Pen of Iron

Posted by Redeemed at 9:09 PM | 0 comments    

I do not take credit for this post. It belongs to a young man from Florida whose permission I have obtained to republish it on this blog because I liked it a lot. The post belongs to Bryan from www.Sounddoctrine1611.blogspot.com

Quote


Turn in your Bible to Judges chapter 3. Start reading in verse 12, and come down to verse 22. In this portion of scripture, we have a fine picture of what Biblical preaching is supposed to accomplish.

Notice in verse 12 that the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. The Lord strengthened Eglon, the king of Moab, against them, and they served him 18 years (vs.14). But when they cried unto the Lord, he raised up a deliverer unto them, Ehud, the son of Gera (vs.15).Notice in verse 16 that Ehud made him a "dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length;" This two-edged dagger pictures the word of God. Hebrews 4:12 says that the word of God is "quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

The word of God is called "The Sword of the Spirit" in Ephesians 6:18. And over in Psalm 149:6, the Bible says that the saints should "Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand; To execute vengeance upon the heathen (2nd Advent), and punishments upon the people; To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD." Amen."

A dagger which had two edges" (Judges 3:16).

Ehud came unto the king of Moab, and he said "I have a message from God unto thee" (Judges 3:20).

When Eglon rose up from his seat, Ehud put forth his hand and took the dagger and "thrust it into his belly" (vs.21).

And this is what Bible preaching is, a THRUST, a JAB. Preachers are to take the word of God and THRUST it into the heart of sinners and saints, and they are to "draw blood".

Jeremiah 48:10 says,"Cursed be he that doeth the work of the LORD deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood."

Yes, there is a time for the "towel". There is time for comfort. But this heart-piercing, sin-rebuking preaching is not a very common thing these days. Notice further what happens when the "dagger" is "thrust into his belly".....

"And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly; and the DIRT came out.

"Friend, do you want to be CLEAN before God? Do you want the DIRT to come out from within? Get under some good, solid, heart-piercing Bible preaching; that'll do it.

"And the DIRT came out"!!

Praise God! This old Book will purge you, and make you CLEAN (see John 15:3; Psalm 119:9,11; Ephesians 5:26). Get that BOOK in you, and the filth will begin to be washed out. Your body can be likened unto a CUP. A DIRTY CUP. As you begin to fill it with some clean, pure water (the word of God), the DIRT rises to the top, and begins to come out over the brim (see Matthew 23:25-26).

"Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also." (Matthew 23:26).

Put that BOOK in, and the DIRT will come out!

Amen amen amen.

Unquote

Posted by Consecrated at 3:01 PM | 3 comments    

I have asked permission from Bryan to copy an article from his blog over here. Pending his reply and if you wish to read his testimony, please visit www.sounddoctrine1611.blogspot.com

Posted by Consecrated at 11:52 AM | 0 comments    

Posted by Redeemed at 9:14 PM | 4 comments    

I read somewhere

"hammer away you hostile hands;

your hammers break, God's anvil stands"

And the burden of the Lord shall yee mention no more: for euery mans word shall be his burden: for yee haue peruerted the words of the liuing God, of the Lord of hostes our God.

Jeremiah 23:36

here's what I say, if they understood this verse when they decided to mess with the King James Bible, then they are guilty, and if not, then what business had they correcting the King James Bible?

Posted by Revelation 2:17 at 7:42 AM | 4 comments    

The glory has departed and the people knew not.

I am saddened to hear of the news of the church where I first got saved. A couple of years ago, I belonged a church in Montreal that was run by a board of deacons. The pastor there was just an employee. A number of men dictated to our pastor what to preach, when to end the sermon, and how to preach. Behind the men were their wives. At some board meetings, the men would agree to a certain issue, and although they were sworn to secrecy, they'd go home and share with the wives who if they didn't like the subject, the deacons would then call the pastor and tell him they had changed their mind.

With time the situation degenerated in my church, and the church families took sides. Some believed in the authority of the pastor as the man in charge who stands accountable first and foremost to God himself, Christ being the head of the church. Others wanted a congregational church where the people would rule. Things got so bad that we got to point where members were threatening each other with libel. Finally, a general meeting was called, and lawyers were invited by a certain party to the church Assembly. The pastor was just a puppet in the hands of the deacons, and the meeting atmosphere was really really sad. I think this was the saddest scene of my life, seeing a pastor humiliated over issues that had nothing to do with his Christian conduct. It was nothing than a Power Struggle. And Power CORRUPTS. The meeting broke off, and the members were more divided than ever.

We finally called on a reconciliation team. One thing we all agreed upon was Ichabod. The glory had departed from our church and the people knew not. God's Holy Spirit was displeased with us that he had left us, and the people knew not. Some people even witheld their tithes and offerings. You know the old time trick when people thing they will teach their pastor a lesson by not paying their dues.

Samuel 4:21 - And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband. 1 Samuel 14:3 - And Ahiah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the LORD's priest in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. And the people knew not that Jonathan was gone. Isn't it sad, when Satan reaks havoc in God's house because we are not sensisitve to God's holiness.

Posted by Consecrated at 1:39 PM | 4 comments    

Roberta's church wants to have a Lebanese night for some Lebanese youth. There will be special prayers for Lebanon and I believe our church here (which is facing serious internal and external problems)

She also wants to prepare some Lebanese sweets for the saints but doesn't know much if anything in that area and so was asking for help.
I thought maybe Consecrated and Redeemed would have some ideas.

Posted by Revelation 2:17 at 5:18 AM | 8 comments    

Posted by Redeemed at 7:58 PM | 7 comments    

A couple of people have asked for a picture of me.

Posted by Consecrated at 4:49 PM | 4 comments    

Someone recently said I had the same personality like another fellow at the office. I took offense to that because I honestly do not think so.

Another friend solved the mystery this afternoon. I do not have the same character as that fellow, he said. What a relief.

