Why American "Christianity" Is a Disgrace

American "Christianity" is generally, speaking a disgrace. People serve self, want their senses stimulated, and make a mockery of God by how they live their lives. The problem is that the American church has forgotten God's call to be holy. We are to live holy lives because God has commanded it. Holiness is not an option. The below story illustrates one of the conditions of holiness: a complete and total consecration or surrender to God of your entire life.


The Rev. J. Alexander Clark, a Scotch missionary from Africa, told in this country a very striking story of an African who had been mauled by a lioness and was well-nigh dead. Mr. Clark cared for his wounds, and when he got well he left. After three months he came back to Mr. Clark, and said, "You know the law of the African forest, that the redeemed belongs to the redeemer. I was dead, but I am now alive. I am yours. Here are my six wives and my children and my cattle; do with me as you will." Are we willing to surrender all to Christ like that? The secret of our lack of power and service is just this we do not acknowledge that we, the redeemed, belong to the Redeemer. -- Christ Life

So, to whom do you belong? The answer is not found in what you say, but in what you do.

The True Meaning of Pentecost Part 5

Many are confused about what took place on the day of Pentecost. They have either built entire denominations on speaking in tongues or they have said that all believers receive the experience at salvation. The truth is that you can't understand Pentecost until you understand what took place at Mount Sinai. In Part 5, Pastor Jenkins reviews the traits of those Paul called "spiritual."

Why Governor Sanford Did What He Did

By now, most of us have heard about the Governor Mark Sanford's disappearance and affair. The question is asked, "why a man that professes morals and godliness would do such a thing?" The answer is not that complicated. We can look to William Booth the founder of the Salvation Army for an explanation.

General William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, was once asked the secret of his success. General Booth hesitated a moment, then with tears streaming down his cheeks he replied, "I'll tell you the secret; God had all of me there was to have. From the day I got the poor on my heart and a vision of what Christ could do, I made up my mind that God would have all there was of William Booth -- God had all the adoration of my heart, all the power of my will and all the influence of my life."

The birth of the Salvation Army came about through a man who offered his life as a sacrifice to God.

Governor Sanford, like most evangelical Christians in America, resist the Scriptural command to be holy. Holiness is not an option. The Word tells us that "without holiness, no one will see the Lord." The need to consecrate ones all to the Lord Jesus Christ is clearly spelled out in Scripture. The false division of law and grace has led to what Dietrich Bonhoeffer labelled as "cheap grace." This type of "grace" says you can come to Jesus and do what you want. That is not grace, that is license; a license that leads to the pit of hell. Friend, if you have not given your all in full submission to Jesus Christ, you are in danger of the fires of hell. If this does not concern you as a possibility, then you have already slipped. Gov. Sanford had slipped a long time ago to commit the sin of adultery. Simply put, Governor Sanford did what he did because his commitment to Jesus Christ was an empty one. Pray that he repents and makes restitution to his wife and children.

The Death of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson

HOW FLEETING is LIFE
-by Andrew Strom.

Most of you will have heard the sad news of the passing of two
pop icons in one day yesterday. Farrah Fawcett was 63 and died
after a long battle with cancer. Michael Jackson the "prince of pop",
aged only 50, died in even sadder circumstances. How tragic that
even the vast machinery of fame cannot shield its many lost sons
from a lonely, miserable existence and an unhappy end.

No doubt Farrah Fawcett could look back on the glory years when
young women around the world imitated her hairstyle and her "look".
I can remember as a kid watching "Charlie's Angels", though I have
to admit far preferring "The Six Million Dollar Man" as a 10-year-old.
She will be remembered as a battler to the end, an icon of her era.
But oh, how fleeting is life. And oh, how empty is fame. And oh,
how pointless is earthly success when eternity stretches before all.

Michael Jackson could have looked back on years of pop glory
and superstar fame - when his dance moves dazzled the whole
world. But then came the surgeries, the bizarre behaviour, the ugly
allegations, the court cases, the hundreds of million$ of debt.

