Eucharist - or - Communion?

While I do not want to always contend with our Roman Catholic brethren; I do feel that it is good that everyone better understand many of the issues where we disagree. That is my purpose in this dialogue; not to argue with or to prove my Friend, Neal, wrong -- but, so that we all my have a clearer understanding of these Biblical teachings and the related teachings of the liturgical churches. Neal is Episcopalian, not Roman Catholic. Yet, on issues such as we discuss in this dialogue, he leans heavily toward the Roman Catholic side.

If you find this useful, please feel free to share it with your Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors -- all your FRANs. Let's keep sharing God's Word with the world -- until He returns.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Hi to my Forum Friends,

In the discussion I began titled "Did Jesus Leave Us Two Ordinances: Baptism And Communion?" -- Beter questions Neal/Aude on the use of the phrase "Words of Institution" which Neal tells us are required to bring about Transubstantiation, i.e, the change of the Eucharist or Communion elements of bread and wine into the actual Body and Blood of Christ.

Celebrating the Lord's Supper, i.e., remembering the Last Supper, can be called both Eucharist or Communion; for Eucharist is normally defined as: a Christian sacrament commemorating the Last Supper by consecrating bread and wine. However, most Protestants prefer Communion for two reasons.

First, because when we take the elements of bread and fruit of the vine, juice -- we are remembering our Lord Jesus Christ and what He has done for us -- and, we are in communion, i.e., fellowship, with Him and with like minded Christian believers. We are celebrating His life, death, and resurrection which He did for us. And, we reflect upon our own Christian life and what we can do to be more mature Christ Followers.

The second reason Protestants resist using the word Eucharist is because we relate this to the belief taught in the Roman Catholic and other liturgical churches -- that the elements, upon the prayer of a priest -- becomes the actual body and blood of Jesus Christ. To us, the mass and the Eucharist, are sacrificing Him over and over again. When, we know that He died once for all. We are to remember Him; not re-sacrifice Him.

Neal tells Beter, "That is because it is not a sacrament to you, no prayer to the Holy Spirit to come upon the elements and become the living Body and Blood of Christ. To us, it is not a memorial rite, rather a means of gaining grace and forgiveness of sins, we are assured that "He lives in us and we in Him." Not just figuratively, but literally and spiritually. A sacrament is not just an ordinance to us. It is the outward and visible sign of a inner and spiritual grace."

You say that through the priest pronouncing this prayer you call the "Words of Institution" -- the elements become the actual body and blood of Christ -- and then, when you consume Him, He lives within you.

The Bible tells us that He, the Holy Spirit, is within us the moment we become a Christian believer. Ephesians 1:13, "In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the Gospel of your salvation — having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise."

At that time, the moment of salvation, Christ sends the Holy Spirit to indwell, reside in, all believers. If God, the Holy Spirit, is already in us -- how can we add more God, Jesus Christ? Either the glass is full or it is empty. If it is full -- you cannot add more. And, with Christian believers -- the glass of God within us is FULL.

Yet, we follow His command, His ordinance, which Jesus Christ left us to do, Communion -- in remembrance of Him. Luke 22:19, "And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."

Then, Neal tells us, "The bishops long ago decided what was to be in the formulae -- and their assistants, the priests, alongside their assistants and lay assistants, have either licenses or, in the case of deacons (are) ordained to preach and marry and proclaim the Gospel, and priests are given a share of the Holy Spirit's power by laying on of hands by the Bishop who is a latter day apostle."

You say the Bishop is a latter day apostle; yet, I find no mention of latter day apostles in the Bible.

Ephesians 4:11-13, "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ."

Here we see the designation of apostles and prophets which were active in the days of Jesus Christ and in the generation which was of Jesus Christ. An apostle is defined, in Acts 1:21-22, when Peter and the other ten remaining apostles took it upon themselves to elect a twelfth apostle after Judas committed suicide, "Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us — one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection." If a man did not actually walk with Jesus Christ and His apostles -- that man could not be an apostle. No man today can claim to have walked with Jesus and the apostles.

The last true apostle, John, died in Ephesus, about 100 AD. The last prophet, John the Baptist, died while Christ was still in His earthly ministry. This leaves only evangelists, pastors, and teachers. We have in 1 Timothy 3:1-7, the appointment of the overseer, in the King James called the bishop. But, if we are to view this passage and Titus 1:5-9 to mean bishop as you do in the liturgical churches -- then all pastors, i.e, priests should be called bishops. A more common usage of the the Greek word "episkope" is to translate it as elder or pastor. Strong's Concordance defines it as: the office of an elder, the overseer or presiding officers of a Christian church.

While many Southern Baptists do ordain deacons; this is not the practice of all Baptist churches; nor even of all Southern Baptist churches. In the Baptist General Conference, i.e., General Baptists, our local churches can have both elders and deacons. Elders are the spiritual leaders of the church. This would include the pastors who, being ordained, can preside at weddings. But, the elders are not ordained. They are chosen from the more mature men of the church and help the pastor or pastors in the spiritual leadership of the local church.

The deacons and deaconesses are the ones who keep the local church running on a daily basis -- caring for the facilities, the needs of church members, making sure that all is done to assure that the worship services go smoothly, etc. In Acts 6, where we read of the twelve apostles of the early church choosing seven mature men to be deacons, we will find the duties of the deacons and deaconesses defined -- to take care of the daily needs of the local church, the local body of believers -- while the apostles, i.e., the elders, devoted themselves to the spiritual needs of the church.

However, in smaller churches, or new church plants -- there may only be elders who will do both tasks. For several years, I was one of three elders in a Baptist General Conference church of less that 100 people; and we assumed the roles of both elder and deacon.

But, nowhere in Scripture do we find latter day apostles, bishops, archbishops, cardinals, and popes described, defined, or designated.

Neal, you tell us, "They are under the bishop's rule and allowed to share their sacerdotal power in pronouncing of forgiveness of sins in the name of the Holy Trinity, and of calling down the Holy Spirit to make the bread and wine holy, the continuation of the Last Sacrifice of Our Lord. It is a sacrifice of praise and faith, but He becomes present and we do consume him, unworthy as we are. By that we are assured we are free of all sin we have confessed and for which we are truly sorry and do repent and resolve to seek the aid of the Holy Spirit to avoid further sin."