But that got me thinking again, what is the difference between pesonality and character. Can someone tell me, please?

Posted by Consecrated at 3:47 PM | 18 comments    

I just realized I had posted this in the Poetry weblog because of a comment notification about Redeemed. Too many weblogs.

Reading the latest post on Matthew's weblog reminded me of an incident last week.
I'm walking out of the local cafe having lifted up a prayer for an opportunity to witness to someone not 120 seconds prior, when a hand stops me. It's a young man I had met in a cab returning home one night and would later on bump into a couple of times. He's on the phone, says hi, and motions me towards a elder fellow sitting across him. The latter asks me to sit down and I try to excuse myself, being hungry. He insists, so I sit down thinking I'll wait for the young man to finish his call, exchange a few words and leave.
The elder, clad shabilly, (and as I was to find out, jests in accordance) asks of my education and plans. I answer and mention a certain country.
-we can help you, we own the place; he says.
- who's we, sir?
-I tell you we own the place and you ask me who's we?

At this point I'm thinking a certain ethnicity, but doubtful.
He reaches into his pocket, brings out the plainest business card ever. White, phone number printed in ink which he hands over.
-who's we, I obstinately repeat
He reaches again into his pocket, brings out a golden ring, with the Masonic symbol.
I don't react. He starts rambling. I mean just that. Raving on about control of the world, and power they have.
I answer I have the Lord Jesus to take care of me, and He will bring about his will for my life.
So here starts telling me how they accept all religions.
There's only one true God, I say, the God of the Bible. Uniting all religions is the work of the AntiChrist, and unless you believe upon the Son of God as dying for your sins on the cross as the only way to salvation, then you will perish in hell.
The spirit behind your movement is not the Spirit of the Lord.

At that point the young man had finished his call. They both were surprised at the turn of the conversation, which for the next hour or so went something like:
- blablablabla
-hell
-blablabla
-hell
-blablabla
-hell
-(in answering a question of mine) we control the vatican and the cardinals, who do you think took out John Paul 1? We have politicians and chiefs of police, whom should we fear?
- the Lord Jesus
(Abrupt pause; conversation, not surprisingly, moves to the Jesuistes. Eventually I ask about their connection to Solomon. His face lit up. He would draw my attention to the dollar sign, an S straked by two bars. I infered that the S stood for Solomon and the bar or bars for the temple pillars; he nodded in the affirmative.)


-for all his worldly wisdom Solomon had no understanding and left the living God
(more talk)
- we will have the world
- then you'll die, so what?

(tells the young man "he's right")

- we are setting up a world system
- a gentile world system which the Lord Jesus Christ will destroy at his second coming

It got intense at some points but finished on a level note, with the elder inviting me to continue the conversation at some restaurant, which I declined after handing them two tracts.

Satan, the flesh, the world. Everyone is deceived by something.

Posted by Revelation 2:17 at 3:14 PM | 8 comments    

Roberta is a born-again Brazilian believer from Lebanese origins, and has cancer. Having undergone treatment in California, she returned to Brazil.
A couple of weeks ago she witnessed to some of her Muslim friends about the Lord Jesus Christ. Apparently news spread as she, and her family I believe later on received death threats from the leaders of a near-by mosque. Her family is very scared. Everyone has been beating down on her for having witnessed; I mean believers are upset with her. She didn't go to the church meeting last Sunday, and told me she feels she has done a mistake in witnessing to them. She is afraid to walk the neighbourhood streets.

I couldn't contain myself while chatting on MSN. I told her those thoughts were from Satan to shut her mouth from witnessing for her Lord. She shouldn't have a guilty conscience over obeying the Bible. I told her she had more courage than those believers and that by censuring her they were appeasing their own conscience. I didn't leave a verse from Jeremiah, Joshua, Philippians or Timothy that I didn't have her read for encouragement.
That young lady did right before God Almighty in preaching the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to lost people.
She left encouraged, knowing she was in the right before God, and that she needed to spend time alone with the Word to find courage and consolation.
She was pleading for prayer and so I send this out with indignation, that you pray for Roberta that the Lord might use her to shame those believers who would silence her into witnessing themselves and that the Lord might be maginified by having those who heard her be saved. She needs also our prayers that our Lord Jesus might deliver her out of all snares and keep her safe.
The Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, and we are no better than anybody. People need to hear about the love of Jesus Christ and his death on the cross for their sins, just like once we were lost, heard, and believed

Posted by Revelation 2:17 at 11:43 AM | 6 comments    

I am in the middle of a big Conference at work, but to read up a little bit on what we did on St. Patrick's day, please visit www.ThatImayknowhim.blogspot.com

Posted by Consecrated at 12:53 PM | 1 comments    

Posted by Redeemed at 10:42 PM | 5 comments    

We tend to be creatures of habit, and as such I often fill up from a certain gas station on my way home from church. There is this French fellow, a young lad, who is always on duty in the evenings when I stop by. I would give him a chick tract every time I stop by, and I try to remember which one I gave him the time before so as not to give him the same.

This past Tuesday, I stopped by to gas up. When I went into the cabin, he had another friend and two other young men (one French and three black guys) were in there as well. To be honest, I was not comfortable for a little while knowing that a crime had been committed at a similar gas station not long ago. I said a silent prayer in my heart and reached into my purse, pulled out two copies from the French tract "Heaven or Hell, which One will you choose".

As soon as I handed the black fellow a copy of the tract, he started reading it, and immediately the French fellow says to me "Oh I read them all the time". I said, "But this is new. Did you read this one as well". He suddenly looked up at me and said "Ah you are the lady who is always giving them to me". That's right I said.

"Is it true", he asked. Is it real? Of course it is, I replied. Otherwise I wouldn't give it to you. One day when you are not as busy, may be you and I can have a chat. You can ask me questions. Good night now.

