Sunday, June 21, 2009

A Love Letter from Our Heavenly Father

When asked by His disciples to teach them how to pray as John's disciples prayed, Jesus gave them this prayer as a model. Luke 11:1-2 "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen." Matthew 6:9-13

When you read the Bible, you are not just reading one book, instead you are reading a compilation of sixty six books. I like to think of them as sixty six love letters from the lover of our soul, our Father in heaven. On this Fathers Day, I would like to present a love letter, from our heavenly Father to us.

My child, you may not know who I am, but I know everything about you. I know when you sit down and when you rise up, and what you are thinking. I am familiar with all your words and your ways, Psalm 139:1-4 I even know how many hairs are upon your head. Matthew 10:29-31 For you were made in My image, Genesis 1:27 and in Me you live, move and have your being. You are My offspring Acts 17:28 whom I knew before you were even conceived. Jeremiah 1:4-5 Do not think that you were a mistake or made by chance, because I personally knitted you together in your mother's womb so that you would be fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:13-16 On the day of your birth when I brought you forth, Psalm 71:6 I not only knew the exact time of your birth and where you will live, Acts 17:26 but I also know when you will die. Job 14:5 & Ecclesiastes 3:1

Those who do not know Me have misrepresented Me, John 8:41-44 but let Me assure you that I am neither distant nor angry. Fact is, I am the complete expression of love, 1 John 4:16 and it is My desire to bestow My love upon you. I do this simply because you are My child and I am your Father. 1 John 3:1 And because I am perfect, Matthew 5:48 I can offer you more than your earthly father ever could. Matthew 7:11

I am the One who provides all your needs, Matthew 6:31-33 all the good gifts that you receive come from My hand. James 1:17 My plan for your future has always been filled with hope, Jeremiah 29:11 because I love you with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3 My thoughts toward you are countless as the sands on the seashore, Psalms 139:17-18 and I rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17 While showing you great and marvelous things Jeremiah 33:3 I will never cease from doing good to you, Jeremiah 32:40 because you are My treasured possession. Exodus 19:5 If you seek Me with all your heart, you will find Me. Deuteronomy 4:29 Delight in Me and I will give you the desires of your heart, Psalm 37:4 because it is I who gave those desires to you. Philippians 2:13 I am your greatest encourager 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 and I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine. Ephesians 3:20

I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you. Psalm 34:18 Like a shepherd who carries a lamb, I will carry you during your times of and frailty and hold you close to my heart. Isaiah 40:11 Then one day soon, I will wipe away every tear from your eyes Revelation 21:3-4 and take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth. Revelation 21:3-4 As I said, I am your Father, and I love you even as I love My own Son Jesus, John 17:23 in whom My love for you is revealed. John 17:26

You see, My Son is the exact representation of My being, Hebrews 1:3 and He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you. Romans 8:31 He also assured you that if you believe in Him I will not count your sins against you. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 because He would pay the price for all the people. John 1:49-51 My child, I love you so much that I do not wish to condemn you but instead I gave My only Son for you, John 3:16-17 so that you and I could be reconciled. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 His death is sufficient to cover all your sins, 1 John 4:10 and if you accept, and receive My Son, then you shall also receive Me. 1 John 2:23

It is my promise that nothing will ever separate you from My love again, Romans 8:38-39 and that the good work I began in you, I will perform it until the day My Son returns. So come home to Me now, and I will throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen. Luke 15:7 I have always been Father, and will always be Father. Ephesians 3:14-15 My question to you is, "Will you be My child?" John 1:12-13 Come, I am waiting for you. Luke 15:11-32

I pray that those who have ears to hear will hear His voice and call upon the name of the lord Jesus Christ.

Amen

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

The Religion of "Global Warming"


by OneVike

For those who do not understand the blind loyalty of people who follow Al Gore and his "Global Warming' crusade, you must understand that to them it is nothing short of a religious belief. That's right, "Global Warming" is a religion who's god is "Mother Earth".

To really explain what it is I mean, I need to first define the term religion. Then I can show you how "Global Warming" fills all the needed requirements of a religion.

To begin with, not all religions refer to God or gods, they do not all base their systems upon morals or some belief in an afterlife. Also, not all religious followers can properly explain exactly what it is they believe. The groups, practices and systems that we identify as religions are so diverse that it is no easy task to bring them all under one simple definition.

