Religious Mind Control Or Generational Sin

If you were raised with certain beliefs and belong to a certain religion, there is a very good chance that your parents followed your religion and share the same beliefs. If you are a Muslim, there's a very good chance that your parents were Muslims. If you live in the United States, there is a really, really good chance that you're a Christian, especially if you live in Texas or Utah.

Is this religious mind control and generational sin or is this truly the way life is meant to live. Your parents and ancestors formed strong beliefs and pass them on to their children. What's wrong with that? Is it a generational sin to pass on what you truly believe? With that question asked, is a generational sin our mind control to teach our children how to fit into society, is it our obligation as stewards.

We often send our children to school, give them a good religious upbringing and then assimilate them into the workplace, almost like robots on an assembly line. We seem to never even question where these beliefs originated, we have no idea where they are going to take us and above all, we have no idea that they are truly beneficial to society, let alone ourselves.

Teaching our children what we have been taught, isn't always going to be right. If you look back in history, at all the beliefs, rituals and facts that have been disproven and are no longer followed by modern man, you can get a pretty good idea what I'm talking about. These people often taught their children, what they were taught. In centuries to come, these truths died out and were replaced by new ones.

Religious mind control can be cured by opening your mind and reading articles like this. You might be talking to someone who you have been taught to fear or even hate your whole life, only to find out that they think like you. They care about their families, feel sorry for others who are less fortunate and usually eat and sleep just like you do. If your mind is open enough, you could realize that you have been lied to and now it's time to start thinking seriously about what you were taught and what you're going to believe in the future.

Religious mind control can be cured through reading books, watching television, visiting other countries and educating yourself about other cultures and religions. The change you make today could affect future generations in your family.

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his recommended books, You Can Have It All

Greg is currently working on a religious help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Could You Be a Married Adulterer? - For Christians Only

Adultery has been going on for centuries and obviously was a problem 2500 years ago or it wouldn't have been mentioned in the Bible so many times. Could you actually be married to someone and be considered an adulterer? It's time for you to learn all the rules in the New Testament about adultery.

Here's a Bible verse that could get a lot of Christians in trouble. Mark 10:11-12 (New King James Version)" 11 So He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries commits adultery against her. 12 And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."

It looks a little more complicated than most of us could have ever thought. Whoever divorces his wife and marries another, has committed adultery. That means that there are millions of Christians all over the world who have committed adultery.

I've got some more bad news for Christians who might have looked at a woman lustfully. Matthew 5:28 (New International Version Bible) "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." This isn't looking good, for men or women is it?

If you've never been married, but while you were at church, notice an attractive woman or man and had lustful thoughts, about them, you're an adulterer. I know, it sounds a little harsh, but I'm not making anything up here, it's right out of the Bible.

I know things aren't looking good but I would like to leave you with a comforting thought. If you were divorced from your spouse because of an adulterous relationship, things might be starting to look a little different with this next Bible verse.

Matthew 19:9 (New International Version Bible) I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery."

These are typical contradictions and they are located throughout the Bible. Mark 10:11-12 states that all divorced people who have remarried, commit adultery. Matthew 19:9 states something completely different, if your divorced and your ex spouse has been unfaithful during your marriage and you remarry, everything is okay.

Are you even more confused than when I started? There's a good chance that you are. I'm even confused and I wrote the article. The real question is, can we remarry or can't we.

This would be a good topic during Bible study. You can start by asking, how many people are adulterers?

Read This Today

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author and a inspiration to millions of people. He has been involved in religious research for almost 30 years, and his influence in the Christian community is growing. The Holy Bible, is the core to Christian beliefs and most Christians don't even question it. Was the Bible actually written by men?

His newest book," Did God Actually Say That?" Was written specifically for Christians who are interested in gaining additional knowledge about the Bible. This book provides Christians with advanced biblical knowledge, answer some tough questions and should be read by every faithful follower of Christ.

Click here if you're interested in the Bible truth.

Good Christians Really Do Inspire Me

One of the best Christians who I ever met, truly inspired me and everyone around him to become a better person. His son is now working at a church and his daughter is a teacher and they're not the only people who he inspired.

He inspired me to write this article, good Christians really do inspire me and others and he definitely was living his life, like Jesus did. He's the only person that I ever met, who didn't have anything bad to say about anyone, with the exception of one time. I actually heard him say that he hates that person, the person probably deserved it, but I still couldn't believe that the word came out of his mouth.

We all make mistakes, even he did, every once in a while. Whenever someone asked him about Christianity, he would try to avoid sharing his beliefs with them, unless they were persistent and then he would share all that he knew.

He never tried to convert anyone and never forced his opinions on anyone else. I asked him once," Did he actually read all of those books that he had in his library." He said that he actually did and I was shocked. He had three large library shelves that were each 4 foot wide and went almost all the way up to the ceiling, filled with books on Christianity and some on other religions.

He's the only man I ever met, that I would actually consider to be a good Christian. I don't know what it was about him, his honesty, compassion or simple kindness, but I valued his friendships and kept my ears open and my mouth shut... most of the time.

If you know someone like this in your life, I would advise you to take full advantage of their wisdom and let them inspire you to become a better Christian and if you don't believe in Christianity, these people can inspire you to become better person. A great life can be acquired, learning the wisdom from people who lead great lives.

Unbelievable Christian Bible Study Book

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Do you really know why you're a Christian, click on this way to get more information about Becoming Really Good Christians

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author and a inspiration to millions of people. He has been involved in religious research for almost 30 years, and his influence in the Christian community is growing. The Holy Bible, is the core to Christian beliefs and most Christians don't even question it. Was the Bible actually written by men?

His newest book," Did God Actually Say That?" Was written specifically for Christians who are interested in gaining additional knowledge about the Bible. This book provides Christians with advanced biblical knowledge, answer some tough questions and should be read by every faithful follower of Christ.

Thanks for reading my articles

Jesus' Missing Years in the Bible

It looks like there is a big problem in the Gospels. There are more years in Jesus' life that are missing than years of his life that were ever recorded. Why weren't these years listed in the Bible?

All the Gospels talked about the death of Jesus, the birth of Jesus and a few years in between, but all of the Gospels are missing some very important years from his life. When raising a child, some of the most important years of their lives, will be those when they were teenagers and often those of their young adulthood.

The Gospels talk about Jesus at the temple at around the age of 12 or 13. After that, there is very little known until he reaches the final years of his life. Was there someone or a group of people or even a community who influenced his life? Could Jesus have learned something from a spiritual master Guru that changed the world forever?

There is more speculation on Jesus' missing years than you could ever imagine. Some say that Jesus went to Egypt to study with their masters or priests. Egypt obviously wasn't that far from where Jesus was raised, but like most of the stuff in the Bible, there is very little evidence to support any of these speculative stories.

Could Jesus have went to India and studied with the Buddhist masters or even a Hindu scholars? Did Jesus study with advanced Jewish scholars? This is only a little bit of the historical speculation, but if the truth was ever to be known, it could help Christianity solve a lot of problems.

Most Christians rarely even question these missing years. There are quite a few Christians that don't even know that there are any missing years in Jesus' life. I wrote this article to get people thinking and hopefully to start educating themselves about early Christianity. Good luck and God bless.

Great Christian Books And Articles

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:
Religious Education And Fear

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author and a inspiration to millions of people. He has been involved in religious research for almost 30 years, and his influence in the Christian community is growing. The Holy Bible, is the core to Christian beliefs and most Christians don't even question it. Was the Bible actually written by men?

His newest book," Did God Actually Say That?" Was written specifically for Christians who are interested in gaining additional knowledge about the Bible. This book provides Christians with advanced biblical knowledge, answer some tough questions and should be read by every faithful follower of Christ.

Religious Mind Control Or Generational Sin

If you were raised with certain beliefs and belong to a certain religion, there is a very good chance that your parents followed your religion and share the same beliefs. If you are a Muslim, there's a very good chance that your parents were Muslims. If you live in the United States, there is a really, really good chance that you're a Christian, especially if you live in Texas or Utah.

Is this religious mind control and generational sin or is this truly the way life is meant to live. Your parents and ancestors formed strong beliefs and pass them on to their children. What's wrong with that? Is it a generational sin to pass on what you truly believe? With that question asked, is a generational sin our mind control to teach our children how to fit into society, is it our obligation as stewards.

We often send our children to school, give them a good religious upbringing and then assimilate them into the workplace, almost like robots on an assembly line. We seem to never even question where these beliefs originated, we have no idea where they are going to take us and above all, we have no idea that they are truly beneficial to society, let alone ourselves.

Teaching our children what we have been taught, isn't always going to be right. If you look back in history, at all the beliefs, rituals and facts that have been disproven and are no longer followed by modern man, you can get a pretty good idea what I'm talking about. These people often taught their children, what they were taught. In centuries to come, these truths died out and were replaced by new ones.

