SHARE Magazine July 2016 by The SHARE Magazine

Contents

EDITORIAL 4 FEATURE ARTICLES

Salt and Light 6 What happens when salt loses its savour and light is hidden? A World without God Do we really want a Godless world? Consider the options.

Deep Darkness What is the deep darkness that is coming?

Note To Self By Angela Slack

You (U) Turn 10 Unless you turn around you will perish.

Pride: A Pricey Pitfall 29 Pride leads us to excuses that cost us dearly.

World In View 12 Civil liberties under threat. Time to choose where we stand.

It is Written 30 God’s promises motivate us to accomplish His will.

If e - G = X, Find X 14 What happens when we take God out of the equation.

Bang!! 32 By Homer Slack

TESTIMONY

Jargon Buster Understanding Religious Terminologies.

My friend led me to Christ then became and atheist. REFLECTIONS The Story Teller 18 I yielded. “I’ll go where you want me to go!

Who is on the Lord’s Side 26 Standing for God means living a life of truth.

In Praise Of Hymn 34 Reviewing Great Christian Hymns: – My Hope is Built on Nothing Less

WORLD IN VIEW

Think! 20 What do you treasure? Did You Know? Solving mysteries and debunking myths.

e-G=X

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SHARE|MAGAZINE Volume 4 - Issue 3

About Us

by our human hearts

EDITORIAL

Have you ever had the experience of being betrayed by the very persons that you were trying to help? Then, you will know the gut wrenching pain that hits you as you recoil from the knife that has been plunged into your abdomen and shatters your innermost being as you spiral downwards into an emotional whirlpool of mixed, memories and emotions. You desperately try to clutch onto some sense of reason, trying to grasp onto the rationale` of the inhumane, sinister, thinking behind the experience you are having. What made them do it you asked? You will have most likely also asked the proverbial question, why?

Your mind will be immediately bombarded with a panorama of images of people ducking and covering, failing to have moral courage when presented with unwelcomed change, insecurity or challenge and who display tremendously selfish behaviour. If this has happened to you, you are by no means unique; join the long queue of betrayed and bewildered humanity. History is replete with dramatic accounts of betrayal. One that is outstanding is that of Julius Caesar, being stabbed 23 times on the steps of the Roman Senate building by a group of Senators, who 4

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had come to fear his growing power in the Empire. The poignant moments being, when Brutus his adopted son and protege` locked tear filled eyes with him and plunged his knife into his already wounded soul and all Julius Caesar could say as he succumbed to the searing pain of betrayal was, “you too Brutus?” Be encouraged, if you are going through this presently or have had such an experience in the past. You are in distinquished company; Jesus Christ the King of kings and Lord of the universe came to earth as the Son of man to redeem humanity from its wickedness, and Judas one of His inner circle of 12 disciples, betrayed Him handing Him over to be tried and crucified with a kiss. In those shocking, soul destroying moments, we are forced to face truth and come to terms with the reality of the human condition. Humans can be evil and are essentially selfish at their core. Is there any hope for mankind? How can we continue to live like this, in a world where we cannot trust, confide in or rely on people to be sincere? Questions like these face us everyday in our homes, jobs and in the community. What is the antidote for a poisoned heart, how do we cure a tainted, cynical mind? Moreover, how do we preserve our purity and contain our courage, honour, truth and navigate the toxic environment we live in?

SHARE MAGAZINE is a FREE Christian quarterly that deals with challenging Christian topics that have been mostly ignored or left unanswered. The magazine includes written articles, poems and thoughts etc. Read our online version at www.TheShareMagazine.com where you can discuss articles or order a printed version. If you would like to submit articles, join our writers group, or to get involved in any other way kindly email us. SHARE MAGAZINE is produced by Select Arrow, which is the publishing arm of United In Christ.

Disclaimer

Throughout this magazine the editor & contributors seek to present a balanced and accurate view of Scripture’s teaching. We are all on a journey of studying and understanding God’s Word. Because of this, all we can offer is as balanced an understanding as the Holy Spirit has offered us at this time. The views or opinions represented in this publication are personal to each of our contributors and may not fully represent those of any other contributor or editor. Scriptures quoted are from the Contemporary English Version (CEV) unless otherwise stated.

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In a world that has given God the boot out the door and chucked the Bible and Christian moral standards out behind Him, this is the current challenge of every true believer in Jesus Christ. As the world hurtles towards its prophesied end this moral dilemma heightens. I can only empathise with you and recommend to you what has kept believers from time memorial true to the faith; the Word of God. Paul, the Apostle writes in Hebrews 10-11

about what I call the Heroes of the of Faith. These believers endured great hardships and never compromised the faith. I encourage you therefore to read the two chapters in their entirety and meditate on them further. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the many gems of truth that are to be found there. Lastly, ask for an increased measure of faith and grace to remain true, righteous and pure in the face of evil. It is not easy but with God all things are possible. Take courage do not not throw away your confidence in

God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21 I remain in Jesus’ Service. Love as always

Angela Slack

Editor and Cofounder

DEAREDITOR

Letter to Editor

To contact the editor email her at: admin@thesharemagazine.com

May I commend you for yet another thought provoking issue of Share Magazine. My attention was particularly drawn to the featured article ‘World in View’, January 2016 edition, which highlighted the use of aborted human fetal lines in the production of processed foods. As a Pro-Life supporter I must confess that I was completely ignorant to this and will endeavour to do more research on this topic. I was however aware that aborted human fetal lines are used in childhood vaccination programmes and the cosmetic industry. Perhaps it would be useful for Share Magazine to provide a list of companies that are profiteering from the Abortion industry so Christians can be informed. I am sure that many would boycott and object to using and consuming these products if they were aware of the pervasiveness of this issue. For the sake of our Christian, moral conscience it is only right that full disclosure for any vaccine, medication, food or any other product that has used cells from aborted human babies in its development or production be made known to us the consumers. This will only happen through voicing our concerns and boycotting products. When profit margins are threatened companies will be forced to seek alternatives. Mrs. A.C. Leech, Congleton, Cheshire. United Kingdom Dear Mrs. A.C Leech, Thank you so much for your response to the featured article ‘World in View’, January 2016 edition, and your accompanying suggestion to provide a list of companies that profit from using aborted human fetal lines in their production process. The magazine is delivered in two main formats, a printed version, and an online version that reads like a printed magazine (view it here issuu.com/thesharemagazine) we also have a Facebook page where you can go to comment on/further discuss articles (www.facebook.com/ShareMagazine). Articles may also have links to Youtube where one could listen to audio versions of these articles or watch videos on related topics. If you go online to SAHARE magazine.com, you will find that the said article has a link providing further reading of this nature. I have also included it below for your convenience. I hope you find this helpful. http://beforeitsnews.com/conspiracy-theories/2013/07/comprehensive-list-of-companies-that-uses-abortedfetal-cells-as-flavor-2452716.html Thank you sincerely for your encouragement and we will endeavour to always share the truth that changes lives. I remain in His service, Love as always, Angel July - September 2016

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SALTand

LIGHT “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its ﬂavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” Matthew 5:13