Of course, this difficulty has not stopped people from attempting to define religion. The definitions are quite wide-ranging, with some religions emphasizing a personal indwelling kind of relationship, while others emphasize the social, more outward type of awareness of their personal being as it relates to their surroundings. Then there are those who emphasize their beliefs as handed down through the generations and others the structures preserved from past generations. We see religions based upon their functions whether they be private or public. Some dwell upon the mundane and others the transcendent, then we have religions that focus their concentration upon the truths as defined by their leaders or writings, and finally I would also add that there are those who focus upon illusions that can be mustered up through meditation or drugs. In many cases, a person's definition of religion is actually a definition of his or her own religion.

As you can see there are many facets of religion that, if a person is not already grounded firmly in their belief, they could easily be lured into a different faith then they grew up with. However, the one common theme among all types of religion is faith. You must ultimately have faith that what you believe is true, even though you cannot ultimately prove it, and faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen. For the most part humans are hot wired with a religious component to our souls, even agnostics and atheists have faith in what they believe. Another way to explain this would be to say we have all been created with an addiction gene. Until we find the one true God, our Creator and Father, we will go from one addiction to another never feeling as fulfilled or satisfied as we would like to.

Like other false religions, those who follow the religion of “Global Warming” put their faith in the idea that something exists that they can not ultimately prove exists. When you look at the lack of provable evidence for “Global Warming” and see that this lack of proof does not blunt the faith of those following it, you will come to the conclusion that it is a religion. "Global Warming" cannot be proved, but those who follow it don't care to even consider the overwhelming evidence that proves it does not exist. I don't care what's in the 'Union of Concerned Scientists” report, they haven't gone through the proper steps to prove their belief. There is not an hypothesis they can prove. Therefore, there is no proving "Global Warming" in a scientific way. Global Warming believers must rely upon faith, just as Christians rely on faith that there is a heaven.

Now, like many religions, “Global Warming” has its basic principles. One of those principles is that there is a sin component involved. Like its close relative the “Environmental Wacko” religion, it follows many of the same rules against sinning, because they worship the same god, “Mother earth”. Thou shall recycle. Thou shall not allow second hand smoke. Thou shall not cut down redwood trees, develop mosquito infested wetlands, or engage in any number of activities in ones daily life that would be "sinful". Corect behavior must be followed religiously. “Global Warming” sins include using fossil fuels, driving SUV's, burning wood , using too many electric appliances, drilling for oil, those are just a few of the sins that can be committed against “Mother Earth” in the “Global Warming” religion.

Like Christianity “Global Warming” relies feverishly on one thing to keep everybody in line, and that is the apocalypse, the last days, the day when hellfire and damnation will fall upon all of us who have sinned. For those who put their faith in Christianity, they believe there will one day be an apocalyptic final end to everything. The "Global Warming” followers also have their belief in an end times. To them the apocalypse is the destruction of the world due to the use of fossil fuels that will ultimately destroy the planet through extreme warming.

We are told by their prophet of doom, Al Gore, that the world is doomed and that we have only a certain amount of years left. A cursory look at the many stories we are fed about our ultimate demise, due to “Global Warming”, will help prove this is a religion based upon faith and not facts. If it were based upon scientifically proven theories, there would not be 20 different stories in 25 different days over what's happening with "Global Warming", and how long it's going to take to wipe us out.

All this makes "Global Warming" a religion who's length and breadth of influence is as great as any major religion on this planet. Just look what they do to anyone who dares to tell the truth or even demand a debate about the facts. Now, unlike the theologians of Christianity, Al Gore refuses to debate anyone who disagrees with him. This refusal puts the religion of “Global Warming” in the same category as cults like that of Jim Jones, who's "Peoples Temple" religion demanded unquestionable faith and demanded that all his followers drink the kool-aid with out question.

Has the Success of Big Talk Radio Killed the Grassroots Conservative Movement?


by OneVike

Back in the beginning when the Fairness Doctrine was abolished, the field was wide open for anyone who could connect with an audience. Up until then, radio stations who could only broadcast via AM radio were a dying breed. Most of them had changed their formats to broadcast via FM transmitters. The AM stations were lucky if they could sell enough add time for summertime baseball, local sports wrap ups, or farm information programs to pay a live body to be in the studio. There were certain markets that seemed to be somewhat successful with the numerous “Tradio” type shows across the country where individuals could buy and sell items in a radio type off flea market, but for the most part AM radio was dead.

Then in 1989 the DC court of appeals upheld the 4-0 ruling by the FCC that abolished the Fairness Doctrine. That is when radio stations across the country started hiring whoever they wanted to say whatever they wanted as long as public decency laws were not violated. Now it still wasn't as easy as just putting someone on to talk about anything, the person needed to be somewhat charismatic, his topic had to be worth listening to so they could keep the audiences attention.

