AN OPEN LETTER TO THE WORLD

An Open Letter to the World



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SWI- Bringing the Word of God into the dens of Satan

SWI - Strategic World Impact
Mission Organization Overcomes Hostilities, Attacks and Death Threats

Some have called him a real-life Indiana Jones. He has freed enslaved children, is marked for death by Islamic fundamentalists, has narrowly escaped death multiple times and has been an eyewitness to unspeakable suffering.His name is Kevin Turner, president of Strategic World Impact (SWI), an international mission organization headquartered in northeastern Oklahoma.

The ministry, which focuses on areas of war, disaster and Christian persecution, has sent humanitarian teams over the years to some of the most dangerous areas in the world including Iraq, Sudan, Burma, Pakistan and Afghanistan. “We’re the tip of the spear,” said Turner, who along with his wife, founded the organization in 1997. “There’s so much suffering in these areas and we’re willing to place our lives on the line to help those in need,” he added. Turner is all too familiar with the dangers. In the past, he has been fired upon by helicopter gunships, attacked by an angry mob in Africa and was moments away from being killed by Muslims who had put a contract out on his life. However, SWI, which is mainly comprised of specially trained Disaster Assistance Response Training (DART) teams, continues to press on despite the dangers. Earlier this year, they inaugurated a school in the heart of Islamic Pakistan where Muslim, Hindu and Christian children receive a faith-based education. Soon after its opening, the school was threatened and vandalized.

Turner contends his organization’s services are necessary and relevant due to events unfolding in the Middle East and other areas of the world. “With an exponential increase in war and natural disaster, it’s important to be on the front lines, sharing our faith and offering hope. Foods, blankets, shelter and medicine are used as a key to unlock the hearts of the oppressed,” he added. Turner often campaigns to raise awareness about the dangers, oppression, and atrocities he’s seen in his past 16 years of mission work, and has testified before the US Congress on several occasions. He concluded, “The things we experience and witness are unimaginable to most people. However, members of our teams continue their efforts in these difficult areas because they are willing to live for something greater than themselves.”

For more information, visit http://www.swi.org/ or call 877-786-8355

SWI's MISSION IS TO:

Work in areas where the body of Christ is persecuted the Gospel restricted, and areas where, due to hostile situations, the people face eternity each day.

Always seek to operate in areas where other groups have pulled out or aid has not yet been delivered.

Use DART (Disaster Assistance Response Teams) teams trained to make field evaluations and assessments to properly ascertain the needs of people and churches in targeted areas.

Attempt to alleviate human suffering through a strategic response that will include food, clothing, medicine, and/or shelter.

Use strategic response as a key to unlock the door of closed, restricted, and war-torn nations.

Assist in evangelizing a country during crisis situations.

Provide the Church with materials for Christian education and evangelism.

Partner with churches and parachurch organizations to assist with logistics, operations, and vision casting.

It is our prayer to be used by the Lord to encourage the body of Christ to further rise to the call of world evangelism, particularly in forsaken areas.

Like David facing down Goliath, we choose to "run to the battle" rather than flee from it. "David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and greeted his brothers." 1 SAMUEL 17:22

VOLUNTEER AND/OR SUPPORT THIS LION OF CHRISTIANITY!!
For more information, visit http://www.swi.org/ or call 877-786-8355.

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John 6:60-69 (Sermon for the week of August 27th)

Gospel
Jn 6:60-69

Many of Jesus’ disciples who were listening said,
“This saying is hard; who can accept it?”
Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this,
he said to them,
“Does this shock you?
What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life,while the flesh is of no avail.
The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.”
Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him. And he said,
“For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father.”
As a result of this,many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”

SERMON:
In the passage just before this Jesus had just told the crowd that he was the bread of life that has come down from heaven. He told them that if anyone eats His flesh and drinks His blood would never die. The majority of the crowd had a very hard time accepting His words. For a Jew to drink human blood or eat human flesh is something completely unthinkable. Jesus of course was not speaking literally. Jesus was using this symbolism to root out those who were not truly following him. Those who stumbled over these words and could not follow Jesus were those who the Father had not called.

Jesus had just told them that the words He spoke were spirit and life. The manna that had come down from heaven to feed their ancestors was meant to be a foreshadowing of Jesus who would come down from heaven to bring us eternal life. The manna was a foreshadowing of Jesus just as the blood sacrifice of a spotless lamb once a year for the atonement of sins was a foreshadowing. Neither of these, the manna nor the animal blood, were able to permanently suffice. The manna was given to sustain life and the blood was offered up to cover sins.

In John 6:44-51,
Jesus said,

44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets: 'They shall all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; 50 this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."

And then....

"Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. 54 Whoever eats 19 my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.
55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever."

Jesus came to do two things:

1) Forgive sins
2) Give us eternal life

By the pouring out of Jesus blood on the cross our sins are forgiven; our sins are removed from the eyes of God never to be seen again. But forgiveness doesn’t bring life to the dead. Only life can bring life to the dead. Just as Jesus was raised to life on the 3rd day, the Spirit also can bring us back to life. Because of sin, man dies (physically AND spiritually). In order to be reborn of the spirit you must come to Jesus for His life and ask that His spirit dwells inside of you. Without the cross, there is no forgiveness of sins. Without the resurrection we cannot have life. Because the sins of the entire world were taken away at the cross, the life Jesus gives is eternal. Sin brings death and with sin removed, you cannot die spiritually again after you have received the Jesus’ life. You cannot lose your salvation!