I left the station feeling so happy. I had been praying for that fellow. I remember one snowy evening in January, as I pulled away I glanced back at the glass pane of his cabin and I saw him reading the chick tract which I had left him. I remember having prayed for him that night.

I was so happy to learn that this fellow has been reading the tracts. Actually his question said a lot of things. The guy is thinking. Amen Lord. Open his heart let him understand what he read even as you opened the eyes of that first gentile convert, the Ethiopian eunuch.

Posted by Consecrated at 9:05 PM | 2 comments    

Posted by Redeemed at 8:35 PM | 4 comments    

Posted by Redeemed at 8:23 PM | 4 comments    

For the longest time I have been telling this colleague of mine to call unto God for help in a certain situation. Things had gone really sour and despite all efforts of good people around, the situation kept spiralling downward to what seemed like a hopeless case. In the meantime I kept preaching "Call on God". "You need God". "Read your Bible". "I gave you a Bible. It is not a good luck charm. It works if you open it and read it and call on its author for help."

Few days ago we got a glimmer of hope. Things may be finally looking up. When I asked a common friend if prayer had been lifted up, I was told that the Bible had been spotted at the desk of the person concerned. Praise God. His telephone number still works. Should you need it, here it is: Jeremiah 33:3

Jeremiah 33:3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

Posted by Consecrated at 1:19 PM | 3 comments    

In reply to Redeem's "We Have A New Prime Minister" January post, Anonymous writes

"Mr. Harper is a dangerous theocrat who will gleefully stomp on gay rights and women’s reproductive rights. Like other conservatives, he believes that his faith makes him impervious to any kind of criticism. Canada’s reputation as a civil rights leader will forever be tarnished under that bigot. As far as I know, a Canadian Prime Minister has never been assassinated while in office. Hopefully, history will change that."

First of all, we are not naive about conservative or religious political leaders. We keep our guard and are not enamoured with any. Do we generally prefer their policies over the liberals' when they are closer to the Bible's teachings? Sure. But that's about it.

Now anonymous, here are some relevant Bible passages.

Rom 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
:2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

:7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

This applies to all our political leaders, irrespective of their political party.

Now please consider the following and take heed, Anomymous:

Jude 1:7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
:8 Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.
:9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
:10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.

:12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
:13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

:16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.
:17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;
:18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.
:19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.

Anonymous, we don't look unto men, we look unto the Lord Jesus Christ who loved us, and died for our sins on the cross and rose again from the dead.
Set your eyes on him and believe upon the Son of God who offers you redemption and peace by reconciliation with the holy God.

Posted by Revelation 2:17 at 2:59 PM | 4 comments    

Posted by Redeemed at 11:12 PM | 5 comments    

Hey Matthew,

Posted by Redeemed at 10:39 PM | 5 comments    

I have a dentail appointment this morning. I hate to go the dentist. I wonder why did God give us teeth that fall off. I wish he had just created the teeth like every other bone of our body that does not need maintenance. I mean you have your skeleton, and that's it. Why couldn't the teeth be that way.

Posted by Consecrated at 10:14 AM | 8 comments    

It's encouraging to see you all find encouragement and comfort in fellowship with Bible-believers.
I read everything, though I have less time these days to write.
Witnessing over here in my part of the world is going great. I continually pray for greater boldness.
One of the best ways is hitch-hiker picking. I pick'em up and lock the doors
ahahahaha...Ehem, just kidding.
So far two fellows got saved, one with whom I'm keeping contact since he gave me his mobile number.
So much of it is sheer plowing though.
You must plow through people thinking you're a Jehovah's witness, through people thinking they can be saved by works, through people associating Christianity with the Vatican, etc...

I love those hymns, now THAT'S worship music. Have had "My Jesus I Love Thee" in mind for a couple of days now. You know what I have written on my choir sheets?

Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,
and a twoedged sword in their hand
Psalm 149:6

A Bible in one hand and a hymnal in the other.

Name your 10 favorite hymns of all time

Posted by Revelation 2:17 at 3:21 PM | 19 comments    

I love it when people ask me questions on the train. What better opening do you want for me to either talk to them or give out a tract.

This morning a lady gets on the train and sits right across from were I was. But she is not sure whether she was on the right tracks going downtown. She waits a few seconds, then puts the question to me. I gladly answered, and then something pricked me in my heart. Give her a tract, it said. I smiled for I knew it was the Holy Spirit again. I am used to this by now. When I hear that still small voice in my ears, I know the Lord wants me to move. I continued reading my Bible however, but in my heart I knew that I was not going to pass up that opportunity.

Later at an opportune moment, I closed my Bible and I asked her if I could give her something to read. She willingly took the French tract from me. As she read it, I closed my eyes and was silently praying. When I finally opened my eyes, she looked at me and with a smile on her face, said "Thank you". We didn't talk, but I was glad she accepted the tract. A seed was sown. I was happy. What a way to start a brand new day, I thought.

Posted by Consecrated at 10:22 AM | 6 comments    

Posted by Redeemed at 8:57 PM | 8 comments    

What do you do when your boss loses the elections. Other than feeling down and despondent, you try to get up, pick up the pieces and continue with life as usual.

I had been praying for God to put the right man in the top position. It pleased the Lord to select someone else. Although I am not sure how this will translate into our everyday life, but I’ll just have to trust the Lord that he can produce honey out of the dead lion.

Posted by Consecrated at 11:41 AM | 3 comments    

Praise God. I got it. I got my answer. Solomon is NOT in the blood line of Jesus. This truth is so great that it will shatter your mind. Luke 3:31 holds the key to this very important discovery.

In my post "Just Thinking" I had expressed concern about Solomon being in the lineage of Jesus. He is NOT. At least, he is not in his bloodline. Look in Luke 3:31 and note the following sequence: Salmon (who married Rahab), Boaz, Jesse, David, NATHAN (not Solomon), Mattatha, etc.