Have you really read what you have written? The priest can forgive sins? I looked for other sources of this statement and found this:

THE CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12406a.htm

The Christian law also has necessarily its priesthood to carry out the Divine service, the principal act of which is the Eucharistic Sacrifice, the figure and renewal of that of Calvary. This priesthood has two degrees: the first, total and complete, the second an incomplete participation of the first. The first belongs to the bishop. The bishop is truly a priest (sacerdos), and even a high-priest; he has chief control of the Divine worship (sacrorum antistes), is the president of liturgical meetings; he has the fullness of the priesthood, and administers all the sacraments.

The second degree belongs to the priest (presbyter), who is also a sacerdos, but of the second rank ("secundi sacerdotes" Innocent I ad Eugub.); by his priestly ordination he receives the power to offer sacrifice (i.e. to celebrate the Eucharist), to forgive sins, to bless, to preach, to sanctify, and in a word to fulfill the non-reserved liturgical duties or priestly functions. In the exercise of these functions, however, he is subject to the authority of the bishop to whom he has promised canonical obedience; in certain cases even he requires not only authorization, but real jurisdiction, particularly to forgive sins.

Neal, we have only one High Priest. "Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people" (Hebrews 2:17).

And, even the Pharisees knew that "only God can forgive sins." This is one of their accusations against Jesus Christ -- that He claimed to forgive sins (Mark 2:1-12). Yet, what they were missing was -- that He is God and can forgive sins. Neither a pastor or priest, nor even the pope, is God and can forgive sins. No man, no human, can forgive sins. Only God can forgive sins. And, we have only ONE Mediator between God and man -- the Man, Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5).

And, you say, "and of calling down the Holy Spirit to make the bread and wine holy, the continuation of the Last Sacrifice of Our Lord."

We are told over and over again, in Scripture that Jesus Christ died once for all. There is not place in Scripture that tells us to "continue the Last Sacrifice of Our Lord."

Romans 6:10, "For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God."

Hebrews 7:27, "Who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for alll when He offered up Himself."

Hebrews 9:12, "And not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption."

Hebrews 10:10, "By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

1 Pete 3:18, "For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit."

Yet, you tell us that you "continue the Last Sacrifice of Our Lord." Either the Bible is wrong -- or you are wrong. Which is it?

Finally, you tell us, "It is a reenactment of the first Holy Communion which was on Maundy Thursday, just before He was betrayed and given over to suffering and death."

In essence, you and I agree on this. Yet, I would call it the Last Supper; not the First Communion -- for He had not yet died on the cross. Maundy merely means "command" -- in other words, the command He left us during that Last Supper on the Thursday before He died on the cross on Friday -- that through Communion with Him and other saints, we are to remember Him until He returns.

Neal, what I have shared comes from the Bible -- which is the Sole Authority, the Written Word of God, for all Christian believers. It is our User's Manual to teach us and guide us in all aspects of our Christian life, to teach us that we are to be about the task of bringing the unsaved to Christ for salvation. We need no other authority; we need no other traditions; we need no other rituals. He has given us ALL we need to gain salvation and to help others gain salvation. All we have to do is to accept His "free gift" of salvation -- and be Christ Followers.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill Gray

Are Folks Born Gay? - And Do Morals Save Us?

On an open Forum dealing with Christian faith; there are several responses which can always be counted on to come from both the non-believers and our Liberal Christian brethren. First, people are born gay and therefore can live a homosexual lifestyle and still be Christian. Second, and this is a result of the Liberal Social Theology -- a person must be doing "good deeds" to be saved.

In this dialogue, I offer a newcomer, Art, on the TimesDaily Religion Forum reasons why both of these misconceptions are not true. Please feel free to share this with your Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors -- all your FRANs. Let's keep sharing the Word of God, and refuting false teachings, until He returns.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill Gray

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Hi to my Forum Friends,

In the discussion "What's The Difference Between Fat And Gay Pastors?" I wrote, "Okay, start throwing the rocks. But, keep in mind that I am not telling you Bill Gray's word; I am telling you what the Word of God tells us. Take it or leave it; but, in leaving it -- a person is also leaving the God who authored it."

And, our new Forum Friend, ArtVandelay, responded, "I will leave it. You believe in a sky fairy who knows all, yet you refuse to accept reality here on earth. For example, there are people who are born gay. Also, there are non-religious people have have exceptional morals, but you refuse to accept reality. Christians claim to be caring and loving, yet they try and repress entire classes of people, and spew hate in the name of the sky fairy. Yes, I opt for no sky fairy."

Art, my Friend, be careful with your wording -- some folks may start to believe you are one of our old banned Forum Friends trying to sneak back in -- say Fish or Deep. In leaving God, I am not sure if you are declaring yourself to be an atheist, an agnostic, or just a vanilla flavored non-believer who does not want to become a Christian believer because you feel that you will have to give up your desired lifestyle. Which is it?

Yes, for a Christian believer, there has to be accountability to God -- and to your fellow Christ Followers. But, far from that being a burden, it is a blessing -- for along with that accountability goes the promise of Jesus Christ that we have eternal life, eternal security, in Him. That is what you are missing when you opt out of the Christian faith.

You tell me, "For example, there are people who are born gay."

Please give us a URL source showing that a "gay gene" has been found by science.

No, I am not talking about quoting an atheist psychiatrist, or a group of atheist psychiatrists, who declares the gay lifestyle to be normal; but, an actual scientist who declares and has proven that he/she HAS indeed found a "gay gene" and therefore proves beyond all doubt that folks are born gay.

Until then, I will stick to what God tells us in Genesis 1:24-31, the sixth day of Creation, when man is created in His image -- and He declares, "It is very good." On all the other five days of Creation, He only declares His work to be be "good." But, on the sixth day, when He creates man, He declares this work to be "very good."

Now, let's skip on over to Leviticus 18:22 where He declares the homosexual lifestyle to be "an abomination" and to Leviticus 20:13, where He declares the homosexual lifestyle to be "a detestable act."

Then, run on over to Romans 1:26 where He declares this lifestyle to be "unnatural" and in verse 27 where He calls it an "indecent act."

You get my drift. Why would God declare His creation of man to be "very good" -- and then, create some of them to be an abomination, detestable, unnatural, and indecent? Does this make sense? Who are we to believe -- God or the atheist psychiatrists? I will go with God.

Then you tell me, "Also, there are non-religious people (who) have have exceptional morals. . ."

Amen to that! There are many wonderful, exceptionally moral people who are not Christian believers. I have never questioned that. However, when we speak of being a moral person, we are not necessarily speaking of eternal salvation. A person can be very moral -- and still not have eternal salvation. So, the task of every Christian believer is to tell folks that they need Jesus Christ, they need to be born again (John 3:3), they need to, by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9) -- believe and receive (John 1:12) His "free gift" of eternal salvation.

