IS WATER BAPTISM ESSENTIAL FOR SALVATION?

http://4witness.org/mormon/baptism.php


Some religious groups that claim to be Christian, including Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses, teach that in addition to professing faith in Jesus Christ, one must also be physically baptized for salvation.

This belief, also called “baptismal regeneration,” forms the basis for a works plus faith doctrine that requires physical water baptism to be performed upon a new convert by authorized personnel within the religious institution before members consider the convert “saved.” There are several problems with this belief. First of all, when Scripture expounds on the salvation process, rarely is physical water baptism even mentioned. Instead, emphasis is given to faith (belief/trust) in Jesus Christ’s death, burial and resurrection and repentance (confessing and turning away from sin) to make Jesus Christ Lord and Savior. Secondly, as the following Scriptures explain, salvation is said to be “by faith” alone, apart from the works of human righteousness. Notice that baptism is not even mentioned in any of these verses:


“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” —John 3:16

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”—Ephesians 2:8-9

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”—Romans 5:1

“That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heartthat God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” —Romans 10:9

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and tocleanse us from all unrighteousness.” —1 John 1:9

“And after he brought them out, he said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ They said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’ ” —Acts 16:30-31

“Therefore they said to Him, ‘What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, thatyou believe in Him whom He has sent.’ ”—John 6:28-29

Thus, if one adds the work of physical baptism to the salvation process, this would invalidate Scripture’s emphasis upon justification by faith alone and fall under the condemnation of Scripture that explains:


“He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.” — Titus 3:5

“You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.” — Galatians 5:4

Thirdly, when physical baptism is mentioned in Scripture, it is given in the context of Christian discipleship and used as a sign of true saving faith (Matthew 28:19; Acts 10:47).  There is a difference between what Christians “do” in obedience to Christ after salvation and what is given as a necessary requirement for salvation.
JOHN 3:3-7:


“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?’ Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, “You must be born again.” ’ ”

In this passage, Jesus clearly articulates what he means by proclaiming that one must be “born again.” In response to Nicodemus’ question about how a person can be physically “born” twice from his “mother’s womb,” Jesus explains that the first birth is “of water” by being “born of the flesh” (i.e., out of the womb), while the second birth is “of the Spirit” which is the making alive of one’s “spirit” through a spiritual baptism. Titus 3:5 explains:


“He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.”

Here we see that the “washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit” is a reference to the spiritual birth or baptism spoken of by Jesus when He told Nicodemus that he must be “born of the Spirit.” This spiritual baptism occurs at the moment a person places his faith in Christ, just as Jesus promised that He would send His Holy Spirit to indwell His followers:


“But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. …But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” —John 16:7, 13

“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.” —Ephesians 1:13-14

“However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” —Romans 8:9-11

It is noticeable that in none of these passages is the physical act of water baptism given as a prerequisite to the spiritual baptism of being “born of the Spirit” during salvation. Rather, emphasis is given to the indwelling and sealing of the Holy Spirit immediately upon trusting Christ for salvation.

1 PETER 3:21:


“Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

Here the term “baptism” is clarified as “not of the removal of dirt from the flesh” (i.e., water baptism), but rather “an appeal to God for a good conscience” —that is, baptism by the Holy Spirit who regenerates and renews the spiritual side of a person so that they can have a “clear conscience” through Christ before God. Thus, this passage does not support baptismal regeneration.

ROMANS 6:3-4:


“Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

Here again, we see “baptism” being used as a symbol of the spiritual baptism that occurred when one died to the sins of his old life and made Jesus Lord and Master (Romans 10:9). 

. 2 Corinthians 5:17 explains:
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

Next, consider the example of the thief who died next to Jesus at Luke 23. Although he was not baptized when he placed his faith in Christ, Jesus promised him:


“...today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” —Luke 23:43

Finally, consider that Paul excluded water baptism from the preaching of the Gospel when He said:


“For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel…” —1 Corinthians 1:17

ACTS 2:38:


“Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’ ”

While this verse is often used to support baptismal regeneration, the real dispute in this verse is over the use of the word “for” in the phrase “for the forgiveness of your sins.” There are two ways one can interpret this word:

“For” can mean “to cause” the “forgiveness of your sins.” OR
“For” can mean “on account of” the “forgiveness of your sins.”

Reconciling this passage with the rest of Scripture, we would hold to the second meaning of the word “for” being applied here so that the verse in essence would be saying: “...be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ [on account of] the forgiveness of your sins.” Thus, Acts 2:38 would be viewed as proclaiming that because one’s sins are already forgiven through faith and repentance, one should also become baptized.

