Friend, are you unable to read the Bible, that is, make sense of it? Or do some parts make sense, but others, such as Leviticus or Revelation or Romans seem totally bewildering? Are you desiring to go deeper, or reach a higher ground, spiritually, but your difficulty in comprehending scripture is holding you back? It may well be you need to consider that the Bible is essentially Messianic--that is, it exists to tell you about the Messiah and Savior, and virtually everything in the Bible points to Him. With this understanding, you are on your way to unlocking the scriptures and opening the door to Yeshua--for they are, in truth, a living Person, Jesus (Yeshua), who delights in His Name, the Word (John 1:1: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
Ronald Ginther credits his faith in God to his godly mother (who is his prayer partner too at age 97) and godly father (deceased in a plane crash when he was five years old) and godly grandparents and relatives (who knew and loved Jesus as Savior and Lord even over in old Norway in the 1800s).
The Lord was always near to his family, thanks to this true foundation in the Christian faith going back generations. Yet every individual must make up his or her own mind about Jesus, whether to accept and serve, or whether to run away.
He unwisely resisted grace and put off salvation until he was fifteen, attending a Christian high school in South Dakota. That was a life-changing decision, he found, though he didn't understand it at the time. Ronald Ginther says he has been most richly blessed by the living Word that the Lord has graciously given Him any time he goes to the scriptures. It is God's Word that, more than his secular education at college and university, provides his view of the world, the purpose for our life on earth, and the direction and guidance we individually need to fulfill our purpose and live in a loving way toward others. Everything we need is in Jesus Christ, and everything Jesus Christ is we can find in the Bible. It is up to us to use these resources and with prayer seek a personal Jesus who is waiting for us to call on Him. Those who seek, find. Those who do not seek, do not find. It is really simple, is it not? Feeling overwhelmed? See the song, "God has a Plan for My Life," in the link below the Bible which is your best source of help in time of need!
Why is America admirable. There are many reasons to admire Ameica. America, the creation of godly, freedom loving men, has been the greatest nation on earth, not because of its material wealth and productivity and the highest GNP in the world, but because it has fought and won freedom for hundreds of millions of people who otherwise would not have it today. No other nation has been able to play this role as America has done repeatedly in the two centuries since it was founded. America is being called, wrongly and stupidly, an "Empire" by ignorant, prejudiced critics. What kind of empire frees the enemies it conquers and then gives them aid so that they can rebuild and become prosperous, free societies? What kind of empire even gives aid to help its enemies when they suffer devastating natural disasters such as killer earthquakes and floods and and droughts and tsunamis? No empire in history acts like this nation has acted on behalf of humanity and its welfare. Empires are ordinarily, by their nature, greedy and oppressive and undemocratic. The Soviet Union, for instance, was an empire, and it sucked the economic life blood out of its satellites. The Muslim Ottoman Turkish Empire did the same; though rich, it kept the whole Middle East backward and socially and economically depressed--a terrible legacy for which we are all paying the price today in Middle East misery and terrorism. Despite the lies, the record says just the opposite--that America has been singularly blessed by God and has blessed the whole earth in a singular way. Even if America vanished today, its contributions to the good of humanity will be remembered for all time to come. It hardly matters if the Palestinians rejoice to see the downfall of America (just as they danced in the streets of the refugee camp in Beirut on 9/11)--they benefited too from American generosity and compassion, and America sought again and again to secure a homeland for them, which their own Arab brothers in neighboring states did not seek for them (Yassir Arafat turned the homeland down, preferring his life-long career of terrorism to peace and prosperity and a free society!). America has been a far better friend of Arabs and Muslims than they have been to each other--as the record testifies amply. Who stood up for Bosnia, which is Muslim, when attacked so viciously by so-called Christian Serbia? Not Europe! It was America--of course, it would be America. America's heart is big enough to take the hurts of the whole world to heart AND DO SOMETHING! Unlike the United Nations and most of Europe, America never stands idly by when people are suffering famine or oppression by wicked rulers. It is criticised for going out of its way to help all over the globe--but the people who are helped do not criticise Ameica any more, if they once did. They know then who their true friend is--America! Osama bin Laden, the pathetic servant of hatred and false religion, who hates America above all over nations, is no one's friend--he can only take advantage of people for this own hateful agenda. He will sacrifice anyone's life for his own aggrandisement. We shall see him brought to justice--sooner or later--before God, or before man--but certainly before God. It is not whether it will happen--it is just a mere question of when.
