Train Rides

Have you ever wondered how people get from point A to point B, I don't mean in a physical mileage way, but in an emotional way. We all take in our surroundings and make decisions based upon the way we see things happening. Then when we get to a certain point in our life we take an inventory of how we are doing. Sometimes we are relatively satisfied, and other times we are disappointed, but do we ever really reflect upon the decisions we made that ultimately got us to point B?

I guess we might if we realize we are dissatisfied with our lot in life, but do we ever revisit those moments and try to undo the damage we did by our wayward conclusions. Or do we instead attempt to revise our opinion of our place in society that has us where we are at any given moment? Often times I find myself looking at my surroundings and wondering what would be different had I not missed my stop at Mannheim Germany 26 years ago.

It was a long way back to Mannheim and we had to be back before roll call, so we had no choice but to board the train and hope that we didn’t get turned into the authorities. I sat in silence looking out the window wondering why I allowed myself to get talked into such a risky deal. In the distance I could see small lights beyond the darkness, but they just seemed to highlight my reflection in the window. I felt like my head was frozen in the position, and I couldn’t turn away from the window. All I could think to say to Mike’s constant ranting and murmuring was the single phrase, “Uhuh.”

I don’t really know how long I looked out the window before I fell asleep, but I was surprised when the conductor nudged my shoulder and woke me up. It took a few moments before I realized what he was trying to tell me. My German wasn’t great but it was good enough to understand that the train had reached its final destination and we had to get off. As I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, I asked him where we were and what time it was. Unfortunately, his reply was not what I wanted to hear.

He told us we were in Speyer as he waved towards the doors. We grabbed our only possessions which was a small paper bag of dried bread with a half-empty bottle of soda water, and headed for the doors. I looked at Mike and saw the same sleepy look in his eyes, as he must have saw in mine. The conductor either failed to tell me what the time was or my brain never registered his answer. It didn’t much matter though, because the light of day told me we already missed roll call.

As we got off the train, I saw a big clock above the train station entrance. It was 7:45, we had not only missed our stop by more than 20 kilometers, but we also missed roll call by over two hours. Walking out the station doors and looking at the quite town of Speyer, I felt Mike's hand grab my shoulder as he pulled me to his side. As my body tilted awkwardly towards him he hooked his arm around my neck,while stating in a matter of voice that was on the verge of laughter, “Clarence? I do believe we are AWOL”.

With those words still echoing in my head, Mike and I began a journey that would take us all over Europe and eventually to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea before we would decide to turn our selves in. The weekend started off with a trip to Amsterdam to buy a kilo of hashish, it ended with us being “Absent With Out Leave” from the US Army.

Before we headed on our journey to anywhere but Mannheim, we decided aliases would be needed for our adventure. I chose the name Chuck that was originally given to me in school by a kid who could not pronounce Clarence. Mike chose the name Dave, but I really do not remember why he picked that name. When we eventually returned for our punishment a Month later, Dave became Mike again, I on the other hand liked my new name, and so now you know how I became Chuck.

That's a time in my life that many things changed, to start with, I turned 18 while we were AWOL. I eventually paid for my wayward act of taking an extended vacation from the Army, but in the end I wound up with an honorable discharge two years later when my enlistment, plus make up time was up. For better or for worse, I truely grew up while I was AWOL, as I feel it was then that I began to put aside many of the immature thoughts and actions which until then were only holding me back from the potential God gave me.

So as I look back at point A, I wonder what would be different had I not fallen asleep while I was on that train ride back to Mannheim? Well, to start with, I would probably still be going by the name of Clarence. The rest I will leave for another day of reflection.