How do they do this? Glad you asked. In Revelation 3:20, Jesus tells us, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if ANYONE hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me."

In this Scripture verse, Jesus Christ is telling all of us that He is standing at the door of our hearts, patiently waiting to be invited to come in and be our personal Lord and Savior. Believe it or not, there are things which Jesus Christ, God, cannot do. He cannot lie, He cannot make a mistake, He cannot change -- and, He cannot open the door of your heart and make you a Christian believer.

YOU have to do this yourself. This is the function of the gift of "free will" which God gave to everyone in His creation. Each of us has the "free will" to choose to follow Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior -- or to deny Him. It is your choice -- but, YOU MUST make that choice for yourself. No one else can make it for you.

So, if YOU will open the door of your heart and invite Him in -- He will come in and dine with you. In the Jewish culture of Jesus' day; to dine with a person was the highest intimacy. One did not dine with just anyone; but, only with those who were very special. So, when YOU open the door and invite Him to come in -- He becomes the most special Person in your life -- your personal Lord and Savior.

Art, that should be our main goal in life; far above just living a moral life. However, if one is a born again Christian believer -- he/she will live a moral life. We call that the "fruit" of our salvation; that we strive to do the things which are pleasing to Jesus Christ. And, He did tell us, in Luke 10:27, to, "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."

That is all part of being a moral, born again Christian believer. For, we are told in James 2:17, "Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself." We become a Christian believer by opening the door of our hearts to Jesus Christ -- and then, the "fruit" of that salvation is good works, moral works.

If we do not have the good works, as we are told in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, our works will be revealed and tested by fire -- yet, the Christian believer, even if he has no real works (for we are told in Ephesians 2:8-9 that man is not saved by works, lest he boast) -- that believer is still saved, and has eternal life with God. No, my Friend, works, no matter how good -- cannot save a person.

Here it comes! Like rain surely will fall from a rain cloud! Go ahead and say it, "Okay, Bill, how about all those priest who molested young children? Are they moral?"

No, they are not! And, who says they are Christian believers? Just because a person is a priest; just because a person is a pastor; just because a person is a bishop or an elder -- does NOT make them Christian believers.

In the 1970s, Peter Jenkins and his wife, Barbara, walked across America and wrote the book, "The Road Unseen," about this journey. In the book, Jenkins, then not a Christian believer, came upon a Revival Meeting in Mobile, Alabama. The speaker was James Robison, a pastor from Texas. In this excerpt from the book, Jenkins relates this experience with Robison:

++++++++++++++++++++
James wiped his forehead and paced across the platform, "I remember an evangelist who walked up to a man in the congregation one night. The evangelist put his hand on the man's shoulder and asked him if he wanted to become a Christian. The man practically growled at the evangelist, 'I'm a deacon in this church!' And the evangelist calmly said, 'Don't let that stand in your way.'"

As most of the people laughed, he continued, "It's possible to be a deacon, an elder, a steward, a Sunday school teacher, and go to church all your life and not know the Lord."

++++++++++++++++++++
A moral Christian believer may, and most often will, slip and fall into sin on occasion. However, if a person does this evil consistently -- it becomes their lifestyle. And, a Christian believer CANNOT live an immoral, indecent, abominable lifestyle. For that is living a lifestyle which God Himself has denounced.

So, Art, my Friend, I pray that you will reconsider your choice of opting out of Christianity. When Jesus Christ was resurrected, this assured that all humans will also be resurrected and live eternal lives -- some to eternal life with God, others to eternal self condemnation with Satan. The choice is yours.

And, my Friend, I pray that you will choose well. The brief life we have on this earth; the brief worldly pleasures and desires we can attain in this life -- are but a mere pittance when compared to our eternal life. Eternity is a very long time. Plan well for it.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

Get Your Ticket For The Glory Train!

How often have we gotten involved in a discussion about the days of Creation, the act of the Creation itself, evolution, the End Times, salvation, eternal security, etc.? Often these discussions are begun by seekers who are searching for the truth, while, even if he/she does not know it -- seeking God. But, many times, these issues are raised by atheists and secularists as smoke screens; in their attempts to sell their atheistic religion to those who are seeking or to those who have yet to mature in their knowledge of God's Word -- in an attempt to lure them away from God.

The dialogue below touches on several of these issues. I pray that you will find this informative and that you will share it with your
Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors -- all your FRANs. Let's keep sowing seeds, keep sharing God's Word, keep telling folks the Gospel of Jesus Christ -- until He returns.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill Gray

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Hi to my Forum Friends,

In the discussion "Fundamentalism and Moderates" begun by our atheist Friend, Deep, before his most recent banning from the TimesDaily Religion Forum -- and in a recent resurrection of this discussion by Jeeping; the subject of the days of Creation surfaced. In the course of this discussion, we have tiptoed through the time of the Creation, i.e., billions of years versus thousands of years. Then, someone tossed in the Gap Theory; a Liberal attempt to make God fit science. And, then, in Jeeping's recent revival, on to the actual days of Creation: Lunar days -- or periods of millions of years?

At this point, I suggested:

The Hebrew word for "day" is "yom" or "yohm" -- and the Greek word for "day" is "hemera." The word "day" -- in both Hebrew and Greek combined -- occurs 1741 times in 1541 verses in the KJV Bible. Of those instances, at least 80% or better refer to a lunar day, i.e, a 24 hour day. There are time when day does refer to a period of time; but, the great majority of the time, it refers to a lunar day.

Now, since we all know that God is capable of creating anything He desires in an instant, in the blink of an eye; the fact that He took six lunar days must have a significance.

God created the heavens and the earth, and all within this universe, including us -- in six lunar days and then He rested on the seventh. This is our model -- that we are to work six days and take a day of rest. The same with our domestic animals used for farming, etc. -- word six days and a day of rest.

Land produces more abundantly if it is planted for six years -- and allowed to lay fallow, uncultivated, during the seventh year.

Yes, God is pretty smart. But, He knew that we humans are not so much -- so, He set down guidelines -- both in His workings and in His Written Word, the Bible. All we have to do is to follow Him and His divine guidelines.

And, my Friend, Barbaro, responds, "I think if would be extremely arrogant for any of us, including Bill, to think we have an idea of how, when, and how much time it took, to create the earth.....it hurts my head to even think about it..."

And, Sofa chimes in with, "Science has a very good understanding of this verified through the convergence of multiple lines of evidence including geologic, cosmological, astronomical, molecular, radiometric, and a dozen other disciplines. It is simply incredible that we will have people living today in this electronic world that still accept the ramblings of the ancient wise men as literal truth. Bill, God gave us the ability to discern His creation through science. Denying science is to deny His gift to you. Willful ignorance just has to be a sin."

