"Don't Take the Lord's Name in Vain" - #397

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Hello!

I pray that you had a good week and weekend.

On Wednesday, I went to the San Diego Zoo.  We have a year pass that lets us go to the Zoo, the San Diego Wild Animal Park, and Sea World.  I took 129 pictures and you can see them at http://jcsm.org/SanDiegoZoo/.  I'm going to take about 500 more pictures from those three parks and upload them to JCSM.  I hope that you enjoy them!

This year's Steeling the Mind Conference was fantastic.  Yesterday, we went to Anaheim for it and were very blessed by the Compass crew and the speakers.  I took detailed notes on subjects like creation, evolution, prophecy, and more, and you can go here if you'd like to read them: http://www.jcsm.org/biblelessons/Steeling2005.htm.

In one of my debates, I put together a post-resurrection chronology of events using the gospels and Acts.  Recently, I made this available on our web site.  You can see how the gospels are congruent at http://jcsm.org/Apologetics/Post-ResurrectionChronology.htm.  It takes all of the scriptures after the resurrection and shows how they correlate.

We've uploaded our Press Release regarding our endeavor to reach the sex offenders for Christ.  You can see it here: http://jcsm.org/PressReleases/MegansLaw.htm.  Please forward it to your local and national news and radio stations.  I've been contacted by a local television station in San Diego and they should be interviewing me for the story, soon.

Since I've found a number of great ways to reach lots of people on the internet with Christ's love, I'm strongly considering writing a book about it.  I think it will be very valuable for new and old ministries to learn how to do what I did and what I am doing.  If you think this is a good idea, email me and let me know!

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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

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JCSM's Weekly Devotions (click here to listen!)

"Don't Take the Lord's Name in Vain"

Exodus 20:7  "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain."

Romans 13:13, 14  "Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.  But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts."

Luke 14:25-28  "Now great multitudes went with Him.  And He turned and said to them, 'If anyone comes to Me and does not hate (love less) his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.  And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.  For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it.'"

Insight: Christians need to take their Christianity seriously.  God has told us that we shouldn't accept His name in uselessness or in vain.  We need to take our commitment to Him seriously.  God should be number one and the rest should come after Him.

Prayer: "Dear Lord, thank you for speaking to us through the scriptures.  Thank you for teaching us about your love and requirements.  Help us to read and understand You and your will.  Forgive our sins.  Bless us and lift us up, Lord.  Make us like You.  Remove our worries and fears and give us peace, joy, and love.  Let us not take your name in uselessness.  Help us to put You first and keep You first.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

America's Foundation

Provincial Congress of Massachusetts October 22, 1774, which met in Boston, began to voice their serious concerns, as President John Hancock declared:

“We think it is incumbent upon this people to humble themselves before God on account of their sins, for He hath been pleased in His righteous judgment to suffer a great calamity to befall us, as the present controversy between Great Britain and the Colonies. [And] also to implore the Divine Blessing upon us, that by the assistance of His grace, we may be enabled to reform whatever is amiss among us, that so God may be pleased to continue to us the blessings we enjoy, and remove the tokens of His displeasure, by causing harmony and union to be restored between Great Britain and the Colonies.” - October 1774. President John Hancock. George Bancroft, Bancroft’s History of the United States, Vols. I-X (Boston: Charles C. Little & James Brown, 1838), Vol. VII, p. 229. Peter Marshall and David Manuel, The Light and the Glory (Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell, 1977), p. 269.

Provincial Congress of Massachusetts 1774, in addressing the inhabitants of Massachusetts Bay, resolved:

“Resistance to tyranny becomes the Christian and social duty of each individual…. Continue steadfast, and with a proper sense of your dependence on God, nobly defend those rights which heaven gave, and no man ought to take from us.” - 1774, in a resolution addressing the inhabitants of Massachusetts Bay. George Bancroft, Bancroft’s History of the United States, Vols. I-X (Boston: Charles C. Little & James Brown, 1838), Vol. VII, p. 229. Peter Marshall and David Manuel, The Glory of America (Bloomington, MN: Garborg's Heart 'N Home, Inc., 1991), 8.31. Peter Marshall and David Manuel, The Light and the Glory (Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell, 1977), p. 269.

A Moment of Introspection

The 3rd commandment has little to do with swearing.  It has everything to do with ambassadorship.

Tear out the blank or separation page that separates the Old and New Testaments.  Why is it there, anyway?  Isn't the whole book a single, unified message from the one, true God?

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

naw-saw (Hebrew, see Exodus 20:7): lift, accept, advance, carry, hold up

The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained

"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible" claims:

Genesis 21:14-18 - These verses suggest that Ishmael was an infant when his father abandoned him, yet according to Gen.17:25 and Gen.21:5-8 he must have been about 16 years old. It must have been tough for poor Hagar to carry Ishmael on her shoulder and to then "cast him under one of the shrubs."

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

An alternate translation of Genesis 21:15 is this: "And the water was gone from the bottle and she cast off (or left) her son under one of the bushes."  The English word "cast" doesn't mean "thrown," literally.  In the same manner, "child" is better translated "son."

(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.  There is also a 300 question workbook that accompanies the CD-ROM.)

The quotes for this week are all in my notes from the Steeling the Mind Conference.  You can see them here: http://www.jcsm.org/biblelessons/Steeling2005.htm

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!

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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!

For more about me and my service history, go to http://jcsm.org/misc/JasonGastrich.htm.

If you have never repented from your sins and believed, trusted, and accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please email me!  I would love to share the gospel with you.  The Bible is very straightforward when it speaks about Heaven, Hell and eternal life.  If there is any doubt that you are going to Heaven when you die, please let me know today!  If you’d like to discover the biblical doctrine of salvation through Jesus Christ, please go here: Audio Gospel Message - http://www.jcsm.org/godsplan/TheGospel.mp3. or the Textual Gospel Message - http://gospel.jcsm.org.

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.

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