"Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?"
(James 2:5)
Not of the World
Dear Friends,
Greetings! We hope you all had a faith-filled week. Things are moving so fast in the world today it is sometimes hard to keep up with the direction the world is going. Thank God, Jesus said; "Ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world," (John 15:19) .We don't have to worry about keeping up with the world, but we do need to be aware of what is happening in the world. 2Corinthians 2:11 warns us to not be ignorant of Satan's devices. "Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices."
This world is Satan's territory. "Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me." (Matthew 4:8,9)
Now you know why things in the world do not seem to make sense sometimes. Look who is running it most of the time, within the constraints God has set. The Bible also instucts us concerning our relationship with the world. "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." (1 John 2:15-17)
God's Word also tells us on what we should labor; "Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed".(John 6:27)
It all depends on motive: " "No man can serve two masters: For either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon." (Mt.6:24) Now what is Mammon?--Money, pure and simple. Mammon was literally the god of wealth, and if you serve money then you're serving the Devil! But if you are just using a job as a means to an end, in order to serve the Lord, that's different!--Like one meat-packer in Chicago said, "Preaching the Gospel is my main business, but I pack pork to pay expenses!" (From "Whose Slave Are You?" By David Berg)
Thank God we know how history, His-story turns out in the end, the End Times in which we are presently living.
In this weeks editorial we will be dealing with 'Is the United States a Christian nation?' , 'Possible censorship of the Internet?', 'Transplanted Memories', --which is not quite what you may think it is, and a couple of other items.
We pray this is a blessing to you. We are going to start with a statement Barak Obama, president of the United States, made while on his recent visit to the G20 Summit in London. The statement was actually made during his visit to Turkey.
In his speech he said the United States was not a Christian nation. Watch below.
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"The United States was founded upon Biblical principles. The Constitution was given the clause of "Freedom of Religion" to prevent The Church of England and The Roman Catholic Church from gaining the upper hand and forcing their brand of Christianity upon everyone else.
On February 29, 1892, the Supreme Court of the United States, in a 9-0 decision, declared this a Christian nation. Those working for world government and the worship of Lucifer/Satan needed to destroy the moral framework upon which this nation lies - Christianity." (David J. Smith, Newswatch Magazine)
The following is one paragraph from Mr. Justice Brewer on February 29, 1892 as he delivered the opinion of the US Supreme Court regarding the United States being a Christian nation. The entire opinion is filled with multliple references to God and Jesus.
(Almondtree Productions)
THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT
HOLY TRINITY CHURCH v. U.S.
143 U.S. 457, 12 S.Ct. 511, 36 L.Ed. 226
Feb. 29, 1892
If we pass beyond these matters to a view of American life, as expressed by its laws, its business, its customs, and its society, we find everywhere a clear recognition of the same truth. Among other matters note the following: The form of oath universally prevailing, concluding with an appeal to the Almighty; the custom of opening sessions of all deliberative bodies and most conventions with prayer; the prefatory words of all wills, "In the name of God, amen;" the laws respecting the observance of the Sabbath, with the general cessation of all secular business, and the closing of courts, legislatures, and other similar public assemblies on that day; the churches and church organizations which abound in every city, town, and hamlet; the multitude of charitable organizations existing everywhere under Christian auspices; the gigantic missionary associations, with general support, and aiming to establish Christian missions in every quarter of the globe. These and many other matters which might be noticed, add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation. In the face of all these, shall it be believed that a congress of the United States intended to make it a misdemeanor for a church of this country to contract for the services of a Christian minister residing in another nation?
In explaining their conclusion the judges cite sections of different State Constitutions. Below are just a few examples. It should also be noted that in their address the word "God" is used twenty-three times, and Jesus twice.
(Almondtree Productions)
"Or, as in sections 5 and 14 of article 7 of the constitution of Mississippi, (1832:) "No person who denies the being of a God, or a future state of rewards and punishments, shall hold any office in the civil department of this state. * * * Religion {516} morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government, the preservation of liberty, and the happiness of mankind, schools, and the means of education, shall forever be encouraged in this state."
"Or by article 22 of the constitution of Delaware, (1776,) which required all officers, besides an oath of allegiance, to make and subscribe the following declaration: "I, A.B., do profess [143 U.S. 457, 470] faith in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ His only Son, and in the Holy Ghost, one God, blessed for evermore; and I do acknowledge the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by divine inspiration."
"We find that in Updegraph v. Comm., 11 Serg. & R. 394, 400, it was decided that, "Christianity, general Christianity, is, and always has been, a part of the common law of Pennsylvania."
"And in People v. Ruggles, 8 Johns. 290, 294, 295, Chancellor KENT, the great commentator on American law, speaking as chief justice of the supreme court of New York, said: "The people of this state, in common with the people of this country, profess the general doctrines of Christianity as the rule of their faith and practice; and to scandalize the author of those doctrines is not only, in a religious point of view, extremely impious, but, even in respect to the obligations due to society, is a gross violation of decency and good order."
It is evident that most of the earlier law makers and government officials of the United States had a much different understanding of what kind of nation the United States was to be than do their present day colleagues. (See our editorial "Harbingers") We will leave you to draw your own conclusions as to why, Barak Obama, declared that the United States was not a Christian nation. (Almondtree Productions)
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Our next subject of interest involves what some have referred to as the "last bastian of free speech in the world" and which you are using at this very moment, as you read this article, --the Internet. We are reminded of what Jesus said, in the book of John chapter nine verse four: "I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work." We had better do, what we can, while we can, because the night is fast approaching.
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WorldNetDaily
Will bill give Obama control of Internet?
Proposed new powers called 'drastic federal intervention'
Posted: April 04, 2009
By Drew Zahn
A pair of bills introduced in the U.S. Senate would grant the White House sweeping new powers to access private online data, regulate the cybersecurity industry and even shut down Internet traffic during a declared "cyber emergency."
Senate bills No. 773 and 778, introduced by Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.V., are both part of what's being called the Cybersecurity Act of 2009, which would create a new Office of the National Cybersecurity Advisor, reportable directly to the president and charged with defending the country from cyber attack.
A working draft of the legislation obtained by an Internet privacy group also spells out plans to grant the Secretary of Commerce access to all privately owned information networks deemed to be critical to the nation's infrastructure "without regard to any provision of law, regulation, rule or policy restricting such access."
"The cybersecurity threat is real," says Leslie Harris, president of the Center for Democracy and Technology, which obtained the draft of S.773, "but such a drastic federal intervention in private communications technology and networks could harm both security and privacy."
Herald Sun.com.au
Australia to implement mandatory internet censorship
October 29, 2008 12:02pm
AUSTRALIA will join China in implementing mandatory censoring of the internet under plans put forward by the Federal Government.
The revelations emerge as US tech giants Google, Microsoft and Yahoo, and a coalition of human rights and other groups unveiled a code of conduct aimed at safeguarding online freedom of speech and privacy. - -
The government has declared it will not let internet users opt out of the proposed national internet filter.
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"Your heart shall live for ever." (Psalms 22:26)
Below is a documentary we think you may find of interest. It is called "Transplanted Memories". It is in four parts, with each part about ten minutes long.
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"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." (Matthew 5:5)
If you have not already seen Susan Boyle we are sure you will enjoy her performance. And if you have seen Susan Boyle you already know you will enjoy seeing it again. Following the video is a news article we felt summed up the feelings of many.
EW.Com - Popwatch
'Britain's Got Talent' breakout Susan Boyle: Why we watch...and weep
Apr 14, 2009, 07:33 PM | by Lisa Schwarzbaum
I'm still stuck on Susan Boyle, and still weeping. I suppose that's so 24 hours ago, and I should be thinking instead about how Mel Gibson's divorce might affect his box-office cred with conservative Catholics. Instead, I play the YouTube clip over and over of Boyle, the frumpy, middle-aged British lady who marched out on the stage of the national TV show Britain's Got Talent this past weekend. She bided her time through the judgmental hoots and snickers of the studio audience and judges (headed by international snickerer-in-chief Simon Cowell). She sang "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables. And she brought a worldwide audience to their feet -- to her feet -- with the grandeur of her voice.
I'll get back to pondering how Vin Diesel's future might change with the success of Fast & Furious soon enough, but right now I'm pondering why the experience of watching and listening to Ms. Boyle makes so many viewers cry, me among them. And I think I've got a simple answer, at least for me: In our pop-minded culture so slavishly obsessed with packaging -- the right face, the right clothes, the right attitudes, the right Facebook posts -- the unpackaged artistic power of the unstyled, un-hip, un-kissed Ms. Boyle let me feel, for the duration of one blazing showstopping ballad, the meaning of human grace. She pierced my defenses. She reordered the measure of beauty. And I had no idea until tears sprang how desperately I need that corrective from time to time.
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We pray you have a safe week ahead, and you will if you stay close to Him. Always remember, "All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose". (Romans 8:28)
We would enjoy hearing from you, so please write! If you would like to contact one of our Christian mystics, we invite you to do so.
Almondtree Productions
"I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness." (Psalms 84:10)