Sofa, my Friend, you have listed a number of fields or disciplines of science; but, the one thing you neglected to tell us is that all of these sciences, and all other sciences -- are subsets of Creation. When "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1) -- that Creation included the complete spectrum of science and all the laws governing the sciences.

You tell us, "It is simply incredible that we will have people living today in this electronic world that still accept the ramblings of the ancient wise men as literal truth."

Not really incredible when one considers that the most Ancient and Wise, the One who authored all the writings in the Bible which you so frivolously denigrate -- is God Himself. Keep in mind that God is omniscient (all knowing), omnipotent (all powerful), and omnipresent (everywhere present) -- and, that He never has to say, "Oops!" And, this amazing "electronic world" -- guess who gave us the knowledge to create it? Yep! You guess it! GOD!

Then, you tell us, "Bill, God gave us the ability to discern His creation through science. Denying science is to deny His gift to you. Willful ignorance just has to be a sin."

Let's break this down. First, "Bill, God gave us the ability to discern His creation through science."

That is true. But, limiting His Creation to the unfinished fields of science -- is analogous to trying to define the miracle of conception and birth -- by examining the birth control pill.

Then, "Denying science is to deny His gift to you."

Who is denying science? We are merely putting science in its proper perspective, a subset of Creation. I have spent my entire adult working life in the computer field. I began working on computers when they were built from vacuum tubes. If you do not know what a vacuum tube is; ask your grandparents or some other mature person. I worked on and with computers through the vacuum tube era, the transistor era, the integrated circuit era, the VLSI (very large scale integrated circuit) era -- I was teaching seminars and courses on microcomputers before there were such things as PCs (personal computers) and Apples/MACs.

So, I would say that the world of science has been good to me -- and I have great respect for science -- and enjoy studying it. And, I thank God for all the science breakthroughs He has given us.

With all that said -- yes, the Creation was six lunar (24 hours) days -- and God rested on the seventh. If you will go back and study Genesis you will notice that for each of the six days of Creation, each always ends with, "And there was evening and there was morning, the Xth day." But, for the seventh day, this does not occur. Why? Do you suppose it is because we are still in God's day of rest -- and will be until He has finished His intended purpose -- that of bringing all who will, by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ; into eternal fellowship with Himself.

I am counted in that eternal fellowship. Are you? As long as your are still breathing on this earth -- it is not to late to accept your "free" ticket on that Glory Train. After you last breath here; your eternal destination is set in concrete. God never has to say, "Oops!" -- but, after this life, He will never say, "Try again!"

But, let me emphasize one more time; we are not saved by what we believe about the Creation; nor how many years we believe it took God to accomplish His masterpiece. We are not saved by what we believe about the End Times, nor how we view baptism, etc.

We are saved -- by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ -- plus NOTHING else (Ephesians 2:8-9). All the other issues we can discuss, we can debate -- but, we should be willing to occasionally agree to disagree. We should NEVER allow these issues to become divisive among Christian believers.

I will end by saying that Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" -- is the foundation stone of our Bible. If this is not true; how can we believe anything else in the Bible? And, that is exactly why the atheists will fight so hard to disprove the act of Creation.

And, John 1:1, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1) -- is the foundation stone of our Christian faith. If this is not true, if Jesus Christ is not deity, if Jesus Christ is not God -- then none of us have a hope. And, that is exactly why the atheists will fight so hard to deny God and to deny Jesus Christ. This is Satan's futile attempt to defeat Christ.

To close the Biblical parenthetical declaration -- we have Revelation 22:13, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." and in Revelation 22:20, "He who testifies to these things says, 'Yes, I am coming quickly.' Amen. Come, Lord Jesus."

So, my Friends, let's discuss all the Biblical issues; let's enjoy occasionally butting heads over issues; let's present our positions and allow others to present theirs; let's agree or refute those positions -- for these type discussions, which I liken to a good Bible study, will help us all grow and mature in our knowledge of God's Word. But, let us never allow these discussions to become divisive among Christian brothers and sisters. And, let's encourage our non-believing Friends to join our discussions -- for we never know which small seed may grow into eternal salvation for just one more person.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

The Seasons Of Our Lives! - Revisited

In 2005, I wrote and posted the article below on the Sheffield High School Class of 1955 50th Reunion web site.  And, now in 2010, I am posting it on our Bill & Dory Gray Christian Ministries Blog site.   Coming upon it today, it seems appropriate to share with all my Friends - for we all are in a season of our lives.

For some of my youthful Friends, it is still Spring.  For others, maybe Summer is in full bloom. Or you may find yourself enjoying a relaxing Fall with the cool breezes, awesome colors of nature all around, maybe frequent strolls on the beach hand in hand with your life-mate. 

But, Winter is coming and we all must be sure we are prepared for this rewarding season of our lives.  With those thoughts, please allow me to share these thoughts with you.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
  THE SEASONS OF OUR LIVES

When we think of the seasons:
Spring - Summer - Autumn - Winter  We can relate these to seasons of our lives.
However, I probably have a somewhat different perspective on that association than many people. My wife, Dory, often asks me, "When are you going to grow up?"  And, I always reply, "God willing - never."

Spring is when the young buds begin to sprout, tender and fragile.  But, nurtured and loved, those young buds soon burst into a beautiful, colorful life of joy.  That was us, the Class of 55, in the early 1950s at Sheffield High School - young, full of life, bursting out in youthful enthusiasm, ready to take on life with all our being.

Yes, I see Spring as a time when the new warmth puts life into our spirits and a spring into our steps.  Spring fever is not a myth; it is that time of year when we want to feel, to experience, to enjoy, to burst forth.

I recall a Spring day in 1953, sitting beneath that large old Oak tree on the lawn at Sheffield High School, feeling the sun warming my soul.  My friend, Roy Green, joined me under the tree and was also afflicted by Spring fever.  One of us suggested that a swim in the Tennessee River was a much better way to spend such a beautiful day, than sitting in stuffy classrooms.  So, off we go in Roy's car, park on Montgomery Avenue, then with inner tube in hand, we walked down to Whippoorwill Hollow on the Sheffield side of the Tennessee River.  What a glorious day for a swim.

Being in high spirits, the decision to swim the river was a natural.  On the first leg of the swim, from the Sheffield side to the Florence side, I paddled the inner tube while Roy swam. Then, on the return trip, I swam as Roy paddled in the inner tube.

Everything was fine until I was about thirty yards from the small cove where we had to go ashore at Whippoorwill Hollow.  All of a sudden, no matter how hard I swam, I could not move.  The river currents were too strong.  Looking up, I saw that tiny cove, that narrow beach, and everything beyond that was just sheer cliff.   If I could not swim into that small cove, I would be swept downstream where I would not be able to get out of the river.  I can only say that it must have been God who brought me ashore; for it was not my strength nor my swimming abilities.  Even then, God was there for me, although I did not know Him at that time.

Yet, Roy and I were in the Spring of life.  Small problems such as that possibility of drowning easily pass and are forgotten.   The next day, we were back at Sheffield High without a thought of what could have happened. That is one of the symptoms of youth; the inability to learn from experience.

The Summer of our lives.  We were all building careers, building families, running the race - not always sure where it was taking us.  We were in full bloom.  Watch out world, here we come!

I don't know if, in the 1960s, you saw Anthony Newley's Broadway play "Stop The World, I Want To Get Off."  But, I was fortunate enough to see the original when it was a new hit on Broadway.  And I will never forget it.  Newley's character in this play was initially a young street lad in London, out to woo, win, and seduce all the girls.  He meets a young lady named Evie, the daughter of a leader of industry.  Seeing his golden opportunity, he marries Evie and goes to work for his father-in-law's company.

The play was sort of a comedy; yet it really made you think about life.  It was a comedy, yet it gave a better perspective on life than most dramas ever could.  Newley's character, throughout the play was dressed in a mime costume; but this did not detract from the message.  Periodically, as life's pressures would build too high, Newley would walk to the edge of the stage, look at the audience, and announce in a high pitched voice, "Stop the world. I want to get off!"  Haven't we all felt that way many times?

Initially, when Newley's character went to his father-in-law's office; he had to stretch very high over his head to reach the door knob.  As the play progressed, the lad increased in stature within the company, until eventually the executive office door knob was at his waist level.  He had arrived.

Now, it was time for Dad to retire and Son-in-Law to take over the family business.  Newley's character was exceedingly successful in growing the company into an international giant.  In the meantime, Evie kept having babies - until at one time, he tells her, "If only all of our plants were as productive as you!"

Newley's character becomes a world leader in industry; rubbing shoulders with world leaders, presidents, prime ministers, the top of the world.  And, as he traveled around the world, he continued to meet and woo women in every country.  In the play, each female conquest in the various countries was always played by the same girl who played his wife, Evie - which lent an ironic twist to his affairs.  He was looking all over the world for love; yet, each time he found it, it looked just like Evie.   Life is often that way.

Then, came the Autumn of their lives.  He and Evie retire to a rich resort island, lived the life of luxury.  Then Evie dies.  That is when he walked out to center stage, with a pathetic, defeated look.  In spite of the vast material wealth he had gained, you knew his life was empty.  That is when he sang the beautiful song "What Kind Of Fool Am I?"


WHAT KIND OF FOOL AM I?
Words & Music by Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newly

What kind of fool am I, who never fell in love?
It seems that I'm the only one that I have been thinking of.
What kind of man is this? An empty shell,
A lonely cell in which an empty heart must dwell.

What kind of lips are these, that lied with ev'ry kiss,
That whispered empty words of love, and left me alone like this?
Why can't I fall in love, like any other man,
And maybe then I'll know what kind of fool I am.

What kind of clown am I? What do I know of life?
Why can't I cast away this mask of play and live my life?
Why can't I fall in love, like any other man,
And maybe then I'll know what kind of fool I am.
Although it was in the 1960s when I saw this play during its Broadway debut, and later saw it in Hollywood with Joel Grey playing the lead - I have never forgotten the impact this play, and especially this song, had on me.

I knew that the good life I was living in California and in my travels - the exciting career, the night life, and the parties - were just like Newley's character in "Stop The World."  Playing the clown and never finding true value in life.

However, God stepped in.  Actually, He had a beautiful Filipina lady named Dory step in, under His guidance.  And my life has never been the same since.  Praise the Lord!

Now, we are all in the Autumn of life - and to me, this is an exciting time.  Gone is the youthful, mindless Spring of life; gone is the hot, often disastrous Summer of life.  And now, we can walk in the cool shade of the Autumn of our lives.  We can actually take the time to stop, to see, and to smell the roses; we can stare in awe at God's gorgeous display of colors as we watch the flowers bloom, the trees become many colors.  Life is in full display all around us.

And, because it is Autumn, it is cool and pleasant to walk among and enjoy all of His wonders.  We are in the best season of our lives.  And I pray that you are enjoying your Autumn.  For that is His plan, laid out from time eternal, that you will have an exciting, exhilarating, wonderful Autumn of life.

Winter will come.  But I know that you have given thought to that and have realized that Winter need not be an ending.  It can be the beginning of a new, eternal season with Him. Winter is not a season to fear - if you have stored up your treasures with Him.  Have you done this?

If not, don't you think it is time to really consider your relationship with Jesus Christ?  For He is your promise of an eternal season.   Don't allow your Autumn to turn to Winter, without being sure of your relationship with Him. 

It is never too late - unless you allow Winter to take you before you truly know Jesus.   If you are not absolutely sure that you have that saving relationship with Him, that you have His assurance of your salvation - then, I urge you, no, I beg you - take the time to seek and find Him now, today.

Throughout all of these years, I have been privileged and thrilled to be your classmate, a part of the Sheffield High School Class of 1955.  I look forward to seeing all of you at our 55TH CLASS REUNION in 2010. 

This time, God willing, I will be there - and so will you.

God bless, Bill

The Passover/Resurrection Connection

Today, as we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ -- I would like to share the HFT Connect eNewsletter below from David Hocking's Bible Teaching Ministry -- HOPE FOR TODAY. David is one of the more knowledgeable of our Protestant leaders on End Time Events (Eschatology) and the Jewish religion and culture; and how the two are intertwined.

God told Abraham, and through him, us:

Genesis 12:1-2, Now the LORD said to Abram, 'Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing;'"

That nation toward which God was leading Abraham and his descendants -- is the nation of Israel. And, although it is small, Israel, with the grace of God, is a powerful nation. The miracles which have occurred in their march to independence and sovereignty since 1948 can only be attributed to the hand of God.

Americans and our leaders would be well advised to pay heed to God promise in Genesis 12:3, "And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."

That blessing for "all the families of the earth" is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ -- the promised Messiah.

Let us pray that our current national leaders will stop working so hard to bless the oil producing Arab nations -- and remember that Israel is the land promised to Abraham and his descendants, the Israelis, by God Himself. And, God has made it abundantly clear that if we, America, curse Israel -- He will curse us.

Many years ago, in our Fil-Am Church of Irvine, we had guests from Jews For Jesus, a Messianic Christian organization, come to our service and explain the Seder to us and how we, as Christian believers, can relate this Jewish celebration to our celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Today, on this blessed Resurrection Day, it is good for us to look at how our Jewish friends celebrate their Passover and the relationship between the two. These two web sites will give you a better understanding of that relationship:

The Messianic Israel Alliance:
http://www.messianicisrael.com/news/teachings/passover-and-the-resurrection.html?Itemid=39

Have You Met The Jewish Jesus:
http://www.jewishjesus.org/Article5.html

My Friend, God will bless us as we bless His people, Israel. Please feel free to share this with your Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors -- all your FRANs. Let's keep sharing and telling folks that our Savior Lives!

I pray that you and your family have enjoyed a glorious Easter -- as we recall the Resurrection of our Lord.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

BLESSED RESURRECTION DAY!
DAVID HOCKING, HOPE FOR TODAY
HFT Connect, April 4, 2010
http://www.davidhocking.org

Today (all over the world) Christians meet to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Yeshua! Praise God - He is alive and coming again! Last Monday, March 29, was Nisan 14 on the Jewish calendar -the day of Passover. According to Leviticus 23, the Sunday after the week in which Passover begins is the Jewish festival of FIRSTFRUITS which I Corinthians 15 teaches is the celebration of the Messiah's resurrection!

Tonight, David & Carole will be celebrating the Passover with friends and the family of Shuvah Yisrael Messianic Congregation in Irvine, California, where our good friend, Larry Feldman, is the congregational leader and Bible teacher. Hundreds will gather this evening at the Hyatt Regency in Irvine to celebrate this wonderful event!

Here is a brief outline of a Messianic Passover taken from the following passages: Exodus 12:1-20; Leviticus 23:4-8; Deuteronomy 16:1-8

The word "Haggadah" is Hebrew for "story" or "narrative" or "showing forth." Add the meal, and it is called the "Seder" which means "order."

Here are the items on the Seder plate:

Karpas - parsley - used for "dipping." It reminds us of the arrival of spring when new growth begins. The Passover marks the end of slavery, but the beginning of a new of freedom, both physically and spiritually.

Zeroa - shank bone of a lamb - reminds us of the central theme of sacrifice in the celebration of the Passover.

Moror - bitter herbs - reminds us of the bitterness of slavery under the Egyptians, but also of the bitterness of life without true freedom and redemption.

Charoset - sweet mixture of nuts, apples, and wine - reminds us of the mortar used in building in Egypt - the sweet taste reminds us of God's kindness which makes slavery easier to bear.

Chazeret - horseradish - used for the second "dipping"

Betazag - roasted egg - symbol of a "Festival Offering" offered in the temple on each of the three required festivals to attend - Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. Also called the "Chaggigah" - also a symbol of mourning over the loss of the two temples.

THE FOUR CUPS OF WINE - Exodus 6:6-7

1. The Cup of Sanctification (Thanksgiving) - "I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians"

2. The Cup of Judgment (Plagues) - "I will rid you out of their bondage"

3. The Cup of Redemption (Blessing) - "I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments"

4. The Cup of Praise - "I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians."

The meal begins with the "Brechat HaNer" - the blessing of the candles - the lady of the house lights them - reminds us that the Messiah was the Seed of the woman to bring light to the world.

1. The Kiddush - the first cup of sanctification and thanksgiving - everyone drinks of it.

2. The Urchatz - the washing of the hands - probably the place where our Lord washed the disciples' feet - John 13:1-17

3. The Karpas - parsley dipped in small bowl of salt water (represents the tears shed in Egypt and the Red Sea - both of which are salty - everyone eats the parsley dipped in salt water.)

4. The Yachutz - breaking of the middle matzah - symbolizing our Lord's death - being broken for us - matzah is "pierced" and "striped" and "unleavened" - hidden (His burial) and later to appear (resurrection) - afikomen - "dessert"

5. The Maggid - "telling of the story of the Exodus"

6. The Four Questions:
* Why is this night different from all other nights when we can eat regular bread, but on this night - only unleavened bread?
* Why do we eat only bitter herbs?
* Why do we dip two times?
* Why do we recline while we eat?

7. The Makot (slayings) - the cup of plagues. The use of the finger reminds us of the "finger of God" mentioned in Exodus 8:15

8. Zeroa (shank bone) - reminds us that our Messiah is the Lamb of God!

9. Sulchan Orech (dinner is served)

10. Afikomen (Breaking of Bread - after dinner)

11. The third cup - the Cup of Redemption

12. The Cup of Elijah filled & the door opened

13. The fourth cup - The Cup of Praise

And...Jews around the world will say: "NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM!"

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

NEWS REPORTS:

FORMER OBAMA AIDE NEW HEAD OF AIPAC
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu (Arutz Sheva News):

Lee "Rosy" Rosenberg, a jazz recording industry veteran capitalist who accompanied U.S. President Barack Obama on his campaign trip to Israel two years ago, takes over on Sunday as the new President of American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Rosenberg also served on the President's national campaign finance committee.

The new AIPAC President hails from Chicago, the home state of President Obama, and also is on first-name terms with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod, President Obama's senior advisor.

Steve Rosen, a former 23-year, high-ranking AIPAC official, told the Chicago Tribune, "I don't think AIPAC has made any secret of the reality that his friendship with the President played a role in Rosy's rise. He's a guy who works very hard at fundraising and in the political arena. It was not as if he was plucked out of nowhere. He paid his dues. But I'm sure nobody was blind to the fact that he's from Chicago."

Rosenberg is known as an expert in bringing in big money from powerful people who generally are not outwardly committed to Israel.

AIPAC claims more than 100,000 members and is considered the most powerful Jewish lobby in Washington. It held its annual three-day conference this past week and heard addresses from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Their relationship has been sorely tested recently because of American and Arab opposition to Israel's building for Jews in long-established Jewish neighborhoods in parts of Jerusalem that were resorted to Israel in the Six-Day War in 1967.

"The fact that he and the president have had a relationship helps now," Illinois Democrat Rep. Mike Quigley told the Tribune.

Rosenberg's ventures have included real estate, a music recording company, and high-tech startups and investing in jazz documentaries.

