Our Friday Night Bible Study ~ And Eternal Life!

Last Friday evening, because of work schedules and folks busy working on the renovation of our new church building - I was asked to lead an impromptu Bible study for the rest of us.  The group was mostly youth, young adults, with a few of we more mature young folks.  The subject I chose for us to explore in our dialogue that evening was the Christian believer's promise of Eternal Security.

This is a subject which is frequently discussed on religion forums and was chewed to death in my old stomping grounds, the TimesDaily Religion Forum.  There are many like me who firmly believe that the Bible teaches that a believer cannot lose his/her salvation, i.e., we have eternal security in Christ.  Another name for that belief is "Once Saved, Always Saved" which is often shortened to OSAS.  I cannot begin to tell you how often I have had the epithet thrown at me, "Oh, you are one of those OSAS nuts!  You believe all you have to do is say you believe and you are saved, all your sins are forgiven - and then you can go live like hell!"

Yes, I am one of those nuts who believe that a promise from Jesus Christ is firmly set in concrete and will never be broken.  No, I do not believe that a true believer, a person who has 'by grace through faith in Jesus Christ' been given salvation, eternal life (Ephesians 2:8-9) - will continue to live a carnal, secular life.  We are assured in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."   That means that the old carnal, secular world loving person who once was Bill Gray is no longer living there.  He has been replaced by a new being, a new creation in Christ - and the old self has been laid to rest.

Does that mean that Bill Graydoes not sin, will never sin again?  Absolutely not!  If that were true, I would be perfect as He is perfect and would not need a Savior.  But, oh boy, do I ever need a Savior?  I needed him badly before I was saved - and I need His presence in my life today, daily, every moment. 

The big difference is that when Jesus Christ died on the cross, He paid the sin penalty debt owed to God - for all people.  We read in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world (the world, i.e., all the people of the world, no one excluded) that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting (eternal) life."

Do you see the key point in that Scripture promise?  He died for the whole world, "paid in full" the sin debt for the whole world.  But the gating factor we find in the phrase:  "whoever believes in Him."    That is the definition of faith, trust in His power to save us.  So, even though Christ died to pay the full price for our sin debt to God - a person has to believe and receive that free gift of forgiveness and eternal life.  If you do not receive His gift - you do not have it - and you are still a lost soul wandering in the secular world.

Ephesians 1:13, "In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise."

Then Romans 8:1 tells us, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."   This Scripture verse assures the believer that the moment we believe, trust in and put our faith in Jesus Christ - we will never again be condemned to the wrath of God.

In our Bible study last Friday, I was thrilled when I asked the question, "If someone asks you to give Biblical proof to support your belief that Jesus Christ has promised and has given you eternal life - how would you answer?"

And one of our young men, Herbert, answered right away, "I would offer John 10:29."   I told him, "Yes, that is exactly where I would go - for in that Scripture passage Jesus absolutely promises us that NO ONE can snatch the believer out of His hands nor out of the hands of the Father."

Then I asked Herbert to read that Scripture passage:   

John 10:24, "The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, 'How long will You keep us in suspense?  If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.'

John 10:25-27, "Jesus answered them, 'I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these testify of Me.  But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep.  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;'

John 10:28-30, 'and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.  I and the Father are one.'"

There are two key phrases in this Scripture passage:  Eternal Life and No One!

When I asked Kaitlin the meaning of Eternal Life, without hesitating she replied, "Life that never ends."  Praise God that the youth and young adults in our Christian fellowship are well taught.  Her answer was right on the button.  Jesus Christ gives eternal life to the believer - and eternal means "never ending."   There is only one definition for salvation, i.e., life which is never ending.  That means that the believer will have never ending life in the presence of God.  That, my Friend, no matter how we dissect it - is Eternal Security.

The other key phrase is "No One!"   Regardless of whether we look at this phrase in English or Greek, it means the same.

The English phrase"no one will snatch them" in Greek is "oudeis dynamai harpazo" and according to Strong's Concordance of the Bible it means:

a. "oudeis dynamai - No person will (1) be able, have power whether by virtue of one's own ability and resources, or of a state of mind, or through favorable circumstances, or by permission of law or custom (2) to be able to (3) to be capable, strong and powerful. 

b. harpazo" - (1) to seize, carry off by force, (2) to seize on, claim for one's self eagerly, (3) to snatch out or away.

 
So we have: "oudeis dynamai harpazo" or "no one will be able to seize, carry off, or snatch us away."  And that means that we are secure in the hands of Jesus Christ.  NO ONE means NO ONE, not even the believer himself can snatch us out of His hands.

Our Arminian brethren will tell us that, "No one can snatch us out of His hands, but we can walk away from Him."

Once again I will say, "NO ONE means NO ONE, not even the believer himself can snatch us out of His hands."

And the otherepithet often thrown at us is, "If you believe in 'Once Saved, Always Saved' - you must be a Calvinist!" 

No, my Friend, I could never be a Calvinist - for I could never accept the Calvinist teaching of Predestination - nor of their Limited Atonement, the teaching that Christ died only to save those people pre-selected by God before the Creation, i.e., the Elect.  I could never accept their interpretation of John 3:16, that the word "world" means only the pre-selected Elect - when Jesus Christ said "whoever believes has eternal life."

Our Calvinist brethren want to limit the grace of God by saying that He only wants to save some of the people He created in His image, the Elect (a teaching which is denied by 2 Peter 3:9).   And, our Arminian brethren want to limit God's power, His sufficiency, His ability to hold on to those He has saved.  The latter, our Arminian brethren, walk though life always looking over their shoulders, always afraid that some small or unknown sin will take away their salvation.

Both of these erroneous teachings, or theologies, occur because these brethren want to build their theologies upon a few selected, cherry picked Scripture verses/passages - or upon the teaching of men.  Our theology MUST be built upon the full 66 books of Scripture, alone.

These questions I have asked my Calvinist and Arminian brethren:

For my Calvinist brethren:  "Since we are all totally depraved (the "T" in TULIP), how do you know that God has chosen YOU before the Creation to be among His Elect?  You tell me, 'Because I feel it' or 'Because I am living a Christian life.'   No, that is what YOU are doing - and since you tell us we all are totally depraved and can do nothing, of ourselves, to be saved - that cannot apply.  How do you know that YOU were chosen among the Elect?"