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Are we obeying the Lord’s command to speak of Him to a world slipping at full speed down to destruction? Are we telling others about the work of the Cross? Yes, this world and everything in it will eventually disintegrate. Moral decline is in such a state that we should be following the Lord wherever He leads us in our Father’s business

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by the power of the Holy Spirit. We can be like salt with a very strong flavour telling the world of Christ our Saviour. Gifts with which God has blessed us, as the Church, can challenge others. But when salt loses its ﬂavor it becomes useless. It is no good being lukewarm or half hearted. We cannot sit on the fence saying, “That is the the way the world is

are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matt 5:14). As people see Christ in us, He will draw them to Himself. Light is the opposite of darkness. Imagine the darkness of this world, people stumbling about in confusion, chaos, panic, stress, fear and every temptation, struggling to escape destruction and eventually death. Then imagine a beautiful light beginning to shine, a loving, guiding hand and whispers of help saying,. “Come follow Me and I will lead you out of darkness, destruction and death. I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) We must seriously ask ourselves, “Are we actually living for God with all of our hearts, while we wait for the soon return of the Lord? Are we following God’s agenda or ours, at the beginning of every day? Do we need to repent of our complacency?

nowadays. What can we do about it. Secular powers will always do what they want anyway!” But we can make a difference if we seek our Father’s guidance where to go or what to do until Jesus returns. As the Church, our lives should be like salt ﬂavoring the fast dying world with the influence of the Lord’s presence in our lives. We need to let the Lord live His life of holiness through us. “You

We must ask God to unearth everything that prevents us from shining as lights for His glory. We have no excuses. If we cannot see the light shining in us, how can we shine out there in the world? Many of us need to turn from our sins and seek God’s Kingdom. “Your Kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matt 6:10) We must ask God to rule upon this earth, and to intervene in this world of darkness. “Yours is the Kingdom, the power and the glory for ever. Amen.” God’s Kingdom will eventually rule. Let us therefore ask God to lead us to places where His light will shine and lead others to Him.

“From the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matt 11:12). There is a war going on in the heavenlies. Without God we can never win. Whenever there is an advance of heaven upon earth, things change. People’s lives are restored. When we obey Jesus, change comes, sometimes in violence. But what did Jesus say? “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of this world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.” (John 15:18-21) So, are we prepared? “Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11-20). It will cost us much in order to become the salt of the earth, to speak of Jesus, to be strong in the power of God’s might, but it will be worth it to glorify Him. Finally, let us fight the good fight without compromise. We have a heavenly host watching over us. Jesus said, ‘‘I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” Even so come Lord Jesus. Amen. p

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by Lynda K Smith writer, proof reader, poet and Evangelist

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Without God Without God A World

The term ‘the world’ is regularly referred to in the New Testament with very negative connotations. Is it a place, a system, a people or all of the above? Jesus said, it hates us (John 15:19), that Satan rules over it (John 16:11) and that it will give us trouble (John 16:33). It is the enemy of God (James 4:4) and we are warned not to love it. (1 John 2:15). SO WHAT IS ‘THE WORLD’? When used in this context, it is not referring to the natural world, the earth with its flora and fauna, but speaks of a godless, devilish system of thinking and behaving. It consists of people who are bankrupt of God, His values and virtues, a people who have rejected God and are controlled

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by sin and Satan. Jesus has called us out of that system and from among that people. This does not mean that we are in a separate location physically, but that we are created to be different. So, though we are in the world we do not belong to it “As a follower of the Lord, I order you to stop living like stupid, godless people. Their minds are in the dark, and they are stubborn and ignorant and have missed out on the life that comes from God. They no longer have any feelings about what is right, and they are so greedy that they do all kinds of indecent things.” Ephesians 4:1719 This system is so repulsive to God that Peter writing by inspiration,

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likened it to mud and vomit (2 Peter 2:22). God, Himself, will not touch anyone who is corrupted by it. He warns that He will soon burn it with unquenchable fire, along with those who gorge themselves with it. And He does this as if to purge the earth of its rot and stench. For God to accept us we must, “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” “I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:17-18 (NKJV) TYPES OF ‘THE WORLD’ In the Old Testament before the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven there was not a division between

“

Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters

‘the world’ and the Kingdom of God. Back then the division was between Israel (God’s people) and the Gentiles in the rest of the world. There were, however, early examples of a change that Jesus would bring where ‘God’s people’ would be made up of both Jew and Gentile. “But the Scriptures say that sin controls everyone, so that God’s promises will be for anyone who has faith in Jesus Christ.” Galatians 3:22 God’s people are ‘the called out ones,’ those who believe on Jesus and whom He has separated from the world unto Himself,, without discrimination of nationality, gender or age etc. When He brought His people, Israel, out of Egypt, that foreshadowed the separation of His people in these last days. Egypt in this scenario was a type of the world.

”

Possibly the best Old Testament example was when God brought Lot and his family out of Sodom and Gomorrah. Sodom and Gomorrah represented the world. “We should also be warned by what happened to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and the nearby towns. Their people became immoral and did all sorts of sexual sins. Then God made an example of them and punished them with eternal fire.” Jude 1:7 What happened to Sodom and Gomorrah serves as an example of what God is going to do to this godless, devilish, sinful, selfish and perverse system of thought and practice referred to in Scriptures as ‘the world’. Anyone who is not delivered from this system by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, is going to perish along with it. Those brought out of it who return to it or retain a love for it in their hearts,

will also perish with it. The good news is that the Kingdom of God is presently accessible to everyone in the world. Jesus Christ is only a prayer away, and God, by His Spirit, is appealing to every human heart to acknowledge Him as their Creator and serve His Son, as their Lord. He is that very present help in times of trouble. He warns us of disaster, convicts us of sin and presents the way of escape out of the entrapments of the world. However, only few recognise His voice. They reason Him away as conscience, a sixth sense, coincidence, intuition, premonition or deja vu. Today if you hear His voice harden not your heart. p By Homer Slack author, preacher, Bible teacher, IT tutor, programmer & graphic designer

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YOU W

Without a doubt, judgment is set against sinners who persist in the path of sin and refuse to turn from their sinful ways and to follow the Lord.

and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish!”

On a certain occasion, while great crowds were almost crushing each other to hear the teaching of the new rabbi, Jesus, some came to Him and told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

Perhaps you have not heard what happened to king Herod, whose arrogance corrupted him, how on a set day, arrayed in royal apparel, he sat on his throne and gave a great speech. When the people heard it, they began shouting, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died.

But Jesus answered them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish! Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell 10

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Obviously, God does not compromise with sin. He uses no fancy words for the awfulness of

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sin that sent His Son, Jesus Christ to bear the punishment for a world gone completely astray from Him. Judgment is set. Sinners must face their guilt, turn away from sin and turn completely around in order to serve God! When Gideon became judge of Israel, God challenged him to deliver Israel from marauding Ishmaelites. One of his first duties was to destroy the altar of Baal that existed in his own home, even though his own father had allowed such a monstrosity. He built an altar to the Lord and called it ‘JehovahShalom,’ which means “Jehovah is, or sends peace.” However, that was not all, for God demanded a complete turnaround

TURN from the sin of idolatry, “Take your father’s young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it!” Israel could not be delivered from their enemies until Gideon had destroyed the idolatrous worship in his own home. Since Gideon completed that transaction, the payment of a debt to God, it satisfied the just demands of a righteous God. Similarly, when we accept Christ as Lord and Savior, we must completely reject every other idol in our lives, that takes the center of interest more than the Holy One of Israel. Whenever guilt and condemnation assail us, we will be confident that “there is

therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.”

the road to eternal life with Jesus Christ.