Flying My Flag at Half Mast

By Chuck

On the morning of March 22, I raised my flag to the top of the 25 foot pole In my front yard. I must have forgotten to tie it off, because when I returned later in the afternoon from presenting my Sunday message I noticed that the flag had been lowered to half mast. That evening I watched the the House of Representatives vote on the Senate's version of the Healthcare legislation. As the remaining votes needed to pass the legislation were cast, I began to thinking about the damage this legislation would do to America. It was then that I was struck by how prophetic my flag being lowered to half mast really was. I decided at that moment to leave my flag at half mast where I believe God had lowered it to.

It is my opinion that we are experiencing what could very well be the last decades of what has been called the greatest civilization the world has ever seen. Yes, I believe that the America I once knew is forever gone. I say so because I cannot foresee the Republicans ever reversing the Health Care bill. I do pray that if and when a challenge to the law gets to the the Supreme Court, that it will ruling it unconstitutional. Unfortunately, as much as many will disagree with me, I believe a vast majority of Americans have turned their backs on God. In doing so, He has turned His back on us as a nation. We cannot continue to condone the many evil things we do in America as if God has changed His mind about what says is evil.

As a Christian, I guess I should be thankful that the current events are turning out the way they are. After all the many conditions I feel are needed to be in place for the various "End Times" scenarios to be fulfilled are now falling into place. I have stated before, and do so again, that I tend to look at certain aspects of the end times prophecies a bit different then many of my colleagues who hold to dispensationalism. Without getting into the specifics, I will just say that my understanding of history and politics, tend to lead me towards a different understanding of how the world will be ruled just before Christ returns. Mankind has become selfish and lazy, a fact that has led the majority of nations to be dominated by governments which lean towards some type of Socialism. Whether it be under democratic socialism or democratic capitalism, it is still a system ruled by the people who allow some sort of redistribution of wealth to pay for services they demand while expecting to do less work for those services.

This egalitarian type of political rule allows for many absurd and dangerous aspects of society to flourish that could not survive in a totalitarian system. Now while totalitarian regimes are some of the worse types of governments, mainly due to the complete control they exercise over its citizens, they do tend to protect the state at all costs. A cursory look at the way Castro dealt with those afflicted with AIDS in the 1980's compared to how democracies around the world has, will make my point. Any Cubans who contracted AIDS were locked away in institutions to keep them from infecting the general population. (Even today there still exists in Cuba AID's death camps in Cuba) While in America and Western Europe we champion the very act, homosexuality, that spreads the sickness in the name of freedom and choice. We also allow the dreaded disease to promulgate through out our society by teaching our children in school that homosexuality is a lifestyle that is equal to heterosexuality.

I use the example of the way the AID's problem was handled because of the reason behind Christ's return. It's important to understand that Christ will not return to usher in a new heaven and new earth because governments have made men evil. Christ will return because mankind has willingly refused to turn away from evil and follow His teachings. I realize that there are many people, of all political and religious persuasions who do not wish to accept this truth. However, those who are willing to actually look at the evil in this world that is perpetrated by men and women all over the world against others, will understand my point.

I also believe that not only will the left increase it's attack on Christianity, but our very government which was based upon Judeo-Christian values will lead the charge. We are already seeing different groups demanding that the government force Christians to stop preaching the truths of the Bible. Eventually, like Canada and some European countries, we too will see conservative evangelicals charged with hate crimes against homosexuals that will set the state against the church. What will make this coming attack easier, is the way we are now seeing denomination after denomination allowing practicing Homosexuals to be ordained ministers by claiming God does not condemn the lifestyle so why should we. I will actually address this problem in my Sunday message tomorrow.

I have seen many disturbing things take place all around the world in the last few decades, but as long as America stood against the destructive ways of other socialist countries I still felt the end was a long ways off. However, the day the Democrats illegally passed the Health Care legislation and Obama then signed it into law, the America I knew died. We can fight on and try to overturn this law, but the fact remains that no social program ever started, has ever been reversed.

This is why I fly my flag now at half mast, and I shall do so until God moves me to raise. The end is near, it is now just a matter of time before the skubalon hits the fan.

