The Conclusion of the Matter – Part II

definitely worth thinking about...

"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." (Hebrew 9:27)

Without any doubt, this life will come to an end, at some point, for everyone of us. EVERYONE, without exception. With every passing day, we get closer to the day we will breath our last breath, and then, eternity.

Eternity, for those who are holy:

Holy men and women, put simply, are those who are in Christ Jesus. No man, no woman can attain to any measure of true holiness without the salvation of the Lord; it is an utter impossibility. We are born totally depraved sinners and the only way anyone of us can be made holy is by the finished work of the Cross.

When Jesus said "It is finished" (John 19:30), what He was referring to was the redemption of His people. Jesus had suffered the wrath of God for the sins of His people; all the sins of all His people. He took the curse of sin upon Himself, and His elect were made positionally holy in Christ (His holiness was imputed to His people).

"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree." (Galatians 3:13)

"According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love." (Ephesians 1:4)

For all of eternity, God's holy people will enjoy God forever in a place called Heaven. Heaven is the place where God manifests Himself in a great way; it is where His glory shines greatest. That is why God's people all have a yearning for Heaven. It's riches, it's "natural beauty", it's abundance... all these things are good, but the true Christian looks forward to Heaven because that's where Christ is.

"Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven." (Luke 10:20)

"Look down from thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless thy people Israel, and the land which thou hast given us, as thou swarest unto our fathers, a land that floweth with milk and honey." (Deuteronomy 26:15)

Primarily, Heaven will be all about worshipping God. Just as there are plenty of misconceptions about what Hell is really like, there are plenty of faulty ideas about what Heaven is like. Heaven is NOT a "Walt-Disney-World-in-the-skies". Heaven is a holy place where the holy worship God day and night. Think of it as an eternal church worship service! That's why unbelievers don't have a place in Heaven: they hate the very concept of glorifying God on Earth, why should they then enter an eternal place that will be all about worshipping God?

"And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." (Revelation 4:8-11)

Heaven will be perfect in every sense of the word. There will be no pain, no loss, no death, no hate, no sin of any kind. Everything in Heaven will be awesome (and I'm not using this word flippantly). The beauty and glory of God Himself will be in everything, for His presence is first and foremost in this place called Heaven.

"And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful." (Revelation 21:3-5)

"And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life." (Revelation 21:23-27)

Aren't these passages glorious? I mean... I read these verse and I'm telling you... I tear up! That's my home! That's where I want to be... ASAP! And that's the natural, normal reaction of a faithful saint of God. An unbeliever, or a compromising Christian have a natural affection to this fallen world. Oh! they'll all have some complaints, but all and all, their affections are on this present wicked world. Not so with those who are being conformed to the image of Christ. They have no love for this fallen world, and their hope, their comfort is in the promise of Heaven.

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." (1 John 2:15-17)

"For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ." (Philippians 3:20)

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)

So, is this your spiritual destination? Are you on your way to Heaven? Is this the kind of place, with all it's holiness, that you want to be in eternally? It's what I want. It's what all born-again saints of God want. What say ye?

I leave you with this EXCELLENT picture of God's future kingdom... enjoy:

"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea." (Isaiah 11:6-9)


Rand

"He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus."(Revelation 22:20)

Echoes From Yesterday's Work

who's baleful-looking???

Yesterday, at the "gay pride parade", I had two concerns. My first was getting a good beating. My second was not being visible enough to those who were in the parade, as well as those who watched the abomination unfold. Well, there is no doubt... yesterday, we were seen... and everyone knew what our message was.

This is from the local CBC news service:

"One participant was standing just two metres from a man holding a large sign with a biblical quotation denouncing homosexuality, but he wasn't going to let anything rain on his parade."

The man with the large sign was my pastor, and while his sign did denounce homosexuality, it also denounced fornication, idolatry, adultery, larceny, covetousness, drunkenness, revilement and extortion. But hey! it's the CBC! If you want the Truth, they won't cover it.

This is from one of the local newspapers:

"The parade featured dozens of modest -- in at least one sense of the word -- floats, hundreds of marchers, and an infectious good humour that brightened the grey skies and ignored a dire biblical warning about the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah held aloft by a baleful-looking man on the curb."

