Letters Letter From the Editor Letter From the Editor Welcome to the July issue of MORNING STAR. In this, our tenth edition we feature a number of articles concerning Christian women's issues. Our feature area as well as Editorial column, People Profiles, Ministry Profile, Testimony and Young Adults columns are all concerned with this theme. I'd like to thank the wonderful Christian women who submitted material for this issue, as well as the folks at JESUS CARES Ministries, which is featured in our Ministry Profile Column. We are always looking to publish original material. If you wish to submit an article, you can tailor it for one of our regular columns, or write something that would fit in with one of our future themes. Our next three themes are as follows: Volume 1.11 - BIBLE STUDY Volume 1.12 - PRAISE, PRAYER AND WORSHIP Volume 2.1 - 1990's EVANGELISM (TV, radio, computers, software, faxes, movies etc.) We are about to make final decisions on themes for the issues following these. Some of the ideas we are considering are: Pastors & Ministers (A testimony issue) Family Men's Issues Missions and Missionaries Prophecy Messianic Studies Witnessing (A follow up to our first issue) Local Church Ministries (Bus ministry, Visitation, Choir, Sunday school, Children's groups etc.) If you have an article or story that would relate to any of these themes please send it in! We will be making decisions on which to go with, based on the responses we receive. Of course, we welcome your ideas for themes, so if you have something in mind, let us know! We will soon reach our one year anniversary when we publish the September issue (Volume 1.12). We are looking at making a few changes in format and content beginning with Volume 2.1. Suggestions from our readers are most welcome and needed. Regardless of whether you have ideas for us or not, please drop us a note sometime. We love to publish letters from our brothers and sisters around the world and hope to get more in the future. Finally, praise the Lord for some great news concerning our online distribution. We had been encountering various problems getting the DOS edition of the magazine onto the Compuserve computer network since our first issue. Last month, a new person was put in charge of the Religion area for that network, and she has been more than helpful. Not only are all the issues now available in the DOS edition, they are also obtainable in the Macintosh format as well. We are also getting some free "advertising" in the religion forum. Compuserve has more members than any other network, so this is a wonderful development. The Lord will always take care of His part, we only have to be faithful with ours! In service to Jesus the Messiah, Toby Trudel MORNING STAR accepts literary contributions from believers wherever they may live. It is our policy to publish testimonies as they are originally submitted with minimal alteration of the text. Opinions stated in these testimonies do not necessarily reflect those of the MORNING STAR staff. The content of MORNING STAR does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of any computer network. [Editor's Note - Upcoming Event] Messiah '92 Conference Saturday June 27 through July 4 Messiah College, Grantham PA (outside Harrisburg) LAMB concert on Sunday June 28 starting at 6:30. Open to the public for admission of $5. There will be music, teaching, studies, prayer, complete children and youth programs, and neat stuff to buy. For more information, call MJAA at 1-800-225-6522. Your Letters Your Letters Our letters this month come from users and System Operators (Sysops) of various electronic bulletin board systems (BBS) which carry MORNING STAR. Their comments concern both the magazine as well as the MSDOOR viewing program created by Alan Graff. (P.O. Box 131, Wheelersburg, Ohio 45694) ------------------------------------------------------------------ Very nice door you have written, and this was the first Super BBS I saw up and running pretty nice system from what I could see, I run Remote Access. Well my dime is running, God Bless, and I'll be back to pick up new version sometime next month ... Bob Lucido Christian Hotline BBS Albany, New York (518) 756-3002 Hi! My name is Scott Burk, co-sysop of Jesus Connect in Houston, Texas. Morning Star has been a blessing to me and the other users of the Jesus Connect and extends an invitation for a deeper study into Jesus Christ and all that he stands for. Thank you for serving the Lord! Scott Burk Jesus Connect BBS Houston, Texas (713) 537-6836 I want to say that this electronic magazine is fantastic! I was introduced to it by a user of a BBS (Gethsemane) and then contacted the manager of our Net about it (CFN -Christian Fellowship Network). Ray Waldo of CDN (Christian Distribution Network) got the ball rolling on getting this distributed in our network and I love it. A great way to spread the word. Of course on my BBS I already have a specific section dedicated to these files and when I heard about the door program, I couldn't wait to get it. I will be setting up Remote Access soon and this will be one of the features. Thank you all and keep up the great work. Joe Hacker Sysop - Gethsemane BBS (512) 937-2088 Hi, I just wanted to leave you a quick note to tell you that I have installed MSDoor on our BBS. Rick Arendt Agape-Way BBS Beaumont, Texas (409) 753-2014 Hi! Many of my callers really appreciate your mag ... Get it from Jay Gaines in Dallas, "Dallas BYtes". Had a problem trying to get it off his board recently, that's when I realized that my callers MUST have Morning Star! Bless all of you for allowing Jesus to rule your hearts, minds, bodies and souls! Call sometime! and remember Hebrews 13:16. Rod Porter "The Cross BBS" Sachse, Texas Commentary Commentary EDITORIAL "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." (Isaiah 26:3) Where are we women seeking fulfillment, contentment, peace of mind, and spiritual growth today? Is something bothering us? Are we buying books on "How to stay young?" Does our age concern us as we grow older and more mature? Do we worry constantly about our health? Are we reading articles on "How to be happy?" Are our datebooks filled with appointments at the spa, physical check-ups, calorie charts, and vacation travel folders? Do we feel like we want to run away from it all? Do we worry about tomorrow? Today we earn more than ever before. We see women in executive positions and in higher paying jobs . We own our homes and have money laid aside in certificates of deposit, individual retirement accounts, and stocks and bonds. What's missing? If we are looking for tangible objects to satisfy our inner needs, we are looking in the wrong place. Why do we feel that there is more peace and tranquility in the country rather than in town? It is because everything, as we see it, is doing the will of God ... the birds, the cattle, the flowers and the crops. Watching a cow graze on the hillside can be so relaxing. Even the fragrance of the wild flowers has a soothing effect on our minds. We feel nearer to God. In many ways this is true. The purposes of God, the Creator, are prevailing and the result is perfect peace. The effect is the same when we make the will of God uppermost in our lives. Peace is found when we are in full recognition of the fact that Christ made peace through the blood of His Cross. It is a complete rest upon the eternal, never-changing fact that JESUS PAID IT ALL. Therefore, my life belongs to Jesus ... lock, stock and barrel! Paul says: "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts" (Colossians 3:15). This should be the rule for our life. If we are dividing our life into a part for God and a part for ourself, we cannot find peace. Even though we may lead an upright life, it will not satisfy. "Whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it" (Matthew 16:25). Why do we have mental depression? How does it happen? A great deal of mental anguish comes from spiritual waywardness. So many professing Christians are living with less joy ... less stimulus ... and less peace than when they started. We get so involved in worldly cares, that it wearies the soul and gets us down. There are also inward conflicts. The devil never lets up on us ... never! "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour" (I Peter 5:8). We live in an age where so much is negative around us. There is strife and turmoil everywhere. Is there no good news to report in the daily front page? "In the last days perilous times shall come" (2 Timothy 3:1). But if we put all our faith, hope, and trust in the Lord, He will see us through, one day at a time. We are not abandoned. He will never leave us or forsake us. God is still in control. "For in Him we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28). Why worry when we can pray? If we are going to worry about something there is no point in praying about it. "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28) According to a recent Focus on the Family program, one of the reasons that women are more stressed, is because they no longer care for one another. In earlier times women spent a lot of time together. We need to encourage women to meet one on one, in small groups, support groups (i.e. moms groups), etc. to pray for one another, family children, etc. There is no substitute for praise. Why not join together and praise the Lord? God inhabits the praise of his people. We are social beings and were intended to communicate with one another. Why not share our worries with a trusted friend? It can be a great relief after we have talked it over with someone. Why not overcome our worry by doing something about it. Once we take action, muscle tension will diminish. "Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you" (I Peter 5:7). We can sidestep our worries by letting God fight our battles. In perfect faith, tell God you want Him to take the entire problem and let you sidestep it entirely. Be sincere with God; talk to Him! God understands. When we are stressed out, there is one book that can bring permanent relief ... the Bible. It offers healing. Inner conflict can show up on our body. What about that rapid beating of the heart, that discomfort, that choking sensation over the heart region? The enemy at work in us is anxiety. Where can we find relief? Tell it to Jesus. Our Bible has this antidote: "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved" (Psalm 55:22). So many times we want to get away from it all. It could be to a remote isle or utopia where we can be utterly untouched by the chances and changes of life. But life is not planned that way. Middle-aged people want to be 20 years younger. Women look for men built like movie-star heroes. We are still looking for the fountain of youth, but we are looking for the wrong thing. It is not in changing the world - but in changing ourselves that makes the difference. God stands ready to change us if we really want to be changed. Are we ready to turn over our life completely to Jesus Christ? He brings us peace that the world can not give and the world can not take away. Jesus said: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27). Staff List Morning Star Staff List Morning Star Staff : MORNING STAR STAFF LIST EDITOR IN CHIEF Toby Trudel - Nashua, NH SENIOR EDITOR - Biblical Department Geoffrey Kragen - Roseville, CA SENIOR EDITOR - Christian Life Department Teresa Giordanengo - Canonsburg, PA SENIOR LITERARY EDITOR Al Murillo III - El Paso, TX ASSOCIATE EDITORS Jerry Johnson - Modesto, CA Clark Stephens - Huntington Beach, CA Dale Strand - Dublin, CA J.C. Trudel - Naples Park, FL Mike Wilkinson - Citrus Heights, CA Dr. Charles Wootten - Matoaca, VA SENIOR PUBLISHER - DOS and WINDOWS Editions Steve Paulovich - Derry, NH NETWORK DISTRIBUTION AMERICA ONLINE Network: Jerry White - Germantown, MD COMPUSERVE Network: Jorge Lopez - Lubbock, TX GENIE Network: Mike Wilkinson - Citrus Heights, CA DELPHI Network: Derrick Shipman - Greenville, SC DIRECTOR OF BBS DISTRIBUTION - USA Walter H. Bauer Jr. - Sugar Land, TX MSDOOR PROGRAM DISTRIBUTION Alan Graff - Wheelersburg, Ohio INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION Sharon Sanders - Jerusalem, Israel Lars Storstrand - Minde, Norway Peter Cunliffe - Noisiel, France Roger J. Obe - Iloilo City, Philippines Scott Walters - Punchbowl, NSW, Australia David Faris - Yaounde, Cameroun OFFICE SYSTEMS TECHNICIAN Patrick Auriemma - Nashua, N.H. Features Hath God Said ? (Part 1 of 2) Hath God Said ? by Donna D'Iorio (Part 1 of 2) HATH GOD SAID? ANOTHER LOOK AT DIVINE ORDER OF THE SEXES PART 1 By Donna D'Iorio Carrolton, Texas There is little doubt that the advocates of women's equality who spoke change into the body of Christ in recent decades, did so with a sincere and earnest desire to right the wrong we all perceived. It was an ungodly order ... male "lording it over" female ... which they sought to, and did abolish. However, it is not so much motive as it is method that we must question in the changes that have been wrought. Although we are sure that godly instruction of Scripture does not advocate what has been the historical suppression and oppression of the female sex, yet have we indeed arrived at God's ordained order between male and female? Or has the majority of Christianity rather become locked into a worldly standard of sexual equality? History provides us some interesting insights for reassessment at this juncture. By the 1800s, it seems we would go to any lengths to strike male-domination from our midst ... even to the point of discrediting any Scripture that failed to pre-fit our 'enlightened' view of sexual equality. To fit our view, it was required that whole passages in both the Old and New Testaments be neutralized ... ripped out, negated, or turned upside-down in "re-translation". It was simply impossible to validate the new order of absolute equality by leaving those scriptures alone, so we decimated them. Our concern was the ends, not the means. If the changes the church has made in this regard has not set us on the path of Divine Order, even though woman's lot has improved, ultimately we will pay a heavy price for adopting secular standards of sexual equality. Indeed, all indications are that we have already begun paying that heavy toll. In this we have a problem, for the humanistic measure of 'equality' which the Church has assimilated stands in diametric opposition to that precedent of order communicated to us consistently throughout the Bible. True Divine order will not require an obliteration of the integrity of the written Word of God! It would not require the determination that the apostle Paul was a woman-hater, a crusty old bachelor who never overcame his basic male chauvinism! This man that God entrusted with writing half of the New Testament we have decided was a spiritually under-developed person?! There is a big difference between saying that the Church erred from the Word, and saying that the Word itself is in error. Can we even begin to grasp the insidious destruction that was set in motion as we rejected Paul's explanation of good order between the sexes, and his referral to Creation Order to substantiate it? We must understand: it was the clearly stated goal of turn-of-the-century Feminist leadership that the Bible must fall for women's rights to rise. Feminist goals could not be realized as long as Scripture was regarded Divinely-inspired. When the Church was finally persuaded that the plainly spoken words of Paul could absolutely not be correct, several dynamics were involved: (1) Paul's commands were "disproved" in isolation from the rest of Scripture--the only evidence with the authority of God behind it. The Scriptural consistency of the apostle's commands was obscured from the discussion. (2) At the same time, tremendous pressures of intense social change factored into the decision-making process. The Church needed to re-evaluate its wrong doctrines about women, but it didn't need to knuckle under to pressure to accept the Feminist conception of equality over God's! We simply reeled from one pole of error to the opposite pole of error. And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully. (2 Tim. 2:5) The modern arguments and documentation which swayed the body of Christ to accept a new sexual order ... the irrelevance of Creation Order and the inaccuracy of translation and interpretations of New Testament commands consistent with Creation Order ... were only the parroted arguments of avowed atheistic Feminist leaders in the 1800s! The American Feminist movement forced change in the Church of Jesus Christ between the 1960s and the 1980s after over a century of steady chipping away at the integrity of the Word of God. We had best bring that memory back into the Church's consideration lest we find ourselves as dumb sheep led blindly into treacherous pitfalls! The ends do not justify the means in the Kingdom of God. Whatever we sow, that is what we will reap! How can we possibly overlook the fact that it required a negation of the Divine inspiration and authority of Scripture for our new-found equality to be established? This point cannot be emphasized too strongly: even such a seemingly minor concession of "limited inerrancy" eventually will result in a total implosion! If there is concession made that any part of the Bible is "in error" then ultimately the integrity of the whole is destined to cave in! The Bible is not in error, we are! Because we have dismissed the passages of Scripture that we could not understand, we have removed the very foundation which God set in place for men and women to build their relationships upon! Is it any wonder that for all our scriptural 'band-aids', Christian marriages are still failing at a record pace--a mere 1% below the gargantuan national average? If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? (Psalm 11:3) The Bible's own testimony of itself is that it is God-breathed and does not contain any contamination from the human authors the Spirit moved on to commit the Word to writing. All scripture given by inspiration of God, and profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 2 Timothy 3:16. NOW is the time that God is giving light on this matter. He wants us to throw off Male-domination order and Feminist order, in full surrender to His order. Will we now refuse to re-investigate what the Word of God has to say about Divine order out of a fear of losing the desirable benefits of unlawful gain? Shouldn't we rather fear standing in disobedience to God's order? Error at the Root: An Ancient Derailing from the Truth. We too often have idealized concepts which are not based in historical reality. We tend to think that Christian wives have always fared better than their secular sisters. We tend to assume that the practical instructions taught by Jesus and his apostles for Christian living were only gradually eroded from the Church with great passage of time. This is just not the case. Many of the standards for Christ-like living taught in New Testament scripture had become doctrinally corrupt within only two generations, even as the apostolic writers had warned (Acts 20:29-30, 2 Peter 2:1-2, Jude v.4). In the apostolic first generation, the threat of corruption had manifested most markedly in what the Bible refers to as "judaizers", those seeking to constrain gentile believers to the observance of the Law. But as the Church exploded in growth among the gentiles, and first generation leadership within the church was taken up by succeeding generations, the source of threat shifted. While the Church remained focused on distancing itself from judaizers, the synagogue and the revelation of God laid among the Jewish people, the real threat to unity came insidiously from within the ranks of the gentile believers proclaiming liberty from "law". Degeneration from "the simplicity of Christ" set in as immediately as the authority of first-century apostles was passed to a new generation of leaders. By the third and fourth generation, a marked decay is evident in a great number of teachings vital to the Christian life as successive church leadership left the moorings of faith. As gentiles were grafted into Israel's "olive tree" with great increase, the new majority began to redefine the faith in gentile terms. With the loss of true apostolic authority and understanding of the foundations God had already laid among the Jews, is it any wonder that many teachings became corrupted? Of the first teachings to be phased out of the Christian faith in its first 200 years were the gifts of the Spirit; the recognition of God's unrepentant election of Israel; and the role of women in divine order. It may be that as these were the first teachings to be lost to Christianity, that they will also be among the last to be re-established. In spite of authoritative apostolic foundations laid on the topics of marriage, ministry order and women's roles, "the sin of Eve" rose again in those earliest generations of Christianity to haunt women. Within a mere 150 years, "sex is dirty" had already become a fairly universal dogma. While many of us assume that such concepts did not occur until the Victorian Age, the root system of such error goes back to the "grievous wolves" that Paul warned the fledgling church would surely follow him. Early on it was commonly taught that even sex within marriage was courting spiritual disaster, exception made only for sex for the sake of procreation. The error budded in second generation Christian leadership with the misunderstanding Genesis 1-3, and the result was that thereafter most of the Church Fathers taught that Adam and Eve's sin was sexual in nature. Of the earliest on record, the Roman teacher Tatian, a student of Justin Martyr, claimed that it was carnal knowledge that the first couple gained from eating of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Tatian believed that their resulting sin was sexual intercourse and that Adam was expelled from the garden for having invented marriage. Both Bishops Clement and Irenaeus rejected Tatian's view insisting instead that the first sin was disobedience to God's command. However, both agreed in interpreting the Fall as having taken a decidedly sexual form. Clement, the bishop of Rome around the 90's AD, believed that sexual intercourse was indeed a part of God's original plan, however he taught that Adam and Eve had rushed into it before God's intended time: "Nature led {Adam and Eve}, like irrational animals, to procreate." Bishop Irenaeus (whose life spanned 130-200 AD) placed the blame primarily on Adam and, like Clement, also taught that the couple had initiated sex before God deemed it proper: "For having been created just a short time before, they had no understanding of procreation of children. It was necessary that first they should come to adult age, and then "multiply" from that time onwards." Irenaeus believed that Adam demonstrated his guilt feelings in his choice of covering for their nakedness, that of scratchy fig leaves: "while there were many other leaves which would have irritated his body much less." While Clement believed that the teachings of Jesus were meant to transform the traditional patterns of marriage, the views he forwarded left little room for uplifting woman's lot in life. Clement taught that Eve's subjection to Adam was her punishment for the Fall, and also that Adam's dominion indicated the natural superiority of male over female. The idea that woman's submission had sprung as punishment for the Fall ignores the fact that Divine Order was instituted in Creation. Headship and submission are not punishment and reward, but the assigned roles of the created by the Creator. Nevertheless, this erroneous concept of submission as woman's punishment stubbornly hangs on to this day. Only one hundred years after the death of Paul, Clement's influential teachings certainly helped to mold and establish a standard which was at odds with the spirit of New Testament Scriptures. Beyond a restriction of the forbidden pagan sexual practices (incest, adultery, homosexuality, abortion and infanticide), Clement's teachings also severely restrained sexuality within Christian marriage: "Our ideal is not to experience desire at all ... We should do nothing from desire. Our will is to be directed only toward what is necessary. For we are the children not of desire but of will. A man who marries for the sake of begetting children must practice continence so that it is not desire he feels for his wife ... that he may begat children with a chaste and controlled will." Hath God Said ? (Part 2 of 2) Hath God Said ? by Donna D'Iorio (Part 2 of 2) HATH GOD SAID? ANOTHER LOOK AT DIVINE ORDER OF THE SEXES PART 2 By the third century women had firmly fallen from the place of respect which Jesus and the apostles had spoken into being for them. In the writings of Tertullian on Genesis 3, he warns his "sisters in Christ": "You are the devil's gateway ... you are she who persuaded him whom the devil did not dare attack ... Do you not know that every one of you is an Eve? The sentence of God on your sex lives on in this age; the guilt, of necessity, lives on too." In the fourth century, Jerome revived Tatian's interpretation with his own twist claiming that God had meant Adam and Eve to always be virgins, and that marriage had only been instituted as a remedy to their sin. At the end of the same century the Patriarch of Constantinople, John Chrystom wrote that women were to be avoided (the mere sight causing such physical anguish) and that "the passions in fact are all dishonorable." Augustine, who it seems struggled intensely with a spirit of lust, was also no great advocate of the female sex. Denying the conclusion of many in his day that women would be raised to resurrection life in male bodies, yet Augustine identified the problem of lust as lying solely in the female form. For this reason he also wrote that "the body of a man is as superior to that of a woman as the soul is to the body." In the same early days of Christianity's redefinition and development of "orthodox" ("Straight-thinking") theology, the "heretical" Christian Gnostic sects also vied for the popular view. Although these primarily gentile leaders did not avail themselves of the Hebrew light which could be shed on the Scriptures, the "orthodox" of the early centuries clearly saw heresy as the main battle. Heretics were the enemy...in spite of their own erring from apostolic teaching. The major threat to orthodox leadership was the teaching of the Gnostics, who majored on mystical "wisdom" and claimed to be the true "pneumatic" (spiritual) church. Generally, the gnostics can be divided into two branches of belief: (1) the minority of Gnostics believed in unlimited, unrestrained Christian freedom; but (2) the majority were strict ascetics who practiced rigid celibacy. They nevertheless tended to explain spiritual beliefs in sexual terms. Among Gnostics, Eve was idolized and most also emphasized "the Divine feminine element of God". These groups believed in an androgynous (male and female) God and down-played the "Fatherhood" of God. As a result, most gnostics also placed a strong emphasis on women in ministry--a fact which attracted many women to their ranks. Another common mark of the gnostic sects was ritualistic or ceremonial mysticism and ecstatic prophetic utterance. In one such secret ceremony, the "sacrament of the bridal chamber", participants claimed to experience supernatural "union" with God, a description of which is highly sexually-suggestive. This heresy is making a comeback in some quarters of Christianity today...primarily among women's groups and teachers. Orthodox Church fathers were especially upset with the appeal the Gnostic teachers and sects had with women, whom the Gnostics allowed to act in ministerial capacities forbidden to orthodox Christian women. Bishop Irenaeus complained that "many foolish women" from his own congregation had been lured away by the seducing teachings of the heretic Marcus. Irenaeus noted that the gnostic teacher "addresses them in such seductive words" referring to Marcus' habit of praying to the 'feminine element' of the divine being: "She who is before all things." Irenaeus was equally unhappy with the seduction of women to prophesy and to act as priests in the Lord's Supper. The eye-witness description he gives of a woman's initiation by Marcus notes that he would end the initiate ceremony with a prayer, "Behold, Grace has come upon you; open your mouth and prophesy." Then, as Irenaeus reports it, the "deluded victim ... impudently utters some nonsense," and "Henceforth considers herself to be a prophet!" Tertullian also lashed out at gnostic practices: "These heretical women ... how audacious they are! They have no modesty; they are bold enough to teach, to engage in argument, to enact exorcisms, to undertake cures, and it may be, even to baptize!" It is clear from Irenaeus' indignant remarks, that by his lifetime (140-202 AD) women were no longer permitted to prophesy in the orthodox, Church, nor to act in any ministerial capacities as Tertullian's comment exposes. By the year 200, there is no evidence whatsoever of women taking any active roles in the church. Although the New Testament scriptures do restrict women from certain activities within the church assembly, the spiritual gift of prophecy is not one of those restricted activities. (I COR 11:4 the primary scriptural evidence). It seems that in the years of battle between "orthodoxy" and "heresy", women lost all ground which the first generation apostolic leadership had laid out for them in the ministry of the gospel. Women should not take this personally, since the orthodox Church also