For my Arminian brethren:  "Which sin will cause you to lose your salvation?   Is there a sin which is greater than all other sins?  The Bible tells us that all sins are equally grievous to God?  And Jesus Christ died to 'pay in full' our sin debt to God - for ALL sins.  The only sin which is unforgivable applies only to non-believers - and that is the sin of not believing unto death.  So, which sin will cause YOU to lose your salvation?'

So far, no one has answered either question.

We believers are the promised Bride of Christ - indwelled and sealed by the Holy Spirit of God the very moment we believe and receive Him as Lord and Savior (Ephesians 1:13).  We have committed ourselves to Him, to following Him.  Will we sin?  Unfortunately, yes, for we are all still weak, frail humans with an innate sin nature. 

But, praise God, we are "forgiven sinners" - we are "forgiven sinners" who cannot go back into the world and live an active sin lifestyle.  For we have the Holy Spirit of God living within us, who has sealed us in Christ.   The Holy Spirit living within us will teach us, guide us, and convict us when we do sin.  We are promised in:

1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

As Christian believers, we are "forgiven sinners."   But we cannot live an active sin lifestyle and be Christian believers.

Sin is when we, either inadvertently or on purpose, do something which is against the will and commandment of God. 

Sin Lifestyle is when we chose to make that sin (homosexuality, adultery, stealing, etc.) our active, permanent way of life.

If a person does choose to turn his/her back and ignore Christ when He knocks (Revelation 3:20) and live an active sin lifestyle -  it is obvious that person has never been indwelled by the Holy Spirit and has never made an eternal commitment to Jesus Christ.
In summary, Jesus Christ tells us that He gives us eternal life: 

John 10:27-28, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, .  .  . "

Eternal, as pointed out earlier, has only one meaning:  never ending!  If the life that Christ gives us is never ending - that has to mean that no one can snatch us away AND that we cannot just decide to walk away.   We have a bilateral commitment with Christ - a commitment from us and a commitment from Jesus Christ - that we, the believer, will spend "eternity" - never ending eternity - in the presence of God.

And, that my Friends, most certainly IS Eternal Security!

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

Are YOU Wearing The Full Armor Of God?

It always amazes me when God uses others to give me a green light to write on a delicate subject in one of my blog writings.  It happened this week. 

Last Sunday at IBBC-Riverside Pastor Sergio gave a moving message about the dangers of sin creeping into our Christian lives.  His message was that we can become too comfortable, to complacent in our daily Christian walk, feeling that we are so secure in Christ - that temptation cannot snare us.  And that is when we are most vulnerable.

After his message I shared with our fellowship how his message is not only very true - but that this messages has touched on a moment of weakness which occurred in my own personal life.  I shared about that moment with my immediate church fellowship family, but decided it might be too personal to share with the world in a blog.

Then, yesterday my long time Christian brother, Friend, and solid rock counselor when I need spiritual advise, Pastor Joe de la Peña, posted a blog written by one of his young relatives, Ayessa de la Peña.  And this young Christian lady seemed to echo the thoughts of this much older man, Bill Gray.

She wrote in her blog - and this is just an excerpt most applicable to my situation:  

https://ayessadelapena.blogspot.com/2018/03/my-notes-on-not-even-hint-on-intimacy.html

This is a difficult thing to write, mainly because these issues hit close to home.  I have a very imperfect past.  All of us have.  So reading Josh Harris' (book) "Not Even a Hint: Guarding Your Heart Against Lust" - was both enlightening and painful.  Enlightening because I now understand this better, compared to when I first read the book at 18.  And painful because, well, I've struggled with lust, too.  I'm still struggling, to be honest, and God is still dealing with that part of my life.

Through this rough road, God has constantly reassured me that all my sins are already forgiven because Jesus paid for them when He was crucified.  That when my Father looks at me, He sees nothing but the blood of Jesus whom He sent to bridge the gap between a perfect God and His sinful children.  That I've become a new creation.  That I can do nothing for Him to forgive me more and love me more.  Jesus' work on the cross is complete and finished.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.  All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us.  We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."  (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)

I am sharing these notes below - (after so many prayers and begging for God to please just keep this between me and Him, He finally told me to just write this) - because contrary to popular belief, women also struggle with lust.  Just in a different way.  Here's praying this will help those who are struggling with these same things, too, especially my fellow women of God.

Bill Gray Note:  The points below are an abbreviated list of her notes for the sake of brevity:

1.  Repent and ask God to come into your life as both Savior and Lord, knowing that He will complete and finish the good work He has started in you.

2.  Recognize that it is only through Jesus that you will win the fight against sin.  He has already won the fight on the cross when He gave up Himself that we may be reconciled to the Father.

3.  Delete and throw away all copies of movies, TV shows, books, and magazines that will only trigger lust.  It is better to get these out of your sight than put yourself in a difficult situation in the future.  

Bill Gray Note:  Further down in this blog, you will see that I can truly relate to point number 3.

4.  In times of enemy attack, read the Bible and pray that God reveals Himself to you.  Listen to what He has to say.  Then cry your heart out to God and tell the enemy that God has already won your heart and its desires.

5.  Seek to know God more and to have a deeper relationship with Him.  When we understand who the God we're serving and worshiping is - the more we'll come to know how good and faithful He is.  And slowly, He'll fill in the spaces of our hearts with love that will satisfy even the most desperate longings (sexual or not) we have.

So, what great revelation did Pastor Sergio's message and Pastor Joe's Facebook post of Ayessa's blog stir within me?  Glad you asked.

Prior to becoming a believer, I spent fifty years of my life following the secular society and wallowing in its worldly pleasures.  Yes, I was into worldly parties, drinking, sexual desire supposedly fulfilled - all the "feel good - chase your tail" fun and desires which the secular world offered.

Then, at the age of fifty, in 1987, under the spiritual guidance and Godly love of Pastor Sam Lacanienta,I became a Christian believer.  And my life began to change.  Through Bible studies, corporate studies in the Fil-Am Church of Irvine (CA) fellowship, and personal studies - I began to grow in my knowledge of God's Word and in my daily Christian walk with Jesus Christ.  In other words, I began to mature in my walk with Christ.

