Hello!

I pray you're having a great day, today.

We have some encouraging news!  After some brief downtime, JCSM is up and running.  Our new hosting service has complete statistics and we have found that JCSM averaged 750 unique visitors each day last week.  This is phenomenal and we pray that we continue to reach more and more with God's love, truth, and grace.

If you have a web page, please put a link to JCSM on it.  We can even provide you with a banner for your page.  We keep track of all of the links to us, so please let us know if you link JCSM.

Do you need a web page or web hosting?  I've made thousands of web pages, I have affordable prices, great customer service, and I do quality work.  Please check out my services and let me know if you'd like something: http://nkjv.org.

The Free.Christians newsgroup is going well.  We have had numerous people posting messages and a number of ISPs are carrying the group.  Please pray that Google Groups and AOL pick it up, soon.  You are welcome to come, read, and post messages at news:free.christians.

On Monday, I had an exciting debate at the University of California at Berkeley.  It was great to see so much media interested in my campaign.  You can read the article in the Daily Cal about our debate: http://www.dailycal.org/article.asp?id=12728&ref=search.

Please pray for The Rock Church's building situation.  They have bought a huge building and piece of land in Point Loma.  Right now, they are renovating it and they are turning it into a church, school, and much more.  This is an awesome vision and project, so please pray that they complete it soon and get all of the necessary support.

I hope and pray that you are filled with God's love.  Trust Him and seek Him and He will bless you.

This is your ministry, so please feel free to link to JCSM and forward these devotions to your friends and family. On JCSM, there are over 50,000 web pages of pictures, forums, midis, Bible lessons, humor, proverbial stories, links, devotions, poetry, prayer journals, and much more!

JCSM has encouraging sermons, exciting debates, and the Bible on MP3 online and you can freely stream and download them!  Come and listen at http://sa.jcsm.org.

If you consider yourself either a theological scholar, a seeker, or a student of the Word, then you'll enjoy the Inerrancy Discussion Board.  It's the #1 place for discussing the inerrancy of God's Word!  Come and see: http://www.inerrancy.com (the Inerrancy Discussion Board is sponsored and administrated by JCSM).

Would you like to support God’s work on the web? If this ministry has touched you in a special way, please pray and consider sending a gift to JCSM. You can join us in our vision to reach people on the web with the good news! Either email me for more information or simply go here: http://vision.jcsm.org.

Visit the JCSM Study Center!  We have over 450mb of resources like English and foreign Bibles, maps, ancient literature, commentaries, Greek and Hebrew dictionaries, and concordances and much more!  Plus, it's all free.  Link: http://study.jcsm.org.

Welcome to the new readers of this message! Here is your Devotion, A Moment of Introspection, JCSM's Challenge, the Word of the Week, a faith-builder from "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained," and the Quotes of the Week. Have a fantastic week and God bless you!

Love in Christ,

Jason Gastrich, B.A., M.A.B.T.

ICQ#: 20731140

The Weekly Devotion (click here to listen!)

"Free Christians"

Psalm 146:7b "The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners."

John 8:36 "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."

Galatians 5:1 "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage."

Romans 6:22, 23 "But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 8:2 "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death."

Insight: As Christians, we are free from the snares of sin.  We have Christ's power to call evil what it is and avoid it.  The Holy Spirit empowers every believer and helps them live a holy life.  Live as the free Christian that you are; the free Christian God intended you to be!

Prayer: "Thank you for making us free, Lord!  Thank you for removing the chains that once held us.  Remind us that we are free and should never return to the sins of our past.  Thank you for giving us a higher calling and a great purpose.  Praise You for being good.  You are our God.  Remove our worries and our fears.  Help us to trust in You.  We love You, Lord.  Bless us and lift us up.  Let us see sin, call it like it is, and avoid it.  Let us help others to remove their snares and be set free, too.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

America's Foundation

Hernando Cortez (1485-1547) was the Spanish explorer who conquered Mexico and Cuba.  He was given a land grant by Christopher Columbus' son and later became major of Cuba.

"We are on a crusade.  We are marching as Christians into a land of infidels.  We seek not only to subdue boundless territory in the name of our Emperor Don Carols, but to win millions of unsalvaged souls to the True Faith." - February 10, 1519, "Stout Cortez: A Biography of the Spanish Conquest"

"It seems most credible that our Lord God has purposefully allowed these lands (Mexico) to be discovered, so that Your Majesties may be fruitful and deserving in His sight by causing these barbaric tribes to be enlightened and brought to the faith by Your hand." - July 10, 1519, "First Dispatch to Queen Juana"

"Cortez told them of their blindness and great vanity in worshipping many gods and making sacrifices of human blood to them, and in thinking that those images, being mute and soulless, made by the Indians with their own hands, were capable of doing good or harm.  He then told them of a single God, Creator of Heaven and earth and men, who the Christians worshiped and served, and whom all men should worship and serve." - 1519, Francisco Lopez de Gomara, "Cortez: The Life of the Conqueror by His Secretary"

"In short, after he had explained the Mysteries to them, and how the Son of God had suffered on the Cross, they accepted it and broke up their idols.  Thus it was that with great reverence, before a large concourse of Indians, and with many tears on the part of the Spaniards, a Cross was erected in the temple of Potonchan, and our men first, kneeling, kissed and worshiped it, and after them the Indians." - 1519, Francisco Lopez de Gomara, "Cortez: The Life of the Conqueror by His Secretary"

A Moment of Introspection

One of the most awesome things about being a Christian is being set free from sin.