The great truth is the following: Genetically, Jesus comes through the blood line of Mary, through David's other son: Nathan.

The reference to Solomon in Matthew (as I had mentioned in Just Thinking) refers to the line of Joseph. Got that. Joseph the husband of Mary. Joseph is not the genetic father of our Lord. Amen. Thank you Lord. I love you for revealing this truth to me. It puts my mind at peace. One more proof that there is no contradiction in scripture.

Note to Rev 2:17: That should answer your question to me this morning big time. God will not remove his mercy from David's son. The reference is not to Solomon.

Posted by Consecrated at 11:04 PM | 10 comments    

In II Thessalonians 2, the apostle Paul is talking about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together unto him. However this day will not come except there come a falling away first, ....

What triggered this post is a remark made by the radio preacher as I drove towards the metro station this morning in order to pass out tracts. The preacher said that "the falling away" inside christian churches is the most well-kept secret today. Pastors and preachers are not willing to admit that modern-day chrisitianity is falling for every compromise and false doctrine.

A dangerously terrifying thought is found in verse 11 of the same chapter where God speaks of sending them strong delusion that they should believe a lie.

Posted by Consecrated at 5:23 PM | 1 comments    

In a recent discussion on the blogsphere I expressed doubts conerning Solomon. Here's another thought that is bothering me, why is Solomon mentioned in the lineage of Jesus as described in Mathew Chapter 1, especially if he is a type of the devil or an anti-type of the Lord. Remember that Solomon's name is studiously ommitted from the record of faith heroes as listed in Hebrews 11.

Posted by Consecrated at 9:54 PM | 10 comments    

I find it very interesting how God leads us into witnessing opportunities (if we are willing and have a heart for it). Here's one account in this regard.


Monday night I was late in catching the train, so I ended up standing in the vestibule. Doors open on both sides of the train, but they only open one side at a time depending on the tracks being used. You get to know which side opens at which hours of the day, so there was no problem for me to climb down the sets of steps leading to the one side of the aisle, knowing that this way I'd avoid being pushed around by passengers boarding or leaving the train.

In the beginning there was a french-speaking young man with me in the vestibule, and I was contemplating giving him a tract. But he was busy talking on his cell, and when he was not he had the head-set plugged into his ears. There was no way I could strike a conversation with him and he finally gets replaced by a lady carrying two bags. She drops them down infront of her on the steps, pulls out one huge sandwich and digs into it. At first I had not noticed her, but she did catch my attention when she pulled out yet another big sandwich and dug her teeth into that one too. She must have been very hungry, I thought. Then I started thinking, I wonder if I should give her a tract.

Minutes later, I ask her if she was english-speaking of French speaking. I am English was her reply. Do you mind if I give you something to read, was my immediate reply. Willingly she takes it. What is it, she says? It is Christian literature, I said. I am a Catholic was her reply but I guess it is the same, isn't it? WWeeelll, I said, yes and No. From there on I started telling her about the importance of teaching the Word of God, the Bible, which traditional churches do not do. I explained that we had been brought up to believe that salvation was by works, baptism, fasting etc. but that in reality there is nothing that we can do to save ourselves. It is by faith in the finished work of Jesus on the Cross. Then she said, I don't believe that Jesus is God, but I believe in God. Then you don't believe in the creator of heaven and earth, I replied. Because Jesus is the creator, and he is the real living God. In his love and mercy towards mankind, he took upon himself the body of mortal man, punished sin in the cross, died and rose again to give eternal life to all those who believe in him, because the sinner on the cross was not even baptized and Jesus told him he would be with him that very night in paradise.

She had a couple of questions about the Bible version my church used when I invited her to church, realizing that she lives only minutes away. I told her we were a KJV Bible, and there is no confusion when we read, we all read one version. I went on to explain how Satan in his typical subtle attack since he first addressed Eve, was against the Word of God, and also that all these newer versions have deleted and misquoted key words of God which prove the diety of Christ and the atoning role of the blood. I was pleased when she said to me, No wonder I never knew that Jesus was God. Then I encouraged her to read her Bible and search for the truth from the Source itself and that the Holy Spirit will illuminate her heart and mind for her to understand.

At the mention of the spirit, the girl was frightened. She said in the Caribbean, people deal with lots of spiritism, that is why I don't go to church, she continued. It scares me, she added and that is why I don't go to church. I told her that I agreed and that is why I am a Baptist. I had almost arrived to my train stop. I left another tract with her and encouraged to come by our church someday. She promised she would. Never got her name, but I went home feeling good that I had witnessed to somebody that day. Our Pastor had told us how D.L. Moody had purposed in his heart that he would witness to one soul a day.

Praise God for every witnessing opportunity. It is a very gratifying feeling to know we are in his service.

Posted by Consecrated at 1:20 PM | 3 comments    

Do you know the above chorus. It is one of my favorites. It goes something like this.
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after Thee
You alone are my heart's desire
and I long to worship Thee

The chorus is based on Psalm 42. to the Chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah. Probably you know by now that my favorite psalms are those penned by none other than the sons of Korah. These children has experienced great calamity in their childhood (read Numbers 16) but it did not drive them to depression or insanity. Instead they wrote the most sentimental and loveliest psalms of all. Looks for them ranging from psalms 42 passing through psalm 45 up to psalm 88.

It is my first Sunday in CR. I am out on a picnic with this family. They drive to Cartago, a very beautiful mountainous area of Costa Rica. On the way the lady of the house and her son insist they want to drive me by the church of Mary of Los Angeles. The sixteen year old son tells me the legend on the way. Here's what I remember, and I know the details are not accurate because I could not believe my ears as the young man went on with the story.

