Exloring Life Eternal

The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.

I have wondered at times about what the Ten Commandment's would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress

The taxpayer: That's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination.

If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.

The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a government program.

It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first.

Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.

Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book.

(via David Depew [dpdepew@earthlink.net])

Indonesia, particularly in the area affected by the tsunami was not known for its morality. Other areas affected by the tsunami were also clearly immoral. If you were to examine the records of these countries on these following 3 sites, you would find that sexual exploitation of women was common in these areas.

http://www.catwinternational.org
http://www.hrw.org
http://www.awid.org

Is this acceptible? NO!!! While the organizations above do not necessarily always know the power of the Gospel to free folks from sin, they do play a clear role in exposing the sin.

The question then must be turned back around at our own nation, here in the United States ... Will we be spared?

I am not merely thinking in terms of natural disasters or wars or even terrorist attacks, rather, I am asking the question if the United States, which relies so heavily upon military force and is clearly as immoral as any other country ... will we be spared from doom & death & imminent destruction? How long till God judges the USA?

The one thing that comes to mind is Abraham's intercession before the Lord just prior to the destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah. There were not many righteous in those areas.

Perhaps the best way for us to positively affect the future of America is to follow the simple pattern for Christianity:
1. Repent from sin, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, & receive the Holy Spirit.
2. Be baptized in the name of the Lord.
3. Freely share your worldly goods with others.
4. Learn what the Bible says is right & what is wrong.
5. Love the brethren & fellowship with them, share in the Lord's supper together.
6. Pray & worship continually with great joy.
7. Proclaim the Word of God with all boldness.

It seems too simple, but if we keep it simple & set aside all the secondary cultural rules which keep us from getting out to proclaim the Truth to "sinners," then we will find that the Lord Jesus will bless far more than we could ever ask or imagine!!!

If you do not turn from sin & trust in Jesus, you will not merely be dragged into the watery sea, but cast into the lack of fire!

"Lord Jesus, save us!! We have ignored your word, but you are able to save, and able to save to the uttermost!! Thanks for dying to make that possible, and rising again to ensure that it will come to pass."

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Here are some links related to this theme:

This writer asks the question:
"Did God do it? Did God cause the Tsunami?"
http://www.theconservativevoice.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=1976

This site records the modern problem of prostitution in Indonesia:
"Coalition Against Traficking in Women"
http://www.catwinternational.org/factbook/Indonesia.php

This site records the incidence of rape of women in Sri Lanka:
http://iafrica.com/news/worldnews/401686.htm

Latest Death Toll:
http://reuters.myway.com
Global Tsunami Death Toll Tops 226,000 Jan 19, 9:55 AM
Basically, the jump in death #'s was due to Indonesia confirming many dead that were previously listed as missing.

A record of one rape incident:
http://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/aceh/indaceh0801-06.htm
VII. THE SOUTH ACEH RAPE CASE

A call to reduce / eliminate web pornagraphy:
http://www.theconservativevoice.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2009

David Mays' booknotes are one of the best ways to keep abreast of books that you don't have time to read or to get an idea of books you'd like to read more from. They have saved me quite a bit of time and given me lots & lots of encouragement!!

MJH

I highly recommend his summaries:
http://www.davidmays.org/Booknotes.html

New web pages:
David Mays’ lists of top books on leadership, management, and change.

http://www.davidmays.org/booksleadership.html
http://www.davidmays.org/booksmanagement.html
http://www.davidmays.org/bookschange.html

There are lots of fotos at this site & news:

- MJH

"We want to thank those of you who have given to and prayed for the tsunami disaster relief project here in India. Here is an update. You can also log on to http://www.angelfire.com/hi5/asiatsunami2004 to see the latest pictures and updates."

[Click here to subscribe: http://www.jfjonline.org/pub/e-pubs/subscribe.htm ]
Main Site: http://www.jfjonline.org

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JEWISH HOLIDAY

January 25 is the minor holiday (not commanded in Scripture) of Tu Bi-Shevat, traditionally marking the beginning of springtime in Israel. It is also considered the "New Year of Trees." One custom associated with this holiday is tree planting.

