pruning and arching me one way and then another. Occasionally, I think she was deliberately cruel. I can remember going for periods without water or sun light. She ignored some of the bigger trees too, but they had strong tap roots that went deep into the soil and, if need be, could nourish themselves for a while. Confined to a decorative pot, my roots cramped and tangled, I relied entirely on my caretaker. Oh how I longed to be free as the other trees were. For years I held my configuration, only needing occasional re-shaping. Those were the times when I Conserved my strength and would try to break out of my pot. Yet, somehow she always caught my stray roots, and would snip them before I could shatter my clay prison. Adding to my misery, my gardener displayed me in her window box so she, and everyone passing, could admire her handiwork. This vantage point afforded me a glimpse of neighboring gardens. I watched in agony as my fellow trees shot passed me and reached toward the sky; their lush leaves and sturdy bark growing and changing with the passing of time. Only I seemed to be the same as when I started out. The injustice of it made me rage inside, yet I felt helpless to change. At times it was too much to bear and I would try to wither myself. I got very creative at self-inflicting pain so as to forget my incarceration in this potted hell. I even learned how to inflict pain on my gardener. I would refuse to bloom, or shed all my leaves in the night. She would be apoplectic when I did that. On one of my sun days, she placed me in a new part of the garden, and for the first time I saw what had to be my seed bearer. He looked almost exactly like me! Though fashioned by a different gardener, I knew I had not fallen far from this tree. Knowing this only increased my sadness. Gardeners elsewhere were crippling trees! What a dreadful thing! That night I tried with all my might to break my pot and escape. I tried so hard that morning's first light found me spent and weary; my sap gone. I had used it trying to burst through the hard clay that surrounded me. When my gardener saw my condition, she feared for my life and placed me near the front edge of the garden to get the early morning sun. I guess I must have dozed off, for when I awoke I was moving. I assumed I was being taken back inside, but as I looked up I realized that MY gardener was not carrying me. This was a new face. I had been plantnapped! Oddly though, I was not alarmed. The stranger's face was kindly, and His hands bore the stains of sap and fertilizer. Try as I did, I could not figure out what was going on or where He was taking me. We were traveling through a large forest. It was very damp and green. I could tell this was not a new forest because the trees were large and verdant, but something struck me as peculiar. Signs of fresh digging lingered at the tree's bases. Why, these trees had only been planted here recently. How could thing be? As I was mulling this over, He came to stop. We were at a rushing stream. The clear, clean water lapped and the banks on each side. It was so beautiful. When He knelt down and began to dig, I knew He was going to release me. I could hardly keep my sap from running up and down my limbs. Was He really going to re-plant me in this dazzling place? It had a northern exposure that would guarantee the best light, and it was right next to the stream. Yet with all the other trees around, and me being so tiny, I feared that I would not be able to sustain myself. Then something miraculous happened! As He broke the pot around me, and placed me in the center of the crater He had prepared, my roots and trunk and branches began to stretch and un-bend. In the twinkling of an eye, I had grown to fit the place He'd created especially for me. Certainly I wasn't as large as some of the other trees around me, but I would be able to hold my own and grow. Already my roots were stretching to sip the clean clear water that was so near by. Freedom at last! I shook my branches and let out a loud rustle with my leaves. While I knew adversities that might never occur in my garden awaited in my new forest, I was willing to face that uncertainty. Besides, the well-tended trees around me gave me the assurance my new Gardener would be back. So, here I am. It was only recently that the Gardener brought me to this forest, and I'm discovering new things everyday. I've found I must continue to stretch toward the water if I'm to survive. It holds the key to my existence. I've also learned that I can bear fruit. I had never known I was capable of this marvelous feat. It seems I needed the space to grow so my roots could function properly. It's hard to do but it's worth the effort to see the look of pleasure on my Gardener's face as He comes by on His daily inspection. Life is so different in this place. Once confined and cramped, now I am free to direct myself towards the sun. I have to be careful though, for at times I forget where I used to live and complain about new challenges in this environment. Then I recall the years of constraint and rejoice in the freedom my new Gardener gave me. I know there are other bonsai out there and I can only hope my Gardener will find them and bring them here to His forest. It is so beautiful, and there's a spot just across the stream that is crying out for an old tree in desperate need of a new life. Hope to see you someday in my neck of the woods. Emotional incest is a frightening thing. The feelings of guilt that can entrap a person are strong. The control by the caregiver is often subtle and leaves the victim feeling helpless and confused. But God can break the unhealthy bonds and bring you to the freedom of His grace and love. It is available and He want you to be free. From TRACKS IN THE SAND magazine "Uncovering Christian Men's Issues" P.O. Box 1828 Tustin, CA 92680 He Gathers Every Teardrop He Gathers Every Teardrop A wonderful poem and scripture for anyone still suffering pain from circumstances past or present ... HE GATHERS EVERY TEARDROP By Glenda Fulton Davis From JEWISH VOICE MINISTRIES Regardless of the circumstance, Regardless of the fear, Regardless of the pain we bear, Regardless of the tear, Our God is ever in control, Performing as He should, And He has promised in His Word To work things for our good. But as a loving Father would, He sometimes lets us cry To cleanse the hurt out of our heart, To wash it from our eye. Yet gently gathers He the tears Within, His hands to stay Until, He turns them into pearls And gives them back someday. Glenda's poem was inspired by this portion of Scripture ... "Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me. In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word. In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living? Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me. He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth. My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth. They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise." Psalm 56:8-57:7 False Comfort: Cliches That Discourage False Comfort: Cliches That Discourage One of the problems individuals face in their struggles with victimization are cliches. They're told, "Put it behind you," or "Take it to the Lord." People who are trying to help end up hurting the victim more. Because this problem is so serious, we are reprinting an article from our first year of publication. Dr. Linda Jean Schupp speaks about cliches in this excerpt from an article published in "The Christian Journal of Psychology and Counseling." FALSE COMFORT: CLICHES THAT DISCOURAGE By Dr. Linda Jean Schupp Cliche One: "God will not give you more than you can bear." There are two perilous aspects to this cliche. The first message assumes that God is the giver of horror or tragedy. If this was not the assumption, then the comforter would not begin by saying "God will not give you." The second implication can wield a not-so-obvious but equally damaging message, God will not give you "more" than you can bear. In other words, the severity of God's horror gift will be determined by the character of the victim. It implies that if someone is strong and mature that God will give him or her a double dose of tragedy. The strong will have more horror gifts and the weak will receive fewer. What a paradox! Scripture encourages us to be strong, courageous, and confident, yet the reward for such behavior is the privilege of enduring another onslaught of torture. If we take this cliche literally, then it would seem logical to exhibit weakness so we can avoid tragedy. I believe that the origin of this may be the misuse of I Corinthians 10:13 where Paul says that there is no temptation taken you but such is common to man. The Corinthians were yielding to all kinds of temptations such as sexual sins and drunkenness. This passage is not discussing trial, but rather providing a way of escape for those who want to clean up their lives and live righteously. Also, there is a freedom of choice for the Corinthians. They could choose to change the way they were living by allowing the Holy Spirit to control them. In the book I refer to a young father who accidentally ran over his daughter. This had nothing to do with his will. I Corinthians 10:13 is inappropriate to many types of pain and sorrow. In the Bible there are examples of indescribable murders of babies. For example, Herod had all the Jewish babies killed in order to destroy Jesus. In Moses' time the Pharaoh decreed that all Hebrew babies should be killed. Those murders were a Satanic scheme. John 8:44 tells us that Satan was a murderer from the beginning. Cliche Two: "Have you given it to the Lord?" This question may be viewed by the sufferer as condemning. Often, when someone uses this cliche, they are insinuating that if you have really given a problem, pain, or situation to the Lord that you should no longer be bothered by it or at least not mention its existence. In their perception, the fact that you are enduring this pain is proof positive that you have not committed it to the Lord. The Apostle Paul was left with a "thorn in the flesh" and continued to suffer. Whether his thorn was physical or simply problems with people is not the issue. We do know that Paul's suffering was not a lack of commitment on his part. Rather than use a cliche which questions their commitment, my suggestion would be to offer to pray for the person and to find practical ways of assisting them. Usually the only person who receives any comfort from asking, "Have you given it to the Lord?" is the person asking the question. If I tell you that you should give it to the Lord then I do not have to deal with the problem. Galatians 6:2 says that we should bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. As a false comforter I may be ignoring the reality of the person's problems rather than choosing to get involved and help the person. Such a spiritual sounding platitude allows us to evade our Christian responsibility one to another. Colossians 1:18 and I Corinthians 12:13-27 talk about the body of Christ. Each of us has a function to provide and a ministry to each other. I should give what I have to the member of the body who needs it. Christ, the head, may tell the foot or hand to go and minister to the suffering person. The foot or hand may reply, "No Lord, that is your job. I can't do it." While the assigned part of the body is arguing with the head, the sufferer receives nothing. The body tries to give the responsibility back to Christ and Christ keeps giving it to the body. When we tell a sufferer to put a burden in God's hands, we must remember that we may be God's hands to that person. When a sufferer comes to us and shares, he is in effect putting it in God's hands. We should pray and suffer with them rather than deny our responsibility by saying, "Give it to the Lord." When I offer to pray for the person I am joining them in their suffering rather than leaving them to suffer alone. "Remember them that are in bonds as bound with them and them which suffer adversity as being yourselves also in the body." Cliche Three: "Cheer up and stop feeling sorry for yourself." This one is not based on Scripture or theology but it is said so much by Christians that I believe it needs to be included. May people believe that sorrow is not an acceptable emotion to express. following the advice of this cliche can hamper the normal grieving process. In the book, I cited the example of Beth, a woman whose husband was killed in a plane crash. Her friends unknowingly rejected her when they would not allow her to express her grief. They forced her into playing an unhealthy role. Rejection, denial, and condemnation resulted from this cliche. It is as though the false comforters are saying, "Let's play a game. Smile and pretend that everything is all right." In doing so they reject the person. Also, they deny the person's pain and want him or her to function like a robot. These false comforters are protecting themselves from the reality that a similar tragedy could happen to them. In effect they are saying, "I can share happiness with you, but I do not want any part of your sorrow." "It is easier for me to deny what is happening to you in order to protect myself." In the case of Beth, her visitors also condemned her because she could not withhold her tears of grief which they interpreted as self-pity. In essence they said, "We came to help you with your practical needs and you have placed us in an uncomfortable position by grieving. We have to remind you that you are involved in self-pity, which is a sin." How much better it would be to follow the advice of the apostle Paul. I have found it useful to apply his principle of "mood matching" which comes out of Paul's statement in Romans 12:15, "Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with them that weep." Many people think that they have to be cheery and pretend that everything is all right, which encourages the sufferer to deny what is happening to them. This prolongs the grief process. The scriptural principle that should be emphasized is to "weep with those who weep." Walk into the pain of those who suffer. Even though there are a variety of opinions as to the explanation, we know that Jesus wept. The impression of the people who observed him was expressed in the statement, "Behold how He loved him." (John 11:36) Jesus is "touched with the feelings of our infirmities." (Hebrews 4:15) Ecclesiastes 3:4 says, "There is a time to weep." We need to give people time to heal. We would not expect a man who had his leg amputated to immediately get up and try to run. Yet, we do not give people in emotional pain the same benefit. We accept the necessity of time for healing in the physical realm, but often fail to accept it in the emotional realm. Cliche Four: "God wants to make you dependent upon him." First of all, let me clarify that I believe that it is important to be truly dependent upon the Lord. We must depend upon Jesus as our source of salvation and the Holy Spirit to guide, direct, and empower us to live the Christian life. However, sometimes this cliche can be interpreted so as to create pathology. My concern regarding this cliche lies again in the perception of the image of God. Every time that something catastrophic or terrible happens it should not be interpreted as God trying to make us dependent upon him. In my book, I give the illustration of a woman with a mentally handicapped child who was abandoned by her husband. When someone stated this cliche to her, she could not understand why God would delight in seeing his children become like her son who was not able to walk, speak, make decisions, or take care of himself in any way. Passive dependency and true spirituality should be differentiated. In some cases, the church says that an infant-like dependency is considered spirituality. However, Paul says in the third chapter of I Corinthians that Christians should be weaned from milk and grow up. The cliche may imply that the less a Christian does, the more spiritual he is. I had a friend who gave up his job and quit working in order to show the Lord that he was totally dependent upon him. Finally, he lost everything, including his wife and home. When he was at the lowest point, he said, "I don't understand why God has not provided for me. I have been totally dependent upon him." I told him that God may have wanted to provide for your needs, but He wanted to provide them through you. He may also have wanted to supply needs for others through you. You may have blocked the channel through which He wanted to operate. My friend had bought into a sick type of dependency. Paul said in II Thessalonians 3:10, "If any will not work, neither let him eat." Paul did not condone passive dependency. Dependency is normal as a child. Only as we grow into maturity can the Lord use us for His glory and purposes. Another example is that of a twenty- eight-year-old son who lived with his parents. He worked just enough to buy liquor and a few things that he wanted. His parents were amply providing for him. We would not praise this young man and hold him up as an example for people to model. It would be ridiculous to talk about how much faith he has in his parents and that he is expressing it more and more each day by doing less and less. Yet, in the church we sometimes consider passive dependency as great spirituality. God is not trying to make us dependent upon him. Rather, He is trying to get us to a place that He can depend upon us. When we grow up enough to be useful to Him, perhaps much of the suffering of the world can be alleviated. Cliche Five: "It is God's Will." Of all the cliches, perhaps this can be the most devastating. To attribute the tragedy to an ever-loving, good God can inflict unbelievable pain on a grief-stricken person. To provide some clarification, let us look at four realms or aspects of God's will. The first aspect is God's DETERMINED will. It is fixed and unalterable. A second type of will is God's DESIRED will. His desired will includes all of the things that He would like to accomplish in and through our lives. For example, He tells us to preach the Gospel. Sometimes we do and sometimes we do not. He tells us to love one another and sometimes we do and sometimes we do not. The desired will of God is dependent upon our compliance on our yielding to him. The determined will is what God causes to happen. God's desired will is what He wants to happen. I have interviewed many people who have experienced deep suffering and grief. From my observation most people interpret this cliche to mean either that God caused it or He desired it. This is the interpretation that my son and I had when people came into his hospital room and said, "This is God's will." When people used this cliche with my son, he would say, "You should not continue to pray for me. If it is God's will for me to have cancer and you pray for it to be removed, then your prayer is in opposition to God's will." He would say it in a sincere and graceful way, but in his mind there was a contradiction in what people were saying and doing. I do not believe that God gives cancer to children or anyone, because God does not cause evil. He does not cause the drunk driver to drink to excess and kill an innocent party or babies to be murdered. Neither does He want or desire such tragedies. It is contrary to His good and holy nature. The third realm of operation is what I call God's DILUTED or DIMINISHED will. This is God's permissive will. God permits things which He does not directly determine or desire. For example, God told Jonah to go to Ninevah to preach. Jonah went the opposite way and eventually ended up in the belly of the fish. God did not make or desire for Jonah to sin, but He did allow him to sin. In this case, it was Jonah's choice to operate temporarily in God's diluted will. Fortunately, Jonah got a second chance to obey God and get back in His Desired will. Sometimes we get into God's diluted will through no fault or lack of yielding on our part. I use the example of a woman who had four children and her husband left her for another woman. Her friends insisted that these circumstances were God's will. The question then becomes, did God make her husband sin? God did not cause her husband to have an affair and desert her and their children. Neither was it God's desired will. God did not want the man to commit adultery. God's diluted will can be defined as what He wants us to do in circumstances that He did not determine or