‘I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen.’ —Rev 1.18a
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April, May, June 2014 • Vol. 1, No. 1
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God Is Real Team
God is Real By Pastor Chuck Kennedy
Destruction in Eastern Samar, Philippines after Supertyphoon Yolanda
The Church Hurricane Yolanda Could Not Destroy Visayas Region, Philippines — Typhoon Yolanda entered the Philippines as a massive signal five category on Nov 9, 2013, leaving great devastation behind. Prompted by the numerous news reports, mercy challenged us for the task at hand…missions to the affected Visayas area. Our team departed on Nov. 24, at 7:00 in the evening traveling by land. The whole place was devastated. The once happy cities, towns, barangays and sitios were now a no-man’s-land. No sign of how these remnants could recover. No houses, no food, no clothes, no electric power, no water supply, no means to earn money. The schools were down and most all establishments destroyed. Everywhere I looked I saw destruction, trailer trucks, lamp post, trees, everything was destroyed. The smell is awful! Buried under mud everywhere were remnants of wood, walls, ceiling, floors, roof, windows, and doors. People are begging for help with makeshift signs reading “WE NEED HELP” or “WE NEED FOOD”. Children stand along the streets with hands
C O N T E N T S Page 2 Does God Talk to Himself? By Ed McGraw
Page 2 Our Daily Walk By Bob Duffany
Page 3
‘I Am Going To End My Life’ By Tracy Druell
Page 4 Which Way Are You Pitching Your Tent? By Rich Christiano
stretched begging for any donation. You can feel the wretchedness and hopelessness. Some are trying to scavenge what was left of their houses to rebuild even just a small room for the family. It rains often with heavy outpourings. Where will these people go to protect themselves? Their clothes are still wet and they have no place to do their laundry. There is no retreat for shelter anywhere. We were able to begin our first mission on Wednesday Nov 27 at 3:00 that afternoon. Lodging was difficult to find so we ended up staying in a daycare school. Our team consisted of 5 vehicles and 22 persons total. We brought with us 55 containers of clean water, sacks of rice, clothes, cooking utensils, mosquito nets and a variety of medicine along with medical doctors and nurses to work the affected areas. Harrowing eye witness reports came from the survivors telling us the sea water receded outward a distance and the land was dry for about 30 minutes. Then there was a loud sound like that of thunder and trumpets sounding. Then looking towards the shoreline the huge waves began coming and there was no time to run or hide. The gigantic size and speed of the sudden flood with the forceful current brought devastation which covered all barangays at once. Exempting no place and no one, the moving mountain of water with its force and power destroyed every house, tree, crop, vehicle, and untold numbers of innocent lives. They gave their full strength to hold on to each other as they cried out to God. However, many were sucked into a water grave right out of their slippery grip. Others who did survive lost family members, houses and everything they have worked all their life for. There was a traumatized young girl I saw in line waiting to be medically examined. When I asked her to get her parents, she just stared back at me with a blank stare and no answer. Come to find out, she had just lost both her parents, they were dead. Another 21 year old girl sought counsel needing somebody to talk to as she had just lost both her children, her grandmother, and her house. Continued on page 3
Bradenton, FL — With a vision to reach the Philippines, the God is Real team landed safely in Manila during the early morning hours on Nov 6th, 2013. Little did we realize the destruction and danger that was rapidly approaching. Typhoon Yolanda, the biggest storm to invade the Philippines in decades, if not the biggest ever, was about to make landfall. We were at breakfast on the second morning when Mama Jan told us of numerous text messages she had received from concerned family members during the night. Each had the same message, “Get out of the Philippines, a huge storm is coming!”
From all the news reports, it appeared the wrath of Yolanda was heading right for us. We began to pray and took our authority rebuking it from our path. We decreed it would not stop our mission nor hinder our outreach. God is Real, as we experienced only a small amount of rain. Every meeting was executed with the Lord’s grace and full demonstration of His power. Hallelujah, we thank Him. However, there were areas of the Philippines that were badly damaged. Our hearts go out to them. We have since left the Philippines but some of the people who ministered with us are carrying on the ministry to the affected areas. Thank you for praying.