For more on Tu Bi-Shevat, see:

On the Jews for Jesus site:
http://www.jewsforjesus.org/special/tubishevat/frontend.htm

For an index of Jewish sites representing various modern-day Jewish approaches to the holiday, see:
http://www.mavensearch.com/subjects.asp?S=498

One site we didn't see listed in the above index is:
http://www.myjewishlearning.com:80/holidays/TuBishvat.htm

For the Jewish National Fund's online tree planting center, where you can plant a tree as a gift or in memory of a loved one, visit:
http://www.jnf.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Trees

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One more thing: some of the mainstream Jewish sites speak of the Kabbalah. Kabbalah is a kind of Jewish mysticism that -- at least in its current popular form -- tends to be "New-Age" in its orientation. For our take on the Kabbalah, see our online articles:

"Kabbalah: Fact or Fiction?"
http://www.jfjonline.org/pub/issues/12-02/kabbalah.htm

"A History of the Kabbalah"
http://www.jfjonline.org/pub/issues/12-02/historykabbalah.htm

PLEASE NOTE: We do not necessarily endorse all the content you will see on all the sites we've mentioned, but if you read them judiciously, we hope you will find them both interesting and helpful for learning.

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A MESSIANIC JEWISH LOOK AT TRAGEDY

An article written by Susan Perlman, "If You Want Life, Expect Pain" might be a helpful resource for you, should you find yourself engaged in this type of philosophical discussion. You can read the article or direct a friend to it at:
http://www.jewsforjesus.org/library/issues/06-06/expectpain.htm

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THE HISTORY OF JEWISH MISSIONS IS BECOMING AVAILABLE ONLINE ... VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

As society moves more and more into the digital age, so does the history of Jewish missions! Jews for Jesus staffer Rich Robinson has been overseeing an effort called the Digital Jewish Missions History Project, an online digital library of primary source materials from the history of Jewish evangelism. The site will include all kinds of things you wouldn't see elsewhere: mission reports newspaper articles, books, conference papers, and photographs from the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. Since a variety of Jewish missions will be represented and not just Jews for Jesus, the library has been placed on the site of the Lausanne Consultation on Jewish Evangelism, an umbrella agency for Jewish mission agencies, of which Jews for Jesus is a founding member.

Enter the library now at this link to begin exploring the approximately 75 items already on the site: http://www.lcje.net/history

And we need volunteers! Are you computer savvy or technically minded? Just as many of the best-known online libraries work through a system of volunteers, so here also volunteers are needed. We are looking for people to locate, scan, re-type and proofread material, and we need one or two people knowledgeable enough to offer technical or programming help. See the front page of the library for more details, or contact Rich Robinson at jfjweb@jewsforjesus.org for more information.

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To find out about having one of our missionaries speak at your church, click here:
http://www.jfjonline.org/pastors/domecontact.htm

To make an online donation, click here:
https://secure.jewsforjesus.org/jfjonline/donate/donation_rt.htm

To pass on names of Christian friends who might like to hear from us click here:
http://www.jfjonline.org/pub/e-pubs/friends.htm

If you want us to witness to your Jewish friend through our Letter of Witness program, click here for a form where you can fill out both you and your Jewish friend's name and address (we'll need yours for our records if you submit the name of a Jewish friend):
http://www.jfjonline.org/pub/contact.htm

To see back issues of Jews for Jesus Real Time click here:
http://www.jfjonline.org/pub/realtime.htm

Matthew 16; Matthew 24

A. The Sign of the Coming of the Son:
1. Teaching of the Pharisees & Sadducees: Demand for a sign from God to prove the authority of Jesus, apart from the cross.
2. The sign Jesus would give: The cross.

B. The sign Jesus commands his followers to take upon themselves to prove their discipleship: the cross.

C. What then is the Sign that Jesus will soon come again?
1. Signposts:
a. Israel's regathering: Israel became a state over a generation ago & is well established.
b. The increase of knowledge: education flourishes like never before!
c. The increase of travel: not only within regions, around the globe & beyond!
d. Natural disasters: 200,000+ people dying in the latest tsunami is among the world's largest ever, and perhaps in the top 50 natural disasters of all time.
e. Wars: There is actually a decrease in actual #'s dying this way lately, but the past 100 years have seen some astronomical genocides & conflicts resulting in the deaths of tens of millions.
2. THE SIGN: Just as a sign is hung on a signpost, so all these are simply means to the end. The sign of the Lord's second coming is that the body of Christ will again have united to take up the cross.
a. All nations will hate the followers of Jesus.
b. All nations will hear of Jesus.

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??Questions to prepare for the final testing:
Do you love the Lord?
Do you tell others about him?
Do you suffer for His name?

Lighthouse:
The light that shines furthest, shines brightest at home.
The light that shines furthest also burnes hottest.

Can you live with the continual burning?
I must confess, I find it difficult to.
That is why we need one another: a fire last longer when the logs are together.