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Belief Comparisons of Muslims & Christians Featured Articles on Islam Writings From the Great Exchange Muslims and the End-Times
ERGUN & EMIR CANER
SUMMER 2013
X-Changing Life Magazine
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The X-CHANGING LIFE Is a mini-mag newsletter provided by IOM AMERICA to assist in uniting Exchanged Life workers throughout the world with the message of the Cross-”Not I, but Christ.” Volume 13, Number 2, Summer 2013 Readers: 19,000+
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ISHMAEL AND ISAAC
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Dr. Stephen Phinney Muslims in the End-Times
BELIEFS OF MUSLIMS RESCUE CHRISTIANS
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Walid Shoebat Facing Islamic Hatred
PAKISTAN LEGAL DEFENSE
SAMOOS BIBLE MINISTRY
FAITH REVIVAL MINISTRIES
RUNNING THE RACE
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Larry Bennett Completing The Work He Started
LOVING THE UNLOVELY
THE PRICE OF EXCHANGE
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version (public domain), the New King James Version (© 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.), the New American Standard Bible (© 1995 by The Lockman Foundation), or the Holman Christian Standard Bible ® (© 2003 by Holman Christian Publishers). All used by permission. Comments or Concerns: Click Here
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Pastor Shaul Anton A Ministry That Touches Lives
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Pastor George John Gospel in Pakistan
Tammy Gough Learning to Love Those In Need
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Mushtaq Gill Defending the Innocent
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Tom Price Great Tension
JUSTIFICATION & SANCTIFICATION
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IOM America Knowing the Difference
Bibles4Children
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Larry Bennett Reaching Muslim Children Other: Muslim Mafia, Unveiling Islam, Book of Revelation—the Final Battle, Recommended Reading, Islam—Voice of the Martyrs, Damascus—Joel Rosenberg & The Patriot Post. X-Changing Life Magazine
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Final Battle Between Ishmael & Isaac By Dr. Stephen R. Phinney Yes, it’s true! The Muslim people have a Jesus (Isa) and a forerunner returning prophet (Mahdi). The Islamic nation has a future seven year reign. Just like the Christians and Jews, the Sunni and Shia Muslim denominations have their own eschatology (prophetic studies connecting the past to the future). Mahdi is Arabic and is translated in the English as “Guided One.” But in the Muslim world, it means so much more! Mehdi (with an e) is Early Arabic for “One of the Moon” or “stands alone by the moon.” The early Islamic believers developed the lone star by the crescent (or dawning) moon for their flag and icon from this word. Both spellings reveal the same message: the “prophesied redeemer of Islam” who will “rule on earth for seven years” before the “Day of Judgment” (what they call “yawm alqiyamah” or “Day of Resurrection”). The Islamic people believe that Mahdi is a “powerful and central” figure in their past, present, and future. Other names given to this figure are “Muslim Forerunning Prophet of Jesus,” Twelfth Imam, and Muhammad al-Mahdi. They have firm and immovable beliefs that this al-Mahdi will be returning from his place of “occultation.” Occultation in the Arabic (Ghaybat) means “hidden spirit clergy.” In the English, it means “the place of hiding for those who practice witchcraft by means of an occulted dark spirit/demon.” They are of the belief that this al-Mahdi is a “messianic infallible male” descendant of the founder of the First Testament Islam, Muhammad. They go on to tell me that this “descendant” was born of Muhammad, but disappeared into the occult. He will one day return and fill the world with justice, purity, and peace. Both branches of Islam pretty much have the same basic beliefs:
1. Mu-HAM-mad is a direct descendant of Ham—the son of Noah. 2. Muhammad is a direct descendant of Ishmael—the son of Abraham. 3. The Mahdi will be a bloodline descendant of Muhammad, particularly from the bloodline of Fatimah. 4. He will be from the seed of the parents of the Hassan and Hussain lineages. 5. He will have the same name as Muhammad. 6. He will be the forerunner to “Jesus’ Islamic Rule.” 7. His coming will be alongside the raising of the Islamic “Black Standard”—a marching that will proceed from the northeastern Iranian province of Khorasan. Khorasan is present day northeastern Iran, northern Afghanistan, and the southern parts of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. 8. His arrival will be accompanied by the appearance of a Christian Antichrist. 9. They believe there will be a lunar and solar eclipse within the same month as the Islamic month of Ramadan. 10. A star with a luminous tail will rise from the East before the coming of the Mahdi. 11. This Mahdi will establish the Caliphate (Islamic global system of rule). 12. He will fill the world with justice, purity, and peace during a time when the Muslim people are experiencing oppression and rejection from the Europeans, Jews, and Christians. 13. He will supposedly have a broad forehead, a prominent nose, and tattooed mascara lining his eyes. 14. His face will shine upon the moon like a bright star lighting a crescent. 15. The name of the representative of this Mahdi will begin with the first letter of a prophet’s name and a verse of the Qur’an. The basic mutuality of their beliefs state that this Mahdi is none other than the Muhammad al-Mahdi or the Twelfth
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Imam. He was said to be born in AD 869 and was hidden by “god” at the age of five. Believe it or not, both denominations believe this figure is still alive, but has been placed in “occultation” until their “god” releases him to have global control and rule the earth for seven years. According to their doctrines, at the end of this Mahdi’s rule, the “great Isa” will then return. Isa is Arabic for Jesus. This is why the Muslim people hate the Christians so much—they believe that we have stolen their “Isa” and made him into a wimpy emergent and lukewarm leader. In the dogma of Islam, Isa is considered to be the final messenger of “god” and the “messiah” who will be sent to lead the “children of bani-israil” (Israel) with newly formed and established scriptures, the “Injil” or gospel. This is where the offense of the Christian New Testament comes in. Muhammad came with the revised, or rewritten and reauthenticated First Testament, the Qur’an (Old Testament). The Isa will come with the final Second Testament (New Testament) for the new earth that will be ruled by Allah through Islam Isa--Jesus. It is documented that true Muslims believe their Isa was born of Maryam as a result of a miraculous and virginal conception, which occurred by permission of Allah. It is stated that Isa will be given power from Allah to aid the true bloodline descendants of Israel—the Muslim. This is the reason for the warring over this territory for thousands of years. They believe the Jews are wannabe fakes. Muslims do believe that their Jesus lived during the time recorded in the Christian Bible, but do not believe he was crucified and raised from the dead. None of their leaders, or historians, can really tell us how their Jesus died; most believe he just “ascended into heaven” and now await the time of his return. This doesn’t match what Muhammad said about what their baby Jesus stated in Maryam 30-33. Muslims are not real fond of death and resurrection stories.
In the dogma of Islam, Isa is considered to be the final messenger of “god” and the “messiah” who will be sent to lead the “children of baniisrail” (Israel) with newly formed and established scriptures, the “Injil” or gospel.
The primary purpose of the Isa Jesus is to return to earth around the time of their “Great Judgment Day,” to restore justice and destroy (defeat), Ad-Dajjal. He (Ad-Dajjal) is whom they call the Christian false messiah, also known to them as the Christian Antichrist. Without question, they believe this Jesus is 100% pure Muslim —not Jewish or Christian. They tout that he was completely obedient to Allah, from the beginning to the end. Muslims not only reject the Christian Jesus, they believe they must go to war with the Christian Jesus. They are appalled and enraged by the Christian belief of Jesus being the incarnate Son of the Living God; who was crucified, died, buried, resurrected, and ascended into Heaven for the atonement of the sins of all of mankind—including the Muslims’ sins. The rewrite of the New Testament by Muhammad removed all references to these Truths. In fact, Muhammad stated in his rewrite that THEIR Jesus will actually come to deny all of the “twisted Christian beliefs” about him.
Muhammad’s rewrite says that their Jesus was an honest and moral man, but certainly NOT God. They see him as a prophet and a significant one at that. They put Jesus in the category of being one of the primary messengers, if not the most significant, to spread the words of Allah throughout the entire world. The Islamic nation is given permission by Allah to “purify” any and all people, places, and religions that make “association partnerships” with God. They call this the sin of “shirk.” A true and authentic Muslim is a strict “tawhid,” or monotheist. From their perspective, the Jewish and Christian people are the biggest shirk violators on the face of the earth. Since there are so many languages and dialects, there are many titles given to their Jesus; but the Christian name is not the closest —it is exact. Isa means Jesus. The Arabic and its relative derivative languages most commonly refer to him as “al-Masih” (Allah’s messiah). True bloodline Muslims views Jesus as the “seal of the Israelite prophets,” due to their belief that Jesus was sent by Allah as the last and final prophet to mankind. These same bloodline Muslims believe Jesus was the precursor prophet to announce the coming of Muhammad. In his rewrite (the Qur’an), Muhammad openly reveals that their Jesus was born of their Maryam. She was a devoted worker of the temple while being under the authority of Zechariah, whom he stated was the father of John the Baptist.