There is this little girl who found the virgin, a black virgin statue, and the virgin told her to build her a church. The girl tells the priest who begins to build a huge church at some location, but due to earthquakes and some natural events, it was evident that the virgin was not happy with the location of the church. As we passed by an immense unfinished building, I am told that this was the location of the original church. Pillars are still erected but the building is not completed. They kept losing the virgin and finding her in a different location. It was as if the virgin was telling them it is here in this location that I want my church built. And indeed we drive along and we reach the church of Mary of Los Angeles. A huge monument with a vast out court that is reminicent of the vatican but on a smaller scale. All I long I am praying in my heart. Lord I don't want to be rude to my hosts, what shall I do. The van pulls in to the parking lot, and we are expected to get off. As we walk through the big outer court, I am told that in August people walk for days to this location, and they spend days in the open court, sleeping in the open area as they pray and ask for answers to prayer.

The tour begins, and I am feeling uneasy. We are led around the church through the outer courts. One thing catches my eye. Up on the wall to my left hand side is a huge sentence in Spanish. Upon looking at it closely, I realize it is the first verse of Pslam 42, the one I quoted above. This is wierd, I thought to myself. Then we are led to a grove, a cave with the virgin (a small black statue in the middle, surrounded by trees (groves) and the cave is fenced, but underneath it are tubes where water is gushing out. Drink, was the ivitation. This is holy water. No. Thank you, I said. As we walked away I saw about ten different persons carrying empty bottles, jugs, gallons etc. making their way to fill their cup with that water. I felt very sorry and still uneasy I was almost in tears for these people. Then I am led to an inner building and on the sides are like galleries containing huge statues of the little girl who found the virgin. Then the virgin herself (another statue), and the story of the little miracle is written on one wall for tourists to read.

The tour continues, and now I am standing infront of about six wall mounted cabinets, with glass doors that are locked. Against the wall of each of these cabinets hangs little trinkets or pieces of silves made into various shapes of body parts. These are the body parts which the virgin had healed. Legs, arms, hearts, livers, kidneys, breasts, fingers you name it. I have never seen something like this in my life. I am feeling very disturbed, but don't know what to say.

Thankfully my host did not invite me into the church. I guess she was told I am a baptist and she had this much respect for my faith, so she did not push. But all this time, I am puzzled and wondering what shall I do. How can I talk to these people about their faith in which they are so entrenched without offending them. At some point, the lady of the house takes her younger daughter to the bathroom, and I am left there with the son and another teenage daughter. By now we had made our way back to the original big outer court, and I see that verse again.

Then it hit me. I looked at the son and said. Do you notice something about this place? Look I said the verse is talking about panting after God, but everything else around here points to what you have been calling "the virgin" which as a matter of fact is only a statue. If I bust it with a hammer, it will turn to powder that is powerless to do any miracle at all. From there on, I went to tell him about the fact that these people are quoting scripture, but that scripture commands us not to have groves or statues. That these things are disobedience to God. I did what I could that afternoon. I gave the kids two tracts, and tried to impress upon their heart their need to read the Bible and find out what biblical truth was. I did not make much headway with that family but I did manage to talk to them about the fear of God and their need to read the Bible on another occasion. I hope and pray that somehow my testimony would have some sort of effect on them. It was very depressing for me to see how that almost every house I visited in CR had statues of the virgin, and of Joseph and of the maggi, and of Micheal and of God knows what in their homes.

I love the people in CR. They are a peaceful nation, very kind and sweet and friendly. May God send more workers to that country, a country very entrenched in catholicism. I should also not forget to praise him because he had reserved for himself three thousand knees that have not bowed down to Baal, as he had told Elijah.

As the deer pantenth for the water, so may the Lord grant these people to be thirsty for the word of God.

Posted by Consecrated at 8:26 PM | 2 comments    

I have been witnessing to my hair dresser for a minimum five years. I don't go there often, but we are looking at haircut every two or three months (yes my hair grows very long quickly). As a matter of fact he asked me on one occasion what is it I eat to make it grow so quickly.

I usually take the latest appointment at night when everyone else has finished. I just have my hair cut, no blow dry no nothing, because before you know I will wash my hair the next morning.No matter how sophisticated the hair-do is, it just won't last a couple of hours in shape.

The past Thursday was one of those occasions. By 8pm, I am done and ready to go home and when I came to the cash I don't remember what is he asked me but somehow the discussion focussed on whether Mary had or did not have children after Jesus. Oh yes, I believe he made made some remark about those cartoons which are causing a stir. When I told him Mary did have four boys plus daughters and that their names are mentioned in the Bible, his reply was, you speak like the Muslims. I never heard a Christian say that Mary did not remain a virgin. That's was when I picked up the subject of believing in the Bible as God's inspired word. Whehter God was a liar, and whether man was a liar. From there on the discussion focussed on the role of Jesus and how underestimated he was, how that the traditional churches have taught us false doctrine.

When he asked me what was the difference between my faith and the Catholic faith, I started down from the first commandment to every shred of detail you can think of. From images and idols, to forgetting the source of living water (that reminds me of another incident in CR about holy water and groves - will explain in yet another post) and digging for themselves cracked wells that don't hold water. I spoke about the Holy Father, where Jesus only once in the whole Bible called God the Father, the Holy Father. I passed by the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep. Jesus the way, the truth and the life. Jesus the only door. Jesus the only mediator between God and man. There is no other name under heaven by which we might be saved. etc. etc. Till I reached Revelation where Jesus was now out the door. Every so-called saint and teaching was in, and Jesus was out. Knocking at the door, he stands.

As the man sat at the cash, I stood there for forty minutes. I still recall every word I said. What is most gratifying was the feeling that overwhelmed me. I just knew God had poured out his spirit. Jesus had told his disciples not to worry what to say when they are brought forth before kings and rulers. In this case I was before a simple hairdresser, but I knew it was God speaking through me as I went on and on. At one point I touched on the subject of the believers in Berea who were more noble than the others because "they searched the scriptures every day to see if these things were so". He asked me for the reference. IN the book of Acts, I replied. We are commanded to search the scriptures. Paul said if an angel from heaven preaches to us things that are not according to the Bible, we are not to believe him. Let him be anathema.