Baleful-looking? WHAT? Anyone who has met me, feel free to laugh hysterically here.

Yeah... my big 5-feet-something, 100-pound-nothing... real threatening material here! LOL!


Rand

Ps: Special thanks to brother Pascal who found these mentions... Wow! Look Mom, I'm famous! Baleful-looking, but still famous. LOL!

Sunday Afternoon Notes

the abominable day...

Well, today was the cursed "gay pride parade". What a detestable, disgusting and wicked festival!

My pastor and I, after a short time of prayer (in which we prayed that the Lord would save some of these sinners) went out with the following two Gospel signs:

"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)

"God turned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemning them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly." (2 Peter 2:6)

It rained for much of the parade, so the turn-out was rather poor. Praise God! The downside though was that those who were there, were the most hardened sodomites. I was only able to share the Gospel (by conversation) with one "man", and a newspaper journalist.

There was another benefit of the rain: most had their rain jackets on; I don't think I saw any nudity this time around, which is a first. There were plenty of gross scenes, but the lack of nudity was a real blessing.

For the most part, things were quiet today. Most of the spectators and those who participated in the parade tried their hardest to ignore us, though almost all read our signs. Praise God! That's not to say we weren't pushed around at all; one man objected to my sign, claiming that because he had been with the same man for over 28 years, his way of life was perfectly fine. When he realized none of his arguments were swaying me in the least, he grabbed me. He didn't try to hit me or shove me, he was mocking me saying: "there, now I've contaminated you with my homosexual hands." If you find this weird, believe me, so did I. He left, and I thanked the Lord.

The most aggravating aspect of the parade, for me this year, were those detestable false teachers, the "United church" and "Anglican church." Their clergy and members actually took part in the parade, holding up signs the read:

"God created Adam and Yves."

"God loves gays"

As I watched them all pass by me, reading my sign and scoffing at it, I couldn't help but be reminded of Isaiah 5:20:

"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"

So, we live to fight another day, thanks be to God. The Gospel of Truth was presented, the seeds were sown. Let us pray that the Lord will cultivate good soil in some of the hearts we ministered to this afternoon.

I appreciate all your prayers, dear saints.


Rand

Friday Night Notes

the offence of the Gospel...

I've just returned from our usual three hours of evangelism in the marketplace of our city, and what a heartbreak it was tonight. We get nights like tonight from time to time, where the masses just can't show us even the bare minimum of civility. We were maligned and mocked on mass tonight.

Oddly enough, the night actually started out well. One of my co-workers, who is not a believer, made it a point to stop by and say "hello". She said: "I wanted to make sure you didn't think I'd snub you!" The Lord show her mercy and grace for your kindness towards me.

There were also a couple of souls that walked by me as I was carrying a John 3:36 Gospel sign and they thanked me and encouraged me with kind words. They were probably believers, though I can't be sure, our encounters were kept pretty short.

I'd say these "sweeter" moments took place in the first hour of our night of preaching; after that, we had a solid two hours of pure hatred and derision. We got it all tonight: "Go home!", "You idiots!", "Shut up! We don't care!", "We love Satan!", "I'm a sinner and I love it!", "I hate Jesus!"... and I'm only jotting down the "cleaner" declarations which were hurled at us. The profanity flowed like water tonight, and most of it washed up on my pastor and I. Good times... good times.

Not surprisingly, there were a lot more homosexuals out in the market tonight. It's no surprise because they are having their detestable parade this Lord's Day afternoon. Interestingly enough though, the bulk of insults against us were not from this particular group of sinners. For the most part, they ignored us tonight. Please pray that the Lord will use my pastor and I this Sunday, as we will be going to the "pride parade" with our Gospel signs; pray for protection from harm, and more importantly, that the Lord would see it fit to save some of these lost souls.

Speaking of safety, I suppose I shouldn't whine too much about our night, the Lord did give us a safe night. No violence, or threat of violence, whatsoever. We were able to preach without hindrance, and I am pleased to report that the Bible was preached in the marketplace tonight. We were maligned, we were ridiculed, but by the preaching of His Holy Word, God was glorified.

It is hard to watch though: so many souls destroying themselves, hardening themselves in the vilest sin, and condemning themselves before God. It's quite disheartening.

