ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY
PART 135
(copied from Mark Cahill's Book)
In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did what was right in his own eyes.
(Judges 21-25)
If people don't follow King Jesus, they tend to follow the herd, or do whatever else they feel like doing. There will always be negative consequences in our lives if we insist on doing what is right in our own eyes rather than doing what is right in the eyes of God.
The last weekend in June is the time when major cities around the country host festivals that celebrate that hoped-for gay movement victory.
In Atlanta the event is called the "Pride Festival,"
This particular year, the festival took place just days after the Supreme Court Ruling came out. So you can imagine that the gay people were very excited and ready to throw a party.
For the past six or seven years, I have gone to this festival. Atlanta has the second-largest gay-pride festival in the nation., with 200,000 to 300,000 people in attendance. And, of course, the reason that I go is to talk with some folks, and share eternal truth with them. There were about ten of us doing some witnessing at the festival that week-end. We could sure use some help at these festivals. There are many lost people there, and there are few Christians who love them enough to try to reach them. Why do we run away from sinners instead of running straight to them with the truth they are really looking for?
On Saturday I saw a group of about six people sitting. So
I prayed and then walked over to them. One girl had moved away from the group in order to speak on her cell-phone. I struck up a conversation with the rest of them. Then asked them all this question,"When you die, what do you think is on the other side?"
All of a sudden, one of the guys looked at the girl with the cell-phone and said "Michelle, come over here, right now." I couldn't figure out what was going on. When she came over, he asked me to repeat the question. I did, and all of a sudden her eyes got huge, "what is going on?' I asked. "One week ago, we talked about that exact same question for about four hours!" She then told me that they actually have a notebook in which they take notes about what they have been discussing! So we talked for well over an hour about what is out there after we die.
next post 4th June
ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY
PART 134
(copied from Mark Cahill's Book)
Spurgeon said:
"If a man could tell me that he stopped Niagara at a word, I would not envy him his power if only God would allow me to stop a sinner in his mad career of sin. If a creature could put his finger on Vesuvius, and quench its flame, I would not at all regret that I had no such power if I might be the means of staying a blasphemer and teaching him to pray. This spiritual power is the greatest power imaginable, and the most to be desired. "
June is a great month. For many cities and states, it has become what many call "Pride month." What that means is that it is the month to celebrate
the gay and lesbian lifestyle. It is the time of year when that movement celebrates what is going on in their community, but their primary goal is to convince other folks that their lifestyle is really Okay.
I have always found "Pride" to be an amazing title for their events. Pride has always had a bad name.
Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)
All people need to realize that pride comes before eternal destruction; and to all who are prideful and haughty, that fall is certain to come one day.
June 2003 had special significance for the gay community, because of the Supreme Court's decision that homosexual sex, done in the privacy of the home is legal. Always remember, that no matter what humans say, including humans on the Supreme Court, the Word of God stands supreme.
next post follows
DID JESUS RISE FROM THE DEAD?
PART ONE
(copied from
Y-Jesus.com)
We all wonder what will happen to us when we die. When a loved one dies, we long to see him or her again after our turn comes. Will we have a glorious reunion with those we love or is death the end of all consciousness?
Jesus taught that life does not end after our bodies die. He made this startling claim, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in Me
though they die like everyone else, will live again." According to the eyewitnesses closest to Him, Jesus then demonstrated His power over death by rising from the dead after being crucified and buried for three days. It is this belief that has given hope to Christians for nearly 2000 years.
But some people have no hope of life after death. The atheist philosopher Bertrand Russell wrote, "I believe that when I die I shall rot, and nothing of my own ego will survive. Russell obviously didn't believe Jesus' words.
Jesus' followers wrote that He appeared alive to them after His crucifixion and burial. They claim not only to have seen Him but to have eaten with Him, touched Him, and spent 40 days with Him.
So, could this have been a story that simply developed over time, or is it based on solid evidence? The answer to this question is foundational to Christianity. For if Jesus did rise from the dead it would validate everything Jesus said about Himself, about the meaning of life, and about our destiny after death.
