Illustrations

Do You Know the Truth?

Do You Have an Immortal Soul?

By Larry R. Lasiter

The living possess life, but where does life come from? As humans we understand that we are alive, but are also painfully aware that we will someday die. The life that we now have will one day depart our body and it will cease to be a living organism. To Science the appearance of life is perhaps the greatest of all mysteries. Even the theory of evolution doesn’t pretend to know, which is why it begins with living organisms and how they may have changed through time.

The Bible says that all things, including life, came from a powerful Creator. "Then the Lord God formed man of the dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Genesis 2:7) "The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life." (Job 33:4) "Nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He, Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things." (Acts 17:25) Speaking of the breath of life, King David wrote, "His spirit departs, he returns to the earth; In that very day his thoughts perish." (Psalm 146:4)

The Bible teaches that life comes from and goes back to God, it’s original source. Natural life is a temporary gift from God. The actual goal of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the defeat of death itself, Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies." (John 11:25) 1 Corinthians 15:55 says, "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" The Apostle Paul wrote, "But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:22-23) This begs the question, if man already possesses an immortal soul, then why does he need eternal life as a gift from God through Jesus?

Where are our loved ones who have passed on? Will we ever see them again? Does life have purpose? Is death the permanent end of our existence?

The most common Christian belief regarding the afterlife is that people possess immortal souls and at death their consciousness in the form of that soul departs from the body and heads for heaven or hell. Most religions teach some form of life after death. Socrates reasoned that the immortal soul, once freed from the body, is rewarded according to good deeds or punished for evil. Socrates lived 470-399 B.C., so his view of the soul predated Christianity.

Plato, 428-348 B.C. saw man as divided into the material and spiritual realms. Plato reasoned that the soul, being eternal, must have had a pre-existence in the ideal world where it learned about the eternal Ideal. In Plato's reasoning, man is meant to attain goodness and return to the Ideal through the experiences of the transmigration of the soul.

The doctrine of the immortal soul caused much controversy in the early Catholic Church. Origen (ca. 185-254) was the first person to attempt to organize Christian doctrine into a systematic theology. He was an admirer of Plato and believed in the immortality of the soul and that it would depart to an everlasting reward or everlasting punishment at death. He taught that human souls existed before the body but are imprisoned in the physical world as a form of punishment. Physical life, he reasoned, is a purification process to return humans to a spiritual state.

A few centuries later the leaders of the Protestant Reformation generally accepted these traditional views, so they became entrenched in traditional Protestant teaching.

The immortality of the soul is foundational in Western thought, both philosophical and religious. Belief in going to heaven or hell seems to depend on it. But does the Bible teach that death is the separation of body and soul or that the soul is immortal?

The Hebrew word translated "soul" in the Old Testament is nephesh, which simply means "a breathing creature." Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words defines nephesh as "the essence of life, the act of breathing, taking breath … The problem with the English term 'soul' is that no actual equivalent of the term or the idea behind it is represented in the Hebrew language. The Hebrew system of thought does not include the combination or opposition of the 'body' and 'soul' which are really Greek and Latin in origin" The Hebrew Scriptures state plainly that, rather than possess immortality, the soul can and does die. "The soul [ nephesh ] who sins shall die" (Ezekiel 18:4, 20)

That nephesh doesn't refer to an immortal soul can be seen in the way the word is used in the Old Testament. It is translated "soul" or "being" in reference to man in Genesis 2:7, but also to animals by being translated "creature" in Genesis 1:24. Nephesh is translated "body" in Leviticus 21:11 in reference to a human corpse.

Many believe that the soul is immortal and will live forever in Heaven or in Hell, but the Bible says that the Lake of Fire is the "second death", -"And death and Hades (the grave) were thrown into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death, the Lake of Fire." Revelation 20:14 God is life, and there is no life apart from God.

The story of the death and resurrection of Lazarus shows that the dead are asleep in the grave awaiting the resurrection, -"Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then His disciples said, ‘Lord, if he has fallen asleep he will recover.’ Now Jesus had spoken of his death; but they thought that he was speaking of literal sleep. Then Jesus said plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead.’" (John 11:11-14) Lazarus had been asleep in the grave for four days when Jesus resurrected him.

Because Jesus said to the thief on the cross, -"Truly I say to you today you will be with Me in Paradise," some assume that later that day this man’s soul and the soul of Jesus ascended to Heaven when they died. But the meaning of this statement depends upon where the comma is placed. Punctuation was added later to the manuscripts by the translators, and they could only make educated guesses. The comma should be after "today" rather than after "you." Jesus said, -"Truly I say to you today, you will be with me in Paradise." We know this because, according to Scripture, Jesus went to the grave later that day and stayed there for three days and for three nights. Jesus did not go to Paradise until after His resurrection.

The Apostle Paul wrote: "But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep" (1 Thessalonians 4:13–15) Verse 17 says the resurrected saints will meet Jesus in the air.

Prophesying of the last days Daniel wrote, -"And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book (of Life) will be rescued. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt." (Daniel 12:1-2)

The concept of the immortal soul was introduced into man's thinking at the earliest beginnings of human history. God told Adam and Eve, that if they sinned they would die and return to the dust from which He had created them. Genesis 2:17/Genesis 3:19 Satan, the enemy who opposes God, assured them they would not die. Satan introduced into Eve's mind the thought that God was lying and that she and Adam would not die. This ingrained the unscriptural teaching of the immortality of the soul into human thought. Satan has since deceived the world on this important understanding as well as many other biblical truths. Much of the world, including millions of people in religions outside of traditional Christianity, are convinced they have immortal souls and hope they will go to a happy place or state of being immediately after they die.

Man was created by God as a mortal being. The Bible says that it is appointed to man to die once and then be resurrected to Judgment. Nature itself teaches us that only life can beget life-after all, we all came from living parents.

The Bible speaks of another life-eternal life which we can receive in the life of Jesus. Paul wrote, -"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." (Galatians 2:19-20)

The natural life we are born with is temporal, but the Bible says we can be born again in Jesus Christ to eternal life. To live, Jesus said, -"You must be born again of the Spirit." (John 3:7) This is the precious value of the Gospel. Those who do not receive it are twice dead. Jude 12

A Personal Observation

By Larry R. Lasiter

Not only what I have done is wrong but what I am in Adam is wrong. At conception I received his fallen sin nature. Adam cannot be rehabilitated -he must die. Yes, being a son of Adam, I must die in Christ and be born again of the Spirit,-"For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ (the last Adam) all will be made alive." (1 Cor. 15:22) My old history ends at the cross and my new history in Christ begins with baptism, a type for resurrection as a new creature,-"If any man is in Christ he is a new creation, old things have passed away, behold new things have come." (2 Cor.5:17)

At the cross God wiped out everything that was not of Himself, and at the resurrection brought into being all He will have in the New Kingdom-many sons for glory. "Having been buried with Him in baptism. . .and raised up with Him through faith." (Col. 2:12) The cross is God's declaration that all that is of the world, the old creation, must die-"Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God." (1 Cor.15:50)

God Cares About Small Things

By Larry R. Lasiter

"Daddy, did you ask God?"

From a very early age my son Michael had an absolute faith in God. Even while still in diapers he would quickly go to prayer whenever there was a need. Anytime one of his older sister couldn’t find a piece of clothing or a shoe, Michael would go straight to prayer-and it was always answered.

Because I had a tendency to lose my ink pens I coughed up the money to buy an expensive chrome Cross pen -I felt that I would take better care of a pen which cost me.