I could tell you that all those worldly things from my past no longer appealed for me - but that would not be true.  Even as a believer, we have to take up the Full Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20) daily to protect ourselves from Satan's temptations and urges toward carnal desires.  Even little things like telling off-colored jokes as I did in my pre-Christian days - at times almost slipped out.  We have to be on constant watch against such things. 

I recall an incident years ago, when walking into a client's office an object on his desk made me think of a joke I had often told in my earlier years - and without thinking, I almost went into it.  But, praise God, the Holy Spirit within me stopped me.  Yet, I have to admit the temptation was there and it almost slipped out.

Yes,I began to feel very secure in my faith and in my daily Christian walk - and that can, at times, lead to complacency, to being careless - just as Pastor Sergio warned in his message last Sunday.  I had survived years since becoming a believer without Satan's temptations causing me any real problems.  Hey, I must have him licked, I must be keeping old Satan in his place.  Or so I thought.

Fast forward to the mid-1990s and I went to a computer show in Boston.  I was staying in a hotel about two blocks from the convention center, so I enjoyed walking back and forth each day.  Normally when I am staying in a hotel for days or, in this case, a week - I like to have snacks in my hotel room in case I get the munchies.  So, the first day as I walked back to my hotel I passed a small market and decided to go in and buy my munchies.

Walking into the market I had to walk past their magazine rack - and there on that rack was a selection of the men's adult magazines I read for so many years before becoming a Christian believer.  I wasn't expecting to see them in this small Mom & Pop market - I had no desire to look for a store which sold such magazines - I had not even thought of such magazines for years.  But, there I was - face to face with them - and experiencing Satan's subtle temptation which he had slipped past my spiritual guard.

Yes, along with the munchies I had gone into the store to buy - I came out with several of those magazines.  By the time I got back to my hotel room my spiritualcomplacency was shattered.  I felt like a man who had been wearing a white suit - and then went wallowing in a pig sty.  Yes, I felt very dirty, very sick in my heart - for I knew that Satan had caught me at a moment of weakness - and had led me into sinning against my Lord.

No, Satan did not force me to buy those magazines.  He just put the temptation there in a moment when my guard was down, in a moment of spiritual weakness.  And, for a moment he seemed to have won.  But you and I know that the reason I began to feel so dirty, so soiled - is because the Holy Spirit was doing His job, He was convicting me (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30, John 16:7-11).

What was I to do?   The number 3 suggestion in Ayessa's list above has the answer:  "Delete and throw away all copies of movies, TV shows, books, and magazines that will only trigger lust.  It is better to get these out of your sight than put yourself in a difficult situation in the future."

And that was my immediate thought.  I could just throw those magazines in the trash can in my hotel room - but the temptation would still be there telling me, "Don't worry, Bill.  It is just a small sin, just for today - you can enjoy them once again - and then you can get rid of them."   No thank you, Satan.  First of all, there is no "small sin" in the eyes of God.  Sin is sin - and God hates sin.

I put those magazines back into the paper bag, left my hotel room, and walked about half a mile down the street until I found a trash dumpster.  And, boy, was the content of my paper bag absolute trash?  Yes, that was the appropriate place for such magazines - buried in a trash dumpster where I could not be tempted - and where no one else could stumble upon them and be tempted by Satan's magazines.

Now, let me share with you the greatest blessing from this messy episode?  For the rest of that week I walked to and from the convention center - passing that store every day, twice a day - and I was NEVER tempted to go to that magazine rack again.   Praise God I felt clean once again.

Yes, I have bared my soul to you.  Just asAyessa bared her soul in the blog that she posted and that Pastor Joe shared.  Pastor Sergio's message and Pastor Joe's sharing of Ayessa's blog - was a healing ointment for now I can share my story, prayerfully hoping that it will be the message some other believer needs to hear at this moment. 

And, just as May Patam, wife of Pastor Charles Patam, shared with me way back in the early 1990s when we were discussing our Fil-Am Church of Irvine quarterly newsletter, published through the hard work of Fernando Cinco (now Pastor Fernando), who was distressed seeing most of them end up in the trash can after the service, "If one person, just one soul, is helped by the work of making the newsletter - then that is worth all the work." 

And that conversation was the seed which began my years of eNewsletters, blogs, and apologetic dialogues. 

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

Christian Feminist Theology? ~ And The Decline Of Family Values In America!

ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE "CHRISTIAN FEMINIST THEOLOGY"?  ~  Don't feel bad, neither am I.  Yet that is the theological belief of Dr. Alison Downie, who earned her PhD in Systematic Theology at Duquesne University (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) with a concentration in "Christian Feminist Theology." 

Her academic interests include ecofeminist theologies, disability theologies, religious understandings of self and memoir, religious themes in literature and film, and interfaith dialogues.  She is also active in the scholarship of teaching and learning.  (https://www.iup.edu/religiousstudies/faculty/downie,-alison/)

That introduction and the article posted below made me think of our Sunday School Class last Sunday.  Our class is currently going through a Sunday School workbook titled "The ABC's of Christian Maturity, A-Z Bible Studies In The Meat Of The Word" by Robert J. Sargent.  We are currently up to "D" in our workbook and, as you might guess, our subject last Sunday was Divorce.  As our class began, Sunday School leader, Ben Gallardo, read from the introductory part of our lesson:

The United States of America leads the world in divorce. .  .  .  The divorce rate (in America) has tripled since 1960.  A University of Oklahoma study found the "no fault" divorce laws raised the divorce rate in 44 states. .  .  .

A 1988 study by the National Center for Health Statistics found that children in single-parent families (including those whose parents never married) are more likely to drop out of high school, become pregnant as teenagers, abuse drugs, and get into trouble with the law than those living with both parents.  [Sources:  Los Angeles Times, 5/27/96, Family Research Council, US Department of Health & Human Services.]

Does anyone notice a statistic, a time frame in that statement which could account for this decline in family stability and moral family values? 

Yes - 1960!

What happened in the early 1960s which could so drastically change family values and alter the family landscape in America?  Glad you asked.

In 1963 the atheist activist, Madelyn Murray O'Hair, teamed with the ACLU and petitioned the Supreme Court to remove God, the Bible, and prayer from all American public schools.  Along with the removal of God from our schools and public lives - two extreme changes were brought about by this 1963 Supreme Court decision:   (1) Evolution firmly replaced teaching of the Creation in our schools - from Kindergarten through college and university, and (2) Positive Moral Values could no longer be taught in our school systems.  That void of moral values was filled by the teaching of Relative Moral Values, i.e., Relativism.

What is Relativism?  Basically Relativism has one criteria for all moral values:  "If it feels right to you - it is right!"   Yes, folks, now everyone, from children in kindergarten, to young adults, to cranky old seniors - can establish their own moral values.  "If it feels right to you - it is right."  And that includes sexual activities, smoking, drinking, ignoring parental guidance, etc., anything that feels right to you, regardless of your age or maturity - IS RIGHT for you!  Forget how it impacts others.  All you need concern yourself with - is yourself.  After all, it is all "relative!"

And, heaven forbid that a student, especially a male student (who is a religious studies major)in the lecture class taught by Dr. Alison Downie of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, appropriately named: "Christianity 481: Self, Sin, and Salvation" - should propose that there are only two genders.  How dare he suggest that God created man in His own image, that He created mankind as male and female:

Genesis 1:27, "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."

A student at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania was kicked out of a class on Christianity (for) arguing that there are only two genders.

Student, Lake Ingle, was suspended from Dr. Alison Downie's class on Christianity after he argued that there are only two genders.  After viewing a TED talk by transgender ex-pastor Paula Stone Williams, Ingle raised his hand and claimed that biologists believe that there are only two genders.

Ingle was immediately kicked out of class by the professor and asked not to return.  Now, pending an administrative investigation, Ingle - a senior - may not graduate in May.

In a shocking letter, Indiana University of Pennsylvania provost Timothy Moerland says that on top of Ingle’s suspension from the classroom, he will be required to apologize to the class.  Ingle will then be forced to listen to his peers describe how his comments made them feel.

Lake will write an apology to the professor which specifically addresses each of the disrespectful behaviors described above, demonstrating ability to take responsibility for inappropriate behavior which has significantly damaged the learning environment of this course. 

He will explain the importance of an atmosphere of safety for an educational environment, acknowledge how his class behavior has significantly damaged this classroom atmosphere, and explain how he will demonstrate respect for the professor, the course material, and all fellow students at each remaining class session. 

On March 8, Lake will begin class with an apology to the class for his behavior and then listen in silence as the professor and/or any student who wishes to speak shares how he or she felt during Lake’s disrespectful and disruptive outbursts on February 28.

“My professor is violating my First Amendment rights because of the fact that my views and ideology are different from hers,” Ingle told Fox News in a comment.  “So she took it on herself to silence and embarrass me – bully me – for speaking up in class.”

“It is my firmest belief that every human being has the freedom and right to identify, dress, and represent oneself as they see fit,” Ingle added.  “I think this is all an attempt to silence my views personally because they contradict the ones she pushes in class.  .  .”

The Indiana University of Pennsylvania is a public research university located in Indiana, Pennsylvania.  Alison Downie, the professor for Ingle’s course, claims expertise in “Christian Feminist Theology.”  She is a faculty member of Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Women’s and Gender Studies program.

Ingle says that this incident has only strengthened his motivation to become a professor.  “When you see that kind of misuse of intellectual power, you want to be the person that comes back and does it responsibly and with morals,” Ingle said.  “Instead of being the purveyor of your ideology, you can be (should be) an educator.”   (http://www.breitbart.com/tech/2018/03/12/student-booted-from-christianity-class-for-arguing-that-there-are-only-two-genders/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social)

Dr. Alison Downie looks to be about mid-fifties, which would mean that she was born and grew up in the mid-1960s - and is a product of that "Relative Moral Values" generation.  Couple that with a PhD from a liberal university - and we have the perfect formula for creating a Liberal Feminist professor who will continue to propagate false doctrines such as a "Christian Feminist Theology."  

Is there any doubt in your mind why college age students today are so confused about God, moral values, and their own gender identity?  A great number of them grew up in educational environments which follow the Secular World's teaching - rather than the values found in God's Word?

Is there any doubt why so many young people are confused about their own gender, sexuality, and purpose in life - why they collapse emotionally when those values are challenged?  Can you see what that kind of "population indoctrination" means for the future of America and American families? 

Food for thought?  Absolutely.  Also it should be strong motivation for each of us to begin our own personal campaign of bringing the Word of God to a lost, fallen America and world?

To view the graphic below, click on the image and it will be displayed in larger format.  When you are finished viewing the larger image, click on the "X" at the top right corner of the screen to return to the normal blog viewing.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

Keep Your "I" Out Of My "Eye"! ~ Revisited Again

We all have those "gotcha!" words or phrases which cause us to cringe when we hear or read them.  My "Arghhhh!" moment is when I hear a speaker (which happens more often than in writing) misusing the "I" and "me" pronouns. 

You would be surprised how often we hear it.  And very often from well educated speakers.  I first shared my angst over this"Arghhhh!" moment in 2007, in 2010. and again in 2014.  So, I guess 2018 is a good time to revisit that blog.

This is my blog from 2014:  

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Let me share with you a writing I did back in 2007 and 2010.  Why, you ask?  Because it seems that no one listened to me then.  It is amazing how many speakers I hear, and writers I read - who should know better, yet do not seem to know when to use the pronouns "I" and "me."   Matter of fact, it seems that I see and hear these confused more often now than I did back in 2007.

So, since I read a lot (books, magazines, e-mail, Facebook, etc.) of writing from other folks, to help you keep your "I" out of my "eye" - let me offer this wee bit of grammar advise, just once more:

IS YOUR AUDIENCE AN "Arghhhh!" AUDIENCE, OR AN "Ahhhh!" AUDIENCE?
By Bill Gray, Date:  Fri, 02 Feb 2007

In the mid-1960s, I had a friend who worked as a secretary at Boeing in Seattle.  It drove her totally nuts when she heard a person use the non-word "irregardless."  Pulling her hair, she would tell me, "There is no such word as IRREGARDLESS!  The word is REGARDLESS, irregardless of what a person thinks!"

I have the same hair pulling urge when I hear a person use the wrong pronoun "I" when that person should be using "me."  You would be amazed at how often I have heard otherwise highly intelligent, highly educated people - in the pulpit, on radio, on television, in person, (now on Facebook) - doing this.

Yesterday, to my amazement, I heard one of my favorite Bible teachers, Dr. Chuck Missler, commit this "fingernail scraping on the blackboard" offense twice in one sentence.  As my role model, Charlie Brown, would say, "Arghhhh!"

I cannot tell you exactly what Dr. Missler was teaching, for the distraction over his "I" was total.  However, he said something like, "That is totally foreign to you and I.  Scripture tells us that this is not right for you and I."

"Arghhhh!"

Now, most likely, many people will not even notice this mistake, nor even care.  But, for a person who enjoys writing, a person who enjoys using words to paint ideas and thoughts - that is analogous to an artist using bright red paint when the scene being painted calls for a pastel blue or yellow.  I know, I know.  Some Friends will ask, "So, what difference does this make?" 

And to those Friends, it makes no difference.  However, when a speaker is working hard to reach "everyone" in his/her audience, the difference can be a lost or broken train of thought for some, if not many, in that audience - as happened to me yesterday while listening to Dr. Missler teach.

Especially when the error is so easy to avoid.  "Pray tell, Bill, how do I avoid this horrendous mistake which so grates upon your ears?" 

I'm glad you asked.

This mistake happens most frequently when a writer or speaker is using a compound sentence.  A compound sentence is one which is composed of two or more main clauses but no subordinate clauses. 

"Bill, Bill, speak English, please!"

Okay, a main clause if one which has a subject and a verb, and can stand alone, i.e., "That is totally foreign to you" and "That is totally foreign to me."   And that is how you may test the sentence to see if you are using the correct pronouns.

When we break Dr. Missler's compound sentence, "That is totally foreign to you and I" down into its two main clauses, we get, "That is totally foreign to you" and "That is totally foreign to I."    Would you say, "That is totally foreign to I"?  No!  You would say, "That is totally foreign to ME."

By the same token, Dr. Missler's sentence, "Scripture tells us that this is not right for you and I" - when broken down into two main clauses will read, "Scripture tells us that is not right for you" and "Scripture tells us that is not right for I."   How long will it take your audience to get a glazed, void look on their faces when you use sentences such as, "Scripture tells us that is not right for I"?

No, no, no!   It only sound right when you say, "Scripture tells us that is not right for ME."

In the future, so that there will be no glassy eyed people in your audience; so that there will be no one sitting in your audience screaming, "Arghhhh!" - please break the sentence apart in your mind to test it, before you allow it to escape from your mouth.  Then, we can all sit back and listen to you speak, with a smile, and a soothing, "Ahhhh!"

Just a thought.  Share this with your Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors - all your FRANs.  That way, possibly we will see far fewer people sitting in audiences with large patches of hair missing.  Those are the "Arghhhh!" people.  And we will experience far more smiling, hair in place, "Ahhhh!" people in the audiences.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

 

Herbert, Jeremiah, And I Discuss Anthony Pezzotta's Book "Truth Encounter"

While the world is still absorbing the loss of Billy Graham - last Friday evening in our Bible Study/Prayer Meeting, I was reminded of the loss of another spiritual giant in 2014, not as well known as Billy Graham - but still a giant in my eyes.   In our Prayer Session that evening, I paired with two young Christian brothers, Herbert and Jeremiah.  In a discussion after our prayer time, we talked about sharing our faith and being a witness to our Roman Catholic friends and family. 

I shared with them how I met Anthony "Tony" Pezzotta, who served as Roman Catholic Director of Schools and Seminaries and Rector of Local Salesian Communities in Manila, Philippines, for ten years   His testimony, sharing, and writings taught me that his leaving the Roman Catholic church in 1974 - did not mean that he was estranged from, or turning his back on, all his Roman Catholic family and friends.

That is why Anthony Pezzotta wrote the book "Truth Encounters, Catholicism And The Holy Scriptures" and described it as "A Bible Study For Catholics."  In actuality it is a great Bible Study book for both Roman Catholics and for Protestant believers.

On April 5, 2014, the Christian world lost this spiritual giant and I wrote the blog below of the passing of my Friend, Anthony Pezzotta.  For years Tony worked as Director of Ethnic Ministries with the Conservative Baptist Association of Southern California (now named Pacific Church Network) and his book was available through that office. 

Since his death in 2014 Pacific Church Network has not reprinted his book because Tony's daughter, Marie Pezzotta Foote and her husband, Jordan, missionaries in San José, Costa Rica, have published the book in PDF format and are making it available on the internet.  

Prayerfully either Pacific Church Network, or Marie and Jordan, will have this valuable book reprinted.  It is handy to have in PDF format online - but when we want to share Tony's book with family and friends - it is best to be able to give them a hard copy book.  Let's all keep in prayer that one of them will make this happen soon.

 
Below are two URL links which tell about the book and give a way to purchase it online:

Truth Encounter Book
Pacific Church Network
http://www.pacificchurchnetwork.com/truth-encounter-book/

Truth Encounter: Catholicism and the Holy Scriptures
http://www.truthencounterbook.com/

So, with all that said, if you want to read more about Anthony Pezzotta's life and influence in the Christian community, Roman Catholic and Protestant, my blog from 2014 is posted below:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

THIS WEEK THE CHRISTIAN WORLD HAS LOST A GIANT.   Anthony Pezzotta went home to be with our Lord.  To the best of my knowledge, Tony has been afflicted with an Alzheimer type disease for the past several years.  He has been living in Denver with his family.  This week, his daughter, Marie Pezzotta Foote, a missionary in San José, Costa Rica, posted the following message on Facebook:

My Daddy is SAFELY HOME, in the arms of Jesus.  What a bittersweet time for our family, after his long battle against a terrible illness.  I am so incredibly happy for him ... but there is definitely a part of me which aches inside right now, in a place where words struggle to form.  I want to praise the Lord for answering our prayer and healing him permanently. 

I want to thank all of you who have been a safe place of love & support to our family, especially to my parents and to my brother, as they bore the brunt of the struggle.  Please continue to hold us up in prayer, especially my Mom, who has lost her best friend of 40 years. Mostly, please rejoice with us that, because of who Jesus is, one day, we will see Daddy again, perfectly whole, perfectly free.

I first met Anthony Pezzotta in writing some 25 plus years ago.  A Filipino pastor Friend gave me a floppy disk which contained the unpublished manuscript of a book titled "Far From Rome, Near To God, Testimonies Of Fifty Converted Roman Catholic Priests" edited by Richard Bennett, former Dominican Priest and now Director of Berean Beacon in Portland, Oregon, and Martin Buckingham, Director of The Converted Catholic Mission in Leicester, UK.

That book is available at:   https://www.thebereancall.org/content/far-rome-near-god

When I began to read the manuscript, I was immediately drawn to the very first testimony (at that time) in the unpublished manuscript.  That testimony was written by Anthony Pezzotta and is titled "I Found Everything When I Found Christ."   The reason I was immediately drawn to his testimony is that he was born in Italy into a devoutly Roman Catholic family, educated in Roman Catholic seminaries in England, Germany, Spain, and Rome, and spent a large part of his early ministry in the Philippines. 

After being ordained, he went to the Philippines where he taught theology in Roman Catholic seminaries.   He was later appointed and served as Director of Schools and Seminaries, as well as a Rector of Local Salesian Communities, for ten years.  His association with the Philippines caught my attention because I was saved in a Filipino church in 1987 and have been associated with Filipino-American churches since then.  And, my wife, children, and grandchildren are Filipino.

In his testimony "I Found Everything When I Found Christ" Tony wrote:

At the end of January 1974 I was in Santa Cruz, south of Manila, where an attractive Baptist church had just been built.  I had never been in a Protestant church, so one day I walked quietly into the sanctuary to look around.  Almost immediately I was greeted by a friendly Christian believer who introduced me to the pastor, Ernesto Montealegre.

Tony goes on to tell how he and Pastor Ernesto, in their conversations and friendship that followed, tried to convert one another.   To make a long story a wee bit shorter, Father Anthony Pezzotta had a friendship with Pastor Ernesto Montealegre and also with my long time Friend, Pastor Joe de la Peña, now senior pastor of the Church On The Solid Rock in Lake Forest, California.  And through that relationship Tony made the final decision to leave the Roman Catholic church and join the Baptist church.

About ten years ago, I was leading a Bible study in a Filipino-American church in Corona, California.  That night, one of our members, Don, asked if I knew of any good resources he could offer his parents.  He was concerned because his parents were still in the Roman Catholic church. 

What a coincidence!  Just the week before I had been in the Berean Christian book store in my neighborhood and saw that the book "Far From Rome, Near To God" had been published and Berean had a copy on their shelf.  I told Don about it and went the next day to buy the book for him.  But, evidently they had sold their only copy.   I asked them to order two copies for me.

This is where it gets funny.  When I did not hear from them right away, other things began to happen and I forgot about the books.  Two years later, honest - TWO years later - I received a call from the Berean Christian book store, "Mr. Gray, the books you ordered have come in."  

"What books?" I asked.  Remember, it had been two years.   "The copies of 'Far From Rome, Near To God'" the young lady told me.

After I stopped laughing, I told her, "That was two years ago."   And, her response, "Naw, it couldn't have been!"    Anyway, by the time I went to get the books, those two had been returned or sold.  But by then I was able to find the book in another Christian book store.

Several years ago, my Friend, Pastor Joe de la Peña, e-mailed me that Tony Pezzotta was speaking at their church the following Sunday.   Dory and I went to that service - and finally I was able to meet Anthony Pezzotta in person.  I was not disappointed.  Tony gave a message and then we broke for our obligatory Fil-Am Food Fellowship.  No, that is not why I have stayed in Fil-Am churches for 26 years - but it is definitely a plus.  Then Tony led a Question/Answer session.

One thing that Tony emphasized in his Q&A session, as well as in his writings, is:  Even though he chose to leave the Roman Catholic church, he did not dislike nor look down upon Roman Catholics.   Tony, like me, still had family and friends in the Roman Catholic church.  It was just that he could not continue to teach and practice what he could no longer believe. 

In December 2012, I wrote on the TimesDaily Religion Forum:

Today, while researching information for another article, I came upon the "Catholic Answers Forum" and a discussion regarding the book titled "Far From Rome, Near To God" which is the personal testimonies of 50 Roman Catholic priests who converted from Roman Catholicism to the Protestant faith.

A lady on the "Catholic Answers Forum" had written a negative comment about the book and the priests who had given their personal testimonies.  So, I felt it prudent to jump in and attempt to offer insight into the book and some of the priests involved in bringing it to the public.  This is what I wrote on the "Catholic Answers Forum":

Hi all,  The book "Far From Rome, Near To God" is not a list of malcontents who have run from God.  Actually, these are men, priests, who have been teaching the Word of God for many years - and, finally could not continue to deny the Bible as the sole authority for salvation and Christian living.  In other words, they could no longer deny that we are saved, by grace, through faith - alone (Ephesians 2:8-9).

In closing his testimony "I Found Everything When I Found Christ" - starting on page 266 of "Far From Rome, Near To God" - Tony Pezzotta tells us, on page 270, "The Bible teaches that it is not the church that makes us, but believers who make up the church.  And since it is by grace through faith that we become lively stones of His church, Christ is the true builder.  On the authority of the Bible alone, one must believe only on Him!"

Tony Pezzotta has also written an amazing book titled "Truth Encounter, Catholicism and the Holy Scripture."  I highly recommend this book to both my Protestant and Roman Catholic friends.  

This book is available through CB Southern California, PO Box 2279, Montclair, CA 91763-0779, Phone: 909.482.0728; or by contacting CB Ministries at cbministries@cbasc.com; or by going online at:  http://cbasc.com/order_truth_encounter_online.htm

About seven years ago, the man who led me to the Lord in 1987, Pastor Sam Lacanienta, and his wife, Ida, were leaving to do an extended ministry in the Philippines.  The church had a special farewell service for them where many of us gave our testimonies about how this Godly couple had touched and changed our lives. 

One man, Carlos, stood, showed us his copy of "Truth Encounter, Catholicism and the Holy Scripture" and told us that even though he had been attending church with his family, he had not really been a Christian - until he read Tony Pezzotta's book "Truth Encounter" - and that made the difference in his life.