Prohibition on Homosexuality Was Not Repealed By Christ

Today there are many false Christian teachers who are are leading many poor souls straight to hell by claiming that Jesus never spoke against the union of two men or two women, so homosexuality is now condoned by God. Let me say right from the start, except for the ceremonials ones (which Jesus repealed), all of the Mosaic laws are still in force. That is because there were three categories of laws given to Israel: civil, ceremonial, and moral. The civil laws were ONLY given to the Israel. The ceremonial laws were filled and abolished in Christ. The moral laws, such as the Ten Commandments and other Mosaic moral laws are universal. They are part of Natural and Divine Law. Homosexuality is clearly contrary to moral and natural laws. All forms of homosexuality are condemned, past, present, and future.

What Jesus did was fulfill the laws handed down by God. Matthew 5:17 If you look at the teachings of Jesus, you will see that he reiterated all the OT laws. What He did do away with however, was the ceremonials laws that were needed to gain forgiveness and be pure before God, but now we look to Christ for our salvation instead of through the works that God required the Israelites to do. So I can say without hesitation that Jesus also did not repeal the prohibition against homosexuality.

There will be many who will now automatically accuse me of claiming that those who commit adultery and other such immoral crimes should be stoned as the law of Moses commanded. However, what they fail to understand is that even under the Mosaic law, the death penalty was not the only requirement for the penalty of breaking the laws of murder, adultery, and other such crimes.

In 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12, we learn about King David's sin of adultery with Bathsheba, and we also learn about him having Bathsheba's husband Uriah killed because he refused to sleep with his wife. However, what they fail to understand is that, under Mosaic law, the penalty for murder, adultery, and other such crimes was not merely death, but death by stoning. So, both David and Bathsheba should have been stoned to death, but they were not. We can say that because David was the King is the reason he was not stoned, but we would be wrong. Fact is, God forgave David because of his broken and contrite heart. David wrote about this in Psalm 51, where it says;

"For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart These, O God, You will not despise." Psalm 51:16-17

Think about that, David was admitting that a sacrifice would not do, nor would any burnt offering be enough to hold back God's anger at him for his sin. What we can learn from this is that David knew he needed a change of heart to be forgiven. He understood that if God wanted him dead him and Bathsheba both would be dead, but in his heart he was truly remorseful and God, who can discern the heart knew it. So God forgave him of his sin.

Now let us jump forward to the day the Pharisees brought forward the woman caught in adultery, Jesus was supposedly caught in a dilemma. He could either agree to have the woman stoned and then suffer the consequences of those who were following Him to turn away from Him because they know that they too are guilty of similar sins that require as harsh or harsher a punishment. Or He could let her go and thus be in violation of the Mosaic law and thus prove He was not whom He claimed to be.

Well from the story of David, we know that God Jesus looks at the heart and not the actions and Christ is God, so what He did was use the Mosaic law to forgive her. So, knowing the heart of men, Jesus knew that the men who had surrounded her with stones in hand and ready to put her to death, also deserved such punishment. So He did what the law called for. He called for a witness who was innocent to cast the first stone. What what happened was one by one, starting from the eldest on down to the youngest, they all dropped their weapons of punishment and went away. Jesus looked at the woman and asked where her accusers were and she said she had none. Jesus told her, that he did not accuse her either. He did tell her however to, "go and sin no more" John 8:10-11

So, in the case of adultery that called for death by stoning, Jesus was strict to the letter of the law. However by telling her to not sin anymore He was letting her know that forgiveness comes with a change of lifestyle and this is what false teachers false to understand about the Scriptures. Any person who claims to be a Christian, but continues to willfully sin, is not a Christian. We are told by John;

"Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God." 1John 3:7-9

However we are also told by John earlier in the same epistle;

"My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our, and not for ours only but also for the whole world." 1John 2:1-2