It turns out that I was very careful with my new pen and no longer found myself rummaging around trying to find a misplaced pen. Literally after years of keeping track of that pen, one day I couldn’t find it. After looking everywhere that I could think of for two weeks, I finally gave up.

When I mentioned to my wife that I was going to have to buy a new pen, little Michael asked, "Why Daddy?" After I told him that my old pen was lost and that I had looked for it and couldn’t find it, he said, "Did you pray and ask God to show you where it is?" Immediately I though, "that is so cute and precious" but I was a little embarrassed to say, "No, son I haven’t." He said, "I’ll pray" and laid his little body face down on the sofa and simply told God that his Daddy’s pen was lost and said "show him where it is." Again, I thought it so cute and precious, but I didn’t expect God to really care about my ink pen.

A couple of days later I was on interstate coming home in my business work van when the oil light came on. I was only five miles from home but decided to exit early at a small community that had one gas station. However something moved me to pull into the parking lot of a Church to check my oil. As I was walking back to get in my van a bright reflection suddenly hit my eyes. I could see that there was something shiny in the grass.

When I walked over to investigate I was surprised to see that it was a chrome Cross pen. When I picked it up I recognized that it was my pen! Thinking back I remembered that I had met someone at this Church to give them an estimate for a new sign-but that had never called me back or placed an order and I forgot about it.

But God did know where it was -and maybe He didn’t care so much about such a small thing as much as the faithful prayer of a little child. Whichever, He answered little Michael’s prayer and my lost pen was recovered.

While bike riding near our city park one of pedals suddenly fell off. I had just ridden across a wooden bridge when it happened. I began to search for the little nut that had fallen off but it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

Suddenly I heard God speak to me through the Holy Spirit and say, "You haven’t asked Me for help." I acknowledged that and kneeled down and prayed, -"Father help me find the lost nut." As I raised up a tiny black object caught my eyes from all the way on the other side of the bridge. I walked across and saw that it was indeed the lost nut laying on the concrete sidewalk.

After repairing the bike I could hear the Lord communicating saying, "Am I the God of the great whales, or am I also the God of sparrows? Do I not care for small things?" I was thankful and was just agreeing with the Lord as I listened in the Spirit.

I had crossed the small creek and was now riding in the park when I noticed a demon possessed woman on the other side arguing with her demons. She is well own in East Russellville as being filled with demons-however, she loved her demons. As I was riding opposite her on the south side of the creek I heard the Lord say, "Stop and sit on this bench." I was thinking that God was going to have me cast her demons out so I waited anxiously.

After a few minutes I heard her walking through the water in my direction. When she made it up the bank I turned to my left and saw her. She was walking at an angle away from me and was holding a large stone as if to protect herself from me. I don’t know if the demon in her recognized me or if it was seeing angels around me, but she was terrified. Then I said something pretty stupid, -"God loves you."

I meant that for the woman not the demon, but the demon was in complete control and that word caused it to rage. She tried to throw the stone at me but an unseen force caused it to drop straight down. Then she charged me shrieking and growling but she literally could not touch me. I sat calmly on the bench as in frustration she threw the bicycle down and stomped on the spokes. Afterwards she gave me the sign of the devil and said, "I cannot touch you but I destroyed your bike!"

The Lord told me to wait 30 minutes. As I waited I watched her in rage destroy the park bathroom-even ripping the sinks out with great power. When I got up to leave I noticed that the damage on the bicycle was miraculously repaired and I heard the Lord say, "See, I even care about this bicycle."

Finish Well

Blake Moorer

There are many things you could choose to live for. The questions: what do you consistently sacrifice for, and to what end? What consumes the majority of your time and focus? What will be the end result of your life? These are the most important questions that far too often, are regretfully pondered in retrospect on deathbeds rather than day to day as we live our lives.

Will you finish your life well? If you examine each decision you make day by day, can you confidently say you're living with the aim to finish well? Will the Lord be pleased with you? Will He be able to say, "Well done, good and faithful servant"? Or is there something in the way that keeps you from pleasing God with your life? Is there something that is distracting you from obeying Him as your Lord in every aspect of your day to day? Has the world and the pleasures of sin enticed you to turn away from Him, even in the smallest of areas? It is gravely important to consider, as it only takes one small deviation from the straight and narrow path to eternal life, to ultimately end in destruction."But Jesus said to him, "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62)

The indication of scripture, as in Ezekiel 18:21-32, is that it will not matter how sinful a life someone has led if they repent and turn to the Lord practicing righteousness, they will be saved. That's the beauty of Jesus' sacrifice. If we are found in Him, His blood covers us continually and faithfully. When we confess our sin, surrender to His Lordship and continually strive to please and obey Him, then all the sins we ever commit are washed clean by His blood and even cast from His memory.

But conversely, it also will not matter how faithful a life someone has led if they choose to abandon the faith and the Truth and in the end turns to wickedness. They will perish in the lake of fire. If turning to wickedness sounds like a drastic concept far from you, keep in mind it always begins with one small compromise. It starts as small and seemingly meaningless as giving ear to a serpent seeking to persuade you that eating forbidden fruit doesn't actually matter. After all, it's only a piece of fruit, how could that kill you? It starts as small as just one area where you rationalize doing something you know is displeasing to the Lord, OR refrain from doing something you know He expects. It does not matter what it is, because all disobedience results in separation from God, and will end in death. God IS life. (Jn 14:6) All things were created through Him, for Him, and in Him all things hold together. (Col 1:16-17) To disconnect yourself from the one that IS life can only result in death.

Perhaps you give your whole heart in obeying each of the 10 commandments but fail to evangelize and preach the gospel as Jesus commanded. This is unacceptable. Disregarding one command is the same as breaking them all. You can't reject part of Jesus and accept the rest. "He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." (Mk 16:15)

Maybe you've convinced yourself that it really doesn't matter to God if you worship Him on Sunday instead of His holy Sabbath day. The comforting lies abound, -"The day really doesn't really matter." "It's just a shadow of the heavenly." "There's more than one path to follow and more than one way to worship." "God knows my heart." "I'm a good person." But ultimately God's Holy Word alone stands true. There are none good but God, and His commandments matter to Him -which is why they are called "commandments." There is only ONE WAY.

Yes, He is gracious and forgiving when we fail in our striving to obey Him. But habitually, intentionally, or carelessly laying aside one of His commands is another matter. His commands are not suggestions. How is it, that mere men suppose that they have the authority to explain away why certain Commandments don't carry enough weight to be obeyed? "It is appointed for man to die once and then comes Judgment." (Heb 9:27) Come Judgment Day, the Lord sitting on His throne will have no ear for any excuse claiming good reason for disobedience. God is not a God to be ignored. He is Holy! He cannot simply be worshiped in the ways that men declare to be right. He has a specific standard, preserved for us in His word that he expects to be followed. Phrases like: "my Jesus," "my truth," or "the God I'm coming to know" are prolific and far too prevalent today and foolish statements indeed. God is the Almighty, the Creator, and cannot be conformed by the will of men. His words are the epitome of gravitas; behaving otherwise will result in eternal destruction.

If you call yourself a Christian, it's of utmost importance that you consider if your life and your actions are based on the Word of God. Is your "Christianity" biblical? Does it reflect what Christianity looked like in the life of Jesus - the Apostles' lives -and the New Testament Church?