Religious mind control can be cured by opening your mind and reading articles like this. You might be talking to someone who you have been taught to fear or even hate your whole life, only to find out that they think like you. They care about their families, feel sorry for others who are less fortunate and usually eat and sleep just like you do. If your mind is open enough, you could realize that you have been lied to and now it's time to start thinking seriously about what you were taught and what you're going to believe in the future.

Religious mind control can be cured through reading books, watching television, visiting other countries and educating yourself about other cultures and religions. The change you make today could affect future generations in your family.

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his recommended books, You Can Have It All

Greg is currently working on a religious help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Could You Be a Married Adulterer? - For Christians Only

Adultery has been going on for centuries and obviously was a problem 2500 years ago or it wouldn't have been mentioned in the Bible so many times. Could you actually be married to someone and be considered an adulterer? It's time for you to learn all the rules in the New Testament about adultery.

Here's a Bible verse that could get a lot of Christians in trouble. Mark 10:11-12 (New King James Version)" 11 So He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries commits adultery against her. 12 And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."

It looks a little more complicated than most of us could have ever thought. Whoever divorces his wife and marries another, has committed adultery. That means that there are millions of Christians all over the world who have committed adultery.

I've got some more bad news for Christians who might have looked at a woman lustfully. Matthew 5:28 (New International Version Bible) "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." This isn't looking good, for men or women is it?

If you've never been married, but while you were at church, notice an attractive woman or man and had lustful thoughts, about them, you're an adulterer. I know, it sounds a little harsh, but I'm not making anything up here, it's right out of the Bible.

I know things aren't looking good but I would like to leave you with a comforting thought. If you were divorced from your spouse because of an adulterous relationship, things might be starting to look a little different with this next Bible verse.

Matthew 19:9 (New International Version Bible) I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery."

These are typical contradictions and they are located throughout the Bible. Mark 10:11-12 states that all divorced people who have remarried, commit adultery. Matthew 19:9 states something completely different, if your divorced and your ex spouse has been unfaithful during your marriage and you remarry, everything is okay.

Are you even more confused than when I started? There's a good chance that you are. I'm even confused and I wrote the article. The real question is, can we remarry or can't we.

This would be a good topic during Bible study. You can start by asking, how many people are adulterers?

Read This Today

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author and a inspiration to millions of people. He has been involved in religious research for almost 30 years, and his influence in the Christian community is growing. The Holy Bible, is the core to Christian beliefs and most Christians don't even question it. Was the Bible actually written by men?

His newest book," Did God Actually Say That?" Was written specifically for Christians who are interested in gaining additional knowledge about the Bible. This book provides Christians with advanced biblical knowledge, answer some tough questions and should be read by every faithful follower of Christ.

Click here if you're interested in the Bible truth.

Good Christians Really Do Inspire Me

One of the best Christians who I ever met, truly inspired me and everyone around him to become a better person. His son is now working at a church and his daughter is a teacher and they're not the only people who he inspired.

He inspired me to write this article, good Christians really do inspire me and others and he definitely was living his life, like Jesus did. He's the only person that I ever met, who didn't have anything bad to say about anyone, with the exception of one time. I actually heard him say that he hates that person, the person probably deserved it, but I still couldn't believe that the word came out of his mouth.

We all make mistakes, even he did, every once in a while. Whenever someone asked him about Christianity, he would try to avoid sharing his beliefs with them, unless they were persistent and then he would share all that he knew.

He never tried to convert anyone and never forced his opinions on anyone else. I asked him once," Did he actually read all of those books that he had in his library." He said that he actually did and I was shocked. He had three large library shelves that were each 4 foot wide and went almost all the way up to the ceiling, filled with books on Christianity and some on other religions.

He's the only man I ever met, that I would actually consider to be a good Christian. I don't know what it was about him, his honesty, compassion or simple kindness, but I valued his friendships and kept my ears open and my mouth shut... most of the time.

If you know someone like this in your life, I would advise you to take full advantage of their wisdom and let them inspire you to become a better Christian and if you don't believe in Christianity, these people can inspire you to become better person. A great life can be acquired, learning the wisdom from people who lead great lives.

Unbelievable Christian Bible Study Book

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Do you really know why you're a Christian, click on this way to get more information about Becoming Really Good Christians

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author and a inspiration to millions of people. He has been involved in religious research for almost 30 years, and his influence in the Christian community is growing. The Holy Bible, is the core to Christian beliefs and most Christians don't even question it. Was the Bible actually written by men?

His newest book," Did God Actually Say That?" Was written specifically for Christians who are interested in gaining additional knowledge about the Bible. This book provides Christians with advanced biblical knowledge, answer some tough questions and should be read by every faithful follower of Christ.

Thanks for reading my articles

The Story of Chosun - Part 11

Fresh winds blow on the Korean Peninsula. Evil can only dominate for awhile. Eventually darkness yields to light. Now, in Korea, then "Koryo", it is not yet time to talk of the ultimate Light, Jesus, but a moral light at least is allowed to come, in the form of the Yi Chosun dynasty, created in the person of Yi Tajo.

In 1371 Sin-don, the court favorite by deceit, is exposed and killed. Over against this victory is the negative fact that the King is given over to sodomy and Japanese pirates invade Seoul, and burn it down.

1374. The King is assassinated. His supposed son, from Sindon, ascends. But the Chinese Ming dynasty draws the line at any acceptance of Koryo: they point out that an assassination and a questionably legitimate heir are reasons for them to hesitate at the validity of any alliance.

In 1378 rising star Yi Tajo is put in charge of all the military. His is the one strong life in a nation gone weak from the top down. Through his influence the occasional raids of the Japanese are quelled.

The new King can't decide whether to favor the Ming dynasty or the old Mongolian power, descending as is Koryo into history. He is double-minded about this for some time, and additionally, he continues in many of his father's evil ways. The drinking, the women, the hunting, the stealing. Koryo has lost its moral compass.

The Japanese come on worse than ever as they see such weakness. But Tajo wins yet another victory. Slowly the people begin to expect him to deliver them. That seems to be his own growing awareness too.

In 1383, the Capital is moved back to Seoul, then to Kaesong, currently a part of North Korea, in between Seoul and Pyongyang.

By 1386, the Ming have decided to recognize the King of Koryo. But, in 1388 the King decides to attack Liao-tung, in Ming territory. Yi Tago warns against it, believing it will destroy Koryo. The man caught up in his flesh will always make wrong decisions. We cannot call Yi Tajo a spiritual man by any means, but he seems to be directed by higher standards, and to that extent he raises expectations in Korea.

As plans begin to march to the northern regions against Ming, the Japanese are allowed to enter the south unopposed. Yi and his army are forced to turn around and march on Kaesong to stop Gen. Choe, the master of the plan. Some see this as Tajo's "Crossing of the Rubicon", or in his case, the Yalu.

The weak-kneed King turns Choe over to Yi Tajo, who banishes him with a "Go in peace." Then the King is likewise banished. His adopted son is placed on the throne, while Tajo waits for the right moment. The new "king" is not of royal blood. He is often not listed as a King of Koryo. Yet Tajo is hesitant.

In 1389, the Capital comes back to Seoul again. But the King decides to remain in Kaesong amidst the almost universal wish that Yi Tajo be king. Tajo's relatives murder and banish all of his opposition to push him throne-ward. Finally, in 1392 the King abdicates and turns over the kingdom to Yi-Tajo. 475 years of Koryo rule have come to an end.

The Yi dynasty will prove to be a lasting one. In fact, the last one. Not until the aggression of Japan annexes Korea in 1910 will the Yi Dynasty be forced out of power. It is this period of time that shapes and molds Korea into its pre-modern form. Much of Yi remains to this day.

And it will be during the Yi "Chosun" period that Jesus Christ and His claims are offered to the people of this ancient and proud land. Their response is amazing. How the Koreans have loved Jesus! That makes all the worse the rule of the present tyrant of the North, who keeps the people from their appointed fellowship with God through Christ.

Much for which to pray!

Look for Bob Faulkner's home page on http://sermonaudio.com.

There you will find a combination of love for the Scriptures and a desire for North Korean believers to have their needs met. There are nearly 300 blogs, over 200 Bible teaching MP3's, lists of resources, NK picture albums, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together! Contact me any time at diakonos3@gmail.com.

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Would love to fellowship with believers who respond .

Keys to Success

Have you toiled day and night searching for a success guide?

Have you searched and read all success tips, success articles, success ideas, success books, personal development books but you have not really recorded any success story in whatever you do?

Do you desire a proven personal development plan or a genuine personal growth and development?