So, we do sin as Christians, but not willfully and when we do sin we ask for forgiveness so that we can again get back into fellowship with our Christian brethren. What the false teachers are doing is leading many poor souls down the path of destruction by telling people to sin, and not to ask for forgiveness because Christ does not look at their actions as sin. All Christians come to Christ with a realization that they have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but we also learn that through the blood of Christ we are washed clean. However it takes courage to admit that the things we do which we enjoy are wrong, and that we must do our utmost to stop doing them as Jesus tells us. We can and do stumble and fall, but if we arrogantly continue to sin without remorse or guilt then we are condemned under the same law that God gave Moses, it is just that we are dead to the brotherhood of Christ until we repent just as the man who was sleeping with his fathers wife and Paul said to expel him from the church until he asked and gained forgiveness. 1Corinthians 5:1-6

Just like this man, the false teachers of our day needs to be expelled from the circle of Christianity and rebuked for their false teaching. We should not associate with them unless they repent, as Paul said. It is not the same as a person who never accepted Christ and we are attempting to reach them we are talking about those who have accepted the teachings of Christ but now are unrepentant sinning Christians who are actually twisting the truth of what the Scriptures teach. Until good decent Christians publicly rebuke those who hold Christ and His teachings up to ridicule the world will continue to look to the church with jaundiced eyes.

This is one of the reasons why Islam is growing so fast in America. Man's spirit wants and desires absolutes, and if they are not going to find them in Christianity, then they will gravitate to where the line of demarcation between right and wrong exists. Islam has a clear defined line of what they say is right and wrong. They also do not allow any secular government to define what their religion should teach. Unfortunately too many people, who are looking for absolutes, do not always find that kind of defined line in the sand in the Christian community. This is why so many innocent people gravitate to false religions that do have absolutes.

So, because man was created by God, he desires to know his Father and his Fathers ways. However, if God's precepts are not properly followed by those who teach His ways, then men will follow the false gods of man made religions like Islam, Hinduism, or even the false charismatic Christian cult leaders like David Koresh of the Branch Davidians, or Jim Jones of the Peoples Temple.

So, I would suggest that anyone who considers themselves to be a Christian, to think long and hard when they are told, by a person claiming to be a teacher of Christ's precepts, that homosexuality is OK because Jesus did not speak against it.

I pray that those who have ears to hear will hear His voice and call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen

Gone Fishing

by Chuck Ness

It has been a very long and hectic year for me, and I find myself a bit burned out and and not very creative. Oh I realize it is only March 8th, but the past 12 months of my life have been very strenuous. I have tried time and time again to actually step back and slow down, just to find my self being pulled back to do even more then I was before. Well, I truly believe that now is the time for me to take a hiatus from my writing. I have been blessed in that the Lord has led some who have volunteered to write some articles and thus step up to assist me in keeping my blogs somewhat up to date. These guest writers will write articles and Sunday messages as the Lord moves them.

Last year at this time I was confronted by the director of the retirement center where I am a pastor. This is something I have not shared with anyone but my close friends and relatives. As I was giving the message on Good Friday I was told to tame down my description of the suffering Christ went through for our sins. Well, I refused and instead was asked to leave the premises by the director himself. At the time I guessed that I would no longer be the pastor because I refused to give in to the secular thought about one of Christianities most sacred days. Well, about a month later I was told that a mistake had been made and that they had fired the director of the retirement center. I was asked by the new director if I would consider returning as the pastor of the residents. I obviously accepted and have been going strong since.

I share that with you all now, so that you know I am a man of my convictions, and as such my opinions are so rooted in my soul that it will take God and God alone to change the way think. However, I must admit that being a mere sinner like all humans, I too error in the way I go about things from time to time. The difference is I look to Christ to forgive me and I am guaranteed He does, each and every time I stumble. I guess I would like to say to anyone I may have offended in the past, that my intentions are well meaning even if the tone and words I use do not exactly reflect the person I try to be.