desire. With Jonah God wanted him to get back into the desired will. The woman whose husband left did not have an option but there were certain things that God wanted her to do in those circumstances. He wanted her to look to him, pray for wisdom, and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit so as to make the best choices possible for herself and her family. The fourth realm of God's will is the DISCIPLINARY will of God. The disciplinary will involves the actions that God takes to remove evil and restore good. For example, if we do not recognize and acknowledge sin in our personal lives, God acts to correct us. His discipline is for our good. Just as the parent acts to correct the misguided child, God is training us. The story of Noah and the flood is about God's effort to destroy evil and restore good. Many confuse the acts of God and the acts of Satan. They need to be clarified. God's intent and purpose in disciplining us is to eliminate evil and restore good. Satan's intent and purpose is to elevate evil and destroy us. A simple differentiation of the acts of God and those of Satan is that God wants to help us, while Satan wants to hurt us. Another cliche that is related to "It is God's will" is an explanation of why children die. People sometimes say, "Your child was so precious that God wanted him or her in heaven." Let me relate an example of a couple whose children died in a fire. When people used the "God wanted them in heaven" cliche their response was, "He could have made clones of them, or could have lifted them to heaven ever so gently without leaving us with their charred remains." People try all kinds of ways to explain causes for suffering and they may end up speaking erroneously for God. Also, culture dictates that we have to find a reason to explain anything that we do not understand. Of one thing, we can be certain. Proverbs 6:17, 18 says that God "hates hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, and feet that be swift in running to mischief." God cannot do the things that He hates. He hates shedding innocent blood so He was not responsible for the children's death. Another mistake that people make is in labeling bad events as good. This leads people to deny loss and act as though nothing has happened. Sometimes this is done as a misapplication of Romans 8:28 which says, "All thing work together for good for them who love God...." All things can work together for good if a person is yielded and allows the free reign of the Holy Spirit. But it does not say that the act itself is good. To say that a murder is a good deed is calling evil good. If we accept evil as good, then we do not allow the griever to grieve. How can you grieve for something that is good? The "God's will" cliche blocks the griever from openly expressing and sharing their true feelings. Another similar cliche that prevents full grieving is often used when the death of a spouse occurs. People might say, "Aren't you glad that you have your children left." If you only focus on what is left rather than what is missing, you avoid the grief process. Focusing on the remaining family members does not make up for the loss or make the family whole again. Frequently, false comforters point to the living as a distraction from the dead. The message is, "Don't grieve quite so hard. You still have someone left." While it is important to be thankful for our many blessings and count our blessings, this should not be used as an excuse to prohibit someone for going through the grief process. There is a time to grieve. The griever needs to look at the loss, grieve and mourn it, then go through the adjustment, healing, and recuperation process. This grieving process is thoroughly explained in the research and work of Dr. Elizabeth Kubler Ross. In closing this discussion on whether God can or will do evil, I would like to make one more point. God is perfect and perfection cannot create imperfection. Imperfection or sin originated in human beings through the influence of the evil one. I believe that Satan confuses the issue. He wants as little difference between himself and God as possible. Satan desires to discredit God. If Satan can get us to attribute his evil characteristics to God, he has discredited God in the eyes of people. Satan's purpose is to make God look as though He is evil and make himself look righteous. He wants the counterfeit to look as real as possible. The cliche, "It is God's will," has contributed to the slander of God's character. I am sure that Satan is delighted when people attribute evil to God because it encourages them to turn away from God as I did for a period of time. Praise God, I have moved into a faith that is based on the character of God. God is good! He cannot do evil because his nature is good whether we see it, feel it or understand it. It is very important for Christian counselors to understand God's will and have some discernment of issues related to good and evil. Otherwise, we will promote neither spiritual nor emotional health, maturity, and well-being. Used with the permission of the American Association of Christian Counselors. Taken from the October 1991 issue of "The Christian Journal of Psychology and Counseling," the official journal of the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC). How To Take Back Control of Your Life How To Take Back Control of Your Life HOW TO TAKE BACK CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE By Rev. David Wilkerson Lindale, Texas Dear saint of God, I want to show you how to take back control of your life from the devil¥how to reclaim the ground you've lost to him! Here are three things the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart on this matter: 1. You Must Keep in Mind That God Is With You Even in Your Running! God is with you during every attack of the enemy. He never leaves you nor forsakes you! Elijah was in utter despair totally confused, fearful, wanting to give up. But God looked upon him in his despondency and sent him a private angel to be a butler and a cook for him! Scripture says: "As he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baked on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights" (l Kings 19:5-8). Have you ever been served a meal so nutritious, it lasted forty days? That had to be some meal! Here is what I believe the Lord said to the angel before sending him to Elijah: "Be patient with him! He's hurting, confused, full of questions. He thinks he wants to die, but he really wants to live. He feels useless, at the end of his rope. But I still love him! I've got much more work for him to do in My kingdom. Soon I'm going to awaken his spirit. But, meanwhile, feed him well refresh him! And tell him the journey is too great for him. He can't make it without eating the food I supply!" Thank God the angel said that to Elijah! It is true the journey is too great for all of us! We can't handle it. That is why God has given us this Word and it's better than any angel! He says, "Go to My Word eat and drink. There you will find all the strength you need to go through this trial!" 2. Taking Back Control Requires Dealing With The Lord's Still, Small Voice! The voice of the Spirit will ask you the same thing He asked Elijah: "What are you doing here, Elijah?" (l Kings 19:9). God was saying to his servant, "How long will you allow the devil to lie to you? When will you wake up and say, 'Enough of this foolishness!' It's time to take a stand, to fight back to take control!" Perhaps the Lord is saying the same thing to you right now: "Why are you hiding here, living in this fear and depression? How long will you let this go on? You don't need to fear I have never left you. Get up! Your work for Me is not done. Get out of this cave of sadness and guilt!" God had to put this question to Elijah twice. At first, Elijah answered that his holiness and zeal had gotten him in trouble: "Lord, they've slain all Your prophets. I'm the only one left and they're trying to kill me!" But God asked the question again because Elijah hadn't told the whole truth! You see, God was after what was deep in Elijah's heart the real reason his spirit and soul were down and out. It was this: "God, you let the devil get to me! You let him harass me, take away my joy, put fear in me. And I did not deserve such treatment! I have been holy, obedient, doing all You told me to do. Yet after all my praying, preaching and obedience, I ended up with the biggest battle of my life!" Does this describe your spirit as well? You've tried your best to do God's will and work, giving Jesus your whole heart and energy and yet you've fallen under attack from the devil! The Lord is coming to you now, asking, "Why are you so down why so panicky? Let's get to the heart of this. What's the real problem behind it all?" He wants you to admit what is really in your heart "Cod, I didn't deserve this attack from the enemy, when I was trying so hard to please You!" Perhaps you already have poured out your heart to God in this way. But have you told Him the rest of what's deep inside: "I'm tired of all the lessons, Lord! I don't want to learn anymore. I'm here simply to do Your will to win victories for You, to save souls. Just let me do that and then go home to glory!" Beloved, this is the whole issue, the whole problem: We're tired of learning God's ways! We think, "Is there never a time when I can sit back and know the devil is defeated? Won't my battles ever end?" No God has a different plan! And it is this: "When you learn how to resist the devil, he will flee from you!" (see James 4:7). You may say, "I already know that!" But many Christians think resisting the devil means railing at him yelling, trying to scare him away. But that is of no effect! God is talking about something entirely different here. He is saying: "How can you learn how to resist Satan until I have let him come at you, roaring and threatening? He is not a figment of your imagination he is a real devil! And you have to learn to give opposition to him!" Professional snake handlers those who draw poison from rattlesnakes for medicinal purposes get their training by going straight into the snake pit. It is the only way they can rid themselves of fear! And it is the only way to learn snakes' devices how they move and operate. Beloved, God wants to take you into the pit to stand face to face with the devil! He wants you to hear the enemy's crafty lying and roaring, so you can learn how to resist him. He wants to teach you to stand firmly to quietly withstand all of Satan's empty rattling! Scripture says of Michael the archangel: "Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, did not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee" (Jude 9). Michael was saying, without fear: "I don't have time to play games with you, devil. I have work to do. The Lord will take care of you!" 3. You Regain Control When You Begin to Understand Why God Has Allowed You to Endure Such a Personal, Grievous Battle! First, God allows your trial because He wants to make you "devil-proof." That doesn't mean you won't be attacked again. But you will be trained to stand! It is all part of His preparing you for greater service, greater anointing, expanded usefulness in His kingdom. Furthermore, the Lord is trying to strengthen you against the devil's wiles. He is raising up a body of believers who have faced the devil, who have been strengthened against him and who know his devices and are not afraid of him! God is saying, "Once you understand why you're going through this, you will have taken back all the ground you've lost. You will be in control again by the power of the Holy Ghost!" Once Elijah's trial was over, he would never run again. He now had a sense of direction he was reassured in his spirit. You see, God was about to send him to nations to raise up kings, leaders and prophets! God told him: "Go, return on thy way ... anoint Hazael to be king over Syria ... and Jehu ... to be king over Israel ... and Elisha ... to be prophet in thy room" (1 Kings 19:15-16). Elijah had been given fresh anointing power. He was in control again! "So he departed thence" (verse 19). Elijah came out of the cave to do God's will! He didn't have to shed a river of tears. No he simply had heard the Word of the Lord! Beloved, the only hold the devil can have on you is fear. And you've got to shake it off in faith! You have to say, "I'm not going down. God is going to give me a fresh anointing from heaven He's going to use me!" Do you believe that God is not finished with you that He is teaching and training you for better things? He wants to speak to you in your cave of despondency. He wants to tell you what to do and where to go and He wants to bring you out! So get up out of your despair shake off the bondage of fear and depression! Depart from your cave. You'll discover that the moment you get up and walk out, the anointing will flow! Amen! From "Don't Run From Jezebel!" by David Wilkerson For free copies of David Wilkerson's messages, published every three weeks contact: WORLD CHALLENGE P.O. Box 260 Lindale, TX 75771 (903) 963-8626 Studies New In Christ New In Christ "New in Christ" is a regular MORNING STAR column written primarily for people who wish to learn more about the basic teachings of Biblical Christianity. In this issue we continue our series on the Bible itself - the "Measure of Truth" that God gave us to live by. The editorial staff of MORNING STAR encourages all readers to freely use this information to help new Christians grow in their walk with the Lord. THE MEASURE OF TRUTH Part 2 of a 3-part series By Toby Trudel THE BIBLE - ARE THE ONES WE USE TODAY RELIABLE? Many people try to discredit the Bible by saying there must have been mistakes made in copying it over the centuries. This is simply not the case. Although the original manuscripts are no longer in existence, it can be shown that the Bibles we use today were translated from texts that are virtually the same as the originals. THE OLD TESTAMENT The Old Testament (The "Tenakh" in Hebrew) was written primarily in Hebrew with a few verses in Aramaic, a sister language, roughly between 1600 and 400 BC. Copies of texts from the Tenakh, found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, were recently carbon dated to have been from around Jesus' time. These Old Testament texts were found to be almost identical to the Masoretic copies (previously the oldest texts) which were from the period up to AD 900. The individual texts making up the Tenakh today, are the same ones that were the scripture of Jesus' day. The Old Testament read by Protestant Christians and the Tenakh of Judaism are the same except for the order in which the individual books are placed. The Old Testament compilation was completed by 300 B.C. (the latest). It is believed by many that it was Ezra who chaired the first recognition council. The recent release of more of the Dead Sea Scrolls texts found at Qumran (which were kept secret for over 40 years) demonstrates that the Bible Jesus read and the Old Testament we use today are one and the same. Before the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest copy of the book of Isaiah was from AD 1000. An entire copy of Isaiah was found among the scrolls which is dated back to around 100 B.C. When the Revised Standard Version came out in 1950, there were only 13 corrections made in Isaiah, based on 100 pages of Hebrew scrolls found at Qumran. Every one of these changes were minor corrections in spelling (similar to the way Americans spell "Savior" compared to the English "Saviour") not one of which affected a doctrine or central point. The book of Isaiah we have today is the same one Jesus had. Rest assured, there is no record of Jesus disagreeing with the scriptures He so often quoted from. In fact he pointed to them and said that they were the books that spoke of Him. (We are beginning a 3-part series on these new revelations from the Dead Sea Scrolls in the "Special Studies" column in this issue of MORNING STAR!) THE NEW TESTAMENT No serious scholar today questions the validity of the authorship of the works of Plato, Aristotle, Sophocles, Cicero, Virgil etc., In comparison, evidence of who wrote the New Testament, when it was written, and how accurate the original text has been preserved dwarfs that which supports these other writings. The number of manuscript copies of portions of the New Testament found to date is over 24,000. Contrast this to the "Iliad" by Homer, which is in second place with only 643 manuscripts, the oldest of which dates back only to the 13th century!. A portion of the New Testament found deep in north-central Egypt in 1895 (John Ryland's papyrus) with a text from John chapter 18, is dated by scientists to be no older than A.D. 125 and shows insignificant variation to the Greek texts we have today. Considering the distance this manuscript had to travel, this document had to have been written in the first century. According to authors Dr. William White and David Estrada, there is evidence (based on the work of Dead Sea Scrolls researcher, Father O'Callahan) that in cave 7 at Qumran there are 27 portions of the New Testament, some of which have to be dated AD 57-64, based on the other contents in the jar they were found in. The evidence being brought forth each day creates a real dilemma for the critics that say the Gospels were created 200-300 years after Jesus. Many of these liberal scholars are now changing their opinions, though others refuse to be "confused with the facts" and are holding to their false assumptions. There are many other manuscripts from that time period. Bodmer Papyrus II (150-200 A.D.), Chester Beatty Papyri (200 A.D.), The Latin and Syriac versions are dated to around 150 A.D. are the same New Testament we have. The Egyptian and Gothic versions along with the Codex Vaticanus, Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Alexandrinus, Codex Ephraemi, and others from the 4th and 5th centuries also have the same passages as the earlier versions and are the same as those of today. As far as accuracy goes in copying, the evidence is astounding. According to Bible researchers Norman Geisler and William Nix, textual corruption between the 5,300 Greek Manuscripts has been shown to be less than one half of one percent. According to researcher Benjamin Warfield, of this half a percent, 95 percent is questionable at best. Even if this minuscule portion is accepted as "corrupted", it has no effect on the interpretation of the passages they occur in. Of the remaining 5 percent (remember, that's 5 percent of the original half percent) which shows some corruption, none of it has any bearing on articles of faith or precepts of duty. (We're now talking about .0025 of the TOTAL Greek New Testament manuscripts.) In comparison, the 643 copies of the "Iliad" have a textual corruption rate of 10 percent according to Geisler and Nix. Again it is worth repeating, no passages that may be even slightly corrupted effect any doctrine of faith. No basic tenet of Christianity rests on any passage that is questioned. This means that any argument against Christianity, that endeavors to use inaccuracy of the text as the basis for rejection of faith, is totally meaningless. But that's not all the evidence! The writings of early church fathers of the 2nd and 3rd centuries, Polycarp, Barnabas, Hermas, Tatian, Irenaeus, Clement, Tertullian, Hippolytus, Justin Martyr, Origin, Cyprian all quote directly from the New Testament. There are 32,000 citations of the New Testament by these men and others prior to the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. Using New Testament quotes from these writings alone, it is possible to reconstruct all but eleven of the verses of the New Testament! YES, you can trust the Bible as being reliable! New Testament Studies New Testament Studies This issue features the fourteenth in a series on the Epistles of John. This is the second study in 3 John. On some occasions this column with be called "Old Testament Study." Future studies will include Psalms and books from both the Old and New Testaments. GOOD IS FROM GOD 3 John 1-8 By Pastor Geoffrey Kragen There are people, who in their commitment to a specific point of view, lose sight of God's call to care for one another. They will not work with anyone who doesn't follow the "party line." Sadly, the line is often drawn over issues that are of no real consequence. I remember one meeting of a group of pastors. An elderly pastor was highly critical of some younger men. Some churches within his affiliation had decided to send members to a Sunday School convention. It was held, (heaven forbid) in a "Pentecostal" church. (By the way, the church was Assembly of God, not Pentecostal.) The convention wasn't being put on by that specific church. They were merely making their facilities available. The convention was a valuable service provided to the local Christian community. Laity and clergy both would benefit from attending. To stay away because of some perceived differences would have been detrimental to all. I don't question the sincerity of that pastor. He came out of a system and day that had lost sight of the need for the Christian community to work together. And yes, there are basic doctrines held by orthodox Christianity that are not up for compromise. These, as seen elsewhere in these epistles, relate to the incarnation and the propitiatory work of Christ on the cross and other non-negotiable teachings. These are to be the basis for separatism. There are many individuals, who function similarly to this godly old saint. The difference, however, is that their behavior is not due to misguided separatism. These individuals want to protect their own power and position within the church. The problem created by these people isn't just their own loss of fellowship. They can bring dissension and even fighting into the local church. In some cases this kind of activity can lead to a split within the church. People can argue with one another, and ultimately a church can be destroyed over these self-serving types of behaviors. I suspect that John was most concerned about the behavior of Diotrephes as it related to potential danger for the Christian community. John spoke to this when he wrote the second part of his third letter. He knew that the church must remain true to God's teachings which advance the kingdom. It could not follow a pattern or a man bringing dissension and disruption. As seen in the last article, there was much going on in this local church that gave a positive testimony for the Lord. John had commended Gaius because he, and by inference, his church, were providing the gift of hospitality to visiting servants of the Lord. Vs. 9: As is frequently the case, there was a fly in the ointment. This fly went by the name of Diotrephes. It appears he had a formal position within the local church. He exercised considerable power. He was creating major problems through the misuse of this power. Diotrephes wanted to hold the place of honor, or authority, within the church. He was obviously impressed with himself. He may have recognized, however, that authority, and for that matter respect, ultimately rested in John. And, possibly as a result of this, he resented John. Diotrephes had no interest in anything that John might have to say. Vs. 10: Letters of warning about Diotrephes' behavior were being ignored. John therefore explained what he would do if he came to visit. He believed it would be necessary to meet Diotrephes face to face. John spelt out the specific behaviors that were unacceptable. Diotrephes was guilty of gossiping with the intent of creating problems and undermining John's authority. Gossip is contrary to Christian behavior. Paul warned about this when he said: "We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat" (2 Thessalonians 3:11-12). Second, unlike Gaius, Diotrephes prevented the exercise of hospitality by the local church. He refused to accept traveling saints or provide for them. Additionally, if that wasn't enough, he wouldn't allow others to offer hospitality. He took steps to expel those who tried to go counter to his wishes. Vs. 11: Again, John didn't mince words. Immediately following his comments on Diotrephes, he notes that believers are to model themselves after that which is good, not that which is evil. The behavior of Diotrephes is presented as an example of evil. John reiterates that good behavior, (what Scripture defines as good) can only occur when obedience to God is the motivator. In contrast, those who do evil are functioning outside God's will. Most likely John was suggesting that Diotrephes' behavior showed his lack of godliness. And this being the case, Diotrephes was not to be a model of Christian behavior. He was not to be allowed to exercise a leadership position. Vs. 12: A third person in the local body is mentioned. This is Demetrius. He is presented in contrast with Diotrephes. This individual had a good reputation. Everyone spoke well of him. John emphasized that truth itself validated these things said about Demetrius. This means that Demetrius was functioning in the truth of the apostles' teachings and God's Word. John knew Demetrius personally. He could testify to Demetrius' godliness. Demetrius is presented as an example of someone who abides in Christ. Diotrephes is offered as an illustration of someone who is outside a relationship with the Lord. When a person is within the church, but not part of it, he often chooses the role of disrupter. Therefore, he can be used by Satan to undermine the church's efforts to serve Christ. John warns this church about the importance of doing everything in truth. In the second epistle, truth was the basis for withholding support to people who claimed to represent Christ, but didn't. Here, truth is the criteria by which service is performed. Vs. 13-14a: Again John restrains himself from further comment. He desired to go to this body and intends to make any additional comments at that time. Vs. 14b: And so, John closes his letter with a blessing of peace and greetings from those around him. This last section of the final epistles can serve as a warning to the local church. Remember, our responsibility is to make disciples in obedience to the Lord. We carry out this work as we love Him and one another. We must never allow anything or anyone to interfere with this ministry. This means we can disagree on secondary issues. But these disagreements don't have to be problems. Nothing in Scripture requires that we agree on everything. We are called to love each other in spite of these differences. The relationships within the church are a lot like the relationships within a marriage. We don't have to agree on everything with our spouse. We are to love him or her, and do all we can to express our love. Where churches follow human leaders instead of Scripture, they are in a dangerous position. Even if the person is serving God, we are never to put them on a pedestal. Only Christ can be head of the church. Second, the Biblical pattern of church authority requires a plurality of elders to be responsible for oversight of the church. No single person is ever to hold an authoritarian role within the church, no matter how sound that individual may be. Finally, there should be an effort for churches to work together to advance the kingdom. If there is accord on the basics of salvation and the foundational doctrines defined as historic orthodoxy, then there is no cause for separatism. Paul teaches there are different gifts within the body. As a result, it will function effectively for the Lord. "Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, 'Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,' it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, 'Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,' it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body" (1 Corinthians 12:14-20). It may be appropriate to expand this concept to the churches that make up the Christian community. The Holy Spirit uses individual churches with their specific styles to reach out to different members of the community. We are not in competition with each other. Each church has a specific role others can't fulfill. We don't have to appreciate everything other churches do. However, the Lord uses His children as He sees fit. Diotrephes' crime wasn't that he was opposed to hospitality by itself. But because he was self-centered, he interfered with others who were carrying out God's call. Too much energy has been spent in the contemporary Christian community chopping down the ministries of others. This can be because of liturgical style, or musical tastes, or dress "codes." We fight over translations of Scripture, (although some are so bad that they should be rejected.) We fight over theories of eschatology, (although God will work out His program, regardless of how we think it should be carried out.) We need to be praying for the ministries of all Christians who serve the truth of the gospel. We need to support these ministries, as God provides the opportunity. We should be willing to work with them, when it is consistent with what God has called us to be. And, we should not allow dissension and hostility fertile ground in which to grow. As we serve the Lord, we become a target for the spiritual attacks of Satan's kingdom. Let us remember the truths that John has presented in his three letters. We must stand for the truth of Scripture. But we also must live out this truth in love. For it is God's love that saved us. "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). In His love, He gave us the truth that is both the basis of our salvation and the foundation of our walk in obedience to Him. If we hold fast to this, we can withstand the attacks of the enemy. We can care for one another. We will see the lost saved. And we will, with other believers, advance God's kingdom in a fallen world. I would like to close by repeating for the last time in this series the following: The message of John, the New Covenant and the Bible as a whole is God's gift of salvation. We are called to spread that message, and to help all those who accept it to grow in their relationship with God. "... go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matthew. 28: 19-20). We are to live in a way that will enhance our dependency on the Lord. When we do, it is easier to carry out His commands. We will do this as we obey Christ's commands. "...'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" (Matthew 22:37-40). Finally, as we love God and each other, we will validate the Gospel, making it real to those who live around us. We are God's illustrations of His mercy. So that we may be a quality example, let us, "... Love one another. As I (Jesus say's) have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:34-35). Amen, and even so come, Lord Jesus. Messianic Studies Messianic Studies Through out the history of the Church, there has been aberrant teaching which has become accepted as Biblical. One of the most insidious has been the view that the Church is "Spiritual Israel." This position holds that Israel, because of the rejection of Christ Jesus, lost its place as God's chosen people. All the promises made to Israel now belong to the Church. This is not the teaching of Scripture. And this teaching has done great damage. It needs to be refuted because it is bad theology. It is non-biblical because it gives an inaccurate view of God, Israel and the Church. It is dangerous because it has been used to support Anti-Semitic attacks on Jews individually and as a nation. In this issue of MORNING STAR we present the third and final segment of our 3-part article from Wayne Hilsden, on this false theological system, its problems and the true position of Scripture. The Jewish people are still the Chosen People. THE CHURCH AND ISRAEL An Explanation of Replacement Theology Part 3 of a 3-part article by Wayne Hilsden A transcript from an address given at the I.C.C.C. Shalom Israel Conference Hyatt Hotel, Jerusalem - 13th June, 1992 GOD IS JUST MERCIFUL Why hasn't Replacement Theology died once and for all? How can it be that in recent years that it be actually gaining a wider following - very strange! The answer is this, I believe, it is my humble opinion, that Replacement Theology appears to be logical and consistent with God's justice. Replacement Theology asks the logical question "how could a just God contradict His own nature by bringing back the Jews to their own land?" After God banished the Jews into exile, the vast majority of the Jewish people still haven't changed their stiff-necked ways and accepted Jesus as Messiah and besides that the State of Israel was established by atheists and at best agnostics, secular Zionists, certainly not the redeemed of the Lord. Besides that, look at the way the Jews are treating the Palestinians, cheating them of their property, denying them their rights, threatening their children at gun point, now how could a just God be party to such injustice? Now that is a very logical question. It is a very good question to ask. It is only logical to conclude that a just God could not bring back to Jews to the land and re-establish a political state under these circumstances and at the same time God be true to His character of justice. Now I have to admit that as sympathetic as I am to the Jewish people and having lived here for nine years and having a greater love for this people and a greater love for this land than I had when I first came, as sympathetic as I am, I do not condone every policy of the Government of Israel or the policy of the Israel Defence Forces. There are some injustices that are taking place in this land and I can't deny that. I do believe, however, that most of them are blown out of proportion most of the time because we only hear that side of the story. We forget about the other side. On the other hand I am not naive and I do see injustice and my heart breaks for many people who suffer at the hands of unjust policies. Yet we must never forget one important fact, while God is a God of justice, he is also a God of mercy. The Apostle Paul answers those who I am sure ask similar logical questions concerning Israel's election. Turn to Romans 9:14-16. These are not new questions, Paul had to address them in his day. Paul says, "what then shall we say, is God unjust, not at all. For he says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.'". A just God who is a merciful God. DO WE DESERVE SALVATION? I would like to ask every Christian who believes in Replacement Theology "Did God save you because you deserved that salvation or because you earned it?" No, we all need to be reminded of Paul's words in Ephesians 2:8, "for it is by grace you have been saved through faith, this is not from yourselves it is the gift of God." If the Lord only saved good people, how many of us in this room today would be saved? I ask you that question. Israel may not deserve to be restored to her ancient home land but neither do you or I deserve to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. God has chosen Israel in spite of Israel. Just as He has chosen me in spite of me. He has chosen you in spite of you. Israel is especially called of God. Speaking of those who are yet unredeemed Israel, (Jews who still do not believe), Paul said to those in the Church of his day, who believed that God was finished with Israel (Romans 11:28-31), as far as the Gospel is concerned they are enemies on your account but as far as election is concerned they are loved on account of the patriarches, on account of the covenants, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, for God's gifts and His call are irrevocable." What does irrevocable mean? That they don't change. He puts it in place and it stays. The law is the law. God says this is the way it is going to be and that is the way it is going to be. God elected Abraham, God elected Isaac and Jacob. God has elected the Jewish people. Like it or not that is what God has done. He goes on to say this in the same passage and he is talking primarily here in the book of Romans to Gentiles. He says this, "just as you Gentiles who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their (that is the Jews) disobedience, so they too (the Jews) have become disobedient in order that they too may receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you." Do you follow his argument there? The reason you and I are saved, we who are Gentiles, the way God brought that about is he allowed the Jewish people to become disobedient in order that we would receive the revelation of God through Jesus and we got that through God's mercy. We did not deserve it either, we were stiff-necked people. If it happened once that way it is going to happen again that way and the Jews who are just like you Gentiles in their stiff-neckedness are going to receive the same kind of mercy you received. It is going to happen just the same way. Paul talks in that passage about an olive tree that has natural branches and it has unnatural branches and we Gentiles are those unnatural strange branches that get grafted back in the olive tree. Paul goes on to say, if God could graft us in to some foreign tree how much easier is it going to be to take the natural branches that really belong in that tree to be grafted back in. It is going to happen through mercy just like it happened to the Gentiles. It is going to happen. God's gifts and call are irrevocable. He doesn't change His mind. Yes God is just and He must punish the unrighteous. I am not watering down the justice of God today, I am not saying He is just one day and He is not just the next. He has to punish unrighteousness we know that. God can't be God unless He is true to His character of justice. But I want to announce to you today in case you didn't know that God has already metered His justice. God Himself provided the atoning sacrifice to take the punishment upon Himself that we all deserve whether we be Jew or Gentile. Paul says in Romans Chapter 5:8 while we were still sinners Christ died for us. While we were still sinners Christ died for us. He died that we might not have to die, we may not have to be forsaken and rejected of God. So God didn't save us after we got our act together, after we started living a righteous and holy life, no God in His grace and mercy and as a result of His sovereign election took the initiative and saved us. ALL ISRAEL WILL BE SAVED So why should we think that God will treat His chosen people Israel any differently than He does the rest of us? The re-grafting of Israel is already happening. In the last 25 years or so we have begun to see a revival among the Jewish people. Strangely enough since the establishment of the State of Israel and particularly since 1967 when Jerusalem was reunited as a city. I don't have time to go into the Scriptures concerning this but it is no accident that this revival that is beginning to take place is now taking place after those very significant events. Some very good sources of statistics are that as many as 300,000 Jews around the world have in these last two decades accepted Jesus as their Messiah and Lord. Now if you think it is harder for a Jew to believe than a non-Jew its wrong. I just happens to be that there aren't many Jews in the world today so 300,000 doesn't sound like much but when you look at it as a percentage with the total population of Jews, it is one of the highest per capita rates in the whole world of any ethnic group, remember that. It is a lot easier to graft in a natural branch than an unnatural branch. What makes me so sure that God will remove the hardening of hearts from the Jewish people? First of all we are told in Romans 11:26 that their hardening is only in part, and it will only stay in this condition according to that verse until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. Yes, that is what it says. Paul tells us in the following verse that when that day comes "All Israel will be saved." I can tell you it means a revival of some sort and we are on the verge I believe of this fulfillment of prophecy. PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL RESTORATION This revelation concerning Israel's future spiritual restoration, not just a physical return to the land but a spiritual return or restoration is prophesied in so many places and I could go on. I want to look at one right now from Ezekiel 36:25-27. God says "I will sprinkle clean water on you and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in your. I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh and I will put my spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws." This mini-revival that we are seeing today is only a first fruits given as a guarantee of a greater harvest yet to come. God is going to cleanse the impurities. He is going to give a new heart and new spirit. God is going to bring about a spiritual restoration of the Jewish people. So this specific chronology of events is one of the main