It is imperative that we continue to fight the good fight, keep the faith, and run the race in such a way that we may reach the finish line. "Contend earnestly for the faith, once for all handed down to the saints." (Jude 3:3)

The Rise of Virtue Signaling

By Larry R. Lasiter

Virtue Signaling Defined: "Virtue signaling is a pejorative term that refers to the conspicuous expression of moral values. Academically, the phrase relates to signaling theory to describe a subset of social behaviors that could be used to signal virtue -especially piety among a specific group. It is the popular modern habit of indicating that one has virtue merely by expressing disgust or favor for certain political ideas or cultural happenings. It’s the action or practice of publicly expressing opinions or sentiments intended to demonstrate one's good character or the moral correctness of one's position on a particular issue. It's noticeable how often virtue signaling consists of saying you hate things." (Cambridge English Dictionary / Wikipedia)

Most of us who observe the biblical food laws have a desire to eat healthy foods and are regular shoppers at natural food stores. If you have ever shopped Whole Foods you may have noticed huge posters advertising Whole Foods as being virtuous, - "We are part of a growing consciousness that is bigger than food - one that champions what’s good." This is a particularly blatant example of the increasingly common phenomenon of what might be called "virtue signaling" - indicating that you are kind, decent and virtuous. Of course what is not mentioned is exactly what that means. Obviously, by admission it is meant to extend far beyond the healthy foods Whole Foods offers. It conveys the thought that the store franchise is in the "good food" business because they, themselves are "good" -morally superior.

The CEO of Whole Foods considers himself a Libertarian, so I, and probably most of you who are reading this would agree with his definition of what constitutes "good" politically. We would agree politically because the Libertarian view is one of small government with minimum interference and promotes freedom and individual liberty to pursue goals and dreams. A Libertarian administration would never suppress your freedom of Religion. But it is still merely a political philosophy and not based upon the Bible and the apostolic teachings of Jesus and His Apostles. As Christians we understand that we are not independent, but interdependent and subject first to the will of God -and that is what real "good" is -"seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness."

Having said this, I must add, that the Bible says that there are none righteous of their own making. And also, that there are none good of their own making. All are corrupt, filled with selfishness and the pride of life. This is why God not only redeemed us from our sins, -removing them from us as far as East is from the West, but also credited every saint with the righteousness of Christ. It is for this reason alone that we can stake any claim to being "good" and "righteousness."

But there is a worldly, cultural "goodness" and "righteousness" where people believe that they are virtuous and morally superior because of certain beliefs they hold. Even though since history began virtue has been attributed to those who performed selfless and kind deeds, not to merely expressed beliefs. If you watch carefully it’s easy to see how often virtue signaling consists of saying you hate things. However, this is often a camouflage used especially by the political Left. The emphasis on hate distracts from the fact that you are really saying how good you are. If you were frank and said: "I, on the other hand, truly care about the environment" it would be plain that you are also implying that many do not. Or, "I’m for socialism because I truly care about the poor" -again you would be introducing the thought that Capitalists do not care about the poor. Why? Well, it’s because "they are not morally superior" as you are. Expressed plainly your vanity and self-aggrandizement would be obvious, as it is with Whole Foods.

There is a blindness in this as well, because it is a historical fact that Capitalism has done more to bring people out of poverty than any other system of government, -America proves this. But the Left cries "greed!" The truth is, there has never been a system of government not based on a form of greed because government consists of people, and people are by nature greedy. The definition of greed is "a selfish desire for something, especially wealth and food." Those promoting Socialism are themselves greedily seeking the wealth of those who have. What government, what business, or what family, has never put their best interests first in pursuing wealth, food and safety?

Socialism and Communism has a selfish desire to take the wealth others have labored to acquire, and distribute it as they so desire. It is presented as a transfer of wealth to the poor, but the reality of history proves that it is a transfer of power from the people to the elite leaders and eventually a dictator. In his presidential campaign, Socialist Hugo Chavez convinced the citizens of Venezuela that every person has a "right" to healthcare, to employment, to food and financial stability, and that he would seize the money from the rich to provide it. Chavez used virtue signaling to paint himself as a moral hero who would champion the poor who were "so oppressed by the rich." He painted the wealthy as selfish, heartless and uncaring. Once in power Chavez did seize the wealth, but he transferred the wealth to himself and the ruling class not the people. As a result there has been mass starvation, electricity blackouts, empty food markets, social unrest, and mass exit. The current Venezuelan President has resorted to using the military to block humanitarian aid the U.S. has airlifted in. As former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher once observed, "The problem with Socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money." Of course, once "everything" is a "right" then nothing is actually a right. A Socialist or Communist leader has a "right" to take from the wealthy, but the common person has no "right" to take from him, -the lowly citizen has no power and must wait for the crumbs that fall from his master’s table.

We live in a climate where virtue signaling seems necessary. For example, how often have you heard someone prefacing what they are about to say by first stating "I’m not a racist?" Not being a racist is virtuous, but why do so many feel the need to continually express it? It’s obviously because Left-leaning friends will label you a racist if you are against illegal immigration, against affirmative action, or support building the wall on our southern border, etc. If you believe that the Covington Catholic boys were not taunting Native American Nathan Phillips at the Right to Life March you are in danger of being considered a racist. Or if you initially questioned the fishy story that actor Jussie Smollett gave to the police-saying that he was attacked by two racist Trump supporters in Chicago at 2am, then again you may be targeted as being a racist -"You don’t believe Jussie because he is a gay black man!"

All the facts are not in at this writing, but what has been reported it that the two men were Smollett’s friends. Two Nigerian blacks who were paid $4000 by Smollett to perpetrate a hoax that a hate crime had been committed. Smollett had also committed mail fraud by sending himself a racist, homophobic letter threatening his life. All because he wanted to start a race war against President Donald J. Trump. As the YouTube sensation Brandon Tatum said, "The truth is, racism in America is on life support, and we’re trying to pull the plug. If racism was so extant no one would need to make up fake accounts." Since the inauguration there has been numerous accusations of racially fueled incidents which have proven to be false, and virtue signaling was used in each case.

The interesting thing about Donald Trump is that he has been on TV for more that 30 years and no one ever accused him of being racist. He was welcomed on Oprah, Donahue, Tonight Show, Letterman, etc. He was well respected in the black community and revered by black actors and black musicians. He was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Rainbow Coalition for his work in the black community. Jesse Jackson heaped praise upon Trump for years but now calls him a global danger. He was friends with many Democratic Politicians in the past as well -NY Senator Chuck Schumer was one. It was not until he ran for President that he was accused of being a white nationalist supremacist who hated people of color. And if you support Trump’s policies as half of the country does, you will be on the receiving end of endless virtue signaling from the Left. If you wear a MAGA hat it’s not because you love America, but are a racist homophobe. This is all fueled by politics on the Left.

Because I am a Christian and a member of the Kingdom of Heaven, I do not get overly involved with trying to make this country what it can never be. But I do vote Pro Life, pro-first and second Amendment conservative for obvious reasons as I await the establishment of God’s Kingdom.

Christians are very often painted as being virtue signaling hypocrites who pretend to be holier than thou. But for us who contend earnestly for the apostolic faith virtue signaling is easily recognized as prideful and boastful, sins which the Bible condemns. I should admit that in today’s Cultural Christianity boasting and pride is commonplace because this is a part of the culture we live in.