Well, it wasn't long before talk radio was able to find a niche in the small world that the AM radio was able to transmit to. It was similar to the market that late night radio was able to capitalize on, only this was daytime when most people were out of the home. Like the truck drivers on the freeway, or mothers driving around taking care of their shopping and jumping in and out of their car. Then there was the workers who listened while they worked, and the stay at home mothers who preferred it over the soap operas and game shows on the television.

The big markets like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles found they could fill the airwaves with Shock Jocks talking about things you would normally only hear at bachelor parties full of drunk college students. Then there was the smaller mid sized markets that started a trend that would eventually sweep the country and dominate talk radio for the next 2 ½ decades with no end in sight. No end that is, unless the “Anointed One” and his cronies decide to bring back the Fairness Doctrine. That however is for another day and another column.

Thats where the King of all talk radio comes into this story. Yes, Mr. Rush Limbaugh, the Doctor of Democracy, Mr. Right, the man with one arm tied behind his back just to make it fair. The man with talent on loan from God who does not give equal time, because he is equal time. While the left would like to shut him up, and if possible lock him up, the right would like to elect him to the office of the Presidency. In fact when the Republicans won the House in 1994 they made him an honorary member, because they knew he was responsible for getting them there. Love him or hate him, he is the Bill Gates of talk radio, and with out him there would be no talk radio as we know.

So you are probably wondering why, if I credit him with creating talk radio and building the Republicans into a majority in 1994, I titled my article, “Has Talk Radio Killed the Grassroots Conservative Movement”? Well, lets first look at what he has done for the once dying dinosaur known as AM radio.

Since his rise to prominence in the small market of Sacramento California, Rush Limbaugh has written the book on how to be a successful talk radio personality. It can be boiled down to three two word phrases that, when followed works every time. I call them the the three rules to rule on radio.

1.) Be truthful.

2.) Be Yourself.

3.) Be Entertaining.

That's it, if you can master those three qualities then you can be successful in any market of the world. Many radio personalities have tried to duplicate his success. Some, like Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, Laura Ingraham, and Glenn Beck have come close, but none have equaled it. Talk radio is a predominantly conservative venue, and while there are some liberals who can boast of some success, they are few and far between.

The thing that makes conservative talk radio so much more successful is the passiveness of listening without having to look at any props that make ones point so relevant to the discussion. I for one am a firm believer that just as liberals dominate TV because they have props that distract the viewer from the discussion, it is the absence of distraction that makes conservative radio so powerful and successful. It is the same thing you see in Christian radio. When you are confronted with only the truth of the word you need no visual show to dazzle the listener. On the other hand when you turn on the TV and see the heretics speak, you are often distracted by the glitzy show they put on. I am reminded of the old carnival magician who would distract your eyes with his right hand while fooling you with his left hand. Talk radio cannot fool your eyes, so they must tell the truth to your ears. Well, it is that passive listening habit of the audience that forces all successful talk radio hosts to be truthful, and thus successful. That covers the first of the three rules, now lets look at the second rule to rule on radio, being yourself.

Now you would think that this should be an easy task, but have you ever tried to keep an audience you cannot see happy by being yourself? Many a person has stepped behind a microphone and made complete fools of themselves. Even if you can keep from stumbling on your words and your voice is pleasant to listen to, what do you do to fill those moments that are awkward? A good host will be able to reach back into themselves and share a part of there own life with you. Good pastors do it all the time, but very few radio talk hosts can master the part of being themselves. It is an essential part if you want to connect with your audience and make yourself a part of their every day lives.

Over 20 million people tune into Rush Limbaugh every week to listen to him about many things, and one of the big things is his life. He is who he projects to his audience to be. I have talked to hundreds of people who tuned him out after he had his unfortunate problem with pain medications. They said he was not who they thought he was, now most if not all are again listening to him. Mainly because he fessed up and received help. Now those same individuals say they relate to him even better then they before he had his troubles, because he truly is himself again. Finally we have the third rule for being successful in talk radio, and this is the rule that has killed the grassroots of conservatism.

I know I took a long time to get to my point, but I would have done an injustice if I did not properly set the table before I snatched the tablecloth from beneath the china. Probably the most important aspect of a successful talk show host is his ability to entertain his audience. This is where Rush Limbaugh's detractors focus on when they say he is just an entertainer. Have you ever tried to sit and listen to a professor of biology do a lecture on the mating habit of a the Pinacate Beetle, or better known as the stink beetle? Well if you listen to some talk show hosts it's no different, especially the locals filling in the dead hours before Rush even comes on in the morning.