Another way to interpret this passage is to view the word “baptism” used in this passage as a reference to the spiritual baptism described at Titus 3:5 where the “gift of the Holy Spirit” regenerates and renews the spiritual side of a person. This would also fit with the context of this passage where it proclaims that one would “receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” upon being baptized. If baptism in this occurrence is a reference to the spiritual baptism of the Holy Spirit that occurs at the moment that a person places his faith in Christ and is saved, it would also agree with the testimony of Acts 10:44-47 where we read that the gift of the Holy Spirit was given before physical water baptism took place:


“While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered, ‘Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?’”

Thus, either interpretation of this passage fits with the context of Scripture that demonstrates that salvation occurs by faith in Christ alone, prior to water baptism.

ACTS 22:16:


“Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.”

Notice that this passage describes the washing “away” of sins. The only question is whether this occurs with the act of being “baptized” or the act of “calling on His name.” We would view it as being connected to the latter phrase, “calling on His name.” Thus, the washing away of sins would occur the moment a person calls upon the name of Christ for salvation, not at the moment of physical, water baptism.

MARK 16:16:


“He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.”

While Mark 16:16 comes the closest to teaching baptismal regeneration, it still falls short when one considers the second part of the verse that proclaims that the only person who is “condemned” is the person who does not believe. Thus, a person is “condemned” for failing to believe in Christ, not for being un-baptized. So, even with this passage, one can argue that the baptism mentioned in the first part of the verse is a reference to the act of obedience that occurs after the “belief” that saved the person is professed.

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Tips on Witnessing to Jehovah´s Witnesses

Tips on Witnessing to Jehovah's Witnesses

How do Jehovah's Witnesses' teachings about Christ compare with the Scriptures?
Should John 1:1 be translated, "The Word was God" or "The Word was a god"?
Was Jesus God, manifest in human form?

Witnesses of Jehovah, Good News Defenders

Books…
Falling in Truth, Steve McRoberts

Speaking the Truth in Love to Jehovah's Witnesses

I was raised as a Jehovah's Witness and remained one until age 11. Coming out of this cult, I entered my teenage years as a bitter atheist where I remained until I graduated fromcollege. Through God's amazing grace I was saved in 1994 after reading the Bible and realizing that it was indeed the true Word of God.

Repeatedly God has blessed me with the passion and privilege to witness to the Jehovah's Witnesses. You've almost certainly had them come knocking on your door on a Saturday afternoon and you may have even engaged a Jehovah's Witness in a theological discussion. In talking to other Christians I find that when presented with a face-to-face encounter with a Jehovah's Witness there are usually two responses:

1) A “frontal assault” via debate or heated discussion; or
2) A polite "no thanks, I'm already a Christian" followed by an all too abrupt closing of the door.

For the mature Christian, what's usually missing is the realization that this is a true witnessing opportunity--one that has arrived right at your doorstep.

In my earliest attempts at grabbing the proverbial bull by the horns, I tried engaging them in direct debates, often quoting from several texts I had studied regarding the cultic practices of the Jehovah's Witnesses. After several failed “conversion” attempts, often ending with thoroughly frustrated Jehovah's Witnesses unwilling to ever return to my residence, I arrived at a startling realization: Jehovah's Witnesses are real people, with real needs and real feelings. They can feel frustration, anger, fear, and confusion. I then realized that the reason my frontal assaults on the Jehovah's Witnesses never seemed to work was because I had not put myself in their place and taken their feelings into account.

A wise man once said, "When you want to get someone's attention, you don't shine a flashlight in their eyes." In presenting my arguments and facts without giving them time to prepare, I had forgotten that they were human beings searching for the truth. I had not been speaking this truth in love.

Months later, when I was againpresented with an opportunity to speak with Jehovah's Witnesses at my door, I engaged them in conversation, and agreed to do a weekly Bible study with them in order to further discuss what exactly they believed. They agreed, with the understanding that along the way I would ask questions whenever we arrived at a topic or subject with which I disagreed or failed to understand. The amazing difference was that instead of blindsiding them with questions and points of contention, I was giving them an opportunity to prepare themselves for a topic of discussion.

More importantly, though, I began to care about them personally and yearn for their salvation.

In this way, I am able to meet with Witnesses on a weekly basis and take them off the streets, focusing on critical topics such as the requirement that one be born again to enter the kingdom of God, the unbiblical theology of a two-class system of believers, and the true identity of Jesus Christ.

Author: Clint DeBoer. Excerpted fromThe Evidence Bible by Ray Comfort


Encounters between Christians andJehovah's Witnesses typically revolve around a discussion of deity. The reason for this is twofold. First, this is the area where Watchtower theology deviates most dramatically from orthodox Christianity. In contrast to the Trinitarian concept of one God in three Persons--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--the JWs have been taught to believe that God the Father alone is “Jehovah,” the only true God; that Jesus Christ is Michael the archangel, the first angelic being created by God; and that the Holy Spirit is neither God nor a person, but rather God's impersonal “active force.” Second, the subject of deity is a frequent confrontational focus because both Jehovah's Witnesses and Christians (at least those who like to witness to JWs) feel confident and well-prepared to defend their stand and attack the opposing viewpoint.

Due to the profound theological differences, such discussions often take the form of spiritual trench warfare--a long series of arguments and counterarguments, getting nowhere and ending in mutual frustration. But this need not be the case, especially if the Christian will "become all things to all men" by taking a moment to put himself in the Witnesss shoes, so to speak (see 1 Corinthians 9:22). In the JW's mind he himself is a worshiper of the true God of the Bible, while you are a lost soul who has been misled by the devil into worshiping a pagan three-headed deity. He is, no doubt, quite sincere in these beliefs and feels both threatened and offended by the doctrine of the Trinity. To give any serious consideration to your arguments in support of the Trinity is simply unthinkable to the JW; he would be sinning against Jehovah God to entertain such a thought.

So, in order to make any headway with the Witness, it is necessary to bridge the gap--to find common ground that will enable him to rethink his theology. Rather than plunging into a defense of "the doctrine of the Trinity," which can be mind-boggling even to a Christian, take things one step at a time.

A good first step would be to consider the question, "Is Jesus Christ really an angel?" It will be frightening to the Jehovah's Witness to open this cherished belief of his to critical re-examination, but no nearly as frightening as to start off discussing evidence that God is triune.

Since the Watchtower Society speaks of "Jesus Christ, whom we understand from the Scriptures to be Michael the archangel" (The Watchtower, February 15, 1979, p. 31), put the JW on the spot and ask him to show you “the Scriptures” that say Jesus is Michael. There are none. The Watchtower Society New World Translation (NWT) mentions Michael five times as: 1) "one of the foremost princes" (Dan. 10:13); 2) "the prince of [Daniel's] people" (Dan. 10:21); 3) "the great prince who is standing in behalf of the sons of [Daniel's] people" (Dan. 12:1); 4) “the archangel” who "had a difference with the devil and was disputing about Moses body" but "did not dare to bring a judgment against him in abusive terms" (Jude 9); and 5) a participant in heavenly conflict when "Michael and his angels battled with the dragon" (Rev. 12:7).

Ask the Jehovah's Witness which one of these verses says that Michael is Jesus Christ. Help him to see that it is necessary to read Scripture plus a complicated Watchtower argument to reach that conclusion. Rather than being merely "one of the foremost princes," Jesus Christ is "Lord of lords and King of kings" (Rev. 17:14, NWT) and is "far above every government and authority and power and lordship and every name named, not only in this system of things, but also in that to come" (Ephesians 1:21, NWT). And, unlike "Michael who did not dare condemn the Devil with insulting words, but said, The Lord rebuke you!" (Jude 9, Today's English Version), Jesus Christ displayed His authority over the devil when He freely commanded him, "Go away, Satan!" (Matthew 4:10, NWT).

In arguing that Jesus is Michael the archangel, the Watchtower Society also points to another verse that does not use the name Michael but says that "the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a commanding call, with an archangels voice and with God's trumpet…" (1 Thessalonians 4:16, NWT).

However, the expression "with an archangels voice" simply means that the archangel, like God's trumpet, will herald the coming of the Lord, not that the Lord is an archangel. Point out to the JW that none of the verses he has attempted to use as proof-texts even comes close to stating that Jesus Christ is Michael the archangel. In fact, Scripture clearly teaches the opposite: namely, that the Son of God is superior to the angels. The entire first chapter of Hebrews is devoted to this theme. Have the Witness read Hebrews chapter one aloud with you, and, as you do so, interrupt to point out the sharp contrast between angels and the Son of God. "For to what angel did God ever say, Thou are my Son…? And again, when he brings the first-born into the world, he says, Let all Gods angels worship him" (vv. 5,6, Revised Standard Version).

Remind the JW that angels consistently refuse worship ("Be careful! Do not do that! …Worship God," Revelation 22:8,9, NWT), but the Fathers command concerning the Son is, "Let all Gods angels worship him" (Hebrews 1:6). That is how the Watchtowers own New World Translation read for some 20 years until, in 1970, the Society changed it to read "do obeisance to him" instead of “worship him”--part of their consistent campaign to eliminate from their Bible all references to the deity of Christ. (See John 10:36 comment.)

True, you have not yet proved the "doctrine of the Trinity" in this discussion. But you have laid a good foundation by giving the Jehovah's Witness convincing evidence that Jesus Christ is not an angel (he is now faced with the question of who Jesus really is), and you have shown that the Watchtower Society has misled him, even resorting to altering Scripture to do so. Now you are in a much better position to go on to present the gospel.