pronounced against the free operation of the Spirit in this era. The prophetic spirit could not be absolutely controlled, so to maintain orthodoxy, it was banished. And so the dye was cast for women in the Church: the new measure of dignity and respect which Christ secured and apostolic doctrine taught for women, later generations of leadership corrupted beyond recognition. By the Victorian Age, erroneous ideas about sex, women, and ministry had literally hundreds upon hundreds of years of orthodox Church teaching to hold up as vindication. The emphatic enmity which God spoke between the serpent and Woman ... not just "thy seed and her seed" ... has consistently held true for the female sex throughout human history. Woman's Rebellion in the Latter Days It was not until the year 1492 when Columbus discovered America and the Reformation and Renaissance began, that the world began to climb out of the dark spiritual abyss known as the Dark Ages. This dark period of history began less than 500 years after the birth of Church of the Messiah Jesus, the Light of the world in human flesh. This fact alone should alert us as to just how de-railed the body of Christ had become from the paths of truth in the Word of God. With Luther's famous posting of the 95 theses in 1517, the official Reformation of the Church was launched and, it seems, one-fiercely-resisted-revelation-at-a-time, the truths of scripture began to be restored to the Church. However, the sad fact is, with each truth restored there was created yet another division of the body of Christ. The restoration of what women had lost of their place in Christ in those early stages of the developing Church, would not begin to push to the fore until the 1800s. Even then progress would be slow, resistance fierce and the pitfalls many. Instead of finding an ally in Christianity, women would find the Church to the one of the fiercest resisters to any improving changes in woman's lot in life. Nevertheless, from the seed of conception through its fetal development of earliest organization, it is quite likely that the modern Feminist movement was an idea that would have never gotten off the ground without the Church. In the years which the women's rights movement began to take shape, church was the only realm outside the home that was truly open to women. The sad state of spiritual life was that women dominated in the church by the seventeenth century ... but strictly a domination in terms of membership and attendance. Male membership in churches had dwindled drastically as the age of commerce blossomed. Fewer men considered spiritual life to be a male priority ... especially in light of the moral conflicts that so often cropped up between Christianity and commerce. By the 1700s women outnumbered men in the churches by three to two. In families, spiritual and religious responsibility fell squarely upon the shoulders of wives. Such was the potential for stresses created by unequally yoked marriages. Christian wives with 'heathen' husbands wasn't the only problem. The relative standing of women was far below that of men even in the orthodox teaching of the church. Women didn't have a legal leg to stand on and were considered inferior to male beings. Women suffered a great many hardships as a result. It is unfortunate, but the Church was no great champion of women's respect and dignity. The doors were wide open to the ill-treatment of women, both wives and sisters. In a curious twist of moral standards, it appears that only one's mother was rightly deserving of male honor. A letter from a bitter feminist in 1897 captures a measure of the harsh realities common to women of the day: "The ownership of the wife established and perpetuated through Bible teaching is responsible for the domestic pandemonium and the carnival of wife murder which reigns throughout Christendom. In the United States alone, in the eighteen hundred and ninety-seventh year of the Christian era, 3,482 wives, many with unborn children in their bodies, have been murdered in cold blood by their husbands; yet the Christian clergy from their pulpits reprove women for not bearing more children ... " The Bible clearly sets forth a standard that is contrary to such inhumane treatment; a standard in practice that would have held womankind in both value and honor. The traditional interpretations of men has drained all the dignity out of the woman's role in life as the Bible was instead used to justify harsh and un-Christ-like treatment of the female sex. How could bitterness and rebellion have failed to blossom under such conditions? How could Christianity have so missed the mark of God's will? The "tiny" errors which set in motion after the first generation church leadership departed from this world had grown to major proportions. Revolt had become inevitable. By the time the first Great Awakening began to sweep England and the American colonies in the first quarter of the 1700s, many women were seething under the heavy hand of Church-endorsed male supremacy disguised as "authority". Those women who were not secretly angry, were often 'whipped dogs,' psychologically beaten-down by centuries of carrying the guilt so often preached at them, of Eve's 'more grievous' sin. "Deeply, deeply do I feel the degradation of being a woman ... not the degradation of being what God made woman, but what man has made her." --Lydia Maria Child, 1838 The cry that was going up from women from the late 1700s through the 1800s was for a basic human respect and equality which had long been denied them. Men resisted any change in the status quo and even disparaged the concept of the female's equality as a human being. The more men resisted, the more women hardened into a fleshly battle. The Church did little to intercede on women's behalf; consequently, once her battle turned to a fleshly one, for many the bitterness against God and man was only a hop, skip and a jump into full-blown rebellion. The underlying frustrations of women had been buried for thousands of years. With no change in sight these finally began to surface even as a deeply imbedded splinter in one's finger will over several days fester and finally push itself to the surface. The actual surfacing of these frustrations came about innocently enough. It was women's prayer groups that were the 'nativity scene' of the women's rights movement. What began as a crying out to God for the souls of men (the Great Awakening Revivals, 1739-41 and 1798-1825), turned into women's rights activist groups as the revival spirit waned. The women saw how effective they could be and realized that this effectiveness in an evangelistic context would also translate to effectiveness in non-religious realms. Having been suppressed under male dominance for so long and told that their subordination was based on lack of ability and intelligence, women now began to realize achievement in areas never attempted before. The transformation from women's prayer meetings into the training ground for feminist activism had begun. For them the issue was female ability. Their focus became disproving the error of female inability rather than finding the true will of God for women as revealed in Scripture. Through the Church, a door of opportunity was open wide to women during the great religious awakening of the early nineteenth century and they zealously participated in the revivals. Christian women's association flourished as revival organization skills were applied to missionary societies, moral reforms and charities. The existence of these networks would prove decisive in hastening the feminist message throughout the nation. Among the first of quasi-political activities by women were a series of Moral Reform movements. Crusading against such things as male licentiousness in exploitation of prostitutes and the Temperance movement against alcohol abuse, these movements were orchestrated by leadership that emerged primarily from the ranks of Christian women. Gradually over time the goals of these women shifted and ultimately the umbilical cord to the church was cut as they sought instead to wage their own agenda for liberty and equality in society. As hard as it is for us to imagine, women in America even had to fight for the right to receive an education. Since it was the widely-accepted belief that she was "mentally inferior", lacking the intelligence of man, she probably would not have been allowed formal education had not the primary responsibility of teaching the fledgling nation's sons fallen to mothers. "While man assumes that the present is the original state designed for woman, that the existing differences are not arbitrary...but grounded in nature, she will not make the necessary effort to obtain her just rights, lest it should subject her to the kind of scorn and contemptuous manner in which she has been spoken of." --Lucretia Mott, 1849 The subject of "mental inferiority" would arise at almost every juncture in woman's quest to better her station in life. Were women incapable of voting intelligently? Could their brains "cope" with it? Shouldn't women be protected and spared the responsibilities of owning their own property or handling their own money? These were the seriously posed questions of the seventeen and eighteen hundreds. Within ten years of the formation of the first Female Reform Society, over 400 reform chapters had sprung to life to combat a diversity of social ills perceived by women. Perhaps the most political of reform movements women took on was Abolition, against the sin of slavery. Christian women were extremely active in the crusade against slavery, seeing it not only as a national disgrace, but also as an abomination before God. In the process of laboring in the Abolition movement, women could not help but see how many parallels existed between their own state and that of the right-less Black slaves. The parallels were many: neither had access to education; neither could own property and were considered the "property" of their masters; both groups held no legal rights to their own children (husband's held all legal rights to their children); and, both groups had no right to vote, nor of any independent social status. As Friedrich Engles noted in 1854, "The modern family is founded on the open or disguised domestic slavery of women." The earliest stages of woman's awakening centered on true injustices which had dictated the female role throughout the centuries and a situation in life which, according to the gospels and apostolic New Testament writings, ought not to have been the circumstance in Christian relationships. However, once rebellion was conceived among women, it soon increasingly produced demands exceedingly beyond the parameters that Scripture supported. It would not be long before key leaders of the women's movement would identify the Bible. Editor's note : For more information on this subject, please read Jerry Johnson's SCUD Warnings column in this issue of Morning Star. Christ's Blessings for Single Parents Christ's Blessings for Single Parents by Jane Erb CHRIST'S BLESSINGS FOR SINGLE PARENTS By Jane Erb Des Plaines, Illinois Many people struggle today with the problems of single parenting, which include but are not limited to, financial, emotional, physical and spiritual. Though the "spiritual" may not seem to be a big problem for christian single parents, it can be more so than for Christian couples. It is a problem of faith when the chips are down. It is a problem of focusing on Christ constantly when everything seems overwhelming, when you feel like you are at the end of your rope. For those that do not know the Lord, it must be extremely difficult to be a single parent. It is easy to see why there are so many reports of child abuse that we hear about. For those of us who have a personal relationship with Christ, we would not make it without Him. While our faith seems to be tested so very, very often, we know that without Christ, we wouldn't survive. Neither would our children! To see our children as Christ views them is one of the greatest blessings given to us as a believer and as a parent. This does not only apply when everything is lovely, going smoothly, and you are getting along famously, the test comes when your child is pushing you to the limit, and your patience is almost gone. It is in these moments you call on Christ for wisdom, and He comes in and calms the storm. Pray today for Christ's wisdom in those trying moments and, being the miracle worker He is, He will in that instant cause you to see your child as the innocent babe He has given you as a gift. You'll see this child as Christ sees him, right now, and you will want to reach out and hold him forever. The storm passes. My daughter is 4 1/2 years of age. We have read through her children's bible countless times over the past year, on a daily basis, and she never tires of it. The blessing here is that God has given her a hunger to read these familiar stories yet another time, to the point that she knows a lot of them by heart. I will occasionally encourage her to tell me a story, and she will proudly tell me the story ... quite edited, of course! Another recent blessing in our lives is that she has just started to pray on her own. We have prayed together so much, and it is a real blessing from the Lord to see that she takes it on herself to pray. Her mouth moves and hands are folded with her eyes closed, and her prayers are just between her and the Lord. I have always encouraged her to talk to God, and that He knows what she is talking to Him about even if she doesn't say it out loud. Praise God, she is doing it. Remember to pray with your children daily, and the Lord will greatly bless you. Although I work full-time outside the home (as well as inside the home!), the Lord has given us caregivers who have been a joy to have in my home. They have worked with, taught, played with, cooked with, and have been such an asset to my daughter. How I long to be home with her, and the Lord knows that. But not having to worry about her, getting the love, care, and attention she needs, is truly a blessing. Because I choose to keep her at home rather than at a day-care, the expense is great. However God has found a way for us in this regard also. To God be the glory, great things He has done! The most important lesson I have learned in all of this is to lean on the Lord. I do not try to do it myself, because I cannot. In everything I turn to the Lord, prayer, and the Bible. I do not know the future, and that is why we must lean on Him twenty-four hours a day! Amen. Homemaker of Tomorrow Homemaker of Tomorrow by Kay Hall HOMEMAKER OF TOMORROW By Kay Hall Cocoa Beach, Florida It was perhaps the most humiliating moment of my life. My name had been called several times without incident at our annual high school awards ceremony, but when the guidance counselor called my name as "Homemaker of Tomorrow," I was mortified. Every senior was required to take the written test for what we called the "Betty Crocker Award," but I was undoubtedly the last person anyone would have expected to win. I was the yearbook sports editor, and notorious for actually liking math and science. Even my mother was quick to admit that I couldn't boil water outside of chemistry lab. I can still hear the howling laughter of my classmates as I made my way to the stage to accept the certificate. Nearly a decade passed, yet the prospect of me as a homemaker remained inconceivable. "They're saying we might not fly for a year or more," I said to my husband. "I'd count on more like two years if I had to guess," the seven year Space Shuttle program veteran responded. In the wake of the Challenger tragedy, the careers and lives of those of us involved with the program had been thrust into limbo. Having only been working four and a half years, I was hoping to meet a few more career milestones before taking a short break to start a family. Now a horrible, indefinite break had been imposed. Once the shock of the crash was over and reality set in, we all began to dread the long months of inactivity that would lie ahead. I had always been goal-oriented, and responded true to form. "Well then, I'd like to have either a baby or a master's degree by the time we're flying again," I announced. My husband gave me a funny look, but quickly realized that I was serious. My career progressed rapidly even with the Shuttle on hold. The company named me an "Engineer of the Year" and I became a Project Manager on the Space Station program. I celebrated my promotion to management with a brand new wardrobe, shortly to discover that I would soon be needing yet another wardrobe - maternity clothes. The Shuttle flew again on September 29, 1988. I had earned my master's degree on the first, and delivered my son Caleb on the fourth day of that same month. I had expected all three of these events to be of equal importance; nothing could have been further from the truth. I did not experience any particular rush of motherly instinct upon the birth of my child and found the early weeks of my four month maternity leave to be especially trying. The sound of the doorbell was a welcome interruption in the now routine days of caring for a newborn. I scooped up the baby, draped his beanbag of a body over my shoulder and scurried for the door. There I found the mailman, bearing a very large flat cardboard envelope marked "GRADUATION." "Congratulations, Ma'am!" he said heartily as he handed me my master's diploma and headed back to the truck. My heart soared from the eagerly awaited recognition of my academic achievement, then promptly sunk when I realized he was instead congratulating me on the baby he was seeing for the first time. Quite frankly, I was tiring of little Caleb's two moods - unhappy and not unhappy. At work I had become accustomed to regular feedback in the form of weekly paychecks, spectacular rocket launches and occasional "attaboys" (aerospace jargon for accolades of any kind). Now I found myself impatiently awaiting any positive reinforcement my son might offer me. When that treasured first smile finally arrived, it was directed not at the mother who had poured heart and soul into his care for nearly two months, but at the exterminator making his monthly rounds. I longed for the day when I could return to a job where I was appreciated. As that day approached I began systematically making all the necessary preparations. I ran an ad for a sitter to watch the baby in our home. I designed my own job application, drew up a schedule and promptly lined up thirteen interviews. At this point, however, things began to deviate from my carefully laid plans. Of the thirteen scheduled interviews, nine were no-shows. Two of the ones who did show up admitted having criminal records, and one of those was also a devout cult member. The remaining two candidates were high school girls who made comments like "Babies just sleep all the time, don't they?" But then, maybe I was being too critical - only a few months earlier I too had believed that myth about babies and their sleeping habits. I finally found a satisfactory sitter who agreed to watch Caleb in her home, and I felt much better - temporarily. Just days before I was supposed to return to work, I found her waterlogged resignation letter tucked under the windshield wiper blade of our car. I was so used to seeing obstacles as things to be hurdled that it took me a while to realize God was closing doors. It had occasionally crossed my mind that God might be calling me home to care for Caleb myself, but I dismissed those stray thoughts based on the fact that I just wasn't the homemaker type. When Caleb absolutely refused to cooperate in the weaning process, it finally began to sink in. I had begun praying for the right child care arrangements as soon as I learned I was pregnant. Without that issue resolved I couldn't have any peace about returning to work. I could not understand why my prayers were going unanswered until I read James 4:3, "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." When I looked at my true motives for wanting to return to work - money, freedom, and recognition - I realized that they didn't measure up to God's standards. Unless I could come up with better reasons, I knew it would be wrong for me to go back. I prayed that the Lord would confirm this drastic decision to my husband. I soon received a note from him that read, "I am pleased to offer you the position of full-time mother at [our home address] effective tomorrow." The next morning I nervously picked up the phone and resigned from my job. Our pastor was fond of saying, "Every command of God is a promise of God." I clung to that in the early days after God led (or in essence, "commanded") me home. I had studied Psalm 113:9 at an earlier time in the context of infertility, "He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children." But now, when I read the verse again, "settles," "home," and "happy" became the key words. I claimed this as God's promise that He'd help me adjust to my new lifestyle and actually learn to enjoy it. I had trouble understanding why, after years of preparation, God was removing me from a position on something as critical as America's space program. When I went to the scriptures, though, I began to see that He considers motherhood to be the ultimate in meaningful work. I looked at many verses, but one that particularly stood out was Isaiah 66:13, "As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you." Here God uses motherhood in the ultimate comparison - to His own love for His people. (I didn't find any verses hailing the worth of engineers.) God allowed me to begin seeing motherhood from His perspective, and that was worth a wall full of attaboys. The salary I left behind was substantial, in fact, higher than my husband's. The financial impact on us was anything but trivial. When we looked at our situation on paper, it seemed impossible that we would be able to pay our bills on one income. We had just completed a seminar on biblical principles of finance. This seemed the ideal time to start putting those principles into practice. Curiously enough, our projected shortfall was nearly the same amount as our tithe. Based on what we'd learned, we resisted the temptation to stop tithing and found God faithful to meet our financial needs as we followed His principles. Part of engineering involves completing a project at the lowest possible cost, so I began to make a project out of our operations at home. I learned about investments, developed a budget, made crafts to give as gifts, and began to shop wisely - bargaining, buying in bulk, and couponing for the first time in my life. I thought surely there were some other skills I had learned on the job that would help me cope with life at home - after all, I had often heard this referred to as "domestic engineering." When I read Titus 2:3-4,"...Older women... train the younger women to love their husbands and children," I saw a familiar concept from the workplace - "mentoring." Unfortunately, older women willing to be mentors were nearly as scarce in our small church as in the aerospace business. But I did manage to find several qualified ladies to teach and encourage me and their help has been invaluable. Of course the ultimate homemaker is found in Proverbs 31. In verse 25 we're told, "she can laugh at the days to come." I suspect that she could laugh at the day at hand, as well. Undoubtedly, a sense of humor has been one of the key coping tools for mothers throughout the ages. I have found it easy to fall into the "grass is always greener" syndrome so I make it a point to hang on to a few of the less glamorous memories from the space business. I remember one particular day in the swamps of Mississippi when my main contribution was to swat mosquitoes for another engineer who was performing a delicate rocket engine inspection. (I later married that engineer and am now responsible for insect control for his offspring, as well.) I noticed that the Proverbs 31 lady allowed herself intellectual stimulation and adult interaction, and I have made sure to do the same. I have taught a couple of night classes at a local community college and worked on some home business ideas. Serving as treasurer of my church has given me a chance to continue "number-crunching." Most importantly, intensive Bible study has provided a healthy challenge for both my mind and my spirit. Needless to say, my coming home has brought drastic changes for my husband, too. He has been very supportive of me and is thriving in his God-given role as provider. He bolsters my self-esteem with words of encouragement. Sometimes he even asks me for technical advice. He takes over many of the child care chores when he gets home, affording me a much needed change of pace. Through my experience, the Lord has opened up a whole new ministry for me. I have had the opportunity to counsel with other women who are considering leaving their careers or who are making the transition to full-time motherhood. I can honestly say that I am a different person than I was just three years ago. It seems I have a new heart about everything from politics to pot-luck suppers. I have now welcomed another beautiful son, confident that he'll have the very best care available. I grow more and more comfortable in my new environment as each day passes. Who would have thought it? - maybe I really am the "Homemaker of Tomorrow." [(Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright) 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.] "Betty Crocker" is a registered trademark of General Mills, Inc. Kay Hall 601 Capri Road Cocoa Beach, FL 32931 Reprint Rights (407)783-6053 Wives Submit to Your Husbands Wives Submit to Your Husbands by Joyce Piper WIVES SUBMIT TO YOUR HUSBANDS By Joyce Piper Norfolk, Virginia Ephesians 5:22 - a sure fire verse for the man who wants to see sparks flying from all the women within hearing range; a guaranteed topic to stimulate hot conversation in Sunday School rooms and fellowships across the nation. Lightly used by some as a teasing banter between the sexes, it is gravely and dogmatically adhered to by others - even to the sundering of husband and wife or brother and sister in the Lord. Eph. 5:22 probably ranks #1 on a woman's list of least liked Bible verses (and in the top 10 of men's favorite Bible verses). Women's reaction to this verse ranges from pretense that the verse does not exist, to outright denial of or rebellion against it, to total sacrifice of self to every wish and whim of the husband. Similarly men run the gauntlet from 50/50 split of authority in marriage, to the husband having the final voice in all decisions, to the husband wielding minute-to-minute control over the wife. What is the Biblical perspective of this verse? First be warned that it is dangerous to take a single verse out of the Bible and interpret it apart from its context and the rest of the Bible. Therefore, let us finish the verse: "Wives, submit to your husband ... AS TO THE LORD." Continue reading through the end of the chapter, paying particular attention to verse 24. "Now, AS the church submits to Christ, SO ALSO the wives should submit to their husbands in everything." And, again, we read in verse 23, "For the husband is the head of the wife AS Christ is the head of the church." In other words, in order to understand the relationship of the husband and the wife, one must first understand the relationship of Christ and the church, His bride. So let us look at this illustration of the church as the bride of Christ. This marriage relationship between God and His people begins in the Old Testament with God choosing and wooing His beloved, the nation of Israel. God calls her out to be His own, to care for her and love her, to provide her with the best of everything, to comfort her and guide her (Ezek. 16:6-14, Jer. 29:11, Isa. 58:11, Isa. 66:13). But Israel was unfaithful, turning away from her Beloved, seeking to satisfy her insatiable lust and desires, even turning to false Gods. Still God chases and pursues her. Loving her, He tries to draw her back to Himself, to forgive her and once more cherish her as His beloved bride. Finally, through His sacrifice on the cross, at the cost of divine blood, He redeems His bride - now made spotless and forgiven, able to stand once more in the presence of her Beloved! Men, THIS is the role of a husband: To be like Jesus Christ - to love your wife with a gentleness and kindness that will ever draw her to you, to seek after her good and welfare (no matter how she wrongs you), to forgive her and restore her wholeness, to provide for her the best of all that you have, to love her "just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her" (Eph. 5:25). Before pointing out any short comings of a woman in her role as wife, you would do well to examine how close your walk follows Christ's example of a husband and head of the bride. Note carefully the wording of Eph. 5:22. Nowhere in Scripture do we find the verse "Husbands, MAKE your wife submit." God Himself did not force Israel to obey Him, though He has the power to send a lightning bolt at the feet of anyone of wavering obedience. Rather He gave Israel the choice to submit to His will or to not submit. Despite her refusal to submit, he demonstrated His love and His goodness to her again and again. Yes, at times He let her suffer the penalty of her rebellion, and at times He withdrew His presence from her so that she might know the anguish of the loss of her Beloved. Yet always He had in mind to draw her back to Himself through His love. God did not want mandatory obedience from His bride. What He wanted was her heart. In Matt. 23, Jesus blasts the Pharisees' seemingly near perfect