Dwight E. Eisenhower

“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone.
It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children.
The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities.
It is two electric power plants, each serving a town of 60,000 population.
It is two fine, fully equipped hospitals. It is some 50 miles of concrete highway.
We pay for a single fighter plane with a half-million bushels of wheat.
We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people.
This, I repeat, is the best way of life to be found on the road the world has been taking.
This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron.”

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Ray Cross talks about Science, Evolution and Creation.

http://media.raycross.net/Creation/1suitcases.mp3

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Two Men Who Changed the World!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      By Dennis Edwards:

On February 12th, 1809 two men were born who would change the course of history. Abraham Lincoln was one of them. He once said, “I can see how it is possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how he could look up into the heavens and say, there is no God.”[1] He also made a comment about the Bible: “In regards to this great book (the Bible), I have but to say it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave the world was communicated through this book. But for it we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man´s welfare, here, and hereafter, are found portrayed in it.”[2] We all remember Lincoln as President during the American Civil War and his famous Gettysburg address and the emancipation of the slaves.

But born the same day as he, in Shrewsbury, England was another man, who´s life and writings have had a far greater affect on mankind than that of Lincoln. This man once wrote, “If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down.”[3] He also said, “The mystery of the beginning of all things is insolvable by us; and I for one must be content to remain agnostic.”[4] Charles Darwin who´s Origins of the Species has had a greater impact on modern man than perhaps any other idea. His theory has affected every aspect of our thinking including education, psychology, sociology, science, history, political science, economics, philosophy and religion. Charles´ book was published in 1859. In it, he presented his idea of the descent of life from a common ancestor, the idea that all life goes back to a common origin.

                                                                                                                                                              The General Theory of Evolution or “molecules to man” evolution is the idea that life formed spontaneously about 3.5 billion years ago. Slowly by the process of natural selection, together with beneficial mutations, the first living cell eventually evolved into all the different life forms that we see alive today. Darwin was famous for suggesting that natural selection or nature acting upon a living organism would act like a selective breeder.

Even though Edwin Blythe wrote about natural selection earlier in 1831, it is Darwin who has received the credit. The truth is that nature does act upon organisms and cause them to change. For example: look at a pack of wolves. In the pack, some wolves have short hair, some medium and some long. Some wolves have thick hair, some thin and some in between. If the wolves migrate into a colder climate, natures affect on the pack would be to favor those with the longer and thicker hair. The wolves with shorter or thinner hair would be selected against. In time, the shorter/thinner hair wolves would die out, leaving just the long/thicker haired ones. Natural selection is this process and it does happen.

However, Darwin assumed natural selection had creative power. He saw that another “species” could be developed slightly different from the original one. Thus, he postulated that with enough time, millions of years, for example, a completely new animal type could evolve. A bear or a wolf could eventually evolve into a whale given enough time. Time became the master of the plot.

Darwin´s idea, oddly enough, was quite quickly accepted by the religious community. Many churches and religious leaders had already accepted Charles Lyell´s idea of millions of years and the uniformitarian interpretation of geology. James Hutton back in 1788 had published his book The Theory of the Earth reinterpreting the geological column into millions of years instead of the traditional Biblical 6000 years. In 1830 Lyell had published his Principles of Geology convincingly arguing in favor of Hutton´s reinterpretation of the geologic record. Lyell´s mantra was to get Moses out of science.

Up until that time, scientist had generally interpreted the geological evidence in terms of the creation and the flood. Kepler, Newton, Pastuer and Mendel, to name a few, were all creationists. In 1658 Archbishop James Ussher´s Annals of the World had been published and traced the history of the world back to the flood and then to creation on the 23rd of October 4004 BC. The flood was believed to have occurred some 1650 years later in 2350 BC. Most scientists, until the 1800´s, had believed in a rational God who had created a rational world for us to live in. Therefore, by the careful studying of life and of nature, one could discover the how and the why to the way God had done things. As the famous early scientist and astronomer Johann Kepler said about his research, “I was merely thinking God´s thoughts after Him.”[5]

The religious community was already accepting the ideas of millions of years. In 1855, four years before the publishing of Charles book, we find that even the famous evangelist Charles Spurgeon had succumbed to the idea of millions of years. “Can any man tell me when the beginning was? Years ago we thought the beginning of the world was when Adam came upon it. But we have discovered that thousands of years before that God was preparing chaotic matter to make it a fit abode for man, putting races of creatures upon it, who might die and leave behind the marks of his handiwork and marvelous skill, before he tried his hand on man.”[6]

Once you deny the authority of God´s word you are left with believing man´s word over God´s word. Since the Garden of Eden, the enemy´s method has been to try to get God´s people to doubt God´s word. “And the serpent said unto the woman, ´Has God said?´”[7] Doubting the truth of God´s word led to Eve´s and Adam’s ultimate disobedience. By accepting the millions of years of Hutton and Lyell, by accepting Darwin´s General Theory of Evolution, modern man has eaten from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and has been deceived. As Michael Denton Australian biologists and agnostic wrote in his book Evolution: A Theory in Crisis in 1985, “Today it is perhaps the Darwinian view of nature more than any other that is responsible for the agnostic and skeptical outlook of the twentieth century.”[8]

Even though there was no proof in the fossil record in 1859, Charles postulated that later generations would find the missing fossil links to prove his theory. However, the links have never been found.

Scientists know today that neither natural selection nor beneficial mutation can add new genetic information to the genome. Dr. Jonathan Wells, molecular biologist has said, “There is no evidence that DNA can provide the sorts of variation needed for evolution. There is no evidence for beneficial mutations at the level of macroevolution, but there is also no evidence at the level of what is commonly regarded as microevolution.”[9] Therefore, “molecules to man” evolution doesn’t have a mechanism. Rather than reveal the truth to the general public, the evolutionary scientists try to cover up the facts. As they themselves have admitted, “we cannot allow one divine foot in the door.”[10] Even though the scientists know evolution has no mechanism, they hold to the theory because the only other viable possibly is divine creation. To them, creation is intolerable.

But don’t dinosaurs and fossils prove the earth is millions of year’s old, one may ask? All the dinosaur’s bones prove is that dinosaurs once existed and have become extinct. The bones do not come with labels and dates on them. What most people do not understand is that every scientist has preconceived ideas. Scientists are not neutral. Why is there such a difference in opinion between the evolution scientist and creation scientist? Either one can be highly decorated scientifically, yet both will interpret the evidence, the fossils, differently. The reason is they have different mindsets and their mindsets, or belief systems, cause them to interpret fossils or geological events differently.

One might also ask about carbon dating and radiometric dating. Haven´t these proven the earth is millions or even billions of years old? Remember, evidence is always interpreted. Creation scientists have good answers to these questions which we do not have room to discuss now. But there are good logical scientific answers. Remember, science is done by fallible men and women who always start their science with assumptions. Depending on their assumptions, they come up with different conclusions. In his book The Young Earth, Dr. John Morris goes over many of the physical evidences that seem to indicate that the a young earth perspective makes better sense than a "millions of years" perspective.[11]

I believe, we can trust God´s Word, always, over man´s word. Even though you may be intimidated by the scientific jargon and reasoning, God has an answer. Creation scientists and apologetics are doing all they can to get the tools to you so you can answer questions about science, evolution and faith. With a little study and research, you will soon be able to defend the faith, as Peter has admonished us to do. “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts (you´ll need to spend time with the Lord): and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.”[12] God bless you as you “study to show yourself approved unto God, rightly dividing the word of truth.”[13] Amen!

More information about the creation/evolution debate can be found at these websites: Creation Ministries International at www.creation.com or Answers in Genesis at www.answersingenesis.org or the Institute for Creation Research at www.icr.org or www.creationtoday.org .

Footnotes:

1. Lincoln, Abraham; http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/131220-i-can-see-how-it-might-be-possible-for-a.
2. Lincoln, Abraham; http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/392563-in-regards-to-this-great-book-the-bible-i-have
3. Darwin, Charles; The Origins of the Species, 1859; http://www.bartleby.com/11/6005.html
4. Darwin, Charles; Life and Letters; http://www.millthorpeschool.co.uk/departments/re/Y10%20Powerpoints/Christian%20beliefs%20about%20God.pdf
5. Kepler, Johann; 1571-1630, http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Johannes_Kepler
6. Spurgeon, Charles; C.H. Spurgeon, “Election,” The New Park Street Pulpit 1-from 1855-56 sermons (1990): 318.
7. Genesis 3:1
8. Denton, Dr. Michael; Evolution: A Theory in Crisis; http://www.exampleofgrace.net/evolution-is-a-false-relgion.php
9. Wells, Dr. Jonathan; The Design of Life, 2008; with William Demski..
10. Lewontin, Prof. Richard; Defeating Darwinism by Opening Minds - Page 81, by Philip E. Johnson, 1997.
11. Morris, Dr. John, The Young Earth, Master Books, 2007. or see the following link: http://www.temcat.com/L-4-Topical-Library/Creation/TheYoung-Earth.pdf
12. 1Peter 3:15
13. 2Timothy 2:15

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Pope tells priests to practice what you preach

Associated Press, April 14, 2013
ROME—Pope Francis told priests on Sunday to practice what they preach, saying the church’s credibility was on the line.

During a Mass to formally take possession of one of the Vatican basilicas in Rome, Francis said ordinary Catholics need to “see in our actions what they hear from our lips.”

Francis has made himself an example of a more humble and frugal church by refusing many of the trappings of the papacy, living in the Vatican hotel rather than the Apostolic Palace and wearing a simple white cassock of the papacy rather than fancy vestments and capes for formal occasions that his predecessors wore.

“Inconsistency on the part of pastors and the faithful between what they say and what they do, between word and manner of life, is undermining the church’s credibility,” he said.

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No Longer Duty-Bound

By Steve Hearts

Since the change journey, I have come to experience an immense liberty as I learn to do my duties for God out of true love for Him rather than obligation. I find myself renewed and revolutionized as I switch from focusing on the fulfilling of requirements to simply strengthening my relationship with Jesus.

In times past it was often as though I would do one thing only to “leave the other undone.”1 When it came to fulfilling the required hour and a half to two hours of Word intake, I was like clockwork—intent on proving that not even my blindness could get in the way of this important “duty.” Here, precisely, was where the problem lay. I was duty-bound.

I would come away from my times with the Lord feeling satisfied with myself for having fulfilled my obligation, and judge others who seemed less assiduous about this than I did. Yet when unexpected problems or emergencies occurred, I often found myself freaking out and buckling under the weight, while many of those whom I had judged for their lack of diligence were exhibiting a calm, trusting attitude.

I soon saw that my relationship with the Lord went no further than fulfilling the letter of the law, making it impossible for me to grow and benefit therefrom. I faithfully took in the Word but failed to act on it, thus making it “of none effect” in my life.2 Those I was judging, on the other hand, were truly living and reaping the benefits of the spiritual input they were taking in.

My focus having switched from the fulfillment of requirements to the strengthening of my relationship with the Lord, I now feel I have been set free. No longer being duty-bound enables me to more easily pursue and obtain the benefits that the former requirements were originally meant to bring about.

The tendency to be duty-bound can be traced as far back as my childhood. Back then, I took great pleasure in correcting my peers and siblings and reporting their misdeeds. I was often called a “tattletale.” My mother would remind me time and again, “It’s not your place to correct people.” One of my caretakers told me, “You, with your tattletale attitude, are just as guilty as those whose misdeeds you’re reporting.”

A story tells of a New England farming family, which was expecting a minister to lodge with them and preach in their church the following day. It was a stormy night with heavy snow falling. At the time the minister was expected, a rather elderly gentleman came to the door, asking to know the distance to the nearest town. Being certain that weather conditions would prevent him from going any further, he asked to lodge with the farmer and his family for the night. They agreed, surmising that their expected guest must also have been detained by the elements.

Over supper, the gentleman conversed with his hosts, discovering that they were faithful church-attendees. He then asked if they knew how many commandments there are. They all confidently affirmed that there are ten.

“Are you certain?” asked the gentleman dubiously. “Are there not eleven?”

The guest was berated for his “ignorance” and taken aside for a study with the farmer.

The gentleman left early the next morning, before the family headed for church—supposedly to continue on his journey. Therefore, upon arriving at church, they were all surprised to see none other than the same man heading straight to the pulpit. The title of his sermon surprised them yet further: “The 11th Commandment,” whereupon he read the passage, “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another.”3 Upon hearing his sermon, his hosts saw that they were the “ignorant” ones.

It then dawned on them that this man was the minister they had been expecting the night before. At the end of the service, they greeted him, apologized profusely for their rudeness, and thanked him for his timely sermon.

Jesus is calling us to more than just duty for Him. He invites us to a relationship with Him. He appreciates our assiduous devotion to the tasks He gives us. But what He desires most from us is love—a love that goes beyond obligation and springs from the depths of the heart.


1 Matthew 23:23.

2 Mark 7:13.

3 John 13:34.

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Tales from Gaza: What is life really like in 'the world's largest outdoor prison'?

Alistair Dawber, The Independent, 13 April 2013
The guide books warn that it’s very unstable and that tourists shouldn’t go there; the Foreign Office tells Brits that there’s a high threat from terrorism—don’t visit any part of the territory, it says, and if you do, there is no ‘our man’ there to help you out.

In truth, it is pretty difficult to get into Gaza anyway. Unless you are a journalist or work for an NGO, the likelihood is that you will get stopped at Israel’s airport-terminal-like border post at Erez, which governs who is allowed to enter the Palestinian territory and, more importantly in Israeli eyes, who is allowed out.

But once you do get permission to go to Gaza, you realise that it is not like anywhere else. After getting the necessary stamps in your passport, you take a long walk through an 800-metre or so long cage, overlooked by Israeli army gun posts and balloons fixed with cameras that keep an eye over what’s going on. Locals call it “the world’s biggest prison”, and it’s not difficult to understand why.

You eventually arrive at the first of two checkpoints, controlled by the Palestinian Authority and the moderate Fatah faction. Fatah doesn’t run Gaza, but since Hamas, which is in charge, does not recognise Israel, it will not inform the Israelis on their side of the border that you are coming back.

To think that Gaza City (the Palestinians refer to both the city and the 10km x 40km territory by the same name) is just a few kilometres from modern-day Israel is remarkable. It is like plenty of other Arab towns, just poorer, and after November’s eight-day war between Hamas and Israel, many buildings in the city centre lie in ruins, like collapsed wedding cakes, after being hit by missiles.

Gaza is about 5,000 years old and one of the world’s oldest cities. In that time it has been both a thriving port and, as it is today, a sprawling mess of refugee camps and poverty. According to the United Nations, 1.5 million people call it home, making Gaza one of the most densely populated areas on the planet. Of the 1.5 million inhabitants, 1.1 million are refugees; those who lived in what is now Israel before 1948 refuse to give up the belief that one day they’ll return to their former homes.

The UN predicts that by 2020, the population will be more than 2 million, and that GDP per capita of about $2,700 by 2015 is less than what people were earning in 1990. Hospitals need an extra 800 beds now and, by 2020, an additional 1,000 doctors and 2,000 nurses.

But why is life in Gaza so difficult? It is not hard to imagine the place as a thriving Mediterranean resort: the white beaches are gorgeous and the seafood—such as the tuna served to us on the beach by the fisherman Rachad al-Hisi—is peerless.

The obvious—if incomplete—answer is the blockade imposed by Israel, which justifies the sanctions on security grounds. Before last year’s war, more than 2,000 rockets from Gaza fell on southern Israel; in the past, militants from Gaza have launched manned attacks from the territory.

In 2006, Hamas, an ideological Islamic and militant organisation that, since its inception, has been committed to the end of Israel, surprisingly won elections in Gaza. The poll, still regarded as probably the most democratic in the history of the Arab world, ushered in international sanctions. The situation deteriorated the following year when a unity government between Hamas and Fatah, which controls the other Palestinian territory, the West Bank, collapsed amid grisly violence that resulted in the deaths of at least 120 people, some publicly executed, others after having been pushed from the top of tall buildings.

Following the battle, Israel and Egypt sealed Gaza on the grounds that Fatah was unable to provide security. Now Israel inspects most of what enters and leaves Gaza, and limits supplies; it is able to determine what materials reach people there, and what does not.

After the eight-day war between Israel and Hamas in November, Gazans report that there has been an increased supply of goods, but Israel, concerned about the prospect of rockets being fired at the south of the country and Tel Aviv, maintains its blockade.

The testimonies over the following pages are a small snapshot into life in Gaza, by people who can rarely get their voices heard.

This is not a scientific study of life in Gaza, more a portrait of interesting individuals we met there. There are many thousands like those we met, and though not suffering famine or the spread of deadly disease, for people in Gaza life is still desperate. The frustration is palpable and in a land that has a violent history, that frustration, mixed with an easy supply of arms and an obvious enemy, is a very dangerous mix indeed.

‘Because of the restrictions, we’re catching fewer fish’—RACHAD AL-HISI, FISHERMAN
Working with his younger colleagues, Rachad al-Hisi had spent the morning making repairs to a tennis-court-size green sardine net spread out on the beach that forms one of the boundaries of Gaza City.

Now 67 years old, al-Hisi has been fishing these waters since 1962. “Gaza is in a geographically bad position for fishing,” he complains. “We’re in the corner of the Mediterranean and the big, expensive fish don’t travel this far—to get them, we’ve got to go further out into the sea.”

For the first 20 years of al-Hisi’s life as a fisherman, that wasn’t a problem. He was able to fish wherever he wanted, and Gaza—one of the world’s oldest cities—was vibrant, with plenty of tourists coming to enjoy the beautiful beaches and keeping the price of the day’s catch high.

But that was then. With 14 children to support at home in Gaza City’s al-Shati or Beach camp for refugees, the one-third of a square mile web of streets and concrete that is home to nearly 90,000 people, life has become significantly more difficult for al-Hisi and Gaza’s other fisherman.

Rachad al-Hisi blames two groups: the Israelis and the Egyptians. When we visited al-Hisi, the Israelis would only allow Gaza’s fishermen to fish six miles from the coastline, a policy that changed to just three miles three weeks ago in response to rockets being fired from the territory into southern Israel during the visit of Barack Obama.

“We can only catch the big fish 10 miles out to sea—so how are we supposed to catch them now? Because of the restrictions we’re catching fewer fish and making less money,” he says. “We are always getting into trouble; because our boats are not fitted with sophisticated navigation equipment, we go after the fish and then all of sudden we’re seven miles out to sea and in trouble.

“But it’s not just the Israelis who are picking us up. The Egyptians also stop us fishing in their waters, but they are taking fish from our waters too. There are species that used to be plentiful here—sea bass, red mullet—we just don’t see them any more. Of course, it’s better to be arrested by the Egyptians rather than the Israelis.”

‘Before the fighting it was dangerous to be a farmer’—SAEED JNEAD, FARMER
We ask Saeed Jnead, a 53-year-old farmer, for an interview as he travels along a dirt track on the back of his donkey-pulled cart about half a mile from the fortified border with Israel. Within minutes, the jovial Mr Jnead has stopped, invited us to his farm for coffee and is surrounded by members of his family on the dusty road, wondering what on Earth we’re doing there.

Farmers, usually growers of olives, dates and citrus fruits, have been among the biggest losers of the isolation of Gaza. The Israeli army prevents them from getting too close to the security wall and in many cases, the farmers have lost large tracts of land.

But Mr Jnead, whose tooth-bereft mouth seems to be forever smiling, is clearly one of life’s optimists. “Life here since the war [the eight-day conflict between Israel and Hamas in November] has improved. Before the fighting, it was very dangerous to be a farmer. Believe me, when one of my sons went off in the donkey cart in the morning, I always worried about whether he would ever come back.”

Mr Jnead’s children, and their prospects in what is often referred to as the world’s largest open prison, is top of his concerns. “I want a peaceful place where my children and their families can be secure in their own land. I’m not talking about tomorrow, but we have to believe in the future, although things do change—you [the UK] used to occupy the United States, but look what’s happened now, look who’s stronger. It may be too late for my life, but that’s what I hope for my sons.”

Mr Jnead’s father planted the fruit trees on the farm in 1956, including the lemon grove where Mr Jnead takes us for a glass of thick Arabic coffee. It is where Mr Jnead has tried to work all his life.

He is someone who has felt the force of the Israeli army—his house was destroyed during what was then one of the regular incursions of 2004. “They came at midnight and in the morning. All of a sudden, my house was gone. I’ve still not had any explanation.”

But Mr Jnead seems to be the kind of person who would forgive all the past problems in favour of a lasting peace deal. “Peace is essential. Without it we will carry on like this, with this terrible life.” Sitting next to his young son, 13-year-old Ashor, who was recently stung on the eye by a bee, Mr Jnead adds: “What will he do with this life? I want him to be a doctor or a lawyer—I have the same aspirations as any parent in the West; but here, like this, what chance does he really have?”

‘We’re not political. Anyone can come to drink our coffee’—RAMADAN MALCHA, CAFÉ OWNER
Sitting in a seafront café just south of Gaza City, you can picture what the place could be like. It has all the natural benefits of a Mediterranean city, and if somehow a lasting peace could be guaranteed, it is not such a stretch to imagine Thomson Holidays offering all-inclusive breaks at luxury resorts there.

Someone who shares this vision, or perhaps more accurately, a version of it, is Ramadan Malcha. He’s the owner of the Estnbool Café, which is situated just off the beach. His establishment, he assures us, is named after the Turkish city.

We meet Malcha after stopping off in the Estnbool. It is a large cavernous place, and it’s not difficult to imagine how this, too, could end up as a popular destination for Brits looking for some cheap summer sun.

That may be a pipe dream, but nonetheless, Malcha says that business is booming: “We’re a cheap place for guys to hang out in and have a coffee, or for families to come at the weekends and have a meal,” he says, giving us his sales patter.

“All sorts of people come in here—we get business meetings, people using the beach and the unemployed who come here to pass the time. We’re not political, anyone’s welcome to come to drink our coffee—even if Ariel Sharon [the former Israeli prime minister] came here, he would be welcome, as long as he bought a coffee, and that wouldn’t cost him more than NIS 5 [5 New Israeli Shekels, about 90p].”

So all’s swell in Gaza, then? Not quite. Malcha Ramadan introduces us to his 19-year-old son, Yassir, who is set to get married in a few weeks’ time. “Of course, the main thing I want for my son is for him to be happy, but aside from that I want him to do better than I have done.

“I want my son to be a doctor, or maybe even a journalist, but that’s very difficult because the education system here is not so great.”

Elsewhere in the Estnbool, 33-year-old Mohammed Molhati has a less sunny outlook than Ramadan. A former construction worker, he has been unemployed for “some time”.

“Why would I blame Israel?” he says. “I blame Hamas and Fatah for their feuding—the only way to sort out Gaza is to dissolve the government, get rid of Hamas, get rid of Fatah and start a new government from the beginning.”

Why is he in the Estnbool that afternoon? “Because there’s nothing else to do.”

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Keeping the Heavenly Vision

By Jesus, speaking in prophecy

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Heavenly vision is like stepping into a planetarium and looking up to see the colossal, limitless, magnified realities of outer space.

To keep the heavenly vision means to focus on Me above all. It means to put the things of the spirit before the things of the flesh. It means reminding yourself why I took on human form and suffered and died for you so that I could redeem you, understand you, and forever forgive, heal, and protect you.

It means putting My Word first in your life and believing and acting on its truth. It means stepping into the temple with Me for quality focus and spiritual feeding. It means claiming My promises no matter how you feel or what your physical surroundings are like.

It means looking to Me and refusing to give up. The best way to keep the heavenly vision is to keep your eyes stayed on Me—to look to Me. That is the essence of keeping the heavenly vision—keeping your eyes focused on Me.

*

An athlete who is training in the hopes of reaching the Olympics must keep that vision, that goal, ever before him. He has the “Olympic vision,” and this gets him through every rough and grueling workout or practice. This makes the lack of time off, the fatigue during the day, the times when he gets little sleep at night, a nonevent.—Because that goal, that vision, becomes more important than any temporary pang of today. In order to survive those years of training, that goal has to be worth it—it has to be worth everything to him. And once he decides that it is, then he needs to fight to remain focused on that goal and to keep that vision before him at all times.

Decide if My Word and My promises for the future are worth laying aside other things in order to obtain that prize. Then, once you've decided, fight to keep that focus, that vision, ever before you.

Many of you have already made those decisions; but now comes the period of tenacity and determination when you fight to not lose focus.

What are some practical things you can do to keep the heavenly vision?

—Fight for your temple time with Me. This is the most effective way to be renewed and to stay reminded of My heavenly vision.

—Obey My Word regardless of how you feel.

—Praise Me often; praise Me consistently. Praise makes My vision come alive to you. Praise opens your eyes to the heavenly vision so that reaching for it, aiming toward it, and fighting for it comes that much easier for you. The vision becomes more real to you, which makes your desire to go after it even stronger and more effective.

*

The heavenly vision, as Paul put it, means “pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God.”1 It means making My will—My high calling—your goal and purpose in life. It's what you're pressing for, eager for—fulfilling My will, to the point that you consider it the prize. Not just a prize, but the prize, everything you could ever want in life!

And just as Paul said, it's “the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Those are key words, “in Christ Jesus.” You find this high calling through Me—through looking to Me, through living in Me. This high calling is ultimately the calling to live for Me. Your aim in life is toward Me, which means you must be looking to Me. You must keep your eyes on Me in order to reach your goal—My goal—for you.

*

You keep the heavenly vision by making those choices that bring you toward Me—the finish line. It's like a runner racing around a track: The runner can only head where he's looking. If he's looking to the finish line, then that's where he'll end up. But if his eyes are focused on other paths leading off the track, then he won't reach the goal.

If you want to keep the heavenly vision in your race of life, then focus on Me, the author and finisher of your faith, of your life course. Keep the vision by staying focused on Me, making those decisions that you know will lead you to a fuller life in Me.

*

Having a strong connection with Me in spirit will help you hold that heavenly vision before you.

You can strengthen this connection through times with Me in the Word. You strengthen your spiritual focus through focusing on My power. You gain this stronger link through faithfulness, obedience, and forward movement. You keep the vision strong by becoming better acquainted with Me as your Husband.

The keys to keeping this vision are found through doing those things that bring you closer to Me; those things that enhance your faith and encourage your spirit; those things that merge you with the spiritual realm and bring the spirit more to the fore in your life. This is how you keep the vision. This is how you stay connected. This is how you will run with patience the race that is set before you—and win!2

*

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.

I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.

"He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son."—Revelation 21:1–73

Originally published 2006. Updated and republished April 2013.
Read by Jerry Paladino.


1 Philippians 3:14.

2 Hebrews 12:1.

3 NIV.

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The Heart of It All: The Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament

By Peter Amsterdam

As discussed in an earlier article, the Holy Spirit is one of the Persons of the Trinity, and this Person is equally God along with the Father and the Son, Jesus.
Descriptions of “The Spirit of God”

In the Old Testament, the concept of three persons in one God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—had not yet been revealed. It only started to become revealed during and after Jesus’ ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven and the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. While the writers of the Old Testament didn’t understand the concept of the Trinity or see the Holy Spirit as a member of the Trinity, they did write about “the Spirit of the Lord” and “the Spirit of God.” In this sense they saw the Spirit as a part of God, as His power or action.