Have you read the success stories of successful people all your life and you believe it is about time people read your own story?

If you answer "Yes" to these questions, then I advise you to read on.

I am sure you know very well that nobody wants to be associated with a failure. Everybody loves achievers. This is the simple truth!

You can make yourself stand on the winning podium always by studying and applying the success keys that I will be sharing with you in this article.

Success Key 1: Believe in yourself: You must understand that there is something unique that has been deposited into you by God during creation. You are a STAR (Genesis 1:17). Stars are meant to shine lights! You are very relevant wherever there is anything representing darkness. A star has in-built characteristics that are necessary for it to perform its great work of light-shining. Since you are a star, there is something great in you to succeed on this earth. You only need to make yourself believe this.

Success Key 2: Never stop learning the Truth about your success from the Word of God: I believe it is very important you make yourself learn the truth in the word of God-the Bible on a regular basis. It is the best place to learn. I have always read the success stories of Jesus Christ from the Bible on a regular basis. You can begin to do this too. He is the most successful Human Being that ever walked the surface of this earth. So position yourself to learn from Him the various success keys He used to open success doors. You can claim a FREE copy of my e-book "Jesus and Your Success" at www.sesanoguntade.com/freesuccessbooks. You will have access to 10 super-success secrets of Jesus.

Success Key 3: Update your knowledge of your industry: We all belong to one niche or industry or the other. Things are changing nowadays at a very fast rate. You can't afford to loose sight of the changes in your industry. If you do, you are making yourself very irrelevant and this will never make you open success doors.

Success Key 4: Have a great relationship with man: You must find a way of learning about how you can have a great relationship with man. If you must succeed here on earth, you need the company of people on most occasions. You must understand how you relate with people for you to gain tremendously from your relationships. I am assuring you if you can learn this skill so well, it will make you open success doors on regular basis.

Success Key 5: Be bold to take actions: This is also very important. You must be bold to take actions. If you are not bold, you will never do anything worthwhile that can ensure your success. Obstacles are always there to stop you, so you must be strong to overcome them. One of my hobbies is "crushing obstacles". You can't crush if you are not bold. Be bold to take actions always.

You can gain access to over 30 SECRETS on "How You Can Begin to Act on Your Ideas" and gain access to 69 product IDEAS you can begin to work upon immediately by visiting this page:
rocktech.biz/ideasales.html

Sesan Oguntade teaches Success Principles at http://www.sesanoguntade.com Obtain OVER 30 Secrets on "How You Can Begin to ACT on Your Ideas" and gain access to 69 product IDEAS you can begin to ACT upon immediately! Visit http://www.rocktech.biz/ideasales.html

The Story of Chosun, Part Six

In world history it is now the entry into the "Dark" or "Middle" ages. Romanist priests throughout Europe and Buddhist priests in the far-eastern nation which will one day be Korea,

But there is political trouble in the East also. A tribe called the Khitans in the northern part of the Korean peninsula continues to aggravate the area and seek dominance. They attack their southern neighbors (Koryo, eg) in 1010 with an army of 400,000, and are even successful until they reach the capital Pyongyang (still capital of North Korea). They are resisted and beaten back.

But every year they try again, and every year Koryo, heir of the old "Korguryo", ancestor of modern Korea, appeals to China, and is denied by same. Many thousands continue to die. China today seems to be ignorant of Korean woes also, as it sends NK refugees back to certain tragedies in their own land. China then and China now is for China.

In 1019, Koryo wins a major and decisive battle, gaining kudos from surrounding regions. All of this with no help from big Sister. By 1020 there is a formal peace with the Khitans. So much for negotiation being better than might.

Enter a new, but really continuing, struggle, between Confucius & Buddha. It is frustrating to see Korea trying to choose between two equally damning philosophies. One might appreciate the high moral standards of one like Confucius, the problem being that the wise one did not die for his people, and unless someone can be counted on to be the sin-bearer, all the wisdom and morality under heaven will be to no avail.

In 1032, Khitan threatens again. A certain bridge is left standing by the people of Koryo and the Khitan kingdom is insulted. An attack is considered. And while they consider, Koryo builds a wall from the Yalu River (present northwestern boundary of North Korea,) across the peninsula to the Japan (East) Sea! Appeasement is not their style.

Ironically, after China has denied Koryo any assistance for so many years, she has the boldness in 1077 to ask Koryo to aid against Kitans, who now threaten a weakened Empire.

One more note of interest in the 11th century. In 1093 a 2nd capital now appears in Koryo: Han-yang . Today we call this city Seoul. It is the capital of South Korea.

Century twelve sees the continued rise of Koryo, but with continued conflict with challenging neighbors. A splinter group of the Khitans, the Yujin tribe, receives a welcome visit from a monk of Koryo. He marries there. A couple of generations down, one related to him, Agolta, actually becomes the chief of that tribe. In 1114 the Yujin tribe breaks away altogether from the Khitans, eventually even conquering them.

So Koryo has a dangerous neighbor to the north again. Much later in the century, Cho-Wijong of Pyongyang rises up, gathers a following, fails in a bid to threaten Koryo. In fact, the king of Koryo lays siege to Pyongyang, starving its residents. A famine even leads to cannibalism, as we have seen in the modern version of this land today.

Eventually the rebels are defeated and scattered, the whole country is in a state of anarchy. And the king, like Nero of Rome, parties through the entire debacle. Once again we are reminded of modern times and the present reign of a dictator who lives like the richest of the world's monarchs while his people suffer and die.

The history of Korea is a sad story, century after century. Next time: enter the Mongols. Things don't get better.

Only Christ can save a Korean heart. Please pray for more and more of Jesus to be sent to more and more Koreans.

Category: NK: History

Look for Bob Faulkner's home page on http://sermonaudio.com There you will find a combination of love for the Scriptures and a desire for North Korean believers to have their needs met. There are nearly 300 blogs , ovber 200 Bible teaching MP3's, lists of resources, NK picture albums, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together! Contact me any time at diakonos3@gmail.com

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Would love to fellowship with believers who respond.

North Korea - Unbroken Succession

How is a strong leader brought to power? Some say it takes a people who are conditioned to receive him. Surely the Korean people were so conditioned. Centuries of harsh rulers have been permitted to hold sway over the minds of the citizens of Chosun. Take Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. He was the founder of the Ming Dynasty that ruled Korea from 1364-1666. He required absolute obedience. He was the law and the source of all laws. When he died, generations after him were forced to sit under lectures mouthing his philosophies.

Such lectures take place in modern North Korea, but their subject is not Emperor Zhu.

Over a thousand years earlier much of the peninsula was ruled by the Silla kings. In those days a man's hereditary position determined his place in the social standing. Top aristocracy did not have to sign up for the military. They went instead to the top administrative offices in the land.

A practice carried down to today's Korea.

Later came the Koryo State, equally conscious of rank, whose "caste" system rivaled that of modern India and persists in North Korea as well. One third of the nation was actually a slave class in ancient Koryo. This practice was only outlawed in 1894, but was quickly picked up by the occupying Japanese.

And of course, by today's labor camp mentality . Most did not consider it unusual. This is how things had been "forever".

Caste continued in the final Choson dynasty. The different groups wore tags that branded them as high or low in Korean standing.

Today's system has changed only in name, and involves 50 or 60 ranks according to class background. There are "families that fought the Japanese," " veterans of the Korean War," "poor peasant farmers" etc etc. One's rank determines where one lives and how much one eats and if one lives or dies.

There are many other intriguing similarities between the present oppression and the oppression of his predecessors. North Korea is starved for liberty and truth. Starved.

Can Koreans be free? Where shall we look for hope, for faith that things can ever be different? That's easy. South Korea, and the God upon whom so many South Koreans call every day. South Korea is the constant argument against feudalism, brutal monarchies, Communism, Juche, and the government of the North. Koreans really can be free, given the proper God and the proper leadership.

For this we pray.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. Just about every day I'm writing a blog featuring some news, a book, or a story of North Korea. There's a live news feed on the site, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together!

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond on my site.

Prayer - The Anti-Drug Program

Earlier this month, Alex Rodriguez, the New York Yankees' all-star third baseman, admitted to using drugs to improve his performance and justify his enormous salary. Those muscle-building, performance-enhancing substances have long-term, serious side effects. Liver damage? Heart damage? Hypertension? It's just the cost of doing business as far as many "uber athletes" are concerned. The immediate pay off in an inflated salaries, lucrative endorsement contracts and the adulation of trusting fans are too irresistible for some.

Unfortunately, thousands of impressionable teens imitate these so-called role models in an effort to win at all costs. They put their faith in steroids and take them in locker rooms and weight rooms across the country. Hundreds of thousands of high school and college athletes believe they must be bigger, faster, stronger, in order to compete. By the time they step onto the playing field, they're "juiced up."

The truth is the greatest foe those athletes face is themselves.The taking of drugs is a sign that they have lost faith in themselves. It takes real strength of character and fortitude to commit to the kind of exercise regimen, diet and practice routines, which are needed to become a true champion. But something else is needed.

Many great athletes have said that their game is 10% physical; 90% mental. Yes, they have natural physical ability, but more than that, they have faith in themselves. They succeed because they believe they will succeed. They don't need steroids because they have something better. They have faith. And the same principle is at work in all walks of life.

We can see an example of that kind of faith at work far from the athletic field. In Mark 9: 14-29, we read how the faith of a father moved Jesus to heal his demon-possessed son. The boy was completely powerless to help himself. Talk about physical limitations--he repeatedly fell into the water and fire in what must have been a living hell.

Ignoring the derision of the scribes, the father beseeched the apostles to cure his son--only to have them fail in the attempt. But the father could not be deterred. When the crowd parted, and he saw Jesus standing before him, he implored the Lord:

"...if you can do anything," the father begged, "have compassion on us and help us."

Jesus actually rebuked the man. "'If you can!' Everything is possible to one who has faith."

Challenged by Jesus, the boy's father cried out, "I do believe, help my unbelief!"

Immediately, Jesus turned to the boy and commanded the mute and deaf spirit to leave him.

Like that father, most of us encounter situations that test our faith. Setbacks and failures that can sap our spirits and leave us hurt, angry and discouraged. We may begin to question our own abilities, our worthiness, our faith - - and our God. We might be tempted to quell those feelings of inferiority with alcohol or drugs.

The next time you encounter obstacles that leave you questioning God's will for your life, bring those doubts to prayer and ask the Lord to "help my unbelief."

Copyright 2009, Spiritual Kindling

By Bob Larranaga

Bob Larranaga is the webmaster at http://www.spiritualkindling.com, Home of Inspiring Scriptures, Famous Quotes, Free Sermons, Prayer and Christian Fellowship. Plus, Christian music, videos, books, christian home decor and artwork, religious jewelry and apparel. Visitors can search by theme, add their own posts. New topics are added daily, each one related to the readings for daily Mass. If interested in exchanging reciprocal links, contact Bob_Larranaga@yahoo.com

The Picture

(I wrote this after this happened--The Holy Spirit is amazing)

There are moments in your life where God puts the perfect words in your mouth for that moment in time. If I never say another thing in my life, I will always remember that on this day I said something right.

Standing in bedroom last night talking to my wife,

I can see the heartbreak in her eyes.

She had been wanting something for so long and

all signs pointed to it's coming. She looks at me and asks,

"Why does God not like me?" I tell her right away,

"God loves you more than anyone ever could."

She says, "Why did He break His promise to me?

I have wanted this for so long and I knew that the Pastor

on TV was speaking to me. I knew it was time."

I told her, "God does not break promises and trust

His word and not the words of man." She counters,

"He speaks through people though."

"Yes He does", I said, "He may have been speaking to someone else."

Then she was silent. I have never seen her faith so tested and her heart so torn before.

I then looked up at this very old picture that her Grandmother had given to us.

It was a picture of Jesus with two sheep, one on each side of Him and He was holding a lamb in His arms. I told my wife as I pointed to the picture, "I would do anything to take away your hurt, but only He can repair the tear in your heart."

My wife looks at me with tears in her eyes and says, "He does not speak to me. He only stands there with that lamb in His arms." In the most gentle and loving way I could speak to her I said, "Sweetheart, that lamb in His arms is you."

Doug G 2007

Success thrives upon failure's demise.

Doug Gorman is the owner of Work Be Gone!-- http://www.workbegone.com and writes articles and stories from business to humor. Contact at support@workbegone.com for info on articles for your website!

In Jesus Christ We Rise

Give glory and praise to Jesus Christ. Whom raised that temple up out of the grave. From death to life on the third day, just like he said.

The temple of God from which he stayed. While on this earth for many many days. Performing miracles and raising the dead. Forgiving and healing was his passionate way. Though the Roman soldiers and those who didn't know him. Saw him as a threat. When he was truly more, than we could ever hope for or expect to get. While hanging on the cross; he forgave them of that. And still he lives holding no regrets.

He paid a price. We could not pay. He chose to be the living sacrifice. So that we could have life. Leaving lessons, blessings and direction to heaven. Though we be blind. If we only believe and have faith the size of a mustard seed. We can say to the mountain. Be ye cast into the midst of the sea. We should be able to do just what he did.

And that much more. Because he lead the way. All we have to do is open the door. Following his lead to everlasting life. Cause we can do all things in Jesus Christ. Just as we live in this world, we shall surely die. Being born in sin is the reason why. We must confess and be born again. To be among the living. We can thank God for giving us Jesus Christ.

He made a way and provision for life. So lets keep that in mind. And when were laid in that grave. If we believe what he said. And have faith that he is. We also can have another chance to live. When he says rise my child. We can open our eyes. Because we know hes alive. But without faith. You'll lie in the darkness of death in a grave. With out ears to hear. In hell is where you will stay.

These short stories and poetry, express times in my life that were happy, joyful, funny, regretful and sometimes chaotic. I've been writing all my life and I can't imagine not doing it. I've always kept journals; wrote poems, lyrics etc. I'm a firm believer in the power of words. Therefore. I'm involved in several writing ventures. My husband and I have a Christian site, "Risen Word Ministry", where I write poetry. There's many topics with five children and eight grandchildren. Has encouraged me to write a series of stories from childhood all through the parental experience. Some here and, in "Tales from a multi-colored room". My main purpose in writing is to glorify God. Also to share some of my life experience with others in hopes of making a positive influence. Writing is something I plan on doing for the rest of my life, to go throughout generations as a family legacy.

Darby, Scofield, And Pre-Tribulation Theology

As one looks through church history, he is astounded at the nearly total silence about a "pre-tribulation" rapture. But in 1830, a single "prophecy" was picked up by one movement leader and began to spread. At about this same time, the one called the "father of modern Dispensationalism" got wind of Margaret Macdonald's dream, and paid her a visit. He listened well, then went home and made some changes, incorporating it into his own theories about the end times.

John Darby was also the father of the Plymouth Brethren movement, a church which was openly proud of what they called this "new doctrine," once they got hold of it. Brian M. Schwertley, in Is the Pretribulation Rapture Biblical? says "The Plymouth Brethren openly admitted and were even proud of the fact that among their teachings were totally new ones which had never been taught by the church fathers, medieval scholars, Protestant Reformers, or the many commentaries."

It is not clear to me about whom "prince of preachers" Charles Spurgeon was speaking in the following quote, but one wonders if it was not the "Brethren" themselves. Spurgeon lived in the day when the pre-tribulation rapture was freshly hatched. It is obvious what he thought of the idea. Hear him well:

"...there is a certain troublesome sect abroad nowadays," said he, "to whom the one thing needful is a perpetual speculation upon prophecy...They plume themselves upon an expected secret rapture , and I know not what vain imaginings beside..."

The creator of the "Scofield Reference Bible" (1917) included Darby's teachings in his notes. Seeing such things "in the Bible" emboldened many other saints to trust this doctrine as though God had said it Himself. There followed the inclusion of pre-tribulationism in the curriculums of well-known and greatly loved institutions such as Moody Bible Institute and Dallas Theological Seminary, and in the 1970's, a book and movie by young people's theologian Hal Lindsay.

There seemed to be no stopping it after that. Today it has permeated much of the western evangelical world. It is far from universal in the church today, and far from historical, as I have shown, but there is as we say a very "vocal minority" of believers, mostly Western/American, who swear by this doctrine.

Thankfully, history is not our final, or even our major appeal when deciding upon the truth of a teaching. History has spoken its clear word, but God Himself has spoken on this and every issue that matters to a believer. Let us hear what His Word says about it, and let all of men's theories be gone.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. Just about every day I'm writing a blog featuring some news, a book, or a story of North Korea. There's a live news feed on the site, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together!

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond on my site.

A Biography of Samuel Beckett

Samuel Beckett was born on Good Friday, April 13, 1906 in Dublin. He studied French, Italian and English at Trinity College, Dublin from 1923 to 1927. In 1928 he moved to Paris to take up the post of English lecturer in the Ecole Normale Superieure.

A mutual friend introduced him to James Joyce and he worked as his secretary, in 1929 Beckett published his first work which was a defence of Joyce's work and method. In 1930 he returned to Trinity as a lecturer, however citing habit and routine as a 'cancer of time', he quit his post and set out on a nomadic trawl across Europe, finally settling in Europe.