If Jesus did rise from the dead, then He alone would have the answers to what life is about, and what is facing us after we die. On the other hand, if the resurrection account of Jesus is not true, then Christianity would be founded upon a lie.
Theologian R. C. Sproul puts it this way:
"The claim of resurrection is vital to Christianity. If Christ has been raised from the dead by God, then He has the credentials and certification that no other religious leader possesses."
All other religious leaders are dead, but according to Christianity, Christ is alive.
Many skeptics have attempted to disprove the resurrection. Josh McDowell was one such skeptic, who spent more than 700 hours researching the evidence for the resurrection.
McDowell stated this regarding the importance of the resurrection:
"I have come to the conclusion that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the most wicked, vicious, heartless hoaxes ever foisted upon the minds of men, OR it is the most fantastic fact of history. McDowell later wrote his classic work
The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict, documenting what he discovered.
So, is Jesus resurrection a fantastic fact or a vicious myth? To find out we need to look at the evidence of history and draw our own conclusions.
Let's see what skeptics who investigated the resurrection discovered for themselves.
next post 6th June
ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY
PART 133
(copied from Mark Cahill's Book)
So I went over to lunch. I ended up sitting with some football players from the college, who were conducting a football camp for some young guys. We hit it off right away. Some were believers and some weren't. One Catholic guy told me that he had opened up his Bible for the first time two days earlier. He said that he had some questions, so I gave him some answers! Those guys all wanted my book so I signed it for them. While I was signing I looked to the side and there was Tamara just staring at me. This was not going according to her plans.
I found out the next day that the Catholic guy read more than 80 pages of my book in one day! And later I found out that one of those football players had started a Bible study on campus, that, last I heard, has more than twenty people participating in it.
Pastor David, who was the leader of our group, went and talked with the head of the camps about what had happened to me. This was on a Monday.
On Sunday, the previous day, the Korean kids had split up and gone to different churches around town for Sunday service. The head of the camps told Pastor David that a group of the Korean kids were at his church on Sunday! He said it was a real blessing to have them there, and told Pastor David that what I was doing was just fine, that the security guard was out of line, and he would deal with him accordingly.
Pastor David told him that - after I talked to the teens that night - there would be about 90 Koreans doing the exact same thing. The head of the camps told Pastor David that would be fine too. Wow!
"Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, 'Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace.
For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee; for I have much people in this city.'
(Acts 18:9-10)
Do not be silent. The Lord wants us to radically take a stand for Him. He is with us. He has people in all the right places - like the head of camps - that we cannot even imagine. Our job is to simply stand strong for the truth of Jesus Christ.
Some of the Korean kids had great talks with the college students that week. Please pray for the salvation of Tamara and the security guard.
next post 31st May
ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY
PART 132
(copied from Mark Cahill's Book)
The next day I was talking with some people in my group when Tamara approached me. She said that I was not supposed to be talking with any of the college students here. I informed her that I had the right to do that. She stated that campus security had already been called. She looked up and said, "and here he is."
Around the corner came a security guard in his early twenties with sunglasses on. He looked at me and said, "you cannot be on this campus, talking with people and handing out literature. If you do not leave campus right now, you will be arrested. "
Just another normal day in the life of Mark Cahill
so I looked at him and said, "I am with the Korean group that is here, and I do believe that I have the right to talk with people."
Now he was on the defensive. I guess he thought I was just some stranger hanging out in the dorm. He then told me that I could talk to people in my group but not in other groups. I looked at him and asked, "did I lose my-first-amendment rights when I walked onto this campus?" I asked him this question three times, and he would not answer me.
He told me that we would have to talk to the person in charge of campus who had signed a contract allowing us to be there.
I then asked him, "what was the nature of the complaint against me?" He said he could not tell me that. So I looked at him and said. "A question for you. If you died tonight are you 100% assured that you would go to heaven?"
What is interesting is that if what I was doing was illegal, he should have arrested me then and there! But of course he didn't.
He said, "I am going to decline to answer that question right now." What we must all remember, is that people may decide not to answer that question now, but we will all have to answer it one day.
next post follows
ONE HEART BEAT AWAY
PART 131
(copied from Mark Cahill's Book)
Spurgeon said;
"If we had to preach to thousands year after year, and never rescued but one soul, that one soul would be full reward for all our labor, for a soul is of countless price."
