Some say we shouldn't read the Bible "because it's hard to understand," therefore, they say, we should leave the interpreting of it to the "experts." I do not subscribe to that perspective.

It seems implausible to me that God would put mankind on the earth and say to him, "good luck, I hope you make it," and go his merry way. No, he gave us the "manufacturer's handbook," to reveal to us who he is, what his principles are, and how we are to come to him.

So let's take a look at some of these truths as we delve into the Word of God so that we can know and understand his purposes and his Father's heart, for he has given to us his Word containing "all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us." (2nd Peter 1:3)

Choose from the topics on the sidebars. And come back from time to time, as I'll be adding to these studies.




This is the video that has most impacted my life. If you agree, show it to others. I believe this is the most awesome video on the internet.
 











The Deity Of Jesus Christ

WHY did the people take up stones to stone Jesus?

Because they understood exactly what He was saying, that he is God.

His claim, that HE is the I AM:
"Jesus said to them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, before
Abraham was, I AM.' Then they took up stones to throw
at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the Temple,
going through the midst of them, and so ...passed by."
-John 8:58

What did He mean when he said, "I AM" ???

That he is the I AM as revealed to Moses:
"Then Moses said to God, 'Indeed, when I come to the children
of Israel and say to them, `The God of your fathers has sent me
to you,' and they say to me, `What is His name?' what shall I say
to them?'

And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' And He said, 'Thus
you shall say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.'
...The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham,the God
of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.

This is my Name forever, and this is my memorial to all
generations."
He also made this claim when questioned by the high priest:
"Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him,
Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?
And Jesus said, I AM.
And you shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power,
and coming in the clouds of heaven."
Mark 14:61-62
And he stated it again to a woman at a well in Samaria:
"The woman said to him,
'I know that Messiah is coming (who is called Christ).
When he comes, he will tell us all things.'
Jesus said to her, 'I who speak to you am he.'”
John 4:25-26




Harry Potter - A Story

What would you say if someone told you that YOU are an abomination to God?

I'll never forget the day I was told that, because it was to change my life forever. To a statement like that, one can either go into self-defense, or one can investigate the claim. I investigated it. That was 32 years ago, and there's no way I could adequately thank the one who said that to me. Because it changed my life.

I was a very troubled young person, and the means I took to search out what might help me was the only means I hadn't yet pursued - the world of the "occult." I define "occult" as anything having to do with the psychic world, fortune tellers, mediums, astrologers, etc, etc. I never connected the two -- that while I was investigating these things my life was falling apart. The story ends, or rather begins, when I was told I was an abomination to God.

And the fact is, I WAS.

Religion was the last thing on my mind, because I had been raised in a very legalistic church, and nothing I did or tried within that context had helped me. So I was looking elsewhere.

Now I'm going to put that story on pause, it's a very long story, but I need at this time to get back to the point. The point is, tonight the last in the series of Harry Potter books is due to be released. If you are at all interested in pursuing the discussion with me, I invite you to email me. Otherwise, all I'll say about it is that anyone getting involved in any occult practice IS an abomination to God and there are very terrible consequences.

Don't get mad at me, I didn't write The Book. But I have come to know its Author, and there's nothing in life more important to me now, than helping others to come to know him too. I'm no longer troubled, I have "the peace that passes all understanding." I've found the meaning to life, the purpose for which I was put here, and the joyful privilege of walking with the One who called me. C'mon along with me. It's an awesome adventure.

Here's the reference:

"There shall not be found among you anyone who:
makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire,
or who uses divination,
or an observer of times (astrology),
or an enchanter,
or a witch,
or a charmer,
or a consulter with familiar spirits (a medium),
or a wizard (magician)
or a necromancer (one who contacts the dead).

For all who do these things ARE AN ABOMINATION to the Lord"
Deuteronomy 18:10-12

Is The Messiah One Of Us? Is He God?

Let the prophet Isaiah answer this.

