Inpirational Talks (Text)

My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had
I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some
idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust? If
the whole show was bad and senseless from A to Z, so to speak, why did I, who was
supposed to be part of the show, find myself in such violent reaction against it? A man
feels wet when he falls into water, because man is not a water animal: a fish would not feel
wet. Of course, I could have given up my idea of justice by saying that it was nothing but a
private idea of my own, but if I did that, then my argument against God collapsed too- for
the argument depended on saying that the world was really unjust, not simply that it did
not happen to please my private fancies. Thus in the very act of trying to prove that God
did not exist- in other words, that the whole of reality was senseless – I found I was forced
to assume that one part of reality – namely my idea of justice – was full of sense.
Consequently atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning,
we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the
universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark
would be without meaning

That raises problems is this state of affairs in accordance with Gods will or not? If it is He
is a strange God, you will say, and if it is not how can anything happen contrary to the will
of a Being with absolute power? But anyone who has been in authority knows how a thing
can be in accordance with your will in one way, and not in another. It may be quite sensible
for a mother to say to the children I’m not going to go and make you tidy the school room
every night, you’ve got to learn to keep it tidy on your own, then she goes up one night and
finds the place in a mess, that is against her will and she prefers the children to be tidy, but
on the other hand it is her will that has left the children free to be untidy. The same thing
arises in any regiment or trade union or school, you make a thing voluntary and then half
the people don’t do it. That is not what you willed but your will has made it possible. It is
probably the same in the universe God created things which had free will that means
creatures that can go either wrong or right. Some people think that they can imagine a
creature that was free but had no possibility of going wrong. I cannot. If a thing is free to be
good, it is also free to be bad and free will is what has made evil possible. Why then did
God give us free will? Because free will though it makes evil possible is also the only thing
that makes possible any love, or goodness, or joy worth having. A world of automata, of
creatures that work like machines would hardly be worth creating. The happiness which
God designed for His higher creatures is the happiness of being freely and voluntarily
united to Him and to each other in an ecstasy of love and delight compared with which the
most rapturous love between a man and a woman on this earth is mere milk and water
and for that they must be free. Of course God knew what would happen if they used their
freedom the wrong way, apparently He thought it worth the risk. Perhaps we feel inclined
to disagree with Him. But there is a difficulty about disagreeing with God because He is the
source in which all your reasoning power comes, you cannot be right and He wrong any
more than a stream can rise higher than its own source. When you are arguing against
Him you are arguing against the very power that makes you able to argue at all. It is like
cutting off the branch that you are sitting on. If God thinks this state of war in the universe
a price worth paying for free will, that is for making a live world in which creatures can do
real good or harm and something of real importance can happen instead of a toy world
which only moves when HE pulls the strings then we may take it, it is worth paying. When
we have understood about free will we shall see how silly it is to ask as somebody once
asked me, why did God make a creature of such rotten stuff that it went wrong? The better
stuff that a creature is made, the cleverer, and stronger and freer it is then the better it will
be if it goes right, but also the worse it will be if it goes wrong. C.S.LEWIS

You're going to go either one way or the other. Do you have the feeling that you've arrived?--that YOU'VE MADE IT!--AND YOU'RE SATISFIED with what you've accomplished. Because THE MINUTE YOU GET THAT FEELING, THAT'S AS FAR AS YOU GET! You never get any further. The most uncomfortable place for a Christian is a comfortable place. One of the greatest dangers you have right now is the feeling you've really accomplished something, & so much so that you no longer have that driving motivation which makes you feel like you cannot stop, that YOU'VE GOT TO KEEP GOING EVEN IF IT KILLS YOU!

If you have lost that compulsion--that feeling like you just have to get out there & make progress & KEEP MOVING OR YOU'LL DIE, & if you don't have that feeling any more that you'd rather get out there & DIE FOR SOMETHING RATHER THAN LIVE FOR NOTHING, then YOU'VE LOST THE REAL MARTYR SPIRIT!

This DAILY DYING IS THE HARDEST KIND because you do it a thousand times, whereas at the end of your life the final death is nothing in comparison. Your final death is your graduation! This SLOW DEATH OF DYING A LITTLE EACH DAY--THAT'S WHAT TAKES A LOT OF GUTS! Boast not thyself of tomorrow! It may not only be later than you think, but YOU MAY BE OLDER THAN YOU THINK! You're counting on doing the job someday soon, but you'd better do it quick & NOW!--Or you may never get it done!

Ask yourself, am I getting in a rut? Am I turning sour, losing my fire, my convictions, my vision, my faith, my courage?--And where is my initiative? It's your business, for God's sake, to STAY ALIVE SO YOU CAN CARRY ON, & this hypocritical attitude of trying to kill yourself off quick instead of trying to live as long as possible is not what God wants. Because you're going to have to try to live a little longer to carry out what God wants, as YOU WON'T BE MUCH GOOD DEAD!

AS CHRISTIANS OUR JOB IS TO REACH THE ENDS OF THE EARTH WITH THE GOSPEL--TO GET THE MESSAGE ACROSS!

You know what happened to the Church? She got so interested in accumulating properties & members that she forgot what her job was!

I'd rather see a few real soldiers again who really like to fight & like the battle & cannot stand to be tied down but want to GET OUT & REACH THE ENDS OF THE EARTH. Organizing churches & getting people into those churches is not our main job, but getting the Message to all the World IS our main job! If you have lost the pioneering spirit & you're not going forward to establish the Kingdom of God on Earth & you're content short of that goal, and you're satisfied with what you've already got & you're not interested in progressing until you see the Kingdom of God really established on Earth & righteousness covering the Earth as the waters cover the seas & the Coming of Christ, THEN YOU'RE missing the mark!

The minute any Christian or any other person comes to the conclusion that he has arrived & he's satisfied & has come as far as he wants to go, WATCH OUT! I'll tell you, it's not ME! I'LL NEVER BE SATISFIED UNTIL EVERYBODY ON EARTH IS SAVED, which will never happen, of course.--But that's a long way off! Brother, "WE'VE GOTTA LOT TO BE THANKFUL FOR", BUT WE'VE STILL GOTTA LOT TO DO! We haven't just a few years--we've got THOUSANDS to go! If you think just because people have gone on to be with the Lord that their job is over, we can prove from the Bible where their job is far from complete! We have a long way to go & the Spirit World is a heaven of a lot busier than this hell on Earth! We will have a rest in a sense, you might say in the Spirit--at least some will; it depends on how much they deserve it!

But we're a long ways from the end of the road, & all these people who look forward to death as the END are going to get a big surprise! DEATH FROM THIS LIFE IS JUST GRADUATION FROM THIS GRADE, & praise God for that! You've graduated from this grade of this earthly life. But WHEN YOU GRADUATE FROM ONE GRADE TO ANOTHER, THE WORK IN THE NEXT GRADE USUALLY BECOMES A LITTLE MORE DIFFICULT WITH A LITTLE MORE ADDED RESPONSIBILITY, NEW & ADDED DUTIES WHICH YOU DIDN'T HAVE BEFORE, WITH NEW POWERS, NEW RESPONSIBILITIES. WITH NEW ABILITIES COME NEW RESPONSIBILITIES & YOU HAVE NEW POWER TO RESPOND TO THESE NEW RESPONSIBILITIES.

It's only the beginning, Folks! HEAVEN IS NOT THE END: IT'S ONLY THE BEGINNING! God only knows how much more we'll have to conquer after we've conquered the Earth & all the souls who have ever lived on it & all the problems! Who knows what OTHER Worlds we may have to conquer, what other Universes we may yet have to learn to rule! MY IDEA OF HEAVEN IS NOT FLOATING AROUND ON A CLOUD STRUMMING A HARP by some gift of God! That would be my idea of DEATH!--TOTAL INACTIVITY, CESSATION OF MOVEMENT, TOTAL REST IS TOTAL DEATH! And it doesn't seem to be God's idea of Heaven either! HIS UNIVERSE IS FULL OF MOVEMENT & HE'LL NEVER STOP!--We'll go right on through the Coming of Christ & the Millennium & (Space City, Heaven, the 5th dimension,) & right on out to Outer Space, & God only knows how far we all have to go!--AND WE'LL ENJOY EVERY MINUTE OF IT IF WE'RE FAITHFUL SERVANTS!

But GOD'S LAW OF PROGRESS IS, IF YOU DON'T KEEP ON GETTING MORE, YOU'LL LOSE WHAT YOU'VE GOT!--"To him that HATH, it shall be GIVEN (to have MORE, make PROGRESS!), but to him that hath NOT, it shall be taken AWAY, even what he THINKETH he HATH!"-- <\\Luk.8:18&&PUB=Lk:8:18^>. The minute you think you HAVE it & you SIT DOWN to enjoy it, that's where you LOSE it! That's why many a great business, many a great nation, many a great civilization & many a great religious movement has vanished from the face of the Earth, because they thought they had arrived & had all they wanted & they sat down to enjoy it, & whoosh!-GOD BLEW UPON IT & IT CAME TO NOUGHT, BECAUSE THEY QUIT ADVANCING & PROGRESSING, INVADING & ATTACKING & moving! We can't stop or we're dead!--If we don't keep on doing more & more every day & progressing, or if we can't sit down at the end of the day & sum things up & keep books with our soul & weigh up the accounts & say, "Now WHAT DID I DO TODAY THAT I WON'T HAVE TO DO TOMORROW?"--IN OTHER WORDS, WHAT PROGRESS, WHAT MOVE OR ACCOMPLISHMENT OR NEW THING OR DIFFERENT THING OR WHAT MORE HAVE I DONE THAN THE USUAL THINGS I ALWAYS HAVE TO DO EACH DAY?" IF YOU COME TO THE POINT WHERE YOU'RE JUST GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS BY HABIT & you're just coasting along on former momentum, ONCE YOU'VE GONE TO SLEEP & LEFT YOUR ENGINE GOING, YOU'LL SOON RUN OUT OF GAS & even the engine will go dead for lack of new fuel & YOU'LL SOON COAST TO A STOP FOR LACK OF MOTION. DO YOU KNOW HOW YOU KNOW WHEN YOU'RE GETTING OLD?--WHEN YOU START LIVING IN THE PAST!" "Morning by morning NEW mercies I see! Great is THY FAITHFULNESS dear Lord unto ME!" "ALL THINGS CHANGE, but Jesus never" & HE EVEN CHANGES SOME OF HIS TACTICS & SOME OF HIS MESSAGES & SOME OF HIS METHODS, DEPENDING ON WHAT SUITS THE SITUATION! Paul said, "I became ALL things to ALL men!" 1Cor.9:22 If we're not flexible, pliable, able to stretch or shrink or bend to accommodate the new eye opening truths that break us out of the confines of our old thought patterns and mindsets then we're going to break, shatter & lose even what we've got! The greatest thing we can teach our new disciples & children--& each new generation has to learn it for itself--is to follow God & hear from Him fresh every day! Moment by moment learn something NEW every day, because only GOD is way out there in front & knows what's going to happen & is able to lead you & guide you & show you what to do. So don't get stuck with either a name, a method or a message that you can't change from day to day with whatever God has for you that's NEW., Because if you do, you're sunk & you're broken because you've become an old bottle! His Word never changes, the Lord never changes, the Gospel never changes, Salvation never changes, Christ doesn't change, but God keeps MOVING every day! YOU may be the same person basically, but YOU'VE got to keep moving to stay alive & get anywhere! IT MAY BE THE SAME MESSAGE, BUT IT IS VARIED EVERY DAY TO SUIT THE NEED & ADAPT TO THE SITUATION. The tactics & the methods definitely will change day by day & moment by moment to have RPM--movement! A MOVEMENT IS NO LONGER A MOVEMENT IF IT STOPS MOVING! Now which would you rather do: I think I'd rather DIE WHILE TRYING to wake up, and reach others with the truth than to die of OLD AGE! Are you going to die of old age—in your rocking’ chair rocking back & forth & dreaming of YESTERDAY! Because If YOU rock back & forth dreaming about yesterday, do you know what will happen?—You’ll go to SLEEP and die. So get up and fight because: In the near future earth will be dominated by a powerful world Government where once free Nations will be slaves to the will of a tiny group of elite. This Dawn of a new dark age IS coming upon mankind. Where countries will be a thing of the past and every form of independence will be under attack, with the family and individuality nearing extinction. Close to 80% of the world’s population eliminated, and the remnants of a once free humanity will be forced to live in highly controlled compact prison-like cities. Travel will be highly restricted, with super highways connecting the mega cities to keep the population from entering unauthorized zones. No human activity will be private, A.I. super computers will chronicle and categorize every action, on a prison planet dominated by a ruthless gang of control freaks whose power can never be challenged, and this is the vision of the global elite. Their goal, a program of total dehumanization where the science of tyranny is law and a worldwide control grid designed to ensure the overlords monopoly of power forever. Our species will be condemned to this nightmare future unless the masses are awakened to the new world order master plan and mobilized to defeat it. To confirm this check out what a secretive elite group erected in the State of Georgia in the U.S. “The Georgia Guide Stones” which are a testament to the elites plan for a world religion, global laws, and a global court and army to enforce it, and set in stone it is written that the population should never rise above 500 million. Highly secretive round table groups have formed a global intelligence network and have steered planetary affairs for hundreds of years and now in their final stage they prepare for open world Government, a goal tyrants throughout history have lusted after. So get prepared and off the grid so to say, by starting your own home organic garden, and good clean water supply, survival food, solar panels, and a few farm animals to produce your own milk, eggs, and cheese etc. But most importantly keep a tight relationship with God and love others and He will guide and protect you through these amazing, phenomenal times in which we are living and described in detail thousands of years beforehand in the Bible through ancient Prophets of old.