Oh Lord, have mercy.

"It is time for thee, LORD, to work: for they have made void thy law." (Psalm 119:126)

Good night, dear readers.


Rand

The Conclusion of the Matter – Part I

worth thinking about...

"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." (Hebrew 9:27)

Without any doubt, this life will come to an end, at some point, for everyone of us. EVERYONE, without exception. With every passing day, we get closer to the day we will breath our last breath, and then, eternity.

Eternity, for the wicked:

The wicked, put simply, is every unconverted soul. We are sinners by birth and by choice. Sin separates men and women from God. If Jesus hasn't saved you from your sin, you belong in this class; you are wicked.

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)

The wicked will have their part in a literal, very real, lake of fire. This place was prepared for the devil and his demons, not as a place where they could rule, but rather, a place of torment. Men and women will end up in the lake of fire because they have preferred following the devil over serving the Living God by faith in Jesus Christ. They will therefore suffer the EXACT same fate as the devil himself.

“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” (Revelation 20:10)

“And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:14-15)

For all of eternity, these wicked souls will feel fiery torments, and it will never, ever, let up. There will be no measure of comfort, no "getting use to it", no annihilation. There will be no goodness, no grace, no beauty, no joy, no peace... all things noble and blessed will be absent. If you are reading this, dear reader, as one who has not been born-again, this is your fate... this is where you are headed. Do you not think it is time for you to seek God?

“And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” (Mark 9:43-44)

“Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:6-7)


To all saints who are reading this: consider Hell. Consider it carefully. Close your eyes, and imagine the horrifying place Hell is. Remind yourselves of a soul you have known, who has passed away without a hope in Christ. Count the number of years that they have been deceased and consider that that is the amount of time they have spent suffering excruciating pain. And then, remind yourselves that they have an eternity to spend in this state.

Has it made you weep? Did it distress you? If it didn't, what a poor excuse for a saint you are! What a poor excuse for a human being you are! Hell is a reality which must grip us. Forgetting about Hell is a ruse of the devil himself. By neglecting the reality of Hell, saints lose the sense of urgency to proclaim the Gospel to all who will hear. Anyone who truly understands what Hell is all about can do nothing else but show others the way out of the condemnation of the Lake of Fire. Anything else would be depraved indifference.


Rand

Friday Morning/Night Notes

it's been a busy day...

Well, I had the week off my secular job, but not my Christian work. Alot of evangelistic work was done today, here's a summary:


10:30am-1pm:

Sadly, today was the beginning of "pride week" in my city. To those of you who do not know what that is, you are most blessed. "Pride week" is when Sodomites get together for a week of revelry. They organize these festivals in all of Canada's major (and not so major) cities, being careful to offset the dates for each city so that they can "import" Sodomites from other cities in an attempt to make their numbers seem bigger than they really are.

Anyway, to mark the beginning of this ungodliness, the Sodomites got together at city hall to raise their despicable rainbow flag (for all of us who know what the rainbow is a token of, you have to laugh, or maybe cry at the irony). The mayor himself set his blessing on the wicked events. In effect, my city was saying: "this is good, we're behind you!"

Well, my pastor wasn't going to let that happen without reminding these wicked souls that there is one Authority, THE AUTHORITY, who has a real problem with this "festival". So he asked me if I would go to their evil event with a Gospel sign. I accepted immediately.

"God turned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly." (2 Peter 2:6)

That's what was written on my sign. I got a few hisses and jeers, but all and all, the Sodomites did there best to ignore me; though all of them read the sign... multiple times. There is even little doubt that our wicked mayor both saw and read the sign. Praise God. Other than that, I had a few one-on-one conversations, not many though, but I was glad that I was able to share the Gospel with at least a couple of souls.

There was one somewhat humorous moment; one that really shows the bias of the MSM (mainstream media): a camera crew from the CBC was covering the event. Near the end, the crew filmed me holding up my Gospel sign. The woman who organized the event was incensed! She walked right up to the cameraman and said: "You are not covering that, are you?" I'll give you all three guesses as to who was excluded from the 2-3 minute CBC report on the "pride" event.


8pm-11pm:

Our usual time of evangelism. My pastor and I made our way back to our spot, in front of the parking garage, with our Gospel signs and our Bible literature. The people in the marketplace gave us the customary reception to the Gospel preaching: mockery, scorn, hatred... etc.