When Jesus Christ shouted triumphantly on the cross, “It is finished!” He had in fact completed the payment of our debt to Almighty God. He had satisfied the just requirements of God’s eternal law, that demands punishment for our sin of Christ-rejection. The completion of that transaction reconciles us, and brings us into a right relationship of peace with God as our loving Heavenly Father, so that we are no longer His enemies. This is the greatest miracle of the ages, that a sinner, lost, confused and on the road to destruction can be delivered from the control of the enemy of all souls, satan, and be led to walk on

Paul, the apostle, refers to Jesus Christ, the Messiah, when he says: “He is our Peace!” Christ has broken down the middle wall of partition between Jew and Gentile, and has torn down the veil that separated man from God. Now, we can boldly come into His presence and find grace in every moment of need. Peace can be the constant experience and ruling factor in our lives! p

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By C Richard McCaw author, music teacher and many years as a Bible teacher

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WORLD

In View

Today, adults have no moral compass, are ignorant of who Jesus Christ is and do not know The UK makes a grand exit from the EU. The referendum results have been described as seismic in that they have ripped open underlying cracks in Britain. Results reveal that The U.K. is a divided society on the sensitive issues of: • Sovereignty and self determination • Immigration and border control • International trade • Domestic welfare policy The aftershocks were: English Prime Minister David Cameron announced his intention to resign and oversee the instalment of a new P.M. by this October. Scottish first Minister Nicola Sturgeon, calls for a second Scottish referendum to bolster their 12

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about the contributions of the Church to humanity but take for granted its foundations upon which civilization was laid. Now, the landmarks are being removed and the planet is crumbling yet, humanity is oblivious to its own impending demise. The arrogance of Scientists, Technocrats and politicians will be responsible for the armageddon that awaits us all. Yet, they hurl accusations against a God that they claim not to believe in. The usual argument is, if God is so good why is there so much bad in the world? The answer is, we gave God the boot and He has stepped back to watch.

choice to remain in the E.U. Sinn Fein of Northern Ireland threaten to leave the UK for E.U.membership as well. If these projections ring true then England and Wales will need prayerful support as they face what appears to be a crumbling UK as we know it. However, this could also be the paving of the path towards a spiritual and political resurrection and a new and vibrant era of self determination. Read more:

The planet was purpose built for humanity to be self sustaining, self perpetuating and flourishing. Mankind was meant to live in harmony with God and nature. Sin entered the world and man learnt to rebel against the order of God. The manual (the Bible) that accompanied the planet was rejected and now that we face the consequences of our humanism and liberalism we blame God. We have systematically destroyed the planet and ourselves with blind, selfish, ambition. Welcome to a world without God: it doesn’t get better it only gets worse.

BREXIT

d stay e t o v 48%

http://josh-rosenroth.newsvine. com/_news/2016/06/24/35732477v4i-day-nigel-farage-andboris-johnson-lead-britons-toundiscovered-territory-a-futurewithout-eu

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leave d e t o 51% v

often hear people say that, they aren’t religious and I would hasten to say I’m not either, I have a relationship with Jesus Christ, I’m a born again believer. Then I really feel the walls go up. I usually chuckle inside. It is peculiar how people will, spend hours playing fantasy video games, collect satanic paraphernalia, spend piles of money attending psychics and practicing witchcraft, but if you suggest that God is real or that miracles happen, you belong in the mental hospital.

Orlando Massacre - a Label-defying Attack

More questions than answers over ORLANDO MASS SHOOTING. According to Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz correspondent writing June 22 /2016, the real issue is finding a label that fits this emerging type of crime. Calling it - a Label-defying Attack. He suggested plausible causes • a homophobic hate-crime1 • a symptom of the present volatile political climate • the result of freedom to bear arms in the USA • Islamic extremism • connected with similar recent reprisal shootings around the world • a toxic mixture of religious radicalization over the internet, personal frustrations and available weapons. Even when the details were accumulated and it appeared

that Omar Mateen had pledged allegiance to the Caliphate of the Islamic State before he died in a firefight with the police, the difficulties in affixing the proper label remained...the incident was labelled a “mass-shooting”and its definition as a terror attack symbolizes the West’s 21st century difficulty in classifying murders carried out for ideology, religion and politics.2 Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz correspondent. Accessed 26/6/16 http://www.haaretz.com/worldnews/americas/1.724608 1,2

Read more: http://www.dailymail. co.uk/news/article-3637414/ Everyone-running-Gunman-burstsgay-nightclub-Florida-shoots-20people-taking-hostages.html

Bathroom Law Sparks Debate in USA

The gender neutral Bathroom debate is about more than jus t removing the fear and discom fort of having the opposite genitalia in the bathroom wit h you, it is a civil rights deba te on both sides; for the transg ender as well as the those of male/female gender from bir th. For Christians living in the USA this is a question coming to a bathroom near you. It is also a moral issue so how can it be sensitively handled? The law passed in March this Year by the Obama administration, requires tha t parents and adults subjec t their children and thems elves respectively to soc ial circumstances outside of the norm. Some parents have raised objections out of con cern from paedophilia and sexual assaults etc.

Is Privacy a thing of the Past?

Imagine standing at a bus stop, talking to your friend and having your conversation recorded without you knowing. It happens all the time, and the FBI doesn’t even need a warrant to do it. Federal agents are planting microphones to secretly record conversations.

Jeff Harp, a KPIX 5 security analyst and former FBI special agent said, “They put microphones under rocks, they put microphones in trees, they plant microphones in equipment. I mean, there’s microphones that are planted in places that people don’t think about, because that’s the intent!” Harp says that, if you’re going to conduct criminal activity, do it in the privacy of your own home. May 13, 2016 6:24 PM By Jackie Ward reporting for CBS SF Bay Area, KPIX News 5. http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2016/05/13/ h i d d e n - m i c ro p h o n e s - e x p o s e d - a s - p a rt - o f government-surveillance-program-in-the-bayarea/

Obama taking fear out of bat hrooms? The Charlotte Observ er, May 13, 2016. Accessed: June 13,201 6. http://www.charlotteobserve r.com/opinion/editorials/art icle77475147. html July - September 2016

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Today's Lesson:

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e-G=X Solve X if e = earth & G = God

In 1960 Madalyn Murray O’Hair successfully challenged in the U.S. courts compulsory Bible reading in public schools. (Int) Under the guise of religious tolerance, the removal of prayer from public education began in 1962 and became state law by 1963. She also attempted to subtract the word “God” from the Pledge of Allegiance when she sued the Baltimore school district. Her case, Murray v. Curlet reached the U.S. Supreme Court in 1963, leading to a landmark legal victory: the abolition of prayer, Bible readings, and all religious references from the American public school system. She worked tirelessly to obliterate the concept of God and everything pertaining to Christianity. She founded a nonprofit group dedicated to the separation of Church and state: the American Atheist Organization, which advocated (among other things) free birth control and the taxing of Churches.