When they came to Gibeah, behold, a group of prophets met [Saul], and the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them.[1]

Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed [David] in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward.[2]

The Old Testament speaks of God’s Spirit in a possessive manner, as “My Spirit,” “Your Spirit,” “Your Holy Spirit,” “His Holy Spirit,” again showing that the Old Testament writers saw God’s Spirit as a part of God.

Cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Your Holy Spirit from me.[3]

They rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit … Where is He who put in the midst of them His Holy Spirit …[4]

Where shall I go from Your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from Your presence?[5]

The Spirit of God is spoken of as being involved in the creation of the world and the giving of life to living beings.

The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.[6]

By His Spirit He adorned the heavens.[7]

The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.[8]

O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom have You made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures … When You send forth Your Spirit, they are created.[9]
The Work and Manifestations of God’s Spirit

Besides taking part in creation, God’s Spirit is seen at work throughout the Old Testament.

When Moses was leading the children of Israel during their 40 years in the desert, God’s Spirit was upon him. When the burden of leading the people was too much for him, God put His Spirit upon seventy elders of the people.

The Lord said to Moses, “Gather for Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. And I will come down and talk with you there. And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone.”[10]

When Moses was told that he wouldn’t lead the Hebrew people into the Promised Land, he spoke to the Lord, saying:

“Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be as sheep that have no shepherd.” So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him. Make him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation, and you shall commission him in their sight.”[11]

Joshua was said to have the Spirit within him. Others, called judges, who were to later lead the people after Joshua died, also had the Spirit of God come upon them.

When the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. The Spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the Lord gave [the] king of Mesopotamia into his hand.[12]

The Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him.[13]

The Spirit of the Lord was upon Jephthah.[14]

The woman bore a son and called his name Samson. And the young man grew, and the Lord blessed him. And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him ... Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and although he had nothing in his hand, he tore the lion in pieces as one tears a young goat … Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and the ropes that were on his arms became as flax that has caught fire, and his bonds melted off his hands. And he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, and put out his hand and took it, and with it he struck 1,000 men.[15]

She [Delilah] said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him.[16]

In these instances the Spirit of the Lord came upon people at certain times, but didn’t dwell within them permanently.
Anointing of the Spirit on Israel’s Kings

After the time of the judges, the line of the kings of Israel began. The Bible notes that the Spirit came upon the first two kings, Saul and David. When Samuel first anointed Saul to be king over Israel, he told Saul a number of things that would happen, and said that once those things came to pass, God’s Spirit would come upon him. These things happened as Samuel said they would, and God’s Spirit fell upon Saul at that time, and at other times as well.

“Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you mightily, and you shall prophesy with them and be changed into another man …”When they came to the hill there, behold, a group of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him mightily, so that he prophesied among them.[17]

The Spirit of God came upon Saul ...[18]

In Saul’s case, because of his disobedience, God’s Spirit was later withdrawn from him.

The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul … [19]

The Spirit was given to David years before he was made king.

Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.[20]

The Spirit of God was also mentioned in relation to prophecy within the Old Testament.

Now these are the last words of David:… “The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me; His word is on my tongue.”[21]

The Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him [Moses], and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it. [22]

Samuel told Saul:

As soon as you come to the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre before them, prophesying. Then the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.[23]
Others Filled with the Spirit

When giving Moses instructions for building the ark of the covenant, and for the tabernacle (the tent which housed the ark of the covenant), as well as the altar, the priestly vestments, and the many vessels needed in the tabernacle and during the sacrifices, God told him of specific workmen that He had filled with His Spirit, ability, intelligence, knowledge and craftsmanship.

The Lord said to Moses, “See, I have called by name Bezalel … and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab ... And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you.”[24]

The Spirit of the Lord also came upon the Old Testament prophets. In 2 Peter, referring to prophecy within Scripture (referring to the Old Testament), it says that the prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit.

Know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.[25]

The Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and He said to me, “Say, Thus says the Lord ...”[26]

They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets.[27]

I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.[28]

Within the Old Testament, the Spirit of God was clearly active in a variety of ways. When the Spirit came upon or empowered people, it seems to have been for a specific instance or for a limited duration.

Author J. Rodman Williams expressed it this way:

The Spirit could “clothe” someone but, like clothing, was not a permanent vestment. Thus the endowment of the Spirit was largely transitory: for an occasion, for a task, or for an utterance. It was not an abiding reality.[29]
The New Testament and Pentecost

God did, however, speak of a time in the future (which we now know was at Pentecost) when His Spirit would dwell within His people, and not just a few of them but all of them—including women, as well as servants, which for that time and in that culture was a strong way to make the point that it was for everybody.

It shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out My Spirit.[30]

I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes and be careful to obey My rules.[31]

During the 400-year period between the last writings of the Old Testament and the time just prior to Jesus’ birth, there is little evidence of the movement of God’s Spirit, especially in the realm of prophecy or guidance given directly from the Lord.

The Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels says: The Talmud illustrates this opinion: “When Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, the latter prophets, were dead, the Holy Spirit departed from Israel.”[32]

However, at the dawning of New Testament times, the Holy Spirit is seen once again moving and acting among God’s people in relation to the birth of God the Son, Jesus. Elizabeth and Zechariah, the parents of John the Baptist, were filled with the Spirit. Their son, John, was filled while still in his mother’s womb. The Holy Spirit came upon Mary and overshadowed her so that she conceived Jesus.

When Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”[33]

Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied …[34]

You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his [John the Baptist’s] birth, for he will be great before the Lord. … He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.[35]

Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus. And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.”[36]

While the Spirit of God is seen as being manifested all throughout the Old Testament writings, it is in the life and ministry of Jesus, and in the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, that we see the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit poured forth in an expanded and widespread manner. Subsequent articles will cover this and other aspects of the Holy Spirit.



[1] 1 Samuel 10:10.


[2] 1 Samuel 16:13.


[3] Psalm 51:11.


[4] Isaiah 63:10–11.


[5] Psalm 139:7.


[6] Genesis 1:2.


[7] Job 26:13 NKJV.


[8] Job 33:4.


[9] Psalm 104:24,30.


[10] Numbers 11:16–17.


[11] Numbers 27:16–19.


[12] Judges 3:9–10.


[13] Judges 6:34 NKJV.


[14] Judges 11:29.


[15] Judges 13:24–25, 14:6, 15:14–15.


[16] Judges 16:20.


[17] 1 Samuel 10:6,10 NAU.


[18] 1 Samuel 11:6 NAU.


[19] 1 Samuel 16:14.


[20] 1 Samuel 16:13 NKJV.


[21] 2 Samuel 23:1–2.


[22] Numbers 11:25.


[23] 1 Samuel 10:5–6.


[24] Exodus 31:1–6.


[25] 2 Peter 1:20–21 NAU.


[26] Ezekiel 11:5.


[27] Zechariah 7:12.


[28] Micah 3:8.


[29] J. Rodman Williams, Renewal Theology, Systematic Theology from a Charismatic Perspective, Volume 2 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), 160.


[30] Joel 2:28–29.


[31] Ezekiel 36:26–27.


[32] Joel B. Green, Scot McKnight, Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1992), 637.


[33] Luke 1:41–42.


[34] Luke 1:67.


[35] Luke 1:14–15.


[36] Luke 1:31, 34–35.

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Cyprus to sell gold reserves to help fund bailout

BBC, 11 April 2013
Cyprus is to sell off much of its gold reserves to help finance part of its bailout.

An assessment by the European Commission says Cyprus must sell about 400m euros (£341m) worth of gold.

The country has already been forced to wind down one of its largest banks in order to qualify for a 10bn euro lifeline from international lenders.

Even with that bailout, it is predicted that the Cypriot economy will shrink by 8.7% this year.

Cyprus’s total bullion reserves stood at 13.9 tonnes at the end of February, according to data from the World Gold Council.

At current prices, 400m euros’ worth of gold amounts to about 10.36 tonnes of metal.

The sale will be the biggest bullion sale by a eurozone central bank since France sold 17.4 tonnes in the first half of 2009.

Analysts say it is very unlikely that other European Union states will become big sellers of the precious metal.

Portugal holds 382.5 tonnes of gold, worth some 14.76bn euros at current prices, in its reserves, while Spain’s holdings stand at 281.6 tonnes, worth 10.8bn euros.

Italy is the world’s fourth-largest gold holder, with 2,451.8 tonnes, worth 94.6bn euros.

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Surprising facts about charitable giving

By David T. Cook, CS Monitor, April 12, 2013
Just in time for tax season, The Atlantic serves up a fascinating look at charitable giving in the US.

“One of the most surprising, and perhaps confounding, facts of charity in America is that the people who can least afford to give are the ones who donate the greatest percentage of their income,” writes Ken Stern, author of a recent book on charities.

The wealthiest Americans—those with earnings in the top 20 percent—gave on average 1.3 percent of their income to charity in 2011, the latest year for which statistics are available. By comparison, Americans with incomes in the bottom 20 percent donated 3.2 percent of their income.

Wealth helps determine the recipients of charity. The poor tend to give to religious organizations and social service charities like the Salvation Army, The Atlantic says. The wealthy tend to focus their giving on colleges and museums.

What you see around you also influences how much you give, Mr. Stern says. Wealthy people who live where most of their neighbors make $200,000 a year or more give less than those who live in more socioeconomically diverse surroundings and see people in need on a daily basis.

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