And that is the crux of the problem. Like all venues, it comes to audience share and advertising dollars when the station decides who is going to be on the air. When Rush first came to our area he hit it off with the audience like an ice cream vendor playing his music outside of a day care center. We could not get enough of him, but he was over by noon and we still had the rest of the day to go. Well, that's when the radio in our area did like so many others did around the country. They saw a bonanza in their revenues and decided to change more of their format hours to talk radio.

They found local talent that could give the audience what they wanted, more talk radio about what was going on that the MSM wasn't giving. That's about the time small communities across the country started getting involved in what was going on in their communities. Local city councils, school boards, and county seats were all being populated by local conservatives getting involved because talk radio got them interested in wanting to serve. Then we saw the general public get interested in who was running things. The result was what happened in 1994 and we all thought things would be great from here on out. It has been said we thought we won so we stopped teaching, well that is partially true.

See, that's when competition started to push the local guys out of the way. This is not to bash competition, but facts are facts. Radio stations want and need to make money, so the voice who sells advertising time will win the time slot. Most people in rural America are not as entertaining as most hosts, their not as well spoken, and their lives are just plane boring. So slowly the small local personalities were replaced by the national hosts, like Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Dr Laura, and the Michael Savages. Local issues stopped being talked about, people went back to how they thought before, that locally things are ok. So, i guess while we may have kept teaching conservative ideas, we quit teaching it in a local venue, and about local issues. Lets be honest, whats more interesting the fight over the local compost site, or the fight over terrorism?

Now people still care about what is happening but they care more about the national issues and the national races. The city offices, school boards, and county seats have all went back to the balance they were before. All repopulated by mostly liberals who never worked in the private sector and never want to, but also want to be a city power player for life. The local Council members moved to bigger pastures like assembly and state offices with no one wanting or able to get support to replace them locally. Then the cheerleaders have been replaced by national cheerleaders who have no connection and no understanding of local issues. I will be the first to admit this is basically a local small to mid sized city and rural American problem, but when I look ate the election results I see that we lost because these people who were fired up in 1994 did not get out to vote.

Even as boring and as bad as Bob Dole was in 1998, at least we still had local communities fired up to vote. They still cared because we still had a local guy cheering us on. But when the only cheerleaders are rooting for from thousands of miles away, what do you really expect to happen. It takes locality to get locals interested in their local governments, and until the small rural areas can find local talent as good as the Big guys, even for just two hours a day. Well, we will continue to loose the grassroots conservatives, and without a Grassroots conservative movement we all never change things on the national level. The “Anointed One” won through a strong grassroots, albeit illegal, effort. My question is why did we concede what was our strongest asset to a socialist? Is their no good local talk hosts who can be entertaining, truthful, and real? If not, then we will continue to loose. But hey? At least we do control talk radio with big voices like Rush Limbaugh's telling us to get involved, when we never do.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Relavent Christian Magazine Article Redirect



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Is There A Parallel Spirit World?


In today's technological age, it might seem silly for intelligent people to consider a spiritual world where beings we cannot see might exist. Oh it's fine to read books and watch Hollywood movies about the afterlife and spirits that roam the netherworld but that's all make believe, not the real world. In the real world we are taught that reality consists of what we can touch, taste, see, hear, smell, and that the spirit world is for those weak minded individuals who use religion as a crutch to get through the day.

However, what if I told you that scientists have concluded that there is a strong possibility that a parallel universe really does exist? Now, as a Christian I do not need proof that a spirit world exists, but it is my belief that God wants us to do our utmost to understand what it is He has Created. That being said, the Spirit World is an aspect of God's Creation that we can only speculate upon just as Rene Descartes, the father of modern day philosophy did. Descartes admitted that God was the Creator of the world, but he believed that the spiritual world existed solely in the minds of men. So I guess the question would be, does a parallel spirit world exist, or is it just a figment of our fertile imaginations?

