Monday, October 20, 2008
www.sheepspeak.com
If you are looking for something to read while we are away: http://www.sheepspeak.com/Michael_Ramsays_opinion.htm
Real miracles: Paul and Scott
I want to share the story of Scott and the story of Paul. Scott was a canteen worker from central Texas who had accepted the Lord not too long before coming to Galveston and Paul is a twelve year-old boy.
Scott was working on of one of our canteens. Paul lives in an apartment with 10 other people and is familiar with the neighbourhood activities of gangs and drugs. This boy saw our canteen near his home and wanted to help. He approached Scott and volunteered to help. Scott welcomed him with open arms and very quickly made an impression on Paul - he kept coming back. Scott even gave him T-shirt and hat. The look on Paul’s face was worth a million dollars or more.
The evening before Scott was to return home from his deployment, I had the opportunity to give him his exit interview. During this interview we began speaking about Paul, whom I had met a couple of days previous. Scott told me that he had prayed with Paul on a number of occasions and that Paul was asking about Jesus. I asked if Paul had asked the Lord into his heart. Scott said ‘not yet’ and asked me to help him do that.
The next day, Sunday, Scott, Paul, and a number of other volunteers working on the canteen eagerly awaited our arrival – Paul was ready to ask the Lord into his heart. We arrived and encouraged Scott to lead Paul in the ‘sinners’ prayer’. After a simple confession of sin and profession of faith, Paul was welcomed into the family of God. We then sang a verse of Amazing Grace and Scott presented Paul with a Bible.
While we were celebrating Paul’s proclamation of salvation, two apparent ‘good-ole boys’ rolled up in a pick-up truck with their radio blaring Hank William’s “I Saw the Light.” They were angels. They were messengers of God who had come to celebrate with us, then they were gone.In the midst of all the turmoil and all the suffering God was there. In the midst of all our troubles and all our sufferings, God is here. He offers this same salvation to us in Nipawin that he offers to them in Texas.
read more: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2008/10/2-corinthians-912-15-thanks-be-to-god.html
Scott was working on of one of our canteens. Paul lives in an apartment with 10 other people and is familiar with the neighbourhood activities of gangs and drugs. This boy saw our canteen near his home and wanted to help. He approached Scott and volunteered to help. Scott welcomed him with open arms and very quickly made an impression on Paul - he kept coming back. Scott even gave him T-shirt and hat. The look on Paul’s face was worth a million dollars or more.
The evening before Scott was to return home from his deployment, I had the opportunity to give him his exit interview. During this interview we began speaking about Paul, whom I had met a couple of days previous. Scott told me that he had prayed with Paul on a number of occasions and that Paul was asking about Jesus. I asked if Paul had asked the Lord into his heart. Scott said ‘not yet’ and asked me to help him do that.
The next day, Sunday, Scott, Paul, and a number of other volunteers working on the canteen eagerly awaited our arrival – Paul was ready to ask the Lord into his heart. We arrived and encouraged Scott to lead Paul in the ‘sinners’ prayer’. After a simple confession of sin and profession of faith, Paul was welcomed into the family of God. We then sang a verse of Amazing Grace and Scott presented Paul with a Bible.
While we were celebrating Paul’s proclamation of salvation, two apparent ‘good-ole boys’ rolled up in a pick-up truck with their radio blaring Hank William’s “I Saw the Light.” They were angels. They were messengers of God who had come to celebrate with us, then they were gone.In the midst of all the turmoil and all the suffering God was there. In the midst of all our troubles and all our sufferings, God is here. He offers this same salvation to us in Nipawin that he offers to them in Texas.
read more: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2008/10/2-corinthians-912-15-thanks-be-to-god.html
Real miracles: fish and loaves
There are many stories from our time in Galveston Texas helping out with the hurricane relief. I can’t possibly share them all with you today. We don’t have enough time. I want to share a couple of very significant stories however. I heard more than one account of a contemporary miracle paralleling that of the fish and the loaves.[2]
Our canteens were instructed to make sure that they gave away all of their food before they came in for the night. They did not want food returned when people were going without. One canteen had some food left. It was getting late so they were seeking out someone to give their last Camrose (container) of food to. They prayed. One person then saw a line of about 12-18 tired and hungry looking construction workers so they headed over to offer them their food. They were really appreciative.