Author: David A. Reed, Ex-Jehovah's Witness elder. Excerpted from The Evidence Bible by Ray Comfort



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The Benefits of Middle-Age Fitness

By Gretchen Reynolds, NY Times, September 5, 2012
Americans are living longer, with our average life expectancy now surpassing 78 years, up from less than 74 years in 1980. But we are not necessarily living better. The incidence of a variety of chronic diseases, like diabetes, cancer and heart disease, has also been growing dramatically, particularly among people who are not yet elderly.

The convergence of those two developments has led to what some researchers have identified as a “lengthening of morbidity.” That means we are spending more years living with chronic disease and ill health—not the outcome that most of us would hope for from a prolonged life span.

But a notable new study published last week in Archives of Internal Medicine suggests that a little advance planning could change that prospect. Being or becoming fit in middle age, the study found, even if you haven’t previously bothered with exercise, appears to reshape the landscape of aging.

For the study, researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and the Cooper Institute in Dallas gathered medical records for 18,670 middle-aged men and women who’d visited the Cooper Clinic (the medical arm of the Cooper Institute) for a checkup beginning in 1970.

The 18,670 men and women, with an average age of 49, were healthy and free of chronic diseases at their first checkup, when they all took a treadmill test to determine their aerobic fitness. Based on the results of this initial fitness test, the researchers divided the group into five fitness categories, with the bulk of the people residing, like most Americans, in the least-fit section.

Then, in a first-of-its-kind data comparison, the researchers checked the same individuals’ Medicare claim records (with permission) from 1999 through 2009, by which time most of the participants were in their 70s or 80s.

What they found was that those adults who had been the least fit at the time of their middle-age checkup also were the most likely to have developed any of eight serious or chronic conditions early in the aging process. These include heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and colon or lung cancer.

The adults who’d been the most fit in their 40s and 50s often developed many of the same conditions, but notably their maladies appeared significantly later in life than for the less fit.

While this finding might not seem, on its face, altogether positive, the results should be viewed as encouraging, says Dr. Benjamin Willis, a staff epidemiologist at the Cooper Institute who led the study. “I’m 58, and for me, the results were a big relief,” Dr. Willis said.

That’s because, he points out, the results show, in essence, that being physically fit “compresses the time” that someone is likely to spend being debilitated during old age, leaving the earlier post-retirement years free of serious illness and, at least potentially, imbued with a finer quality of life.

Of course, aging is a complicated process and extremely individualized, with the onset or absence of illness representing only one element in quality of life after age 65 or so. But it is a big element, says Dr. Jarett Berry, an assistant professor of internal medicine at U.T. Southwestern and an author of the study. “And since it appears to be associated with midlife fitness, it is amenable to change,” he continues.

So, exercising during midlife, especially if you haven’t been, can pay enormous later-life benefits, Dr. Berry says. And moving out of the least-fit category requires, he says, “only a small dose of exercise,” like 20 or 30 minutes of walking on most days of the week.

“You don’t have to become an athlete,” says Dr. Willis, who himself has little time for exercise but tries to fit in a daily walk. “Just getting up off the couch is key.”

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National debt hits $16 trillion

By Andrew Taylor, AP, Sep 4, 2012
WASHINGTON (AP)—The Treasury Department said Tuesday that the national debt has topped $16 trillion, the result of chronic government deficits that have poured more than $50,000 worth of red ink onto federal ledgers for every man, woman and child in the United States.

The spiraling debt means that lawmakers and the eventual winner of the White House in November will have to pass a law early next year to raise the government’s borrowing cap from the current ceiling of $16.39 trillion. Passing such legislation last year proved enormously difficult and the nation’s credit rating suffered.

First, however, lawmakers will try during a post-election lame duck session to renew Bush-era tax cuts and head off a round of forced budget austerity as automatic budget cuts are scheduled in January to slam both the Pentagon and domestic programs. Those cuts were required by another failed set of budget talks last fall by a bipartisan “supercommittee.”

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has said the government will likely reach its debt limit at the end of the year. However, Geithner has said he will be able to employ various “extraordinary measures” to keep the government operating until sometime early next year. Geithner would need to use these measures if Congress, as expected, fails to tackle the debt limit by year’s end.

GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney promises sharp spending cuts and a balanced budget by 2020 if he wins the White House, but has provided little detail about how that might be accomplished.

For his part, Obama has declined to tackle the spiraling growth of benefit programs like Medicare and the Medicaid health program for the poor and disabled. His proposals to hike taxes on upper income earners have been repeatedly rejected by Republicans, but he promises to insist on them if he wins re-election.

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Try Looking into the Microscope- Bruce Malone

NASA has spent hundreds of millions of dollars scanning every minute portion of the sky with radio telescopes. Its goal is to locate signals coming to earth from extraterrestrial life forms. Although NASA has backed off on these efforts, private funds are still being solicited in order to continue the search. How would we identify a signal as coming from an intelligent source? It would have to consist of a complex pattern with occasionally repeated segments which could not be generated by a formula or a natural cause. An example of a repeated complex pattern is any human language. The carrier of the sequence could be as varied as ink on paper, electro-magnetic signals in space, sound through air, or smoke signals in the sky. Whenever and wherever such a pattern is found it is proof of an intelligent originator. This is why a pilot flying over a deserted beach could immediately recognize a message for help spelled out in the alignment of rocks on the beach even if he did not know the language in which the message was formed. The pattern itself would be immediately recognizable as having an intelligent source.

The series of simple repeated patterns emitted by rapidly rotating stars (quasars) is not evidence of intelligence because the sequence is too regular and contains no information. Random non-repeating patterns are merely noise and are also not evidence of intelligent origin. It is only when there is a complex pattern with occasionally repeated segments that an intelligent originator must have been involved. If such a pattern coming from outer space were to be discovered; it would be proof that we are not alone in our universe.

The primary motivation for the effort to find this pattern coming from a source outside of our solar system is philosophic and not scientific. If evidence of other life forms was found; it would be heralded as proof that life had developed elsewhere. In other words, given the right conditions... life could pop up anywhere. Yet, there is not a single shred of evidence that life exists anywhere else in the physical universe. Since the effort is philosophically rather than scientifically motivated, negative results seldom change the motivation or beliefs of the experimenters.

The same individuals who are willing to spend millions of taxpayer dollars in an effort to find such a pattern in electromagnetic signals from space are unwilling to acknowledge that the same type of complex pattern, found in all living cells, came from an intelligent source. In our search for intelligent extra-terrestrial life, why don’t we take our eyes off the telescope and put them on the microscope? Inside every living organism is a marvelous blueprint for life known as the DNA molecule. Guess what this organic molecule contains? A complex pattern with occasionally repeated segments which could not be generated by a formula or a natural cause! This is the same type of evidence which scientists would immediately accept as proof of intelligent origin - if it was found coming from outer space.

Why isn’t the coded sequence of the DNA molecule heralded as evidence of intelligent origin? Can it be that many scientists are blind to the evidence for supernatural design because they have been trained to believe that an intelligent, creator God cannot be considered? Does peer pressure from the scientific community stop the open acknowledgment of this obvious evidence for the divine origin of biological life? Furthermore, as knowledge of our universe increases, do we have more or less reason to believe in its supernatural origin?

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Miracle Medical Insurance

By RC

Over the last six years of doing full-time missionary work, I’ve seen Jesus do amazing miracles to provide, guide, and protect me.

A friend asked me recently what my biggest leap of faith had been to date. It was hard to pick a certain moment, as I’ve come to see that every time Jesus presents a challenge and through faith I overcome, He “upgrades” me; the next challenge is a little harder and more faith is required. In that way my faith is always growing.

But there was one time that I can say was a definite turning point in my life of faith. I was 18 years old and on my way to Ethiopia with another missionary friend. Neither of us had been there before, I had never been to Africa period. So I felt rather uncertain. We landed in Frankfurt, Germany, and on arrival at the train station, we started talking to two people who turned out to be from Ethiopia. They introduced us to their churchand the locals there. We didn’t have any finances for the tickets, and the deadline for the flight was getting closer as the days passed.

For a couple of days prior I had been experiencing odd twinges in the right side of my stomach. The twinges quickly turned into sharp, stabbing pain, but up till that point I had never been really sick before and so I ignored it. Early one morning, the day before our departure, I woke up with a start; nothing had woken me, but something wasn’t right. I stood up and blacked out.

When I woke up a few minutes later, the pain was unimaginable. My friend had woken to me falling on the floor and wasn’t sure what the problem was. At the hospital, after hours of the doctors trying to figure out what was wrong, they discovered I had ovarian cysts and that two large ones had ruptured, causing internal bleeding.

The doctors explained that I would need an operation immediately, and to please give my insurance details. I didn’t have any. I was young, a new missionary, and honestly had never thought about insurance. One doctor got very upset and explained in detail that this operation could cost up to 15,000 euros and that it had to be paid. “What are you going to do?” When I started to hesitantly say that I believed God could do a miracle, he just laughed.

I was scared, and in the back of my mind was this voice saying, “This is a punishment for the things you’ve done wrong. If you really had faith, this wouldn’t have happened.” They wouldn’t let my friend in, so I lay there asking myself, “What will I do? What will I do?” An angel, in the form of a nurse, came in just then and said, “Don’t think about the money. You belong to God. If you can’t have faith in anything else, trust in His love.”

I decided to go ahead with the operation, and found out later that my friends who were doing projects throughout Europe and Africa were having hourly prayer vigil and were already seeing how they could pay for the operation. The days after the operation were rough. The rules would not allow my friend to visit much, but what was really eating at me was that I should have been in Ethiopia by then.

Just a few months prior I had dedicated my life to Jesus and serving Him, but before that I had been as far away from the life of faith as was possible. How the heck am I going to pay for the operation? Is this a punishment? Why did it happen?

During this time another lady was put in the same room as me, and I could hear her talking to her daughter, saying, “I don’t want to die. I don’t want to face God’s punishments. What will happen to my family ... and why is God allowing this?” She was speaking in Turkish, and while I’m by no means fluent, I understood what she was saying.

I started to speak to her through her daughter, who spoke English. I told them about God’s love and how perfect it is. How God allows suffering so that we can better understand His love and grow closer to Him. I started to find the answers to the very same fears and doubts that I had been struggling with as I spoke to her.

She was dying of cancer of the intestines, and although they were going to try to operate, there was only a 30% chance of success. The day before I was released from the hospital, she called me over and said, “In the Koran, Jesus is called the Healer. I have heard you pray to Him. Please pray now for my life.” Her whole family was standing there with such expectant faith. I don’t remember the prayer or what I said, but I was so desperate for Jesus to do something and honor their faith.

The next day I was released and told to stay in bed and rest for two weeks. The only problem was that I had nowhere to go. I was issued a paper saying I had to report to the hospital with how I was going to pay the bill within a month’s period. I walked to the entrance of the hospital and sat down and started to pray.

About two hours later I heard my name being shouted. I turned around to see the daughter of the Turkish woman who had gone for the operation. “It’s a miracle! The miracle from God,” she was saying over and over. She explained that just before the operation the doctors decided to do one more scan. The cancer had wrapped itself all around her intestines. But the scan showed something completely different. All of the cancer was gone, except for a small bit right on top. The operation took very little time and she was fine. The doctors said they had never seen anything like it happen before—it was a miracle.

I stayed with that family for two weeks, and during that time each of them asked questions about God’s love and Jesus’ power to heal. During that time the father, mother, and daughter asked Jesus to come into their hearts and change their lives.

What happened to the miracle needed for the hospital bill? Well, on the second week, with shaking knees but a greater faith that Jesus would work it out, I went to the hospital, told them my name, and waited for the secretaries to call me. Finally one lady called me into the office. She looked at me with a confused look and then looked back at the file. Finally she asked me for my date of birth and birthplace. I told her, and she shook her head. For 40 long minutes she rattled on her keyboard, made calls, and got more and more angry and frustrated.

Finally she threw the file down and said, “Bah! There is no real record of your having even been here.” I must have looked as confused as I felt, as she continued, “There was a woman here with the same name as you, but according to our files she was 76 years old, had inflammation of the joints, and was covered by our medical insurance policy. We cannot charge you if there is no record of you even existing. You can go!”

I stumbled out of that office hardly believing that Jesus with His wonderful sense of humor had taken my medical file and replaced it with that of a 76-year-old lady. When I went back to the house of my friends and told them what had happened, the mother called the hospital to make sure. It was as the secretary had said: they couldn’t find a single trace of paperwork that I had ever been in the hospital. “And to us Germans, if it’s not on paper, then it hasn’t happened.”

Before that miracle, I had always thought that miracles came to those that were more spiritual, to someone who was very close to Jesus. During this time I didn’t feel very full of faith at all. In fact, I was at my lowest point—just struggling to trust that Jesus loved me.

Remembering this experience helps me so much when I’m facing impossible situations and feel like I don’t have what it takes to receive a miracle. Since then the miracles I’ve experienced have always happened when I stopped trying to use my “common sense” and simply told Jesus I needed Him and Him alone, and then immediately followed whatever He said.

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A Evolução do ADN é Possível?

A Evolução do DNA é Possível? from Dennis Molinski

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Is it a Bird..a Fish...or a Mammal?

Loons have been documented diving 200 feet under the water and swimming with the agility of a fish. Indoctrination from our school, museum, and media system presents such abilities as having evolved over time by some natural mechanism. Believers in evolution provide only a superficial explanation for such specialized abilities, while totally ignoring the problems posed by such speculation. To see this dichotomy more clearly, let’s examine in detail just one remarkable characteristic of the common loon.