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Final Battle Between Ishmael & Isaac Continued...
Muhammad did write that their Jesus was born of a virgin birth, but their version is a bit different than the Christian view. Maryam went into the temple of prayer, where she was visited by “Jibrail” (the same spirit that visited Muhammad and gave him the rewrite—the Qur’an). This Jibrail gave “tidings of a holy son.” Supposedly, this spirit told Maryam that Allah honored her as the leading mother of the nations. He stated that she would give birth to a holy son and his name would be Jesus. He will be a great prophet of Allah and offer the Gospel of Allah to the world. To all of this, the Qur’an states that Maryam questioned the spirit stating, “How can I have a baby when no man has touched me?” The dominion’s responded, "When Allah wants to create a matter, he merely wills it and the things come into being.” Muhammad’s rewrite compares the birth of Jesus with the creation of Adam. Critical Note: Nowhere in Muhammad’s rewrites do we find the historical connection of Mary, or Jesus, to her husband Joseph. The reason for this is that it would connect Maryam (Mary) and Jesus to Isaac, the son who “stole the Abramic birthright of Ishmael.” Therefore, Muhammad had this completely removed from their history. Muhammad’s rewrite sheds an interesting perspective on this single woman’s birthing process. He stated that like her bloodline mother Hagar, Maryam was in the desert giving birth to Jesus when Allah caused a river to run under her, so she could quench her thirst. Then Maryam was told to “shake the trunk of the date palm tree next to her.” She did and plump dates fell from the tree to feed her hunger. According to the spirit talking to Muhammad, she gave birth that day to Isa, the Muslim Jesus. It also states that exactly forty days later, she returned (still a single woman) to her people with child in arms. She was then accused of being a harlot. Her response was for the accusers to talk to the 40-day-old baby. They did and Allah made Isa speak verses 30-33 in the chapter of Maryam, in the Qur’an. It basically says: “I am a servant of God. He will reveal the Book to me and make me a prophet. He blessed me wherever I am. In the rules revealed to me there will be a special attention given to prayers and charity. God predestined that I will be kind to my mother and not a tyrant with a bad ending. Peace was on me the day I was born. Peace will be on me on the day I will die and on the day I am raised alive again!" According to the Qur’an, Jesus did exactly that: grew up to preach the message of monotheism to the rebel group called the “Children of Israel.”
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What about this “new gospel” Jesus was supposed to preach? Bloodline Muslims believe that Allah revealed to their Jesus the “Injil,” while proclaiming the “truth” of the earlier revelations —the Tawrat (Torah) and the “Zabur” (Psalms), which had to be rewritten by Muhammad in AD 623. The reason for this is Muhammad had this idea that the original Tawrat was corrupted by the followers of the “second born” son of Abraham—Isaac. In fact, in Muhammad’s writings he says: "It is He Who sent down to thee (step by step), in truth, the Book, confirming what went before it; and He sent down the Law (of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus) before this, as a guide to mankind, and He sent down the criterion (of judgment between right and wrong)." "And We caused Jesus, son of Maryam, to follow in their footsteps, confirming that which was (revealed) before him in the Torah, and We bestowed on him the Gospel wherein is guidance and a light, confirming that which was (revealed) before it in the Torah—a guidance and an admonition unto those who ward off (evil)." "Let the people of the Gospel judge by what Allah hath revealed therein. If any do fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah hath revealed, they are (no better than) those who rebel." The craftiness of Muhammad’s rewrite is so deceptive that anyone can see that he was inspired—by a demon mind you, but none the less, inspired. Wait, there is more. Muhammad went on to write that their Jesus had not 12, but 72 disciples. Most likely the reason Satan, through Muhammad, changed the number is because of the number itself. The number 12 is one of the most significant numbers in all of mankind—12 tribes, 12 regions, 12 gates in the Temple, 12 gates in the New Jerusalem, the 12 Disciples, and many more. Even though there are no names mentioned in the Qur’an, historians believe it is because general history does not
support his version of 72 disciples. What it does say is how these 72 disciples wholeheartedly submit to the faith of Islam. Check this out in Qur’an 3:52-53: “When Jesus found Unbelief on their part He said: ‘Who will be My helpers to (the work of) Allah?’ Said the disciples: ‘We are Allah's helpers: We believe in Allah, and do thou bear witness that we are Muslims.’ ” "Our Lord! we believe in what Thou hast revealed, and we follow the Messenger; then write us down among those who bear witness." The longest narrative involving Jesus' disciples is when they request a laden table to be sent from Heaven, for further proof that Jesus is preaching the true message. This story features in chapter 5, verses 112-115: “Behold! the disciples, said: ‘O Jesus the son of Mary! can thy Lord send down to us a table set (with viands) from heaven?’ Said Jesus: ‘Fear Allah, if ye have faith.’ ” “They said: ‘We only wish to eat thereof and satisfy our hearts, and to know that thou hast indeed told us the truth; and that we ourselves may be witnesses to the miracle.’ " “Said Jesus the son of Mary: ‘O Allah our Lord! Send us from heaven a table set (with viands), that there may be for us - for the first and the last of us - a solemn festival and a sign from thee; and provide for our sustenance, for thou art the best Sustainer (of our needs).’ " “Allah said: ‘I will send it down unto you: But if any of you after that resisteth faith, I will punish him with a penalty such as I have not inflicted on any one among all the peoples.’ " One of the primary reasons we know that Muhammad’s version of Jesus is rotten to the core is that their own Muslim beliefs would never refer to a male child as son of a woman—NEVER! Just as in Hebrew, men are referenced as Shem (son of Noah), David (son of Jesse), and Jesus, son of __? I think you see the problem here —who is their Jesus’ daddy? Even a well-read Muslim knows that their version of Jesus is the Son of God. Muhammad even writes the story out in detail. This is just one of the thousands of “glitches” in the Qur’an. One of the primary reasons Muhammad didn’t support the idea of the crucifixion of Jesus is because the Romans originally developed the crucifixion venue of torture from the “old school” Muslims—the Babylonians. Agreeing with their Jesus being killed in this fashion would say that they are the ones who killed Him. They were NOT about to admit to that. Muhammad’s rewrite does admit that the followers of Isaac (Jews) and the Romans (Neo-Europeans) wanted Jesus dead, but were not able to due to Allah wanting their Jesus alive. Now here is another contradiction of the Qur’an. Remember when their 40-day-old Jesus said: “…Peace will be on me on the day I will die and on the day I am raised alive again!" Well—that is not what Muhammad ultimately wrote. He actually left readers with the Continued on page 8
—I was given an autographed copy of this fact-finding thriller by
Dave Gaubatz and Paul Sperry and consider it to be the best book written regarding the undercover works of the secret society of the Muslim people! (Phinney) You've heard about the courageous young investigators who covertly videotaped officials of ACORN advocating illegal activities. Now, get ready for an undercover exposé even more daring -- a six-month penetration of the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations that resulted in the collection of thousands of pages of smoking-gun documents from this terror-supporting front group for the dangerous, mob-like Muslim Brotherhood. This is what Muslim Mafia delivers. Order by clicking on book cover or typing search words “Muslim Mafia” in Amazon.
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idea that their Jesus was not crucified, but instead was raised up by Allah unto the heavens. This "raising" is understood to mean through bodily ascension. “That they said (in boast), ‘We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of God’;- but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not:- Nay, God raised him up unto the himself; and God is Exalted in Power, Wise” (Qur'an 4:157–158). What webs we weave! This is not only a glitch; it is a major doctrinal glitch that can prove their beloved Muhammad is being fed inconsistent lies from the dark side. The story of their Jesus actually gets more and more bizarre as we travel through the fairy tale of the Qur’an. If you attempt to corner a well-read Muslim with the above glitch, he actually touts the lie that a Jesus replica (someone who the Romans thought was their Jesus) was crucified in the place of the “real” Jesus, which is where they get their version of the Judas of Iscariot story. But, they stand firm that their Jesus ascended into Heaven and never experienced physical death. Even though modern Islamic historians are embraced by this glitch and work diligently to remove it from historical documents like the Encyclopedia of Islam, most traditionalists tout it. Did you know that Muslims believe in the Second Coming of Jesus? It is true. “And he (Jesus) shall surely be a Sign for (the coming of) the Hour (of Judgment): therefore have no doubt about the (Hour), but follow ye Me: this is a Straight Way” (Qur'an 43:61). When you read some of the historical documents of Islamic tradition, there is a clear picture painted of their Jesus returning in the middle of the “great jihad” (final global holy war) started by his forerunner—the Mahdi. His Second Coming is looked upon by the faithful as their “redeemer of Islam,” who has come to put an end to the al-Masikh ad-Dajjal (Antichrist) and all those who have chosen to follow him. Who is this Antichrist? This is when it gets a bit dicey. A converted Muslim, like colaborer Walid Shoebat, would most likely say their Jesus is the Antichrist. My research screams out another possibility.
