MyDevotions.today The Matchless Christ
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched we proclaim concerning the Word of life.” I John 1:1. REFLECTION: If we push back time as far as we can, we would reach the beginning of creation. This is when time began. Creation has it origin not in an impersonal ‘Big Bang’ but in the God who is eternal, all-wise and all- powerful who said in the beginning, ‘Let there be’ and there was. It is at His command that something came out of nothing. The result, the grand creation that now is. God is the Creator of all things, be they visible or invisible, tangible or intangible, animate or inanimate. All things were created by Him and for His pleasure. Should we examine the history of Christ it would take us beyond the incarnation, beyond the creation of man, beyond the creation of the universe for He is the author of what is, for “without him was not anything made that hath been made” John 1:3b (A.S.V.). Jesus, the Son of
God, has no beginning. He is the eternal great ‘I AM’. Let it be clearly stated that He is not a creature or a product of the universe. He is God, blessed is He forever. Time and space boggle our finite minds, concerning these verities. If we try and comprehend the incomprehensible it would simply blow our minds. Job said, “Therefore have I uttered that which I understood not, things too wonderful for me, which I knew not” Job 42:3b (A.S.V.). This person Jesus, entered, time and was the seed of a woman. He was truly flesh of our flesh. He was no phantom, or a spiritual illusion, or a fabrication but indeed, He is God, who truly partook of our humanity. Hallelujah! PRAYER: Lord, help me to understand all I can, concerning you. Amen WISDOM: Time is but a pause in God’s eternity. Devotion For October 1, 2017 by Winston Wilson
Contents EDITORIAL 4
REFLECTIONS
FEATURE ARTICLES
#youthSHARE 22 Youth views on topical issues: Millennials and Technology.
A Paradigm Shift 6 The pride and impertinence of the present generation is clear evidence of an impending crash. Satan’s latest tool to destroy the human genome 8 Biblical creation says man was created in God’s image separate & distinct from the animals. Going Back In Time, The Vision 10 Our call is in following Jesus out of the frozen realms where love has been lost & replaced by man made structures. Man In His Own Image 12 Take this further and YOU CAN IMAGINE tailor making your baby. World In View Global Headlines... Critical Questions.
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Technology Predicted In The Bible 16 They say, we are the only ones that can redeem ourselves. The Lie of Secular Humanism 18 Secular humanism is a deceptive yet extremely harmful cancer which exalts human beings.
Managing the Universe 24 The design and management of balanced atmospheric gases is evidence of a creation therefore of a creator. Did You Know? Advances in Technology
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The Story Teller The Nature of the Beast
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Prayer Corner Remembering vulnerable communities.
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Mind the Generation Gap 31 Technology is only a tool, in evil hands it’s dangerous. Note To Self By Angela Slack
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Babels 33 Poem by Jason N Smith In Praise Of Hymn 34 Reviewing Great Christian Hymns: – Leaning on the Everlasting Arms
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TESTIMONY 20 “I kept seeing this man for a year everywhere I looked when no one else could.”
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WORLD IN VIEW
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About Us
EDITORIAL
of Humans and Machines
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The Misnomer of the Human Machine
I’ve often heard this phrase, ‘The Human Machine,’ banded about and scarcely took notice of it until the reality of humans vs machine or humans in partnership with machines have become so commonplace that there is now global planning to adjust the socio-economic arrangement and political governance of the globe to accommodate this shift. As we look to enter into the 5th industrial revolution, never mind that most of us aren’t even aware that we had already entered and have been in the 4th Industrial Revolution for some time now, I propose strongly that this term is not only a misnomer but an insult to humans. As we are undeniably the superior species upon the planet, for whose existence every other living organism, element, atom, proton, particle of matter, was designed to facilitate and sustain. What particularly startled me was CNN’s programme called, “Mostly Human,” coverage of the emerging technology of robots. The byline in the trailer was, “Can humans fall in love with robots? It’s inevitable, after all tech is love, war, hate, life, tech is mostly human!” [1] Okay then, whose truth is that? Is this the latest set of alternative facts? I’m not clear what this even means. *Machine is defined as “an apparatus using mechanical power and having several parts, each with a definite function and together performing a particular task.”[2] Humans are created to have dominion over planet earth, we are the prodigy of God, created in His own divine image. How then do we justifiably relegate ourselves to being on par, with or worse still inferior to machines that have been created by man as technology fit to serves man’s needs? 4
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There is as much logic/common sense in this, as Idolatry makes. Humans hew out idols from the terrestrial elements such as wood, clay, metal, etc... and we shape them into images and then ascribe them with extraterrestrial powers and worship them. Wow! Human beings are an amazing awe inspiring, wondrous creation. I still can’t fathom the self sustaining functioning of the human body and the myth that we use less than 10% of our brain potential has been debunked over and over again but some myths have the staying power of a virus. We use all of our brain and yes there is potential to use it better. How then can I worship something less than myself ? Unless I have no real, true understanding of who I am and whose I am. If I am clearly having an identity crisis, then I have no real understanding of my intrinsic value. My worldview has somehow shaped me to accept that I’m worthless, of no significance, have no purpose. So, I just live and die? Atheists, you are sadly mistaken. I cannot accept such futility and waste of effort there is too much purpose for everything else around me, to not accept that I too must have some purpose especially when the entire creation is designed to keep me self sustaining, healthy, balanced and happy. I feel that atheists are the unbalanced ones. They claim that Christians are fools and unhelpful to human existence. They say religion is the most harmful thing on the planet and abhor it but I submit that their religion is antireligiosity and their idols/self made gods are science and technology. I am human sure and proud, no mere machine. The day that I see a machine absolutely doing everything that a human can do; then I will look towards the east for then I will know for sure, it is the second coming of
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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 go to our blog to 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, the publishing arm of United In Christ charity number 1140448.
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Jesus Christ; for I would have witnessed-” the abomination that maketh desolate, standing in the place of God, receiving worship as God!” But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judea flee to the mountains: Mark 13:14 Selah!
superior to humans or that humans can be relegated to the status of machines is the ultimate insult to God who created Humans in His very own image. Machines are second rate reproductions of, ‘human like’ capability that has been isolated, refined and in some cases, heightened.
Let’s not get things out of balance and lose our clarity! Machines will be able to The Misnomer OF THE HUMAN replicate function without substance and Machine carry out tasks without moral conscience or The mere thought that machines are ethics, they have no soul. The technology
QA &
Genesis 6 gives the sad account of the state of humanity prior to the worldwide flood during the days of Noah. Genesis 6:5 states, “The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.” The level of sin and corruption among the human population was staggering: people thought about doing evil “all the time.” For the strong and healthy individual, an evil lifestyle would have ramifications evidenced by disease and death. But the weak or unhealthy (babies, children, women, and the disabled) would have been immediately put in harm’s way by the evil actions of others.
behind automated processes and artificial intelligence is a means to an end. Machines are tools, not people! “I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots” Albert Einstein p [1] CNN Series “Mostly Human” with Laurie Segall [2] Google Dictionary
Angela Slack
Editor and Co-founder
You have questions we’ve got answers was the purpose of the Question: What flood in the time of Noah?
Answer: God purged the planet (the human Genome) with a Global Flood (Genesis 6:4). The word Nephilim is directly transliterated from the Hebrew. The ancient root of the word implies a “fall.” Whatever the word actually means (in some versions of the Bible it is translated as “giants”), Scripture describes the Nephilim as “the heroes of old, men of renown.” Some theologians believe that God could simply not allow this corrupt offspring to exist on the earth, and that was part of the reason for the flood. What can be understood without question is that the world that was then, the world of Noah, was incredibly corrupt and perverted. Genesis 6:6 tells us that “The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.” The Lord’s “regret” is unlike ours. Creating mankind in the image of God was not a “mistake” on the part of the Lord. The Hebrew word nahem can also be translated “grieved.” The depraved actions of mankind grieved God in His most holy heart.
In addition, “The sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose” (Genesis 6:2). In the Hebrew language, these “sons of God” were “bene elohim.” This term is usually applied to angels (see Job 1:6). Genesis seems to be stating that, somehow, there was a physical union between angels and human God responded to man’s sin in a holy women. The unnatural offspring and righteous manner, but also in a of this union were the “Nephilim” way that salvaged mankind. “So the LORD said, ‘I will wipe from the face
of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.’ But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD” (Genesis 6:7, 8). Yes, all people on earth died except the eight people who were found righteous in the eyes of God: Noah, Noah’s wife, and Noah’s three sons and their wives. Scripture indicates that Noah testified to the world about the coming flood for 120 years. The people who perished in the flood died because they refused to acknowledge God or seek His forgiveness. Noah, on the other hand, is described as righteous, blameless, and obedient in that he “walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). Noah and his family became our ancestors. None of us descend from the Nephilim or the unrighteous line of Cain (since Noah descended from Seth). The polluted, unrighteous population of the world of Noah disappeared from the earth. Mankind was salvaged, and from the line of righteous Noah came the Son of Man, Jesus Christ our Lord, who died to save those who call upon His name.