Under the guise of tolerance, many Christian denominations and sects were allowed to come in like a flood, so that many nonChristian religions and aberrations have since been able to invade the country. In 1973 the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), seizing upon this theory of tolerance, led the rejection of homosexuality as a mental illness, and overturned laws against sodomy. (Int) Soon

premarital sex became acceptable with the implementation of “Common Law marriage” and the availability of abortion. Today public education has become inclusive and celebrates the “gay life” as a diversity in its curriculum. Under the guise of freedom of speech, great business corporations now market sex and violence at an alarming rate. Americans now spend more than $10 billion on pornography annually. (Int) Violent video games rake in billions for corporations, and peer pressure has grown stronger as the code of silence about bad behavior spreads like an epidemic. People now look the other way, because it is not politically correct to raise a voice against evil. In 1976 Dr. Richard Dawkins, controversial scientist and evolutionist, known as “Darwin’s Rottweiler,” published his book “The Selfish Gene,” in which he popularized the gene-centered view of evolution. (Int) As the symbol of “the new atheist,” he very boldly fostered the drift into atheism in order to quell insane religious wars and hatred of society. On January 8th, 2006, internet news reported that he branded religion a “virus” and advocated that believers must therefore be avoided at all costs and regarded as “retarded” and “dangerous. Furthermore, he asserted that religious training of children is actually a “form of child abuse!” He compared Moses

to Hitler, and called the New Testament “sado-masochistic doctrine!” With the increase of single parent homes, this backward spiritual move has seriously damaged the spiritual growth of succeeding generations. Numerous children in these days are now left unsupervised for extended periods of time before television or computer, and absorb morally harmful ideologies or pronography. In 2006, “Americans United for the Separation of Church and State,” along with the ACLU. brought a case against one high school in Bridgeport, West Virginia. Because of the financial obligations involved, the school agreed to remove a portrait entitled “The Head of Christ,” that had hung on the wall outside the principal’s office for 37 years. (Int) At the same time, a portrait of Buddha and a two-foot statue of Buddha were left in two separate classrooms unopposed, and allowed to remain. Federal law therefore has approved the next step in the decline of this great nation, as the minds of the younger generation are kept away from the Lord God and His Christ. These events remind us of the cry of the psalmist David in his messianic prophecy, “The rulers take counsel together, against the Lord against His Anointed, Let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us.”

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Continued on page 25 SHARE|MAGAZINE

Jesus and the Eventual Atheist

My Testimony began when I met Jesus when I was 12 or 13 at a bus stop. Not a city bus stop but a school bus stop in a neighborhood. My best friend and I waited for the same bus everyday. Each day my hilarious and outgoing friend created a new scenario, a new story using any nearby object to enhance the experience. Then one day I noticed the cross around his neck. Somehow I had missed it for months. But I saw it and asked about it. I hadn’t grown up with Christianity so it was all new to me. And so I was introduced to Christ by a Catholic who is now an atheist. Jesus, My New Best Friend Though I sadly drifted away from my once best friend over the years, he introduced me to the ultimate best friend. My life was suddenly changed. I now had a new purpose in my life and I began attending Church and reading the Bible to understand this new life. And what I found was a new best friend! The problems of life that inevitably came no longer had the power to take my joy. Knowing that God was always with me brought a peace that truly passed understanding. A Distant Friend I grew close to Jesus as I progressed through high school, reading my Bible, praying, and attending Church and youth group. Then I entered college and slowly began to give less and less focused attention to Jesus. I worked 2 or 3 jobs at a time while going to school full time. Soon my only interaction with Jesus was at Wednesday night Church or Sunday morning. I noticed the distance developing but didn’t know how to fix it. And so 5 years of spiritual up and downs passed.

chapter in my life. I began working at my local Church as the Media Director and loved my job. When I got my diploma I was able to quit the other jobs and work full time at the Church. This was a huge spiritual boost for me as I was surrounded by great friends and mentors. I soon had a renewed hunger to spend time with Jesus. The distance created in my college years began to disappear as I confronted the lie I had believed: that being a good enough person is ok. I had bought into the idea of compartmentalizing Jesus. He was my Savior but the event of salvation was all, I had discarded the need for sanctification. With this lie revealed, I was hungry to know God and become more Christ-like. Discipleship This new chapter may have began in 2009 but the road to discipleship took a couple of years. The blessing of marriage and godly friends led me to deep relationships with godly mentors and the access to join a community of disciples and disciple makers that forever changed my life. I was now reading books from John Ortberg, Bill Hull, Dallas Willard, and others and they were all focused on discipleship and living a disciplined life to pursue God. Small Beginnings I may have met Jesus in a humorous way but that moment has changed the course of my life. We all have these moments. What was your moment like? What is your testimony? For some, it’s small like mine and for others it’s a huge change. I would encourage you to write your testimony. Share it with others. And pray for people to experience this moment today! p

A New Chapter 2009, the year I graduated from college, was the beginning of a new

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by Andrew Adams - http://www.faithwriters. com/article-details.php?id=180860

TES

ESTIMONY “

I may have met Jesus in a humorous way but that moment has changed the course of my life

July - September 2016

”

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Surrender O

One of my sons became fascinated from a very early age with aeroplanes. Whenever a plane flew overhead, he would run outside and gaze in wonder at that bird-like machine in the sky. “When you grow up, son?” I would ask him, “What would you like to become?” He always replied. “I’m going to be a pilot!” He was always very definite about his dream. My dreams were more artistic, perhaps to become a great writer and a great musician one day. That changed suddenly, one Sunday morning at Church sometime between twelve and one o’clock. I sat to the right of the aisle, near the back of the congregation, tightly squeezed between two Church brothers. After my conversion, I had been baptized at the age of fourteen at Assembly Hall on Orange Street in Kingston, Jamaica. This was another Brethren Church, where every Sunday the congregation gathered to remember the Lord’s death by breaking bread and drinking wine. Packed like sardines on long wooden benches, men were all dressed in jackets and ties and women with hat-covered heads fanned away the heat. When I walked into Church that Sunday morning, full commitment to Christ was definitely not on my mind. Such dedication demanded giving up personal ambitions which were almost carved in stone, never to be removed. Nobody gives up cherished dreams except for some far better goal, or some challenge that supersedes strongly held ambitions. I had proven myself successful, so

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I thought, with published poetry at the age of ten, and had taught myself part of a Beethoven’s sonata during one summer holiday. Nobody could stop me! I was sure I could accomplish anything.