Your ticket for the long ride into Eternity is to just ask Jesus into your heart and receive His Spirit and forgiveness of your sins.

JOH.3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. JOH.1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: JOH.3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and He that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Acting Upbeat When Feeling Down . It is not being hypocritical to put on a happy face even when you don’t feel happy. It’s a sign of inner strength and maturity. It shows you realize that whatever is dragging you down at the moment is relatively small in the grand scope of things, and that it will pass. It’s loving and considerate to be cheerful around others, smiling even when you don’t really feel like it. It’s considerate to try not to allow your facial expression to drag other people down with you or send a wrong signal, as though you’re down because you don’t like being around them.

Acting more positive than you feel also does you good and will often help bring you out of your funk.

Of course, the best thing would be to get over whatever it is that’s getting you down, and the best first step in that direction is usually to talk it over with Jesus and ask Him to help you fix the problem. If there is someone else who might be able to help you sort things out, it may also be good to talk with them. There’s a time to look pleasant and smile—which is most of the time when you’re with others—but there’s also a time to turn to the Lord and others for help.

Simple Joys:

For most of life, nothing wonderful happens. If you don’t enjoy getting up and working and finishing your work and sitting down to a meal with family or friends, then the chances are that you’re not going to be very happy. If someone bases his happiness or unhappiness on major

events like a great new job, huge amounts of money, a flawlessly happy marriage or a trip to Paris, that person isn’t going to be happy much of the time. If, on the other hand, happiness depends on a good breakfast, flowers in the yard, a drink or a nap, then we are more likely to

live with quite a bit of happiness.

—Andy Rooney (1919–2011)

THE CHURCH: A building? Or the assembly of the called out, chosen, body of true believers? The people.

It's important to understand that meeting together for fellowship and spiritual renewing--whether it is done in a church building, a great Cathedral, a private home or a thatched hut--is NOT our "SERVICE" for the Lord. The reason we mention this is because, especially in many of the more formal churches, the church meeting is called the "SERVICE". This has given many people the mistaken impression that by merely going to CHURCH and giving an offering, they have FULFILLED their obligation to God.--That all they are required to do as Christians is to attend the "service" in order to please God.

Obviously this is not true at all, because a Christian's obligation, as Jesus COMMANDED us, is to "PREACH the GOSPEL to every person"!--Mark 16:15. Our actual WORK and SERVICE for the Lord is in our everyday LIVING for Him, in our WITNESSING to others, showing them love and pointing them towards Salvation. THIS is our service to God!--And it's genuine WORK and requires DEDICATION and a measure of SELF-SACRIFICE. Meeting together for an hour or two for FELLOWSHIP, by comparison, should be a genuine PLEASURE and RELAXATION! It should be a time to be renewed, re-inspired and fueled up for the work and re-strengthened for the battles in the days ahead! Another interesting point brought out in this passage is the fact that it isn't necessary for Christians to have a fancy religious building, cathedral or so-called "house of God" to meet in for fellowship and time with the Lord. For its first 2OO YEARS of existence, Christianity had NO buildings, and Christians just met wherever they could. Jesus said, "WHEREVER two or three are gathered together in My name, THERE am I in their midst!"--Matthew 18:2O.

It would be helpful to understand the original meaning of the word "Church" as translated from Greek, the language of the New Testament. Did you know that in virtually EVERY VERSE where you find the word "Church", the Greek word "Ekklesia" appears which literally means “the CALLED OUT or CHOSEN ones or the BODY of BELIEVERS"! God's true and living Church are the genuine Christian BELIEVERS in God who follow Jesus--the born-again, saved Body of Christ.--Not a BUILDING or any particular denomination!

This ACTUAL MEANING of the word "Church" is completely different from its modern-day connotation. If you were to ask most people today what a "Church" is, the first picture that comes to mind would be some kind of "church BUILDING"! But the Church is NOT a building at all! It is the PEOPLE, the assembly of true believers, not a lifeless building made of concrete and steel!--And certainly not a luxurious cathedral that wasted millions of dollars that could have been spent to help preach the Gospel to the World's billions who do not know Jesus!--And to help feed, clothe and shelter the poor!

But sad to say, the Church gradually became interested in BUILDINGS, and as they did, they began to lose the vision of their purpose and goal on Earth. Little by little, the Church's major emphasis began to be placed on the BUILDING—and a once-a-week attendance to it--instead of winning the World for Jesus! What a sad day for the Church! Up until that time, the early Christians were doing a really good job. But when they began to concentrate on acquiring properties and buildings, they lost sight of the Church's TRUE goal of winning the millions of lost souls who have never heard the Gospel! What a shame that people have been misled to believe that all Christians must attend some building once a week in order to please God!--When, in fact, a study of the New Testament will show that neither Jesus nor the Apostles EVER gave a commandment for Christians to "go to church on Sunday"!--NOT ONCE!

There is also no mention of a church BUILDING throughout the entire New Testament. Jesus never once taught that His followers were to meet in a specific BUILDING or the "house of God", as they're wrongly called today. In fact, He taught just the OPPOSITE! When He was asked WHERE people should go to WORSHIP, He answered, "Believe Me, the time is coming, and now IS, when you will worship the Father neither (at the temple) on this mountain, nor (at the temple) in Jerusalem! For the TRUE WORSHIPPERS will worship the Father in SPIRIT and in TRUTH! For the Father SEEKS such people to worship Him!"--John 4:23, 24.

As the martyr Stephen proclaimed to his religious persecutors, "The Most High GOD does NOT live in TEMPLES made with hands!"--Acts 7:48-5O. "For Heaven is My throne and EARTH itself is My FOOTSTOOL! Therefore what HOUSE will you build ME, says the Lord, or what shall be My resting place? Has not My hand made all these things?"--Isaiah 66:1-2. The Lord permitted the ancient Jews to build a Temple because they INSISTED on doing it (2Samuel 7:1-13), but it wasn't His idea!--2Samuel 7:5-7. Even after building it, King Solomon honestly confessed that God didn't live there, saying, "But WILL God INDEED dwell on Earth? Behold, the heaven and the Heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee; how much LESS this HOUSE that I have builded?" (1Kings8:27).

When Jesus said, "Go into all the World and preach the Gospel to EVERY creature" (Mark 16:15), He meant for EVERY ONE of His followers to do whatever they could to help spread His message. Even though they may have jobs or other responsibilities, they can at least share the Good News with their own families and friends about how they personally were saved. But if they have not been taught to do so, or even TOLD that this is something that they SHOULD do, something that God WANTS them to do, how can they be expected to obey Christ's command?--Unless they've got the faith and courage and initiative to read the BIBLE on their OWN, realize that their shepherds, pastors and clergy have FAILED to tell them the Truth, and then launch out and begin telling others about Jesus--despite their spiritual leaders' poor example!

Most churchy Christians today have been taught the importance of attending CHURCH regularly, and they certainly have been encouraged to GIVE generously to SUPPORT the church, but how many have actually been taught how to carry their faith OUTSIDE the four walls of that building to help OTHERS in need? Thank God, there are SOME churches who really DO preach a message of Salvation and service to God, even supporting a few missionaries to preach the Gospel to the lost!

But the problem is, MOST are NOT!-Does YOURS?--Do YOU?

The ORIGINAL plan that the EARLY CHRISTIANS put into practice so effectively was for all true believers to unite together, not merely in a church building, but in the COMMON CAUSE of loving and actively serving the Lord and reaching out to others with the Good News of Salvation along with humanitarian works and helping others with their physical needs.

Are YOU living your life for Him? Are you letting Jesus shine through YOU no matter WHERE you are so that you can be a real SAMPLE of His LOVE?--Or is your Christianity bound within the four walls of a so-called "church building"? Why not ask Jesus to make you a part of His LIVING Church on the move! "You also, as LIVING STONES, are being built into a SPIRITUAL house...ACCEPTABLE to God!"--1Peter 2:5.

Just give Jesus a try and repeat this simple prayer with me: “Jesus come into my heart and fill me with Your Holy Spirit and forgive me of all my sins, please make me an instrument of Your Love and Your peace, and thank you for the free gift of Eternal Life through faith in you alone. Amen.

You are the Church! 1CO.3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 1CO.3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

If today was your last day and you knew it, scope of eternity? Your minutes would be extremely valuable, and you would choose to spend them on the things that were most important to you. The things of the world would seem pointless—almost offensive to your spirit. You would want to love those dearest to you, and to make sure they know how much they mean to you. You would be righting any wrongs and working out anything that had come between you. If you have ever come face to face with death or been with a loved one through a life-threatening illness and seen their priorities realign, you understand this. Everything becomes abundantly clear in those moments. The only thing that matters is love.

The Bible says, “The first shall be last and the last shall be first", and “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away”. (Rev. 21:4) So I imagine there will be a lot of crying for most of us when we see all that we could have done, or should have done but didn't or when we realize what the real priorities really are but lived for other things such as, the praise and opinions of man, money, and the material. As the old quote says,” IF YOU'D VALUE THE PRAISE OF MAN--YOU'D BETTER CATCH IT QUICK WHILE IT'S PASSING, 'CAUSE IT'S SOON GONE. Only God remembers! And the square that was named Pershing yesterday is called MacArthur today and will be called by another famous name tomorrow--as soon as the former is forgotten! The public always enjoys a nice juicy dirty story about its leaders, and they rejoice when their faults and failings and failures are exposed! And I wonder how often you've heard: "I always knew he was a so-and-so--that there was something phony about him!" No matter how much good he did, people are quicker to find fault than to value virtue. They seldom remember the good, but they always remember the evil! The good doesn't usually make news, but the evil always hits the headlines! Fame is fickle and triumph is only transitory. The cream of the crop today is always the sour cheese of tomorrow. The same crowd that was crying, "Hosanna to the Son of David" on Palm Sunday, was shouting, "Crucify Him" the following Friday! NEARLY EVERY GREAT RELIGIOUS LEADER, REFORMER, AND REVOLUTIONIST, SUFFERED IMPRISONMENT AND DEATH, too often at the hands of the very people he was trying to save! Who knows? Many who have gone down in history as heroes may really have been the villains of their day; and many of the so-called villains may really have been the heroes! IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHAT THE "MINISTRY OF TRUTH"--THE VICTORIOUS HISTORIANS--DECIDE TO DICTATE! It all depends on which side won! It all depends on which side is writing the history! EVEN THE VILLAINS OF HISTORY WERE NECESSARY! Where would the good guys be without the bad guys? You wouldn't appreciate the white-hats! Even the Devil is necessary--and the Scripture says that even the angels "durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee!" All things work together for good to them that love the Lord! (Rom.8:28) Even those that were wrong were working out God's purpose! WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON? How long go ye halting between two opinions?--If God be God, then serve Him;--If Baal be God, then serve Him! But if you're going to serve God, for God's sake, know what you're going to believe--and serve Him--no matter what they say! AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE--WE WILL SERVE THE LORD!
The things of this earth can satisfy your body, but God has made you so that your soul or heart or spirit can only be satisfied by the things which are spiritual and the things of the spirit.
THEREFORE WE'RE TOLD TO LOVE (OR WORSHIP) NOT THE WORLD, neither the things that are in the world, such as the love of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life, because the fashions of this world and the lust thereof shall pass away, He says, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever! So, He said, set not your affections on things below, but on things above; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are unseen are eternal! He did not say you would not like or enjoy or need or desire, with even His God-given desire, the things of this world and this life, including the lust of the flesh, which is very necessary for certain purposes, particularly for the survival and very existence of the flesh. But you're not to love them, worship or lust after them excessively and intemperately, inordinately, more than is necessary, more than is meet, to the point that you put these things before the greater and higher values and even more essential necessities of the spirit, which are very necessary to the survival and eternal existence of the spiritual man.
FOR IF YOU LOVE THE MATERIAL WORLD MORE THAN THE SPIRITUAL, THEN IT BECOMES A FORM OF WORSHIP of the Creation more than the Creator, and God and His spiritual world refuse to take second place in your affections and your interests or even in the activities of your life. So, He says, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, all thy mind, all thy strength and all thy soul, and thy neighbor as thyself. He says these are the first and greatest of all the commandments in importance, and that you shall have no other Gods before Him, for He is a jealous God, and He desires your love and for you to love Him first of all, above all, and seek first His Kingdom! But then if you do, He's happy to add all these other things unto you, including every desire of your desirous little heart--as long as you delight yourself in Him!
BUT IF YOU PUT THESE DESIRES OF THE FLESH FIRST ABOVE GOD AND OTHERS and the needs of your spirit, then you'll find that nothing ever satisfies, not even the most total indulgence in the flesh! You will become as the world-famed poet, Lord Byron, when he despaired at the height of his fame with these words: "I've drunk of every fount of pleasure and quaffed every cup of fame, yet, alas, I die of thirst!" For the things of this earth can only satisfy your body, but only God and His true love can ever fill that aching spiritual void of your heart which He created for Himself alone! For true happiness comes not in your personal pursuit for selfish pleasure and satisfaction, but in finding God and giving His life to others and bringing them happiness! Then happiness pursues and overtakes and overwhelms you, personally, without even seeking it for yourself!
For whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap. It's just one of God's rules and laws of the spirit--just as definite and certain as some of the scientific laws of physics, such as gravity. The laws of the spirit, however, never fail! They always work--either for you or against you, according to how you obey them, and whether or not you obey them.--And the first law is the law of love--unselfish love--love for Him and others. If you will obey that one and give that love which is His and their due, so shall ye also receive, for with what measure ye mete unto other men's bosoms, so shall they also mete unto your bosom.
“Your name may not appear down here in this world's Hall of Fame; In fact, you may be so unknown, that no one knows your name. The Oscars here may pass you by and neon lights of blue; but if you love and serve the Lord, Then, I have news for you! This Hall of Fame is only good As long as time shall be; but keep in mind, God's Hall of Fame Is for Eternity!
To have your name inscribed up There Is greater, yes by far, Than all the Halls of Fame down here, And every man made star. These crowds on earth they soon forget the heroes of the past, they cheer like mad until you fall, and that's how long you last! But God, He never does forget, and in His Hall of Fame, by just believing in His Son, Inscribed you'll find your name. I tell you, friend, I wouldn't trade my name, however small, that’s written there beyond the stars in that celestial Hall. For every famous name on earth or glory that they share: I'd rather be an unknown here, and have my name up There”

Inscribe your name right now; just repeat:

Jesus, come into my heart and fill me with Your Holy Spirit and Your Eternal Love, and forgive me for all my sins and selfishness, I believe in You and want Your free gift of Eternal Life and want love to be the priority in my life, love for You and love for others. Help me to be Your instrument of love and peace forever. Amen.