Storm-Stopping Prayers Show God’s Mercy From Mission Network News, mnnonline. org/news—News reports last week told of Cyclone Lehar threatening to hit Andhra Pradesh, India, on Thanksgiving Day. Predicted conditions included high winds and rough seas overwhelming low-lying areas. India Partners asked for your prayers. And by the grace of God, thos prayers were answered. They received news from their ministry partners that the cyclone changed overnight, and the winds dissipated. Lehar was expected to cause severe damage upon landfall, further incurring devastation on the land that got hit by Cyclone Helen the week before. Their partners are reporting heavy rains, but the damage is much less severe FICC PO Box 14931, Bradenton, FL 34209 USA
than predicted. India Partners thanks you for your prayers for mercy and protection. Please continue to pray for them as they help the villagers recover from Cyclone Helen. Also pray for India Partners as they enter into a vital time of year when many people will be making contributions to their ministry. Their work provides the means to share the Gospel with some people who would otherwise never know the love of Jesus. We need you! We are looking for testimonies. It can be your life story, or individual events in your life God has done for you. Be a blessing to many, submit yours today to: hesalivenews@yahoo.com
Page 2 | He’s Alive | April, May, June 2014
Does God Talk to Himself? By Ed McGraw
IN THE BEGINNING,
the first few pages of the Bible, we notice an unusual way that God speaks, as if he was talking to Himself. For example, when he created man in Genesis 1:26 (NKJV) God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to our likeness.” When Adam sinned, we again find God in conversation in Genesis 3:22 — And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil.” In Genesis 11:7-8 when God dispersed the people of Babel, he said, “Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” So the Lord scattered them…. Who is God talking to when He refers to Us and Our? When the angel spoke to Mary in Luke 1.35, he said “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” Here we see the Holy Spirit, the Most High, and the Son of God all mentioned in one verse. We know that the Most High is God. Jesus is God come in human flesh. Are they one and the same? What about the Holy Spirit? What does the Bible say? We must look to the Scriptures: Matthew 3:16-17 — As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.” We have three entities here: Jesus, the Spirit of God and the voice from heaven. Confusing? It can be if you do not understand some basic biblical principles. Consider this: First of all, we know that there is only one God. That is emphasized repeatedly in the Bible. Mark 12:29 KJV — Jesus
answered him: “Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord.” There are things about God that are beyond our scope of reason; complexities that are too difficult for us to fathom. For example, the whole concept of an eternal God is not easy to digest. In the same vein, trying to conceptualize a God who is everywhere at the same time is totally baffling. Getting a solid handle on just these two truths is above our finite minds. Here we are faced with a revelation about God that is equally difficult to grasp, yet nonetheless clearly taught in the Bible. The Scripture reveals to us a God, who is at the same time the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit-eternal, coequal persons that comprise One God. These three persons form a tri-unity or trinity. Think for a moment: an eternal God; all-knowing, everywhere present at the same time; Creator of the whole universe; a Trinity, one, yet comprised of three persons — Father, Son and Holy Spirit — are all equal in character and ability. Though these concepts may be hard to grasp, the Bible says all are true. The very word God is a statement about the Trinity. The Hebrew language has singular (one), dual (two only) and plural (three or more) noun forms. The word God, in Hebrew Elohim, is grammatically plural, allowing for three, but has a singular meaning. Though it is correct to refer to any member of the Trinity as God, a distinction can be made as follows: The Most High = The Father Jesus Christ = The Son The Spirit = The Holy Spirit Ed McGraw is a Bible teacher and offers courses in Biblical understanding. You may email him here at Hesalivenews@ yahoo.com.
From The Publisher
Our Daily Walk By Bob Duffany S O M E T I M E S my daily
walk with God seems more like a book entitled, My Daily Failures. I just can’t seem to get it right! And in that thought lies the real problem: by ourselves, we can’t get it ‘right’. Only the presence of God in us, the Holy Spirit, makes it possible to please Him and get it ‘right’ according to His standards, not ours alone. Heb. 11:6 states that we please Him only by our faith. Oh-Oh! There’s that word faith again! It seems that the Bible, our Pastor, all those books and words on faith are hung up on it — and I just can’t seem to get it going inside of me the way I know it needs to be, if I’m to expect directions and answers and things from God in my life. OK, let me try again…. That verse states that Faith is the “substance (the actual consistency, the reality) of things hoped for; the evidence
Jesus said to have the GODKIND of faith. If He said it, then it is possible. (the proof — as in a court trial; the unshakable truth; the certain knowledge) of things not seen (they exist, they are there: we just cannot see them in the natural at this moment)”. Wow! You may say, it’s very hard for me to mentally drum up in my mind the vision, or picture, or belief or whatever it is…that what I need and ask for will really happen! The truth is, my Friend, that’s not how it works, not what Faith is really made of. A lot of Christians (myself included) at times lean away from the true actuality of what God’s meaning of Faith is. It is not vain repetition of words to shore up our minds; it is not mental straining or anguish or sustained effort to make God hear our pleas, or get His attention. His Word states that He has His eyes and heart on us all the time! We are His delight, His love, His children.
Let’s look at Mark 11:22. Jesus, Himself, said, “Have faith in God”. That literally means, “Have the God-kind of faith.” Wow! I can have the same kind of faith that God, himself, has? Jesus said so, even commanded us to do so. “The Faith of God!” Impossible? No…again, Jesus said so! Here’s how we do it — His way: Think about this: when God created the earth, how did He do it? Of course, with His Word — the Word of His Power. (Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the Word of God — so faith comes by the Word of God). He simply spoke the Word and it was done. He did not have to conjure up a vision in His mind, or mentally strain to see it before it was created — he just believed it, knew it would happen! That is the Faith of God (Mark 11:22 – above). He did not have to struggle to believe it, because Faith is a part of who He is — it is one of His attributes, like love (God IS love). The Faith of God is not separate from the character of God. It is in His makeup, His being, His existence — who He is. The Faith of God is in us! The Holy Spirit hears us, knows us, and is IN us! We have the same kind of faith He has, if we will just use it! Again, Jesus said to have the GODKIND of faith. If He said it, then it is possible. That faith is in us now. Just use it as God uses it – He is in us. Forget the straining, the wondering if it will happen. He is there to answer our prayers, our heart-cries. Just believe. Let it go. Pray and ask, then take your hands and natural mind off from it. He hears you. Try it! Prove Him! Expect the answer! He is FAITH-FULL. Let us be FAITHFULL as He is, by trusting the One who saved us through His Son. Our Daily Walk is shared by Bob Duffany, Bradenton, Florida. He is the owner of MasterPiece© Family Legacy Video Productions — The Times of Your Life.
By Pastor Chuck Kennedy
He’s Alive Christian News and Views is a local Christian newspaper that has been in the works for some time. For several months now I have been trying to get this first one published in order to bring a Christian newspaper to this area in both digital and printed formats. Finally it is here and you are reading the premiere edition. The vision is to feature testimonies that uplift our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and draw all men to Him. Although I love good teaching from the Word of God, it is not my intention nor directive from the Lord that this paper should be a “teaching” paper but instead an evangelistic tool with testimonies that everyone will find interest in. We will also publish current news articles that may be of interest to the Christian community. An area of
special interest will be End Times events that will usher in the soon coming of our Lord Jesus. Although Faith International is the church behind this paper, we are by no means trying to promote our local church exclusively. The vision and purpose is to uplift the Body of Christ as a whole and so we welcome testimonies from everyone. I pray you are blessed by the contents herein and will pass it on to others without letting it die. Your participation via comments, testimonial submissions and donations are not only greatly appreciated, but vital to the success of this vision. Looking forward to hearing from you soon. In His Love, Pastor Chuck Kennedy Publisher and Editor hesalivenews@yahoo.com
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April, May, June 2014 | He’s Alive | Page 3