This is the message symbolized in the statement Jesus had made. Of course this could not be realized when Jesus spoke these words but those who knew Jesus was the Son of God were drawn to Him even though His words might have conflicted with their understanding. Those who the Father was not drawing turned away at this teaching.

By coming to Jesus for His life and trusting in His death, burial, and resurrection you have partaken of the blood and flesh of Jesus by "feasting" on His eternal life.

The act of communion is simply a memorial and representation of this true spiritual reality. By thinking one can be saved by drinking red wine and eating wafers blessed by a priest, is silly and a misunderstanding of what Jesus was really telling us. Jesus often spoke in parables and He even said quote:

Matthew 13:13
"This is why I speak to them in parables: "Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.”

Those who do not understand these spiritual truths have not come to Him. Jesus had just finished telling the crowd that what He was telling them is Spirit and Life. By "feasting" upon Him, He was refering to a spiritual act, not a physical one. And it is the Spirit that gives Life. You must receive His Spirit and eternal life in order to “feast” upon Him. Those who “feast” upon Jesus abide in Him, and abide in His Word and in turn, Jesus abides in them.

How do you feast upon Jesus' blood and flesh?

Answer: By abiding in Jesus!

God Bless you and your families this week.
(Sermon by Adam W.)

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FACTS about Israel and Jerusalem

Who else is bothered by the new Islamic propaganda from Iran?
LET'S SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT

FACTS ABOUT ISRAEL AND JERUSALEM

1. ISRAEL BECAME A STATE IN 1312 B.C., TWO MILLENNIA BEFORE ISLAM

2. ARAB REFUGEES FROM ISRAEL BEGAN CALLING THEMSELVES "PALESTINIANS" IN 1967, TWO DECADES AFTER (MODERN) ISRAELI STATEHOOD

3. AFTER CONQUERING THE LAND IN 1272 B.C., JEWS RULED IT FOR A THOUSAND YEARS AND MAINTAINED A CONTINUOUS PRESENCE THERE FOR 3,300 YEARS

4. THE ONLY ARAB RULE FOLLOWING CONQUEST IN 633 B.C.
LASTED JUST 22 YEARS

5. FOR OVER 3,300 YEARS, JERUSALEM WAS THE JEWISH CAPITAL.
IT WAS NEVER THE CAPITAL OF ANY ARAB OR MUSLIM ENTITY.
EVEN UNDER JORDANIAN RULE, (EAST) JERUSALEM WAS NOT MADE THE CAPITAL, AND NO ARAB LEADER CAME TO VISIT IT

6. JERUSALEM IS MENTIONED OVER 700 TIMES IN THE BIBLE,
BUT NOT ONCE IS IT MENTIONED IN THE QUR'AN

7. KING DAVID FOUNDED JERUSALEM; MOHAMMED NEVER SET FOOT IN IT

8. JEWS PRAY FACING JERUSALEM; MUSLIMS FACE MECCA.
IF THEY ARE BETWEEN THE TWO CITIES, MUSLIMS PRAY FACING MECCA, WITH THEIR BACKS TO JERUSALEM

9. IN 1948, ARAB LEADERS URGED THEIR PEOPLE TO LEAVE, PROMISING TO CLEANSE THE LAND OF JEWISH PRESENCE.
68% OF THEM FLED WITHOUT EVER SETTING EYES ON AN ISRAELI SOLDIER

10. VIRTUALLY THE ENTIRE JEWISH POPULATION OF MUSLIM COUNTRIES HAD TO FLEE AS THE RESULT OF VIOLENCE

11. SOME 630,000 ARABS LEFT ISRAEL IN 1948, WHILE CLOSE TO A MILLION JEWS WERE FORCED TO LEAVE THE MUSLIM COUNTRIES

12. IN SPITE OF THE VAST TERRITORIES AT THEIR DISPOSAL, ARAB REFUGESS WERE DELIBERATELY PREVENTED FROM ASSIMILATING INTO THEIR HOST COUNTRIES.
OF 100 MILLION REFUGEES FOLLOWING WORLD WAR 2, THEY ARE THE ONLY GROUP TO HAVE NEVER INTEGRATED WITH THEIR CO-RELIGIONISTS. MOST OF THE JEWISH REFUGEES FROM EUROPE AND ARAB LANDS WERE SETTLED IN ISRAEL, A COUNTRY NO LARGER THAN NEW JERSEY

13. THERE ARE 22 MUSLIM COUNTRIES, NOT COUNTING PALESTINE. THERE IS ONLY ONE JEWISH STATE. ARABS STARTED ALL FIVE WARS AGAINST ISRAEL, AND LOST EVERY ONE OF THEM

14. FATAH AND HAMAS CONSTITUTIONS STILL CALL FOR THE DESTRUCTION OFISRAEL. ISRAEL CEDED MOST OF THE WEST BANK AND ALL OF GAZA TO THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY, AND EVEN PROVIDED IT WITH ARMS

15. DURING THE JORDANIAN OCCUPATION, JEWISH HOLY SITES WERE VANDALIZED AND WERE OFF LIMITS TO JEWS. UNDER ISRAELI RULE, ALL MUSLIM AND CHRISTIAN HOLY SITES ARE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL FAITHS

16. OUT OF 175 UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS UP TO 1990...97 WERE AGAINST ISRAEL

17. OUT OF 690 GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTIONS, 429 WERE AGAINST ISRAEL

18. THE U.N. WAS SILENT WHEN THE JORDANIANS DESTROYED 58 SYNAGOGUES IN THE OLD CITY OF JERUSALEM. IT REMAINED SILENT WHILE JORDAN SYSTEMATICALLY DESECRATED THE ANCIENT JEWISH CEMETERY ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES, AND IT REMAINED SILENT WHEN JORDAN ENFORCED APARTHEID LAWS PREVENTING JEWS FROM ACCESSING THE TEMPLE MOUNT AND WESTERN WALL.