He replaces Michigan-based David Victor, who recently signed an AIPAC letter asking Congress to "demand" that the Obama administration "enforce existing sanctions law and impose crippling new sanctions on Iran."

ISRAEL SEES DRAMATIC CHANGE IN US RELATIONS IN NEAR FUTURE
(Israel Today News)

While Israeli leaders try to downplay the current tension with the US, unnamed officials in Jerusalem acknowledge that Israel's relationship with America is likely to change dramatically for the worse over the course of President Barack Obama's term in office.

In remarks carried by Ha'aretz, Israeli government sources said the recent behavior of Obama and other high-ranking US officials toward Israel points to an imposed peace settlement with the Palestinians and wider Arab world over the next two years.

The sources noted that one of the US demands of Israel to make up for the recent perceived insult of continued Jewish building in Jerusalem was that all final status issues be on the table in upcoming US-brokered indirect peace talks.

If Israel agrees to that demand, it would mean giving the Obama Administration much more influence over the peace terms Israel would have to accept regarding issues such as control of Jerusalem, final borders and the return of so-called "Palestinian refugees."

Israeli officials again warned that Obama's behavior is hardening Palestinian positions and putting genuine peace even further out of reach. They also cautioned that Israeli public trust in America would further wane.

David Hocking
Hope For Today
http://www.davidhocking.org

He Has Risen! - That You Might Live!

Hi to my Forum Friends,

Late last night, I received an e-mail from my good Friend, Jim Miller, asking, "Bill on another note. I wonder if you could do me a favor. I wanted to post something about Jesus' time between his death and resurrection. I know of 1 Peter 3:19 but was hoping you might know the passage or passages that speak more specifically about his descent and his proclamation of victory. I looked and looked but can't find what I was searching for. Of course, I wanted to post it today so you may not have time. Please don't go to a lot of trouble looking stuff up but if you can help just off the top of your head, please do so. Thanks Bill, Jim

Hi Jim, thank you for raising this question which is so important to us -- not only during this Easter week; but at all times. Jesus Christ came in human form, our Redeemer Kinsman, to "pay in full" our pardon and to make eternal salvation available to all who will, by grace, through faith in Him, believe and receive this free gift. When, on the cross of Calvary, He declared, "It is finished!" (John 19:30) -- His earthly work had been accomplished. His blood "paid in full" the sin debt for all mankind. All we have to do is to believe and receive this free gift from Him.

But, many will ask, how about all those who died before Jesus Christ came to atone for our sins -- how can they be saved? They are saved exactly the same way as you and I are saved: by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ. How, when He had not yet been born and died for us, could they be saved through Him. Hebrews 11 tells us of the great faith of those Old Testament saints; they believed in God and they trusted His promise to send their Messiah. Their faith was that their Messiah would come to save them -- and He did.

In Matthew 12:40, Jesus tells us, "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

Many will say that this is wrong, or that Jesus did not die on Friday. Yet, we must keep in mind that the Jews of Jesus' day had a different way of reckoning the 24 hour day. To them, the day ended at dusk, 6:00 PM, and a new day began. Jesus died on Friday afternoon and was taken to the tomb. He descended into Hades on Friday (day one), was there Saturday (day two), and rose on Sunday morning (day three). To the Jews of His time; that represented three days and three nights.

What did He do during those three days?

1 Peter 3:18-20, "For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water."

Pastor Chuck Smith, Calvary Chapel, wrote in his commentary on 1 Peter:

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jesus preached to the souls in prison. Now in the prophecy concerning Jesus, in Isaiah 61, says, "The spirit of the Lord is upon me; because the LORD has anointed me to preach the good tidings to the meek; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those that are bound" (Isaiah 61:1).

What is he talking about? The prison was death by which men were bound. They were held captive (by death). Jesus came to open the prison to those who are bound, or to open Hades for those people who were bound there, who died before Jesus died for our sins. So when He died, He descended into hell. And He preached to those souls that were in prison. And when He ascended out of hell, He brought with Him those who had been captive.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

In Ephesians 4:8-10, we read, ". . . 'When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.' Now this, 'He ascended' -- what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things."

In his commentary, Pastor Chuck, for clarity, has paraphrased this, "He who has ascended is the same one who first of all descended into the lower parts of the earth. And when He ascended, he led the captives from their captivity" (Ephesians 4:8-9).

And, he explains:

(In) Luke's Gospel, the sixteenth chapter, Jesus describes what hell was like prior to His death: Two compartments, no capacity for crossing from one to the other. One was a place of torment, the other was a place of comfort. Those who died in faith went to the place of comfort and were comforted by father Abraham. They are the ones to whom Jesus preached when He descended into hell. But "For You (God) will not leave My (Jesus) soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption" (Acts 2:27). But this same Jesus has God raised from the dead (Acts 3:15, 4:10).

And Matthew's Gospel, chapter twenty-seven, tells us that the graves of many of the saints were open and they were seen walking in the streets of Jerusalem after His resurrection from the dead. He led the captives from their captivity. So opening the prison.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A popular television Prosperity Preacher erroneously teaches that Jesus Christ died and went into hell where Satan punished Him for three days. This is totally unBiblical and wrong; yet, this man bases it upon this Scripture passage: 1 Peter 3:18-19, "For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison." According to him, Jesus Christ was in hell, in Torment, with all the other lost souls. Totally unBiblical -- and totally wrong.

So, what does this Scripture passage tell us? Yes, Jesus Christ died and went into Hades for three days -- and He preached to those in Hades. And, this passage does tell us that He preached to those who had once been disobedient in the time that Noah was building the ark. From Luke 16, we know there were two compartments in Hades at that time: One was Abraham's Bosom, Comfort, for those who died in faith -- the other was Torment, for those who died still following the world, the lost.

The Bible tells us He "made proclamation" -- in other words, preached. We can be sure that His preaching included two totally different messages: For those who died in faith, His proclamation would have been similar to the Bema Seat Judgment we will one day face -- a proclamation of our rewards in heaven. For those who died without God, His proclamation was surely similar to the Great White Throne Judgment which all those who are lost will face one day -- a proclamation of their eternal condemnation, self condemnation brought upon them by their continued rejection of God's mercy in Jesus Christ.

And, then, on the third day, Sunday, "He ascended, He led the captives from their captivity" (Ephesians 4:8-9). He took the Old Testament saints into heaven, where they are today. Jesus Christ hung a sign on the Abraham's Bosom side of Hades, "Closed. No Longer Needed. No Longer Occupied!"