Why I'M NOT AN aTHEIST

IS FREE WILL A PROBLEM? WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS?

FORWARD FOREVER FORWARD

WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU ONLY MAKES YOU STRONGER

PRIORITIES

WHAT IS THE CHURCH?

REMEMBER, LOVE NEVER FAILS! All the introspection, analyzing & agonizing, are merely works of the flesh, which will have to be repeated next week: "Battles Never Cease!" "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivereth him out of them all."-- Psalm 34:19.

ONLY GOD CAN DO IT! OUR SALVATION IS ONLY BY GRACE, NEVER BY WORKS OR CONFESSION SESSIONS OR BATTLING IN THE FLESH WITH OUR SINS. IF GOD CAN'T DO IT, NOBODY CAN! And if you're trying to attain some state of sinless perfection through some false doctrine of eradication, such as the "Holiness" people pretend to have, you're doomed to disappointment!--You'll never make it!

IF YOU THINK THE TIME'S COMING WHEN YOU'LL NO LONGER HAVE TO FIGHT SELF, SIN & THE "OLD MAN", YOU'RE MISTAKEN! I'M still at it! How about YOU? That's why we have so many victories--we have so many battles & so much to fight against--mostly our own damn stinking selves!

GOD KNOWS, WE SHOULD BE GROWING & MAKING SOME PROGRESS & PASSING A FEW TESTS & surviving a few trials & having a few triumphs & testimonies. But don't think you're going to make sinless saints, overnight wonders, out of these new converts! I HAVE A HARD TIME BAWLING OTHER PEOPLE OUT FOR THE SAME THINGS I'M GUILTY OF myself & of which most of us are guilty, even worse, so about all I can do is give'm hell for it momentarily, confess what a helluva mess I made along the same line, weep a little, cry a little, pray a little, sympathize a little & take each other in each other's arms, forgive each other & try again.

"FOR IF YE FORGIVE NOT MEN THEIR TRESPASSES, NEITHER WILL YOUR FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN FORGIVE YOU YOUR TRESPASSES."--And you've got plenty of them, let's face it!--Only bigger & even worse, because of your importance & the size of your job. "Seek not therefore to be teachers, for unto you is the greater condemnation." I think all of you are going to find out sooner or later, that the "thorn in the flesh" God is going to use to keep you humble is probably going to be some besetting sin, which you'll have to fight for the rest of your life, which will take a lot of the Grace of God to keep overcoming & keep battling, for the rest of your days. This is what helps keep us in shape, as I've often said, "NO TRIUMPH WITHOUT A TRIAL; NO TESTIMONY WITHOUT A TEST; NO VICTORY WITHOUT A BATTLE; SO KEEP FIGHTING!" YOU'RE BOUND TO WIN SOMETIMES, & WHEN YOU LOSE, IT'LL HELP KEEP YOU HUMBLE & HELP OTHERS TO KNOW YOU'RE ONLY HUMAN, & GIVE GOD ALL THE GLORY! I do not believe in the "Holiness" doctrine of Eradication--neither in the Baptist doctrine of mere Suppression, but rather in the good old Bible Doctrine of Habitation, "Christ in you, the Hope of Glory." "Without Me, ye can do nothing." Even Jesus said of Himself, "I can do nothing, but what the Father showeth Me." So-called "Holiness" is usually a pride trip of self-righteous, sanctimonious, holier-than-thou hypocrisy! You might as well face it: YOU CAN'T GET THE VICTORY! IT'S IMPOSSIBLE FOR YOU TO GET THE VICTORY! ONLY CHRIST CAN! "LET GO & LET GOD!" YOU CAN'T DO IT YOURSELF. "Not of works, lest any man should boast!" "For by GRACE are ye saved, through FAITH, & that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God."--Only GOD can give it! YOU CAN'T EARN IT, WORK FOR IT, WORK IT UP, PRAY IT DOWN, PRAY IT THROUGH & become so wholly sanctified, that you're some kind of a sinless saint!

YOU HAVEN'T GOT ANYBODY'S RIGHTEOUSNESS EXCEPT CHRIST & HE'S THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN GIVE IT TO YOU! Your own righteousness stinks! Its "filthy, menstruous rags!" So quit trying! Let GOD do it! LET the LIGHT in!--And the darkness will flee of itself!

GET SO FULL OF THE SPIRIT & THE WORD, YOU DON'T HAVE TIME TO WORRY ABOUT YOUR OWN DAMN STINKING SELF!--Or how bad you are! Of course you're bad! So are all the rest of us! Only Jesus is good! So "Let's talk about JESUS," huh? I gave up on myself a long time ago--like Paul did in Romans 7:17-25, "O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord." He's the Only One who can do it! All the filthy confession sessions in the World aren't going to do it! I don't believe in advertising the Devil's goods; I don't like to hear about his dirty work.

YOU'RE GLORIFYING SATAN WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR SINS. YOU'RE GLORIFYING SELF WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR FAULTS!--Because you're talking about yourself instead of Jesus!

YOU JUST CAN'T POSSIBLY TELL PEOPLE HOW BAD YOU ARE: SO QUIT TRYING! LET'S TALK ABOUT JESUS! And let's quit disciplining people so severely & so harshly for poor little blunders of the mind, rather than the heart, when you're such a tyrant yourself, merciless & unforgiving!--Let's FORGIVE one another, as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven us! YOU NEED TO APPLY TO YOURSELF WHAT JESUS SAID TO THE SELF-RIGHTEOUS HYPOCRITES, "YOU NEED TO LEARN WHAT IT MEANETH: 'I WILL HAVE MERCY & NOT SACRIFICE'!" Some of you leaders have been forgiven for a whole lot more than what you've condemned some of these babes for, & some of the people I was ready to throw out, you in mercy loved back in, so for God's sake, let's remember that only Jesus can do it & quit trying to LEGISLATE righteousness. It's a GIFT of GOD! Let GOD do it!--LOVE NEVER FAILS! JESUS NEVER FAILS!

WHAT EVERYBODY NEEDS IS LOVE! IF THEY'RE NOT GOING TO FIND IT HERE, WHERE ARE THEY GOING TO FIND IT?

LOVE NEVER FAILS

THERE ARE NO NUETRALS

THERE ARE NO NEUTRALS! YOU ARE EITHER A MARTYR OR A TRAITOR! You're either on the Lord's side or the Devil's. Jesus said, "You're either for Me or against Me. And he that is not for Me is against Me." If you're for Him, you are planning to die for Him. You are living for Him. You can't say you're for Him, but be neutral! Neutrals are for the Devil. Neutrals are planning to betray Him. Neutrals are figuring out excuses for betrayal, like Judas. They're only pretending to be neutral to hide their perfidy and treachery and their plans to betray. A neutral is a traitor in disguise. There are no such things as neutrals.

NOBODY IS NEUTRAL EVERYBODY HAS A BIAS FOR OR AGAINST! You're either a capitalist or a communist. You're either a conservative or a liberal--a rightist or a leftist--right or wrong. Nothing short of right is right. There is no such thing as neutrality on anything. Even a battery has only two poles, positive and negative, and you cannot get them together without fireworks--a red hot short that will knock the battery for a loop! No battery has neutral poles: You're alive or dead, hot or cold! But if you claim to only be lukewarm, you're nothing but a lukewarm liar, good for nothing but to be spit out; so lukewarm neutrals are the most sickening specimens of humanity in the world! They make you want to puke, because you know they're liars, because you know they're not neutral!

This is the neutral's twisted distorted sense of values. To him the facts are whatever he says they are. Black is white and white is black and the truth is not important. The facts are what he wants them to be. "My mind is made up--don't confuse me with the facts." He believes what he wants to believe, and sees what he wants to see, and everything is according to his interpretation

OF COURSE, THIS CLAIMED NEUTRALITY ALWAYS HELPS THE NEUTRAL'S FRIENDS TO PRETEND TO BE NEUTRAL, TOO, who are liars also, like the "friends" all smiles to your face and go home and knife you in the back! Oh, they're only neutral. That's neutrality. That shows you really have no opinion in the matter. You're not taking sides. You're just being neutral. The neutral mouths his neutrality above the table while slipping his true friends guns under the table to shoot the ones he's deceiving across the table. No neutral ever believes in his heart that he is a neutral. He knows he's not. He just wants to make others think he's neutral to cover his true identity as a traitor and a betrayer--a liar and a back-stabber, the dirty, filthy scum that he is--a lying hypocrite who is using his lily-white Pharisaism as a cover for his dirty work!--

THERE ARE NO NEUTRALS! YOU'RE EITHER ON ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER. And the worst enemies are the liars who claim they have no opinion, the so-called undecided. "Well, we're not against you; we just don't like the way you're doing it. We don't really oppose you.--We'll just betray you if things get too hot or not to our liking." The so-called neutral is the venomous snake in the grass covered by the camouflage of neutral shrubbery, but coiled and ready to strike with deadly aim from his position of neutral security. The neutral is the most dangerous enemy of all!

SO YOU SAY YOU'RE NEUTRAL? YOU'RE A LIAR AND A CHEAT AND A TRAITOR OF THE WORST KIND--the hidden, deceptive, camouflaged, sickening betrayer--the one who pretends to be a friend and eats at your own table while preparing to knife you in the back, who smiles to your face while fingering the handle of a dagger that he plans to bury in your heart. That's neutrality. Neutrality is treachery and the neutral is a traitor! Oh, the neutral is always so fair! "I can see both sides." The Liar! There is no such thing as both sides! Only one side can be right and only one side can be wrong, so in claiming to be neutral and pretending to see right and wrong on both sides, the neutral puts himself above everybody. He is the most righteous of all. He can see how everybody's a little bit wrong but him and he is the only one right--the only one who really sees the truth, which he claims is somewhere in-between, which makes him the worst liar and most treacherous enemy of all! As Jesus said "He that is not for Me is against Me, and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth abroad." You're either for us or you're against us, right or wrong. "My country, my country, right or wrong, my country."

THE NEUTRAL IS LIKE A BOOBY TRAP, LYING THERE SO NICE AND QUIET IN THE GRASS, BUT JUST WAIT AND STEP ON HIM AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS!--He explodes and shows his true colors! He lies there looking so innocent like any other ordinary object, until you kick him and he blows you to bits! He comes bearing gifts like the Greeks, but beware! He plans to take away more than he's giving! He comes pretending to be a helper, but turns out to be a destroyer--and the worst of all destroyers--for he destroys within, where he can do the most damage! Like the termite, he bores from within unseen and unheard, weakening the structure and hoping to make the whole building crumble. Like the worm in the apple, whose ugliness you don't see and bitterness you don't taste until you take a good bite of him and he's exposed, and the sight and taste are so horrible you spew him out like the Lord does the lukewarm neutral!

THE MOST SICKENING OF ALL PEOPLE TO GOD IS THE NEUTRAL--the enemy who pretends to be a friend, like most church people today, and the churchy system. May God damn it for its subtle treacherous "neutrality" with the world--pretending to be a friend of both God and the world at the same time! God has their number. "Friendship with the world is enmity with God!" He knows the neutrals--the most perfidious, horrible, heinous, nauseating enemy of all, who "have the form of godliness without the power thereof" "who say they are Jews, but are not, but do lie, for they are of the Synagogue of Satan", and their churches are temples of the Devil!

SO YOU'RE A NEUTRAL? SO YOU'RE A LIAR AND A HYPOCRITE AND A DEVIL IN DISGUISE, pretending to be an angel of light! You're just here going through the motions, hating every minute of it, abhorring the whole thing and just waiting for a chance to get out, looking for an excuse to leave, grasping at any straw that will save you. The hypocrite just goes along for the ride. He wants to enjoy the benefits without paying the price. He wants to share without paying any price

THERE ARE NO NEUTRALS!--THERE ARE ONLY TRAITORS OR MARTYRS!--WHICH ARE YOU? Are you a so-called neutral--in other words, a traitor looking for a way out? Or are you a martyr looking for a way up? The martyr expects and wants to die for the cause as a witness. He'll pay any price, go any length, suffer any agony, and make any sacrifice, "till death do us part" to obtain the crown. He's dying now and knows it. He dies daily and loves it. He suffers and rejoices in it. Nothing could possibly sway or turn him. He doesn't know how to be a deserter. To whom would he go?--"Thou alone hast the words of eternal life."--"Give me liberty or give me death!--If this be treason, make the most of it!"--"Ready to fight--ready to die--for Fatherland!"--"Here I stand by the grace of God!--I can do no other!" THE MARTYR WOULDN'T THINK OF LOOKING BACK!--HE KNOWS THERE'S NOTHING TO GO BACK TO. He dreads being a dead pillar of salt. He abhors leaving a plow deserted in the midst of the field. He is no sickening half-baked cake like neutral Ephraim! He knows what he wants and he is determined to get it! He has faith and vision, and determination, and the spirit of do or die, and he would not think of wavering! Unlike the double-minded and wavering and those whose eyes are not single, the doubting, the unbelieving, the skeptical, suspicious neutral--unlike these, the martyr is determined to go blindly on faith alone, because he has found the truth! Unlike the double-minded neutral that wavers and is unstable in all his ways, who will receive nothing from the Lord, the martyr is of one mind, one heart, one soul, one spirit, one purpose, and will not quit until he's made it! That's the martyr! There are no neutrals: --The neutral is a liar and a hypocrite! There are only martyrs or traitors! Which are you?

GOD KNOWS BEST

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Self-righteousness IS pride & pride IS self-righteousness!--Thinking that YOU are more righteous than GOD! If you're proud of your OWN righteousness, then you're rebelling against GOD'S Righteousness, because you're saying you're more righteous than God, so you're rebelling against GOD!--And that is nothing but pure pride! Nothing personal against the Jews, but the legalistic, Pharisaical Jews had--& STILL have—a Great problem along this line, of whom Paul wrote, "For they being ignorant of GOD'S Righteousness, & going about to establish their OWN righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of GOD!" But let me tell you, if you start fighting & arguing with God, I can tell you who's right & who's wrong! I have that much faith in God, even though I haven't always understood some of the things He did to me & let happen to me & let happen to others--I have not understood'm & I STILL don't understand'm to this day--but I know one thing for sure, GOD is the One Who was RIGHT!

God HATES such murmuring & He wiped out a whole generation of five or six million Jews in the Sinaitic desert because of their murmuring & pretending to be more righteous than God! "We wouldn't have done this, God! Why did you DO this to US, God? We would have been GOODER than You, God! WE'RE gooder than GOD!"--And God was FURIOUS with them, knowing how wicked & how vile & imperfect & iniquitous their wicked, black, evil hearts were, just through this self-righteousness! No matter whether they kept all the other commandments & all the rigmarole of the tent & the tabernacle & all the worship & all the laws of Moses, it didn't matter! If they thought THEY were more righteous than GOD & they were holding it against God because God didn't do this or didn't do that, or "God doesn't heal me, I'm holding it against God now," that very attitude can KILL you! God HATES that attitude almost more than anything else! It is pure SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS, IT IS ACCUSING GOD OF UNRIGHTEOUSNESS! "Can a man be found more righteous than God?"--NO! NEVER! No matter WHAT God does, it's more righteous than anything Man could EVER do!--And no matter WHAT Man does, it's NEVER as righteous as GOD is!

So forgive us for our murmurings, Lord, & help us never to criticize You & the way You're running things, to try to think we're more righteous than You! Murmuring is such a terrible sin, Lord, it's really complaining that You're doing things wrong & thinking that we could do them better, that we're more righteous than You are, which is a terrible sin, Lord, of self-righteousness!

Forgive us ALL, Lord, & help us in Jesus' name to trust You. YOU know best about ALL these things & You're going to have YOUR way & it's all going to work out for the BEST in the long run for ALL of us, who love You, in Jesus' name.

IN SEARCH OF TRUTH

Answers to many of Life's most Meaningful Questions!

"WHAT IS LIFE ALL ABOUT?--WHAT AM I HERE FOR? IS THERE A PURPOSE, A PLAN FOR ME?--AND IF SO, WHAT IS IT?"

Questions such as these have stirred the soul and imagination of Man throughout the ages. Regardless of our country, color or creed, our hearts all hunger for the same things--for lasting love, genuine happiness and peace of mind, truth and beauty, meaning and purpose.

ALL men, from the most primitive tribes in the jungles to members of the most modern and technologically-advanced societies, seem to instinctively sense that life is more than an evolutionary coincidence or accident. Although increasing numbers of people today look to modern SCIENCE and its continually changing and often contradictory theories to try to understand our origins and the true nature of life, for thousands of years the main source of solace Man has turned to has been his various FAITHS.--Faiths in which he gives recognition or worship to the unseen supernatural forces he feels must exist.

In his quest for Truth, enlightenment and inner peace, for the Ultimate Reality, Man's many religions have offered him a wide variety of beliefs and practices. By means of those religions, Man reaches out for supernatural assistance, hoping to obtain the favor and blessing of the unseen Power or powers he worships.

BUT HOW CAN I BE BOTHERED WITH SOMETHING AS OLD-FASHIONED AS RELIGION WHEN I'M SO BUSY TRYING TO "GET AHEAD"?

In today's ever-changing and increasingly complex and computerised World, more and more people find themselves so caught up in the frenzied rush to become successful financially, they often have little time to ponder such seemingly "abstract" matters as the meaning of life, peace of mind, love for their fellowman, or even the eternal welfare of their own souls!--After all, such concerns could be quite distracting or actually detrimental to their pursuit of the most POPULAR "god" of this World; a god that commands most of the World's worship and devotion--MONEY and material wealth!

From the time they are very young children, many people have it ingrained in them that the only way to attain happiness in life is to:

1) Get a good education, preferably with a degree from a prestigious university.

2) Land a "promising" job with a successful company or corporation.

3) Make enough money to purchase a new automobile, a nice house or two, and furnish and equip it with all of the various luxury items and hi-tech electronic gadgets that are equated with "success". Although this route to riches usually requires a lifetime of blood, sweat, tears and toil, most of the folks who follow it do so without serious doubts or reservations, for they are convinced that once they attain the wealth they desire, they will at last find true happiness and contentment.

But sad to say, such people usually discover that despite their arduous efforts to attain happiness, it somehow eludes them. As the years pass they often find that company or social pressures have filled them with stress and anxiety, not peace or satisfaction. Their private lives frequently suffer as a result, as they're unable to even find time to spend with their own families and loved ones.

Then, to their dismay, they eventually and ultimately reach a very sad realization: This World and all of its treasures and pleasures can never truly satisfy the HEART of Man! Material things may temporarily satisfy the BODY, but they can never satisfy the SOUL or the SPIRIT of Man which longs for a joy, peace and lasting fulfillment that can never be met or fulfilled by mere material gain.

This is why the rich and powerful are often the most miserable of all men.--They ALREADY possess everything that most people think can satisfy and make them happy. They've already attained all of the material things their hearts could desire, and to their sorrow they discover that things cannot satisfy or fulfill their empty hearts and starving souls!--Thus they no longer even have HOPE of happiness in riches! The famous English poet, Lord Byron, realized this and lamented, "I have drunk every cup of pleasure, and I have quaffed every cup of fame, and yet alas, I die of THIRST!"

Although many people today take little time to ponder the prospect of a Creator, of a God, when a personal crisis or tragedy suddenly strikes--an unexpected accident or critical illness, a death in the family, a great personal loss of any kind--to whom do they turn for help? A fat bank account--regardless of the wealth it holds--can do nothing to bring back a loved one who has passed through death's door. Houses, lands and a stockpile of luxury items can do nothing to rekindle a love that has grown cold or heal a heart that's been broken. It is during such times of crisis that people frequently realize that the TRUE values of life are far more important than mere material wealth.

AREN'T ALL RELIGIONS BASICALLY THE SAME?--ARE THEY NOT ALL PATHS THAT EVENTUALLY REACH THE SAME SUMMIT?

Although Man's basic needs and heart's desires are the same, the World's great religions prescribe many different and often contradictory means of meeting those needs. A brief look at some of the most common beliefs and practices makes this evident:

Devout believers of many faiths try to fulfill their spiritual needs by regularly attending places of worship--shrines, temples, mosques, cathedrals etc.--where prayers are made, incense is offered and a multitude of different traditions, ceremonies and rituals are observed.

Some dedicated souls are willing to renounce all worldly pleasures and possessions in order to devote themselves wholly to various religious disciplines. Rather than honoring or looking to icons, idols and representations of their god or gods, many look for truth and reality WITHIN themselves, seeking enlightenment by intense concentration, contemplation and meditation.

Some seekers of Truth worship ONE god, while others worship hundreds or even THOUSANDS of gods. Some of the World's major religions began simply as moral or ethical philosophies, and their founders never intended that ANY deity or god should be worshipped.--Yet today these very founders themselves are venerated as if THEY themselves were a god!

For many believers, their highest hope and aspiration is that they will survive after death as an individual personality in a happy and heavenly afterlife. Others scorn the idea of continuing to live on as an individual, but rather look forward to the OBLITERATION of their individual self, so that they may become one with the Ultimate Reality of the Universe.

Some believe that after they die they will return to live other lives on Earth, over and over again, that their present life is just one of MANY births and rebirths that will continue INDEFINITELY until full enlightenment or salvation is attained. Others believe that Man lives only ONE life on Earth, and therefore has only one chance to live properly and to somehow secure a happy afterlife.

With so many different--and often contradictory--beliefs to choose from, the seeker of Truth can understandably become quite muddled and confused.--Particularly since almost all of the World's major faiths believe and claim that THEIR approach is THE one true path to enlightenment, bliss, salvation or Heaven!

WHERE THEN DOES ONE START, IF HE SINCERELY SEEKS TO FIND THE TRUTH?

If you are not sure if a Supreme Being, an all-powerful God, exists, then the first step to take is to ascertain that He IS. The most obvious proof we have that a Divine Creator exists is the World and Universe around us, the visible, natural CREATION.

The following true incident is a fitting illustration: Doctor Robert A. Millikan was the renowned American nuclear physicist who won the Nobel Prize for his work in pioneering the splitting of the atom. One evening, at a banquet held in his honor, a young journalist approached him and said, "Dr. Millikan, although you are undoubtedly a brilliant scientist, a great physicist, I've heard rumor that you still cling to the old-fashioned concept of a Creator, that you actually believe in GOD!--Is this true?"

Millikan paused for a moment as he thoughtfully studied the young reporter's face. He then produced an elaborate gold pocket-watch from his vest and said, "Just as behind this WATCH there had to be an intelligent designer and watchmaker, so behind the intricate precision and timing of this great Universe, there HAD to be a great CREATOR!"

The Holy Book of three Faiths, the Bible, tells us, "Since the creation of the World, the INVISIBLE things of God--His eternal power and divine nature--are clearly SEEN, being understood by the visible things that He has MADE."-- Romans 1:20 *. In other words, the existence of an invisible Creator is MANIFEST or made EVIDENT by the wonderful World which He has created, His Creation, the things which we can SEE.--The greatest credentials of the Creator are the marvelous things He has made!

The sea, the sky, the mountains, the valleys, the trees, the flowers, they're all TELLING us something! When you gaze into the heavens on a clear night, beholding the stars, planets and wonders of the Cosmos, haven't you ever felt that there must be a REASON, a PURPOSE behind it all?--As if it all MEANS something, SAYS something?--Well, it IS saying something!--It's all crying out, "LOOK!--There IS a GOD! Look at the wonders He has MADE!" The Bible says:

"The heavens DECLARE the glory of God and the firmament SHOWS His handiwork! Day after day utters SPEECH, and night after night shows KNOWLEDGE! There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard!"-- Psalm 19:1-3. God's entire Creation is a constant testimony of not only His existence, power and majesty, but also of His Love, concern and care for us in giving us such a beautiful World to live in!

BUT ISN'T THE BIBLE THE TRADITIONAL HOLY BOOK OF THE WEST, AND ISN'T CHRISTIANITY THE RELIGION OF THE WESTERN WORLD?

Although it's true that the Bible has been embraced mostly by Western cultures, its revelation of Truth is for EVERYONE! Actually, its origins are not "Western" at all! Most of the Bible was written by prophets and seers from the Middle Eastern land of PALESTINE, a unique land bridge that links the three great continents of Asia, Africa and Europe.

The great Creator, God, from the pages of the Bible, lovingly calls out to ALL men of ALL nationalities, saying,

"Look unto Me and be saved, all the ends of the Earth: for I am God, the God of all flesh and besides Me there is none else!"-- Isaiah 45:22.

The Bible's appeal is universal: "WHOSOEVER shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, for the Lord would have ALL men to be saved, to come unto the knowledge of the Truth. For God shows no partiality and is no respecter of persons, but in EVERY nation, ALL who love Him are accepted by Him!"-- Rom.10:13 ; 1Timothy 2:4 ; Acts 10:34,35 .--In other words, God freely offers His Love, peace, blessings and salvation to ALL of us, regardless of our race, color, nationality or social status!

BUT CHRISTIANITY AS PRACTICED BY MANY CHURCHES TODAY SEEMS TO BE A RATHER SELFISH AND CLOSED RELIGION, AMASSING GREAT WEALTH, LANDS, PROPERTIES, BUILDINGS, ETC.

Sad to say, this is often the case. Much of what the World views as "Christianity" today, has strayed so far away from what simple, lowly JESUS, originally taught to His followers, that very few similarities can be found when you look at the way most Christians live today, & compare their lives with those of Jesus & His Disciples.