Seems as though everyone sees themselves as being morally superior as demonstrated by Lady Gaga’s comments towards VP Pence as quoted in the lead article of this newsletter. Once a person or group comes to believe that they are morally superior there is no longer any room for honest debate, because, "You only hold your position because you are a ‘racist’, a ‘homophobe’, a ‘Islamophobe’, a‘misogynist’, or are heartless’" towards the poor and disenfranchised. This means you are too morally bankrupt to have a moral opinion. This is why so many Conservative speakers have been denied access to speak at some of our Universities. Because they do not hold the same moral views and have the same moral answers to America’s problems they are labeled as "haters" who are evil.

To make the claim that you are a Christian was once considered virtue signaling because devoted Christians were thought of as being trustworthy, kind, loving and charitable. But now Christians have become increasingly thought of as being intolerant, judgmental and hateful. So, some today proudly proclaim that they are not Christian in order to send a virtue signal that they are not "intolerant", "judgmental" and "hateful" as Christians are. To be a Pastor was once an office and position that was highly respected in our culture, but due to the rise of so many scandals they are considered more like a used car salesman who cannot be trusted.

There are always going to be those who hate Christianity. And there are always going to be those who hate Conservatives. But we must not allow that to cause us to retreat into obscurity.

Facing all this virtue signaling can be exhausting, especially since we are tempted to give a preface before we can say most anything. I suggest that we quit giving a preface as if we must first state that we are not guilty of something before what we say is valid. When we begin by saying "I’m not a racist -I hate racism" . . .it puts us in a defensive posture, and worse, it implies that racism is factually extant in our society.

Hate Crime Hoaxes in Trump Era

By Peter Hasson

Media Bias -According to a new study of the media conducted by Indiana University only 7% of Journalists are Republican

* Anti-Muslim hate crime in Michigan turns out to be a hoax (November 2016)

A Muslim woman at the University of Michigan received national attention from national outlets like The Washington Post in November 2016 after she claimed a drunk 20-something man threatened to light her on fire if she didn’t remove her hijab. The university condemned the "hateful attack," which turned out to be a hoax.

Taylor Volk, an openly bisexual senior at North Park University, claimed to be the target of hateful notes and emails following Trump’s election in November 2016. Volk told NBC News that "I just want them to stop." But the "them" referenced by Volk turned out to be herself, as the whole thing was fabricated.

Philadelphia woman Ashley Boyer claimed in November 2016 that she was harassed at a gas station by white, Trump-supporting males, one of whom pulled a weapon on her. Boyer claimed that the men "proceeded to talk about the election and how they’re glad they won’t have to deal with" n-----s" much longer." Boyer deleted her post after it went viral and claimed the men had been caught and were facing criminal charges. Local police debunked her account.

An 18-year-old Muslim woman in Louisiana claimed in November 2016 that two white men, one of whom was wearing a Trump hat, attacked and robbed her, taking her wallet and hijab while yelling racial slurs. She later admitted to the Lafayette Police Department that she made the whole thing up.

A church organist was arrested in May 2017 after he was found responsible for spray-painting a swastika, an anti-gay slur, and the words "Heil Trump" on his own church in November 2016. When the story first broke, media outlets tied the hoax to Trump’s election. "The offensive graffiti at St. David’s is among numerous incidents that have occurred in the wake of Trump’s Election Day win," The Washington Post reported at the time.

Another 18-year-old Muslim woman, this time in New York, was the subject of breathless headlines in December 2016 after she claimed to have been attacked by a group of Trump supporters on a New York subway while onlookers did nothing. The woman, Yasmin Seweid, would go on to confess that she made the whole thing up.

Denton, Texas, resident David Williams set his own car on fire and painted "n—— lovers" on his home’s garage, in an apparent attempt to stage a hate crime. Local police investigated the arson as a hate crime. Williams and his wife, Jenny, collected more than $5,000 from Good Samaritans via a GoFundMe page before the hoax was exposed.

As tales of Trump-inspired "hate crimes" were spread far and wide by liberal journalists after Trump’s election, one online prankster decided to test just easy it was to fool journalists. The prankster sent Mic.com writer Sarah Harvard a fictitious story in which a Native American claimed to have been harassed by an alleged Trump supporter who thought she was Mexican. Despite no evidence backing up the claim, Harvard spread the fake story, emails the prankster shared with The Daily Caller showed.

A Muslim student at Beloit College wrote anti-Muslim graffiti on his own dorm room door. The student was reportedly motivated by a desire to seek attention after a Jewish student was targeted with an anti-Semitic note.

Students at St. Olaf College in Minnesota staged protests and boycotted classes in May 2017 after racist notes targeting black students were found around campus, earning coverage in national media outlets like The Washington Post. It later came out that a black student was responsible for the racist notes. The student carried out the hoax in order to "draw attention to concerns about the campus climate," the university announced.

The Air Force Academy was thrown into turmoil in September 2017 when horrific racist notes were found at the academy’s preparatory school. "Go home n—er," read one of the notes. The superintendent, Lt. Gen. Jay B. Silveria, went viral with an impassioned speech addressing the racist notes. Two months later, authorities determined that one of the students targeted by the notes was also the person responsible for writing them.

A student at Kansas State University filed a police report in November 2017 over racist graffiti left on his car. "Go Home N—— Boy" and "Whites Only," read the racist graffiti, which the student later admitted to writing himself.

Another instance of racist graffiti that same month also turned out to be a hoax. A Missouri high school investigated after racial slurs were left on a bathroom mirror in November 2017, only to find that the student responsible was "nonwhite."

* New York woman’s hate crime that wasn’t (September 2018) A New York woman was charged in September 2018 after police determined she fabricated a story about white teens yelling racial slurs at her and leaving a racist note on her car.

National media outlets pounced on a selectively edited video from the March for Life that showed Native American activist Nathan Phillips beating a drum in front of a boisterous group of boys from Covington Catholic High School.

Phillips originally told The Washington Post the students swarmed him while he was preparing to leave the Indigenous People’s March scheduled for the same day. Phillips originally said one student, who later identified himself as high school junior Nick Sandmann, blocked his path from leaving as he tried to do so. The extended video shows that wasn’t the case: Phillips approached the high school boys during their cheers, not the other way around. Some of the people with Phillips were directing racially charged language at the students, not the other way around.

Phillips told a second variation of his story to the Detroit Free Press. Phillips claimed he was playing the role of peacemaker by getting between the students and four "old black individuals," whom he claimed the students were attacking."They were in the process of attacking these four black individuals," Phillips told the Michigan paper. "I was there and I was witnessing all of this … As this kept on going on and escalating, it just got to a point where you do something or you walk away, you know? You see something that is wrong and you’re faced with that choice of right or wrong.""These young men were beastly and these old black individuals was their prey, and I stood in between them and so they needed their pounds of flesh and they were looking at me for that," he added.

Extended video shows that account also isn’t accurate. The four individuals Phillips referenced were members of the Black Hebrew Israelites and they launched racist and anti-gay slurs at the high school students, not the other way around.

The Wall

Imagine a stone wall. Dark, gritty, rough, thick and tall. You’re standing one side of it in a very dark place. It’s surface is filthy -greasy. You would never want to touch it. The atmosphere is ominous and grim. You’re alone.

Now imagine a man pressing against this wall. He’s pushing with all of his might. His face is grimaced. His jaw is clenched. He’s in pain. He’s been working against the barrier long enough that his body is covered in soot and grime. His elbows, his arm, his chest, his hands smudged, bleeding, torn. He employs his legs and forces his whole body against the wall. No man could push this wall down! And you watch him struggle but it doesn’t budge.