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If you have been following my writings, you know that I believe there will be three final superpowers in the end. These powers come from the three sons of Noah: Shem (Israel), Japheth (Europe), and Ham (Islam). Personally, I believe these superpowers are going to “have it out.” I do believe that there will be an Antichrist who will resurface out of Rome (Europe). I also believe that the Islamic nation will claim to have a Christ that believes he has jurisdiction over the earth. I also believe in the conventional belief that literal Israel will be fought over by these two superpowers, leaving Israel alone with not one nation to be her friend. This factor alone is what prompts the real God to send the real Jesus to defend her (Israel). The traditional Muslims stand firm that their Jesus will descend just east of Damascus. He will be dressed in typical Islamic garb, be anointed, and be ready for a holy war and judgment. They tout that their Jesus will join up with the forces of the Mahdi’s war, against the European Antichrist. Since their Jesus is considered to be Muslim, they believe he, too, will keep all the mandates penned by Muhammad—the writer of Allah. Their Jesus will do what the armies of the Mahdi could not do—bring down the Antichrist. Traditionalists tell us that after this happens, all the people from the book of “ahlalkitab” (Christians and Jews) will be free to believe in Allah. They further state that after the Christians and Jews join them in Islam, there will be one peaceful community of eternal believers—the world will be one. Sahih Bukhari Volume 3, Book 43, Number 656: Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "The Hour will not be established until the son of Mary (i.e. Jesus) descends amongst you as a just ruler, he will break the cross, kill the 'pigs', and abolish the Jizya tax. Money will be in abundance so that nobody will accept it (as charitable gifts).” Since their Jesus will not compete with another “god form,” Mahdi must die, and then their Jesus will pick up one world governorship. From this moment forward, the Islamic believers will live in perfect peace and justice. Islam also addresses the Christian Bible prophecies of God and Magog. They say that “Ya’juj and Ma’juj” (God and Magog) will cause much trouble on the earth. Muhammad says that Allah will respond to the call or prayer of Jesus by “sending a worm in the napes of their necks.” With that accomplished, their Jesus will rule for 40 years. Due to Allah not sharing another “god form” with any other, Jesus, too, must die. At this time, the
Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchanged Life Development
purified Muslims will conduct a funeral for him and then bury him in the city of Medina in a grave left vacant to this day beside Muhammad. They call this the “Abu Bakr” and the “Umar” (companions of Muhammad—the 1st and 2nd Muslim Caliphs). So there you have it—the quick, and I mean quick, rundown of the Islamic Jesus and his forerunner—the Mahdi. If you are an avid Bible reader, you have already seen the level of deception that Muhammad was under in getting these words from the “spirit.” Because the Qur’an is so close in thought, but so far apart in doctrine, the entire world is being doped into thinking there is nothing wrong with the way the Muslims believe. This is why anytime we have “Christians” get up in the pulpit and say things like, “The Muslims are our brothers and are not by nature a violent people,” well, all I can say to that is—birds of the same feather.
COMING SUMMER 2014 The book of Revelation holds a unique position among fellow believers today. It is probably considered the most reverent book in the Bible. Not to say that it is, but Christians rarely attempt to read this book—let alone study it. It is most likely the most neglected book in the Bible. God’s children tend to be afraid of its content. Not all branches of the Church even accept its authenticity as a work of God—most consider it to be symbolic. Shameful thought, as its profound insights and spiritual power cannot be denied. In Dr. Phinney’s up-and-coming new book, he will walk the reader where most Christians dare to walk. I believe you will find this verse-by –verse study to be one of the most rewarding you have encountered yet. His unique focus on the final battle between Ishmael (Muslim) and Isaac (Hebrew/Jewish) has gained the support of writers, researchers, and theologians worldwide. You can get a sneak preview of the highlights of this book by subscribing to the week e-mail service of IOM America: JOIN NOW! WWW.IOMAMERICA.ORG
THE MUSLIM WORLD
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What Muslims Believe
What Muslims Believe
What Indwelt Christians Believe
What Indwelt Christians Believe
How to Explain the Difference to Muslim
How to Explain the Difference to Muslim
Permission for Reprint for Training Purposes: Rose Publishing Š 2005
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Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchanged Life Development
What Muslims Believe
What Muslims Believe
What Indwelt Christians Believe
What Indwelt Christians Believe
How to Explain the Difference to Muslim
How to Explain the Difference to Muslim
Permission for Reprint for Training Purposes: Rose Publishing Š 2005
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Dr. John Woodward gifted me with this book, due to my love for the Muslim people. My review— out of all the research materials I have vested my mind in, this work is the clearest & most precise to date regarding the topic of Islam! Thanks Jonathan! -Dr. Stephen Phinney IOM Rating:
Please take time to read (study) this best-selling and award-winning book! Raised as Sunni Muslims, brothers Ergun and Emir Caner converted from Islam to Christianity as teenagers. Now respected evangelical scholars and theologians, the Caner brothers are able to present an inside view of the Muslim life from a Christian perspective. Warning: this book is for the serious at heart! Exchanging Life Publishing gives this book a five star rating. Order Here or type the search words “Unveiling Islam” in Amazon search bar.
“The Caners articulate and authoritative, and have an excellent grasp of the politics, theology beliefs, and thinking of a majority of Muslims.” - Victor Oladokun, CBN International ResueChristians.org—Walid Shoebat
Check It Out: www.hgmint.org 12
Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchanged Life Development
What Makes RescueChristians.org Different Than Other Organizations That Help Persecuted Christians? Phinney: In my early studies of Islam and the Muslim faith, I was readily influenced by Walid. Even though we differ on views of the Antichrist, his knowledge and insight into his preChristian faith is mind-bending! I hold a deep respect for you, Walid! What makes Rescue Christians different from most others is that we are unique from most others in that we focus ALL our efforts to actually saving Christians from being liquidated. Most organizations have a mission where Christian persecution exists in that they predominately focus on providing Bibles, evangelize non-Christians and send representatives around the world to inform about Christian persecution. Walid Shoebat
While this is a noble endeavor, these organizations lack in carrying actual missions to save the lives of the victims. When we first embarked on our mission to get aid and to our astonishment we discovered that the main organizations that advertise helping the persecuted Christians rejected our plea to aid in the flight of several Christians who were about to be starved, executed, or imprisoned in Pakistan. On several occasions we reached out to our Christian brethren who flatly refused help in several genuine cases. Our mission is simple and is based on the commandment in Matthew 25 to provide real support to the hungry and imprisoned. In Matthew 25, we believe that Christ bases his judgment in regards to provide actual aid and giving comfort to the persecuted. The ones who enter the Kingdom are evaluated based on this issue alone (Matthew 25: 31-46). While we can pray, send Bibles and make the world aware, it is detrimental that we also do, so please support by donating for the victims and your rewards will be in heaven. If you cannot afford to give yourself you can network with others and help others be made aware of this work. Order Your Copy Today: http://www.ffmu.biz/gods-war-on-terror-book/
"This book was most helpful in the development of my love to reach the Muslim for Christ‌� (Phinney) From every area of the free world, strong evidence is reaching us of crimes and atrocities committed by Islamic fundamentalists in the name of Allah. A great many Muslims, "educated" people, and our elected leaders known about these crimes; those who do not know, do not know because they do not want to know. They do not ask questions because they are afraid of the answers. They fear the knowledge of what they are tolerating, but the ones among us who are open to seeking truth and justice know how to differentiate between criminals and their victims. The people of the civilized world now have to prove by deed where they stand; mere words will not be believed by a world that witnesses the crimes against God's people and my Christian brethren. In the past I have sinned greatly against God's people, but because of the grace I received through Christ, I am working to rescue them from injustice. -Walid Shoebat
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By Jamil Thomas Executive Director Aim4Faith Ministries, Pakistan
Christians are attacked in Francis Colony Gujranwala, Second attack on Christians in one month span, where we still not forget the burning of Joseph Colony. Christians in Pakistan once again are attacked by Muslim mob on very small issue which they make the matter of disrespect of Islam and its prestige. The huge mob attacked on Fracisabad a Christian colony just 3 km away from Gujranwala. In Fracisabad there are more than 30,000 people residing and believers of Jesus Christ. The Christians are living peacefully from many decades and always show respect to other religions and Muslims. Today, the mob attacked with iron rods, fire arms, pistols and guns round 2 pm and start looting, breaking shops and homes. In the span of two hours all shops and many homes were damaged badly, while police did not intervene to stop the mob. The mob burnt the 7 vehicles of the Christians and left 12 people injured when they open fire on Christians. Later on they attacked on the Church in the colony and stoned the church and they broke the chairs, desks and shred the Holy Bibles and Hymn books.
The dispute stared on Tuesday evening when the two Christian boys were listening religious hymns on their Motorcycle Rickshaw. When the approach near a mosque then a cleric and few men came out from mosque and stop them to play hymns. The boys stop the hymns at the moment and start playing crossing the mosque after the adequate distance from Mosque. But the cleric said they have disrespected the Islam and they reached to Fracisabad rickshaw stop and beaten the boys badly. Next day, on Wednesday the Muslim raiders attacked the Fracisabad and hurled stones at local church. Two passengers, three police men and seven Christians were seriously injured the firing by the enraged Muslim raiders, while heavy damage was also done to over a Hundred shops, several motorcycles and cars. It is the second attack on the Christians in Punjab, First in Lahore and second in Gujranwala. While in Lahore on 9th March 2013, three hundred homes were burnt down and people are living in miserable conditions. We ask the IOM readers to pray for our people! You can watch the video of the Joseph colony on YouTube: Jamil is a Contributor for IOM America & IFEL. View Jamil’s Profile: Click Here
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Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchanged Life Development
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By Mushtaq Gill Founder & President of LEAD—An IOM Sponsored Christian Legal Defense Ministry to Pakistan
Enunciation of God's Truth is being halted. In many places and on many occasions it is reported that Pastors are stopped to preach and to teach in open crusades and streets Evangelism to the people.
rowing persecution in Pakistan and Muslim Extremists intrusion into the Christian faith and Church affairs is posing a serious threat to Church autonomy and our most Constitutional right religious freedom. Enunciation of God's Truth is being halted. In many places and on many occasions we are reported that Pastors are stopped to preach and to teach in open crusades and streets Evangelism to the people.
MUSLIMS Jesus did not die on the cross. Instead, God allowed Judas to look like Jesus and he was crucified instead.
CHRISTIAN VIEW OF THE KORAN The work of Muhammad. It is not inspired, nor is it scripture. There is no verification for its accurate transmission from the originals.
MUSLIM VIEW OF THE KORAN
Faith based differences are Basis of Religious Warfare between Christians and Muslims
The final revelation of God to all of mankind given through the archangel Gabriel to Muhammad over a 23 year period. It is without error and guarded from error.
CHRISTIANS
CHRISTIAN VIEW OF MUHAMMAD
The inspired and inerrant word of God in the original manuscripts (2 Tim. 3:16).
A non-inspired man born in 570 in Mecca who started the Islamic religion.
MUSLIMS
MUSLIM VIEW OF MUHAMMAD
Respected word of the prophets but the Bible has been corrupted through the centuries and is only correct in so far as it agrees with the Koran.
The last and greatest of all prophets of Allah whose Qur'an is the greatest of all inspired books.
JESUS
How Pakistan Penal Code (PPC Laws) keeps the Church silent: - Offences Related To The Muslim:
Second person of the Trinity. He is the Word who became flesh (John 1:1, 14). He is both God and man (Col. 2:9).
MUSLIMS A very great prophet, second only to Muhammad. Jesus is not the son of God (9:30) and certainly is not divine (5:17, 75)) and he was not crucified (4:157).
CRUCIFIXION The place where Jesus atoned for the sins of the world. It is only through this sacrifice that anyone can be saved from the wrath of God (1 Pet. 2:24).
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Injuring or defiling place of worship, with Intent to insult the religion of any class: Whoever destroys, damages or defiles any place of worship, or any object held sacred by any class of persons with the intention of thereby insulting the religion of any class of persons or with the knowledge that any class of persons is likely to consider such destruction damage or defilement as an insult to their religion. shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.
Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchanged Life Development
Deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting Its religion or religious beliefs:
Whoever, with deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings of any class of the citizens of Pakistan, by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representations insults the religion or the religious beliefs of that class, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, or with fine, or with both.
Defiling, etc., of Holy Qur'an: Whoever willfully defiles, damages or desecrates a copy of the Holy Qur'an or of an extract therefrom or uses it in any derogatory manner or for any unlawful purpose shall be punishable with imprisonment for life.
Use of derogatory remarks, etc., in respect of the Holy Prophet: Whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representation or by any imputation, innuendo, or insinuation, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine.
Freedom of speech: Every citizen shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression, and there shall be freedom of the press, subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of the glory of Islam or the integrity, security or defiance of Pakistan or any part thereof, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality, or in relation to contempt of court,[15][commission of] or incitement to an offence.
Constitutional Discrimination With Christian: The President—There shall be a President of Pakistan who shall be the Head of State and shall represent the unity of the Republic. A person shall not be qualified for election as President unless he is a Muslim of not less than forty-five years of age and is qualified to be elected as member of the National Assembly.
The Cabinet: After the election of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker, the National Assembly shall, to the exclusion of any other business, proceed to elect without debate one of its Muslim members to be the Prime Minister.
Why Church is silenced and abandoned itself from Religious obligations? You can’t preach the Word of God truthfully without preaching with courage. As a result, there are few churches or Pastors who are following and obeying the teachings of Jesus Christ and fulfilling GREAT COMMISSION in Pakistan. Overall, the Church IS DEAD IN SPIRIT AND VISION in claiming to performing miracles same as Jesus. They are under the fear of persecution and have no courage to preach. They have no practically faith in this verse, “I am the good shepherd.; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep” (John 10:11, NASB). Religious liberty for Christians in Pakistan In spite of this, on every independence day of Pakistan, Pastor’s and churches celebrate Independence Day of Pakistan within the Churches, showing they are hoping to enjoy full freedom and right to worship in Pakistan but yet there is not a single Muslim Priest who celebrate this Independence Day in any mosque—for they don’t need to. Once there was time when pastors used loud speakers in Churches and now they are banned to do so but Muslims day and night using as they wish. They preach their religion in streets and Bazars (Markets), at public places where they wish to preach. What Should the Church Be Doing? Be who you are in Christ in all circumstances! We are a group of Pastors, lawyers and teachers, we are motivated by Jesus to break this silence. We are working for the persecuted and for the growth of Gospel in Pakistan. We are working without any fear of persecution and spread The Word of God. We have every kind of care for Church according to the demand of 21st century. Our work is only for the Glory of Gospel and for the fulfillment of GREAT COMMISSION. Finally, pray for our work here in Pakistan!
Click Here to Listen or go to: http://iomamerica.sermon.tv/ X-Changing Life Magazine
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Samoos Bible Care Ministries of Pakistan By Pastor George John IFEL Member & Contributor Dear IOM members In Christ, Samoos Bible Care Ministries Pakistan (SBCMP) is a non profit, nondenominational Christian ministry working for the spread of the Gospel in Pakistan. We are working for this mission since the year 2004. In a period of only few years we have done an extensive work to send the Gospel out in Pakistan. We live in a very backward and underdeveloped area of Punjab where people are illiterate, not only in the formal and non formal education, but as well as in the knowledge of the Word of God. Out Activities are: Crusades, Healing Meetings, Revival Meetings, Leadership Seminars, Women Prayer Meeting, Widows Care, Orphans Care Sunday School, Outreach Evangelism, Free Bibles Distribution and helping natural disaster effected people etc. I would like to explain some facts about Pakistan. Pakistan is the third largest Islamic nation in the world, with more than 150 million souls—97.2 % of the population is Muslim. Christians make up just 2 % of the population; and these people suffer more than any other ethnic or religious group. Pakistan is in the very heart of the 10/40 Window —the geographic area where 95 % of the un-reached people of the world live. Between India and Afghanistan, Pakistan is a strategic nation. Since the September 11 attack, Pakistan has become the focus of the world. Pakistan is a country with different cultures, languages, people groups, economical backgrounds, etc. Pakistan has a desperate need for assistance in evangelism, Church planting, literature outreach, leadership training, and strengthening of the local Church. 97 % of the newly planted churches and new believers need a place to worship and fellowship. A shortage of Bibles, Gospel literature, faith-based books, leaders, and training material makes it difficult for Christians in Pakistan to grow in their faith and to sustain their relationship with Christ. More than half of Pakistan’s population has never heard about Jesus. Pakistan is an Islamic country, ruled by Islamic law. Christians of Pakistan make quite a sizable population, with more than 10 million souls. But they have to face religious discrimination, religious intolerance, oppression, social subjugation, and economic deprivation. Therefore, Christians are generally less privileged and backward. A growing body of believers continually struggles under government persecution; because it is officially illegal for Muslims to convert to Christianity. Since the country’s blasphemy law was created in 1991, an offended Muslim can accuse a Christian on almost any grounds. False and arbitrary accusations of speaking against the Quran or Muhammad are a common practice by Muslim fundamentalists. In the persecuted environment of Pakistan, 90% of the churches are not very well established. The majority of existing churches need buildings for fellowship, as they meet in open air. Native missionaries make great sacrifices for the sake of the Gospel. Many times, they go without food; and they travel hundreds of kilometers just to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ. In some parts of Pakistan, Muslim fundamentalists attack the missionaries, and they are forced to put off their work as well as their faith. Please keep them in your prayers as they seek to faithfully serve the Lord under great hardship. Islam may be the greatest challenge before the Church in this Century; but it may also represent the largest potential harvest. There are one and one-quarter billion Muslims in the world; nearly 25% of the world population. Most have never heard the Gospel of God’s grace in Christ Jesus. Instead, they follow a religion based entirely on works and judgment. If we don’t bring the grace of God into that world, the hostilities of this decade will only grow and intensify. Politics will not resolve this issue; only the Church has the answer. This is harvest time, and the fields are truly ripe and ready for harvest. Let’s take the message of God’s saving and healing power to the ends of the earth, and bring in a mighty harvest of souls for God’s glory. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of millions for eternity. We would like to request that you take part in this greatest harvest of any Islamic nation. It will be a blessing for us to partner with you for His glory. Please pray for this Godly vision and join hands with us for national transformation, under the power of the Holy Spirit. Keep in mind that those who claim to have the life of Christ living within them, suffer to worst kind of persecution! So, my dear co-worker in Christ—please join us with the hands together and lift up in your prayer to keep spread the word of God in Pakistan. May the blessings of the Lord Jesus Christ and the sweet fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all, now and forever more!