Jesus never preached any complicated ceremonies, rituals or impossible-to-keep rules and regulations. Nor did He ever say to build elaborate religious buildings or cathedrals at the expense of the poor! He simply said that our most important religious obligation was to "LOVE GOD and to LOVE our NEIGHBOURS as ourselves."-- Matthew 22:37-39. He Himself showed His followers how to do this by His Own example of living a life of LOVE and COMPASSION, "sharing with the poor, healing the broken hearted, offering deliverance to the captives, restoring of sight to the blind, and liberty to them that are bound!"-- Luke 4:18.

IF THE GOD THAT THE BIBLE TELLS US OF IS NOT LIKE THE CHURCHES WHO CLAIM TO REPRESENT HIM, THEN WHAT IS HE LIKE?

The TRUE God is a GOOD God Who is KIND and LOVING and CONCERNED about ALL of His children in EVERY nation! The Bible tells us that He is a loving Heavenly FATHER Who LOVES YOU as His Own dear child, Who created this beautiful World as a home for you to live in and enjoy.

Unfortunately, many people picture God as some kind of a great all-seeing Eye Who follows them around with a big stick over their heads, Who is always ready to clobber them and punish them for all their sins, mistakes and weaknesses. However, the Bible tells us that this is NOT the case at all, but that God is loving and gentle, merciful and forgiving, and that the only reason He follows anyone around is because He's hoping they'll turn around and MEET Him, for He's waiting for them with open arms!

In fact, the Bible tells us, "God is LOVE!"-- 1John 4:8.--He's not some kind of a cruel monster Who enjoys seeing His creations suffer, Who wants to deny us all pleasure and happiness and make us miserable! He's not a heartless tyrant Who is trying to frighten everyone into Hell.--He is a God of LOVE Who is trying to LOVE everyone into HEAVEN!

WHERE IS THIS GOD?

Jesus said, "God is a SPIRIT: And those who worship Him must worship Him in SPIRIT and in TRUTH!"-- John 4:24. He is not a mere person in the sense that you and I are, for He and His Spirit surpass the entire UNIVERSE!

God is omnipresent--EVERYWHERE; omnipotent--all-powerful; and omniscient--all-knowing! He cannot be confined to ANY particular place, and certainly not to a mere temple, altar, shrine, religious building or place of worship!--He says, "Do not I FILL Heaven and Earth? Behold, even the heavens and the Heaven of heavens cannot contain Me!--For the Most High God does NOT dwell in temples made with hands!"-- Jeremiah 23:24; 1Kings 8:27; Acts 7:48.

God is the great basic Power and Guiding Light of the Universe, the Almighty Creator, and the Great Spirit of Love Who has brought all things into being. As Man's loving fatherly Creator, He has a kind and benign purpose in store for us, a final fulfillment of all of our longings for love, life, liberty and happiness!--He LOVES you!

IS THIS "GREAT SPIRIT OF LOVE" THE ONLY SPIRIT THAT EXISTS?

Although He is the one and only CREATOR, the one ALMIGHTY God, there are also many LESSER spiritual personalities and powers whom He has created.--In fact, there is an entire REALM, the SPIRIT WORLD, in which there are countless MILLIONS of spiritual inhabitants, who, though usually invisible to our mortal eyes, exist just the same. There are both GOOD spirits--Angels and the Heavenly spirits of those who once lived on Earth but have passed on to live with the Lord, as well as BAD spirits--demons or devils! But God alone is the omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent ALMIGHTY Creator! All of these other spirits are lesser personalities who operate within the bounds which God Himself has established for them.

The GOOD spirits, the Angels of God, are busy loyally serving Him. The EVIL forces of the Spirit World, the devils and demons, are in REBELLION against God, and are followers of a powerful rebel angel known as Satan, or the Devil. He and his forces are opposing forces who are in constant spiritual WARFARE with the good forces of God. Instead of trying to love and help Mankind and draw us CLOSER to God--like the Angels do--these demons are constantly seeking to deceive, conquer and destroy Man, trying to influence and sway him to rebel AGAINST God! It is the Devil and his forces who are largely responsible for much of the chaos, confusion, cruelty, carnage, and destruction that we see in today's troubled World!

One of the main preoccupations of the Devil's evil spiritual forces is to try to hinder and prevent Man from finding and entering into God's eternal Kingdom of Love, Light and Salvation. The Bible says Satan is "the god of THIS World, who BLINDS the eyes of those who do not believe in God, to prevent the light of the Truth of God from shining unto them."-- 2Corinthians 4:3, 4.

So it is vitally important for you, as a sincere seeker of Truth, to be very careful and discerning in your search for the realities of the Spirit World, lest you be hindered or deceived by the Devil or one of his lying spirits!

WHAT ABOUT ALL THE OTHER GODS OF THE WORLD'S GREAT RELIGIONS?

As mentioned earlier, some of the "gods" that many people have been taught to worship today were actually MEN, the FOUNDERS of their particular religions. Although these men never professed to be divine, after they died and several generations of believers passed, the respect and veneration their followers gave them grew, until they ultimately began to be looked upon and worshipped as GODS!--A development which these founders never desired or intended!

In other religions, such as the World's great PANTHEISTIC religions in which a large number of different gods are worshipped, it is quite possible that some of the epics and legends concerning these deities were originally based on actual events and battles that took place in the Spiritual Plane. Many of these characters and the ancient tales told concerning them could very well have originated with genuine spiritual personalities and past struggles and occurrences within the Unseen Realm.

However, in the process of time and through lack of accurate records, many of these accounts have no doubt become considerably exaggerated and distorted by word-of-mouth into some of the incredible tales, legends and epics that are with us today. But the fact remains that there ARE countless millions of spiritual beings, who compared to us humans, ARE actual "gods" and "goddesses", supernatural inhabitants of the Spirit World--some good, and some evil--who are struggling in that realm to either bring Salvation or damnation to Mankind!

Of course, some of the World's major religions do not believe in or worship a PERSONAL God at all. Instead, He is viewed as a sort of "Supreme Reality", "Ultimate Principle" or "Absolute" that is underlying the Universe. This rather indefinable concept of the Almighty is usually perceived as a God Who generally remains rather distant and aloof from specific human needs, individuals and circumstances. However, the Bible tells us that the true God is very personally concerned about EACH one of us, and that "as a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who love Him."-- Psalm 103:13.

Other religions, recognizing the marvelous wonder of the beauty and balance of Nature, have concluded that the physical CREATION itself must be God, that everything we can see is a manifestation or part of God. Such a view is actually very close to what the Bible itself says: "For He is before all things and by HIM all things consist. For OF Him, and THROUGH Him, and TO Him, are all things, and in Him we live and move and have our being!"-- Colossians 1:17; Romans 11:36; Acts 17:28. Because He is the great Power Who has created all things, in a sense God IS a part of all things and all things are a part of Him, from the vast galaxies of the heavens to the cohesive power of the tiniest atom!

Perceiving the close link between the invisible Creator and the visible things He has made, some religions give reverence and worship to the Creation itself--the Sun, the Moon, the mountains, the wind, the seasons etc. But the Bible tells us that we can worship and PERSONALLY know and have a living relationship with God HIMSELF, so therefore we do not need to "worship and serve the CREATION more than the CREATOR."-- Romans 1: 25. He does not mind us admiring, marveling and wondering at the beauties, glories and miracles of His handiwork, His gorgeous Creation, but He doesn't want us to glorify or worship the THINGS that are MADE while neglecting their MAKER!

Another means by which millions try to attain spiritual enlightenment is through MEDITATION. Although the dedication of many sincere seekers who follow this path is admirable, those who place themselves in the trance-like state that is necessary for deep meditation should beware!--For although they may indeed FIND some of the supernatural spiritual powers they are seeking, they may also discover that while in the trance-like state of deep meditation they have opened themselves up to the unseen forces of the Spirit World.--And if they are not genuinely PROTECTED by the Spirit of the one TRUE God, they can easily be misled and fall prey to DECEIVING spirits and become demon-possessed!

BUT HOW CAN ANY RELIGIOUS PRACTICE BE WRONG IF IT'S DONE SINCERELY?

The Bible tells us that Satan, the Devil, is an arch-DECEIVER, and is often "transformed to APPEAR as an angel of LIGHT."-- 2Corinthians 11:14, 15. The Devil often mixes in a lot of TRUTH and a lot of GOOD with his lies in order to make his deceit all the cleverer. It's true that many of Satan's demons are OBVIOUSLY evil, violent, destructive and horrific, but many times the Enemy of our souls will try to CHARM and lull people into his deceptions by baiting his trap with some TRUTHS!--To lure his victims into his clutches!

If the Devil didn't teach any GOOD or any TRUTH, most people wouldn't swallow his LIES! So he wraps up his bitter pill in a sugar coating--which may look and taste good at FIRST, but it will result in severe spiritual INDIGESTION!--In fact, it is usually pure POISON, and if you SWALLOW it, it will ensure your spiritual DEATH!

So it is of vital ETERNAL importance that, in your search for Truth, you find the TRUE God, the God of LOVE, Who LOVES you and wants to SAVE you! No amount of religious forms, ceremonies, rituals or traditions can ever bring you the wonderful soul-satisfying peace, joy and love that can be YOURS once you have a living relationship with the living God!

MANY RELIGIONS TEACH THAT IT IS NECESSARY FOR US TO SUFFER IN ORDER TO TRULY PLEASE AND DRAW CLOSE TO GOD.--IS THIS TRUE?

No!--As we mentioned earlier, God is LOVE, and He LOVES you very much and wants you to be HAPPY! This is WHY He's placed you here in this beautiful World in the first place! He intended for you to ENJOY living, and has given you the ability, the senses and the environment to do so. He created you to ENJOY the life He's given you, and to love and enjoy HIM forever!

But sad to say, a lot of people do not realize that God wants them to be happy. Their concept of religion is like that of the young boy who, while walking home from a religious service that he attended with his strict and ultra-religious grandfather, stopped and spoke to a neighbor’s mule. As he stroked the mule's nose he said, "You must be an awfully RELIGIOUS creature, you have such a long, SAD face!"

To many, godliness and saintliness are supposed to consist of a denial of all human happiness and general enjoyment of any kind. Some go so far as to believe and teach that any kind of physical pleasure must be SINFUL or WICKED!--And they think that godliness consists of such suffering, pain, self-torture, self-denial and self-crucifixion that you must be in utter MISERY and AGONY in order to get close to God! This, thank God, is NOT the case according to the Bible!

Nevertheless, some poor folks are so obsessed with a fetish for self-denial and self-torture that they actually sit on nails, put skewers through their cheeks, walk barefooted on hot coals, whip themselves and even have themselves nailed to crosses!--PURPOSELY suffering all kinds of physical torture because they think that the more they SUFFER, the more "RELIGIOUS", "holy" or close to God they will become!

It's true that there are times when we may need to sacrifice or suffer, but according to God's Word in the Bible, we do not have to do it on PURPOSE, as some kind of means to gain personal merit or favor with God! If we suffer, it's usually because God ALLOWS it for some reason, but it's usually a result of our sacrificing and giving of ourselves in order to help OTHERS.--NOT because we necessarily ASK for it or WANT it or think we are gaining any MERIT or righteousness by it.

IF SELF-DENIAL, SACRIFICE AND SUFFERING ARE NOT THE WAY TO SALVATION, WHAT THEN CAN I DO TO SAVE MYSELF?

NOTHING!--You CAN'T save yourself! Yet the central belief of almost all of Man's religions is that Man is basically good & righteous, & he CAN save himself. In fact, after careful analysis we can safely conclude that there are really only TWO schools of religious thought & belief in the World: The DO-IT-YOURSELF religions & the GOD-ALONE-CAN-SAVE-YOU kind!

MOST of the World's religions teach their followers that they can save THEMSELVES by their own piety and good works, by their own holiness, by their own sufferings, their own self-denial, or by their own obedience to the laws and traditions of THAT particular religion!--But NO man yet has ever been good enough to earn or merit his own salvation!--"For there is not a righteous man upon the Earth who always does good and never sins."-- Ecclesiastes 7:20.

In the very beginning, God originally intended for each of us to have a close personal relationship and communication with Him. He wanted to be our closest FRIEND, Someone Whose Love, faithfulness, concern and care we could always count on.

But God did not want to MAKE us be friends with Him. He could have easily created us all to AUTOMATICALLY obey and worship Him, like some kind of robots, but He didn't want to FORCE us to love or obey Him. This is why He allowed both good AND evil to be revealed, so that we could each make a personal CHOICE, so we could voluntarily CHOOSE to love and obey Him, or rebel and go our own way.

Sad to say, each of us has made the WRONG choices at some time or another. We have acted selfishly, unkindly and unloving, not only hurting others, but even hurting GOD Himself, Who as our loving Heavenly Father, is saddened when He sees we are going the wrong way.

But despite all of our troubles, problems and imperfection, God still LOVES us and WANTS to be close to us, to be our nearest and dearest Helper and Friend. Yet no matter HOW earnestly and sincerely we try by our OWN piety, good works, suffering etc. to become close to Him, to become one with Him, to become "enlightened" by Him, to attain salvation from Him, we will ALWAYS fall SHORT of reaching this goal.--"For ALL have sinned and come SHORT of the glory of God!"-- Romans 3:23. No matter HOW good or righteous we try to be, no matter how severely we discipline ourselves or strive to attain godliness or salvation, it is simply not within Man to save HIMSELF!

WHAT THEN CAN I DO TO BE SAVED?--MUST I RESIGN MYSELF TO REMAINING FOREVER SEPARATED FROM GOD?

God is so great, so high, so almighty, so BEYOND our limited human understanding and comprehension, that it is impossible for us to fully understand or grasp Him or His ways. He says, "As the Heavens are high above the Earth, so high are MY ways above YOUR ways, and MY thoughts than YOUR thoughts!"-- Isaiah 55:9. But He so much wanted to help us and to become our close Friend that He sent Somebody Who could SHOW us His Love, Somebody Who could live WITH us as a man, Who could EMBODY and show us what God Himself is like.