He joined the French Resistance after the 1940 occupation by Germany, in August 1942 his unit was betrayed to the Gestapo, Beckett and Suzanne Dechevaux-Dumesnil. In 1945, Beckett returned to Dublin for a brief visit, during his visit he had a revelation in which his entire future literary direction appeared to him, he documented this in his 1958 play Krapp's Last Tape.

He returned to Paris and began his most prolific period as a writer. In the five years that followed he wrote Eleutheria, Waiting for Godot, Endgame, the novels Molloy, Malone Dies, The Unnamable and Mercier et Camier, two books of short stories and a book of criticism. He married Suzanne in 1961 in a secret civil ceremony in England and he won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969. He died in Paris in 1989.

Russell Shortt is a travel consultant with Exploring Ireland, the leading specialists in customised, private escorted tours, escorted coach tours and independent self drive tours of Ireland. Article source: http://www.exploringireland.net

The Deity of Jesus Christ - The Prophets

Here is the testimony of the prophets and their New Testament counterparts regarding the deity of one called Jesus.

Jeremiah 23:6, The Lord our righteousness. The name of Jeremiah's coming "Branch" is spelled out in 23:6: "...and this is His name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." The apostle Paul explains (I Corinthians 1:30): " But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." Christ is our righteousness. He must be the "Branch". He must also be "The Lord."

Amos 1:2, 3:8, The Lion. "The Lord will ROAR from Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem..." "The lion hath roared, who will not fear? The Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy?" And who is the Lion in the New Testament? Revelation 5:5 tells us : "Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book...and I beheld a Lamb..." Jesus, the Lamb. Jesus the Lion. Jesus, God.

Micah 5:2, The everlasting one from Bethlehem. For a child to be born in Bethlehem does not make Him Divine. But Micah, in predicting the place of Messiah's birth, adds a detail that can only point to Deity: 5:2 "...Bethlehem, though thou be little..., out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." Habakkuk (1:12) asks "Art Thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God?" And we all answer, amen! The Lord God, Jesus of Bethlehem, is from everlasting!

Zechariah 2:10, The coming One. We have long preached the coming again of Jesus. Jesus specifically states this in Revelation 22:7. But it is the Lord of the Old Covenant Who says to Zechariah: "Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee."

Zechariah 12:10, The pierced One. That same Lord, of Zechariah, the only One he knew, the only One Who spoke to a prophet of God, says in 12:10, "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication: and they shall look upon ME Whom they have pierced..." The One we call Jesus was not merely an example of human suffering, but was God Himself being wounded for our transgressions.

Zechariah 14:3-4, Lord of the Mt. of Olives. Zechariah goes on to say that theLord shall "go forth, and fight against those nations...and HIS FEET shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives..." Luke records for us (Acts 1:12), that it was the mount called Olivet from which Jesus ascended to heaven. The angels let the disciples know that Jesus "shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven." (Acts 1:11) We assume that not only the manner but the location will be the same.

Zechariah 14:5, The One Who comes with the saints. "...and the LORD MY GOD shall come, and all the saints with Thee." We have established above that the title "Lord God" belongs to Jesus. What about the idea of "coming with the saints" ? This is established in Matthew 24:30-31Jesus says to His disciples "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." It is also verified in the book of Jude, via the book of Enoch, that "The Lord comes with 10,000's of his saints." Jesus is coming to earth with His gathered saints. The Lord God shall come with saints. Must be the same Person.

Zechariah 14:9, God of the One Name. There is only one God! Zechariah puts it this way: "And the Lord shall be King over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord and His Name one." This agrees with the text so sacred to Jews, Deuteronomy 6:4, "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is One." There is one Lord! One God! One Name! Jesus and His Father are ONE!

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. I have created over 200 blogs and the site features a live news feed, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosen together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. I love to write Scriptural works. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond.

Jesus Built No Churches

Jesus built no churches in the physical sense of the meaning. We all know that Jesus the Christ built his church on Peter. Now Peter represents knowledge. Let me explain. Jesus asked his disciples "Who am I?" Several disciples answered him wrongly, when he came to Simon Peter, who was known as Peter, Peter said " My lips can not say the words of who you are. Jesus said " Where Peter is there is my church.Peter was aware of his own ignorance. Peter knew what he did not know. That is the sign of wisdom, and it is knowledge that leads to wisdom. Peter was aware of his own ignorance. Peter knew what he did not know. That is the sign of wisdom, and it is knowledge that leads to wisdom.

Socrates said "Knowledge is Virtue." Buddha said "The More a Man Knows About Himself, the Better of a Person He Will Become." Confucius said "Know Thyself, Above all Else." Plato said "Know Yourself, Man."

Jesus said "When you come to know yourselves you will realize that it is you who are the sons of God. But if you will not know yourselves,You dwell in poverty and it is You who are that poverty." Man is the greatest creature in the Universe.We are made in the Image and likeness of God. Jesus showed us with the power of God what a man could do.

When people ask me " Do you go to church? " I respond by saying " I am always at church..." My church is always with me. Now how convenient is that? I save a lot of gas traveling to and from church. Although there are a lot of other conveniences to this, I really don't need a car, insurance on that car, or even a license and registration on a car. It is amazing how complicated we we have made life become.

So, Who built all these churches? All Christianity stems from the Catholic Church, built about four hundred years after the death of Jesus. The church spread it's authority by brutal force. They call them ' Holy Wars '. This was not of Jesus teachings. Jesus spoke of love for your brother. " Protect Your Brother...Like You Would Protect the Pupil of Your Own Eye..." -Jesus -. Man fights to this day nation against nation,country against country,city against city, religion against religion,brother against brother. This is not what Jesus taught.

I remember only one time when Jesus was angered to action. He had entered into the city of Jerusalem. Jesus went into a temple and saw people selling and buying.He cast everyone out upturning tables of the money changers,and people selling doves. "My house is a house of prayer but you have made it a den of thieves" We all know of christian churches that have a " Bingo " night, maybe a yard sale, or a book sale. If Jesus walked into any of these christian churches he would not be pleased. How do you think he would feel if he saw a statue of his broken body nailed to a cross? How would you feel? Personally, I would not feel justified as a teacher for people to worship a low point in my life. God showed mercy by sending a great teacher to show man the path to eternal happiness.

Are we blind or are we being blinded? Step back and see our own folly. Adam got fooled in the Garden of Eden. Are we that much greater than Adam that we remain confident that we could never be deceived? Satan likes that. Jesus said," The kingdom is spread out upon the earth,and men do not see it."

Find the truth know yourself. Reach in for the truth. You will know it is the truth. Lets say for example a child is born into, lets say a Baptist family, the whole family teaches the child to believe in the baptist faith. The child grows up practicing and believing the Baptist faith. He feels that is the answer for him. Unfortunately this boy's faith is weak because it came from an outside source. He did not get the truth from himself within himself. This also happens in private compounds, where they have their own savior. Society calls this brainwashing.

You must go on a very important journey to your very core and then emerge. First you will find yourself and then you will find God. this will happen at the same time. "When the Storms of Life blow at me, Like a Rock I will Stand"

You will find the truth inside yourself. That brothers and sisters can not be taken away from you. All the truth from the bible will become known to you, without reading a word from any book. Realize you will not be saved by just believing in Jesus and praying. Prayer is how you live your life. God showed us his mercy by giving us a living example of a perfect man living with his sacred with with God.

If someday the devil should look you straight in the eye, You will be able to look straight back at him...and he will disappear...

God shine your light upon me. God give me the strength and grant me the fiber to remain in your light.

Atman is a child of God, who is known for his great insight into religion. He has a knack for teaching through quotes and short stories,he is considered an expert writer.

God is his mentor, because he knocked on God's door.

Get a Free Quote a Day

http://www.gainuniquewisdom.com

Three Men Who Will Change All

It's been a while since I have dealt with prophecy in this blog. North Korea, and the Body of Christ there, surely do consume time. I say it humbly and gratefully. But something grabbed me the other day that I thought might be profitable for you. See what you think. Well, I mean, see if this is borne out in the Word.

Two men will suddenly appear on the scene in the days of Antichrist preceding the return of Jesus Christ to the Earth. I will not attempt a defense of that fact here, but assume it going in. Zechariah sees these two, as does John in the Revelation (11). Jesus alludes to it when he says that Elijah truly comes first to restore all things.

Then Jesus leads the reader/hearer to believe that he is talking about John the Baptist, who came in the spirit and power of Elijah, but wasn't actually Elijah. So John becomes a picture of the Old Testament prophet as well as a precursor of at least one of those coming prophets.

For you see, one of the qualifications for such a man is that he never died in the ordinary sense. Since all men have an appointment with death except end-time saints here when Jesus returns, and since Revelation 11 even records their death, it is safe to assume that they cannot have died before. The traditional wisdom, and that which I have clung to, is that, therefore, Enoch and Elijah must be the two returning men. Neither ever died.

Today I'd like you to look at the possibility of Moses' return. I am quick to inject that the word "died" is used in connection with his departing the planet, in Deuteronomy. But I must hasten to add that there are some strange statements made in regards to this death. First, God buried him. Second, no one knows where the grave or the body is. Third, Jude records a dispute over that body between the angels of God and the angels of Satan.

Why a dispute? Does Satan believe he should be in charge of the dead? Did God have other plans for this particular body? Was Satan grieved because it seemed God was not playing by the rules? Was in fact Moses' body taken immediately to a holding place, to be joined later by Elijah, where they have been preserved ever since?

Why not Enoch? Well, maybe it is he after all, but consider the activities of these two men, described in Revelation 11:

• They will "shut heaven" in regards to precipitation. That was a work of Elijah.
• They will turn water to blood. Moses.
• They will strike the earth at will with various plagues. Again, a Moses activity.

One other intriguing clue is the appearance of these two very men on the mount of transfiguration. Bodies. Not spirits, as we have been led to believe that all men are when they leave their bodies awaiting the resurrection. Here are two glaring exceptions. They had a body just as surely as the One with whom they were discussing the coming sacrifice of God. Where did they go after this incredible experience? Back to the waiting room. They wait there still...

And in an adjoining room, one more waits, hindered or "restrained" (KJV, "let") by a strong angel who will release him at a given cue. That's another story, but connected in a very real way to this same closing chapter of Earth as we know it. These three men will revolutionize the world! And there's no newspaper or magazine you can read to try to figure out if they're "alive" on the planet now. They are very much alive... but not quite on the planet. All in good time...

If America's current problems are the signal of the winding down of civilization, life could get pretty exciting before long

Look for Bob Faulkner's home page on http://sermonaudio.com. There you will find a combination of love for the Scriptures and a desire for North Korean believers to have their needs met. There are nearly 300 blogs, over 200 Bible teaching MP3's, lists of resources, NK picture albums, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together! Contact me any time at diakonos3@gmail.com.

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Would love to fellowship with believers who respond.

The Sabbath - Written On Our Hearts?

Is the Sabbath for today? Has the Fourth Commandment been placed in our heart when we were filled with God's Spirit under the New Covenant?

It was men full of the Spirit of God who wrote the will of God for God's New Covenant People. Following is a partial list of how the Ten Commandments left the stone tablets of Moses and found their way into New Covenant thinking and into our hearts through the Spirit. God's law, you will see, has not changed, only gotten deeper, better, richer.

Commandments 1 and 2: Exodus 20:1-6, "...have no other gods before Me... do not make images..." is repeated in I John 5:21, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." Acts 15:20 tells us, "...abstain from things polluted by [offered to] idols." Likewise I Corinthians 10:28, "If anyone says to you, This was offered to idols, do not eat it..." II Corinthians 6:14, 16, "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers...what agreement has the temple of God with idols...?" The New Covenant, written in our hearts, keeps us not only from other gods but also from fellowship with idolaters.

Commandment 3: Exodus 20:7, You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain" is suggested by Jesus in Matthew 6:7, explaining to the disciples how to pray, "...do not use vain repetitions, as the heathen do." Also, "Hallowed be Thy Name," from the Model prayer in Matthew 6:9. We are taught to ask in His Name anything we want, call on His Name for salvation, and that there is no other way to be saved but by that Name. We are taught that only the evil people "blaspheme the Name by which you are called," James 2:27. Truly no Spirit-filled believer will lightly use the Name of the Lord.

Commandment 4: Exodus 20:8, "Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy..." Since the fourth commandment is the subject of this research, allow me to discuss it last.

Commandment 5: Exodus 20:12, "Honor your father and your mother." This one is quoted verbatim by Paul in Ephesians 6:1-3. In addition the Spirit-filled apostles command the people of God to honor widows, honor the king, honor all men! Spirit-filled living is respectful living. Disrespect is a sure sign that the enemy is present.

Commandment 6: Exodus 20:13, "You shall not murder." James put it this way in 2:11, "...if...you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law." Romans 13:9 has Paul summing up the last 5 commandments in the one concept of love. Rather than destroy the law, Paul says, we live it out by loving. The sentence of death is destroyed, but the righteous requirement of the law lives on and prospers in us.

Commandment 7: Exodus 20:14, "You shall not commit adultery." In Galatians 5:19, adultery is listed as one of the works of the flesh. Those who practice these works will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Commandment 8: Exodus 20:15, "You shall not steal." And in Ephesians 4:28, "Let him that stole steal no more."

Commandment 9: Exodus 20:16, "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor," becomes "Do not lie one to another..." in Colossians 3:9.

Commandment 10: Exodus 20:17, "You shall not covet." Paul says, "But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you as is fitting for saints... no... covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God." (Ephesians 5:3, 5)

And so the commandments come full circle. Worshiping false gods to worshiping the works of man's hands and every evil practice in between was forbidden by Moses and is forbidden by Jesus and the apostles. That is to say, the same Spirit has directed all His messengers to give the same message, even though intensified, to God's people. And now that message is to be fulfilled in God's people by the Author Himself.

Now what about that fourth commandment? There is no specific command by any apostle to keep the seventh day holy. There is also no specific repeal of the Sabbath command of 4,100 years. There is likewise no command to rest on the first day of the week. If all other commands are in evidence in the New Covenant's Spirit-filled life, what are we to assume about this one? If indeed every man is to be convinced in his own heart of the truth (Romans 14:5) then it seems to me that he will be convinced only by a word from God. A Gentile who has been taught first-day Sabbath may, like myself, eventually be called upon to seek out the truth. It seems, though, that if he does not, he is under no condemnation. Eventually all this will be made right, when Jesus comes. And there is no question in my mind about which day will be the Kingdom standard . The prophets are very explicit about the coming seventh-day Sabbath experiences of the people of God.

For now, I prefer to relate as much as possible to the saints throughout Scripture who rested on the seventh day, met most any day, and had a special meeting on the first day, the day of the creation of light, the day of the resurrection, the day of the church's founding. But I would be hard-pressed to show you a New Testament verse that puts all that together. But one of my reasons for writing this report is to show that the Sunday-Sabbath folks would be equally hard-pressed to prove that that day is a day of rest equal to the original Sabbath of the Lord. The weight of evidence shows that Rome, not Scripture, is the basis for this teaching.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. I have created over 200 blogs and the site features a live news feed , lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. I love to write Scriptural works. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond .

In North Korea - Hyok's Big Mistake

Right around the year 1995 in the northeastern section of North Korea lived a 10-year-old boy named Hyok. Hyok later escaped from this land and gave us his story in the fascinating This Is Paradise! But in this particular year on an especially boring day in school, Hyok made a serious mistake.

Now it's pretty easy to make a mistake in North Korea. The government takes the place of God but has created rules that the true God never dreamed of inflicting on His creation. In fact, Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who labor, and I will give you rest." Unfortunately this Scripture and all the Scriptures were strictly forbidden to young Hyok, and to all the people he left behind to this day.

Hyok knew it was a terrible thing to do anything disrespectful to the government's "Great Leader." He would never consciously have tried to ridicule this man-god. But when you're bored, you're bored. Looking at the badge on his chest, the compulsory one bearing the image of the nation's dictator, Hyok began to doodle. Well, a little more than doodle. He began to re-create the picture that he saw. Slowly, carefully, the badge's surface was reproduced on his paper.

The little boy sitting next to him probably didn't want to hurt Hyok. But instinct told him that something was awry here, and that if he didn't report this incident, he himself would be in trouble.

"Teacher! Hyok is insulting the Great Leader!"

Now, before I unveil the scene that ensued, imagine a similar scene in the United States. Alright, we're a pretty disrespectful nation, let's be honest. So let's suppose it is a strict Christian School down South or out West. You're bored in class. You start drawing. And from pictures you've seen on TV, you start to create the likeness of our President on your paper. Your neighbor sees you. Questions:

• does he report you or try to draw something even better at his desk?

• supposing he does report you, what does the [good Christian but strict] teacher do. Imagine the worst.

Now that you've imagined the worst America might offer, let's revisit Hyok in 1995. Here's what happened, according to his own story:

• He was made to stand in the middle of the room, where

• For five minutes the [female] teacher literally beat him all over his body in front of his peers.

• During this time she yelled at him hysterically to make him realize how utterly awful was the sin he has just committed.

• Hyok was then sent to the back of the class where he was to stay - on his knees - the rest of the day.

• As a final "blow" he was asked to write several pages of confession of his crime, showing his true penitence.

