ÿþ<html> <head> <title>Okanagan Christadelphian Ecclesia</title> <link href="style.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"> </head> <body> <table width="750" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr align="left" valign="middle" height="0"> <td align="left" valign="middle"> <!--Table Header --> <img src="images/title2.png" alt="Welcome to the Okanagan Central Christadelphian Ecclesial Website!" border="0"> </td> </tr> </table> <table width="750" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr align="center" valign="middle"><!--Tabs--> <td background="images/tab2.jpg" width="130" height="33" colspan="0" rowspan="0" align="center" valign="middle"><a href="index.html"><b><font color="#FFFFFF">Home</font></b></a></td> <td background="images/tab_active.jpg" width="135" height="0" colspan="0" rowspan="0" align="center" valign="middle"><a href="newspaper.html"><b><font style="text-decoration: none" color="#0066cc">The Good News</font></b></a></td> <td background="images/tab2.jpg" width="130" height="0" colspan="0" rowspan="0" align="center" valign="middle"><a href="bibleclasses.html"><b><font style="text-decoration: none" color="#FFFFFF">Bible Classes</font></b></a></td> <td background="images/tab2.jpg" width="130" height="0" colspan="0" rowspan="0" align="center" valign="middle"><a href="howtofindus.html"><b><font style="text-decoration: none" color="#FFFFFF">How to Find Us</font></b></a></td> <td background="images/tab2.jpg" width="130" height="0" colspan="0" rowspan="0" align="center" valign="middle"><a href="contactus.html"><b><font style="text-decoration: none" color="#FFFFFF">Contact Us</font></b></a></td> <td background="images/tab2.jpg" width="130" height="0" colspan="0" rowspan="0" align="center" valign="middle"><a href="forkids.html"><b><font style="text-decoration: none" color="#FFFFFF">For Kids!</font></b></a></td> <!-- <td width="0" height="0" colspan="0" rowspan="0" align="center" valign="bottom"></td> Filler space--> </tr> <!-- <tr><td colspan="7"><img src="images/1px_blue.jpg" width="750" height="2" alt="" border="0"></td></tr> --> </table> <table width="750" border="0" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="5"> <tr align="center" valign="middle"><!--Empty Space--> <td height="15" colspan="6" rowspan="0" align="center" valign="middle">&nbsp; </td> </tr> <tr align="left" valign="top"> <!--title--> <td height="15" rowspan="0" colspan="6" align="left" valign="middle"> <h4>The Good News</h4> </td> </tr> <tr align="left" valign="top"><!--teaser--> <td width="100%" colspan="6" rowspan="0" align="left" valign="middle"> <p><a href="OctNov2005online.pdf" target="new">Click here to open the latest edition of the newspaper in pdf format (will open in a new window).</a></p> <p><i>The Good News</i> is a free Bible-based periodical that was delivered to thousands of homes in the Vernon, BC area. It is aimed to incite thoughtful minds to rejuvinate themselves in the things of the word of God.</p> <p>Click on the links below to read the articles.</p> </td> </tr> <tr align="left" valign="middle"> <!--3rd level content--> <td width="33%" colspan="2" align="left" valign="top"> <h3>Bible Study Tips</h3> <ul> <li><a href="#biblestudytipsandtools">Bible Study Tips and Tools</a> <li><a href="#readthecontext">Read the Context!</a> <li><i>more coming soon!</i> </ul> <h3>Lifestyle</h3> <ul> <li><a href="#thechristianintheworkplace">The Christian in the Workplace</a> <li><i>more coming soon!</i> </ul> <h3>Bible Truth</h3> <ul> <li><a href="#sonofgodsonofman">Jesus: Son of God, Son of Man</a> <li><i>more coming soon!</i> </ul> </td> <td width="33%" colspan="2" align="left" valign="top"> <h3>Bible Prophecy</h3> <ul> <li><a href="#aworldatpeace">A World At Peace</a> <li><a href="#hopeinanageofterror">Hope in an Age of Terror</a> <li><a href="#worldhistoryforetold">World History Foretold</a> <li><i>more coming soon!</i> </ul> <h3>Science, Archeology, History and the Bible</h3> <ul> <li><a href="#writteninstone">Written in Stone: Proof for Bible Truth</a> <li><a href="#someonesmakingamonkey">Someone's Making a Monkey Out of You</a> <li><a href="#deadseascrolls">The Dead Sea Scrolls Are Alive</a> <li><i>more coming soon!</i> </ul> </td> <td width="33%" style="border: 2 solid black;" colspan="2" align="left" valign="top"> <!--newspaper<H3>Free!! Subscribe to <br><i>The Good News</i>!