As you know I have been toying with the idea of stepping back from my busy schedule. I seemed to have loaded way too much on my plate and in the process my personal life has begun to be ignored because of it. Sometimes we need to step back and slow down and that time has come for me. I plan on taking this time to attend to my affairs and listen to what it is the good Lord wants me to hear. I truly do feel as though God is telling me that he wants me listen and not talk so much for awhile. Well at least not to write, because I will still be attending to my responsibilities of presenting sermons on Sunday afternoons, and leading the Monday night Bible studies at Windchime Retirement Center. As of now I don't have a replacement and with out my presence they will have no one to share the word with them on Sundays, so that aspect of my schedule will continue as usual.

I really will be doing some fishing as my title alludes to, something I was only able to do a few times last year. I truly missed trouncing up and down the rivers with a fly rod in my hand and the Lords great outdoors all around me. The times when I can get out and go fishing have been some of my best moments spent in solitude with our Lord. My wife is doing better now and she too enjoys fishing, and misses it like me. Usually I take our 4WD and find a nice secluded spot. I then dig the river bank out a bit for a ramp I made for her so she can fish from her wheelchair on the shoreline. This picture was taken two years ago on the Feather River. We arrived at 6:00 in the morning that day and by 8:30 or 9:00 I was finished with the ramp and platform and we were both fishing. The rivers in Northern California should be flowing with plenty of water this year, and that should make for some great fishing this year.

Along with my wife's healing process from the surgery last October, she is also dealing with some new complications that arose because of her medical troubles that led to the surgery. It's my prayers that as the weather gets warmer she will begin to feel better, but her current troubles is another reason that I am taking some time off. My bride needs me to help her get beyond this current phase of her life, and quite frankly with out her by my side nothing else seems right, nor worthwhile at times. The Lord always gives us the strength we need to deal with the problems we all face in life, but He also lets us know when it's time to step back, slow down and take care of our loved ones.

I wrote most of this message before I was informed by my local hometown newspaper the "Enterprise Record", that they want me to write a blog for them. Well, it is an opportunity I cannot pass up, and so I have agreed to take the opportunity to widen my reach for the Lord's word, and for my political opinions. I have written for the Post Script blog, but just as a guest writer, this will be something I have complete control over. Considering the troubles I have had with the editor at PS the last few months, this is a blessing from God, since I will now unencumbered to state my opinions from now on. I have yet to come up with a name for it and if anyone has an idea of a name I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on it. Being an official newspaper, I will automatically have the advantage of their reputation behind me, that is what reputation any paper has left in today's world. However it is still better then a normal blogspot that many are limited to, and it is the same newspaper that Anthony Watts writes his blog, "Watts Up With That" for.

Well I will not begin my blogging for the ER until May 1st, so until then I would like to say thanks and God bless to you all. This blog, "Gate of the City Ministry", my political blog, "The Way One Vike Sees It" and my video blog, "Interesting, Weird, & Educational Videos " will all cease to exist as of may 1st when I combine them all into the ER blog I am being given.

I guess it's time to pack up the cooler, the ramps and the fishing gear for a trip to the Feather river. Maybe I can finally catch that California brown trout that got away from me last spring. Please keep my wife and I both in your prayers, as we both pray for God's abundant grace for you all. As I fade away down the river, please enjoy this psalm I wrote a few years ago.

"A Desire for the Lords Guidance"

My Father my Lord, show me the way to Your paradise, guide my steps so that I may not fall into the quagmire of sin. Show me my faults Lord, so that I may correct them and be restored into Your imperial court. Instruct me in the ways of Your will O' Lord, so that I may not be defiled or corrupted by my own selfishness. When I walked in the dark I found myself lost in the alley of despair, not realizing that my way was one of ruin and constant failure.