Determined, unwavering, full of fight, the man battles until in one fell swoop the wall suddenly crumbles. He has pushed with great force, but he cannot stop himself from falling with the wall. The mission cost him his life.

As you stand looking from afar your mind reels, because this man did this for you. You try, but you just can’t wrap your mind around the significance as you witness the gruesome scene. There must be a reason. A wall so strong and menacing stood in your way and this man sacrificed his own body to tear it down. Now you’re free. There is no longer a wall.

This wall is sin and the man is Jesus. Isaiah wrote that our sins have separated us from our God, -"Justice is far from us. . .we hope for light, but behold, darkness. . .we grope along the wall like blind men." The Prophet goes on to say that salvation is far from us -we’ve transgressed; we’ve denied the Lord -we’ve turned away from God and our sins testify against us. We have no excuse and what has been done is done.

In deciding what to do -what to do with sin, Jesus and the Father sent not an angel to help. Neither did they destroy the earth to start afresh -which would have been just. Instead, Jesus came Himself to redeem man. He used every breath to accomplish His feat. And in the end it cost Him His life.

Do we understand what has been sacrificed for us? Can we fathom this great act of selfless love? Since God has done such a work that we might live, let us live according to His ways. Let every breath be devoted to Him. And let us not be ashamed. Let us repent and humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, that we might be saved-and be saved for Him. Any other response would be futile and shameful. May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering.

Mark 10:45: "The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Is Passover Observance for Christians?

By Larry R. Lasiter

Mention that you observe the Passover with New Testament symbols to most "Christians" and you will often be asked,- "Are you a Christian Jew?" It is the common conception today that Christianity observes Easter and only Jews observe the Passover. But Why?

Did you know that Jesus, Himself commanded that the Gentile converts to Christianity be taught to observe the NT Passover? He most certainly did, and though it is easy to overlook, it is right there in your Bible.

The Apostle Paul was the Apostle to the Gentiles, Notice,- "Seeing that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised (Gentiles) just as Peter with the gospel to the circumcised (Israelites)." (Galatians 2:7) Paul was not one of the original twelve Apostles, but was chosen by Jesus after the resurrection. In fact, Paul led a persecution against the early Christian converts, having many arrested. But on the road to Damascus the glorified Jesus struck Paul blind and revealed to him that He had indeed been the Messiah and commissioned him as Apostle to the Gentile converts. All but one of Paul's letters to the Churches were to predominately Gentile congregations.

In his first letter to the Churches of God in the Gentile city of Corinth Paul wrote,- "For Christ, OUR PASSOVER also has been sacrificed. LET US therefore CELEBRATE THE FEAST, not with the old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the UNLEAVENED BREAD of sincerity and truth." (1 Corinthians 5:7-8) Paul was not only teaching Gentile Christians to observe the Passover, but to "Celebrate the Feast" of UNLEAVENED BREAD which follows it. How can we know that Jesus instructed Paul to teach its observance? We will soon see in Chapter 11.

What does that mean? It means that it was composed in a single time frame, and what is mentioned later may be connecting to something previously stated. And the letter was read in the Churches of Corinth from beginning to end in one sitting.

The reference to the Passover and Unleavened Bread in Chapter 5 would likely mean that the letter arrived in the spring about the time of their commanded observances.

There must have been a problem with HOW these new converts were observing the Passover, because later in his letter, Paul corrects them. It appears that some were bringing their own meals to eat before the actual Passover ceremony, and were eating freely in the presence of poorer brethren who had brought no food for themselves.

In Chapter 11, Verse 20, Paul reminds them that they are not coming together to eat the "Lord's Supper",- meaning that unlike the Jewish Passover where a seder meal is eaten, that their "Lamb" is Jesus and His "meat" is unleavened bread.

Notice Verses 23-26,- "For I RECEIVED FROM THE LORD that which I ALSO DELIVERED TO YOU, that the Lord Jesus IN THE NIGHT IN WHICH HE WAS BETRAYED took BREAD; and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said,- "THIS IS MY BODY which is for you, DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE of Me." In the same way He took THE CUP also, AFTER SUPPER, saying,- "THIS is the NEW COVENANT in MY BLOOD; DO THIS, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you PROCLAIM the LORD'S DEATH until He comes."

Notice carefully, that concerning the NT Passover observance, Paul said that he "DELIVERED" to the Gentile converts that which he had "RECEIVED" from the Lord.

Paul was not saying, "Do this ANYTIME or OFTEN." -but "as often as you do" you proclaim the Lord's death. It is a memorial of the Lord's death. The memorial is 14th Nissan, the Passover, the same day the first Passover lamb was slain in Egypt which foreshadowed the blessed Lamb to come. Remember Paul instructing them to "Celebrate the Feast" of Unleavened Bread earlier in his letter? This shows when they were partaking of the Bread and the Wine,- it was at Passover. Notice also that this is the "New Covenant" ceremony for Christians to observe, at its appointed time.

On that first Passover in Egypt, a lamb was slain, its blood smeared on the front of the Israelites homes to protect them from DEATH which would pass over THAT EVENING. More than 1000 years later, a Lamb called Jesus gave His life on this very day, the Passover, the Lord's appointed time to spill the precious blood that would save the world.

Why You Just Can’t Pray Anxiety Away

By Sarah Ball

Ask anyone who struggles with chronic anxiety how he or she feels when someone advises him or her to just "pray it away." All well-intentioned advice but from someone who has overcome a very severe anxiety disorder this is probably the worst advice to give and can keep anxiety suffers in a perpetual cycle of fear.

Anxiety was never something I struggled with in the past, I was a mom of five, a ministry leader, a mentor and I was a self proclaimed ‘suck it up princess’, ‘gett’r done’, ‘I can do all things through Christ’, ‘hustle hard girl’ and then after years of mental, emotional and physical neglect I was diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder, Panic disorder, Depression and OCD – and my faith-filled friends, I couldn’t just pray it away.

I remember the exact moment an intense depressing thought gripped me out of the blue, a thought that no Christian mother should ever have to grapple with. I ran to my room to escape, to pray it away, to beg God for freedom. I clutched my Bible close to my chest and I cried out. "God, this is either true and you can heal me or it’s all a lie!" At this point, I had spent six months begging in prayer for God to take away my anxiety. The journey God led me on at this breaking point in my life was intense and proved one thing, His Word WAS the way, the truth and the life. John 14:6 and I want to share with you why trying to just pray it away is not enough.

God absolutely wants us to go to Him for everything! We need to have a relationship with Jesus that is open and free; a relationship where we can share our burdens with Him and feel His peace and reassurance. This is key to our foundation. As a mom, I want all of my children to come to me with their struggles, but if I were to only validate their emotions and give reassurance and not teach them how to find strength in their challenges, then I raise weak children. For us, we can become habitually dependent on God’s validation and reassurance for our fears but we have to be willing to do the deeper work. Our Heavenly Father wants us to be strengthened and renew our minds.