I was speaking to a bunch of Korean adults and teens from various youth groups around the US. The conference was taking place at North Central College in a suburb of Chicago.
When I arrived at the College, I noticed that there were some college-age girls sitting at a table next to the dorm I was staying in. So I struck up a conversation with them. They worked with a group called Premier. The purpose of this group was to bring all minority students on campus for about six weeks prior to school starting so that the could "bond," before the other students showed up.
This sounded interesting, but I was looking to make an eternal difference in their lives. The power of God in the name of Jesus, will break down all racial barriers. I began to witness to them, but they didn't want any part of this conversation. So I told them I had written a book and wanted to sign a copy for each one of them.
As I was signing a book for each of them, a young lady walked over and asked me what I was doing. Her name was Tamara, and she headed up the multi-racial diversity department, that was sponsoring the event. You could tell by the tone of voice and body language that she was not at all happy about my being there. So I told her what I was doing. She told me that it would be Okay to speak to these staff ladies but that I should please not talk to the minority students when they arrived on campus! Nothing like a free, open society where we can exercise our first-amendment rights!
So I began to witness to her, and she didn't want anything to do with it. So I went and got her a book and signed it for her. I later checked the trash can and didn't find any of the books in it. I thought I would find at least one.
next post 29th May
ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY
PART 130
(copied from Mark Cahill's Book)
My upstairs neighbor Jay, has a little girl. They were going up to Minnesoto for the holidays. He likes to drive instead of fly when he travels. So I thought he was going to drive there. I handed him an envelope with some money in it to help with expenses. He surprised me by saying that he was flying, so I told him to get something for his daughter for the holidays.
About thirty minutes later Jay knocked on my door and told me that he could not take the money - it was too much. I told him that I could not take it back because it was a gift - that God had a lot of people buy my first book, so I had a few extra dollars in my pocket, and I love to bless others with it. I also told him that I have finally learned that "it is more blessed to give than to receive."
I said, "why not take the basketball team that you coach out to dinner after the season? " So, off to Minnesoto he went.
When he got back from his trip, Jay told me that during the entire trip he had been thinking about me and the money I had given him. You could look in his eyes and see that the gift had really blessed him. Then he gave me a gift he had bought for me in Minnesoto, and he stated that he had intended to read my book on the trip but just got too busy.
The next day Jay was going over to a lady's house. This woman had four kids and was struggling with lupus. He had decided to take half of the money that I had given him, and bless her with it. So, off he went.
The day after that there was another knock on the door! Jay had this look in his eyes. He was so excited. When he had given the money to that lady she had begun to cry. She was struggling financially and the money was a huge blessing. You could see the impact it was having on Jay. A day later I opened my door and found a note taped to it. Jay had written me a two-page letter thanking me for the money. He stated in the letter that he had $29 dollars and some change left over and that he was going to get his three-year-old daughter, who lives with her mom, her first Bible.
Think about that! He doesn't go to church, but he now wanted to get a Bible for his daughter. There was a children's Bible at my parent's house, so I brought it over for Jay to give to his daughter. He was so thankful. I asked if he had a Bible; he didn't. "Would you l like one?" He would. I gave him a Bible, and he asked for some help to start reading it.
Reach out to others as God reached out to you. It happens in a thousand different ways. But you have to be listening to the "still small voice," of Jesus in your heart and you have to obey.
next post follows
ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY
PART 129
(copied from Mark Cahill's Book)
I asked him what he was into now. He told me he was into Scientology. I asked, "how did you get into that?" I will never forget his answer to the day that I die. He said, "John Travolta had a talk with me. "
I was amazed. What was John Travolta doing? He was standing up for what he believed. John Travolta will boldly stand up for untruth because he believes it, but here we are with the truth , and yet we hesitate to stand up and be heard? I don't think so! I cannot, I will not, let John Travolta out witness me. Don't ever let John Travolta out witness you either!