Yes, after observing things for many years and reading all the books I can get my hands on, I am well aware of America's grevious sins, false religions, mad pursuit of pleasure and self-indulgence, immorality, bribes and corruption in high and low government circles, its lust for violence, its worship of celebrities, its dive into the pits of pornography, its drugs, its role as the biggest arms merchant on earth, and all the rest of it--but it is not an Empire in the sense that is being promoted by anti-American Americans in the press, in government, and Hollywood, and by common people. Challenge them if they use this term. It doesn't hold water when you know what the facts about America are. Unfortunately, the facts are not being given us today by many books, commentators, news, schools, educators, and the media. That challenges each one of us to go get the facts that are being denied us all.--Ed.
"WHAT IS THE STATE OF CHRISTIANITY IN AMERICA?"--a proposed overview, by Ronald Ginther.
We also would like to follow up with an article of the state of Christian churches in American society.
One day, I was sitting in a hardware store-type shop in "downtown" Jericho waiting for the Arab proprieter to bring ordered paint for a missionary's home and a religious zealot in Muslim Jericho did not like the sight of me sitting there, I suppose, minding my own business, and he came and challenged me. He asked me what nationality I was, and the words came forth without hesitation. I told him: Jesus Christ!
Angry and full of himself and his religion (I'll never forget the man's flustered reaction and befuddlement), he did not know what to say to that, and went away grinding his teeth.
That is still true. I am Christ's first, and American second.
My true nation and country is Jesus Christ--He is my very being and reason for existence on earth. I am a citizen of heaven who happens to reside temporarily on this sick, old earth. I cannot exist without Him!
The Good News includes this, and ought to cause the Middle Easterners to all rejoice together in the streets: We do not have to be bound to religion, to nationality, to any -ism or ideology or even to race. We are free in Yeshua! Yeshua alone can give us all this freedom. No religion can give it. Religion can only bring enslavement.
I did not think of Judaism and Islam in terms of beasts. It was not my idea. But seemingly God did view these competing religions this way--for a missionary in Israel shared this dream with me, which I have here in a simple illustration. Two beasts, one brown, one black, were fighting, much like two gigantic dinosaurs. One beast, Judaism, signified by the black beast, prevailed over the brown beast, which signified Muslim religion. This dream was highly significant, because of the time. For you see she received this dream at the time of the beginning of the disaster of the Intifada, or the Uprising of the Arab Muslims against Israel and Judaism.
Implications extend to our own time (since the dream was told me in the early 1980's). Iran was conquered by Muslim Arab armies when they defeated the Zoroastrian (fire-worshiping) Sassanian Empire, and to this day it is Muslim, bound by that religion, and so it too is ruled by a beast, the traditionally sword-wielding religion of the Brown Beast. That Brown Beast, however, will be subdued by the Black Beast--Judaism and Israel. We shall see this happen, I would wager, in the coming conflict between Israel and Iran, which must occur if Israel is to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran coming against it. I once restricted the dream's meaning to the Intifada, but it may well apply to the Israel-Iranian war as well. America may be a part of this conflict, or stand in support, as it did when Israel destroyed Iraq and Saddam Hussain's nuclear reactor with an aerial strike force of bombers.
It is a question in my mind, how can I see Judaism as this Black Beast if Yeshua is a Jewish rabbi? Yet this is clear enough: Judaism at present rejects Yeshua as its Messiah, though many Jews are still not able to make up their minds--and are doing so, one by one, choosing Yeshua as Messiah. Judaism the religion still rejects Yeshua, however. The State of Israel, reflecting this, does not recognize Yeshua as Messiah, and is largely secularist-humanist, with a strong Orthodox Jewish sect that has influenced its laws to a significant extent. This present condition is hardly God's will for Israel and his Chosen People. They are living far from God, though they are now back in the Promised Land He gave them to possess forever. Is not Judaism, then, living in rejection and denial of Israel's rightful King, Yeshua? Yes, it is. It has a constitutional democracy, but the nation does not worship Yeshua or acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior and King. This will come to pass, however--Israel will someday, perhaps not long from now, turn back to God and acknowledge Yeshua as its Messiah.
Now, as to Israel's protection and right to protect itself. War is a terrible thing. It should not have to happen--if people will only turn to God and accept His Son's Cross-produced salvation. But nations have a right to protect themselves against sworn enemies who will attack them, given the opportunity. Iran has sworn to attack Israel with every weapon at its disposal. It has been attacking Israel for many years, in fact, ever since the Shah of Iran's overthrow by the Mullahs and revolutionist students such as the current President of Iran. It needs to re-consider, and stop. The Jews are the apple of God's eye, and their nation is God-ordained, whether Muslims in Iran or Egypt or Libya or wherever else like it or not. God has created only one Chosen People, and all the rest of us must recognize that fact, and choose blessing or cursing by God. Curse Israel, and God will curse us. Bless Israel, and God will bless us. His Word in the Bible says this is so. I for one want to be blessed by God, and I must always remember that Jesus (Yeshua to the Jews, or Issa to the Muslims) is a Jew, even now sitting on the right hand of the Father in heaven as a Jewish rabbi. This is an indisputable fact. It is more a fact than Gibraltar or the Atlantic Ocean. Everything we see will burn up someday, we know from God's Word, but Jesus is King of kings, Lord of Lords, and He rules as Son of God forever and ever. No man, no religion, no contrary word, can change or alter that fact in any way. Even if one Jew existed on earth, I must respect him as the representative of the Chosen People, the sole Nation created by God for His purposes on earth, the sole place where He has set his throne, in Zion, in the city of Jerusalem. In that capacity, that one hypothetically remaining Jew is greater than any president, any king or queen, any general, any billionaire, any saint or holy man, any celebrity you can name, one earth. He may be a lowly farmer or a shoeshineman, but he is immeasurably greater than anyone else, due to his connection as Abraham's seed through Isaac with Jesus Christ, the Jewish rabbi who sits on the throne in heaven.
Come soon, Lord Jesus! Your Bible, Your Holy Word, proclaims cover to cover exactly who you are, and yet men disregard the truth that the prophets and apostles proclaimed in it regarding You. Yet if one dear Muslim brother or sister takes heed to You as Messiah and Son of God, if one Jewish man or woman takes heed to You as Messiah, if anyone else holding any other religion (or no religion) takes heed, it will be worth the re-stating here at this late hour, at this lonely but very crowded work desk.
Jesus loves the little children,
all the children of the world.
Jew and Gentile, Arab, Greek--
He's Loving Lord to all who seek;
Jesus loves the little children of the world.
2.
Jesus loves the little children,
all the children of the world.
Turk and Bantu, Chinese, Finns,
His pardon's free for all our sins;
Jesus loves the little children of the world.
3.
Jesus loves the children of the world,
all the children of the world.
Just reach out, He'll take your hand;
He'll lead you like a Shepherd can!
Jesus loves the little children of the world.
"Smith Wigglesworth," Apostle of Faith, biography by Stanley Howard Frodsham, Radiant Books, Gospel Publishing House, Springfield, Missouri
"George Muller, Man of Faith and Miracles," biography hy Basil Miller, Bethany Fellowship, Dimension Books, Minneapolis, Minnesota
"Tortured for Christ," autobiography of Richard Wurmbrand, Diane Books, Glendale, California
"Hope for Man in a Hopeless World," by Basilea Schlink, Bethany Fellowship, Dimension Books, Minneapolis, Minnesota
"Glory in the Church, the Coming Revival," by Edward E. Hindson, Thomas Nelson Publishers, New York/Nashville
"Czechmate," autobiographical account of imprisonment of author in a communist country for Bible smuggling
"The Everyday Guide to "God," A to Z Listing of God's Attributes, with Scriptures, by Amy Ng Wong, Humble Creek Publisher, Uhricksville, Ohio
"The Complete Book of Bible Lists," by H.L. Willmingon, Tyndale House, Wheaton, Illinois
"God Sent a Man," the story of Joseph, by Carylye B. Haynes, Review and Herald Publishing Association, Washington, D.C.
"Israel Act III," The Bible and the Mideast in prophecy, by Richard Wolff, Tyndale House, Wheaton, Illinois
"Eric Liddell, Pure Gold," biography of the Chariots of Fire Olympic runner turned missionary to China, by David McCasland, Discovery House Publishers, Grand Rapids, Michigan
"C.S. Lewis," Heroes of the Faith series biography, by Sam Wellman, Barbour Publishing, Uhrichsville, Ohio
"A Passion for the Impossible," The Life of Lilias Trotter, by Miriam Huffman Rockness, Discovery House Publishers, Grand Rapids, Michigan
"Jerusalem Countdown," A Warning to the world, containing a prophetic view of Iran's role in coming world events affecting or centered on Israel, with parallels between Joseph and Jesus tieing in with these events and others of the End-Times, by John Hagee, Frontline (A Strang Company), Lake Mary, Florida
We as Christians AND Moslems AND Hindus AND Secular-Humanists AND whatever material thing or philosophy or political organization or nation or human being we worship as God in His place must inform ourselves--as the truth concerning God and His Ways is definitely not being given us the common people through most all officials and religious authorities and all of the media and government channels. That is the way it is in this fallen, self-destructing world, and we must seek Jesus for ourselves, and then we will find Him! Jesus promises He will come personally to us, if we make this effort, and reading the right book, preferably the Bible first, will enable us, with His Holy Spirit opening our understanding, to find and understand the One True God and His Son, Jesus (Yeshua, Issa).--Ed
It allows its rivals in a limited sense to exist while actively propagandizing and attacking them with the secular-humanist schools, educators, philosphers, government,and media. Freedom is defined as only what secular humanism permits to to be free. Since it holds to no absolute and no Absolute Being or God, secular humanism takes the place of God and issues or denies liberties and freedoms to people in its control. They are "free" to enjoy life only according to the terms set by secular humanism. To know and define what secular humanism is--the greatest evil and tyranny on earth next to absolutist, triumphantist religions, of which Islam is one--we only have to look at the nations ruled by it, namely:WHAT IS SECULAR HUMANISM IN THIS POST-MODERN WORLD? Secular Humanism, whose cardinal doctrine of "Tolerance" seems to be an admirable one, ostensively treating everyone equally, is really an anti-God religion that degrades human life to the point of irrelevance in the Universe. Morality in its view is absurd, and turns into amorality and immorality. Meaning becomes meaningless. Absolutes become situational ethics, as changeable as the wind. Secular Humanism does not really tolerate, it must drive out every competing philosophy and annihilate every belief in God. Just because it opens its doors to everything, does not mean it sanctions everything--not at all. Rather, while preaching "Tolerance," it uses that very doctrine to persecute
in the most relentless fashion anyone who for conscience sake disagrees with it being forced on that person.