I would suggest that in order to properly answer that question, we need to first realize that God gave us a mind and the ability to think on a level with Him, if only we allow ourselves to put the silly notions of men aside. One silly notion is that reality only exists within the dimension that our physical bodies dwell in. In other words, most modern day philosophers follow Descartes and claim that our whole existence is based upon our five senses. But then they must totally ignore modern science that proves a spirit world can and does exist even if we may have difficulty imagining it.
Consider for a moment how much more space is in an atom than solid matter; in fact there are some 30,000 times more space than there is mass. A hydrogen atom made up of one proton and a single orbiting electron is a perfect example of the enormous amount of space in an atom. If you could enlarge the proton of a hydrogen atom to the size of a baseball, the electron of that atom would be about the size of a BB rotating around the proton ten miles away at the speed of 10,000 miles a second. Now if the earth were a proton and the moon an electron and the space between them had the same ratio that exists in a hydrogen atom, the moon would be 1,000 times farther away than it is now. Think of it this way, if all the atoms in your body should suddenly collapse, leaving no space between the solid matter, we would need a very powerful microscope to find you. You would, in essence, be a microscopic speck of dust, but you would still weigh exactly what you do now.
Now let's consider the dwarf stars whose density is much greater than that of atoms on earth. There is a star of the first magnitude called Sirius also called the, “Dog Star”, in 1888 they discovered it was actually a double star. The smaller of the two stars is called Sirius B, also referred to as “A pup”. This pup is a dwarf star that rotates around the major star. The density of this pup is thought to be so great that one cubic inch of Sirius B would weigh 1,700 pounds by earth’s gravitational standards. By comparison a neutron star is about a million times denser than these dwarf stars are. One cubic inch of a neutron star would weigh 1.75 billion pounds. And still there is space in that cubic inch.
So, knowing that all this space exists in an atom, many experts in the field of atomic energy have come to the conclusion that it is theoretically possible for parallel worlds to coexist at the same time in the same space, both passing through the other, unaware of the each other’s existence. All it would take they theorize, is for each world to be made up of different molecular structures. I would suggest that these highly educated molecular scientists read what the Scriptures have to say about the idea of a parallel universe.
Throughout the Bible we find evidence of a coexisting world where God, His angels and even Satan live. Outside of the influence that they exert on our lives, we are unaware of their presence. They see us and interact with us on a daily basis by exerting a tremendous amount of influence to direct us in a Godly way or an evil way. Paul told the Ephesians that “we do not struggle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12
There are numerous examples in the Scriptures of members from the spiritual world have crossing over and making themselves known to members of man's tangible world. After all, to those in the spiritual world there is no wall separating us, the only separation exists in man's inability to see their world. In 2Kings 6:8-23 we have the account of Elisha asking God to open the eyes of his servant so he could see that the Lord had surrounded the Arameans with a myriad of horses and chariots of fire. Then there was the time when God allowed Satan to tempt Job. Job 1:6-12 Another classic example would be the story of when an angel of the Lord spoke to Balaam through his donkey. Numbers 22:22-33 Apart from these Scriptures there are numerous others from Jacob wrestling with an angel in Genesis 32:22-32, to the conversion of the Christian persecutor Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus in Acts 9:1-30.
From the moment God spoke the universe into existence there have been two separate universes coexisting together. Even in the most ancient of times various pagan religions consisted of beings from a coexisting but separate world that would from time to time interact with mortals of this world. However, Christianity is the only religion whose very core consists of its very God entering man's world and living in a mortal body to experience punishment and death to save man from his sins. Through His death and ultimate resurrection we now have the chance to actually live in His spiritual world for eternity. It is amazing when you consider the technological advancements we have made in molecular science, that after rejecting the idea for years, some scientists are now saying "yes" to the theory of parallel worlds. For thousands of years those who believe in God have believed in a spirit world, now finally, science has caught with them.
I pray that those who have ears to hear will hear His voice and call upon the name of the lord Jesus Christ.
Amen

Saturday, June 6, 2009

"Light Of The World"

When a person thinks about light, usually the first thing that will come to mind is the sun. We have been taught that the sun is the center of the solar system and thus it is the light of the world. This ball of fire that life on earth depends upon, is so massive in size that it contains 99.85% of all the matter in the Solar System, or 332,800 times that of earth. The distance from earth to the sun is 93,000,000 miles, which would take you 71 years to travel going 150 mph. The sun creates energy by burning several hundred million tons of hydrogen per second, converting it to helium by nuclear fusion. This process causes the surface temperature to be about 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and scientists have calculated that there is nothing which can stop the light emitted by this fireball from expanding outwards forever. So taking all these factors and other information into consideration you would think that the sun is the light of the world but that is not what the Scriptures tell us. In Genesis we learn that God created light on the first day, (Genesis 1:4-5) but he did not create the sun until the fourth day. (Genesis 1:16-17) Now I could argue with scientists and cosmologists over their understanding of creation and my understanding of the Bible, but that is not the subject of today's message. Today's message is about Jesus being the “Light of the World” and how His followers should be a reflection of His light for the world to see.