That was one of Hyok Kang's childhood memories. The kind of scar that only Jesus can heal properly. Lord we pray for Your saints in that land, but also ask that You use the hardships of North Korea to continue to draw unbelievers to the rest that You freely give. Amen.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. Just about every day I'm writing a blog featuring some news, a book, or a story of North Korea. There's a live news feed on the site, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together!

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond on my site.

Certainly Not!

"This man dealt treacherously with our people, and oppressed our forefathers, making them expose their babies, so that they might not live..."

The tyrant spoken of here in Acts 7 by the soon to be martyred Stephen, is Pharaoh, but he lives on in the persons of tyrants today. One that I know of kills all that oppose him, including their children. If he could he would wage war with the world and bring all under his dominion. In fact there is a man coming who will attempt to do just that.

In the parable of the vinedresser, Luke 20, Jesus says that the Judge of all will one day consume those who have dared to oppose His work. His audience, smug Jews who felt God could never oppose them, gasp, "Certainly not!"

Today equally smug Christians of the West hear of the tribulation that is coming to the entire planet, and fantasize, some through a carefully worked-out theology, that it can "never happen here." That the "poor believers over there" could become the one they see in the mirror every day is incredibly unbelievable to them. "Certainly not!" they would cry.

But it will come on all flesh, including believers'. The persecution, the suffering, homelessness, joblessness, pain, torture and death. It will come. Will this Western church survive it?

I hear of churches having "teaching" sessions built around a book written by some rock-and-rollers. I think, what if the church of my childhood would have had a small group meeting based on the life of Frank Sinatra? He claimed to have some religion after all. And Elvis! Why, he had whole albums of Christian music. Why was he not held up to us as a model? Will this sort of methodology change our world and prepare it for the test?

I see a parade in a town near here this summer. Three Christian floats. The first one, a band is playing rock music. No words. No message. Only rock. The hint: Come to our church, it's cool! Another one , more rock music. People singing words this time. But as is the norm with this kind of music, one couldn't make out what was being said. A third display was some simple children's tunes. All 3 had a chance to share the love of Jesus. They could have even had a short testimony of the saving power of the Lord. The people lining the street only saw the music wars, and the churches promoting themselves.

That sort of religion won't make it when antichrist rises. In the first round of terror, those groups will shut down and never be heard of again.

What about your church? What about you? What about me? Do we have the sort of community and personal walk with God that will walk us through the fire that is coming, unscathed?

They say that North Korean believers pray for us. It does seem that we are in the greater danger, doesn't it?

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. Just about every day I'm writing a blog featuring some news, a book, or a story of North Korea. There's a live news feed on the site, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together!

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond on my site.

A "Word" For the New Year

We aren't the first generation to have a plethora of "words" available. Everyone talks as though the Word of the Lord is as common as a TV commercial. I hear people at my work talking every once in a while about how so & so said such & such about this & that, "from their spirit" And when the s-word is used, there is usually a hush, and everyone listens with awe to the "word."

Some of the "words" out there are flat out contradictions of the truly inspired Word found in our Bibles. Others are promises of wonderful things that are going to happen. Some are simply Scriptures themselves, and not "mysterious" at all...in other words, some things never change...

Remember Micaiah, the only man who spoke for God in the midst of a crowd of prophets? His story is told twice, II Kings 22 and II Chronicles 18. He never once had a good thing to prophesy about King Ahab. The other guys did, though. Positive thinkers all, and ones who valued their skin, they told Ahab how he would prosper against the Syrians to the point that their army would be totally destroyed. They encouraged Micaiah, for unity's sake I'm sure, to make his voice sound just like theirs.

So he did. In biting sarcasm that even the King understood he sang the chorus of peace and prosperity to the wicked king. Challenged by the lying monarch, Micaiah then told the truth, not only about the coming battle, but about the lying spirit inside the multitude of his prophets. For this, the true man of God was put in prison, to be fed only bread and water until the king returned.

Good thing God intervened, 'cause Ahab never came back from that battle.

Yes, and every church school boy knows the story of Elijah vs. the hundreds of prophets of Ba'al on Mt. Carmel. Again, one man speaking truth carried the day while the religious crowd was wrong as sin.

But if ever there was a "word" against the "words" of our day, it is found in the prophecy of sad but true Jeremiah. See chapter 23:16 ff... Though he was the only "quotable" word of God in his neighborhood, he was surrounded by people who quoted themselves and called it the word of the Lord. Have a listen:

16. "Thus says the Lord of hosts [now, this is a REAL "word"...] Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you... they speak a vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of the Lord.

17. "They continually say to those who despise Me, 'The Lord has said, You shall have peace'; and to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they say, 'No evil shall come upon you.'

32. "Behold I am against those who prophesy false dreams, says the Lord, and tell them, and cause My people to err by their lies and by their recklessness. Yet I did not send them or command them...

33. "So when these people or the prophet or the priest ask you, saying, 'What is the oracle ["word"] of the Lord?' and you shall then say to them, 'What oracle?' [that is, expressing interest in the secret "word"] I will even forsake you, says the Lord..."

Because the Word of God has already been spoken to this evil generation, we don't need your "word", sir or ma'am. Unless it's from the Scripture, of course. And if it is, why not just say that, rather than being puffed up in your own pride, that somehow you have this "channel" open to heaven that has been denied to the rest of us?

I imagine the ratio of false to true "prophets" is about the same today. Hundreds and hundreds speaking from their own spirits, and one or two listening to God and speaking His Word to our generation. Yet the thousands prosper because they are forever forgiven, even when blatantly false, by a church that has a growing itch in the ear regions.

Imagine if you can, from images you have seen on TV, A gathering of these "prophets". Then, something you have never seen, imagine a man with a Bible opened to I Corinthians trying to use the apostle Paul's own regulations on their utterances. I hear cries of "legalist," "Pharisee."

But this Paul-follower would calmly suggest, "Yes, Paul was a Pharisee of the Pharisees, but saved by grace and given by that same garce the very words of God for my and every generation of God's Church. But of course, like Paul said, 'Anyone who wants to be ignorant, that's his choice...'

And why is the written Word so despised? Was it not a Spirit- word at one time? Is it not still? Is it not "sufficient" for our generation? Aye, and more than sufficient! Who has obeyed all of the words of Jesus and the apostles? Who is even close? But these truths must be dug out with great effort.

God's guidance for the circumstances we face, yes, this we need. No, they are not in Scripture. But the Scripture principles that give us the light on our pathway, these were being followed with great success long before your "word", friend, if you are a friend. If you are not, God has a "word" for you, but I shall not utter it here...

A New Year's Resolution then, for God's people, glasses of new wine raised high? Oh that we would hear it: "If God does not say it, I do not want to hear it! Amen."

Look for Bob Faulkner's home page on http://sermonaudio.com.

There you will find a combination of love for the Scriptures and a desire for North Korean believers to have their needs met. There are nearly 300 blogs , over 200 Bible teaching MP3's, lists of resources, NK picture albums, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together! Contact me any time at diakonos3@gmail.com.

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Would love to fellowship with believers who respond.

When God Abandons

It is a sad and scary truth but one we must face. God does abandon people and nations. Samson was abandoned when he persisted in his disobedience.

Israel was abandoned when she would not stop going after other gods. Jesus Himself was temporarily abandoned on the cross. For our sin, the Father turned His ear from the cryings of His only begotten Son.

Was North Korea abandoned when its leadership turned its people away from worship of the one true God and caused them to worship human idols that took over the country? Is the United States in the process of losing its protection as it allows more and more of the things that God hates? December 7 and September 11 are only two of the tragedies that have befallen our country.

One thing that is playing itself out as I write today is the inability of God-fearing moral men to find a candidate to run for the Presidency. And, though some of us may have had trouble with Billy Graham's ecumenical ways, where now is the "prophet" who whispers in the ears of our leaders the things of God? Where is a national voice of righteousness being raised up that people are hearing? Unless America repents, I believe there will be many more tragedies.

So how does the abandonment of God get reversed? We use the same cast of characters:

Samson repented. For the rest of his life he wanted to be God's man and win God's victories. God gave him that chance and came back to him.

Israel followed hard after God in Babylon, and God heard her cries for restoration. Another chance, another temple, revival! God's people prayed.

When our sins were paid for, Jesus was released from the old beaten bloody body, and was glorified and resurrected. Perfect obedience.

Consider also the persecution of the Roman Empire. As God's people preached the Gospel "underground" the entire Empire was salted down and made worth saving.

Ex-Communist countries of our day have the same testimony. Freedom came to them as the underground church became such a factor as not to be ignored any longer. Life erupted out of the death in persecution.

Today there are believers inside of North Korea spreading the Word of God, praying, believing God for a great national miracle. They are repenting that they ever followed and believed the government. It seems to me that our job now is to keep feeding that surge of life until it too erupts, to keep the Bibles flowing into North Korea, to keep sending men and women in. The refugees who come out must be reached for Christ. Many will go back in and lay their necks down for Jesus. And North Korea will be abandoned no longer.

As for America. May she only look at Chosun and see her future if she does not straighten up her act. Mercy! Mercy! Today pray for America, perhaps so very ripe for judgment. Could it be that a time will come when the prosperity of this nation will be swallowed up and totally forgotten in unimaginable poverty? Why not?

But for today, let us remember the prisoners, as though bound with them, in beloved Chosun.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. Just about every day I'm writing a blog featuring some news, a book, or a story of North Korea. There's a live news feed on the site, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together!

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond on my site.

About Today's Church Music

Older believers have to be careful how they talk, I'm told. So let me first say, yes, there are some great new songs around. The music and the words both.
Now let me tell you how I really feel...

Since the "established" church seems to have trouble with the old hymnbooks, I sing out of one most every morning. In private. I love even the poetry of these songs. I was raised on them, what can I say? There was majesty and beauty and downright sense to the words.

Take this one. I have never sung it in my life, couldn't whistle the tune if I tried, but while skimming through a particular songbook (Hymns of the Christian Life, 1936! -before even my time) , I have run across this song often. I decided to do a read only. Oh my, I was touched more than I have been in a month of Sundays in the established place. And I mean no offense to my home church. I just have trouble feeling at home during song-time. Check out these words:

1. Jesus and shall it ever be, a mortal man ashamed of Thee?

Ashamed of Thee Whom angels praise, Whose glories shine through endless days?

2. Ashamed of Jesus! sooner far let evening blush to own a star;

He sheds the beams of light divine o'er this benighted soul of mine.

3. Ashamed of Jesus! that dear Friend on Whom my hopes of heaven depend!

No; when I blush, be this my shame, that I no more revere His Name.

4. Ashamed of Jesus! Yes, I may when I've no guilt to wash away,

No tears to wipe, no good to crave, no fears to quell, no soul to save.

5. Till then, nor is my boasting vain, till then I boast a Saviour slain;

And O may this my glory be, that Christ is not ashamed of me.

OH how wonderful those words of Joseph Grigg. I can only imagine that Henry Oliver's tune enhances the beauty. Because that's how the old songs were, for the most part. Great lyrics, supportive music. Not the other way around.

Here's a suggestion for Mother Church, the Body of the Lord Himself. If we so desire novelty for our youth, let's teach them some of these great old songs that they have never heard. To them, they will be new. To us they will be precious. And we'll all be happy.

Suggestion two, while I'm on a roll. The Church was not created for the world, but for the saints. Let the Church remain holy and draw all men to Christ through the preached cross. Let the saints feel comfortable in their own home. The world has its own.

Did I just change the subject...? not really. Music that appeals to the flesh is of the world. Music that effects bodily changes is fleshly. Music that makes me want to cover my ears is an offense. Music that, like alcohol and tobacco, takes some getting used to needs to be eliminated before all ears are polluted and people will not even want to go to a church that does not rock.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. I have created over 200 blogs and the site features a live news feed , lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. I love to write Scriptural works. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond .

The Sabbath - Did God's Will for His People Change?

Paul had a high opinion of the holy law of God, but also a realistic understanding of human capacity to keep that law. He sees the law as holy, but carrying a curse because of our weakness. It is in that light that we understand Colossians 2:14 where the apostle states that the "handwriting of ordinances" was nailed to His cross. Some want to put the whole law of Moses up there, but as we have said, the moral law of God is repeated by the Spirit-filled believers. We live the ten commandments when we are filled with God's Spirit. Why would something so holy be "nailed to a cross" to die with Jesus?

What was nailed was the part of the law that was against us. Some translations have it "the certificate of debt". The Old Covenant says, "Do it all or die!" "The soul that sins shall die!" Those statements that cursed us are nailed to the cross. The curse is itself cursed.

But Jesus still maintains, "I did not come to destroy the law." In fact, at the present hour the law is in its fullest exposition ever, since Jesus Himself expanded it during His stay here, and the apostles have had it re-spoken through them, and God's Spirit-filled believers for 2,000 years have demonstrated the righteousness of the law in their holy lives. The will of God for His people never changed!

Another possible or even complementary explanation for those who want to see the entire law of Moses on that cross, is to remember that Jesus was nailed to that same cross. The curses connected with sin and law were certainly dealt a death blow. But there was a resurrection. Both Jesus and His Law live, and are identifiable in our day, though they also look quite different. Both have been glorified. And both the resurrected Jesus and the resurrected law of God work inside the born again believer to bring about the holy life of God intended for us when God "predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son" (Romans 8:29). We are called to lives of obedience. Obedience implies listening to the law of God working deep within.

As I personally listen, I believe that the Spirit of God is trying to get my attention, and perhaps that of others, not with threats of curses and loss, but with promises of a fuller expression of my Christian experience, by calling me back to that which was the norm for the Bible's 4,100 years of history, and will be the norm when Jesus comes, according to the prophets, and which both natural Israel and a goodly number of saints through the ages have claimed as their own: namely, a day of rest that actually reflects the original reasoning behind such an institution, that God "rested" from His creative works.

Yes, God rested from His creation of the things of the world. I believe He calls His people to disengage from worldly pursuits and to come apart to Him on the same day.

God allowed His Son to rest in a tomb on the Sabbath so that my sins could be forever erased. He calls me to rest in that same assurance that "all is finished." No more struggle. The debt is paid.

God had the apostles resting on that final Sabbath before the Spirit-filled Church appeared. And on the first day of the week, the work , not the rest, of the church began.

There's a pattern there that is so compelling as to be unavoidable for me. My weekly rest time then becomes a picture of what God did in the creation, what He did in me, and what He is doing for the world by having a church here. It is a picture of the ultimate rest that awaits for His people, when the whole earth will repose under the rule of Messiah, after 6 long "days" of mis-rule and chaos and weeping.

Truly the Sabbath was meant to be forever.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. I have created over 200 blogs and the site features a live news feed , lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. I love to write Scriptural works. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond .

Born and Bred in the Briar Patch

Remember the marvelous tar baby? Joel Chandler Harris's "Uncle Remus" tales were part of my childhood too. One came winging its way back toward me recently. This snippet occurs after Brer Rabbit gets stuck in the tar baby and is about to be finished off once and for all by Brer Fox...(translated from original African dialect).

"Skin me Brer Fox," says he [Brer Rabbit]. "Snatch out my eyeballs, tear out my ears by the roots," says he, "But please, Brer Fox, don't fling me in that briar patch, " says he.

Of course, Brer Fox wanted to get Brer Rabbit as bad as he could, so he caught him by the behind legs and slung him right in the middle of the briar patch. There was a considerable flutter when Brer Rabbit struck the bushes, and Brer Fox hung around to see what was going to happen.

By and by he heard someone call his name and 'way up on the hill he saw Brer Rabbit sitting cross-legged on a chinquapin log combing the tar pitch out of his hair with a chip. Then Brer Fox knew he had been tricked.

Brer Rabbit hollered out, "Born and bred in the briar patch. I was born and bred in the briar patch!" And with that he skipped out just as lively as a cricket in the embers of a fire.

Martyrs are the most honored of all God's children. Those willing to give their very lives for the One Who died for them shall be honored throughout eternity. The church began with a backdrop of persecution that granted this glorious status to many of God's finest. We were born and bred in a briar patch, a place that looks like certain misery and finality but in fact opens the gate to immortatlity anf fellowship with God.

Men like Kim Jong-il of North Korea create the perfect breeding ground for saints and martyrs. Though he cannot possibly comprehend what he is doing in his present darkness, he is working ultimately for the purposes of God. Mis-treated saints have gotten the attention of believers worldwide. Now the church arises, sending in missionaries, Bibles, tons of food and other aid. The Gospel is being preached as never before by air waves and balloons. A "closed" nation isn't closed after all. Every soul that passes from this life for Jesus' sake taps others on the shoulder and invites, "Follow me as I follow Christ."

We pray and work for the deliverance of God's people, of course. But perhaps some of our pity is mis-placed. Poor "Brer" Kim Jong-il. An anti-Christ if ever one lived and breathed, but that to which he is giving his life is totally wasted effort. He has helped create a pure church that is a standard of excellence the world over.

Please, Brer Kim! Don't fling me in that briar patch!

Look for Bob Faulkner's home page on http://sermonaudio.com There you will find a combination of love for the Scriptures and a desire for North Korean believers to have their needs met. There are nearly 300 blogs, over 200 Bible teaching MP3's, lists of resources, NK picture albums, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together! Contact me any time at diakonos3@gmail.com

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Would love to fellowship with believers who respond.