Did you know that neurologists have determined that the brain was wired for love? It is scientifically proven that our brains have no preset wiring to handle stress and anxiety. When we experience negative emotions it throws our bodies into chemical chaos because our body and mind is trying to "fix" this foreign feeling. It all makes sense! Doesn’t it?! Of course, we are wired for love, because God is love and He made us JUST LIKE HIM! After working with hundreds of anxiety sufferers, I have discovered that most of the time the physical, mental and emotional reaction to a thought is mistrust in the Love of God in that area. This was key to my freedom. Whenever I was hit with anxiety I tried everything, I brought my panic to God, I pictured beaches, and breathed deeply, counted to ten, lathered in essential oils but what I needed was to inhale the truth that God fearlessly loved me. When we rattle off panicked prayers like, "make it go away!" Our focus is on the feeling of fear, we give it a place in our minds and elevate its power. Instead, don’t try to pray it away but rather focus on marinating your mind in love, remembering that – There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18

When someone reaches out to me with his or her anxiety battle, my first response is never "are you praying enough?" it is always this order: Have you seen your doctor? Are you sleeping enough? Are you exercising? Do you have a support system? Are you in counseling? Do you believe God really loves you? One of the very first things God showed me in my healing journey was that healing needed to take place throughout all of me; my body, my mind and my spirit. The reason God wants us to focus on all aspects of healing is because they are all interconnected and because God loves ALL OF US! If you have an emotional day you feel fatigued, if you are dealing with a major sickness or injury it weighs on your emotions, if you’re spiritually dry it makes your heart sick. So you have to have a balanced approach, not a "Jesus, or die" approach to healing.

Remember that famous line, "the only thing to fear, is fear itself"? We all feel anxious from time to time, we would be inhuman if we didn’t, but when we begin to fear the fear and do everything in our lives to avoid feeling it, we perpetuate a vicious cycle of fear. Often when we just run to prayer to ‘fight the fear’ we are unconsciously reinforcing the fact that the fear is valid and demands our attention. The most powerful phrase that gave me power over my anxiety was "Oh, hi anxiety, It’s JUST you." When I learned to accept the sensations and thoughts and not try to fight or run from it my life changed.

Prayer is the essence of our relationship with Christ, it is necessary to live a full life free from fear and the things that hold us back. Use prayer to listen and hear what God is instructing you to do to overcome anxiety and step into His peace.

Why the Bible Says Crazy Things

By Larry R. Lasiter

" Brothers and sisters, consider what you were when God called you to be Christians. Not many of you were wise from a human point of view. You were not in powerful positions or in the upper social classes. But God chose what the world considers nonsense to put wise people to shame. God chose what the world considers weak to put what is strong to shame. God chose what the world considers ordinary and what it despises—what it considers to be nothing—in order to destroy what it considers to be something." (1 Corinthians 1:26-28) GWB

Listen to any Christian vs Atheist debate and you will soon hear about how the Bible says some crazy things. A talking snake, man surviving three days in the belly of a big fish, and a story about a man who was crucified to death yet rose bodily from the grave to live again, etc. To the "wise" of the world these things seem more like ancient fables than historical truths. And that is precisely why God did it that way. He knew that only those with child-like faith could believe such impossible stories.

Consider the story of Jonah. Jonah was chosen by God to be a prophet to the wicked pagan city of Nineveh. God commissioned Jonah to warn the people there that God was bringing destruction upon them due to their evil ways. Nineveh was the capital city of the dreaded Assyrian Empire and Jonah hated them - he wanted God to bring ruin upon them. Not wanting to warn Nineveh he tried to flee from God by boarding a ship. When the ship encountered a sudden storm Jonah admitted to the crew that he was the probable cause. As a result the crew cast Jonah into the angry sea. But God had a plan. He had prepared a special fish with the ability to preserve the Prophet. Near of the end of three days and three nights in the belly of the fish Jonah was convicted of his disobedience and prayed a prayer of repentance. God heard his plea and directed the fish to release Jonah on the shore of Nineveh.

A couple of observations should be made here. 1. The three days and three nights was necessary because it would be the only sign that Jesus would give that He was the Messiah, -"Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, ‘Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.’ An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the Prophet; for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." (Matthew 12:38-40)

One should ask, "which is easier, -preserve a man in a fish for three days, or being dead in the grave for three days before being resurrected?" Of course both accounts are designed to confound the wise of the world. 2. God had a plan to help get Nineveh’s attention. Since the Assyrian’s worshiped Dagon, a fish god, having Jonah delivered to the city by a great fish was the best way to ensure that the people would listen to the Prophet. Not only did they listen, but they repented and began to fast in hope that God would have mercy. They were not disappointed because God spared them.

Though the "wise" men of today could see a clear reason and necessity for this to happen in this way, they would also reject it as being truthful since both accounts are scientifically impossible. But that’s the elephant in the room. What happened with both Jonah and Jesus were miracles, so of course they were natural impossibilities. And that’s the point of it all, -"With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26)

What if God had done it in a more simple way? What if God had arranged Jonah to find a floating log that eventually washed up on the shore of Nineveh? Certainly that would make it easier for the Richard Dawkins - Sam Harris - Atheist crowd to believe. However, if God had done it that way their quick response would be, -"Lots of people have survived the seas floating on a piece of wood! You don’t need a God for that! That’s not a miracle!"Oh, but you see, God did it in such a way as to make it impossible to be anything but a miracle. A miracle that only those with child-like faith would believe, -"Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 18:3) The unbelieving "wise" of this world would believe an account where God wasn’t needed and reject an account that was of necessity a miracle. God has done things in such a way as to give witness to His existence, and that He works in the affairs of men.

Consider if Jesus was not resurrected in bodily form and instead rose as a spirit. People have long believed that the spirits of the living continue to live on in a non-material realm. Virtually all cultures have believed in the lie that man has an immortal soul which cannot die. Jesus’ fleshly body rose from the dead. His body still had the wounds of His scourging and crucifixion -He did not appear to His followers as a ghostly spirit. And one of the reasons this was necessary was to confound the "wise." From ancient times people have claimed to have seen and interacted with departed spirits. Most all cultures have believed in ghosts of the dead. Jesus is a Spirit, but if Jesus had not risen and appeared in bodily form skeptics would assert, "Jesus wasn’t actually resurrected, His body was still in the tomb. His followers claims were nothing more than those who say they have seen a ghost! People "see" what they want to see-it’s not real-just superstition!"

Those of us with child-like faith are very often accused of having blind faith. But this is not true -our eyes have been opened to see what the "wise" of the world cannot. "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise they became fools." (Romans 1:20-22) For those of us who have experienced the Presence of God and have seen the miracle of His creation, it’s easy for us to believe. Everywhere we look we see the handiwork of an awesome Creator. The very DNA in your body, laid end to end would stretch across the Milky Way Galaxy! It is a written code of instructions for what makes you, you. As David observed, "We are wonderfully and fearfully made." As a young shepherd boy who loved the Lord, he would gaze at the expanse of the universe and wonder, "When I consider Your Heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have ordained; What is man that you take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him?"

Scientists agree that the universe had a specific beginning and came into existence from "nothing." That’s exactly what the Bible says, -"By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the Word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible." (Hebrews 11:3) God spoke the universe into existence and commanded to be all that there is. Our universe is confined by certain laws of physics - it exists in time, but God simply is the "I AM", the ever-existing One with no beginning nor end.

Atheists often ask, -"If the universe has a Creator then who created the Creator?" This is, in fact a very bad position to take because if the Creator God needed a Creator, then His Creator would also need a Creator and we would enter into infinite regress-which itself, would prove eternity. Of course, an infinite regress is impossible, whereas the existence of an eternal Being is not. Our universe itself is still expanding into the "emptiness" of space which is eternal. For mere man who lives perhaps 60 years as an adult to confidently assert that the universe and the wonders of all living things on the earth to have arisen from nothing is nonsensical.