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Recommended Resource: The Genesis Flood: The Biblical Record and Its Scientific Implications, 50th Anniversary Edition by Morris & Whitcomb October - December 2017
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PARADIGM SHIFT
Snake for dinner? I was very moved when I watched the video of the two little children, obviously from some remote third world country, farming snakes. The little boy was about eight and his sister about 11 years old. He had placed the lower part of his little body down into the snake’s hole as a bait for the snake to wrap itself around. His upper body from chest up was left out. After the snake wrapped itself around him, he used his exposed arms to pull himself up, with the help of his sister. He is now on the ground untangling himself from a massive, over 15 feet, snake. With his sister’s help he is finally
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untangled so he gathers up the live snake and they move on to their next catch. The snakes in this region were obviously not venomous. This time the sister sprang into action. A smaller opening was an indication that this snake was not as big so she went to work with a hoe digging further along where she estimated the hole
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tunnelled. Soon she exposed an opening further along the tunnel and the side of another snake inside. Her brother rest the large seemingly stunned snake down and they both took hold on to this other snake and pulled it out the hole. This one looked just over 10 feet and was small enough to hold in a large mesh sack she carried. They retrieved another one of similar size in a similar way within the same location while keeping an eye, sometimes a hand or a foot, on the one that was too large to hold in the sack. The video ended with the two smaller snakes writhing in the sack that
the sister carried and the large one folded over and down between both arms of the little brother as they happily headed off with their catch. As I watched these two little bare footed children in tattered clothing bravely labouring for what will become their meal I could not help but compare them with our modern, Western World children. I remembered the last time I visited Canada and heard the news of a young teenage girl who committed suicide because her parents would not allow her to go to the concert of one of her favourite pop stars. I remember my frustration as a college tutor dealing with learners who did no work but thought they had some entitlement to still succeed. I observed other tutors and even department heads cheat on their behalf to give them success they did not earn. I remember my own children who were always complaining that there is nothing in the house to eat, which really meant there was nothing already prepared that they could just microwave. In the case of a global economic and technological meltdown which of the two groups of children would be able to survive? The answer is obviously those poor resourceful Third World Country children who can feed themselves without money or technology. They have the skills to survive without gas, piped water, electricity or even adult help? The youths and many adults of the First World would not fare so well. You see, the prosperity of the West will no doubt be its undoing. We have fallen in love with the objects of our prosperity, we now worship our golden calf and have turned away from the true God. The result is a generation of mostly self absorbed and lazy children who would go into shock if their mobile phone’s network went down. The pride and
impertinence of the present Western World generation is clear evidence of an impending crash. “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18 Our dependence on technology is not a blessing but a curse. Our punishment for abandoning God will become evident when our technology fails and it will. How plausible is the theory of a global technological failure? It’s not just plausible but is in fact sure to happen. The right question therefore, is not if but when. Today there are many likely ways modern civilisation could come to a sudden end and a technological failure is one of the most plausible. “The pride of man will be humbled and the loftiness of men will be abased; And the Lord alone will be exalted in that day…” Isaiah 2:17 A Solar Flare All it takes is a simple Solar flare to wipe out half the world’s electrical grid and fry computer chips. “While you didn’t see it, feel it, or even read about it in the newspapers, Earth was almost knocked back to the Stone Age on July 23, 2012. It wasn’t some crazed dictator with his finger on the thermonuclear button or a giant asteroid that came close to wiping out civilization as we know it, though — no, what nearly ended us was a massive solar storm. Almost two years ago to the day, our most bounteous and fantastical celestial body — the Sun — kicked out one of the largest solar flares and coronal mass ejections ever recorded. And it
missed Earth by a whisker. “If it had hit, we would still be picking up the pieces,” says Daniel Baker, who led the research into the massive solar storm… If a giant solar storm hit the Earth, large parts of society could be without power for months or years. Pete Riley, a physicist who looked at extreme space weather events for the last 50 years, says there’s a 12% chance that a Carrington-level storm will hit Earth in the next 10 years.”
https://www.extremetech.com/ extreme/186805-the-solar-storm-of-2012-thatalmost-sent-us-back-to-a-post-apocalypticstone-age
These limited pages does not allow for the discussion of the many different ways this whole globe could suffer a major set back. The paradigm shift The writer of the article above was not exaggerating when he said we would be knocked back into the Stone Age in the event of Carrington-level solar storm. Our modern, First World, high tech dependent countries would lose their electricity and computers upon which our lives are built. There would be no water in the pipes, no gas for cooking, no mobile/ telephone communication, no shops/ supermarkets selling food, no money to trade with (92% of the world’s money is electronic) no vehicles to travel in as there would be no way to transport or pump petrol, the list goes on. There would be no garbage collection, no water to flush toilets or to have a bath, no Continued on pg 25
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Science
Satan’s latest tool to destroy the human genome?
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God was not being mean when He flooded the world; He was cleansing the hybrid demonic infiltration that was running amok. What history has recorded as Giants, Titans, Mighty men of war, Demi-Gods and Mythological creatures were the enemy’s attempts in those centuries to destroy the human genome by cross breeding species that was strictly forbidden by God. Today Science is Satan’s newest tool, he’s managed to use scientific dogma to push creationism out of the classroom thereby leaving a generation ignorant of Biblical perspectives. All moral boundaries and no go zones will be easily pushed aside to our detriment as a species called Human beings. Mainstream media has systematically prepared our minds and informed our world view to accept hybrid forms of humanity through subliminal placement of images, branding and curricular indoctrination. The latest wave being, that gender and sexuality is fluid.
movies, video games and accompanying paraphernalia over the last 50 years will show a very clear and present pattern that is dangerous. If you haven’t the time just visit your nearest Comic Con show or view online the reviews of any gadget/tech show in your country and tell me what is the recurrent theme? A new hybrid version of human life as we know it. Mutants rule the hour, Yeah! Oh Yeah? Before you say that I’m being anti-progressionary, note well, I’m not against the use of science and technology to make life more meaningful, accessible and prolonged. We are commanded to, subdue and have dominion over the Earth.
The most casual review of all blockbuster
So, of course God didn’t intend for us
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“Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be Fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:28
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to check our brains in along with our luggage, at the door of the Kingdom of God. He surely wants to see us be innovative and reach our full potential but as The Creator He did give us some ground rules and there is a demonic conspiracy afoot to delete the rule book. The phrase after their kind in Genesis 1:21, rings true in science that every species is in fact its own kind and does not naturally without manipulation reproduce with that of another kind. Therefore, how technology is pushing those moral boundaries should be questioned - cloning, stem cell tech, animal organ to human transplants. Also, where is the union between humans and machines heading? Cyborgs and Ai - how far is too far? This technology was largely sponsored as an answer to rising global security threats in the face of terrorism. So bio-tech, like retina, voice recognition and DNA technologies are widely accepted. Are we
considering alongside these technologies the fact that we are losing individual rights and sovereignty? Big data means we have no privacy and a predescribed algorithm decides what becomes of your data and how we are registered and treated under the law. Very soon it will be completely impossible to trade without bio data identity to verify the transaction. Now then Christians, here is the BIG question. Is the new biotech system a product of the beast? “And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Revelation 13:17 The paradox of the Scientific community’s arrogance might be that they are truly the ignorant ones who have relegated themselves to be left in the dark by the very basis of their lack of objectivity. They fail to consider the possibility of other dimensions of reality and the existence of the supernatural. So then, we scoff at the ancients even though we still cannot explain how they achieved superhuman feats such as the pyramids and the ziggurats and the stonehenge to name only a few of the world’s great wonders. You would think that a truly scientific approach would be to make all information available for students to explore and form their own ideological position and worldview. However, through curriculum hijacking, evolution has become the dogma of the state and they have the gall to accuse the Church of indoctrination. Themes Throughout History: Many will scoff at this view but if you take the time to examine the consistency across ancient civilizations where there’s clear record of extraordinary/supernatural beings who have intermarried and reproduced superhuman/mutant children. It begs the question how could they all be so thematically similar though
geographically and chronologically far removed? Look at the theme of the so called “myths” and Legends, artwork, animations, games and movies from the different parts of the world and times in history. Be it
Greek/Roman, Norse, Oriental, Persian, Celtic, Egyptian, Mayan, Mesopotamian, Zoroastrian, Polynesian, all have legends of Demigods that are all very similar. These Demigods are not of this world but have alien residence through miscegenation with human beings. They have supernatural powers that gives them the ability to govern over natural laws, elements and forces such as: wind, thunderstorms, fertility, agriculture, fire, rain etc.., Almost all of these myths etc. state that super human beings, produced Demigods via sex with human women who subsequently gave birth to: giants, super powered mutants, super strong heroes, hybrid/mixed breeds of humans and animals: Centaurs, Minotaur, Scorpion Men, mermaids/men, birdmen etc. Finally there is also the common belief that there is coming a war of wars or final battle of the Gods assisted by worthy humans many of whom are the resurrected dead of these hideous monsters and the emergence of a new world after this epic battle.
elements including blood, wood, fire, water and clay. These immortals preexisted human dynasties and founded human dynasties by intermarriage with humans. Divine Right to Rule of Kings The idea of rulership being appointed by God and kings descending from the Gods is also found there. Also, the idea of a Trinity of governance and an afterlife and other spiritual dimensions/reality. (Underworld, Paradise, Heaven, Valhalla, Nirvana) Higher learning, wisdom and technology also was believed to have been gifted to humanity from the Gods. There is also a thematic commonality of good gods and evil ones fighting against each other and humanity getting caught in the crossfire or being used as pawns and the idea of predestined fates. The Biblical View “Jesus dispelled the myth of neutrality when He stated, “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad” (Matthew 12:30)”... “ Biblical creation holds that mankind was created in God’s image separate and distinct from the animals (Genesis 1:26– 27). This is our sacred trust as humanity. Any mixture of the human genome with that of any other species is forbidden, not advised. God gave us a pure race and we should keep it that way. If we arrogantly play around with it then we will have to live with the monsters we create and I don’t mean the fluffy, cuties that we see in cartoons. The real monsters will delete us from this planet. That was always Satan’s plan, to remove man from his purpose built, God designed, paradise home. p
Among the many “ Mythologies” there is always a supreme one or creator of the universe who is immortal, who emerged out of chaos/void, created the lesser Gods the universe and humans from natural October - December 2017
By Angela Slack educational curriculum/ literacy specialist, technical author and worship leader
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Going Back In Time
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Therefore, it remains our choice, to follow Jesus, or remain upon a wide path that will continue to lead to sickness, torment, and death 10
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The Vision
Sitting at my desktop, the Spirit of the Lord said; I am giving you one of the visions that I have been talking to you about. God took me back in time to the fallen realms of mankind and showed me how much of His loving plan mankind has missed by choosing to remain in these fallen realms of the 1st Adam.
My steps were sure, my pace steady as I went down into this timeless place. The farther I went, the deeper we went into a time of long ago but never forgotten, the ways of fallen man. The lower we went, the darkness intensified the place in time. Then it seemed that time began to stand still, these were the corridors of times past.
Suddenly, I was standing before a large, ancient grandfather’s clock. As I looked on, the hands on the clock began to quickly turn “back in time.” As the vision continued, I found myself on top of a very tall and seemingly endless, unique set of stairs. As the Lord led me, He talked to me as we descended the stairs. I knew that I was being led into the corridors of time, realms of long go.
As we continued to move lower into time, the Lord said, we are going into the basement of time. However, before arriving there Jesus warned me; people will look at you and wonder, why is he going back? As soon as the Lord spoke these words, there were people going up the stairs of time and as they passed by us on our way down they would look at me with snarling looks of disbelief,
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and disdain toward me. As I continued down I dismissed the naysayers and those who looked at me with puzzled yet inquisitive looks, all of which were in dismay. I walked further down into times past until I reached the bottom, the basement of time.
Revelation :1-7, & 3:14-22.
the heavenly realms of God. They forfeited the presence of God, for the love of the world. This was why time continues to be cut short and sickness continues to be propagated in and through the fallen realms of time.
My friends, Jesus desires for us to leave the fallen realms and be willing to leave all, in order to follow Him. The cost will always be everything but what God has for us is all that’s been lost and or stolen, and “He wants to Fallen man walks in and by the realms Then, the Lord said to me, you must give it back.”It is only because of our of selfish ambition. try to remain with Me here for awhile. lack of knowledge why we hesitate. Today, man finds himself lost and I said; yes Lord, I will, please help me Therefore, it remains our choice, confused, as the path once known to do so. After months of overcoming, to follow Jesus, or remain upon a has been lost to the earthly realms, through long periods of fasting and wide path that will continue to lead and the structures of what man can prayer I had become weakened. I to sickness, torment and the death make/can build with his hands, are was also in a time fasting during the of all that we can have and do in the fallen realms satan continues to vision, which was also left me fatigued the Kingdom of God. A limitless deceive fallen man into believing in. and exhausted making me want to and timeless place, where realms of The Kingdom of God is built upon stop. As, thoughts of how much of my destiny form in and before us to walk the Rock and stands upon eternal fatigue was due to walking through and to dwell in. As faith is formed times, where everything has life, and the realms of time, having overcome in us, so we will trust in God to lead continues to expand and grow in much, came to mind; It seemed like us out of the fallen realms, back love, mercy and overflows with grace. all of my emotional and physical into His loving arms of favor and However, as it is in our times, all things resources were depleted. See Rev. 3:8 grace. John the Baptist prepared the built in fallen time, continues to be Then, the vision changed and I began way and Jesus said the same to us; shaken, which exposes what needs to to see people illuminated from what Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven be turned away from. See Hebrews seemed like a time frozen in the past. is at hand and now we understand 12:25-29. Not only were these ancient times but why. See Matthew 3:1-2, & 4:17. also times of which most people have God created us to live and dwell with Therefore, our call is in following continued to live and dwell in. It wasn’t Him and that is why He sent His Son Jesus out of the frozen realms where until Adam and Eve took the bait of Jesus to lead His disciples back into love has been lost and replaced satan’s fallen realms of time that time the Kingdom of God. His words were; by man made structures, created was also cut short. Therefore, what leave everything and follow Me. By from the fallen realms called greed Adam and Eve knew and dwelled doing so the disciples left the fallen and self-centeredness and pride in was (eternity) limitless times, they realms and they came back into the abounds. We believe that what we can accumulate is also our worth. This were formless and innocent, until the Kingdom of God. belief structure not only intoxicates fall. This path is for all of God’s children; we people into believing in evil and living However, in the vision I was shown are all called to follow Jesus, to walk a life of covetousness and idolatry. man and woman frozen in time! Such back into the presence and the life But heaven is no longer understood as it is with most people today, they works of the Father, to the inheritance and becomes a place we can only go were no longer people of freedom provided for all. See Revelation 21:7. to after death, which is the greatest instead they were bound and stuck So you see, it is only after leaving all lie that has caused faith to have given in an ice cold place, where the love the fallen realms that we are enabled way to all the fallen realms. Sadly which is the presence of God was to walk back into the heavenly realms most believe it. forever lost in the fallen realms of and begin to bring heaven, God’s time. Kingdom on earth. This is our call My friends, we are called to be “a and is also why Jesus told friends spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to You see, lucifer’s fallen realms only who followed Him, to go and “make offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable lead people to being cold hearted, to God through Jesus Christ. We disciples of all nations.” unable to walk with the Lord, man has are a chosen generation, a royal accepted the curse that Jesus paid Back in time; when Adam and Eve priesthood, a holy nation, His own the price to lift and has continued bit into the fruit and/or knowledge special people, that you proclaim to live in a lukewarm way, outside of Satan’s fallen realms, they could the praises of Him of paradise. See Genesis 3:17-19; no longer remain walking in holiness, Continued on pg 30 October - December 2017
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I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvellous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. Psalm 139:14 The information in DNA is stored as a code made up of four chemical bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T). Human DNA consists of about 3 billion bases and more than 99 percent of those bases are the same in all people. The order, or sequence, of these bases determines the information available for building and maintaining an organism, similar to the way in which letters of the alphabet appear in a certain order to form words and sentences.
MAN IN
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HIS OWN IMAGE? October - December 2017
DNA bases pair up with each other, A with T and C with G, to form units called base pairs. Each base is also attached to a sugar molecule and a phosphate molecule. Together, a base, sugar, and phosphate are called a nucleotide. Nucleotides are arranged in two long strands that form a spiral called a double helix. The structure of the double helix is somewhat like a ladder, with the base pairs forming the ladder’s
rungs and the sugar and phosphate molecules forming the vertical sidepieces of the ladder. An important property of DNA is that it can replicate, or make copies of itself. Each strand of DNA in the double helix can serve as a pattern for duplicating the sequence of bases. This is critical when cells divide because each new cell needs to have an exact copy of the DNA present in the old cell. DNA is a double helix formed by base pairs attached to a sugarphosphate backbone.[1] If you watch, Dr Georgia Purdom Wonders of DNA on You Tube she explains that we are still finding out more about DNA. We are fearfully and wonderfully made indeed: Genesis 1:26-27 states, ‘Let us make man in our image and in So, God created man in His own image.’ What a wonderful creation? Adam and Eve were made perfect human beings with no defect at all... then came sin which brought corruption to our flesh causing sickness and disease. Whilst scientists are trying to correct all the fleshly problems the real problem is the corruption of man’s soul through sin. That can be instantly changed through recognising that Jesus paid the price for sin with His own blood so that we can be brought back to God and no matter what our problems are He can and will set us free from the effects of sin. A seed of faith is all we need to change our Spiritual DNA to make us more like Jesus. When we see Him we shall be like Him. It is only during this last century that DNA was discovered and used to actually solve a serial murder crime: Colin Pitchfork (born 23 March 1961) is a British convicted murderer and rapist. He is the first person
convicted of a crime based on DNA fingerprinting evidence and the first to be caught as a result of mass DNA screening. (Wikipedia). Designer Babies Scientists claim that current research allows them to change components of DNA through genetic engineering to replace some of the characteristics in an unborn baby. For example, if you do not want a child to have brown eyes they can change the DNA to make them into a different colour. They justify this procedure by explaining that an unborn child with a life threatening disease per se, can alter the DNA to ensure the child is born ‘normal’. Take this a stage further and YOU CAN IMAGINE tailor making your baby AFTER YOUR OWN IMAGE. Was this what Hitler wanted? All children to be blue eyed and blonde? Genetic Engineering is the deliberate modification of the characteristics of an organism by manipulating its genetic material. Case Studies In 2000 a Scottish couple were involved in a fight to be able to choose the sex of their baby through IVF. Their only daughter, Nicole, had died in a bonfire accident the year before. They wanted to use Preimplantation Genetic Screening to ensure that their next child was a girl. Using Preimplantation Genetic Screening to choose the gender of a child is illegal in the UK. The only exceptions are when there is medical need for this to happen. The couple in this news article sought a change to the guidelines to allow them to do this.
happy with who we are is saying that God made a mistake. He does not make mistakes, we do. Who are we to say one person’s life is more sacred than another’s? To legalise the use of the most vulnerable human being to cure is unworthy of man. To conceive a child to use him - even if it is to cure - is not respectful of his dignity. Archbishop Pierre d’Ornellas of Rennes and other French bishops We would be concerned to see PGD (Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis) used for anything other than serious genetic disorders, because of the increased commodification of babies. Church of England statement in 2004 “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” 1 John 3:2 For reflection and discussion What would Christians say about using Preimplantation Genetic Screening to choose the gender of a child? Why do some Christians have different views about genetic engineering for therapy reasons, eg curing illnesses or genetic conditions and for enhancement reasons, eg for a certain appearance or desirable qualities? We would be very interested in your views about the above subject. Please write to: editor@ thesharemagazine.com p
Moral/Ethical Quandaries The key principle for Christians is the sanctity of life as God ordained it and created it. Saying we are not
By Barbara Payne intercessor, worship leader, retired minister and Divorce Care counsellor
[1] U.S. National Library of Medicine October - December 2017
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WORLD
Global Headlines...
Coping in the 4th industrial Revolution Coping in the 4th industrial Revolution
The debate of the merger of man and machine being compatible, mutually exclusive or machines being a malevolent and menacing threat rages on. Is technology that merges with human interface advisable, a natural evolution of mankind? If so, who places the moral /ethical boundaries and guards the privacy, dignity and vulnerability of the
public interest?
Klaus Schwab further states that “When compared with previous industrial revolutions, the Fourth is evolving at an exponential rather than a linear pace. Moreover, it is disrupting almost every industry in every country. And the breadth and depth of these changes herald the transformation of entire
systems of production, management, and governance.” We cover 4 hot topics that demand attention as the fourth industrial revolution rolls out across the globe. These areas if not sensitively and sensibly handled could cause irreversible problems for humanity: Artificial Intelligence, Eugenics, Drones and Neural Lace.
Artificial Intelligence & internet of things Artificial Intelligence & internet of things
“The possibilities of billions of people connected by mobile devices, with unprecedented processing power, storage capacity, and access to knowledge, are
unlimited. And these possibilities will be multiplied by emerging technology breakthroughs in fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics, the Internet of
Neural Lace
Things, autonomous vehicles, 3-D printing, nanotechnology, biotechnology, materials science, energy storage, and quantum computing.” [1]
Neural Lace
Is it ethical or harmful to humans? Is it a threat to human existence as we know it? Elon Musk The Tesla and SpaceX CEO has started yet another company, Neuralink, which aims to make implants for the human brain that can wirelessly interface with a computer, the Wall Street Journal reported today. 9/26/17 The technology, according to Musk , who brought up the idea at Recode’s Code Conference last year, is a “digital layer” located above the cortex, built into the brain. Musk calls the technology, which would intertwine computers and the
human brain, “neural lace.”
“Neural lace could help humans keep apace with rapidly accelerating advancements in artificial intelligence, which Musk said will cause humanity to “be left behind by a lot.” With the help of brain implants that are directly linked to computers, humans may be able to improve their brain function, or even one day download their thoughts or upload the thinking of others. In the more near term, neural lace technology could be used to treat brain diseases like epilepsy or Parkinson’s.”[2]
A group of chemists and engineers who work with nanotechnology published a paper this month in Nature Nanotechnology about an ultra-fine mesh that can merge into the brain to create what appears to be a seamless interface between machine and biological circuitry. Called “mesh electronics,” the device is so thin and supple that it can be injected with a needle they’ve already tested it on mice, who survived the implantation and are thriving. If executed, neural laces could impact neurodegenerative disease detection and cellular biology. [3]
[1]weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/the-fourth-industrial-revolution-what-it-means-and-how-to-respond/ [2] recode.net/2017/3/27/15079226/elon-musk-computers-technology-brain-ai-artificial-intelligence-neural-lace [3] recode.net/2016/6/2/11837544/elon-musk-neural-lace
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October - December 2017
View In . Critical Questions
Eugenics Eugenics
Eugenics-promotes designer babies via election of desirable genetic traits and extraction of undesirable ones. “As research continues to uncover new disease-causing mutations, it becomes increasingly possible to stop the transmission of certain heritable diseases. In the long term, this may lead to complete eradication of diseases like Down Syndrome, cystic fibrosis, and hemophilia.
However, some wonder if modern day attempts to eradicate hereditary disorders equate to eugenics. One complication of genetic testing for the purpose of disease eradication is that, in practice, a particular ethnic group will likely be involved due to shared ancestry. Also, racial stereotypes or biases may be reinforced if genetic testing performed on individuals of an ethnic group reveals a predisposition to a particular disease or condition.
Today, individuals pursue genetic testing by choice. An individual can never be forced into testing or be required to take action, such as sterilization, based on the results of a genetic test. Individuals differ in their views on genetic testing in relation to reproductive decision-making and possible eugenic motivations, but at least today parents have the choice to use the technology or not.” [4]
Dastardly Drones? Dastardly Drones?
These unmanned, lightweight flexible aircrafts that can be adapted to multifunctional jobs saving lives, time, fuel and energy. Their current use includes use in fire, emergency rescue and first response, forensic investigations, multimedia and communication production, disaster prevention but in the future development will also proceed in quarantines, commercial farming. Extreme sports and recreation have made them popular and in increasing demand.
These license holders are expected to be active in many industries, including construction management, facilities inspection and smart unmanned farming. In 1 or 2 years there will be many new jobs and development in the drone industry.
“According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport the number of drone license holders in [South] Korea rose from 872 in 2015 to 1,351 last year. The figure is expected to surpass 2,000 this year.
Conversely, Tom Mockaitis writes about, Drones and the Ethics of War: “The debate on drones may never be resolved, primarily because it is the wrong debate. Rather than focus on the morality of a weapons system, discussion
In conclusion Klaus Schwab, recommends a consultative approach: “We stand on the brink of a technological revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work, and relate to one
another. In its scale, scope, and complexity, the transformation will be unlike anything humankind has experienced before. We do not yet know just how it will unfold, but one thing is clear: the response to it
From teenagers to those in their 70s, many are preparing for a brighter future, regardless of their age. Drones provide them with endless possibilities and confidence for the future.”
should consider how and why it is being employed. As one analyst observed, the problem is not the drones themselves but the faulty intelligence upon which some strikes have been based. There is also the undeniable fact that drones kill far fewer people than cruise missiles or manned bombers. This does not mean that they should be used indiscriminately, but it does commend them as a weapon of choice in some circumstances. History suggests that new weapons do not go away because people do not like them. That lesson suggests that our efforts would be better spent trying to prevent conflicts whenever possible and bring them to a swift conclusion when that fails rather than debating whether one killing machine is more ethical than another.” must be integrated and comprehensive, involving all stakeholders of the global polity, from the public and private sectors to academia and civil society.” [5]
[4] http://knowgenetics.org/is-eugenics-happening-today/ [5] 4 Jan 2016 Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum aps://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/the-fourth-industrial-revolution-what-it-means-and-how-to-respond/ 9/26/17 October - December 2017
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TECHNOLOGY PREDICTED IN THE BIBLE 16
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People often say they can’t take the Bible serious when it wasn’t even able to predict something as significant as our advances in technology. I would not argue with such reasoning. I too would doubt prophets who profess to have seen visions of the future yet miss something as large and globally life shaping as technology. So, did the Bible predict technology? The answer is yes, the Bible does mention events that could not be possible without our present day highly advanced technologies. Let’s look at a few of these. Predictions of global audio and video streaming networks, online opinion polls, online purchasing with one day delivery services. “Those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb.” Revelations 11:9 (NASB)
October - December 2017
People from every tribe, tongue and nation was staring on these dead bodies while they were dead for three and a half days. For this to happen it must be facilitated by some kind of modern satellite TV or video streaming technology. For them to not permit the bodies to be buried must again involve some globally accessible opinion poll. Possibly like the ‘call to action’ functionality we see in today’s social media where thousands of people across the world can be informed and rallied within hours to support a cause. “And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.” Revelations 11:10 Here we see the whole earth rejoicing which is confirmation that they have either seen the dead bodies or heard about it. This also points to global radio, TV and/or audio/video streaming networks. A close look will
reveal the fact that this verse even predicts ecommerce with its speedy delivery services using drones or vehicles where people across the whole world could instantly purchase gifts with a one or two days priority delivery service. Remember that all this partying and sending of gifts (The word ‘send’ is used by most translation instead of ‘give’) had to happen within three and a half days while these men were dead and lying in the streets. Predictions of the modern stock market, digital money, global audio/video streaming networks and global trade “The merchants will say, ‘The pleasure you longed for has left you. All your riches and glory have disappeared forever.’ … In just one hour your great wealth has been destroyed!’ “Every sea captain and all who travel by ship will stand far away. So will the sailors and all who earn their living from the sea.” Revelations 18:14-17 (NIRV) In verse 9 the kings of the earth was able to see Babylon burning as were all those who manned maritime vessels (see verse 18). This could only be possible by way of the digital technology we have today. On the infamous Black Tuesday of October 29, 1929, the US stock market lost $14 billion in a single day. Back then there weren’t any digital trading with digital money in a world where the finances of all nations were tightly intertwined as they are today. According to Revelations 18 Babylon was the financial hub of the world but the wealth and riches of that great city vanished without a trace within one hour. Without a doubt this must be a stock market event where stocks were digitally traded using digital money. If you, like myself, have lost valuable information from the corrupted hard drive of a computer you will know that virtual data can easily be lost
beyond any hope of recovery. There are others like the 666 system where the whole world will use a single, centralised, biometric currency.
these bodies were buried. Is this a hint that these bodies were contaminated by the weapon that was used to kill them in the war?
A few other verses that could be pointing to modern day technology are found in Jeremiah 39:6-16. Although these could be a little more speculative I believe they are still worth mentioning. As we consider these kindly remember that futuristic visions with modern technology could be a very difficult thing for ancient men to describe.
3. Verse 14 “They will set apart men regularly employed, with the help of a search party, to pass through the land and bury those bodies remaining on the ground, in order to cleanse it… The search party will pass through the land; and when anyone sees a man’s bone, he shall set up a marker by it, till the buriers have buried it in the Valley of Hamon Gog.” Here again we see an emphasis on burying everyone of the dead bodies as leaving them unburied would lead to some kind of contamination of the land. We get the impression that the searchers were only allowed to leave markers for the others, possibly specially equipped and trained personnel who would then take and bury them in the Valley of Hamon Gog which was the designated burial ground. Could this be another sign of some kind of residual radiation type contamination?
The things to note are as follows: 1. Verse 9 says, “Those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out and set on fire and burn the weapons;... and they will make fires with them for seven years.” Weapons that can fuel a city for seven years must be more than just stick type bow and arrows. Many great inventions in history was born out of military research and the quest to be superior in warfare. The atomic bomb was one such product and the technology that fuelled it is commonly used today in nuclear plants as one of the most efficient ways to provide energy for whole cities. Fires were used back then to provide light at nights. Today nuclear power is converted into electricity that then produces light and heat etc. 2. Verse 12 “For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them, in order to cleanse the land.” In the days of heavy equipment it is not likely that it would take seven months for a country to bury its dead enemies who were killed within a specific location unless, of course, specific precautions had to be taken like those associated with residual radiation. Note the mention of cleansing the land and the fact that travellers had to circumvent the area where
How about this one in Zechariah 14:12 “And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, and their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.” In the midst of battle something very gruesome will befall Jerusalem’s enemies. Their skin, eyes and tongue will dissolve. Note that this will not happen after a period of illness but while they stand. Back then there was nothing invented that could have done this. Today however we have a choice of arsenal that could accomplish this or something very similar. p
October - December 2017
By Homer Slack author, preacher, Bible teacher, IT tutor, programmer & graphic designer
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The Lie of Secular Humanism
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Let us not be deceived. Another insidious stream now flows. Modern intellectualism and human reasoning, with their increasing avalanche of attacks upon the Bible, seek to discount the miraculous. As a result many professing believers are now falling into the trap of trying to do God’s work in the flesh. The devil knows how powerful Christians can be if united in covenant, and that God designed a united Church to reach a divided world. Therefore, the devil has a counter-plan: to divide and conquer. Congregations and Christian families are splintering everywhere. Lack of intimacy within local congregations means that people are going elsewhere to find loving support. At the same time unbalanced and unscriptural doctrines have crept into the community of Christian believers. Secular humanism is a deceptive yet extremely harmful cancer which exalts human beings, eliminates the Creator, and establishes the foundation for popular anti-biblical philosophies. New Age evangelists today proclaim that all people possess inner good within them like a sleeping god, and they extract a Hindu monistic belief that all matter, including human beings, originates from the same source. Their belief is pantheistic, proclaiming that “all is god,� and that man, therefore, does not need a Savior, outside of himself. He can save not only himself from destruction, but also the world. This belief has permeated modern society to such an extent that large corporations are now sending their managers to seminars to enhance their
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minds. Therapists employ techniques founded on inner reflection and exploration of consciousness. Marketing experts stress human potential for its ability to motivate men. Entertainers seek an inner power that will propel them into popularity. Scripture exposes this deception. “There is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one!” The Bible also declares that truth is found, not by looking inward, but by looking upward, not to men, but to God. Hence the prophetic word That God gave to Jeremiah, “Thus says the Lord, Cursed is the man who trusts in man, and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord” But where did it all start? During the Age of Reason, before the French Revolution, many social thinkers and philosophers challenged the truth of the Holy Scriptures, and therefore exalted the principle of “reason” in French society. Because of the upheavals of the French Revolution of 1789-1799, the religious and social structure of Western Civilization, and also of America, were radically transformed, as new philosophies were born, that attempted to “humanize God” and “deify man.” When social thinkers and philosophers of the North misguidedly reacted to the Age of Reason, the religion of atheism created what became known as Romanticism. ROMANTICISM was a philosophy that worshiped faith, human emotion, tradition and nature. Much of the poetry of that period reflected confidence in the unity, beauty
and goodness of the universe and mankind. However, the religious faith of the Romantic writers rejected the efficacious atoning work of Jesus Christ, and trusted in man’s ability to solve his own problems and to achieve perfection. UNITARIANISM, another religious movement and philosophy stressed the power of human reason to determine spiritual beliefs, and rejected divine revelation as the avenue of receiving truth. Jesus Christ was only a teacher and a social reformer, and therefore not God Almighty. TRANSCENDENTALISM proposed that spiritual reality could be discovered through human intuition, without any absolute authority. Anyone could receive “flashes and insights” of truth as the highest form of knowledge. It emphasized the visionary and idealistic aspect of human nature. As a result, it denied the Headship of Jesus Christ and the supreme authority of the Scriptures. DEISM asserted the existence of God as Creator of the world, but Who, like a clock maker, has programmed it to now run on its own. Consequently, divine providence, supernatural revelation, and God’s plan of salvation for man, were seriously challenged and rejected. PANTHEISM declared that God does not exist as a person, but that all natural laws, forces and manifestations of the self-existing universe are God; God is everything and everything is God, allowing for the worship of all gods, spiritual, natural, material, or mystical. UNIVERSALISM emphasized the perfectibility of man, that all men will be ultimately saved, that divine revelation has a varied character, and
that Jesus Christ is merely human. RATIONALISM rejected divine revelation and the supernatural, and founded its philosophy on human reason. The Apostle Paul described false teachers as those “who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator.” After the defeat of the Christian South in the American Revolution, the social and political structure of the North gave way to a liberal Christianity, which subtly began eating away at true Constitutional government, Biblebased Christ-centered Christianity, and our Western European ancestral heritage. Seeing that we know that the return of the Lord Jesus Christ may be at the door, that the false prophets and cults with their pernicious doctrines of demons are zealously on the march, going from house to house, infiltrating positions of authority in the media throughout the land, as Peter, the apostle, appealed to early believers “What manner of persons ought we to be in holy conduct and godliness?” Let us test all things, arise, and like a mighty army, clothed with the armor of God, battle for lost souls, for backsliders and faithful believers. Let us wage war upon the kingdom of darkness and destroy the works of the devil. Our God goes before us! Our God will lead us! Let faith arise in our hearts as we seek to be led by His Spirit. Let us take back territory the enemy has stolen and glorify our God and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen. p
October - December 2017
By C Richard McCaw author, music teacher and many years as a Bible teacher
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“
I kept seeing this man for a year everywhere I looked when no one else could. I thought I was going crazy.
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Y N O M I T S E T How
Jesus
Found Me
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My life before Jesus I was born into a Muslim family and although we believed in Jesus, we never believed he was God or crucified/resurrected for our sins. Before I accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour, I was very confident and was a really shy person due to high anxiety. I struggled to make friends and was always having negative thoughts as I could never fit in. Throughout my life I always wondered what the meaning of life was. I started looking around to find hope, but found no satisfactory answers so I became an atheist as I felt that my prayers were not being answered, especially when my prayers didn’t help my late father get better from his really bad illness.
How did I hear about the Gospel of Jesus? I first heard about the name ‘Jesus’ through primary school but I didn’t really learn much about Him and the Bible until I went to a very religious catholic school. Here I had my first experience of Church
and the Christian faith. However, here I experienced further doubt about religion which resulted in my becoming an atheist. At this point I used to study religion to disprove Christianity and God. When I started University, it all changed. I kept seeing this man for a year everywhere I looked when no one else could. I thought I was going crazy. He kept referencing the Bible, which is when I discovered this man was Jesus. After these experience I decided to go to a Church to find answers and over the summer of 2014 I started talking to a local pastor back home and started going to Church for a few weeks before I gave my life to Christ.
When I received Jesus When I decided to go to Church and gave my life to Jesus, I suddenly felt a burst of energy flowing through my body. I started looking at the world a lot more and noticed beauty in the world. All I could think about was Jesus and I started feeling positive every time I did. Although I struggled to admit Jesus as my Lord and Saviour initially as my family wouldn’t be happy with my decision, my heart was pounding when I prayed to accept Jesus into my life with a couple of friends at the back of a bookshop. How has my life changed because of Jesus? What is my outlook now? After accepting Christ I feel much more confident than I did before. I have been blessed with many relevant people in my life who have been helping me with issues I have been facing. I have not been experiencing as much low anxiety and suicidal feelings as I used to. I feel a new hope and fulfilment in life and I now know that if I come across a problem, I leave it to God and Christ and often the right people will come into my life at the right time. In other words, a lot of moments happened in my life in the past 2 years that people would pass of as coincidences, which I believe to be answered prayers in Jesus’ name. p
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Millennial Living
Millennials and Technology
The 4th Industrial Revolution has built a bridge between the dreams of our predecessors of the 60s, like Walt Disney and others of the scifigeneration, a dream to virtual reality. Cartoon images that were once considered pure fantasy and escapism from the humdrum of the reality of life are now here, accessible and at our fingertips to be commandeered by the swipe of a mobile smart phone/tablet/ipad/ the click of a mouse or the depressing of a remote pad. Oh how marvellous eh? Well, admittedly these innovations are convenient, amazing and helpful and increase efficiency, reduce risks to health and safety and optimise many areas of operation but I do pause to ponder where are we rushing to in such a hurry? Are we considering what we are losing along the way? Conversation, friendships, family life, community spirit, 2/5 of the elderly in the UK say that television is their main companion. Humans are social beings and without human touch, interaction and relationships we will degenerate into depression and many other associated psychological and medical issues whereby we simply die. How many Facebook friends are our real friends? Have the millennials swapped humanity for efficiency?
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E
Remember the Korean millennial couple who became so obsessed with raising a virtual baby in an online game that their real human daughter was neglected to the point of starving to death?[1] South Korean Lee Youngho’s StarCraft gaming career so damaged and deformed his muscles an operation was the only way to save his arm. He is now left with a scar half an inch wide, stretching from just above the elbow and up over his shoulder.[2] His physical scar however, cannot be compared with the emotional and social scars of the untold millions of millennials who are addicted to their digital lightbox be it a phone, computer or anything else in between. Who are Millennials? The term Millennials is usually considered to apply to individuals who reached adulthood around the turn of the 21st century. The precise delineation varies from one source to another, however. Neil Howe and William Strauss, authors of the 1991 book Generations: The History of America’s Future, 1584 to 2069, are often credited with coining the term. Howe and Strauss define the Millennial cohort as consisting of individuals born between 1982 and 2004. Overall, the earliest proposed birth date for Millennials is 1976 and the latest 2004. Given that a familial generation in developed nations lies somewhere between 25 and 30 years, we might reasonably consider those
the start and end points.
have become willing slaves and we are being walked by the proverbial dog, in this case machines and our technology is leading us rather than being used by us, we are addicts of our own products.
There is a great deal of variation from one individual to another within any generational cohort. Nevertheless, the particular environment for any generation affects those individuals in ways that are observable as broad Religious Dopers tendencies. If you are a born again believer you http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/ are probably saying, “well I’ve Got millennials-millennial-generation Jesus in my life, this has nothing to do with me” but this phenomena is ‘Doped Up’ Millennial Culture The Beijing 2008 Olympics was prevalent even in the Church, which hosted under the theme ‘faster, has now become a money powered higher, longer, stronger’ and it was enterprise that bankrolls, a worship so inspiring at the time I thought, production that is now a dopamine “yeah let’s go for it, raise the bars and dependent activity rather than a Spirit push beyond present boundaries.” lead experience. Church meetings are Yet, there is still something about orchestrated highs. All the man-made the mind-set of this generation of trappings of media, marketing and millennials that is bugging me. It’s sensual stimulation are subliminally that they are obsessed with results orchestrated to put attendants into and not the process, the product not a dopamine high, where they get the person, they have no concept hooked and want more. Without the of grafting towards a desired end, sensual stimulus of the technology they are the slaves of instantaneous around us we don’t seem to be gratification. Waiting is an irritation able to function. God help us if the rather than a natural part of life. internet is down or the electricity goes Today, the millennials are “dope” during Church, what would we do? addicts yes, they are all high on Once the meeting is over, we leave dopamine a chemical in the brain spiritually and emotionally, empty; no that is released when we experience change, deliverance, healing, revival gratification and we are chasing of souls or transformation of mind. that high through every click of the All these things are supposed to be mouse. Research shows that this is the commonplace in Christian communal basis for addiction to video games, worship. Yet, we leave as the same mobile apps, gadgets, social media degenerated lot that walked in, like, Facebook and Instagram, just to bopping and bouncing into the car name a few. We need that high that parks. We remain on this high until results from a dopamine release. We the drug wears off, but not to worry, are naturally high on ourselves, we we will be back for more next Sunday.
p
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/mar/05/korean-girl-starved-online-game [2] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-32996009
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Managing the Universe
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Keeping the rotation of the earth around the sun is a fantastic feat not to be underestimated. But now consider one more factor in our amazing universe: the balance of atmospheric gases. The human body can only survive with the exact percentage of oxygen. Again let us imagine what might happen if we faced any of those problems. where we tampered with this delicate balance for the sake of optimising our weapons technology etc. Consider the scenario where a chemical chain reaction was started with an experiment in a factory where pesticides were produced. The early morning talk show your wife is watching from under covers is suddenly interrupted. An overcrowded hospital appears with a reporter wearing an oxygen tank. A doctor also with an oxygen tank stands among the crowd trying to get into a local hospital. Another doctor and a prominent geologist stands on either side of the reporter. “Doctor, can you tell us what’s going on?” The doctor grimly replies, “Hundreds are dying in all our hospitals everywhere.” The geologist adjusts his spectacles. “The fact is that the composition of the atmosphere is gradually changing. Too much oxygen is in the air!” The doctor is on again. The reporter asks, “Besides respiratory problems what’s going on, doc?” “An increase in heart and kidney
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problems. In fact, all body functions are speeding up.” The scene changes to a pastor in a crowd outside the New Hope Church on 4th Avenue. The reporter asks, “Pastor Henry, what’s happening?” The pastor replies, “People are swarming into the nearest Churches seeking God!” If you are the strong kind of man, you can take any difficult news, but suddenly your wife screams hysterically. She dashes out of bed in her night clothes and grabs hold of your hands, “Honey, we’ve got to get oxygen tanks!” As a college student you had read a statement by the brilliant Russian-born theoretical physicist, George Gamow, that said that the gases in the atmosphere are made up of about 78 parts nitrogen and 21 parts oxygen. Although the thickness may vary from valley to mountain top, the ratio remains the same. You remember reading that too much nitrogen in the atmosphere slows down the normal functions of the body and causes death. Too much oxygen is also harmful, increasing the activities of the body to such a pace that life could not last long.[1] You surmise that this ratio could not have developed by accident. You know from your study of chemistry that most accidents in chemistry usually result in explosions, especially as nitrogen is the basic ingredient of practically every explosive. Hurriedly you forget about shaving and
October - December 2017
rush to the car with your wife just as she is. You step on the gas pedal and the car speeds out of the driveway with the tires screeching. After purchasing oxygen tanks, you return home. With the change in the atmosphere, major problems emerge. From knowledge of geography and of people who live at higher altitudes, you decide to evacuate at once, to leave all earthly possessions and head for the highest place on the planet. Two hours later with oxygen tanks you fly out to a remote village high in the mountains of Tibet. As you descend on Tibetan soil, from your iphone you clicked on to live news only to hear closing words of the reporter, “Friends, due to unforeseen atmospheric weather changes, we regret that for our team’s safety we are forced to sign off immediately! God must have been protecting us all this time!” Click! Frank Allen was a biophysicist who specialized in the scientific study of visual processes, liquid air production, and glandular mutations. He supported the balance factor in an article entitled “The Origin of the World - by Chance
or Design?” He wrote, “The atmosphere of life-supporting gases is sufficiently high (about 500 miles) and dense to blanket the earth against the deadly impact of twenty million meteors that daily enter it at speeds of about thirty miles per second. Among many other functions the atmosphere also maintains the temperature within safe limits for life; and carries the vital supply of fresh water-vapor far inland from the oceans to irrigate the earth, without which it would become a lifeless desert.
The Paradigm Shift Continued from page 7
working microwave or refrigerator and most tragic of all is the fact that there would be very few from this generation with the character or skills to survive and navigate the difficulties of such times. Civil disobedience with mass looting and killing combined with unfettered disease outbreaks are just a few of the things that would ensue and cause whole nations to crumble. Some countries however, would not be as badly affected. The transportation system of a country like Cuba that is stuck in the 1960s would be unaffected by a technological meltdown. First World countries with their highly computerised, self driven cars and remote flown air crafts and drones would come to a crashing halt. The paradigm would shift with blinding speed, where Third World countries would begin to flourish and have warfare supremacy while First World countries plunge into darkness and unimaginable despair. Poor countries
Thus the oceans with the atmosphere are the balance-wheel of Nature.”[2] You recall a statement somewhere that Professor A. Cressy Morrison, former president of the New York Academy of Sciences, had made about the atmosphere being a mixture of gases in delicate balance with the Earth and the organisms that inhabit it. “Our atmosphere is a mixture of gases in delicate balance with the Earth and the organisms that inhabit it. Gases are maintained at certain percentages (partial pressures) so that the planet will remain hospitable to life. This protects life on earth by absorbing ultraviolet rays, warming the surface through heat retention and reducing extremes between and day and night.” [3] So many exciting conditions are necessary for life on earth that they could not possibly
that are without computerised technology and are still using the ancient skills and ‘know how’ would suddenly become the nations to envy. Do not trust in technology Our technological advances have given rise to a carnal hope and excitement of a coming man made utopia. A time when we can indulge ourselves in all the lust and pleasures of this life without suffering the consequences. There are genuine signs of a future where we will be able to genetically engineer ourselves and eradicate illnesses like cancer and greatly increase our life-span, but do not put your hopes up. “Thus says the Lord: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord.’” Jeremiah 17:5 The laws of God will continue to defy every effort of men to undo them. Time dictates that everything that has a beginning has an end, they all wax old then cease to exist. Great
exist in proper relationship by chance! Another question begins to gnaw at your guts, “Could the God you’ve been hearing about all your life have been controlling the balance of those gases all this time. Could the pride and arrogance of man unravel this amazing balance?” CONCLUSION: The design and management of balanced atmospheric gases is evidence of a creation therefore of a Creator. p [1] Gamow, George “Matter, Earth, and Sky”; Riegle, David D. Creation or Evolution, p 15 [2] Monsma, John Clover p. 21 The Evidence of God in an Expanding Universe; [3] A. Cressy Morrison “Seven Reasons - why a Scientist believes in God” (Int); By C Richard McCaw author, music teacher and many years as a Bible teacher
inventions, great dynasties, ruling nations and even the Earth itself has a shelf life. Man’s pride is blinding him to these obvious truths. The increase in the power and reach of technology accompanied by a fading morality is a ticking time bomb. The weight of the responsibility that comes with such modern advancements where the press of a button could wipe out nations cannot be ignored, yet it is in these times we are witnessing such loose morals and diminished integrity as we have never seen before. Foolish mankind have all these years been building his house upon sand. Listen for the mighty crash when the season of heavy rains come. “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.” 2 Peter 3:10 p
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By Homer Slack author, preacher, Bible teacher, IT tutor, programmer & graphic designer
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How Fast Computers Process Information
We are ‘E’ Dependent Thanks to ‘e’ we can now deliver a message to the other side of the globe in under a second. We can, just as fast, pay someone who may be thousands of miles away thanks again to ‘e’. ‘E’ stands for electronic and thanks to it dogs in Britain will never get lost again. On April 6th, 2016 British law made it compulsory for dogs to be chipped. (We believe human beings will be next)
Did you know the computer systems that guided astronauts to the moon on the Apollo II Mission were no more powerful than a present day pocket calculator. If ‘calculator’ technology can guide men to the moon and back what could our present day desktop PC technology do? Yet, this amazingly powerful technology is sitting on thousands of desks growing dust or terribly underutilized being used to only output letters etc. Old 1971 PC technology could handle 92 kIPS (Thousand Instructions per Second) the average present day PC technology can handle over 100,000 MIPS (over one hundred thousand Million Instructions per Second) (Wikipedia). “The K computer — which will be available for shared use by researchers in November — is
named after the Japanese numerical unit (kei), meaning 10 quadrillion, or 10,000 trillion. By achieving the targeted 10 petaflops, a measure of computer performance equaling 10 quadrillion calculations — or floating-point operations, to be precise — per second, K lived up to its name in November. If humans were to perform the same number of calculations as K does in a second, it would take the world’s entire population of 7 billion people — each tackling one problem per second — 17 consecutive days.”[1] To help your understanding consider that if you counted very fast you may to ten within a second. In comparison the Japanese K computer can count to 10,000 trillion in one second. Mind blowing isn’t it? p
[1] www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2012/02/12/general/10000000000000000-calculations-persecond/#.WcLoUrKGOM8
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A chip is a very basic computer that more complexed computers rely on. It is a very small electronic circuitry that’s built into material like silicon and programmed to open and close ‘logic gates’ i.e. to turn electrical current into bits (1s and 0s). A break in the electrical flow represents a zero (0). Such mini computers or microchips are keys to the functionality of the electronic gadgets our modern world depend on. They include our... Cars, TV, microwave, washing machine, refrigerator, stove, dishwasher, computers, printers, router, mobile and landline phone not to mention the many types of equipment used in our health services etc. Most of the world’s communication takes place over ‘e’ while over 90% of the world’s money exist in ‘e’ format. Can you imagine a world without ‘e’? p
Jargon Buster
Packaging often cost more than product
Eugenics
Eugenics is a movement that is aimed at improving the genetic composition of the human race. Historically, eugenicists advocated selective breeding to achieve these goals. Today we have technologies that make it possible to more directly alter the genetic composition of an individual. However, people differ in their views on how to best (and ethically) use this technology. http://knowgenetics.org/history-ofeugenics/
Globalists You may remember that one of the hopes of the proliferation of personal computers was that it would result in a paperless office. Well, that did not materialise, in fact, the opposite is true. Computerised technologies have totally revolutionised advertising putting the designing and printing industries, among other, on steroids. Experience teaches us that we cannot judge the product by its packaging. Especially now that we are living in a time when product design competes or often far out do product quality. “Packaging for health and beauty products can cost three times as much to make as the contents, research shows. Lynx shower gel was singled out as an example of wasteful practices that contribute to the six million tons of boxes, bottles, tissue and other wrapping sent to landfill every year.
A study found that the contents of each bottle of gel cost Lynx just 10p to manufacture whereas the bottle itself cost 30p. The product retails for around £2. … Mr Constantine, the founder of the Lush cosmetics chain, used his industry knowledge and contacts to come up with the figures. He said: ‘What emerged is that when you buy Lynx what you are paying for is the bottle and the advertising. The cost of the actual gel is almost negligible.’
The globalist movement is an alliance based on self-interest of the private international financiers and the royal, dynastic and hereditary land owning families of Britain, Europe and America which over the years have intermarried to create a self regenerating power structure. Through their control of the ability to create money, they are able to exercise control over all the power centers of society, including the corporations, the media, culture creation, the educational system, the historical societies, the political system, the military, religion, foundations and other NGOs, medicine, and law. http://www.globalistagenda.org/who.htm
‘It’s crazy. You pay more for the packaging than the ingredients and then you have to pay again to chuck the wretched stuff away.’”[1] A similar thing is happening with people where far more emphasis is put on enhancing image than on perfecting character. Those who proclaim faith in Christ are not excluded. p
[1] www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-468022/Product-packaging-cost-times-whats-inside. html#ixzz4tVja4cHe
Wahhabism
The term Millennials apply to individuals who reached adulthood around the turn of the 21st century. The precise delineation varies from one source to another, however, Neil Howe and William Strauss, authors of the 1991 book Generations: The History of America’s Future, 1584 to 2069, are often credited with coining the term. Howe and Strauss define the Millennial cohort as consisting of individuals born between 1982 and 2004. http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/ millennials-millennial-generation
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the nature of
F
From time to time our cat would bring in and present to us his trophies of dead birds. I cannot think of any other reason why they always end up in the house lying dead in the centre of our hallway entrance but that he simply wants to show them off. Today however, the bird was a smart one. It seems to have faked death until it was left alone then it flew off. Only problem is that it was now in the house and therefore shut in with the predator it desperately wanted to escape.
The
Story Teller To book the story teller email: editor@thesharemagazine.com
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It was this frantic rushing about by our cat and desperate flapping of wings and squeaking of a bird that caught my attention. I do not enjoy the sight of a dead bird on the floor of our house and I definitely would not enjoy seeing one caught and killed in there either. The wounded, confused bird caused even more commotion by toppling things over. It would attempt to land on loose unfamiliar objects as it tried to stop briefly to catch its breath. As it went by me flapping and obviously tired I managed to grab hold of our cat that was hot on its
heel. I could not believe the transformation that had come over our soft, sweet and cuddly kitten. I could feel the tension of pursuit in its body. His whole being was consumed with the chase. I could feel its heart racing as it contorted its body to get free of my hands while all the time keeping its eyes totally focused and following every turn of the bird. I was shocked, instinct had transformed my cat into something I could not recognise. The Beast The experience I had of my transformed cat reminded me of what John saw in his apocalyptic vision. As this vision unfolded he discovered that in the end the object of the whole earth’s worship was a beast. He did not refer to it merely as a man or an animal but as a beast. Why a beast? He chose that description for us to get a better understanding of the nature of the creature. “So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?’” Revelation 13:4 I often wondered about the descriptive words used in Scripture and discovered that the wording of Scripture is not by chance. Every jot and every stroke was carefully chosen by God. We must therefore honour and carefully consider every word that was recorded in it. According to the Cambridge Dictionary a beast is: an animal, especially a large or wild one. While this definition is a good start, I believe there is much more that could be said about a beast that could help us to get a better picture of what John saw.
Note, that a beast is an animal but not a cuddly and playful one. For it to be described as a beast it must be the kind of animal that is wild, brutal and most likely large. This animal is fierce and gruesome. It has no conscience, no compassion, no regrets but is driven purely by instinct and a thirst for blood. It will hunt, kill and rip through flesh and bone with absolutely no thought for its victims. Pause now and consider that this will be the nature of the thing all mankind will worship. But how could this be, how could people worship such a thing? Good question. Another question one could ask is, will all mankind worship it willingly or by force? My understanding is that John recognised the nature of that thing because he was in the Spirit but to those not looking through the eyes of the Spirit it will appear as a sheep. Jesus warns us, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” Matthew 7:15 In other words, outside they look harmless but their true nature is hidden underneath, they are beasts. Jesus speaking of false prophets used words to describe them that highlights beast like qualities. He says they are “...ravenous wolves”. Ravenous comes from the root word ‘ravage’ which means: to cause great damage to something (Cambridge Dictionary). As mentioned earlier, these beast like men create great carnage as they rip and tear through God’s people with razor like fangs. Remember, to the unsuspecting they will look like sheep, until of course, their true nature is revealed. For most this realisation will come too late. So yes, they serve him willingly
because they are deceived. The language used by John shows their admiration for the beast. John records them saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” They are convinced the beast is their champion. How tragic. We observe similar language being used when Peter described what the devil does to those whom he is able to take captive. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 Notice that he chose to use the word ‘devour’ and not just say ‘eat’. Why? Because devour paints a whole different picture. The word denotes a frantic, brutal ripping of the flesh like that of a hungry bloodthirsty beast. Do you now get the picture? Some wonder if the beast like nature of this evil man who will accept worship in the last days will be the result of some human biological genome experiment that will make him part man and part animal. Others think his cold heartless nature could be as a result of him being a cyborg, part man and part machine. While others speculate about what it is that made this man the beast he will be this we do know, his biblical description makes it clear that he won’t be a kind, gentle and loving individual even though he may try to paint that picture. The one who is truly kind, gentle and loving is Jesus who was portrayed in John’s vision as the lamb. Instead of worshiping Him however, the whole world (but for the exception of a chosen few) will gladly and willingly worship the devil possessed man, the one who will soon plunge his fangs into them like a BEAST tearing the flesh of its prey. Resist him standing firm in your faith. p
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He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces He was despised, and we held Him in low esteem. Surely He took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered Him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53, a prophecy about Jesus Christ.
Heavenly Father, I thank You that You sent Your Son Jesus and even though I do not understand it, I fully believe what the Bible says. Help me today Father as I feel rejected and I am suffering emotional pain. R COR
Thank You for Your word which says You have taken that pain and that suffering and You alone know how I am feeling. Thank You for Your love when I feel no one loves me, I remember that You do. Thank You for the love that took You to the cross. Thank You for the love that held You there. Thank You for matchless love that bore my sin and my shame and gives me a peace beyond all understanding in my heart that can reduce any fear I have. In my pain, help me to remember the pain and suffering others have at this holiday season, around the world and to lift them before You knowing You are the only answer. Thank You for the FAITH You have put in my heart by Your Holy Spirit to believe You are who You say You are. Amen p YE
R C OR
The fallen realms must become foreign to us, they were not made for us to dwell in and is why so many today are sick, miserable, poor, blind and naked regarding purity. See Rev. 3:17-19. Our call is one of coming back into a place where we can walk beside the Lord in the cool of the day, resting in the arms of our Father’s embrace. To have and to hold, from this day on as we become the Bride of Christ. Stripping away the old nature is the 30
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only way we can learn to love again. In all of Scripture, the flavor of the love of Father God is the deeper meaning. His love is and always will become the source that draws us into Him, away from the fallen realms where we’ve lost our first love. The devotion and the presence of God is more than most understand but is available to live and to dwell in daily. This was why the Lord took me into the basement of time, to reveal to me a people who had lost their first love and the impact it has had upon a fallen world. The time has come
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to walk out of the fallen realms and follow Jesus back into the life of love that we were created to live in and all we are supposed to be. We are a people of God’s creation, a people of hope, faith and love that brings change with every step we take, that even the shadows of our past, as it was with Peter, brought healing to the sick whose lives are lost and broken and in much need of God’s love. Amen p Lyle McTeer, of CFC Ministries He is available upon request for teaching/conferences etc. Website: endtimesharvest1.com
R
R
Continued from pg 11 who call you out of darkness into His marvellous light. See 1 Peter 2:1-10.
NE
YE
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R COR R
PRA
When we come to Him in Prayer we can know no matter how we are feeling Jesus has felt that Pain and not only felt it but took it on Himself. Let us pray today with that in mind; remembering the hurricane battered Caribbean countries (especially Puerto Rico that was already in financial depression) Texas flood victims and Mexican earthquake survivors.
NE
YE
With so much pain around the world today in many many countries and regimes let us not just think about our own pain but let us focus today on the World... Why? For God so loved the World. John 3:16
P RA
“Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before Him like a tender shoot and like a root out of dry ground.
PRA
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PRAYER CORNER
G
Genesis 2:9 “And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” Knowledge and Technology is available to all mankind in the form of skills, tools and resources of many kinds. We collect, store and learn from it. lt seems that in the last decade or so it has increased with such
and the list is virtually endless. People on buses, trains, planes, in cafes, waiting rooms even outside on public benches most are absorbed on laptops and mobile phones. Our dependence on technology has become ingrained into our everyday living in some shape or form. In some instances we cannot get something unless we go online. This can be very frustrating for someone who does not have a computer or access to the internet.
self driving; we can sit back and let the car do all the driving. Let us ask ourselves, is this how we really want to live so that we become completely reliant on technology that we hardly do anything for ourselves in some areas in our lives? What about our Creator are we allowing Technology to take over and push the Almighty to one side thinking we can create this world of computerisation? Using it as a safe place to store all what
Mind the
Generation
Gap
speed it is hard to keep up. For example, a mobile phone has become ‘a smart phone’ can contain so much information and processing power, it seems to dispel the need for other gadgets we use separately. All over the world it is getting very difficult not to have technology in some shape or form within every structure of daily living. In Genesis 2:9 we read God was there with Knowledge right at the very beginning. Also, note it was of good and evil. The same is true today. The internet alone contains good and evil. Books that are written contain good and evil. So then, the real issue is not the knowledge or technology itself but to what purpose will we as ‘born again’ believers use technology and knowledge. Will we use it to bring honour to the One who created it? It is wonderful that in the medical circle of technology that computers are programmed to recognize so many illnesses, do blood test results and scan so in-depth into the human body thereby saving lives. Banking, car manufactory, ordering food and goods on the internet, even eye tests have become very advanced
Not everyone wants all this knowledge in their daily living. The generation of some elderly people find it to be overwhelming and don’t have the ability to learn how to use a computer. They like to interact with human beings and not machines. Some get along with it over time and enjoy it because it has opened a world of wonder for them. It all has to be a balance of what we use and how we use it and what for.
we think is our treasure of knowledge. Our spiritual growth is in danger if we become too reliant on it. Beware people of the living God, do not let Technology consume you. What happens when it fails? Keep your eyes on your Creator because His ways are higher than ours.
Isaiah 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens Daniel 12:4 “But you Daniel, shut up the are higher than the earth, So are My ways words, and seal the book until the time of higher than your ways, And My thoughts the end; many shall run to and fro, and than your thoughts.” knowledge shall increase.” Yes, God reveals things to us through …“and knowledge shall increase” it most His Holy Spirit and gives us revelation certainly has... “many shall run to and knowledge. But let us be careful not to fro.” Just look at all the travelling that is take it to the extreme and think we can done today and the speed at which we become higher than God. A computer is have come to expect the most mundane just a machine and is only programmed things to happen at. How many planes with what man puts in it. Technology is are even in the sky in one day? We even only a tool and in evil hands is dangerous have space objects zooming into outer and in the righteous hands helpful. p space. How long before mankind will routinely be on his travels out there? The By Lynda K Smith writer, proof reader, vast amount of cars on the roads now is poet and Evangelist staggering and now they are being built with new technology that will make them October - December 2017
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Note To Self...
Do you ever have one of those days when you want to press the delete button and start a fresh? When life seems so overwhelming that we seem dumber than the machines we work with? On days like that just remember laminin! Wikipedia describes laminin as a family of proteins that are an integral part of the structural scaffolding of basement membranes in almost every animal tissue. Laminins are what ‘hold us’ together literally they are the cell adhesion molecules they are what holds one cell in our bodies to the next cell without them we would literally ‘fall apart.’ Am I the only one looking at this
marvelling that it is in the shape of a cross? What is also noticeable is that it is made by three bands working in concert with each other. Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Wow, isn’t God marvellous? He not only holds us together but wraps Himself around us in a three fold cord that is not easily broken. Colossians 1:15-17. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him.”
“God is before all things and in HIM ALL THINGS HOLD TOGETHER” 32
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October - December 2017
Babels
Poem Erratic schematics and scheming plans, Rebuilding 'Babels' outworking of man's, Fickle flip switches ascending ever higher, Exploration of genomes achieving desire. Quantum, atomic, biological computers, Heads in headlines, becoming consumers, Buoyed up elevated, dizzying in heights, Far from third world's destitute plights. Binary, logic, technological fuss, Worldwide media and barriers from us, In our towers of Babel afar from a touch. Š Jason N Smith facebook.com/jasnnicholassmith
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Leaning on the everlasting Arms
1 2 3
What a fellowship, what a joy divine, Leaning on the everlasting arms; What a blessedness, what a peace is mine, Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Leaning, leaning, Safe and secure from all alarms; Leaning, leaning, Leaning on the everlasting arms.
In Praise of Hymn
Oh, how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way, Leaning on the everlasting arms; Oh, how bright the path grows from day to day, Leaning on the everlasting arms.
What have I to dread, what have I to fear, Leaning on the everlasting arms? I have blessed peace with my Lord so near, Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Reviewing Great Christian Hymns
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms is a hymn published in 1887 with music by Anthony J. Showalter and lyrics by Showalter and Elisha Hoffman. Showalter said that he received letters from two of his former pupils saying that their
wives had died. When writing letters of consolation, Showalter was inspired by the phrase in the Book of Deuteronomy 33:27 “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms�.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaning_on_the_Everlasting_Arms#cite_note-1
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First runner up in ‘THE Sensationnel’ Black Beauty Hair Awards 2013
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