It is so sad to see that fery vew people realize how high the cost was for us to have a Bible in our hands. I recounted how Bloody Mary used to kill all those in whose possession they found a Bible, and how she dipped their thumb in their own blood, and smeared their own Bible with the blood of the martyr himself. Read Fox's book of Martyrs or any other book on the church history. People paid with their blood for us to have the liberty of reading the Bible. Read that Bible. By the time I was finished, the man looked up and said, I guess I am going to read that Bible and see.

I had a feeling Alain was keeping all the words in his heart. Pls. pray for him as I sincerely believe the man is very close to getting saved.

Posted by Consecrated at 11:43 AM | 3 comments    

I wasted no time as my next seat neighbor sat in his aircraft window seat beside me from El Salvador to Toronto. He had exused himself in Spanish as I stepped into the aisle to allow him passage. I rummaged in my purse and picked two Spanish tracts (I was well prepared for my trip) and handed them to him. Politely he took them both and as the flight attendant and video was going on with the usual flight instructions he was reading the tracts, and I was praying. Suddenly he looks up and me, and in English he says Thank You. I said do you understand what this is talking about, he said yes. He flipped one tract to the back and pointed to the name of my church, and said, my parents are like you. I said what do you mean. He said my parents are Baptists. They live in Guatemala where I had been visiting my mom and dad. So are you saved, I asked again. Not yet was the reply.

So I gave two English tracts to read, and I said, if you have any questions pls. feel free to ask me. The flight was about four hours and a half to Toronto. For the first two hours he fell asleep, then he woke up with a headache. In my purse I had Advil ready for him, but he needed water. Again I had a bottle of water on me. You name it. I had it. I was prepared for healing any kind of discomfort you might face. After his headache went away, he started talking again. First the questions were on a personal level, about my family status, and of course I asked him all about him, and I found out that his parents had been praying for him. He was a sweet young fellow, married young, divorced, has a child, living with a girlfriend, working in a factory, but I could tell he had the fear of God in him. As time went by, he started opening up, and he asked me all sorts of questions about which Bible is the correct Bible, dispensations, salvation etc. you name it. I gladly obliged. I spoke loud and I noticed that the lady in the seat infront pushed back her seat to get a clearer audience. I love it when people do that. By the time we started our descent into the Pearson Airport in Toronto, the guy had intimated to me that he loves God, and that he has asked the Lord to save him at some point. The fellow had not grown however.

I encouraged him to find a good Bible believing Church. Then he asked me if I had tracts in the Indian language, because his co-workers were all Indian. I apologized but I said I could give him more English tracts. I opened my purse and gave him some more. He noticed all sorts of tracts on me. Can I have a copy of this and that. Sure. By the time I landed in Toronto, I had emptied my purse of all the tracts which I had left on me. Thankfully, I kept one for emergy purposes, which the shuttle driver was fortunate to get. Henry was all excited when we parted. He was going to call his mother in Guatemala as soon as he arrived home in Toronto. He was going to tell his teary mother that God was waiting for him on the airplane, that as soon as he sat down, there was this Christian lady who handed him two tracts in Spanish, and later two tracts in English, and later emptied her purse into his lap.

Please pray for Henry that he might indeed find a good Bible teaching church and put his life in order.

Posted by Consecrated at 9:50 AM | 2 comments    

I arrived in Toronto late on Sunday night, took the shuttle to the Holiday Inn. I am alone on the shuttle, and the driver is curious asking me all sorts of questions. What do I do for a living. How many languages do I speak etc. Just to be polite, I asked the man if he owned the shuttle. He replied in the negative, and went on to explain to me that he works for an East Asian man who himself used to work on the shuttle service for eighteen hours a day, but that now he owns his own company, while he was just working for him. To be honest, I was not exactly in a talking mood that night, then when came back with the question if I taught languages (seeing I could speak four of them), I said No. But I do teach Sunday School. I teach the word of God. Funny enough, my own answer perked me up, however I sincerely believe it was God's spirit doing the work in me for the man was all curious.

Talking about his rich employer, I said, some people hit gold on this earth and some others hit gold in the life to come. The streets in New Jerusalem where the saints will live eternally are made of pure gold, the gates are made of one big pearl each. There will be no sighing, no pain, no tears, no sorrows in heaven. Here is the catch. Tonight you are taking me to the Holiday Inn. There is a reservation in my name. Whether I show up or not, the company will settle the bill with the hotel management. Same with Jesus. He has made a reservation for all who will come to New Jerusalem. On the cross he cried and said: It is finished. The price is paid in full, the Bible says that God so loved us that he sent his only begotten son etc. Do you have a Bible I asked, yes he said. Do you believe that the Bible is the word of God. Yes. Do you read the Bible. I am a Christian. Are you saved? I am a Catholic. Are you a saved Catholic? What does that mean. Well if you happen to die tonight, do you know where you are going. To heaven, I hope. You mean you don't know? Who can tell. That's why you need to read your Bible. God is not a liar. Jesus is calling out etc. etc. Before dropping me the man was so interested. I have always wanted to read the Bible, he said. I had one last tract left on me, The Burning Hell. I gave it to him and as he drove off, I kept thanking God for an unexpected opportunity to witness, and paying for the man's salvation. Never got his name, but I can see him vividly as I write these notes. Pls. pray for him too if you got a minute.

In another post I'll tell about a young man who sat in the seat beside from El Salvador to Honduras. A very interesting encounter.