Anthony "Tony" Pezzotta has made a great difference in many lives through his Christian heart and ministry.  Now, he has been promoted to heaven and to his deserved reward for being a faithful servant.

Matthew 25:21, "His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your Lord.'"

Tony, my Friend, your family and all your many Christian Friends look forward to being in heavenly fellowship with you again one day.

To all my Friends, you can still profit from the legacy left behind by Tony Pezzotta - through the books "Far From Rome, Near To God" and "Truth Encounter, Catholicism and the Holy Scripture."  

I pray that you will not only read these books, but that you will share them with your FRANs, all your Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors. 

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

 

 

The Divine Chains Of Eternity And Billy Graham

The recent death of Billy Graham has inspired many of us to put in writing what he meant to us personally, and what he has meant to America and the whole world.  He has preached the Gospel, in person and via electronic media, around the world - and literally millions say they came to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior through a Billy Graham outreach.

In 1999, as an Elder in the Fil-Am Church of Corona (now the Corona International Christian Fellowship, CICF) one of my ministries was doing the Sunday Worship Service bulletin.  Viewing this as an opportunity to edify and encourage folks in our fellowship, I usually included an insert in the bulletin sharing the Gospel or other information which I felt would be helpful,edifying, and/or instructive for our members.   For the October 10, 1999, Sunday bulletin I included an insert titled "The Chains Of Eternity."   Below is a slightly edited reprint of that 1999 bulletin insert:

THE CHAINS OF ETERNITY

Life is a continuous chain of events - cause and effect.  If one event in the chain is changed, the effects can be great, possibly changing history.  Fictional novels have been written about people who are able to go back into their past and do something differently.   I am sure we have all had such fantasies at some time, i.e., if only I had taken this path and not that one. 

Several years ago their was a television show titled "Quantum Leap" about a scientist who was able to time travel into the past.  But he was warned that no events were to be changed - for the effects on the world could be catastrophic. 

There was another television show on the PAX network titled “Twice In A Lifetime.”   The story line is about a person who has had, or is having, a traumatic event in his/her life, i.e., terminal cancer, suffering the lingering effects of a youthful abortion, lost a child through neglect, and many other painful events.  In this television show, the people are divinely granted an opportunity to go back into their past anonymously for an opportunity to convince their youthful self to alter his or her lifestyle, possibly preventing the troubling event from occurring in their older life.

Why these thoughts on the chain of life events?  Because we, as born-again Christians, are links in a real, divinely designed chain of events.  To illustrate, let’s follow a chain which involves a man who is familiar to all of us, Billy Graham.  Although this chain began in the Garden of Eden, we will jump into it in the 1860s, and follow it through Billy Sunday, to Mordecai Ham, to Billy Graham, to events which have influenced our lives, and to events happening in our lives today.

In the late 1860s a young lady, Sarah Dunn, was decorating her family home in Waterloo, Iowa, when she felt the Lord was calling her to ministry.  It seemed that she heard an audible voice asking, “What are you doing to decorate your heavenly home?”   Thoughts of perishing souls marching into an eternity without Christ began to flood Sarah’s mind.
 
Later she moved to Chicago, and in 1873 she met and married Colonel George Clarke, a real estate business man.  He shared her spiritual desires and together, in 1877, they opened the Mission Sunday School in a small storefront in Chicago which would seat 40 people.  There the homeless and downtrodden found warmth and the love of God through George and Sarah Clarke.

In 1880, they moved to a larger facility in a building vacated by the notorious Pacific Beer Garden.  Dwight L. Moody, the great evangelist of the 1800s, recently back from an evangelistic crusade in England, suggested they change the name to Pacific Garden Mission, which is the name of that mission to this day.

At this point in time, as very frequently happens, several momentous eternal chains seem to overlap.  During Dwight L. Moody's crusade in England, Horatio G. Spafford, a wealthy Chicago businessman and a friend of Moody, was going to England to help him in the crusade - to give the Spafford family a vacation to recover from the recent death from Scarlet Fever of their four year old son - and to recover emotionally from the financial loss they had suffered in the great Chicago fire of 1871.  Due to last minute business problems Spafford sent his wife and four daughters on the ship as scheduled, assuring them he would follow on the next ship. 

Crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the ship S.S. Ville du Havre, carrying his family was struck by another ship and sank.  Spafford's four daughters were lost at sea while his wife survived.  Heartbroken, he immediately took the next ship to join his wife.  It was on this voyage, while reflecting on his great loss, that God gave Horatio Spafford the peace of mind to write the great hymn we all have sung so many times, “It Is Well With My Soul.”  How many of us have found peace and assurance from the words of that hymn?

In the late 1800s Billy Sunday was a professional baseball player for the Chicago White Stockings (now the White Sox).  He was a heavy drinker, a carouser, living a fast worldly life.  As the story is told, in 1886, Billy Sunday was drinking in the seamier part of Chicago when he first heard the Gospel from the Pacific Garden Mission’s roving Gospel Wagon. 

That night Billy Sunday visited the Pacific Garden Mission, liked what he heard, and finally one Sunday evening publicly invited Jesus into his heart.  He continued to visit the mission, became an eager Bible student, and frequently gave his testimony at the mission.  Later, he left professional baseball and the lucrative income it provided to work for the YMCA.  In 1910, he started his own full time evangelistic ministry.

In 1923, Billy Sunday held a Revival Meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina, and one of the men saved at this revival meeting was Thomas Wilson, father of Grady Wilson, a long time friend of Billy Graham and a fixture in the Billy Graham evangelistic team.  Thomas Wilson and a group of other Charlotte businessmen, all of whom had come to the Lord at Billy Sunday’s revival meetings, formed a group called the Billy Sunday Laymen’s Evangelistic Club, later to be renamed the Charlotte Business Men’s Committee which is still active today.

In 1934, the depression was on and many people had little faith to carry them through the hard times.  The Charlotte Christian men’s group, most of whom were saved at the Billy Sunday meeting in 1923, held an all-day prayer meeting to discuss inviting Dr. Mordecai Ham to Charlotte for a Revival Meeting (they were not yet called Crusades).  Even though the local pastoral association was not in favor of the revival meeting, these Christian laymen made it happen.  Vernon Patterson, leader of the laymen’s group, later prayed that “out of Charlotte the Lord would raise up someone to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth.”  That prayer, most certainly, was answered in Billy Graham.

