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RECAP NEWSLETTER - 1/2/5 Issue 27 "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." As the world notes the beginning of a new year, many people make resolutions for the new year. They promise to do this or that, and usually break half of them anyway. Paul had one goal in his life. Pressing toward the mark. Serving God to the fullest capacity was foremost. Following and imitating Christ was more important than anything else. Each year he wanted to be closer in his walk and testimony to God than the year before. He humbly admitted that he had not "arrived", but was constantly press toward the prize.
Today we need to have at the top of our list to strive and press toward
the mark. Are we closer to God this year than last? Do we know
more about His Word than last? Are we getting any closer in our
race, or are we lagging behind? In your ministering and witnessing,
Do not be content with what you have. We can always do more, learn more, pray more, read more, witness more, and grow more. Press toward the prize. Do not press for just the bronze or silver, press toward the gold - a crown of righteousness. II Timothy 4:5-8 says, "But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." If you have not even started running the race for Him, or have paused in your course, press on!! Press on!! Do not flag, do not falter!!!
Colossians 4:17 "And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which
thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it."
MISC THOUGHTS "A corrupted message is a lie." (regarding Bible translations)
CURRENT EVENT RECAP In a matter of seconds, lives, homes, businesses, careers, cars, pools, sports, clubs, bars, condos, luxuries, trinkets, furniture, stores, and more were erased for miles upon miles. We are taking nothing out of this world when we leave it. Get your eyes off of your quaint little reality bubble here on this world, and look toward a future in eternity. Time here is short. What are you doing for eternity? Have you spent more time building a little world that can be washed or burned away in seconds? Or have you invested time, money, work, and action in following God? Mark 13:8 says, "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows." Talking about the last days, earthquakes in diverse places is given as a sign that Christ is soon to return. The earthquakes will increase in intensity and devastation as God reminds the world that He is returning soon. As Christians, especially those with families, we should notice that famines and pestilences (Matt. 24:7) are also listed as signs of His return. Get ready for famines, more large earthquakes, and even more pestilences (disease/plague). We are already seeing a sharp escalation of disease and plagues spreading (and it will get worse). We will most assuredly will see more earthquakes and volcanic eruptions (as the one has an affect on the other). One thing we have not yet seen fully is famines. Yes, Africa has pockets of famine, but regional famines are nothing new. They were even recorded in the Bible. For it to be listed as a recognizable sign, it would have to be a famine outside of normal proportions. Perhaps we may see more pestilence infecting vast food supplies. Right now I would very strongly recommend you get a durable, high quality water filter. The British Berkfeld is very reliable, does not need electricity, and is very durable. I have one. Whatever may affect a food supply has a high chance of affecting your water supply. Also, stock up on canned goods and long term food storage items. In our Prudent Living section, we have additional information regarding food and water provisions. It was interesting to note that the Mormon church was able to donate huge stores of food supplies to the relief efforts. They have food banks, food storage programs, etc., and can quickly rally supplies to help themselves and others if need be. However, it is to the Christian church's shame that the Mormons grabbed the headlines, witnessing opportunities, and testimony opportunities because they are always ready for disasters! Acts 11:28 tells the story of how the early church was able to greatly help out during a famine, yet today the churches spend more money on their Christmas programs, CCM music equipment, opulent buildings, recreation facilities, etc. to have money left over for helping the needy, let alone missionaries!! I hate for it to be so, but I give more money to local missions work and similar venues than I give to churches, because I know my money will be used to spread the gospel and make a difference in people's lives instead of going to some frivolous church activity! On the news front... The tsunami disaster is peculiar and suspicious. The reason I state that is because it happened one year to the hour as the last major earthquake in Bam, Iran. To the hour! While you can make a good point that God is using it to get our attention, I also know that it serves as a great distraction to get everyone's eye off of Iraq, Afghanistan, domestic problems, the falling dollar, our huge deficit, etc. Contrary to popular opinion, earthquakes and other weather phenomena can be manipulated. With earthquakes, proper radio frequency manipulation can oscillate quartz in the earth's crust creating tension in regions and along fault lines, etc. HAARP and other similar facilities are capable of producing these effects. More information, patents, etc. can be found on the Internet from certain reliable sources. Such a large-scale disaster gives the perfect pretense for UN involvement on a large scale. Recall that informedchristians.com has always stated that the UN will probably get involved in our country at some future date in response to some 'natural' disaster (real or contrived). Already the UN is putting out the call for global cooperation, warnings centers, and more. Russia is also renewing calls for a European emergency center that would increase multilateral efforts. From one point of view, the world's nations will be most resistant to global efforts on a political framework. It is rough and awkward. However, if you can get nations to work together about natural events, reservations and red tape disappear. There was an interesting article regarding how the government should not be the one to give foreign aid for this disaster. Individuals, private organizations, and churches should, and can, be the one to give financial and relief aid. To take one's money via taxes under the pretext of using government expenses, and then give it away is not right, nor efficient. The article reminded me of what Col. David Crockett, US Representative from Tennessee, stated in his "Not Yours To Give" speech: "We cannot without the grossest corruption, appropriate this money as the payment of a debt. We have not the semblance of authority to appropriate it as charity. Mr. Speaker, I have said we have the right to give as much money of our own as we please. I am the poorest man on this floor. I cannot vote for this bill, but I will give one week's pay to the object, and if every member of Congress will do the same, it will amount to more than the bill asks. ...In the first place, the government ought to have in the Treasury no more than enough for its legitimate purposes. But that has nothing with the question. The power of collecting and disbursing money at pleasure is the most dangerous power that can be entrusted to man, particularly under our system of collecting revenue by a tariff, which reaches every man in the country, no matter how poor he may be, and the poorer he is the more he pays in proportion to his means. ...If you have the right to give at all; and as the Constitution neither defines charity nor stipulates the amount, you are at liberty to give to any and everything which you may believe, or profess to believe, is a charity and to any amount you may think proper. You will very easily perceive what a wide door this would open for fraud and corruption and favoritism, on the one hand, and for robbing the people on the other." [To read the full story, check out http://www.house.gov/paul/nytg.htm] Besides stating that we are giving (currently) $350 million, we are also going to be giving much, much more in the future, according to Powell. Do not think I am a cold-hearted tightwad concerned about money. We should give money to help them. The Bible is clear on this. Find a reputable charity or relief agency where you know your money will be used appropriately. It appears as though they have enough of the critical items, per se, but money is needed to help with building homes and facilities. My focus here is to point out that (aside from the Constitution issue of foreign aid), our nation does not have the money to spend, even if it was a legit reason, because we have sunk ourselves deeply into the deficit hole, especially with the astronomical expenses from the Iraq and Afghanistan farce. We are already un-Constitutionally giving away .13 percent of our GDP, which does not include our aid to Iraq or Afghanistan, or food aid, "where the Unites States is the biggest donor but does not attach a monetary value to its contributions."! When we pledged $350 million, it was reported that just that number alone wiped out the USAID International Disaster Famine and Assistance account. They stated that they would then have to request Congress for funds to replenish the account. This was on the day that the US dollar also made a record low against the euro, and that Bush gave everyone in the government a 3.5% pay increase! This was the day after the Pentagon announced $60 billion in budget cuts because of current expenses, and that they were going to have to request an additional $80 billion! The article remarked that the Iraq and Afghanistan operations are costing our country $5 billion a month! This was the same day that the Russian military announced a military budget increase of 27.6%! This was to allow them to buy new tanks, fighter jets, nuclear missiles, and further develop the Topol-M ICBM, which can penetrate anti-missile shields (which we do not have yet anyway)! This was possible because of an increase of oil exports, and (also on that day) 20% of Yukos was being sold to a Chinese state company to extract 11% of Russia's oil. Hmmm... This was the day after our U.S. Agency for International Development stated that the $35 million we had initially allocated for tsunami aid had already drained their relief fund, and that they would be going to the White House budget office for more money. This, again, was on the same day that the dollar made a record low against the euro. This was a couple days after Bush announced considering a domestic spending freeze to free up more money. Recently, Rumsfeld was put on the spot regarding inadequate armor for our troops. Many people think that the question was a spontaneous question that caught him off guard. I think it was a planted question, particularly since the media does not show anything regarding the Iraq war without permission. The intention is probably to generate support and sympathy for when Bush requests additional funds for the Iraq war fiasco. Our troops have inadequate equipment on purpose. It is not because they cannot be produced fast enough. Even the armor companies stated they suggested long ago that they can easily make whatever the Pentagon asks for. Money issues? Perhaps. It may be deliberate planning that would require international assistance in the future. Just two weeks ago, it was announced that Bush was expected to request an additional $75-$100 billion to help with the defense spending due to Iraq and Afghanistan. This after the price tag for both wars already tops $100 billion! At this rate, we will printing funny money pretty soon! You will often hear how a weak dollar is good for our economy because US goods are cheaper on foreign markets. Well considering that we lost 2.7 million manufacturing jobs over the past three years, and that our country is nowhere near China and other countries in regards to exports, we are getting the raw end of the deal, especially when you consider that a weak dollar makes it cheaper and easier for foreign companies to buy American companies. Oh, yes, and our trade deficit just swelled to $55.5 billion, and exports from China are at the highest levels ever. Bloomberg had an article which stated that, "the US currency has dropped 6.4 percent against the euro and 4.7 versus the yen this quarter, partly on concern the US will fail to attract enough international investment to fund its deficits." In moral news... The world's appetite for death increases as the call for embryonic stem cell research flies in the face of proven adult stem cell research. A pro-abortion movie about a cleaning woman who "helps girls out" with illegal abortions is now a Golden Globe nomination. The killing of the unborn is growing at a sickening pace in our country. Planned Parenthood is now butchering "138 children for every [1] adoption referral to an outside agency." Thanks to our 'Christian' president signing the recent Medicaid bill, selected surgical abortions, chemical abortions, and the nation's largest chain of abortion centers get direct support. Our nation has stooped to such a level that efforts to simply get death certificates made out for the aborted are harassed and ridiculed. Two weeks ago it came out that most pregnancies at colleges and universities are automatically referred to abortuaries, and that most students choose abortion. An Arkansas judge this week allowed Arkansas homosexuals to become foster parents, claiming that it was not their job to "regulate 'public morality'." What about protecting the children? Spain is now the third country to recognize homosexual marriages. I am already seeing an increase in articles speculating on polygamy and more. Our country and world is quickly falling apart. What about you? Are you living for this world? How much longer do you have before eternity? What are you racing toward? A prize or a promotion? A Crown or a career? A home in Heaven, or a flat on earth? The praise of men, or the praise of God. "Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts." Jer. 2:19 "I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not." Isaiah 66:4
REMINDERS & PRAYER REQUESTS Do not live for this world - seek Christ first and highest of all.
Pray for our President that if he is not saved, he will come to the true
knowledge of Jesus Christ. Pray that he will work to the protection
of the American people, and the punishment of the wicked.
Pray for the requests in PrayerList, and also in iChurches.
May God richly bless,
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