For the first hour and a half though, despite the antagonism of most of our hearers, we were able to preach the Gospel of Truth without serious distraction. Things went awry in the last half. You see, our old friend, Matthew the drunkard showed up to panhandle for booze money. Matthew the drunkard has no affection for us or the Gospel we preach. We have tried numerous times to make peace with Matthew, but to no avail. Sadly, Matthew has destroyed himself so badly with alcohol abuse, even basic reasoning is difficult if not impossible; his brain, quite frankly, is fried.

Anyway, as we preached, Matthew would regularly shout "Shut up!" along with some threatenings which I have come to take seriously, since, I have been on the receiving end of one of Matthew's punches in the past. This went on for a good half hour. Finally, the security guards that work in the parking garage as well as the police tried to deal to poor Matthew but again, to no avail. The security guards have no real power, and the police really don't want to arrest a "dead-end-drunk."

So despite the various attempts by law enforcement agents to get rid of Matthew, we were stuck dealing with him all night long. Always watching our backs, always wondering if he was just going to mouth off, or if we were going to get clobbered. Praise God, he just mouthed off tonight.

Sad moment of the night: I ran into a lady we had shared the Gospel with a few weeks ago (see under "Trying to make their own rules"). She didn't show any signs of true repentance, but I was hopeful that the Lord might deal with her because she was so upset by my preaching, it had brought her to tears. I was hopeful that those tears were the beginning of the fear of the Lord. Those hopes were dashed tonight. While she was still somewhat upset, she was out in the market again, up to no good, and this time, she was armed with a deep hatred of anything I had to say. The Lord be merciful to her.

Hilarious moment of the night: One of the many security guards that attempted to deal with Matthew also had a big problem with our presence. So he ordered us away from the parking garage. He wouldn't even let us stand on the publicly owned sidewalk in front of the garage, claiming that the sidewalk belonged to the garage. Well, my pastor, who is wise as a serpent, and harmless as a dove (Matthew 10:16), not wanting to senselessly argue took one step off the sidewalk, and started preaching. My pastor was a whopping 2 inches from where the security guard said we couldn't preach, but there was no way he could claim that the street belonged to his building, so he left us alone. I could barely keep myself from laughing as I watched the security guards face, as he watched my pastor preaching.

And that's the notes for tonight, I'm off to bed now. If you have the time, drop by my sister-in-the-Lord's (Pearl) blog, Of Great Price. I have meditated, all day today, on the verse she has posted at the top of her August 18th entry.

Take care,


Rand

Paul Washer

you want to listen to this...

A few weeks ago, my pastor attended revival meetings at Peachtree Baptist church in Senoia, Georgia. While there, he was introduced to the ministry of a missionary called Paul Washer. My pastor was so impressed with the preaching of this man of God, he brought back tape copies of a series of six sermons Mr. Washer preached a few months ago.

I have mentioned this man here and there in the last few weeks; most recently, in my last post where I posted a segment of an interview "Way of the Master radio" had with Mr. Washer. Now listen... I am very difficult to please as far as preaching is concerned. For me to be impressed with a preacher, he has to be sound doctrinally and he has to teach Scripture. Not cute personal/humourous stories. Scripture. Well, let me tell you, dear readers, I am impressed with this preacher.

Dear friends, I have just put up all six sermons Mr. Washer preached at the revival meetings. They are all EXCELLENT sermons. E-X-C-E-L-L-E-N-T!

So, do yourselves a favour. Cut the TV out this week. Cut the golf game. Lose the cute fiction you are reading. LISTEN TO THESE SERMONS! Listen to them and profit. Here they are:

Paul Washer - Part 1
Paul Washer - Part 2
Paul Washer - Part 3
Paul Washer - Part 4
Paul Washer - Part 5
Paul Washer - Part 6



They are also in my menu bar. Listen to them directly from my blog, or download them to your ipods/desktops and listen to them at your convinience. I hope the Lord will bless you by the ministry of Mr. Washer as He has blessed me.


Rand

Ps: To learn more about Paul Washer, check out his website at HeartCry Missionary Society.

Friday Night Notes

how we preach...

Another Friday night, another 3 hours of evangelism. Armed with Bible tracts and Gospel signs, my pastor and I preached the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to hundreds, if not thousands of souls tonight. The Lord be praised. As usual, the response wasn't too warm, but the Lord protected us and even gave us opportunities to witness one-on-one with a few souls.

Now before I give you a summary of our work tonight, I want to address something. Last week, I had a few unbelievers question the effectiveness of our preaching. For the most part, the issue wasn't with our evangelism per se, but rather, our method of evangelism. I was told (in comments and by e-mail) that I was too harsh; that I wasn't loving enough in my dealings with unbelievers. I was told that I had "to go down to their level," and find more "loving ways" to communicate the Gospel to our hearers. I was warned that I was just turning people off.

Well... listen to this audio clip by missionary Paul Washer (taken from an interview on Way of the Master Radio). It will explain C-L-E-A-R-L-Y why I reject the charges I received last week, and why I will continue preaching the Gospel the way the Bible declares it should be preached.

Now, to the notes:


That Hateful Rand:

I was walking down the bar/pub strip with a Gospel sign when a Sodomite walked up to me and said:

"You're just scaring people, you know."

"I wish that were true," I answered.

"You're a freak, you know that?" he retorted.

I couldn't think of anything kind or reasonable to say after that fine example of wit, so I just kept walking. But, the Sodomite wasn't done. He came back a few seconds later, walked well into my "personal space" and said:

"When are you going to stop your hatred?"

I looked at my sign, pointed to it, and said:

"God so loved the world... oh yeah... lots of hate there!"

"You're not fooling anyone," he replied angrily, "I know all about your hateful message!"

"And what kind of message are you giving me tonight, my friend," I calmly asked. "I'm asking because, I got to tell you, I'm not feelin' the love!"

I don't know if his depraved mind allowed him to recognize the high level of hypocrisy in his charges against me, but he did leave me alone from that moment on. He just walked away.


Every Security Guard Should Know:

Our preaching "spot" is right beside a parking garage. This parking garage has a security guard that basically keeps drunkards and vandals out. Two or three times a night, the security guard makes his rounds around the outside of the garage which means, he walks right by us.

The man has always been kind and courteous to us. We've always gotten along great, but sadly, my pastor and I had never been able to give this soul the Gospel. Well, tonight, my pastor seized the opportunity the Lord gave him. When the security guard came out for his second walk around the garage, my pastor called out to him, presented a Gospel tract and said:

"Every security guard in this wicked and sometimes violent world needs to know the Gospel!"

The security guard, with a big smile on his face, accepted the tract and wished us a goodnight.


My Favorite Move:

I was distributing Gospel tracts when a woman walked by me. She read the Gospel sign that was right behind me, and she looked at me with a bit of a perplexed look. She didn't say anything, and she didn't take a tract, she just walked away. Such a reaction isn't uncommon, so I just shrugged it off, and reset my focus on the other people who were walking past me.

Well, I don't know this for sure, but I get the feeling the Holy Spirit wasn't letting that woman alone because, believe it or not, she walked back to me and asked me for a Gospel tract. I smiled, handed her the tract and said "goodnight".


And that's the notes for tonight, dear readers. I'm off to bed... it's been a long week. God bless your weekend, and have a great Lord's Day.


Rand

A Little Note for a Friend

going a bit personal...

Sorry dear readers, but this post really isn't meant for most of you. Actually, this post is specifically for one person only. Tammy, if you are reading this... well... this one is for you!

Tammy is a colleague of mine in the laboratory I work in. She and I have worked together for well over 5 years and we've always gotten along great. She has always been respectful of my faith, and has always been there for me in times of need. I definitely consider her a friend.

Sadly, I haven't seen much of Tammy the last few weeks, and today, I've learned that she will be missing for another few weeks due to a mysterious illness. I won't get into any details, but the symptoms are serious enough and everyone in the lab are quite concerned.

Anyway, here's the note:

You are in my prayers, Tammy. Actually, I got everyone at my church praying for you. I hope that whatever the situation is, the Lord will not only reveal it to your doctor, but that He would deliver you from this ordeal. I pray for the salvation of the Lord for you, both spiritually and physically.

"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16b)

That most certainly isn't me, but I have a few souls praying for you that DEFINITELY fit the bill.

Take care of yourself,

Your favorite "technician extraordinaire"!

Rand

Friday Night Notes

giving them the light... but they are blind...

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:14)

Well over 3 hours of street evangelism tonight, and we definitely reached a whole lot of people with the Gospel. Brother Laz, my pastor, and I were out with our Gospel signs and a good number of Bible tracts and we preached, distributed and posted the Word of God to countless souls in my city's marketplace. Sadly, the responce was less than favorable (understatement of the week), but the Lord gave safety and ability in presenting His Gospel. Praise Him!

Tonight's recollections...


Praying for Darren

A young man who was panhandling across the street from where I was preaching got up and made his way towards me. It was clear that he wasn't a big fan of my preaching. It was also clear that he wanted me to go away so that he could beg for money without having the hear the Gospel. Three to four times he made his way towards my pastor and I in anger, only to calmly return to the other side of the street.

The Lord gave us wisdom in dealing with the young man. Every time he came with a complaint, we would gently and kindly deal with his issue with the Word of God, and miraculously, he received our teachings. By the end of our time of evangelism, the young man didn't want us to leave, but made requests that prayers be made for him.

Let us pray that the Lord would save poor Darren who is severely addicted to drugs and alcohol... he is truly lost. Please pray that the Lord would give me other opportunities in the future to deal with this poor soul.


The Lost Adventist:

I was walking around the downtown core with our 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 sign, when I caught the attention of a man who was sitting in his car. He rolled down the passenger side window and asked me what I was all about.

"I'm a Bible-only Christian, my friend," I answered.

"When do you worship? What day?" he asked.

And right there, I knew I was dealing with an Adventist. I explained that we worshipped on the Lord's Day (Sunday), because that's when all God's people worshipped in New Testament times. He briefly argued with me, but his points were pretty weak and he himself knew it.

"Your problem, my friend, is that you are not studying your Bible," I began. "I know Adventism, and I know you guys don't study your Bibles. You follow 'programs' and magazines, not the Bible. I guarantee you, friend, NO ONE becomes an Adventist by simply reading and studying God's Word."

With that, the man asked me where we worshiped and we both parted. I'm hoping he'll show up at our meetings on the Lord's Day, so that he may learn what the Scriptures saith.


Special Report on Canada:

You will sometimes hear the media up here speak of the war on drugs. I declare to you that the war is over. I repeat:

THE WAR IS OVER!

The war is over, and the good guys lost.

Illegal drugs are all over the place in the marketplace. Dealers and buyers aren't even hiding anymore. The stench of marijuana is everywhere, and this despite the presence of a handful of police officers patrolling the market. We even have "health services" going around giving addicts clean syringes and "crack pipes" so that they can get high "safely".

Sick.


And that's it for tonight, dear readers. There was plenty of rejection tonight. Plenty of mockery and scorn. I'm quite weary. Weary of my day. I'm looking forward to spending a quiet day tomorrow, and a glorious day on the Lord's Day. Have a blessed weekend, dear friends.


Rand

Everyone Hates Israel

well... almost everyone...

Watching the news lately has become double the aggravation it usually is. The liberal newscasts have always managed to irk me in their reporting, but it's their coverage of the current crisis between Israel and Hezbollah (not Lebanon... Hezbollah) that really takes the cake.

CAN YOU SAY ANTI-ISRAEL?

On every newscast there is a 5 second blurb about Hezbollah rocket attacks being fired from Lebanese border towns and then we get 15 minutes of how brutal and disproportionate the Israeli response has been. How brutal the Israeli army is being towards those poor, innocent Lebanese peasants. How vile and war-mongering Israel is.

IT MAKES ME SICK!

1- Who started this whole mess?
2- Who had terrorists on their soil, launching unprovoked attacks on their neighbour?
3- Who has made efforts to clear out civilians from war zones?
4- Who has made efforts to hit civilians?
5- Which country in the world would put up with the nonsense Israel has for so long, without doing something about it?

You ask yourselves these questions, and answer them truthfully. You will find yourself becoming more and more a supporter of Israel.

For those of you who need a picture drawn for you, take a look at this post by my friends over at Fine Dry Wit.


Rand