| October 24, 2005 - (Best viewed in 800 X 600 resolution) |
 |
Hello! I hope you had a great weekend. I'm currently setting up a debate with a professor from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. If you happen to go to the university or know someone who does, please let me know. I'm going to be promoting this event with the local churches and the Christian groups on campus. It should be quite a showdown! Are you looking for a quality, Christian university? If you want to earn your Bachelor's, Master's, or Doctorate degree without any residency requirements, then perhaps Louisiana Baptist University is for you! I've really enjoyed their Master's and Doctorate programs and I'll be going to Shreveport to receive my Ph.D. in May. Dr. Jerry Falwell will be speaking at the commencement. If you're interested in LBU, please email me. I'll put you in touch with someone who can help you AND we'll both get $100 off tuition for my referral to you! By the way, if you'd like to see some of LBU's extraordinary and influential graduates, please see the following page: http://jcsm.org/LBU/LBUAlumni.htm . Tonight, Gary Kanter will be speaking at Calvary Chapel Tustin, California. He is the owner of the World's Biggest Dinosaurs at Cabazon, California. He will give a creation science lecture, so if you're not too far away, you should stop in and hear him at 7pm. 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 Contact Us: http://jcsm.org/contact.php
JCSM's Weekly Devotions (click here to listen!) "Find Your Fullness in Christ" John 1:15-17 "John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, 'This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." Colossians 2:8-10 "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power." Ephesians 3:17b-19 "And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 4:11-13 "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." Insight: If you want to be fulfilled, you need the fullness of Christ. Only He can completely fill you because He created you and only He knows and has exactly what you need. Prayer: "Dear Lord, thank you for filling us with the things we need. Forgive our sins. Help us to avoid seeking things that are not fulfilling. We need more of You, Lord. Bless us and lift us up. Thank you for wanting to fill our cup and have it overflow to others. You are a great and mighty God! There is no other like You. Let us see You clearly and increase our faith in You and our love for You. In Jesus' name, Amen."
Benjamin Rush (1745-1813), was a physician, signer of the Declaration of Independence, "father of public schools" and a principle promoter of the American Sunday School Union. He also served as the Surgeon General of the Continental Army, helped to write the Pennsylvania Constitution and was the treasurer of the U.S. Mint. In 1786, Dr. Benjamin Rush established the first free medical clinic and later helped found the first American anti-slavery society. In 1798, after the adoption of the Constitution, Benjamin Rush declared: "The only foundation for... a republic is to be laid in Religion. Without this there can be no virtue, and without virtue there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments." ¹ In his work, Essays, Literary, Moral, and Philosophical, published in 1798, Dr. Benjamin Rush stated: "I know there is an objection among many people to teaching children doctrines of any kind, because they are liable to be controverted. But let us not be wiser than out Maker. If moral precepts alone could have reformed mankind, the mission of the Son of God into all the world would have been unnecessary. The perfect morality of the Gospel rests upon the doctrine which, though often controverted has never been refuted: I mean the vicarious life and death of the Son of God." ² Benjamin Rush describe himself: "I have alternately been called an Aristocrat and a Democrat. I am neither. I am a Chistocrat." ³ In writing to his wife during his final illness, Benjamin Rush wrote: "My excellent wife, I must leave you, but God will take care of you. By the mystery of Thy holy incarnation; by Thy holy nativity; by Thy baptism, fasting, and temptation, by Thine agony and bloody sweat; by Thy cross and passion; by Thy precious death and burial; by Thy glorious resurrection and ascension, and by the coming of the Holy Ghost, blessed Jesus, wash away all my impurities, and receive me into Thy everlasting kingdom." 4 ¹ 1798. David Barton, The Wallbuilder Report (Aledo, TX: WallBuilder, Summer 1993), p. 3.² Essays, Literary, Moral, and Philosophical (1798, 2nd edition, 1806). Stephen Abbott Northrop, D.D., A Cloud of Witnesses (Portland, OR: American Heritage Ministries, 1987), p. 388.³ David Barton, Campaign letter for Joe Barton (Aledo, TX: WallBuilders, Inc., April 12, 1993). 4 American Medical Biography, p. 45. Stephen Abbott Northrop, D.D., A Cloud of Witnesses (Portland, OR: American Heritage Ministries, 1987), p. 388.If you'd like to see more quotes from those that framed and founded America, please click here: http://jcsm.org/AmericasFounders/.
Those that have been filled with lesser things often appreciate how Christ fills them. They run back to the well time and time again.
Spend 5 minutes in silent prayer and thank God for all He is, all He has done, all He is doing, and all He will do. Try and fight the urge to ask for things and concentrate on worshiping Him with thanksgiving. God bless you as you meet this week's challenge!
playromah (Greek, see Ephesians 4:11): repletion or completion, that is (subjectively) what fills or (objectively) what is filled, fulfilling, fullness
The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible" claims: Genesis 35:15 - Jacob names Bethel again. The first time 28:19 the name didn't stick. "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained" responds: There is no contradiction or problem here. Jacob simply names this place Bethel in Genesis 28:19 and recognizes this place as Bethel in Genesis 35:15. (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.)
Some of us feel that we are entitled to great, earthly blessings. Go on a living spree. The things we buy, wear, and own are not our salvation. These quotes came from the Holy Spirit, me, and Jason Djang. If you'd like to read more quotes, we have thousands in our archive! Visit http://quotes.jcsm.org. Plus, if you'd like to receive a new quote every day, please go to http://jcsm.org/Wisdom.htm and bookmark it!
Jesus Christ Saves Ministries
|