to it that they heard the good news. Forty Nine people of the families present accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior while there! On day Three as we began our hour and a half travel I cried because it was even worse than the three places where we had just been. I was wondering if the waters had reached Relief supplies for typhoon Yolanda victims the mountains with the uprooted trees. No houses were left Hurricane Yolanda standing. There were no traces of resorts Continued from page 1 or even buildings, even the cell towers There was a man on crutches who were down. What devastation, what tried hard to walk and get in line but pain desolation, what death and disaster! The faces of the people were sad, is seen on his face. I learned that all four tired, cold, hopeless and hungry. There of his children had died in the typhoon. Lots of antibiotics were dispersed. was utter devastation, destruction and We had an over-quota in patients. I was hopelessness. We began sharing Jesus, able to share the Word and talk to each giving them the bread of life, the word of one of them as I handed them vitamins. truth, the powerful life changing word The people kept coming so we kept on ministering as long as they came. Theses The city had been swallowed into precious people need Jesus. As we traveled on to Tacloban, the the sea except for this one church. smell was awful. Dr. Portia shared with It was the only structure not us the details of how the water suddenly under water! came in. Pointing to the houses and telling of the deaths. The lamppost showed the height of the water once invading the area. of God. There was new life. There were You could still see the garbage in the tree smiles again. In spite of the tragedy and branches from the flood. The city had the current downpour, indeed, it was a been swallowed into the sea except for this happy day! one church. It was the only structure not We prepared to travel back home on under water! There were six families who Friday, Nov 29. We were able to lead five took shelter inside that church building hundred and forty five souls to Christ and they did not even realize that it was through medivangelism, Forty nine souls completely flooded around them on the through cellphone charging and Three outside. They did not even know that the hundred seventy six families through whole place around them was submerged relief operations to a relationship with under water except for their sanctuary. It JESUS! Praise to His awesome name! was the God of NOAH who showed up Although the Philippine Government and He showed forth His power with a has prepared 40.9 billion pesos for mighty miracle! rehabilitation purposes, as I saw it, that Dr Portia told us it took three days to is only a beginning. It will take a long clear the streets which hindered the relief time for the people to actually recover. workers from getting to the people faster. Your prayers are The hunger of the people quickly made appreciated. them unruly. Looting started. People P a s t o r began to turn on each other in search of Luz was the food. Self-preservation was the law of the God is Real land. The Philippine government had to c o o r d i n a t o r declare martial law for three days because and can be the people were so out of control. reached in the Some of the government officials were Philippines at: hoarding the relief goods, some were Mizpah.luz13@ keeping it in another place. Others were yahoo.com actually trying to repack the goods. This made the NGO’s go direct to the people Editors note: Many have indicated this may so as to get it all to the intended recipients have been God’s judgment on the Philippines. and not for personal gain. The area of I would draw your attention to the scriptures where Jesus asked the people if the Galileans Tacloban was hit harder than Samar. Only at one point did I experience a were worse sinners because of the things they battle with fear for my personal safety. suffered or the if the eighteen whom the tower of Siloam killed were worse. No, He said we When we arrived back at our site, there must all repent or we will all likewise perish. was a crowd of people gathered. I was Read it for yourself in Luke 13.1-5 and let God thinking they may try to overtake us or give you revelation that satan is the dethroned even hurt us. People began to rush me god of the current age who is the author of such as I stepped down from the van. “Can we tragedies. There is surely coming a judgment charge our phones?” they asked. What at the Lords second return, so I encourage you get yourself ready by knowing your God and a relief! We put our generator on and 49 to arming yourself with Truth. Learn to use the families were able to recharge their only authority He has given us instead of blaming lifeline to connect with family and loved Him in acceptance of these demonic acts. See ones. In whatever we were doing we saw John 10.10 also.
Community Announcements Help For The Hurting
The resource department at Faith International Christian Center is here to assist with food, resources for rent, and utility bills. Our resource officer, Beverly Vance, has been successful in assisting many people. Give her a call at 942-794-1713 to get started today.
Acquire the Fire Coming to Tampa
Ron Luce will be bringing Acquire the Fire to Tampa April 4th and 5th, 2014. As always this promises to be a youth shaking, Holy Ghost inspired life changing event. Held at the Florida
State Fairgrounds, 4800 US Highway 301 North, Tampa, FL. Call 1-888909-3473 for more information or reservations. Submit your community or ministry announcement for publication here. Email to hesalivenews@yahoo.com. Please note your announcement will be published according to space available and will be edited for clarity and space.