As they were feeding these men, a number of school busses filled with people pulled up. It is my understanding that they served over 800 meals at that location – no one went away hungry. Feeling blessed by what the Lord had done they started to clean up. (Now there was a non-believer, a Red Cross worker on their canteen with them today). Someone picked up the Camrose from which they fed the 800 meals and read from the side of it, ‘serves 91 meals’. The Lord fed more than eight times that number and no one went hungry. The Red Cross worker who was helping them on the truck that day began to cry. He said that he had never believed in God – until now. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
This same canteen was used by the Lord to lead many more people to Christ. There were also some very exciting open airs that led to many more accepting Jesus’ gift of eternal life. There were many miracles in the midst of suffering. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
read more: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2008/10/2-corinthians-912-15-thanks-be-to-god.html
Our canteens were instructed to make sure that they gave away all of their food before they came in for the night. They did not want food returned when people were going without. One canteen had some food left. It was getting late so they were seeking out someone to give their last Camrose (container) of food to. They prayed. One person then saw a line of about 12-18 tired and hungry looking construction workers so they headed over to offer them their food. They were really appreciative.
As they were feeding these men, a number of school busses filled with people pulled up. It is my understanding that they served over 800 meals at that location – no one went away hungry. Feeling blessed by what the Lord had done they started to clean up. (Now there was a non-believer, a Red Cross worker on their canteen with them today). Someone picked up the Camrose from which they fed the 800 meals and read from the side of it, ‘serves 91 meals’. The Lord fed more than eight times that number and no one went hungry. The Red Cross worker who was helping them on the truck that day began to cry. He said that he had never believed in God – until now. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
This same canteen was used by the Lord to lead many more people to Christ. There were also some very exciting open airs that led to many more accepting Jesus’ gift of eternal life. There were many miracles in the midst of suffering. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
read more: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2008/10/2-corinthians-912-15-thanks-be-to-god.html
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Convert or we will kill you, Hindu lynch mobs tell fleeing Christians
As a fresh wave of sectarian violence is unleashed across the Indian state of Orissa, Gethin Chamberlain talks to homeless survivors in Kandhamal district who were forced to abandon their religion
Gethin Chamberlain
The Observer,
Sunday October 19 2008
Hundreds of Christians in the Indian state of Orissa have been forced to renounce their religion and become Hindus after lynch mobs issued them with a stark ultimatum: convert or die.
The wave of forced conversions marks a dramatic escalation in a two-month orgy of sectarian violence which has left at least 59 people dead, 50,000 homeless and thousands of houses and churches burnt to the ground. As neighbour has turned on neighbour, thousands more Christians have sought sanctuary in refugee camps, unable to return to the wreckage of their homes unless they, too, agree to abandon their faith.
read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/oct/19/orissa-violence-india-christianity-hinduism
Food for prayer...
Gethin Chamberlain
The Observer,
Sunday October 19 2008
Hundreds of Christians in the Indian state of Orissa have been forced to renounce their religion and become Hindus after lynch mobs issued them with a stark ultimatum: convert or die.
The wave of forced conversions marks a dramatic escalation in a two-month orgy of sectarian violence which has left at least 59 people dead, 50,000 homeless and thousands of houses and churches burnt to the ground. As neighbour has turned on neighbour, thousands more Christians have sought sanctuary in refugee camps, unable to return to the wreckage of their homes unless they, too, agree to abandon their faith.
read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/oct/19/orissa-violence-india-christianity-hinduism
Food for prayer...
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Are you a Christian (from Army Barmy)?
from http://www.armybarmy.com/
I stumbled upon this old article recently:----I am a Christian. No big deal, you say? Isn’t everyone? Well, no. In fact, it’s a relatively small group. I know we’ve stretched the meaning of the word so that it includes everyone who goes to church, everyone who’s been baptized, everyone who votes a certain way, everyone born in certain western countries. But it’s nothing like that at all. There are specific fundamentals to which someone who is a Christian commits. These fundamentals distinguish such a person from these other bloated groups. Let’s see if we can narrow down the collection of “Christians” to those who really are.