</h3> <form name="subscription" action="/cgi-bin/formmail/formmail.cgi" method="post"> <input type=hidden name="recipient" value="info@okanaganchristadelphians.org"> <p>Name: <input TYPE="TEXT" NAME="name" SIZE="22"></p> <p>Street Address: <input TYPE="TEXT" NAME="street" SIZE="30"></p> <p>City: <input TYPE="TEXT" NAME="city" SIZE="30"></p> <p>Province/State: <input TYPE="TEXT" NAME="province" SIZE="30"></p> <p>Postal/ZIP Code: <input TYPE="TEXT" NAME="postal" SIZE="30"></p> <input type="hidden" name="subject" value="The Only Good News Subscription"> <input TYPE="SUBMIT" name="Submit" VALUE="Submit"> <input type=hidden name="redirect" value="http://www.okanaganchristadelphians.org/newspaper.html"> </form>--> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="6"> <br><br> <hr> <br> <h4>Articles Online!</h4> <a href="contactus.html"><p>Questions? Comments? Please click here! We would love to hear from you.</a></p> <br> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="6"> <a name="readthecontext"><h2>Read the Context!</h2></a> <p>Bible study isn t just for teachers, you know! And it isn t just about getting knowlege and getting a doctorate in theology. Is it aboutcoming to know God and his son JesusChrist (John 17:3). Anyone can study God s word. And must. It is vitally important that we do it. Why must we try to really understand God and His son? Two verses in the Bible help answer this for us:</p> <p>Hebrews 11:6   But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. </p> <p>Romans 10:17   So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. </p> <p>The Bible is all about God and Jesus Christ,and without studying it, we will never truly please Him. So you sit down to read and try to understand your Bible and you come across a section that might seem confusing or triggers questions in your mind. What do you do? Well, one of the important things to remember is that the answers to all Bible questions are to be found in the Bible. Remember  it is God s message from heaven. The second thing to remember is one word: CONTEXT. Reread the pages before and after the section and you ll be surprised how often you will fi nd the answer nearby. Here is an example of how context can help and where taking a verse out of context can be very dangerous. <P>Example 1: There is a phrase in the Bible that says,  There is no God.  What! , you say,  But I thought the Bible said....! PROBLEM: the phrase is out of context! It is from Psalm 14:1, where it actually says,  The fool has said in his heart, there is no God...  a slightly different meaning!</p> <p>Example 2:  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! (Isaiah 14:12-13) A strange passage if read without its context. Who or what is Lucifer? What does it mean to fall from heaven? Let s turn to the context. Let s read from verse 4:  That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon and say, How has the oppressor ceased! The golden city ceased ... They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake the kingdoms? The context gives the answer! It is the King of Babylon, that ancient kingdom that once opressed God s people, who is called  Lucifer . In the passage, God is prophesying about judgements to come upon Babylon because they have been lifted up with pride. Though once the  glory of the kingdoms (3:19), it would be brought low and never be inhabited. A simple section when read in its context. So next time you hear anything about Lucifer, remember - it was the King of Babylon being referred to. But don t take my word for it, READ THE CONTEXT!</p> <a href="contactus.html">Questions? Comments? Please click here to write us a message!</a><br> <a href="#top">Click here to return to the top of the page</a><br> <a href="index.html">Click here to return to the main page</a><br> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="6"> <a name="worldhistoryforetold"><h2>World History Foretold</h2></a> <p>Over 2,600 years ago, the most powerful king in the then known world awoke, startled by a disconcerting dream. He had dreamt about the future of the world, the future of empires.</p> <p>But he didn t know it at the time.</p> <p>He needed Daniel, a prophet of God, who revealed the message and meaning to the king. We have that message preserved for us in the book of Daniel, chapter 2.</p> <p>What this king Nebuchadnezzar had seen was an image. An image of a mighty man with a carefully crafted head of gold, chest and arms of silver, belly and thighs of brass, legs of iron and, finally, oddly, feet of clay mixed with iron. But while the proud image still stood, a rough rock suddenly smashed the image on its feet  and the whole image collapsed and crumbled until nothing was left except dust blowing in the wind. The rock, however, grew into a mountain that filled the whole earth.</p> <p>As if out of our modern history book, Daniel explains that the head of gold is Nebuchadnezzar himself, and his empire, Babylon, which would be succeeded by the silver arms and chest, which represented the Medes and Persians, who would be defeated by the brass belly and thighs of the Greeks, who in turn would be defeated by the iron legs, the Romans, who would eventually divide into the clay and iron feet of fragmented Europe.</p> <p>This is humdrum history to us, but back then it was an amazing telescopic view into the future, even to our present day.</p> <p>In our day, the days of a Europe united yet fragmented by a mixture of strong and weak nations, the rock will strike. That rock is Jesus Christ, returning to the earth. He is coming to set up his kingdom to fill the earth as the mountain of the dream did; all of world history from 600 BC to the present and beyond is included in this dream, but all that will be soon replaced:  And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed ... it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. (Daniel 2:44)</p> <a href="contactus.html">Questions? Comments? Please click here to write us a message!</a><br> <a href="#top">Click here to return to the top of the page</a><br> <a href="index.html">Click here to return to the main page</a><br> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="6"> <a name="someonesmakingamonkey"><h2>Someone's Making a Monkey Out of You</h2></a> <p> Hydrogen is a colorless, odorless gas which, if given enough time, turns into people. </p> <p>Though perhaps a humorous quote at first, this simplified explanation of evolution ought to cause us to consider for a moment the leap of faith evolutionists would have us make.</p> <p><b>Monkey Business With the Fossil Record</b></p> <p>While Darwin predicted that the fossil record would show numerous transitional fossils, all we have 140 years later are a handful of disputable examples. Yet we and our children are bombarded with the lie that our tree-swinging-banana-peeling ancestry is proven fact  when in truth it is still no more than a fanciful theory that relieves a conscience to a higher power and divinely prescribed moral values.</p> <p>Textbooks and museums alike are full of skeletons and charts, arranged to suggest an evolutionary progress from lower primates to true humans today. Although presented as fact, one by one, the  transitional skulls are being revealed as either extinct apes, true humans, or even deliberate hoaxes! </p> <p>Many scientists, such as Dr. Sigrid Hartwig Scherer (Paleoanthropologist, Univ. Munich), having studied the various skulls closely, have concluded that they can all be classified as either extinct apes or true humans. Even the famous  Lucy has since been dismissed as an extinct ape. And what about the missing link of missing links, Homo Habilis, who promised to settle the dispute once and for all? More recently, evolution and creation scientists alike acknowledge that it is actually a composite skull, made up of parts from multiple species. It has been described as a  waste bin of various species and not a valid category . No, you don t have to believe everything just because you heard it in school or saw it on TV.</p> <p><b>Natural Selection: Old News</b></p> <p>According to Funk and Wagnal s Encyclopedia,  Natural selection, in biology, the process by which environmental effects lead to varying degrees of reproductive success among individuals of a population of organisms with different hereditary characters, or traits. The characters that inhibit reproductive success decrease in frequency from generation to generation. The resulting increase in the proportion of reproductively successful individuals usually enhances the adaptation of the population to its environment. </p> <p>This is the basic premise upon which the evolutionary theory is built. For example, frogs with long legs easily outrun the frogs with short legs when fleeing their natural predators, so only the long-legged frogs live long enough to pass on their long-legged genes. </p> <p>But Darwin misunderstood this natural  fine-tuning of the environment as a  creative process with no limits! He thought that if  new varieties could arise in a short time to suit their environment, then given enough time, any number of new characteristics, to the extent of totally new creatures, could appear. But what he didn t realize is that natural selection actually gets rid of information!</p> <p>By definition, natural  selection can only work with information available, and is not capable of creating anything. Even those mutations that give a survival benefit are seen to be losses of information, not creating the sorely needed new material upon which natural selection can then go to work.