‘I Am Going to End My Life’ By Tracy Druell L I F E was absolute darkness before receiving Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior. I didn’t know how to live a productive life. There was no structure, only pain, shame, guilt and fear. Most people would have considered me to be a lost child. I searched high and low for answers to fill the deep dark emptiness inside while seeking for love in places never to be found. At the tender age of fourteen I chose pot and alcohol as a means of escape. By the age of twenty-one I was addicted to pot, alcohol, LSD, cocaine and crack. Drugs were a way of life for me on and off over a twenty year period, thirteen of which I was addicted and the other seven scattered throughout with short periods of recovery. It was a struggle so I incorporated the aid of agencies such as alcoholics anonymous in my efforts to be free. Seems I would be clean and sober for seven years and then would relapse another eight years. Victory was sweet for short periods of time but I could not maintain my freedom. Satan had me fully convinced nothing could save me. Suicide seemed to be the only way out. After twenty years of bondage and depravation, I was actually ready to just give up all together. I contemplated suicide several times. The last 4 to 6 months of my drug and alcohol addiction I started calling out to God to wake me up!!! Little did I know in the Bible in Ephesians 5:14 God calls out to His people, “wake up o sleeper, rise from the dead for your salvation is near.” When I read that scripture it dawned on me that it wasn’t my prayer asking God to wake me up, but it was His prayer for me. That scripture is what God used to call me out of my bondage and awakened me to surrender my life to Him. I was through with living life for myself! So 2 weeks shy of 6 months while crying out to God to wake me up, I also asked Him to send Jesus to save me, save me from myself. Several days later I got angry at someone so I went and downed a pint of whiskey in 15 minutes. This
MY
escalated my anger to rage!!! I was so upset, I did not even want to care anymore. So I made the ultimate decision, today is the day I’m going to end my life. That was July 1, 2004. As I prepared to commit suicide, I heard this silent voice, a very still voice inside me saying not to kill myself. This voice told me that by taking my life I would only make things worse. Instead I was instructed to confess everything that was going on in my life. So at 3 am July 2, 2004, I picked up the phone and called my mother. I confessed to her the truth about the drugs, the alcohol and my feelings of suicide. Little did I know until then that my sins were the chains that bound me and kept me using drugs. Two days later I went to church. The Holy Spirit touched my heart and I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ. It has been nine and a half years since that day and I am victoriously walking with the Lord. The Lord gave me a delicious taste of what His love is like and truly woke me up as I had prayed. Since then I have never looked back. I now know Jesus is my Lord, my healer, my deliverer, and my sustainer. His love heals all wounds, for there is no greater love than the love of God. John 3.16-17: For God so loved the world that He gave us His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. Every day I put Jesus first, through prayer, praise, study of His Word, and worship in spirit and truth. If I mess up in anyway, I immediately confess it to Him to receive a fresh cleansing. When I need prayer, I reach out to a brother or sister in Christ Jesus. I have truly learned and can say with all confidence, “Jesus is the way, the truth, and my life.” Now is the time to walk by faith and not by sight! My prayer is for you to experience all of God’s blessings for you. Nothing is too difficult for our God.
He Makes Me Stand on Mountains and Walk on Stormy Seas By Rev. Paula Struble THR EE PHYSICIANS
diagnosed me with Graves Disease several years ago. Graves Disease is an immune disorder that attacks the thyroid gland, causing it to run too slow or too fast. The manifestation was the high-speed variety: hyperthyroidism. My body would have tremors and shake all over. I started losing muscle and became very week and lost a lot of weight. For two years I took a drug and was prescribed natural organic formulas every day to keep the thyroid stable. I waited for God to fulfill His healing promise, but my faith had not grown to the place where my inner man understood that I was already healed and that Jesus wasn’t going to take that scourging again.