Posted by Consecrated at 9:33 AM | 2 comments    

It has been a short while since I got back from Costa Rica, and if I don't do this today, I'll probably not have time at all to do it at all. To begin with I want to thank all those who prayed for me on my trip. God took control from the moment I left home throughout every segment of my trip all the way back home God was there for me, protecting me, providing for me, and best of all using me to tell about his glory and grace. God gave me so many many witnessing opportunities that I want to share with all of you so I will list them as they come to my mind.

On arriving in San Jose, I was assigned a driver who would take me to the mall because I wanted to buy a couple of T-shirts. Having left Montreal in mid January I had not taken much account of the warm tropical weather. Somebody has told me they were experiencing unexpected cool weather, so by Montreal standards, it turned out their cool weather was like a summer's day for me. My colleague was willing to take me to the mall, but when I asked him to just drop me off, he insisted he would not leave me alone and that I was in his care. (Again my Montreal standards, I had not realized how gracious the Lord was unto me in providing me with a local guide and protection). I asked him if he was used to shopping with ladies, and whehter he had a wife or daughterThe answer was that he was seeing doctors because him and his wife would love to have a baby. Not knowing anything about his background I suggested to him that I knew one excellent way of having children. Prayer to the Lord Jesus. Well what do you expect was the reply. "I read the Bible. I am a Baptist born again believer. The majority here are Catholics". I was floored. I said "Are you saved?". He sure was. I jumped in my seat, gave him a big hug, and said let's pray right now. After we closed our eyes and I prayed in English and he prayed in Spanish, he looked up and thanked me. No one has ever prayed for me before like that, he said. We both rejoiced as wife later joined us and we visited their home where the three of us also knelt and prayed. That was the beginning, and a pattern of praying and witnessing development right from the start and throughout my stay in San Jose.

The next morning, the Director of the office where I was supposed to go for training picked me up. In the car, I gave him a Spanish Bible which I had brought for him, and without wasting any time, I told the man that I was in San Jose on a mission from God as well as on mission from my employers. The man froze in his seat. I did not understand why at that point. Anyway I gave him the message of salvation, and told him he needed to be born again. He thanked me for the Bible, and said that he used to have one, but that he had lost it a long time ago. It did not take the Lord much time to reveal to me why the man froze in his seat. The very next day my former colleague drove me to work and on the road he told me that together these two gentlemen had been to a church where the gospel was being preached, that Mr. Director had come forward upon an invitation and that he was given a Bible, but that was it. He never grew, he never walked with God. My driver was his friend from childhood and he was sincerely convinced that God is visiting his friend once again with a call to repentance.

And so the story goes, at every turn of the way, God was putting people in my path. Here's another occasion which I love. The last Saturday I was in Costa Rica (CR) I was offered to go on a field trip of my choice. I opted to go to the Volcano Arenal, an active volcano. I was told (and had seen pictures on the internet) that this volcano is constantly fuming, and at times spits red lava. The latest eruption had been 15 December 2005. Also that out of the volcano stream waterfalls of hot water. A very nice resort existed in the region, inside thick rain forest, and we could spend the day there. After three hours drive we got to Fortuna village which overlooks Arenal. Unfortunately it was raining all day, it was cloudy so I did not get to see the greying vocano, and we could not climb up to wherever limit tourists were allowed to climb. However we did get a chance to spend the day in the thermal waters at this resort. It was raining from above but we were (two girls from the office had come along, and we were offered a driver and a car) jumping from laguna to laguna and just lazed in the pools of hot water, while cold water was raining upon us from above. The green thick trees surrounding us were beautiful. Colorful flowers everywhere. Tourists mostly from the States were there. We had a great time. At some point, after having prayed also for a witnessing opportunity, I looked at the girls and said: Imagine how hot this water is coming out from the earth. I wonder how hot hell would be like. That did it. Immediately I was asked about hell and if it truly existed, and for probably the next twenty minutes I gave them a whole speal about the existence of heaven and hell and their need for salvation. I treasure this witnessing opportunity because it is one odd place where God has used me to speak about his goodness. I even thought of beginning a post asking people what and where was the wierdest place they had ever witnessed to somebody.

This post is getting to be very long, I'll have to pick up my diary in another post.

Posted by Consecrated at 10:55 PM | 2 comments    

Posted by Redeemed at 10:14 PM | 6 comments    

I have taken the liberty to here transpose a post by Revelation 2:17 from the Bible Studies
As suggested by Redeemed, posting on the front page of the blog gets more attention.Comments are welcome.P.S. Am back in Montreal, but haven't had time to brief you all. Will do so asap.
====================================================
The "deep" in the Bible sometimes refers to a great body of water beyond the heavens, sort of in space and beyond it.
It is associated with the earth when God jammed everything up in

Genesis 1:2
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

We read

Genesis 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

A flood also came in from outer-space. There's no way those windows are clouds. The Bible describes clouds and the evaporation cycle a number of times, never like this. Besides, it seems there were no clouds and rain on the pre-Noah's flood earth.


Genesis 8:2 The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained;

Now

Job 38:30 The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.

What ocean do you know with a frozen surface?????????????????????????
This is a frozen firmament in space. This is that sea of glass you read about in


Revelation 15:1 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.
:2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

God, speaking about Satan as Leviathan says to Job

Job 41:31 He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment.
:32 He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary.

Hoary means white or whitish.

When's the last time you saw a white ocean? The Mediterranean sea is called the Great White Sea. I see it everyday, it ain't white.

This is not upon earth,,, no LochNess monster here my friends, this is in the waters above your heads, the waters of

Genesis 1:6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

Those are they spoken of in

Psalm 148:4 Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.

HeavenS is plural, this is no water in the sky.

And note that Psalms are AFTER Noah's flood. There are still waters above the heavens today.

Leviathan, Satan, leaves a blazing WHITE path behind his serpentine trail through space. Milky Way, anyone?

Having shuffled through Peter Ruckman's outstanding commentary on Job, I leaned back thinking upon the Bible. Suddenly the answer to something I had wondered about in Luke 8 flashed in my mind. I was confused about the 2 following verses dealing with the demon-possessed "Legion"


Luke 8:30 And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him.
:31 And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep.

and

Luke 8:33 Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked.