One other thing to remember is that when you share your faith, God will water that seed that you planted. And you may never know about it until you get to heaven and see who is there.
When I witnessed to Tiger Woods and he walked away before I could tell him how to be declared "not guilty," I was disappointed, because I had more to share. But later God showed me that I had planted the seed of truth and He had watered the seed. Here is the rest of the story:
Because I felt there was unfinished business with Tiger, I asked some people to pray for him, to pray that God would grow that seed I had planted. Within a week a friend of mine had the opportunity to talk to Tiger about eternal matters, and one of Tiger's friends got to witness to him over dinner. God had all this follow-up going on, and I didn't even know about it. I should have known that He would take care of it because it is what He wants to do. "So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase." (1st Corinthians 3:7)
If you have been talking to God, please ask Him now to save both Tiger and the commercial director. Just stop and do it right now. And do it for your family and friends too. God is more than faithful. The question is are you and I that faithful? Can He count on us to further His kingdom?
next post 28th May
HYMNS
PART 7
The Old Rugged Cross
On a hill far away, stood an old
rugged cross
the emblem of suffering and shame
I love that old cross where
the dearest and best
for a world of lost sinners was slain.
Refrain
(So I'll cherish the old rugged cross
till my trophies at last I lay down
I will cling to the old rugged cross
and exchange it someday for a crown.)
Oh that old rugged cross so despised
by the world
Has a wondrous attraction for me
for the dear Lamb of God
left His glory above
to bear it to dark Calvary!
In the old rugged cross, stained with
blood so Devine
a wondrous beauty I see,
For twas on that old cross
Jesus suffered and died
to pardon and sanctify me.
To the old rugged cross I will ever be true
It's shame and reproach gladly bear
Then He'll call me someday
to my home far away
Where His glory forever I'll share.
next post 3rd June
PRAISING GOD
PART 24
God causes the grass to grow for the
cattle
and vegetation for the labor of man
So that he may bring forth food from
the earth
And wine which makes man's heart glad
So that he may make his face glisten with
oil
And food which sustains man's heart
The trees of the Lord drink their fill
The cedars of Lebanon that He planted
where the birds build their nests
And the stork whose home is the fir trees
The high mountains are for the wild goats
The cliffs are a refuge for the rock badgers
He made the moon for the seasons
The sun knows the place of its setting
Thou dost appoint darkness and it becomes
night
In which all the beasts of the forest prowl
about
The young lions roar after their prey
and seek their food from God
When the sun rises they withdraw
and lie down in their dens
Man goes forth to his work
and to his labor till evening.
O Lord, how many are Thy works
In wisdom Thou hast made them all
The earth is full of Thy possessions
There is the sea, great and broad
in which are swarms without number
animals both small and great
There the ships move along
And the Leviathan, which Thou hast formed
to sport in it.
next post 2nd June
MY FAVORITE PSALMS
PART 105
Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man?
The lovingkindness of God endures all
day long.
Your tongue devises destruction,
Like a sharp razor, O worker of deceit,
You love evil more than good
falsehood more than speaking what is
right,
You love all words that devour
O deceitful tongue.
But God will break you down forever,
He will snatch you up and tear you away
from your tent
And uproot you from the land of the
living.
The righteous will see and fear,
and will laugh at him saying:
"Behold the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of
his riches. And was strong in his evil desire.."
But as for me, I am like a
green olive tree in the house of God.
I trust in the lovingkindness of God
forever and ever
I will give Thee thanks forever
because Thou hast done it
And I will wait on Thy Name, for it is good
In the presence of Thy godly ones.
next post 1st June
ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY
PART 128
(copied from Mark Cahill's Book)
I find it amazing that an atheist knows
Christians should be sharing their faith with everyone they meet, but some Christians haven't figured it out yet. His point is that Christians who don't share their faith are the most selfish of all people. Don't be that type of Christian.
Please don't. Each soul is important to God. He died for them. Let them know what He has done for them.
I saw a t-shirt with a quote by General Douglas McArthur:
"The enemy is in front of us, the enemy is behind us, the enemy is to the right, the enemy is to the left, they can't get away this time."