Like another famous "prince" of pop (actually - his father in law -
Elvis Presley), he seemingly died unhappy and alone, his
"comeback" unrealized, his fame a chain around his neck, his
death a shock in one still so young. Elvis died at 42, and now his
son-in-law Michael at 50. Fame seemingly does not take good care
of its own when they pass their "use-by" date. And so the ephemeral
idols of our shallow culture continue crashing down.

"For what is your life?" asks the apostle James. "It is a vapor that
appears for a little time, and then vanishes away."

"Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher of Ecclesiastes, "All is
vanity... All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to
dust again."

If it is one thing we can learn from the life and death of every 'icon'
on this planet, it is that we all must live with eternity in view, not
the fleeting charade of this present world. As Leonard Ravenhill so
eloquently asked, "Are the things you're living for worth Christ dying for?"

A sad day.

The Torah and the Associated Press

Researchers in Israel, after subjecting the first five books of the Bible to exhaustive computer analysis, came to a different conclusion than expected. The Torah, or Books of Moses, had long been assumed by skeptics to be the work of multiple authors. But Scripture scholar Moshe Katz and computer expert Menachem Wiener of the Israel Institute of Technology analyzed the book's material through sophisticated computer analysis. They discovered an intricate pattern of significant words concealed in the canon, spelled by letters separated at fixed intervals. Mr. Katz says that the statistical possibilities of such patterns happening by chance would be one to three million. The material suggests a single, inspired author. In fact, it could not have been put together by human capabilities at all. Adds Mr. Wiener, "So we need a nonrational explanation. Ours is that the (Torah) was written by God through the hand of Moses." -- Associated Press

The Bible Is Absolutely Trustworthy

In September, 1938, a man who lived on Long Island was able one day to satisfy a lifelong ambition by purchasing for himself a very fine barometer. When the instrument arrived at his home, he was extremely disappointed to find that the indicating needle appeared to be stuck, pointing to the sector marked "Hurricane."

After shaking the barometer very vigorously several times, its new owner sat down and wrote a scorching letter to the store from which he had purchased the instrument, and on the following morning, on his way to his office in New York, he mailed the letter. That evening he returned to Long Island, to find not only the barometer missing, but his house also. The barometer's needle had been right. There was a hurricane!

What the Bible points out is always true. People may think there is something wrong with what the Bible says, and they may write scorching letters to the faithful preachers of God's Word. Still, the indications and predictions of the Bible will come to pass. Many of those who are angered by the truth will one day discover their grievous error. The storm of God's final Judgment will strike, and all that they have will be swept into eternal destruction! -- Duane V. Maxey

How do you view the Bible? Is it a history book or the written Word of God brought alive by the power of the Holy Spirit? Dead formality is an indication of a heart problem. If the Bible is just another book to you, you have a serious issue that needs attention.

Do You Have a Compass?

We live in difficult times. We need a compass to guide us through these dark days. Do you have a compass that will take you through the night. The following story makes the point:

A man started out through a forest so thickly covered with trees that one day he could not see the sun or sky. After traveling for a long time he knew it was getting night time, so started for what he thought was home. He was so certain that his direction was right that he did not look at his compass. But when he did look at it, he was surprised to find that he was going west when he thought he was going east. He was so sure he was right that he started to throw his compass away. Then he thought, "You have never told me an untruth, and I'll trust you now." He followed the compass and came out right. We, too, have a compass that will never tell us an untruth. It in God's Word -- the Bible. If we always follow it we will be safe, even though we think we are right. If it tells us some thing different, then let us follow what it says, for that is the only safe thing. -- Gospel Herald

When "Christians" struggle with issues like war, abortion, or homosexuality, the difficulties disappear when the Holy Bible becomes the compass. It will direct your paths and provide light for your current location. Someone asked me to prove to a non-believer the merits of the Bible. My response was that I could not; the only way to understand the supernatural influence of the Bible is to submit your self to its authority and obey it. Then, its power will be made clear. Until then, it is just a history book.