During the worship, various brothers prayed and read Scriptures relating to the crucifixion. In the quiet, strong emotion that could easily be felt, in my spirit I saw Jesus falling beneath the weight of the cross, then a soldier compelling Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross. I seemed to hear the voice of Jesus say, “I gave every ounce of strength for you! What will you give for me?” I used to think, “If God called me to Africa or to the Amazon, I could not go.” How could I give up all my ambitions? I was like a child holding out a box of chocolates to his playmate and saying, “You can have anything on the top row, but the bottom row is mine!” “I’ll attend Church regularly, read my Bible as often as I can, even pray some more. I’ll do the best I can at school, so others can see I’m following You, but I’ll still cling to my dreams!” Still, those words ‘every ounce of strength’ kept ringing in my ears! ‘For me, for me, every ounce of strength for me!’ It was only reasonable to fully surrender to Him! Tears streamed down my fourteen-year-old face! Suddenly, I yielded. “I’ll go where you want me to go!” I had received Jesus Christ the night before my thirteenth birthday as my personal Savior from sin. Now,

July - September 2016

The

STORY TELLER To book the story teller:

Email: editor@sharemagazine.com

He was taking me even deeper in our relationship. He was revealing Himself to me as Supreme Lord. My Supreme Lord! If you study carefully the book of Ezekiel, one thought occurs more frequently than any other. God keeps repeating to His people that ‘He is Lord!’ The term ‘Lord’ implies ownership, and possession. While this term was often used of men to mean ‘master,’ God reveals Himself as ‘Supreme Master of all.’ God continually repeats the phrase ‘that they shall know that I am the Lord.’ One Sunday morning, shortly after that experience, the leading elder of the Church approached me after service. He was a ruddyfaced gentleman with dimples on both cheeks, greying hair and white moustache. “Richard,” he said without a smile on his lips, “It’s time to become active for the Lord! You should begin teaching Sunday School! Speak to Mr. Hunter. He’s the Superintendent. He needs a teacher and I’m sure you can handle it!” I nodded, only too glad to become part of the action to change the world. I was a soldier, a part of God’s worldwide army ready to advance against the enemy. I did not wish to become a member of a spectator religion, watching the performance on

the pulpit stage. I knew that in many Churches people expressed approval at significant ideas, muttered ‘Amen,’ quietly, and made sure never to offend anyone. Sometimes, tears even trickled down some faces. Some of us might comment afterwards, “What a lovely message!” However, most of us never reached out to the lost because of the great personal cost to ourselves. Jesus Christ once said, “Whosoever does not bear his cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple!” Such words were forgotten in the midst of religious indifference. Many had lost out on the excitement that comes with sacrifice, dedication and true discipleship! I was prepared to give myself wholeheartedly to transform the world! My young imagination was stirred! After seeing the Superintendent, at fifteen years of age I was prepared to teach a Sunday school class of ten to twelve-year-olds every week. John, the apostle tells us that “having loved His own, Jesus loved them to the end” and that there is no “greater love than this that a man should lay down His life for His friends!” It is our only reasonable service to give ourselves completely to the Greatest Lover of all time. p

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Lately, God has been putting the word “treasure” on my heart. So, I went digging because I always passionately try to understand everything, especially people and their behavior. I have realized that once I become friendly with someone, I will tease them, engage in banter, and push them to the limit, in order to perceive from their different reactions what really lies deep within them.This, as you can imagine, can sometimes backfire.

treasure?

So, I wanted to fully understand treasure in order to understand God more.

What do you

My objective therefore was: • To understand what God sees as treasure? • To investigate what we treasure? • To investigate what we should treasure?

WHAT DOES GOD TREASURE?

by Dorian Slack

As Moses went up to meet God, God called down to him from the mountain: “Speak to the House of Jacob, tell the People of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to me. If you will listen obediently to what I say and keep my covenant, out of all peoples you’ll be my special treasure. The whole Earth is mine to choose from, but you’re special: a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.’ “This is what I want you to tell the People of Israel.”Exodus 19:3-6 (The message Bible)

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God has specially chosen us out of the world before we were even born for a time such as this, and therefore He treasures us.

July - September 2016

WHAT DO WE TREASURE? Most Christians would answer by saying, ‘I treasure entering the Kingdom of God.’ One day Jesus met a rich, young ruler and was very impressed with him. “As he went out into the street, a man came running up, greeted him with great reverence, and asked, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?’ Jesus said, ‘Why are you calling me good? No one is good, only God. You know the commandments: Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t cheat, honour your father and mother.’ He said, ‘Teacher, I have— from my youth—kept them all!’ Jesus looked him hard in the eye—and loved him! He said, ‘There’s one thing left: Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor. All your wealth will then be heavenly wealth. And come follow me.’ The man’s face clouded over. This was the last thing he expected to hear, and he walked off with a heavy heart. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and not about to let go” (Mark 10: 1722 TMB). Mark, the apostle, also recorded that “Jesus looked on him and loved him.” This man could have become one of the first leaders of the early Church. But although Jesus perceived him to be obviously diligent and spiritual, He knew that something in his heart was hindering him. Because the Lord knew what he treasured most, He told him to give all his possessions to the poor. But he turned and walked away sadly. What we treasure is where our heart is, and what we worship is where our highest value lies. God alone must be FIRST. He will never be second to anything or anyone in

our lives. How abundantly rich is our God? He has everything that we need, so why should He take second place to anything or anyone? The young ruler’s highest value was his possessions, power, status, popularity and influence. How people saw him was too important to him. Can we honestly say that we do not value these things? Let each ask ourselves “What do I treasure most? A pat on the back, awards, achievements, power, being in charge, being important or the feeling of being loved in a physical relationship? We might each say to ourselves, “I do not struggle with such things.” But often when we excel in giving to other people, we secretly expect the same to return to us.

WHAT SHOULD WE TREASURE? “Surrender to God. Come to terms with Him and He will work out all things for our good. Let Him tell you what to do. Believe His Word with all your heart. Come back to God Almighty, and He will rebuild your life. Clean your spiritual house of everything evil. Relax your grip on money and abandon your gold-plated luxury. God Almighty will be your treasure, more wealth than you can imagine” (Job 22:21-25). “Surrender to God” – Do not fight against Him,; that is a waste of time.. Trust Him. Experience His love. His perfect love has no secret motive. “Come to terms with Him” – that phrase is usually linked with death or a sad situation. We are constantly dying to self in order to serve God. So let us come to terms with the death of our old self, and step into a new life with God. “Believe His Word with all your heart.”the real treasure is the Word of God, the expression of God’s power, love and grace. A child of God has “...his delight is in law of the Lord and in His law he meditates day and night” (Psalms 1:2).

“Come back to God Almighty and He will rebuild your life” - In spite of where we have been or what we have done, God can redeem the past and secure our future. “Relax your grip on money and abandon your gold-plated luxury”- We tend to hold on to something we need. But when we walk with Jesus our burden is light. Let us not depend on something that we cannot take to heaven. That does not mean that we should be frivolous or foolish with handling money. But money must only be a tool, never be our only comfort or our goal in life. “God Almighty will be your treasure” - He gives more wealth than we can imagine, one of eternal value, that can never depreciate, decompose or diminish. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and everything will be added to you” (Matt 6:33). The world constantly encourages us to chase after money and material things, but our greatest need is God. God will provide all that we need. Often we ignore the source while treating the symptoms. Paul, the apostle. encourages us to strive for the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus. He knew that knowing Him intimately was the greatest treasure, and considered everything else to be dung. He knew that for us to obtain the good stuff, we must first seek after God, Who is in fact, THE TRUE TREASURE. p

“

What you treasure is where your heart is and where your highest value is that’s what you worship. July - September 2016

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”

DID YOU KNOW H So you thought only 2 of the original apostles were martyred?

