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RECAP NEWSLETTER - 8/29/4 Issue 20 Verse 5: "For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water." The Bible comments on the sad fact that many people are willingly ignorant of the facts of Creation, opting for the religion of evolution. What makes it sad it that even when confronted with the multiplicity of scientific facts supporting Creation and God's Design, they willingly choose to not acknowledge it. To acknowledge Creation is to acknowledge God. To acknowledge God is to acknowledge responsibilities in relationship. I hope you are not in that category. However, in like manner, 2 Corinthians 2:11 says, "Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices." In this chapter, Paul addresses the church and mentions a problem that had been a blight on the church there in Corinth. He went on to explain that the words of correction that he gave them were hard words, but needful words. The sin was apparently repented of, and now Paul is encouraging the church to comfort, forgive, and encourage the individual in the right ways. He then remarks that what had taken place was a device of Satan, intended to corrupt and destroy the church. When he states "we are not ignorant of his devices", he is not saying Christians as a whole are not ignorant of Satan's devices. Paul was saying, in light of the situation, that the church involved could clearly see that Satan was working in their midst to corrupt them. 'They' refers to the group of individuals who was able to recognize Paul's warnings and act on them. What about us? Can the same be said about us or our church? Could Paul come up on your church platform address the congregation and truthfully state that your church is not ignorant of Satan's devices? If there are sins in the church, do what Paul did: address them. Weed them out. Satan's devices do not always wear labels indicating that they were hatched in the pit of Hell. It takes discernment from the Holy Spirit, guiding knowledge from His Word, and a proper relationship and fellowship with Him to properly discern Satan's devices.
What is the goal of Satan's devices? To get an advantage of us.
We are called soldiers, fighting a warfare that is not carnal but
spiritual. In any battlefield, whether spiritual or carnal, to cede
an advantage to the enemy due to willful ignorance is charge for neglect
and dereliction of duty! If a Christian in your church brings up a
proper Biblical rebuke in order to root out Satan's devices, he is not
trying to be divisive. Candy-coating problems in the church, hiding
them, or excusing them is willfully ignorant of Satan's devices! It
will quickly grow to the point where your church will have a reserved
parking spot for Satan. When you willingly allow Satan to freely
roam and flout about in your church, you are willingly ignorant. You
have chosen to ignore the precepts of God's Word. The same could be
said in individual dealings. If someone comes up to me and out of
genuinely concern points out how Satan may be getting a foothold in my
life, I need to sit up and pay attention! Be willingly attentive!
Search out Satan's devices! As David said in Psalm 90:8, "Thou hast
set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy
countenance." "Let us search and try our ways, and turn again
to the Lord." Lam. 3:40.
MISC THOUGHTS Just because Christians should be able to "chew the meat and spit out the bones", does not mean that we should attempt to have bones in our meat. Your means of witnessing, teachings, and conversation should be as bone-free as we can make it. Even one bone in a fish sandwich can kill someone.
We were having technical difficulties on the 26th, so there was no update
on that day.
CURRENT EVENT RECAP 'Flu season' is coming up. We have several articles and resources warning people about the dangers of vaccines, but just this week it was announced that about 50 million shots were being held back (half of the US supply), after it was found that there were contaminants - which they decided to not identify. Personally, I find that Oil of Oregano gel caps or essential oil works just fine. You can find it in most health stores. By executive order, President Bush is working toward establishing a national counter terrorism center to oversee 15 of our intelligence agencies. Perhaps I am being a bit paranoid, but I find it rather suspicious (or poor-planning) that the same week that two Russian airplanes crash due to foul-play, our government announces that it will be taking over the task of checking passenger lists, instead of being managed by the carriers. As we progress in the last days, wars and rumors of wars will be increasing. Some may immediately affect us, while others may never make it to mainstream news. I did find it interesting that after decades of relative quiet, the world is building up again and getting involved interventionally. Australia is arming up with increased firepower, possibly to play a larger role in the South-East Asia region, while India and Pakistan, China and Taiwan, Israel and Iran, etc. are butting heads with the arms races increasing. What sets this time period apart from other historical times is that the eruption of any one of those arenas will cause a ripple effect involving most of the other nations - if the two parties haven't annihilated each other first with nuclear weapons. Last we mentioned how Bush will be transferring many of our forces out of Europe - this week we found out that many of those people who will be coming back may find that their base was closing down. Maine senators are trying to get base closings delayed at least until they consider how the one will affect the other. Early this week I posted what at first may seem to be a 'fluff' story about how people help people during hurricanes, etc. The point I wanted to make with it, is that our testimony shines the brightest when we are helping people. Jesus helped heal many people's physical needs while also meeting their spiritual needs. As Christians, we need to be ready for disasters so we can help others. Does your church have a food pantry that they can help people in the community now or during disasters? Will you be able to help others during crisis instead of only yourself? Thoughts to think on...
REMINDERS & PRAYER REQUESTS
May God richly bless,
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