Believers in Christ can recall things that they did that were wrong.  They can also see how God delivered them and helped them to avoid doing those things.

The Devil tries to make Christians feel guilty for they sin and after they have been forgiven.  Don't listen to Him.  If the Son has set you free, you are free indeed!

Tell someone about the freedom you have in Christ!

God bless you as you meet this week's challenge!

eduth (Hebrew): testimony - witness

The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained

"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible" claims:

Genesis 4:17 - "And Cain knew his wife." That's nice, but where the heck did she come from? The Bible doesn't mention any of Cain's sisters. Well, maybe he married his mom, or maybe God pulled another creation over in the next county. In any case, Cain and the mysterious Mrs. Cain have a son (another blue cigar!). His name is Enoch and he builds a city (population 3).

"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained" responds:

Adam and Eve had numerous children in their very long lives.  These children also had children.  Cain married a sister or another relative.  Incidentally, the pure gene pool did not mind his intermarriage and it had not yet been forbidden by God.

(This explanation came from "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained", by Jason Gastrich.  This book is on CD and explains over 3,000 difficulties regarding the entire Bible at http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.org.)

What breaks your heart?

What consumes you?

When you get a big idea, you need to pray about it.

Prayer isn't only talking to God; it's also listening to Him.

Are you negative about anything?

Faithfully pursue and fulfill God's calling on your life.

Reach full maturity.

Evangelize the people in your city.

Make your requests to God bold and specific.

God's projects originate from God, glorify God, and can only be accomplished by God.

These quotes came from God, me, and Miles McPhearson.

Do you need more quotes?  We have thousands in our archives!  They are located here: http://quotes.jcsm.org.

These quotes can be used for sanctification and fun. Most of them are directly based on scripture and scriptural principles. Some of the quotes are humorous or rhetorical, others are written from sermons and Bible studies, and some are lyrics from songs. If you’d like me to go into more detail on any of them, please email me.

Like most verses in the Bible, they can be debated. To use what I’ve written in the most beneficial way, try and trace them back to the scriptures and apply the true principles to your life in a meaningful way! Please don’t sell my quotes or publish them for profit. If English is not your first language, you may not understand some of the quotes. I'm sorry, but some of them are English metaphors and deal with multiple word meanings. God bless you all!

Please make a commitment to pray for this ministry. As every believer is tempted and tried, this ministry faces trials also. God has blessed me, JCSM and the people who have been reached! Unfortunately, the enemy knows this and spiritual warfare is the result. Please at least pray that the devotions continue to be written religiously, the web pages stay on the www and the readers are blessed, sanctified and protected from evil. Thank you very much in advance!

Do you want to help people receive the good news?  We’re reaching new people every day with God’s awesome Word! If God has blessed you and you wish to send a love offering to JCSM, please send your gift to the address below.

You can join our vision and help this ministry! Your donations will keep these ministries running and further our visions for evangelism. Hundreds of web pages have been created to lead people to the Lord. Frequently, we make new ones and they are used to bring more and more people into a closer relationship with Jesus Christ. We’re certain there will be more ways to reach people in the future.

JCSM is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization.  If you wish to contact us in the mail or send support, please make checks payable to Jesus Christ Saves Ministries.  Here is our mailing address:

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries

3219 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. #212

San Diego, CA 92117

Along with getting support, we also give support! JCSM regularly gives to churches, Christian ministries and needy people. Another function of this ministry is to do counseling. We are always answering questions about life, the Lord and everything in between. Lastly, we do a lot of research on religious topics on the internet and library. You will definitely see the results of our hard work and your loving support, in the web pages, and in the weekly devotions!

Fishes and Loaves (FALO) is a great, missions organization.  They have helped many people embark on missions trips to the uttermost parts of the world.  If you are interested in missions, please visit http://www.gofalo.net.

Do you need to find a solid, Christian church?  I've attended numerous, Calvary Chapel churches and I've been very blessed by their Bible-based sermons, inspiring worship, and kind members.  If you don't have a home church, if you're traveling, or if you need to find a new church, I recommend visiting the following site and locating a Calvary Chapel near you: http://www.calvarychapel.org.

OCCM (Online Christ-Centered Ministries) has certified JCSM as a ministry that preaches the true, biblical gospel of Jesus Christ.  OCCM is a professional membership association for Christian ministries and people that reside on and off the internet.  Are you OCCM certified?  For more information, go here: http://www.occm.org.

Would you prayerfully consider supporting JCSM with $5 per month?  If God leads you to take this step of faith and bless this ministry, PayPal will process a donation subscription for you.  It will only take a minute and you can join us in this dynamic ministry that constantly reaches people all over the world.  Here is the link for $5 donations: http://5.jcsm.org.

Over 50,000 web pages!

Jesus loves you!

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever should believe in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."