</p> <p>Consider the intervention of horse breeders, who selectively bred some horses to refine enormous Clydesdale horses, and others to refine the smallest miniature pony. Now take one of each and try to reverse the processes. The loss of information via natural selection and selective breeding can create obstacles that prohibit breeding within a species, which in effect creates two new species. But both are still horses, and no information was added; it was simply taken away.</p> <p>Try as they might, the evolutionist will never get a man out of a monkey-like hominid, but they have made a monkey out of mankind. The fact is,  in the beginning, God created us in His  image and likeness  unique from the rest of the animal kingdom, with the moral capacity to develop a conscience before him. It behooves us to acknowledge our accountability to Him and to open His book and find out more.</p> <a href="contactus.html">Questions? Comments? Please click here to write us a message!</a><br> <a href="#top">Click here to return to the top of the page</a><br> <a href="index.html">Click here to return to the main page</a><br> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="6"> <a name="deadseascrolls"><h2>The Dead Sea Scrolls</h2></a> <p> The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand for ever. (Isaiah 40:8)</p> <p>In 1947, a powerful testimony to these words revealed itself in the mountainous wastelands east of Jerusalem. A shepherd, exploring the area to the northwest of the Dead Sea stumbled across a cave containing several scrolls wrapped in skins and cloth. The cache of scrolls discovered here and in the surrounding caves turned out to contain the earliest known copies of the Old Testament, older than any other by about a thousand years.</p> <p>Written on skins and pressed papyrus, the 850 scrolls found in about 15 000 fragments contained parts of every single Old Testament book with the exception of the book of Esther. What is even more amazing is that when compared with current copies of the Old Testament books they are virtually identical! The two copies of the Isaiah scroll are 95% identical with our traditional Hebrew texts. The only differences discovered were scribal errors such as differences in spelling, syntax and grammar. The record of God s word was held in such high value that the message has remained the same even though it was copied time after time after time.</p> <p>Amongst these copies of biblical books were other religious writing, biblical commentaries, hymns and other historical records. The entire find was incredible to archaeologists, as parchment and papyrus normally decay fairly quickly in the Middle Eastern climate. </p> <p>In this library were discovered remnants of 19 copies of the book of Isaiah, 25 copies of Deuteronomy and 30 copies of the book of Psalms. These fragments have been stored in museums around the world.</p> <p>Probably the most valuable and well known scroll was a complete copy of the prophecy of Isaiah, over 23 feet long! This is now carefully preserved in the Shrine of the Book in Jerusalem, an amazing witness that although the grass withers and the flower fade; the word of our God will indeed stand forever!</p> <a href="contactus.html">Questions? Comments? Please click here to write us a message!</a><br> <a href="#top">Click here to return to the top of the page</a><br> <a href="index.html">Click here to return to the main page</a><br> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="6"> <a name="aworldatpeace"><h2>A World at Peace</h2></a> <p>Imagine, a world at peace.</p> <p>A world with no more fighting or wars, where criminals no longer threaten the lives and well being of others, a place in which tears and sorrow no longer exist, where hospitals are no longer needed because pain and suffering have been eliminated.</p> <p>These ideals are not just those of the far-out-thinking of the Utopian idealist, but rather a part of the overall plan of God, the God of the Bible.</p> <p>We may ask ourselves, did God actually have an end purpose in mind when he created the earth? Or was his purpose simply to create the earth and then leave it to its own vices?</p> <p>The Bible gives us our answers.</p> <p>Approximately 2,500 years ago, a God-driven prophet named Isaiah said:  This thing says the LORD that created the heavens, and formed the earth: he created it not in vain but formed it to be inhabited. (Isaiah 45:18). God did indeed have a purpose with the earth, but what exactly, we might ask, does it mean when Isaiah said that God formed the earth to be inhabited? If that s all, then He did indeed leave us to our own devices!</p> <p>However, the book of the prophet Isaiah and the whole Bible is full of detailed descriptions of a new world order (Isaiah 2:2-4; 35; 61; 65). In the book of Numbers, God said:  as truly as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the LORD. (14:21) His glory, as he goes on to say in the book of Exodus, is God s wonderful character, His personality:  merciful, gracious, patient, full of truth and righteousness; forgiving and yet accurate in judgement and justice. (33:18,19; 34:6,7)</p> <p>God has promised to you and me that there will come a time when the whole world will be filled with people reflecting God s ways, the way of mercy, goodness and justice.</p> <a href="contactus.html">Questions? Comments? Please click here to write us a message!</a><br> <a href="#top">Click here to return to the top of the page</a><br> <a href="index.html">Click here to return to the main page</a><br> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="6"> <a name="hopeinanageofterror"><h2>Hope in an Age of Terror</h2></a> <p>"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.  Jesus Christ (Luke 21:25-28)</p> <p>Certainly the events of the last three years can be seen in these words. The terror campaigns of Al Qaeda and the inability of the nations to defend themselves from terror has indeed shaken modern society.</p> <p>In recent years, there has been a surge in deliberate terrorism:</p> <p>September 11 2001 - World Trade Centre and Pentagon targeted, demolishing US international banking center and reducing the chief American military command center to chaos.</p> <p>October 12 2002  A Bali night club, known to be frequented by many Australians and Americans, allies in the war on terror, destroyed.</p> <p>March 11 2004 - Spanish rail bombed, tipping the scales of the Spanish governmental election and resulting in the withdrawal of Spanish troops from Iraq by the new government.</p> <p>July 07 2005 - London underground bombing. United Kingdom known as the US greatest ally in the war against terror.</p> <p>These acts of terror are directed at the Western nations for their support of the United States and their policies in the Middle East, especially for their support of Israel. As British Prime Minister Tony Blair put it,  [The terrorists] are trying to use the slaughter of innocent people to cow us, to frighten us out of doing the things that we want to do. </p> <p>Supporting the State of Israel is in direct opposition to the wishes of Al Qaeda and its founder Osama Bin Ladin, who wish to see Israel destroyed and all Western Nations leave the territory of the Middle East. As Al Qaeda s number two Ayman al Zawahri said himself September 1st, 2005:  We have warned over and over again and we repeat the warning that we shall respond to anyone who participates in the aggression against Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine in kind. </p> <p>With this great power struggle continuing, and both sides promising to conquer the other, it seems that the world is spiraling out of control. But there is hope. The Bible tells us that God  rules in the kingdom of men , and that he is working through these world events to accomplish his purpose. (Daniel 4:25; 2:44). </p> <p>To show us that He is in control, God has warned us of what to expect so we would be encouraged to prepare for his son s return to the earth. Jesus Christ s instruction was to  take heed and prepare now so that when we see these things happening around us we are ready when he comes: </p> <p> Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. (Luke 21:36)</p> <a href="contactus.html">Questions? Comments? Please click here to write us a message!</a><br> <a href="#top">Click here to return to the top of the page</a><br> <a href="index.html">Click here to return to the main page</a><br> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="6"> <a name="sonofgodsonofman"><h2>Son of God and Son of Man</h2></a> <p>The Lord Jesus Christ was born of a virgin woman, a virgin named Mary, impossible, yet possible because God, not a man, was his Father.</P> <p>As the Son of God, Jesus showed man what God was like. His character was like God s; he had the same love, compassion, mercy, grace, truth and forgiveness as God. As Jesus himself said:  If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also (John 14:7). Jesus showed us what God is like and what God expects us to be like. God s purpose is to fill the earth with men and women that have these characteristics, who show in their own lives the characteristics of God that Jesus showed in his life.</p> <p>As the Son of Mary, Jesus inherited all the weaknesses man is subject to, yet as the Son of God he learned and was obedient to God s ways better than any man (Philippians 2; Hebrews 2:14). Prophesying about Jesus, Isaiah wrote:  The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD. (11:2,3) All mankind sins and comes short of the glory of God, but Jesus Christ never committed any sin.</p> <p>As sinful as we are, there is no way we can earn eternal life, It was only through God giving his Son as the means of redemption from our sins through his crucifixion that we can receive God s gift. </p> <p> For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believes on him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:16-18)</p> <p>God said of Jesus:  This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. He was beloved because he was obedient in all aspects of his life, from birth to baptism to ministry to death. Then, because of this complete obedience, God  raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. </p> <p>This is what the gospel is all about. It s the  glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God has fulfilled the same unto us their children (Acts 13:32,33). It provides us a hope that if we live a life of obedience we too have the opportunity to be among those who will be raised from the dead, given eternal life and be among the men and women who fill the earth with God s character perfectly, becoming sons and daughters of God.</p> <a href="contactus.html">Questions? Comments? Please click here to write us a message!</a><br> <a href="#top">Click here to return to the top of the page</a><br> <a href="index.html">Click here to return to the main page</a><br> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="6"> <a name="biblestudytipsandtools"><h2>Bible Study Tips and Tools</h2></a> <p>Have you ever tried reading the Bible and just didn t seem to get it? Ever been discouraged at the size of the book  not knowing where to start? You re not alone! It is a big book written by the Creator of heaven and earth and so it stands to reason that it will take a bit more effort than just picking up a novel or newspaper. The difference is this  while novels and such may entertain us for a little while, the Bible has the potential to bring us eternal happiness and contentment. A grand and wonderful claim for you and your family.</P> <p>Here are several tips for getting started with Bible study:</p> <ol> <li><b>Determine why you want to read the Bible:<br></b> (Here s a suggestion:  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. John 17:3)</li> <li><b>Pray:<br></b> Each time you begin to read, ask God for help in understanding. God has invited us to do just that:  If any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him. (James 1:5)</li> <li><b>Be Patient and Persistant:<br></b> Remember it is a big book, and it will take time  there is no shortcut to understanding the Bible. Give it time, consistant time. It is helpful to devote time each day to reading  even 15 minutes a day  you will be amazed at how far you get! The wise man Solomon in the book of Proverbs describes our efforts to read and know God as searching for hid treasure  not necessarily easy, but wonderfully rewarding. So keep digging! (Proverbs 2:1-5)</li> <li><b>Ask Questions:<br></b> Get used to asking questions  even write them down - you will be surprised how often the answer comes up within the next few pages or chapters. If you have trouble, contact us and maybe we can help (contact information on front page).</li> <li><b>Be Organised:<br></b> Determine a consistant way to ready the Bible. Many Bibles have a suggested reading planner to help get through the Bible in a set time. If you don t have one contact us and we will be happy to send you a free planner that we ve found helpful (contact information on front page).</li> <li><b>Dictionary/Concordance:<br></b> Keep a dictionary  preferably a Bible dictionary or concordance with you so when you get to any difficult words, you can look them up and get a better understanding of the passage.</li> <li><b>Patience:<br></b> Did we mention patience? Again, this is so important; give it time and you will see the joy of coming to know God and his Son, Jesus Christ and building your faith in them. Reading the Bible is the only way! Romans tells us that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God (10:17).</li> </ol> <p>Be encouraged, stick it out and read your Bible today!</p> <a href="contactus.html">Questions? Comments? Please click here to write us a message!</a><br> <a href="#top">Click here to return to the top of the page</a><br> <a href="index.html">Click here to return to the main page</a><br> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="6"> <a name="thechristianintheworkplace"><h2>The Christian in the Workplace</h2></a> <p>With a little math, we find that the average Joe spends about 2000 hours per year at his or her workplace. This time is invaluable to a Christian; it is a time to show to all around the ways of God.</p> <p>If we turn to Colossians 3:22-23, we see that Paul s inspired commandment to servants was for them to  obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men. </p> <p>In other words, we must work for our bosses or customers as if we are working for God and his son Jesus Christ. We must put 100% into our jobs, even when no one is watching. God asks us to be honest and full of integrity, trustworthy, patient, using clean speech, not taking part in rude or foolish joking, and never being lazy on the job. (Proverbs 15:8; 21:25; Ephesians 5:3-4).</p> <p>This is a difficult command, but, reading on in Colossians 3, we find we are given an incentive:  from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance [the kingdom]; for you serve the Lord Christ. But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done&  (Colossians 3:24-25). Not only must we answer to our bosses or customers for our conduct at work, but to God.</p> <p>Although God insists that we be diligent on the job, he also requires that we balance work with our other, equally valid, responsibilities to God. As Jesus himself said:  Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Matthew 6:19-21) </p> <a href="contactus.html">Questions? Comments? Please click here to write us a message!</a><br> <a href="#top">Click here to return to the top of the page</a><br> <a href="index.html">Click here to return to the main page</a><br> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="6"> <a name="writteninstone"><h2>Written in Stone: Proof for Bible Truth</h2></a> <p>Two hundred years ago, an amazing archaeological discovery was made in an area which is now modern day Jordan.</p> <p>The weathered rock lay undisturbed for over 2 millennia, its secrets hidden on its mysterious black surface until 1868, when a passing German missionary was alerted to its presence by a friendly local Sheik. </p> <p>The four-by-two foot black basalt stone contains a record of King Mesha, ruler of the nation to the east of the ancient Kingdom of Israel, the Kingdom of Moab.</p> <p>The ancient stone memorializes a successful revolt against Israel in about 850 BC: <i> I am Mesha, son of Chemosh, king of Moab ... As for Omri king of Israel, he oppressed Moab many days ... And his son succeeded him, and he also said: I will cast down Moab. In my days, he spoke, but I triumphed over his house. And Chemosh said to me: Go! Bring Nebo against Israel. So I went by night and fought from sunrise until noon. taking it and slaying all... </i></p> <p>This same event told of by the stele can actually be found in the Bible in 2 Kings 3:  And Mesha king of Moab was a sheepmaster, and rendered unto the king of Israel an hundred thousand lambs, and an hundred thousand rams, with the wool. But it came to pass, when Ahab [the son of Omri] was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. (2 Kings 3:4,5)</p> <p>Significantly, this Moabite stone mentions several Biblical characters, including Omri and David, kings of Israel, and YHWH the God of their nation (1 Kings 16:23; 2 Samuel 8:2). These are characters Bible readers have taken for granted, but even outside of the Bible they are still as real as ever.</p> <p>The language of the Mesha Stele bears few differences from the language of the Israelites, Hebrew, and carries the same grammar, language idioms and even syntax. This isn t surprising, as the Bible tells us that the Moabites and the Israelites are in fact distantly related; the Moabites were descendants of a man named Lot, and this Lot was the nephew of the patriarch Abraham, the father of the nation of Israel (Genesis 19:30, 37; Genesis 12:5). </p> <p>This important find was almost lost when the precious stone was broken into many pieces soon after the missionary discovered it. Thankfully, however, prior to this, an imprint of the text had been made, from which the message of the stone could be translated. Over time, most of the fragments were recovered and pieced together with the help of the imprint.</p> <p>Today, the restored stone can be seen in the Louvre museum in Paris, an exciting piece of evidence testifying quietly, yet resoundingly, of Bible truth.</p> <a href="contactus.html">Questions? Comments? Please click here to write us a message!</a><br> <a href="#top">Click here to return to the top of the page</a><br> <a href="index.html">Click here to return to the main page</a><br> </td> </tr> <tr align="center" valign="middle"><!--Empty Space--> <td height="550" colspan="3" rowspan="0" align="center" valign="middle">&nbsp; </td> </tr> </table> <br><br> </body> </html>