James

Thrown 100ft. down from the S.E. pinnacle of the Temple for refusing to deny his faith in Christ; survived the fall and was beaten to death with a fuller’s club.

Thomas

Was stabbed with a spear in India during one of his missionary trips to establish the church in the Subcontinent.

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Jude

Was killed with arrows when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. 22

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HOW THE APOSTLES DIED? Peter

Crucified upside down on an x-shaped cross because he felt unworthy to die in the same way as Jesus Christ.

John

Boiled in oil, during the Roman persecution, miraculously lived, imprisoned on Patmos Island.

o t k too

Matthias

The apostle chosen to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot, was stoned and then beheaded.

matthew

Suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia, Killed by a sword wound.

to l e p os

Andrew Paul Mark Bartholomew

Beheaded at Jerusalem.

Was hanged in Greece as a result of his tremendous preaching to the lost.

e h t g brin

ood

James son of zebedee

Luke

Flayed to death by a whip in Armenia, for his witness for our Lord.

Dragged by Horses through the streets until dead in Alexandria, Egypt.

Tortured and then beheaded by Emperor Nero at Rome in A.D. 67.

Crucified on an x-shaped cross in Patras, Greece. After being whipped severely by seven soldiers.

The above images are artist impressions and not paintings of the actual apostles July - September 2016

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deep DARKNESS

Cities today are so well lit, that they are visible from outer space. Our technological explosion has propelled us into the age of ‘day like’ white light that shines brilliantly from energy efficient LED lamps. People flock to cities like Las Vegas where the lights are bright, colourful and spectacular.

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We live on a continuous high, because our bodies are intoxicated with light. We celebrate the fact that we have now firmly put the age of darkness behind us. But, have we really? Listen to Isaiah’s prophecy.

and deep darkness the people…”

Isaiah 60:2 “For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,

I vividly remember many things that have had a profound positive

July - September 2016

How could Isaiah be prophesying that there will be darkness in the age of light? Because physical light is very different from spiritual light.

“For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people…” impact on my faith. I remember, many years ago, on two different occasions, seeing people who were believers in Christ and observing what seems like a light all around them. It was not the light that comes from a physical source but it was light indeed. I remember being aware that I did not have this beautiful, heavenly glow but that I wanted it with all my being. They were walking in heavenly light and where this heavenly light is absent there is darkness; a darkness which is much worse than physical darkness. THE SPIRITUAL INTERPRETATION

The kind of darkness Isaiah spoke about is spiritual darkness. Darkness has no source, but is only the absence of light. Just as all physical light emanates from a source such as the sun or a fire spiritual light also has a source. His name is Jesus and darkness will converge on any space where He is absent. Perhaps with this understanding, we could rephrase what Isaiah said like this, “Behold, Christ will be increasingly absent from the earth, and totally absent from the hearts of people.” John gives us the reason for this, “...this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” John 3:19 We reject the light because we want to keep our evil deeds hidden. SPIRITUAL DEATH

Darkness also signifies death.

Think of what happens to plants when taken out of the light and placed in total darkness. They die! However, where there is light there is life. Jesus speaking of Himself said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12 This picture painted by the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 60:2 is of this present age. We can envision an earth covered with [spiritual] death, because most people today are [spiritually] dead. Why? Because Christ, who is life and light, has been forced out of many nations education systems, judicial systems, political systems, social life, family life and even their Church life. CONCLUSION

In an age when there has never been more physical light, we have been plunged into the deepest of spiritual darkness. With Christ out of the equation, the result can only be DEATH and DARKNESS. Today hold firmly to Jesus, because His words are true, “I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.” John 12:46 p Further Reading John 1:1-3

e-G=X Continued from page 15

Secular ideals have subtly removed the Judeo-Christian philosophy from public schools, and teachers can no longer uphold moral standards, or provide moral guidance to children. However, the current onslaught against Christian ethics still continues. Isaac Moffett founded Nampa Classical Academy, a charter school in Nampa, Idaho, one of the most conservative states, that upheld Bible instruction, and regarded the Bible not merely as a religious document, but also as a source of historical knowledge. As Moffett walked across a dirt field, he lamented, “This used to be our campus. This is where the classrooms were. Everything was right here.” On September 15, 2011 the school was shut down by Idaho’s Board of Education, who accused it of quoting “religious texts” inside its classrooms. Moffett however declared that the texts were only used to teach history and at the time of the report was suing the Board in federal court. Efforts to remove the words “In God We Trust” from not only paper money but from every U.S. coin has ensured the further slide away from God in this nation. Even the term “Under God” has come under attack. (Int) The attempt to remove any reference to God will continue as this nation turns away from the Living God and serves the idols of materialism, pleasure and political correctness. p By C Richard McCaw author, music teacher and many years as a Bible teacher

By Homer Slack author, preacher, Bible teacher, IT tutor, programmer & graphic designer

July - September 2016

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WHO IS ON THE

Lord’s SIDE “

A time is coming and now is when all worshippers will worship in Spirit and Truth .

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”

A time is coming and now is when all worshippers will worship in Spirit and Truth.

Who is a worshipper really? At this point I need to let you in on the meaning of a worshipper, whom Jesus speaks about that will worship in Spirit and in truth. The word worshiper does not mean singer or to sing, it means reverence, respect, to kiss, to move towards and Temple Keeper. WOW!

Priestly Training

Paul writing to Timothy states, All Scripture is God breathed and profitable for teaching reproof correction and training in righteousness that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:6. So, that’s why we have God’s Word. To teach us how to become true worshippers

July - September 2016

of God. Well, how is that possible? How can we fulfil that calling? What does it mean to us and to God? What does it entail? As you can appreciate this is not an in depth study but I pray you will listen to the Holy Spirit and be encouraged to look further for yourselves. Let’s look at ‘Training in Righteousness’. He has made us to be a kingdom. (Revelation 1:6) “but you are a chosen race a Royal Priesthood, a Holy Nation, a people for God’s own possession.1 Peter 2:9 He has made us Kings and Priests to our God. Rev. 5:9-10, But they will be Priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a 1000 years. Rev 20 : 6 So firstly, we are called to be Kings and Priests. Next, 1 John 2: 27 says that the Holy spirit will lead us into all Truth and He will if we ask Him.