18 18 Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchanged Life Development
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The Book of Prayers—Dr. Stephen R. Phinney List Price: $19.50 Your Price: $13.65 We need a spiritual toolbox packed with the proper tools to accomplish the eternal project that God has set before us as Christians. This is the underlying purpose of ”The Book of Prayers” —to provide practical, useful information, insights, and Scriptural prayers into waging war against the powers of darkness that seem to bind us as Christians. Order Now
God’s War On Terror—Walid Shoebat List Price: $29.95 Your Price: $17.78 From every area of the free world, strong evidence is reaching us of crimes and atrocities committed by Islamic fundamentalists in the name of Allah. They do not ask questions because they are afraid of the answers. This book faces those fears! Order Now
Damascus Countdown—Joel Rosenberg List Price: $26.99 Your Price: $18.95 Can Christians ever “win” if the Christian life is a drudgery of ups and downs? Where only some days we conquer our sinful desires, and only sometimes we succeed at loving unconditionally? No. That’s counterfeit success, if any is found in such a life at all, says Charles Trumbull in “Victory in Christ.” Order Now
Indwelling Life of Christ—Major Ian Thomas List Price: $13.99 Your Price: $10.98 Why do we keep failing even in our best efforts to live the Christian life? Because no one other than Jesus Christ can live it, for the simple reason that He is the Christian life! And only He can live it in our lives as well. Major W. Ian Thomas takes a refreshing look at the pure thrill of living victoriously. Order Now X-Changing Life Magazine
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BY Pastor Shaul Anton
www.joelrosenberg.com/
We Plant hundreds of House Churches in un-reached and least evangelized areas of Pakistan. I have visited your web pages and was much blessed by your ministry. Let me introduce you to "Faith Revival Ministries of Pakistan". FRM was born as a result of a vision and burden, God gave us in 2001. The vision is to win the millions of lost souls of Pakistan through Gospel Crusades and leadership Seminars. FRM is networking with different Denominations Churches in Pakistan and out of Pakistan. Our aim is to rise up the next Generation for God’s Kingdom. We Plant hundreds of House Churches in un-reached and least evangelized areas of Pakistan that do not have a Gospel witness. As we have stepped out in faith to fulfill the call God has placed on our lives, He has blessed this ministry abundantly. Since 2001, hundreds and thousands of souls have been reached through Gospel Crusades and Revival Seminars. Let's take the message of the Exchanged Life & God's love to the ends of the earth and bring in a mighty harvest of souls for God's glory. Together we can make a difference in the lives of millions. We are looking forward to building up a long lasting relationship with you and your ministry. It will be a great blessing for us to partner with you for His glory. Please pray for this Godly vision and join hands with us to see this Muslim nation being transformed by the love of our Lord Jesus. On your reply we will share much more about our ministries and activities with you. We are looking forward to hear from you. If you have any question about us and our network please feel free to ask us.
www.godtube.com/drphinney/
UPDATE FROM THE SLUMS OF INDIA—Pastor K. Murthy Babu We are serving the Lord among the Hindus, Muslim and Schedule Tribes where we are working with illiterate and drunks, adultery and immoral people. This is a slum colony of 300 houses will be there and 1300-1500 people are living. There is no good water facility and there is no drainage system for this colony, no good electricity, few roads and no proper toilets. The situation of the people is devastating. To reach my own people we are praying, serving and moving with love while proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. God is changing the lives of people and adding them to Church. By the Grace of the Lord through our ministry many people known Jesus Christ and now people are attending worship services and children are attending for Sunday School. And we have and we lead some dedicated people to Serve the lord by teaching them the Word of and by giving them practical field training in the power of the Cross. We are excited as we conduct outreach ministry for Gospel to this unreached people. One of the ways we are reaching the hearts of people is through the Jesus Film—we are taking a projector for rent and going to interior places. And we are doing tracks and Bible distribution ministry. And where we conduct a gospel meeting there some people are accepting Jesus as there personal savior. We are also visiting struggling Churches that are in critical condition and in a dying state by conducting meetings in order to rebuild and encourage pastors. I am blessed to visit other states in India as a missionary— short and long term mission trips. We continue to see many lives touched with the message of the Cross. We are praying for you and for the ministry and for all the God's people. Convey my regards to your family and to your entire ministry of IFEL and your local church—Heartland Family Fellowship. God Bless You.
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Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchanged Life Development
Running the Race By Larry Bennett In Hebrews 12, the writer gives a sports analogy to convey the importance of keeping our eyes on Jesus. Reading through this passage reminded me of how contemporary the Scriptures are on today’s issues and problems. Believers everywhere are filled with anxiety, fear, doubt, unforgiveness, and a multitude of other spiritual and emotional maladies that keep us from “fixing our eyes on Jesus.” There are several key elements of this passage that we need to heed in order to keep our eyes fixed on the goal. “A great cloud of witnesses” - We are not alone in the race. The Greek word “great” is nephele, which indicates an earth encompassing cloud. The context suggests that these witnesses are the heroes of the faith mentioned in chapter 11. We are in this race not only with other believers here on earth, but also the saints of heaven are cheering us on. Even though we may feel alone, we are never alone in the race. “Let us lay aside every weight” – A runner never allows things to weigh him/her down. Every piece of clothing, down to the weight of the shoe, plays a vital role in running the race. Sometimes the things that weigh us down are not sinful things, but the things that are not best for us. Often, good things must be laid down in order for the best to be used in the race. “Let us run with patience the race…” - The word “race” is the Greek word agon, in which we get our English word “agony.” The emphasis is a long distance race. I remember running my first timed mile in junior high school. Agony would perfectly describe the experience. In the spiritual race, the pace is set by God and the goal is not heaven. Heaven is settled by faith in the finished work of Jesus on the Cross. The goal is pleasing God by obedience. Along the way agony appears in the form of trials, disappointments, and temptations. This race is not a 100 yard dash, but a marathon. “Looking unto Jesus” – This is an intent gaze upon Jesus. It’s keeping our eyes fixed on Him during the race, irrespective of the position of the rest of the runners. The race is not about how fast we finish, because the pace is set by our Heavenly Father. Rather, the race is based on how faithful we are at keeping our focus on Jesus along the way. Each one of us has a race to run and our focus is not to be on how our brother or sister runs the race. That’s the reason Scripture admonishes us to not compare ourselves with others. If you want to be disappointed, look to others. If you want to be discouraged, focus on yourself. If you want to be delighted, focus on Jesus. Since God knew from the foundation of the world who would become His child, the events that determine our race and our pace may have even begun before we became a believer. We see an example of this principle at work in Nee Wheng-hsiu: Famous missionary Watchmen Nee’s mother, Nee Wheng-hsiu, had plans to go to medical school in the USA. But at the last minute her mother arranged a marriage contract for her. The marriage was everything she feared about an arranged marriage - abuse and marriage to someone she didn’t love. Her sorrow drove her to Christ. After her conversion she approached her 17 year old son Watchman and confessed her sin of being too harsh in her discipline of him. Watchman was taken by surprise. This behavior was not only unusual but it was also uncommon in the Chinese culture. Because of his mother’s transformation Watchman Nee also gave his life to Christ. His impact on China is felt even today throughout China. 1, 2 Like Nee Wheng-hsiu, our race may contain tragedy, disappointment, and even regret. But it is our race and it is orchestrated by God. Only as we keep our eyes fixed on Christ will we realize the reward of the peace of God in the midst of the race, and the eventual fulfillment of His will and purpose for our life. Larry Bennett (Georgia, USA) is a contributing writer for IOM America - Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchange Life Development. Permission obtained from writer to republish this article, Running the Race. 1