The loon is the only bird that has solid bones similar to a mammal. Bones form the framework of bodies upon which the muscles, ligaments, and other tissue have a place to anchor and function. In animals, other than birds, bones are the densest and the mechanically strongest parts of the body. However, in birds, the bones have been designed hollow in order to reduce the overall weight of the bird, allowing it to fly while expending the least possible energy. The bones of birds, while remarkably strong for their weight, are less dense than surrounding tissue and can actually float on water -- except for the bones of a loon. It turns out that the loon has solid bones like mammals, rather than hollow bones like all other birds. Why is this and how could it have happened?

Every part of the loon is designed for it to function perfectly as a deep water diver. Its relatively small wings allow quick movement and direction changes under water. Its large webbed feet allow it to not only propel itself underwater, but to run on top of the water for assisted take-offs. And most importantly, its solid bones give it low enough buoyancy so it can rapidly descend to great depths when searching for fish. Other water birds such as ducks and swans, ride high in the water due to their hollow bones, but they cannot dive deep in search of fish. If the loon had hollow bones; diving deep would be as difficult as SCUBA diving with an inflated life vest.

Believers in evolution would argue that the loon developed its solid bones over time as small changes in DNA gave some pre-loon type bird increasingly denser bones resulting in the advantage of being able to dive deeper. This sounds logical, BUT the problems with such a scenario have been ignored. First, the whole idea of a bone slowly changing from hollow to solid is just story telling. There is no fossil or factual evidence to suggest it ever happened. Similar storytelling is repeatedly presented as science by evolutionary believers as they talk about their faith. Second, the structure of the two types of bone is completely different and involves a totally unique DNA sequence. Expecting random changes in the DNA code to change one type of bone to another would be like a cardboard factory suddenly turning out solid lumber due to random changes over time in the fiber processing machinery. It could simply never ever happen. Finally, the bone structure supports the surrounding tissue. Not only would the bones have to change, all the DNA code for each of the surrounding tissues, ligaments, muscle types, and blood generation apparatus within the bones would have to change simultaneously and function perfectly while the bones themselves were transforming from hollow to solid. Upon close examination the whole concept of slow change over time is preposterous.

If students were given all of this information, when presented with the unique features of an individual organism, and were then asked to ponder the relevant question - how did this organism develop its unique features? – they would be far more likely to discover the truth.

Only two possibilities exist -- the DNA information was programmed by a designer (creation) or this information developed by random mutational changes (evolution). The reason this choice of possibilities is not presented to students is that they would invariably choose creation - leaving naturalistic scientists with no followers. Furthermore, these same students would be far more likely to place the reality of God’s existence at the center of every other choice they face in life.

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A Blast From the Past: The Non-Aligned Movement

By Eric Margolis, September 03, 2012
This week’s Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) conference in Tehran brought nostalgic memories of the Cold War and world-bestriding leaders like Nehru, Nasser, Castro, Nkrumah, and Sukarno. Most of them were disasters for their nations, but they certainly were colorful and interesting.

In spite of intense efforts by the US and Israel to deter attendance at the Tehran meeting—backed by a wave of western media attacks on the conclave—over 150 nations and international bodies attended.

This big turnout marked a major failure by Washington to further tighten its siege of Iran. Of particular note was the presence of India’s prime minister, Manmohan Singh. India refused to bow to US pressure to boycott the event and announced future energy, trade and transport deals with Tehran.

Iran plays a key role in India’s plans to expand its influence over Afghanistan and Central Asia. India is building a new, strategic rail line linking the Iranian port of Chahbahar to western Afghanistan. Iran supplies over 11% of India’s fast-growing demand for energy. Delhi increasingly worries about the security of its Mideast energy imports.

As I wrote a decade ago in my first book, War at the Top of the World, the US and India may one day become rivals for Mideast oil and gas resources—and, indeed, for control of the Gulf. India’s refusal to go along with US policy further underlines the gradual shift to Asia of the world’s center of strategic and economic gravity.

To Washington’s further annoyance, Egypt’s new president, Mohammed Morsi, shrugged off threats of a cut in US aid and flew to Tehran. Under the 30-year Mubarak dictatorship, Egypt had been a bulwark against Iran. But no more. The increasingly assertive, independent Morsi made clear that Egypt would follow its own foreign policy interests rather than those of the US and Israel, as in the past.

Morsi has surprised just about everyone. When he stumbled into power earlier this year he was regarded as a plodding nobody, selected by the all-powerful military to do its bidding and not make trouble. The Muslim Brotherhood leader, a former space engineer, threw off his cloak of humility and quickly proceeded to muzzle Egypt’s bullying US-backed military, the key to US domination of Egypt for the past 40 years.

How Morsi pulled this off without facing a military coup remains a mystery. But he certainly had the backing of most Egyptians. It took Turkey’s Islamist Lite government a decade to push the swaggering generals back to their barracks and bring real democracy.