We know the bible says that light was created on the first day, but then we read in John's Gospel that Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness, and that light comes from God, and the light is God. (John 1:1-5) Later in John's Gospel we read that Jesus Himself declares that He is "Light of the World", and that whoever follows Him shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life. (John 8:12) He also said that as believers, we are to be the light of the world. (Matthew 5:14) Let us consider what Jesus meant when He said he was “The Light”. Well, He certainly did not mean that He was a glowing light bulb walking around like some illuminated spirit. Remember, while Jesus walked and taught among His disciples 2000 years ago, He was as John testified, a real man. (1 John 1:1-3) Now the Bible does describe heavenly beings as angels of light, as was the angel in Acts 12:7 who released Peter from prison. However, Jesus was specifically speaking of what he came to do, and when He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath in His hometown of Nazareth He tells us what that is. Reading from the book of Isaiah Jesus told the men that the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him and that He was anointed to preach the good news to the poor, proclaim freedom for the prisoners, recover the sight of the blind, release the oppressed, and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. (Luke 4:16-18)

Essentially, the life of Christ on earth was all about bringing life to mankind as described in John 1:4, "In him was life, and that life was the light of men." This means he brought hope and restoration to a world of hopelessness and broken-ness. He freed some from the prison of sickness, others from the loneliness of being an outcast or low class, and a few from the grips of death itself. The teaching of Jesus freed people from their ignorance concerning God, His kingdom, the meaning of obedience, and the way of salvation. He also freed the lost from their sins by granting forgiveness, but the most important lesson we learn from the life of Jesus is His sacrificial act of offering himself on the cross to take away the sin of the world. John the baptist declared, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John. 1:29), and Jesus says of himself, "For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many". (Mark 10:45)

Jesus came to display all the goodness of God through His caring acts toward people. He came teaching truth, and to bear the punishment for our sin. In all these ways Jesus is the light of the world, and as the light, He calls for His followers to reflect His light on the world while we still live in it. Like Moses, whose face glowed after being in the presence of God, we shine because we have the light of Jesus in our lives. (Exodus 34:29-35) His presence helps us fight the battle against darkness by bringing truth to the blind, and hope to those burdened by sin. We bring acceptance to the forgotten and unloved, joy to the sad, reason and calmness to the impatient, and to those confused about life we bring God’s word. This is the light that Jesus promised those who follow and obey Him, and this is the way the light can and should affect us. (John 8:12)

This light also attracts others indwelled with the Light of life, and together we form the church that Christ promised would stand the test of time. When Christians stand together we can shine as bright as the sun, and our light will reach as far as infinity. Those who do not understand us will be effected by the glow of our love and truth in a positive way. Kevin Roose was effected in this way when he decided to go to Lynchburg, Va., and enroll at Jerry Falwell's Liberty University. Roose pretended he was an evangelical Christian while he attended summer classes so that he could blend in and get the scoop about Jerry Falwell's extreme radical Christian University. Roose would eventually include the lessons he learned about the School and the students who attend it in a book called , “The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University.”

So what was the biggest result of this young man's experience you may ask? Well after the semester was over Kevin came away with a change of mind and a change of heart towards what he used to think about Christians, and Liberty University. First he made friends with Christians to the point where they became some of his best friends. This is a direct result of the light Christ spoke of when he said, "You are the light of the world... let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven". (Matthew 5:14-15) These young Christians allowed the light of Christ to shine in the presence of Kevin. Even more significant was the change that Kevin realized in himself. He discovered that, as a person, he has a spiritual side that includes the idea that God exists and that talking to God is not only a worthwhile experience but a meaningful, powerful and beautiful one.

When Kevin had to came forth with the truth of his undercover charade, he was sure that all the friends he has made would turn on him. However he learned one more lesson about God and His children, a true Christian holds no grudge and hates no man. Now that Kevin is back at Brown University, he has gotten back to doing almost everything the way he used to. However, there is one little thing that Kevin has picked up from his semester at Liberty University that he says he will never stop doing. Kevin tries to pray to God everyday, and he has come to the realization that praying to God has changed him, and in turn he changes things around him. See, Kevin was touched by the light of Christ that was shining from the students of Liberty University, and it is my prayer that Kevin allows that light to grow within him until it becomes the center of his spiritual solar system.

I pray that those who have ears to hear will hear His voice and call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen