A Note from Ed
| Greetings in the New
Year! January is my “Spiritual
Birth” month. I was saved on the first Sunday night of 1975 or was it 1976. Has it
has been so long I have forgotten? I do know that it marks 30 years in the ministry and
many tens of thousands of lives set free. The last few weeks of December were a time of
prayer and reflection. It was also a time of power outages all over the We sat around our fireplace, bundled up along with our sons’ families, enjoying
the grandkids, but after almost a week, we were ready for the lights to come back
on…just before Christmas. We are grateful to the power company workers who, even though their own homes were dark
and cold, worked double shifts in the cold, wind and rain to get us back up and running.
We take so much for granted. However, we are blessed beyond understanding. We need to take time to appreciate the many people who quietly serve us. A thank you to
the checkout clerk at the market or a wave and smile to the mailman or the receptionist at
the office goes a long way in blessing them. We need to look for ways to express gratitude
everywhere we go. That is just part of a true Christian’s life style. I want you to know that I love and appreciate you. What a joy it is for me to pray for
the many needs that came in over the holidays. It is my privilege to pray for you and lift
up your prayers to the Lord. Thank you for letting me be that person in your life. Because of several special gifts that came in, we were able to end the year in the
black. And for that, we are so grateful. I do not have the exact counts of all we did, the
packages of information, the countless emails and letters from people seeking help, truth
and freedom. The website is growing in outreach and now has hundreds of thousands of
‘hits’ from around the world and they download so many pages of information.
Since the website went up literally, millions of pages of free materials have been
downloaded and the free audio teachings have spread across the world. Your gifts and prayers have made that possible. We don’t have to charge for this. Our site is fully free, with the obvious exception of the Bookstore where people can buy our books that are published by Harvest House. Thank you again and again for your faithfulness. Please, if you are able, help us this month financially. January and February are always tight and we have special needs right up front, especially in new book publication. It is my goal to have my newest book, My Kingdom Come, finished and in print and distribution by spring. Your Brother In Christ,
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The
Our
Kingdom Come
I have been working on resurrecting
and updating an article I did years ago regarding the LDS end times doctrine of “The
Kingdom of God”, the time when the Constitution will “hang by a Thread” and
be saved by the Elders of the Church. Former
This is extremely disconcerting when you come to understand the actual Mormon doctrine regarding their firm belief that the Constitution will ‘hang by a thread’ and only saved by the LDS brethren; this country then becoming a theocracy controlled and led by their prophet.
Here is a little taste of the actual teachings:
Hanging by a Thread
Elder Delbert L. Stapley, Conference Report, April 1964, Afternoon Meeting, p.133
"In this prospective ministration among His gathered saints, Jesus Christ is to be at once their God and their King. His government is to be that of a perfect theocracy; the laws of righteousness will be the code, and control will be administered under one authority, undisputed because indisputable." (Articles of Faith, p. 363, see pp. 365-368.)
Elder William J. Critchlow, Jr., Conference Report, October 1963, Afternoon Meeting, p.28
"The holy Priesthood is a system
of laws and government that is pure and holy; . . ." (JD 7:202)-"a perfect law
of theocracy." (Joseph Smith's Teachings, p. 322.) Presently, it is the government of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints-God's kingdom here on earth. Eventually,
when the kingdom embraces the earth, when ". . . every knee should bow, . . . and
every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, . . ." (Phil.
Joseph Fielding Smith, Seek Ye Earnestly, January 1970 p.29, Deseret Book Co
The time will come when the Lord will make an end of all man-made nations, and in their stead the government of Jesus Christ shall be established to hold rule to the end of time and for ever. When that time comes we will have a theocratic government. A government of God, Jesus Christ being the King, and the people being governed by their own common consent, for the Lord will recognize the agency of man then, even as he has recognized it since before the foundation of the world. When that time comes, however, man will have learned to be obedient to the principles of righteousness and to obey the law of God and Jesus Christ his Son, whose right it is to reign. This will be the one perfect form of government, and it shall for this reason abide forever.
Elder Harold B. Lee, Conference Report, April 1942, Third Day—Morning Meeting, p.87
But beyond all that, the Latter-day Saints have a responsibility, that may be better understood when we recall the prophecy of Joseph Smith who declared that "the time would come when (the destiny and) the Constitution of these United States would hang as it were by a thread, and that this people, the sons of Zion, would rise up and save it from threatened destruction." (J. of D., Vol. 7:15)
Joseph Smith, Encyclopedia of Joseph Smith's Teachings, edited by Larry E. Dahl and Donald Q.Cannon Deseret Book Co (November 2000) Words of James Burgess: In the month of May 1843, several miles east of Nauvoo, the Nauvoo Legion was on parade and review, at the close of which Joseph Smith made some remarks upon our condition as a people and upon our future prospects, contrasting our present condition with our past trials and persecutions by the hands of our enemies; also upon the Constitution and government of the United States, stating that the time would come when the Constitution and government would hang by a brittle thread and would be ready to fall into other hands, but this people, the Latter-day Saints, will step forth and save it. . .
A
Discourse by President Brigham Young, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Do The LDS
People believe this today?
A Mormon Missionary sent me this quote
“The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.”
He added a little note I would guess he keeps in his wallet: in part,
“My authority is above that of the kings of the earth…I am a personal representative of the Lord Jesus Christ… to do what he himself would do...he has chosen me...My voice is his voice, my acts are his acts, my words are his words and my doctrine is his doctrine…”
We found that
someone had put this clip up on You Tube
so we decided to upload it ourselves!
CLICK HERE
(Windows Media Player required)
Witnessing to the Cults
We are besieged with emails and letters from heartsick Christians around the world who have lost a loved one, a child, a parent, a spouse or a friend to one of the many cults that abound in the land. Of course, we get just as many inquiries from Christians who have made the acquaintance of a Mormon or Freemason or Muslim and want to know the best way to share The Good News of Jesus with them.
There are as many variations to the questions and needs as there are groups out there. The New Age, for example, has about as many definitions as it has followers. However, there are significant base parallels to every cultic group.
In every case, every attempt is made to humanize God, deify man, minimize sin, and separate you from the authority of Holy Scripture. The last is often done by adding to the Bible, that group's own created scripture of higher authority, usually given by mystical means to that group's spiritual leader. They will also make every effort to convince you that salvation is only available through that group and its special plan for your step into eternity.
This tells you then, that in order to witness
to someone in any of the cultic groups, it will be necessary for you to deify and glorify
God, reveal mankind as lost to God through sin, demonstrate the validity of the Bible and
point the way to the Cross as the only way of salvation for mankind.
Simple! No, not at all. Well, if someone shows up that you know is head over heels into
some cultic theology, and you know absolutely nothing about it and you don't have time to
run to a library, then you can always start from the above premise and you will never go
wrong. Trust me; the newly arrived cult member will quickly set you straight on his/her
doctrine in any of the above areas.
But, assuming you do have some time to prepare, I strongly suggest that you learn the simple basics that separate that specific group from orthodox Christianity. Then you are ready to proceed. Almost.
With an acknowledgment and thanks to JEWS FOR JESUS for an old tract I carried around until it was unreadable, here it is rewritten with some of my own pointers on witnessing that I consider vital to your success on being a really effective witness :
1. Be a Real Friend. A zillion spiritual scalp hunters out there want to win a lost soul for Jesus, but are completely unaware of the person who is attached to that soul. Try to have an honest and well-rounded relationship with your friend before you attempt to witness.
Pray about your own motives and make the association a real one. Most cultists are being won to Christ through the intensive person-to-person witness. It is really true that what you are usually speaks louder than what you say.
Be ready to love that person just
exactly as they are and where they are, even if they never leave that cult. I am
convinced that the vast majority of these people are where they are because they really
want to serve God with all their hearts. These people are not God's enemies nor are they
ours. They are victims of false teachers. The Scriptures say, "For the leaders of
this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed." (Isa.
2. Encourage Discussion on Life issues to get some insight on how your friend perceives and understand things. Listen to where his (her) heart really is. Get him to talk about the things that concern him and lead him into a discussion about what his group means to him. People are in cults for many different reasons.
In no way let him come to the understanding that you only care for him as long as you might convert him. Love that person right now!
3. Give Your Own Testimony. A good place to begin is to tell specifically how God has answered prayer in your life. Avoid testimonies that talk about the peace and joy you have in the Lord.
Remember, those who follow Eastern religions and any number of the new cults will give just as fervent a testimony. Like the Mormons who use their burning in the bosom as a test of truth, each group has its own subjective method of instilling a counterfeit sense of security.
4. Answer all questions and objections from Scripture. But remember, you don't have to answer every question when it is asked. In fact, your friend will feel a whole lot more comfortable with you if you can't. You can say, "I don't know the answer to that, but I'll find out", or "Let me think about it a little more and I'll give you an answer the next time I see you." Then, find the answer, be sure you understand it and bring it back!
5. Get your friend to study the Bible with you. Don't concentrate only on their theological problem areas. There is power in all the Scripture. A good beginning point is the first chapter of The Book of John.
6. Offer to pray for your friend's needs. While an apologetics kind of ministry is not always welcomed, few people will decline prayer and God seems to be particularly pleased to honor prayers as evidence of His love and concern in these cases.
7. Try to bring your friend into the communication sphere of other Christians who are former members of that cultic group. Such a meeting might be painful at first, but it does bring persons to the place where they can see that there really can be a God centered life after the cult.
8. Emphasize that Christ is the sin bearer for you and your friend alike. Remember that your friend has been programmed to think that he has to carry his own sin until it can be released only through his cult group leadership. It's up to you to show him that is not true!
9. Ask for a decision. As a general rule, it's not good to continually press for a decision, but you will prayerfully know when the timing is right in the matter.
10. Remember the areas that the cult cannot deal with and bring your friend to an understanding of these important matters; the power of the shed blood of Jesus, the Cross and the nature of salvation by grace. Be able to give a good, clear definition of the doctrine of the Trinity, an area of confusion with every cult.
11. Always pray before your visits. Going into this sphere of spiritual contact without the Holy Spirit is dangerous for both you and your friend. The Scriptures promise us the power of the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us at times such as this.
Realize that your friend is under spiritual bondage that can only be broken through intercessory prayer. It is vital that if you have a burden for this person that you be involved in persistent, aggressive prayer directed against the principalities of powers of darkness over him. Pray according to the Bible that the strongman be bound so that his captive can be set free. Pull down those strongholds and cast down vain imaginations and "every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God..." (2 Cor. 10:4-5)
Ask for the intervention of the Holy Spirit to draw this friend to the Cross of Jesus for salvation. Also, solicit the assistance of the prayer group at your church and/or among other believing friends and family.
This bondage can be broken through prayer in the name of Jesus. Many have been set free through the love, intercession and fellowship of committed friends and relatives.
by Pat Bagley
Saturday, January 6, 2007
Dear Editor:
In response to the ill illustration of
a typical view of life here in
Tiffany
CHRISTIANS STILL “SWINE’
and JEWS “APES”
in Saudi schools
Harry de Quetteville, London Telegraph's Baghdad correspondent, 25/06/2006
The charges come after Freedom
House, a non-partisan American research group that monitors civil rights worldwide,
examined textbooks that it smuggled out of
The report also alleged that some
of the textbooks are used in official Saudi schools around the world. Senior staff at the
Islam, in its most
sacred writings and authoritative teachings, belittles Jesus Christ, not just occasionally
in the news, but constantly by its dominant claims. Islam denies that Jesus Christ was and
is God, a central truth of the New Testament and the Christian church (John 1:1-3;
Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 1:8). Dominant streams of Islam deny that
Jesus died on the cross and therefore deny that the claim that his death atones for sin
and propitiates the wrath of God is true (1 Corinthians 15:1-3; Romans 3:21-26; Galatians
3:13; 1 Peter
DEMOCRATS PRAY TO ALLAH??? !!!