The first fundamental is the infallibility of Scripture. The Bible is true. It is the inspired Word of God. In its original manuscripts there are no errors at all. And the Bible is the only divine rule of Christian faith and practice. That will exclude heaps of people. Don’t buy any arguments you hear about the Bible changing over the centuries. Those are the statements of the ignorant. And don’t buy that the Bible’s teachings are out of date, that they are no longer valid because they failed to keep up with changes in culture. The Bible was affirming that the earth is a sphere even when, in the day of Columbus, the culture was claiming that it was flat. Truth is not determined by consensus.
The second fundamental is the Deity of Christ. That means Jesus is God. As the prophet Isaiah says, He is the mighty God, the everlasting Father. I know, I know; that excludes all the cults that claim Him variously as angel, prophet, enlightened one, or other such created being. It’s a radical thing to say, certainly not politically correct. But I’m afraid that’s it. Christians believe that Jesus is God.
The third fundamental is the Virgin Birth and the miracles of Christ. Now if you buy into the first two fundamentals this one is no big deal, since the Bible explains the virgin birth and Jesus as God can obviously pull off miracles. As you might imagine though, this is a big stretch for our ‘educated’ society. I mean, how can a virgin have a baby? But we’re dealing with God here, not your experience. The Former is a bit larger than the latter.
The fourth is Christ’s propitiatory death. Wow! Jesus didn’t die just as an example for us. He didn’t die by mistake. He didn’t die as a martyr to a cause. He didn’t die for political reasons. He died just because you and I - and everyone else - bear a MUCH closer resemblance to Adolph Hitler than we do to Jesus Christ, and He wants to change that. You see, we’re all in our natural state chock full of sin. Our sin separates us from God. Jesus died in our place so that our sins can be forgiven and we can be reconciled with God through repentance and faith.
The last fundamental is Christ’s physical resurrection and eventual return. Jesus actually came back to life, nail puncture holes and everything! It was a huge miracle. There were 500 eye witnesses. And He’s coming back like He promised. In the meantime we needn’t complain about who is not included, even if you are in that number. Instead, I invite you to consider these fundamentals of orthodox Christian belief. I invite you to submit to the living God, Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, described in the infallible Scriptures, who died so that you may be saved, came physically back to life, and who is coming back. Ask Him to forgive you and change you, today.
----Who put the fun back into fundamentalism! :-)
from Armybarmy
I stumbled upon this old article recently:----I am a Christian. No big deal, you say? Isn’t everyone? Well, no. In fact, it’s a relatively small group. I know we’ve stretched the meaning of the word so that it includes everyone who goes to church, everyone who’s been baptized, everyone who votes a certain way, everyone born in certain western countries. But it’s nothing like that at all. There are specific fundamentals to which someone who is a Christian commits. These fundamentals distinguish such a person from these other bloated groups. Let’s see if we can narrow down the collection of “Christians” to those who really are.
The first fundamental is the infallibility of Scripture. The Bible is true. It is the inspired Word of God. In its original manuscripts there are no errors at all. And the Bible is the only divine rule of Christian faith and practice. That will exclude heaps of people. Don’t buy any arguments you hear about the Bible changing over the centuries. Those are the statements of the ignorant. And don’t buy that the Bible’s teachings are out of date, that they are no longer valid because they failed to keep up with changes in culture. The Bible was affirming that the earth is a sphere even when, in the day of Columbus, the culture was claiming that it was flat. Truth is not determined by consensus.
The second fundamental is the Deity of Christ. That means Jesus is God. As the prophet Isaiah says, He is the mighty God, the everlasting Father. I know, I know; that excludes all the cults that claim Him variously as angel, prophet, enlightened one, or other such created being. It’s a radical thing to say, certainly not politically correct. But I’m afraid that’s it. Christians believe that Jesus is God.
The third fundamental is the Virgin Birth and the miracles of Christ. Now if you buy into the first two fundamentals this one is no big deal, since the Bible explains the virgin birth and Jesus as God can obviously pull off miracles. As you might imagine though, this is a big stretch for our ‘educated’ society. I mean, how can a virgin have a baby? But we’re dealing with God here, not your experience. The Former is a bit larger than the latter.
The fourth is Christ’s propitiatory death. Wow! Jesus didn’t die just as an example for us. He didn’t die by mistake. He didn’t die as a martyr to a cause. He didn’t die for political reasons. He died just because you and I - and everyone else - bear a MUCH closer resemblance to Adolph Hitler than we do to Jesus Christ, and He wants to change that. You see, we’re all in our natural state chock full of sin. Our sin separates us from God. Jesus died in our place so that our sins can be forgiven and we can be reconciled with God through repentance and faith.
The last fundamental is Christ’s physical resurrection and eventual return. Jesus actually came back to life, nail puncture holes and everything! It was a huge miracle. There were 500 eye witnesses. And He’s coming back like He promised. In the meantime we needn’t complain about who is not included, even if you are in that number. Instead, I invite you to consider these fundamentals of orthodox Christian belief. I invite you to submit to the living God, Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, described in the infallible Scriptures, who died so that you may be saved, came physically back to life, and who is coming back. Ask Him to forgive you and change you, today.
----Who put the fun back into fundamentalism! :-)
from Armybarmy
Friday, October 17, 2008
For your reading enjoyment
In case you miss me when I go again soon - here are some recent articles for you (-:
2 Corinthians 9:12-15: Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift (Hurricane Ike relief) (Sermon)
Vote for Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:1-34) (JAC)
Do Miracles Still Happen? (Nipawin Journal)
Covenant: Three Legged Race (The Officer Magazine)
Rights and Responsibilities of Covenant (Journal of Aggressive Christianity)
A Theology of Food Bank (Nipawin and District Ministerial Association)
Ulrich Zwingli: ‘The Third Reformer’ .(WCBC)
2 Corinthians 9:12-15: Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift (Hurricane Ike relief) (Sermon)
Vote for Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:1-34) (JAC)
Do Miracles Still Happen? (Nipawin Journal)
Covenant: Three Legged Race (The Officer Magazine)
Rights and Responsibilities of Covenant (Journal of Aggressive Christianity)
A Theology of Food Bank (Nipawin and District Ministerial Association)
Ulrich Zwingli: ‘The Third Reformer’ .(WCBC)
Five Habits of Highly Effective TSA Officers
A re-run of some good advice
November 2006 Advice for Heralds from General Burrows.(from Armybarmy.com)
General Eva Burrows preached to the Cadets last week a day before the were commissioned (hat tip Eastern Victoria Division, Melbourne):"5 Effective Habits of Highly Effective Officers".
Habit 1 - Keep studying
Always remain a student of the world around us and a student of the Bible. That way we will understand the context of mission and be able to offer the Word in a relevant way.
Habit 2 - Nurture yourself
With devotions, with good coaches or mentors or spiritual directors. Defects in spiritual life affects our leadership more than anything else. So have a plan for our personal spiritual development and follow it.
Habit 3 - Use your uniqueness in your ministry
God wants us to be who he made us to be. Be who you are and do what you do best. This way you will do wonders for God’s kingdom.
Habit 4 - Exercise competence beyond your gifting
Don’t use gifting as an excuse for not doing what is our responsibility. Learn about what we don’t know and talk with others and utilise others who can help. Don’t monopolise your ministry, but multiply it.
Habit 5 - Be a spiritual leader
Cast vision. Have a clear and passionate focus for mission. Be ready to adjust strategies. Above all, like Jesus be a Servant Leader.
November 2006 Advice for Heralds from General Burrows.(from Armybarmy.com)
General Eva Burrows preached to the Cadets last week a day before the were commissioned (hat tip Eastern Victoria Division, Melbourne):"5 Effective Habits of Highly Effective Officers".
Habit 1 - Keep studying
Always remain a student of the world around us and a student of the Bible. That way we will understand the context of mission and be able to offer the Word in a relevant way.
Habit 2 - Nurture yourself
With devotions, with good coaches or mentors or spiritual directors. Defects in spiritual life affects our leadership more than anything else. So have a plan for our personal spiritual development and follow it.
Habit 3 - Use your uniqueness in your ministry
God wants us to be who he made us to be. Be who you are and do what you do best. This way you will do wonders for God’s kingdom.