The earth and all things in it is filled with necessary information. There is no living organism on this planet that is not coded with information in order to live, grow and function. Twenty five years ago the Bible was found to be filled with codes from God. In 1994 Doron Witztum, Eliyahu Rips and Yoav Rosenberg published a paper, "Equidistant Letter Sequences in the Book of Genesis", in the scientific journal Statistical Science. The paper, which was presented by the journal as a "challenging puzzle", presented strong statistical evidence that biographical information about famous rabbis was encoded in the text of the Book of Genesis, centuries before those rabbis lived.

When the news began to circulate that the Bible contained hidden codes which could be searched many were astonished and excitedly joined in. Soon, computer programs were created which the ordinary person could use to search the Bible for hidden codes. No more need to read and understand Hebrew because the software did it for you. Information is searched by using numerical sequences, such as counting every seven Hebrew letters straight through a book of the Bible which would spell out full sentences. Many major events in history were being found with exact dates and places. Yeshua as the Lamb of God was found many places. At first only single Bible books such as Genesis or Isaiah were searched, but suddenly an even greater discovery was made -a readable and related sequence that stretched through the entire Old Testament from Genesis to Malachi. The implications were staggering! This meant that God had so preserved His Word that every book was canonized properly and arranged in perfect order. Exactly as Jesus had promised, -"Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Words will not pass away." (Matthew 24:35) God is still in the business of confounding the "powerful and wise" of this world, -"The wicked plots against the righteous, and gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him for He sees his day is coming." (Psalm 37:12-13)

We Must Take a Hard Look

By Michael R. Lasiter

"War is a nightmare. War is awful. It is indifferent and devasting and evil. War is hell." -the opening statement former Navy SEAL , Jocko Willink makes in his TED talk expressing a sentiment that almost everyone would agree with. It receives virtually universal agreement. People are generally quite clear on the fact that you do not want something like war to touch your life. I'd argue that those who can see it for what it really is are able to do so because they know what occurs in war. And the reason they know is because they've been confronted with it. Images on the news, eyewitness testimonies, even live-reporting of what's taking place. The clarity is unpleasant but it's necessary. If you're going to make the decision as a country to enter an armed conflict you need to understand the nature of it before you make that determination. As a citizen you bear a responsibility to be aware and informed, especially when it comes to making a choice that will put so many lives in danger. I've yet to hear anyone say that they think it's better to be less informed.

I remember a police officer explaining a policy his precinct had implemented regarding carrying pepper spray. None of them could carry without being sprayed with it themselves first. It only makes sense to have an understanding of something before you advocate for it. So when I see how adamantly people will promote things they haven't even bothered to investigate it puzzles me. Take for instance the debate our country is having right now over abortion. I'm constantly incensed by the arguments and statements being made by those in favor of killing the unborn. The progressive left is relentless in their attempts to sanitize and conceal what abortion actually is. Calling it 'pro choice', claiming it's 'women's reproductive rights'. Framing the issue to be about 'a woman's right to choose'. You can't argue against that, -you don't hate rights do you?

The left loves to repeat lines like 'safe, legal and rare'. They desperately need to hide because if the public finds out what is actually happening most wouldn't be able to tolerate it any longer. Just watch anyone who's pursuing policy in favor of abortion answer questions about it. It's painful to witness how embarrassingly they try to keep from saying what it is that they want made and kept legal. They don't want to talk about it. They don't want to talk about what Planned Parenthood is doing with your tax dollars. They don't want you to see what an abortion procedure is. They need to keep people in the dark.

For the most part, traditional media provides as much cover as they can for the issue. Consistently parroting the right language and avoiding the main point of contention. Doing their best to help "mainstream" such cruel practices. Normally the press jumps at the opportunity to point out a monster when they find one. Movies are made, documentaries are filmed, hours of coverage goes to detailing the evil perpetrated on the innocent by these villains. If you were in a room of a hundred people and asked for a show of hands "who knows who Jeffrey Dahmer was?" You’d get most if not all. But ask those same people who Kermit Gosnell is and it'd be a much smaller number. Despite it being a much more recent case. A former physician who was convicted of brutally murdering infants, born alive, while operating one of the most horrific abortion slaughterhouses ever uncovered. In 2010 his 'Women's Medical Society' was raided over suspected illegal prescription drug use at the practice. The team members that raided the clinic were shocked by what they found.

"Fetal remains were haphazardly stored throughout the clinic– in bags, milk jugs, orange juice cartons, and even in cat-food containers... Gosnell admitted to Detective Wood that at least 10 to 20 percent... were probably older than 24 weeks [the legal limit]... In some instances, surgical incisions had been made at the base of the fetal skulls. The investigators found a row of jars containing just the severed feet of fetuses. In the basement, they discovered medical waste piled high. The intact 19-week fetus delivered by Mrs. Mongar three months earlier was in a freezer. In all, the remains of 45 fetuses were recovered ... at least two of them, and probably three, had been viable." - Seth Williams Report of the grand jury. Time would fail me to list all the murderous atrocities here. Suffice to say, this man's predatory behavior was on a scale to merit a nation's attention, but not much seemed to have been given.

All of us have seen footage of the dire conditions and depraved atrocities which were perpetrated in Nazi Concentration Camps. There have been movies such as award winning "Shindler’s List" that pulled back the curtain on the systematic extermination of the Jewish people. Cruel torture, starvation, forced labor and murder - shocking scenes of mass genocide. Since that time prominent Jews have made a constant effort to remind the public of these war crimes with the aim of preventing such from happening again. There is much sympathy for what Jewish holocaust victims have endured, and it is directly related to regularly presenting to the public the evils of what occurred through survivor testimonials, history lectures, photographic evidence, and films. Once seen, the horrifying images can never be erased from memory.

You may recall seeing the aftermath of victims who lost life or limb in the ethnic cleansing that took place in Rwanda. Or the photo of a little boy, bloody and covered in ash after surviving a bombing in Syria. The appalling beheadings, burning people alive, making sex slaves of little girls, and stomping little children and babies to death in the streets performed by ISIS terrorists. All of these things I saw myself on the News-very little was held back -and everybody could easily see that ISIS was the face of evil and must be destroyed.

Yet where do we see any News organization showing body parts due to an abortion -or airing a demonstration of how abortions are actually performed? In order to condition the minds of Germans to murder Jews without conviction, they labeled them as "sub-human" -nothing more than "beasts of the field." They also vilified them by calling them "vampires" who drained the nation of its wealth. This was an attempt to justify the evil-just call it "needed" and "good"- the "purging of unwanted evil". This is also why Pro-Choice advocates refer to a baby in the womb as a "fetus" who has no human rights -"it’s not a human". This is because, like the Jews of Germany, these precious babies are also not wanted. Though the baby is a separate person all the rights are given to the mother who could have used birth control to the prevent the pregnancy. 93% of abortions are for convenience sake-the baby is not wanted. The vast majority opting for abortion simply do not want the responsibility and "burden" of raising a child -so they have it killed and extracted from their womb -usually piece by piece.

Information is truth and truth is power -power to change hearts and minds.

The largest Abortion provider in America is Planned Parenthood. There is a new film -"Unplanned" which will be released March 29 which tells the story of Abby Johnson. Ms Johnson was the youngest clinic director in the history of Planned Parenthood. Then a life-changing experience turned her into an anti-abortion activist. One day she asked to assist in an ultrasound-guided abortion at thirteen weeks gestation. After the unspeakable horror of what she witnessed she resigned and became an anti-abortion activist.