THESE ARE TRYING TIMES. WE MUST ASK OURSELVES WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING, AND WHAT WE WILL TELL OUR GRANDCHILDREN.

READ: Facts about Israel

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John 6:51-58 (Sermon for the week of August 20th)

Gospel
Jn 6:51-58

Jesus said to the crowds:
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give
is my flesh for the life of the world.
”The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,
“How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
Jesus said to them,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life,and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food,and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,whoever eats this bread will live forever.”

SERMON:

This Gospel message needs to first have a written act of Thanksgiving before I begin this sermon. "Lord Jesus, thank you for your sacrifice in order to cover my unrighteousness, Lord thank you for suffering an unbelievably painful torture and crucifixion by this world in order to save those who would have the courage and faith to learn what You did and why You did it. Lord thank you. Lord thank you for the right of communion."

In these verses, Jesus is announcing to the CROWD OF PEOPLE (plenty of witnesses here) the same instruction that he gave to us at the Last Supper which is an event that HAS NOT taken place yet. This is another instruction of communion given by the Messiah, Jesus Christ. It is an instruction to make those realize who dare to hear and see that Jesus is the one who gave the Jews in the desert the manna to eat AND it is Jesus who was the One who gave the Jews the instructions of the Passover. Jesus in the verse we just read is foreshadowing the event that will grant believers eternal life, the event Jesus is foreshadowing will come soon...His crucifixion.

There is a lot to talk about in this one chapter of John, so I want to talk about just two important points in this one short reading: the significance of the blood and flesh and the right of taking communion.

First, why is Jesus speaking about blood and bread as flesh? The Jews in this verse who are listening to Jesus hear Him give an order to eat His flesh and blood and are put off by His words. These people are thinking "Who is this man...Jesus"? They fail to remember that Jesus just fed 5,000 people with 2 loaves and 5 fish the day before and thousands witnessed this miracle with the Twelve Apostles.
BUT remember that the Twelve Apostles have not yet sat and had the Last Supper with our Lord. The Jews listening to Jesus fail to recognize Jesus as the One who gave the instructions of the Passover.
In the book of Exodus, Passover was an instruction to the Jews that if followed, prevented the Angel of Death from killing the firstborn by "passing" over their house and not killing the firstborn inside that house. The blood on the doorway was the mark that the Angel of Death saw, recognized, and promptly passed over. The flesh of the sacrificial lamb was feasted on in order to give them strength for their upcoming ordeal.

I wonder how many of the Jews present which we read about in John 6 realized who Jesus was when they listened to Him that day. Would we know to recognize Him today if we heard these same words?

THE BLOOD
Christ's blood symbolizes the blood covering of Jesus's sacrifice which was shed at the crucifixion. Jesus is the Son of God who is the first manifestation of the Father. Jesus who is the Creator of all things seen and unseen, saw that all men and women could not follow the 10 Commandments PERFECTLY and thus could not enter heaven because of their unrighteousness. The Pharisees and Sadducees were the religious righteous of their day and they weren't getting into heaven because they were not worthy. Our Lord poured his Own blood out on this earth so that His blood could serve as the ultimate and final blood sacrifice in order to cover all of our past, present and future sins as long as we "believeth" or act in faith"ing" in Jesus. Our works are nothing without Him, we are nothing without Him, and we surely are not getting into heaven without Him!
The blood of Jesus covers your sin so that the Father can see you...the Father cannot see unrighteousness and without the covering of your sin by the Blood of the Son of God whose name is Jesus...you are unseen and unrighteous. TAKE NOTE AGAIN that the Gospel message we just read in John chapter 6 is before the crucifixion and BEFORE the Last Supper...the Jews don't know that the wine would be the chosen symbol of which we drink the blood of Jesus as an act of faith in which we remember how Jesus died, why Jesus died, and most importantly, what that means to us! The wine is symbolic of the blood Jesus spilled through suffering and torture in order for the men and women who come to Him may have eternal life!

THE FLESH
Christ's flesh was sacrificed on the cross in order for us to have eternal life. It is to be remembered that Jesus the Son of God (who IS ALSO the anticipated Son of Man to the Jews but not recognized as such by these Jews)... gave His life for us. His body was sacrificed as the perfect sacrifice. No more Passover feasts will be necessary after His sacrifice because these feasts mean nothing. The One who instructed the Jews in the original Passover in the Book of Exodus is here in front of them preparing to become the ultimate and final sacrifice. His flesh is the perfect sacrificial flesh as the flesh of the sacrificial lamb is no longer worthy. He is replacing the Passover, the crowd assembled around Him right now don't realize it.

Again, this is BEFORE the Last Supper, but Jesus tells us at this time what the chosen symbol will be for his bodily sacrifice on the cross, it will be bread. The bread will be a remembrance that the Son of God Jesus, had to come down here to give His life for you in order to grant you the opportunity for eternal life.