Imam leads Democrats in prayer of conversion
Read the complete story at:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54085
THE MASTER MASON— A GOD IN THE
MAKING
“Man is a god in the making, and as in the mystic myths of
“The glorious privileges of a Master Mason are in keeping with his greater knowledge and wisdom…For Him the Heavens have opened and the Great Light has bathed him in its radiance. The Prodigal Son, so long a wanderer in the regions of darkness has returned to his Father’s house. The voice speaks from the Heavens, its power thrilling the Master until his own being seems filled with its divinity, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ He [the Master Mason] has in truth become the spokesman of the most High. He stands between the glowing fire light and the world. Through him passes Hydra, the great snake, and from its mouth there pours to man the light of God.” (Manly P. Hall, Lost Keys of Freemasonry, page 92, 54-55)
Friend, there is only One for whom the Father uttered those words, and He was not a Master Mason…nor will it ever be so. Jesus Christ is God’s only mediator for you and me. Do not let any MAN ever tell you that he is, or that you may become the spokesman for the Most High! Further, if you think that God speaks through HYDRA, the great snake, your god comes right out of the pit.
And Finally it Came to Pass !!!
"4 Nephi 1:6": And
thus did the thirty and eighth year pass away, and also the thirty and ninth, and forty
and first, and the forty and second, yea, even until forty and nine years had passed away,
and also the fifty and first, and the fifty and second; yea, and even until fifty and nine
years had passed away. (Book
of Mormon)
Yawn!
57 words to say that 59 years had passed
How do you evolve an unmbilical cord???
Recently, when our newest grandbaby, Hailey Anne, was born, I got to thinking about the wonderful miracle of birth and just had to laugh at the concept that we humans evolved into our present day beings. I realized that no child could ever be brought into being without one. Not even that very first child in the chain of evolutional theory.
It is a marvelously complex part of creation, carrying on so many functions simultaneously. Every function needs to work exactly as it is designed .. always.
From Cain and Abel to Hailey Anne..
Either it is there or it is not.
However, we do know that it takes one to bring forth every baby ever born
umbilical cord (umbil'ik?l) , cordlike structure about 22 in. (56 cm) long in the pregnant human female, extending from the abdominal wall of the fetus to the placenta. Its chief function is to carry nourishment and oxygen from the placenta to the fetus and return waste products to the placenta from the fetus. It consists of a continuation of the membrane covering the fetus and encloses a mucoid jelly through which one vein carries oxygenated blood and two arteries carry unoxygenated blood. After birth, the cord is clamped off and cut
| It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain." - Galatians |
Gifts In Kind Several years ago, as we were struggling to print the booklets, To Moroni With Love, Understanding Islam and The Question of Freemasonry, we were faced with printing bills far beyond our resources. Someone gave us some stock that we were able to sell and cover the entire ‘lack thereof.’’ Another time, as we prepared for a missions trip to Utah, someone gave a van. It came as such a blessing and when we no longer needed it, we sold it and used the $ for the ministry. Gifts do not always have to be in dollars. Think about gifts in Kind. They are still tax deductible and can be a true blessing to us. If you have an auto, boat, travel trailer, RV or other such item that you are not using anymore, please pray about donating it to Saints Alive instead of selling it at low wholesale. We will not only pick it up, put it to good use, but give you a full tax-deductible receipt for the full retail amount of its value. Even if we can’t use it, we can do the selling or trading and use the resulting income or other item for the work of the ministry. If you are interested in donating stock, please call our office, get the account, and transfer information. |
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As always, we urgently need your partnership, your prayers and your financial support.
Please feel free to email us and please visit our website at www.saintsalive.com and click the "Give a Donation" link to let us know you are standing with us in this battle for souls.
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