adherence to the laws and the commandments because they followed the laws much the same as you and I follow traffic laws (do it because it must be done for orderliness and in order to avoid punishment - not out of any love for the laws or their creators). No wonder the first and greatest commandment is to "love the Lord with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind (Matt. 22:38). Jesus Christ wants the church to submit to Him not because she must, but because she loves Him. Likewise, husbands should desire this voluntary submission, and such submission can only be won by an unselfish and forgiving love. Now ... if we listen hard enough, we can just about hear the women's minds declaring "Well, if my husband fulfilled HIS role, loving me just as Christ loves and seeks after the welfare of His bride, why, then, I'd have no problem at all submitting to him!" But alas, men are no more perfect in their walk than are women. While we are to go on towards and strive for perfection (Heb. 6:1 KJV), I fear that we shall not reach perfection until He appears, and "we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is" (1 John 3:2). Does our husband's imperfection then excuse us from Eph. 5:22? No indeed! When we stand before the judgment seat of God, we shall each of us give an account of himself to God (Rom. 14:12) - not an account of our husband's short failings that made it hard for us to fulfill our part. I do not believe God will suffer us to plead "Well, you know, God, I tried... BUT HE....." Submit. The word goes against the grain of our human nature. It stirs the rebellious nature. It threatens the selfish core that says "me". Herein is the heart of our problem with "submit". There is too much "me" in us and we all too often cannot truly say "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God..." (Gal. 2:20). Submit. The dictionary defines it as: to yield or surrender oneself to the will or authority of another. To commit to the consideration or judgment of another. To yield to the opinion or authority of another. To give in. Submit. Oh what a word! It does not mean "to be forced to do something." (Might I add, husbands, that neither does submit mean "to have no input, nor to agree 100% with. I submit myself to the laws of our government, though I do not agree with all of them. I can input my opinion into these laws, even if I do not have the final authority over whether or not it becomes or remains law.) However, submission DOES require the voluntary action of putting oneself under another's authority. And, as if mere submission was not enough, Paul adds the phrase "...as to the Lord," and "the wife must respect her husband." Ahh ... now we cannot get away with gritting our teeth and saying "OK, so I'll do it for you, Lord ... he (the husband) certainly doesn't deserve it." Just as the bride of Christ must give Him her heart, so must we give our hearts wholly to our husbands: to love him, and to respect him. And when we truly love and respect our husbands, will there any longer be a bitterness in "submitting"? Nay. As we grow in our love of Christ, do we not begin to more and more submit to Him, freely and graciously, as a natural outcome of this love - no longer seeing submission as a chore but as an expression of an overflowing love which can no longer be bound? Even so, as we grow in love for our husbands submission will no longer be a chore but a natural outflow of love. But how can we grow in love for our husbands? We cannot just go out and buy more love, neither can we by force of will decide to have more love right now. 1 John 4:7 states "...God is love" (1 John 4:8-16). Along with Paul, we must pray to have the "power together with all the saints,..." (i.e. it's not a maverick action for the lone martyr) "...to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge..." (and then, knowing this love...) "that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God (Eph. 3:17-19)" - filled with all the fullness of the God who IS love. 2 Tim. 2:22 warns us to pursue this love, along with those who call upon the Lord out of a pure heart. We do not just sit and absorb this love. We must actively seek this love, together with other brothers and sisters in the Lord. Galatians 5:22 lists love as a fruit of the Spirit and then goes on to state in verses 24 and 25 "those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." "...Live by the Spirit. (v16)." So then, the way to living the husband more is through submitting to the Lord, through denying our old sinful and selfish nature and choosing to live according to the will and authority of God ... walking and living by His Spirit ... becoming more and more like Him. "He must increase, but I must decrease. (John 3:30)" Submission - a new definition for the woman who is growing and maturing in Christ: Submission: the natural and outflowing response of one who is basking in a love that surpasses the limits of knowledge; a love which comes from dwelling in the outstretched arms of the Beloved, the God of love. My Life as a Mom My Life as a Mom by Gretchen Cole MY LIFE AS A MOM By Gretchen Cole Lawrence, Kansas Sometimes when I think about my life, and especially my life as a mother, I think of a song by U2: "But I still haven't found what I'm looking for." I am always reminding myself why I'm here, changing my schedule, and trying something new. But the bottom line is that I often wonder whether I'm doing "the best" thing for my family, for the world, for myself. I've concluded that as long as we live on earth, we will sometimes have this feeling, because this earth is never going to be the Garden of Eden. "For we are waiting for a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness," said the apostle Peter. Life is just not perfect. I have three children, ages 5, 3, and almost 2. I am just coming out of a period of time that every mother seems to agree is the absolute nadir of family life. Three preschoolers at once are rough. I guess because there are so many demands and so few rewards. For me, it started when I was pregnant with the third one. I had a personality transplant about the fourth month and turned into a crazy person. I would cry all the time, I would run into the bedroom and slam the door and cry and yell, just to keep myself from doing something worse. I thought, this must be what it's like having a mother who's an alcoholic. Finally I got our whole church to pray for me, and about the seventh or eighth month I began to be more functional. But still, when I looked to the future, all I thought was, when I deliver this baby I won't be pregnant anymore! Sure enough, having a new baby in the house with the boys was a piece of cake compared to being pregnant with the boys. I would nurse and they would go play together - they didn't even want me to read to them. The "old baby" (17 months) didn't push the new baby off my lap, and he still got his share of cuddles when she was in her bassinet (in fact, I still say he's my baby, which infuriates him). She is still the cuddliest of my babies, and a good thing too, because she's going to be the baby for a long time. All I remember about the first half-year of having three kids is the back pain and the fatigue. But I think I was pretty happy during that time. We had some stressful moments with our oldest until we realized that we needed to be spending more time - or at least some time - on the things that interested him. And I had to learn again, after that pregnancy, not to just walk around all day wondering when I could get everyone off my case so I could lie down. I finally got it through my head that I was on earth to serve my family, that they were not interruptions to my life, but the reason for my life; kind of like those inspirational signs about the value of the customer that you see in retail stores - "the customer is not an interruption to our business, he is the reason for our business, etc." But then in the fall I resumed my volunteer activities. I refused the preschool activities because of my back, but I was teaching English once a week. And you know how it is - when a volunteer organization gets its teeth into you, your involvement just mushrooms. It was not as fun as it was supposed to be. We had a record cold winter that year and I am sure somebody in this family was sick every single day from December 1 to May 31. This was the nadir of my mothering experience. I think the only way I got through it was that I had a lot of friends with preschoolers, and I didn't seem to be any more exhausted than they were. I started calling in sick to my volunteer work whenever I felt like it. In the end, by May, I was only going about twice a month, so although they moaned and groaned when I quit, I figured it wasn't really much of a loss to them. I can still remember the feeling of hejira I had when I quit that volunteer job. I would get up on a Tuesday morning and decide that it was a nice day, why not drive forty-five miles to the zoo. Or we'd just walk around the neighborhood, and I'd think, we have a neighborhood, what a concept. I guess you call it "burnout". I was charred. Having what you might call an "outreach", a way where I could be meeting the needs of other adults and showing them the love of Jesus, has always been important to me, because I didn't want my kids to have the pressure of being my whole world. But the situation I had gotten myself into was just unrealistic. I was so stressed out, I wasn't showing anybody the love of Jesus. At this point my oldest one was old enough that we had to make some schooling decisions for him. We decided to keep him at home this year, the year he's five, and experiment with home schooling. I told everyone I was doing it because I thought it would be fun, and if it ceased to be fun, I would cease to do it (how's that for commitment). Home school is something like my volunteer work, in that I'm using my teaching skills, but it's much more rewarding because my students always show up. I feel like I'm not just sitting and spending my husband's money, being a shrew, complaining about my kids, doing damage control, but that we are all moving forward and learning. I don't wake up with a mile long agenda of how I'm going to save the world in spite of my three little impediments. We do take vacations, but the oldest one recently told me that he prefers school because then I play with him and don't always say I'm reading. Along with everything else I did last year, I helped start a playgroup, and I decided I would make that my link to the outside world. I thought of myself as a Victorian lady with "at home from 10 to 1 on Wednesday afternoons" printed on my card. From now on, anyone who wanted to see me could do it at playgroup. Next year I'll probably have to give up the playgroup, too, but I hope that I have a few true friends who will still remember me. And we participate as a family in an outreach program to international students through the University, so we are always meeting more people. But this year I am really trying to center on the fact that my primary responsibility is my family. I take my marching orders from the Bible, and there you can see that for both men and women, if your family life is not in order, nothing else you do will be significant. All along, though, one thing I have always done is made some quiet space for me in our life. I get an hour every afternoon and another every evening to read, do art, write, make lesson plans, or make those pesky phone calls. I don't think I could live without that time. I feel apologetic to all our sisters in oppressed situations or primitive conditions who could not and cannot sit down for one moment, never mind one hour. But I can't afford to die when I'm 35 if I can help it, since I have the opportunity, I take it. Even God rested on the seventh day. A couple of things I have been thinking about very recently have been helpful to me. Along with everything else I've mentioned, the Bible also teaches that children are a blessing from the Lord, but almost everyone I know acts like they are a burden. Why? I think that, for one thing, they should be pulling their own weight a little more around the house. Even guys as small as mine can stack diapers, set and clear tables more or less, clean up their own messes, and of course, pick it up and step and fetch it. In fact, they sometimes enjoy "getting to" do a grown-up thing like wipe a window. Having three preschoolers is still definitely an investment. You sacrifice at the beginning and hope for a greater return in the end. But I think children become a burden if you have no notion of why you brought them into the world. Through our kids, we can make this world at least a marginally better place fifteen years from now than it might otherwise be. The flip side to that is that not everything your kid does is your fault. Since I've become a parent, I've realized that parents have lives. They don't just beam down from outer space to be the Good Mother and the Good Father. Even if you do The Right Thing, your kid may go out and blow it all by his own choices, and that's why I don't want to ever lose myself in my kids. I'm the only one whose choices I can make. When I was little all I ever wanted was to be a mommy. I always figured that being a mommy was just the cushiest job around. Boy, was I wrong. This is one tough job, but for me, it is the best one I've ever had. I figure I'll probably grow up when I'm about 45. I'll still have plenty of time then to go to school, teach, travel, volunteer, and all the stuff I've put off limits for now. But I would hate to be one of the people I sometimes hear about who achieved all their personal goals, but abandoned their family in the process. I just can't see myself throwing away my own kids for the sake of anything, not even an orphanage or a rescue mission or something else really noble. So I still have a lot of unfulfilled dreams. But I hope that when I'm 85 I'll look back and say, "I had it all. I didn't have it all at once, but I had it all." The Value of a Woman The Value of a Woman by Ruth Bloomer THE VALUE OF A WOMAN By Ruth Bloomer Pittsburgh, PA. "How to handle a woman?" is the question sung by King Arthur in the musical, "Camelot". The answer was "to love her - simply love her." But the question that might be asked by the '90's woman might be "How can we handle live?" The now familiar, "You've come a long way, baby", prompts us to ask, "From where?" Many years ago, there was such a thing as chivalry. Men did open doors, men did defer to women with an "after you", men did not do or say certain things because there was a lady present. When did it all change, where did the change begin? The cry for equality of the sexes has echoed down the corridors of time for many a generation. Finally, the cry was partially heard when women were granted the right to vote. But, even then, many inequities continued to be prevalent in society. The wage scales tipped heavily in favor of the male when equal work was being done. Most of the time, women were directed into certain jobs, with meager wages being offered. A slight but noticeable edge for women occurred during World War II. At this time, a majority of the male work force was defending our country overseas, while at the same time women kept the home fires burning ... in many instances they began them, since they were responsible for carrying the major part of the financial load. However, when Johnny came marching home, women were once again put back into their pre-war stereotyped positions and the men once again became the sole breadwinners. The inequalities continued to increase and eventually women were introduced to Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan. At last, the American female would be liberated ... or would they? As the feminist movement progressed, it did not turn out to be the "Great Panacea" that people, especially some women, thought it would be. Frustrations and anger became evident as many American women soon realized their ideals and values did not coincide with the Friedans and Steinmens, but rather clashed in total opposition. Voices were heard especially from the Christian community. Voices that were diametrically opposed to the women's liberation movement. If a woman chose to stay at home, raise her family and fulfill her role as mother and wife, the "bra burners" would rack her over the coals, trying to make her feel inferior and guilty for the choices she had made. Looking at the Scriptures, especially in the New Testament, we see time and time again where women are mentioned in Jesus' ministry. Think for a moment of Mary and Martha. It was unheard of for a woman to listen to a teacher, yet Mary sat at Jesus' feet and was not rebuked by Him for doing this. A major dialogue took place between Jesus and the Woman at the Well. Not only is Chapter 4 of John powerfully relevant, but it's truths contain some of the primary beliefs in living the Christian life; i.e. Jesus, the Living Water; His elevation of women by His discourse with her; treating a woman as an equal by taking the time to not only talk with her, but asking her to supply His need of a drink of water; loving a woman in spite of her adulterous life-style; forgiving, but never judging a woman's current "POSILQUE" situation. And at the end of her story, her life had been completely changed and she began a new life as one of the first missionaries, spreading the gospel and witnessing, telling others what Jesus had done for her. Think for a moment of the Easter story. What a key part women played in it, from the foot of the cross to that first glorious Easter morning. When the disciples forsook Him, the women remained to mourn. When dawn arose on that first Easter day, the women were the first to go to the tomb. Always, always, Jesus treated women with love, dignity and respect. The Author of the Golden Rule truly showed how much He valued women in a society where the female was placed on the same social level as that of a garbage collector. Liberated? Thank God, He took care of that issue 2000 years ago and is still doing it today. When sociological situations are less than perfect and the inequalities abound all around, He is not to blame. He was and is the Great Liberator! We are the ones who have imprisoned ourselves because of our sinful natures, our selfish ways and our unwillingness to submit to His authority. His words bring us comfort, not condemnation. His love is unconditional and unending. He has liberated us. With and through Him there is no difference between male and female. All are equal at the foot of the cross. Liberated? Indeed we are. God has set us free! We acknowledge that fact. But have we freed ourselves? Because of the world, because of our poor self-images, we are still bound. Bound by our fears, bound by our poor self-worth, bound in many instances by our circumstances. If the Son has set us free, are we not free indeed? If we are His children we will never suffer that judgment which sends us to eternal condemnation. He is never our judge. He is our Savior. He does not condemn, He forgives. Our self worth comes from one far greater than ourselves. It comes from one who was willing to leave a heavenly kingdom to come to a planet where its inhabitants would in time reject and then kill Him. But He did this because He loved us and He believed we were worth saving ... that we truly were valued by Him. Can you handle life? As a woman, freely liberated through Christ, (yes, the truth will set you free!) the answer is a resounding "Yes!" Are we worth it? The "Yes" echoes again. Two thousand years ago a man gave us the formula, "Treat others the way you would want to be treated." And that's with love, dignity and respect. Biblical Department New In Christ New In Christ - How to Practice Forgiveness "New in Christ" is a regular MORNING STAR column written primarily for people who wish to learn more about the basic teachings of Biblical Christianity. The editorial staff at MORNING STAR encourages all readers to freely use this information to help new Christians grow in their walk with the Lord. HOW TO PRACTICE FORGIVENESS A Study Based on Matthew 18:21-35 By Reverend Chester N. Shew How do you respond to mistreatment and injury? In the world today there is much mistreatment of our fellow man and each of us finds ourselves on the receiving end of mistreatment from time to time. How do you respond? The first urge is to respond with anger, hostility, bitterness, and with an effort to retaliate. This is Satan's way of destroying you, your home, your family, and your fellowship with others. All of us have to admit that when we are mistreated, it is difficult to have the mind of Christ and demonstrate the Spirit of Christ toward our abusers. While every human being experiences mistreatment from others, how we deal with it will, to a large degree, determine our total well-being in life. Mistreatment may come in many forms. Some have suffered mistreatment and abuse from their parents or perhaps by others who are in authority over them. We have all heard the horror stories of parental abuse and mistreatment; but Christ, in His reference to mistreatment, was carrying it further. Every pastor has dealt, at one time or another, with the problem of abuse and mistreatment in the marriages of his congregation. Marriage gives the ideal fertile ground for mistreatment. There is no other relationship in life that has the longevity and closeness of relationship that marriage has. In the marriage situation, we have many opportunities to be threatening to our mate. Aside from abuse in marriage, pastors are often confronted with children who abuse or mistreat their parents. All who have raised children know how much the actions and words of a child can hurt. As they grow older, sometimes parents are mistreated by their offspring. We have occasion to experience hurt and mistreatment from thoughtless siblings as well. In my very own family, I have had the unfortunate opportunity to experience this firsthand. My elder sister has not spoken to me in many years. This is a very painful situation that I am unable to come to grips with at times. There are many other circumstances, too numerous to mention, that one may find themselves in where hurt and mistreatment come their way. Peter seems to have had some experience in being hurt and mistreated. His question to Christ in Matthew 18:21 was, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin (mistreat, injure) against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" The Lord Jesus Christ was very swift to answer and very specific; Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven." (Matthew 18:22) Was the Lord saying literally that the number of times would be 490 times? Or perhaps he was trying to get across to Peter something far beyond that? He is teaching through this passage that we should not be vindictive nor revengeful, we are not to seek the retaliation that comes from human nature. We humans tend to strike out when we are hurt or maligned. We tend to live by the law of "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." Christ instructs just the opposite. Let us note that Christ did not suggest that we suppress our hostile feelings and just ignore hurt and mistreatment. This would just compound the problem. We would not only be mistreated by others, but we would be mistreating ourselves. We have the right to feel hurt and we have the right to be angry when we are treated unjustly. If we were to suppress all the negative feeling we get from mistreatment, we would soon explode like a volcano! When we are hurt or mistreated we could retreat into ourselves, wallow in self-pity, become discouraged and curl up and die in despair. We can let our hurt fester into a full blown problem. We can draw back from everyone with the pretext that in this manner we will not be hurt. Then what are we to do? If we are not to strike back, if we are not to wreak vengeance or pity ourselves or draw away from everyone, what are we to do? Christ has the answer to that as well. The Lord specifically suggests and teaches us the obligation to give to the person who has hurt us the gift of forgiveness. Because we have a natural tendency to retaliate, we find it difficult to be forgiving. Some may suggest that to forgive is to invite more abuse and mistreatment, and that the abuser will interpret it as a sign of weakness. We may also feel that the one who abused us should first be worthy of our forgiveness; but this is not His way. We must remember that forgiveness is always an undeserved gift. If we were to wait until that individual who has harmed us was deserving of our forgiveness, we would never reach the point of forgiveness. As a result, we would harbor feelings of anger and hostility toward our abuser, and perhaps the entire world. We must also keep in mind that if forgiveness was given on merit, no one would ever experience the forgiveness of God: "while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." (Romans 5:6) We could not and would not reach the point where we were worthy of God's love and forgiveness. Our Lord Jesus Christ was the perfect example of the teaching of forgiveness. While He hung upon the cross of Calvary, His precious Blood streaming upon the ground, Jesus forgave. His forgiveness was not only for the ones who drove the nails through His hands and feet and pierced his brow, but for those who, with libels and curses on their lips, placed Him there. God must have a reason for wanting us to be forgivers. He must have a rationale for us forgiving. When the Lord suggested that His disciples practice forgiveness "seventy times seven," He was thinking of their well-being. He knew the anguish and hatred that would build and fester in their hearts. With perfect insight, He knew such emotions would grow like a cancer in our souls if we neglected to forgive. As I stated earlier, we are to forgive because we are forgiven. In Matthew 18:23-27, we read the parable of the servant who owed his master ten thousand talents. The master had no reason to forgive him nor did he have any legal obligation to forgive him the huge debt, and he could have taken much vengeance upon the servant. He forgave him instead. The point of the parable is that the forgiven servant was obliged to forgive his fellow servant as well. This he did not do. Paul admonished the Ephesians, "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." (Ephesians 4:31-32) As the unforgiving servant in Matthew would not forgive his fellow servant, we need to consider the terrible cost of having an unforgiving spirit. Our daily living of a Spirit-filled life is short circuited and we dwell in the misery of our hurt. We find that we withdraw into ourselves and fail to seek the forgiveness we need from God. We become embittered and cold. If we allow it to continue, we will become suspicious of everyone. We will have closed the door through which we fellowship with God and receive His forgiveness. Forgiveness is a gift-a gift we received freely from a merciful God and a gift we are to give with a Christ-like Spirit. Our forgiving those who have harmed and mistreated us brings a healing to the broken heart and to our injured spirit. If we accept God's free gift of forgiveness, then we should give the gift of forgiveness with no strings attached. Christ forgave in a manner that left no doubt in the receiver's heart that he was forgiven. Another reason for our giving the gift of forgiveness is found in the book of Second Corinthians 2:10-11: "To whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also: for if I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave it in the person of Christ; Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices." We are to forgive so that Satan will not get a foothold or a beachhead in our lives. The unforgiving spirit in a Christian or in a Christian church is the devil's playground. There are probably many readers who tremble with the pain of hurt and mistreatment. Jesus speaks to these and says we are to forgive "seventy times seven." This strong statement we are to take literally. The balm for hurt is forgiveness. Every time we hurt we should forgive again. I am sure that some will misunderstand this point. They think that if you do not forget you have not given the gift of forgiveness. In reality, it is impossible to totally forget a hurt or mistreatment. But if we forgive and forgive repeatedly, for all intents and purpose, we will forget the hurt and mistreatment to a point that we no longer harbor hatred and feelings of retaliation. God's forgiveness to each of us is a free gift with no strings attached. God's forgiveness to each of us is full and complete. God's forgiveness to us is forever. He will not, someday, come back to remind us of our sins. God's forgiveness is offered to each of us personally. On the basis of His forgiveness, we can be forgiving toward others. If you have been holding a grudge against someone, you can give yourself a clean heart and a clear conscience if you will ask the forgiving God to help you give the gift of forgiveness to the one who injured you. You also have in this the opportunity to defeat Satan in the forefront of his attack. Bible Study Bible Study - Chicken Little Is In the Church This issue features a study of 2nd Thessalonians, Chapter 2. This is the second part of a three-part series. Future studies will include Psalms, and books from both the Old and New Covenants. CHICKEN LITTLE IS IN THE CHURCH (2 Thessalonians, Chapter 2) Most people are familiar with the story of Chicken Little. This little chicken was walking along, minding his own business when he was hit on the head by some debris thrown over a fence. Now being the giant intellect that he was, he immediately realized that a piece of the sky had fallen, and concluded the world was coming to an end. Chicken Little ran around telling all of his neighbors what had happened. He roused them into a state of panic as well. Now everyone was sure that the world was coming to an end. There have always been "Chicken Littles." Some built bomb shelters in the '50s. Today, they say California drivers will destroy the planet through pollution in the next ten years. Well, the church at Thessalonica apparently had their own "Chicken Littles." These individuals "knew" that the Day of the Lord had arrived and the world was coming to an end. They believed in the adage for dealing with difficult times: "When in danger, when in doubt; run in circles; scream and shout!" And, possibly there are a few "Chicken Littles" in today's church. In this study, the specific issue of the Day of the Lord will be examined. Scripture teaches why Paul pointed out that the Day could not have come to the Thessalonians, and why it still hasn't arrived. Also, regardless of ones view of prophecy, the call to the church remains unchanged. This being the case, the church's responsibility is clear. Christians are to carry out the call to make disciples. Believers are comforted by the promise of the Lord's return, but as demonstrated in the Parable of the "Ten Minas," (Luke 19) they are to occupy, that is to work, until Christ comes. Much of the first Chapter of 2nd Thessalonians is taken up with Paul's praise of these believers. But, having praised them for what was good, Paul goes on to point out some difficulties within the church. They correctly understood that Christ could return at any time. We too are to look forward to Christ's imminent return! But some misunderstandings had arisen. Apparently some person, or persons, had been saying that they had a word from the Lord. These individuals claimed that they had heard of, or seen, a letter from Paul. This letter supposedly stated that the Day of the Lord had arrived. But, Paul points out that the Day of the Lord cannot come until the Antichrist is revealed (2 Thessalonians 2:3). Whenever the subject of prophetic systems is discussed, it should be noted there are several different views on how prophecy should be understood. God will work the details out as He sees fit, regardless of men's prophetic systems. What follows reflects the authors position about the method that is the most consistent with a literal approach to the interpretation of Scripture. Paul opens this second chapter with words concerning the coming of Christ and the gathering of believers to Him. It seems that the Thessalonians were confused because they believed that the Tribulation had arrived, but the Lord hadn't. They were experiencing tribulation -- therefore, shouldn't Christ have come for them? Paul taught in 1 Thessalonians 5: 9 - 11 that the church wouldn't go through the Great Tribulation. "For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." Unfortunately, the Thessalonians had been led to believe that the Day of the Lord had arrived because of the suffering and persecution that they were experiencing. While they certainly were experiencing tribulation, as all believers do, this wasn't the Great Tribulation for believers are not destined for God's wrath. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5: Paul primarily focuses on why the Day of the Lord hadn't arrived. First, rebellion, or apostasy, must occur. This isn't simply disbelief, or even false teaching as seen in all periods of church history, but "a special and well-known one." This isn't "merely disbelieving but rather an aggressive and positive revolt." * (Read I Timothy 4: 1 - 3 and II Timothy 3: 1-5; 4:3-4 for specifics.) This is the apostasy that prepares the way for the final revolt against God. While, in a sense, this can be said of all false religion, the last great apostasy refers to a specific rebellion. The primary factor that distinguishes this rebellion is the revelation of the "man of lawlessness," the Antichrist. The Thessalonians couldn't be in the midst of the Tribulation, for if they were, Antichrist would have made his appearance. Another point is that if he is to be revealed, then this necessitates that he be in existence before the revelation. Be warned -- don't try to identify this individual. All through history the church has striven to tag specific individuals as Antichrist, from Antiochus Epiphanes to Hitler, from Nero to Henry Kissinger. And obviously, in each case the church was wrong. Paul says the Antichrist will not only rebel against God, but will receive man's worship. His actions will lead men to accept him as deity (2 Thessalonians 2:3, 11). The false prophet will compel the worship of Antichrist (Revelation 13:12, 14-15). It is this action that ties him directly to Satan, for desiring to be worshiped was Lucifer's downfall. From a contemporary perspective, for this action of Antichrist to occur, the Temple must be rebuilt. The fact this hasn't occurred yet, doesn't preclude Christ coming for His church. Believers are called to look for His imminent return. 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7: This next passage is somewhat obscure. At some point in time, Paul had told the Thessalonians who was preventing the appearance of Antichrist. Too bad Paul didn't record this information in the text. The restrainer is a personality. This restrainer continues to work against Antichrist until withdrawn. Many believers believe this personality is the Holy Spirit. But, how can the Holy Spirit be removed if people are to be saved during the Tribulation? Today the Holy Spirit functions through the believers that make up the church. Through the church the Holy Spirit functions as the restrainer. If the church is raptured before the appearance of Antichrist, the rapture itself will allow Antichrist to no longer be restrained. As already shown, the Thessalonians couldn't be in the midst of the Great Tribulation because Antichrist hadn't been revealed. Antichrist couldn't be revealed because the restrainer hadn't been removed. The restrainer, the Holy Spirit, won't be removed from indwelling believers. Therefore, as shown in the passages already noted in 1 Thessalonians, the church must be removed before the appearance of Antichrist. With the church removed the Holy Spirit, functioning as the restrainer through the church will no longer fulfill this role. 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12: In this section, Paul reveals some other facts about this individual and the occurrences around him. No matter what he accomplishes, his destruction at the hands of Christ is foreordained at the Second Coming. When Christ returns with the Church, Antichrist will be defeated. But before that occurs, Antichrist will work great miracles, signs and wonders. For all those that believe that miracles today are still a validation of God's work, keep in mind that Satan has also performed miracles. Whether they are real or perceived doesn't matter. And, by the day of Antichrist, they will be tied to his work, as they are tied to the cults and occult today. Yes, God does still work miracles. But, is could be misleading to seek them out as a validation of His presence. The works of Antichrist will be evil by definition. They will deceive all who desire to find an alternative to the Truth of Scripture. It shouldn't therefore surprise Christians that many who follow the "messiahs" today don't want the truth. Even when their leaders are exposed, they continue to follow them. People are lost because they reject truth. They have no desire for salvation. As a result, God not only allows them to go their own way, but like He did with Pharaoh, He hardens them in their delusions, in their resolve to believe the lies. This is why people can continue to support the Mansons, Bakers, Hagens, and Maharishi Mahesh Yogis. Most who follow the cults and occult aren't simply mislead. They want to hold to their false beliefs and therefore will face eternal condemnation. And so, most of the world will desire to follow the false god, the false Christ, the Antichrist. 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15: Finally, the Thessalonians did not have to fear these events because, clearly, the Tribulation hadn't arrived. And more importantly, they had nothing to fear because they were loved and chosen by God. They were encouraged to continue holding firm to what they had been taught. They were not to be side tracked by every fad that came along, by every teaching of those who claimed to be teachers. They were to put their trust in only the teachings which came from the Apostles and Scripture. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17: Again, Paul closes this section with prayer that God would continue to encourage and strengthen them in all that they received and in all that they did. The important thing was their growth in faith and their demonstration of love. And as they stood firm before the Lord, this witness would go forth, and others would come to a relationship with Him. The lesson to take from this passage isn't which system of prophecy to accept. You should understand that suffering and trials in your lives, in the church and in the world are not proof that the Tribulation is imminent or has begun. Trials are simply the product of living in a fallen world, where the spirit of Antichrist is certainly active, a world where apostasy and rebellion against the Lord is the status quo. Believers must never fall into the trap of allowing circumstances to become the only basis by which to judge conformity to the will of God. In fact, it is your response to circumstances which often demonstrate the reality of God in your lives, for yourselves, and for those around you. This is how believers stand firm in trials, and how their demonstrated trust may lead others to an eternal relationship with a loving Father. Unbelievers will have the opportunity to learn of a Father who desires only that which is good for His Children. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). The local church must remember that its focus isn't to prepare for the fulfillment of prophecy, or to escape from the difficulties of life, or to tout their favorite positions, whether theological, political, or social, but to "... go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matthew 28: 19-20). The job of the church has never changed. And it won't, until the Lord comes, whenever that may be. Believers must go into the world, giving non-believers the opportunity to accept the gift of salvation, so the unsaved may avoid an eternity of suffering. The church must strive to create an environment where new believers can grow in their relationship to the Lord and in turn go out and reach others. This environment must be grounded on the word and teachings which encourage dependency on the Lord, for only then are disciples being made. Nevertheless, Christians are to look forward with great anticipation to that coming day when, "... the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18). What a joy to know that one of these days you will see Him face to face. All your trials and tribulations will be over. You will have the joy of hearing your Father say to you, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" (Matthew 25:21). Be in dependency on the Holy Spirit and strive to be worthy of hearing these words! * Charles Caldwell Ryrie, FIRST AND SECOND THESSALONIANS, Moody Press, 1959, pg. 103 Special Studies Special Studies - God is Revealed in the Covenant of Freedom The Bible is an account of God's relationship to man, a covenant relationship. We find this from the day of creation to the eternal relationship we can have with the Messiah. This is the sixth in a series of articles detailing the individual covenants found within Scripture. Last time we discovered the impact of the Abrahamic Covenant, when God revealed that it was time for man to relearn how to trust Him. GOD IS REVEALED IN THE COVENANT OF FREEDOM By Dr. Charles A. Wootten The next revelation of God occurs when He revealed Himself to Moses. God recalled His covenant with Abraham. Accordingly, He had mercy on His people, and therefore sent Moses to deliver the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage. "God spoke to Moses and said to him, 'I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai, but I did not make Myself known to them by My name Adonai. I also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. I have now heard the moaning of the Israelites because the Egyptians are holding them in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. Say, therefore, to the Israelite people: I am the Lord. I will free you from the burdens of the Egyptians and deliver you from their bondage. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and through extraordinary chastisement'" (Exodus 6:2-8, JPSA). God instructed Moses in the building of the Tabernacle, ordination of the clergy, details of ritual worship, and requirements of the Levitical law. An exciting statement on the revelation of God, as seen through the eyes of Moses and Aaron, is found in the Midrash. Here is an account of the interview which took place between them and Pharaoh. Pharaoh asked them, "Who is your God that I should hearken unto His voice?" They replied, "The universe is filled with the might and power of our God. He existed ere the world was created, and He will continue in being when the world comes to a final end He formed you and infused into you the breath of life. He stretched forth the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth. His voice hews out flames of fire, rends mountains asunder and shatters rocks. His bow is fire and His arrows flames. His spear is a torch, His shield the clouds and His sword the lightning. He fashioned mountains and hills and covered them with grass. He makes the rains and dews to descend, and causes the herbs to sprout. He also forms the embryo in the mother's womb and enables it to issue forth as a living being." (Exodus R.v.14). This is the understanding of the revelation of God. It was this revelation that was the undergirding of the Mosaic Covenant. The Mosaic Covenant was given to the children of Israel 430 years after the Abrahamic Covenant. God heard the cry of the children of bondage and decided to set them free as He had promised. In this action, His redemptive purposes, His character and His way of life were revealed to His people (Exodus 1-5; Deuteronomy 5). The words of the covenant, more words than any other, involved the Law (Exodus 20-40; Leviticus 1-27; Numbers 1-10, 15, 18, 19, 28-36; Deuteronomy 1-34). The Law had three major divisions: Moral, Civil, and Ceremonial. The promises of the covenant were conditional on the same platform as the Abrahamic Covenant (see previous articles). As we shall see later, the curses were outlined in the Palestinian Covenant. Regarding the terms of the covenant, we find faith-obedience was replaced with legal-obedience. "You shall keep My laws and My rules, by the pursuit of which man shall live: I am the Lord" (Leviticus 18:5 [JPSA]) (cf Galatians 3:10- 12). Under this restriction, Israel could obtain the promise of life only by fulfilling the works of the Law to obtain righteousness (Deuteronomy 6:25; Leviticus 18:5; Romans 10:1-5; Galatians 3:21). Under other covenants they could receive righteousness by faith in God's promises (Galatians 3:11; Romans 4:1-5). A summary of the terms is: 1. The Ten Commandments, which showed man's relationship to God and man's relationship to man (Exodus 20:1-17; Deuteronomy 5:1-21). 2. Legal obedience to God (Deuteronomy 11:26-28; 13:4; Jeremiah 11:1-10). 3. The heart condition of love of God that enabled them to keep His commandments (Deuteronomy 6:4-6; 10:12,13,16; 30:6-8). Unless God changed man's heart he would never be able, by self-effort, to develop a perfect heart of loving obedience toward Him. Interestingly enough, there was no oath of this covenant. Examining the blood of the covenant, there is an extremely detailed description of sacrifices that typified the atoning work of Christ. The blood, as we recall, symbolized life and atonement (Genesis 4:10; Leviticus 17:10-14). The Law includes many voluntary and compulsory offerings. The offerings include three voluntary ones: the burnt offering, the meal offering, and the peace offering (Leviticus 1-7). The compulsory offerings are the sin and the trespass offerings. We can see in the reading of the Law concerning the blood of the covenant that: It has a voice (Genesis 4:10; Hebrews 12:22-24) It is life (Genesis 9:4-6; Deuteronomy 12:23) It is an atonement for the soul (Leviticus 17:10-14) It is evidence of out-poured life (Deuteronomy 12:16,23,24) It is the evidence of judgment on sin by death (Exodus 12:13; Leviticus 16:15,16) The seal of the covenant is distinctly revealed as the weekly Sabbath Day (Exodus 31:12-17; Leviticus 19:30; 23:3; Ezekiel 20:10-26). This was a reminder that when the Lord had made the heaven and the earth, He sanctified the seventh day as a day of rest. God's day of rest is Man's first day of life. The goal of the Sabbath is Man's redemptive rest. It asserts the principle of freedom under God and of liberty under God's Law. The essence of the Sabbath is the work of restoration, God's new creation. The goal of the Sabbath is the second creation rest of God. Man is required to rest and to allow earth and animals to rest. This rest is necessary for God's restoration to work, and creation to be revitalized. Every Sabbath rest points to the new creation, the regeneration and restoration of all that things. God's work of restoration is from the ground up. The Sabbath has always had reference to the future. The pattern of the Sabbath is in the past, from the Sabbath of Creation. The entrance into the Sabbath is also in the past; for Israel, it was the redemption from Egypt. God's Sabbath for the Church is found in the Resurrection. In the next part of this series, we will take a pause to look at the symbols and types found in the Pentateuch, the first five books of Moses. The purpose will be to find a greater appreciation of the covenants in the many small ways that God is revealed in them. Two greater names of God will also be discussed. Messianic Studies Messianic Studies: Jesus the Rabbi - Was He Orthodox ? The Messianic Studies column explores the world of the Messianic Believer. Like the church at large, Messianic Judaism contains much diversity. It is made up of numerous views as to what it means to be a Messianic Jew, who we are, what we call ourselves and what we believe. This column will be used to explore this variety, giving the reader a broader perspective of Messianic Judaism than found elsewhere, exposing those of us who are Messianic Believers to the wide spectrum of practice found within the movement. Hopefully we will succeed in helping our Jewish brothers and sisters to understand why we follow Yeshua as our savior. We also hope that what is provided here will give our gentile readers both a better understanding of their Jewish brothers and sisters in Christ, as well as the Jewish roots of their own faith. In this month's column, we continue with part two of the transcript of an address by David Bivin given at the Christian Friends of Israel Teaching Seminar held at Christ Church, Jerusalem on May 26th 1987. ------------------------------------------------------------------ JESUS, THE RABBI - WAS HE ORTHODOX? Part Two - WAS JESUS OBSERVANT? Now we come to Jesus' observance of the law. We have talked briefly about His being Jewish, about Him being actually a rabbi - what we today call a rabbi, although that was not a title in His day. There can be no doubt that Jesus observed the written law in its entirety. The New Testament clearly states that having been born under the law He committed no sin. Jesus was never charged with breaking any part of the written law, and although His disciples were occasionally accused of disobeying aspects of the oral law, only one such accusation was brought against Jesus, and this was of course, that He broke the Sabbath by healing the sick. However, these Sabbath healings were actually permitted by rabbinic ruling, so the only way we can understand this protest about Jesus breaking the law, is to see it as the response of a narrow minded ruler of a local synagogue who was upset with Jesus healing on the Sabbath, but in the main rabbinic ruling this is permitted. A more pertinent question is to what extent Jesus observed the practices of oral law. In other words we can leave aside His performance of the written law and we can go straight to what extent He observed the oral law of His day. It may seem, at first glance, that there is a shortage of hard evidence in the New Testament concerning Jesus' religious observance. But one must remember that the New Testament was written by Jews and was written for Jews. The normal Jewish religious practices were so well known, both to the writers and to the readers, that it would have been considered superfluous, perhaps ridiculous, to explain in detail how particular commandments were carried out. That is why we have such a dearth of information about what Jewish baptism was. It was not done at all as we do it today. It was done as the Jews do it today. In fact, the earliest representation of Christian baptism in the catacombs of Rome shows John the Baptist standing fully clothed on the bank extending an arm to Jesus who is undressed coming above the water. He is helping Him up the bank. So the one who was baptized was not dunked under the water by some officiating clergy, but rather walked down into the water and gave His testimony and dipped Himself, just as it is still done today in every Jewish mikveh. The person officiating was there only to give his or her stamp of kashrut to make certain that, the hair of ladies for instance, was completely immersed and did not float to the surface, so that you did not have one hair that failed to get completely submerged. Non-Jewish readers often have a difficult time understanding what exactly is going on because the writers did not bother to give all the details of Jewish custom and practice. Nevertheless one is able to gather enough evidence from the gospels to conclude safely that Jesus observed the biblical commandments as they were interpreted by the rabbis in the oral law. An interesting example of this is Jesus' adherence to the rabbinic prohibition against using the unutterable name of God. The original understanding of the third commandment, "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain", was probably that one should be careful not to break one's vows when one has sworn in God's name. However the rabbis eventually came to interpret this commandment to include using the Lord's Name frivolously or lightly. To avoid the risk of employing the Divine Name irreverently, the rabbis ruled that one should not utter it at all. The tetragrammaton, the yod hay vav hay (YHVH), the Divine Name, could be pronounced only in the temple, in the daily priestly blessing, and in the confession of the High Priest on the Day of Atonement. When reading or reciting Scripture, one was not to pronounce the Unutterable Name but rather had to substitute Adonai (Lord). In time, this substitute, Adonai, itself came to have such a sacred aura that it was used only in Scripture reading and prayer. When it was necessary to refer to God in everyday speech, one sought other substitutes such as ha-Makom (the Place); ha Kadosh (the Holy); ha Gavohah (the High); ha-Lashon (the Tongue); ha-Gevurah (the power); Shamayim (Heaven) or ha-Shem (the Name). Ha-Shem is probably the most commonly used today in order to avoid using the name of God which would be sacrilegious. Even the less distinctive Elohim (God), which could refer to the God of Israel or to false Gods, was avoided in conversation. So serious was the prohibition against pronouncing the tetragrammaton that the rabbis included among those that have no share in the world to come; "He who pronounces the divine name as it is spelled". The avoidance of the tetragrammaton began very early, although there was no hesitation in pronouncing the sacred name in the biblical period. In the time of David everyone went around saying Y-M (however they pronounced it), but already by the third century BC "Adonai" was being substituted for the yod hay vav hay (YHVH). Jesus frequently used euphemisms for God, and His audiences would have been shocked had He not. The most common word for God used by Jesus was "Heaven". This occurs for instance in the phrase "Kingdom of Heaven", the term Jesus used for His community of disciples, for His movement. To those in the Temple who questioned His authority, Jesus asked: "Was the baptism of John from Heaven or from men?" In other words, was John's baptism of God or of men? In His parable of the prodigal son, Jesus had the prodigal say to his father "I have sinned against Heaven". As for making oaths, Jesus commanded His disciples not to swear at all, not even using substitutes for God's name such as Shamayim (Heaven). One other euphemism for God's name used by Jesus was ha-Gevurah (the Power). When interrogated by the High Priest, Jesus was asked for an admission that He was the Messiah. His answer, was a classic example of rabbinic sophistication: "From now on the Son of Man will be seated on the right of the Power." This of course hints at two different Messianic passages, Daniel 7:13 and Psalm 110:1: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool." Jesus also adhered to the Oral Law in His attitude towards such practices as sacrifices, fasting, almsgiving, tithing and blessings. Notice for example how He gave tacit approval to the offering of sacrifices in Matthew 5:23-24: "If you bring your sacrifice to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave it there in front of the altar, first go and be reconciled to your brother and then come back and offer your sacrifice". Jesus also commanded the lepers, whom He healed to perform the ceremony for their cleansing prescribed in the Bible. This ceremony included offering sacrifices as well as ritual immersion. He told the ten lepers to show themselves to the priest, and He specifically charged another leper to: "Show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifice that Moses commanded". Jesus also took for granted the fasting of His disciples when He commanded them to, "anoint your head and wash your face when you fast so that you won't appear to be fasting". Jesus was accused of not living the ascetic life of John the Baptist, which might give one the impression that Jesus did not fast a great deal. Those who accused Him however would not have known whether Jesus fasted or not, if he were practicing what He preached, which was to conceal your fasting. Certainly Jesus could not have criticized those who made a show of their fasting if He Himself did not fast. In telling the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, He was not critical of the Pharisee because he fasted twice a week. He was critical of this Pharisee because of his pride. It was inconceivable that Jesus did not fast on the Day of Atonement each year throughout His life "to afflict His soul". This was interpreted by the rabbis to mean a total fast of approximately twenty five hours. Scripture specifies exclusion from the community as the penalty for one who does not afflict his soul on the Day of Atonement, and states that anyone who does any work on that day would be "destroyed by God". It should also be noted that after His baptism, at the beginning of His public ministry, Jesus fasted for forty days. So Jesus was a faster. In the same section of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus criticized the hypocrites who fasted to be seen by men, Jesus also criticized those who made a public display of giving to the poor. Jesus must have been a generous giver Himself. We can assume that He was a generous giver, since He taught that one should lay up treasure in heaven, and that if one's "eye is bad", that is if one is stingy, "his whole body is full of darkness". "When you give alms" said Jesus - not "if you give alms". Jesus assumes that His disciples are almsgivers, and one may confidently assume that Jesus was as well, even without a specific New Testament example. Alms giving raises the related issue of tithing, and since tithing is as much a biblical commandment as giving alms, there should be no question but that Jesus tithed and gave to the poor. However, it is sometimes noted by Christians that Jesus criticized the Pharisees for being so pedantic as to tithe even the spices and herbs in their gardens, and it is therefore sometimes assumed that Jesus opposed such tithing. This is of course an error resulting from not carefully reading the text. It is similar to the misunderstanding some people have that money is the root of all evil, whereas Scripture actually states that the "love of money is the root of all evil." Jesus did not pronounce woes upon the Scribes and Pharisees for tithing mint, dill and cumin, but rather for keeping only such "lighter" or less serious commandments, whilst failing to keep the "heavier" commandments. In the written law, the commandment is that one is to tithe only on grain, on oil and on wine. However the rabbis, (in the time of Jesus and just before), ruled that anything used for food had to be tithed. Jesus, when He speaks of this tithing of the herbs in the garden says: "This is necessary to do". His statement leaves no doubt how Jesus felt about tithing, and more important, how He felt about the observation, of the commandments as they were interpreted by the rabbis. Note also that a few verses previously, in Matthew 23:3, Jesus explicitly instructed His disciples to keep the oral law. "Do and observe what they (referring the Scribes and the Pharisees) command you." The third and final part of this message will be published in next month's Messianic Studies column. David Bivin has lived in Israel since 1963, when he came to do graduate studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. From 1970 to 1931 he was director of the modern Language Division of the American Ulpan, and also director of the Modern Hebrew Department of the Institute of Holy Land Studies on Mount Zion. He is co-author of two books: "Fluent Biblical and Modern Hebrew", and "Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus". He is currently director of the Jerusalem School for the Study of the Synoptic Gospels, which is sponsored by the Centre for Judaic-Christian Studies. David Bivin also serves as an elder of the Narkis Street Baptist congregation in Jerusalem. Produced by: Christian Friends of Israel U.K. BM Box 2188, London Anee M'Amin Anee M'Amin ANEE M'AMIN is Hebrew for "I believe". Every month this column features the testimony of a Jewish believer in Messiah. This month we feature a story from the December 1991 issue of THE CHOSEN PEOPLE magazine. THEY WANTED TO STOP HIM FROM PREACHING THE GOSPEL TO JEWISH PEOPLE IN THE SOVIET UNION. Albert Israeli was shocked to see scenes right out of the first century - dramatic Jewish confessions of faith and violent public debates - on the streets of his homeland. On October 1, 1991, thousands of Jewish people from all over the world gathered in Kiev to commemorate the 1941 killing of Jews by Nazis as Babi Yar. For some, memories of the more than 3,000 Jews machine-gunned by the Nazis and left to die in the deep Ukranian ravine were still vivid. It would be either the best place to preach the Gospel ... or the worst. It turned out that the week-long commemoration became both for Albert Israeli, Chosen People Ministries worker from Israel. Albert, 33, was born in the Soviet Union. He left for Israel at 13, spent two years in Israel, and then emigrated to Canada in 1977. He came to faith seven years ago as a result of the witness of a Soviet Jewish believer. Since that time he has worked for Chosen People Ministries, at first ministering to the Soviet Jews in Toronto and now living in Israel where God is using him to reach immigrant Soviet Jews. From Tel Aviv to Kiev In late September 1991, Albert sent 500 pounds of Bibles and Gospel literature to Kiev to get there ahead oh him. Then he flew out of Tel Aviv airport. In Kiev he met our volunteers - Soviet Jews, many of whom had found the Lord through the preaching of Sam Nadler and Albert in 1990. By the time Albert arrived, thousands of Jewish people, primarily from Eastern Europe but others from France, England, and the United States, had already converged on Kiev at the site of the babi yar massacre. As hundreds of Jewish people listened, a rabbi stood up to challenge Albert, accusing him of misquoting the Hebrew Scriptures. Albert pulled out a Hebrew New Testament from his coat and began reading from it, demonstrating his fluency in Hebrew. But this did not deter the rabbi, who continued to debate Albert from the crowd. Finally, after a particularly intense exchange, the rabbi turned to leave, telling the crowd they would be cursed if they stayed. Two others left; the rest remained to listen for an additional hour. An Ugly Mood On the last Sunday morning of the huge week-long gathering, a young man named Igor tried to incite the Orthodox Jews against Albert. The crowd's mood turned ugly. Above the din, the chief rabbi of Kiev shouted that Albert was "trying to convert them." Hundreds gathered, and a riot broke out with the angry mob rushing toward Albert. They grabbed him by his coat trying to silence him by pushing him out of the crowd. "It looked like a hornet's nest," said Jeff Kipp, a member of a Minneapolis congregation who was travelling through Kiev at the time. Unharmed and having regained his composure, Albert invited those who were interested to a meeting a few hours later. SRO Crowd A standing-room-only crowd showed up to hear Albert speak later that same afternoon at a rented hall used for weekly meetings. Of the over 200 Soviet Jewish believers who regularly meet, 80 graciously left to make room for those who showed up to hear the Gospel. Still, almost 300 crowded the room to overflowing. Since it was the season of the Jewish High Holy Days, Albert spoke on the differences between the Sinai Covenant and the New Covenant. While Albert preached, other Jewish believers in the hall suddenly noticed that Igor - the young Jewish man who had started the riot earlier that morning - was there too! At the close of the service, when Albert issued an invitation, this same Igor abruptly rushed forward. "I was shocked to see him," Albert said. "I thought he was going to cause trouble." The believers froze, certain Igor would harm Albert. "But he fell on my shoulder and wouldn't let me go," said Albert. "He was weeping and in between tears asking God to forgive him." Igor refused to let go of Albert for a full five minutes. Igor's sudden conversion galvanized the meeting -23 Jews followed him to the front to accept Jesus as Messiah. The next day Albert baptized 17 new Soviet Jewish believers in a swimming pool in Kiev. At the end of the baptism, 4 more Soviet Jews watching the service came to faith. These new believers join the many other Soviet Jews who have come to faith over the last year since Albert and Sam Nadler first preached the Gospel at one Kiev church. Several weekly Bible studies are now conducted to nurture these new Soviet believers. Pray for Albert, his wife and children. Also keep Igor in prayer, that his Damascus road experience, like Paul's would redound much to the glory of God. The WORD for Today Pass Me Another Stone by Pastor Geoff Kragen Before this last Easter, (1992), many churches across the country were involved in The Chapel of the Air's "Fifty-Day Spiritual Adventure." This program was designed to help local churches become "The Family God Wants Us To Be." The material provided focused on dysfunctional behavior found in families and brought into the church. The article presented here is the second of seven messages given by Pastor Geoff Kragen. They were presented at Foothill Bible Church in Lincoln California as part of that church's involvement with the program. PASS ME ANOTHER STONE (John 8:1-11) The Pharisees brought the woman, taken in adultery, before the Lord. Their primary concern was to test Christ and create problems for Him. Nevertheless, they also appeared sincere in their desire to put the woman to death. Most of them wanted to throw the first stone. Frequently, people want to blame others for their problems. They are ready to accuse and pass the buck. They don't ever want to be found guilty. The only crime is getting caught. But when others are caught, the demand for punishment is clamorous. Most of them want to throw the first stone. Unfortunately, anger and frustration have become the justification for violence. This includes rocks through windows as the city burns. Most people want to throw the first stone. So, pass me another stone. The first sin of mankind was rejecting God's word. Adam and Eve desired to be as gods. As a result, they ate of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil. Shortly, they committed the second sin, rejecting their own responsibility for sin and blaming someone else. Eve blamed the serpent. Adam blamed Eve, although I believe he also blamed God. Remember, he stated, "The woman you put here with me. ..." (Genesis 3:12). Really, it was all God's fault for giving Adam the woman in the first place. When we don't want to take responsibility, we try to pass it on. Placing blame is a finely developed art. The Democrats blame the President for our problems. The Republicans know it is the fault of the Democratically controlled congress. The rich blame economic troubles on social programs directed to the poor. Conversely, the poor know their problem is that the rich are greedy. Of course, we of the middle-class know that everything is everyone else's fault. The behavior of placing blame is endemic to this society. Frequently, it is also a major problem of the dysfunctional family. If someone else can be blamed for my problem, that alleviates personal responsibility to do something about it. "I drink because it is the only way I can put up with your constant nagging." Children believe their parents fight, or got divorced because of them. I wonder where they got that idea? "If you would stop fighting with your brother, then your dad and I would be able to get along." Probably even worse than blaming, is shaming. David Mains defines shaming. "Shame attacks, humiliates, sees no good whatever in the person. Shame demands with accusations like: - "You're nothing but a lazy bum!" - "I can't stand anything about you," etc. * It's interesting that on the day I sat down to prepare this message, I was reading U.S. News & World Report. On page 56 was an article entitled "The Anatomy of Shame." Apparently, the problem of shame is being noticed. A couple of comments made by Michael Lewis in the article are worth noting. "Shame is hardly a modern phenomenon. It is present in the Creation story and, in fact, is the emotion that is discussed more than any other. The story of Adam and Eve says that shame is a very powerful and specific human emotion." ** What Mr. Lewis doesn't realize is that there is appropriate shame. This is the shame of an accurate self image. It is the recognition of how far we fall short of God's standards. But, there is another kind of shame, the shame that is laid on us by others. It is the shame that comes from a parent telling us that we are just plain no good. There is nothing we can do that will change us. A husband rejects a wife, not her behavior, but her. Shame is worse than blame because we can allow it to destroy any sense of self- worth. Blame and shame -- hopefully we don't have to choose between either one. John 8:1-11 shows us how Jesus chose to respond to people, not shaming or blaming, but loving and caring for them. His desire for people was, and is, restoration and healing. When we shame and blame we reject personal responsibility. Instead, we need to see what we can do to make conditions better. Jesus is to be our model. Let us take a look at John 8:1-11, and see how the Lord operated when dealing with an individual who certainly could be blamed, and even shamed for her choices. First, note the attitude of the Pharisees in this account. They can serve as an example of how not to behave. First and foremost, it must be clear that the woman had committed adultery. There is no doubt she was guilty. Second, the Law required a penalty of death; for both the man and woman involved. I wonder where the man was. The problem here is that the Pharisees were not interested in the Law. They weren't interested in the woman, or her sin. They were interested in finding a way to discredit Jesus. They would do this by either getting Him to deny the Law, or demonstrating that He was without compassion. I wonder if they expected Him to show mercy. What a testimony He must have had! The Pharisees were very good at blaming and shaming. They brought the woman before the crowd. They publicly accused her of adultery. They made a spectacle of her. They were fixated on one issue, proving that they were the spiritual leaders of Israel, and that the people were wrong to follow Jesus. Contrast this with the Lord's behavior. He doesn't even look at her. He doesn't make her the issue. He makes the Pharisees the problem. As He ignores the woman, he bends down and begins to write in the dust. There has been much speculation as to what Jesus is doing here. D. W. Griffith, in the silent film version of "The King of Kings" has Jesus writing the sins of those in the crowd. Jesus said that he who was without sin should cast the first stone. He spelled out the name and then the sins. Gradually, starting with the oldest, who may have had the most sense, and ending with the youngest, they moved away. And so, Jesus, the only one who was sinless, was the only one who could truly judge and forgive. He told the woman to go and to sin no more. Since He would soon provide forgiveness for the world, He now called her to repentance. Jesus wasn't concerned with blaming her for sin. He certainly didn't desire her shame in front of the crowd. What He desired was a turn around in her life. As we saw in the last article, Christ's desire for the healthy church family is to be an environment where people can come to be healed and to grow closer to Him. He isn't saying that we are to ignore sin, for He established guidelines for discipline. What He is saying is that His concern is, as always, for restoration. In contrast, in the dysfunctional family blaming and shaming is the standard. Frequently, one person becomes the family scapegoat. In the movie "Home Alone" the child who is the focus of the film is blamed by everybody for everything that goes wrong. All the other kids are perfect. Out of the eleven young people, only he ever does anything wrong. Reality, however, is something else. What happens in the family that shames and blames is that problems are never dealt with. All the energy goes to identifying the culprit for the problem. There is no recognition that problems belong to the entire family and need to be worked through constructively. Where blaming and shaming are the practice, the concern is avoiding personal responsibility for anything. The person who shames and blames is saying "I need to protect myself from ever feeling inadequate. Therefore I'll blame someone else." For this individual, the most important concern is not being found at fault or in error. Life comes from looking perfect. What may be the basic problem that causes us to blame and shame others? Lewis in his U.S. News article gives a hint. "Shame exists in all cultures. But in Western culture in general and the United States in particular it is self-oriented, ..." *** It keeps coming back to the same old thing, being self-centered rather than God-centered. And just as we find the problem of blaming and shaming within the individual family, we also find it carried over into the church family. How does this occur? First, by focusing on identifying the problem, rather than being concerned about how we can help. If we don't like the way circumstances are, it is always easier to blame someone else. For example: "Our church would grow if the board wasn't so backward and would use the new methods developed to encourage growth." Or, "If the pastor was a better speaker people would come." "Our children would be behave better if the Sunday School teachers were stricter." Again, as we saw last time, the issue isn't whether our concerns are right or wrong. Some of the problems we identify may actually be genuine problems. But, as we blame others, we are ignoring our responsibility as part of the family to see what we can do to help. As we allow blame to typify our response to circumstances, we move on to shaming. "This isn't a godly church. It doesn't matter what I do, the fact is that the leadership just isn't Biblically sound. They aren't interested in what God has to say to them." And, of course, when perspective reaches this kind of low, then the individual says, "I'm going to leave and find a church where the Holy Spirit works and is not quenched. This place is typical of the Laodicea Church." Unfortunately, we can leave our local church family, even if we can't leave our own family. But, as we move from blaming to shaming, we are doing the same thing the Pharisees did. We are assuming that in all circumstances we know what is right, and no one else does. What should be our response instead? First, we don't have to agree with everything that is going on. Some of our concerns may very well be valid. Our desire, however, must be to approach others in love. We can demonstrate a desire to help correct the problems. We can ask the Lord to use us to help others grow. Or we can keep complaining and go to people saying "a Christian would never do such and so!" strongly implying that they certainly aren't acting as believers. The church family functions in a healthy way when we are more concerned about being an environment where people can come to a relationship with the Lord and grow in that relationship, rather than being concerned about always being right As members of a family, each of us is responsible to the Lord to do what we can to make the body a healthier place. If we love one another, as God calls us to, and if this love is unconditional, then we will stop blaming and shaming. If our focus is on the needs of others and on the needs of the church, then we will only be concerned with how we can help. We wouldn't demand that the board, or the pastors, or the teachers, or anyone meet our expectations. Instead, each of us will strive together to meet the only realistic expectations placed on us, those of our loving Father. As a sage once said, "if you look for the perfect church, and you find it, once you join, it won't be perfect any more." Let us constantly remember that Christ is perfecting each of us. He gives us the joy to help each other in the process. Instead of blaming and shaming, let us take responsibility and edify one another, demonstrating the unity that is ours. This unity is grounded in the work of Christ on the cross, and God's love for us. "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to one hope when you were called -- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Ephesians 4: 3-5; 5:1 & 2 * David Mains, HEALING THE DYSFUNCTIONAL CHURCH FAMILY, Victor Books, 1992 pg. ** Michael Lewis, "The Anatomy of Shame," U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT, March 9, 1992, pg. 56 *** Ibid. Prayer Guidelines Prayer and Trust by Michael Wilkinson Prayer and Trust Article 5 of the "Prayer and ..." Series By Michael Wilkinson Trust is relying upon God, placing faith, hope and confidence in Him. It is a dependent person who trusts in the Lord. And the Lord wants us to depend upon Him. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5). "But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, 'You are my God'" (Psalm 31:14). "Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You" (Psalm 56:3). "I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings" (Psalm 61:4). The above verses, from the book of Psalms, describe a person expressing trust in the Lord. Please note that these are prayers. That is, in all three verses, the person is speaking TO God about the trust he is placing in Him. This the personal quality of Christianity: "I" have a relationship with "You, O Lord." These verses link trust through faith with our relationship with God. Thus we can say, "You are my God, I am placing trust in You. I will not let circumstances frighten my faith away. I will remain confident in You for I know that You will ultimately protect me." It is only when we come to God in faith that we can trust Him with our lives, and trust must be part of a life of faith. This connection between faith and trust is also expressed in the New Testament in Romans. "For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the scripture says, 'Anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame'" (Romans 10:10-11). We entrust our entire lives to God, believing that He will save us and be merciful to us. Our enemies and troubles (both spiritual and natural) can not defeat our relationship, grounded in faith, with the Lord. Circumstances may look bad or worse, but He will remain trustworthy to those who call Him their God. When we pray, we should declare our trust in God. This helps to commit us to continue following Him throughout life. Also, the Lord loves to hear of our confidence in Him. Remember that God is our Father and we have received adoption as sons. It is natural for children to trust their parents as a matter of dependence. And our Father will always prove to be a good father. SCUD Warnings SCUD Warnings by Jerry Johnson S piritual C ounterfeits U ndermining D octrine W A R N I N G S By Jerry Johnson This is the typed transcript of a conversation that took place between three high level angels on the fifth day of creation. (If you believed that, I have some property on an earthquake fault I'd like to sell you.) Angel #1: O.K. this is our final meeting before He makes man tomorrow. Angel #2: You DID try to talk him out of that, didn't you? Angel #1: I did, but how can you talk someone who's omniscient out of anything? Angel #3: Ain't that the truth! Well, for the last time, let's review the hidden plan. Angel #1: All right. First He creates the man from the ground and then he creates the woman from the rib of the man. Angel #2: Right, so since she's made of inferior materials, she'll just cook and clean and serve the guy. Angel #3: Sounds good. Then, just to keep everyone off guard, God will pick the Jews to bless. Angel #1: That should keep everyone fooled for a while! Angel #2: Then a couple of thousand of years later we'll get a Jewish guy named Paul kind of Romanized and get him headed toward the west. Angel #3: Excellent, that way we make sure the Europeans grab the gospel first and then all those other variations He created can be ignored for quite a while so we can get those white guys in charge. Angel #1: And don't forget we throw in some of that "God is no respecter of people" stuff into the Bible to give those other groups a false sense of hope and equality. Angel #2: Right, and then once we get America started, we can really start to get the hidden plan out in the open! Angel #3: And I quote, "The white males are the only ones that God really loves, all the rest just get spilled-over grace ... not the good stuff." Angel #1: All agreed. Meeting dismissed. I just couldn't figure out how to make that transcript vague enough that any sub-group would have assumed I was talking about them as the "in" group, because the truth is: Prejudice can come from any group and be aimed at any group. And, unfortunately, a group that prejudice is coming from more and more is American Christians ... and I am sure that it grieves God far more than it makes me mad, which is quite a bit. IS GOD A MACHO HONKEY? Or to those unversed in American street slang: Is God a white supremacist, male chauvinist pig? Frankly, it seems absurd to me that this issue even needs to be addressed. After all, let's look at few circumstances in the Bible that indicate God's personal view on ethnic groups. First of all, He made all the groups: Colossians 1:16. In Song of Solomon 1:3, the object of Solomon's devotion and love defines herself as "dark like the tents of Kedar, like the tent curtains of Solomon" and tents of nomadic tribes are black. In Jesus' time the Jews absolutely despised the Samaritans because they were considered half-breeds. Jews would typically take days longer to travel around Samaria rather than travel through it. Yet Jesus not only traveled through it, but made the hero of one of his best loved parables a Samaritan; talked to a Samaritan woman of ill repute in broad daylight, no less; and told the disciples to spread the gospel to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth. In Ephesians 3:28 Paul declares "there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Not exactly a statement of ethnic or economic prejudice. One of the (many) recurrent complaints that the Pharisees and Scribes had against Jesus was that he hung around with the "wrong" kind of people: publicans, sinners, geeks, nerds, dweebs, lepers, the ill, the poor and outcasts. That leads to two questions: 1) Why did these weirdos follow Jesus? 2) Why did Jesus let these weirdos follow him? They followed Him because they knew that He accepted them, something in that society that was not common ... after all, the Jews hated the Romans who resented the Greeks who looked down on the Egyptians who disliked the Hispanics who distrusted the whites who hated the blacks that resented the Koreans that ... oops. I seemed to have done a little time travel. The world in Christ's time was steeped in ethnic prejudice and hatred. Christ came in and broke all those barriers down by declaring that we, as believers, are to love each other as Christ loved us. When Jesus shed His blood it ran red for the brown, black, white, yellow, etc. He also died for women ... and not to make them second-class believers. Here's a little theory I'd like you to ruminate on before reacting to it. Jesus was the single greatest women's liberator, spiritually and socially, in history. "O.K. I agreed with you on the ethnic prejudice stuff, but don't go radical on me. You and I both know that women are supposed to submit to men and be silent and subservient in the church ... so don't hand me this stuff about Jesus being a women's libber!!!" Let me share a perspective: In the time of Christ, women were treated like cattle ... they were property and little more. A famous Pharisee prayer of Christ's time was, "I thank thee Lord that I was born neither a woman nor a gentile." If a woman had no family to support her she had to resort to prostitution to survive. She could be divorced on verbal command and would be stoned for adultery while the guy got away. Not exactly an equitable set-up. Then came Jesus. This Jesus who spoke to the half-breed, promiscuous woman in a public setting that could infer he was after the wrong thing ... and he talked to her about eternal life. This Jesus who was pushing his way through a mob and stopped because a woman who had an issue of blood touched the hem of his clothes ... and it's a possibility that depending on what her issue of blood was, she may have been technically unclean to a Jew. This Jesus who reached out to Mary Magdalene, another woman of not necessarily positive repute. This Jesus who basically told Martha to get out of the kitchen so she could sit under his teaching. This Jesus who corrected his disciples so that a former prostitute could anoint him with fragrant oils prior to his death. This Jesus who appeared first to women after his resurrection. This Jesus whose church set up its first ministry so that women would be provided for so they would not have to turn to prostitution to survive. This Jesus whose church had women like Lydia, Priscilla and Timothy's mother and grandmother, Eunice and Lois that were praised in letters that circled the whole church ... and it wasn't for the coffee and pies they served. This Jesus whose church was instructed to treat all women like family members, with care and respect. This Jesus whose church's husbands were told to love their wives as Christ loves the church. This Jesus who granted worth, dignity, value and significance to those who were formerly property and little else. It is a distinct possibility that Paul admonished women to be discrete in church settings because they were feeling their oats, being in a setting that allowed them status for the first time. Maybe they were on a roll and needed to be reminded of moderation in a time of exhilaration of liberation. Remember, Christ came to bring freedom and abundant life ... to more than just males or just whites or just Jews or just Asians or ... Regarding women not exercising authority over men in church: that is Biblical, but it no more affords them second class status than the Holy Spirit is less part of God because he submits himself to the Son and the Father. Remember, the body has many parts, each has its role and the whole is compromised if any part is mistreated by any other part. If you don't believe me, just hit your thumb with a hammer. Prejudice is the product of fear and erroneous thinking and causes confusion. 1st John 4:18 says perfect love, God's love, casts out all fear. John 8:32 says know the truth and the truth will set you free. 1st Corinthians 14:33 says that God is not the author of confusion, but a sound mind. Guess where prejudice comes from. The pit. And that's where it belongs. If you've ever witnessed a grand mal epileptic seizure you know how it looks when a body is basically at war with itself, giving contradictory signals that cannot be obeyed simultaneously. That is what prejudice in the church is like. "And know I will show you the most excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels ... if I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge and if I have the faith that can move mountains ... if I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing" (1st Corinthians 12:31, 13:1-3). "Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth" (1st John 3:18). Next time: The Draining and Training of the Christian Mind. Bible Quiz Bible Quiz BIBLE QUIZ This month's quiz is a fill in the blank, and concerns women of the Bible. The answers can be found by looking up the scripture verses given. 1. _____ saved her people from extinction. (Esther 8:7) 2. _____ spoke the word of God to Hilkiah the priest. (2nd Kings 22:14-15) 3. Jacob had twelve sons and a daughter named _____. (Genesis 34:1) 4. Abraham told people _____ was his sister. (Genesis 12:11-13) 5. After _____ husband died, she became David's wife. (1st Samuel 25:39-42) 6. _____ faith kept her from perishing with unbelievers. (Hebrews 11:31) 7. Mary's cousin, _____, conceived a son in her old age. (Luke 1:36) 8. Jesus said to _____: "Woman, behold thy son." (John 19:26) 9. _____ instructed her daughter to ask for John the Baptist's head. (Matthew 14:6-8) 10. Among other believers, Paul saluted _____ in his letter to the Roman Christians. (Romans 16:15) Christian Life Department People Profile People Profile - Mrs. Elsie Holzapfel Morning Star Senior Editor, Teresa Giordanengo, conducted this interview with Mrs. Elsie Holzapfel of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Holzapfel is a retired school teacher and holds a BA degree from Indiana Teachers' College in Indiana, Pennsylvania Teresa: Elsie, you said the Lord is leading you all the way. Where did you spend your childhood days? Elsie: I grew up in a small community of Cecil, Pennsylvania with only one grocery store, one bank, one clothing store, but no church. A group of women started a Sunday School in the school house. A minister from a nearby town would have church services after Sunday School every Sunday afternoon. How I looked forward to Sunday School where I heard the Bible Stories and received a picture card with the Bible message on it and a Sunday School paper! Teresa: Since you liked to read, what was your favorite type of reading material? Elsie: I loved to read and this was all the reading material available to me. I especially enjoyed the McGuffey Readers at school, as they published some Scripture lessons and poetry that spoke about God. I was fortunate to have a Christian teacher in the fourth grade who persuaded my mother to purchase Hurlburt's Story of the Bible. I read and re-read it often. Teresa: When did you accept the Lord as your Savior? Elsie: We moved to Canonsburg, Pennsylvania in 1918. The town seemed so large to me. The first Sunday in my new town, I walked upstreet and went into the first church I saw. It was the Greenside Avenue United Presbyterian Church. I had never been in a church building before. Here is where I accepted Christ as my Savior, and was baptized. Teresa: When did your parents become born-again Christians? Elsie: My mother was born in Belgium but her parents did not agree with the Catholic Church and had services in their own home. Great Grandma made a big pot of coffee and everyone brought his own lunch to eat, and Grandma would serve the coffee. My mother would sit at her Grandma's feet listening to the Bible being taught. Then afterwards they stayed for the services on Sunday afternoon. My father did not accept the Lord for many years. Teresa: What were the circumstances that led to your father's born-again experience? Elsie: The same year, 1918, that we moved to Canonsburg, World War I ended. It was also the year that my father had the flu. Then pneumonia and pleurisy set in and many times he was delirious. There were so many ill people that the doctor could not get to them and whole groups of families died. The doctor said that my mother would probably get the flu too because she took care of my father and slept in his room. She even took care of all the sick neighbors, but she never got sick. God spared my father's life due to my mother's prayers. My father never went to church, but we always made sure my brother went along with us. But as soon as Sunday School was over he would get away from us and run home to see our father. He never stayed for the church service. One day I told my father that if he would come to church my brother would not run home from church because there would be no one there for him. The next weekend, much to my surprise, my father donned his Sunday clothes and was ready to leave for the services at the same time we did. It was at one of these services that he accepted the Lord as his Savior. He was forty when he accepted the Lord. Teresa: Why did you feel that the Lord guided you along life's pathway? Elsie: During my teens I had a good Christian Sunday School teacher. She had a great influence on me, plus the minister and other leaders in the church. God was putting the right people in my path at the right time for the training I was to have in my life. In high school He again put the right person in my path to guide. I wanted to be a teacher but knew my parents couldn't afford to send me to college so I signed up for the Commercial Course. Our ancient History teacher and Assistant Principal called me to the office and persuaded me to change to the Academic Course. And because of this I was able to teach. At that time a person could go to the court House and take an examination and if we scored high we could teach. Teresa: How did your schooling progress? Elsie: By 1927 a person had to be working toward a Standard Certificate to teach, equivalent to two years of college. Our English teacher had the Pennsylvania State College offer the teachers evening classes to obtain their Standard Certificate. She also told us that if we desired to be teachers we could also take the classes. So I took the classes and had thirteen college credits when I graduated from high school and taught the fall after graduation. I attended summer school at Indiana Normal School, thus obtained my Standard Certificate. Teresa: Why were you not happy in your Christian walk? Elsie: Although I had received Christ as my Lord and Savior, I did not feel content. In 1928 I went to the New Wilmington Missionary Conference and heard about the surrendered life, and I surrendered my life to Jesus. The Lord says that we have not chosen Him, but that He has chosen us. How true that has been in my life. He used me in the public school as a teacher. I also taught children ages 9 through 11 at the Greenside church and at the chapel that our church conducted in another part of town on Sunday afternoons. A dear Christian lady, Mrs. Hagen, told me that she was thrilled to see me take over a Sunday School class. Teresa: How did you meet your husband? Elsie: When I was 10 years old, our new neighbors had a son who had polio. He had polio for 18 months and never knew what it was like to walk normally. His mother always treated him the same as all the other children. We were very good friends for many years before we married. We never married until his mother died. In fact we sat on the swing and held hands for 25 years before we married. He was a cheerful person and worked as an accountant. Teresa: What do you feel was your mission in life? Elsie: My mission in life has been to work with children and I enjoyed every minute of it. I am now 86 years of age and can look back over my life and realize how my Good Shepherd led me all the way. I have lived alone the last 15 years, but I know that my Lord is near me. He never leaves me nor forsakes me. He is dearer and closer to me than ever. I am looking forward to seeing Him in the near future. Each step I take just leads me closer home. Teresa: Is there any final thought you would like to leave with our readers? Elsie: All that I am and all that I have I owe to God. He has never failed me. I thank Him and I praise Him. What He has done for me, He will do for anyone who believes in Him. Ministry Profile Ministry Profile - Jesus Cares Ministries JESUS CARES MINISTRIES Ministering to those in crisis pregnancy Drugs, premarital sex, abortion, child abuse and divorce are some of the many factors contributing to the moral decay of today's youth. With the realization that our youth of today will be our leaders of tomorrow, a burden to be a positive influence in these lives burned within the hearts of Tom and Doreen Strohm. They are the program directors and founders of Jesus Cares Ministries. BACKGROUND AND FOCUS Not knowing where or how to begin they visited the Sunshine Acres children's home in hopes of becoming houseparents. Encouraged by Vera Dingman to begin their challenge with one teenager at a time in their own home, they inquired about foster parenting with the Department of Economic Security and applied for their license in 1980, shortly before the birth of their second child. Since that time their experience includes work with the physically and sexually abused, delinquent minors and the emotionally handicapped. The focus since the birth of the ministry in 1983 has been to meet the needs of the epidemic that is sweeping our nation today ... teenage pregnancy. Their long term vision for Jesus Cares Ministries is to build a 34 bedroom home that will facilitate pregnant teens and unwed mothers. On the outskirts of the home they hope to have apartments for the elderly that have a desire to remain productive in society. They can serve as grandparents to the girls and their babies and give them the affection that they so desperately need. In turn, they too will find purpose and direction. Tom and Doreen, both born and raised in New York, have resided in Arizona since 1977, shortly after their conversion to Christianity. With a deep commitment to fulfill Christ's commission to "Go ye into all the world," they left behind in New York a successful family owned and operated business and a very busy lifestyle. Tom sought employment in the accounting field and Doreen accepted a position in banking, where she remained until the birth of their first child. They currently have three lovely children, Stefanie Lynn, Christina Joy, and Melody Rose. If you have any questions about the ministry, need help or desire to be a part in helping their outreach, please contact Tom or Doreen Strohm at (602) 831-1737. SERVING THE INDIVIDUAL Jesus Cares Ministries is a non-profit tax-deductible corporation formed in 1983 to share the love of Jesus Christ with teenagers experiencing a crisis pregnancy. Nestled in a quiet East Valley neighborhood, the home has the capacity to feed, clothe and shelter nine individuals on a short or long-term basis. The emphasis on personal responsibility and cooperative family living have enabled many broken, shattered lives to emerge with the confidence and self-worth that comes in being a part of a loving family environment. The program, developed by Tom and Doreen Strohm over their years of experience in Foster Care is designed to minister to the needs of the total man, spirit, soul and body. The home provides an atmosphere of love and acceptance where each individual girl can make decisions and goals based on what is best for her and her baby. The following are some of the necessary requirements for any girl coming into the program: 1) A desire to change her lifestyle and a general openness to God's leading through His Word, the Bible. 2) Willing participation in household and personal responsibilities. 3) Participation in family activities (mealtime, church attendance, picnics, outings, etc.). 4) Must be working or in school full-time. After giving birth the girl may return to the home for continued support and guidance. Regardless of her decision to keep or place her child for adoption, there is a wide range of programs and assistance available to meet her personal and individual needs both during her pregnancy and after giving birth: 1) Individual goal talks (designed to encourage personal achievement and follow-through). 2) Group and family discussions. 3) Personal and group Bible studies. 4) Childbirth education. 5) Independent living skills (money management, budgeting, food preparation and shopping, job and apartment hunting). 6) Relationship building (emphasis on strengthening character through relationships, child/parent, husband/wife, employee/employer, etc.). 7) Education on love, sex, dating and marriage. 8) Interaction with agencies that provide the following: support groups, after placement groups, career planning, counseling and foster and adoption assistance. For most girls, the home provides the only security and love they have ever experienced. When it is time to leave the home and return to family or pursue an independent lifestyle, the transition can be made smoother when ongoing love, encouragement and direction is offered. The girls are encouraged to stay in touch by phone or letters and many even return for weekend visits. SERVING THE COMMUNITY The outreach of Jesus Cares Ministries extends beyond the home and into the community as we provide the following services to those in crisis situations: 1) Clothing and furniture bank 2) Phone counseling and referrals to others experiencing crisis situations, pregnancy or otherwise. 3) Education to public and private schools, organizations and churches on pregnancy prevention, abortion, and pro-life alternatives. 4) Assistance to families in crisis pregnancy situations. If you have any questions about our community services or would like more information on having a presentation in your church, school or organization, please contact Tom or Doreen Strohm at Founders and Directors/House Parents. Jesus Cares Ministries P.O. Box 371 Chandler, Arizona 85244 (602)83l-l737 Editor's Note: The testimony of a teen-age girl who was helped by this ministry appears in our Young Adult column in this issue of Morning Star. Education Education CAN YOU AFFORD A CHRISTIAN SCHOOL EDUCATION FOR YOUR CHILDREN? The following is from the Christian School Comment newsletter written by Dr. Paul A. Kienel, Executive Director of the Association of Christian schools International based in La Mirada, California. Used by permission. Next time you reach for your checkbook and are tempted to complain about the cost of your child's tuition in a Christian school, you would do well to think about the worth of Christian school education and think deeply about the life-long consequences of non-Christian education. Consider the words of three recent graduates of Christian schools: 1) Timothy Budd - University of California School of Law, "Without my Christian education, I doubt I would be where I am today." 2) Simone A. Cesh - graduate student, "Village Christian School gave me a good base from which to go into a hostile world and be strong and a more confident witness for the Lord." 3) Arenda East - Computer programmer analyst, "A quality Christian education is a priceless thing. It has been one of the great blessings of my life, preparing me to not only function in educational and career endeavors but also to maintain a right relationship with my Creator." Some parents feel so strongly about a Christian school education for their children that they go to great lengths to make it possible. Several years ago it was suggested to a single-parent mother, who struggled financially to keep her child in Redwood Christian School in Castro Valley, California, that she consider sending her child to an non-Christian public school. She said, "I will do without food before I place my son in a school that does not honor God." This mother continued to trust God for sustenance and the monthly tuition payment. God honored her faith. She not only kept the son in the Christian school but also placed her two other children in the school when they reached school age. Thankfully, most parents who send their children to Christian schools do so for solid reasons such as; 1) a Bible-centered curriculum, 2) a positive training environment, 3) caring teachers who serve as wholesome role-models, and 4) extracurricular activities which are not offensive to the Christian community. These and other positive characteristics of Christian school education continue to be the major force behind the growing Christian school movement. (ACSI membership increased by 18,682 students this past year.) To a lesser degree, parents are motivated to send their children to Christian schools and colleges by the adverse conditions found in many public schools, such as: 1) A man-centered curriculum which is often hostile to biblical truth and promotes self authority over God's authority. 2) Teachers, a majority of whom, who hold philosophic views and lifestyle patterns which have a negative impact on children from Christian families. 3) A host of student activities which are insensitive to Christian values. Still other parents can easily point to well-published problems in public education recently reported as follows: Gun violence is on the rise in schools all over America, and the nation's children are trapped in its path. "The school's setting is almost impossible to police without tyrannical dictatorship," says Mark Karlin, president of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence. "At what point do we create such a hostile environment that these are no longer schools?" "Teachers are much more fearful in the middle schools and upper elementary grades - fifth and sixth grades - than they ever were before," says Bill Martin, a spokesman for the National Education Association. "It is not an issue that is centered on the large cities anymore." Paul Kingery, a researcher from Texas A & M agrees, "It's a myth that rural schools are safe havens from the problem. All the people who are taking their kids out of urban schools and moving to rural areas are living in false hope." 1 A teacher's "trade" publication, Education Week, reported: "An estimated 400,000 students (ages 12-19) faced violent crimes at school which includes simple assaults without a weapon as well as robbery and rape - cut across racial lines and income levels, affecting whites and non-whites and poor and affluent students in similar proportions, the study said." 2 The same publication a week later reported: "Nearly 20 percent of all high-school students carry a weapon and 5 percent carry a firearm at least once a month." 3 Still another edition reported: "The number of students attacked with deadly weapons in Los Angeles Unified School District buildings increased 36 percent during the last school year." 4 Just as public schools have problems, Christian schools have problems but not on the scale of public education. Because of Jesus Christ, there is a dramatic difference. Barna Research Group conducted a Lifestyles survey of 1,000 students in ACSI member schools and found that 93% of the students said they had never tried any type of illegal drug. Yet, a 1988 study conducted by the University of Michigan reported that 51% of that year's senior class and tried some type of drug. The Barna Group indicated the young people surveyed strongly supported a biblical view of sexuality. Eighty-seven percent believed sex before marriage is not right under any circumstances. Ninety-seven percent said homosexual relationships are wrong. Ninety-five percent said that a girl should not be able to obtain a legal abortion, even if she wants one. Most important, the ACSI Lifestyles survey addressed the spiritual condition of the students. In describing their personal relationship to Christ and given a choice of "Saved, unsaved," and "not sure," 93% of the students said they were "saved." If you really want to gain a perspective of your own priorities, take a few minutes to review the check register in your checkbook. As you analyze last month's expenditures, ask yourself this question: "How much money did I spend that could be considered an investment for eternity?" Tuition paid to a Christian school is not only an immediate investment in the most precious gift God has given you, your child, but it is also an investment that reaps eternal benefits as your child becomes an active member of the next generation of believers. Can I afford a Christian school education for my child? Actually, the question that should be asked is, "How can I NOT afford a Christian school education for my child?" 1 Newsweek, March 9, 1992, pages 25,26. 2 Education Week, October 9, 1991. 3 Education Week, October 16, 1991. 4 Education Week, September 12, 1990. Testimony Testimony - Looking Back by Susanne Miller LOOKING BACK By Susanne Miller Redwood City, California Looking back at my life, it was at the age of 12 that my family and I began attending a church in a small town near where we lived. At the age of 15, I invited Jesus into my heart for the first time. I was touched by the fresh work of the Holy Spirit in my life. I read the word of God with excitement and anticipation at what it would say to me. I felt that my life would never be the same again. Sadly though, I drifted away from the Lord. My life hadn't changed much as a result of my initial conversion experience. I soon found myself more steeped in sin than ever before. Four years and a lot of pain later, I began to feel God's tug on my heart once more. I was still in sin but He was drawing me back. I had given my life to him and he was not going to let me go so easily. I knew of a church near my home and began taking the bus there each week. I had only been attending the church for a short while when the situation I found myself in became more critical. Feeling trapped and scared by my circumstances, I reached out for help in the one place I knew I would find it - the church. One night I took the dog out for a walk and ended up on the pastor's front door step. I talked with he and his wife for a little while and told them about my situation. They found immediate help for me. They searched for a different place for me to live and encouraged me to start a regular program of counseling at the church. I did go to counseling and I soon rededicated my life to the Lord. I was soon delivered from bondage to a number of sins. My relationships that in the past had caused me so much pain were on their way to being sorted through and "dealt with". I was able to forgive those who had hurt me. I was able to confess my own sin and accept the forgiveness that the Lord had for me. The foundation for the counsel given to me was the Word of God; "You will know the truth and the truth shall set you free." (John 8:32) I was in bondage to sin and the lies of the enemy, and God's truth was what I needed to set me free. At times I was given reading assignments that dealt specifically with the situation I found myself in. The truth of God's Word penetrated my heart and mind and convicted me. Once I was able to see my sin I was able to ask the Lord to forgive me. I was shown through his word and the ministry of the Holy Spirit that God did in fact forgive me and that the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross was enough to cover my sin. What joy and peace filled my heart when I realized I really was forgiven and that I did have hope for the future! "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11) I was shown in God's Word that "as far as the East is from the West, so far he has removed our transgressions from us," Psalms 103:12, and that "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." When I look back on that time now I see how different my life could have been if I had wise counsel when I first accepted the Lord. I didn't have anybody to tell me that I was a sinner in need of repentance that needed to get my life with God straightened out. I could have avoided so much pain and suffering if I had somebody to talk and pray with. I thank God for the dedication of those dear people who loved me enough to minister the heart of God to me. I do not know what my life would be like today if it had not been for the loving dedication of my first counselors who helped me get set free from the snare of the devil. I also realize that God had me in his hands no matter what I was going through. He had allowed me to go my own way to show me how empty and sad my life was without his gentle guidance and counsel. How much more I appreciate how important it is to have good Christian counseling and discipleship for new believers! Young Adults Young Adults - A Teen's Perspective A TEEN'S PERSPECTIVE -Anonymous ... I kept telling myself it's only a simple procedure he must do everyday. He put a dilator in me to dilate the cervix. He said to come back in the morning and he would do the procedure then. That night, one of my relatives came down to visit. She heard I was pregnant and came to talk to me the next morning. She asked me what I was going to do ... ... They called the doctor's office to see if the baby had been hurt by the dilator. The nurse said no. She then told the nurse I did not want to go through with it. The nurse said to bring me in and they would remove the dilator. We all went down there. There was a young girl in the doctor's office who was in there to get an abortion. We all went to talk with the doctor. We told him I was going to live with the one relative till I delivered, then give the baby up for adoption. He was mad. Then he cooled down and sent me to a room. He came in after a bit and took out the dilator. He checked me and told me to get dressed and wait in his office for him. He took a while to get there. I heard a machine go on, but didn't think much about it at the time ... ... All I wanted to do was to get out of there and go home. When he was done talking, I left and started to walk down the hallway. I saw a nurse carrying this jar filled with blood. It had paper wrapped around it and black letters on it. The nurse was smiling at me as the blood swished back and forth. Right then, I realized that that could have been my baby. When I walked out into the waiting room, I saw that the young girl was gone. That was her baby! I fell apart when I got outside. One minute the baby inside her was alive, and the next minute, it was in a jar DEAD! Now if that doesn't make you stop and think about human life, I don't know what will. I was so relieved that God had sent this person to stop me and saved my baby's life ... ... I packed my stuff and left that week to go live with that relative. After two adoptions fell through they called a Christian agency. The couples I checked out weren't really concerned about me; they were more concerned about the baby. The Christian agency was more concerned about me and my feelings toward the baby if it was put up for adoption. With this agency, I found Tom and Doreen that worked with young girls like me. I came into their home to get my life straightened out. My relationship with my Mom is a lot better. She's glad now that I did not go through with the abortion. So when this baby comes, I'll give it to a couple who wants a baby. It will be a blessing to them and a blessing to me to know that it is alive and living. I won't have to go through life wondering what it could have looked like and which garbage can it was in. I'll know God has taken care of my baby through adoption. It will be in a good Christian home with God always watching after it. Give an unborn baby life not death. NOTE FROM JESUS CARES MINISTRIES: We received a letter from a relative of this young girl to thank us for helping her and report that she is very happily married and the mother of a baby boy. We did have the opportunity of meeting her husband although we hadn't heard the good news of her baby. Thanks to Christian Family Care Agency this young girl found out about Jesus Cares Ministries and we worked together with a social worker from their agency to see that she was making the right decision and make sure the child was placed in a home of her choosing. Thank you Jesus for the Holy Spirit that empowers us to shine that love to a lost and dying world as a testimony that JESUS CARES! Editor's note: Jesus Cares Ministries is our ministry profile in this issue of Morning Star. Praise and Prayer Praise and Prayer The Praise and Prayer Column is our international prayer link. Send your request or praise report to MORNING STAR for publication in the next issue! PRAISE REPORTS: Premature Bianca from Alabama, is about 3 lbs. 9 ounces now and will be going home soon. Continue to pray for her continued good health and normal growth and for Tony and his wife who have been under tremendous strain in these circumstances. Holli in Illinois praises the Lord for their church picnic which looked far beyond race, and for the other church that joined them. Rob in Pennsylvania praises the Lord for a problem that existed that might not be as expensive as once thought. Jack in California is doing very well in the therapy program. Pray for his continued strength. Dominic in California praises the Lord for answered prayer. Harry from Indiana has a job offer. Praise the Lord! Jerry in Maryland praises the Lord for Donna's surgery that turned out benign and the hernia that was not present. From Pennsylvania, Terri thanks the Lord that her sister Elizabeth's memory is improving after a bout with a thyroid/seizure condition. Paul in Florida praises the Lord for a good interview for a job. Lars from Norway is thankful for the Lord's victory over the news media of his country. Praise the Lord that Janette in California was chosen for the lead in a community theatre production. Bob in California thanks the Lord for a donated piano to their congregation. PRAYER REQUESTS: Our prayers go to the family of Mason in California who passed away on June 19th following a stroke. Pray for 4-month old Shakayla, who is only 11 pounds at this time and who may have been born deaf. She's going in for testing. Both she and her mother need a lot of prayers. Her mother is only 22 and has three children all under the age of six. Pray for Christy from California who is only 10 years old and is talking about suicide. Also pray for Geoff for wisdom in dealing with this situation to help this young girl. Pray for Jackie in New Hampshire for a health problem and also that she listens to her friend more closely concerning the Bible, Jesus and salvation. Rob from Pennsylvania is having a lot of back pain and problems. Pray for the financial status of Sepher Ministries in California and for a possible church as a first affiliate. Pray for strength for Geoff as he ministers to these hurting people. Paulette from Georgia is having a real bad time at work now and would appreciate our prayers. Pray for a brother who is a Youth Camp leader and his staff from Florida, for guidance as they conduct a youth week for the young people in their area. Diane from Connecticut asks for prayer for John who is having a mylogram taken. Pray for Nan from Virginia who is 92 and is diabetic, has Lukemia, and is recovering from a broken hip. Pray for a sister's husband from Florida who needs a job. Pray for Messiah '92 conference - June 27 through July 5 - at Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania. Pray for Creation '92 Christian Festival - June 23 through 28 - in Mt. Union, Pennsylvania. Pray for the Summer Harvest Crusade of California sponsored by the Calvary Chapel Churches. They will be held in Orange County, Sacramento, San Diego and Hawaii. Pray for Janet from New Hampshire who has a chronic back problem. Tom in Michigan asks for prayers for his wife who has kidney failure and will need a dialysis soon. Also pray that he will look to the Lord for his strength. Pray for Addie and son Adam in California. She would like a Christian husband. Kim in Virginia to deliver her second child soon. Wanda's husband in Maryland needs salvation. Bruce in Georgia needs a job desperately. A brother in New York asks prayer for his dad with Lou Gerhig's disease. Pray for Dallas Christian bulletin boards that are under attack with viruses. Pray for Garland in California, for good health after his surgery. Pray for the salvation of Walter's friend Harold in Texas and also for his healing of cancer. Pray for Liz in Oregon who will have surgery due to a tumor. Pray for her daughter Maria who has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and will be schooled at home beginning this year. Paul and John from Vermont ask for prayer as their church is seeking the Lord's will concerning a level 4 care home for the slightly mental and physical handicapped. The building would be both care home and church. Pray for 57 year old Myrna in Florida who is having surgery to remove cancer-like cells. Pray for Brenda in Florida who asks for salvation of her AOL gentleman friend. Pray for Todd's parent's relationship in Kentucky, that the will of God be done in their lives. Pray for Holy Trinity's upcoming Vacation Bible School, that children would be led to Christ. Pray for his friend Dan for job opportunities. Joe and his wife in South Carolina ask the Lord's guidance in purchasing a car. Dan in Texas needs prayer for his right hand that has been giving him a lot of trouble. Pray that he completes his thesis for graduation this year. Pray that the Lord would have his way concerning a possible promotion for Walter in Texas. Pray also for a foreign exchange student program he and his wife want to get involved in. Pray that the new transplanted liver Michael received in Texas will not reject. Pray for speedy recovery. Pray for Beverly in California, who has given her heart to the Lord. Pray for salvation for her family and for wisdom and guidance for Michael as he strives to show her the solid foundation. Gar and wife from Virginia ask the Lord's guidance in their move to Canada. Pray also for their financial needs. Pray for Paul in Illinois who lost his wife due to cancer and has a 10 year old daughter. Pray for Jack's friend in Alabama, whose father died suddenly. Ron in Pennsylvania asks prayer for a young Jewish student named Ben, that he will have the courage to accept the truth that Jesus is the Messiah. Also pray for the Jewish Outreach Partnership in the Philadelphia area from July 13 to 18. Pray for Dan's four year old son in Arizona who will need to undergo a double catheter before his third open heart surgery. Jer requests prayer for his sister in New Jersey for spiritual needs and Christian friends. Kim in Pennsylvania needs strength from the Lord. She had a bout of Mono last year and has been feeling very tired lately. Pray that the Lord will save the family in Pennsylvania whose son was murdered and dismembered. Dan and Ginger in Alabama ask prayer for a Desktop Publishing business they have started together. Pray for Diana in California for her high blood pressure to stabilize on medication, and for wisdom, and discernment as she trains to be a counselor. Ken needs a closer walk with the Lord. Pray for an eleven year old girl in Florida who is in need of a heart and lung transplant. Continue to pray for one year old Sarah in Michigan who has completed her first program of Chemo treatments. Pray for the Lord's guidance concerning the pastor of a church in Virginia. Pray for protection for Di in Wisconsin. Pray for wisdom for Gene as he endeavors to help his friend Randy whose life is falling apart. Pray for a family in Pennsylvania where the wife is expecting another child and the car crash she was in killed her oldest child. Jack in California asks for traveling mercies for his dad who is traveling in Sweden. Pray for Chris in Alabama who is overcoming shyness in public. Pray for Vincent in Florida for strength in doing the Lord's will as a youth in the community. Pray for W in Pennsylvania who wants to do what the Lord has planned for him in his life. Pray for the Southern Baptist Conference. Pray for the north Alabama Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. Pray for Jack's family crisis in California. Pray for a woman in California who is involved in a divorce situation. Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem. (Psalm 122:6) CFI Reports CFI Reports CFI REPORTS is our monthly column dedicated to the ministries of CHRISTIAN FRIENDS OF ISRAEL in Jerusalem. Our October issue of MORNING STAR (Volume 1.1) presented a summary of the various CFI ministries and explained the foundational principles and objectives of CFI. In this issue, we provide information on CFI's ministry to the Soviet Jews returning home to Israel. ------------------------------------------------------------------ A CHRISTIAN VOICE FOR SOVIET JEWRY A Quarterly Report from Jerusalem SECOND QUARTER 1992 CHRISTIANS CHANNEL AID TO IMMIGRANTS The elderly couple walked slowly into CFI's Distribution Center in Jerusalem after an hour in line. Mikhail wore a blue knit beret to shelter his head from the rain, unusual for a May morning. The sweet, knowing face of his wife Sarah was topped only by her snow-white hair. Both were revolution babies, born at the time of the communist takeover they had now outlived. Mikhail and Sarah sat down side by side. They'd been together since they met in the first grade in 1923. Both wore hearing aids they'd received in Leningrad/St. Petersburg, the home they'd left behind for a new life in Israel in January 1991. They'd come alone with an elderly sister. Their 39 year old son worked with the Soviet nuclear submarine fleet and with the knowledge he possessed was forbidden to leave the country. And like many others, he'd married a non-Jewish woman whose relatives didn't want her to leave them for Israel. Tentatively Mikhail handed over receipts for two cataract operations he'd undergone. They'd paid for them 1038 shekels, about 450 dollars - more than they received from their pension in a month. "We'd be happy to help with this," they were told. Sarah's eyes filled with tears. Elsewhere they'd received only smiles, Mikhail said. One place had sent them four letters telling them to wait for help; the fifth had conceded there was no money. Mikhail told this in a hoarse whisper. His voice had been that way since 1941, when he stood for days in water-filled trenches, defending Leningrad against the besieging German army. The CFI volunteers thanked him for the sacrifice he and his countrymen had made to help defeat Hitler - and clear the way for the re-establishment of Israel. "Why only here - with Christians - is this important?" Mikhail asked He and Sarah left with kisses and hugs, deeply moved. MORE THAN SMILES This ability to help - to give more than smiles - is powered by the faithfulness and love of many Christian families in many countries who channel their help through CFI. In May, a typical month, they made possible over 1200 visits by new immigrants to the Distribution Center to receive clothing, bedding, household items, toiletries, and toys. 400 new immigrants were referred to CFI-subsidized dental clinics. Over 100 were sent for discounted optical care. Another 100 were helped with special needs: medicines, hearing aids, school fees, and training, books, and tools for work. Another 25 families were helped with furniture for their empty apartments. Each of these lives, was touched by a sign that God was caring for them as they returned to this land He'd promised them. The Christians begin helping from the cradle, with newborn care packages, diapers, cribs when needed. But many times the difficulty of the return to Zion is felt most piercingly by the elderly like Mikhail and Sarah. The same week of their visit there came to the Center a 63 year old widow called Octibrina (after the October 1917 revolution, like not a few of her generation). In Israel with just a daughter and two grandchildren, she tearfully showed a photo of her boy Sasha. Serving with the strategic nuclear forces at a missile base near Chernobyl, he too was forbidden to leave with his family. "In his absence, we'll try to help," Octibrina was told. Unable to eat because of missing teeth, she visited one of the immigrant dentists CFI is helping to begin a new practice. But even with the CFI subsidy at prices a third those of anyplace else in Jerusalem - Octibrina felt she could only afford plastic teeth, which might last one or two years. Instead, CFI volunteers were able to give real help: telling her she could get high quality porcelain teeth for the same price as plastic. Octibrina kissed them and left, knowing that someone cared. She was followed by Euvgenia, at 79 also a widow, with a melodic voice that immediately caught one's ear. "My husband called me 'nightingale,'" she told the volunteers. "He died in a moment, and his last words were 'Keep my nightingale.'" Euvgenia came to CFI to receive help with the costly stockings needed to support her deteriorating calves. She'd already begun to learn that someone cared for her. When Euvgenia arrived in Israel, she and her companions couldn't find a place to live. She went to the Wailing Wall, crying ... and that evening found a very good apartment. "Everybody said God helped us," she related. "All my life I heard that there's no God. Now I believe there is." The LORD is moving to show Himself to His ancient people. And among His instruments, He's gracious enough to use the Christian friends of Israel. ALIYA UPDATE *** ALIYA UPDATE *** ALIYA UPDATE The great aliya ("going up") to Israel which began in late 1989 is changing the face of the nation. More than 350,000 new immigrants from the former Soviet Union have now swollen Israel's Jewish population by nearly 10%, to over four million. For the first time since the days of Jesus, there is again a Jewish majority (51%) in the Galilee. But in recent months the aliya has dropped off to a relatively low rate of 5,000 a month. Many Jews in the republics are delaying their plans when they hear of the current 39% unemployment among immigrants. And those who have found jobs are highly educated and highly trained, but generally are working outside their professions: women most often cleaning, men as security guards or in factories. Also slowing the aliya have been rampant rumors (strongly denied) that the US would soon raise its annual quota for admission of Jews from the republics from 50,000 to 300,000 UPTURN AHEAD?? Nevertheless, there are signs of a coming upturn. Applications are rising, particularly from the Moslem republics, where the Jewish minority is fearful in the midst of the continuing civil unrest. "The situation in the Soviet Union is deteriorating more rapidly than we think," says Baruch Gur, Director of the Soviet and East European Desk at the Jewish Agency. "I believe the 'big crisis' lies ahead in the near future - when unemployment there reaches record heights, and there will be no money, and the authorities will not be able to rule. The whole political infrastructure has already collapsed, and the 'push to leave' is becoming increasingly stronger." Within the next several months about 600,000 Jews in the republics will have exit visas, and the Jewish Agency has opened eight new direct flight routes to accommodate them. "We need to be able to fly out 100,000 Jews in a month if the need arises," says Gur. The Scriptures as well portend that the aliya is not yet over. The prophet Jeremiah wrote that the return from Israel's north would even eclipse the memory of the two million strong exodus from Egypt (Jeremiah 16:14-15). Most estimates agree there are still some three million Jews remaining in the republics of the former Soviet Union - although many are on the brink of assimilation. ACTING ON IMPULSE! "What on earth is this?" exclaimed the volunteer as she pulled an elaborate woolen garment from a clothing parcel mailed to the CFI Center for distribution to immigrants. Then a note was found in the box. It had been purchased from the Costume Institute Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The note explained: The bashlyk, part of the traditional Circassian man's costume from the Caucasus mountain region, has been known to exist for several centuries. It was used as a hunting turban and also served as a combination warrior's soft helmet and mask ... In time it became known for it's practicality and was worn as a hood with the ends crossing beneath the chin and thrown back over the shoulders. "But what will we do with it?" the staff chuckled. Then Center administrator Brian Taylor remembered the call he'd put out to donors months before, to pray and send things as they felt led. "Even if it seems quite strange," he had said, "the Lord has a purpose in it." "Why don't you ask in the clothing room if anyone can use this," he suggested to one of the center's Russian volunteers. "Oh, no," she replied. "Only someone from the Caucasus mountains would know what to do with it - and we hardly ever see them here." "Well, give it a try," he persisted. She went and asked among the immigrants in the next room - and without delay a man came forward, took the bashlyk, and threw it on with a flourish. He indeed was from the Caucasus mountains - reached by the seemingly strange impulse of a Christian friend far away. Many such friends have been keeping the shelves well - stocked in the Jerusalem Center. Recently received were forty-foot cargo containers from Blossoming Rose in America and Pastor Dieter Muller's church in Switzerland. A group from Resurrection Fellowship in Colorado came through on tour with a van - full of new clothing - and also left behind the second largest financial gift CFI's ever processed. And many others, like Beryl and Peter Hunter in England, continue to regularly send parcels through the post providing the steady flow essential for daily operation. The need for clothing, linens, and household items continues strong, as the immigrants generally arrive with only what they can carry with them on an airplane. Thanks to all - and to the Lord - for not forgetting "the least of these my brethren." ------------------------------------------------------------------ FROM THE RUSSIANS WITH LOVE The following are thank you notes left with us by the new immigrants. They express thanks from their hearts for the help given. You are the ones we want to truly thank Q for you have made it all possible. C.F.I. Jerusalem Office Dear Christian Friends of Israel ... "Thank you very much that you have helped us in difficult minutes and now continue to help us. All of us are very glad that we have made the acquaintance of you. It is very pleasant to us to be near you and never part with you". - Roza "Thanks for the care and warmth which you give us in difficult days of our life in a new country. Many thanks to workers of the organization of Christian Friends of Israel for their surprising care and help to people in difficult minutes of their life!" - Family Sptucherskih "On these difficult days of extraordinary situation when we first came to Israel, your help was that light for which we craved leaving Russia". - Frukhtbaynov "There aren't enough words to express our thanks on the 7th day of our staying in our country. You confirm that the choice we have made had to be." - Berobedzhantsy "You can't even imagine what great work you do! We are so touched by your kindness. Subra Selka was born in our family and we dress her from foot to head. Many thanks once." - Ribakova Larisa, Karasik Sveta "I can't put into words my thanks. Your unselfish help gives us faith, hope and strength for further life." - Gaysmun Vladimir "I want to express my thanks and admiration to the people who are doing such noble deeds. Their help to olim is a holy mission." - Granovskaya Tsilya "From the bottom of my heart I want to give my thanks to the donors and organizers of Christian Friends of Israel for the help to my family in the difficult minutes". - Alexander Nemanov "Many thanks for your attention and care of us, of poor olim from the Soviet Union. I don't know what I and my family have done without such support, care and attention". - Kharpov, Pornos, Kuflik Zina "I want to express my thanks to people who selflessly give all their strength for the welfare of the people who suffer and need human understanding and warm-heartedness. It is not so easy to sprout a flower pulled up from its native land on a new place. You are, for us, as that moisture which feeds an ill sprout with its juice". - Family Klopot "Many thanks for your visit to our flat on the birthday of my husband and for a present which you have made. We were shaken by your human joyful regard and participation to us and especially your attention on such a day. You have become dear to us. We have felt that although we have no relatives, we are not lonely". - Rokhlin Alexander and Fsilya "They have helped me in my misfortune. I was ill, they gave to me pecuniary aid" - Baranova Darya "I and many other people have gotten not only things but we got your warm-heartedness, your attention and your Christian love. God bless and keep them! Health and happiness to all you. We are only 20 days in Israel". - Bela Brusovanik "We, repatriates from Russia, want from the bottom of our heart to thank you for kind and sensitive attention, your help on the first days of our absorption. God will keep you". - Family Shustermun "Dear Christians, we olim from Russia, thank you very much for your sensitive attention and invaluable help". - Family Sepetnitski CHRISTIAN FRIENDS OF ISRAEL STREET ADDRESS: 1 RECHOV NATAN HANAVI P.O. BOX 1813, JERUSALEM, 91015 ISRAEL TEL: 972-2-894172, 894187 FAX: 972-2-894955 Music Column Music Column "THERE STANDS THE CROSS" Words & Music by Gary Driskell & Bash 'N The Code Over there is a woman crying Can't get over her tainted past Over there is a brother fallen Thinks he's used up his last chance Over there all an old man sees is a mountain of sin But over there A Savior is callin' for blinded eyes to look again (chorus) There, and there, and there There stands the cross Like a hero come to win back all that was lost In a flash of brightest lightning our sins are whitewashed There, and there, and there There stands the cross Over here I'm a bit unstable When will I start growin' up Over here I am still unfinished Like a diamond in the rough Over here I wonder if patience is growin' thin But somewhere in the darkness of my doubt a light shines in CHORUS (There Stands The Cross) I'm not a "Get rid of all shame and guilt" advocate. I believe both feelings are God-given and serve a good purpose. Often, the first thing we feel obliged to do when confronted with a friend battling a guilty conscience is to immediately try to make them feel better. Depending on the situation, this is not always the best direction to take. However, when prolonged shame and guilt impairs a person's ability to get back up, dust themselves off and get on with their Christian walk, the time has come to intervene and encourage them to accept God's forgiveness. Most of us have done some pretty royal messing up of our lives at times. It's hard to forget, and perhaps not proper to completely forget, lest we become prideful. But we mustn't forget the cross. For upon it Christ became the bridge spanning the great chasm and connecting us once again to our creator. We should never intentionally look back upon that bridge as an excuse to sin; but when we do stumble, for whatever reasons, it's good to look back and allow the cross to remind us of what side of the chasm we're stumbling on. "TIME TO LET GO" Words & Music by Tommy Greer & Gary Driskell You carry the weight of the past - It clings to your life You've let the torturing memory last - Just can't melt the ice Something long ago has taken a hold and you say you just can't forget it You want to be free from the pain But as long as you let it . . . (chorus) It hangs like an angry shadow waiting to consume you It haunts everything you do and everywhere you go But a hero has come to save you if you'll give Him room to Surely you know you've carried it much too long Now it's time to let it go There is a place in the past - A cross and a Savior His blood is sufficient to last - The price will not waiver His power can heal your wounded spirit and take your heart and renew it You could be free from the pain But until you let Him do it . . . CHORUS Don't let it confine you Surely you know it's time to let it go Let Him take all your sorrow Don't wait until tomorrow - let it go Dear Jesus I want to I know that the time has come to let it go (Time To Let Go) The first verse of this song is the result of someone that I cared for very deeply turning her back on God and getting involved in some pretty ugly things. It tore my heart out for a long time. It became the focus of my prayer and thought life to such an extent that God was unable to capture my attention in any other direction. I finally wrote everything down on a piece of paper that I had hoped for this person along with all my worries and cares, dug a hole in the back yard, took one last look, had one last cry, and buried the whole collection of hopes, dreams, and fears. It's an old cliche, but there does come a time when we really do have to "Let go and let God." You don't have to forget about that person, but at the same time you have to remember your own walk and where God is leading you. If that person is meant to catch up, then God will provide for them the right path at the right time (which He did, by the way). The second verse is directed towards finally letting go of the constant 'beating up of myself' that I was doing in regard to this same situation. I knew that I could have been a better Christian friend and example for her, and possibly made a difference. But here also, the time had come to take one last look at those mistakes, leave them at the foot of the cross, and carry on. Incredibly and miraculously, God has again worked all this out for good. What a mighty God we serve! Chef's Corner Chef's Corner ENJOY BARBECUES THIS SUMMER GRILLED CORNISH HENS take on an extra-special flavor when marinated before cooking. To prepare the marinade, blend 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 1 crushed garlic clove, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, 1/2 cup giblet stock, and 2 teaspoons soy sauce. Hens should be marinated for at least an hour. If longer than an hour, they should be marinated in the refrigerator. When ready to cook, drain and reserve marinade. Pull neck skin back and secure wings against body. Tie tail and legs together. Secure hens on spit according to manufacturer's directions. Start motor. Grill for 45 to 60 minutes brushing occasionally with reserved marinade until golden brown and tender. Your guests will agree - these hens are unusual barbecue fare but their tangy flavor makes them a sure-fire favorite! Complementing these delicious birds is GRILLED RICE PILAF. You can prepare this in advance and let it cook with the hens. In a small saucepan, slowly heat 1/4 cup salad oil. Add 1/2 cup finely chopped onion and 1/2 cup chopped green pepper. Saute until tender - about five minutes. Add one beef bouillon cube, 2 teaspoons seasoned salt, a dash of cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cut two 18 x 20-inch rectangles of heavy duty foil. Press inside a 1 1/2-quart bowl to make lining. Be sure foil extends above bowl. In this lined bowl, combine 1/2 cup coarsely chopped ripe olives and one 5-ounce package precooked rice. Add boiling liquid and stir to combine. Fold foil over top to seal securely. Remove foil package from bowl. Place on grill, five inches above prepared coals. Cook 20 minutes. After cooking, turn back foil and fluff up rice with fork. Sprinkle with parsley and serve right in its own foil packet. SUCCOTASH ON THE GRILL is another dish which is cooked in its own foil packet - think of all the cleaning up you are saving! Cut two 18 x 15-inch rectangles of heavy-duty foil. Dot center of each rectangle with 1 tablespoon butter. Place one 10-ounce package frozen whole kernel corn, thawed, on one rectangle. Place one 10-ounce package frozen lima beans, thawed, on the other. Dot each vegetable with 1 tablespoon butter, and sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a dash of pepper. Bring long sides of each rectangle together, fold over twice to seal securely. Fold ends over twice to seal. Place on grill five inches from prepared coals. Cook 20 minutes. Turn, cook 20 minutes longer. Turn vegetables into bowl and toss with 1/4 cup hot light cream. CORN ON THE COALS is my favorite. Soak 6 ears of corn, in husks, in water for 2 hours. Place over hot charcoal; roast until husks are browned. Husk. Serve with salt and butter to taste. POTATOES IN BLANKETS are very tasty. Slice 6 medium potatoes 4 or 5 times lengthwise almost to bottom; Insert butter between slices. Sprinkle each slice with garlic salt. Wrap potatoes separately in foil. Bake over hot coals for 1 hour, turning at 15 minute intervals. For BEEF KABOBS, cut 1 1/2 lb. round steak into 2-inch cubes. Wash 1 lb. mushrooms in warm water; drain. Dry on paper towel. Cut 2 green peppers into square pieces. Place steak cube and green pepper square on skewer; add steak cube and mushroom. Repeat until skewer is filled 1 inch from top. Prepare 2 more skewers. Combine 1/2 c. spicy brown mustard, 1/4 c. oil, 2 tbsp. soy sauce, and 2 tsp. lemon juice; mix well. Brush on kabobs. Broil 4 to 5 inches from source of heat until of desired degree of doneness. Brush with sauce 3 minutes before removing from heat. For LEMON-BARBECUED CHICKEN, have butcher split 3 broiling chickens and remove wings, backbone and tail. Place chicken in shallow pan. Combine 1 c. salad oil, 3/4 c. lemon juice, 1 tbsp. salt, 2 tsp. paprika, 2 tsp. onion powder, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 2 tsp. crushed sweet basil, and 2 tsp. crushed thyme in a jar. Over; shake to blend. Pour over chicken; cover tightly. Refrigerate overnight, turning chicken occasionally. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before cooking. Place chicken on grill over hot coals. Cook for about 20 minutes on each side, basting frequently with marinade. For CHARCOAL GRILLED STEAK, place 4 1-inch thick club steaks in shallow baking dish. Combine 1/2 cup salad oil, 2 tbsp. lemon juice, 1/8 tsp. garlic salt, 1 tsp. onion salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper, 1/2 tsp. seasoned salt, and 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce for marinade; pour over steaks, coating steaks well. Refrigerate for several hours, turning once. Place steaks on grill; sear on both sides, Raise grill to about 5 inches from coals. Cook steaks for 15 minutes, turning once. APRICOT SALAD is another dish which saves on cleaning up after the party - it can be prepared the day before. Drain 1 can peeled apricots and reserve juice. Dissolve one package apricot gelatin in 1/2 cup boiling water. Add enough water to reserved apricot juice to make 1 1/2 cups liquid. Add to gelatin. Chop apricots, add to gelatin. Add one 3-ounce package cream cheese, cut into small cubes, and 1/4 cup chopped nuts. Pour into salad mold and chill until set. BROWNIES DELUXE is sure-to-please everyone. To prepare, melt two sticks margarine and four squares unsweetened baking chocolate in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. In a bowl, beat four eggs thoroughly. Gradually add 2 cups sugar. Sift 1 1/2 cups presifted flour and 1 heaping teaspoon baking powder together. Add to egg mixture. Add melted chocolate and mix well. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla and 1 cup broken nutmeats. Spread mixture in a 15 x 10 x 1-inch sheet pan. Bake in 300-degree oven for 30 minutes. The topping is cooked in the same pot used for melting the chocolate and butter; the pot should not be washed. Melt one stick margarine and four squares baking chocolate over simmering water. Add 1 small can evaporated milk and 1 cup sugar. Cook slowly over simmering water while brownies bake. Remove brownies from oven when done; cover top immediately with a large package of miniature marshmallows. To the mixture in the double boiler, add one 1-pound box of confectioners' sugar and 1 tablespoon vanilla. Beat until smooth. Pour over marshmallows while still hot. Let stand in pan overnight. When you and your guests are ready to enjoy these rich tidbits, cut them and serve. Potpourri Potpourri HIM AND HER By Carrie Jo Marcott El Paso, Texas I wanted you, Needed you, and I got'cha! Now, what are we going to do? You exchanged your life for my selfishness, But for that love I gave you my heart. Though you offered me companionship, Sadly, I held back a little part. You wanted everything your way... Or did it just seem you did? I tried to be that perfect mate. Maybe, God just had me well hid...? But...I got'cha! Now, what are we going to do? You gave me your strength, discipline, wisdom. You received stubbornness, spontaneity, family life. When you wanted stable finances, I gave you headaches. Periodically, you moaned you'd gotten the wrong wife! You set my limits. God will set yours and teach you flexibility. You misunderstood me; I misunderstood you. You thought I had a halo over my head? No, just a little faith in God. But ... I got'cha! Now, what are we going to do? You gave your much In exchange for my little ... So, do you know what, you boy? I'm gonna keep 'ya! I wuv you, Her IF BUT ONE YEAR -Anonymous "If I had but one year to live; One year to help; one year to give; One year to love; one year to bless; One year of better things to stress; One year to sing; one year to smile; To brighten earth a little while; One year to sing my Master's praise; One year to fill with work my days; One year to strive for a reward When I should stand before my Lord, I think that I would spend each day, In just the very self-same way That I do now. For from afar The call may come to cross the bar Or raptured be to meet my Lord At any time, and I must be Prepared to meet eternity. So if I have a year to live, Or just one day in which to give A pleasant smile, a helping hand. A mind that tries to understand A fellow-creature when in need, 'Tis one with me-I take no heed; But try to live each day He sends To serve my gracious Master's ends." ALWAYS THERE George Webb Rhodes Beaumont, Texas As I stand here watching the moon rise, the stars unfold. I feel so alone. As I look out over the rushing sea, the crashing waves. I think I'm alone. But just when I think its over and done, A cool and comforting breeze comes along. That reminds me that You are always with Me! MOTHERS By Helen S. Dorst "If I could hear her voice again And see her happy smile, Could feel the touch of careworn hands, Or talk a little while, I know she would encourage me, No matter what the cost To hold on to my faith in God And work to save the lost. She, who taught me how to pray, And helped me know the Lord, Would urge me ne'er to go astray From God's blest Holy Word. And in that land so bright and fair Where joys will last forever, I'd like to clasp my mother's hand And praise the Lord together." If every Evangelist won 1000 souls to the Lord every day for a year -- it would take 4000 years to win the world for Christ. However, if one Christian won one to the Lord in a year, those two won two -- each time doubling -- the world would be won for Christ in 32 years! Resource Area Book Reviews Book Reviews In keeping with the theme of Women's Issues we are presenting the following reviews. The first, written by guest reviewer K. David Kragen, focuses on a biography of Amy Carmichael, one of the outstanding women of contemporary Christianity. The second review looks at one of the most important books to come out in recent times. This book is a response to Evangelical Feminism. ------------------------------------------------------------------ AMY CARMICHAEL OF DOHNAVUR by Frank Houghton Christian Literature Crusade Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, 1979 "We met a poor pathetic old woman who was carrying a heavy bundle. We had never seen such a thing in Presbyterian Belfast on Sunday, and, moved by sudden pity, my brothers and I turned with her, relieved her of the bundle, took her by her arms as though they had been handles, and helped her along. This meant facing all the respectable people who were, like ourselves, on their way home. It was a horrid moment. We were only two boys and a girl, and not at all exalted Christians. We hated doing it. Crimson all over (at least we felt crimson, soul and body of us) we plodded on, a wet wind blowing us about, and blowing, too, the rags of that poor old woman, till she seemed like a bundle of feathers and we unhappily mixed up with them. But just as we passed a fountain, recently built near the curbstone, this mighty phrase was suddenly flashed as it were through the gray drizzle:-- "Gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble--every man's work shall be made manifest; for the day shall declare it, because it shall be declared by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide--" If any man's work abide--I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. The fountain, the muddy street, the people with their politely surprised faces, all this I saw, but saw nothing else. The blinding flash had come and gone; the ordinary was all about us. We went on. I said nothing to anyone, but I knew that something had happened that had changed life's values. Nothing could ever matter again but the things that were eternal." (Houghton, pp. 19-20) From Belfast to her life-long ministry at Dohnavur, India (where she became known as "Amma"), Amy Carmichael kept her vision of service for the kingdom of God ever clear before her. Writes Houghton, "To pour out love all the time, to catch the directing word of the Lord, however softly spoken"--this is what she desired to do, and all her (Dohnavur) Family would say in chorus, "This is exactly what she did." "See her, for instance, in 1923 ..., going to Sermadevi railway station to meet Irene Streeter, Home Secretary for Dohnavur and Amma's great friend. But sitting on the platform between two policemen was a poor woman, in the extremity of wretchedness. And immediately Irene Streeter is forgotten, and Amma is sitting holding the woman's hands in hers, hearing her story of himsa" (Sanscrit for anything unjust done in the name of justice, particularly pain or torture inflicted to extort a confession) "and of the month's imprisonment which lay ahead of her, because she had once given food to Jambulingam" (a fugitive in South India). "Not until her sobs had ceased, and Amma had seen her into the train, promising to take messages to her family, was it possible to welcome the long-expected guest and explain why she had taken no notice of her arrival. Her loving compassion not only comforted the woman but drew her to the Saviour, Whom (this woman) has been serving joyfully ever since." (p. 281-82) Amy's life was a life filled with Christ in the everyday: from the "Warfare of the Service, wherein Amma learned to know Christ in the power of His resurrection" to "The Keeping of the Charge, wherein Amma learned to know Christ ... in the, fellowship of His sufferings" (pp. 112- 285), from her many years of active service and ministry to the Dohnavur Fellowship in South India to her years of disability and illness, she lived Christ. As she often put it, "the Cross is the attraction!" (p. 218). Amma continually sought to pattern her life after her Lord: To take a specific instance, since the Lord Himself was Leader of the work, [at Dohnavur] they must take orders from Him, and how were they to learn His wishes except by prayer? Amma felt that, if they were to ask expecting to receive, they must be prepared to wait and not to be hasty in forming their petitions until they were assured that they were asking according to the will of God. Their attitude was to be, "Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth," rather than, "Hear, Lord, for Thy servant speaketh." To be filled with the knowledge of His will was the prerequisite to asking according to His will. Sometimes the knowledge was not given, and then the only possible petition was, "Thy will be done, whatever that will may be." But often "we are meant to know our Lord's wishes," in order that we may "lay our prayer alongside." Now, since this method of prayer, and this assurance that we may expect the Spirit to teach us what to pray for, had become as it were axiomatic in Dohnavur, we can imagine the encouragement that came to Amma many years later when she read in a book that was ever afterwards very precious to her the word that God gave five hundred years ago to Lady Julian of Norwich (Revelations of Divine Love, Grace Warrack, ed., Methuen and Co., Ltd): "I (Christ) am the Ground of thy beseeching: first it is My will that thou have it; and after, I make thee to will it; and after, I make thee to beseech it and thou beseechest it. How should it then be that thou shouldst not have thy beseeching?" (p. 144) Concerning the Dohnavur Fellowship and orphanage itself, Houghton records the words of one observer: "I am greatly struck by the simple childlike faith of some of these dear convert girls in God's will and way being Love.... An atmosphere of love and obedience pervades the compound, and in this large family of over thirty, varying in ages from thirty-four years to a babe of nine months, I have not seen an angry look, or heard an impatient word. A set of more loving, unselfish women and girls and children could not easily be found. The secret, I think, is that everything great and small of all kinds is done for God, and to please Him, and in the consciousness that Jesus is present, and He may come today to take them to Himself." (p. 138) And in a later place Houghton adds: "But disservice is done to Dohnavur by those who speak or write of it as a Garden of Eden without the serpent, or a heaven from which all strife and malice and envy are excluded. Visitors to Dohnavur are charmed by the spontaneity of the children's happiness and if they could spend months in the compound, rather than days or hours, the first impressions would be confirmed. Only they would discover that this love, this harmony, is constantly under attack, that there is not a moment when the adversary is not seeking to undermine it. It is God Who makes men to be of one mind in a house, and they would cease to be of one mind if the members of His household ceased to be in touch with Him.... Perhaps it was inevitable that many who were attracted to Dohnavur by reading Amma's books should think of it as a place where the ideal had been attained, and overlook the frequently repeated warnings not to fall into this error. "Not as though I had already attained" was her eager disclaimer, and "I follow after" her equally eager resolve. The prayer, "Make us what we seem to be," was often on her lips." (p. 257) Amy Carmichael's life was a testimony both to the Christian's responsibility and desire to love God and neighbor, and to God's empowering grace and faithfulness. "Right to the end of Amma's journey there was One Who gave her songs in the night" (p. 179). Houghton's biography, Amy Carmichael of Dohnavur, is not only a book of Amma's life, but very much a book of Amma's songs. K. David Kragen Bainbridge Island, WA ------------------------------------------------------------------ RECOVERING BIBLICAL MANHOOD & WOMANHOOD A Response to Evangelical Feminism Edited by John Piper and Wayne Grudem Crossway Books, Wheaton, IL, 1991 The role of women within Christianity has unfortunately been one that is hotly contested. Traditionally, the male leadership of the church has focused more on what women can't do than what they can. Understandably, this has led to a great deal of frustration for Christian women. As a result, a feminist movement has arisen within contemporary Christendom. Many of the complaints and concerns expressed have been valid. But, frequent rejections of portions of scripture and unjust attacks on the Apostle Paul have also been expressed. The result is abuse on both sides of the argument. One side holds that there is very little that women should be doing, except putting themselves under the authority of men in all aspects of their lives. The other side states that there is absolutely nothing that should limit the role of women within the church, not even scripture itself. This new work is a collection of writings that endeavor to go back to the Word and identify an accurate understanding of Scripture. This extensive work, over 550 pages including Scripture references and notes, strives to correct misunderstandings on both sides of the argument. RECOVERING BIBLICAL MANHOOD & WOMANHOOD is not intended to be all things to all people. As it is subtitled, focuses on the specific issue of feminism within the evangelical community. Nevertheless, since the approach of the material is aimed at going back to Scripture for direction, the material should be of interest to everyone who is concerned with these issues. The material is laid out in a very straightforward manner. The first section begins with a Biblical definition of manhood and womanhood, followed by an analysis of the specific questions which are addressed in the rest of the book. Section two focuses on specific exegetical and theological issues. The topics include: equality, headship, women in the life of Jesus, silence in the church, role distinctions in the church, and a number of other concerns. Additionally, the subject of marriage and its role as a picture of Christ and the Church is considered. This material is fairly extensive, and while it cannot be exhaustive, it does appear to cover most of the concerns related to women's roles and position, both within the church and within marriage. The intent of the numerous writers is to develop a Biblical perspective on each subject. Their desire is to show the value of women and to put aside inaccurate understanding of Scripture historically used to make women second class citizens. In the next section, RECOVERING BIBLICAL MANHOOD & WOMANHOOD goes beyond Scripture and provides some additional material from a number of disciplines. These include: Church History, Biology, Psychology, Sociology and Law. These provide an oversight of specific issues such as evidence for gender-specific behavior, child rearing and its influence on gender roles, modern feminism, and legal concerns for organizations making gender-based distinctions. Moving from an analysis of extra-bibical issues the book next provides articles which discuss the applications and implications of the conclusions drawn from the previous material. Subjects include: The Family and the Church, Principles for Women's Ministries, The High Calling of Wife and Mother in Biblical Perspective, women in society, and femininity. The last section reminds the reader that the final issues for Christians must always be Biblical accuracy and advancing the cause of Christ. This book should be read by anyone in church leadership, whether male, or female. It should be read by those who are concerned with the controversy surrounding the roles of women within both the church and the home. This book would also be a good resource for Sunday School classes struggling with the issue of feminism. In fact Christians in general would do well to read RECOVERING BIBLICAL MANHOOD & WOMANHOOD. NewsDesk Morning Star NewsDesk MORNING STAR NEWSDESK - JULY 1992 NEW PAPAL IDEAS FOR EUROPEAN UNITY Pope John Paul II is promoting Mikhail Gorbachev, whom he considers a "crypto-Christian", to head a new institution designed to speed the integration of all of Europe. According to Malachi Martin, a Roman Catholic theologian and Vatican insider, the pope dislikes the existing institutions of European unity such as the Common Market because they are dominated by the "materialism" of the British and the Germans. The Polish-born pontiff, Martin says, feels that only in an international organization that includes Eastern and Central as well as Western Europe can the influence of "Slavic spirituality" assert itself, and that Gorbachev, a fellow Slav and one of his most frequent pen pals, would be the ideal presiding officer. (US News & World Report, May 18, 1992) MOVING TOWARD EC MONETARY UNION A new sub-committee of the economic and monetary affairs committee has been formed to monitor progress towards economic and monetary union and the rules applying to the European Central Bank. Under the Maastricht treaty Parliament will have a key role to play in the "multilateral surveillance" period, during which the member states will take measures, such as reducing national deficits, in order to bring economies into line, and Parliament's approval of the setting up of the Central Bank is also required under the Assent procedure. (European Parliament - EP News May 1992) ATM UPDATE Mark Brohan, editor of bank Network News, estimates there are now 273,000 ATM's worldwide, with Europe (71,000) leading the growth. (USA TODAY 3/12/92) ANOTHER STEP TOWARD A GLOBAL SYSTEM White-collar crime experts want a central directory of ongoing fraud schemes to be set up to help handcuff scam artists. If Canada's police, government and the private sector are to win the war against fraudsters they'll need better resources the experts say. Officials with the forensic investigations branch of chartered accountants Peat Marwick Thorne say existing police computers can only access a criminal incident through the use of a name or birth date. But that doesn't work well for commercial crime because there is no cross-referencing of crime, location and modus operandi. Derek Rostant, a forensic partner with Peat Marwick Thorne in Toronto, said the central registry is being discussed in Britain and a worldwide network could be established. He said accounting firms, financial investigators, banks and other arms of the private sector could be a source for the data bank. (TORONTO SUN 3/12/92) A CLOSER LINK TO YOUR NUMBER As card technology and computer systems become more widely used in today's society for a greater variety of transactions, the need for foolproof methods of identification are becoming clearer. A USA TODAY article (4/20/92) reported that "More than $1 billion was lost last year because of misplaced, stolen or counterfeited credit cards." To help curb the loss, Citibank recently announced that it will be putting photo IDs on Visa and Mastercard. The photo ID will be optional for 30 million credit card holders in the U.S. AND YET ANOTHER NUMBER FOR YOU AT&T has announced its new "Easy-Reach 700 service" which gives subscribers a lifelong telephone number that is assigned to the person, not to a particular phone line. The new service, which AT&T considers a forerunner of future phoning patterns, is simple. Anyone who signs up (there are about 6 million subscriptions to go around) gets a new number with a 700 area code. The number travels with you forever. (TIME 5/11/92) FINDING YOU IF THE LINE IS BUSY ... Iridium, a subsidiary of Motorola, plans to spend over $3 billion launching a telephone service that will use 77 satellites to let customers use pocket phones to call from anywhere to anywhere on the earth's surface. The new global satellite communications systems will offer three kinds of service, which may overlap in many different kinds of receivers. 1. Voice. Satellite telephones will be able to make calls from anywhere on earth to anywhere else. 2. Messaging. Satellite messages have the same global coverage as satellite telephones, but carry text alone, which could be useful to those with laptop computers. 3. Tracking. Voice and messaging systems will also tell their users where they are to within a few hundred meters. Combined with the messaging service, the location service could help rescue teams to find stranded adventurers, the police to find stolen cars, exporters to follow the progress of cargoes, and haulage companies to check that drivers are not detouring to the pub. America's military Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites will provide better positioning information to anyone who has a receiver for their signals, but GPS does not carry messages, so such a receiver cannot be used on its own for tracking or rescue. By the mid-1990's GPS receivers will be able to tell people where they are to within 70 meters anywhere in the world, and to within a meter or so in areas where the service is supplemented by a ground-based transmitter. (From THE ECONOMIST 3/28/92) ANOTHER WAY OF KEEPING TRACK OF YOU LONGVIEW, WASHINGTON - A 10-year old boy accused of raping or molesting at least six children is wearing an electronic monitor around his ankle while he awaits trial. The boy must wear the device 24 hours a day under court order. But the system sounds an alarm only if he is outside his home while it's dark, an offender services official said. (ASSOCIATED PRESS) A VERY PERSONAL NUMBER All cats and dogs adopted from the Toronto Humane Society will now have a tiny microchip inserted under their skin that can help authorities trace their owners. The microchip will be implanted in the fatty tissue between the animal's shoulders and can be read by a scanner, which will display its number. (TORONTO STAR 5/5/92) THE NEWS YOU DON'T HEAR FROM RUSSIA About 1,000 delegates demonstrated at the opening of the Russian Congress in February. Hostilities at the protest demonstrated the growing threat of "nationalist" and anti-semetic sentiments among the Russian population. Stephen Handelman (TORONTO STAR 2/9/92) reports: MOSCOW - The angry right made its formal appearance in the theatre of Russian politics yesterday. Black-shirted neo-fascists, monarchists and Cossack chieftains joined radical politicians to launch a movement aimed at protecting Russia from 'liberals' and 'meddling foreigners'. Nikolai Lysenko, head of the Russian National Republican party, told the Congress of Patriotic Forces; "At this moment of critical danger, of a crime being waged against our people, we must unite in the name of the great Russian homeland ..." The most outspoken was Dmitri Vassiliev, leader of the anti-Semitic Pamyat group, who staged a noisy demonstration inside the theatre with nearly 100 of his black-shirted followers. "... The Masons and Zionists are preventing any kind of unity in our people," he shouted to widespread applause. Although several speakers, including Rutskoi, condemned Pamyat and other "extremist" groups, it was hard to distinguish serious differences in points of view among the conference's heated participants. RECORD NUMBERS IN BIBLE DISTRIBUTION A record 83 million-plus Bibles, New Testaments, and Scripture portions were distributed by Bible societies throughout the world last year. This is a 16 percent increase over the previous year's record-breaking figures, the British-based United Bible Societies reported. More than 550 million Scripture "selections" also were distributed. (From the CHRISTIAN WORLD REPORT - May 1992) BIBLES WELCOME IN PREVIOUSLY UNWELCOME PLACES Fidel Castro has opened the door to allow thousands of Bibles and New Testaments to enter Cuba, according to Dan Wooding, journalist and founder of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times). In addition, Wooding said that one million scripture portions were handed out during the Pan American Games in Cuba last August. During a recent visit to Cuba, Dr. Dale Kietzman, chairman of the international board of ASSIST, told Wooding he saw evidence of a spiritual revival there. Churches have begun to fill up again and young people's activities have grown remarkably, with many being added to the church. Recently, the United bible Societies distributed 72,000 Bibles and thousands of New Testaments in Cuba. International Bible Society leaders met with Cuban Christian leaders during the Pan American Games to plan future Bible distribution projects. A tour group sponsored by Sports and Cultural Exchange International distributed 2,000 NIV/Spanish New Testaments, 4,000 Gospels of John, 22,500 evangelism tracts and other materials. (From the CHRISTIAN WORLD REPORT - May 1992) BIBLE TRANSLATED IN RECORD NUMBER OF LANGUAGES READING, England (EP) - During 1991 the number of languages in which at least one book of the Bible has been translated rose to 1,978 according to the United Bible Societies (UBS). Thirty-two new languages received at least one book of the Bible during 1991, the largest one-year increase since 1987. The number of languages with complete Bibles increased to 322, with the addition of two languages from Zaire, one from Guatemala and one from Yugoslavia. More than 80 percent of the world's population has access to at least a portion of the Bible in a language they can understand. The UBS is currently involved in 608 language projects, 412 of which are first-time translations for that language. THE GOSPEL PREACHED IN REMOTE AREAS There's brisk activity at the Jews for Jesus (JFJ) outpost in Odessa, Ukraine. About 80 people pack into Friday night meetings at a former theatre. More than three-fourths of them are Jewish, and an average of 10 professions of faith in Christ have been made at each meeting over the past few months, according to worker Elizabeth Terini. New converts are nurtured in discipleship groups and recruited to help out in literature distribution and other street evangelism, she said in a telephone interview. Born in Uzbek in the former Soviet Union and grand-daughter of a rabbi, Terinin, 53, migrated to California in 1977. She said she became a Christian shortly afterward through reading a Bible someone gave her and found her way to the Los Angeles branch of the San Francisco-based JFJ ministry. Soon she was out knocking on doors and witnessing to other Jewish people. Six months ago, JFJ sent her and co-worker Avi Snyder to establish a ministry in Ukraine, where, Terrini says, "Jewish people are so open to the Gospel just now." (From the CHRISTIAN WORLD REPORT - May 1992) EVEN TO THE ARAB WORLD The underground church in Saudi Arabia grew dramatically in 1991, according to a missionary who maintains contacts inside the Muslim country and asked not to be identified. Church leaders who compared notes at a recent rendezvous in Dhahran concluded that 1,000 Saudis had come to Christ since the end of the Persian Gulf War. The believers usually meet in small groups in Riyadh has swelled to 3,000 members, although most of them are expatriate workers. Small groups of Christians also have sprouted in Jedda and Mecca, the source said. (From the CHRISTIAN WORLD REPORT - May 1992) AND TO THOSE WHO NEED A "WAY OUT" AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (EP) - A team of young women missionaries from Youth With A Mission (YWAM) is sharing the gospel with Amsterdam prostitutes by offering free manicures. The missionaries travel in pairs, visiting the prostitutes in their small window rooms in the city's red light district. An estimated 800 prostitutes work in the district. If their offer of a manicure is accepted, the missionaries spread out a tablecloth, serve tea or coffee, and leave behind a single rose with a personal note. During the 45 minutes or so it takes to complete the job, one of the missionaries will talk with the prostitute, share her faith and ask if there is anything they can pray about for them. Touch that "comes out of love, not lust" makes a big impression on the women, who freely talk about their lives and problems and ask for prayer. Most of the prostitutes have terrible backgrounds, many having been abused by their fathers. The ministry, which is called SHINING LIGHT, hopes to lead some of the women out of their present lifestyle. Information and Product Guide Information and Product Guide MORNING STAR INFORMATION AND PRODUCT GUIDE - July, 1992 ******* READING ******* DECISION MAGAZINE ($7 annually, 11 issues per year) Billy Graham Evangelistic Association P.O. Box 779 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55440-0779 FOCUS ON THE FAMILY MAGAZINE P.O. Box 35500 Colorado Springs, Co 80935-3550 (free upon request) IN OTHER WORDS Newspaper of Wycliffe Bible Translators PO BOX 2727 Huntington Beach CA 92647 The OMEGA LETTER (Prophecy newsletter from Peter LaLonde) ($30 annual, 11 issues per year) US: P.O. Box 1440 Niagara Falls, NY 14302 Canada: 4429 Queen St. Niagara Falls, Ont. L2E2L2 PARTNERS PRAYER GUIDE (Partner Ministries) 1470 N. 4th St. PO BOX 15025 San Jose CA. 95115-0025 (free guide to praying for different nations) PRISON EVANGELISM MAGAZINE International Prison Ministry P.O. Box 63 Dallas, TX 75221 THE TEACHING HOME (A Christian magazine for home educators) P.O. Box 20219 Portland, Oregon 97220-0219 Phone: (503) 253-9633 Fax: (503) 253-7345 TODAY IN THE WORD (Moody Bible Institute) 820 North La Salle Drive, Chicago Il. 60610 (free 3-month trial subscription) WORLD CHALLENGE (David Wilkerson letter) (free newsletter, 17 issues per year) P.O. Box 260 Lindale, Texas 75771 (903)-963-8626 ******* RESOURCES ******* CHRISTIAN BOOK DISTRIBUTORS P.O. Box 6000 Peabody MA. 01961-6000 Customer Service: (508) 977-4550 Membership and monthly catalog subscription; $3 per year CHRISTIAN LAW ASSOCIATION (Publishers of "The Briefcase") Subscription: P.O. Box 30 Conneaut, Ohio 44030-0030 Publisher Office: (216) 593-3933 Gibbs & Craze Law Firm (216) 599-8900 *** CHRISTIAN MACINTOSH USERS GROUP *** 3140 De la Cruz Blvd. Suite 200 Santa Clara, CA 95054-2406 (408) 980-0338 America Online contact: RickT5 GREAT CHRISTIAN BOOKS 229 S. Bridge St. PO BOX 8000 Elkton MD 21922-8000 ($5 membership fee) HERMENTEUTIKA Computer-Aided Bible Research Software PO BOX 98563 Seattle WA 98198 free catalog toll free number: 1-800-55BIBLE INSTITUTE FOR RELIGIOUS RESEARCH 1340 Monroe Ave, NW Grand Rapids Michigan 49505 Phone: (616) 451-4562 Fax: (616) 451-8907 KIRKBRIDE BIBLE COMPANY -Thompson Chain Reference Bible (5th Edition) NIV and KJV -NEW Thompson Chain Reference Bible Companion 1-800-428-4385 ZONDERVAN PUBLISHING HOUSE -NRSV Concordance -NIV Atlas of the Bible 1-800-727-3480 Mailing Address Morning Star Mailing Address MORNING STAR is produced and published monthly, by a staff of born again believers in Jesus, located across the United States of America. Correspondence to MORNING STAR may be sent via the U.S. Postal Service or one of several computer networks. POSTAL ADDRESS: P.O. Box 7755 Nashua, NH 03060-7755 ELECTRONIC MAIL LINKS: America Online E-Mail (DOS Files): MStarDOS America Online E-Mail (MAC Files): MStarMAC GENIE Network E-Mail: M.Wilkinson1 DELPHI Network E-Mail: Derr1ck (Note on Delphi name: It is a number "1" between the "r" and "c")