Early on in my Christian life I was made aware of the words of Jesus in Acts 1:8, even memorizing it.
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
Like many, I was taught that my Judea was College Station, my Judea was Texas, my Samaria was the US, and the end of the earth was ... well, the end of the earth.
But is that a valid interpretation/application?
But, what if Jesus simply means for His witnesses to carry the gospel message from Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and then all over the earth?
In other words, what if my we're actually carrying out that last bit by evangelizing in Texas, or wherever you happen to be, presuming it's not Jerusalem, Judea, or Samaria?*Some good comments motivated this cogitation:Should churches rethink their evangelization strategy, particularly with a MUCH greater emphasis on the places where the gospel has yet to be (i.e., the end of the earth)?
Obama's presidential symphony is being written in D minor.
This is what many of us who opposed Obama because of his views on abortion were afraid of. Obama is lifting the ban on embryonic stem cell research.
"The executive order undoes former President George W. Bush's directive that was based on his determination that using embryos to create additional stem cell lines was morally wrong and, therefore, research on those lines should not be funded by the government."
This means your tax payer money will go to experimentation on human beings not permitted to develop and grow.
"Days-old embryos — typically from fertility clinics and destined for destruction — are destroyed for the stem cells."
The 2000 Baptist Faith and Message says, "Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord."
Don't be surprised if we see a boom in fertilizing eggs to bring on the conception of babies who were solely intended for research purposes, not treating them like humans, much as the Nazis did with the Jews in World War II.
To quote a buddy's Facebook status:
"Chris Ross [of the Daily Scroll] is sad that some humans are conceived only to have their bodies harvested for lab science."
Gunny is also sad. I fear at least 4 more years of D minor from composer #44, assuming we make it that long. Alan Keyes says it better than I ever could. (HT Tiffany)
Those wondering when President Obama would make a clear move on a matter that involves the sanctity of human life now have their answer -- and its consequences. When President Obama says he will "respect" the point of view that such research is immoral, his respect is hard to detect.
"I am not religious. I do not believe that personhood is conferred upon conception. But I also do not believe that a human embryo is the moral equivalent of a hangnail and deserves no more respect than an appendix."
The news was tragic this morning as our brethren had their worship disrupted.
I just wanted to brag on my cousin, Darin Hartman, the first EMT on the scene at FBC Maryville, in Illinois.
Many times I've told him he's a hero for what he does there as an EMT and assistant fire chief for the Maryville Fire Department.
I'm also proud of the Baptist folks who wrestled with and subdued the gunman, incurring knife wounds themselves.
I pray that God would glorified in Maryville as His people represent Him well.
From the church website:
"A Message About Today’s Loss Today, a little after our 8:15 service began, a man entered First Baptist Church and fired several gunshots at our Senior Pastor, Dr. Fred Winters.
Please pray for Dr. Winter’s family, our two brave members who were injured when they stopped the assailant, for the assailant himself and his family, and for our church members as they deal with this tragic loss.
In this day, where uncertainty seems to abound creating an environment in which people are vulnerable in doing things they might not do otherwise, one thing is certain, we, as human beings need a foundation upon which we can live our lives. We at First Baptist Maryville, along with other Christian believers, share this conviction: that foundation is God’s Word. In the pages of the Book we call the Bible, we find the pathway for peace, hope, and a quality of living life despite what circumstances we find ourselves in.
To those who believe in the power of prayer, we covet your prayers right now."
If you don't already have a print copy, or even if you do, this is good bull.
Crossway has made the ESV Online Study Bible available free to anyone from March 2 to March 31. For full access and free trial use for one month, visit www.esvstudybible.org/online.
Simply create a login and password. Email information will not be shared, nor will there be any obligation to purchase.
CNN's Lou Dobbs reports about the UN attempting to limit free speech where religion is concerned, particularly prohibiting any criticism of Islam ... including among all member nations, regardless of what any hypothetical First Amemdment might say. (HT Alpha & Omega Ministries via Jade)
This gives you a nice feel for how Islam operates whilst in the majority.
If you don't watch this video clip, then the terrorists have already won.
As I child I remember hearing this bedtime prayer somewhere. I thought of it again recently, particularly the theology of it.
"Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take."
It seems to me there's a fine line between humility and uncertainty. I'm not sure how I feel about this yet, but I'm thinking a regenerate child of God could/would/should have greater confidence about the destination of his/her soul in the event of unexpected death in the night.
What does this prayer teach, particularly to children?
"It's good to know who hates you and to be hated by the right people." - Johnny Cash (1932)
"Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake." - Victor Hugo (1802)
"I have to be happy in the here and now because every time you start focusing on your legacy you're really setting yourself up for disappointment." - Michael Bolton (1953)
Early on in my Christian life I was made aware of the words of Jesus in Acts 1:8, even memorizing it.