The Prophecy Of The Messiah:

"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given;
and the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called:
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Isaiah 9:6

This CHILD is the mighty God -El Gibor.
This CHILD is the eternal Father -Avi Ad.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Word for word translation from the Hebrew text:

Ci yeled yulad lanu, ben nitan lanu.
For a child is born to us, a son given to us.

Vatehi hamisrah al shichmo.
And will be the government upon his shoulder.

Vayikra shmo:
And will be called his name:

Pele, Yo-etz, El Gibor,
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,

Avi Ad, Sar Shalom.
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

L'marbeh hamisrah ul'shalom
Of the increase of government and of peace

ein ketz.
there is no end.

Al cisei David v'al mamlachto
Upon the Throne of David and upon his kingdom

lehachin otah ul'saadah
to prepare it and to uphold it

b'mishpat uv'itz-dakah
in justice and in righteousness

me-atah v'ad olam.
from now and until forever.



What Does It Mean to Accept Christ?

by A. W. Tozer Sermon

Benny Hinn's Nephew Speaks on Word of Faith Teachers

by Costi Hinn

Hell Is Real

by Pastor Louie Giglio

Satan Doesn't Care What You Believe As Long As It Isn't The Truth

The post-modern "emerging" church propaganda is being revealed openly as we move further and further away from a faith founded on the Word of God. Believers of a variety of faiths are worshiping together. Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist, Zoroastrian, Judaic, Christian and Islamic texts are often read and prayed during the same service.

Islam speaks about Jesus and what a great prophet he was. Oddly though, they don't believe what he said. Do prophets lie? At "Abode of the Message," a retreat center in New Lebanon, New York, guests are invited to deepen their faith without suggestion to convert to anything. Buddhists at Zen Mountain Monastery say they see no conflict with Buddhist practice and any person's path in searching for God. Elat Chayyim Jewish Retreat Center in Falls Village, Connecticut, welcomes "seekers who have walked other spiritual paths."

Protestants, Catholics, Jews, and Muslims as well as followers of other faiths are coming to agree that all religions can lead to eternal life, and that all worship the same God.

So what's the problem with this?

The problem is ...it isn't true.

It is unacceptable to Christians because Jesus Christ made very specific statements about his purpose in coming and the requirements to follow him. And they are dogmatically exclusive.

Well, what DID Jesus say?

The New Testament record, written exclusively by eye-witness followers of Jesus, teaches that human beings are born in a state of falleness. This means that all humans will sin, and sin will bring them to judgment. The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ teaches that God sent his son Jesus to bear the judgment for sin ON BEHALF OF each sinner who receives him, and that those who receive him will have eternal life. The New Testament stresses that we are saved by the blood of the sacrifice God provided, as Jesus gave his life on that Cross.

Satan's agenda is to dismiss all truth about Jesus Christ. He will attack his deity, his virgin birth, and everything written about Him. He will underplay, ridicule, and steer you away from the concepts of the Cross, and the purpose for the Blood of Christ. And he will foster every and any other way of religion. From the beginning, Satan's hatred has been against the work of Jesus on behalf of fallen mankind and he raises all kinds of alternatives to steer people away from Christ. Satan doesn't care what you believe, as long as it isn't the truth.

Do Christians really believe what Jesus said? He said that He came to be the atonement for sinful man, and as the atonement provided by God, there is therefore no other way to salvation.

“I am THE WAY and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father EXCEPT through me.”
(John 14:6).

That pointed statement is Jesus Christ's claim to exclusivity. He said that he is the ONLY way.

The Bible speaks of a global religion in "the last days." Believers stand in shock and horror as this very thing evolves into just that. As in the days of Noah, the human race is going to perdition on a toboggan slide into hell. Jesus said that the last days would be "As it was in the days of Noah ...." And so it is! Everyone is doing his own thing, and neglecting the one thing that matters. Noah offered only one way of escape. They rejected it. And they perished.

A generation ago, it would have been a stretch to imagine how a global religion could come to be, because the people of most religions were immovable in their beliefs. But now, in these "last days," that very thing is taking shape right before our eyes, except most aren't watching and they're falling for it by the masses.

