|
|
  |
Hello! I hope had a great weekend. Are you an iTunes user? If so, search their podcasts for JCSM's Weekly Devotions! You can hear them online and you can even find our podcast by searching under "Jason Gastrich". Did you know that President George W. Bush gives a weekly radio address every Saturday morning? It's easy to hear with a podcast receiver. Just put this url in yours and you can hear it. If you don't have a receiver, here is the url for the text and mp3 versions. Last week, I added a new Bible lesson to our web site. It is called Jesus Christ is God. If you can think of any more scriptures that belong on that Bible lesson, please email us. I'd be happy to add more and even cite you if you want! My debate with atheist/publisher and ex-pastor Farrell Till has been postponed to October. Another opponent approached me while Farrell was waffling and I will begin debating Johnny Skeptic on August 15. Our debate resolution will be: "The God of the Bible shouldn't be accepted by anyone." He will be taking the affirmative position and I, of course, will oppose. Please begin praying for this debate and those who will read it, as it will be hosted on the biggest, atheist discussion board in the world. This Friday, Saturday, and Sunday the Harvest Crusade will be in Anaheim. These are huge events where several Christian bands play music and a gospel message is preached by Pastor Greg Laurie. If you're in Southern California, you won't want to miss it. A lot of people get saved and the bands and message are worth hearing. Click here for more details. Chris Falson's entire new album is online for you to hear! You can click "A Tree By The Water" to read about it or you can just click listen to hear it. It's encouraging and unique. Are you interested in playing fantasy football this season? JCSM has its very own, private league through Yahoo! It's free to sign up and our draft is in September, so click here to sign up or click here if you'd like more details! Is anyone still participating in our weekly fasting? My wife and I have moved our day to Wednesday. We hope that you are staying strong and enjoying God's blessings, as you obey His desire for you to fast. Are you someone who lives in Southern California and likes to ride bikes? If so, you might want to join me and my wife on the Rosarito to Ensenada bike ride! On September 30, we're taking the 50 mile trek in Baja California and it should be a lot of fun, again. Click here for details and reply to this email if you decide to do it! My birthday is on August 13th and I'll be 32 years old. I'm thankful to God for this ministry, my family, and all of you. Next week, please note that the devotions will be sent on Monday evening instead of Sunday night. This is the fourth and final devotional in a four part series on Satan. If you missed any of the previous ones, you can find them archived here. For those who have been reading, I hope you've been blessed by your increased knowledge of Satan's origin and fall, his limitations, his activity on Earth, and his ultimate demise. Would you like us to do another series of devotionals on a certain topic? If so, reply to this email and tell us what you'd like to learn! 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, Ph.D. Contact Us: http://jcsm.org/contact.php
JCSM's Weekly Devotions (click here to listen!) "Know Your Enemy: Satan's Ultimate Demise" Matthew 25:41 "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.'" Revelation 20:1-3 "Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while." Revelation 20:7-10 "Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." Insight: Even though Satan is powerful today, He will eventually be judged by God. His powers will be taken from Him and God will prevail. He will spend 1,000 years in the pit and eternity in the lake of fire. Don't fear Satan and look forward to the day when He will be judged. Prayer: "Dear Lord, bless us and lift us up. Remove our fears and worries. Help us to trust in You more. Thank you for giving us power and helping us to overcome temptation. Remind us that Satan's power will one day end. Give us hope, as we remember the promises in your Word. In Jesus' name, Amen."
Timothy Dwight (1752-1817), the president of Yale, was an influential author and educator. He was the grandson of Jonathan Edwards, the famous New England minister and president of Princeton. It was during his presidency at Yale that a powerful revival ensued at the New Haven campus with a large percentage of the class, not only professing Christ, but entering the ministry. On July 4th, 1798, President Dwight declared: "Religion and liberty are the meat and the drink of the body politic. Withdraw one of them and it languishes, consumes, and dies ... Without religion we may possibly retain the freedom of savages, bears, and wolves, but not the freedom of New England. If our religion were gone, our state of society would perish with it, and nothing would be left." ¹ Timothy Dwight stated: "Where
there is no religion, there is no morality ... With the loss of
religion .... the ultimate foundation of confidence is blown up; and
the security of life, liberty and property are buried in ruins." ²
"Perhaps no one who has persisted in his efforts to gain eternal life
was ever finally deserted by the Spirit of grace."
4 ² Charles Roy Keller, The Second Great Awakening in Connecticut (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1942), p. 36. Quoted from Timothy Dwight, Travels; in New England and New York (New Haven, 1821-1822), Vol. IV, pp. 403-404. David Barton, The Myth of Separation (Aledo, TX: WallBuilder Press, 1991), p. 246. ³ Tryon Edwards, D.D., The New Dictionary of Thoughts - A Cyclopedia of Quotations (Garden City, NY: Hanover House, 1852, The Standard Book Company, 1963), p. 44. 4 Stephen E. Berk, Calvinism Versus Democracy (Hamden, Conn.: Archon Books, 1974), p. 94. Peter Marshall and David Manuel, The Glory of America (Bloomington, MN: Garborg's Heart'N Home, Inc., 1991), 5.14. If you'd like to see more quotes from those that framed and founded America, please click here: http://jcsm.org/AmericasFounders/.
Wouldn't it be odd if everyone at church looked just like the pastor?
Strive to be more tolerant of other people and cultural diversity. If you already are, then pray that others will be, too. God bless you as you meet this week's challenge!
basanidzo (Greek, see Revelation 20:10): to torture, pain, toil, torment, toss, vex
The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible" claims: Exodus 9:19-20 - God kills all Egyptian cattle with hail. But according to Ex.9:6 he had already killed them all with the murrain. "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained" responds: Between these two plagues, there was plenty of time for several things to happen. The evil Egyptians could have stolen the Hebrews' cattle, bought or stolen some from traders, or some of the generous Hebrews could have given some of their cattle to the Egyptians. (This explanation came from "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained", by Dr. Jason Gastrich. This book is on CD and gives over 4,000 answers to alleged Bible errors, regarding the entire Bible at http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.org. There is also a 300 question workbook that accompanies the CD-ROM.)
It's great to have diversity in the church. The Christian is the instrument for evangelism. He died for me, so I could live for Him. God says we are lost and on the way to Hell and He wants to change that. We evangelize because the love of Christ has helped our life. These quotes came from Xavier Ries, me, and the Holy Spirit's inspiration. If you'd like to read more quotes, we have thousands in our archive! Visit http://quotes.jcsm.org.
Jesus Christ Saves Ministries
Jason Gastrich, Ph.D. JCSM's Director ______________________________________________________ JCSM is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization. Copyright © 1997-present.
|