In Genesis 29:34 we learn that the Priests are of the tribe of Levi, the third son of Jacob and Leah; (All their sons are the 12 tribes of Israel). The name Levi means attached or joined together and we see the significance of this in scripture by the important role the Priests had within the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle without the Priesthood is meaningless. They were joined together from the beginning in God’s Divine Order, a ‘Pattern from Heaven’. They usually started work at 20 years of age and retired at 50. Most of the work was really manual, dirty work (heavy lifting of sheep and bulls) keeping the Tabernacle exactly how God wanted it. In Genesis 49:7 you will see that Jacob cursed his son Levi, He said, they would be scattered in Israel; there was just no future for them, they were under a curse and the reason for that curse is in Genesis chapter 34. Levi’s sister Dinah had been raped by Hamor the Hivite’s son Shechem, so Levi with his brother Simeon decided to take the law into their own hands by killing many of the Hivites. Consequently, Jacob banished his sons, Levi and Simeon and his curse on them took effect.

Repentance

Later on, we encounter the tribe of Levi in Exodus 32:26-29 This chapter tells the story of Israel’s disobedience: idolatry and unbelief, whilst Moses was communing with God on Mount Sinai. In verse 7 of this chapter the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go down for your people, whom you brought out of Egypt, are corrupt’. On descending from the mountain Moses asked the Israelites, WHO IS ON THE LORD’S SIDE?’ The only tribe mentioned that stood alongside Moses were the Levites declaring their allegiance to God.

Obedience.

The next command from Moses must have been the most difficult of his leadership he gave the order to slay the rest of their brethren who would not

come over to the Lord’s side, and Levi did.

Holiness

In verse 29, “By your obedience to God’s command today you have consecrated yourselves today as Priests to the Lord that the Lord may RESTORE and bestow His blessing upon you this day.” (Amplified version) The Levites were now free from the curse of their father. Here we see that God restores the blessings which were lost by their forefathers. What a wonderful picture of God’s plan of Salvation. It is by the evidence of repentance, obedience and holiness that we are recognisable as Priests unto our God. This is written for our instruction and it becomes clear that these acts lead to “Training in Righteousness.”

Jesus our High Priest

At the beginning, we saw in Revelation that we are to be Priests unto our God. How can we get that from God’s word into our hearts? “I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron (high priest) and to his sons from among Israel to perform the services of the sons of Israel at the tent of meeting.” Numbers 8:19 The Levites purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes and Aaron presented them as a wave offering, meaning a sweet smelling perfume to God. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them. In John 17:6 Our high Priest, Jesus is speaking, “I manifested thy name unto the men whom thou gavest me out of the world.” God has called us out of the world and given us to Jesus in the same way He called the Levites out of Israel and gave them to Aaron to serve him. The Levites purified themselves by repenting and obeying the Lord which in turn leads to holiness then Aaron presented them to God as a wave offering and also made atonement for them.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only son that whosoever believes in Him shall have everlasting life,” John 3:16 God saw we were corrupt and sent His Son Jesus who made an everlasting atonement for us on the cross to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We have to repent of our sin and disobedience. Read and obey the Word of God and this will lead us into righteousness. Once we were under a curse, because of sin, like Levi from his father BUT now because we have chosen to be on the Lord’s side there are heavenly mansions being prepared for us according to Jesus’ promise in John 14. We who follow Jesus Christ are His Priests here and now. We have been given to Him because He bought us with His own blood. “You are not your own you were bought with a price therefore glorify God in your body.” 1 Cor 6:20 Just like at the foot of Mount Sinai when the Levites went over on the Lord’s side so too we can go to the foot of the cross with the same attitude saying; “we are on the Lord’s side” and partake in the inheritance that God has prepared for us. We are called to be priests because we STAND WITH OUR GOD, ministering unto Him and offering all kinds of prayers and supplications. Praying and worshipping God has always been priority in ministry. It started that way and it will end that way in Glory forever worshiping the Lamb. A true worshiper knows how to keep his temple he is a temple keeper. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit? 1 Cor 6:19 We worship out of love for our Saviour. Let us keep our temples undefiled so we can worship in Spirit and in Truth. p By Barbara Payne intercessor, worship leader, retired minister and Divorce Care counsellor

July - September 2016

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Note To Self...

Take the 10 commandments test Have you broken any of these?

Yes

1. Do not worship any god except me.

’

3. Do not misuse My name.

’

5. Respect your father and your mother.

’

7. Be faithful in marriage.

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2. Do not bow down and worship idols. ’ 4. Remember to keep the Sabbath holy. ’ 6. Do not murder.

8. Do not steal. 9. Do not tell lies about others.

’ ’ ’

’

’ ’

’

10. Do not want anything that belongs to someone else.

’

"Anyone who tries to keep all of the Law but fails at one point is guilty of failing to keep all of it." James 2:10 Common English Bible (CEB) This is why we need a Saviour In Jesus Christ. His shed blood cancels all our sins; when we believe in Him.

Test borrowed from the Way of the Master www.wayofthemaster.com/goodperson.shtml 28

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Pride: a Pricey Pitfall

Israel’s king Saul disobeyed God’s command to destroy every trace of the enemy during a battle. Saul saved the best spoils from the battle and when Samuel, God’s prophet, heard the bleating of sheep and tried to correct king Saul, he began to make excuses by blaming the people,saying: “The people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal!” His unwillingness to receive correction sprung out of his pride and rebellious spirit.

When Naaman, captain of the king of Syria’s army, who was a leper, sought out Elisha, the prophet, he arrived with great pomp and circumstance with horses and chariot and stood at the prophet’s door. Elisha did not even come out to greet him, but sent a messenger out to tell him, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” Naaman immediately slipped into defense mode because of his great pride, and refused to obey the Word of the Lord through the prophet. “Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So, he turned and went away in a rage. Thank God for the witness of his humble servants! They advised him to surrender his pride and obey the Word of the Lord. So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. Pride blinds to the truth Not many people can receive correction from the Word of God humbly. Jeremiah, the prophet, lost his life preaching about sin, righteousness and coming

judgment that was already speeding towards Jerusalem. Here was a patriotic man of God, whose message was not borne with sweet, positive words. While the false prophets were prophesying positive blessings upon Jerusalem, he was hated and labeled a prophet of doom and conspired against by his fellow citizens, including his own townsmen. Then he was beaten and put in the stocks. Nevertheless, he continued to proclaim God’s warning of terrible judgment about to fall upon a nation that wanted to go its own way. He was imprisoned several times, and at one time thrown into a stinking dungeon, where he sank down into mud. After forty years of ministry, he was stoned to death. When John the Baptist rebuked king Herod for his adultery with his brother’s wife, he told him, “It

is not lawful for you to have her!” Later, he was beheaded in prison. Sin hardens the conscience of many people so that they become savages, controlled by their own lusts, who will do anything to have their own way. When Stephen, one of seven deacons in the early Church, preached to unbelieving Jews, he spoke plainly of their sins. “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.” But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven, saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord, cast him out of the city, and stoned him to death. Solomon, to whom God gave great earthly wisdom, once wrote, “Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him. But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, By C Richard McCaw because he author, music teacher does not fear and many years as a Bible teacher before God!” p

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It is

Written 30

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July - September 2016

In 597 B.C; God allowed Nebuchadnezzar to take the people of Judah as slaves to Babylon because they had been disobedient to Him.