Habit 4 - Exercise competence beyond your gifting
Don’t use gifting as an excuse for not doing what is our responsibility. Learn about what we don’t know and talk with others and utilise others who can help. Don’t monopolise your ministry, but multiply it.
Habit 5 - Be a spiritual leader
Cast vision. Have a clear and passionate focus for mission. Be ready to adjust strategies. Above all, like Jesus be a Servant Leader.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Tuesday's election day:
Vote for Jesus!
It is amazing how political speeches have started to sound like scripture or sermons these days. The more I listen to political speeches and the more I watch the news, the more I realise that the world really is crying out for a messiah. The USA – which is also in the midst of an election campaign - every 4 years parades out at least one possible new messiah. Look at how people talk about Obama (particularly before McCain announced his running mate); there is no mention of his past failures, only an almost messianic hope for a bright new future as if he is the One.
For all its strengths, this is one of the main downfalls of western democracies. Every election people are mistakenly looking to parties, politicians, ideologies, platitudes, and other such nonsense to solve our problems - as if that is where our salvation comes from.
You know what? If Obama or McCain wins the next US election, he is not going to withdraw their troops from the more than 100 countries that they are in. He is not going to beat their swords in the ploughshares (Isaiah 2:4, Micah 4:3). He will not be the 'Prince of Peace' (Isa 9:6). He will not end poverty (Matt 26:11, Mark 14:7). None of the presidential candidates can walk on water (Matt 14, Mark 6, John 6). Not one of them has been raised from the dead.
Likewise in Canada, regardless of who is elected, services will not improve so much that the blind will see and the lame will walk (Matt 15:31, Lk 7:22). A majority government by the Conservatives, Liberals, NDP, or even the Greens, is not going to solve all of our problems. Not one of our federal leaders can walk on water – no matter what their ads tell us – not one of them has been raised from the dead.
There is a leader though who has and he's not running in the election. There is a leader who has done all that and he lived 2000 years ago. This leader did all these things and more. He even preached good news to the poor and meant it and they believed him and then, like all great leaders, he died. Jesus died but it didn't end there and this is important. The Apostle Paul says:
"Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the good news (gospel) I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this good news (gospel) you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures...(1 Corinthians 15: 1-4)"
This is the most important part of the Christian faith: Paul says that it is because of the good news (gospel) that Christ died for our sins, was buried and raised from the dead that we can be saved. It was in this that He actually won the eternal election.
It is only because Jesus did win that election; it is only because of His death and resurrection that we have any hope at all because if Christ wasn't raised from the dead then what is the point of 'being a Christian'? If Jesus just died and, without defeating death, moved on to whatever is next, what's the big deal? Why then would he be different from Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, Tommy Douglas, Mother Theresa, name your person... Why would he be so special? He wouldn't; he would just be another person.
"But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him (1 Corinthians 15:20-23)." We will all be resurrected so we can all be saved if we turn to or – drawing on our analogy of the election – if we vote for Christ.
Being born and raised on the west coast of Canada, I can remember watching the election returns on election night and it is always exciting but I can never remember a time when the election wasn't over before the polls were even closed on Vancouver Island. The Prime Minister's party had always already won the election before we even finished voting out west. He had already defeated his foe. This is the same with Christ. Even though we each have until the last polls close (until we breathe our last breath) to cast our vote, Christ has already won the election. The only question we have is whether we want to join Him in His victory party or not. The election results were counted on the cross and announced at the empty tomb. Christ has won the victory.
Christ has already been resurrected and he is coming back to celebrate his victory and when the eternal polls close we will be resurrected too; we will all be raised (cf. Doctrine 11) and at that point some of us will be raised to eternal salvation and some of us – those who reject the opportunity – will be outside where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth (cf. Matthew 8:12, 22:13). But it is our choice. The victory has already been won. We have all already been invited to the victory party.
Salvation is there for any of us who want it and this is important: there is the resurrection, there is the judgement at the end of the day and any of us who call on the name of the Lord at anytime before our polls close here can be saved! Jesus died and rose again so that whosoever may, will be saved!
Christ is our salvation. We should remember this as we cast our votes very soon (in our temporal elections) that there really is no other name by which we may truly be saved. Christ is the leader who deserves our full support. He is both liberal in His love and conservative in His steadfastness. He is neither a small 'd' democrat nor a small 'r' republican. He is a capital 'M' Monarchist – He is a King and He is the Son of the King. Unlike all the others who are trying to get us to turn to them for our salvation, He has actually run the race and won the election already. We are just waiting for the polls to close, so if you haven't done so already then go out and vote for Christ today: there is no other name by which we may be saved. The Lord raises up mere earthly governments and He topples them but when the eternal polls close and he does come back, make sure that He has your vote so that we will all be a part of His victory party at the resurrection of the just.
Our salvation comes from Christ alone.
read the article in the most recent edition of JAC online at www.armybarmy.com
It is amazing how political speeches have started to sound like scripture or sermons these days. The more I listen to political speeches and the more I watch the news, the more I realise that the world really is crying out for a messiah. The USA – which is also in the midst of an election campaign - every 4 years parades out at least one possible new messiah. Look at how people talk about Obama (particularly before McCain announced his running mate); there is no mention of his past failures, only an almost messianic hope for a bright new future as if he is the One.
For all its strengths, this is one of the main downfalls of western democracies. Every election people are mistakenly looking to parties, politicians, ideologies, platitudes, and other such nonsense to solve our problems - as if that is where our salvation comes from.
You know what? If Obama or McCain wins the next US election, he is not going to withdraw their troops from the more than 100 countries that they are in. He is not going to beat their swords in the ploughshares (Isaiah 2:4, Micah 4:3). He will not be the 'Prince of Peace' (Isa 9:6). He will not end poverty (Matt 26:11, Mark 14:7). None of the presidential candidates can walk on water (Matt 14, Mark 6, John 6). Not one of them has been raised from the dead.
Likewise in Canada, regardless of who is elected, services will not improve so much that the blind will see and the lame will walk (Matt 15:31, Lk 7:22). A majority government by the Conservatives, Liberals, NDP, or even the Greens, is not going to solve all of our problems. Not one of our federal leaders can walk on water – no matter what their ads tell us – not one of them has been raised from the dead.
There is a leader though who has and he's not running in the election. There is a leader who has done all that and he lived 2000 years ago. This leader did all these things and more. He even preached good news to the poor and meant it and they believed him and then, like all great leaders, he died. Jesus died but it didn't end there and this is important. The Apostle Paul says:
"Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the good news (gospel) I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this good news (gospel) you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures...(1 Corinthians 15: 1-4)"
This is the most important part of the Christian faith: Paul says that it is because of the good news (gospel) that Christ died for our sins, was buried and raised from the dead that we can be saved. It was in this that He actually won the eternal election.
It is only because Jesus did win that election; it is only because of His death and resurrection that we have any hope at all because if Christ wasn't raised from the dead then what is the point of 'being a Christian'? If Jesus just died and, without defeating death, moved on to whatever is next, what's the big deal? Why then would he be different from Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, Tommy Douglas, Mother Theresa, name your person... Why would he be so special? He wouldn't; he would just be another person.
"But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him (1 Corinthians 15:20-23)." We will all be resurrected so we can all be saved if we turn to or – drawing on our analogy of the election – if we vote for Christ.
Being born and raised on the west coast of Canada, I can remember watching the election returns on election night and it is always exciting but I can never remember a time when the election wasn't over before the polls were even closed on Vancouver Island. The Prime Minister's party had always already won the election before we even finished voting out west. He had already defeated his foe. This is the same with Christ. Even though we each have until the last polls close (until we breathe our last breath) to cast our vote, Christ has already won the election. The only question we have is whether we want to join Him in His victory party or not. The election results were counted on the cross and announced at the empty tomb. Christ has won the victory.
Christ has already been resurrected and he is coming back to celebrate his victory and when the eternal polls close we will be resurrected too; we will all be raised (cf. Doctrine 11) and at that point some of us will be raised to eternal salvation and some of us – those who reject the opportunity – will be outside where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth (cf. Matthew 8:12, 22:13). But it is our choice. The victory has already been won. We have all already been invited to the victory party.
Salvation is there for any of us who want it and this is important: there is the resurrection, there is the judgement at the end of the day and any of us who call on the name of the Lord at anytime before our polls close here can be saved! Jesus died and rose again so that whosoever may, will be saved!