What a statement! I don't need to run from Satan and the lost. I need to run right toward them, knowing that God has my back! God has invitations for everyone to come to heaven. It is now our job to hand out these invitations to everyone we meet.
What I didn't tell you before in the Vanilla Ice story, was something that really needs to be mentioned.
I asked him during our conversation if he was into Christianity. He told me "I used to be into that."
I wondered how anybody could "used to be,"
into the Son of God. Then he showed me a cross tattooed on his forearm and told me that he had the "sacred heart of Jesus" (a Catholic symbol)
tattooed on his chest.
next post 28th May
WAS THERE A DA VINCI CONSPIRACY?
PART 10
(copied from
Y-Jesus.com)
History's Verdict
So, what are we to conclude regarding the various conspiracy theories about Jesus Christ ? Karen King, professor of ecclesiastical history at Harvard, has written several books on the Gnostic gospels, including the gospel of Mary of Magdala, and what is Gnosticism? King, though a strong advocate of Gnostic teaching concluded, "These
notions about the conspiracy theory ... are all marginal ideas that have no historical basis."
In spite of the lack of historical evidence, conspiracy theories will still sell millions of books and set box office records. Scholars in related fields, some Christians and some with no faith at all, have disputed the claims of the Da Vinci Code.
However, the easily swayed will still wonder, could there be something to it after all?
Award winning television journalist, Frank Sesno, asked a panel of historical scholars about the fascination people have with conspiracy theories. Professor Stanley Kutler from the University of Wisconsin replied: " We all love mysteries but we love conspiracies more."
So, if you want to read a great conspiracy theory about Jesus, Dan Brown's novel, the Da Vinci Code may be just the ticket for you. But if you want to read the true accounts of Jesus Christ, then Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, will get you back to what the eyewitnesses saw and heard, and wrote. Who would you rather believe?
Did Jesus Really Rise
from the Dead?
The greatest question of our time is "Who is the real Jesus Christ? " Was He just an exceptional man, or was He God in the flesh, as Paul, John and His other disciples believed ?
The eyewitnesses to Jesus Christ, actually spoke and acted like they believed He physically rose from the dead after His crucifixion. If they were wrong then Christianity has been founded upon a lie. But if they were right, such a miracle would substantiate all Jesus said about God, Himself and us.
But must we take the resurrection of Jesus Christ by faith alone or is there solid historical evidence?
Several skeptics began investigating into the historical record to prove the resurrection account false. What did they discover?
next post 30th May
ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY
PART 127
(copied from Mark Cahill's Book)
A friend of mine got a letter from an atheist. You will not believe what he wrote. Read on with an
open heart:
"You are really convinced that you have got all
the answers. You have really got yourself tricked into believing that you are 100% right. Well, let me tell you just one thing. Do you consider yourself to be compassionate (toward) other humans? If you are right about God, as you say
you are, and you believe that, then how can you sleep at night ?
When you speak with me, you are speaking with someone who you believe is walking directly into eternal damnation, into an endless onslaught of endless horrendous pain, which your loving God created, yet you stand by and do nothing.
If you believed one bit that thousands every day
were falling into an eternal and unchangeable
fate, you should be running the streets mad with rage at their blindness. That is equivalent to standing on a street corner and watching every person that passes you walk blindly directly into the path of a bus and die, yet you stand idly by
and do nothing.
You are just twiddling your thumbs, happy in the knowledge that one day that Walk signal will shine your way across the road.
Think about it. Imagine the horrors hell must
have in store if the Bible is true. You are just
going to allow that to happen and not care about
saving anyone but yourself? If you are right, then you are an uncaring, unemotional, and purely selfish (expletive) that has no right to talk about subjects such as love and caring.
next post 24th May
ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY
PART 126
(copied from Mark Cahill's Book)
Remember, Jesus has not asked us to reach the
lost. He has not made it an option. He has commanded us to reach the lost. Think about
that while you read His words on the subject:
"And He said unto them, 'go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature.
He that believeth and is baptized shall be
saved, but he that believeth not shall be
damned.' "
(Mark 16: 15-16)
There are two things we need to notice here.