None of us want to see any of these things but when we do we're motivated to fight for change. Facing and confronting evil is never pleasant, so many avoid it because it's painful. But the unborn cannot stand up for themselves, they are the most vulnerable among us. No society that endeavors to have at least some morality can continue to ignore the brutal treatment of so many of it's most vulnerable. Not without paying a price.

Christians especially have a clear obligation to shine light on it. "Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible" - Ephesians 5:11-13

Speaking the truth plainly is the only way to cut through. If we can do that with war and genocide we can with the systematic murder of babies. I'm not surprised that there's so much darkness covering and concealing the practice of abortion. I understand that a country whose society has been busy destroying it's moral foundations is going to suffer some ambiguity and callous indifference. I'm definitely not surprised that an industry making billions killing children and selling the body parts, protects it's cruel methods. I'm just surprised at how easily so many are willing to go along with it.

A Greater Law

Jesus said that we should never imagine that He had come to abolish the Law. (Matt 5) He had come to fulfill the Law, and said that heaven and earth would pass away before even one comma would pass from the Law.

However, we also understand by the writings of His Apostles that the saints live under grace and not under the Law. The Sinai Covenant contained many Laws, some of which were added because of transgressions. Occasionally we read where the Lord adds a new command or instruction because of a transgression committed. One which comes to mind, is when an Israelite was found gathering wood on the Sabbath. The judgment from God was that the people must stone the offender to death. Then afterwards God instructed the people to hang tassels on the four corners of their garments to remind them to remember and keep the Sabbath holy. Righteousness was to be achieved by keeping the Law under the Sinai Covenant, -which is why a New Covenant of Grace through faith was necessary. Moses commanded that the Book of the Law be placed on the outside of the Ark of the Covenant as a "witness against" Israel saying, "You have been rebellious against the Lord; how much more then after my death?" (Deut. 31:27)

Though the Church has entered Abraham’s Covenant of Promise-a Covenant of grace through faith, it is not a Covenant without Law. In fact, God’s Laws are supernaturally written in our hearts and minds. (Heb.8) And though there are not a specific number of Laws, they encompass much more.

When asked what was the greatest of the Commandments Jesus said "the first, to love the Lord, Your God with all your being." And then said the second greatest is to love your neighbor as yourself. He added that all the Laws and Prophets hang on these two great principles. Jesus also said that His true disciples would be recognized by their love for one another. Love for God and love for neighbor has countless applications. According to 1 Corinthians 13 love is patient and kind -it is not jealous nor envious, -and true love does not seek it’s own interest. There are no loopholes -if you lust you have committed adultery, -if you hate you have committed murder. Our Laws are stricter and greater not more lenient. God is not only judging what you say and do -He is judging the very intents of your heart.

Odds and Ends

QUESTION: "Does your Church keep Easter, and if not, why?"

We do not observe Easter but we do observe the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Though the King James translators added the word "Easter" in Acts 12, the Greek word ("Pascha") written in the original manuscripts meant "Passover." Jesus kept the Passover as recorded in all four gospels and instructed His disciples to continue to observe it after His death and resurrection. Jesus even said that he would eat it again after He establishes His Kingdom on the earth after His return in glory. (Matt.26:29) In 1 Corinthians Chapters 5 and 11 we see that the Apostle Paul instructed these Gentile congregations to keep the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Our goal as Christians is to strive for the original faith which was once and for all handed down to the Church by Christ’s Apostles. Jude wrote that we should "earnestly contend" for that faith and "remember the words of the Apostles."

The Passover has rich meaning to those who keep it. The Bible says that Christ is our Passover. He is the Passover Lamb of God given for the sins of man. When we come together to eat the Passover, we partake of the unleavened (sinless) Body of Christ. The unleavened bread and the wine are symbols of His Body and Blood. We contemplate the suffering He endured on the Passover on which He was crucified, so it is a very serious and solemn occasion yet not without the joy of appreciation for that sacrifice. The Feast of Unleavened Bread which immediately follows lasts for seven days. The first and the last are Holy Days with appointed convocations. Paul said "Celebrate the Feast", so we celebrate with joy that our Passover has made us unleavened (without sin) before the Lord. Paul told the Church that they were in fact unleavened in Christ. (1 Cor 5) The seven annual Feasts of God picture His great plan of salvation and are centered around three harvests. These natural harvests represent three separate harvests of souls.

On the other hand, Easter was not ordered to be kept in the Christian Church until 300 years after the resurrection. It came into the Church through the Roman Catholic Church at Rome. "Easter" is the English name for the fertility goddess Ishtar of Egypt and Eostre of Germanic roots. These goddesses are also connected with sun-worship. The customs associated with Easter observance were practiced by many pagan cultures long before the death and resurrection of Christ. Ever wonder why Easter is always the first Sunday after the Vernal Equinox? Or why the customs of sunrise services, colored eggs, rabbits and egg hunts are associated with Easter? Certainly these things have nothing to do with Christ

* Please could you send me a copy of the sermon "Generational curses, Are they Biblical?" Michael’s message yesterday was a real blessing in a difficult time. Thank you, Julianne, Norfolk, England

* Good evening Pastor

My name is Sophia Walker-Tucker, I live in Kingston, Jamaica.

I am a member of the Church of God International. I have been listening to your sermons on YouTube and I must say I am have been blessed. Praise God! God bless you and your family. May God also continue to bless the work that He is doing through you and the brethren.

* Dear Pastor Larry R Lasiter,

Much greetings to you in the mighty name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

I am Mr George Owato from Kenya. I am a teacher by profession currently teaching at Kisii County. Above all I am a teacher and preacher of the word of God. I am married to one wife Hellen and blessed with three children: John, Grace and Philip.

I am writing to inform you that I landed at your website yesterday and to my surprise I find that your ministry is indeed unlike most Church of God groups. I am a baptized member and congregation leader of Living Church of God, Migori Congregation.

I joined church of God in 2006 and have since then learnt a lot from the Bible on several topics. Nevertheless, I have found out that most church of God groups are very lukewarm, man-centered fellowships that are devoid of the manifest presence and power of God. They do not accept spontaneous praise and worship of God with music and work to suppress spiritual gifts in members as well as the work of the Holy Spirit of God.

We became tired of these and really wanted to be part of a vibrant group of believers who worship God in Spirit and Truth. We have been praying to God to show us the way and its like He has heard and answered our prayer by leading me to your website.

I am very much impressed with the work of God that you are doing and would like to be part and parcel of your ministry going forward. I have read the powerful testimonies that God is working in the lives of His people which is very uplifting. I thank God for the testimonies.

* Dear Pastor Lasiter,

We just heard your voice in the YouTube where you are preaching on stand in the Sabbath breach which is so interesting. Thank you very much.

We need some more lessons like this from you and your Newsletter and other spiritual material which we would like to distribute to the college and high school students in our area where most of our evangelism work is there among them.

I am a full time evangelist in rural, urban, some slum and remote areas where most of the people do not know Jesus. Kindly forward your valuable material and pray for our evangelism work. Please arrange some videos if they are available. We are a team of evangelists who are in Full time work We all do pray for you and your ministry. May our Lord's richness be showered upon you abundantly throughout this year.

With kind regards

Yours in his bond servant

Pastor Roy and team -Kenya, East Africa