I now follow You, my Creator, my Savior, the Infinite One who breathes the life I inhale, My soul craves for the manna from Your plantation of plenty and my heart thirsts for the pure water from Your Rock of Salvation. I shall sit back in Your chariot of fire and accept Your tutelage while You chauffeur me on my way to paradise. Your way is straight O' Lord, and the guidance You give me is exceedingly perfect. I shall praise Your name daily as I thank You for keeping me safe and washing away the filth that I allowed myself to be corrupted with along the way.

Amen and Amen

God Bless,
Your Brother in Christ,

Chuck Ness (OneVike)

Man Regurgitated From Whale lives To Tell About It

These past few weeks I have shared various stories about whales. There was the story about Orca, the killer whale, that decided to take a break from the performance at San Diego's Sea World to eat a pelican that dropped onto the water while the spectators looked on. I also shared the heartwarming tale of the penguin who did all he could to dodge the clutches of a killer whale until he decided to put his trust in mankind by jumping into a rubber raft of spectators for safety. Then just this past week I shared with everyone my opinion of the tactics used by the terrorist organization Sea Shepherds to save the whales from being hunted by Japanese whalers in the Antarctic. All this made me think about an incident that took place a few thousand years ago in Israel about 780 BC with a prophet named Jonah.

Jonah lived about 170 years after the division of Israel into two kingdoms, when Nineveh was coming to the end of its reign as the leading power in the region. Nineveh had spread so much fear among its enemies that most Israelites prayed for a judgment upon it the likes of which happened to Sodom and Gomorrah. So when God called upon Jonah to go and preach to the people of Nineveh, he had different plans. Jonah 1:1-3 Now one needs to understand that it is a great honor to be chosen a leader, or in Jonah's case a prophet, of God. However, with positions of authority comes the responsibility of carrying out tasks that we may not like. Jonah was confronted with such a dilemma.

The Sports God vs Jehovah, Who Do You Worship?

by Chuck Ness
Millions of Americans are getting ready to watch the Super Bowl today and like others, I'll will be watching it with my family. It does make me wonder, though, about what we are teaching our children.

Throughout history men have worshiped many false gods, and today is no different. Probably the most popular false god of modern times would be the "sports god". Think about the way we raise our children to worship this false god. We will spend more time and effort to get them involved and interested in sports then we do in teaching them the Word of God. In essence we are telling them, "this is what is really important." We will rush around with more excitement and punctuality to get them to participate in practice and the game than we ever would to get them to church, not to mention the fact that Americans are rarely so strict about our children devoting a moment of the day to devotional reading of the Bible. Fact is, most families in the US have lives that revolve around their childrens' sports programs more than their spiritual life.

Americans are spending billions on sports. Many cities have vast sport stadiums that have become the equivalent of modern cathedrals. While these edifices are large and grossly expensive, chances are most cities involved are even planning even bigger and more expensive stadiums to worship their "sports god". If aliens came from another planet to visit us they would no doubt conclude that these vast sports complexes are the primary places of worship for our metropolitan areas.

Now don't get me wrong, God does not frown upon sports. It's my belief that He invented sports as a diversion for us to pass time, get exercise, and learn to work together. However He does not want humans to replace worship for Him with worship for sports, and sports heroes.

Am I Lost Because If Find It Difficult to Love Them?

I was asked by a reader of my Sunday Messages, “How do I love someone I don't like, and if I can't love them does it mean I do not love God?” I decided to tackle this question because there are many Christians who find it difficult, if not down right impossible, to love those they don't like. We are told by John that, “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” 1John 4:8 John goes on to write that it is impossible to love a God you cannot see, if you do not love your earthly brothers. 1John 4:20 As Christians, we need to understand that if God loved the world and gave His only Son to become a propitiation of our sins, then we should also love one another. John 3:16 & 1John 4:10 So we wonder by reading such passages how we can love the way God loves us. Allow me to first give some background on the apostle known as John.