The bread will serve to remind those who partake that he died and suffered greatly...one in ten survived a Roman scourging...one in ten survived a Roman lashing...He endured that and more in order to become the only worthy sacrifice for YOU TO HAVE THE ETERNAL LIFE.


THE RIGHT OF COMMUNION
Those who take communion need to know one thing...they need to understand that Jesus is the Messiah and is the only BRIDGE to heaven. They need to understand why it was necessary for Jesus to die for us. They need to understand that blood is the only worthy covering for sin, and Jesus covered our sin with His blood. They need to understand that Jesus sacrificed His body in replacement of the sacrificial lamb and the wine and bread symbolize this Truth.

HOWEVER, Communion should not be refused to anyone who wants to take it...for we all are growing in faith"ing", and no one is worthy in God's eyes but Jesus is worthy! The act of communion is between you and God. It is personal and a worthy act of faith. There is absolutely no reason to go to a church, a priest, or any human in order to take communion unless you want a fancy chalice and "blessed" wafers. Communion is a personal act of faith that should be done within the home just as the Jews practiced Passover in their own homes. I understand that the fellowship of church allows those who belong to a church to celebrate communion together BUT this belief that communion should only be performed in a church is erroneous.

Some can't take communion unless they are members of the church, or get only bread during the communion and not wine, or are hospitalized and can't receive communion without the permission of the governing board of the church! Satan knows how to interfere with acts of faith and communion is obviously one of his stomping grounds!


Jesus said: "This is my body"
Jesus said: "This is my blood"
Jesus said: "Do this in remembrance of Me"

Take a cup of wine and some kind of bread. If you want to follow instructions, take unleavened, broken bread and red wine. But, you are not going to be saved because you drank wine or grape juice or even orange juice. If that's the case, ask for a gallon of wine at the next communion in your local church and drink it all! This will allow you to figure out if red wine saves you or not. What you use is not important as much as consciously knowing why you are taking communion and what communion means to you.
Your focus on Jesus Christ is what is important. Jesus is your Savior...

READING 2:
1 Corinthians 11:24-29

and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.

How does someone eat the bread or drink the wine in an unworthy manner? You are already a sinner...you must know that you are a perpetual sinner...but not knowing why you are taking communion makes this act of faith unworthy...and it is not a ritual to be repeated mindlessly.
DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE ONLY LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST!

God bless you and your families this week.
(Sermon by John H.)

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Christian Persecution- in PAKISTAN

More ugliness and persecution of our brothers and sisters from more ugly religious fanatics. It is amazing that we receive more hateful comments celebrating the persecution of Christians than those renouncing the violence. Verily, these infidels will answer to Someone other than any worldly court...hang in there Christian brothers and sisters and remember the words of Our Lord:
Matthew 5:11
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me."

PAKISTAN
(Compass Direct)

A Christian girl has gone into hiding in Pakistan to escape Muslim in-laws who beat and raped her for fleeing her forced marriage and refusing to practice Islam. Asya Khadim, 15, won a divorce from her abusive Muslim husband in February and sought shelter with a local aid organization to avoid reprisal attacks. Khadim had been married to Tanveer Qadir for almost 13 months when her mother filed the divorce case on her behalf in January 2006. "They tried to force me to read the Quran," the Christian girl told Compass. "My husband beat me every day for two months because I refused." Khadim's case highlights ongoing national debate over the controversial Hudood Ordinances that some say encourage domestic violence against women.

Give thanks to the Lord that when Asya called to the Lord in her distress, He heard her and allowed her to escape her abusive in-laws.

Pray God will work a miracle of His grace to take away her memories of the suffering. Pray for Muslims everywhere to hear and receive the gospel of peace, the glad tidings of good things.

CHRISTIANS HAVE BEEN PERSECUTED FOR OVER 1,972 YEARS!
CLICK HERE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT

JOHN 15:18-19
“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world therefore the world hates you.”

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Hizballah Attacks Since 2000...Do you really think this is over?

Cease fire? A truce? Like we said earlier...this battle may end soon but the Middle East will explode before the Son of Perdition (the Islamic Twelfth Imam) brings a peace plan that is backed by the Muslim world and eagerly accepted by the rest of the world.

Let's remind ourselves about the history of Hizballah:


Hizballah Terrorist Attacks Since May 2000


12 Jul 2006 - Hizballah terrorists infiltrated into Israeli territory and attacked two IDF armored jeeps patrolling the border with Lebanon, killing three soldiers and kidnapping two. Ground forces entered Lebanon in the area of the attack. A large explosive device was detonated underneath an Israeli tank, killing all four of the tank crew. An eighth soldier was killed when IDF troops entered Lebanon to try to retrieve the bodies of the tank crew. Throughout the day, Hizballah terror organization fired Katyusha rockets and mortar shells at Israel's northern borders' communities and IDF posts.

27 May 2006 - An IDF soldier was wounded when Katyushas were fired at an army base at Mt. Meron in the upper Galilee.

27 Dec 2005 - A branch of a Palestinian organization connected to Al-Qaida fired 6 Katyushas, damaging a house in Kiryat Shmona and a house in Metulla. In response, the IAF attacked a training base of the Popular Front, south of Beirut.