The Egyptian leader stunned everyone by openly blasting the Syrian regime of Bashar Assad, calling for its replacement by an elected, democratic government. Egyptian intervention in the bloody Syrian conflict may help pave a way to a peaceful settlement. It could also rekindle ancient Egyptian-Syrian rivalry for leadership of the Arab world.

In spite of issuing dulcet banalities about Egypt’s turn to democracy, Washington is extremely unhappy with Egypt’s newly elected government. Egypt will no longer be a discreet defender and ally of Israel, as under Mubarak, but a rival power that genuinely demands a Palestinian state and sees no reason to confront Iran or other US foes.

The US is responding to Egypt’s newfound independence by muttering about cuts to its annual $1.3 billion donations to Egypt’s military and millions more in secret payments. However, the Saudis and Gulf Arabs are lending cash-strapped Cairo $3 billion and the US-run IMF another $4.8 billion in loans. Interestingly, President Morsi just visited China where he received pledges of aid.

In past years, most non-aligned conferences, whose objective was to find a middle way between the West and Soviet Empire, produced only hot air, often quite anti-American. As America’s world power declines after the loss of two wars and deep recession, the NAM meeting in Tehran may be a step, albeit small, towards moving away from today’s unipolar world towards a more balanced, equitable international system.

Iran’s supreme leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei loosed a Parthian Shaft at the summit’s end. He called the United Nations Security Council outdated, unbalanced, and an instrument of the western powers. Khamenei called for a major reform of the world institution. Few delegates disagreed with him.

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Nick Vujicic on Why God Made Him Limbless

Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post, Sep. 03, 2012
Evangelist Nick Vujicic, who spoke at Saddleback Church in Calif. on Sunday, was born with neither arms nor legs, and questioned God for eight years why it was so. The answer changed his life, and through him that of tens of thousands of others.

For the now 30-year-old Nick, founding president and CEO of the nonprofit organization Life Without Limbs, the most important thing in life was to understand why God made him without arms and legs.

Speaking at Pastor Rick Warren’s church in Lake Forest on Sunday evening, the inspirational speaker said he spent eight years asking God, “Why? Why was I born this way? I don’t understand how can You say You love me when You allow me to stay in this pain.”

Vujicic, who has been living in California since 2007, was born in Brisbane, Australia. His parents—Pastor Boris Vujicic and nurse Dushka Vujicic—were not given any medical explanation or warning about his birth with neither arms nor legs. But Nick got the answer to his desperate prayers.

John 9:1-3 spoke to him in a special way. The New Testament portion reads: “As he (Jesus) went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.’”

The Life Without Limbs author described his feelings after reading these verses. “I got goosebumps on my skin I don’t even have,” he told the congregants. “And I had faith because I understood something. You see, all I wanted to know was that God knew what He was doing with me.”

By the age of 19, Nick started to fulfill his dream of being able to encourage other people and bring them the Gospel of Jesus through motivational speaking and sharing his testimony about how God changed his life and gave him a future and a hope.

The desire to have arms and legs has remained, Vujicic admitted. Initially, he thought, “Lord, if you give me arms and legs, I’ll go around the world and share your power with the world.” He said he still has ups and downs in life. “I am just like you.”

Vujicic said he has failed God every single day, but has relied on Philippians 1:6: “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Vujicic recalled he and dozens of his Christian friends once prayed for 90 minutes for his arms and legs in a farm in a jungle in India. They made arms and legs with clay, and prayed it turn into flesh and bone. It didn’t happen, but he had peace in his heart as he saw an eagle soaring in the sky throughout those 90 minutes. He said it was as if God was smiling, and was happy he had the faith to pray.

“Please give me arms and legs. But if You don’t give me arms and legs, I trust You.” This has been Vujicic’s prayer. He said his commitment to Jesus is “to want His plan, and not my plan … even when I don’t understand.”

You are praying for something, but what if God says “no” to that? he asked. “Is He still God? Yes. Will He waste your pain? No.” He quoted Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Vujicic, who has traveled around the world, sharing his story with millions of people, said he’s grateful to God for saving him from the two biggest disabilities: sin and death.

He said when he was 10 he wanted to commit suicide, and wanted to see someone like him so that he wouldn’t be alone. Five years ago in California, he finally met a baby named Daniel, who too was born without arms and legs … “exactly like me.” “Not getting a miracle, I can be a miracle to Daniel … an older brother of Daniel his whole life … encourage him.”

Nick said if he truly lived without arms and legs throughout his life “just so I can hug Daniel in heaven, it’s all worth it.”

“I found the purpose of my existence, and also the purpose of my circumstance. There’s a purpose for why you’re in the fire,” he says on his ministry’s website. “If God can use a man without arms and legs to be His hands and feet, then He will certainly use any willing heart!”

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