If you had known John when he was still following Jesus as a young man, you would be stunned by the transformation of his heart. I refer to the day that Jesus sent messengers ahead to a Samaritan town to prepare a place for them to lodge. They were told by the elders of the town they would not be welcomed and thus Christ and His disciples were turned away. This must not have sat too well with the two brothers James and John, because they asked Jesus for permission to call down Fire from Heaven to consume and destroy the city. Jesus not only denied their request but rebuked them for their evil hearts by pointing out what manner of spirit they were to be. Luke 9:51-57 This little exercise in hatred earned James and John the name Boanerges, which in Greek means, "Sons of Thunder". However, by the time John was an old man and had written his gospel, epistles and the revelation of Christ, we clearly see the Lord had done some major overhauling in him, because we now know John as the “Apostle of Love”.

There is another incident that we can look to for answers to this question. It was recorded by John in his gospel and it took place when Jesus revealed Himself to the apostles at the Sea of Tiberias. John 21:1-18 After they had eaten some fish the apostles caught, Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him. Remember, Peter had denied Jesus three times when He was being mocked, beaten, and illegally tried for blasphemy. Matthew 26:69-75 Jesus was reminding Peter of his three denials by asking if he loved Him three times. John 21:15-18 One can only imagine the sinking feeling Peter had when Jesus asked the first time if he loved Him more then the rest, because it was when Jesus revealed that they would all abandon Him that Peter spoke vehemently saying, "If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" Mark 14:27-3

Now before I continue, it is important to understand that the English translation of the Scriptures hides a very telling part of the three questions by Jesus. The first two times Jesus asked if Peter loved Him, He used the Greek word “agape” for love, while Peter would only respond with the Greek word “phileo”. There are four different Greek words used for love, but for the purpose of this message I will deal only with the two, “agape” and “phileo”. “Agapê”, is a sacrificial kind of love that asks for nothing in return. This is what God showed us when in spite of our many character flaws and weaknesses He still loved us enough to sacrifice His only begotten Son to give us a chance at eternal life with Him. Now “phileo” is the kind of love you show a brother, not a brother in the sense of family, but in the sense of kinsmenship. This is also the root used in the word Philadelphia, thus the reason they call Philadelphia the City of Brotherly Love.

What John reveals to us here, is Peter admitting that he does not have it in him to show an “agape” or sacrificial love that Jesus is asking of him. However, the third time when Jesus asked Peter if he loves Him, He does so by using the level of love that Peter is at, “phileo”. When He does, Peter breaks down and tells Jesus, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." and Jesus then tells Peter;

"Feed My sheep. Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” John 21:17-18

What Jesus is telling Peter, is that He will work with the level of love that Peter confesses, and lets him know that a day will come when he will have that agape or sacrificial love in his heart. We know from the wittings of such early church leaders as Ignatius of Antioch, Dionysius, Irenaeus, Origen, Tertullian and others that Peter would experience the kind of love Jesus asked of him when he was crucified in Rome by Nero. All one needed to do to save ones life was to deny Christ and worship the Roman's Gods or Nero as Lord, but Peter would do something he had failed to do when he was much younger. This time he would not deny his Lord. This time he would show his “agape” love for Christ and die for Him as Christ did for us.

So you see brothers and sisters, you may not yet have the capacity to love those whom you don’t like, but as Peter told Christ, “Lord, You know all things”. God knows where our hearts are and He knows where they will be in the future. Jesus promised to continue the good work He began in us when we accepted Him into our lives. Philippians 1:6 & Hebrews 12:2 If John and Peter could spend three years in the presence of God while displaying an anger that would destroy a city, or even still have a limited love that was far short of what God called for, well then my friends, I would just advise you to give it to Him in prayer, and He will work on that part in your life that finds it difficult to love those you dislike. For those who do not know Him I would ask you to also pray and ask Him to reveal Himself to you. I promise that if you are sincere in your request that He will give you a heart to know Him. Jeremiah 24:7 In time, you will see that He is true to His word; maybe one day you will even be surprised to find yourself sacrificing for someone you used to hate.