reasons why the return of the Jewish people to this land and the founding of the State of Israel is so meaningful to us. You see as this physical restoration is taking place we are seeing living proof that Israel's spiritual restoration is just around the corner and not only is that good news for them, the Jewish people, but is good news for you and I who are Gentile for Paul tells us in Romans 11:15 "for if their (Jewish people's) rejection is the reconciliation of the world what will their acceptance be but life from the dead." THE SECOND COMING The world is changing at break neck speed. Who would ever have guessed that only three years ago the Berlin wall would come tumbling down and that the Soviet Empire, that dominant force, that so-called super power in the world would come crashing to its knees? Who could have imagined that? Who can predict what the world will look like three years from today if we even have that long? One thing we know is that the greatest event is yet to take place and that is our Lord's Second Coming and it will happen in close proximity to Israel's physical and spiritual restoration. Psalm 102:16 seems to make this connection between the return of the Lord and the restoration of Israel. It says "for the Lord has built up Zion, He has appeared in His glory." The building up of Zion, Zion the literal place, this land of Israel, the city of Jerusalem, when it is built up or having been built up He will appear in His glory. Zechariah 12:10 speaks; of the coming of the Lord happening on a day when Jewish people are once again living in Jerusalem and he describes this event this way. "I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and impurities." Finally Paul makes the connection between the physical and spiritual restoration of Israel and the coming of the Lord when he says in Romans 11: 26-27 and so all Israel will be saved as it is written, the deliverer will come from Zion, He will turn godlessness away from Jacob and this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins." Do you believe the Lord is coming back? Do you believe He is coming back soon? If you believe that, then long for or should I even say aid the restoration of Israel. There is a connection between those two wonderful events. I am not an idolater, I don't worship Israel. I worship the Lord Jesus. That is the greatest event. Jesus coming again and seeing Him face to face and living with Him forever and ever. Part of the package is the restoration of Israel and that excites me too. As we see these events take place, the coming of the Lord is just around the corner. Concerning this point, the implications of Replacement Theology are frightening. Think of this point. If God has changed His mind concerning His promises to Israel and He has replaced Israel with the Church then how can we be sure He hasn't changed His mind about His promise to send Jesus back to earth the second time? Think about that one. Our hearts tell us, the Spirit of God tells us, that He is coming again. The Bible teaches that it is crystal clear that He is coming again. He has to come, the Bible tells us, to bring restoration to the People of Israel. He is actually going to set up His Kingdom on a piece of real estate. Unless you want to allegorize a lot of Scripture it is on this piece of real estate (the Land of Israel). WATCH AND PRAY Replacement Theology is a deception of the devil. It appeals to the flesh but it is a deception of the devil. God loves Israel so much so that He sent His Son to die for Israel while they were yet sinners, just like you and I were yet sinners when He saved us. I am excited about what God is going to do and one of the most effective ways that we could aid in these events that are yet to take place concerning the people of Israel is to pray. I want to read one Scripture in relation to what I believe is prayer and the ministry of prayer. Isaiah 62:6-7 "On your walls Oh Jerusalem I have appointed Watchmen all day and all night. They will not keep silent. You who remind the Lord take no rest for yourselves and give Him no rest until He establishes and makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth." The Lord bless you and thank you for being able to share my heart with you today. Special Studies Special Studies With this issue we begin a 3-part series on the Dead Sea scrolls. These articles are the actual transcript of a recent television series produced by Zola Levitt ministries. We are grateful for their permission to reprint this material. In this month's column we present the actual press release from November 1991 announcing the new information found in the scrolls along with comments from Zola Levitt. Part 2 of this series (in our February issue) will feature interviews conducted by Zola with Dr. James Tabor, a Scrolls expert from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Michael Baigent, author of "The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception" and Professor Robert Eisenman of the California State University at Long Beach. In part 3 (our March issue), Zola speaks with Professor Michael Wise of the University of Chicago, an expert in Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic and more with Dr. Tabor. SECRETS OF THE SCROLLS New Revelations From the Dead Sea Scrolls Part 1 of a 3-part series Introduction Other than the first section, the writing here is not intended to be literary but is instead a transcription of spoken language from television, slightly edited for clarity. We hope this will shed some light on an important and complex topic. The reader is urged to keep up with developments on this important archeological find. This ministry will be able to provide continually updated information as it is released. November 8, 1991 This day is unlike any other day since the Crucifixion. It is the first day in world history when one can base his belief that Jesus lived, fulfilled his mission, and was put to death on what is recorded in a source outside of the Bible. That source is the newly released text of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which was suppressed for more than forty years by liberal "scholars." This text contains Scripture and very obvious references to Jesus, or at least to a Messianic figure who was slain with piercings or wounds at exactly the time of Jesus. The following Associated Press article appeared in the November 8, 1991 edition of The Dallas Morning News: "Newly released text from the Dead Sea Scrolls mentions the execution of a Messianic leader, suggesting that some ancient Jews shared the Christian concept of the slaying of a Messiah, scholars said Thursday. One fragment contains five lines of text that describes a "leader of the community" being put to death" and mentions piercings" or "wounds," said Robert Eisenman, a professor of Middle East religions at California State University at Long Beach. The text also used Messiah-related terms such as "the staff," "the branch of David," and the "root of Jesse", said Mr. Eisenman, who helped translate the scroll fragments. Its language is close to that in the Old Testament Book of Isaiah, which says, "For our sins he was wounded." Many Christians use Isaiah's prophecies to aid their understanding of Jesus. Mr. Eisenman said he doesn't know whether the leader mentioned in the text was Jesus. But he said the text has far-reaching significance because it shows that the scrolls' writers and early Christians shared similar Messianic ideas. He said the text supports his controversial theory that the most recent scrolls were written by Jews who helped form early Christianity. Many other scholars believe that the scrolls were written by an ascetic Jewish sect called Essenes. "We've known for a long time there are connections between ideas contained in the scrolls and Christianity. However, this particular idea - of a dying Messiah - is new and explosive," said Michael Wise, a University of Chicago professor of Aramaic, the language of Jesus. Mr. Wise, who helped translate the fragments, said it was always thought that Jews at the time of Jesus expected a Messiah who would restore Israel to dominance politically. Yet the newly released text shows that the Jewish scroll writers had the idea of a Messiah who would suffer and die. "That shows this was not an idea unique to Christianity," Mr. Wise said. The scrolls contain the oldest known copies of the Old Testament and numerous other writings. Scholars believe that they were written by a Jewish sect sometime between 200 B.C. and A.D. 50. The 800 scrolls, most in fragments, were found in caves near the Dead Sea during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Stored in Jerusalem, the scrolls contain priceless information about the period that spawned Christianity and modern Judaism. A group of scholars, working under Jordanian and later Israeli auspices, controlled access to many scrolls for 40 years, drawing criticism that they were sluggish in publishing translations. The Huntington Library in San Marino, CA, broke the monopoly in September by giving qualified scholars free access to its 3,000 photographs of scroll fragments. Mr. Eisenman was the first granted access. If the translation of the fragments is correct, the text "is very significant," said James Tabor, a University of North Carolina associate professor of Christian origins and ancient Judaism. "It tightens the connection tremendously between the early Christians and the people who wrote the scrolls." Eugene Ulrich, a University of Notre Dame theology professor, said, "It's an interesting text. I doubt if one would call it explosive or revolutionary." As chief editor of the scrolls, Mr. Ulrich was among the scholars who had early access to them. Many concepts once believed to be uniquely Christian were found to have been mentioned by Jews who wrote the scrolls, Mr. Ulrich said. Mr. Eisenman and Mr. Tabor said scroll editors could have published the text years ago and now want to play down its significance because it could damage traditional religious views. Mr. Ulrich denied that the text was withheld." We may draw five conclusions from the article above. 1. This amazing find represents a corroboration of Jesus Christ and the facts of his mission and ministry from an independent, unimpeachable source. The time of the writing has been established by carbon dating at 200 B.C. - 50 A.D., proving that the prophecies of Isaiah contained in the Dead Sea Scrolls were written well before the appearance of Christ, and the Gospel facts about the suffering and dying Messiah, the "branch of David," etc., could not have been written later than 50 A.D. This puts to rest, once and for all, the liberal theory that the Gospels were written down much later than the actual events. 2. The newly revealed text is full of Scripture, word for word. What the Associated Press calls "Messiah-related terms" and what The New York Times calls "ideas" of Christian theology contained in the scrolls are simply Bible verses, nothing more, nothing less. 3. Evidently, Jews (Essenes) who believed in Jesus Christ wrote these things. This proves that Jewish Christianity certainly appeared outside of the Gospel record and that faith in Christ by Jews is not unprecedented nor found only in our times. Rabbinical Judaism does not flow from first century Judaism, but Jewish Christianity does. The concept of a suffering and dying Messiah was perfectly valid in Judaism and Scriptures such as Isaiah 53 were to be understood and fulfilled as written. 4. The suppression of this text for more than 40 years by liberal scholars shows their spiritual poverty and their fear of Biblical truth. What are referred to at the end of the article as "traditional religious views" are simply the views of unbelievers. It is a disaster that this truth has been hidden so long. The chief editor of the scrolls, University of Notre Dame theologian Eugene Ulrich, even now defames this crucially important discovery. That man and his staff of people have known this text for a whole generation and have purposely hidden it. So many could have been saved! 5. Daniel stated, ". . . knowledge shall be increased" (Dan. 12:4) in the end times. The knowledge he referred to was not so much in the areas of science and technology as spiritual revelation. In a very real way, what has been discovered in the Dead Sea Scrolls is the first written revelation of Jesus Christ since John wrote the Book of Revelation in 96 A.D. It is surely a significant sign of the end that this sort of clear, objective, unvarnished Gospel truth has come to world attention. Despite the best efforts of the enemy, people everywhere now know that a Messiah came to Israel in the first century, suffered and died for His people, and His stripes healed them, as the text attests. Zola: There's an intriguing story to be told about a people who lived about two thousand years ago in a remote, desolate area just Southeast of Jerusalem (at literally the lowest point on the earth). This Jewish desert community, commonly referred to as Essenes, spent much of their days faithfully transcribing the Bible (or the Old Testament as we know it), and writing scriptural commentaries. They were intensely Messianic, and documented, it appears, the actual fulfillment of prophecy in the person of the Messiah. On this program we will reveal for the first time on television some of the Essene's incredible Messianic writings. We will take a close look at what it was that prompted this small group to write about the most important figure in world history, why they hid their messages in caves and why, only now - 45 years after the scrolls were discovered -all these things are being revealed. The Dead Sea is located on the Eastern boundary of Israel, about a 45 minute drive from Jerusalem, some 1,300 feet below sea level. The mountain stronghold of Masada is located on its Southern shore, while the ruins of a small community called Qumran can be found on its Northern shore. The Dead Sea is only eleven miles wide, containing 70% water and 30% solid salt - that's ten times the salt content found in ocean water: nothing lives in this Sea! The ruins of Qumran overlooking the Dead Sea were once the home of these wilderness people. In 1953, this little village was found among the bleak, cavern-pitted cliffs of the adjoining mountains. This is the Judean wilderness, and it is here that a few years earlier in 1947, a Bedouin boy threw a stone through the opening of a cave, and, hearing the sound of breaking pottery, entered the cave, witnessing for the first time in 2,000 years the hidden treasure of this Qumran community. He had discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls. Forty-five years later, archaeologists and language experts are still looking - still trying to piece together an amazing puzzle of international proportions. Part 2 of this series will continue in next month's MORNING STAR. To order the video series, or to receive the free LEVITT LETTER write: Zola Levitt Ministries Box 12268 Dallas, TX 75225-9987 (214) 690-1874 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 thirteenth of fourteen messages given by Pastor Geoff Kragen. They were presented at Foothill Bible Church in Lincoln, California. OK, NOW WHAT? "Encouragement is the kind of expression that helps someone want to be a better Christian, even when life is rough." (1) (In this article we will be referring directly to material found in the supplementary text.) For many years the western and eastern powers tried to communicate with each other. No real dialogue resulted from these efforts. Everything else being equal, one major problem centered on an inability to find a common basis for these efforts. Differences in cultures, perspectives and lifestyles mitigated against an accurate understanding of one another. For example, at the request of allies, a western power would provide military or economic aid to some needy nation. The eastern block would identify this as imperialism. The assisting nation would simply call it being a good ally. Of course, the west would respond similarly over behaviors of eastern nations. These two power blocks could use the same words and mean different things. Or they could act the same way, for different motives, and use different words. A similar problem occurs when working with people in cults. Here the problem is one of term definition. For example, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints call themselves Christians. Unfortunately, their view of Christianity don't match up with the Scriptural definition. While they teach that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, they have redefined the Scriptural meaning of this title. This makes it impossible for Christians to talk to them, unless terms are defined within the context of a conversation. Our ability to communicate and encourage can sometimes be negatively affected, by the way we perceive ourselves, or by not using language clearly. In this article, we will look at some techniques that will help us become more effective communicators and therefore better encouragers. Remember that positive communicative skills are personal skills. All the communication ability in the world will not make us effective encouragers. Only as we depend on the Lord to empower us to love others will we be able to encourage. Effective encouragers also need an accurate self-image. We must see ourselves for who we are before the Lord. As a result, we can move towards others with a non-judgmental attitude. We are all sinners who, through the love and mercy of God, have been redeemed. We are no better than anyone else, though possibly better off. As such we can encourage one another in the midst of our own failures. We have no basis to look down on anyone. Therefore, we can move towards others as equals before a gracious Lord. To be effective encouragers, we must focus our attention on the needs of the person to whom we are reaching out. The Christian encourager is to be God-centered, not self-centered. Allowing God's love to flow through us affects how we listen, how we speak and how we relate to others non-verbally. Finally, encouragement is a God given ministry. Since the opportunity to minister comes from God, the responsibility for the results belongs to Him. As we serve, we must remember that we cannot fix anyone. Even God doesn't force a fix on the person who needs it. This is worth repeating. WE CANNOT FIX ANYONE. WE AREN'T CALLED TO FIX ANYONE. Isn't that a relief? Remember: encouragement is a form of discipleship. We are to point one another towards the Lord. However, the extent we grow is a product of our willingness to be obedient and to allow God to work in our lives. Let us look at some behaviors that affect the ability to encourage. The first area we will examine deals with nonverbal messages. This is commonly called body language. There are nonverbal behaviors that can encourage someone to talk to us. And one is to give the person our full attention. First, face the person. I know that frequently at church I find myself talking to someone while watching everything else going on around us. Or, I may be clearly looking for someone else. I am sending the message: "You're not important to me." Now, this isn't true. But I have the kind of mind that allows me to read and watch TV, giving attention to both. Regardless of what I may hear, the non verbal message I am giving out is not conducive to encouragement. We need to be physically open to the person if we desire to send a message of acceptance. Leaning away or crossing your arms and legs send this message: "I'm protecting myself from you." I've learned to recognize this in listeners as I have taught over the years. By watching the body language of the listener, I can tell if they are with me or against me. The message we need to send is that we are with the person we're encouraging. We must be conscious of this body language. Here is another area to watch. As you are hearing something that is making you very uncomfortable, actually take stock of what is going on with you physically. Make the changes necessary to send a message of loving concern and acceptance. Move towards the person speaking. I don't mean in physical space, but through your body language. Sometimes it may help to lean forward as well as relax your posture. Uncross your arms and legs. Relax. Of course one of the important rule we all know and frequently forget is to look the person in the eye. Again, the message we want to convey, and mean, is that we are concerned with the person and that they have our full attention. To make necessary changes, assuming you need to change anything, requires self-examination. Observe yourself as you interact with others. Also, if you are willing to risk it, you also might ask a close friend to observe you. Have this person let you know of any behaviors that may be sending a message that you don't intend to convey. Once we get past nonverbal communication at some point we will have to open our mouth. How can we do this in a way that will encourage someone? The first skill Dr. Allender refers to as reflection. (2) This means we need to serve as a mirror for the other person. Remember, we said that as believers we need to develop an accurate self-image. How do we do this? By seeing ourselves with our short comings in contrast with who God is and what He wants us to be. We tend to have a difficult time seeing ourselves accurately. We've just noted that sometimes we need someone to help us become aware of our nonverbal behaviors. Well, to be a mirror for someone is to help them see themselves more accurately. We can use language to ease this process. I can express back to you how your statement comes across to me. This is a technique I frequently use with couples. I will say the following: "You both want to improve your communication skills. Therefore Sue, when Jack speaks in a way that makes you feel attacked, assume this isn't his intent. You need to say, 'I know that you aren't attacking me. But I am feeling attacked because you are expressing yourself more loudly than you realize.'" We must help the person understand how either verbal or nonverbal behaviors are coming across differently from how he or she intends. We restate what the person is saying in a way that lets them understand how they are perceived. Too often people get so caught up in circumstances that they lose sight of the real issue: their relationship to and dependency on God. By mirroring them, we help them move their focus from circumstances to how they should respond to those circumstances. Christian growth doesn't depend on improving our circumstances, but how, in dependency on the Lord, we handle them. And, as part of the process of reflection we also encourage the person to clarify what they are expressing. We must make sure we understand what is being said, and for that matter that the speaker also understands what he is saying. Again, when I work with couples, an exercise that I require is: When they are talking to one another, they have to stay on a specific issue until they agree with what is being said. This isn't to say they have to agree on a conclusion to the issue. They must simply agree on what each person is saying. Too frequently couples mind read. They think they are saying the same thing but they aren't. This is a favorite technique in Situation Comedies. A major problem arises simply because people are talking about two different points without realizing it. Assuming we have correctly reflected, and understand what we are hearing from the other person, we may want to call it quits. But, if we desire to encourage them. we need to explore further. When we encourage the individual to expand on what is distressing him, we may hear more than we want to. In order to be helpful we need to understand the person's real issues. When I have dealt with couples where adultery occurred, it is easy to see the problem as the sin. While this is a major problem, it is also a symptom of a deeper problem involving husband and wife. To encourage in an effective way, we need to explore the deeper underlying problems within the marriage. These underlying problems led to adultery as a solution to pain. When you explore the subject of pain with a person, you move beyond the apparent problem and help them to identify the real issue. When a husband has a great desire to tear his wife apart, figuratively or literally, because she is five minutes late, there is probably more at stake than concern over a lack of punctuality. We need to help the person find where they have moved from God's perspective to their own. Frequently they are not even aware this has happened. This is probably one of the most important things we can do in helping others see themselves more accurately. The pattern for the encouraging conversation includes helping the person see themselves. It requires clarifying what has been said. Then it attempts to identify actual issues versus symptoms. Finally, if everything has proceeded successfully, you and the person you are encouraging may feel you are both in over your heads. Here is where you need permission to move even deeper. You also may feel you need to get some outside help. This will depend on the nature of the problem(s) you uncover. It is not inappropriate to refer to a pastor or other qualified individual. Lovingly be prepared to risk being used by the Lord to be involved in changing lives. Remember, the Lord is the director of the process. Therefore, we must leave the responsibility for wisdom with Him. Then we can take the risk of reaching out. Let us never fall into the trap of thinking that any of us are really qualified on our own to move into the lives of others. May we always depend on the Lord to move through us. 1. Crabb, Jr., Lawrence, J. and Allender, Dan B., ENCOURAGEMENT-THE KEY TO CARING, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1984, p. 10. 2. Ibid., p. 125-126. Columns In Memory of Christian Craig In Memory of Christian Craig In memory of our brother in the Lord CHRISTIAN CRAIG 12/3/87 - 11/12/93 Son of Daniel and Coleen Craig Glendale, Arizona "Christian left us all with nothing but fond and happy memories of a little boy with a lot of love who lived his life fully and gave no care for his situation. He showed as much love back to all of us as we ever showed to him, and his life reflected the love, beauty, and commitment to the Lord of his parents." Anee M'Amin Anee M'Amin Anee M'amin is Hebrew for "I believe". In this month's column we vary from our usual Jewish testimony to bring you a special report. KETUVIM* is the newsletter of AMMI ministry in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. AMMI, under the leadership of Ron Elkin, a Jewish believer in Jesus, is dedicated to bringing the Gospel to both Jews and Gentiles, often by face to face witnessing on the streets of major cities. KETUVIM - AMMI Ministry Newsletter By Ron Elkin Philadelphia, Pennsylvania CAMPAIGN REPORT During the Summer AMMI held a three week witnessing campaign in Philadelphia, Atlantic City, and Pittsburgh. There was a lot of adversity, some of our volunteers become sick. One key volunteer, a student from Westminster Seminary, developed appendicitis after the first, day of the Philadelphia Campaign. Another volunteer, who was going to with us for all three weeks, also became sick and had to drop out. In spite of these disappointments we were able to carry on the campaign with other volunteers. 38,000 tracts were distributed, 2 people made decisions for the Lord, and 7 unsaved Jews and 12 unsaved Gentiles wanted more information about Jesus. We are following up on these 2 new believers and 18 seekers. CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS I was on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City asking God to send some spiritually hungry souls my way, just as I finished the prayer, I noticed a young woman walking towards me. I handed her a tract and began a conversation. After a few moments she told me that she was searching for spiritual truth. We spoke some more, and after a while she responded to my invitation to pray a prayer of repentance and put her faith in Jesus. She bowed her head and prayed to be saved. Praise the Lord! VOLUNTEERS SING & SHARE Another experience was in a Jewish area of Pittsburgh called Squirrel Hill. My co-worker handed a tract to an orthodox Jewish man. This man began to berate us for wanting to talk to him about Jesus. He finished by saying we should not be in his area. I responded by saying; "Thank God we live in America." He agreed with this. Immediately after this confrontation, I started a conversation with a Russian Jewish couple, who had been in America ten months. They were wonderfully open to the Gospel. Later that week I visited their home and gave them a Russian Bible and a Gospel presentation. Please pray for the closed Orthodox man and for this open Jewish couple (Sam & Mooshka M.) At a ball game in Pittsburgh, a volunteer and I were able to hand out 1,750 tracts in 1 1/4 hours. I lost seven pounds during the campaign, so if any of you would like to be part of an evangelism weight loss program let me know, and I will inform you when we are having our next campaign. PERSONAL INSIGHTS Standing on street corners handing out tracts, gives me interesting insights. I experienced my inadequacy to reach the mass of people or individuals without the help of the Lord. This caused me to recognize my dependence upon the Lord. Many people had a spirit of self sufficiency that appeared to leave no room for God. It was hard not to be overwhelmed with the secular spirit of these people. It took faith to remember that God is able to convert whomever He wants. As the people went by I prayed for God to empty these so that they realized their need for HIM. I asked God to increase my love for those going by. I noticed when I did this that more people took tracts and I experienced a genuine warmth towards these stranger. ROB MEISEL Rob is a Jewish believer from Ann Arbor, MI. Rob worked with me full time during the week in Pittsburgh. He was dedicated and enthusiastic. The following is one of his experiences; "Gary, a Reformed Jew, came up and asked me, 'Do you think a Jew can believe that Jesus is the Messiah and remain Jewish.' I said yes and explained that a Jew is a descendant of Abraham and that what one believes doesn't change that. Gary said that he didn't believe in a personal Messiah but in n Messianic Age." Pray that God will show Gary who Jesus really is and his need to believe in Him. DIFFERENT FORMS OF EVANGELISM USED Beside literature distribution, we tried different styles of evangelism. These included preaching, singing, gospel parades and surveys. These different forms of evangelism were liberating for us and brought several good conversations and contacts with people. VOLUNTEERS & CHURCHES Praise the Lord for the following people, organizations, and churches who helped us with the Campaigns; Dan Ditter, Ray Frantz, Bruce Whisner, Bob Whisher, Rob Meisel (full time volunteer), Duncan Seidel, Ramon Lopez, Diane Shirley, John Van Eyk, Michael Hahalyak, Jim & Donna Smith, Margaret, Jews for Jesus, Proclamation Presb., Chelsea Baptist, Third Reform Presb., and Vantage Color Printing. 1993 JOPPA CAMPAIGN JOPPA is a cooperative group of ministries and congregations involved in Jewish evangelism in the Philadelphia area. We held a joint witnessing campaign in July. I co-led the campaign. There were 21 volunteers involved, 21,000 tracts were distributed, the Gospel presented to 110 people, and there also were 3 new Jewish contacts. One of these contacts is named Joseph. I have spoken to him several times since the campaign. He is only slightly open to the Gospel and needs your prayers PRAY FOR SALVATION 1. Hillard A., a retired Jewish man who has emotional problems. He is living in a homeless shelter in center city Philadelphia and is willing to study the Bible. I have met with him two times already. 2. Joseph A., a retired entertainer. In the past he was not interested in God, but he is now slightly open to learning about Him. I have met with him once. Please prayer that God will create a spiritual hunger in Joseph's heart. 3. Horace B., was referred to us by a co-worker. Horace, while being operated on, had a vision of Jesus. He is an orthodox Jew and is beginning to doubt his experience. I am in contact with Horace and he is willing to receive literature. Pray that he will agree to meet with me for Bible study. UPDATE 11/16/93 from Ron Elkin I am now doing weekly street preaching in downtown Philadelphia. I'm using persuasive sound bites to encourage the passersby to recognize their accountability to the living Creator God. On the first day of this new ministry, Oct 19, 1993, an 84-year-young Jewish man accepted the Lord. Please pray for Joe A.'s spiritual growth. He has already met me twice for discipleship training! I am also planning a week long campaign in Pittsburgh during the week preceding the All Star game there on July 12, 1994. The campaign will run from July 3-July 12. We are looking for 8 full time campaigners who have a burden to reach the Jews with the Good News of Messiah Jesus, and feel called by God, to work as missionaries. If people are interested they can contact me. We are a faith mission dependent on the giving of the saints. Donations to AMMI are tax deductible as a charitable donation. We also are in need of a copier, computer hardware and software. For more information on AMMI or Jewish evangelism, contact Ron Elkin at: AMMI MINISTRY P.O. Box 27576 Philadelphia PA. 19118 (215) 843-7964 INTERNET: rone2@aol.com * Ketuvim is one of the divisions of the Jewish Scriptures. It means "writings". The other divisions would be the Torah (Law) and the Niv'im (Prophets). The Jews take the first couple letters of each division and call the whole Bible the Tenach. Te = Torah na = Niv'iim ch = Ketuvim (transliterated Hebrew) Testimony Testimony GOD MAKES BAD THINGS GOOD By Karen Edwards Centreville, Virginia I was raised in a non-Christian home where my dad physically, emotionally and verbally abused me. As an infant, I learned to walk with a belt. Whenever I would fall down, my dad would stand me up, spank me with a belt and tell me to walk. I grew up being my dad's punching bag. He would hit me either with his fists, or with his belt or sometimes kick me. Because of my dad's behavior, I felt I was the most awful kid alive. My dad was an army officer, and I guess he brought some of that over in his childrearing. When I was a teen, he accused me of sleeping with boys when all the time I hadn't even kissed a boy. I didn't know much about sex, and it hurt me to have my dad say these things to me. I was a good kid, tried to do right and not get into trouble, but I was very unhappy. In high school I met a guy that told me he loved me. We did love each other as much as young people can. We got engaged and I slept with him. I didn't know what was going on at first, but I needed someone to love me. I ended up pregnant. Abortion was not legal back in 1971, but somehow my dad had a doctor at the hospital provide one. My dad told me if I did not get the abortion, he would never let me see my mom or sister again. I'm close to my mom and sister, so I went along with him and had it done. Now I felt guilt on top of feeling like I was the most rotten person on earth. A few months later, I eloped with this young man. About a year after this, I gave my heart to Jesus. My husband didn't know Jesus, and I didn't preach or push him. Because he didn't like church, I didn't go either. About four years after we eloped, I had a beautiful baby girl. What a joy she was to me. But not to my husband. He did not care for children and was jealous of the time I spent with her. I tried to spend a lot of time with him too, because I didn't want him to feel left out. He would tell me over the years that he wished we had never had a child. That use to tear my heart in two. He even asked me to give her away to my parents. My husband would spend a lot of time at work, and he'd come home and tell me about the females he worked with and he wondered what they were like in bed. He would tell me how pretty he thought some of them were. That used to hurt me so much. I had so much stress and strain in my life, that I finally cracked up. I went into a deep depression. I would sit and rock myself staring at a wall for hours. I cried a lot and I slept a lot. I couldn't eat because I thought I would choke on the food and die. I just could not function. I was seeing a doctor and a Psychiatrist. After a while, my doctors told me they were getting ready to put me into a mental institution. They thought I was too far gone for them to help me. They did not put me on any medication, they did not believe in it. They thought it would only mask the problem I was going through. One night my husband was at work and my daughter was upstairs sleeping, when I felt evil all around me. I was walking around the house crying and screaming. I called my husband, and he told me to stop acting silly. I knew I had to somehow occupy my mind. I looked at the TV Guide and saw that Billy Graham was on. As I turned on the TV, I saw a demon across the room. He began to come toward me, and as he approached, I saw myself committing suicide. I was screaming "NO NO", and when he got right up to me, he disappeared. I knew I had to kill myself, I could not go on living the way I was. I was so scared. I started screaming, "Jesus, help me, Help me, Jesus!". I looked up at the ceiling and a bright light filled the livingroom. A shadow of a man came through my ceiling, wrapped His arms around me, and told me that everything would be okay. I have never felt such love, peace, caring, and warmth. I fell asleep and when I woke up, I was calm and happy. The light was still in the livingroom. It was as if Jesus was saying, "Yes, I was here". I got better day by day. My doctors were amazed. I got a job, and for the first time started to feel really good about myself. My mind was healed, I could work and was needed, and I was a good mother. My husband and I still were not getting along. He still would tell me he wished we had never had a kid, he wanted it to be the two of us like it used to be. One day he told our daughter he hated her and wished she were never born. She was eleven years old at the time. My daughter and I went out apartment hunting. We found a little two bedroom apartment, and I was crying on the way home telling her that I couldn't move into that little place. I loved my four bedroom house. My daughter spoke words of wisdom to me. She said, "Mom, a home isn't how big a house is. We will be happy, have lots of love, and good times in the apartment, and that's what being a family and having a home is." We turned around and went back and signed a lease on the apartment. We were both happy and so much calmer in that little apartment. I could not sit by and watch my husband abuse our daughter and after a while my husband and I were divorced. I recognize God hates divorce. If we repent we know that He forgives our sins. And over the years God has shown His love and mercy towards us. One way was the Lord showed that mercy was that He brought a wonderful Christian man into my life. We'll be married 5 years, this December 31st. He loves my daughter and she loves him. They don't call each other "steps." She's his daughter, and to her, he's dad. The Lord brings good things out of bad. Even the child abuse I went through has worked out good, because it has made me a stronger person, and I think a better mother. A lot of people say being abused will make you abuse your children. I think because of this I worked harder to be a good mother. The Lord has brought women into my life going through depression, and I have been able with God's help to help and talk with these women. Praise Jesus, He's so good to us! Readers may reach Karen Edwards through Internet email at: karenkay@aol.com Education Education SEVEN VALUES FOR PARENTS TO LIVE BY By Dr. Paul A. Kienel Executive Director Association of Christian Schools International Speaking of children, the Psalmist David said, ". . . blessed is the man that hath his quiver full of them..." (Psalm 127:5). David also said, "Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord" (Psalm 127:3). In other words, children are God-given treasures to be loved and cherished by their parents. If you are like me, nothing on this earth compares in value to one's family. I find the older I get, the more treasured my family becomes. Permit me to share some values that have been important to me in thirty-five years of parenting. 1) ENCOURAGEMENT: Children need encouragement every day. Most children need twice as much encouragement as they need correction and reproof. Children, being children, need clear direction and sometimes firm discipline but when children respond to discipline or when they do anything or say anything that is commendable, they need to hear words of support and commendation by loving parents and teachers. It is amazing how children remember encouraging words. In the not too distant future when you are a few years older than you are today, you might receive a "payday note" such as I received recently from our middle daughter, Colleen Kausrud, mother of two of our four grandchildren. She wrote: Dad - I wish now when I was home I had realized how much you did and how much you cared about me. But I haven't forgotten. Even now you make me feel so good about myself and my family. Thanks for all the encouragement and support. It doesn't go unnoticed. - Colleen Do not underestimate the power of parental praise and well-timed words of encouragement to your children. 2) SLOW TO ANGER: The Roman philosopher Seneca said, "The greatest cure for anger is delay." Centuries before Seneca lived, Solomon wrote, "the discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, and his glory is to overlook a transgression" (Proverbs 19:11). Anger is a natural emotional response to irritation and children are specialists at irritation. Children will make their parents angry from time to time but Solomon says we are to control our emotions and not snap in anger at every irritation of our youngsters. As you well know, that is easier said than done. 3) ENTHUSIASM: Emerson wrote, "Nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm." If life in your family is boring to you as a parent, you can count on it, it will be even more boring to your children. It is up to parents to generate enthusiasm for day to day family activity and for special family events. If your heart and your mind are not focused on your family, there will be a corresponding lack of enthusiasm in your children. 4) EXAMPLES OF FAITH: Your children need to hear you pray and demonstrate your need to trust God. They need to know that God is your Father in Heaven and that you depend on Him for guidance and for the basic provisions of life. Pray for miracles to happen in your family. Much of my own faith today harkens back to bona fide miracles which happened on a regular basis in my childhood. Nothing will do more to add spiritual stability to your children than your own solid faith in God and God's miraculous provision for your family's needs. 5) GENEROSITY: We know that "God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7). God is our mentor and example for everything including our generosity. Therefore, our own children should see our pleasure in our giving good gifts to them. If you have made your personal needs "priority one" and you are the major recipient of your family's material blessings, your children will develop a similar selfish pattern in their adult years. Balance, of course, is necessary when giving to your children but it's God's pattern to lean forward with an open hand. 6) COURAGE: Parenting requires courage. Your household is no place for "wimpish" parents. Push-over parents will be pushed over. As long as mankind has existed there has been a child/parent test of wills and loving parents, under God, must win! Fathers must take the lead. There is nothing more pathetic than a fully grown father who hasn't the inner fortitude to carry out his role as leader of his family. Mother-run-families, created sometimes by default and sometimes by necessity, often have a down-range negative impact on children ... especially on boys. There is a normal God-given, chain-of-command for families - God, father, mother and children. Many of us have survived outside the normal pattern but it is not without difficulty. Pray for courage. Don't be at home without it! 7) RESPECT YOUR OWN PARENTS: Your children are observing how you personally regard your own parents and your "in-law" parents - which, of course, are your children's grandparents. As you get older your children will likely treat you much in the same manner as you treated your elders. Moses said, "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land . . ." (Exodus 20:12). We often quote that verse to children but it applies to adults as well. Raising your family to bring honor to Christ should be your priority mission in life. It has been for my wife Annie and me and we have no regrets. It's simply God's way of doing things. Prison Ministry Prison Ministry THE CHRISTIAN'S RESPONSE TO SEX OFFENDERS By Tim Slevin Prison life is risky business for the sex offender. Having survived the experience even coming through it healed and, finally, at peace I'd like to share some of my thoughts. Christians in prison have a particular responsibility to reach out to sex offenders. We know that they are not the inhuman, cartoon-like figures of evil that society makes them out to be. If we are to treat them as Jesus would have us treat them as human beings made in the image of God we must think differently. We must display three qualities: understanding, hope, and compassion. We must try to understand, for instance, that anyone who would abuse a child was probably a victim of some form of abuse. Child molesters almost always have passed on to others the evil inflicted on themselves. By the time I turned seven, my mother had been molesting me for several years. When I was eleven my father walked out on us. Just about that time I was molested again this time by a neighbor. Before I reached my teens, I had lost almost any sense of being good and deserving love. I believed tragically that the primary way to connect with people who might give me love was through my sexuality. I thought I had to purchase affection at a terrible price. I spent years trying to bury and forget the pain. But finally I poured it out into the lives of innocent children. I found myself in prison. I was guilty. I deserved to be behind bars. But before I was guilty, I was also a victim. It is exactly this truth that we must understand before we can bring the sex offender close to the healing power of Christ. But understanding is only the beginning. We must also live lives of hope rooted in the belief that God can cure all ills; that He can, as one spiritual writer puts it, "make all things well" again even the life of a sex offender. When we live lives of Christian hope, we often find ourselves at odds with others who either do not believe that God can change people, or who are so wrapped up in their own anger and pain that they don't want to believe. But if my life means anything, it means healing is possible and that hope in God is not wasted energy. In the three years since my release, I've been able to live a normal, happy life despite the difficulties every ex-offender has to face. Just recently I was released from my parole status two years early after being told three years ago not to expect any slack because of the nature of my offense. I've made new friends and have not grown bitter over old ones who remain silent. And I've found through a Christian relationship with a beautiful woman a part of me that I thought had been destroyed in my youth. This healing, this "amazing grace," came to me in prison, partly through the first normal adult male friendship I had ever experienced. A friend who showed me compassion. He did not judge me. He accepted me and looked beyond my past toward my future. I learned through his compassionate friendship that it is less important to try to change minds by some theological argument than it is to change hearts by showing concern. Changing hearts by living the Gospel is the real thing and much more difficult. It is the way of compassion. Understanding, hope, and compassion. All of us need them not just sex offenders. And to these qualities I have to add a fourth: disinterest in results. Don't look for praise or gratitude for being understanding. Don't fear criticism for showing compassion. Just sow the seeds of Jesus' love and leave the harvest to Him who lets His sun shine and His rain fall on all of us His children. Reprinted from INSIDE JOURNAL "The Hometown Newspaper of America's Prisoners" by PRISON FELLOWSHIP P.O. Box 16429 Washington DC 20041-6429 Music Music Through out the history of the Church, there has been aberrant teaching which has become accepted as Biblical. One of the most insidious has been the view that the Church is "Spiritual Israel." This position holds that Israel, because of the rejection of Christ Jesus, lost its place as God's chosen people. All the promises made to Israel now belong to the Church. This is not the teaching of Scripture. And this teaching has done great damage. It needs to be refuted because it is bad theology. It is non-biblical because it gives an inaccurate view of God, Israel and the Church. It is dangerous because it has been used to support Anti-Semitic attacks on Jews individually and as a nation. In this issue of MORNING STAR we present the third and final segment of our 3-part article from Wayne Hilsden, on this false theological system, its problems and the true position of Scripture. The Jewish people are still the Chosen People. THE CHURCH AND ISRAEL An Explanation of Replacement Theology Part 3 of a 3-part article by Wayne Hilsden A transcript from an address given at the I.C.C.C. Shalom Israel Conference Hyatt Hotel, Jerusalem - 13th June, 1992 GOD IS JUST MERCIFUL Why hasn't Replacement Theology died once and for all? How can it be that in recent years that it be actually gaining a wider following - very strange! The answer is this, I believe, it is my humble opinion, that Replacement Theology appears to be logical and consistent with God's justice. Replacement Theology asks the logical question "how could a just God contradict His own nature by bringing back the Jews to their own land?" After God banished the Jews into exile, the vast majority of the Jewish people still haven't changed their stiff-necked ways and accepted Jesus as Messiah and besides that the State of Israel was established by atheists and at best agnostics, secular Zionists, certainly not the redeemed of the Lord. Besides that, look at the way the Jews are treating the Palestinians, cheating them of their property, denying them their rights, threatening their children at gun point, now how could a just God be party to such injustice? Now that is a very logical question. It is a very good question to ask. It is only logical to conclude that a just God could not bring back to Jews to the land and re-establish a political state under these circumstances and at the same time God be true to His character of justice. Now I have to admit that as sympathetic as I am to the Jewish people and having lived here for nine years and having a greater love for this people and a greater love for this land than I had when I first came, as sympathetic as I am, I do not condone every policy of the Government of Israel or the policy of the Israel Defence Forces. There are some injustices that are taking place in this land and I can't deny that. I do believe, however, that most of them are blown out of proportion most of the time because we only hear that side of the story. We forget about the other side. On the other hand I am not naive and I do see injustice and my heart breaks for many people who suffer at the hands of unjust policies. Yet we must never forget one important fact, while God is a God of justice, he is also a God of mercy. The Apostle Paul answers those who I am sure ask similar logical questions concerning Israel's election. Turn to Romans 9:14-16. These are not new questions, Paul had to address them in his day. Paul says, "what then shall we say, is God unjust, not at all. For he says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.'". A just God who is a merciful God. DO WE DESERVE SALVATION? I would like to ask every Christian who believes in Replacement Theology "Did God save you because you deserved that salvation or because you earned it?" No, we all need to be reminded of Paul's words in Ephesians 2:8, "for it is by grace you have been saved through faith, this is not from yourselves it is the gift of God." If the Lord only saved good people, how many of us in this room today would be saved? I ask you that question. Israel may not deserve to be restored to her ancient home land but neither do you or I deserve to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. God has chosen Israel in spite of Israel. Just as He has chosen me in spite of me. He has chosen you in spite of you. Israel is especially called of God. Speaking of those who are yet unredeemed Israel, (Jews who still do not believe), Paul said to those in the Church of his day, who believed that God was finished with Israel (Romans 11:28-31), as far as the Gospel is concerned they are enemies on your account but as far as election is concerned they are loved on account of the patriarches, on account of the covenants, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, for God's gifts and His call are irrevocable." What does irrevocable mean? That they don't change. He puts it in place and it stays. The law is the law. God says this is the way it is going to be and that is the way it is going to be. God elected Abraham, God elected Isaac and Jacob. God has elected the Jewish people. Like it or not that is what God has done. He goes on to say this in the same passage and he is talking primarily here in the book of Romans to Gentiles. He says this, "just as you Gentiles who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their (that is the Jews) disobedience, so they too (the Jews) have become disobedient in order that they too may receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you." Do you follow his argument there? The reason you and I are saved, we who are Gentiles, the way God brought that about is he allowed the Jewish people to become disobedient in order that we would receive the revelation of God through Jesus and we got that through God's mercy. We did not deserve it either, we were stiff-necked people. If it happened once that way it is going to happen again that way and the Jews who are just like you Gentiles in their stiff-neckedness are going to receive the same kind of mercy you received. It is going to happen just the same way. Paul talks in that passage about an olive tree that has natural branches and it has unnatural branches and we Gentiles are those unnatural strange branches that get grafted back in the olive tree. Paul goes on to say, if God could graft us in to some foreign tree how much easier is it going to be to take the natural branches that really belong in that tree to be grafted back in. It is going to happen through mercy just like it happened to the Gentiles. It is going to happen. God's gifts and call are irrevocable. He doesn't change His mind. Yes God is just and He must punish the unrighteous. I am not watering down the justice of God today, I am not saying He is just one day and He is not just the next. He has to punish unrighteousness we know that. God can't be God unless He is true to His character of justice. But I want to announce to you today in case you didn't know that God has already metered His justice. God Himself provided the atoning sacrifice to take the punishment upon Himself that we all deserve whether we be Jew or Gentile. Paul says in Romans Chapter 5:8 while we were still sinners Christ died for us. While we were still sinners Christ died for us. He died that we might not have to die, we may not have to be forsaken and rejected of God. So God didn't save us after we got our act together, after we started living a righteous and holy life, no God in His grace and mercy and as a result of His sovereign election took the initiative and saved us. ALL ISRAEL WILL BE SAVED So why should we think that God will treat His chosen people Israel any differently than He does the rest of us? The re-grafting of Israel is already happening. In the last 25 years or so we have begun to see a revival among the Jewish people. Strangely enough since the establishment of the State of Israel and particularly since 1967 when Jerusalem was reunited as a city. I don't have time to go into the Scriptures concerning this but it is no accident that this revival that is beginning to take place is now taking place after those very significant events. Some very good sources of statistics are that as many as 300,000 Jews around the world have in these last two decades accepted Jesus as their Messiah and Lord. Now if you think it is harder for a Jew to believe than a non-Jew its wrong. I just happens to be that there aren't many Jews in the world today so 300,000 doesn't sound like much but when you look at it as a percentage with the total population of Jews, it is one of the highest per capita rates in the whole world of any ethnic group, remember that. It is a lot easier to graft in a natural branch than an unnatural branch. What makes me so sure that God will remove the hardening of hearts from the Jewish people? First of all we are told in Romans 11:26 that their hardening is only in part, and it will only stay in this condition according to that verse until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. Yes, that is what it says. Paul tells us in the following verse that when that day comes "All Israel will be saved." I can tell you it means a revival of some sort and we are on the verge I believe of this fulfillment of prophecy. PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL RESTORATION This revelation concerning Israel's future spiritual restoration, not just a physical return to the land but a spiritual return or restoration is prophesied in so many places and I could go on. I want to look at one right now from Ezekiel 36:25-27. God says "I will sprinkle clean water on you and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in your. I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh and I will put my spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws." This mini-revival that we are seeing today is only a first fruits given as a guarantee of a greater harvest yet to come. God is going to cleanse the impurities. He is going to give a new heart and new spirit. God is going to bring about a spiritual restoration of the Jewish people. So this specific chronology of events is one of the main reasons why the return of the Jewish people to this land and the founding of the State of Israel is so meaningful to us. You see as this physical restoration is taking place we are seeing living proof that Israel's spiritual restoration is just around the corner and not only is that good news for them, the Jewish people, but is good news for you and I who are Gentile for Paul tells us in Romans 11:15 "for if their (Jewish people's) rejection is the reconciliation of the world what will their acceptance be but life from the dead." THE SECOND COMING The world is changing at break neck speed. Who would ever have guessed that only three years ago the Berlin wall would come tumbling down and that the Soviet Empire, that dominant force, that so-called super power in the world would come crashing to its knees? Who could have imagined that? Who can predict what the world will look like three years from today if we even have that long? One thing we know is that the greatest event is yet to take place and that is our Lord's Second Coming and it will happen in close proximity to Israel's physical and spiritual restoration. Psalm 102:16 seems to make this connection between the return of the Lord and the restoration of Israel. It says "for the Lord has built up Zion, He has appeared in His glory." The building up of Zion, Zion the literal place, this land of Israel, the city of Jerusalem, when it is built up or having been built up He will appear in His glory. Zechariah 12:10 speaks; of the coming of the Lord happening on a day when Jewish people are once again living in Jerusalem and he describes this event this way. "I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and impurities." Finally Paul makes the connection between the physical and spiritual restoration of Israel and the coming of the Lord when he says in Romans 11: 26-27 and so all Israel will be saved as it is written, the deliverer will come from Zion, He will turn godlessness away from Jacob and this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins." Do you believe the Lord is coming back? Do you believe He is coming back soon? If you believe that, then long for or should I even say aid the restoration of Israel. There is a connection between those two wonderful events. I am not an idolater, I don't worship Israel. I worship the Lord Jesus. That is the greatest event. Jesus coming again and seeing Him face to face and living with Him forever and ever. Part of the package is the restoration of Israel and that excites me too. As we see these events take place, the coming of the Lord is just around the corner. Concerning this point, the implications of Replacement Theology are frightening. Think of this point. If God has changed His mind concerning His promises to Israel and He has replaced Israel with the Church then how can we be sure He hasn't changed His mind about His promise to send Jesus back to earth the second time? Think about that one. Our hearts tell us, the Spirit of God tells us, that He is coming again. The Bible teaches that it is crystal clear that He is coming again. He has to come, the Bible tells us, to bring restoration to the People of Israel. He is actually going to set up His Kingdom on a piece of real estate. Unless you want to allegorize a lot of Scripture it is on this piece of real estate (the Land of Israel). WATCH AND PRAY Replacement Theology is a deception of the devil. It appeals to the flesh but it is a deception of the devil. God loves Israel so much so that He sent His Son to die for Israel while they were yet sinners, just like you and I were yet sinners when He saved us. I am excited about what God is going to do and one of the most effective ways that we could aid in these events that are yet to take place concerning the people of Israel is to pray. I want to read one Scripture in relation to what I believe is prayer and the ministry of prayer. Isaiah 62:6-7 "On your walls Oh Jerusalem I have appointed Watchmen all day and all night. They will not keep silent. You who remind the Lord take no rest for yourselves and give Him no rest until He establishes and makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth." The Lord bless you and thank you for being able to share my heart with you today. Chef's Corner Chef's Corner Tired of the long hours in the kitchen during the holidays? The following are quick and appetizing dishes to prepare. MEAL IN ONE CASSEROLE - Prepare 3 cups mashed potatoes according to package or boil potatoes until done and then mash them. Brown 1 1/2 pounds chicken (or beef) with 1/2 cup chopped onion and drain off fat. Add 1 can cream of mushroom soup and 1 can vegetable soup, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 can (16 oz.) drained green beans and 1 cup cooked/sliced carrots. Pour into a 12 x 9 inch baking dish. Spoon mashed potatoes on top of casserole. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-30 minutes. Yield: 8 servings. IMPOSSIBLE ZUCCHINI AND TOMATO PIE - Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 10 inch quiche dish or 10x1 1/2 inch pie plate. Sprinkle 2 cups chopped zucchini, 1 cup chopped tomatoes, 1/2 cup chopped onion, and 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese in pan. Beat 1 1/2 cup milk, 3/4 cup Bisquick, 3 eggs, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper until smooth (15 seconds in blender on high or 1 minute with hand beater). Pour over ingredients; bake until knife in center comes out clean. Bake about 30 minutes; cool for 5 minutes. Yield: 6 servings. BROCCOLI-CHICKEN-CHEESE CASSEROLE - Cook 2 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen broccoli spears, thawed, until tender; drain and arrange in 12x8x2 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 cup to 2 cups cooked chicken or turkey, cut into strips or cubed; set aside. In saucepan, melt 1/4 cup margarine; blend in 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 tsp. salt until smooth and bubbly. Dissolve 2 chicken bouillon cubes in 2 cups hot water. Gradually stir the bouillon into the flour mixture until smooth. Stir over low heat until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese and 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce until cheese melts. Pour over chicken and broccoli. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until hot. Yield: 4 to 6 servings. CREATE A CASSEROLE - Use tuna, canned shrimp, crab, or salmon. Cook 4 to 5 ounces of your favorite pasta according to directions; drain and set aside. Combine 1/2 cup mayonnaise with 1/2 cup milk or dry white wine. Stir in a can of condensed cream soup (mushroom, celery, or shrimp). Add a handful of shredded cheese (American-Swiss). Add 1/2 teaspoon seasoning (curry powder, dry mustard, or dill weed, or your favorite). Combine the preceding in a 1 1/2 quart casserole. Sprinkle with a crunchy topping (buttered crumbs, cracker crumbs, French fried onions, or crushed potato chips). Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, uncovering the last 5 minutes. BEEF CASSEROLE - Put all of the following ingredients in a roasting pan; 4 1/2 lb. beef stew meat (1 inch cubes), 2 tablespoons wine vinegar, 2 cans onion soup, 1 soup can water, 2 bay leaves, 1/2 cup catsup, salt and pepper to taste, 2 tablespoons tapioca, and 2 beef bouillon cubes. Bake at 275 degrees for 4 hours. (Can be cooked during afternoon) Serve on noodle ring with chef salad and rolls. Use 8 ounce package of 1/2 inch noodles, cooked and drained, then placed in serving bowl with 1 tablespoon butter and 1/4 cup water. Yield: 10 servings. SPINACH AND ARTICHOKE CASSEROLE - Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease casserole. Cook 2 (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach and 1 pkg. frozen or jar of artichokes according to directions on packages; drain well. To cooked spinach, add 1/2 cup melted butter, 1 (8 oz.) softened cream cheese and 1 tsp. lemon juice. Blend together. Place artichokes in bottom of casserole; add spinach mixture. Top with cracker crumbs; dot with butter and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. HAMBURGER-BEAN CASSEROLE - Brown 1 lb. ground beef and 1/2 lb. bacon; drain and dice bacon. Drain 1 can lima beans (2 cups), 1 can butter beans, and 1 can kidney beans. Mix all beans and 1 can pork 'n beans with beef and bacon. Combine 3/4 cup brown sugar, 3/4 cup ketchup, 1 large diced onion, 2 tsp. vinegar, and 2 tsp. mustard and add to bean mixture. Mix sell. Pour into casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Yield: 4 to 6 servings. LASAGNE: QUICK STYLE - This recipe calls for 12 lasagna uncooked noodles. Cream 1 lb. Ricotta or cottage cheese; add 2 eggs, slightly beaten, 1 tsp. parsley flakes, 1/4 tsp. pepper, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Mix thoroughly. Fry 1 lb. ground beef until browned; pour off grease and add to 1 quart spaghetti sauce. Cover bottom of 13x9 inch pan with sauce; put layer of uncooked noodles. Cover with cheese filling; cover with sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese to taste. Continue until pan is full. Last layer should be sauce and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. Yield: 4 to 6 servings. PIZZA DOUGH - Dissolve 1 pkg. yeast in 1 cup warm water; stir in 1 tsp. sugar, 2 tablespoons salad oil, 2 1/2 cups flour and 1 tsp. salt. Beat vigorously about 20 strokes. Allow dough to rest for 5 minutes. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Spread dough on lightly greased sheet. Spread on sauce and toppings. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until brown and bubbly. REAL GOOD COOKIES: delicious with all of the above - Cream together: 2 cups butter, 2 cups sugar and 2 cups brown sugar. Add 4 eggs and 2 tsp. vanilla. Mix together 4 cups flour and 5 cups five minute oatmeal. Put oatmeal in blender and blend until find like flour. Mix 1 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. baking powder, and 2 tsp. baking soda. Mix all ingredients together; add 24 ounces chocolate chips, one 8 ounce chocolate candy bar, finely grated, and 3 cups chopped nuts. Drop on ungreased sheet (golf ball size). Bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. This recipe makes a lot of cookies. I cut this recipe in half. NO-BAKE COOKIES - Bring to a rolling boil: 2 cups white sugar, 3 tablespoons cocoa, 1/4 lb. margarine, and 1/2 cup milk. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Stir in: 1/2 cup peanut butter, 1 tsp. vanilla, and 3 cups quick oatmeal. Drop on wax paper. APPLE MUFFINS - Sift together 3 1/2 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. baking soda, and 1 tsp. cinnamon; set aside. Combine 2 eggs, 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil, and 1 tsp. vanilla and add to dry ingredients, stirring until moistened. Fold in 3 cups peeled, finely chopped apples and 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans. Fill greased and floured or paper lined muffin tins 1/2 full. Bake 20 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Yield: 24 muffins. Press On Press On PRESS ON By Mike Wilkerson "Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with Him, we will also live with Him. If we endure, we will also reign with Him. If we disown Him, He will also disown us; If we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He cannot disown Himself" (2 Timothy 2:1-13). The apostle Paul wrote these words to Timothy. Timothy was the pastor of a local church during a time when the it was facing persecution. Paul gave Timothy instructions to pass on to faithful men. These men were in turn to teach others. This is a message which can still provide direction for those who follow Christ as His disciples. As Christians, we need to press on toward the hope of our calling in Christ. He died to save us from sin so that we would follow Him for the remainder of our days. We receive Christ's death on the cross as atonement for our sins. Therefore, when we, as believers, die in Him, we will certainly live with Him. "For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God" (1 Peter 1:23). This life with Him begins when we receive Christ as savior. We do not have to wait until we die and go to heaven to enjoy the benefits of life with Him. While we live, we are responsible to endure for Him, through suffering and temptation. "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him" (James 1:12). Since we hope to reign with Christ, we want to stay close to Him and receive His blessing. It is possible that those Christians who are being tempted or persecuted might choose to disown the Lord in order to take an easier road. To them, the warning is given: "If we disown Him, He will also disown us" (2 Timothy 2:12). This does not mean that the Lord will not save someone that disowns Him. The apostle Peter did so at Jesus' trial, yet he repented and was saved. This verse indicates that if a child of God denies that he belongs to Jesus, he will not have the testimony or the blessings that go with being God's child. He will need to repent in order to have his fellowship with God restored. God is faithful, and He knows those who belong to Him. Jesus said, "and this is the will of Him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that He has given me, but raise them up at the last day" (John 6:39). Even if a Christian is unfaithful to God, God will not be unfaithful, for He will not deny Himself or act against His own will. This should give every Christian assurance of God's mercy and goodness. Although there are some who would try to use this as a license to sin and be unfaithful to God, the truth of this scripture is that God is greater than our sin. It is God's great nature that commands our respect and our faithfulness. Therefore, we should live our lives in such a way as to please Him, knowing that we live in Him. And it is unto Him we must dedicate our lives. Let us patiently endure the trials we face because we belong to Him. International Mission Field Mission Field CHINA - IN THE HEART OF REVIVAL From NEWS BRIEF Information and events affecting Christians living under persecution A publication of OPEN DOORS with Brother Andrew Join an OPEN DOORS courier in China as he meets with house church leaders on a visit this past summer. The City: SHANGHAI Q. How are you able to share Jesus in your situation? A. Mostly we share during our rest times [on the job], or in the evenings we will visit with brothers and sisters and friends. Q. Sister C, how did you become a Christian? A. My family is Christian and I led my husband to the Lord. Before we got married I preached the gospel to him for seven years. After this, he came to the Lord. Q. How many Christians are in your church in Shanghai? A. In the house church meetings we will have 7 or 8 people sometimes up to 15. We have to hide, for if we are discovered we will get into trouble. At the house meeting we invite friends and preach the gospel to them. God is really blessing us. Sometimes we preach in the factory at lunchtime, and sometimes at the hospital to the patients. God's revelation is in our presence; He shows us the way. Even though our group is small, we know how to be a witness to God. Our vision is that each brother or sister should be a pastor to a group. Each person has a different task. If the people know how to serve one another, then the church will grow quickly. Our greatest need is Bibles and study materials. Q. When you receive Bibles, how do you decide who to give them to? A. We first challenge people to see if they really are a Christian. If they have a real need, then we will give them a Bible, whether or not they are part of our group. These books belong to God, and these believers are brothers and sisters. Q. Do you have a message for the U.S.? A. Pray for us! Ask God to allow our nation to preach the gospel peacefully, so we can serve Him according to His will. Pray that China will go like Russia, when the door was opened. The Countryside: ANHUI PROVINCE, central China Q. How many people are in your churches? A. I am an itinerant missionary and take care of churches in 31 counties. The number in each church differs, but the biggest has 1000 and the smallest has 8-10 people. The average is around 200. Through your prayers, the church is experiencing much more revival. Q. How many meetings do you have a week? A. Some churches just meet once a week, but the majority meet on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Some have meetings every day, where they will sing, pray and share a sermon. Meetings usually last 1-2 hours, but sometimes 4-5 hours. Q. Is the church as persecuted in central China as in Shanghai? A. Yes, there are still many persecutions. In one place, the Public Security Bureau arrested believers at a meeting and gave them a huge fine. They have only just been released; they are farmers and have no money. Q. Do you still go into new areas to preach? A. I have been in Anhui for seven years. When I arrived, 95% of the people I knew were from the Three-Self churches. We started house fellowships in one county at a time. Now there are so many that I cannot visit all of them. I bring together the leaders from four or five counties at a time and we work together. Recently we received the Study Bible from you; it is so precious to us. Q. Is God at work through miracles? A. You can divide miracles into many kinds: the sick healed, people saved, signs and wonders. In April, 20 or 30 believers were going home from one of our meetings, when an eight-ton truck suddenly ran over one of the sisters. Her bicycle was smashed and you could see the tire track across her clothes, but she just stood up and brushed herself off. The truck driver was scared. Later, one of the church leaders who saw the accident contacted the driver and reassured him that he would not be sued. He soon came to Christ. One brother was in prison three months for holding meetings, and he led 11 of the prisoners to the Lord. This changed the spiritual atmosphere inside the prison. One man accepted the Lord eight days before he was to be executed. On the day before his execution, he wrote on the wall, "For those who enter the prison will see the kingdom of God." The morning of his execution he prayed, shook hands with the pastor and said, "God sent you here so that I can go to heaven." Q. Does fear of the authorities keep people from accepting Christ? A. No, we're not afraid of political pressure. Just recently we received some books from you and two people were caught. Now they have been released and we even got the books back. In order to avoid persecution, sometimes we will have a meeting at midnight or from 3 a.m. until sunrise. A lot of believers will come. If we have persecution, then we will pray all night. Q. What can we do materially to help you? A. We need training and teaching materials. Also, we have been in the printing ministry for eight years, but the whole time we have just trusted God for what we needed. We can't print too much or we will get into trouble. Also, with the limitations of our duplicator, we can only print 1500 copies from each stencil, and then the page must be retyped. It takes two hours to type each page, and we must hide what we have produced. Better equipment would help, but it has to be very small so we can hide it easily. Through your prayers and gifts, OPEN DOORS is able to help the believers of China in many ways. Thank you for your faithfulness. CHINA UPDATE! By God's grace, OPEN DOORS has already surpassed its 1993 goal of delivering more than 500,000 pieces to China (including Bibles, New Testaments, Study Bibles and pastoral training books requested by the house church Christians)! Thank you for helping make this possible. Please pray with us for additional funds to continue to take advantage of the opportunities God is providing, including the new Chinese Children's Bible Story Book now being finalized. If you would like to help or get more information contact: OPEN DOORS with Brother Andrew P.O. Box 27001 Santa Ana, CA 92799 Phone (714) 531-6000 CFI Reports CFI Reports CFI REPORTS is our monthly column dedicated to the ministries of CHRISTIAN FRIENDS OF ISRAEL in Jerusalem. Our October, 1993 issue of MORNING STAR (Volume 3.1) presented a summary of the various CFI ministries and explained the foundational principles and objectives of CFI. In this month's column we present the Fall 1993 edition of the FOR ZIONS SAKE letter from Jerusalem. For more information please call CFI's U.S. office at 305-463-9100 (Fax: 305-525-1635) or write to: Hannele Sorensen at CFI. P.O. Box 63-8703, Margate, FL 33063-8703. FOR ZION'S SAKE September/October 1993 "And He said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them. For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of a hard language, but to the house of Israel ... Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me." (Ezekiel 3:4,5 and 17) Dear friends of Israel: Ezekiel's task of giving a word of warning to the house of Israel carried with it a deep responsibility and obligation for both him and the people. The Lord forewarned Ezekiel that the people of Israel would not hearken unto Him and would not respond to his words. Nevertheless, in spite of their being imprudent and hardhearted, Ezekiel was assured: "fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks." Moreover, the Lord promised him, "all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears." (Ezekiel 3:10) As the Lord continues to unfold his purposes for Ezekiel, it becomes clear just how weighty is his role as spokesman to the house of Israel. If he fails to warn the innocent of impending danger resulting in death, their blood will be upon his hand. Conversely, if he warns the wicked and they refuse his words, their death will not be laid to his charge. In our August mailing we announced a Shofar Call to a Year of Prayer for Israel to begin on Rosh HaShana, which commenced on 16 September. As events continue to unfold in the Middle East, it becomes clearer of the vital need of prayer and intercession for Israel. As Christians, I believe we have a crucial role to play as watchmen on the walls of Israel. In Hebrew, we are called "notzreem", a term meaning "to watch". Indeed, this is significant as the Lord is calling us more and more to stand alongside Israel in the spiritual battle. We are waging warfare (wrestling) "not against flesh and blood, but against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Ephesians 6:12). Therefore, it becomes imperative that we clearly discern the leading of the Holy Spirit as we are led to enter into this battle. The Lord is asking us to "stand in the gap" for the house of Israel. "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). Israel is becoming increasingly "in time of need" and we must take up this burden on her behalf. Like Ezekiel, we are to be bold in our intercession as we engage the enemy of our soul who seeks to destroy Israel and the Jewish people. The Lord assured Ezekiel that His words would be received into his heart, and we have the same confidence from the scriptures. "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it." (John 14:13,14). May these words of Yeshua strengthen our resolve to always be ready to respond to the Shofar's call. Sincerely for Israel's Messiah, Ray Sanders Director, Jerusalem Office THEY'RE STILL COMING! God long ago fore-ordained the descendants of Abraham to return home to the Land of Israel from the four corners of the earth in the latter times. He committed Himself to His Word to "gather" them. He will magnify His Name through His People. Since December 1989, aliyah figures as of August 30th were 438,987 from the CIS and a total of 501,631 for the whole world. Many new immigrants continue to come to us for help at the CFI Distribution Center in Jerusalem. Your faithfulness has allowed us to continue to be an expression of Christian love to Israel during her ingathering. 'PROJECT OPEN GATES" is continuing to meet many newcomer's needs in the form of eye glasses, hearing aids, furniture, wardrobes, educational materials; even grocery coupons. Excellent quality clothing continues to arrive to us from faithful servants of God and we are DEEPLY grateful! FREEDOM FOR THE OPPRESSED The streets of Jerusalem now have their very own version of the Statue of Liberty. It was made especially for New York City's Mayor Dinkins' recent visit and to declare New York City as the sister city of Jerusalem. Emma Lazarus well known ode to freedom adorns the statue in New York harbor and seems to strangely fitting when you think of Israel's open arms to her tired and oppressed. Here we submit a possible Israeli adaptation of her well known words. "Here at the sea washed gates of the gateway to the Middle East, stands a mighty symbol of escape from oppressed lands, a tiny nation, Israel, holding a Menorah (light) of freedom whose flame is a symbol of hope a homeland for the Jewish people. From her Mediterranean shores flows worldwide welcome for Israel's scattered and persecuted--the eyes of Israel beckoning them to "return" home. Whether the beautiful harbor of Haifa's port or the palm trees lining Tel Aviv's airport, both cry out with silent lips "give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free". The Land beckons "send those, homeless, tired and weary of a foreign land to me. I lift the lamp of 'welcome home' beside our Mediterranean shores". ISRAEL'S CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS In remote areas of the CIS and the Eastern parts of the former Soviet Union, potential aliyah has still to be tapped. Greater efforts are being made to solve unemployment problems in Israel among the new olim. Within seven years, plans are under way to bring to Israel all the all Jews that are remaining in Azerbejian, Tajikstan, Georgia and Armenia. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED HELP TO US ... YOUR READINESS TO TRANSLATE YOUR FAITH AND AFFECTIONS INTO DEEDS. As the CIS moves perceptibly closer to catastrophe, rival governments and civil war reflects an underlying struggle that is far from over. Jewish people "wait" with suitcases ready for evacuation at the appointed time. GIVING A HAND TO NEWCOMERS IN THE LAND It is hard enough to settle in a new country and to learn a different language. New immigrants to Israel must quickly learn the local body language which is an integral aspect of communication. For instance, new immigrants from Ethiopia are often bewildered by the subtleties of hands and fingers in different directions. The "hand push", which means "leave me alone" to an Israeli, is a friendly greeting to an Ethiopian; the "hand flick", which to an Israeli translates as "enough already", means "I love you" to a newcomer from Ethiopia. To help the immigrant differentiate, a dictionary of nonverbal language perhaps should be proposed. It would clarify the busstop-queue elbow uppercut, the index-finger templetap, the thumb-to-fingertips forearm bob and of course, the shoulder-shrug with vertical open hands, raised eyebrows and thrust chin. Those of you who have spent some time here know what we mean. Whenever we reach out to needy people who can do nothing for us in return, we reach out to the Lord. An immigrant or child cannot reciprocate. Neither can an elderly person to whom we deliver a hot meal, or a poor person to whom we give a warm coat. Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these ... you did for me." (Matthew 25:45). Each time we respond to the needs of others, we do it for the Lord. WILL YOU PRAY FOR US? The need for more personal intercessors for the ministry of CFI in Jerusalem an in various countries around the world is very evident. As end-time attacks come upon works of God, we need your united prayer efforts to remain faithful to the Lord in every area of service. If you would desire individual names of staff and volunteers for prayer purposes, please write to the Jerusalem Office of CFI. ISRAEL PRAYER GROUPS If you are participating in an Israel Prayer Group meeting at least once a week, we would like you to send us a picture of your prayer group so that we may put it on the wall designated for "Prayer Watches for Israel." HOW GOD BLESSES THOSE WHO BLESS ISRAEL The following testimony was sent to us by a Christian in England: "I am writing this letter to tell you how God is blessing my life through sending parcels to you for the Russian Jews. The Lord gave me a real love for the Jews immediately when I became a Christian. I save for the parcels by putting any one pound coins away ... my mother works in a Christian bookshop and working alongside here is a lady... Elizabeth ... she and her husband are financially comfortable ... and is always smartly dressed ... one day she was putting into a charity shop her clothing and my mum asked Elizabeth if she would mind giving the clothes to me ... I gained 4 beautiful blouses ... etc., three weeks later my mum and dad told me "Elizabeth has had a wardrobe clear out, there's enough for a fashion parade." I was overwhelmed. There must have been over 300 pounds sterling of the most beautiful skirts and blouses and they all fitted and I really suited the styles and colors. It was as if I had walked into a shop and picked the items myself. I was in tears as I thought what a gracious gift the Lord had given me through Israel (Elizabeth is partly Jewish). Here I am sending clothes to Israel but the Lord sent clothes to me and has rejuvenated my wardrobe. In all the time I have been sending clothes to Israel, I have never had to ask people for them, they have just come in as I was ready to send parcels. I have been able to tell people at work this story (there are no Christians where I work) and they have been bringing in clothes ... "for a parcel to Israel." This has just been overwhelming ... my boss ... gave me a lift home with some of the clothes and got very angry with me ... because I was sending them to Israel ... I have given him "Holy War for the Promised Land" by David Dolan ... I am praying for him. These opportunities to witness all stem from sending the parcels!!!" (Ann M., England) ------------------------- "A heart of love for Israel can only be born out of a pure heart which will lead not only to a sacrificial and consistent ministry of prayer for Israel but also to a preparedness to be identified with Israel in her fight for life. If it is God who stands behind the recreation of the Jewish state and if it is His prophetic word which has been and is being fulfilled, I can do no other as His servant than stand with Him whatever the cost. There may be problems about many of the details, but the principle is clear. If it is His heart's desire that Israel should be saved, then it must be mine also." (Lance Lambert) ------------------------- CHRISTIAN FRIENDS OF ISRAEL (Our Place in the Body of Messiah) Christian Friends of Israel is a ministry of reconciliation between Christians and Jews. Its foundation is based on Yeshua and His love for His own brethren. We seek to show Godly love in every practical way through our projects and outreaches. Our ministry office in Jerusalem is the heart of the ministry while the Distribution Center is the arms. The ministry is two-fold; first, to the Jewish people through our programs of help and assistance in Israel, and secondly, CFI ministers to the Church in the Nations through our literature, tapes, Bible videos and in-depth teaching conferences during Shavuot/Pentecost. CFI works closely with churches and congregations in Israel and seeks to promote unity among believers. While the ministry is international in scope, it does not seek a position that is higher than those in Christian ministry anywhere and seeks to do its part in helping expand the Kingdom of God on earth. 1993-1994 ... THE YEAR OF SHMITTA The Jewish year 5754 is a 'Shmitta' or sabbatical year, wherein, according to Jewish law, a year of rest must be given to the soil. Shmitta literally means renunciation, as they renounce the right to work the land and let it lie fallow. Shmitta happens every seven years, beginning on Rosh Hashana, and although for most of world Jewry it is just a theological concept with no practical application, for Israel's observant Jews, it has profound significance. "The seventh year shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land, we are commanded." (Leviticus 25:4). Exiled for the greater part of their history, the Shmitta year was largely forgotten by Jews who were no obliged to observe it, (i.e. if they lived outside of Eretz Israel). Even those who lived in Palestine and were persecuted had reason to waive its observance. But since the birth of the State of Israel, it has become a voluntary act of piety for observant Jews and is again a lively issue in the conscience of Israel. For many generations both Jews and Gentiles saw the logic of letting the land rest periodically and voluntarily practices crop rotation. In Israel today, still largely an agricultural land, Schmitta brings with it a very heavy economic burden. Rabbis have agreed to a special dispensation (a 'heter') to sell the land to non-Jews during the sabbatical, to permit the land to be worked. Other methods have also been devised ... an early sowing of vegetables before the New Year and the growing of crops by hydroponics or soil-less systems as is practiced at the Poalei Agudat Yisrael kibbutzim. They are helped with government subsidies and fund-raising; but the full observance of Shmitta is impossible for the public as a whole. How does Shmitta affect the religious community in Israel? Through the year, lists of shops appear in newspapers from who it is permissible to buy fruit and vegetables . For many ultra-Orthodox Jews who do not accept the 'heter' of selling the land, there are certain shops that market only Arab or imported produce. Thus the Arab markets in East Jerusalem, Jericho and Bethlehem are thronged throughout the Shmitta year by those who will not buy produce grown on Israeli soil. We do not always understand the reasons for the commandments by God, but Shmitta teaches that the earth belongs to God. It also gives man freedom just to study Torah (the Bible), for he is not preoccupied with working the land. Perhaps some of us Christians need to take a "Schmitta" and devote all of our time to the Lord! Since this year is being designated as a SHOFAR CALL TO A YEAR OF PRAYER FOR ISRAEL, perhaps we will find time to allow other projects to "rest" while we get down to the business of effectual, united prayer for this tiny nation. ------------------------- I asked for strength, that I might achieve, I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey. I asked for health, that I might do greater things, I was given infirmity, that I might do better things. I asked for riches, that I might be happy, I was given poverty, that I might be wise. I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men, I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life, I was given life, that I might enjoy all things. I got nothing that I asked for but everything I had hope for Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered. I am, among all men, most richly blessed. (Anonymous Confederate Soldier) Newsdesk Newsdesk MORNING STAR NEWSDESK - January, 1994 WANTED: SCAPEGOATS What was not reported in the western media during the recent attempted coup in Russia was the fervent anti-semitism among those opposed to Boris Yeltsin. According to Anotoly Shabad, a leader in the pro-Yeltsin Radical Democratic faction of the dissolved parliament, "Pogroms would have begun immediately. I saw leaflets inciting people to kill Jews. I was shocked - we've had plenty of anti-Semitic material here, but I had never seen such direct incitement before." Shabad, himself Jewish, said, "One leaflet showed a Russian child pleading, 'Daddy, kill a Jew for my future.'" Many of those in the anti-Yeltsin mobs that surrounded the Russian White House during the crisis held signs that complained against Yeltsin, democracy, America and the Jews. (THE JERUSALEM REPORT) WANTED: CHRISTIAN DISKJOCKEYS A recently established Christian radio station in the former Soviet Baltic republic of Estonia has not only made history by being the first of its kind here, but its transmitter room is located in a former KGB communications center. Estonia Family Radio began broadcasting from the steeple of Oleviste Church in late Kuly, the second-tallest in Europe. Its signal can reach one-third of Estonia's 1.6 million people. (NNI) WHEN THEY SAY "PEACE, PEACE" Members of the European Parliament from all sides of the political spectrum welcomed the historic Middle East peace deal between Israel and the PLO and heard Belgium's Foreign Minister Willy Claes, who represented the EC at the ceremony in Washington, announce a new EC aid program to provide help with basic services such as health and schools in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The priority now, said Mr. Claes, was to encourage regional cooperation in the Middle East and revise the 1975 cooperation agreement with Israel. This could then be followed by new cooperation agreements with Jordan, Syria and Lebanon as part of an overall settlement for the Middle East. Members of the foreign office were given the first hint of a possible breakthrough last March when then Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said Israel was prepared to compromise in the interest of a settlement and accept UN resolutions including the return of territory. (EP NEWS) THE LOVE OF MONEY - THE ROOT OF EVIL Israel's Foreign Ministry is concerned over German sales of nuclear materials to Iran. Reports in the German daily "Frankfurter Algemeine" state that German firms are supplying Iran with equipment for making atomic, chemical and biological weapons, with the knowledge of the German intelligence establishment. According to the "Wall Street Journal", Germany is so interested in doing business with Iran that at a recent G-7 meeting, it objected to putting economic pressure on that country. Germany also agreed to reschedule $5 billion worth of short-term debt to make repayment easier, and the Iranian minister of intelligence and internal security has met with his German counterparts and with the head of the Siemens corporation. (JERUSALEM POST) NOT SO STRANGE BEDFELLOWS Meanwhile, Iran has invited its old enemy Iraq to renew diplomatic relations and warm up ties. The "Teheran Times" has suggested that Iran and Iraq open a new page in their relationship on the occasion of a visit by Iraq's deputy foreign minister, Mohammed Jawad Zarif, to Iran. Saddam Hussein's Iraq and the successors of Ayatollah Khomeini have found common cause on several issues: Enmity towards Israel and strong opposition to any talks with it; Joint apprehension about American policy in the Middle East; And continued efforts to acquire conventional and unconventional weapons systems. (JERUSALEM POST) THEY SHALL NOT ENDURE SOUND DOCTRINE Members of the "Jesus Seminar" a panel of about 70 liberal scholars has begun a radical revision of the New Testament which it claims will provide a more accurate account of Christianity's origins. According to this group, Jesus spoke only a fraction of the words attributed to him. The panel is expected to recommend that at least some of the New Testament's 27 books be jettisoned and other ancient texts added. The book of Revelation is especially a target due to alleged questions of its authenticity. According to Robert Funk, head of the seminar's Westar Institute in Sonoma, California, "The Christian movement hasn't seriously examined the question of canon since the 15th century. It's time for academic scholars to raise the issue." (US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT) MORE STEPS TOWARDS REVELATION 13 Dogs and cats in Spain's largest cities must now undergo microchip implants to make it easier for authorities t reunite lost pets with their owners and track down those who'd rather abandon their animals than pay a sitter. Four of Spain's 17 regions now require dog and cat owners to identify their pets with the chips or tatoos. Most owners are opting for the chips as they are less expensive and don't require the animal to be anesthetized. The Madrid Law went into effect six months ago and 50,000 pets have already had the chips implanted. Each chip carries a code that matches a file in a regional computer. Eventually those computers will be linked together. "The whole object is not only to make it nationwide, but also Europe-wide and then universal," said Dr. William Hutchinson, a Scottish veterinarian working in Madrid. (CHRISTIAN WORLD REPORT) Editors Note: For a close up view on these microchips and what's being used to implant them, I recommend the "Mark of the Beast - part 2" video from "The Christian World Report", PO Box 1440, Niagara Falls, NY, 14302. STRONG DELUSION? So many people have wagered that aliens from outer space will visit Earth that a leading firm of British bookmakers has cut the odds against it happening. Bookmakers William Hill said the company would have to pay out more than $1.5 million if aliens show up. To reduce its potential liabilities, the company has put a 33-1 upper limit on all bets over $150. Gamblers used to be able to get 500 to 1 odds. (REUTER - LONDON) Editor's note: In order to further reduce potential liabilities, I would advise the bookmakers to state clearly at this time that the disappearance of millions of people from the earth in the twinkling of an eye does not provide sufficient evidence of an "alien visit." Resource Resource MINISTRY INFORMATION GUIDE - January 1994 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 BROTHERHOOD INC. (Drawing the body of Christ together using a healthy blend of High-Tech and good old fashioned love) P.O. Box 41503 Jacksonville, FL 32203 tel: (904) 783-3210 Internet: norbn@aol.com *** CHRISTIAN FRIENDS OF ISRAEL *** P.O. Box 1813 Jerusalem 91015 Israel tel: 972-2-894-172 / 894-187 fax: 972-2-894-955 U.S Office: P.O. Box 63-8703 Margate, FL 33063-8703 (305)-463-9100 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 Phone (415) 454-1017 Fax (415) 454-7826 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 KAIROS (Christian support for AIDS-Caregivers) 114 Douglass Street San Francisco, CA 94114-1921 (415) 861-0877 LEDERER MESSIANIC MINISTRIES (Publishers of the "Jewish New Testament" by David Stern) 6204 Park Heights Ave. Baltimore MD 21215 LIFE IN JESUS MINISTRIES INC. (Publishers of Christian Reference Materials for the Body of Christ) P. O. Box 60 Crandall, Indiana 47114-0060 tel: (812) 366-4558 fax: (812) 366-3905 Internet: lijm@aol.com 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 The MESSIANIC JEWISH MOVEMENT INTERNATIONAL "Jews and Gentiles Working Together for IsraelOs Salvation!" USA: P.O. Box 30313, Bethesda, MD. 20824 tel: (301) 656-7575 fax: (301) 949-6367 CANADA: Box 2090, Prescott, ON. KOE 1TO ARGENTINA: Casilla De Correo 20 (1706) Haedo, Buenos Aires HOLLAND: Postbus 23053, 1100 DN Amsterdam tel: (20) 696-0089 - fax: (20) 691-6841 MIDNIGHT CALL MINISTRY (Publishers of "Midnight Call" magazine P.O. Box 4389 West Columbia, SC 29171-9949 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 OPEN DOORS with Brother Andrew (Information and events affecting Christians living under persecution) P.O. Box 27001 Santa Ana, CA 92799-9961 (714) 531-6000 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