The Mordecai Ham Revival Meeting lasted eleven weeks and two of the converts of his evangelistic outreach were Grady Wilson and Billy Graham, who at the time even though both were teenagers in Charlotte, did not know one another.  Yet, they soon became strong friends and through divine guidance their spiritual growth and lives seem to run in the same path.  Through college and early pastoral endeavors their lives became entwined and a few years after Billy started his crusades Grady Wilson joined his team and is still very much a factor in the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association Crusades.

In the late 1940s an organization called Christ For Greater Los Angeles wanted to have a revival meeting in Los Angeles.  They invited Angel Martinez, a dynamic Baptist evangelist in Texas, to be their speaker.  He turned them down because his heart was more into church revival, rather than large mass meetings.  In his place, they invited the virtually unknown Billy Graham. 

During the early weeks of the Revival Meeting in Los Angeles, William Randolph Hearst, the powerful newspaper tycoon - and a non-believer - was led, even though there is no evidence that he ever attended any of the meetings, to instruct the editors of his many newspapers to give Billy Graham full-blown, all-out coverage in their newspapers.  That crusade, publicized by the Hearst newspaper empire, catapulted Billy Graham into the national and international spotlight.  God was working.

In Los Angeles Suzy Hamblen, a Christian lady and the wife of Stuart Hamblen, famous radio celebrity and songwriter in Hollywood, came to the meetings.  One night she went to the Prayer Tent and asked them to pray for her husband to be converted.  To make a long story short, she finally got Stuart to attend one of the meetings where God laid conviction on his soul. 

But, instead of coming to know the Lord, Hamblen did a quick exit and headed to the mountains to hunt.  Halfway to the mountain retreat, a blizzard forced him to return to Los Angeles.  He felt God’s hand in all this and went back.  Hamblen and his wife went to visit Billy Graham and some of the crusade team at their hotel.  That night Stuart Hamblen invited Jesus Christ to be his Lord and Savior.  After that he did nothing but Christian music.  One of his songs I’m sure you will recognize, “It Is No Secret What God Can Do.”   How many times have you sung that song?

Bill Gray Note:  I have two Friends who were successful secular singers and musicians - Jun Polistico and Leon Patillo - who did the same thing.  When they met Jesus Christ and believed - they turned from their secular world and its music and dedicated their lives to God and His music.

Billy Graham calls the people who come forward at his altar calls “inquirers” not converts.   He explains this with the story of Sam Jones, a Methodist evangelist.  At one of Sam Jones’ meetings a drunk staggered up to him and belched, “Mr. Jones, I am one of your converts!”  Jones looked him over and answered, “You look like one of my converts.  But, it’s plain to see that you are not one of the Lord’s.”   In Billy’s thinking, after you have been established in your Christian walk for a year or so, and involved in a local Christian fellowship, THEN you can be called a convert.

Point of interest, Greg Laurie in his Harvest Crusades does the same for those who come forward at the Harvest Crusades.  Many counselors, and an extensive follow-up effort, works to link those coming forward with a local Christian fellowship where they can become active believers.

At the 1952 Washington DC Crusade, Billy Graham met Senator Willis Robertson, father of Pat Robertson of the “700 Club.”   Senator Robertson was the one who introduced Billy into the Washington political community.  This led to his one-on-one personal friendship with many congressmen, senators, cabinet members, and presidents.  Even though we most often see evidence of influence from the other side, the Prince of Darkness, in Washington DC - I know that God, through Billy Graham, has greatly influenced many decisions in our federal legislative bodies.

Tom Phillips, president of Raytheon Corporation, was saved at a Billy Graham crusade.  He later was influential in leading Chuck Colson, one-time top aide to President Nixon, to Christ.  We all know of the wonderful work Chuck has done for the Lord through his Prison Ministries.  God’s chains of eternity have many links and many intertwined connections.

At a 1957 crusade Ethel Waters, world-renowned singer of movie and Broadway fame, came to a meeting.  After experiencing the crusade, she asked if she could be a member of the choir.  For the rest of her life she was considered an honorary member of the Billy Graham Crusade family, singing at many meetings.  If you are younger, you might not recognize Ethel Waters’ name.  But, even if not - I bet you will remember a song she introduced in the Broadway play "A Member Of The Wedding."  That song is “His Eye Is On The Sparrow.”

In the late 1950s my wife, Dory, attended the Billy Graham Crusade in her native Philippines.  At that crusade, Billy Graham touched her life and through her he has touched me.  Now, I am a link in that eternal chain.

One of the early workers in the Billy Graham Crusades was Dawson Trotman who set up their first system for following-up the people who came forward at the crusades.  Dawson Trotman later founded the Navigators and through the Navigators my friend, Pastor Ed Dacio, pastor of the Corona International Christian Fellowship (CICF), became a born-again Christian during his college years in the Philippines.  Through that chain, everyone at the Corona International Christian Fellowship, where Ed is pastor, is a link in the Billy Graham spiritual chain of events.

You have your own Christian chain of life events.  Everything you do, day to day, affects many other people as you travel through life.  Each event, or connection, is a link in God’s divinely planned chain of eternal life.  Make sure that you are prepared for that task.  Be in the Word of God, the Bible, daily ~ Be in communication with God, through prayer, daily ~ And then you will know that you are in the will of God, daily.  If you do this, you will never be a weak link in His eternal chain.

In The Guideposts Treasury of Faith Ralph L. Woods wrote the perfect description of “A Genuine Christian.”

One evening during the latter part of his life the late John Ruskin (1819-1900), artist, scientist, poet, and philosopher - sat at a window in his home watching a lamplighter, with torch in hand, ignite the street lamps on a distant hill.  Since it was dark the lamplighter himself could not be seen, but his progress up the hill could be observed as successive lamps were lit.

After a few minutes Ruskin turned to a friend and said, "That illustrates what I mean by a genuine Christian.  You may not know him or ever see him, but his way has been marked ~ by the lights he leaves burning."

“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”  Matthew 5:16

Have you taken a serious look at your eternal chain of events?  You may be surprised who has influenced you - and who YOU have influenced and pointed toward the cross.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill