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| Szervusz tõl Búdapest. (Hello from Budapest). Well, I have been in Budapest for close to one week now, and it has been quite an experience. I have seen medieval castles, ancient buildings and a culture that is quite different from our own. Budapest is a city of about 1.7 million people, not including any of the surrounding suburbs. However, it is the safest city I have ever been to. Today, for instance, we were given the day to do whatever we wish, so I have been exploring the city by myself for about the past two hours. I stumbled across this internet cafe, and decided to check it out. Hungarian is a very difficult language to learn. In fact, it is said that it is the third most difficult language to learn in the world, behind Chinese and Arabic. It is not similar to any other European language. It is very interesting to see how the communist era has shaped this country. I have noticed that the Hungarians tend to build their buildings downward rather than upward. Most buildings are only 5 stories above ground at most. However, they are also usually between 3 and 5 stories below ground. They have a three-level subway. Their lowest subway is about 200 meters below ground, which is low enough to travel underneath the Danube River. There are homeless people all over the city. Homelessness appears to be worse here than in St. Louis. However, the homeless people have much more pride, are more respectful, and are much more grateful than the homeless people in St. Louis. Almost all of them are old, and unable to work, because their skills became no longer needed when they switched from a communist economy to a captialistic one. For example, I bought bread and lunch meat for one homeless man, even though he did not ask me for it. His response was one of deep gratitude. He repeatedly said Köszönöm nagyon, which means, Thank you very much. He also took the food, held it up to his face and embraced it, as a child would his favorite teddy bear. It was both very satisfying and very heart-wrenching to watch. The homeless people here do not act as if they are owed something by society, unlike homeless people in many places in the U.S. One interesting detail, is that they make the beds that they sleep in at night. In other words, they take pride in what they have, though it is very little, by taking care of it and making sure that it looks as nice as possible. I believe that this country is ripe for the Gospel, but I can not be too sure. There are virtually no Baptists in the entire country. However, 20% of the population claims to be "Calvinist", which is an actual denomination here, much like "Lutheran" is a denomination back at home. I am going to attempt to share my faith with the homeless man I gave food to the next time I see him. However, it will be difficult because there is a language barrier there. Most young people here speak English, but most older people do not. However, I did my best to 'draw the Gospel' on a sheet of paper in order to explain it to him. I used what little Hungarian that I know to explain that Jesus (Jeszus) died (meghal), was buried (sír) and rose again three days later (lakik nap három). So that man can be connected to God (Istenben). Keep me in your prayers as I attempt to talk with this man and because I am almost out of money and still have 8 days left overseas. Szeret Önök. | | |
| I wish to temper my previous post, but with a warning. I do not take back anything that I said in my previous post about TBN. However, I watched a 30 minute program called Turning Point with pastor David Jeremiah. I am well-acquainted with Dr. Jeremiah. While I may not agree with everything he says, I hold to the vast majority of what he teaches. I write this just to say that not absolutely everything on TBN is complete crap, but a lot of it is. Therefore, if you are going to watch it at all, then I pray that you will watch it with all discernment, and not take anything said on that station at face value, but to examine everything in light of Scripture. If you live in the St. Louis area, my suggestion to you would be to turn off TBN and listen to 91.5 FM instead. I still suggest that you test everything they say against scripture. But, my experience is that the teaching on this station is much more true to the Word than they are on TBN. Oh, and Dr. David Jeremiah is on 91.5 also, so you won't be missing him if your turn off TBN. | | |
| That's right. I say down with TBN, the Trinity Broadcasting Network. Maybe I am basing this statement on too few observations, but most of what I have seen on TBN is a hindrance to the Gospel! Tonight, I watched TBN for a little less than an hour. I watched one 30 minute sermon followed by 20 minutes of a second sermon, which was about all that I could stomach. During that time, I heard a total of about six or seven verses of scripture used. However, the pastors quoted Dr. Phil about three times. That's some ratio. The Bible only beats Dr. Phil by a margin of two-to-one, in a message from two "Christian" preachers. In fact, after extensively discussing the proceedings of one recent Dr. Phil episode, conveying how Dr. Phil told some woman that she needed to stop seeing herself as a victim and instead try to improve her own life, pastor Matthew Barnett (?) (I'm not sure if that's the correct last name) said that "all Dr. Phil needs is a verse of scripture and he is good to go." This deeply troubles me. This is not the worst of it, however. Pastor Larry Huch said that many Americans are under a curse of poverty, sickness, etc. etc. and that Christ died on the cross to rid you of these curses. Now, I agree that Christ did die on the cross in order to remove from us a curse--the curse of sinfulness. However, this is not what this pastor meant. In fact, he said, "you people are all good people, and not bad. It's just that your lives have been filled with these curses, and God wants to rid you of them. God does not want you to experience suffering. If you are experiencing suffering, it is because you have not claimed victory over your curses." Huh, that's funny, I'm pretty sure that Scripture says that, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). I'm also pretty sure that James said that God does ordain suffering, and that it is a good thing. Just take a look at James 1:2-3, which says, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials (suffering), knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience." Let's not forget that in the book of Job, after his three friends blamed the reason for Job's suffering on his sinfulness, that God was ready to take the lives of Job's three friends for their ill-advise had it not been for Job, who asked God to spare them. I was abhorred after watching TBN for just 50 minutes. Scripture was distorted and taken out of context, and the focus of all Christianity, according to these men, is that God wants you to be blessed beyond measure by avoiding all poverty, sickness, or any other sort of suffering imaginable. That is NOT why Christ came to this earth to die. Jesus did not die on the cross so that you can drive a BMW! Jesus died on the cross so that you could truly live, by experiencing the joy there is to be found in God through Christ. You can be the poorest, sickest person in the world and still truly live with Christ, because true life is completely independent and uncorrelated with material wealth, health or even happiness. If you have to be healthy and wealthy to be happy, then oh, how we should pity Jesus, because He was so poor that He did not even have a place to rest his head at night (Matthew 8:20). My brothers and sisters, it is time that we take our stand for the Truth of God. I am sick and tired of seeing my Savior's precious words distorted and used for the sake of the self-gratifying, ungodly, deceitful, so-called "Christians" in name only pastors and teachers that are boasting in their riches because they "claimed" victory in their lives over poverty. I believe that this is a detestable thing, and that we can no longer sit idly by, while we watch these sort of manipulations take place every single day. We should not water down the Gospel, and we should not be apathetic when others are doing so. It begins by equipping ourselves, by digging our roots firmly in the soil of the Word of God, so that we will not be blown about by every wind of false teaching. I commit myself to standing in the gap. Who will stand with me? | | |
| I found this from Dougs Wilson and Jones in Classical Education and the Homeschool. Christians are in a war against humanistic statism. Both sides should be playing for blood (metaphorically speaking), yet why aren't we? Here goes:
To be a Christian is to be in constant, total war. We have no say in the matter, and no one is exempt from serving. This war is not just some sideline feature of the Christian life. It is the Christian life. Every step toward seeing "every knee bow" before the Lord of glory is an act of war, whether in faithfulness or hatred. Until that point, the war is ruthless and relentless. The horrific enemy never ceases.
This war is not only constant, but total, unconfined, and overwhelming. It is not limited to the daily fight against our own sin but encompasses everything within and without. It is not limited to our own or any one time but rages in every corner of history. It is not limited to our own flesh and blood, world and history, but is driven by dark clashes in heavenly places.
And as this battle moves us all along, killing and maiming, crushing and roaring, much of contemporary Christianity fights with bumperstickers and self-esteem slogans. As the enemy smiles and schemes to ravage our children and decapitate our churches, we try to play down our differences with our attackers and use their institutions as models for our own. As they mock Christ to his face, we learn to relax, take a joke, and create a more entertaining worship atmosphere. The only thing worse than being cut to death in the middle of a war is having it happen without realizing it! | | |
| I found this story online today and just wanted to share it with everyone.
Eric Fellman speaks of meeting a Chinese couple in Hong Kong, while traveling to China. "A friend took me down a narrow alley to a second-floor flat to meet a man recently released from prison in China. I knew I would be pressed to carry Bibles and literature on my trip. But I was hesitant and tried to mask my fear with rationalizations about legalities and other concerns.
A Chinese man in his 6Os opened the door. His smile was radiant, but his back was bent almost double. He led us to a sparsely furnished room. A Chinese woman of about the same age came in to serve tea. As she lingered, I couldn't help but notice how they touched and lovingly looked at each other. My staring apparently didn't go unnoticed, for soon they were both giggling. "What is it?" I asked my friend. "Oh nothing," he said with a smile. "They just wanted you to know it was OK--they're newlyweds." I learned they had been engaged in 1949, when he was a student at Nanking Seminary. On the day of their wedding rehearsal, Chinese communists seized the seminary. They took the students to a hard-labor prison. For the next 30 years, the bride-to-be was allowed only one visit per year. Each time, following their brief minutes together, the man would be called to the warden's office. "You may go home with your bride," he said, "if you will renounce Christianity." Year after year, this man replied with just one word; "No." I was stunned. How had he been able to stand the strain for so long, being denied his family, his marriage, and even his health? When I asked, he seemed astonished at my question. He replied, "With all that Jesus has done for me, how could I betray Him?" The next day, I requested that my suitcase be crammed with Bibles and training literature for Chinese Christians. I determined not to lie about the materials, yet lost not one minute of sleep worrying about the consequences. And as God had planned, my suitcases were never inspected.
"Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage. Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death - even to death on a cross."
- Philippians 2:5-8
Christ deserves our all - every single part of your and my life. What areas of your life are you withholding from Him today?
The following quote comes from David Livingstone, the great missionary that devoted his entire life to spreading the Gospel throughout Africa.
"People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa. Can that be called a sacrifice which is simply acknowledging a great debt we owe to our God, which we can never repay? Is that a sacrifice which brings its own reward in healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of a glorious destiny? It is emphatically no sacrifice. Rather it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, danger, foregoing the common conveniences of this life--these may make us pause, and cause the spirit to waver, and the soul to sink; but let this only be for a moment. All these are nothing compared with the glory which shall later be revealed in and through us. I never made a sacrifice. Of this we ought not to talk, when we remember the great sacrifice which He made who left His Father's throne on high to give Himself for us." | | |
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