The devils feared the deep (supposedly ocean), yet they rush into water moments later!
Why would they fear the deep but not the lake (Mark calls it a sea)?

I think those evils besought Jesus not to be sent "out into"(v.31) space. They feared being sent into the deep of heaven, as in "deep space". It wasn't so much the water they feared; in fact devils have an affinity for water as can be gathered from the Bible.
Why they feared being commanded to go "out into" the deep in space I can't tell;
most simply maybe, because demons seek embodiement of flesh; what would they embody in space? Who knows, there might be other more terrible reasons.

There is so much more to see between Job and Genesis.

What a great book that King James Bible

Posted by Consecrated at 11:32 AM | 9 comments    

Posted by Redeemed at 10:02 PM | 4 comments    

Posted by Redeemed at 8:45 PM | 5 comments    

Posted by Redeemed at 7:20 AM | 5 comments    

Seriously the country is far more beautiful than I ever imagined. As the plane was hovering, you could seethe beautiful mountain ranges beneath. The most beautiful landing sight I have seen in my life. I have been to many countries in Europe, the Middle East and North America, and parts of Africa. Never in my life have I seen a nature more picturesque. As my friends drove me to their home, I felt breathless. The country is just beautiful.

I am here on a business trip this time. I think I will want to spend more time as a tourist some other time. This quick note is just to brief you that I am safe in the former Banana Republic.

Posted by Consecrated at 9:38 PM | 2 comments    

"In Esau's attempted fratricide, we again detect that peculiar undergound vibration which began with the words of Genesis 3:15. Abel is killed to get rid of the seed (Gen. 4). Angels mix with the races to pervert the seed (see Gen. 6:1-6). Ham ruins his seed (Gen. 12). Abraham nearly ruins it himself (Gen. 16:1-6). Lot makes the grade (Gen. 19.) Then Abimelech tries twice (Gen. 20, 26). Abraham almost destroys the right seed (Gen. 22), and now Esau is out for blood! Someone is anxious to prevent Genesis 3:15 from being fulfilled."

Posted by Redeemed at 8:53 PM | 2 comments    

In my suitcase I have packed four Spanish Bibles (Reina Valera 1960 edition, which I believe is the KJV equivalent for Spanish-speaking people). Two of these Bibles are gifts to colleagues in Costa Rica where I am going to spend one week for "on-the-job" training purposes. The two spare Bibles I hope to give to whoever the Lord leads me to. At first I was stunned when one colleague told me he didn't have a Bible. How can anyone Not have a Bible, I wondered. As I researched more, I realized how Catholic Costa Rica is. I surfed the internet hoping to find a Baptist English speaking church where I could worship on Sunday, but came up with none. I only found one reference to a Spanish speaking Fundamental Baptist church and I am not sure whether it is close to San Jose or not.

Anyway, I would like to ask for your prayers next week. My colleague has three children, and most likely his wife has never heard the gospel before either. I sensed a real tenderness towards God from this particular colleague, and I am praying for open doors as I spend time with his family next week. As outspoken as I am about the Lord, sometimes the old self takes over. The training coordinator who is in charge of my trip is a lovely lady. She came to Montreal in December and we really got along well together. I do hope that she would be receptive to the gospel when I give her the beautiful leather Bible which I bought having her in mind. I will also be spending a lot of time with her, and I don't have any specific indication as to what her response would be to the gospel. In her case I am stepping into the unknown.

I am excited about this business trip. I have never been to Latin America. This will be my first trip to a Spanish speaking country, and I am looking forward to a spanish immersion experience, with my meagre Spanish language skills. Because I sometimes think of helping out at an orphanage in Honduras (even if on small missions) I feel this trip could be of particular significance. Costa Rica is definitely very different from Honduras, but who knows, may be God is allowing me this trip for a reason.

Please pray for travelling mercies and open doors as I head to Costa Rica this week end. Will give you a report on my return.

Posted by Consecrated at 9:15 PM | 3 comments    

I am reading Exodus Chapter 18, and one enigma character for me has always been Jethro, Moses' father in law. I never knew what to make of this man's counsel. On the outside appearance it looked sensible, but I always suspsected there was something sinister hidden about that man. I mean, a Midianite shows up out of the blue, gives advice to Moses, claims what Moses is doing is not good (v.17), but asks Moses to listen to him (v.19) and he will give him counsel (v.19), and God will be with him. The son-in-law listens to him, then when the time comes for God's goodness to begin to happen, Jethro opts out and decides not to stay (Numbers 10:30).

Today I can see through the man, i.e. Jethro or Raguel (don't know if the double name means double meaning either). Jethro's advice reminds of what happened in Numbers 16. Will get to that in a minute. Let's look at his advice to Moses once again but a different perspective. "Why sittest thou... and all the people stand...(v.14) (implying that Moses was lording it over the laity). Again, this thing is too heavy for thee (v.18) (implying I care for your welfare).

The sons of Korah had the same argument. Numbers 16:3 "ye take too much upon you" All the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them; wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregration of the Lord?"

Back to Jethro v. 23 "If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so". In v. 19 he had said, I will give thee Counsel, v. 20 Thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws etc. God comes in last. Jethro talked about "it is not good". He never mentioned whether it was "right" or "wrong". Don't we hear that advice far too often.

In v. 24 Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that he had said. Unfortunately we don't read of Moses seeking God's face in this.

The discovery I made today is this. The most smooth, subtle Satanic attack on godly and able men of God could very easily come through family connections. Jethro's advice later caused the rebellion in Numbers 16.

What a warning. Jeremiah 6:16 Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.

Posted by Consecrated at 10:42 AM | 8 comments    

Posted by Redeemed at 8:41 PM | 2 comments