For those who belong to Jesus Christ, stay close to him because it's going to get worse. Much, much worse. Many think revival is coming, but that is not prophesied in the Word of God, rather the Bible shows a great apostasy, the falling away, as the world sets its heart on global peace, global warming, global environmentalism, global religion, the polar bears in the arctic, the fuzzy wuzzies, and all that avoids the one true God. They turn to everything and anything except the Word of God, because the Word of God makes it clear that it is NOT ecumenical.

"For there is one God and ONE Mediator
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus..."
1 Timothy 2:5

Satan is the author behind all these deceptions and division. He doesn't care what you believe, as long as it isn't the truth.


Is There Life After Death?

Does the Bible answer this question? It sure does. Here are several passages speaking to this subject.

 He Is The God Of The Living
"But concerning the resurrection of the dead,
have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying,
'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?’
God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."
Matthew 22:31-32

 In context, Jesus was speaking here to the Sadducees, who were another sect of Judaism similar to the Pharisees, but they did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. When Jesus answered them, he proclaimed that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who had been dead for centuries, were ALIVE in heaven, asserting that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

 The Thief On The Cross
When Jesus was dying on the Cross, the criminal who was dying next to him asked Jesus to remember him when he came into his Kingdom. "And Jesus said to him, 'Assuredly I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.'" (Luke 23:43) If by that he meant the grave, of what import is the statement? Being in the grave with him would be a meaningless promise to
that man.

 Paul's Dilemma
"For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21)
If there's no life after death, this statement is ridiculous. How can dying be gain?

 vs 23-24:
"For I am hard pressed between the two,
having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.
Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you."

 Paul clearly desires to depart to be with Christ. To be with Christ certainly doesn’t mean in the grave. Surely that wouldn't be "better." How can lying in a grave be "FAR better?" Why would he so earnestly desire death unless he was looking to being with Christ?

 Absent From The Body
"We are confident, yes well pleased, rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord." (2 Cor 5:8) When a believer leaves the body, he is present with the Lord.

 The Rich Man And Lazarus
Luke chapter 16 verses 19-31 records a conversation between a rich man in hell and Lazarus who was in Paradise, clearly showing them alive after death. In fact, the man in hell is begging that someone be sent to warn his brothers not to come to this awful place. The answer was that they have the Bible, and if they don't believe the Word of God then nothing will
persuade them.

 Moses and Elijah
In Matthew 17:1-4, Jesus took Peter, James and John up onto a mountain and was transfigured before them. Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared and began speaking with Jesus. Peter was so shook that he asked if he should build a tent for them. Obviously, Moses and Elijah had been dead for centuries, yet they appeared on that mountain with Jesus. Alive.

 Believers, when you leave your body you are only changing location. YOU will not die, you will be alive -either in heaven, or in hell.

Shall Never Die
"I am the resurrection and the life.
He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live.
And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die."
John 11:25-26

 Shall NEVER die! SHALL NEVER DIE!

 Then Jesus added:

 "Do you believe this?"

The Deity of Jesus Christ

WHY did the people take up stones to stone Jesus?

Because they understood exactly what He was saying, that he is God.

His claim, that HE is the I AM:
"Jesus said to them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, before
Abraham was, I AM.' Then they took up stones to throw
at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the Temple,
going through the midst of them, and so ...passed by."
-John 8:58

What did He mean when he said, "I AM" ???

That he is the "I AM" as revealed to Moses:
"Then Moses said to God, 'Indeed, when I come to the children
of Israel and say to them, `The God of your fathers has sent me
to you,' and they say to me, `What is His name?' what shall I say
to them?'

And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' And He said, 'Thus
you shall say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.'
...The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham,the God
of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.

This is my Name forever, and this is My memorial to all
generations."
He also made this claim when questioned by the high priest:
"Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him,
Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?
And Jesus said, I AM.
And you shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power,
and coming in the clouds of heaven."
Mark 14:61-62
And again when speaking to a woman at a well in Samaria:
"The woman said to him,
'I know that Messiah is coming (who is called Christ).
When he comes, he will tell us all things.'
Jesus said to her, 'I who speak to you am he.'”
John 4:25-26


Don't Soften The Reality Of Hell

by Charles Leiter

Making A Fool Out Of The Holy Spirit Of A Holy God

by David Wilkerson





Judgment On America When US Opposes God In Israel

The Bible prophesied that "in the last days" God will bring the Jewish people back from their dispersion throughout the world, and that He will place them in the very land that he gave to their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in "an everlasting Covenant." After 2,000 years of dispersion, we are seeing them come back from all over the world, we are seeing the prophecies come to pass right before our eyes.

But not all have respect for God or his restoration of Israel. The following is a compilation of judgments that have fallen on America usually within 24 to 48 hours after an American official has opposed God's program of the restoration of Israel.
Madrid October 30, 1991
George Bush Sr. opens conference in Madrid, Spain to start the Middle East “peace” process which will be on the basis of “land for peace.”
Topic: Israel must give land for peace.
October 30, 1991
“The Perfect Storm” -Powerful storm in the north Atlantic traveling from East to West for 1,000 miles smashes into New England with ocean waves the largest ever recorded in that region. President Bush's home in Kennebunkport, Maine was heavily damaged.
The storm travelled east to west, contrary to the norm of west to east.
Bush moves talks to Washington August 23, 1992
Madrid peace conference moved to Washington, D.C. where talks resumed.
August 23, 1992
Hurricane Andrew, the worst natural disaster ever to hit America prior to that time, hit south Florida. 180,000 homeless in Florida and 25,000 in Louisiana. Damage as high as $30 billion.
Clinton and Assad January 16, 1994
President Clinton met with President Hafez el-Assad of Syria in Geneva. Topic: An agreement that Israel would give up the Golan Heights to Syria.
January 17, 1994
The 6.9 Northridge Earthquake rocked southern California. With 61 dead and damages at $21 billion, It was the second most destructive natural disaster to hit the U.S, after Hurricane Andrew.
Clinton meets with Arafat March 1, 1997
Yasser Arafat met with President Clinton in Washington to discuss settlements being built “illegally” by Israel. Clinton rebukes Israel for building the settlements. Arafat went on a speaking tour of the U.S. The United Nations Security Council and the General Assembly voted to condemn Israel.
March 1, 1997
Powerful tornadoes devastated huge sections of the U.S. Arkadelphia, Arkansas was destroyed by tornadoes.
Storms in the Dakotas result in the worst flooding of this century. Falmouth, Kentucky was destroyed by flooding. The storms stalled over Ohio causing extensive flooding. Cost was over $1 billion.
Washington Jan 21, 1998
Clinton humiliates Netanyahu with a cold reception at the White House, Secretary of State Albright refuses to have lunch with him.
Jan 21, 1998
On the same day, the Monica Lewinsky scandal breaks into the mass media, revealing Clinton’s sex life to the whole world and he is eventually impeached for lying about it.
Albright-Clinton-Arafat September 27, 1998
Sec of State Albright met with Arafat in New York in preparation for a meeting with President Clinton. On September 28, 1998 Clinton meets with Arafat and Netanyahu declaring that Israel has to give up 13% of the “West Bank.”
Later, Arafat addresses the United Nations about declaring an independent Palestinian
state by May 1999.
September 27, 1998
Hurricane George slammed into the Gulf Coast striking Mississippi and the Florida Panhandle causing $1 billion in damage. The storm stalled and then moved inland.
Just as Arafat was leaving the hurricane dissipated.
Wye River Plantation, Maryland October 15-23, 1998
Yasser Arafat and Benjamin Netanyahu meet at the Wye Plantation, Maryland for a five day meeting on giving away 13% percent of the “West Bank.” Under pressure from Clinton, Israel agreed.
October 17, 1998
Rains and tornadoes hit east Texas. Twenty five percent of Texas was ravaged, leaving over $1 billion in damage. The day the talks ended the storms subsided. On October 21, Clinton declares this section of Texas a major disaster area.
Clinton-Arafat in Washington –November 30, 1998
42-nation meeting in Washington to raise money for a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as the capital. All the nations agreed to give Arafat $3 billion in aid. Clinton promised $400 million, and the European nations $1.7 billion.
November 30, 1998
On the same day, the Dow Jones average drops 216 points, and on December 1, the European Market had its third worst day in history. Hundreds of billions of market capitalization were wiped out in the U.S. and Europe.
Clinton in “Palestinian” area December 12, 1998
Clinton lands in the Palestinian-controlled section of Israel to discuss “land for peace.”
December 12, 1998
The House of Representatives votes four articles of impeachment against him.
Clinton-Arafat March 23, 1999
Arafat met with President Clinton in Washington, D.C. to discuss a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
March 23, 1999
Stock market fell two hundred nineteen points. May 3, 1999
Arafat scheduled to declare May 3, 1999
Yasser Arafat is scheduled to declare a
Palestinian state with Jerusalem as the capital.
The declaration is postponed to December 1999 at the request of President Clinton whose letter to Arafat encourages him in his "aspirations for his own land."
May 3, 1999
The most powerful tornado storm system ever to hit the United States sweeps across Oklahoma and Kansas. The winds are clocked at 316 mph the fastest wind speed ever recorded.
One of the tornadoes was over one mile wide. 43 people died.
Clinton-Arafat in Washington September 22, 1999
September 22, 1999
The day before and after the meeting the market falls more than 200 points each day. This was the first time in history the market lost more than 200 points for two days in a week. The market lost 524 points the week.
Under US pressure October 11, 1999
Jewish settlers are forcibly removed from 15 “West Bank” Israeli settlements and evicted from their covenant land.
October 15, 1999
Hurricane Irene slams into North Carolina.
On October 16, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake rocks the southwest in the fifth most powerful earthquake in 20th Century to date.
AND on the 15th the Dow-Jones averages lose 5.7 percent in the worst week in ten years. On October 15 the Dow lost 266 points.
Camp David, Maryland July 12, 2000
Clinton, Ehud Barak and Yassar Arafat meet at Camp David, Maryland to discuss dividing Jerusalem and giving away large portions of Israeli land.
July - August, 2000
Seven million acres of timber burn in the Western U.S. Montana and Wyoming are declared disaster areas. More than twenty five thousand from all over the world fought the fires.
Tenet to Israel June 6, 2001
CIA director George Tenet traveled to Israel to discuss stopping building of Settlements. This was the first involvement of the George W. Bush administration.
June 8, 2001
Hurricane Allison. Three feet of rain fell on Houston, Texas. Twenty Five thousand homes and businesses were destroyed or damaged. Cost $3-4 billion dollars.
Bush demands compliance August 9, 2001
President Bush demanded that Israel abide by the Madrid Peace Process, the Mitchell Plan, and United Nations Resolutions 242 and 338. The resolutions called for Israel to go back to the borders prior to the Six-Day War of 1967.
September 11, 2001
Terrorists destroyed the World Trade Center in New York, attacked the Pentagon and brought a plane down in Pennsylvania.
Bush approves “Palestine” November 10, 2001
In his major UN address on the war on terrorism, Bush speaks of “Palestine.” This was the first time a US President had every publicly acknowledged the idea of a Palestinian “Palestine.”
The next day, November 11, 2001, Secretary Powell said that Bush's use of “Palestine” in his speech on Saturday was “deliberate and reflected administration policy.”
November 13, 2001
American Airlines Flight 587 exploded and broke apart over Queens in New York City, a short distance from the UN, where Israel’s covenant land and future had been discussed all weekend by the UN General Assembly.
Secretary of State Colin Powell January 31, 2003
Powell said Bush will become more deeply involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict than he was in his first two years in the White House.
On the same day Bush and Britain’s Tony Blair met at the White House over the pending Iraq war. They agreed to give Iraq six more weeks to comply.
February 1, 2004 (1 day later)
Ironically, this was the same amount of time Bush had just agreed to give Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to form his coalition government and for his formal response to the Quartet Road Map.
Two days later the Space Shuttle Columbia broke up over Palestine, Texas.
Bush supports Gaza withdrawal August 2005
The Bush administration brings pressure upon Prime Minister Sharon of Israel to remove, by force, Israeli settlers in the Gaza Strip and to give their land to the Palestinians in order to establish peace.
August 29, 2005
As the last Jews are forcibly removed from their homes in Gaza, Hurricane Katrina crashes into the Gulf coast of the United States. Over $26 billion dollars in estimated destruction. This was the worst catastrophe in the history of the nation. Initial estimates of 80 dead in one county alone.
Not long afterward, Sharon goes into a coma and remains in such, even to this day.
Condoleeza Rice in Israel October 2007
"Frankly, it's time for the establishment of a Palestinian state." And she continued, "That's really a message that I think only I can deliver," explaining her mission to prepare for the conference to be held in Annapolis.
October 2007
Then the "Severe weather" assaulted several states from Florida to Oklahoma with floods and tornadoes. Within two days after Rice left the Middle East, fires began in California forcing the evacuation of almost one million people and leaving more than 1,400 homes demolished and damages over a billion dollars.
Bush in Israel January 2008
President Bush visits Israel for the first time as President to discuss shared sovereignty over (dividing) Jerusalem.
January 2008
Bush arrives back home to a crisis in mortgage loan foreclosures, recession worries, and the DJIA drops 784 points on the year. A French investor loses $7 Billion dollars, rocking the financial world, and congress can’t get an economic stimulus package passed fast enough.
Obama campaigns in Israel July 23, 2008
July 23, 2008
Hurricane Dolly makes landfall at peak intensity July 23, 08 in South Padre Island, Texas
Bush: I'll Bring Peace to Israel Dec 20, 2004
December 21, 2004
A rocket attack kills 20 people at a U.S. military base near Mosul, Iraq.
US support for Israel ends at UN April 19, 2010
Fox News reports that the U.S. will no longer automatically support Israel in the United Nations.
April 20, 2010
The Deepwater Horizon oil rig explodes.
America’s decay advances. Media controlled. Elections compromised.
50 million babies butchered.
Parents can’t be called Mom and Dad.
Planned Parenthood working to teach kids to experiment with the pleasures of sex.
Gays working for preferred access to everything. Controls over pornography disappear.
All vestiges of Christianity and God being rejected.

Why Was The Rich Man In Hell?

In the story Jesus told of the rich man who died and went to hell, and the poor man, Lazarus, who died and went to heaven, the question is, "did the rich man go to hell because of his wealth?"

The answer is no. Wealthy people CAN be saved.

Well then why DID the rich man go to hell?

The answer is buried in the story, and is very interesting.

Listen to the conversation between this rich man in hell, and "father Abraham."

Luke, chapter 16
The rich man appeals to Abraham to send someone from the dead to testify to his brothers on earth: 28. `for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.' 29. "Abraham said to him, `They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.' 30. "And he said, `No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' 31. "But he said to him, `If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.' ''

The determining words are "No, father Abraham."

No?

No?

No???

No ....what?

Abraham told him that they have the Bible, the Word of God, which Jesus often referred to as "the Law and the Prophets." This is what will bring them salvation if they will "hear them."

The man in hell says, "NO, but ......" and changes the subject.

He said "NO" .......to the Bible and its message, and thought a personal visitation from the dead, seeing a miracle, something supernatural, would persuade his brothers.

He was refusing the Word of God, and demanding a supernatural experience insisting that that would "persuade them."

Abraham made it clear that salvation is to be found in God's Word, the Bible, which God gave to man to reveal to man all about God and about salvation.

What is your response to the Word of God?

If it's "No, but ....." then you've missed it and nothing else will be able to persuade you.





Why Did He Let Him Go?

There's something I've always wondered about in the story of the rich young ruler in Luke chapter 18, beginning in verse 18.

This is about the man who all his life had strived to do right. Then one day he comes to Jesus, and asks him what he must do to inherit eternal life. And Jesus answers, telling him to relinquish his riches and come follow him. And the rich young ruler walked away from Jesus "grieved, for he had great possessions."

The part that stands out to me is the fact that Jesus didn't run after him.

If it had been one of us ministering to that rich young man, when he turned to walk away we would have run after him pleading, "wait a minute, you don't understand ....you don't get it! What do you think of the Lord anyway, that he's a hard and cruel task master? Oh no, no, no, that's so wrong. You must understand that there is no losing when you walk with Jesus. Anything you lose for his sake is returned to you a hundredfold, and eternal life to boot! Don't be foolish! Relinquish to him whatever he asks of you. The way to receiving is through relinquishing. Please think again, please reconsider."

But Jesus did NOT run after him. He did NOT say those words to him. He just let him turn and walk away.

What I glean from this is that we cannot trifle with God. What he asks, we must be ready to relinquish, KNOWING that there is no losing in him, and that whatever we relinquish at his beckoning will be only for our GAIN. The walk with Jesus is a walk of obediance in faith, in a perpetual attitude of relinquishment, but relinquishment in trust.

"Then Peter said, 'See, we have left all and followed You.' So He said to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, "who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come everlasting life.'''

The promise is, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matt 6:33). This is a promise from almighty God to anyone who is willing to walk by faith. Having walked this way now for 31 years, I can attest to the absolute faithfulness of God to his Word. And, I can add, it's a life of joy and excitement, plus a rejoicing in the promises of the world to come.

As the apostle Paul said, "But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. But indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ..."
-Phillipians 3:7-8

What Is Fundamentalism?

Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
"a movement or attitude stressing strict and literal adherence to a
set of basic principles."

Christian Fundamentalism:

"'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with
all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great
commandment. And the second is like it, 'you shall love your
neighbor as yourself.'"
-Mathew 22:37-39

"Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those
who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and
persecute you, that you may be the children of your Father who
is in heaven."
-Matthew 5:44-45

Jewish Fundamentalism:

"Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord. And you shall love
the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and
with all your strength."
-Deuteronomy 6:4-5

"You shall not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of
 your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself."
-Leviticus19:18

 1. You shall have no other gods before me.
 2. You shall  not make for yourself any graven images to bow
     down yourself to them, nor serve them.
 3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
 4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
 5. Honor your father and your mother.
 6. You shall not commit murder.
 7. You shall not commit adultery.
 8. You shall not steal.
 9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet anything that is your neighbor's.
-Exodus 20:3-17

Islamic Fundamentalism:

Regarding infidels (unbelievers), they are the Muslim’s inveterate enemies.
-Sura 4:101

Muslims are to "arrest them, besiege them and lie in ambush
everywhere" for them.
-Sura 9:5

Muslims are to "seize them and put them to death wherever you find
them, kill them wherever you find them, seek out the enemies of Islam
relentlessly."
-Sura 4:90

A Muslim is permitted to kill any person if it be "a just cause."
-Sura 6:152

"Fight them until Islam reigns supreme."
-Sura 2:193

Muslims are to be "ruthless to unbelievers."
-Sura 48:29

"Cut off their heads, and cut off the tips of their fingers."
-Sura 8:12

Anyone who fights against Allah or renounces Islam in favor of
another religion shall be "put to death or crucified or have their
hands and feet cut off on alternative sides."
-Sura 5:34

"When the sacred months have passed away, then slay the idolaters
wherever you find them, and take them captives and besiege them
and lie in wait for them in every ambush."
-Sura 9:5

"Allah loves those who fight for his cause."
-Sura 61:3

Allah will give "a far richer recompense to those who fight for him."
-Sura 4:96