God loves us so much, He doesn't want us to have to suffer separation from Him. When we're without God's Love, our hearts can never be truly satisfied, and we will remain spiritually empty and lifeless. So to bring us His Everlasting Life and Salvation, He sent His Own Son, JESUS, to Earth almost 2,000 years ago.

Jesus was miraculously conceived by the Spirit of God and born to a young virgin girl named Mary. He grew up to become, in a sense, a PICTURE of His Father, so we could SEE what the great invisible Creator is LIKE.--And that picture is a picture of LOVE, for all Jesus did was go about everywhere doing good, helping others and teaching about God's great Love for us all.

Finally, Jesus completed His task of proclaiming the Good News of Salvation to the World, and He gave His LIFE, and was cruelly crucified by His cruel and self-righteous religious enemies. Then three days after His lifeless body was laid to rest in the grave, Jesus AROSE from the dead, conquering death and Hell forever!

The Bible tells us, "God so LOVED the World (you and me) that He gave His only begotten SON (JESUS), that whosoever believes in Him, should NOT perish but have EVERLASTING LIFE."-- John 3:16. All you have to do now to come into a full and living personal relationship with the God of Love is to simply believe on Jesus and accept His free gift of Eternal Life!

Jesus said, "Greater love has no man than this that a man lay down his LIFE for his friends."-- John 15:13. HE was the Friend who laid down HIS life for YOU, so that you would not have to suffer being separated from the God of Love Who loves you so!

If you would like to personally know God's great Love, find the Solution to all of your troubles and problems, and be forgiven for all the wrongs that you have ever done, all you have to do is BELIEVE on and RECEIVE His Son, JESUS, into your HEART. Jesus said,

"Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. ... For I am the Way, the Truth and the Life! No man comes unto the Father but by Me!"-- Matthew 11:28, John 14:6.

Although it may sound so simple or even childlike to you, this is the Plan by which the great Creator of the Universe has chosen to reveal and bring His Love, Truth and Salvation to you and me! He made it so simple that ANYBODY can receive His Love.--A young child or an elderly grandparent, a poor peasant or a rich tycoon, an illiterate tribesman or an intellectual scientist, an Easterner, Westerner, Northerner or Southerner!--ANYBODY!--Including YOU!

In fact, receiving Jesus is so simple that He said, "Unless you humble yourself and become as a little CHILD, you shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven!"-- Mark 10:15. Will you humble yourself and receive God's Love, joy, peace of mind, contentment of heart and Eternal Life through Jesus as a free GIFT to YOU, His child?

Jesus LOVES you and will give you this wonderful gift right NOW if you will simply and sincerely pray this little prayer and ask Him to personally come into your heart:

"Dear Jesus, I know that I need help and that I can't save myself. I have heard that You are the Son of God and that through You I can personally find and know the God of Love. Jesus, I need Your Love to cleanse me from all fear and hate. I need Your Light to drive away all darkness. And I need Your Peace to fill and satisfy my heart. So I now open the door of my heart and I ask You, Jesus, to please come in and give me Your free gift of Eternal Life! Thank You, Jesus, for suffering for all of the wrong I have done and for forgiving me and hearing my prayer! In Jesus' name, amen."

Now that you have asked Jesus to come into your heart, a wonderful new life has begun for you! The Bible says, "If anyone be in Christ, He is a NEW creation. Old things are passed away, behold, all things are become NEW!"-- 2Corinthians 5:17.

If you would like to know MORE about Jesus, to better understand WHO He is and WHY God sent Him into the World, please ask the person who gave you this booklet for a copy of the inspiring booklet, "WHO IS JESUS?"--Or write us today at the address below and ask us to mail it to you. God bless you with His Love, joy and peace!

WHO IS JESUS?

"This Jesus of Nazareth, without money and arms, conquered more millions than Alexander, Caesar and Napoleon. Without science and learning He shed more light on things human and things divine than all philosophers and scholars combined. Without the eloquence of schools, He spoke such Words of Life as were never spoken before or since, and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of orator or poet. Without writing a single line, He set more pens in motion, and furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art and songs of praise than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times."--Phillip Schaff, noted historian.

DO WE KNOW THAT JESUS ACTUALLY EXISTED AS A PERSON?

1. Yes!--To the unprejudiced historian, the historical facts regarding Jesus are as definite and evident as those of Julius Caesar. Not only do we find an accurate portrait of Him in the documents of the New Testament, but dozens of ancient non-Biblical manuscripts confirm that Jesus was a genuine historical figure who lived in Palestine in the early part of the first century.

2. Concerning the testimony of the many ancient secular accounts of Jesus, the Encyclopedia Britannica states:

"These independent accounts prove that in ancient times even the OPPONENTS of Christianity never doubted the historicity of Jesus, which was disputed for the first time--and on inadequate grounds--by several authors during the 19th and at the beginning of the 20th centuries."

WHAT MAKES JESUS DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER GREAT RELIGIOUS TEACHERS, PROPHETS OR PHILOSOPHERS?

3. If any adjective were to describe Jesus, it would be "UNIQUE"!--His MESSAGE was unique. The CLAIMS He made regarding Himself were unique. His MIRACLES were unique. And the INFLUENCE He has had on the World is unsurpassed by any other.

4. One very outstanding and undeniably unique aspect of Jesus' life is that literally hundreds of detailed PREDICTIONS and PROPHECIES were made by ancient prophets and seers, many centuries before He was born.--Specific details regarding His birth, life and death, that no mere mortal man could possibly have fulfilled!

5. In the first books of the Bible, known as the "Old Testament," over 300 such predictions about the "Messiah" or "Saviour" can be found. The discovery of hundreds of ancient Old Testament manuscripts by archaeologists during this century has proven without a doubt that these prophecies were indeed written CENTURIES BEFORE this man called Jesus was born.

6. Here is a small sampling of the kind of specific predictions we're talking about: In 750 B.C., the prophet Isaiah made the astounding prediction that:

"THE LORD HIMSELF SHALL GIVE YOU A SIGN; BEHOLD, A VIRGIN SHALL CONCEIVE AND BEAR A SON, AND SHALL CALL HIS NAME EMMANUEL."-- ISAIAH 7:14 .

7. 7-1/2 centuries later, a young virgin girl in Israel named Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel, who announced to her that she would bear a Son Who would be called Emmanuel, which means "God with us." The books of the Bible which were written after Jesus came to Earth, the "New Testament," tell us that, "Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, seeing I have not LAIN with any man?' And the angel answered, 'The Spirit of GOD shall come upon you, and the power of the ALMIGHTY shall overshadow you! Therefore that Holy One which shall be born of you shall be called the SON OF GOD!'"-- Luke 1:26-35 .

8. So even the very BEGINNING of His life on Earth--His conception and birth--were not only unique, but MIRACULOUS, in that the simple and humble young girl who became His mother had never slept with a man! In fact, the Bible tells us that the news of her pregnancy was so shocking to the young man to whom she was engaged to be married, Joseph, that when he learned about it he promptly decided to break off the engagement and call off the wedding!--Until the angel of the Lord appeared to him also, and instructed him to stay with her and rear and protect the very special child that she was carrying.

9. A full 800 YEARS before Jesus was born, the prophet Micah foretold the exact village where the Messiah would be born:

"YOU, BETHLEHEM, THOUGH YOU ARE SMALL AMONG THE CLANS OF JUDAH, YET OUT OF YOU SHALL HE COME FORTH UNTO ME WHO IS TO BE RULER OVER ISRAEL; WHOSE GOINGS FORTH HAVE BEEN OF OLD, FROM DAYS OF ETERNITY."-- MICAH 5:2

10. Although His earthly parents lived in the town of Nazareth, 100 miles to the north of Bethlehem, a decree from Rome demanded that all families return to their ancestral homes to register for a worldwide census. The decree came just as Mary's child was due to be born.--Thus God used a Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus, to help bring about the fulfillment of Micah's prophecy. Joseph and Mary journeyed to Bethlehem, and upon their arrival, Mary went into labour, and as the Gospels inform us, "Jesus was born in BETHLEHEM of Judea" ( Matthew 2:1 ), just as the prophet Micah predicted.

11. Micah's prophecy also tells us that the Messiah "Has been of old, from days of ETERNITY." Jesus Himself said, "Before ABRAHAM was (around 2000 B.C.), I AM."-- John 8:58 . Abraham was the forefather of the Jews and Arabs, who lived about 2,000 YEARS before Jesus was born to Mary. So Jesus was referring here to His pre-existence with God before His life on Earth in the form of a man.

12. Though born in Bethlehem, Jesus grew up in Nazareth. In His first recorded public address there, He openly declared that He indeed WAS the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah. While attending the local house of worship, He stood up before the crowd and read a prophecy from the book of the prophet Isaiah. In the passage, Isaiah predicted that the Messiah would be anointed with the Spirit of God to "preach Good News to the poor, to heal the broken hearted, to give freedom to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind and to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."-- Isaiah 61:1,2 . The New Testament tells us that after He read this prophecy aloud to the congregation, Jesus told them, "TODAY is this Scripture FULFILLED in your ears!"-- Luke 4:18-21 .

13. Another outstanding prophecy regarding the Messiah was made by Israel's King David around the year 1000 B.C., or over 10 CENTURIES before Jesus was born. In his prophecy, David gave details of a cruel and agonising death which he himself never suffered:

"I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, it has melted within me...Like a pack of dogs, they have surrounded me; a company of evil doers has encircled me. They have pierced my hands and my feet. They divide my clothing among them and cast lots for my garment."-- Psalm 22:14-18 .

14. King David died a peaceful, natural death, so we know he was not talking about himself in this passage of Scripture. But being a prophet, he predicted with unerring accuracy the circumstances surrounding the cruel death on the cross of the Messiah, the CHRIST that was to come. Let's examine some of the details outlined in the above prophecy:

15. "I am poured out like water...my heart is melted within me." Jesus not only poured out His life for us spiritually, but the New Testament tells us that shortly after He died, while He was still hanging on the cross, "one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately BLOOD AND WATER FLOWED OUT."-- John 19:34 . Modern medical authorities have affirmed that in the case of heart rupture--when a human heart literally bursts open under extreme stress and trauma--the blood collects in the pericardium, the membranous sac that encloses the heart and the roots of the main blood vessels. This blood then separates into a sort of bloody clot and a watery serum, thus when the soldier pierced His side, His life was LITERALLY, "poured forth like WATER." (Unwittingly, this Roman soldier fulfilled another prophecy, "They will look upon Me whom they have PIERCED," a prophecy given by the Prophet Zechariah around 500 B.C.-- Zechariah 12:10 .)

16. "All my bones are out of joint."--This is one of the horrors of death by crucifixion; the weight of the victim's body literally pulls his arms out of their sockets.

17. "Like a pack of dogs...a company of evil doers has encircled me." The New Testament tells us that Jesus' wicked and vengeful religious enemies, the Scribes and the Pharisees, gathered around Him as He was nailed on the cross, mocking and reviling Him.-- Matthew 27:39-44 .

18. "They have pierced my hands and my feet." This is probably the most astounding prediction within this prophecy. Crucifixion was not practiced by the Jews of David's time. Their religious laws demanded that criminals be executed by STONING. But God showed His Prophet, David, how the Messiah would die 10 CENTURIES LATER, executed at the hands of an empire that did not even exist in David's day, ROME, whose principal means of executing criminals was CRUCIFIXION!

19. "They divide my clothing among them and cast lots for my garment." In the Gospels of the New Testament we find the almost incredible fulfillment of this prophecy: "When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took His clothes, and DIVIDED them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment (a long robe-like tunic) remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. So they said one to another, 'Let us not tear it, but let us CAST LOTS to decide whose it shall be.'"-- John 19:23,24 .

20. In 487 B.C., the Prophet Zechariah predicted: "And I said unto them, if you think well, give me my PRICE; and if not, keep it. So they paid me 30 PIECES OF SILVER."-- Zechariah 11:12 .

21. On the night that Jesus was arrested by His enemies, the New Testament tells us that, "One of the twelve Apostles, Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said to them, 'What will you give me if I deliver Him to you?', and they counted out for him 30 PIECES OF SILVER."-- Matthew 26:14,15 .

22. Imagine!--Over five hundred years before the event took place, God's Prophet, Zechariah, predicted the EXACT "PRICE" that Jesus' enemies would pay to His traitorous disciple, Judas! In the next verse of Zechariah's prophecy, he goes into even more astounding details:

"And the Lord said, 'Cast it unto the POTTER--the handsome price at which they priced Me!' So the 30 pieces of silver were taken and CAST TO THE POTTER IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD."-- Zechariah 11:13 .

23. The New Testament tells us that, "When Judas saw that Jesus was condemned, he repented, and RETURNED the 30 PIECES OF SILVER to the chief priests of the Jews, and he cast down the pieces of silver in the TEMPLE. Then the chief priests picked up the silver pieces and said, 'It is against our law to put it into our treasury because it is blood-money.' So they used the money to buy a POTTER'S FIELD, to bury foreigners in."-- Matthew 27:3-6 . The 30 pieces of silver were literally "CAST to the POTTER in the HOUSE of the LORD"!--Just as Zechariah predicted 500 years earlier!

24. In 712 B.C., the prophet Isaiah predicted that the Son of God would "be given a GRAVE WITH THE WICKED, and with the RICH in His DEATH."-- Isaiah 53:9 .