One is that believers are commanded to go
and preach the gospel. "to every creature." Another is that anyone who believes what they
are told about the good news, will go to heaven, while those who reject what they are told will go to hell.
In the military if you disobey
the order of a commander,
it is called "insubordination."
If you take the authority away
from the captain of a ship, it is called "mutiny." What is
it called to disobey, the Commander, Captain
and Savior of all creation?
We shouldn't even begin to think about it. Just obey Him and reach the lost.
next post 22nd May
HYMNS
PART 6
Just as I am.
Just as I am without one plea
but that Thy blood was shed for me
And that Thou bid'st me come to Thee
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
Just as I am and waiting not
to rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee Whose blood can cleanse
each spot
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
Just as I am though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings within and fears without
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
Just as I am Thou
wilt receive
Will welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve.
Because Thy promise
I believe
O Lamb of God,
I come, I come!
Just as I am, Thy love unknown
Hath broken every barrier down
Now to be Thine and Thine alone
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
next post
27th May
PRAISING GOD
PART 23
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
O Lord, my God,
You are very great
You are clothed with splendor and
majesty
covering Yourself with light
as with a cloak
Stretching out heaven like a tent curtain
He lays the beams of His upper chambers
in the waters
He makes the clouds His chariot
He walks upon the wings of the wind
He makes the winds His messengers
Flaming fire His ministers.
He established the earth upon its
foundations
So that it will not totter forever and ever.
Thou did'st cover it with the deep as with
a garment
The waters were standing above the
mountains
At Your rebuke they fled.
At the sound of Your thunder they
hurried away
The mountains rose the valleys sank down
To the place which You established for them
You have set a boundary that they may not
pass over
That they may not return to cover the earth.
He sends forth the springs in the valleys
They flow between the mountains.
They give drink to every beast of the field
The wild donkeys quench their thirst
Beside them them the birds of the heaven dwell
They lift up their voice among the
branches
He waters the mountains from His
upper chambers
The earth is satisfied with the fruit
of His works.
next post 26th May
MY FAVORITE PSALMS
PART 104
Be gracious to me, O God,
according to Thy lovingkindnesses
According to the greatness of Thy
compassion, blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions
And my sin is forever before me.
Against Thee, Thee only have I sinned.
And done what is evil in Thy sight
So that Thou art justified when Thou
dost speak
And blameless when Thou dost judge.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity
And in sin my mother conceived me,
Behold, Thou dost require truth in the
innermost being
And in the hidden part, Thou wilt make
me know wisdom.
Purify me with hyssop and I shall be clean
Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me to hear joy and gladness,
Let the bones which Thou hast broken
rejoice
Hide Thy face from my transgressions
and blot out my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me
Do not cast me away from Thy presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit away
from me
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation
and sustain me with a willing spirit
Then I will teach transgressors Your ways
And sinners will be converted to You.
Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God,
Thou God of my salvation,
Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness,
O Lord, open my lips
that my mouth may declare Your praise,
For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it,
You are not pleased with burnt offering
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
A broken and a contrite heart, O God,
You will not despise.
By Your favor do good to Zion,
Build the walls of Jerusalem
Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices
in burnt offering and whole burnt offering;
Then young bulls will be offered on Your altar.
next post 25th May
ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY
PART 125
(copied from Mark Cahill's Book)
Living on in this world is a good thing, so that we can reach the lost. That is why Paul was determined to live as long as he could, even though he was yearning to go to heaven:
"But I would that you should understand brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance
of the Gospel; So that my bonds in Christ are
manifest in all the palace, and in all other
places.
And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
Some indeed preach Christ, even of envy and strife ; and some also of goodwill.
The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds:
But the other of love, knowing that I am set
for the defense of the gospel .
What then? Not withstanding, every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, and will rejoice.
For I knew that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the
Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ.
According to my earnest expectations
and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also, Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life
or by death.
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour; but what I shall choose, I wot not,
For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better.
Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is far better for you.
And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith:
That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ, for me by my coming to you again.
(Philipians 1: 12-26)
next post 21st May
ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY
On Saturday I saw a group of about six people sitting. So