Bob Laurent. Watchman Nee: Man of Suffering [Heroes of the Faith Series] (Uhrichsville, OH: Barbour Publishing, Inc., 1998), ISBN-10: 1577482239, ISBN-13: 978-1577482239. 2 Wikipedia contributors, "Watchman Nee," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
X-Changing Life Magazine
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BY TAMMY GOUGH IOM Contributing Writer (Canada)
Suddenly hope was a run-away flood pouring over the edges of my drought stricken heart. When I catch myself running late for the third time this week and its only Wednesday, or I realize I just yelled at my children for the second time in one evening, I feel pretty unlovable. I’ve met some unlovable people like myself. Often I subconsciously place them in a class different from mine, because I hate to admit how guilty I am of living in a way that is undeserving of the Grace I have received. I confess that at times, I find it extremely difficult to love some people. That tall, handsome man with the sparkling, blue eyes and infectious laugh, who swept me off my feet fourteen years ago, has fit into that category on more than one occasion. He became the unknowing catalyst for change after one especially bumpy conversation. While licking my wounds and contemplating my own guilt in the affair, I became convicted of a missing ingredient in my heart: Love. I suspected I might rediscover it over time, but at that moment I was feeling empty. I decided to examine the topic from a biblical perspective and turned to a favourite chapter in the Bible for help with the matter. The first place I read didn’t exactly fill me with hope. It was an explicit command from Jesus Himself. He said, “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12, NKJV, emphasis added). He also said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13, NKJV). I knew He was referring to His own love demonstrated by intentionally suffering all manner of humiliation and cruelty at the hands of His own special creation. Our dear Saviour purposely allowed them to crucify Him on a wooden cross to buy mankind back from slavery to sin. By laying down His life, He provided forgiveness and undeserved favour with God. Amazing Love: challenging example. Immediately the words from Romans 5:8 sprang to mind...”But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were STILL SINNERS, Christ died for us” (NKJV, emphasis added). I was humbled. Just contemplating these verses gave me the impression that the love Jesus was asking from me towards my spouse and everyone else would be costly. Like Jesus’ love, it would be void of any protection of self and concerned only with lavishing love on others. It would likely require suffering
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loss, including loving someone who was in the act of sinning against me. I put on my running shoes and headed out for a run. I needed to process this some more. As I ran, I began to thank God for everything that demonstrated His love for me. The list was overwhelming. I asked God, “To be honest God, I am bankrupt. My love is always linked to selfish motives. Can I ever love my husband, or anyone else in the same way you have loved me?” His answer dawned in my heart like a glorious sunrise, “You can’t, but I can.” “Remember” God seemed to say, “ ‘apart from me you can do nothing’ ” (John 15:5, NASB). Suddenly hope was a run-away flood pouring over the edges of my drought stricken heart. Of course! “God IS Love” (1 John 4:8, NASB, emphasis added). Only He could love others like He does. If I surrendered my heart to His love IN me, He would love through me!! I knew that our lives should be like a mirror we hold up against the Bible to see if we are reflecting what is written in the Bible. If we reflect something else, then we know we are walking after (or following) our flesh (see Romans 8:3-8). True Love, as outlined in 1 Corinthians 13, is not rude, proud, self-seeking, doesn’t keep a record of wrongs, etc. Using my limited fleshly resources, I needed to put conditions on my love by seeking to be loved back, or protecting myself from hurtful words and actions against me. Truthfully, only Jesus can love unlovable people like me, or my husband, or my children, or anyone else He brings into my life. He loves each of us despite our unlovely behaviours and He never pays us back what we deserve. In 1 Peter 2:23 we read, “and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously” (NASB). I knew I needed to let go of the hurts and focus on “abiding (or dwelling, or residing) in His love” (John 15:10). I stopped running and followed a path to a secluded patch of forest. “Lord,” I whispered, “Thank You for loving me and thank You for showing me how to love others in the same way You love me” (see John 15:12).
Tammy Gough (North Ontario, Canada) is a contributing writer for IOM America - Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchange Life Development. Permission obtained from writer to republish Loving the Unlovable. Scriptures marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchanged Life Development
BY TOM PRICE IOM Contributing Writer (GA)
THE GREAT TENSION A good story must have some tension. Tension is weaved into the story through struggle, testing, or trials. This tension delays the “happy ending.” Everyone desires to get to the happy ending. If you present a story without tension to a publisher, they will turn it down every time. Stories without tension are boring! It is overcoming the tension of trial and struggle that produces the happiest of endings. It is during the tension of our lives that we grow. We discover during these times how helpless we are and how much we need God (2 Cor. 1:8-9). In God’s great design, He wants us to experience His grace. He wants us to become dependent on His grace. He wants us to experience life through His grace. Do you realize we would be doomed if it weren't for His grace? There is a tension right now between your holy nature and your flesh. You may not know or believe that you have a holy nature. You may see yourself as a “saved sinner.” This basically means, “I am a sinner, but God has saved me and one day when I die, I will go to heaven.” If this is true, can I experience victory in this life? Did God send Jesus Christ to die for our sins just so we could join Him in heaven one day? God’s plan was much bigger than just providing forgiveness of sins. He wanted to give us life! When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, they died spiritually and be-
came sinners. As sinners, they were not able to contain God’s life. In order for you and me to experience life, we must become new people…not repaired, fixed-up, old people. God never intended to place His life in a sinner. His design was to kill the old sinner and put a saint in his/her place. However, that new saint has been placed in the body of the old sinner. That old sinner developed flesh, or coping mechanisms, to get his needs met apart from God. There is a great tension between our new nature and our flesh. It is in the midst of this great tension we experience life! Before the fall, Adam and Eve did not experience this tension. That may sound wonderful, but they also did not have a concept of God’s grace, nor did they experience hope. The truth of God’s plan is that all those who have become believers are holy and righteous saints. So what keeps a believer from hearing and believing this truth? There is a Great Deceiver, or an enemy of our souls, who wants to keep us defeated. He naturally takes the truth and distorts it for his purposes. If the deceiver can keep a Christian believing he/she is a sinner by nature, he can keep that believer in bondage. At the cross, God could have re-set creation and completely eliminated sin. In other words, He could have totally remade the earth to be just like it was in the beginning. However, He chose not to do that. Instead, He
left the presence of sin. God knew we would never be able to live perfect lives, behaving perfectly in every situation. This was due to the presence of sin and the old programming of the flesh residing in the memory of this old body. He knew, because we are now new creatures (saints by nature, not sinners), we would hate sin--in spite of the fact that we still struggle with sinful choices and behaviors. Paul said in Romans 5:1-5, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (NASB). This great tension is not a bad problem. It was intentional on God’s part. He uses it to manifest His life in us and through us. Instead of fighting a sin problem that Jesus already conquered at the cross, rest in Christ’s finished work. For now, there is a tension between “who I am” and “what I do.” Paul said the tension would bring about perseverance; James said it would produce endurance. “And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:4, NASB). Tom Price (Georgia, USA) is a contributing writer for IOM America - Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchange Life Development.