Christ is our salvation. We should remember this as we cast our votes very soon (in our temporal elections) that there really is no other name by which we may truly be saved. Christ is the leader who deserves our full support. He is both liberal in His love and conservative in His steadfastness. He is neither a small 'd' democrat nor a small 'r' republican. He is a capital 'M' Monarchist – He is a King and He is the Son of the King. Unlike all the others who are trying to get us to turn to them for our salvation, He has actually run the race and won the election already. We are just waiting for the polls to close, so if you haven't done so already then go out and vote for Christ today: there is no other name by which we may be saved. The Lord raises up mere earthly governments and He topples them but when the eternal polls close and he does come back, make sure that He has your vote so that we will all be a part of His victory party at the resurrection of the just.
Our salvation comes from Christ alone.
read the article in the most recent edition of JAC online at www.armybarmy.com
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving!
This blog is a re-run from previous years, but giving thanks to the Lord never gets old.
Canadian Parliament: Thanksgiving would be "a day of general thanksgiving to almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed." www.kidzworld.com/site/p2614.htm.
Canadian Thanksgiving: The origins of Canadian Thanksgiving are more closely connected to the traditions of Europe than of the United States. Long before Europeans settled in North America, festivals of thanks and celebrations of harvest took place in Europe in the month of October.
The very first Thanksgiving celebration in North America took place in Canada when Martin Frobisher, an explorer from England, arrived in Newfoundland in 1578. He wanted to give thanks for his safe arrival to the New World. That means the first Thanksgiving in Canada was celebrated 43 years before the pilgrims landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts!
For a few hundred years, Thanksgiving was celebrated in either late October or early November, before it was declared a national holiday in 1879. It was then, that November 6th was set aside as the official Thanksgiving holiday. But then on January 31, 1957, Canadian Parliament announced that on the second Monday in October, Thanksgiving would be "a day of general thanksgiving to almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed." Thanksgiving was moved to the second Monday in October because after the World Wars, Remembrance Day (November 11th) and Thanksgiving kept falling in the same week.
Another reason for Canadian Thanksgiving arriving earlier than its American counterpart is that Canada is geographically further north than the United States, causing the Canadian harvest season to arrive earlier than the American harvest season. And since Thanksgiving for Canadians is more about giving thanks to the Lord for the harvest season than the arrival of pilgrims, it makes sense to celebrate the holiday in October. Please remember to offer thanksgiving to almighty God this weekend for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed.
Canadian Parliament: Thanksgiving would be "a day of general thanksgiving to almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed." www.kidzworld.com/site/p2614.htm.
Canadian Thanksgiving: The origins of Canadian Thanksgiving are more closely connected to the traditions of Europe than of the United States. Long before Europeans settled in North America, festivals of thanks and celebrations of harvest took place in Europe in the month of October.
The very first Thanksgiving celebration in North America took place in Canada when Martin Frobisher, an explorer from England, arrived in Newfoundland in 1578. He wanted to give thanks for his safe arrival to the New World. That means the first Thanksgiving in Canada was celebrated 43 years before the pilgrims landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts!
For a few hundred years, Thanksgiving was celebrated in either late October or early November, before it was declared a national holiday in 1879. It was then, that November 6th was set aside as the official Thanksgiving holiday. But then on January 31, 1957, Canadian Parliament announced that on the second Monday in October, Thanksgiving would be "a day of general thanksgiving to almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed." Thanksgiving was moved to the second Monday in October because after the World Wars, Remembrance Day (November 11th) and Thanksgiving kept falling in the same week.
Another reason for Canadian Thanksgiving arriving earlier than its American counterpart is that Canada is geographically further north than the United States, causing the Canadian harvest season to arrive earlier than the American harvest season. And since Thanksgiving for Canadians is more about giving thanks to the Lord for the harvest season than the arrival of pilgrims, it makes sense to celebrate the holiday in October. Please remember to offer thanksgiving to almighty God this weekend for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed.
Huricane Ike Relief
We were blessed to be able to serve God in the Hurricane Ike relief effort. I think that this really highlights all that we have to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving weekend in Canada. I will post more shortly.
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