fear and discouragement caused the work to cease for almost 16 years. Even though God used Zerubbabel to rebuild Jerusalem, after all the excitement of the exodus faded, he succumbed to However, just as God caused fear and discouragement. Pharaoh to let Israel leave Egypt, after seventy years, He However, God sent the also caused King Cyrus to let prophets Haggai and Zechariah His people return to Jerusalem. as encouragers. Zechariah (Ezra 1) The difference between repeated these famous words to Cyrus and Pharaoh was that Zerubbabel. Cyrus acknowledged that his “It is not by might, nor by power, possessions and his kingdoms but by My Spirit, says the Lord.” had come from God. He obeyed (Zech 4:6) God and sent out a proclamation throughout the land to let Israel Soon, they began to rebuild the go. temple again. (Ezra 5). God had appointed that when Israel returned to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, they would return with silver, gold and all that Nebuchadnezzar had stolen from the temple (Jeremiah 51). Nearly 50,000 people returned from exile in the first exodus from Babylon, taking with them freewill offerings, livestock, maidservants, money, while others chose to remain behind. Later on, Ezra returned with yet another group of exiles. (Ezra 4) The pagan enemies of Judah and Benjamin, soon claimed to believe in their God, and offered to help them build the temple. They deceitfully wanted to disrupt the temple project. (Ezra 4 -5 ) First, the people of Judah began constructing the altar of worship and sacrifice to God. Since there were no walls their enemies could see all that they were doing. Lead by Zerubbabel they laid the foundation of the temple but because of the enemies’ constant harassment,

Meanwhile, their enemies demanded documented proof, through their king that, Israel could build. The king ordered a search for such proof. The reply they received were the words of the diseased, king Cyrus who had recorded God’s command, “It Is Written!” ‘ If anyone changes this edict, then they will be killed, and their house turned to rubble, also any king thereafter.” (Ezra 6)

you did anything for God, you can begin building again, by talking about Jesus, sharing your testimony and getting yourself built up in your most holy faith, through the Word of God.

It Is Written

• Greater is He that is in us than he who is in the world. • If God be for us, who can be against us? • I will build My church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. • If we have faith as a grain of mustard seed we can move mountains. • I will never leave you nor forsake you. • God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind. • No weapon formed against us shall prosper. • I will give my angels charge over you, so that you shall not dash your foot against a stone.

We too, have a real enemy coming against the building of the kingdom of God that is • Because I live you shall live now within us and not of stone also. I will not leave you as etc. He brings discouragement, orphans; I will come to you. frustration, failure, oppression. and fear. You may have, started • Go into all the world and preach the gospel, and lo, with zeal to be a part of building I am with you always to the the kingdom of God; led others end of the age. to Christ, confronted the enemy many times and even given • If I go, I will come back and given up. Yet, we need to read take you to be with Me. p and remember all that has been written in the Scriptures and By Barbara Payne intercessor, worship leader, encourage ourselves. In spite retired minister and of what you are going through Divorce Care counsellor or how long it has been since July - September 2016

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He came by accident,

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Crashed into life;

It was not by plan!

grow up, get children, get a wife;

Then how did it happen? By accident mam!

get drunk turn a punk;

Cut him out;

get religious turn a monk;

Use the C-section;

No identity, no plan, no purpose,

Due to the complications!

Breaking laws put in place to protect us.

Does it have life? Take her now from under the knife, Sew her up first; Thank God it’s not worst. It’s the pain why he’s crying

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The boys says he’s cool; The neighbours says he’s rotten.

Time to get drunk & get into a fight.

It was only one slap.

Live like an accident waiting to happen;

Wrong or right it’s another night.

He’ll soon stop;

July - September 2016

Bang! Bang! The Big Bang! Hiroshima hit by the atom bomb; War in the Middle East; Israel, Iraq, Iran and Lebanon; Terrorists and the suicide gang.

They say life began with a bang; They maybe right, they may be wrong; but the fat lady is preparing a song; For life seems certain to end with the biggest of Bangs!! by Homer Slack

BUSTER JARGON Humanism Humanism is a belief system based on the principle that people’s spiritual and emotional needs can be satisfied without following a god or religion.

of it expressed in the state of evil in the world.

Spiritual light

dictionary.cambridge.org

Is the presence of God, for God is light and there is no darkness in Him. We benefit from the graciousness of God’s presence around us and often take it for granted because we cannot always physically see it, it is discerned by our spirit and experienced in our souls. However, the absence of it is very clearly demonstrated in our reality.

Spiritual darkness

Sanctuary

Is the absence of Spiritual light which means there is the presence of evil and all things contrary to the nature of God. It may not always be seen with the physical eye but it is spiritually discerned and experienced in our souls and spirit. At times we see the effect

Sanctuary is the most holy part of a religious building. Protection or a safe place, especially for someone or something being chased or hunted. The name of the Lord Jesus is a sanctuary and the righteous run into it and is saved.

http://dictionary.cambridge. org/dictionary/english/ humanism?q=Humanism

Liberalism Liberalism is respecting and allowing many different types of beliefs or behaviour.

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dictionary.cambridge.org

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Salt of the earth

A common white substance found in seawater and in the ground, used especially to add flavour to food or to preserve it. Spiritually, believers in Jesus Christ are called upon to be as salt of the earth bringing the graciousness of God’s nature and the healing and preservative power of God to a dying world. dictionary.cambridge.org

Worship To worship to have or show a strong feeling of respect and admiration for God or a god. dictionary.cambridge.org

Morality

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A set of personal or social standards for good or bad behaviour and character. dictionary.cambridge.org p

July - September 2016

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In Praise of Hymn My Hope is Built on Nothing Less

1 2 3 4 My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness veils His lovely face, I rest on His unchanging grace; In every high and stormy gale My anchor holds within the veil. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand.

His oath, His covenant, and blood Support me in the whelming flood; When every earthly prop gives way, He then is all my Hope and Stay. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand.

When He shall come with trumpet sound, Oh, may I then in Him be found, Clothed in His righteousness alone, Faultless to stand before the throne! On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand.

Reviewing Great Christian Hymns Author: Edward Mote, c. 1834, cento, Composer: John Stainer, 1873, arr. Tune: “Magdalen” The refrain of “My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less” refers to the Parable of the Wise and the Foolish Builders and builds around the metaphor of Christ as a rock with a firm basis in Scripture (1 Corinthians 10:4). The first stanza declares God’s grace; stanzas 2 and 3 concern the application of that grace in times of trouble. In the final stanza, Mote brings his hymn full circle with the ultimate realization of God’s grace. The hymn became very popular and has been subject of many interpretations and covers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Hope_Is_Built_on_Nothing_Less 34

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July - September 2016

MyDevotions.today MyDevotions.today brings you daily devotions that you can access via desk top computer, tablet or mobile phone while on the move. The daily thoughts cover a range of topics and will give you something to think about as you go about your daily activities. Isaiah 26:3 says, “You (the Lord) will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” It is a good idea to seek the Lord first thing in the morning so you can begin your day with Him. It seems as if David the man after God’s own heart used to do the same. He writes in Psalm 5:3 “My voice you shall hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning I will direct it to you, and I will look up.” Build your faith each morning, keep your mind on Him and let His peace keep you all day.

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