I needed to hear from God. When I got that Rhema word, I immediately acted upon it, and took the drug and threw it away. The devil didn’t give up easy and the symptoms returned in a rage, but I stood on that Rhema word and 9 months later every symptom was gone. I was completely restored to health with no pills, no therapy, no radiation, no surgery. If you would like to know more of my testimony and the biblical principles for healing, and how to walk in divine health, you can order my book, “God’s Promise of Healing” at Amazon.com.
Faith International Christian Center Everyone invited! Sunday services start at 9:15 for Sunday school and 10 am worship 7409 Manatee Avenue West, Bradenton, FL 34209 (in the Albertson Shopping Plaza) | 941-794-1713 | www.ficcwordchurch.org
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Have You Walked The Romans Road? Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Admit that you are a sinner. Romans 6:23a “For the wages of sin is death...” Sinners suffer, their pay is death. Romans 6:23b “...but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” God’s gift to sinners is Jesus Christ, He came to save us. Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Now give your life to God. Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
“Whosoever” includes everyone, no one is excluded. Romans 10:9,10 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Believe God defeated death through Jesus and confess now that Jesus is Lord of your life. Tell everyone you are saved!
Write to us for further help. FICC PO Box 14931 Bradenton, FL 34280 hesalivenews@yahoo.com www.ficcwordchurch.org
What Does Girl Scouts USA Do With Their Cookie ‘Dough’? A C C O R D I N G to Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association, Girl Scouts USA may be doing more than you know with the proceeds of their delicious cookie sales. Consider the facts of what the organization supports with all that dough. Research points to Christy Volanski, a mother of two former Girl Scouts who created the website Speak Now Girl Scouts to expose the link between the group and the Planned Parenthood abortion business. Shocking as it may seem, it is your Christian duty to check out this accusation for truth and then govern your actions accordingly. Christy wrote a very telling article for LifeSiteNews, "What Every Pro-Lifer Needs to Know About The Girl Scouts’ Link to Planned Parenthood,” that you need to read. (copyright, time and space do not permit us to republish it here.) As Christy clearly outlines in her article, "GSUSA will try to assure you that all the proceeds from cookie sales stay local to benefit girls in their community." What they fail to mention is that GSUSA makes millions of dollars each year
through licensing fees paid by the baker. It's money like this that goes to promote the Girl Scout's partnership with Planned Parenthood. What about this? In January 2013, the Girl Scouts came under fire for tweeting a link to a news story and video that praises pro-abortion Texas state senator Wendy Davis (D-Texas.)! It should not surprise Christians as this organization may do a lot of good in many ways, but it does not proclaim that these young girls must be born again, and the heart is the real problem here. When you have secular people making decisions, you get secular, liberal results. It’s hard to say no to those little girls in the green and brown sashes, but buying Girl Scout cookies serves only to further facilitate a very liberal proabortion agenda. Mr Wildmon, President of the AFA suggests that when offered to purchase their cookies, just say, "No, thank you." No explanation is needed. Tim Wildmon is President of the American Family Association, P.O. Drawer 2440, Tupelo, MS 38803, phone 1-662-844-5036.
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Classes meet each Thursday night at 6:30 and 8 pm. Current topics are: • Prayer and • All the Messianic Prophecies of the Bible Call or stop in any Thursday evening for more information
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Which Way Are You Pitching Your Tent? By Rich Christiano T H E B I B L E says in Gen 13:12 that Lot “pitched his tent toward Sodom,” which is really an example of the world. When I am talking about the world, I’m talking about the system of thought, practice and ideas that is anti-God, anti-Christ and anti-Bible. Satan is the ruler of this world and he fights for keeps. He is intelligent, very deceptive, has no mercy, and is not your friend. No area has the “world” made more of an impact on society that through secular entertainment. It is the god of this country and many are in bondage to it. It has slowly corrupted our minds. You can watch the top 1000 thousand shows on TV and NONE of them have anything to do with the Lord Jesus Christ who gives life and breath to all the people that make those shows! Less than one percent of all the movies made glorify the Lord. And sadly, most Christians have a love affair with the world, but especially entertainment. Perhaps the number one reason, why your kids, your parents, and your relatives don’t believe is because they have been blinded by the Satan-run secular media. The world!