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Justification vs. Sanctification The problematic issues related to Justification vs. Sanctification has been a topic of theologians for centuries. Man tends to complicate the simplicity of "Not I, but Christ" because man wants to be in control of their perceptions. Let us examine authentic justification, sanctification, and faith. The term "true justification through Christ" is much different than how most self-proclaimed Christians use it. The actual definition of justification is that of the illustration of Passover—forgiveness. Compromising, independent people try to forgive themselves without the appropriation of Christ's redemptive justification or try to live up to a reputation they themselves put in place. Justification is a gift and it comes to us through grace, a freewill offering from Christ. It means to "remove one's sins from someone." It is noted in the Greek text as "remission." Remission is the process of restarting or being given a second chance at His mission. In order for this to happen, one's sins must be put aside or "sent away." The Hebrew text reveals to us even a clearer understanding of this: "to place on the side, to disregard or bypass." In the Old Testament, man's sins were removed, or passed over, until the next animal sacrifice took place. The "sinners' " sins were placed on the animal and it was killed in order to send the sins away. This is why Jesus had to become a permanent sacrifice for all sin —to permanently provide a pass over of all past, present, and future sins. The Old Testament's version of sacrifice did not change the heart or character of man; it simply, temporarily removed the sin itself. The New Covenant (the blood sacrifice of Jesus) removed sin and its power, as well as, guilt. Jesus' blood sacrifice also changed the identity and heart of the man. In short, He made us just—just as if we did not sin. People with compromising reputations are not only independent, but they tend to mock God by attempting to accomplish more faith, or prove their faith, by expecting fruit just because they have obtained faith. In reality, faith is not accompanied by its inevitable and expectant fruits. True faith is alive, active, and mixed with the love of God, which produces good works. Compromising people of a bad reputation profess and presume faith. The end result is a barren and destitute tree that cannot produce fruit. Even demons have this kind of faith. This type of "false faith" consists of the intellectual belief of sin and the work of Christ, instead of repenting and returning to God to rely on His promises. Independents usually focus on getting themselves bailed out of selfish behavior or use God's promises to prosper themselves. They lean toward treating God like He is some type of slot machine. When works are practiced instead of being a result of faith, they are false works, producing plastic fruit. Can non-Christians produce real fruit? This question demands an answer with a question. Can pine trees produce apples? Of course not! This is one of the toughest doctrines for Christians and non-Christians alike to embrace. All the "good works" of unsaved people do nothing. They may see temporary benefits here on earth, but the eternal value is useless (James 2:20). Unsaved people are in need of new life. They need to ask the Lord Jesus to come and dwell within their mortal bodies. This process is called being born-again. Once a person asks Christ into his life, the Holy Spirit comes to live within him. This process of sanctification converts him into a "fruit tree." Now the life of Christ, through the seed of faith (Matt. 17:20) that He places in the new believer, can begin producing real fruit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). Can Christians be a part of "false faith?" One of the greatest controversies of Christianity is that of "sinless perfection." A Christian never becomes sinless because of the sin that remains within the mortal body of the believer. Sin means "to miss the mark." All Christians have the choice to sin, even though they are perfect spiritually in Christ Jesus. Even the most obedient Christian cannot say that he has not sinned as a believer. "Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin" (James 4:17, NASB). No Christian can keep all the mandates of God, nor does He expect us to. This is why He sent His Son to fulfill the law in and through us. Once we accept Christ into our lives, we are given a new nature, a new reputation—the nature of Christ Himself. This reputation comes with a new past—the past of Jesus Christ Himself. True authentic Christianity comes with a brand new reputation; a reputation, I might add, that is NOT earned, worked at, or acted out. His reputation is given to us as a gift. This is accomplished by God sending the Holy Spirit to live within our mortal bodies. The doctrines of perfection come into play when the Spirit purifies our spiritual nature, which is what becomes perfect in Christ. The mind and body remain vulnerable to our "flesh" (the trash the old man left behind) because sin continues to reside in our bodies and persists in affecting our minds. We are given the power to resist indwelling sin (our old reputation) and choose life coming through our new spiritual nature. This is why we are called to "put off the old self and put on the new" (Eph. 4:22). When sin, flesh, decides to raise its ugly head through the body (Rom. 7:23) by way of the mind, we are to "consider ourselves dead to sin and our old reputation, but alive to God in Christ Jesus" and His reputation (Rom. 6:11). Something to Pray About, Dr. Stephen Phinney
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Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchanged Life Development
THE HANDWRITTEN NOTE was delivered to Gospel of Life Church International (sponsoring ministry of IFEL), pastored by Umar Mulinde in Kampala, Uganda. When the note arrived, Pastor Umar, 37, was in Israel, undergoing surgery for the injuries he sustained seven months earlier. And now the attackers were promising to finish him off. The attack on Pastor Umar highlights the rise of Islamic extremism in three formerly safe, majority-Christian countries in east Africa. Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania have been havens for Christianity, welcoming Christian NGOs, Bible translators and missionaries, and becoming hubs for theological training. Church growth in the last 20 years has been remarkable. In Kampala, Uganda, more than half the population attends evangelically oriented church services. Nearly 50 percent of Kenyans identify themselves as Protestant, up from 17 percent in 1960. And in Tanzania, evangelicals have increased to nearly 18 percent of the population. Islamists to the north in Somalia and the Middle East have taken note. They’re pouring resources into east Africa, radicalizing the Muslim population with an objective to drive Christians out. The effect has been three years of ever increasing attacks against Christians. VOM’s commitment to the persecuted Christians of Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda will remain. As Christians there face the increasing threat of Islamization, we pray you will be inspired by the faith of those who are committed to standing their ground, not for the sake of the physical ground, but for the spiritual territory of people’s hearts. Pastor Umar Mulinde’s attackers warned him that they weren’t finished yet, but we will stand beside Christians in East Africa as they forgive and show Christ’s love, telling their persecutors that God isn’t finished with his work, either.
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BY LARRY BENNETT IFEL Member & IOM Adviser I trust your weekend was blessed and you are resting in the goodness of His grace. I wanted to let you know about my new missions initiative called Bibles4Children. What you may not know about me is that the last 15 years, I have been heavily involved in international missions, training church planters in third world countries. Our church planters have planted thousands churches in West Bengal India, not counting Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. With the privilege of teaching church planting, I have the wonderful privilege of teaching the Exchanged Life to both native church planters as well as expatriate workers. The results are the same; freedom from the past and new life found in the fullness of Christ. Our goal has always been to train trainers and get out of the picture as soon as possible. We have now accomplished that goal and the churches are multiplying and flourishing. I do believe that we are living in the last days and the harvest is plenteous; we have seen it firsthand. I have this sense that the next great move of God will involve both women and children. I have already witnessed God greatly using women on the mission field throughout all of Asia. But I also sense that God is going to move greatly among children. We have already seen pockets of children being great influencers of the Gospel, reaching not only their parents but also their
peers. We see this pattern increasing so we want to train, disciple and equip an army of children to share the Gospel. We have developed a new ministry to foster and accomplish this task—Bibles4Children. Our objective is to provide Bibles and Scripture portions for children in unreached and unengaged people groups. Bibles4Children will be a division of SOW International (www.sowintl.com). Bible storying will be one of our primary strategies and tools in discipling children for ministry. To that end, we are now working toward translating a Bible story book of 70 stories. These stories are carefully chosen to not only enable us to teach the Gospel but also to disciple. We have used Chronological Storying with adult church planters with outstanding results. We have every reason to believe that children will be just as successful using similar methods. Why children? Over 27% of the world’s population are children between the ages of 4-14. In Iran, over 40% are between the ages of 4-14. The statistics tells us that 85% of those who get saved do so by the age of 15. Children have a simple but profound faith. Jesus teaches us that unless we come to Him in that simple, child-like faith that we cannot enter the Kingdom. When you reach the children you can change a community and a nation. A couple of months ago we (SOW) sent in 10,000 copies of our recently translated Bengali version of the Gospels into Bangladesh. As you know Bangladesh is nearly 95+% Muslim. We have just printed our brochure and our website will be live by the time your readers get this publication. I am anxious to integrate and weave the Exchange Life Message into a generation of children. I cherish your prayers as we undertake this mammoth task. As you know, it is expensive to translate and print, but we also know that the Lord, Jehovah Jireh is our source. Will you pray that the Lord will give us individuals and churches that will partner with us to reach children in these unreached regions of the world. We already have invitations to work in India, Bangladesh, Indonesia and other areas that are unreached and unengaged. Trusting our readers will check us out: www.bibles4children.com
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DAMASCUS COUNTDOWN All eyes are on the Middle East. Israel has successfully launched a first strike on Iran, taking out all of their nuclear sites and six of their nuclear warheads—and causing The Twelfth Imam to order a full-scale retaliation. US President William Jackson threatens to support a UN Security Council resolution condemning the Jewish State for unprovoked and unwarranted acts of aggression.