It is always said that the immigrants are taking only unwanted jobs (unwanted by the nationals), but that is not the case--they will take any job that is unfilled, if and when they can. You cannot prevent their upward mobility as they better their educational levels, and educated or not they also increase quickly in numbers due to a high birth rate, creating their own economy and lessening their original dependency on the majority cultures and its economy. With numbers, they begin the process of using the election system to put their own people in places of power, and then begin to manage their own special enclaves or unassimilated societies, all with the purpose ultimately of overturning the secular-humanist laws and social organization that was the national system and substituting their own. The process is inevitable, proceeding at a rapid rate, despite attempts by the shrinking secular humanist majority and its government to impede or stop it with various laws and maneuvers.
What secular humanism does not know or tell its people is that they have nothing to live for that is strong enough to defeat a triumphantist religion such as Islam, and "tolerance" is not able to keep secular humanist states from going down to destruction--rather, it is hastening the destruction. Europe will become Islamic, ruled by strict Sheriah law--given time.
Nature has always abhored a vacuum, and secular humanism, ignoring that fact, creates the vacuum Islam is rapidly filling. As for North America, Christianity is losing ground, as Secular Humanism still controls much of the continent and may even strengthen its hold. The same processes that are overcoming a once Christian Europe are working very well here. America too is a failed state, thanks to secular humanism's program. Yet God has shown a number of times that He can overturn such mighty forces of destruction. I do believe He will do so again, in America and Russia, if not in Old Europe.--Ed.
Recently, the area was the center of a world controversy, as Pope Benedict XVI's remarks quoting a Byzantine empero about Mohammed excited riots, even a killing of a nun who cared for Muslim children in Somalia, and angry speeches across the globe. What was it all about? Emperor Manuel of of the Christian empire was talking with a highly urbane Muslim Persian scholar, and he said that Mohammed created an evil by linking religion with violence and force to convert people to it. This was most certainly true to the case (if you have read anything about Mohammed's political venturism and his savage attacks on caravans to win plunder and attacks against his various enemies in Mecca and elswhere in Arabia during his meteroric rise to power), but it is politically incorrect to say the truth today, as the Pope discovered by the violent reaction in the Muslim nations to his remarks (nhow how could this remark be known, unless angry mullahs spread it everywhere, through Muslim websites and Muslim media and the Internet, not to mention cellphones--all West ern inventions, by the way).
"The Pope is blaspheming Mohammed the Prophet of Allah, and we are not violent in Islam," the rioting Muslims declared, and so a defenceless nun was slain as an easy target of their vengefulness, shot down with bullets in her back after years of sacrificial service to Somalian children--children of the poorest people in one of the world's poorest nations.
Emperor Manuel knew what he was talking about, having had to fight enormous, fanatical Muslim armies as he faced their military might all his days as emperor. His country had also been beseiged many times in the past by the Star and Crescent of the Arab armies, right up to the walls of his capital, but God has spared his empire again and again. Why is no one defending this Christian ruler? It is because it is politically incorrect today to defend any Christian, much less a renowned, educated, valiant Christian emperor who spoke the truth about Mohammed and Islam.
In a most significant connection with this Asia Minor atlas, you might want to read the "Ballad of Paul and Silas," by Ronald Ginther, for this tells of the epic invasion of Macedonia, the first nation in Europe to be taken for Christianity by the Apostle Paul. Paul's launching point? Troas Alexandria, on the west coast of Asia Minor!
Are you an God-fearer, a David the mere shepherd boy, and want to make a difference in this wicked, giant-ruled world? America desperately (what part of DESPERATELY, do we not understand?) needs activists who will support what God values in a society. Do you have time for emailing your beliefs and support of what is moral and right to those who are profiting wrongly on what is immoral and wrong? Legislators, businesses, sponsors of lewd TV shows or books, they all urgently need to hear from you as a Christian [I write to my legislators, godless and lying secular-humanists, though they certainly are!--Ed]. I am not asking you to do what I have not been doing myself. We are all called to stand up for the Lord and His commandments, but there is a special way you can make a mark on this culture instead of it always making a mark on you! Be an activist for Christ--remembering that you always state the truth IN LOVE, just as He did with the Samaritan woman at the well.