21 Nov 2005 - An attempt to kidnap an IDF soldier was foiled when paratroopers patrolling near Rajar village discerned a Hizballah unit approaching. Private David Markovitz opened fire, killing all four. In a heavy attack of mortars and Katyusha rockets that ensued, nine soldiers and and two civilians were injured.

29 Jun 2005 - More than 20 mortars were fired from across the border. Cpl. Uzi Peretz of the Golani Brigade was killed and four soldiers wounded, including the unit's doctor. Fire was exchanged and helicopters and planes attacked five Hizballah outposts in the Reches Ramim area.

24 Apr 2005 - Several explosive devices exploded near the Lebanese-Israeli border, in the Mount Dov area. Officials believe the devices were planted by Hezbollah, but this was not confirmed. No injuries were reported in the explosions.

7 Apr 2005 - Two Israeli-Arabs from the village of Rajar near the Israel-Lebanon border were kidnapped by Hizballah operatives and held in captivity for four days. The men, identified as Muki Ben-Jamal and Nuef Maharj Ben-Ali, said they were interrogated by their captors who wanted information on Israel. They were later released. Israeli officials did not believe that any security information had been compromised.

9 Jan 2005 - An explosive device was detonated against an IDF patrol at Nahal Sion. One Israeli soldier was killed, and a UN officer was killed.

20 Jul 2004 - Hizballah sniper fired at an IDF post in the western sector of the Israeli-Lebanese border. Two IDF soldiers were killed.

7 May 2004 - Fire in the Mt. Dov sector. IDF soldier Dennis Leminov was killed, and two other soldiers were severely wounded. The IDF returned fire.

19 Jan 2004 - An anti-tank missile was fired at IDF D9 while neutralizing explosive charges near Zari’t. An IDF soldier, Yan Rotzenski, was killed and another soldier was severely wounded.

6 Oct 2003 - Staff Sgt. David Solomonov was killed when Hizballah fired at an IDF force south of the Fatma Gate in the eastern sector. In addition, the Hizballah fired missiles and rockets at an IDF post in the Reches Ramim area.

10 Aug 2003 - Haviv Dadon, 16, of Shlomi, was struck in the chest and killed by shrapnel from an anti-aircraft shell fired by Hizballah terrorists in Lebanon. Four others were wounded.

20 Jul 2003 - Hizballah snipers fired on an Israeli outpost near Chetula, killing two Israeli soldiers. The IDF retaliated with tank fire directed at a Hizballah position, killing one operative manning the post. That night, there were multiple Israeli flights over Lebanon, two of which generated powerful sonic booms over Beirut.

7 May 2003 - Hizballah attacked IDF positions in the Sheba' farms with heavy rocket, mortar, and small arms fire. One Israeli soldier was killed and five others were wounded in the attack. Lebanese authorities asserted that the Hizballah firing had been preceded by an Israeli army foot patrol crossing the Blue Line.

5 May 2003 - A cycle of armed exchanges across the Blue Line began. Israel carried out more than 20 air sorties over the country. Subsequently, Hizballah fired several anti-aircraft rounds with shrapnel landing inside Israel.

22 Mar 2003 - Hizballah fired rockets and mortars at Israeli army positions in the Sheba' farms and adjacent areas. This attack followed eight incursions into Lebanese airspace by Israeli aircraft.

6 Jan 2003 - Hezbollah fired anti aircraft shells in the vicinity of Birait in the western sector of the Lebanese border. No one was hurt and no damage was caused.

29 Aug 2002 - Fire at an IDF post in the Mt. Dov sector. IDF soldier Ofer Misali was killed, and two other soldiers were lightly wounded.

12 Mar 2002 – Infiltration: In a shooting attack on the Shlomi- Metzuba route. Six Israelis civilians were killed, among them IDF officer Lt. German Rojkov.

7 Aug 2001 - Two houses belonging to senior members of the former Israeli-allied South Lebanon Army militia were blown up using explosive devices. One of the houses belonged to Robin Abboud; the other to Samir Raslan. Hizbollah is suspected.

28 Apr 2001 - A 60 year-old Israeli man was found stabbed to death in Kfar Ba'aneh, near Carmiel in Galilee. The terrorists responsible for the attack were apprehended in July. Six members of a Hizballah-linked Palestinian terrorist cell responsible for the murder were arrested in July. The murder was the initiation rite of the organization.

14 Apr 2001 - Fire at an IDF post in the Mt. Dov sector. IDF soldier Elad Litvak was killed.

1 Apr 2001 - A 42 year-old Israeli woman was stabbed to death in Haifa. Her murder was the initiation rite of a terrorist cell, whose members were apprehended in July. Six members of a Hizballah-linked Palestinian terrorist cell responsible for the murder, originally thought to be criminally motivated, were arrested in July. The murder was the initiation rite of one of the terrorists into the organization.

16 Feb 2001- Fire at an IDF convoy on Mt. Dov. IDF soldier Elad Shneor was killed, and three other soldiers were wounded.

26 Nov 2000 - A charge was detonated near an IDF convoy. IDF soldier Khalil Taher was killed and two other soldiers were wounded.

7 Oct 2000 - Kidnapping: Three IDF soldiers: Adi Avitan, Omer Soued and Binyamin Avraham were kidnapped by the Hizballah from the Mt. Dov sector.

CHECK OUT MORE FACT SHEETS HERE

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Ephesians 4:30-5:2 (Sermon for the week of August 13th)

READING 1:

Eph 4:30—5:2

Brothers and sisters:
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,
with which you were sealed for the day of redemption.
All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling
must be removed from you, along with all malice.
And be kind to one another, compassionate,
forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.
So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love,
as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us
as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.

SERMON:

This week I would like to explore the topic of love. I have put much thought into this over the years and have found that there is a great difference in what the Bible has to say about love and what the secular world has to say about love. As I’ve struggled through these differences in my mind,

I have come to the conclusion that:
a) the secular world has absolutely no idea what love is and
b) the GREAT majority of people (including Christians) have been brainwashed by the culture and the media to believe love to be something that it is not.

This should not come as a surprise though; God is the author of LOVE and those who do not know God cannot know what REAL love is. So what is love? Well, before you can understand what love IS, you must first understand what love IS NOT.

Point #1

The two most popular phrases, in my opinion, that has brainwashed the culture are “falling in love” and “making love”. I always have a problem with these two phrases whenever I hear them because they are completely man-made concepts that will not be found in the Bible and bear no truth. Man has designed phrases like these in order to try and explain what he does not understand.

QUESTION: So when you “fell in love” what exactly happened? You tripped and fell and all of the sudden, without warning, some mystical force called “love” took over you? AND how exactly do you MAKE love?

Let's look at this:
Does love = SEX? If God is Love (1 John 4:8)...then God is Sex?
OR
God is a mystical force that creates an emotional response between two people?

I DON’T THINK SO!

Point #2

I am bothered by how the world has tried to degrade love to nothing more than a feeling or an emotion. We see this all the time in music lyrics, movies, etc. and it makes me sick. Now I’m not denying the reality of the emotion people call “love”. But that emotion IS NOT the essence of love. The feeling we get inside when we say we “love” someone should more correctly be called “infatuation”, “a deep longing for”, “a deep concern for”, “passionate about”, etc. These types of feelings are usually felt when you are very close to someone emotionally or have an emotional connection with another. These feelings are very natural but are nothing more than a physiological reaction in the brain. When you think of that particular someone, those thoughts cause a chemical reaction in the brain, which creates an emotion. Our thoughts control our emotions, therefore; emotions are subjective and cannot always be trusted.

So is love nothing more than an emotional response to a thought?
NO!

(Let’s also factor in that the English language has much to do with this misconception because of the lack of words available, unlike Greek and Hebrew)

In Closing...

So what is love? Love is an action. Love is a choice. Love is self-sacrifice.

How do you walk in love as the verse says?
ANSWER: “Imitate” God.

What actions are we imitating? Giving of ourselves to one another in service, being kind, being tenderhearted, by forgiving each other, by being patient with each other, by not envying, by not boasting, by not rejoicing in another person’s failures, by showing compassion. Anyone can say, “I love you.” But those words have no substance if not shown by their actions. Bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling are the opposite of love and spring forth from our sinful nature, not from the new nature we have been given in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Remember, Jesus (God) will NEVER ask you to do something that He hasn’t already done first.

Jesus told us.....

“ This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command.”
(John 15:12).

God Bless you and your families this week.

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Christian Persecution in INDONESIA

INDONESIA (VOM sources)

Noviana Malewa, the only girl to escape the malicious beheadings that took place in Indonesia on October 29, 2005, in Central Sulawesi, will receive treatment from VOMedical. The surgery is to alleviate the constant pain she still endures from a sword slash to her face and neck by militant Muslims. Walking through a cocoa plantation on the way to her private Christian high school in Poso Kota subdistrict, 15-year-old Noviana and three fellow students were ambushed by six masked Islamic terrorists. Theresia Morangke, 15, Yarni Sambue, 15, and Alfita Poliwo, 17, were all decapitated and their heads found in bags on the steps of a church and along the road to a police station with the message,
"We will murder 100 more Christian teenagers and their heads will be presented as presents."
Their bodies were discarded at different locations. Give thanks to God that VOMedical will be able to relieve the physical pain that Noviana has suffered.

Pray our gracious Father will comfort her mind and heart as He takes away the emotional trauma of painful memories. Pray the Muslim extremists who brutally attacked the girls will repent and seek Jesus who died for the ungodly.

CHRISTIANS HAVE BEEN PERSECUTED FOR OVER 1,972 YEARS!
CLICK HERE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT

Matthew 5:11
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely
say all kinds of evil against you because of Me."

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TRUTH About Islam (Part 4)

RELIGION OF PEACE???

If you don't see the re-emergence of the new Islamic Crusades to create the Islamic kingdom that Mohammad killed for...
then you need to wake up!

The Qur'an states:

Sura 5:33 "The only reward of those who make war upon Allah and His messenger and strive after corruption in the land will be that they will be killed or crucified, or have their hands and feet on alternate sides cut off, or will be expelled out of the land. Such will be their degradation in the world, and in the Hereafter theirs will be an awful doom; "

The Qur'an states:

Sura 9:73 " O Prophet! Strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites! Be harsh with them. Their ultimate abode is hell, a hapless journey's end.

The Qur'an states:

Sura 59:2 "He it is Who hath caused those of the People of the Scripture who disbelieved to go forth from their homes unto the first exile. Ye deemed not that they would go forth, while they deemed that their strongholds would protect them from Allah. But Allah reached them from a place whereof they recked not, and cast terror in their hearts so that they ruined their houses with their own hands and the hands of the believers. So learn a lesson, O ye who have eyes! "

The Qur'an states:

Sura 4:91 "Ye will find others who desire that they should have security from you, and security from their own folk. So often as they are returned to hostility they are plunged therein. If they keep not aloof from you nor offer you peace nor hold their hands, then take them and kill them wherever ye find them. Against such We have given you clear warrant."

The Qur'an states:

Sura 9:123 "O ye who believe! Fight those of the disbelievers who are near to you, and let them find harshness in you, and know that Allah
is with those who keep their duty (unto Him)".

The Lord Jesus, the "Mahdi" says:
JOHN 5:37-47 (NIV)
And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
"I do not accept praise from men, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God? "But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?"

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2 Peter 1:16-19 (Sermon for the week of 8/6/06)

Reading 1:
2 Pt 1:16-19
Beloved:
We did not follow cleverly devised myths
when we made known to you
the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.
For he received honor and glory from God the Father
when that unique declaration came to him from the majestic glory,
“This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven
while we were with him on the holy mountain.
Moreover, we possess the prophetic message
that is altogether reliable.
You will do well to be attentive to it,
as to a lamp shining in a dark place,
until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

SERMON:

Let us look at several important truths in this reading from the Second Book of Peter. First, the very beginning of this reading contains the crux of faith within Christianity.
Are the Gospels and the New Testament books of the Bible fact or fiction? How many people are quick to say "I don't believe!" when they have not looked for themselves? How many call themselves Christians but in their heart have no idea who Jesus Christ is, and why he was crucified? How many Christians and non-Christians know how many prophecies Jesus fulfilled, what the bloodlines of Jesus are, why Jesus is the Son of God, why Jesus is the Son of Man, and why Jesus is the "I AM" the Creator of all?

As Peter answers the question of the unbeliever..."These are not clever myths"...
LOOK FOR YOURSELF. How many have looked? If you haven't looked, then how in your heart can you jump to the conclusion that the testimony of the Apostles, of the disciples, and of Christians, is fantasy? If the Creator of all things really did come down here and lived among us 2,000 years ago...shouldn't you take some time out of your life to look for yourself and look at what Jesus said?

I was an unbeliever once myself, but sought the Truth because I wanted the Truth. Knock and the door will be opened...but you have to knock!

The second point to reflect on is when Peter said that they were eyewitnesses to the majesty of Jesus and heard with their very own ears a voice that "came from heaven". This wasn't one person that heard this...this was many people that heard it. Have you ever heard the voice of heaven? These men walked with Jesus...I have no reason to disbelieve this than I have to believe it. But why wouldn't it be so? Why lie? What gain do the Apostles have in lying? Couple this reading with the whole testimony in the New Testament, and faith begins to grow in what is recorded history. If this recorded history is not enough for you to believe...then ask yourself what would you require in order to believe? What will make you believe that Peter and the Apostles are not liars? They are either liars or they are telling the truth. Either Jesus was the Son of God or He was not. But what do you need to decide for yourself?

I would think that if you watch the TV every night, you would care to take some time out of your busy life to find out...RIGHT?

Jesus fulfills over 300 prophecies of the coming of the Messiah in the Jewish Old Testament...300! Do you want to know how Jesus fulfilled them??

The third point to reflect on is this: Let me tell you about the Truth Peter wrote about and died for. Peter states in the reading "we possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable". Why was it reliable? Because they lived it, they saw it, they witnessed it!
Do you know how Peter died?
He died by crucifixion under the ruler Nero in the pagan Roman Empire. The Acts of Peter speak of him being crucified upside down in order not to be associated with the way the Messiah, Jesus died. Under the mockery of the pagans, this man, Peter, who denied Jesus before three times could have given up and denied Jesus again, couldn't he? He died by crucifixion for being an apostle of Jesus, he could have denied him again to save his own life. He didn't.

Would you? If I gave you something, and you know I gave it to you because you saw it, you heard my voice, and you know you where consciously alert at the time I gave it yo you and someone told you that you were a liar, what would you say? You would stick to your guns and stand your ground....standing up for truth in the face of adversity. Now, if someone said to you that if you do not state that I never gave anything to you and if you don't say that, you will die....would you still stick to your guns if you knew that this person had the ability to kill you? Peter was faced with this scenario and didn't deny Christ a fourth time...and he died for it...and was CRUCIFIED UPSIDE DOWN for it. What was so important to Peter that he died crucified upside down?
It was this: That Jesus was the Son of God , the Messiah, who died for you and will grant eternal life for those that have faith in Him...

If you don't understand who Jesus was, and why He died...you should look, you should read, you should ask the questions, you should pray for guidance and truth...

For those who are growing in faith, I ask you this...do you still seek to know more? Do you still seek the truth, do you still seek to grow in faith? Would you lay your life down for the Truth? Would you lay your life down for Jesus?

Let me repeat the end of this reading again:
"You will do well to be attentive to it,as to a lamp shining in a dark place,until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts"

My final comment is this: The only way to eternal life is through Jesus. Ask the questions and you will get the answers...seek and you shall find.

God bless you and your families this week.