I pray that those who have ears to hear will hear His voice and call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

Witch Doctor Renounces Voodoo in Haiti

When we hear and see the devastation left by the earthquake in Haiti, many will inevitably wonder how anything good can come out of it all. We feel that way when personal disasters strike, whether it follows a car accident, a house burning down, or even the sudden death of a loved one. However, as Christians we are told that it is not this world we are promised, but the next one that Christ will bring when He returns to judge the world. So we as sojourners here on earth, must look at this world as a place that is here today and gone tomorrow. So while I agree that seeing the destruction and human suffering in Haiti can test ones faith in God's promise to care for, and comfort those who are suffering, if you look beyond what the MSM wants to show us, you will see miracles happening all over Haiti. It is those miracles which should assure you that God is fulfilling the promises He has.

A little history on Haiti and its Voodoo problem will help me introduce you to a certain little old lady named Anne Marie Polestier, and the miracle God is performing with her and others all over Haiti. Let me take you back, back to a time when Europe was at war and America was doing all it could to avoid being brought into it; a time when few if any of your grandparents even knew of Haiti, let alone the existence of Voodoo and black magic. The time was 1941 and a young teen girl was becoming enamored with the power she saw in the practices of Voodoo. The Catholic Church started to come down hard upon those who practiced the black arts, they even put pressure on the government to outlaw Voodoo and disband the practice. There were two other times the church attempted to eradicate the practice of witchcraft and mysticism, once in 1896 and again in 1913. However, in 1941 the church began a campaign of intolerance that led to the dismantling of hundreds of Ounfos (voodoo temples), the burning of thousands of parchments, and the destruction of paraphernalia used in black magic rituals.

Video of Kirk Cameron Giving Away Free Copies Of "Origin of Species"

Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort have found a loophole and decided to exploit it for Christ. It would seems that Charles Darwin's book, "Origin of Species", is considered public domain by the law. So what Kirk and Comfort have done was open a hornets nest by distributing hundreds of thousands of free copies of Darwin's book with Christian material and messages as a forward. Then they distributed them for free at universities across America and Europe. The 50 page introduction picks apart aspects of Charles Darwin’s work and links it to everything from Nazi eugenics to the scientist’s alleged ‘disdain for women.”


Now you can watch the video below that was of put out by their "Way of The Master" organization that headed up the bold plan of taking on Darwin and his book. Cameron had said before the plan was carried out on November 18, 2009 that,

“Atheism has been on the rise for years now, and the Bible of the atheists is The Origin of Species. We have a situation in our country where young people are entering college with a belief in God and exiting with that faith being stripped and shredded. What we want to do is have student make an informed, educated decision before they chuck their faith.”

Don't Blame God, Tragedies Happen

After the Earthquake that devastated Haiti, Pat Robertson was accused of saying that God was punishing Haiti because of the evil practices of its people. At first I must admit that I cringed and even stated that he was out of line and the statement was ignorant on his part, especially when the Scriptures go directly against such foolish beliefs. Then I looked into what Pat actually said, and found this statement put out by CBN:.

”Pat Robertson's comments were based on the widely-discussed 1791 slave rebellion led by Boukman Dutty at Bois Caiman, where the slaves allegedly made a famous pact with the devil in exchange for victory over the French. This history, combined with the horrible state of the country, has led countless scholars and religious figures over the centuries to believe the country is cursed. Dr. Robertson never stated that the earthquake was God’s wrath. If you watch the entire video segment, Dr. Robertson’s compassion for the people of Haiti is clear. CBN

So Pat Robertson did not say what he was accused of saying, yet I still have a problem with the so called scholars whom he quoted and it is their belief that I want to address today. I must question how well learned these scholars are for making such a claim. After all, a simple reading of the encounter that Abraham had when he was visited by three angels on their way to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah should be enough to dispel such nonsense. 16Genesis 18:16:33 God was willing to spare the whole of Sodom and Gomorrah if, as