Those Old Testament saints are in heaven today. When a Christian believer leaves this life -- he/she joins them in fellowship with Jesus Christ in heaven. One day, when the Rapture occurs -- we will all join them and we will all receive our glorified bodies so that we will be like Him. Jesus Christ sits at the right hand of God, in His glorified human body -- and we will be like Him.

1 John 3:2, "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears (the Rapture), we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is."

This is a story of hope, of eternal security, eternal salvation -- for all Christian believers; Old Testament saints, New Testament saints, and the future Tribulation saints. We have an eternal home with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Blessed Assurance! Blessed Hope!

However, this is also a story of urgency, of the need, the desperate need -- for all of us who now believe -- to be sharing the Gospel of Salvation, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, diligently until He returns. Just imagine if your words, your deeds, bring even one soul into a life giving relationship with Jesus Christ -- imagine the great joy of meeting that brother or sister in heaven one day. In this life, we must celebrate our victory in Christ -- but, we must never be slack in telling the non-believer about Him and His love for them; of His desire to see everyone receive His "Paid In Full!" free gift of salvation.

Let that be your goal this Easter -- and all year long.

And, don't forget to share this message with your Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors -- all your FRANs. Today, do all you can to help one person make his/her reservations on the Glory Train.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill Gray

Ed Roberts - A Man You Never Knew - Touched Your Life!

Late last night, I looked in the TimesDaily Obit Section and found that an old friend had passed. Even though he touched most lives, even though his influence helped make it possible for you and me to be sharing these messages on a computer from our homes -- most will have no idea who this man was or what he did.

His name is Ed Roberts and he started a small company in Albuquerque to develop, build, and sell Heathkit (a name for we more mature) style build-it-yourself electronic devices such as test instruments. He went on to develop a build-it-yourself microcomputer called the Altair. This development attracted a young Harvard student named Bill Gates and his friend, Paul Allen. They went to Albuquerque, met Ed Roberts -- and became his programming staff. Later they went on to found Microsoft Corporation -- after the cut their teeth at MITS.

Shortly after that, I joined MITS and was responsible for building a network of independent Manufacturer's Sales Representatives throughout the western states and for presenting Microcomputer Seminars to the many people who were hungering to know more about this new thing called microprocessors.

One of the men I signed to sell the Altair in Northern California was Paul Terrell. At that time, there was one computer store in the world -- a mom and pop store in Los Angeles. Paul opened the second computer store, the Byte Shop -- and from there, he built the first franchise retail computer store chain, the Byte Shops. At his first Byte Shop in Mountain View, California, Paul met and, to some degree, influenced Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs, who went on to found Apple Computer.

And, all of this grew from the entrepreneurial mind of Ed Roberts -- whom virtually no one knows. Some years later, Ed sold the rights to the Altair microcomputer and followed his main dream -- to become a medical doctor. While Bill Gates and Paul Allen went on to found Microsoft -- Ed Roberts went on to become Dr. Ed Roberts, family doctor. Each fulfilled his dream.

And because of these men, especially Ed Roberts -- I am able to sit at my personal computer in my home office and send you e-mails, post messages such as this on the Religion Forum, and devour massive amounts of information via internet. We all owe a great deal of thanks to this man virtually no one knew.

Below is the my post in the Ed Roberts Obit Guest Book:

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
My sincere condolence to the family of Ed Roberts. My name is Bill Gray and I worked for Ed at MITS in the mid-1970s. To me, he was the entrepreneur who saw a niche in the microcomputer market no one else noticed -- the old Heathkit build-it-yourself approach -- grabbed the ball and ran with it; scoring the winning touchdown.

This was a time before the PC computers, before the Apple computer, before disk operating systems, before CRT displays, and all the nice little gadgets we all take for granted today. Yet, this was a time when many people wanted to know more about this amazing little device called the microprocessor. And, Ed Roberts help satisfy that hunger people had to know more about the microprocessors, microcomputers, and how they could use them.

Many people may not realize that Ed Roberts was very instrumental in the startup of the Retail Computers stores we see in all communities today. And, his product influence was there for the beginning of Apple Computer.

Ed Roberts came up with the idea to outfit a large luxury RV as a computer showroom and sent it around the country giving Microcomputer Seminars. That year, he drove the RV right into the Anaheim Convention Center during the Fall Joint Computer Conference and parked it in the MITS booth. As a matter of fact, it became the MITS booth. And, it created excitement.

At that time, there was only one computer store; a mom and pop store in Los Angeles. These Microcomputer Seminars, which were Ed's brainchild were a big hit. I would fly to different cities, meet the Traveling RV Computer Showroom -- and we would present Seminars in local hotels.

During one eventful week, I presented two nights of Microcomputer Seminars at the Hyatt Hotel in Palo Alto, where I met an old friend, Paul Terrell. Paul was so impressed with the large audiences we had -- that he signed up to sell the Altair computers in Northern California. A month later, Paul opened the the Byte Shop computer store in Mountain View, California, to sell the Altair in a retail and hobby environment. Then, a short time later, he opened a second store in Palo Alto with his brother, then another in Oregon with another brother -- eventually building the first franchise computer store chain, the Byte Shops, into 250 stores nationwide.

His store in Mountain View became a focal point for computer hobbyists and Paul's involvement in a local hobby computer club helped to sell his Altair products. Through this connection, he met Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs -- and we know they went on to found Apple Computer.

In the 1970s, the microprocessor exploded on the scene -- and Ed Roberts, with his entrepreneurial skills helped turn this into the tsunami which has become the PC and Apple flood of computers in every home and office around the world. As I said, few people know the extent of Ed Robert's influence in starting the computer phenomenon we take for granted today.

Ed Roberts' name should be up there in the history books with all the giants who have created the computer society we have today -- for his entrepreneurial spirit and drive played a large role in this societal phenomenon. Talk to folks today and ask them if they know Ed Roberts -- and virtually all would say no. Tell them that he was instrumental in putting those computers into their homes and offices -- and they will be shocked. Ed Roberts is most certainly the most unsung hero of our computer society today.

Thank you, Ed. And, thank you for allowing me to be a small cog in that movement of the 1970s computer tsunami you started.

Once again, my sincere condolence to all of Ed Roberts' family and friend.

May God bless and comfort you in your loss,

Bill Gray
Southern California
billdory@pacbell.net

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Have you ever thought about how much our lives are touched in so many ways -- by people we do not even know exists? Now, you know that one man, Ed Roberts, has touched your life.

This is a link to the condolence message, "Remembering Ed Roberts," posted jointly by Bill Gates and Paul Allen:

http://www.thegatesnotes.com/Thinking/article.aspx?ID=126
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill Gray