By Joel Rosenberg
Is Damascus counting down to the moment when it will launch a massive attack against the State of Israel using “strategic” weapons that could include weapons of mass destruction? That’s what Syrian President Bashar Assad appears to be signaling. The question is whether this is a bluff, or the prelude to all-out war with Israel. My sense at the moment is that it’s a bluff. Assad’s steadily losing ground in his battle with the Radical Islamic rebels trying to take over Syria. He’s also losing ground in the court of international public opinion. It’s not surprising that he would want to talk tough at such a moment. That said, the Russians appear to be selling Syria highly sophisticated missile systems and other types of weaponry. Indeed, Damascus has requested 20 million rounds of ammunition. Iran and Hezbollah are working around the clock to strengthen Assad’s hand. Not surprisingly then, Israeli military is on high alert. It’s defense minister is threatening to launch a preemptive strike against these state-of-the-art Russian missiles to keep them from becoming operational. And Israel’s homeland defense agency has been running nationwide drills to get people ready for the possibility of a missile attack from Syria, not unlike the one I write about fictionally in Damascus Countdown. “Syrian President Bashar Assad said in an interview broadcast Thursday that he is ‘confident in victory’ in his country’s civil war, and he warned that Damascus would retaliate for any future Israeli airstrike on his territory,” reports the Associated Press, based on a TV interview on the Al-Manar network. ”Assad also told the Lebanese TV station Al-Manar that Russia has fulfilled some of its weapons contracts recently, but he was vague on whether this included advanced S-300 air defense systems.” Stay in tune with Joel as he unfolds unreported news from the middle east: Rosenberg Blog or http:// flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/
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WHEN SOUTHERN BAPTISTS MAINSTREAM ISLAM By Jim Fletcher In a USA Today piece from April 26, Stetzer, president of research at LifeWay, advances his agenda of mainstreaming Islam within the evangelical world. It is an agenda item that his friends like Rick Warren and Bob Roberts Jr. have been engaged with for some time. When self-identified leaders within evangelicalism are afforded spots on the biggest platforms, it appears they are speaking for the rest of us. Which is ironic, because that’s what Stetzer’s USA Today PR piece for Islam seems to warn against: understanding others through the lens of what a few say. Ed Stetzer doesn’t speak for me, and many, many other Christians. In fact, I want to be clear about my view of his view of Islam: he’s wrong. (By the way, as an interesting aside, readers should know that Brian McLaren links to Stetzer’s column on his own blog, thus giving McLaren legitimacy also in SBC circles—warmly, as McLaren himself might put it. Note to Stetzer: if Brian McLaren endorses you, it might be time to re-think those positions that garnered the endorsement.) In his attempt to appear as a tolerant, reasonable person, Stetzer makes the following point at USA Today:
“For many Americans, their knowledge of Muslims is what Brannon Howse they see on television news rather than what they know from experience. Yet, forming your view of any group based solely on what you see on the news is a bad idea.” I disagree. “Many Americans,” as is painfully obvious, have accumulated their knowledge of Muslims from violent acts committed by Muslims since at least 9/11 (Steve Emerson has been reporting on the jihadist agenda much longer than that—www.investigativeproject.org). In fact, we “know from experience” that Islam sanctions murder and mayhem in order to establish a new caliphate. Stetzer wishes to convince his readers that only a tiny, almost infinitesimal group of Muslims are committed to jihad. I would point out that people who study this full-time, such as Frank Gaffney and Steve Emerson, would say that no one really knows how many Muslims are committed to jihad, but a leading indicator that the rest of us are in deep trouble is borne out by the fact that almost all Muslims are silent on the issue. If most of them weren’t extreme in their views, wouldn’t we hear that on a large scale? And why are evangelical leaders falling all over themselves to mainstream Islam? I frankly think Ed Stetzer doesn’t know what he’s talking about. As Daniel Pipes put it recently in a column with the Middle East Forum: “The establishment denies that Islamism—a form of Islam that seeks to make Muslims dominant through an extreme, totalistic, and rigid application of Islamic law, the Shari'a—represents the leading global cause of terrorism when it so clearly does.” Here Pipes is discussing the wider establishment, specifically our nation’s leaders, but the point exactly fits certain current strains within American Christianity. In the case of the evangelical establishment, it is clear that a whitewashing of violent Islam—jihad—is the order of the day. Make no mistake, we are all reluctant volunteers in the War on Terror, which, to be precise, is the War on Islamic Terror. Sadly, perhaps tragically, there are those among evangelical leadership who seem to be lost in the fog of this war. Just after 9/11, I read an essay by a Middle East expert on Islam. The writer said that due to perceived Western weakness manifesting itself just after the turn of the century, Islam was now “standing up.” That is a chilling mental picture. It also forces one to wonder why key evangelical “leaders” are taking that lying down. Source: http://www.worldviewweekend.com
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29
Book
Classification
Author
Click
Drawing Near
Devotional
Boa, Ken/Anders, Max
Review
His Victorious Indwelling
Devotional
Harrison, Nick
Review
My Utmost For His Highest
Devotional
Chambers, Oswald
Review
Practicing the Presence of God
Devotional
Lawrence, Brother
Review
God’s Best Secrets
Devotional
Murray, Andrew
Review
Close to His Majesty
Devotional
Needham, David
Review
The Book of Prayers
Prayer
Phinney, Stephen
Review
The Prayer Life
Prayer
Murray, Andrew
Review
Prayer, Life’s Limitless Reach
Prayer
Taylor, Jack
Review
Not I But Christ
Indwelling Life Studies
Olford, Stephen
Review
Classic Christianity
Indwelling Life Studies
George, Bob
Review
Lifetime Guarantee
Indwelling Life Studies
Gillham, Bill
Review
Born Crucified
Indwelling Life Studies
Thomas, Ian
Review
The Christ Life for Your Life
Indwelling Life Studies
Meyer, F.B.
Review
Abide in Christ
Indwelling Life Studies
Murray, Andrew
Review
The Two Covenants
Indwelling Life Studies
Murray, Andrew
Review
Absolute Surrender
Indwelling Life Studies
Murray, Andrew
Review
Normal Christian Life
Indwelling Life Studies
Nee, Watchman
Review
Release of the Spirit
Indwelling Life Studies
Nee, Watchman
Review
The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life
Indwelling Life Studies
Smith, Hannah Whitall
Review
Handbook to Happiness
Indwelling Life Studies
Solomon, Charles
Review
The Ins and Out of Rejection
Indwelling Life Studies
Solomon, Charles
Review
Sit, Walk, Stand
Indwelling Life Studies
Nee, Watchman
Review
Finances and the End Times
Indwelling Life Studies
Phinney, Stephen
Review
Green Letters
Indwelling Life Studies
Stanford, Miles
Review
Victory in Christ
Indwelling Life Studies
Trumbull, Charles
Review
Sidetracked in the Wilderness
Indwelling Life Studies
Wells, Michael
Review
Men & Warfare
Spiritual Warfare
Phinney, Stephen
Review
The Adversary
Spiritual Warfare
Bubeck, Mark
Review
The Principled Patriarch
General Studies
Phinney, Stephen
Review
Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret
General Studies
Taylor, Howard
Review
Completing the Reformation
General Studies
Solomon, Charles
Review
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Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchanged Life Development
IFEL SPONSORED OUTREACH DEFENDING TRUTH AND ESSENTIAL LIBERTY We strongly encourage you to subscribe to this service—it has blessed many IFEL members! Asked on Wednesday if the White House is "satisfied with the responsiveness" of IRS officials testifying before Congress, Press Secretary Jay Carney answered, "Well, that's a broad question, but the answer is yes." Of course Barack Obama and his mouthpiece Carney are satisfied -- the IRS targeted Patriot and Tea Party groups (and possibly pro-Israel groups) helping to swing the 2012 election in Obama's favor, and then IRS officials either pleaded complete ignorance of the doings of their subordinates or took the Fifth Amendment in order to avoid questions. They might be satisfied, but this is a serious abuse of power, not a Snickers commercial. June promises to be a busy month for those investigating the IRS. The House Oversight Committee, the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee are all probing for answers. Rep. Charles Boustany (R-LA), chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight, obtained all communications using the terms "tea party," "patriot" or "conservative" from former acting IRS director and first sacrificial lamb Steven Miller. Boustany now knows the names of others involved and will be pursuing them. Oh, and the IRS is investigating itself, so there's that. This week, Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ), filed suit against the IRS on behalf of 25 conservative groups, saying, "The IRS and the federal government are not going to get away with this unlawful targeting of conservative groups." Ten of the organizations he represents still have not been approved for tax-exempt status. Sekulow provided letters to NBC News revealing that the extra scrutiny didn't originate in the IRS's Cincinnati office as we were told at first. Indeed, one letter bore the stampsignature of Lois Lerner -- the same official who last week claimed innocence
before pleading the Fifth. Letters came "from four different offices, including [the] Treasury [Department] in Washington, DC," Sekulow says. As for how high up the ladder this scandal goes, former IRS commissioner Douglas Shulman visited the White House an astounding 157 times during his tenure -which happens to coincide with the targeting in question. His successor, Steven Miller, visited numerous times as well. But Shulman's predecessor in the Bush administration, Mark Everson, visited the White House just one time. So what gives? Shulman's first answer was, "Um, the Easter Egg Roll with my kids." Cute, but that doesn't explain why he visited the White House more than any cabinet member. He says he has "no memory" of discussing it and contends "it would not have been appropriate to have a conversation with anyone at the White House" on political audits at the IRS. Shulman further denied ever being told to scrutinize conservative groups. Then again, this is the same man who denied in March 2012 that the IRS was even targeting these groups. Can he be trusted now? In the end, we don't expect anyone to truly be held accountable for this serious breach of trust by the Obama administration. In fact, one IRS official was promoted. The IRS has inordinate power as the agency with first dibs on your paycheck and the arbiter of tax status for political groups. And the IRS is beholden to a corrupt and thuggish administration run by a former community organizer from Chicago. As long as Barack Obama is in the Oval Office, there's only so much house cleaning that can happen. Besides, he's "satisfied" with how things are going. SOURCE: http://patriotpost.us/editions/18441 X-Changing Life Magazine
31
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Editorial Comments: Kathy Hill, CO editor@iomamerica.org Entire contents of this publication are under Š supervision of IOM America 2013 Reproduction permitted when entire publication remains intact. Digital view or copies can be obtained online at: click here
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