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What Evolutionists Say About Evolution (Part 1)

What Evolutionists Say About Evolution
PART 1

"We take the side of science in spite of the patent absurdity of some of its constructs, in spite of its failure to fulfill many of its extravagant promises...for we cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door."
Professor Richard Lewontin, Harvard University

" ...Gould and the American Museum people are hard to contradict when they say there are no transitional fossils ..... I will lay it on the line - there is not one such fossil for which one could make a watertight argument."
Dr. Colin Patterson, British Museum

"Even if all the data point to an intelligent designer, such an hypothesis is excluded from science because it is not naturalistic"
Todd, S.C., Nature, 9/30/99

"Everybody knows fossils are fickle: bones will sing any song you want to hear"
J. Shreeve, Discover, 1990

"contrary to the established and current wisdom a scenario describing the genesis of life on earth by chance and natural causes which can be accepted on the basis of fact and not faith has not yet been written"
Yockey, H.P., Journal of Theoretical Biology

"Evolution is promoted by its practitioners as more than mere science. Evolution is promulgated as an ideology, a secular religion-- a full fledged alternative to Christianity, with meaning and morality...the literalists are absolutely right. Evolution is a religion. This was true of evolution in the beginning and it is true of evolution still today"
Rose, M., National Post, May 13, 2000

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IRAN TO ATTACK ISRAEL AUGUST 21, 2006??

Listen to the traditions of men playing out in a possible set-up by the Islamics in Iran...remember that Ahmadinejad thinks he plays a central role in the rising of the twelfth Imam, the Islamic Messiah. We believe that the twelfth Imam is the Anti-Christ who the world will gladly except because this twelfth Imam brings what the world wants...peace in the Middle East. This twelfth Imam will be called the Messiah but he most assuredly is NOT!

IRAN'S DAY OF TERROR
By Robert Spencer
FrontPageMagazine.com July 27, 2006
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has frustrated Western officials by refusing to reply to their offer of various incentives in exchange for Iran’s discarding its nuclear program until August 22.

The Western governments had asked Ahmadinejad to reply by June 29; why would Tehran need two extra months?

Farid Ghadry, the president of the Reform Party of Syria, has offered a provocative explanation for this delay. He asserts that the Supreme National Security Council of Iran chose the August 22 date “for a very precise reason.
August 21, 2006 (Rajab 27, 1427) is known in the Islamic calendar as the Night of the Sira’a and Miira’aj, the night Prophet Mohammed (saas) ascended to heaven from the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem on a Bourak (Half animal, half man), while a great light lit-up the night sky, and visited Heaven and Hell also Beit al-Saada and Beit al-Shaqaa (House of Happiness and House of Misery) and then descended back to Mecca.…”

The Night Journey, or Miraj, is central to Islam’s claim to Jerusalem as an Islamic holy city. According to Islamic tradition, Muhammad was carried on a Buraq, a miraculous horse with a human head, from Mecca to Jerusalem, where he ascended into heaven and met the other prophets. The only thing the Qur’an has to say about it is this: “Glory to (Allah) Who did take His servant for a Journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the farthest Mosque, whose precincts We did bless, in order that We might show him some of Our Signs: for He is the One Who heareth and seeth (all things)” (17:1). There is no identification of the “farthest Mosque” with any mosque in Jerusalem in this, but the Hadith is very clear on the identification of its location with Jerusalem.

The traditions say that Muhammad and the Buraq, along with the angel Gabriel, went to the Temple Mount, and from there to heaven itself, where Muhammad encountered various prophets. In the sixth heaven was Moses, occasioning a dig at the Jews. “When I left him,” Muhammad says, “he wept. Someone asked him, ‘What makes you weep?’ Moses said, ‘I weep because after me there has been sent (Muhammad as a Prophet) a young man, whose followers will enter Paradise in greater numbers than my followers.’”

Evidently, however, Muhammad’s stories of his journey were not altogether convincing: even some of the Muslims abandoned their faith and challenged Muhammad’s most faithful follower, Abu Bakr, to do the same. Abu Bakr was contemptuous: “If he says so then it is true. And what is so surprising in that? He tells me that communications from God from heaven to earth come to him in an hour of a day or night and I believe him, and that is more extraordinary than that at which you boggle!” The world has continued to witness such unshakeable devotion from Muslims to this day.

Did Muhammad really go anywhere? According to his favorite wife, Aisha, he did not: “The apostle’s body remained where it was but God removed his spirit by night.” Nevertheless, the Night Journey has become firmly embedded in the Islamic consciousness, such that Muslims today celebrate it as one of the central events of Muhammad’s life. And now, according to Ghadry, Ahmadinejad is planning an illumination of the night sky over Jerusalem to rival the one that greeted the Prophet of Islam on his journey. What the Iranian President, he says, is “promising the world by August 22 is the light in the sky over the Aqsa Mosque that took place the night before. That is his answer to the package of incentives the international community offered Iran on June 6.”

Certainly a nuclear attack on Jerusalem or even an all-out conventional assault against Israel by Iran would be consistent with Ahmadinejad’s oft-repeated denials of Israel’s right to exist and recent predictions that its demise was at hand. He hinted at the use of nuclear weapons in his phrasing when he said that Israel “pushed the button of its own destruction” by finally retaliating against Hizballah’s relentless rocket barrage from south Lebanon.

“Arrogant powers,” Ahmadinejad said, “have set up a base for themselves to threaten and plunder nations in the region. But today, the occupier regime” – that is, Israel – “whose philosophy is based on threats, massacre and invasion, has reached its finishing line.”

Will he attempt to make good on these threats this year on the anniversary of the Miraj, illuminating the night sky over Jerusalem? Will Western powers heed Farid Ghadry’s words and move to stop Iran before it is too late?

READ ARTICLE HERE: Iran's Day of Terror

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