So, consider your choices today that you are making. How much time do you spend in front of the TV compared to how much time you spend in the Word of God? 1 John 2:15 says to “love not the world.” Colossians 3:2 says to “set you affection on the things above, not on the things on the earth.” James 4:4 says “whosoever will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” Yet, it seems the church has almost a love affair with the world and we are impressed when the world takes notice. The world can offer you fame, fortune, attention, celebrity, and so-called happiness. Sounds great, right? We envy it and who wouldn’t want it? Well, I can think of some people that might think that fame and fortune isn’t all what it’s made up to be. For example: Judy Garland, who played Dorothy in the famous movie Wizard of Oz, had 5 marriages and died at the age of 47 of a drug overdose. Jim Morrison, the lead singer of The Doors, died of a heroin at age 27. Marilyn Monroe, one of the most famous icons of all time, had 3 marriages and died at the young age of 36 due to an overdose of drugs. Michael Jackson, the king of pop, wasn’t doing so well in his life, accused of having sex with children and died at age 50 due to drugs. John Beluishi, famous comedian and actor, died at age 33, taking a speedball which is a mixture of cocaine and heroin. Elizabeth Taylor, at one time the most famous actress in the world, had eight marriages. Freddie Prinze, famous young Mexican actor,
due to depression took a gun to his head and committed suicide at age 22. Janis Joplin, one of the first women of rock and roll, died at age 27 due to heroin. Heath Ledger, played the role of the Joker in the Batman movie, never got to see the film and died at the age of 28 due to drugs. And the most famous entertainer in the 20th century, Elvis Presley, died of age 42, due to a drug overdose. But, wait a minute, these people had it all. I mean, THEY HAD IT ALL! Or did they? Sad to say that probably none of these very talented people had their sins forgiven and never made it to heaven because they never received Christ as Lord. (Colossians 2:6). I’ll tell you what you get from the World, you get dissatisfaction and Proverbs 27:20 says the eyes of man are never satisfied. I’ll tell you another person affected by the world. His name is Demas. Demas hung out with Paul and he is mentioned 3 times in the Bible. However, the last time, Paul writes in 2 Timothy 4:10 that Demas has “forsaken me, having loved this present world.” Demas is an example of how you can be around the truth, you can make profession of the truth, and you can get in to the association of the most elite people in Christian ministry, even be a companion and co-laborer and coworker with the apostle Paul and not be the real thing. The world will pull us away from our commitment to the LORD faster than anything and the enemy works best through entertainment. So, consider your choices today that you are making. How much time do you spend in front of the TV compared to how much time you spend in God’s Word, or in prayer, or in fellowship or witnessing to others? Be honest and give yourself a checkup. Do you even have the desire to do anything of these spiritual things mentioned above? And finally what happened to Lot. Bible says he pitched his tent toward Sodom. No big deal, right? Well, he lost his wife, he offered up the virginity of his two girls and 2 Peter 2:8 says that he “vexed his righteous soul every day.” You see if you are a Christian, you are not going to feel comfortable in the world and I encourage you to pursue the things of the Lord to escape its lusts. So, what about you? Which way are you pitching your tent? Rich Christiano is a Christian filmmaker who has been writing, producing and directing Christian movies since 1985. Some of his films include Time Changer and The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry. His newest film, A Matter of Faith, is due in theaters Sept. 26, 2014. You can find information on these films and other Christian movies at the website www. ChristianMovies.com
The Spirit of Truth By Rev. Madeline Montez Duffany
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Dear Reverend, I am always filled with fear and dread of the unknown. I worry about my health, children, husband, finances, and the state of the world. Sometimes I feel totally overwhelmed. What should I do? — Hopeless
Dear Hopeless, First of all, God’s Word says “Where there’s life, there’s hope.”, Ecc. 9:4. Also, “fear involves torment”, I John 4:18. Our entire life is affected. Minds gripped with fear cannot think rationally. Fear is not from God. Turn away from the things that are not pleasing to Him, and ask Him to help you. Trust in Him for a sound mind and deliverance. This is God’s truth! — Rev. M.M.D. Send your questions to Rev. Madeline at Hesalivenews@yahoo.com