25. Jesus' bitter religious enemies condemned Him as a CRIMINAL, as a WICKED man, thus as He died, the Bible tells us "there were two ROBBERS crucified with Him."-- Matthew 27:38 . After His body was removed from the cross, "a RICH MAN named Joseph of Arimathaea went to Pilate and pleaded for the body of Jesus, and when Joseph had taken the body, he laid it IN HIS OWN NEW TOMB."-- Matthew 27:57-60 .--A "GRAVE WITH THE RICH!"

26. 1,000 YEARS before Jesus was born, the Spirit of God prophesied through King David that the Saviour would be resurrected from the dead: "God will not leave His soul in the grave, neither will He suffer His Holy One to see corruption or decay."-- Psa.16:10 .

27. King David died and was buried in a grave, and HIS flesh saw corruption and decay. But JESUS was raised from the grave three days after His death!--As the Angel said to the mourners who came to Jesus' tomb, "He is not here, but is RISEN! Why do you seek the living among the dead?"-- Lk.24:5,6 .

28. What mere human can choose his own birthplace? Or what mortal man can--or WOULD--cause the officials of a foreign government to order his death by a terribly agonising execution? How could anyone manipulate their bitter enemies to pay a specific price for their betrayal, mock and revile them as they are dying, much less cause a band of soldiers to gamble for their clothing and pierce their side AFTER they've died, & cause a rich man to bury their body in his own personal tomb? Yet Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled not only these, but OVER 300 MORE specific predictions regarding His birth, life, ministry, death and resurrection!--Truly He was--and is--"UNIQUE" in every sense of the word!

29. Not one of the great recognised religious leaders--not Moses, not Buddha, not Confucius, not Mohammed--ever claimed to be God. True, some have been deified by their followers after they died, but none ever personally claimed to be Deity.--That is, with the exception of Jesus Christ. In fact, He not only CLAIMED to be the Son of God, God manifest in human flesh, but He CONVINCED a great portion of the World that He in fact IS God's Son.

30. This is probably THE greatest difference between Jesus and all of the other great philosophers, teachers, prophets and gurus throughout the ages. Although many of them spoke and taught ABOUT love and ABOUT God, Jesus claimed that He WAS Love, that He WAS God's Love for the World.--Thus He really knew what He was talking about! Either He was RIGHT, or He was terribly WRONG.--Either He was good, and spoke the truth, or He was evil, a deceiver and a liar!

31. The famous intellectual and former professor of Cambridge University, C.S. Lewis, expressed it this way:

"There is a really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.'--That is one thing that we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things that Jesus said would not be 'a great moral teacher'. He would either be a lunatic--on a level with a man who claims he is a poached egg--or else He would be the Devil of Hell! You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: Or else a mad man or something worse.

32. "You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronising nonsense about His being a 'great human teacher'. He has not left that option open to us, He did not intend to."

33. Another unlikely authority on such matters, the emperor & conqueror of nations, Napoleon Bonaparte, also rightly recognised the absolute uniqueness of Jesus, & expressed it in these words:

"I know men, and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between Him and every other person in the World there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius?--Upon force. Jesus Christ founded His empire upon LOVE, and at this hour millions of men would die for Him."

BUT WHY WOULD GOD SEND HIS SON INTO THE WORLD?

34. God LOVES us and wanted us to know His Love. But He knows that He--the great Creator of the Universe--is simply too great a concept for us to comprehend or even imagine! He says, "As high as the heavens are above the Earth, so high are MY ways above YOUR ways, and My thoughts above your thoughts!"-- Isaiah 55:9 . He also tells us, "Even the Heaven of heavens cannot contain Me!"-- 1Kings 8:27 . None of us can really grasp just how great God is, how marvellous and wonderful He is, far beyond the minds of men and the wildest stretch of our imaginations!

35. But because He loves us and wanted us to know His Love and Salvation, He sent His "only begotten SON"--Jesus--into the World to show us what He Himself is like.

36. Although He was literally the Ruler & King of the Universe, He chose not to be born in a fine palace with the elite & powerful members of the governments of Man in attendance. Instead, He was born in the humblest & most lowly of circumstances, on the dirty floor of a barn amidst the cattle & the asses, wrapped in rags & laid to rest in the animals' feed trough.

37. His earthly stepfather, Joseph, was a humble carpenter with whom He lived & laboured, conforming to our own human ways of life, custom, language & living.--Thus He personally EXPERIENCED life as we know it, & learned to understand & love us better, to communicate with us on the lowly level of our own limited human understanding.--He learned to LOVE Mankind. He saw our suffering & had great compassion on us, longing not only to heal our sick & broken bodies, but also to save our souls and broken hearts!

38. When Jesus began His life's work, He went about everywhere doing good.--Helping people, loving children, healing heartaches, strengthening tired bodies, and bringing God's Love to all whom He could. He not only preached His message, but He LIVED it among us as one of us. He not only ministered to Man's spiritual needs, but He spent a great deal of time ministering to their physical & material needs, miraculously healing them when they were sick, giving sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, cleansing lepers, raising the dead. He fed the crowds when they were hungry, & did all He could to share His life & His Love!

HOW COULD JESUS BE GOD, IF HE LIVED AND WALKED ON THE EARTH LIKE A MAN?

39. Jesus said, "I and my Father are ONE."-- John 10:30 . Before being born to Mary and living in a fleshly human body, He and His Heavenly Father were together in very close personal Heavenly fellowship, something He had to forsake while He was down here on Earth.

40. The Bible tells us, "In the BEGINNING was the WORD (Jesus) and the Word was WITH God and the Word WAS God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made...And the Word (Jesus) was made FLESH and lived AMONG us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the one and only Son of the Father."-- John 1:1,2,14 .

41. Just before He was arrested and crucified, knowing that He would soon be reunited with His Heavenly Father, Jesus prayed: "And now, Father, glorify Me along with Yourself and restore Me to such majesty and honour in Your presence as I had with You BEFORE THE WORLD WAS MADE...for You loved Me BEFORE the foundation of the World."-- John 17:5,24 .

WHY DOES JESUS FREQUENTLY REFER TO HIMSELF IN THE GOSPELS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT AS "THE SON OF MAN"?

42. He called Himself the Son of Man because He was HUMAN, He was born of a woman just like the rest of us. He had the same kind of body that we have, He had the same feelings that we have, the same human limitations we have, He felt the same kind of weariness and pain.

43. The Creator of all things willingly stripped Himself of His unlimited power and became a tiny helpless infant. The Source of all wisdom and knowledge had to study and learn to read and write. He left His throne in Heaven where innumerable angels worshipped Him, where all the forces of the Universe were at His command, and He took the place of a servant--scoffed at, ridiculed, persecuted and ultimately killed by the very ones He came to save.

44. The Bible tells us that Jesus is "a High Priest Who is touched with the feeling of our weaknesses, for He was in all points tempted the same way WE are, yet without sin."-- Hebrews 4:15 . Imagine!--The Son of God literally became a citizen of this World, a member of humanity, a man of flesh, in order to reach us with His Love, prove to us His compassion and concern, and help us to understand His Truth in simple childlike terms that we could grasp.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE MEAN WHEN IT CALLS JESUS "THE WORD"?

45. God has always spoken to people in many ways: Through the beauty and wonder of His Creation, through His prophets and messengers, and through His written Word. But the CLEAREST revelation of Himself--of His character, of His Love--is found in His SON, Jesus, Whom He calls "the Word."

46. Words are the means by which we EXPRESS ourselves, by which we reveal our thoughts, our feelings, our character.--And JESUS is the means by which GOD expresses Himself to us. God's most outstanding means of communication with us, the way that He chose to communicate His Love to the World, was by His Own Son, Jesus.

SO JESUS CAME TO GIVE US GOD'S MESSAGE, TO TELL US ABOUT GOD'S LOVE?

47. Yes.--But He not only gave us God's message and God's teachings, God's Love, but He IS God's message, He IS God's Love to us.

48. Jesus, the living Word, revealed God's feelings to us in a way that we could understand and relate to. For example, Isaiah 53:3 tells us, "He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." He wept over the grief of His friends, over the suffering of humanity, and even over Jerusalem, a city that rejected its Saviour and was therefore doomed to destruction.

49. Jesus was so merciful, so kind and kind-hearted. There were times when He was wearied, worn and virtually exhausted from constantly ministering to the crowds that thronged Him. On one occasion He tried to retire from the busy scene for a little rest and recuperation, but the Bible tells us that when He saw the multitudes who needed His help, He had COMPASSION upon them. He felt so SORRY for them that despite the weariness and pain He felt, He went out and healed ALL that came to Him, and taught them all the wonderful Words of God's Kingdom of Love.-- Matthew 9:36 ; Mark 6:31-34 .

50. There were also times when God's ANGER blazed through Jesus, the Living Word, against pretense and hypocrisy. He told the self-righteous leaders of the ruling religious hierarchy of His day, "If I had not come and spoken unto you, you would not be guilty of sin, but now I have come and EXPOSED you, so you have no covering for your sin!"-- John 15:22 .

51. Actually, most of the time He had very little to do with the lofty, rich-robed, powerful and wealthy religious leaders, the Scribes and the Pharisees.--Except when they insisted on annoying Him and raising critical questions, doubts and accusations among those He was teaching. Then He unleashed scathing rebukes against them, publicly exposing them as the "blind leaders of the blind" that they were ( Matthew 15:14 ), even telling them on occasion that they were like "whitewashed SEPULCHRES, tombs, which, although they appeared beautiful, clean and holy OUTWARDLY, were full of rottenness, corruption and stinking dead men's bones WITHIN!"-- Matthew 23:27,28 . These religious leaders considered themselves to be the most "righteous and holy" people in town, but Jesus exposed them for the hypocrites, liars, robbers and cheaters of the poor that they were, which of course infuriated them.

52. But most of the time Jesus avoided the self-satisfied religionists, and spent His time helping and loving the poor, the common man, speaking to them, healing them, feeding them and most importantly, giving them the spiritual answers, Love, forgiveness and Truth that they longed for.

53. The Bible says that He mingled with and preached to the fishermen, drunks, prostitutes, tax collectors and sinners, and "the COMMON people heard Him GLADLY."-- Mark 12:37 . But when He went into the temple and gave His message to the RELIGIOUS leaders, they mobbed Him, threw Him out and finally crucified Him!

WHY DID THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS OF HIS OWN PEOPLE REJECT HIM?

54. Jesus' message that all that the people had to do was to simply "love God with all their heart, and love their neighbour as themselves" ( Matthew 22:37-39 ), LIBERATED them from the dictatorial stranglehold and control that their religious leaders held over them. His teachings snatched the people out from under the established religion's control, a development that filled the religious leaders with fear and envy. They reasoned, "If we let Him alone, ALL men will believe on Him, & the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our influence!"-- John 11:47,48 .

55. These bitter religious foes finally had Jesus arrested and brought to trial on false charges of sedition and subversion. Although the Roman governor found Him innocent, he was pressured and persuaded by the influential High Priests to execute Him. When Jesus' enemies came to arrest Him, He assured His disciples, "They couldn't even TOUCH Me without My Father's permission! If I would but raise My little finger, He would send tens of thousands of angels to rescue Me!"-- Matthew 26:53 .--But instead, He CHOSE to die.--For you and me! Nobody TOOK His life from Him, He laid it down, He GAVE His life of His Own free will and accord.--See John 10:11, 17,18 .

56. But even His death did not satisfy His bitter and vengeful enemies! To ensure that His followers couldn't steal His body and claim He had risen from the dead--as He had said He would--these false religious leaders had a huge stone placed over the entrance to His tomb, and posted a group of Roman soldiers there to guard it.--A scheme that proved futile, as these same guards became eyewitnesses to the greatest miracle of all.--Three days after His lifeless body was laid to rest in that cold tomb, He AROSE from the dead, victoriously conquering death and Hell and the grave!

IF ALL OF THIS AMAZING PAST HISTORY OF JESUS IS TRUE, WHAT DOES IT MEAN? WHAT GOOD IS IT TO ME TODAY?

57. In the same text of the Bible where we read the story of His life on Earth, we also find many specific, definite claims that Jesus made regarding Himself.--Claims that you can take at face value and put to the TEST right now. Here are a few examples in Jesus' Own Words:

58."I am the LIGHT of the World. He that follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the Light of life."-- John 8:12 . All of us have had the experience of being caught in the dark before and wishing we had a light so we could see, so we could make our way safely past any dangers, avoid any falls etc. Well, spiritually speaking, when we do not know God and are out of fellowship with Him, we are in SPIRITUAL darkness.

59. Would you like to get RID of all the darkness in your life? Just like turning a light on immediately chases all of the darkness out of a blackened room, so Jesus will chase all of the SPIRITUAL darkness, oppression, fear and evil out of your life if you will just ask Him to come into your heart! Once you have received the "Light of the World"--Jesus--into your heart, all of the powers of evil and the dark experiences of life will never be able to quench it!

"ALL power is given unto Me in Heaven and in Earth!"-- Matthew 28:18 .

60. The Devil and all of his evil spirits TREMBLE at even the NAME of Jesus! All you need to do is ask Jesus to come into your heart, then you've got the greatest, most powerful spiritual Force of ALL with you.--He is your FRIEND, He LOVES you and wants to HELP you and fill your soul with His Light!

"I am the DOOR, by Me, if any man enter in, he shall be SAVED."-- John 10:9 .

61. He is not a closed or locked door that you must try to force open or work hard to enter.--He's an OPEN door! All you have to do is walk through Him and thereby freely enter God's Heavenly Kingdom of Love and Light! If you come to Jesus, He will give you His FREE GIFT of ETERNAL LIFE, and you will KNOW that you belong to Him and are going to Heaven! There are MILLIONS of people alive today who can testify with certainty that this claim of His is TRUE!

"I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE, HE THAT COMES TO ME SHALL NEVER HUNGER, AND HE THAT BELIEVES ON ME SHALL NEVER THIRST."-- JOHN 6:35 .

62. Deep in their hearts, most people know that something is missing in their lives. Outwardly they may seem to have everything--money, position, friends etc., all the things that are SUPPOSED to make them happy--yet they still have an emptiness, a hunger that nothing really satisfies.

63. Jesus said that He is the Bread of Life Who would completely FULFIL our heart's "hunger and thirst." You can find out if this claim is true by simply asking Him to come into your life. See how quickly His Love can SATISFY your hungry heart!--The loneliness, emptiness and dissatisfaction you may have experienced will be replaced with lasting happiness, peace and joy such as you have never known before!

"I am the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE.--No man comes unto the Father except by ME."-- John 14:6 .

64. This is an extraordinary claim, and is in fact the heart and soul of the writings of the New Testament.--That Jesus alone is the way to Eternal Life, Salvation and union with God.

BUT AREN'T SUCH BELIEFS RATHER BIGOTED AND NARROW-MINDED?

65. Quite the contrary, Jesus and His life and teachings are absolutely UNIVERSAL, open to ALL men, and are anything BUT "narrow-minded" or "bigoted"! In fact, it was Jesus' proclamation that "WHOEVER believes in Me shall not perish!," that so infuriated the closed-minded and racially-prejudiced religious leaders and rabbis of His Own Jewish religion! Jesus frequently helped and mingled with so-called "pagan" Gentiles, those whom His Own Jewish people had been taught by their leaders to DESPISE and look down upon.

66. The religious leaders and teachers of Jesus' day were narrow-minded in every sense of the word. They were sour, intolerant and legalistic, and felt that they alone had an absolute monopoly on God and His Kingdom. It was the fact that Jesus told them to their faces that the Kingdom of God would be taken FROM them and opened up to OTHERS--to nations from the EAST and from the WEST, to ALL people throughout the entire World--that infuriated them so much that they determined to destroy Him.-- Matthew 8:11,12 ; 21:42,43 .

67. God sent us His Son to show ALL men, ALL nations, ALL people, what He Himself is like, to freely bring us His Own great Love! "For God so LOVED the WORLD (you and me) that He gave His only begotten Son (Jesus), so that WHOEVER believes in Him should not perish, but have EVERLASTING LIFE."-- John 3:16 .

BUT CAN'T YOU JUST SAY "GOD" AND SPEAK OF "GOD'S LOVE"? WHY MUST YOU INSIST ON USING JESUS' NAME?

68. If Jesus IS God's Son, and God chose Jesus to reveal Himself to the World, then God Himself has insisted on it! These are GOD'S conditions, not ours: "Love ME, love My SON!" The Bible says, "All men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He who does not honour the Son, does not honour the Father Who SENT Him."-- John 5:23 .

69. God is our great, kind and loving Heavenly Father, and He LOVES each of us very much. And He wants us all to experience and know the wonderful Love, joy and satisfaction that comes from personally knowing and being close friends with Him.

70. But sad to say, all of us have done wrong at one time or another, and have been selfish, unloving or unkind to others.--Or even to HIM, our Heavenly Father! He tells us in His Word, "ALL have missed the mark and have fallen short of the perfection of God.-- Romans 3:23 .

71. God knows that no matter HOW hard we try to be good, none of us can ever be good enough to come into His perfect presence through our OWN self-goodness. But Jesus IS perfect. And because He was willing to come to Earth and suffer and die on the cross FOR us, to take the punishment that we deserve for our wrong-doings, we can be FORGIVEN for all our failings and be reunited with our great and loving Heavenly Father if we will simply accept Jesus' pardon and Gift of Eternal Life!

72. It doesn't matter HOW bad we are, no matter WHAT we've done, if we will simply ask Jesus to forgive us and receive Him into our heart, we will be forgiven and SAVED.--Which means we will not only know God's wonderful Love and peace HERE and NOW, but when we DIE, we will inherit a never-ending life of Love and happiness in HEAVEN forever!

73. No mere mortal MAN, be he prophet or teacher, sage or guru, could possibly do what JESUS did!--Only God Himself in the person of His Own Son could pay the price for our failings, and take the punishment that WE deserve. Only GOD could have done that in the person of His Son Jesus. THIS is why Jesus alone could rightfully proclaim Himself to be "the Way, the Truth and the Life."

74. There is simply no other way to make peace with God. He will not accept any other terms, any other deal. In Jesus, the one thing that NEEDED to happen for Mankind HAPPENED in such a way that it never needs to happen again! It is for this reason that we can claim with certainty that for the greatest ailment of humanity there is only one specific remedy.--JESUS!

75. If many different groups of pathologists were all earnestly seeking to discover the cause and cure of cancer, and one group--through no brilliance of their own--were to discover the secret, would it be "narrow-mindedness" or "bigotry" for them to share what they had found with all the other groups, and indeed with the entire World?--Of course not! In fact, it would be the utmost folly, selfishness, lack of love and dishonesty were they to keep the secret to themselves!--This is why we who have personally found Jesus, do all we can to share Him with others.

HOW CAN A CONSCIENTIOUS PERSON BECOME A CHRISTIAN, WHEN THE HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IS SO DARKENED BY THE SIN, INTOLERANCE, WARS, EXCESSES AND DIVISIONS OF GENERATIONS OF ITS ADHERENTS?

76. Millions of INDIVIDUALS through the ages have come to personally know and love Jesus, and have been empowered by Him to lead wonderful lives of love and service to their fellow man. But sad to say, generally speaking, Christianity as an INSTITUTION has FAILED MISERABLY in fulfilling the mission that Jesus gave His original Apostles and followers: To share God's LOVE with a needy World!

77. Most so-called "Christian" organisations and denominations have become so preoccupied with their internal squabbles, selfish accumulation of wealth, construction of elaborate and wasteful church buildings etc. that they have in effect forgotten and lost sight of Jesus' original command to "LOVE thy neighbour as thyself!"

78. Our objective is not to persuade you to become a member of a religious organisation.--JESUS is not a religion! In fact, Jesus Himself never actually started any denominations or hierarchical organisations! He simply went about doing good, helping people and sharing the Love of God with all whom He could. He never had a synagogue, mosque, church or temple of any kind, nor did He have a congregation whom He met with on a certain "holy day" of the week.

79. He never put up a sign or advertised, "Come to My church on Holy day!" He only said, "Come unto ME!"-- Matthew 11:28 . He absolutely refused to compromise with the powerful and corrupt religious system of His day, but rather worked totally OUTSIDE of it, reaching and sharing His Love and Truth with the poor and common folk who had long ago abandoned and been abandoned by organised religion.

80. Once, while speaking to a woman who was arguing with Him over whether God should be worshipped in a certain "holy" mountain in Samaria, or in the Jews' temple in Jerusalem, He answered her, "The day is coming, and NOW IS, when you shall neither worship God here upon this mountain not yet at Jerusalem. For they that worship God must worship Him in SPIRIT and in TRUTH.--For the Father seeks such to worship Him!"-- John 4:21-23 . Jesus made it clear that forms and ceremonies, rituals and religious buildings were in no way necessary to worship God, but that we could simply love and worship Him in SPIRIT, in our HEARTS and in TRUTH, by following the light of His Word.

HOW CAN I KNOW BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT WHETHER OR NOT JESUS CHRIST REALLY IS THE SON OF GOD, THE WAY OF SALVATION?

81. We have touched on several features of Jesus' life that could perhaps assist or inspire your faith. As mentioned earlier, the historical facts regarding Jesus of Nazareth cannot be denied by anyone who seriously and open-mindedly examines the facts.

82. The fulfillment of over 300 Old Testament prophecies given many centuries before He was born, describing in detail His birth, His life, His work, His death and His resurrection, also cannot be denied by any sincere seeker of truth.

83. There is also no reason to doubt that after His death, something incredible happened which transformed His tiny band of dejected followers into a company of witnesses whom all the persecution of Imperial Rome could not stop. Downhearted and discouraged, their Lord cruelly crucified by His enemies, it looked to those disciples like their hopes had died and their dreams were shattered.

84. But three days after Jesus' death, their faith was rekindled in such a dramatic manner that no force on Earth was ever able to quench it! And that lowly handful of His original followers went on to tell the entire WORLD the Good News!--That God not only sent His Son into the World to teach us His Truth and show us His Love, but also that Jesus suffered death for OUR sake, and then ROSE from the GRAVE!--So that we who know and believe on Him never need to fear death again, for we are saved and on our way to HEAVEN, thanks to Jesus!

85. The New Testament tells us that Jesus personally appeared to over 500 EYEWITNESSES after His resurrection.-- 1Corinthians 15:6 . This was the resounding message that His first disciples boldly proclaimed throughout the World, "God RAISED Him from the dead!"-- Acts 13:30 .

86. A mere MENTAL, intellectual acceptance of these facts is not enough. For you to be absolutely CERTAIN that Jesus is Who He claimed to be, the Son of God, you simply need to personally TRY Him! Ask Him to come into your heart, forgive you for all the wrong you've done, and fill your life with His Love, peace and joy.--And He WILL! He says in His Word, "Behold, I stand at the door (of your heart) and knock. If you hear My voice and open the door I WILL come into you."-- Revelation 3:20 . You don't have to try to figure Him out, just let Him IN!

87. If you want His Love, light, life, joy, eternal happiness and Salvation, all you have to do is personally receive Him into your heart.--You can do it this very moment! He's made Salvation the EASIEST thing in the World, it requires absolutely no effort on your part whatsoever, no work, nothing, you simply have to RECEIVE it. And even if you don't understand it all, the Bible says that God's Love is "Love which PASSES your own understanding."-- Ephesians 3:19 . You don't have to UNDERSTAND God in order to RECEIVE His Love!

88. Will YOU receive Him?--If so, He will be the most precious One in your life!--Your closest Friend and Companion Who will be with you ALWAYS! Receive Him now by simply praying this little prayer:

89. "Dear Jesus, I know that I need help and that I can't save myself. I have heard that You are the Son of God, and that through You I can personally find and know the God of Love. Jesus, I need Your Love to cleanse me from all fear and hate. I need Your Light to drive away all darkness. And I need Your Peace to fill and satisfy my heart. So I now open the door of my heart, and I ask You, Jesus, to please come in and give me Your free gift of Eternal Life! Thank You, Jesus, for suffering for all of the wrong I have done and for forgiving me and hearing my prayer! In Jesus' name, amen."

90. If you would like to know MORE about Jesus and God's Plan and Will for you, please ask the one who gave you this booklet for a copy of the next booklet in this series, "THE WORD!"--A fascinating and enlightening explanation of what the Bible is, why it is the most unique book in the World, how God wrote it, how to understand its mysteries, etc.! We love you!

JESUS' SECOND COMING!

91. The Bible not only contains hundreds of predictions about Jesus' FIRST coming, but it contains even MORE prophecies regarding His SECOND COMING, when He will return to Earth, not as a meek and mild baby in a manger, but as the Mighty KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS that He is!--Who will take over this World by force and put an END to Man's cruel and chaotic reign! He promised, "I will come AGAIN!--In the clouds of Heaven with POWER and great MAJESTY!"-- John 14:3 ; Luke 21:27 .

92. Jesus gave us many "Signs of the Times," SIGNS that we should be aware of, so that we will know when He is about to return. He predicted that just before His Coming, there will be a dramatic increase in "FAMINES, PESTILENCES and EARTHQUAKES in various places," and that the "GOSPEL would be preached in ALL the World for a witness to ALL nations."-- Matthew 24:7,14 .--Just as it is TODAY! He also said there would be a drastic increase in INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL, with "MANY running TO AND FRO, wandering from SEA TO SEA, as KNOWLEDGE is greatly INCREASED!"-- Amos 8:11,12 ; Daniel 12:4 .

93. He also said that there would be "a GREAT FALLING AWAY from the Lord as evil men and seducers grow WORSE AND WORSE, deceiving MANY, with the love of many growing cold," resulting in "DISTRESS of nations upon the Earth and MEN'S HEARTS FAILING them for FEAR!"-- 2Thessalonians 2:3 ; 2Timothy 3:13 ; Matthew 24:12 ; Luke 21:25,26 .--Signs which are ALL obviously being FULFILLED TODAY more than ever before!

94. Are YOU READY for the "End of the World" as we now know it, and for Jesus' soon return to establish His Kingdom of Love upon Earth?--If NOT, receive Him into your heart TODAY!--TOMORROW may be TOO LATE!

Discover Serenity with
Words from the Mountain

Joseph John Fuzessy

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Why I'M NOT AN aTHEIST

IS FREE WILL A PROBLEM? WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS?

FORWARD FOREVER FORWARD

WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU ONLY MAKES YOU STRONGER

PRIORITIES

WHAT IS THE CHURCH?

LOVE NEVER FAILS

THERE ARE NO NUETRALS

GOD KNOWS BEST

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Why I'M NOT AN aTHEIST

IS FREE WILL A PROBLEM? WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS?

FORWARD FOREVER FORWARD

WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU ONLY MAKES YOU STRONGER

PRIORITIES

WHAT IS THE CHURCH?

LOVE NEVER FAILS

THERE ARE NO NUETRALS

GOD KNOWS BEST